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NOTES ON ELIZABETHAN DRAMATISTS
BY
KARL ELZE, PH.D., LL.D.
A NEW EDITION IN ONE VOLUME.
HALLE:
MAX NIEMEYER.
1889.
^f(p^^
TO THE MEMORY OF GOTTFRIED HERMANN.
9^S
PREFACE.
Twenty years have elapsed since I first ventured on publishing
conjectural emendations on the text of Shakespeare and other Eliza-
bethan dramatists. It was but natiu^l that at the outset they should
have come as ^single spies' and that they should have gradually in-
creased in number on being combined with metrical comments and
going hand in hand with my lectures. The result of these studies
was laid before the public in my Notes on Elizabethan Dramatists
the first series of which was published in 1880; a second Series
followed in 1884, and a thii-d in 1886. Having thus grown upon
me I might almost say unawares, these critical and metrical obser-
vations wanted suitable arrangement and unity, a want which must
have been keenly felt by every reader and may even have stood in
the way of the circulation of the three volumes. Under these circum-
stances I have felt it incumbent on me to remedy this defect and
have now re -arranged, revised, and corrected the whole and brought
it to the compass of a handy single volume.
The fond hope to which I gave expression in the preface to
the first Series that I should not be obliged, at some future day,
again to withdraw (as I had done before) part of the conjectural
emendations contained in that volume, has like many other hopes
sadly deceived me and I now concur in the persuasion of Gottfried
Hermann, my great teacher in textual criticism, that a true verbal
critic must be no less ready to withdraw his conjectures than to
make them. I now firmly believe, that this is a drawback incident
on all verbal criticism. The loss thus caused to the bulk of my
book has been more than compensated by the addition of fresh matter,
especially the notes on K. Richard 11. and Othello.
I must not fail to inform the reader that the designation of
'triple ending' has been substituted for * trisyllabic feminine ending'
which latter term I had borrowed from Mr, Fleay. * Triple ending'
VI
is indeed a far simpler and more convenient name and moreover per-
fectly corresponds with 'triple rhyme'; a regular progression is thus
obtained of single, double, and triple rhymes and endings. Should
some one or other of my German readers require an English authority
for these terms, he may be referred to Dr. Guest's History of English
Rhythms (2d Ed., by W. W. Skeat), p. 115 and to Dr. FumivaU's
paper on Fletcher's and Shakespeare's Triple Endings in The Academy,
July 10, 1880, p. 27 — 28. I need hardly add that the change I have
made is exclusively in the name. Most willingly I should also have
altered the designation 'syllable pause line', if my endeavours to find
out a more suitable name for this kind of verse had been cro^Tied
with success.
The addition to the main title 'with Conjectural Emendations
of the Text' which appears on the title-pages of the original three
volumes has been omitted in the present edition merely in order to
give the title greater conciseness.
Halle, January 1889.
K. E.
CONTENTS.
ANONYMOUS PLAYS. Note
Appius and Virginia 394
Arden of Feversham 1. 4. 81. 394
The Birth of Merlin 2 — 7. 103. 258
A Comedy of King Cambises 394
Damon and Pithias 19
Edward m 8 — 12. 336. 392. 394. 402
Fair Em 4. 13—89. 107. 114, 176. 177. 210. 255. 268. 274. 305. 335.
382. 392
Histrio-Mastix 90. 125. 394
Lociine 4. 91. 114. 183. 402
The London Prodigal 92—95
A Lover's Complaint 263
The Merry Devil of Edmonton 96. 274
The Miseries of Enforced Marriage 95
Mucedorus 2. 4. 97 — 183. 263. 274. 305. 335. 452
Nobody and Somebody 184. 392
The Play of Stucley 99. 103
Eam-AHey 4. 9. 81. 95. 301
The Second Maiden's Tragedy 4
The Seven Deadly Sins 290
The Shoemakers' Holiday 11
Soliman and Perseda 4. 185. 255. 282
The Three Lords and the Three Ladies of London 125. 183
A Warning for Fair Women 99. 262. 391. 392
The Wife Lapped in Morel's SMn 394
A Yorkshire Tragedy 177
vm
ASCHAM. Note
The Scholejnaster 125
BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER
The Honest Man's Fortune 4
The Humorous Lieutenant 394
A King and No King 343
» The Knight of the Burning Pestle 391
The Knight of Malta 392. 394
^ The Queen of (Dorinth 4
CHAPMAN.
Alphonsus 186. 250. 392
The Ball 288
Eastward Ho! 394
Revenge for Honour 402
The Widow's Teai-s 566
CHESTER.
Love's Martyr 215
COOKE.
Greene's Tu Quoque 187. 293. 392
DAVENPORT.
The City Nightcap 95
DEKKER.
Old Fortunatus 394
DEKKER AND MIDDLETON.
Honest Whoro 95. 136. 254. 301. 302. 402. 452
The Roaring Girl 301. 311
DEKKER AND WEBSTER.
Westward Ho! 125. 188 — 192. 301. 320. 389. 395. 402. 474
FIELD.
A Woman is a Weathercock 193—196.335
FORD.
The Lover's Melancholy 437
'Tis Pity She's a Whore 301. 437
IX
GLAPTHORNE. Note
The Hollander 197
The Lady's Privilege 4
Albertus Wallenstem 4. 394
GREENE.
Dorastus and Fawnia 4. 81. 336
Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay 19. 198—204
Dramatic Works 402
HARRINGTON.
The Anatomio of the Metamorphosis of Ajax 19
HAUGHTON.
Englishmen for my Money 105. 205. 268
HEYWOOD.
The English Traveller 523
The Four Ps 392
If you know not me, you know nobody 384. 392
Love's Mistress 394
JONSON.
Every Man in His Humour 28. 287. 343. 389
Every Man out of His Humour 391
Cynthia's Revels 394
Volpone 34. 281. 394
.Alchemist 4
Catiline 15. 34. 335
The Devil is an Ass 392
The Tale of a Tub 28
The Sad Shepherd 430
Epicoene 392
Bartholomew Fair 392. 394
Epigrams 288
KYD.
Cornelia 29. 193. 209—211. 343
Jeronimo 4
The Spanish Tragedy 81. 206—206. 394
MARLOWE. Note
Tambuilaine 212—215. 239. 259. 392. 394. 402
Doctor Faustus 215—219. 394
The Jew of Malta 2. 4. 220. 221. 283. 392
Edward XL 4. 15. 57. 81. 106. 206. 222—239. 255. 259. 274. 277. 305.
335. 391. 396
Dido, Queen of Carthage 120. 240. 254. 263. 394
Hero and Leander 394
MARSTON.
The Insatiate Countesse 2. 81. 231. 241 — 247. 263. 286
Antonio and MoUida ... 394
The Fawn 19
The Malcontent 19. 254. 290
What You Will 380
Works 268. 277. 651
MASSINGER,
The City Madam 268
MIDDLETON.
A Chaste Maid in Cheapside 136
The Mayor of Queonboi-ough 95. 394
Old Law 81
NASH.
Summer's I^st Will and Testament 240. 250. 384. 394
Pierce Pennilesse 7. 391. 394
PEELE.
The Old Wives' Tale 4
SAM. ROWLEY.
When you see me, you know me 248. 249. 301. 392. 394
WILL. ROWLEY.
A Match at Midnight 301. 392
SHAKESPEARE AND FLETCHER.
The Two Noble Kinsmen 250. 288
XI
SHAKESPEARE.
The Tempest 2. 4. 29. 193. 210. 251 — 266. 274. 287. 305. 359.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Meny Wives of Windsor
Measure for Measure . . .
The Comedy of Errors . .
Much Ado about Nothing
Love's Labom'^s Lost . . .
A Midsummer - Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice . .
As You Like It
The Taming of the Shrew
4. 66.
255. 263. 267 — 269.
56. 81. 268. 270-
2. 4. 95. 110.
2. 4. 19. 101.
.... 2. 359.
391.
4. 66. 263. 278 — 280.
281 — 287. 343. 364. 391. 392.
... 4. 254. 288.
2. 4. 255. 289 — 302.
Note
392. 394.
437. 452
392. 499
-276. 392
136. 277
103. 392
391. 394
392. 517
392. 402
394. 559
335. 452
392. 452
-306. 556
452. 479
436. 458
394. 410
415. 420.
442. 499
391. 392
394. 402
All's WeU that Ends Well 2. 4. 7. 239. 303-
Twelfth Night . . . 2. 4. 81. 136. 156. 282. 303. 307—334. 392.
The Winter's Tale . 2. 4. 82. 145. 268. 335. 343. 389. 392. 403.
King John 4. 274. 281. 336 — 340. 391.
Richard H. 4. 107. 233. 255. 323. 336. 341 — 377. 392. 394. 402.
437.
1 Henry IV 2. 4. 238. 298. 344. 378 — 380.
2 Henry IV 290. 344.
Henry V 4. 255. 381. 392. 525
1 Henry VI 2. 232. 391. 392
2 Henry VI 4. 274. 385. 392. 442. 499
3 Henry VI 2. 290. 392. 433. 505
Richard m 2. 4. 107. 255. 259. 263. 274. 277. 364. 458. 505
Henry VIH 381. 391. 392. 410. 442. 517
Troilus and Cressida 66. 305. 392. 458
Cbiiolanus 2. 4. 11. 277. 338. 384. 387. 392. 436. 440. 458
Titus Andronicus 4. 53. 268. 386. 389. 402
Romeo and JuUet 15. 101. 291. 382. 391. 442
Timon of Athens 2. 4. 98. 255. 383. 384. 391. 544
Julius Caesar 2. 4. 274. 385—388. 394. 458
Macbeth 2. 4. 244. 301. 452. 537
Hamlet 4. 81. 193. 205. 263. 279. 303. 335. 336. 389—402. 410. 452. 566. 573
King Lear 2. 4. 23. 392. 403. 516. 542
OtheUo 4. 274. 389. 404-449. 452
Antony and Geopatra 4. 263. 269. 305. 343. 437. 450—496
Cymbeline ... 2. 4. 239. 259. 384. 387. 410. 419, 437. 489. 497-604
xn
Note
Pericles 4. 274. 398. 452. 455. 479. 605—669
Venus and Adonis 156. 254
Lucrece 391. 523
Sonnets 394
SPENSER.
Faerie Queene 7. 19. 254. 336. 384. 386. 503
WEBSTER.
The Duchess of Malfi 254. 324. 392
The White Devil 392
IVERSITY
ANONTMOnS PLATS.
I.
Then is there Michael, and the painter too,
Chief actors to Arden's overthrow.
Arden of Feversfiam, III, 5 (ed, Delius, 45. — Ed. Wamke
and Prcesekoldt, 41).
Is Chief to be taken as a so-caUed monosyllabic foot — followed by
a trochee! — or are we to read: —
Chief actors both to Arden's overthrow?
n.
Toclio, Me, Madam! 's foot! I'd be loath that any man
should m^ke a holy -day for me yet:
In brief, 'tis thus: There's here arriv'd at court.
Sent by the Earl of Chester to the kiAg,
A man of rare esteem for holiness,
A reverend hermit, that by miracle
Not onely sav'd our army.
But without aid of man o'erthrew
The pagan host, and with such wonder, sir,
As might confirm a kingdom to his faith. .
The Birth of Merlin, /, 1 (ed. Delius, 5. — Ed. Wamke
and ProBscholdt, 5).
These lines should thus be regulated: —
Toclio. Me, ma'am! 'S foot! I'd be loth that any man
Should make a holiday for me yet
In brief, 'tis thus: there's here arriv'd at court,
Sent by the Earl of Chester to the king,
A man of rare esteem for holiness,
A reverend hermit, that by miracle
Not only sav'd our army, but without
The aid of man o'erthrew the pagan host.
And with such wonder, sir, as might confirm
A kingdom to his faith.
Elze, Notes. 1
a THE BIRTH OP MERUN.,
The monosyllabic pronunciation of madam (in the first line) is too
frequent to call for any further remark; scan: —
Me, ma'am! | 'S foot! Fd | be loth | that an{y man.
The second line wants the tenth syllable; it is what may be termed
a catalectic blank verse. Such catalectic verses have been pointed
out by Dr. Wilke in his *Metrische Untersuchungen zu Ben Jonson'
(Halle, 1884), p. 14, 15 and 52, and after him by Schipper (Engli-
sche Metrik, 11*, 38), whereas S. Walker (Versification, p. 289) assured
his readers that 'lines wanting the tenth or final syllable, are un-
known to Shakespeare, as they are certainly at variance with his
rhythm.' Dr. Abbott, Shakespearian Grammar, s. 505seqq., makes no
difference between catalectic lines in our sense and those that want
the last foot. According to Schipper the omission of the last syl-
lable is restricted to those cases where there is a break in the
sentence; the instances, however, which I am able to add to the
quotations made by Dr. Wilke and Prof. Schipper will sufficiently
show that such a restriction is not bom out by the facts. Before
turning to Shakespeare I shall introduce a few cases in point from his
predecessor Marlowe. In 'The Jew of Malta' I find the following: —
1. What right had Caesar to the Empire?
Marlowe y (Works, ed. Dyce, in 1 Vol., 1870, p. 145b,)
Dyce empery which hitherto has been considered an almost
indispensable correction.
2. To read a lecture here in Britain. (^., I.e.)
Dyce proposes to insert to you between lecture and here,
3. And all his life -time hath been jired. (lb., 146 a.)
4. And bring with them their bills of entry. (lb., 146b.)
5. I have no charge, nor many children. (lb., 147b.)
6. Earth's barrenness, and all men's hatred. (lb., 150a.)
. 7. Of labouring oxen, and five hundred. (lb., 150b.)
I have little doubt that Dr. Abbott and his adherents will prefer
to draw out these last four lines to their proper length by
pronouncing ent-e-ry, chUd-e-ren, lud'e-red, and hund-e-red,
8. Seduced daughter? Go, forget not. (lb., 152b.)
Dyce proposes to read: 'forget it not.'
9. Farewell; remember to-morrow morning. (Tl)., I.e.)
10. I would you were his father too, sir. (lb., 155b.)
Printed as prose by Dyce and others.
11. Yes, madam, and my talk with him was. (lb., 157a.)
Dyce proposes to add hut at the end of the line.
12. What, is he gone unto my mother? (lb., 160a.)
13. Are there not Jews enow in Malta? (lb.. I.e.)
In both old and modem editions this passage is diffei-ently arranged.
THE BIRTH OF MERLDT. 3
14. And common channels of the dty. (lb,, 174b.)
15. We rent in sunder at our entry. (lb., 176b.)
According to Dr. Abbott's theory we must pronounce ent'e-ry.
As to Shakespeare, I feel almost certain that his plays abound with
catalectic blank verse, but am content with quoting some few that
have been collected with a view of comparing at the same time the
different scansions given by Dr. Abbott*
16. Who hadst | deserv'd | more than | a pri8|on.
The Tempest, I, 2, 362.
Abbott, p. 372, scans: —
Who hddst I des6rv|ed m6|re thin | a prison.
17. Say again, where didst thqu leave these varlets. lb., IV, 1, 170.
Abbott, p. 378, takes Say to be a monosyllabic foot
18. And ptin|i8h them | t' your height | of pleas |ure.
Measure far Measure, V, 1, 240.
This line may also be scanned: —
And pun'sh | them to | your height | of pleas |ure.
Abbott, p. 373, dissyllabizes your, 'unless', he adds, * "pleasure"
is a trisyllable.'
19. But moojdy and | dull mel|ancho|ly.
Comedy of Errors, F, 1, 79.
Abbott, p. 381, prolongs both moody (so as to make it a tri-
syllable) and dull *Some may prefer', he continues, 'to read
"dull" as a monosyllable, but I can find no instance of
"mel&nchol^" to justify such a scansion.' Had this scansion
(md'Ody and du-ll) been proposed by a German scholar, it
would have been condemned unmercifully by all English critics.
20. Good Mar|g'ret. Rim | thee to | the par | lour.
Much Ado, III, 1, 1.
Abbott, p. 416, scans this line: —
Good Mar|gar6t. | Rfm | thee t6 | the p&r|lour.
The line may indeed be considered as a syllable pause line
(see note IV) just as well as a catalectic verse.
21. Vincentio's son brought up in Florence.
The Tamifig of the Shreio, I, 1, 14.
22. Gentlemen, importune me no further. lb., I, 1, 48.
23. No worse than I, upon some agreement
Me shall you find ready and willing. lb., IV, 4, 33—4.
24. If you will tarry, holy pilgrim. All's Well, III, 5, 43.
25. And lasting in her sad remembrance. Twelfth Night, I, 1, 32.
26. The like of him. Know'st thou this country. lb., I, 2, 21.
Need I advert to the well-known remedy (formerly adopted by my-
self) of lengthening the words pUgrim, remembrance, and country'^
1*
4 THE BIRTH OF MERLIN.
27. He straight declined, droop'd, took it deeply.
The Winter's Tale, II, 3, 14.
Abbott, p. 381, pronounces declined and dissyllabizes droop'd.
28. What wheels, racks, fires? "What flaying, boiling.
lb.. Ill, 2, 177.
Abbott, p. 380, prolongs boiling, so as to make it a trisyllable.
29. Did ever so long live. No sorrow. lb., V, 3, 52.
Abbott, p. 41G, thinks a foot omitted after live.
30. But tell I me, is young | George Stanllej- liv|ing?
RicJiardlll, V, 5, 9.
Abbott, p. 383 and 416, offers no fewer than three different
scansions of this line. The verse, he says, may cither be ex-
plained, by a pause: —
But t611 I me, ' | is y6ung | G6orge [sic] Stdn|ley llv|ing?,
'or "George" may be a quasi- dissyllable, or, possibly.
But t6U me, I
Is y6ung | George St4n|ley living?'
In my conviction, the second and third scansions are positively
wrong, whereas the first scansion would make the verse a syl-
lable pause line (see note IV) which after all may be just a8
right as declaring it a catalectic verse.
31. With winged haste to the lord marshal. 1 Henry IV., IV, 4, 2.
Abbott, p. 387, wwfr|^e>A^i/.
32. Or horse or oxen, from the leopard. 1 Henry VI, I, 5, 31.
Abbott, p. 379, U\opdrd, which, he says, occurs often in Eli-
zabethan authors; in Shakespeare, however, the word is nowhere
else used as a trisyllable.
33. Men for their wives; wives for their husbands.
3 Henry VI, V, 6, 41.
Abbott, p. 379, dissyllabizes vdves.
34. Well, let them rest: come hither, Catesby.
Richard III, III, 1, 157.
35. Here comes his servant How now, Catesby. lb., Ill, 7, 5S.
Abbott, p. 385, pronounces Catesby as a trisyllable.
36. They thus directed, we will follow. lb., V, .9, 297.
I cannot agree with Dr. Abbott (p. 412), who thinks that per-
haps part of the following line should be combined with this.
37. This found I on my tent this morning. lb., V, 3, 303.
38. At a poor man's house: he us'd me kindly.
Coriolanns, I, 9, 83.
Abbott, p. 380, draws out kindly into a trisyllable.
39. In our first way. I'll bring him to you. lb.. Ill, 1, 334.
Abbott, p. 373, dissyllabizes our.
THE BIRTH OF MERLIN. O
40. How, traitor! Nay, temperately; your promise. lb., Illy 3, 67,
Abbott, p. 374, dissyllabizes Nay. Here the same dilemma
presents itself as in Nos. 20 and 30, viz. whether we are to
consider this line as a catalectic blank verse w^ith an extra
syllable before the pause, or as a syllable pause line (see
note IV): —
How, trail tor! j: \ Nay, tem|perately; | your prom|i8e.
Similar lines are numerous.
41. You've added worth unto it and lustre.
Tinion of Athens, /, 2, 154.
42. He humbly prays ^''our speedy payment. lb., II, 2, 28.
Compare Abbott, p. 378.
43. The heart of woman is. 0, Brutus. Jtdius Ceesar, II, 4, 40.
Compare Abbott, p. 375.
44. And betimes I will to the weird sisters. Macbeth, III, 4, 133.
Abbott, p. 382, dissyllabizes weird.
45. They've travelled all the night. Mere fetches. Lear, II, 4, 90.
46. And leave eighteen. Alas, poor princess. Oymbeline, II, 1, 61.
Two more instances may be added from Mucedorus (ed. Warnke
and Prooscholdt, p. 38 — 9) and from The Insatiate Countess, A. Ill,
ad fin. (The Works of John Marston, ed. J. 0. HalliweU, EI, 160).
In Mucedorus we read: —
47. Segasto cease, these threats are needless,
and in The Insatiate Countess; —
48. And their lusts [qy. lust's?] past, avarice or bawdry.
The adherents of Dr. Abbott will probably prefer to pronounce
bawdry as a trisyllable. Another means of extending the line
to the customary five l^t might be found in the transposition
bawdry or avarice.
Tlie result may be summed up in the following three con-
clusions: 1. There are undoubtedly lines which cannot possibly be
explained otherwise than on the principle of the omission of the fifth
arsis; such lines are, e. g., Nos. 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 2^1, 23, 28,
20,33,36,42,43,47. — 2. Other lines, though in all likelihood
catalectic verses just as well as the former, yet admit at the same
time of a different scansion, viz. by the lengthening of vowels or by
the insertion of an e between a mute and a liquid, or a liquid and
a sibilant; such are Nos. 5, 6, 7, 15, 18, 24, 25, 26, 31, 38, 40. —
3. A tiiird class is formed by those lines which may be scanned
either as catalectic blank verse with an extra syllable before the
pause, or as syllable pause lines, especially such in which the arsis
is wanting at the end of the first hemistich; see Nos. 20, 30, 40, and
compare note IV. As a rule I prefer scanning verses of the second
6 THE BIBTH OF MERLEET.
category as catalectic, and verses of the third class as syllable
pause lines.
I revert once more to the passage at the head of this note in
order to add a remark on the eighth line where the addition of the
article before aid has been objected to by Messrs. Wamke and Ptob-
Scheldt ad loc. on the ground that, 'as Shakespeare says with aid
of s. h. we seem not to be permitted to add the in the phrase wUh-
out aid of s. 6.' The learned editors have overlooked Macbeth, I, 3,
146: But with the aid of use.
m.
Dispatch it quickly, there's not a minute's time
'Twixt thee and thy death.
Proxi\rrms\ Ha, ha, ha! [A stone falls and kills Proximus,
M€rl\in\ Ay, so thou may'st die laughing.
lb., (Dei, 68. — W. and Pr,, 60.)
The second Une is evidently to be joined with Merlin's speech, the
verse being continued spite of the interruption caused by the laughter
of Proximus; see Abbott, s. 514. We must either run the two words
thee and into one another and scan: —
'Twixt thee and | thy death. | Ay, so | thou may'st | die
laugh|ing,
or thy must be expunged.
At the next page (Del., 69. — W. and Pr., 60) the following
passage * gives us pause': —
* Merlin strikes his wand. Thunder and lightning. Two dragons
appear, a white and a red; they fight awhile and pause.
Vort. What means this stay?
Merl Be not amaz'd, my lord, for on the victory
Of loss or gain, as these two champions' ends,
Your fate, your life, and kingdom all depends;
Therefore observe it well.
Vort. I shall; heaven be auspicious to us.'
Instead of stay qy. read play? Apart from the fact that the Ed. pr.
(1662) reads Champions, not champions', there is no doubt some cor-
ruption also in the third line, but it baffles my endeavours to detect
and amend it. In the last line we must, of course, pronounce
aU'Spi'Ci'Ons, if we do not prefer to make the line a catalectic one,
i. e. a blank verse without the last arsis: —
I shall; I heaven be | auspi|cious to | us.
Some pages further on (Del., 76. — W. and Pr., 67) we read: —
This brought the fiery fall of Vortiger,
And yet not him alone: &c.
THE BIRTH OF MERLIN.
Qy. read: his alone? By the way it may be remarked that in the
old edition (1662) this speech of Merlin, like numerous others that
are evidently meant to be metrical, is printed as prose.
rv.
Prince, Nay, noble Edol, let us here take counsel,
It cannot hurt,
It is the surest garrison to safety.
lb., (Del., 71, — W, and Pr., 62).
Arrange and write: —
Prince. Nay, noble Edol,
Let's here take counsel, it cannot hurt.
It is the surest garrison to safety.
Some twenty lines lower down we meet with a striking parallel, as
far as the division of the lines is concerned: —
Prince, Hold, noble Edol,
Let's hear what articles he can enforce.
As to the second line, Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt have rightly
guessed that it belongs to a class of verses which for want of a
more appropriate name, may be called syllable pause lines, i.e. lines
in which the pause, to use the words of the Clarendon Edition of
Hamlet (p. 124, note on I, 1, 95), * takes the time of a defective syl-
lable', be it either unaccented or accented. In the latter case the
first hemistich corresponds exactly with what I have designated as
catalectic lines; it is in this respect as in many others the image of
the verse, and the one serves to confirm the other. The majority of
these syllable pause lines are reduced to regular metre by Dr. Abbott
(s. 484) by the prolongation, or, so to say, dissyllabification of some
monosyllable contained in them. In my second edition of Hamlet
(p. 126), I have instanced some such lines and I now beg leave to
offer another instalment collected at random which, however trifling
in number compared to the infinite multitude of these verses, yet
will go far not only to establish the fact of their existence, but to
throw a flood of light upon them. I shall first give a list where
the pause serves as substitute for an unaccented syllable, or, to look
at it from a different point of view, where the second hemistich
begins with a monosyllabic foot. German readers will no doubt be
conversant with Prof. Schipper's most ingenious and learned exposition
not only of this metrical peculiarity, but of blank verse in general
(Englisohe Metrik, Yol. I, Bonn, 1881, p. 439 seqq.), and will be
aware that those lines in which the pause stands for an unaccented
syllable, correspond to Nos. 9 and 11, and when beginning with a"
monbsyllabic foot, to Nos. 13 and 15 of his table (p. 440). My
8 THE BIRTH OF HEBLIK.
second list will comprise lines in which the pause does duty for an
accented syllable, lines, for which there is no room in Schipper's
table of the various licenses of blank verse, but which have been
treated by Dr. Abbott in s. 507 seq., though not in a very satisfactory
manner. It will hardly be necessary to advert to the circumstance,
that, while even a very slight pause may sometimes be deemed suf-
ficient to stand for an unaccented syllable, none but a strongly marked
one, or, still better, a break in the line, will serve as substitute for
an accented syllable. Thus, for instance, the verse in Fair Em (ed.
Delius, p. 46; ed. Wamke and ProBScholdt, p. 53): —
Here is the Lady you sent me for,
has so slight a pause that it would be imsafe to take it for a syl-
lable pause line; indeed no other means of reducing this line to
regular metre seems to be left than the insertion of whom after Lady.
Our investigation promises to be so much the more attractive, as
most of these lines, in both classes, have been differently scanned
not only by Dr. Abbott, but also by other critics, and the reader will,
therefore, find himself called upon to decide in favour of one or the
other theory. At the same time he will be surprised to see how
large a number of conjectural emendations, both old and new, will
become needless and may be dismissed from doing service any longer
in the critical revision of the text. To prevent misunderstandings,
it may be as well to premise the remark that I shall denote the
unaccented syllable (thesis) by ^ and the accented (arsis) by j..
A. Lines in which the pause stands for an .
UNACCENTED SYLLABLE.
1. Yea, his | dread tri|dent shake. | ^ My | brave spir|it.
The Tempest, /, 2, 206.
Theobald duplicates brave] Hanmer, Tfiat^s my brave. Abbott,
p. 377, scans: —
Yea, his I dread tri|dent shake. | My bra|ve spir|it.
Instead of brave the word shc^ might just as well have been
dissyllabized.
2. Make the | prize light. | ^ One | word more; | I charge | thee.
lb., /, 2, 452.
Pope added Sir before Orte.
3. Letters | should not | be known; | ^ rich|es, pov|erty.
lb., II, 1, 150.
Pope, wealth, poverty] Capell, poverty, riches] Prof. W. Wagner,
no riches. Pope and Capell read poverty as a trisyllable, as
they had no knowledge yet of triple endings.
THE BIRTH OF MERLIN. 9
4. No 8ov'|reignty. | v^ Yet | he would | be king ] on't.
lb., II, i, 156,
The insertioii of And before Yet in Prof. W. Wagner's edition
of Shakespeare is needless.
5. Or night | kept chained | below. | v^ Fairlly spoke.
lb., IV, 1, 31.
'Fairly', says Steevens ad he,, *is here used as a trisyllable.'
6. Makes this [place parladise. | ^ Sweet, | now si|lence.
lb., IV, 1, 124.
Hanmer, Now, silence, sweet.
7. Which is | most faint; | ^ now, | 'tis true. lb.. Epilogue, 3,
Pope, and now, Abbott, p. 377, dissyllabizes faint. Of course
it makes no difTerence that this is a line of four feet only.
8. Which was | to please. | ^ Now | I want lb.. Epilogue, 13.
Pope, For now\ Abbott, p. 378, ple-ase,
9. Gaoler, | ^ take | him to | thy cu8|tody.
The Coniedy of Errors, I, 1, 156.
Hanmer, Jailor, now] Capell, So, jailer] S. Walker, Versification,
p. 153 seq., Oo, gaoler.
10. But room, | v^ fai|ry, here | comes Ob|eron.
A Midsummer 'Night's Dream, II, 1, 58,
Pope, But, make room] Johnson, faery] Seymour, But, fairy,
room, for here] Abbott, p. 381, ro-om,
11. And so j all yours. | v^ 0, | these naugh|ty times!
The Merchant of Venice, III, 2, 18.
Pope, Alas these] S. Walker, Versification, p. 137, dissyllabizes yours,
12- Villain, | I say, | ^ knock | me at | this gate.
The Taming of fJte Shrew, I, 2, 11.
13. Like the | old age. | v^ Are | you readjy, sir?
Twelfth Night, II, 4, 49 seq,
Abbott, p. 377, dissyllabizes age,
14. Poison'd, | ill fare, | v> dead, | forsook, | cast off.
K. John, V, 7, 35.
Hanmer, oh! dead. S.Walker, Versification, p. 139, and Abbott,
p. 370, dissyllabize fare.
15. Your grace | mistakes; | v^ on|ly to | be brief.
K. Richard II., Ill, 3, 9,
Rowe, mistakes me] Delius, mistaketh. According to Abbott,
p. 385, the e mute in mistakes is to be sounded.
16. Yea, look'st | thou pale? | v> Let | me see | this wri|ting.
lb., V,2,57,
Hanmer, come, let] Malone, pale, boy? Abbott, p. 377, dig-
syllabizes pale.
10 THE BIRTH OF MERLIN.
17. Farewell, | kinsman 1 | ^ I | will talk | to you.
1 K. Henry IV., /, 5, 234.
FA, lie talk] Pope, my kinsman] Capell, Fare you well.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 140. Abbott, p. 370, scans: —
jParelwell, kins | man! I | will talk | with [sie] you.
18. Touch her | soft mouth | and march. | s^ Fare | well, host] ess.
K. Henry V.,II, 3, Glseq.
S. Walker, Yersification, p. 140. — Printed as two incomplete
lines in the Globe Edition.
19. She's tick I led now; | ^ her | fume needs | no spurs.
2 K. Henry F/., 1,3, 153.
FBCD, can need] Dyce and S.Walker (Crit. Exam. HI, 156)
fury. — Abbott, p. 382, says: *It may be that "fume" is
emphasized in: t
She's tick I led now. | Her fu|me needs | no spurs.
(Unless "needs" is prolonged either by reason of the double
vowel or because "needs" is to be pronounced "needeth").' —
In my opinion the context sufficiently shows that her is to be
emphasized.
20. My lord, | v^ will | it please | you pass | along?
K. Richard HI., UI, 1, 136.
FA, iviU (which may be right, although it reduces the line to
four feet); modern Edd., wiWt. Compare Cambr. Ed. and Dyce
ad he.
21. Doth com I fort thee in | thy sleep; | ^ live, [ and flou Irish.
lb., V, 3, 130.
Thy omitted in Ff. Thou added after live by Rowe and Col-
lier's Ms. Corrector.
22. When steel | grows soft, | w as | the para | site's silk.
Coriolamis, I, 9, 45.
Abbott, p. 379, dissyllabizes steel and adds: *"Soft" is emphasized
as an exclamation (see 481), but perhaps on the whole it is
better to emphasize "steel" here.' — I think, neither the one,
nor the other.
23. We'll sure|ty him. | ^ A|ged sir, | hands off. lb.. Ill, 1, 178.
See Dyce ad loc. Abbott, p. 378, dissyllabizes We'll.
24. Why dost | not speak? | v^ What, | deaf: not | a word?
Titus Andronicu^, V, 1, 46.
¥B^ no, not a word] Dyce conjectures: wJiat, not a word;
Abbott, p. 378, de-af. Or should we scan: —
Why dost I not speak? | What, deaf? | ^ Not | a word?
THE BIRTH OF HERUN. 11
25. Titus, I w I I am come | to talk | with thee. 76., V, 2, 16,
Dyoe, / now am come. Abbott, p. 415, classes this verse with
the 'Lines with four accents where there is a change of
thought.' His scansion is this: —
Titus, I ' I I (am)'m c6me | to t&lk | with th§e.
26. Long live | so and | so die. | v^ I | am quit.
Timon of Athens, IV, 3, 398.
The insertion of So before I, proposed by Hanmer and adopted
by modem editors, is needless.
27. Caesar | has had | great wrong. | v^ Has | he, masjters?
Julttis CcBsar, III, 2, 115,
Craik and Dyce: Has he not\ ^, Walker, Crit. Exam., 11, 259,
my masters. Abbott, p. 330, takes the last two feet to be
trochees, 'unless "my" has dropped out', and then adds: 'Even
here, however, "wrong" may be a quasi -dissyllable (480).'
Thus Abbott is at a loss how to decide between three different
scansions to which I have now added a fourth.
28. Lucius, my gown. | ^ Fare|well, good | Messajla.
lb., IV, 3, 231.
Hanmer, Now farewell] S.Walker, Versification, p. 141, Fare
you weU (compare infra No. 54); Abbott, p. 370, Fa-re,
29. 'Gainst my | captiv|ity. | w Hail, | brave friend.
Macbeth, I, 2, 5.
Abbott, p. 377, more suo dissyllabizes Hail,
30. Horri|ble sight! | ^ Now | I see, | 'tis true. lb., IV, 1, 122.
Pope, Nay now; Steevens, Ay, now. See Dyce ad loc, Abbott,
p. 379, dissyllabizes sight,
31. Died ev|'ry day | she liv'd. | v^'Fare | thee well.
lb., IV, 3, 111.
Pope, Oh fare] Dyce, lived] S.Walker, Versification, p. 139 seq.,
dissyllabizes Fare.
32. Thence to | a watch, | ^ thence | into | a weakness.
Hamlet, II, 1, 148.
Compare Abbott, p. 377.
33. Pull off I my boots: | v^ hard|er, so. K. Lear, IV, 6, 177.
Abbott, p. 381, b6\ot [sic].
34. Anto|nius dead! | ^ If | thou say | so, vil|lain.
Antony and Cleopatra, II, 5, 26.
Whether we read Antomus with Delius, or Anthony's with
FBCD is quite immaterial as far as the scansion is concerned.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 48, do say] Anonymous in Cambr.
Ed., Uiou villain] Abbott, p. 378, dS-ad.
12 THE BIRTH OF MERLIN.
35. Obey | it on | all cause. | v^ Par | don, par | don. 76., ///, 11, 68.
Capell, causes] Theobald, 0, pardon. Abbott, p. 329seq., thinks
this to be perhaps an instance of two consecutive trochees
(compare No. 27) and sees no ground for supposing that
'pardon' is to be pronounced as in French. In his opinion the
difficulty will be avoided, if the diphthong in 'cause' be pro-
nounced as a dissyllable.
36. Enough | to fetch | him in. | v> See | it done. lb., IV, 1, 14.
'In all probability'', says Dyce ad he., ^See U be done' [pro-
posed by Pope]. Abbott, p. 379, lengthens See.
37. What, all | alone? | ^ well | fare, sleep |y drink.
Marlowe, The Jew of Malta, A. V (Works, 174b).
S.Walker, Versification, p. 139, dissyllabizes fare.
38. Tanii, \ ^ 1 \ will fawn | first on | the wind.
Marlowe, Edward II. (ed. Taneock), I, 1, 22.
Qq: rU. 'Something has dropt out from this line', remarks
Dyce ad loc., and Mr. Fleay (Marlow's Tragedy of Edward II.,
Lon., 1877), after extolling Dyce's emendation fawn instead of
fanne, adds: 'The line still wants a foot.' W.Wagner, in his
edition of Edward 11. (Hamburg, 1871) p. 6, thinks he 'might
easily get the legitimate number of feet by reading: —
Tanti: I will first fawn upon the wind.'
All these criticisms and suggestions simply fall to the ground,
as it cannot be doubted that the pause aifter Tanti replaces a
defective syllable.
39. His head | shall off: | ^ Gav|eston, | short warn|ing.
lb., II, 5, 21.
Mr. Fleay, p. 123, writes Gaustan and pronounces war'ning as
a trisyllable.
40. My lord! | ^ Sol|diers, | liave him | away. lb., II, 5, 25.
Mr. Fleay, p. 123, pronounces lor'ds \sic\.
41. My lord, | v^ we | shall quickjly be | at Cob|ham.
lb., 77, 5, 107.
Dyce, W. Wagner, Mr. KeltiQ (The British Dramatists, Ediu.,
1875) and Mr. Tancock we'll, thus introducing a catalectic verse.
Or is this the reading of the Qq?
42. Is 't you, I my lord? | ^ Morjtimer, | 'tis I. lb., IV, 1, 12.
Mr. Fleay, p. 124, hr'd, as a dissyllable.
43. Come, come, | ^ keep | these preach] ments till | you come.
76., IV, 6, 112.
Dyce, W. Wagner, Mr. Keltic, and Mr. Tancock print this pas-
sage as prose. Mr. Fleay, p. 121^ p'reachmerUs, as a trisyllable.
THE BIRTH OF HERLHT. 13
44. Help, un|cle Kent! | ^ Mor| timer | will wrong | me.
Ib.y V, 2,109.
Mr. Fleay, p. 128, MorHimer, as a word of four syllables.
45. To mur|der you, | v^ my | most gra|cious lord. Ib,y V, 5, 43.
Mr. Fleay, p. 128, g'racious,
4G. Tell me, | ^ sirs, | was it | not brave |ly done?
Ib.y V, 5, 113. .
Mr. ileay, p. 129, E'ravely, as a trisyllable.
47. Betray | us both; | v^ there | fore let ] me fly. Ih., r, 6, 8.
Whilst Dyce, W. Wagner, and Mr. Tancock are silent about this
line, Mr. Fleay, p. 114, gives the following scansion of which
the less is said, the better it will be: —
Betray us both, theref6re let m6 fly.
Y, Mor, Fly
To th' savages.
48. That same | is Blanch, | ^ daugh|ter to | the king.
Fair Eniy (Del, 8. — W. and Pr., 10, — 8im., 17, 416.*)
Simpson's (or Chetwood's?) conjecture (the daughter) as well
as my own (sole daughter) I^ow consider as needless. See
note ad loc.
49. Ah, Em, | ^ faith |fnl love | is full | of jeal|ousy.
Ib.y (Del, 16. — W. and Pr., 19. — Sim., II, 425.)
Both Simpson's and my own conjectures may be dismissed as
needless. Jealousy is, of course, to be pronounced as a triple
ending.
50. My lord, | ^ watch |ing this | night in | the camp.
lb., (Del, 36. — W. and 7V., 42. — Sim., II, 447.)
My conjecture (in watching) seems needless. See note ad loc.
51. Comedy, | ^ play | thy part | and please.
Mueedont^, (Del, 3. — W. and Pr., 21. — HaxlitVs Dodsley, VIL 203.)
No addition seems to be wanted.
52. To match | with you. | ^ Her|mit, this | is true.
lb., (Del, 44. — W. afid Pr., 66. — H's D., VII, 247.)
Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt read, on their own respon-
sibility, Ay, hermit, &c.
53. That man|ners stood | w im | acknowl | edg^d.
lb., (Del, 53. — W. and Pr., 75. — H's D., VII, 256.)
Mr. Hazlitt's Dodsley, without a remark: —
That manner stood unknowledged.
* The explanation of these abbreviations will be given in the fii*st note
on Fair Em.
14 THE BIRTH OF MERLIK.
54. Ready | to pay | with joy. | v^ Fare | well both.
Beaumont and Fletcher , Queen of CorifUh, IV, 2.
S.Walker, Versification, p. 143, needlessly conjectures Fbre you
weU both. Compare No. 28.
55. Since you've | so litt|le wit. | ^ Fare | you well, | sir.
The Second Maiden* s Tragedy, 1, 1 (The Old English
Drama, Lan,, 1825, I, 4).
The verse preceding this may likewise be considered as a syl-
lable pause line, however slight its pause may be: —
'Tis hap|py you | have leamt | ^ so | much manjners.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 143, knows no better means of scan-
ning this line than by dissyllabizing leamt, although he feels
by no means sure.
56. Would pierce | like light |(e)ning. | ^ I | believe. [?]
Olapthome, Tfie Lady's Privilege.
Compare S.Walker, Versification, p. 18seq.
57. For with | my sword, | ^ this | sharp cur | tie axe.
Loerine (Malone's SuppL II, 257).
The critics of the last centuiy might have repeated my\ —
For with | my sword, | this my \ sharp cur | tie axe.
B. Lines in which the pause stands for an accented syllable.
58. This king | of Na|ples, ± \ being | an en|emy.
The Tempest, /, 2, 121.
Enemy is to be read as a triple ending. Or should we
pronounce being as a monosj^llable (according to Abbott, s. 470)
and scan: —
This king | of Na|ples, being | an en|emy?
59. A treach|erous arjmy levjied, j. \ one mid|night. lb., I, 2, 128.
Not: lev|ied, 6ne | midnight!
60. And were | the king ] on't, j. \ what would | I do?
lb., II, 1, 145.
Abbott, p. 418, regulates this line by giving the full pronun-
ciation to the contraction onH, whereas the late Prof. W. Wagner
in his edition of Shakespeare suggested what would I not do ?,
although the following line clearly shows this conjecture to be
inconsistent with the sense of the passage.
61. Ay, sir; | where lies | that? j. \ If't were | a kibe.
lb., II, 1, 269.
Dyce, and where, &c. Perhaps it might be as well to scan: —
Ay, sir; | ^ where | lies that? | If't were | a kibe.
THE BIRTH OF MERLIN. 15
62. Just as I you left | them; ± \ all pris|oners, sir. Ib.y V.'ly 9.
Pope, aU your prisoners \ Dyce, following Collier's so-called
Ms. Corrector, aU are prisoners. The one is as good, or as bad,
as the other.
G3. Their clear|er reas|on. jl \ good | Gonza|lo. lb., K, 1, 68.
Pope, my good; S. Walker (Crit. Exam. Ill, 7), thou good.
This latter conjecture has been installed in the text by Dyce.
Abbott, p. 375, gives the following scansion of the line, which
I do not quite understand: —
Their clea|rer r6a|son. 0*, | ' g6od | Gonz^lo.
He adds that he has not found reason a trisyllable in Shake-
speare. See infra No. 84.
G4. Till death | unloads | thee. j. | Friend hast | thou none.
Measure for Measure y III, 1, 28,
Pope, unloadeih. Abbott, p. 380, is of opinion, that * possibly
"friends" [sic] may require to be emphasized, as its position
is certainly emphatic' I am surprised that he has not thought
of making unloads a woi*d of three syllables.
65. me! | you jugg|ler! j. \ You can|ker blo8|som.
A Midsummer 'Night' 8 Dream, ITT, 2, 282.
Capell, You jugler, you! Abbott, p. 3C4, pronounces jugg(e)ler.
66. Like a | ripe sis] ten ^ | the worn | an low.
As You Like It, IV, 3, 88.
FBCD: hut the woman. Abbott, p. 365, classes this line with
those cases where 'er final seems to have been sometimes
pronounced with a kind of "burr", which produced the effect
of an additional syllable', the second syllable of sister thus
taking the place of two syllables. See infra Nos. 75 and 78.
After all, ripe sister may be a corruption.
67. Of great I est just | ice. j. \ Write, write, | Rinal|do.
All's Well that Ends Well, III, 4, 29.
FB: Write and write] Hanmer, Write, oh, write. Abbott, p. 379,
dissyllabizes the first Write. To me it seems highly improbable,
that the same word should first be pronounced as a dissyllable
and immediately after as a monosyllable. It should be ob-
served, however, that the line might just as well be classed
with those catalectic blank verse (with an extra syllable before
the pause) of which I have treated in note II.
68. The doct|rine of | ill-do |ing, ± \ nor dream'd.
The Winter's Tale, 1,2, 70.
FB inserts no after iU- doing-, see S. Walker, Crit. Exam., 11,
256 and Dyce ad loc. According to Abbott, p. 411, it is a
line with four accents, without a pause in the middle of the
16 THE BIBTH OF MERLHT.
line; he declares such lines to be very rare, except in The
Taming of the Shrew.
69. And no|ble Dau|phin, j. \ albeit | we swear. A'. John, V, 2, 9.
'Albeit', says Al. Schmidt s. v., 'in John Y, 2, 9 of three, every-
where else of two syllables.' Such an anomaly might have
roused a suspicion in the learned lexicographer.
70. Never | believe | me. jl \ Both are | my kins {men.
Richard 11, H, 2, 111.
Pope, They are both. Abbott, p. 415.
71. Bring him | our pur {pose. ± \ And so | farewell.
1 K. Henry IV., IV, 3, 111.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 141, note: 'The three first quartos
read purposes [which is no doubt the better reading], the others
and the folios purpose.'
72. You have { not sought | it ^ { How comes j it then?
lb,, Vy i, 27.
Pope, sought it, sir? Dyoe adds WeU before How. Abbott,
p. 415, declares this line to be one of four accents, 'unless
comes is cometh.'
73. Lord Doug{las, j. \ go you ( and tell | him so. lb., V, 2, 33.
Theobald, go you then\ Abbott, p. 365, pronounces Doug[e\lct8.
74. For worms, j brave Per{cy. jl \ Farewell, | great heart
lb., V, 4, 87.
S. Walker, Yersification, p. 140. — Abbott, p. 370, pronounces
Farewell as a trisyllable. — The reading of the Qq, Fare thee
well, has certainly the better claim to genuineness.
75. I pray { you, un{cle, jl \ give me | this dag{ger.
Richard III, 111,1,110.
Hanmer, uncle then-, Keightley, gentle uncle. Dyce, ad loc.
Abbott, p^ 365, says that by a kind of burr the er final in
dagger 'produces the effect of an additional syllable;' compare
supra No. 66.
76. Were you | in my | stead, jl j would you | have heard?
Coriolanus, V, 3, 192.
Abbott, p. 376, dissyllabizes you in the first foot: —
Were y6{u in | my st^ad, ( would y6u | have h6ard?
77. A brothjer's mur{der. j. \ Pray can | I not
Hamlet, III, 3, 38.
78. Well teach { you. jl \ Sir, I'm | too old { to learn.
K. Lear, U, 2, 135.
Abbott, p. 365, dissyllabizes Sir by 'a kind of biur' again.
Ff I am, which may, or may not be a correction.
THE BIRTH OF MERUK. 1?
79. Of quick, | cross light |niiig? j. \ To watch, | poor per|du.
i&., IV, 7, 55.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 17, and Abbott, p. 365; Abbott
pronounces light[e]ning.
80. 'Tis mon|strou8. ^ | lajgo, who | began't? Othello, II, 3, 217.
Abbott, p. 364, pronounces 7non8t{eJrous.
81. Thou kill'st | thy mis] tress: jl \ but well | and free.
Antony and Cleopatra, II, 5, 27,
Abbott, p. 365, mistfejress.
82. Be free | and health|ful. ^ | So tart | a fa|vour. lb., n, 5, 38.
Abbott, p. 378, pronounces healthful as a word of three syl-
lables. Dyce, on the other hand, assures his readera, that why^
added by Kowe, is * absolutely necessary for the sense of this
83. To taunt | at slack |ness. jl \ Canid|ius, we. lb., HI, 7, 28.
Abbott, p. 365, slackfejness.
84. Lord of | his reajson. j. | What though | you fled?
lb., in, 13, 4.
S. Walker, Grit. Exam., n, 156 seq., proposes Whai an though,
'unless What although be allowable.' Of. Dyce, ad he. Abbott,
p. 415, seems inclined to pronounce re- a- son, but does not
remember an instance. See supra No. 63.
85. A manglled shadlow. jl \ Perchance | to-morrow.
lb., IV, 2, 28.
Pope, It may chance for Perchance; Steevens, Nay, perchance.
Abbott, p. 414.
80. Being | so frus|trate. j. \ Tell him, | he mocks. lb., V, 1,2.
Capell, frustrated] Hanmer, he but mocks ] Steevens, that he
mocks ] Malone, he mocks w« by; Abbott, p. 365, frust(e)rate.
87. Try manly, - I ^ &o^> I serve tni|ly, nev|er.
Oymbeline, IV, 2, 373.
Johnson (or Capell?), many, and all. This conjecture has been
adopted by Dyce, 'the line, as he says, halting intolerably from
omission.' Abbott, p. 377, dissyllabizes aU.
88. Go search | like no|bles, j. \ like no|ble sub|iects.
Pericles, U, 4, 50.
Steevens, noblemen instead of nobles] Abbott, p. 364, nob(e)les,
with a mark of interrogation.
89. Farewell, | Zaa|reth; j. \ farewell, | Temainte.
Marlowe, The Jew of Malta (Works, ed. Dyce,
in 1 Vol., p. 148a).
El28, Notes. 2
18 THE BtRTH OF MERLIN.
90. My lord, | be go|mg: j. \ care not | for these.
Marlowe, Edward 11. fed. Taneock), IV, 6, 92.
Mr. Fleay and Prof. "W. Wagner, as usual, resort to the re-
solution of care.
91. Keep them | a8un|der: jl \ thrust in | the king. J&., F, 3, 53.
Mr. Fleay, p. 128, says: *Thr'%i8i, or rather thur'si with the r
transposed, as in hum for hrenJ — The line cannot be taken
for a verse of four feet with an extra syllable before the pause,
but must be declared to be a blank verse, as from 1. 51 to
1. 60 we have a regular axixo^vd^la.
92. Cannot | transmute | me. j. \ Perti|nax, Sur|ly.
. B. Jonson, The Alchemist y II y 1, 79.
Modem edd., my Surly.
93. More an | tichrist | ian ± \ than yoiu* | bell- found |ers.
Ib.y Illy ly 23.
Or should we scan: —
More an I tichrist I i- an | than your | bell- found |er8?
94. Call out I Caly|pha, jl \ that she | may hear.
Qeo. Peek, Tfie Old Wives* Tale (Greene atid Peele,
ed. Dyce, in 1 Vol., 1861, 450b).
Dyce ad loc. needlessly conjectures, call thai she Ac.
95. For all | thy for|mer kind|ness, j. \ forget.
Beaumont and Fletcher, The Hofiest Man's Fortune, I, 1.
S. Walker, Yersification, p. 22, proposes to read kindnesses.
96. That's all | thou art | right lord | of; jl \ the kingjdom.
Tlie Birth of Merlin, (ed. Delius, 73. — Ed. Warnke
and Propsclioldt , 64.)
97. And so | I leave | thee. j. \ Farewell, | my lord.
Jeronimo (Haxlitt's Dodsley, IV, 356).
S. Walker, Versification, p. 141, dissyllabizes Fare.
98. The time |^ that does | succeed | it. jl\ Farew611.
Qlapthome, Alb. Wallenstein, II, 2 ad fin.
S. Walker, Versification, p. 143, reads Farewell as a trisyllable.
99. And sweet | Perse | da, ^ \ accept | this ring.
Soliman and Perseda (H's D., V, 260).
100. Grac'd by | thy coun|try, jl \ but ten | times more.
lb., V, 264.
101. Erast|us, 2. \ to make | thee well | assur'd. 76., V, 320.
102. Persejda, j. \ for my | sake wear | this crown. . lb., V, 339.
103. And seeing | her mis] tress j. \ thrown on | the ground.
Ram- Alley (H's D., X, 280).
THE BIBTH OF HERLDf. 10
This line, like so many others, seems to admit of different
scansions; mistress may be pronounoed as a trisyllable^ and
upon may be substituted for on, if so much liberty be con-
ceded to the critic.
104. Her life | and be|ing, ^ | and withjout which. lb., X, 288.
For the accentuation laiOumt, about which S. Walker, Abbott,
Al. Schmidt (Shakespeare-Lexicon) and others are silent, com-
pare, a g., Coriolanus III, 3, 133: —
That won you without blows! Despising,
and Mucedorus (ed. W. and Pr.) 11, 2, 78^ —
Vile coward, so without cause to strike a man.
Cf. W. Wilke, Metrische Untersuchungen zu B. Jonson, 43.
105. I know't, I sweet Al|ice; ^ | cease to | complain.
Arden of Fever sham y (ed. Del, 16. — W. and Pr., 14.)
106. Some see | it .i | without | mistrust | of ill.
Fair Em, (Del, 16. — W. and Pr., IS. — Sim., U, 425.)
The conjectural emendations of Chetwood (see it plain, adopted
by Delius) as weU as of Messrs. Warnke and PrcBScholdt (see't)
seem to be uncalled for.
107. Now, Mar|que8, j. \ your vil|lainy | breaks forth.
lb., (Del, 34. — W. and Pr., 41. — Sim., II, 446.)
Simpson repeats rww diieir Marques \ Messrs. Warnke and Proe-
Scheldt think that yovr may ^be pronounced as a dissyllable.'
108. I tell I thee, Man | vile, j. \ hadst thou | been blind.
lb., (Del, 50. — W. and Pr., 57. — Sim., II, 463.)
I formerly suggested to read haddest, which form occurs in
Chaucer (Works, ed. Morris, IV, p. 311, L248); in The Faerie
Queene, I, 2, 18; in Greene's Dorastus and Fawnia (Shake-
speare's Library, ed. Hazlitt, I, IV, 77, his), and elsewhere,
but am now satisfied that we have to deal with a syllable
pause line. (Jahrbuch der Deutschen Shakespeare -GeseUschaft,
XV, 350).
109. Now, El|ner, ^ | I am | thine own, | my girL
lb., (Del., 50. — W. and Pr., 57. — Sim., II, 463.)
Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt say: 'We must either pro-
nounce Elner as a trisyllable (Eliner [properly Elinor and
Elnor]), or consider the line with Simpson as a verse of four
accents, and read FmJ
110. Mine, Man | vile? j. \ Thou nev|er shalt | be mine.
lb., (Del., 50. — W. and Pr., 57. -^ Sim., II, 463.)
In the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 360, I proposed to insert No
before thouj but now withdraw that conjecture.
2*
20 TH£ BIRTH OF MERLIX.
111. Segas|to, ± I cease to | accuse | the shep|herd.
Uueedorus, (Dd., 23. — W. and Pr., 43. — H's D., VII, 224.)
The transposition (the shepherd to accuse) proposed by the late
Prof. W. Wagner (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 67) and adopted by
Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt, is needless.
112. To 't, Bre|mo, to | it; jl\ essay | again.
Ib.y (Del,, 31. — W. and Pr., 52. — H's /)., VII, 233.)
Qq: To U, Bremo, to it; say again. The correction essay is
due to Mr. Hazlitt.
113. Now, Bre|mo, ^ | for so | I heard | thee call'd.
lb., (Dei., 41. — W. and Pr., 63. — H's D., VII, 244.)
My conjecture (for so do I hear), although received into the
text by Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt, yet appears to be
needless. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 71.)
V.
Prince. Look, Edol: Still this fiery exhalation shoots
His frightful horrors on th' amazed world.
lb., (Del, 74. — W. and Pr., 66.)
Arrange: —
Prince. Look, Edol:
Still this fiery exhalation shoots &c.
Still is to be considered as a so-called monosyllabic foot (cf. Abbott,
482). •
VI.
Nor shall his conquering foot be forced to stand,
Till Rome's imperial wreath hath crown'd his fame
With monarch of the west, from whose seven hills
With conquest, and contributary kings,
He back returns —
lb., (Del., 78. — W. and Pr., 68.)
Qy. read: —
WitW [i. e. With the\ monarchy of th* west, c&c?
vn.
Tenebrarum precis, divitiarum et inferorum deus, himc Incubum
in ignis ajtemi abyssum accipite —
lb., (Del, 82. — W. and Pr., 72.)
Qy. read, — Tenebrarum princeps, divitiarum et inferorum deus, &c.?
Nash's Pierce Pennilesse is inscribed *To the High and Mightie Prince
EDWARD ni. 21
of Darknesse', &c. Compare All's Well that Ends Well, IV, 5, 44 — 5:
The black priiice, sir; alias, the prinoe of darkness; alias, the devlL
— Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I, 1, 37: —
Great Qorgon, Prinoe of darknesse and dead night.
To the objection raised by Messrs. Wamke and ProDScholdt (p. 85)
I cannot attach any weight.
Yin.
The sin is more, to hack and hew poor men,
Than to embrace, in an unlawful bed,
The register of all rarieties
Since leathern Adam 'till this youngest hour.
Edward IIL, 11, 2 (ed. Del, 3S. — W. afid Pr., 32).
Instead of rarieties Delitis reads varieties, Moltke (Doubtful Plays of
Wra. Shakespeare) fair rarities. Ever since I proposed, in the Jahrb.
d. D. Sh.-G., Xni, 78, to read heathen Adam, Dr. F. J. FumivaU has
lost no opportunity of falling foul of this conjecture and holding it
up, with manifest zest, to ridicule and contempt, although he might
have known that it has been withdrawn at p. 327 of the very same
volume in which it was published. He not only upholds the original
text, but in the Transactions of the New Shakspere Society, Dec. 9,
1881, p. 10*, even praises as ^admirable' the expression leathern
Adam, which he takes to mean 'Adam clad in skins, or his own
skin, or leather.' This interpretation has partly been repeated in
The Academy for July 22, 1882, p. 60, where Dr; FumivaU maintains
the expression to be equivalent to 'Adam clad in skins.' He seems
to have given up the grotesque notion that the adjective leathern
might refer to Adam's own skin and might mean *Adam clad in his
own skin, or leather!' The skin of a man may certainly be desig-
nated as leather, either by way of joke, or in good earnest; see
Halliwell, Dictionary, s. LetJier (3). But this is vastly different from
calling a naked man a leathern man. The explanation 'clad in skins'
might indeed be supported by a reference to Genesis, IH, 21: 'Unto
Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins
and clothed them.' But who ever heard of people dad in skins,
such as the ancient Britons or Germans, being called leathern? The
true meaning of the word lies in a very different direction and has
been pointed out to me by my late lamented friend Ed. MflUer, the
learned author of the 'Etymologisches WQrterbuch der englischen
Sprache.' To all appearance leathern, in the passage under discus-
sion, is a corrupted form of 0. E. leper, liper, kperand = 'nequam,
mains', 'vile, hateful.' See Stratmann, Dictionary, s. Luder, and
Halliwell, Dictionary, s. Lether (2). Adam is called leathern, i. e.
leper, nequam or hateful, because through his fall paradise was lost
22 EDWABD in.
to mankind. If this be the correct explanation, as I have little doubt
it is, it would seem preferable to deviate as little as possible from
the spelling of the old editions (1596 and 1599), both of which read
Letheme Adam, and to print lethem. I am indeed ignorant by whom
the misleading spelling .-^eo/^crw was introduced into the text.
IX.
Next, — insomuch thou hast infiring'd thy faith,
Broke league and solemn covenant made with me, —
I hold thee for a false pemitious wretch.
lb., (Del., 48. — W. and Pr., 46).
This is the uniform reading of the quartos, with the exception of
moat pemitious in the second quarto (1599) which in this particular
has been followed by various modem editors, amongst others by
Capell (compare his Prolusions; or. Select Pieces of Antient Poetry,
Lon., 1760). It seems, in fact, that the two adjectives false and
pemitious do not well agree with one another, although they give an
unexceptionable sense. Qy.: a false perfidious wretch? Compare Ram-
AUey (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 371): —
Shame to thy sex.
Perfidious perjur'd woman, where's thy shame?
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 80.)
X.
And with a strumpet^s artificial line
To paint thy vitious and deformed cause.
Ib.y (Del., 49. — W. and Pr., 46).
Read: artificial lime. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 81.)
XI.
Upon my soul, had Edward prince of Wales,
Engag'd his word, writ down his noble hand.
For all your knights to pass his father's land,
The royal king, to grace his warlike son.
Would not alone safe -conduct give to them.
But with all bounty feasted them and theirs.
Ib.y (Del., 75. — W. afid I^., 71).
Orammar, I think, requires either: —
Had not alone safe -conduct given to them,
or: —
But with all bounty feast both them and theirs.
EDWARD in. FAIR EM. 23
As, however, these alterations might be thought too bold, a con-
traction may be suggested: —
But with all hounty'd feasted them and theirs,
i. e., of course, bounty had, — Messrs. Warnke and ProDScholdt ad loc.
refer their readers to Coriolanus, lY, 6, 35 and to The Shoemakers'
Holiday, m, 3, (fl (according to their own numbering).
xn.
Sec, OU, The sun, dread lord, that in the western fall
Beholds us now low brought through misery.
Did in the orient purple of the mom
Salute our coming forth, when we were known;
Or may our portion be with damned fiends.
lb,, (Del, 82, — W, and Pr,, 78),
One or two verses seem to be wanting between the fourth and fifth
line. The king thinks himself cheated, as he has required the fore-
most citizens of the town to be delivered to him, whereas, he says,
only servile grooms or feUmious robbers of the sea are forthcoming;
consequently he declares his promise null and void. The second
citizen, however, denies this charge and solemnly assures the king that
up to that very morning he and his fellow hostages had been indeed
the chiefest citizens of their town. The missing verses, therefore,
may have been to the following effect: —
when we were known
To be the chiefest men of all our town;
Of this, my sovereign lord, be well assured,
Or may our portion be with damned fiends.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., Xm, 83.)
xni.
Nor bear I this an argument of love.
Fair Eniy fed. Delivs, 3. — Ed. Wamke and ProMckoldt, 5.
Simpson, The School of Shahspere, II, 409.)
Qy. : in argument? i. e. in token. Compare 1 K. Henry IV., II, 5, 45 : —
This day, in argument upon a case.
lb., V, 1, 46: —
In argument and proof of which contract.
24 FAIR or
XIV.
Why should not I content me with this state,
As good Sir Edmirnd Trofferd did the flaile?
lb., (Del, 4. — W, and Pr,, 6. — Sim., II, 411.)
Read either: Trofferd did toith' (iviW) flail or Trofferd with the flail.
Instead of Trofferd, exhibited by both quartos, Delius reads Trostard;
perhaps, however, neither the one, nor the other is what the author
wrote. The knight alluded to is no doubt meant to be the same
personage as Sir Thomas Treford who occui's in A. V, so. 1, L 263,
although Sir Thomas Treford is there designated as a shepherd.
Delius, in this latter passage, reads Sir Edmund Treford, Simpson,
Sir Edmond Treford.
XV.
And thou, sweet Em, must stoop to high estate
To join with mine, &e.
lb., (Del, 4. — W. and Pr., 6. — Si?n., II, 411.)
This is the reading of the old copies. Delius reads: stoo}) thy high
estate, whereas Simpson suggests that to high may be a misprint for
to like] this, however, as Messrs. Warnke and Prooscholdt justly
remark, 'would little agree with the following to iayne with mine.'
The author most probably wrote or meant to write stoop too high
estate, the spelling to instead of too being of great frequency in the
old copies; compare, e. g., A. I, sc. 4, 1. 40: —
What! comes he to, to intercept my loue?
The sense is: Sweet Em, thou must stoop (thy) high estate likewise,
in order that thy estate^ may join or agi-ee with mine. It might be
objected, that, if this was the author's meaning, he would have placed
too in the accented part of the foot; however we frequently find that
a word which bears the emphasis, i. e. Hhe stress laid upon a word
in pronouncing a sentence', does not always bear the rhythmical
accent (the ictus) or stand in the arsis. See, e. g., lower down
(I, 3, 50): -
A sweet | face, an | exceed |ing dain|tie hand;
Marlowe, Edward 11., I, 4, 128: —
might I I keep | thee here | as I | do this.
The antithesis between face and hand in the former and between thee
and this in the latter line, seems to require that face and thee should
have been placed in the arsis. Compare also Marlowe, Edward 11.,
n, 1, 34: —
A vel|vet cap'd | cloak, fac'd | before | with serge;
FAIR EM. 25
Romeo and Juliet, I, 1, 234 seq.: —
Examine other beauties.
Bom. 'Tis the way
To call I hers ex|quisite, | in quest [ion more.
Ib.,I, 2,31: —
And like | her most { whose merjit most | shall be.
lb., m, 1, 185: —
I beg I for ju8t|ioe which | thou, prince, | must give.
We should have expected the words cloak, hers, her and thou to
stand in the accented part of the rhythm. Still more to the point
is the position of too in the following lines taken from B. Jonson's
Catiline (I quote from Moxon's edition of The "Works of B. Jonson,
in 1 YoL, London, 1863): —
And they | too no | mean aids. | Made from | their hope (287b).
Shun they | to treat | with me | too? No, | good la[dy (297a).
In being | secure: | I have | of late | too plied | him (299a).
A trick j on me I too! It | is some | men's maljice (802a).
Hath sent | <oo to | his ser|vants, who | are man|ly (302b).
And send | them hence | with arms | too, that | your mer|cy (S03b).
On the transitive use of the verb to stoop see Al. Schmidt,
Shakespeare -Lexicon, s. Stoop.
XVL
You will have the cramp in your finger at least ten weeks after.
lb., (Del, 7. — W. and Pr., 9. — Sim., IT, 414.)
Chetwood: fingers. This is one of those few of Chetwood's alterations
that deserve the notice of the critics.
xvn.
That graceth him with name of Conqueror.
lb., (Del., 7. — W. and Pr., 9. — Sim., II, 415.)
I take this to be a case of absorption and feel sure that we should
write with* or wi'th'.
XYUL
Marq. That same is Blanch, daughter to the king,
The substance of the shadow that you saw.
lb., (Del, 8. — W. and Pr., 10. — Sim., II, 416.)
S.Walker, Yersification, p. 206 8eqq., has endeavoured to show that
daughter is sometimes used as a trisyllable, although in some cases
2G FAIR EM.
he is doubtful, whetlier the passage ought not rather to be amended.
Simpson has added the article the before daughter. I should prefer
sole daughter] sole daughter, sole son, sole child, and sole heir being,
as it were, proverbial phrases of almost daily occurrence. Lower
down (Del., 39. — W. and Pr., 46. — Sim., 11, 451) we are, in fact,
told that Blanch is the king's *only daughter',
*The only stay ^and comfort of his life.'
There is, however, no need of conjecturing at all, the verse being
evidently a syllable pause line; scan: —
That same | is Blanch, | ^ daugh|ter to | the king.
XIX.
lU head, worse -featur'd, uncomely, nothing courtly.
Swart and ill-favour'd, a collier's sanguine skin.
lb., (Del, 8. — W. and Pr., 10. — Sim., II, 416.)
What does /// head mean? We do not want a substantive here, but
an adjective that will serve, as it were, as a positive to the com-
parative worse- featured. In a word, I think wo ought to read ///-
shaped. That the shape of the lady cannot be passed over with
silence becomes evident from William the Conqueror's eulogy on the
beauty of Mariana twenty lines below. There he says: —
A modest countenance; no heavy sullen look;
Not very fair, but richly deck'd with favour;
A sweet face; an exceeding dainty hand;
A body, were it framed all of wax
By all the cunning artists of the world.
It could not better be proportioned.
By the way, it may be remarked that instead of framed all of wax
Delius erroneously reads formed <fbc. The passage aptly quoted by
Simpson from The Comedy of Errors, IV, 2, lOseqq. speaks strongly
in favour of my suggestion. It is to the following effect: —
He is deformed, crooked, old and sere,
111 -faced, worse -bodied, shapeless everywhere;
Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind,
Stigmaticall in making, worse in mind.
Compare also Greene, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (The Works of
Bob. Greene and Geo. Peele, ed. Dyce, in 1 vol., London, 1861,
p. 163b): —
Mites. Salve, Doctor Burden!
This lubberly lurden,
ni-shap'd and ill-fac'd,
Disdain'd and disgrac'd.
What he tells unto vcbis
Mentitur de nobis.
FAIR EM. 27
Marston, The Malcontent, I, 7 (Works, ed. Halliwell, II, 222): faire-
shapt; ib., Ill, 2 (Works, ed Halliwell, 11, 247): weU skapt] ib., HI, 150
(Works, ed. Halliwell, III, 150): ivell-shap'd.
As to the 'collier's sanguine skin' the following lines from Damon
and Pithias (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, lY, 80) may be compared: —
By'r Lady, you are of good complexion,
A right Croyden sanguine, beshrew me.
On these lines Dodsley has the following foot-note (by Eeed): ^From
the manner in which this expression [viz. sanguine] is used by Sir
John Harington, in "The Anatomic of the Metamorphosis of Ajax",
1596, sig. L, 7, it seems as though it was intended for a sallow hue.
"Both of a complexion inclining to the oriental colour of a Oroyden
sanguine.^^^ — Croydon, it will be remembered, was famous for its
colliers, and as a sanguine skin or complexion is particularly ascribed
to the men of Croydon it may probably mean rather a swarthy than
a sallow hue which seems to be corroborated by the passage under
discussion. Spenser, Faerie Queene, III, 8, 6, however, speaks of
'a lively sanguine' as almost identical with 'perfect vermily': —
The same she tempred with fine Mercury
And virgin wex that never yet was seald,
And mingled them with perfect vermily;
That like a lively sanguine it seemd to the eye.
Compare Marston, The Fawn (The Works of John Marston, ed. J. 0.
Halliwell, IE, 28): ^Her[cules]. Fore Heaven! you are blest with three
rare graces — fine linnen, deane linings, a sanguine complexion, and
I am sure, an excellent wit, for you are a gentleman borne.' Mr. Halli-
well (p. 296) takes the opportunity of quoting the following passage
from the Book of Knowledge, ed. 1649, p. 35: *A sanguine man is
large, loving, glad of cheer, laughing, and niddy of colour, stedfast,
fleshly, right hardy, mannerly, gentle, and well nourished.'
XX.
King Den. Mariana, I have this day received letters
From Swethia, that lets me understand
Tour ransom is collecting there with speed.
And shortly hither shall be sent to us.
Mar. Not that I find occasion to mislike
My entertainment in your Grace's court,
But that I long to see my native home.
Ib., (Del, 8. — W. and iV., 10. — Sim., U, 416.)
Evidently there is something wanting here; Mariana's speech should
begin with a line somewhat to the following effect: —
It glads my heart to hear these joyful tidings;
Not that I find occasion to misHke, &c.
28 FAIR EM.
Instead of *to mislike', which is an emendation by Simpson, the
quarto of 1631 reads *of mislike'; Delius, *of misliking'.
XXI.
I'll gage my gauntlet gainst the envious man
That dares avow there liveth her compare.
lb,, (Del, 9. — W. and Pr., 11. — Sim., 11, 417.)
So far as I know compare is used without exception as an abstract
noun and is equivalent to comparison, in which sense it occurs in
our very play, 11, 1, 154.
xxn.
Wm, CJonq. Yea, my Lord; she is counterfait in deed,
For there is the substance that best contents me.
lb., (Del, 9. — W. and Pr., 12. — Sim., II, 417.)
This is the reading of the quartos. Simpson proposes to read, either: —
For there's the substance that doth best content me,
or: —
For there's the substance best contenteth me.
I shoiUd prefer: —
For there's \ the sub | stance jl \ that best | contents | me,
or (what would 'best content me'): —
For there's the substance that contents me best
xxm.
These jars becomes not our familiarity.
lb., (Del, 10. — W. and Pr., 12. — Sim., II, 41S.)
Not an Alexandrine, but a regular blank verse; pronounce familiarity
as a word of four syllables. Compare K. Lear, I, 2, 4: —
The curiosity of nations to deprive me,
where, according to S. Walker, Versification, p. 201, Shakespeare no
doubt pronounced curious'iy.
XXIV.
Full ill this life becomes thy heavenly look.
Wherein sweet love and virtue sits enthroned.
Bad world, where riches is esteem'd above them both.
In whose base eyes nought else is bountiful!
lb., (Del, 10. — W. and Pr., 13. — Sim., II, 418 seq.)
FAIR EM. 29
Is the third line perhaps to be classed with those Alexandrines of
which Abbott in his Shakespearian Ghammar, s. 499, gives such
curious instances? Or are we to admit an emendation and read: —
Bad world, where riches is esteemed 'bove both?
Chetwood, according to Simpson, reads: —
Bad world! where riches 'bove both are esteemed most.
This would be getting out of the frying-pan into the fire. According
to Messrs. Warnke and ProDScholdt, however, the line, as altered by
Chetwood, runs thus: —
Bad world! where riches are esteemed most,
'and not is esteemed most, as Del., p. XI, erroneously states.' The
best means to dispose of the excrescence of this perplexing line
seems to be to place Bad world! extra versum as an interjectional
line. In the fourth line the adjective beautiful would seem to be
imperatively demanded by the context instead of bountiful which is
out of place here.
XXV.
Mount. Nature unjust, in utterance of thy art,
To grace a peasant with a princess' fame!
lb., (Del.y 11, — W, arid Pr,, 13. — Sim., II, 419 seq.)
For fame Chetwood writes frame] neither can be right. Perhaps we
should read face which would agree much better both witli Mount-
ney's subsequent praise of 'her beauty's worthiness' and Manvile's
eloquent lines (I, 4, 4 — 5): —
Full ill this life becomes thy heavenly look,
Wherein sweet love and virtue sits enthroned.
Twelve lines below Simpson needlessly adds out —
And she thou seekest [out] in foreign regions.
Read seek'st (with Delius) and pronounce re-gi-ons.
XXVI.
Vol. Love, my Lord? of whom?
Mount Em, ihe miller's daughter of Manchester.
lb., (Del.y 12. — W. and Pr., 14. — Sim., II, 421.)
Em may be considered as a monosyllabic foot; by the repetition of
of, however, a regular ten syllable line might be obtained: —
Of Em, the miller's daughter of Manchester.
30 FAIR EH.
xxvn.
I* faith, I aim at the fairest; &c.
Ih.y (Del., 14, — W. and Pr., 16. — Sim., II, 422 seq.)
The arrangement of these capping verses in Messrs. Wamke and
Proescholdt's edition was proposed by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XV, 345.
XXYin.
TVo/per]. Yes, woos, but you did.
lb., (Del., 14. — W. and Pr., 17. — Sim., H, 423.)
Woos which has been omitted by Delius without a remark, is a cor-
ruption (by ^ablaut') of uns (iwis, yivis) = certain, sure. B. Jonson,
Every Man in his Humour, I, 1: Step[hen\: No, wusse; but I'll prac-
tise against next year, uncle. lb., IV, 2: Doum[- right]: Come, you
might practise your ruffian tricks somewhere else, and not here, I
wuss. Id., A Tale of a Tub, I, 2: —
Clay, No, wusse. Che lighted I but now in the yard.
Puppy has scarce unswaddled my legs yet
See also Mr. Henry B. Wheatley's notes on the two passages in
Every Man in his Humour (B. Jonson's Every Man in his Humour,
ed. H. B. Wheatley, 1877) p. 126 and p. 186.
XXIX.
But time and fortune hath bereaved me of that
lb., (Del., 15. — W. and Pr., 17. — Sim., II, 424.)
A pseudo- Alexandrine. Read and scan either: —
But time | and for {tune's b'rea|vM me | of that,
or: —
But time | and for | tune hath bVea|vM me | of that.
Compare notes on Kyd's Cornelia (H's D., V, 213) and on The Tem-
pest, I, 2, 296 seq.
XXX.
Man, Ah, Em! were he the man that causetli this mistrust,
I should esteem of thee as at the first.
lb,, (Del,, 15, — W. and Pr., 17. — Sim., II, 424.)
A verse of six feet; the words Ah, Em! are to be placed in an
interjectional line.
FAIR EM. 31
XXXI.
Two gentlemen attending on Duke William,
Mountney and YaUngford, as I heard them named,
Ofttimes resort to see and to be seen.
Ib.y (Del., 15. — W. and Pr., 18. — Sim., II, 424.)
The second line might easily be regulated by being enclosed in
parentheses and by the expunction of as\ —
(Mountney and YaUngford I heard them named).
The name of Valingford, however, here and elsewhere seems to have
been used as a dissyllable by the poet; thus, e. g., on p. 23 (W. and Pr.,
p. 27; Sim., 11, 433) and p. 28 (W. and Pr., p. 33 seq.; Sim., II, 439),
if I am not mistaken in the conviction that these passages, now-
printed as prose, were originally written in verse. The former pas-
sage, printed as verse, would run thus: —
'Zounds! what a cross is this to my conceit!
But Yalingford, search the depth of this device.
Why may not this be some feign'd subtlety
By Mounteney's invention, to th' intent
That I, seeing such occasion, should leave off
My suit, and not persist to solicit her
Of love? I'll try th' event. If I perceive
By any means th' effect of this deceit
Procured by thy means, friend Mounteney,
The one of us is like to repent our bargain.
On p. 28 (W. and P., 33 seq.) the following verses may be restored: —
Mount. Valingford, so hardly I digest an injury,
Thou'st proffer'd me, as, were 't not I detest
To do what stands not with the honour of my name,
Thy death should pay the ransom of thy fault.
Injury, in the first line, is to be pronounced as a dissyllable. The
third line is not an Alexandrine, but a blank verse with an extra
syllable befoi-e the pause, however slight that pause may be: —
To do { what stands | not with th' honjour of | my name.
Similar lines with extra syllables before slight pauses are A. II, sc. 1,
1. 121; A. II, sc. 3, 1. 2; A. HI, sc. 1, 1. 72; A. HI, sc. 1, 1. 107. It
cannot be denied, however, that another, and perhaps a safer, arrange-
ment of the passage may be devised, viz.: —
Mount, Valingford,
So hardly I digest an injury,
Thou'st proffer'd me, as, wei^ 't not I detest
To do what stands not with the honour of my name,
Thy death should pay the ransom of thy fault.
32 FAIR EM.
XXXII.
Ah me, whom chiefly and most of all it doth concern,
To spend my time in grief, and vex my soul, &c.
lb., (Del, 16. — W. and /V., 18. — Sim., II, 425.)
Dele, chiefly and] or place Ah me extra versum.
xxxm.
For which I am rewarded most unthankfully.
lb., (Del., 16. — W. and Pr., 19. — Sim., II, 425.)
I am now persuaded that the scansion of this line proposed by me
in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 345, and adopted by Messrs. Wamke
and ProDscholdt, is hardly right. It seems much more natural to
take unthankfully for a triple ending and to scan the verse thus: —
For which | I am | reward |ed most | unthank | fully.
XXXIV.
And so away? What, in displeasure gone,
And left me such a bitter sweet to gnaw upon?
Ah, Manvile, little wettest thou
How near this parting goeth to my heart.
. lb., (Del, 16. — W. and Pr., 19. — Sim., II, 425.)
Chetwood duplicates Manvile (in 1. 113) in order 'to restore the
legitimate number of feet*, and Simpson proposes to read to gnaw on
(in 1.112). Both are manifestly wrong. Arrange, of course: —
And left me such a bitter sweet to gnaw
Upon? Ah, Manvile, little wettest thou, &c.
Compare for similar enjambemenis Guest, History of English Rhythms
(2d Ed.), 154 seq. W. Wilke, Metrische Untersuchungen zu B. Jon-
son, 66. B. Jonson, Catiline, III, 8 (Folio; Works, Lon., 1838, in
1 Vol., Ill, 3, p. 288a): —
The flax and sulphur are already laid
In, at Cethegus' house; so are the weapons.
Volpone, V, 2 (Folio; Works, Ac, V, 1, p. 199b): —
Shew them a will: open that chest, and reach
Forth one of those that has the blanks.
To think that 11. Ill and 112 are meant for a couplet, would be a
mistake. It is true that the following verses (114 — 115, 116 — 117,
120 — 121) are rhymed, but they read rather as casual rhymes than
as couplets written on purpose; moreover these casual couplets are
intemipted by the unrhymed lines 118 — 119, which contain no sign of
corruption and offer no handle for the correcting activity of the critic.
FAIR EM. 33
XXXV.
Nor shall unkindness cause me from him to start.
76. , (Del.y 17. — W. and Pr., 19. — Sim., II, 426.)
To need not be expunged as has been done by Messrs. Wamke and
PrcDScholdt in accordance with a suggestion made by Simpson ad loc.
The line has an extra syllable before the pause, however slight the
lattei* may be: —
Nor shall | unkind |ness cause me | from him | to start
Compare A. 11, sc. 3, 1. 5 (see note XL): —
And makes | him conceive | and con|8ter his | intent,
and A. HI, sc. 1, 1. 107 (see note XLYH): —
Or court I mv mis I tress with fablulous I discourlses.
XXXYI.
I speak not, sweet, in person of my friend,
But for myself, whom, if that love deserve
To have regard, being honourable love;
Not base affects of loose lasciWous love.
Whom youthful wantons play and dally with,
But that unites in honourable bands of holy rites.
And knits the sacred knot that God's —
lb., (Del.y 17. — W. and Pr., 20. — Sim., II, 426 aeq.)
Instead of loose lascivious love read hose lascivious lust Compare
ante (Delius, 6. — W. and Pr., 7. — Sim., H, 413): —
Let not vehement sighs.
Nor earnest vows importing fervent love.
Render thee subject to the wrath of lust —
which Chetwood has wrongly altered to the wrath of love. — For
the faulty repetition of love cf. infra note LXI. In the last line but
one omit honourable before hands] it is likewise owing to faulty
repetition.
xxxvn.
You keep a prattling with your lips.
But never a word you speak that I can hear.
lb., (Del, 17. ^ W. and Pr., 20, — Sim., II, 427.)
The first verse may easily be completed by the addition of I see at
the end of the line: —
You keep a prattling with your lips, / see,
But never a word you speak that I can hear.
Elzo, Notes. 3
34 FAIR EM.
xxxYm.
Em. Speak you to me, sir?
Mount. To thee, my only joy.
Bm. I cannot hear you.
Mount. plague of fortune! hell without compare!
"What boots it us, to gaze and not enjoy!
lb., (Del, 18. — W. and Pr., 20 seq. — Sim., IT, 427.)
I cannot agree with SimpvSon, who remarks on the fourth line —
*Dele oh^ [before hell]. — Instead of enjoy in the fifth line Simpson
suggests hear, which, he adds, would rhyme with compare. Apart
from this somewhat questionable rhyme, hear cannot be right, since
it is applicable only to Ehl According to my conviction a verb
or phrase is wanted which applies to both Em and Mountney, for
Mountney asks, Whai boots it us? Qy. and not converse? Or a line
to the following effect may have dropped out: —
and not enjoy
The swest converse of mutual love between u>s.
xxxrx.
This may be but deceit,
A matter feigned only to delude thee,
And, not unlike, perhaps by Yalingford.
He loves fair Em as well as I —
lb., (Del., 18. — W. and Pr., 21. — Sim., II, 428.)
I strongly suspect that a line has dropped out after Valingford, which
may have been to the following effect: —
Is she incited to this artful fraud.
XL.
Ihn. Jealousy, that sharps the lover's sight,
And makes him conceive and conster his intent.
lb., (Del., 21. — W. and Pr., 25. — Sim., II, 431.)
Simpson proposes to read: Ah, Jealousy, but I have little doubt that
Jeakmsy should be pronounced as a word of four syllables: Je-a-hus-y.
The same dissolution occurs in creature, treasure and similar words;
see note XLIII. S. Walker, Versification, 136 seqq. Grit. Exam., U,
19 seqq. Abbott, s. 484; and Hazlitt's Dodsley, Y, 22, where treasure
is twice to be pronounced as a trisyllable (Those bloody wars have
spent my tre-a-sure; And with my tre-a-sure my people's blood).
In the second line him is to be elided and read as an enclitic:
makes'm, if it should not be thought preferable to consider it as an
extra syllable before the pause and to scan the line: —
And makes | him conceive | and con|ster his | intent
FAIR EH. 35
See ante, note XXXV, and compare Lord Byron, Sardanapalus, 11, 1
(Poetical Works, in 1 vol., Lon. 1864, p. 254b): —
May I I retire? | _ Say. _ Hush! | let him go | his way.
Mark Antony Lower, The Song of Solomon [in] the Dialect of Sus-
sex, Ac. Lon., 1860, p. IV: —
Set'n down, and let'n stan;
Come agin, and fet'n anon.
XLI
Here cometh Valingford;
Shift him off now, as thou hast done the other.
lb., (Del., 22. — W. mid. /V., 25. — Sim., 77, 431.)
Qy.: Noiv shift him off, ffr.? I do not think, that the author meant
to point out metrically an antithesis between him, i. e. Valingford,
and th^ oilier, i. e. Mountney. Such an antithesis, in the mouth of
Fair Em, would be too formal.
XLII.
Infortimate Valingford, to bo thus crossed in thy love! — Fair Em,
I am not a little sorry to see this thy hard hap. Yet nevertheless,
I am acquainted with a learned physician that will do anything for
thee at my request. To him will I resort and inquire his judgment,
as concerning the recovery of so excellent a sense.
lb., (Del, 22. — W. and, Pr., 25. — ,9m., /7, 432.)
This passage is an instance of metrical composition that has degen-
erated into prose by the negligence or ignorance of transcribers and
compositors. With the aid of a few slight alterations it may thus
be restored: —
Infortunate Valingford, to be thus cross'd
In love! — Fair Em, I'm not a little sorry
To see this thy hard hap, yet ne'ertheless
I am acquainted with a learned physician
That will do any thing for thee
At my request; to him will I resort
And will inquire his judgment as concerning
Th' recovery of so excellent a sense.
After the third line there is no doubt a gap that should be filled up
by some such line as the following: —
yet nevertheless
/ fairly hope, all will he well again;
I am acquainted &c.
The fifth line may easily be extended to a regular blank verse by
the addition of he can after any thing,
3*
36 FAIR mi.
XLin.
Vol, Yet, 8weet Em, accept this jewel at my hand,
Which I bestow on thee in token of ray love.
lb., (Del, 23. — W. atid Pr., 27. — Sim., IL 432.)
The words of address • should form an interjectional line and the
verses thus be regulated: —
Val. Yet, sweet Em,
Accept this jewel at my hand, which I
Bestow on thee in token of my love.
Chetwood, who wants the. words Em and <m thee to be expunged,
is evidently wrong.
A similar instance occurs a few pages farther on (Del., 32. —
W. and Pr., 38. — Sim., n, 443): —
Em. Trotter, lend me thy hand; and as thou lovest me, keep
my counsel, and justify whatsoever I say, and I'll largely requite thee.
The following verses may easily be restored: —
Em. Trotter,
Lend me thy hand, and as thou lov'st me, keep
My counsel, and justify tvhateW I say.
And largely Fll requite thee.
Let me add a third passage (Del., 33. — W. and Pr., 39. — Sim.,
n, 444): —
Em^. Good father, let me not stand as an open gazing -stock
to every one, but in a place alone, as fits a creature so miserable.
Omit as after stand and arrange: —
Em. Good father,
Let me not stand an open gazing- stock
To every one, but in a place alone
As fits a creature so miserable.
It is a well-known fact, that creature is frequently pi-onoimced as a
trisyllable; see S. Walker, Versification, p. 136 seqq. Crit. Exam,,
II, 19 seqq. Abbott, s. 484 (p. 378). Compare note XL.
XLIY.
Mar. My lord, you know you need not to entreat.
But may command Mariana to her power,
Be't no impeachment to my honest fame.
Lab, Free are my thoughts from such base villainy
As may in question. Lady, call your name.
lb., (Del, 24. — W. and Pr., 28. — Sim., 11, 433 seq.)
FAIR EM. 37
Qy. either: honest name, or: caU your favrvel The same word should
surely be repeated. Compare A. Ill, so. 2, 1. 141 seq.: —
I hold that man most shameless in his sin
That seeks to wrong an honest lady^s name.
XLY.
It would redound greatly to my prejudice.
lb., (Del.y 24. — W. and Pr., 28. — Sim., II, 434.)
The emendation *T would, proposed by Simpson, is not sufficient to'
restore the metre of this line. Nor can I agree with Messrs. Warnke
and Propscholdt who are of opinion that we should pronounce
redound as a monosyllable, if we do not choose to follow Simpson;
the position of this monosyllabic redound in the unaccented part of
the foot can hardly be imputed even to so loose a versifier as the
author of Fair Em. Most probably we have to deal with a syllable
pause line, although the pause be ever so slight: —
It would I redound | w great|ly to | my pre|judice.
Prejudice in this case to be pronounced as a triple ending. Should
this scansion find no acceptance, we seem to be driven to the remedy
of transposing the words: —
*T would greatly to my prejudice redound.
XLYI.
For princely William, by whom thou shalt possess.
lb., (Del., 25. — W. mid Pr., 29. — Sim., II, 4S5.)
Simpson proposes to print Vwhom and Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt
say that 61/ is to be slurred. In my opinion the line has an extra -
syllable before the pause and should be scanned: —
For prin|cely Will|iam, by whom | thou shalt | possess.
XLTH.
Or court my mistress with fabulous discourses.
lb., (Del, 27. — W. and Pr., 32. — Si7n., II, 437.)
Simpson ad loc. proposes to read: —
Or with discourses fabulous court my mistress,
which would be too artificial and select a construction for the homely
language of our play. I myself suggested: —
Or court with fabulous discourse my mistress.
Both these corrections are needless, as the text is quite correct, the
38 FAIR EM.
line having an extra syllabic before the pause although this pause
be one of the slightest. Scan : —
Or court | my mis | tress with fab | ulcus | di8cour|ses.
See ante note XXXV. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV,' 346.)
XLVin.
Mar, My lord, I am a prisoner, and hai'd it were
To get me from the court
lb., (Del., 27. ~ W. and Pr., 32. — Sim., IT, 438.)
My suggestion in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 346, although it has
met with the approval of Messrs. Wamke and Prw^scholdt, yet seems
needless, since prisaner may be pronounced as a triple ending before
the pause.
XLIX.
Mount. Thou know'st too well she hath:
Wherein thou couldst not do me greater injury.
lb., (Del., 29. — W. and Pr., 34. — Sim., II, 440.)
This is the division of the lines in the Qq, whereas the three modem
editions have added Wherein to the first line, clearly with a view to
cut down the second line to the compass of a blank verse. But
even according to the arrangement of the Qq the second line is by
no means a verse of six feet, as injury is evidently to be pronounced
as a triple ending, so that there is no occasion whatever for an
alteration.
L.
For when I offered many gifts of gold.
And jewels to entreat for love,
She hath refused them with a coy disdain.
Alleging that she could not see the sun.
lb., (Del, 29. — W. and Pr., 34seq. — ^SVw., //, 440.)
In A. n, sc. 3, 1. 41 seqq. Em does not allude to the sun, but says: —
What pleasure can I have
In jewels, treasiu-e, or any worldly thing
That want my sight that should discern thereof?
It may, therefore, be suspected that the poet instead of the sun
wrote the same which in the ductus liierarum would come very near
the spelling of the old copies (sunne). The only objection to which
FAIR EM. 39
this conjecture seems to be open, is that the next line begins with
the very same words: —
The same conjectured I to be thy drift,
although it seems difficult to say whether this circumstance does not
speak rather in favour of my suggestion than otherwise.
U.
VcU, In my conjecture merely counterfeit:
Therefore let us join hands in friendship once again,
Since that the jar grew only by conjecture.
Moun. With all my heart: yet let us try the truth thereof.
Val. With right good wUl. We will straight unto her father,
And there to learn whether it be so or no.
lb., (Del., 30. — W. and Pr., 35. — Sim., II, 441.)
In the second line Messrs. Hazlitt and Simpson read let's join. There
is little difficulty in reducing this line to a blank verse; read,
either: —
Therefore in friendship let's join hands again;
or: —
Therefore join hands in friendship once again;
or, as proposed by Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt ad loe.: —
Therefore let's once again join hands in friendship.
Nevertheless the reading of the Qq may indeed have proceeded from
the author's pen who would seem to have admitted a few regular
Alexandrines; compare I, 4, 63 (where, however. My lord might easily
be expunged): II, 1, 70 {Ah, Em, might be printed as an inter-
jectional line); II, 1, 102; 11, 1, 165; Y, 1, 86 (compare, however,
my note ad loc.)] Y, 1, 143; Y, 1, 215 (although tUterly had better
be taken for a triple ending before the pause). Perhaps also Mount-
ney's reply to Yalingford's proposal should be added to the number
of these -^exandrines: —
With all my heart: yet let us try the truth thereof.
Instead of We wUl in the fifth line, which is the uniform reading
of the old copies, Delius and Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt justly
write We'U. In the last line there is certainly some corruption as
it violates aU grammar. Perhaps we should write either: —
To learn there whether it be so or no,
or: —
And there we'll learn whether it be so or no.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XY, 346 seq.)
40 FAIR EM.
LH.
And get we once to seas, I force not then
We quickly shall attain the English, shore.
lb,, (Del, 30. ~- W, and Pr,, 35, — Sim., II, 441.)
Qy. read, sea for seas*^
LIU.
Since first he came with thee into the court.
lb., (Del., 33. — W. and Pr., 40. — Sim., II, 445.)
Simpson: in to the court] compare, however, Y, 1, 104: —
When first I came into your highness' court.
The use of the preposition into is generally restricted to those cases
in which court stands for a court of justice, whereas court in the
sense of the residence and surroundings of a prince is generally
preceded by to or unto] see, e. g., I, 1, 78: —
WiU go with thee unto the Danish Court.
In the line in Titus Andronicus, IV, 3, 61: —
Kinsmen, shoot all your shafts into the court,
the word court has a different meaning and the construction does
not therefore contradict the rule. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 349.)
LIV.
To steal away fair Mariana, my prisoner.
lb., (Del., 34. — W. and Pr., 40. — Sim., II, 445.)
Chctwood's alteration: fair Marian, my captive, shows him to have
been ignorant of the peculiar characteristics of the Elizabethan blank
verse. The Hne is quite right as it stands, Mariana having tm extra
syllable before the pause and prisoner being a triple ending: —
To steal | away | fair Ma|ria|na, my pris|oner.
LV.
Or I shaU fetch her unto Windsor's cost,
Yea, and William's too, if he deny her me.
[Exit Sweno,
lb., (Del, 35, — W. ayid Pr., 41. — Sim., II, 447.)
The last line may either be taken for an Alexandrine, or for a blank
verse; in the former case Yea is to be read as a monosyllabic foot,
in the latter Yea, and must be joined so as to form one syllable,
which, on account of the pause, seems unusual and harsh. The
stage -direction has been altered by Delius to Exeunt all, and this
FAIR £M. 41
alteration has been adopted by Messrs. Wamke and ProDScholdt An
attentive perusal of the scene, however, wiU convince the reader that
Sweno, after employing his attendants to take both Lubeck and
Mariana to prison, has remained alone on the stage and that conse-
quently the stage -direction of the Qq is quite correct and requires
no alteration whatever.
LYI.
W7n, Hence, villains, hence! Dare you lay your hands
Upon your sovereign!
Sol Well, sir; will deal for that.
But here comes one will remedy all this.
lb., (Del., Soseq. — W. and Pr., 42. — Sim., II, 447.)
Arrange: —
Wm, Hence, villains, hence!
Dare you lay your hands upon your sovereign!
Sol WeU, sir, we'll deal for that!
But here comes one will remedy all this.
Uow, added by Del., and to, added by Sim., are needless. Dare is
a monosyllabic foot and sovereign a triple ending.
Lvn.
Soldier. My lord, watching this night in the camp
We took this man, and know not what he is.
lb., (Del, 36. — W. ami /V., 42. — Sim., II, 447.)
Is the first line to Ikj scanned as a verse of four feet: —
My lord, | watching | this night | in th' camp?
Or is lord to be pronounced as a dissyllable? Cf. Marlow's Tragedy
of Edward 11., ed. by the Rev. F. a. Fleay, London, 1877, p. 117.
Or are we to call in the aid of an emendation and read: —
My lord, in watching this night in the camp?
Compare sixteen lines lower down: — .
In knowing this, I know thou art a traitor.
Or have we to deal with a syllable pause line: —
My lord, | v^ watch ]ing this | night in | the camp?
Compare note IV.
Lvni.
Wm, Gonq, In knowing this, I know thou art a traitor;
A rebel and mutinous conspirator.
Why, Demarch; knowst thou who I am?
lb., (Del, 36s — W. arid Pr.,42. — Sim., II, 448.)
42 FAIR EH.
Simpson adds the indefinite article before miiiinotis and thus pro-
duces a verse of six feet The line is quite right as it stands, since
rebel is to be pronounced as a monosyllable. Why is, of course, to
be considered as a so-called monosyllabic foot
LIX.
Dem, Pardon, my dread lord, the error of my sense.
And misdemeanour to your princely excellency.
Wni. Conq, Why, Demarch, what is the cause my subjects
are in arms?
Dem. Free are my thoughts, my dread and gracious lord.
From treason to your state and common weaL
lb., (Del., 36. — W. a fid Pr., 43. — Sim., II, 448.)
There are no differences in the readings, except that Delius puts a
semicolon after 'Demarch' and a comma after * cause'. The sub-
stitution of * excellence' (pronoimced as a dissyllable) for 'excellency'
in the second line seems to be indispensable, to the restoration of
the metre. The words 'Why, Demarch' form an inteijectional line;
and in the last line we should insert the definite article before 'com-
mon weal'. The whole passage, therefore, ought to be printed: —
Dem. Pardon, my dread lord, the error of my sense.
And misdemeanour to your princely excellence.
Wm. Conq. Why, Demarch,
What is the cause my subjects are in arms?
Dem. Free are my thoughts, my dread and gracious lord,
From treason to your state and tW common weal.
Only revengement of a private grudge,
By Lord Dirot lately proffered me.
lb., (Del, 36. — W. and /V., 43. — Sim., II, 448.)
Which is the right scansion of the second line? Are we to pro-
nounce lately as a trisyllable (Abbott, s. 477): —
By Lord | Dirot | late|ly profjfer'd me?
Or have we to deal with a syllable pause line: —
By Lord | Dirot | v^ late|ly profjfer'd me?
Or has the original position of the words been perverted and did the
poet write: —
Proflfer'd | me latelly by | the Lord | Dirot?
Thus a dilemma not only with two, but with three horns, if I may
say so, presents itself to the reader, to whose judgment the decision
must be left
FAIR EM. 43
LXI.
Amb, Marry thus: the king of Denmark and my Sov'reign
Doth send to know of thee, what is the cause,
That, injuriously, against the law of arms
Thou hast stoFn away his only daughter Blanch,
The only stay and comfort of his life?
Therefore, by me
He willeth thee to send his daughter Blanch,
Or else forthwith he will levy such an host,
As soon shall fetch her in despite of thee.
Iky (Del, 39. — ir. mid Pr., 45 seq, — Sim., II, 451.)
Arrange and read: —
Amb. Marry thus:
The king of Denmark and my sovereign
Doth send to know of thee, what is the cause,
That thou hast stol'n, against the law of arms,
Injuriously away his daughter Blanch,
The only stay and comfort of his life?
Therefore by me he willeth thee to send her.
Or else forthwith he'll levy such an host,
As soon shall fetch her in despite of thee.
The reiterations of only in the fourth and fifth, and of his daughter
Blanch in the fourth and seventh lines are evident 'dittographies', if
this technical term of German critics may be introduced into English;
it might, I think, conveniently supersede the somewhat heavy and
vague circumlocution of S. Walker, Grit. Exam., I, 276. A similar
dittography has occurred already in note XXXVI. Critics of such
thorough -going conservatism as to shield even glaring dittographies,
may perhaps prefer to read the third and fourth lines thus: —
That, 'gainst the law of arms, injuriously
Thou'si stoFn away his only daughter Blanch.
The sixth and seventh lines have been contracted by Chetwood into
the following: —
Therefore by me he wills thee send her back.
Needlessly bold and needlessly harsh.
Lxn.
Our subjects, erst IcNied in civil broils.
Muster forthwith, for to defend the realm.
lb., (Del, 40. — W. and Pr., 46. — Sim., II, 452.)
The trochee levied, in the first line, not being preceded by a pause,
seems hardly admissible, and it may, therefore, be surmised that the
poet wrote: —
Our subjects, levied erst in civil broils, &c,
44 FAIR EM.
Lxin.
Mil[ler]. Alas, sir, blame her not; you see she hath good cause,
being so handled by this gentleman: &c.
lb., (Del., 43. — W. and Pr., 49. — Sim., II, 455.)
These words produce the impression on the reader's mind that an
adverb is wanted before handUid\ say, for instance, 'so cruelly handled.'
LXIV.
Sweno, Rosilio, is this the place whereas the Duke William
Should meet me?
Bos. It is, and like your grace.
lb., (Del., 43. — W. and Pr., 50. — Stm., II, 455.)
This is the reading of the Quartos, whereas Delius, Simpson and
Messrs. Warnke and Prooscholdt have adopted the following arrange-
ment: —
Sweno. Rosilio, is this the place whereas
The Duke William should meet me?
Ros. It is, and [an't, Dd.] like your grace.
This, I apprehend, is even farther from the mark than the old text,
corrupted though it be. In my opinion the author wrote: —
Sweno, Rosilio,
Is this the place whereas Duke William
Should meet me?
Bos. It is, an't like your grace.
This aiTangement agrees with the old copies in so far as it divides
the lines after WiUiam, which word, occurring as it does at the end
of the line, is plainly to be pronounced as a trisyllable. In the
same way Orumio in The Taming of the Shrew is generally used
as a trisyllable at the end of the line, but only exceptionally occurs
as such in its body. • — Need it be added that in the last line the
pause 'takes the time of a defective syllable'? Compare note IV.
LXV.
Sweno. Rosilio, stay with me; the rest be gone. [Exeunt,
lb., (Del., 43. — W. and Pr., 50. — Sim., U, 456.)
Both here and nine lines infra the Qq have the insufficient and mis-
leading stage -direction Eoceunt which has been retained by Messrs.
Wamke and ProDScholdt as well as by Simpson. Delius has added
Attendants in the second passage, whereas in the first passage he has
omitted the stage -direction altogether. It admits of no doubt that in
both places the stage -direction Exeunt can have no other meaning
than Exeunt Attendants and that consequently in both places the
latter word should be received into the text.
FAIR EM. 45
LXVI.
Sweno, William,
For other name and title give I none
To him, who, were he worthy of those honours
That fortune and his predecessors left,
I ought by right and human courtesy
To grace his style the Duke of Saxony.
Ih., (Del., 44, — TV. and Pr., 51. — Sim., II, 457.)
William, which both in the Qq and in Delius's and Simpson's
editions is joined to the following line, has justly been placed eoctra
versum by Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt The same correction has
been made with respect to Sweno in A. V, sc. 1, 1. 97. — The last
line was altered by Simpson to: —
To style his grace the duke of Saxony,
and I formerly concurred in this apparently ingenious alteration. A
passage in The Merry Wives of Windsor (11, 2,297), however, speaks
greatly in favour of the reading of the Quartos as given above; it
runs thus: ^Ford's a knave, and I will aggravate his style; thou,
Master Brook, shalt know him for knave and cuckold.' Style means
title, official designation, 7node of address. But even this explanation
does not clear away all difficulty and I am still afraid that there is
some corruption lurking at the bottom of the passage. Chetwood
reads: To grace his style with [!] King of England; Delius: To
grace his style with Duke of Saxony. For human courtesy I formerly
felt tempted to substitute common courtesy. Compare W. Irving's
Tales of the Alhambra (London, 1878), p. 182: I could not do less
in common hospitality. Cotter Morison, Macaulay (London, 1882),
p. 23: We ai-e bound in common equity to remember this fact.
C. M. Ingleby, A Complete Yiew of the Shakspere Controversy &c.
(London, 1861), p. 41: No man of honourable feeling, or indeed of
common humanity, &c. However, the old text is right; compare A
Midsummer-Night's Dream, II, 2, 57 (in human modesty); The Merchant
of Venice, IV, 1, 25, and Troilus and Cressida, IV, 1, 20 (human gentle-
ness). (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 348.)
Lxvn.
Wm, Herein, Sweno, dost thou abase thy state,
To break the peace which by our ancestors
Hath heretofore been honourably kept.
Sweno, And should that peace for ever have been kept,
Had not thyself been author of the breach.
lb., (Del., 45. — W, ami Pr., 51. — Sim., II, 457),
46 FAIR EM.
Instead of abase thy state Deliua reads abtise thy state. — There can
be little doubt that the first line of the King of Denmark's speech
wants correction; read: —
And that peace should for ever have been kept.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 348.)
LXTm.
And think you I conveyed away your daughter Blanch?
lb., (Del., 45. — W, and Pr., 51. — Sim., IL 457.)
Dele either away or Blanch. Away may have lingered in the tran-
scriber's recollection since he wrote in A. TV, sc. 2, 1. G (according
to W. and Pr.): —
Thou'st stolen away his onely daughter Blanch.
To convey, without away, is used by the author of our play in A. IV,
sc. 2, 1. 14: —
Saying, I conveyed her from the Danish court.
Your daughter Blanch occiu*s five lines lower down (Del., 45; &c.),
likewise at the end of a verse; it seems, therefore, not unlikely that
Blanch was added to the line under discussion through faulty anticipation.
LXIX.
Sweno. Thou didst confess thou hadst a Ijady hence.
lb.. (Drl., 45. — W. ami Pr.. 52. — Sim., U, 457.)
Sweno speaks as if he was still in Denmark, although the scene has
been shifted to England where he has landed with his troops. Is
this an oversight of the author, or has the word hence crept in by
way of corruption, or how is it to bo explained? Should we read,
perhaps, thence instead of heme?
LXX.
Yet, Demarch, go and fetch her straight.
lb., (Del., 46. — W. and Pr., 52. — Sun., II, 458.)
The only means of scanning this perplexing line is to take Yet for
a monosyllabic foot and to suppose a pause which takes 'the time
of a defective syllable' to fall either after De^narch or after go: —
Yet, I Demarch, | v^ go | and fetch | her straight,
or: —
Yet, I Demarch, ( go ji | and fetch | her straight
FAIR Elf. 47
It seems, however, far more natural and easy to reduce, by a slight
transposition, the verse to a regular line of four feet: —
Yet go, I Demarch, | and fetch | her straight
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 348.)
LXXI.
Enter Bosilio wUh the Marques.
Eos, Pleaseth your highness, here' is the Marques and
Mariana.
lb., (Del, 46, — W. and Pr., 52, — Sim., //, 458.)
The words and Mariana have justly been added to the stage -direction
by DeHus. — Rosilio's speech which in both old and modem Editions
forms a line of six feet with a double ending, should be arranged
thus: —
Bos, Pleaseth your Highness,
Here is the Marques and Mariana.
The second line is a catalectic blank verse; see note H. — Compare
11. 88 and 89 of the same scene: —
Dem. May it please your Highness,
Here is the Lady [z^feowj you sent me for.
Lxxn.
Luh, Duke William, you know it's for your cause
It pleaseth thus the king to misconceive of me,
And for his pleasure doth me injurj^
lb., (T)el., 46, — W, mid- Pr.. 53, — Sim., 11, 459.)
The true arrangement of these lines I now think to be: —
Luh. Duke William,
You know it*s for your cause it pleaseth thus
The king to misconceive of me,
And for his pleasure doth me injury.
As to the fom-th line it may be questioned whether we should not
write do for doth.
Lxxm.
Wm, Sweno,
I was deceiv'd, yea, utterly deceiv'd.
Yet, this is she, the same is Lady Blanch,
48 FAIR EM.
And, for mine error, here I am content
To do whatsoever Sweno shall set down.
lb., (Pel., 47. — W. and Pr., 53. — Sim., IL 459.)
Qy.: Yes, this is she, &c.? (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 349.)
LXXIV.
Mar, When first I came into your highness' court.
And "William often importing me of love,
I did devise, to ease the grief your daughter did sustain,
She'ld meet Sir William masked, as I it were.
lb., (Del., 47. — W. ajid Pr., 54. — Shn., II, 459.)
For the first line see supra note LIII. — Often importifig is the
reading of the Qq and of Delius; Simpson: oft' importing; Messrs.
Warnke and Prcescholdt : oft importuning, as proposed by me in the
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 349. Compare A. Ill, sc. 1, 1. 79seciq.: 'Sir
Eobert of Windsor, a man that you do not little esteem, hath long
importuned me of love.' The words / did devise clearly form an
interjectional line, which is perfectly in keeping with similar passages
of our play, e.g. m, 1,23 (Thus stands the case); III, 2, 11 (Wretch
as thou art); IV, 2, 8 (Therefore by me); V, 1, 200 (Or deaf, or
dumb). The passage should therefore be written and arranged: —
Mar. When first I came into your highness' court,
And William oft importuning me of love,
I did devise,
To ease the grief your daughter did sustain,
She'ld meet Sir William mask'd, as I it were.
LXXV.
Unconstant Mariana, thus to deal
With him which meant to thee nought but faith.
lb., (Del., 47. — W. mid Pr., 54. — Sim., II, 460.)
As it would seem, three different ways of scanning the second line
offer themselves, among which the reader may choose that w^hich in
his judgment is the least doubtful. Firstly: nought, like tvrought
and similar words, may be read as a dissyllable; see Abbott, s. 484
(p. 381). This scansion, suggested by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XV, 349, has been adopted by Messrs. Warnke and ProBscholdt; it
would, however, produce a trochee, and a trochee in the fourth foot
after a very slight pause seems questionable. The second way of
dealing with the verse would be to class it among the syllable pause
lines and scan it thus: —
With him | which meant | to thee | v^ nought | but faith.
FAIR EM. 49
To this scansion it may be objected that the pause after thee is too
slight to serve as substitute for a defective syllable. Thirdly and
fourthly: the' change of to into unto, or the . insertion of else after
nought virould certainly remove all difficulty, if the latter be not con-
sidered too bold an expedient. Nothing, therefore, remains but to
request the reader, in the hackneyed Horatian words: —
Si quid novisti rectius istis,
Candidus imperti.
LXXVI.
Wm, Conceit hath wrought such general dislike.
Through the false dealing of Mariana,
That utterly I do abhor their sex.
lb., (Del., 48. — W. and Pr., 55. — Sim., II, 461.)
The second line is clearly a catalectic blank verse (see note IE).
Diffident critics that are afraid of subscribing to my theory of cata-
lectic verses may perhaps prefer to fill up the line by the addition
of In me: —
In me through the false dealing of Mariana.
The pronoun their, in the third line, does not only refer to Mariana,
but at the same time to Blanch who is standing beside her.
Lxxvn.
Blanch. Unconstant knight, though some deserve no trust,
There's others faithful, loving, loyal, and just.
lb., (Del., 48. — W. and Pr., 55. — Sim., II, 461.)
I am unable to see why William should be called unconstant, as he
has done nothing to deserve this reproach. Blanch should much
rather upbraid him for his injustice, for William rejects the whole
female sex without exception as being * disloyal, unconstant, all un-
just', to which sweeping condemnation Blanch justly replies that
some, indeed, deserve no trust, but that there are others faithful,
loving, loyal, and just. May not the reading Unconstant be owing to
a faulty repetition from line 142? But what is to take its place?
Ungenerous? Unsparing? Uneourteous?
LXXYm.
El[ner]. She has stolen a conscience to serve her own turn.
But you are deceived, i'faith, he will none of you.
lb., (Del., 49. — W. and Pr., 56. — Sim., II, 462.)
These lines, divided at turn in the Qq as well as in the editions of
Delius and Simpson, have been printed as prose by Messrs. Warnke
Elze, Notes. 4
50 FAIR EM.
and Proescholdt; as, however, the scene is entirely written in verse,
it seems highly improbable that a speech in prose should have been
interposed b}'^ the author, especially as no reason whatever is apparent
why it should be in prose instead of verse. On the other hand
the lines as printed in the Quartos, in Professor Delius' edition, and
in Simpson's School of Shakspere show no regular metre, and are
certainly corrupt. I do not see, how a meaning can be extorted from
the words She has stolen a conscience &c. Let us look at the con-
text. Mner says, that there was no witness by, when Mamile
plighted his troth to Em and that, therefore, her claim to his hand
is not valid. Em's reply is, that Manvile's conscience is a hundred
witnesses, to which assertion Elner would seem boimd by the laws
of logic to rejoin, that it was not Manvile's own conscience, but a
conscience stolen to serve Em's turn, and that Em may rest assured
that he will none of her. Thus it appears that for She hath we
ought to write He hath, an alteration which at the same time induces
us to expunge own before turn. Moreover it seems evident that
these words, at least the first line, must be spoken aside. In short,
the lines, in my humble opinion, would seem to have come from the
author's pen in the following shape: —
EL [Aside], He's stolen a conscience to serve her turn;
But you're deceived, i'faith, he'll none of you.
Ckmsdence is, of course, to be read as a trisyllable; compare 1. 184
of our scene: —
To void the scruple of his conscience.
LXXIX.
But some impediments, which at that instant happen'd.
Made me forsake her quite;
For which I had her father's frank consent
Ib.y (Del., 49, — W. and Pr., 56, — Sim,, 11, 462.)
This is the arrangement of the Qq, altered in pejus by the modem
editors who have joined happened to the following line, because they
have overlooked the fact that impediments is to be read as a trisyl-
lable and that the line has an extra syllable before the pause.
LXXX.
I loved this Manvile so much, that still my thought, &c.
lb,, (Del, 49. — W. and Pr., 56. — Sim., U, 462,)
Much is an extra syllable before the pause; scan: —
I lov'd I this Man I vile s6 | much, that still | my thought
FAIR EM. 51
LXXXI.
Of whom my Manvile grew thus jealous.
lb., (Del, 49. — W, and Pr., 56. — Sim., 11, 462.)
This line looks as though it was catalectic, but it is not, since
jealous is to be pronounced as a trisyllable, jeal-i-ous. To the in-
stances of this pronunciation adduced by S. Walker, Versification,
p. 154 seq., the following may be added: Arden of Feversham, ed.
Delius, 15 (ed. Warnke and Proescholdt, 14): —
Tour louing husband is not Jelious.
Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, Y, 46): —
Ay, danger mixed with jealous despite.
lb., (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, V, 131): —
To summon me to make appearance (« appear -i-ance),
Kam-Alley; or. Merry Tricks (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 289): —
But that is nothing for a studient;
Tb., (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 347): —
Say then her husband should grow jealous.
Marlowe, Edward 11., I, 59: siluian (in the old Edd.); Andrew Borde,
Introduction of Knowledge (ed. Fumivall for E. E. T. S.), p. 204:
siupendyouse; Marston, The Insatiate Countesse, A. 11 (Works, ed.
Halliwell, HI, 138): regardiant; ib., A.V (Works, III, 185): faviour;
Greene, Dorastus and Fawnia (Shakespeare's Library, ed. Hazlitt, I,
IV, 36): rigoritms. Clement Robinson, A Handful of Pleasant Delights,
ed. Arber, p. 9: studient] Hamlet, I, 2, 177: feUowe- studient (in QB
and QC); Merry Wives, IH, 1, 38: studient (in FA); Twelfth Night,
I, 5,66: dexteriously] Milton, Samson Agonistes, 1.1627: stupendious.
S. Walker's conjectural emendation on Middleton's Old Law, I, 1
(Versification, 156) is thus established beyond a doubt. Compare also
Abbott, s. 480 (p. 372) and Storm, Englische Philologie (Heilbronn,
1881), p. 290 seq. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 350).
Lxxxn.
By coimterfeiting that I neither saw nor heard
Any ways to rid my hands of them.
Ib., (Del., 50. — W. and Pr., 57. — Sim., II, 463.)
This division is certainly wrong; the words nor heard are to be
transferred to the following line (as has been done by Messrs. Wamke
and ProDScholdt in accordance with my suggestion) and any ways is
to be contracted in pronunciation so as to form only two syllables;
see note on The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 173. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XV, 350).
4*
52 FAIR EM.
Lxxxm.
All this I did to keep my Manvile's love,
Which he unkindly seeks for to i-eward.
lb,, (Del, 50. — W. and Pr,, 67. — Sim., IL 463.)
Qy.: thus instead of for? (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 350.)
LXXXIV.
Or else what impediments might befall to man.
lb., (Del., 50. — W. atid. Pr., 57. — Sim., IL 463.)
Simpson's correction of this suspicious reading of the Qq: —
Or what impediments else might befall man,
is a modem instance of the truth of the old saying: —
Incidit in Scyllam, qui vult \itare Charybdim.
If an emendation of the line is to be resolved upon, I still adhere
.to the alteration proposed by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.- G., XV, 350,
which, I think, is preferable at least in point of rhythm: —
Or what impediments else might man befall.
At the same time, however, I have tried to scan the Quarto -reading
and Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt have approved of my scansion: —
Or else | what 'mped|'ments might | befall | to man.
Should the reader think this scansion harsh, I shall not contradict
him; let him make his own choice or trv to find out something
better.
LXXXV.
Man. Forgive me! sweet Em!
lb., (Del, 50. — W. mid Pr., 57. — Sim., 11, 463.)
Qy.: Forgive me, my sweet Em?
LXXXVI.
Val, My Lord, this gentleman, when time was,
Stood something in our lights
And now I think it not amiss
To laugh at him that sometime scorned at us.
lb., (Del, 51. — W. and Pr., 58. — Sim., II, 464.)
This reading of the Qq, faulty though it manifestly be, has been left
undisturbed by both Delius and Simpson, whereas Messrs. "Warnke
FAIR EM. 53
and Pnrscholdt have adopted the correction proposed by me in the
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 351: —
VcU. My Lord,
This gentleman stood something in our light,
When time was; now I think it not amiss
To laugh at him that sometimes scom'd at us.
As to the third line, I must now say that and need not be omitted;
the line has simply an extra syllable before the pause. — From
these lines forward the concluding part of the play is corrupt, or, at
least, in great disorder. Simpson and his editor Mr. Gibbs, make a
few remarks on this fact, but they are inadequate. Simpson declares
it to be evident that the lines addressed to William the Conqueror
by Manvile: —
I partly am persuaded as your grace is —
My Lord, he's best at ease that meddleth least,
must certainly be spoken before William the Conqueror accepts Blanch.
As Mr. Gibbs further remarks, the derision of Manvile by Yalingford
and Mountney should begin immediately after Valingford's words:
Then thvs (V, 1, 221). Valingford continues: —
Sir, may a man
Be so bold as to crave a word with you,
so that the dialogue follows uninterruptedly as far as: —
Mount. I know full well: because they hang too high.
Whilst this dialogue between Yalingford, Mountney, Manvile, the King
of Denmark, and the Marquis Lubeck has been going on, William
the Conqueror has evidently been conversing aside with Mariana and
Blanch and has come to an understanding with them. He now
addresses Manvile too, asking him: —
Now, sir, how stands the case with you?
to which Manvile repliefe the two lines just quoted: —
I partly am persuaded as your grace is —
My Ijord, he's best at ease that meddleth least.
I may add, that after this line a verse has evidently been lost which
informs us, with whom we should meddle least in order to be best
at ease, viz. with womankind. William the Conqueror, however, has
meanwhile changed his mind and replies: —
I see, that women are not general evils
and so on, as far as: —
And after my decease the Denmark crown.
After this line there is an evident gap; some lines are wanting that
should introduce the question (in 1. 255): —
And may it be a miller's daughter by her birth?
54 FAUt EM.
which, by the way, is a rather suspicious line of six feet which
Simpson has tried to regulate (And may't be a Miller's daughter by
her birth). From this line to the end the regular sequence of the
lines seems not to have been disturbed. The original succession of
the lines expressed in numbers according to the numbering of Messrs.
Warnke and Proescholdt is this: 221 (Then thus), 234 — 254, 231
— 233, 222 — 230, 255 — 278. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 351 seq.)
Lxxxvn.
Lub, In mine eyes this is the properest wench;
Might I advise thee, take her unto thy wife.
76., (Del., 52. — W. and Pr., 59, — Sim., II, 465.)
This is the reading and arrangement of the Qq, whereas the passage
is printed as three lines in Delius' and Simpson's editions. Moreover
Delius reads my eyes instead of mine eyes, Simpson to thy ivife
instead of unto thy wife, and I myself have suggested this^ for thi^
is, thus making the line one of four feet only. This suggestion has
been installed in the text by Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt. How-
ever, I have now come to the conviction that the old text is com-
pletely right. Rightly scanned the first verse is no doubt a syllable
pause line: —
In mine | eyes this | ^ is | the prop|erest wench,
and the second line has an extra syllable before the pause: —
Might I I advise | thee, take her | unto | thy wife.
Compare V, 1, 218. 248. 264. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-O., XV, 352.)
Lxxxvm.
And, fair Em, frolic with thy good father.
lb., (Del, 52. — W. and Pr., 59. — Sim., II, 466.)
Simpson, in order to restore the metre, inserted thou after frolic,
which is contrary to a metrical usage observed throughout our play,
viz. the usage of placing the name of Em (or Blanch) in the accented
part of the rhythm. See A. I, sc. 1, 1. 62: —
But to renown fair Blanch, my sovereign's child
lb., 1.80: —
Bright Blanch, I come! sweet fortime, favour me.
A. I, sc. 2, 1. 15: —
And thou, sweet Em, must stoop too high estate
A. n, sc. 1, 1. 128: —
Nay, stay, fair Em. — I'm going homewards. Sir
FAIR EM. HIBTRIO-MASTIX. LOCRENE. 55
lb., 1. 149: —
Sweet Em, it is no little grief to me
lb., 1. 164: — '
Ah, Em, fair Em, if art can make thee whole
lb., 1.169: —
He loves fair Em as well as I —
If, therefore, the insertion of ihou should be deemed necessary, it
should take its place not after frolic^ but after And: —
And thou, fair Em, frolic with thy good father.
However, the line may be both complete and uncorrupted as it has
been handed down to us; if And be taken for a monosyllabic foot,
the verse may thus be scanned: —
And, ! fair Em, | fr61ic | with thy | good fa|ther.
This is by no means a smooth and harmonious line, but the versi-
fication of om* play everywhere shows the author to have been a
most negligent versifier and it is not the province of either editor or
critic to improve his lines, but merely to restore them where they
have been corrupted. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 352.)
Em. Em rests at the pleasure of your highness.
lb., (Del, 52, — W. afid Pr., 60. — Sim., II, 466.)
Em may perhaps be admitted as a monosyllabic foot. The lection
resies in QA, however, may possibly have been pronounced as a dis-
syllable. See note on Mucedorus, ed. Del-, 49 (his absence breedes).
XC.
Are not you Merchants, that from East to West,
From the Antarcticke to the Arctick Poles,
Bringing all treasure that the earth can yeeld?
Hi^trtO'Mastix, apud Simpson, The School of
Sfiakspere, II, 44 seq.
Bead: Bring in all treasure. — Qy. Pole?
XCI.
Come, with your razors rip my bowels up,
With your sharp fire -forks crack my starved bones:
Use me as you will, so Humber may not live.
Locrine in Malofie's Suppl. II, 246. — Haxlitt, SuppL
Works, 93. — Doubtful Plays (TauchnitxJ, 179.
56 THE LONDON PRODIGAL.
In order to regulate the metre I formerly proposed to read Use me
at toillj <&c,^ but must now withdraw this suggestion as needless.
Scan: — ^
Use me as | you will, | so Hum|ber may | not live.
Me and as are to be run into one another. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 76.)
XCIL
FUnv, Sen. V faith, sir, according to the old proverb:
The child was bom, and cried,
Became a man, after fell sick, and died.
The London Prodigal, I, 1. (Malojie, Supphment, 11, 455. —
Haxlittj The Supplemefitary Works of Wm. Shakspeare, 209.)
After ^ in the last line, looks like an interpolation and should be
expunged. By the way, it may be remarked that in Mr. Carew
Hazlitt's English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases this *old proverb'
is not to be found.
XCIII.
^r Lane. Where is this innV We are past it. Daffodil.
Daf. The good sign is here, sir, but the back gate is before.
Ih., /, 2. (MaL, II, 462. — Hax„ 212.)
Qy. read. The gaie sign instead of The good sign? — According to
Malone, folios as well as modem editions read the black gate] instead
of which Malone has restored the back gate from the quarto.
XCIV.
Arti. Why, there 'tis now: our year's wages and our vails will
scarce pay for broken swords and bucklers that we use in our quar-
rels. But I'll not fight if Daffodil be o' t' other side, that's flat.
Ih., 11, 4. (Mai., U, 480. — Hax., 222.)
Bead, in your quarrels. The servants do not use their swords and
bucklers in their own quarrels, but in those of their masters. 'Sir',
says Artichoke to Sir Lancelot, his master, towards the close of the
scene, *we have been scouring of our swords and bucklers for your
defence.'
XCV.
M. Flow. Now, God thank you, sweet lady. If you have any
friend, or garden-house where you may employ a poor gentleman as
your friend, I am yours to command in all secret service.
. lb., V, L (Mai, II, 517. — Hax., 241.)
THE MERRV DEVIL OF EDMONTON. 57
Read: if you have any fields or garden-house. Friend crept in, by
anticipation, from the following line. — Compare Dekker, The Honest
Whore, Pt. II, HI, 3 (Middleton, ed. Dyoe, UI, 188): she bids the
gentleman name any afternoon and she'll meet him at her garden-
house, which I know. — Ram -Alley; or, Meiry Tricks, I, 1 (Dodsley,
ed. HazUtt, X, 271): —
Hither, they say, he usually doth come,
Whom I so much affect: what makes he here?
In the skirts of Holborn, so near the field,
And at a garden-house? he has some punk.
Upon my life.
Davenport, The City Nightcap (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XIII, 187):
Garden-houses are not truer bawds to cuckold -making, than I wiU
be to thee and thy stratagem. — Measure for Measure, V, 1, 212
and 229. — Philip ^Stubbes's Anatomy of the Abuses in England,
ed. Fumivall, Parti, p. 88 seq. and p. 279 seq. — Middleton, The
Mayor of Queenborough, IE, 1 (Middleton, ed. Dyce, 1,162). — The
Miseries of Enforced Marriage (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, IX, 538.)
XCVI.
Bay[mond], 0, thou base world! how leprous is that soul,
That is once lim'd in that polluted mud!
Sir Arthur! you have startled his free active spirit
With a too sharp spur for his mind to bear.
The Merry Devil of Edmonton (Dodsley, ed, Haxlitty X. 230. —
Ed. Wamke and Prmscholdt, 22 seq.)
The old copies (1617, 1626, 1631, and 1655) that polluted mud]
Dodsley (1744) thy polluted mud. — The second spoils the metre
and is plainly owing to a dittography; read: —
Sir Arthur! you've startled his free active spirit.
Several passages in this play are either wrongly printed as prose
or wrongly arranged in Hazlitt's Dodsley. Such, e. g., is the follow-
ing speech by Jemingham at p. 244: 'Blood! if all Hertfordshire
were at our heels, we'll carry her away in spite of them', which
clearly consists of two r^ular blank verses, divided after heels. By
the way it may be remarked that Blood is the reading of the later
Qq, whereas the copy of 1617 correctly reads 'S blood (Z' blood).
A wrongly arranged passage occurs at p. 246: —
Y. Clare. We shall anon; nouns! hark!
What means this noise?
Jer. Stay, I hear horsemen.
Y. Glare. 1 hear footmen too.
58 MUCEDORUS.
Airange, of course: —
Y. Clare, We shall anon; nouns! hark! What means this
noise?
Jer, Stay, I hear horsemen.
Y. Clare, I hear footmen too.
Nouns ^ by the way, is the reading of the later Qq; Qu. 1617, xounds.
Another speech, wrongly printed as prose, is met with at p. 256.
Here Mr. Hazlitt's text is so much the more provoking as in all the
four Qq which I have been able to collate, the passage is divided
quite correctly into two lines: —
Hil\dersham\ Sir Arthur, by my order and my faith,
I know not what you mean.
xcvn.
Most sacred Majesty, whose great deserts
Thy subject England, nay, the world admires.
Mucedorn^, (ed. DeliuSy 1. — Ed. WarnJce and Prop^ekoldt, 19. —
HaxUtVs Dodsley, VII, 201.)
The whole of the Prologue, from 1. 3 forward, being in rhyme, I
cannot bring myself to the belief that its very beginning should have
been left rhymeless by the author. Mr. Collier proposes to read
either desires in 1. 1, or asserts in 1. 2. I rather think that the ori-
ginal reading in 1. 1 was: aspires, (Englische Studien, herausgegeben
von Eug. KSlbing, VI, 311.)
xcvm.
Embrace your council: love with faith them guide,
That both, as one, bench by each other's side.
Ib.y (Dely 1, — W. and Pr., 19. — H's D., VII , 201.)
Qq 1610 and 1615: CounseU\ later Qq: Councel or CouTicell] Mr. Haz-
litt: Council, and at one, — The Prologue which first appears in the
edition of 1610, would seem to have been written shortly after the
Gunpowder- Plot to which 11. 9 — 10 seem to refer: —
Where smiling angels shall your guardians be
From blemish'd traitors, stain'd with perjury.
* Several severe acts', to borrow the words of a writer in the Imperial
Dictionary of Universal Biography (s. James I.) , *were in consequence
[of the Gunpowder -Plot] passed by the Parliament against the Eoman
Catholics; but James, partly from timidity, partly from policy, showed
a decided disinclination to carry them into execution.' It would
seem, as if an allusion to this indecision of the king was to be
traced in U. 5 — 6 and as if, accordingly, we should wTite cowiselsi
MXJCEDORUS. 59
especially as this plural seems to be required hy the following them.
Compare Timon of Athens, HI, 1,27: he would embrace no counsel.
(K6lb., Engl. Stud., YI, 311.)
XCIX.
Why so; thus do I hope to please.
lb., (Del, 3. — W. and Pr., 21. — H's Z>., VII , 203.)
I think it highly improbable that the author should have commenced
his play with an incomplete line, however frequently he may have
admitted both shorter and longer lines in its course. I feel convinc-
ed that we should add even: Why, even so; dtc. Compare The
Play of Stucley, 1. 348 (Simpson, The School of Shakspere, I, 171):
Master Cross the Mercer, is't even so? A Warning for Fair Women,
A. n, 1. 937 (Simpson, The School of Shakspere, 11, 305): —
Heaven will have justice showne: it is even so!
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., Xin,46seq.)
C.
Sound forth BeUona's silver -tuned strings.
lb., (Del., 3. — W. and Pr., 21. — H's D., VII, 203.)
In the Jalu-b. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 63, the late Prof. W. Wagner has
observed that he is unable to attach a meaning to the mention of
Bellona in this passage. Bellona is indeed nowhere represented as
a patroness of music and has nothing to do with either 'silver -tuned
strings' or with wind-instruments which latter seem to be ascribed
to her a few lines below (1. 14seq.): —
That seem'st to check the blossoms of delight.
And stifle the sound of sweet Bellona's breath.
And what business has Comedy to praise 'sweet Bellona' who is no
comic, but an exclusively tragic character? I cannot help thinking
that there is some comiption lurking at the bottom, but am imable
to offer an explanation how it may have originated, or a cure for
it. By the way it may be remarked that for stifle in the Ed. pr.
the later Qq read stiU, (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 47.)
CI.
Nay, stay minion, there lies a block.
lb., (Del, 3. — W. and Pr., 21. — H's D., VII, 203.)
This is the reading of the quartos of 1598 (staie)^ 1610 and 1615
(Minion) \ Qq 1619 and 1631: Nay stay Minion stay, there. In the
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 48, I proposed to read: Nay, stay, you
60 MUCEDOKUS.
minion J stay, and this conjecture, which no doubt improves the
metre, has been installed in the text by Messrs. Warnke and Proc-
scholdt. You minion repeatedly occurs in Shakespeare, e. g., in The
Comedy of Errors, III, 1,54: —
Do you hear, you minion? you'll let us in, I hope?
lb., IV, 4,63: —
You minion, you, are these your customers?
Romeo and Juliet, HI, 5, 152 seq.: —
And yet *not proud', mistress minion, you,
Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds.
However, the readings of the earlier as well as the later Qq may
be right, if properly scanned. Nay, in both cases, is to be consid-
ered as a monosyllabic foot and minion, in the earliest Quarto, as
a trisyllable, although the dissolution of -ion usually occurs only at
the end and not in the body of the line. If, therefore, this pro-
nunciation should be rejected, the verse, as printed in the first
quarto, may perhaps with greater correctness be scanned as a syllable
pause line.. These, then, are the three scansions: —
Nay, I stay, min|i-on; | there lies [ a block
Nay, I stay, min|ion; ^ | there lies | a block
Nay, I stay, min|ion, stay | there lies | a block.
The last reading certainly looks like a correction.
cn.
And gain the glory of thy wished port.
lb., (Del, 3. — W, and Pr., 21. — H's I)., VII, 203.)
This is the reading of the earlier Qq; the later Qq: this udshed port.
It seems obvious that instead of port we should read sporty as sug-
gested by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 48. Messrs. Warnke
and ProDScholdt have adopted this correction.
cm.
Flying for succour to their dankish caves.
lb., (Del, 4. — W. aiid Pr., 22. — IPs D., VH, 204.)
My conjectural emendation dankish has been received into the text
by Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt; the old editions read Danish^
a reading which cannot lay claim to a gentler appellation than that
of nonsense. Dankish occurs in the Comedy of Errors, Y, 1, 247: —
And in a dark and dankish vault at home.
Another emendation may, however, be offered, viz. dampish. Cf. The
Birth of Merlin, IV, 1, (ed. Delius, 69): —
MUCED0RU8. 61
Then know, my lord, there is a dampish cave,
The nightly habitation of these dragons,
Vaulted beneath &c.
The Play of Stucley, 668 (Simpson, The School of Shakspere,!, 185): —
When we are lodged within tlie dampish field.
CIV.
Hearken, thou shalt hear a noise
Shall fill the air with shrilling sound,
And thunder music to the gods above:
Mars shall himself reach down
A peerless crown &c.
lb., (Del, 4. — W. and Pr., 22. — H's D., VII , 204.)
Qq 1598 — 1610: loiih a shrilling sound. Hark, before Hearken, in
Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt's edition, is an unnecessary^ addition
of the late Prof. W. Wagner's (see Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 63).
The passage, I think, should thus be arranged: —
Hearken! thou 'It hear a noise shall fill the air
With shrilling sound, and thunder music to
The gods above: Mars shall himself reach down
A peerless crown &c.
Exception might be taken to the enjambemeni in the second line,
but this drawback is amply compensated by the restoration of three
regular lines in lieu of two complete and two incomplete ones.
Moreover the versification of our author is, on the whole, so loose
and careless that we shall scarcely wrong him by fathering an
unstopped line upon him. (Jahi'b. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 340 seq. — Kolb.,
Engl. Stud., VI, 312.)
CV.
In this brave music Envy takes delight.
Where I may see them wallow in their blood &c.
lb., (Dei, 4. — W. and Pr., 22. — H's D., VH, 204.)
*As there is no antecedent', say Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt, *to
which them might refer, it would, perhaps, be better to read men,^
At the same time they refer the reader to 1. 64 seq. , where the same
want of connexion recurs and where no alteration seems suited to
remedy it. To me it seems more probable that in both passages
something is wanting (after 1. 30 and 1. 04). Four lines below (1. 34)
we have to deal with an Alexandrine which might, however, easily
62 MUCEDORUS.
be reduced to a blank verse by the omission of my trull. Compare
Englishmen for my Money (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 514): —
Were I as you,
Why, this were sport alone for me to do.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 341.)
cvr.
Thou bloody, en\ious disdainer of men's joys.
lb., (Del.. 4. — W. ami Pr., 22. — IVs IX, VII, 204.)
Thus Qq (Qu. 1598 ioye)\ Messrs. l^amke and ProDScholdt 'sdainer.
See Marlowe's Edward the Second, ed. Tancock (Clarendon Press,
1879), p. 160. In my opinion bloody has intruded by mistake from
the following line; it is a dittographj'. Read therefore: —
Thou envious disdainer of men's joys.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 49.)
cvn.
Whirling thy measures with a peal of death,
And drench thy metres in a sea of blood.
lb., (Del., 5. — W. and Pr., 23. — H's D., VII, 205.)
Qq: pleasures and methodes. The conjectural emendations rneasures
and metres, introduced into the text by Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt,
were proposed by me. Measure, in the sense of dance is used, e. g.,
in K. Richard 11., I, 3, 291; in K. Richard m., I, 1,8, and in Fair
Em, II, 2, 8; metre, in the sense of verse or line, occurs, e. g., in
K. Richard n., H, 1, 19. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 50.)
cvm.
Why then, Comedy, send thy actors forth.
lb., (Del., 5. — W. and Pr., 23. — Ws D., VII, 205.)
In order to improve the metre Messrs. Warnke and Propscholdt insert
now after send, whereas in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 341, I con-
tended for the reading of the Qq. If why be taken for a monosyl-
labic foot, the line may thus be scanned: —
Why, I then Come|dy, send | thy act|ors forth.
I have, however, some misgiving whether it may be deemed admis-
sible to disjoin the words Why then and to alter the punctuation of
the Qq, especially as two other ways of scanning the line seem to
be open, which involve no change whatever. The first is to pro-
nounce (Jomedy as a trisyllable: —
Why then, | Comejdy, send | thy act|ors forth.
HUCEDORTJS. 63
To this scansion it may be objected that, throughout our play, Comedy
in the body of the line seems always to be used as a dissyllable.
This difficulty will be avoided if w^e class the verse among the syl-
lable pause lines: —
"Why then, | Comedy, | ^ send | thy act|ors forth.
The reader may make his choice among these different expedients.
Thus much is certain, that we shall have to admit a trochee in the
second place, if we do not choose to separate why from the rest of
the line, and that an alteration of the text or the addition of some
expletive seems by no means unavoidable.
CIX.
But, my Anselmo, loth I am to say,
I must estrange that friendship.
lb., (Del.y 6. — W. and Pr., 24. — H's /)., VII, 206.)
In the Qq these two verses form one line only. Qu. 1668: enlarge
thy friendship. W. Wagner proposes to read: my friendship. The
second line may easily be completed by adding for a while. On the
other hand it may be suggested that the words loth I am to say,
may possibly be an interpolation by some actor or copyist and that
the original line was to the following effect: —
But, my Anselmo, I must estrange that friendship.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIH, 51.)
ex.
Does mangle verity; boasting of what is not.
Ih., (Del, 6. — W. and Pr., 25. — H's D., VII, 206.)
Verity is a triple ending before the pause, and the second hemistich
commences with a trochee (boasting )\ thus, no alteration whatever is
needed. Compare note on Measure for Measure, IV, 3, 131. (Jahrb.
d. D. Sh.-G., Xm, 51; XY, 341.)
CXI.
Ansel, Your miss will breed a blemish in the court,
And throw a frosty dew upon that beard,
Whose front Yalentia stoops to.
lb., (Del., 6seq. — W. and Pr., 25. — H's D., VH, 206.)
However fond of queemess our author may have shown himself in
his diction, yet it seems to surpass all bounds to speak of the front
of a beard. The late Prof. W.Wagner (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIY, 278)
suggested ttpon his beard, which I cannot think very plausible. Qy.:
head instead of beard?
64 MUCEDORUS. '
cxn.
Though base the weed is, 'twas a shepherd's.
lb., (Del, 7. — W. and Pr., 25. — H*s D.. VII y 207.)
This is the reading of the Qq. The late Rx)f. W. Wagner proposed
to add once after shepherd's, and Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt
have admitted this conjecture into the text. I formerly conjectured
for it was a shepherd^ s, but am now inclined to consider the line
either as a catalectic verse (see note II) or as a sjilable pause line: —
Though base | the weed | is, ^ | it was | a shepj herd's.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 51.)
cxin.
So, let our respect command thy secrecy,
At once a brief farewell,
Delay to lovers is a second hell.
B., (Del.y 7. — W. and Pr., 26. — H's /)., FIT, 207.)
Besides the conjectiuul emendation of this passage proposed by me
in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.- G., XIII, 51 seq., and partly adopted by Messrs.
Wamke and Proescholdt, two others of a more conservative tendencj'
may be offered. Firstly: the text may be left imtouched as printed
in the Qq, provided So be taken for a monosyllabic foot, and secrecy
for a triple ending. This latter scansion, however, seems somewhat
doubtful, and besides we should have to deal with a couplet of un-
equal lines, which seems doubtful again. These difficulties would be
avoided by the following arrangement of the lines: —
So, let our respect command
Thy secrecy. At once a brief farewell
Delay to lovers is a second hell.
This would involve no alteration whatever, except in the division of
the lines, and it does not matter that the first line is one of four
feet only.
CXIY.
Mouse. horrible, terrible! Was ever poor gentleman so scared
out of his seven senses?
lb., (Del, 8. — W. and Pr., 26. — H's Z>., VH, 208.)
Compare Locrine, IV, 2 (Malone's Supplement, II, 244): horrible!
terrible! I think I have a quarry of stones in my pocket. — Fair
Em, (ed. W. and Pr.), Ill, 4, 42 seq.: Ah! that is as much as to say
you would teU a terrible, horrible, outrageous lie, and I shall soothe
it. — Specimens of Cornish Provincial Dialect collected and arranged
by Uncle Jan Trenoodle (London, 1840), p. 14: I do think also
MirCEDORUS. 65
seriously of writing some works of a light and popular sori;; or some
of what a friend of mine do call, the mysterious, and terrible -hor-
rible school, (books of easy virixie); or some Cornish tales &c.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 52.)
CXV.
Seg. 0, fly, madam, fly, or else we are but dead.
Ama, Help, Segasto, help, help, sweet Segasto, or else I die.
Seg. Alas, madam! there is no way but flight.
lb., (Del., 8. — W. afid Pr., 27. — H's /)., F/7, 208.)
Upon second, I may even say thiixi and fourth, thoughts I have come
to the conviction that the alterations of these lines proposed by me
in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.- G., XIII, 52, can as little be upheld as the far
bolder reading introduced by Messrs. Wamke and ProDscholdt. Madam
in the first line is to be pronounced as a monosyllable and in the
third as a trochee. The exclamation Help, Segasto, help very natu-
rally lends itself to an interjectional line, so that, apart from this
alteration in the division of the lines, the old text would remain
unaltered: —
Seg. 0, fly, madam, fly, or else wo are but dead.
Ama. Help, Segasto, help!
Help, sweet Segasto! or else I die.
Seg. Alas, madam! There is no way but flight.
The third line is a syllable pause line; scan: —
Help, sweet | Segas|to! ± \ or else | I die.
This improvement on the old text would, I think, be complete, if
the interjection 0, which is certainly misplaced, could be transferred
to the following line: —
Seg. Fly, madam, fly, or else we are but dead.
Ama. help, Segasto, help!
Help, sweet Segasto! or else I die.
Seg. Alas, madam! there is no way but flight.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 342.)
CXYI.
Now, whereas it is my father's will.
lb., (Del., 9. — W. mid Pr., 28. — H's D., VII, 209.)
This reading of the Qq requires no alteration whatever, and the con-
jectures proposed by the late Prof. W. Wagner (And now) and myself
are needless. Now is a monosyllabic foot; scan: —
Now, I whereds | it is j my fa|ther's will.
Elze, Notes. 5
66 MtrCEDORlTS.
Compare infra, A, IT, sc. 1 , LI: —
Now, I brave lords, | our wars | are brought | to end.
Two lines below the Qq read through faiher^s former usury which,
in my humble opinion, cannot be right; I feel convinced that the
poet wrote througWs, and Messrs. "Warnke and Proescholdt have ad-
mitted this conjecture into the text (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XTTI, 53.
XV, 342.)
cxvn.
But tell me, lady, what is become of him, &c.
lb., (Del, 10. — W. and Pr., 29. — H's D., VII, 210.)
Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt read wiiaVs, but no alteration is
required, the line merely containing an extra syllable before the
pause: —
But tell I me, la|dy, what is | become | of him.
Four lines infra my conjecture to add was after Yel has been adopted
by Delius as well as Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt Perhaps,
however, Yet may be taken to be a monosyllabic foot, although it is
a short syllable and not followed by a pause. (Jahi'b. d. D. Sh.-G.,
Xm, 53 and XY, 342.)
cxvm.
So will the king, my father, thee reward:
Come, let's away and guard me to the court.
Ib.y (Del, 11. — W. and Pr., 29. — H's />., VII, 211.)
It seems not at all unlikely to me that these concluding lines of the
scene originally formed a couplet and that accordingly we should
read: —
So will the king, my father, thee reward:
Come, let's away and to the court me guard.
The same inverted construction occurs in A. 11, sc. 1, 1. 37: —
I shall with bounties thee enlarge therefore.
(K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 312.)
CXIX.
When heaps of harms do hover over head,
'Tis time as then, some say to look about.
And of ensuing harms to choose the least.
lb., (Del, 11. — W. and Pr., 29. — H\s D., VU, 211.)
The later Qq' include the words some say in parentheses. Qy. read,
''Pis time then, as some say, Sc.l — (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 344.)
MTTCEDOftttS. 6?
CXX.
In harmful heart to harbour hatred long.
lb., (Del., 12. — W. and Pr., 30. — H's D., VU, 212.)
Compare Marlowe, The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage, A. I,
std) fin.: —
Forbids all hope to harbour near our hearts.
CXXI.
Seg. [Aside]. This seems to be a merry fellow.
lb., (Del, 13. - W. and Pr., 32. — H's D., VU, 213.)
A regular blank verse would be restored by the insertion of very
before merry. That very was frequently interpolated has been shown
by S. Walker, Grit. Exam., 1, 268 seq. Cf. also infra note CLXXXIV.
Here we meet with an instance of its omission.
cxxn.
Now, brave lords, our wars are brought to end.
Our foes to foil, and we in safety rest:
It us behoves to use such clemency
In peace, as valour in the wars. It is
As great an honour to be bountiful
At home, as to be conquerors in the field.
lb., (Del, 14. — W. and Pr., 33. — H's D., VII, 215.)
From Dodsley Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt seem to have drawn
the conclusion that QD (1610) reads that our wars and have printed
the line accordingly. This, however, is erroneous; all Qq, which I
have been able to collate, QD included, unanimously read brave lords,
our wars, and the addition of thai in Dodsley is due to Mr. Hazlitt
and as such is enclosed in brackets. As Now is to be read as a
monosyllabic foot, no correction of the line is required, although the
passage would no doubt be improved by the addition of thai and the
transposition suggested by me in Prof. KSlbing's Englische Studien.
To foil is an emendation of the late Prof. W. Wagner's; Qq: the foil.
It is J in the fourth line, might, perhaps, be transferred to the fol-
lowing line and bountiful be pronounced as a triple ending. In L 5
an has been added by Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt in compliance
with my conjecture. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 54. — K6lb., Engl.
Stud., VI, 312.)
CXXUI.
And reign hereafter, as I tofore have done.
lb., (Dei, 15. - W. and Pr., 34. - H's D., VII, 215.)
5*
68 MTTCEDORUS.
No alteration of this reading, uniformly exhibited by all the Qq, is
required. The transposition proposed by Prof. W. Wagner in the
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 64 fas iofore Fve) and adopted by Messrs.
Warnke and Proescholdt, is needless. There is, of course, an extra
syllable before the pause.
CXXIV.
King. Then march we on to court, and rest our wearied limbs !
But Collen, I have a tale in secret kept for thee.
//>., (Del, 15. — W. mid Pr., 34. — U's Z)., VII, 216.)
The second verse may be easily reduced to a blank verse by the
introduction of an interjectional line: —
King. Then march we on to court, and rest our wearied limbs!
But Collen,
I have a tale in secret kept for thee: &c.
I may add that kept is the reading of the earlier Qq, whereas the
later copies, from 1619 downwards, read fit. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XY, 344.)
CXXV.
Seg. Why, Captain Tremelio.
Mouse. 0, the meal -man; I know him very well.
lb., (Del, 16. — W. aful Pr., 36. — H\s I)., VII, 217.)
A pun was certainly intended in these lines, but the first half of it
has been lost. In order to restore it, we must evidently add man
after Tremelio. The same kind of corruption occurs in 1. 44 seq. and
in A. Ill, sc. 3, 1. 22. In the former passage the pun is to be com-
pleted by the insertion of knave after Tremelio, and in the latter by
the addition of buzzard after shepherd. Buzzard in the sense of a
worthless or useless fellow, a blockhead or dunce, occurs pretty
frequently; compare, e. g.. Piers Ploughman, ed. Thom. Wright,
1. 6156 seq.: —
I rede ech a blynd bosarde
Do boote to hymselve.
The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London {apud Dodsley, ed.
HazHtt, YI, 381): —
A buzzard? thou buzzard! Wit, hast no more skill,
Than take a falcon for a buzzai-d?
Westward Ho!, Y, 4 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 1857, in 1 vol., p. 243b):
Ten[terhook]: Marry, you make bulls [qy. gulls?] of your husbands.
Mist. Ten[terhook]. Buzzards, do we not? out, you yellow infirmities!
do all fiowere show in your eyes like columbines? — The Dramatic
MUCEDORUS. 69
Works of Rich. Brome (Lon., Pearson, 1873) II, 43: The Buzzards
axe all gentlemen. We came in with the conqueror. Our name (as
the Trench has it) is Beau-desert; which signifies — Friends, what
does it signifte? — R. Ascham, The Scholemaster, ed. Arber, p. Ill:
who neuerthelesse, are lesse to be blamed, than those blind bussardes,
who in late yeares, of wilfull maliciousnes, would neyther leame
themselues, nor could teach others, any thing at alL — Milton,
Eicohocl., Chap. I: Those who thought no better of the living Qt)d,
than of a buzzard idol. — The Life and Letters of W. Irving. Bj'^
his Nephew Pierre E. Irving (Lon., 1877, Bell and Sons, I, 113):
Inspired by such thoughts, I open your letters with a kind of triumph;
I consider, them as testimonies of those brilliant moments which I
have rescued from the buzzards that surround you. — Compare
Histrio-Mastix, A. II, 1. 289 seq. (apud Simpson, The School of Shak-
spere, II, 40): —
Fie! what unworthy foolish foppery
Presents such buzzardly simplicity.
I have only to add that, these three emendations (man, knave, and
buixard) have been adopted by Messrs. Warnke and ProDScholdt.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIH, 54 and 67,)
CXXYI.
I cannot tell; wherefore doth he keep his chamber else?
lb., (Dei, 17. — W. and Pr., HO. — IVs />., F7/, 217.)
I strongly suspect that him in should be inserted after keqh (Kolb.,
Engl. Stud., YI, 313.)
CXXVII.
Seg, Well, Sir, away.
Tremelio, this it is, thou knowest the valour of Segasto,
Spread through all the kingdom of Aragon,
And such as have found triumph and favoure,
Never daunted at any time: but now a shepherd,
Admired in court for worthiness.
And Segasto^s honour laid aside:
My will therefore is this, that thou dost find some means to work
the shepherd's death: I know thy strength sufficient to perform my
desire, and thy love no otherwise than to revenge my injuries.
Tre. It is not the frowns of a Shepherd that Tremelio fears:
Therefore account it accomplish'd what I take in hand.
Seg. Thanks, good Tremelio, and assure thyself.
What I promise, that I wiU perform.
lb., (Del., 18. — \V. and Pr., 37. — E'n D., VII, 218 seq.)
70 JItrCEDORUS.
Apart from differences in the spelling to which no weight can be
attached, this is the uniform reading and arrangement of the passage
in the Qq, except that Qq 1598 and 1610 read Admired at in court,
which I feel convinced is a faultj^ transposition for Admired is ai
court. It need hardly be remarked that, at least as far as the
arrangement of the lines is concerned, the passage is a model of
corruption. The late Prof. W. Wagner (in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XI, 65) has tried to restore the original verses which he thinks to
have run thus: —
Well, Sir, away. TremeHo, this is it:
Thou know'st the valoiu* of Segasto spread
Thorough all the kingdom of Aragon;
And such as have found triumph and favours
Never daunted me at any time: but now
A shepherd is admir'd in court for worthiness.
And all Segasto's honour laid aside.
My will therefore is this, that thou dost find
Some means to work the shepherd's death: I know
Thy strength sufficient to perform — thy love
No other than to wreak my injuries.
The weak points of this attempt at restoration, some of which have
not escaped Prof. W. Wagner himself, have been pointed out and a
different arrangement proposed by me in the Jalu-b. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII,
56 seq. The latter, adopted with a few slight alterations by Messrs.
Warnke and ProDscholdt, seems still capable of improvement and I
therefore reproduce it in an amended form, including one or two
new readings: —
Seg. Well, Sir, away. Tremelio, this it is. [Mcit Mouse.
Thou know'st the valour of Segasto, spread
Thorough the kingdom of all Aragon,
And such as, never daunted at any time,
Hath triumph found and favours; but now a shepherd
Admired is at court for worthiness.
And Lord Segasto's honour laid aside;
My will therefore is this, that thou dost find
Some means to work the shepherd's death: I know
Thy strength sufficient to perform my desire,
Thy love no otherwise than to revenge my injuries.
The fourth line might be improved by a slight transposition: —
And such as, daunted ne'er at any time.
Desire, in the last line but one is to be pronounced as a monosyl-
lable; compare Induction, 1. 39 (Delighting)] A. lU, sc. 2, 1. 52 and
A. IV, sc. 1, 1. 22 (departure)] A. V, sc. 1, 1. 55 (Desiring). In the
last line otherwise is to be pronounced as a dissyllable (see Abbott,
s. 466), and revenge as a monosyllable, provided it be not thought
MUCED0RU8. 71
preferable to give the line an extra syllable before the pause and
scan it thus: —
Thy love | no oth'r|wise than to | revenge | my in | juries.
Injuries, in either case, is a triple ending. The rest of the passage
seems to defy emendation except by means which, on maturer reflec-
tion, I cannot think justifiable. What, in the last line, may be con-
sidered as a monosyllabic foot and thus the metre be regulated.
CXXYin.
Seg, Hold, shepherd, hold, spare him, kill him not:
Accursed villain, tell rae what hast thou done?
Ah, Tremelio, trusty Tremelio, I sorrow for thy death,
And since that thou living didst prove faithful to Segasto,
So Segasto now living shall honour the dead
Corpse of Tremelio with revenge.
Blood-thirsty villain, bom and bred to merciless murder.
Tell me, how durst thou be so bold,
As once to lay thy liands upon the least of mine?
Assure thyself thou shalt be used according to the law.
i/Mce. Segasto cease, these threats are needless,
Accuse not me of murder, that have done nothing,
But in mine own defence.
lb., (DeL ISsrq. — W. and Pr., 3S seq. — H'itD., VII, 219.)
Instead of shall honour, to merciless murder, and Accuse not me in
the earliest quarto all the other old copies read mill honour, in mer-
ciless murder and Accuse me not. Some minor differences may be
left unnoticed. Prof. W. Wagner in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 66,
is not far from the mark in declaring the whole passage to be * hope-
lessly corrupt', especially as regards its arrangement. Nevertheless
I have made an attempt to restore the original verses to which, with
a few exceptions, I still adhere. The interjection in 1. 80, inserted
by me, must certainly be expunged again as the verse belongs to
the well-known class of syllable pause lines. In 1. 81 the old text
may likewise be left unaltered; the line is to be scanned: —
Accurs|ed viljlain, teU me | what hast | thou done.
In 1. 84 Prof. W. Wagner's alteration: didst faithful to Segasto prove
(Jahrb. d.D.Sh.-G., XIV, 280), seems preferable to my own suggestion:
didst faithful prove unto Segasto, Line 87, though not an Alexandrine,
is yet a verse of six feet and cannot be reduced to a blank verse
withont great boldness. The objection raised by Messrs. Warnke and
Proescholdt against my alteration and division of 11. 90 seq. is cer-
tainly not unfounded; I doubt, however, whether their own endeavour
to regulate the lines can boast of a better success, and am now able
72 MTJCEDORUS.
to offer a different arrangement which implies no alteration of the
old text beside the division of the lines. The climax reached by
the corruption of the passage is shown by 11. 92 seq. which in Haz-
litt's Dodsley read as follows: —
But in mine own defence accuse not me
Of murther that have done nothing.
The alteration in the division of these two lines proposed by me and
adopted by Messrs. Wamke and ProDscholdt seems needless and had
better be withdrawn. The passage should be arranged and printed
thus: —
Seg. Hold, shepherd, hold! Spare him, kill him not!
AccursM villain, tell me, what hast thou done?
Tremelio, ah, trusty Tremelio:
I sorrow for thy death and since that thou
Living didst faithful to Segasto prove.
So now Segasto living with revenge
Will honour the dead corpse of Tremelio.
Blood-thirsty villain: bom and bi*ed to merciless murder:
TeU me, how durst thou be so bold, as once
To ky thy hands upon the least of mine?
Assure thyself
Thou shalt be used according to the law!
Mace, Segasto, cease! these threats are needless.
Accuse not me of murder that have done nothing
But in mine own defence.
The first line is a syllable pause line, the second and the last but
one have an extra syllable before the pause, and the last but two is
a catalectic blank verse (see note 11). (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G-., XIII,
57 seq. XV, 344. — K5lb., Engl. Stud., YI, 313.)
CXXIX.
I think liis mother sang looby to him, he is so heavy.
Ib„ (Del, 19. — W. and Pr., 89. — H's D., ¥11,220.)
Looby is the name of a children's dance and its accompanying music.
The words are printed in Halliweirs Nursery Rhymes and Nursery
Tales, p. 75; words and tune in The Baby's Bouquet. A Fresh
Bunch of Old Rhymes and Tunes. Arranged and Decorated by Walter
Crane (London and New York, George Routledge), p. 54. Compare
Halliwell, Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, s. Looby.
'Nares, ed. HalliweU and Wright, s. Looby. Webster, s. Looby, Lubber ,
and Lubberly.
MUCEDOBUS, 73
cxxx.
Now Bremo sith thy leisure so aifords,
An endless thing, &c.
lb,, (Del.y 20, — W. and Pr., 40. — H's D., VII, 220.)
This reading of the Qq, nonsensical though it be, has yet been left
untouched by both Delius and Mr. Hazlitt. Prof. W. Wagner proposed
aimless instead of endless. The reading of Messrs. Wamke and
Proescholdt: —
Now, Bremo, sit, thy leisui'e so affords,
A needless thing. [Sits doum.]
is due to me; see Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 58seq.
CXXXI
Eend them in pieces, and pluck them from the earth.
lb., (Del., 20. — W. and Pr.y 40. — H's D., VII, 221.)
In the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 59, I maintained that and should be
thrown out, but now withdraw this conjectural emendation; the line
contains an extra syllable before the pause.
cxxxn.
Who fights with me and doth not die the death? Not one!
lb,, (Del, 20, - W. and Pr., 40. — IPs I)., VII, 221.)
Not one need not be omitted, as proposed by Prof. W. Wagner, but
is to be placed extra versu^n as an interjectional line. (Kolb., Engl.
Stud., YI, 313.)
Gxxxm.
That here within these woods are combatants with me.
lb., (Del, 21. — W. and Pr., 41, — IPs I),, VII, 221.)
No Alexandrine, eombatants being used as a dissyllable; scan: —
That here | within | these woods | are com|b'tant8 with | me.
Compare K5lb., Engl. Stud., YI, 313 and note on K. Eichard K,
n, 4, 6.
CXXXIV.
King, Shepherd, thou hast heard thine accusei*s,
Murther is laid to thy charge:
What canst thou say? thou hast deserved death.
lb., (Del., 21. — W, and Pr., 41, — U's D., VU, 221.)
74 MXTCEDORUS.
Arrange and write: —
King. Shepheixl, thou hast heard thine accusers; murder
Is laid unto thy charge; what canst thou say?
Thou hast deserved death.
Three lines infra I formerly proposed to add out and to read: —
Not out of any malice, but by cliance.
However, I now withdraw this conjecture, as I feel pretty sure
that Not may be read as a monosyllabic foot. The next speech of
Segasto: —
Words will not here prevail;
I seek for justice, and justice craves his death,
may be completely right, although a different division of the lines
would seem to possess a still better claim to be considered the
author's own, viz.: —
Words will not here prevail; I seek for justice,
And justice craves his death.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 60.)
cxxxv.
Come, sirrah, away with him, and hang him 'bout the middle.
lb., (Dei,, 21seq. — W. and Pr., 42. — H's R, VII, 222.)
Mr. Hazlitt has omitted Come, which is in all the old copies I have
been able to collate, and has printed the rest as prose; it is indeed
labour thrown away to correct his edition of Dodsley^. — Come,
sirrah, is no doubt to be considered as an interjectional line, while
the rest of the line forms a regular blank verse. (Kolb., Engl. Stud.,
VI, 313.)
CXXXVI.
Gome on, sir; ah, so like a sheepbiter a looks.
lb., (Del., 22. — \V. and Pr., 42. — H'8 D., VII, 222.)
Qu. 1598: Come on sir] Qq 1610, 1615 and 1619: CoTne on sirra]
the later Qq: Come you, siirah. Sheep -biter originally meant no
doubt a morose or surly cur that bites the sheep in good (or rather
sad) earnest; hence a morose or surly fellow. Compare Dekker, The
Honest Whore, Part II, II, 1 (The Works of Th. Middleton, ed. Dyoe,
m, 162): A poor man has but one ewe, and this grandee sheep-
biter leaves whole flocks of fat wethers, whom he may knock down,
to devour this. — Middleton, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside (Works,
ed. Dyce, IV, 33): —
Sheep -biting mongrels, hand -basket freebooters.
Twelfth Night, 11, 5, 6. Measure for Measure, V, 1, 359 (sheep-
biting face).
MUCED0RU8. 75
CXXXVII.
Ama. Dread Sovereign, and well beloved Sire,
On bended knee I crave the life of this condemned Shepherd, which
heretofore presen'ed the life of thy sometime distressed daughter.
King, Preserved the life of my sometime distressed daughter!
How can that be? I never knew the time
Wherein thou wast distressed: I never knew the day
But that I have maintained thy estate,
As best beseem'd the daughter of a king.
lb., (Del, 22. — W. mid Pr., 42. — H's /)., VII, 222.)
No reader, I think, will deny that this passage bears manifest traces
of corruption. The earliest quarto reads on bended kees; instead of
condemned we find condemned in Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, VII, 222; and
heretofore has been altered to iofore by Messrs. Warnke and Proe-
scholdt. Heretofore, however, is quite correct, as shepherd is either
to be pronounced as a monosyllable, or as a dissyllable with an extra
syllable before the pause. In the first line of the king's speech
which is an Alexandrine, the late Prof. W. Wagner wanted sometime
to be thrown out (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 67), whereas in my opinion
Preserved should be expunged. I feel convinced that the original
wording and arrangement of the passage was as follows: —
Afna. Dread sovereign and well beloved sire.
On bended knee I crave the life of this
Condemned shepherd, which heretofore preserved
The life of thy sometime distressed daughter.
King. The life of my sometime distressed daughter?
How can that be? I never knew the time
Wherein thou wast distressed: I never knew
The day, but that I have maintained thy state,
As best beseem 'd the daughter of a king.
As to state (for estate) the reader may be referred to A. IV, sc. 5,
L139: —
I have no lands for to maintain thy state.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIH, 60. — K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 313 seq.)
cxxxvin.
His silence verifies it to be true. What then?
lb., (Del., 23. — W. and Pr., 43. — H's D., VII, 223.)
A regular blank verse as far as true. What then? forms an inter-
jectional line. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., Xlll, 61. — KOlb., Engl. Stud.,
VI, 314.)
76 MUCEDORUS,
CXXXIX.
But all in vain; for why, lie reached after me, &c.
Ib.y (Del., 23. — W. and Pr., 43. — H's D., VII, 223.)
Omit for why. (KSlb., Engl. Stud., VI, 314.)
CXL.
Indeed, occasion oftentimes so falls out.
lb., (Del, 23. - W. afid /V., 43. — H's D., VII, 223.)
Qq, Delius, and Mr. Hazlitt: oftentimes] W. Wagner conjectured often.
The correction ofttimes was made by me and has been adopted by
Messrs. Warnke and Prooscholdt; it occiu^, e..g., in Cymbeline, I,
6, 62. — From 1. 55 to 1. 64 we have what, in classical parlance, is
called a avixo^vd^iay i. e. a dialogue where the speeches of the
interlocutors consist of single lines. The present axixopLvd-ia is in
rhyme, with the only exception of 11. 57 and 62; the latter being
spoken aside and belonging to the Clown who throughout the play
makes use of prose, cannot be said to form part of the conversation
going on between the king, Segasto, and Amadine and may be left
unnoticed. L. 57, therefore, remains the only one without rhyme; it
is, moreover, the only one that is entirely imconnected. Does the
poet mean to say that it ofttimes so falls out that the slaughter of
a man deserves great blame? This would be below the meanest
playwright of the Elizabethan era. In my conviction, there is a gap
between 1. 56 and 1. 57; a line is wanting in which Amadine takes
the part of Mucedorus against Sogasto and points out that no blame
attaches to him for having killed his adversary in fight. This line
which, of course, must have supplied the missing rhyme with 1. 57,
may have been to the following effect: —
Ama. No blame, to kiU one's enemy in a rout,
to which remark the king would then make the appropriate reply : —
Indeed, occasion ofttimes so falls out,
i. e. it occurs, indeed, frequently that a man is killed in a brawl,
and no blame can be laid on the killer. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII,
61seq. — Kolb., Erfgl. Stud., YI, 314 seq.)
CXLI.
King. But soft, Sogasto, not for this offence, &c.
lb., (Dei., 23t^eq. — W. and Pr., 44. — H'» I)., VII, 224.)
This seems, indeed, to be a 'hopelessly corrupt' passage and I refrain
from reproducing my explanation given in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
Xm, 62 seq., which I now think unsatisfactory, although it has found
favour with Messrs. Warnke and ProDscholdt.
JiUCEDOBUS, 77
CXLn.
King. Come, (laughter, let us now depart to honour
The worthy valoiu* of the shepherd with rewards.
lb., (Del.y 24. — W. and Pr., 44. — H's D., VII, 224.)
Printed as prose in Delius's edition, in accordance with all the Qq.
In order to reduce the second line to regular 'metre Prof. W. Wagner
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIV, 281) proi)oses to read: —
The shepherd's worthy valoiu* wiHk rewards,
a conjecture which, in my eyes, is by no means satisfactory. As
tliree lines supra the king says: —
And for thy valour I will honour thee,
I am led to the belief that in the line under discussion worthy
l)efore valour has surreptitiously intruded and should be expunged.
CXLIII.
From Amadine, and from her father's court,
With gold and silver, and with rich rewards.
Flowing from the banks of golden treasuries.
More may I boast, and say, but I,
Was never shepherd in such dignity.
Ib.y (Del. 24. — W. and Pr.. 44 seq. — H'a A, VII, 226.)
Qu. 1598: tresuries] Qq IGIO and 1615: golden trea^sures; Qu. 1619:
gold and treasures. — Two lines seem to have been lost in this
mutilated soliloquy of Mucedorus, the one after 1. 1, the other after
1. 4. In the former we expect to hear something like the words
/ 710W co7ne laden heavily, while the latter may possibly have run
thus: —
Am silent and declare but this: as yet, (fr.
I am not prepared, however, to affirm that even after the addition
of two such lines the passage will be exempt from all difficulty.
(K5lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 315.)
CXLIV.
The king and Amadine greet thee well.
And after greeting done, bid thee depart tlie court.
Shepherd, begone!
lb., (Del., 24. — W. and Pr., 45. — IPs D., VII, 225.)
QA: greetes, greetings and bids, — I still adhere to the belief that
these lines originally formed a couplet and now think that the couplet
formerly proposed by me, may still be improved by the omission of
toell: —
The king and Amadine greet thee, and greeting done.
Bid thee dejiart the court: shepherd, begone!
78 KtrCEDORTJS.
Amadine is, of course, to be pronounced as a dissyllable. Messrs.
Wamke and Pra^seholdt have added do before greet. (Jahrb. d. D.
SI1.-G., XIII, 63. — K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 316.)
CXLV.
Ama, Ariena, if any body ask for me,
Make gome excuse till I return.
Ari. What, an Segasto call?
lb., (Del, 26, — W. and P>-., 40, — Ws /)., T7/. 227.)
This division of the lines (thus printed in the Qq) can hardly be
right. The arrangement proposed by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XIII, 64, has met with the approval of Messrs. Warnke and Pro?scholdt
and seems indeed to be the only one by the help of which we can
hope to overcome the difficulty. It is this: —
Ama. Ariena!
If any body ask for me, make some excuse,
Till I return.
Ari. What, an Segasto call?
The words any body ask do not count for more than three syllables;
see note on The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 173.
CXLYL
Shepherd, well met, tell me how thou dost?
lb., (Del., 26. — W. and Pr., 47. -^ H's D., VII, 227.)
On my conjecture Messrs. Warnke and Prcpscholdt have insei-ted pray
before tell. This addition, however, I now think needless, as the
verse evidently belongs to the numerous category of syllable pause
lines, and is to be scanned: —
/Shepherd, |'well met, | ^ tell | me how | thou dost?
The-arrangenient of the following lines (8 — 15) as given by Messrs.
Warnke andProescholdt was also suggested by me. In 1. 13 I formerly
proposed to read: miih all thy heart, but have now come to the con-
viction that the true arrangement is either: —
Muce. Since I must depart
One thing I crave with all my heart —
Ama. Say on.
Muce. That in absence, either far or near, &c.
or, which to a conservative critic may seem preferable: —
Muce, Since I must depart
One thing I crave —
Ama. Say on.
Miice, With all my heart:
That in absence, either far or near, &c.
MTTCEDOKTTS. 79
Thaiy in the last line, is to be considered as a monosyllabic foot, or,
if not, we seem to be compelled to insert my before absence. (Jahrb.
d. D. Sh.-G., Xm, 64 seq. — Notes (privately printed, 1882), p. 16 seq.).
CXLYH.
Muce. Unworthy wights are more in jealousy.
lb., (Del., 27. -^ W. and Br., 47. — Ha D., VII, 228.)
Qa. 1598: most in ielosie] all the rest: more in jealousie. — Qy.:
ivorst in jealousy? which would fall in with our poet's predilection
for alliteration. Instances of this alliteration have been given by me
in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 65. and by Messrs. Warnke and Proe-
scholdt in their Introduction, p. 9.
CXLVIIL
WeU, shepherd, sith thou sufiPerest this for my sake.
lb., (Del., 27. — W. and Pr., 47. — Ws D., VII, 228.)
Apparently a line of six feet: —
Well, shop I herd, sith | thou suf| forest | this for | my sake.
The right scansion, in my conviction, however, is: —
WeU, sheplherd, sith | thoii suf|fer'6t this | for my | sake,
so that the line proves to be a regular blank verse with a double
ending. Compare A. lY, sc. 3, 1. 69: —
Ama, Yet give him leave to speak for my sake, {Brem6\^
where the accent also rests on the pronoun my. For this in the
three earliest copies the later Qq read thus. Qu. 1610: suffrest] the
rest sufferest,
^^^^
CXLIX. ^^
I dare not promise what I may performS^^^gl ^F RN \^
lb., (Del., 27. — W. and Pr., 48. — IPTU., MT^28.J
Mayn^t, which Messrs. Warnke and Prooscholdt have received into
their text, was suggested by the late Prof. W. Wagner (Jahrb. d. D.
Sh.-G., XI, 67 seq.); the Qq uniformly exhibit may. As far as I
can see, Professor W. Wagner missed the poet's meaning and even
converted it into its contrary. *I smother up the blast', says Muce-
dorus, * because I dare not yet promise what I may (or intend to)
perform, when the convenient time is at hand; in other words, I
dare not yet hint at my transformation from a shepherd to a prince
worthy of becoming the husband of so beautiful a princess.' (K6lb.,
Engl. Stud., VI, 316.)
80 MTTCEDORUS.
CL.
Se. Tis well Segasto that thou hast thy will,
Should such a shhephard, such a simple swaine
As he, eclips thy credite famous through the court.
No ply Segasto ply; let it not in Arragon be saide,
A shepheard hath Segatoes honour wonne.
/&., (Del.. 28. — W. ami Pr., 48. — H's A, VIL 229,)
This is the reading of the earliest quarto (1598). Delius, who fol-
lows the latest quarto (1668) prints the passage thus: —
Seg. Tis well Segasto, tliat thou hast thy will:
Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain as he,
Eclipse thy credit through the court?
No, ply Segasto, ply, let it not in Aragon be said,
A shepherd hath Segasto's honour won.
The shape in which the lines appear in Dodsley, whether due to
some one or other of the quartos, or to Mr. HazAitt's own correction,
cannot possibly have come from the authors pen. It is this: —
Seg, 'Tis well, Segasto, that thou hast thy will.
Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain.
As he eclipse thy credit, famous through
The court? No, ply, Segasto, ply;
Let it not in Arragon l^e said,
A shepherd hath Segasto's honour won.
This is altogether a wrong arrangement. As to particulars, either
the second such in the second line, or the lame addition as he, must
certainly be done away with, if we do not choose to omit famous,
as it has been done in Qu. 1668 and accordingly by Delius in his
edition. The words No, ply, Segasto, ply evidently form a line by
themselves, whereas the rest was no doubt meant for a couplet. I
formerly added And before Let, but now think that Let may well be
taken for a monosyllabic foot. Arrange and write therefore: —
Seg. 'Tis well, Segasto, that thou hast thy will:
Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain,
Eclipse thy credit famous through he court?
No, ply, Segasto, ply!
Let it not be said in Aragon:
A shepherd hath Segasto's honour won.
This arrangement has been adopted by Messrs. Wamke and Propscholdt
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIH, 66. — Kolb., Engl. Stud., VI, 316.)
CLI.
Seg. Why, you whoreson slave, have j^ou forgotten that I sent
you and another to drive away the shepherd?
MUCEDORtJB. 81
Mouse. What an ass are you; here's a stir indeed, here's mes-
sage, errand, banishment, and I cannot tell what.
Ib.y (Del,, 29. — W. and Pr., 50. — H's D., VII, 230.)
Arrange: —
Seg. Why, you whoreson slave, have you forgotten that I sent
you and another to drive away the shepherd? What an ass are you!
Mouse. Here's a stir indeed, &c. (Notes, privately printed,
1882, p. 17.)
CLII.
Bremo. With this my bat will I beat out thy brains;
Down, down, I say, prostrate thyself upon the ground.
lb., (Del, 30. — W. and Pr., 51. — E's />., VU, 232.)
The three earliest copies: vrill I heat] the rest: / wiU heat. Arrange,
perhaps: —
Bremo. With this my bat will I beat out thy brains;
Down, down!
I say, prostrate thyself upon the ground.
(Kolb., Engl. Stud., YI, 316 seq.)
CLni.
Ay, woman, wilt thou live in woods with me?
lb., (Del, 31. — W. and- Pr., 52. — E's D., VII, 233.)
I strongly suspect: Say, woman. Compare A. lY, sc. 3, 1.61: —
Say, sirrah, wilt thou fight &c.
A. IV, sc. 3, 1. 107 seq.: —
Say, hermit, what canst thou do?
Paradise Lost, X, 158: —
Say, woman, what is this which thou hast done?
My conjecture is strengthened by the fact that the Ed. pr. reads, ay
woman, ay not being spelled with a capital letter; the capital S has
evidently dropped out. Qq 1610 and 1615: Aie looman] the rest:
Ay woman. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XYI, 250 seq.)
CLIV.
King. Mirth to a soul disturb'd is embers tum'd
Which sudden gleam with molestation,
But sooner lose their light for it.
lb., (Del., 34. — W. and Pr., 56. — H's D., VII, 237.)
ELee, Notes. 6
82 MtTCEDORtTS.
The Qq, as far as I have been able to collate them, uniformly read
sight, which, of course, is a corruption from light. The last line
might easily be completed: —
But all the sooner lose their light for it.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 69. — K5lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 317.)
CLV.
'Tis gold bestow'd upon a rioter,
Which not relieves, but murders him
'Tis a drug given to the healthful,
Which infects, not cures.
How can a father that hath lost his son,
A prince both wise, vertuous, and valiant,
Take pleasure in the idle acts of Time?
No, no, till Mucedorus I shall see again.
All joy is comfortless, all pleasure pain.
76., (Del.y 34s€q. — W. afid Pr., 56. — H's D., VII, 237.)
This reading of the Qq, though undoubtedly faulty, has not been
amended by either Delius or Mr. Hazlitt. Arrange and write: —
'Tis gold bestowed upon a rioter,
Which not relieves, but murders him; a drug
Given to the healthful, which infects, not cures.
How can a father that hath lost his son,
A prince both wise, virtuous, and valiant,
Take pleasure in the idle acts of pastime'^
No, no!
Till Mucedorus I shall see again,
All joy is comfortless, all pleasure pain.
Instead of urisCj mrtucms I formerty proposed virtitous, tvise. This
alteration has been adopted by Messrs. Warnke and ProDScholdt and
certainly improves the line; nevertheless it may be dispensed with.
Pastime is positively demanded by the context; it is used by our
poet in A. V, sc. 1, 1. 72. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 69 seq. — Kolb.,
EngL Stud., VI, 317.)
CLVI.
In Aragon, my liege, and at his parture
Bound my secrecy
By his affections love, not to disclose it.
lb., (Del, 35. — W. and Pr., 56 seq. — H's D., F/7, 237.)
In the earliest quarto this scene is wanting; the two copies of 1610
and 1615: parture; the rest: parting. Affectimis lone is the reading
MtJCEDORTJS,
8^
of the earlier qliartos; the Qq from 1634 downwards, affedions hue;
The former reading is, to say the least of it, extremely doubtful; the
latter is simply absurd. Qy. read, affection's loss (lofte-loue) and
arrange the lines as follows: —
In Aragon, my liege,
And at his 'parture bound my secrecy,
By his afFection^s loss, not to disclose it
Both the emendation affection's loss and the alteration in the division
of the lines have been adopted by Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt.
It may be added that S. Walker, Crit Exam., I, 285, proposes to
read loss instead of love in Yenus and Adonis, st. 78, and in Twelfth
Night, I, 2, 39. (Jahrb. d. D. SL-G., Xm, 72.)
CLYH.
K. V, Thou not deceiv'st me; I ever thought thee
What I find thee now, an upright loyal man.
But what desire, or young -fed humour
Nurs'd within the braine.
Drew him so privately to Aragon?
lb., (Del., 35, — W. and Pr., 57. — R*s P., FT/, 237,)
Apart from differences in the spelling and punctuation that are hardly
worth mentioning, this is the reading and arrangement in Qq 1610
and 1615; in Qu. 1598 the passage is wanting. The later Qq, from
1619 downwards, divide the lines as follows: —
King Va. Thou not deceiv'st me,
I ever thought thee what I find thee now,
An upright loyal man.
But what desire, or young -fed humour
Nurs'd within his brain,
Drew him so privately to Aragon?
Arrange: —
King, Thou not deceiv'st me.
I ever thought thee what I find thee now.
An upright, loyal man: but what desire.
Or young- fed humour, nurs'd within the brain,
Drew him so privately to Aragon?
The various reading his brain instead of the brain in the two copies
of 1610 and 1615, is immaterial. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XTTI, 72. —
Kolb., Engl. Stud., VI,317seq.)
CLvm.
No doubt, she thinks on thee.
And will one day come pledge thee at this well.
6*
84 MUCED0RU8.
Come, habit, thou art fit for me. [He dUguiseth himself.
No shepherd now, an hermit must I be.
Methinks this fits me very well.
lb., (Del, 36. — W. and Pr., 58. — H's B., VII, 238.)
This is the arrangement of the Qq, but the division of the first two
lines as given in Hazlitt's Dodsley, seems preferable: —
No doubt, she thinks on thee, and will one day
Come pledge thee at this well.
Thus the short line takes its proper place at the end of one train
of thought and sers'es to mark the transit to another, in so far as
Mucedorus now turns his attention to the habit he is donning. Must
I he is the reading of Qq 1610, 1G15, and 1619. The last line
may easily be completed; —
Methinks this habit fits me very well.
(K5lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 318.)
CLIX.
Mvee. Thou dost mistake me; but I pray thee, tell me what
dost thou seek in these woods?
Clotvn. What do I seek? for a stray king's daughter, run
away with a shepherd.
lb., (Del, 37. — W. and. Pr., 58. — Ws D., VII, 239.)
Although all the Qq which I have collated, place the interrogation
after seek^ yet I strongly suspect that it ought to take its place after
for^ and am confirmed in this conviction by the fact that Messrs.
Warnke and ProDscholdt have approved of the arrangement and reading
of these lines proposed by me in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 91, viz.: —
Muce. Thou dost mistake me: but, I pray thee, tell me
What dost thou seek for in these woods?
Clown, What do I seek for? A stray king's -daughter, run
away with a shepherd.
Instead of what dost tlwu seek Delius prints whom dost thou seek^
this being the reading of Qu. 1668.
CLX.
Clotvn. Nay, I say rusher, and I'll prove mine office good:
for look sir, when any comes from under the sea or so, and a dog
chance to blow his nose backward, then with a whip I give him the
good time of the day and strow rushes presently; thei-efore I am a
rusher, a high office, I promise ye.
lb., (Del., 38. — W. and Pr., 59. — H*s D., VII, 240.)
Qq 1598, 1615, and 1619: FU prove; Qu. 1610: I prove. The
three earliest copies: for look sir^ the later quartos: for look you
MUCEDOEUS. 85
sir, — A badly corrupted passage. It seems evident that the poet
did not write sea^ but seat. This correction, however, does not suffice
to restore sense and grammar; perhaps we should read: token a dog
comes from under the seat or so, and chance to blow, <&c,, or: when
a cat comes from under the seat, or so, and a dog chance to blow, Sc,
For, although the Clown jestingly calls himself a 'rusher of the stable',
yet his office of strewing rushes was performed in the hall and rooms
of the mansion, where cleanliness was no less a desideratum than in
the stable. The rushes to be used there were no doubt under the
care of a stable-boy or groom and preserved in a stable or shed, from
whence they were taken to the mansion whenever they were required.
— See The Babees Book, ed. Fumivall, p. LXVI, and my Ab-
handlungen zu Shakespeare, S. 405.
CLXI.
Bremo. See how she flies away from me,
I will follow, and give attent to her.
Deny my love! Ah, worm of beauty,
I will chastise thee: come, come,
Prepare thy head upon the block.
Ib.y (Del., 39. — W. and />., 60 seq. — H's D., VU, 241.)
The reading of the three earliest copies in 1. 1 , flinges away^ is pre-
ferable. Qu. 1598 reads a rend and dli worme^ all the rest attend
and a worme] the same quarto also joins the last two lines into one.
As to ah, worm see A. IV, sc. 5, 1. 8 and A. IV, sc. 5, 1. 21, where
Ah has been wrongly expunged by Mr. Hazlitt. Compare also 2 K.
Henry IV, V, 3, 17, where the quarto and the second folio read
A sirrah instead of Ah, sirrah. The division of the lines, although
it has been retained by Delius and Mr. Hazlitt, is obviously wrong;
arrange: —
Bre, See, how she flings away from me! I'll follow
And give attent to her. Deny my love!
All, worm of beauty, I will chastise thee!
Come, come, prepare thy head upon the block!
Messrs. Warnke and Prooscholdt have adopted both my arrangement
and my readings as proposed in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 70.
CLXn.
I will crown thee with a complet made of ivory.
Ib.y (Del, 39. — W. and Pr,, 61. — R's D., VII, 241.)
This is the reading of the two earliest copies. In the later Qq / wUl
and complet have rightly been altered to Fll and Chaplet, whereas
ivory has been retained, till Delius substituted ivy in its room, which,
86 MTCEDORUS.
SO far as the sense is concerned, is undoubtedly right and will prob-
ably be adopted by most succeeding editors, ^though, in my opinion,
it should not be admitted into the text, since it appears from Evans,
Leicestershire Words, Phrases, and Proverbs (English Dialect Society,
No. 31, London, 1881), p. 297, that ivory is a Kutland provincialism
for ivy. That it cannot be taken for an erratum seems to be proved
by the ocQurrence of another provincialism in A. II, sc. 4, 1. 65, viz.
shipsiick, i. e. shiptick^ which latter, according to Evans, p. 237, is
the Leicestershire pronunciation for sheeptick, A third provincialism
may possibly lie at the bottom of the pun on the word errand
(in, 3, 45), pronounced and spelt arrand in Leicestershire (Evans,
p. 93), all the Qq which I have collated reading indeed Arrand or
arrand. These curious provincialisms, however few, yet seem suf-
ficient to justify the belief that the author of 'Mucedorus' was a native
of either Rutland or the adjoining part of Leicestershire, where ivory
instead of ivy may have been a no less current idiom than in Rut-
land itself, as the dialects of Rutland and Leicestershire 'seem, indeed,
to be substantially identical' (Evans, p. 296). Or are we to attribute
these provincialisms to a Leicestershire compositor who thus disfigured
his London author's pure English and correct spelling? (K6lb., Engl.
Stud. , YI , 3 1 8 seq.)
CLXm.
Be merry, wench, we'll have a frolic feast.
Here's flesh enough for to suffice us both.
Say, sirrah, wilt thou fight, or dost thou yield to die?
lb., (Del, 40, — W. and Pr., 62, — H's D., VII, 243.)
The last line is an Alexandrine which Prof. W. Wagner in the Jahrb.
d. D. Sh.-G., XIY, 282, proposes to reduce to regular metre by the
omission of dost thou. I formerly thought that we should rather
omit thou before fight (compare Abbott, s. 241), but have now come
to the conviction that the true arrangement is: —
Say, sirrah!
Wilt thou fight, or dost thou yield to die?
Wilt is no doubt used as a monosyllabic foot by the poet; see notes
CL, CLXV, &C. — Compare supra note CLIH. (K5lb., Engl. Stud.,
YI, 319.)
CLXIV.
Anm, Yet give him leave to speak for my sake.
Ih., (Del, 41. — W. and Pr,, 62, — H's D., VII, 243.)
A catalectic verse (see note 11), if we do not prefer to complete it
by the addition at the end of the name of the person addressed, viz.
Bremo. Compare Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XYI, 228 seq. and Shakespeare's
Tragedy of Hamlet, ed. Elze (1882), p. 146 seq.
MUCBDORUS. 87
CLXV.
Glad were they, they found such ease,
And in the end they grew to perfect amity.
Weighing their former wickedness.
They term'd the time wherein they lived then
A golden age, a goodly golden age.
lb., (Del, 41. — W. ami Pr., 63. — H's D., VII, 243 seq.)
In the first line that has been added by Mr. Hazlitt, and Messrs.
Wamke and Prooscholdt have adopted this addition, erroneously
ascribing it to Qu. ICIO. But the verse is either a syllable pause
line, or Glad is to be read as a monosyllabic foot. In either case
it is to be completed by the addition of perfect which, according to
an ingenious conjecture of Professor W. Wagner in the Jahrb. d. D.
Sh.-G., XIY, 282, has slipped down to the second line. Scan, there-
fore, either: —
Glad were | they, j. \ they found | such per | feet ease,
or: —
Glad I were they, | they found | such per | feet ease.
The passage should be written and arranged thus: —
.Glad were they, they found such perfect ease.
And in the end they grew to amity.
Weighing their former wickedness, they term'd
The time wherein they liv'd a golden age,
A goodly golden age.
(Kolb., Engl. Stud., YI, 319.)
CLXVI.
If men, which lived tofore, as thou dost now,
Wild in woods, addicted all to spoil, &c.
lb., (Del., 41. - W, and Pr., 63. -r H's /)., VII, 244.)
Qq 1610, 1615, 1619, and 1621: WUde (Wild) in Wood] Qq 1631,
1634, 1650 [?], and 1668: WUde (Wild) in Woods. Qu. 1598 reads
Wilie in wood (not WUy, as Mr. Hazlitt says) by wliich reading
l^Ir. Hazlitt has been induced to conjecture Wildly and to introduce
this conjecture into the text. In the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XITT, 71,
I suggested to add tlie before woods, and this suggestion has been
adopted both by Delius and Messrs. Wamke and ProBScholdt. Or
should WUd be read as a monosyllabic foot?
CLXvn.
No, let's live, and love together faithfully,
I'U fight for thee —
88 MUCEDORUS.
Bre, Or fight for me, or die: or fight, or else thou diest
Ama, Hold, Bremo, hold.
lb., (Dd., 42. — W. and Pr., 63. — H's D., VII y 244.)
This is the uniform reading of all the old copies which I have col-
lated; Mr. Hazlitt and Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt let us live.
The old copies, however, are right. No being a monosyllabic foot
and faithfully a triple ending. Those critics that do not approve of
this scansion had better place No extra versum than alter the reading;
the rest of the line will then form a regular blank verse. — With
respect to the following line it may be observed that Bremo does
not want Mucedorus to fight for him , but to fight with him (just as
in A. ni, sc. 4, 1. 19 he wanted Amadine to fight with him), or he
will slay him foi-thwith; see supra 1. Clseqq. He is about to strike
the deadly blow, when Amadine interferes and comes to the hermit's
rescue. The first hemistich, therefore, of Bremo's speech cannot
possibly have come from the author's pen; the second hemistich (or
fight J or else thou diest) exactly completes the verse, and Amadine's
ejaculation (Hold, Bremo, hold) forms an interjectional line. (Kolb.,
Engl, Stud., VI, 319 seq.)
cLxvni.
You promised me to make me your queen.
Ib.y (Del., 42. — W. and Pr., 63. — H's D., VII, 244.)
This is the reading of Qq 1598 and 1610; Qq 1615, 1619, 1621,
1631, 1634, 1650 [?]: You promised me to make me queen;
Qu. 1668: You promised to make me queen, I suspect that all the
quarto -readings are corrupt. Perhaps we should write: —
You pro|mis'd me | /or to | make me ] your queen,
a correction which would agree with the prevalent use of this
pleonastic form of the infinitive in our play. Compare, Induction,
37 (for to please); 1,4,14 (for to resist); 11,1,9 (for to give);
n, 3, 32 (for to work); III, 2, 38 (for to provide); III, 5, 2 (for to
make); IV, 3, 60 (for to suffice); IV, 5, 139 (for to maintain);
IV, 5, 144 (for to win). — Two lines below me should be inserted
after promised, as has been conjectured by Prof. W. Wagner (Jahrb.
d. D. Sh.-G., XIV, 282), so that 11. 101*^and 103 are made to cor-
respond with one another. (K5lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 320.)
CLXIX.
Mouse, I think he was, for he said he did lead a saltseller's
life about the woods.
Seg. Thou wouldst say, a solitary life about the woods.
lb., (Del., 42. — W. and Pr., 64. — H's />., VII, 245.)
Bead: a solitary's life &c.
MUCEDOKUS. 89
CLXX.
Ama. Not my Bremo, nor his Bremo woods.
lb., (Del., 44, — W, and Pr,, 66. — Ws D., VII, 246.)
This is the reading of all the Qq I have collated. Mr. Hazlitt has
altered and divided the line, I do not know on what authority or
for what reason: —
Ama. Not my Bremo,
Nor Bremo's woods.
I feel convinced that the poet wrote: —
Ama. No, not my Bremo, nor my Bremo's woods.
This emendation, as first proposed in the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XIII, 71
(Oh, not my Bremo, (.(he.) has been introduced into the text by
Messrs. Wamke and ProDscholdt. Critics, however, who will allow
Not to take the place of a monosyllabic foot, may dispense with the
addition of Oh or No to the original line. Compare Mucedorus, ed.
Delius, p. XIV.
CLXXI.
Bre. Thou holdst it well; look how he doth.
Thou may'st the sooner learn.
lb., (Del., 45. — W. and Pr., 67. — H's D., VII, 248.)
Before look Mr. Hazlitt has added the stage -direction To Amadine.
The division of the lines, although invariably the same in all the Qq
I have collated (with the only exception of Qu. 1598 where the
passage is printed as prose), nevertheless seems to be wrong; arrange: —
Bre. Thou holdst it well.
Look how he doth, thou may'st the sooner learn.
[7b Amadine.
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, Tlseq.)
CLXXn.
Then have at thine, so lie there and die,
A death no doubt according to desert;
Or else a worse, as thou deservest a worse.
lb., (Del, 46. — W. and Pr., 67 seq. — H's D., VII, 248.)
This is the arrangement of Qu. 1598, whereas all the later Qq join
the words So lie there and die to the following line. Arrange and
point, perhaps: —
So! lie there and die a death, no doubt,
According to desert; or else a worse,
As thou deserv'st a worse.
90 MTCEDORUS.
Thou after lie, which has been added by Messrs. Wamke and ProB-
scholdt, seems a needless correction, as So! may surely take the
place of a monosyllabic foot. (Kolb., Engl. Stud., VI, 320.)
CLxxm.
And there a while live on his provision. *
Ib.y (Del, 46. — W, and Pr., 68, — H's 7>., VII, 249.)
Thus the Qq, Delius, and Mr. Hazlitt. I first proposed to add tm
before live, but afterwards thought it preferable to write: on's pro-
vision, which emendation I privately communicated to Messrs. Wamke
and ProDScholdt who thought it worthy of insertion in the text. Or
should we be justified in supposing the verse to be a syllable pause
line and accordingly scan it: —
And there | a wliile | ^ live | on his | pro\ds|ion?
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XHI, 72.)
CLXXIY.
Muce. Then know that which ne'er tofore was known,
I am no shepherd, no Arragonian I,
But born of royal blood: my father's of Valentia king.
My mother queen: who for thy sacred sake,
Took this hard task in hand.
lb., (Del., 49. — W. and. Pr., 70 seq. — H's D., VII, 252.)
Arrange and read: —
Muce. Then | know that | which ne'er | tofore | was known,
I am no shephei'd, no Aragonian I,
Who for thy sacred sake took this hard task
In hand, but bom of royal blood: my father
Is of Yalentia king, my mother queen.
A similar disturbance in the original sequence of the lines has been
pointed out by the Lite Prof. W. Wagner in A.I, sc. 1, 1. 66 seq.,
where 1. 67 must of course precede 1. 66. See Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-Gr,,
XIV, 283. — Then, in the first line, is a monosyllabic foot. The
earliest quai-to reads not, as Messrs. Wamke and ProDScholdt erro-
neously say, never tofore, but nere tofore, like all the rest (neere
tofore, nereiof&re). (K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 321.)
CLXXV.
As if a kingdom had befallen me this time.
lb., (Del, 49. — W. and Pr., 71. — H's D., VII, 252.)
The words this time are completely meaningless and spoil the metre;
I have no doubt that they should be discarded. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
Xm, 72.)
MTCEDORtrS. 91
CLXXVI.
Her absence breedes son*ow to my soul
And with a thunder breaks my heart in twain.
Ih., (I)eL, 49seq. — W. ami Pr., 71 acq. — H's D., VII, 253.)
Qq 1598 and 1610: breedes sorrow] Qu. 1615: breeds 8orrow\ Qq
1619, 1631, 1650 (?1, and 1668: breeds greed sorrow] Qu. 1634:
breedes great sorrmv, Breedes, like restes in Fair Era, V, 1, 273 (see
note LXXXIX), seems originally to have been pronounced as a dis-
syllable. — Mr. Collier, according to Messrs. Wamke and Prooscholdt
ad loc,, proposed to read: —
And when asunder breaks my heart in twain.
As I privately suggested to Messrs. Wamke and Proescholdt, I think
it more likely that the author wrote: —
And ivill asunder break my heart in twain.
CLXXVn.
Ama, My gracious father, pardon thy disloyal daughter.
King. What, do mine eyes behold my daughter Amadine?
Eise up, dear daughter, and let these embracing arms
Show thee some token of thy father's joy.
Which e'er since thy departure, hath languished in sorrow.
lb., (Del., 51. — W. and Pr.y 73. — H's D.y VII , 254.)
Amadine's speech is to be scanned: —
My gra|cious fa ther, pard'n thy | disloy|al daughjter.
Pardon y as a monosyllable, occurs also in Fair Em, Y, 1, 191; in
A Yorkshire Tragedj^, I, 10 ad fin. (Malone's Supplement, II, 675:
To plead for pardon for my dear husband's life); and elsewhere.
Compare Paradise Lost, I, 71 (prison)] I, 248 (reason)^ and II, 878
(iron). In the second line Amadine is to be pronounced as a triple
ending (see Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XV, 343); in the third and before
feMs to be expunged and the reading of the later Qq (these embracing
arms) to be adopted in preference to that of Qq 1598 and 1610
(these my embracing arms). The last line is manifestly corrupted;
a blank verse might be restored by the omission of ever and the
transposition of languished in sorrow: —
Which, since thy departure, hath in sorrow languished.
As to departure or pwrture compare ante note CLVI.
CLXXVm.
Muce. No cause to fear, I caused no offence,
But this, desiring &c.
Ib.y (Dely 51. — W, and Pr., 74. — H's D.y Vlly 255.)
92 MUC-EDOKUS.
But thin has been transferred by Messrs. Warnke and ProBscholdt to
the first line which has thus been made to consist of six feet, whereas
the second line has become a regular blank verse. In my opinion
Bid this is a metrical excrescence and should form an interjectional
line; it is, however, altogether suspicious as it occurs again ten lines
below: With all my heart, but this, and in neither passage does it
seem to be wanted.
CLXXIX.
Prepared welcomes; giue him entertainement
Ib.y (Del., 53. — W. and Pr., 75. — H's D., VII, 256.)
Tliis is the reading of the quarto of 1610. Qu. 1615: —
Prepared welcomes, giue him entertainment;
Qu. 1619 (and all the rest): —
Prepared welcomes giue him entertainment.
The progress of corruption cannot be shown more clearly. I strongly
suspect that the poet wrote: —
Prepare a welcome] give him entertainment,
and Messrs. Warnke and ProBScholdt have installed this conjectural
emendation in the text. It may be as well to add tliat this line is
not contained in Qu. 1598. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh..G., XIH, 73.)
CLXXX.
My power has lost her might, and Envy's date's expii-ed,
Yon splendent majesty has 'felled my sting,
And I amazed am.
lb., (Del., 55. ~ W. and Pr., 78. — H's. D., VU, 259.)
And before Envy's has been added by the editors. The second line
is wanting in the quartos of 1621 and 1668 and consequently in
Delius's edition also. In ray opinion, the three lines should be thus
arranged: —
My power has lost her might, and Envy's date
Expired is] yon splendent majesty
Has 'fell'd my sting, and I amazed am.
Or should we alter Envy's to my'> A text so grossly corrupted as
that of Mucedorus cannot be healed without boldness, although the
less bold an emendation is, the better claim it possesses on our
approval. Now, if w^e read my, not only the addition of and would
be spared, but also the division of the lines would remain untouched: —
My power has lost her might, my date's expir'd,
Yon splendent majesty has 'felled my sting,
And I amazed am.
MT7CED0RXJS. 93
CLXXXI.
Who other wishes, let him never speak —
En/vy, Amen !
lb., (Del., 56. — W. and Pr., 79. — H's />., Vll, 259.)
No Alexandrine, but a regular blank verse; scan: —
Who 6th I er wi8h|es, let him | ne'er spe^k — | Amen!
(K6lb., Engl. Stud., YI, 321.)
CLXXXII.
And pray we both together with our hearts,
That she thrice Nestor's years may with us rest.
Tb., (W. and Pi\, 76, 71. 2. — H's D., VII, 259.)
Being enclosed within two couplets these lines may likewise have
formed a couplet in the author's manuscript: —
And both together with our hearts pray we.
That she thrice Nestor's years may with us be.
(K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 321.)
CLXxxm.
God grant her grace amongest vs long may raigne.
And those that would not haue it soe,
Would that by enuie soone their heartes they might forgoe.
CJom. The Counsell, Noble, and this Realme,
Lord guide it stil with thy most holy hand,
The Commons and the subiectes grant them grace,
Their prince to serue, her to obey, and treason to deface:
Long maie she i-aine, in ioy and greate felicitie.
Each Christian heart do sale amen with me, [Exeunt
lb., (W. and Pr., 77. — ITs D., VII, 260.)
These verses, which conclude the play in the quarto of 1598, have
been transmitted to us in a state of such degeneracy as cannot be
laid to the author's door, however poor a versifier he may have been.
The second line consists of four, the third of six feet; the words
Would thai, which begin the third line, have simpl^'^ slipped down
from the second to the third line, or rather they were written in the
margin and inserted in the wrong place by the compositor. For
realm in the fourth line, however unexceptionable it may be per se,
land should be substituted, as with this single exception the con-
cluding speech of Comedy is in rhyme. This alteration is, moreover,
supported by the concluding prayer in The Three Lords and Three
Ladies of London (Hazlitt's Dodsley, VI, 501 seq.). There we read: —
Her council wise and nobles of this land
Bless and preserve, Lord! with thy right hand.
94 MTTCEDORtrs.
Whether or not the line should be filled up, it is difficult to decide,
as it involves, at the same time, the question, whether, instead
of guide it in the following line, we should not read guide them.
Both may be easily done, if the requisite boldness be conceded to
the emendator. May not the author have written, e. g.: —
The council and the nobles of this land
Lord, guide them still with thy most holy hand?
Of the two clauses Their prince to serve and her to obey in the
seventh line one — most probably the second — is certainly a gloss
and must be expunged; and the last line but one may be easily
reduced to five feet either by the omission of joy and or of great
before felicity, in which latter case felicity is to be pronounced as a
trisyllable (f'licity).* The corresponding line in the concluding prayer
of The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London runs as follows: —
Lord! grant her health, heart's -ease, [and\ joy and mirth.
The whole passage, therefore, would seem to have come originally
from the author's pen in about the following shape: —
God grant her Grace amongst us long may reign,
And would that those that would not have it so,
By Envy soon their hearts they might forego.
Com, The council and the nobles of this land,
Lord, guide them still with thy most holy hand!
The commons and the subjects, grant them grace,
Their prince to serve and treason to deface:
Long may she reign in joy and felicity.
Each Christian heart do say Amen with me!
Similar prayers for the sovereign are found at the conclusion of The
Trial of Treasure; Like will to Like; King Darius; The Longer thou
Livest, the more Fool thou art; New Custom; Locrine; &c. In
*Locrine' the prayer is apparently defective, in so far as a line seems
to have been lost which, besides the missing rhyme to felicity,
contained the very words of supplication, without which the prayer
would be pointless. It may have been to the following effect: —
God grant her grace amongst us long to he.
The whole of the concluding passage is this: -^
And as a woman was the only cause
That civil discord was then stirred up,
So let us pray for that renowned maid
That eight and thirty years the sceptre sway'd;
* Felicity as a trisyllable occurs in Sir Thomas More's Utopia, ed. Arber,
p. 167: —
Wherfore not Utopie, but rather rightely
My name is Eutopie: A place of felicity.
See Abbott, s. 468.
NOBODY AKD SOMEBODY. SOLIilAN AlO) P£IL<;EDA. ALPHONStJS. 05
Qod grant her grace amongst tcs long to be
In quiet peace and sweet felicity;
And every wight that seeks her grace's smart,
Would that this sword were pierced in his heart
CLXXXIY.
I thankt him, and so came to see the Court,
Where I am very much beholding to your kindness.
Nobody and Somebody, (Simpson, Tike Seliool
of Skakspere, /, 322.)
Dele very in the second line. Compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam. I, 268seqq.
See also notes CXXI and CCXCVI.
CLXXXV.
The desert plains of Afric have I stain'd
With blood of Moors, and there in three set battles fought,
March'd conqueror through Asia,
Along the coasts held by the Porttiguese;
Ev'n to the verge of gold, aboai-ding Spain,
Hath Brusor led a valiant troop of Turks,
And made some Christians kneel to Mahomet
Soliyriaii and Perseda (Haxlitt's Dodsley, V, 265.)
And there, in the second line, seems to liave slipped out of its place
and to have conti-acted a slight comiption during this transposition.
Qy. read: —
With blood of Moors, in three set battles fought,
And then march'd conqueror through Asia, &c.?
Or would it be thought preferable to write: —
With blood of Moors, and there in three set battles
Fought and march'd conqueror through Asia?
But even this alteration, though nearer to the old text, would I think,
hardly be acceptable without the cliange of there to then.
CHAPMAN.
CLXXXYL
Give me the master-key of all the doors.
Alphonsus, (ed. Elxe, 43 and 133.)
The old editions read: —
Boy, give me the master -ke}'- of all the doors.
96 Greene's tu quoque.
Another instance to the same effect occurs on p. 52 (cf. p. 135) where
the old editions read: —
Madam, that we have suffer'd you to kneel so long.
In both cases I have thought myself justified by the metre in expunging
the words of address Boy and Madam, as no doubt such words
were frequently interpolated by inaccurate actors. In the edition of
Chapman's Works (Plays) by Richard Heme Shepherd (London, 1874)
where my text of Alphonsus has been followed remarkably closely,
without the least acknowledgment, Boy has been .omitted, whilst
Madam has been restored from the old edition. There are, however,
two other ways of satisfying the requirements of the metre; one is,
to place the words Boy and Madam in interjectional lines: —
Boy,
Give me the master-key &c.,
the other, to restore the metre by contractions: —
Boy, give | me th' majster-ke^^ | of all | the do6rs,
and: —
Ma'am, that | we've suf|fer'd yofi | to kne61 | so 16ng.
I now think the first -named scansion to possess the best claim to
have been the poet's own. (Anglia, herausgegeben von Willcker und
Trautmann, I, 344seq.)
COOKE.
CLXXXVII.
Oera. How cheerfully things look in this place.
Qrecfie's Tu Quoque (H's D., XI, 203.)
In order to reduce this line to regular metre the critics of the last
century, such as Pope, Warburton, Capell, &c., would most likely-
have inserted all: —
How cheerfully aU things look in this place.
S. Walker would have declared in favoiu* of dissyllabification and
Dr. Abbott may probably maintain the same opinion: —
How che-erfully things look in this place.
A third way would be to read cheerfully as a dissyllable and make
the line one of four feet: —
How cheer|flly things | look in | this place.
Or should the verse, notwithstanding the slightness of its pause, be
classed with the syllable pause lines: —
How cheer I fully | ^ things | look in | this place?
Thus the line may serve as an eloquent instance of the different
stages in verbal or rather metrical criticism.
WfiSTWARD Ito! St
DEEEER AND WEBSTER.
CLXxxvin.
Too often interviews amongst women, as amongst princes, breed envy
oft to other's fortune.
Dekker ami Webster, Wentward Holy I, 2 (Webster, ed, Dyee, 1857,
in I col, 213b.)
In The Dramatio Works of Thomas Dekker &c. (London, 1873), where
Westward Ho! has been printed from the Q^iai'to of 1607, this
passage stands thus (II, 291): too often interviewes amongst women,
as amongst Princes, breeds enuy oft to others fortune. — Oft, after
too often, can hardly be right; qy. of one? The passage would then
I'ead: Too often interviews amongst women, as amongst princes, breed
envy of one to other's fortune.
CLXxxrx.
I heard say that he would have had thee nursed thy child thyself too.
lb., I, 2 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 214a.)
In The Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker, 11, 292, the passage
reads: I heard say that he would haue had thee nurst thy Childe
thy selfe to. — Nursed, or nurst, is to all appearance a mere
misprint for nurse.
CXC.
Mist. Honey\suckle\. I think, when all's done, I must follow
his counsel, and take a patch; I['d] have had one long ere this,
but for disfiguring my face: yet I had noted that a mastic patch
upon some women's temples hath been the very rheum [rheuwme,
Dekker, Dram. Works, II, 298] of beauty.
lb., II, 1 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 216a.) \
Dyce remarks on the word rheum: *A misprint, I believe: but qy. I
for what?' I think for prime. Another corruption seems still to be i
lurking in the passage; may not the original reading have been: yet
I have noted?
CXCI.
Such a red lip, such a white forehead, such a black eye, such a fuU
cheek, and such a goodly little nose, now she's in that French gown, |
Scotch falls, Scotch bum, and Italian head -tire you sent her, and
is such an enticing she- witch, carrying the charms of your jewels
about her. Ib., 11,2 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 218b.) j
Eire, Notes. 7 j
98 WESTWARD ho! A WOMAN IS A WEATHERCOCK.
'Scotch falls, Scotch bum' is an evident dittography. Read either
Dutch falls, Scotch hum, or, Scotch falls, Dutch hum. It may be
left to the antiquaries to inquire which of these two conjectural
emendations is countenanced by the Dutch and Scotch fashions of the
time. — In Dekker's Dramatic Works, 11, 302, the passage is given
without the least variation, except in the spelling.
cxcn.
WhiTl[poot\, We'll take a coach and ride to Ham or so.
Mist. Ten[terhook], 0, fie upon 't, a coach! I cannot abide to
be jolted.
Mist, Wafer, Yet most of your citizens' wives love jolting.
lb., II, 3 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 222b.)
The last speech comes very inappropriately from Mistress Wafer's
lips, she being a citizen's wife herself. In my judgment it should
be assigned to one of the three gentlemen. Linstock, Whirlpool, and
Sir Gosling Glowworm, most probably to Mr. Whirlpool, as it is he
who has made the proposal of taking a coach. — In The Dramatic
Works of Thomas Dekker &c., II, 311, the prefixes to these three
speeches are: While (for Whirle[j>oole]) Tent, [i.e. Mist. Tenterhook]]
and Mab[ell],
FIELD.
cxcm.
'Tis yoiu" jealousy
That makes you think so; for, by my soul.
You have given me no distaste by keeping from me
All things that might be burthenous, and oppress me.
A Woman is a Wexttkercoek, (H's D., XI, 13.)
To conclude from these and other lines, the text of this play in
Mr. Hazlitt's Dodsley would seem to have been printed from The
Old English Drama (London, Thom. White, 1830), VoL 11, provided
that this collection itself was not printed from one of the older
editions of Dodsley. It would be time and labour thrown away to
sift this matter and it may suffice to say that Mr. Hazlitt has com-
pared the old copies in a very perfunctory manner, and that numerous
blunders have crept into the text. In the quarto of 1612 the above
lines are given quite correctly: —
Tis your jealousie
That makes you thinke it so, for by my soule
You haue [pronounce You've\ giuen me no distast, in keeping
from me, Ac.
A AFGHAN Is A WEATHERCOCK. d9
In the same play Mr. Hazlitt has spoiled the following lines (XI, 40): —
Strange, Good [people], save your labours, for by heaven,
I'll do it: if I do't not, I shall be pointed at, Ac
Qu. 1612 correctly reads: —
Stra, Good, sane your labors, for by Heauen lie doo't:
If I doo't not, I shall be pointed at, &c.
For the use of Good without a noun, the reader may be referred to
The Tempest, I, 1, 3 and to Hamlet, I, 1, 70, passages which are so
well known that they ought to have been remembered by Mr. Hazlitt
Farther on (XI, 66) Mr. Hazlitt prints: —
Gapt Bouts. I will kill two men for you; till then, &c.
and thus spoils the metre again. Qu. 1612 correctly reads: —
Capt, Sir, I wil kill two men for you, till then, &c.
In the Old English Drama, 11, 49, the address Sir has likewise
been omitted.
Some similar instances of negligence and corruption of the text
may be added from Zyd's Cornelia as printed in Mr. Hazlitt's Dodsley
(VoL T). At p. 205 we meet with the following lines : —
Under this outrage now are all our goods,
Where scattered they run by land and sea
(Like exird us) from fertile Italy,
To proudest Spain or poorest Getuly.
In a foot- note on the last line Mr. Hazlitt remarks: ' QetuUum, in
Tripoli. See Hazlitt's "Classical Gazetteer", in v.' Is this negligence
or ignorance or both combined together? Mr. Hazlitt ought to have
looked up Gceiulia, under which head the correct explanation is given,
an explanation, by the way, wliich is contained in every Latin
Dictionary and known to almost all boys of the upper forms. Two
glaring misprints occur at the very next page (p. 206, 11.9 and 17)
where instead of the prefix Gomdius we must, of course, write
Gomelia, and where the Chorus should not say: —
Why suffer your vain dreams your head to trouble,
but: —
Why suffer you vain dreams your head to trouble.
The quarto of 1594 correctly reads both Gomdia and you.
These blunders and corruptions collected at random are suf&cient
proofs of the carelessness with which this latest edition of so important
and almost indispensable a collection of old plays has been prepared.
Readers and students should therefore never be off their guard and
in all difficult and doubtful cases should not allow themselves to be
deluded into the belief that they are using a correct or critically
revised text.
loo A WOMAN is A WEATHERCOCK.
CXCIV.
Scud\mare]. What means my —
Nev[ill], This day this Bellafront, the rich heir,
Is married unto Count Frederick,
And that's the wedding I was going to.
lb., (H's />., XT, 16.)
Mr. Hazlitt's Dodsley here completely agrees with Qu. 1612, except
that the latter has the misprint whar for what. — If the first two
lines admit of a scansion at all, it can be no other than this: —
What means | my — This | day this | Bell'front | the rich | heir.
Is mar|riM | unto | Count Fred|erick.
But what critic will impute such unreadable harshness even to one
of the lesser lights of the dramatic galaxy of the Elizabethan age?
I think that Is slipped out of its place and that the poet wrote: —
Scud. What means my —
Nev, This day is this Bellafront,
The rich heir, manied to Count Frederick, &e.
CXCV.
Cap. You haue shew'd some kindnes to me, I must loue you Sir,
What did you with his bodie?
lb., (IVs D., XI, 66.)
This is the reading and arrangement of the old copy. Mr. Hazlitt's
Dodsley (in accordance with the respective passage in The Old
English Drama): —
Capt. Pouts. You have show'd some kindness to me:
I must love you, sir. What did you with his body?
Arrange and read either: —
Capt. Pouts. You I have show'd | some kindjness to | me: I
Must love 3'ou, sir. What did you with his body?
or: —
Capt. Pouts. You've show'd | some kind|ness to | me: I, &c.
CXCVI.
Kaih. Life! I am not married, then, in earnest.
Nev. So, Mistress Kate, I kept you for myself.
lb., (H's D., XI, SOseq.)
Thus 'Sir. Hazlitt in accordance witli Qu. 1612. Read, No for So.
Compare note on Pericles, IV, 1, 14, where No has usurped the place
of So. Life is to be road as a monosyllabic foot.
THi3 HOLLANDER. FRL^lt BACON AND FKIAB BTJNGAY. 101
GLAPTHOBKE.
cxcYn.
The Panther so
Breaths odors pretious as the Sarmaticke gums
Of .Easteme groves, but the delicious sent
Not taken in at distance choakes the sense
With the too muskie savour.
Olapthonie, The Hollander, (Plays and Poems, 1874), I, 127.
Though this passage contains a manifest corruption, yet it has been
reproduced without correction in Miss Phipson's * Animal -Lore of
Shakspeare's Time' (Lon., 1883), p. 23. Instead of 'the Sarmaticke
gums' read, of course, Hhe aramatic gums.' In the imamended line
either the article the before Sarmaticke must be elided, or we must
allow an extra syllable before the pause (after the fifth syllable),
however slight that pause may be. To the amended line both these
metrical liberties must be conceded; scan: —
Breathes 6|dours pre|cious as th' ar|omat|ic gums.
(The Athenaeum, Sept. 3, 1887, p. 320.)
QBEENE.
cxcvm.
I have stinick him dumb, my lord; and, if your honour please.
Friar Bacofi and Friar Bungay, (Rob. Qreene and George Peele,
ed. Dyce, 1861, in 1 vol., 162 h. — Old English Drama,
ed. A. W. Ward, Oxf., 1878, p. 70.)
Dyce rather boldly suggests: if you please instead of if your honour
please, whereas the late Professor Wilhelm Wagner in Professor Wiil-
ker's Anglia, II, 524, declares the line to be an Alexandrine. In my
opinion it is a regular blank verse with an extra syllable before the
pause; read and scan: —
I've struck I him dumb,] m'lord; and if ] your hon|our please.
CXCIX.
I have given non-plus to the Paduans,
To them of Sien, Florence, and Bologna,
Rheiras, Lou vain, and fair Rotterdam,
Frankfort, Utrecht, and Orleans.
lb., (Qreene and Peele, ed. Dyce, 168a. — Old E. Dr., 83).
'This [viz. the last] line', says Dyce, 4s certainly mutilated; and so
perhaps is the preceding line: from the Emperor's speech, p. 159,
102 FRIAR BACO^T AND FRIAR BUNGAY.
fii'st ooL, it would seem that "Paris" ought to be one of the places
mentioned here.' — Dyce is quite right, but the mere addition of
'Paris' is no sufficient cure of the two defective lines. I strongly
suspect that Greene wrote: —
I have given non-plus to the Paduans,
To them of Sien, Florence, and Bologna,
Of Rheims, of Louvain, and fair Botterdam,
Of Frankfort, Utrecht, Fwris and Orleans.
The last line has an extra syllable before the pause and a trochee
after it; scan therefore: —
Of Frank I fort, U|trecht, Paris | and Or | leans.
CC.
All hail to this royal company.
Ih., (Greene atul- Peele^ ed. Dyce, lOSa. — Old E. Dr., S3.)
According to Prof. W.Wagner (1. c.) this is an unmetrical line which
he corrects by the insertion of right before royal. Prof. Ward (1. c.)
proposes to read unto instead of to. To me the line seems to be
quite correct, if considered as a syllable pause line; scan: —
All hail! | w to | this royjal com|pany.
CCL
Gracious as the morning -star of heaven.
lb., (Greene and Peele, ed. Dyce, 168b. — Old R Dr., 85.)
In Prof. W. Wagner's eyes (1. c.) this is a remarkable instance of the
conservative tendency of the editors; he does not hesitate to declare
in favour of Prof. Ward's conjectural emendation (Old E.Dr., 249): —
Gracious as is the morning -star of heaven.
But may not the poet have used Gracious as a trisyllable: —
Graci|ou8 as | the mor|iung-8tar | of heaven?
Or it may be a syllable pause line, as there is certainly a pause
after (jh-aeious: —
Gracious | ^ as | the mor|ning-star | of heaven?
con.
And give us cates fit for country swains.
lb., (Greene and Peele, ed. Dyce, 169b. — Old E. Dr., 87.)
Professor W. Wagner (1. c, 525) needlessly inserts hut after fU. It is
a syllable pause line: —
And give | us cates | ^^ fit | for conn | try swains.
FRIAR BACX)N &C. ENGLISHUEN FOR MY MONET. 103
com.
Persia, down her Volga by canoes.
lb,, (Greene and Peele, ed. Dyce, 170a. — Old E, Dr., 87.)
In order to restore the metre Professor W. Wagner (1. c, 525) pro^
poses to read adoum. The metre, however, is quite correct; scan: —
Persia, | ^ down | her Vol|ga by | canoes.
CCIV.
Ah, Bungay, my Brazen Head is spoil'd.
lb., (Greene and Peele, ed. Dyce, 174b. — Old E. Dr., 99.)
* Query', says Dyce ad loc., 'Ah, Bungay, ah, my.' I think there is
no need of such an addition; scan: —
Ah, Bun I gay, jl \ my bra|zen head | is spoil'd.
HAUGHTON.
ccv.
To them, friends, to them; they are none but yours:
For you I bred them, for you brought them up,
For you I kept them, and you shall have them:
I hate oil others that resort to them.
Englishmen for my Money, (H's D., X, 508.)
In the quartos of 1626 and 1631 the second line runs thus:
For you I bred them, for you I brought them up.
Mr. Hazlitt has wrongly expunged the second I, as being * redundant
both for sense and measure.' The fact is, that the line contains an
extra syllable before the pause and that the context requires the
second you to be emphasized: —
For you | I bred | them, for you | I brought | them up.
The next line seems to be defective and one feels tempted to insert
't is before the second you] such an addition, however, is unnecessary,
as the line clearly belongs to the category of syllable pause lines: —
For you | I kept | them, jl | and you | shall have | them.
Compare Shakespeare's Ti'agedy of Hamlet, ed. Elze, p. 127.
104 THE SPAJdSH TKA«EDY.
ETD.
CCYI.
Emboss, This is an argument for our Viceroy,
That Spaine may not insult for her sucoesse,
Since English Warriours likewise conquered Spaine,
And made them bow their knees to Albion.
The Spanish Tragedy, (H's D., V, 35.)
Thus Qu. 1633. The first line is evidently a catalectic blank verse
(see note 11). Scan: —
This is I an ar|g'ment for | our Vice|roy.
Three lines infra the lection the king may be queried; perhaps:
thy king; —
Pledge me, Hieronimo, if thou love thy king.
Compare Marlowe, Edward 11., I, 4, 339 (Works, ed. Dyoe, in 1 vol.,
p. 192a): —
Courageous Lancaster, embrace thy king.
ccvn.
Bel, As those that when they love, are loath, and foai-e
to lose.
Bal, Then faire, let BaUhaxar your keeper be.
Bel. Balthazar doth feare as well as we.
lb., (H's D., V, 102.)
This is the reading of Qu. 1633, the only old copy I have been able
to collate. Mr. Hazlitt's Dodsley whai they love and No, Balthazar
doth fear, Qy. omit and fear in the first line which words seem to
have crept in from the third line by a kind of prolepsis. Or should
the words when they be expunged?
ccvm.
And, madam, you must attire yourself
Like Phoobe, Flora, or the huntress.
Which to your discretion shall seem best.
Ih., (H's D., V, 151 seq.)
The first line is either a syllable pause line: —
And, mad I am, j. \ you must | attu'e | yourself,
or one of four feet only: —
And, ma'am, | you must | attire | yourself.
Huntress, in the second line, is either to be pronounced as a trisyl-
lable (hunt-e-ress] see Abbott, s. 477), or the line may be considered
COKNELIA. 105
a cataleciic blank vei-se (see note II). It may even ife imagined that
Dian was lost after huntress , a conjecture which may possibly have
been made before this; compare Milton's Comus, 441. As to the last
line, it may be doubted, whether which is to be taken for a mono-
syllabic foot, or to altered to unto. Or would perhaps a transposition
bring the verse still nearer to the poet's own wording: —
Which shall | seem best | to your | discrejti-on?
CCIX.
Fain would I die, but darksome ugly death
Withholds his dart, and in disdain doth fly me,
Maliciously knowing, that hell's horror
Is milder than mine endless discontent.
Cornelia, (H's D., F, 191.)
I do not know whether the above punctuation has been introduced
in the text by Mr. Hazlitt, or by some previous editor of Dodsley.
The two quartos of 1594 and 1595 have commas at the end of the
second and third lines, but not after knotving. In my opinion both
these commas should be expunged just as weU as that after knowing,
whereas a 'comma ought to be placed after McUiciausly. — The third
line admits of a twofold scansion; it may be considered as a syllable
pause line: —
Mali I dously, | ^ know|ing that | hell's horjror,
or Maliciously may be read as a word of five syllables: —
Mali|ciouSjly, know|ing that | hell's hor|ror.
CCX.
One selfsame ship contain'd us, when I saw
The murd'ring Egyptians bereave his life; &c.
lb., (H's D., V, 213.)
A twofold scansion of the second line seems to be admissible: —
The mur|dering | Egypt |ians b'reave | his life,
or: —
The mur|d'ring 'Gypt|ians | bereave | his life.
For the pronunciation hVeave compare notes on Fair Em (Del., 15, &c.)
and on The Tempest, I, 2, 296 seq.
CCXI.
Then satisfy yourself with this revenge.
Content to count the ghosts of those great captains,
Which (conquer'd) perish'd by the Roman swords.
106 CORXELIA.
The Ha&iioB, the Hamilcars, Hasdrubals,
EspeciaDy that proudest Hannibal,
That made the fair Thrasymene so desert:
For even those fields that moum'd to bear their bodies,
Now (leaden) groan to feel the Roman corses.
lb., (H's !>., K, 250.)
How is the sixth line to be scanned? Can That be allowed to take
the place of a monosyllabic foot? If not, we seem to have no choice
but to dissyllabize either made or, which seems more likely, fair,
although a rhythmical ear will, I think, in most cases demur to this
dissolution of long vowels or diphthongs. Or is the verse to be
considered as a syllable pause line, although there is hardly a suf-
ficient pause after fair: —
That made | the fair | v^ Thra|symene | so des|ert?
Or are we. to scan (contrary to the established usage): —
That made | the fair | Thra8^m|en6 | so des|ert?
Ho who will accept none of these scansions, is driven to introduce
an emendation of the text, such as the fairest Thrasymene or the fair
lake Thrasymene. This latter, however, would hardly be acceptable
as, according to the context, Thrasymene does not seem to denote the
lake, but its environs, or the country of which it forms the centre,
a meaning which is not sanctioned by classic usage, but seems to
have been suggested to Kyd by his French originjQ (Les Tragedies
de Robert Gamier, Conseiller du Roy, &c. A Tholose, par Pierre
lagourt. MDLXXXVni), p. 141: —
Et con tans les espris de ces vieux Capitaines,
Qui vaincus ont pass6 par les armes Romaines,
IjCS Hannons, Amilcars, Asdrubals, et siu* tons
Hannibal, qui rendit Thrasymene si roux.
Ores les mesmes champs, qui sous leiu^ corps gemirent,
Dessous les corps Remains accrauantez soupirent: &c.
May not the last couplet have misled the translator and made him
think that Gamier meant to say that the fields ai'Oimd the lake, and
not the lake itself, were reddened by Hannibal? The same meaning
has been attributed to the name by Lord Byron in his Childe Harold,
IV, 62 and 65, where, moreover, the final -e is fully soimded: —
and I roam
By Thrasimene's lake, in the defiles
Fatal to Roman rashness, more at home;
and: —
Far other scene is Thrasimene now;
Her lake a sheet of silver, and her plain
Rent by no ravage save the gentle plough.
Thrasymene, with a mute -e at the end, completely agrees with the
rest of those classic names that are derived from substantives in -«*,
TAMBURLAINE; 107
such as Euxine, Nile, Polypheme, Rhene (Faerie Queene, lY, 11, 21;
Paradise Lost, I, 353), Tyre, and others. May I hint at the pos-
sibility that Byron who in his historical note on stanza 63 (No. XXIII)
refers to Polybius, writing as he did in Venice, may not have had
access to an English translation of the Greek historian and may have
been obliged to look up the original either in the Marciana, or in
the library of his friends the Armenians? In Bk. Ill, Chap. 82 (not
83, as he says) of the original he read ttjv TaQai/divtjv ycaXovfiivip^
U^VTjv and by this Greek form of the name may have been misled
to make the word one of four syllables, so much the more so as it
fell in with the numbers of his verse.
MABLOWE.
ccxn.
Your grace hath taken order by Theridamas.
1 Tamburlaine, /, 1 (Works, ed. Dyce, in 1 vol., 1870, 7b. —
Ed. A. Wagner, 1885, 1.46.)
Schippw, in his dissertation De versu Marlovii (Bonn, 1867), p. 19,
ranks this line with those verses of six feet, which, he says, Mar-
lowe did not hesitate to admit. In my opinion, however, most of
his so-called senarii are regular five feet lines with triple endings
and are to be scanned as follows: —
Your grace | hath ta|ken or|der by | Theridi'mas;
To Mem I phis, from | my un|cle's coun|tiy of Me|dia;
To enjtertain | some care | of our | secu|r'ties;
Besides, | king Sigjismund | hath brought | from Christendom:
Now say, | my lords | of Bu da and | Bohe|mia.
To these lines quoted by Schipper, the following, likewise taken from
Tamburlaine, may be added: —
That will I we chief |ly see | unto, | Theridi'mas (34a)]
How through | the midst | of Var|na and | Bulgajria (49 a)]
Our ar|my and | our bro|thers of | Jeru|slem (51h).
Even in the body of the line Theridanias is occasionally used as a
word of three syllables; see ib., 57a: —
Both we, I Theridpmas, will | intrench | our men;
lb., 60b: —
Welcome, | Theridj'mas and | Techel|les, both;
lb., 68b: —
Take them | away, | Therid|'mas; see them | despatch'd.
It should not be overlooked that the first and second lines exclude
every doubt, as they admit of no other scansion and cannot be taken
for six feet lines.
108 TAMBUKLAiyE.
CCXIU.
Myc, Well, here I swear by this my royal seat
Cos. You may do well to kiss it then.
lb., /, 1 (Works, 8a, — A. Wag,, 97 seq.)
The second line, in my opinion, should be completed by the addition
of Mycetes: —
You may do well to kiss it then, Mycetes,
CCXIV.
Tamb, Stay, Techelles; ask a parle first
lb., I, 2 (W(yrl'8, 11a. — A. Wag., :rJ5,)
The metre, I think, requires parley. The first foot of the line (Stay)
is monosyllabic.
CCXV.
And made a voyage into Europe.
2 Tamburlaine, /, 3 (Works, 49a, — ^. Wag., 2769.)
Although this line may well be taken to be a catalectic verse (see
note n), yet I cannot let it pass unchallenged, but strongly suspect
some corruption. *A word', says Dyce, 'dropt out from this line',
and Mr. Francis Cunningham, ad loc,, does Bot shrink back from the
following correction: —
And [thence I] made a voyage into Europe.
I am persuaded, that Marlowe wrote Eurqpa. Cf. R. Chester's Loves
Martyr, ed. (Jrosart (for the New Shakspere Society), 24: —
Welcome immortal Bewtie, we will ride
Ouer the Semi -circle of Eui-opa,
And bend our course where we will see the Tide,
That partes the Continent of AfFrica,
Where the great cham gouemes Tartaria:
And when the starry Curtaine vales the night.
In Paphos sacred lie we meane to light.
Chaucer, The Court of Love, 820 seqq. (ed. Monis, IV, 29): —
For yf that Jove hadcfo but this lady seyn,
Tho Calixto ne yet Alcwienia,
Thay never hadden in his armes leyne;
Ne he hadde loved the faire Eurojt?a;
Ye, ne yit Dane ne Antiopa!
For all here bewtie stode in Rosiall,
She semed lich a thyng celestiall.
The shortening of tlie penult in Eihopa will not seem strange when
we compare Euphrates (1 Tamburlaine, V, 2 ; Works, 36 b) and Sdrmata
DOCTOR FAtJSTUS. 109
(Marlowe, First Book of Lucan, Works 377a), beside the wellknown
Hyperion, Titus Andronicus, and others. False quantity in classical
proper names seems to be privileged. Cf. Marlowe's Doctor Faustus &c.,
ed. A. W. Ward, p. 271 seq. S. Walker, Versification, 172 seq.
CCXYI.
Fatist, So Faustus hath
Already done; and holds this principle,
There is no chief but only Belzebub.
Doctor Faustus J (Works, 83 b and 120 b.)
Qy. arrange: —
Faust. So Faustus hath already done, and holds
This principle:
There is no chief but only Belzebub?
CCXYH.
For that security craves great Lucifer.
lb., (Works, 86a and 112b.)
^^s is the reading of the first quai-to (1604). In the second quarto
1-^^16) the line is corr^ted by the omission of great] no such cor-
^/lOTk^ however, is needed, as security may well be pronounced as
^/r-ysyllable (security).
ccxvni.
And Faustus hath bequeathed his soul to Lucifer.
lb., (Works, 86b ami 113a.)
An apparent Alexandrine. Lucifer is to be read as a triple ending.
CCXIX.
Fav^t. How! now in hell.
Nay, an this be hell, I'll willingly be damn'd here:
What! walking, disputing, &c.
But, leaving off this, let me have a wife.
The fairest maid in Germany;
For I am wanton and lascivious.
And cannot live without a wife.
Meph. How! a wife!
I prithee, Faustus, talk not of a wife.
//;., (Works, 87a seq. and 114a.)
110 THE JEW OF MALTA. EDWARD U.
From a comparison of this reading of the first quarto with that of
the second, we may fairly conclude that the passage in the poet's
Ms. stood as follows: —
Faust, How now! In hell!
An this be hell, I'll willingly be damn'd.
What! Sleeping, eating, walking, and disputing!
But leaving off this, let me have a wife.
The fairest maid titere is in Germany;
For I am wanton and lascivious.
And cannot live without a wife.
Meph, A wife?
I prithee, Faustus, talk not of a wife.
CCXX.
Abig. Then, father, go with me.
Bara, No, Abigail, in this
It is not necessary I be seen.
The Jetc of Malta, (Worksy 152a.)
Arrange: —
Abig. Then, father, go witli me.
Bara, No, Abigail,
In this it is not necessary I be seen.
CCXXI.
That I may, walking in my gallery.
See 'em go pinion'd along by my door.
lb,, (Works, 157b.)
The second line hardly admits of a scansion, if we do not choose
to pronounce along. Perhaps the words should be transposed: —
See 'em go | along | plni|on'd by | my door,
or, which seems preferable: —
Sec them |. go along | plni|on'd by | my door.
CCXXIL
Sec. P. Man, A traveller.
Oav, Let me see — thou wouldst do well
To wait at my trencher, and tell me lies at dinner-time.
Edward 11. , (Works, 183b, — Ed, 0, W. Tancock,
Oxf., 1879, /, l,29seq.j
Lines 29 and 30 should, of course, be joined into one: —
Sec. P, Man, A traveller.
Oav. Let me see — thou wouldst do well.
EDWAKD n. Ill
111 the last line Mr. Fleay takes the words 'at my trencher' to be
probably an insertion; they spoil the metre, he says. May not the
line be scanned: —
TVait at | my tren|cher, and tell | me lies | at din|ner time?
Dm?ier-time to l)e read as a triple ending.
ccxxm.
My lord, here comes the king, and the nobles,
From the parliament. I'll stand aside.
lb., (Works, 184a, — Tan., I, i, 72 seq.)
Although this is the reading of all the four quartos (1594, 1598,
1612 and 1622), the text must nevertheless be pronounced corrupt;
the vocative My loi'd has no antecedent to which it might refer, and
the verse, moreover, consists only of four feet. Dyce, therefore,
transposes the words and reads Here comes my lord the king, an
emendation which is greatly preferable to Cunningham's suggestion
By*r lord, Jiere comes the king; for Marlowe, as Mr. Fleay justly
remarks, never makes use of similar oaths and protestations, and if
he did, we should be prepai-ed rather for By'r lady than for By'r
lord. Mr. Fleay himself tries to heal the corruption by a different
arrangement of the lines: —
Here comes my lord
The king and th' nobles from the parliament.
I'll stand aside.
In my opinion this is far from being an improvement. My lord is
no doubt a marginal gloss intended to supersede the king and has
been joined to the line by the inadvertency of the compositor, the
author of the gloss having neglected to strike out the king. Gaveston
likes to call the king his lord not only when addressing him, but
also when speaking of him; compare, e.g., 1,1,138 and 1, 4, 160 seq.
(ed. Tancock). Head and arrange, therefore: —
Here comes my lord and th' nobles from the parliament.
I'U stand aside.
Parliament is a triple ending. (Anglia, herausgegeben von WQlcker
und Trautmann, I, 348.)
CCXXIV.
Edw. What, Gaueston! welcome — kiss not my hand.
lb., (Works, 185a. — Tan., /, 1, 140.)
Mr. Fleay, in his edition of this play, prints welcdme and on p. 119
observes, that this is Marlowe's usual pronunciation of the word.
Even S. Walker, Versification, 142 seq., takes it for granted that
112 EDWARD n.
welcome was frequently pronounced with the accent on the last syl-
lable. A more careful examination of the respective lines, however,
will show that Marlowe does not depart from the regular accentuation
of the word. In the alwve line welcome begins the second hemistich
and may therefore without the least difficulty be taken for a trochee.
The same scansion holds good in A. II, sc. 2 1. 51 and 11. 65 — 68,
where Mr. Fleay prints the word both with and without an accent,
a fact that seems to imply that here he admits two different accen-
tuations of the word. The word has the accent on the first syllable
also in A. UI, sc. 1 (6), 11. 34, 46, 57, 66; A. IV, sc. 3, 11. 40 and 41;
A. IV, sc. 4, L 2 ; &c. It may be added, that very naturally leelcame
generally takes its place either at the beginning of the line or at the
beginning of the second hemistich, both of them favourite places of
the trocliee. — Compare infra not« CCCLV.
ccxxv.
K. Edw. But in the mean time, Qaveston, away.
And take possession of his house and goods.
Come, follow me, and thou shalt have my guard
To see it done, and bring thee safe again.
Oav, What should a priest do >\dth so fair a house?
A prison may beseem Ms holiness.
lb., (Works, 186 a. — Tan., /, i, 202—7.)
In this passage two distinct speeches would appear to have been
welded together and a disturbance in the original sequence of the lines
to have been thus produced. I strongly suspect that Marlowe wrote: —
K, Edw. But in the mean time, Gaveston, away.
And take possession of his house and goods.
Gav. What should a priest do with so fair a house?
A prison may beseem liis holiness.
K, Edw. Come, foUow me, and thou shalt have my guard
To see it done, and bring thee safe again.
(The Athenaeiun, Apr. 9, 1887, p. 491. Cf. ib., Apr. 16, 1887, p. 521
and Apr. 23, 1887, p. 554.)
CCXXVI.
Archb. of Cant. But yet lift not your swords against
the king.
Ib., (Works, 187a. — Tan., I, 2, 61.)
This line does not belong to the archbishop, but to the queen, w^ho
has just been addressed by young Mortimer, and must, of course,
reply to him. She repeats her entreaty in almost the selfsame words
in 11. 80 %^\. The arclibishop only takes part in the dialogue at 1. 68,
fit) WARD II. 113
and shows no desire to ward off the blow from the king. The pres-
ent line, therefore, would seem to be inconsistent with his character.
That there is some confusion in the old editions is shown by the
fact that in 1. 77 the prefix (Arehb. of Cant.) has been omitted, and
had to be added by Dyce. (The Athena3um, March 12, 1887, p. 362.)
coxxvn.
Gav. Edmund, the mighty prince of Lancaster,
That hath more earldoms than an ass can bear,
And both the Mortimers, two goodly men,
With Guy of Warwick, that redoubted knight.
Are gone toward Lambeth: there let them remain.
lb., (Works, lH7a seq, — Tan., /, S.)
What is the meaning of this imconnected scene, which contains
nothing but a communication to Kent by Gaveston, the purpose of
wliich is perfectly incomprehensible? As a rule a scene consists of
a colloquy between two or more persons; it may also consist of a
soliloquy, but it should not consist of a communication made by one
of the Dramatis Personm to another, without eliciting a reply from
this second person. After Gaveston's shameful attack on the Bishop
of Coventry we shall hardly wrong him by supposing that he is
incensed at the convention of the lords and eager to seize on them
even in the archbishop's residence, the sanctity of which should
protect it from all intrusion of worldly power. He is evidently
endeavouring to win Kent over to his sacrilegious project, but is
stopped short by that circumspect prince, who already has warned
his royal brother not to lay violent hands on the Bishop of Coventry.
Thus it will become apparent to whom the words 'There let them
remain' ought to be assigned; the scene in the poet's manuscript was
no doubt to the following effect: —
Oav, Edmund, the mighty prince of Lancaster,
That hath more earldoms than an ass can bear.
And both the Mortimers, two goodly men.
With Guy of Warwick, that redoubted knight.
Are gone toward Lambeth —
Kent, There let tliem remain.
Compare A. in, sc. 3, 1. 11 seq. (ed. Tancock): —
Y. Mor. Look, Lancaster, yonder is Edward
Among his flatterers.
Lan. And there let him bo
Till he pay dearly for their company.
(The Athenaeum, March 12, 1887, p. 302.)
£l28, Notes. 8
114 EDWABD ir.
CCXXVIII
Qav. The peers will frown,
K. Edw. I pass not for their anger — Come, let's go;
that we might as well return as go.
lb.. (Works. lS9h. — Tan.. /, 4, Ulaeqq.)
Arrange: —
Qav. The peers will frown.
K. Edw. I pass not for their anger.
Come, let's go!
that we might as well return as go!
CCXXIX.
Lan. For his repeal, madam! he comes not back,
Ih., (Works, IffOh. — Tan.. I. 4, 204.)
Mr. Fleay prints maddme which, he says (at p. 120), is the spelling
of the quartos and shows the prenunciation. Mr. Fleay, I think,
means to say that the Qq read madame (or more strictly speaking,
Madame)^ the accent being an addition of his own. As to the pro-
nunciation I have no doubt that the word here as elsewhere is to
be accented on the firet syllable; I know of no reliable instance to
the contrary. The pause falls after repeal and the second hemistich
begins witli a trochee. The line should therefore be printed: —
For his repeal, — madam! he comes not back,
ccxxx.
Lrin. On that condition, Ijancaster will grant.
War, And so will Pembreke and I.
E. Mm-, And I.
lb., (Works y 191b. — Tan.. /, 4, 292 seq.)
What right has Warwick to speak for Pembreke? And why should
not the latter give liis assent in propria pn\som just like the rest?
Marlowe wrote, no doubt: —
La?i, On that condition, Lancaster will grant.
. Pern. And so will Pembroke.
War. And I.
E. Mar. And I.
This arrangement at the same time regulates the metre of the line,
so that there is no need of that awkward lengthening P€mh(e)roke
advocated by Mr. Fleay. The pause after 'Pembroke' simply takes'
the place of a defective syllable, as we see in numberless lines of
tlie Elizabethan dramatist*^; in other words, the verse is a syllable
pause line. (The AthenaMim, March 12, 1887, p. 3fi2.)
EDWARD II. 115
CCXXXI
But tell me, Mortimer, what's thy device
Against the stately triumph we decreed? &c.
lb,. (Works, 104 h. — Tan., II, 2, llseq.)
A very apt illustration of these and the following lines is contained
in the following passage from Neumayr von Eamssla, Johann Emsten
des JQngem, Hertzogen zu Sachsen, Reise &c., Leipzig, 1620, S. 179:
'Endlichen zeigete man I[hrol F[urstlichen] G[naden] eine kleine
GcUeria [viz. at Whitehall], etwa 20 Schritt lang, so hinauss auffm
Fluss gebawet, darinn hiengen auff beyden Seiten etliche hundert
Schild von Pappen gemacht, daran waren allerley emblemaia vnd
Wort gemahlet vnd geschrieben. Wann Frewdenfest seynd, pflegen
die HOffischen solche inventiones zu niaohen, vnd damit aufFzuziehen.
Wer nun was sonderlichs vnd denckwiirdigs erfuuden, dessen Schild
wird zum Gedachtniis dahin gehengt. Hinden am Ende dieses Gangs,
ist der Gang etwas grosser, in solchem hiengen auch dergleichen
schilde.' — A similar * Triumph' or rather * Masque' with devices &c.
is introduced in Mai^ston's Insatiate Countess, A. II (Works, ed. Halli-
well, III, 123 seq.), where the gentlemen 'deliver their shields to
their severall mistresses', after that they dance, &c.
CGXxxn.
To gather for him throughout the realm.
Ik, (Works, 196h. — Tan., II, 2, 144.)
All editors as far as they are known to me are agreed in lengthening
thraughoui so as to make it a trisyllable (thoroughout) , and thus pro-
duce a line of ten syllables. To me this seems highly improbable.
The verse may be a syllable pause line, although the pause is rather
slight: —
To gath|er for | him jl \ throughout | the realm.
I feel, however, more inclined to think the line corrupted in so far
as the object (moyiey, alms, a ransom, or some such word) has
been lost: —
To gather money for him throughout the realm,
To gather a ransOm for him throughout the realm.
To gather monn/ occurs in 1 Henry VL, III, 2, 5.
CCXXXIII.
K. Edw, I will not trust them, Gavoston, away!
Qav. Farewell, my lord.
A". Edw. Lad}^, farewell.
116 EDWAKD n.
Niece, Farewell, sweet uncle, till we meet again. •
K Edw, Farewell, sweet Gaveston; and farewell, niece.
lb,,JWork8, 199a. — Tan., II, 4, 8—11.)
The second line must be pronounced defective, unless we print the
two speeches as two incomplete lines (which they certainly are not),
or resort (with Mr. Fleay) to lengthening lord and fareiveU: —
Oa/v. Farewell, | my lorpd.
K Edw, La|dy, fa j* re well.
Even if I could bring my ears to acquiesce in this scansion, there
is yet another obstacle which is not to be overcome by a metrical
makeshift. It passes my belief that the poet should have made the
king disregard his favorite's adieu instead of replying to it. I have,
therefore, no doubt that the original wording of the line was this: —
Oav. Farewell, my lord.
K, Edw, FaretoeU, Lady, farewell.
A strikingly analogous case occurs in K. Richard II., V, 3, 144, where
farewell has also been lost. All the old copies, with the single ex-
ception of QE (which is of no critical value whatever), read: —
Uncle farewell: and cousin adieu.
The true reading has been found out by the Cambridge Editors, viz. : —
Undo farewell; farewell, aunt] cousin, adieu.
The conjectural emendations advanced by Collier's so-called corrector
and Dyce are valueless. (The Athenaeum, Apr. 9, 1887, p. 491.
Cf. ib., Apr. 16, 1887, p. 521 and Apr. 23, 1887, p. 5.54.)
CCXXXIV.
His head shall off. — Gaveston, short warning.
Ib., (Works, 200b. ~ Tan., II, 5, 21.)
A syllable pause line; scan: —
His head | shall oif. | w Gav|eston, | short warn[ing.
CCXXXV.
Arundel, we will gratify the king
In other matters; he must ])ardon us in this.
Soldiers, away with him.
Ib.y (Wm-ks. 201 a. — Tan., II, 5, 41 seq.)
Arrange: —
Arundel, we will gratify the king
In other matters; he must pardon us
In this. Soldiers, away with him.
(KOlb., Engl. Stud., XI, 363.)
EDWARD n. 117
CCXXXVI.
When, can you tell? Arundel, no; we wot,
He that the care of his realm remits &c.
/6., (Works, 201a. — Tan., II, 5, 57 seq.)
The fii-st line should, perhaps, be pointed: —
When? Can you tell, Arundel? No; we wot, &c.
With respect to the second line Dyce refers his readers to A. Ill,
sc. 2, 1. 56: —
And, Spenser, spare them not, lay it on,
and to A, IV, sc. 6, 1. 92: —
My lord, be going; cai:e not for these.
Care and spare, he says, are both to be read as dissyllables. Mr. Cun-
ningham and Prof. W. Wagner, on the other hand, dissyllabize re -aim,
a pronunciation justly rejected by Mr. Tancock ad he. In my humble
opinion all these verses are syllable pause lines and thus to be
scanned: —
He that | the care | ^ of | his realm | remits
And, Spen'ser, spare | them not, | ^ lay | it on
My lord, | be go|ing: j. \ care not | for these.
CCXXXYII;
Mortimer hai-dly; Pembroke and Lancaster.
R., (Wcrrka, 204a. — Tan., Ill, 2, 105.)
Dyce, Cunningham, Keltic, Tancock, and W. Wagner make no com-
ment whatever on this line; I wonder how they may have scanned
it Mr. Fleay writes * Lancaster' and, consequently, must have
scanned: —
M6rti|mer hard|ly; P6m| broke and | Lancas|ter,
which I cannot but think wrong as I know of no instance of the
name of 'Lancaster' being accented on the penult. The true scan-
sion of the line, in my conviction, is: —
M6rti|mer hard|ly; Pembroke [ and Lan| caster.
There is an exti-a syllable before the pause and both hemistichs begin
with a trochee. Should a transposition of the names of 'Pembroke'
and 'Lancaster' be thought admissible the line might vie with the
best in regularity and smoothness: —
M6rti|mer hardily; Litn| castor [ and Pem| broke.
The same remarks hold good with respect to A. Ill, sc. 3, L61: —
These lusty leaders, Warwick and Lancaster.
118 EDWARD n.
Mr. Flcay again prints * Lancaster.' Tlie line has an extra syllable
before the pause; scan: —
These lu8|ty loa dei-s, Warwick | and Lan| castor.
Here too the flow of the rhythm might be made easier by a trans-
position of the names: —
These lusjty lea|ders, Lan| caster | and War | wick.
ccxxxvni.
Q. Isah. Come, son, and go witli this gentle loixl and me.
lb., (Works, 21(ia, — Tan., V, 2, 105.J
An unmetrical line. And before go eWdently crept in from the
preceding line {and sorrows for it now), and should be struck out
Marlowe wrote, no doubt: —
Q, Isab, Come, son, go with this gentle lord and me.
The connective and easily lends itself to intei'polation; two more in-
stances will be found in A. V, sc. 1, 1. 87 of our play (where some
editors have wrongly expunged yau) and in the note on 1 K. Henry IV.,
m, 1, 158. (The Athensemn, Sept. 3, 1887, p. 320.)
CCXXXIX.
I feele a hell of greefe, where is my crewnoV
Gone, gone, and doe I remaine aliue?
lb,, (Works, 220a. — Tan., V, o, H7 seq.)
So Qu. 1598. Qu. 1622 and Mr. Francis Cunningham omit alive.
Dyoe adds stiU before remaine, in which i^eading he has been followed
by the late Prof. W. Wagner and Mr. Fleay, whereas Mr. Tancock
justly rejects this addition. Mr. Tancock takes Qone, gofie to be
*two solemn monosyllabic feet' and accordingly scans the line: —
Gone, I gone; | and do I | remain | alive?
In my opinion this is evidently wrong. A second way of scanning
the line would be: --
Gone! | gone! and | do I | remain | alive?
The most plausible scansion, however, is to consider the verae as a
syllable pause line: —
Gone, gone! | v> and | do I | remain | alive?
As faF as the first foot is concerned, this scansion is corroborated by
another line taken from our play, (A. IV, sc. G, 1. 108, ed. Tancock): —
Gone, gone, | alas, | never | to make | return!
DIDO. 119
The following lines may be aptly compai-ecl: —
Stoop, viljlaih! ± \ Stoop, stoop! | for so | he bids.
1 Tambiirlaine, IV, 2 (Works, p, 26b.)
Of gi-eatlest just | ice. j. | Write, write, | Rinal|do.
All's Well that Ends Well, III, 4, 29.
When Im|ogeu | is dead. | How, how! | anoth|er.
Oymbeline, J, 1, 114,
Swift, swift, I you drag|on8 of | the night, | that dawnjing.
lb,, II, 2, 48.
Something's | afore't. | Soft, soft! | we'll no | defence.
lb., Ill, 4, 70.
And find | not her | whom thou ] pursuest | Flow, flow.
lb., Ill, 5, 157.
dark, | dark, dark, | amid | the blaze | of noon.
SamsQH Aff artistes, SO.
This, this | is he;'| softly | awhile. lb., 115.
Out, out, I hya)|na! These are | thy won | ted arts. lb., 74S.
What will now become of Mr. Tancock's ^two solemn monosyllabic
feet'?
CCXL.
The sun from Egypt shall rich odours bring,
Wherewith his burning beams (like labom-ing bees
That load their thighs with Hybla's honey -spoils)
Shall hei-e unburden their exhaled sweets,
And plant our pleasant suburbs with her fumes.
Dido, Qu. of a, V, llseqq. (Works, 270a.)
Apart from the parentheses this is the reading of the quarto of 1594
and lias been implicitly followed by almost all modem editors. Dyce,
in his first edition of Marlowe (London, 1850), II, 426, adds the
following note: ^her] If right, can only mean — Egypt's: but qy.
''their"?' In his revised and corrected one-volume edition (1858)
he has inserted this conjectimd emendation in the text. Mr. Francis
Cunningham, on the other hand, (The Works of Christopher Marlowe,
p, 342), eagerly defends the old text; 'Mr. Dyce', he says, 'most un-
necessarily changes her into their. As if the fumes came from the
bees and 'not from Hyblaf^ Dyce certainly knew better; his paren-
theses clearly show that he referred tfieir to beams, indeed the only
word to which it can be referred. In my conviction, however, the
lection of the old copy is not a corruption of their fumes, but of
perfumes, which woixl comes much nearer to the original ductus lU-
terarum and agrees far better with the context than their fumes.
120 THE mSATlATE COUNTESS.
The verb plant, although it has passed unquestioned till now, is a
corruption too and I do not feel the least doubt that Maiiowe
wrote: —
And scent our pleasant surburbs witli perfumes.
At first sight this may, perhaps, seem tautological, but compare Sam-
son Agonistes, 720: —
An amber scent of odorous perfume.
Mr. P. A. Daniel has pointed out to me a curious parallel passage in
Summer's Last Will and Testament (Hazlitt's Dodsley, VIII, 36),
whei-e Sol addresses Summer in the following words: —
The excrements you bred whereon I feed;
To rid the earth of their contagious fumes,
With such gross carriage did I load my beam
I burnt no grass, I dried no springs and lakes;
I suck'd no mines, I withered no green boughs,
But when to ripen harvest I was forc'd
To make my rays more fervent than I wont.
Altliough this seems to favoiu- the belief that the two passages, in
Summer's Last Will and Testament and in Dido, Queen of Carthage,
came from the same pen, viz. that of Nash, yet I imagine that I can
distinguish the true Marlovian ring in the passage taken from Dido.
(The Athenajum, May 10, 1884, p. 609seq. Eeply by A. H[all], ib.,
May 17, 1884, p. 644.)
HABSTON.
CCXLI.
The feminine deities strewed aU tlieir bounties
And beautie on his face; &c.
Tfte Insatiate Countess, (Works, ed. HaUiicell, III, 107.)
The Dramatic Works of John Marston, in point of verbal criticism,
are still 'an unweeded garden', as Mr. Halliwell's edition has no
higher claim than to be a reprint of the old editions. 'The dramas
now collected together', says Mr. Halliwell at the end of his preface,
'are reprinted absolutely from the early editions, which were placed
in the hands of our printers, who thus had the advantage of following
them without the intervention of a transcriber. They are given as
neai-ly as possible in their original state, the only modernizations
attempted consisting in the alternations of the lettei-s / and j , and
u and V, the retention of which would have answered no useful pur-
pose, while it would have unnecessarily perplexed the modern reader.'
So far, so good. Even the most superficial comparison, however, will
THE nrSAWATE COUNTESS. 121
satisfy the student, that Ijesides 'the only modernizations' indicated
by Mr. Halliwell, his text contains a large number of other deviations
from the old editions, especially in the use of capitals and in punc-
tuation, which are not always slight and immaterial. From Mr. Hal-
liwell's statement it would appear that these deviations are due to
the printer or, at best, to the proof-reader, although who that proof-
reader was and what he did, is nowhere hinted at One part of the
work there is, however, for which Mi\ Halliwell himself is certainly
to be held responsible, viz. the selection of those quartos, from which
the single plays were mprinted, and this selection is not always a
happy one. In the case of 'The Insatiate Countess', e. g., Mr. Hal-
liwell says in his preface that there are three quartos in existence,
of the years 1613, 1616, and 1631 respectively. Of the quarto of
1616 I cannot judge, as the British Museum cannot boast of a copy,
and I have therefore been unable to compare it; of the other two
quartos the earlier (1613) is printed very correctly and the later
(1631) very carelessly. Nevertheless it is this latter that was chosen
by Mr. Halliwell and placed in the hands of his printers, as can be
shown by a number of striking instances. Sometimes both these Q(}
are at fault, but no attempts have been made by the editor to heal
their comiption. In the lines at the head of this note, e. g., we
should, I think, read beauties for beautie, although this is the lection
of both Q(i. Both Qq, moreover, read Deities, not deities. Two pages
further on (III, 109) we meet with the following most perplexing
passage: —
^Enter MixcUdtts and Mendosa,
(}ui[do\ Mary, amen! I say, madame, are you that were in
for all day, now come to be in for all night? How now, Count
Arsena?
Mi;i[aldus\ Faith, signior, not unlike the condemn'd
malefactor,
Tliat heares his judgement openly pronouiic'd;
But I ascribe to fate. Joy swell your love;
Cypres and willow grace my drooping crest.
Roh[erlo\ We doe entend our hymeneaU rights
With the next rising sunne. Count Cj^pres,
Next to oiu* bride, the welcomst to our feast.'
This is a perfect muddle. Roberto, Count of Cypres, and Isabella are
on the stage; enter to them, according to the stage -direction, Mizaldus
and Mendosa. 'This', says Mr. Halliwell, in his note on the passage,
'like many of the other stage- directions, is clearly erroneous. It
should be, "reenter Rogero and Guide (Mizaldus)".' Now, this note
itself is clearly erroneous, for I do not find that Rogoro was on the
stage before, nor are Guide and Mizaldus one and the same person.
I feel convinced that the stage -direction should be 'Enter Mizaldus
122 THE INSATIATE Cf)UXTESS.
and Guido, Count of ArscfiaJ Moreover the prefixes to the first two
speeches should change places, the first speech being evidently spoken
by Mizaldus and addressed to Guide, Count of Arsena. The second
speech belongs to Guido; the third is by no means addressed to
Count Cypres, Roberto, the speaker, being himself Count of Cypres,
but to Count Arsena, and tliis name should ^be substituted for Couni
Q/jrres, an emendation which, at the same time, restores the metre
of the line. The words. But I ascribe to fate are also suspicious,
the verb ascribe not being used as an intransitive verb; perhaps
Marston wrote subscribe. Rights, of course, stands for rites. Lastly
it may be remarked that both Qq (1613 and 1631) read: Marry
Amen, I say: Madanie, &c., and that there seems to be no sufficient
i-eason for an alteration of this pointing. The correct and original
wording of the passage would therefore appear to have been as
follows: —
'Enter MixaMus and Ouido,
Mix, Marry amen, I say: madame, are you that were in for all
day, now come to be in for all night? How now. Count Arsena?
Gui. Faith, signior, not unlike the condemned malefactor,
That heares his judgement openly pronounced;
But I subscribe to fate. Joy swell your love;
Cypres and willow grace my drooping crest.
Rob. We doe intend our hymeneall rites
With the next rising sunne. Count Arsena,
Next to our bride, the wclcomst to our feast.'
In the lines (III, 119): —
Then read it, iiiirc,
My passion's ample, as our beauties are,
^Ir. Halliwell reproduces the corruption of Qu. 1631, although in the
Qu. 1613 he might have found the coirect reading your beauties.
At p. 137 we read: —
Isa, Your love, my lord, I blushing proclaime it.
Mr. Halli well's edition again follows the Qu. 1631; the Qu. of 1613
correctly reads bluskingly.
Pag. 142: —
Sing, boy (thought night yet), like the mornings larke.
Thus Qn. 1631; Qu. 1613: though flight yet. The same misprint is
i:epeated in the ver}- next line both in Qu. 1631 and in l^Ir. Halli-
well's edition: —
A soule that's cleai-e is light, tliought heaven be darke.
Compare infra note CCLXIII.
Pag. 149 : —
Gm[aea]. I crave your hours pardon my ignorance
Of what you were, may gaine a curteous pardon.
THE INSATIATE COUXTE8S. 123
Qii. 1G31 again; (jii. 1G13 rightly your Honors jHxrdvtti, As the priii-
tei-s or proof-readers of Mr. HaUiYrell's edition have li-equeutly
changed the punctuation, they might as well have placed a colon or
semicolon after pardon in the first line. By the way the reader's
attention may be drawn to the repetition of pfirdon which looks very
much like a dittography.
At p. 154 the line: —
Let speare-like musicke breathe delicious tones, &c.
is again due to the quarto of 1631; Qu. 1613: Spheere-like,
The line (p. 162): —
What can you answere to escape tortures?
though literally agreeing with both Qq, is evidently defective; the
article ih^ is to be added before tortures^ as nobody, I think, will be
bold enough to plead in favour of the anomalous and unheard-of
accentuation tortures. Or should we write to 'scape and thus make
the line one of four feet only?
One more instance (from p. 181) and I shall have done: —
This is end of lust, where men may see, &c.
This is taken from Qu. 1631 again; Qu. 1613 rightly: the end of lust
After these instances I hope I shall be justified in asking: What
was the use of reproducing such an incorrect edition as the quarto
of 1631 'with all its imperfections on its head', when a more cor-
rectly printed quai-to was at hand which might have been reprinted
without causing either the editor or his printers a greater amount of
trouble and cost? Mi\ Halliwell-Phillipps is a scholar of such high
standing and has done such excellent service in the field of Shake-
spearian literature that he may well bear to be told where he has
failed; even the best of us have their shortcomings and cannot boast
of unmingled success.
CCXLH.
His sight would make me gnash my teeth terribly.
lb.. A. L (Works, III, 115.)
Terribly w^as evidently omitted by the transcriber and added in the
margin; the compositor was thus deluded into the belief, that it was
the last word of the line. Read: —
His sight I would make | me t€r\r'hly gnash | my teeth.
CCXLin.
How like Adonis in his hunting weedes,
Lookes this same godesse- tempter?
And art thou come? This kisse enters into thy soule:
Gods, I doe not envy you; for know this
124 THE KrSATIATE COUNTESS.
Way's here on earth compleat, excels your blisse:
He not change this nights pleasure with you all.
lb., A. HI, (Works, III, 155.)
Read and arrange: —
How like Adonis in his hunting weeds
Looks this same goddess -tempter! And art thou come?
Tliis kiss enters into thy soul.
Gods, I don't envy you; for know you this:
What's here on earth complete, excels your bliss;
m not change this night's pleasure with you all.
CCXLIV.
What Tanais, Nilus, or what Tioris swift,
Wliat Rhenus ferier then the cataract,
Although Neptolis cold, the waves of all the Northerne Sea,
Should flow for ever through these guilty hands,
Yet the sanguinolent staine would extant be.
lb., A. V, (Worhi, HI, ISl.)
Barring some minor differences in spelling and punctuation the text
of this passage in Halliwell's edition, printed from the quarto 1631
of The Insatiate Countess, agrees with the quarto of 1613. Not even
the most conservative Critic, however, can doubt that it is corrupt
Read and arrange: —
What Tanais, Nilus, or what Tigris swift.
What Rhenus fiercer than the cataract.
Can quench hell's fire'? Although Paciolus' gold,
Although the waves of all the Northern Sea,
Should flow for ever through these guilty hands.
Yet the sanguinolent stain would extant be.
The context clearly shows that something like the words inserted
has been lost after cataract, a suspicion which is confirmed by the
irregularity of the metre, in so far as the line Although Neptolis
Northerne Sea must necessarily be broken in twp. The Tigris could
not be characterized by a more appropriate epithet than sioifl, as
this river is renowned for its rapid flow; its name means arrow.
With respect to the correction Rhenus fiercer &c., Milton's fierce
Phkgeton (Paradise Lost, II, 580) may be compared. — In writing
this passage the poet evidently had before his mind's eye not only
a line from Horace (Epodes, XV, 20), but also the celebrated soliloquy
of Lady Macbeth (V, 1, 39seqq.): Out, damned spot! out, I say!
What, will these hands ne'er be clean? &c. Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'
is said to have been first acted in 1610 (which I think too late a
date), whilst *The Insatiate Countess' was first published in 1613.
THE INSATIATE COFNTESS. 125
CCXLV.
Abi, Husband, I'le naile me to the earth, but I'le
Winne your pardon.
My jewels, jointure, all I have shall flye;
Apparell, bedding, Fie not leave a nigge,
So you may come off fairelv.
lb,, A, r, (WorkSy TIL 191.)
Read and arrange: —
Abi, Husband, I'll nail me to the earth, but /
Will win your pardon. My jewels, jointure, all
I have, shall fly; apparel, bedding, I'll
Not leave a nig, so you may come off fairly.
CCXLVI.
7%a[M]. Hee's stung already, as if his eyes wer6 turn'd on
Persies shield.
Ib„ A. }\ (Wnrl-s, in, 194).
Read, of course, Per,sms' shield.
CCXLVII.
Bog, Had I knowne this I would have poison'd thee in
the chalice
This morning, when we receaved the sacrament.
Cla, Slave, knowst thou this? tis an appendix to the letter;
But the greater temptation is hidden within.
I wiU scowre thy gorge like a hawke: thou shalt swallow
thine owne stone in this letter, [They bustle,
Seal'd and delivered in the presence of —
lb., A. F, (Works, III, 195.)
Read and arrange: —
Rog, Had I known this, I would have poison'd thee
This morning in the chalice, when we received
The sacrament
Cla, Slave, know'st thou this? 'Tis an appendix
To the letter; but the great temptation's hid
Within. rU scour thy gorge like to a hawk [hawk^sl^y.
Thou shalt swallow thine own stone in this letter,
Seal'd and deliver'd in the presence of — {They wrestle.
Sacrament is a triple ending before the pause; cf. note CCCLXXIII.
126 vrnEJf yot: sek me, &r. the two noble kinsmen.
SAM. BOWLET.
ccxLvm.
King. Methiiiks, thou weii: better live at court, as I do; King
Harry loves a man, I can tell you.
IVhm you see ms, yoti hnotr me, (ed. Ehr), 29.
Compare Sir Jlobert Naunton, Fragmenta Regalia (1630), ed. Arber,
p. 28: 'for the people hath it to this day in proverb, King Hany
loved a man.'
CCXLIX.
Gardiner, look here, he was deceived, he says,
*When he thought to find John Baptist in the courts of princes, or
resident with those, that are clothed in purple.'
Mother o' God, is 't not a dangerous knave.
Ih.y (ed. Elxe), 60.
In ray note on this passage (at p. 105 of my edition) I have remarked
that I had not been able to trace this quotation in Dr. Luther's
writings. It has since been pointed out to me and occurs in
M. Luther's *Antw'ort Auf des Konigs in England Lasterschrift '
(Luther's Werke, Erlanger Ausgabe, Bd. XXX, S. 8). 'Was suche
ich russigter Ascheiprodel', writes Luther, *zu Konigs und Filrsten
H5fe, da ich doch weiss, dass der Teufel obenan sitzt und sein
hOhester Thron ist? Ich will den Teufel frumm machen ohn smnen
Dank und Christum bei ihm finden: so gibt er mir bilLig solchen
Lohn. Komm wieder, lieber liUther, und suche nodi eins Johannem
den Tdufer in der Konig Ho fen, da man weiche Kleider tragi, ich
mein, du loirst ihn finden.' The 'weichen Kleider' have been altered
to 'purple garments' by Rowley. By the way it may be observed
that, as far as I know, this reply to King Henry VIIL by Luther
was not translated into Latin and therefore must have l)een read in
the original German in London.
SHAEESPEABE AND FLETCHER.
CCL.
You most coarse freeze capacities; ye jane judgements.
The Tfco Noble Kin^rme^i, TIL 6 (ed. lAttMaley 52 and 144 seq.)
Mr. Harold Littledale, the latest editor of this play, extends his note
on the above line to an explanation of the much discussed phrase
Up -see Freexe\ Freeze he thinks to be equivalent with FViesland Beer
THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN. 127
and up'see to mean drunk, hcUfseas-over. This explanation, however,
has long been superseded. After what has been said by Nares s. v.
and myself in my edition of Chapman's Alplionsus, 138 seq., I should
not revert to the subject, if I were not able to bring forward some
fresh passages that go far to show that Upsee Freexe or Upsee Dutch
means 'in the Frisian or Dutch manner.' The first of these passages
occurs in Jack Drum's Entertainment, A. II (Simpson, The School of
Shakspere, II, 165): —
Pour wine, sound music, let our bloods not fi-eeze.
Drink Dutch, like gallants, let's drink upsey freeze.
That is to say, the English gallants of the time used to drink in the
Dutch or Frisian fashion, i. e. with the German drinking ceremonies,
for Dutch, here as elsewhere, means German, and it is a wellknown
fact that the German drinking ceremonies at that time had spread
over Holland and even reached England. John Taylor, the Waterpoet,
in his account of his journey to Hamburgh (Three Weeks, Three
Dales &c.. Works, 1872, 3) says: *and having upse-freez'd four pots
of boon beer as yellow as gold' &c., which words I take to mean,
liaving drunk four pots of beer after the Frisian manner. That
'Upsee Frieze cross' means to di'ink with interlaced arms (Bruder-
schaft irinken)^ as I have conjectured, is confirmed by Nash, Summer's
Last Will and Testament (apud Dodsley, 1825, IX, 49): *A vous,
monsieur Winter, a frolick upsy freese: cross, ho! super nagulum.'
That is, let us cross or interlace our arms, as the Germans do when
drinking Bnidersckafiy and let us 'drench' our glasses 'to the bottom',
so that what is left may stand on the thumb-nail. This, in German,
is called to this day die Nagelprobe machen, and still forms part of
the ceremony of drinking Bruderschaft — A fourth allusion to 'Upsy
Freeze' is contained in a work of a much later date, viz. in Johann
Georg Forster's Briefwechsel herausgegeben von Th[erese] H[uber],
geb. H[eyne] (Leipzig, 1829), 11,671; it is in an English letter
dated Overberg's Contrays, August 27, 1775, and addressed to George
Forster by the distinguished Swedish naturalist Andreas Sparrmann.
'Dear Sir', he writes, 'I'll have the pleasure by means of this letter
to shake hands with you ^'op sein goede Africanse Boers"] for, as I
have now for some time been in quarters by the Owerbergse peasants,
you must give me leave to follow the customs of these good folks,
who, without any other roundabout compliments, present their sharp
hands, as the New Zealanders their carved noses, when a oordiid
salute is meant' — There can be no doubt that op sei?i goede Afri-
canse Boers means, 'in the true manner of the African Boere.' (Anglia,
herausgegeben von Wiilcker imd Trautmann, I,347seci.)
128 THE TEMPEST.
SHAKESPEARE.
CCLL
This wide-chapp'd rascal — would thou mightst lie drowning
The washing of ten tides!
The TntipeM, /, 7, 60 seq.
I do not recollect whether or not any editor has already remarked
that these words contain an allusion to the singular mode of execution
to which pirates were condemned in England. 'Pirats and robbers
by sea', says Harrison (Description of England, ed. FumivaU, London,
1877, 229) *are condemned in the court of admeraltie, and hanged
on the shore at lowe water marke, where they are left till three
tides haue ouer washed them.' According to Holinshed, III, 1271,
seven pirates were hanged on the riverside below London, on March 9,
1577 — 8. (Anglia, herausgegeben von "Wtilcker und Trautmann,
I, 338.) —
Prof. John W. Hales (in The Academy of Sept 1, 1877, 220)
has corroborated the above remark by two passages from Greene's
Tu Quoque and from Stow, apud Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XI, 188. He
also refers to the description of the Execution Dock at Wapping, in
Murray's Handbook for Kent. 'Ten tides', he justly adds, 'are of
course a comic exaggeration, three tides being no sufficiently sevei-o
punishment for "this wide-chapp'd rascal", the boatsman.'
CCLIL
Pros, Be collected:
No more amazement: tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.
Mir. 0, woe the day!
Pros, No harm.
I have done nothing but in care of thee, &c.
Ib.y I, 2, 13aeq.
It seems absurd that Miranda should reply by a deep -fetched sigh
and an exclamation of pity to her father's consoling statement that
there is no harm done. Dr. Johnson's conjectural emendation: —
Mr. 0, woe the day! no harm?
does not remedy this defect. In my opinion it admits of little doubt
that the original arrangement of these lines was as follows: —
Pros, Be collected:
No more amazement: tell your piteous heart —
Mir, 0, woe the day!
Pros, There's no harm done!
Mir, No harm?
Pros, I have done nothing but in care of thee, &c.
tHK TEMl'ESt. 129
After what Miranda has seen, she lias little faith in the arguments
with which slie expects to be comforted by her father, least of aU
is she prepared to hear such good news as he is about to commu-
nicate to her. Nothing, therefore, can be more natural than that she
should give vent to her grief and compassion in the exclamation by
which she interrupts her father's speech, before he has been able to
assure her of the perfect safety of the passengers in the vessel which
she saw wrecked. Compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam., IE, 188. (Notes,
privately printed, 1882, p. 1 seq.)
CCLin.
Now I arise. [Resumes hi^ mantle,
Ib.y J, P, 169.
Blackstone's discovery that these words do not belong to Prospero to
whom they are given in the Folio, but to Miranda, has met with
little or no acceptance from later editors, as in the opinion of some
of them the meaning is metaphorical and equivalent to: *now I rise
in my narration', or, *now my story heightens in its consequence'
(Steevens). Even if this metaphorical meaning were admissible per
se, which I am convinced it is not, yet it would jar with the words
Sit still addressed to Miranda immediately after. The explanation
given by Dr. Aldis Wright that 'Miranda offers to rise when she sees
her father do something which indicates departure', seems partly to
have been suggested by the stage -direction; this stage -direction,
however, having been added by Dyce, cannot claim any authority
w^hatever. Staunton's notion that the words Now I arise are spoken
aside to Ariel, is invalidated by the fact that Ariel is not present,
but is summoned afterwards in 1. 187. And how can this explanation
be made to tally with the words Sit still? Staunton is silent on
this difficulty. Miranda has been labouring all the while under a
strange drowsiness that may or may not have been brought on by
hqr father's enchantment. She now thinks her father's tale at an
end and gladly seizes the opportunity of rising in order thus to get
the better of her sleepiness. That such is the fact seems to be
corroborated by Prospero's admonition of her (in 1. 186) to give way
without restraint to her 'good dulness'. At the same time the words
Now I arise in Miranda's mouth form a kind of antithesis to her
preceding wish Might I but ever see thai man. Contrary to her
intention of rising and walking about, her father desires her to 'sit
still and hear the last of their sea -sorrow'. Mr. Collier (in his
second edition) thinks it necessar;jj for Prospero to put on his mantle
again and thus to be enabled 'to accomplish what he wishes', viz.
to send Miranda to sleep. But granting that her sleepiness bo really
owing to her father's enchantment (the poet does not even hint at
£lze, Notes. 9
130 THE TEMI'EST.
such a fact), the magic process must clearly have begun from the
very commencement of Prosperous tale, immediately after he has laid
down his robe, as is proved by his repeated questions Dost thou
attend me?, Dost thou hear? d-c. Prospero must therefore be thought
sufficiently potent to perform such an easy trick of sorcery without
the help of his robe. The moment when he resumes it, is clearly
indicated in the text by the words addressed to Ariel in 1. 187:
/ am ready now. (Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 2 seq.)
CCUV.
This blue -eyed hag was hither brought with child
And here was left by sailors.
lb., ly 2y 270 seq.
Staunton and Mr. P. A. Daniel (Notes and Conjectural Emendations, 9)
ingeniously propose blear -eyed. In favoiur of this suggestion it may
be added that Eeginald Scot, in his Disooverie of Witchcraft, B. I,
Chap. 3 (apttd Drake, Shakspeare and his Times, 11, 478), writes
indeed that witches 'are women which be commonly old, lame,
bkare-eied, pale, fowle, and full of wrinkles.' Dr. Aldis Wright, on
the other hand, in his annotated edition of this play, sustains the
reading of the folio; ^blae-eyed^ he says, 'does not describe the
colour of the pupU of the eye, but the livid colour of the eye -lid,
and a blue eye in this sense was a sign of pregnancy'; in proof of
which Dr. Aldis Wright quotes a passage from Webster's Duchess of
Malfi. Nowhere indeed, if not in the passage under discussion, does
Shakespeare mean the colour of the pupil, when speaking of blue
eyes, but the livid circles round the eyes or the bluish eyelids; thus,
e. g., in As You Like It, HE, 2, 393: 'a blue eye and sunken'.
This, I think, is corroborated by a passage in Spenser's Faerie
Queene, I, 2, 45, where the poet ascribes 'blue eyelids' to Duessa,
when she has swooned and lies seemingly dead: —
Her eylids blew
And dimmed sight with pale and deadly hew
At last she gan up lift.
Here too the adjective 'blue' is to be taken in its old sense, viz.
'livid'; see Dr. Skeat's Etymological Dictionary, s. v. Blue. There are
besides two passages in Marston and Webster where the blueness
is likewise ascribed to the eye -lids; see Marston, The Malcontent,
I, 3 (Works, ed. Halliwell, 11, 209): 'till the finne of his eyes looke
as blew as the welkin'; Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, 11, 1 (Works,
ed. Dyce, in 1 vol., London, 1857, p. 67a): —
The fins of her eye- lids look most teeming blue.
THE TEMPEST. 131
Compare also Marlowe, Dido, Queen of Carthage (Works, ed. Dyoe,
in 1 vol., p. 258a): —
Then buckled I mine armour, drew my sword,
And thinking to go down, came Hector's ghost,
With ashy visage, blueish sulphur eyes, &c.
Nevertheless great doubts remain conoeming the * blue -eyed hag',
as a very different explanation seems to be suggested by some pas-
sages in a living American poet, from which it might be inferred
that, in popular belief, blue eyes may possibly have been thought
characteristic of witches. Mr. J. G. Whittier, who is evidently con-
versant with the particulars of those persecutions for witchcraft that
80 darkly fill the pages of early American history, says (The Vision
of Echard and Other Poems, Boston, 1878, 22): —
A blue -eyed witch sits on the bank
And weaves her net for thee;
and again on p. 26: —
Her spectre walks the parsonage, ^
And haunts both hall and stair;
They know her by the great blue eyes
And floating gold of hair.
Mr. Surtees Phillpotts, in his edition of The Tempest {Rugby Edition,
London, 1876) ad loc,, seems to be of a similar opinion; 'probably',
he says, 'this means that her [viz. Sycorax'sJ eyes had the cold
startling blue which * suggests malignity so strongly. It is difficult
to accept Dr. Aldis Wright's suggestion, that the reference is to the
blueness of the eye -lids.' In Dekker's and Middleton's Honest Whore,
Part II, V, 2 (Middleton, ed. Dyce, EI, 237), Penelope exclaims: 'Out,
you dog! — a pox on you all! — women are bom to curse thee
— but I shaU live to see twenty such flat- caps shaking dice for a
penny worth of pippins — out, you blue -eyed rogue.' Entirely
different are the 'two blue windows' ascribed to Venus in Venus
and Adonis, 1. 482, and the 'lovely e'en o' bonnie blue' of Bums's
Blue -eyed Lass that will live for aJl time in the poet's song. Thus
it appears that the problem of the 'blue -eyed hag' is as far as ever
from final solution.
CCLV.
Ari. Pardon, master:
I will be correspondent to command,
And do my spriting gently.
Pros. Do so; and after two days
I will discharge thee.
Ib.y 7, 2, 296 seq.
9*
132 THE TEMPEST.
According to the Cambridge editors ad he, 'the defect in the metre
of 1. 298 has not been noticed except by Hanmer, who makes a
line thus: —
Do so, and after two days I'll discharge thee.'
'Possibly', th^' go on to say, 'it ought to be printed tlius: —
Do so; and
After two days
I will discharge thee.'
They feel, however, so much the less certain as 'Shakespeare's
language passes so rapidly from verse to prose and from prose to
verse, .... that all attempts to give regularity to tho metre must be
made with diffidence and received with doubt' — This is very tnie;
nevertheless it would seem as if in the present case the metre miglit
be recovered pretty easily. Arrange and read: —
Art. Pardon, master:
I'll be corr'spondent to command, and do
My spriting gently.
Pros, Do so; and after two days
I will discharge thee.
At first sight the contracted pronunciation of carrespondent may seem
doubtful, since unaccented syllables are often thought to be slurred
only -when following the accented syllable; at least Dr. Abbott, s. 468,
gives no other instances and in s. 460 offers a different explanation
of such words where the unaccented syllable precedes the accented
one; according to him they merely drop their prefixes. The follow-
ing passages, however, go far to establish the slurring of unaccented
syllables before the accented one and should therefore be examined
so much the more carefully.
The Tempest, I, 2, '248: —
Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, served
Without or gnidge or grumblings.
Pope and Mr. Henry N. Hudson (The Complete Works of Shake-
speare. Boston, &c.) omit the second thee., 'which', Mr. Hudson
assures us, 'spoils the verse without helping the sense.' In my
opinion, neither the one, nor the other, is tnie. Pronounce m'staJcings
and both the metre and sense are as regular as can be wished.
Dr. Abbott (s. 460, p. 340), however, thinks it more probable that
the second thee is shured.
The Tempest, IH, 3, 24 (a syllable pause line): —
At this hoiu* reigning there. I'll b'lieve both.
The Tempest, V, 1, 145: —
As great to me as late; and supportable.
THE TEMPEST. 133
Abbott, s. 497, explains this apparent Alexandrine by the omission
of an unemphatic syllable, viz, and, * unless "supportable" can be
accented on the first', in favour of which accentuation Dyce and
ilr. William J. Rolfe (Shakespeare's Comedy of the Tempest, New
York, 1871, p. 141) openly declare. Dyce, however, is somewhat
diffident and would not be loth to adopt Steevens's conjecture portable,
Mr. Hudson ad he, remarks: *The original has supportable, which
makes shocking work with the metre. Steevens printed portable^
which keeps the sense, saves the verse, and is elsewhere used by
the Poet.' This is a rather summary proceeding. Mr. Kolfe compares
detestdble (K. John, m, 4, 29. Timon of Athens, lY, 1, 33) and
delectable (Richard 11., 11, 3, 7), both of which, in accordance with
Dr. Abbott, s. 492, he takes to be accented on the first syllable.
This may pass for detestable which in both passages occurs in the
body of the line, but with respect to delectable it may be submitted,
that the usual accentuation may be retained, if the first syllable be
slurred: —
Making | the hard | way soft | and d'lect|able.
To revert to the line under discussion (The Tempest, V, 1, 145), it
should be scanned: —
As great | to me | as late; | and s'pport|able.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, V, 4, 86 seq. This passage has
generally been printed as prose, and Dyce, who has rightly pointed
out that *it undoubtedly was meant to be verse', yet adds that 'here,
as elsewhere in this scene, the verse is corrupted.' Now, this
pretended corruption fades as fast as Prospero's pageant, if we
pronounce d'liver as a dissyllable. The passage, according to Dyce,
runs thus: —
Vol, Why, boy! why, wag! how now! what is the matter?
Look up; speak.
Jul. good sir, my master charg'd me
To deliver a ring to madam Silvia;
Which, out of my neglect, was never done.
The Taming of the Shrew, IV, 2, 11: —
Quick proceeders, marry! Now, teU me, I pray;
pronounce pr'ceeders and scan: —
Quick pr'ceed|ers, marjry! Now, | tell me, | I pray.
lb., IV, 2,14: —
despiteful love! unconstant womankind;
pronounce despiteful. Dr. Abbott, s. 460 (p. 342) says, that the
prefix (de)^ 'though written, ought scarcely to be pronounced.' The
same proceeding holds good in the lines: Richard 11., IV, 1, 148
(r'sist)', Richard m., HI, 5, 109 (recourse); ib., V, 3, 186 (r'vmgej.
134 THE TEMPEST.
In the line taken from Richard IL, however, the first it (after
Prevent) may be read as an extra syllable before the pause: —
Prevent | it, resist | it, let | it not | be so.
Henry v., IV, 8, 84: —
FuU fifteen hundred, besides common men.
This may either be taken for a syllable pause line: —
Full fif|teen hundjred, j. \ besides comjmon men,
or hundred may be read as a trisyllable (see Abbott, s. 477): —
Full fif|teen hund|(e)red, | besides com|mon men.
In either case besides is to be pi*onounced as a monosyllable. Dr. Abbott
(s. 484, p. 379) scans the line: —
Full fifjteen hundred, | besijdes com|mon men,
which is no ways acceptable.
Timon of Athens, III, 3, 8. There can be very little doubt that
Mr. Lloyd has hit the mark in suggesting that the name of Lucius
should be added to this line: —
Lucius, Ventidius, and Lucullus denied him?
If this is, and I am persuaded that it is, what the poet wrote, we
shall have to pronounce denied and the line will be as regular as
can be wished: —
Lucius, I Ventid|ius, and | Lucul|lus d'nied | him?
Marlowe's Edward 11. (ed, Tancock), I, 1, 32: —
And, as | I like | your d'scours|ing, I'll | have you.
Or should we scan: —
And, as | I like | your d'scours|ing, / | wiU have | you?
Mr. Fleay, in his edition of Edward EI., accents discoursing, without,
however, producing an authority for this shifting of the accent
Edward 11., IV, 5, 6: —
Give me my horse, let us re'nforce our troops.
Be'nforce is the spelling of the Qq, but has been altered to reinforce
by the editors, even by Dyoe, though he cannot help remarking that
the old spelling shows how the word 'was intended to be pro-
nounced.' The old copies of tliis play also print Lewne instead of
Levune which proves that in this name too the unaccented syllable
preceding the accented one was slurred.
Soliman and Perseda (Dodsley, ed, Hazlitt, V, 262): —
Perseda, Here comes a messenger to haste me hence. —
I know your message, hath the princess
Sent for me?
Messenger, She hath, and
Desires you to consort her to the triumphs.
THE TEMPEST. 135
Arrange either: —
Psrseda. Here comes a messenger to haste me hence. — '
I know your message; hath the princess sent
For me?
Messenger, She hath, and desires you to consort
Her to the triumphs,
or: —
Perseda, Here comes a messenger to haste me hence. —
I know your message;
Hath the princess sent for me?
Messenger, She hath,
And desires you to consort her to the triumphs.
In either case desires is to be pronounced desires.
Fair Em (ed. Warnke and Prooscholdt) , I, 2, 66: —
Shall in perseverance of a virgin's due;
pronounce perseverance.
Mucedorus (ed. Warnke and Prooscholdt), Induction, 39: —
Delighting in mirth, mix'd all with lovely tales;
pronounce Ulighting, The line begins with a trochee, and W. Wagner's
correction Delights should not have been admitted into the text
lb., n, 2, 68seq.: —
Thy strength sufficient to perform my desire,
Thy love no otherwise than to revenge my injuries.
Pronounce d'sire and, perhaps, r'venge; see note CXXVU. I take
this opportunity of withdrawing formally my former conjecture unsh
for desire, although it has met with the approval of Messrs. Warnke
and Proescholdt. Other instead of otherunse which has been suggested
by Prof. W. Wagner and received into the text by Messrs. Warnke
and Pnsscholdt, ought to be eliminated again,
lb., n, 4, 35: —
I refer it to the credit of S^asto;
pronounce r^fer,
lb., m, 2, 52: —
Your departure, lady, bi-eeds a privy pain;
pronounce departure.
lb., Y, 1, 55: —
Desiring thy daughter's virtues for to see;
pronounce I/siring; the line begins with a trochee, just like 1. 39
of the Induction.
Even beyond the pale of dramatic poetry we meet with the same
peculiarity of rapid pronunciation; thus, e, g., in Sir Thomas More's
Utopia, ed. Arber, p. 167: —
136 THE TEMPEST.
Wherfore not Utopie, but rather rightely
My name is Butopie; A place of felicity.
Pronounce flidty. See note CLXXXIV. In the American Dialect
Tales by Sherwood Bonner (New York, 1883) we frequently meet
with such abbreviations as believe , b'lang, 'hey (= obey), 'Chiymus
(=--- Hieronymus; p. 68 seqq.), pYaps, 'soli (=- assault; p. 35),
suppose, &c.
If, after all these instances which might easily be multiplied,
there should still remain a doubt in the reader's mind, let liim go
in a London omnibus from the Bank to Cha'm/ Gross, and the con-
ductor's pronunciation of tliis name will fully satisfy him of the
innate tendency of the English language to slur \maccented syllables
no less before than after the primary accent
There still remains another difficulty in 1. 298 of our passage
which must not pass without a word of comment. Mr. Phillpotts in
his edition of this play (Rugby Edition, 1876) gives the following
scansion: —
D6 so; I and af|ter tw6 | days.
The numeral two, however, should not stand in the accented, but in
the imaccented part of the foot, just as it is the case in 1. 421:
within two days. The same reason holds good against Hanmer's
alteration of the line. The fact is, that after is to be pronounoeil
as u monosyllable (compare Abbott, s. 465, and Chaucer, ed. Morris,
I, 178). The tnie scansion of the line, therefore, is: —
My sprl|ting g6nt|ly. Do so; | and aft'r | two days.
(Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 3 seqq.)
CCLVT.
Fro, Goe make thy selfe like a Nymi)h o' th' Sea,
Be subiect to no siglit but thine, and mine: inuisible
To euery eye -ball else: goe take this shape
And hither come in't: goe: hence
With diligence. Exit,
Pro. Awake, deei-e hart awake, thou hast slept well,
Awake.
Ib.y /, 2, 301 seqq.
The above reading of the folio has been handled by the editors in a
somewhat strange and violent manner. In the first line, Pope and
almost all his followers have added to before a Nymph -^ this pre-
position is indeed taken from the later folios and, as will be shown,
cannot be omitted, on ac(X)unt of the metre. Those editors who do
not agree to its insertion, transpose the words Ik siibject fix)m the
beginning of the second to the end of the first line. In the second
THE TEMPEST. 137
line most editors have stmck out thine and, partly in order to reduce
the line to six feet, partly because they thought the wonl 'an inter-
polation of ignorance', as Steevens terms it Dyce goes so far as to
stigmatise the poor words, although contained in all the folios, as
'most ridiculous'. Such high words, I regret to say, are no argu-
ments; this kind of criticism amounts to correcting lie poet himself,
if correcting it be, instead of his copyists and printers. In the fourth
line Ritson and others have omitted goe before hence, and, in con-
sequence, have been obliged fo write in it instead of in't. After all
these alterations it is no wonder that modem texts read very dif-
ferently from what has been transmitted in the folio; in Dyce's third
edition the passage stands thus: —
Go make thyself like to a nymph o' th' sea,
Be subject to no sight but mine; invisible
To every eyeball else. Go take this shape.
And hither come in't: hence with diligence.
The last line is not exempt from the faults of weakness and lame-
ness and it speaks greatly in favour of the old text that, the less
it is altered, the better verses are obtained; there is indeed no occasion
whatever to depart frem it, except in the addition of the preposition
to in the first line and in the arrangement of tlie lines, which would
appear originally to have been this: —
Go, make thyseK like to a nymph o' th' sea:
Be subject to no sight but thine and mine.
Invisible to every eyeball else.
Go, take this shape and hitlier come in't: go hence
With diligence. [Exit Ariel.
Awake, dear heaii;, awake! thou hast slept well;
Awake!
I do not know whether or not this arrangement has been given ali-eady
in some one or other of the innumerable editions of the poet; all I
can say is, that I liave never met with it. With the woitis Go, take
this sJiape Prospero, of course, gives Ariel the garment which is to
render him invisible to everybody's eyes except his (viz. Ariel's) own
and those of his master. (Robinson's Epitome of Literature, Phila-
delphia, March 15, 1879; Vol.-IH, 48.)
CCLVn.
My prime request,
Which I do last pronounce, is, you wonder!
If you be maid or no?
//>., /, 2, 426aeqq,
Made in the fourth folio is un evident gloss; the sense isj ^If you
138 THE TEMPEST.
be an (unmarried) mortal woman or a goddess?' Compare The Birth
of Merlin, H, 2 (ed. Del., 33.— W. and Pr., II, 3, 147 — 151): —
Aur. It is Artesia, the royal Saxon princess.
Prince. A woman and no deity? no feign'd shape,
To mock the reason of admiring sense,
On whom a hope as low as mine may live,
Love, and enjoy, dear brother, may it not?
Compare also Virg. Aen. I, 327 seq. andpdyss. VI, 149 where Ulysses
addresses Nausicaa in the following words: —
yovvoi)fjiai aSy Svaaaa' d^edg vtj Tig 1^ §qox6g ioat x. r. X.
CCLVm.
Be of comfort;
My father's of a better nature, sir.
Than he appears by speech: this is unwonted
Which now came from him.
Ib.y 7, 2y 495 8cqq,
This would implj', that Prospero generally made a less favourable
impression by his speeches than by his actions, which, of course, is
not what Miranda means to say. It is, on the contrary, only this
one speech, just uttered, that shows him to disadvantage, and this
speech, as Miranda assures Ferdinand, is unwonted. Bead there-
fore: —
Than he appears hjs speech: &c.
In order to *make assurance double sure', it may be added that hy's
occurs in John Taylor the Waterpoet's pamphlet entitled The Water -
Cormorant his Complaint &c. (London, 1622) at the end of the
* Satire on A Figure flinger, or a couzning cunning man': —
And though the marke of truth he neuer hits.
Yet still this Cormorant doth line by's wits &c.
(Jalub. d. D. SL-G., VHI, 376.)
CCLIX.
Gon, I would with such perfection govern, sir,
To excel the golden age.
Seb, 'Save his majesty.
Ant, Long live Qonzalo.
Qon. And, — do you mark me, sir?
Ib.f II, 1, 1678eqq.
This is the reading and arrangement of the Cambridge Edition.
S.Walker, Crit. Exam., I, 215 (misquoted III, 215 by Dyce, ad loc.)
would read: Ood save his majesty, the metre in his opinion requiring
THE TEKFEST. 139
the supplement. But Save may well be a monosyllabic foot An-
tonio's exclamation as transmitted in the Folio is meaningless; it is
intended to chaff Gonzalo, but does not. I think it impossible for
Shakespeare to have omitted that point or sting which seems to be
imperatively demanded by the context; he wrote, no doubt: Long live
JONG OonxcUof Compare 'king Stephano' in A. IV, sc. 2, 1. 221 seqq.
As to the arrangement of the passage, I feel certain that it is quite
correct in FA and should not, therefore, be altered: the two exclama-
tions fonn one line, as suggested by S. Walker: —
Gan, I would with such perfection govern, sir,
T' excel the golden age.
Seb, Save his majesty!
Ant. Long live king Gonzalo.
Oon. And, — do you mark me, sir?
In the scansion of the third line it makes no difference, whether
S. Walker's conjecture be adopted or not Li my eye& this addition
is by no means called for; on the contrary I think it highly appro-
piiate and expressive for both exclamations to begin with a strongly
accented word; scan: —
Save I his maj'|sty. — Long | live king | Gonzajlo.
The same rhythmical movement occurs in 1 Tamburlaiue, 11, 7,
ad fin,: —
L6ng I live Tam{burlaine, | and reign | in Ajsia;
in Richard III., HI, 7, a<i /??*., 'according to the Qq: —
L6ng I live Richjard, Eng| land's roy|al king,
(whereas the Ff read: Long Hve | king Rich|ard, &c.); in Cymbeline,
in, 7, 10: —
His abj solute | commi8|sion. L6ng | live Cae|sar;
and in Marlowe's Edward 11. (Works, ed. Dyce, 204b): —
L6ng live | King Ed | ward, Eng| land's law|ful lord.
In my ey^s a strong accent on Long is indispensable in this kind
of exclamation.
CCLX.
Ant It is the quality o' th' Clymate.
Seb. Why
Doth it not then our eye -lids sinke? I finde
Not my selfe dispos'd to sleep.
Ant. Nor I, my spirits are nimble:
They feU together aU, as by consent; &c.
lb., II, 1, 200 seqq.
This reading of the Folio has been altered by all subsequent editors
in so far as Not has been transfen-ed from the beginning of the
140 THE TEMPEST.
fourth to tlie end of the thiixl line. Since, therefore, the EdUio prinr
ceps cannot be followed verbatim, one more remove farther off from
it will not greatly tax our conservatism. In order that 1. 201 may
be reduced to a regular blank verse, the passage should be print^
thus: —
Ant, It is the quality o' th" climate.
Seb, Wliy doth it
Not then oui- eyelids sink? I find not myself
Disposed to sleep.
Ant Nor I; my spirits are nimble.
They fell together all, as by consent; &c.
Line 200 has an extra -syllable before tlie pause. Myself is, of course,
to be i)ronounced as a monosyllabe (compare Mylord). (Notes, privately
printed, 1882, p. 9.)
CCLXI.
And would no more endure
This wooden slavery than to suflFer
The tlesh-fly blow my mouth.
lb,, III, 1, 61 seqq.
In order to complete the second line (1, 62) which to all appearance
has been mutilated by some copjrist or compositor. Pope reads than
I would suffer, whilst Dyce adds tamely after suffer. This latter
reading has been ti-ansferred , without a remark, to Mr. Hudson's
edition, although it may be said to have nomen et omen: it is tame,
very tame. May not the loss have taken place at the beginning of
the line as weU as at its end? May we not imagine the poet to
have written: —
And would no more endm'e
At home this wooden slavery than to suffer
The flesh-fly blow my mouth?
I own that this is a mere guess, but Pope's and Dyce's conjectures
are no more. (Notes and Queries, June 2, 1883, p. 424 seq. —
K5lb., EngL Stud., VI, 438.)
CCLXn.
Gan, All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,
Like poison given to work a great time after,
Now 'gins to bite the spiritfl.
lb., Ill, 3y 104 seqq.
THE TEMPEST. 141
Mr. P. A. Daniel corrects their sjnrUs] compare however A Warning
for Fair Women A. II, 1. 1381 (Simpson, The School of Shakspere,
n, 322): —
The little babies in the mothers' arms
Have wept for those poor babies, seeing me,
That I by my murther have left fatherless.
In my humble opinion, this use of the article instead of the posses-
sive pronoun is no corruption of the text, but a looseness of speech
on the part of the author, which it is not the office of the critic to
correct; all critics, however, know from their own experience how
extremely difficult it is always to keep clear from errors and mis-
takes in distinguishing between the peculiarities and inaccnnicies of
a writer and the lapses of his transcribers and printers.
CCLXni.
Therefore take heed
As Hymen's lamps shall light you.
lb., IV, i, 22 seq.
Head, lamp, Shakespeare is well aware that Hymen has but ono
lamp or, properly speaking, torch; in 1. 97 of this very scene he
says: Till Hymen's torch be lighted. Compare Paradise Lost, VIII,
520 (first ed., VE, 1157): —
On his hill-top to light the bridal lamp.
The « in lamps has evidently intruded into the text by anticipation
of the initial s in shall] it is the reverse of what is called absorption
and what I believe to have taken place in A. I, sc. 2, 1. 497; see
note CCLYIII. At the same time the SfioiOTalewoVy i. e. the similar
endings of the preceding words (As Hymen's), may likewise have been
instrumental in producing the faulty repetition of this final s. Similar
instances, where a faulty final letter has been introduced either by
the influence of the initial of the next word, or by a SfiOioveXevrov,
are pretty frequent. Compare, in the first -named category, Hamlet,
I, 1, 162 (planets strike; see ray note ad he.). Marlowe's Dido, V, 13,
where -Qu. 1594 reads: —
That load their thighs with Hybla's honeys spoyles,
instead of honey spoyles. A Midsummer-Night's Dream, 11, 2, 121 sef]. : —
where I orelooke
Loues stories, written in Loues richest booke,
where the poet in all probability wrote Loue stories; see S. Walker,
Crit Exam., I, 255. Mucedorus, (ed. W. and Pr.) 11, 3, 5: —
Now Bremo siih thy leisure so affords,
A needless [Qq: An endless] thing,
142 THE TEMPEST.
instead of sit, thy] see note CXXX. The Works of AL Pope, ed. by
the Rev. WhitweU Elwin, I, 352 (Windsor Forest, 1. 201 seq.): —
Let me, let me, to the shades repair.
My natives shades — there weep and murmer there.
The line from Dido may at the same time serve as a specimen of
similar endings: —
That load their thighs with Hybla's honey spoils.
Still more striking is the corruption in the following Sfiocor^levTa.
The first I take from Marston's Insatiate Countess (A.in, sc. 1, 1.13)
where the Qu. of 1631 reads: —
Sing boy (though/ nigh/ jet) like the mornings Liarke,
whereas Qu. 1613 exhibits the correct reading though night yet] see
note CCXLI. A second and third instance occur in The Two Gentle-
men of Verona, I, 3, 88, and in Antony and Cleopatra, V, 2, 216
respectively; the former passage stands thus in FA: —
Sir Protheus, your Fathers call's for you,
the latter thus: —
sawcie Lictors
Will catch at vs like Strumpets, and scald Rimers
Ballads vs out a Tune.
Read, father and Ballad. Compare Richard in., 11, 2, 63, where QA
(1597) reads kindreds teares and A Lover's Complaint, 80: —
Of one by nature's outwards so commended,
where an anonymous critic [the Cambridge Editors?] ingeniously con-
jectures outward, A glaring instance may also be found in: The
Task: Book L The Sofa. By William Cowper. With Introduction
and Notes (London and Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, and Com-
pany. 1878) p. 12, 1. 290 seq.: —
The sheepfold here
Pours outs its fleecy tenants o'er the glebe.
Compare S. Walker, Crit Exam., I, 233 — 268 (The final s frequently
interpolated and frequently omitted in the first folio). — Charles and
Mary Cowden Clarke, The Shakespeare Key (London, 1879), p. 676 seqq.
Abbott, p. 240 seq. (Notes and Queries, June 2, 1883, p. 425. —
K5lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 438 seq.)
CCLXIV.
Go, bring the rabble.
O'er whom I give thee power, here to this place.
Ib.y IV, ly 37 seq,
I think we should read: I gave thee power, for Ariel has exercised
the power given him by Prospero over the meaner spirits already in
THE TEMPEST. 143
the second scene of the first act, where he directs them to dance
and to sing: —
Come unto these yellow sands, &c.
(Notes and Queries, June 2, 1883, p. 425. — KOlb., Engl. Stud., VI, 439.)
CCLXV.
Pros, Sweet, now silence!
Juno and Ceres whisper seriously;
There's something else to do: hush, and be mute,
Or else our spell is marr'd.
/&., IV, i, 124 seqq.
Dr. Aldis Wright ingeniously remarks, that 'it would seem more
natural that these words should be addressed to Miranda'. 'If they
are properly assigned to Prospero', he continues, 'we should have
expected that part of the previous speech would have been spoken
by Miranda. They might form a continuation of Ferdinand's speech,
which would then be intemipted by Prospero's "Silence!" Other-
wise the difficulty might be avoided by giving "Sweet to do"
to Miranda and the rest of the speech to Prospero.' — To me a
slight alteratioii of this lattei' arrangement would seem to meet all
exigencies of the case; I feel certain that the original distribution of
these lines was as follows: —
Mir, [To Fer,] Sweet, now, silence!
Juno and Ceres whisper seriously.
Pros, There's something else to do: hush, and be mute,
Or else our speU is marr'd.
I think it an admirable touch of the poet that the whispering of the
goddesses should produce in Miranda's timid mind some vague fear
lest the pageant should be disturbed by Ferdinand's remarks and
some harm be done to her lover and herself by the irritated spirits;
her speech, however, must end at seriously, for how should she have
come to the knowledge that there is something else to do? Nobody
but Prospero knows what is to come or to be done next and the
words There's something else to do cannot with propriety be assigned
to any other interlocutor, whereas the line Juno and Geres whisper
seriously seems to fit no lips so well as those of his daughter.
(Notes and Queries, June 2, 1883, p. 425. — Kolk, Engl. Stud.,
VI, 439 seq.)
CCLXVI.
Leave not a rack behind. lb,, IV, 1, 156.
Dyoe eagerly contends . for the correctness of Malone's interpretation
of this passage, rack in the opinion of both these critics being
144 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.
equivalent to wrc^k, whei^eas tlicy tliiuk it completely inadmissible
to take the word in the sense of scud or floating vapour, as has
been done by Collier and others. In my opinion, ureck, in this pas-
sage, would be far too gross and not in keeping with the context.
Without reviewing the explanations given by Staunton and other
editors, I merely wish to point out a coincidence that has not yet
been adverted to and which seems to decide in favour of raek =
vapour or scud. It is agreed on almost all hands that in these lines
Shakespeare has imitated a well-known passage in the Earl of Stir-
ling's tragedy of Darius which its author winds up with the fol-
lowing lines: —
Those statelie Courts, those sky-encountring walles
Evanish all like vapours in the aire.
Is it not evident that rack was intended by Shakespeare as a sub-
stitute for the synonymous vapours? And why may he not have
connected the word with the indefinite article, unusual though this
connection may be? At all events this syntactical anomaly seems
highly impressive in so far as it reduces, so to say, the mass of
floating vapours to a single particle or streak and seems to imply
that all the gorgeousness of earth does not leave behind even a single
streak of vapour. (Notes and Queries, June 2, 1883, p. 425. —
K6lb., Engl. Stud., VI, 440. — Compare Dr. Brinsley Nicholson's reply
in Notes and Queries, Sept. 1, 1883, p. 163.)
CCLXVn.
Speed. Sir Proteus, save you! Saw you my master.
The Tfco Genilemen of Verona, I, 1, 70.
The late Prof. W. Wagner in liis edition of Shakspere's Works (Ham-
burg, 1880, Vol I, p. 87) remarks on this line: 'Some word (like
he^e or now) seems to have dropped out after saw you.' I think not
Proteus is either to be pronounced as a trisyllable: —
Sir Pro I te- us, | save you I | Saw you | my ma8|ter,
or, which I think more likely, the verse belongs to the wide -spread
class of syllable pause lines: —
Sir Pro I tens, save | you! _i | Saw you | my masjter.
The same alternative occurs again A. I, sc. 3, 1. 3: —
'Twas of your nephew Proteus, your son,
and A. I, sc. 3, 1. 88: —
Sir Proteus, your father calls for you.
These two lines Prof. W. Wagner passes by without comment.
THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VEBONA. 145
ccLxvm.
Come, shadow, come, and take this shadow up,
For 'tis thy rivaL thou senseless form,
Thou shalt be worshipped, kiss'd, loved and adored!
And were there sense in his idolatry.
My substance should be statue in thy stead.
Ib.y IV, 4, 202 se^q.
For stahie in the last line Hanmer conjectured sainted, Warburton
staiued. I think we should read shadow, on which word Julia is
evidently playing. Shadow is usually opposed to substance, so that
also in the above line it seems to be almost necessitated by the
preceding substance. This conviction is still strengthened when we
i-ecall the verses in A. IV, sa 2, where Proteus asks for Silvia's
picture and Silvia promises to send it: —
Pro, Madam, if your heart be so obdurate
Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love.
The picture that is hanging in your chamber;
To that I'll speak, to that I'll 6igh and weep:
For since the substance of your perfect self
Is else devoted, I am but a shadow;
And to your shadow will I make true love.
Jul, [Aside], If 'twere a substance, you would, sure,
deceive it,
And make it but a shadow, as I am.
Sil. I am very loath to be your idol, sir;
But since your falsehood shall become you well
To worship shadows and adore false shapes.
Send to me in the morning and I'll send it:
And so, good rest.
Compare also: —
Ix)ve like a shadow flies, when substance love pursues.
77?^ Merry Wires of Windsor, U, 2, 213.
He takes false shadows for true substances.
Titus Andronicus, III, 2, 80,
That same is Blanch, daughter to the king
The substance of the shadow that you saw.
Fair Em, (Del, 8. — W, and Pr,, 10. — Sim., II, 416.)
Each one shall change his name:
Master Vandal, you shaU take Heigham, and you
Young Harvey, and Monsieur Delion, Ned,
And under shadows be of substance sped.
Englishmen for my Money (HaditVs Dodsley, X, 514.)
Elze, Notes. 10
146 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OP VEROXil.
Har[vey]. Hark, Ned, there's thy 'substance. [Aside.
Wal[grave]. Nay, by the iiijiss, the substance is here,
The shadow's but an ass. [Aside.
lb., (H's D., X. 525.)
One shadow for a substance; this is she.
Ih., (IVs /)., X,549.)
Yet love at length forc'd him to know his fate,
And love tlie shade whose substance he did hate.
Mar Stan, Works, cd. Ilallurell, HI, 203.
Religion's name against itself was made;
The shadow served the substance to invade.
Dryden, Astrcea Redux, 1.191 — 2.
This would seem to be overwhelming evidence in favour of my con-
jecture; yet, after all, staiiLe may possibly be the right word, since it
appears to have been used in a passage or two for a pictiu^, or,
strictly speaking, a painted life-size figure. The most striking of
these passages occurs in Massinger's City Madam, V, 3 (Works, ed.
Hartley Coleridge, 1839, p. 338a): —
Sir John. Your nieces, ere they put to sea, crave humbly,
Though absent in their bodies, they may take leave
Of their late suitors' statues.
Enter Lady Frugal, Anne, and Manj.
Luke, There they hang: &c.
And about thirty lines infra: —
Sir John. For your sport,
You shall see a masterpiece. Here's nothing but
A superficies; colours, and no substance.
By the way it may be remarked, that the scene forcibly reminds
the reader of Hermione ' standing like a statue ' in The "Winter's Tale,
Y, 3. — Next to Massinger Sir Thomas Overbury must be mentioned,
from whose Characters the following passage is quoted by Trench, in
his Select Glossary (1859), s. Landscape: 'The sins of other women
show in land skip, far off and fidl of shadow; her's [a harlot's] in
statue, near hand and bigger in the life.' As according to Blount's
Glossary (quoted by Skeat s. Landscape) 'landscape' expresses 'all
the part of a picture which is not of the body or argument', thus
answering to the modern 'back -ground', it seems highly probable
that staiue is here meant by Sir Thomas 0^^erbury to signify a figure
standing in the fore-gi'ound of the picture. Compare The Complete
Works of William Shakespeare, ed. the Rev. Henry N. Hudson, I, 235.
Collier, Hist, of Engl. Dram. Poetry (1879), III, 125se(i. (Robinson's
Epitome of Literatiu-e, March 15, 1879; Vol. HI, p. 48.)
THE TWO GEMTLEMEN &C. tHE HfiRRY WtVES OP \VTNDSOR. 147
CCLXIX.
Jul. 0, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook:
This is the ring you sent to Silvia.
Pro. But how cam'st thou by this ring? At my depart
I gave this imto Julia.
lb., V, 4, 94 seq.
Steevens proposed an entirely different arrangement of these and the
preceding lines with divers alterations of the text which it is need-
less to repeat. Pope omits But in 1. 96. Dyce, following Steevens
in this particular, transfers the words at my depart to the b^;inning
of the following line, without, however, adding a word of explanation
or justification. The Cambridge Editors write earnest and seem to
have taken the line to be one of six feet, with a trochee for its
second foot. The simplest and easiest way to regulate the metre, in
my opinion, is to add But to the preceding line; thus: —
Jul. 0, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook:
This is the ring you sent to Silvia.
Pro. But,
How cam'st thou by this ring? At my depaii;
I gave this unto Julia.
Compare Antony and Cleopatra, V, 2, 12seqq.: —
Antony
Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but
I do not greatly care to be deceived.
(Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 11 seq.)
CCLXX.
Pist. The horn, I say. FarewelL
Take heed, have open eye, for thieves do foot by night:
Take heed, ere summer comes or cuckoo -birds do sing.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, II, i, 126—7.
Arrange: —
Pist. The horn, I say. Farewell! Take heed!
Have open eye; for thieves do foot by night
Take heed!
Ere summer comes, or cuckoo -birds do sing.
Thus the two Alexandrines are reduced to regular metre. To the
next line the following stage -direction should be added: *Nym has
all this while been conversing aside with Page.* Compare Steevens
and Dyce ad loc.
10"
148 THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
CCLXXI.
Fist. I do relent: what would thou more of man?
lb., II, 2, 31.
Bdmt is the reading of QC and the Ff ; QAB (the Cambridge Edition
erroneously prints Qg instead of Qg): recant Qy.: repent*^
CCLXXn.
Fal, Good maid, then.
Quich I'll be sworn;
As my mother was, the first hour I was born.
lb., IL 2, 37—9.
The last line is, of course, to be spoken aside. The moaning is:
I'll be sworn that I am a maid just as well as my mother was in
the first hour after I was born.
CCLXXin.
Fal. Fare thee well: commend me to them both: there's my
purse; I am yet tliy debtor. Boy, go along with this woman.
[Exeunt Mistress Quickly and Bobin.] This news distracts me!
Pist. This punk is one of Cupid's carriers:
Clap on more sails; pursue; up with your fights:
Give fire: she is my prize, or ocean whelm them aU!
[Eont.
Fal. Sayest thou so, old Jack? go thy ways; &a
lb., II, 2, 137—44.
This is one of those corrupt passages that have been transmitted
from one generation to the other without exciting suspicion. What
is the meaning of the words 'Sayest thou so, old Jack?', if the
preceding verses are spoken by Pistol instead of Falstaff himself?
And who can realize Pistol as the speaker of two verses that in his
mouth are entirely meaningless, verses which evidently form part
of Falstaff 's soliloquy, after Mrs. Quickly, Robin, and Pistol have
left the stage. Arrange, therefore: —
Fal. Fare thee well: commend me to them both: there's my
purse; I am yet thy debtor. Boy, go along with this woman.
[Eoceunt Mistress Quickly and Bobin.
Pist. This punk is one of Cupid's carriers. [EcU.
Fal. This news distracts me I
Clap on more sails; pursue; up with your fights:
Give fire: she is my prize, or ocean whelm them all.
Sayest thou so, old Jack? go thy ways; &c.
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 149
CCLXXIV, •
Farewell, gentle mistress, farewell, Nan.
Ih., Ill, 4, 98.
In accordance with S. Walker, Versification, p. 140, both Dr. Abbott
(s.475) and Dr. Aldis Wright (in his note on The Tempest, I, 2, 53)
have advanced the opinion that the first fare in the above line is
more emphatic than the second; it is a dissyllable, they say, whereas
the second is a monosyllable.* It seems natural, however, that
Master Fenton should take leave in a more expressive tone from
'sweet Anne Page' than from her mother, the more so as the latter
does by no means favour his suit. In my opinion the verse belongs
to those syllable pause lines whose name is legion, and should be
scanned accordingly: —
Farewell, | w gen|tle mis|tres8; fare|well. Nan.
The pronunciation fdrewell seems to have been considered more em-
phatic, not to say pathetic, than farew6U, and, in cases of repetition,
a kind of climax is sometimes reached by the transition from farewell
to farewell. Compare, e. g., 2 Henry YI., HI, 2, 356: —
Yet now farewell; and fdrewell life with thee.
Another passage in point occurs in Richard III., in, 7, 247: —
Farewell, good cousin; fdrewell, gentle friends.
In the touching and heart-felt leave-taking of Brutus (Julius Caesar,
V, 1, 116 seq.) the word is accented throughout on the first syllable.
Two passages that would seem to contradict my theory occur in
Othello (ni, 3, 348 seq. and Y, 2, 124 seq.) where the word bears
the accent on the first syllable. I have, however, little doubt that
tl^e arrangement of the second of these passages is corrupted and
that Shakespeare did not make Desdemona say; —
Nobody; I myself; farewell.
Commend | me to | my kind | lord. 0, | farewell,
but: —
Nobody; I myself; farew6U! Commend me
To my I kind lord. | 0, fdre|well!
The following line in Mucedorus (m, 4, 34) has been declared by
Messrs. Warnke and Proescholdt to be a regular Alexandrine: —
Then Mu|cedo|rus, fare | well, my | hop'd joys, | farewell.
* According to Dr. Aldis Wright also tho first year in The Tempest, I,
2, 53, is to be pronounced as a dissyllable, the second as a monosyllable.
I think it much more probable, however, that the first Twelve is to be con-
sidered as a monosyllabic foot and that the true scansion of the line is : —
Twelve | year since, | Miran|da, twelve | year since.
Thus a uniform and more pleasing rhythmical movement is obtained. Com-
pare S. Walker, Versification, p. 138.
150 THE MEBRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
If this scansion were right, the more emphatic accentuation of the
word would indeed precede the less emphatic; but the line, far from
being a regular Alexandrine, is a regular blank verse with an extra
syllable before the pause: —
Then Mu|cedo|rus, farewell, | my hop'd | joys, f^relwelL
It cannot be denied, however, tliat in Fair Em there occurs a line
(Y, 1, 208) in which the accentuation farewell indeed precedes the
accentuation fareweU: —
Then farewell, fit)st! farewell a wench that will,
whereas in a preceding passage of the same play (11, 1, 157) we
read: —
Farew611, my love! Nay, farewell, life and all!
The Merry Devil of Edmonton (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 239): —
Sir Arthur, Farewell, dear son, farewell.
Mounchensey. Fare | you well. \ Ay, you | have done?
Marlowe, Edward 11., II, 4, 9 seq. (ed. Tanoock): —
Gav. Farewell, my lord.
Edw. [Farewell.] Lady, farewell.
Niece, Farew611, sweet uncle, till we meet again.
Edw, Farew6U, sweet Qaveston; and farewell, niece.
Q. Isab, No ftoweU to poor Isabel thy queen?
Let me add two more lines concerning wliich I cannot help differing
from Dr. Abbott (8.475 and s.480). They are K. John, III, 3, 17,
scanned thus by Dr. Abbott: —
F4re|weU, gen | tie o6us|in. C6z, | farewell,
and Pericles, II, 5, 13, scanned thus: —
L6ath to I bid fd|rewell, [ we tdke [ our 16a ves.
The first verse, in which no gradation of accentuation or emphasis
takes place, I take to be a syllable pause line and the second to
begin with a monosyllabic foot: —
Farewell, | ^ g6n|tle o6u|sin. C6z, | farewell,
and: —
L6ath I to bid | farewell, | we take | our leaves.
The conjecture: 'Farewell, my gentle cousin', mentioned by S.Walker,
Versification, p. 140, is unnecessary, if not entirely wrong. (Notes,
privately printed, 1882, p. 13 seqq.)
CCLXXV.
Than thee with wantonness: now doth thy honour stand.
lb., IV, 4, 8.
Wantonness is a triple ending before the pause.
THE MERRY WIVES OF WHYDSOR. MEASURE FOR MEASX7RE. 151
CCLXXVI.
And marry her at Eton. Go send to FalstafiF straight
76., IV, 4, 75,
Omit at Eton which words have intruded here from the last
scene, 1. 194.
CCLXXVIL
As if we had them not. Spirits are finely touch'd.
Measure for Measure, I, 1, 36,
'In Measure far Measure\ says Mr. Meay, 1. c, 84, 'the regular in-
stances [viz. of Alexandrines] are numerous and the change to the
third period complete.' Mr. Fleay is quite right as to the frequency in
'Measure for Measure' of that peculiar kind of verse which he calls
Alexandrines, and I differ from him only in so far as I take the
great majority of them to be blank verse, mostly with a triple ending
either at the end of the line, or at the end of the first hemistich,
i. e. before the pause. I am perfectly aware that Mr. Fleay's opinions
on this head are shared more or less by most English Shakespearians
and prosodists, amongst others by Mr. Alexander J. Ellis who in his
elaborate work 'On Early English Pronunciation' (III, 943 seq.) has
proved a staunch defender of Alexandrines in Shakespeare and an
eager, though unsuccessful antagonist of Dr. Abbott. It would be
labour thrown away to argue with Mr. Ellis and to examine the
details of his theor}'; I merely mention him lest, at some time or
other, my silence should be misinterpreted as ignorance. In the
following scansions I shall omit some few of the lines designated as
Alexandrines by Mr. Fleay and for brevity's sake shall now and then
mark the middle syllable of triple endings by an apostrophe. To
begin with the line at the head of this note, it has a triple ending
before the pause (had them not), while Spirits is to be pronounced
as a monosyllable.
I, 1, 56: Matters of needful value: we shaU write to you.
Hanmer omitted to you, ^Mr. Fleay writes V you and declares
the line to be an Alexandrine 'with Spenserian cesura.' In
my opinion the verse should be scanned: —
Matters | of need|ful val|ue: we shall | write t6 | you.
Compare A. IV, sc. 3, 1. 141: —
And gen|eral hon|our. I'm | direct |ed^ b^ | you.
I, 3, 37: For what I bid them do: for we bid this be done.
Be done omitted by Pope. Bid them do is a triple ending
before the pause. Compare K. Bicbard III., I, 2, 89: —
152 HEASUBE FOB MEASURE.
Say that | I slew | them not? Why, thea | they are |
not dead,
and Coriolanus, IV, 1, 27: —
As 'tis I to laugh | at 'em. My moth|er, you | wot well.
Possibly, however, all these lines may just as well be taken
for what are termed trimeter couplets by Dr. Abbott, s. 500 seq.
I, 3, 39 : And not | the pun | 'shment. Therefore, | indeed, | my fa | ther.
Indeed omitted by Pope. — Compare Marlowe, Edward EL.,
1,2,71:-
Confirm | his ban|'8hment with | our hands | and seals.
I, 4, 5: Upon | the si8|t'rhood, the vo|t'rists of | Saint Clare.
Pope, sister votaries] Dyce, sisterhood, votarisis,
1,4, 70: To sof|ten An|glo; and that's | my pith | of busj'ness.
Pith of omitted by Pope; Hanmer and Dyce end the line at
pith and thus complete the following line, although they differ
in their readings.
II, 2, 9: Why dost thou ask again? Lest I might be too rash.
Dost thou omitted by Hanmer. Ask again seems to be a triple
ending; the line may, however, be taken for a trimeter couplet,
just like n, 2, 12; 11, 2, 14; II, 2, 41, and numerous others.
n, 2, 70: And what| a ijris|'ner. Ay, touch | him; there's | the vein.
n, 2, 183: To sin in loving virtue: never could the strumpet.
Dyce and Mr. Fleay justly adopt Pope's correction ne'er for
never and thus make the line a regular blank verse with an
extra syllable before the pause.
n, 4, 118: T'have what | we would | have, we speak | not what |
we mean.
Steevens (and Dyce), we'd.
II, 4, 128 (not 127): In profiting by | them. Nay, call | us ten |
times fraiL
II, 4, 153 seq. Pope, Dyce (and others?) justly end 1. 153 at world.
Dyce thinks the word cUoitd an interpolation and is surprised
that none of the former editors has thrown it out. . In my
opinion such an omission would be quite uncalled for, as the
two lines are thus to be scanned: —
Or with I an out | stretch'd throat | I'll tell | the world
Aloud I what man | thou 'rt.
Ang. Who will | believe | thee, Isj'bel?
Both man thou art and Isabel are triple endings; as to the
latter compare IV, 3,119; Y, 1,387; V, 1,392 and V, 1,435.
MEASURE FOR MEASURE. 153
in, 1, 32seq. Qy. arrange and scan: —
For endjing thee | no 8oon|er. Thou hast | nor youth
Nor age, | but, as | 'twere, an af|ter-din|ner*8 sleep?
III, 1, 61: To-mor|row you | set on. | Is there | no rem|'dy?
in, 1, 89: In base | appli|'noes. This out | ward- saint |ed dep|'ty?
Hanmer reads appliance.
m, 1, 151 (not 150): 'Tis best j that thou | diest quick|ly. hear]
me, Isj'bel.
The old copies as well as the modern editions, as far as they
are known to me, wrongly read Isabella. The line has an
extra syllable before the pause and a triple ending.
IV, 2, 76 8eqq.: The best and wholesomest spirits of the night
Envelop you, good Provost. Who callM here of late?
Prov, None, since the curfew rung.
Duke, Not Isabel?
Prov, No.
Duke, They wUl, then, ere't be long.
Arrange: —
The best and wholesomest spirits of the night
Envelop you, good Provost! Who caU'd here
Of late?
Prov. None, since the curfew rung.
Duke, Not Isabel?
Prov. No.
Duke, She will, then, ere't be long.
Isabel is a triple ending or a quasi -dissyllable; compare The
Works of John Marston, ed. J. 0. Halliwell (London, 1856)
m, 110: —
IsabeU | advan|ces to | a sec|ond bed.
Of late Isabel, therefore, is a regular blank verse and the
Alexandrine is discarded. They, in the last line, has rightly
been altered to She by Hawkins. Compare Abbott, s. 501.
IV, 2, 86 8eq.: To qualify in others: were he mealed with that
Which he corrects, then were he tyrannous.
In the one -volume edition of Shakespeare's Plays and Poems
published by Ernest Fleischer, Leipsic, 1833, the words unth
that are transferred to the following line and I am surprised
that this correction has not been recorded in the Cambridge
Edition. Mr. Fleay recommends the same transposition and it
only remains to add, that tyrannous is a triple ending which
makes the line a correct blank verse.
rV, 2, 103: Profess'd | the oon|tr'ry. This is | his lord [ship's man.
154
A MIDSUMMER -NIGHTS DREAM.
IV, 3, 131: By every syllable a faithful verity.
Strange to say, this line is not mentioned by Mr. Fleay. Verity
is a triple ending; compare su^a note CX.
IV, 8, 137: There to give up their power. If you can, pace your
wisdom.
I strongly suspect that the words If you can did not come
from the poet's pen and should be struck out.
IV, 3, 145: At Mariana's house to-night. Her cause and yours.
To-night omitted by Pope. Mr. Fleay rightly, though dif-
fidently, suggests Marian's, and thus restores a regular blank
verse. It has not occurred to Mr. Fleay that the same cor-
rection is to be applied to A. V, sc. 1, 1. 379 and A. V, sc. 1,
1.408: —
Is all I the grace | I beg. | Come hith|er, Majrian.
For Majrian's sake: | but as | he adjudg'd | your broth 'er.
IV, 5, 6: As cause | doth minpster. Cro, call | at Flajvius' house.
Oo omitted by Hanmer.
V, 1, 32: Or wring redress from you. Hear me, hear me, here!
Dyce justly queries here] it is ceiiainly an interpolation.
V, 1, 42: Is it not strange and strange? Nay, it is ten times strange.
Omit, w^ith Pope, Dyce, &c., it is.
V, 1,51: That I | am touch 'd | with mad|ne8s. Make not | im-
poss I 'ble.
V, 1, 54 (not 56): May seem | as shy, | as grave, | as just, | as
ab I s'lute.
V, 1, 65: For in | equal j'ty; but let | your rea|son serve.
Pope needlessly transferred serve to the beginning of the next
line in which he omitted the article before truth,
V, 1, 74 : As then | the mess | 'nger, — That's I, | an 't like | your grace.
See S.Walker, Versification, 200 seq. and note CDLI.
V, 1, 101: And I | did yield | t' him: but the | next morn | betimes.
But the omitted by Pope. Yield to him is a triple ending
before the pause.
V, 1, 233: A mai']ble mon|'mont. I did | but smile | tiU now.
V, 1, 260: Upon I these slan|d'rers: My lord, | we'll do|it tlirough|ly.
CCLXXVni
Can you not hate me, as I know you do.
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
A Midsiiimner'Night's Dream j III, 2, 149 seq.
A MIDSUMMER- night's DREAM. 155
The second line, although Dyee is silent about it, is certainly cor-
rupt Hanmer conjectured in fUmtsi Mason, in soul] Tyrwhitt, iU
souls] Warburton, but must join insoknts. According to my con-
viction Shakespeare wrote: —
But you must join in taunts to mock me too?
The usual abbreviation 'taQts*, if the stroke were obliterated, or alto-
gether left out, could easily be misread for ' fouls \ (The Athenaeum,
Oct 26, 1867, 537.)
CCLXXIX.
Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!
That is hot ice and wondrous strange snow.
lb., V,l,58seq.
Hanmer proposed and wondrous scorching snow] Warburton, a won-
drous strange sheiv; Upton and CapeU, and wondrous strange black
snow, Mason, and wohderous strong snow; Collier and R. Grant
White (Shakespeare's Scholar, 220), and wondrous seething snow]
Staunton, and wondrous swarthy sru>w\ Nicholson, and wondrous
staining snow. The Editors of the Globe Edition have prefixed their
well-known obelus to the line. There can be no doubt that the
epithet must refer to the colour, and not to the temperature, of the
snow; for as ice is the symbol and quintessence of coldness, so is
snow of whiteness and purity. Compare, e. g., Psalm LI, 7: Purge
me with hyssop and I shaU be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow. Hamlet, III, 1, 140: be thou as chaste as ice, as 'pure
as snow. Hamlet, m, 3, 46: —
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow?
The incongruity, with the ice, therefore, lies in the temperature;
with the snow, in the coloiu*. In so far, Staunton's conjecture
swarthy highly recommends itself; it is, indeed, the only one that is
acceptable among those that have been published hitherto. I imagine,
however, that Shakespeare wrot^: —
That is, hot ice and wondrous sable snow.
To a transcriber or compositor of Shakespeare's works, the words
tpondrous strange, from their frequent occurrence, were likely to pre-
sent themselves even when uncalled for. (The Atheneeum, Oct 26,
1867, 537.)
156 A MIDSUMMER- eight's DREAM. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.
CCLXXX.
Tongue, lose thy light;
Moon, take thy flight;
Now die, die, die, die, die. [EMt Moonshine.
lb., Vy 1, 309seqq.
This nonsense which is by no means intentional, can never have
come from Shakespeare's pen. The word tongue is entirely out of
place here and has evidently crept in from Thisbe's next speech (the
antistrophe) : —
Tongue, not a word:
Come, trusty sword;
Come, blade, my breast imbrue.
Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps has conjectui^ sun for tongue; but Pyramus
has nothing to do with the sun, and such an address to sun and
moon would be too truly pathetic in his mouth. Besides, Pyramus
does not address the moon, but rather Moonshine and his Dog, and
tangue, in my opinion, is nothing but a mistake for dog. This
granted, we have only to transpose the words Dog and Moon, and
the natural flow of thoughts and words seems fully restored: —
Moon, lose thy light,
Dog, take thy flight, [Exit Moonshine,
Now die, die, die, die, die.
(The Athenaeum, Oct. 26, 1867, 537.)
CCLXXXI.
My wind cooling my broth
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great at sea might do.
The Merchant of Venice, I, 1, 22 seqq.
Wind is here understood by the commentators and translators to
mean 'breath'. The repetition of the word, however, first in this
unusual and immediately after in its customary sense, makes me
doubt, since no pun is intended; it seems natural, to take the word
in both places in the same sense. Besides, nobody is able to blow
himself to an ague by his own proper breath; on the contrary, that
which produces an ague must come from somewhere else, it must be
a wind, in the ordinary sense of the word, and not a breath. The
pronoun 'my' does not subvert this explanation; it is used collo-
quially and redundantly in the same manner as 'me', 'my', or 'your'.
Thus, e. g.. King John I, 1, 189 seqq.: —
Now your traveller.
He and his toothpick at my worship's mess;
And when my knightly stomach is suffic'd,
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, 157
Why then I suck my teeth, and catechize
My picked man of countries.
Or Ben Jonson, Yolpone, IV, 1: —
Read Contarene, took me a house.
Dealt with my Jews to furnish it with moveables &c.
Abbott, 8. 220 seq., has omitted to mention this redundant use of
'my'. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 275.)
CCLXXXn.
Shy, Three thousand ducats; well.
Ib„ 7, 3, 1.
The same sum of three thousand ducats occurs also in Twelfth Night,
I, 3, 22, where we are told by Sir Toby Belch that Sir Andrew
Aguecheek *has three thousand ducats a year.' In *Soliman and
Perseda' (H's D., Y, 308) the same amount is again oflferpd as a
reward to him who shall discover and capture the murderer of
Ferdinando: —
And let proclamation straight be made.
That he that can bring forth the murderer.
Shall have three thousand ducats for his pain.
CCLXXXm.
How like a fawning publican he looks.
lb., 7, 5, 42.
Messrs. Clark and Wright in their annotated edition of this play take
exception to the above line. 'A "fawning publican",' they say,
'seems an odd combination. The Publicani or farmers of taxes under
the Roman government were much more likely to treat the Jews
with insolence than servility. Shakespeare, perhaps, only remembered
that in the Ghospels "publicans and sinners" are mentioned together
as objects of the hatred and contempt of the Pharisees.' — The
learned editors have overlooked that the poet evidently alludes to
St Luke XYni, 10 — 14, where the publican fawns — not indeed
on men, but — in Shylock's opinion — on &od. Such a contrition
before God, proceeding from a humility which is a characteristic of
Christianity rather than of Judaism, does not enter into Shylock's
soul. Shylock lends a deaf ear to Portia's glorious panegyric of
mercy; he will neither show, nor accept mercy. He 'stays on his
bond' not only in his relations to his fellow -men, but also in his
relations to his Creator. 'What judgment shall I dread, doing no
wrong?' and 'My deeds upon my head!' he exclaims, in the true
158 THE MERCHAIfT OF VENICE.
spirit of Judaism. Marlowe's Barabas (A. I) speaks in the very
same key: —
The man that dealeth righteously shall live;
And which of you can charge me otherwise?
But Shylock is not only incapable of sympathizing with the publican
that prostrates himself in the dust and cries for mercy, he is even
averse to what he deems an abject behaviour; he hates such a man
and brands his humility as fawning. Compare Dr. Furness ad loc,
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 276).
CCLXXXIV.
Sky, Signior Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances.
Ib.y 1,3, 107 seqq.
Roger Wilbraham (An Attempt at a Glossary of Some Words used in
Cheshire, London, 1836, under 'Many a time and off) says: 'A com-
mon expression and means, frequently. — — "With whidi collo(iuial
expression, though common through all England, Mr. Kean, the actor
in tlie part of Shylock, being unacquainted, always spoke the pas-
sage,, by making a pause in the middle of it, thus: "Many a time
— and oft on the Rialto", without having any authority from the
text of Shakespeare for so doing.' Compare also Forby, Vocabulary
of East Anglia, s. v. Many - a- timc-and- often: *a pleonasm or rather
tautology, sufficiently ridiculous, but in very familiar use.'
CCLXXXY.
The young gentleman, — — is indeed deceased, or, as you
would saj^ in plain tenns, gone to heaven.
lb,, n, 2, 64 seqq.
Launcelot Qobbo delights in saying things by contraries; he advises
his father to 'turn down indirectly to the Jew's house' and assures
Bassanio that the suit is 'impertinent' to himself. May he not be
speaking here in the same style? May not the 'plain term' he has
in his mind be 'gone to hell'? He does not, however, pronounce
the ominous word, but after some hesitation corrects himself. The
actor therefore should make a significant pause before 'heaven', and
we should write, or, as you would say in plain terms, gone to —
Iteaven, A similar humorous innuendo is contained in the well-known
poem of Burns 'Duncan Gray', st. 3: —
Shall I, like a fool, quoth he.
For a haughty hizzie die?
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. 159
She may gae to — France for me!
Ha, ha, the wooing o't.
I quote from Allan Cunningham's edition (London, 1842, in 1 vol.,
450). In the second line, I think, we should write dee for die.
Compare also G. Eliot, Adam Bede (Tauchn. Ed., I, 22): Chad's Bess
wore 'a pair of large round earrings with false garnets in them,
ornaments contemned not only by the Methodists, but by her own
cousin and namesake Timothy's Bess, who, with much cousinly
feeling, wished "them eamngs'' might come to good [i. e. to grief].'
(Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 277 seq.)
CCLXXXVL
How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio?
lb., Illy 2, 242.
The distinguishing title here given to Antonio is repeated in IV,
1, 29: Enow to press a royal merchant down. It is an epitheton
omcms, by which the poet wishes to define the social position and
princely magnanimity of Antonio, but at the same time it hints
at the terminus technicus for a merchant adventurer, viz. the Merchant
Royal. The business of the Merchant Royal is defined in a passage
in Thomas Powell's pamphlet Tom of all Trades; or, The plaine
Pathway to Preferment (1631), which is reprinted in Dr. Fumivall's
edition of Tell-Trothes New-Yeares Gift (Publications of the New
Shakspere Society, Ser. YI, No. 2, 164 seq.). 'I admit', says Thomas
Powell, 'the Merchant Royall that comes to his Profession by travaile
and Factor}^ full fraught, and free adventure, to be a profession
worthy the seeking. But not the hedge -creeper, that goes to seeke
eufitome from shop to shop with a CryU under his arme, That
leapes from his Shop-boord to the Exchange', and after he is fame-
falne and credit crackt in two or three other professions, shall wrigle
into this and that when he comes upon the Exchange, instead of
enquiring after such a good ship, spends the whole houre in dis-
puting, whether is the more profitable house- keeping, either with
powder Beefe, and brewes, or with fresh Beefe and Porridge; though
(God wot) the blacke Pot at home be guilty of ne}i;her: And so he
departs when the Bell rings, and his guts rumble, both to one tune
and the same purpose. The Merchant Royall might grow prosperous,
were it not for such poore patching interloping Lapwings that have
an adventure of two Chaldron of Coles at New -castle; As much oyle
in the Greeneland fishing as will serve two Coblers for the whole
yeare ensuing. And an other at Rowsie [i. e. Russia], for as many
Fox -skins as will furre his Longlane gowne, when he is called to
the Livorie.' — Compare also Marston, The Insatiate Countesse, A. 11
(Works, ed. Halliwell, HI, 124): ^Tha[is]: 0! this your device smells
of the merchant. What's your ships name, I pray? The Forlome
160 THE MKRCHANT OF VENICE. AS TOTT LIKE IT.
Hope? Abi[gail]: Noe; The Merchant Boyall. Tka, And why not
Adventurer?' — From these passages it will be seen that Antonio is
both a royal merchant and a Merchant Royal. (Anglia, herausgeg. von
Wulcker und Trautmann, I, 340.)
CCLXXXVIL
Stephano is my name; and I bring word.
lb., F, 1, 28,
Dr. Farmer's well-known remark, that the pronunciation of Stephmw
is always right in The Tempest (i. e. with the accent on the first
syllable) and always wrong in The Merchant of Venice (i. e. with
the accent on the penult) has heen repeated and subscribed to by
all subsequent commentators, myself among the number (Essays on
Shakespeare, p. 293 seq.). Farmer takes it for granted liiat Shake-
speare was taught the right pronunciation of the name by Ben Jonsou
in the interval between the bringing out of the two respective come-
dies, as the first version of Every Man in his Humour, in which
Shakespeare performed a part in 1598, contained two characters,
Prospero and Stephano, both correctly pronounced. However plausible
this surmise may appear, I have nevertheless come to the conviction
that Shakespeare may noways have stood in need of any such
instruction from his friend B. Jonson. Besides the line at the head
of this note the name of Stephano occurs again in line 51 of the
same scene: —
My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you.
It strikes me, that in both these lines the name may be pronounced
as correctly as in The Tempest, the first line opening with a trochee
and the second having ,a trochee in the second place. I need not
point out how frequently a trochee occurs at the beginning of the
line; that it is also of pretty frequent occurrence in the second foot
has been shown in my second edition of Hamlet, s. 118 (That no
reuenew hast, &c.). Compare Abbott, s. 453. Nothing prevents us
then from scanning: —
St6pha|no Is | ray mtme; | and f | bring w6rd
and: —
My friend | St^^pha|no, sig|nif^, I prdy | you.
(Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 10 seq.)
ccLxxxvm.
Bear your body more seeming, Audrey^.
As You Like It, V, 4, 72,
In support of Mr. P. A. Daniel's admirable emendation more stcimming,
the following passages may be added to those that have been quoted
Me tAMtNQ OF THE 8HR£W. l6l
by Mr. Daniel himself. The Two Noble Einsmen (ed. Harold Little-
dale, p. 146): swim with your bodies. Chapman, The Ball, A. 11
(The Works of Geo. Chapman: Plays, ed. R H. Shepherd, 494):
Carry your body in the swimming fashion. B. Jonson, Epigrams,
No. LXXXn (Works, in 1 voL, London, 1853, 671): —
Surly 's old whore in her new silks doth swim:
He cast, yet keeps^ her well! No; she keeps him.
From among modem writers the distinguished American poet William
Cullen Bryant may be cited as giving proof of the sense in which
the phrase is understood. In his poem 'Spring in Town' he says: —
No swimming Juno gait, of languor bom,
Is theirs, but a light step of freest grace.
Light as Camilla's o'er the unbent com.
By the way it may be remarked that it was not Juno, but Yenus
to whom languor and a swimming gait were appropriated by the
Greeks.
These quotations, I think, are sufficient to remove all doubts
and to dear the way for the admittance of Mr. Daniel's ingenious
correction into the text, so much the more as the phrase *to bear
one's self or one's body seeming' can hardly be supported by a
single paraUel passage. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 284.)
ccLxxxrx.
Even as a flattering dream or worthless fancy.
The Taming of the Shrew ^ Induction , /, 44.
According to the Cambridge Edition an anonymous critic, identified
since by Dyce ad he,, as Mr. W. N. Lettsom, asks whether this
line which is given invariably to the Lord, does not belong to the
Second Hunter. In my opinion it clearly belongs to the First Hunter;
read therefore: —
First Hun. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.
Sec. Hun. It would seem strange unto him when he waked.
First Hun, Even as a flattering dream or worthless fancy.
Lord. Then take him up and manage well the jest: &c.
(The AthenaBura, Mar. 12, 1881, p. 365.)
CCXC.
Sinckh. I thinke 'twas Soto that your honour meanes.
Ib.y Induction y /, 88 (FA).
It is well known that our knowledge of the player Sincklo, Sincklow,
Sinkclow, or Sincler is due to two blunders in FA, where he is
mentioned in the Introduction to the Taming of the Shrew and in
Elze, Notes. 1 1
162 THE TAMINQ OF THE SHREW.
the third Part of Henry VI, in, 1 ; to a similar blunder in the
Quarto of the second Part of Henry IV. (V, 4); to the Induction to
Marston's Malcontent; and to the Piatt of the Seven Deadly Sins in
Malone's Shakspeare (VoL HI). Collier, in his Memoirs of the
Principal Actors in the Plays of Shakespeare, p. XXVEE, further
informs us that Sincklo's * Christian name appears to have been
William, that he lived in Cripplegate and had children baptized at
St Giles's Church, in that parish, in 1610 and 1613.' *He is called
Sincklowe and Sinckley in the registers'. Collier continues, *but
evidently the same man; and we take it that he had been an actor
imder Henslowe and AHeyn at the Fortune, (though his name does
not occur in the "Diary" of the former) and on that account resided
near their theatre, where he continued after he had joined the king's
players.' This information, however, cannot be considered as reliable,
but, especially in its latter part, is an unfounded hypothesis. Collier,
moreover, makes a mistake with respect to Sincklo's Christian name,
which was not William, but John, as appears from the Piatt of the
Seven Deadly Sins. If, therefore, the Sincklo who is mentioned in
the registers of St Giles's should there be called William, it is clearly
not the same person; nay, the identity of this inhabitant of Cripple-
gate with the actor may at all events be doubted, even if their
Christian names should coincide, provided he be not expressly desig-
nated as a player in the registers, which is not likely, as Collier
would have said so, if it was the case. An addition to these scanty
materials comes to us just now from a very different quarter which,
though partaking of the general uncertainty that envelops the stage -
history of the Elizabethan era, yet must be welcomed as an interesting
fact. Before, however, entering on an examination of this new
material we shall do well carefully to survey all the particulars,
especially as they have given rise to mistaken inferences.
I. In the Induction of the Taming of the Shrew John Sincklo
performed one of the Players, not the First Player, as Delius erro-
neously says in his note on 2 K. Henry IV., V, 4 (Stage -direction) and
in his Abhandlungen zu Shakspere, p. 300 and 305. The speeches
of the Players and their prefixes in FA are as foUows: 1) Players:
We thanke your Honor; 2) 2 Player: So please your Lordshippe to
accept our dutie; 3) Sincklo: I thinke 't was Soto that your honor
meanes; and 4) Plai.: Feare not my Lord, we can contain our selues,
Were he the veriest anticke in the world. Whether we assume the
first speech to have been spoken by all the Players at once, or by
the First Player in their name, in neither case are we justified in
identifying Sincklo with the First Player. No weight would attach
to this circumstance, if Delius did not, as a matter of course, attrib-
ute the part of Petruchio to Sincklo, because in his opinion this
part was necessarily performed by the First Player. After all we
know John Sincklo was a subordinate performer and a down or
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. 163
homorous man to boot, who could scarcely have been entrusted with
so important a part as that of Petruchio.
n. The Quarto of 2 K. Henry IV. (Y, 4) contains the following
stage -direction: Enter Sincklo, and three or four officers, for which
the first Folio substitutes: Enter Beadles ^ dragging in Hostess Quickly
and DoU Tear sheet As, moreover, the Quarto has the prefix Smch
for 1 Bead, in FA, it follows that the First Beadle was acted by
Sincklo. Now this First Beadle is chaffed unrelentingly both by the
Hostess and Doll Tearsheet on account of his leanness; he is ^a
paper-faced villain', a Hhin man in a censer', a ^filthy famished
correctioner', a 'starved blood -hound', 'goodman death', 'goodman
bones', a 'thin thing', and an 'atomy'. If, then, we see this part
expressly assigned to Sincklo, we shall hardly be wrong in concluding
that he was the leanest among all the king's players; is it saying
too much, if we imagine him to have been perfect in personifying
a gaunt, cadaverous -looking fellow? This leanness is another argu-
ment, why Sincklo cannot have performed Petruchio in the Taming of
the Shrew.
HI. According to FA the stage -direction in 3 Henry VI., HI,!
is: Enter Sinklo and Humfrey, &c. instead of: Enter Two Keepers,
&c. in the Qq. From this it foUows that Sincklo played the First
Keeper.
IV. In the Induction to Marston's Malcontent Sincklo played a
foppish young gentleman sitting on the stage, drinking, smoking
tobacco, and criticizing the play, the players, and the audience.
V. In the Piatt of the Seven DeacUie Sinnes no less than six
different parts are assigned to Sincklo, viz. a Keeper, a Soldier, a
Captain, a Musician, Julio (?), and a Warder.
VI. I now proceed to the examination of a publication that
seems likely to throw an unexpected light on the person and life of
Sincklo. Dr. Johannes Meissner, in his recently published book 'Die
Englischen Gom5dianten zur Zeit Shakespeare's in Osterreich' (Wien,
1884, p. 19) informs us, that in the household books of the Emperor
Maxindlian n., who reigned from 1564 to 1576, not only English
musicians, but also 'die Narren Anton und Franciscus, ein ungarischer
Nair Stefeui, ein spanischer Narr, ein Narr Sindaw, &c.' are mentioned
as court-fools. Maximilian H. seems to have been fond of foreign
fools or clowns. It has not occurred to Dr. Meissner that this Sinclaw
might be identified with the Sincklo of Shakespeare's company; he
nowhere alludes to this latter. Nevertheless it seems not at all
unlikely that the German Emperor's fool and the performer in The
Taming of the Shrew, in 2 Henry IV., in 8 Henry VI., in Marston's
Malcontent and in the Piatt of the Seven Deadlie Sinnes may have
been one and the same person. Like many others of his feUows Sincklo
may have gone to Germany when a young man; he may have been
about 25 years of age when he stood in the Emperor's service at
11*
164 THE TAKING OF THE SHREW*
Vienna about the year 1570, so that, at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century, when performing in Shakespeare's and Marston's plays,
he was about 55 years old, for there can be little doubt that the
second part of Henry IV., the third part of Henry VI., and probably
also Marston's Malcontent (printed in 1604) were acted before 1600;
the Seven Deadlie Sinnes, according to Malone's showing, must have
been on the stage in or before 1589, that is to say some thirteen
years after the death of Maximilian IL in 1576, at which time
Sincklo had probably returned to his native countiy. I do not find
it difficult thus to combine the different dates with the only exception
of those that are said to be contained in the registers of St Giles's
Church; it seems not very credible that a man who was about
55 years old in 1600, should have had children baptized in 1610
and 1613. The name of Sincklo is of rare occurrence and it is not
at all likely that two different players living at the same time should
have borne it, except they were father and son; those critics, there-
fore, who are unwilling to settle all the different facts upon one and
the same person, may have recourse to this last-named h3rpothesis.
At all events it would seem that our knowledge of Sincklo and his
doings has been somewhat enlarged since the days of Malone who,
in his Historical Account of the English Stage, has nothing to say
about him except that 'Sinkler or Sinclo, and Humphrey, were like-
wise players in the same theatre, and of the same class.' See
Malone's Shakspeare by Boswell, HI, 221.
CCXCI.
As Stephen Sly and old John Naps of Greece.
Ib,f Induction, II, 95.
For the private amusement of himself and Mends the poet has
introduced in this Induction allusions to some well-known inns and
boon companions of his own coimty; recollections, no doubt, of the
haunts and acquaintances of his youth. Such, probably, were old
Sly and his son of Burton (or Barton) -on -Heath, if they should not
be meant for Edmund Ijambert and his son John (cf. EUze, William
Shakespeare, 64 and 80); such also Marian Hacket, the hi ale-wife
of Wincot, i. e. Wilmecote, which, according to Staunton's note ad
loc,, is to this day popularly pronounced Wincot With these I do
not hesitate to couple old John Naps of Greece; Greece being a
palpable corruption, which is neither remedied by Blackstone and
Hanmer's old John Naps o* th' Oreen, nor by Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps's
old John Naps of Greys or of Greete, which latter, Mr. HaUiwell-
Phillipps says, was a place situated between Stratford and Gloucester.
On the map of Warwickshire I find a place called Cleeve Priory,
on the Avon, a few miles below Stratford. Shakespeareans who are
acquainted from personal knowledge with the topography of Warwick-
THE TAMING OF THE 8HRBW. 165
shire, which I am sorry to say I am not, can decide whether this
be a place likely to have been the residence of old John Naps; if so,
I should propose to read: —
As Stephen Sly and old John Naps of Cleeve,
This conjecture, I think, is strengthened by our poet's allusion in
Romeo and Juliet, 11, 4, 83 seq., to 'bitter -sweetings', a kind of
apple which was, and is to this day, * grown especially at Cleeve
and Littleton' and is still used as a sauce, in complete accordance
with Mercutio's words in the passage cited. See John R. Wise, Shak-
spere: His Birthplace and its Neighbourhood (London, 1861), 97.
(The Athenaeum, Jan. 18, 1868, 95. Reply by Mr. Halliwell-PhQ-
lipps, ib., Jan. 25, 1868, 133. — Shakespeare's dramatische Werke
nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben von
der Deutschen Shakespeare -GeseUschaft, YII, 120.)
ccxcn.
To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
iJ., 1, 1, 28,
S. Walker (Grit. Exam. I, 289) has rightly classed this line among
that species of corruption which he calls * substitution of words',
where a particular word is substituted for another 'which stands near
it in the context, more especially if there happens to be some
resemblance between the two'; in fact, it is what in Germany is
called a dittography, i. e. a faulty repetition of the same or a similar
word (see Nos. XXXYI and LXI). Walker, however, has left the
verse without correction, whilst an anonymous oonjecturer, according
to the Cambridge Edition, proposes fair philosophy. The context, I
think, clearly shows the true reading to be: —
To suck the sweets of Greek philosophy.
Compare note CCXCYII. (The Athenaeum, Jan. 18, 1868, p. 95.)
ccxcm.
Let's be no stoics nor no stocks, I pray.
Ib,y /, i, 31.
I do not recollect to have seen it remarked, that the same pun occurs
in Greene's Tu Quoque (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XI, 258): —
Why, villain, I shall have the worst, I know it.
And am prepar'd to suffer like a stoic;
Or else (to speak more properly) like a stock;
For I have no sense left.
The question of priority, in this case, does not seem likely ever to
be settled. (Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 14.)
16^6 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.
COXCIV.
yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face,
Such as the daughter of Agenor had. Ih.y /, i, 172 seq.
In order to restoi^e the rhyme Collier's so-called manuscript -corrector
has substituted of Agenor's race for of Agenor had. Dyce, however,
both in his Strictures on Collier's New Edition of Shakespeare, 72,
and in his second edition of Shakespeare's Works, has shown that by
this alteration the meaning is destroyed and grammar violated. Should
the line have rhymed originally, — and I incline to this belief, —
another, though stiU bolder, conjecture might serve the purpose: —
yes, I saw her in sweet beauty clad,
Such as the daughter of Agenor had.
CCXCV.
I will some other be, some Florentine,
Some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa. 76., 1, 1, 209.
The metre of this reading of FA is right enough, provided that
Neapolitan be pronounced a6 a triple ending before the pause: —
Some Ne|apol|itan, or meanjer man | of Pijsa.
However, the comparative meaner is suspicious and looks very much
like an ill-advised correction of the editors of the old copies. Capell's
emendation or mean man, which also makes good metre, has there-
fore been justly adopted by Dyce and other editors, and Staunton
very appropriately compares the stage -direction in A. II, so. 1:
*Lucentio in the habit of a mean man.' Nevertheless I have a
misgiving that somehow or other some has dropped out before mean
and should be repeated: —
Some Ne{apol|itan, or some \ mean man | of Pijsa.
But this does not suffice to restore the line, as it contains a still
greater stumbling-block. • In order 'to achieve that maid' with whom
'he has fallen in love, Lucentio thinks it necessary to be introduced
' to^OT in an assumed character. His scheme is based on the fiction
that 'he comes from some other place than he really does (from
Florence or Naples), and he would be at variance with himself and
baffle his intent, if he should pass himself off as a mean man from
Pisa which is his native town. In a word, the mention of Pisa by
the side of Florence and Naples is inconsistent and cannot be right
I strongly suspect, therefore, that instead of Hsa we should i^ead
Milan which in the ductus literarum comes near enough to it (MUd-
Pi fa). Thus, then, the original wording of the two lines would seem
to have been: —
I will some other be, some Florentine,
Some Neapolitan, or some mean man of Milan,
THE TAMma OF THE SHREW. 167
(The AthensBum, June 11, 1881, p. 783; June 25, 1881, p. 848
(reply by Dr. Brinsley Nicholson); July 2, 1881, p. 16; July 9, 1881,
p. 49. — Notes, privately printed, 1882, p. 14seq.)
CCXCYI.
Hark you, sir; I'll have them very fairly bound.
/ft., /, 2, 146,
This line cannot be right In order to restore the metre S. Walker
(Crit Exam, m, 66) proposes to omit you. It seems, however,
preferable to expunge very which has evidently crept in by faulty
repetition; it occurs in the preceding line (0 very well) and again
six lines below (And let me have them very well perfumed). The
verse is no doubt a syllable pause line and should thus be scanned: —
Hark you, | sir; _^ | I'U have | them fair|ly bound.
That very is pre-eminently subject to interpolation, has been shown
by S. Walkei", Crit Exam., I,268seq. It is, however, no less subject
to omission; see notes CXXI and CLXXXIV.
CCXCYIL
And this small packet of Greek and Latin books.
lb., U, 1, 101.
S. Walker, Crit Exam., HI, 67, conjectured pack. There is, however,
no occasion for a correction, as the word packet is to be pronounced
as a monosyllable: pack't. The Greek and Latin books that are pre-
sented to the ladies, serve greatly to corroborate my conjectural emen-
dation on A. I, sc. 1, L 28 (Oreek philosophy). See note CCXCII.
CCXCYin.
Ltic. Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward^
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
Her sister Katharine welcomed you withal?
Hot. But, wrangling pedant, this is v /^ '" k
The patroness of heavenly harmony: &c. \^;;^Jr^FOB^^
lb., IlT^,liHl^qr
To complete the fourth line is no very .difficult task, and it has been
performed by almost all editors; their conjectures, however, are mere
guesses and do not give us the least explanation as to how the
mutilation may have originated. Theobald's and Hanmer's conjectures.
Collier's / avouch this is, and W. N. Lettsom's This is a Cecilia,
are equally deficient in this respect The poorest expedient seems
to me S. Walker's arrangement (Versification, 85), which proves that
in criticism, as well as in poetry, ovei; Homer may sometimes take
168 THE TAMnra of the shrew.
a nap. Any attempt to fill up this gap which would lay daim to
something better than an ^airy nothing' ought of itself to indicate
the way in which the beginning of the line became lost; for, in my
opinion, the loss took place at the beginning, and not in the body,
or at the end, of the line. I imagine that Shakespeare wrote: —
Her sister — tut! But, wrangling pedant, this is &c.
The copyist or compositor omitted the first two words because he
had just written them or set them up in the same place in the
preceding line, and the third was overlooked through its similarity
to the following but The copyist or compositor catching this but,
fancied that he had already written or set up the three preceding
words. Compare note on 1 K. Henry IV., in, 1, 158. {The Athen-
aeum, Jan. 18, 1868, p. 95.)
CCXCIX
Pet, Come, where be these gallants? Who's at home?
Bap. You 're welcome, sir.
Pet. And yet I come not weU.
Bap, And yet you halt not.
Tra. Not so well apparell'd
As I wish you were.
Pet, Were it better, I should rush in thus.
But where is Kate? Where is my lovely bride?
How does my father? — Gentles, methinks you frown.
lb., Ill, 2, SQseqq.
The arrangement and disposition of this passage is, no doubt, corrupt
It is an imfit remark in Petruchio's own mouth that he does not
come weU, nor does it harmonize with his subsequent question: —
'And wherefore gaze this goodly company?' On the contrary he
would have the company believe that he comes quite well as he
comes, and that he gives no occasion for staring at him. This
difficulty is, indeed, removed by the ingenious conjecture of Capell;
there are, however, others still remaining. I do not think it likely
that Tranio should join in the conversation at its very beginning;
moreover, it is not his business to express a wish about Petruchio's
apparel. The words 'Not so well apparell'd As I wish you were'
evidently belong to Baptista; and in the old piece, the corresponding
words ('But say, why art thou thus basely attired?') are in fact
spoken by the father of the bride. In so far I agree with W. N
Lettsom's arrangement, apud Walker, Crit. Exam., HI, 68. For the
emendation of the following verse, 'Were it better, I should rush in
thus', a number of conjectures have been offered. Its supposed cor-
ruption, however, merely arises from a misunderstanding, or rather
misconstruction. All the editors, whom I have been able to collate,
THE TAMIKG OF THE 8HB£W. 169
refer these words to the preceding lines; their meaning, "^aocording to
Dyoe, being, 'Were my apparel better, than it is, I should yet rush
in thus.' But the pointing of the folio which has a colon after
Hhus' shows that the line is to be connected with the following
verses; and the position of 'thus' at the end of the line confirms
this construction. Petruchio, in answer to Baptista's reproaches, here
imitates an amorous coxcomb and asks if it were better to have
come in after this manner, and with these questions. With the words,
'Gentles, methinks you frown', he resumes his own manner and
tone. Only on the stage can the truth of this interpretation be made
fully apparent The passage should accordingly be printed: —
Pei. Come, where be these gallants? Who 's at home?
Bap, You 're welcome,* sir; and yet you come not well.
Pet And yet I halt not.
Bap. Not so apparell'd as I wish you were.
Pet. Were it better I should rush in thus? —
[Imitating a coxcomb.
But where is Kate? Where is my lovely bride?
How does my father? (Besuming his oum manner again.)
Gentles, methinks you frown.
In the first line, S. Walker (Crit. Exam., 11, 144) proposes to read
Ckyme, come-, it may, however, as well begin with what is called a
monosyllabic foot. In the correction of the fourth line W. N. Lettsom
has led the way by expunging well before apparell'd; he also sub-
stitutes Nor for Not, whereas in my arrangement the original reading
is retained. (The Athenaeum, Jan. 18, 1868, 95.)
CCC.
Welcome; one mess is like to be your cheer.
Come, sir; we wiU better it in Pisa.
Jb.,IV, 4, rOseq.
Capell's alteration has been conclusively refuted by Dyce. The second
line is a syllable pause line; scan: —
Come, sir; | ^ we | will bet|ter it | in Pi|sa.
{The Athenaeum, Jan. 18, 1868, 95.)
CCCI.
Why, then let's home again. Come, sirrah, let's away.
lb., V, i, 152.
Here and elsewhere the editors content themselves^with the general
remark that women just as well as men were frequently addressed
sirrah. With the exception of Dyce (Webster, Westward Ho!,
170 THE TAMIKG OF THE SHREW.
A. I, sc. 2, p. 214a) and Dr. Furness {Macbeth, p. 221, n. 30) none
of them, as far as I know, ever thought it worth his while to lay
before his readers some instances of this curious use of the word;
and I, therefore, indulge in the hope that the following batch of
parallel passages may prove no unwelcome addition to those quoted
by Dyce and Fumess. Sam. Rowley, When you see me, you know
me, ed. Elze, p. 58: —
King, Go, fetch them, Kate. Ah, sirrah, we have women doctors.
William Rowley, A Match at Midnight (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XIII, 29):
'Tis pudding-time, wench, pudding-time; and a dainty time, dinner-
time, my nimble -eyed, witty one. Woot be married to-morrow,
sirrah? lb., XBI, 29: Sirrah, woot have the old fellow? — Ford,
'Tis Pity She's a Whore, H, 6 (Works, ed. Hartley Coleridge, p. 34a):
Sirrah sweetheart, I'll tell thee a good jest. — The Roaring Girl
(The Works of Middleton, ed. Dyce, II, 491): How dost thou, sirrah?
(viz. Mrs. Gallipot). — lb., (11, 517): Hush, sirrah! Goshawk flutters
(addressed to Mrs. Openwork). — The Honest Whore, Part 1, 11, 1
(Middleton, ed. Dyce, HI, 44): He's so malcontent, sirrah BeUafront
— lb., Partn,m, 3 (Middleton, ed. Dyce, m, 186): Sirrah gran-
nam, — Ram -Alley (Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, X, 367seqq.): —
I hope thou knowest
All wenches do the contrary: but, sirrah.
How does thy uncle, the old doctor?
These lines are addressed to The First Woman by the chambermaid
Adriana, — It remains to be added that Dyce in his Glossary,
s. Sirrah, refers to Swift as having been fond of applying that
humorous pet -name to SteUa.
cccn.
Sirrah Biondello, go and entreat my wife
To come to me forthwith; &c.
lb., V, 2, 868eqq.
This passage seems to have been imitated in Dekker's Honest Whore,
Partn, n,2 (Middleton, ed. Dyce, III, 164), although Dr. Ingleby
in his *Centurie of Prayse' and Dr. Fumivall in his * Fresh Allusions'
are silent about it: —
Can[dido\. Luke, I pray, bid your mistress to come hither.
Lo[dovico]. Luke, I pray, bid your mistress to come hither.
Can, Sirrah, bid my wife come to me: why, when?
First Prentice [within]. Presently, sir, she comes.
Lod. La, you, there's the echo! she comes.
The second part of Dekker's Honest Whore was licensed in 1608,
but published only in 1630.
all's well that END8 WKLL. 171
cccm.
I have those hgpes of her good that her education promises; her
dispositions she inherits, which makes fair gifts fairer.
Airs Well that Ends Well, /, 1, 45.
I suspect: I have those hopes of her that her education promises;
her good dispositions she inherits, which makes fair gifts fairer.
Compare Twelfth Night, HI, 1, 146: —
Fio[ia]. Then westward -ho! Grace and good disposition
Attend your ladyship.
See Al. Schmidt, Shakespeare -Lexicon, s. Disposition.
CCCIV.
Par[oUe8\ Save you, fair queen! &a
lb., I, 1, lOOseqq.
This well-known passage is another specimen, and none of the
grossest, of what the conversation between ladies and gentlemen was
in the days of the Yirgin Queen, for there can be no reasonable
doubt, that in this respect as well as in others our poet was the
true interpreter and mouth-piece of his time; see my edition of The
Tragedy of Hamlet, p. 192seqq. The charge of indecency, therefore,
ought not to be laid at his own door, but at that of the age in
which he lived. Bad as the want of decency in conversation on the
part of the women was in England, yet they are said to have been
surpassed by the women in Holland. John Ray, F. RS., in his
Observations Topographical, Moral, and Physiological; made in a
Journey through Part of the Low -Countries, Germany, Italy, and
France (London, 1673), p. 55, reports the following remark made by
his 'much -honoured friend Francis Bamham, Esq., deceased, at his
being there [viz. in the Netherlands] in tiie Eetinue of my Lord
Ambassador Holies', {ib., p. 52). *The common sort of Women', says
Bamham aptid Ray, ^seem more fond and delighted with lascivious
and obscene Talk than either the English or the French.' That the
'ladies' were scarcely more decent than the 'common women' (at least
in England) is sufficiently proved by the passages quoted in my
second edition of 'Hamlet', 1. c, and in my 'Abhandlungen zu Shake-
speare', 405. Let us hope in charity that (mutatis mtUandis) the
saying Pagina laaciva, vita proba, may have held good with respect
to the women of that age, in Holland as well as in France and
England.
CCCV.
My heart is heavy, and mine age is weak;
(Jrief would have tears, and sorrow bids me speak.
lb.,III,4,41seq,
172 all's well that ends well.
Mr. P. A. Daniel in his Notes and Conjectural Emendations, p. 40seq.,
has ingeniously pointed out, how odd it seems, that, 'her sorrow
bidding the Countess to speak, she should thereupon leave the stage.'
He, therefore, proposes to read forbids instead of bids, which is
undoubtedly right, and to omit and before sorrow, which, although
seemingly required by the metre, may yet be considered doubtful
Sorrow, M. E. sorwe, occurs in Chaucer as a monosyllable, sorowftd
or sorwful as a dissyllable; see Troylus and Cryseide, I, 1: —
The dou|ble sorowe | of Tro|ylus | to tel|len;
ib.,I, 2:-
Help me; | that am | the sorow|ful in|strument, —
And to I a sorw|ful tale | a sor|ry chere.
See also The Boke of the Duchesse, 11. 10, 213, and 462. Compare
ten Brink, Studien, p. 13, and the Glossary in Dr. Morris' edition
of Chaucer, Vol. I, s. Morwe. Perhaps also arwe = arrow (Canter-
bury Tales, 9079), sJiadwe, and similar words were pronounced as
monosyllables. Moreover it is an undeniable fact that not only during
the Elizabethan era but even as late as the middle of the last centuiy
the ending -ow was frequently slurred before a vowel, and if I am
not much mistaken, sometimes even before a consonant Compare,
e. g., the following passages: —
Troilus and Cressida, I, 3, 80: —
HoUow upon I this plain, | so man|y hoi | low fact | ions.
Antony and Cleopatra, I, 3, 64: —
With sorrV|ful wa|ter? Now | I see, | I see.
Marlowe, Edward IL, m, 2, 180 (ed. Tancock): —
Edward | with fire | and sword | foUows at | thy heels.
Fair Em (ed. Warnke and ProBScholdt), III, 6, 9: —
My 8or|rows afflicts | my soul | with e|qual pas8|ion.
Mucedorus (ed. Wamke and Proescholdt), 11, 2, 122: —
To-mor|row I die, | my foe | reveng'd | on me.
Ib.,n, 4,39: —
As if I he meant | to swaljlow us both | at once.
The Eambler, No CX, Apr. 6, 1751: —
Or sor|row unfeign'd | and hu|milia|tion meek.
Paradise Lost, I, 558: —
Anguish | and doubt | and fear | and sor|row and pain.
Compare Abbott and Seeley, English Lessons for English People
(London, 1880), p. 203.
lb., n, 518:
By harlald's voice | explained: | the hoi | low Abyss.
all's well that ends well. 173
lb., V, 575: —
Be but I the shad|ow of Heaven, | and things | therein.
Samson Agonistes, 958: —
Cherish | thy ha8|ten'd widow | hood with | the gold.
Professor Masson (The Poetical Works of J. Milton, I, CXXI and
CXXTTT) quotes two more Miltonic lines in point, wliich he, however,
scans very differently, viz.: —
Of rain I bows and star|ry eyes. | The wa|ters thus,
and: —
Wallowing, | unwield|y, enorm|ous in | their gait.
The Tempest, H, 1, 251: —
We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again.
In this line Pope omits aU, Spedding we] most editors, however, leave
it unaltered. There seem to be two ways of scanning it, viz.: —
We all I were sea-|swaUow'd, | though some | cast 'gain,
or: —
We all I were sea -{ swallowed, though | some cast | again.
Now, if this latter scansion be right, as I presume it to be, it will
certainly reflect on the line in All's WeU that Ends Well and justify
us in reading and scanning it thus: —
Grief would | have tears, | and sor|row forbids | me speak.
No doubt, some wiseacre of a* copyist or compositor who felt called
upon to improve the metre, altered forbids to bids, (Notes, privately
printed, 1882, p. 15seq.)
CCCYI.
If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,
Italian, or French, let him speak to me; I'll
Discover that which shall undo the Florentine.
Ib.y IV, 1, rSseqq.
This is Capell's arrangement, adopted by the Cambridge Edd.; in the
Ff /'// is wrongly joined to the following line. Malone divides the
lines after to me and undo. According to CapeU's division which,
no doubt, has the greatest claim to be considered the poet's own, we
have in 1. 79 an extrasyllable before the pause after the first foot
and the line is thus to be scanned: —
Italjian, or French, | let him | speak to | me; I'U.
It seems, however, well worthy of consideration, if preference should
not be given to a different scansion, viz.: —
Italjian, or French, | let'm speak | to me; | I will, &c.
Compare note XL. Florentine is, of course, a triple ending.
174 TWELFTH NIOHT.
cccvn.
It is perchance that you yourself were saved
Ttcelfth Night, 7, 2, 6,
This line should be spoken by one of the Sailors, to whom Viola
has expressly addressed herself; what think you, sailors?, she asks.
I have no doubt that the speech was transferred to the Captain by
the actors merely for want of a player capable of impersonating a
'First Sailor', the representatives of the Sailors being what were
called hired men and unfit to take part in the dialogue, such as
now -a -days are termed walking gentlemen. Similar combinations of
different characters for want of a sufficient number of actors are by
no means of rare occurrence; two very striking instances occur, the
one in A. 11, sc. 4 of the present play (see infra note CCCXXI),
the other in K Lear, IV, 7, where the Doctor and the Gentleman
^are distinct characters, and have separate prefixes' in the Quartos,
whilst ^according to the folio, the two parts were combined, and
played by the same actor' (see Collier's note ad loc.). — That per-
chance in this passage does not mean perhaps, but by chance, has
justly been remarked by Delius ad loc. and by Al. Schmidt, s. v.
Perchance.
cccvm.
After our ship did split.
When you and those poor number saved with you
Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother.
Ib.f I, 2, Oaeqqt
Instead of those Rowe (2""^ cd.) reads that] Capell this\ the Anon,
conj. Qy. read: —
After our ship did split.
When you and those — poor number! — saved with you
Hung on our driving boat, &c.?
CCCIX.
The like of him. Know'st thou this country?
lb,, /, 2, 21.
A catalectic verse; see note n. Dr. Abbott and his followers will no
doubt prefer to pronounce country as a trisyllable. With the help of
a slight alteration the verse might even be scanned as a syllable
pause line: —
The like | of him. | v^ Know|e8t thou | this counjtry?
I take the opportunity of adding that Twelfth Night is almost
entirely free from syllable pause lines, whereas they abound, e. g.,
TWELFTH NIGHT. 175
in Antony and Cleopatra, in Cymbeline, Pericles, &c. To me this
seems to be a notable fact, apt to be made a starting-point for farther
metrical disquisitions and to be admitted among what are called
metrical tests.
CCCX.
Sir And, What is 'ponrquoi'? do or not do? I would I had
bestowed that time in the tongues that I have in fencing, dancing
and bear-baiting: 0, had I but followed the arts!
Sir To. Then hadst thou had an excellent head of hair.
Sir And, Why, would that have mended my hair?
Sir To, Past question; for thou seest it will not curl by nature.
Sir And, But it becomes me well enough, does't not?
Sir To, Excellent; it hangs like flax on a distaff; &c.
lb., 7, 3, 96seqq.
'The point of Sir Toby's jest', remarks Dr. Aldis Wright ad lac.,
'will be lost unless we remember that "tongues" and "tongs" were
pronounced alike, as was pointed out by Mr. Crosby of Zainsville
[ZanesvilleJ in the American Bibliopolist, June, 1875 [p. 143].' —
This ingenious explanation, though it can hardly be disputed, does
not preclude the existence of a second quibble between arts and hardsy
i. e. tow.
CCCXI.
Sir To, Wherefore are these things hid? wherefore have these
gifts a curtain before 'em? are they like to take dust, like Mistress
Mall's picture? lb., I, 3, 133 seqq.
It seems chronologically impossible to me that this passage should
refer to MoU Cutpurse (Mary Frith). Moll Cutpurse is generally
said to have been bom in 1584 (or even so late as 1589); con-
sequently she was between 17. and 18. years old when Twelfth
Night was performed at the Middle Temple on Feb. 2, 1601 — 2.
At that time she did not yet enjoy the notoriety which made her
the heroine of John Day's 'Madde pranckes of mery Mall of the
Banckside' in 1610, and of Middleton and Dekker's ^Bearing Girl'
in 1611. These were no doubt the years when she had reached the
height of her disreputable career and become of sufficient interest to
have her portrait prefixed as a frontispiece to Middleton and Dekker's
play. I cannot think that she should ever have been thought a
worthy subject for the painter's brush; nor can I subscribe to the
explanations given by Dyoe, but fully agree with Mr. John Fitchett
Marsh who shows that 'Mistress Mall' is Maria, Olivia's gentlewoman
(N. and Q., July 6, and Nov. 30, 1878). Maria is certainly not a
common servant, but in part at least the confidante of her mistress,
176 TWELFTH UIOHT.
and her picture, executed not in oil, but in water-colours and done
perhaps when she was in her teens, may well be imagined hanging
in the room where Sir Toby and his weak -brained friend sit carous-
ing, a room which does by no means belong to Olivia's drawing-
rooms, but is something between a parlour and a buttery; perhaps
it is even Maria's own parlour. Maria does not seem to care much
for her picture; it is neglected and covered with dust For be it
remarked, Sir Toby does not at all say that Mistress Mall's picture
is curtained, but that it has taken dust, a circumstance which, for
all I know, has been overlooked or misinterpreted by all editors.
cccxn.
Vio, On your attendance, my lord; here.
76., 7, 4, 11.
A slight transposition would certainly improve the line: —
On your attendance; here, my lord.
cccxm.
on. Cousin, cousin, how have you come so early by this
lethargy? 7J., /, 5, 131 seq.
Either intentionally or unintentionally Olivia mistakes Sir- Toby's
belching for yawning.
CCCXIY.
I pray you, tell me if this be the kdy of the house, for I
never saw her. lb., I, 5, 182 seq.
Before the words, I pray you, Sc, a stage -direction, be it either, To
Maria, or, To the Attendants should be added.
CCCXY.
Oli, Have you any commission from your lord to negotiate
with my face? You are now out of your text: but we will draw
the curtain and show you the picture. Look you, sir, such a one
I was this present: is 't not well done? [Uhveilmg.
lb,, I, 5, 2498eqq.
Of all attempts at healing the corruption of the last sentence, the
one made by Mr. P. A. Daniel comes nearest the mark. He proposes
to read: such a one, I, as this presents. He should have added one
more letter, viz.: I'm as, than which correction nothing can follow
more closely the original ductus liierarum (I'm as — I was). Read,
TWELFTH NIGHT. 177
therefore: *such a one I'm, as this presents.' For the rest compare
Westward Ho!, 11, 3, init.: Sir Oo8[ling]. So, draw those curtains,
and let's see the pictures under them. [The ladies unmask.
CCCXVI.
Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit,
Do give thee five -fold blazon: not too fast: soft, soft!
Unless the master were the man. How now!
Even so quickly may one catch the plague?
lb., I, 5, 311 seqq.
The twofold exclamation, Soft, soft! has been placed in an inter-
jectional line by Dyce and regular metre has thus been restored.
In my opinion, however, the chief break in Olivia's speech occurs in
the next line and I should, therefore, prefer the following arrange-
ment: —
Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit.
Do give thee five -fold blazon: not too fast!
Soft, soft! — unless the master were the man!
How now!
Even so quickly may one catch the plague?
Either of these two arrangements, Dyce's and mine, removes the
Alexandrine and consequently one of them should be installed in
the text.
CCCXYn.
Mai. She returns this ring to you, sir: you might have saved
me my pains, to have taken it away yourself. She adds, moreover,
that you should put your lord into a desperate assurance she will
none of him. ih., II, 2, 5 seqq.
After sir Hanmer inserted the following clause: for being your Lord's
shefU none of it, and some such insertion seems indeed to be required,
as in I, 5, 321 Olivia charges Malvolio to tell Cesario, that she will
none of it, viz. the ring, and in 11, 2, 25 Cesario, in his soliloquy,
repeats the words. None of my lord's ring, as having come from
Olivia through her * churlish messenger'. I, therefore, think it most
likely that the missing words were, she unU none of your lord's
ring. This insertion, however, does not suffice to restore the pas-
sage, but at the same time renders a correction of the words, she
unU none of him, unavoidable, especially as they do not come from
Olivia. Olivia says (I, 5, 323): / am not for him, and we expect to
hear Malvolio repeat these very words. The passage as I imagine it
to have been written by the poet, wiU then read thus: 'She returns
this ring to you, sir; she will none of your lord's ring. You might
Ebe, Notes. 12
178 TWELFTH KIGHT.
have saved me my pains, to have taken it away yourself. She adds,
moreover, that you should put your lord into a desperate assurance
she is not for him,'
CCCXYIIL
Sir To, "We did keep time, sir, in our catches. Sneck up!
lb., II y 2, 101,
Theobald is quite right in adding the stage -direction: Hiccoughs, In
order to produce the greatest possible similarity of sound we should
write: Snick up (Snick up — hiccup).
CCCXIX.
Sir To, Out o' tune sir, ye lye:
lb., n, 3, 122,
This reading of the Ff should never have been disturbed, except with
respect to the pointing, in so far as an interrogation should be sub-
stituted for the comma after sir, and an exclamation for the colon
after lye-^ moreover a comma is to be added after tune. The words
are addressed to the clown who has roused Sir Toby's bile by tell-
ing him that he dares not ^bid him [Malvolio] go.' This impertinent
remark, Sir Toby says, is 'out of tune' and a lie, and to prove it so
he forthwith falls outh with Malvolio exhorting him not to overstep
the bounds of his office as steward; after which he roundly bids him
go: 'Go, sir, rub your chain with crums.' In order to exclude every
doubt, two stage -directions might be added, viz.: To the Clown
(before, Out & tune) and To Malvolio (before, Art any more dtc.).
CCCXX.
Sir To. She's a beagle, true-bred, and one that adores me:
what o' that? lb., U, 3, 195 seq.
Dr. Aldis Wright has ingeniously pointed out that Maria is of dimin-
utive stature and is chaffed on that account first by Yiola (I, 5,218:
Some mitigation for your giant, sweet lady) and afterwards by Sir
Toby (n, 3, 193: Oood night, Penthesilea), He might have added
the present line, for according to all old and modem authorities a
beagle was — or is — a smaU dog. See Skeat, Etym. Diet, s. Beagle.
It was used as a term of endearment and applied to persons of either
sex; compare Dekker and Webster's Westward Ho, m, 4, init., where
Mrs. Tenterhook says to Mr. Monopoly: You are a su>eet beagle. The
brevity of Maria's person is also alluded to in A. IT, sc. 5, L 16:
Here comes the little villain, and in A. HI, sc. 1, 1. 70 seq.: Look,
where the youngest wren of nine comes.
(TWlfiLFTH NtGH't. i?9
CCCXXI.
Now, good Cesario, but that piece of song,
That old and antique song we heard last night: &c.
Ib.y II, 4, 28eq,
This request of the Duke is replied to, not by Cesario, but by Curio,
a subordinate character, who informs his master that he who should
sing it, viz. Olivia's fool, is not here. But the Duke did not want
to hear the Clown sing, but Cesario, who in A. I, sc. 2, 1. 67 seq.
has assured the Captain that he
'can sing
^ ^ And speak to him [the Duke] in many sorts of musia'
And what business and right has Lady Olivia's fool to sing before
the Duke? After being introduced by Curio (1. 41) he is desired by
Orsino almost in the same words as Cesario was some minutes ago,
to sing 'the song we had last night.' Now, who was last night's
singer? Cesario or the Clown? And why does not Cesario sing
when desired by his master to do so? — It seems evident that
according to the poet's intention two singers were required for the
performance of our play: the one to sing in Orsino's palace (the
performer of Yiola) and the other to do the same office in Lady
Olivia's house (the Clown). As, however, at some time or other,
the Lord Chamberlain's men could only boast of a single singer and
that one the Clown, they gave him access to the Duke's palace and
made him do the singing of both parts. Compare supra note CCCVil.
cccxxn.
Sir To. Come thy ways, Siguier Fabian.
lb., II, 5, 1.
In A. n, sc. 3, 1. 188 Maria proposes to plant the two knights, 'and
let the fool make a third', where Malvolio shall find the letter. In
the present scene they are being planted in Olivia's garden, but it
is not the fool who makes the third, but Fabian who is only now
introduced to the reader. As Fabian has been brought out of favour
with my lady by Malvolio, he is indeed a more legitimate partner
in the conspiracy, or, to say the least, a more deeply interested wit-
ness than the Clown of the severe joke practised on the puritanical
and malevolent steward whose name is by no means meaningless.
But if this was the poet's design from the beginning, why did he
make Maria mention the Clown as a third partaker? She might just
as well have hit on Fabian as companion of the two knights, so
much the more as she must have been aware how eager a spectator
he would be and that he would consider her joke a fit retribution.
I confess myself imable to clear away this difficulty.
12*
180 TWELFTH NIGHT.
cccxxm.
Sir To. Here oomes the little villain. [Enter Maria,] How
now, my metal of India? iJ., 27, 5, ISseq.
'Metal' (mettle, in FA) cannot possibly be the true reading, for the
following reasons. 1. It cannot be shown that 'metal', without some
epithet intimating such a meaning, was ever used in the sense of
'gold'. Such a meaning, in my humble opinion, is a purely gratui-
tous assumption for the nonce. 2. India is not, and never was, rich
in gold, as California and Australia are now -a- days. It abounds,
however, in precious stones of the greatest beauty and value, and
Shakespeare, had he wished to compare Maria to some Indian treasure,
would certainly have bethought himself of those renowned Indian
jewels and diamonds instead of an Indian metal 3. The metaphor
does not apply to Maria in a higher degree than to almost all per-
sons of the female sex. 4. It is not at all in Sir Toby's vein to
compliment Maria in good earnest; on the contrary he keeps con-
tinually teasing her and has just now styled her 'a little villain'.
Under the circumstances I am fully persuaded that the later ¥f ex-
hibit the correct reading, viz. 'my nettle of India', and completely
agree with what has been advanced on this head by Singer in his
note ad loc. The nettle of India may possibly be the Urtica crenu-
lata which is a native of Bengal; see Heinr. Grafe, Handbuch der
Naturgeschichte der drei Beiche (^e. (Eisleben und Leipzig, 1838),
Yol. Ha, p. 630. However that may be, at all events Maria may well
be termed a little 'stinging nettle' (K. Kichard H., HI, 2, 18); by her
plot she stings Malvolio to the quick and she proves not much' less
prickly to the Clown, to Sir Andrew and to Cesario whom in A. I,
sc. 5, 1. 215 she desires to 'hoist sail'. Who knows but even Sir
Toby, with whom she is in love, may have experienced not only
her quick wit, but also her sharp tongue; that she is sharp -tongued
is admitted by Dr. Aldis Wright in his note on A. II, sc. 5, L 139.
The Rev. Henry N. Ellacombe (The Plant-Lore and Garden-Craft of
Shakespeai-e, Exeter, 1878, p. 137) seems not to have been acquainted
with Singer's note.
CCCXXIV.
Mai. There is example for 't; the lady of the Strachy married
the yeoman of the wardrobe. lb., II, 5, 44 8eq.
'The incident of a lady of high rank'. Dr. Aldis Wright says in his
note ad loc, 'marrj^ing a servant is the subject of Webster's Duchess
of Malfi, who married the steward of her household, and would thus
have supplied Malvolio with the exact parallel to his own case of
which he was in search.' It seems most strange to me that Dr. Aldis
TWELFTH NIGHT. 181
Wright should not have concluded this remark with substituting the
'lady of Malfy' in the room of the 4ady of the Strachy' who owes
her existence no doubt to a mistake of one of those privileged blun-
derers, viz. the transcribers and compositors. "Why may not Shake-
speare have read the story of the Duchess of Malfi in Paynter's
Palace of Pleasure just as well as Webster? Certainly nothing could
fall in more naturally with the context than the lady of Malfiy
whereas the conjectural emendations on this passage chronicled in tiie
Cambridge and Clarendon editions are singularly far-fetched and
almost all of them worse than the lection of the Ff itself.
CCCXXY.
Fab, Now is the woodcock near the gin.
Sir To, 0, peace! and the spirit of humours intimate reading
aloud to him! lb., 27, 5, 92seqq.
A nice discrimination between the characters of Fabian and Sir Toby
leads to the suspicion that the prefixes of these two speeches have
most likely been transposed and should be altered. Just as, according
to the Cambridge Editors, U. 39 and 43, in which peace is enjoined^
on Sir Andrew, belong to Fabian, so 1. 92, which urges silence on
Sir Toby, should be assigned to the same character, whose eagerness
to hear the contents of the letter is naturally greater than Sir Toby's,
this latter being in the secret. Read therefore: —
Sir To. Now is the woodcock near the gin.
Fab. 0, peace! and the spirit of himiours intimate reading
aloud to him!
CCCXXVI.
Vio. Save thee, friend, and thy music: dost thou live by thy
tabor? lb., UI, 1, 1 seq.
Thus FA; the true reading, however, is that of the later Ff: dost
thou live by the tabor, as there is certainly a play upon tabor which
besides signifying a drum, was also used as the sign or name of an
inn. According to Collier ad loc. ^the Clown's reply, "No, sir; I
live by the Chiuxjh", is not intelligible, if we do not suppose him
to have wilfully misunderstood Yiola to ask whether he lived near
the sign of the tabor.' Very true, but if so, CoUier should not
have retained the reading of the first Folio, by which such a
quibble is precluded.
182 TWELFTH KIOHT.
CCCXXYH.
Grace and good disposition attend your ladyship.
lb., UI, 1, 146.
Hanmer most boldly reads you instead of your laiyship and the
editors of the Globe Edition have adopted a diiferent division of the
lines, proposed by 8. Walker, Crit. Exam., in, 87. However this
deviation from the old copies seems to be imwarranted, as ladyship
may well be taken to be a triple ending; scan: —
Grace and | good dis j posi | tion attend | your la|dyship.
Compare A. in, sc. 3, 1. 24 (pardon me)] A. m, sc. 3, 1. 35 (city did)-,
A. m, sc. 4, L 383 (misery)] A. lY, sc. 3, L 17 (followers)] A. IV,
sc. 3, 1. 21 (deceivable) ] A. V, sc. 1, 1. 75 (enemies)] and A.Y, sc. 1,
1. 79 (enemy). — It need hardly be added that the line has an
extra syllable before the pause. Some editors print 'tend or tend,
which, after all, may be right
cccxxvin.
OH. 0, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful &c.
lb., lUy i, 157.
Staunton and the Rev. H. Hudson justly add the stage -direction: Aside j
which cannot be missed.
CCCXXIX.
Oli. Yet come again; for thou perhaps mayst move
That heart, which now abhors-, to like his love.
Ib.y Uly l,175seq.
The editors, as far as I know them, keep altuw. silentium about this
passage, which to them seems to ofPer no difficulty whatever. Schlegel
and Gildemeister, both of them classical translators, refer 'that heart'
to Olivia's heart, which perhaps may be moved to like his love, i.e.
Orsino. But may not Olivia be presumed with far greater probability
to express a hope that Cesario, if coming back, may move his own
heart to like his love, i. e. Olivia, whom it now abhors? Schlegel
renders the lines as follows: —
komm zurQck! Du magst dies Herz bethOren,
Dm, dessen Lieb' es hasst, noch zu erhOren.
In my judgment it should be: —
komm zurQck! Du magst dein Herz bethdren,
Sie, deren Lieb' es hasst, noch zu erhOren,
TWELFTH mQHT. 183
Gildemeister's version might no less easily be altered. According to
him Olivia says : —
Eomm wieder nur, da r^hrst mein Herz vielleicht,
Dass es fftr den Yerhassten sich erweicht.
Should it not rather be: —
Komm wieder nur, du rtihrst dein Herz vielleicht,
Dass es fOr die Verhasste sich erweicht?
CCCXXX.
OH, I have sent after him: he says he'll come;
How shall I feast him? what bestow of him?
For youth is bought more oft than begg'd or borrowed.
I speak too loud. iJ., m, 4, Iseqq,
The words: he says he'U come are * explained by Warburton to mean
"I suppose now, or admit now, he says he'll come, &c."' Dyce,
ad loc. According to Mr. Rolfe, ad he., they are 'apparently = Sup-
pose he says he'll come.' In my opinion this is too strained an
explanation as to be acceptable or even grammatically admissible.
* Theobald', Mr. Bolfe continues, 'made it read "<Siay, he will come."'
The Rev. H. Hudson grants that 'the concessive sense is evidently
required, not the affirmative' and 'that the simple transposition [says
he instead of he says\ gets the same sense [as Theobald's alteration]
naturally enough; the subjunctive being often formed in that way.'
I think differently. The first four lines are evidently spoken aside
by Olivia, as confirmed by her own words, I speak too loud\ only
in the fifth line she addresses Maria. It is, however, in the natural
course of things that she should have conversed with Maria on the
subject before and that the latter should have tried to raise the
drooping spirit of her enamoured mistress by consolatory words. I
should accordingly feel no hesitation in reading: —
on. {Aside\. I have sent after him: she says he'll come;
How shall I feast him? what bestow of him?
For youth is bought more oft than begg'd or borrow'd.
I speak too loud.
[7b Maria] Where is Malvolio? &c.
Olivia may easily be imagined to accompany the words, she says he'll
came with a slight motion of either hand or head towards Miuia.
CCCXXXI.
Sec, Off, Come, sir, I pray you, go.
ArU. Let me speak a little. This youth that you see here
I snatoh'd one half out of the jaws of death &c.
lb,, ni,4, 3928eqq,
184 TWELFTH NIGHT.
All critical efforts notwithstanding 1. 393 has remained a metrical
stamblinp: block. The words a little, besides spoUing the metre, im-
press the reader as ridiculously superfluous and have probably slipped
from their original place which was in the second half of the pre-
ceding line, for I have little doubt that in the poet^s manuscript this
line was complete, exactly as it is the case with lines 381, 386,
and 391 of this very scene. In a word, I suspect the original
wording of the passage to have been somewhat to the following
effect: —
Sec, Off. Come, sir, I pray you, go.
Ant. Tarry a little
And let me speak. This youth that you see here &c.
Stay but a little would, of course, do equally well as Tarry a little.
cccxxxn.
Sir To. Hold, sir, or I'll throw your dagger o'er the house.
Ib.y IV, 1, dOseq.
From these words it appears that Sebastian is belabouring Sir An-
drew with his dagger; daggers, in the time of Elizabeth, were long
enough to be used for such a purpose.
cccxxxin.
Oli. If it be aught to the old tune, my lord,
It is as fat and fulsome to mine ear
As howling after music.
Duke. Still so cruel?
Oli. Still so constant, lord?
Duke. What, to perverseness? Ac.
lb., V, lylllseqq.
Mr. P. A. Daniel (Notes and Conjectural Emendations of Certain
Doubtful Passages in Shakespeare's Plays, 1870, p. 43) ingeniously
proposes to add 'ladtp to the Duke's question: Still so cruel?
Mr. Daniel is right in so far as he has felt the want of an even
balance in the two short speeches of the Duke and Lady Olivia, but
his addition is an incumbrance on the meti-e and the equipoise of the
two speeches may be attained just as well by the omission of 'lord'
(after constant) as by the addition of *lady\ One of these two con-
jectural emendations, either Mr. Daniel's or mine, should be adopted;
if Mr. Daniel's, the Duke's speech should not be joined to the pre-
ceding verse, but form a short line by itself.
TWELFTH NIGHT. THE WDTTER's TALE. 185
CCCXXXIV.
Vio. K nothing lets to make us happy both
But this my masculine usurped attire,
Do not embrace me till each circumstance
Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump
That I am Viola: which to confirm,
I'll bring you to a captain in this town,
Where lie my maiden weeds; by whose gentle help
I was preserved to serve this noble count
lb,, V, 1, 2568eqq.
Viola is here made to speak nonsense. ^If nothing lets to make us
happy', she says to Sebastian who, being now convinced of his sister's
identity, is eager to embrace her as such, 'but my masculine attire,
then do not embrace me' &c., instead of saying the very contrary,
viz. then you may safely embrace me, for I have only usurped this
boys' dress and my maiden weeds are lying at a captain's house in
this town. Arrange, therefore: —
Vio. Do not embrace me till each circumstance
Of place, time, fortune,. do cohere and jump
That I am Viola: which to confirm, —
If nothing lets to make us happy both
But this my masculine tisurp'd attire, —
I'U bring you to a captain in this town.
Where lie my maiden weeds; by whose gentle help
I was preserved to serve this noble count.
I should add by the way, that the two conjectural emendations maid's
and preferred instead of maiden and preserved seem to admit of
little doubt.
CCCXXXV.
And leave you to your graver steps. Hermione.
The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 173.
Mr. neay, in his paper entitled 'Metrical Tests applied to Shake-
speare' and incorporated in Dr. Ingleby's Occasional Papers on Shake-
speare (London, 1881), gives a survey of all those lines in the poet's
plays which he takes to be Alexandrines and therefore holds to con-
stitute an important element in those Metrical Tests from which he
proceeds to conclusions and inferences respecting the chronology and
authorship of the plays. Now it was to be expected that all these
lines should have been carefully examined and incontrovertibly scan-
ned before being set down as Alexandrines; but, on the contrary, it
can easily be shown that many of them have been misunderstood
with respect to their metre and that, far from being Alexandrines,
they are merely mistaken blank verse. At p. 90 seq. Mr. Fleay gives
186 THE winter's tale.
a list of all the apparent Alexandrines in The Winter's Tale. 'I have
thought it desirable', he says, *to print the Alexandrines [in The
Winter's Tale] in extenso with the cesuras mai'ked. I have, in this
instance, included all possibly doubtful cases in which the endings
are probably trisyllabic, that the reader may have all the evidence
before him. The preponderance (next to the regular lines) of lines
with pause after the fifth foot is very striking. Where no cesura
is marked, 1 believe the line to be one of trisyllabic feminine
ending. '
Although I have not taken the trouble of checking Mr. Fleay's
list to satisfy myself of its completeness, yet I have lighted on the
following three pseudo- Alexandrines which are not included in it,
viz.: —
I, 2, 173: And leave you to your graver steps. Hermione
n, 2, 43: Your honour and your goodness is so evident
n, 3, 23: Take it on her; CamiUo and Polixenes.
Pronounce, of coiurse, Hermi'fie, evident, and Poliafnes.
Mr. Fleay's list will be considerably reduced in number, if aU
lines with what he calls trisyllabic feminine endings are cut out,
which lines, however, he takes to be Alexandrines, since be has
marked their cesuras. They are the following: —
I, 2 [not 1], 33: He's beat from his best ward. Well said, Her-
mi'ne
I, 2, 55: My pris'ner? or my guest? by your dread 'Ver'ly'
I, 2, 263: Are such allowed infirmities that hon'sty.
Compare S. Walker, Versification, p. 206.
I, 2, 287 [not 286]: Of laughing with a sigh; a note infaU'ble
I, 2, 344: As friendship wears at feasts, keep with Bohemia
n, 1, 20: Into a goodly bulk: good time encount'r her.
Compare S. Walker, Versification, p. 67.
n, 1, 53: So eas'ly open? By his great author'ty.
Compare S. Walker, Versification, p. 205.
n, 1, 163 [not 164]: Our forceful instigation! Our prerog'tive
n, 1, 185: Of stuff 'd sufficiency: now from the or'cle
n, 2, 46: So meet for this great errand. Please your lad'ship
n, 3, 42: Away with that audacious lady! Antig'nus.
Besides a triple ending this line has an extra syllable before
the pause.
n, 3, 189: Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosp'rous
in, 2,209: Do not repent these things, for they are heavier
IV, 4, 476: More straining on for plucking back; not foU'wing
THE winteb's tale. 187
IV, 4, 518: I'll hear you by and by. He's iiremov'ble.
The anonymous conjecture immovable (recorded in the Cam-
bridge Edition) would not influence the scansion, but requires
the reading He is.
IV, 4, 576: There is some sap in this. A course more prom'sing.
V, 1, 95: That e'er the sim shone bright on. Hermi'ne
V, 1, 112 [not 111]: The rarest of aU women. Go, Cleom'nes
V, 3, 3: I did not well, I meant well. AU my serv'ces
V, 3, 144: And take her by the hand whose worth and hon'sty.
A second class of pseudo- Alexandrines consists of those lines
that have a triple ending, or an extra syllable, before the pause.
To this class belong the following instances in Mr. Fleay's list, viz. : —
I, 2, 19 [not I, 1, 68]: I'll no gainsaying. Press me not, b'seech
you, so.
Hanmer's and CapeU's conjectures are needless.
1,2,22 [not I, 1, 21]: Were there necess'ty in your request,
although.
Should the pause after necessity be deemed too slight to admit
of an extra syllable before it, the last syllable of necessity
might, perhaps, be lost in the pronunciation of the following in,
I, 2, 161: Will you take eggs for money? No, m'lord, I'll fight.
For the contraction m'lord Mr. Fleay may be referred to his
own edition of Marlowe's Edward II., p. 122. Possibly, how-
ever, the arrangement of the Cambridge Edition (two short
lines) is right
I, 2, 391: As you are certainly a gentl'man; thereto.
See S. Walker, Versification, p. 116 and 189. Capell's con-
jecture are, certain, a is needless.
I, 2, 410: I mean to utter 't, or both yourself and me.
See S. Walker, Versification, p. 102.
I, 2, 454: Must it be vi'lent? and as he does conceive
n, 2, 11: Th' access of gentle vis'tors. Is't lawful, pray you
n, 3, 167: To save | the inn | 'cent; an|y thing pos|sible.
Any thing is to be pronoimced as a dissyllable; compare Fair
Em, ed. Delius, p. 48 (To any such as she is underneath the
sun); ib., p. 50 (Nor heard any ways to rid my hands of
them; see note LXXXTl); Mucedorus, ed. Deliu6, p. 26 (If any
body ask for me, make some excuse; see note CXLV); Hamlet,
n, 1, 107 (What, have you given him any hard words of late?);
B. Jonson, Catiline, 11, 1, 24 (Any way, so thou wilt do it,
good impert'nence); Field, A Woman is a Weathercock, in
Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XI, 15 (Whiter than any thing but her
188 THE WINTEB's TAX.E.
neck and hands). Hanmer's conjecture what's for any thing is
therefore needless.
Ill, 2, 5: Of being tyr'nous, since we so openly
or: Of being tyrannous, since we so op'nly
in, 2, 241 [not 249]: Shall be my recreation: so long as nature
m, 3, 2: The deserts of Bohemia? Ay, m'lord; and fear
Y, 3, 25 [not 24]: Thou art Hermi'ne; or rather, thou art she.
See Abbott, s. 469.
A third class of lines will be reduced to regular blank verse by
means of simple contractions; such are: —
I, 2, 108: Th' oth'r for some while a friend. Too hot, too hot!
For the monosyllabic pronunciation of other compare S. Walker,
Versification, p. 108 (where this very line is quoted) and
Abbott, s. 466.
I, 2, 227: Of head-piece extraord'n'ry? lower messes.
Compare As You Like It, HI, 5, 42: I see no more in you
than in the ord'n'ry.
I, 2, 408: That I think hon'rable: therefore mark my counsel
II, 1, 107: With an aspect more fav'rable. Good my lords.
See S. Walker, Yersification, p. 274. There is no need of Han-
mer's conjecture aspect of more favour.
lY, 4, 401: Contract us 'fore these witnesses. Come, your hand.
Pronounce witness. See S. Walker, Yersification, p. 244, and
Abbott, s. 471.
lY, 4, 504: As you've e'er been my father's honour'd friend.
See S. Walker, Crit Exam., I, 81 (As y' have e'er, d;c,),
lY, 4, 531: To have them recompensed as thought on. Well, m'lord.
Thus S. Walker, according to the Cambridge Edition.
The remaining number of Mr. Fleay's list is still farther les-
sened by the correction of those lines that are either wrongly arranged
or manifestly corrupted. Thus, e. g., I, 2, 375 seq. (not I, 1, 371)
should probably be printed as two short lines, as it has been done
in the folio and in a number of modern editions, although kn&w,
m'lord might be taken for a double ending: —
That changeth thus his manners. I dare not know, m'lord.
In n, 1, 182 seq. the words in post do not belong to the first, but
to the second line and the preposition to, in the latter, is to be con-
tracted with ApoUo's: —
Most piteous to be wild, I have dispatched
In post to sacred Delphos, t' Apollo's temple.
KING JOHW. 189
In the line II, 3, 2 1 the connective And seems to be an interpolation
and was therefore rightly omitted by CapeU: —
in himself too mighty,
In's parties, his alliance; let him be, &c.
From line IT, 3, 149 the words we beg have been justly transferred
to the following line by Hanmer; —
So to esteem of us, and on our knees
We beg as recompense of our dear serv'ces.
Hanmer's correction service instead of services is needless. The lines
IV, 4, 375 seq. should be arranged thus: —
Or Ethiopian's tooth, or the fanned snow
That's bolted by the northern blasts twice o'er.
Pol What follows this?
How prettily &c.
There is no need of Dyce's conjecture Ethiop*s.
Thus almost all of Mr. Fleay's list of Alexandrines in The
Winter's Tale has vanished like the banquet in The Tempest, and
without any * quaint device' having been resorted to. The remainder
is, indeed, incomparably small; and possibly even these few exceptional
lines may not have, been originally Alexandrines. (Alexandrines in
The Winter's Tale and K. Richard II. Privately printed, 1881.)
CCCXXXVI.
Here's a stay
That shakes the rotten carcass of old Death
Out of his rags.
King John, II, 1, 455 seqq.
This is the reading of the folio, of which W. N. Lettsom has justly
remarked, that ^ stay is perhaps the last word that could have come
from Shakespeare.' Johnson has conjectured flaw which S. Walker
(Grit. Exam., H, 294) thinks 'is indisputably right'; it bears, how-
ever, too little resemblance to tlie old reading, and, besides, the idea
of a gust of wind seems to be foreign to the context. The same
objections lie against Mr. Spedding's conjectures of storm and story,
Beckett and Singer propose say which is far too weak in the mouth
of the Bastard. I think we should read. Here's a bray. The Heralds
both of the besiegers and the besieged play a conspicuous part in
this scene and have just opened the parley with the blowing of their
trumpets; King Philip says (II, 1, 204 seq.): —
You loving men of Angiers, Arthur's subjects.
Our trumpet caU'd you to this gentle parle.
Under such circumstances the citizen of Angiers may be said not
inappropriately to *bray out' his defiance to the kings like a * harsh-
190 EtNG «rOHK.
resounding' tnunpet (see K. Richard 11., I, 3, 135: With harsh-
resounding trumpets' dreadful bray) and, in the Bastard's language,
by such a clang to shake 'the rotten carcass of old Death out of his
rags.' Compare Hanalet, I, 4, 11 seq.: —
The kettledrum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge —
and Edward m., I, 2 (ed. Delius, 9): —
How much they wiU deride us in the North;
And in their vile, uncivil, skipping jigs,
Bray forth their conquest and our overthrow.
Even in the barren, bleak, and fruitless air.
See also Faerie Queene, I, 3, 23: —
Whom overtaking, they gan loudly bray.
Greene, Dorastus and Fawnia (Shakespeare's Library, ed. Hazlitt, 1,
IV, 43): who as in a fury brayed out these bitter speaches. Milton's
English Poems, ed. R. C. Browne (London, 1873) I, 228 and 367.
Speeches of Lord Macaulay (London, 1875, p. 180b): The Orangeman
raises his war-whoop: Exeter Hall sets up its bray. (The Athen«ura,
June 22, 1867, 821. — Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der
Uebersetzung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben von der Deut-
schen Shakespeare -Gesellschaft, I, 235. — Transactions of the New
Shakspere Society, 1880 — 2, Part I, p. 107.)
cccxxxvn.
The grappling vigour and rough frown of war
Is cold in amity and painted peace.
Ib.,in,lyl04 8eq,
Hanmer reads cool'd; GapeU, clad; Staunton proposes coil'dy and
Mr. Collier's corrected folio has faint in peace. Mr. Collier's manu-
script corrector, whoever he may have been, has rightly felt the want
of symmetrical agreement between the two clauses of the second
line, but the remedy by which he has meant to restore it, seems to
be wrong. I rather incline to the belief that Shakespeare wrote: —
Is scolding amity and painted peace.
Constance reproaches King Philip with perjury and denounces his
warlike preparations as a sham; they are, she says, not more dread-
ful than amity that scolds a friend, or peace whidi is painted to look
like war. The required harmony of the sentence is thus vary natur-
ally recovered; and I need not dwell on the easy misapprehension
by which the words Is scolding, particularly when spoken, could be
transmuted into Is cold in. (The Athenaeum, June 22, 1867, 821.
— Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel
und Tieck, herausgeg. von der Deutschen Shakesp.-Gesellsch., I, 238.)
KTKG JOHN. 191
cccxxxvm.
For I do see the cruel pangs of death
Right in thine eye.
lb., V, 4, SOseq.
Bighi in thine eye certainly gives a sense, but so weak and poor a
sense that it is beneath Shakespeare. It can neither be supported by
Coriolanus, m, 3, 70: —
Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths,
nor by Byron, The Island, I, 4: —
Full intthine eyes is waved the glittering blade.
Bighi, in our passage, is merely an expletive. Hanmer and War-
burton therefore conjectured Pighi in thine eye (eyes)] Capell, Fight
in thine eye] Collier's so -called manuscript corrector, Bright in thine
eye] Brae, Riot in thine eye. This last suggestion has been cited by
Dr. Ingleby (Shakespeare Hermeneutics, or The Still Lion, London,
1875) 116 with 'unqualified satisfaction'. Collier's conjecture, although
approved by Singer and Knight, has been incontrovertibly refuted by
Dyce ad he. 1 think the compositor anticipated right from the fol-
lowing line ('that intends old right') and am convinced that the tine
reading is: —
For I do see the cruel pangs of death
Writhing thine eye.
(The Athenaeum, June 22, 1867, 821. — Shakespeare's dramatische
Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben
von der Deutschen Shakespeare-Qesellschaft, 2. Aufl., I, 247. The first
edition, I, 247, has the misprint Whithin for Writhing.)
CCCXXXIX.
Enter Bastard and Hitbebt, seueraUy,
Hub. Whose there? Speake hoa, speake quickely, or I shoote.
Bast. A Friend. What art thou?
Huh. Of the part of England.
Bast. Whether doest thou go?
Hub. What's that to thee?
Why may not I demand of thine affaires.
As well as thou of mine?
Bast. Hubert, I thinke.
Hub. Thou hast a perfect thought.
lb., Vy 6, 1 seqq.
This is the reading of the folio and it need not be pointed out that,
as fjEtr as the distribution of the speeches is concerned, it is a per-
fect tangle. Attempts at emendation have been made by W. W. Lloyd,
192 KHfO JOHN.
Dyoe (3d Ed., Y, 98), and Mr. H. H. Yaughan (New Readings and New
Renderings of Shakespeare's Tragedies, London, 1878, I, 84 seq.).
Dyce differs from the folio only in the following lines: —
Hub, What's that to thee?
Bast. Why may not I demand
Of thine affairs, as well as thou of mine?
Hubert, I think.
He adopts, he says, as absolutely necessary, this portion of the new
distribution of the speeches at the commencement of this scene which
was recommended to him by W. W. Lloyd. Mr. Yaughan proposes
the following arrangement: —
Hub. Who's there? Speak ho! speak quickly, or I shoot
Bast. A friend: what art thou?
Hub. Of the part of England.
Whither dost thou go?
Bast. What is that to thee?
Hub. 'What's that to thee?' — Why may not I demand
Of thine affairs — as well as thou of mine?
Bast. Hubert, I think.
Hub. Thou hast a perfect thought.
Thus, Mr. Yaughan says, the metre becomes perfect, whereas, accord-
ing to him, the metrical defect is not remedied by Dyce's arrange-
ment In my opinion both Dyce's and Mr. YaughMi's alterations are
insufficient and do not improve the text; of Mr. Lloyd's arrangement,
as it is not contained in his Critical Essays on the Plays of Shake-
speare (London, 1875), I know nothing except what has been im-
parted by Dyce. If we bear in mind that throughout the play the
Bastard is hot-headed, aggressive and over -bearing, -whereas Hubert
is of a sedate temperament and generally stands on his defence, it
will seem quite natural that it is not the latter, but the former, who
opens the dialogue with the impetuous question: * Who's there? Speak,
ho!', to which he immediately adds a threat It speaks greatly in
favour of this supposition that in the stage -direction the name of the
Bastard is placed first. I feel therefore convinced that the verses
should be distributed as follows : —
Bast. Who's there? Speak, ho! speak quickly, or I shoot
Hub. A friend.
Bast. What art thou?
Hub. Of the part of England.
Whither dost thou go?
Bast. What's that to thee?
Hub. Why may not I demand
Of thine affairs as well as thou of mine?
Bast. Hubert, I think.
Hub. Thou hast a perfect thought
EINO JOHN. K. BICHABD H. 193
(Shakespeare's dramatisGhe Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel
und Tieck, herausgegeben durch die Deutsche Shakespeare- Gesell-
schaft, I, 247. — The Athenseum, June 22, 1867, 821.)
CCCXL.
Let it be so: and you, my noble prince,
With other princes that may best be spared,
Shall wait upon your father's funeral.
lb., V, 7, QGseqq.
S.Walker (Crit. Exam., I, 293) believes the word princes to be a cor-
ruption, the transcriber's or compositor's eye having been caught by
the word prince in the preceding line. Dyce and the Cambridge
Editors concur in this opinion, without, however, making an attempt
at restoring the passage. The compositor, in my opinion, by mistake
repeated a wrong word from the preceding verse; instead of princes
he ought to have repeated nobles, for Shakespeare in all probability
wrote: —
With other nobles that may best be spared.
(The Athenaeum, June 22, 1867, 821. — Shakespeare's dramatische
Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben
von der Deutschen Shakespeare -Gesellschaft, I, 248.)
CCCXLI.
Oaunt. As near as I could sift him on that argument
Richard 11. , /, 1, 12.*
It gives me great pleasure to subscribe to Mr. Fleay's remark {aptid
Ingleby, p. 75) that this is not an Alexandrine, but a regular blank
verse with a triple ending.
CCCXIJI.
K Richard. Rage must be withstood:
Give me his gage: lions make leopards tame.
Mow, Yea, but not change his spots.
lb., I, 1, nSseqq.
The Clarendon Press Editors remark on these lines: *Pope altered
this to ^^ their spots"; but Mowbray is quoting the text, Jeremiah
Xin, 23.' Besides this text the poet at the same time may have
had in his mind Lyly's Epistle Dedicatorie (before his 'Euphues') to
* With a few exceptions the above notes on K. Richard U. were first
published in Pi-of. Kolbing's Englische Studien, XII, 186—197.
El2e, Notes. 13
19^ E. RICHARD n.
Sir "William West, Knight, Lord Delaware, where we meet with the
following passage (according to the edition of 1579, in the British
Museum): 'The fairest Leopard is sette downe with his spots, the
sweetest Rose with his prickles, the finest Veluet with his bracka'
In the quarto 1581 (the GrenviUe copy) the wording is somewhat
different, viz.: *The fairest Leopard is made with his spots, the finest
cloth with his list, the smoothest shooe hath his laste.' Compare
Lyly's Euphues, ed. by Arber, p. 202, and Lyly's Euphues, &c Ed.
by Dr. Friedrich Landmann (Heilbronn, 1887), Preface, p. 3. 'The
Leopard with his spots' would seem to have been a proverbial phrase.
CCCXLm.
Lord marshal, command our officers at arms.
lb., 1,1, 204.
In addition to his list of Alexandrines in The Winter's Tale Mr. Fleay
(1. c, p. 72 seq.) prints a complete list of aU the Alexandrines in
K. Richard 11. (54 in all) and is much surprised at their unusual
number, which, he assures his readers, is twice as large as that in
any unadulterated play anterior to Measure for Measure. He, more-
over, declares many of the lines in this list to be most unsatisfactory
to the ear and would therefore 'rather see in this peculiarity a proof
of incorrect printing or carelessness in revising the original 1593
copy for the press in 1597, than a sudden alteration of style hastily
adopted and as hastily abandoned.' At p. 80 he declares these same
Alexandrines to be 'printers' or editors' verse, not Shakespeare's'.
Be it so; but what value can then be ascribed to them as metrical
tests in the investigation of the chronology and authorship of the
plays? 'A large number of these Alexandrines', he goes on to say,
'demand pitiless correction', and such correction he then applies to
some of them, although on p. 76 he wishes it to be clearly under-
stood, that he 'would not (except in re -arranging some few divisions
of lines) on any account interfere with the received text editorially
by inserting emendations on these hypothetical grounds.' In my
opinion such emendations are much less needed than Mr. Fleay seems
to think, and those that are needed should, of course, be inserted m
the text. Let us take, for instance, the very first line adduced by
Mr. Fleay (1, 1, 204): —
Lord mareshal, command | our officers at arms,
for thus Mr. Fleay prints it, whereas the folio reads MarsIiaU. For
my part, I have not the least doubt that this is no Alexandrine at
all, but a regular blank verse with the familiar extra syllable before
the pause; that the pause falls after the first foot can hardly be a
matter of surprise. The line 11, 1, 141 (No. 3): —
(I do) beseech your majesty | impute his words,
K. BICHAKD n. 195
is to be corrected in Mr. Fleay's opinion by the omission of 7 do;
it requires, however, no change at all, majesty being a triple ending
before the pause. The same scansion occurs again 'in lU, 3, 70
(No. 31): —
Controlling majesty: alack, alack for woe,
as also in V, 3, 25 (No. 47), where Mr. Fleay has found it out: —
God save your grace. I do beseech your majesty.
With respect to No. 6 (IE, 1, 254) Mr. Fleay might likewise have
abstained from a change, although he shields himself by the reading
of the folio which omits the adjective nohU\ —
That which his (noble) ancestors achieved with blows.
May not the original scansion have been aruf stars or rather (mce'tors
and '(Sieved? That the rapid dissyllabic pronunciation of ancestors
and ancestry was by no means owing to the straits of the versifiers
is proved by the notable fact that ance'trie occurs in a prose passage
in B. Jonson's Every Man in his Humour, I, 3 (Fol., Vol. I, p. 13):
'Mine ance'trie came from a kings belly, no worse man.' In the line
n, 2, 29 (No. 8): —
Persuades me it is otherwise: howe'er it be,
Mr. Fleay thinks it necessary to expunge it is. There can be no
doubt, however, that otherwise is to be pronounced as a dissyllable
just as in Beaumont and Fletcher's King and no King, HI, 3 (quoted
by S. Walker, Versification, p. 108): —
Otherwise, I think, I shall not love you more.
Compare what has been remarked in the foregoing note on The Win-
ter's Tale, I, 2, 108. Scan therefore: —
Persuades | me it | is oth'r|wise: howe'er | it be.
Nos. 10 (II, 2, 53) and 18 (H, 3, 55): —
The Lord Northumberland, his son young Henry Percy
And in it are the Lords of York, Berkley, and Seymour
may also be considered as blank verse, provided that in the former
Northumberland be pronoimced as a trisyllable (compare Abbott, s. 469),
and that in the latter in it and the Lords be contracted: in 't and
th' Lords, How the next line (11, 3, 120; No. 19): —
A wandering vagabond; my rights and royalties
could have been mistaken for an Alexandrine by a critic who has
been taught by S. Walker and Dr. Abbott, it is difficult to under-
stand; royalties is, of course, to be pronounced as a dissyllable.
Compare HI, 3, 113: —
Than for his lineal royalties and to beg.
13*
196 K. KiCHARiy n.
The same remedy provides for Nos. 24 and 35 (IQ, 1, 9 and lY,
1,89):-
A happy gentleman* in blood and lineaments
To all his lands and signories: when he's retum'd.
In other words, lineaments and signories are to be pronounced as
triple endings.
From the line IE, 3, 30 (No. 28): —
belike it is the bishop of Carlisle
Mr. Fleay disjoins the interjection (omitted altogether by Pope)
and places it in a separate line; why not rather pronounce belike as
a monosyllable (b'likej? See Note CCLV. An interjectional line is
also resorted to by Mr. Fleay with respect to No. 30 (EH, 3, 45): —
The which | how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke.
In my opinion, the words The which are ill qualified for a separate
line; pronounce Bolingbroke as a triple ending and the metre is un-
objectionable.
In the line V, 2, 70 (No. 42): —
1 do beseech you, pardon me; I may not show it,
Mr. Fleay again omits / do^ just as in No. 3; I think pardon me,
both here and in A. IT, sc. 2, 1. 105, should be pronounced as a
triple ending; pardon'd thee (V, 2, 117) is likewise used as a triple
ending before the pause. Compare notes CLXXVII and CCCLXXIV.
By the arrangement proposed with respect to No. 46 (V, 3, 24): —
What means our cousin, that he stares and looks so wildly?
the lines would be unwan-antably torn; the division of the lines as
given in the Globe Edition seems far preferable. Perhaps, however,
the words and looks should be omitted as an interpolation. A similar
surplusage seems to be discernible in the adverb freely in No. 38
(lY, 1, 326: My lord, before I freely speak my mind herein) although
no objection can be raised to either placing (with the Cambridge
Editors) the vocative My lord in a separate line, or to omitting it,
as it has been done in the later quartos and the folios.
I subjoin two more pseudo- Alexandrines taken at random from
other plays which, in my opinion, Mr. Fleay has not succeeded in
either scanning or correcting rightly.
The Merchant of Venice, 11, 9, 28: —
Which pries not to th' interior, but like the martlet.
Which pries, according to Mr. Fleay (p. 81), maj'^ stand in a separate
line, or the cesura may be after the eighth syllable. Neither the
one, nor the other. Scan: —
Which pries | not to | th' inte|rior, but like | the mart | let.
The line has an extra syllable before the pause.
K, BIGHABD H. 197
Antony and Cleopatra, IT, 1, 38: —
The ne^er lust -wearied Antony. I cannot hope.
'Possibly', says Mr. Fleay (p. 87), 'pronounce can't , but I prefer
making the line an Alexandrine.' The line will then be an Alexan-
drine of Mr. Fleay 's making, but it is certainly none of Shakespeare's.
Antony is a triple ending before the pause; see Abbott, s. 469. Com-
pare 1. 20 of the very same scene: —
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love,
and Robert Gamier's Cornelia translated by Thomas Kyd (Dodsley,
ed. Hazlitt, V, 232): —
Whom fear'st thou then, Mark Antony. — The hateful crew.
(Alexandrines in the Winter's Tale and K. Richard 11. Privately
printed, 1881.)
CCCXLIV.
Who, when they see the hours ripe on earth.
Will rain hot vengeance on offenders' heads.
lb,, /, 2, 7seq,
All editors, as far as they are known to me, agree in declaring
hours, which is the unifonn reading of all old and modem editions,
to be a dissyllable. I do not think so, but am convinced that Shake-
speare wrote: —
Who, when they see the hour is ripe on earth, &c.
The singular hour is certainly required; compare 2 Henry IV., IV, 5, 97:
'Before thy hour be ripe', and 1 Henry IV., I, 3, 294: 'When time
is ripe.' (The Athenaeum, Sept. 3, 1887, p. 320.)
CCCXLV.
Of thy adverse pernicious enemy:
Rouse up thy youthful blood, be valiant and liva
Ib,y I, 3, 82seq,
S. Walker, Crit Exam., 1,281, omits adverse and transfers House
up to the preceding line; Mr. Fleay declares the second line to be
an Alexandrine. In my opinion. Rouse up belongs indeed to 1. 82,
there is, however, no occasion of expunging adverse, enemy being a
triple ending before the pause. Arrange, therefore: —
Of thy adverse pernicious enemy: rouse up
Thy youthful blood, be valiant and live.
(K6lb., Engl. Stud., XI, 363.)
198 K. BICHABD n.
CCCXLYI
K. Bickard, What says he?
North, Nay, nothing; all is said.
lb., Hy 1,148.
Capell (followed by Steevens) inserted now after he, and S. Walker
(Crit. Exam., m, 126) agrees with him, whilst Mr. Lettsom in a
footnote oifers a conjecture of his own. Abbott, s. 482, dissyUabizes
Nay. In my conviction the verse either belongs to the category of
syllable pause lines: —
What says | he? ^ | Nay, no|thing; all | is said,
or What is a monosyllabic foot and the verse to be scanned thus: —
What I says he? | Nay, no {thing; all | is said.
CCCXLYIL
Then thrice -gracious queen.
More than your lord's departure weep not: more's not seen;
Or if it be, ^tis with false sorrow's eye.
Which for things true weeps things imaginary.
lb., II, 2, 24seqq.
Qq: more is, instead of more's. Abbott, p. 402, takes 1. 25 to be
an Alexandrine. Arrange: —
Then thrice -gracious queen,
More than your lord's departure weep not: more is
Not seen; or ift be, 'tis with false sorrow's eye.
Which for things true weeps things imaginary.
Not, in 1. 25, and be, in 1. 26, are extra syllables before the pause.
cccxLvm.
Queen. Now God in heaven forbid!
lb., n, 2, 51.
The tame and poor expletive Now does ill suit the agitated and
disturbed state of mind of the Queen. May not the poet have
written: No! God in heaven forbid!? The import of these two
readings can best be shown on the stage by an intelligent actress.
CCCXLIX.
Sirrah, get thee to Plashy, to my sister Gloucester.
lb., n, 2, 90.
Hazlitt justly places Sirrah in a line by itself. The same arrange-
ment is advocated by Mr. Fleay, 1. c, p. 74.
E. BIGUABD n. 199
CCCL.
What, are there no posts dispatched for Ireland?
lb., 11, 2, 103,
*To make the metre smooth', say the Clarendon Press Editors, 'we
might either omit "There", or place "What" as an exclamation in a
line by itself, as "Well" and "No" in lines 135 and 141, reading
"Ireland" as a trisyllable.' To me it seems to admit of no doubt
that 'Ireland' is to be read as a dissyllable and 'What' as a mono-
syllabic foot. 'No' in 1. 141 is another monosyllabic foot, whereas
'Well' in 1. 135 forms indeed a separate line, unless the reading
'Well, I'll' &c., adopted by Singer, Hazlitt, R Gr. White and other
editors should be preferred. The two lines are to be scanned thus: —
No; I I will I to Ire|land to | his maj|'sty,
or: —
No; rU I to Ire|land to | his maj|e8ty.
WeU, I'll I for ref|uge straight | to Bris|tol ca8|tle,
or: —
Well,
I will for refuge straight to Bristol castle.
Compare also Mr. Fleay, 1. c.
CCCLI.
Gentlemen, will you go muster men?
If I know how or which way to order these affairs &c.
lb,, II, 2, 108 seq.
Several editors expatiate on the supposed irregularity of these lines,
which, Collier asserts, 'is meant to accord with York's perturbed
state of mind', whilst, according to R. Gr. White, it 'is doubtless
due to accident or carelessness.' Mr. Rolfe compares Abbott, s. 507,
whose scansion of 1. 108 is not very satisfactory. For my part, I
fail to see any metrical irregularity, except in the division of the
lines, in so far as 'the old text ends the first of these lines with
men, and puts If — affairs all into the next line.' All difficulty
would seem to be removed by arranging either (with Mr. Hudson): —
Gentlemen, will you go muster men? If I
Know how or which way t'order these affairs, &c.
or (which I take to be the true arrangement): —
Gentlemen,
Will you I go mus|ter men? | ^ If | I know
How or which way to order these affairs, &c.
Mr. Fleay proposes: —
Gent'men, | will you | go mus|ter men? | If 7 | know
How or which way to order these affairs, &c.
T should not stand in the accented part of the foot; but let the
reader take his choice.
200 K. BICHABD n.
cccLn.
Well, somewhat we must do. Come Cozen,
He dispose of you. Gentlemen, go muster vp your men,
And meet me presently at Barkley Castle:
I should to Flashy too: but time will not pennit,
All is vneuen, and euery thing is left at six and seuen.
Ib.ylly 2, llGseqq.
This is the lection and arrangement of FA, in the faultiness of which
all editors are agreed, without, however, having been able to restore
the true reading. In my opinion, the words Oentlemen, go should
be transposed and the lines should be divided as foUows: —
Well, somewhat we must do.
Come, cousin, I'll dispose of you. Go, gentlemen.
Muster up your men, and meet me presently
At Berkley Castle. I should to Flashy too;
But time will not permit: all is uneven.
And every thing is left at six and seven.
Oentlemen is, of course, to be pronounced as a triple ending. The
monosyllabic pronunciation of Muster needs neither explanation, nor
justification; compare Chaucer, ed. by Morris, I, 177 seq. Instead of
Barkley Castle the Qq read Barkly or Barckly, which suits the metre
just as well, only it makes the verse a syllable pause line; or it
must be read as a trisyllable (Berkeley).
cccun.
I do remain as neuter. So, fare you well.
76., //, 3, 159,
In order to regulate the metre S. Walker (Crit Exam., HI, 127)
proposes to read So farewell. ^The extra syllable in the body of the
line', he says, * would be in place in Macbeth or King Henry Vlll.,
but is strange here.' — S. Walker is mistaken, for there is an
abundance of extra syllables before the pause in our play and the
line is perfectly right. By the way it may be added that it escaped
S. Walker that Fope made the same correction before him.
CCCLIV.
York. It may be I wiU go with you: but yet I'll pause.
lb., n, 3, 168.
Fope omitted loith you. Bead, of course, with Mr. Fleay; —
May be I I'U go I with you: | but yet | I'll pause.
K. RIGHAKD H. 201
CCCLV,
Nor friends, nor foes, to me welcome you are.
lb., II, 3, 170.
In accordance with Dr. Abbott, s. 490, some editors print welcdme.
Dr. Abbott adds the following remark: 'This particular passage may
be explained by a pause, but ^^welc&me" is common in other authors.'
Compare note CCXXIV and S. Walker, Crit Exam., HI, 127. In a
case like this we should look above all for the use of Shakespeare
himself before turning to other authors, and it remains to be seen,
whether or not a line is to be found in his plays by which the
accentuation of welcome on the last syllable can be established beyond
a doubt. In the present case there is certainly a pause after me
and welcome may be read as a trochee. Should this pause be thought
too slight by some one or other of my readers, he may perhaps be
better satisfied by a transposition which would remove all difficulty,
viz.: —
Nor friends, nor foes, welcome to me you are.
The conjectural emendation proposed by Mr. Daniel in his Notes and
Conjectural Emendations, p. 49, (or friends or foes) has nothing to
do with the metre of the line and may be left to the reader's own
judgment.
CCCLVI.
The king reposeth all his confidence in thea
Ib.y II, 4, 6.
Pope changes confidence to trust] Capell reads in thee all his confid-
ence] Seymour omits oM his; Singer, Hazlitt, and others end the line
at confidence and place in thee in a separate line; Mr. Fleay, 1. c,
suspects *that '* reposeth" should.be ''rests" or ''puts".'' This is
quite a chemist's shop full of remedies for the poor line that needs
no doctoring at all, provided confidence be pronounced as a dis-
syllable; scan: —
The king | repos|eth all | his con|fdence In | thee.
Compare note CXXXIII (coynb'tants).
CCCLVn.
Boling. Thanks, gentle uncle. Come, lords, away.
To fight with Glendower and his complices:
Awhile to work, and after holiday.
lb., Ill, 1, 42seqq.
Pope inserted my before lords, an entirely gratuitous insertion, the
verse being obviously a syllable pause line. 'Theobald', remarks
Dr. ProBscholdt ad, loo,, 'ejected L 43 as an interpolation; S. Walker
202 K. RICHAKD n.
(Crit. Exam., HI, 128), on the contrary, to avoid „the awkward
vicinity of the final words atoay and holiday to each other", proposed
to supply after 1. 42 a verse to the following effect: —
And lead we forth our well-appointed powers.'
I cannot help thinking differently. I feel no doubt that in the poet's
Ms. the scene concluded with a couplet and that we ought to read
and arrange: —
Boling, Thanks, gentle uncle. To fight with Glendower
And his accomplices, come, lords, away:
AwhUe to work and after holiday.
For the inverted position of the infinitive compare Dr. Abbott, s. 357.
Dr. Abbott restricts this inversion to the infinitive in its * indefinite
signification', which restriction does not seem to be borne out by the
facts. Matzner (Engl. Gr., 2** Ed., lib, 49 and 577 seq.) quotes
amongst other instances the following sentence from Douglas Jerrold,
Bubbles, 1: 'To obtain a certain good you would sell anything',
where to obtain is certainly not equivalent to *as regards obtaining',
but to 'in order to obtain.' The same explanation may possibly
hold good with respect to the line in Macbeth (IE, 2, 73) quoted by
Dr. Abbott: 'To know my deed, 'twere best not know mj^self.' —
Line 42 is a syllable pause line both in the iexiti>s receptus and in
my arrangement — It should be added that two more couplets in
our play have been spoiled by the ignorance and negligence of either
transcriber or printers, viz. A. IV, sc. 1, 1. 333 — 334 and A-Y, sc. 3,
1. 135 — 136; both were corrected by Pope — the task was indeed
easy enough.
CCCLVm.
High be our thoughts: I know my uncle York
Hath power enough to serve our turn. But who comes here?
lb., Illy 2, 89 seq.
The true arrangement of these lines has been given by Dr. Abbott,
s. 506, p. 414; it is as follows: —
High be our thoughts:
I know my imcle York hath power enough
To serve our turn. But who comes here?
CCCLIX.
Boling, I know it, uncle, and oppose not myself
Against their wilL But who comes here?
Enter Percy,
Welcome, Harry: what, wiU not this castle yield?
K. RICHABD n. 203
Percy, The castle royally is mann'd, my lord,
Against thy entrance.
Baling , EoyaUy!
Why, it contains no king?
Perq/. Yes, my good lord,
It doth contain a king; &c.
76., ///, 3, ISseqq.
This is the reading and arrangement of the Cambridge Edition. It
is of no use to repeat the various conjectures and arrangements to
which the passage has given rise; suffice it to submit to the reader's
judgment the following new division of the lines: —
Boling, I know it, uncle, and not oppose myself
Against their wiU. But who comes here?
Enter Percy,
Welcome Harry!
What, will not this castle yield?
Percy, The castle
Is royally mann'd, my lord, against thy entrance.
Boling. Royally?
Why, it contains no king?
Percy. Yes, my good lord,
I doth contain a king; &c.
Line 18 has an extra syllable before the pause. As to the position
of the negative before the verb compare The Tempest IE, 1, 121;
V, 38 and 303; Much Ado, lY, 1, 175; &c. See also Matzner, Engl.
Gr., 2^ Ed., nb, 585. What, in 1. 21, is a monosyllabic foot 7s
royalty is the lection of QBCD, whilst the rest of the old copies
read royally is,
CCCLX.
To his most royal person, hither come.
lb., Ill, 3, 38.
Pope omits hither come] Mr. Rolfe explains the words by ^having
come hither.' Qy. read and scan: —
To his I most roy|al per [son; hither | come I?
CCCLXI.
Be rush'd upon! Thy thrice noble cousin.
lb., m, 3, 103.
Pope inserted No, S. Walker (Crit Exam., 11, 260) this, before %;
no such insertion, however, is wanted. Scan: —
Be rush'd | upon! | ^ Thy | thrice no|ble cousjin.
204 K. RICUABD n.
CCCLXU.
And, as I am a gentleman, I credit him.
lb., Ill, 3, 120.
Collier^s Ms. corrector cut out / am\ Mr. Fleay takes credit him to be
a triple ending. In ray opinion the line has a triple ending before
the pause, or, in other words, gentleman is to be read as a dis-
syllable; see S. Walker, Versification, 189. Scan, therefore: —
And, as I I am I a gentjleman, I credjit him.
CCCLXm.
Thou, old Adam's likeness, set to dress this garden
How dares thy harsh rude tongue sound this unpleasing news?
Ib.,UIy4, 73 8eq.
Two lines of six feet which have been reduced to regular blank verse
in different ways. Pope struck out old and harsh rude; Hudson
omitted Thou; 'the Poet', he says, * probably first wrote Thou, and
then substituted Old, and both words got printed together. ' Mr. Rolfe
compares Abbott, s. 498, Steevens inserted here after set, and Malone
conjectured d^-ess out this garden. Say. There can be no harm
done in adding another arrangement to this profusion of conjectural
emendations. Qy. read and arrange: —
Thou, old Adam's likeness,
Thou, set to dress this gai-den, how dares
Thy harsh -nide tongue sound this unpleasing news?
Apart from the division of the lines this arrangement contains only
one slight delation from the textus receptus, viz. the repetition of
Thou, which can easily be shown to be in the poet's manner; com-
pare, e. g., A. V, sc. 1, 1. 11. The first Tfiou is, of course, a mono-
syllabic foot and the second verse a syllable pause line which is
thus to be scanned: —
Thou, set I to dress | this gar | den, j. | how dares.
CCCLXIV.
Of good old Abraham! Lords appellants.
lb., IV, 1, 104.
Pope altered the division of the lines and omitted old\ Capell inserted
My before lords, and Keightley father before Abraham. S. "Walker
(Crit. Exam., HI, 130) has nothing better to offer than the following
makeshift: *K all is right, we must pronounce dppellants. Are there
any traces of such a pronunciation'? Abbott, s. 485, justly describing
such a pronunciation as not Shakespearian, more suo dissyllabizes
Lords. In my conviction all these critical endeavours are mistaken,
K. RICHARD n. 205
as the verse shows not the slightest trace of corruption, but is either
a regular syllable pause line: —
Of good I old A|braham! | w Lords | appel|lants,
or a catalectic verse (see note IE): —
Of good I old A|br'am! Lords | appel|lants.
Abraham is used as a dissyllable not only by Shylock in The Mer-
chant of Venice, but also by King Richard IIL (IV, 3, 38): —
The sons | of Ed | ward sleep | in A|braham's bo|som.
For my own part I prefer this latter scansion.
CCCLXV.
And long live Henry, fourth of that name.
Ib.y IV, 1, 112.
This is the lection of QABCD and has been adopted amongst others
by the Clarendon Press Editors on the assumption that fourth is to
be pronounced as a dissyllable. The Ff and QE read of thai name
the fourth, a palpable correction of which there is no n^ whatever,
the verse, as printed in the Qq, being a regular syllable pause line;
scan: —
And long | live Henjry, jl \ fourth of | that name.
CCCLXVI.
And he himself not present? 0, forfend it, God.
Ib,yIVy 1,129.
Pope omitted Qod\ Mr. Fleay strikes out And he. Dele, with
Seymour, 0.
CCCLXVIL
To Henry Bolingbroke.
K. Richard. Give me the crown. Seize the crown;
Here, cousin, on this side my hand, and on that side yours.
lb., IV, 1,180 seqq.
This is the reading and arrangement of QCD; it is evidently corrupt
and that of the Ff (including QE) which has been adopted in the
Cambridge, Globe, and Clarendon Press Editions is even more so.
It was reserved for Singer to discover that Seize the crovm is a stage
direction that has crept into the text. I feel certain that we should
arrange: —
To Henry Bolingbroke.
K, Richard. Give me the crown. [Seixes the croum»]
Here, cousin!
On this side my hand, and on that side yours.
206 K. BICHARD n.
CCCLXYm.
With mine own breath release all duty's rites.
lb., IV, 1, 210.
Among the various readings and conjectural emendations to which
this line has given rise there is only one that deserves to be admit-
ted into the text, namely that proposed by Collier: duteous Hies.
CCCLXrK.
Transformed and weaken'd? hath Bolingbroke
Deposed thine intellect? hath he been in thy heart?
lb., V, 1, 27seq.
This is the division of all Qq and Ff, whilst several modem editors,
following the example set by Pope, end the first line at depos'd.
Instead of weaken'd Pope reads weak; S. Walker (Grit. Exam., IQ, 113)
proposes weaJc'd; Capell and Collier, ending the line as Qq Ff, in-
serted the former proud, the latter this, before Bolingbroke. As far
as the metre is concerned, it may safely be asserted that 1. 27 is a
syllable pause line: —
Transfer m'd | and wea|ken'd? ji | hath Boljingbroke,
and that intellect in 1. 28 is a triple ending before the pause. A
different question, however, has been started by the Clarendon Press
Editors, who by the feebleness of 1. 28 are led 'to suspect that it
is corrupt, and that something of this sort occupied its place, divid-
ing as in the early editions: —
Deposed thine intellect, benumb'd thy heart*.
There is, however, no occasion to omit hath he, and benumb'd seems
too remote from the lection of the old copies both in spelling and
sound; should w^e not make a somewhat nearer approach to it by
reading: —
Deposed | thine in|t'Uect? hath he | bereaved \ thy heart?
CCCLXX.
And in compassion weep the fire out.
lb., V,l,48.
A catalectic verse. According to the Clarendon Press Editors, fare is
to be pronounced as a dissyllable. The metre would certainly be
improed by a transposition : —
And weep | the fire | out in | compas|si6n.
K. RICHARD n. 207
CCCLXXI.
Tea, look'st thou pale? let me see the writing.
lb., V, 2y 57.
In order to regulate the metre Hanmer read come, let, Malone hoy,
let, Capell inserted sir after pale, and Abbott, s. 484, dissyllabizes
this latter word. I take the verse to be a syllable pause line: —
Yea, look'st | thou pale? | ^ let | me see | the writ|ing.
Two lines infra, satisfied is to be pronounced as a dissyllable. The
same pronunciation occurs again in 1. 71 of the present scene: —
I will I be sat|'sfied; let | me see't, | I say.
cccLxxn.
A dozen of them here have ta'en the sacrament.
Ib,y Vy 2, 97,
Sacrament is clearly a triple ending; cf. note CCXIjVII.
CCCLXXm.
Away, fond woman; were he twenty times my son,
I would appeach him.
Duch, Hadst thou groan'd for him
As I have done, thou wouldst be more pitiful.
Ib,y Vy 2y Wlseqq.
Arrange, with Mr. Fleay: —
Away, fond woman; were he twenty times
My son, I would api)each him.
Ditch, Hadst thou groan'd
For him, as I have done, thou'ldst be more pitiful.
Pitiful is, of course, to be pronounced, as a triple ending.
CCCLXXIY.
Till Bolingbroke have pardon'd thee. Away, be gone;
Ib.y Vy2yll7.
Pope struck out he gone] Mr. Fleay, 1. c, wants either Away! or
he gone! to be omitted; Singer, Hazlitt, and others end the line at
Away! placing Be gone! in a separate line. In my opinion pardon' d
thee is a triple ending, and no alteration whatever is requisite.
Compare note CCCXLIH.
208 K. RICHABD n. K. HENRY IV.
CCCLXXV.
Show minutes, times, and hours: but my time.
Ih., F, 5, 58.
Hours is not to be read dissolute, the verse being a syllable pause
line: —
Show min lutes, times, | and hours: | w but | my time.
The reading of the Ff and of QE: 0, hut my time, is an obvious
correction, which, however, should be noticed as showing that the
dissolution of hour was not in use at that time; it militates against
Dr. Abbott and Mr. Fleay.
CCCLXXYI.
That staggers thus my person. Exton, thy fierce hand.
lb., V, 5, 110.
Pope omitted Exton, and Mr. Fleay, apparently without a knowledge
of Pope's correction, proposes the same remedy in order to restore
the metre. The line, however, has an extra syllable before the pause,
and Exton is to be pronounced as a monosyllable, just like pardon,
reason, iron, dx. Scan: —
That stag|gers thus | my per j son. Ext'n, thy | fierce hand.
cccLXXvn.
North. First, to thy sacred state wish I all happiness.
lb., F, 6, 6.
Happiness is, of course, a triple ending.
CCCLXXVm.
Of Prisoners, Hotspiure tooke
Mordake Earle of Fife, and eldest sonne
To beaten Dowglas, and the Earle of AthoU,
Of Murry, Angus, and Menteith.
1 K. Henry IV., I, 1, 70seqq.
This is the reading and arrangement of the first Folio. *Some slight
mutilation here', remarks Dyce ad loc. rather mildly. This mutilation
or confusion, however, has nothing to do with the mistake into which
the poet has been led concerning the Earl of Fife, who was son to
the Duke of Albany, and not to Earl Douglas; which mistake, if
need were, might easily be corrected by the substitution of the for
and, before eldest. Without reviewing the different conjectures that
have been proposed by Hanmer, Capell, Keightley, and Collier in
K. HfiimT IV. 209
order to restore the original text, I content myself with increasing
the list by a conjectural emendation of my own. May not Shake-
speare have written: — '
Of prisoners, Hotspur took
The Earls of Murray, Angus, and Menteith,
Mordake the Eari of Fife, and eldest son
To beaten Douglas; and the Earl of Athol?
CCCLXXIX.
I tell you what
He held me last Night, at least, nine howres,
In reckning vp the seuerall Deuils Names
That were his Lacqueyes:
I cry'd hum, and well, goe too.
But mark'd him not a word.
Ih.y III, 1, ISSseqq.
Thus FA. The second line is no doubt corrupt and has given rise
to a number of conjectures. Pope -wrote the last night; Steevens,
btU last night] an anonymous critic (according to the Cambridge
Edition) proposed yesternight] Capell at the least. In my opinion fast
dropped out before last, from its very similarity. The fourth and
fifth lines have been joined by the editors, so as to form an Alexan-
drine, which Pope attempted to reduce to five feet by the omission
of go to, whilst all modem editors have refrained from so unwarranted
an alteration and have preferred to preserve the Alexandrine. Ritson
(apud Dyce) even went so far as to declare that * these two foolish [!]
monosyllables [go to] seem to have been added by some foolish player,
purposely [!!] to destroy the measure.' No such thing! Omit and,
and Shakespeare's authentic blank verse ( with an extra syllable before
the pause) will at once present itself. The passage, therefore, should
be printed thus: —
I tell you what,
He held me fast last night at least nine hours
In reckoning up the several devils' names
That were his lacqueys; I cried *hum', *well', 'go to',
But marked him not a word.
As to the insertion of fast before last the reader is referred to note
CCXCVIII (Her sister — tut!). Besides I have discovered in two
well-known German books two instances in point which go far to
establish almost beyond the reach of doubt the truth of this suggestion.
The first instance occurs in Eichendorff's celebrated novel 'Aus dem
Leben eines Taugenichts', Chap. lY, at the beginning of the last
paragraph but one. Of the five different editions which I have been
able to compare, the Editio princej^s (Berlin, 1826, Yereinsbuch-
£lze, Notes. 14
210 K. HENRY IV.
handlung, p. 58), the illustrated edition published by M. Simion
(Berlin, 1842, p. 59), and the second edition of the ^Simmtliche
Werke' (1864, Vol. HI, p. 44) correctly read: 'Was war mir aber das
alles (Alles) ntitze, wenn ich meine Ueben lustigen Herm (Herren)
nicht wieder fand?' In the more recent editions, however, which
were published by Ernst Julius Giinther (Leipzig, 1872, p. 61) and
by C. F. Amelang (Leipzig, 1882, p. 61) we read: 'Was mir aber das
Alles ntitze, wenn ich meine lieben lustigen Herren nicht wiederfand?'
In these editions war has dropped out, no doubt from its similarity-
with the preceding Was, from which it differs only by a single
letter. StiU more striking is the second instance, which is taken
from the 'Jugenderinnerungen eines alten Mannes (Wilh. v. Kugelgen)'
(Berlin, Hertz) of which I have looked up the second, fifth, and
ninth editions. In the second edition (Beriin, 1870) we read at p. 31:
'Nicht weniger befremdlich war es der Mutter, dafs Wetzel seine
wiirdige Frau nie anders nannte als "Henne" und sein niedliches
TSchterchen "Forelle". Er dagegen behauptete, unsere gew5hnlichen
Taulharaen seien gar zu albern und hatten nicht die geringste Be-
deutung. Unter Amalie, Charlotte, Louise, Franz und Balthasar, und
wie die Leute alle hiessen, konne sich kein Mensch was denken.
Namen miissten das Ding bezeichnen, gewissermassen abmalen, und
wenn er seine Frau "Henne" nenne, so hatte Jedermann damit ein
treues Bild ihres Wesens und ihrer Beschaftigungen, wie denn auch
seine Tochter eine veritable Forelle sei.' In the fifth and ninth
editions, however, (p. 31 in either edition), the word Henne before
nenne has been omitted, evidently from no other cause than from the
similarity between the two words, which differ merely in their initial
letters (H and n). In so far these two cases are completely analo-
gous to: 'He held me fast last night' &c. (Kolb., Engl. Stud., VIU, 495.
Notes and Queries, June 18, 1881, p. 485. Reply by Dr. Biinsley
Nicholson, ib., Sept. 24, 1881, p. 245. Dr. Nicholson has misunder-
stood my scansion of the last line but one, and blames the conjecture
fast, before last, as 'a cacophony and jingle, unpleasant and there-
fore [!] un- Shakespearian.' As if Shakespeare were pleasantness
itself! Dr. Nicholson might have recollected not a few lines in Shake-
speare that are by no means paragons of euphony and pleasantness;
and no wonder, that there ai'e some black sheep among so many
thousand lines! Even jingles are not altogether foreign to Shake-
speare's verses. Here is an instance, taken from Coriolanus, 11, 1,
180 seq.: —
Where he hath won
With fame, a name to Caius Marcius.
The same 'impleasant and therefore un- Shakespearian cacophony and
jingle', to borrow Dr. Nicholson's words, occurs also in Cymbeline,
m, 3, 51 (r th' name of fame). Two more cases in point are met
K. HENRY IV. K. HEIVBY V. 211
with in K. Henry Y., 11, 3, 54 (And hold-fast is the only dog, my
duck) and in Othello, IV, 3, 69 (it is a great price For a small vice).
The list might easily be increased.)
CCCLXXX.
Swear me, Kate, like a lady as thou art,
A good mouth-filling oath.
lb., in, 1, 258 seq.
In Marston's comedy What you will, m, 1 (Works, ed. Halliwell,
I, 255) we meet with the following lines: —
What I know a number,
By the sole warrant of a lapy- beard,
A raine beate plume, and a good chop-filling oth,
With an odde French shrugge, and by the Lord, or so,
Ha leapt into sweete captaine with such ease
As you would feart not.
Are we to consider a good chop -filling oath as a customary expres-
sion, or is it a recollection taken from Shakespeare's line? In the
latter case the passage should find admittance in a future edition of
Dr. Ingleby's Centurie of Prayse. The first part of K. Henry IV.
was first printed in 1598, Marston's What you wiU in 1607.
CCCLXXXI.
That English may as French, French Englishmen,
Eeceive each other. God speak this Amen!
All Amen!
K Henry V., V, 2, 395 seqq.
The meaning of this passage can be no other than this: That English
may receive each other as French, French as Englishmen. This,
however, is not what the poet intended to say; it is no meaning at
all. The thought the poet wishes to express is no doubt the follow-
ing: That the English may receive the French, the French the English
each other as brethren. I cannot, therefore, help suspecting some
corruption in 1. 395; possibly brethren dropped out after as, and
Englishmen is, in consequence, to be considered as a triple ending.
In 1. 396 we meet with another corruption, for there can be little
doubt that the poet wrote his [not this^ Amen] compare Henry Vm.,
in, 2, 45: My amen to H. AU m£n's [viz. amen to it]. The second
Amen is not an interjectioAal line, but forms part of 1. 396. It is
a curious fact, that, so far as I am aware, as yet no editor has
seen in these lines a difficulty that requires explanation, or rather,
correction.
14*
212 B0M£O Ain) JULIET.
CCCLXXXII.
Enter Will Kemp.
Romeo and Juliety JF, 5 (QB).
The account of Will Kemp's life and doings as given by Dyoe in
the Introduction to 'Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder' (printed for the
Camden Society, 184^), singular though it be, has yet been far sur-
passed by the wUd hypotheses concerning it advanced by the late
R Simpson (The School of Shakspere, II, 373 seq.). Simpson is the
only critic, as far as I am aware, who pretends to a knowledge of
Kemp's whereabouts before 1587. This knowledge he derives from
the pseudo- Shakespearean comedy of 'Fair Em' to which he imparts
a symbolical meaning and which he imagines to refer to events in
the history of the stage. William the Conqueror, the hero of that
comedy, according to Simpson, is no other than William Kemp, w^ho,
he fancies, went to Denmark in 1586, at the head of a company of
actors, in order to marry the princess Blanch, that is, in order 'to
make himself the master of the Danish stage.' 'But on his arrival
there', continues Simpson, 'he was more struck with the chances of
another career, and very soon eloped to Saxony, to tiurn his histrionic
talents to more account there.' This fact, Simpson fancies, is
shadowed forth by the change that takes place in the sentiments of
WiUiam the Conqueror. 'Mounteney and Valingford', our critic goes
on to say, 'are two of his company whom he would have taken with
him, but who preferred to stay behind, and contend for the prize
of the Manchester stage, which Lord Strange's players were then
bringing into repute.' The second part of the plot carries on the
history of this Manchester contention. 'The windmill, with its clapper
and its grist, is the type of the theatre; the wind is either the
encouraging breath of the audience, or the voice of the actors, the
clapper the applause, and the grist the gains. The miller's daughter
is the prize; he who wins her bears the bell as play-wright' — As
this second part of Simpson's explanation lias nothing to do with
Will Kemp, I dismiss it with the question, what the verdict of
Enghsh critics might have been, had a German scholar started such
a theory.
There is not a single argument to support Kemp's supposed
journey to Denmark and Saxony; nay such a journey is utterly
improbable. Putting aside for the moment Kemp's 'Dutiful Inuective'
(1587) of which I shall speak more at large hereafter, we find Kemp
first mentioned in 1589, if we take it for granted that Kash's undated
tract 'An Almond for a Parrot' which is inscribed to William Kemp,
was published in this year. In the dedication Kemp is complimented
as the 'vice-gerent generall to the Ghost of Dicke Tarlton'; and in
Hey wood's 'Apologie for Actors' (43) we are likewise told that Kemp
succeeded Tarlton, who died in September, 1588, 'as wel in the
ROMEO ANT> JULIET. 213
favour of her majesty, as in the opinion and good thoughts of the
generall audience.* The question, therefore, arises whether it is likely
that Kemp, if he had reaUy proceeded in 1586 to Denmark and
thence to Saxony, could have been back again in England as early
as the end of 1588 or the beginning of 1589; nay, if he really were
the author of the 'Dutiful Inuective* which appeared in 1587, his
stay in foreign parts must dwindle down to less than a twelvemonth.
But travelling in those days was no such easy pastime as it is now-
a-days, and certainly we must allow Kemp some time both in Den-
mark and Germany for the exercise of his profession. Besides, Kemp
in 1588, in all probability, was a very young man, for he himself
tells us that in 1599 when performing his famous morris -dance from
London to Norwich, he 'judged his heart cork and his heels feathers,
so that he thought he could fly to Rome or at least hop to Home,
as the old proverb is, with a mortar on his head.' We cannot pos-
sibly believe him to have been a man advanced in years in 1599,
else he would certainly not have been able to undergo the fatigues
of a feat so unheard of and never surpassed. Supposing then that
he was about thirty -five years old when dancing to Norwich, he
would in 1586 have numbered little more than twenty years, an age
at which we can hardly believe him to have gone abroad at the
head of a company of players. Moreover it is highly probable that
from 1589 tx) 1593 Kemp belonged to Edward Alleyn's company,
for his 'Applauded Merrimentes of the Men of Goteham' are contained
in the most pleasant and merry Comedy 'A Knacke to knowe a
Knaue', which was published in 1594 and acted in 1592 by Alleyn's
company; this, as Dyce justly remarks, would scarcely have been
the case, had not Kemp been a member of the company and himself
performed a part in his Applauded Merrimentes. Thus far every one
will be glad to side with so distinguished a critic as Dyce; but
when directly afterwards he ridicules Ritson for having inserted in
the catalogue of Kemp's 'Works', the 'Applauded Merrimentes',
nobody, it is tnie, will be ready to raise that fragment of buffoonery,
— even supposing it to have been amplified bj'' improvisation, — to
the dignity of a 'Work', but nobody, on the other hand, I think,
will be justified in denying, with Dyce, that Kemp was its author.
On the contrary, this fact is supported by a testimony quoted by Dyce
himself (p. XXV), viz. a passage in Nash's 'Strange Newes, Of the
intercepting certaine Letters' (1592) where Nash advises Gabriel
Harvey to be on his guard lest Will Kemp should choose him one
of these days for the subject of one of his 'Merrimentes'.*
Beside the 'Applauded Merrimentes' three jigs are entered in
the Stationers' Registers (1591 and 1595) as 'Kemp's jig' or 'Kemp's
* Collier, H. E. Dr. P. (1st Ed.), Ill, 33, en-oneously cites the passage in
(juestion as taken from Nash's Apologie for Pierce Pennilesse (1593).
214 ROMEO AND JULIET.
New Jig'. According to Dyce these jigs were ascribed to Kemp on
no other ground than because, by his consummate skill, he had suc-
ceeded in rendering them populai*. His reasons for this assertion are
twofold. First, he alleges that Kemp himself speaks of his Nine
Daies Wonder (1600) as the first pamphlet published by him, which,
according to Dyce, would be an untruth if he had published not
only the 'Applauded Merrimentes' but also three jigs before that time;
for it would be a poor argument, Dyce adds, to distinguish between
the jigs and the Nine Daies Wonder, on the ground that the former
were not pamphlets. I do not see why this argument is to be re-
jected as a poor one; jigs were a species of plays, and written in
verse, as Dyce himself admits, whereas the Nine Daies Wonder is
written in prose as pamphlets generally are. Besides, are we quite
sure that Kemp's jigs were given to the world by the author him-
self, as we know his Nine Daies Wonder was? May not their publi-
cation have been effected in the same manner in which so many
Elizabethan plays were published, without the consent, nay, even
without the ' knowledge of the author? Granting this, it certainly
would have been an unimpeachable statement for Kemp to style the
Nine Daies Wonder *the first pamphlet that ever Will Kemp oflfred
to the Presse.'
The second argument adduced by Dyce in support of his opinion
cannot lay claim to any greater cogency. Although Kemp, he says,
was not * grossly illiterate', as is proved by his Nine Daies Wonder,
yet he could not boast of a faculty for poetry; for, 'if he had been
a practised jig- maker', he would not have needed the assistance of
a friend for the few verses inserted in the Nine Daies Wonder. If,
however, we peruse this pamphlet without prejudice we cannot doubt
but that Kemp himself, and no other, was tiie author of the two
little pieces in rhyme on p. 10 and p. ISseq.; the good fellow, his
friend, to whom he ascribes them is nothing but a poetical fiction,
a mask or screen, common enough, the predecessor of the 'judicious
friend' in Lord Macaulay's life and Letters. Both in matter and
style these verses entirely agree with Kemp's prose; in both we meet
with the same kind of wit and buffoonery, both are clearly from the
same pen.
But Dyce goes still farther. Not only the Merrimentes and the
Jigs, but everything else that bears Kemp's name, with the sole ex-
ception of the Nine Daies Wonder, he declares to be spurious. This
leads us back to the above-mentioned little volume 'A Dutiful In-
uective &o.' which was published in 1587 with William Kemp's name on
the title-page. This poem, written in iambic lines of seven feet, is
termed 'the first fruites of his labour' by the author and inscribed
to the Lord Mayor of London. It is directed against the traitors
BaUard and Babington, and expresses an ardent enthusiasm for the
Queen. In this latter respect it is quite of a piece with the Nine
ROMEO .VND JTJUET. 215
Dales Wonder, towards the end of which the author assures us that
*al his mirths (meane though they be) haue bin and euer shal be
imploi'd to the delight of my royal Mistris; whose sacred name ought
not to be remembred among such ribald rimes as these late thin-
breecht lying Ballet -singers haue proclaimed it.' This is the well-
known language of all players and play-wrights of the time, who
were abundantly thankful for the favour and patronage which the
Queen extended to the stage. Although in 1587 Kemp had not yet
succeeded to Tarlton, he may even at that time have attracted the
notice of the Queen and received marks of her favour. In spite of
all this Dyce does not hesitate to attribute the ^Dutiful Inuective' to
another William Kemp, who, as Dyce informs us, was a schoolmaster
at Plymouth, and who in the following year published a treatise
under the title *The Education of Children in Learning'. As, how-
ever, on the title-page of this latter tract we read only the initials
W. K. , there is nothing to assure us that they are meant for William
Kemp. May they not stand just as well for Walter King, or Knight,
or Kelly? But taking it for proven that there was a schoolmaster
of the name of William Kemp living at Plymouth and that he was
the author of the treatise in question, aU that we may infer from
this proposition is, that we have to deal with two William Kemps,
the one living at London, the other at Plymouth; the one an actor,
the other a schoolmaster; the one the author of the Nine Dales
Wonder, the other the author of the Education of Children in Learn-
ing, and one of them the author of the Dutiful Inuective. Now
what reason have we to ascribe this latter production to the school-
master rather than to the actor? Is he to be thought endowed with
a larger measure of the * faculty divine' than his namesake the actor?
And living at Plymouth, as he did, what reason had he to Inscribe
his treatise to the Lord Mayor of London? A London actor might
well be induced to flatter His Lordship by the dedication of some
document of dutiful loyalty and weU- spent literary labour, as the
grim City -potentate did not usually look with a benign eye on theatres
and theatrical amusements, least of all jigs and clowns. Besides it
should be remembered that when several years after Kemp danced
his morris to Norwich, he began It before the Lord Mayor's house.
And for what reason should the heart of the Plymouth schoolmaster
have dilated with the same enthusiastic loyalty for the Queen, as
did that of the London actor? That WlUiam Kemp, the actor, came
before the public more than once in print Is fairly to be Inferred
from the wellknown words which the student Philomusus addresses
to him in The Return from Parnassus (1606): 'Indeed M. Kempe',
he says, *you are very famous, but that is as weU for workes in
print as your part in kue.' As we have seen, Dyce not only ridi-
cules the expression 'workes' which may indeed be comically exag-
gerated, but he declares the whole statement to be Incorrect and not
216 ROMEO AND JTTLIET.
deserving of belief; *I understand', he says, 'the ironical compliment
as an allusion to Ids (viz. Kemp's) Nine Daies Wonder only; for I feel
assured that all the other pieces have been erroneously attributed to
his pen.' This assertion, in my opinion, is by no means borne out
by the facts and is wholly gratuitous.
In the same spirit of overstrained criticism Dyce discusses the
journeys, which on the testimony of several contemporaries were
undertaken by Kemp; if we are to believe him, all of them, with
the single exception of the morris to Norwich, are entirelj'^ fictitious.
Now Kemp himself towards the end of the Nine Daies Wonder de-
clares his intention of setting out on some journey; being not yet
certain as to its aim, he mentions Rome, Jerusalem, and Venice as
places where he should be most inclined to go. No account of such
a journey is extant, and this fact is thouglit by Dyce a sufficient
argument to deny its having been made at all. In the passage just
quoted from The Retiun from Parnassus, however, Kemp is wel-
comed as having just come back from abroad and Philomusus and Stu-
dioso, the two Cambridge students, address him in the following
words: ^PhiL What, M. Kempe, how doth the Emperour of Ger-
many? Siud. God save you, M. Kempe; welcome, M. Kempe, from
dancing the morrice ouer the Alpes.' Kemp's reply is this: 'Well,
you merry knaues, you may come to the honour of it one day: is
it not better to make a foole of the world as I have done, then to
be fooled of the world as you schollers are?' All this Dyce declares
to be nothing but 'sportive allusions to Kemp's journey to Norwich',
an assertion which hardly needs refutation. In what connection do
the Emperor of Germany and the Alps stand to Norwich, and how
can a mention of the former be taken for an alhision to the latter?
According to the simplest rules of interpretation the question 'How
doth the Emperour of Germany?' suggests tlie fact that Kemp saw
the Emperor, or at least heard of him from persons attached to his
court or train, as well he might if he had been in Germany. But
if Kemp travelled at all he certainly did so in his capacity as a
clown and dancer, and it was no doubt the aim of his journey to
turn his histrionic talents to the best possible account. Why then
may he not have acted before his Imperial Majesty? We know that
John Spencer, who was at the head of a company of English actors
in the service of the Elector of Brandenburg, travelled with his com-
pany in the South of Germany and performed several times before
the Emperor and the Diet at Ratisbon in 1613.* If Kemp really
should have done so before his countryman, he may very likely on
his return have boasted of the honour and this boasting may have
occasioned the comic exaggerations and railleries with which his friends
and contemporaries bantered him, — a supposition which mutatis
mutandis may likewise hold in regard to Kemp's so-called 'Works'.
* A. Cohn, Shakespeare in Germany, p. LXXXIY seq.
ROMEO AJfD JtrUET. 217
Our belief in Kemp's journey to Italy is greatly strengthened by
several additional testimonies. In the above-mentioned dedication of
the pamphlet 'An Almond for a Parrot' Nash tells us that about the
year 1588 he was in Italy and that at Bergamo the Italian 'arlechini'
inquired about the celebrated M. Kemp of whom they spoke in terms
of highest eulogy. This, I think, could not but prove an inducement
to Kemp to go to Italy himself and there to make the acquaintance
of his Italian fellow -clowns and admirers. The international inter-
course between England and Italy, especially Northern Italy, was
highly flourishing and a journey to Italy was easily and cheaply to
be accomplished, — according to the notions and customs of the time.
Nevertheless, it must be owned that Nash's dedication is written in
that style of bufifoonerj' which seems to be inseparable from the de-
dicator and still more so from the dedicatee, and as we are not sure
to what extent similar jokes may have been thought allowable in
those merry days it may be as well not to lay too great a stress
on this dedication. It is different, however, with a second testimony,
also quoted by Dyce himself, viz. a passage in John Day's *Travailes
of the Three English Brothers' &c., an historical (!) play which was
published in 1607, but, according to Dyce, written before that time,
as it is not yet divided into acts and scenes. Here Will Kemp is
introduced, in propria persona, in a scene laid at Venice. In this
scene an Englishman desires to be presented to Sir Anthony Shirley
who is staying at Venice as ambassador from the Sophy. 'An English-
man?' Sir Anthony asks his servant, 'what's his name? Serv, He
calls himseKe Kempe. Sir Ant, Kemp! bid him come in [Exit
Seruant. Enter Kempe,] Welcome, honest Will; and how doth all
thy fellowes in England?' Then an Italian clown and his wife make
their appearance and ask permission to perform before Sir Anthony,
who prevails upon Kemp to join in this perfoimance of the two
Italians. Kemp, however, takes great offence at a woman exhibiting
before spectators, and therefore makes her and her husband the butt
of his jokes and satirical remarks. Now this scene in my opinion
would have been meaningless, and insipid, and hardly tolerable on
a London stage, if Kemp had not been really at Yenice and had
not been a partaker there in some such exhibition. For this same
reason we must conclude that 'The Travailes of the Three English
Brothers' was acted during Kemp's lifetime.
The fact of Kemp's journey into Italy and of his interview there
with Sir Anthony Shirley is distinctly stated in a passage in Sloane
Mss. 392, fol. 401, quoted by Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps in his edition
of the Conventry Plays, and thence transferred to Mr. A. H. Bullen's
edition of the Works of John Day (1881, privately printed), Vol. I,
p. 100. This is the passage: '1601. September 2. Kemp, mimus
quidam, qui peragrationem quandam in Germaniam et Italiam insti-
tuerat, per multos errores et infortunia sua reversus: multa refert de
218 TIMOX OF ATHENS.
Anthonio Sherley, equite aurato, quem Romae [!] (legatum Pereicum
agentem) convenerat' Another distinct statement that Kemp travelled
on the continent in his capacity as a dancer, is contained in Weelkes'
Madrigals (1608) No. XX, quoted by Sam. Neil, Shakespeare's Hamlet,
with Introduction and Notes (London imd Glasgow, 1877), p. 174.
It is to the following effect: —
Since Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and Little John are gone -a
home -a.
The hobby-horse was quite forgot when Kempe did dance -a,
He did labour, after the tabor, for to dance them into France.
For he took pains
To skip it, to skip it;
In hope of gains, of gains.
He will trip it, trip it, trip it on the toe.
Diddle, diddle, diddle, do.
The date of Kemp's death is quite uncertain, the respective
conjectures of Malone and Chalmers not being supported by positive
evidence; according to Malone he died before 1609, according to
Chalmers as early as 1603. That he was dead in 1612, is gener-
ally inferred from the passage in Heywood's Apologie quoted above,
although Heywood's words are by no means explicit enough to remove
all doubts. If we follow Malone, who is generally a safe guide,
Kemp may very well have witnessed the performance of the 'Tra-
vailes' and it is evident, provided he did not perform the part him-
self, that the zest of the joke for the audience must have been in
seeing the real Kemp sitting amongst them opposite his counterfeit
on the boards.
CCCLXXXin.
Tim. Thy backe I prjiihee.
Ape, Line, and loue thy misery.
Tim, Long Hue so, and so dye. I am quit.
Ape. Mo things like men,
Eate Tim^m, and abhorre then. [Exit ApeTnantiis.
Timon of Athens j IV, 3, 396 seqq.
This is the reading and arrangement of the folio. The last two lines
have rightly been given to Timon by the editors and in order to
complete the metre Hanmer and Capell have needlessly added so
before the words I am quit. In my opinion tliis is not sufficient to
restore the passage; the words Long live so, and so die do not belong
to Timon, but to Apemantus and the true arrangement, therefore,
seems to be the following: —
Tim. Thy back, I pry thee.
Ape. Live and love thy misery;
TIMON OF ATHENS. 219
Long live so, and so die. [Eodt Apemanttcs,
Tim. I am quit.
Moe things like men? Eat, Timon, and abhor them.
The last verse but one is a syllable pause Une; scan: —
Long live | so, and | so die. | ^ I | am quit.
(Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel
und Tieck, herausgegeben durch die Deutsche Shakespeare- Qesell-
schaft, X, 439. — Notes and Queries, June 25, 1870, p. 594.)
CCCLXXXIV.
Your greatest want is, you want much of meat.
lb., IV, 3y 419.
Various conjectures have been proposed to cure this corrupted verse,
none of which, however, proves satisfactory. Dyce and the Cam-
bridge Editors, therefore, have left the reading of the folio untouched
as above. The word much is evidently owing to a dittography, the
Banditti having just complained that they much do want. Steevens
conjectures much of me, which would be most bald and trivial pi*ose;
he should have altered one more letter, for there seems to be little
doubt that Shakespeare wrote you ivant mtu;k of me, viz. gold, in
which sense this word is frequently used. Compare the Ballad of
G^mutus, the Jew of Venice (Percy's Eeliques), st. 6: —
His heart doth thinke on many a wile,
-How to deceive the poore;
His mouth is almost ful of mucke.
Yet still he gapes for more.
Corioknus H, 2, 128 8eqq.: —
Our spoils he kick'd at,
And look'd upon things precious as they were
The common muck of the world.
Cymbeline, in, 6, 54seqq.: —
All gold and silver rather turn to dirt!
As 'tis no better reckon'd, but of those
Who worship dirty gods.
Thomas Hey wood. If you know not me, you know nobody, Pt. 11
(ed. Collier for the Shakespeare -Society, 149): 'But, madam, you are
rich, and by my troth, I am very poor, and I have been, as a man
should say, stark naught; and, though I have not the muck
of the world, I have a great deal of good love, and I prithee accept
of it' — Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament (Dodsley, 1825,
EX, 23): 'If then the best husband has been so liberal of his best
handy -work, to what end should we make much of a glittering
220 JULIUS CAESAR.
excrement, or doubt to spend at a banquet as many pounds, as he
spends men at a battle?' ^- lb., IX, 25: 'Omnia mea mecum portOy
quoth Bias, when he had nothing but bread and cheese in a leathern
bag, and two or three books in his bosom. Saint Francis, a holy
saint, and never had any money. It is madness to doat upon mucke.'
— TeU-Trothes New-yeares Gift (ed. Furnivall for the New Shakspere
Society), 69: 'Many looke so long for aboundance of mucke, as
they fall into a quagmire of miseries, hauing siluer to looke on, though
wanting mony to supply many wants.' — lb., 75: *Indeede, what
cannot money doo, that will buye any thing? and yet honestie will
purchase that which all the muck in the world cannot compasse,
namely, a good report for euer.' — Faerie Queene, HI, 9, 4: —
But all his minde is set on mucky pelfe.
Pope, Essay on Man, IV, 279: —
Is yellow dirt the passion of thy life?
Compare Forby, Vocabulary of East-Anglia, s. v. Muckgrubber, *a
hunks; a sordid saver of money, who delves for it, as it were, in
the mire.' 'Muckgrubbing, adj. sordidly avaricious.'
To revert to the passage in Timon. To the pretence of the
bandits that they are no thieves, 'but men that much do want',
Timon replies they could not possibly be in want, since nature, the
bounteous housewife, on each bush laid her full mess before them;
their only want was for muck, i. e. gold, and that was no real want.
The same reproach is addressed to the painter and the poet after-
wards (V, 1, 115): —
Hence, pack! Here's gold; you came for gold, ye slaves.
(Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel
und Tieck, herausgegeben durch die Deutsche Shakespeare -Gesellschaft,
X, 439. — Notes and Queries, Jime 25, 1870, 594. Compare the
ever -memorable reply by A. H[all], Notes and Queries, July, 16,
1870,43.)
CCCLXXXV.
Cces, Ha! who calls?
Casca. Bid every noise be still: peace yet again!
Cces. Who is it in the press that calls on me?
Julitts Ccesar, I, 2, 13 seqq.
According to the Cambridge Edition ad loc. Staunton seems to be
the only editor that takes exception to these lines as transmitted by
the folio. In his opinion either the whole of the second line ought
to be added to Caesar's previous question Who calls? or the last
JXTLIUS CAESAK. 221
word of it should be cjonnected with the following speech of Caesar,
thus: —
CkR8. Ha! who calls?
Gasca, Bid every noise be still: — peace yet I
CcB8, ^ Again!
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
This is even worse than the arrangement of the folio, and yet the
true reading lies so near at hand that it will seem almost miracu-
lous, if I have not been forestalled in finding it out. Read, of
course: —
Gees. Ha! who calls? [7b Casccl] Bid every noise be still!
Casca. Peace yet again!
Cces, Who is it in the press that calls on me?
Once before, at the beginning of the scene, where Caesar addresses
Calpumia, Casca with marked officiousness silenced the crowd: —
CkBs. Calpumia!
Casca. Peace ho! Caesar speaks.
Nothing, therefore, can be more simple and natural than that Caesar
once more summons the assistance of Casca and that Casca again
proclaims silence. Compare 2 Henry VI., lY, 2, 39seq.: Cade,
Command silence. Dick. Silence! (Anglia, herausgegeben von Wtilcker
und Trautmann, I, 341.)
CCCLXXXYI.
For now this fearefull Night,
There is no stirre, or walking in the streetes;
And the Complexion of the Element
Is Fauors, like the Worke we haue in hand,
Most bloodie, fierie, and most terrible.
/&., /, 5, 126seqq.
This is the uniform reading of the folios, with the only exception
of 'Fauours' in the third and fourth. Mr. J. G. Herr, in his 'Scat-
tered Notes on the Text of Shakespeare', published at Philadelphia
(1879), proposes *Is haviours', a conjecture which I think will hardly
anywhere be welcomed as a suitable substitute for Dr. Johnson's gener-
ally received correction, 'In favour's.' On the contitiry, I feel con-
vinced that not even those critics will accept Mr. Herr's new reading
that take exception to Dr. Johnson's emendation. Among the latter
Prof. Craik, in his edition of Julius Caesar (5*** Ed., p. 133 seq.), takes
a prominent place. After mentioning another emendation, proposed
either by Steevens (according to Prof. Craik) or by CapeU (according
to the Cambridge Edition), viz., 'Is favoured'. Prof. Craik continues:
'To say that the complexion of a thing is either featured like or
222 JULITTg CilESAIt.
in feature like to something else is very like a tautology.' He is,
therefore, strongly inclined to adopt Reed's (or, according to the Cam-
bridge Edition, Rowe's) ingenious conjecture, 'Is feverous', to which,
on the other hand. Dr. Aldis Wright, in his annotated edition, very
properly objects, inasmuch as 'the word "complexion" in the pre-
vious line suits better with "favour's" than with "feverous".' In
my humble o[)inion neither the one nor the other of these conjec-
tures is what the poet wrote. Prof. Craik is quite right in remarking
that 'it may, perhaps, count for something, though not very much,
against both "favour's like" and "favoured like" that a very decided
comma separates the two words in the original edition.' K, as I ima-
gine, the original reading was III- favoured, even the most decided
comma may keep its place after it with propriety. As to the semi-
colon after 'streets' in the second line, it does not seem to be of
any great moment whether it be retained or replaced by a comma,
as has been done in the Cambridge Edition. There may perhaps be
some one or other among my readers that will like to hear that ill-
favoured is used with especial reference to the complexion in Fair
Em, I, 3, 28 (ed. Wamke and Proescholdt) : —
Swart and ill-favoured, a collier's sanguine skin.
Compare also Titus Andronicus, III, 2, 66: it was a black ill-fa-
voured fly. — Spenser, The Faerie Queene, I, 1, 15. (The Athenaeum,
Dec. 13, 1879, p. 762.)
CCCLXXXVn.
Ca^si. Am I not stay'd for? tell me:
Oinna, Yes, you are. Cassius,
If you could but winne the Noble Bnitus
To oiu* party —
lb., I, 3, ISBseqq.
The arrangement of these lines as given in the folio cannot possibly
have proceeded from the poet's pen, and the editors, therefore, have
made various attempts to heal the evident corruption. Capell, e. g.,
reads: —
Yes,
You are. Cassius, if you could but win
The noble Bnitus to our party.
The words Yes, you are, however, should not be severed, and must
no doubt be connected with the preceding speech of Cassius in one
and the same line. S. Walker (Versification, 290), Craik (The
English of Shakespeare, 5'** Ed., 120), and Staunton arrange as
follows: —
JULIUS CAESAR. 223
Cassi. Am I not staid for? Tell me!
Oinna* Yes, you are.
Cassius, if you could
But win the noble Brutus to our party.
But the incomplete line Cassius y if you could does not harmonize
with the metrical character of this play, which, it is well known,
is of great regularity. Knight and Collier introduce an alexandrine: —
Yes, you are.
Cassius, if you could but win the noble Brutus
To our party.
In my opinion the difficulty might easily be removed by the addi-
tion of Caius before Cassitis, — he is elsewhere addressed by both
his names, just as we find Caius Ligarius (in Julius Caesar), Caius
Marcius (in Coriolanus) and Caius Lucius (in Cymbeline). The lines
then might be regulated thus: —
Cos. Am I not staid for? Tell me!
Gin. Yes, you are.
Caius Cassius, if you could but win
The noble Brutus to our party.
The last line is a catalectic verse (see note II). (AngUa, heraus-
gegeben von Wiilcker und Trautmann, I, 341 folg.)
CCCLXXXVm.
Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
lb., II, 1, 116.
In my remarks on this most perplexing line in Prof. Wiilcker's Anglia,
I, 343 seq., I intimated two emendations which, in my opinion,
promise fair to remove the difficulties detailed both by former editors
and myself 1. c. The one is to omit Cains, as there can be little
doubt that the names of the persons addressed were no less fre-
quently added as left out by mistake at the end of the line. The
other way of healing the comiption of this line is to discard the
conjunction Jmt. To all appearance this hut is merely a faulty repe-
tition from the preceding line: —
For Antony is hut a limb of Caesar.
At the same time the first syllable of hutchers, following hard upon,
may have contributed to mislead the copyist or compositor. At all
events the omission of hut .would help us to a regular scansion of
the line just as well as the omission of Caiu^s: —
Let us I be 8a|crifi|cers, not but]chers, Ca|ius.
* Instead of Cinna S. Walker, by an evident mistake, printed Casca.
224 HAMLET.
The expedients proposed by S. Walker, Versification, p. 274, and by
Craik ad loc. are of no avail and may be consigned to oblivion.
CCCLXXXIX.
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike.
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.
Hamlet, I, 1, 161 seqq.
I hope I may be allowed to repeat a conjectural emendation which,
although inserted in the text of both my editions of Hamlet, has
been left unnoticed by all subsequent editors — even by Dr Furness.
The plural * planets', which is the imiform reading of QBseqq. and
all the Folios, does not harmonize well with the singulars * fairy*
and * witch'. Moreover, in all parallel passages we meet with the
singular, thus, e. g., in The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 201: —
It is a bawdy planet, that will strike
Where 't is predominant,
lb., n, 1, 105: —
There's some ill planet reigns.
Titus Andronicus, II, 4, 14: —
If I do wake, some planet strike me down;
Othello, n, 3, 182: —
As if some planet had unwitted men.
Westwaixi Ho!, Y, 1 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 1857, in 1 voL, p. 238b):
Sure, sure, I'm struck with some wicked planet, for it hit my very
heart. — Ben Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, IV, 5: Sure I was
struck with a planet thence, for I had no power to touch my weapon.
Under these circumstances I have no doubt that the text of QA
*no planet frikes' shows us the right way and that we should read,
no planet strikes.
CCCXC.
Hor, Indeed? I heard it not; it then draws near the
season
Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.
Ib.y /, 4, 5 8eq.
Seymour (apud Fumeas) remarks on this verse: 'This line is over-
loaded. "I heard it not" is implied in "indeed". Read: Indeed?
why then it does draw near the hour!' It need hardly be added
that a conjecture of such unwarranted boldness is not in accordance
HAMLET. 225
with the rules of modern criticism and cannot but be rejected.
Nevertheless Sej^mour seems to have been on the right scent, for a
verse of six feet looks suspicious and out of place here. This was
evidently felt also by Rowe, who (according to the Cambridge Edi-
tion) expunged Indeed. In my opinion, the word Indeed does not
belong to Horatio, but should be given to Hamlet, so that the pas-
sage would run thus: —
Ham. The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold.
Hor. It is a nipping and an eager air.
Ham. What hour now?
Hot. I think it lacks of twelve.
Mar. No, it is struck.
Ham. Indeed?
Hor. I heard it not; it then draws near the season
Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.
Only on the stage the import of this arrangement can be fully shown.
Hamlet has evidently followed Horatio and Marcellus to the platform
in a state of dreaminess; his question What hour now? is uttered
rather listlessly and with no deeper motive than to break the silence.
On hearing, however, from Marcellus that it has just struck mid-
night, he is at once roused to the most anxious expectation as now
or never the appearance of the Ghost must be at hand. To this
expectation he gives expression by the exclamation Indeed? — By
the way, it may be added that the Editors of the Globe Edition,
and Mr. Moberly in their wake, give the words No, it is struck^ in
opposition to the Quartos as well as Folios, to Hamlet; on what
grounds, it does not appear — at all events they ought to have been
*more relative*. Most likely it is only a mistake, the Cambridge
Edition being in accordance with the old copies. (The Athenaeum,
Jan. 11, 1879, 40seq. — Robinson's Epitome of Literature, Mar. 15,
1879, Vol. m, p. 48.)
CCCXCI.
The dram of eale
Doth all the noble substance of a doubt
To his owne scandle.
lb. J I, 4 J 36 seqq.
None of the numerous conjectural emendations to which this passage
has given rise, is a real improvement on the notoriously corrupt
text I think we might obtain a very near approach to the reading
of the old copies, together with an unexceptionable sense, by print-
ing: —
The dram of evil
Doth all the noble substance often davh
To his own scandal.
Elze, Notes. 15
226 HAliLET.
Compare B. Jonsou, Every Man out of Mb Humour (Induction): —
My soul
Was never ground into such oily colours
To flatter vice, and daub iniquity.
Beaumont and Fletcher, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Y, 3: —
I shall never more
Hold open, whilst another pumps both legs,
Nor daub a sattin gown with rotten eggs.
A Warning for Fair Women, A.n,Il. 1448 8eqq. (Simpson, The School
of Shakspere, 11, 325): —
Yile world, how like a monster come I soyld from thee!
How have I wallowed in thy lothsome filth,
Dninke and besmear'd with al thy bestial sinne.
In regard to the sentiment expressed in Hamlet's words compare
Nash, Pierce Pennileese (ed. Collier for the Shakespeare Society, 53),
a passage, which, a^ far as I know, has never yet been brought
into comparison with the lines in Hamlet: 'Let him bee indued with
neuer so manie vertues, and haue as much goodly proportion and
favour, as Nature can bestow vpon a man, yet if hee be thirstie
after his owne destruction, and hath no ioy nor comfort, but when
he is drowning his soule in a gallon pot, that one beastly imper-
fection wil vtterly obscure all that is commendable in him, and all
his goode qualities sinke like lead downe to the bottome of his car-
rowsing cups, where they wiU lye, like lees and dregges, dead and
vnregarded of any man.' — Pierce Pennilesse, to add this as a mat-
ter worthy of further consideration, was published in 1592, whilst
the above Shakespearean passage does not appear in the quarto of
1603, but is only found in that of 1604. —
£leven years after the first publication of this conjectural emen-
dation (The Athenaeum, Aug. 11, 1866, 186) Mr. Samuel Neil, in
his edition of Hamlet, apparently without any knowledge of my sug-
gestion, proposed the following: —
This dram of talc
Doth all the noble substance overdaube [sic/],
To Us own scandal.
Talc, which, Mr. Neil saya, 'was a wonderful cosmetic and preser-
vative of the complexion, much in use in Shakespeare's time', would
be just the reverse of what is required by the context. Some Eliza-
bethan authority for the verb overdaub would have been welcome.
Notwithstanding these defects Mr. Neil's conjecture has led me
to re-consider the passage and I now imagine that my conjectural emen-
dation might be improved by a slight alteration: instead of o/?en daub,
we should write oft bedaub. The meaning of the passage is: ^A
single dram of evil is sufficient to bedaub (besuiirch, besmear, or
HAHLSt. 22?
soil) the whole of a noble substance and render it as scandalous
as it is itself.' The verb to bedaub occurs in Romeo and Juliet,
m, 2, 54seqq.: —
A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse;
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaubed in blood,
All in gore -blood, &c.;
in Marlowe's Edward 11, II, 2, 181 (ed. Tancock): —
and thyself,
Bedaub'd with gold, rode laughing at the rest;
and in Bishop HaU's Satires (Chiswick, 1824), Bk. IV, Sat I, p. 78: —
The dose adultress, where her name is red.
Comes crawling from her husband's lukewarm bed,
Her carrion skin bedaub'd with odours sweet
Groping the postern with her bared feet.
She seeks her third roost on her silent toes,
Besmeared all with loathsome smoke of lust,
like Acheron's steams, or smouldering sulphur dust.
Shakespeare frequently indulges in the metaphorical use of similar
verbs, such as smirch, stain, smear, besmear, and besiain; see Much
Ado about Nothing, IV, 1, 135; Love's Laboiu*'8 Lost, 11, l,47 8eqq.;
The Merchant of Venice, V, 218 seq.; King John, IV, 3, 24; 1 K.
Benry IV., I, 1; 85 seq.; 1 K. Henry VI., IV, 7, 3; K. Henry VHI,
I, 2, 121 seqq.; Timon of Athens, I, 1, 15 seqq.; The Rape of Lucrece,
55 seq.; ib., 195 seq.
cccxcn.
You know, sometimes he walks four hours together.
Here in the lobby. Ib., II, 2, 160 seq.
Dr. Jacob Heussi in his edition of this tragedy (Parehim, 1868) has
inserted Hanmer's conjecture 'for' into the text and justifies this
reading by the following note: 'Alle alten Drucke lesen fireilich four
St for, und die Erklarer behaupten, four werde haufig als unbe-
stimmte Zahl gebraucht, wie forty \ nirgends findet sich aber diese
Behauptung durch ein wirkHches Beispiel constatirt; dass four heut
zu Tage nicht in dieser Weise gebraucht wird, ist bekannt, ob es
fnlher der Fall war, ist noch abzuwarten. Ich setze hier die Pro-
position for statt des four der Ausgaben, da diese PrSposition die
Zeitdauer bezeichnet. ' * Benno Tschischwitz (Shakspere's Hamlet &c.
Halle, 1869) reads four, but seems to take this number in its literal
meaning. *Four hours', he says, 'ware eine aufFallend lange Zeit,
* The latest American editor of Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet, the
Rev. Henry N. Hudson, also reads ^for*, and does not even think it necessary
to justify it.
15*
228 HAMLET.
um sich zu ergehn, wenn sie nicht der Prmz, der ganzlich ohne die
noblen Passionen eines Laertes ist, mit Lectiire uud Meditationen aus-
flillte. Auch Ophelia wird spater aufgefordert 'to walk' und dabei
in einem Buche zu lesen, es mag dies also wohl einer Zeitsitte ent-
sprechen.' Mr. Collier's corrected Folio exhibits the correction for
and even Malone preferred tliis oft -repeated conjectural emendation
to the reading of the old editions, although he adduces the following
passage from Webster's Duchess of Malii (IV, 1, lOseq.), which is so
much to the point that it ought to have removed every doubt: —
She will muse four hours together; and her silence,
Methinks, expresseth more than if she spake.
Malone (Supplement, I, 352) goes so far as to suppose the same
mistake to have taken place here as well as in Hamlet and Mr. Collier
in his Supplemental Notes, I, 276 expresses the same conviction; 'the
same probable misprint', he says, *of four for for is contained in
Webster's Duchess of Malfi, A. IV (ed. Dyce, I, 260), where Bosola is
giving to Ferdinand a description of the demeanour of the heroine' Ac.
The fact is that four, as well as forty and forty thousand, is
used to denote an indefinite number and this use, dating from a very
remote period, is by no means confined to the English language, but
is also to be found in other languages. As an indefinite number
generally supposes a large quantity it will not appear strange that
four occurs much less frequently in this sense than forty \ the in-
stances, however, are numerous enough to convince even Dr. Heussi.
After the remarks made by J. Grimm (Deutsche Rechtsalter-
thtlmer, 211 seqq.) on the number 'four' there can be little doubt as
to its early connection with the four cardinal points and their influence
on the construction of roads, the distribution of land and other matters
of custom.* But in German, as well as in English, all local and
legal associations connected with this* number have long ago vanished,
and when in the Lay of the Nibelungen (Lachmann, 2014; Zarncke,
4*^ Ed., p. 318) we read: —
tClsent unde viere, die kdmen dar in,
'tdsent* merely means an indefinite quantity and 'viere' a surplus
likewise indefinite. In Ayrer's plays (ed. A. v. Keller, IV, 2796 and
2801) occur the following passages: —
Er wtird wol vier mahl vmb gebracht,
Eh er ein mal drob thet erwachen,
and: —
Ach Ancilla, ich bitt durch Gott
Verlass mich nicht in dieser Noth!
Vier Cronen geb' ich dir zu Lohn.
* According to Pott (Die quinare und vigesimale Zahhnethode, Halle,
1847, S. 74scq.) four is the primary number with the Hawaians, perhaps in
accordance with the four extremities of the human body.
HAMLET. 229
The earliest instance in English I have met with, is in Robert
Mannyng's translation of Peter Langtoft's^ Chronide {c^pud Wtllcker,
Altenglisches Lesebuch, I, 64 and 153): —
Sone in for yers perchance a werre shall rise.
Very near to the passage in Hamlet comes the following from Put-
tenham's Arte of English Poesie (ed. Arber, 307): 'laughing and
gibing with their familiars foure houres by the clocke.* Other in-
stances, no less striking, are supplied by the Elizabethan dramatists,
Shakespeare amongst the number. In the Old Play of Timon (ed.
Dyce, p. 7) we read: —
Timon, lend me a little goulden dust.
To ffree me from this fPeind; some fewer talents
Will doe it.
S. Rowley, When you see me, you know me (ed. Elze, 22): *The
lords has attended here this four days.' — Lilly's Endimion, IV, 2
(Dramatic Works, ed. F. W. Fairholt, I, 53): 'Sam. But how wilt
thou live? Epi. By angling; 'tis a stately occupation to stand
foure houres in a colde morning, and to have his nose bitten with
frost before his baite be mumbled with a fish.' — Lord Cromwell, IE, 2
(Malone's Supplement, IT, 391): 'We were scarce four miles in the
green water, but I, thinking to go to my afternoon's nuncheon, felt
a kind of rising in my guts.' — Webster, The White Devil, or
Vittoria Corombona (The Works of John Webster, ed. Dyce, 1857,
47a): —
I made a vow to my deceased lord,
Neither yourself nor I should outlive him
The numbering of four hours,
lb., (ed. Dyce, 49b): —
could I kill you forty times a day.
And use 't four years together, 'twere too little.
Fair Em (ed. Del, 17. — W. and Pr., 20): —
1 have not seen him this four days at the least.
The Winter's Tale, V, 2, 146 seqq.: 'Autolycus. I know you are
now, sir, a gentleman bom. Clown. Ay, and have been so any
time these four hours.' — K. Henry V., V, 1, 42seq.: *I say, I will
make him eat some part of my leek, or I will peat his pate four
days.' — William Rowley, A Match at Midnight (Hazlitt's Dodsley,
XIII, 25): 'That, by four days' stay, a man should lose his blood!'
In Ellis' Specimens, II, 301, the giant Ferragus is thus described: —
He had twenty men's strength;
And forty feet of length
Thilke paynim had;
And four feet in the face
Y-meten on the place.
And fifteen in brede.
230 HAMLET.
'Fifteen', in the last line, has evidently been introduced for want of
another indefinite numeral.
These passages, I think, are amply sufficient for the vindication
of the reading four hours, but in order fully to illustrate the subject
the numbers forty and forty thousand must also be taken into con-
sideration. As early as in the Old Testament 'forty' is used in aa
indefinite sense; the Deluge lasts forty days and forty nights; Moses
with the Jews lives forty years in the wilderness (Acts, XTTT, 18)
and stays forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai (Exodus, XXIV,
18). According to the Book of Judges (IH, 11; Y, 31; YIH, 28)
the land had repeatedly rest for forty years and the children of
Israel were delivered into the hands of the Philistines for forty years
(Judges, Xin, 1).* Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights in the
wilderness (Matth., IV, 2). The same use prevails in the popular
poetry both of Germany and England. Thus in the ballad Das Schloss
in Oesterreich [apud Scherer, Jungbrunnen, 3** Ed., 67) we read: —
Darinnen liegt ein junger Knab
Auf seinen Hals gefangen,
Wol vierzig Klafter tief unter der Erd'
Bei Ottem und bei Schlangen.
Jacob Ayrer (Dramatische Werke, herausgeg. von A. v. KeUer, V, 3213)
says: —
Starb doch der gix)S8 Eiess Goliat,
Der deiner sterckh wol firtzigk hat.
In the English romance of Richard CoBur-de-Lion the hero winds
forty yards of silk cloth round his arm before putting it into the
lion's mouth and tearing, out his heart; compai'e Percy's Eeliques,
Essay on the Ancient Metrical Romances.
Instances of the use of 'forty' in Elizabethan dramatists are
exceedingly frequent. Webster, The White Devil, or Vittoria Corom-
bona (Works, ed. Dyce, 26b): —
Wilt sell me forty ounces of her blood
To water a mandrake?
Heywood, If you know not me, you know nobody (ed. Collier, 71;
cf. ib., 125): —
Bid him by that token
Sort thee out forty pounds' worth of such wares
As thou shalt think most beneficial.
* Also the numbers fouvy ttcenty (the half of forty), twenty two thou-
sand, forty thotisand, and four hundred thousafid seem to have been used
in an indefinite sense in the Old Testament no less than in the Elizabethan
dramatists; cf. Judges XI, 40. XIK,2. IV, 3. XX, 21. XV, 20. XVE, 31. V,8.
XX, 2. XX, 17.
HAJfLET. 231
Ben Jonson, The Devil is an Ass, n, 3: —
0, sir! and dresses himself the best, beyond
Forty of your very ladies; did you never see him?
B. Jonson, Epicoene, IV, 1: I have not kissed my Puiy these forty
weeks. — lb.: A most vile face! And yet she spends me forty-
pound a year in mercury and hogsbones. — Bartholomew Pair , II, 1 :
like enough, sir; she'll do forty such things in an hour (an you
listen to her) for her recreation. — lb., HI, 1: Put him a- top o'
the table, where his place is, and he'll do you forty fine things. —
Marlowe, The Jew of Malta, lY, 4 (ed. Dyce, 168b): Within forty
foot of the gallows, conning his neckverse. — Beaumont and Fletcher,
The Knight of Malta, m, 4: —
Oh, 't was royal music!
And to procure a sound sleep for a soldier,
Worth forty of your fiddles.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, 1, 205: I had rather than forty
shillings, I had my book of songs and sonnets here. — The Comedy
of Errors, lY, 3, 84 and 97: —
A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats —
For forty ducats is too much to lose.
A Midsummer -Night's Dream, 11, 1, 175 seq.: —
I'll put a girdle round about the earth
In forty minutes.
Twelfth Night, V, 1, 180 seq.: I had rather than forty pound I were
at home. — Henry VllL., V, 4, 53 seq.: When I might see from far
some forty truncheoners draw to her succour.
Even now -a- days this use of 'forty' is by no means extinct.
In Wordsworth's little poem 'Written in March' (Poetical Works,
Moxon, 1850, 6 vols, 11, 110) we read: —
The cattle are grazing.
Their heads never raising;
There are forty feeding like one.
The well-known ballad 'Barbara Frietchie' by Mr. J. G. Whittier
(Complete Poetical Works,- Boston, 1879, 270) contains the following
lines: —
Forty flags with their silver stars,
Forty flags with their crimson bars,
Flapped in the morning wind: the sun
Of noon looked down, and saw not one.
'Forty thousand' occurs in 1 Tamburlaine, 11, 1 (ed. Dyce, 13b.
— A. Wag., 508): —
Our army will be forty thousand strong.
232 HAMLET.
Edward ni, IV, 6 (ed. Del., 78. — W. and Pr., 73): —
No less than forty thousand wicked elders
Have forty lean slaves this day ston'd to death.
Webster, The White Devil, or Vittoria Corombona (Works, ed. Dyoe,
25 a): Fd — — be entered into the list of the forty thousand ped-
lers in Poland. — The Winter's Tale, IV, 4, 279 seqq.: Here's
another ballad of a fish, that appeared upon the coast on Wednesday
the fourscore of April, forty thousand fathom above water and sung
this ballad against the hard hearts of maids.
In La5amon, 25, 395 we have 'feouwer hundred thusende.'
It is a noteworthy fact that the halves of these numbers, from
'two' upwards, are likewise used in the same indefinite sense. K. Lear,
I, 2, 169 seq.: Edm, Spake you with him? Edg, Ay, two hours
together. — Greene's Tu Quoque (Hazlitt's Dodsley, XI, 207): I
could have maintained this theme this two hours. — Hey wood, The
Four Ps (Hazlitt's Dodsley, I, 363): —
Doubtless this kiss shall do you great pleasure;
For all these two days it shall so ease you,
That none other savours shall displease you.
'Pothecary. All these two days! nay, all these two years;*
For all the savours that may come here
Can be no worse.
The Old Play of Timon (ed. Dyce, 73): —
Qelas. Pseudocheus,
How many miles think you that wee must goe?
Pseud, Two thousande, forty four.
Hamlet, IV, 4, 25: —
Two thousand souls, and twenty thousand ducats.**
Nobody and Somebody, 1. 1276 seqq. (Simpson, The School of Shak-
spere, I, 327): —
Two thousand Souldiors have I brought from Wales,
To wait upon the princely Peridure.
Modg. As many of my bold confederates
Have I drawn from the South, to sweare allegiance
To young Vigenius.
The use of * twenty', as is to be expected, far exceeds that of
*two' in frequency. The Tempest, 11, 1, 278 seqq.: —
twenty consciences
That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be they
And melt ere they molest.
* The rhyme clearly shows that we should write: this two year.
** S. Walker (Grit Exam., 111,268) feels convinced, that an indefinite
number is required here, but, not being aware of the true nature of 'two
thousand', needlessly coigectures *Ten thousand'.
HAJOiET. 233
The Merchant of Venice, II, 6, 66: —
I have sent twenty out to seek for you.
lb., m, 4,74: —
And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell,
lb., m, 4,84: —
For we must measure twenty miles to-day,
where, however, 'twenty' may possibly have been used in its literal
sense; see my Abhandlungen zu Shakespeare, 304. — The Taming
of the Shrew, Induction, 11, 37seq.: —
Apollo plays
And twenty caged nightingales do sing.
Richard n., H, 2, 14: —
Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows.
Hey wood, K you know not me, you know nobody (ed. Collier, 125): —
Thou owest me but twenty pound
I'll venture forty more,
lb., (ed. ColUer, 150): —
Now, for your pains, there is twenty pound in gold.
The Return from Parnassus, III, 2 (Hawkins, Origin of the English
Drama, III, 242): When he returns, I'll tell twenty admirable lies
of his hawk. — lb., (Hawkins, III, 249): —
His hungry sire will scrape you twenty legs
From one good Christmas meal on Christmas -day, &c.
S. Rowley, When you see me, you know me (ed. Elze, 36): King
Harry loves a man and I perceive there's some mettle in thee, there's
twenty angels for thee.* — In Chapman's Alphonsus (ed. Elze, 49)
a poison is extolled because: —
it is twenty hours before it works,
whilst in Marlowe's Jew of Malta, III (ed. Dyce, 163b) it is said
of another poison that no less than forty hours must elapse before
its effect be perceived: —
It is a precious powder that I bought
Of an Italian, in Ancona, once,
Whose operation is to bind, infect.
And poison deeply, yet not appear
In forty hours after it is ta'en.
A Warning for Fair Women, A. 11, 1. 820 seq. (Simpson, The School
of Shakspere, 11, 300): —
Roger, canst thou get but twenty pound,
Of all the plate that thou hadst from us both.
* A few lines before the King gives one of the prisoners 'forty angels',
to 'drink to king Harry's health'.
234 HAICLET.
lb., A. n, 1. 1062 seqq. (Simpson, n, 310): —
I have heard it told, that digging up a grave
Wherein a man had twenty years been buried, &c.
A very cimous instance occurs in Hamlet, V, 1, 257, where 'twenty'
in the first Quarto (1603): —
I lou'de Ofelia as deere as twenty brothers could,
hafi been increased in the later Qq and the Ff to the far larger
number of 'forty thousand': —
I lov'd Ophelia; forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum.
'Twenty -thousand' occurs hardly less frequently than 'twenty'.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, II, 6, 16: —
With twenty thousand soul -confirming oaths.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, lY, 4, 90: —
Though twenty thousand worthier come to crave her.
Love's Labour's Lost, V, 2, 37: —
I am compared to twenty thousand fairs.
The Taming of the Shrew, n, 1, 123 and V, 2, 113: twenty thou-
sand crowns. K. Richard II., IV, 1, 59: —
To answer twenty thousand such as you.
2 K Henry VI., m, 2, 141 seq.: —
Fain would I go to chafe his paly lips
With twenty thousand kisses,
lb., m, 2,206: —
Though Suffolk dare him twenty thousand times.
Coriolanus, HE, 3, 70: —
Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths.
Hamlet, IV, 4, 60: —
The imminent death of twenty thousand men.
In Dryden's alteration of the Tempest, IV, 1, we meet with 'twenty
hundred': —
You cannot tell me, sir,
I know I'm made for twenty hundred women
(I mean if there so many be i' th' world), Ac.
The very acme of indefinite numbers is reached , curiously enough,
by a rather sedate and cool-headed character, viz. Friar Laurence in
Romeo and Juliet, HI, 3, 153: —
and call thee back
With twenty hundred thousand times more joy
Then thou went'st forth in lamentation.
HAMLET. 235
Ako 'four and twenty' and 'two and twenty' may be mentioned
as indefinite numbers; the former occiurs in The Winter's Tale, lY,
3, 43: She hath made me four and twenty nosegays for the shearers;
and in 1 K. Henry IV., IH, 3, 85: and money lent you, four and
twenty pound. 'Two and twenty' is found in 1 K. Henry lY.,
I, 1, 68seqq.: —
Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights,
Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see
On Holmedon's ' plain,
lb., n, 2, 16 seq.: I have forsworn his company hourly any time
this two and twenty years, and yet I am bewitched with the rogue's
company. — lb.. Ill, 3, 211: for a- fine thief, of the age of two
and twenty or thereabouts.
Even 'eighty' (= twice forty) occurs in an indefinite sense;
see Hawkins, The Origin of the English Drama (Oxford, 1773),
in, 233: Hark thou, sir; you shall have eighty thanks.
I am of course far from asserting that no other numbers but
those here discussed are used to denote an indefinite quantity; on the
contrary several others, such as 'three', 'seven', 'three and twenty'
(Troilus and Cressida, I, 2, 255), 'three and twenty thousand' (1 K.
Henry VI., I, 1, 113), 'five and twenty', 'five and twenty thousand'
(3 K. Henry VI., H, 1, 181), are used more or less frequently in
the same manner. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 288 seqq.)
cccxcm.
On Fortune's cap we are not the very button.
Ib.y Uy 2, 233.
In addition to what I have remarked on this line in my second
edition of Hamlet (p. 156 seq.) I am now able to state that the
Scotch cap was indeed worn in Shakespeare's time. This fact is
proved by the following stage -direction in Locrine, A. IV, sc. 2:
Enter Stnimbo, wearing a Scotch cap, with a Pitch -fork in his hand.
Whether or not it was decorated with a flowing ribbon, may still be
doubted, although it would seem highly probable.
CCCXCIV.
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil. *
lb., in, 1, 67.
A non- English critic may well pause before questioning an expression
which for a couple of centuries has been, as it were, a househcdd
word with all English-speaking people. I am, however, unable to
silence the critical doubts to which the expression 'mortal coil' has
236 HAMLET.
given rise in me and which are greatly increased by the disagreement
that prevails even among English commentators about it Warburton
takes 'coil' in the sense of 'turmoil, bustle', and Al. Schmidt (Shake-
speare-Lexicon, s. V.) likevrise defines it by 'this turmoil of mortality,
of life*; Heath thinks 'mortal coil' means the 'incumbrance of this
mortal body'; and Caldecott does not hesitate to claim two (or three)
meanings at one and the same time for the word, viz. that of
'turmoil' and that of 'ringlet' or 'slough'. 'It is here used', he
says, 'in each of its senses: turmoil, or bustle, and that which
entwines or wraps round. Snakes generally lie like the coils of
ropes; and it is conceived that an allusion is here had to the struggle
w^hich that animal is obliged to make in casting his slough.' This
explanation, though backed by no less an authority than Dr. Furness,
in my opinion can hardly be maintained, since the meaning of the
word 'coil' with Elizabethan writers can be shown to have been
quite definite and imequivocal. Other critics think 'coil' in our pas-
sage to be equivalent to what Fletcher (Bonduca, lY, 1) calls the
'case of flesh'. 'It has been contended', says the late Dr. Ingleby
(Shakespeare Hermeneutics, 88) 'that in Hamlet's speech, the "mortal
coil" is the coil, i. e. the trouble or turmoil, incident to man's mortal
state: but the analogies are too strong in favoiu* of the "mortal
coil" being what Fletcher calls the "case of flesh".' It is greatly
to be regretted that Dr. Ingleby has not favoured his readers with
some one or other of these strong analogies. In the same, or at
least in a similar, sense the word seems to have been taken by
E. Chambers in his Traditions of Edinburgh, 198 seq.: 'Or does the
"mortal coil" in which the light of mind is enveloped, become thinner
or more transparent by the wearing of deadly sickness?' The expla-
nation of the passage given by James Henry Hackett (Notes and
Comments upon Certain Plays and Actors of Shakespeare, New York,
1864, 21 and 25) comes nearly to the same. This supposed signi-
fication of the word, however, is not supported by testimony; it is
rather a signification 'for the nonce', a petitio principii. Still less
acceptable is that which a late English friend of mine imagined to
be the meaning of 'coil' in the present passage; he understood it to
denote a slough. But 'coil' nowhere occurs in this sense, and if it
did, this sense would not fit the present passage, inasmuch as the
poet does by no means speak of our mortal coil as of something
which like a slough has already been cast ofT, but as of something
which we are still wearing.
Apart from the line under discussion, the word 'coil' occurs
eleven times in Shakespeare and in all these passages has the signi-
fication of .'turmoil, bustle, noise, disturbance'. To examine these
instances which are enumerated both in Mrs. Cowden Clarke's Con-
cordance and in Al. Schmidt's Shakespeare -Lexicon would be labour
thrown away, especially since all editors agree with respect to their
HAMLET. 237
interpretation. As may be expected, the word is no less frequent
with other dramatists and writers of the Elizabethan era, and in
order to get firm ground for our further inquiry it may, perhaps, be
as well first to give a list of all those various passages which in tlie
course of many years' reading I have been able to collect
1. Marlowe, 2 Tamburlaine, IV, 1 (ed. Dyce, 61b. — Ed. A.
Wagner, 3744, seqq.): CcUy. I would my father would let me be
put in the front of such a battle once, to try my valour! [Alarms
tviihin.] What a coil they keep! I believe there will be some hurt
done anon amongst them.
2. Marlowe, Faustus, Y, 1 (ed. Dyce, 129a. — Ed. W. Wag-
ner, 94): —
Duke. What rude disturbers have we at the gate?
Go, pacify their fury, set it ope.
And then demand of them what they would have.
[They knock again, and call out to talk with Faustus,
Serv. Why, how now, masters! what a coil is there!
What is the reason you disturb the Duke?
3. Marlowe, The Tragedy of Dido, A. IV init. (ed. Dyce, 265a): —
I think it was the devil's revelling night.
There was such hurly-burly in the heavens:
Doubtless Apollo's axle-tree is crack'd,
Or agM Atlas' shoulder out of joint,
The motion was so over -violent.
lar. In all this coil, where have ye left the queen?
4. Marlowe, Hero and Leander, Sixth Sestiad (ed. Dyce, 307 a): —
As when you descry
A ship, with all her sail contends to fly
Out of the narrow Thames with winds unapt,
Now crosseth here, then there, then this way rapt,
And then hath one point reach'd, then alters all,
And to another crooked reach doth fall
Of half a bird-bolt's shoot, keeping more coil
Than if she danc'd upon tiie ocean's toil.
5. Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, IV, 1: Heart of my body,
here's a coil, indeed, with your jealous humours.
6. Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, 1,1: Do you hear! Jack
Littlewit, what business does thy pretty head think this fellow may
have, that he keeps such a coil with?
7. lb., I, 1: And then he is such a ravener after fruit! — you
will not believe what a coil I had t' other day to compound a busi-
ness between Cather'ne pear woman and him, about snatching: 't is
intolerable, gentlemen!
238 HAMLET.
8. Ben Jonson, Yolpone, IE, 1 (Nano sings): —
You that would last long, list to my song,
Make no more coil, but buy of this oil.
9. Edward m., IV, 6 (ed. Del., 76. — W. and Pr., 72): —
What need we fight, and sweat, and keep a coil,
When railing crows outscold our adversaries.
10. The Spanish Tragedy, A. m (Qu. 1618, 32a): —
How now, what noise? What ooyle is that you keepe?
[A noyse toithin,
11. Lord Cromwell, I, 1 (Malone's Supplement, 11, 374): He
keeps such a coil in his study, with the sun, and the moon, and
the seven stars, that I do verily think he'll read out his wits.
12. Middleton, The Mayor of Quinborough, III, 3 (Dodsley, 1780,
XI, 127): Here's no sweet coil, I am glad they are so reasonable.
(Some lines ante we have the stage -direction: A noise toiOunU.)
13. S. Rowley, When you see me, you know me (ed. Elze, 11):
Dost thou hear, Harry, what a coil they keep?
14. Eastward Ho! lY, 1 (The Works of George Chapman: Plays.
Ed. R H. Shepherd, 470a): 'S light! I think the devil be abroad,
in likeness of a storm, to rob me of my horns! Hark, how he roars!
Lord! what a coil the Thames keeps!
15. Arden of Feversham, IE, 6 (ed. Del, 49. — W. andPr., 46): —
'Zounds! here's a coil;
You were best swear me on the interrogatories.
How many pistols you have took in hand.
Or whether I love the smell of gunpowder.
Or dare abide the noise the dag will make.
Or will not wink at flashing of the fire?
16. Rob. Chester's Loves Martyr, ed. Grosart (for the New Shak-
spere Society), 94: —
Then Rage and Danger doth their senses haunt,
And like mad Aiax they a coile do keepe.
Till leane-fac'd Death into their heart doth creepe.
17. Histrio-Mastix, A. HI, 1. 92 (Simpson, The School of Shak-
spere, H, 47): What a coyle keepes those fellows there?
18. Jack Drum's Entertainment, A. II (Simpson, The School of
Shakspere, H, 162): —
What harsh, vnciuill tongue keeps such a coyle?
19. Marston, Antonio and Mellida, A. II init. (Works, ed. Halli-
well, I, 20): Slud (cri'd Siguier Balurdo) for Don Bessiders
armour, in the mirror of knighthood: what coil's here? for an
armour, canon proofe: 0, more cable, more fetherbeds, more fether-
HA3CLET. 239
bedB, more cable, till hee hEd as much as my cable hatband, to
fence him.
20. Hugh Holland, quoted in Malone's Shakespeare by Boswell
(1821), n, 221 (according to S. Walker, Crit. Exam., H, 116): —
Here ho need is of my sorry charmes
To boast it, though my braines Apollo warmes;
Where, like in Jove's, Minerva keeps a coile.
21. Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament (Hazlitt's Dodsley,
Vni, 30): Heigh ho. Here is a coil indeed to bring beggars to stocks.
22. lb., (Hazlitt's Dodsley, Vm, 47): Here is a coil about dogs
without wit.
23. Nash, Pierce Pennilesse, ed. Collier (for the Shakespeare
Society), 48: Lord! what a coyle have we, this course and that
course, removing this dish higher, setting another lower, and taking
away the third. A generall might in lesse space remove his camp,
than they stand disposing of their gluttony.
24. Nash, A Private Epistle of the Author to the Printer &c.
before the second edition of Pierce Pennilesse (ed. Collier, XTV):
And, lastly, to the ghost of Eobert Greene, telling him what a coyle
there is with pampheting [sic, read pamphleiing] on him after his
death.
25. Gascoigne's Princely Pleasures with the Masque intended to
have been presented before Qu. Elizabeth at Kenil worth Castle, 1575.
With an Introductory Memoir and Notes (London, 1821), p. 6: —
What stir, what coil is here? come back, hold, whither now?
Not one so stout to stir, what haiTying have we here?
26. Beaumont and Fletcher, The Humorous Lieutenant, V, 4: —
And such a coil there is
Such fending and such proving.
To these instances of the substantive *coir I join three passages
in which the verb 'to coil' occurs, once in the signification *to wind,
to form ringlets', twice in the signification 'to beat, to drub'. They
are: —
27. Beaumont and Fletcher, The Knight of Malta, 11, 1: —
Third Sol. We have seen the fight, sir.
Nor, Yes; coil'd up in a cable, like salt eels.
Or buried low i' th' ballast: do you call that fighting?
28. A Comedy of K. Cambises (Hawkins, Origin of the English
Drama, I, 266): Here draw and fight. Here she must lay on and
coyle them both, the Vice must run his way for feare Ac.
29. The Wife Lapped in Morel's Skin (The Old Taming of a
Shrew, ed. Th. Amyot for the Shakespeare Society, 79): —
Except she tume and change her minde.
And eake her conditions euerichone,
240 HAiCLET.
She shall fynde me to her so vnkinde,
That I shall her coyle both backe and bone, •
And make her blew and also blacke,
That she shall grone agayne for woe.
This is the whole number of instances of 'coiP which I have
come across in Elizabethan literature; there may, no doubt, be many
more, but I have no knowledge of them. I hardly need assure the
reader that I do not withhold a single instance, least of all one
where 'coil' might be taken in a different sense. As to the modem
use of the word the influence of the Hamlet -passage, in many cases,
is distinctly discernible, even where we have not to deal with a
mere quotation of, or an intentional allusion to, it. I continue my
list, beginning this, its second series* with the era of the Restoration.
30. Davenant, The Playhouse to be Let, A. V (Works, 1673,
n, 118): —
Widow, be friends, make no more such a hot coyle;
We'll find out rich Husband to make the pot boyl.
31. Butler, Hudibras, Parti, Canto 3, L 183seqq.: —
He rag'd, and kept as heavy a Coil as
Stout Hercules for Loss of Hylas;
Forcing the Vallies to repeat
The Accents of his sad Regret.
32. Scott, The Lady of the Lake, Canto HI, 24: —
The signal roused to martial coil
The sullen margin of Loch Yoil.
33. lb.. Canto V, 16: —
Like adder darting fi-om his coil,
Like wolf that dashes through the toil.
Like mountain -cat who guards her young.
Full at Fitz- James's throat he sprung.
34. Scott, Rokeby, Canto IH, 6: —
Thus circled in his coil, the snake
When roving hunters beat the brake,
Watches with red and glistening eye,
Prepaid, if heedle^ step draw nigh,
With forked tongue and venom'd fang
Instant to dart the deadly pang;
But if the intruders turn aside,
Away his coils unfolded glide
And through the deep Savannah wind.
Some undisturb'd retreat to find.
35. Scott, The Lord of the Isles, Canto I, Introd.: —
Where rest from mortal coil the mighty of the Isles.
HAHLED. 241
36. Leigh Hunt, The Story of Eimini, init: —
And when you listen you may hear a coil
Of bubbling springs about the grassier soil.
37. R Chambers, Traditions of Edinburgh (New Edition) p. Ill:
She now became alarmed, screamed foi; help, and waved her arms
distractedly; all of which signs brought a crowd to the shore she
had just left, who were unable, however, to render her any assistance,
before she had landed on the other side — fairly cured, it appeared,
of all desire of quitting the uneasy coil of mortal life.
Another passage in the same book has already been mentioned
on p. 236.
38. Carlyle, History of Friedrich 11. of Prussia (Tauchn. Ed.)
I, 192: The marriage was done in the Church of Innspruck, 10. Feb.
1342 (for we love to be particular), Kaiser Ludwig, happy man,
and many Princes of the Empire, looking on; little thinking what a
coil it would prove.
The verb 'to coil' has only thrice occurred to me in modem
writers, viz.:
39. Southey, The Life of Nelson, Chap. I (London, Bell, 1876),
p. 21: He start^ up, and found one of the deadliest serpents of
the country coiled up at his feet.
40., Gait, The Life of Lord Byron (Paris, Baudry, 1835) p. 232: —
I felt the many -foot and beetle creep.
And on my breast the cold worm coil and crawl.
41. J. G. Whittier, Complete Poetical Works (Boston, 1879) p. 1 : —
Th'e moonlight through the open bough
Of the gnarl'd beech, whose naked root
Coils like a serpent at his foot.
Falls, checkered on the Indian's brow.
After all these instances there can hardly remain a doubt as to
the signification of the substantive *coir and it is evident that during
the Elizabethan period it occurs exclusively in the meaning of 'tur-
moil, bustle, tumult, noise'; its second meaning (= ringlet, winding)
being only to be met with in modem authors. The fact is, that we
have to distinguish between two diiferent words of entirely different
origin. Messrs. Wedgwood and Skeat are agreed in deriving 'coil'
No. 1 from the Celtic; *Gael. goil, boiling, fume, battle, rage, fury;
0. GaeL goill, war, fight; Irish goill, war, fight; Irish and Gael.
goiUam, prattle, vain tattle; Gael, caileid, a stir, movement, noise.
— Gael, and Ir. goil, to boil, rage.' As to *coil' No. 2 there is as
yet no proof that during the Elizabethan era it was used as a sub-
stantive; with the writers of this period it only occurs as a verb
(see No. 27) which according to Dr. Skeat originally means 'to gather
together'; Dr. Skeat and Mr. Stiutmann (Old English Dictionary,
Elze, Notes. 16
242 HAMLET.
S^ Ed., 128a) rightly derive it from 0. F. coUlir, cuiUir, eueiUir,
Lat. colligere. Thus it appears that the substantive *coil' in the
sense of * ringlet, winding' is a recent formation, derived from the
verb. Even 'coil' No. 1 does by no means seem to be an old English
word; it is not contained in either Stratmann's Dictionary or in
Maetzner's Sprachproben (Glossary). Now, if critics are justly required
to be conservative, commentators, in my opinion, ought to be possessed
of the same quality, and ought by no means to ascribe any other
signification to a word than that in which it is used, without ex-
ception, by the writers of the period. In the above line of Hamlet,
therefore, a methodical critic has no choice left but to take 'mortal
coir simply, and unequivocally, in the sense of * mortal turmoil,
bustle, noise', which we are required or expected some day to
shuffle off.
Under these circumstances I cannot refrain from thinking our
passage coiTupt M. Mason, who was of the same opinion, proposed
to read this mortal spoil] but neither Shakespeare, nor any other
Elizabethan dramatist, seems to have used 'spoil' in the sense of
'slough', in which sense Mason wishes it to be understood. An
anonymous critic in the Appendix to Shakespeare's Dramatic Works
(Leipsic, 1826) p. 106 conjectures foil or clay, whilst I myself, in
my first edition of Hamlet (Leipzig, 1857), have been led to suggest
'vail' instead of 'coil'. I have, however, withdrawn this suggestion
since I am convinced that the passage may be corrected in a much
easier, and, at the same time, more satisfactory manner. Steevens,
ad loc.j quotes a similar passage from 'A dolfuU discours of two
Straimgers, a Ijady and a Knight' (in The firste Parte qf Church-
yardes Chippes, London, 1575, fol. 32v.), without, however, profit-
ing of the opportunity for correcting the Hamlet -passage, which to
him seems to have presented no difficulty whatever. Churchyard's
verses are these: —
Yea, shaking of this sinfuU soyle
Me thincke in cloudes I see
Amonge the perfite chosen lambs,
A place preparde for mee.
It is certainly not assuming too much that Shakespeare had read
Churchyard's Chippes, which were published when he was eleven
years of age, and that the lines may have flashed through his memory
when he was writing his most celebrated soliloquy. At all evente
our passage does not offer the least difficulty if we substitute 'soil'
for 'coil'. The expression 'mortal soil' would on the contrary per-
fectly agree not only with the poet's own sentiments, but also with
those of his contemporaries who love to represent the human body
as a piece of earth or a heap of dirt or loam. Who does not
remember Hamlet's words in the chim^hyard - scene (V, 1, 231):
'Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander retumeth to dust;
the dust is eartii; of earth we make loam, and why of that loam,
whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer- barrel?' —
Similar passages occur in The Tempest, I, 2, 313: —
Caliban,
Thou earth, thou! speak —
and ib., I, 2, 345: —
I have used thee
Filth as thou art with human care.
Still more to the point is the well-known line in Sonnet CXLVI,
which forms, as it were, a transition from the DolefuU Discourse to
our passage in Hamlet: —
Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth.
Compare also Much Ado about Nothing, 11, 1, 63seqq.: Would it not
grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust? to
make an account of her life to a clod of wayward mad?
The Merchant of Yenice, Y, 1, 63seqq.: — ^
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it
Compare also K. John, Y, 7, 57 seq.: —
And then, all this thou seest is but a clod
And module of confounded royalty.
K. Richard n., I, 1, 177 seqq.: —
The purest treasure mortal times afford
Is spotless reputation: that away.
Men are but gilded loam or painted clay.
2 K. Henry lY., I, 2, 8 seqq.: The brain of this foolish -compounded
clay, man, is not able to invent any thing that tends to laughter,
more than I invent or is invented on me.
Julius Caesar, III, 1, 254: —
pardon me, thou- bleeding piece of earth.
Among Shakespeare's contemporaries only the following may be quoted :
Dekker, Old Fortunatus (Dekker's Dramatic Works, London, 1873,
1,91):-
1 set an Ideots cap on vertues head,
Tume learning out of doores, clothe wit in ragges.
And paint ten thousand Images of Loame,
In gawdie silken colours.
Th. Heywood's Love's Mistress I, 5 (Dramatic Works, London, 1874,
V, 106): —
A piece of mooving earth —
16*
244 HAMLET.
S. Rowley, When you see me, you know me, ed. Elze, 13: —
The child is fair, the mother earth and clay.
Appius and Yirginia (Hazlitt's Dodsley, IV, 142 seq.) where Virginius
exclaims: —
man, mould, muck, clay!
hell, hellish hound,
false judge Appius, &c.
Whetstone's Remembraunce of the wel imployed Life, and godly End,
of George Gascoigne, Esquire (G. Gascoigne, ed. Arber, 24): —
And what is man? Dust, slime, a puf of winde,
Conoeiued in sin, &c.
Glapthorne, Albertus Wallenstein, III, 3 (Plays and Poems, n, 49): —
They'r (viz. these desires) all fleshly
Sordid, as is the clay this frame's composed of.
Sir Philip Sidney, An Apologie for Poetrie, ed. Arber, 29: The final
end is, to lead and draw vs to as high a perfection, as our degenerate
soules, made worse by theyr clayey lodgings, can be capable of.
To these English writers a German contemporary of Shakespeare
may be joined, who passed a gi-eat part of his life in London, viz.
the poet Rudolf Weckherlin. His poem *Elend des raenschlichen
Lebens' (W. Mfiller's Bibliothek deutscher Dichter des siebzehnten
Jahrhunderts, IV, 81) begins with the following lines: —
Du wenig Koth, du wenig Staub,
Hochmiithig durch ein wenig Leben,
Durch welches Leben, wie ein Laub,
Du kannst ein' Weil' allhie umschweben.
All these instances are of too striking a character not to lend
the strongest support to the emendation 'mortal soil'. But also in
respect to the ductus liierarum the alteration is most easy, for Quartos
as well as Folios write both 'foyle' and Toile', 'coyle' and 'ooile'
indifferently, and an f, negligently written, or damaged in printing,
could be easily taken for a c. At all events, thus much seems certain
that if the old editions had read * mortal soil', nobody would have
taken the least exception to this reading, and the most presumptuous
of emendators would never have so much as dreamt of proposing
*mortal coil' for 'mortal soil'. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., II, 362.)
CCGXCV.
Ham, So long? Nay then, let the devil wear black, for I'U
have a suit of sables. lb., HI, 2, 136 seq.
In the Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 294 seq., I have tried to show that
the contrast between a suit of sables and a mourning garment does
HAMLET. 245
not 80 much lie in the color as in the costliness and splendor of the
material. In accordance 'with the immemorial Biblical usage of mourn-
ing in sackcloth and ashes, mourning garments to this day are made
of coarse and dull -coloured material, whereas for a suit of sables the
most sumptuous stuff was selected. Since I wrote that note I have,
however, come across some passages in our Middle High -German
poets, from which it would appear, that usually garments of bright-
est colour especially scarlet and green were trimmed with sable, so that
the contrast between a suit of sables and a black mourning garment
would be complete even as to colour. I subjoin these passages in
their original wording.
1. Seyfried Helbling, Xni, 179 (Haupt, Zeitschrift fQr deutsches
Alterthum, Leipzig, 1844, VoL IV, p. 214): —
Wirt mir niht scharlach undo xobd
ez wirt mir eins gebtlren hobel
von eim guoten PSltingSBre.
2. Maier Helmbrecht 1343—1352 (Haupt, Zeitschrift fQr deut-
sches Alterthum, Yol. IV, p. 366): —
Der dritte sac der ist vol,
M und df geschoppet wol,
fritschal brdnat, vShe veder
dar under zw6, der ietweder
mit scharldt ist bedecket,
und da ftir gestrecket
einez, heizet swarxer xobel:
die hSn ich in einem tobel
hie nfihen bt verborgen;
die gibe ich ir moi^en.
3. Parzival, herausgegeben von Lachmann, 63, 24: —
Oruene samit was der mandel sin:
ein xobel da vor gap swarxen schln.
It seems that our ancestors — as far as they belonged to the Upper
Ten Thousand — delighted in these brilliant garments, particularly
in the contrast between bright -coloured materials and dark sable -
trimmings. — Compare Westward Ho!, I, 1 and V, 3 (Webster, ed.
Dyce, 1857, in 1 vol., p. 210a and 240b).
CCCXCVI.
Look here upon this picture and on this.
lb., in, 4, 53,
Some light is thrown on this passage by an incident in Marlowe's
Edward II., A. I, sc. 4, 1. 127, where the king and his minion (Jave-
ston exchange pictures; the king says: —
Here, take my picture, and let me wear thine.
246 HAMLET.
It would, therefore, seem most conformable to the usage of Shakespeare's
time and stage that the Queen should wear the portrait of her second
husband, with whom she may justly be supposed to have exchanged
pictures, whereas Hamlet wears a miniature of his father. According
to our modern notions, however, it seems far more imprassive on
the audience to have two half length pictures hung on the wall of
the Queen's closet.
cccxcvn.
For use almost can change the stamp of natui-e,
And either the devil, or throw him out
With wondrous potency.
lb., Illy 4, WSscqq.
This is the reading of the quarto of 1604. The later quartos read: —
And master the devil, or throw him out,
whilst in the first quarto, as well as in the folios, the passage is
wanting. Whether we follow QB, or its successors, the second line
is incomplete and the editors therefore have very properly endea-
voiu*ed to fill it up. Believing the copyist or compositor of the second
quarto to have been deceived by the similarity of the sound of two
successive words I formerly suggested: —
And either usher the devil, or throw him out.
Although Messrs. Clark and Wright, in their annotated edition of the
play, are likewise of opinion *that something is omitted which is
contrasted with throw out\ yet I have now come to the conviction
that most likely such an antithesis was not in the poet's mind, but
that his thoughts turned exclusively on the fact that by constant
habit the vicious stamp of nature may be reformed. The reading
most likely to have come from the poet's pen seems therefore to be: -^
And either master the devil or throw him out.
This reading is erroneously attributed to the quarto 1604 by S. Walker
(Versification, 75). It is true, there is some slight tautology in it,
but a tautology which is by no means foreign to Shake8j>eai*e. The
compositor of the second quarto, I imagine, overlooked the second,
those of the later quartos overlooked the first word of the two. As
to the metre, I cannot agree with those critics who think it neces-
sary that a monosyllable should be added after either, e. g. curb or
wean, S. Walker is quite right in scanning: —
And either master th' devil [pronounce de'il], Ac.
(The Athenaeum, Aug. 11, 1866, p. 186.)
HAMLET. 247
cccxcYm.
The rabble call him lord;
And, as the world were now but to begin,
Antiquity forgot, custom not known,
The ratifiers and props of every word,
They cry, ^Choose we: Laertes shall be king!'
lb., IV, 5, 102seqq.
Though this is the uniform reading of the old editions, yet the last
line but one has given rise to a number of copjectural emendations;
Warburton proposed of every ward, Johnson, of every loeal, and
Tyrwhitt, of every work. Caldecott (apud Furness) and Al. Schmidt,
on the other hand, declare against all alteration of the passage.
Caldecott takes 'word' to mean 'term, appellation or title; as "lord"
and "king";' 4n its more extended sense,' he continues, 'it must
import "every human establishment".' In Al. Schmidt's opinion
(Shakespeare-Lexicon, s. v.) 'every word' signifies 'every thing that
is to serve for a watchword and shibboleth to the multitude.' This
is certainly wrong, whereas the explanation given by Caldecott would
in part be acceptable, if it could be shielded by some authority; in
extending, however, the meaning of 'every word' to 'every human
establishment' he overshoots the mark. Perhaps Ave should read of
every loorth, which would at once remove all difficulty. As far as
worth is concerned, Laertes would be a proper person indeed to be
elected king. But the king is not to be chosen, as in primeval
times, for his worthiness alone; antiquity and custom come in for
their share also; they are 'the ratifiers and props of every worth'.
Compare Pericles, 11, 3, 6: —
Since eveiy worth in show commends itself.
Thomson's Seasons, III, 943 seq.: —
At home the friend
Of every worth and every splendid art^
and IV, 468: —
Thee, Forbes, too, whom every worth attends.
(Shakespeare's Hamlet, herausgegeben von Elze, Leipzig, 1857, 230. —
The Athenaeum, Aug. 11, 1866, 186. — Shakespeare's dramatische
Werke nach der Ueberset^ung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben
durch die Deutsche Shakespeare -Gesellschaft, YI, 177.)
CCCXCIX.
Who, dipping all his faults in their aifection.
Would, like the spring that turneth wood to stone,
Convert his gyves to graces.
lb., IV, 7, 19seqq.
248 HAMLET.
The corruption of this passage does not lie in gyves, as Theobald
and others have imagined, but in graces. How can gyves, a very
material object, be converted into abstract graces*^ Not even the
Knaresborongh spring can effect such an illogical conversion. The
context, in a word, will not bear an abstract noun in this place,
which would entirely spoil the metaphor. Logical symmetry indeed
might be restored, if gyves were replaced by an abstract noun, but
the comparison then would be deprived of all force, of all sensible,
not to say palpable, distinctness and Shakespeare would certainly
never have introduced the Knaresborongh spring in order to compare
two abstract qualities. OiJbes which has been proposed instead of
gyves is fairly insufferable. I feel convinced that we ought to cor-
rect graces to graves (according to modem orthography greaves)^ which,
at the same time, would give the verse a regular flow. According
to the Folio, graves occurs in another passage of the poet, which, in
some respect, bears a surprising similarity to ours, viz. 2 Henry IV.,
IV, 1,50: —
Turning your books to graves, your ink to blood.*
In both passages something feeble or despicable is to be turned into
graves, which not only form part of chivakic armoiu*, but, at the
some time, are emblems of knighthood. Who does not recollect
Homer's ivTivijfiideg L^x^io/ and Chapman's fair greaves (Iliad
XVni, 415)? Gyves, in our passage, stands of course metonymically
for those crimes and misdemeanours which ought to be punished by
them, graves metonymically for those merits and signal deeds, which
ought to be rewarded and distinguished by them, or, in a word,
which ought to be knighted. The simile of the spring becomes most
appropriate if we remember that gyves were originally made of
wood. It is tnie, that in order to render it perfect, graves should
have been made of stone instead of steel; but so far it may be
conceded that omne simile claudieat. Graces is, to aU appearance,
a sophistication of the compositor who hesitated at the unusual word
graves, provided it be not a simple mistake, which is still likelier.
As to the orthography, graves instead of greaves is quite ana-
logous to tkraves (for thr eaves) and stale (for steale or s<e/e); compare
Mr. Hooper's note on Chapman's Iliad, XI, 477; Chapman's Iliad,
IV, 173 and Nares s. Stele. On the other hand, harms in South
Warwickshire becomes eam^ according to Mr. •Halliwell - Phillipps,
Diet. Arch, and Prov. Words, and Mrs. Francis, South Warwickshire
Provincialisms (in Original Glossaries &c. ed. by Walter W. Skeat for
* In this line graves has an obelus in. the Globe Edition. Warburton
conjectured glaives which has been highly commended by Dr. Ingleby in the
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., 11, 220, whereas in his Shakespeare Ilermeneutics , 61,
he feels much less certain. Olaives is not a Shakespearean word and grares,
in my opinion, is the true reading.
HAMLET. 249
the English Dialect Society). (The Athenaeum, Feb. 20, 1869, 284.
Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G., XI, 295 seq.)
Since writing the above I have come across two passages that
bid fair to confinn my conjecture graves. In The Merry Wives of
Windsor, I, 1,294 seq.. Slender says: *I bruised my shin th' other
day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence.' In
Mr, Saint^bury's Life of Dryden in Mr. John Morley's well-known
collection of English Men of Letters, at p. 119 seq.; we read the
following: *He has exposed his legs to the arrows of any criticaster
who chooses to aim at him.' Do not these two passages imply that
the legs were frequently chosen as an aim by fencers and archera
and therefore had to be protected from the enemy's sword and arrows?
And by what other means could they be protected than by greaves?
At all events this seems to be a track which should be pursued, if
we wish to arrive at a thorough understanding and consequent emen-
dation of the king's speech in Hamlet Compare my second edition
of Hamlet (1882), p. 221 seq. — At the same time I embrace the
opportunity of adding wale to the list of those words that are spelt
with either a or ea; in Chapman's Iliads, ed. Hooper, Bk. H, 1.232,
it is written wale, whereas nowadays it is pretty frequently spelt
weal. Compare also S. Walker, Crit. Exam., II, 118 {wave and weave).
CD.
Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures,
and his tricks. ib., F, i, 107 seqq.
Tenures undoubtedly stands in the wrong place; it is by no means
synonymous with quiddities, cases and tricks, but belongs to the
law-terms relative to the acquisition and transfer of property, and
should accordingly be inserted four lines infra, between recognisances
and fines. This suspicion is strongly confirmed by the Quarto of
1603, in however crude a state the passage may be 'given there.
That this edition reads tenements instead of tenures is of no import-
ance, inasmuch as our concern lies, only with the position of the
word, and in this respect the first Quarto exhibits the right text.
The passage there nms thus: 'Where is your quirks and quillets now,
your vouchers and double vouchers, your leases and freehold, and
tenements?' (The Athenaeum, Feb. 20, 1869, 284.)
CDL
Now pile your dust upon the quick and dead.
Till of this flat a mountain you have made.
To o'ertop old Pelion, or the skyish head
Of blue Olympus. lb,, F, i, 274 seqq.
250 HAMLET.
And, if thou prate of mountains^ let them throw
Millions of acres on us, till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart! /ft., V, i, SOSseqq.
Compare Kichard Brome, The Court Begger, IV, 3, init. (The Dra-
matic Works Of Kich. Brome Ac, London, 1873, Vol. I, p. 245): —
Fer[dinand], Heape yet more Mountaines, Mountaines upon
Mountaines, Pindus on Ossa, Atlas on Olympus,
I'le carry that which carries Heaven, do^you
But lay't upon me!
This passage is not contained in either the late Dr. Ingleby's Centurie
of Prayse (second edition, by Miss Lucy Toubnin Smith), or in
Dr. Furnivall's Fresh Allusions. By the way it may be remarked,
that the first two lines are wrongly divided; arrange, of course: —
Heape yet more Mountaines, Mountaines upon Mountaines,
Pindus on Ossa, Atlas on Olympus, &c.
CDH.
Wourt di'ink up esile? eat a crocodile?
lb., F, i, 299.
It is a matter of surprise to me that after all that has been written
on this line there should still be found so many defenders of the
old reading (QB Esill, FA Esile, not to speak of vessels in QA).
Several critics have justly observed that it would not only be *tarae
and spiritless', but inconsistent and even ridiculous' (Nares s. v.) to
make Hamlet dare Laertes to drink 'large draughts of vinegar' in a
scene whose every line is teeming with emphasis and hyperbole —
nay, even bombast; and it was reserved to Al. Schmidt (Shakespeai-e-
Lexicon s. J^ysell) to think there was no hyperbole in the case and
Hamlet's questions were meant to be ludicrous. 'Hamlet's questions',
he says, 'are apparently ludicrous, and diinking vinegar, in order to
exhibit deep grief by a wry fdce, seems much more to the purpose
than drinking up rivers.' This is even less acceptable than the
explanation given by Theobald, that Hamlet means to say, 'Wilt
thou resolve to do things the most shocking and distasteful? and
behold, I am resolute.' The other passages in which 'eysell' is
mentioned do not bear in the least on the line under discussion;
'eyseir being there only spoken of as a medicine (thus, e. g., in
Sonnet CXI) or as 'an ingredient of the bitter potion given to our
Saviour on the Cross' (Hunter, Illustrations, 11, 263); nowhere is
drinking eysell mentioned as a feat of courage and strength, as it
w^ould seem to be in the present passage. Mr. Moberly in his edition
of 'Hamlet' (Rugby Edition, Lon., Oxf., and Cambr., 1873) ad he.
HAHLET. 251
assures his readers that *a large draught of vinegar would be very-
dangerous to life'; he might have added that roast crocodile would
not be a very wholesome dish either. This is certainly so far-fetched
and tame a thought, that Shakespeare cannot have been guilty of it;
it reminds the reader involuntarily of Capell's humorous remark that
'if Eisel be the right reading, it must be because 't is wanted for
sauce to the crocodile.'
There are critics who would willingly give up the vinegar and
side with those who are convinced that 'esile' is meant for a river,
if it were not that in their opinion a Danish river must be refeiTed
to, or at least one that is not too far removed from Denmark; in
default of a Danish river they are ready, to put up with the Polish
Weisel* or the Dutch Yssel, but they strongly object to the Nile as
being at variance with the scenery of the play. This ill-founded
objection has been refuted by Dr. Fumess who justly observes that
Shakespeare 'who did not hesitate to make Hamlet swear by St. Patrick,
would have been just as likely to mention a river in farthest Ind as
in Denmark, if the name flashed into his mind, and would have been
intelligible to his audience.' It may be added that the Nile is (and
was) no less known in Denmark than in any other European country;
I cannot conceive why the mention of so world -renowned a river
should be inappropriate in the mouth of a Danish prince: but if so,
the dramatic unity is just as much violated by the crocodile; in
order to be consistent these critics should substitute some Danish —
or at least some Baltic — beast for the crocodile. It may be safely
asserted that Shakespeare never cared for Danish, Polish, or Dutch
rivers, and that the name of a Danish river in this passage would
indeed be the last that could have come from his pen.
It was ceiiainly not only allowable to Shakespeare to introduce
the Nile without violating the locality of his play, but it can be
easily shown that he had the strongest motives for so doing. The
giief of Laertes at the untimely and tragical death of his sister is
uttered with such an emphasis that Hamlet cannot refrain from object-
ing to such clamorous woe and from overawing him who utters it;
he entirely gives the rein to hyperbole and bombast; he challenges
Laertes to do whatever feat he may to express his sorrow and to be
assured that he, Hamlet, will do the same, nay, more. Nothing can
be more intelligible, more explicit: —
And, if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us; till our ground.
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart! Nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.
* Does this form of the name occm* elsewhere or has it been coined for
the nonce? I greatly suspect the latter.
352 HAMLET.
One of the feats thus enumerated is drinking up th^ Nile, a feat
than which nothing can better befit the occasion, as the Nile was
considered in the days of Elizabeth not only as the home of wonders
and monsters, but also as the mightiest, nay, even as a measureless
stream; our poet himself in Titus Andronicus, III, 1, 71, says: —
And now, like Nilus, it disdaineth bounds.
Besides, drinking up a river, or even the ocean, is an hyperbole
very familiai* to Elizabethan poets. Various passages have been quoted
in support of these facts, both by English editors, and myself in my
editions of 'Hamlet*; and I am now able to increase their number.
The vast extension of the Nile is extolled by Marlowe in the first
Part of Tamburlaine, Y, 2 (ed. Dyce, 36b. — Ed. A. Wagner, 2221
seq.): —
Which had ere this been bath'd in streams of blood.
As vast and deep as Euphrates or Nile.
In the same play, Part 1, II, 3 (ed. Dyce, 15a. — A. Wag., COGseqq.)
the poet makes Tamburlaine say: —
The host of Xerxes, which by fame is said
T' have drunk the mighty Parthian Araris,
Was but a handful to that we will have.
In the second part of Tamburlaine, HI, 1 (ed. Dyce, 54a. — A. Wag.,
3141 seqq.) Orcanes even mentions Nilus itself: —
I have a hundred thousand men in arms:
Some, that in conquest of the perjur'd Christian,
Being a handful to a mighty host.
Think them in number yet sufficient
To drink the river Nile or Euphrates,
And for their power enow to win the world.
Can it be doubted that Shakespeare was acquainted with these pas-
sages? He who is known to have inserted in the second part of his
K. Heniy IV. (11, 4) the famous lines from the second part of Tambur-
laine (IV, 3): —
Holla, you pampered jades of Asia,
What, can you draw but twenty miles a -day?
In Dawbridgecourt Belchier's Invisible Comedy of Hans Beer Pot
(London, 1C18, E, 3c) we- meet with these lines: —
Enough my ladde, wilt drink an Ocean?
Methinks a whirlpool cannot ore drinke me.
Edward m., IH, 1 (ed. Delius, 39. — W. and Pr., 37): —
By land, with Xerxes we compare of strength,
Whose soldiers drank up rivers in their thirst.
Richard 11., H, 2, 145 seq.: —
The task he undertakes
Is numbering sands and drinking oceans dry.
HAMLET. 253
The Dramatic Works of Rob. Greene, ed.* Dyce (London, 1831),
Vol.1, p. 43: —
And drink np overflowing Euphrates.
Westward Ho!, II, 3 (Webster, ed. Dyce, 1857, in 1 vol., p. 222b):
Come, drink up Rhine, Thames, and Meander dry! [An exhortation
to drink Rhenish wine at the Steelyard.])
Chaucer, The Romaunt of the Rose, I. 5712 seq.: —
He undirfongith a gret peyne,
That undirtakith to drynke up Seyne.
Locrine, IV, 4 (Malone's Supplement, II, 246; Hazlitt, Supplementary
Works, 93; Doubtful Plays, Tauchn. Ed., 179): —
what Danubius now may quench my thirst?
What Euphrates, what light-foot Euripus
May now allay the fury of that heat.
Which raging in my entrails eats me up?
Chapman's Revenge for Honour, HE, 2 (The Works of George Chap-
man: Plays, edited, with Notes,, by Richard Heme Shepherd, London,
1874, 433b): —
Sol. Let go round:
I'd drink 't, were it an ocean of warm blood
Flowing from th' enemy.
Delius, ad he., gives it as his opinion thataU difficulties would
be removed, if the i-eading of the old editions was: —
Woo't drink up Nilus? eat a crocodile?
but he finds it difficult to believe that so familiar a word as NUua
could have been sophisticated into vessels, Esill, and Esile. To me
this seems to be a cura posterior] provided we have got the right
word, the word which is imperatively required by the context, we
need not trouble ourselves with the inquiry as to how the corruption
may have crept into the t^xt. It is certainly very gratifying and
adds to the force of an emendation if we are able to show the origin
of the corrupted reading, but there are many passages in Shakespeare
and his . contemporaries where such an endeavour is, and ever will
be, vain, whereas the emendation itself cannot be doubted. Let any
one try to explain the printers' mistakes that are committed even at
this day! Many of them may certainly be accounted for by a foul
case and in other ways, but no less a number will still baffle all
explanation. Or has a critic ever yet been able to explain how the
famous VUorxa found its way into the text? Yet who will defend
it? The Cambridge Editors, in their Preface, p. XII, justly insist on
the frequent 'causelessness of the blunders', which they illustrate
by the following instance taken from A Midsummer Night's Dream,
1,1,139: —
Or else it stood upon the choice of merit
254 HAHLET.
This reading of the'Folids is certainly wrong. 'But if we compare',
the Cambridge Editors go on to say, Hhe true reading preserved in
the Quartos, "the choice of friends", we can perceive no way to
account for the change of "friends" to "merit", by which we might
have retraced the enx)r from "merit" to "friends". Nothing like the
"ductus literarum", or attraction of the eye to a neighbouring word,
can be alleged here.' This case is even more glaring than the cor-
ruption of Nilus to Esiky where we may fancy without great difficulty
that Es originated in an indistinctly written N, and that EsUe,
therefore, is merely a misread- Nile.
There remain two points still to be mentioned. First the words
drink up. Notwithstanding what has been said to the contrary by
Dr. Fumess and others, I still believe that this phrase means some-
thing more than simply 'to drink'; the preposition up 'conveys the
sense of totality or completeness' to use Mr. Richard Grant White's
words; up, says Al. Schmidt, s. v., 'imparts to verbs the sense of
completion, by indicating that the action expressed by them is fully
accomplished.' I feel convinced that 'to drink up', to say the very
least of it, is applied much more fitly to a river than to vin^ar.
The parallel passages cited above are eloquent on this head too;
nevertheless I hope I may be allowed to add two more instances.
Dekker, The Honest Whore, Part H, 1 (Middleton, ed. Dyce, m, 137): —
Drink up this gold, good wits should love good wine.
[Qives money.
Puttenham, The Arte of English Poesie, ed. Arber, p. 88: 'one a
horsebacke calling perchance for a cup of beere or wine, and hauing
dronken it vp rides away and never lights.' *To drink up Nilus' is,
in my opinion, equivalent to 'to drink Nilus dry.'
My second, — and last, — remark is on the crocodile. If
drinking up Nilus (that 'disdaineth bounds') be conceded to be an
hyperbole of the first water as it expresses a pure impossibility, it
may be objected, that eating a crocodile would be a rather weak
anti- climax and could not be placed on a level with the first -named
feat of strength. I cannot admit such an objection to be just, as
eating a crocodile, on account of its impenetrable scales which our
poet's contemporaries imagined to be not only spear- proof, but even
cannon -proof, is no less an impossibility than drinking up the river
in which it lives.* In Locrine, A. Ill, inlt. Ate says: —
* The source of these hyperbolical descriptions may be found in the
forty first chapter of Job, where we read: 'The sword of him that layeth at
him [viz. leWathan] cannot hold: the spear, the daii, nor the habergeon. He
esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make
him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Daiis are counted as
stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.* — Compare also Job XL, 23:
^Behold, he [viz. behemoth] drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth
that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.'
K. LEAH. 255
High on a bank, by Nilus' boisterous streams,
Fearfully sat the Egyptian crocodile,
Dreadfully grinding in her sharp long teeth
The broken bowels of a silly fish:
His back was arm'd against the dint of spear,
Witli shields of brass that shone like buniish'd gold.
Another passage brings us still nearer to Shakespeare, viz. 1 Tambur-.
laine, IV, 1 (ed. Dyce, 25a. — A. Wag., 1374 seqq.): —
While you, faint-hearted, base Egyptians,
Lie slumb'ring on the flow'ry banks of Nile,
As crocodiles that unaffrighted rest.
While thundering cannons rattle on their skins.
Now let Laertes try his teeth on such a skin! In short, my con-
viction, that Shakespeare wrote: —
Woul't drink up Nilus? eat a crocodile?
is more confirmed than ever it was before. (Compare Jahrb. d. D.
Sh.-G., XV, 437 seq. and XVI, 250.)
CDHI.
May be prevented now. The princes, France and Burgimdy.
K. Lear, I, i, 46.
There are few instances in Mr. Fleay's list of Alexandrines in King
Lear that cannot be shown without difficulty to be either regular
blank verse or what Dr. Abbott terms trimeter couplets. The safest
and most correct way wiU be to follow Mr. Fleay step by step
(with some few omissions), in order to enable the reader to judge
for himself. As to the line quoted above, it contains two triple
endings, the one at the end of the first hemistich [prevented now,
see Abbott, s. 472), the other at the end of the line (Burgundy; see
S.Walker, Versification, 240 seqq.). Hanmer needlessly suggested to
omit now.
I, 1, 94: My heart | into | my mouth: | I love | your maj|'sty.
See S. Walker, Versification, 174 seq.
I, 1, 109: So young, and so untender? So young, my lord, and true.
These are two short lines that should not be joined into one;
the arrangement of the Cambridge and Globe Editions is right.
I, 1, 134: That troop | with majesty. Om*self , | by month |ly course.
I, 1, 139: The swA-y, | reven|ue, ex'cti|tion 6f | the r6st.
Compare my edition of Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet (1882),
p. 182, where a different, but less correct, scansion of this line
has been given.
256 K. LEAR.
I, 1, 156 (not 155): Reverbs | no hol|rwne88. Kent, on | thy life,|
no more.
See supra note CCCV.
I, 1, 158: To wage | against | thy enpraies; nor fear | to lose | it
I, 1, 196: Or cease | your quest | of love? | Most royjal majpsty.
I, 1, 198: Nor will | you tenjder less. | Right no]ble Bur|g'ndy.
1,1,226: Could nev|er plant | in me. I yet | beseech | your
majpsty.
Triple endings both before the pause (plant in me) and at the
end of the line (majesty). Possibly, however, another scansion
might be set up against the triple ending of the first hemistich,
viz.: —
Could ne'er | plant in | me. I yet | beseech | your majpsty.
I, 1, 228: To speak | and pur | pose not; since what | I well | intend.
Triple ending before the pause; compare Abbott, s. 471.
1,1,247 (not 248): Duchess of Burgundy. — Nothing: I have
sworn; I am firm.
Either two short lines, as printed in the Cambridge and Globe
Editions, or Burgundy to be read as a triple ending before the
pause and / have and I am to be contracted: —
Duchess I of Bur|g'ndy. Nothing: | I've sworn; | I'm firm.
I, 1, 250: That you | must lose | a hus|band. Peace be | with
Bur|g'ndy.
1,1,270: Come, no|ble Bur|g'ndy. :— Bid fare | well to | your
sis I ters.
I, 2, 4: The cu|rio8'ty | of na|tion8 to | deprive | me.
Pope rpads nicety] Thirlby suggested curtesie, which was adopted
by Theobald. Mr. Fleay's scansion is right; compare S. Walker,
Versification, 201, and supra note XXIII.
I, 3, 23: "What grows | o't, no mat|ter; advise | your fel|lows so.
Grows of it is a triple ending before the pause. The line
admits, however, of another scansion, viz.: —
What grows | of it, | no mat|ter; advise | your fel|lows so.
Fellows so to be read as a triple ending.
I, 4, 223: In rank and not-to-be endured riots. Sir.
Sir was rightly thrown out by Theobald. S. Walker, Versifi-
cation, 270, would place it in an interjectional line.
I, 4, 265: Shows like | a ri'tps inn: epi|curism | and lust.
Steevens omitted riotous. Riotous inn is a triple ending before
the pause.
K. LEAB. 257
I, 4, 347: At point | a hund|red knights: yes, that, | on ev|*ry dream.
At point, omitted by Pope. Hundred knights seems to be a
triple ending.
II, 1, 118 seq. Kightly arranged by Jennens: —
You we first seize on. I shall serve you truly,
However else. — For him I thank yoiu: grace.
II, 2, 79: Who wears | no hon|'sty. Such 8mi|ling rogues [ as these.
Pope transferred as these to the beginning of the following line,
whilst Hanmer omitted these words,
n, 2, 91: Two short lines, as printed in the Globe Edition,
n, 2, 121: The same.
II, 2, 144: You should | not use | me so. Sir, being | his knave, |
I will.
Use me so \& B, triple ending before the pause.
II, 2, 177: Losses | their remedies. All wea|ry and | o'erwatch'd.
n, 4, 157: Age is | unne'jss'ry: on | my knees | I beg.
This is S. Walker's scansion (Versification, 275), rightly adopted
by Mr. Fleay.
n, 4, 234: I and | my hund|red knights. | Not al|toge'er | so.
See S. Walker, Yersif., 103 seq. and note on lY, 7, 54.
in, 2, 67: Their scant |ed court psy. My wits | begin | to turn,
m, 4, 176: I do beseech your grace. — 0, cry you mercy, sir.
The Qq rightly omit sir,
in, 4, 179: In, fellow, there, into the hovel: keep thee warm.
QA and Ff: there, irUo tW] QB: there in't] Capell: there, to the,
— Read, point, and scan: —
In, fel|low: there | i' th' ho|vel keep | thee warm.
lY, 6, 145: And my | heart breaks | at it. Read. What, | wi' th'
case I of eyes?
Breaks at it is a triple ending before the pause.
lY, 6, 198: Scan either: —
I'm cut ! to th' brains. | You shall | have an]ything.
or: —
I am I cut to I the brains. | You shall | have an | 'thing.
See note on The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 173.
lY, 6, 256: Upon | the Brit|i8h par|ty. 0, untime|ly death.
Hanmer: On th' English, English being the reading of the Ff.
The first two syllables of 0, untimely 'coalesce or are rapidly
pronounced together.' Abbott, s. 462.
Elze, Notes. 17
258 OTHELLO.
IV, 7, 54: To see | ano'er | thus. I know | not what | to say.
To say, omitted by Hanmer. See Abbott, s. 466 and supra
note on 11, 4, 234.
Y, 3, 45: May equally determine. Sir, I thought it fit.
Read, with Pope, thought fit.
Y, 3, 178: Did hate thee or thy father! Worthy prince, I know 't.
/ know H is to be transferred to the beginning of the following
line, as printed by Hanmer, who moreover completes L 179 by
reading, / know it well.
Y, 3, 271: Corde|lia! Cordejlia, stay | a lit|tle. Ha!
The line has an extra syllable before the first pause.
Y, 3, 295: Edmund | is dead, | m'lord. That's but | a tri|fle here.
Pope, Theobald, Hanmer, and Warburton omit here. Compare
Pericles, I, 2, 101: —
Well m' lord, | since you | have given | me leave | to speak.
Y, 3, 313: Yex not his ghost. Oh, let him pass! he hates him much.
Miuih, which is only contained in QB, has been justly omitted
by almost all editors and should not have been conjured up
again by Mr. Fleay.
CDIY.
lago, 'S blood, but you will not hear me.
OtheUo, 7, i, 4.
Complete the line by adding Roderigo. lago and Roderigo address
each other by their names in order thus to introduce themselves to
the spectators who were not provided, as now-a-days, with printed
play -bills from which they could leam the names of the Dramatis
PersoruB. Of course it is chiefly in the introductory scenes that the
Elizabethan dramatists had to resort to this mode of acquainting their
audiences with the characters of the play. Print therefore: —
logo, 'S blood, but you will not hear me, Boderigo.
CDY.
And, in conclusion.
Nonsuits my mediators; for, *Certes', says he,
*I have already chose my officer.'
And what was he?
Forsooth, a great arithmetician, &c.
lb., I, 1, ISseqq.
OTHELLO. 259
The words And, in conclusion, are wanting in the Ff. Arrange, with
the late Mr. Hudson: —
And, in conclusion, nonsuits my mediators;
For, 'Certes', says he, 'I have already chose
My officer.' And what was he, Boderigo?
Forsooth, a great arithmetician, &c.
For the addition of Boderigo I must answer myself.
CDYI.
A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife.
lb., I, i, 21.
I am convinced that for this once there is no woman in the case;
Cassio has no wife, and no critic, I think, will agree with Theobald
in assigning the 'fair wife' to lago. Cassio is sneered at by lago
as an arithmetician, a counter -caster, an expert in bookish theory,
whose soldiership is *mere prattle, without practice.' Thus the con-
text distinctly shows, that the word which originally stood in the
place of a fair wife like the rest had reference in some way or other
to Cassio's commercial calling and unsoldierlike life and behaviour.
Perhaps some commentator that possesses a more intimate knowledge
of commerce and business life than I can boast of, may be fortunate
enough to hit on the true word. The conjectural emendations of life,
tffise, face, and phyz are hardly worth mentioning.
CDVn.
Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election.
lb., /, 1, 27.
Soldiership is a triple ending before the pause. Such triple endings
before the pause occur also in the following lines of our play, viz. : —
By debitor and creditor: this counter -caster. (1, 1, 31.)
For nought but provender, and when he's old, cashier'd.
(1, 1, 48.)
Sir, I will answer anything. But, I beseech you. (1, 1, 121.)
Compare note on The Winter's Tale, I, 2, 173.
Of here and every where. Straight satisfy yourself. (1, 1, 138.)
For thus deluding you. Strike on the tinder, ho! (1, 1, 141.)
'Tis oft with difference — yet do they all confirm. (I, 3, 7.)
And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence. (I, 3, 138.)
To assist my simpleness: What would you, Desdemona.
(I, 3, 248.)
Does tire the ingener. How now! who has put in? (IL 1, 65.)
17*
260 OTHELLO.
Players in your houseunfery, and housewives in your beds.
(U, i, 113,)
Hold! the general speaks to you; hold, hold, for shame!
(U, 3, 168.)
This is the reading of the Qq. The first Hold/ is a monosyl-
labic foot. As to speaks to you compare note on Antony and
Cleopatra, I, 4, 7. Those editors that adopt the lection of the
Ff must scan: —
Hold! I the general speaks | t* you; hold, | for shame!
From her propriety^ What is the matter, masters? (II, 3, 176.)
And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom. (111, 1, 49.)
Farewell, my Desdemon: I will come to thee straight.
(UI, 5, 87.)
The imiform reading of the old copies is: —
Farewell, my Desdemona: I'll come to thee straight.
Desdemon was diffidently suggested by S. Walker, Crit. Exam.,
I, 231, and inserted in the text by Dyce (2* Ed.); / unU is
Capell's correction. It must be admitted, however, that the
line allows of a correct scansion without this latter alteration,
viz. : —
Farewell, | my Desjd'mon: I'll [ come to | thee straight.
Mr. Fleay (apud Ingleby, 1. c.) proposes either to transfer Fare-
well to L 86 (which would make that line an Alexandrine), or
-to read Desdemon.
Matching thy inference. 'Tis not to make me jealous.
(lU, 3, 183.)
For too much loving you. I 'm bound to thee for ever.
(Hly 5, 213.)
And, lo, the happiness/ go and importime her. (111, 4, 108.)
Save you, worthy general/ With all my heart, sir. (IV, 1, 229.)
Save is a monosyllabic foot.
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember; and call.
(IV, 2, 105.)
Bememher has an extra syllable before the pause. — In aU
copies and editions, from the first quarto down to Dr. Furness's
Variorum Edition, this line ends at remember. Six feet are
thus allotted to the following line, whereas two regular lines
are obtained by transferring and call to L 105. Some editors
print 1. 106 as two incomplete lines.
And sing it like poor Barbara, Prithee, dispatch. (IV, 3, 33.)
Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will speak. (V, 1, 109.)
The line begins with a trochee.
OTHELLO. 261
Kind gentlemen, let us go see poor Cassio dress'd. (Vj 1, 124,)
Old copies (and modern editions) let's; Pope omitted go.
To this extremity. Thy husband Imew it all. (V, 2, 139.)
Steevens, extreme.
I do not vouch for the completeness of this list and merely add that
part of the lines quoted are declared to be Alexandrines by Mr. Meay
(e. g. I, 1, 27; I, 1, 48; I, 1, 138; I, 1, 141; I, 3, 248; n, 1, 65;
II, 1, 113; m, 1, 49; III, 3, 183; IH, 4, 108), whilst others have
been left unnoticed.
CDYHI.
And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,
It is as sure as you are Roderigo, &c.
iJ., /, 1, SSseq.
Pope omitted For, sir; Capell, followed by subsequent editors, placed
it in a separate line. I imagine sir to be an actors' addition, so
much the more so, as it stands at the end of the line. 'Sir', says
S. Walker, Versification, p. 177, 'I have reason to suspect, is frequently
interpolated.' Another case in point occurs in A. I, sc. 2, L 10: —
I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir,
where the metre clearly requires the omission of sir. Compare also
A. lY, sc. 2, 1. 114 (lady); A. V, sc. 1, 1. 105 (mistress)] and infra
note DLXXXTT. May not Shakespeare have written: —
And such a one do I profess myself.
For it 's [or, 't is] as sure as you are Roderigo, &c.?
This alteration certainly helps us to two regular lines of blank verse.
CDIX.
To start my quiet.
Eod. Sir, sir, sir, —
Bra. But thou must needs be sure.
lb., I, ly 101.
Hazlitt combines the second and third line, and by repeating sir four
times produces a regular blank verse. In my humble opinion the
third line is to be joined to the first; they form one of those verses
that are continued in spite of interruptions, a metrical peculiarity
with which Hazlitt seems not to have been acquainted. Compare note
CDXXII and Abbott, s. 514.
262 OTHELLO.
CDX.
Bra, Thou art a villain.
logo. You are — a senator.
/6., /, 1, 119.
Scan either: —
Thou drt | a vll|lain. You ^re | a s6n|at6r,
or (as a syllable pause line with a triple ending): —
Thou art | a vil|lain. jl \ You are | a sen|ator.
Compare, amongst other instances, Coriolanus, III, 1, 92 and IV, 5, 138 : —
You grave | but reck | less senjators, have | you thus.
And take | our friend I ly sen|ators by | the hand.
Triple endings occur also in the following lines of our play: —
But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier. (1, 1, 126.)
Qy. gondoler? just like pioner^ mulctcr &c. See ray second
alition of Hamlet (1882) p. 114 and note on Cymbeline, IV, 2,
100 seq. Compare Dr. Fumess, ad locr, S. Walker, Versification,
218; and Abbott, s. 497.
I thus would play and trifle with your reverence. (I, i, 133.)
To do no contrived murder: I lack iniquity. (I, 2, 3.)
Besides a triple ending this line has an extra syllable before
the pause.
My services which I have done the signiory. (I, 2, 18.)
Compare S.Walker, Versification, 243; Abbott, s. 471.
What is the news? The duke does greet you, general.
(ly 2, 36.)
Abased her delicate youth with drugs and minerals. (I, 2, 74.)
For an abuser of the world, a practiser. (I, 2, 78.)
A messenger from the galleys. Now, what 's the business.
(h 3, 13.)
This line has at the same time an extra syllable before the
pause.
Of Venice hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance. (11, 1, 23.)
See infra note CDXVm.
'Tis one lago, ancient to the general. (II, 1, 66.)
AwB.jj I say; go out and cry a mutiny. (II, 3, 157.)
Hold, ho! Lieutenant, — sir, — Montano, — genthmer^
(II, 3, 166.)
Differently arranged by Mr. Fleay.
Shall nothing wrong him. Thus it is, general. (II, 3, 224.)
Scan: —
ShaU nothjing wrong | him. j. \ Thus it | is, gen | oral.
OTHELLO. 263
However, general may be pronounced as a trisyllable and him
may be considered as an extra syllable before the pause: —
Shall noth|ing wrong | him. Thus it | is gen|eral.
To execute upon him. Sir, this gentleman. (II, 3, 228.)
Something that 's brief; and bid 'Good morrow', general.
(Ill, h 2.)
And for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty. (Ill, 3, 118.)
In order to regulate the metre Hanmer omitted hve and.
To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy. (Ill, 3, 147.)
This line has also an extm syllable before the pause.
For, sure, he fills it up with great ability. (Ill, 3, 247.)
With any strong or vehement importunity. (Ill, 3, 251.)
Compare S. "Walker, Versification, 201.
Look, where he comes. Not poppy, nor mandragora.
(Ill, 3, 330.)
Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible. (IV, 2, 134.)
Compare S. Walker, Yersification, 272.
Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?
(IV, 2, 137.)
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate. (V, 2, 342.)
For they succeed on you. To you, lord governor. (V, 2, 367.)
I do not claim the praise of completeness for this list, although it
comprises a greater number of lines than that compiled by Mr. Fleay.
As has been remarked, the line at the head of this note comes
under our notice not only on account of its triple ending, but also
as a syllable pause line and as such offers a welcome opportunity of
subjoining a list (whether complete or not) of syllable pause lines in
'Othello', viz.: —
Marry, | to .^^ | Come, cap | tain, will | you go? (I, 2, 53.)
I would I keep from | thee. Ji [ For your | sake, jew | el.
(I, 3, 195.)
my I fair war | nor? j. \ My dear | Othel|lo. (II, 1, 184.)
According to S. Walker, Versification, 175, warrior should be
pronounced dissolute.
Shall lose | me. jl \ What! in | a town | of war. (II, 3, 213.)
'Tis mon|strou8. j. | Ia|go, who | began 't? (II, 3, 217.)
Shall nothjing wrong | him. jl \ Thus it | is gen|eral.
(II, 3, 224.)
See supra.
1 will I not. ± I Should you | do so, ( my lord. (Ill, 3, 221.)
Must be I to loathe | her. ± \ curse j of mar|riage.
'^'1,3,268.)
264 OTHELLO.
S. Walker, Versification, 176, is of opinion that marriage should
be pronounced dissolute,
A frank | one. ^ | You may, | indeed, | say so. (Ill, 4, 44.)
I thank | you. jl \ How does | Lieuten|ant Ca8|sio?^/F; 7, 235.)
And will I not have j it. ^ | What sin | commit | ted. /^/F, 2, 80.)
Here as well as in U. 72 and 76 I think the insertion of sin
proposed by Keightley indispensable.
That mar|ried with | Othel|lo. jl \ You, mis | tress. (IV, 2, 90.)
S. Walker, Versification, 48, pronounces mist(e)ress.
Nay, that 's | not next. | Hark! j, | Who is 't | that knocks?
(IV, 3, 53.)
vil'lain! _i | Most heath |enish and | most gross. (V, 2, 313.)
Ritson says, that 'for the sake of both sense and metre' we
ought to read villainy, and S. Walker, Crit. Exam., 11, 45,
agrees with him. Certainly not for the sake of metre.
To these lines a passage (IV, 1, 270seqq.) must be added which
evidently requires a different arrangement than that given in all old
and modem editions, an arrangement which introduces one more syl-
lable pause line into the text. The uniform division of the lines in
question is: —
I'll send for you anon. Sir, I obey the mandate.
And will return to Venice. Hence, avaunt!
Cassio shall have my place &c.
The first line is an Alexandrine. Arrange: —
I'll send for you anon. Sir, I obey
The man I date, jl \ and will | return | to Ven|ice.
Hence, avaunt! [ExU Desdemona.
Cassio shall have my place &c.
The reader will have observed tliat in all these cases it is the
accented syllable for which the pause serves as a substitute, whereas
those instances where the pause takes the place of an' unaccented
syllable are comparatively rare, and not exempt from doubt The
first occurs in A. 11, sc. 1, L 40: —
An in I distinct | regard. | ^ Come, | let 's do | so.
Who knows but the poet wrote: —
An in I distinct | regard. | Come let \ us do \ so?
The second instance is A. HI, sc. 4, 1. 183: —
Is 't c6me | to this? | Well, w6U! | s^ G6 | to, w6m|an.
The rather unusual accentuation Go to occurs also in A. HI, sc. 3,
1. 208, in K. John IV, 1, 97 and in K, Henry VIII., IV, 2, 103. In
the first named line Pope, by the omission of tvhy, not only restored
OTHELLO. 265
the common accentuation (Qo t6), but at the same time reduced the
Alexandrine to a blank verse: —
She loved | them most. | And so | she died. | Go to, | then.
The same effect, as far as the accentuation is concerned, might be
produced in the line under discussion by a slight transposition: —
Is 't come I to this? | Well, well! | Woman, | go to!
The third case in point (IV, 1, 90) admits of no other scansion
than this: —
And noth|ing of | a man. | ^ Dost { thou hear, | lajgo?
An Alexandrine with a double ending and therefore not to be
taken" upon trust. Capell omitted thou] perhaps rightly, if it should
not be thought preferable to omit lago. Or we may have to deal
with two incomplete lines. After all it would appear that no in-
controvertible instance can be found in our play where the pause
takes the place of an unaccented syllable, whereas in the number of
cases where an accented syllable has been left out, our play excels
many others. This seems a noteworthy fact and should be looked
into more closely.
CDXI.
Bra, heaven! How got she out? treason of the blood!
76., /, i, 170,
heaven! should form a separate line.
CDXIL
I had thought to have yerk'd him here under the ribs.
lb., J, 2, 5.
FA V have. Under the ribs is placed in a separate line in the Qq.
Pope, followed by subsequent editors, omitted had. Read I'd and
either t'have or to've, as printed by Pope and others. The pause is
after here, and a trochee (under) follows it.
CDXUI.
The senate hath sent about three several quests.
lb,, I, 2, 46.
Hoik is only in the Ff. I have little doubt that Shakespeare wrote: —
The seruUe 's sent about three several quests.
The 's was lost by way of absorption (compare notes CCLVm and
CCLXTTI) and hath was added by either the editors or printers of FA.
266 OTHELLO.
CDXIV.
The Ottomites, reverend and gracious, &c.
Ib.y /, 5, 5.9.
A catalectic verse (see note 11). Eeverend and gracious, without a
noun, seems, however, too familiar an address in the mouth of a
messenger. Is it likely, that so mean a person should address the
highest tribunal of the republic less formally than their renowned
general, who some thirty lines lower down begins his speech most
respectfully: —
Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors.
The two well-known passages in Hamlet (111,1,43: Gracious, so
please you, and IV, 7, 42: High and mighty) do not come from sub-
ordinate characters, but from the Lord Chamberlain Polonius and
Prince Hamlet. Under the circumstances I cannot but think that
signiors was lost at the end of the line, so much the more so as
by this addition the verse is completed.
CDXV.
After your own sense, yea, though our proper son.
Ib.y /, 3, 69.
Which is the true scansion of this line? Is it: —
Aft'r yofir j own sense | yea, thofigh | our pr6p|er s6n?
For the monosyllabic pronunciation of after compare S. Walker, Ver-
sification, 64 seqq.; Abbott, s. 465; Mr. Fleay, 1. c, p. 75 (who is
wrong in saying that 'this is unusual*); note CCLV; and K. Richard II.,
in, 2, 3. Or should we scan: —
After I your own | sense, yea, th6ugh | our pr6pler s6n?
Sense to be read as an extra syllable before the pause! Or are we
to retain the reading of the first quarto which omits yea? I take
the opportunity to remark that the text not only of the first quarto,
but of the quartos in general, in not a few cases is preferable to thsft
of the folios, although it has mostly been displaced by the latter.
CDXVI.
Even fall upon my life.
Duke, Fetch Desdemona hither.
lb., 7, 5, 120.
Printed as two incomplete lines by Rowe, Theobald, Hanmer, Capell,
and Hazlitt. Mr. Fleay enlists the line among his Alexandrines.
Read Desdemon and scan: —
E'en fall | upon | my life. | Fetch D€8\d*mon hith|er.
OTHELLO. 26 7
CDXvn.
I therefore beg it not,
To please the pallate of my Appetite:
Nor to comply with heat the yong afTects
In my defunct, and proper satisfaction.
But to be free, and bounteous to her minde: &c.
lb., /, 5, 262 seqq.
This is the reading of the first folio, and there cannot be the least
doubt about the fact that it is corrupt. As Dr. Fumess has chi-o-
nicled most fully and most judiciously the different opinions and inter-
pretations of critics and commentators, it would be tedious to repeat
them. To come to the point at once, I am firmly convinced that
Bailey's conjecture th' heat of yov/ng affects is right, and that instead
of defunct we ought to read discreet. The meaning is: 'I beg it not
in order to please my own appetite, nor to comply with the heat of
my wife's young afTects, as, in accordance with my age, my satis-
faction is discreet and proper, "but [I beg it] to be free, and bount-
eous to her mind".' It wiU not escape the reader's notice, that
contrary to the discretion which the Moor here claims for himself,
lago gives him a very different and no doubt slanderous character;
he calls him the 4usty Moor', the 'lascivious Moor', and suspects
him of having 'done his office 'twixt his sheets'. The passage should
no doubt be printed: —
I therefore beg it not
To please the palate of my appetite;
Nor to comply with th' heat of young affects
In my discreet and proper satisfaction;
But to be free and bounteous to her mind: &c.
CDXVni.
That their designment halts: a noble ship of Venice
Hath seen a grievous wreck of sufferance.
lb., II, 1, 22 seq.
Hanmer omitted noble in order to regulate the metre. Arrange: — ^^
That their designment halts: a noble ship
Of Venice hath seen a giievous wreck of sufferance.
Venice is to be pronounced as a monosyllable (see S. Walker, Versi-
fication, 64 seqq.) and sufferance as a triple ending (see supra CDX.)
Compare Leuns which is frequently, if not generally, a monosyllable
with Shakespeare. S. Walker, Versification, 4 seqq.
268 OTHELLO.
CDXIX.
The Moor himself at sea
And is in full commission here for Cyprus.
Ib.y II,l,27 8eq.
Himself has rightly been altered to himsdfs by Rowe. Instead of
here Mr. P. A. Daniel (Notes and Conjectural Emendations, 78) pro-
poses hound, to which conjectural emendation Dr. Fumess justly
objects, that Hhe dvctus literarum is against it' Read: —
The Moor himself 's at sea
And in his full commission steers for Cyprus.
This, I think, comes as near the ducttis literarum (Qq as well as Ff
read heere) as can be wished. Compare I, 3, 34: —
Steering with due course towards the isle of Rhodes,
and Cymbeline in, 7, 9seq.: 'he commends His absolute commission.*
CDXX.
Even till we make the main and the aerial blue.
lb,, II, 1, 39,
A regular blank verse; the aerial is to be pronounced as two syl-
lables. Compare Richard II., Ill, 1, 9 (lineaments as a dissyllable).
CDXXI.
And chides with thinking.
Emil Tou have little cause to say so.
lb., II, 1, 108 seq.
Printed as two incomplete lines not only in the old copies, but also
in almost all modern editions (except those by Singer and Staunton).
They form, however, a regular blank verse with an extra syllable
before the pause; read and scan: —
And chides | with think ling. You 've lit [tie cause | tosay| so.
CDXxn.
And this and this, the greatest discords be
That e'er our hearts shall make.
lago, [Aside] 0, you are well tuned now!
But ril set down the pegs that make this music,
As honest as I am.
0th, Come, let us to the castle.
lb,, II, 1, 200 8eqq.
Mr. Fleay reads lines 201 and 202 as one line and thus obtains a
welcome item in his list of Alexandrines. The Ff , followed by Rowe
OTHELLO. 269
and other editors, print lago's speech as prose and Othello's words
Come, Ut lis to the castle as a short line. As it appears to me,
these words (rightly printed Cotne, let's to the castle in Rowe's
second edition) complete the. last line of Othello's antecedent speech,
which seems so much the likelier as lago's speech is spoken aside
and, apart from the interjectional Oh!j consists of two regular lines
of blank verse. See Abbott, s. 514, and note CDIX. Compare also
The Dramatic Works of Massinger and Ford, with an Introduction
by Hartley Coleridge (London, 1839, in 1 vol.) p. 161b and Ed.Hanne-
mann, Metrische Untersuchungen zu John Ford (Halle, 1888), p. 51.
The passage should therefore be printed: —
And this and this the greatest discords be
That e'er our hearts shall make. [Kis»ing her.]
lago, [Aside] Oh!
You 're well tuned now! But I'll set down the pegs
That make this music, as honest as I am.
0th Come, let 's to the castle.
CDXXm.
Nay, good lieutenant, — alas, gentlemen.
lb., II, 3, 158.
This line shows most strikingly the deterioration which the text has
only too frequently undergone in the folios. The first quarto reads
godswUlj the second and third Gods-wiU. No doubt in pursuance
of the well-known act of King James this invocation of God had to
make room in the Ff to the tame interjection alas, an alteration
which is so much the worse as it spoils the metre. The corrector
who was no doubt more conspicuous for his piety than for his pro-
ficiency in the doctrine of metre, ought to have placed the interjection
at the end of the line, if he wanted to produce a regular blank
verse: —
Nay, good | lieuten|ant — gent|lemen, | alas.
Of course, we must abide by the reading of the quartos.
CDXXIV.
When you yourself did part them.
lb., II, 3, 239.
This line should be completed by the addition of general. Compare
1. 224 of this very scene.
270 OTHELLO.
CDXXV.
logo. You have not been a -bed, then?
Ih.y III, L 33.
Another of those lines at the end of which the name of the person
addressed has been dropped. Read: —
lago. You have not been a- bed then, Cassiol
CDXXVI.
With Desdemona alone.
Pray you, come in*
lb,, lUy i, 56.
This reading of the Qq has been retained by the Cambridge and
Globe Editors, by Hudson, Rolfe, Ac. Of course, this can only be
done on the condition that the last syllable of Desdemona and the
first syllable of alone 'coalesce or are rapidly pronounced together'
(Abbott, 8. 462). Critics that do not approve of thus running two
syllables into one another, must decide in favour of the lection of the
Ff, Desdemon. Compare Fumess, ad he.
CDXXVn.
Certain, men should be what they seem.
lb., in, 3, 128.
As in A. lU, sc. 1, 1. 33 and elsewhere, here too the name of the
person addressed (lago) has been lost at the end of the line.
CDXxvm.
EmU. I am glad I have foimd this napkin.
lb., Ill, 3, 290.
A cataloctic verse (see note 11). Am is to be emphasized. Hanmer
completed the line by adding here. Or should we write: —
EmU, Vm glad IVe found this napkin?
CDXXIX.
To kiss and talk to. I'll have the work ta'en out.
And give't lago: what he will do with it
Heaven knows, not I;
I nothing, but to please his fantasy.
lb.. Ill, 3, 296seqq.
OTHELLO. 271
This division of the lines in FA was altered by Dr. Johnson to: —
To kiss and talk to. I'll have the work ta'en out,
And give't lago:
What he will do with it heaven knows, not I;
I nothing, but to please his fantasy.
Hanmer arranged: —
To kiss and talk to. / unll have the work
Ta'en out, and give it to lago; but
What he'U do with it, heaven knows, not I:
I nothing, but to please his fantasy.
This is taking unwarrantable liberties with the text In my opinion
the break is after talk to, and we ought to divide: —
To kiss and talk to.
I'll have the work ta'en out, and give't lago:
What he will do with it heaven knows, not I;
I nothing, but to please his fantasy.
CDXXX.
That handkerchief
Did an Egyptian to my mother give;
She was a charmer, and oould almost read
The thoughts of people: — —
'T is true: there's magic in the web of it:
A sibyl, that had numbered in the world
The sun to course two hundred compasses.
In her prophetic fury sew'd the work;
The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk;
And it was dyed in mummy which the skilful
Conserved of maidens' hearts.
lb., Ill, 4, 55seqq.
A parallel passage which as far as I know has never been referred
to occurs in Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd, 11, 1: —
But, hear ye, Douce, because ye may meet me
In mony shapes to-day, where'er you spy
This browder'd belt witii characters, 't is I.
A Oypsan lady, and a right beldame.
Wrought it by moonshine for me, and star-light,
Upon your grannam's grave, that very night
We earth'd her in the shades; when our dame Hecate
Made it her gaing night over the kirk-yard,
With all the barkand parish -tikes set at her,
While I sat whyrland of my brazen spindle:
At every twisted thrid my rock let fly
272 OTHELLO.
Unto the sewster, who did Bit me nigh,
Under the town turnpike; which ran each spell
She stitched in the work, and knit it well.
See. ye take tent to this, and ken your mother.
Can it be doubted that this is an imitation, by which Jonson intended,
more or less, to ridicule Shakespeare? Gifford, of course, would
never have allowed the truth of such a remark. (Jahrb. d. D. Sh.-G.,
XI, 299 seq.)
CDXXXI.
I* faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house.
lb., 111,4,171,
No reader, however little versed in Shakespearian criticism, will be
surprised to learn that instead of F faith, which is only in the Qq,
the Ff read Indeed, — S. Walker, Grit Exam., II, 203, thinks that
*I was must have been pronounced as one syllable, in whatever
manner the contraction was effected.' I cannot but think differently;
in my conviction either sweei, or love ought to be omitted.
CDXXXII.
She is protecti-ess of her honour too.
lb,, IV, 1, 14.
The context proves Capell's ingenious emendation proprietress to be
indubitably right.
CDXXXni.
0, 'tis the spite of hell, the fiend's arch -mock.
lb., IV, 1, 71.
Arch-mock*^ No! I do not entertain the least doubt that Shakespeare
wrote: —
0, 'tis the spite of heU, the arch-fiend's mock.
Arch-enemy occurs in 3 Henry VI., 11, 2, 2 though not in its usual
meaning of solan. Milton uses arch-enemy in Paradise Lost, I, 81;
Arch- Mend, ib., I, 156 and 209 (arch-fiend and drch- fiend). Arch
was evidently omitted by an oversight of the transcriber, was then
added in the mai'gin and thence transferred to a wrong place by the
compositor.
CDXXXIV.
And knowing what I am, I know what she shall be.
Ib., IV 1, 74,
OTHELLO. 273
DifTerently, but wrongly, arranged by S. Walker, Grit. £xam., 111,289;
left unnoticed by Mr. Fleay. Knowing is to be pronounced as a
monosyllable (see Abbott, s. 470) and there is an extra syllable
before the pause (am). Scan: —
And knowing | what I | am, I know | what she | shall be.
Compare A. I, sc. 1, L 52, where ihromng is used as a monosyllable.
CDXXXV.
0th. 0, thou art wise; 'tis certain.
logo. Stand you awhile apart
76., IVy i, 75.
An Alexandrine according to Mr. Fleay. I rather incline to the belief
that we have to de^l with two short lines, unless the omission of
the interjection 0! should be prefen-ed; or it might be placed in a
separate line as in A. 11, sc. 1, 1. 203: —
0th. Oh!
Thou 'rt wise; 'tis certain.
logo. Stand you awhile apart
The whole passage (down from 1. 70) has been differently arranged
by Hanmer and S. Walker.
CDXXXVL
To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing.
. lb., IV, 2, 9.
Although this line, so far as my knowledge goes, has never been
queried, yet I cannot but think it faulty; I feel certain that Shake-
speare wrote: —
To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, her nothing.
Compare Coriolanus, EC, 2, 81: —
To hear my nothings monster'd,
although it seems doubtful whether nothing is to be understood in
the same sense in these two passages. The Winter's Tale, 1, 2, 295: —
— nor nothing have these nothings.
If this be nothing.
(The Athenaeum, June 11, 1881, p. 783.)
CDXXXVn.
Tour mystery, your mystery; nay, dispatch.
lb., IV, 2, 30.
Scan: —
Your myst|ery, | your mystj'ry; nay, | dispatch.
Elze, Notes. 18
274 OTHELLO.
The folloving lines may be aptly compared, viz: —
Eichaitin., I, 2, 73: —
Desolate, desolate, will I hence and die.
Here is room for two scansions, either: —
D68o|late, d^s|'late, will | I h^nce | and die.
or: —
D^s*late I d^sojlate will | I h6nce | and die.
Antony and Cleopatra, IV, 9, 23: —
ln|ton^! | ln|t'ny! Let's spedk | to him.
Or, may be: —
An|t'ny! | An|ton^! | Let's speak | to hira.
Compare note ad loc,
Cymbeline, IV, 2,26: —
Cow'rds fa|ther cow|ard8 and | base things | sire base.
See note ad loc,
John Ford, ed. Hartley Coleridge (The Lover's Melancholy, 1,3,
p. 6b): -
Di'monds cut diamonds; they who will prove.
Id., ('Tis Pity She's a Whore, IV, 1, p. 40a): —
Yet, ere | I pass | away — | cru'l, cru]el flames.
Compare also Abbott, s. 475, and what has been said on The Tem-
pest, I, 2, 53, by S.Walker, Versification, 138, and in noteCCXXXIX:
CDXxxvm.
That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been born!
lb,, IV, 2, 69,
Printed as two lines ending ihee . . . bom in Qq and Ff. Mr. Fleay,
as usual, takes the line to be an Alexandrine, and S. Walker, Grit.
Exam., 111,289, says: *Dele that/' The line, if scanned rightly, is
a regular blank verse with an extra syllable before the pause: —
That th' sense | aches at | thee, would thou | hadst ne'er |
been bom!
CDXXXIX.
I am a child to chiding.
Jago. What 's the matter, lady?
lb., IV, 2, 114.
Omit lady, lago's question is not addressed to Desdemona, but
to Emilia, and a 'stage -direction to that effect should be inserted.
Having received no satisfactory answer from Desdemona lago very
OTHELLO. 275
naturally turns to his wife from whom he gets the information he
requires. The omission of lady at the same time restores the metre;
read, therefore: —
I am a child to chiding.
lago [to EfnUia], What 's the matter?
CDXL.
lago. Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come.
lb., F, i, 7.
Bulk (bulke) is the reading of the quartos; FAB barke, FCD bark.
Collier's manuscript -corrector gives balk and an anonymous critic
(the Cambridge Editors?) proposes bulwark* Bulk is right; compare
Coriolanus, II, 1, 226, and Gay's Trivia, Bk. II, 1. 140 (Poems, Lon-
don, 1762, I, 154): —
Alone, beneath a bulk she dropt the boy.
This latter quotation is not contained in Dr. Murray's Dictionary.
CDXLI.
Here, at thy hand: be bold and take thy stand.
lb., F, i, 7.
Hand has clearly intnided from the preceding line (Be near at hand)
and cannot be right According to the Cambridge Edition an ano-
nymous critic (perhaps the Cambridge Editors themselves) suggests
ai thy side or at thy left. I imagine the original reading to have
been at thy heel, which would certainly come nearer to the ductus
liierarum than either side or left.
CDXUI.
lago. Who is 't that cried?
Bian, 0, my dear Cassio.
My sweet Cassio: Cassio, Cassio, Cassio.
lb., V, 1, 75 8eqq.
This is the arrangement of FA, whereas in the Qq the passage is
printed as prose. Lines 75 and 76 are to be joined into one and
My in 1. 77 is a monosyllabic foot. Cassio at the end of 1. 75 is
to be pronounced as a tiisyllable, at the end of 1. 76 as a dissyllable,
an incongruity which, if need be, may be backed by Richard II.,
II, 1, 22; 2 Henry VI., I, 2, 80 — 82; Henry Vm., IV, 2, 70; Romeo
and Juliet, IH, 2, 41; and IV, 3, 26 and 30.
18"
276 OTHELLO.
CDXLin.
Some good man bear him carefully fi*om hence.
lb., Vy 1, 99.
Read men, as one man would hardly be able to bear Cassio 'carefully
from hence' in a chair.
CDXLIV.
Stay you, good gentlemen. Look you pale", mistress?
lb., V, 1,105.
Qq gentlewoman instead of gentleman] justly. The words are addressed
to Bianca who offers to* follow her wounded lover, and on whom
lago endeavours to lay all guilt. The lection of the Qq, however,
is not sufficient to restore regular metre, if we do not at the same
time omit mistress, which is an evident interpolation, -just like sir
(A. I, sc. 1, 1. 55 and A. I, sc. 2, L 10) and lady (A. IV, sc. 2, 1. 114).
It crept in, when gentlewoman was wrongly altered to gentlemen and
another word of address to Bianca was wanted in its stead. Read : —
Stay you, good gentlewoman. Look you pale?
CDXLV.
It strikes, where it does loue. She wakes.
Des. Who's there? Othello?
0th, I Desdemona.
Des: Will you come to bed, my Lord?
0th. Haue you pray'd to night, Desdemon?
Des. I my Lord.
lb., V, 2, 22seqq.
From this reading and arrangement of FAB the two later folios and
the quartos only differ in reading Desdemona instead of Desdemon.
The words ^She wakes' have justly been declared by the Cambridge
Editors, or whoever else the anonymous critic may have been, to be
a stage -direction that has crept into the text. Similar instances of
such an intrusion occur in As You Like It, IV, 2, 13 and K. Richard 11.,
IV, 1, 181. The Cambridge Editors accordingly print It ... Othello?
as one line, but are silent about the next, which should be corrected
thus: —
0th. Ay, Desdemon.
Des. Will you come to bed, my lord?
The rest of the passage is anything but metrically correct, and I see
but one way to make it so, viz. by transferring Desdemon to the
beginning of the line. The passage will then read thus: —
OTHELLO. 277
It strikes where it does love.
Des. Who 's there? OtheUo?
Oih, Ay, Desdemon.
Des, Will you oome to bed, my lord?
0th, Desdemon, have you pray'd to-night?
Des, Ay, m* lord.
Should this arrangement find no acceptance, the last resort will be
to print the passage exactly as it stands in the first folio, that is to
say as short lines.
- •
CDXLYI.
Since guiltiness I know not; but yet I feel I fear.
Oih, Think on thy sins.
Des. They are loves I bear to you.
lb,, F, 2, 398eq,
In the first line Pope, followed by subsequent editors, wrote guili
instead of guiltiness and omitted but, I should prefer to strike out
/ feel In the second line Pope, Dyce (3* Ed.), and Hudson read
They're, Qy.: lliey are the loves I bear you?
CDXLYH.
That sticks on filthy deeds.
Emil, My husband!
0th, What needs this iteration, woman? I say, thy husband.
lb., V, 2,149 seq.
Iteration is the reading of the Qq; ^^ itterance. Compare S. Walker,
Crit Exam., IT, 241, where Mr. Lettsom, in a foot-note, declares
iterance 'necessary for the metre.' This lection certainly sets the
last line right, but leaves the preceding verse incomplete. The cor-
rect arrangement seems to be: —
That sticks on filthy deeds.
Emil, My husband!
0th, What needs
This iteration, woman? I say, thy husband.
CDXLVm.
Though I lost twenty lives. Help! help, ho! help!
lb,, V, 2, 166,
The punctuation of the Qq cannot be fuUy gathei-ed from either the
Cambridge Edition or Dr. Furness's Variorum Edition. FA: helpe,
helpe, hoa, helpe, Rowe, followed by later editors: Help! Mpf hoa!
278 OTHELLO. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
kelp! The great majority of modern editions point (as above): Hdp!
help, ho! help! This is contrary to the rhythm, which requires the
pointing: help! help! ho, help!
CDxmx.
To the Venetian state. Come, bring him away.
lb., V, 2, 337,
This is the reading of the XJq; the Ff omit him. The text of the
Qq is right; /ttm . should be pronounced as an enclitic; compare
note XL.*
CDL.
Call in the messengers. As I am Egypt's queen.
Antony and Cleopatra, I, 1, 29.
Messengers, in this line, and homager, in the next but one, are
triple endings before the pause; compare note CCLXXVII (p. 154).
Mr. Fleay has added 1. 31 to his list of Alexandrines in Shakespeare,
but makes no mention of 1. 29.
CDLI.
We stand up peerless. Excellent falsehood.
lb., I, I, 40.
A syllable pause line with a trochee after the pause; scan: —
We stand | up peer | less, jl \ Excel | lent false | hood.
Seymour needlessly proposed to read, excelling falsehood.
CDLH.
Char. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any thing Alexas,
almost most absolute Alexas, where's the soothsayer that you praised
so to the queen? lb., I, 2, Iseqq.
Any thing, like every thing, frequently serves as conclusion to a suc-
cession of synonym or other nouns, enumerated without connectives
and frequently assuming the character of a climax; it is, if I am
allowed to borrow a simile from card -playing, the last trump, after
* With a few exceptions these notes on Othello (CDIV— CDXLIX) were
first published in Professor Kolbing's EngUsche Studien,XI, 217 — 235.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 279
all the rest have been played. Some examples will distinctly show
what is meant In As You Like It, n, 7, 166, we read: —
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing.
The Taming of the Shrew, HI, 2, 234 8eqq.: —
She is my house,
My household stuff, my field, my barn,
My horse, my ox, my ass, my any thing.
Twelfth Night, IE, 1, 161 seq.: —
Cesario, by the roses of the spring.
By maidhood, honour, truth, and every thing.
Twelfth Night, HI. 4, 389, where Steevens has restored the true
pointing: —
Than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness,
Or any taint of vice whose strong corruption
Inhabits our frail blood.
Macbeth, III, 5, 1.8 seq. (no asyndeton): —
Your vessels and your spells provide,
Your charms and every thing beside.
Hamlet, IV, 7, 8 (compare my note on this line in my second
(English) edition of * Hamlet', p. 221): —
As by your safety, greatness, wisdom, all things else,
You mainly were stirr'd up.
Othello, I, 3, 96 seqq.: —
and she, in spite of nature.
Of years, of coimtry, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she fear'd to ^ look on!
Dekker and Middleton, The Honest Whore, III, 1 (The Works of
Thomas Middleton, ed. Dyce, IE, 65): —
Put on thy master's best apparel, gown.
Chain, cap, ruff, every thing.
Mucedonis, III, 3, 44 seq. (ed. W. and Pr.): Here's a stir indeed,
here's message, errand, banishment, and I cannot tell what.
These instances throw a vivid light not only on the passage
under discussion, but also on that well-known speech of Gonzalo in
The Tempest, I, 1, 69 seq., where the concluding any thing plainly
requires the previous enumeration of several synonyms following each
other without connectives, or, to say it in a word, a previous asyn-
detic series. This asyndetic series is supplied by Hanmer's ingenious
conjecture than which nothing can be more convincing or possess a
more valid claim to be admitted into the text: 'Now would I give
a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, ling, heath,
broom f furze, any thing.'
280 AITTOKY AND CLEOPATRA.
To revert to Antony and Cleopatra. After what has been shown
to be the prevailing usage, no reasonable doubt can be entertained
that any thing in the present passage is misplaced and that the two
clauses rtwst any thing Alexas and most absolute Aleoais ought to
change places. The poet clearly made Charmian say: 'Loi-d Alexas,
sweet Alexas, most absolute Alexas, almost most any thing Alexas, &c.'
A regular gradation is thus restored. Collier's conjecture most stveet
Alexas, however ingenious, yet is unnecessary. Absolute occurs in
the same sense in A. IV, sc. 14, 1. 117 (mqgt absolute lord, y'iz.
Antony) and in Pericles, A. IV, Gower, 1. 31 (absolute Marina).
CDLm.
Sec, Mess. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
Ant. Where died she?
Sec, Mess. In Sicyon. lb., I,2,122seq.
Arrange and scan: —
Fulvia I thy wife | is dead. | Where died | she? In Si|cyon.
The line has an extra syllable before the last pause; Sicyon is a
triple ending.
CDLIV.
There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it.
lb., /, 2, ]26.
Pronounce d'sire. See suj/ra note CCLV and infra note CDLXXXII.
Compai-e also despiteful in A. 11, sc. 6, 1. 22.
CDLV.
My idleness doth hatch. How now! Enobarbus!
lb., I, 2, 134.
Pronounce Enobarbus, as a trisyllable. ^Enobarbus in A. and G.\
says Abbott, s. 469, p. 354, 'has but one accent, wherever it stands
in the verse.' It is used, however, as a word of four syllables and
two accents in A. I, sc. 2, 1. 87: —
A Ro|man thought | hath struck | him. E{nobar|buB,
and in A. 11, sc. 2, 1. 1: —
Good E|nobar|bus, 'tis | a wor|thy deed.
See S. Walker, Versification, 186, and compare note on Pericles,
1,2,50.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 281
CDLVI.
Cleo, Where is he?
Char, I did not see him since. .
76., /, 3, L
Steevens proposed to insert now*, S. Walker (Crit Exam., Ill, 294)
Madam] Anon. Charmian, I take the verse to be a syllable pause
line; scan: —
Where is | he? ^ | I did | not see | him since.
CDLYII.
As you shall give the advice. "*By the fire.
Ib,y I 3, 68,
Pope read, th' advices] Steevens, Now, by. It is another syllable
pause line; scan: —
As you I shall give | th' advice. | v^ By | the fire.
CDLYni.
More womanly than he; hardly gave audience, or.
lb,, /, 4, 7.
An Alexandrine according to Mr. Fleay. In my conviction audience,
or forms a triple ending, just as Ptolemy does in the preceding line.
As, however, I have little doubt that by some one or other of my
readers this scansion will be disapproved as harsh, I take the oppor-
tunity of adding a few words on the score of so-called harsh scan-
sions and contractions in general. To begin with, thei*e is no absolute
and unalterable nile to tell us which scansions are to be considered
as harsh and which are not; it depends entirely on individual taste.
Persons of refinedj[ta8te may think lines and contractions harsh which
in the familiar language of every day life pass as unobjectionable.
But not only^ individuals living at one and the same time, also dif-
ferent stages in the evolution of the language differ in this respect
Who can tell whether the contemporaries of Shakespeare with respect
to their notions of harshness, were in accordance with the contempo-
nuies ofJ^Lord Tennyson? I, for one, am convinced of the contrary,
and so is Dr. Abbott, who is no mean authority on all points relative
to the language and versification of Shakespeare and his times. The
pronunciation and versification of the Elizabethan stage were certainly
not those of the Victorian drawing room; numberless instances prove
that they were not subject to the strict rules to which they are tied
to-day and agreeably to which Mr. Fleay, Mr. Ellis and othera per-
sist in scanning the unrestrained line of Shakespeare, although it is
282 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
known to enjoy the freest possible rhythmical movement. 'Antony
and Cleopatra' bears ample testimony to this fact, and it may be as
well to gather from it a few more cases in point where trisyllabic
words are used as dissyllables, be it either at the end of the line,
before the pause, or anywhere else. I purposely select such lines as
may be thought more or less harsh and may be construed into
Alexandrines, omitting those that admit of no doubt. Compare, e. g.,
1,3,91 froyaUyJ] 1,4,46 (lackeying)] 1,5,46 (opulent)] 11,1,10
(auguring)] 11, 1,33 (both amorous and surfeiier)] 11, 1,43 (enmities)]
n, 2, 92 (penitent and hxmesty)] 11, 2, 96 (ignorant)] II, 2, 122
(undower)] II, 2, 166 (absolute)] 11, 2, 202 (amorous)] II, 3, 20
(fiatural)] III, 1, 7 (fugitive)] IH, 10, 24 (violate)] in, 10,29 (there-
abouts)] m, 12,19 (haxardkd)] 111,12,26 (eloquence)] 111,13,23
(ministers)] 111,13,30 (happiness)] 111,13,36 (emptiness)] 111,13,63
(Antony)] III, 13, 165 (discandying and pelleted)] IV, 1, 3 (personal)]
IV, 4, 36 (gallantly)] IV, 8, 35 (promises)] IV, 12, 4 (augurers)]
IV, 12,23 (blossoming)] IV, 13, 10 (monument)] IV, 14, 76 (for-,
tunate)] IV, 14, 117 (absolute)] V, 1, 17 (dtixens and Antony)]
V, 1,63 (quality)] V,2,23 (reference)] N, 2, 142* (treasurer)] V,2,237
(liberty)] V, 2, 239 (purposes).
At a later date the works of Dryden and Pope, those great
masters of versification, abound with similar contractions. The follow-
ing are culled at random from Dryden: faifriies (On Cromwell, st. 8);
emp'ric (To Clarendon, 67); spirHual (Absalom and Achitophel, I, 626);
med'cinally (The Medal, 150); rhefric (Mac Flecknoe, 165); orig'nal
(Religio Laici, 278); Testaments (ib., 283)*; difference (ib., 348);
med'c'nal (Threnodia Augustalis, 111 and 170); Presb'tery (The
Hind and the Panther, I, 233); congVbate (Death of Lord Hastings,
35); liquorish (Wife of Bath, 319); med'cvndble (Sigismonda and
Gruiscardo, 707).
With respect to Pope I cannot do better than by introducing
a remark made by Dr. Edwin A. Abbott in his Introduction (p. V) to
Edwin Abbott's Concordance to the Works of Alexander Pope (Lon-
don, 1875). .* Words', he says, *are often abbreviated by Pope to an
extent not now customary. Thus Penny-worth is pronounced penn'orth
[The Basset -Table, 30; the same abbreviation occurs in Dryden's
Prologue to Oedipus, 33. Compare also ha'porth (Life and Letters of
William Bewick, ed. by Thomas Landseer. London, 1871, II, 177)];
casuistry is pronounced as a trisyllable [Rape of the Lock, V, 121]
* It is a strange fact, that the editors of Dryden should have found a
difficulty in scanning this line. Derrick and others omitted and before east,
and Mr. W. D. Christie (Di7den, &c., 2^ Ed., Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1874,
p. 273) attempts to make things square by accenting Testaments oti the second
syllable (Testaments, like testator). No such thing! Scan: —
'Twcre worth J both Testj'ments, and | oast in | the creed.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 283
and influence as a dissyllable [Moral Essays, I, 142]. (Sturgeon is
an exception). This abbreviation is often expressed in the spelling.
Hence confusedly [Rape of the Lock, Y, 41]; covenant] devH as well
as devil] clam'rous [Windsor Forest, 132]; diamond as well as diamond
[tKe same in Dryden]; flaWrer (except twice); ^cUTry [Epistle to
Arbuthnot, 87]; general seventeen times, general once; ign'rance [Essay
on Criticism, 508]; immaculate [Donne Versified, IV, 253]; intemperate]
ini'rest] Maryhone\ ^Pothecaries, Though is, I believe, almost always
spelt tho', and through, thro'. Many of these abbreviated pronuncia-
tions are common in the Elizabethan Poets (nay, many more than
these; in fact, the abbreviations in the Elizabethan Poets are num-
berless].'
Bunyan (The Pilgrim's Progress, 1678, p. 155) uses Vanity as
a monosyllable (!); Bartholomew and Claverhouse occur as dissyllables
{Bartlmew and Claver'se) in Percy's Folio Manuscript, 11, 186 and
in Whitelaw's Book of Scottish Ballads, 543a, respectively; Bartlemy
in The Essays of Elia (1862, Moxon), p. 12; compare S. Walker,
Versification, 186. The name of Westmoreland is generally spelt
Westmerland in the old copies of Shakespeare, a spelling which is
strikingly indicative of the abbreviated pronunciation of the word.
The triple endings employed by Shakespeare do not always con-
sist of a single word, but frequently of two and three words. This
can hardly be a matter of surprise as even at the present day a
large number of such dactyls occur in dactylic verse. In Cluurles
Wolfe's celebrated poem 'The Burial of Sir John Moore' the following
dactyls are foimd: corpse to the; sods with our] sheet or in] spoke
not a] face. that was] tread o^er his] Lightly they^U] o'er his cold]
little he'll] reck if they] let him sleep] Briton has] half of our] dock
struck the] fame fresh and. These dactyls are certainly not a whit
less harsh than the triple endings in Shakespeare which ^re objected
to by English critics for their pretended harshness.
The reader may also be reminded of Lord Byron's triple rhymes
in Don Juan, such as: wishing all (1,31); war again (1,38); tombing
all (IV, 101); tune it ye (IX, 9); gloom enough (IX, 48); accuse you
aU (XII, 28); taWd about (Xn,47); term any (XV, 36); and numerous
others. However comically exaggerated these rhymes sometimes may
be, yet they serve to show what the bent of English pronunciation
is in this respect, and it cannot be doubted, that abbreviations and
contractions, even such as are thought harsh now -a- days, are far less
foreign to the genius of dramatic verse in Elizabeth's time than
Alexandrines, which fell from Shakespeare's pen far more rarely, than
English critics would make us believe.
In conclusion a few instances (out of many) of triple endings
that consist of two or three words may be added. Compare, e. g.,
A. Ill, sc. 1, 1. 15 (before the pause): —
Acquire | too high | a fame, when him | we serve 's | away.
284 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
A. lY, sc. 14, 1. 80: —
Most use|fiil for | thy counltry. 0, | sir, par\don me\
It is well known, however, that pardon is frequently pronounced as
a monosyllable; see supra note CLXXVII. Perhaps, therefore, -it
would be more correct to scan: —
Most use|ful for | thy counltry. 0, | sir, pard'n] me\
A Winter's Tale, I, 2, 117 (before the pause): —
As in I a look\%ng' glass, and then | to sigh, | as 'twere.
S.Walker (Crit. Exam., Ill, 91) needlessly conjectured glass for looking-
glass, although he thinks it * dangerous to alter without stronger
reason than there appears to be in the present case.'
Richard IIL, I, 2, 89 (before the pause): —
Say that | I slew \ 'em not Why, then | they are | not dead.
Perhaps, however, this line may be taken for a 'trimeter- couplet' as
well; see Abbott, s. 500. The same may be said of Troilus and
Cressida, ITT, 3, 127 (before the pause): —
That has | he knows \ not what. Nature, | what things | there are,
and of Coriolanus, IV, 1, 27 (before the pause): —
As 'tis I to laugh \ at 'em. . My moth|er, you | wot well.
Julius Caesar, 11, 1, 285. In aU old and modem editions this line
is uniformly printed: —
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs.
Pope omitted sometimes and I once sided with him (AngUa, I, 347).
'The true prosodical view of this line', says Craik (The English of
Shakespeare, &c. 5*** Ed., London, 1875, p. 174) *is to regard the
two combinations "to you" and "in the" as counting each for a
single syllable. It is no more an Alexandrine than it is an hexa-
meter.' Although the same scansion is given by S. Walker (Crit
Exam., I, 221), yet I am unable to acquiesce in it. It now seems to
me that sometimes has slipped out of its place and should be trans-
posed, and that talk to you is a triple ending before the pause: —
And some I times talk | t'you? Dwell I | but in | the 8ub|urbs.
CDLIX.
So much as lank'd not.
Lep. 'Tis pity of him.
Cces, Let his shames quickly
Drive him to Kome: 'tis time we twain
Did show ourselves i' the field.
lb., I, 4, 71 seqq.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 285
Arrange (with Mr. Fleay) and scan: —
So much I as lank'd | not Tis pitjy of him. | Let's shames
Quickly | drive him | to Rome. | 'Tis time | we twain
Did show ourselves i' th' field.
Le^s = let his; compare HI, 7, 12: 'from's time'; Twelfth Night, m,
4, 326: 'for's oath sake.' Mr. Fleay, of course, declares L 71 to be
an Alexandrine with the cesura at the ninth syllable: —
So much as lankt not || 'Tis pity of him. | Let his shames.
I wonder, how he scans this so-called Alexandrine.
CDLX.
Eno, Go to, then; your considerate stone.
lb., n, 2, 112.
Read either: —
Go to, then, you considerate stone,
or, though I suggest it with hesitation: —
Go to, then; you're considerate stone.
The meaning is: Tou are indeed considerate (=« discreet, circumspect),
but at the same time 'senseless as a stone', inaccessible to con-
ciliatory and tender emotions.
CDLXL
Would then be nothing: truths would be tales.
lb., II, 2, 137.
A syllable pause line; scan: —
Would then | be noth|ing: 1 \ truths would | be tales.
All conjectures are needless; the best of them is that by Staunton:
Judf tales.
CDLXn.
By duty ruminated.
Ant. Will Caesar speak?
CcB9. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd
With what is spoke already.
Ant What power is in Agrippa.
lb., n, 2, 141 seqq.
Already, in 1. 143, is omitted by Hanmer. Arrange and scan: -^
By du|ty nimj'nat^d. |
Ant. Will Cds{sar speak?
286 AKTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
Cces. Not till I he hears | how An | tony is touched | with what
, I spoke I alread|y.
Ant, What power | is in | Agrip|pa.
Antony is is to be pronounced as a dissyllable (= AnVny's)'^ com-
pare III, 3, 44 (creature's); 111,7,70 (leader's); &c Thus the Alexan-
drine is got rid of.
CDLXm.
Her people out upon her; and Antony. lb., II, 2, 219.
Scan either: —
Her peo|ple out | upon | her. And An|ton^,
or (as a syllable pause line with a triple ending): —
Her peo|ple out | upon | her; ± \ and An | tony.
CDLXIV.
"Whom ne'er the word of 'No' woman heard speak.
lb., II, 2, 228.
Capell's conjecture (never the word — no) does not improve the line;
the only means to render it smoother would be by a transposition: —
Whom woman ne'er the word of *No' heard speak.
CDLXV.
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry.
Ib.,II, 2,241 seq.
Arrange: —
Her infinite variety: other women
Cloy th' appetites they feed, but she makes hungry.
Variety is, of course, to be read as a trisyllable. Another Alexan-
drine is thus done away with.
CDLXVI.
There saw you labouring for him. What was't.
lb., II, 6, 14.
This line may be difi'erently scanned; either: —
There saw | you la|bouring | for him. | What was't.
or: —
There saw | you la|b'ring for | him. ± \ What was't.
To me this latter scansion seems preferable.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 287
CDLXVn.
Then so much have I heard.
lb., II, 6, 68.
A mutilated line; add: Mark Antony: —
Then so ranch have I heard, Mark Antony.
CDLXVm.
It nothing ill becomes thee.
lb., II, 6, 81.
Another defective line, to be completed by the addition of Enobarbus: —
It nothing ill becomes thee, Enobarbus.
CDLXIX.
And, as I said before, that which is the strength of their amity
shall prove the immediate author of their variance.
Ib.y II, 6, WGseqq.
The context clearly shows that the poet did not write, 'the strength
of their amity \ but, *the strength of their unity \ referring the words
not to 1. 130: *the very strangler of their amity', but to 1. 122 8eqq.:
'Then is Caesar and he for ever knit together. Eno. If I were
bound to divine of their unity, I would not prophesy so.' Variance,
in 1.138, is not a suitable antithesis to amity, but it is to ttniiy.
CDLXX.
These drums! these trumpets, flutes! what!
lb., II, 7, 138.
A badly mutilated line which is far from being restored by Hanmer's
omission of flvies. Qy. read: —
These drums! | these trum|pets! j. \ iJiese flutes! | what ho/?
That the exclamation hof originally formed part of Menas's speech
and most probably of this very line results from the words of Eno-
barbus: *Ho! says a'. There's my cap!,' to which Menas replies:
*Ho! noble captain, come.'
CDLXXI.
And in his offence
Should my performance perish.
Sil. Thou hast, Ventidius, that
lb., Ill, 1, 26 seq.
288 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
I feel no doubt that we should either read: Thou'st that, Ventidius,
or adopt the arrangement proposed by Steevens; in my eyes, the
former correction is preferable because it places that in the accented
part of the measure. Steevens's aiTangement is this: —
Thou hast, Ventidius,
That without which a soldier, and^s sword, &a
CDLXXIL
This creature's no such thing.
Char. Nothing, madam.
lb,, III, 3, 44,
A syllable pause line; scan: —
This crea|ture's no | such thing. | ^ Nothjing, mad jam.
Pope's and Keightley's conjectures are unnecessary.
CDLXXm.
G<B8. Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you,
Be ever known to patience: my dear'st sister!
jR»., Uly 6, 978eq.
Critics that will not allow the first line to pass for a catalectic verse
as defined in note 11, may perhaps prefer the following arrange-
ment: —
CcBs. Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you, be
E'er known | to pa|tience: j. \ my dear\est sis|ter;
or: —
E'er known | to pa|ti-ence: | my dear | est sis|ter.
Compare Abbott, s. 510 (p. 419).
CDLXXIV,
Hoists sails and flies.
Eno, That I beheld. lb., lU, 10, ISseq,
A complete blank verse may be restored by the insertion of Enobarbus: —
Hoists sails | and flies, | En'bar\bti8.
Eno. That I | beheld.
For the trisyllabic pronunciation of Enobarbus see note CDLV.
According to the Cambridge Edition Capell proposed saU for satis;
compare, however, the concluding song in Westward Ho! (Webster,
ed. Dyce, 1857, in 1 vol., p. 245b): —
Hoist up sails, and let's away.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 289
CDLXXV.
Why then good night indeed. /6., ///, 10 y 30.
Another defective line; read: — •
Why then | good night | indeed, | Canid\ius.
CDLXXVI.
Which leaves itself: to the sea -side straightway.
lb., Illy 11 y 20.
Either a catalectic verse (see note II), or a syllable pause line: -
Which leaves | itself: | ^ to | the sea-] side straight | way.
CDLXXVII.
Frighted each other, why should he follow?
Ib.y UI, 13, 6.
The attempts made by Pope and an anonymous critic to correct this
seemingly corrupt verse are needless; it is either a catalectic verse,
or a syllable pause line and as such to be scanned: —
Frighted | each oth|er, jl \ why should | he fol|low?
CDLXXVIII.
Hear it apart.
Cko. None but friends: say boldly.
Ib.y Illy 13 y 47.
A syllable pause line again; scan: —
Hear it | apart. | *
Cleo. w None | but friends: | say bold|ly.
All conjectures on this line recorded in the Cambridge Edition are
needless.
CDLXXIX.
Your Cttjsar's father oft
When he hath mused of taking kingdoms in.
Ib.y Illy 13 y 82seq.
Arrange: —
Your Ca'sar's father
Oft, when he hath mused of taking kingdoms in.
He Jiatk is to be contracted into one syllable; compare IV, 1, 3: 'He
hath whipped'; IV, 15, 14: —
Not Cae|8ar's val|our hath o'er | thrown An | tony,
Elze, Notes. 19
290 AITTOKY AND CLEOPATRA.
(unless the pause after valour be deemed* of sufficient strength to
admit of an extra syllable); Twelfth Night, V, 1, 372: 'he hath
married her'; Pericles, I, 1, 143: *He hath found'; ib., II, 1, 132: 4t
hath been a shield.' — Another Alexandrine is thus eliminated.
CDLXXX.
Authority melts from me: of late, when I cried 'Ho!'
Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth,
And cry 'Your will?' Have you no ears?
I am Antony yet Take hence this Jack and whip him.
Ib., in, 13, yOseqq.
With respect to the division of these lines I completely agree with
Hanmer, w^hose arrangement is as follows: —
Authority melts from me: of late, when I
Cried 'Ho!' like boys imto a muss, kings would
Start forth, and cry 'Your will?' Have you no ears?
I'm Antony yet. Take hence this Jack and whip him.
CDLXXXI.
Laugh at his challenge. Cajsar must think. Ib., IV, 1, 6,
All attempts at completing this line recorded in the Cambridge
Edition are needless; scan:
Laugh at | his chaljlenge. j. \ Ca}sar | must think.
CDLXXXn.
For I spake 4d you for your comfort; did desire you.
lb,, IV, 2, 40.
'In IV, 2, 40', says Mr. Fleay, who declares the line to be an
Alexandrine, 'cesura after ninth syllable.' In my opinion we have
to deal with a regular blank verse; scan: —
For I I spake to | you for | your com | fort; did d'sire | you.
The line has an extra syllable before the pause. For the monosyl-
labic pronunciation of desire see notes CCLV and CDLIV.
CDLXXXni.
Eros, Sir, his chests and treasure
He has not with him.
Ant. Is he gone?
Sold. Most certain.
Ib,, IV, o, lOseq.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 291
The words Most certain are erroneously ascribed to the ^Soldier; they
belong to Eros. The Soldier has already informed Antony that Eno-
barbus is tvith Ca*sar, but Antony, unwilling to believe him, appeals
to the higher authority of Eros, asking him whether Enobarbus be
really gone {Is he gone?) and is answered by Eros, Most certain.
CDLXXXIV.
Make it so known.
Agr. Caesar, I shall. lb,, IV, 6, 3. ^
Not two short lines, as printed in the Cambridge and Globe Editions,
by Dyce, Delius, &c., but a defective blank verse which is to be
completed by the addition of Agrippa: —
Make it | so known, | Agrip\pa. Caesar, | I shall.' '
CDLXXXV.
I tell you true: best you safed the bringer.
lb., IV, 6, 26.
A syllable pause line;- scan: —
I tell I you true: | ^ best | you safed | the bring |er.
All conjectures (see Cambridge Edition) may be dispensed with.
CDLXXXVI.
Each man's like mine: you have shown all Hectors.
lb., IV, 8, 7. '
Another syllable pause line; scan: —
Each man's | like mine: | ^ you | have shown | all Hect|ors.
S. Walker's and the anonymous critic's conjectures recorded in the
Cambridge Edition are needless.
CDLXXXVn.
He has deserved it, were it carbuncled.
lb., IV, 8, 28.
This line admits of no less than three different scansions. Firstly
it may be considered as a catalectic verse (see note II) with an
extra syllable before the pause. Secondly it may be taken to be a
syllable pause line: —
He has | deserv'd | it, j: | were it | carbun|cled,
aiul tliirdly it may be scanned: —
He has | deserjved it, | were it | carbun|cled.
«
' ~ 19*
292 ANTONr AND CLEOPATRA.
CDLXXXVm.
Make mingle with our rattling tabourines. 76., IV, 8, 37,
After this verse a line has evidently been lost in whicli those sounds
were mentioned that heaven * strikes together' with tlie sounds of the
earth, the trumpets and rattling tabourines.
CDLXXXIX.
Antony! Antony!
Sec, Sold, Let's speak
To him.
Mrst Sold, Let's hear him, for the things he speaks
May concern Caesar.
lb., IVy 9y238€qq.
Qy. read, arrange, and scan: —
An|tony! | An|t'ny!
Sec, Sold. Let's speak | to him.
First Sold. Nay, let | us hear | him, for | the things | he
speaks
May con|ceni C8e|sar?
Capell inserted, further after hear him. Compare note on Cym-
beline, Y, 5, 238.
CDXC.
I learn'd of thee. How! not dead? not dead?
lb,, IV, 14, 103.
There is no need of Pope's conjecture, not yet dead. Scan: —
I learn'd | of thee. | ^ How! | not dead? ( not dead?
CDXCL
His guard have brought him hither. sun.
lb., IV, 15, 9.
Here too there is no need of filling up the line as has been done
by Pope's and Capell's conjectures (0 thou sim and sun, sun).
Scan: —
His guard | have brought | him hith|er. j. \ sun!
CDXCII.
I lay upon thy lips.
Cleo. I dare not, dear, —
Dear my lord, pardon, — I dare not. lb., IV, 15, 21seq.
AITTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 293
Read and arrange: —
I lay upon thy lips. CJome down,
Cleo. I dare not,
Dear, dear my lord, pardon, — I dare not come.
Come doum, in 1.21, has been added most happily by Theobald; the
context shows that it cannot be dispensed with. For come, in 1. 82,
I must answer myself; without this addition the line must either be
considered to be a catalectic verse, or a lino of four feet: —
Dear, dear | my lord, | pard'n, I | dare not,
or a syllable pause line: —
Dear, dear [ my lord, | ^ par]don, — I | dare n6t.
The two latter scansions will hardly receive the approval of com-
petent critics, as they place not, instead of dare, in the arsis.
CDXcm.
Splitted the heart This is his sword.
lb., r, i, 24.
According to the Cambridge Edition Hanmer added itself after heart;
Collier's Ms. corrector: * Split that self noble heart' If the line is
to be filled up, it would seem more probable that the name of the
pereon addressed was lost and should be inserted: —
Splitted the heart. Ccesar, this is his sword.
Or we might read: —
Splitted that very heart. This is his sword.
After all, however, I think the line should be left as it stands, since
verses of four feet are pretty frequent when there is a break in the
line or a change of thought; see Abbott, s. 507.
CDXCIV.
The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings.
lb., F, 1, 27.
Rowe, a Tiding. There is, however, no need of correction; it is
either a catalectic verse (see note 11), or a syllable pause line: —
The gods | rebuke | me, _i | but it | is ti| dings.
CDXCV.
His voice was propertied
As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends;
But when he meant to quail and shake the orb.
He was as rattling thunder. lb., V, 2, SSseqq.
294 CYMBELINE.
Instead of and that to friends, Theobald reads: when ilwi to friends,
and an anonymous critic (the Cambridge Editors?) proposes, addresi
to friends. I think we should read either, and soft to friends or,
and sweet to friends] law would not come near enough to the ductus
literarum, Antony's voice when speaking to friends is forcibly con-
trasted to the 'rattling thunder' to which it is likened when he is
speaking to enemies. Shakespeare repeatedly praises a low voice in
woman; of Cordelia her father says (V, 3, 272 seq.): —
Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.
May not what is an excellent thing in woman, be an excellent thing
in Antony too, when he is speaking to his friends?
CDXCVI.
What should I stay —
Char, In this vile world? So, fare thee well.
lb., V,2, 316 seq.
The words: In this vile world do not belong to Charmian, but to
Cleopatra who already before (IV, 15, 60 seq.) has complained of
'this dull world' which, she says, in Antony's absence is 'no better
than a sty.' Arrange, therefore: —
What should 1 stay in this vile world —
Char. So, fare* thee well.
Shakespeare certainly wrote vUde, not toilde. Fare thee well would
appear to be a triple ending.*
CDXCVn.
Unto a poor but worthy gentleman: she's wedded;-
Her husband banished; she imprison 'd: all
Is outward sorrow; though I think the king
Be touch'd at very heart.
Sec, Gent, None but the king?
Oytnbelitte, I, 1, 7 seqq.
This is the arrangement of the Folios; it is quite correct and aU
conjectures to which the passage has given rise are gratuitous; nor
is Mr. Fleay right in declaring 1. 7 to be one of six feet. GSntleman
may be read either as a trisyllable, or as a dissyllable (see S. Walker,
* Theso notes on ^\ntony and Cleopatra' (CDL— CDXCVI) were first
published in Prof. Kolbing's Euglische Studien, IX, 207 — 278.
CYMBELmE. 295
Versification, 189 seq.); in the former case we have a iriple ending,
in the latter an extra syllable, before the pause.*
CDXCYin.
Of the king's looks, hath a heart that is not.
lb., /, i, 14,
S. Walker, according to the Cambridge Edition, suspects a corruption
here. The line would indeed be intolerably harsh, if scanned: —
Of the I king's looks, | hath a | heart that j is not.
In my opinion, however, jthere is no need of correction, the verse
being either a syllable pause line: —
Of the I king's looks, | ^ hath | a heart | that is | not,
or Of taking the place of a monosyllabic foot: —
Of I the king's | looks, hath | a heart | that is | not.
CDXCIX.
To his protection, calls him Posthumus Leonatus.
Ib,y 1, 1, 41.
Neither of the two names can be dispensed with, both of them being
required by the context. The correct explanation of the line has
been given by Dyce and Staunton ad loc, 'Various passages in these
plays', says Dyce, 'show that Shakespeare (like his contemporary
♦ With the exception of a few additions the above notes on Oymbeline
(CDXCVII— DCIV) were first printed in Pi'ofossor Wiilker's AngUa, Vol. Vm,
p. 263 — 297, and were embodied in a Letter to C. M. Ingleby, Esq., M. A.,
LL. D., V. P. R. S. L. The introductory words of this Letter which I hope I
shall be allowed to reproduce, were to the following effect: 'Dear Ingleby!
When, in October last, at the beginning of our winter -term, I entered upon
a course of lectures on Shakespeare's 'Oymbeline', I was surprised by the
unexpected news that you were engaged in preparing a new edition of this
most attractive, though at the same time most thorny play. You will easily
believe that under these circumstances my thoughts turned to you whenever
I was beset by one of those perplexing difficulties both critical and exegetical
with which this play abounds. It was natural that I should have wished to
talk such passages over with you in your genial study at Valentines and thus
to clear away viribus tmitis some of those crtices tnterpretum. This privilege,
however, was denied me, and a continued correspondence on the subject of
our studies would have been too heavy a tax not only on your time, but also
on mine. The next best thing, therefore, I can do, is to lay before you in
print all those notes and conjectural emendations that have presented them-
selves to me in the course of my lectures. As your edition has been un-
avoidably postponed they may still prove serviceable to you in the revision
and explanation of the badly corrupted text; your friendly disposition towards
me 'will no doubt prompt you to gather from them all the critical honey they
may contain and to favour me witli your opinion of what you approve and of
what you disapprove. Here, then, they are.'
29G ' CY^IBEUNE.
dramatists) occasionally disregarded metre when proper names were
to be introduced.' He then refers his readers to his note on
2 K. Henry YL, I, 1, 7: —
The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne, and Alenc^on.
'I ma^'' observe', he says there, *that Shakespeare has allowed this
line to stand just as he found it in The First Part of the Conten-
tion, Ac; and, indeed, even in the plays which are wholly his own,
he, like other early dramatists, considered himself at liberty occasion-
ally to disregard the laws of metre in the case of proper names:
e. g., a blank verse speech in Richard IL, Act U, sc. 1, contains the
following formidable line: —
Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and Francis Quoint.'
To this instance Dyce, in his second edition, has added three similar
lines, but has been singularly unfortunate in their choice, as they
can be scanned without the least correction or difficulty. The first
of them is taken from The Two Gentlemen of Vei-ona, H, 4, 54, and
is to be scanned in the following manner: —
Know I ye Don | Anto|nio, your coun|tryman?
The line begins with a monosyllabic foot and has an extra syllable
before the pause. The second line is from A. V, sc. 1 of the same
play and its only irregularity is an extra syllable before the pause: —
That Sil|via, at Fri|ar Pat | rick's cell, | should meet | me.
The third instance, also from the same comedy (V, 2, 34), may cer-
tainly be considered as one line, as printed by Dyce, in which case
Valentine is to be read as a triple ending; there is, however, no
occasion to depart from the arrangement of the firsi Folio, which,
amongst others, has been adopted by the Cambridge and Globe
Editors: —
Duke. Why then.
She's fled unto that peasant Valentine.
Even the 'formidable' and perhaps corrupt passage in Richard H.,
n, 1, 281 seqq. may be reduced to something like metre: —
That late broke from | the Duke | of Ex|eter,
His broth er, Archbish|op late | of Can|terbur|y,
Sir Thom as Er|pingham, | ^ Sir | John Ramlston,
Sir I John Nor|bery,
Sir Rob|ert Walterton | and Fran|cis Quoint
Should S. Walker, Versification, 100, be right in maintaining that
Archbishop is generally accented on the first syllable, a slight trans-
position of the word will meet the requirements of the case: —
His broth I er, late Arch | bishop | of Can | terbur | y.
To revert to 'Cymbeline'. Staunton's note on the line in question
is to the following effect: 'The old poets not unfrequently introduce
CYMBELINE. 297
proper names without regard to the' measure.' To this he adds
another remark of no little import: 'occasionally indeed', he says,
*as if at the discretion of the player, the name was to be spoken or
not.' The tnith, in my opinion, is, that the names of the inter-
locutors as well as titles and other words of address seem frequently
either to have been wrongly left out or wrongly added by the care-
lessness of the players and copyists, especially at the end of the
line. Indeed a great number of verses may be corrected either by
the addition, or (though less frequently) by the omission of the name
of the person addressed. See my note on Hamlet (second edition),
s. 59 (Reynaldo); supra note CCXIII; &c.
Could make him the receiver of; which he took.
lb., /, i, 44.
Scan: —
Could make | him the | receiver | of; which | he took.
See Abbott, s. 4G6. Compare also 1. 72 of this very scene: —
Evil [E'U]-ejed \ unto | you: you're | my prisoner, but,
wrongly altered by Pope to III- eyed &c. See S. Walker, Crit.
Exam., n, 196.
DI.
As we do air, fast as 'twas minister'd,
And in 's spring became a harvest, lived in court
lb., I, 1, 45 seq.
Both Mr. Fleay and Mr. Ellis (On Early English Pronunciation, III,
946) register 1. 46 among what they are pleased to call Alexandrines.
Hertzberg (Shakespeare's Dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung
von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben durch die Deutsche Shake-
speare -GeseUschaft, Xn, 453) likewise thinks that it would be the
easiest expedient to read And in his spring dx. and thus to make
the line one of those Alexandrines, of which, he says, there is no
want in Cymbeline. In my conviction Capell has come nearest to
the truth by adding And to the preceding line; only he should not
have dissolved m's. Arrange and read accordingly: —
As we do air, fast as 'twas minister'd, and
In's spring became a harvest, lived in court, &c.
Ministered is, of course, to be pronounced as a dissyllable (minister* d)\
see Abbott, s. 468.
298 CYMBELINE.
DH.
A sample to the youngest, to the more mature.
Ih.y 7, i, 48,
Mr. Fleay has no doubt that this is an Alexandrine, and I have no
doubt that it is not Youngest is either to be pronounced as a
monosyllable, like eldest ten lines infra\ or, if the dissyllabic pro-
nunciation should be preferred, it contains an extra syllable before the
pause. The article before more is to be elided (or read as a pro-
clitic) just as it is the case eight lines lower down: to th^ king, and
1. 59: r th* swathing -clothes. Scan, therefore, either: —
A 8am|ple to | the yOung'st, | to th' more | mature,
or: —
A samjple to | the young {est, to th' more | mature.
DHL
I' th' swathing-clothes the other, from their nursery.
lb., 7, 1, 59,
No Alexandrine, nursery being a triple ending. Compare the scan-
sion of imagery in Spenser's Faerie Queene, Vil, 7, 10: —
That richer seem'd than any tapestry.
That Princes bowres adorne with painted imagery.
DIV.
That could not trace them!
First Gent. Howsoe'er 'tis strange.
lb., 7, i, 65.
Qy. thatH or thaV could not trace them? Compare m, 4, 80: That
[qy. thatH?] cravens my weak hand. See S. Walker, Versification,
77 seqq.
DV.
I will be known your advocate: marry, yet.
lb., I, 1, 76.
S. Walker, Versification , 187, endeavours to show that marry *is com-
monly a monosyllable' and that it 'would have been irregular' to
scan: —
I will I be known | your ad|v'cate: mar|ry, yet.
Nevertheless I own that I prefer this scansion, so much the more
as S. Walker has not succeeded in pro^dng his case. Apart from a
line in Hudibras (III, 3, 644), in which the y of Marry is to be
CYHBELHTE. 299
contracted with the following hang, he only instances K. Richard HE.,
Ill, 4, 58, where marry may just as well be read as a trochee and
he is may be contracted: —
Marry, | that with | no man | here he's | offend {ed.
If some reader or other should object that by this scansion no is
placed in the unaccented, instead of the accented part of the measure,
he may be referred to note XV. In support of his theory S. Walker
also adduces sirrah, which, he says, is 'frequently at least' pro-
nounced as a monosyllable, e. g., 3 K. Henry YL, V, 6, 6. But may
not this line be read and scanned: —
Sirrah, | leave's to | ourselves: | we must | confer?
In conclusion the reader's attention may be called to the fact that in
all the lines quoted, a pause follows after both marry and sirrah
which would seem to speak in favour of my scansions. That in the
line quoted from Hudibras the pause does not impede the contraction
of the two vowels, cannot be a matter of surprise. /
DYI.
Imo, blest, that I might not! I chose an eagle.
And did avoid a puttock.
76., /, i, 139 seq,
*A puttock', says Singer ad he., 4s a mean degenerate species of
hawk, too worthless to deserve training.' This note re -appears in
the Rev. H. Hudson's edition in a slightly altered shape: 'A puttock',
he says, 4s a mean degenerate hawk, not worth training.' Delius
has nothing better to say; his note is to the following effect: * Put-
tock, ein Habicht schlechter Art.' What does a * degenerate hawk'
mean? I am unable to attach a meaning to this phrase. The fact
is that the puttock does not belong to the falcones nobHeSj as they
are termed in natural history, but is a species of kite (Milvus ictinus,
the glede). According to Naumann und Grafe, Handbuch der Natur-
geschichte der drei Reiche &c. (Eisleben und Leipzig, 1836), I, 362
ike Milm are 'von traurigem Ansehn, trage und feig, und k5nnen
den Raub nicht fliegend ergreifen, sondern nur sitzende imd krie-
chende Thiere fangen, und fressen auch Aas.' 'Der rothe Milan
(Gabelweihe, Konigsweihe, Falco Milvus)\ the same authors continue,
'jagt junge Hflhner, Enten, Ganse und andere junge oder des Flug-
vermOgens beraubte Y5gel, Mause, Maulwflrfe, Amphibien, indem er
niedrig uber den Boden wegstreicht, fSllt gem auf Aas.' The chief
point, as I take it, is that the MUvi cannot catch birds on the wing,
but only when sitting or walking about. This is the reason why
they were held in disregard by aU lovers of hawking and why all
attempts at training cannot but be lost on them, since training may
improve, but cannot alter the natural gifts of bird or beast Thus
300 CYMBEUNE.
the name of 'piittock' passed into a by -word and an expression of
contempt. The derivation of the word serves as an eloquent con-
firmation of this theory, puttock being by no means a diminutive, but
a corruption of poot-hawk, i.e. a hawk that preys on poots or pouts;
pout, as Prof. Skeat has shown, standing for poult = pullet (Fr.poulet)
from Lat. pullus.
DYIL
Leave us to ourselves; and make yourself some comfort.
lb., I, ly 155.
Scan either: —
Leave us | t' ourselves; | and make | yourself | some com [fort,
or, which I think preferable: —
Leave's to | ourselves; | and make | yourself | some com | fort
Dvm.
Queen, Fie, you must give way.
lb., I, i, 158.
This is the punctuation of all the Ff. Modern editors punctuate
either: Fie! you must &c., or: Fie! — you must &c., thus awakening
the belief, as if in their opinion the w^ords were addressed to two
different persons. Not content with such an indirect hint, Delius
explicitly refers the interjection Fie! to the preceding speech of Cym-
beline, whereas he declares only the rest of the words to be addres-
sed to Imogen. I cannot subscribe to such a division of the Queen's
admonition. On hearing her father's terrible malediction Imogen very
naturally gives expression to her wounded feelings by some gesture
of impatience and horror and is reproved by her stepmother rather
energetically, as only in 1. 153 she has been desired to keep quiet
(* Peace, Dear lady daughter, peace!'). She does not utter her grief
and dismay in words, but her continued gesticulation shows that her
mother's first injunction has been of little avail and requires repetition.
The only words addressed to tlie King by the Queen are in 1. 153:
, Beseech your patience.'
DIX.
Pray you speake with me;
You shall (at least) &c. lb., 1, 1, 177,
This is the arrangement and reading of the Ff. Almost all editors
since Capell have adopted his suggestion to add / before pray, which.
CYMBELINE. 301
they say, has been lost. Nevertheless it may be submitted that the
line is quite correct, if scanned as a syllable pause line: —
Pray you, | w speak | with me: | you shall | at least.
I adopt, of course, the arrangement of the lines as proposed by Capell
and think the Ff as well as Eowe faulty in this respect.
DX.
Glo, You'll go with us?
First Lard, I'll attend your lordship,
Clo, Nay, come, let's go together.
Sec. Lord, Well, my loi-d.
lb., J, 2, 40seqq.
Capell, Dyce, and the Rev. H.- Hudson have assigned the words:
'I'll attend your lordship' to the Second Lord. Delius, on the other
hand, suspects that the concluding speech: 'Well, my lord', should
be given to the First Lord. In my conviction both parties are wrong.
In reply to Cloten's invitation, addressed to the two lords conjointly,
to accompany him to his chamber, the First Lord who is a flatterer
and a flunkey, at once declares himself ready to attend his lordship;
the second, however, who knows and dislikes his master thoroughly,
either ofTers to stay behind, or to leave the stage by a different door,
but is prevented from doing so by Cloten's reiterated summons: 'Nay,
come, let's go together', to which he cannot but reply in the affir-
mative: 'Well, my lord.' Only on the stage the correctness of this
explanation can be made fully apparent. Compare note on 11, 1, 48.
DXI.
Imo. Then waved his handkerchief?
Pis. And kiss'd it, madam.
Imo. Senseless linen! happier therein than I!
And that was all?
Pis, No, madam, for so long &c.
Ib.f /, 5, 6 8eqq.
This is the arrangement of the folios. Line 7 is thus to be scanned: —
Sense I less lin|en! Happier | therein | than I,
a scansion which exhibits indeed three deviations from the normal
type, viz. a monosyllabic foot, an extra syllable before the pause, and
a trochee after it. The scansion given by Dr. Abbott, s. 453: —
Senseless | linen! | Happier | therein | than I
looks very plausible at first sight, but on second thoughts appears
too abnormal to find assent; it contains no less than three con-
302 CYMBEUNE.
seoutive trochees! S. Walker, Grit. Exam., m, 316, would arrange
as follows: —
Imo. Then waved his handkerchief?
Pis, And kiss'd it, majdam.
Imo, Senseless linen, happier
Therein than I!
And that was all?
Pis, No, madam; for so long &c.
If, however, the division of the old copies is to be departed from,
the following arrangement seems preferable: —
Imo. Theu waved his handkerchief?
Pis, And kiss'd it, madam.
hno. Senseless linen!
Happier therein than I! And that was all?
Pis, No, madam; for so long
As he could make &c.
Dxn.
When shall we hear from him? Be assured, madam.
Ib.y /, 5, 23,
Scan: —
When shall | we hear | from him? | Be assur|M, mad | am.
I shall disbelieve the pretended accentuation madam, until convinced
by a case, where mddam is simply impossible. The very next pas-
^e on which I shall comment is a case in point, in so far as here
the poet would seem to have accented the word on the last syllable,
but has not. This passage is: —
DXIIL
Shakes all our buds from growing.
' Enter a Lady,
Lady, The queen, madam.
Desires your highness' company. lb., I, 3, 37 aeq.
The first line admits of a twofold scansion, either: —
Shakes all | our buds | from growjing. The queen, | madlun,
or: —
Shakes all | our buds | from grow|ing. The | queen, mad {am. '
But what, if neither of these two scansions should have been the
poet's own? Tlie above arrangement of the Ff has indeed been
retained by all editors, as far as I know; however, the words spoken
CYHBELINE. 303
by the Lady form a complete blank verse by themselves and the
lines should be divided accordingly: —
Shakes all our buds from growing.
Enter a Lady.
Lady, The queen, | madam, | desires | your high|nes8 comjpany.
Need I add, that madam, although in the second place, is a trochee
(compare Abbott, s. 453 and my second edition of 'Hamlet', s. 118),
and company a triple ending? By this division the incomplete line
is shifted from the speech of the Lady which it does not. fit at all,
to that of Imogen where it finds a far more appropriate place. As
to madam, Mr. Fleay, in his edition of Marlowe's * Edward 11.', p. 120,
thinks it a strong argument in favour of the accentuation maddm,
that the old texts write Madame, which spelling, in his opinion, is
plainly indicative of the French accentuation of the word. In the
present passage, however, as well as in I, 1, 23, the Ff uniformly
write Madam, whilst in other passages (e. g. in Love's Labom^'s Lost,
Y, 2, 431) we read Madame, although the word be undoubtedly
accented on the first syllable. Compare supra note CCXXiX — Ih
order to prevent a mistaken scansion one more line may be added,
viz. A. I, sc. 5, L 5: —
JPleaseth | yoiir high|ness, ay: | here they | are, mad | am.
DXIV.
But, though slow, deadly.
Queen, I wonder, doctor.
lb,, I, 5, 10,
Theobald and, independently of him, S. Walker, Versification, 24:
I do wonder. There is, however, no need of such an insertion, the
verse being a syllable pause line; scan: —
But, though I slow, dead|ly. ^ | I won|der, doc | tor.
Or should we come still nearer to the poet's own scansion by reading
But as a monosyllabic foot: —
But, I though slow, I deadly. | I won|der, doc | tor?
DXV.
Think on my words. [Exeunt Queen and Ladies,
Pis, And shall do.
lb., /, 5, 85,
According to the Cambridge Edition Steevens suspects an omission
here. Singer adds the following note: 'Some words, which rendered
this sentence less abrupt, and perfected the metre, appear to have
304 CYMBEUNE.
been omitted in the old copies.* Add ^raeious madam after shall do,
and all will be right: —
Think on | ray words.
Compare note on I, 1, 41.
And shall | do, gra cious mad^am.
DXVI.
What, are men mad? Hath nature given them eyes
To see this vaulted arch, and the rich crop
Of sea and land, which can distinguish 'twixt
The fiery orbs above and the twinned stones
Upon the numbered beach? and can we not
Partition make with spectacles so precious
'Twixt fair and foul? /6., /, Gy 32seqq.
Instead of Oie numbered Theobald reads rightly: ih* umiumber'd.
Compare K. Lear, IV, G, 20seqq.:
the murmuring surge
That on 'the unnumbered idle pebbles chafes,
Cannot be heard so high.
The 'crop of sea and land' means the crop of the sea on the land,
or the crop on the margin between the sea and land, i. e. that pro-
fusion of pebbles, shells, seaweeds, &c. tliat are washed on shore by
the waves and constitute, so to say, the harvest which the land reaps
fixDm the ocean. The poet places side by side those two natural
phenomena where an innumerable abundance of similar, nay almost
undistinguishable (I beg pardon for coining the word) objects are
gathered together: the firmament with its myriads of^ stars and the
unnumbered beach with its pebbles that are as like to each other as
twins. Now, he continues, if men's eyes 'are capable of distinguishing
some individual star or pebble from its twin, can they not, on
beholding the divine form of Imogen, make partition between fair
and foul, between an untainted virtuous lady and one of the common
sort, persons that even in their outward appearance are so wide apart?
DXVII.
An eminent monsieur, that, it seems, much loves.
Ib.y 7, 6, 65.
Scan: —
An empnent mon|sieur, that, | it seems, | much loves.
Compare Love's Labour's Lost, II, 1, 19G: —
A gal|lant la|dy. Monjsieur, fare | you well;
CYMBELIN^. 30S
K. Henry VIIL, 1,3,21: —
I'm glad I 'tis there: | now I | would pray | our mon|8ieurs;
lb., V, 2,325: —
This is I the ape | of form, | m6n^eur | the nice.
In this last line the word might indeed be read as an iambic, but
it is a trochee after the pause. That fnonsieur, in Shakespeare's
time, was generally accented on the first syllable, seems also to be
confirmed by four of its six different spellings which occur in the
first Folio, viz. mounsieur, motmseur, mounsier, and monsier; the
fifth and sixth being monsieur (passim) and monsieuer (in As You
Like It, 1, 2, 173). The diphthong ou in the first syllable (which
replaces the original o), recalls such words as counsel (consilium),
fountain (fontana), mountain (montana), &c., and shows that the
word was brought under the Teutonic accentuation. Also Dryden
(Heroic Stanzas upon the Death of Oliver, &c. st. 23) accents it on
the first syllable: —
Than the | light M6n|sieur the | grave Don | outweighed,
and in 1663 we meet with the spelling ifow/wer which admits of
no other accent but on the first syllable; see Rye, England as seen
by Foreigners, p. 187. In more recent times, however, the French
accentuation of the word has been re -instated and has kept its ground
to tlie present day, just as it has been the case with the adjectives
divine, extreme, obscure, &c It should be added that all other pas-
sages in Shakespeare where monsieur occurs, are in prose.
Dxvm.
lack. They are in a trunk.
Attended by my men. ij., /, 6, 197.
Qy. read: Attended by my num'^ Only in 1. 53 of this very scene
lachimo has spoken of his man and informed us that he is strange
and peevish.
DXIX.
Sec, Lord. You cannot derogate, my lord.
lb., //, 1, 48.
There can be little doubt that these words belong to the First and
not to the Second Lord, and that Dr. Johnson's alteration of the
prefix is right. Eight lines lower down the common text should be
replaced by the following arrangement: —
First [instead of Sec.^ Lord. I'll attend your lordship.
[Exeunt Cloten and First Lard.
Sec. Lord. That such a crafty devil &c.
Compare note on I, 2, 40seqq.
Klze, Notes. 20
306 CYVBELmE.
DXX.
Ah, but some natural notes about hei* body,
Above ten thousand meaner moveables
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory.
lb., II, 2, SSseqq,
Qy. read and point: -7-
Ah, but some natural notes about her body, —
Above ten thousand meaner moveables
They'ld testify, — t' enrich mine inventory?
DXXI.
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end?
lb., II, 2, 42.
No Alexandrine, but a blank verse with an extra syllable before the
pause; scan: —
The treasjure of | her hon|our. No more. ( TVhat end?
Two lines infra memory is to be read as a dissyllable, which makes
the line a regular blank verse. Mr. Reay declares 1. 44 to be an
Alexandrine, but makes no mention of 1. 42.
DXXIL
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven's eye! lb., II, 2, 48seq.
In my conviction the last words should neither be understood literally,
nor can we suppose, as Dyce justly remarks, that Shakespeare would
turn night to a raven at the same moment when introducing her as
a goddess, Shakespeare, who was conversant with so many facts of
natural history, may possibly have been aware that the raven, to
introduce Mr. E. Gr. White's remark ad he., 4s the most matinal
[sic, read matuiinaJ] bird, even more so than the lark.' But I greatly
doubt that his audience, unadulterated cockneys as they were, should
have been so intimately acquainted with the ways and habits of the
raven as to understand an allusion so far-fetched and altogether
foreign to the context. To me Sir Thomas Hanmer seems to have
hit the mark in: attributing the raven's eye (or raven -eye) to dawning
itself; lachimo expresses the wish that dawning might soon bare
or ope its eye which is as dark as the raven. Hanmer proposes to
read: iis raven eye, but no alteration is needed; least of all Collier's
suggestion, blear the raven's eye, which has been energetically rejected
by Dyce as being 'most ridiculous.'
GYHBELI17E. 307
Dxxni.
And vinking Mary -buds begin
To ope their golden eyes:
With every thing that pretty is,
My lady sweet, arise:
\ Arise, arise. lb,, 11, 3, 25 8eqq.
Bead, of course, that pretty bin, as printed by Hanmer and Warburton;
Hanmer's alteration of every thing to all the things, however, is not
needed, although bin is the third person plural; see Morris, Outlines
of English Accidence, s. 295, p. 182; Matzner's Engl. Grammatik
(2^ Ed., I, 408); Al. Schmidt, Shakespeare -Lexicon, s. Be, Every
and each are not unfrequently used as collectives, and as such govern
the plural; compare, e. g.. Much Ado about Nothing, in, 4, GOseq. :
Nothing I; but God send every one their heart's desire! Lucrece, 125 : —
And every one to rest themselves betake.
Thomas 'Hey wood, The English Traveller (Dramatic Works," London,
1874, IV, 26): *Wife, But in aU this, How did the Women scape?
Clo[ion], They fared best, and did the least hurt that I saw; But
for qui^tnesse sake, were forc'd to swallow what is not yet digested,
yet euery one had their share, and shoe that had least, I am sure
by this time, hath her belly full.'
Dryden, Annus Mirabilis, st. 15: —
It seems as every ship their sovereign knows.
Eichard Bentiey, A Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris, &c.
(London, 1699), Preface, p. LXXXV: *The words in my Book,
which he excepts against, are Commentitiotis , Bepudiate, Concede,
Aliene, Vernacular, Timid, Negoee, Putid, and Idiom: every one of
which were in Print, before I us'd them; and most of them, before
I was born.'
Lucrece, 404: —
Each in her sleep themselves so beautify.
Pope, Imitations of Horace, The Second Satire of the Second Book,
11.75—76: —
How pale,* each Worshipful and Kev'rend quest
Eise from a Clergj'^, or a City feast!
Compare also the following passages in Childe Harold, viz. 111,62: —
AU that expands the spirit, yet appals,
'Gather around these summits,
and IV, 162: —
Are exprest
All that ideal beauty ever bless'd.
20"
SOS cincBtxiNi:.
DXXIV.
The one is Caius Lucius.
Oym, A worthy fellow.
Ib.y II, 3, 60.
Mr. Fleay scans this line: —
Th' one's Ca|ius Lu|ciu8. | A wor|thy fel|low.
But the verse has ■ evidently an extra syllable before the pause and
is to be scanned: —
The one | is Ca|ius Lu|ciu8. A wor|thy feljlow.
DXXV.
Yet you are curb'd from that enlargement by
The consequence o' the crown, and must not soil
The precious note of it with a base slave,
A hilding for a livery, a squire's cloth,
A pantler, not so eminent. lb,, n, 5, 12o8eqq,
The only critic that has queried this passage, is Collier. 'We may',
he says rather hesitatingly, 'also suspect a misprint in the word
"note".' Note is surely a misprint; read robe. What the poet here
calls the ^precious robe of the crown' in K, Henry V., IV, 1, 279, is
styled: —
The intertissued robe of gold and pearl,
and is there enumerated among the king's attributes. What reader
of Shakespeare does not also recall Cleopatra's words: —
Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Inunortal longings?
'You must not soil', says Cloten, 'the regal robe witli a base slave,
a hilding bom to wear a livery, or a squire's doth at best.' The
context sufficiently shows that this is what the poet had in his mind
and wanted to express, and I need not dwell on the circumstance
that, throughout our play, garn^ents play a conspicuous part in Clo-
ten's thoughts and even influence his actions. — The misprint foyle
for foyle in the Ff would not be worth mentioning, but for the fact
that Dr. Al. Schmidt, who in his Shakespeare -Lexicon has proved a
tickler for the correctness of the first Folio, upholds the lection foU.
DXXYI.
I am sprited with a fool,
Frighted, and anger'd worse. lb., II, 3, 144 seq.
The meaning which has been missed in the late Professor Hertzberg's
translation, is: I am not only sprited by a fool, but what is still
CTMBELINE. 309
worse, frighted and angered by the loss of my bracelet; the ano-
nymous conjecture on 1. 141 : —
How now! [missing the bracelet]. Pisanio!
having indeed hit the mark.
Dxxvn.
But the worst of me. So, I leave yoii, sir.
lb., U, 5, 159.
A syllable pause line; scan: —
But th' worst I of me. | ^ So, | I leave | you, sir.
The same scansion occurs in the first hemistich of the next line (To
th' worst I of dis\content).
DXXVin.
In these fear'd hopes,
I barely gratify your love. lb., U, 4, 6 seq.
This is the reading of all the Ff; according to Collier (2°* Ed.) ad
loc. the words mean *in these hopes which I fear may never be
realised' [!]. Dyce has adopted Tyrwhitt's conjecture sear'd, as he
(most justly) 'cannot think that the original reading here is to be
defended on the supposition that "fear'd hopes" may mean "fearing
hopes" or "hopes mingled with fears".' The Eev. H. Hudson reads
'sere hopes'; *sere hopes', he explains, 'are withered hopes; as they
would naturally be in their Winter's state.' The hopes of Posthumus,
however, are neither feared (by whom?), nor seared or vnthered, but
they are dear hopes, and this, in my humble opinion, is what the
poet wrote.
Dxxrx.
Let it be granted you have seen all this, — and praise.
lb., n, 4, 92.
Mr. Fleay wrongly reckons this line among the Alexandrines. Read
and scan: —
Let it I be grant|ed you've seen | all this, | — and praise.
There is a pause after granted considerable enough to allow of an
extra syllable before it.
DXXX.
lach. Then, if you can,
[Shotving the bracelet.
Be pale: I beg but leave to air this jewel; see!
And now 'tis up again. lb., U, 4, 958eqq.
310 CYVBEUJXE,
*In n, 4, 96', Bays Mr, Fleay, 'arrange «be pale" in 1. 95.' — This,
of course, would only be transferring the Alexandrine from 1. 96 to
1. 95. To me it seems to admit of no doubt, that 'See' forms a
most energetic interjectional line. Arrange: —
Then, if you can.
Be pale: I beg but leave to air this jewel;
See! [Showing the bracelet.
And now 'tis up again.
DXXXI.
Must be half- workers? We are all bastards.
lb., Uy 5, 2.
The conjectures of Pope, Capell (S. Walker, Grit. Exam., HI, 322),
and Keightley are needless. The verse is a syllable pause line; scan: —
Must be I half -work I ers? ^ \ We are | all ba8t|ards.
Dxxxn.
For wearing our own noses. That opportunity.
lb., Ill, 1, 14.
This line, left unnoticed by Mr. Fleay, has both an extra syllable
before the pause and a triple ending.
Dxxxm.
Oym. You must know.
Till the injurious Romans did extort &c.
Ib.,III,l,47s6qq.
I have no doubt that this speech does not belong to Cymbeline, but
to the Queen who has been interrupted rather uncourteously by her
son and whom the king expressly wishes to end, especially as by
her action she undoubtedly indicates her desire of saying something
more. My suspicion is confirmed by the following remarkable metrical
fact. Dr. Abbott, s. 514, has ingeniously shown that * interruptions
are sometimes not allowed to interfere with the completeness of the
speaker's verse.' Now tlie first line of the speech in question exactly
completes the last line of the Queen's antecedent speech (L 33),
although an interruption by no less than three speeches,- two from
Cloten and one from the king, has taken place. This is the line: —
And Britons strut with courage. — You must know.
Compare swpra notes III and CDXXTT. — The words We do in 1. 54
are assigned to ^Cloten' by Collier and Dyce, to ^Cloten and Lords' by
CYHBEUKE. ^ 311
the Cambridge Editors. Either prefix may be right, yet I own that
this once I think it safer to side with Collier and Dyc5e than with
the Cambridge Editors; the Lords, in my opinion, expressing their
assent merely by gestures.
DXXXIY.
Though Rome be therefore angry: Mulmutius made our laws.
lb., ni, 1, 59.
One of Mr. Fleay's Alexandrines. I have no hesitation in accepting
Steevens's emendation, i. e., in discarding the words *made our laws'
which are evidently either a marginal gloss intended to explain or
to replace 'Ordained our laws', or a dittography. The verse is a
syllable pause line: —
Though Rome | be there | fore an|gry: jl \ Mulmu|tiu8.
DXXXV.
Thyself domestic officers — thine enemy.
lb., lU, 1, 65.
According to Mr. Fleay an Alexandrine with 'the cesura after the
eighth syllable.' I take it to be a blank verse with a triple ending
(enemy). Three lines farther on Mr. Fleay would make his readers
believe in another Alexandrine with the cesura after the ninth syl-
lable (!). In my conviction it is a blank verse with an extra syllable
before the pause; defied is to be pronounced as a monosyllable; see
note CCLV. Scan: —
For fu|ry not I to be I resist |ed. Thus d'fied.
DXXXYL
Pis. How! of adultery? Wherefore write you not
What monster's her accuser? Leonatus!
lb., ni, 2, Iseq.
AdtUtery is to be pronounced as a trisyllable. The Ff have an inter-
rogation after accuse (accuser in Capell's correction) and a colon after
Leonaitts, which latter has been replaced by an exclamation in aU,
or almost all, modem editions, a dash being moreover introduced
before Leonatus. Point: —
Wherefore write you not
What monster's her accuser, Leonatus?
312 cncBELmE.
DXiXYH.
0, not like me;
For mine's beyond beyond — say, and speak thick.
lb., HI, 2, oTseq.
The meaning is, My longing is beyond being beyond yours. Com-
pare Macbeth, I, 4, 21: —
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Dxxxvm.
And our return, to excuse: but first, how get hence.
lb,, in, 2, 66.
The Rev. H. Hudson reads on his own responsibility: how to get
hence. ^As hence', he says in his Critical Note ad he., 4s emphatic
here, to seems fairly required^ and get is evidently in the same con-
struction with excuse. To be sure, the insertion of to makes the
verse an Alexandrine; but the omission does not make it a pentameter
[Mr. Hudson clearly means to say a hlmik verse\. The omission was
doubtless accidental.' — I do not see, why the line without Mr. Hudr
son's addition, should not be taken for a blank verse; scan: —
And our [ return, | t'excuso: ] but first, | how get | hence.
A closely analogous ending occurs in 1. 17 of the following scene: —
But be|ing so | allow'd: | to ap|prehend thus.
Dxxxrx.
Prithee, speak.
How many score of miles may we well ride
'Twixt hour and hour? Ib,, III, 2, 70.
'Twixt hour and hour', according to the Rev. H. Hudson, means:
* Between the same hour of morning and evening; or between six and
six, as between sunrise and sunset, in the next speech.' — But
Imogen's longing that is * beyond beyond' and wishes for a horse
with wings, would not have been satisfied with such a slow rate of
travelling; what she wishes to know is, how many score of miles
she may ride from the stroke of one hour to that of the next, and
Pisanio makes the disheartening reply, only one score from one rising
of the sun to the next. Compare IH, 4, 44: 'To weep 'twixt dock
and clock.'
CYKBELINE. 313
DXL.
That run i' the clock's behalf. But this is foolery.
lb., Ill, 2, 75.
Not an Alexandrine as Mr. Fleay would have it, but a blank verse
with a triple ending (foolery). Line 77 which has not been noticed
by Mr. Meay, has likewise a triple ending and the words to her are
to be run into one another: —
She'll home | t' her fa|ther: and | provide | me pre8|ently.
Possibly, however, She'll had bettor be added to the preceding line: —
Go bid I my worn | an feign | a sick|ness: say, | she'll
Home to | her fa|ther: and | provide | me pres|ently.
DXLI.
To see me first, as I have now. Pisanio! man!
Where is Posthumus? 76., Ill, 4, Sseq.
Arrange with S. Walker, Crit Exam., Ill, 323, and Mr. Fleay: —
To see me first, as I crave now. Pisanio!
Man! Where's Posthumus?
Orave, proposed by the Cambridge Editors (?), is no doubt the true
reading.
DXLn.
Some jay of Italy
Whose mother was her painting, hath betray 'd him.
lb., UI, 4, 5l8eq.
*The figure', says Mr. R Grant White ad lac., *here appixyaches extra-
vagance', and in the Globe Edition the passage is marked with an
obelus. Nevertheless the true blue conservatives in Shakespearian
criticism uphold the old text against those wild conjecturing folks
that are not willing to kiss the first Folio; they even reckon such
strained figures among the beauties of the poet's diction. In support
of their interpretation they i-efer the reader to IV, 2, Slseqq., where
Cloten's tailor is termed his * grandfather': —
he made those clothes
Which, as it seems, make thee.
There is, however, this difference between the two passages that the
tailor, mentioned in the latter, is a real human being, whereas the
painting is not. It is true that, if the tailor is to be considered as
Cloten's grandfather, Cloten's dress must be taken to be his father;
but the poet does not startle us by such a grotesque figure — it is
314 CYMBELmE.
merely implied. Besides it is a common proverbial saying that 'Fine
feathers make line birds', whilst nobody ever heard it said, that
'Fine painting makes a fine harlot' Still less can the phrase be
countenanced by the well-known passage in K. Lear, n, 2, 60: 'a
tailor made thee.' A similar thought occurs strangely enough in A. V,
so. 4, 1. 123 seq. of our play: —
Sleep, thou hast been a grandsire, and begot
A father to me;
but this is indeed the natural father of Posthumus. The Rev. R.
Roberts (in Notes and Queries, Sept 29, 1883, p. 241 seq.) has dis-
covered two passages manifestly bearing upon the present line; the
one occurs in.Shelton's Translation of Don Quixote (2* Ed., 1652,
lib. I, pt 4, chap. 24, p. 133), the other in a pamphlet entitled:
'Newes from the New Exchange; or, The Commonwealth of Ladies.
London, printed in the. Yeere of Women without Grace, 1650.'
From the former passage it would appear that somebody 'said that
his arm was his father, his works his lineage'; nothing certain,
however, can be said of it, since Mr. Roberts has not favoured his
readers with the context. The second passage is to the following
effect: 'If Madam Newport should be linkt with these Ladies, the
chain would never hold; for she is sister to the famous Mistress
Porter and to the more famous Lady Marlborough (whose Paint
is her Pander).' I am gi'eatly surprised to find that neither Mr.
Roberts, nor Dr. Brinsley Nicholson who has reproduced the above
extracts in The New Shakspere Society's Transactions 1880 — 2, p. 202,
should have thought of the possibility that here we may have got
tlie clue to the line under discussion and that Shakespeare probably
wrote: —
Some jay of Italy
Whose pander was her painting, hath betray 'd him.
DXLm.
And thou, Posthumus, that didst set up.
Ib.y in, 4, 90.
In order to regulate the metre Capell has repeated thou after Post-
humtis, and all editors after him have followed in his wake. I -have
no doubt that Capell's division of the lines is right, but there is no
need of an insertion, as the verae clearly belongs to the much -dis-
cussed class of syllable pause lines; scan: —
And thou, | Posthu|mus, j. \ that didst | set up.
CTMBELmE. 315
DXLIV.
Pis. I'll wake mine eye -balls blind first
lb., in; 4, 104,
The lection of the Ff: *I'll wake mine eye -balls first' cannot possibly
be right, and most editors have therefore adopted Hanmer's addition
blind after eye-baUs. Staunton defends the old reading on the strength
of a passage in Lust's Dominion (I, 2; Dodsley, ed. Hazlitt, XIY,
104): —
I'll still wake,
And waste these balls of sight by tossing them .
In busy observations upon thee.
Dyce, however, cannot think (and very properly too) that wake, in
this passage, should govern eye -balls] he conceives the meaning to
be, *ril still keep myself awake, and waste these balls', &c. He is,
therefore, convinced that in the line under discussion some such
word as blind seems to be required after eye -balls in order to com-
plete both sense and metre. To me the very passage from Lust's
Dominion seems to point in a very different direction, in as much
as it suggests the conjectural emendation: —
I'll toaste mine eye -balls first
Compared to this almost imperceptible alteration the insertion of
blind is no doubt one of great boldness. As to the metre, the verse
is to be numbered with the syllable pause lines; scan: —
I'll waste I mine eye-|baU8 first | ^ Where] fore then.
A confusion between toaste and wake seems also to have taken place
in Timon of Athens, 11, 2, 171: 'I have retired me to a wasteful
cock', instead of which unintelligible twaddle Mr. Swynfen Jervis
has most ingeniously proposed to read: *I have retired me to a wake-
ful cotich.'
DXLY.
Nor no more ado
With that harsh, noble, simple nothing.
That Cloten, whose love- suit hath been to me
As fearful as a siege. lb., m, 4, 1348eqq,
Dr. Brinsley Nicholson proposes to read, ignoble noble (Notes and
Queries, Sept 29, 1883, p. 241). This conjecture spoils the metre,
although ignoble seems to be the word wanted instead of noble, but
not conjointly with it Perhaps we should read: —
With that I harsh, that \ igno\ble, simjple noth|ing,
That Cloten, &c.
316 CYMBEIJirE.
All other conjectures to which this line has given rise, from Rowe
to Collier's so-called MS -Corrector downwards, may be passed over
with sileace. Compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam., I, 33. — Schipper,
Neuenglische Metrik, Erste Halfte (Bonn, 1888), S. 313.
DXLVI.
Pis, K not at court,
Then not in Britain must you bide.
Imo. Where then?
Hath Britain all the sun that shines? Day, night.
Are they not but in Britain? I*the world's volume
Our Britain seems as of it, but not in't;
In a great pool a swan's nest: prithee, think
There's livers out of Britain.
Pis, I am most glad
You think of other place. 76., ni, 4, 137 seqq.
The words Where then? have been continued to Pisanio by Hanmer,
but Pisanio has *consider'd of a course' and has made up his mind;
he has no occasion to ask * Where then?' Imogen, on the contrary,
has just put the question to Pisanio: —
What shall I do the while? where bide? how live?
She now asks again: Where then?j but she cannot possibly be the
speaker of the two following lines. The original distribution of the
lines, in my opinion, was this: —
Pis, If not at court.
Then not in Britain must you bide.
Imo, Where then?
Pis. Hath Britain aU the sun that shines? Day, night.
Are they not but in Britain?
Imo, I'the world's volume
Our Britain seems as of it, but not in't;
In a great pool a swan's nest: prithee, think
There's livers out of Britain.
IHs, I am most gkd
You think of other place.
It may be left to the reader to form his own opinion of Capell's
conjecture. What then? and of Mr. P. A. Daniel's transposition of of
it and in it.
DXLVn.
Now, if you could wear a mind
Dark as your fortune is, &c.
Th . m.4. 1
lb., IU,4,1468eq.
In my opinion Warburton's conjecture mien for mind should be in-
stalled in the text without reserve, so much the more as it would
appear that mien was frequently spelt and pronounced mine and
could therefore easily be mistaken for mind] compare Dryden, ed.
W. D. Christie (Clarendon Press, 1874), p. 228. — Al. Schmidt, Shake-
speare-Lexicon, s. Mien, thinks differently.
DXLVm.
Beginning nor supplyment
Imo. Thou art all the comfort
lb., Ill, 4, 182.
Mr. Fleay wrongly classes this line with the Alexandrines; scan: -
Begin|ning nor | supply jment Thou'rt all | the com | fort.
DXLIX.
A prince's courage. Away, I prithee.
lb., ni, 4, 187,
Either a catalectic verse with an extra syllable before the pause: -
A prin|ce's cour|age. Away, | I pri|thee,
or a syllable pause line: —
A prin|ce's cour|age. j. \ Away, | I pri|thee.
DL.
Appear unkinglike.
Luc, So, sir: I desire of you.
lb., lU, 5, 7.
Scan: —
Appear | unking | like.
Luc. So, sir: I I d'sii-e | of you.
See note CCLV, I think it merely owing to an oversight that this
line has not been brought « forward as an Alexandrine by Mr. Fleay.
Compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam., m, 325.
DLL
Madam, all joy l)efall your grace.
Queen. And you!
lb., Ill, 5, 9.
The Ff continue the words And you! to Lucius. To me tlie con-
jectural emendation introduced into the text of the Globe Edition by
318 CYMBELINE.
the Cambridge Editors seems indeed palmarian. Lucius bids farewell
to the King, the Queen, and Cloten successively and it seems ob-
vious that all three should reply, especially the Queen who appears
to be fond of speaking not only in her own name, but even in that
of others. The words And you cannot, therefore, belong to any
other character but to her; least of all caa they be addressed to
Cloten by the Roman ambassador, as only in 1. 12 the latter turns
to Cloten and takes his leave from him by a cordial sliaking of
the hand.
DLII.
She looks us like
A thing more made of malice than of duty.
Ih.y III, 5, S2seq,
Here too the Cambridge Editors* (for I hope I shall not be wrong in
fathering this anonymous emendation upon them) have hit the mark
in suggesting orCs for a« in FA, or w« in FBCD: —
She looks on^s like
A thing more made of malice than of duty.
DLin.
That will be given to the loudest noise we make.
Ih,, m, 5, 44,
FA: M lowd of noise. I think Rowe's conjecture the loudest noise
preferable to that of CapeU, the loudest of noise, as, in accordance
with Rowe and Singer, I feel convinced that of is a misprint for ^st
or si. Singer wrongly prints th^ loud'st noise, instead of th' loudest
noise.
DLIV.
Prove false!
Queen. Son, I say, follow the king.
lb., m, 5, 53.
Rowe's division of the lines is right, the conjectures suggested by
Steevens, Jackson, S. Walker, &c., however, are needless. Scan: —
Prove false! |
Queen. ^ Son, | I say, | f6llow | the king.
DLY.
Pisanio, thou that standst so for Posthumus!
He hath a drug of mine; &c. lb., m, 5,568eq.
CYMBELINE. 51^
The transition in these lines from the second to the third person,
abrupt and awkward though it be, yet seems to have proceeded from
the poet's own pen, especially as the same irregularity has already
occurred before (HE, -3, 104): —
they took thee for their mother,
And every day do honour to her grave.
A third instance of a cognate kind (a transition from the third to
the second person) occurs in A. IV, sc. 2, 1. 217 seq.: —
With female fairies will his tomb be haunted,
And worms will not come to thee.
*Alack, no remedy!' (HI, 4, 163), is the only remark to be made on
these and similar deviations from correct and grammatical diction, by
which not only 'Cymbeline', but Shakespeare's latest plays in general,
are marked. See Dyce's note on I, 1, 118 (While sense can keep
it on).
DLYI.
Clo, I love and hate her: for she's fair and royal,
And that she has all courtly parts more exquisite
Than lady, ladies, woman; from every one
The best she hath, and she, of all compounded,
Outsells them all.
lb., Ill, 5, 70 aeqq.
Line 71, left unnoticed by Mr. Fleay, has a triple ending (eocquisUe),
In the next line, this dreadful crux, I suspect, though not without
diffidence, that we should read: —
Than lady, lass, or woman; &c.
except it should be deemed admissible to introduce into the text of
Shakespeare the diminutive lassie, in which case the reading 'Than
lady, lassie y woman' would come nearest to the old text. I am well
aware that lass (or lassie) is chiefly a pastoral word, its use, however,
is not restricted exclusively to that homely kind of poetry, as it is
proved by a signal instance in Shakespeare. In Antony and Cleo-
patra, Y, 2, 318 seq. Charmian, speaking of the dead Queen of
Egypt, says: —
Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies
A lass unparaUel'd.
Cleopatra is certainly anything but pastoral, and Imogen deserves the
praise of being *a lass unparallel'd ' in a far higher and nobler sense
than she. In our passage the poet evidently alludes to the different
classes of womankind, of every one of which Imogen has the best.
She possesses the nobleness and dignified manners of a lady, the
innocence and sprightliness of a yoimg girl, and the true womanly
S20 - CtMBfiLmS.
feeling of a matron, and thus, of all compounded, outsells them all.
The strained explanation of the old text given by Singer cannot find
favour in the eyes of scholars trained to the strict exegetical rules
of classical philology. According to him Shakespeare means to say
that Imogen has the courtly parts more exquisite 'than any lady,
than all ladies, than all womankind.' The passage from AU's Well
that Ends Well (U, 3, 202: to any count; to all counts; to what is
man) quoted by Singer, is not to the point, in so far as it is intel-
ligible and correct, two distinguishing qualities of which the passage
in Cymbeline cannot boast.
DLYn.
I will not ask again. Close villain,
I'U have this secret from thy heart, or rip
Thy heart to find it lb,, lU, 5, Soseqq,
L. 85 is a catalectic verse (see note II) and there is no need of
adopting the division of Dyce's second edition, viz.: —
Close villain, I
WiU have this secret &c.
DLYin.
Pis. [Aside] I'll write to my lord she's dead. Imogen.
lb., m, 5, 104.
S. Walker, Crit. Exam., HI, 326, needlessly proposes to omit to;
scan: —
I'll write I to m'lord | she's dead. | Im|ogen.
Compare note CCCXXX7.
DUX.
Be but duteous, and true preferment shall tender itself to thee.
JO)., in, 5, 159 8eq.
S.Walker, Crit. Exam., Ill, 326, very properly asks: *What has ^Hrue
preferment" to do here?' and proposes to point: 'be but duteous and
true, preferment' &c. Trus certainly cannot be joined to jpref&nn&nt,
but must necessarily refer to Pisanib, as Cloten in 1. 110 has required
true service from Pisanio and repeats his admonition immediately
after (L 162: Come, and be true) to which admonition Pisanio in his
soliloquy replies: —
true to thee
Were to prove false, which I will never be,
To him that is most true.
CYMBELINE. 3^1
On the other hand, the omission of and before preferment seems
harsh; perhaps a slight transposition may help us to the tnie reading,
viz.: be but dtUeous-tttte, and preferment dtc. Compare S. Walker,
Crit. Exam., I, 21 seqq. Merchant of Venice, HI, 4, 46 (honest -true)]
Cymbeline, V, 5, 86 (duteous-diligent).
DLX.
Pis, Thou bid'st me to my loss: for true to thee
Were to prove false, which I will never be,
To him that is most tnie.
75., niy 5, 163 seqq.
Collier's MS -Corrector: *to thy loss*, which lection has been intro-
duced into the text by the Rev. H. Hudson who thinks my hss * little
better than unmeaning here.' Quite the contrary. To Cloten's Ex-
hortation *be but duteous -true, and preferment * shall tender itself to
thee', Pisanio replies: *no, the way thou bidst me go, would not lead
to my preferment, but to my loss, in so far as it would make me
false to my master who is the tmest of all.'
DLXI.
Imo. To Milford - Haven.
Bel. What's your name? lb., m, 6y SBseq.
These two short lines should be joined into one, which is to be
scanned and read: —
Imo. To Mil I ford Ha|ven. j. \
Bel. What is \ your name?
The reading What is was proposed by CapeU. — Two lines further
on we have no choice left but to adopt Hanmer's correction embarks
instead of embarked y so much the more as in A. IV, sc. 2, I. 29l8eq.
we learn from Imogen that she has by no means given up her
journey to Milford -Haven and consequently is still in hopes of joining
Lucius there. By the way it may be remarked, that Hanmer's
edition (Oxford, 1770) does not read embarqueSy as reported in the
Cambridge Edition, but embarks.
DLXn.
I should woo hard but be your groom. In honesty.
Ib.y Illy 6y 70.
This line, not noticed by Mr. Fleay, is not an Alexandrine, but has
a triple ending (honesty).
Elze, Notes. 21
322 CniBELINE.
DLXm.
Bel. He wrings at some distress.
Qui. Would I could free 't!
Arv, Or I, whatever it be,
What pain it cost, what danger. Gods!
Bel. (whispering). Hark, boys.
lb., ni, 6, 798eq.
The exclamation ^Godsl' is uncalled for and meaningless in the mouth
of Arvii^us, whereas it would be most appropriate and fraught with
meaning when coming from Imogen, who cannot but be deeply moved
by the noble ardour with which the two young men declare them-
selves ready to relieve her of her secret distress, whatever danger or
pain it may cost; she caUs the gods to witness of their touching
and high-minded intents. A few lines lower down she is again
prompted by her feelings to invoke the gods. * Pardon me, gods!',
she exclaims, 'but I would change my sex to be companion with
these two young men.' Compare also her exclamation: *0 Gods and
Goddesses' in lY, 2, 295. Arrange, therefore: —
Arv. Or I, whate'er it be.
What pain it cost, what danger.
Into, (aside). Gods!
Bel. (whispering). Hark, boys.
(The Athenaeum, Dec. 17, 1887, p. 836. Replies by A. Hall and
Dr. Brinsley Nicholson, ib., Dec. 31, 1887, p. 904.)
DLXIV.
Cowards father cowards and base things sire base.
Ib., IK 2, 26,
S. Walker, Versification, 145, and Crit. Exam., I, 153 dissyUabizes
sire. There is, however, room for two other scansions, viz.: —
Cow'rds fa|ther cow|ard8 and | base things | sire base;
Cowards j fath'r cowjards and | base things | sire base.
DLXV.
Know'st me not by my clothes?
Qui. No, nor thy tailor, rascal.
Ib., IV, 2, 81.
One of Mr. Fleay's Alexandrines. Pope omitted rascal, no doubt on
purely metrical grounds. There is, however, another argument which
speaks in favour of this omission, and tliis is the marked contrast
between the two characters of Cloten and Guiderius. Cloten, from
the veiy moment of his entrance, heaps the most abusive language
on his adversary, whereas Gniderius studiously refrains from retaliating.
Guiderius says (1. 78 seq.): —
Thy words, I grant, are. bigger, for I wear not
My dagger in my mouth.
Only twice he retorts: in 1. 72seqq. (A thing more slavish &c., which
is moderate language enough) and in 1. 89 (thou double villain). I
am, therefore, inclined to agree with Pope, not only because rascal
spoils the metre, but at the same time because it contradicts the weU-
defined character of Guiderius. It is no doubt an actor's addition.
DIxXVI.
Yield, rustic mountaineer. [Exetmt fyhting.
Be -enter Belamus afid Arviragus.
Bel. No companies abroad?
lb., IV, 2, 100 seq.
Metrically considered this is a very curious line, as it admits of no
less than three different scansions. First the two hemistichs may be
considered as two short lines and as such they are printed by Dyce,
in the Cambridge and Globe Editions, &c. Or they may be connected
so as to form an Alexandrine, which has been done by Mr. Fleay,
and here it must be owned that such Alexandrines (or trimeter
couplets) are by no means of rare occurrence. The tliird way of
scanning the line is to read mountainer and pronounce the word
as a triple ending before the pause. We shall then have to deal
with a regular blank verse, an(i I need scarcely add that in my con-
viction this is the true scansion. The Ff certainly read mountaineer,
but in 1. 71 of our scene they exhibit the spelling ^nountainers which
S.Walker, Versification, 224, is mistaken in declaring an erratum, as
according to his own showing it occurs also in Chapman's The
Widow's Tears, IV, 1. Besides it corresponds exactly with the spell-
ings pioner and enginer in Hamlet, I, 5, 163 and III, 4, 207; com-
pare my second edition of Hamlet, p. 114 (note on Climatures) and
supra note CDX (OtheUo, I, 1, 126).
DLXVn.
• And burst of speaking, were as his: I am absolute.
lb., IV, 2, 106.
A Spenserian Alexandrine according to Mr. Fleay; I think it a blank
verse with a triple ending (absolute).
2V
324 CTHBELINE.
DLXVm.
Bel Being scarce made up,
I mean, to man, he had not apprehension
Of roaring terrors; for defect of judgement
Is oft the cause of fear. But, see, thy brother.
lb., IV, 2, 109 seqq.
Theobald's conjectural emendation W effect instead of defect has been
admitted into the text of the Globe Edition; the other attempts at
correcting this e\ddently corrupted passage are hardly worth men-
tioning. Perhaps we should read and arrange: —
for defect of judgment
Is oft the cause of fearlessness. But see!
Thy brother!
I cannot attach any great weight to the objection which will pro-
bably be raised against this conjectural emendation, that fearlessness
does not belong to Shakespeare's vocabulary, since fearless, fearful,
and fear fulness do; besides the word comes nearer to the ductus lUe-
rarum of the old copies than if courage or valour should be sug-
gested instead. At all events I feel sure that this is the thought
that was in the poet's mind.
DLXIX.
So the revenge alone pursued me! Polydore.
lb., IV, 2, 157.
No Alexandrine, but a blank verse with a triple ending (Polydore).
Mr. Fleay does not mention this line.
DLXX.
Is Cadwal mad?
Bel. Ijook, here he comes.
B., IV, 2, 195.
A defective line thus completed by S. Walker, Grit Exam., 11, 145: —
Is Cadwal mad?
Bel. Cadwal! — Look, here he comes!
However ingenious this conjecture may be, yet I cannot refrain from
giving it a somewhat different turn by assigning the exclamation
Cadwal! to Guiderius: —
Is Cadwal mad? Cadwal!
Bd. Look, here he comes.
CYMBEUNE. 325
DLXXI.
Yea,, and furr'd moss besides, when flowers are none,
To winter -ground thy corse.
Ih., IV, 2, 228 seq.
The late Dr. C. M. Ingleby and myself have independently conjectured
tvind around for tointer- ground. See Shakespeare's Cymbeline: The
Text Eevised and Annotated by C. M. Ingleby, LL. D. (London, 1886),
p. 143 and 212.
DLXXn.
Gui, Cadwal, I cannot sing: I'll weep and word it with thee.
. Ib.y IV, 2y 240.
An Alexandrine, if we are to believe Mr. Fleay; but Cadwal palpably
forms an interjectional line and is printed as such by Dyce, in the
Cambridge and Globe Editions, &c.
DLXXin.
Gui. Nay, Cadwal, we must lay his head to the east;
My father has a reason for it.
Ih., IV, 2, 255 seq.
*What was Belarius' "reason"', says Mr. R. Gr. White ad he., 'for
this disposition of the body in the ground I have been unable to
discover.' — Belarius' reason is no doubt to be found in the custom
which prevailed in the Christian church to bury the dead with their
heads looking to the East, where the Saviour had lived and from
whence he is beUeved to re -appear on the day of the last judgment.
This custom has even continued as late as the present century, as
will be seen from the following passage in Thomas Carlyle's * Reminis-
cences' (ed. by J. A. Proude, London, 1881, YoLI, p. 39). *My father',
he writes, 4s now in his grave, sleeping by tiie side of his loved
ones, his face to the east, under the hope of meeting the Lord when
He shall come to judgment, when the times shall be fulfilled.' From
the same motive the early Christians turned their face to the East
when praying and the churches face the same part of the horizon,
in so far as the chancel which contains the altar, the consecrated
wafers, the crucifix, &c. generally occupies the eastern end of the
building. See J. Kreuser, Der ckristliche Kirchenbau (Bonn, 1851),
I, 42 seqq. Id., Wiederum christlicher Kirchenbau (Brixen, 1868),
I, 338 seqq. and 11, 416 seqq. Even the temples of classical antiquity
are shown to have been constructed according to the same plan by
Heinrich Nissen (Das Templum, Berlin, 1869). Our passage proves
that Shakespeare was conversant with some one or other of these
facts, though nobody can tell exactly with which; most probably
326 CYMBELHTE.
with the mode of making the dead in their graves look to the East.
Compare also Dr. Johnson's note on Hamlet, V, 1, 4: make her grave
straight; Dr. Johnson, however, is wrong in so far as straight in this
passage means immediately.
DLXXIV.
But, soft! no bedfellow! — gods and goddesses.
lb., IVy 2, 295.
Not noticed by Mr. Fleay, although this verse might be pronounced
to be an Alexandrine just as well as the rest. I need scarcely say
that I declare in favour of a blank verse versus Alexandrine. Two
different scansions would seem to be admissible, viz.: —
But, soft! I no bed I fellow! gods | and godldess^s,
or: —
But, soft! I no bed I fellow! | gods | and god|desses.
In the former case bedfellow, in the latter (which I cannot but think
i^T^feiMe)' goddesses is to be read as a triple ending.
DLXXY.
For so I thought I was a cave -keeper.
lb., IV, 2, 298.
Rightly corrected by Collier's so called MS -Corrector: —
For lof I thought I was a cave -keeper.
DLXXYI.
Struck the main -top! Posthumus! alas.
lb., IV, 2, 320.
The transposition proposed by Capell (according to the Cambridge
Edition): Posthumus, 0! alas seems needless. Scan either: —
Struck the | maintop! | ^ 0, | Posthum's! | alas,
or: —
Stnick I the main | top! 0, | Posthum's! | alas.
DLXXVn.
Which he said was precious
And cordial to me, have I not found it
Murderous to the senses? That confirms it home.
lb., n^, 2, 326seqq.
GTMBELm£. 327
Scan: —
Which he said was precious
. And cor I dial to | me, j. \ have I | not found | it
Murd'rous | to th' senjses? That | confirms | it home.
It seems surprising that the last line has not been mentioned by
Mr. Fleay in his list of Alexandrines.
DLXXVm.
dap. To them the legions garrisoned in Gkdlia
After your will, have cross'd the sea.
Ib.y IV, 2, 333 seq.
In my eyes the anonymous conjecture (by the Cambridge Editors?),
according to which To them does not form part of the text, but of
the stage -direction (and a sooth- sayer to iketn) is both above doubt
and above praise. Compare amongst other passages t he stage^d irec-
tion in Coriolanus I, 4: To them a Messenger.
DLxxrx.
Attending
You here at Milford- Haven with your ships.
lb., IV, 2, 334 seq.
FACD: with your ships; FB: u^ith you ships (not your, as Dyce
erroneously says). Neither of these two lections can be right. Qy.
unth yon ships? It may safely be assumed that Milford -Haven with
its ships is to be seen from the spot where Lucius is conversing with
the officers, as we have heard from Imogen (III, 6, 5) that Pisanio
showed it to her before parting with her. Or is recourse to be had
to the correction with their ships?
DIjXXX.
And gentlemen of Italy, most willing spirits.
lb., IV, 2, 338.
This line which Mr. Fleay takes to be an Alexandrine, in my opinion
has a triple ending before the pause; scan: —
And gen|tlemen | of It|aly, most wil|ling spir|its.
DLXXXI.
Cap. With the next benefit o' the wind.
Ijuc, This forwardness.
lb., IV, 2, 342.
328 CTMBELDTE.
Scan: —
Cap, With the | next benefit of | the wind. |
Luc, This for|wardnes8.
Forwardness is to be read as a triple ending. The line might have
figured among Mr. Fleay's Alexandrines.
DLXXXn.
They *11 pardon it — Say you, sir?
Imc. Thy name?
Imo. Kdele, sir.
76., IV, 2, 379.
I subscribe unhesitatingly to Hanmer's omission of the second «r;
as to his contraction of pardon it (pardon H), however, I think it
more correct to scan: pard'n it: —
They '11 pard'n | it. Say | you, sir? |
Luc, Thy name? |
Imo. Fidejle.
Compare notes CLXXVn and CDVin.
DLXXXm.
My friends,
The boy hath taught us manly duties: let us
Find out the prettiest daisied plot we can,
And make him with our pikes and partisans
A grave.
lb., IV, 2, 396 seqq.
S. "Walker, Crit. Exam., in, 327, proposes to omit thee after father in
the preceding line (1. 395) and to arrange the passage as in the Ff.
r should prefer to join My friends with 1. 397; to contract. fe^ us
and transfer it to the following line; and to omit out in 1. 398: ^ —
My friends, the boy hath taught us manly duties:
Let's find the prettiest daisied plot we can.
And make him with our pikes and partisans
^ A grave.
DLXXXIV.
The hope of comfort. But for thee, fellow.
lb., IV, 3, 9,
Capell: But for thee, thee, feUow] compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam.,
n, 146. Dr. Abbott, s. 453, scans: —
The hope | of com [fort. But | for thee, | fallow.
CYMBELmE. 329
Thus the line is made to end in a trochee, since, according to
Dr. Abbott, *the old pronunciation "fell6w" is probably not Shake-
spearian.' The verse is undoubtedly a syllable pause line: —
The hope | of com | fort. ± \ But for | thee, fel|low.
DLXXXV.
Pis, Sir, my life is yours;
I humbly set it at your will; but, for my mistress,
I nothing know where she remains, why gone,
Nor when she purposes return. Beseech your highness,
Hold me your loyal servant.
First Lord. Good my liege.
The day that she was missing &c.
lb., IV, 3, 12 seqq.
Arrange: —
Pis. Sir, my life is yours;
I humbly set it at your will; but for
My mistress, I nothing know where she remains,
Why gone, nor when slie purposes return.
Beseech your highness, hold me your loyal servant.
First Lord. Good my liege.
The day that she was missing Ac.
Thus we get rid of the two apparent Alexandrines in lines 13 and 15.
Lines 14 and 16 have extra syllables before the pause (mistress
and highness).
DLXXXVI.
All parts of his subjection loyally. For Cloten.
lb., IV, 3, 19.
The words For Cloten have been placed in a separate line by Capell.
According to Mr. Fleay the line is an Alexandrine with the cesura
after the tenth (!) syllable. I have no doubt that loyally is to be
read as a triple ending before the pause: —
All parts I of his | subject | ion loy|ally. For Clojten.
Trovblesome in line 21, and jealousy in 1. 22 are triple endings too.
DLXXXVIL
We grieve at chances here. Away!
lb., IV, 3, 35.
Hanmer completes this line by adding: Corm let's before Away I,
330 CYMBELINE.
whicli involves an unpleasant repetition of Let's ivUhdraw in 1. 32.
S. Walker, Versification, 273, would arrange: —
We grieve at chances here.
Away.
This seems even more unlikely than Hanmer^s addition. I do not
see the necessity of filling up the line; if, however, such a com-
pletion should be deemed indispensable, I should suggest to read: —
We grieve at chances here. Away, my lords.
DLXXXVm.
Wherein I am false I am honest; not true, to be true.
Ib.y IV, 3, 42.
A Spenserian Alexandrine, if we are to believe Mr. Fleay. I suspect
that we ought to scan: —
Wherein | I'm false | I'm hon|est; not true | to be | true.
DLXXXIX.
Revengingly enfeebles me; or could this carL
76., V, 2, 4,
An Alexandrine according to Mr. Fleay. The Hne, I think, has a
triple ending before the pause; scan: —
Reveng|ingly | enfee|bles me; or could | this carl.
DXC.
Post. Still going? [Exit Lord.] This is a lord! noble misery.
lb., V, 3, 64.
Not noticed by Mr. Fleay. Pope, Theobald, and Hanmer omit SOU
going?, whilst S. Walker (Crit Exam., Ill, 327), Dyce, and the Rev.
H. Hudson place these words in a separate line. In my humble
opinion both parties are wrong. Instead of this is read this' (see
Abbott, p. 343) and pronounce misery as a triple ending: —
Still gojing? This' | a lord! | no|ble mis|ery.
DXCI.
And so I am awake. Poor wretches that depend.
lb., V, 4, 127.
One of Mr. Fleay 's Alexandrines. I strongly suspect: —
And so I I'm 'wake. | Poor wretch |es that | depend.
Compare Abbott, s. 460,
CYHBELmE. 331
Dxcn..
Tongue and brain not; either both, or nothing.
lb., F, 4, 147.
Tongtie is to be read as a monosyllabic foot; the conjectures pro-
posed by Rowe, Pope, Johnson, Steevens, and others may be stowed
away in the critical lumber-room. Scan: —
Tongue | and brain { not; eith|er both | or nothjing.
Dxcm.
O'ercome you with her show, and in time.
lb., V, 5, 54.
Here too all conjectures are needless; scan: —
O'ercome | you with | her Show, | ^^ and | in time.
A similar scansion holds good with respect to 1. 62, where Hanmer
inserted Yet before Mine eyes] scan: —
We did, I so please | your high|nes8. ji | Mine eyes.
Both verses are syllable pause lines.
DXCIV.
Oym. All that belongs to this.
lack. That paragon, thy daughter.
lb., V, 5, 147.
Another of Mr. Fleay's Alexandrines. The line has a triple ending
before the second pause. Scan: —
Oym. All that | belongs | to this. |
lack. That par | agon, thy daugh|ter.
DXCV.
For feature, laming
The shrine of Venus, or straight -pight Minerva,
Postures beyond brief nature.
lb., V, 5, 163 seqq.
*By a sharp torture' something like a meaning may be /enforced'
from these lines, shrine, in the opinion of the editors, being used
here and elsewhere in the sense of statue. The only critics, as far
as I know, that take exception against this awkward metonymy in
the present passage and declare the line to be corrupt, are Bailey
(who absurdly suggests shrinking Venus) and the late Prof. Hertz-
berg in the notes on his translation of our play; but his attempts at
healing the corruption are inferior to his arguments and unsatisfactory
332 CYMBJELUiTE.
even in his own eyes. I imagine that Shakespeare wrote stvim
instead of shrine, thus contrasting the swimming gait of Venus with
the stiff and strait -built stature of Minerva, a contrast well known
to every student of ancient art. It must be admitted that the sub-
stantive sioirn does not belong to Shakespeare's vocabulary; it is used,
however, by B. Jonson, Cynthia's Bevels, II, 1: Save only you
wanted the swim in the turn, and: Both the swim and the trip are
properly mine. Compai'e note CCLXXXYIII.
DXCYI.
0, get thee from my sight.
lb., V, 5, 236.
A mutilated line to which the name of Pisanio should be added: —
0, get 1 thee from | my sight, | Pisa\nio, ^
See note on T, 1, 41.
DXCYn.
Breathe not where princes are.
Gym. The tune of Imogen.
lb., V, 5, 238,
Declared to be an Alexandrine by Mr. Fleay. Imogen, however, is
clearly a triple ending; compare ante 1. 227, where the second Imogen
is to be pronounced as a dissyllable: —
Imo|gen, Im|'genl Peace, | my lord; | hear, hear.
Compare also note on Antony and Cleopatra, IV, 9, 23 seqq., where
the first Antony is likewise a trisyllable, the second a dissyllable.
Dxcvni.
Think that you are upon a rock; and now
Throw me again.
lb., V, 5, 262 seq.
Mr. K. Grant White has hit the mark in suggesting the emendation,
Think she's upon your neck, only he should have conformed it to the
metre; read: —
Think that she is upon your neck; and now
Throw me again.
DXCIX.
With unchaste purpose and with oath to violate.
lb., F, 5, 284.
CYMBEUNE. 333
Not mentioned by Mr. Fleay; inolate is a triple ending. Compare
Childe Harold, IV, 8: —
The inviolate is | land of | the sage | and free,
and Tennyson, Idylls of the King (London, 1859) p. 160: —
Not vi plating | the bond | of like | to like.
DC.
Arv, In that he spake too far.
Oym, And thou shalt die for 't.
Bel, We will die all three:
But I will prove that two on's are as good
As I have given out him.
lb., V, 5, 309 seqq.
Arrange: —
Arv, In that he spake too far.
Oym. [To Bd.] And -thou shalt die for it.
Arv. We will die all tliree.
Bel But I will prove that two on's are as good
As I have given out him.
Cymbeline's speech (And thou <Sbc.) is shown by the context to be
addressed to Belarius, and not to Arviragus, who has committed no
offence whatever. The two persons condemned to death by the King
are Guiderius and Belarius, whilst Arviragus is allowed to live; con-
sequentiy he is the only person to whom the words, *We will die
aU three' can be assigned.
DCI.
Qui. And our good his.
Bd. • Have at it then, by leave.
Thou hadst, great king, a subject who
Was call'd Belarius.
Jh.y V, 5, 314 seqq.
All endeavours of healing this manifesCly comipt passage have proved
insufficient. I refrain, therefore, from reproducing them and merely
beg to offer a contribution of my own. I suspect that we should
read and arrange: —
Qui. And our good is your good.
Bd. Have at it then.
By leave! Thou hadst, great king, a subject who
Was call'd Belarius.
Of this I feel certain that the words By leave! ar^ not addressed to
Guiderius and Arviragus, but to the king, and so Capell and Dyoe
334 CYMBELIWE.
seem to have understood the passage. For greater perspicuity's sake
the stage -direction: [7b Cym.] might be added at the beginning
of 1. 315.
pen.
Your pleasure was my mere offence, my punishment.
lb., r. 5, 334.
Not noticed by Mr. Fleay; punishment is a triple ending. — The
same scansion occurs in 1. 344 (also left unnoticed by Mr. Fleay)
where loyalty is a triple ending.
Dcm.
Unto my end of stealing them. But, gracious sir.
lb., V, 5, 347.
Pope omits ffraoious and Mr. Fleay takes the line to be an Alexan-
drine with the cesura after the eighth syllable. I have no doubt
that the verse, like so many others, has a triple ending before the
pause; scan: —
Unto I my end | of steal [ing 'em. But, gra|cious sir.
DCIV.
The thankings of a king.
Post. I am, sir. lb., V, 5, 407.
A sj^llable pause line; scan: —
The thank|ings of | a king. |
Post. w I I am, sir.
There is no need whatever of conjecturing or correcting.*
* As at p. 295 I have reproduced the introductory words of my Letter
to C. M. Ingleby, Esq., I must here make room for the concluding words too.
They were these: 'This, my dear Ingleby, is my critical mite on "Cymbeline".
I am perfectly aware that the revision and explanation of this play will still
be a match for ages to come and wish above all that the state of your health
may shortly allow you to do youf part and complete your edition. Not even
the st^chest defender of the Foho can go so far as to deny that by the con-
tinued efforts of editors and critics tlie text of Shakespeare has been brought
a great deal nearer to its original purity than when it was printed by Isaac
.laggard and Ed. Blount in 1623. Shakespeare's versification too is far better
understood by the commentators of to-day than by Nicholas Rowe and the
rest of the eighteenth - centuiy - editors. ''Step by step the ladder is ascended."
These facts justify tlie hope that the twentieth century may enjoy a still
more correct text of the immortal dramatist and possess a deeper insight into
his language and metre than we can boast of. May we then be remembered
as having assisted in handing down the torch from one generation to the
other. Vale faveque. Alwavs believe me, dear Ingleby, Yours very sincerely
K. E. HaUe, On the Ides of March, 1885.'
PERICLES. 335
DCV.
Bring in our daughter, clothed like a bride,
For the embracements even of Jove himself.
Pericles y I, 1, 6 seq.
Line 6 admits of a twofold scansion: —
Bring in | our daygh|ter, cloth jed like | a bride,
or, which I think preferable: —
Bring in | our daugh|ter, z. \ clothed like | a bride.
In the following line the conjecture Fit for (by the Cambridge
Editors?) should unhesitatingly be installed in the text and the
article thSy inserted by Malone, but omitted by the anonymous con-
jecturer, as unhesitatingly be retained: —
FU for the embracements even . of Jove himself.
DCVI.
Per. See where- she comes, appareU'd like the spring,
Graces her subjects, and her thoughts the king
Of every virtue gives renown to men!
Ih., I, 7, 12 seqq.
Qy. read either: —
Graces her subjects, and her thought the king,
or: —
Grace is her subject, and her thought's the king?
ThougMs is a conjecture by the Cambridge Editots (?). The s in
thoughts may have intruded by way of a dfioioveXevrov (Graces, sub-
jects, thoughts). See note CCLXni.
Dcvn.
Good sooth, I care not for yon. lb., 1, 1, 86.
Add the stage -direction: [Pushes the Princess back]. Compare A. V,
sc. 1, 1.127: when I did push thee back. The stage- direction: Takes
hold of the hand of the Princess, added by Malone after 1. 76, in
my opinion misses or rather contradicts the intention of the poet as
expressed in the text.
Dcvin.
Ant. He hath found the meaning, for which we mean
To have his head.
He must not live to trumpet forth my infamy,
Nor tell the world Antiochus doth sin
In such a loathed manner. lb., I, 1, 143 seqq.
336 PEIUCLE8.
Arrange and read: —
Ant. He hath found the meaning,
For which we mean to have his head; he must
Not live to trumpet forth my infamy,
Nor tell the world Antiochus doth sin
In such a loathed manner toith his daughter.
He hath is to be contracted into a monosyllable; see note CDLXXIX.
For which is the reading of all the old editions; Malone,, in con-
sequence of his wrong division of the lines, added the article before
which, an' addition which, although very well compatible with my
arrangement, yet seems needless.
DCIX.
Because we bid it. Say, is it done?
Thai. My lord,
'Tis done.
Ant. Enough. lb., I, 1, ISSseqq.
This division was introduced by Steevens and has even been adopted
by the Cambridge (and Globe) Editors. The an^angement of the old
copies, however, is quite correct and should not have been altered;
it is this: —
Because | we bid | it. ^ | Say, is | it done?
Thai My lord, 'tis done.
Ant. Enough.
DCX.
I'll make him sure enough: so farewell to your highness.
lb., I, 1, 169.
Sure enough is a triple ending before the pause: —
I'll make | him sure | enough ; so fare | well to | your high | ness.
See notes CDVn and CDLYIH.
DCXI.
And danger, which I fear'd, is at Antioch. lb., I, 2, 7.
S. Walker, Versification, 100, suggests, fear'd, 's at Antioch, which
on account of the pause after fear'd, does not seem likely. I think
we should omit at before Antioch and read: —
The danger, which I fear'd, is Antioch.
The comma at the end of the preceding line should be altered to a
colon, if not a full stop.
PEMCLES. 337
Dcxn.
And then return to us. [Eoceunt Lords.] Helieanus, thou
Hast moved us: what seest thou in our looks?
lb., I, 2, dOseq.
Helicarvus is to be pronounced as a trisyllabic word (= Hd*canus)]
compare Pericles which is several times used as a dissyllable (see
note DCXXII) and Leonine which in A. IV, sc. 1, 1. 30 and A. lY,
sc. 3, 1. 9 has likewise the quality of a dissyllable, whereas in A. IV,
sc. 3, 1. 30 it is a trisyllable. See note CDLV (Enoharlms). —
Line 51 is a syllable pause line; scan: —
Hast moved | us: j. \ what seest | thou in | our looks?
DCXin.
Per. Thou know'st I have power
To take thy life from thee.
Eel. [Kneeling] I have ground the axe myself;
Do you but strike the blow.
Per. Eise, prithee,. rise.
Sit down: thou art no flatterer:
I thank thee for it: and heaven forbid
That kings should let their ears hear their faults chid,
lb. J I, 2, 57 seqq.
Arrange, read, and scan: —
Per. Thou know'st Fve power
To take thy life from thee.
Hel. [Kneeling] I've ground the axe
Myself; do you but strike the blow, my lord.
Per. Eise, prithee, rise. Sit down: thou art no flatterer;
I thank | thee for | it; ^ | and heaven | forbid
That kings should let their ears hear their faults chid.
In aU old and modem editions, as far as I know, myself belongs to
1. 58; for the transfer of this word to the next line, I must answer
as well as for the addition of my lord. Flatterer, in 1. 60, is a triple
ending. L. 61 is a syllable pause line and does not stand in need
of Steevens's conjecture high heaven. With respect to 1. 62 I entirely
agree with Dyce.
DCXIV.
Hel. Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak.
lb., /, 2, 101.
Pronounce m'lard. Compare supra notes CCCXXXV (p. 187) and DLVHT.
El2e, Notes. 22
338 PERICLES.
DCXV.
Freely will I speak. Antiochiis you fear,
And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by public war or private treason
Will take away your life. lb., /, 2, 102 seqq.
A perfect muddle. Read and scan either: —
Freely | will I | speak, j. \ You fear | the ty|rant
Antiochus, and justly too, I think.
Who either by public war or private treason
Will take away your life,
or: —
I will speak freely. Antiochus you fear,
The ty|rant, ± \ and just|ly too, [ I think,
Who either &c.
That either is frequently contracted into a monosyllable, need hardly
be mentioned; compare S. Walker, Versification, 103.
DCXVI.
Or till the Destinies do cut his thread of life.
lb., I, 2y 108.
This line is by no means an Alexandrine, but has a triple ending
before the pause; scan: —
Or till I the Destinies do cut | his thread | of life.
Dcxvn.
But should he wrong my liberties in my absence.
lb., /, 2, 112.
Can the meaning be: What, if he should encroach on my princely
rights in my absence? Or is my liberties to be regarded as a cor-
ruption? CoUier assures his readers that *we may be reasonably sure
that "my liberties" ought to be "<% liberties."' This, however, is
anything but an improvement. By the context I am led to imagine
that Shakespeare wrote Tyre's liberties'^ liberties to be pronounced as
a dissyllable. In the reply which Helicanus makes to this speech,
a line seems to have been lost, the purport of which apparently was:
In order to prevent suck a misfortune we shall mingle oiu* bloods
together &c.
DCXYm.
And so in ours: some neighbouring nation. lb., /, 4, 65.
Qy.: and so is ours?
PERICLES. 339
DCXIX.
Lord. That^s the least fear; for, by the semblance.
lb,, J, 4, 7L
How are we to scan: —
That's the | least fear; | for by | the 8emb|(e) lance,
or:
That is I the least | fear; j. \ for by | the 8emb|lanoe?
©cxx.
And to fulfil his prince' desire.
i5., n, Gower, 21.
The majority of the old editions exhibit the reading princes desire
which has been altered by Eowe to princess Desire, Malone and all
editors after him read prince' desire. To me Eowe's correction seems
no less admissible than Malone's. For the monosyllabic pronunciation
of desire compare notes CCLY, CDLIV, CDLXXXH and DCXXVII.
DCXXI.
Thanks, fortune, yet, that, after all my crosses,
Thou givest me somewhat to repair myself.
lb., 27, l,1278eq.
Should not Pericles have begun as well as ended his speech with a
rhyming couplet? May not Shakespeare have written: —
Tlianks, fortune, yet, that after all thy [not my] crosses.
Thou givest me somewhat to repair my losses?
Thy crosses is the reading of Delius, derived from Wilkins's novel;
Malone, my, Qq and Ff, aU crosses. Heritage, in the following line,
is a triple ending.
Dcxxn.
Keep it, my Pericles; it hath been a shield.
lb., n, ly 132.
Scan either: —
Keep it, I my Per|icles; | it hath been | a shield,
or: —
Keep it, I my Per|'cles; it | hath been | a shield.
For the contraction of it hath compare note CDLXXIX. Pericles, as
a dissyllable, occurs in A. 11, sc. 3, 1. 81: —
A gent|leman | of Tyre; | v^ my | name, Per|'cle8;
in A. n, sc. 3, 1. 87 (according to my arrangement; see note ad loc.)]
A. m, Gower, 1. 60 (a four-feet line with an extra syllable before
22*
340 PEBICLES.
the pause); A. IV, sc. 3, 1. 13, a line which seems to admit of a
twofold scansion, viz.: —
When no|ble Per|'cles shall | demand | his child,
or: —
When no|ble Per | ides | shall d'mand | his child;
and A. IV, sc. 3, 1. 23: —
And o|pen this | to Per|'cles. I | do shame.
Compare note DCXII.
f
Dcxxin.
Sim, Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan
The outward habit by the inward man.
lb., II y 2, oGseq.
To the various conjectures proposed in order to heal 1. 57 (which is
undoubtedly corrupt) the following transposition of the preposition by
may be added: —
By th' out|ward hab|it _i | the in|ward man.
DCXXIV.
Per. You are right courteous knights.
Sim. Sit, sir, sit.
Ib.y U, 5, 27.
A syllable pause line; scan: —
You are | right court | eons knights. | w Sit, | sir, sit.
Steevens's repetition of the first Sit, adopted by Singer, is unnecessary.
DCXXV.
All viands that I eat do seem unsavoury.
Wishing him my meat. Sure, he's a ^lant gentleman.
lb., 11,3, Slseq.
Unsavoury and gentleman are triple endings.
DCXXVI.
Sim, He's but a country gentleman.
lb., U, 3, 33.
The line may easily be completed by the addition of dauglUer: —
Sim. DaitgJUer, he's but a country gentleman.
PEBICLES. 341
BCXKVIL
Sim. And furthermore tell him, we desire to know of him.
lb., 27, 3, 73.
The metre of this line, if rightly understood, is completely right and
no correction whatever is wanted. After the analogy of father,
mother, either, whether, dtc, further in furthermore is to be pronounced
as one syllable; scan therefore: —
And further I more tell | him, we d'sire | to know | of him.
As to d'sire see notes CDLIY and DCXX.
DCXXYm.
Thai. He thanks your ffrace; names himself Pericles,
A gentleman of Tyre,
Who only by misfortune of the seas
Bereft of ships and men, cast on this shore.
lb., U, 3, 86 seqq.
Bead and arrange: —
Thai. He thanks your grace;
Names himself Pericles, a gentleman of Tyre,
Who newly, by misfortune of the seas
Bereft of ships and men, was cast on th' shore.
Only, the reading of all old and modem editions in 1. 88, is decidedly
wrong. On this shore, in 1.89, is the reading of the first Quarto
and the Museum -copy of the second Quarto, whereas all the other
old copies read on the shore. Perhaps we had better read on shore
or ashore (see The Tempest, 11, 2, 128 — not 129, 121 [as printed
in the Globe Edition] being a misprint for 120).
DCXXIX.
Even in your armours, as you are address'd,
Will very well become a soldier's dance.
lb., II, 3, 94 8eq.
Qy. read You'U for WiU?
DCXXX.
Come, sir;
Here is a lady that wants breathing too:
And I have heard, you knights of Tyre
Are excellent in making ladies trip.
lb., II, 3, 100 seqq.
The words Ckrme, sir have been placed in a separate line by Steevens
and other editors, which to me seems to be an unnecessaiy deviation
342 PERICLES.
from the old copies. I rather think that sir is misplaced and belonged
originally to 1. 102 which is thus promoted to the rank of a legitimate
syllable pause line: —
Come, here's a lady that wants breathing too:
And I I have heard, | sir, ± \ you knights | of Tyi-e
Are excellent in making ladies trip.
All other conjectural emendations on this passage do not come half
so near to the text of the old editions as this.
DCXXXI.
BaL No, Escanes, know this of me. /6., //, 4, L
This is the reading of the old copies. Malone: know, Escanes \
Steevens: No, no, my Escanes, Read: —
Now, Escanes, know this of me.
Dcxxxn.
Soon fall to ruin, — your noble self. lb., II, 4, 37.
A syllable pause. line; scan: —
Soon fall I to ru|in, j. \ your nolble self.
Eight lines further on we meet with another syllable pause line of
the same category: —
A twelve I month long|er, jl | let me | entreat | you.
Dcxxxm.
Which vet from her by no means can I get.
lb., II, 5, 6.
The first and second Folios read, Wliich from her (She.] the third and
fourth, Which yet from her (&c,, an unnecessary correction, which
nevertheless lias found admission into the text of the Globe Edition,
whilst the Cambridge Edition follows the two earlier Folios. In my
humble opinion we have to deal with a syllable pause line, however
slight the pause may appear: —
Which from | her ^ | by no j means can | I get.
Compare notes CLXXXVH, CCXI, &c.
DCXXXIV.
One twelve moons more she'll wear Diana's livery.
Ib.y U, 5, 10.
Livery is a triple ending.
PERICLES. 343
DCXXXV.
Third Knight, Loath to bid farewell, we take our leaves.
lb,, n, 5, 13.
Steevens: Though loath ^ Anon.: Right loath] Anon.: loill we. No
expletive, however, is wanted, as the verse may safely be reckoned
among the syllable pause lines; scan: —
Loath to I bid fare | well, jl \ we take | our leaves.
In the same scene (1. 74) another syllable pause line occurs, the
pause of which is still slighter than that of 1. 13: —
I am I glad on | it ji | with all | my heart
DOXXXVI.
Will you, not having my consent. 76., II, 5, 76.
If a blank verse should be thought requisite, the line may easily be
completed by the addition of thereto: —
Will you, not having my consent thereto.
Dcxxxvn.
As great in blood as I myself. —
Therefore hear you, mistress; either frame
Tour will to mine, — and you, sir, hear you,
Either be ruled by me, or I will make you —
Man and wife.
lb., II, 5, SOseqq,
No conjectural emendation of 1. 81 is required. Arrange: —
As great in blood as I myself. Therefore
Hear you, mistress; either fiume your will to mine, —
And you, sir, hear you, either be ruled by me, —
Or I wiU make you — man and wife.
Dcxxxvm.
I nil! relate, action may. lb., Ill, Qower, 55,
A syllable pause line; scan: —
I nill I relate, | ^ act | ion may.
DCXXXIX.
Thy nimble, sulphurous flashes! 0, how,^Lychorida,
How does my queen? Thou stormest venomously.
lb., m, 1. eseq.
344 PERICLES.
Line 6 has an extra syllable before the pause and a triple ending.
Sulphurous is to be pronounced as a dissyllable. The trisyllabic
pronunciation of Lychorida occurs again in 1. 65 of this very scene: —
Lying | with 8im|ple shells. | w | Lychorjida.
Venomoiisly, in 1. 7, is a triple ending.
DCXL.
At careful nursing. Go thy ways, good mariner.
lb., UI, 1, SI.
Mariner is a triple ending.
DCXLI.
Death may usui^p on nature many hours,
And yet the fire of life kindle again
The o'erpress'd spirits. I heard of an Egyptian
That had nine hours Hen dead,
Who was by good appliance recovered.
lie -enter a Servant, tvith boxes, napkins, and fire.
Cer. Well said, well said; the fire and cloths.
lb., in, 2, 82 seqq.
This passage which in the Globe Edition is marked with an obelus
before the words: I heard of an Egyptian, seems to admit of a
remedy as satisfactory as it is easy. It strikes me that the lines:
/ heard of an Egyptian recovered, do not belong to Cerimon, but
should be assigned to either the First or Second Gentleman. Ceri-
mon's words, Well said, well said, are by no means addressed to the
Servant and are not equivalent to Well done, as Collier, Delius, and
the Rev. H. Hudson will have it, but form the reply to the Gentle-
man's appropriate and encouraging remark; their meaning is 'well or
timely remarked.' That Shakespeare has given the thought a dif-
ferent turn from what it is in the novel can hardly be a matter of
surprise or cause any difficulty to the critic. In order to restore the
metre the words Who was should be transferred from the beginning
of 1. 86 to the end of 1. 85, and in 1. 86 Dyce's emendation (appliances)
should be adopted: —
That had | nine hou;(e)rs li|en dead, | who was
By good appliances recovered.
I admit that the blank verse (1. 85) thus recovered, though metri-
cally correct, yet has little to recommend it, but is rather lame and
heavy. Critics of less strict observance may, perhaps, be better
pleased by the insertion of the words like this, taken (with a slight
variation) from the respective passage in Wilkins's novel. For the
PERICLES. 345
scansion of 1. 86 (recovered) compare Titus Andronicus, V, 3, 120
(delivered). The passage, then, will read thus: —
Death may usurp on nature many hours
And yet the fire of life kindle again
The o'erpress'd spirits.
First Omt. I heard of an Egyptian
That had nine hours lien dead like this, who was
By good appliances recovered.
Be -enter a Servant, ivith boaces, napkins, and fire.
Cer. Well said, well said. [7b the Servant] The fii-e and
cloths.
DCXLH.
The rough and woeful music that we have.
lb., Ill, 2, 88.
Collier pi-oposes slow for rough] most unlikely. Qy. either soft, low,
or sweet'} Add the stage- direction: Mu^ behind tlie scene.
DCXLHI.
The viol once more: how thou stin*'st, thou block.
lb., Ill, 2, 90.
Read vial. Dyce concludes from the context that Cerimon means the
musical instrument, not a small bottle. The more I have been
thinking of the passage, the more fully am I convinced that the verj^
contrary is true and that we must side with R. Grant White against
Dyce. Cerimon is in a flutter and speaks abruptly to the different
bystanders; first he approves of the well-timed remark of the First
Gentleman; then turns to the Servant; then orders the music to be
sounded; then impatiently calls for the \dal; then incites the music
again. Let a trial be made on the stage, and I have no doubt that
the decision of the audience will be in favour of vial against viol,
although it may be admitted that the latter does not absolutely con-
tradict the context. Stirrest, in the same line, is an evident cor-
ruption from starest. As Cerimon repeatedly exhorts the servant to
bestir himself, it seems impossible that he should blame him for
obeying his command. Besides, a block is not in the habit of stir-
ring, but of staring. Mr. Fleay, in the Transactions of the New
Shakspere Society, 1874, p. 217, reads and scans: —
The vi|ol once | more; how | thou stirr'st, | thou block.
But had not the verse be better scanned as a syllable pause line: —
The vial \ once more; | ^ how | thou starest, I thou block?
346 PE&ICLES.
DCXLIV.
Into life's flower again!
First Oent. The heavens.
lb., in, 2, 96.
A catalectic line (see note 11) to which Steevens proposed to add
sir. In my opinion the addition of my lord (instead of sir) would
bestow a more rhythmical movement on the line; there is, however,
no need of any correction whatever. Two more defective lines follow
at short intervals, viz. EI, 2, 103 and m, 2, 110. In the former
verse, where the arrangement of the old editions seems preferable to
that of Malone, again, in the latter, neighbours would seem to have
been the word that has dropt out: —
To make | the world | twice rich. | ^ Live | again;
For her relapse is mortal. Come, come, neighbours.
Dyce thinks it most probable that the last line should be completed
by a third repetition of come] perhaps it is a catalectic verse just
as well as L 96.
DCXLY.
To have bless'd mine eyes with her!
Per, We cannot but obey.
lb., ni, 3, 9.
Mr. Fleay declares this line to be an Alexandrine. I rather think
that eyes with her is a triple ending before the pause; scan: —
T' have blest | mine eyes | wi' her. We can | not but | obey.
Compare lY, 1, 50 and see note CDLYm.
DCXLVI.
Cle. We'll bring yoiu- grace e'en to the edge o' the shore.
Then give you up to the mask'd Neptune and
The gentlest winds of heaven.
lb., m, 3, Soaeqq.
Instead of the nonsensical masl^d Neptune Dyce proposes vast Nep-
tune] S. Walker, (Crit. Exam., Ill, 336) moist Neptune, The context,
I think, sufficiently shows that a wish for a happy voyage is
implied and that we should read calm or calmest Neptune: —
Cle. We'll bring your grace e'en to the edge o' th' shore,
Then give you up to the calmest Neptune and
The gentlest winds of heaven.
The calmest Neptune would strictly correspond with the gentlest unnds
which, if Cleon's prayer take effect, will this once waft the 'sea- tost'
Pericles safely and smoothly back to Tyre.
PERICLES. 347
DCXLVn.
Delivered, by the holy gods.
lb,, HI, 4, 7.
A mutilated line; add: of a child: —
Delivered of a child, by the holy gods.
Or should we be allowed to supply, of child: —
Delivered, by the holy gods, of child?
DCXLYm.
Where you may abide till your date expire.
lb., in, 4, 14.
A syllable pause line; scan: —
Where you | may 'bide | ^ tiU | yoiu* date | expire.
Malone's conjecture is unnecessary.
DCXLIK.
Might stand peerless by this slaughter.
lb., IV, Qower, 40.
A catalectic line, in which Might stands for a monosyllabic foot. An
acceptable improvement of the metre might be derived from a similar
passage in Antony and Cleopatra, I, 1, 40 (We stand up peerless),
viz.: —
Might stand up peerless by this slaughter.
DCL.
Leon, I will do't; but yet she is a goodly creature.
Dion, The fitter, then, the gods should have her. Here she
comes weeping for her only mistress' death. Thou art resolved?
Leon, I am resolved.
lb., IV, 1, Qaeqq,
Malone's conjectural emendation FU for / vnll, in 1. 9, admits of no
doubt He is also decidedly right in printing (1790) Dionyza's
speech as verse and in ending the first line at Here, Add to these
corrections Percy's ingenious emendation old nurse's instead of the
nonsensical only mistress^ and the original text will be restored: —
Leon. I'U do't; but yet she is a goodly creatui'e.
DUm, The fitter, then, the gods should have her. Here
She comes, weeping for her old nurse's death.
Thou art resolved.
Leon. I am resolved.
348 PERICLES.
DCLI.
Mar, No, I will rob Tellus of her weed. lb., IV, 1, 14.
No is certainly wrong and both Steevens's and Malone's conjectures
(No, no and Now) are anything but improvements. Qy. read and scan: —
So] I I will I rob Teljlus of | her weed?
So is a monosyllabic foot; compare The Works of John Marston, ed.
J. 0. HalliweU (Lon., 1856) Vol. IE, p. 135: —
Tha[is], So, | there's one | fool shipt | away. | Are your
Cross-points discovered? Get your breakfast ready.
Marina, in uttering this exclamation of * acquiescence or approbation',
as Al. Schmidt, s. v. So, defines it, casts a contented glance at the
flowers in her basket Compare note CXCVI.
DCLH.
Lord, how your favour's changed
With tl^s unprofitable woe!
Come, give me your flowers, ere the sea mar it.
Walk with Leonine; the air is quick there,
And it pierces and sharpens the stomach. Come,
Leonine, take her by the arm, walk with her.
Mar, No, I pray you;
m not bereave you of your servant
Dion. Come, come;
I love the king your father, and yoiu^elf.
With more than foreign heart. lb., IV, i, 25 seqq.
Come, in 1. 27, should be transferred to 1. 26, which by this trans-
position becomes a regular blank verse: —
With this I unprof|ita|ble woe. | ^ Come!
The way to the restoration of the rest of 1. 27 has been shown by
the Rev. H. Hudson who supplanted the stupid lection of the old
copies, ere the sea mar it, by the most ingenious emendation: on the
sea- mar gent, which may be brought still nearer to the original ductus
liter arum by being altered to, ^^ere the sea-mar^/ent I am well
aware that on the sea- marge walk, or there the sea-marge umlk, would
lend the line a smoother flow, but these readings would be two or
three steps farther removed from the old text, so that no choice is
left to a strict critic. Instead of quick, which is the uniform reading
of all the old copies, the Cambridge Editors (?) have proposed to
read quicker. Pierces, in 1. 29, is to be pronounced as a monosyl-
lable, like belches (III, 2,55), breathes (III, 2,94), and similar words;
see Abbott, s. 471. In the same line well has been inserted by
Steevens; I should willingly do without this expletive, if I felt sure
that no objection would be raised to the completion of the line by
the archaic form sJmrpeneth, Line 30 is a syllable pause line; scan: —
PERICLES. 349
Leonine, | take her | by th' arm; | v^ walk | with her.
The pronunciation of Leonine has been discussed supra, note on
I, 1, 50. Marina's reply has hitherto been printed either as prose or
in two lines, both of which arrangements are certainly w^rong and
may be avoided by the omission of I before pray] the blank verse
thus restored admits of two different scansions, either with an extra
syllable before the pause (you), or bereave to be pronounced as a
monosyllable.
Being thus corrected, the passage will stand as follows: —
Lord, how your favour's changed
Will this improfitable woe. Come!
Give me your flowers; tkere the sea-mar^ent walk
With Leonine; the air is quick there, and
It pierces and sharpens well the stomach. Come!
Leonine, take her by the arm: walk with her.
Mar. No, pray you; I'll not bereave you of your servant.
Dion, Come, come!
I love the king your father, &c.
DCLin.
What! I must have a care of you.
Mar. My thanks, sweet madam.
lb., IV, 1, 50.
Just like eyes with her in m, 3, 9 the words care of you are to be
read as a triple ending before the pause; scan: —
What! I I must have | a care | o' you.
Mar. My thanks, | sweet mad jam.
DCLTV.
That almost burst the deck.
Leon, When was this? lb., IVyl^SSseq.
The words spoken by Leonine should bo joined to the preceding
line: —
That al|most buret | the deck. |
Leon. w When | was this?
DCLV.
And yet we mourn: her monument. lb., IV, 3, 42.
A defective line which should be completed by the insertion of
for her: —
And yet we mourn for }ier: her monument.
350 PERICLES.
It is a well-known fact that words immediately repeated or doubled
{her: her) frequently mislead the copyist or compositor and are writ-
ten or set up only once instead of twice. See my 'Grundriss der
englischen Philologie' (2* ed., Halle, 1889), S. 75.
DCLVI.
Cle. Thou art like the liarpy,
Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel's face,
Seize with thine eagle's talons. lb,, IV, 3, 468eqq.
An evidently mutilated passage on which although several conjectures
have been wasted already, yet I cannot refrain from increasing their
number. The sense undoubtedly requires the addition of aUure\ read
therefore: —
Thou art like the harpy,
Which, to betray, dost with thine angel's face
AUure, and then seize with thine eagle's talons.
Thus both the sentence and metre are completed. Compare V, 1,
45 seq.: —
She questionless with her sweet harmony
And other chosen attractions, would aUure, &c.
DCLYIL
Lys, How's this? how's this? Some more; be sage.
lb., IV, 6, 102.
Some more; be sage — Plowe conj.; Som^ more, beseech. Collier
conj. Mr. P. A. Daniel proposes to read either No more; be sage!
or, Come now; be sage! I strongly suspect: Once more, be sage!
DCLVm.
Lys. I did not think
Thou couldat have spoke so weU; ne'er dream'd thou couldst
lb., IV, 6, 109 seq.
Qy. read: Thou wouldst have spoke so well; &c.?
DCLIX.
Had I brought hither a corrupted mind.
Thy speech had alter'd it. Hold, here's gold for thee:
Persever in that clear way thou goest,
And the gods strengthen thee!
Mar. The good gods preserve you!
lb., IV, 6, 111 seqq.
PERICLES. 351
Arrange, scan, and read: —
Had I brought hither a corrupted mind,
Thy speech | had al|ter'd it. | Hold, here's | gold for | thee:
Persever in that clear way thou goest, and
The good gods strengthen thee!
Mar, The gods preserve you.
Although 1. 112 is metrically correct, yet I should prefer to read
altered it as a triple ending before the pause and to scan: —
Thy speech | had al|ter'd it. Hold, here | is gold | for thee.
The transposition of cmd from 1. 114 to 1. 113, and of good from
Marina's speech to that of Lysimachus seems to be imperatively
demanded by the metre.
DCLX.
Hear from me, it shall be for thy good.
lb., IV. 6y 123,
Either a syllable pause Hne: —
Hear from | me, _i | it shall | be for j thy good,
or Hear to be considered as a monosyllabic foot: —
Hear | from me, | it shall | be for | thy good.
DCLXI.
Empty
Old receptacles, or common shores, of filth.
lb., IV, 6, 185 seq.
I cannot imagine on what ground Malone's ingenious emendation
sewers for shores can be denied admission into the text.
DCLXII.
And in it is Lysimachus the governor.
Oovemor is a triple ending.
lb., V, 1, 4.
DOLXm.
Mar. If I should tell my history, it would seem
Like lies disdain'd in the reporting.
Per. Prithee, speak.
lb., V, 1, 119 seq.
352 PERICLES.
Two different arrangements may he offered, both of which will
remove the Alexandrine (1. 120). The first is to the following
effect: —
If I I should tell I my hi8t|ory, 't would seem | like lies
Disdain'd in the reporting.
Per, Prithee, speak.
History is to be read as a triple ending before the pause. The
second arrangement begins at L 118: —
You make more rich to owe?
Mar. If I should tell
My history, it would seem like lies disdain'd
Li the reporting.
Per. Prithee, speak.
History to be read as a dissyllable. It seems hard to tell which of
these two arrangements possesses the better claim to be considered
the poet's own.
DCLXIV.
Mar. My name's Marina.
Per. 0, I am mock'd.
lb., F, 1, 143.
Steevens needlessly inserted sir. It is a syllable pause line; scan: —
My name's | Mari'na. _fi | 0, I | am mock'd.
Another syllable pause line of the same kind occurs five lines infra'. —
To call I thyself | Marilna. j. \ The name.
In the Globe Edition tliis latter passage (1. 148) is printed as two
short lines, whereas the two speeches at the head of this note are
printed as one line.
DCLXV.
Per. 0, I am mock'd,
And thou by some incensed god sent hither
To make the world to laugh at me.
Mar. Patience, good sir.
Or here I'll cease.
Per. Nay, I'll be patient
Ib.y V, 1, 143s€qq.
Scan: —
To make | the world | to laugh | at me.
Mar. Patience, | good sir,
Or here | I'U cease. |
Per. Nay, I'll | be pa|ti-ent.
Laugh at me is to be read as a triple ending. Critics who do not
PERICLE8. 353
think this scansion satisfactory, will be obliged to arrange differently
and to transpose in order to remove* the Alexandrine: —
To make the world to laugh at me.
Mar. Oood sir,
Patience f or here I'U cease.
Per. Nay, I*U be patient.
DCLXYI.
You have been noble towards her.
Lys. Sir, lend me your ann.
Per, Come, my Marina.
lb., V,l,2648eq.
Line 264 is an apparent Alexandrine which may be reduced to
regular metre in a twofold manner. First by the omission of Sir: —
You have | been no|ble tow|ards her. Lend me | your arm.
Towards her may either be read as a triple ending, or keir be con-
sidered as an extra syllable before the pause, as towards is frequently
pronounced as a monosyllable; see S.Walker, Yersification, 119seqq.;
Al. Schmidt, Shakespeare- Lexicon, s. Toward. The second way of
restoring the passage lies in a different arrangement, viz.: —
You have | been nojble tow|ards her. |
Ljjs. Sir, lend | me
Your arm. |
Per. Come, my | Mari|na.
Towards, in this case, to be pronounced as a dissyllable.
DCLXVn.
Who, frighted from my country, did wed. /6., F, 5, 3.
The metrical difficulty of this line may be solved in a threefold way.
The first is to insert once before did\ secondly, country may be pro-
nounced 'as though an extra vowel were introduced between the r
and the preceding consonant' (Abbott, s. 477); and lastly, the verse
may be read as a syllable pause line: —
Who, fright I ed from | my coun|try, j. \ did wed.
The reader may choose for himself.
DCLXVm.
She at Tarsus
Was nursed with Cleon; who at fourteen years
He sought to murder: but her better stars
Brought her to Mytilene. lb., V, 3, 7 seqq.
Elze, Notes. 23
354 PERICLES.
For who in 1. 8, which is the reading of all the old copies, Malone
substituted whom. Qy. read: — *
who at fourteen years
Her sought to murder: &c.?
DCLXrX.
A birth, and death?
Per, The voice of dead Thaisa!
Thai. That Thaisa am I, supposed dead
And drown'd.
Per, Immortal Dian!
Thai. Now I know you better.
lb., Vy 3, 34 seqq.
Arrange: —
A birth, and death?
Per. The voice of dead Thaisa!
Thai. That Thaisa
Am I, supposed dead and drown'd.
Per. Immortal Dian!
Thai, Now I know you better.
Thaisa is regularly used by the poet as a word of three syllables
with the accent on the penult; compare 11,3,57; Y, 1,213; Y, 3, 27;
Y, 3, 34; Y, 3, 46 ; Y, 3, 55 ; and Y, 3, 70. Apart from the line under
discussion (according to the received text) two passages would seem
to contradict this rule, viz. Y, 1, 212: —
To say my mother's name was Thaisa,
and Y, 3,4: —
At Pentapolis the fair Thaisa.
Both passages, however, are manifestly corrupted. The former has
been ingeniously restored by the Cambridge Editors (?): —
To say my mother's name? It was Thaisa,
whilst the correction of the second is due to Malone: —
The fair Thaisa at Pentapolis.
Thus all three seeming exceptions are cleared away.*
* These notes on 'Pericles', with the exception of notes DCI^YH and
DCLVIII, were first pubhshed in Prof. Koibing's Englische Studien, IX, 278—290.
Index.
Abraham 364.
accent, rhythmical 15.
accentuation: along 221; appellants
364; cariosity 23; delectable 255;
detestable 255; discoursing 255;
familiarity 23; farewell 274; madam
2. 115. 186. 229. 512. 513; mon-
sieur 517; proper names 215. 287;
welcome 224. 355; without 4.
addresses, addition of — : 164. 186.
404. 405. 424. 425. 427. 467. 468.
474. 475. 484. 499; omission of — :
177. 186. 213. 408. 439. 444.499.582.
pseudo - Alexandrines (compare: triple
endings): 23. 24. 29. 31. 51. 133.
198. 218. 270. *277. 316. *335.
341. *343. *403. 410. 416. *458.
534. 562.
ancestry, ancestors (dissyllables) 343.
antithesis 15. 41.
any thing, every thing as conclusion to
a succession of synonym nouns 452.
appeariance 81.
argument 13.
aromatic (gums) 197.
article, definite, omitted 6. 14. 17.
59. 166.
beagle 320.
beautiful (for bountiful) 24.
bedaub 391.
Belchier, Dawbridgecourt 402.
Bentlev 523.
Bible 279. 283. 392. 402.
blear-eyed, blue -eyed 254.
Borde 81.
Brome 125. 401.
Bryant 288.
bulk 440.
bum (Dutch or Scotch?) 191.
Bunyan 458.
Butler 394. 505.
buzzard 125.
Byron 140. 211. 338. 458. 523.
Carlyle 394.
catalectic blank verse: *2. 71. 76. 81.
112. 128. 164. 206. 208. 215. 309.
387. 414. 428. 473. 476. 487. 494.
549. 557. 644.
Chambers 394.
Chaucer 4. 215. 305. 402.
Chester, Rob. 394.
coil 394.
compare (for comparison) 21.
couplets 97. 118. 144. 150. 182. 183.
294.
Cowper 263.
creature 40. 43.
Croydon 19.
dampish 103.
dankish 103.
daub 391.
Davenant 394.
dexteriously 81.
dittography 36. 50. 61. 96. 241. 292.
655.
drink up a river 402.
Drum, Jack 394.
Dryden 268. 458. 523. 547.
east: to bury the dead with their
heads looking to the oast 573.
Elliot 285.
en^er 566.
ex^ambement 34. 104.
errand (arrand) 162.
-es 89. 176.
esile 402.
excellence (for excellency) 59.
execution of pirates and robbers 251.
falls (Dutch or Scotch?) 191.
farewell (omitted) 233.
for to 168.
Gait 394.
Gascoigne 394.
Gay 440.
Getuly 193.
gondoler 410.
Gunpowder Plot 98.
him (enclitic) 35. 40. 449.
his = 's 459.
HoUand 394.
Hunt, Leigh 394.
importuning (for importing) 74.
inteijectional lines: 30. 32. 43. 51. 59.
66. 74. 115. 124. 132. 135. 138.
167. 178. 186. 316. 411. 4.35. 530.
Irving 66. 125.
ivory (=ivy) 162.
jealious 81.
jealousy 40.
356
INDEX.
lass 556.
lethferne 8.
loobv 129.
Lyly 342.
many a time and often 284.
measure (= dance) 107.
Merchant Royal 286.
metal 323.
metre (= verse) 107.
Milton 125. 208. 336; 81. 239. 240.
305; 153. 177. 244. 263. 305. 433.
misprints: 50. 156. 189. 190. 193
241. 262. 263. 379. 304. 419. 525
655; n for m 10; 8 omitted 16
102. 153. 169. 241. 258. 413. 419
8 added 52. 263. 606; 5 for / 154
r for t 194; s for n 196; t added
241. 263; t omitted 160; a for f
525; n for s 618.
Moll Cutpurso 311.
monosyllabic feet: 1. 5. 26. 55. 56.
58. 70. 88. 89. 101. 108. 113. 116.
117. 122. 127. 146. 150. 163. 165.
166. 167. 170. 172. 174. 196. 211.
214. 239. 259. 274. 299. 359. 514.
More, Thomas 183. 255.
mountainer 566.
muck 384.
muleter 410.
nettle 323.
numbei-s 282. 392.
oft 74. 140. 188.
orthography 8. 399.
-ow 305.
parle, parley 214. 336.
perchance 307.
perfume 240.
pioner 410. 566.
Pope 263. 384. 394. 458. 523.
prayers for the sovereign 183.
prefixes: 29. 45. 106. 127. 156. 177.
183. 210. 255. 262. 305. 327. 343.
454. 482. 535. 550. 620. 627.648.652.
puttock 506.
regardiant 81.
regorious 81.
rushes 160.
sable 395.
sanguine 19.
Scott 394.
shadow 268.
sheep biter 136.
sheeptick (shiptick) 162.
Sinoklo 290.
sirrah 301.
Soutliey 394.
stage directions: 65. 71. 78. 171. 241.
271. 314. 328. 367. 642.
state (for estate) 137.
Stirling, Earl of 266.
stoop 15.
studient 81.
stupendious 81.
substance 268.
syllable pause lines: unaccented syl-
lable *4. 18. 45. 57. 60. 70. 75. 87.
108. 128. 146. 173. 187. 200. 201.
202. 203. 209. 211. 234. 236. 239.
267. 300. 309. 361. 364. 371. 375,
383. *410. 457. 472. 478. 485. 486.
490. 492. 496. 498. 509. 52'4. 476.
593. 604. 638. 639. 643. 644. 648.
652. 654; accented syllable 2. *4.
22. 64. 70. 101. 112. 115. 165.
204. 205. 208. 230. 232. 236. 239.
296. 346. 363. 365. 369. *410. 451.
456. 461. 463. 470. 477. 481. 487.
491. 494. 514. 531. 534. 543. 549.
561. 577. 584. 593. 605. 609. 612.
615. 623. 630. 632. 635. 660.664.667.
tabor 326.
Taylor, Thorn. 258.
Thomson 398.
Thrasymene 211.
to, for too 15.
transition from the second to the third
person 555.
treasure 40.
triple endings: 4. 33. 45. 49. 54. 56.
113. 122. 212. 222. 223. 277. 327.
343. 372. 373. 374. 377. 410. 418.
453. 532. 535. 540. 562. 567. 569.
574; before the pause: 48. 51. 110.
247. 275. 277. 345. 363. 407. 450.
upsee Fi-eese 250.
verses, printed as prose: 3. 31. 42.
78. 96. 142; incomplete: 37. 99;
wanting: 12. 20. 38. 39. 42. 86.
143; interrupted: 3. 409. 422. 533.
verj% added 121. 184. 296; omitted 121.
Whittier 394.
Will Kemp 382.
wis, woos, wusse 28.
with' (=with the) 6. 14. 17.
words, lengthening of — : 2. 4. 18.
40. 43. 57. 75. 81. 187. 208. 211.
230. 232. 233. 236. 274. 309. 364.
375. 641; shortening of — : 133.
177. 183. 187. 217. 255. 260. 305.
343. 356. 415. 458; transposition
of — : 62. 127. 208.
your (for you) 193.
Ualle: Printed at the Fi-ancke Orphanage Press.
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