BEQUEST OF
REV.
CANON SCADDING.
D.
D.
TORONTO, 1901.
THE PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE.
CASSELL'S
ILLUSTRATED SHAKESPEARE.
THE
PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE.
EDITED AND ANNOTATED BY
GTIjarlcs anU jfttarij tfotirtw atlarfcr,
AUTHORS OF "SHAKESPEARE-CHARACTERS;" "COMPLETE CONCORDANCE TO SHAKESPEARE;
"GIRLHOOD OF SHAKESPEARE'S HEROINES," &c.
" He only in a general honest thought,
And common good to all, made one of them
His life was gentle ; and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up.
And say to all the world, 'This was a man !'"
'Forewarn him that he use no scurrilous words in his tunes."
Shakespeare.
Vol. III.— Tragedies.
ILLUSTRATED BY H. C. SELOUS.
LONDON:
CASSELL, PETTER, AND GALPIN,
LUDGATE HILL, E.C.
CONTENTS.
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA i
CORIOLANUS 65
ROMEO AND JULIET 141
TIMON OF ATHENS '.. 205
JULIUS CESAR 261
MACBETH
HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK .. 373
KING LEAR ................. .457
OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE 533
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA 601
CYMBELINE
PERICLES ... 749
ERRATA.
" Measure for Measure." — Note 22, Act ii., for ' respectable,' read " suspected."
" As You Like It." — Page 458, for Scene II., substitute Scene V.
:< All's Well that Ends Well." — Page 555, first column, line 10, omit full stop after " read It in."
' Winter's Tale." — Note 59, Act iv., omit "nation's"
' King John." — Note 73, Act ii.. for ' velocassimus,' read " velocassinus. "
■ First Part Henry IV." — Note 83, Act iii., add, "See Note 141, Act v , ' Love's Labour's Lost.'"
' Second Part Henry IV."— Note 14, Act iv., line iS, for 'sometimes adjei tives/'read " sometimes uses adjectives
' Second Part Henry IV.'' — Nute 62, Act iv., line 11, for 'alien," rc.nl ' akin."
' Second Part Henry IV." — Page 221, fust column, line 25, fur ' the friends,' read " thy friends. "
' First Part Henry VI " — Page 310, first column, line 23, after " wars," a full stop, not a comma.
' Second Part Henry VI." — Heading to Note 3S, Act iii , g omitted in " liege.*'
' Richard III." — Note 27, Act i., line 5, for 'thine,' read " by thee."
' Henry VIII." — Note 55, Act iii., line 14, for ' 87,' read " 89," in referent e.
' Coriolanus." — Note 85, Act iii,, for ' Note 11, Act v., " King John," ' read " Note 60, Act ii., ' Henry V.' "
' Romeo and Juliet." — Note 45, Act ii., line 16, for ' tries,' read " trifles."
'Julius Caesar." — Note 41, Act i., line 7, for ' walks,' read " walls."
1 King Lear."— Note 63, Act ii., line 19, substitute " who" for 'she,' before "will find an opportunity."
' Antony and Cleopatra." — Page 6o3, second column, line 18, for 'ye,' read " we."
PREFACE.
Well and truly has it been said of Shakespeare that " his works are ranked not among the
luxuries, but among the necessaries of life." No household that aims at home culture can
now be without a copy of Shakespeare; no domestic circle, that justly looks upon social
reading aloud as a means of true happiness and improvement, can think itself duly provided
without this among its books, however few the number may be to which due economy
limits its cherished store. The mother, who wishes that her boys should have interesting
yet vigorous matter of perusal ever at hand, to keep the younger ones out of mischief,
and to induce a taste for home and home-pleasures among the elder ones; the father, who
desires to see his girls acquire a love of the beautiful, and cultivate that polish and grace
which the study of poetical themes and ennobling subjects inevitably produces ; the parents
eager to introduce their children to higher thoughts and aspirations amid the needful duties
and pursuits of every-day life, will certainly make a point of having this noblest of poetic
books as their homestead friend and favourite.
It was this hope of having our present edition in the hands of young readers, and
readers in family circles, which induced us to yield to our publishers' desire that it might
exclude phrases not thought objectionable at the time when Shakespeare wrote, but coarse
and unfit for modern utterance. So unwilling were we that any marring should occur in
the pleasure of an assembled home met together to enjoy the Dramatist's pages — the
father, perhaps, reading to the rest while they pursued their several occupations; the
mother and girls at their sewing ; the boys with their slate or their sketching — that we
made the omission of expressions that might have checked the reader aloud ; just such
expressions as Shakespeare's own Perdita forbids when she utters the words which we
have adopted for our second title to this edition of his dramas : — " Forewarn him that he
use no scurrilous words in his tunes." We have also omitted "Titus Andronicus," a play
commonly attributed to Shakespeare ; and we have done this, not only on account of its
grossness, but because of our strong conviction that it is not his writing. An explanation of
our motives for this omission is contained in the "Announcement" which we placed in this
PREFACE.
edition between the plays of " Coriolanus" and " Romeo and Juliet ;" and it gives us
pleasure to reflect that this, our " People's Edition," should be free from that specimen
of squalid horror and atrocity, the " Titus Andronicus." The pervading spirit of the
composition, when not hideous, is contemptible ; and if less disgusting, it would be
laughable. Take, for an example of the diction, one of the lines :
" In peace and honour live lord Titus long ! "
which is scarcely exceeded in caricature effect by the famous line in " The Rejected
Addresses :"
" Long may Long Tylney Wellesley Long Pole live !"
Entertaining the pleasant hope of counting among the perusers and possessors of
our present edition younger and more unaccustomed students of Shakespeare than had
heretofore been his readers, we have pursued a system of annotation which we think
surpasses in scope of elucidation that which has hitherto been adopted. In undertaking
this particular edition (which differs from those we previously superintended by having
foot-notes to each page, while our former editions comprised the subject-matter of Notes
in a Verbal and Sentential Glossary) we gave our utmost thought to the entire system
on which we should work; and thus we have pursued an original plan, varying in some
things from that found in usual annotated editions, while we adhered to their form where
we thought it judicious.
First, we so systematised our arrangement as to make it include, in condensed form,
all that usually figures diffusedly in editions of Shakespeare. For example, the introductory
matter, which generally occupies from two to three spread-out pages before each play in
other editions, in ours is compressed into the first note appended to the title of each play;
and the supplementary Critical Remarks, which in other editions follow each play, in our
edition form part of the current comment introduced into the notes. Thus, matter which
generally remains unread, from its bulk and prolixity, is in our present edition put into
such concise shape and apposite place as to render it more immediately interesting.
Secondly, a great object has been with us to make Shakespeare himself, as much as
possible, his own illustrator and interpreter, by, in every case where a word or a passage
is discussed, referring to a similar instance occurring elsewhere in his works. This,
although considerably increasing our own labour, has the advantage of enabling the peruser
of the passage, at little cost of trouble, to compare and judge for himself, and thus, in fact,
to become his own editor. So carefully made and diligently multiplied are our references,
that they form a chain of consecutive illustrative indication, showing how the author thinks,
how he writes, and what forms the veritable essence of his style. Each note on a particular
word is made to furnish a clue to another parallel instance, where the same word is similarly
used. For example, on turning to our Note 5, Act iv., " King Lear," it will be seen that
PREFACE.
there is reference made to other passages where the word "secure" is peculiarly and
Shakespearianly used ; witness, also, our Notes on the word " cause," to which a connecting
link of guidance is supplied from Note 10, Act v., " Macbeth," back through Note 8c,
Act iii., "Coriolanus;" Note 63, Act ii., " Henry V. ;" Note II, Act v., "King John ;"
to 62. Act iii., " Ring John," where our view of Shakespeare's special use of this word is
first discussed by us; likewise such Notes as Note 18, Act iii., " Coriolanus ;" Note 73,
Act ii., "Julius Caesar;" and Note 44, Act ii., "Othello," where we give collected
references to other Notes on the subject discussed; and as Note 13, Act iii., " Troilus
and Cressida," where we observe upon a systematic principle pursued by him.
Impressed ourselves by the extreme condensation that marks Shakespeare's style,
notwithstanding the abundant imagery and overflow of thought that distinguish it, we have
taken care to point out the evidences of his singularly inclusive diction, of the combined
sen.es which his words bear, and of the elliptical phraseology, which all three contribute to
constitute this extreme condensation. In manifestation of his inclusive diction, we would
refer to our Note 49, Act iv., " Troilus and Cressida ;" Note 39, Act iii., " Jalius Cesar;"
Note 3;, Act iv., "King Lear;" and Note 121, Act i., "Othello;" of his using words in
combined senses, to our Note 23, Act ii., "Tempest;" Note 21, Act iii., " Henry VIII. ;"
Note ii, Act iii., "Coriolanus;" Note 8, Act i., "Macbeth;" and Note 34, Act v.,
"Cymbeline;" and of his elliptical phraseology, to our Note 33, Act i., "Henry V. ;"
Note 75, Act i., " Coriolanus;" Notes _$ and 11, Act v., "Henry VIII.;" Notes 26, Act ii.,
and 1, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet;" Note 75, Act iv., "Othello;" and Note 27, Act i.,
" Cymbeline." As a token of the frequent employment made by Shakespeare of ellipses
in construction, we mention that our Notes on his elliptical words and phrases alone
amount to several hundred ; and investigation of this particular characteristic of the great
Poet's diction will render our Notes on the subject valuable to the philological student,
as well as to the mere beginner in appreciation of literary style and composition.
Shakespeare's mastery in language, his power of brevity and succinctness, no less than his
amplitude and copiousness, his knowledge of the exact shades of meaning in words, and
his capacity for blending and concentrating, no less than his faculty of largely and
figuratively applying them, with nicest aptitude in each of these particulars, render him
as great a magician in verbal sway as in every other operation of his "so potent art."
Another original feature of our Annotated Edition, we trust, will be found in the
space we have devoted to the discussion of Shakespeare's system of Dramatic Art. We
have pointed out his peculiar felicities in narration ; his expedients for drawing his
audience's or reader's attention to points demanding their special notice (see Notes 10 and
61, Act i., "Cymbeline"); his expressive and characteristic mode of writing soliloquy
(see Note 1 1, Act iv., " Measure for Measure ; " Note 34, Act iv., " Henry V. ;" Note 3,
A- 1 i'L) "Julius Caesar;" Note 22, Act iv., "Romeo and Juliet;" and Note' 68, Act ii..
" King Lear") ; his mode of denoting place and scene (see Note 52, Act iii., " Midsummer
PREFACE.
Night's Dream;" Note 26, Act v., " Merchant of Venice;" and Note 19, Act ii., " Romeo
and Juliet ") ; his skill in the introduction of brief explanatory or commentatory scenes
(see Note 23, Act iii., " Timon of Athens;" and Note 144., Act iv., "King Lear"), his
judgment in producing harmonious contrast by short, grotesque scenes immediately pre-
ceding those of grave import and interest, or even of tragic terror and solemnity (see
Note 43, Act iv., "Romeo and Juliet;" Note 27, Act ii., "Macbeth;' Note 27, Act v.,
" Hamlet ;" Note 56, Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra ") ; and, above all, that perfectly
new particular, never before adverted to in any edition of Shakespeare, his very peculiar
system of Dramatic Time; a system invented and employed solely by himself, a system
which permits long and short time to co-exist and co-operate simultaneously in the progress
of his plays. (See Notes 1 and 35, Act iv., " Measure for Measure ;" Notts 96, Act ii., and
7, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice ;" Note 49, Act iii., "Henry V.;" Note 18, Act iv.,
" Romeo and Juliet ;" Note 38, Act ii., " Julius Caesar ;" Notes 36, Act ii., and 22, Act v.,
"Macbeth;" Notes 21 and 62, Act iii., "Hamlet;" and Notes 58 and 96, Act iii.,
" Othello.")
In many of our Notes Shakespeare's text is viewed from a more poetic point than is the
case in most editions. Remarks upon his beauties of characterisation (see Note 5, Act iv.,
"Much Ado about Nothing;" Notes 56, Act i. ; 2, Act iii.; 20, Act v., "First Part
Henry IV.;" Notes 8, Act iv.; 2 and 30, Act v., " Romeo and Juliet ;" Notes 53, Act ii.;
84, Act iii., "Othello"); his melodies of Versification (see Notes 38 and 74, Act iii. ; 22,
Act iv., "Midsummer Night's Dream;" Note 80, Act iv., "Winters Tale;" Note 40,
Act iv., " Henry V;' Note 25, Act iii., " Pericles"); his might of passion (see Notes 98
and 120, Act ii. ; 140, Act iv., " King Lear;" Notes 39, Act iii.) 31, Act iv.; " Othello ;"
Notes 47, Act iii. ; 31, Act v., " Pericles "), hitherto made the subject of supplementary
essays, have been by us condensed into some of our Notes. We have thought that many a
young reader coming freshly to Shakespeare, having heard infinite praise awarded to him,
will be glad to have the passages pointed out, in course of procedure, which specially mark
the excellences of this author, who is not to be understood or appreciated at first perusal ;
and that the comments upon such passages will be received by the tyro readers of our
dramatist as pleasant indices supplied by his experienced admirers, the Editors.
To those who may feel that some few of our Notes are superfluously explanatory, we
would quote the opening of the chorus to Act v. of " Henry V. : " —
' ' Vouchsafe to those that have not read the story,
That ' we ' may prompt them : and of such as have,
' We ' humbly pray them to admit the excuse."
Therefore we have not omitted to explain particulars that to maturer readers might seem
too obvious to need a Note; as, for instance, certain mythological allusions (see Notes 16
and 28, Act iii., "Merchant of Venice ;" Note 42, Act ii., " Macbeth ;" and Note 72,
PREFACE.
Act iii., "Pericles"), well understood by classical scholars, but new to beginners in
literature. Yet, even to the most proficient, a casual explanation can scarcely come amiss ;
such readers are ever the most forbearing, and are willing to tolerate an observation
needless to themselves, for the sake of possible benefit to others to whom it may be needful.
From Shakespeare's universality of mind and genius, his writings include a vast field of
allusion ; vaster than that spanned by any other writer : therefore, it follows that expla-
nation of these myriad allusions must involve details introducing unpractised students to
subjects which, of themselves, form a whole world of valuable knowledge.
Several of our Notes will be found to discuss a point never hitherto canvassed —
namely, the subtle truth with which Shakespeare has suggested concomitant physical
indications in those he represents under mental suffering (see Note 101, Act iv., "King
Lenr;" Notes 6^ and 6$, Act iv., "Othello;" Note 31, Act v., "Tempest;" Note 50,
Act v., "Pericles"); also, another particular not heretofore observed upon — one almost
paradoxical in its statement — his curious power of writing silence (see Notes 21, Act ii. ;
20, Act iv. ; and 50, Act v., " Coriolanus;" Note 59, Act v., " Winter's Tale;" Note 85,
Act iv., "Macbeth"), and his singular faculty of producing per/td impression through
imperfect expression (see Note 8j, Act 11., " Coriolanus ;" Notes s and 31, Act iv.,
"Othello;" Notes 76, Act iv. ; 88, Act v., " Cymbelme;" Noted', Act v., " Pericles").
Instances of Shakespeare's noble faith and morality have been iarnesdy dwelt upon in
such Notes as 10, Act iii., "Winter's Tale;" Note 22, Act v., "Timon of Athens;''
Notes 77, Act iv., and 53, Act v., " Cymbeline ;" Notes 29, Act iii. ; 50 and 55, Act v.,
"King Lear;" Note 88, Act iii., "Romeo and Juliet;" Note 42, Act iii.; 2, Act v.,
" Othello j" Note 34, Act v., " Macbeth ;" Notes 67 and 79, Act v., " Cymbeline ;" while
his appreciation of the sacredness of friendship is shown in such Notes as 26, Act iv.,
" Merchant of Venice;" Note 98, Act iii., " Twelfth Night;" Note 72, Act iii., " Julius
Caesar ;" Notes 53, Act iii., and 67, Act iv., " Hamlet."
We have taken occasion to point out intrinsic evidences of Shakespeare's style at
various epochs of his career — a question not hitherto made the subject of annotation — in
several Notes, like 17, Act i., " As You Like It ;" Notes 1 and 9, Act iv., " Romeo and
Juliet;" Notes 29, Act i. ; 22, Act v., " Henry VIII. ;" Note 68, Act i., " Troilus and
Cressida ;" Note 71, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
Many passages merely pronounced difficult and left unexplained by some editors, while
suffered to pass entirely unnoticed by others, we have frankly dealt with ; facing the
difficulty, sedulously endeavouring to solve it, and discover the meaning originally intended
by the author. (See Note 18, Act iii., "All's Well that Ends Well;" Note 80, Act i.,
"Coriolanus;" Notes 37, Act iv., and 53, Act v., "King Lear;" Note 27, Act ii.,
" Pericles.")
A few among several of our own conjectural readings may be found on reference to
Note 87, Act ii., "Coriolanus;" Note 80, Act iv., "Henry V.;" Note 28, Act iv.,
PREFACE.
" Othello ;" Note 82, Act i., " Cymbeline ;" Notes 61, Aet i., and 40, Act v., " Pericles ;"
but our chief care has been devoted to discover if" the original word or phrase printed in the
first Folio or Quarto editions may not by possibility be right, though at first view seeming
erroneous. It behoves an editor, not so much to exercise ingenuity in finding a suitable
word or sentence, as to judge whether the word in the old copies bears a signification
consonant with Shakespeare's mode of thought generally ; and to search elsewhere for
some other word or sentence used by him which shall serve to exemplify the passage in
question.
One thing assuredly will not be found in our edition : to wit, that dogmatic and
dictatorial tone, or, worse still, that unworthy spirit of sneer and squabble towards other
editors, which has too often disgraced the field of Shakespearian controversy. Where we
have had occasion to bring forward an opinion of our own, we have proffered it with all
modesty of statement ; having, in the course ot our many years' self-dedication to Shake-
spearian study and labour, learned at least one of the lessons he taught : — " I will chicle no
breather in the world but myself, against whom I know most faults." The difficulty of
making up one's mind on disputed passages — retaining what one has before rejected, or
rejecting what one has before retained — ought surely to teach editors diffidence in
supporting their own decisions, and temperance in censuring those of others. For token of
this difficulty, see such of our Notes as 42, Act v., " Othello;" Notes 23, Act i. ; 2, Act ii.,
" Antony and Cleopatra ;" Notes 48, Act ii. ; 27 and $3, Act iv., " Cymbeline," where we
candidly confess to certain hesitatingly-adopted readings.
For one who is so universal-minded as Shakespeare, we think it will be conceded that
there may be peculiar advantage in having a man and woman as his joint editors. While
the man-editor uses his masculine judgment as to what expressions are fittest to be expunged
from a chastened edition of Shakespeare, the woman-editor is not without her use in bringing
feminine discernment as an aid and exponent to some of his passages. It is, perhaps, good
and befitting that Shakespeare, who is not so much a man as human — containing in himself
the best parts of woman's as well as man's nature — -should have a woman to assist in editing
and analysing him. A woman's tact in sentiment and perception of nice shades in feeling
can possibly best discern and appreciate those delicate and subtle touches of both which
abound in Shakespeare above all poets (see Notes 24, 36, 121, Act i. ; 158, Act ii. ; 73,
Act iv., "All's Well that Ends Well;" Notes 17, 21, Act ii., " Idmieo and Juliet;"
Note 12, Act i., "Midsummer Night's Dream ;" Note 1, Induction; 20, Act i. ; ', Act iii. ;
33. 36, 59, 106, Act iv. ; 51, 40, Act v., "Taming of the Shrew;" Note 56, Act v.,
" Henry V.") ; while a woman's intimate acquaintance with the consciousnesses, sensitive-
nesses, and emotions that stir the inner heart of her own sisterhood, may very likely best
estimate his almost miraculous knowledge of womanhood. (See Notes 39, Act iii., " All's
Well that Ends Well;" Note 1, Act iv., "Love's Labour's Lost;" Note 54, Act iv.,
" As You Like It;" Notes 9;, Act i. j 19, Act iii.; 65, Act iv., "Othello;" Notes 76,
PREFACE.
Act iii. ; 8, Act iv., "Romeo and Juliet;'' Notes 75, 83, Act iv., "Antony and Cleo-
patra;" and Notes 61, Act ii. ; 102, Act iii., " King Lear.")
In the above-made references to Notes on special topics, treated of in our present
edition, we have supplied the clue to a tew of each out of the very many Notes which
discuss these subjects.
Remembering our own childhood delight in a picture-book and story-book in one,
we can sympathise with the joy that young readers of the present edition must feel in
finding a picture at every other page, illustrating the current scene and situation : while our
staider likings can anticipate the satisfaction with which maturer judges will contemplate the
admirable illustrations which the accomplished artist, Mr. H. C. Selous, has supplied in
such profusion.
Few stronger evidences could be advanced in testimony of Shakespeare's ever-fresh
power to move and delight, than the fact that veteran students like ourselves, who have
each devoted life-long examination and loving labour to his works, should be no less
excited by affectionate admiration and new enjoyment now when we read him, than when
first, as young people, we read him. So vital, so vigorous, so genuine, so intensely true and
good is his writing that, on going through his tragedies during this our latest study of
them, we have found our eyes fill and our hearts swell in the storm with Lear, or in the
mental tempest of Othello, with all the old force of impression ; and our lungs have crowed
as cheerily at FalstafTs sallies, while reading them together for our present purpose, as ever
they did in the spring-time of green perusal.
In consigning our present edition of Shakespeare's plays to the perusal of its readers,
young and old, we hope it will be enjoyed by them with a no less sympathetic zest than
our own ; and we cordially wish that their happy hearths may be made the brighter and the
happier by welcoming Shakespeare's book to their home circle ; at the same time trusting
that, while honouring and reveling him, they will accord one kindly thought to his
and their
Faithful Friends and Servants,
CHARLES AND MARY COWDEN CLARKE.
Villa Novello, Genoa.
o
w
o
H
en
W
Pi
CD
THE STORY
OF
SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE
One of England's proudest national boasts is, that her sons may raise themselves from the
lowest social position to the highest, by their own exertions ; and perhaps no brighter
example exists of the truth of this boast than the career of William Shakespeare. A
middle-class boy, born in an obscure country village, he came to be the acknowledged first
intellect of the land. From a lowly station he rose to occupy the throne of literature,
acknowledged Prince of Poets throughout the world.
To some among those who now purchase his noble writings at the cost of a hardly-
spared penny a week, the contemplation of this fact may well inspire emulative energy and
stimulative hope ; and not only as a subject for admiration, but as an object of illustrious
example, may Shakespeare be viewed by them.
For the following is the " Story of his Life," as summed from the few reliable facts
gleaned respecting him, among the numerous and careful researches that have been made.
In the sweet Warwickshire village of Stratford-upon-Avon, there lived- one John
Shakespeare, a glover by trade. He seems to have been a thriving man, for on the 2nd of
October, 1556, he bought the copyhold of the house and garden where he lived in Henley
Street, as also that of a house and garden in Greenhill Street; and to have been a man
capable of defending his rights and dues, for on the 19th of November, 1556, he impleaded
a neighbour for unjustly detaining eighteen quarters of barley. There is evidence that he
was a man respected and held "good and true" by his fellow-townsmen, since his name
stands on a list of jurymen of a court-leet in April, 1556; and in 1557 he was a burgess and
member of the corporation. It was about this period that he married ; obtaining as his
wife, Mary, the youngest daughter and one of the co-heiresses of Robert Arden, of
Wilmecote, in the parish of Aston Cantlowe. As her dowry, she brought her husband a
handsome sum of money, a small landed estate called Asbyes, and a share in some house
property at Snitterfield. In September, 1558, their first child was born; a daughter,
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
baptised by the name of Joan on the 15th of that month and year: and in December,
1 562, a second daughter was born, called Margaret ; or Margareta, as the name is given
in the baptismal register.
Both these girl-children died in infancy ; but, to console the bereft parents, in the year
1564, a son was born to them: a son destined to become one of the most renowned and
illustrious of Englishmen. The exact day of William Shakespeare's birth is not precisely
known; but inasmuch as it was then the custom to christen children as early as possible,
and the register of his baptism is dated the 26th of April, 1564, while the inscription on
his monument nins thus —
" Obiit Anno Domini 1616.
yEtatis 53, die 23 Aprilis:"
it has always been assumed that he was born on the 23rd of April, 1564.
The place where he first saw the light is universally understood to have been a small
room on the first floor of the modest house in Henley Street, which belonged to his father ;
a room that has been a shrine of honouring pilgrimage to thousands of admirers, among
whom are names renowned for many a varied cause, and coming from many a difFerent
clime and country. These names at first were scribbled in pencil upon every possible nook
and corner of the white-washed, low-roofed room by the owners, anxious to commemorate
their visit; but now visitors' names are inscribed in a goodly book kept there for the
purpose.
William Shakespeare was scarcely two months old when the plague broke out in
Stratford-on-Avon, carrying oft" more than a seventh part of the population of the town,
which counted about fourteen hundred inhabitants. His parents' trembling dread lest their
then only child should be snatched from them, would have been sympathetically shared by
all England, nay, by the whole civilised world, could the future effulgence of that babe's
intellect have been foreseen ; as it was, the angel of death spared the infant head, and God
preserved it to a blessed and illustrious future. The little fellow had reached the age of two
years when he had a brother born, Gilbert, baptised 13th of October, 1566; and by the
time William was five years old, he had a sister born, Joan, baptised 15th of April, 1569.
To this sister was given the same name as her parent's eldest-born ; a fact that may have
arisen from the circumstance of there being an Aunt Joan in the family, who probably
stood godmother to both the children called after her; Aunt Joan having been sister to the
mother, Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, and having married a certain Edward Lambert.
In 1 571 there was a second little sister born, Anne, baptised on the 28th of September
of that year ; and by this time the children had a pleasant and spacious play-ground, wherein
to gather "daisies pied and violets blue;" for in the previous year, 1570, their father, John
Shakespeare, was in possession of a field called " Ingon meadow," holding its tenancy
under William Clopton, and paying for it an annual rent of eight pounds. But even ere
this, little William Shakespeare may have imbibed his taste for theatrical entertainments ;
for in 1569, "The Queen's Players" came to Stratford-upon-Avon, giving performances
there; and who knows but the boy was taken as a treat to " the Play" by father or mother,
or "Aunt Joan," or in company with all three? — thus early blending his love of stage
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
representation and his love of out-door Nature ; now going with a family party to the
theatre, now racing about the green fields with his brother and sister — a " boy pursuing
summer butterflies."
That the father, John Shakespeare, had been meanwhile gradually rising in pecuniary
circumstances and in the estimation of his neighbours during these last few years, is
evidenced by his name being found, in 1564, among those who contributed various sums
" towards the releeffe of the poore," and also by his having been selected as actuary for
the corporation. In 1565 he was elected one of the fourteen aldermen of Stratford; in
1568 he was promoted to the office of borough or high bailiff; and in 1 57 1 he attained
the highest civic dignity which it was in the power of his fellow-townsmen to bestow, by
being chosen chief alderman and bailiff, consequently, ex officio, a magistrate, and thence-
forth entitled to write himself Magister or Mr., which respectful prefix to his name
afterwards appears in the parish registers wherever it figures among their entries.
There was a Free Grammar-school in Stratford-upon-Avon ; and to this, probably,
went dailv the seven-year-old Master William Shakespeare in 1571, "with his satchel and
shining morning face;" but we may be very sure, not "creeping like snail unwillingly to
school j" for, with him, the desire for learning was insatiable : perchance, though, already
taking note of this snail-paced unwillingness in others ; very possibly, too, observing with
boyish acuteness of eye the various peculiarities of Walter Roche, Thomas Hunt, and
Thomas Jenkins, who were successively masters of the Grammar-school about that period ;
and who, in all likelihood, furnished him with indices for his future life-like portraitures of
Sir Hugh Evans and Holofernes. We never read the pleasant opening scene of the fourth
act in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," without picturing to ourselves the original Master
"William" being led to school by his mother's hand through Stratford-upon-Avon streets,
as his little namesake, William Page, is led through Windsor streets ; and we in fancy behold
the loving-proud look of Mary (Arden) Shakespeare cast downwards on the bright head of
her boy, as he trots beside her, now and then eagerly looking up in her face with his
sparkling intelligent glance, asking a multitude of brisk questions ; and, like all mothers,
seeing some faint pre-visionary reflex of future hoped-for glory beaming round his brow ;
but never, by possibility, foreseeing the full radiance of that immortal halo destined hereafter
to crown him evermore.
When William was nine years old, another brother was born, Richard ; who was
baptised on the nth of March, 1573; and there is record that in this year "the Earl of
Leicester's Players" were performing in the town, receiving the sum of six shillings and
eightpence from the Chamberlain of Stratford ; while in the following year " my lord of
Warwick's Players" are paid seventeen shillings, and " the Earl of Worcester's Players" five
shillings and sevenpence by the same official.
And still, with his increasing family, increase the fortunes of Mr. John Shakespeare ;
for in 1574 he paid to Edmund and Emma Hall the sum of ^40 (equal to ^200 of our
present money) for the purchase of two freehold houses, with gardens and orchards, in
Henley Street. An event of great local public importance occurred soon after ; no other
than Queen Elizabeth's visit to Kenil worth Castle in 1575, there to be entertained by its
lordly owner, the Earl of Leicester, with revels, masques, and pageants of the most mag-
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
nificent kind ; and it is most likely that the boy of eleven years old, his vivid imagination
fired by accounts of what was going forward at a distance of barely fourteen miles from
where he lived, contrived to be present at this scene of gorgeous shows and " princely
pleasures." It may have been at this very festival of a Queen, welcomed by one of her
favourite nobles, that the young lad Shakespeare first imbibed his knowledge of how royalty
deports itself, how nobility looks and behaves, how admiring subjects gaze, how an adored
sovereign dispenses gracious words of acceptance, and how she receives homage and
applause. Here may he have gained incipient insight into the hearts of monarchs, into the
thoughts of courtiers, which he afterwards turned to account with such marvellous felicity
in his delineation of the emotions, the demeanour, the mode of speech of kings and dukes,
belted earls and tartaned thanes, coronetted peeresses and jewelled ladies, the world of
regalities and titled splendours, so high above the range of ordinary country youths'
experience.
From this period there are tokens that John Shakespeare's worldly prosperity declined
year by year; until, in 1578 — ■when at a borough hall meeting on the 29th of January, it
was decreed that every alderman in Stratford should pay six shillings and eightpence, and
every burgess three shillings and fourpence towards " the furniture of three pikemen, two
billmen, and one archer" — his share of the levied contribution was permitted to be but
three shillings and fourpence; although he was not only an alderman, but head alderman.
In November of the same year, also, when every alderman was required to "pay weekly to
the relief of the poor fourpence," John Shakespeare and Robert Bratt were exempted from
this tax. In the following March, too, when a demand was made upon the town for the
purpose of purchasing corsets, calivers, &c, John Shakespeare's name was among those of
certain persons whose " sums wera unpaid and unaccounted for ;" and there is farther
evidence that John Shakespeare was at this time short of money in the fact that he
owed a baker of the name of Roger Sadler five pounds, for which sum Edmund Lambert,
and another person named Cornishe, became security; since Sadler's will, dated 14th of
November, 1578, contained the following sentence: — "Item of Edmund Lambert and
Cornishe, for the debt of Mr. John Shacksper, 5^5."
But the most presumptive testimony that at this time John Shakespeare's pecuniary
affairs were in a depressed state, is afforded by the circumstance that in 1578 he and his
wife mortgaged their "land in Wilmecote, called Asbies;" and that in 1579 they parted
with their interests in the tenements at Snitterfield to Robert Webbe, for the moderate
sum of four pounds. That same year of 1579 brought sadder distress than the one arising
out of straitened circumstances to the family, for John Shakespeare's daughter Anne was
buried on the 4th of July, 1579; and the stripling Shakespeare learned what was the pang
of seeing his little sister snatched away by death. His youth was sufficiently chequered
with prosperity and its reverse, with living companionship and companionship interrupted
by a summons to the grave, for one so sensitive and imaginative as he was, to be able early
and keenly to appreciate " the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to." Griefs
succeeded by budding hopes, bitterness by sweet reviving gladness, were known to him
intimately and soon; for the death of his young sister Anne in the summer of 1579 was
followed by the birtli of a baby brother, Edmund, who was baptised oi) the 3rd of May,
ROOM IN CHARLCOTE HALL.
GATEWAY AT CHARLCOTE.
CHARLCOTE CHURCH.
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
1580: and while the above-stated fluctuations of fortune visited his father, there were not
wanting gaieties that peculiarly appealed to the son's innate taste and genius; for, in 1579,
the players of Lord Strange, and those of the Countess of Essex, gave dramatic entertain-
ments in Stratford, in the hall of the Guild, under the patronage of the bailiff, while in
1580 the players of the Earl of Derby also visited that town, and gave a series of performances.
In all probability the young lad found means to attend all these theatrical representa-
tions in his native place; for though money does not appear to have been rife in the
Shakespeare family at this period, yet what with his own engaging manners and intelligent
appreciation of their art, and what with the fact that several of the actors in the above-
named dramatic companies were born in the same town or county with himself, it is more
than likely that Will Shakespeare had free admission to the playhouse in Stratford-upon-
Avon whenever he chose — which was pretty sure to have been always. Burbage, Hem-
minge, Slye, Greene, Tooley, were the names of actors ascertained to have been natives of
Warwickshire, and to have been known to Shakespeare during the course of his career ;
while there is every reason to suppose that his acquaintance with them may have com-
menced during the period of his boyhood, when the several troops of players to which they
belonged visited Stratford as here recorded.
After leaving school, which we imagine to have been somewhere about the a^e of
fourteen, we have always cherished the idea that Shakespeare may possibly have had the
advantage of about three years' college education. It is true that his father's income
appears to have been particularly restricted at this time ; but if, according to our theory,
William was a scholar upon the foundation at either one of the universities, and studied
there as a sizer or servitor, his collegiateship would have been without cost. If Shake-
speare, when a youth of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen, passed these three years of his life
as a collegian, it would go far to account for the classical knowledge and tastes, the mytho-
logical colouring and allusions, which particularly mark his earlier written plays (for
instance, the "Two Gentlemen of Verona," the "Comedy of Errors," and the "Love's
Labour's Lost"), and which appear therein with precisely that tincture of scholarly man-
nerism and stillness that would characterise the productions of a young man fresh from the
learned haunts where he had " walked gowned." The fondness for, and familiar acquaint-
ance with college terms, phrases, and usages, traceable in his works too, make for our
supposition that he may have enjoyed the privileges of a university education ; and though
there exists at neither Oxford nor Cambridge any record that they ever numbered him as
one of their body (which, as being only a foundation scholar there scarcely would have
been), yet future research may hereafter establish the point we conjecture.
Perhaps it was on some occasion of college vacation, or perhaps merely on some usual
summer holiday, that he first met her, when strolling through the pleasant lanes of Shot-
tery ; but certain it is, that at the age of eighteen he fell in love with blooming Anne
Hathaway, and secured her love in return. She to him doubtless appeared a living im-
personation of all that his ardent imagination and young poet-heart preconceived possible in
his future Imogen, Helena, Viola, or Rosalind ; what he to her must have appeared, with
his eloquence, his fervour, his irresistible vivacity, impetuosity, and intensity, we can all
picture to ourselves. Anne Hathaway was then five-and-twenty ; in her full beauty of
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
womanhood; just the captivator to enslave the eyes of a lover of eighteen. Youthful
manhood takes delight in a charmer of superior age: while the man of thirty is won by the
girl of sweet sixteen, the boyish admirer thinks her insipid, immature, trifling, timid, and
beholds his womanly ideal fulfilled in richly-gifted, all-accomplished five-and-twenty. In
femininely ripened five-and-twenty he finds an object to worship, to idolise, to inspire him
with highest endeavour and noblest hopes; and it is with him an ambition, no less than a
desire, to make her his own. William Shakespeare, even at eighteen, was not the man to
woo in vain; and by the time spring appeared in 1583 he was a husband and a father. On
the 26th of May in that year, his first child, Susanna, was baptised ; and it now behoved
him to think of some effectual means of supporting his wife and child, by earning a
sufficient income from his own chosen profession and personal exertions.
There is a tradition (stated by Aubrey, in his MSS. in the Ashmoleau Museum) that
"in his younger years Shakespeare had been a schoolmaster in the country;" and it is not
improbable that he obtained employment as assistant-teacher, or usher, in the grammar-
school where he himself had received his first scholastic education. There have also been
conjectures (founded on a sneer by Thomas Nashe, apparently levelled at Shakespeare, in
"An Epistle'' prefixed to Robert Greene's " Menaphon," 1589; and also on the marked
prevalence of the dramatist's correct use of legal terms) that he was at one time occupied
in an attorney's office, and earned money as a lawyer's clerk. But we think that the fact
of there having been a Thomas Greene in Stratford-upon-Avon, who acted as clerk of the
corporation there, who was son of an attorney practising there, and who once wrote (in a
letter still extant) of the poet as "my cosen Shakespeare," amply suffices to account for
our author's familiar acquaintance with law terms and legal particulars, and even for his
remarkably accurate and frequent employment of them. Besides the above-named claim
of cousinship on the part of Thomas Greene the younger with William Shakespeare, the
burial of Thomas Greene the elder stands thus recorded in the parish register : — " Thomas
Greene, alias Shakespeare, March 6, 1590 ;" which combined points serve to show that
there must have existed some very strong bond of connection between the two families. In
all probability, as it appears to us, such an adopted relationship, as it was formerly often the
fashion to establish between persons who felt warm esteem and affection for each other
(see Note 90, Act ii., "Troilus and Cressida"), may have mutually existed between the
Greenes and the Shakespeares ; and if this were the case, many an hour would naturally
have been spent by William Shakespeare in Thomas Greene's office, where so observant and
retentive a mind as the one under consideration would be sure to pick up waifs and strays of
professional knowledge, and even to acquire intimate and correct acquaintance with them,
while but seeming to pass away the time in leisure and social converse. But whether or
not Shakespeare actually did receive emolument from teaching in a school, or from working
in a lawyer's office, it is pleasant to fancy him employed in either or both honourable
avocations, that he might earn bread for those who were dependent on him for support.
Nevertheless it became evident that his then resources for obtaining a livelihood — whatever
they may have been — were inadequate for the maintenance of his increasing family; when,
in 1585, he had two more children born to him, a twin boy and girl, baptised on the 2ml
of February in that year, by die names of Hamnet and Judith.
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
In addition to this more immediately pressing cause for seeking a means of gaining a
larger income than he had yet been able to earn, his father, John Shakespeare, ceased to be
an alderman of Stratford-upon-Avon in the autumn of 1586; all tending to show that
another field than that afforded by his native town would be the one better chosen wherein
to exert his energies with prospect of advantage. His own decided bent of taste and talent,
his connection with men of the theatrical profession, their probable representations of the
revenue that might be derived from the stage were he to adopt it as his means of livelihood,
naturally turned his thoughts in that direction, and he resolved to go up to London, as the
grand centre of dramatic career. There has been a legend that it was the rancour of Sir
Thomas Lucy's prosecution against William Shakespeare for joining in some deer-stealing
transgressions committed in the knight's park of Charlcote, which formed the immediate
cause of the young man's withdrawal from his country home ; but there is far more like-
lihood that Shakespeare's removal to the metropolis originated in a deliberate resolution of
his own mind to seek there congenial occupation arid profitable source of livelihood. A man
with active brains, fine intelligence, high principle, pure purpose, is necessarily provident :
Shakespeare possessed them all, and there are many existent proofs that he was essentially
provident. It would be a part of his character that he should determine to provide
competently for the support of his family, and part of his exalted and innate genius that
he should propose to himself the mastering of some means whereby he might raise its
position in the world ; while the inward conviction that he had the power of ultimately
succeeding in his views cannot have been wanting. He accordingly took the decisive and
initiative step by going to London.
From 1586 to 1589, no record exists of his proceedings; but as, in the latter year, his
name appears as sharer in the Blackfriars Theatre (being twelfth on the list of sixteen
shareholders), we may infer that he spent the intervening period in qualifying himself for
his chosen profession of actor, in altering and adapting such dramas by others as were to be
brought out at the playhouse of which he became part proprietor, and in preparing for
production on its stage certain of his own plays already written. We have always
cherished a belief that when Shakespeare arrived in town, he had with him the manuscripts
of his poem "Venus and Adonis" (which is distinctly stated by himself, in its dedication, to
have been " the first heir of my invention"), and of a few of his plays — those which bear
intrinsic evidence of having been early compositions — together with numerous sketches and
plans of other dramas hereafter to be written. We can picture to ourselves the buoyant
hope with which the young poet set forth upon his nobly ambitious venture; the conscious
intellectual power, combined with the sedately industrious prudence; which, working
steadily and quietly together, allowed little outward manifestation to appear of what he
passed those three first years in doing, although the result was betokened with sufficient
clearness. For after that date of 1589 commenced his ever-increasing popularity and
prosperity, culminating in an immortality of glory never equalled by that of any other man's
own achievement. As early as 1 591, Spenser, in his "Tears of the Muses," alluded with
affectionate commendation to Shakespeare's merits as a dramatist ; speaking of him as " the
man whom Nature's self had made to mock herself, and Truth to imitate;" and the fact
that he had already attained a high position in public favour is evidenced not only by the
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
eulogium of friends, but by the aspersions of those whom envy had made his foes. A herd
of interior dramatists betrayed hatred, while they affected scorn towards him ; and in 1592
a plainly-meant yet covertly-worded attack upon him appeared, written by Robert Greene,
and posthumously produced by Henry Chettle, although it was subsequently apologised for
by the latter in his " Kind Heart's Dream." In 1593, Shakespeare for the first time
appeared in print. He himself brought out the poem of " Venus and Adonis," avowedly
his earliest written work, and one bearing internal marks of youthful composition. It was
published by one Richard Field, a printer, and a native of Stratford-upon-Avon; and this
point — confirmed by the fact that many of his own townspeople's names appear in his
dramatic productions — tends to show the strong leaning towards the place where he was
born, and where he passed his boyhood, which Shakespeare felt while pursuing his career in
the metropolis. This is part of a great and large-hearted nature like his — the affectionate
power of attachment, and tender refinements of sympathy, coexistent with strength and
vigour of intellect. We find such names in his works as Fluellen, Bardolph, and Audrey ;
found also in the annals of that same Warwickshire village; while "Sweet Anne Pao-e,"
the Windsor yeoman's pretty daughter, is a namesake of one of the author's sisters as well
as of his chosen wife. The next year witnessed his next publication, the " Lucrece," which
also issued from the press of Richard Field ; and both of these poems were dedicated to
Shakespeare's noble friend and patron, Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Spenser's
second tribute to Shakespeare, in the poem of " Colin Clout's come home again," appeared
at this period; and it is in this same year of 1594 that it has been said Shakespeare
received the munificent gift of a thousand pounds from Lord Southampton.
The opening of the Globe Theatre on the Bankside took place about this time; its
building having been commenced in 1593 by Richard Burbage, the leader of the company
of actors wherein William Shakespeare was part proprietor. In 1595 the new theatre
began to give performances; the usual hour for commencing which was three o'clock in
the afternoon. It was a circular wooden edifice, open to the air, and roofless; therefore it
was suited to summer representations only. Consequently, the player-sharers presented a
petition (Shakespeare's name being fifth on the list), praying for leave to repair and enlarge
their Blackfiiars Theatre for winter performances. Ere the year of 1596 was much more
than half elapsed Shakespeare was permanently, prosperously, and honourably established in
his London professional position ; but in the August of that year domestic affliction befel
him in his Stratford home, his son Hamnet's burial being registered on the nth of that
month. His parents, too, were in reduced circumstances ; and their poet-son strove to
assuage his own trouble in seeking to alleviate theirs. He helped to redeem his mother's
paternally-inherited estate of Asbyes from mortgage; he applied for a grant of arms to his
father; and he purchased a dwelling-house and garden at Stratford, called "New Place"
(also, " The Great House"), to which he brought home his parents, establishing them there
under his own country-roof. Proofs exist that he had a residence in London, situated in
Southwark, where he dwelt during his stay in the metropolis; but with his true spirit of
faithful feeling, he chose to have the house of his own purchase and possession in his
native place.
While promoting his own success as a dramatist, he did not omit to give a helping
268
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
hand to the efforts of others ; for it is said that Ben Jonson's comedy of " Every Man in
his Humour," which was first acted in the year 1598, owed its appearance on the stage to
Shakespeare's good offices, and he was known to have himself acted one of the parts in this
play — that of old Knowell.
Substantial evidence exists that on the 25th of October, 1598, a letter was addressed to
Shakespeare by Richard Quiney, a fellow-townsman, requesting the loan of sg^a ; a sum
sufficiently large to show that the dramatist was by this time in affluent circumstances,
while the wording of the letter amply testifies, not only the conviction of the writer
that the man he applies to is able, but will also be disposed, to accord that which is
asked of him. The original of this very interesting letter — the only one known to be
extant, addressed to Shakespeare — is preserved in the Shakespeare Museum at Stratford-
upon-Avon.
The number of Shakespeare's plays known to have appeared before the year 1601
significantly manifest his prolific capacity and his indefatigable industry, since they amount
lo no fewer than twenty. They are : — " The Two Gentlemen of Verona ;" " Love's
Labour's Lost;" " The Taming of the Shrew;" "Part I.," "Part II.," and "Part III.
of Henry VI.;" "A Midsummer Night's Dream;" "Hamlet;" "Richard II.;"
"Richard III.;" "Part I." and "Part II. of Henry IV.;" "Romeo and Juliet;"
"King John;" " Henry V. ;" "As You Like It;" "The Merchant of Venice;" "All's
Well that Ends Well;" "Much Ado about Nothing;" and "The Merry Wives of
Windsor." Ten of these had found their way into print, having been produced in
separate quarto form; and the ten were: — "Love's Labour's Lost;" "Richard II.;"
"Richard III.;" "Romeo and Juliet;" "Part I." and "Part II. of Henry IV.;"
"Henry V.;" "Much Ado about Nothing;" "Midsummer Night's Dream;" and
" The Merchant of Venice."
We omit from the above enumeration one drama which usually figures among those
stated to have been written by Shakespeare before this period. We allude to the repulsive
balderdash entitled "Titus Andronicus;" referring the reader to pages ix. and x. of our
" Preface," where a clue to our reasons for omitting it will be found.
As a counterbalance to the public triumphs which Shakespeare was achieving in town,
private sorrow assailed him in his country home; for his father, John Shakespeare, died in
1601, and the burial is recorded as having taken place on the 8th of September in that
year. At the same period occurred another death which indirectly relates to Shakespeare's
course through life. It is that of Thomas Whittington, an old shepherd (whom we fancy
may have been the prototype of Corin "the natural philosopher"), who had long been in
the employ of Richard Hathaway, Shakespeare's father-in-law. This Thomas Whittington
left in his will a bequest of forty shillings to the poor of Stratford ; placing the sum so
bequeathed in the hands of his old master's daughter, Anne Shakespeare. That this money
should have been thus confided to the care of the poet's wife, affords a welcome evidence of
her character being one to inspire trust and kindly feeling in those around her; and it is
pleasant to possess this piece of mute testimony to the moral excellence of Shakespeare's
Anne. His own boyish choice of her bears witness that she possessed personal charms; and
his own sense of moral beauty renders it probable that she was gifted with a character and
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
qualities worthy of a good man's esteem and attachment : a probability which this little
circumstance of the old shepherd's bequest serves to confirm.
In the spring of 1602 Shakespeare made purchase of one hundred and seven acres of
land from William and John Combe; paying the sum of s£}20 for the ground, which was
adjoining his own dwelling at Stratford-upon-Avon; and in the autumn of that same year
he became proprietor of a copyhold tenement, also in his native town. Again, in the
November of the following year, he made the acquisition of a messuage, barn, granary,
garden, and orchard in the neighbourhood ; for which property he gave Hercules Underbill
the price of s£6o. Thus we see how judicious he was in the investment of his well-earned
gain, how careful he was to become possessed of value in land, and how faithful to his
affectionate preference for having it in his own birth-place. It clearly indicates that, all
through his London achievements of art-ambition and wealth-earning, he fondly cherished
the intention of finally returning to his village nest, and forming his true home there.
On the 17th of May, 1603, a patent was granted by James I. to Shakespeare and the
company of players to which he belonged, granting them permission to perform at the
Globe Theatre and elsewhere ; Shakespeare s name being second on this list of the dramatic
company. By this it will be seen how steady had been the rise which Shakespeare had
made in his chosen profession; since in 1589 his name occurs twelfth on a list of the
company of sixteen members, in 1596 it appears fifth on a list of a company of eight
members, and in 1603 it stands second on a list of a company consisting of nine members.
But now arrived a period when Shakespeare, with that wisdom and unerring judgment
which seem to have guided him in his own affairs as well as in his literary productions,
decided that he would retire from the stage as an actor. He had earned the right to enjoy
comparative leisure and withdrawal from the bustle and glare of active public life; a leisure
and withdrawal that most men of ardent natures and imaginative temperaments crave for as
they reach maturity. The excitement and dazzle of metropolitan life, the personal exertion
and incessant stimulus of a player's life [a life for which we have his own words that he felt
a distaste; when he speaks in his 110th Sonnet of having "made myself a motley to the
view"], the desire to dedicate himself in repose and with more exclusive thought to
dramatic writing, doubtless conduced to make him resolve upon ceasing to be an actor j and
1604 has generally been considered the date when he did so.
Not for this, however, did he cease from active occupation of various other kinds; for
we find him engaged at one time in investing s£.\\o in the purchase of tithes in Stratford
(in the indenture of which transaction, dated 24th of July, 1605, he figures as William
Shakespeare, of Stratford-upon-Avon, gentleman) ; at another time receiving a fellow-actor's
(Augustine Philips) bequest of a gold piece worth thirty shillings; occasionally super-
intending the first performances of newly produced and newly written plays brought out
since the commencement of the century (before 1606 " Troilus and Cressida," "Othello,"
" Twelfth Night," " Henry VIII.," " Measure for Measure," " Comedy of Errors," " Lear,"
and "Macbeth" had appeared); on the 5th of June, 1607, giving his daughter Susanna
in marriage to Dr. John Hall ; on quite another occasion paying the last sad duties to
his youngest brother, Edmund, who was buried on the 31st of December of the same
year at St. Saviour's, Southwark ; on another, being made a grandfather, by the birth of
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
Susanna's child, Elizabeth, baptised 21st of February, 1608; later on in that year piously
receiving his mother's latest breath, and seeing her remains consigned to the grave, 9th
of September; at another time, performing the part of good friend and neighbour, by
standing god-father to a boy named William Walker, on the [6th of October, in his native
town; at another, being the object of a letter from Lord Southampton, wherein the noble-
man styles Shakespeare "my especiall friende;" and still again, at another time, planting a
mulberry-tree in his Warwickshire home garden, while his Sonnets were being first printed
in London, on the 20th of May, 1609.
That these Sonnets were collected and published without the author's sanction we
think is most evident. While his two poems, " Venus and Adonis," and " Lucrece," were
ushered into the world with each a special dedication, written by Shakespeare himself,
the Sonnets were brought out with a fantastical and enigmatical dedication by the
publisher, Thomas Thorpe; who had most likely procured them surreptitiously, and
printed them without permission (probably without knowledge) of their writer. Francis
Mere's mention of them as Shakespeare's " sugared sonnets among his private friends," to
our mind, strengthens the likelihood that they were never intended by Shakespeare for
publication. The majority of them appear to us to be so thoroughly the outpouring of his
inner heart, so completely meant for only the one to whom they are addressed, and as a
relief to his own teeming thought, so veiledly expressed — so purposedly veiled in expression
— that they never could have been meant for the public eye. It is quite consistent with the
delicacy and fervour of his ideas in friendship [See passages referred to in Note 26, Act iv.,
«' Merchant of Venice ;" Note 98, Act iii., "Twelfth Night;" Note 72, Act iii., "Julius
Caesar;" Notes 53, Act iii., and 67, Act iv., "Hamlet"] to pour out thus veiledly yet
warmly his passionate feelings of devoted attachment ; and quite consistent with his
prodigality of genius and slender care to secure fame that he should never intend these
poems for the world's eye. That they became known in manuscript " among his private
friends," that they crept gradually into more extended notice, may have originated in the
less delicacy and greater pride of the person to whom they were addressed. It is quite
conceivable that this person's consciousness of their grace, and his pride in their strong
expressions of devotion, may have caused them to become circulated amono- certain
"private friends" known to both writer and subject of the Sonnets. How they came to be
put into print is an unsolved question ; how or why or to whom they were written is a
profound mystery; and we think will continue to be so, notwithstanding all the extremely
ingenious and loving pains that have been taken to fathom it ; because we believe that that
which Shakespeare meant to be concealed will remain concealed. Whatever he did he
effected thoroughly ; and if, as we imagine, he wrote these Sonnets for his own and one
other person's sole comprehension, that he surely achieved. That he intended the name of
this person to be untold, that he intended his own identity to be unproclaimed, that he
desired solely to exalt the person addressed and to register the devoted attachment of the
addresser, as unnamed object and writer, we think is evident in very many of these intensely
ardent effusions ; and if any one will carefully read over these, especially the 76th Sonnet,
we think our view of them as above stated will be verified.
To return to the " Story of Shakespeare's Life."
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
MONUMENT TO SHAKESPEARE IN HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, STRATFORD-ON-AVON.
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
In the month of March, 1610, he instituted a legal process against John Addenbrook,
for the recovery of a small debt ; when, the debtor decamping, a writ was issued by the
borough court against Thomas Horsley, who had become bail ; which proceedings serve to
show that the poet was a man who did not choose to be imposed upon. In 161 1 a fine
was levied on the hundred and seven acres of arable land purchased by William Shake-
speare in 1602; and his name stands on a list of donations (dated nth of September,
1611), contributed by the townspeople of Stratford, for defraying the charge of prosecuting
a bill in parliament "for the better repair of highways," &c, which shows him to have
been ready to bear his share in acts of municipal duty and outlay. The year j6iz has
generally been considered as the one wherein he quitted London entirely, for the purpose of
taking up his permanent residence in his native town; thus fully carrying out his design of
retiring from a life of metropolitan excitement.
But neither inertly nor unusefully did he pass his country existence; for we find him
to have been one of the plaintiffs in a Chancery suit concerning the lease of tithes bought in
1605, and we learn that he was active in endeavouring to prevent the enclosure of common
land at Stratford-upon-Avon. On the 10th of March, 1613, he purchased a house in
Blackfriars for agi^o; possibly as a good investment of money, and probably with some
view to the convenience of his friends and former fellow-actors. We even have traces of
him as having been once again in London; for Thomas Greene, clerk of the Corporation,
sent up to town on business concerning the enclosure of common land, made a note, dated
1 7th of November, 1614, wherein he mentions going to see Shakespeare on his arriving
also in the metropolis. This same year of 1613 was marked by other events nearly
affecting Shakespeare ; for on the 4th of February his brother Richard was buried ; and on
the 29th of June the Globe Theatre was burned down. In the following year, 1614, on
the 9th of July a calamity of similar nature occurred — a fire — at Stratford-upon-Avon;
which consumed no fewer than fifty-four dwelling-houses, although that of William
Shakespeare escaped uninjured.
There is no special record relating to the dramatist in 16 15 ; but during the past nine
years had been brought out "Antony and Cleopatra," "Pericles," "Winter's Tale,"
"Tempest," " Coriolanus," " Timon of Athens," " Julius Caesar," and "Cymbeline."
At the very commencement of the year 1616, Shakespeare seems to have felt some
premonitory symptoms of approaching close to his existence, for on the 25th of January
he prepared his will. With his innate good sense and propriety he did not leave unfulfilled
so important a duty ; even in this particular putting in practice his own wise words
respecting the need to be ever prepared for quitting life : — " the readiness is all." On the
10th of February he gave his daughter Judith in marriage to Thomas Quiney, and on the
25th of March he executed his will: a copy of which will be found subjoined in this
edition. There is one clause in Shakespeare's will which has been variously discussed, and
has been sometimes the subject of cavil. It is the one where he bequeathed to his wife the
" second best bed with the furniture." To our minds this apparently insignificant bequest
affords proof of the attachment that subsisted between Shakespeare and the woman who
was the bride of his youth, and the wife to whom he constantly returned amid the excite-
ment of his metropolitan life. The sacredness of the sentiment that united them is, we
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
think, mutely but eloquently expressed in that simple legacy. Things that seem all but
meaningless to the eyes of lookers-on are full of dearest intention to married lovers. As
his widow, Shakespeare's wife was legally entitled to her due share of his property; there
was, therefore, no need for him formally to bequeath it to her: but as his chosen and
beloved wife, a special though apparently trifling gift was a token of mutual and endeared
understanding between them.
The immediate cause of Shakespeare's death is not known; although there is a
tradition that it originated in a too convivial reception which he gave to Ben Jonson and
Drayton when they paid him a visit at his Stratford home. Tnat he should warmly and
hospitably receive his friends and brother poets is in accordance with his cordial bounteous
nature; and it is not unlikely that the good cheer of the occasion, together with possibly
some cold or fever taken at a time when he was not in perfect health, may have tended
to hasten that event which he had latterly foreseen as advancing upon him. Certain it is,
that he expired on the 23rd of April, 1616, the fifty-second anniversary of his birth, leaving
an immortal and cherished memory to all reading and thinking mankind.
Moreover, he has left by the story of his own career, an enduring and encouraging
example to all humanity of the power to rise from obscurity to transcendant glory. Let no
lad, however humble his origin, despair of attaining eminence, when he thinks of William
Shakespeare. Let no lad, when feeling within himself power to become great — but
cramped by position and shackled by want of means — forget that Shakespeare, by force of
genius, by energetic perseverance, and by untiring industry, soared to the highest region of
intellectual supremacy.
The circumstance of his being born in that lovely English village, of being surrounded
from his childhood to manhood by rural impressions and influences, and then becoming a
sojourner amid the refining atmosphere of urban amenities and activities at a period of life
when best fitted to profit by their polishing effect, tended propitiously to form the poet
created by nature into the poet perfected by art.
That he was characterised by prudence, foresight, and a thrifty disposition, is testified
by his care to earn money, and by his judgment in its advantageous investment; while
his affectionate attachment for his native place is proved by these investments having been
made chiefly in Stratford-upon-Avon.
His filial and fraternal relations, his home interests, retained their pristine warmth, even
at the time when his merits were gaining him public favour, securing him the love of
brother-poets and fellow-actors, winning for him the admiring esteem and friendship of
such distinguished noblemen as the Earl of Southampton, the Earl of Pembroke, and the
Earl of Montgomery, and obtaining for him the graciously expressed approval of the two
sovereigns who reigned during his life-time — ■ Elizabeth and James I. In so high vene-
ration was he held by his native townsmen, that they laid his honoured bones close to the
very communion rails of their church, and erected his monumental effigy within the
walls of their chancel ; as if they delighted to show that they loved him as a friend and a
genial companion when alive, and revered him as an ornament to their community after
his death.
There is every reason to believe that this monumental effigy gives us the best repre-
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
sentation of his appearance during the last years of his life, when in ease and retirement ; as
the portrait by Martin Droeshout, prefixed to the first collected edition of his plays (the
1623 folio), most probably affords the truest presentment of his appearance while in active
public metropolitan life. The blandness and fulness of repose traceable in the monumental
face and figure, and the compact, energetic, purposeful look visible in the Droeshout
portrait, have each something that seems severally and reliably characteristic of the man at
these different periods of his life. That Droeshout' s portrait was a faithful resemblance, we
have Ben Jonson's word, in the ten lines which he wrote on the subject, and which
Hemminge and Condell (the editors of the 1623 folio) appended to the likeness.
Not only have we to thank Ben Jonson for penning this testimony to the fidelity of
the personal portrait of William Shakespeare, but we owe him a far greater debt of
gratitude for his having borne witness to the native integrity, the fertility of idea, and ease
of utterance possessed by Shakespeare, in those cordial words [which cause us to invoke a
blessing on burly Ben's head, whenever we recur to them] : " I loved the man, and do
honour his memory (on this side idolatry) as much as any. He was indeed honest, and of
an open and free nature ; had an excellent fancy, brave notions, and gentle expressions,
wherein he flowed with that facility, that sometimes it was necessary he should be
stopped." Fuller records the " wit-combats" between the writer and the subject of the
just-quoted sentence, thus : — " Which two I behold like a Spanish great galleon, and an
English man-of-war: Master Jonson, like the former, was built far higher in learning;
solid, but slow in his performances: Shakespeare, with the English man-of-war, lesser in
bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about, and take advantage of all
winds by the quickness of his wit and invention." And from Beaumont's lines, descriptive
of the meetings at the Mermaid Tavern, we may conjecture how Shakespeare, who was one
of the members and chief ornaments of the society there, contributed his share to the famed
brilliancy of conversation of those assembled wits: — -
" What things have we seen
Done at the Mermaid ! heard words that have been
So nimble, and so full of subtle flame,
As if that every one from whom they came
I [ad meant to put his whole wit in a jest."
With regard to the degree of merit that distinguished Shakespeare as an actor, we
have the evidence of Chettle, a contemporary, who mentions that he was " excellent in the
quality he professes;" and the dramatist's own advice to the players ("Hamlet," Act iii.,
sc. 2) denotes thorough knowledge and judgment with practical discrimination. The
capacity to perceive and instruct which the passage indicates, implies power to fulfil. It is
recorded that he used to play the part of the Ghost, in his own tragedy above alluded to;
and we have always received this fact as proof positive that he must have possessed superior
powers of impersonation ; since it is not credible that the author of that dread and stately
shade, " the majesty of buried Denmark," would have entrusted its presentment to any one
who was not qualified to enact it competently and impressively. That he should have
chosen to play so comparatively insignificant a part as that of the faithful old serving-man
in "As You Like It," is but another token that he chose to have a beautiful though
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
subordinate character well performed, knowing that he himself could do so ; and we
heartily subscribe to Coleridge's earnest assertion : — " I am certain that Shakespeare was
greater as Adam in ' As You Like It,' than Burbage as ' Hamlet' or ' Richard III.' "
We entertain a very strong conviction as to Shakespeare's mode of composition. It
seems to us that he conceived and constructed many of his greatest things at times when he
was not seated formally at his writing-table, with pen, ink, and paper before him ; but
abroad in the open air, face to face with nature, either walking in the fields or the crowded
streets, or pacing along on horseback, travelling easily to and fro during his journeys
between London and Stratford, when he was alone with his own thoughts, or when he was
thronged with ideas in the midst of company. To his observant eye, every phase of' society
presented fresh opportunity for studious contemplation of humanity ; to his richly capacious
mind, all seasons and all places afforded store of collective information ; with his fertile
imagination, ever-flowing fancy, and power of transmuting into dramatic form whatsoever
came beneath his notice, he must have been constantly shaping those grand images which
took immortal embodiment when he came to pen them down. That which his teeming
thought framed as he talked, strolled, or rode, he put into black and white with mere
mechanical facility of hand when he sat down to write. Evidence of this exists in those
words which occur in the Address prefixed to the 1623 Folio by his first editors, men who
had been his friends and fellow-actors, John Hemminge and Henry Condell : — " His mind
and hand went together ; and what he thought he uttered with that easiness, that we have
scarce received from him a blot in his papers."
Incalculably great as is the debt we owe to these two friends and fellow-actors, who
gave the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays to the world (and, be it remem-
bered, that had it not been for Hemminge and Condell's Folio edition, we should never
have had copies preserved in print of the " Tempest," " The Two Gentlemen of Verona,"
" Measure for Measure," " As You Like It," " Taming of the Shrew," " All's "Well that
Ends Well," " Twelfth Night," " Winter's Tale," " King John," "Parts I., II., and III.
of Henry VI ," " Henry VIII.," " Coriolanus," " Timon of Athens," " Julius Caesar,"
" Macbeth," " Antony and Cleopatra," and " Cymbeline;" since, of not one of these
nineteen productions does there exist a single known Quarto copy), yet it must be confessed
that they were remarkably unfitted to be editors; seeing that the)' could never have revised
(perhaps not even looked at) the proof-sheets while going through the press, that they
suffered innumerable glaring errors of typography, punctuation, and misplaced prefixes to
pass into print uncorrected ; and that they inserted one play ['* Titus Andronicus"] in their
collected volume which there is strong reason to believe is not Shakespeare's, while they
omitted one play (" Pericles") which there is as strong reason to believe was written by
him. The regrettable thing is, that Shakespeare himself did not bring forth a collected
edition of his works, under his own immediate sanction, superintendence, and careful
revision ; but the reason why he did not do so is probably traceable to the consideration
that he might thus have injured the interests of the acting company to which he belonged ;
since managers of theatres were formerly of opinion that to disseminate in printed form the
dramas they performed, was conducive to the diminution of their audiences, who would
less readily and numerously come to see acted that which they could obtain to read.
269
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
Thomas Heyvvood, in his preface to " The English Traveller," thus explains why his plays
have not been collectively printed : — " One reason is, that many of them, by shifting and
changing of companies, have been negligently lost. Others of them are still retained in the
hands of some actors, who think it against their peculiar profit to hare them come in print ;
and a third, that it never was any great ambition in me to be in this kind voluminously
read." Shakespeare may even have contemplated arranging and publishing a complete
edition of his works during his period of retired leisure, in the latter years of his life, had
they been protracted to a longer span than was decreed ; since, in their Preface to the first
Folio, Hemminge and Condell themselves say : — " It had been a thing, we confess, worthy
to be wished, that the author himself had lived to have set forth and overseen his own
writings. But, since it hath been ordained otherwise, and he by death departed from that
right, we pray you do not envy his friends the office of their care and pain to have collected
and published them."
Let us be thankful that we have thus much of his productions — in even the
imperfectly-printed 1623 Folio, and the unsanctionedly-printed Quartos — whereby we may
judge of the genius of that man who, as it were, bequeathed to each of us his immortal
creations in that line from his 74th Sonnet : —
" My spirit is thine, the better part of mc."
It is now, we presume, universally acknowledged that our Shakespeare was the
greatest poet that the world has yet seen; what the world may yet see, or may not see of
intellectual production in the revolution of other three hundred years, the man would
be presumptuous who should venture to foretell : the possibility however — perhaps the
probability — is, that the great cycle is complete. In the eternal kaleidoscope of nature,
that one noble division of imaginative writing — dramatic poetry — in his mind displayed its
lustrous perfection ; and ever since it has been declining and shifting into other combi-
nations of intellectual beauty. Like the vegetable growth (so exquisitely described by
Milton) has been the progress of dramatic poetry — its flowery climax ending in die
productions of Shakespeare.
" So from the root
Springs lighter the green stalk ; from thence the leaves
More aery ; last, the bright consummate flower
Spirits oddrous breathes."
Dramatic poetry, then, has fulfilled its glorious mission : the essence of it remains with
us ; but its seeds are scattered in the intellectual soil of human nature, whence will spring
other varieties, and gorgeous combinations ; for poetry, in the abstract, will no more be
extinguished upon earth — will no more become a dead language, than will Love, and
Goodness, and Beauty, and Truth. It may have, and it now has its sterile seasons — its
years ot fallow — other brain-growths occupy the ground; but it will come forth again in
fresh colours, and young strength, and " renew its beauty as the eagles." Poetry is eternal
— it must be of heaven, as it came from heaven; it is the echo of holy thoughts, good
aspirations, and good deeds, and all emotions of love and loving-kindness. ' It is the per-
ception of, and intimate union with omni-benevolence. No great poet cau be a bad man —
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
the idea is a paradox — the coalition an incongruity. Men of brilliant talents and oblique
morals have written rare metrical language; but not great thoughts— not the compre-
hensive reflections of omniscience and omni-benevolence : " An evil tree bringeth not forth
good fruit ;" neither can men hope to "gather figs from thistles." The word " great," as
referable to genius, has been strangely perverted. Clever, and sharp, and worldly-minded
compositions are frequently styled "great;" whereas they should have no other designation
than that of " sharp," " clever," and " worldly-minded :" but no intellectual work is truly
great — magnanimous — whose aim and fulfilment are not comprised in elevating human
nature; in hallowing and fostering the same beneficence that pervades all creation; in
short, making mankind happier in themselves, happier with their species, and happy in the
reflection of having helped them on in the great aspiration towards human perfectibility —
and happiness is goodness : this it is to write " greatly ;" and this the divine heart of
Shakespeare apprehended, and this his even diviner head accomplished. No one who ever
reads his pages in the true spirit of appreciation (not with the perverted vision of dogmatical
obliquity — not in the uncharitable and swart spirit of bigotry), ever arose from them a
sadder, and not in all essential points, a better man : a wiser man he will surely be. Of all
the intellectual beings that have been known to the world, he is the one who has possessed
the finest and the largest amount of qualities requisite to complete a " great" poet. He
was imbued with an amount of imagination with judgment — and his judgment really seems
to have been commensurate with his imagination — which most astonishes those who study
him the most deeply, and who are the best qualified to appreciate that gift. With other
imaginative writers we come to the confines of their powers — we can almost venture to
measure faculties with them — they are "one of us:" with him, take him up when we
may, for the purpose of secluded study, for the purpose of conversation, or even for the
purpose of illustrating a thought — a mere quotation — we always find fresh cause for
astonishment at the fertility of his mind : as has been over and over said, we are almost
sure to discover some new, some hitherto unrecognised feature in his imagery ; some new
turn in the feature of thought ; even some felicitous word employed, which imparts the
essential force and beauty to that thought.
His fancy, too, kept equal pace with his imagination. The range of this quality is
displayed in the language of the Witches ; in the spiritual conformation of Caliban, and in
that extreme contrast with the nature of the "poor monster;" the quintessentialised
immateriality of the nimble-winged Ariel ; in the tricksy waywardness, and child-like
gambols of those elemental people, the Fairies.
From these creations, beyond the confines of humanity, when we approach his know-
ledge of his own species, the powers of his mind seem even to dilate ; for all the springs
and actions of the human heart lay as open to his view, and were as known to him, as
though he had himself been the great machinist and instigator. Who has equalled — who
has approached him in pathos? There we have the true spirit of Tragedy; not the
surface-painting, not the formal description of distressed heroes and heroines ; but the
internal manifestation of sorrow. His characters bleed tears ; the pulses of their hearts are
sobs of grief.
One of his commentators is of opinion that his comic exceeded his tragic powers.
^J
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
This is saying much when we remember his " Lear," " Othello," " Macbeth," " Romeo
and Juliet," " Imogen," and " Desdemona ;" creations that, singly, would have immortalised
any poet; nevertheless, his sense of, and his conception of Wit and Humour, singly and in
combination, have never been surpassed ; in some instances, perhaps, equalled, but never
surpassed. Who will point to the rivals of Sir Toby, Malvolio, the Clown, and Ague-
cheek ? — all in one play ! What a world of wit and humour, both, are comprised in the
single creation of Falstaff! Shakespeare's comic powers are equal to his tragic, but it can
barely be said that they surpass them. Thus much, in brief, for the powers of his mind —
his invention.
The literary education of that mind appears to have been equal to that of most youths
at a well-endowed grammar-school. There seems no indication of his having been a
classical scholar in the extended sense of the term ; Ben Jonson was a doctor of languages
compared with him : but to assert that he was a man of " low" education, an unlearned
man, betrays a want of perception, if not a positive ignorance of his writings. And Ben
Jonson says of him, "he had little Latin, and less Greek;" Now, a "little Latin," in
Ben Jonson's judgment, would be much Latin in the judgment of a man of respectable
education. Moreover, we find that he did know something of Greek, which was much in
any period of English history. Half the well-educated men of our own day have not a
classical equipment beyond " a little Latin and less Greek.
Not only is Shakespeare's language purely classical in construction ; and not only does
he employ words and terms, adopted from Roman literature, in the strict sense of the
original idiom, wherein a parrot — a mere babbler of Latin, would be sure to display his
ignorance, by misapplication; but it will be found, upon carefully studying his language,
that he has imported and naturalised as many exotic words as even Dr. Johnson, that
famous coiner of Anglo-latinisms. Moreover, it will be found, that not only are they
perfectly apt to their purpose, and comprehensive in their application, but that they impart
an indescribable charm to his idiom, and a rich variety to his diction. All this no
unclassical man — certainly, no ignorant man, no man of "low education" — could have
achieved. A considerable list of terms might be enumerated from his pages that are not to
be traced to any anterior writer. Then, his own style is so classically correct in its struc-
ture; condensed, without being crabbed and obscure; and copious, without running into
verbiage, that for purity and ease it was not surpassed by that of the best-bred university
men of his day.
Thus was Shakespeare intellectually endowed beyond any other poet. As the poet of
human nature — the poet per se, he possessed a power of mental vision that was all but
miraculous. In his several classes of characters, accurately as they are portrayed, nothing is
more extraordinary than their distinctiveness and individuality. Not one of his fools is
like another fool ; not one of his villains is like another villain ; not even one of his
simpletons is like another simpleton: each and all — though of a class — have a personal and
mental identity, apt for their required end by the master.
With individuality and distinctiveness, he joined equal method in design, and judgment
in order and adaptation to the end he had in view. So complete were these qualities in his
mental conformation, that it is no uncommon event to discover, at the very close of a
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
character's career, some casual or slight personal circumstance indicated, which, upon re-
flection, will be found to have reference to a local peculiarity in that character at an early
stage of the play. Not, indeed, a point in the conduct of the character, which is brought
to bear upon, and influence the course of the plot; even a commonplace dramatist would
not fail to avail himself of such an advantage ; but, as an example of the instinct-like
harmony with which his mind was imbued, take so slight a circumstance as the following : — ■
In the play of " Cymbeline," we all remember, in the second scene of the second Act, the
allusion to the mole, "cinque-spotted," upon Imogen's neck: at the conclusion of the play,
when Guiderius and Arviragus are discovered to be her brothers, we find that Guiderius
may be identified as a son of Cymbeline, by having " upon his neck a mole, a sanguine
star." This touch of a personal triviality being brought to indicate a relationship in the
parties may, at first sight, appear insignificant to mention, but it proves the watchfulness,
and, as has been said, the prevailing sense of "harmony" in the poet's mind.
What few records we have of him as a brother man, and what are the constantly
revealed tendencies in his writings, all confirm that which has been already said of the
" great poet :" — He was a good man. He never avoids an opportunity of evincing his
cheerful reliance upon that beneficent Principle, without whose Will " not a sparrow falls to
the ground ;" and he best verified that reliance, and faith in goodness, by an unbounded
sympathy with all animated Nature. He was tolerant of the failings of his brethren ;
because HE, whom he believed to be an emanation from the fountain of all goodness, was
so too. Our gentle poet, also, would have said to the delinquent, " Neither do I condemn
thee ; go, and sin no more." In confirmation of this opinion, accept the sentence passed
by Posthumus upon the convicted author of all his sufferings — the treacherous Iachimo : —
" The power that I have on you, is to spare you ;
The malice towards you, to forgive you : live,
And deal with others better."
Moreover, to show the uniform integrity of his judgment, with stability of principle,
he promulgates the same Divine doctrine of forgiveness in probably his earliest, as in this,
his all but latest, composition of " Cymbeline." Valentine, in " The Two Gentlemen of
Verona," receives the "hearty sorrow" of his early friend, Proteus, "as a ransom for his
offence," adding —
" Who by repentance is not satisfied,
Is nor of heaven or earth ; for these are pleas'd."
We have the testimony of men in the poet's own profession to the truth and loveliness
of his moral nature; while that holy-minded man, Dr. Donne, the Dean of St. Paul's — a
man who, for wit, literary science, pulpit eloquence, and pious enthusiasm, is cited as one of
the shining lights in the Protestant Hierarchy — in answer to an application that had been
made to him for an epitaph upon our poet, who had just died, replied, with a modesty due
to the magnitude of tire subject, and an admiration worthy of the genius requiring the
tribute : " If you had commanded me to have waited on his body to Scotland, and
preached there, I would have embraced your obligation with much alacrity; but I thank
THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE.
you that you would command me that which I was loather to do ; for even that hath
given a tincture of merit to the obedience of your poor friend and servant."
The Epitaph is peculiar, and, like all the compositions of Dr. Donne, sufficiently
quaint, and tinctured with the conceit-style of the period; and yet, through all its home-
liness and unclassicality of manner there is something inexpressibly delightful and
welcome in this contemporary homage to departed greatness. Shakespeare is one of the
few imaginative geniuses who, with an enviable felicity, seem to have anticipated during
life, and to have secured after death, the tribute of an applauding world. This is Donne's
testimony to the " Universal Mind :" —
" Renowned Chaucer, lie a thought more nigh
To rare Beaumond ; and learned Beaumond he
A little nearer Spenser, to make room
For Shakespeare in your threefold, fourfold tomb.
To lie all four in one bed make a shift ;
For, until Doomsday, hardly will a fift
Betwixt this day and that be slain,
For whom your curtains need be drawn again.
But if precedency of death doth bar
A fourth in your sacred sepulchre ;
Under this curled marble of thine own,
Sleep, rare trajedian Shakespeare — sleep alone;
That unto us and others, it may be
Honor, hereafter, to be laid by thee. "
And again, in a kindred spirit of homage, but with more Delphic note, the immortal
Milton, in his well-known epitaph, hymns his praise: —
" Dear son of memory, great heir of fame,
What need'st thou such weak witness of thy name ?
Thou, in our wonder and astonishment,
Hast built thyself a livelong monument.
And so sepulchred, in such pomp dost lie,
That kings for such a tomb would wish to die."
And, lastly, the eminently-learned and truly reverend Dr. Adam Clarke proclaimed,
with almost a relish of humour in the announcement: "The man who has not read
Shakespeare should have public prayers put up for him." In all that pertains to William
Shakespeare we have matter of interest and value. In his writings he has bestowed upon
(he world " riches fineless ;" in the " Story of his Life" he has held forth a shining example
to the whole human brotherhood.
xxxviii
SHAKESPEARE'S WILL.
. jS&akrspmVs "Will,
IN THE PREROGATIVE OFFICE, LONDON*
VlCESlMO quinto die [Januarii] Mart'ii, anno regni domini nostri Jacobi nunc regis Anglia;, &c.
decimo quarto, et Scoriae xlix", annoque Domini 1616.
T. Wmi Shacksfeare.
In the name of God, Amen ! I William Shackspeare, of Stratford upon Avon in the countie
of Warr., gent., in perfect health and memorie, God be praysed, doe make and ordayne this my last
will and testament in manner and forme followeing, that ys to save, ffirst, I comend my soule into
the handes of God my Creator, hoping and assuredlie beleeving, through thonelie merites of Jesus
Christe my Saviour, to be made partaker of lyfe everlastinge, and my bodye to the earth whereof yt
ys made. Item, 1 gyve and bequeath unto my [sonne and] daughter Judyth one hundred and fvttie
poundes of Ian full English money, to be paied unto her in manner and forme foloueing, that ys to
save, one hundred poundes in discbarge of her marriage portion within one yeare after my deceas,
with consideracion after the rate of tnoe shillinges in the pound for soe long tyme as the same shalbe
unpaied unto her after my deceas, and the f\ttie poundes residene thereof upon her surrendring of, or
gyving of such sufficient securitie as the overseers of this my will shall like of, to surrender or
gr.iunte all her estate and right that shall discend or come unto her after my deceas, or that sbee
none hath, of, in, or to, one copiehold tenemente, with thappurtenaunces, lyeing and being in
Stratford upon Avon aforesaied in the saied count} e ot Warr., being parcell or hold*n of the
mannour of Ronington, unto my daughter Susanna Hall and her heires for ever. Item, I gyve
and bequeath unto my saied daughter Judith one hundred and fvttie poundes more, if shee or anie
issue of her bodie be lyvinge att thend of three yeares next ensueing the daie of the date of this my
will, during which tyme my executours are to paie her consideracion from my deceas according to
the rate atoresaied ; and if she dye within the saied tearme without issue of her bodye, then my will
ys, and 1 doe gyve and bequeath one hundred poundes thereof to my neece Elizabeth Hall, and the
fiftie poundes to be sett fourth by my executours during the lief of my sister Johane Harte, and the
use and proffitt thereof cominge shalbe payed to my saied sister Jone, and after her deceas the
saied l.!» shall remaine amongst the children of my saied sister, equallie to be devided amongst them ;
but if my saied daughter Judith be lyving att thend of the saied three yeares, or anie \ssue of her
bodye, then my will ys and soe I devise and bequeath the saied hundred and fiftie poundes to be sett
out by my executours an! overseers tor the best benefitt of her and her issue, and the slock not to be
paied unto her soe long as she shalbe marryed and covert baron [by my executours and overseers] ;
but my will ys, that she shall have the consideracion yearelie paied unto her during her lief, and,
after her deceas, the saied stocke and consideracion to bee paied to her children, if she have anie, and
if not, to her executours or assignes, she lyving the saied terme after my deceas, Provided that yf
suche husbond as she shall att thend cf the saied three yeares be marryed unto, or att anie after (sic),
doe sufficientlie assure unto her and thissue of her bodie landes annswereable to the porcion by this
my will gyven unto her, and to be adjudged soe by my executours and overseers, then my will ys,
that the said cl.!i shalbe paied to such husbond as shall make such assurance, to his onne use.
Item, I gyve and bequeath unto my saied sister Jone x\.lL and all my wearing apparrell, to be paied
and delivered within one yeare after my deceas ; and 1 doe will and devise unto her the house with
thappurtenaunces in Stratford, wherein she dnelleth, for her naturall lief, under the yearlie rent
of xijA Item, I gyve and bequeath unto her three sonnes, William Harte, - - - Hart, and
Michaell Harte, fyve pounds a peece, to be paied within one yeare after my deceas [to be sett out
for her within one \eare after my deceas by my executours, with thadvise and direccions of my
* The words which have been erased are put between brackets ; those which have been interlined are printed in italics.
xxxix
SHAKESPEARE'^ WILL.
overseers, for her best profitt, untill her mariage, and then the same with the increase thereof to be
paied unto her]. Item, I gyve and bequeath unto [her] the saied Elizabeth Hall, all my plate,
except my brod silver and gilt bole, that I now have att the date of this my will. Item, I gyve and
bequeath unto the poore of Stratford aforesaied tenn poundes ; to Mr. Thomas Combe my sword ;
to Thomas Russell esquier fyve poundes ; and to Frauncis Collins, of the borough of Warr. in the
countie of Warr. gentleman, thirteene poundes, sixe shillinges, and eight pence, to be paied within
one yeare after my deceas. Item, I gyve and bequeath to [Mr. Richard Tyler thelder] Hamlett
Sadler xxvj.«- viij.* to buy him a ringe ; to William Raynoldes, gent., xx<vj.»- <viij*- to buy him a
ringe ; to my godson William Walker xx.» in gold; to Anthonye Na^he gent. xxvj.«- viij.d ; and to
Mr. John Nashe xxvj.»- <viij.d- [in gold] ; and to myfelloiues John Hemynges, Richard Burbage, and
Henry Cundell, xxnjj.*- viijA a peece to buy them ringes. Item, 1 gyve, will, bequeath, and devise,
unto my daughter Susanna Ha\l,for belter enabling of her to performe this my 'will, and forwards the
petformans thereof, all that capital] messuage or tenemente with thappurtenaunces, in Stratford
aforesaid, called the New Place, wherein I nowe dwell, and two messuages or tenementes with
thappurtenaunces, scituat, lyeing, and being in Henley streete, within the borough of Stratford
aforesaied ; and all my barnes, stables, orchardes, gardens, landes, tenementes, and hereditamentes
whatsoever, scituat, lyeing, and being, or to be had, receyved, perceyved, or taken, within the townes,
hamletes, villages, fieldes, and groundes, of Stratford upon Avon, Oldstratford, Bushopton, and
Welcombe, or in anie of them in the said countie of Warr. And alsoe all that messuage or
tenemente with thappurtenaunces, wherein one John Robinson dwelleth, scituat, lyeing, and being,
in the Blackfriers in London, nere the Wardrobe ; and all other my landes, tenementes, and
hereditamentes whatsoever, To have and to hold all and singuler the saied premisses, with theire
appurtenaunces, unto the saied Susanna Hall, for and during the terme of her naturall lief, and after
her deceas, to the first sonne of her bodie lawfullie yssueing, and to the heires males of the bodie of
the saied first sonne lawfullie yssueinge ; and for defalt of such issue, to the second sonne of her bodie
lawfullie issueinge, and to the heires males of the bodie of the saied second sonne lawfullie yssueinge ;
and for defalt of such heires, to the third sonne of the bodie of the saied Susanna lawfullie yssueing,
and of the heires males of the bodie of the saied third sonne lawfullie yssueing ; and for defalt of
such issue, the same soe to be and remaine to the ffburth [sonne], ffyfth, sixte, and seaventh sonnes
of her bodie lawfullie issueing, one after another, and to the heires males of the bodies of the saied
fourth, fifth, sixte, and seaventh sonnes lawfullie yssueing, in such manner as yt ys before lymitted
to be and remaine to the first, second, and third sonns of her bodie, and to theire heires males ; and
for defalt of such issue, the saied premisses to be and remaine to my saved neece Hall, and the heires
males of her bodie lawfullie yssueing; and for defalt of such issue, to my daughter Judith, and the
heires males of her bodie lawfullie i.-,sueinge ; and for defalt of such issue, to the right heires of me
the saied William Shackspeare for ever. Item* I gyve unto my nvief my second best bed ivith the
furniture. Item, I gyve and bequeath to my saied daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bole. All
the rest of my goodes, chattel, leases, plate, jewels, and household stuffe whatsoever, after my dettes
and legasies paied, and my funerall expences dischardged, I give, devise, and bequeath to my sonne
in lawe, John Hall gent., and my daughter Susanna, his wief, whom I ordaine and make executours
of this my last will and testament. And I doe intreat and appoint the saied Thomass Russell
esquier and Frauncis Collins gent, to be overseers hereof, and doe revoke all former wills, and
publishe this to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my [seale]
hand, the daie and yeare first abovewritten.
By me William Shakspeare.
Witnes to the publyshing hereof,
Fra: Collvns,
julyus shawe,
John Robinson,
Hamnet Sadler,
Robert Whattcott.
Probatum coram magistro Willielmo Byrde, legum doctore comiss. &c. xxij*0- die mensis Junii,
anno Domini 1616, juramento Johannis Hall, unius executorum, &c. cui &c. de bene &c. jurat,
reservat. potestate &c. Susanna? Hall, alteri executorum &c. cum venerit petitur. &c. (Inv. ex.)
• With regard to this gift, which is an interlineated clause in the original Manuscript Will, see our remarks in " The S'ory
of Shakespeare's Life," at page xxx.
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Priam. King of Troy.
Hector,
1 ROILUS,
Paris, his Sons.
Deiphobus,
Helenus,
Margarelon, a Bastard Son of Priam.
./Eneas, ) _, . ^, .
J- Trojan Commanders.
Antenor, )
Calchas, a Trojan Priest, taking part with the Greeks.
Pandarus, Uncle to Cressida.
Agamemnon, the Grecian General.
Menelaus, his Brother.
Achilles, \
Ajax, J
Ulysses, f _ „
S Grecian Commanders.
Nestor, i
DlOMEDES, 1
Patroclus, /
Thersites, a deformed and scurrilous Grecian.
Alexander, Servant to Cressida.
Servant to Troilus.
Servant to Paris.
Servant to Diomedes.
Helen, Wife to Menelaus.
Andromache, Wife to Hector.
Cassandra, Daughter to Priam; a Prophetess.
Cressida, Daughter to Calchas.
Trojan and Greek Soldiers, and Attendants.
Scene — Troy, ami the Grecian Camp before it.
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
PROLOGUE.
In Troy, there lies the scene. From isles of Greece
The princes orgulous,2 their high blood chat'd,
Have to the port of Athens sent their ships,
Fraught with the ministers and instruments
Of cruel war: sixty and nine, that wore
Their crownets regal, from the Athenian bay
Put forth toward Phrygia : and their vow is made
To ransack Troy ; within whose strong immures
The ravish'd Helen, Menelaus' queen,
With wanton Paris sleeps; and that's the quarrel.
t. In the year 1609 there were two Quarto copies printed of
Shakespeare's Troili'S and Cressida : the first bearing on
its title-page, '" The Famous Mistorie of Troylus and Cresseid
Excellently expressing the beginning of their loves, with the
conceited wooing of Pand.irus Prince of Licia, Written by
William Shakespeare London : Imprinted bv O Eld for R
Bonian and H Walley, and are to be sold at the Spred Eagle
in Paules Church-yeard, over against the great North Doore,
1609:" the second with a title-page running thus : — " The
Historie of Troylus and Cressida As it was acted by the
Kings Majesties servants at the Globe. Written by William
Shakespeare. London," &c. The words on the second title-
page ("as it was acted by," &c give evidence that between
the publication of the earlier issued Quarto copy and the latter,
the play had been acted for the first time : since, in the earlier
copy there was given a prefatory " Address " which proclaimed
it to be " a new play, never staled with the stage, never
clapper-clawed with the palms of the vulgar." It is probable,
therefore, that Shakespeare wrote this piece some short time
previously to the above-mentioned date, as the style of the
main portion shows it to hav? been one of his maturer works.
Towards the close there are passages unlike his manner; so
much so as to have led to the belief that they were the compo-
sition of another hand, and merely allowed by him to remain
unaltered from the original drama whence he may have partly
derived his subject. The chief sources, however, upon whf h
he founded the story of his play are evidently Chaucer's beautiful
p lem "t* "Troilusand Creseide," ( hapman's vigorous translation
of Homer (then a recent book), Lydgate's " ["roy Book," and
Caxton's " History of the Destruction of Troy.*' It is interesting
to trace the marked difference with which the two great poets,
Chaucer and Shakespeare, have drawn the character of the
heroine of this story, Cressida. The narrative poet has depicted
her with a feeling for her beauty and gentleness that makes him
To Tenedos they come ;
And the deep-drawing barques do there disgorge
Their warlike traughtage: now on Dardan plains
The fresh and yet unbrutsed Greeks do pitch
Their hrave pavilions : Priam's six-gated city,
Dardan, and Tymbria, Ilias, Chctas, Trojan,
And Antenorides,3 with massy staples,
And corresponshe and fulfilling4 bolts,
Sperr6 up the sons of Troy.
Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits,
tender to her faults, and avowedly shrink from dwelling upon
her falsity : while the dramatic poet has painted Iter character
with a pitiless truth of limning, — its innate lightness and
coquetry from the very tl r -. t , its feebl; yielding to complaint
and quernlousiie^s in adversity, its facile power of revival into
fresh spirits and gaiety with change of scene and persons, its
want of faith amid trial, its utter incapacity for any firm or lasting
attachment, — that makes herseli harmonise with her .acts.
Shallow, inconsequent, unearnest. Shakespeare's Cressida is
inconstant from sheer triviality; she is thoroughly thoughtless
and heartless, because so vacant-minded ; not untrue to Troilus
so much from vicious tendency, as from essential levity and
instability. Such a dramatist teacher as Shakespeare could not
fail to delineate her with the consistency and accuracy that
might lest make her example a moral monition; he ha* used no
coarse colouring, no glaring materials : but be has made her
flimsy nature thoroughly repulsn :, without any revolting
adjuncts. The Creseide of Chaucer makes us wonder how one
so modest, gentle, and womanly as she is described, could
ultimately prove 00 fickle and so worihless ; the Cressida of
Shakespeare is so drawn throughout that her conduct at last is
but that which might from the fir^t have been expei ted
1 Orgidoits. ' Proud.' ' haughty,' ' disdainful ; ' Frcm h,
orguielleux. In L ml Berners' translation of Fi ii jarl's
chronicles we find : — '* Of the ■■ irds that the r lyns
sayd at the electyon of the newe pope agayne; tud h .
u in .■ I- ni wed,' ■•■ 1
3. Antenorides The Folio prinl ' \11ten midus' fi 1 \ il
rides;" and has other slight r variations in the names oi the
gates of Troy as here givi n
4. Fulfilling. Formerly sometimes used, as here, foi filling
full' or 'entirely filling.'
5. Sf<er>\ The Folio prims this word 'stirrc-' here, which
cannot be right ; whereas " sperr,*' ' span,' or 'spar,* i a verb
Act I.] TROILUS
AND CRESSIDA. [Scen:< I.
On one and other side, Trojan and Greek,
Leaps o'er the vaunt7 and firstlings ot tlio>e
Sets all on hazard : — and hither am I come
broils,
A prologue arm'd,6 — but not in confidence
Beginning in the middle ; starting thence away
Of author's pen or actor's voice ; but suited
To what may be digested in a play.
In like conditions as our argument, —
Like, or find fault ; do as your pleasures are;
To tell you, fair beholders, that our play
Now good or bad, 'tis but the chance of war.
ACT I.
SCENE I.— Troy. Before Priam's Palace.
Enter Troilus armed, and Pandarus.
Tro. Call here my varlet ;' I'll unarm again :
Why should I war without the walls of Troy,
That find such cruel battle here within ?
Each Trojan that is master of his heart,
Let him to field ; Troilus, alas! hath none.
Pun. Will this gear ne'er be mended ?2
To. The Greeks are strong, and skilful to their
strength.3
Fierce to their skill, and to their fierceness valiant ;
But I am weaker than a woman's tear,
Tamer than sleep, fonder4 than ignorance,
Less valiant than the virgin in the night,
And skilless as unpractis'd infancy.
Pan. Well, I have told you enough of this: for
my part, I'll not meddle nor make n i Krther. He
that will have a cake out of the wheat must tarry
the grinding.
Tro. Have I not Tarried ?
Pan. Ay, the grinding ; but you must tarry the
bolting.
frequently used by old writers, signifying 'fasten,' 'close,'
'shut,' or ' bar," from the Saxon, s/><zrran. Chaucer uses the
word, and in his "Troilus and Creseide :" —
" For when he saw her doris sperrid all,
Well nigh for sorrow adown he gan to fall."
Spenser also thus employs the word: and in "A C. meryTalys,"
1567, we find that a servant, seeing a man appear at the gate in
disguise, ' was sodenly abashyd and sparryd the doreagayn."
Theobald nude the correction.
6. A prologue arm'd. Shewing that the person appointed to
speak this prologue was clad in armour, consistently with the
"argument" of the play; whereas the usual dress for the
speaker of a pr »!o;;ie was a suit of black.
7. The v runt. A firm of ' the van,' or ' the avant ; ' r" lining
that which went before, the previous portion It hac been
conjectured that this prologue was not written by Shakespeare ;
but wc think that if examined carefully it will be found to bear
stroii'- marks nf being Ins composition. In the first ptace, the
two pc LiHar words in this very line, "vaunt" and "firstlings,"
arc used by him elsewhere : then the recurrence of the two
sentences, " now on Pardan plains," and lt«ow expecation,"
arc quite in the style of the choru>cs to "Henry V," where
sentrurcs beginning with the word " now " arc markedly preva-
lent, and where even the precisely similar expression, " No'v
sits Expectation, " &c, occurs The construction, too — making
Tro. Have I not tarried ?
Pan. Ay, the bolting; but you must tarry the
leavening.
Tro. Still have I tarried.
Pan. Ay, to the leavening ; but here's yet in
the word " hereafter," the kneading, the making of
the cake, the heating of the oven, and the baking;
nay, you must stay the cooling too, or you may
chance to burn your lips.
Tro. Patience herself, what goddess e'er she be,
Doth lesser blench at5 s. iterance than I do.
At Priam's royal table do I sit ;
And when fair Cressid comes into my thoughts, —
So, traitor! — when she comes! — When is she
thence F6
Pan, Well, she looked yesternight fairer than
ever I saw her look, or any woman else.
Tro. I was about to tell thee, — when my heart,
As wedged with a sigh, would rive in twain ;
Lest Hector or my rather should perceive me,
I have (as when the sun doth light a storm)
Buried this sigh in wrinkle of a smile :
But sorrow, that is couchM in seeming gladness,
"six-gated city" govern the verb in the third person plural,
" sperr," as if it ware ' the six gates of the city,' by enumerating
their names interveningly — is consistent with Shakespeare's
occasional usage in this particular. * See Note 115, Act iii ,
" Henry V." '__
1. Varlet. The term used for an attendant upon a knight
See Note 45, Act iv., " Henry V." It is observable that a tone
of chivalrous colouring prevails throughout this play, in addition.
to its classical structure ; and this is to be accounte.1 for by the
Gothic and Romantic versions of the story in Lyigate and
Caxton, wherefrom Shakespeare drew the groundwork for his
play, as well as from the more primitive and purely simple
sources of Homer and Chaucer.
2 Will tin's gar ne'er be mended^ This was a kin I of
idiom itic phrase formerly in use, signifying ' Is ther_- no remedy
for this matter?' See Note 19, Act iii., " Second Part
Henry VI."
3. And skilfit I to their stren^Ut, "To" is here elliptically
used for 'in addition to.' See Note 18, Act i., "King John."
4. Fonder. 'More foolish,' 'more imbecile.' See Note 73,
Act i., "Second Part Henry IV."
5. Blench at. Shrink from,' ' start from.* See Note S3,
Act i , "Winter's Tale."
6. When she comes !— When is she thence ? The Folio mis-
prints ' then she comes, when she is thence.* Rowe's corrccliu.i.
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA,
ENE I.
Troilus. Have I not tamed 1
Patulants. Ay, the grinding; but you must tarry the bolting.
Act I . Scene j .
Is' like thnt mirth fate turns to sudden sadness.
Pan. An her hair were not somewhat darker
than Helen's (well, go to), there were no more
comparison between the women, — hut, for my part,
she is my kinswoman ; I would not, as they term
it, praise her, — but I would somebody had heard
her talk yesterday, as I did. I will not dispraise
your sister Cassandra's wit ; but —
Tro. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus, —
When I do tell thee, there my hopes lie drown'd,
7. Oh, that her hand. ' Oh, that hand of hers ' Shakespeare
sometimes has these phrases of transposition, and generally for
some purpose of characteristic effect. Here, for instance, the
transposed construction of this exclamation, and the current of
unscquent diction throughout the speech, serve to characterise
the speaker's restless state of mind and the tumultuous thoughts
which agitate him.
S /'.■ whose soft seizure. Here " to " has the elliptical force
of 'in comparison to,' or 'compared with' (see Note 100, Act
iii., "First Part Henry IV.",; and 'whose soft seizure,' — I
according to the mode in which Shakespeare sometimes uses a
5
Reply not in how many fathoms deep
They lie indrench'd. I tell thee, I am mad
In Cressid's love : thou answer's', she is fair ;
Pour'st in the open ulcer of my heart
Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice,
Handiest in thy discourse, oh, that her hand/
In whose comparison all whites are ink,
Writing their own reproach; to whose soft seizure8
The cygnet's down is harsh, and spirit of sense9
Hard as the palm of ploughman ! — this thou tell'st
me,
possessive pronoun, — means 'the seizure of which soft ,
Sec Note 78, Act iii., " Henry VIII."
9. Spirit of sense. Here means 'the organ of touch ;' as
farther on in this play (see Note 42, Act iii.) the phrase
to express ' the organ of sight.' Shakespeare has himself told
us elsewhere, in a most felicitous simile see Note 112. V
" Love's Labour's Lost"), his idea of the softness a::
of the organ of touch, or " Love's feeling :" and here he makes
a lover assert that his mistress's hand surpasses that "spirit of
sense" in exquisite delicacy.
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene I.
As true thou tell'st ine, when I say I love her;
But, saying thus, instead of oil and balm,
Thou lay'st in every gash that love hath given me
The knife that made it.
Pan. I speak no more than truth.
Tro. Thou dost not speak so much.
Pan. Faith, I'll not meddle in 't. Let her be
as she is: if she be fair, 'tis the better for her;
an she be not, she has the mends in her own
hands.10
To. Good Pandarus, — how now, Pandarus!
Pan. I have had my labour for my travail ; ill-
thought on of her, and ill-thought on of you:"
gone between and between, but small thanks for
my labour.
Tro. What! art thou angry, Pandarus? what!
with me ?
Pan. Because she's kin to me, therefore she's
not so fair as Helen : an she were not kin to me,
she would be as fair on Friday as Helen is on
Sunday.1- But what care 1 ? I care not an she
were a black-a-moor ; 'tis all one to me.
Tro. Say I she is not fair ?
Pan. I do not care whether you do or no.
She's a fool to stay behind her father ;13 let her to
the Greeks; and so I'll tell her the next time I see
her : for my part, I'll meddle nor make no more i'
the matter.
Tro. Pandarus, —
Pan. Not I.
Tro. Sweet Pandarus, —
Pan. Pray you, speak no more to me: I will
leave all as I found it, and there an end.
[Exit Pandarus. Jn Alarum.
To. Peace, you ungracious clamours! peace
rude sounds !
1"
io She has the mends in >■■<■> own hands ' She must find
the remedy in hei own patience," 'she must hear ii as well as
she can.' The expression in the- text was in fkmiliat use: for
Burton, in Ins "Anal y of Melancholy," says, "If men will
be jealous in such cases, the mends is in their own kan isx they
must thank themselves:" and, in " Woman's a Weathercock,"
1612, we find, '* I shall stay here and have my head broke,
and then I have the men is in my own hands.''*
it Ill-thought on of her, and ill-thought on of you. Here
"on" is used for 'of,' and "of" foi 'by.' See Ncte'92, \<n
" All's Well," and Note 6, V 1 iii , " Winter's rale "
12. She would be as fair on Friday is .. '■ ■■ 'son y
Bi iides meaning something equivalent to the modern common
1 ; i) 'She would be as fair as Helen any day in the
we -: ' this sent n< c I. is n fercm e to Frid <\ being 1 day imong
Catholics foi al stinem e, and Sun I ly foi ft itivity . then 1 ire
implying, ' She would be as fail in a plain g irmeni as Helen in
festival attire.*
' ; To ttay ■'■■ \iud ! > fa. \ '..-• I .,!, i, , .. ., SOolh ayi r, is m< 11
I i '■" d in ( n Kton1 \ "Dcstrucl I Proy " as a gre 11 learned
bi hop oi LVoj . who wa senl bj Pri im to consult tin orai l«
of Delphi c irning the 1 > 1 the vrai whii h was threatened
by Vgamemnon Apollo's answei foretold the Greeks' victor)
over the Trojans in conformity with the will of the god and
bade Calchas leave Troy to abide with theii appointed victors;
whii li bidding Calchas obeyed. Chaucei rc< irds it thus;—
Fools on both sides ! Helen must needs be fair,
When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
I cannot fight upon this argument ;
It is foo starv'd a subject for my sword.
But Pandarus, — Oh, gods, how do you plague
me !
I cannot come to Cressid but by Pandar ;
And he's as tetchy to be woo'd to woo,
As she is stubborn-chaste against all suit.
Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphne's love,
What Cressid is, what Pandar, and what we?
Her bed is India; there she lies, a pearl :
Between our Ilium14 and where she resides,
Let it be call'd the wild and wandering flood ;
Ourself the merchant; and this sailing Pandar,
Our doubtful hope, our convoy, and our barque.
Alarum. Enter ./Eneas.
Mne. How now, Prince Troilus ! wherefore
not afield ?
Tro. Because not there : this woman's answer
sorts,15
For womanish it is to be from thence.
What news, ./Eneas, from the field to-day ?
JEne. That Paris is returned home, and hurt.
Tro. By whom, ./Eneas ?
JEne Troilus, by Menelaus.
Tro. Let Paris bleed : 'tis but a scar to scorn ;
Paris is gor'd with Menelaus* horn. [Alarum.
JEne. Hark, what good sport is out of town to-
day !
Tro. Better at home, if "would I might" were
" may." —
But to the sport abroad; — are you bound thither?
Mne* In all swift haste.
Tro. Come, go we, then, together. [Exeunt.
" Now fell it so thai in thi- towne there was
Dwelling a lord ofgret anthoritie,
A jgret divine, that clep*td was CaL is,
Thai in that 5 1 e s 1' expi rte was that he
Knew wel that Troie should destroyed be
By answere of his ijnd, tliat In ^1 it was thus
Dan Phoebus, or Apollo Deiphicus.
"So whan this Calcas knew by calculing,
And eke by th' answere of this god Apollo,
'I'h. it < ;rek.L- shouldin sit. lie a pepl 1 ill ;
Thorow the whiche that Troy must lie fordo,
He 1 aste an. ine out ■ il ' In tounc t" go,
I'n wel he wisl by sorte that Troie slmlde
Distroyid be, 3 e, .\ oul , n h 1 -o or 11' oldc ;
'■ Wherefore f >r to depai tin s >fi ily
Toke purpose ful this nigjit, l"i- knowing, wise,
\111l 1. 1 the Grekis host ful pi [\ ily
He stale an .-."
14. Om Ilium. "Ilium " is properlj the 1 f the city, as
L'roj is that ol the country ; but here "Ilium" 1- tised foi il"*
royal palai e, in accordance with l passage in Caxton's " Destrw
tinn of Troy," which says, "In the most open place "l the
cittie, upon .1 rocke, the King Priamus did build his rich pallace,
whi< li was na 1 ///,■;/"
i;. So: ts 'Suits;' '1 befitting, is appropriate.'
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
I Scene II.
SC E N E I I .—I ROY. A Street.
Enter Cressida and Alexander.
Cres. Who were those went by ?
Alex. Queen Hecuba and Helen.
Cres. And whither go they ?
Alex. Up to the eastern tower,
Whose height commands as subject all the vale,
To see the battle. Hector, whose patience
Is, as a virtue, fix'd, to-day was niov'd :
He chid Andromache, and struck his armourer;
And, like as there were husbandry l0 in war,
Before the sun rose, he was harness' d light,"
And to the field goes he; where every flower
Did, as a prophet, weep what it foresaw
h\ Hector's wrath.18
Cres. What was his cause of anger ?
Alex. The noise goes, this: there is among the
Greeks
A lord of Trojan blood, nephew to Hector;
They call him Ajax.
Cres. Good ; and what of birr. ?
Alex. 1 hey say he is a very man per it,la
And stands alone.
Cres. So do all men, — unless they are drunk,
sick, or have no legs.
Alex. This man, lady, hath robbed many
beasts of their particular additions;20 he is as
valiant as the lion, churlish as the bear, slow as the
elephant : a man into whom nature hath so crowded
humours, that his valour is crushed into folly, his
folly sauced with discretion : there is no man hath
a virtue that he hath not a glimpse of; nor any
man an attaint, but he carries some stain of it: he
is melancholy without cause, and merry against the
hair :21 he hath the joints of everything ; but every-
thing so out of joint, that he is a gouty Briareus,22
many hands and no use ; or purblind Argus,23 all
eyes and no sight.
Cres. But how should this man, that makes me
smile, make Hector angry f
Alex. They say he yesterday coped Hector in
the battle, and struck him down; the disdain and
shame whereof hath ever since kept Hector fasting
and waking.
Cres. Who comes here ?
Alex. Madam, your uncle Pandarus.
16. Husbandry. ' Good economy,' * prudence,' ' thrifty
management,' 'productive industry.' See Note 9, Act iv.,
" Henry V."
17- //*■ was harness'd light. Here " light " is used for
' Ugl tly ; ' but the commentators are at issue as to whether we
are to take " harness'd light " in the sense of lightly armed/
' clad in light armour.' or ' nimbly armed,' ' promptly armed,' in
reference to Hector's early rising. We think it probable that
the expression may be meant to include somewhat of both
meanings, as giving the effect of eager promptitude and hastily
assumed arms.
18. Every Jlower did, as a propliet, weep, &>c. A poetical
Enter PANDARUS.
Cres. Hector's a gallant man.
Alex. As may be in the world, lady.
Pan. What's that? what'sthat?
Cres. Good morrow, uncle Pandarus.
Pan. Good morrow, cousin Cressid: what do
you talk off — Good morrow, Alexander. — How do
you, cousin ? When were you at Ilium ?
Cres. This morning, uncle.
Pan. What were you talking of when I cai le ?
Was Hector armed and gone, ere ye came to Ilium ?
Helen was not up, was she?
Cres. Hector was gone ; but Hcden was not up.
Pan. E'en-so : Hector was stirring early.
Cres. That were we talking of, and of his anger.
Pan. Was he angry ?
Cres. So he says here.
Pan. True, he was so ; I know the cause too ;
he'll lay about him to-day, I can tell them that : and
there's Troilus will not come far behind him; let
them take heed of Troilus, I can tell thein that too.
Cres. What ! is he angry tno ?
Pan. Who, Troilus ? Troilus is the better man
of the two.
Cres. O Jupiter! there's no comparison.
Pan. What! not between Troilus and Hector?
Do you know a man if you see him ?
Cres. Ay, if I ever saw him before, and knew him.
Pan. Well, I say Troilus is Troilus.
Cres. Then you say as I say ; for, I am sure, he
is not Hector.
Pan. No, nor Hector is not Troilus in some
degrees.
Cres. 'Tis just to each of them ; he is himself.
Pan. Himself! Alas! poor Troilus! I would
he were, —
Cres. So he is.
Pan. Condition, I had gone barefoot to India.
Cres. He is not Hector.
Pan. Himself! no, he's not himself, — would 'a
were himself! Well, the gods are above; time
must friend or end : well, Troilus, well, — I woul I
my heart were in her body ! — No, Hector is not a
better man than Troilus.
Cres. Excuse me.
Pan. He is elder.
Cres. Pardon me, pardon me.
mode of indicating the early hour of dawn, when the dew rests
upon vegetation.
19. Perse. Latin: ' by himself.' ' A per nr'wasan
sion in familiar English use formerly to signify a inal
person.
20. Additions. 'Qualities,' ' chara teristics,' peculiar
points of denomination,' 'lilies to-distinclion.'
2t. Against the hair. 'In a spirit of contrariety,'
thegrain.' See Note 59, Act ii . " Merrj Wives
22. Briareus. A eiant, on f Coslus : I Terra, who had a
hundred hands and fifty hea Is.
23. Argits. b e Note 41 Vet v., " Merchant of Venice."
Act 1.1
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene
Pan. Th' other's not come to't; you shall tell
me another tale, when th' other's come to' t. Hector
shall not have his u it this year,*4 — ■
Cres. He shall not need it, it he have his own.
Pan. Nor his qualities, —
Cres. No matter.
Pan. Nor his beauty.
Cjes. 'Twould not become him, — his owns I
better.
Pan. You have no judgment, niece: Helen ,
herself swore th' other day, that Troilus, for a
brown favour (for so 'tis, 1 must co.-tess), — not
brown neither, —
Cres. No, but brown.
Pan. Faith, to say truth, brown and not brown.
Cres. To say the truth, true and not true.
Pan. She praised his complexion above Paris.'-5
Cres. Why, Paris hath colour enough.
Pan. So he has.
Cres. Then Troilus should have too much : if
she praised him above, his complexion is higher
than his; he having colour enough, and the other
higher, is too flaming a praise for a good com-
plexion. 1 had as lief Helen's golden tongue had
commended Troilus for a copper nose.
Pan. 1 swear to you, I think Helen loves him
better than Paris.
Cres. 1 lien she's a merry Greek26 indeed.
Pan. Nay, 1 am su>e she does. She came to
him th' other day into the compassed window,27 —
and, you know, he has not past three or four hairs
on his chin, —
Cres. Indeed, a tapster's arithmetic may soon
bring his particulars therein to a total.
Pan. Why, lie is very young: and yet will he,
within three pound, lift as much as his brother
Hector.
Cres. Is he so young a man, and so old a lifter?28
Pan. But, to prove to you that Helen loves
him, — she came, and puts me her white hand29 to
his cloven chin, — ■
24. Sltall not have his wit this year. The Folio and
Quartos prfnt ' will ' instead of '* wit" here. Rowe's correction.
25. S/te praised his complexion above Paris. 'That of is
elliptically understood before " Paris." For an instance of
similar construction, see Note 25, Act ii., " Winter's Tale."
26. A merry Greek. That "Greek" was used as a term for
one who played gamesome tricks, or indulged in frolicsome jokes,
we have before explained in Note 4, Act iv., "Twelfth Night."
27. Compassed window. This means a circular, bay, or bow
win. low. See Note 81, Act iv., "Taming of the Shrew."
28. Lifter. This was an old cant term for a thief, and it still
exists in the form of ' shop-lifter.'
I v, and puis me her while hand. This sentence
affords an instance of Shakespeare's mode of occasionally fol-
lowing a verb in the past tense by one in the present tense,
when the speaker is narratingTm incident (see Note 88, Act v.,
" Henry \ 111") ; and also of his using " ine " in the idiomatic
manner pointed out in Note 88, Act iv., " Henry V."
|0 He smiles valiantly. It has been conjectured that
" valiantly " here sli >uld be 'daintily . ' but were we to change
Cres. Juno have mercy ! how came it cloven ?
Pan. Why, you know, 'tis dimpled : I think
his smiling becomes him better than any man in
all Phrygia.
Cres. Oh, he smiles valiantly.30
Pan. Does he not?
Cres. Oh, yes, an 'twere a cloud in autumn.
Pan. Why, go to, then : — but to prove to you
that Helen loves Troilus, —
Cres. Troilus will stand to the proof, if you'll
prove it so.
Pan. Troilus! why, he esteems her no more
than I esteem an addle egg.
Cres. If you love an addle egg as well as you
love an idle head, you would eat chickens i' the shell.
Pan. I cannot choose but laugh, to think how
she tickled his chin ; — indeed, she has a marvellous
white hand, I must needs confess, —
Cres. Without the rack.
Pan. And she takes upon her to spy a white
hair on his chin.
Cres. Alas ! poor chin ! many a wart is richer.
Pan. But there was such laughing ! — Queen
Hecuba laughed, that her eyes ran o'er, —
Cres. With mill-stones.31
Pan. And Cassandra laughed, —
Cres. But there was more temperate fire under
the pot of her eyes : — did her eyes run o'er too ?
Pan. And Hector laughed.
Cres. At what was all this laughing?
Pan. Marry, at the white hair that Helen spied
on Troilus' chin.
Cres. An 't had been a green hair, I should have
laughed too.
Pan. They laughed not so much at the hair as
at his pretty answer.
Cres. What was his answer ?
Pan. Quoth she, " Here's but ine and fifty
hairs32 on your chin, and one of them is white."
Cres. This is her question.
Pan. That's true ; make no question of that.
Shakespeare's word, we should lose the ingenious play upon it
that appears to us to be intended. Cressida uses the expression
" he smiles valiantly," wishing her uncle to take it in the sense
of ' he smiles bravely, finely, beautifully ; ' and when Pandarus
does so, turns upon him with a retort that shows she means it to
imply ' he smiles menacingly, frowniiigly,' as threatening bad
weather or ill humour.
31. With millstones. See Note S5, Act i., "Richard III."
32, One and fifty hairs. The old copies print here, and in
Pandarus's next speech, 'two and fifty hairs,' instead of "one
and hfty hairs : " but inasmuch as he quotes Paris's answer,
which says, " That white hair is my father, and all the test are
his sons," and as the number of Priam's sous, according to
accepted traditions, amounted to fifty, we have adopted Theo-
bald's correction, " one and fifty hairs," in the belief that it was
likely to be what Shakespeare wrote. If it were not for those
words, "all the rest," we might have supposed that "two and
fifty" had been here used, as in the following passages, to ex-
press an indefinite m mber : — "As many diseases as ttvo and
fifty horses," " Taming of the Shrew," Act i., sc. 2 , "If there
-C'. '.
Pandarus. Mark him; note him :— Oh, brave Troilus !-look
well upon him, niece.
^
168
Act I.]
•TROILUS AND CRESS1DA.
[Scene II.
" One and fifty hairs," quath he, "and one white :
that white hair is my father, and all the rest are his
sons." "Jupiter!" quoth she, "which of these
hairs is Paris my husband p " " The forked one,"33
quoth he ; " pluck 't out, and give it him." But
there was such laughing ! and Helen so blushed,
and Paris so chafed, and all the rest so laughed,
that it passed.31
Cres. So let it now; for it has been a great
while going by.
Pan. Well, cousin, I told you a thing yesterday ;
think on 't.
Cres. So I do.
Pan. I'll be sworn 'tis true ; he will weep you,35
an 'twere a man born in April.
Cres. And I'll spring up in his tears, an 'twere
a nettle against May. [A retreat sounded.
Pan. Hark! they are coming from the field: shall
we stand up here, and see them as they pass toward
Ilium? good niece, do; sweet niece Cressida.
Cres. A t your pleasure.
Pan. Here, here, here's an excellent place ;
here we may see most bravely: I'll tell you them
all by their names as they pass by ; but mark
Troilus above the rest.
Cres. Speak not so loud.
j^Eneas passes.
Pan. That's tineas : is not that a br,'.ve man p
he's one of the flowers of Troy, I can tell you : but
mark Troilus ; you shall see anon.
Antenor passes.
Cres. Who's that ?
Pan. That's Antenor: he has a shrewd wit, I
can tell you ; and he's a man good enough : he's
line o' the soundest judgments in Troy, whoso-
ever,36 and a proper man of person. — When comes
Troilus? — I'll show you Troilus anon: if he see
me, you shall see him nod at me.
Cres. Will he give you the nod ': 3*
Pan. You shall see.
Cres. If he do, the rich shall have more.
Hector passes.
Pan. That's Hector, that, that, look you, that ;
there's a fellow !— Go thy way, Hector ! — There's
were not two or three and fifty upon poorold Jack," " First Part
Henry IV.," Act ii., sc. 4 ; and "The Turk, that two and fifty
kingdoms hath," " Fir>t Part Henry VI.," Act i\'..sc 7 ; bat, con-
sidering the gist ofthe dialogue in the present passage, we think
" one and fifty " to be more probably the right reading.
33. The forked one. See Note 60, Act i., " Winter's Tale."
34. That it poised. This is here said in its sense of ' that it
exceeded belief (see Note 31, Act i . " Merry Wives") ; but
replied to in its sense of ' that it went by,' ' that it passed off.'
35. II you. An idiomatic phrase, equivalent to
' you night see him weep.' See Note 47, Act iii., " Second
Part Henry IV."
36. He's one <?' the soundest judgments in Troy, wAt
a brave man, niece. — Oh, brave Hector! — Look
how he looks! there's a countenance! is 't not a
brave man ?
Cres. Oh, a brave man !
Pan. Is 'a not ? it does a man's heart good : —
look you what hacks are on his helmet ! look you
yonder, do you see ? look you there : there's no
jesting; there 's laying on, take't off who will, as
they say : there be hacks!
Cres. Be those with swords ?
Pun. Swords! anything, he cares not; an the
devil come to him, it's all one : 'slid, it does one's
heart good. — Yonder comes Paris, yonder comes
Paris: look ye yonder, niece; is 't not a gallant
man too, is 't not ? —
Paris passes.
Why, this is brave now. — Who said he came hurt
home to-day? he's not hurt: why, this will do
Helen's heart good now, ha! — Would I could see
Troilus now! — you shall see Troilus anon.
Helenus passes.
Cres. Who's that ?
Pan. That's Helenus: — I marvel where Troilus
is: — that's Helenus: — I think he went not forth
to-day: — that's Helenus.
Cies. Can Helenus fight, uncle ?
Pan. Helenus? no; — yes, he'll fight indifferent
well. — I marvel where Troilus is. — Hark ! do you
not hear the people cry " Troilus?" — Helenus is
a priest.
Cres. What sneaking fellow comes yonder?
Troilus passes.
Pan. Where? yonder? that's Deiphobus : — 'tis
Troilus! there's a man, niece! — Hem! — Brave
Troilus! the prince of chivalry !
Cres. Peace, for shame, peace !
Pan. Mark him; note him: — Oh, brave Troilus!
— look well upon him, niece ; look you how his
sword is bloodied, and his helm more hacked than
Hector's; and how he looks, and how he goes! —
Oh, admirable youth! he ne'er saw three-and-
twenty. — Go thy way, Troilus, go thy way! —
Had I a sister were a grace, or a daughter a god-
dess, he should take his choice. Oh, admirable
'Whosoever' is here used elliptically for 'whosoever the other
man of good judgment may be.' The word is seldom employed
by Shakespeare at all, as he, in common with many of his con-
temporaries, occasionally used ' who ' for ' whosoever.' See Note
32, Act iii., and Note 77, Act iv., "Second Part Henry VI."
37. Will he give you i/te nod? To "give the nod" was a
term used in a game of cards called ' Noddy:' which name sig-
nifies a simpleton. The usual joking link between nodding to a
person and calling him by inference a noddy, is seen in the
passage referred to in Note 10, Act i., "Two Gentlemen of
Verona ; " and that giving a nod was also reckoned synonymous
with non-payment or giving nothing, is deducible from both that
passage and the present
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
man ! Paris ? — Paris is dirt to him ; and, I war-
rant, Helen, to change, would give an eye to boot.3"*
Cres. Here come more.
Forces pass.
Pan. Asses, fools, dolts! chaff and bran, chaft
and bran ! porridge after meat ! — I could live and
die i' the eyes of Troilus. — Ne'er look, ne'er look ;
the eagles are gone : crows and daws, crows and
daws! — I had rather be such a man as Troilus than
Agamemnon and all Greece.
Cres. There is among the Greeks Achilles, — a
better man than Troilus.
Pan. Achilles ! a drayman, a porter, a very
camel.
Cres. Well, well.
Pan. Well, well ! — Why, have you any dis-
cretion ? have you any eyes ? do you know what a
man is ? Is not birth, beauty, good shape, dis-
course, manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue,
youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and salt
that season a man p
Cres. Ay, a minced man : and then to be baked
with no date in the pie,33 — for then the man's date 's
out.
Pan. You are such a woman ! one knows not
at what ward you lie.40
Cres. Upon my wit, to defend my wiles; upon
my secrecy, to defend mine honesty ; my mask, to
defend my beauty ; and you, to defend all these :
and at all these wards I lie, at a thousand watches.
Pan. Say one of your watches.
Cres. Nay, I'll watch you for that ; and that's
one of the chiefest of them too.
Pan. You are such another !
Enter Troilus' Boy.
Boy. Sir, my lord would instantly speak with you.
Pan. Where ?
Boy. At your own house ; there he unarms him.
Pan. Good boy, tell him I come. [Exit Boy.]
I doubt he be hurt. — Fare ye well, good niece.
Cres. Adieu, uncle.
Pan. I'll be with you, niece, by-and-by.
Cres. To bring, uncle."
38. To boot. An idiomatic expression, equivalent to ' into the
bargain.' See Notes 4S, Act iv., and 44, Act v., " Richard HI."
39. No date in tlu pie. It was formerly customary to put
dates into many kinds of pastry.
40. At wk.it ward you lie. ' What position of defence you
will take.' See Note 93, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
41. To britig, uncle. "I'll be with you to bring" was an
idiomatic expression in use formerly, of which there are several
examples to be found in old dramatic writers, and which seems
to have been equivalent to the more modern phrases, ' I'll bring
as good as I get,' ' I'll be even with you.'
42. That she. Here used for 'that special woman.' See
Note 32, Act ii., " Henry V."
43. Achievement is command; ungaind. beseech. This line
has been altered to ' Achiev'd men us command,' and to ' Achiev'd
men still command ; ' but we think that the line as it stands, though
Pan. Ay, a token from Troilus. [Exit.
Cres. Words, vows, gifts, tears, and love's full
sacrifice,
He offers in another's enterprise :
But more in Troilus thousand fold I see
Than in the glass of Pandar's praise may be ;
\ t hold I off. Women are angels, wooing :
Things won are done ; joy's soul lies in the doing:
That she42 belov'd knows naught that knows not
this,—
Men priie the thing ungain'd more than it is :
That she was never yet, that ever knew
Love got so sweet as when desire did sue:
Therefore this maxim out of love I teach, —
Achievement is command ; ungain'd, beseech :4!
Then though my heart's content firm love doth bear,
Nothing of that shall from mine eyes appear.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— The Grecian Camp. Before
Agamemnon's Tent.
Sennet. Enter Agamemnon, Nestor, Ulysses,
Menelaus, ant! others.
Agam. Princes,
What grief hath set the jaundice on your cheeks ?
The ample proposition that hope makes
In all designs begun on earth below
Fails in the promis'd largeness: checks and disasters
Grow in the veins of actions highest rear'd ;
As knots, by the conflux of meeting sap,
Infect the sound pine, and divert his grain
Tortive44 and errant from his course of growth.
Nor, princes, is it matter new to us,
That we come short of our suppose 45 so fir,
That, after seven years' siege, yet Troy walls stand ;
Sith every action that hath gone bel
Whereof we have record, trial did draw
Bias and thwart, not answering the aim,
And that unbodied figure of the thought
That gave 't surmised shape. Why, then, you
princes,
Do you with cheeks abash'd behold our works;46
peculiar in construction, may be interpreted to mean, ' Our
hearts once gained, arc commanded : ungained, arc besought.'
44. Tortive. Twisted : Latin, tortus. Wc have a form of
the word, now used, in 'tortuous.'
45. Suppose. Here used for ' that which wc supposed possible,"
' that which we imagined we might effect.' See Note 8, Act v.,
" Taming of the Shrew."
46. With cheeks abash'd behold our works. "Works "here
has been suspected of error, and Ins been change I to ' wrecks '
and 'mocks.' But Shakespeare elsewhere ks" for
'acts,' 'deeds,' 'proceedin ' and 1 rks" is
intended to expi ■■■■ hayc done,' while the preceding
argument gives to be inferrc 1 ' the inadequate amount of what
we have done,' ' the insufficiency and unsuccessfulness of what
wc have done,' which need ■ ■. being but a ■
our constancy sent by Jove.
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
fSCKNF. III.
And call them shames, which are, indeed, naught
else
But the protractive trials of great Jove
To find persistive constancy in men ?
The fineness of which metal is not found
In fortune's love ; for then the bold and coward,
The wise and fool, the artist and unread,
The hard and soft, seem all affin'd4'' and kin :
But, in the wind and tempest of her frown,
Distinction with a broad and powerful fan,
Puffing at all, winnows the light away ;
And what hath mass or matter, by itself
Lies rich in virtue and unmingled.
Nest. With due observance of thy godlike ;eat,
Great Agamemnon, Nestor shall apply 43
Thy latest words. In the reproof of chance
Lies the true proof of men : the sea being smooth,
How many shallow bauble boats dare sail
Upon her patient breast, making their way
With those of nobler bulk !
But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage
The gentle Thetis,49 and, anon, behold
The strong-ribb'ii barque through liquid mountains
cut,
Bounding between the two moist elements,
Like Perseus' horse :50 where's then the saucy boat,
Whose weak untimber'd sides but even now
Co-rivall'd greatness ? either to harbour fled,
Or made a toast for Neptune. Even so
Doth valour's show and valour's worth divide
In storms of fortune : for in her ray and brightness
The herd hath more annoyance by the brize61
Than by the tiger; but when the splitting wind
Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks,
And flies fled under shade,52 why, then the thing
of courage,53
47 Ajffin'd. ' United by affinity.'
48. Apply. Here used for 'apply to additional instances,'
' demonstrate by farther illustration.'
49. The ruffian Boretzs once enrage the gentle Thetis.
"Boreas" is the name of the north wind, as blowing from the
Hyperborean mountains; and "Thetis," who was one of the sea-
goddesses, is here poetically named as an impersonation of the sea.
50. Like Perseus' horse. See Note in, Act ill., "HenryV."
51. Theorize. The gad-fly.
52 And fiies JUd lender shade. "Fled" is here used by a
grammatical licence of elliptical expression for ' have tied.' See
Note 4, Act v., "Second Part Henry VI."
53. The thing 0/ courage. The tiger : which is said to rage
and roar violently in windy and stormy weather.
5t. Returns to chiding fortune. The Folio prints ' retyres,'
an 1 the Quartos print ' retires,' here, instead of " returns ;"
which is Pope's correction. Various other substitutions have
been proposed, as ' replies,' ' retorts,' ' recries,' ' revies,' and
' re-chides,' of which we prefer the last ; but we adopt Pope's
word, because it consists with the one used by Shakespeare in a
passage of marked similarity —
" He'll call you to so hot an answer of it.
That caves and womby vaultages of France
Shall chide your trespass, and return your mock
In second accent of his ordnance."
55. Hatch'd in silver. This is a figurative manner of calling
As rous'd with rage, with rage doth sympathise,
Ami with an accent tun'd in selfsame key,
Returns to chiding fortune.54
Ulyis. Agamemnon, —
Thou great commander, nerve and bone of Greece,
Heart of our numbers, soul and only spirit,
In whom the tempers and the minds of all
Should be shut up, — hear what Uhsses speaks.
Besides the applause ami approbation
The which, — [To Agam.] most mighty for thy
place and sway, —
[To Nest.] And thou most reverend for thy
stretch'd-out life, —
I give to both your speeches, — which were such
As Agamemnon and the hand of Greece
Should hold up high in brass; and such again
As venerable Nestor, hatch'd in silver,55
Should with a bond of air (strong as the axletree
On which heaven rides) knit all the Greekish ears
To his experiene'd tongue, — yet let it please both, —
Thou great, — and wise, — to hear'Ulysses speak.
Agam. Speak, Prince of Ithaca; and be 't of less
expect56
That matter needless, of importless burden,
Divide thy lips, than we are confident,
When rank Thersites opes his mastiff jaws,57
We shall hear music, wit, and oracle.
Ulvss. Troy, yet upon his basis, had been down,
And the great Hector's sword had lack'd a master
But for these instances.
The specialty of rule hath been neglected :
And, look, how many Grecian tents do stand
Hollow upon this plain, so many hollow factions.
When that the general is not like the hive,
To whom the foragers shall all repair,
What honey is expected ? Degree being vizanled,
Nestor ' silver-hair'd ;' for 'to hatch in silver" was the technical
term for inlaying the fine silver lines which formed an orna-
mental design upon the hilts of swords, handles of daggers, and
stocks of pistols ; and the lines of the graver upon a plate of
metal are still called ' hatchings.' French, hache, en Traved.
In "Love in a Maze," 1632, is found the same figurative ex-
pression, similarly applied: — "Thy hair is fine as gold, thy
chin is hatch'd with silver. "
56. Expect. Here "expect" is used for expectation,*' else-
where in Shakespeare we find " suspect " for ' suspicion,'
"affects" for ' affections,' &c. ; and the whole speech, though
peculiar in construction, bears the meaning — 'Speak, Prince of
Ithaca, and the rather that there is less expectation of hearing
needless and purposeless matter from you than confidence of hear-
ing Thersites speak sweetly, wittily, or wisely.' This appears to
us to be one of those sentences where Shakespeare gives the
effect of antithesis, instead of an actual antithesis (see Note 187,
Act iv , " Winter's Tale "j : and this effect serves elegantly to
veil the compliment paid to the person addressed. The antici-
pation of hearing eloquence from Thersites is small indeed, but
the expectation of hearing futility from Ulysses is still smaller.
57. Mastiff jaws. The Folio prints this 'masticke iawes.'
Rowe made the correction, which we adopt, believing 'mas-
ticke' to have been a misprint for "mastiff;" unless, indeed,
' masticke' be by possibility a word coined by Shakespeare from
the Italian juasticare, to chew, as an epithet for Thersites' jaws
t'lat should involve the sense of ' biting.'
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene 111.
AEneas. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you '.
Agamemnon, Even this. At r I . Scene III
The unworthiest shows as fairly in the mask.
The heavens themselves, the planets, and this
centre, h*
Observe degree, priority, and place,
Insisture,59 course, proportion, season, form,
Office, and custom, in all line of order :
And therefore is the glorious planet, Sol,
In noble eminence enthroned and spher'd
Amidst the other ;60 whose med'cinable eye
Corrects the ill aspects of planets evil,
58. This centre. Here used for the earth, the terrestrial
globe (see Note 17, Act ii., *' Winter's Tale"). According to
the system of Ptolemy, our earth is the centre round which the
planets move.
59. Insisture. Fixed position, appointed situation, steadfast
place. See Note 31, Act iv., " Measure for Measure."
60. Amidst the other. Here "other" is used for 'others*
or 'other planets.' See Note 91, Act ii , "First Part Henry IV."
61. Sans. 'Without.' A French word in frequent English
use when Shakespeare wrote. See Note 49, Act v., "King
John."
And posts, like the commandment of a king,
Sans61 check, to good and bad : but when the
planets,
In evil mixture, to disorder wander, c-
What plagues and what portents! what mutiny !
What raging of the sea! shaking of earth !
Commotion in the winds! frights, changes, horrors,
Divert and crack, rend and deracinate63
The unity and married calm of states
Quite from their fixure ! Oh, when degree is shak'd,
62. The planets, in evil mixture, to disorder wander. " Evil
mixture" refers to the astrological belief in certain adverse
conjunctions of the planets sec Note 38, Act iii., " Henry
VIM. "J, which were supposed to have inauspicious influence
upon mankind, and to foretell impending disasters. The planets
were believed not to be confined to orbits of their own. but were
thought to " wander" about erratically, as their name indicates,
being derived from the Greek word, plane, error, erring or
wandering.
63. Deracinate. ' Root out,' 'wrench apart ' Sec Note 31,
Act v., "Henry V."
Act I.]
TROILU3 AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene lit.
Which is the ladder to all high designs,
The enterprise is sick !64 How could communities
Degrees in schools, and brotherhoods65 in cities,
Peaceful commerce from dividable66 shores,
The primogenitive6' and due of birth,
Prerogative of age, crowns, sceptres, laurels,
Hut by degree, stand in authentic place f
Take but degree away, untune that string,
And, hark, what discord follows! each thing meets
In mere oppugnancy :6a the bounded waters
Should lift their bosoms higher than the shores,
And make a sop of all this solid globe :
Strength should be lord of imbecility,
And the rude son should strike his father dead :
Force should be right ; or rather, right and wrong
(Between whose endless jar justice resides)
Should lose their names, and so should justice too.
Then everything includes itself in power,
Power into will, will into appetite;
And appetite, a universal wolf,
So doubly seconded with will and power,
Must make perforce a universal prey,
And last eat up himself. Great Agamemnon,
This chaos, when degree is suffocate,
Follows the choking.
And this neglection69 of degree it is,
That by a pace goes backward, with a purpose
It hath to climb. The general's disdain'd
By him one step below : he, by the next :
That next, by him beneath : so every step,
Exampled by the first pace that is sick
Ot his superior, grows to an envious fever
Of pale and bloodless emulation :
64. Oh, when degree .... the enterprise is sick. Hanmer
proposed to change "the" to 'then,' here; but the previous
' when " renders ' then ' needless, and " the " is used to desig-
nate ' enterprise " generally.
65. Brotherhoods. ' Confraternites, ' ' corporations/ ' com-
panies.'
66. Dividable. Here used for 'divided,' 'separated by dis-
tance.' Shakespeare sometimes thus uses words ending in
" ble ; " the active and passive form of adjectives, the one for
the other. See Note 50, Act iv., "Twelfth Night."
67. Primogenitive. Several editors have changed this to
'primogeniture,' and the Quarto prints ' primogenitie ;'
but we think it probable that " primogenitive " was Shake-
speare's word, derived from the two Latin words prima, first,
and geilitivus, that which is born with us, to signify the claims
or right of the first-born. He sometimes thus coins classically-
derived words to suit his special purpose (see Note 45, Act v.,
" Twelfth Night "J ; and, thus considered, a word made up from
pnmo and geuitivus would perhaps more fully express his mean-
ing than one from primo, first, and genitus, born.
68. Mere oppugnancy. " Mere " is used in its sense of 'abso-
lute,' 'thorough' (see Note 48, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice") .
and *' oppugnancy " is a word framed by Shakespeare directly
from the Latin oppugnaus, resisting, assaulting, or fighting
against, to express 'warring opposition.' It is worthy of ob-
servation how frequently Shakespeare uses his own specially
coined words here ; not only in this speech, but throughout
this play. It is as if he were in a peculiarly minting vein at
this period ; which tends to support a theory we have, that cer-
tain prevalences of expression running through certain of his
plays indicate particular phases of mental process, and, as it
And 'tis this fever- that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own sinews. To end a tale of length,
Troy in our weakness stands, not in her strength.
Nest. Most wisely hath Ulysses here discover'd
The fever whereof all our power is sick.
Agam. The nature of the sickness found,
Ulysses,
What is the remedy ?
Ulyss. The great Achilles, — whom opinion
crowns
The sinew and the forehand of our host, —
Having his ear full of his airy fame,
Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent
Lies mocking our designs: with him, Patroclus,
Upon a lazy bed, the livelong day
Breaks scurril jests ;
And with ridicul'ous and awkward action
(Which, slanderer, he imitation calls)
He pageants us. Sometime, great Agamemnon,
Thy topless deputation "u he puts on ;
And, like a strutting player, — whose conceit
Lies in his hamstring, and doth think it rich
To hear the wooden dialogue71 and sound
'Twixthis stretch'd footing and the scaffoldage/2 —
Such to-be-pitied and o'er-wrested"3 seeming
He acts thy greatness in : and when he speaks,
'Tis like a chime a-mending; with terms unsquar'd,
Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhoid4
dropp'd,
Would seem hyperboles. At this fusty stuff,
The large Achilles, on his press'd bed lolling,
From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause ;
Cries, " Excellent ! 'tis Agamemnon just.
were, fashions of composition. See Note 14, Act i., "Winter's
Tale."
69. Neglection. A form of 'neglect,' or 'negligence,' rarely
used ; but occurring three times in Shakespeare's plays : here,
in " First Part Henry VI.," Act iv., sc. 3, and in " Pericles,"
Act iii., sc. 3. The mode of expression is very condensed here ;
and the employment of "it" in reference to "neglection of
degree," rather than mentioning those who neglect degree, tends
to obscure the meaning, which may be thus interpreted : — " By
neglecting to observe due degree of priority, men lose ground
whi'e striving to advance ;" since each person who pushes on
regardless of his superiors, wiH be pushed back in turn by them.
70. Topless deputation. Highest dignity as deputed by the
other Grecian leaders, who constituted Agamemnon commander-
in-chief of their united army. "Topless" is used by other
writers, as well as Shakespeare, to express that which is with-
out anything to ' top' or surpass it ; ' supreme,' ' pre-eminent,'
7r. The wooden dialogue. The epithet "wooden" here has
admirable significance ; not only conveying to the ear the
resounding tread of the " strutting player" on the boards, but
bringing to our eye his puppet hardness and stiffness as well as
the awkward stupidity of his look and action. See Note 23,
Act v., " First Part Henry VI."
72. The scaffoldage. Tlie floor of the stage ; the word ' scaf-
fold' was sometimes used by old writers for a theatrical stage.
73. O'er-wrested. 'Over-strained,' wrested beyond truth
and nature : as strings of an instrument are overstrained, when
drawn up too tightly in tuning, by means of a ' wrest,' or tuning-
key. The Folio misspells the word ' ore-rested.'
74- Typhon. A giant who, warring against heaven, uttered
such discordant yells as to terrify the gods themselves.
J
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
Now play me Nestor ; hem, and stroke thy beard,
As he, being 'drest to some oration."
Th it's done ; — as near as the extremest ends
Of parallels ; as like as Vulcan and his wire :
Yet god Achilles still cries,'5 " Excellent !
'Tis Nestor right. Now play him me, Patrockis,
Arming to answer in a night alarm."
And then, forsooth, the fnint defects of age
Must be the scene of mirth ; to cough and spit,
And, with a palsy-fumbling on his gorget,
Shake in and out the rivet : — and at this sport
Sir Valour dies; cries, " Oh, enough, Patroclus ;
Or give me ribs of steel ! I shall split all
In pleasure of my spleen."76 And in this fashion,
All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes,
Severals and generals of grace exact,77
Achievements, plots, orders, preventions,
Excitements to the field, or speech for truce,
Success or loss, what is or is not, serves
As stuff for these two to make paradoxes.
Nest. And in the imitation of these twain
(Whom, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns
With an imperial voice,) many are infect.
Ajax is grown self-will'd ; and bears his head
In such a rein, in full as proud a place78
As broad Achilles ; keeps his tent like him ;7'
Makes factious feasts ; rails on our state of war,
Bold as an oracle ; and sets Thersites
(A slave whose gall coins slanders like a mint)
To match us in comparisons with dirt,
To weaken and discredit our exposure,
How rank soever rounded in with danger.80
U/yss. They tax our policy, and call it cowardice;
Count wisdom as no member of the war;
Forestall prescience, and esteem no act
But that of hand : the still and mental parts, —
That do contrive how many hands shall strike,
When fitness calls them on ; and know, by measure
Ot their observant toil, the enemies' weight, —
Why, this hath not a finger's dignity :
75. Vet god Achilles still cries. Here the first Folio and
Quartos have the word ' god ; ' and yet the misprint of the
second, third, and fourth Folios, ' good," has been adopted by the
Variorum editors and others. In " god Achilles " we have one of
those nouns used adjectively which Shakespeare occasionally
gives as a vigorous and expressive epithet ; and here it imparts
an effect of sneering disdain in its irony of exaggerated adula-
tion, which forms an excellent reprisal for the insolence that has
taken delight in the mimicry of the speaker and his associates.
To banish "god Achilles" here and substitute ' good Achilles,'
appears to us to be wilful effacement of the fine, bold, strong
dash of a poetical pencil, to make way for a tame and compara-
tively inapt and ineffective commonplace.
76. Spleen. Here used for fit of laughter. See Note 40,
4ct hi., "Twelfth Night."
77. Severals and generals of grace exact. This has been
variously altered ; but we think the line, as it stands, may be
taken to mean, ' Our qualifications, severally and generally, dis-
tinguished by ths grace of exactness : ' for Ulysses is asserting
his own and his colleagues' excellences of ability and methodical
propriety as depreciated and travestied by Achilles and Patro-
They call this bed-work, mappery, closet-war ;
So that the ram that batters down the wall,
For the great swing and rudeness of his poise,
They place before his hand that made the engine,
Or those that with the fineness of their souls
By reason guide his execution.
Nest. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horse
Makes many Thetis' sons.81 [.1 Tucket.
Agam. What trumpet ? look, Menelaus.
Men. From Troy.
Enter ./Eneas.
Agam. What would you 'fore our tent ?
j£ne. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray
you?
Agam. Even this.
AZne. May one, that is a herald and a prince,
Do a fair message to his kingly ears ?
Agam. With surety stronger than Achilles' arm
Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice
Call Agamemnon head and general.
AZne. Fair leave and large security. How may
A stranger to those most imperial looks
Know them from eyes of other mortals ?
Agam. How?
JEne. Ay ;
I ask, that I might waken reverence,
And bid the cheek be ready with a blush
Modest as morning when she coldly eyes
The youthful Phcebus :
Which is that god in office, guiding men ?
Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon ?
Agam. This Trojan scorns us ; or the men of
Troy
Are ceremonious courtiers.
AZne. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm' d,
As bending angels; that's their fame in peace :
But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls,
Good arms, strong joints, true swords; and, Jove's
accord,
clus. " Severals" may here ell iptically imply * several peculiari-
ties' (see Note 19, Act v., "Henry V."); and "generals,"
'general characteristics.'
78. In full as frond a place. Pope and others substitute
•pace ' for " place " here ; but though the word' pace ' might be
supposed to consist better with " rein," yet ' to bear his head in
a proud pace' would be a forced expression. " I!ears I
:n such a rein" presents the same idea of a loftily he! I
with a proud motion of the neck, as is presented by th-: ;
' How>he bridles! ' said of a girl who gives herself haughty airs,
or as when we see a caparisoned horse toss its head and shake
its trappings.
79. Keeps his tent like him. Sec Note 13, Act v., " Richard
III."
80. Hcnu rani.- sorter rounded in with danger. ' I n howsoever
high a degree encompassed by danger.' One of the meanings of
" rank " is ' high-grown ' or ' rampant.*
81. Let this be granted, ant Achillei Imrse males mar.-y
Thetis' sons. 'If this 1 then is Ihe hoi
equal in value to many men like its master.' Achilles was the
son of the sea-nymph Thetis.
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
Nothing so full of heart.8- But peace, tineas,
Peace, Trojan ; lay thy finger on thy lips!
The worthiness of praise distains his worth,
If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth :
But what the repining enemy commends,
That breath fame blows ; that praise, sole pure,
transcends.53
Agam. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself
/Eneas P
sEne. Ay, Greek, that is my name.
Agam. What's your affair, I pray you ?
sEne, Sir, pardon ; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.
Agam. He hears naught privately that comes
from Troy.
Aine. Nor 1 from Troy come not to whisper him :
I bring a trumpet to awake his ear;
To set his sense on the attentive bent,
A nd then to speak.
Agam. Speak frankly as the wind ;
It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour :
That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake,
He tells thee so himself.
AZne. Trumpet, blow loud,
Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents ;
And every Greek of mettle, let him know,
What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud.
[Trumpet sounds.
We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
A prince call'd Hector, — Priam is his father, —
Who in this dull and long-continu'd truce84
Is rusty grown : he bade me take a trumpet,
And to this purpose speak. Kings, princes, lords!
It there be one among the fair'st of Greece,
That holds his honour higher than his ease ;
That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril ;
That knows his valour, and knows not his fear ;
That loves his mistress more than in confession'*5
With truant vows to her own lips he loves,
And dare avow her beauty and her worth
In other arms than hers, — to him this challenge.
82. And, foveas accord, rothing so full of lieart. This has
been variously altered ; but we take it to be elliptically expressed,
meaning, 'And, through Jove's granting, there's nothing so full
of courage as they are.'
83. That praise, sole pure, transcends. Different substitu-
tions have been made here ; but, taking ' ' sole 'i to mean ' solely,
the sentence precisely expresses Shakespeare's tenet that ' that
praise' (the reluctant praise from foes, in contradistinction to
self-praise), 'the only pure praise, transcends all other praise.'
See Note 73, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice."
84. This dull and lonz-continu'd it-are. The mention of this
truce is taken from "The Destruction of Troy."
85. That lores his mistress more, &>c. The meaning of these
two lines appears to us to be obscured by retaining the paren-
thesis which the Folio puts to the second of them ; as is Its
frequent practice where no parenthesis should be placed. The
sentence me ins, 'that loves his mistress more than he tells her
he does amid vows and kisses.' There is, of course, a play upon
ili' \* ird ".arms" immediately afterwards.
86 Compass. Here used for ' embrace ' or ' clasp round ; ' as
in the passage explained in Note 12, Activ., " Comedy of Errors."
Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks,
Shall make it good, — or do his best to do it, —
He hath a lady, wiser, fairer, truer,
Than ever Greek did compass86 in his arms;
And will to-morrow with his trumpet call,
Midway between your tents and walls of Troy,
To rouse a Grecian that is true in love :
If any come, Hector shall honour him ;
If none, he'll say in Troy when he retires,
The Grecian dames are sunburn'd,1"7 and not worth
The splinter of a lance.88 Even so much.
Agam. This shall be told our lovers, Lord j^ineas;
If none of them have soul in such a kind,
We left them all at home : but we are soldiers ;
A nd may that soldier a mere recreant prove,
That means not, hath not, or is not in love !88
If then one is, or hath, or means to be,
That one meets Hector ; if none else, I am he.
Nest. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man
When Hector's grandsire suck'd ; he is old now ;
But if there be not in our Grecian host
One noble man that hath one spark of fire,
To answer for his love, tell him from me, —
I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver,
And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn ;00
And, meeting him, will tell him that my lady
Was fairer than his grandame, and as chaste
As may be in the world : his youth in flood,91
I'll prove this truth with my three drops of blood.
.Erie. Now heavens forbid such scarcity of ) outh !
Ulyss. Amen.
Agam. Fair Lord /Eneas, let me touch your hand ;
To our pavilion shall I lead you, sir.
Achilles shall have word of this intent ;
So shall each lord of Greece, from tent to tent :
Yourself shall feast with us before you go,
And find the welcome of a noble foe.
[Exeunt all except Ulysses and Nestor.
Ulyss. Nestor, —
Nest. What says Ulysses ?
87. Sunburttd. Here used to express 'not fair,' 'unlovely.'
See Note 45, Act ii., '"Much Ado."
88. Tlw splinter of a lance. The wording of this challenge
is in the true chivalric tone ; and it affords one of the in-
stances of the skill with which the dramatist has blended the
rich hues of the romance-writers with the Doric simplicity of
outline in the classic poets. See Note 1, Act i. of the present
play.
89. That means not, hath not, or is not in love .' This
passage is constructed in the same style of ellipsis as the one
commented upon in Note 55. Act iii., "Henry VIII.;" and
each of these two passages serves as an illustration of the other,
showing how largely elliptical our poet occasionally makes his
diction. Here ' to be ' is understood after the first " not " in the
sentence, and 'been' after the second "not." 'Been 'is also
again understood, in the next line, after " hath."
90. In my vantbrace put this ivither'd braivn. " Vant-
brace" is an armour for the arm (French, avant bras); and
" brawn " is here used to express 'muscular arm.'
91. His youth in flood. Elliptically expressed; signifying,
' though his youthful blood be in full flow.'
Act I.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
Ulyss. I have a young conception in my brain ;
Be win my time to bring it to some shape.
Nm. What is 't ?
Ulyss. This 'tis:—
Blunt wedges rive hard knots : the seeded pride
That hath to this maturity blown up
In rank Achilles must or now be cropp'd,
Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil,
To overbulk us all.
Nest. Well, and how ?
Ulyss. This challenge that the gallant Hector
lends,
1 I never it is spread in general name,
Relates in purpose only to Achilles.
Nest. The purpose is perspicuous even as
substance,
Whose grossness little characters sum up :'J-
And, in the publication, make no strain,
But that Achilles,'13 were his brain as barren
As banks of Libya,91 — though, Apollo knows,
'Tis dry enough, — will, with great speed of judg-
ment,
Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose
Pointing on him.
Ulyss. And wake him to the answer, think you ?
Nat. Yes, 'tis most meet: whom may you else
oppose,
That can from Hector bring those honours off,
It not Achilles? Though 't be a sportful combat,
Yet in the trial much opinion dwells;
For here the Trojans taste our d ear's t repute
With their fin'st palate: and trust to me, Ulysses,
Our imputtaion shall be oddly pois'd ,J5
In this wild action ; for the success,
Although particular, shall give a scantling 'Jfi
Of good or bad unto the general ;
And in such indexes, although small pricks
92. The purpose is perspicuous even as substance, whose
v« little characters sunt up. 'The person ultimately
purposed in this challenge is as obvious as material substance
itself; the bulk of which is formed by small amounts, which
may be calculated by small marks of the pen, ami which may
be estimated by persons of small intelligence.' Shakespeare's
use of the word " characters" in this sentence, allows all these
various senses to be included in the meaning of this sentence, and
they serve to give punningly sarcastic point to Nestor's figurative
allusion to Achilles. See Note 2r, Act iii., " Henry VIII."
93. In the publication, make no strain but that. O-Y. ' When
the challenge conies to be made publicly known, entertain not
the least doubt but that,' &c. "Strain" is here and elsewhere
used by Shakespeare fir ' demur,' or ' difficulty of doubt.'
94. Libya. The classical name for Africa.
95. Our imputation shall be oddly pois'd. ' < 'ur imputed
excellence shall be unequally weighed.' "Imputation" is here
and elsewhere used by Shakespeare for that which is attributed
.is a merit, tli.it which is adjudged to be excellent ; and " oddly
pois'd" has here the force of 'unfairly matched ' and 'awkwardly
risked,' as well as ' unequally weighed.'
96. A scantling. A small portion, a slight sample : as the
French use their word, echantitlon, and the Italians their word,
eianlolino, which litter llorio interprets into English by "a
htllc scantling."
To their subsequent volumes,9? there is seen
The baby figure of the giant mass
Of things to come at large. It is suppos'd,
He that meets Hector issues from our cli :
And choice, being mutual act of all our souls,
Makes merit her election ; and doth boil,
As 'twere from forth us all, a man distill' d
Out of our virtues; who miscarrying,
What heart receives from hence the conquering
part,"
To steel a strong opinion to themselves?
Which entertain'd, limbs are his instruments,99
In no less working than are swords ami bows
Directive by the limbs.
Ulyss. Give pardon to my speech ; —
Therefore 'tis meet Achilles meet not ) |c. lor.
Let us, like merchants, show our foulest wares,
And think, perchance, they'll sell ; if not,
The lustre of the better shall exceed,
By showing the worse first. Do not consent
That ever Hector and Achilles meet ;
For both our honour and our shame in this
Are dogg'd with two strange followers.
Nest. I see them not with my old eyes ; what
are they ?
Ulyss. What glory our Achilles shares from
Hector,
Were he not proud, we all should share with him :
; But he already is too insolent;
! And we were better parch in Afric sun
1 Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes,
Should he 'scape Hector fair : if he were foil'd,
Why, then we did our main opinion100 crush
In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery ;
And, by device, let blockish"" Ai.tx draw
The sort10- to fight with Hector: among ourselves
Give him allowance for the better man ;
07. /': such indexes, although small pricks to their subsequent
volumes. ' In such indexes, although small points compared
with their subsequent volumes. ' Indexes were often in Shak<
spearc's time placed at the commencement of a book.
98. Who miscarrying, intuit heart receives from hen
In this passage we have an instance of the form of question that,
strictly constructed, requires the word 'nit .' hut, Shakc-
spereanly constructed, allows 'not' to be tin:
Note 22, Act v., "Henry VIII. " The meaning ft
is, 'If this selected champion should fail, wh I
not hence be received by the conquering side, to give fre
to a high opinion of themselves ' v!i J espeare elseiUi 1
the verb "to sleel" for 'to put fresh p in; 01 edge to; to
strengthen, to give added force to.' : ee passage adverted 1 1
in Note 54, Act i., " Richard II.''
99. Which. entertain'd, limits are his instruments. 'Which
opinion entertained, limb; are its instruments.'
toa. Opinion. Here, as in the passage commented upon 111
our last note but one, used I nation,' 'estimation ;' "out
main opinion "means 'the high opinion held of u ' I irthcron
in this speech " our opinion " is again used for the ' 1 ■ : I
we enjoy.'
101. Blockish. 'Obtuse,' 'impenetrably stupid; block-
headed' or ' blockheadcdly.'
102. The sort. 'The lot. '
VOL. III.
169
ACT 1 1.1
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene 1.
For that will physic the great Myrmidon m
Who broils in loud applause,11'"1 and make
tall '"■">
His crest I hat prouder than blue Iris bends.
It the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We'll dress him up in voices: if he fail,
Yet go we under our opinion still
That we have better men. Buf, hit or miss,
him
Our project's life this shape of sense assumes, —
Ajax employ'd plucks d'r.vn Achilles' plumes.
Nest. Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice ;
And I will give a taste of it forthwith
To Agamemnon : go we to him straight.
Two curs shall tame each other : pride alone
Must tarre 106 the mastiffs on, ar, 'twere their bone.
\Exeunt,
ACT II.
SCENE I. — Another part of the Grecian Camp.
Enter Ajax and Thersites.
Ajax. Thersites, —
Ther. Agamemnon, — how if he had boils, — lull,
all over, generally ? —
Ajax. Thersites, —
Ther. And those boils did run? — Say so, — did
not the general run then ?
Ajax. Dog, —
Ther. Then would come some matter from him ;
1 see none now.
Ajax. Thou wolf's son, canst thou not hear?
Feel, then. [Strikes him.
Ther. The plague of Greece1 upon thee, thou
mongrel beef-witted lord ! '-'
Ajax. Speak, then, thou vinevredst leaven,3
speak : I will beat thee into handsomeness.
Ther. I shall sooner rail thee into wit and holi-
ness : but, I think, thy horse will sooner con* an
oration than thou learn a prayer without a book.
Thou canst strike, canst thou? a. red murrain* o'
thy jade's tricks!
Ajax. Toadstool, learn me the proclamation.
103. TIk great Myrmidon. Ulysses calls Achilles thus, as
chieftain of tile Myrmidons, a people of Thcssaly, who
accompanied him to the Trojan war.
104. 1/7,. broils in loud applause. 'Who is heated with
noisy laudation;' the word "broils" admirably serves to
uiggest the image of a man who swells and sweats ill the fire of
applause, as broiling meat swells, spits, and exudes, above the
" Is: while the expression also includes the sense of 'is
quarrelsome,' ' is resentful,' • is hoslilcly arrogant.'
105. Fall. 'Lower,' 'stoop;' used actively. See Note 57,
Act iii., " Richard II."
1 > Tarn. ' Urge,' 'incite.' See Note 14, Act iv„ " King
John."
1. T/u plague of Greece. In allusion 10 the plague sent by
AP°" 1 'he Grecian army; described in the commencement
ol Homer's Iliad..
2. Thou mongrel btef-wttttd lord. The epithet " mongrel "
is given in reference to Ajax being tlir .son of a Grecian father
and a Trojan mother: and "beef-witted" is an epithet testifying
that opinion as to eating beef having ao injurious effect upon
Ther. Dost thou think I have no sense, thou
strikejt me thi'3 ':
Ajax. The proclamation,- -
Thou art proclaimed a fool, I think.
Do not, porcupine, ilo not ; my ringers
The,:
Ajax
itch.
Ther.
I would thou didst it. h frotn head to foot,
and I bad the scratching of lh?e; I would make
thee the loathsomest scab in Greeco. When thou
art forlh in the incursions, thou slrikest as siow as
another.
Ajax. I say, the proclamation, —
Ther. Thou grumblest and railesl every hour
on Achilles; and thou art as full of envy at his
greatness as Cerberus0 is r.t Proserpina's beauty,
ay, that thou barkest at him.7
Ajax. Mistress Titers:* '3 I
Ther. Thou shouldst strike him.
Ajax. Cobloaf!3
Ther. He would pun9 thee into shivers with his
fist, as a sailor breaks a biscuit.
Ajax. You cur ! [Beating him.
Ther. Do, do.
Ajax. Thou stool for a witch !
the intellect which we discussed ill Note 38, Act i., "Twelfth
Night."
;. Tliou vineioedsi leaven. The Folio prints 'whitud'st;'
being probably a corruption of " vinewed's:," which means
'most mouldy.' " Vinewed " is an old word for 'mouldy,'
'musty,' 'decayed:' and it is said to e:::st still in provincial
use, in the form of " vinny." The Quarto gives the word
'unsalted' here instead of " vinewedst."
4. Con. ' Commit to memory,' ' study so as to learn by rote.'
See Note 93, Act i.. " Twelfth Night."
5. A rod murrain. See Note 56, Act i., "Tempest."
6. Cerberus. The three headed dog stationed at the gates
of the infernal regions. See passage referred to in Note r 55,
Act v., "Love's Labour's Lost."
7. Ay, lluit thou barkest at hint. "That" is here clliptically
used for ' so that.' See Note 13, Act i., "Henry VIII."
8. Cobloaf. A round-headed loaf, a lumpy-shaped loaf
'possibly a corruption of 'cop-loaf; ' from the Saxon cop. head' ;
applied as a term of reproach to the big-headed misshapen
Thersites.
9. Pun. A provincial form of ' pound ; ' Saxon, punian.
Act II.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Sci
Tber. Ay, do, do ; thou sodden-witted lord ! !
thou hast no more brain than I have in mine I
elbows; an assinico10 may tutor thee : thou scurvy
valiant ass ! thou art here but to thrash Trojans ;
and thou art bought and sold" among those of
any wit, like a Barbarian slave. If thou use to i
beat me, I will begin at thy heel, and tell what
thou art by inches, thou thing of no bowels, thou !
Ajax. You dog !
You scurvy lord !
You cur : [Baiting him.
Mars his idiot !18 do, rudeness; do, camel;
Tber.
Ajax.
Ther.
do, do.
Enter Achilles am! Patroclus.
Achil. Why, how now, Ajax ! wherefore do you
thus ? — How now, Thersites ! what's the matter,
man ?
Ther. You see him there, do you ?
Achil. Ay ; what's the matter ?
Ther. Nay, look upon him.
Achil. So I do : what's the matter?
Ther. Nay, but regard him well.
Achil. Well ! why, I do so.
Ther. But yet you look not well upon him ;
for, whosoever you take him to be, he is Ajax.
Achil. I. know that, fool.
Ther. Ay, but that fool knows not himself.
Ajax. Therefore I beat thee.
Ther. Lo, lo, lo, !o, what modicums13 of wit he their toes, — yoke you jike draught oxen
utters! his evasions have ears thus long. I have you plough up the war.
Ther. Has not so much wit,
Achil. Nay, I must hold you.
Ther. As will stop the e_\e of Helen's needle,
tor whom he comes to tight.
A, I'il. Peace, fool !
Ther. 1 would have peace and quietness, but
the fool w ill not : he there ; that he ; look you there.
Ajax. Oh, thou curst cur ! 1 shall, —
Achil. Will ;ou set your wit to a fool's f
Ther. No, 1 warrant you; for a fool's uill
shame it.
Pair. Gooil words, Thersites.
Achil. What's the quarrel ?
Ajxx. I bade the vile owl go learn me the tenor
of the proclamation, and he rails upon me.
Ther. I serve thee not.
Ajax. Well, go to, go to.
Ther. I serve here voluntary.10
Achil. Your last sen-ice was sufferance, 'twas not
voluntary,— no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax was
here the voluntary, and you as under an impress.1?
Ther. E'en so; a great deal of your wil, to i,
lies in your sinews, or else there be liars. Hector
shall have a great catch, if he knock out either .,t
your brains:13 'a were as good crack a fusty nut
with no kernel.
Achil. What ! with me too, Thersites :-
Tber. There's Ulysses and old Nestor, — wh
wit was mouldy ere your grandsires19 had nails on
»nd make
bobbed14 his brain more than he has beat my
bones: I will buy nine sparrows for a penny, and
his pi a mater15 is not north the ninth part of a
sparrow. This lord, Achilles, Ajax, — who wears
his wit in his paunch, and his paunch in his head, —
I'll tell you what I say of him.
Achil. What ?
Ther. I say, this Ajax, —
[Ajax offers to strike him, Achilles interposes.
Achil. Nay, good Ajax.
io. Assinico. A term borrowed from the Spanish word
asuico, a little ass. The word as used by some of our elder
dramatists is sometimes spelt 'assinego' or 'asinego.'
ii. Bought and sold. Here used for 'befooled,' 'made a
fool of,' 'treated as a foot' See Note 45, Act v , "Richard III."
12. Mars his idiot. A form of ' Mars's idiot.' See Note ee,
Act i., " First Part Henry VI."
13. Modicums. 'Scraps,' 'morsels:' adopted into English
use from the Latin modicum, a small portion, a little piece.
14. Bobbed. 'Flouted,' 'scoffed at,' 'jeered at. Sec Note
69, Act ii., "As You Like It."
15. Pia mater. The covering of the brain. See Note 83,
Act i., " Twelfth Night."
16. / serve Jure voluntary. In the present passage Shake-
speare uses the word "voluntary" substantively, adjcctively,
and adverbially. In "I serve here voluntary," either 'as a'
is elliptically understood before "voluntary," or the latter word
is used for 'voluntarily;' then conies "voluntary" in "not
voluntary " as an adjective, then in " beaten voluntary " as an
adverb, and lastly in " the voluntary " as a substantive.
Achil. What, what 1-
Ther. Yes, good sooth : to, Achilles
to, \ic\
to!
I shall cut out your tongue.
Tis no matter; I shall speak as much
Ajax.
Ther.
as thou afterward
Pair. No more words, Thersites; peace !
Ther. I will hold my peace when Achilles'
brach-1 bids me, shall I f
Achil. There's for you, Patroclus.
17. And you as under an impress. Here the " v. .
before gives ' were ' to be understood between " you "an I
iS. 1/ he knock out either oj your brains. ' If he knock out
the brains of either of you.' A licence of construction still in
common use.
19. Ere your grandsires. The old copies print ' ll
"your" here.
20. To Achilles I to, Ajax J to! " I > 1 to ' ' was an expres-
sion of urging used by ploughmen to their " draught oxen."
21. Achilles' braeh. The old copies give ' brooch ' hei<-
of " brach," for which it was probably a misprint. K im
the correction. Shakespeare almost uniformly uses ' :
to express something choice or CO Vet v.,
" Richard II. "J ; and as Thersites here calls Patroclu
abusive epithet, it is not probable that 'brooch'
word. " Brach," on the contrary, v. 1
Note 13. Induction to "Taming of the Shrew"), and m
quently - a bitch hound : therefore it is likely that
it should be nun- at the effeminate and parasitical Patroclus as
an insult by the coarse jester.
Act II.
TR01LUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
Thersites. You sec him there, do you ?
Achilles. Ay; what's the matters'
Act II. Scene I.
Thcr. I will see you hanged, like clotpolls, ere
1 tome any more to your tents : I will keep where
there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.
[Exit.
Pair. A good riddance.
Achil. Many, this, sir, is proclaim'd through
all our host : —
That Hector, by the fifth hour of the sun,
Will, with a trumpet, 'twixt our tents and Troy,
To-morrow morning call some knight to arms,2-
That hath a stomach ; and such a one, that dare
Maintain, — 1 know not what ; 'tis trash. Farewell.
Ajax, Farewell. Who shall answer him p
Achil. I know not, — 'tis put to lottery; otherwise,
He knew his mar..
Ajax. Oh, meaning you.— I will go learn more
of it. [Exeunt.
2?. Cdh :etuc knight tc anus. Here is used the direct style
and title or chivalry. Sec Note 83, Act i.
SCENE II.— Troy.— A Room in Priam's Pa/ace.
Enter Priam, Hector, Troilus, Paris, ami
Helenus.
Pri. After so many hours, lives, speeches spent,
Thus once again says Nestor from the Greeks : —
" Deliver Helen, and all damage else, —
As honour, loss of time, travail, expense,
Wounds, friends, and what else dear that is con-
sum'd
In hot digestion of this cormorant war, —
Shall be struck off:'' — Hector, what say you to 't P
Heel. Though no man lesser fears the Greeks
than I,
As far as touchelh my particular,
Yet, dread Piiam,
There is no lady of more softer bowels,
More spongy to suck in the sense of fear,
More ready to cry out, " Who knows what follows t"
Than Hector is : the wound of peace is surety,
Cassandra. Cry, Trojans, cry! lend me ten thousand eyes,
And I will fill them with prophetic tears.
Act II. Scon II.
Act II.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
TSCENE II.
Surety secure ;-3 but modest doubt is call'd
The beacon of the wise, the tent21 that searches
To the bottom of the worst. Let Helen go :
Since the first sword was drawn about this question,
Every tithe soul, 'mongst many thousand disnies,2"
Hath been as dear as Helen, — I mean, of ours :
If we have lost so many tenths of ours,
To guard a thing not ours, nor worth to us,
Had it our name, the value of one ten, —
What merit's in that reason which denies
The yielding of her up ?
Tro. Fie, fie, my brother !
Weigh you the worth and honour of a king,
So great as our dread father, in a scale
Of common ounces? will you with counters sum
The past-proportion of his infinite Pso
And buckle in a waist most fathomless
With spans and inches so diminutive
As fears and reasons ? fie, for godly shame !
lie I. No marvel, though you bite so sharp at
reasons,2?
You are so empty of them. Should not our father
Bear the great sway of his affairs with reasons,
Because your speech hath none that tells hi in so ?
Tro. You are for dreams and slumbers, brother
priest ;
You fur your gloves with reason. Here are your
reasons :
You know an enemy intends you harm ;
You know a sword employ'd is perilous,
And reason flies the object of all harm :
Who marvels, then, when Helenus beholds
A Grecian and his sword, if he do set
The very wings of reason to his heels,
And fly like chidden Mercury from Jove,
Or like a star disorb'd ? Nay, if we talk of reason,
Let's shut our gates, and sleep: manhood and honour
23. Surety secure. ' Rash confidence,' ' over-trustful reliance.'
See Note 31, Act v., "Richard II."
24. Tent. A small roll of lint used in cxamiuing and cleansing
a wound ; and to ' tent a wound' is the surgical expression for
searching a wound in order to prove its extent aud condition.
25. Disnies. Tenths.
26. The past-proportion of his infinite. ' His infinite amount
of greatness wliii li i - beyond measure,' ' his infinite worth which
surpasses usual proportion.'
27. No marr.l, though you bite so sharp at reasons.
"Though" is here used, in Shakespeare's peculiar mode of
employing this word, fur 'that,' or 'if.' See Note 90, Act i.,
"Richard III." "Sharp" is used adverbially for 'sharply:'
and " reasons" has a play upon the word, from 'raisins' having
been formerly corruptcdly pronounced like it. Sec Note 34,
Act v., "Much Ado."
28. Respect. Here used for ' regard to consequences,' ' cir-
cumspection.'
:• , Make livers pule. See Note 21, Act iii., "Merchant of
Venice."
3a // liol.ls his estimate. " His" used for 'its.'
31. As in the firiser. Elliptically expressed ; meaning 'as it
is in the estimation of the pri/or,' or ' as it is in the prizer's esti-
mation.'
V. Thai is attributive to, &*c. 'That attributes excellence
to what it fanatically admires, without there being some actual
Should have hare hearts, would they but fat their
thoughts
With this cramm d reason : reason and respect-3
Make livers pale,39 and lustihood deject.
Heel. Brother, she is not worth what she doth cost
The holding.
Tro. What is aught, but as 'tis valu'd ?
licet. But value dwells not in particular will ;
It holds his estimate30 and dignity
As well wherein 'tis precious of itself
As in the prizer :31 'tis mad idolatry
To make the service greater than the god ;
And the will dotes, that is attributive
To what infectiously itself aftects,32
Without some image of the affected merit.
Tro. I take to-day a wife, and mv election
Is led on in the conduct of my will ;33
My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears,
Two traded34 pilots 'twixt the dangerous shores
Of will and judgment : how may I avoid,
Although my will distaste what it elected,
The wife I chose ? there can be no evasion
To blench3" from this, and to stand firm by
honour :
We turn not back the silks upon the merchant,
When we have soil'd them ; nor the remainder
viands
We do not throw in unrespective sieve,36
Because we now are full. It was thought meet
Paris should do some vengeance on the Greeks :
Your breath of full consent bellied his sails ;
The seas and winds (old wranglers) took a truce,
And did him service : he touch'd the ports desir'd ;
And, for an old aunt,37 whom the Greeks held
captive,
He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and
freshness
portion of the merit admired ; ' ' that ascribes merit, aud admires
merit, though there exist no traces of the merit so ascribed and
admired.'
33. In the conduct 0/ my will. ' Ry the guidance of my will. '
34. Trailed. * Practised,' 'accustomed.' See die use of this
word in the passage referred to in Note 63, Activ., "King John."
35. To blench. ' To shrink," to drawback.' Sec Notes, Act i.
36. Unrespective sieve. "Unrespective" is here used for
' disregarded,' 'made for containing disregarded scraps.'
" Sieve " is spelt in the Quarto ' siue,' and is misprinted in the
first Folio 'same,' whde the second Folio changes it into 'place.'
" Sieve" was a term for a large basket, generally used for fruit,
as we find by a passage from Davenant's play of " The Wits " — ■
" Apple-wives that wrangle for a sieve ; " and in Covent Garden
Market fruit and vegetable baskets, holding a certain measure,
and called sieve and half-sieves, are still used. Raskets lined with
tin, and called voidcrs, were employed for carrying broken meat
from table : and Dr. Farmer asserts that in some counties the
baskets used for conveying away dirt are called sieves. It is pro-
bable therefore that "sieve" is the word here meant and written
by Shakespeare, to express a receptacle for orts and refuse.
37. An old aunt. Hesione, sister to Priam. Hercules, when
he rescued her (sec Note 16, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice "),
being refused his promised reward for so doing, carried her away
from Troy to Greece, and gave her in marriage to his friend
Telamon, by whom she became mother to Ajax.
Act II.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
Wrinkles Apollo's, and makes stale the morning.
Why keep ive her ? the Grecians keep our aunt :
Is she worth keeping ? why, she is a pearl,
Whose price hath launch'd above a thousand ships,
And turn'd crown'd kings to merchants.
It" you'll avouch 'twas wisdom Paris went
(As you must needs, for you all cried, " Go, go"),
If you'll confess he brought home noble prize
(As you must needs, for you all clapp'd your hands,
And cried, '* Inestimable!"), — why do you now3s
The issue of your proper wisdoms rate,
And do a deed that fortune never did,
Beggar the estimation which you priz'd
Richer than sea and land ? Oh, theft most base,
That we have stol'n what we do fear to keep !
But, thieves, unworthy of a tiling so stol'n,
That in their country did them that disgrace,
We fear to warrant in our native place !
Cas. [Witbin.] Cry, Trojans, cry !
Pri. What noise? what >luick i- thi-, :-
Tio. 'Tis our mad sister, I do know her voice.
Cas. [liirbhi.] Cry, Trojans !
llect. It is Cassandra.
Enter Cassandra, raving.
Cas. Cry, Trojans, cry ! lend me ten thousand
e) es,
And I will til! them with prophetic tears.
Heel. Pe.ic2, sister, peace !
Cas. Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled
eld,39
Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry,
Ad 1 to my clamours! let us pay betimes
A moiety 40 of that mass of moan to come.
Cry, Trojans, cry ! practise your eyes with tears !
Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand;
38. Why do yon now, £~c. 'Why do you now impugn your
own wisdom, and do that which capricious Fortune herself is
guiltless of doing — depreciate the value of something which you
prized as richer than sea and land? 'Tis a most base theft, to
steal that which we fear to keep ! but we. thieves unworthy of
a thing so stolen, having done the owners the injury to steal it
from them in their country, fear to abide by the theft in our
native place ! '
39. Eld. The Quarto prints ' elders : ' the Folio, ' old ' here.
Ritson suggested the correction, on the supposition that the
Folio word was a misprint for this word, which we find else-
where used by Shakespeare. See Note 23, Act iv., "Merry
Wives," and Note 10, Act iii., " Measure for Measure."
40. A moiety. 'A portion.' See Note 16, Act iii., "First
Part Henry IV."
41. Onr firebrand brother, Paris. Hecuba, previous to the
birth of her son Paris, dreamed that she brought into the world
a firebrand which consumed Troy. See Note 40, Act ii.,
" Second Part Hcn-y IV."
42. Discourse of reason. Here, and elsewhere, used 1 y
Shakespeare for ratiocination, the power to argue rationally, the
faculty of reasoning.
43. Distaste. ' Render distastefid ; ' ' deteriorate,' ' damage,'
* impair.'
44. To make it gracious. To make it wear a favourable
aspect; to make it acceptable or palatable. The expression is
Our firebrand brother, Paris," burns us.il'.
Cry, Trojans, cry ! a Helen and a woe :
Cry, cry ! Troy burns, or else let Helen go.
{Exit.
licet. Now, youthful Troilus, do not these
high strains
()t divination in our sister work
Some touches of remorse ? or is your blood
So madly hot, that no discourse of reason,411
Nor fear of bail success in a bad cause,
Can qualify the same ?
Tre. Why, brother Hector,
We may not think the justness of each act
Such and no other than event doth form it ;
Nor once deject the courage of our minds,
Because Cassandra's mad: her brain-sick raptures
Cannot distaste43 the goodness of a quarrel
Which hath our several honours all engag'd
To make it gracious.4' For my private part,
I am no more touch'd than all Priam's son-.
And Jove forbid there should be done amongst us
Such things as might offend the weakest spleen
To fight for and maintain !
Par. Else might the world convince'3 of levity
As well my undertakings as your counsels:
But I attest the gods, your full consent
Gave wings to my propension,46 and cut off
All fears attending on so dire a project.
For what, alas ! can these my single arms ?
What propugnation4' is in one man's valour,
To stand the push and enmity of those
This quarrel would excite P Yet, I protest,
Wete I alone to pass the difficulties,43
And had as ample power as I have will,
Paris should ne'er retract what he hath done,
Nor faint in the pursuit.
usrd in the same manner as here in a passage in " Two Gentle-
men of Verona," Act iii., sc. 1, where LaunCC
that wt ird makes the faults gracious.'1 The sense of ' palatable '
included in this expression accords with the word " distaste '"
used just before.
45. Convince. Here used for 'convict ;' a sense in which the
word was sometimes formerly employed.
46. Propension. A form of ' propensity ; ' 'inclination.'
47. Projntgnsition. ' Power of defence ; ' \MS\\tpropngiutiiot
defence.
48. Were I alone to pass the difficulties. Ware tl
"pass" has been suspected of eiTor, and ' poise' propose
substitute : but it seems to us that ' re used ellipti-
cal!)' for ' pass through,' meaning to experience or encounter
the difficulties. The whole sentence is expressed ini Shake-
speare's condensed style, and with his occasional Iii
regards the tenses of verbs; for we believe it to 1
interpretation :— ' Were it 1 alone that had to 1
difficulties, and had I as ample power as I have will I
through them, Paris should,' &c. It appears to lis til
had" before "as ample powi
in the previous line. There is still another interpi I
sentence, supposing that the word "pass" may be hen-
the sense of 'pass in review,' 'regard
"Second Part Henry VI." : butconsideringthe
passage, we believe that our first interpretation is the right one.
Act II.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[SCENE III.
Pri. Paris, you speak
Like one besotted on your sweet dslights :
You have the honey still, but these the gall ;
So to be valiant is no praise at all.
Par. Sir, I propose not merely to myself
The pleasures such a beauty brings with it ;
But I would have the soil of her fair rape
Wip'd off, in honourable keeping her.
What treason were it to the ransack' d queen,
Disgrace to your great worths, and shame to me,
Now to deliver her possession up
On terms of base compulsion ! Can it be
That so degenerate a strain as this
Should once set footing in your generous bosoms ?
There's not the meanest spirit on our party,
Without a heart to dare, or sword to draw,
When Helen is defended ; nor none so noble,
Whose life were ill bestow'd, or death unfam'd,
Where Helen is the subject: then, I say,
Well may we fight for her, whom, we know well,
The world's large spaces cannot parallel.
licet. Paris and Troilus, you have both said well ;
And on the cause and question now in hand
Have gloz'd,4''1 — but superficially ; not much
Unlike young men, whom Aristotle50 thought
Unfit to hear moral philosophy :
The reasons you allege do more conduce
To the hot passion of distempered blood
Than to make up a free determination
'Twixt right and wrong; for pleasure and revenge
Have ears more deaf than adders to the voice
Ot any true decision. Nature craves
All dues be render'd to their owners: now,
What nearer debt in all humanity
Than wife is to the husband ? If this law
Of nature be corrupted through affection ;
And that great minds, of partial indulgence51
To their benumbed wills,52 resist the same ;
There is a law in each well-order'd nation,
To curb those raging appetites that are
Most disobedient and refractory.
If Helen, then, be wife to Sparta's king, —
As it is known she is, — these moral laws
Of nature and of nations speak aloud
To have her back return'd : thus to persist
In doing wrong extenuates not wrong,
49. Gloz'd. 'Talked speciously,' 'argued plausibly.' See
Note 24, Act i., " Henry V."
50. Aristotle. Hector's citing Aristotle's opinion is in accord-
ant c with various anachronisms to be found in the classical and
romantic books which were among those that Shakespeare
evidently read ; and indeed, so that a circumstance suited the
matter in hand, it was introduced with less regard to correctness
of period than \<> more general appropriateness.
51. That great minds, of partial indulgence to, &c. "Of"
is here used for 'from ' or ' through.'
5?. BenumHd wills. ' Insensible wills,' 'insensate wills,'
5 1 Projead. 'Incline.' See Note 46 of this Act. Hector
says his opinion is what he has delivered, as regards the true
right and justice of the question : yet, nevertheless, viewed with
But makes it much more heavy. Hector's opinion
Is this, in way of truth: yet, ne'ertheless,
My spiitely brethren, 1 propend53 to you
In resolution to keep Helen still ;
For 'tis a cause that hath no mean dependance
Upon our joint and several dignities.
Tro. Why, there you touch'd the life of our
design :
Were it not glory that we more affected
Than the performance of our heaving spleens,51
I would not wish a drop of Trojan blood
Spent more in her defence. But, worthy Hector,
She is a theme of honour and renown ;
A spur to valiant and magnanimous deeds ;
Whose present courage may heat down our foes,
And fame in time to come canonise55 us :
For, I presume, brave Hector would not lose
So rich advantage of a promis'd glory,
As smiles upon the forehead of this action,
For the wide world's revenue.
licet. I am yours,
You valiant offspring of great Priamus. —
I have a roisting challenge sent amongst
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks
Will strike amazement to their drowsy spirits :
I was advertis'd their great general slept,
Whilst emulation50 in the army crept :
This, I presume, will wake him. [E.xeunt.
SCENE HI.— The Grecian Camp. Before
Achilles' Tent.
Enter Thersites.
Tbcr. How now, Thersites! what! lost in the
labyrinth of thy fury! Shall the elephant Ajax
carry it thus ? he beats me, and I rail at him : oh,
worthy satisfaction! would it*were otherwise ; that
I could beat him, whilst he railed at me: 'sfoot,
I'll learn to conjure and raise devils, but I'll see
some issue of my spiteful execrations. Then
there's Achilles, — a rare engineer. If Tim be
not taken until these two undermine it, the walls
will stand till they fall of themselves. Oh, thou
great thunder-darter of Olympus, forget that thou
regard to martial honour and dignity, he agrees with his spirited
brothers in their resolution still to keep Helen.
54. Spleens. Here used for ' ill-humours,' 'splenetic feeling,'
'spite.'
55. Canonise. Here used to express being enrolled among the
heroes and demigods; as the old translators used to render the
Latin phrase, aseril'i numinibus (literally, written or registered
among the deities1, by ' to be canonised, or in.'dc a saint.'
56. Emulation. This word, which is now distinctively used
to express generous rivalry or desire for superiority, was origin-
ally used to express rivalry, whether good or bad : and Shake-
speare uses it in both senses. Here it means * envious rivalry, '
' factious contention ;' that which has been previously described
by Ulysses (Acr i., sc. 3) as the " em-ions fever of pale and
bloodless emulation :hat keeps Troy on foot."
Act I I.J
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[SCENl !l|.
Achilles. Who's there?
Putroclits. Thersites, my lord.
Act II. Scent III.
art Jove, the king of gods; and, Mercury, lose all
the serpentine craft of thy caduceus;57 if ye take
not that little little less-thau-little wit from them
that they have! which short-armed53 ignorance
itself knows is so abundant scarce, it will not in
circumvention deliver a fly from a spider, without
drawing their massy irons59 and cutting the web.
After this, the vengeance on the whole camp!
1 have said my prayers; and devil envy, say
Amen. — What, ho! my Lord Achilles!
Entet Patroclus.
Pair. Who's there? Thersites! Good Thermites,
come iii and rail.
57. Caditcens. The wand of Mercury, which was entwined
with serpents.
58. Short-armed. This has been changed to ' short-aiin'd ; ' but
the original word expresses ' incapable of reaching far,' 'capable of
achieving little ; ' while the word which is proposed as its substi-
tution conveys but a superfluously-given meaning, since "igno-
rance" is, of course, ' short-aim'd,' or comes short of its aim.
Ther. If I could have remembered a gill coun-
terfeit, thou wouldst not have slipped6" out of my
contemplation: but it is no mailer; thyself upon
thyself! The common curse of mankind, folly
and ignorance, be thine in great revenue ! Heaven
bless thee from a tutor, and discipline come not near
thee! Let thy blood61 be thy direction till thy
death! then if she that lays thee out says thou ait
a fair corse, I'll be sworn and sworn upon 't she
never shrouded any but lazars. Amen. — Where's
Achilles ?
Pair. What! art thou devout? wast thou in
prayer ?
Ther. Ay;
the heavens hear me !
59. Irons. Here, and elsewhere, used as a conte 1
epithet for ' swords.' Sec Note 7, Act ii., " Henry V." Ther-
sites sneers at the two hulking fellows being able to use no other
means than brut- fore*
60. Slipped. Thersites punmngly uses this word, because
' slip ' was a common term for f.ilse or counterfeit coin.
61. Blood. Here used for ' passions,' ' ungoverncd impulses.'
ACT II.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
Enter Achilles.
Achil. Who's there?
Pair. Thersites, my lord.
Achil. Wliere, where ?— Art thou come ? why,
my cheese, my digestion, why hast thou not served
thyself in to my table so many meals ? Come, —
what's Agamemnon ?.
Ther. Thy commander, Achilles : — then tell
me, Patroclus, what's Achilles ?
Pair. Thy lord, Thersites: then tell me, I pray
thee, what's thyself?
Ther. Thy knower, Patroclus : then tell me,
Patroclus, what art thou ?
Pair. Thou mayst tell that knowcst.
AcbU. Oh, tell, tell.
Ther. I'll decline the whole question.63 Aga-
memnon commands Achilles; Achilles is my lord ;
I am Patroilus' knower; and Patroclus is a fool.
Pair. You rascal !
Ther. Peace, fool ! I have not done.
AMI. He is a privileged man. — Proceed,
Thersites.
Ther. Agamemnon is a fool ; Achilles is a
fool ; Thersites is a fool ; and, as aforesaid, Patro-
clus is a fool.
Achil. Derive this ; come.
Ther. Agamemnon is a fool to offer to com-
mand Achilles; Achilles is a fool to be commanded
of Agamemnon ; Thersites is a fool to serve such
a fool ; and Patroclus is a fool positive.63
Pair. Why am I a fool ?
Ther. Make that demand of the prover. It
suffices me thou art. — Look you, who comes here?
Achil. Patroclus, I'll speak with nobody. —
Come in with me, Thersites. [Exit.
Ther. Here is such patchery,64 such juggling,
and such knavery! all the argument is a gull and
a wanton ; a good quarrel to draw emulous fac-
tions and bleed to death upon. Now, the dry
serpigo03 on the subject! and war and luxury
confound all ! [Exit.
Enter Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, Diomedes,
and Ajax.
Again. Where is Achilles?
Pair. Within his tent ; but ill-dispos'd, my
lord.
62. I'll decline the whole question. The word " decline " is
here used in its grammatical sense : to state the question in all
its forms, as a noun is stated in all its cases and numbers. See
Note 51, Act iv., " Richard ITT."
63. A fool positive. The reference to grammar terms is
sustained by the punning introduction of the word " positive,"
which is used for an adjective in the first degree of comparison.
64. Patch ry. Used by Shakespeare and other writers of
his time for 'villainy,' 'roguery,' 'cozenage;' 'contrivance of
fraud and deception.' ' making up tricks that will delude.'
65. Serpigo. A disorder that brings tetters upon the skin; a
species of leprosy. See Noteg Vt iii., " Measure for Measure."
Again. Let it be known to him that we are here.
He shent66 our messengers; and we lay by
Our appertainments, visiting of him :
Let him be told so; lest perchance he think
We dare not move the question of our place,
Or know not what we are.
Pair. I shall say so to him. [Exit.
Ulyss. We saw him at the opening of his tent :
He is not sick.
Ajax. Yes, lion-sick, sick of proud heart : you
may call it melancholy, if you will favour the man;
but, by my head, 'tis pride : but why, why ? let
him show us a cause. — A word, my lord.
[Takej Agamemnon asiJe.
Nest. What moves Ajax thus to bay at him ?
Ulyss. Achilles hath inveigled his tool from him.
Nest. Who, Thersites?
Ulyss. He.
Nest. Then will Ajax lack matter, if he have
lost his argument.
Ulyss. No, you see, he is his argument that has
his argument, — Achilles.
Nest. All the better; their fraction is more our
wish than their faction : but it was a strong com-
posure a fool could disunite.
Ulyss. The amity that wisdom knits not, folly
may easily untie.— Here comes Patroclus.
Nest. No Achilles with him.
Ulyss. The elephant hath joints, but none for
courtesy : his legs are legs for necessity, not for
flexure.6'
Re-enter Patroclus.
Pair. Achilles bids me say, he is much sorry,
If anything more than your sport and pleasure
Did move your greatness and this noble state
To call upon him ; he hopes it is no other
But for your health and your digestion sake, —
An after-dinner's breath.68
Again. Hear you, Patroclus : —
We are too well acquainted with these answers :
But his evasion, wing'd thus swift with scorn,
Cannot outfly our apprehensions.
Much attribute69 he hath ; and much the reason
Whv we ascribe it to him : \et all his virtues, —
Not virtuously on his own part beheld,—
Do in our eyes begin to lose their gloss ;
Yea, like fair fruit in an unwholesome dish,
66. Silent. ' Rated,' ' scolded,' ' abused.' See Note 37,
Act iv., "Twelfth Night." The Folio prints 'sent,' the Quarto
'sate' here : Theobald made the correction.
67. Legs for necessity, not for flexure. It was an old belief
that the elephant could not bend its knees ; a belief shown to
be false by Sir Thomas Brown in his " Vulgar Errors."
63. Breath. Here used for ' breathing ; ' in the sense of
'exercise,' 'relaxation.' See Note 49, Act i., "As You Like
It," and Note 44, Act i., " All's Well."
69. Attribute. This word here implies merit attributed, as
dies the word '^attributive," explained in Note 32 of the present
Act.
Act II.]
TROILUS AND CRESS1DA.
SCI NE III.
Are like to rot untasted. Go ami tell him,
We come to speak with him ; and you shall not sin,
If vou do say we think him over-proud
And under-honest ; in self-assumption greater
Than in the note of judgment ; and worthier than
himself
Here tend the savage strangeness?0 he puts on,
Disguise the holy strength of their command,
And underwrite in an observing kind?1
His humorous predominance ;7- yea, watch
His pettish lunes/3 his ebbs, his flows, as if
The passage and whole carriage of this action
Rode on his tide. Go tell him this ; and add,
That if he overhold his price so much,
We'll none of him ; but let him, like an engine
Not portable, lie under this report, —
Bring action hither, this cannot go to war :
A stirring dwarf we do allowance'4 give
Before a sleeping giant : — tell him so.
Patr. I shall ; and bring his answer presently.
[Exit.
Again. In second voice we'll not be satisfied ;
We come to speak with him. — Ulysses, enter you.
[Exit Ulysses.
Ajax. What is he more than another ?
Agam. No more than what he thinks he is.
Ajax. Is he so much ? Do you not think he
thinks himself a better man than I am ?
Agam. No question.
Ajax. Will you subscribe his thought, and sa\
he is ?
Agam. No, noble Ajax ; you are as strong, as |
valiant, as wise, no less noble, much moie gentle,
and altogether more tractable.
Ajax. Why should a man be proud? How
doth pride grow ? I know not what pride is.
Agam. Your mind is the clearer, Ajax, and
your virtues the fairer. He that is proud eats up
himself: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet,
his own chronicle ; and whatever praises itself but
in the deed, devours the deed in the praise.
Ajax. I do hate a proud man, as I hate the
engendering of toads.
70. Tend the savage strangeness. Here " tend" combines the
senses of 'attend to," and 'attend upon ;' while " savage strange-
ness" is used to express 'rude distance of manner ' or ' lofty airs.'
71. Underwrite in an observing kind. " Underwrite" is
here used so as to include the double meaning of ' take note of'
and ' subscribe to :' the latter bearing the sense of ' submit to,1
'defer to.' See Note 38, Act v., " All's Well." "Observing"
likewise is so employed as to convey the combined meaning of
'remarking,' and of 'paying observance to.'
72. His humorous predominance. ' His wayward domineer-
ing,' ' his petulant arrogance.' See Note 73, Act iv., "Second
Part Henry IV."
73 Lunes. 'Lunatic vagaries.' See Note 31, Act ii-,
"Winter's Tale." The Folio misprints 'lines' for "lunes"
here. Hanmer's correction.
74. Allowance. 'Favourable acceptance,' 'approval.' See
Note 51, Act ii., " MeiTy Wives."
75. The death tokens. In allusion to the ominous spots that
Nest. [Aside.'] Yet he loves himself: is 't not
strange f
Re-enter Ulysses.
U/yss. Achilles will not to the field to-morrow.
Agam. What's his excuse ?
U/jss. He doth rely on none ;
But carries on the stream of his dispose,
Without observance or respect of any,
In will peculiar and in self-admission.
Agam. Why will he not, upon our lair request,
Untent his person, and share the air with us?
U/yss. Things small as nothing, for request's
sake Qnly,
He makes important : possess'd he is with great-
ness ;
And speaks not to himself, but with a pride
That quarrels at self-breath : imagin'd worth
Holds in his blood such swoln and hot discourse,
That 'twixt his mental and his active parts
Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages,
And batters down himself : what should I say ?
He is so plaguy proud, that the death tokens1,5 ot it
Ciy " No recovery."
Agam. Let Ajax go to him. —
Dear lord, go you and greet him in his tent:
'Tis said he holds you well ; and will be led,
At your request, a little from himself.
U/yss. O Agamemnon, let it not be so !
We'll consecrate the steps that Ajax makes
When they go from Achilles; shall the proud lord,
That bastes his arrogance with his own seam,76
And never suffers matter of the world
Enter his thoughts, — save such as do revolve
And ruminate himsell,77 — shall he be worshipp'd
Of that we hold an idol more than he ?
No, this thrice-worthy and right-valiant lord
Must not so stale his palm, nobly acquir'd ;
Nor, by my will, assubjugate''3 his merit,
As amply titled as Achilles is,
By going to Achilles :
That were to en lard his fat-already pride,
And add inore coals to Cancer'9 when he burns.
make their appearance on those who are attacked by the plague.
Dr. Hodges, in his "Treatise on the Plague," mention-
of a dark complexion, usually called tokei.s, and looked on as
the pledges or forewarnings of death."
76. Seam. The grease or fat of an animal. Ritson says that
swine-seam ' is used in the North of England Tor ' hogs'
77. Never suffers matter of the -world enter his thoughts. —
sa--e such as do revolve, cVr. Here the Folio prim
and the Quarto doth.' But we retain the Folio word in this
sentence, under the belief that Shakespeare, according to his
occasional mode of construction see Note 115, V : iii
V "), treats " nutter" as a noun of multitude governing
ially as the word "thoughts" intervenes, which
plural effect to the antecedent.
78. Assubjugate A peculiar form of 'subju
Shakespeare for the sake of metre ; French, asm
79. Cancer. The crab: that sign of the zodiac into which
the sun enters on the =ist June.
Act I I.J
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
With entertaining great Hyperion.80
This lord go to him! Jupiter forbid ;
And say in thunder, " Achilles go to him."
Nest. [Aside.] Oh, this is well ; he rubs the vein
ot him.
Dio. [Aside.] And how his silence drinks up
this applause !
Ajax. If I go to him, with my arme I fist
I'll pash81 him o'er the face.
Again. Oh, no, you shall not go.
Ajax. An 'a be proud with me, I'll pheese*:
his pride :
Let me go to him.
Ulyss. Not for the worth that hangs upon our
quarrel.83
Ajax. A paltry, insolent fellow I
Nest. [Aside.] How he describes himself!
Ajax. Can he not be sociable?
Ulyss. [Aside.] The raven chides blackness.
Ajax. I II let his humours blood.
A^am. [Aside.] He will be the physician that
should be the patient.
Ajax. An all men were o' my mind, —
Ulyss. [Aside.] Wit would be out of fashion.
Ajax. 'A should not bear it so, 'a should eat
swords first: shall pride carry it?
Nest. [Aside.] An 'twould, you'd carry half.
Uhss. [Aside.] 'A would have ten shares.
Ajax. I will knead him, I'll make him supple.
Nest. [Aside.] He's not yet through warm:'
force85 him with praises: pour in, pour in ; his
ambition is dry.
Ulyss. [To Acam.] My lord, you feed too much
on this dislike.
Nest. Our noble general, do not do so.
80. Hyperion. A poetical name for the sun.
81. Pash An old expressive word for 'strike crushingly,'
'knock smashingly,' 'hit bruisingly.'
82. PJteese. 'Tease,' 'torment,' 'worry.' See Note 2, In-
duction, " Taming of the Shrew."
S3. The worth that hangs upon our quarrel. * The amount
of value staked in this our war.'
84. He's not yet through warm. The Folio makes these the
concluding worjs of Ajax's preceding speech. Capell altered
"through" to 'thorough;' but not only was the one word
frequently used for the other formerly (see Note 16, Act ii.,
"Winter's Tale"), but 'warm through ' is still an expression
in use.
85. Force. ' Stuff,' 'cram:' we have still the expression
' force-meat ' for 'stuffing.' French, farcir, to stuff. See Note
33, Act iv.. " Henry V."
86. Emulous. ' Enviously desirous of distinction,' 'factiously
eager to surpass others,' ' full of arrogant rivalry.' See Note 56
of this Act.
87. Strange. ' Haughtily distant,' ' holding himself aloof.'
See Note 70 of this Act.
88. Composure. ' Composition,' ' compounded qualities.'
89. Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield. Milo was a cele-
brated athlete of Crotona, in Italy : whose epithet here alludes
to his having been said to carry on his shoulders a bull of four
years old for more than forty yards, to have then killed it with
a single blow of his Ii-!. an I finally to have eaten it in one day.
Shakespeare is accused by M.ilonc of " here, as usual, paying n<>
Dio. You must prepare to fight without Achilles.
Ulyss. Why, 'tis this naming of him does him
harm.
Here is a man — but 'tis before his face ;
I will be silent.
Nest Wherefore should you so ?
He is not emulous,8'' as Achilles is.
Uhss. Know the whole world, he is as valiant.
Ajax. A dog, that shall palter thus with us !
Would he were a Trojan !
Nest. What a vice were it in Ajax now, —
Ulyss. If he were proud, —
Dio. Or covetous of praise,—
Ulyss. Ay, or surly borne, —
Dio. Or strange,8'" or self-affected !
Ulyss. Thank the heavens, lord, thou art of
sweet composure ;83
Praise him that got thee, her that gave thee suck :
Fam'd be thy tutor, and thy parts of nature
Thrice-fam'd, beyond all erudition :
But he that disciplin'd thy arms to fight,
Let Mars divide eternity in twain,
And give him half: and, for thy vigour,
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield89
To sinewy Ajax. 1 will not praise thy wisdom,
Which, like a bourn, a pale, a shore, confines
Thy spacious and dilated parts : here's Nestor, —
Instructed by the antiquary times,
lie must, he is, he cannot but be wise ; —
But pardon, father Nestor, were your days
As green as Ajax', and your brain so temper'd,
You should not have the eminence of him,
But be as Ajax.
Ajax. Shall I call you father :m
Ulyss. Ay, my good son.91
regard to chronology," because Milo live I long after the era of
the Trojan war ; but we have frequently shown how the poet
used incidents for the sake of their value in apt illustration,
rather than with strict regard to their relative date. See Note
50 of the present Act. "Addition" is hers used for 'title,'
'reputation for a certain quality.' See Note 20, Act i.
go. Shall I call you father ? In Shakespeare's time adoptive;
titles of relationship from predilection or sympathetic pursuit
wcre«not uncommon. Ben Jonson had many admirers who
styled themselves his sons; Cotton dedicated his book on
angling to his father Walton : and Ashmole, in his Diary,
records thus: — "April 3, -Mr. William Backhouse, of Swallow-
field, Berks, caused me to call him fal/ter thenceforward."
Shakespeare alludes to the custom of an interchange of name
and adopted kinship between girlish schoolfellows in " Measure
for Measure," Act i., sc. 5 ; and it is not improbable that some
such kind of affectionate compact subsisted between himself
and the members of a certain family named Greene, who
resided near him in Stratford-upon-Avon, particulars of which
" adoptious " cousinship the space of the present note will not
allow, but which will be found in our life of the Pcet.
91. Ay, my good son. The Quarto and some modern editors
assign this speech to Nestor: but we follow the Folio in giving
it to Ulysses, whereby Ajax's proposal. "Shall I call yon
father ?" and Diomedes' words, " Be rul'd by him," are made to
.apply to the astute Ithacan, who has won Ajax by his flattery,
an 1 has counselled him throughout the scene, while Nestor has
said 1 omparatively nothing.
Pandarus Fair be to you, my lord, and to all this fair company .'
Act III. Sicrtc I.
Act III.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene I.
Dio. Be rul'd by him, Lord Ajax.
Ulyss. There is no tarrying here; the hart
Achilles
Keeps thicket. Please it our great general
To call together all his state of war;
Fresh kings are come to Troy : to-morrow
We must with all our main of poaer stand fast :
And here's a lord, — come knights from east to west,
And cull their flower, Ajax shall cope the best.
Again. Go we to council. Let Achilles sleep :
Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw
deep. \Exeunt.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— Troy. A Room in Priam's Palace.
Enter a Servant and Pandarus.
Pan. Friend, you, — pray you, a word : do not
you follow the young Lord Paris :
Serv. Ay, sir, when he goes before me.
Pan. You depend upon him, I mean ?
Serv. Sir, I do depend upon the lord.
Pan. You depend upon a noble gentleman ; I
must needs praise him.
Serv. The lord be praised !
Pan. You know me, do you not ?
Serv. Faith, sir, superficially.
Pan. Friend, know me better ; I am the Lord
Pandarus.
Serv. I hope I shall know your honour better.1
Pan. 1 do desire it.
Serv. You are in the state of grace.
Pan. Grace ! not so, friend ; honour and lord-
ship are my titles.2 — [Music 'within.'] What music
is this?
I do but partly know, sir : it is music in
Serv.
parts.
Pan.
Serv
Know vou the musicians?
Wholly, sir.
Pan. Who play they to?
Serv. To the hearers, sir.
Pan. At whose pleasure, friend ?
Serv . At mine, sir, and theirs that love music.
i . Know your honour better. Said with a play upon the
expression, as if replying in the sense of 'know your honour
more fully,' but meaning ' know your honour a better man
than you are now.' Pandarus takes the servant's words in
the former sense, rejoining, "I do desire it;" and then the
Servant, choosing to understand him as saying he desires to
become a better man, answers that in that case he is " in the
st, Lie of grace."
2. Grace! not so, friend '; honour. eh>c. Pandarus, mystified
by the servant's banter, exclaims at the word "grace," suppos-
ing it is used mistakenly, and given to him as the proper form
of address to a duke ; whereas, he tells him, " honour and lord-
ship" are his due "titles." See Note 30, Act ii., "Measure
for Measure."
3. Love's invisible soul. Hanmer changed "invisible" to
' visible ' here ; but the original phrase means ' love's celestial
essence as made manifest in her,' 'the ethereal spirit of love as
impersonated in her.' Just one of those hyperbolical terms
[similar to the previous fantastic expression, " the heart-blood of
beauty") which are playfully satirised in the passages referred
Pan. Command, I mean, friend.
Serv. Who shall I command, sir ?
Pan. Friend, we understand not one another :
I am too courtly, and thou art too cunning. At
whose request do these men play ?
Serv. That's to 't, indeed, sir : marry, sir, at
the request of Paris my lord, who's there in person ;
with him, the mortal Venus, the heart-blood ot
beauty, love's invisible soul,3 — ■
Pan. Who, my cousin Cressida ?
Serv. No, sir, Helen: could you not find out
that by her attributes ?
Pan. It should seem, fellow, that thou hast not
seen the Lady Cressida. I come to speak with Paris
from the Prince Troilus : I will make a compli-
mental assault upon him, for my business seethes.4
Serv. Sodden business! there's a stewed phrase
indeed !
Enter Paris and Helen, attended.
Pan. F'air be to you, my lord, and to all this
fair company ! fair desires, in all fair measure,
fairly guide them ! — especially to you, fair queen!
fair thoughts be your fair pillow !
Helen. Dear lord, you are full of fur words.
Pan. You speak your fair pleasure, sweet
queen. — Fair prince, here is good broken music.5
Par. You have broke it, cousin :6 and, by my
life, you shall make it whole again ; you shall piece
to in Note too, Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost," and Note 25,
Acti., "All's Well."
4. My business seethes. ' My business is in boiling-hot haste,*
' The business I come upon is bubbling and galloping with
eagerness to be done.' The waggish servant, whose freedom is
warranted by Pandarus's gossiping familiarity with him, sneers
at the flabby insipidity of the "phrase" by the epithets
"sodden" and "stewed."
5. Broken music. An old technical term for music played
upon stringed instruments ; for an explanation of which, see
Note 41, Act i., " As You Like It."
6. Vou have broke it. cousin. It has been previously ex-
plained, in several of our notes upon this subject, that "cousin"
was a term used with much latitude, to express various degrees
of relationship as in this very scene Pandarus speaks of his
as " my cousin Cressida "), and that it was even used by
persons between whom there existed merely adopted kinship;
here, therefore, " cousin," as applied by Paris to Pandarus, may
signify either of these modes of address. There was a Pandarus,
sou to Lycaon, who was a son of Priam by his former wife
Act 1 1 I.J
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
[Scene I.
it out with a piece of your performance.— Nell, he
is full of harmony.
Pan. Truly, lady, no.
Helen. Oh, sir,—
Pan. Rude, in sooth ; in good sooth, very rude.
Par. Well said, my lord ! well, you say so in
fits.'
Pan. 1 have business to my lord, dear queen. —
My lord, will you vouchsafe me a word ?
Helen. Nay, this shall not hedge us out : we'll
hear you sing, certainly.
Pan. Well, sweet queen, you are pleasant with
me. — But, marry, thus, my loid,— My dear lord,
and ino:t esteemed friend, your brother Troilus, —
Helen. My Lord Pandarus ; honey-sweet lord, —
Pan. Go to, sweet queen, go to : — commends
himself most affectionately to you, —
Helen. You shall not bob us out of our melody :
if you do, our melancholy upon your head!
Pan. Sweet queen, sweet queen; that's a sweet
queen, i' faith.
Helen. And to make a sweet lady sad is a
sour offence.
Pan. Nay, that shall not serve your turn ; that
shall it not, in truth, la. Nay, I care not for such
words; no, no.8 — And, my lord, he desires vou,
that if the king call for him at supper, you will
make his excuse.
Helen. My Lord Pandarus,—
Pan. What says my sweet queen, — my very
very sweet queen ?
Par. What exploit's in hand? where sups he
to-night?
Helen. Nay, but, my lord, —
Pan. What says my sweet queen ? My cousin
will fall out with you. You must not know where
he sups.9
Par. I'll lay my life, with my disposer10 Cressida.
Pan. No, no, no such matter ; you are wide :
come, your disposer is sick.
Par. Well, I'll make excuse.
Laothoe ; and it is possible that Shakespeare may have blended
the identity of this Pandarus with that of the Pandarus who
figures in Chaucer as Troilus's devoted friend ; or, it may be
that Paris uses the term "cousin" as a token of the easv
familiarity which subsisted between himself and his brother's
associate. Pandarus is made by the dramatist to pop in and
out of his friend's home, loiter about chatting with servants,
trifle away quarters of hours with the ladies of the house, carry
messages to and fro. tattle the news, potter, play the busy-body,
meddle and make in every one's affairs, in the true style of
hanger-on to the family, — one who is allied to it by " cousin-
ship," signifying kindred connection or intimate acquaintance.
7. You say so in Jits. A "fit" was the term for a part or
division of a song or tune, and was used for a strain of music.
Paris employs the expression "in fits" with a play upon the
word, in reference to the sense here explained, and in the sense
of ' by fits and starts,' ' capriciously.'
8. Nay, I care not for such words : no. ho. Rowe made the
first portion of this speech part of Helen's preceding one : but
inasmuch as Pandarus is evidently trying to escape from Helen's
Pan. Ay, good my hud. Why should you say
Cressida ? no, your poor disposer's sick.
Par. I spy.
Pan. You spy! what do you Spy?— Come,
give me an instrument. — Now, sweet queen.
Helen. Why, this is kindly done.
Pan. My niece is horribly in love with a thing
you have, sweet queen.
Helen. She shall have it, my lord, if if be not
my lord Paris.
Pan. Hel no, she'll none of him; they two are
twain.— Come, come, I'll hear no more of this ; I'll
sing you a song now.
Helen. Ay, ay, pr'ythee now. By my troth,
sweet lord, thou hast a fine forehead.
Pan. Ay, you may, you may.11
Helen. Let thy song be love : this love will
undo us all. O Cupid, Cupid, Cupid !
Pan. Love ! ay, that it shall, i' faith.
Par. Ay, good now, love, love, nothing but love.
Pan. In good troth, it begins so. [Sing!.
Love, love, nothing but love, still more !
For, oh, love's bow
Shoots buck and doe :
The shaft confounds,
Not that it wounds,
But tickles still the sore.
These lovers cry — Oh ! oh ! they die !
Yet that which seems the wound to kill,
Doth turn oh ! oh ! to ha ! ha ! he !
So dying love lives still :
Oh ! oh ! a while, but ha ! ha ! ha !
Uh ! oh ! groans out for ha ! ha ! ha !
Heigh-ho!
Helen. In love, i' faith, to the very tip of the nose.
Par. He eats nothing but doves, love; and that
breeds hot blood, and hot blood begets hot thoughts,
and hot thoughts beget hot deeds, and hot deeds is
love.
Pan. Is this the generation of love ? hot blood,
hot thoughts, and hot deeds ? Why, they arc
vipers: is love a generation of vipers?— Sweet
lord, who's a-field to-day ?
playful persecution, they may be rightly assigned in the old
text, which we here follow.
9. You must not knewwhere he sups. The old copie a
these words to Helen ; whereas they obviously belong to Pan-
darus. Hanmer made the correction.
10. My disposer. ' My disposer to mirth,' ' my inclincr to
merry talk,' 'my inciter to gaiety.' See Note 26, Act it,
'■ Love's Labour's Lost," and Note 42, Act ii., "Twelfth Night"
It appears to us that this epithet, put by the dramatist into
Paris's mouth as applied to Cressida, serves to aid in depicting
her with the consistency of frivolous character by which he has
marked her. Our here being let to perceive by a single signifi-
cant word that she has been a liaht talker with Paris,
fluttercr and chatterer with him who caused Helen's abduction,
is perfectly in accordance with her mannei throu eplay,
and especially at the time of her introduction to the assembled
generals of the Grecian camp, in Act iv , sc. 5.
it. Ay, you may, you jitay. An idiomatic expression formerly
in common use, signifying 'Ay, you may go on,' 'you are
privileged to say what you pli
Act III.
TR01LUS AND CRLSS1DA.
[Scene II.
Par. Hector, Deiphobus, Helenus, Antenur,
and all the gallantry ut Troy : I would tain have
aimed to-day, but my Nell would not have it bo.
How chance my brother Troilus went not ?
Helen. He hangs the lip at something : — you
know all, Lord Pan darns.
Pan. Not I, honey-sweetqueen. — I long to hear
how they sped to-day. — i'ou'll remember yuur
brother's excuse ?
Par, To a hair.
Pan. Farewell, sweet queen.
Helen. Commend me to your niece.
Pan, I will, sweet queen. [Exit.
[A retreat sounded.
Par. They're come from field : let us to
Priam's hall,
To greet the warriors. Sweet Helen, I must woo \ ou
To help unarm our Hector: his stubborn buckles,
With these your white enchanting fingers touch'd,
Shall more obey than to the edge of steel
Or force of Greekish sinews ; you shall do more
Than all the island kings, — disarm great Hector.
Helen. 'Twill make us proud to be his servant,
Paris ;
Yen, what he shall receive of us in duty
Gives us more palm in beauty than we have,
Yea, overshines ourself.
Par. Sweet, above thought I love thee.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Tkov. Pandarus' Orchard.
Enter Pandarus ami Troilus' Boy, meeting.
Pan. How now! where's thy master? at m\
cousin Crcssida's ?
Bow No, sir; he stays for you to conduct him
thither.
Par.. Oh, here he comes.
Enter Troilus.
How now, how now !
Tro. Sirrah, walk off. [Exit Boy.
Pan. Have you seen my cousin ?
12. The Stygian banks. The banks of Styx, a river of the
Shades below, across which "Charon" (see Note 88, Act i.,
" Richard III.") ferried the souls of the dead to torment, or to
llie hlysiau " fields," according to the several destinies of the
condemned or " the deserver "
i ; / I The Folio and some of the Quarto
copies prim ' reputed ' for " repured " here. "Thrice-repured,"
as an epithel expressive >>f ' nuiiuessentially pure,' 'most
.ti:i I,' is far in re likely to be Shakespeare's word here than
the comparatively feeble one of thrice reputed:' which latter
gives merely the idea of largely renowned, instead of represent-
ing the principle constantly maintained by our grand poet, that
]"*• i the | mi' I nf i - 'ii e .' well as llie inn,! purifying and
ennobling Indeed, ii is noteworthy, both as serving to illustrate
u iple "l In .nu] as aiding to determine the reading in
the present passage, how very frequently in his works we find
the word " l-iii' " and llie word " love" in combination.
'Pro. No, Pandarus : J stalk about her door,
Like a strange soul upon the Stygian banks12
Staying for wattage. Oh, be thou my Charon,
And give me swift transportance to tho^e fields
Where I may wallow in the lily-beds
Propos'd for the deserver! Oh, gentle Pandarus,
I'rom Cupid's shoulder pluck his painted wings,
And fly with me to Cressid !
Pan. Walk here i' the orchard, I'll bring her
straight. [Exit.
Pro. I am giddy; expectation whirls me round.
The imaginary relish is so sweet
That it enchants my sense: what will it be,
When that the watery palate tastes indeed
Love's thrice-repured13 nectar ? death, I far me ;
Swooning destruction ; or some joy too fine,
Too subtle-potent, turn'd too sharp in sweetness.
For the capacity of my ruder powers :-
I fear it much ; and I do fear besides,
That I shall lose distinction in my joys ;
As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps
The enemy flying.14
Re-enter Pandarus.
Pan. She's making her ready, she'll coire
straight: you must be witty15 now. Shi does so
blush, and fetches her wind so short, as if she were
frayed with a sprite : I'll fetch her. It is the
prettiest villain : she fetches her breath as short as
a new-ta'en sparrow. [Exit.
Tro. Even such a passion doth embrace my
bosom :
My heart beats thicker10 than a fev'rous pulse;
And all my powers do their bestowing1'* lose,
Like vassalage at unawares encountering
The eye of majesty.
Re-enter Pandarus •u.-itb Cressida.
Pan. Cotne, come, what need you blush ?
shame's a baby. — Here she is now: swear the
oaths now to her that you have sworn to me. —
What, are you gone again ? you must be watched'3
ere you be made tame, must you ? Come your
ways, come vour ways ; an you draw backward, we'll
14. As doth a battle, when they charge on heaps the enemy
" Battle" is used as a noun of multitude, for a collec-
tion of armed men, and is hcie followed by the pronoun
"they." See Note 2, Act iv, "Henry V." "On heaps" is
an idiom elsewhere used by Shakespeare. See Note 2S, Act v.,
" Henry V."
15. You must be witty. Here employed to express what is
now meant by ' you must have your wits about yon.' Shake-
speare uses the words " wit" and " witty " with varied significa-
tion See Note 16, Act iv , "Richard III."
16. Thicker. ' Faster,' ' more quickly,' ' more rapidly.' See
Note 52, Act ii., "Second Part Henry IV."
17. . Bestowing. Here used for 'governance,' 'due conduct,'
'proper management,' 'fit control.' See Note 47, Act ii .
" Second Part Henry IV."
i3. Watched. A term used in falconry for taming a hawk by
keeping it from sleeping See Note 19, Act v., " Merry Wives."
mr
Cressida. Boldness comes to mc now, rind brings me hearl
Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day
I'ir many wear) months. Act III. S,rnr II.
Act III.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
put you i' the fills.19— Why do you not speak to
her P — Come, draw this curtain, and let's see your
picture.20 Alas! the day, how loth you are to
offend daylight ! an 'twere dark, you'd close sooner.
So, so ; rub on, and kiss the mistress.21 How now !
a kiss in fee-farm!22 build there, carpenter; the
air is sweet. Nay, you shall fight your hearts out
ere I part you. The falcon as the tercel,23 for all
the ducks i' the river : go to, go to.
Tro. You have bereft me of all words, lady.
Pan. Words pay no debts, give her deeds: but
she'll bereave you o' the deeds too, if she call your
activity in question. What ! billing again ? Here's
— " In witness whereof the parties interchangeably
— Come in, come in : I'll go get afire. [Exit.
Cres. Will you walk in, my lord ?
Tro. O Cressida, how often have I wished me thus!
Cres. Wished, my lord!— The gods grant, —
Oh, my lord !
Tro. What should they grant ? what makes this
pretty abruption ? What too curious dreg espies
my sweet lady in the fountain of our love?
Cres. More dregs than water, if my fears have
eyes.
Tro. Fears make devils of cherubins ; they
never see truly.
Cres. Blind fear, that seeing reason lea is, finds
safer footing than blind reason stumbling without
fear: to fear the worst oft cures the worse.
Tio. Oh, let my lady apprehend no fear:24 in all
Cupid's pageant there is presented no monster.
Cres. Nor nothing monstrous neither ?
Tro. Nothing, but our undertakings; when we
vow to weep seas, live in fire, eat rocks, tame
tigers; thinking it harder for our mistress to
devise imposition enough than for us to undergo
any difficulty imposed. This is the monstrosity
in love, lady, — that the will is infinite, and the
execution confined; that the desire is boundless,
and the act a slave to limit.
Cres. They say, all lovers swear more per-
formance than they are able, and yet reserve an
ability that they never perform ; vowing more than
the perfection of ten, and discharging less than the
tenth part of one. They that have the voice of
lions and the act of hares, are they not monsters ?
19. The fills. The shafts. See Note 29, Act ii., " Merchant
of Venice "
20. Come, draw this curtain, an I lei's see your picture.
Almost the same words are used by Shakespeare elsewhere to
signify withdrawing a veil from before a lady's face. See the
speech referred to in Note 105, Act i.. "Twelfth Night."
21. Rub on. an.l kiss t/ie mistress. Terms u- ed in the game of
bowls; "the mistress" or "the jack" is ;he name of the
smalle ■ bowl, used as a mark for the other bowls; and when
any of them kiss it, an advantage is gained.
22. In fee-farm. A law technicality, to express ' in perpetuity,'
'for ever.' See Note 19. Act iv., " Merry Wives."
23. The falcon as the tercel. An elliptical idiom, "as" im-
plying ' is as good as.' " The falcon " is the female hawk. " the
Tro. Are there such ? such are not we : praise
us as we are tasted, allow us as we prove ; our head
shall go bare till merit crown it: no perfection in
reversion shall have a praise in present : we will
not name desert before his birth ; and, being born,
his addition25 shall be humble. Few words to fair
faith : Troilus shall be such to Cressid, as what
envy can say worst, shall be a mock for his truth;26
and what truth can speak truest, not truer than
Troilus.
Cres. Will you walk in, my lord ?
Re-enter Pandarus.
Pan. What ! blushing still ? have you not done
talking yet ?
Cres. Well, uncle, what felly I commit, 1
dedicate to you.
Pan. I thank you for that. Be true to my
lord : if he flinch, chide me for it.
Tro. You know now your hostages; your uncle's
word and my firm faith.
Pan. Nay, I'll give my word for her too: our
kindred, though they be long ere they are wooed,
they are constant being won : they are burs, I can
tell you ; they'll stick where they are thrown.
Cres. Boldness comes to me now, and brings
me heart : —
Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day
For many weary months.
Tro. Why was my Cressid, then, so hard to win ?
Cres. Hard to seem won : but I was won, my lord,
With the first glance that ever — pardon me, —
If I confess much, you will play the tyrant.
I love you now ; but not, till now, so much
But I might master it : — in faith, I lie ;
My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown
Too headstrong for their mother : — see, we fools !
Why hive I blabb'd ? who shall be true to us,
When we are so unsecret to ourselves ? —
But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not ;
And yet, good faith, I wish'd myself a man,
Or that we women had men's privilege
Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue ;
For, in this rapture, I shall surely speak
The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence,
Cunning in dumbness,2^ from my weakness draws
tercel " is the male hawk ; therefore the speaker means that he
will match his niece against her lover as equal in excellence.
24. Apprehend no fear. In allusion to the impersonation of
Fear in the old pageants and moralities. The previous words,
" fears make devils of cherubins," serve to confirm this point,
as illustrated by a somewhat similar passage in " Antony and
Cleopatra,." Act ii., sc. 3 — "Near him thy angel becomes a
Fear."
25. Addition. 'Title.' See Note 89. Act ii.
25, // hat envy can say worst, shall he a mod: for his truth.
' That which malice may say against him, shall be made an
irony by his true fidelity.'
27 Your silence, cunning in dumbness. The Folio prints
' comming ' for " cunning." Pope's correction.
Act III.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
My very soul of counsel ! — stop my mouth.
Tro. And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence.
Pan. Pretty, i' faith.
Cres. My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me ;
'Twas not my purpose, thus to beg a kiss :
I am asham'd ; — Oh, heavens! what have I done?
For this time will I take my leave, my lord.
Tro. Your leave, sweet Cressid ?
Pan. Leave ! an you take leave till to-morrow
morning, —
Cres. Pray you, content you.
Tro. What offends you, lad) ?
Cres. Sir, mine own company.
Tro. You cannot shun
Yourself.
Cres. Let me go and try :
I have a kind of self resides with you ;
But an unkind self, that itself will leave,
To be another's fool. I would be gone : —
Where is my wit ? I know not what I speak.
Tro. Well know they what they speak that
speak so wisely.
Cres. Perchance, my lord, I show more craft
than love ;
And fell so roundly to a large confession,
To angle for your thoughts: but you are wise ;
Or else vou love not ; for to be wise and love
Exceeds man's might; that dwells with godsabove.
Tro. Oh, that I thought it could be in a woman,
(As, if it can, I will presume in you,)
To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love ;
To keep her constancy in plight and youth,
Outliving beauty's outward, with a mind
That doth renew swifter than blood decays !
Or, that persuasion could but thus convince me, —
That my integrity and truth to you
Might be affronted23 with the match and weight
Of such a winnow'd purity in love;
How were I then uplifted! but, alas!
I am as true as truth's simplicity,
And simpler than the infancy of truth.
Cres. In that I'll war with you.
Tro. Oh, virtuous fight,
When right with right wars who shall be most right!
True swains in love shall, in the world to come,
Approve their truths by Troilus: when their rhymes,
28. Affronted. 'Confronted,' 'met,' 'matched.' See Note
7, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
29. As plantage to trie moon. " Plantage " is here used to
express whatever is planted, ' vegetation : ' which was formerly
supposed to be influenced in its growth by the moon. An illus-
tration of this belief is afforded by a passage from Reginald
Scott's " Discoverie of Witchcraft : " — " The poore husbandman
perceiveth that the increase of the moone maketh/Az«r* fruteful :
so as in the full moone they are in the best strength : decateing
in tltewane; and in the conjunction do utterlie wither and vade."
30. Pard An abbreviated form of ' leopard.' See Note 31,
Act iv., "Tempest."
31. Let all constant men be Troiluscs. Hanmer changed
Full of protest, of oath, and big compare,
Want similes, truth tir'd with iteration, —
As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,29
As sun to day, as turtle to her mate,
As iron to adamant, as earth to the centre
Yet, after all comparisons of truth,
As truth's authentic author to be cited,
As true as Troilus shall crown up the verse,
And sanctify the numbers.
Cres. Prophet may you be !
If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,
When time is old and hath forgot itself,
When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy,
And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up,
And mighty states characterless are grated
To dusty nothing ; yet let memory,
From false to false, among false maids in love,
Upbraid my falsehood! when they've said — as felse
As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth,
As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,
Pard30 to the hind, or stepdaine to her son ;
Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood,
As talse as Cressid.
Pan. Go to, a bargain made : seal it, seal it ;
I'll be the witness. Here 1 hold your hand; here
my cousin's. If ever you prove false one to
another, since I have taken such pains to bring
you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called
to the world's end after my name, call them all —
Pandars; let all constant men be Troiluses,31 all
false women Cressids, and all brokers-between
Pandars ! say, Amen.
Tro. Amen.
Cres. Amen.
Pan. Amen. [Exeunt.
SCENE ML— 7**1? Grecian Camp.
£»w Agamemnon, Ulysses, Diomedes, Nestor,
Ajax, Menelaus, ana' Calchas.
Cal. Now, princes, for the service I have done you,
The advantage of the time prompts me aloud
To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind51
That, through the sight I bear in things, to Jove
I have abandon'd Troy,33 left 111 y possession,
" constant " to ' inconstant ' here ; but Shakespeare is not only
making the epithet accord with his own and his audience's
knowledge of subsequent event, but he 1 also making it accord
with Troilus's just-made professions of truth and constancy;
therefore Pandarus may well say, in case of a breath '■( mutual
faith, " Let all constant men be Troiluses," as the
of posthumous reproach he could invoke.
••/■/■ear it to your mind. ' l.ct it appear to your mind.
See Note 95, Act v., " Henry VIII. "
33. Through the sight I bear in things, to Joi'e 1 hart
abandon'd Troy. The Folio prints the ninth word in this
sentence so as to leave it a matter of doubt whether it be in-
tended for ' louc ' (love), or " Iouc" I Jove) : and the d.
Act III.]
TR01LUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene III.
lucurt'd a traitor's name; expos' d in\ self,
From certain and possess'd conveniences,
To doubtful fortunes ; sequestering from me all
That time, acquaintance, custom, and condition,
Made tame and most familiar to my nature;
And here, to do you service, am become
As new into the world, strange, unacquainted :
I do beseech you, as in way of taste,
To give me now a little benefit,
Out ot those many register'd in promise,
Which, you say, live to come in my behalf.
Agam. What wouldst thou of us, Trojan
make demand.
Cal. You have a Trojan prisoner, call'd Anterior,
Yesterday took : Troy holds him very dear.
Oft have you (often have you thanks therefore)
Desir'd my Cressid in right great exchange,
Whom Troy hath still denied : but this Antenor,
1 know, is such a wrest34 in their affairs,
That their negotiations all must slack,
Wanting his manage; and they will almost
Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam,
In change ot him : let him be sent, great princes,
And he shall buy my daughter; and her presence
Shall quite strike ofFall service I have done,
In most accepted pain.35
Again. let Diomedes bear him,
And bring us Cressid hither: Calchas shall have
What he requests of us. — Good Diomed,
Furnish you fairly for this interchange :
Withal, bring word if Hector will to-morrow
Be answer'd in his challenge : Aja.x is ready.
Dio. This shall I undertake; and 'tis a burden
Which I am proud to bear.
[Exeunt Diomedes and Calchas.
Enter Achilles and Patroclus, before their Tent.
Ulyss. Achilles stands i' the entrance of his
tent : —
Please it our general to pass strangely by him,
As if he were torgot ; and, princes all,
Lay negligent and loose regard upon him :
1 will come last. 'Tis like he'll question me
Why such unplausive eyes are bent, why turn'd on
him :36
If so, I have derision med'cinable,
occasioned much diversity of opinion, much proposal of altera-
tion, and much variety of interpretation among the commen-
t itors. The reading and punctuation that we adopt is that of
Johnson, understanding the passage to mean, 'Through the
sight I have into matters, I have left Troy to Jove's care;' and
we think that this interpretation consists with the description of
Call has by Chaucer, as quoted in Note 13, Act i. Although it
his been objected that inasmuch as Jove favoured Troy,
Calchas would hardly tell the Greeks that he had committed
it to Jove's protection, yet it is natural language from a sooth-
sayer; and it could hardly be more objectionable to the Greeks
tli. in his proposal that Antenor, whom he describes as so invalu-
able to the Trojans, should be given back to them
To use between your strangeness and his pride,
Which his awn will shall have desire to drink:
It may be good : pride hath no other glass
To show itself but pride ; for supple knees
Feed arrogance, and are the proud man's fees.
Agam. We'll execute your purpose, and put on
A form of strangeness as we pass along; —
So do each lord ; and either greet him not,
Or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more
I han if not look'd on. I will lead the way.
Acbil. What! comes the general to speak with
me?
You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy.
Agam. [To Nestor.] What says Achilles 'i
would he aught with us ?
Nest. Would you, my lord, aught with the
general ?
AMI. No.
Nest. Nothing, my lord.
Agam. The better. [Exeunt Agamemnon
and Nestor.
At hil. Good day, good day.
Men. How do you ? how do you ? [Exit.
Acbil. What! does the wittol scorn me?
A/ax. How now, Patroclus !
At hi I. Good morrow, Ajax.
A/ax. Ha ?
Acbil. Good morrow.
Ajax. Ay, and good next day too. [Exit.
Acbil. What mean these fellows ? Know they
not Achilles ?
Pair. They pass by strangely : they were vts'd
to bend,
To send their smiles before them to Achilles;
To come as humbly as they us'd to creep
To holy altars.
Acbil. What ! am I poor of late ?
'Tis certain, greatness, once tall'n out with fortune,
Must fall out with men too : what the declin'd is,
He shall as soon read in the eyes of others
As feel in his own fall : for men, like butterflies,
Show not their mealy wings but to the summer ;
And not a man, for being simply man,
Hath any honour ; but honour for those honours
That are without him, as place, riches, and favour,
Prizes of accident as oft as merit :
34. A wrest. Literally, a ' tuning key ' (see Note 73, Act i.) ;
figuratively, that upon which the harmonious ordering of their
affairs depends.
35. In most accepted pain. Hanmer changed "pain" to
'pay' here; but "in most accepted pain" appears to us to
signify 'as trouble that I have undergone most willingly;' much
in the same way that Diomedes soon afterwards says, " 'Tis a
burden which I am proud to bear "
36. Why sitch unplausive eyes are bent, ivhy tni'n'd en him.
Steevens objects to what he calls "the redundancy and tau-
tology of this line ; " but Shakespeare uses " bent " [in reference
to eyes) to express a frown, a stem look, an angry glance. See
Note 24, Act v., " Henry V."
Act hi.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene hi.
Achilles. Here is Ulysses
I'll interrupt his reading.—
How now, Ulysses !
Act 111- Scene III.
Which when they fall, as being slippery standers,
The love that lean'd on them as slippery too,
Do one pluck down another,3' and together
Die in the fell. But 'tis not so with me :
Fortune and I are friends : I do enjoy
At ample point all that 1 did possess,
Save these men's looks; who do, methinks, find
out
Something not worth in me such rich beholding
As they have often given. Here is Ulysses :
I'll interrupt his reading. —
How now, Ulysses!
Ulyss. Now, great Thetis' son !
37. Do one pluck dmun another. The old copies give 'doth'
for "do " here. Hannier's correction.
38. Writes me. " Me " is here idiomatically used, in the
mode we have so frequently pointed out. See, among many
others, Note 50, Act iii., " Second Part Henry IV."
Achil. What are you reading ?
Ulyss. A strange fellow here
Writes me," That man, — how dearly ever parted,"
How much in having,40 or without or in, —
Cannot make boast to have that which he hath,
Nor feels not what he owes,'11 but by reflection ;
As when his virtues shining upon others
Heat them, and they retort that heat again
To the first giver.
Achil. This is not strange, V\\ sses.
The beauty that is borne here in the face
The bearer knows not, but commends itself
To others' eyes: nor doth the eye itself
39. How dearly ever parted. II
endowed,' ' however propitiously gifted,' 'however possessed of
valuahle qualities or parts.'
40. Having. 'Possession.'
41. Owes. ' Owns.'
Act III.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[SCENE III.
(That most pure spirit of sense) 42 behold itself,
Not going from itself; but eye to eye oppos'd
Salutes each other with each other's form :
For speculation 43 turns not to itself,
Till it hath travell'd, and is mirror'd44 there
Where it may see itself. This is not strange at all.
Ulyss. I do not strain45 at the position, —
It is familiar, — but at the author's drift;
Who, in his circumstance,46 expressly proves
That no man is the lord of anything
(Though in and of him there be much consisting)
Till he communicate his parts to others ;
Nor doth he of himself know them for aught
Till he behold them form'd in the applause
Where they're extended; which, like an arch,
reverberates
The voice again ;4' or, like a gate of steel
Fronting the sun, receives and renders back
His figure and his heat. I was much rapt in this;
And apprehended here immediately
The unknown Ajax.43
Heavens, what a man is there ! a very horse ;4'J
That has he knows not what. Nature, what
things there are,
Most abject in regard, and dear in use !
What things, again, most dear in the esteem,
And poor in worth! Now shall we see to-morrow
An act that very chance doth throw upon him,
Ajax renown'd. Oh, heavens, what some men do,
While some men leave to do !
How some men creep in skittish Fortune's hall,
While others play the idiots in her eyes !
How one man eats into another's pride,
While pride is fasting in his wantonness !
To see these Grecian lords!— why, even already
They clap the lubber Ajax on the shoulder,
As if his foot were on brave Hector's breast,
And great Troy shrieking.
Achil. I do believe it; for they pass'd by me
As misers do by beggars,— neither gave to me
Good word nor look: what! are my deeds forgot ?
42. Spirit 0/ sense. Here used in leference to the organ of
sight, as, in a previous passage, it is used in reference to the
organ of touch. See Note 9, Act i. This, and the preceding
line, are both omitted in the Folio ; affording another example
. of the immense value of the Quartos' existence.
43. Speculation. Here used for ' sight,' or ' power of sight.'
44. Mirror'd. The old copies give ' married ' instead of
" mirror'd ;" which, we think, the whole context shows to be
the right word. The emendation was made by both Mr.
Collier's and Mr. Singer's MS. corrector.
45. Strain. Here used in the sense of ' demur.' See Note
93, Act i.
46. Circumstance. ' Circumstantial argument,' ' detailed
discussion.'
47. Which, lilce an arch, reverberates the Voice again. The
Quarto and first Folio here print 'who' for "which," and
' reuerb'rate ' for "reverberates," Rowe made the former
correction ; the editor of the second Folio the latter. Although
we might suppose that here 'who' was used for "which" (as
was the frequent practice in Shakespeare's time — see Note 33,
Ulyss. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,
Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,
A great-siz'd monster of ingratitudes :
1 hose scraps are good deeds past ; which are
devour'd
As fast as they are made, forgot as soon
As done t preseverance, dear my lord,
Keeps honour bright : to have done, is to hang
Quite out ot fashion, like a rusty mail
In monumental mockery. Take the instant way ;
lor honour travels in a strait so narrow,
Where one but goes abreast: keep, then, the path ;
For emulation hath a thousand sons,
That one by one pursue : if you give way,
Or hedge aside from the direct forth-right,50
Like to an enter'd tide, they all rush by,
And leave you hindmost ;
Or, like a gallant horse fall'n in first rank,
Lie there for pavem;nt to the abject rear,51
O'er-run and trampled on : then what they do in
present,
Though less than yours in past, must o'ertop yours;
For tune is like a fashionable host,
That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand;
And with his arms outstretch'd, as he would fly,
Grasps-in the comer: welcome ever smiles,
And farewell goes out sighing. Oh, let not virtue
seek
Remuneration for the thing it was;
For beauty, wit,
High birth, vigour of bone, desert in service,
Love, friendship, charity, are subjects all
To envious and calumniating time.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin, —
That all, with one consent, praise new-born gawds,
Though they are made and moulded of things past;
A nd give to dust, that is a little gilt,
More laud than gilt o'er-dusted.52
The present eye praises the present object:
Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax ;
Act v., " Second Part Henry IV."}, yet as Shakespeare has
just previously in this speech used "who" in reference to
"author," we think it more probable that here he wrote
"which ;" and that owing to the abbreviated form of the word
in the original manuscript, it was mistaken by the piinters for
'who.'
48. The unknown Ajax. 'The Ajax so little known to him-
self,' ' the Ajax so wanting in true self-knowledge.'
49. A very horse. 'A mere horse. ' See Note 3, Act 1. ,
" Henry V."
50. Forth-right. ' Straight path forwards.' See Note 17,
Act iii., "Tempest."
51. J-ie there for pavement to the abject rear. "You," in
the last line but one, is elliptically understood as repeated before
" lie " here. The Folio gives ' abiect, neere ' instead of " abject
rear." Hanmcr's correction.
52. More land than gilt dcr-dnstcd. Shakespeare here, as
elsewhere, uses "gilt" for 'gold,' for a special object. See
Note 2, Act ii., " Henry V." In the present passage he uses
the word " gilt " for the sake of antithetical repetition.
Act 1 1 I.J
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene in.
Since things in motion sooner catch the eve
Than what not stirs. The cry went once on thee,
And still it might; and yet it may again,
It' thou wouldst not entomb thyself alive,
And case thy reputation in thy tent;
Whose glorious deeds, but in these fields of late,
Made emulous missions63 'mongst the gods them-
selves,
A nd drave great Mars to faction.
Acbil. Of this my privacy
I have strong reasons.
Ulyss. But 'gainst your privacy
The reasons are more potent and heroical :
'Tis known, Achilles, that you are in love
With one of Priam's daughters.54
Achil. Ha ! known !
U/vss. Is that a wonder?
The providence that's in a watchful state
Knows almost every grain of Plutus' gold ;65
Finds bottom in th' uncomprehensive deeps ;
Keeps place with thought,66 and almost, like the
gods,
Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles."
There is a mystery (with whom relation
Durst never meddle) in the soul of state;53
Which hath an operation more divine
.Than breath or pen can give expressure to :
All the commerce that you have had with Troy,
As perfectly is ours, as yours, my lord ;
And better would it fit Achilles much
To throw down Hector than Polyxena:
But it must grieve young Pyrrhus59 now at home.
When fame shall in our islands sound her trump ;
And all the Greekish girls shall tripping sing,
"Great Hector's sister did Achilles win ;
53. Emulous missions. ' Descents maJe in envious rivalry,'
' expeditions made from envy of mortal distinction.' In Homer's
"Iliad " there are descriptions of the gods and goddesses coming
down in person to take part in the Troy battle ; and of Mars
himself having an encounter with Diomed, by whom he is
wounded. Ulysses here adroitly turns this into a direct com-
pliment to Achilles' renown, as stirring envy in the goJs
themselves.
54. On* of Priam* s daughters. Polyxena.
55. Plutus gold. The Folio misprints ' Plutoes' for
"Plutus';" a correction first suggested by Steevens, and
adopted by Malone.
56. Keeps place with thought. Here " place " has been
altered to ' pace ' by Hanmer ; but Shakespeare not only uses
the expression "keep place" in another passage see Note 7,
Act ii., " Merry Wives ') where 'keep pace' might be substi-
tuted, he also employs the word "place" where 'pace' could
be supposed to accord better with a portion of the context. See
Note 7S, Act i. of the present play. Here, though 'keeps
pace' would accord with the swiftness of thought, yet "keeps
place" consists more fully with the general scope of the
passage, which treats of the universal diving of provident
vigilance into the penetralia and innermost places where
thinking conception originates and dwells.
57. Dumb cradles. These words have been variously
altered, so as to make up for the alleged deficiency in the line,
and to afford a sense that is believed to be clearer. Kut inas-
But our great Ajax bravely beat down him."
1 areivell, my lord : I as your lover speak \<M
The fool slides o'er the ice that you should break.
[Exit.
Pair. To this effect, Achilles, have I mov'd
you :
A woman impudent and mannish grown
Is not more loath'd than an effeminate man
In time of action. I stand condemn'd for this ;
They think, my little stomach to the war,
And your great love to me, restrains you thus :
Sweet, rouse yourself; and the weak wanton Cupid
Shall from your neck unloose his amorous fold,
And, like a dew-drop from the lion's mane,
Be shook to air.
Acbil. Shall Ajax fight with Hector?
Pair. Ay, and perhaps receive much honour
by him.
Achil. I see my reputation is at stake;
M\ tame is shrewdly gor'il/1
Pair. Oh, then, beware ;
Those wounds heal ill that men do give them-
selves :
Omission to do what is necessary
Seals a commission to a blank ot danger;
And danger, like an ague, subtly taints
Even then when we sit idly in the sun.
Achil. Go call Thersites hither, sweet Patroclus:
I'll send the fool to Ajax, and desire him
To invite the Trojan lords, after the combat
To see us here unarm' d : I have a woman's longing,
An appetite that I am sick withal,
To see great Hector in his weeds of peace ;
To talk with hitn, and to behold his visage,
Even to my full of view. — A labour sav'd !
much as Shakespeare frequently has lines where there arc cither
more or fewer than ten feet, and inasmuch as the words " dumb
cradles" here seem to us figuratively to express the place
wherein newly-born thoughts lie quiescent and unuttei
nut only can see no necessity for change, but we extremely
admire the original expression. Shakespeare elsewhere his,
" And /aucy dies in the cradle where it lies ;" in which passage
"fancy" means 'enamoured thought,' and "cradle" n
the lover's eye, as the place where love-thoughts arc born, lie
happily, and die full-fed ; while in the present passage " Cl
mean the brains where thoughts, just brought forth, lie awaiting
growth, maturity, and development, with shaping into v.
58. There is ,i mystery {with whom relation durst never
in tli* soul 0/ state. ' In state dominion there is a
mysterious power of acquiring knowledge with which descrip-
tion cannot venture to deal.' "Whom" is here used for
' which.'
5 ). Pyrrhus. Son of Achilles and Dcidamia.
60. / as your lo-ecr speak. The word " lover " was often
used in Shakespeare's time to express warmth of admiration or
fervour of friendship between men. Sec Note 71, Act iii.,
" Merchant of Venice."
61. Cord. This expressive word is figuratively used by
Shakespeare more than once in reference to good name and
reputation, It combines the meaning o( blon! I
wounded as by the horn of an animal, and smirched, polluted,
as derived from the Saxon word i."""- dirt, mud. filth.
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene I.
Enter Thersites.
Ther. A wonder !
AMI. What?
Ther. Ajax goes up and down the field, asking
for himself.
AMI. How so?
Ther. He must fight singly to-morrow with
Hector; and is so prophetically proud of a
heroical cudgelling, that he raves in saying nothing.
AMI. How can that be ?
'Ther. Why, he stalks up and down like a
peacock, — a stride and a stand : ruminates like a
hostess that hath no arithmetic but her brain to set
down her reckoning: bites his lip with a politic
regard,62 as who should say, There were wit in
this head, an 'twould out ; and so there is; but it
lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will
not show without knocking. 'I he man's undone
forever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the
combat, he'll break 't himself in vain-glory. He
knows not me: I said, "Good morrow, Ajax;"
and he replies, " Thanks, Agamemnon." What
think you of this man, that takes me for the
general? He's grown a very land-fish, language-
less, a monster. A plague of opinion ! a man may
wear it on both sides, like a leather jerkin.
AMI. Thou must be my ambassador to him,
Thersites.
Ther. Who, I ? why, he'll answer nobody ; he
professes not answering : speaking is for beggars ;
he wears his tongue in his arms. I will put on his
presence: let Patroclus make demands to me, you
shall see the pageant of Ajax.
Achil. To him, Patroclus: tell him, — I humbly
desfce the valiant Ajax to invite the most valorous
Hector to come unarmed to my tent ;■ and to pro-
cure sate conduct for his person of the magnani-
mous and most illustrious six-'or-seven-times-
honoured captain-general of the Grecmn army,
Agamemnon, &c.63 Do this.
Pair. Jove bless great Ajax!
Ther. H'm!
Pair. I come from the worthy Achilles, —
Ther. Ha!
Pair. Who most humbly desires you to invite
Hector to his tent, —
Ther. H'm !
Pair. And to procure safe conduct from Aga-
memnon.
Ther. Agamemnon !
Pair. Ay, my lord.
Ther. Ha!
Pair. What say you to 't ?
Ther. God b' wi' you, with all my heart.
Pair. Your answer, sir.
Ther. If to-morrow be a fair day, by eleven
o'clock it will go one way or other : howsoever, he
shall pay for me ere he has me.
Pair. Your answer, sir.
Ther. Fare you well, with all my heart.
Achil. Why, but he is not in this tune, is he ?
Ther. No, but he's out o' tune thus. What
music will be in him when Hector has knocke I
out his brains, I know not ; but, I am sure, none, —
unless the fiddler Apollo get his sinews to make
catlings64 on.
Achil. Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him
straight.
Ther. Let me bear another to his horse ; for
that's the more capable65 creature.
Achil. My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirr'd ;
And I myself see not the bottom of it.
[Exeunt Achilles and Patroclus.
Ther. Would the fountain of your mind were
clear again, that I might water an ass at it ! I had
rather be a tick in a sheep than such a valiant
ignorance. [Exit.
ACT IV
SCENE I.— Troy. A Street.
Enter, from one side, /Eneas, and Servant ixith a
torch: from the other, Paris, Deiphobus, An-
TENOR, DlOMEDEs, and others, Ivitb torches.
Par. See, ho! who is that there ?
62. A politic regard. 'A look of political wisdom,' 'a look
of deep policy.'
63. Agamemnon, <5-V. The Folio gives this " Sx " and
although we at one time followed the Quarto in omitting it. we
have since perceived it to have been intended as a following up
of Achilles' flourishing style in designating Agamemnon, whose
Dei. It is the Lord ^Eneas.
ALne. Is the prince there in person? —
Had I so good occasion to lie long
As you, Prince Paris, nothing but heavenly
business
"topless deputation" he envies and loves to see mimicked.
See Note 70, Act i.
64. Catlings. Violin and lute strings made of catgut, "On"
is here used for ' of.'
6s. Capable. Here employed in the sense of 'intelligent,' 'ca-
pable of comprehending.' See Note 2i, Act iii., " Richard III."
n1
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
Should rob my bed-mate of my company.
Dio. That's my mind too. — Good morrow,
Lord .rEneas.
Par. A valiant Greek, .tineas,— takehishand, — ■
Witness the process of your speech, wherein
You told how Diomed, a whole week by days,
Did haunt you in the field.
sEnc. Health to you, valiant sir,
During all question of the gentle truce;1
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance
As heart can think or courage execute.
Dio. The one and other Diomed embraces.
Our bloods are now in calm ; and, so long, health ;
But when contention and occasion meet,
By Jove, I'll play the hunter for thy life
With all my force,2 pursuit, and policy.
sEne. And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly
With his face backward. — In humane gentleness,
Welcome to Troy ! now, by Anchises' life,3
Welcome, indeed! By Venus''1 hand I swear,
No man alive can love, in such a sort,
The thing he means to kill, more excellently.
Dio. We sympathise : — Jove, let ./Eneas live,
If to my sword his fate be not the glory,
A thousand complete courses of the sun !
But, in mine emulous honour, let him die,
With every joint a wound, and that to-morrow !
Aine. We know each other well.
Dio. We do ; and long to know each other worse.
Par. This is the most despiteful gentle greeting,
The noblest hateful love, that e'er I heard of. —
What business, lord, so early ?
sEne. I was sent for to the king ; but why, I
know not.
Par. His purpose meets you: 'twas to bring
this Greek
To Calchas' house ; and there to render him,
For the enfreed Antenor, the fair Cressid :
Let's have your company ; or, if you please,
Haste there before us : I constantly do think
(Or, rather, call my thought a certain knowledge)
My brother Troilus lodges there to-night :
Rouse him, and give him note of our approach,
i. During all question of the gentle truce. ' During alt
intercourse permitted by the truce.' "Question" is often used
by Shakespeare for ' discourse,' 'conversation.' See Note 51,
Act v., "As You Like It "
;. Force. Power, energetic strength, vigorous might. See
Note 136. Act iv , " Winter's Tale."
3. By Anchises' life. Anchises was the father of .'Eneas ; and
so dear was his life to his son, that when Troy was burning and
Anchifccs was too infirm to fly, .rEneas bore the old man upon his
shoulders and carried him safely away.
4. By I 'euus' hand. This adjuration is in allusion to the
wound which the goddess-mother of jEneas received on the
back of her hand from Diomed when she took part in one of the
encounters during the Trojan war, an incident which is related in
the fifth book of Homer's " Iliad." Shakespeare well introduces
Ibis allusion, as aiding to show the temporary courtesy with
enduring animosity which co-exist and co-express themselves in
the speech of /Eneas.
With the whole quality wherefore: I fear
We shall be much unwelcome.
sEne. That I assure you :
Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece
Than Cressid borne from Troy.
Par. There is no help ;
The bitter disposition of the time
Will have it so. On, lord ; we'll follow you.
JEne. Good morrow, all. [Exifuiiib Servant.
Par. And tell me, noble Diomed,— faith, tell
me true,
Even in the soul of sound good-fellowship, —
Who, in your choughts, merits fair Helen best,
Myself or Menelaus ?
Dio. Both alike:
He merits well to have her, that doth seek her
(Not making any scruple of her soilure)
With such a hell of pain and world of charge;
And you as well to keep her, that defend her
(Not palating the taste of her dishonour)
With such a costly loss of wealth and friends :
Both merits pois'd, each weighs nor less nor more.
Par. You are too bitter to your countrywoman.
Dio. She's bitter to her country : hear me,
Paris : —
For every false drop in her guilty veins
A Grecian's life hath sunk ; for every scruple
Of her contaminated carrion weight,
A Trojan hath been slain : since she could speak,
She hath not given so many good words breath
As for her Greeks and Trojans suffered death.5
Par. Fair Diomed, you do as chapmen do,
Dispraise the thing that you desire to buy :
But we in silence hold this virtue well, —
We'll not commend what we intend to sell.6
Here lies our way. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Troy. Court of Pandarus' House*
Enter Troilus and Cressida.
Tro. Dear, trouble not yourself: the morn is cold.
Cres. Then, sueet my lord, I'll call mine uncle
down ;
5. Greeks and Trojans suffer d death. Here the construction
is elliptical; "hath," in the previous line, giving 'have 'to be
understood between "Trojans" and "suft'er'd."
6, // 'ell not commend what toe intend to sell. This line has
been variously altered : Zachary Jackson proposing to change
" not " to ' but,' and Warburton suggesting that " to" should be
'not.' The latter alteration is preferable to the former, in-
asmuch as 'but commend' would contradict the previous " in
silence;" nevertheless, we think the passage, as it stands, will
bear Johnson's interpretation: — 'Though you practise the
buyer's art, we will not practise the seller's. We intend to sell
Helen dear, yet will not commend her.' The previous mention
of the vast cost at which Helen is bid for by those who would
purchase her back, and the equally cruel cost at which she is
retained by those who will not part with her without loss of life,
seems to us to fully warrant the assumption that here " sell "
has the force of ' sell dearly ; ' that is, make you pay dearly for,
even supposing you obtain her at all.
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
He shall unbolt the gates.
Tro. Trouble him not;
To bed, to bed : sleep kill those pretty eyes,
And give as soft attachment to thy senses7
As infants' empty of all thought!
Cres. Good morrow, then.
Tro. I pr'ythee now, to bed.
Cres. Are you a- weary of me ?
. Tio. O Cressida ! but that the busy day,
Wak'd by the lark, hath rous'd the ribald crows,
And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer,
I would not from thee.
Cres. Night hath been too brief.
Tro. Beshrew the witch ! with venomous
wights3 she stays
As tediously as hell ; hut flies the grasps of love,
With wings more momentary-swift than thought.
You will catch cold, and curse me.
Cres. Pr'ythee, tarry ;—
You men will never tarry. —
Oh, foolish Cressid ! — I might have still held off,
And then you would have tarried.— Hark ! there's
one up.
Pan. [Within] What! are all the doors open
here ?
Tro. It is your uncle.
Cres. A pestilence on him ! now will he be
mocking :
I shall have such a life !
Enter Pandarus.
Pan. How now, how now! — Here, you maid!
where's my cousin Cressid ?
Cres. Come, come, beshrew your heart ! you'll
ne'er be good,
Nor suffer others. .
Pan. Ha, ha! Alas! poor wretch ! ah! poor
capocchia !9
Cres. Did not I tell you ? — would he were
knock'd i' the head ! — [Knocking.
Who's that at door ? good uncle, go and see. —
My lord, come you again into my chamber -
[Knocking.
How earnestly they knock !— Pray you, come in :
7. Sleep kill those pretty eyes, and give as soft attachment
to. fine. Here "kill" has been variously altered to 'seal,'
'steal,' Mull,' &c., the original word having been pronounced by
one critic to be "nonsense." We think it is exactly one of
those fond exaggerations that lovers permit themselves to use :
Troilus here uses " kill " for ' enshroud light, beauty, and
animation,' as he uses " attachment " which, legally employed,
means arrest of person and seizure of goodsl for ' holding in
repose :' while he illustrates their gentleness of meaning beneath
strength of expression by the epithets "pretty" and "soft,"
together with the simile of infants' senses void of care. The
construction here, as in many of Shakespeare's similes (see
Note 121, Act iy., " Henry V."), is peculiar; 'to those of being
elliptically understood between "as" and "infants'," and
'which are' between "infants" and "empty."
8. Venomous wights. Those who practised nocturnal magic ;
veneficl. Baret has : " Venekcits-ca. He or she that poysoneth,
or venimeth ; one that useth sorcery."
fSCENli II.
I would not for half Troy have you seen here.
{Exeunt Troilus <W Cressida,
Pan. [Going to the Joor.] Who's there? what's
the matter r will you beat down the door ? How
now! what's the matter P
Enter Tineas.
sEne. Good morrow, lord, good morrow.
Pan. Who's there? my Lord .ffineas! By inv
troth,
I knew you not : what news with you so early?
Aine. Is not Prince Troilus here ?
Pan. Here! what should he do here ?
JEne. Come, he is here, my lord ; do not deny him:
It doth import him much to speak with me.
Pan. Is he here, say you? 'tis more than I
know, I'll be sworn ; — for my own part, I came in
late. What should he do here ?
JEne. Who! — nay, then :— come, come, you'll
do him wrong ere you're 'ware: you'll be so true
to him, to be false to him : do not you know of him,
but yet go fetch him hither ; go.
As Pandarus is going out, re-enter Troilus.
Tro. How now ! what's the matter ?
AZne. My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute vou,
My matter is so rash : 10 there is at hand
Paris your brother, and Deiphobus,
The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor
Deliver'd to us ; and for him forthwith,
Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour,
We must give up to Dioinedes' hand
The Lady Cressida.
Tro. Is it so concluded ?
AZne. By Priam, and the general stale of Troy :
They are at hand, and ready to effect it.
Tro. How my achievements mock me !
I will go meet them :" — and, my Lord /Eneas,
We met bv chance; you did not find me here.12
JEne. Good, good, my lord; the secrets <»t
nature13
Have not more gift in taciturnity.
[Exeunt Troilus and /Eneas.
Pan. Is't possible? no sooner got but lost?
The devil take Antenor! the young prince will go
9. Capocchia, A fabricated feminine form of the Italian » >rd
capocchio ; which means a dolt, a situ j ,I.m j :
10. Rash. ' Hasty,' 'hurried,' 'speedy.' See N'ote 8e, Act i.,
" Winter's Tale."
11. I wilt go meet them. The way in whi is used
here— referring to " Deiphobus," " Diomed," Mil "Antenor,"
mentioned before by .Eneas, and nut I in the
previous line- is in accordance with Shaki
mode of employing a pronoun in reference to a not immediately
preceding antecedent.
12. It'e met by chattel ; you did not Jind me here. Troilus
says this by way of prompting /Eneas with what he would have
him say, should he be questioned as to where he cnc^i
the speaker. Sec Note 64, Act i . " Henry V."
13. The stents of nature " Secrets" here has been vai
altered to •secrecies,' &c, but the dramal
Shakespeare's time frequently used the »
syllable, and therefore "secrets" is probably so employed hcie
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scenes III., IV.
mad : a plague upon Anterior! I would they had
broke 's neck 1
Re-enter Cressida.
Cres. How now! what's the matter? who was
here ?
Pan. Ah, ah !
Cres. Why sigh you so profoundly ? where' s
my lord ? gone ! Tell me, sweet uncle, what's
the matter ?
Pan. Would I were as deep under the earth as
I am above !
Cres. Oh, the gods ! — what's the matter ?
Pan. Pr'ythee, get thee in: would thou hadst ne'er
been born! I knew thou wouldst be his death : —
Oh, poor gentleman ! — a plague upon Antenor!
Cres. Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees
I beseech you, what's the matter ?
Pan. Thou must be gone, wench, thou must
be gone ; thou art changed for Antenor : thou must
to thy father, and be gone from Troilus : 'twill be
his death ; 'twill be his bane ; he cannot bear it.
Cres. Oh, you immortal gods! — I will not go.
Pan. Thou must.
Cres. I will not, uncle : I have forgot my father ;
I know no touch of consanguinity ;
No kin, no love, no blood, no soul so near me
As the sweet Troilus. — Oh, you gods divine !
Make Cressid's name the very crown of falsehood,
If ever she leave Troilus ! Time, force, and death,
Do to this body what extremes you can ;
But the strong base and building of my love
Is as the very centre of the earth,
Drawing all things to it. — I'll go in and weep, —
Pan. Do, do.
Cres. Tear my bright hair, and scratch my
praised cheeks ;
Crack my clear voice with sobs, and break mv heart
With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy.
[Exeunt,
SCENE III. — Troy. Street before Pandarus'
House.
Enter Paris, Troilus, j^Eneas, Deifhobus,
Antenor, and Diomedes.
Par. It is great morning;14 and the hour prefix' d
Of her delivery to this valiant Greek
Comes fast upon :15 — good my brother Troilus,
Tell you the lady what she is to do,
14. It is irre.it morning1. An idiom similar to the French
' il est grand jour,1 or to our more modern ' it is broad day.'
15. The hour . . . comes fast upon. " Upon" is here used
elliptically for ' upon us,' or as we now use 'on' in combination
with "come" to express 'advance.' 'approach.'
16. Violenteth. A verb used by writers of Shakespeare's
time. This is the Quarto reading: the Folio prints 'no lesse'
instead of " violenteth."
17. -V<> more my grief, in such a pree'ous toss. 'No more
does my grief, in the loss of that which is so precious."
And haste her to the purpose.
fro. Walk into her house;
I'll bring her to the Grecian presently :
And to bis hand when I deliver her,
Think it an altar; and thy brother Troilus
A priest, there offering to it his own heart. [Exit.
Par. I know what 'tis to love ;
And would, as I shall pity, I could help ! —
Please you walk in, my lords. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— A Room in Pandarus' House.
Enter Pandarus and Cressida.
Pan. Be moderate, be moderate.
Cres. Why tell you me of moderation ?
The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste,
And violenteth10 in a sense as strong
As that which causeth it : how can I moderate it ?
If I could temporise with my affection,
Or brew it to a weak and colder palate,
The like allavment could I give my grief:
IVlv love admits no qualitving dross;
No more my grief, in such a precious loss.17
Pan. Here, here, here he comes.
Enter TROILUS.
Ah ! sweet ducks !
Cres. [Embracing him.~\ O Troilus ! Troilus !
Pan. What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me
embrace too. "Oh, heart," as the goodly saying is, —
" Oh, heart, heavy heart,
Why sigh'st thou without breaking?"
where he answers again,
" Because thou canst not ease thy smart
By friendship nor by speaking."13
There was never a truer rhyme. Let us cast away
nothing, for we may live to have need of such a
verse: we see it, we see it. — How now, lambs!
fro. Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity,
That the bless' d gods, — as angry with my fancy,19
More bright in zeal than the devotion which
Cold lips blow to their deities, — take thee from me.
Cres. Have the gods envy ?
Av, ay, ay, ay ; 'tis too plain a case.
And is it true that I must go from Troy ?
A hateful truth.
What ! and from Troilus too ?
From Troy and Troilus.
Is it possible •
Pan.
Cres.
Tro.
Cres.
fro.
Cres.
fro. And suddenly ; where injury of chance50
18. By frien.ishif- nor by speaking. The word "friendship"
has been supposed to be erroneous here, and silence' was pro-
posed as its substitution : but " friendship" probably here means
' the aids of friendship.' or ' the consolations of friendship,' and
in Pandarus's mouth is sufficiently apt.
19. Fancy. Here used for ' love,' ' affection.*
20. Ana' suddenly; where injury of chance, &c In this
passage "where" is used in a manner to illustrate its employ-
ment in the pasage explained in Note 46, Act v., " Merchant of
Venice."
Act IV.
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene IV.
Troilits. Welcome, Sir Diomed ! here is the lady
Which for Antenor we deliver vou.
Act IV. Sce-ie IV.
Puts back leave-taking, justles roughlv by
All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips
Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents
Ourlock'd embrasures,-1 strangles our dear vows
Even in the birth of our own labouring breath :
We two, that with so manv thousand sighs
Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves
With the rude brevity and discharge of one.
Injurious time now, with a robber's haste,
Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how:
As many farewells as be stars in heaven,
With distinct breath and consign'd-- kisses to them,
He fumbles up into a loose adieu :
And scants us with a single famish'd kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken tears.
JEne. \W\thin~\ My lord, is the lady ready ?
21. Embrasures. Here used for "embraces, 'or 'embrncements '
22. Caisizii'd. ' Sealed.' Sec Note 33, Act [v.-, " Second
Part Henry IV."
23. The merry Greeks. See Note 26, Act i of this play
24 When shall we see 'etgain ? An elliptical form of ex-
Tro. Hark! you are call'd : some say the
Genius so
Cries, "Come!" to him that instantly must die. —
Bid them have patience ; she shall come anon.
Pan. Where are my tears ? rain, to lay this wind,
or my heart will be blown up by the root. [Exif.
Cres. I must, then, to the Grecians f
Tro. No remedy.
Cres. A woeful Cressid 'mongst the merry
Greeks :-'3
When shall we see again ':■*
Tro. Hear me, my love: be thou but true of
heart, —
Cres. I true! how now! what wicked d
is this P
Tro. Nav, we must use expostulation kindly,
pression : 'each other' being understood between "see" and
"again:" See Note 2, Act i.. "Henry VIII.'' In t:.
this inquiry is erroneously assigned to Troilus.
?s Deem. ' Supposition/ ' surmise.1 This word, as a noun,
has grown into disuse ; which is to be regretted.
«
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene IV*.
For it is parting from us :
I speak not " be thou true," as fearing thee;
For I will throw my glove to Death himself,26
That there's no maculation in thy heart :
But, "be thou true," say 1, to fashion in
My sequent protestation ; be thou true,
Anil I will see thee.
Cres. Oh, you shall be expo^'d, my lord,
to dangers
As infinite as imminent ! but I'll be true.
Tro. And I'll grow triend with danger. Wear
this sleeve.
Cres. And you this glove. When shall I see you?
Tro. I will corrupt the Grecian sentinels,
To give thee nightly visitation.
But yet, be true.
Cres. Oh, heavens! — be true, again!
Tro. Hear why I speak it, love:
The Grecian youths are full of quality;
They're loving, well compos'd, with gifts of nature
flowing,
And swelling o'er with arts and exercise:
How novelty may move, and parts with person,
Alas! a kind of godly jealousy
(Which, I beseech you, call a virtuous sin)
Makes me afeard.
Cres. Oh, heavens! you love me not.
Tro. Die I a villain, then !
In this I do not call your faith in question,
So mainly as mv merit : I cannot sing,
Nor heel the high lavolt,27 nor sweeten talk,
Nor play at subtle games; fair virtues all,
To which the Grecians are most prompt and
pregnant :
But I can tell, that in each grace of these
There lurks a still and dumb-discoursive devil
That tempts most cunningly : but be not tempted
Cres. Do you think I will ?
Tro. No.
But something may be done that we will not :
And sometimes we are devils to ourselves,
When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
Presuming on their changeful potency.28
JEne. [Within.] Nay, good my lord, —
Tro. Come, kiss ; and let us part.
Par. [Within.] Brother Troilus !
Tro. Good brother, come you hither ;
And hring tineas and the Grecian with you.
Cres. My lord, will you be true ?
26. / mill throw my glave, &°c. 'I will challenge Death
himself in proof of my belief that there is no blot in thy love-
faith.'
27. The high lavolt. An animated dance : more particularly
described in Note 77, Act iii., " Henry V."
28. Presuming on their changeful potency. "Changeful"
here has been altered to 'unchangcful' and to 'chainfnl :' but
it appears to us that the exptession is precisely in ^ hakespeare's
manner, ' presuming too far on the strength of that which is
variable, unstable, and fallible.'
Tro. Who, I ? alas ! it is my vice, my fault :
While others fish with craft for great opinion,
I with great truth catch mere simplicity ;
Whilst some with cunning gild their copper crowns,
With truth and plainness I do wear mine bare.
Fear not my truth : the moral of my wit
Is— plain and true ; there's all the reach of it.
Enter .(Eneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus, and
DlOMEDES.
Welcome, Sir Diomed! here is the lady
Which for Antenor we deliver you :
At the port,29 lord, I'll give her to thy hand ;
And by the way possess30 thee what she is.
Entreat her fair;31 and, by my soul, fair Greek,
If e'er thou stand at mercy of my sword,
Name Cressid, and thy life shall be as safe
As Priam is in Ilion.
Dio. Fair Lady Cressid,
So please you, save the thanks this prince expects :
The lustre in your eye, heaven in your cheek,
Pleads your fair usage ; and to Diomed
You shall be mistress, and command him wholly.
Tro. Grecian, thou dost not use me courteously,
To shame the zeal of my petition32 to thee
In praising her: I tell thee, lord of Greece,
She is as far high-soaring o'er thy praises
As thou unworthy to be call'd her servant.
I charge thee use her well, even for my charge ;
For, by the dreadful Pluto, if thou dost not,
Though the great bulk Achilles be thy guard,
I'll cut thy throat.
Dio. Oh, be not mov'd, Prince Troilus:
Let me be privileg'd by my place and message,
To be a speaker free ; when I am hence,
I'll answer to my will : and know you, lord,
I'll nothing do on charge : to her own worth
She shall be priz'd ; but that you say, Be 't so,
I'll speak it in my spirit and honour, No.
Tro. Come, to the port. — I'll tell thee, Diomed,
This brave shall oft make thee to hide thy head. —
Lady, give me your hand ; and, as we walk,
To our own selves bend we our needful talk.
[Exeunt Troilus, Cressida, and Diomedes.
[Trumpet •within.
Par. Hark ! Hector's trumpet.
yEne. How have we spent this morning !
The prince must think me tardy and remiss,
That swore to ride before him to the field.
29. Theport. 'Thegate.' See Note 37, Act iii.," All's Well."
20. Possess. ' Inform,' ' tell.' See Note 54, Act ii., "Twelfth
Night."
31. Entreat her fair. 'Treat her courteously.' "Entreat"
was sometimes formerly used for 'treat.' See Note 55, Act ii.,
" Second Part Henry VI."
32. The zeal of my petition. The old copies print 'seale'
instead of "zeal" here. Warburton's suggestion, adopted by
Theobald. We think that the sense of the passage shows
" zeal " to be the right word.
Act IV.]
TR01LUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene V.
Par. 'Tis Troilus' fault : come, coine, to field
with him.
Dfi. Let us make ready straight.
AZne. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity,
Let us address to tend on Hector's heels i33
The glory of our Troy doth this day lie
On his fair worth and single chivalry. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— The Grecian Camp. Lists set out.
Enter Ajax, armed; Agamemnon, Achilles,
Patroclus, Menelaus, Ulysses, Nestor,
and others.
Agam. Here art thou in appointment34 fresh
and fair,
Anticipating time with starting courage.
Give with thy trumpet35 a loud note to Troy,
Thou dreadful Ajax; that the appalled air
May pierce the head of the great combatant,
And hale him hither.
Ajax. Thou, trumpet, there's my purse.
Now crack thy lungs, and split thv brazen pipe :
Blow, villain, till thy sphered bias cheek36
Outswell the colic of purFd Aquilon :37
Come, stretch thy chest, and let thy eyesspout blood;
Thou blow'st for Hector. [Tiumpet sounds.
U/vss. No trumpet answers.
AMI. 'Tis but early days.
Agam. Is not yond' Diomed, with Calchas'
daughter ?
Ulyss. 'Tis he, I ken38 the manner of his gait ;
He rises on the toe; that spirit of his
In aspiration lifts him from the earth.
Enter Diomedes, -with Cressida.
Agam. Is this the Lady Cressid ?
Dio. Even she.
Agam. Most dearly welcome to the Greeks,
sweet lady.
Nest. Our general doth salute you with a kiss.
Ulyss. Yet is the kindness but particular ;
'Twere better she were kiss'd in general.
Nest. And very courtly counsel : I'll begin. —
So much for Nestor.
33. Let its address to tend. &>c. ' Let us prepare to tend on,'
&c. 'Ourselves' is elliptically understood after " address."
34. Appointment. Preparation. Here expressing accoutre-
ment, needful equipment for contest. See Note 13, Act iii. ,
" Measure for Measure "
35. Anticipating time with starting courage. Give with thy
trumpet. &c. The Folio places the full stop after " time" in-
stead of after" courage." Theobald made the correction : which
we think the two " withs " in this passage suffice to prove right.
36. Thy sphered bias cheek " Bias " is one of those expres-
sive adjectives made from nouns that Shakespeare's poetic taste
took delight in using. It represents the curve of the cheek that
swells roundly out like the bias of a bowl. See Note 82, Act ii.,
" King John."
37. Aquilon. One of the classical names of the north wind.
The winds were represented with protuberantly puffed out
cheeks in ancient prints, maps, and sculptures.
A, hi/. I'll take that winter from your lips, fail ladj :
Achilles bids you welcome.
Men. 1 had good argument for kissing once.
Pair. But that's no argument for kissing now ;
For thus popp'd Paris in his hardiment,
And parted thus )ou and your argument.
Ulyss. Oh, deadly gall, ami theme of all our scorns!
Pair. The first was Menelaus' kiss ; — this, mine :
Patroclus kisses you.
Men. Oh, this is trim !
Pair. Paris and I kiss evermore for him.
Men. I'll have my kiss, sir. — Lady, by your leave.
Cres. In kissing, do you render or receive ?
Pair. Both take and give.
Cres. I'll make my match to live,
The kiss you take is better than you give ;
Therefore no kiss.
Men. I'll give you boot,39 I'll give you three
for one.
Cres. You're an odd man; give even, or give none.
Men. An odd man, lady ! every man is odd.
Cres. No, Paris is not ; for, you know, 'tis true,
That you are odd, ami he is even with you.
Men. You fillip me o' the head.
Cres. No, I'll be sworn.
Ulyss. It were no match, your nail against his
horn. —
May I, sweet lady, beg a kiss of you ?
Cres. You may.
Ulyss. I do desire it.
Cres. Why, beg, then.
Ulyss. Why, then, for Venus' sake, give me a ki-*.
When Helen is a maid again, and his.
Cres. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due.
Ulyss. Never's my day, and then a kiss of you.
Dio. Lady, a word: — I'll bring you to your
father. [Exit nuith Cressida.
Nest. A woman of quick sense.
Ulyss. Fie, fie upon her !
There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks ; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive40 of her body.
Oh, these encounterers, so glib of tongue,
That give a coasting welcome ere it come*.41
38. Ken. 'Know,' 'recognise.' Doubly characteristic is this
little speech ; characterising, as it does, both the observant
faculty of the speaker, and the self-asserting carriage of the
man mentioned.
39. I'll give you boot. See Note 38, Act i.
40. Motive. Here used to express tint which causes motion ;
'motive organ,' 'portion instrumental in producing motion.'
41. That give a coasting •welcome ere it comes. " A coast-
ing" has been variously changed by various emendators; but
we think " a coasting welcome " means 'a sidling
conciliatory and alluring welcome,' 'a welcome full of insidious
blandishment and enticement.' Set- Note 37. Act iii., " Henry
VIII." The "it" in this line, which seems to have no ante-
cedent, is probably used as Shab
this word in reference to an implied particular; the implied
particular being 'encounter.' or ' amorous ad<
in the previous expression, "encounterers." For inst
Act IV.
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene V.
And wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts
To every ticklish reader ! set them down
For sluttish spoils of opportunity,
And daughters ot the game. [Trumpet 'within.
All. The Trojans' trumpet.
Again. Yonder comes the troop.
Enter Hector, armed; jEneas, Troilus, and
other Trojans, ivith Attendants.
jEne. Hail, all you state of Greece! what shall
lie done
To him that victory commands ? or do you pur-
pose
A victor shall be known ? will you-, the knights
Shall to the edge of all extremity
Pursue each other; or shall be divided
By any voice or order of the field 't
Hector bade ask.
Again. Which way would Hector have it ?
A2ne. He cares not ; he'll obey conditions.
Achil. 'Tis done like Hector;42 but secureh "
done,
A little proudly, and great deal misprising
The knight cppos'd.
sEne. If not Achilles, sir,
What is your name ?
AMI. If not Achilles, nothing.
.i'.nr. Therefore Achilles: but, whate'ei,44 know
this :—
In the extremity of great and little,
Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
The one almost as infinite as all,
The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that which looks like pride is courtesy,
iht way in which " it" is used in relation to an implied par-
ticular, see Notes 65, Act i., "All's Well;" 26, Act i , "'King
John ; " 26, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV. ; " and 53, Act ii.,
" Henry V. ;" and as many examples might be cited to evince
that Shakespeare uses the word 'encounter' in the sense we
have here ascribed to it as involved in t' e term " encounterers."
42. 'Tis done like Hector. This speech is assigned, in the
ola 1 opies, to Agamemnon. Pope made the correction.
43. Securely. Over-confidently ; making secure of being the
victor.
44. Whale er. Here used elliptically for ' whate'er it maybe.'
45. Half made 0/ Hectors blood. Ajax was son to Telamon
and Hesione, the sister to King Priam, who was Hector's father.
Sec Note 37, Act ii. This is the parentage as given by some
accounts, and accepted by Shakespeare, which warrants the
relationship alluded to in the present play ; but other authorities
represent Ajax as being the son of Telamon by Peribcca or
Eribcea, daughter of King Alcathous.
46. Hal/ Trojan and half Greek. See Note 2, Act ii.
47. Breath. ' Breathing ;' in the sense of 'exercise,' 'relax-
ation,' 'recreation.' See Note 6S, Act ii. Here it means a
mere passage of arms, in contradistinction to a deadly contest.
48. Speaking in deeds, and decdicss in his tongue. Just one
of Shakespeare's expressive lines, describing one who proves his
words by his acts, and says no word of his acts.
49 An impair thought. 1 lie Folio prints "impaire" here,
the Quarto impare.' Johnson proposed to change the word to
" impure." It has been objected lh.it there has been no instance
yet found of the word " impair" used as an adjective ; but we
1 His Ajax is halt made ot Hector's blood ;45
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home ;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.'16
Achil. A maiden battle, then f— Oh, I perceive
you.
Re-enter Diomedes.
Again. Here is Sir Diomed. — Go, gentle
knight,
Stand by our Ajax; as you and Lord ^Eneas
Consent upon the order of their fight,
So be it ; either to the uttermost,
Or else a breath :4' the combatants being kin
Half stints their strife before their stiokes begin.
[Ajax and Hector enter the lists.
Ulyss. They are oppos'd already.
Again. What Trojan is that same that looks so
heavy ?
Ulyss. The youngest son of Priam, a true
knight ;
Not vet mature, yet matchless : firm of word ;
Speaking in deeds, and deediess in his tongue ;"
Not soon provok'd, nor, being provok'd, soon
calm'u1 :
His heart and hand both open, and both free;
For what he has he gives, what thinks he shows ;
Yet gives he not till judgment guide his bounty,
Nor dignifies an impair thought49 with breath :
Manly as Hector, but more dangerous ;
For Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes50
To tender objects; but he, in heat of action,
Is more vindicative than jealous love :
They call him Troilus ; and on him erect
A second hope, as fairly built as Hector.51
have shown that Shakespeare often used nouns adjectively, and
the substantive " impair" was in frequent use with his contem-
porary writers. There are three senses in which he may have
used " impair" adjectively here, each and all of them consisting
well with the drift of the present passage : " impair "signifying
unequal, unsuitable, unbefitting, unworthy, as derived from ihe
Latin impar; "impair" signifying unprepared, unready, or
perplexed, entangled, as derived from the Latin itnftai atus;
and " impair" signifying injurious, impairing, deteriorating,
'detractive.' It is in this latter sense that the word " impair,"
as a noun, is used by Ben Jonson, by Chapman, and by Brown.
Inasmuch as Shakespeare had a peculiar and potential manner
of employing and even of creating most expressive and com-
prehensive epithets, it is at the risk of banishing such epithets
from our language that any one of his words are changed ; and
to adopt such a suggested word as ' impure ' here, which affords
but a single meaning, — and that meaning less well consisting
with the gist of the passage than the original word for the
question here is not of Troilns's purity, but of his firmness,
fortitude, equanimity, generosity, candour, and judgment1, — ■
while rejecting such a word as "impair," which comprises
several included meanings, merely because it is original and
unprecedented, appears to us to be most unwise, and even
reprehensible.
50. Subscribes. Yields, gives way, defers. See Note 71,
Act ii.
51. On him erect a second hope, as /airly ouilt as Hector.
1 llipticaily expressed; 'is their fust mi' being understood
between " as " and " Hector." See Note 7 of the present Act.
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene V.
Thus says ^Eneas; one that knows the youth
Even to his inches, and, with private scful,
Did in great Ilion thus translate him to me.52
[Alarum. Hector and hjAX/ighf.
Again. They are in action.
Nest. Now, Ajax, hold thine own !
Tro. Hector, thou sleep'st ;
Awake thee !
Again. His blows are well dispos'd : — there,
Ajax !
Dio. You must no more. [Trumpets cease.
jEne. Princes, enough, so please you.
Ajax. I am not warm yet ; let us fight again.
Dio. As Hector pleases.
Hect. Why, then will I no more: —
Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,
A cousin-german to great Priam's seed ;
The obligation of our blood forbids
A gory emulation 'twixt us twain :
Were thy commixtion Greek and Trojan so,
That thou couldst say, " This hand is Grecian all,
And this is Trojan ; the sinews of this leg
All Greek, and this all Troy ; my mother's blood
Runs on the dexter cheek, and this sinister
Bounds in my father's ;" by Jove multipotent,
Thou shouldst not bear from me a Greekish
member
Wherein my sword had not impressure made
Of our rank feud : but the just gods gainsay
That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,
My sacred aunt, should bv my mortal sword
Be drain'd ! Let me embrace thee, Ajax :
By him that thunders, thou hast lusty arms ;
Hector would have them fall upon him thus:
Cousin, all honour to thee !
Ajax. I thank thee, Hector:
Thou art too gentle and too free a man :
I came to kill thee, cousin, and bear hence
A great addition53 earned in thy death.
Hect. Not Neoptolemus5"1 so mirable55
(On whose bright crest Kame with her loud'st
O-yes56
Cries, " This is he !") could promise to himself
A thought of added honour torn from Hector.
ALne. There is expectance here from both the
sides,
What farther you will do.
52. With private soul did .... thus translate htm tome.
' Did confidentially thus reveal his character to me,' ' thus
clearly describe or explain liis true nature to inc.'
53. Addition. Honourable title, added distinction, reputa-
tion. See Note 89, Act ii.
54. Neoptolemus. A sir-name given to Pyrrhus, the son of
Achilles; and here seemingly applied to Achilles himself, as if
it were a name belonging to both father and son. Probably
Shakespeare, in this, followed some book of his time ; for that
he did not apply it to Pyrrhus. knowing him as yet " young"
and no warrior, is evidenced by the passage referred to in
Note 50. Act iii.
55. Mirable. Latin, mirabilis, wonderful ; that which is to
Hect. We'll answer it ;
The issue is embracement : — Ajax, farewell.
Ajax. If 1 might in entreaties find success
(As seld57 I have the chance), 1 would desire
My famous cousin to our Grecian tents.
Dio. 'Tis Agamemnon's wish ; and great
Achilles
Doth long to see unarm'd the valiant Hector.
Hect. j^neas, call my brother Troilus to me
And signify this loving interview
To the expecters of our Trojan part ;
Desire them home. — Give me thy hand, my cousin;
I will go eat with thee, and see your knights.
Ajax. Great Agamemnon comes to meet us here.
Hect. The worthiest of them tell me name by
name ;
But for Achilles, mine own searching eyes
Shall find him by his large and portly size.
Again. Worthy of arms ! as welcome as to one
That would be rid of such an enemy ;
But that's no welcome : understand more clear,
What's past and what's to come is strew'd with
husks
And formless ruin of oblivion ;
But in this extant moment, faith and ttoth,
Strain'd purely from all hollow bias-drawing,
Bids thee, with most divine integrity,
From heart of very heart, great Hector, welcome.
Hect. I thank thee, most imperious53 Agamem-
non.
Again. [To Troilus.] My well fam'd lord of
Troy, no less to you.
Men. .Let me confirm my princely brother's
greeting ;59 —
You brace of warlike brothers, welcome hither.
Hect. Whom must we answer?
ALne. The noble Menelaus.
Hect. Oh, you, my lord f by Mars his gauntlet,60
thanks !
Mock not, that I affect the untraded61 oath ;
Your quondam^- wife swears still by Venus* glove :
She's well, but bade me not commend her to vou.
Men. Name her not now, sir ; she's a deadly
theme.
Hect. Oh, pardon; I offend.
Nest. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee
oft,
lie admired at, or marvelled at. One of Shakespeare's classically
coined words.
56. O-yes. See Note n, Act v., " Merry Wives."
57. Sdii. A form of seldom; 'abbreviated for the metre's sake.
58. Imperious. Here, as elsewhere, used in the sense of
' imperial ;' the two words, in their respective signification,
having been often formerly used, the one for the other.
59. My Princely brother's greeting. Menelaus was the
brother of Agamemnon.
60. By Mars his gauntlet. See Note 12, Act 11.
61. Untraded. 'Uncommon,' 'unusual/ 'unhackneyed.1
See Note 42, Act iii., " Richard II."
62. Quondam, 'Former.* See Note 31, Act ii., "Henry V,"
Act IV.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[SCEK i .
Labouring for destiny,68 make cruel way
Through ranks of Greekish youth ; and I have
seen thee,
As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,
When Ihou hast hung thy advanced sword i' the
air,
Not letting it decline on the declin'd,64
That I have said to some my standers-by,
" Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life !"
And I have seen thee pause, and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen ;
But this thy countenance, still locked in steel,
I never saw till now. 1 knew thy grandsire,65
And once fought with him : he was a soldier good;
But, by great Mars, the captain of us all,
Never like thee. Let an old man embrace thee ;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.
/Ene. 'Tis the old Nestor.
licet. Let me embrace thee, good old chronicle,
That hast so long walk'd hand in hand with
time : —
Most reverend Nestor, I am glad to clasp thee.
Nest, I would my arms could match thee in
contention,
As they contend with thee in courtesy.
Hect. I would they could.
Nest. Ha!
By this white beard, I'd fight with thee to-mor-
row : —
Well, welcome, welcome! — I have seen the time —
Ulyss. I wonder now how yonder city stands,
When we have here her base and pillar by us.
Hect. I know your favour,66 Lord Ulysses, well.
Ah ! sir, there's many a Greek and Trojan dead,
Since first I saw yourself and Diomed
In Ilion, on your Greekish embassy.
Ulyss. Sir, I foretold you then what would ensue :
My prophecy is but half his journey \et ;
For yonder walls, that pertly front your town,
Yond' towers, whose wanton tops do buss the
clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.
Hect. I must not believe you :
There they stand yet ; and modestly I think,
63. Labouring for destiny. ' Acting in the person of destiny,'
'performing the part of fate,' 'working instead of fate.'.
64. Not lifting it decline on the declin'd. * Not letting it fall
on those already fallen,' ' not letting it strike those who are down.
65. Thy grandsire. Laomedon, father of Priam.
66. Favour. 'Aspect,' 'countenance,' 'personal appearance-'
See Note 20, Act iv., " Richard II "
67. Will one day end it. So to him ive leave it. " It." here,
according to Shakespeare's mode of using this word in reference
to an implied particular, relates to that which is now uncertain,
the subsequent issue of the war, as implied in what the speakers
have just said.
68. I shall forestall tliee, I^ord Ulysses, thou'. "Thou." in
this sentence, has been variously altered to ' though,' ' then,'
The fall of every Phrygian stone \\\\\ 0
A drop of Grecian lil I : {he end crowns all ;
And that old common arbitrator, lime,
Will one day end it.
Ulyss. So to him we leave it.w
Most gentle and most \ .1 limit Hector, welcome :
Atter the general, I beseech you next
To feast with me, and see me at my tent.
Acbil. I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysst ,
thou!«»—
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee ;
I have with exact view perus'd thee, Hector,
And quoted69 joint by joint.
licet. Is this Achilles?
Acbil. I am Achilles.
licet. Stand fair, I pray thee : let me look on
thee.
Acbil. Behold thy fill.
licet. Nav, I have done aire idy,
Acbil. Thou art too brief: 1 will the second time,
As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.
Hect, Oh, like .\ book of sport thou'lt read me
o'er :
But there's more in me than thou understand'st.
Why dost thou so oppress me with thine eye ?
Acbil. Tell me, yo"U heavens, in which pari of
his body
Shall I destroy him ? whether there, or there, or
there
That I may give the local wound a name,
And make distinct the very breach when nil
Hector's great spirit flew : answer me, heavens !
licet. It would discredit the bless'd gods, proud
man,
To answer such a question : stand again :
Thinkst thou to catch my life so pleasantly,
As to prenominate in nice conjecture
Where thou wilt hit me dead ':
Acbil. I tell thee yea.
licet. Wert thou an oracle to tell me so,
I'd not believe thee. Henceforth guard thee well ;
For I'll not kill thee there, nor there, nor there ;
But, by the forge that stithied70 Mars his helm,
I'll kill thee everywhere, yea, o'erand o'er. —
You widest Grecians, pardon me this brag,
His insolence draws folly from my lips;
'there,' and 'now;' but the repetition of a pronoun thus in a
sentence, for the sake of cither emphatic,
is usual ■-■ 1 \ * ; 148, A -oid 81,
Act ii., "Second Part Henry 1\ ■'
sc. 2, where Falstaff scomngl; to Pisl
it, you!" It appears to us that thi I lies' mouth has
characteristic effect: it incli! dash of
off-hand freedom, and a dash of half compliment, as though he
had said, 'I shall forestall thee, Lord 1 n thou "
4.. Act iv .
" Kin.'. I
70. S tit hied. 1
name for an anvil ; and ' stithy ' f'-r a
or work:
Act V.]
TKOILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene I.
But I'll endeavour deeds to match these words,
Or m;iy I never, —
Ajax. Do not chafe thee, cousin : —
And you, Achilles, let these threats alone,
Till accident or purpose bring you to 't :
You may have every day enough of Hector,
If you have stomach ;'' the general state, 1 tear,
Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.'-
Hect. I pray you, let us see you in the held :
We have had pelting73 wars, since you refus'd
The Grecians' cause.
Achil. Dost thou entreat me, Hector?
To-morrow do I meet thee, fell74 as death ;
To-night all friends.
Heet. Thy hand upon that match.
Agam. First, all you peers of Greece, go to my
tent ;
There in the full convive73 we : afterwards,
As Hector's leisure and your bounties shall
Concur together, severally entreat him. —
Beat loud the tabourines/6 let the trumpets blow,
That this great soldier may his welcome know.
[Exeunt all except TROitusaW Ulysses.
Tro. My Lord Ulysses, tell me, I beseech you,
In what place of the held doth Calchas keep ?'<
Ulyss. At Menelaus' tent, most princely
Troilus :
There Diomed doth feast with him to-night ;
Who neither looks upon the heaven nor earth,
But gives all gaze and bent of amorous view
On the fair Cressid.
Tro. Shall I, sweet lord, be bound to you so
much,
After we part from Agamemnon's tent,
To bring me thither ?
Ulyss. You shall command me, sir.
As gentle tell me, of what honour was
T his Cressida in Troy ? Had she no lover
there
That wails her absence ?
Tro. Oh, sir, to such as boasting show their
scars,
A mock is due. Will you walk on, my lord ?
She was belov'd, she lov'd ; she is, and doth :7%
But, still, sweet love is food for fortune's tooth.
[Exeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE \.—The Grecian Camp. Before
Achilles' Tent,
Enter Achilles and Patroclus.
Achil. I'll heat his blood with Greekish wine1
to-night.
Which with my scimitar I'll cool to-morrow. —
Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.
Patr. Here comes Thersites.
Enter Thersites.
Achil. How now, thou core of envy !
Thou crusty batch2 of nature, what's the news?
Ther. Why. thou picture of what thou seeinest,
71 Stomach. Here used for 'appetite,' 'inclination.'
72. Scarce entreat you to be odd with him. 'Hardly per-
suade you to be at odds with him,' or 'contend with him.'
Ajax, in the Hush of having just heen chosen champion of the
Creeks, twits Achilles with holding aloof from taking part in
the late engagements.
73 Pelting ' Paltry, ' 'petty,' 'inconsiderable.' See Note
10, Act ii., " Richard II.1'
74 Fell. Furious, fierce, cruel Sec Notc66, Act hi., "King
John "
75. Convive. ' Feast :* be convivial.
76. Talhiurint-s. Small drums
77. Keep. ' Remain,' 'dwell,' 'reside.' Sec Note 13, Activ.,
" Love's Labour's Lost."
78. She was belov'd, she lov'd; she is, and doth. One of
Shakespeare's clliptically condensed lines ; meaning, * She was
and idol of idiot-worshippers, here's a letter for
thee.
Achil. From whence, fragment ?
Ther. Why, thou full dish of fool, from Troy.
Patr. Who keeps the tent now P3
Ther. The surgeon's box, or the patient's
wound.
Patr. Well said, Adversity !4 and what' need
these tricks ?
Ther. Pr'y thee, be silent, boy ; I profit not by thy
talk : thou art thought to be Achilles' male varlet.
Patr. Male varlet, you rogue !
Ther. Now, the rotten diseases of the south
take and take again such preposterous discoveries!
beloved, she loved ; she is beloved, and doth love.'
Note 89, Act i.
See
1. Grcekish wine. Famed for its strength and excellence. It
was Greek wine that served Ulysses in such good stead in his
adventure with the giant Cyclop, Polyphemus, as told in the
ninth book of Homer's " Odyssey."
2. Batch. All that is baked at one heating of an oven.
3. Who keeps the tent nenv? Asked in the sense of 'Who
remains in his tent now?' (see Note 7g, Act i.) ; and answered
punningly, in the sense of ' Who (or what) holds the rull of lint
now?' See Note 24, Act ii.
4 Adversity. Used as a title, combining the senses of con-
trarious and unfortunate from nature ; in allusion to Thersites'
reply being adverse to the spirit of Patroclus' question, and to
his having been born so unfortunately deformed and spiteful.
Act v.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
ME I.
Thersites. Why, thou picture of what thou seeinest;
Patr. Why, thou box of envy, thou, what
meanest thou to curse thus ?
Tber. Do I curse thee ?
Pair. Why, no, you ruinous butt; you indis-
tinguishable cur, no.
Ther. No ! why art thou, then, exasperate, thou
idle immaterial skein of sleave-silk,5 thou green sar-
cenet flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's
purse, thou ? Ah ! how the poor world is pestered
with such waterflies, — diminutives of nature !
Patr. Out, gall!
Tber. Finch-egg!
Aibil. My sweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite
From my great purpose in to-morrow's battle.
Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba ;
A token from her daughter, my fair love;
5. Sleave-sUk. ' Raw silk,' ' unwrought silk.'
6. One that loves gimils. " Quails " was a cant name for
common women ; and it has been supposed that in the present
passage the word is used in this sense. We think, however,
that the sentence may bear reference to the antique custom of
md idol ul idiot-
letter for thee
Act I '. Scene /
Eoth taxing me and 'gaging me to keep
An oath that 1 have sworn. 1 will not break
it :
Fall Greeks; fail fame ; honour or go or stay ;
Mv major vow lies here, this I'll obey. —
Come, come, Thersites, help to trim my let. I ;
This night in banqueting must all be spent. —
Away, Patroclus!
[Exeunt Achilles and Patroclus.
Ther. With too much blood and too little
brain, these two may run mad; but, if will
much brain and too little blood they do, I'll be a
curer of madmen. Here's Agamemnon,- an
honest fellow enough, and one thai loves quails;6
but he has not so much brain as ear-wax: and the
goodly transformation of Jupiter there, his brother,
matching quails against one another, ascoi I
matched. Shal ancient
practice in "Ant. my and ' ""' *"
think it probable th.u here " lives qu.iik" 1n.1v Ik- equivalent to
' is fond of quai 1 »ith quaili."
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
the bull, — the primitive statue, and oblique memo-
rial of wittols ; a thrifty shoeing-horn in a chain,
hanging at his brother's leg, — to what form, but
that he is, should wit larded with malice, and
malice forced7 with wit, turn him to ? To an ass,
were nothing ; he is both ass and ox : to an ox,
were nothing ; he is both ox and ass. To be a
dog, a mule, a cat, a fitchew,8 a toad, a lizard,
an owl, a puttock,9 or a herring without a roe, I
would not care; but to be Menelaus, — I would
conspire against destiny. Ask me not what I
would be, if I were not Thersites; for I care not,
so I were not Menelaus. — Hey-day! spirits and
fires!10
Enter Hector, Troilus, Ajax, Agamemnon,
Ulysses, Nestor, Menelaus, and Diomedes,
ivith lights.
Agam. We go wrong, we go wrong.
Ajax, No, yonder 'tis ;
There, where we see the lights.
Meet. I trouble you.
Ajax. No, not a whit.
Ulyss. Here comes himself to guide you.
Re-enter Achilles.
Achil. Welcome, brave Hector ; welcome,
princes all.
Agam. So now, fair Prince of Troy, I bid good
night.
Ajax commands the guard to tend on you.
licet. Thanks and good night to the Greeks'
general.
Men. Good night, my lord.
Hect. Good night, sweet Lord Menelaus.
Ther. Sweet draught:" sweet, quoth 'a ! sweet
sink, sweet sewer.
AMI. Good night and welcome, both at once,
to those
That go or tarry.
Agam. Good night.
[Exeunt Agamemnon and Menelaus.
Achil, Old Nestor tarries; and you too, Diomed,
Keep Hector company an hour or two,
Dio. I cannot, lord ; I have important business,
The tide whereof is now. — Good night, great
Hector.
Hect. Give me your hand.
7. Forced. ' Stuffed.' See Note 85, Act ii.
8. A Jitchew. A polecat.
q. A puttock. A kite; an inferior kind of hawk. See Note 82,
Act iii., " Second Part Henry VI."
10. Hey-day ! spirits and fires. Thersites' exclamation on
seeing the lights approach.
n. Draught. An old word for a receptacle fur filth ; the
place of deposit for excrements.
12. Brabbler. A hound that gives tongue, when not upon
the scent of the game, is called by sportsmen a babbler or
brabbler.
Ulyss. [Aside to Troilus.] Follow his torch ;
he goes to Calchas' tent :
I'll keep you company.
Tro. Sweet sir, you honour me.
Hect. And so, good night.
[Exit Diomedes ; Ulysses and Troilus,
following.
Achil. Come, come, enter my tent.
. [Exeunt Achilles, Hector, Ajax,
and Nestor.
Ther. That same Diomed's a false-hearted
rogue, a most unjust knave; I will no more trust
him when he leers, than I will a serpent when he
hisses: he will spend his mouth, and promise, like
Brabbler12 the hound; but when he performs,
astronomers foretell it ; it is prodigious,13 there will
come some change ; the sun borrows of the moon,
when Diomed keeps his word. I will rather leave
to see Hector,11 than not to dog him : I'll after.
[Exit,
SCENE M. — The Grecian Camp. Before Cal-
chas' Tent.
Enter Diomedes.
Dio. What ! are you up here ? ho ! speak.
Cal. [Within.] Who calls?
Dio. Diomed. — Calchas, I think. Where's
your daughter?
Cal. [irithin.] She comes to you.
Enter Troilus and Ulysses, at a distance; after
them, Thersites, ivho remains apart.
Ulyss. Stand where the torch may not discover us,
Enter Cressida.
Tro. Cressid comes forth to him !
Dio. How now, my charge !
Cres. Now, my sweet guardian ! — Hark, a word
with you. [H'hispers.
Tro. Yea, so familiar !
Ulyss. She will sing any man at first sight.
Tro. And any man may sing her, if he can
take her cliff;15 she's noted.
Dio. Will you remember ?
Cres. Remember ! yes.
Dio. Nay, but do, then ;
And let your mind be coupled with your words.
13. Prodigious. Here used for auguring some prodigy,
presaging some portent ; ' portentous,' ' ominous.'
14. / will rather leave, &>c. I will rather give up seeing
Hector, than not follow Diomed.
15. Cliff. A mark employed in musical notation, indicating
the particular portion of the gamut for which the stave upon
which it is placed is intended, and also denoting what kind of
voice is to sing this stave, — whether bass, tenor, alto, or treble.
The word "cliff" being derived from the French, clef, key,
permits an included sense in this sentence, expressing, ' if he
knew what voice to use and what key to take her in.'
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Si ENE II.
Tro. What should she remember 'i
Ulyss. List.
Cres. Sweet honey Greek, tempt me no more
to lolly.
They. Roguery !
Dio. Nay, then, —
Cres. I'll tell you what, —
Dio. Pho, pho ! come, tell a pin : you are for-
sworn.
Cres. In faith, I cannot: what would you have
me do ?
Tber, A juggling trick, — to be secretly open.
Dio. What did you swear you would bestow on
me ?
Cres. I pr'ythee, do not hold me to mine oath ;
Bid me do anything but that, sweet Greek.
Dio. Good night.
Tio. Hold, patience !
Ulyss. How now, Trojan !
Cres. Diomed, —
Dio. No, no, good night: I'll be your fool no
more.
Tro. Thy better must.
Cres. Hark ! one word in your ear.
Tro. Oh, plague and madness !
Ulyss. You are mov'd, prince ; let us depart, 1
pray you,
Lest your displeasure should enlarge itself
To wrathful terms : this place is dangerous ;
The time right deadly ; I beseech you, go.
Tro. Behold, I pray you !
Ulyss. Nay, good my lord, go off:
You flow to great distraction ; come, my lord.
Tro. I pray thee, stay.
Ulyss. You have not patience ; come.
Tro. I pray you, stay ; I will not speak a word.
Dio. And so, good nighi.
Cres. Nay, but you part in anger.
Tro. Doth that grieve thee ?
Oh, wither' d truth !
Ulyss. Why, how now, lord !
Tro. By Jove,
I will be patient.
Cres. Guardian! — why, Greek^!
Dio. Pho, pho ! adieu ; you palter.16
Cres. In faith, I do not : come hither once again.
Ulyss. You shake, my lord, at something : will
you go ?
You will break out.
Tro. She strokes his cheek !
Ulyss. Come, come.
Tto. Nay, stay; by Jove, I will not speak a
word :
There is between my will and all offences
16. Palter. ' Shuffle,' ' equivocate.'
17. Nay. Ho not snatch it from me. The old copies erro-
neously assign these words to Diomed.
A guard <>t patience :— stay a little while.
Tber. How the devil, luxury, tickles these
together !
Dio. But will you, then 'i
Cies. In faith, I will, la; never trust me else.
Dio. Give me some token for the surety of it.
Cres. I'll fetch you one. [Exit.
Ulyss. You have sworn patience.
Tro. Fear me nut, sweet lord ;
I will not be myself, nor have cognition
Ot what I feel : I am all patience.
Re-enter Cressida.
Ther. Now the pledge ; now, now, now !
Cres. Here, Diomed, keep this sleeve.
Tro. Oh, beauty ! where is thy faith ?
Ulyss. My lord,—
Tro. I will be patient ; outwardly I will.
Cres. You look upon that sleeve; behold it
well-
He lov'd me — Oh, false wench ! — Give 't me again.
Dio. Whose was 't ?
Cres. It is no matter, 'now I have't again.
I will not meet with you to-morrow night:
1 pr'ythee, Diomed, visit me no more.
The r. Now she sharpens : — well said, whetsti me !
Dio. I shall have it.
Cres. What! this?
Dio. Ay, that.
Cres. Oh, all you gods ! — Oh, pretty, pretty
pledge!
Thy master now lies thinking in his bed
Of thee and me; and sighs, ami takes my glove,
And gives memorial dainty kisses to it,
As I kiss thee. — Nay, do not snatch it from me ;"
He that takes that doth take my heart withal.
Dio. I had your heart before, this follows it.
Tro. I did swear patience.
Cres. You shall not have it, Diomed ; faith,
you shall not ;
I'll give you something else.
Dio. I will have this : whose was it ?
Cres. 'Tis no matter.
Dio. Come, tell me whose it was.
Cres. 'Twas one's that lov'd me better than \ <m
will.
But, now you have it, take it.
Qio. Whose was it ?
Cres. Bv all Diana's waiting-women18 yond",
And by herself, I will not tell you whose.
Dio. To-morrow will I wear it on my helm ;
And grieve his spirit that dares not challenge it.
Tro. Wert thou the devil, and w or'st it on thy
horn,
It should be challeng'd.
18. Diana's waitim I poetical name fur (he mots.
upon the crescent moon.
Act V.]
TR01LUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene II.
Cres. Well, well, 'tis done, 'tis past; — and)et
it is not ;
I will not keep my word.
Dio. Why, then, farewell ;
Thou never shalt mock Diomed again.
Cres. You shall not go : — one cannot speak a
word,
But it straight starts you.
Dio. 1 do not like this fooling.
Tier. Nor I, by Pluto : l>ut that that likes not
you,19 pleases me best.
Dio. What! shall I come? the hour?
Cres. Ay, come; — O Jove! — do come: — I shall
be plagu'd.
Dio. Farewell till then.
Cres. Goodnight: I pr'vthee, come.
[Exit DlOMF.DES
Troilus, farewell ! one eye yet looks on thee ;
But with my heart the other eye doth see.
Ah ! poor our sex !20 this fault in us I find,
The error of our eye directs our mind :
What error leads must err; oh, then conclude
Minds sway'd by eyes are full of turpitude. [Exit.
Ulyss. All's done, my lord.
Tro. It is.
Ulyss. Why stay we, then ?
Tro. To make a recordation to my soul
Of every syllable that here was spoke.
But if I tell how these two did co-act,
Shall I not lie in publishing a truth ?
Sith21 yet there is a credence in my heart,
An esperance22 so obstinately strong,
That doth invert the atte t23 of eyes and ears;
As if those organs had deceptious functions,
Created only to calumniate.
Was Cressid here ?
Ulyss. I cannot conjure, Trojan.
Tro. She was not, sure.
19. Thai thai likes not you. ' That which you do not like.'
See Note 8. Act iii., " Henry V."
20. Ah ! poor our sex ! An exclamation of transposed con-
struction somewhat similar to the one pointed out in Note 7,
Act i. of this play. See also Note 3, Act i., "As You
Like It ."
2t. Sith. Sithence ; since. See Note 54, Act i., "Taming
of the Shrew."
22. Esperance. The French word for ' hope : ' it was
adopted into English, and occasionally used by other writers
beside Shakespeare. See Note 51, Act ii., " First Part
Henry IV."
23. The attest. The reading of the Quarto ; while the Folio
misprints it 'that test.' "Attest" is an abbreviated form of
' attestation.'
24. Critics. Sometimes used by writers of Shakespeare's
time in the sense of 'cynics.' See Note 89, Act iv., " Love's
Labour's Lost."
25. 1/ there he rule in unify. ' If there be truth in identity ; '
that one person cannot be more or other than one.
26. Discourse. Here used for ' ratiocination.' See Note 42,
Act ii.
27. Conduce. This word was changed by Ko-.ve to ' com-
mence:' hut "conduce" is here used in its classical sense of
Ulyss. Most sure she was.
Tro. Why, my negation hath no taste ot mad-
ness.
Ulyss. Nor mine, my lord : Cressid was here
but now.
Tro. Let it not be believ'd for womanhood !
Think, we had mothers ; do not give advantage
To stubborn critics,2' — apt, without a theme,
For depravation,— to square the general sex
By Cressid's rule : rather think this not Cressid.
Ulyss. What hath she done, prince, that can
soil our mothers ?
Tro. Nothing at all, unless that this were she.
Ther. Will he swagger himself out un 's own
eyes ?
Tro. This she p no, this is Diomed's Cressida:
If beauty have a soul, this is not she ;
If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimonies,
If sanctimony be the gods' delight,
If there be rule in unity25 itself,
This is not she. Oh, madness of discourse,26
That cause sets up with and against itself!
Bi-fold authority! where reason can revolt
Without perdition, and loss assume all reason
Without revolt : this is, and is not, Cressid !
Within my soul there doth conduce27 a fight
Of this strange nature, that a thing inseparate23
Divides more wider than the sky and earth ;
And yet the spacious breadth of this division
Admits no orifice for a point, as subtle
As Arachne's broken woof,29 to enter.
Instance, oh, instance! strong as Pluto's gates;
Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven:
Instance, oh, instance ! strong as heaven itself;
The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd, and
loos'd ;
And with another knot, five-finger-tied,30
The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,
' lead together,' ' assemble ; ' and a " fight " represents the
elements of a fight, the contending forces, the tumultuous feel-
ings, the battling emotions that surge and meet tumultuously
within the speaker's soul, brought together by the strength of
passion. ,
28. A tiling inseparate. £r'c. ' A thing so inseparable as
personal individuality, — Cressida's identity with herself, — be-
comes in my mind more widely divided than are the sky and
the earth.' This has been strangely interpreted by M alone;
but we think that the consecution of the thought in the speaker's
mind, although most characteristically expressed in agitated
sentences, is visible throughout, and clearly shows that "a
thing inseparate" refers to personal identity. Troilus is trying
to persuade himself that the false woman he has just seen is not
his Cressida, and yet he is conscious that she is no other than
her own heartless self.
29. Arachne's broken von/. The name is spelt 'Ariachnes'
in the Folio, probably for the sake of the metre. Arachne was
a skilful needlewoman who dared to vie with Minerva herself;
whereat the goddess was so incensed, that she transformed her
human rival into a spider. " Woof" here, therefore, poetically
implies a cobweb.
30. Another knot, jive-finger-tied. ' Ano»her bond, formed
by a clasp of her hand.'
ACT V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene u.
Hector. Be gone, I say : the gods have heard me swear.
Cassandra. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows.
Act r. Scene III.
The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy relics
Of her o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.
Ulyss. May worthy Troilus be half attach'd
With that which here his passion doth express :■"
Tro. Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well
In characters as red as Mars his heart
Inflam'd with Venus: never did young man fancy32
With so eternal and so fix'd a soul.
Hark, Greek: — as much as I do Cressid love,
So much by weight hate I her Diomed :
That sleeve is mine that he'll bear on his helm ;
Were it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill,
My sword should bite it : not the dreadful spout,
Which shipmen do the hurricano call,
Constrir.g'd in mass by the almighty sun,
31. May worthy Troilus be half attach'd with that which
here. &*c. 'Can Troilus really be even half as much over-
powered by the emotions he so passionately expresses as he
seems to be?' Shakespeare elsewhere uses "attached with"
in the sense of seized by, laid hold of, possessed by, over-
I Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptur.c's ear
I In his descent,33 than shall my prompted sxvord
Tailing on Diomed.
Ther. He'll tickle it.
Tro. O Cressid ! oh, false Cre id
false:
Let all untruths stand by thy stained name,
And they'll seem glorious.
Ulyss. Oh, contain yourself;
Your passion draws ears hither.
Enter .'7/ i
sEnc. I have been seeking you this hour, m)
Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy ;
Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home.
come or overpowered by. See Note 28, Act ii., " Sec":
Henry IV."
32. Fancy. ' Love.'
33. In his descent. " His " used for ' its,' in reference to tl
waterspout
VOL. III.
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIUA.
[Scene III.
Tro. Have with )o«, prince. — My courteous
lord, adieu. —
Farewell, revolted fair! — and, Diomcd,
Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head !34
Uhss. I'll bring35 you to the gates.
Tro. Accept distracted thanks.
Exeunt Troii.us, jEneas, and Ulisses.
Titer. \_Ad<vancing.'] Would I could meet that
rogue Diomed ! I. would croak like a raven ; I would
bode, I would bode. {Exit.
SCENE III.— Troy. Before Priam's Palace.
Enter Hector and Andromache.
And. When was my lord so much ungently
temper'd,
To stop his ears against admonishment ?
Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.
Heel. You train me to offend you; get you in :
By all the everlasting gods, I'll go!
And. My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to
the day.
Beet. No more, I say.
Enter Cassandra.
Cas. Where is my brother Hector ?
And. Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent.
Consort with me in loud and dear petition,
Pursue we him on knees ; for I have dream'd
Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night
Hath nothing been but shapesand forms of slaughter.
Cas. Oh, 'tis true.
Heel. Ho ! bid my trumpet sound !
Cas. No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet
brother.
Ileet. Be gone, I say : the gods have heard mc
swear.
Cas. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish36 vows:
They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd
Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
And. Oh, be persuaded ! do not count it holy
To hurt by being just : it is as lawful,
For we would give much, to use violent thefts,3?
And rob in the behalf of chaaity.
34. Wear <i castle on thy head. A particular kind of close
helmet was called a "castle ; " and Troilus moreover means to
imply that Diomed must needs wear the utmost possible means
of defence to withstand the blows he means to deal him.
•■■■;• Here used for 'accompany," escort.' See Note;;,
Act it., " Henry Y"
36. Peevish, ' Headstrong/ ' wayward.'
7 For we mould give mtich, to use violent thefts. The
Folio prints this line thus: -'For we would cunt glue much
to as violent thefts" It has been variously altered; and we
adopt Tyrrwhitt's emendation, in the belief that ' count.' crept
into the present line nwing to the printer's eye having caught
it from the penultimate line above, that "for" is employed in
the sense of 'because,' and that 'as' is a misprint for "use."
Shakespeare often employs the word "use" in the sense of
'practise ;' a sense which it bears here.
38. Keeps the weather of. A nautical phrase, meaning 'has
Cas. It is the purpose that makes strong the vow ;
But vows to every purpose must not hold :
Unarm, sweet Hector.
Hect. Hold you still, I say ;
Mine honour keeps the weather of33 my fate :
Life every man holds dear ; but the dear man39
Holds honour far more precious-dear than life. —
Enter Troilus.
How now, young man! mean'st thou to fight to-day ?
And. Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
[Exit Cassandra.
Ileet. No, faith, young Troilus: doff thy har-
ness, youth ;
I am to-day i' the vein of chivalry :
Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,
Ar.d tempt not yet the brushes40 of the war.
Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy,
I 11 stand to-day for thee, and me, and Troy.
Tro. Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you,
Which better fits a lion than a man.41
Heel. What vice is that, good Troilus ? chide
me for it.
Tro. When many times the captive Grecians fall,43
Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,
You bid them rise, and live.
Ileet. Oh, 'tis fair play.
Tro. Fool's play, by Heaven, Hector.
Ileet. How now ! how now !
Tro. For the love of all the gods,
Let's leave the hermit pity with our mothers ;
And when we have our armours buckled on,
The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords ;
Spur them to ruthful work,'13 rein them from ruth.
Hect. Fie, savage, fie !
Tro. Hector, then 'tis wars.
Ileet. Troilus, I would not have you fight to-
day.
Tro. Who should withhold me ?
Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire ;
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
Their eves o'ergalled with recourse"14 of tears ;
Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
the advantage of the wind,' ' keeps to windward ;' and rigura;
tively used for ' maintains superiority over.'
39. The dear man. Here used for ' the man intense of pur-
pose,' ' the earnest man.' See Note tor, Act i., " Richard III."
40. Brushes. ' Rough encounters,' ' perilous rubs.' See Note
29, Act v., " Second Part Henry VI."
41. Better /its a lion than a man. In reference to the many
traditions of the lion's generosity and magnanimous forbear:
4.-. The captive Grecians/all. The Folio prints ' the captiue
Grecian fals.' Rowe's correction, which we adopt on the sup-
position that the printer misplaced the letter s.
43. Ruthful work. ' Deeds that in their result produce pity ;'
rueful,' ' woful.'
44. Recourse. Repeated Bowing; recurrence, recoursing.
The word has double force of meaning here; as used in the
above sense, and as involving the usual sense of 'access,'
' repair thither,' ' frequent resort.'
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
Oppus'd to hinder me, should stop my way,
But by m\ ruin.
Ri -enter Cassandra, with Priam.
Cas. Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast :
He is thy crutch ; now if thou lose tin stay,
Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee,
Fall all together.
I'ri. Come, Hector, come, go back:
Thy wife hath dream'd ; thy mother hath had
virions ;
Cassandra doth foresee ; and I myself
Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt,
To tell thee that this day is ominous :
Therefore, Lome back.
Hect. i3Jneas is a-field ;
And I do stand engag'd to many Greeks,
Even in the faith of valour, to appear
This morning to them.
Pri. Ay, but thou shalt not go.
Hect. I must not break my faith.
You know me dutiful ; therefore, dear sir,
Let me not shame respect ; but give me leave
To take that course by your consent and voice,
Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam.
Cas. O Priam, yield not to him !
d"'1- Do not, dear father.
Hect. Andromache, I am offended with you:
Upon the love you bear me, get you in.
[Exit Andromache.
Tro. This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl
Makes all these bodements.
Cas. Oh, farewell, dear Hector!
Look, how thou diest ! look, how thy eye turns
pale !
Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents !
Hark, how Troy roars! how Hecuba cries out !
How poor Andromache shrills her dolours forth ! '>
Behold, distraction, frenzy, and amazement,
Like witless antics,43 one another meet,
And all cry, Hector ! Hector's dead ! O Hector !
Tro. Away ! away !
Cns. Farewell :— yet, soft !— Hector, 1 take
my leave :
Thou dost thyself and all our Troy deceive. [Exit.
Hect. You are amaz'd, my liege, at her ex-
claim :i7
Go in, and cheer the town: we'll forth, and tight ;
Do deeds worth praise, and tell you them at night.
• ic IV.
To " shrill" was a verb i
■ Hen
54,
ryV."
At iv ,
45. Shrills her dolours forth.
when Shakespeare wrote.
46. Antics. Puppets. See Note 27, Act iii , '
47. Exclaim. ' Exclamation. ' See Note
"Richard III."
4?. Cursed, 'Under a curse;1 'under the influence of a
malediction.'
49. Young knave's sleeve of Troy there. Instance of trans-
posed construction; 'young knave of Troy's sleeve' being
meant. "There" is employed here as an expletive ; and with
Pri.
Tro.
Fa
thee
rewell: the gods with safety stand ab
[Exeunt severally Priam
tin, I 1 1 1 , 1 ,,;.
Alarums.
'rou I Diomc I,
They are at it, hark
believe,
I come to lose my arm, or win my sleeve.
As Troilus is going out, enter from the other side
Pandarus.
Pan. Do you hear, my lord .- do you hear P
Tro. What now ?
Pan. Here's a letter
come ft
oin yond' poor girl.
Pan A ptis.ck, a rascally ptisick so ...
me, and the foolish fortune of this girl ; and » 1, ,.
one .lung, what another, that I shall leave you one
o' these days: and I have a rheum in mine eve,
too; and such an ache in my bones, that, unless „
man were cursed," I cannot tell what to think
on 't. — What says she there ?
Tro. Words, words, mere words, no mattei
from the heart ;
The effect doth operate another way.—
. [Tearing the fetter.
< !■ 1, n ind to wind, there turn and change together
My love with words and errors still she feeds ;
But edifies another with her deeds.
[Exeunt severally _
SCENE IV.— Plains between Troy and the
Grecian Camp.
Alarums: Excursions. Ente r Thersites.
Tier. Now they are clapper-clawing one
another; I'll go look on. That dissem
abominable varlet, Diomed, has got that
scurvy doting foolish young knave's sleeved I.
there" in his helm : I would fain see them meet';
that that same young Trojan ass might send that
Greekish villain, with the sleeve, back to the dis-
sembling luxurious drab, of a sleeveless en in I.
O' the other side, the policy of those crafty swear-
ing rascals,50— that stale old mouse-eaten dry
cheese, Nestor, and that same dog-fox,51 I 1\
is not proved worth a blackberry:— they -
up, in policy, that mongrel cur, Aiax, again '
dog of as bad a kind, Achilles; and now is the cur
Aiax prouder than the cur Achilles, and will not
the same included sense that it bears in the passage ret
in Note 14, Act i . "Richard III."
50. Those crafty swearing rascals. "Sw
been obji ted to an inappropriate and til
epithet, applied to Nestor and Ulysses ; but ir
probable that "crafty swearing" means 'craftily
adverbially , and that the scntcno.
1 ttiat will pledge themselves to anything
crafty purpose ,' ' will avouch anything fur tl.
of promoting their own wily views.'
Dog-fox. 'Male fox. 'Sec Note 51, Act .eh."
Act v.]
TR01LUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene V.
arm to-day ; whereupon the Grecians begin to
proclaim barbarism,5- ami policy grows into an ill
opinion. — Soft! here comes sleeve, and t'other.
Enter Diomedes, 'Tx.oii.vsfo/lo-wiiig.
Tro. Fly not; for shouldst thou take the river
Styx,"
I would swim after.
Dio. Thou dost miscall retire :
I do not fly ; but advantageous care
Withdrew me from the odds of multitude :
Have at thee !
Ther. Hold, Grecian! — now, Trojan !— now
the sleeve, now the sleeve !
[Exeunt Troilus and Diomedes, fighting.
E'tier Hector.
Ilea. What art thou, Greek ? art thou for
Hector's match ?
Art thou of blood and honour ?
Ther. No, no, — I am a rascal ; a scurvy railing
knave ; a very filthy rogue.
Heel. I do believe thee; — live. [Exit.
Ther. God-a-mercy, that thou wilt believe me ;
but a plague break thy neck fir frighting me ! —
What's become of the wenching rogues ? I think
they have swallowed one another : I would laugh
at that miracle. I'll seek them. [Exit.
SCENE V .—Another pa> t of the Plains.
Enter DlOMEDES and a Servant.
Dio. Go, go, my servant, take thouTroilus'horse;
Present the fair steed to my lady Cressid :
Fellow, commend my service to her beauty ;
Tell her I have chastis'd the amorous Trojan,
And am her knight by proof.
Ser<v. I go, my lord. [Exit.
52. Begin to proclaim barbarism. The old copies misprint
'began' for "begin." Roue's correction. " Proclaim" is here
used for 'advocate;' and "barbarism" for 'ignorance,' in
contradistinction to " policy'' as cleverness.
53. The river Styx. See Note 12, Act iii
54. Margarelon. An illegitimate son of Priam, mentioned
in b .til I. yd -lie's " Troy Book" ami Caxton's " History of the
Destruction," &c.
55. His beam. 'His lance;' strictly, the staff of the lance,
which was likened by Spenser to the bigness of .1 '-/■ran/"
t ! .Ii. oil's speat is .il ■' >aid to be ' like .1 weaver's beam.'1
56. Poshed, Struck crushingly, beaten bruisedly. See Note
81, Act ii.
57. The dreadful Saglttary. A passage from Caxton's "His-
tory -1 the Destruction of Troy" illustrates this:— "Bey le
ili1' royalmc "I Amasonne came an anncyent kynge, wyse and
I. 'Oil'. 11. mi.. I Epyslrophus, and brought a M. knyghtes,
and a tnervayllouse beste that was called Sagittavrk, that
behynde the myddes was a horse, and to fore, a man : this
beste was beery like a horse, and had his eyen red as a cole,
and sbotte well with a bowe : this beste made the Grekes sore
aferde, and slewe many of them with his bowe."
58. Fights on Galathe his horse. This point is taken from
Caxton's "History," &c, as is also the previous incident of
Diomed winning Troihis's steed in fight, and sending it to
Crcssida as a token of knightly love-service. These are among
Enter Agamemnon.
Agam. Renew, renew! The tierce Polydamas
Hath beat down Menon ; bastard Margarelon51
Hath Doreus prisoner,
And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam,55
Upon the pashed56 corses of the kings
FJpistrophus and Ceditis : Polixenes is slain ;
Amphimachus and Thoas deadly hurt ;
Patroclus ta'en or slain ; and Palamedes
Sore hurt and bruis'd : the dreadful Sagittary57
Appals our numbers : — haste we, Diomed,
To reinforcement, or we perish all.
Enter Nestor.
Nest. Go, bear Patroclus' body to Achilles;
And bill the snail-pac'd Ajax arm for shame. —
There is a thousand Hectors in the field :
Now here he fights on Galathe his horse,53
And there lacks work ; anon he's there afoot,
And there they fly or die,5J like scale I sculls™
Before the belching whale ; then is he yonder,
And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge,
Fall down before him, like the mower's swath :cl
Here, there, and everywhere, he leaves and takes:ra
Dexterity so obeying appetite,
That what he will, he does j03 and does so much
That proof is call'd impossibility.
Enter Ulysses.
Ulyss. Oh, courage, courage, princes! great
Achilles
Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance :
Patroclus' wounds have rous'd his drowsy blood,
Together with his mangled Myrmidons,111
That noseless, handless, hack'd and chipp'ri, come
to him,
Crying on Hector.05 Ajax hath lost a friend,
And foams at mouth, and he isarm'd, and at it,
the chivalrous colourings given to the play, and taken from the
old romances adverted to in Notes 1 and SS of Act i.
59. There they Jly or tin-. "They" in this sentence is used
in accordance with Shakespeare's occasional manner of employ-
ing a pronoun in reference to an implied antecedent ; that 1 , to
the implied objects of Hector's assault, and not to the apparent
antecedent, "a thousand Hectors."
60. Scaled sculls. " Sided" is here used in a sense that it
formerly bore of 'dispersed.' 'scattered,' while allowing the
ordinary sense of 'covered with scales' to be included in
effect. "Sculls" is an old form of 'shoals;' and was some-
times anciently spelt 'scoole,' as nearer to the Sax. n original
'scole,' whence it was derived.
Gi. Like the mowers swath. See Note 58, Act ii., "Twelfth
Night."
62. He leaves and takes. Here " leaves " is used for ' leaves
them dead;' and "takes." for 'strikes lifeless,' 'paralyses.'
See Note22, A,t i\ . " Merry Wives." It has been suggested
that " leaves" should be 'cleaves ' but it is pret isely the word
"leaves" which serves to continue the figure of the "strawy
Greeks" and " mower's swath."
63. That what he -wilt, he does. The word "does," in tins
line, gives ' do' to be elliptically understood after " will."
64. Myrmidons. See Note 103, Act i.
65. Crying on Hector. ' Exclaiming against Hector.' Sec
Note 10, Act i., "Henry VIII."
Co
Achilles. Come, tie his body to my horse's tail;
Along the fiehl I will the Trojan trail.
Act /'. Sc-ne /A.
fey J?j '■
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scenes VI., VII.
Ajax.
Dio.
Nest.
Acbil.
Roaring for Troilus ; who hath done to-day
Mad and fantastic execution ;
Engaging and redeeming of himself,
With such a careless force and forceless care,
As if that luck, in very spite of cunning,
Bade him win all.
Enter Ajax.
Troilus ! thou coward Troilus ! [Exit.
Ay, there, there.
So, so, we draw together.66
Enter Achilles.
Where is this Hector? —
Come, come, thou boy-queller,67 show thy face ;
Know what it is to meet Achilles angry : —
Hector ! where's Hector ? I will none but Hector.
Exeunt,
SCENE VI. —Another part of the Plains.
Enter Ajax.
Ajax. Troilus, thou coward Troilus, show thy
head !
Enter Diomedes.
Dio. Troilus, 1 say! where's Troilus?
Ajax. What wouldst thou ?
Dio. I would correct him.
Ajax. Were I the general, thou shouldst have
my office
Ere that correction. — Troilus, I say ! what,
Troilus !
Enter Troilus.
Tro. Oh, traitor Diomed ! — turn thy false face,
thou traitor,
And pay thy life thou ow'st me for my horse !
Dio. Ha, art thou there ?
Ajax. I'll light with him alone: stand, Diomed.
Dio. He is my prize ; I will not look upon.68
Tro. Come, both you cogging Greeks;09 have
at you both ! [Exeunt, fighting.
66. So, so, we draw togetlte r. Nestor says this in consequence
of Achilles and Ajax re-appearing in the field after having each
held aloof; now roused by " Patroclus1 wounds " and the loss ot
" a friend."
67. Boy-queller. 'Boy-killer.' " Quell " was used formerly,
as a noun, for 'murder,' and as a verb, for 'kill,' 'destroy.'
Patroclus is young; Thersitcs calls him " buy "in sc. I of this Act.
63. / will not look upon. ' I will not be a looker-on,' ' 1 will
not stand by and merely look on.' See Notes 57, Act v.,
"Winter's Tale," and 43, Act ii. , "Third Part Henry VI."
69.' Cogging Creeks. " Cogging" is 'deceitful,' 'treacherous'
(see Note 7, Act iii., " Merry Wives") ; and nut only had the
Greeks a general name for deceit and cheating, but Troilus has
special cause to resent Diomed's defrauding him of Crcssida,
besides thinking Ajax unfair in fight for setting upon him with
the other, — two . t _; . 1 1 n ^ t one.
70. //.' s/iiill not carry him.
'he shall not prevail against him
71. / like thy armour writ.
Lydgate's work.
72. Frush. 'Break,' ' bruise,' 'daslilo pieces.' French, /roisser.
The word is found thus used in "The Destruction of Troy."
73. Come here about me you my Myrmidons, [n Caxton's
■ He
Tin
shall not conquer him,'
incident is taken from
fought,
Enter Hector.
Uect. Yea, Troilus? Oh, well
youngest brother !
Enter Achilles.
Achil. Now do 1 see thee, ha! — have at thee,
Hector !
Hect. Pause, if thou wilt.
Achil. 1 do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan ;
Be happy that my arms are out of use :
My rest and negligence befriend thee now,
But thou anon shalt hear of me again;
Till when, go seek thy fortune. [Exit.
Hect. Fare thee well ; —
I would have been much more a fresher man,
Had 1 expected thee. — How now, my brother'.
Re-enter Troilus.
Tro. Ajax hath ta'en .^sneas : shall it be ?
No, by the flame of yonder glorious heaven,
He shall not carry him ;70 I'll be taken too,
Or bring him off: — fate, hear me what I say !
1 reck not though 1 end my life to-day. [Exit,
Enter one in sumptuous Armour.
Uect. Stand, stand, thou Greek ; thou art a
goodly mark : —
No ? wilt thou not ? — I like thy armour well ;71
I'll frush73 it, and unlock the rivets all,
But I'll be master of it:— wilt thou not, beast,
abide ?
Why, then fly on, I'll hunt thee for thy hide.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— Another part of the Plains.
Enter Achilles, ivith Myrmidons.
Achil. Come here about me, you my Myr-
midons ;73
" History," &c, this act of Achilles is recorded : but it is there
Troilus and not Hector whom he surrounds by numbers and
Kills. Heyuood, however, in his "Rape of Lucrecc," 163S,
represents Achilles as slaying Hector in the manner here
represented. The un-Shakespeariau style, which we mentioned
in our opening Note as being visible towards the close of this
play, is markedly to be seen in the present speech. Its every
line is touched with the stilted stiffness and flatness that dis-
figure the diction of the " First Part Henry VI." (see Notes 19,
27, and 68, Act i. of that play) ; the phrase, "Empale him with
your weapons round about," recalls to mind the passages re-
ferred to in Notes 20, Act i. , and 8, Act ii. of that same play ;
the awkward expression, "Execute your aims," has similarity
of construction with " rive their dangerous artillery " (see
Note 16, Act iv. of that play) ; and the two concluding vapidly
pompous lines, " Follow me, sirs," &C., are not only in startling
contrast with the preceding manner of writing in the present
play, but bear so striking a resemblance to passages in the other,
that we almost feel inclined to believe them the produi i> n of
the same hand. It is as if Shakespeare had derived this m dint
of the mode in which Achilles compasses Hector's death from
some hitherto untraced source, and had left the two blief scenes
describing it just as he found them originally written.
62
Act V.]
TROUT'S AND CRESSIDA.
[Scenes VIII.— XI.
Mark what I say. Attend mc where I wheel :
Strike not a stroke, but keep yourselves in breath :
An I when I have the bloody Hector found,
Empale him with your weapons round about ;
In fellest manner execute your aims."4
lrollow me, sirs, and my proceedings eye : —
It is decreed Hector the great must die. [Exeunt.
SCENE VIII.— The Same.
Enter Menelaus and Paris, fighting .- then
Thersites.
Tver, The gull and the gull-maker are at it.
— Now, bull! now, dog! 'Loo, Paris, 'loo! now
m doublc-henned sparrow ! 'loo, Paris, 'loo — The
bull has the game : — ware liorns, ho !
[Exeunt Paris ami Menelaus.
Enter Margarelox.
Mar. Turn, slave, and fight.
Tier. What art thou ?
Mar. A bastard son of Priam's.
Tier. I am a bastard, too; I love bastards: I am
a bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind,
bastard in valour, in everything illegitimate. One
bear will not bite another, and wherefore should
or.e bastard ? Take heed, the quarrel's most
ominous to us: farewell, bastard. [Exit.
Mar. The devil take thee, coward ! [Exit.
SCENE IX.— Another part of the Plains.
Enter Hector.
Heel. Most putrefied core, so fair without,
Thy goodly armour thus hath cost thy life."5
Now is my day's work done ; I'll take good breath :
Rest, sword ; thou hast thy fill of blood and death.
[Puts off his helmet and hangs his shield
behind him.
Enter Achilles and Myrmidons.
Aehil. Look, Hector, how the sun begins to set ;
How ugly night comes breathing at his heels :
Even with the vail76 and darking of the sun,
To close the day up, Hector's life is done.
llect. I am unarm' d ; forego this vantage, Greek.
74 Execute your aims. The Quarto prints 'armes,' the
Folio 'arme' here for "aims." Capell's correction.
75. Thy goodly armottr thus hath cost thy life. This links
on the present speech and scene with the speech at the close
of scene 6 of this Act. H is noteworthy that that short speech,
commencing " Stand, stand, thou Greek," in its peculiar style
of questioning, bears singular resemblance to that which we
pointed out as markedly un-Shakespearian in Notes 6 and 24 of
Act i., " First Part Henry VI. ; " and in the present speech wc
have " Now is my day's work done," which is most suspiciously
like some of the platitudes we meet with in that same sapless
play, such as, "Now no more ado, brave Burgundy, but gather
we our forces out of hand, and set upon," &c, " First Part
Henry VI.," Act iii., sc. 2.
Aehil. Strike, fellows, strike ; this is the man I
seek. I li.Ci OR /.///;.
So, I lion, fall thou next! now, Troy, sink down!
Here lies thy heart, thy sinews, an i thy bone. —
On, Myrmidons ; and cry \ ou all amain,
" Achilles hath the mighty 1 1 n." —
[A Retreat sounded.
Hark ! a retire upon our Grecian part.
Mxr. The Trojan trumpets sound the like, mv
lord.
Aehil. The dragon wing of night o'erspreads
the earth,
And, stickler-like,"" the armies separates.
My half-supp'd sword, that frankly would have fed,
Pleas'd with this dainty bit, thus goes to In I."'
[Sheathes his sii or./.
Come, tie his body to my horse's tail ;
Along the field I will the Trojan trail. [Exeunt.
SCEN K X. -Another pari of the Plains.
Enter Agamemnon, Ajax, Menelaus, Nestor,
Diomedes, and others, marching. Shouts
'within.
Again. Hark! hark ! what shout is that ':
A'i st. Peace, drums !
[Within.'] Achilles! Achilles! Hector's si .tin !
Achilles!
Dio. The bruit is, Hector's slain, and by
Achilles.
Ajax. If it be so, yet bragless let it be ;
Great Hector was a man as good
Agam. March patiently along :— let one be sent
To pray Achilles see us at our tent. —
If in his death the gods have us bel
Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended.
[Exeunt, marching.
SCENE XI.— Another fart of the Plains.
Enter /Eneas and Trojan
JEne. Stand, ho ! yet are we masters of the field :
Never go home ; here starve we out the night.
Enter Troilus.
Tro. Hector is slain.
76. T/ievctil. 'The sinking,' 'the lowering," the
See Note 10, Act v., "First Part Henry VI."
77. Stickier-.'. \ kler" was the name given to the
person appointed as umpire in
decide when the contest should 1 lied by
interposing the stick, staff, or wand that he bore for the pur-
]
78. rleas'J-.vith this dainty bit, thus goes to led. '1 ";
prints ' bed, the Quarto 'bait,' for " bit " here: whi. .1
n of the lattei I
as opposed to "frankly "largely or liberally" would li;
The flabl ' has horrible
some of the trash to be found in " 1 ir^t Part Henry VI."
Note 43, Act v. of that play.
Act V.]
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
[Scene XI.
All. Hector ! — the gods forbid !
Tro. He's dead ; and at the murderer's horse's
tail,
In beastly sort, dragg'd through the shameful
field.—
Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed !
Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy !'9
1 say, at once let your brief plagues be mercy,
And linger not our sure destructions on !
AZne. My lord, you do discomfort all the host.
Tro. You understand me not that tell me so :
I do not speak of flight, of fear, of death ;
But dare all imminence that gods and men
Address their dangers in. Hector is gone:
Who shall tell Priam so, or Hecuba ?
Let him that will a screech-owl aye be call'd,
Go in to Troy, and say there, Hector's dead :
There is a word will Priam turn to stone ;
Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives,
Cold statues of the youth; and, in a word,
Scare Troy out of itself. But, march away :
Hector is dead ; there is no more to say.
Stay yet You vile abominable tents,
Thus proudly pights0 upon our Phrygian plains,
Let Titan rise as early as he dare,
79. And smile at Troy. Hanmcr changed "smile" to
'smite;' but it is probable that here "smile" is intended tu
bear the sense of ' smile derisively,' ' smile in derisiun.'
80. Pight. An old form of * pitched ; ' ' fixed.'
81. Tliou great-sis? d coward. This is said as an apostrophe
to the absent Achilles.
82. Ifeitce, broker lackey I Here "broker." as a term o{
opprobrium (see Note 84, Act ii., "King John"), is used ad-
ject! vely.
83. Tgitomy. An abbreviated form of 'ignominy.' See
Note 48, Act v., " First Part Henry IV." In the Folio this
couplet occurs verbatim at the conclusion of sc. 3 of the
present Act, and is repeated here ; a circumstance which
confirms our belief that the closing scenes and existing end are
not Shakespeare's own. It maybe that he concluded the play
there. It is possible that the final arrangement which he made
may not have been considered to form an effective stage
catastrophe, and he may have permitted the brief scenes
descriptive of the various engagements on the battle-field to be
subjoined from some earlier drama, or they may have been
added by some other hand at the instigation of the players, or
even may have been introduced by the actors themselves
1 hat this was by no means an unusual practice — especially in
comic scenes, and where the fool-jesters had to speak— we have
evidence in Shakespeare's own words, " Hamlet," Act hi., sc. 2,
when the prince, in his address to the players, says, " And let
tln.se that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for
them." 'There is to our minds strong evidence of there having
been what, in theatrical parlance, is called "gag" introduced
I'll through and through you! — and, thou great-
siz'd coward,31
No space of earth shall sunder our two hates :
I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still,
That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy's thoughts. —
Strike a free march to Troy ! — with comfort go:
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.
\Exeunt .r3iNEAS and Trojans.
As Troiuis is going out, niter, from the other side,
Pandarus.
Pan. But hear you, hear you !
Tro. Hence, broker lackey!8- ignomysb and
shame
Put sue thy life, and live aye with thy name ! [Exit.
Pan. A goodly medicine for my aching bones! —
Oh, world! world! world ! thus is the poor agent
despised ! Why should our endeavour be so loved,
and the performance so loathed i what verse tor it ?
what instance for it ?— Let me see : —
Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing",
Till he hath losthis honey and his sting ;
And being once subdu'd in armed tail.
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.
[Exit.
into the close of this play; and probably both those who pro-
duced the surreptitiously-procured Quarto copies and the pla} er-
editors of the Folio copy judged it well to preserve in print that
which they thought humorous, and that which had brought
popular plaudits when uttered on the stage. Farther testimony
of the truth of this idea we think is contained in a lev 1 oarse
and ribald lines which complete Pandarus's last speech in the
Folio (called in theatrical jargon "a tag" to the play); and
which, consistently with [he system of our present edition, and
wuli our belief that they are not Shakespeare's, but the
comedian's who enacted the part of Pandarus. are here omitted.
In closing our annotations upon this fine play, however, we
cannot take leave of it without stating that we have been the
rather free in expressing our dislike of its final scenes and our
conviction that they are not Shakespeare's, because we think
they are unworthy to come after that which has so magnificently
preceded them, as the eloquent wisdom of Ulysses, the
classical and romantic colouring of the whole dramatic picture,
and ihe admirable moral characterisation depicted with subtlest
touches. Those who most gratefully recognise Shakespeare's
power of delineating the glories, beauties, and delicacies of
woman's character, will the most readily avow the mastery w ith
which he has depicted its foibles, meannesses, and crassitudes
in the wretched Cressida. As Shakespeare's Imogen, Portia,
Rosalind, Miranda, and their sisterh 1 are triumphant types
of woman's excellence, charm, and innocence, commanding all
women's gratitude and emulation, so does Shakespeare's Cressida
form a type of woman's weakness, despicableness, and degra-
dation, affording all women an affecting and salutary monition.
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Caius Marcius Coriolanus, a Noble Roman.
Titus Lartius, )
_ f Generals against the Volscians.
COMINIUS, ) "
Menenius Agrippa, Friend to Coriolanus.
Sicinius Velutus, )
, „ y Tribunes ot the People.
Junius Brutus, J '
Young Marcius, Son to Coriolanus.
A Roman Herald.
Tullus Aufidius, General of the Volscians.
Lieuten.int to Aufidius.
Conspirators with Aufidius.
A Citizen of Antium.
Two Volscian Guards.
Volumnia, Mother to Coriolanus.
Virgilia, Wife to Coriolanus.
Valeria, Friend to Virgilia.
Gentlewoman attending on Virgilia.
Roman and Volscian Senators, Patricians, Mdifes, Lictors,
Soldiers, Citizens, Mesengers, Servants to Aufidius, ami
other Attendants.
Scene — Partly in Rome, and partly in the territories of the
Volscians and Anttates,
CORIOLANUS.1
ACT I.
SCENE I.— Rome. ./ street.
Enter a company of mutinous Citizens, nxiith
staves, clubs, ami other weapons.
First Cit. Before we proceed any farther, hear
me speak.
Citizens. Speak, speak.
First Cit. You are all resolv'd rather to die
than to famish ?
Citizens. Resolved, resolved.
First Cit. First, you kr.ou- Caius Marcius is
chief enemy to the people.
Citizens. We know't, we know't.
First Cit. Let us kill him, and we'll have corn
at our own price. Is 't a verdict ?
Citizens. No more talking on't ; let it be done:
away, away !
Sec. Cit. One word, goo.l citizens.
i. The first known printed copy of " The Tragedy of Corio-
l.inus " is the one in the 1623 Folio; and on the 8th of November
in that year it was entered on the Registers of the Stationers'
Company by Edward Blount and Isaac Jaggard, the publishers
of the Folio, as one of the copies "not formerly entered to other
men.*' There is no existing evidence to denote the period of its
composition or of its first production on the stage; but indii a-
tions derivable from its style show it to have been among the
later-written plays of Shakespeare. There are certain clisional
contractions used by him ..specially at one epoch of bis writing,
that appear in this play, and bear similitude to those appearing
in "The Winter's Talc" and "Henry VIII, ;" there is also
much of the same strikingly condensed constructional form and
elliptical diction to be traced ; while the mature tone of thought
is entirely that of his latter works. A verbal resemblance
between his mode of relating the fable-story tol.l by Mcncnius
in the first scene of the play, and Camden's mode of giving the
same story in his " Remains," published in 1605, makes it pro-
bable that the dramatist had seen Camden's version ; although
this fable-story is likewise recounted in North's " Plutarch's
Lives, whence Shakespeare derived the main groundwork for
the structure of the present drama. The peculiar skill with
which be adopted passages from the historian's pages to whii h
we adverted in our opening Note of " Richard II."), transferring
First Cit. \Ve arc accounted | oor citizens ; the
patricians, good.2 What authority surfei!
relieve us ; i! they ivould \ ield us hut the superfluity,
while it were wholesome, we might guess they
relieved us humanely, but they think we ate too
dear:3 the leanness that afflicts us, lie 0 licet of
our misery,4 is an inventory to particularise their
abundance , our sufferance is a gain to them. — Let
us revenge this with our pikes, ere we 1
rakes;5 for the gods know I speak this in hunger
for bread, not in thirst for revenge.
Sec. (Jit. Would you proceed especially against
Cams Marcius ?
First Cit. Against him first:8 he's a very dog
to the commonalty.
Sec. (Jit. Consider you what servi
done for his counti\ ?
First Cit. Very well ; and could be cnnK
them with almost literal exactness, yet at the same lime invest-
ing them with all the dignity and beauty of vcrsific.
ently visible here, He takes the ah
Sir Thomas North trans:., id from Ainyol I'
French renderiri '
very sublime of poetic history. II , for in-
1 :. of ' -I iolanti 1 to Ttillti lull nencing,
" My name is Otitis Mai
Ai t v.. beginning, " Should ■
given almost word f"r word as rcc rded in Nortl Phil
yet so superbly are they set to the mil
that they read with all the freedom of primal invention.
2. Thefatri, in Good " i
which it bears as c 1 cue. ri i il term, signifying ' 1 I
• of -no i.ci'i..! possession.' '■ let i., "Mi
Venice."
3. Too dear. 'Too cosily to maintain.'
4. The object of our n ["he spectacle ol
" object" is here used to express that which is bchi
of sight.
5. Ere av 1; 'As lc 1
rbial simile; ami is used by both CI
6. Against him first. This speech lias the prttUot'AU
in the Ko'io. Malonc suggested the correction.
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
give him good report for't, but that he pays him-
self with being proud.
Sec. Cit. Nay, but speak not maliciously.'
First Cit. I say unto you, what he hath done
famously, he did it to that end : though soft-
conscienced men can be content to say it was for
his country, he did it to please his mother, and
to be partly proud ;3 which he is, even to the alti-
tude of his virtue.
See. Cit. What he cannot help in his nature,
you account a vice in him. You must in no way
say he is covetous.
First Cit. If I must not, I need not be barren
of accusation; he hath faults, with surplus, to tire I
in repetition. [Shouts Tvithiu.~] What shouts are
these ? The other side o' the city is risen : why
stay we prating here ? to the Capitol !
Citizens. Come, come.
First Cit. Soft ! who comes here ?
Sec. Cit. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that
hath always loved the people.
First Cit. He's one honest enough : would all
the rest were so !
Enter Menenius Agrippa.
Men. What work's, my countrymen, in hand?
where go you
With bats and clubs ? the matter ? speak, I pray
you.
First Cit. Our business is not unknown to the
senate,'1 they have had inkling,111 this fortnight,
what we intend to do, which now we'll show 'em
in deeds. They say poor suitors have strong
breaths : they shall know we have strong arms
too.
Men, Why, masters, my good friends, mine
honest neighbours,
Will you undo yourselves?
First Cit. We cannot, sir, we are undone already.
Men. I tell you, friends,. most charitable care
Have the patricians of you. For your wants,
Your suffering in this dearth, you may as well
Strike at the heaven with your staves as lift them
7 .Y.i.j', but speak not maliciously. This speech, in the Folio,
has likewise the prelix 'A//;' but it evidently belongs to the
Second Citizen, who throughout this scene speaks in a temperate
tone, and with leniency towards Coriolanus. Malone made the
correction. It is observable that in several scenes where many
speakers are engaged, as citizens, servants. &c, the Folio pre
fixes .ne frequently inaccurate in then- individual as>i^ii tit
8. And to be partly proltd. It has been proposed to change
the word "partly" here to 'portly' or 'pertly;' but we think
the sentence is one nf those clumsily-expressed sentences which
Shakespeare purposely and characteristically places in the
mouths of In- common speakers; the phrase here meaning,
'he did it chiefly tn please his mother, and partly for his own
pride's sake.' The man has just before said of Coriolanus,
"he pays himself with being proud?
o. Our business is not, £rc. This speech and those which
follow in this dialogue with Menenius are ascribed in the Folio
Against the Roman state; whose course will on
The way it takes, cracking ten thousand curbs
Of more strong link asunder than can ever
Appear in your impediment: for the dearth,
The gods, not the patricians, make it ; and
Your knees to them, not arms, must help. Alack,
You are transported by calamity
Thither where more attends you , and you slander
The helms o' the state, who care for you like
fathers,
When _miu curse them as enemies.
First- Cit. Care for us! True, indeed! They
ne'er cared for us yet:— suffer us to famish, ami
their store-houses crammed with grain; make
edicts fir usury, to support usurers; lepeal daily
anv wholesome act established against the rich;
and provide more piercing statutes daily, to chain
up and restrain the poor. If the wars eat us
not up, they will; and there's all the love they
bear us.
Men. Either you must
Confess yourselves wondrous malicious,
Or he accus'd of folly. I shall tell you
A pretty tale : it may lie you have heard it ;
But, since it serves my purpose, I will venture
To stale 't a little more."
First Cit. Well, I'll heal it, sir : yet you must not
think to fob off our disgrace1- with a tale : but, an't
please you, deliver.
Men. There was a time when all the body's
members
Rebell'd against the belly ; thus accus'd it : —
That only like a gulf it did remain
I' the midst o' the body, idle and unactive,
Still cupboarding the viand, never bearing
Like labour with the rest ; where13 the- other
instruments
Did see and hear, devise, instruct, walk, feel,
And, mutually participate,14 did minister
Unto the appetite and affection common
Of the whole body. The belly answer'd, —
First Cit. Well, sir, what answer made the
belly ?
to the Second Citizen : but we think that the fact of the First
Citizen having been hitherto the leader of the malcontents
shows that he is intended to be their spokesman on the present
occasion, and the one whom Menenius finally ca'ls " the great
toe of this assembly." Capell made the correction.
to. They have had inkling. Sec Note 15, Act ii., " Henry
VIII,"
11. To stale 't a little more. The Folio prints ' scale 't ' instead
of "stale 't." Theobald's correction, Shakespeare elsewhere
uses "stale" as a verb for to 'make stale,' 'to make flat,
insipid, poor, or too common,' 'to deteriorate by repetition.'
and it appears to us evident that he here uses this word and in
this sense.
i-\ Disgrace. Here used in the sense borne by the Italian
word disgrazia, ' misfortune,1 ' unhappiness.'
13. Where. Occasionally, as here, used for ' whereas.'
14. Participate. Here used for 'participant,' or 'participating.'
Men. Sir, I shall tell you.— With a kind of
smile,
Which ne'er came from the lungs, but even thus
(For, look you, I may make the belly smile
As well as speak,) it tauntingly replied
To the discontented members, the mutinous parts,
That envied his receipt;15 even so most fitly 16
\s j on malign our senators for that
They are not such as you.
First Cit. Your belly's answer ? What!
The kingly-crown&l head, the vigilant eye,
The counsellor heart, the arm our soldier,
Our steed the leg, the tongue our trumpeter,
With other muniments1? and petty helps
15. Envied his receipt. " His " used for ' its.'
16. Fitly. Spoken ironically.
17. Muniment!. 'Defences.' From the Latin, munimcntitm,
a fortification, a defence.
In this our fabric, if that they, —
Men. What then?—
'Fore me, ls this fellow speaks ! — what tln.nr what
then P
First Cit. Should by the cormorant belly be
restrain'd,
Who is the sink o' the body, —
Men. Well, what then ?
First Cit. The former agents, if the;
complain,
What could the belly answer?
Men. I will tell ■
If you'll bestow a smaIlw(of what you have
Patience awhile, you'll hear the belly's answer.
First Cit. You'ie long about it.
18. 'Fare me. See Note 46, Act iv . " «
19. A small. Here ell;
quantity, or amount," as we sometime
(Q
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Men. Note me this, gooil friend ;
Your most grave belly was deliberate,
Not rash like his accusers, and thus answer' d :—
" True is it, my incorporate friends," quoth he,
" That I receive the general food at first,
Which you do live upon ; and fit it is,
Because I am the store-house and the shop
Of the whole body : but, if you do remember,
1 send it through the rivers of your blood,
Even to the court, the heart, — to the seat o' the
brain ;2°
And, through the cranks2' and offices of man,
The strongest nerves and small inferior veins
From me receive that natural competency
Whereby they live: and though that all at once,
You, my good friends," — this says the belly, mark
me, —
First Cit. Ay, sir ; well, well.
Mm. " Though all at once cannot
See what I do deliver out to each,
Yet I can make my audit up, that all
From me do back receive the flour of all,
And leave me but the bran." — What say you
to't :-
First Cit. It was an answer; how apply you
this ?
Melt. T he senators of Rome arc this good belly,
And you the mutinous members; for examine
Their counsels and their cares; digest things
rightly
Touching the weal o' the common ; you shall
find
No public benefit which you receive
But it proceeds or comes from them to you,
And no way from yourselves. — What do you
think,— .
You, the great toe of this assembly ?
First Cit. I the great toe ! why the great toe ?
Men. For that, being one o' the lowest, basest,
poorest,
Of this most wise rebellion, thou go'st foremost:
Thou rascal, that art worst in blood to run,-1
Lead'st first, to win some vantage. —
20 The heart, — to the scat 0' the Irani. The heart was
anciently believed to be the depository of the brain and seat of
the understanding. A little before it is called " the counsellor
heart." In this point, Shakespeare seems to have followed
Camden; who, in his "Remains," relating this fable of the
mutinous member., s.iys. " They all with one accord desired
tilt advice ol the heart. There Reason layd open before them,"
&C. Sec opening note of the present play.
21. Crattks 'Windings' (see Note 17, Act iii., "First Part
Henry IV.") ; here meaning the ducts that lake their winding
course through the human body.
22. Thou rascal, that a:: worst til h/ooii to run. The ex-
pressions in this line arc terms of the chase, used figuratively :
1 rasi .il " signifying 'a lean deer,' 'a deer out of condition ;'
and " in blood " being applied to a deer that is ' in toll v't
' in good condition.' See Notes 19 and 20, Act iv , " First Pari
Henry VI." Menenius taunts the starving citizen with being
But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs ;
Rome and her rats are at the point of battle ;
The one side must have bale.23
Enter Caius Marcius.
Hail, noble Marcius !
Mcir. Thanks. — What's the matter, you dissen-
tious rogues,
That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion,
Make yourselves scabs?
First Cit. We have ever your good word.
Mar. He that will give good words to thee,-1
will flatter
Beneath abhorring. — What would you have, you
curs,
That like nor peace nor war ? the one affrights you,
The other makes you proud.-5 He that trusts to
you,
Where lie should find you lions, finds you hares;
Wluie foxes, geese : you are no surer, no,
'I han is the coal of fire upon the ice,
Or hailstone in the sun. Your virtue is
To make him worthy whose offence subdues him,26
And curse that justice did it. Who deserves
greatness
Deserves your hate ; and ) our affections are
A sick man's appetite, who desires most that
Which would increase his evil. He that depends
Upon your favours swims with fins of lead,
And hews down oaks with rushes. Hang ye!
Trust ye ?
With every minute you do change a mind ;
And cali him noble that was now your hate,
Him vile that was your garland. W hat's the
matter,
That in these several places of the city
You cry against the noble senate, who,
Under the gods, keep you in awe, which else
Would feed on one another ? — What's their
seeking ?
Men. For corn at their own rates; whereof,
they say,
The city is well stoi'd.
lean and out of condition to run fast, yet hurrying among the
foremost in endeavour t,. gain some advantage for himself.
'Harm.' 'evil,' 'mischief.' See Note -t;. Act v ,
" 1 irst Part Henry VI."
ea. C-. . as to thec. It has been proposed tochange
"thee" to 'ye' here; but Coriolanus, emphasising his scornful
" ili' 1 ' first replies in partii ular to the demagogue leader who
is daring enough to tell him the bold, reproachful truth, anil then
gtvi 1 ; ncr.il retort to the assembled mob.
25. Mor/ieace nor war? the one affrights yon, the other. cVf.
"The one" here refers to " war." and "the other" to " peace."
Shakespeare occasionally has these inconsecutive ret- I
where the antecedents are alluded to inversely — the last-named
:. ■ thi iii t nami i last,
1 ,vr virtue A-, to male, C-c. 'Your virtue consists in
making him out to he worthy whose offence subjects him to
penalty, and then to cuisc that justice which legally inflicts it.'
Act I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Mar. Hang 'em .' The) sa) !
They'll sit by the fire, and presume to know
What's .lone i' the Capitol; who's like to tisc,
Who thrives, and who declines; side factions, and
give out
Conjectural marriages , making parties strong,
And feebling such as stand not in their liking
Below their cobbled slices. They say there's grain
enough !
Would the nobility lay aside their ruth,-'"
And let me use my sword, I'd make a quarry-'*
With thousands of these quarter' d slaves, as high
As I could pick my lance.-3
Men. Nay, these ate almost thoroughly per- I Our musty superfluity.— See, our best elders,
Ere so prevail'd with me: it will i:.
Win upon powcr,33and throw forth greater themes
For insurrection's arguing.
Mi a. Thi - i
Mar. Go, get you home, you fragmc
Enter a Messenger, hastily.
Mess. When-', < '.mi, M.n, ;n
Mar. Here : ulna's the matter ':
Mess. The news is, sir, the Volsces are in
arms.
Mai . I am glad on 't: then we shall have means
to vent
suaded ;
For though abundant!) they lack discretion,
Vet are they passing cowardly. But, I besee I]
\ ou,
What -m s the other troop ?
Mar. The) are dissolv'd : hang 'em 1
They said they were a-hungry : sigh'd forth pro-
verbs,—
That hunger broke stone walls, that dogs must
eat,
That meal was made for mouths, that the gods
sent not
Corn for the rich men only: — witli these shreds
They vented their complainings : which being
answer* d,
And a petition granted them, a strange one
(To break the heart of generosity,""
And make bold power look pale), they threw their
caps
As they would hang them on the horns o' the
moon,
Shouting their emulation.31
Men. What is granted them ?
Mar. five tribunes to defend their vulgar wis-
doms,
Of their own choice : one's Junius Brutus,
Sicinius Velutus, and I know not — 'Sdeath !:,;
The rabble should have first unroof'd tl e city,
27 Ruth. ' Compunction,' 'compassion,' 'pity.'
28. A quarry. This was a forester's term for a heap of
slaughtered game : the word being derived from the square
space called a querre, which was enclosed for the purpose of
royal chasing, and in which the dead game was deposited, 1 he-
word was also used in a sense which gives still farther point to
Coriolanus's employment of the epithet here: for Bullokar, in
111, "English Expositor," 1616, says that "a quarry among
i^ulieth the reward given to hounds after tl
hunted, or the venison which is taken by hunting."
• 9 •'> high as t could fink my laiice. " Pick " is here used
in the sense of 'pitch.' 'cast,' 'throw,' 'hurl.' See Note 82,
Act v . " Henry VIII."
30. Generosity. Here used, in its classically-derived sense, t 1
express ' nobility,' ' those of high birth.' See Note 7;. \ i tv.,
Measure for Measure."
3r. Shouting their emulation. The Folio misprints ' shoot-
ing' for "shouting" here. Pope's correction. The whole
phrase bears the double sense of ' shouting in emulation of each
Enter Cominius, "Titus Lartius, andothei
tors; Junius Brutus and Sicinius Velutus.
First Sen. Marcius, 'tis true that you have
lately told us«—
The Volsces are in arms.
Mar. They have a leader,
Tullus Aufidius, that will put you to't.
1 sin in envying his nobility ;
And were I anything but what I am,
I would wish me only he.
Com. You have fought together.
Mar, Were half to half the world by the ears,
and he
Upon m> party, I'd revolt, to make
Only my wars with him : he is a lion
That I am proud to hunt.
First Sen. Then, worthy Marcius,
Attend upon Cominius to these wars.
Com It is your former promise.
Mar. Sir, iii-;
And I am constant.35 Titus Lartius, thou
Shalt see me once more strike at Tullus' 1
What, art thou stiff? stan I'st out :
Tit. No, Cuius M 11
I'll lean upon one crutch, and light with t'other,
Ere stay behind this bu
Men. Oh, true-bred 1
other who should bawl loudest,' and 'shouting in triumph at
this success of their factious content)
I ind Ci
One's yuuiu> Brutus, Sicinius Velutus, and 1
not ." The omitted word 'another.' which i, cllip
Sicinius Velutus," .mil the abruptly
off sentence, admirably aid to express the speaker's haughty
petulance.
33. It wit! in time win, &e. "It" here, instead Ol
ring to the ostensible antecedent, "the rabble." rcallv
to the implied particular of the concession mad,- ■
by giving them tribunes : which particular is implied in the
,', li.it is granted them I
defend." &c.
34. 'Tis true that you have lately told us. "Told" herein
the force of ' foretold,' ' told would be the case,' 1
happen:' I nus has himself but just heard I'.
a-r that the Volsces are actually in arms.
35. / am constant. ' I am firm in adhering t • 1
Act 1.1
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
let them follow :
take these rats
First Sen. Your company to the Capitol ; where,
I know,
Our greatest friends attend us.
Tit. Lead you on : —
Follow, Cominius; we must follow you ;
Right worthy you priority.36
Com. Noble Marcius !3'
First Sen. [To the Citizens.] Hence to your
homes ; he gone !
Mar. Nay
The Volsces have much corn ;
thither'
To gnaw their garners. — Worshipful mutineers,
Your valour puis well forth :39 pray, follow.
[Exeunt Senators, Cominmus, Marcius,
Titus, and Menenius. Citizens neat
away.
Sic. Was ever man so proud as is this Marcius?
Bru. He has no equal.
Sic. When we were chosen tribunes for the
people, —
Bru. Mark'd you his lip and eyes ?
Sic. Nay, but his taunts.
Bru. Being mov'd, he will not spare to gird39
the gods.
Sic. Bemock the modest moon.
Bru. The present wars devour him : he is
gro u n
Too prou I to be so valiant.40
Sic. Such a nature,
Tickled with good success, disdains the shadow
Which he treads on at noon: but I do wonder
His insolence can brook to be commanded
Under Cominius.
36. Right worthy you priority. ' Right worthy are you of
priority.' Eliiptically expressed. It appears to us that, in this
speech, Titus Lartius addresses the words ''lead you on" to
the senators; then hids Cominius follow them ; adding "we"
(that is, Coriolanus and himself) " must follow you ; " conclud-
ing with, for you are right worthy of that precedence which
your appointment as commander-general gives you.
,7 Noble Marcius! Rowe altered "Marcius" here to
' Lartius;' but we think it is Comiuius's sentence of courtesy
to Coriolanus intended probably to be accompanied by an in-
clination of the head . in passing to go before him, according to
the appointed "priority." It, as it were, acknowledges the
speaker's sense of Coriolanus's right of precedence, even while
he takes it himself in deference to the senate's decree. See, for
a similar form of address, Note 40, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
38. Your valour puts well forth. ' Your valour exhibits itself
promisingly ' This is said tauntingly ; as an ironical sneer at
the 1 iii.'ens for stealing away instead of following to go to the
wars,
39. Gird. 'Gibe,' 'jeer.' See Note 27, Act i., "Second
Pari Henry IV "
40 The present wars devour him: he is grown, &°c. This
is eliiptically expressed; but we think the sense is obviously—
rhe wars absorb him wholly ; be is grown too proud of being
s 1 valiant.1 In the speech of Gower, as Chorus, in " Pericles,"
Act iv , sc. 4, we find, " And Pericles, in sorrow all devoured ; "
and to be 'devoured by grief,' or 'eaten up by pride,' are idioms
still in me. We think, therefore, that the idea of 'pride in his
own valour, strengthened by the occasion for its display afforded
Bin. Fame, at the which he aims,—
In whom already he's well grae'd, — can not
Better be held, nor more attain' d, than by
A place below the first : for what miscarries
Shall be the general's fault, though he perform
To the utmost of a man ; and giddy censure
Will then cry out of Marcius, " Oh, if he
Had borne the business !"
Sic Besides, if things go well,
Opinion, that so sticks on Marcius, shall
Ol his demerits'" rob Cominius.
Bru. Come :
Half all Cominius' honours are to Marcius. 4-
Though Marcius earn'd them not ; and all his
faults
To Marcius shall be honours, though, indeed,
In aught he merit not.
Sic. Let's hence, and hear
How the dispatch is made ; and in what fashion,
More than his singularity,43 lie gees
Upon this present action.
Bru. Let's along. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Coriou. The Senate-bouse.
Enter Tullus Aufidius and certain Senators.
First Sen. So, your opinion is, Aufidius,
That they of Rome are enter'd in our counsels,44
And know how we proceed.
Auf. Is it not yours ?
What ever have been thought on in this state,45
That could be brought to bodily act ere Rome
by these wars, devours him entirely' is presented by this sen-
tence.
41. Demerits. This word was sometimes formerly used in the
same sense as ' merits ; ' the Latin demereo having even a stronger
meaning of desert than mereo. In Cavendish's " Life of Wol-
sey," the cardinal says to his servants—'" I have 1101 pi im il 1
and preferred you to condign preferments according to \ iur
demerits. "
42. Half all Comiuins' honours are to Marcius. " Are 11"
here is used to express 'will be assigned to.' 'will be .
to ' It is employed not only elliptic. illy, but wall that licence
of expression with regard to an indefinite future or past time
which Shakespeare occasionally introduces with so natur.il an
effei t.
43. His singularity. Besides meaning 'his individual ca-
pacity,' and ' his special appointment,' the phrase means ' bis
peculiarity,' 'his own particular pride of disposition.' It com-
prises the senses of bis single self and the exact commission lit-
is to bear, as well as including a fleer at the characteristic that
distinguishes him.
44. Are enter'd in our counsels. 'Are in the secret of our
proposed proceedings,' ' are aware of our purposes.'
45. What ever have been thought on. In the second Folio
"have" is changed to 'hath;' but the word "counsels"
occurring in the previous speech, is understood as repeated
after " what," or rather as included in the word " what "
here. " Counsel " was sometimes formerly used in the sense of
'design;' and here "counsels" mean 'the proceedings proposed
in council,' ' the proposals devised and debated.'
Volumnia. I pray you, daughter, sing ; or express } ourself in a
more comfortable sort.
Act I. Scene III.
176
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene 111.
Had circumvention ? 'Tis not four days gone
Since I heard thence; these are the words: I think
I have the letter here ; yes, here it is : \_ReaJs.
" They have press'd ^a power, but it is not known
Whether for east or west : the dearth is great ;
The people mutinous : and it is rumour'd,
Cominius, Marcius your old enemy
(Who is of Rome worse hated than of you),
.And Tilus Lartius, a most valiant Roman,
These three lead on this preparation
Whither 'tis bent : most likely 'tis for you :
Consider of it."
First Sen. Our army's in the field :
We never yet made doubt but Rome was ready
To answer us.
Auf. Nor did you think it folly
To keep your great pretences veil'd till when
They needs must show themselves; which in the
hatching,
It seem'd, appear'd to Rome. By the discovery,
We shall be shorten'd in our aim ; which was,
To take in many towns/' ere, almost, Rome
Should know we were afoot.
Sec. Sen. Noble Aufidius,
Take your commission ; hie you to your bands :
Let us alone to guard Corioli :
If they set down before us, for the remove 43
Bring up your army ; but, I think, you'll find
They've not prepar'd for us.
Auf. Oh, doubt not that ;
I speak from certainties. Nay, more,
Some parcels of their power are forth already,
And only hitherward. I leave your honours.
If we and Caius Marcius chance to meet,
'Tis sworn between us, we shall ever strike49
Till one can do no more,
All. The gods assist you
Auf. And keep your honours safe !
First Sen. Farewell.
Sec. Sen. Farewell.
All. Farewell. [Exeunt.
SCENE III. — Rome. A Room m Marcius'
House,
Enter VoLUMNlA and VlRGILlA : tbey sit tlozun on
fwo Iotu stools, an J sew.
Vol. I pray you, daughter, sing; or express
yourself in a more comfortable sort: if my son
46. Press'd. Here used as we now use ' iinpress'd ; ' for
'forced into military service,' 'levied forcibly.' In North's
"Plutarch " the word is used in this sense.
47. To take in m ntv towns. ' To conquer many towns.'
See Note 167. Act iv , " Winter's Tale."
48. For tile remove. ' For the removal of them.' It has been
proposed to change " the " to ' their ; ' but we have other in-
stances of this kind of ellipsis in Shakespeare.
were my husband, I should freelier rejoice in that
absence wherein he won honour than in the ein-
bracements where he would show most love. W hen
) et he was but tender-bodied, and the only son
of my womb ; when youth with comeliness plucked
all gaze his way ; when, for a day of kings' en-
treaties, a mother should not sell him an hour from
her beholding; I, — considering how honour would
become such a person ; that it was no better than
picturelike to hang by the wall, if renown made
it not stir, — was pleased to let him seek danger
where he was like to find fame. To a cruel war
I sent him ; from whence he returned, his brows
bound with oak.50 I tell thee, daughter,— I sprang
not more in joy at first hearing he was a man-
child, than now in first seeing he had proved him-
self a man.
Vir. But had he died in the business, madam, —
how then ?
Vol. Then his good report should have been my
son ; I therein would have found issue. Hear me
profess sincerely, — had I a dozen sons, each in my
love alike, and none less dear than thine and my
good Marcius, — I had rather had eleven die nobly
for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out
of action.
Enter a Gentlewoman.
Gent. Madam, the Lady Valeria is ccme to
visit you.
Vir. 'Beseech you, give me leave to retire
myself.
Vol. Indeed, you shall not.
Methinks I hear hither your husband's drum ;
See him pluck Aufidius down by the hair;
As children from a bear, the Volsces shunning
him :
Methinks I see him stamp thus, and call thus, —
" Come on, you cowards ! you were got in fear,
Though you were born in Rome :" his bloody'
brow
With his mail'd hand then wiping, forth he
goes;
Like to a harvest-man, that's task'd to mow
Or all, or lose his hire.
Vir. His bloody brow ! O Jupiter, no blood !
Vol. Away, you fool! it more becomes a
man
Than gilt61 his trophy : the breasts of Hecuba,
When she did suckle Hector, look'd not lovelier
Than Hector's forehead when it spit forth blood
49. We shall ever strike. ' We shall keep on striking.'
50. His brows bound with oak. A crown of oak-leaves was
the honour with which the Romans rewarded anyone who saved
the life of a citizen : and.Coriolanus had performed this deed on
the occasion referred to.
51. Gilt. Formerly used for ' gilding.' or an inlaying of
gold.
Act I.]
CORIOLAXUS.
[Scene hi.
At Grecian swords' contending.62 — Tell Valeria,
We are tit to bid her welcome. [Exit Gent.
Vir. Heavens bless my lord from tell Aufidius !
Vol. He'll beat Aufidius' head below his knee,
And tread upon his neck.
V -inter Gentlewoman, ivith Valeria and htr
Usher.
/'.//. My ladies both, good day to you.
Vol. Sweet madam.
Vir. I am glad to see your ladyship.
Val. How do you both ? you are manifest house-
keepers. What are you sewing here ? A fine spot,53
in good faith. — How does your little son ?
Vir. I thank your ladyship; well, good madam.
Vol. He had rather see the swords, and hear a
drum, than look upon his schoolmaster.
Val. O' my word, the father's son : I'll swear,
'lis a very pretty boy. O' my troth, I looked upon
him o' Wednesday half an hour together : he has
such a confirmed countenance. I saw him run
after a gilded butterfly ; and when he caught it, he
let it go again ; and after it again ; and over and
over he comes, and up again ; catched it again : or
whether his fall enraged him, or how 'twas, he did
so set his teeth, and tear it. Oh, I warrant, how he
mammocked it !54
Vol. One of his father's moods.
Val. Indeed, la, 'tis a noble child.55
Vir. A crack, madam.56
/'.;/. Come, lay aside your stitchery; I must
hue \ ou play the idle huswite with me this after-
noon.
Vir. No, good madam ; I will not out of doors.
Val. Not out of doors !
Vol. She shall, she shall.
Vir. Indeed, no, by your patience; I'll not
over the threshold till my lord return from the
wars.
Val. Fie, you confine vourself most unreason-
52. At Grecian swords' contending. — Tell Valeria. In the
Folio this is printed — ' At Grecian sword. Containing, Tell
Valsrut ;' where the word ' Containing' being printed with a
capital initial letter, in italics, and with a comma after it, leads to
the supposition that it may have been a misprint for some name
addressed to the waiting-gentlewoman. Various alterations of
the line have been made ; the one we adopt being that of Capell.
53. A fine spot, in good faith. " Spot " probably refers to
the design of the embroidery upon which Virgilia is engaged.
Desdemona's handkerchief (" Othello," Act iii., sc. 3) is "spotted
with strawberries."
54. Mammocked. 'Tore in pieces,' 'pulled to bits.'
35. Indeed, la, 'tis a noble child. " La " is here an expletive.
giving additional force to the word " indeed ; " as the French
occasionally use their word ' !&,' and we sometimes use our
word ' there,' to give an emphatic and final eftect to such a sen-
tence as this — ' I won't do it, and so I tell you : there !' In the
mouths of school-boys and school-girls this is a frequent form of
expression; and "la" is thus used by Shakespeare elsewhere.
See, for instance, "Merry Wives," Act i., sc. t, .Master Sen-
der's flabbily emphatic protest that he will not take precedence
of Mistress Anne Page—" Truly, I will not go firs: ; truly, la :
ably: come, you must go visit the good lad.) thai
lies in.
Vir. I will wish her speedy strength, and visit
her with my prayers; but I cannot go thither.
Vol. Why, I pray you ?
Vir. 'Tis not to save labour, nor that I wanl
love.
Val. You would be another Penelope : '•• yet,
they say, all the yarn she spun in Ulysses' absence
did but fill Ithaca full of moths. Come; I would
jour cambric were sensible55 as your finger, that
Km might leave pricking it for pity. Come, you
shall go with us.
Vir. No, good madam, pardon me; indeed, I
will not forth.
Val. In truth, la, go with me ; and I'll tell you
excellent news of your husband.
Vir. Oh, good mad. 1111. there can be none yet.
Val. Verily, I do not jest with you; there came
news from him last night.
Vir. Indeed, madam ?
Val. In earnest, it's true; I heard a senator speak
it. Thus it is : — The Volsces have an army forth -
against whom Cominius the general is gone, with
one part of our Roman power: your lord an I
Titus Lartius are set down before their city Corioli ;
they nothing doubt prevailing, ami to make it brief
wars. This is true, on mine honour ; and so, I
pray, go with us.
Vir. Give me excuse, good madam ; I will obey,
you in everything hereafter.
Vol. Let her alone, lady : as she is now, she will
but disease our better mirth.
Val. In troth, I think she would. — hue you
well, then. — Come, good sweet lady. — Pr'j
Virgilia, turn thy solemness out o' door, a
along with us.
Vir. No, at a word, madam ; indeed, I 11111
I wish you much mirth.
Val. Well, then, farewell. {Exeunt.
I will not do you that wrong." And again—" You do yourself
wrong, indeed, la." It is a different sense in which the
used, where Maria, "Twelfth Night," Act iii., sc. <, I
" La you ! an you speak ill," &c. : and where it is a form of
the exclamation 'lo !' that was anciently in familiar us---,
the original Saxon word of interjection. It.
56. A crack. 'A lively boy.' See Note 2S, Act iii., "Second
Part Henry IV."
57. Penelope. Wife to Ulvw-s, King of [lh tea : who, during
h's absence at and after the Trojan war, w suitors
who endeavoured to persuade her that l'l.
who besought her to choose from among them a second husband.
To ri I herself of their imp irl mil -. she engaged to make her
selection when the piece of work up
I I
There is a pi 1
the destructive ins
idlers attracted round the light of Pen
58 Sensible. I I : with the meaning of ' s-
• capable of feeiin
•
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I\'.
SCENE IV.— Before Corioli.
E,acr, •with drum and colours, Marcius, Titus
Lartius, Officers and Soldiers.
Mar. Yonder comes news :r-a wager they have
met.
Lart. My horse to yours, no.
Mar. 'Tis done.
Lart. Agreed.
Enter a Messenger.
Mar. Say, has our general met the enemy ?
Mess. They lie in view ; but have not spoke as
yet.
Lart. So, the good horse is mine.
Mar. I'll buy him of you.
Lart. No, I'll nor sell nor give him : lend you
him I will
For half a hundred years. — Summon the town.
Mar. How fir off lie these armies ?
Mess. Within this mile and half.50
Mar. Then shall we hear their 'larum, and they
ours.—
Now, Mars, I pr'ythee, make us quick in work,
That we with smoking swords may march from
hence,
To help our fielded friends!60 — Come, blow thy
blast.
They sound a parley. Enter, on the 'walls, tivo
Senators and others.
Tullus Aufidius, is he within your walls?
First Sen. No, nor a man that fears you less
than he,
That's lesser than a little.61 [Drums afar off.]
Hark, our drums
Are bringing forth our youth ! we'll break our
walls,
Rather than they shall pound us up : our gates,
Which yet seem shut, we have but pinn'd with
rushes ;
They'll open of themselves. [A/arum afar off.]
Hark you, far off!
There is Aufidius ; list, what work he makes
Amongst your cloven army
59. Within this mile a'td half. Steevens says, " The two
last words, which disturb the measure, should be omitted;" as
we are told in sc. 6, that "'tis not a mile." But Shakespeare
frequently has lines of more or fewer than ten feet, and he often
purposely gives these kind of variations in reports on a battle-
field, as being peculiarly natural to the scene. See Note 10,
Act v., " Richard III."
Co. Our Gelded friends. ' Our friends in the field of battle '
61. 1V0, nor ft matt that Jeart you less than he, that's
I sser than a little. This has been suspected of error, and
has been variously altered; while Malone says, "The text, I
am confident, is right, our author almost always entangling
himself when he uses 'less' and 'more.'" That Shakespeare
uses 'less' peculiarly is true (sec Note 15, Act iii., "Winter's
Tale"); but this, far from inferring th.it his sentences are
wrongly printed or " entangledly " written, shows that we must
Mar. Oh, they are at it !
Lart. Their noise be our instruction. — Ladders,
ho!
'The Volsces enter and pass over.
Mar. They fear us not, but issue forth their city.
Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight
With hearts more proof than shields. — Advance,
brave Titus :
Thev do disdain us much beyond our thoughts,
Which makes me sweat with wrath. — Come on,
my fellows ;
He that retires, I'll take him for a Volsce,
And he shall teel mine edge.
[Alarum; and exeunt Romans and Volsces,
fighting. The Romans are beaten back
to their troches.
Re-enter Marcius.
Mar. All the contagion of the south light on you,
You shames of Rome! you herd of — B-oils and
plagues62
Plaster you o'er; that you may be abhorr'd
Farther than seen, and one infect another
Against the wind a mile ! You souls of geese,
That bear the shapes of men, how have you run
From slaves that apes would beat ! Pluto and hell !
All hurt behind; backs red, and faces pale
With flight and agu'd fear! Mend, and charge
home,
Or, by the fires of heaven, I'll leave the foe,
And make my wars on you ; look to 't : come on ;
If you'll stand fast, we'll beat them to their wives,
As they us to our trenches followed. 63
Another a/a urn. The Volsces and Romans re-
enter, an I the fight is renewed. The Volsces
retire into Coriolo, and MARCIUS follotvs them
to the gates.
So, now the gates are ope; — now prove good
seconds:
'Tis for the followers fortune widens them,
Not for the fliers : mark me, and do the like.
[Marcius triers the gates.
First Sol. Fool-hardiness; not I.
give them full consideration, while bearing in mind his peculiar
style of employing words. The sentence, we think, means :
— ' No, he is not within the walls, nor is there there a man
that fears you less than he, who fears you less than next to
nothing.' No man can fear less than one who fears less than
a little ; and this is one of those simple verities which Shake-
speare often gives under the form of an apparent antithesis.
See the passage referred to in Note 56, Act i., " Troilus and
Cressida," where the word "less" also occurs with rather
peculiar effect.
62. Yoitlierdof Boils an.l plagues, &*c. The Folio prints
' you Heard of Byles and Plagues ; ' whereby the sentence is
male meaningless, an 1 the characteristically impetuous break
in Marcius's speech is lost. Johnson's correction.
63. Followed. The first Folio prints ' followes ' here. Cor-
rected in the second Folio.
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[SCMXIi I\'.
A/arcius. Mark me, and do the like.
First Soldier. Fool-hardiness ; not I.
Second Soldu-r. Nor I.
Act I. Scene IV.
Sec. Sol.
First Sol. See, they have shut him in.
.ill. To the pot,M I warrant him
[Alarum continues.
Re-enter Titus Lartius.
Lart. What is become of Marcius ?
All. Slain, sir, doubtless.
f. rst Sol. Following the fliers at the very heels,
64. To the pot. 'To go to p:>t,* or 'to go to the pot,' have
long been idiomatic phrases in common use, signifying ' to go
to perdition."
65. IVIto, sensible, outdares his senseless rword, and, when
tt bows, stands «/ .' The Folio prints 'sensibly' for " sensible,"
and ' stand'st ' for " stands " here. Johnson's correction, partly
suggested by Thirlby. " Sensible," in the present passage, is
used with the same meaning as in the passage referred to in
Note 58 of this Act.
66. A soldier even to Cato's wish. The Folio prints ' Cahies '
Nor I. j With them he enters ; who, upon the sudden,
[Marcius is shut in. ' Clapp'd-to their gates : he is himself alone,
To answer all the city.
Lart. Oh, noble fellow !
Who, sensible, outdares his senseless sword,
And, when it bows, stands up!65 Thou art left.
Marcius :
A carbuncle entire, as big as thou art,
Were not so rich a jewel. Thou wast a soldier
Even to Cato's wish,66 not fierce and terrible
for "Cato's" here; which a passage in North's "Plutarch"
shows to be the word intended :— " He [Coriolanus] «
such another as Cato would have a souldier and captaine to
be." This form of praise, taken from the historian's page and
placed by the dramatist in the mouth of one of Coi:
brother-warriors, becomes subject to the reprobation of one
of the commentators as "a great chronological impropriety ;"
but we have many times shown the principle on which Shake-
speare committed these wilful anachronisms, making them
dramatic fitnesses.
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scenes V., VI.
O.ily in strokes; but, with thy grim looki and
The thunder-like percussion of thy sounds,
Thou mad'st thine enemies shake, as if the world
Were feverous and did tremble.
Re-enter M\rciu>, bleeding, assaulted by the
enemy.
First Sol. Look, sir.
Lart. Oh, 'tis Marcius !
Let's fetch hiin off, or mike remain alike.6'
[They fight, and all enter the City.
Lart. Now the fair goddess, Fortune,
Fall deep in love with thee; and her great charms
Misguide thy opposers' swords! Bold gentleman,
Prosperity be thy page!
Mar. Thy friend no less
Than those she placeth highest!72 So, farewell.
Lart. Thou worthiest Marcius ! —
[Exit Marcius.
Go, sound thy trumpet in the market-place ;
Call thither all the officers of the town,
Where they shall know our mind: away! [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Within Corioli. A Street.
Enter certain Romans, nvitb spoils.
First Rom. This will I carry to Rome.
Sec. Rom. And I this.
Third Rom. A murrain on 't ! I took this for
silver. [Alarum continues still afar off.
Enter Marcius and Titus Lartius ivith a
trumpet.**
Mar. See here these movers, that do prize their
hours69
At a crack'd drachm !'" Cushions, leaden spoony
Irons of a doit/' doublets that hangmen would
Bury with those that wore them, these base slaves,
Ere yet the tight be done, pack up:— down wiih
them ! —
And hark, what noise the general makes !— To
him !
There is the man of my soul's hate, Autidius,
Piercing our Romans: then, valiant Titus, take
Convenient numbers to make good the city ;
Whilst I, with those that have the spirit, will haste
To help Cominius.
Lart. Worthy sir, thou bleed'st;
Thy exercise hath been too violent
For a second course of fight.
Mar. Sir, praise me not ;
My work hath yet not warm'd me : fare you well :
The blood I drop is rather physical
Thin dangerous to me: to Aufidius thus
I will appear, and fight.
67. Or in ike y.uziiii alike. 'Or remain there l.ke him.'
" Make remain" was an old idiomatic form of 'remain.'
68. A trumpet. Sometimes, as here, used for ' a trumpeter.'
6g. T/teir /tours. Here Rowe changed " hours" to 'honours ;'
hut Coriolanus was not the man to speak of ' honours ' to the
men whom he treats as " the shames of Rome." He bids them
not lose their time while there is still work to be done : he twits
them with throwing away the precious m intents in running after
booty "ere yet the fight be done "
70. Drackm. A contracted form of 'drachma.' which was
perhaps what the poet wrote here : for in the Folio copy of
".Julius Cjesar" the word "drachmacs" occurs twice. A drachma
was an old Grecian coin, used also in Rome. There were silver
SCENE VI. — Near the Camp 0/C0MINIUS.
Enter Cominius and forces, retreating.
Com. Breathe you, my friends : well fought ;
we are come off
Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands,
Nor cowardly in retire : believe me, sirs,
We shall be charg'd again. Whiles we have
stru'k,
By interims and conveying gu^ts we have heard
The charges of our friends. — Ye Roman gods,73
Lead their successes as we wish our own,
That both our powers, with smiling fronts en-
countering,
May give you thankful sacrifice !
Enter a Messenger.
Thy news ?
Mess. The citizens of Corioli have issu'd,
And given to Lartius and to Marcius battle:
I saw our party to their trenches driven,
And then I came away.
Com. Though thou speak'st truth,
Methinks thou speak'st not well. How long is't
since ?
Mas. Abo\e an hour, my lord.
Com. 'Tis not a mile ; briefly we heard their
drums :
How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour,71
And bring thy news so late ?
Mess. Spies of the Volsces
Held me in chase, that I was fore'd to wheel
drachmas and brass drachmas ; probably one of the latter is
here intended.
71. A doit. A small coin. See Note 37. Act ii., "Tempest"
Here "of a doit" is an elliptical idiom for 'of a doit's value,'
' of a doit in value.'
72. Thy friend no less than those she placetk highest. Ellip-
tically expressed : ' May Prosperity be no less thy friend than
it is the friend of those whom Fortune raises highest !'
73 Ye Roman gods. The Folio prints 'The' for "Ye"
here : which the words " give yoit thankful sacrifice " show to
be correct. Hanmer's emendation.
74. Confound an hour. 'Spend an hour,' 'lose an hour.'
See Note 70, Act i., " First Part Henry IV."
Act I J
CO Kl CLAN US.
[Scene VI.
Three or tour miles about ; else had I, sir,
Half an hour since brought my report.
Com. Who's yonder,
That does appear as he were flay'd ? O gods !
He has the stamp or Marcius ; and I have
Before-time seen him thus.
Mar. [IVithin.'] Come I too late ?
Com. The shepherd knows not thunder from a
tabor,
More than I know the sound of Marcius' tor.gue
From e\erv meaner man.'"5
Enter Marcius.
AW. Come I too late ?
Com. Ay, if you come not in the blood of others,
But mantled in _\our own.
Mar. Oh, let me clip you
In arms as sound as when t woo'd ; in heart
As merry as when our nuptial day was done,
And tapers burn'd to bed ward !
Gom. Flower of warriors,
How is't with Titus Lartius ?
Mar. As with a man busied about decrees :
Condemning some to death, and some to exile ;
Ransoming him or pitying, threatening the other ,
Holding Corioli in the name of Rome,
Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash,
To let him slip at will.
Com. Where is that slave
Which told me they had beat you to your trenches?
Where is he ? call him hither.
Mar. Let him alone;
He did inform the truth: but for our gentlemen,
The common file (a plague ! — tribunes for them !),
The mouse ne'er shunn'd the cat as they did budge7'
From rascals worse than they.
Com. But how prevail'd you ?
Mar. Will the time serve to tell ? I do not
think.
Where is the enemy ? are you lords o' the field ?
It not, why cease you till you are so ?
Com. Marcius,
We have at disadvantage fought, and did
Retire, to win our purpose.
ittlc
know you on
75. From every meaner man. ' From that of every meaner
man's.' A similar form of ellipsis occurs in the passages refened
to in Note 2, Act iii. , "All's Well," and Note 27, Act i.,
" Richard III."
76. Budge. ' Move retreatingly,' ' draw back ;' 'flinch.' Pee
Note 44, Acti., "Third Part Henry VI."
77. The vaward. The vanguard ; the front rank. See Note
78, Act iv., " Henry V."
78. The Antiates. The Folio pri.its 'Antients' for " Antiatcs; "
which is here used as a trisyllable, as if spelt ' Antiats ; ' the
Folio spelling the word thus in the next speech.
79. If any fear lesser his person than, cVt". In the Folio
" lesser " is misprinted ' lessen ; ' an error corrected in the third
Folio. The sentence is elliptical: meaning, 'if any one fear
less for his person than he fears an ill report.'
80. Oh, me alone! make you a word 0/ me! Marcius
Mar. How lies then 1 .
which side
They have plac'd their men of trust ?
Com. As I guess, Marcius,
Their bands i' the vaward"7 are the Antiates,'1
Of their best trust ; o'er them Aufidius,
Their very heart of hope.
Mar. I do beseech you,
By all the battles wherein we have fought,
By the blood we have shed together, by the vows
We have made to endure friends, that you directly
Set me against Aufidius and his Antiates ;
And that you not delay the present, but,
Filling the air with swords advane'd and darts,
We prove this very hour.
Com. Though I could wish
'■ You were conducted to a gentle bath,
I And balms applied to you, yet dare I never
i Deny your asking : take your choice of those
That best can aid your action.
Mar. Those are they
That most are willing. — If any such be here
(As it were sin to doubt) that love this painting
Wherein you see me smear'd ; if any fear
Lesser his person than an ill report;""
If any think brave death outweighs bad life,
And that his country's dearer than himself;
Let him alone, or so many so minded,
Wave thus, to express his disposition,
And follow Marcius.
[They all shout, and leave their sitiords :
take him up in their aims, and cast up
their caps.
Oh, me alone ! make you a sword of me !s"
If these shows' be not outward, which ot you
But is four Volsces? none of you but is
Able to bear against the great Aufidius
A shield as hard as his. A certain number,
Though thanks to all, must I select from all :
rest
Shall bear the business in some other fight,
As cause will be obey'd. Please you to march ;
And four shall quickly draw out my command,91
Which men are best inclin'd.
the
has said, "Let him alone, or so many so minded, wave
thus ; " and, seeing them alt wave their swords in reply and
then take himself up in their arms, which leaves him solely
waving his sword, he rapturously exclaims : — ' Oh, take mc
alone for weapon among you all ! make yourselves a sword
of me ! '
81. Please you to march ; and four shall quickly, &>c. These
latter words of the speech ^tz addressed to Cominius : and
mean : — ' Be pleased to give the order for marching : and four
of our subaltern officers shall quickly select for the pa
I am to command in this special expedition against Aufidius
those men who are best inclined.' "Four" is I
express 'four appointed persons ;' a few lines back, " 1
employed as it sometimes was to express an indefinite number,
in the -Mlt way that " forty " was occasionally thus used. See
Note 60, Act iii., " Henry VIII."
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scenes VII.— IX.
Com. March on, my fellows:
Make good this ostentation, and you shall
Divide in all with us. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— The Gales of Couou.
Titus Lartius, having set a guard upon Corioli
going with drum and trumpet toward Comi-
nius and Caius Marcius, enters with a
Lieutenant, a party of Soldiers, and a Scout.
Lart. So, let the ports he guarded : keep your
duties,
As I have set them djwn. If I do send, despatch
Those centuries to our aid ;8i the rest will serve
For a short holding : if we lose the field,
We cannot keep the town.
Lieu. Fear not our care,83 sir.
Lart. Hence, anil shut your gates upon us. —
Our guider, come ; to the Roman camp conduct us.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VI W.-A Field of Battle between the
Roman and the Volscian Camps.
Alarum. Enter, from opposite sides, Marcius and
Aufidius.
Mar. I'll fight with none but thee; for I do
hate thee
Worse than a promise-breaker.
Auf We hate alike :
Not Afric owns a serpent I abhor
More than thy fame and envy.81 Fix thy foot.
Mar. Let the first budger85 die the other's slave,
A nd the gods doom him after!
Auf. If I fly, Marcius,
Halloo me like a hare.
Mar. Within these three hours, Tullus,
82. Despatch those centuries to our aid. "Centuries" is
here used to express companies consisting each of a hundred
men. Latin, centuria.
83. Fear not our care. ' Fear not our want of care,1 or ' fear
not but that we will have care.' For examples of somewhat
similar idioms, see Note 33, Act i., " Henry V.," and Note 48,
Act iv. " Second Part Henry VI."
84. Not Afric owns a serpent I abhor more than thy fame
and envy. Here "and" has been changed to 'I' by some
editors ; while others, who retain the original word, explain the
construction of the sentence to be : — ' Not Africa owns a serpent
I more abhor and hale than thy fame.' But it appears to us that
the sentence means : — ' Not Africa owns a serpent I abhor more
than thy fame and hatred of me,' — that hatred which Marcius
has just professed. " Envy" was formerly used in the sense of
' hatred-'
85. Badger. ' Retrc.tter/ ' llincher.' See Note 76 of this
Act.
86. The Hector that was tit. whip of your bragg'd progeny.
The Romans boasted that they were descended from the Tro-
jans : and here "progeny" bears the sense of ' progenitors, '
Alcne I fought in your Corioli walls,
And made what work I pleas'd : 'tis not my blood
Wherein thou seest me mask'd; for thy revenge
Wrench up thy power to the highest.
Auf. Wert thou the Hector
That was the whip of your bragg'd progeny,86
Thou shouldst not scape me here.
[They fight, and certain Volsces come to the
aid of Aufidius.
Officious, and not valiant, — you have sham'd me
In your condemned seconds.87
[Exeunt fighting, driven in by Marcius.
SCENE IX.— The Roman Camp.
Alarum. A retreat is sounded. Flourish. Enter,
from one side, Cominius and Romans ; from
the other side, Marcius, with his arm in a
scarf, and other Romans. *
Com. If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's
work,
Thou'lt not believe thy deeds;88 but I'll report it,
Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles;
Where great patricians shall attend, and shrug,
I' the end admire ; where ladies shall be frighted,
And, gladly quak'd;8a hear more; where the dull
tribunes,
That, with the fusty plebeians, hate thine honours,
Shall say, against their hearts, " We thank the gods
Our Rome hath such a soldier!"
Yet cam'st thou to a morsel of this feast,
Having fully din'd before.
Enter Titus Lartius, with his power, from the
pursuit.
Lart. Oh, general,
Here is the steed, we the caparison :9"
Hadst thou beheld, —
while " the whip of your bragg'd progeny " means ' the scourge
of which your boasted progenitors were possessed,' or ' the
scourge possessed by your boasted progenitors,' For similar
instances of peculiar construction where the possessive case is
used, see Note 8, and Note 99, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida."
87. You have shamed me in your condemned seconds. ' You
have shamed me by seconding me with numbers, whose aid
I resent.'
88. If I should tell thee .... thou'lt not, £rc. Here occurs
one ot those variations in tenses which Shakespeare occasions ly
introduces in his sentences : and, as we think, with natural
effect. A person speaking staidly and considerately would
say: — ' If I should tell thee .... thou would'st not,' &c. ;
but, speaking in the heat of martial admiration, would very
probably speak as Cominius here does.
89. Quak'd. 'Made to quake,' 'caused to tremble.' A
peculiarly formed participle; the verb 'to quake' being some-
times, though rarely, used actively in Shakespeare's time.
90. Here is the steed, toe tile caparison. ' Here is the man
who has worked like a horse ; we are the comparatively useless
trappings.'
Act 1.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene IX.
Mar. Pray now, no more.: my mother,
Who has a charter to extol her blood,
When she does praise me grieves me. I have
done
As you have done, — that's what I can; induc'd
As you have been, — that's for my country :
He that has but effected his good will
Hath overta'en mine act.
Com. You shall not be
The grave of your deserving; Rome must know
The value of her own : 'twere a concealment
Worse than a theft, no less than a traducement,
To hide your doings; and to silence that,
Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd,
Would seem but modest : therefore, I beseech
you,
(Tn sign of what you are, not to reward
What you have done,) before our army hear me.
Mir. I have some wounds upon me, and they
smart
To hear themselves remember'd.
Com. Should they not,91
Well might they fester 'gainst ingratitude,
And tent themselves with death. Of all the horses
(Whereof we have ta'en good, and good store),
of all
The treasure in this field achiev'd and city,9'2
We render you the tenth ; to be ta'en forth,
Before the common distribution,
At your only choice.
Mar. 1 thank you, general ;
But cannot make my heart consent to take
A bribe to pay my sword : I do refuse it ;
And stand upon my common part with those
That have beheld the doing.
[A long flourish. They all cry, " MARCIUS !
M arcius ! " cast up their caps and lances:
Cominius and Lartius stand bare.
Mar. May these same instruments, which you
profane,93
Never sound more, when drums and trumpets
shall
91. Should they not. ' Should they not be remembered.'
92. 0/ all the treasure in this field achiev'd and city. ' Of
all the treasure achieved in this field and city.' Instance
of the transposed construction that Shakespeare occasionally
uses.
93- May these same instruments, which you, cVv. This
passage has been variously punctuated and explained by various
editors; while others have proposed to alter different words
therein. We give it as worded in the Folio, excepting that we
substitute " them " for ' him ' in the last line, on the supposition
that the original ' him ' is a misprint for " 'em ; " and our inter-
pretation of the whole passage is this: — 'May these same
instruments, which you profane (by this flourish in my honour)
never sound more, when thus drums and trumpets in the field
prove flatterers 1 Let courts and cities be made all of false-faced
adulation, when thus martial steel grows soft as the parasite's
silken attire ! Let them [referring to " these instruments"] be
made an overture [01 used as a prelude] for the wars.' It
appears to us that "when " here has the force of 'when lh\is;'
I' the field prove flatterers ! Let courts and cities be
Made all of false-fac'd soothing,
When steel grows soft as the parasite's silk !
Let them be made an overture for the wars !
No more, I say ! For that I have not wasli'd
My nose that bled,01 or foil'd some debile wretch, —
Which, without note, here's many else have done, —
You shout me forth93
In acclamations hyperbolical;
As if I lov'd my little should be dieted
In praises saue'd with lies.
Com. Too modest are you ;
More cruel to your good report than grateful
To us that give you truly : by your patience,
If 'gainst yourself you be incens'd, we'll put you
(Like one that means his proper harm)96 in
manacles,
Then reason safely with you. — Therefore, be it
known,
As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius
Wears this war's garland : in token of the which,
My noble steed, known to the camp, I give him,
With all his trim belonging; and from this time,
For what he did before Corioli, call him,
With all the applause and clamour of the host,
Caius Marcius Coriolanus. —
Bear the addition nobly ever !
[Flourish. Trumpets sound, and drums.
All. Caius Marcius Coriolanus !
Cor. I will go wash ;
And when my face is fair, you shall perceive
Whether I blush, or no : howbeit, I thank you; —
I mean to stride your steed ; and at all times,
To undercrest your good addition
To the fairness of my power.9'"
Com. So, to our tent ;
Where, ere we do repose us, we will write
To Rome of our success. — You, Titus Lartius,
Must to Corioli back: send us to Rome
The best, with whom we may articulate,93
For their own good and ours.
Lart. I shall, my lord.
and that it is used in this passage as we sometimes use the word
'since.'
94. For that I have not, *5Vf. " For that" is here used as
'because;' and 'because I have' is elliptically understood
between " or " and " foil'd."
95. You shout me forth. The Folio misprints 'shoot' for
" shout." Corrected in the fourth Folio. A similar error
occurred in the original printing of the passage adverted to in
Note 31 of this Act.
96. His proper harm. * His own harm,' ' harm to himself.'
97 To undercrest your good addition to the /airuess of my
power. ' To wear as a crest this honourable title which you
confer upon me with as fair desert as my best efforts will enable
me to do.' "Addition" is here used in the sense it bears as ex-
plained in Note S9, Act ii., " Troilus and Cressida ;" and refers
to the surname, " Coriolanus," just bestowed upon him.
98. Tlie best, with whom we may articulate. 'The chief
men of Corioli, with whom we may enter into articles/ See
Note S, Act v., "First Part Henry. IV."
Act I.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scent, x.
Cor. The gods begin to mock me. I, that
now
Refus'd most princely gifts, am bound to beg
Of my lord general.
Com. Take 't ; 'tis yours. What is 't? ■
Cor. I sometime lay here in Corioh
At a poor man's house; he us'd me kindly:
He cried to me; I saw him prisoner;
But then Aufidius was within my view,
And wrath o'erwhelm'd my pity: I request you
To give my poor host freedom.
Com. Oh, well begg'd !
Were he the butcher of my son, he should
Be free as is the wind. — Deliver him, Titus.
Lart. Marcius, his name ?
Cor. By Jupiter, forgot : —
I am weary ; yea, my memory is tir'd.—
Have we no wine here ?
Com. Go we to our tent :
The blood upon your visage dries ; 'tis time
It should be look'd to: come. [Exeunt.
SCENE X— The Camp of the Volsces.
A flourish. Cornets. Enter Tullus Aufidius,
bloody, luith rwo or three Soldiers.
Auf. The town is ta'en !
First Sol. 'Twill be deliver'd back on good
condition.
Auf. Condition ! —
I would I were a Roman ; for I cannot,
Being a Volsce, be that I am. — Condition !
What good condition can a treaty find
99. What good condition can a treaty find i' ttic part that is
at mercy ? The construction here is peculiar and involved ; the
meaning of the sentence being, ' What good condition can the
side that is at the mercy of the other find in a treaty?' or,
'What good condition can be found in a treaty by the defeated
party?' or perhaps, ' What good condition can a treaty find for
the part that lies at mercy?'
100. Wliere. Here used for ' whereas.'
lor. I'll potch at him some way. Here, " I'll " is used for
' I'd ; ' or ' I would now.' " Potch " was an old verb for ' roughly
poke,' or ' violently push ; ' and " some way" means ' some way
or other,' ' any way.'
102. Oriurafh or craft may get him. ' Ey which either wrathor
craft may get at him.' Instance of the double "or" in a sentence.
I' the part that is at mercy ?"— Five times, Man ius,
I have fought with thee; so often hast thou beat
me ;
And vvouldst do so, I think, should we encounter
As often as we eat. — By the elements,
If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,
He's mine, or I am his: mine emulation
Hath not that honour in 't it had ; for where1"11
1 thought to crush him in an equal force
(True sword to sword), I'll potch at him some
way,"11
Or wrath or craft may get him.102
First Sol. He's the devil.
Auf. Bolder, though not so subtle. My valour's
poison'd
With only suffering stain by him ; for him
Shall fly out of itself :103 nor sleep nor sanctuary,
Being naked, sick; nor fane nor Capitol,
The prayers of priests nor tunes of sacrifice,
Embarquements1"4 all of fury, shall lift up
Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst
My hate to Marcius: where I find him,105 were it
At home, upon my brother's guard,106 even there,
Against the hospitable canon, would I
Wash my fierce hand in 's heart. Go you to the
city;
Learn how 'tis held ; and what they are that must
Be hostages for Rome.
First Sot.
Will not
you go !
Auf. I am attended10' at the cypress grove : I
pray you
('Tis south the city mills), bring me word thither
How the world goes, that to the pace of it
I may spur on my journey.
First Sol. I shall, sir. [Exeunt.
103. For him shall fiy out of itself. Here * it * is understood
between " him" and "shall ;" and we take the meaning of the
passage to be, ' My valour is poisoned with the mere stain of
my malice towards him : for the chance of vanquishing him it
[my valour] shall forsake its own nature and become a mean
unscrupulous revenge.'
104. E mbarquemoit s. A form of ' imbarquements, ' or ' em-
bargoes :' ' impediments,' ' restraints.'
105. Where / find him. " Where " is here used for
' where'er,' or 'wherever.'
106. At home, upon my brother's guard. ' In my own house,
under my brother's protection.'
107. Attended. 'Waited for,' 'expected ;' as the French use
their word attendu.
Act I I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— Rome. A Public Place.
Enter Menenius, Sicinius, and Brutus.
Men. The augurcr tells me we shall have news
to-night.
Bru. Good or bad ?
Men. Not according to the prayer of the people,
for they love not Marcius.
Sic. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
Men. Pray you, who does the wolf love P1
Sic. The lamb.
Men. Ay, to devour him; as the hungry ple-
beians would the noble Marcius.
Bru. He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear.
Men. He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb.
You two are old men: tell me one thing that 1
shall ask you.
Both Trib. Well, sir.
Men. In what enormity is Marcius poor in,2
that you two have not in abundance ?
Bru. He's poor in no one fault, but stored with all.
Sic. Especially in pride.
Bru. And topping all others in boasting.
Men. This is strange now: do you two know
how you are censured here in the city, I mean of
us o' the right-hand file ? do you ?
Both Trib. Why, how are we censured ?
Men. Because you talk of pride now, — will you
not be angry?
Both Trib. Well, well, sir, well.
Men. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very
little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal
of patience: give your dispositions the reins, and
be angry at your pleasures ; at the least, if you
1. Who does tlie wolf love? "Who" was sometimes, by a
grammatical licence, used for 'whom.' Menenius sneers at the
people as a pack of wolves, that have love for no one.
2. In what enormity is Marcius poor in ! A pleonastic form
of repetition which we find elsewhere used by Shakespeare.
See Note 85, Act ii., " As You Like It."
3. Oh, that you could turn your eyes toward the napes of
your necks ! In allusion to the fable which says that every man
has a bag hanging before him, in which he puts his neighbours'
faults, and another behind him, in which he stows his own.
4. The first complaint. This expression has been found a
stumbling-block by the commentators: some proposing to alter
the words under the supposition that they are a misprint ; while
others who retain them are at a loss to give their meaning.
They appear to us clearly to refer to the first clause of Mencnius's
speech; his being "a humorous patrician," which is the first
complaint made against him, while his being " one that loves
a cup of hot wine," &c, is the second complaint made against
him. He goes on to explain what is " the first complaint," by
adding "hasty and tinder-like upon too trivial motion ;" which
exactly interprets the word " humorous " as used by Shakespeare
in one of the senses that it bore in his time. See Note 73,
take it as a pleasure to you in being so. You
blame Marcius for being proud ?
Bru. We do it not alone, sir.
Men. I know you can do very little alone; for
your helps are many, or else your actions would
grow wondrous single : your abilities are too
infant-like for doing much alone. You talk of
pride : oh, that you could turn your eyes toward
the napes of your necks,3 and make but an interior
survey of your good selves ! oh, that you could !
Bru. What then, sir?
Men. Why, then you should discover a brace of
unmeriting, proud, violent, testy magistrates (alias
fools), as any in Rome.
Sic. Menenius, you are known well enough too.
Men. I am known to be a humorous patrician,
and one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a
drop of allaying Tiber in 't; said to be something
imperfect in favouring the first complaint,'1 — hasty
and ti.ider-like upon too trivial motion ; one that
converses more6 with the buttock of the night, than
wit!i,the forehead of the morning: what I think I
utter, and spend my malice in my breath. Meet-
ing two such wealsmen as you are (I cannot call
you Lycurguses),6 if the drink you give me touch
my palate adversely, I make. a crooked face at it.
I cannot say your worships have delivered the
matter well, when I find the ass in compound
with the major part of your syllables : and though
I must be content to bear with those that say you
are reverend grave men, yet they lie deadly that
tell you have good faces. If you see this in the
map of my microcosm/ follows it that I am known
well enough too ? what harm oan your bisson
Act iv., " Second Part Henrv IV." It may be proper here to
mention that we gave this interpretation in the Glossary to the
Edition of Shakespeare's Works which we prepared in the years
1S57-S-9 for publication in New York in i860.
5. One t/iat converses more, &°c. ' One that is more in the
habit of sitting up late to enjoy sociality, than of rising early.'
6. / cannot call you Lycurguses. This fleer of the old
patrician has doubly humorous force of allusion ; since it not
only refers to the renowned Spartan lawgiver, Lycurgus, who
was a man that banished luxury and possessed large wisdom
with utmost austerity of morals, but it also includes reference
to a King of Thrace, named Lycurgus, who abolished the
worship of Bacchus from his dominions, and ordered all the
vines therein to be cut down, in order to preserve himself and
subjects from the temptations and consequences of a too free
use of wine.
7. Microcosm. A word derived from the Greek, signifying
'a little world ;' and applied to man, as containing within him-
self a miniature resemblance of the varied components that
combine to form the macrocosm, or vast world. In " King
Lear," Act iii., sc. 1, Shakespeare uses the expression "strives
in k is little world 0/ man to," &c.
84
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
conspectuities8 gl"an out of this character, if I be
known well enough too?
Bru. Come, sir, come, we know you well enough.
Men. You know neither me, yourselves, nor
anything. You are ambitious for poor knaves'
caps and legs:9 you wear out a good wholesome
forenoon in hearing a cause between an orange-
wife and a fosset-seller; 10 and then rejourn the
controversy of three-pence to a second day of
audience. When you are hearing a matter
between party and party, if you chance to be
pinched with the colic, you make faces like mum-
mers; set up the bloody flag against all patience;11
and dismiss the controversy bleeding, the more
entangled by your hearing : all the peace you
make in their cause is, calling both the parties
knaves. You are a pair of strange ones.
Bru. Come, come, you are well understood to
be a perfecter giber for the table than a necessary
bencher in the Capitol.
Men. Our very priests must become mockers,
if they shall encounter such ridiculous subjects as
you are. When you speak best unto the purpose,
it is not worth the wagging of your beards; and
your beards deserve not so honourable a grave as
to stuff a botcher's cushion, or to be entombed in
an ass's pack-saddle. Yet you must be saying,
Marcius is proud; who, in a cheap estimation, is
worth all your predecessors since Deucalion;12
though peradventure some of the best of 'em were
hereditary hangmen. Good den to your worships:
more of your conversation would infect my brain,
being the herdsmen of the beastly plebeians: I
will be bold to take my leave of you.
[Brutus and Sicikius retire.
Enter Volumnia, Virgilta, and Valeria, tSc.
How now, my as fair as noble ladies, — and the
moon, were she earthly, no nobler, — whither do
you follow your eyes so fast ?
8. Bissoit conspectuities. 'Blind perceptions.' "Bisson" is
an old English word for 'blind,' spelt variously 'beasom,'
' beesome,' ' bysome,' ' bizend,' 'besen,' and 'bisson.* The
Folio prints it in the present passage 'beesome:' but in
" Hamlet," Act ii., sc. 2, where the word again occurs,
"bisson." " Conspectuities" is derived from the Latin con-
spectus, 'sight,' 'view.'
9. You are anibit'ous for poor knazvs' caps and legs. 'Von
are desirous of having poor fellows take off their caps and bow
to you.' See Note 125, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
10. Fosset-seller. "Fosset" for more properly, 'faucet,'
from the Latin fauces, the gorge, or gullet) is the pipe or
tubular portion of the tap put into barrels to allow of the liquor
being drawn off; while the spigot is the peg inserted into the
faucet, to prevent the liquor from flowing forth excepting at
will. " Fosset " is here used for the tap which comprises both
spigot and faucet
1 1. Set up the bloody flag against all patience. ' Declare
war against patience.'
12. Deucalion. Here again used to indicate remote and
general ancestorship. See Note 141, Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
13. Galen. The commentators observe that this is " an
Vol. Honourable Menenius, my boy Marcius
approaches ; for the love of Juno, let's go.
Men. Ha! Marcius coming home !
Vol. Ay, worthy Menenius; and with most
prosperous approbation.
Men. Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee.
— Hoo! Marcius coming home !
Vol. Vir. Nay, 'tis true.
Vol. Look, here's a letter from him : the state
hath another, his wife another; and, I think, there's
one at home for you.
Men. I will make my very house reel to-night :
— a letter for me !
Vir. Yes, certain, there's a letter for you ; I
saw it.
Men. A letter for me! it gives me an estate of
seven years' health ; in which time I will make a
lip at the physician : the most sovereign prescrip-
tion in G.ilen13 is but empiricutic,11 and, to this
preservative,15 of no better report than a horse-
drench.— Is he not wounded? he was wont to
come home wounded.
Vir. Oh, no, no, no.
Vol. Oh, he is wounded, — I thank the gods
for 't.
Men. So do I too, if it be not too much : —
brings 'a victory in his pocket ? — the wounds
become him.
Vol. On 's brows:10 Menenius, he comes the
third time home with the oaken garland.
Men. Has he disciplined Autidius soundly ?
Vol. Titus Lartius writes, — they fought to-
gether, but Aufidius got off.
Men. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant
him that: an he had stayed by him, I would not
have been so fidiused17 for all the chests in Corioli,
and the gold that's in them. Is the senate pos-
sessed18 of this ?
Vol. Good ladies, let's go. — Yes, yes, yes; the
senate has letters from the general, wherein he
anachronism of nearly 650 years," and bring forward the
relative dates at which Menenius and Galen lived. But that
Galen was known to his audiences as one of the most celebrated
medical authorities of antique times, was quite sufficient for
Shakespeare's purpose ; and he accordingly puts the name into
Menenius's mouth with appropriate effect, if not with chrono-
logical propriety.
14. Empiricutic. This word is spelt in the Folio ' Emperick-
qutique ;' and is a humorous form of 'empirical,' quackish.
15. And, to this preservative. " To " has the force of ' com-
pared with ' in this sentence ; an ellipsis of comparison frequently
to be met with in Shakespeare. See Note 97, Act i., "Troilus
and Cressida."
16. On 's treat's This is in answer to "brings 'a victory in
his pocket?" and affords another instance of the <:
speeches or sentences which Shakespeare gives in animated
dialogue with such excellent effect. See Note 90, Act ii.,
"Second Part Henry IV."
17. Fidiused. A word playfully fashioned frnm Aufidius's
name by old .Menenius j who, in the glee of his heart, coins
whimsical terms.
18. Possessed. Fully informed.
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
gives my son the whole name of the war: he
hath in this action outdone his former deeds
doubly.
Val. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke
of him.
Men. Wondrous! ay, I warrant you, and not
without his true purchasing.
Vir. The gods grant them true !
Vol. True ! pow, wow.
Men, True! I'll be sworn they are true. —
Where is he wounded ? — [To the Tribunes, ivho
come forivard.~\ God save your good worships !
Marcius is coming home: he has more cause to
be proud. — [To Vol.] Where is he wounded ?
Vol. V the shoulder and i' the left arm : there
will be large cicatrices to show the people, when
he shall stand for his place. He received in the
repulse of Tarquin seven hurts i' the body.
Men. One i' the neck, and two 1' the thigh, —
there's nine that I know.19
Vol. He had, before this last expedition, twenty-
five wounds upon him.
Men. Now it's twenty-seven : every gash was
an enemy's grave. [A shout and flourish. ,] Hark !
the trumpets.
Vol. These are the ushers cf Marcius: before
him he carries noise, and behind him he leaves
tears :
Death, that dark spirit, in 's nervy arm doth lie ;
Which, being advanc'd, declines,20 and then men
die.
A sennet. Trumpets sound. Enter Cominius and
Titus Lartius ; between them, Coriolanus,
eroTvned ivith an oaken gnrland ; ivith Cap-
tains, Soldiers, and a Herald.
Her. Know, Rome, that all alone Marcius did
fight
Within Corioli gates: where he hath won,
With fame, a name to Caius Marcius ; these
19. There's nine Hint I know. Warburton would alter this
passage, saying, *' Surely, we may safely assist Menenius in
his arithmetic. This is a stupid blunder." But Menenius is
challenging Volumnia's account of "seven hurts,1' and begins
counting them up, interrupting himself with " there's nine that
I know," or ' I know of nine.''
20. Declines. Used for 'falls ' in the same way that the word
"decline" is used in the passage referred to in Note 64, Act iv.,
"Troilus and Cressida."
zi. My gracious sili ncc. This name for his wife, who, while
the others are receiving him with loud rejoicings, meets and
welcomes him with speechless happiness looking out from her
swimming eyes, is conceived in the very fulness of poetical
and Shakespearian perfection. It comprises the gracefulness of
beauty which distinguishes her, and the gracious effect which
her muteness of love-joy has upon him who shrinks from noisy
applause and even from merely expressed approbation ; and it
wonderfully concentrates into one felicitous word the silent
softness that characterises Virgilia throughout. She is precisely
the woman — formed by nature gentle in manner, and rendered
by circumstances sparing in speech — to inspire the fondest
In honour follows Coriolanus : —
Welcome to Rome, renownfed Coriolanus !
[Flourish.
All. Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus !
Cor. No more of this, it does oftend my heart ;
Pray now, no more.
Com. Look, sir, your mother !
Cor. Oh,
You have, I know, petitioned all the gods
Kor my prosperity ! [Kneels.
Fol. Nay, my good soldier, up ;
My gentle Marcius, worthy Caius, and
By deed-achieving honour, newly nam'd, —
What is it P — Coriolanus must I call thee ?—
But, oh, thy wife !
Cor. My gracious silence,21 hail !
Wouldst thou have laugh' d had I come cotfin'd
home,
That weep'st to see me triumph ? Ah, my dear,
Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear,
And mothers that lack sons.
Men. Now, the gods crown thee !
Cor. And live you yet r22 — [To Valeria] Oh,
my sweet lady, pardon.
Vol. I know not where to turn : — oh, welcome
home ; —
And welcome, general ; — and you are welcome all.
Men. A hundred thousand welcomes: — I could
weep,
And I could laugh ; I am light and heavy : —
welcome :
A curse begin at very root on *s heart,
That is not glad to see thee ! — You are three
That Rome should dote on : yet, bv the faith of
men,
We have some old crab-trees here at home that
will not
Be grafted to your relish. Yet welcome, warriors:
We call a nettle but a nettle, and
The faults of fools but folly.
affection in such a man as Coriolanus; and we accordingly find
him a passionately attached husband. The few words he
addresses to her in the course of the play are among the most
intense utterances of spousal enamouredness that even Shake-
speare has written. The dramatic portrait of Virgilia we have
always considered to be one of the very finest of the poet's
sketch-productions. It is put in with the most masterly touches '.
it paints her by very few strokes, veiy few colours ; but they
are so true, so exquisitely artistic, that they present her to the
life. She is supremely gentle, and, like most women whose
gentleness is their chief characteristic, singularly immovable,
not to say obstinate, when once resolved ; she is habitually
silont, as the wife of such a man as Coriolanus, and the daughter-
in-law of such a woman as Volumnia would assuredly become,
being naturally of a gentle disposition: and this combination of
gentleness and silence is wonderfully drawn by Shakespeare
throughout the character- port rait, and as wonderfully condensed
here into one expressive name.
22. And live you yet? This speech, which in the Folio has
the prefix ' Co>n.t' by mistake for " Cor." evidently belongs to
Coriolanus.
Act 11.
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene i.
Corn. Ever right.
Cor. Menenius, ever, ever. 23
Her. Give way there, and go on !
Cor. [To his IViJe and Mother."] Your hand,
and )Ours :
Ere in our own house I do shade my head,
The good patricians must be visited ;
From whom I have receiv'd not only greetings,
But with them change of honours.*4
I'ol. 1 have liv'd
To see inherited my very wishes,
And the buildings of my fancy:
Only there's one thing wanting, which I doubt not
but
Our Rome will cast upon thee.25
Cor. Know, good mother,
I had rather be their servant in my way,
Than sway with them ill theirs.
Com. On, to the Capitol .
[Flourish. Comets. Exeunt in stale, as
before. The Tribunes remain.
Brit. All tongues speak of him, and the bleared
sights
Are spectacled to see him : your prattling nurse26
Into a rapture lets her baby cry2?
While she chats him:23 the kitchen malkin29
pins
Her richest lockram30 'bout her reechy31 neck,
23. Menenius, ever, ever. Cominius, assenting to their old
friend's cheerfully philosophic way of taking the "old crab-
trees' " sourness, exclaims " Ever right ; " and Coriolanus
seconds his general's assent by adding " Menenius, ever,
ever;" meaning, 'Our old friend always takes the right view
of these fellows' crabbedness.' We explain this, because the
passage has been altered as if it were incorrect.
24. Change of honours. " Change " was altered by Theobald
to 'charge;' but "change of honours" we think here means
' exchange of titles,' in reference to his new surname of Corio-
lanus, by which he is to be henceforth known and addressed, in
lieu of th-. former one, Caius Marcius. " The good Patricians "
have confirmed the. title which Cominius bestowed upon him on
the battle-lield, and he must now "visit them" to acknowledge
their favour. His mother has just said, 'By deed-achieving
honour newly-named, — What is it ? — Coriolanus must I call
thee?" Shakespeare occasionally uses "change" for * ex-
change ; ' while Coriolanus — esteeming his own family name
an honourable title, one of honourable distinction — might very
naturally and characteristically speak of adopting this new
surname as a " change of honours."
25. Our Rome will cast .... i Itad rather be their servant,
&*c. Here " Rome" is used to express collectively 'our rulers
in Rome;"* and is referred to bv the pronouns "their" and
" theirs." See Note 25, Act ii., " Henry VI 1 1."
26. Your prattling nurse. " Your" is here used, idio-
matically, to instance a generality. See Note 48, Act i., " Second
Part Henry IV."
27. A rapture. A fit, an ecstacy : as we still use the expres-
sion an 'ecstacy of grief.' Torriano interprets the Italian word
Ratto, a ' rapture or trance of the mind, or a distraction of the
spirits ; ' and Steevens quotes a passage in illustration from "The
Hospital for London Follies," 1602: — "Your darling will weep
itself into a rapture, if you do not lake heed."
28. While she chats him. The word " chats" has been sus-
pected of error here : but it seems to us thoroughly characteristic
in expressing 'gossips of,' 'talks about;' and 'of or 'about'
Clainb'ring the walls to eve him: stalls, bulks,
windows,
Are smother' d up, leads fill'd, and ridges hors'd
With variable complexions ;i- all agreeing
In earnestness to see him : seld-shown flamens33
Do press among the popular throngs, and puft"
To win a vulgar station : our veil'd dames
Commit the war of white and damask,34 in
Their nicely-gawded cheeks, to the wanton spoil
Of Phcebus' burning kisses : such a pother,
As if that whatsoever god who leads him35
Were slily crept into his human powers,
And gave him graceful posture.
Sic. On the sudden,
I warrant him consul.
Bru. Then our office may,
During his power, go sleep.
Sic. He cannot temperately transport his
honours
From where he should begin, and end;36 but
will
Lose those he hath won.
Bru. In that there's comfort.
Sie. Doubt not
The commoners, for whom we stand, but they,
Upon their ancient malice, will forget,
With the least cause, these his new honours ;
which
being elliplically understood after "chats" gives a touch of
familiar flippancy and slipshod effect to the sentence which we
think appropriate. The phrase almost anticipates the more
modern commonism, or nursemaid idiom, ' while she chats
him over.'
29. Malkin. Wench. "Malkin "was the name of a kind of
mop made of clouts for sweeping out an oven ; it was also the
name given to a figure formed of clouts set up in gardens to
frighten away birds, a scarecrow; moreover "malkin" was a
diminutive of Mall or Moll ; so that the word came to be applied
to a dirty slovenly girl, a slatternly wench.
30. Lockram. A common coarse linen.
31. Reechy. Blackened by smoke ; grimy. See Note 46,
Act iii., " Much Ado."
32. Ridges hors'd with variable complexions. ' Ridges of
hoUse-roofs on which men of all sorts of aspects sit astride.'
Here "variable complexions," used for 'men of various com-
plexions,' is one of the poet's bold impersonations of things.
See Note 36, Act iii., "Winter's Tale," and Note 79, -V 1 n ,
"Richard II."
33. Seld-shovm Jlamens. ' Flamens seldom showing them-
selves in public' See Note 57, Act iv., "Troilus and Crcssida."
The " flamens" were priests of special sanctity in ancient Rome.
34. The -war 0/ -white and damask. A poetical expression
lor the varying rose tints, from palest hue to richest 1 1
visible in a female countenance. See Note 124, Act iii., 'A
You Like It."
35. As if that whatsoever god who, &°c. 'As if that god,
whatsoever god he may be, who,' &c. The sentence is ellipli-
cally and transposedly constructed.
36. lie cannot temperately transport his honours from
where lie should begin, and end. This is elliplically con-
structed ; meaning, ' He cannot carry his honours temperately
from where he should begin to where he should end." *
tence in "Cymbeline," Act iii . sc. 2, where "from"
with "and" in the same peculiar manner, warrants the above
interprets
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Sicimus. I wish no better
Than have him hold that purpose, and to put it
In execution.
Brutus.
'Tis most like he will.
Act II. Scene I.
That he will give them make I as little question
As he is proud to do 't.3?
Bru. I heard him swear,
Were he to stand for consul, never would he
Appear i' the market-place, nor on him put
The napless vesture of humility ;33
Nor, showing (as the manner is) his wounds
To the people, beg their stinking breaths.
Sic. 'Tis right.
37. Which that he will give them make I as little question
as he is proiui to do't. 'Which ["cause"] that he will give
them I as little question, as that he is proud enough to do
it, and proud of doing it.' This sentence affords an instance
of Shakespeare's using a pronoun in reference to a not-last-
named antecedent, and of his elliptical mode o( making a com-
parison.
38. The napless vesture of humility. "Napless" (printed
'Naples' in the Folio, and corrected by Rowe is used tn
express 'shabby,' 'worn threadbare." The passage in Plutarch,
Bru. It was his word: oh, he would miss it,
rather
Than carry it but by the suit o' the gentry to
him,
And the desire of the nobles.
Sic. I wish no better
Than have him hold that purpose, and to put it
In execution.
Bru. 'Tis most like he will.
whence this is derived, runs thus: — "The custom of Rome was
at that time, that such as did sue for any office should for
certaine dayes before be in the market-place, onely with a poore
gavme on their backes, and without any coate vptderncath, to
pray the citizens to remember them at the day of election ;
which was thus dcuised, either to moue the more, by requesting
them in such meane apparel/, or else because they might shew
them their wounds they had gotten in the wanes in the seruice
of the commonwealth, as manifest markes and testimonies of
their valiantnesse."
First Officer. No more of him ; he's a worthy man : make way,
they are coming.
Act It. Scene II.
VOL. III.
Act I I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
Sic. It shall be to him, then, as our good
wills,3'
A sure destruction.
Bru. So it must fall out
To him, or our authorities. For an end,'10
We must suggest41 the people in what hatred
He still hath held them ; that to's power he
would
Have made them mules, silenc'd their pleaders,
and
Dispropertied their freedoms : holding them,
In human action and capacity,
Of no more soul nor fitness for the world
Than camels in their war;42 who have their
provand43
Only fur bearing burdens, and sore blows
For sinking under them.
Sic. This, as you say, suggested
At some time when his soaring insolence
Shall touch the people 44 (which time shall not
want,
If he be put upon 't; and that's as easy
As to set dogs on sheep), will be his fire
To kindle their dry stubble ; and their blaze
Shall darken him for ever.
Enter a Messenger.
Bru. What's the matter ?
Mess. You are sent for to the Capitol. 'Tis
thought
That Marcius shall be consul :
I have seen the dumb men throng to see him, and
The blind to hear him speak : matrons flung
gloves,
Ladies and maids their scarfs and handkerchiefs,
Upon him as he pass'd :45 the nobles bended,
As to Jove's statue ; and the commons made
A shower and thunder with their caps and shouts:
I never saw the like.
39. As tntr good wills. ' As our advantage would have it be.'
"Good" is here used in the sense of 'interest,' 'profit,' 'ad-
vantage,' 'benefit;' and "wills" is used as a verb, to express
' is w illing,' ' wishes.'
40. For an end. This is used idiomatically, in the same
sense that ' to this end ' is employed ; to express ' to bring
about this issue,' ' for this purpose.'
41. Suggest. Here used for ' remind insidiously,' ' prompt
incitingly.' See Note 38, Act i.. " Henry VIII."
42. Than camels in their war, "Their" has been changed
by Hanmer and others to ' the ; ' but the sentence probably
means ' than camels would have in the Roman people's war.'
43. Provand. An old form of 'provender.'
44. Shall tottck the people. The Folio prints 'teach' for
" touch-" [buniKi's correction.
45. Matrons Jtuug gloves, ladies and maids their scarfs and
handkerchiefs, npm him as he pass'd. Because it was not a
custom among the Romans, and because it was a custom in the
age of Elizabeth, for successful tillers at tournaments to have
the6e marks of female favour thrown upon them as they
rode round or from the lists, the commentators complain of
Shakespeare's here committing an anachronism, and attributing
some of the customs of his own time to people who were wholly
Bru. Let's to the Capitol ;
And carry with us ears and eyes for the time,
But hearts for the event.
Sic. Have with you. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Rome. The Capitol.
Enter txuo Officers, to lay cushions.
First Off. Come, come, they are almost here.
How many stand for consulships ?
Sec. Off. Three, they say : but 'tis thought of
every one Conolanus will carry it.
First Off. That's a brave fellow ; but he's
vengeance proud, and loves not the common
people.
Sec. Off. Faith, there have been many great
men that have flattered the people, who ne'er
loved them ; and there be many that they have
loved, they know not wherefore: so that, if they
love they know not why, they hate upon no better
a ground : therefore, for Coriolanus neither to care
whether they love or hate him manifests the true
knowledge he has in their disposition ; and, out
of his noble carelessness, lets them plainly see 't.
First Off. If he did not care whether he had
their love or no, he waved indifferently 'twixt
doing them neither good nor harm:'"' but he seeks
their hate with greater devotion than they can
render it him ; and leaves nothing undone that
may fully discover him their opposite. Now, to
seem to aft'ect the malice and displeasure of the
people is as bad as that which he dislikes, — to
natter them for their love.
Sec. Off. He hath deserved worthily of his
country : and his ascent is not by such easy
degrees as those who, having been supple and
courteous to the people, bonneted,47 without any
unacquainted with them. But it was precisely on account of
the second reason above stated, that the dramatist did intro-
duce this custom in the present passage ; he knew that,lhe form
of approbation showered upon Coriolanus as a victorious warrior
would be thoroughly understood by the audiences for whom the
play was written. See Note 13 of the present Act.
4G. Jf he did not care . ... he waved iiuiijferently, &c.
Here 'had' or 'would have' is clliptically understood before
"waved." An instance of similar construction in indefinitely
specified conditional time occurs in the passage referred to in
Note 91, Act iii., " Richard III."
47. Bonneted. It has been surmised by some editors that
here " bonneted" means 'put on the cap uf olfice, or badge of
consular dignity ; ' while others take "bonneted" here to mean
' pulled off the cap,' from the French verb bonneter. Inas-
much as Shakespeare never uses "bonnet" to express an
official cap, whereas he has in " Richard II.," Act i., sc. 4, " Off
goes his bonnet to an oyster-wench;" in "Hamlet," Act v.,
sc. 2, "Your bonnet to his right use ;" and in this very play,
Act iii., sc. 2, " Go to them, with this bonnet in thy hantl ; " in
all of which passages salutation with the bonnet is indicated, —
we believe that here "bonneted " means 'saluted with the cap,'
' made a gesture of salutation with the cap.'
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
farther deed to have them at all into their estima-
tion48 and report: but ht hath so planted his
honours in their eyes, and his actions in their
hearts, that for their tongues to be silent, and
not confess so much, were a kind of ungrateful
injury ; to report otherwise, were a malice, that,
giving itself the lie, would pluck reproof and
rebuke from every ear that heard it.
First Off. No more of him ; he's a worthy
man : make way, they are coming.
A Sennet. Enter, 'with Lictors before them,
Cominius, Menenius, Coriolanus, Senators,
Sicinius an J Brutus. The Senators take
their places; the Tribunes lake theirs also
by themselves.
Men. Having determin'd of the Volsces,40 and
To send for Titus Lartius, it remains,
As the main point of this our after-meeting,
To gratify50 his noble service that
Hath thus stood for his country : therefore, please
you,
Most reverend and grave elders, to desire
The present consul, and last general
In our well-found successes, to report
A little of that worthy work perform' d
By Cains Marcius Coriolanus; whom
We meet here,51 both to thank, and to remember
With honours like himself.
First Sen. Speak, good Cominius :
Leave nothing out for length, and make us think
Rather our state's defective for requital
Than we to stretch it out. — Masters o' the people.
We do request your k+ndest ears ; and, after,
Your loving motion toward the common body,
To yield what passes here.
Sic. We are convented52
Upon a pleasing treaty ; and have hearts
Inclinable to honour and advance
The theme of our assembly.
Bru. Which the rather
We shall be bless'd to do,53 if he remember
A kinder value of the people than
He hath hereto54 priz'd them at.
48. To Itave them at all into tltcir estimation. " Have "
has been changed by Pope and others to ' heave ; ' but " have "
seems to us here to be used idiomatically, as we use it in such
familiar phrases as. ' I 11 have them into the basket in no time,'
' He'll have them into the post before five ; ' where " have " has
the force of ' get,' ' put,' or ' place.' It has the effect of a rapid
action ; which is precisely the effect here required.
49. Having determiit'd of tlte Volsces. Here "of" is used
for 'in regard of,' or ' respecting.'
50. To gratify. 'To reward,' 'to recompense.' See Note
39, Act iv , " Merchant of Venice."
51. Whom we meet Itere. The Folio has ' met ' for " meet."'
Hanmer's correction.
52. Convented. 'Convened,' 'summoned.' See Note 1 ,
Act v., " Henry VIII "
53. Which the rather we shall be bless'd to do. Here
Men. That's off, that's off;M
I would you rather had been silent. Please you
To hear Cominius speak P
Bru. Most willingly :
But yet my caution was more pertinent
Than the rebuke you give it.
Men. He loves your people ;
But tie him not to be their bedfellow.511—
Worthy Cominius, speak. — [Coriolanus rises,
and offers to go aivay.~\ Nay, keep your
place.
First Sen. Sit, Coriolanus ; never shame to hear
What you have nobly done.
Cor. Your honours' pardon :
I had rather have mv wounds to heal again
Than hear say how I got them.
Bru. Sir, 1 hope
My words disbench'd you not.
Cor. No, sir : vet oft,
When blows have made me stay, I fled from
words.
You sooth'd not, therefore hurt not:5'' but your
people,
I love them as they weigh.
Men. Pray now, sit down.
Cor. I hail rather have one scratch my head i'
the sun,
When the alarum were struck, than idly sit
To hear my nothings monster'd. [Exit.
Men. Misters of the people,
Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter
(That's thousand to one good one), when you now
see
He had rather venture all his limbs for honour,
Than one on's ears to hear it ?— Proceed, Cominius.
Com. I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus
Should not be utter'd feebly. — It is held,
That valour is the chiefest virtue, and
Most dignities the haver : if it be,
The man I speak of cannot in the world
Be singly counterpois'd. At sixteen years,
When Tarquin made a head5* for Rome, he fought
Bevond the mark of others: our then dictator,
Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight,
"bless'd" has been variously altered by various emeu
but "bless'd to do" is an idiom here and elsewhere used by
Shakespeare to express 'happy to do,* 'glad to do.'
54. Hereto. Used for ' hitherto. '
55. That's off, that's off. 'That's irrelevant,' 'that's in-
apposite ; ' 'that's not to the purp - < Dogb ry 'Much
Ado," Act iii., sc. 5) says, " Goodman Verges, sir, speaks a
little off the matter."
56 Bedfellow. Used to express 'close intimacy,' 'affec-
tionate companionship.' See N 1 (' *» til., "H
57 You sooth'd not. therefore hurt not. 'You
natter, therefore did not annoy me ' See Note j. \
" First Part Henry IV."
58. A head. 'A levied force,' ' a hostile force '
Acti . " First Part Henry IV " Tarquin, who had been expelled,
raised a power to recover Rome.
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
When with his Amazonian chin59 he drove
The bristled lips before him: he bestrid
An r/er-press'd Roman, and i' the consul's view
Slew three opposers : Tarquin's self he met,
And struck him on his knee :60 in that day's
feats,
When he might act the woman61 in the scene,
lie prov'd best man i' the field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil age
Man-en ter'd thus, he waxed like a sea;
And, in the brunt of seventeen battles since,
lie lurch* d all swords of the garland.6- For this
last,
Before and in Corioli, let me say,
1 cannot speak him home:63 he stopp'd the fliers;
And by his rare example made the coward
Turn terror into sport: as weeds before
A vessel under sail,64 so men obey'd,
And fell below his stem :65 his sword (death's
stamp)
Where it did mark, it took ;fi6 from face to foot
He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
Was tim'd with dying cries :67 alone he enter' d
The mortal gate6* of the city, which he painted
With shunless destiny; aidless came off,
And with a sudden re-enforcement struck
Corioli like a planet: now all's his:
When, by-and-by, the din of war 'gan pierce
His ready sense ; then straight his doubled spirit
Re-quicken'd what in flesh was fatigate,69
And to the battle came he; where he did
Run reeking o'er the lives of men, as if
59 His Amazonian chin. ' His unbearded chin.' The Folio
misprints ' shinne ' for " chin "
60. Struck him on his knee. ' To * is elliptically understood
after " on " here ; the phrase meaning, not that he gave him a
blow on his knee, but that lie gave him a blow which made him
fall on his knee.
61. When he might act t/ie woman. * When he might have
acted the woman.* Another instance of indefinitely expressed
conditional time. See Note 46 of this Act. Messrs. Steevcns
and Malone have a note apiece on this passage to illustrate it
by the information that the parts of women were, in Shake-
speare's time, enacted by young men. and then accuse him of
committing herein " a great anachronism," as " there were no
theatres at Rome for the exhibition of plays for above two
hundred and fifty years after the death of Coriolanus ; " not
seeming to perceive that here the poet uses an expression
implying ' when his youth might have warranted his behaving
with no more martial prowess than a woman.*
62. He lurch' d all swords 0/ tlte garland. ' To lurch ' is to
win an easy victory; and the sentence in the text means, ' He
with case gained from all his brother swordsmen the right to the
victor's garland.1
63. / cannot speak him home. ' I cannot sufficiently express
his merit;' 'I cannot duly and thoroughly proclaim his excel-
lence
64. As weeds hefore a vessel under sail. The editor of the
5< 1 end Polio changed " weeds" to ' waves' here ; but we think
that the original word gives the effect of contemptible impedi-
ments overcome, better than the substituted word, which presents
the idea not of opposers or opposition, but of due medium, —
u ives being the natural upbearers of a ship, and forming its path
or course.
*Twere a perpetual spoil : and till we call'd
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breast with panting.
Men. Worthy man!
First Sen. He cannot but with measure fit the
honours
Which we devise him.
Com. Our spoils he kick'd at ;
And look'd upon things precious, as they were
The common muck of the world: he covets leas
Than misery"0 itself would give; rewards
His deeds with doing them ; and is content
To spend the time to end it."1
Men. He's right noble :
Let him be call'd for.
First Sen. Call Coriolanus.
Off. He doth appear.
Re-enter Coriolanus.
Men. The senate, Coriolanus, are well pleas' d
To make thee consul.
Cor. I do owe them still
My life and services.
Men. It then remains
That you do speak to the people.
Cor. I do beseech you,
Let me o'erleap that custom; for I cannot
Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them,72
For my wounds' sake, to give their suffrage: please
you
That I may pass this doing.
Sic. Sir, the people
65. Stem. " Stem" means the yrow or forepart of a vessel,
as used in the expression ' from stem to stern . ' and it also means
'stemming,' ' breasting," or 'cutting' through. So that, in this
passage, figuratively, it bears the former meaning as applied to
the vessel ; and, literally, it bears the latter meaning as applied
to the warrior cutting his way through a torrent of foemen.
66. It took. ' It blasted,' ' it struck annihilatingly.* See
Note 22, Act iv., " Merry Wives."
67. Whose every motion was tim'd with dying cries. The
image is fiercely grand ; of one whose every motion is kept time
to by the dying cries of those he slays, as the movements of a
performer in one of the ancient Pyrrhic war dances was timed
by the measure of the martial music.
68. The mortal gate. 'The deadly gate,' 'the gate made
into a scene of death.'
69. Fatigate. An old form of 'fatigued ;' 'wearied,' ' worn
out.'
70. Misery. Here used for ' miserliness.'
71. Is content to spend the time to end it. 'Is content to
spend his time as the end to which he devotes it ; ' that is, he is
contented to pass his time in fighting, as being the sole object to
which he dedicates his time. We may here observe upon the
peculiar and elliptical mode in which Shakespeare uses the word
" end " throughout this play (see Notes 36 and 40 of the present
Act) ; and it is remarkable that this kind of peculiar use of one
particular word, or frequent employment of one special word or
phrase during a single play, is to be traced in our poet's pro-
ductions. See Note 68, Act i., " Troilus and Crcssida."
72 Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them. See
the passage from Plutarch, quoted in Note 38 of the present
Act ; wherein occur the words, " a poore gowne on their backes,
and without any coate vndemcath."
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
Menenius. You have stood your limitation ; and the tribunes
Endue you with the people's voice. Act II. Scene III.
Must have their voices; neither will they bate
One jot of ceremony.
Men. Put them not to 't: — •
Pray you, go fit you to the custom ; and
Take to vou, as vour predecessors have,
Your honour with your form.'3
Cor. It is a part
That I shall blush in acting, and might well
Be taken from the people.
But. [.iside to Sic] Mark you that?
Cor. To brag unto them, — thus I did, and thus ; —
Show them the unaching scars which I should hide,
As if I had receiv'd them for the hire
Of their breath only ! —
73. Your honour until your form. ' The honour proposed for
you, together with the customary form which its attainment
in V' lives for you.'
74. We recomme:id to you, tribunes of tlie people, our pur-
pose to them. ' We recommend through your representation,
Men. Do not stand upon 't. —
We recommend to you, tribunes of the people,
Our purpose to them :7* — and to our noble consul
Wish we all joy and honour
Senators. To Coriolanus come all joy and
honour ! [Flourish. Exeunt all except
Sicinius and Brutus.
Bru. You see how he intends to use the people.
Sic. May they perceive his intent ! He will
require them,
As if he did contemn what he requested
Should be in them to give.
Bru. Come, we'll inform them
Of our proceedings here: on the market-place,
I know, they do attend us. [Exeunt.
tribunes of the people, our purpose of conferring the consulship
upon Coriolanus to their favourable consideration and secondi
We think it not improbable that the first " to"
was a misprint for ' through ' or thro'.'
' in this sentence
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
SCENE III.— Rome. The Forum.
Enter several Citizens.
First Cit. Once,'5 if he do require our voices,
we ought not to deny him.
Sec . Cit. We may, sir, if we will.
Third Cit. We have power in ourselves to do
it, but it is a power that we have no power to do : "6
for if he show us his wounds, and tell us his deeds,
we are to put our tongues into those wounds, and
speak for them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds,
we must also tell him our noble acceptance of
them. Ingratitude is monstrous: and for the
multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster
of the multitude; of the which, we, being members,
should bring ourselves to be monstrous members.
First Cit. And to make us no better thought
of, a little help will serve ; for once7' we stood up
about the corn, he himself stuck not to call us the
many-headed multitude.
Third Cit. We have been called so of many ;
not that our heads are some brown, some black,
some auburn,?8 some bald, but that our wits are so
diversely coloured : and truly, I think, if all our
wits were to issue out of one skull, they would fly
east, west, north, south ; and their consent of one
direct way should be at once to all the points o'
the compass.
Sec. Cit. Think you so ? Which way do you
judge my wit would fly f
Third Cit. Nay, your wit will not so soon out
as another man's will, — 'tis strongly wedged up in
a block head ; but if it were at liberty, 'twould,
sure, southward.
Sec. Cit. Why that way ?
Third Cit. To lose itself in a fog; where being
three parts melted away with rotten dews, the
fourth would return for conscience sake, to help to
get thee a wife.
Sec. Cit. You are never without your tricks: —
you may, you may.79
Third Cit. Are you all resolved to give your
75. Once. Here used in the sense of 'once for all,' or 'it's
just this ' See Note 4S, Acti., " Much Ado."
76. We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power
that 7oe have no power to do. ' We have the right to deny
him, hut 'tis a right that we feel ourselves unable to exercise.'
The citizen is characteristically and humorously made to ex-
press this in a whimsical manner. Shakespeare is fond of
introducing these paradoxically expressed speeches where they
give characteristic effect. See Note 8, Act iii., " Richard III."
77. Once. Here used for ' once when.'
78. Auburn. The first Folio misprints this word 'Abram'
here ; as, a little farther on, it gives ' Coulord ' for " coloured."
The correction was made in the fourth Folio.
79. Von may, yon may. A familiar expression formerly in
common use, signifying ' you may go on,' ' you may say what
you please.' See Note 11, Act iii., "Troilus and Cressida."
80. Tiie greater part carries it. 'The majority prevails,'
'the larger number carries the day.' See Note 29, Act iii.,
" Love's Labour's Lost."
voices? But that's no matter, the greater part
carries it.s0 I say, if he would incline to the people,
there was never a worthier man. — Here he comes,
and in the gown of humility : mark his behaviour.
We are not to stay all together, but to come by him
where he stands, by onos, by twos, and by threes.
He's to make his requests by particulars; wherein
every one of us has a single honour, in giving him
our own voices with our own tongues ; therefore
follow me, and I'll direct you how you shall go
by him.
All. Content, content. [Exeunt.
Enter Coriolanus and Menenius.
Men. Oh, sir, you are not right; have you not
known
The worthiest men have done 't ?
Cor. What must I say? —
" I pray, sir," — Plague upon 't ! I cannot bring
My tongue to such a pace : — " Look, sir ;— my
wounds; —
I got them in my country's service, when
Some certain of your brethren roar'd, and ran
From the noise of our own drums."
Men. Oh, me, the gods!
You must not speak of that : you must desire them
To think upon you.
Cor. Think upon me! hang 'em 1
I would they would forget me, like the virtues
Which our divines lose by them."1
Men. You'll mar all :
I'll leave you: pray you, speak to them, I pray you,
In wholesome manner.82
Cor. Bid them wash their faces,
And keep their teeth clean. [Exit Menenius.] —
So, here comes a brace.
Re-enter tivo Citizens.
You know the cause, sir, of my standing here.
First Cit. We do, sir; tell us what hath brought
you to 't.
Cor. Mine own desert.
8r. Like the virtues which onr divines lose by them. ' As
they forget the virtues which our divines vainly endeavour to
implant in them.' The term "divines" here has been found
fault with as "another amusing instance of anachronism" in
Shakespeare, because it happens to have been applied to
ministers of the Gospel in Christian times; but it is surely a
word of sufficiently wide signification to admit of being aptly
used in expressing interpreters of Divine Nature and Divine
Wisdom, in whatever creed or age of the world recognised.
82. Speak to them, I pray yon, in wholesome manner.
Here "wholesome'' is used to express 'propitiatory,' 'gracious,'
' conciliatory.' See the passage referred to in Note 43, Act iii.,
"Henry VIII.;" where "wholesome" means 'propitious,'
favourable,' 'beneficial.' In "Hamlet," Act iii., sc. 2, Giin-
denstern says, "If it shall please you to make me a whole-
some answer," meaning ' a gracious and sedate answer.' Guil-
denstern uses the word in this sense ; though Hamlet, in his
leply, uses "wholesome" in the sense of 'rational,' 'sane,'
' healthy.'
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
Sec. Cit. Your own desert !
Cor. Ay, not mine own desire.83
First Cit. How ! not your own desire !
Cor. No, sir, 'twas never my desire yet to
trouble the poor with begging.
First Cit. You must think, if we give you any-
thing, we hope to gain by you.
Cor. Well then, I pray, your price o' the
consulship P
First Cit. The price is, to ask it kindly.
Cor, Kindly ! Sir, I pray, let me ha 't : I have
wounds to show you, which shall be yours in
private. — Your good voice, sir; what say you?
Sec, Cit. You shall have it, worthy sir.
Cor. A match, sir.84 — There is in all two worthy
voices begged. — I have your alms: adieu.
First Cit. But this is something odd.
Sec, Cit. An 'twere to give again, — but 'tis no
matter.85 [Exeunt the- tivo Citizens.
Cor.
Re-enter tzvo other Citizens.
Pray you now, if it may stand with the
tune of your voices that I may be consul, I have
here the customary gown.
Third Cit. You have deserved nobly of your
country, and you have not deserved nobly.
Cor-. Your enigma ?
Third Cit. You have been a scourge to her
enemies, you have been a rod to her friends; you
have not, indeed, loved the common people.
83. Ay, not mine own desire. Here the Folio gives ' but' for
"not;" affording another instance of this not infrequent mis-
print. Sec Note 41, Act iv. , "First Part Henry IV." The
first citizen's reply, echoing Coriolanus's words, prove "not"
to be the right word.
■ 84. A match) sir. Coriolanus, in his loftily contemptuous
way, says, "A match, sir;" which was an idiom for 'agreed,'
or, as we now say, ' done ! * when a wager is proposed : and he
also says it in the sense of 'a pair,' in reference to the second
citizen's vote, which, being obtained, forms a 'pair' or "match"
with the first citizen's vote already gained; adding in disdainful
comment, " There is in all two worthy voices begged."
85. An *tivere to give again, — but "'tis no matter. The
naturalness of the writing here, — with this break in the speech,
and with the half-expressed but most expressive sentences of
puzzled annoyance and grudged consent, is inimitable. There
is no one like Shakespeare for conveying perfect repression
through imperfect expression.
86. And be off to them most counterfeitiy. 'And take off
my "hat" to them in the finest false style.'
87. / luill not seal your knowledge* &*c. Shakespeare often
uses "seal " for ' confirm,' ' ratify,' ' give solemn assurance to ;*
a seal being used as a ratification to a bond or legal paper.
88. Woolvish toge. This has been variously altered ; the
first Folio printing ' wooluish tongue.' That tongue is a mis-
print for " toge" a monosyllabic form of 'toga,' which was the
garment worn by the Romans), is evidenced by a somewhat
similar misprint in " Othello," Act i., sc. 1, where the Folio
gives the ' tongued consuls' for "the toged consuls;" and,
that "wooluish" is also a misprint for some other word, we
think is nearly as manifest. But inasmuch as wc feel none of
the proposed substitutions 'Capell's ' woolfish,' Mason's ' woollen '
or ' foolish,' Beckett's 'woolish,' Collier's MS. corrector's 'wool-
less') to be the probable emendation, we allow "woolvish" to
Cor. You should account me the more virtuous,
that I have not been common in my love. I will,
sir, flatter my sworn brother, the people, to eai n 1
dearer estimation of them; 'tis a condition they
account gentle: and since the wisdom of their
choice is rather to have my hat than my heart, I
will practise the insinuating nod, and be off to them
most counterfeitiy ;36 that is, sir, I will counterfeit
the bewitchment of some popular man, and give
it bountifully to the desirers. Therefore, beseech
you, I may be consul.
Fourth Cit, We hope to find you our friend ;
and therefore give you our voices heartily.
Third Cit. You have received many wounds for
your country.
Cor. I will not seal your knowledge with
showing them.8' I will make much of your voices,
and so trouble you no farther.
Both Cit. The gods give you joy, sir, heartily !
[Exeunt,
Cor. Most sweet voices ! —
Better it is to die, better to starve,
Than crave the hire which first we do deserve.
Why in this woolvish toge8S should I stand here,
To beg of Hob and Dick, that do appear,
Their needless vouches?89 Custom calls me
to't:—
What custom wills, in all things should we do *t,
The dust on antique time would lie unswept,
And mountainous error be too highly heap'd.
remain in the text. It is from this anxiety to leave the original
unaltered if possible, that we refrain from inserting the word
here which wc have long believed to be the one originally
written by Shakespeare, — 'slavish.' Not only does 'slavish'
contain nearly all the same letters which form " woolvish ; " not
only does 'slavish' consist completely with either the Folio
word 'tongue' or the accepted word of later editions, "toge ;"
not only does ' slavish' exactly suit the context of this speech ;
but 'slavish' perfectly accords with the epithets used both by
Plutarch and by Shakespeare when mentioning the garment
that Coriolanus wears on the present occasion I'lutarch speaks
of it as "a./W>vgowne," a " simple gowne," " ?n e ane apparel! : "
while Shakespeare, elsewhere in the play, adverts to it as "' the
napless vesture of humility" "the gown of humility." "the
humble weed." In " Timon of Athens," Act iv., sc. 3, wc find
the expression, "This slave-like habit ; " which testifies Shake-
speare's employment of a similar expression with regard to
Coarse and common raiment. While suffering "woolvish" to
occupy its place in the text, we must explain that it is usually
supposed to mean ' wolf-like ; ' but, judging from another pas-
sage in the present play (see Note 47, Act in . we sh< mid rather
take it to mean ' woollenish,' ' wooll'nish,' or ' wool'nUh ,
last elistonally abbreviated form of the word brings us aim 1 t
precisely to the Folio spelling and printing.
89. To beg of Hob and Die/c, that do appear, their needless
vouches. 'To beg of Hob and Dick, one after the other .is they
may choose to make their appearance, their needless
* Hub and Dick," as well as 'Jack and Tom,' were familiarly
employed in Shakespeare's time to express the ordinary run y>(
men; and, because it was a familiar expression, he introduces it
here. This however draws upon him the reprchen I
who says, " By strange inattention our poet has here given the
names (as in many other places he has attributed the 1
of England to ancient Rome." Sec Note 45 of the present Act
95
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
For truth to o'er-peer. Rather than tool it so,
Let the high office and the honour go
To one that would do thus. — I am half through ;
The one part suffer'd, the other will I do.—
Here come more voices.
' Re-emer three other Citizens.
Your voices: for your voices I have fought;
Watch'd for your voices; for your voices bear
Of wounds two dozen odd ; battles thrice six
I have seen, and heard of;9" for your voices have
Done many things, some less, some more: your
voices :
Indeed, I would be consul.
Fifth Cit. He has done nobly, and cannot go
without any honest man's voice.
Sixth Cit. Therefore let him be consul : the
gods give him joy, and make him good friend to
the people !
All three Citizens. Amen, amen.— God save
thee, noble consul ! [Exeunt.
Cor. Worthy voices !
Re-enter Menenius, laith Brutus anil Sicinius.
Men. You have stooJ your limitation ; and the
tribunes
Endue you with the people's voice: remains
That," in th' official marks invested, you
Anon do meet the senate.
Cor, Is this done ?
Sic. The custom of request you have dis-
charg'd :
The people do admit you; and are suinmonM
To meet anon, upon your approbation.
Cor. Where ? at the senate-house?
Sic. There, Coriolanus.
Cor. May I change these garments?
Sic. You may, sir.
Cor. That I'll straight do; and, knowing my-
self again,
Repair to the senate-house.
Men. I'll keep you company. — Will you along?
Bru. We stay here for the people.
Sic. Fare you well.
[Exeunt Coriolanus and Menenius.
He has it new; and, by his looks, methinks
'Tis warm at his heart.
90. Battles thrice six I have sent, and heard of. This
has been variously interpreted : but, taking into considera-
tion Coriolanlls's scoffing manner of speaking here, we think
it means, ' eighteen battles I have seen something of and
heard something of.' He has just before sneeringly said he
should remind the voters of a time " when some certain of your
brethren roar'd, and ran from the noise of our own drums""
and he may well here have in his mind the sounds as well as
the sights of a battle-field. If the expression, "I have seen
and heard of" include — as we think it does — the elliptically
conveyed effect of ' I have seen and matte heard of or 'caused
to be heard of,' it is thoroughly in Shakespeare's comprehen-
sive style.
Bru. With a proud heart he wore his humble
weeds. —
Will you dismiss the people ?
Re-enter Citizens.
Sic. How now, my masters ! have you chose
this man ?
First Cit. He has our voices, sir.
Bru. We pray the gods he may deserve your
loves.
Sec. Cit. Amen, sir: — to my poor unworthy
notice,
He mock'd us when he begg'd our voices.
Third Cit. Certainly
He flouted us downright.
First Cit. No, 'tis his kind of speech, — he did
not mock us.
Sec. Cit. Not one amongst us, save yourself,
but says
He us'd us scornfully : he should have show'd us
His marks of merit, wounds receiv'd tor's country.
Sic. Why, so he did, I am sure.
Citizens. No, no ; no man saw 'em.
Third Cit. He said he had wounds, which he
could show in private ;
And with his hat, thus waving it in scorn,
" I would be consul," says he : "aged custom,
But by your voices, will not so permit me;
Your voices therefore: " when we granted that,
Here was,9- " I thank you for your voices, — thank
you, —
Your most sweet voices: — now you have left your
voices,
I have no farther with you:"B3 — was not this
mockery ?
Sic. Why, either were you ignorant to see 't?94
Or, seeing it, of such childish friendliness
To yield your voices ?
Bru. Could you not have told him,
As you were lesson'd, — when he had no power,
But was a petty servant to the state,
He was your enemy ; ever spake against
Your liberties, and the charters that you bear
I' the body of the weal : and now, arriving
A place of potency,'15 and sway o' the state,
If he should still malignantly remain
Fast foe to the plebeii,8" your voices might
91. Remains that. 'There' or 'it' is elliptically understood
before " remains."
92. Here joas. A somewhat similar idiom to the one pointed
out in Note 65, Act i., " Winter's Tale."
93. / tiave no farther with yon. An elliptical expression :
signifying ' I have no farther want with you,' ' I have no farther
need of you,' ' I have nothing farther to wisli for from you.'
94 Were you ignorant to sect? 'Were you wanting ill
capacity to see it ? '
95. Arriving a place of potency "Arriving" is here used
actively. See Note 17, Act v , " Third Part Henry VI."
96. Plebeii. The Latin form of ' plebeians ; ' the peuplc, the
commonalty.
9<j
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
rSrF\-K III.
Bratits. Repair to the Capitol.
Citizens. We will so : almost all
Repent in their election.
Act II. Scene III.
Be curses to yourselves? You should have said,
That as his worthy deeds did claim no less
Than what he stood for, so his gracious nature
Would think uuon you for your voices, and
Translate his malice towards you into love,
Standing your friendly lord.
Sic. Thus to have said,
As you were fore-advis'd, had touch'd his spirit
And tried his inclination; from him pluck'd
Either his gracious promise, which you might,
As cause had call'd you up, have held him to;
Or else it would have gall'd his surly nature,
Which easily endures not article
Tying him to aught; so, putting him to rage,
You should have ta'en th' advantage of his choler,
And pass'd him unelected.
97. Free. Here used for ' open,' ' unreserved.
98. Of him that did not ask. but mock, bestoiu, cy>e.
•or-
Bru. Did you perceive
He did solicit you in free9' contempt,
When he did need your loves ; and do you think
That his contempt shall not be bruising to you,
When he hath power to crush? Why, had your
bodies
No heart among you ? or had you tongues to cry
Against the rectorship of judgment?
Sic. I [ave you,
Kre now, denied the asker? and now again,
Of him that did not ask, but mock, bestow
Your su'd-for tongues ?9S
Third Cit. He's not confirm'd; we ma\
him yet.
Sec. Cit. And will deny him:
I'll have five hundred voices of thai sound.
is here used for 'on;' and 'do you' is clliptically un i
before " bestow."
I, 'J
Act II.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
First Cit. Ay, twice five hundred, and their
friends to piece 'em.
Bru. Get you hence instantly ; and tell those
friends,
They have chose a consul that will from them
take
Their liberties ; make them of no more voice
Than dogs, that are as often beat for barking,
As therefore kept to do so.
Sic. Let them assemble ;
And, on a safer judgment, all revoke
Your ignorant election : enforce" his pride,
And his old hate unto you : besides, forget not
With what contempt he wore the humble weed ;
How in his suit he scorn'd you : but your loves,
Thinking upon his services, took from you
The apprehension of his present portance,100
Which most gibingly, ungravely, he did fashion
After the inveterate hate he bears you.
Bru. Lay
A fault on us, your tribunes; that we labour' d
(No impediment between) but that you must
Cast your election on him.
Sic. Say, you chose him
More after our commandment than as guided
By your own true affections ; and that, your
minds,
Pre-occupied with what you rather must do
Than what you should, made you against the
grain
To voice him consul : lay the fault on us.
Bru. Ay, spare us not. Say we read lectures
to you,
How youngly he began to serve his country,
99. Enforce. ' Urge,' ' forcibly instance.'
100. Tlie apprehension of his present portance. " Apprehen-
sion " is here used in the sense of ' perception,' ' appreciation ; '
and "portance" means 'carriage,' 'bearing.'
101. And Ccnsorinus, darling of tlte people. Pope inserted
this line to supply one which the context shows was omitted in
the Folio; and Plutarch commences his life of Coriolanus with
a passage that evidently formed the groundwork of the present
one : " The house of the Martians at Rome was of the number
of the Patricians, out of the which have sprong many noble
personages, whereof Ancus Martius was one, King Nuinaes
daughters Sonne, who was King of Rome after Tullus Hostilius.
Of the same house were Publius and Quintu-., who brought
to Rome their best water they had by conduits. Censorinus
also came of that family, that was so surnained, because the
people had chosen him censor twise." Our unwillingness to
How long continu'd : and what Stock he springs
of,—
The noble house o' the Marcians; from whence
came
That Ancus Marcius, Numa's daughter's son,
Who, after great Hostilius, here was king;
Of the same house Publius and Quintus were,
That our best water brought by conduits hither;
And Censorinus, darling of the people,101
And nobly nam'd so, twice being censor,
Was his great ancestor.102
Sic, One thus descended,
That hath beside well in his person wrought
To be set high in place, we did commend
To your remembrances: but you have found,
Scaling103 his present bearing with his past,
That he's your fixed enemy, and revoke
Your sudden approbation.
Bru. Say, you ne'er had done 't
(Harp on that still) but by our putting on :104
And presently, when you have drawn your number,
Repair to the Capitol.
Citizens. We will so: almost all
Repent in their election. [Exeunt.
Bru. Let them go on ;
This mutiny were better put in hazard,
Than stay, past doubt, for greater :
If, as his nature is, he fall in rage
With their refusal, both observe and answer
The vantage of his anger.
Sic. To the Capitol :
Come, we'll be there before the stream o' the people;
And this shall seem, as partly 'tis, their own,
Which we have goaded onward. [Exeunt.
disturb a generally received reading makes us adopt Pope's
line as it is ; else, we should have preferred to give the line
thus— "The darling of the people, Censorinus," as then not
only the rhythm would be better, but the surname would be
brought more immediately in consecution with the words, "and
nobly nam'd so."
102. His great ancestor. Censorinus Publius, and Quintus,
were in fact descendants, not ancestors, of Coriolanus ; but the
words of Plutarch, in the passage above quoted, " of the same
house" and "also came of that family," were of sufficient latitude
in expression to warrant the poet in supposing them to be
predecessors, or in thus introducing them into his drama.
103. Scaling. 'Weighing,' 'balancing.' See Note 39, Act iii.,
" Measure for Measure."
104. Putting on. 'Instigation,' 'incitement.' See Note 24,
Act ii., " Winter's Tale."
oS
Act III]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
ACT III.
SCENE I. — Romz. A Street.
Cornets. Enter Corioi.anus, Menenius, Cominius,
Titus Lartius. Senators, and Patricians.
Car. Tullus Aufidius, then, had made new head?
Lurt. He had, my lord; and that it was which
caus'd
Our swifter composition.
Cor. So, then, the Volsces stand but as at first;
Ready, when time shall prompt them, to make road
Upon lis again.
Com. They are worn, lord consul,1 so,
That we shall hardly in our ages see
Their banners wave again.
Cor. Saw you Aufidius?
Lait. On safe-guard2 he came to me; and did
curse
Against the Volsces, for they had so vilely
Yielded the town:3 he is retir'd to Antiuin.
Cor. Spoke he of me ?
Lart. He did, my lord.
Cor. How? what?
Lart. How often he had met you, sword to
sword ;
That of all things upon the earth he hated
Your person most ; that he would pawn his fortunes
To hopeless restitution, so he might
Be call'd your vanquisher.
Cor. At Antiuin lives he?
lart. At Antium.
Cor. I wish I had a cause to seek him there,
To oppose his hatred fully. — [To Lartius.] Wel-
come home.
Enter Sicinius and Brutus.
Behold, these are the tribunes of the peoole,
The tongues o' the common mouth : I do despise
them ;
For they do prank them4 in authority,
Against all noble sufferance.
i. Lord consul. Malone remarks upon this — " Shakespeare
has here, as in other places, attributed the usage of England to
Rome. In his time the title of ford was given to many officers
of state who were not peers : thus, lords of the council, lord
embassador, ford general," &c. Precisely so ; the dramatist
employed an expression which he knew would be instantly com-
prehended by the piiSlic for whom he wrote, and he wished to
give the immediate impression of Coriolanus's having attained
his new dignity ; that dignity striven fir in the last Act, assumed
and recognised at the commencement of the present Act, and
forfeited before the conclusion of its first scene. This is just
one of the poet's touches of dramatic art ; with apparent care-
lessness, but really nicest forethought, marking a point which,
as th2 action progresses, is essential to be well borne in mind.
2. On safe-guard. ' With a guard to protect him.
Sic. Pass no farther.
Cor. Ha ! what is that ?
Bru. It will be dangerous to go on : no farther.
Cor. What makes this change ?
Men. The matter?
Com. Hath he not pass'd the nobles and the
commons ?5
Bru. Cominius, no.
Cor. Have I had children's voices?
First Sen. Tribunes, give way; he shall to the
market-place.
Brit. The people are incens'd against him.
Sic. Stop,
Or all will fall in broil.
Cor. Are these your herd ? —
Must these have voices, that can yield them now,
And straight disclaim their tongues? — What are
your offices ?
You being their mouths, why rule you not their
teeth ?
Have you not set them on ?
Men. Be calm, be calm.
Cor. It is a purpos'd thing, and grows by plot,
To curb the will of the nobility :
Suffer 't, and live with such as cannot rule,
Nor ever will be rul'd.
Bru. Call 't not a plot :
The people cry you mock'd them ; and of late,
When corn was given them gratis, you repin'd ;
Scandal'd the suppliants for the people, — call'd them
Time-pleasers, flatterers, foes to nobleness.
Cor. Why, this was known before.
Bru. Not to them all.
Cor. Have vou inform'd them sithence :r'
Bru. How! I inform them!
Cor. You are like to do" such business.
Bru. Not unlike,
Each way, to better yours.9
Cor. Why, then, should I be consul ? By
yond' clouds,
3. Against the Volsces, for they had, &c. "For "used as
' because.'
4. Prank them. 'Deck themselves,' 'dress themselves up'
See Note 78, Act ii.. " Twelfth Night."
5. Tlie nobles and the commons. The Folio prims ' n
and 'common' here; but as it gives " nobles " and " com
in other passages of the present play, where the word
with similar sense, we adopt Rowe's correction as being right.
6. Sithence. Old form of ' since.'
7. Von are like to do. " Like " used for ' likely." Tin
ascribes tint spL--ri h t.i Cominius Theobald's correction.
8. Not unlike, each way, 1" heller yours ' Nit unlikely, in
all respects, in improve upon your method of inform ;
people, which it vould be your business to do were you ts.
become consul,'
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene. I.
Let me deserve so ill as you, -and make me
Your Fellow tribune.
Sic. You show too much of that
For which the people stir: if you will pass
To where you are bound, you must inquire your
way,
Which you are out of, with a gentler spirit ;
Or never be so noble as a consul,
Nor voke with him for tribune.
Mtn. Let's be calm.
Com. The people are abus'd; set on. This
paltering
Becomes not Rome; nor has Coriolanus
Deserv'd this so dishonour'd rub, laid falsely
I' the plain way of his merit.9
Cor. Tell me of corn !
This was my speech ; and I will speak 't again, —
Men. Not now, rot now.
First Sen. Not in this heat, sir, now.
Cor. Now, as I live, I will. — My nobler friends,
I crave their pardons: —
For the mutable, rank-scented many, let them
Regard me as I do not Hatter, and
Therein behold themselves: I say again,
In soothing them, we nourish 'gainst our senate
The cockle10 of rebellion, insolence, sedition,
Which we ourselves have plough' d for, soiv'd, and
scatter' d,
By mingling them with us, the honour* d number;
Who Lick not virtue, no, nor power, but that
W hich they have given to beggars.
Men. Well, no more.
F.rst Sen. No more words, we beseech you.
9. This so' dishonour 'd rubt laid falsely, &*c. " Rub " is a
term used in the game of bowls [see Note 21, Act iii , " Troilus
and Cressida") ; and "falsely" is here used for 'treacherously.'
10. Cockle, A weed among corn, that impedes its growth.
11. Meazels. ' Meazel' is an oid term for a leper, from the
French word, vteselle; and Corioianus uses " meazels " to
signify 'lepers,' as personifying the men he is abusing, while he
employs it to signify ' leprosies ' or diseases, as governing the
vv irds " to catch them." This use of an epithet in a double
sense is consistent with Shakespeare's expressive and largely
inclusive style ; especially where he indicates hurried speaking.
12. Triton of the minnows. A " Triton " is a sea-god,
1 ;r rented as blowing a shell, and leading processions of sea-
deities. "Minnows" are the smallest offish. See Note 36,
Act i., " Love's Labour's Lost"
13. *'Pwns from the canon. Here, taking "from" to be
used in it-> sense of 'apart from,* 'away from' [see Note 97,
Act i., "Twelfth Night"), Johnson explains this speech to
mean, ' was contrary to the established rule ; it was a form of
speech to which he has no right.* Rut Malone interprets it to
mean, 'What Sicinius has said is according to rule ;* and pro-
ceeds to point out that " it alludes to the absolute veto of the
tribunes, the power of putting a stop to every proceeding ;
and accordingly, Coriolanus. instead of disputing this power of
the tribunes, proceeds U argae against the power itself, and to
inveigh against the patricians for having granted it." We hold
with the latter explanation, because it consists with Sicilian's
- > h .it the commencement of the last scene of this Act—
" When tli v hear me say, ' It shall be so, i" the right an 1
strength 0* the Commons' .... insisting on theefdpre-
-, faiive and fpttter" &c. ; but the present passage affords a
Cor. How ! no more!
A* for my country I have shed my blood,
Not fearing outward force, so shall mv lungs
Coin words till their decay against those meazels,11
Which we disdain should tetter us, yet sought
The very way to catch them.
Bru. You speak o' the people,
As if you were a god to punish, not
A man of their infirmity.
Sic, 'Twere we/1
We let the people know 't.
Men. What, what? his choler?
Cor. Chokr !
Were I as patient as the midnight sleep,
By Jove, 'twould be my mind !
*S:c. It is a mind
That shall remain a poison where it is,
Not poison any farther.
Cor. Shall remain !
Hear you this Triton oi the minnows?12 mark \ ou
His absolute "shall"?
Com. 'Twas from the canon.11
Cor. "Shall"!
Oh, good, but most unwise patricians!14 why,
You grave, but reckbss senators, have you thus
Given Hydra here to choose an officer,13
That with his peremptory "shall," being but
The horn and noise o' the monster,16 wants not
spirit
To say he'll turn your current in a ditch,
And make your channel his ? [f he ha\ e power,
Then vail your ignorance;-' if none, awake
Your dangerous lenity.19 If you are learn* d,
remarkable instance of the directly opposite sense which the
word "from" may give to a sentence, according to the sense 13
which the word is used and taken.
14. Oh, good, but most itn-wisc patricians I The Folio mis-
prints ' God * for " good " here. Theobald's correction.
15. Thus given Hydra here to choose an officer. In this
passage, " here " has been altered to 'leave' and to 'heart;'
but "here" is used in the present instance as it is in those
pointed out in Notes 33, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV," and
54, \ 1 ii., "Second Part Henry VI." "Given" is here used
cll'ptically, to express 'given permission to,' 'permitted,*
'allowed,' 'granted;' as it is in "Hamlet," Act i., sc. 3,
where Polonius says to Ophelia, "With a larger tether may
\\i walk, than may hegiven you."
16. The horn and noise o* the monster. The Folio gives
'monsters' for "monster" here. Capell's correction. For .1
description of Hydra sec Note 46, Act iv., "Second Part
Henry IV." "Horn" is used in continuation of the figure
Coriolanus has used in calling Sicinius "this Triton." Word i-
worth, in one of his most poetical sonnets, " The World is To >
Much with Us," speaks of hearing "old Triton blow Ids
wreathed horn."
17. Then vail your ignorance. ' In that case, let your
admitted ignorance take a lower tone and defer to their
admitted superiority.' " Vail " is use! in its sen- e of 'lower,'
' stoop.' Sue Note 34, Act v., " Taming of the Shrew."
iS. Awake your dzngerons lenity. 'Arouse your perilous
forbearance, and convert it into more judicious severity.' For
1 1 t in cs of a similar idiomatic and elliptical expression used by
Shakespeare, see Notes iS, Act v., "Much Ado," and 85,
Act iii., '" Richard III."
Brutus. Seize him, /Ediles!
Citizens. Down with him! down with him!
£&»
Act III. Srene I.
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Be not as common fools ; if you are not,
Let them have cushions by you. You are plebeians,
If they be senators: and they are no less,
When, both your voices blended,19 the great'st
taste
Most palates theirs. They choose their magis-
trate ;
And such a one as he, who puts his " shall,"
His popular " shall," against a graver bench
Than ever frown'd in Greece. By Jove himself,
It makes the consuls base ! and my soul aches
To know, when two authorities are up,
Neither supreme, how soon confusion
May enter "twixt the gap of both, and take
The one by the other.20
Com. Well, — on to the market-place.
Cor, Whoever gave that counsel, to give forth
The corn o' the storehouse gratis, as 'twas us'd
Sometime in Greece, —
Men. Well, well, no more of that.
Cor. Though there the people had more absolute
power, —
I say, they nourish'd disobedience, fed
The ruin of the state.
Bru. Why, shall the people give
One that speaks thus their voice ?
Cor. I'll give my reasons,
More worthier than their voices. They know the
corn
Was not our recompense,21 resting well assur'd
They ne'er did service for 't : being press'd to the
war,
Even when the navel of the state was touch'd,
They would not thread the gates,22 — this kind of
service
Did not deserve corn gratis : being i' the war,
Their mutinies and revolts, wherein they show'd
Most valour, spoke not for them : the accusation
Which they have often made against the senate,
All cause unborn, could never be the native
Of our so frank donation.23 Well, what then 'i
How shall this bosom multiplied24 digest
The senate's courtesy ? Let deeds express
What's like to be their words: — "We did re-
quest it ;
We are the greater poll, and in true fear
They gave us our demands : " — thus we debase
The nature of our seats, and make the rabble
Call our cares fears; which will in time
Break ope the locks o' the senate, and bring in
The crows to peck the eagles.
Men. Come, enough.
Bru. Enough, with over-measure.
Cor. No, take more :
What may be sworn by, both divine and human,
Seal what I end withal J25 — This double worship, —
Where one part does disdain with cause, the other
Insult without all reason; where gentry, title,
wisdom,
Cannot conclude but by the yea and no
Of general ignorance, — it must omit
Real necessities, and give way the while
To unstable slightness: purpose so barr'd, it follows,
Nothing is done to purpose. Therefore, beseech
you,—
You that will be less fearful than discreet ;
That love the fundamental part of state
More than you doubt26 the change on 't ; that
prefer
A noble life before a long, and wish
the word "bosom" for 'stomach,' and from the context or the
word " digest" in the present passage, — also from the mode in
which he uses "multiplying'* for 'multifarious' ("Macbeth,"
Act i., sc. 2), — we believe that here "bosom multiplied " is
meant to express 'general stomach,' See the speech referred to
in Note 74, Act i., "Second Part Henry IV.," where the use
of the words "sick," "over-greedy," "surfeited," "beastly
feeder," "full," "cast him up," " disgorge," "glutton boscut"
20. And take the one by the other. ' And mutually destroy J &c, together with the application of the strong metaphor
throughout to the popular appetite or inclination of the general
people, gives large support to our belief that here " bosom
multiplied" is used for 'general stomach,' Also, the term
"common bosom" occurs in "Lear," Act v., sc. 3; where it
means the 'common people's inclination.'
?5. What fnnv be sworn by, both divine and human, seal
•what I end withal! ' Let whatever of divine or human that
can give solemnity to an oath confirm the words with which I
conclude ! ' This sentence affords an example of the extremely
appropriate forms of adjuration which Shakespeare uses. See
Note 11, Act i., "Merchant of Venice : " for Heath mentions
that " the Romans swore by what was human as well as divine :
by their head, by their eyes, by the dead bones and ashes of
their parents, &c. See Krisson deformnlis, p. 808 — S17."
26. Doubt. Here used in its sense of 'dread,' 'fear:' the
sense of the passage being, ' Therefore I beseech you, you who
will be less fearful of using violent measures than prudent in
Using them promptly : you who value the preservation of our
state constitution more than you dread its overthrow.*
10. They are no less, when, both your voiees, &*e. ' They
are no less than senators, when, both your and their voices
being blended together, the predominant taste of the mixture
has most the flavour of theirs.' "Palates" is here used as
Shakespeare uses " smacks" (see Note 85, Act iv. , " Winter's
Tale,"), to signify 'tastes of,' 'relishes of," ' has a flavour of;*
and in "Antony and CleoDatra," Act v., sc. 2, he again uses
the verb " palates" to express ' tastes.
each other's power.' 'Here "take" seems to be used in the
sense of ' destroy,' ' blast,' ' annihilate.' See Note 66, Act ii.
of this play.
21. Was not our recompense. 'Was not our recompense to
them,' 'was not given by us as a recompense.' See Note 100,
Act i., "Troilus and Cressida."
22. Thread tlte gates ' Pass the gates,' as a threa t passes
through the needle's eye. The verb is still in common use, thus
figuratively employed: as, 'to thread the windings of away,'
' to thread the mazes of a wood,' ' to thread a crowd.' See
Note 34, Act v., " King John."
23. The native of our so frank donation. It has been pro-
posed to change " native " to ' motive ' here : but " native" is
used to express 'origin,' 'source,' 'cause of birth,' 'natural
engenderer ;' an 1 agrees with the previous word " unborn."
24. This bosom multiplied. Mr. Collier's MS. corrector
substitutes ' bisson multitude ' for " bosom multiplied," here :
and several of tliL- best mo lern editors have adopted the alter-
ation. From the mode in which Shakespeare elsewhere uses
Act 1 1 I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
To jump a body with a dangerous phasic2?
That's sure of death without it,— at once pluck out
The multitudinous tongue; let them not lick
The sweet which is their poison : your dishonour
Mangles true judgment, and bereaves the state
Of that integrity which should become'-^ it ;
Not having the power to do the good it would,
Tor th' ill which doth control it.
Bru. He has said enough.
Sic, He has spoken like a traitor, and shall
answer
As traitors do.
Cor. Thou wretch ! despite o'erwhelm thee ! —
What should the people do with these bald tribunes?
On whom depending, their obedience fails
To the greater bench : in a rebellion,
When what's not meet, but what must be, was law,
Then were they chosen : in a better hour,
Let what is meet be said it must be meet,
And throw their power i' the dust.
Bru. Manifest treason !
Sic. This a consul ? no.
Bru. The ./Ediles, ho! — Let him be appre-
hended.
Sic. Go, call the people [exit Brutus]; — in
whose name myself
Attach thee as a traitorous innovator,
A foe to the public weal : obey, I charge thee,
And follow to thine answer.
Cor. Henre, old goat !
Sen. and Pat. We'll surety him.
Cum. Aged sir, hands off.
Cor. Hence, rotten thing! or I shall shake thy
bones
Out of thy garments.
Sic. Help, ye citizens!
Re-enter Brutus, •with the ^Ediles, and a rabble of
Citizens.
Men. On both sides more respect.
Sic. Here's he that would take from you all
your power.
Bru. Seize him, ./Ediles!
27. To jump a body with a dangerous physic. The word
"jump" in this sentence has been suspected of error, and
various substitutions have been proposed, such as ' vamp,'
'imp,' and 'purge.' But each of these substitutions have the
defect of exactly changing the sense which the context requires.
The original word "jump" is used elsewhere by Shakespeare to
express the precise meaning demanded here, — ' risk,' ' hazard,'
'jeopardise.' In " Macbeth," Act i., sc. 7, it is used in this
sense and as a verb — "We'd jump the life to come;" in
" Cymbeline," Act v., sc. 4, it is used in this sense and as a
verb — " Or jump the after-inquiry on your own peril ; " and
in "Antony and Cleopatra," Act in., sc. 8, it is used as a
noun — " Our fortune lies upon this jump," to signify ' this
chance,' ' this venture.' In Holland's translation of Pliny's
" Natural History,"' we find — " It [ellebore] putteth the patient
to a jumpc, or great hazard ; " and Richardson explains the
word thus — "To come or go at a. jump; that is, suddenly,
hastily, without seeing the ground to alight upon, at a risk or
Citizens. Down with him! down with him!
Sec. Sen. Weapons, weapons, weapons! —
[They all bustle about CoRIOLAKUS.
Tribunes, patricians, citizens! — what, ho! —
Sicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, citizens !
Citizens. Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace.
Men. What is about to be? — I am out cf
breath ;
Confusion's near; I cannot speak. — You, tribunes
To the people, — Coriolanus, patience: —
Speak, good Sicinius.
Sic. Hear me, people ; peace !
Citizens. Let's hear our tribune: peace! —
Speak, speak, speak.
Sic. You are at point to lose your liberties :
Marcius would have all from you; Marcius,
Whom late you have nam'd for consul.
Men. Fie, fie, fie!
This is the way to kindle, not to quench.
First Sen. To unbuild the city, and to lay all
flat.
Sic. What is the city but the people?
Citizens. True,
The people are the city.
Bru. By the consent of all, we were establish'd
The people's magistrates.
Citizens. You so remain.
Men. And so are like to do.
Com. That is the way to lay the city flat ;-'■'
To bring the roof to the foundation,
And bury all, which yet distinctly ranges,
In heaps and piles of ruin.
Sic. This deserves death.
Bru. Or let us stand to our authority,
Or let us lose it. — We do here pronounce,
Upon the part o' the people, in whose power
We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy
Of present death.
Sic. Therefore lay hold of him ;
Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence
Into destruction cast him.
Bru. .i^Ediles, seize him !
Citizens. Yield, Marcius, yield !
venture." The argument throughout the passage, as well as
the sentence in immediate juxtaposition, requires that the
original word signifying 'risk' should be retained, and not
altered to one that means ' patch up by attempted cure.'
28. Become. Here used for * beco Igly adorn,' 'befmingly
invest.' See Note 50, Act hi., "As You Like It."
29. That is the way to lay t/ie city JIat. Pope and others
assign this speech to Coriolanus ; which is a plausible altei
on account of Sicinius's reply, "This deserves death." I
inasmuch as the present speech agrees with Cominius's former
one in this scene, beginning, " The people arc abused : set
on. This paltering," &c, in its object t the tribunes,
and as it may naturally come as an echo and support of the
first senator's words, "To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat,"
we think it probably belonj
Cominius ; in which case, S in I
death," are a following up of what he has just been urging
against Coriolanus—" Marcius would have all from you," &C.
Act III."!
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Men. Hear me one word ;
Beseech you, tribunes, hear me but a word.
sEJ. Peace, peace !
Men. Be that you seem, truly your country's
friends,3"
And temperately proceed to what you would
Thus violently redress.
Bru. Sir, those cold ways,
That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous
Where the disease is violent. — Tay hands upon him,
And bear him to the rock.
Cor. [Drawing his sivord.] No, I'll die here.
There's some among you have beheld me fighting :
Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me.
Men. Down with that sword! — Tribunes, with-
draw awhile.
Bru. Lay hands upon him.
Men. Help Marcius, help,
You that be noble ; help him, young and old !
Citizens. Down with him, down with him!
[In this mutiny, the Tribunes, the jEdiles,
and the People, are beaten in.
Men. Go, get you to your house ;31 be gone,
away !
All will be naught else.
See. Sen. Get you gone.
Cor. Standfast;32
We have as many friends as enemies.
Men. Shall it be put to that?
First Sen. The gods forbid ! —
I pr'ythee, noble friend, home to thy house;
Leave us to cure this cause.
Men. For 'tis a sore upon us,
You cannot tent yourself: be gone, beseech you.
Com. Come, sir, along with us.33
Cor. 1 would they were barbarians34 (as they are,
Though in Rome litter'd), not Romans (as they
are not,
Though calv'd i' the porch o' the Capitol), —
Men. Be gone ;
Put not your worthy rage into your tongue ;
One time will owe another.35
Cor. On fair ground
1 could beat forty36 of them.
Men. I could myself
Take up a brace o' the best of them ; yea, the two
tribunes.
30. Your country s friends. The Folio prints ' friend ' here
fur " friends." Rowe's correction ; which is evidenced to be
right by the present speech being the appeal which Menenius
has asked to make, in the previous words, " Beseech you,
tribunes, hear me but a word."
3r. Get yon to your house. The Folio misprints 'our' for
" your " here. Rowe's correction.
32. Stand fast. The prefix in the Folio is ' Com,1 instead of
" Cor," here. Warburton's correction
33. Come, sir, along with ns. The Folio assigns this speech
to Coriolanus : to whom it obviously cannot belong. Corrected
in the second Folio.
34. / would they were barbarians. This speech and the
Com. But now 'tis odds beyond arithmetic ;
And manhood is call'd foolery, when it stands
Against a falling fabric. — Will you hence,
Before the tag37 return ? whose rage doth rend
Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear
What they are us'd to bear.
Men. Pray you, be gone:
I'll try whether my old wit be in request
With those that have but little : this must be
patch'd
With cloth of any colour.
Com. Nay, come away.
[Exeunt Coriolanus, Cominius, and others.
First Par. This man has marr'd his fortune.
Men. His nature is too noble for the world :
He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,
Or Jove for 's power to thunder. His heart's his
mouth :
What his breast forges, that his tongue must vent ;
And, being angry, does forget that ever
He heard the name of death. — [J noise luithin.
Here's goodly work !
Sec. Pat. I would they were a-bed !
Men. I would they were in Tiber ! What, the
vengeance,
Could he not speak 'em fair ?
Re-enter Brutus and Sicinius, luith the rabble.
Sic. Where is this viper,
That would depopulate the city, and
Be every man himself?
Men. You worthy tribunes, —
Sic, He shall be thrown down the Tarpeian
rock
With rigorous hands : he hath resisted law,
And therefore law shall scorn him farther trial
Than the severity of the public power,
Which he so sets at naught.
First Cit. He shall well know
The noble tribunes are the people's mouths,
And we their hands.
Citizens. He shall, sure on 't.
Men, Sir, sir, —
Sic, Peace !
Men. Do not cry havock,33 where you should
but hunt
With modest warrant.
next are by the Folio run into one, and ascribed to Menenius.
Tyruhitt proposed the arrangement of the dialogue here
adopted
35. One time wit! owe another. ' Some other time will give
you the opportunity which the present time denies you'
36. Forty. Here used as an indefinite number. See Note 60,
Act iii , " Henry VI 1 1."
37. Tag. An abbreviated form of 'tag-rag :' which is used
by Shakespeare in "Julius Cajsar," Act i., sc. 2, where we
find, " If the tag rag people did not," &C.
38. Po not cry havock. ' Do not give the signal for general
destruction.' See Note 50. Act ii., " King John," where the
word " havock" is more particularly explained.
Coriolanus. Why diil you wish mc milder P would you have me
False to my nature ?
.•/<-/ //A tow //.
i So
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene I.
Sic. Sir, how comes 't that you
Have holp to make this rescue ?
Men. Hear me speak : —
As 1 do know the consul's worthiness.
So can I name Ins faults, —
Sic. Consul ! — what consul ?
Men. The consul Coriolanus.
But. He consul !
Citizens. No, no, no, no, no.
Men. If, by the tribunes' leave, and yours, good
people,
I may be heard, I would crave a word or -two;
The which shall turn you to no farther harm39
Than so much loss of time.
Sic. Speak briefly, then ;
For we are pe.emptory to dispatch
This viper jus traitor: to eject him hence
Were fat one danger;40 and to keep him here
Our certain death : therefore it is decreed
He dies to-night.
Men. Now the good gods forbid
That our renowned Rome, whose gratitude
Towards her deserved children is enroll'd
In Jove's own book, like an unnatural dam
Should now eat up her own !
Sic. He's a disease that must be cut away.
Men. Oh, he's a limb that has but a disease ;
Mortal, to cut it off; to cure it, easy.
What has he done to Rome that's worthy death ?
Killing our enemies ? The blood he hath lost
(Which, I dare vouch, is more than that he hath,
By many an ounce), he dropp'd it for his country,
And what is left, to lose it by his country,
Were to us all, that do 't and suffer it,
A brand to th' end o' the world.
Sic. This is clean kam.'"
Bru. Merely 42 awry : when he did love his
country,
It honour'd him.
Men. The service of the foot
Being once gangren'd,43 is not then respected
for what before it was ?
39. Turn you to 110 farther harm. See Note 23, Act v.,
"Third Part Henry VI."
40. Were but one danger. Theobald changed " one " here
to 'our;' and the Cambridge Editors conjecture ' moe' to be
th: word intended. But it appears to us that the sentence
means, ' To banish him from hence were but to encounter
line danger ; and to allow him to remain in Rome would be to
encounter another, — the certain destruction of our offices as
tribunes.' We think the word ' another ' is elliptically under-
stood after "here ;" as thus: 'To eject him hence were but one
danger ; and to keep him here, another, — cur certain death.'
4:. This is clean kam. 'This is quite beside the purpose,'
' quite irrelevant.' See Note 55, Act ii. Shakespeare, in
" Julius Csesar," Act i., sc. 3, has "clean from the purpose;"
and in " Othello," Act i , sc. 3, he has " clean <>ut of the way."
" Rain" is an old wen! (Erse nil Welsh l"! 'crooked;' and
' l,im, kam* (a corruption of "clean kam") was an idiom in
familiar use, to express ' quite contrary/ 'completely .1: cross
purposes
Bin. We'll hear no more. —
Pursue him to his house, and pluck him thence;
I .est his infection, being of catching nature,
Spread tarther.
Men. One word more, one word.
This tiger-footed rage, when it shall find
The harm of unscann'd swiftness, will, too late,
Tie leaden pounds to 's heels. Proceed by pro-
cess ;
Lest parties (us he is belov'd) break out,
And sack great Rome with Romans.
Bru. If it were so, —
Sic. What do ye talk?
Have we not had a taste of his obedience ?
Our vEdiles smote i ourselves resisted ? — come, —
Men. Consider this: — he has been bred i' the
wars
Since he could draw a sword, and is ill school'd
In bolted language; meal and bran together
He throws without distinction. Give me leave,
I'll go to him, and undertake to bring him44
Where he shall answer, by a lawful form,
(In peace) to his utmost peril.
First Sen. Noble tribunes,
It is the humane way : the other course
Will prove too bloody ; and the end of it
Unknown to the beginning.
Sic. Noble Menenius,
Be you, then, as the people's officer.—
Masters, lay down your weapons.
Bru. Go not home.
Sic. Meet on the market-place. — We'll attend
you there :
Where, if you bring not Marcius, we'll pro-
ceed
I n our first way.
Men. I'll bring him to you. —
[To the Senators.] Let me desire your company :
he must come,
Or what is worst will follow.
First Sen. Pray you, let's to him.
[E.MUrt
42. Merely. Here used for 'absolutely,' 'entirely,' 'utterly.
43. Tlie service of the foot, £?>c. Warburton assigned this
speech to Sicinius, alleging that it " could never be said by
Coriolanus's apologist ;" but it is a following up of Menenius's
previous speech and argument. By adopting Steevens's interro-
gation point placed at its conclusion (the Folio ends it with a
full stop', the consecution is not only rendered obviois, but the
same interrogatory firm is kept up as in the line, " What has he
done to Rome that's worthy death ?" 'The point of inte ro-
gation after "enemies" in the previous speech was inserted
by Hanmer, and we believe it to have been intended by the
author; for the Folio frequently prints commas and colons
where interrogation points are needed, one kind of stop for
another, and various other mispunctuations.
44 To bring him. In the Folio "him" is followed by 'in
pe tee;' which words, .is they are repeated in the next line Lot
one, and are injurious to the metre, Pope omitted. ( )n die
supposition that they were mistakenly inserted by an error of
the printer, we adopt Tope's collection.
ACT I II. J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
SCENE II.— A Room in Coriolanus's Hove.
Enter CoklOLANUS^W Patricians.
Cor. Let tliein pull all about mine ears ; present
me
Death on the wheel, or at wild horses* heels ;45
Or pile ten hills on the Tarpeian rock,
That the precipitation might down stretch
Below the beam of sight ; yet will I still
Be thus to them.
First Pat. You do the nobler.
Cor. I muse46 my mother
Does not approve me farther, who was wont
To call them woollen vassals,4" things created
To buy and sell with groats ; to show bare heads
fn congregations, to yawn, be still, and wonder,
When one but of my ordinance stood up
To speak of peace or war.43 —
hnt-r Volumnia.
I talk of you :
Why did you wish me milder? would )ou have
me
False to my nature ? Rather say, I play
The man I am.4i)
Vol. Oh, sir, sir, sir,
1 would have had you put your power well or,
Before you had worn it out.
Cor. Let go.50
45. Death on the wheel, or at -wild horses1 heels. The com-
mentators, in reference to this passage, observe: " Breaking a
criminal on the wheel was a punishment unknown to the
Romans : and except in the single instance of Metius Suffetius,
according to Livy, dismemberment by being torn to death by
wild horses never took place in Rome, Shakespeare attributes
to them the cruel punishments of a later age." With almost as
much justice might it be gravely objected that to "pile ten hills
on the Tarpeian rock " was never known to be done in Rome as
a means of punishing by death. For poetic and dramatic
purpose, Shakespeare's putting these words into Coriolanus's
mouth has a truth of appropriateness far beyond that demanded
by the accuracies of chronological fact. See Note 1 of this Act.
46. Muse. ' Wonder.'
47. To call them woollen vassals. The way in which
"them " is used here, alluding to the common people, affords a
fine instance of Shakespeare's dramatic way of abruptly com-
mencing a scene, as well as of his using a pronoun in reference
to an unnamed but thoroughly understood antecedent. See
Note 3, Act ii., " Winter's Tale." The term " woollen vassals"
here shows Shakespeare's intention to convey the circumstance
that the garment worn by the plebeians was of wool ; and this
lends support to our interpretation of the word " woolvish," as
given in Note 88, Act ii. At the same time, the epithet
"vassals" affords confirmation to our surmise that 'slavish'
may have been the word for which the Folio printers mistakenly
substituted 'woohiish.'
48. When one but of my ordinance stood up to speak, &>c.
'When one of my rank did but stand up to speak,' &c. As we
interpret this sentence, the construction is transposed here ; but
the line so runs, that it will admit of three different interpreta-
tions : first, the one we have given ; second, * when but a single
man of my rank stands up,' &c. ; third, 'when a man of but
my rank in the state stands up,' &c. "Ordinance" is here
used in the sense of ' order/ ' rank.' ' degree,' ' grade.'
49. I play the man I am. ' I act in accordance with my own
Vol. You might have been enough the man
you are,
With striving less to be so : lesser had been
The thwartings51 of your dispositions, if
You had not show'd thein how you were disp«is'<iJ-
Ere they lack'd power to cross you.
Cor. Let ther.t hang.
Vol. Ay, and burn too.
Enter Menenius and Senators.
Men. Come, come, you have been too rough,
something too rough ;
You must return and mend it
First Sen. There's no remedy :
Unless, by not so doing, our good city
Cleave in the midst, and perish.
Vol. Pray, he coun^ell'd :
I have a heart as little apt as yours,53
But \et a brain that leads my use of anger
To better vantage.
Men. WTell said, noble woman :
Before he should thus stoop to the herd,54 but that
The violent fit o* the time craves it as physic
For the whole state, [ would put mine armour on,
Which I can scarcely bear.
Cor. What must I do?
Men. Return to the tribunes.
Cor. Well, what then ? what then ?
Men. Repent what you have spoke.
character." Hanmer proposed to insert 'truly' before " I play,'*
in order to supply the so-called defective measure : but
Shakespeare here and elsewhere has short lines, which give
excellent effect of brevity where the speakers are expressing
themselves curtly and tartly.
50. Let go. Here again various alterations have been pro-
posed, in order to supply the two additional feet in the line,
which metre-mongers suppose it to require, but which we think
Shakespeare's poetic taste and dramatic judgment caused him
occasionally and purposely to omit. " Let go" is an idiomatic
use a( the words las the French employ their phrase, 'laisses
done'), to express dissent from a last-spoken opinion, and to
signify prohibition of farther discussion.
51. Thiuartings. The Folio prints 'things* here for " thwart -
ings." Theobald's correction.
52. Had not sltau'd them how, &*c. The introduction of
" them " here, which in strict grammatical construction refers
to " thwartings," but which really and in Shakespearian con-
struction refers to the plebeians, admirably serves to maintain the
characteristic effect of the dialogue; both mother and son
alluding to the unmentioned but perfectly comprehended theme
of their wrathful antipathy by the same pronoun. See Note i
of this Act.
53. I fiave a heart as little apt as yours. This passage has
been suspected of corruption, and has been variously altered ;
but we believe that here "apt"' is used to express
' inclinable,' 'accommodating,' ' conformable,' all of v/nich
senses are comprised in the Latin word aptus, whence nur word
" apt" is derived.
54. Be/ore /te should thus stoop to the herd. Tbr po
prints 'heart' for "herd" here. Theobald's correction. In
both previous passages of this play, where " herd " is appli 1 1 >
the common people see Note 62, Act i.. and the question to-
wards the commencement of Act iil — " Arc these your hi
the Folio spells the word ' heard ; ' which easily accounts fur the
misprint of ' heart ' in the present passage.
-07
Act 1 1 I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene J I.
Cor. For them ? — 1 cannot do it to the god^ ;
Must I, then, iio 't to them ?
Vol. Yuu are too absolute ;
Though therein you can never be too noble,
But when extremities speak. I have heard you
say,
Honour and policy, like unsever'd friends,
1' the war do grow together: grant that, and tell
me,
Jn peace what each of them by the other lose,55
That they combine not there.
Cor. Tush, tush !
Men. A good demand.
Vol. If it be honour in your wars to seem
The same you are not (which, for your best ends,
You adopt your policy), how is it less or worse,
That it bhall hold companionship in peace
With honour, as in war ; since that to both
It stands in like request ?
Cor. Why force you this r56
Vol. Because that now it lies you on to speak57
To the people ; not by your own instruction,
Nor by the matter which your heart prompts you,58
But with such words that are hut roted in
Your tongue,59 though but bastards, and syllables
Of no allowance, to your bosom's truth.011
Now, this no more dishonours you at all,
Than to take in a town61 with gentle words,
Which else would put you to your fortune, and
55. What each of them by the other lose. A false grammati-
cal concord, allowable in Shakespeare's time, of which we h;tve
pointed out several instances. See Note 26, Act v., " Henry V."
56. Why force you this? 'Why do you urge this?' See
Note 99, Act ii.
57. No?u it lies you on to speak. A similar form of phrase-
ology to the one pointed out in Note 83, Act ii., " Richard II."
58. Nor by the matter which your heart prompts you. ' To '
is elliptically understood after " you " here ; other examples
having been pointed out where Shakespeare thus gives a final
word to be implied. See Notes 149, Act iv., "Winter's Tale,"
and 80, Act i., " First Part Henry IV."
59. With such -words that are but roted in your tongue. The
Folio spells " roted " here 'roated ; ' and out of the four passages
where "rote" occurs in Shakespeare's plays, the Folio twice
spells it ' roate.' We are thus particular in stating this latter
point, because Johnson and others change " roted " to 'rooted '
here. ' ' Such words that are but roted in your tongue " appears
to us to mean, 'Such words as are but retained by rote in
your tongue,' ' Such words as are but kept by a routine process
of memory in your tongue ready for use ; ' mere words acquired
by rote and held ready for conventional utterance. Shakespeare
uses the expression "by rote "to convey the idea of 'without
real meaning,' 'in a merely superficial and artificial manner,' as
well as 'by a routine process of memory,' in the passage, " Oh,
she knows well, thy love did read by ?-ote, and could not spell,"
" ki_.r^eo and Juliet," Act ii., sc. 3 ; and Bacon (in the Essay on
Atheism) employs it in this comprehensive sense, when observ-
ing, " He rather saith it by rote to himself, as that he would
have, than that he can throughly believe it, or be persuaded of
it." We think that to throw out a word like " roted," merely
because there has been no instance of its use prior to Shake-
speare's, is to reject the advantage afforded by having such
a genius to create expressive words for the language.
60. Though but bastards, and syllables of no allowance, to
your bosom's truth. "Allowance" is here used in the sense of
The hazard of much blood.
I would dissemble with my nature, where
My fortunes and my friends at stake required
I should do so in honour: I am, in this,6-
Your wife, your son, these senators, the nobles;
And you will rather show63 our general louts64
How you can frown, than spend a fawn upon them,
For the inheritance of their loves, and safeguard
Or" what that want65 might rum.
Men. Noble lady !—
Come, go with us ; speak fair : you may salve so
Not what is dangerous prebent, but the loss
Of what is past.06
Vol. I pr'ythee now, my son,
Go to them, with this bonnet67 in thy hand ;
And thus far having stretch'd it63 (here be with
them),69
Thy knee bussing the stones (for in such business
Action is eloquence, and the eyes of the ignorant
More learned than the ears), waving thy head,
Which often,70 thus, correcting thy stout heart,
Now humble71 as the ripest mulberry
That will not hold the handling : or say to them,
Thou art their soldier, and, being bred in brods,
Hast not the soft way, which, thou dost confess,
Were fit for thee to use, as they to claim,
In asking their good loves; but thou wilt frame
Thyself, forsooth, hereafter theirs, so far
As thou hast power and person.
'favourable acceptance,' 'approbation' (see Note 74, Act ii,,
" Troilus and Cressida ") ; and " to " has the force of 'compared
to,' or ' in comparison with.' For other instances of this peculiar
ellipsis, see Note 75, Act ii. The whole sentence means,
'Though they be but bastards, and syllables of no recognised
worth, compared with the legitimate offspring of your bosom's
truth, your own frank and honest >peech.'
61. To take in a town. 'To capture a town,' ' to conquer a
town.' See Note 47, Act i.
62. I am, in this. ' I represent, in this appeal.'
63. And you will rat/ier show. 'Yet' is elliptically under-
stood before "you" here.
64. Louts. 'Clowns,' 'boors.'
65. That want. ' The want of that love.'
66. Not what is dangerous present, but the loss, &>c. ' Only'
is elliptically understood between " not " and " what " here.
67. This bonnet. Volumnia alhides (possibly by a sign) to
the bonnet which Coriolanus wears or holds at the moment she
is speaking.
6S. And thus far having stretch'd it which
often, thus, correcting, &>c. The word "thus," here twice
used, shows that Volumnia employs action throughout this
speech, as an exponent of what she wishes to convey to her son
and prompt him to do in imitation. See Note 26, Act ii.,
" Winter's Tale."
69. (Here be with them.) A phrase indicative of an accom-
panying gesture used in illustration of the speaker's meaning.
See Note 92, Act ii.
70. Which often. This has been suspected of error, and has
been variously altered; but we think it tobeoneofShakespeaie's
condensedly elliptical phrases, signifying ' which [waving of thy
head] let it be often,' 'let it be often done or repeated.' We
have instanced many examples of this kind of construction. See
Note 22, Actii., " Richard II."
71. Now humble. An ellipsis for 'now being humble,' 'now
made humble,' or ' now rendered humble.'
Act 1 1 I.J
CORIOLANUS.
[SCENE 111.
Mt ii. 1 In-, but June,
Even as she speaks, why, their hearts were vours ;
1' or they have pardons, being ask'd, as tree
As words to little purpose.
Vol. Pr'vthee now,
Go, and be rulM: although I know thou hadst
rather
Follow thine enemy in a fiery gulf
Th.m Batter him in a bower. — Here is Cominius.
Enter Cominius.
Com. I have been i' the market-place ; and, sir,
'tis fit
You make strong party, or defend yourself
By calmness or by absence : all's in anger.
Men. Only tair speech.
Com. I think 'twill serve, if he
Can thereto frame nis spirit.
Vol. He must and will. —
Pr'vthee now, say you will, and go about it.
Cor. Must I go show them my unbarb'd
sconce V'- must I,
With my base tongue, give to my noble heart
A lie, that it must bear? Well, I will do't:
Yet, were there but this single plot''3 to lose,
This mould of Marcius, they to dust should grind
it.
And throw 't against the wind. — To the market-
place : — -
You have put me now to such a part, which never
I shall dischaige to the life.
Com. Come, come, we'll prompt you.
Vol. I pr'ythee now, sweet son,— as thou hast
said
My praises made thee first a soldier, so,
To have my praise for this, perform a part
Thou hast not done before.
Cor. Well, I must do 't :
Away, my disposition, and possess me
Some harlot's spirit ! my throat of war be turn'd,
Which quired'4 with my drum, into a pipe
Small as a woman's, or the virgin voice
That babies lulls asleep ! the smiles of knaves
Tent'5 in my cheeks: and schoolboys' tears take up
The glasses of my sight ! a beggar's tongue
72. My unbarb'd sconce. As Shakespeare elsewhere uses
"barbed" to express 'caparisoned for war' (see Note 6, Act i. ,
"Richard III."), as Chaucer uses ' barbe ' in the sense of a
covering for the head ; and as Cotgrave says that ' barbute '
signifies a riding-hood and also the beaver of a helmet, it is
probable that Coriolanus is here meant to say my ' unarmed,'
' unhelmeted,' or ' uncovered head.'
73. Plot. Literally, a piece of ground ; figuratively applied to
the human body, as earth or " mould."
74. Quired. Here used for 'chimed,' 'sang in unison,'
' sounded in the same loud strain.'
75. Tent. Here used fur ' encamp, ' ' form themselves a
resting-place.*
76. My aritid knees, iv/to bozu'd, &>c. Instance of "who"
used for ' which.'
Make inotioi) through 111) lip-,; and my aiui'd
knees,
Who bou'd but in my stirrup,"6 bend like his
That hath receiv'd an alms!— I will not do't ;
Lest I surcease" to honour mine own truth,
And, by my body's action, teach my mind
A most inherent baseness.
Vol. At thy choice, then :
To beg of thee, it is my more dishonour
Than thou of them.73 Come all to ruin : let
Thy mother rather feel thy pride than fear
Thy dangerous stoutness;'3 for I mock at death
With as big heart30 as thou. Do as thou list.
Thy valiantness was mine, thou suck'dst it from
me ;
But owe31 thy piide thyself.
Cor. Pray, be content:
Mother, I am going to the market-place;
Chide me no more. I'll mountebank their loves,
Cog3- their hearts from them, and come home
belov'd
Of all the trades in Rome. Look, I am going:
Commend me to my wife. I'll return consul;
Or never trust to what my tongue can do
1' the way of flattery farther.
Vol. Do your will. [Exit.
Com. Away! the tribunes do attend you: arm
yourself
To answer mildly ; for they are prepar'd
With accusations, as I hear, more strong
Than are upon you yet.
Cor. 1 he word is, mildly : — pray you, let us go :
Let them accuse me by invention, I
Will answer in mine honour.
Men. Ay, but mildly.
Cor. Well, mildly be it, then; mildly.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Rome. The Forum.
Enter Sicinius and Brutus.
Bru. In this point charge him home, — that he
affects
Tyrannical power: if he evades us there,
77. Surcease. An old form of ' cease.'
78. To beg 0/ thee, it is my more dishonour than thou of
them. Elliptically expressed : ' It is more dishonour for me to
beg of thee than it is dishonour for thee to beg of them.'
79. Let thy mother rather feel, &c. Johnson says, "This is
obscure;" but Volumnia, who has just spoken of the
honour" to which her son's refusal to grant her request subjects
her, says, ' Nay, then, let me feel the effects of thy pride in
this thy refusal and in the harm it may bring upon us, rather
than fear thy dangerous inflexibility.'
80. With as big heart. "Big" is here used for 'haughty,'
' unbending," unflinching,' ' unsubmissive.' -See Note
v., "Taming of the Shrew."
81. Owe. ' Own ; ' ' possess .as derived from thine own nature.
82. Cog ' Cheat,' 'cajole.'
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
LScEN't 111.
Enforce him with his envy to the people y3
Ami that the spoil got on the Antiates
Was ne'er distributed.
Enter an ./Edile.
What, will he come ?
JEd, He's coming.
But. How accompanied ?
JEd. With old Menenius, and those senators
That always favour'd him.
Sic, Have you a catalogue
Of all the voices that we have procur'd,
Set down by the poll ?
JEd. I have ; 'tis ready.
Sic. Have you collected them by tribes?84
JEd. I have.
Sic. Assemble presently the people hither :
And when they hear me say, " It shall be so
1' the right and strength o' the commons," be it
either
For death, for fine, or banishment, then let them,
If I say fine, cry " Fine," — if death, cry " Death ;"
Insisting on the old prerogative
And power i' the truth o' the cause.85
JEd. I shall inform them.
Bru. And when such time they have hegun to cry,
Let them not cease, but with a din confus'd
Enforce the present execution
Of what we chance to sentence.
JEd. Very well.
Sic. Make them be strong, and ready for this
hint,
When we shall hap to give't them.
Bru. Go about it. — [Exit JEdi\e.
Put him to choler straight : he hath been us'd
Ever to conquer, and to have his worth ^
Of contradiction :s6 being once chaf'd, he cannot
Be rein'd again to temperance ; then he speaks
What's in his heart; and that is there which looks
With us to break his neck.87
Sic. Well, here he comes.
83. Enforce him itiiih his envy to the people. ' Urge against
him his hatred of the people.' " Enforce" is again used for 'urge,'
a little farther on in the present scene. See Note 56 of this Act.
84. By tribes. This is explained by a passage in North's
Plutarch : " The tribunes would in any case (whatsoeuer became
of it) that the people should proceed to giue their voyces by
tribes, and not by hundreds ; for by this meanes the multitude of
the poore necdie people (and all such rabble as had nothing to
lose, and had lesse regard of honesty before their eyes) came to
be of greater force (because their voyces were numbred by the
potle) than the noble honest citizens "
85. The old prerogative ami power P the truth o the cause.
Johnson remarks. "This is not very easily understood," and
proposes to read ' o'er Ihc truth o' the cause ; ' but we think that
the original reading, " i' the truth o' the cause," bears the inter-
pretation, ' in the justice of the procedure.' We have before
pointed out instances where Shakespeare uses the word " cause"
in the sense of ' course of action,' or ' procedure.' See Note 11,
Act v., " King John."
86. His worth of contradiction. "Worth" is here used as
Enter Coriolanus, Menenius, Cominius,
Senators, and Patricians.
Men. Calmly, I do beseech you.
Cor. Ay, as an ostler, that for the poorest piece
Will bear the knave by the \ olttme.88— 1 he
honour' d gods
Keep Rome in safety, and the chairs of justice
Supplied with worthy men ! plant love among us !
Throng89 our large temples with the shows of
peace,
And not our streets with war!
First Sen. Amen, Amen.
Men. A noble wish.
Re-enter JEdWe, ivith Citizens.
Sic. Draw near, ye people.
JEd. List to your tribunes; audience: peace, !
say !
Cor. First, hear me speak.
Both Tri. Well, say.— Peace, ho !
Cor. Shall I be charg'd no farther than this
present ?
Must all determine90 here?
Sic, I do demand,
If you submit you to the people's voices,
Allow their officers, and are content
To suffer lawful censure for such faults
As shall be prov'd upon you ?
Cor. I am content.
Men. Lo, citizens, he says he is content :
The warlike service he has done, consider; think
Upon the wounds his body bears, which show
Like graves i' the holy churchyard.
Cor. Scratches with briers,
Scars to move laughter only.
Men. Consider farther,
That when he speaks not like a citizen,
You find him like a soldier : do not take
His rougher accents91 for malicious sounds,
But, as I say, such as become a soldier,
Rather than envy you.92
an abbreviated form of 'pennyworth ;' which latter word is
frequently used by Shakespeare idiomatically, in the sense of 'a
full quantity,' ' a lumping amount' (see the passage referred lo
in Note 55, Act ii., " Much Ado") ; and in the present sentence
'his worth' has n similar meaning with the modern familiar
expressions, ' his fill,' ' his full swing.'
87. And t/uit is there which looks with us to break his neck.
'And in his heart is that wrathftd spirit which tends con-
currently with our wish to bring about his destruction.'
88. For the poorest piece will bear the knave by the volume.
1 For the smallest coin will bear being called knave as often as
would fill a volume.'
So,. Throng. The Folio prints ' through ' for " throng" here.
Theobald's correction ; suggested by Warburton.
90. Determine. Here used for ' terminate,' 'conclude.' See
Note 94, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
91. Accents. The Folio gives ' actions' instead of " accents"
here. Theobald's correction.
92. Rather than envy you. 'Rather than such as imply
hatred to you,1 ' rather than such as show ill-will towards you.'
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene ill.
Com. Well, well, no more.
Cor. What is the matter,
That being pass'd for consul with full voice,
I am so dishonour' d, that the very hour
You take it off again ?
Sic. Answer to us.
Cor. Say, then : 'tis true, I ought so.
Sic. We charge you, that you have contriv'd to
take
From Rome all season'd office,93 and to wind
Yourself into a power tyrannical ;
For which you are a traitor to the people.
Cor. How ! traitor !
Men. Nay, temperately ; your promise.
Cor. The fires i' the lowest hell told in the
people !
Call me their traitor ! — Thou injurious tribune !
Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths,94
In thy hands clutch'd as many millions, in
Thy lying tongue both numbers, I would say,
Thou best, unto thee, with a voice as free
As I do pray the gods.
Sic. Mark you this, people ?
Citizens. To the rock, to the rock with him !
Sic. Peace !
We need not put new matter to his charge :
What you have seen him do, and heard him
speak,
Beating your officers, cursing yourselves,
Opposing laws with strokes, and here defying
Those whose great power must try him ; even
this,
So criminal, and in such capital kind,
Deserves th' extremest death.
Bru. But since he hath
Serv'd well for Rome, —
Cor. What do you prate of service ?
Bru. I talk of that, that know it.
Cor. You ?
Men. Is this the promise that you made your
mother ?
Com. Know, I pray you, —
Cor. I'll know no farther :
Let them pronounce the steep Tarpeian death,
Vagabond exile, flaying, pent to linger
But with a grain a day, — I would not buy
93. Season'd office. ' Long-established office,' ' time-matured
office.'
94 Wi'h'm thine eyes sat, &c. 'If is elliptically under-
stood before " within "
95 Nor check my courage for what they, &>c. " Courage "
is here used for ' spirit.' ' hardihood.' See Note 29, Act it,
"Third Part Henry VI."
96. For tlutt he has. ' Because he has,' ' for the reason that
he has '
97. Envied. ' Shown hatred.' ' shown Ill-will,' ' shown a
grudging spirit ' See Mote 12 ot tin V t
98. As now at last. 'He lias' is elliptically understood
between "as" and "now" here; the construction of the seti-
Their mercy at the price of one fair word ;
Nor check my courage for what they can give,95
To have 't with saying, Good morrow.
Sic. For that he has96
(As much as in him lies) from time to time -
Envied97 against the people, seeking mean-, " ■
To pluck away their power; as now at last™ *
Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence
Of dreaded justice, but on the ministers
That do distribute it;99 — in the name o' the
people,
And in the power of us the tribunes, we,
Even from this instant, banish him our city ;
In peril of precipitation
From off the rock Tarpeian, never more
To enter our Rome gates: i' the people's name,
I say it shall be so.
Citizens. It shall be so, it shall be so; let him
away :
He's banished, and it shall be so.
Com. Hear me, my masters, and my common
friends, —
Sic. He's sentene'd ; no more hearing.
Com. Let me speak :
I have been consul, and can show for Rome ""'
Her enemies' marks upon me. I do love
My country's good with a respect more tender,
More holy, and profound, than mine own life,
My dear wife's estimate, her womb's increase,
And treasure of my loins; then if I would
Speak that, —
Sic. We know your drift : — speak what ?
Bru. There's no more to be said, but lie is
banish'd,
As enemy to the people and his country :
It shall be so.
Citizens. It shall be so, it shall be so.
Cor. You common cry of curs!101 whose breath
I hate
As reek103 o' the rotten fens, whose loves I
prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, — I banish you ;
And here remain with your uncertainty !
Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts !
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
fence allowing the words to be thus implied, since it nms
thus: — " For that he has .... envied against the people . . . .
as he has now at last given,"
Vot in the presence 0/ dreaded rustice, but on the
rs, eVc. Here 'only' i ellipl call) u lerstood after
"not" in this sentence. See
" Not," when followed thus by " bat," u.us formerly sou.
used for ' not only '
100. Can shmvfop Rome. The Folio prints 'from'
^i " for" here. Theobald's conection.
roi. You common, cry of curs I "Cry"' is here used in the sense
of ' pact- ; ' as it
102. Reek. ' Fume,' 'vapour,' '
Act III.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
Azdiie. I he people's enemy is gone, is gone !
Citizens. Our enemy is banish'd ! he is gone ! Hoo ! hoo !
Act III. Scene ///.
F.in you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders ; till at length
Your ignorance (which finds not till it feels),
Making but reservation ot yourselves1113
(Still your own toes), deliver you, as most
Abated captives, to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city,11" thus I turn my back :
There is a world elsewhere.
[Exeunt Coriolanus, Cominius, Menenius,
Senators, and Patricians.
Md. The people's enemy is gone, is gone !
103. Making but reservation 0/ yourselves. Capell changed
"but "to 'not' here: and many editors since his time have
adopted his alteration. But it appears to us to destroy the
intended meaning of the passage, which is — ' Have the power
still to banish your defenders ; till at length your ignorance
(which cannot discern till it is mule to feel), reserving none but
yourselves uhbanished still your own foes', delivei you, as most
subdued captives, to some nation that shall have won you with-
out striking a blow.' By thus telling them that in banishing
Citizens. Our enemy is banish'd ! he is gone !
Hool hoo !
[Shouting, and throwing up their caps.
Sic. Go, see him out at gates,105 and follow
him,
As he hath followed you, with all despite ;
Give him deserv'd vexation. Let a guard
Attend us through the city.
Citizens. Come, come, let's see him out at
gates ; come : —
The gods preserve our noble tribunes! — come.
[Exeunt.
their defenders and keeping only themselves unbanished they
do but the more securely provide for their own ultimate
departure from Rome as miserable captives, we think that
Coriolauus's sneer at their " ignorance " is made extra pointed.
104. Despising, for you, tfte city. " For you" is here used to
express ' for your sakes,' 'on account of you.' See Note 9,
Act iv., " Richard III."
Out at gates. A coMoquial form of ' out at the gates,' or
' out of the gates.' See Note 33, Act v , " Henry VIII."
2^
0
Volumtiia. Oh, ye're well met : the hoarded plague o- the gods
Requite jour love !
Act 11'. Scene 11.
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene 1.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Rome. Before a Cue of the City.
Enter Coriolanus, Volumnma, Virgiua, Me-
NENIUS, Cominius, and several young Patri-
cians.
Cir. Come, leave your tears ; a brief farewell : —
the beast
With many heads butts me away. — Nay, mother,
Where is your ancient courage '{ you were us'il
To say extremity1 was the trier of spirits;
That common chances common men could bear ;
That, when the sea was calm, all boats alike
Show'd mastership in floating; fortune's blows,
When most struck home, being gentle wounded,
craves
A noble cunning :" you were us'd to load me
With precepts that would make invincible
The heart that conn'd3 them.
Vir. Oh, heavens! oh, heavens '.*
Cor. Nay, I pr'ythee, woman, —
Vol. Now the red pestilence5 strike all trades in
Rome,
And occupations perish !
Cor. What, what, what!
I shall be lov'd when I am lack'd. Nay, mother,
Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say,
If you had been the wife of Hercules,
Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav'd
Your husband so much sweat. — Cominius,
Droop not ; adieu. — Farewell, my wife, — my
mother:
i. Extremity. The first Folio prints ' extremities.' Corrected
in the second Folio.
2. Fortune' s blows, when mr-st struck home, being gentle
wounded, craves a. noble denning: The construction here is
very peculiar ; and various attempts have been made to alter
the passage, under the idea that it is misprinted. As it stands,
the sentence may be interpreted to mean. ' When Fortune's
blows are most struck home, to be gentle, although wounded,
demands a noble philosophy.' " Cunning" is not un'Yequently
used by Shakespeare in the sense of 'wisdom,' 'skill,' 'pro-
ficiency.' See Note 26, Induction, "Taming of the Shrew."
3. Conn'd. ' Studied,' ' committed to memory,' ' learned
thoroughly.' See Note 55, Act iii., " As You Like It."
4. Oh, heavens I oh. heavens J Be it observed that after this
one irrepressible burst of anguish, when her husband has hidden
her to check it, Virgilia litters no farther syllable during this
parting scene. See Note 21, Act ii.
5. The red pestilence. This imprecation, slightly varied in
form, "' curs again elsewhere. See Notes 56, Act i. , "Tempest,"
and s, Act ii.. " Troilus and Cressida."
r. Fond. 'Weak,' 'foolish.'
7. Wot ' Know.'
8. Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen makes Jear>d, &°c.
Here the construi ti tllows of two meanings in the sentence —
' Like a lonely drag that Ins pestilential fen makes feared and
talked of more than seen,' and ' like a lonely dragon that makes
I'll do well yet. — Thou old and true Menenius,
Thy teats are Salter than a younger man's,
And venomous to thine eyes. — My sometime
general,
I have seen thee stern, and thou hast oft beheld
Heart-hardening spectacles; tell these sad women,
'Tis fond6 to wail inevitable strokes,
As 'tis to laugh at them. — My mother, you wot7
well
My hazards still have been your solace : and
Believe 't not lightly (though I go alone,
Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen
Makes fear'd and talk'd of more than seen),*your son
Will or exceed the common, or be caught
With cautelous baits and practice.9
Vol. My first son,1"
Whither wilt thou go? Take good Cominius
With thee awhile: determine on some course,
More than a wild exposure11 to each chance
That starts i' the way before thee.
Cor. Oh, the gods !
Com. I'll follow thee a month, devise with thee
Where thou shalt rest, that thou mayst hear of us,
And we of thee: so, if the time thrust forth
A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send
O'er the vast world to seek a single man ;
Ami lose advantage, which doth ever cool
I' the absence of the needer.12
Cor. Fare ye well :
Thou hast years upon thee ; and thou art too full
Of the wars' surfeits, to go rove with one
his fenny retreat fear'd and talk'd of more than seen.' This
duplicate meaning applies well to Coriolanus, whose withdrawal
to some unknown place causes him to be dreaded and talked of
during absence, and whose known fierce nature causes this
intended place of retreat to become a subject of fear and wi inder-
ing conjecture.
9. Cautelous baits and practice. " Cautelous" 1. ' insidious,'
'wily,' 'artful,' 'deceitful;' and "practice" is 'treachery/
'treacherous plotting,' 'machination.' See Note 47, Act i.,
" Henry VIII."
10. My first son. " First " is here used in the sense of
' most admirable,' 'supremely noble ; ' and affords an instance of
one of Shakespeare's superlatives 0/ eminence. See Note 14,
Act iv., "Second Part Henry IV."
it. A -viht exposure. The Folio gives the word in the form
of 'exposture : ' which is probably a misprint, as in the two other
inst tnces where Shakespeare has used it (" Troilus and Cressida,"
A. i i . sc. 3, and " Macbeth," Act ii., sc. 3) it is given in the
usual form of " exposure."
12. Lose a Ivantage, w/lii it doth ever eool i" the absence of the
'feeder. The employment of the word " needer " in this passage
affords an example of Shakespeare's inclusive style : for "needei "
as here employed gives the effect of the man needing the advan-
tage of which there is a prospect, and 01 the man needed home by
his friends v, ho want him to profit by it. Moreover, what golden
wisdom and practical truth are comprised in a line or two !
Act IV.]
CORIOLAX rs.
I NE II.
That's yet unbruis'd : bring me but out at gale." —
Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and
My friends of noble touch ;" when I am forth,
Bid me farewell, and smile. I pray you, come.
While I remain above the ground, you shall
Hear from me still; and never of me aught
But what is like me formerly.
Men. That's worthily
As any ear can hear. — Come, let's not weep. —
If I could shake off but one seven years
From these old arms and legs, by the good gods,
I'd with thee every foot.
Cor. Give me thy hand : —
Come. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Rome. A Street near the Gate.
Enter Sicinius, Brutus, and an j^Edile.
Sic. Bid them all home; he's gone, and we'll no
farther. —
The nobility are vex'd, uho, we see, have sided
In his behalf.
Bru. Now we have shown our power,
Let us seem humbler after it is done
Than when it was a-doing.15
Sic. Bid them home :
Say their great enemy is gone, and they
Stand in their ancient strength.
Bru. Dismiss them home. [Exit j^Edile.
Here comes his mother.
Sic. Let's not meet her.
Bru. Why ?
Sic. They sav she's mad.
Bru. They have ta'en note of us : keep on your
way.
Enter VoLUMNIA, VlRGILIA, and Menenius.
Vol. Oh, \e're well met: the hoarded plague o'
the gods
Requite your love !
Men. Peace, peace ; be not so loud.
13. Bring me but out at gate. 'Accompany me no farther
th3n out of the gate ' See Notes 35, Act v., "Troilus and
Cressida," and 105, Act iii. of the present play.
M My frunds 0/ noble touch. '-My nobly tested friends,'
my well-proved friends. See Note 12. Act iv., " Richard III."
15. Humbler after it is done than zvheu ■/ was a-doing.
" It " here refers to the deed of Coriolanus's banishment, implied
in the previous words, " he's gone ; " affording an instance of the
mode in which Shakespeare uses the word " it " in reference to
an implied particular.
16. Will you be gone > This form of question, now generally
used to express desire to have a person gone, here signifies a
desire to hinder his going: not meaning 'Will you l-o when I
bid you ? ' but ' Are you going, when I say you shall hear me r '
This is explained, because if not understood as here intended, it
seems to be contradicted by the words that follow --" You shall
stay too : " whereas they continue the sense of Volumnia's
address to the tribunes, who are trying to pass on.
17. Are you mankind? The word "mankind" is asked
tauntingly, in the sense of 'manlike,' 'mannish,' 'masculine'
I'ol. It' that 1 could tor weeping, you should
hear, — ■
Nay, and you shall hear some. — [To Brutus.] Will
\ 011 be gone ?16
Vir. [To Sicinius.] You shall stay loo: I would
I had the power
To say so to my husband.
Sic. Are you mankind F '<
i'ol. Ay, fo '1 , is that a shame I- — Note but this
fool.—
Was not a man my father? Hadst thou foxship
To banish him that struck more blows for Rome
Than thou hast spoken words '• —
Sic. Oh, blessed heavens!
I'ol. More noble blows than ever thou wise words;
And for Rome's good-.— I'll tell thee what; — yet
go :—
Nay, but thou shall stay too: — I would my son
Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him,
His good sword in his hand.
Sic. What then?
Vir. What then !
He'd make an end of thy posterity,
i'ol. Bastards and all. —
Good man, the wounds that he does bear for Rome!
Men. Come, come, peace.
Sic. I would he had continu'd to his country
As he began, and not unknit himself
The noble knot he made.
Bru. I wi mid he had.
I'ol. I would he had! 'Twas you incens'd the
rabble ; —
Cats,13 that can judge as fitly of his worth,
As I can of those mysteries which heaven
Will not have earth to know.
Bru. Pray, let us go.
I'ol. Now, pray, sir, get you gone :
You have done a brave deed. Ere you go, hear
this:—
As far as doth the Capitol exceed
The meanest house in Rome, so far my son
(see Note 41, Act ii., " Winter's Tale") ; and replied to in the
sense of 'human,' of ' human kind.'
18. Cats. This has been suspected of error ; and it has been
proposed to change the word to ' curs ' or ' hats.' But w
that " cats" is probably here used in reference to the well-known
saying. ' A cat may look at a k.n^,' Volumnia inferring tl
tribunes arc creatures who gaze upon her king-like son,
capable of appreciating his nature as the animal in the adage
is capable of comprehending royalty, and " can judge as filly
of his worth," &c. A passage in " Romeo and Juliet,"
"Every cat and dog, and little mouse, every unworthy
thing .... may look on her "), contains apparent allusion
to the same proverb: and Shal
times of a " cat " as a repulsive animal, as well as a me
insignificant one. "I here i
seems to be merely a whimsii
see withal than a car " ' : of the
Shreiv "', may indirectly tend 10 illustrate the want of percep-
tion here implied in the term " cats," as ilung bj
the tribunes.
"a
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[SCENF. III.
Third Servant. What fellow's this?
First Servant. A strange one as ever I looked on : I cannot get him out o' the house.
Act 1Y Scene V.
(This lady's husband here, this, do you see),
Whom you have banish'd, does exceed you all.
Brit. Well, well, we'll leave you.
Sic. Why stay we to be baited
With one that wants her wits?
Vol. 'lake my prayers with you. —
[Exeunt Tribunes.
I would the gods had nothing else to do
But to confirm my curses! Could I meet them
But once a-day, it would unclog my heart
Of what lies heavy to't.13
Men. You have told them home ;
And, by my troth, you have cause. You'll sup
witli me ?
19. // would unclog my heart of what lies heavy to 'I. The
word "unclog" here gives " heavy to 't " the elliptical effect of
'heavily attached to it ;' while at the same time " to" is used, as
elsewhere, for ' on ' or ' upon.' See the sentence following the one
explained in Note 68, Acti., " Henry VI II." — "To this point hast
Vol. Anger's my meat; I sup upon myself,
And so shall starve with feeding. — Come, let's go:
Leave this faint puling,'20 and lament as I do,
In anger, Juno-like. Come, come, come.
Men. Fie, fie, fie! [Exeunt.
SCENE III. — J Highway between Rome a»(/
Antium.
E/'ter a Roman and a Volsce, meeting.
Rom. I know you well, sir, and you know me:
your name, I think, is Adrian.
Vols. It is so, sir: truly, I have forgot you.
thou heard him at any time speak aught ?" where the more usual
phraseology would be, ' On this point hast thou heard him," &c.
20. This faint puling. By this slight touch, and by the
epithet " faint," how well is indicated the silent agony of weep-
ing in which Virgilia is lost. See Note 4 of this Act.
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
LS< i m. iv.
Rom. 1 am a Roman ; and my services arc, as
you are, against them : know you me )et ?
Vols. Nicanor ? no.
Rom. The same, sir.
Vols. You had more beard when I last saw
you; but your favour is well appeared81 by your
tongue. What's the news in Rome? I have a
note from the Volscian state, to find y ou out there :
you have well saved me a day's journey.
Rom. There hath been in Rome strange insur-
rection ;'" the people against the senators, patri-
cians, and nobles.
Vols. Hath been ! is it ended, then ? Our slat;
thinks not so : they are in a most warlike prepara-
tion, and hope to come upon them in the heat ot
their division.
Rom. The main blaze of it is past, but a small
thing would make it flame again : for the nobles
receive so to heart the banishment of that worthy
Coriolanus, that they are in a ripe aptness to take
all power from the people, and to pluck from them
their tribunes for ever. This lies glowing, I can
tell you, and is almost mature for the violent
breaking out.
Vols. Coriolanus banished !
Rom. Banished, sir.
Vols. You will be welcome with this intelli-
gence, Nicanor.
Rom. The day serves well for them now. I have
heard it said, the fittest time to corrupt a man's
wife is when she's fallen out with her husband.
Your noble Tullus Aufidius will appear well in
these wars, his great opposer, Coriolanus, being
now in no request of his country.
Vols. He cannot choose. I am most fortunate,
thus accidentally to encounter you: you have
ended my business, and I will merrily accompany
you home. •
Rom. I shall, between this and supper, tell you
most strange things from Rome ; all lending to
the good of their adversaries. Have vou an army
ready, say you ?
21. Appeared. This word has been variously altered ; but we
think it is here used to express ' made to appear," ' manifested,'
'shown :' just as "appears" is used for 'shows,' ' makes mani-
fest,' in " Cymbeiine," Act iv., sc. 2, where Delarius says, "This
youth, howe'er distress'd, appears he hath had good ancestors."
22. Insurrection. The Folio prints ' insurrections.' Steevens's
correction.
23. Already in tfu entertainment. A military expression,
equivalent to 'already in pay.' By the mode in which the word
"already" is used in this clause of the sentence, it gives
' ready' to be elliptically understood in the next clause, "and
[ready] to be on foot at an hour's warning." The word itself,
" ready," also, in the previous inquiry, allows it to be understood
here in the reply ; and we point this out, as affording a clue to
Shakespeare's condensed style of writing, in a very obvious
instance, because it may serve for a guide in passages of less
obvious construction.
24 Wives. Here used for 'women.' See Note 2, Act v.,
"Henry V."
Vols. A most royal one ; the centurions and tl.cir
charges, distinctly billeted, already in the enter-
tainment,23 and to be on foot at an hour's warning.
Rom. I am joyful to hear of their readiness, and
am the man, I think, thai shall set them in preser.t
action. So, sir, heartily well met, and most glad
ot \ our company.
Vols. You take my part from me, sir ; | have
the most cause to lie glad of yours.
Rom. Well, let us go together. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV. — Antium. Be/are Aufidil's's
House.
Enter Corioi. \nus in main apparel, disguised
and muffled.
Cor. A goodly city is this Antium — City,
'Tis I that made thy widows : many an heir
Of these fair edifices 'fore my wars
Have I heard groan and drop: then know me not ;
Lest that thy wives-1 with >piN, ami buys with
stones,
In puny battle slay inc. —
Enter a Citizen.
Save vou, sir.
Cit. And \ ou.
Cor. Direct me, if it be your will,
Where great Aufidius lies : is he in Antium ?
Cit. He is, and feasts the nobles of the state
At his house this night.
Cor. Which is his house, beseech you p
Cit. This, here, before you.
Cor. Thank you, sir: farewell.
[Exit Citizen.
Oh, world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast
sworn,
Whose double bosoms seem to wear one heart,
Whose hours,23 whose bed,28 whose meal, ami
exercise,
23. Wltose /tours. " Hours" has been changed
but we think that were there no other ground for retaining the
Folio word than the one afforded igc describing
mutual friendship in "Two Gentlemen of '* Act it.,
sc. 4 — "From our infancy we ha'. pent our
Ileitis together," it would suffice to indicate that " hoi
the word here intended hy the author. That "hour" occurs
again in the next line hut one, far from offering an objection to
the retention <>f "hours" previously, lends support to our belief
that the I'olio wurd is the aulh because it is in
accordance with Shakespeare's style thus to repeat a word,
where it lends furee and point to his meaning His meaning is,
1 Strange that friends whose hours have be [dually
together, should within .1 single hour break out to bitterest
enmity.'
26. Whose bed. That it wis the or.- torn of very dear and
intimate friends, in Shakespeare's time, " ne bed
together, has been observed upon before. tel h ,
" Henry V "
Act IV.l
CORIOLANUS.
r Scene V.
Are still together, who twin, as 'twere, in love
U inseparable, shall within this hour,
On a dissension of a doit,i? break out
To bitterest enmity: so, fellest foes,
Whose passions and whose plots have broke their
sleep
To take the one the other, 2d by some chance,
Some trick not worth an egg.s9 shall grow
friends,
And interjoin their issues. So with me :
My birth-place hate I,30 and my love's upon
This enemy town. — I'll enter : if he slay me,
He does fair justice ;31 if he give me way,
I'll do his country service. [Exit
dear
SCENE V. — Antium. A Hall in Aufidius's
House.
Music iviihin. Enter a Servant.
First Serv. Wine, wine, wine! — What service
is here ! ] think our fellows are asleep. [Exit.
Enter a second Servant.
Sec. Serv. Where's Cotus? my master calls tor
him. — Cotus! [Exit.
Enter Coriolanus.
Cor. A goodly house : the feast smells well ;
but I
Appear not like a guest.
Re-enter the first Servant.
First Serv. What would you have, friend ?
whence are you ? Here's no place for you: pray,
go to the door.
Cor. [Aside.'] I have deserv'd no better enter-
tainment,
In being Coriolanus. -°-
Re-enter second Servant.
Sec. Set v. Whence are you, sir ? Has the porter
his eyes in his head, that he gives entrance to such
companions I'33 Pray, get you out.
Cor. Away !
Sec. Serv. Away ! get you away.
Cor. Now thou'rt troublesome.
Sec. Serv. Are you so brave '? I'll have you
bilked with anon.
27. A doit. Used to express the smallest coin. See Note 37,
Art ii., " Tempest "
28. To take the one the other. ' To destroy each other. ' For
a similar phrase, see Note 20, Act iii.
2g. An egg. Used asa symbol of insignificance. See Note 59,
Act iv., " All's Well."
30. My birth-place Jtate I. The Folio misprints 'haue'for
" hate " here. Capeil's correction.
31. If he slay me. lie. oVv. 'this use of the pronoun "he,"
in reference to the unnamed object of the soliloquist's musing,
Enter a third Servant. The first meets him.
Thiid Serv. What fe low's this ?
First Serv. A strange o.ie as ever I looked on :
! cannot get him out o' the house : pr'ythee call
my master to him.
Third Serv. What have you to do here, fellow ?
Pray you, avoid the hou>e.
Cor. Let me but stand ; I will not hurt your
hearth.
Third Serv. What are you ?
Cor. A gentleman.
Third Seiv. A marvellous poor one.
Cor. True, so I am.
Third Serv. Pray you, poor gentleman, take up
some other station ; here's no place tor you : pray
\ ou, avoid : come.
Cor. Follow your function, go,
And batten31 on cold bits. [Pushes him azuay.
Third Serv. What! you will not ?— Pr'ythee,
tell my master what a strange guest he has
here.
See. Serv. And I shall. [Exit:
Third Serv. Where dwellest thou ?
Cor. Under the canopy.
Third Serv. Under the canopy !
Cor. Ay.
Third Serv. Where's that ?
Cor. 1' the city ot kites and crows.
Third Serv. V the city of kites and crows !
— What an ass it is! — Then thou dwellest with
daws too f
Cor. No, I serve not thy master.
Third Serv. How, sir! do you meddle with my
master?
Cor. Ay ; 'tis an honester service than to meddle
with thy mistress.
Thou prat'st, and prat'st; serve with thy trencher,
hence ! [Btats him in.
Enter Aufidius and the second Servant.
Auf. Where is this fellow ?
Sec. Seiv. Here, sir: I'd have beaten him like
a dog, but for disturbing the lords within.
Auf. Whence com'st thou ? what wouldst t'.iou ?
thy name ?
Why'speak'st not ? speak, man : what's thy name ?
Cor. [Unmuffling.] If, Tullus,
Not yet thou know'st me, and, seeing me, dost not
is quite in our great dramatist's effective manner. The audience
arc perfectly aware of whom the speaker is thinking ; so that this
"Ii.-" is not 0 i'\ thoroughly natural, but thoroughly artistic and
sufficingly e\|i! it, when thus used in allusion to Tullus Aufidius.
32. /// being Coriolanus. ' In having obtained that n.uii'.' by
the capture of Corioli.'
33. Companions. Here used as we now use the word ' fellows,'
in a disparaging seu.e. See Note 82. Act ii., " Second Part
Henry IV."
34. Batten. ' Feed.'
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene V.
Think me tor the man 1 am,-" necessity
Commands me name myself.
Aitf. What is thy name P
[Servants retire.
Cor. A name unmusical to the Volseians' ears,
Ami harsh in sound to thine.
Auf. . Say, what's thy name ?
Thou hast a grim appearance, and thy face
Bears a command in 't ; though thy tackle's tern,
Thou show'st a noble vessel : what's thy name ?
Cor. Prepare thy brow to frown :— -know'st thou
me yet ?
Ait. I know thee not :— thy name?
Cor. My name is Caius Marcius, who hath
done
To thee particularly, and to all the Volsces,
Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service,
The extreme dangers, and the drops of blood
Shod tor my thankless country, are requited
But with that surname; a good memory,3"
And witness of the malice and displeasure
Which thou shouldst bear me: only
remains ;
The cruelty and envy of the people,
Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
Have all forsook me, hath devour' d the rest ;
And suffer' d me by the voice of slaves to be
Whoop'd out of Rome. Now, this extremity
Hath brought me to thy hearth : not out of Imp-
Mistake me not, to save my life; for if
[ had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world
I would have 'voided thee; but in mere spite,
To be full quit of those my banishers,3"
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
A heart of wreak3'* in thee, that will revenge™
i hine own particular wrongs, and stop tho i inn;,,
Of shame'0 seen through thy country, speed thee
straight,
And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it,
That my revengeful services may prove
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
Against my canker' d country with the spleen
Of all the under fiends.-" But if so be
Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more
fortunes
Thou'rt tir'd, then, in a word, I also am
Longer to live must weary, and present
My throat to thee and to thv ancient malice;
Which not to cut would show thee but a fool,
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,
And cannot live but to thv shame, unless
It be to do thee service.
Auf. O Marcius, Marcius !
Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my
heart
A rout of ancient envy.43 If [upiter
that name Should from yond' cloud speak divine things,
And say, "'Tis true," I'd not believe them more
Than thee, all noble Marcius. — Let me twine
Mine arms about that body, where against43
My grained ash41 a hundred times hath broke,
And scar'd the moon with splinters: here I clip43
The anvil of my sword ; and do contest
As hotly and as nobly with thv love-
As ever in ambitious strength I did
Contend against thv valour. Know thou first,45
I lov'd the maid I married ; never man
Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,
I hou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart
Than when I hist my wedded mistress saw
35. Dost not think me for the man I am. This passage has
been variously altered : Pope reading ' take me for the man I am,'
and Cnpell reading ' take me to be the man I am,' while a more
modern critic than either pronounces the expression "think for"
to be not English. But we believe that the present passage affords
one of those instances which we have pointed out (see Note 67,
Act ii , "Twelfth Night " | where Shakespeare employs a usually
known form of expression while introducing his own special word
into it : thus giving the effect of the usually known expression
together with the effect and the additional meaning of his own
introduced word : so that here, " think me fir the man I am,"
while giving the impression of ' take me for the man I am,'
convej s also the impression of ' recognise me in thy thought for
the man I am.' It is this skilful method of employing conven-
tional and well-known phrases in an unconventional and original
manner which forms one of the merits of Shakespeare's peculiar
and masterly style. See Note 26, Act v. of the present play.
36. Memory. Here used for ' memorial.' See Note 22, Act
ii , " As You Like It."
37. To be fnlt quit of those my hanishers. ' To be quit of is
an idiom now used in the sense of * to be rid of:' but it was
formerly sometimes used, ..- here, in the sense of ' to be even
with,' or ' to be quits with.'
58. IVreah An old synonymc for ' revenge,' or ' vengeance.'
In Chapman's Homer it is often thus used.
39. Tliat will revenge. The Folio has ' wilt ' for " will" here.
Hanmer's correction.
40. Those maims 0/ shame. ' Those ignominious depriv.itu ins
nf territory
41. All the under fiends. It has been suggested that here
Shakespeare means the lower order of fiends, the subordinate
fiends; but we think that the expression in the text is equivalent
to the phrase, ' all the fiends below.'
42. F.ir.y. Here used for 'hatred,' ' ill-will '
43. Where against. Pope hyphened this, as if it were one
■v . .r. I . .\n<\ as here used it has the effect of a compound form like
' whci cfrom,' ' wherein,' ' whereto.' &C.
44 My grained ash Meaning'the staff of my lance : ' the
staves of lances having been made of ash woo I
45 Clifi. ' Embrace.' The word is thus used in the present
play. Act i., sc. 6, where Marcius ex< laim . ' lh, 1st me clip
you in arms as sound." &c. Here Aufulius calls Coriolanus
" the anvil of my sword," meaning that he had heretofore laid
.1- heavy and as many blows upon him as a sm'th lays upon an
anvil.
46 Knew thou Jirst. It has been conjectured that here
"thou first" means ' thou first of men,' 'thou noblest of men :'
'out the sentence appears to u know thou first
' know thou in the first place ! affirms
I hit lie loved the woman he married, that never was there a truer
lover than himself, and then he affirms that the sight of his
former enemy thus unexpectedly in his own house makes his
nice even more than when he first beheld his wedded wife
'■1. r I h 'use.
1.9
Act IV.
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene V.
Bestride my threshold.*? Why, thou Mars! I tell
thee,
We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,'1'
Or lose mine arm for 't: thou hast beat me out
Twelve several times,49 and I have nightly since
Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me ;
We have been down together in my sleep,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat,
And wak'd half dead with nothing. Worthy
Marcius,
Had we no quarrel else to Rome,50 but that
Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all
From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,
Like a bold flood o'er-bear.51 Oh, come, go in,
And take our friendly senators by the hands ;
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
Who am prepar'd against your territories,
Though not for Rome itself.
Cor. You bless me, gods !
Auf. Therefore, most absolute sir, if thou wilt
have
The leading of thine own revenges, take
The one half of my commission ; and set down, —
As best thou art experienc'd, since thou know'st
Thy country's strength and weakness, — thine own
ways ;
Whether to knock against the gates of Rome,
Or rudely visit them in parts remote,
To fright them, ere destroy. But come in :
Let me commend thee first to those that shall
Say "yea" to thy desires. A thousand welcomes!
And more a friend than e'er an enemv ;
Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand : most
welcome !
[Exeunt Corioianus and AuFinius.
47. When I Jirst my wedded mistress sow bestride my
threshold. Steevens observes upon this passage, " Shakespeare
was unaware that a Roman bride, on her entry into her husband's
house, was prohibited from bestriding his threshold : and that,
lest she should even touch it, she was always lified over it." So
far from proving that Shakespeare was " unaware " of the custom
in question, we think that the present passage shows he knew
the classical ceremonial of receiving a bride at the entrance of
the bridegroom's house, of her being borne across the threshold,
and of its having been thus specially marked as the barrier which
separated her from her girlhood condition, and which introduced
her to the new sphere of a wedded home and wedded duties.
We think that Shakespeare's making Aufidius advert thus par-
ticularly to the point when first he beheld his wedded mistress
cross his threshold, betokens the poet's perfect consciousness
that there was an ancient solemn rite connected with the
circumstance ; and thai the word " bestride " is nut to be taken
literally for ' step across,' but is to be taken as meaning ' pass
over,' 'cross over.'
48. Thy brawn. 'Thy arm.' See Note 90, Act i., " Troilus
and Cressid 1
49 Beat me out twelve several times. " Out " is here used
in the sense of ' completely,' 'fully,' 'thoroughly ; ' what school-
boys call 'out and out.' See Note 73, Act ii . " Henry VIM."
50. Had we no quarrel else to Home. The first Folio has
'other' before "quarrel," Omitted in the thirl Folio.
First Serv. [Advancing.] Here's a strange
alteration !
Sec. Serv. By my hand, 1 had thought to
have strucken him with a cudgel; and yet my
mind gave me, his clothes made a false report
ot him.
First Serv. What an arm he has! he turned
me about with his finger and his thumb, as one
would set up a top.
Sec. Serv. Nay, I knew by his face that there
was something in him : he had, sir, a kind of face,
methought, — I cannot tell how to term it.
First Serv. He had so; looking as it were, —
Would I were hanged, but I thought there was
more in him than I could think.52
Sec. Seiv. So did I, I'll be sworn : he is simply
the rarest man i' the world.
First Serv. I think he is: but a greater soldier
than he, you wot one.
Sec. Serv. Who, my master?
First Serv. Nay, it's no matter for that.
Sec. Serv. Worth six on him.
First Serv. Nay, not so neither: but I take
him to be the greater soldier.
Sec. Seiv. 'Faith, look yon, one cannot tell
how to say that : for the defence of a town, our
general is excellent.
First Serv. Ay, and for an assault too.
Re-enter third Servant.
Third Serv. Oh, slaves, I can tell you news, —
news, you rascals!
First and Sec. Serv. What, what, what ? let's
partake.
Third Serv. I would not be a Roman, of all
nations; I had as lief be a condemned man.
First and Sec. Serv. Wherefore? wherefore?
51. O'erbear. The first Folio prints 'o're-beate.' Rowe's
correction ; which seems to us to be obviously right, not only
from the sense required here, but from the evidence afforded by
another passage of similar meaning in the present play, where
Shakespeare has used " o'er-bear " and not ' o'er-beat : ' —
"Whose rage doth rend
Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear
What they are us'd to bear."
See context to the word commented upon in Note 37, Act lii.
In " Pericles," Act v., sc 1, we find —
" Lest this great sea of joys rushing upon me,
O'erbear the shores of my mortality :"
and in "Othello," Act i., sc. 3 —
" My particular grief
Is nf so flood-gate and overbearing nature."
It has been proposed to add ' 't ' or 'her 'after "o'erbear' in
the present passage : but it may either he that the construction
is elliptical, and ' 't ' is understood in this sentence as in those
instanced in Note 5, Act i., "All's Well," or that "o'er-bear" is
here treated as a neuter verb, of which treatment (an active
verb as a neuter verbl we have other instances in Shakespeare.
See Note 25, Act ii., " Richard III."
53 / thought there was more in him than I could think
One of Shakespeare's humorously paradoxical speeches. See
Note 76, Act ii.
Acr IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene VI.
Third Serv. Wliy, here's he that was wont to
thwack our general, — Caius Marcius.
First Sew. Why do you say, thwack our
genera] r
Third Ser'V. I do not say, thwack our general ,
but he was always good enough for him.
Sec. Ser'V. Come, we are fellows and friends :
he was ever too hard for him ; 1 have heard him
say so himself.
First Serv. He was too hard for him directly,
to >ay the truth on 't : before Corioli he scotched
him and notched him like a carbonado.53
See. Ser'V. An he had been cannibally given,
he might have broiled61 and eaten him loo.
First Ser'V. But, more of thy news.
Third Ser'V. Why, he is so made on55 here
within, as if he were mid and heir to Mai-.; set at
upper end o' the table; no question asked him by
any of the senators, but they stand bald before him :
our general himself makes a mistress of him;
sanctifies himself with 's hand,56 and turns up the
white o' the eye to his discourse. But the bottom
ot the news is, our general is cut i' the middle, and
but one half of what he was yesterday; for the
other has half, by the entreaty and giant of the
whole table. He'll go, he says, and sowle5' the
porter of Rome gates by the ears: he will mow
down all before him, and leave his passage polled.53
See. Ser'V. And he's as like to do 't as any man
I can imagine.
Third Serv. Do 't ! lie will do 't ; for, look you,
sir, he has as many friends as enemies; which
friends, sir, as it were, durst not, look you, sir,
show themselves, as we term it, his friends whilst
he's in directitude.59
First Serf. Directitude! what's that ?
Third Serv. But when they shall see, sir, his
53. A carbonado. See Note 94, Act iv., " All's Well."
54. Broiled. The Folio misprints ' buyld ' here. Pope's
correction
55. He is so made on. 'He is made so much of*' "On"
used for ' of.'
56. Sanctifies himself with 's hand. Beatifies himself with
a touch of his hand, as though he were a saint, or as a lover
makes himself blessed by cla-sping his mistress's hand.
57. Sowle. Au old English word, of uncertain derivation,
signifying ' lug,' ' drag,' 'pull.'
58. Polled. 'Cared,' 'cleared;' as a head is left bare by
close shaving.
59. Directitude. The third servant, wishing to use a fine long
word and intending to coin some such term as ' dis-reditude '
from 'discredit,' or ' dijectitude ' from ' dejcctedness' Shake-
speare using the words "discredit," "deject." and "dejected"
in such a way as to countenance either of these suggestions},
blunders out his grandiloquent "directitude." The authors
relish of the joke is pleasantly indicated by his making the first
servant repeat the word amazedly, as if not knowing what to
make of it, and ask its meaning ; and then making the third
servant avoid the inconvenient inquiry by not noticing it, but
running on with his own harangue.
60. In blood. 'In good condition.' ' See Notes 27, Act iv.,
" Love's Labour's Lost," and 22, Act i. of this play.
61. Presently. 'Immediately;' ' at the present time,'
crest up again, and the man in blood,''" they will
out of their burrows, like conies after ram, and
revel all with him.
First Ser'V. But when goes this forward ?
Third Ser-v. To-morrow; to-day; present!) ;*'
you shall have the drum struck up this afternoon :
'tis, as it were, a parcel of their feast, and to be
executed ere they wipe their lips.
Sec. Serv. Why, then we shall have a stirring
world again. This peace is nothing,6- but to rust
iron, increase tailors, and breed ballad-makers.
First Ser'V. Let me have war, say 1; it exceeds
peace as far as day dots night; it's spritely,
waking,'3 audible, and full of vent.1"' Peace is a
very apoplexy, lethargy ; mulled/5 deaf, sleepy ,
insensible.
Sec. Serv. 'Tis so.
First Serv. Ay, an. I it m ikes men hate oae
another.
Third Seri>. .Reason; because they then less
need one another. The wars tor my money. I
hope to see Romans as cheap as Volscians. — Thev
are rising, they are rising.
All. In, in, in, in '. [Exeunt.
Sic.
'ENE VI. — Rome, .i Public Place.
Enter Skinius and Bkutus.
We hear not of him, neither need we fear
him ;
His remedies are t one i' the present peace
And quietness of the people,66 which before
Were in wild hurry. Here do we make his friends
Blush that the world goes well; who rather had,
Though they themselves did suffer by 't, behold
Dissentious numbers pestering streets,67 than see
62. This peace is nothing, but to. firfc. Elliptically expressed ;
' fit for ' or 'good for' being understood between "is" and
" nothing."
63. li'a/cing. The Foiio prints 'walking' instead of "waking "
here. Pope's correction
64. Vent. 'Impulse:' 'unrestrained speech and action.'
The word is used as a verb in Act iii., sc. 1 of the present p] iv.
with a meaning that aids to illustrate its use as a noun here : —
" What his breast forges, that his tongue must vent."
65. Mulled. An expressive epithet : suggesting the idea of
softness and drowsy quality, as that of wine wanned, spiced, and
sweetened.
66. His remedies are tame 1' the present />eace, &°c. The
Folio prints a comma after " tame" and omits * i*,' which was
supplied by Theobald: and the whole passage, as it stands, bear.
this sense—' His chances of rente lying his downfall are rcduccl
to naught in the present state of popular tranquillity ; ' meaning
that had the people been still turbulent and di
might have hoped, by means of his friends, to rouse them into
fac:ious disturbance, but that now they are peaceful he
expect to find this remedy for his dis
67. Who rather had. .... behold, <S-V. Pope changed
"behold" to 'beheld' here: but we think that the present
passage is one of those where Shakespeare uses a pceni.
struction in indefinitely expressed conditional time, b>
46, Act ii. of the present play.
Vol, III.
'82
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene VI.
Cur tradesmen singing in their shops, and going
About their functions friendly.
Bui. We stood to 't in good time.— Is this
Menenius ?
Sic. 'Tis he, 'tis he : Oh, he is grown most kind
Of late.—
Enter Menenius.
Hail, sir!
Men. Hail to you both !
Sic. Your Coriolanus is not much miss'd,
But with his friends: the commonwealth doth
stand ;
And so would do, were he more angry at it.
Men. All's well ; and might have been much
better, if
He could have temporis'd.
Sic. Where is he, hear you ?
Men. Nay, I hear nothing : his mother and his
wife
Hear nothing from him.
Enter three or four Citizens.
Citizens. The gods preserve you both !
Sic. Good-den, our neighbours.
Bru. Good-den to you all, good-den to you
all.
First Cit. Ourselves, our wives, and children,
on our knees,
Are bound to pray for you both.
Sic, Live, and thrive!
Bru. Farewell, kind neighbours: we wish'd
Coriolanus
Had lov'd you as we did.
Citizens. Now the gods keep you !
Both Tri. Farewell, farewell.
[Exeunt Citizens.
Sic. This is a happier and more comely time
Than when these fellows ran about the streets,
Crying confusion.
Bru. Caius Marcius was
A worthy officer i' the war; but insolent,
O'ercoine with pride, ambitious past all thinking,
Self-loving, —
Sic, And affecting one sole throne,
Without assistance.
Men. I think not so.
Sic. We should by this, to all our lamenta-
tion,
If he had gone forth consul, found it so.65
Bru. The gods have well prevented it, and
Rome
Sits sate and slid without him.
6S. Wc should by this .... found it so. Here 'have'
is elliptically understood before "found;" affording another
example of licence of construction in vaguely-stated conditional
time. See the last Note.
6a Reason, 'Talk,' 'parley.' See Note 97, Act i.,
" Richard III."
Enter an vEdile.
y£</. Worthy tribunes,
There is a slave, who n we have put in prison,
Reports,— the Volsces with two several powers
Are enter' d in the Roman territories;
And with the deepest malice of the war
Destroy what lies before them.
Men. 'Tis Aufidius,
Who, hearing of our Marcius' banishment,
Thrusts forth his horns again into the world ;
Which were inshell'd when Marcius stood for
Rome,
And durst not once peep out.
Sic. Come, what talk you
Of Marcius?
Bru. Go see this rumourer whipp'd. — It can-
not be
The Volsces dare break wi'h us.
Men. Cannot be !
We have record that very well it can ;
And three examples of the like have been
Within my age. But reason6'-1 with the fellow,
Before you punish him, where he heard this;
Lest you shall chance to whip your information,
And beat the messenger who bids beware
Of what is to be dreaded.
Sic. Tell not me :
I know this cannot be.
Bru. Not possible.
Enter a Messenger.
Mt ss. The nobles in great earnestness are going
All to the senate-house : some news is come""
That turns their countenances.
Sic. 'Tis this slave ; —
Go whip him 'fore the people's eyes : — his raising ;
Nothing but his report.
Mess. Yes, worthy sir,
The slave's report is seconded ; and more,
More fearful, is delivcr'd.
Sic. What more fearful ?
Mess. It is spoke freely out of many mouths
(How probable I do not know), that Marcius,
Join'd with Aufidius, leads a power 'gainst Rome,
And vows revenge as spacious as between
The young'st and oldest thing.
Sic, This is most likely !
Bru. Rais'd only, that the weaker sort may wish
God Marcius home again."1
Sic. The very trick on 't.
Men. This is unlikely :
70. Some news is come. The Folio prints 'comming' for
" come" here. Rowe's correction.
71 May wish god Marcius home again. The Folio prints
'good' here for "god ," but we think that the passage referred
to in Note 75, Act i., "Trotlus and Cressida," lends testimony
that "god" is likely to be the scoffingly applied epithet here.
Mi Collier's MS. corrector made the emendation.
Act IV.]
COKIOLANUS.
[Sci SE VI.
He and Aufidius can no more atone"-'
Than violentest contrariety.
Enter a second Messenger.
Sec. Mess. You are sent for to the senate :
A fearful army, led by Caius Marcius
Associated with Aufidius, rages
Upon our territories; and have already
O'ei borne their way, consum'd with fire, and took
What lay before them.
Enter Cominius.
Com. Oh, you have made good work!
Men. What news? what news?
Coin. You have holp^ to outrage your own
daughters, and
To melt the city leads upon your pates ;
To see your wives dishonoured to your nos°s, —
Men. What's the news? what's the news':
Com. Your temples burned in their cement;
and
Your franchises, w hereon you stood, confin'd
Into an auger's bore.
Men. Pray now, your news? —
You have made fair work, I fear me. — Pray, your
news ? — ■
If Marcius should be join'd with Volscians, —
Com. It!
He is their god : he leads them like a thing
Made by some other deity than nature,
That shapes man better; and they follow him,
Against us brats, with no less confidence
Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
Or butchers killing flies.
Me
You have made good work,
You and your apron-men ; you that stood so much
Upon the voice of occupation''' and
The breath of garlic-eaters !
Com. He will shake
Your Rome about your ears.
Men. As Hercules
Did shake down mellow fruit. — You have made
fair work !
Bru. But is this true, sir?
c»">- Ay ; and you'll lock pale
Before you find it other. All the regions
72. Alone. Here used in the sense of ' be of one mind,'
'accord.' 'agree.' See Note 42, Act v , " As You Like It."
73. Holp. Old form of ' helped.'
74 Occupation. Here used to express 'men occupied in
mechanical employment,' 'mechanics,' • operatives.' 'artisan!!.'
.75- All tie regions ,to smilingly revolt. "Regions" and
" smilingly " have been variously changed here as erroneous:
but " regions " is probably used in reference to the districts of
the Roman " territories" mentioned in the announcement in ide
by the second messenger on his entrance ; while
used in the same sense tha
Note 79, Act
temptuously.'
76. They charg'd hint .... mid therein slumi'd, c-\ .
smilingly " is
'smile" is used, as explained in
"Troilus and Cressida," 'derisively,'
Do smilingly revolt ;■'' and who resist
Are niock'd for valiant ignorance,
And perish constant fools. Who is 't can blame
him ?
Your enemies and his find something in him.
Men. We are all undone, unless
The noble man have mercy.
Com. Who shall ask it ?
The tribunes cannot tio 't for shame ; the people
Deserve such pity of him as the woH
Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if
they
Should say, "Be good to Rome," thev charg'd
him even
As those should do that had deserv'd his hate,
And therein show'd like enemies.""
Men. Tis true :
If he were putting to my house the brand
That should consume it, I have not the face
To say, " Beseech you, cease." — You have made
fair hands,
You and your crafts!" you have crafted fair!
Com. You have brought
A trembling'3 upon Rome, such as was never
So incapable of help.
Both Tri. Say not, we brought it.
Men. How! Was it we? we lov'd him; but,
like beasts
Anil cowardly nobles, gave way unto your cluster-,
Who did hoot him out o' the city.
Com. But I fear
They'll roar him in again. Tullus Aufidius,
The second name of men, obeys his points
As if he were his officer: — desperation
Is all the policy, strength, an. I defence,
That Rome can make against them.
Enter a troop of Citizens.
Men. Here come the clusters. —
And is Aufidius with him ': — You are thej
That made the air unwholesome, when you 1
Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile. Now he's coming ;
And not a hair upon a soldier's head
Which will not prove a whip : as main' cox-
combs
"Charg'd" and "show'd" are here used far ' would charge,'
and 'would show:' giving another instance of Shake
occasional mode of c sentence whei
time is indicated. See Not - 67 ind G£ t>l Chi \
next speech there is a simil.u- kind "f construction . " I !>
the face" being employed l, 1 ! >uld not have the
77. Cra/ts. Here used ' ■' 'craftsmen;' and, raoi
.' 1 Mm y fleer at the tribunes' former craft)
nations against Coriolanus Menenius, in this line, is rr.ide to
keep up Ins characteristic mode of fabricating words for his owu
use; " crafted," fashioned from"rr
78. A trembling. Here used for 'that which may we I
trembling.' 'a calamity to tremble at.' See Note r.j
"Henry VI II '
Act IV.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene VI.
Bruius. But is this true, sir ?
Cominitts. Ay ; and you'll luuk pale
Before you find it other.
Act II'. Scint VI.
As yott threw c:ips up will he tumble down,
And pay you for your voices. ' lis no matter;
It he could burn us all into one coal,
We have deserv'd it.
Citizens. 'Faith, we hear tearful news.
First Cit. For mine own part,
When I said, banish him, I said, 'twas pity.
Sec. Cit. And so did I.
Third Cit. And so did I ; and, to say the truth,
so did very many of us : that we did, we did for the
best; and though we willingly consented to his
banishment, yet it was against our will.
Com. You're goodly thing-., you voices!
Men. You have made
Com. Oh, ay, what else ?
[Exeunt Cominius and Menenius.
Sic. Go, masters, get you home ; be not dis-
may'd :
These are a side that would be glad to have
This true which they so seem to fear. Go home,
And show no sign of fear.
First Cit. The gods be good to us! — Come,
masters, let's home. I ever said we were i' the
wrong when we banished him.
Sec. Cit. So did we all. But, come, let's home.
[Exeunt Citizens.
Bru. 1 do not like this news.
Sic. Nor I.
Good work, you and your cry!79 — Shall 's to the i Bin. Let's to the Capitol ; — would half my
Capitol ? wealth
Would buy thi > for a lie !
79. Cry. 'Pack.' See Xole 101, Act lit. Sic. Play, let US go. [Exilirll.
124
ACT IV. J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene VII.
SCEN K V ! l.—.i Camp, at a small distance from
Rome.
Enter Aufidius*£//</ his Lieutenant.
Auf Du they still fly to the Roman ?
Lieu. I do not know what witchcraft's in him,
but
Your soldiers use him as the grace 'fore meat,
Their talk at table, and their thanks at end ;
And you are darken'd in this action, sir,
Even by j our cwn.s0
Auf. I cannot help it now,
Unless, b\ using means, I lame the foot
Of our design. He bears himself more proudlier/1
Even to my person, than I thought he would
When Hist I did embrace him : yet his nature
In that's no changeling; and I must excuse
What cannot be amended.
Lieu. Yet I wish, sir
(I mean for your particular), you had not
Join'd in commission with him; but either
[{.u\ borne the action of yourself,1*- or else
To him had left it solely.
Auf. I understand thee well ; and be thou
sure,
When he shall come to his account, he knows
not
What I can urge against him. Although it
seems,
And so he thinks, and is no less apparent
To the vulgar eye, that he bears all things
fairly,
And shows good husbandry for the Volscian state,
80. Even by your own. Here the word " action," in the pre-
ceding line, is elliptically understood as repeated after " own ; "
or rather, it gives ' act * to be understood after " own,"
81. Bears himself more proudlier. Instance o( the double
comparative formerly used.
82. Had borne the action of yourself. The Folio prints
" bane ' for "had" here Malone's correction. "Of" is here
used for ' by.' See Note n, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida.*'
83. Ere he sits down. ' Before them' is elliptically under-
stood after " sits down ; " to ' sit down before a place ' being a
military term for ' prepare to capture it,' 'commence besieging it.'
84. TV/i" osprey. One of the sea-eagles ; called also the bald
buzzard, and the fishing-hawk. This bird was formerly sup-
posed to have the power of fascinating its prey : and that the
fish yielded themselves its helpless victims.
85. A noble servant to ike tit. Here "them" refers to the
Remans, as implied in the previous word '* Rome." Sec Note
2;. Act ii.
86. Even. This word is here an adjective, used adverbially ;
\\\ the sense of 'equably.'
87. Or ivhetlter nature, not to be, 6*r. ' Or whether his
niture, m>t to be inconsistent with itself, could not exchange the
rigid authority of the military man for the easy dignity of the
state official, but commanding in peace even with the same
austerity.' &c.
83. Bnt he has a merit, to choke it in the utterance. This
portion of the speech is so condensedly expressed that it has
been suspected of error, and even of omission in the Folio print-
ing. We think the obscure effect is partly attributable to the
repeated use of the word " but " in the speech ; and pattly to
Tights dragon-like, and does achieve as soon
As draw his sword ; \et he hath left undone
That which shall break his neck or hazard mine,
Whene'er we come to our account.
Lieu. Sir. I beseech you, think you he'll carry
Rome 'i
Auf. All places yield to him ere he sits
down ;t3
And the nobility of Rome are his :
The senators and patricians love him too:
The tribunes are no soldiers; and their j eople
Will be as rash in the repeal, as hasty
To expel him thence. I think he'll be to Rume
As is the osprey84 to the fish, who takes it
By sovereignty of nature. First he was
A noble servant to them ;S5 but lie could not
Carry his honours even :S6 whether 'twas pride,
Which out of daily fortune ever taints
The happy man ; whether defect of judgment,
To rail in the disposing of those chances
Which he was lord of; or whether nature,
Not to be other than one thing,8" not moving
From the casque to the cushion, but commanding
peace
Even with the same austerity and garb
As he controll'd the war; but one of these
(As he hath apices of them all, not all,
For I dare so far free him,) made him fear'd,
So hated, and so banish'd : but lie has a merit,
To choke it in the utterance.8'' So our virtues J
Lie in the interpretation of the time :
And power, unto itself most commendable.
Hath not a tomb so evident as a chair
the mode in which "it" occurs in this clause of the sentence.
In the clauses " but he could not," "but commanding peace,"'
and " but one of these," the word " but " is used as .1 particle
of objection ; whereas in this last clause, " but he has .1 merit,"
"but "seems to us to be used in the sense of 'however' ir
' nevertheless.' After having enumerated the faults ol 1 h iractei
in Coriolanusr, Aufidius ends his sentence by the admissi n,
" Nevertheless, he has a merit," &c. It is this last clause 1
admission which presents the chief difficulty : and we have to
bear well in mind Shakespeare's peculiarities of style,
trying to discover its precise meaning. Remembering these
peculiarities, — his very condensed expression and elliptical con-
struction, together with hi> mode of using "it" either in
reference to a just-named antecedent, or to an implied par-
ticular,—this clause may bear three different interpretations :—
rst : ' However, he has one merit.— that of checking panegyric
on it' [his own merit] 2nd: 'Nevertheless, he has merit
sufficient to stifle the decree of his banishment ' [implied in the
previous words " so banish'd " and " rash in the re]
" utterance," in this case, bein^ taken 1 1 mean ' carrying
the uttermost']. 3rd : ' Nevertheless, he has a merit thai
far to quench what 1 have been utt<
plied in " one of these fas he hath spices -if them all, not all.
for I dare so far free bun made," &C.]. There is still a fourth
interpretation that the clause will bear: which, c
dri.'t of the argument, as carried out to the en i of the speech,
seems to be probably meant : ' However, he has a merit, a merit
which destroys its own power by striving to assert that power.*
89. Virtues. Printed 'venue" in the first Folio. Corrected
in the second Folio.
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
To extol what it hath done.90
One fire drives out one fire ; one nail, one nail ;
Rights by rights fouler, strengths by strengths do
fail."
[Scene I.
When, Caius, Rome
Come, let's away.
thine,
Thou art poor'st of all ; then shortly art thou
mine. [Exeunt.
ACT V,
SCENE I. — Rome. A Public Place.
Enter Menenius, Cominius, Sicinius, Brutus,
and others.
Men. No, I'll not go: you hear what he hath
said
Which was sometime his general ; who lov'd him
In a most dear particular.1 He call'd me father :-
But what o' that ? Go, you that banish'd him ;
A mile before his tent fall down, and knee
The way into his mercy :3 nay, if he coy'd4
To hear Cominius speak, I'll keep at home.
Com. He would not seem to know me.
Men. Do you hear :
Com. Yet one time he did call me by my name :
I urg'd our old acquaintance, and the drops
That we have bled together. Coriolanus
He would not answer to : forbad all names ;
He was a kind of nothing, titleless,
Till he had forg'd himself a name i' the fire
Ol burning Rome.
90. Hath uot a tomb so evident as a chair ty extol, &>c. This
has been variously altered ; but we think that the passage, as it
stands, means, ( Our virtues lie at the mercy of popular inter-
pretation in our own day ; and power, ever anxious to exact
commendation, has no tomb so sure as the pulpit of eulugium
which extols its deeds.' It must be borne in mind that here
"chair" is used for the public rostrum, cathedra, or pulpit,
whence orations, laudatory or otherwise, were delivered to the
Roman people ; and of which pulpit there is more particular
mention made by Shakespeare in his play of "Julius Caisar."
91. Rights by rights fouler, strengths by strengths do fail.
Here "fouler" has been changed to 'founder, ' 'fouled are,'
' foil'd are,' 'falter,' &c, under the idea that a verb is required
in this place ; but it appears to us that Shakespeare, in this line
as elsewhere, makes one verb do double duty in a sentence ; and
that here the meaning is, ' Rights by rights fouler do fail,
strengths by strengths do fail.' See, among numerous other
instances, Note 87, Act i. , " Henry VIII.," and Note 5, Act iv.,
" Troilus and Cie^sida." See also a very similar passage in
" Tiinon of Athens," Act iv., sc. 3—" Thus much of this will
make black, white ; foul, f.iir ; wrong, right ; base, noble ;
old, young ; coward, valiant ; " where the verb " make " before
"black'' gives 'make' to be understood as repeated before
"foul," "wrong," " base," "old," and "coward," thus doing
multiplied duty in the sentence. In "Julius Caesar," Act iii.,
sc. 1, likewise, we find—" As fire drives out fire, so pity pity ;"
where "drives out" is understood as repeated between "pity"
and "pity." In the present passage, the word " fouler" bears
the sense of less fair' or ' more unfair;' as Shakespeare more
than once uses the common expression " foul play " for ' unfair
practice," and uses the word "foully" for 'unfairly' in " All's
Men. Why, so, — you have made good work
A pair of tribunes that have rack'd for Rome,
To make coals cheap,5 — a noble memory!
Com. I minded him how royal 'twas to pardon
When it was less expected :6 he replied",
It was a bare petition of a state7
To one whom they had punish'ci.
Men. Very well :
Could he say less ?
Com. I offer' d to awaken his regard
Tor his private friends : his answer to me was,
He could not stay to pick them in a pile
Of noisome musty chaff: he said 'twas folly,
For one poor grain or two, to leave unburnt,
And ->till to nose the offence.
Mtn. For one poor grain or two !
I am one of those ; his mother, wife, his child,
And this brave tellow too, we are the grains .
You are the musty chaff; and you are smelt
Above the moon : we must be burnt for you.
Sic. Nay, pray, be patient : if you refuse your aid
Well," Act v., sc.
foully snatch'd."
1 afeard the life o( HeK
. ladv
1. What he hath said which was sometime his general ,* who
lovd him, &*c. This passage affords an instance of " which "
used for ' who,* and " who" (referring to the same antecedent)
in the same sentence.
2. He call'd me father. ' He used to call me father.* For a
discussion on the custom of adopting titles of relations-hip, see
Note 90, Act ii., "Troilus and Cressida."
3. And knee the way into his mercy. 'And crawl the whole
way on your knees to beg his mercy.' " Knee," here, is one of
Sh.tkespeire's expressive verbs coined from a noun. See Note
49, Act iii., "Taming of the Shrew."
4. Coy'd. ' nemurr'd," 'hesitated coyly.*
5. Rach'd for Rome, to make, &-'c. This has been variously
altered and variously explained. Shakespeare elsewhere uses
" racked" to express ' strained," ' stretched' (see Note 35, Act i.,
" Merchant of Venice") ; and " rack," with something of the same
signification, in the passage commented upon in Note 14, Act iv.,
" Measure for Measure." It is probable, therefore, that here he
uses ■'racked" to convey the idea of 'strained every nerve,'
' stretched your authority to the utmost.' The sneer involved in
the words " to make coals cheap " refers to " the fire of burning
Rome ; " which is to bring hot coals of vengeance on them all.
6. To pardon when it was /ess expected. Instance of the
comparative used in a sentence where the superlative is generally
used : "less" instead of 'least.' See Note 24, Act iv., " Henry V."'
7. It 7vas a >are petition of a state. "Bare" has been
changed to ' base' and to 'rare ; ' but " bare" is probably here
used to express ' bare-faced,' 'unblushing ;' ' of sheer eft rontery.'
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Si ENE II.
In tin* so never-needed help," yet do not
Upbraid 's with our distress. But, sure, if you
Would lie your country's pleader, your good
tongue,
More than the instant9 army we can make,
Might stop our countryman.
Men. No, I'll not meddle.
Sic, Pray you, go to hiin.
Men. What should I do ?
Bru. Only make trial what your love can do
For Rome, towards Marcius.10
Men. Well, and say that Marcius
Return me, as Cominius is return'd,
Unheard ; what then ?
But as a discontented friend," grief-shot
With his unkindntss ': say 't be so ?
Sic, Yet your good will
Must have that thanks from Rome, after the
measure
As you intended well.12
Men. I'll undertake it :
I think he'll hear ine. Yet, to bite his lip
And hum at good Cominius, much unhearts me.
He was not taken well ; he had not din'd :
Tre veins unfill'd, our blood is cold, and then
We pout upon the morning, are unapt
To give or to forgive ; but when we have stuff'd
These pipes and these conveyances of our blood
With wine and feeding, we have suppler souls
Than in our priest-like fasts: therefore I'll watch
him
Till he be dieted to my request,
And then I'll set upon him.
Bru. You know the very road into his kindness,
And cannot lose your way.
Men. Good faith, I'll prove him,
Speed how it will. 1 shall ere long have know-
ledge
Of my success.13 [Exit.
8 This sn newer-needed hel/> Elliptically and iranspusedly
constructed ; meaning ' this never so much needed help.'
q. Instant. Here used fur ' suddenly raised,' ' immediately
summoned/ 'instantly levied;' as it is used fur 'instantly
entered u;>m,' 'immediately engaged in," in the passage rclcrred
in in Note 66, Act i., "Second Part Henry IV."
10. What your I tvecan do for Rome, towards flfari ins. The
construction here gives a double effect to the sentence : the effect
of* what your love towards Marcius can do for Rome,' and the
effect of ' what your love can do fur Rome, in your advances
made to Marcius.'
ii But as a discontented friend. Here ''return me" in the
last line but one gives ' return ire,' or 'if [ return' i" lie under-
stood before " but ;" which is used in the sense of ' onl) ' 01
'merely '
i:. After the measure as yon intended tvell 'According to
lh'.- amount of your guod intentions,' ' in proportion with youi
good intentions, '
ij. Success Here used for that which succeeds, follows, or
happens, — whether good or bad. See Note 122, Act i., " All S
Well."
14. He does sit in gold. The passage in North's " Plutarch
describes Coriolanus thus — " He was set in his chaire of state, with
Com. He'll never hear him.
Sic. Not ?
Com, I tell you, he does sit in gold,14 his eye
Red as 'twould burn Rome ; and his injury
The gaoler to his pity. I kneel' d before him ;
'Twos very faintly he said " Rise ;" dismiss'd me
Thus, with his speechless hand: what lie would
do,
He sent in writing after me ; what he would not,
Bound with an oath to yield to his conditions :15
So that all hope is vain,
Unless his noble mother,18 and his wife ;
Who, as I hear, mean to solicit him
For mercy to his country. Therefore, let's hence,
And with our fair entreaties haste them on.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— if n advanced post of the Volscian
Camp before RoMii. The Guard at tht ir
stations.
Enter to thtnt, Menenius.
First G. Stay : whence are you 'i
See. G. Stand, and gn back.
Men. You guard like men ; 'tis well : but, by
\ our leave,
I am an officer of state, and come
To speak with Coriolanus.
First G. From whence ?
Men. From Rome.
First G. You may not puss, you must return :
our general
Will no more hear from thence.
Sec. G. You'll see your Rome em brae' d with
fire, before
You'll speak with Coriolanus.
Men. Good 111 v friends,
If you have heard your general talk of Rome,
a marvellous and an unspeakable maiesty ; " while Shake
in " Antony and Cleopatra," Act iii., sc. 6, has -*' Cleopatra and
himself in chairs of go id were publicly etithron'd."
15 Bound with an oath to yield to kU conditions. Tins
passage has been variously altered in some of its words, and has
been also suspected of having a line or more omitted. We think
that it condensedly expresses the stipulations made by Coriolanus
and the proposals made by the Romans, as slated more fully in
North's " Plutarch ;" and that here "whal he would do " refers to
what Coriolanus would grant as expressed in the articles "sent
in writing after" Cominius : while' whal he would n ■'
to the proposals made by the Romans, whii h ( oriolanu ■ ■
not grant unless undei 1 ■ n litions that he bound himseU
by oath to make them yield to. In the text, the 1
, lets of articles,
one drawn up by I oriolanus and sent in writing, the other
ubmitted by the Romans to him, which he vows to grant only
upon his own conditions: bul thai o it i cl irly intended wc
thin! 1- shown by the account "( the incident in " Plutai
well as bj the expression '* it was a bare petition of a state m
1 nt scene, indicating ir I*-""1
16. [fniess hisnoble f/rothet Here * in' is elliptically under-
■ tween " unless " and " his."
^Hpa^rr
mMki
^litowW * < -'■■ — 'y^^z
Coriolunus. Away!
Menenius. Hon-! away
Ad V. Seme II.
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene II.
Ami of his friends there, it is lots to blanks,'7
My name hath touch'd your ears : it is Mcnenius.
First G. Be it so; go back : the virtue of your
name
Is not here passable.
Men. I tell thee, fellow,
Thy general is my lover : 13 I have been
The book of his good acts, whence men have read
His fame unparallel'd, haply, amplified ;
For I have ever verified19 my friends
(Of whom he's chief) with all the size that verity
Would without lapsing suffer: nay, sometimes,
Like to a bowl upon a subtle™ ground,
1 have tumbled past the throw ; and in his praise
Have almost stamp' d the leasing:-1 therefore,
fellow,
I must have leave to pass.
First G. Faith, sir, if you had told as many lies
in his behalf as you have uttered words in your
own, you should not pass here : no, though it were
as virtuous to lie as to live chastely. Therefore, go
back.
Men. Pr'ythec, fellow, remember my name is
Mcnenius, always factional')'- on the party of your
general.
Sec. G. Howsoever you have been his liar (as
you say you have), I am one that, telling true
under him, must say, you cannot pass. Therefore,
go back.
Men. Has he dined, canst thou tell ? for 1
would not speak with him till after dinner.
First G. You are a Roman, are you ?
Men. I am as thy general is.
First G. Then you should hate Rome, as he
does. Can you, when you have pushed out your
gates23 the very defender of them, and, in a violent
popular ignorance, given your enemy your shieid,
think to front his revenges with the easy24 groans
of old women, the virginal palms of your daughters,
or with the palsied intercession of such a decayed
dotant as you seem to be ? Can you think to blow
out the intended fire your city is ready to flame in,
17. It is lots to blanks. " Lots," in a lottery, are the chances
for prizes, and here used in the sense of prizes; so that the phrase
is a mode of saying, ' 'Tis all to nothing.' or ' I would wager
anything.' See Note 43, Act i., ''Richard III."
18. Thy general is my lover. Instance of " lover " used as a
title between men-friends. See Note 71, Act iii., "Merchant of
YlIIIi r
19. / Terified. Here used for ' affirmed the excellence of,'
' asserted the merit of,' 'borne witness to the worth of.' " Veri-
fied " has been supposed to be wrong, and has been altered,
because of the word "verity " in the same sentence ; but even
supposing " verified " to bear the sense of ' spoken the truth of,'
it is perfectly in Shakespeare's style to imply ' I have always
spoken the truth of my friends as largely as truth would allow
without ceasing to b« truth.'
20. Subtle. Here used for 'smooth.'
21. Almost stamp'd the Isasing. 'Almost set the stamp of
truth upon falsehood.' " Leasing " is an old word for ' lying.'
See Note Si, Act i., "Twelfth Night."
with such weak breath us this.? No, you are
deceived; therefore, back to Rome, and prepare
for your execution: \ou arc condemned, our
general has sworn you out of reprieve an. I pardon.
Men. Sirrah, if thy captain knew I were here,
he would use me with estimation.
Sec. G. Come, my captain knows you not.
Men. I mean, thy general.
First G. My general cares not for you. Back,
I say, go; lest I let forth your half-pint of blood ;
— back, — that's the utmost of your having :— back.
Men. Nay, but, fellow, fellow; —
Enter Coriolanus and Aufidius.
Cor. What's the matter ?
Men. Now, you companion,25 I'll say an errand
for you: you shall know nowthat [am in estimation;
you shall perceive that a Jack guar lant 6 cannot
office me from my son Coriolanus;2' gues~, but by
my entertainment58 with him, if thou stand'st not
i' the state of hanging, or of some death more long
in spectatorship, and crueller in suffering; behold
now presently, and swoon for what's to come upon
thee. — The glorious go Is sit in hourly s\ nod about
thy particular prosperity, and love thee no worse
than thy old father Mcnenius does! Oh, my son,
my son! thou art preparing fire for us; look thee,
here's water to quench it. I was hardly moved to
come to thee ; but being assured none hut myself
could move thee, I have been blown out of your
gates with sighs ; and conjure thee to pardon
Rome, and thy petitionary countrymen. The
good gods assuage thy wrath, and turn the dregs
of it upon this varlet here, — this, who, like a block,
hath denied my access to thee.
Cor. Away !
Men. How ! away !
Cor. Wife, mother, child, I know not. My
affairs
Are servanted to others : though I owe
My revenge properly,2' my remission lies
In Volscian breasts. That we have been familiar,
22. Factionary. 'Acting as a partisan,' 'attached to a
faction.' Menenius means to say that he is always an active
and attached partisan of Coriolanus, on whatever side he may be.
23. When you have pushed out your gates. 'Of' is elhptically
understood between "out" and "your" here.
24 Easy. Here used for 'unimportant,' 'inconsiderable,'
'insignificant,' ' of small consequence.' See Note 30, Acl • .
" Second Pan Henry IV."
25. Companion. See Note 33, Act iv.
26. A jfack guardani. ' A Jack sentinel;' the familiar term
' a Jack in office' is suggested by the introduction of the word
" office " immediately after.
27. My son Coriolanus. Sec Note 2 of this Act.
■ .( ss, but by my entertainment. " My," omitted in the
Folio, was first inserted by Malone.
29. Properly. ' Personally,' ' as belonging to myself,' the
sentence meaning, 'Though my revenge is peculiarly mine
own, my power to forgive lies in the VoUcians' ultimate
I decision.'
129
183
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
Ingrate torgetfulness shall poison, rather
Than pity note how much. Therefore, be gone.
Mine ears against your suits are stronger than
Your gates against my force. Yet, tor 1 lov'd
thee,30
Take this along ; I writ it for thy sake,
[Gives a letter.
And would have sent it. Another word, Menenius,
I will not hear thee speak. — This man, Aufidius,
Was my belov'd in Rome : yet thou behold'st!
Auf. You keep a constant temper.
[Exeunt Coriolanus and Aufidius.
First G. Noiv, sir, is your name Menenius?
Sec. G. 'Tis a spell, you see, of much power:
you know the way home again.
First G. Do you hear how we are shent31 for
keeping your greatness back ?
See. G. What cause, do you think, I have to
SH oon ?
Men. I neither care for the world nor your
general: for such things as you, I can scarce think
there's any, you are so slight. He that hath a will
to die by himself32 fears it not from another : let
your general do his worst. For you, be that you
are, long ; and your misery increase with your age !
I say to you, as I was said to, Away ! [Exit.
First G. A noble fellow, I warrant him.
Sec. G. The worthy fellow is our general : he's
the rock, the oak not to be wind-shaken.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— The Tent of Coriolanus.
Enter CoRIOLANUS, AuFIDIUS, and ethers.
Cor. We will before the walls of Rome to-
morrow
Set down our host. — My partner in this action.
You must report to the Volscian lords, how plainly
I have borne this business.
Auf. Only their ends
You have respected ; stopp'd your ears against
The general suit of Rome ; never admitted
A private whisper, no, not with such friends
That thought them sure of you.
Cor. This last old man,
Whom with a crack'd heart I have sent to Rome,
Lov'd me above the measure of a father;
Nay, godded me, indeed. Their latest refuge
Was to send him ; for whose old love I have
(Though I show'd sourly to him) once more offer'd
30. For I lov'd thee. ' Because I loved thee.'
31. Silent. 'Rebuked,' 'scolded,' 'rated.' Sec Note 66.
Act ii , " Troilus and Cressida."
32. To die by himself. ' To die by his ov.ti hands.'
33. I'll never be such ,i gosling to obey instinct. 'As' is
elliptically understood between "gosling" and " to." See Note
37, Act ii., " Henry VI 1 1."
The first conditions, which they did refuse,
And cannot now accept ; to grace htm only
That thought he could do more, a very little
I have yielded to : fresh embassies and suits,'
Nor from the state nor private friends, hereafter
Will I lend ear to. — [Shout 'within.'] Ha ! what
shout is this ?
Shall I be tempted to infringe my vow
In the same time 'tis made? I will not.
Enter, in mourning labits, Vircilia, Volumnia,
leading young MARCIUS, Valeria, and At-
tendants.
My wife comes foremost ; then the honour' d mould
Wherein this trunk was fram'd, and in her hand
The grandchild to her blood. But, out, t.ffeclion '.
All bond and privilege of nature, break !
Let it be virtuous to be obstinate. —
What is that court's) worth ? or those doves' eves,
Which can make gods forsworn ? — I melt, and am
not
Of stronger earth than others. — My mother bows;
As if Olympus to a molehill should
In supplication nod : and my young boy
Hath an aspect of intercession, which
Great nature cries, " Deny not." — Let the Volsces
Plough Rome, and harrow Italy: I'll never
Be such a gosling to obey instinct ;3' but stand,
As if a man were author of himself,
And knew no other kin.
Fir, My lord and husband !
Cor. These eyes are not the same 1 wore in
Rome.
Fir. The sorrow that delivers us thus chang'd
Makes you think so.
Cor. Like a dull actor now,
I have forgot my part, and I am out,
Even to a full disgrace. — Best of my flesh,
Forgive my tyranny; but do not say,
For that, " Forgive our Romans." Oh, a kiss
Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge !
Now, by the jealous queen of heaven,34 that kiss
I carried from thee, dear; and my true lip
Hath virgin' d it e'er since. — You gods! I prate,35
And the most noble mother of the world
Leave unsaluted : sink, my knee, i' the earth ;
[Kneels.
Of thy deep duty more impression show
Than that of common sons.36
Vol. Oh, stand up bless'd !
Whilst, with no softer cushion than the flint,
34. The jealous queen of heaven. Juno ; who presided over
marriage, and punished conjugal infidelity,
35. Prate. The Folio misprints ' pray.' Theobald's cor-
rection.
36. T/uin tluit of common sons. Here 'of is elliptically
understood between " than " and " that." See Note 75, Act i. of
this play.
Act V.'J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
I kneel before thee ; and improperly
Show duty, as mistaken all this while
Between the child and parent. [Kneels.
Cor. What is this!'
Your knees to me ? to your corrected son ?
Then let the pebbles on the hungry beach 37
Fillip the stars; then let the mutinous winds
Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun ;
Murd'ring impossibility, to make
What cannot be, slight work.
Vol. Thou art my warrior;
I hoIp3s to frame thee. — Do you know this lady ?
Cor. The noble sister of Publicola,
The moon of Rome ; chaste as the icicle,
That's curded by the frost from purest snow,
And hangs on Dian's temple : — dear Valeria !
Vol. This is a poor epitome of yours,
Which by the interpretation of full time
May show like all yourself.
Cor. The god of soldiers,
With the consent of supreme Jove, inform
Thy thoughts with nobleness; that thou mayst
prove
To shame unvulnerable, and stick i' the wars
Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw,39
And saving those that eye thee !
Vol. Your knee, sirrah.
Cor. That's my brave boy !
Vol. Even he, your wife, this lady, and myself,
Are suitors to you.
Cor. I beseech you, peace :
Or, if you'd ask, remember this before, —
The things40 I have forsworn to grant may never
Be held by you denials. Do not bid me
Dismiss my soldiers, or capitulate
Again with Rome's mechanics: — tell me not
Wherein I seem unnatural : desire not
To allay my rages and revenges with
Your colder reasons.
Vol. Oh, no more, no more !
You have said you will not grant us anything ;
For we have nothing else to ask, but that
Which you deny already : yet we will ask ;
That, if you fail in our request,41 the blame
37. The hungry beach. The epithet " hungry" has been ex-
plained to mean 'sterile,' ' unprolifie,' as when 'a hungry soil' is
spoken of: and it has been suggested to mean 'eager for ship-
wrecks,' like the classical phrase, littus avar-um. In "Twelfth
Night," Act ii., sc. 4, we find til--- expression. " As kunTO .is
the sea ; " and in " Romeo and Juliet," Act v , sc. 3, " Strew
this hungry churchyard."
38. Help. An old form of ' helped,' used several tinier in this
play. See Note 73, Act iv. Here ihe Folio misprints 'hope.'
Pope's correction.
39 Flaw. 'Tempestuous gust,' 'stormy wind.' See Note 74,
Act iv . " Second Part Henry IV."
40. Things. The Folio prints 'thing' here for "things."
Capell's correction.
4'- If you Jail in our request. Rowe altered " you " to ' we '
here : but the sentence means 'if you fail to grant our request.1
" Fail in" is an ellipsis for ' fail in granting,' 01 ' fail us in.'
May hang upon your hardness : therefore hear us.
Cor. Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark ; for we'll
Hear naught from Rome in private. — Your re-
quest ?
Vol. Should we be silent and not speak, our
raiment
And state of bodies would bewray what life
We have led since thy exile. Think with thvself
How more unfortunate than all living women
Are we come hither : since that thy sight, which
should
Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with
comforts,
Constrains them weep, and shake42 with fear and
sorrow ;
Making the mother, wife, and child, to see
The son, the husband, and the father, tearing
His country's bowels out. And to poor we
Thine enmity's most capital :43 thou barr'st us
Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort
That all but we enjoy ; for how can we,
Alas! how can we for our country prav,
Whereto we are bound, — together with thy victory,
Whereto we are bound? Alack, or we must lose
The country, our dear nurse ; or else thy persoa,
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident44 calamity, though we had
Our wish, which side should win ; for either thou
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
With manacles through our streets, or else
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin,
And bear the palm for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
I purpose not to wait on fortune till
These wars determine :4i if I cannot persuade thee
Rather to show a noble grace to both parts
Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner
March to assault thy country than to tread
( Ti list to 't, thou shalt not,) on thy mother's womb,
Thai brought thee to this world.
Vir. Ay, and mine,
That brought you forth this boy, to keep your
name
Living to lime.
4a. Constrains them :oee/>. and snake. Elliplically ex-
pressed:— 'Constrains our eyes to weep, and our hearts to
shake.'
4i To poor we thine-enmity*s most capital "We" is hen-
used instead of 'us,* by a grammatical licence permitted 111
Shakespeare's time. See Note 27, Act i , " As You Li] I
"Capital." which is now-a-days generally used in familiar
speech to express ' super-exceJIent,' formerly, as here,
sionally used in its sense of ' chiefly affecting life,' ' mainly
injurious.' We have still the word in this sense in the phrase
' capital punishment.'
44. Evident. Here used to express 'sure,' 'certain,' ' in-
evitable ;' as it is in [he passage discussed in Note 90, \ 1 -
45. Determine. Here used, with Shakespeare's skill in em-
ploying a word that includes large meaning, hi il
'end,' 'conclude,' 'terminate,' and in its sense of 'decide,'
' resolve the point at issue.'
131
Virgil'ta. My lord ami husband !
Coriolanus. Those eyes are not the same I wore in Rome.
Aei V, Scene III.
Act V.J
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene III.
Mcnenius. Hark, how they joy !
Act V. Scene- IV.
Boy. He shall not tread on me ;
I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.46
Cor. Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
Requires nor child nor woman's face to see.
I have sat too long. [Rising.
Vol. Nay, go not from us thus.
It it were so that our request did tend
To save the Romans, thereby to destroy
The Volsces whom you serve, you might condemn
us,
As poisonous of your honour : no ; our suit
Is, that you reconcile them : while the Volsces
May say, " This mercy we have show'd ; " the
Romans,
46. Then Fit fight. The spice of proud resistance, with
consciousness of present inability and resolution for future self-
defence, finely condensed into this characteristic speech, are
most natural in the son of Coriolanus, and most calculated to
precisely touch the father's heart.
47. IV/wse chronicle thus writ. Here the " will be " in the
" This we receiv'd ; " and each in either side
Give the all-hail to thee, and cry, " Be bless'd
Kor making up this peace!" Thou know'st,
great son,
The end of war's uncertain ; but this certain,
That, it thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
Whose chronicle thus writ,4'' — "The man was noble,
But with his last attempt he wip'd it out ;
Destroy'd his country ; and his name remains
To the ensuing age abhorr'd." Speak to me, son :
Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour,48
To imitate the graces of the gods ;
To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
previous line is elliptic.illy understood as repeated between
" chronicle" and " thus."
48. The fine strains of honour. Here the Folio mi-prints
'fiue' for "fine;" and "strains" is used in '
'aspirations,' ' high Teachings,' 'lofty atteui] ts,
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene IV.
And jet to charge thy sulphur49 with a bolt
That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak r
Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man
Still to remember wrongs ? — Daughter, speak you:
He cares not for your weeping.60 — Speak thou, boy:
Perhaps thy childishness will move him more
Than can our reasons. — There's no man in the
world
More bound to 's mother; yet here he lets me prate
Like one i' the stocks. — Thou hast never in thy lite
Show'd thy dear mother any courtesy ;
When she (poor hen), fond of no second brood,
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and safely home,
Load en with honour. Say my request's unjust,
And spurn me back : but if it be not so,
Thou art not honest ; and the gods will plague thee,
That thou restrain'st from me the duty which
To a mother's part belongs. — He turns away :
Down, ladies; let us shame him witli our knees.
To his surname Coriolanus 'longs more pride
Than pity to oar prayers. Down: an end ;
This is the last : — so we will home to Rome,
And die among our neighbours. — Nay, behold us:
This boy, that cannot tell what lie would have,
But kneels and holds up hands for fellowship,
Does reason our petition with more strength
Than thou hast to deny 't. — Come, let us go :
This fellow had a Volscian to his mother;
1 lis wife is in Corioli, and his child
Like him by chance. — Yet give us our despatch ;
I am hush'd until our city be a-fire,
And then I'll speak a little.
Cor. [After holding Volumnia by the hand in
silence.'] Oh, mother, mother!
What have you done ? Behold, the heavens do ope,
The gods look down, and this unnatural scene
They laugh at. Oh, my mother, mother! Oh!
You have won a happy victory to Rome ;
But, for your son, — believe it, oh, believe it, — ■
Most dangerously you have with him prevail'd,
If not most mortal to him. But, let it come. — 51
Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,
49. To charge thy sulphur The Folio prints ' change ' for
"charge" here. Warburton's correction.
50. Daughter, speak you '. he cares not for your weeping
"With what exquisitely artistic touches Shakespeare finishes Ins
character-portraits ' Here, in two half lines, he paints Virgilia's
habitual silence, and Volumnia's as habitual torrent of words.
She bids her daughter-in-law plead, yet waits not for her to
speak. See Note 20. Act iv. And then how consistently has
he depicted Volumnia's mode of appeal to her son throughout.
111 Act iii , sc. 2, and here : beginning with remonstrance, and
ending with reproach : her fiery nature so like his own, and so
thoroughly accounting tor Ins inherited disposition.
5r. If ttot most mortal to him. But, let.it come. "Mortal"
here hears the sense of ' deadly,' and is used as an adverb, con-
sistently wiLh the previous word "dangerously." "It" refers
to ' death,' as implied in " mortal "
52. A former fortune. It has been proposed to altel
"former" to 'firmer' here, but Aufidius alludes in [he time
Were you in my stead, would you have heard
A mother less ? or granted less, Aufidius ?
iuf. I was inov'd withal.
Cor. I dare be sworn you were :
And, sir, it is no little thing to make
Mine eyes to sweat compassion. But, good sir,
What peace you'll make, advise me : for my part,
I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you ; and pray \ou,
Stand to me in this cause. — Oh, mother! wife!
Auf. [Aside.] I am glad thou hast set thy
mercy and thy honour
At difference in thee : out of that I'll work
Myself a former fortune.52
[The Ladies make signs to Coriolanus.
Cor. [To Volumnia, Viugilia, ©V.] Ay, hy-
and-by ;
But we will drink together; and you shall bear
A better witness back53 than words, which we,
On like conditions, will have counter-seal'd.
Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve
To have a temple built you :i! all the swords
\n Italy, and her confederate arms,
Could not have made this peace. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV. -Rome. A Public Place.
Enter Menenius and Sicinius.
Men. See you yond' coign o' the Capitol, — vond"
COI ner-stone ?
Sic, Why, what of that ?
Men, If it be possible for you to displace it with
your little finger, there is some hope the ladies of
Rome, especially his mother, may prevail with
him. But I say there is no hope in 't : our throats
are sentenced, and stay upon55 execution.
Sic. Is 't possible that so short a time can alter
the condition of a man ?
Men. There is ditferency between a grub and a
butterfly; yet your butterfly60 was a grub. This
Marcius is grown from man to dragon : he has
wings; he's more than a creeping thing.
when he was sole in command, having since shared it with
Coriolanus and given him "half" his " commission."
53, II V •wilt drink together : ami you shall bear a better wit-
ness back. Farmer opined that we should read ' think ' here in-
stead of "drink . " bin the U <[',< wine, p i-s.ie,i In. in " Second Part
Henry IV.," Act iv., se. 2, shows that "drink" here is right 1 —
" Here, between the armies,
Let s drink together friendly and embrace.
That all their eyes may boar those tokens home
Of our restored love and amity."
54. Ladies, you deserve to Jiave a temple built you. Plu-
tarch records that a Temple of Fortune was built by order
of the senate, to do honour to the Roman ladies upon this
occasion.
55, Stay upon. An idiom, signifying ' wait but for.'
56. IV.' your butterfly. "Your" is here used as in the
p . ' " e: plained in Note 26, Act ii.
Act V.]
CORIOI.ANUS.
[Scene V.
Sic. He loved his mother dearly.
Men. So did he me : and he no more remembers
his mother now, than an eight year old horse.5*
The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes: when
he walks, he moves like an engine, and the ground
shrinks before his treading : lie is able to pierce i
corslet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his
hum is a battery. He sits in his state, as a thing
made for Alexander.5* What he bids be done, is
finished with his bidding. He wants nothing of a
god but eternity, 5'J and a heaven to throne in.
Sic. Yes, mercy, if you report him truly.
Men. I paint him in the character.60 Mark
what mercy his mother shall bring from him: there
is no more mercy in him than there is milk in a
male tiger; that shall our poor city find: and all
this is 'long of you.
Sic. The gods be good unto us !
Men. No, in such a ease the gods will not be
good unto us. When we banished him, we re-
spected not them ; and, he returning to break our
necks, they respect not us.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Sir, if ) ou'd save your life, fly to your
house :
The plebeians have got your fellow-tribune,
And hale him up and down ; all swearing, if
The Roman ladies bring not comfort home,
They'll give him death by inches.
Enter a second Messenger.
Sic. What's the news p
Sec. Mess. Good news, good news; — the ladies
have prevail'd,
The Volscians are dislodg'd, and Marcius gone :
A merrier dav did never yet greet Rome,
No, not the expulsion of the Tarquins.61
Sic. Friend,
Art thou certain this is true ? is it most certain
Sec. Mess. As certain as I know the sun is fire :
Where have you lurk'd, that you make doubt of it ?
Ne'er through an arch so hurried the blown63 tide,
As the recomforted through the gates. Why, hark
you !
[Trumpets and hautboys sounded, and drums
beaten, all together. Shouting also
iviihin.
57. He no more remembers his mother now, tJian an eight
year old /terse. ' Remembers its mare mother ' is understood
after "horse."' We have frequently had occasion to point out
the very elliptical construction used by Shakespeare in phrases
of comparison. See Note 37, Act ii.
58. He sits in his state, as a thin? made for Alexander.
' He sits in his chair of state, as if he were an image made to
resemble Alexander.'
59. Eternity. Here used for 'immortality.' See Note 40,
Act v., " Winter's Tale."
60. / paint him in the character. According to modern
phraseology "the" is here used redundantly; the sentence
The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries, and fifes,
Tabors, antl cymbals, and the shouting Romans,
Make the sun dance. [Shouting again.] II n I
you !
Men. This i, good news:
I will go meet the ladies. This Volumnia
Is worth ot consuls, senators, patricians,
A city lull ; of tribunes, such as you,
A sea and land full. You have pray'd well to-
day:
This morning for ten thousand of your throats
I'd not have given a doit [Shouting and music]
Hark, how they joy !
Sic. First, the gods bless you for your tidings ;
next,
Accept my thankfulness.
Sec. Mess. Sir, we have all
Great cause to give great thanks.
Sic. They are near the city ?
Sec. Mess. Almost at point to enter.
Sic. We will meet thern,
And help the joy. [Going.
Enter the Ladies, accompanied by Senators, Patri-
cians, and People. They pass.
First Sen. Behold our patroness, the life of
Rome !
Call all your tribes together, praise the gods,
And make triumphant fires; strew flowers before
them :
Unshout the noise that banish'd Marcius,
Repeal him with the welcome of his mother;
Cry, " Welcome, ladies, welcome!"
All. Welcome, ladies,
Welcome !
[A flourish 'with drums ami trumpets. Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Antium63 A Public Place.
Enter Tu:.lus Aufidius, with Attendants.
Auf. Go tell the lords of the city I am here:
Deliver them this paper: having read it,
Bid them repair to the market-place ; where I,
Even in theirs and in the commons' ear-,
Will vouch the truth of it. Him I accuse
meaning, 'I paint him as his character is.' '[ paint him to 'lie
life.'
61. Xo. not the expulsion, &c. ' The day of ' is elFplically
understood after " not."
- ! Bttnvtl. Here used in the sense of 'sunlit . ' and |
including that of 'driven violently by wind.' Sec Note 4 \. \. t
iv , " Fir.t Part Henry IV."
6%. Antium. In the Folio there is no place market! I
scene. Rowc laid it in Antium: and he was followed by all
sul sequent editors, until Mr ' ' ■
on a 1 'int ..i whal Aufi In 1
thee 'a it'i ih.a robbery, I
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene V.
The city ports 6J by this hath enter' d, and
Intends to appear before the people, hoping
To purge himself with words : despatch.
[Exeunt Attendants.
Enter three or four Conspirators of Aufidius'
faction.
Most welcome!
First Con. How is it with our general ?
Auf. Even so
As with a man by his own alms empoison'd,
And with his charity slain.
Sec. Con. Most noble sir,
If you do hold the same intent wherein
You wish'd us parties, we'll deliver you
Of your great danger.
Auf. Sir, I cannot tell :
We must proceed as we do find the people.
'Third Con. The people will remain uncertain
whilst
'Twixt you there's difference; but the fall of either
Makes the survivor heir of all.
Auf. I know it;
And my pretext to strike at him admits
A good construction. I rais'd him, and I pawn'd
Mine honour for his truth: who being so
heighten'd,
He water'd his new plants with dews of flattery,
Seducing so my friends; and, to this end,
He bow'd his nature, never known before
But to be rough, unswayable, and free.
Third Con. Sir, his stoutness
When he did stand for consul, which he lost
B\ lack of stooping, — ■
Auf. That I would have spoke of:
Being banish'd for 't, he came unto my hearth ;
Presented to my knife his throat : I took him ;
Made him joint-servant with me ; gave him way
In all his own desires; nay, let him choose
Out of my files, his projects to accomplish,
My best and freshest men ; serv'd his designments
In mine own person ; holp to reap the fame
But we believe, — judging from other points in the scene, — that
these words do not mean 'Dost thou think I'll grace thee in
Corioli with that robbery, thy stclen name of Coriolanus?' we
believe that they mean " Dust thou think I'll grace thee with
that robbery, thy name of Coriolanus stolen in Corioli ?" If the
emphasis be thrown on /, we think the author's intention in
the sentence will be clear. The points in the scene which make
us believe that Shakespeare intended it to be laid in Antium are
these: — In the first place, Antium was the capital of the Volscian
territory, Corioli only one of the towns on its borders ; there-
fore it was likely tint the capital was the place to which Corio-
lanus and Aufidius would return to render an account of their
expedition to Rome ; and, accordingly, the latter begins by
sending to " tell the lords of the city," ccc. When they enter
they bid him "welcome home;*1 and we know that Aufidius's
residence was at Antium. The first conspirator says, "Your
native town you enter'd like a post, and had no welcomes
home" Coriolanus tells the lords of the city, " We have made
peace, with no less honour to the Aniiates than shame to the
Which he did end all his:65 and took some pride
To do myself this wrong : till, at the last,
I seem'd his follower, not partner; and
He waged me with his countenance,06 as if
I had been mercenary.
First Con. So he did, my lord, —
The army marvell'd at it ; and, in the last,
When he had carried Rome, and that we look'd
For no less spoil than glory, —
Auf. There was it ; —
For which my sinews shall be stretch'd upon him.
At a tew drops of women's rheum, which are
As cheap as lies, he sold the blood and labour
Of our great action : therefore shall he die,
And I'll renew me in his fall. — But, hark !
[Drums and trumpets sound, 'with great
shouts of the People.
First Con. Your native town you enter'd like a
post,
And had no welcomes home ; but he returns,
Splitting the air with noise.
Sec. Con. And patient fools,
Whose children he hath slain, their base throats
tear
With giving him glory.
'Third Con. Therefore, at your vantage.
Ere he express himself, or move the people
With what he would say, let him feel your sword,
Which we will second. When he lies along,
After your way his tale pronoune'd shall bury
His reasons with his body.
Auf. Say no more :
Here come the lords.
Enter the Lords of the City.
Lords. You are most welcome home.
Auf. I have not deserv'd it.
But, worthy lords, have you with heed perus'd
What I have written to you?
Lords. We have.
First Lord. And grieve to hear it.
What faults he made before the last, I think
Romans ; " and these very lords of the city are also here styled
" heads of the state," which shows that they were chief rulers,
rulers of the Volsces generally, and not merely city authorities
belonging to any one of the Volscian towns. Finally, — and
which we think conclusive, because North's " Plutarch " was the
authority that Shakespeare evidently followed throughout most
closely, — Plutarch distinctly states that Marcius and Aufidius
returned to Antium when they came back from Rome.
64. Ports. ' Gates.'
65. H'hich lie did end all his The word '"end" has been
variously altered ; but we take the sentence to be an elliptical
form of a usual idiom, ' which he did end by making all his,'
signifying ' which he, in the end, did make all his.'
66. He waged me with his countenance. To " wage" was a
verb formerly in use to express ' to give wages;' and " coun-
tenance " is here used partly in its sense of ' entertainment ' see
Note 19, Act iv., "Taming of the Shrew"), partly in that of
'approving looks,' 'patronising aspect,' 'sanction,' 'encourage-
ment.' The effect given is of magnificent condescension.
136
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene V.
Aufidms. Insolent villain 1
Conspirators. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill him!
ActV. Seen
Might have found easy fines:6' but there to end
Where he was to begin, and give away
The benefit of our levies, answering us
With our own charge,63 making a treaty where
There was a yielding, — this admits no excuse.
Auf. He approaches : you shall hear him.
Enter Coriolanus, ivitb drums and colours ;
croiud a/" Citizens nvith him.
Cor. Hail, lords ! I am return'd vour soldier ;
No more infected with my country's love
Than when I parted hence, but still subsisting
Under your great command. You are to know,
That prosperously I have attempted, and,
67. Easyji>ies. ' Easily paid fines : ' ' slight ' or ' inconsider-
able fines.' See Note 24 of the present Act.
68. Answering us with ottr cnon charge. 'Repaying our
outlay with our own gain,' ' letting the booty gained in war pay
the cost of the war.'
With bloodv passage, led \ our wars even to
The gates of Rome. Our spoils we have brought
home
Do more than counterpoise, a full third part,
The charges of the action.09 We ha\e made
peace,
WiLh no less honour to the Antiates
Than shame to the Romans : and we here deliver,
Subscribed by the consuls and patricians,
Together with the seal o' the senate, what
We have compounded on.
Auf. Read it not, noble lords ;
But tell the traitor, in the highest degree
He hath abus'd your powers.
Cor. Traitor! — how now!
Auf. Ay, traitor, Marc i us !
69. Do more than counterpoise, a full third pat .'. the . iarges
of the action. 'By' is elliptically understood before "a full
third part."
184
Act V.]
CORIOLANUS.
[Scene V.
Cor. Marcius !
Auf. Ay, Marcius, Caius Marcius : dost thou
think
I'll grace thee with that robbery, thy stol'n name
Coriolanus in Corioli ? —
You lords and heads of the state, perfidiously
He has betray'd your business, and given up,
For certain drops of salt, your city Rome
(I say, your city) to his wife and mother;
Breaking his oath ann resolution, like
A twist of rotten silk ; never admitting
Counsel o' the war; but at his nurse's tears
He whin'd and roar'd away your victory ;
That pages blush' d at him, and men of heart
Look'd wondering each at other.
Cor. Hear'st thou, Mars ?
Auf. Name not the god, thou boy of tears !
Cor. Ha!
Auf. No more."0
Cor. Measureless liar, thou hast made my heart
Too great for what contains it. Boy ! oh, slave ! —
Pardon me, lords, 'tis the first time that ever
I was forc'd to scold. Your judgments, my grave
lords,
Must give this cur the lie : and his own notion
(Who wears my stripes impress'd upon him ; that
Must bear my beating to his grave) shall join
To thrust the lie unto him.
First Lord. Peace, both, and hear me speak.
Cor. Cut me to pieces, Volsces ; men and lads,
Stain all your edges on me. — Boy ! false hound !
If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there,
That, like an eagle in a dove-cote, I
I'lutter'd"1 your Volscians in Corioli :
Alone I did it.— Boy!
Auf. Why, noble lords,
Will you be put in mind of his blind fortune,
Which was your shame, by this unholy braggart,
'Fore your own eyes and ears ?
Conspirators. Let him die for 't.
Citizens. [Speaking promiscuously.] Tear him
to pieces, do it presently : — he killed my son ; — my
daughter;— he killed my cousin Marcus; — he killed
my father, —
Sec. Lord. Peace, ho! — no outrage : — peace!
70. No more. Il has been suggested that these words signify
'say no more,' and should he assigned to the first lord, as
desiring to stop tile altercation ; other authorities interpret them
to mean ' no more than a hoy of tears ; ' while perhaps they arc
intended to express 'name the god Mars no more.' But wc
believe the second interpretation to he the right one.
7r. Flutter d. The first Folio misprints this 'tl.uui.l.'
Corrected in the third Folio.
72. Shall have judicious hearing: "Judicious" here includes
the sense of 'judicial ;' tlie^e two words having been formerly
sometimes used the one fur the other.
The man is noble, and his tame folds in
I his orb o' the earth. His last offences to us
Shall have judicious hearing.'2 — Stand, Aufidius,
And trouble not the peace.
Cor. Oh, that I had him,
With six Aufidiuses, or more, his tribe,
To use my lawful sword \~'3
Auf. Insolent villain !
Conspirators. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill him !
[Aufidius and the Conspirators draw, and
kill Coriolanus, jvho falls: Aufidius
stands on him.
Loids. Hold, hold, hold, hold!
Aut. My noble masters, hear me speak.
First Lord. O Tullus,—
Sec. Lord. Thou hast done a deed whereat
valour will weep.
Third Lord. Tread not upon him. — Masters
all, be quiet ;
Put up your swords.
Auf. My lords, when you shall know (as in
this rage,
Provok'd by him, you cannot,) the great danger
Which this man's life did one you, you'll rejoice
That he is thus cut otf. Please' it your honours
To call me to your senate, I'll deliver
Myself your loyal servant, or endure
Your heaviest censure.
First Lord. Bear from hence his bodv, —
And mourn you for him : — let him be regarded
As the most noble corse that ever herald
Did follow to his urn,7*
Sec. Lord. His own impatience
Takes from Aufidius a great part of blame.
Let's make the best of it.
Auf. My rage is gone ;
And I am struck with sorrow. — Take him up : —
Help, three o' the chiefest soldiers ; I'll be one. —
Beat thou the drum, that it speak mournfully :
Trail your steel pikes. — Though in this city he
Hath widow'd and unchilded many a one,
Which to this hour bewail the injury,
Yet he shall have a noble memory.7''' —
Assist. [Exeunt, bearing the body o/'Coriola^US.
A dead march sounded.
73. To use my la-.oful sioord. ' On ' is here elliptically under-
stood after "sword." For instances of similar construction, see
Note 8, Act i., " Richard II."
74. That ever herald did follow to his urn. It was the
custom at public funerals of .English princes to have a herald
following in the train, who, after the burial was performed, pro-
claimed the style and honours of the deceased. The passage
alludes to this custom, as one well known to the author's
audience, though perhaps unpractised a ng the ancients.
7,. Memory. Here, as elsewhere, used for ' memorial.' See
Xulc 36, Act iv.
t38
ANNOUNCEMENT
RELATIVE TO
TITUS ANDRONICUS."
On coming to the conclusion of the magnificent play of "Coriolanus" we may
here take occasion to state that it is followed in the Folio by one which bears
for title, "The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus ;" and which, because
it thus appears in the first printed collection of Shakespeare's dramatic works,
has always been accepted as one of his productions.
Another point that led to this acceptance is, that Francis Meres, in his
"Palladis Tamia," 1598, alluding to Shakespeare's excellence in tragedy, in-
cludes " Titus Andronicus " among six tragedies which he cites in proof thereof.
That Meres should have mentioned this play as an evidence of merit in tragic
composition, goes for to shake his credit as a critic ; while the internal testi-
mony afforded by the work itself goes still farther to evince that he wholly
erred in ascribing it to Shakespeare. This was probably not a wilful error ; that
it passed for Shakespeare's is countenanced by the fact (a fact altogether strange
and unaccountable) that Heming and Condell, his friends and fellow-actors, gave
it a place among his collected dramas.
Nevertheless, in the two Quarto copies that were published during Shake-
speare's lifetime, there is no author's name on the title; and this is a particular
of some significance, because his name as a popular author would have been
willingly appended by a publisher as a means of selling the production. More-
over, in an entry made at Stationers' Hall by John Danter of "A Booke entitled
A Noble Roman Historie of Titus Andronicus," and supposed to be the same
play as the one here discussed, there is likewise no name mentioned. In Ravens-
croft's preface to an alteration of this play, published in 16S7, he says, " I have
been told, by some anciently conversant with the stage, that it was not originally
his [Shakespeare's], but brought by a private author to lie acted, and he only
gave some master touches to one or two of the principal parts." But to our mind,
in vain will these said "master touches" be sought. Not even a single touch of
ANNOUNCEMENT.
the master hand can we discover; not one of those indicative beauties which, in
even his earliest productions, suggest the master mind that, when mature, pro-
duced "Othello," "Lear," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," &c. The diction is not his,
the character-drawing is not his, the action is not his, the sequence of incident
is not his, the development of plot is not his, and certainly the revolting subject
is not his. A sickening story, disgusting details, repulsive persons, nauseous
and bloated dialogue; none of these are his.
Years ago, when Mons. Guizot published his admirable "Shakespeare and
his Times," we cordially subscribed to his words : "If it be true that genius, even
in its lowest abasement, gives forth some luminous rays to betray its presence; if
Shakespeare, in particular, bore that distinctive mark which, in one of his sonnets,
makes him say, in reference to his writings, 'That every word doth almost tell
my name,' assuredly he had not to reproach himself with the production of that
cxei rable accumulation of horrors which, under the name of ' Titus Andronicus,
lias been foisted upon the English people as a dramatic work, and in which,
Heaven be thanked! there is not a single spark of truth, or scintillation of
genius, which can give evidence against him."
No less cordially now (1867) do we echo what Mr. Gerald Massey says in
his lately published book (a book written in the noblest spirit, entitled,
"Shakespeare's Sonnets and his Private Friends") on this subject: — "It is
impossible to find any proof of Shakespeare's presence from beginning to end of
the 'Titus Andronicus.' This play is a perfect slaughter-house,
and the blood makes appeal to all the senses. The murder is committed in the
very gateways of the sense. It reeks blood, it smells of blood, we almost feel
that we have handled blood, it is so gross. The mental stain is not whitened
by Shakespeare's sweet springs of pity; the horror is not hallowed by that
appalling sublimity with which he invested his chosen ministers of death. . . .
As for Meres, it is far easier to believe that he made one mistake in his list of
an unpublished literature than it is to accept 'Titus Andronicus' as Shakespeare's
work in any sense."
With this conviction — that in no sense can it be accepted as Shakespeare's
composition — we have no hesitation in omitting it from the present edition of
his plays ; we even gladly do so, as we think that by so doing we not only
preserve these pages from being sullied by the presence of a loathsome blemish,
but we also leave our poet's productions undisgraced by consociation with one
unworthy to take its place beside them, and one that we have fullest faith in his
having never written.
i^o
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Escalus, Prince of Verona.
Paris, a young Nobleman, Kinsman to the Prince.
Mom ague,) ,, ., TT ... , .,
}■ Heads of two Houses at variance with each other.
Capulet, >
An Old Man, Kinsman to Capulet.
Romeo, Son to Montague.
Mercutio, Kinsman to the Prince, and Friend to Romeo.
Benvolio, Nephew to Montague, and Friend to Romeo.
Tybalt, Nephew to Lady Capulet.
Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan.
Friar John, of the same order.
Balthasar, Servant to Romeo.
Sampson, ) c . . -, . .
y Servants to Capulet.
Gregory,)
Peter, another Servant to Capulet.
Abraham, Servant to Montague.
An Apothecary.
Three Musicians.
Page to Paris ; Page to Mercutio ; an Officer.
I.ady Montague, Wife to Montague.
Lady Capulet, Wife to Capulet.
Juliet, Daughter to Capulet.
Nurse to Juliet.
Citizens of Verona; Male and Female Relations to both Houses;
Maskers, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants.
Chorus.
Scene — Dining the greater part of the Play, in Verona: once
{in I be Fifth Act) at Mantua.
ROMEO AND JULIET.
PROLOGUE.2
CHORUS.3
Two households, both nlikc in dignity,
In fair Verona,4 where we lay our scene,
i. In the year 1597 a Quarto copy of this play was published,
bearing fur its title, " An excellent conceited [Yajedie of Romeo
and Juliet. As it hath been often (with great applause) plaid
publiquely, by the Right Honourable the Lord of Hunsdon
his servants.'' A second Quarto copy appeared in 1593, with
the title, "The most excellent and lamentable Trajedie of
Romeo and Juliet Newly corrected, augmented, and amended.
As it hath been sundry times publiquely acted, by the Right
Honourable the Lord Chamberlaine his servants." Of Quarto
copies there followed two others previously to the version given
in the Folio 1623. The 1597 Quarto copy is supposed bj som
authorities to have been printed from an early manuscript of the
author; by others, to have been made up from a version ob-
tained by surreptitious means, either through separate >*craps of
playhouse written parts, or through notes taken down during
representation, or, perhaps, through a mixture of both the-'.e
methods. The chief value of the 1597 Quarto lies in its enabling
editors, by collation, to correct some typ (graphical errors that
have crept into the later editions. The Quarto of 1599, having
in all probability been "corrected, augmented, and amended"
by the author himself, is entitled to the highest consideration;
and having, moreover, evidently been the version upon which
that in the first Folio is founded. From internal evidences of
Style, we believe this play to have been originally written at an
early period of Shakespeare's career: at the period when he
composed the " Midsummer Night's Dream" (see our opening
Note to that drama , and was in the first glow of poetical
dramatic composition The selection of the story as well as the
peculiarities of diction make for the probability of this con-
jecture The story was of world-wide celebrity and popularity ;
it was well knjwn in England through translated Italian novels,
and through Arthur Brooke's poem on this subject, published in
1562 ; and was precisely the one to fascinate the attention,
excite the imagination, and inspire the pen, of ayoungdramatist
commencing his career. From a line in the Nurse's speech in
Act i., sc. 3. '"'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years,"
it has been surmised that Shakespeare there alludes to the
memorable earthquake that took place in England in the year
1580 ; and that the date of the play's composition is thus to be
traced to 1591. This may possibly be a well-founded theory;
but we should be inclined to assign an even still prior year as
the one wherein Shakespeare originally conceived and wrote
this play. Youth thrills in its every utterance ; the impetuosity
of youth, the faith of youth, the warmth and passionate impulse
of youth, vibrate through its every scene and speech. Even the
old personages in the play express themselves with a vigour and
animation, and conduct themselves with a vivacity and pre-
cipitancy, that arc more those of youth than of age. Old
Capulet indulges in young-man reminiscences with a ze^t, ami
acts with a headlong vehemency. that savour more of early life
than middle age ; old Montague cherishes family animosities
and tactions rancours with a heat that partake- more of juvenile
rashness than senile staidness ; while even the good and grave
Friar Lawrence enters warmly into the lovers' plans, and forms
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
rapidly his own scheme for reconciling the two rival hou es
through the union of their children. All breathes the voluptuous
intensity and childlike innocence of the spring of existence ; the
lovers themselves are embodiments of youthful ardour and of
youthful purity. No writer ever so beautifully vindicated and
so truthfully demonstrated Nature's divine blending of the spirit
of chastity with the essence of passion in young love as uur
Shakespeare. Let any one read Juliet's words from first to last.
and compare them with those uttered by others of his women,
characters more formed, more thoughtful, more educated than
she is, and see how wonderfully he has preserved the girl- woman
throughout. Not a phrase does she utter that is not perfectly
consistent with the girl of fourteen, — with the Italian girl of
fourteen ; brought up in social retirement, seeing even her own
parents but at stated intervals and set times, chiefly associating
with her old nurse, and having intercourse with none out of the
family and the house save with her father-confessor. Not a
sentence does she speak containing an idea beyond those natural
to her years and position, not a thought does she express too
mature or too experienced for her girl-character. When we
think of all the wisdom in embryo, the knowledge in germ,
which even at that early period lay within the young poet's
brain and heart, ready for blossoming forth in his written pro-
ductions, we cannot but wonder at his marvellous judgment in
refraining from putting any bud of them into the mouth of his
young-girl heroine, and at his perfect tact in permitting her to
speak out of the simple fulness of her and his own youthfulness
only. It is the same with Romeo; he is completely the very
young — even boy — man. His stripling fancy for Rosaline :
his sudden passion for Juliet ; his rapturous joy in its blissful
mutuality; his impromptu marriage ; his short-lived self-restraint
in the contention with Tybalt, and his as eager flinging himself
into it; his desperation at his sentence of banishment, and his
springing-up of revived hope at the Friar's proposed plan ; his
defiance of death even in his bride's arms if she will have him
stay with her ; his cheery trust in " time to come" at the vei v
instant of tearing himself away ; his happy dreams when absent
from her; his anguished resulve to destroy himself when he
hears of her death ; " his betossed soul" as he rides back to die
beside her ; and his imagination suffering itself to revel in
pictnrings of her beauty as she lies stretched on her death-bier
before him in the moment he is about to rejoin her for ever, —
are all most true to youthful nature. The author's own young
spirit imbues the play ; it is the delight of all young read l
and it makes those who are old feel young again as they
re-peruse it.
2. Prologite, Strange to say, this Prologue is omitted in the
first F.ili... It appears in all the Quarto copies . but with con-
siderable variations in that of 1597.
3. Chorus, This word is placed after the word " Pr '
in the 1 599 Quarto; probably indicating that it was to be
by the same person as the one entrusted to spe ik the Churn- at
the end of Act i.
4. Verona. The Veronese claim for their citj 1
Mj
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
From forth the fatal loins or these two foes
A pair of star-cross' d lovers take their life ;
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows
Do with their deatli bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
An I the continuance ot their parents' rage,
Which, hut their children's end,5 naught could
remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage ;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to
mend.
ACT I.
SCENE I.— A Public Place.
Enter Sampson ami Gregory, armed uuith
swords and bucklers.
Sam. Gregory,
coals.1
my word, we'll not earn
Gre. No, for then we should be colliers.
Sam. I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw.
Gre. Ay, while you live, draw your neck out
o' the collar.
Sam. I strike quickly, being moved.
Gre. But thou art not quickly moved to strike.
Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me.
Gre. To move is to stir ; and to be valiant is to
stand : therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st
away.
Sam. A dog of that house shall move trie to
stand: I will take the wall of any man or mail of
Montague's.
Gre. That shows thee a weak slave ; for the
weakest goes to the wall.
Sam. True; and therefore women, being the
weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall.
Gre. The quarrel is between our masters, and
us their men.
Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant :
and 'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.
having been the locality where the world-famed love-story of
Romeo and Juliet actually occurred. They show the traditional
tomb of Juliet ; and give the date 1303 as that wherein the
event occurred.
5. But their children s end. " But '' used in the sense of
' except.'
1. We'll net carry coats. 'We'll not submit to indignities.'
Equivalent to the modern elegant phrase, 'We'll stand no non-
sense.' See Note 32, Act hi., " Henry V."
2. Peer Joint. Hake, salted and dried. Sec Note 36, Act ii.,
" Tempest."
3. Here ctfinc& two of the house of the Montagues. The false
concord in this sentence is characteristic of the common
speaker ; while the sentence itself selves to show that Shake-
speare was acquainted with, and made dramatic use of, the
circumstance that the parlisans of the Montague faction wore a
token in their hats which distinguished them from their rivals,
the Capulets : for, throughout the play, they are recognised at
Gre. 'Tis well thou art not fish ; if thou hndst,
thou hadst been poor-John.2 Draw thy tool ; here
comes two of the house of the Montagues.3
Sam. My naked weapon is out : quarrel, I will
back thee.
Gre. How ! turn thy back and run ?
Sam. hear me not.4
Gre. No, marry ; I fear thee !
Sam. Let us take the law of our sides ; let them
legin.
Gre. I will frown ns I pass by; and let them
take it as they list.
Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb
at them ;5 which is a disgrace to them, if they
bear it.
Enter Abraham and Halthasar.
Ahr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir ?
Sam. I do bite my thumb, sir.
Ahr. Do you bite your thumb at us, sirP
Sam. [Aside to Gre.] Is the law of our side,
if I say ay ?
Gre. [Aside to Sam.] No.
Sam. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you,
sir ; but I bite my thumb, sir.
Gre. Do you quarrel, sir ?
Ab'r. Quarrel, sir ! no, sir.
a distance. A passage from Gascoignc's "Masque," written
for Viscount Montacute in 1575, records this circumstance : —
" And for a further proofe. he showed in hys hat
Thys token, wh. the Montaattes did beare always, for that
They covet to be knowne from Capets, where they pass."
4. Fear me not. ' Fear not but that 1 will stand fast.' A simi-
lar idiom is pointed out in Note 83, Act i., " Coriolanus." Sam-
son says " Fear me not " in this sense ; but the waggish Gregory
chooses to take it in the sense of ' do not be afraid of me.'
5. I ivill bite my thumb at them. A contemptuous gesture,
made by way of insult, and as a mode of beginning a quarrel.
Cotgrave describes the mo le in which this scoffing action was
performed : — "To threaten or derie, by putting the thumbe naile
into the mouth, and with a jerke (from the upper teeth) make it
10 knacke." Decker, in liis " Dead Term," 160S, speaking of the
various groups that daily frequented St. Paul's Church, savs,
" What swearing is lliere, what shouldering, what justliug, what
jeering, what byting of thumbs to beget quarrels !"
Gregory, [Asii/e to Sampson.] Say — better : here comes one of my
master's kinsmen.
Sampson. Y?«, better, sir.
Abraham. You \\i.
Act I. Scene I.
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Sam. If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as
good a man as you.
Abr. No better.
Sam. Well, sir.
Gre. [Aside to Sam.] Say— better: here comes
one of my master's kinsmen.6
Sam. Yes, better, sir.
Abr. You lie.
Sam. Draw, if you be men.— Gregory, remem-
ber thy swashing blow.7 [7hey fight.
Enter Benvolio.
Ben. Part, fools !
Put up your swords ; you know not what you do.
[Beats down their swords.
Enter Tybalt.
Tyb. What ! art thou drawn among these heart-
less hinds ?
Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.
Ben. I do but keep the peace : put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
Tyb. What! drawn, and talk of peace ! I hate
the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee :
Have at thee, coward ! [Thiy fight.
Enter several of both Houses, -who join the fray ;
then enter Citizens, ivith clubs and partisans.
Citizens. Clubs, bills, and partisans!9 strike!
beat them down !
Down with the Capulets! down with the Mon-
tagues !
Enter Capulet in his gOTvn, and Lady Capulet.
Cap. What noise is this ?— Give me my long
sword,9 ho !
La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch ! — why call you
for a sword ?
Cap. My sword, I say ! — Old Montague is come,
And nourishes his blade in spite of me.
Enter Montague and Lady Montague.
Man. Thou villain Capulet,— Hold me not, let
me go.
6. Here comes one of my master's kinsmen. We must sup-
pose Gregory to be looking towards the quarter whence Tybalt
approaches.
7. Thy swashing blow. " Swashing" here means ' dashing."
'smashing.' See Note 72, Act i., "As You Like It."
8. Clubs, bills, and partisans ! This speech, in the Folio,
has the prefix ' Offi.,' although r.o entrance of officer or officers
is indicated. In most modem editions the prefix is given
1 1 Cit :' but one speaker would not wish both houses to be put
d iwn. It appears to us to be one of those speeches intended to
be divided among many speakers, according to a mode not tin-
frequently used by Shakespeare. See, for instance, the last
scene in " Coriolanus ;" where we find — " Citizens, [or, in the
F ili •, ' All People* ] Tear him to pieces ; do it presently ; he
killed." &c. Here, the citizens of Verona are made to use the
tteii known rallying cry of the London citizens. Sc^ Note 72,
La. Man. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a
foe.
Enter Prince, ivith Attendants.
Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel, —
Will they not hear? — what, ho! you men, you
beasts,
That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
With purple fountains issuing from your veins, —
On pain of torture, from those bloody hands
Throw your mistemper'd10 weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your moved prince. —
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturb' d the quiet of our streets ;
And made Verona's ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,
To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate :
If ever you disturb our streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
For this time, all the rest depart away : —
You, Capulet, shall go along with me; —
And, Montague, come you this afternoon,
To know our farther pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town,11 our common judgment-
place. —
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.
[Exeunt Prince and Attendants; Capulet,
Lady Capulet, Tybalt, Citizens,
and Servants.
Mori. Who set this ancient quarrel new
abroach ? —
Speak, nephew, were you by when it began ?
Ben. Here were the servants of your adversary,
And yours, close fighting ere I did approach :
I drew to part them : in the instant came
The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepar'd ;
Which, as he breath'd defiance to my ears,
He swung about his head, and cut the winds,
Who, nothing hurt withal, hiss'd him in scorn :
While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,
Came more and more, and fought on part and
part,
Act v., " Henry VIII." " Partisans" were pikes or halberds;
old French, pertuisans,
9. My long sword. Capulet calls for his "long sword," as
being the weapon used in warfare, and as contrary to the small
sword or dress sword worn on peaceful occasions. See Note 23,
Act ii., " Merry Wives," and Note 9, Act ii., "All's Well."
ro. Mistemper'd. Here used for ' ill tempered ;' in the sense
of 'steel tempered, but to be used in a bad cause,' and in the
sense of irate,' 'wrathful.' Shakespeare employs the word in
"King John," Act v., sc. 1, to express both 'ill-compounded'
and ' ill-disposed' or ' angry :'—
"This inundation of mistemper'd humour
Rests by you only to be qualified."
11. Free-town, In Brooke's poem, alluded to in the opening
Note of this play, " Free-town " is given as the name of a castle
belonging to the Capulets.
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Till the prince came, who parted either part.
La. Mo/i. Oh, where is Romeo r — saw you him
to-day ': —
RiLjht glad I am he was not at this fray.
Ben. Madam, an hour before the worshjpp'd
SUM
Peer' J forth the golden window of the east,
A troubled mind drave '- me to walk abroad ;
Where, — underneath the grove of sycamore,
That westward rootelh from the city's side, —
So early walking did I see your son :
Towards hiin I made ; but he was 'ware of me,
And stole into the covert of the wood ;
I, measuring his affections by my own, — ■
That most are busied when they're most alone,'3 —
Pursu'd my humour, not pursuing his,
And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me.
Mon. Many a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew,
Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs :
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the farthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,
Away from light steals home my heavy son,
And private in his chamber pens himself;
Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out,
And makes himself an artificial night:
Black and portentous must this humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.
Ben. My noble uncle, do you know the cause ?
Mon. I neither know it nor can learn of him.
Ben. Have you importun'd him by any means ?
Mon. Both by myself and many other friends :
But he, his own affections' counsellor,
Is to himself, — I will not say how true, — ■
But to himself so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery,
As is the bud bit with an envious worm.,
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
12. Drave. An old form of ' drove ;' used four several times
by Shakespeare.
13. That most arc busied when they re most alone. This is
the 1597 Quarto reading, while all the other Quartos and the
Folio substitute for this one line the following two lines : —
" Which then most sought where most might not be found.
Being one too many by my weary self."
The reading we have adopted appears to us to be the truer to
Shakespearian style in its condensed expression, and its omission
of the uncharacteristic phrase, " my weary self," as coming from
Eenvolio.
14. To the sun. The old copies all print ' same ' instead of
" sun " here. Theobald's correction.
15. So happy by thy stay, to hear true shrift. "To" is
here, as often elsewhere by Shakespeare, used for ' as to.'
" Shrift" signifies ' confession.' See Note 44, Act iv , " Measure
for Measure."
16. In his -u'ew. ' In appearance.'
17. See pathways to his wilt I This sentence has been pro-
nounced to be obscure. We think it comprises double meaning;
and signifies not only ' Alas ! that the blind god should be able
to shoot so surely !' but also, 'Alas! that love, notwithstanding
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun."
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows
grow,
We would as willingly give cure as know.
Ben. See, where becomes: so please you, Step
aside ;
I'll know his grievance, or be much denied.
Mon. I would thou wert so happy by thy stay,
To hear true shrift.15 — Come, madam, let's away.
[Exeunt Montague and Lady.
Enter Romeo.
Ben. Good morrow, cousin.
Rom. Is the day so young ?
Ben. But new struck nine.
Rom. Ah me ! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fasl P
Ben. It was. — What sadness lengthens Romeo's
hours ?
Rom. Not having that, which, having, makes
them short.
Ben. In love ?
Rom. Out-
Be;/. Of love?
Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love.
Ben. Alas ! that love, so gentle in his view,16
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
Rom. Alas' that love, whose view is muffled
still,
Should, without eyes, see pathways to Ins will I1? —
Where shall we dine ? — Oh, me ! — What fray was
here ?
Yet, tell me not, for I have heard it all.
Here's much to do with hate, but more with
love :13 —
Why, then, oh, brawling love! oh, loving hate!19
Oh, anything, of nothing first create !
Oh, heavy lightness ! serious vanity !
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms !
its muffled sight, should be able blindfold to find its way to its
object !' Romeo deplores his being able to see clearly that he
loves Rosaline, while seeing equally clearly that he cannot
obtain her favour in return.
iS. /lore's much to do with hate, but more with lo-.'e. Romeo
is speaking in the riddling mood now upon him. He means thai
the fray has much to do with the hate between the rival houses,
yet affects him more, inasmach as his Rosaline is a met
the Capulet family see Note 39 of this Act ; that what lias just
passed has had reference to the animosity which divides the two
factions, and has also shown him the anxious affection
his account by his father and the friend now Speaking to him,
Eenvolio. To the latter he refers, in the speech a little farther on,
where he says. "This love, that thou hast shown, doth ..
19. Oh, brawling love ' oh, loving hate I Romeo is indulging
in some of the fantastic love-flights and antithetical rha]
that have been affected by y lung gentlemen from time im-
memorial when fancying thi
Act iii.. "Troilus and Cressida." This is one of the subtle
indications given by Shakespeare that Romeo is not really in
love with Rosaline; en fanciful dicti n while he
believes himself attached to her, with his earnest diction when
truly attached to Juliet.
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health !
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is !—
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Dost thou not laugh ?
Ben. No, coz, I rather weep.
Rom. Good heart, at what ?
Ben. At thy good heart's oppression.
Rom. Whv, such is love's transgression. —
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast;
Which thou wilt propagate, to have it press'd
Willi more of thine: this love, that thou hast
shown,
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke rais'd with the fume of sighs ;
Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes ;
Being vex'd,20 a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears:
What is it else ? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet. —
Farewell, my coz. [Going.
Ben. Soft! I will go along:
An it you leave me so, you do me wrong.
Rom. Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here;
This is nut Romeo, he's some other where.
Ben. Tell me in sadness, who is that you love.21
Rom. What ! shall I groan, and tell thee ?
Ben. Groan ! why, no ;
But sadly-2 tell me who.
Rom. Bid a sick man in sadness make his will, —
Ah ! word ill urg'd to one that is so ill ! —
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.
Ben. I aim'd so near, when I suppos'd you
lov'd.
Rom. A right good mark-man ! — And she's
fair I love.
Ben. A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
Rom. Well, in that hit you miss : she'll not be
hit
With Cupid's arrow, — she hath Dian's wit ;
And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd.
From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold :
Oh, she is rich in beauty ; only poor,
That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store.23
Ben. Then she hath sworn that she will still
live chaste ?
20 Being purg'd . . . . beingvex'd. " Purg'd " is here used
for 'made clear,' 'made bright;' and "vex'd" is used for
' troubled,* ' made turbid.'
21. Who is that you love. ' It,' or "t," is elliptically under-
stood after " is" here. See Note 51. Act iv., " Coriolanus."
22. Sadly. 'Seriously,' 'sedately.' See Note 70, Act ii.,
" Much Ado."
23. With beauty dies her start. This has been changed by
Theobald to 'with her dies beauty's siorc.' but the passage
means ' with her individual beauty dies so large a store of
beauty.'
24 To call hers, exquisite, in question me»e. ' To make her
Rom. She hath, and in that sparing makes huge
waste ;
For beauty, starv'd with her severity,
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise ; wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair :
She hath forsworn to love ; and in that vow
Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.
Ben. Be rul'd by me, forget to think of her.
Rom. Oh, teach me how I should forget to
think.
Ben. By giving liberty unto thine eyes ;
Examine other beauties.
Rom. 'Tis the way
To call hers, exquisite, in question more:24
These happy masks25 that ki»s fair ladies' brows,
Being black, put us in mind they hide the
fair ;
He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost :
Show me a mistress that is passing26 fair,
What- doth her beauty serve,27 but as a note
Where I may read who pass'd that passing tail r
Farewell : thou canst not teach me to forget.
Be/i. I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.
[Ext tint.
SCENE II.— J Street.
Enter Capulet, Paris, and Servant.
Cap. But Montague is bound as well as I,
In penalty alike; and 'tis not hard, I think,
For men so old as we to keep the peace.
Par. Of honourable reckoning are you both ;
And pity 'tis you liv'd at odds so long.
But now, my lord, what say you to my suit ?
Cap. But saying o'er what I have said before :
My child is yet a stranger in the world,
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years ;
Let two more summers wither in their pride,
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.
Par. Younger than she are happy mothers
made.
Cap. And too soon marr'd are those so early
made.
Earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,28
beauty, which is so exquisite, the more a subject of admiration
to me.'
25. These happy IHAsks. The masks usually worn : and
happy in being privileged to touch the sweet countenances
beneath. " These " is here used to instance a general observa-
tion. See Note 69. Act ii., "Measure for Measure."
26. Passing. ' Surpassingly.' ' supremely.'
27 What doth her beauty serve. ' For' is elliptically under-
stood after " serve."
2S. Earth hath s~.vallcru.ld all my hopes Imt she. This line
conveys the idea that Capulet had other children who died
early.
^48
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Romeo. A f-iir assembly : whither should they come?
Act I. Scene II.
She is the hopeful lady of mv earth :-'
But woo her, gentle Pari?, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part ;
An she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent ami fair according voice.
This night I hold an old accustom' d feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love ; and you, among the store,
One more, most welcome, makes my number more.
29. She is the Iwpe/nl lady of my earth. Inasmuch as Fille
in- ierre is an old French term for an heiress, and as Shake-
speare occasionally uses 'earth" for Mand" or 'landed posses-
sions,' he probably uses the expression in the text to signify 'she
is the hopeful inheritrix of my landed estates ;' but inasmuch as
he employs the word "earth" in this very play see Note 1,
Act ii] to express corporeal part, material part, the earthly por-
tion of man, it is most likely that Capulet is intended to include
the sense of ' she is my sole surviving offspring, in whom I have
centred all my hopes.'
30. Earth- treading stars that make dark heaven light. One
of the commentators pronounces this to be " nonsense," while
another observes that he will " not say it is absolute nonsense,"
At my poor house look to behold this night
Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:30
Such comfort as do lusty young men feel
When well-apparell'i! A] ril on the heel
Of limping winter treads, even such delight
Among fresh female buds shall you this night
Inherit31 at my house ; hear all, all see,
And like her most whose merit must shall be :
Such, amongst view of many, mine being one,82
but thinks it " very absurd." As a poetical hyperbole may it
not bear the excellent sense of ' mortal ladies, brilliant as star-.
that make night as bright as da
31. Inherit. Here used in the sense of 'pu
See Note 18, Act iv., " Tempest."
32. Such, amongst view of many, mine, cVv. This is the
reading of the t597 Quarto ; which we have adopted as being
less obscure than that of the Folio and the other t.1
interpretation of the passage is— 'Mv daughter being one
among many such ["earth-treading stars" and "fresh female
buds," as I have described, and whom you will see there"1, she
may stand in the number of them, though she may not be
counted by you as " her whose merit most shall be." '
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
May stand in number, though in reckoning none.
Come, go with me. — Go, sirrah, trudge about
Through fair Verona; find those persons out
Whose names are written there [gives a paper~\,
and to them say,
My house and welcome on their pleasure stay.
[Exeunt Capulet and Paris.
Sew. Find out whose names are written here !
It is written, that the shoemaker should meddle
with his yard, and the tailor with his last,33 the fisher
with his pencil, and the painter with his nets ; but
I am sent to find those persons whose names are
here writ, and can never find what names the
writing person hath here writ. I must to the
learned : — in good time.34
Enter Benvolio and Romeo.
Ben. Tut, man, one fire burns out another's
burning,
One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish ;
Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning ;
One desperate grief cures with another's languish :
Take thou some new infection to thy eye,
And the rank poison of the old will die.
Rom. Your plantain leaf35 is excellent for that.
Ben. For what, I pray thee f
Rom. For your broken shin.36
Ben. Why, Romeo, art thou mad ?
Row. Not mad, but bound more than a mad-
man is ;3'
Shut up in prison, kept without my food,
Whipp'd and tormented, and — Good-den, good
fellow.
Sew. God gi' good-den. I pray, sir, can you
read ?
Rom. Ay, mine own fortune in my misery.
Sew. Perhaps you have learned it without
book: but, I pray, can you read anything you see?
33. The shoemaker should meddle -with his yard, and the
tailor with his last. "Yard" means 'yard-wand,' 'yard-
measure.' See Note 104, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV." The
present passage affords a specimen of that kind of blundering
joke which Shakespeare amuses himself with putting into the
mouths of his clown-characters. See Note 36, Act iv., " Mid-
summer Night's Dream." The servant of the present scene is
styled ' the clown' in the old copies.
34-*/« good time. 'Opportunely,' 'appositely.' See Note
31, Act i., "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
35. Your plantain leaf, &>c. An example of the irrelevant
jesting which was a favourite kind of fun with Shakespeare.
See Note 30, Act i.. " First Part Henry IV"
36. For your broken shin. See Note 16, Act iii., "Love's
Labour's Lost."
37. Bound more than a madman is. See Note 64, Act iii.,
" Twelfth Night."
38. Mercutio and his brother Valentine. It is noteworthy
that Mercutio here figures among the invited guests in Capulet's
list for his feast, although we find him always associating with
the young men of the Montague family. He is the prince's
" kinsman ;" and in this capacity it may be supposed that he is
on terms of acquaintance with both the rival houses, although
evidently having greater intimacy with and more liking for the
Rom. Ay, if I know the letters and the language.
Sew. Ye say honestly : rest you merry !
[Going.
Rom. Stay, fellow; I can read. [Reads.
Signior Martino and his wife and daughters; County Anselme
and his beauteous sisters ; the lady widow of Vitruvio ; Signior
Placentio and his lovely nieces ; Mercutio and his brother Valen-
tine;33 mine uncle Capulet, his wife, and daughters ; my fair
niece Rosaline ; 33 Livia ; Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt ;
Lucio and the lively Helena. [Gives back the paper.
A fair assembly : whither should they come f
Serf. Up.
Rom. Whither ?
Serv. To supper;40 to our house.
Rom. Whose house ?
Seri\ My master's.
Rom. Indeed, I should have ask'd you that
before.
Sew. Now I'll tell you without asking ; my
master is the great rich Ca'pulet ; and if you be not
of the house of Montagues, I pray, come and crush
a cup of wine.41 Rest you merry ! [Exit.
Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's
Sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lov'st ;
With all the admired beauties of Verona :
Go thither ; and, with unattainted eye,
Compare her face with some that I shall show,
And I will make thee think thy swan a crow.
Rom. When the devout religion of mine eye
Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fires;
And these, — who, often drown'd,4- could never
die, — -
Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars!
One fairer than my love ! the all-seeing sun
Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.
Ben. Tut, you saw her fair, none else being by,
Herself pois'd with herself in either eye:
But in that crystal scales43 let there be weigh'd
Your lady's love44 against some other maid
Montagues than the Capulets. See, in Note 63 of this Act, the
quotation from Painter's "Palace of Pleasure : " where Mer-
cutio is described as " wel beloved of al men and in al companies
wel intertained."
3g. My fair niece Rosaline. This is the point in the play
which testifies that Romeo's first fancy, Rosaline, is a member
of the Capulet family.
40. To supper. These words, in the old copies, are made to
form part of the previous speech ; but they seem to belong to the
servant rather than to Romeo. Theobald made the correction.
41. Crush a cup 0/ wine. A convivial phrase in familiar use
formerly, equivalent to the modern one of ' crack a bottle.'
42. And these.- who, often drown'd. "Who," is here used
for ' which,' in reference to ' eyes' as implied in "eye."
43. That crystal scales. Here "scales" is used as a noun
singular : as if it were 'a pair of scales' or a 'balance.'
44. Your lady s love. It has been plausibly suggested that
this is a misprint for 'your lady-love;' but it is possible that
" your lady's love " may mean ' the small amount of love borne
you by your lady.' Romeo has before told Benvolio that " she
hath forsworn to love ;" and it may be that, in Shakespeare's
elliptical style, the passage means ' let there be weighed the
little love your lady bears you against the charms of some other
maid,' &c.
"5°
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
That I will show you shining at this feast,
Ami she shall scant show well that now shows best.
Rom. I'll go along, no such sight to be shown,
But to rejoice in splendour of mine own.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III. — A Room in Capulet's House.
Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.
La. Cap. Nurse, where's my daughter? call her
forth to me.
Nurse. Now, by my maidenhood, — at twelve
\ ear old, —
I bade her come. — What, lamb ! what, lady-bird ! —
Heaven forbid ! — where's this girl ? — What, Juliet !
Enter Juliet.
Jul. How now ! who calls ?
Nurse. Your mother.
Jul. Madam, I am here.
What is your will ?
Lo. Cap. This is the matter, — Nurse, give
leave awhile,
We must talk in secret : — nurse, come back again ;
I have remember' d mc," thou shalt hear our
counsel.
Thou know'st my daughter's of a pretty age.
Nurse. Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.
La. Cap. She's not fourteen.
Nurse. I'll lay fourteen of mv teeth, —
And yet, to my teen be it spoken,46 I have but
four, —
She is not fourteen. How long is it now
To Lammas-tide ?i7
45. / haz'e remembered me. An idiomatic form of ' now I
think of it,' 'upon second thoughts.' See Note 34, Act ii.,
"Richard III."
46. To my ieeil be it spoken. "Teen" is 'sorrow,' 'grief,'
1 trouble.' See Note 19, Act i., "Tempest." The word is here
used to afford the verbal play upon " four" and " teen," and
upon " fourteen."
47. Lammas-tide. Lammas-day is the 1st of August.
48. ' Tis since the earthquake now eleven years. This is the
line which suggested to Tyrrwhitt his surmise respecting the
date when Shakespeare's " Romeo and Juliet" was written : a
surmise that we mentioned in our opening Note of the present
play. That our author alluded to an event so noted in popular
remembrance as the earthquake of 1580 we think most probable :
but that the allusion contains precise particularisation of period
when the event occurred in connection with the writing of the
play, we dou'jt. A dramatist so skilled as Shakespeare would
not, we think, thus register a particular so subject to fluctuation
as a date : for what would be an eleven years' interval when he
unite might become a twelve years' interval when the play was
put upon the stage, and would certainly become an altogether
inaccurate interval by the time the play had been perl rme
during many seasons. Thus, what was intended as a telling
point would in the course of a few months lose all meaning It
appears to us that the " eleven years" in this line is simply a
step by which the old nurse helps herself to retrace the age of
her foster-child ; she recalls the date of its birth, by recalling
La. Cap. A fortnight and odd days.
Nuise. Even or odd, of all days in the year,
Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and she,— God rest all Christian souls ! —
Were of an age: well, Susan is with God ;
She was too good for me : — but, as I said,
On Lammas-eve at night shall she be fouttecn ;
That shall she, marry ; I remember it well.
'Tis since the earthquake now eleven years ;4S
And she was wean' d, — I never shall forget it, —
Of all the days of the year, upon that day :
For I had then laid wormwood to my dug,
Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall ;
My lord and you were then at Mantua : —
Nay, I do bear a brain :m — but, as I said,
When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple
Of my dug, and felt it bitter, pretty fool,5"
To see it tetchy, and fall out with the dug !
Shake, quoth the dove-house : 'twas no need, I
trow,
To bid me trudge.
And since that lime it is ele\en year- ;
For then she could stand alone ; nay, by the rood,61
She could have run and waddled all about ;
For even the day before, she broke her brow :
And then my husband, — God be with his soul !
'A was a merry man, — took up the child :
" Yea," quoth he, " dost thou fall upon thy face ?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit ;
Wilt thou not, Jule f " and, by my hoi) -dame.
The pretty wretch5: left crying, and said " A\ :"
To see, now, how a jest shall come about !
I warrant, an I should live a thousand years,
I never should forget it: "Wilt thou not, Jule?"
quoth he ;
And, pretty fool, it stinted,53 and said " A v."
that of it. weaning : and it must be remembered,— as a proof of
Shake. peare's fidelity to truth even in such nursery matters as
these, — that weaning among Italians takes place at a much later
epoch in a child's life than it does among English children. It
is no uncommon thing in Italy, even at the present day, to see a
child of two or three years old running after its mother and
tugging at her skirts to claim its wonted refection. It suited
Shakespeare, in the string of characteristic pottering garrulity
which he has put into the nurse's mouth here, that the nursling
should be able to "stand alone" and toddle about , .ml there
fore he availed himself of the Italian custom to give a more
vividly local colouring, as well as to depict the mode in which
such minds as the nurse's usually contrive to record facts and
epochs.
49. I do bear a brain. An idiomatii phrase formerly in use,
equivalent to ' I have my wits about me,' ' I have .1 memory.'
50. Pretty fool. Example of th used as an ex-
pr tsion of fondling an 1 tenderness. See Note '■..
" Twelfth Night."
51. By the 1 '. r Ycl iii , ''Second Part
Henry IV."
52. Wretch. Sometimes, as here, used as a term of affection.
See Not \ ii., " Third Part Henry VI."
53. Stinted 'Stopped,' 'desisted.' Chaucer uses the word
in one of his loveliest passages, describing the nightingale " that
stinteth first, when she beginneth sing," if she hear an]
near.
15'
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
La. Cap. Enough of this ; I pray thee, hold thy
peace.
Nurse. Peace, I have done. God mark thee to
liis grace !
Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nurs'd :
An I might live to see thee married once,
I have my wish.
La. Cap. Marry, that marry is the very theme
I came to talk of :— tell me, daughter Juliet,
How stands your disposition to be married ?
Jul. It is an honour that I dream not of.
Nurse. An honour! were not I thine only nurse,
I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat.
La. C ip. Well, think of marriage now ; younger
than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem, *'
Are made already mothers : by my count,
I was your mother much upon these years
That you are now a maid. Thus, then, in brief;—
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.
Nurse. A man, young lady ! lady, such a man
As all the world55 — why, he's a man of wax.56
La. Cap. Verona's summer hath not such a flower.
Nurse. Nay, he's a flower; in faith, a very flower.
La. Cap. What say you ? can you love the
gentleman ?
This night you shall behold him at our feast ;
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen ;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content ;
And what obscur'd in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margin5' of his eyes.
54. Younger than you, Iwre in Verona, cVtr. This is again
a touch of truth to national habits. In Italy it is no very
uncommon event for girls of fourteen and fifteen to become
matrons.
55. Sitch a man as all the world. Example of the inconsecu-
tive construction by which Shakespeare sometimes gives charac-
teristic effect to his speeches. See Note 81. Act ii., " Henry V."
56. A man of wax. ' A man as shapely and well-made as if
he had been modelled in wax ' It has been pointed out that
Shakespeare had classical warrant for this expression ; inasmuch
as Horace uses the term. " Cerca brackia," waxen arms, to
denote well-moulded or well-shaped arms.
57. Find written in the margin. Comments, and abstract
explanations of the arguments in the text, were printed in the
margin of ancient books.
58. This unbound lover. The epithet "unbound" affords a
play on the book without a binding and the young man without
a marriage tie.
59. A cover. In double reference to the cover of a book and
to the technical legal term 'coverture,' which signifies marriage'
subsistent. The term is legally applied to a woman's marriage ;
from the old French law term, femme converts, meaning a
woman sheltered by marriage under her husband.
65. The fish lives in the sea. The speaker means to say,
the fish is not yet caught which is to supply this "cover" or
'coverture.' Formerly fish-skin was occasionally used for bind-
ings to books : and the bride who is to he bound in marriage
with Paris has not yet been won. Lady Capulet proceeds to
urge that it woidd be a pride for some fair girl to form the orna-
ment of so fair a youth ; since many a book richly ornamented
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,58
To beautify him, only lacks a cover :5'
The fish lives in the sea;60 and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide :
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story ;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.
Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love ?61
Jul. I'll look to like, if looking liking move :
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.
Enter a Servant.
Serf. Madam, the guests are come, supper
served up, you called, my young lady asked for,
the nurse cursed in the pantry, an 1 everything in
extremity. I must hence to wait ; I beseech you,
follow straight.
La. Cap. We follow thee. [Exit Servant.] —
Juliet, the county stays.6-
Nurse. Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy
days. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV,— J Street.
Enter Romeo, Mercutio,63 Bexvolio, tvltb five
or six Maskers, Torch-bearers, and others.
Rom. What! shall this speech be speke for our
excuse ?
Or shall we on without apology ?
Ben. The date is out of such prolixity :M
obtains double admiration, for the sake of its golden clasps as
well as for the golden beauties of its contents. We give th's
interpretation as it strikes us, because the passage has been
otherwise explained by other editors.
61. Can you like of Paris' love ? ' Can you approve of Paris's
live?' 'Can you take pleasure in Paris's love?' See Note 70,
Act iv., " Richard III."
62. The county stays. " County " is an old form of 'count.'
See Note 115, Act i., "Twelfth Night."
63. Mercutio. In the version of the story of Romeo and
Juliet contained in Painter's " Palace of Pleasure," 1567, there
is mention made of "another gentleman, called Mercutio, which
was a courtlike gentleman, very wel beloved of all men, and
by reason of his pleasant and curteous behavior was in al com-
panies wel intertained. " From this slender indication, what an
admirable completion of character has Shakespeare formed 1
S\. The date is out of such prolixity. It was the custom
formerly for those who came to an entertainment masked, either
for the purpose of preserving their incognito or for the sake
of temporarily puzzling their entertainers as to their identity,
to precede their entrance by an address spoken to propitiate the
host or hostess, in which lavish praise of the entertainers 'and
elaborate compliment to the beauty of the lady-guests formed a
large part. Shakespeare has shown this custom elsewhere, by
making the king, in " Henry V11I.," Act i., sc. 4, come masked
and preceded by an announcer; while in "Timon of Athens,"
Act i., sc. 2, a troop of ladies, wearing visors, are marshalled in
by Cupid as their herald. Also, in " Love's Labour's Lost,"
Act v., sc. 2, where the King of Navarre and his masked com-
panions are ushered in by Moth and his attempted oration.
. Romeo. What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand
Of yonder knight \
Servant. I know not, sir.
i.t 1. Scene I'.
VO-. hi
Act I.]
KOMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
We'll have no Cupid hoodwink' d with a scarf,
Bearing a Tartar's painted bow of lath,05
Scaring the ladies like a crow-keeper ;66
Nor no without-book prologue, faintly spoke
After the prompter, for our entrance :
But, let them measure us by what they will,
We'll measure them a measure,6'" and be gone.
Horn. Give ine a torch,63 — I am not for this
ambling ;
Being but heavy, I will bear the light.
Mer. Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you
dance.
Rom. Not I, believe me : you have dancing shoes
With nimble soles : I have a soul of lead,
So stakes me to the ground, I cannot move.
Mer, You are a lover ; borrow Cupid's wings,
And soar with them above a common bound.
Rom. I am too sore enpierced with his shaft,
To soar with his light feathers ; and so bound,
] cannot bound a pitch above dull woe:
Under love's heavy burden do I sink.
Mer. And, to sink in it, should you burden love;
Too great oppression for a tender thing.
Rom. Is love a tender thing ? it is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorn.
Mer. If love be rough with you, be rough with
love ;
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down. —
Give me a case to put my visage in :
[Pulling on a mask.
A visor for a visor ! — what care I
What curious eye doth quote69 deformities ?
Here are the beetle-brows shall blush for me.
Ben. Come, knock and enter ; and no sooner in,
But every man betake him to his legs.
65. A Tartar's fainted bow of lath. The bows used by the
Tartars, like most of those used by Asiatic nations, resemble in
their form the antique Roman or Cupid's bow, such as we see on
medals and bas-reliefs. Shakespeare employs the epithet to
distinguish it from the English bow, the shape of which is the
segment of a circle.
66. A crow-keeper. The name given to a farmer's boy set to
keep crows from the grain ; also, subsequently, to the stuffed
figure put up in fields of corn for the same purpose, and now
called 'a scare-crow.'
67. A measure. 'A dance.' See Note 74, Act v., " Love'a
Labour's Lost."
68. Give me a torch. A torch-bearer was a usual appendage
to a company of maskers; and the office was held as a distinc-
tion rather than as a degradation. See Note 61, Act ii., " Mer-
chant of Venice."
69. Quote. 'Observe,' 'note,' 'mark.' See Note 22, Act ii.,
" Two Gentlemen of Verona."
70. The senseless rushes. An allusion to the rushes which
were strewn on the floors of rooms before carpets came into use.
Sec Note 38, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV."
7t. A candle-holder. To ' hold the candle ' was a phrase in
familiar use for a looker-on. Romeo seems to allude to two old
proverbial sayings ; one of which is, ' A good candle-holder
proves a good gamester ; ' and the other, ' 'Tis best to give over
when the game is at the fairest.'
72. Dnn"s the mouse, the constable's own word. " Dun's the
mouse " is a proverbial saying, occurring in old plays, but where
Rom. A torch for me: let wantons, light of
heart,
Tickle the senseless rushes70 with their heels ;
For I am proverb'd with a grandsire phrase, —
I'll be a candle holder/1 and look on, —
1'he game was ne'er so fair, and I am done.
Mer. Tut, dun's the mouse, the constable's own
word :"■
If thou art dun, we'll draw thee from the mite73
Of this (save reverence) love,74 wherein thou stick' st
Up to the ears. — Come, we burn daylight,75 ho.
Rom. Nay, that's not so.
Mer, I mean, sir, in delay
We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day.
Take our good meaning, for our judgment sits
Five times in that, ere once in our five wits.76
Rom. And we mean well, in going to this mask;
But 'tis no wit to go.
Mer. Why, may one ask ?
Rom. I dreamt a dream to-night.
Mer, And so did I.
Rom. Well, what was yours ?
Mer. That dreamers often lie.
Rom. In bed asleep, while they do dream things
true.
Mer. Oh, then, I see Queen Mab hath been
with you.
She is the fairies' midwife ;77 and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep :
Her waggon-spokes made of long spinners' legs ;
The cover, of the wings of grasshoppers ;
The traces, ol the smallest spider's web ;
the context aftords no glimpse of its meaning. "Dun," as
applied to colour, means 'dark;' and perhaps "dun's the
mouse," when it is " the constable's own word," and used as a
cant expression, may include reference to the object of his pur-
suit keeping in the dark or in hiding.
73. If thou art dun, -we'll draw thee from the mire. This
has reference to a rural game called "Dun is in the mire;"
where "Dun " is the name for a cart-horse— represented some*
times by a man, sometimes by a log of wood — and hauled at by
the players to extricate him from his supposed sticking in the
mire. The expression occurs at the commencement of Chaucer's
" Manciple's Prologue," where it is said by the host who wit.
to have the cook wakened up from a mor.i-. of sleep into which
he has sunk ; and we think that probably Mcrcutio means to
say. ' If thou art gloomy, we'll draw thee from the despondent
slough of this love wherein thou'rt plunged car-deep.'
74. Qf this (save reveretice) love. See Note 29, Act iii.,
"Comedy of Errors." The Folio prints, 'or save your rcvci-
ence-love.' Malone's correction.
75. We bum daylight. A familiar expression, signifying ' we
lose time,' ' we are wasting opportunity.' See Note 5, Act ii.,
" Merry Wives."
76. Our five wits. The old copies misprint ' fine ' for " five."
Malone's correction.
77. Tlte fairies' midwife. Mercutio calls Queen Mab thus,
because she ushers into existence " the children of an idle
brain," as he afterwards calls the dreams born of sleep and
fantasy.
Act I.J
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene v.
The collars, of the moonshine's watery beams;
Her whip, of cricket's bone ; the lash, of film ,
Her wagoner, a small grey-coated gnat,
Not half so big as a round little worm
Prick'd from the lazy finger of a maid :
Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut,
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out of mind the fairies' coachmakers. '
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of
love ;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies78
straight;
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees ;
O'er ladies' lips, who straight on kisses dream, —
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted
are : '"9
Sometimes she gallops o'er a courtier's n
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit ; M
And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig's tail
Tickling a parson's nose as 'a lies asleep,
Then dreams he of another benefice:
Sometime she driveth o'er a soldier's neck,
And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats,
Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades,81
Of healths five-fathom deep ; and then anon
Drums in his ear, at which he starts, and wakes ;
And, being thus frighted, swears a prayer or two,
And sleeps again. This is that very Mab
That plats the manes of horses in the night ;
And bakes the elf-locks8- in foul sluttish hairs,
Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes:83
This is the hag —
Rom. Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace !
Thou talk'st of nothing.
Mer. True, I talk of dreams;
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy ;
Which is as thin of substance as the air ;
And more inconstant than the wind, who wooes
Even now the frozen bosom of the north,
And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence,
Turning his face to the dew-dropping south.
78. CourPsies. A salutation formerly in use among men as
well as women. See Note 95, Act ii., " Twelfth Night ."
79. Their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are. One of
Shakespeare's touches of wise knowledge and practical teaching.
Not only does the immoderate use of sweetmeats injure the
stomach, and therefore render less pure the breath, but it was a
fashion in his time to take perfumed sugar plums by way of
sweetening the breath, which he well knew was a way ultimately
to " taint " it.
80. A suit. A solicitation to obtain court promotion.
81. Spanish blades. Sword-blades made in Spain, especially
in Toledo and Bilboa, were highly esteemed: so much so Hi ,t
these names were often given in England to swords themselves.
See Note 22, Act i.. " Merry Wives."
82. Elf-locks. The matted portions of hair ill-kept and dirty
were supposed to be the work of malicious elves, and conse-
quently had this name given to them.
Ben. This wind, you talk of, blows us from
ourselves ;
Supper is done, and we shall come too late.
Rom. I fear, too early : for my mind misgives
Some consequence, yet hanging in the -in
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night's revels ; and expire the term84
Ot a despised life, clos'd in my breast,
By some vile forfeit of untimely death :
But He, that hath the steerage of my course,
Direct my sail !— On, lusty gentlemen.
Ben. Strike, drum. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— A Hall in Capulet's House.
Musicians -waiting. Enter Servants.
First Serv. Where's Potpan, that he help, not
to take away ? he shift a trencher ! he scrape a
trencher !
Sec. Serv. When good manners shall lie all in
one or two men's hands, and they unwashed too,
'tis a foul thing.
First Ser*u. Away with the joint-stools, remove
the court-cupboard,"5 look to the plate :— good
thou, save me a piece of marchpane ;'6 and, as
thou lovest me, let the porter let in Susan Grind-
stone and Nell. — Antony, and Potpan!
Enter Third and Fourth Servant.
Third and Fourth Serv. Ay, boy, ready.87
First Serv. You are looked for and called for,
asked for and sought for, in the great chamber.
Third and Fourth Sen/. We cannot be here and
there too.
See. Serv. Cheerly, boys; be brisk awhile, and
the longer liver take all. [They retire behind.
Enter Capulet, c3V., ixiith the Guests and the
Maskers.
Cap. Welcome, gentlemen! ladies that have
their toes
Unplagu'd with corns will have a bout with you: —
Ah ha, my mistresses ! which of you all
S3. Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes. The con-
struction here is in Shakespeare's peculiar style. " Which," as
referring to " elf-locks," would govern " bodes " by a grammati-
cal licence ; but " which once untangled " makes the implied
particular of ' disentanglement ' govern " bodes."
84. Expire tlte term. The present passage affords an instance
of "expire" used as a verb active.
85. The court-cupboard. A kind of sideboard, made with
stages or shelves gradually receding, like stairs, to the top,
whereon the plate was displayed on occasions of festive
banquets.
S''>. Marchpane. A confection much in favour among our
ancestors. It was made with filberts, almonds, pistachio nuts,
pine-kernels, sugar of roses, and a small proportion of Hour.
87. Ay, boy, ready. There is a slight variation in the mode
of arranging the prefixes of these servants' speeches and their
entrances here, from that observed in the old copies.
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
Will now deny to dance ? she that makes dainty,
She, I'll swear, hath corns; am I come near ye
now ? —
Welcome, gentlemen ! I have seen the day
That I have worn a visor; and oould tell
A whispering tale in a fair lady's ear,
Such as would please; — 'tis gone, 'tis gone, 'tis gone:
You are welcome, gentlemen ! — Come, musicians,
play. —
A hall, a hall !ss give room ! and foot it, girls. —
[Music plays, anil they dance.
More light, you knaves ; and turn the tables up,89
And quench the fire, the room is grown too hot. —
Ah ! sirrah,90 this unlook'd-for sport comes well.
Nay, sit, nay, sit, good cousin Capulet;91
For you and I are past our dancing days :
How long is 't now since last yourself and I
Were in a mask ?
Sec. Cap. By'r lady, thirty years.
Cap. What ! man, 'tis not so much, 'tis not so
much :
'Tis since the nuptial of Lucentio,
Come Pentecost as quickly as it will,
Some five and twenty years; and then we mask'd.
Sec. Cap. 'Tis more, 'tis more : his son is elder,
sir ;
His son is thirty.
Cap. Will you tell me that ?
His son was but a ward two years ago.
Rom. What lady i-, that, which doth enrich the
hand
Of yonder knight ?
Semi. I know not, sir.
Rom. Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn
bright !
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night95
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear ;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear !
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done,93 I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
88. A hall, a hall '. An exclamation in use formerly when it
was needful to clear a space in a crowded assembly.
89. Turn the tables up. Ancient tables were composed of flat
leaves or boards joined by hinges ; so that, when they were
removed, they had to be 'turned up.'
90. Sirrah. Here used as a term of familiarity. See Note
55. Act iv. , " As You Like It."
91. Good cousin Capitlet. We have had frequent occasion to
point out that " cousin" was used for ' kinsman.' See Note 6,
Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida."
92. // seems she hangs upon the check of flight, &*c. For
" it seems she " the editor of the second Folio substituted ' her
beauty ;' a substitution which has since been adopted by many
editors. Inasmuch as there is no authority for its having been
Shakespeare's writing, and inasmuch as the expression of the
authentic copies not only presents an intelligible meaning, but is
one that Shakespeare has used elsewhere, we feel bound to
retain it in the te\t In other passages of description by him we
find " it seems" an'l " it seem'd" thll' used, as, fir instance ; —
Did my heart love till now i forswear it, sight !
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
Tyb. This, by his voice, should be a Montague : —
Fetch me my rapier, boy : — what I dares the slave
Come hither, cover' d with an antic face,
To fleer and scorn at our solemnity ?
Now, by the stock and honour of my kin.
To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.
Cup. Why, how now, kinsman ! wherefore
storm you so ?
Tyb. Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe ;
\ villain, that is hither come in spite,
To scorn at our solemnity this night.
Cap. Young Romeo is it ?
Tyb. 'Tis he, that villain Romeo.
Cap. Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone ;
He bears him like a portly91 gentleman ;
And, to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-govern'd youth :
I would not for the wealth of all this town,
Here in my house, do him disparagement :
Therefore be patient, take no note of him, —
It is my will ; the which if thou respect,
Show a fair presence, and put off these frowns,
An ill-beseeming semblance for a feast.
Tyb. It fits, when such a villain is a guest :
I'll not endure him.
Cap. He shall be endur'd :
What ! goodman boy ; — I say, he shall ; — go to ;
Am I the master here, or you ? go to.
You'll not endure him ! — Heaven mend my soul,
You'll make a mutiny among my guests !
You will set cock-a-hoop ! 95 you'll be the man !
Tyb. Why, uncle, 'tis a shame.
Cap. Go to, go to ;
You are a saucy boy : — is 't so, indeed ? —
This trick may chance to scathe96 you, — I know
what :
You must contrary me ! marry, 'tis time. —
Well said,97 my hearts !— You are a princox ;98 go :
Be quiet, or — More light, more light ! — For shame !
I'll make you quiet. — What, cheerly, my hearts !
"The sky, it seems, would pour down," &c, "Tempest."'
Act i., sc. 2 ; "It seem'd she was a queen over her passion,"
&c, "King Lear," Act iv., sc. 3: and "It seem'd sorrow
wept to take leave of them," &c , "Winter's Tale," Act v.,
sc. 2.
93. The measure done. ' The dance being concluded.' See
Note 67 of the present Act.
9t- Portly. ' Of good carriage,' 'of noble demeanour.' The
word "portly," in our day, in addition to the sense of ' dignity,'
comprises somewhat of large and cumbrous ; which formerly it
did not necessarily include.
95. You -will set cock-a-hoop] ' You will play the blusterer,'
' you will be self-important.' The origin of this common expres-
sion has not been satisfactorily ascertained.
96. Scatlie. 'Injure,' 'damage' Sec Note 82, Act i.,
"Richard III."
97. Well said. Here used for 'well done.' See Note 61,
Act ii., "As You Like It."
98. A princox. A forward boy, a pert lad; a coxcomb.
,56
Act I.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
Tyb. Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting
Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting.
I will withdraw: but this intrusion shall,
Now seeming sweet, convert to bitter gall. [Exit.
Rom. [To Juliet.] If I profane with my un-
worthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine i, this,8 ' —
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender
ki".
Jul. Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too
much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands
do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' ki-,.
Rom. Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too ?
'Jul. Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in
prayer.
Oh, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands
■ do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to
despair.
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers'
sake.
Then move not, while my prayer's effect 1
take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin i-.
purg'd. [Kissing her}""
Then have my lips the sin that they have
took.
Rom. Sin from my lips? Oh, trespass sweetly
urg'd !
Give me my sin again.
Jul. You kiss by the book.1"1
Nurse. Madam, your mother craves a word with
_\ mi.
Rom. What is her mother?
Nurse. Marry, bachelor,
Her mother i the lady of the house,
And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous :
1 nurs'd her daughter, that you talk'd withal ;
I tell you, — he that can lay hold of her
Shall have the chinks.
99. The gentle fine is this. The old copies misprint 'sin'
and ' sinne5 for " fine" here. Theobald's correction, si; ;
by Warburton.
100. Kissing Iter. The customary privilege of kissing a lady
chosen as partner in a dance, made a kiss given in a ball-room
appear no strange freedom or unusual salutation. See \\\z
passages referred to in Notes 95 and 103, Act i., " Henry VIII."
101. Yon hiss by the booh. 'You kiss according to rule.'
See Note 37. Act v., " As You Like It."
102. My life is my Joe's debt. ' My life lies at the mi rcy 1 1
my enemy/ As his life depends upon bis obtaining the daughter
of Capulet, it lies in the power of this member of the riv
to giant or withhold existence from him.
103. Away, be gone; the sport is a I the I ' See Note 71 of
this Act. The phrase includes the meaning of ' all that corncs
after will be less good ; ' to which Romeo's reply comes aptly.
Rom.
Jul.
Rom.
Jul.
Rom. Is she a Capuli 1
Oh, dear account! my lite is my foe's debt.103
Ben. Away, be gone ; the sport i^ at the be 1 ' '
Rom. Ay, so I fear: the more is my unrest.
Cap. Nay, gentlemen, prepare not to be gone :
We have a trifling foolish banquet towards.101
Is it e'en so ! why, then, I thank you all ;
I thank you, honest gentlemen ; good night, —
More torches here I — Come on, then, let's t,
bed.
[To Sec. Cap.] Ah! sirrah, by my fay, it waves
late:105
I'll to my rest.
[Exeunt all except Juliet and Nurse.
Jul. Come hither, nurse. What is yond' gen-
tleman ?
Nurse. The son and heir of old Tiberio.
Jul. What's he that now is going out of door ?
Nurse. Marry, that, I think, be young Petruchio.
Jul. What's he that follows there, that would
not dance ?
Nurse. I know not.
Jul. Go, ask his name : — if he be married,
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.
Nurse. His name is Romeo, and a Montague ;
The only son of your great enemy.
Jul. My only live sprung from my only hate !
Too early seen unknown, and known too lite!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathe I enemy.
Nuise. What's this? what's this?
Jul. A rhyme I learn'd even now
Of one I dane'd withal.
[One calls within, "Juliet."
Nurse. \ , anon ! —
Come, let's away ; the strangers all are gone.
[Exeunt.
Chor.
Enter Chorus.
Now old desire doth in his death-bed lie,
And young affection gup'"- to he his heir;
That fair, tor which love groan'd for,106 and
die,
With tender Juliet match'd, is now not fur.
104. A tri/ling foolish banquet ["he commence-
ment of this scene show; that supper is over; therefore the
t" here nanv :d is ivhal .'. 1- called a ' rerc-suppcr' or
'after-supper.' Sec N I ii , " Seoul Part Henry
IV." "Towards" or 'toward' was sometimes idiomatically
used to express 'going on, forward;' 'prepared,'
. i
Dream "
105. By my fay, it waxes la " By my
of ' by my fail! [nducl I of the
Shrew '"J mean
106. That fair, for which love groai/dfoi
use J substantively foi ' beaut) Comedy
of Errors." The double " for," in tl instance of a
pleonasm that sometimes occurs in
Act ii., " Coriohnus."
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scenes I., II.
Now Romeo is belov'd, and loves again,
Alike bewitched by the charm of looks;
But to his foe suppos'd he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use lo swear ;
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new-belovc I anywhere :
But passion lend-, them power, time means, to
meet,1"?
Tempering108 extremities with extreme sweet.
[Exit.
ACT II
SCENE I — An open place adjo
Garden.
Enter Romeo.
is Capulet's
Rom. Can I go forward when my heart is here ?
Turn back, dull earth,1 and find thy centre out.
[He climbs the iva/l, and leaps dozvn within it.
Enter Benvolio and Mercutio.
Ben. Romeo! my cousin Romeo!
Me r. He is wise ;
And, on my life, hath stol'n him home to bed.
Ben. He ran this way, and leap'd this orchard2
wall :
Call, good Mercutio.
Mer. Nay, I'll conjure too. —
Romeo! humours!3 madman! passion! lover!
Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh :
Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied ;
Cry but, Ah me ! pronounce but— love and dove ;
Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word,
One nick-name for her purblind son and heir,
Young Adam Cupid,4 he that shot so trim,
When King Cophetua5 lov'd the beggar-maid! —
He heareth not, he stirreth not, he moveth not;
The ape0 is dead, and I must conjure him. —
I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes,
107. Passhu lends them powert time means, to meet. Here
the verb " to meet " docs double duty in the sentence, according
to Shakespeare's occasional practice in this particular. See
Note 91, Act iv., " Coriolanus
10S. Tempering. Here u<ed to express ' mingling so as to
modify ;' as wine i^ tempi . I by laving water mingled with it
to modify its strength
1. Dull earth. Romeo's epithet for his small world of man,
the earthlier portion of himself; the corporeal or material part
of his identity, in contradistinction to hi-, " heart," spirit, or
ril ual essence.
2. Orchard. An old nam; for a 'garden.' Sec Note 53,
Act ii., " Much A.li. "
3 Humours. Here used in the sense of ' amorous fancies,'
'enamoured whimsicalities;' and is impersonated a^ a fitting
title for Romeo, whom his friend believes to be an embodiment
of them. See Note 33, Act iii . " Love's Labour's Lost."
4 Young Adam Cupid. All the old copies give ' Abraham '
here for " Adam." Steevens's correction. It is probably right ;
because "Adam," being a proverbial name for a good marl -v.. .n
By her high forehead, and her scarlet lip,
By her fine foot, straight leg, ami quivering thigh —
That in thy likeness thou appear to us !
Ben. An if he hear thee, thou wilt anger him.
Mer. This cannot anger him : my invocation
Is fair and honest, and, in his mistress' name,
I conjure only but to raise up him.
Ben. Come, he hath hid himself among these trees,
To be consorted with the humorous" night ;
Blind is his love, and best befits the dark.
Mer. If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark.
Now will he sit under a medlar-tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone. —
Romeo, good night : — I'll to my truckle-bed ;
This field-bed is too cold for me to sleep ;a
Come, shall we go ?
Ben. Go, then ; for 'tis in vain
To seek him here that means not to he found.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Capulet's Garden.
Enter RuMEO.
Rom. He jests at scars that never felt a wound.9 —
[Juliet appears above at a ivindojv.
see Note 39, Act i., "Much Ado"', would be very likely grVen
on this occasion as a " nick-name" for the archer boy, " Cupi I. '
who " shot so trim."
5. King Cophetua. See Note 57, Act v., " Second Part
Henry IV."
6. Ape. Sometimes, as here, used as a term of affectionate
familiarity. Lady Percy, " First Part Henry IV," Act ii., sc. 3,
playfully says to her husband, "Out, you mad-headed ape!"
and Doll Tearshcct fondly calls Falstaff " Poor ape ! " " Second
Part Henry IV," Act ii. , sc. 4.
7. Humorous. Here used for 'humid;' teeming with damp
vapours ; including a pun in reference to its sense of ' full of
strange humours,' ' full of whimsical fancies.'
8. My truckle-bed; this field-bed is, d-v. " My truckle-bed "
is here used to express ' my simple bed ; ' ' my snug, though
' humble bed ; ' but the particular kind of bed bearing this name
is described in Note 32, Act iv., " Merry Wives " A " ncld-
bed" was one that could be readily put up when soldiers were in
the field ; and was similar to what is now called a ' camp-bed.'
Of course it here includes a pun on sleeping in the open field.
9. He jests at scars tluit never Jilt a wound. In allusion to
58
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
But, soft! what light through yonder window
breaks ?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun ! —
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than bin :
Be not her maid,10 since she is envious ;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it ; cast it off. —
It is my lady ; oh, it is my love !
Oh, that she knew she were ! —
She speaks, yet she says nothing : what of that ?
Her eye discourses, I will answer it. —
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks :
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her esc,
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head ?
The brightness of her cheek would shame tho.e
stars,
As daylight doth a lamp ; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright,
That birds would sing, and think it were nut
night.—
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand !
Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
Jul. Ah me !
Rom. She speaks : —
Oh, speak again, bright angel ! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him,
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clou Is,
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
Jul. O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou
Romeo ?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name ;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Rom. [Aside.'] Shall I hear more, or shall I
speak at this ?
Jul. 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy ; —
Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What's Montague ? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. Oh, be some other name !
What's in a name ? that which we call a rose,
Mercutio's jesting at love which he never experienced. This i>
one of the dramatist's expedients ; showing that Romeo over-
hears his friends calling to him, but that he does not choose to
answer them.
10. Be not her maid. ' Ee not her votaress ; ' the moon being
Luna or Diana.
n. Owes. ' Owns,' * possesses.'
12. Counsel. Here used for ' self-communing,' 'confidential
musing,' ' secret reflection.' See Note 59, Act iii , " Midsummer
Night's Dream."
By any other name would smell as sweet ;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes,"
Without that title : — Roineo, doff thy name ;
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
Rom. I take thee at thy word :
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptis'd ,
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
Jul. What man art thou, that, thus bescreen'd
in night,
So stumhle-t on my counsel ?12
Rom. \',\ a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am :
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee ;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
Jul. My ears have not yet drunk a hundred w
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound :
Art thou not Roineo, and a Montague ?
Rom. Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.11
Jul. How cain'st thou hither, tell me, an I
wherefore ?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb ,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen rind thee here.
Rom. With love's light wings did I o'erperch
these walls ;
For stony limits cannot hold love out :
And what love can do, that dares love attempt ;
Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me."
Jul. If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
Rom. Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords : look thou but sweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.
Jul. I would not for the world they saw thee here.
Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from
their sight ;
And but thou lo\c me,1'* let them find me here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued,'6 wanting of thy love.
Jul. By whose direction found'st thou out this
place ?
Rom. By Love, who first did prompt ine to
enquire ;
He lent me counsel, and I lent him eye,.
I am no pilot ; yet, wert thou as far
As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea,
I would adventure for such merchandise.
i$. If cither tlue dislike. ' If either displease thee.' D
like " was sometimes used for ' displease/ as " like
' please.' Sec Note 16, Act iv , " Two Gentlemen of Verona."
14. Are no let to me. 'Arc no hindrance to me,' 'arc no
obstacle to me.' See Note 33, Act v., " Henry V."
15. And but thou love me. " Bui " i> here used for 'unless,'
' except.'
16. Prorogued. 'Deferred,' 'postponed,' 'delayed.' Shake-
speare uses " prorogue " farther on in this play, and twice else-
where.
'59
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Romeo. But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It i.> the east, and Juliet is the sun! AU II. Scene II.
Jul. Thou know'st the mask of night ib on my
face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-
night,
bain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment !"
Dost thou love me ? I know thou' wilt say, — Ay ;
And I will take thy word : yet, if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false ; at lovers' perjuries,
They say, Jove laughs. Oh, gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
17. Farewell compliment ! ' Away with forms of coyness and
affected hesitation '' Another of Shakespeare's girl-heroines has
expressed herself in the same spirit of beautiful and simple can-
dour. Miranda says, " Hence bashful cunning ! and prompt
me. plain and holy innocence !" It is interesting to note how
the glorious poet of womanhood had the same freshness of per-
1*11 frown, and be perver.e, and say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo ; but else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond ;
And therefore thou mayst think my'haviour light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.'1
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou overheard'sl, ere I was 'ware,
My true love's passion : therefore pardon me ;
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discovered.
Rom. Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops,13 —
ception with regard to virginal purity in love-feeling, when he
wrote at the age of about five or six-aud-twenty, and when he
wrote at about seven or eight-and-forty.
18. Strange. ' Reserved,' ' distant in behaviour.' See Note
S7, Actii., " Troilus and Cressida."
:g. That tips with sifrer alt these fruit-tree tops. How- in
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[S CE N't. II.
Jul. Oh, swear not by the moon, the inconstant
moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
Rom. What shall I swear by ?
Jul. Do not swear at all ;
Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry,
And I'll believe thee.
Rom. If my heart's dear love, —
Jul. Well, do not swear: although I joy in
thee,
I have no joy of this contract to-night :
It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden ;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say, It lightens. Sweet, good night !
This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we
meet.
Good night, good night ! as sweet repose and
rest
Come to thy heart as that within my breast !
Ram. Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied ?
Jul. What satisfaction canst thou have to-
night ?
Rom. The exchange of thy love's faithful vow
for mine.
Jul. I gave thee mine before thou didst request
it:
And yet I would it were to give again.
Rom. Wouldst thou withdraw it ? for what
purpose, love ?
Jul. But to be frank, and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
Mv love as deep ; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
[Nurse culls 'within.
I hear some noise within ; dear love, adieu ! —
Anon, good nurse! — Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again. [Exit above.
Rom. Oh, blessed, blesse-d night ! I am afeard,
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.
a single line the dramatist contrives to set a picture before
the imagination, and to give it truth of local colouring ! An
Italian garden always has "fruit-trees" in abundance among
its flowers : and the effect of Italian moonlight upon tree-tops is
resplendent.
20. Suit. The Folio and the early Quartos print ' strife ' here
for " suit ; " which is the reading of the undated Quarto.
2r. An. I leave me to my grief: to-morrow will I send.
Exquisitely has Shakespeare made Juliet pause not a moment
on the impossible alternative that Romeo "means" otherwise
than "well;" she scarcely finishes her phrase presenting the
alternative, but goes on immediately to say — as though he had
confirmed his desire of marriage by a thousand needless protes-
tations— " To-morrow will I send." The breathless hurry with
breathing earnestness in all that Juliet utters during this scene
is marvellously true to the pulsing rapture of a young girl's
heart on first learning that she loves and is beloved.
Re-enter Juliet above.
Jul. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night
indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
I Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
I And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay,
And follow thee my lord throughout the world.
Nurse. [Within.] Madam !
Jul. I come, anon : — But if thou mean'st not
well,
I do beseech thee, —
Nurse. [Iirilhin.] Madam !
Jul. By-and-by, I come: —
To cease thy suit,20 and leave me to my grief
To-morrow will I send.21
Rom. So thrive my soul, —
Jul. A thousand times good night !
[Exit above.
Rom. A thousand times the worse, to want thy
light. —
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their
books ;
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.
[Retiring.
Re-enter Juliet above.
Jul. Hist! Romeo, hist! — Oh, for a falconer's
voice,
To lure this tassel-gentle22 back again !
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud ;
Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,
With repetition of my Romeo's name.
Rom. It is my soul that calls upon my name :
How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,
Like softest music to attending ears !
Jul. Romeo !
Rom. My dear ?23
Jul. At what o'clock to-morrow
Shall I send to thee ?
Rom. At the hour of nine.
22. Tassel-gentle. A corruption of 'tiercel-gentle,' or 'tercel-
gentle.' See Note 23, Act hi., " Troilus and Cressida." The
" tiercel" is the male of the goshawk ; and so called because
it is a 'tierce' or 'third' less than the female. Tardif, in his
Book of Falconry, says that the "tiercel" has its name from
being one of three birds usually found in the aery of a falcon —
two of which are females, and the ' third ' a male ; hence called
'tiercelet,' or the 'third.' The epithet "gentle" was appended
to the name of this species of hawk, both because it was easily
tamed and attached to man, and because it was a favourite with
persons of gentle birth In some of the old books on hawking,
the. ' falcon gentle ' and the " tercel gentle " are said to be " for
a prince."
2^ My de.ir. The Folio misprints 'my neece' for "my
dear;" which is the reading printed 'my decre,' serving to
show how the Folio misprint probably arose) of the undated
Quarto.
187
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
Jul. I will not fail : 'tis twenty years till then.
Iliave forgot why I did call thee back.
Rom. Let me stand here till thou remember it.
Jul. I shall forget, to have thee still stand
there,
Remembering how I love thy company.
Rom. And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget,
Forgetting any other home but this.
Jul. 'Tis almost morning; I would have thee
gone :
And yet no farther than a wanton's bird ;
Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,
And with a silk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.
Rom. I would I were thy bird.
Jul. Sweet, so would I :
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
Goodnight, good night! parting is such sweet
sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
[Exit above.
Rom. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy
breast ! —
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest !
Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell,
His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell. [Exit.
SCENE III. — Friar Laurence's Cell.
Enter Friar Laurence, ivith a basket.
Fri. L. The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the
frowning night,
Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light,
And flecked24 darkness like a drunkard reels
From forth day's path and Titan's fiery wheels :
Now, ere the sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer, and night's dank dew to dry,
I must up-fill this osier cage of ours
With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers.
The earth, that's nature's mother, is her tomb ;
What is her burying grave, that is her womb :
And from her womb children of divers kind
We sucking on her natural bosom find ;
Many for many virtues excellent,
None but for some, and yet all different.
24. Flecked. ' Dappled,' ' mottled ; ' marked with spots or
dashes.
25. Mickle. ' Much,' 'great.' See Note 4, Act iii., " Comedy
of Errors."
36. Strain'd/ront tliat fair use. A notable instance of Shake-
speare's elliptical style i 'which is natural to it ' being understood
after " use."
27. That part. It has been disputed whether here "that
part" means the part that smells, the organ of smelling, the
olfactory nerves; or whether "that part" means that part of
the flower which gives scent, 'the odour,' 'the perfume.' We
Oh, mickle25 is the powerful grace that lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities :
For naught so vile that on the earth doth live,
But to the earth some special good doth give ;
Nor aught so good, but, strain'd from that fair
use,26
Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse :
Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied ;
And vice sometime's by action dignified.
Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence, and medicine power :
For this, being smelt, with that part27 cheers each
part ;
Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart.
Two such opposed kings encamp them still
In man as well as herbs, — -grace and rude will ;
And where the worser is predominant,
Full soon the canker death eats up that plant.
Enter ROMEO.
Rom. Good morrow, father.
Fri. L. Benedieite !*>
What early tongue so sweet saluteth me ? —
Young son, it argues a distemper'd head
So soon to bid good morrow to thy bed :
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges, sleep will never lie ;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth
reign :
Therefore thy earliness doth me assure
Thou art up-rous'd by some distemperature ;
Or if not so, then here I hit it right, —
Our Romeo hath not been in bed to-night.
Rom. That last is true ; the sweeter rest was
mine.
Fri. L. God pardon sin ! wast thou with
Rosaline ?
Rom. With Rosaline, my ghostly father? no ;
I have forgot that name, and that name's woe.
Fri, L. That's my good son : but where hast
thou been, then ?
Rom. I'll tell thee, ere thou ask it me again.
I have been feasting with mine enemy ;
Where, on a sudden, one hath wounded me,
That's by me wounded : both our remedies
Within thy help and holy physic lies:29
I bear no hatred, blessed man ; for, lo,
My intercession likewise steads my foe.
incline to think, from the general construction of the sentence,
and the use of " with" in the two clauses, "with that part," and
" -.villi the heart," that the former interpretation is the right one.
28. Benedieite ! This expression of combined blessing and
salutation is characteristically put by Shakespeare into th*;
benevolent Friar Laurence's mouth, as well as into that of t'15
benignant friar-duke. See Note 55, Act ii , "Measure for
Measure."
29. Our remedies within thy help .... ties. A false
grammatical concord which was permitted in Shakespeare s
time. See Note 55, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
Fri. L. Be plain, good son, and homely in thy
drift ;
Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.
Rom. Then plainly know fny heart's dear love
is set
On the fair daughter of rich Capulet :
As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine;
And all combin'd,30 save what thou must combine
By holy marriage : when, and where, and how,
We met, we woo'd, and made exchange of vow,
I'll tell thee as we pass ; but this I pray,
That thou consent to marry us to-day.
Fri. L. Holy Saint Francis, what a change is
here !
Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken ? young men's love, then, lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
Jesu Maria,31 what a deal of brine
Hath wash'd thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline !
How much salt water thrown away in waste,
To season love, that of it doth not taste 1
The sun not yet thy sighs from heaven clears,
Thy old groans ring yet in my ancient ears ;
Lo, here upon thy cheek the stain doth sit
Ot an old tear that is not wash'd off yet:
If e'er thou wast thyself, and these woes thine,
Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline :
And art thou chang'd ? pronounce this sentence,
then, — ■
Women may fall, when there's no strength in men.
Rom. Thou chidd'st me oft for loving Rosaline.
Fri. L. For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.
Rom. And bad'st me bury love.
Fri. L. Not in a grave,
To lay one in, another out to have.
Rom. I pray thee, chide not : she whom I love
now
30. And all combin'd. Here " is " in the previous line isellip-
tically understood as repeated between " all " and " combin'd."
31. Jesu Maria. With marked 'propriety has Shakespeare
placed this exclamation in the mouth of an Italian friar. It is
an exclamation exclusively belonging to Catholic countries ;
and is a contracted form of yesii Marice, ' Jesus of Mary,' or
' Jesus the son of Mary.'
32. By rote. This, besides meaning ' by memory,' ' without
book,' includes the sense of 'superficially,' 'unreally;' what
we understand by the modern expression ' parrotedly; ' meaning
' like a parrot,' as a parrot repeats words, from mere chance hear-
ing and conventional habit. See Note 59, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
33. / stand on sudden haste. 'It behoves me to use des-
patch;' 'it is important to me to make haste.' See Note 19,
Act iv., " Richard III."
34. Ttuit same pale hard-hearted wench, that Rosaline.
The epithet " pale " here, and still more, a little farther on, the
expression " a white wench's black eye," strike us as peculiar
and significant in connection with the name of " Rosaline." It
seems to us that in depicting both the characters to whom he
has given this name, Shakespeare had some special living
woman before his mind's eye who was their prototype. See
Notes 42, Act iii., and 104, Act iv., "Love's Labour's Lost."
The few vivid lines with which he has touched in the sketch of
Romeo's Rosaline, unseen as she is in the play, accord perfectly
with the recurrent delineations and more elaborated portrait of
Doth grace for grace and love for love allow ;
The other did not so.
Fri. L. Oh, she knew well
Thy love did read by rote," and could not spell.
But come, young waverer, come, go with me,
In one respect I'll thy assistant be ;
For this alliance may so happy prove,
To turn your households' rancour to pure love.
Rom. Oh, let us hence ; I stand on sudden haste.89
Fri. L. Wisely, and slow ; they stumble that
run fast. 'Exeunt.
SCENE IV— A Street.
Enter Benvolio and Mercutio.
Mer. Where the devil should this Romeo be ? —
Came he not home to-night ?
Ben. Not to his father's ; I spoke with his man.
Mer. Ah! that same pale hard-hearted wench,
that Rosaline,34
Torments him so, that he will sure run mad.
Ben. Tybalt, the kinsman of old Capulet,
Hath sent a letter to his father's house.
Mer. A challenge, on my life.
Ben. Romeo will answer it.
Mer. Any man that can write may answer a letter.
Ben. Nay, he will answer the letter's master,
how he dares, being dared.
Mer. Alas! poor Romeo, he is already dead !
stabbed with a white wench's black eye ; shot
through the ear with a love-song ; the very pin of
his heart35 cleft with the blind bow-boy's butt-
shaft :36 and is he a man to encounter Tybalt ?
Ben. Why, what is Tybalt ?
Mer. More than prince of cats,3? I can tell you.
Biron's Rosaline in " Love's Labour's Lost." It is a subject of
extremely interesting investigation ; for, so little is to be
! gathered of a personal nature from Shakespeare's dramatic
J writings, — he, like a perfect dramatist, merging self entirely in
the characters he draws, — that every indication, however slight,
by which we may obtain a glimpse of himself or those he knew,
is most valuable. We have before referred to his having used a
particular name for two different characters alike in certain
points (see Note 98, Act iii., "Twelfth Night"), and we here
observe upon a similar use of a particular name. Viewed by the
light afforded from Mr. Gerald Massey's " Shakespeare's Sonn :ts
and his Private Friends," the woman who was the original for
the portrait in " Love's Labour's Lost " and the sketch here
;both marked "Rosaline" in the Shakespeare picture-catalogue;
should be no other than Lady Rich ; but however the truth may
be with regard to her individual identity, we have a firm belief
that she was an actual woman known to Shakespeare in the life.
35. The very pin 0/ his heart. "The pin" was a term, in
archery, for the black nail in the centre of the " clout " or white
mark at which archers took aim. To cleave this central point
was of course the great ambition'of all marksmen. SccNote 31,
Act iv., " Love's Labour's Lost."
36. Butt-shaft. See Note 59, Act i. , " Love's La 1
37. More than prince of cats. " Tybalt " or ' Tybcrt ' is the
name given to the cat in the old story-book of " Reynard
the Fox." In Decker's " Satiromastix," :6o2, there is the ex-
63
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
Friar Laurence. Now, crc the sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheer, and night's dank dew to dry,
I must up-hll this osier cage of ours
With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers. Act II. Scene III.
Oh, he is the courageous captain of compliments.38 butcher of a .'-ilk button/1 a duellist, a duellist j a
He fights as you sing prick-song,39 keeps time,
distance, and proportion ; rests me his minim rest,40
one, two, and the third in your bosom : the very
pression, " Tho' you were Tyoert, the long-tail'd prince of
cats;" and in Nash's "Have with Von to Saffron Walden,"
1596, "Not Tibalt, prince of cats" Tybalt, Tibalt, Tybert,
and Tibert are all variations of the ancient name Thibault ; but
why or when first given to a cat has not yet been discovered.
38. Captain of compliments. 'Master of ceremonious laws
and punctilios,' 'proficient in all etiquettes and due observances.'
See Note 20, Act i., " Love's Labour's Lost."
39. Prick-song. The technical term far written descant, lie-
cause the harmony was written or pricked down ; in contra-
distinction to "plain-song," which was merely the simple
theme, chanty or melody, and which left the harmonics and
descant to be added according to the pleasure of the performer.
See Note 18, Act iii., " Midsummer Night's Dream
40. Rests vie his minim rest. " Me " is used here in the
same idiomatic manner that we have pointed out so frequently.
gentleman of the very first house, — of the first and
second cause :4- ah ! the immortal passado! the
punto reverse- ! the hay !43 —
" Minim " is a notation mark in music, indicating a portion of a
bar equal to two crotchets or four quavers.
41. The very butcher of a silk button. A mode of praise for
giving accurate hits : thus, in "The Return from Parnassus" —
" Strikes his poinado at a button's breadth.''
42. A gentleman of the very first house, — of the first and
second cause. ' A gentleman of the very highest order among
fencers, — one who is master of all the degrees in the art of
quarrelling.' Touchstone, "As You Like It," Act v., sc. 4,
speaks of himself and his adversary having " met, and found
the quarrel was upon the seventh cause."
4^. Passado 1 the pun to reversal the hay I Terms of the
Italian fencing-school. See Note 56, Act ii., "Merry Wives."
" Hay" was derived from the Italian word hai, ' thou hast it ;'
and was used when a thrust told upon an opponent, as in modern
fencing phraseology ' ha ! ' is employed.
164
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
Ben. The what ?
Me r. The plague of such antic, lisping, affecting
fantasticoes ; these new tuners of accents! — -"A
very good blade I — a very tall man!" — Why, is
not this a lamentable thing, grandsire,44 that we
should be thus afflicted with these strange flies,
these fashion-mongers, these pardonnez-mois,** who
stand so much on the new form, that they cannot
sit at ease on the old bench ? Oh, their bans,
their ions !
Ben. Here comes Romeo, here comes Romeo.
Mer. Without his roe, like a dried herring :46 —
Oh, flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified ! — Now is he
for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in : Laura, to
his lady, was but a kitchen-wench, — marry, she had
a better love to be-rhyme her ; Dido, a dowdy ;
Cleopatra, a gipsy ;4" Helen and Hero, hildings
and harlots; Thisbe, a grey eye4s or so, but not
to the purpose, — -
Enter Romeo.
Signior Romeo, ion jour! there's a French salu-
tation to your French slop.49 You gave us the
counterfeit fairly last night.
Rom. Good morrow to you both. What coun-
terfeit did I give you f
Mer. The slip, sir, the slip ;50 can you not con-
ceive ?
Rom. Pardon, good Mercutio, my business was
great ; and in such a case as mine a man may
strain courtesy.
Me r. That's as much as to say, Such a case as
yours constrains a man to bow in the hams.
44. Grandsire. This appears to us to be said by Mercutio
to Benvolio, partly in raillery of his staid demeanour, partly by
way of impersonating him as a departed progenitor who would
be disgusted could he witness the affectations that have sprung
up since his time.
45. Pardonnez-ntois. This is printed ' pardon-mee's' in the
Folio ; but that it is meant for a French form (as well as " bons"
a little farther on, which is spelt ' bones ' in the Folio^ is evident
from what Mercutio says on Romeo's entrance — " There's a
French salutation," &c. Shakespeare is here ridiculing the
passion for aping French modes and interlarding their own
language with French phrases which prevailed in his time
among Englishmen ;see Note 53, Act i., "Richard III.") ; a
passion not yet extinct. " Pardonnez-moi " was a favourite
phrase among the young swordsmen whom Mercutio has been
satirising ; as it was a delicate mode of differing in opinion with
an antagonist when a point for discussion arose, and when more
flat contradiction would not have been brooked. See Note 39.
Act v., "Richard II." "Their bons, their bents I" is a scoff"
at the absurd practice of flying into ecstasies at the merest
tries; such as, "A very good blade!' &c, uttered upon every
I. < .1-1 hi
46. Without his roe, like a dried herring- This comprises a
double jest at the lover's wasted appearance, which Mercutio
chooses to ascribe to his friend. It includes a joke at his being
little more than half himself, the Ro taken from Romeo, — and
his looking as lean and lank as an out-of-season fish dried. See
Note 87, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
47. A gifisy. ' A dark-complexioned Egyptian.' See Note 4.
Act v., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
Rom. Meaning, to court's)'.
Mer. Thou hast most kindly 51 hit it
Rom. A most courteous exposition.
Mer. Nav, I am the very pink of courtesy.
Rom. Pink for flower.
Mer. Right.
Rom. Why, then is my pump well flowered.53
Mer. Well said : follow me this jest now, till
thou hast worn out thy pump ; that, when the
single sole of it is worn, the jest may remain, after
the wearing, solely singular.
Rom. Oh, single-soled jest,63 solely singular for
the singleness!
Mer. Come between us, good Benvolio; my
wits fail.
Rom. Switch and spurs, switch and spurs ; or
I'll cry a match.
Mer. Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase,54
I have done ; for thou hast more of the wild-
goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in
my whole five : was I with you there for the
goose ?
Rom. Thou wast never with me for anything
when thou wast not there for the goose.
Mer. I will bite thee by the ear for that jest.
Rom. Nay, good goose, bite not.55
Mer. Thy wit is a very bitter sweeting;56 it is
a most sharp sauce.
Rom. And is it not well served in to a sweet
goose ?
Mer. Oh, here's a wit of cheveril,5? that
stretches from an inch narrow to an ell broad !
Rom. I stretch it out for that word, broad ;
48. A grey eye. See Note 36, Act iv., "Two Gentlemen of
Verona."
49. Your French slop. Slops were large loose trousers. See
Note 25, Act hi., " Much Ado."
50. 'Hie slip, sir, the slip. " Slip" was a name in common
use for a " counterfeit " or false piece of money. See Note 60,
Act ii , "Troilus and Cressida."
5r. Kindly. Here used to signify both 'amiably' and
'aptly.' See Note 16, Act hi., " First Part Henry VI."
52. My pump well flowered. The allusion is to shoes that
are ornamented as described in Note 25, Act iv., "Taming of
the Shrew : " and having ribbons formed into the shape of roses
or other flowers. In "The Masque of Gray's Inn," 1614, there
is this illustrative passage : — " Every masker's//*//// was fastened
with a flower suitable to his cap." In modern times, these
latter ornaments are still used for women's shoes, under the
name of ' rosettes.'
53. Siug/e-soled jest ' Silly jest,' ' feeble jest.' "Single"
and " single-souled," used in this sense, are explained in Note
54, Act i , " Second Part Henry IV."
54. The wild-goose chase. A name for a particular kind of
horse-race, which was supposed to resemble the flight of wild
geese. Two horses were started together : and whichever
rider could get the lead, the other was obliged to follow him
over whatever ground he chose to take.
55. Good goose, bite not. An old proverbial saying.
56. Sweeting. A name for a sweet sort of apple ; and apple
sauce is very usually eaten with roast goose.
57. A wit 0/ cheveril. Another allusion to the pliable
quality of kid-skin. See Note 39, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
Acr II. j
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
which added to the goose, proves thee far and wide
a broad goose.53
Mer. Why, is not this better now than groan-
ing for love ? now art thou sociable, now art thou
Romeo ; now art thou what thou art, by art as
well as by nature : for this drivelling love is like a
great natural, that runs lolling up and down.
Ben. Stop there, stop there.
Mer. Thou desirest me to stop in my tale
against the hair. M
Ben. Thou wouldst else have made thy tale
large.
Mer. Oh, thou art deceived; I would have
made it short : for I was come to the whole depth
of my tale ; and meant, indeed, to occupy the
argument no longer.
Rom. Here's goodly gear!
Enter Nurse and Peter.
Me r. A sail, a sail, a sail !
Ben. Two, two.
Nurse. Peter !
Peter. Anon?
Nurse. My fan, Peter.6"
Mer. Good Peter, to hide her face ; for her
fan's the fairer face.
Nurse. Good morrow, gentlemen.
Mer. Good den, fair gentlewoman.
Nurse. Is it good den r61
Mer. 'Tis no less, I tell you; for the hand of
the dial is now upon noon.
Nurse. Out upon you ! what a man are you !
Rom. One, gentlewoman, that Heaven hath
made, for himself to mar.
Nurse. By my troth, it is well said ; — for him-
58. A broad goose. "Broad" is here punningly used in its
similitude to ' brode,' which was an old form of ' brood.' In the
" Turnament of Tottenham" there is this passage : —
" Further would not Tyb then,
1 VI scho had hur brode-hcn
Set in hur lap."
53. Against the hair. 'Against the grain," 'against my will.'
See Note 21, Act i., "Troilus and Cressida."
60. My fan. Peter. The old gentlewoman, — for a nurse in
the Capulet family may rank as such, — being attended by a
man-servant to carry her fan, is in accordance with a custom of
Shakespeare's time. In an old pamphlet called " The Serving-
man's Comfort," 1568, occurs this passage: — "The mistres
must h ive one to carry her cloake and hood, another her
faunc;" and Shakespeare himself, in "Love's Labour's Lost,"
has a line that shows it was an office thought worthy of an
accomplished gentleman: — "To see him walk before a lady,
and to bear her fan .' "
61. Is it good den? The expression "good den." Chough
sometimes subsequently used for ' good day,' originally meant
" good evening ; " and is, in fact, a corruption of ' good even,'
or 'good e'en.' See Note 29, Act hi., " Much Ado."
62. She will indite hint to same supper. Benvolio uses
"indite" for 'invite' in ridicule of the nurse's blunder of
"confidence" for 'conference.' Hostess Quickly, "Second
Part Henry IV.," Act ii., sc. 1, says, "He is indited to
dinner."
self to mar, quoth 'a ?— Gentlemen, can any of )ou
tell me where I may find the young Romeo ?
Rom. I can tell you ; but young Romeo will be
older when you have found him than he was when
you sought him : I am the youngest of that name,
for fault of a worse.
Nurse. You say well.
Mer. Yea, is the worst well? very well took,
1' taith ; wisely, wisely.
Nurse. If you be he, sir, I desire some con-
fidence with you.
Ben. She will indite him to some supper.6-
Mer. So ho!63
Rom. What hast thou found ?
Mer. No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a
lenten pie, that is something stale and hoar ere it
be spent. Romeo, will you come to your father's ?
we'll to dinner thither.01
Rom. I will follow you.
Mer. Farewell, ancient lady; farewell, —
[singing] Lady, lady, lady>
[Exeunt Mercutio and Benvolio.
Nurse. Marry, farewell ! — I pray you, sir, what
saucy merchant66 was this, that was so full of his
ropery :67
Rom. A gentleman, nurse, that loves to hear
himself talk ; and will speak more in a minute
than he will stand to in a month.
Nurse. An 'a speak anything against me, I'll
take him down, an 'a were lustier than he is, and
twenty such Jacks ;6S and if I cannot, I'll find
those that shall. Scurvy knave! lam none of his
flirt-gills ;69 I am none of hisskains-mates.70 — And
thou must stand by too, and suffer every knave to
use me at his pleasure ?
63. So ho ! The sportsman's cry when the hare is found and
started from her form.
64. We'll to dinner thither. This, among many other
passages in Shakespeare, shows that twelve o'clock, or a little
after, was the usual hour for dinner in his time.
65. Lady. lady. lady. The burden of an old ballad. See
Note 41, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
66. Merchant. This term, sometimes formerly used as a
contemptuous title (see Note 21, Act ii , " First Part Henry VI. "j,
is characteristically put into the mouth of a retainer in an
ancient aristocratic household.
67. Ropery. ' Roguery,' ' ribaldry,' ' impudent banter,' ' abu-
sive joking.' See Note 78, Act i., " Taming of the Shrew."
68. Jacks. Used in the sense of 'jackanapes,' 'saucy
fellows.' See Note 14, Act v., " Much Ado."
69. Flirt-gills. ' Romps.' ' hoydens.'
70. Skains-mates. Inasmuch as " skain," skean.'or 'skayne '
was a name for an old weapon called also an Irish dagger, it
has been supposed that here the nurse means she is none of
those skirmishing associates who frequent the fencing-school
with Mercutio : but Mr. Staunton, in a note on this passage,
says, "The word skain. I am told by a Kentish man, was
formerly a familiar term in parts of Kent to express what we
now call a scapegrace or ne'er-do-well ; just the sort of person
the worthy old nurse would entertain a horror of being con-
sidered a companion to. Even at this day, my informant says,
skain is often heard in the Isle of Thanet, and about tl
jacent coast, in the sense of a reckless, dare-devil sort of fellow."
Act II.l
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
Peter. I saw no man use you at his pleasure ; if
1 had, my weapon should quickly have been out, I
warrant you : I dare draw as soon as another man,
if 1 see occasion in a. good quarrel, and the law on
my side.
Nurse. Now, afore Heaven, I am so vexed, that
every part about me quivers. Scurvy knave !—
Pray you, sir, a word : and as I told you, my
young lady bade me enquire you out ; what she
bade me say, I will keep to myself: but first let me
tell ye, if ye should lead her into a fool's paradise,
as they say, it were a very gross kind of behaviour,
as they say : for the gentlewoman is young ; and,
therefore, if you should deal double wich her, truly
it were an ill thing to be offered to any gentle-
woman, and very weak dealing.'1
Alow;. Nurse, commend me to thy lady and
mistress. I protest unto thee, —
Nurse. Good heart, and, i' faith, I will tell her
as much : lord, lord, she will be a joyful woman.
Rom. What wilt thou tell her, nurse ? thou
dost not mark me.
Nurse. I will tell her, sir, — that you do protest ;
which, as I take it, is a gentlemanlike offer.
Rom. Bid her devise some means to come to shrift
This afternoon ;
And there she shall at Friar Laurence' cell?2
Be shriv'd and married. Here is for thy pains.
Nurse. No, truly, sir ; not a penny.
Rom. Go to ; I say you shall.
Nurse. This afternoon, sir ? well, she shall be
there.
Rom. And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey-
wall :
71. Very weak dealing. It has been proposed that ' wicked '
should be substituted for "weak" here; but that would be to
destroy the point of the passage, which is, that the nurse
intends to use a most forcible expression, and blunders upon a
most feeble one.
72. This afternoon ; and there she shall, cVv. " There " is
used in the present passage just as "where" is used in those
pointed out in Note 40, Act v., " Merchant of Venice," and
Note 40, Act v., "Twelfth Night."
73. Like a tackled stair. 'Like stairs of rope in the tackle
of a ship.' "A stair," for a flight of stairs, was formerly in
common use.
74. Quit. ' Requite,' 'reward.'
75. I anger her sometimes. By this expression, Shakespeare
gives the effect of long time here. But a few hours have in
fact elapsed since last night's interview between the lovers,
when Juliet said, " Tomorrow I will send," until now, when her
messenger is speaking ; yet the dramatic effect of a longer
period is thus given to the interval, by the introduction of the
single word " sometimes."
76. R is for the dog. No ; 1 know, c>v. The old copies
print this— 'A*, is for the no, I know,' Sec. We adopt
Tyrrwhitt's insertion of the word " dog," and follow his
punctuation. That R was known as ' the dog's letter,' or,
according to the "nurse, " the dog's name," is a point proved
by many quotations from other writers. For instance, Ben
lonson, in his English Grammar, says, "/i is t lie dog s Utter,
and hirreth in the sound;" Nashe. in "Summer's Last Will
and Testament," speaking of dogs, says, "They arre and
Within this hour my man shall be with thee,
And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair;73
Which to the high top-gallant of my joy
Must be my convoy in the secret night.
Farewell ; be trusty, and I'll quit74 thy pains:
Farewell ; commend me to thy mistress.
Nurse. Now Heaven bless thee ! — Hark you, sir.
Rom. What say'st thou, my dear nurse p
Nurse. Is your man secret f Did you ne'er
hear say,
Two may keep counsel, putting one away ?
Rom. I warrant thee, my man's as true as steel.
Nurse. Well, sir ; my mistress is the sweetest
lady — lord, lord ! when 'twas a little prating thing,
— Oh, there is a nobleman in town, one Paris, that
would fain lay knife aboard ; but she, good soul,
had as lief see a toad, a very toad, as see him. I
anger her sometimes,75 and tell her that Paris is the
properer man ; but, I'll warrant you, when I say
so, she looks as pale as any clout in the varsal
world. Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin
both with a letter ?
Rom. Ay, nurse; whatofthat? both with an R.
Nurse. Ah, mocker ! that's the dog's name ; R
is for the dog. No; I know it76 begins with some
other letter: — and she hath the prettiest senten-
tious of it, of you and rosemary,77 that it would do
you good to hear it.
Rom. Commend me to thy lady.
Nurse. Ay, a thousand times. [Exit Romeo.]
—Peter!
Peter. Anon ?
Nurse. Peter, take my fan, and go before.
[Exeunt.
barke at night against the moone j" Barclay, in his " Ship of
Fooles," says,
"This man malicious which troubled is with wrath,
Naught else soundeth but the hoorse letter ft,
Though all be well, yet he none answere hath,
Save tile dogges letter glowming with n ir, nar ; "
and Florio, in the Preface to his " Second Frutes," speaking of
critics, says, "Demonstrative rhetoric is their studic, and the
doggs letter they can snarle alreadie." We think that the
nurse is made to say "the dog's name" instead of ' the dog's
letter,' partly because Shakespeare has a mode of using a
popularly known phrase and giving it a touch of his own
peculiar fashion (see Note 35. Act iv., " Coriolanus"), partly
because it gives an effect of blunder and confusion to the old
woman's diction here, and partly because the word "name"
thus introduced forms the antecedent to "it " in the next clause
of the sentence ; " I know it begins with some other letter,"
meaning 'the name I am thinking of, — Romeo.' We have been
thus particular in stating our views of this passage, because its
meaning has been differently interpreted in : n allusion made to
it by Mr. Gerald Massey; who at the same time gives a most
pleasant guess at the enigma involved in the clause, " it begins
with some other letter," believing the solution to have been an
allusion to " IVriothesley," the Earl of Southampton's family-
name, which is sounded as though it began with an R.
77. Tile prettiest sententious 0/ it, of you and rosemary.
" Sententious" is the nurse's blunder for ' sentences,' 'sentential
fancies.' "Rosemary" is aptly and significantly brought inhere,
as beinga type of fond remembrance and a herb used at weddings.
W'4
VOL. III.
Juliet. O Heaven, she comes !
Act II.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scenes V., VI.
SCENE V.— Capulet's Garden.
Enter Juliet.
Jul. The clock struck nine when I did send the
nurse ;
In half an hour she promts' d to return.
Perchance she cannot meet him: — that's not so.—
Oh, she is lame ! love's heralds should be thoughts,
Which ten times faster glide than the sun's beams,
Driving back shadows over lowering hills :
Therefore do nimble-pinion'd doves draw love,
And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.
Now is the sun upon the highmost hill
Of this day's journey ; and from nine till twelve
Is three long hours, — yet she is not come.
Had she affections and warm youthful blood,
She would be as swift in motion as a ball ;
My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me :
But old folks, many feign as they were dead ;
Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead. —
O Heaven, she comes !
Enter Nurse and Peter.
Oh, honey nurse, what news?
Hast thou met with him ? Send thy man away.
Nurse. Peter, stay at the gate. [Exit Peter.
Jul. Now, good sweet nurse, — O Lord, why
look'st thou sad ?
Though news be sad, yet tell them merrily ;
If good, thou sham'st the music of sweet news
By playing it to me with so sour a face.
Nurse. I am a-weary, give me leave awhile: —
Fie, how my bones ache! what a jaunt have I had!"3
Jul. I would thou hadst my bones, and I thy
news :~9
Nay, come, I pray thee, speak ; — good, good nurse,
speak.
Nurse. What haste ? can you not stay awhile ?
Do you not see that I am out of breath f
Jul. How art thou out of breath, when thou
hast breath
To say to me that thou art out of breath ?
The excuse that thou dost make in this delay
Is longer than the tale thou dost excuse.
Is thy news good, or bad ? answer to that ;
Say either, and I'll stay the circumstance:
Let me be satisfied, is 't good or bad ?
Nurse. Well, you have made a simple choice;
you know not how to choose a man : Romeo ! no,
not he ; though his face be better than any man's,
yet his leg excels all men's ; and for a hand, and a
78. What a jaunt hive / had! 'What a fatiguing expe-
dition have I had!' See Note '7. Acl v, "Richard II.," for
tlic origin of the words "jaunt " ami ' jaunting.1
. 79. / would thou hadst my lottos, and I thy news. Oil, true
prodigality and eagerness of youth ! And oh, truest true
Shakespeare !
foot, and a body, — though they be not to be talked
on, yet they are past compare: he is not the flower
of courtesy, but, I'll warrant him, as gentle as a
lamb. — Go thy ways, wench ; serve God. — What !
have you dined at home ?90
Jul. No, no : but all this did I know before.
What says he of our marriage ? what of that ?
Nurse. Lord, how my head aches ! what a head
have I !
It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces.
My back! 0' t'other side: — Oh, my back, my
back! —
Beshrew your heart for sending me about,
To catch my death with jaunting up and down !
Jul. V faith, I am sorry that thou art not well.
Sweet, sweet, sweet nurse, tell me, what says my
love ?
Nurse. Your love says, like an honest gentleman,
And a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome,
And, I warrant, a virtuous, — Where is your
mother ?
Jul. Where is my mother ! — why, she is within ;
Where should she be ? How oddly thou repliest !
" Your love says, like an honest gentleman, —
Where is your mother?"
Nurse. O Heaven's lady dear !
Are you so hot ? marry, come up, I trow;
Is this the poultice for my aching bones ?
Henceforward do your messages yourself.
Jul. Here's such a coil!81 — come, what says
Romeo ?
Nurse. Have you got leave to go to shrift to-day ?
Jul. I have.
Nurse. Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence'
cell ;
There stays a husband to make you a wife:
Now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks,
They'll be in scarlet straight at any news.
Hie you to church ; I must another way,
To fetch a ladder, by which your love
Must climb a bird's nest soon when it is dark :
I am the drudge, and toil in your delight ;
Go ; I'll to dinner; hie you to the cell.
Jul. Hie to high fortune ! — honest nurse, fare-
well. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI.— Friar Laurence's Cell.
Enter Friar Laurence and Romeo.
Fri. L. So smile the heavens upon this holy act,
That after-hours with sorrow chide us not !
80. What ! have you dined at home ? An idiomatic way of say-
ing ' Have you all at home already dined ?' ' Is dinner over ?"
8r. //ere's such a coil! "Coil" really meant 'noise,1
' turmoil ; ' but Shakespeare sometimes uses it to express what
is signified in modern common parlance by ' fuss,1 ' to-do.' See
Note 23, Act i., "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Rom. Amen! Amen! but come what sorrow can,
It cannot countervail the exchange of joy
That one short minute gives me in her sight :
Do thou but close our hands with holy words,
Then love-devouring death do what he dare, — ■
It is enough I may but call her mine.
Fri. L. These violent delights have violent ends,
And in their triumph die; like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume : the sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness,
And in the taste confounds the appetite :
Therefore, love moderately; long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.'*2 —
Here comes the lady : — Oh, so light a foot
Wilt ne'er wear out the everlasting flint :
A lover may bestride the gossamer
That idles in the wanton summer air,
And yet not fall ; so light is vanity.83
Enter Juliet.
'Jul. Good even to my ghostly confessor.
Fri. L. Romeo shall thank thee, da-ughter, for
us both.
Jul. As much to him, else are his thanks too
much.84
Rom. Ah ! Juliet, if the measure of thy joy
Be heap'd like mine> and that thy skill be
more
To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath
This neighbour air, and let rich music's tongue
Unfold the imagin'd happiness that both
Receive in either by this dear encounter.
Jul. Conceit,85 more rich in matter than in
words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament :
They are but beggars that can count their worth ;
But my true love has grown to such excess,
I cannot sum up half my sum of wealth.56
Fri. L. Come, come with me, and we will make
short work ;
For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone
Till holy church incorporate two in one. [Exeunt.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— A Public Place.
Enter Mercutio, Benvolio, Page, and Servants.
Ben. I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire :
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl ;
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.1
Mer. Thou art like one of those fellows that,
when he enters the confines of a tavern, claps me
his sword upon the table and says, " Heaven send
me no need of thee!" and, by the operation of the
second cup, draws it on the drawer, when, indeed,
there is no need.
82. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slozu. A Shakespearian
version of the old proverb, ' Most haste, least speed.'
S3. Vanity. Here used for 'trivial pursuit,' 'vain delight.'
The word was much employed in this sense by divines in
Shakespeare's time ; and with much propriety is so put into the
good old friar's mouth.
84. Else are his thanks too much. The Folio prints ' in,'
and the earlier Quartos 'is,' for "are" here: which is the
reading of the 1637 Quarto, and which we adopt, being un-
willing to spoil the line by adherence to an antique form that
may very* probably have been a misprint in this instance ; for
though "thanks" was sometimes treated as a noun singular,
we do not believe that Shakespeare's ear would have allowed
him to write ' As much to him, else is his thanks too much.'
85. Conceit. ' Imagination,' * mental conception.' See Note
53, Act ii., "Richard II."
86. I cannot sum up half my sum of wealth. The Folio prints
this line thus—' I cannot sum up some of halfe my wealth ; ' and
Ben. Am I like such a fellow ?s
Mer. Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy
mood as any in Italy ; and as soon moved to be
moody, and as soon moody to be moved.
Ben. And what to ?3
Mer. Nay, an there were two such, we should
have none shortly, for one would kill the other.
Thou! why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that
hath a hair more, or a hair less, in his beard, than
thou hast : thou wilt quarrel with a man for crack-
ing nuts, having no other reason but because thou
hast hazel eyes ; — what eye, but such an eye, would
the Quartos give it nearly in the same form. We adopt Capell's
correction.
r. For nmv, t/tese hot days, is the mad blood stirring. Sir
Thomas Smith, in his " Commonwealth of England," 15S3, says,
"And commonly every yeere or each second ycere in the
beginning of sommer or afterwards [for in the warme time the
people for the most part be more unruly) even in the calm time
of peace, the prince with his counsell chooscth out," &c.
2. Am I like suck a fellow? The quietness ,,f this retort,
with the slight but significant emphasis which we imagine
thrown upon the "/" in the sentence, admirably gives point to
the humorous effect of Mercutio's lecturing Benvolio,— the
sedate and peace-making Benvolio, and lectured by Mercutio of
all people !— for the sin of quarrelsome
3. And what to! The old copies read 'and what too?'
who retain this reading explain it to mean 'and what else?' or
'what more?' We think it more likely to be a misprint for "and
what tor" (Pope's correction) meaning 'and moved to what!' ,
171
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Juli,-t But my true love lias grown to such excess,
I cannot sum up half my sum of wealth. . Aet II. Scene 1 V.
spy out such a quarrel ? thy head is as full of
quarrels as an egg is full of meat ; and yet thy
head hath been beaten as addle as an egg, for
quarrelling : thou hast quarrelled with a man for
coughing in the street, because he hath wakened
thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun : didst
thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing his
new doublet before Easier: with another, for tying
his new shoes with old riband p and yet thou wilt
tutor ine from quarrelling !
Ben. An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art,
any man should buy the tee-simple4 of my life for
an hour and a quarter.
Mer. The fee-simple ! oh, simple!
4. The fee-simple. A legal term used to express * possession
for ever.' See Note 67, Act iv , " All's Well."
5. Mercutio, thou consorfst with Romeo. This demonstrates
that Mercutio, who was an invited guest at Capulet's feast (see
Ben. By my head, here come the Capulets.
Mer. By my heel, 1 care not.
Enter Tybalt and others.
Tyb. Follow me close, for I will speak to
them. —
( lentlemen, good den : a word with one of you.
Mer. And but one word with one of us ? couple
it with something; make it a word and a blow.
Tyb. You shall find me apt enough to that, sir,
an you will give me occasion.
Mer. Could you not take some occasion with-
out giving ?
Tyb. Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo,5 —
Note 38, Act i.), is so much an intimate of that family that one
of its members thinks he has a right to call him to account for
his constant association with Romeo, son to the head of the
rival house of Montague.
Act III.l
ROMEO AND JULIET
[Scene I.
Mer. Consort! what, dost thou make us
minstrels f6 an thou make minstrels of us, look
to hear nothing but discords: here's my fiddle-
stick ; here's that shall make you dance. Zounds,
consort '.
Ben. We talk here in the public haunt of men :
Either withdraw unto some private place.
And reason coldly of your grievances,7
Or else depart ; here all eyes gaze on us.
Mer. Men's eyes were made to look, and let
them gaze ;
I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I.8
Tyb. Well, peace be with you, sir : — here
comes my man.
Enter Romeo.
Mer. But I'll be hang'd, sir, if he wear your
livery :
Marry, go before to field, he'll be your follower;
Your worship in that sense may call him man.
Tyb. Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford
No better term than this, — thou art a villain.
Rom. Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting : — villain am I none ;
Therefore farewell ; I see thou kr.ow'st me not.
Tyb. Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me ; therefore turn, and
draw.
Rom. I do protest, I never injur' d thee;
But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love :
And so, good Capulet, — which name I tender
As dearly as my own, — be satisfied.
Mer. Oh, calm, dishonourable, vile submission !
A la stoccata'* carries it away. — [Drazvs.
Tybalt, you rat-catcher, wiil you walk ?
Tyb. What wouldst thou have with me ?
Mer. Good king of cats,10 nothing but one of
6. Consort I what, dost thou make us minstrels ?' "Con-
sort" is here used punningly. See Note 32, Act iii., "Twu
Gentlemen of Verona," and Note 19, Act i, "Comedy of
Errors."
7. And reason coldly, &>c. Here the old copies read 'or'
instead of "and;" which is Capell's correction, and which we
adopt because we think "or" was probably repeated by the
printer erroneously, his eye having caught that word from the
next line ; inasmuch as it is more likely that Benvolio should
recommend his friends to retire and talk over their grievances
coolly, than that he should offer them the three alternatives of
either withdrawing to some private place to fight it out, or talk
coolly, or else depart. "Reason" is here used in the sense it
formerly sometimes bore of 'talk,' ' discourse,' ' parley.' See
Note 97, Act i., " Richard III."
8. / will not budge /or no man's pleasure, I. Instance of
Shakespeare's use of a double negative, and of the emphatic
repetition of " I " in a sentence. See Note 46, Act ii., " Henry
VIII.," and Note 148, Act ii., "All's Well."
9 A l.i stoccata. A term of the Italian fencing-school 'see
Note 23, Act ii., "Merry Wives," and Note 84, Act iii.,
" Twelfth Night "), meaning a thrust or stab with a rapier.
Mercutio jocosely gives this term as a title for Tybalt.
your nine lives; that I mean to make bold withal,
and, as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the
rest of the eight.11 Will you pluck your sword
out of his pilcher12 by the ears P make haste, lest
mine be about your ears ere it be out.
Tyb. I am for you. [Drawing.
Rom. Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.
Mer. Come, sir, your passado.13 [They fight.
Rom. Draw, Benvolio; beat down their wea-
pons.—
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!
Tybalt, — Mercutio, — the prince expressly hath
Forbidden bandying in Verona streets : — ■
Hold, Tybalt !— good Mercutio, —
[Exeunt Tybalt and bis Partisans.
Mer. I am hurt ; —
A plague 0' both the houses ! — I am sped : —
Is he gone, and hath nothing ?
Ben. What! art thou hurt?
Mer. Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch ; marry, 'lis
enough. —
Where is my page ? — go, villain, fetch a surgeon.
[Exit Page.
Rom. Courage, man ; the hurt cannot be much.
Mer. No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide
as a church-door ; but 'tis enough, 'twill serve : ask
for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave
man.1'1 I am peppered, I warrant, for this world: — a
plague o' both your houses! — Zounds, a dog, a rat,
a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death ! a brag-
gart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of
arithmetic !15 — Why, the devil, came you between
us ? I was hurt under your arm.
Rom. I thought all for the best.
Mer. Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. — A plague o' both your houses!
They have made worms' meat of me :
I have it, and soundly too : K — your houses !
[Exeunt Mercutio and Benvolio.
10. Tybalt, you rat-catclwr. .... Good king 0/ cats. See
Note 37, Act ii.
11. Dry-beat the rest of the eight. For a particular explana-
tion of the expression, " dry-beat," see Note 79, Act v. , " Love's
Labour's Lost."
12. Pitcher. Nash, in his "Pierce Pennyless," 1592, speaks
of "a carreman in a lether pilche;" and Shakespeare here
uses "pilcher" to express a leather case or cover ; a facetious
term for a sheath or scabbard.
13. Your passado. See Note 43, Act ii.
14. Ask for me to*>ilorr&w, and you shall Jind me a grave
man. In England formerly, and in Italy still, burial follows
within so few hours of death, as to render the word "to-
morrow" here accurate in time. The play upon the word
" grave " is appropriately put by Shakespeare into the mouth of
the buoyant-spirited Mercutio : but it was a jest used by other
writers besides our dramatist.
15. That Jights by the book 0/ arithmetic. A witty fleer at
Tybalt's fencing-style of "one, two, and the third in your
bosom ; " his llJirst and second cause ; " and the rest of his rule
and regulation skill, culled from treatises upon the art of defence.
See Notes 40, 41, 42, and 43 of Act ii.
16. And soundly too:— your houses .' The Folio n.
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[SCEN'i
Rom. This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend,1'' hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt's slander,— Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman : — Oh, sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,
And in my temper soften'd valour's steel !
Re-enter Benvolio.
Be/i. O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead !
That gallant spirit hath aspir'd the clouds,13
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth.
Rom. This day's black fate on more days doth
depend ; 19
This but begins the woe, others must end.
Ben. Here comes the furious Tybalt back again.
Rom. Alive, in triumph ! and Mercutio slain!
Away to heaven, respective20 lenity,
And fire-ey'd fury be my conduct21 now !
Re-enter Tybalt.
Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,
That late thou gav'st me ; for Mercutio's soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company:
Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.
Tyb. Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort
him here,
Shalt with him hence.
Rom. This shall determine that.
[They fight ; Tybalt falls.
Ben. Romeo, away, be gone !
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain : —
Stand not amaz'd !as — the prince will doom thee
death,
It thou art taken :— hence, be gone, away !
Rom. Oh, I am fortune's fool !23
Ben. Why dost thou stay ?
[Exit Romeo.
Enter Citizens, &c.
First Cit. Which way ran he that kill'd Mer-
cutio ?
this ' and soundly to your houses ; ' affording one of the many
instances where 'to' is misprinted for "too." and 'too' for
" to." See Note 3 of the present Act. The second Folio gave
the word correctly here ; which restores meaning to the passage,
and renders visible one of Shakespeare's masterly modes of
producing perfect impression through imperfect expression.
The feeble half-utterance, the ineffectual attempt to repeat his
former sentence, " A plague o' both your houses ! " — the
shadowy fragment of the one phrase, "your houses!" being
but an insubstantial representation of the other, — serve ex-
quisitely to indicate the faint speech of the dying man, and
poetically to image his failing powers.
17. My very friend. See Note 27, Act iii., "Two Gentle-
men of Verona."
18. T/iat gallant spirit hath as/ird ■>:■■ clouds. "Aspir'd"
is here used as a verb active ; a use not confined to Shakespeare,
for other writers of his time also employ it thus.
19. This days black fate on more days doth depend. &c.
* The gloom of this day's dark event impends over and will
Tybalt, that murderer, which way ran he f
Ben. There lies that Tybalt.
First Cit. Up, sir, go with me ;
I charge thee in the prince's name, obey.
Enter Prince, attended; Montague, Cafulet,
their Wives, and others.
Prin. Where are the vile beginners of this
fray ?
Ben. Oh, noble prince, I can discover all
The unlucky manage of this fatal brawl :
There lies the man, slain by young Romeo,
That slew thy kinsman, brave Mercutio.
La. Cap. Tybalt, my cousin ! Oh, my brother's
child! —
Oh, prince!— Oh, husband !— Oh, the blood is
spill' d
Of my dear kinsman ! — Prince, as thou art true,
For blood of ours, shed blood of Montague. —
Oh, cousin, cousin !
Prin. Benvolio, who began this bloody fray ?
Ben. Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand
did slay ;
Romeo that spoke him fair, bade him bethink
How nice the quarrel was,24 and urg'd withal
Your high displeasure : — all this, — uttered
With gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly
bow'd, —
Could not take truce with25 the unruly spleen
Of Tybalt, deaf to peace, but that he tilts
With piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast ;
Who, all as hot, turns deadly point to point,
And, with a martial scorn, with one hand beats
Cold death aside, and with the other sends
It back to Tybalt, whose dexterity
Retorts it: Romeo he cries aloud,
" Hold, friends! friends, part!" and, swifter than
his tongue,
His agile arm beats down their fatal points,
And 'twixt them rushes; underneath whose arm
An envious thrust from Tybalt hit the life
Of stout Mercutio, and then Tybalt fled :
darken many future days ; to-day but begins the train of woes
which other days will complete.'
20. Respective. * Regardful,' ' considerate : ' ' heedful of
due respects.' See Note 26, Act i , " King John."
2r. Conduct. Here, as elsewhere, used for ' conductor,' 'guide.'
22. Stand not ama^d. 'Stand not thus overwhelmed with
confusion,' ' do not stand thus bewildered,' or confounded. See
Note 67, Act iv., " King John."
23. / am fortune' s fool '. ' I am the sport of fortune,' ' I am the
subject of fortune's mockery.' The expression " fool," thus used,
is to be found many times in Shakespeare ; and it has reference
to the " fool " in the old mysteries, moralities, or dramatic shows,
who is represented as the perpetual object of pursuit, mockery,
and disaster. See Note 2, Act iii., "Measure for Measure."
24. How nice the quarrel was. " Nice " is here used in the
sense of 'trivial/ 'slight,' 'insignificant,' 'unimportant.' See
Note 98, Act iii., "Richard III."
25. Could net take truce ".villi. 'Could not pacify,' ' could
not reduce to order.' See Note 4, Act iii., " King John."
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
But by-and-by comes back to Romeo,
Who had but newly entertain'd revenge,
And to 't they go like lightning; for, ere I
Could draw to part them, was stout Tybalt slain ;
And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and Hy : —
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die.
La. Cup. He is a kinsman to the Montague,
Affection makes him false, he speaks not true :
Some twenty of them fought in this black strife,
And all those twenty could but kill one life.
I beg for justice, which thou, prince, must give ;
Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.
Prill. Romeo slew him, he slew Mercutio ;
Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe ?
Mon. Not Romeo, prince, he was Mercutio's
friend ;
His fault concludes but what the law should end,
The life of Tybalt.
Prin. And for that offence
Immediately we do exile him hence :
I have an interest in your hate's proceeding,
My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding
But I'll amerce you with so strong a fine,
That you shall all repent the loss of mine :28
I will be deaf to pleading and excuses;
Nor tears nor prayers shall purchase out abuses, —
Therefore use none : let Romeo hence in haste,
Else, when he's found, that hour is his last.
Bear hence this body, and attend our will :
Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Capulet's Garden.
Enter Juliet.
Jul. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Towards Phcebus' mansion : such a wagoner
As Phaeton would whip you to the west,
And bring in cloudy night immediately. —
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaways' eyes may wink,-7 and Romeo
Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen. —
26. The loss 0/ mine. " Mine " is here used in the sense
pointed out in Note 124, Act i., " All's Well ; " ' my kindred,'
' those belonging to me.'
27. That runaways' eyes may ■zoiuk. The word "run-
aways'" (printed 'run-awayes' in the Folio and two of the
Quartos, 'runnawayes' in two other early Quarto copies) has
been variously interpreted and variously altered. We leave
" runaways' " in the text because Shakespeare has used " run-
away" and "runaways" elsewhere to express those who speed
or fly away, and because it may be used here in reference to
the horses of the sun (the " fiery-footed steeds "), as a poetical
embodiment of Day. He has employed it thus figuratively in
" Merchant of Venice," Act ii., sc. 6: — "The close night doth
play the runaway." We at one time believed that ' runawayes '
might be a misprint for 'sunny day's;' but we now incline to
think that the originally written word may have been 'curious'
01 'envious:' more probably the latter, as being in Shake-
Lovers can see to do their amorous rites
By their own beauties; or, if love be blind,
It best agrees with night.— Come, civil night,
Thou sober-suited matron, all in black,
And learn me how to lose-s a winning match,
Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenhoods :
Hood my unmann'd blood, bating in my cheeks,-'1
With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown
bold,3"
Think true love acted simple modesty.
Come, night; — come, Romeo, — come, thou da)
in night ;
For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night
Whiter than snow upon a raven's back. —
Come, gentle night, — come, loving, black-brow'd
night,
Give me my Romeo ; and, when he shall die,
lake him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the free of heaven so fine,
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish31 sun. — ■
Oh, I have bought the mansion of a love,
But not possess'd it ; and, though I am sold,
Not yet enjoy'd : so tedious is this day,
As is the night before some festival
To an impatient child that hath new robes
And may not wear them. — Oh, here comes my
nurse,
And she brings news; and every tongue that
speaks
But Romeo's name speaks heavenly eloquence.
Enter Nurse, 'with cords.
Now, nurse, what news p What hast thou there 't
the cords
That Romeo bade thee fetch ?
Nurse. Ay, ay, the cords.
\_TI>ro-ivs them down.
Jul. Ah me ! what news :- why dost thou
wring thy hand. :
Nurse. Ah, well-a-day' he's dead, he's dead,
he's dead !
We are undone, lady, we are undone ! —
Alack the day! — he's gone, he's kill'd, he's dead !
speare's style of using a word with a double meaning : including
the sense of envying her joys, and inimical, hostile, hating,
malevolent.
28. Learn me her.v to lose. "Learn" is here, as elsewhere,
used for 'teach.' See Note 57, Act i., "Tei
29. Hood my unmann'd blood, bating in my cheeks. I '
are expressions borrowed from falconry. A hawk hail its head
covered with a "hood" until the moment when it was sent
forth to fly at its quarry ; an " unmanned " hawk is one that is
untamed, one unfamiliar with it. trainer; and "bating" is
. tl a^s. fluttering violently in attempts to
escape. See Note 39, Act 1. . I ing of the Shrew;" and
Note 24, Act iv , " I.
30. Till strange lov Id. "Strange"
in the sense of 'reserved,' 'retiring.' See Note 18, Act ii.
The old copies give ' grow ' for " grown " Rowc's corn.
31, Garish. Glaring, gaudy, sh
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Jul. Can Heaven be so envious?
Nuise. Romeo can,
Though Heaven cannot: — O Romeo, Romeo! —
Who ever would have thought it ? — Romeo !
Jul. What devil art thou, that dost torment me
thus?
This torture should be roar'd in dismal hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but I,3-'
And that bare vowel I shall poison more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatri:e :33
I am not I, if there be such an I ;
Or those eyes shut,34 that make thee answer I.
If he be slain, say I ; or if not, no :
Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe.
Nurse. I saw the wound, I saw it with mine
eyes, —
Heaven save the mark!35 — here on his manly
breast :
A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse ;
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaub'd in blood,
All in gore blood ; — I swoonded at the sight.
Jul. Oh, break, my heart! — poor bankrupt,
break at once !
To prison, eyes, ne'er look on liberty !
Vile earth,36 to earth resign ; end motion here ;
And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier!
Nurse. O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend 1
had!
Oh, courteous Tybalt ! honest gentleman !
That ever I should live to see thee dead !
Jul. What storm is this that blows so contrary ?
Is Romeo slaughter'd, and is Tybalt dead ?
My dear-lov'd cousin, and my dearer lord ? —
Then, dreadful trumpet, sound the general doom !
For who is living, if those two are gone ?
Nurse. Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished ;
Romeo that kill'd him, he is banished.
Jul. O God ! — did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's
blood ?
Nurse. It did, it did ; alas ! the day, it did !
Jul. Oh, serpent heart, hid with a flowering
face!"
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave ?
3Z\ Say thou but I. For the due comprehension of the play
on words here, it is requisite to bear in mind that ' ay ' was
formerly often spelt "I." See Note to. Act i., " Two Gentle-
men of Verona."
33. The death-darting eye of cockatrice. See Note 70, Act
iii., "Twelfth Night."
34. Or those eyes shut. The old copies print ' shot ' for
" shut." Capeli's correction.
35. ffeavgn saz'e the mark1. An adjuration used in a
deprecatory sense : like ' Heaven shield us ! ' or ' Heaven
defend us ! ' ' Heaven save us from such a thing ! ' * Heaven
preserve us from,' &c. See Note 64, Act i.( " First Part
Henry IV."
36. Viie earth. Juliet here employs the same expression to
signify her body, the earthly portion of herself, as Romeo
previously uses. See Note 1, Act ii.
37. Oh, serpent heart, hid with a flowering face t In this
6p«ech we have a string of those antithetical terms which were
Beautiful tyrant ! fiend angelical !
Dove-feather'd raven ! wolvish-ravening lamb !
Despised substance of divinest show
Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st,
A damned saint, an honourable villain ! — •
Oh, nature, what hadst thou to do in hell,
When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend
In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh? —
Was ever book containing such vile matter
So fairly bound ? Oh, that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace !
Nurse. There's no trust,
No faith, no honesty in men ; all perjur'd,
All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers. —
Ah ! where's my man ? give me some aqua
'Vita? : 3S —
These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me
old.
Shame come to Romeo !
'Jul. Blister'd be thy tongue
For such a wish ! he was not born to shame :
Upon his brow shame is asham'd to sit ;
For 'tis a throne where honour may be crown'd
Sole monarch of the universal earth.
Oh, what a beast33 was I to chide at him !
Nurse. Will you speak well of him that kill'd
your cousin ?
Jul. Shall I speak ill of him that is my
husband ?
Ah ! poor my lord,40 what tongue shall smooth thy
name,
When I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it ? —
But, wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my couiin ?
That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband :
Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring ;
Your tributary drops belong to woe,
Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy.
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain ;
And Tybalt's Mead, that would have slain my
husband:
All this is comfort; wherefore weep I, then ?
Some worci there was, worser than Tybalt's death,
That murder'd me : I would forget it fain ;
a fashion of the time. Sydney's "Arcadia" abounds with
them : and Shakespeare's page affords several examples. See
Note 35, Act iii., " Love's Labour's Lost ; " and Note 19, Act i.
of the present play. We here take occasion to observe upon
the many vestiges of coincident thought and style that are to be
traced between "Romeo and Juliet" and "Love's Labour's
Lost," tending strongly to support our belief that the two
dramas were written by their author at periods of his life not
far removed from each other. See Note 34, Act ii.
38. Aqua vita;- ' Water of life.' A name generally used in
old time for spirituous liquors, or strong waters ; probably here
meaning brandy. See Note 54, Act ii., "Merry Wives."
39. Beast. Here used to express a creature void of natural
feeling, a monster, an unnatural woman. See Note 25, Act iii ,
" Measure for Measure."
40. Ah 1 poor my lord. Shakespeare more than once has
this transposed construction in phrases where the word " poor"
occurs. See Note 20, Act v., " Troilus and Cressida."
176
Act III.j
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Romeo. Father, what news 1 what is the prince's doom ?
Act 111. Scent 111.
But, oh, it presses to my memory,
Like damned guilty deeds to sinners' minds:
" Tybalt is dead, and Romeo — •banishfed ;"
That " banished," that one word " banished,
Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts.41 Tybalt's death
Was woe enough, if it had ended there :
Or, — if sour woe delights in fellowship,
And needly will be42 rank'd with other griefs, —
Why follow'd not, when she said — Tybalt's dead,
Thy father, or thy mother, nay, or both,
Which modern lamentation might have mov'd?43
But with a rear-ward following Tybalt's death,
41. Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts. 'Hath afflicted me
more than the death of ten thousand Tybalts.'
42. And needly will be. A form of our modern idiom, 'and
needs must be.' Shakespeare has here coined an excellent word,
" needly," which is not given among dictionary words, but which
it would be well to adopt into our language as good English.
43. Which modern lamentation might have mov'd. ' Which
" Romeo is banished, " — to speak that word,
Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet,
All slain, all dead : — " Romeo is banished," —
There is no end, no limit, measure, bound,
In that word's death; no words can that woe
sound. —
Where is my father, and my mother, nurse ?
Nurse. Weeping and wailing over Tybalt's
corse :
Will you go to them ? I will bring you thither.44
'Jul. Wash they his wounds with tears:46 mine
shall be spent,
might have brought forth ordinary lamentation.' See Note 67,
Act hi., " King John."
44. Will you go to them? I wilt bring yon thither. "Bring"
is here used for 'accompany,' 'conduct.' 'escort .' and "thither
is employed in the same way as "there" in the passage p
out in Note 72, Act ii.
45 Wash they his wounds with tears. ' Let them wash his
Iv'l
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
When theirs are dry, for Romeo's banishment.
Take up those cords: — poor ropes, you are be-
guil'd,
Both you and I ; for Romeo is exil'd :
He made you for a highway to my bed ;
But I, a maid, die maiden-widowed.
Nurse. Hie to your chamber: I'll find Romeo
To comfort you: — I wot well where lie is.
Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at night :
I'll lo him; he is hid at .Laurence' cell.
Jul. Oh, rind him! give this ring to my true
knight,
And bid him come to take his last farewell.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Friar Laurence's Cell.
Enter Friar Laurence.
Fri. L. Romeo, come forth ; come forth, thou
fearful man :
Affliction is enamour'd of thy parts,
And thou art wedded to calamity.
Enter Romeo.
Rom. Father, what news ? what is the prince's
doom ?
What sorrow craves acquaintance at my hand,
That I yet know not?
Fri. L. Too familiar
Is my dear son with such sour company :
I bring thee tidings of the prince's doom.
Rom. What less than dooms-day is, the prince's
doom ?
Fri. L. A gentler judgment vanish'd from his
lips,—
Not body's death, but body's banishment.
Rom. Ha ! banishment ? be merciful, say —
death ;
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death : do not say — banishment.
Fri. L. Hence from Verona art thou banished :
Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.
Rom. There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence banished is banish'd from the world,
And world's exile is death: — then banished,
Is death mis-term'd : calling death — banishment,
Thou cutt'st my head off with a golden axe,
And smil'st upon the stroke that murders me.
wounds with tears.' This form of the imperative mood is to
be found elsewhere in Shakespeare. See Note 22, Act ii.,
"Richard II."
46. Rush'd. Here used for ' forcibly pushed,' ' violently
put,' or ' thrust.'
47. But Romeo .... And say 'st thou yet. These two
lines are transposedly printed in the Folio ; and there are slight
variations of the passage in the Quarto copies.
Fri. L. Oh, deadly sin! oh, rude unthankful-
ness !
Thy fault our law calls death ; but the kind
prince,
Taking thy part, hath rush'd46 aside the law,
And turn'd that black word death to banishment :
This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not.
Rom. 'Tis torture, and not mercy : heaven is
here,
Where Juliet lives; and every cat, and dog,
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven, and may look on her ;
But Romeo may not : — more validity,
More honourable state, more courtship lives
In carrion flies than Romeo: they may seize
On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand,
And steal immortal blessing from her lips ;
Who, even in pure and vestal modesty,
Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin ;
This may flies do, when I from this must fly : —
But Romeo may not, — be is banished :
And say'st thou yet,47 that exile is not death ?
Hadst thou no poison mix'd, no sharp-ground
knife,
No sudden mean of death,43 though ne'er so mean,
But — " banished" — to kill me, — " banished" ?
Oh, friar, the doomed use that word in hell
Howlings attend it: how hast thou the heart,
Being a divine, a ghostly confessor,
A sin-absolver, and my friend profess'd,
To mangle me with that word " banishe i " ?
Fri. L. Thou fond mad man, hear me but speak
a word.
Rom. Oh, thou wilt speak again of banish-
ment.
Fii. L. I'll give thee armour to keep off that
word ;
Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy,
To comfort thee, though thou art banished.
Rom. Yet "banished"? — Hang up philosophy!
Unless. philosophy can make a Juliet,
Displant a town, reverse a prince's doom,
It helps not, it prevails not : talk no more.
Fri. L. Oh, then I see that madmen have no
ears.
Rom. How should they, when that wise men
have no eyes?
Fri. L. Let me dispute with thee of thy estate.49
Rom. Thou canst not speak of that thou dost
not feel :
48. No sudden mean of death. Shakespeare occasionally uses
" mean " where now ' means ' would be employed (see Note 62,
Act i., "Richard III ") : and in the present instance, by so
doing, he affords opportunity for a play upon the word.
49. Dispute with the.- of thy estate. " Dispute " is here used
for 'reason,' 'argue,' 'debate' (see Note 46. Act iv., "Twelfth
Night"); and "estate" for 'condition,' ' state of affairs.' See
Note 59, Act i!i., " Merchant of Venice."
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,
An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,
Doting like me, and like me banished,
Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear
thv hair,
Ami tall upon the ground, as I do noiv,
Taking the measure of an unmade grave.
[Knocking 'within.
Fri. L. Arise ; one knocks ; good Romeo, hide
thyself.
Rom. Not I ; unless the breath of heart-sick
groans,
Mist-like, infold me from the search of eves.
[Knocking.
Fri. L. Hark, how they knock ! — Who's there ?
— Romeo, arise ;
Thou wilt be taken. — Stay awhile! — Stand up ;
[Knocking.
Run to my study. — By-and-by ! — God's will,
What wilfulness is this !— I come, I come!
[Knocking.
Who knocks so hard ? whence come you ? what 's
your will ?
Nurse. [Within."] Let me come in, and you shall
know my errand ;
I come from Lady Juliet.
Fri. L. Welcome, then.
Enter Nurse.
Nuise. Oh, holy friar, oh, tell me, holy friar,
Where is my lady's lord, Where's Romeo ?
Fri. L. There on the ground, with his own
tears made drunk.
Nurse. Oh, he is even in my mistress' case,
Just in her case !
Fri. L. Oh, woful sympathy!
Piteous predicament!3"
Nurse. Even so lies she,
Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubber-
ing.—
Stand up, stand up ; stand, an you be a man :
For Juliet's sake, for her sake, rise and stand ;
Why should you fall into so deep an O f51
Rom. Nurse !
Nurse. Ah ! sir, ah ! sir, — Well, death's the end
of all.
Rom. Spak'st thou of Juliet ? how is it with
her ?
Doth she not think me an old murderer,
Now I have stain* d the childhood of our joy
With blood remov'd but little from her own ?
Where is she? and how doth she? and what
says
My conccal'd lady5- to our cancell'd love ?
Nurse. Oh, she says nothing, sir, but weeps and
weeps ;
And now falls on her bed ; and then starts up,
And Tybalt calls; and then on Romeo cries,
And then down falls again.
Rom. As if that name,
Shot from the deadly level of a gun,
Did murder her; as that name's cursed hand
Murder'd her kinsman. — Oh, tell me, friar, tell
me,
In what vile part of this anatomy53
Doth my name lodge ? tell me, that I may sack
The hateful mansion. [Draining his sword.
Fri. L. Hold thy desperate hand :
Art thou a man ? thy form cries out thou an :
Thy tears are womanish ; thy wild acts denote
The unreasonable fury of a beast :
Unseemly woman in a seeming man!
Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both !H
Thou hast amaz'd me : by my holy order,
I thought thy disposition better temper'd.
Hast thou slain Tybalt ? wilt thou slay thyself?
And slay thy lady too that lives in thee,
By doing cursed hate upon thyself?
Why rail'st thou on thy birth, the heaven, and
earth ?
Since birth, and heaven, and earth, all three do
meet
In thee at once; which thou at once wouldst
lose.
Fie, fie, thou sham'st thy shape, thy love, thy
uit;
Which, like a usurer, abound'st in all,
And usest none in that true use indeed
Which should bedeck thy shape, thy love, thy
wit :
Thy noble shape is but a form of wax,
Digressing55 from the valour of a man ;
Thy dear love, sworn, but hollow perjury,
Killing that love jvhich thou hastvow'd to cherish;
Thy wit, that ornament to shape and love,
Mis-shapen in the conduct of them both,
50. Oh, wo/rd sympathy ] Piteous predicament I In the old
copies these words form part of the nurse's speech. Farmer
first pointed out that their language and manner show them to
belong to the friar.
51. So deep an O. This letter is sometimes used by Shake-
speare to express 'outcry,' 'lamentation,' 'complaint.' See
Note 10=;, Act ii.. "Twelfth Night."
5"1 My conceaVd lady. "Conceal'd " is one of Shakespeare's
elliptically used epithets; the phrase implying, 'My lady,
whose being so, together with our marriage which made her so,
is concealed from the world.'
53. Anatomy. Here used for the body, the corporeal frame.
54. A seeming man I Or ill-beseeming beast, &-'e. < I
the numerous instances where Shakespeare uses " beast "-as the
antithesis to "man." In "As You Like It," Act iv .
Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede and reading Phoebe's letter,
where occur the words, "Whiles the eye of man did woo me.
tlia* jould do no vengeance to me," adds, " Meaning me a
beast : " .is though that were the necessary sequence in oppo-
sition to " man."
55. Digressing. ' Deviating,' ' swerving.' Sec Note 33.
Act v., " Richard II."
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene IV.
Like powder in a skilled soldier's flask,56
]s set a-fire by thine own ignorance,
And thou dismember'd with thine own defence.
What ! rouse thee, man ! thy Juliet is alive,
For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead ;
There art thou happy:57 Tybalt would kill thee,
But thou slew'st Tybalt; there art thou happy
too:
The law, that threaten'd death, becomes thy
friend,
And turns it to exile ; there art thou happy :
A pack of blessings lights upon thy back ;
Happiness courts thee in her best array ;
But, like a misbehav'd and sullen wench,
Thou pout'st upon thy fortune53 and thy love: —
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.
Go, get thee to thy love, as was decreed,
Ascend her chamber, hence and comfort her :
But look thou stay not till the watch be set,
For then thou canst not pass to Mantua ;
Where thou shalt live, till we can find a time
To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends,
Beg pardon of the prince, and call thee back
With twenty hundred thousand times more joy
Than thou went'st forth in lamentation. —
Go before, nurse : commend me to thy lady
Ami hid her hasten all the house to bed,
Which heavy sorrow makes them apt unto:
Romeo is coming.
Nurse. O Lord, I could have stay'd here all
the night
To hear good counsel : oh, what learning is ! —
Mv lord, I'll tell my lady you will come.
Rom. Do so, and bid my sweet prepare to
chide.
Nurse. Here, sir, a ring she bid me give you,
sir :
Hie v on, make haste, for it grows very late. [Exit.
Rom. How well my comfort is reviv'd by
this!
Fri. L. Go hence ; good night ; and here stands
all your state :69 —
Either be gone before the watch be set,
Or by the break of day disguis'd from hence:
Sojourn in Mantua; I'll find out your man,
And he shall signify from time to time
Every good hap to you, that chances here :
Give me thy hand; 'tis late: farewell; good
night.
Rom. But that a joy past joy calls out on ine,
It were a grief, so brief to part with thee :
Farewell. [Exeunt.
56. Like powder in a sl.-ill-.vs soldier*.* flask. The ancient
English soldiers, using match-locks, instead of locks as at
present constructed, were obliged to carry a lighted match
hanging at their belts, very near to the wooden "flask" in
which they kept their powder.
57. Thy fuliet is alive .... there art thou, <SVr. " There "
in the present passage is three times used according to the
manner pointed out in Note 72, Act ii.
58. Thou pout'st upon thy fortune. The Folio gives ' pattest
vp ' instead of " pout'st upon," the reading of the 1637 Quarto.
SCENE IV. — i Room in Capulet's House.
Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Paris.
Cap. Things have fall'n out, sir, so unluckily,
That we have had no time to move our daughter :
Look you, she lov'd her kinsman Tybalt dearly,
And so did I ; — well, we were born to die. —
'Tis very late, she'll not come down to-night :
1 promise you, but for your company,
I would have been a-bed an hour ago.
Par. These times of woe afford no time to woo. — -
Madam, good night; commend me to your daughter.
L. Cap. I will, and know her mind early to-
morrow ;
To-night she is mew'd up to her heaviness.60
C.ip, Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender
Of my child's love:61 I think she ivill be rul'd
In all respects by me; nay, more, I doubt it not. —
Wife, go you to her ere you go to bed ;
Acquaint her here of my son Paris' love ;
And bid her, mark you ine, on Wednesday next —
But, sott ! what day is this ?
Par. Monday, my lord,
Cap. Monday ! ha, ha ! Well, Wednesday is
too soon,
O' Thursday let it be: o' Thursday, tell her,
She shall be married to this noble earl. —
Will you be ready ? do you like this haste ?
We'll keep no great ado, — a friend or two ,
For, hark you, Tybalt being slain so late,
It may be thought we held him carelessly,
Being our kinsman, if we revel much :
Therefore we'll have some half a dozen friends,
And there an end. But what say you to Thursday ?
Par. My lord, I would that Thursday were to-
morrow.
Cap. Well, get you gone :— o' Thursday be it,
then. —
Go you to Juliet ere you go to bed.
Prepare her, wife, against this wedding-day. — ■
Farewell, my lord. — Light to my chamber, ho! —
Afore me,6- it is so very late, that we
May call it early by-and-by -.—Good night.
[Exeunt.
59 Here stands all your state. ' Upon this depends all
your welfare.'
60. She is mewfd up to htr heaviness. 'She is keeping her-
self confined to her own room, brooding over her grief.' See
Note 10, Act i , " Midsummer Night's Dream."
61. / ivill make a desperate tender of. &*e. ' I will make a
bold proffer of,' &c. ; ' I will make a confident promise of,' &c.
62. Afore me. A form of adjuration elsewhere used by
Sbrkespeare See Note 46, Act iv., "Winter's Tale," and
N -te i3, Act i , " Coriolanus."
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
SCENE V.— Juliet's Chamber.**
Enter Romeo and Juliet.
Jul. Wilt thou be gone ? it is not yet near day :
It was- the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierc'd the fearful hollow of thine ear ;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree :cl
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.
Rom. It was the lark, the herald of the morn,
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east :
Night's candles are burnt out,65 and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
Jul. Yon light is not day-light, I know it, I :06
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,
And light thee on thy way to Mantua :
Therefore stay yet, — thou need'st not to be gone.
Rom. Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death ;
I am content, so thou wilt have it so.
I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye,
'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow :6?
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:
I have more care to stay than will to go : —
Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so.—
How is 't, my soul ? let 's talk, — it is not day.
Jul. It is, it is, — hie hence, be gone, away !
Is is the lark that sings so out of tune,
Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps.
Some say the lark makes sweet division ;03
This doth not so, for she divideth us: '
63. Juliet's chamber. The stage direction here in the Folio
is, " Enter Romeo and Juliet aloft ; " and. in the first Quarto,
"Enter Romeo and Juliet at a window." They were in-
tended to appear on the platform or balcony which was at the
back of the stage in old English theatrical times. See Note 34,
Act v., " Henry VIII."
64. Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree. It is the
nightingale's habit to sit and sing upon the same tree for
several weeks together ; and it has been observed that, in the
South, the pomegranate is a favourite with the bird for this
purpose. Into a single line a poet thus condenses a picturesque
truth, and gives local colouring to his scene.
65. Night's candles are burnt out. See Note 39, Act v.,
" Merchant of Venice."
66. / know it, I. See Note 8 of the present Act.
67. The pale reflex of Cynthia's brow. It has been proposed
to change "brow" to 'bow' here; whereby a lovely poetical
image would be lost. " Cynthia" is one of the names of Diana
[from mount Cynthus, where she was born\ and she is classi-
cally represented with a crescent moon upon her forehead : it i-
the pale reflection of this ornament of Luna's, or Cynthia's
brow, therefore, that is here beautifully alluded to.
63. Division. Here used to express the florid ornamentation
superadded by vocalists upon a simple melody, and those
brilliant runs or sequences of notes with trills and turns that a
bird sings (see Note 37, Act iii., "First Part Henry IV.") :
while the word is also played upon in its sense ol ' separation '
These tricks of the imagination, allowing the tongue to quibble
and pun while the heart is sorely tried, are frequently introduced
by the Poet of Nature. See Note j2. Act iii , " Henry VIII "
Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes;fi'J
Oh, now I would they had chang'd voices too!
Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray,
Hunting thee hence with hunts-up70 to the day.
Oh, now be gone ; more light and light it gro.vs
Rom. More light and light, — more dark and
dark our woes !
Enter Nurse.
Nurse. Madam !
Jul. Nurse?
Nurse. Your lady mother is coming to your
chamber:
The day is broke; be wary, look about. [Exit.
Jul. Then, window, let day in, and let life
out.
Rom. Farewell, farewell ! one kiss, and I'll
descend. [Descends.
Jul. Art thou gone so ? my lord, my love, my
friend !?1
I must hear from thee every day in the hour,
For in a minute there are many days :
Oh, by this count I shall be much in years,
Ere I again behold my Romeo !
Rom. Farewell !
I will omit no opportunity
That may convey my greetings, love, to thee.
Jul. Oh, think'st thou we shall ever meet
again ?
Rom. I doubt it not; and all these woes shall
serve
For sweet discourses in our time to come.
Jul. O God, I have an ill-divining soul !
Methinks I see thee, now thou art below,
69. T/te lark and loathed toad cliange eyes. It was an old
belief, — arising from the toad's having beautiful eyes with an
ugly body, and the lark's being said to have ugly eyes with a
beautiful song, — that the toad and lark had exchanged eyes, or
had had given to each of them the eyes that would more appro-
priately have belonged to the other; and Juliet wishes that
they had also exchanged voices, as then the sound now heard
by her lover and herself would have been the toad's croak,
which does not presage the approach of day, as the lark's song
is known to do.
70. lluntsup- The name given to a tune played to wake
sportsmen an I call them together : and ' the hunt's up.' or ' the
hunt is up.' was a common burden to ballads of the chase.
Cptgrave mentions that the Reveille, or morning song, to a
newly-married woman, was called 'the hunt's up.' Drayton, in
his " Polyolbion," has —
" But hunt's up to the morn, the feather'd sylvans sing;
and in his third Eclogue —
" Time plays the hunt's up to thy sleepy head.
71 Art thou gone so? my lord, my loz'e, my friend .' This
is the reading of the earliest Quarto ; the others and the Folio
read, 'Art thou gone so: Loue, Lord, ay Husband, Friend.'
Far from the word "friend" here coming as an anticlimax, it
lias supreme force; for in Shakespeare's time "friend" was
used synonymously with ' lover,* and moreover it here expresses
all that the newly-wedded Juliet feels of marital comfort, sup-
port, and protection given to her but to be torn from her in the
11 .mi -iu of its first blissful sense of possession.
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET
[ SCENl \
As one dead in the bottom ot a tomb :
Either my eyesight tails, or thou look'st pale.
Rom. And trust me, love, in my eye so do you :
Dry sorrow drinks our blood."- Adieu, adieu !
[Exit.
Jul. Oh, fortune, fortune! all men call thee
fickle:
If thou art tickle, what dost thou with him
That is renown'd for faith ? Be fickle, fortune;
For then, I hope, thou wilt not keep him long,
But send him back.
La. Cap. [It'll bin.'] Ho, daughter! are you up ?
Jul. Who is 't that calls ? is it my lady mother ?
Is she not down so late, or up so early ?7i
What unaccustomed cause procures74 her hither ?
Enter Lady Capulet.
La. Cap. Why, how now, Juliet!
Jul. Madam, I am not well.
La. Cap. Evermore weeping for your cousin's
death r
What ! wilt thou wash him from his grave with
tears ?
An if thou couldst, thou couldst not make him
live ;
Therefore, have done : some grief shows much of
love ;
But much of grief shows still some want of wit.
Jul. Yet let me weep for such a feeling loss.
La. Cap. So shall you feel the loss, but not the
friend
Which you weep for.
Jul. Feeling so the loss,
I cannot choose but ever weep the friend.
72. Dry sorrow drinks our blood. The belief that grieving
exhausts the blood, takes colour from the cheek, and impairs
the health, is more than once alluded to by Shakespeare. See
Note 42, Act iii., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
73. Is she not down so late, or 11/1 so early? This probably
means, ' Is she not lying down in her bed at so late an hour
as this, or rather is she risen from her bed at so early an hour
as this?' If the word "down" be taken in the sense of ' lying
down ' or ' Iain down.' the above is the interpretation of the
passage ; but if the word " down " be taken in the sense of
'down-stairs' and it is so used in the previous scene, where
Capulet says, " She'll not come down to-night "), the sentence
may be interpreted, ' Is she not still down-stairs at a very late
hour, or has she not arisen at a very early one ?'
7-4. Procures. ' Brings ; ' ' procures her presence.*
75. Wo man like lie doth grieve my /wart. Here "he" is
used for 'him' by a grammatical licence permitted when
Shakespeare wrote. See Note 22, Act i., "As You Like It."
76. Ay, madam, from the reach 0/ these my hands. Johnson
remarks upon this passage, "Juliet's equivocations are rather
too artful for a mind disturbed by the loss of a new lover." But
it appears to us that, on the contrary, the evasions of speech
here used by the young girl-wife are precisely those that a mind
suddenly and sharply awakened from previous inactivity, by
desperate love and grief, into self-conscious strength, would in-
stinctively use ; especially are they exactly the sort of shifts and
quibbles that a nature rendered timid by stinted intercourse
with her kind, and by comis.union limited to the innocent con-
fidences made by one of her age in the confessional, is prone to
La. Cap. Well, girl, thou weep'st not so much
for his death,
As that the villain lives which slaughter'd him.
Jul. What villain, madam ?
La. Cap. That same villain, K
Jul. Villain and he be many miles asunder.
God pardon him ! I do, with all rnv heart ;
And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.?6
La. Cap. That is, because the traitor murderer
lives.
Jul. Ay, madam, from the reach of these my
hands :"6 —
Would none but I might venge my cousin's
death !
La. Cap. We will have vengeance for it, fear
thou not:
Then weep no more. I'll send to one in Mantua, —
Where that same banish'd runagate dotli live, —
Shall give him such an unaccustoin'd" drain,
That he shall soon keep Tybalt company :
And then, I hope, thou will be satisfied.
Jul. Indeed, I never shall be satisfied
With Romeo, till I behold him — dead —
Is my poor heart so for a kinsman vex'd :
Madam, if you could find out but a man
To bear a poison, I would temper 7H it ;
That Romeo should, upon receipt thereof,
Soon sleep in quiet. Oh, how my heart abhors
To hear him nam'd, — and cannot come to him,
To wreak the love I bore my cousin Tybalt'8
Upon his body that hath slaughter'd him !
La. Cap. Find thou the means, and I'll find
such a man.
But now I'll tell thee joyful tidings, girl.
resort to, when first left to itself in difficulties of situation and
abrupt encounter with life's perplexities. The Italian-born-
aud-bred Juliet is made by our author to speak and act with
wonderful truth to her southern self. The miracle is how he,
who could draw the courageous and direct-hearted Helena, the
noble-minded Portia, the transparent-souled Imogen, could so
thoroughly divine and so naturally depict the manner in which
the two Italian girl-wives, Juliet and Desdemona, speak and
act in accordance with their southern birth and breeding. He
has drawn them exquisitely gentle, charming, winning ; but he
has given them the gentleness that blights into timidity, instead
of the gentleness that blossoms into moral courage, and has
shown how it brings fatal results. The wonder beyond this is.
how, with all his faithful denotement of the underlying defect
in their characters, he has yet contrived to make the more
beautiful portions of their characters so ineffably lovt
prevailingly and saliently attractive.
77. Unaccustom'd. 'Unusual.' 'extraordinary,' ' :
See Note 12, Act iii., " First Part Henry VI."
78. Temper. Here ostensibly used in the sense of 'mix/
' prepare,' and really used in the sense of ' mingle,' ' allay,'
'weaken by introduction of innocuous matter.'
79. To wreak the loz'c I bore my cousin Tybalt. To " wreak "
is to 'revenge 'and also to 'fulfil vehemently;' therefore " to
wreak the love I bore," &c, is said with a double
ostensibly. ' to revenge the loss I suffer in the love I bore,' &C :
and really, ' to bestow entirely the love I bore,' & '
"Tybalt." at the conclusion of this line, which is omitted in the
early copies, was supplied by the editor of the second Folio.
,83
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
Jul. And joy comes well in such a needy time :
What are they, I beseech your ladyship ?
La. Cap. Well, well, thou hast a careful father,
child;
One who, to put thee from thy heaviness,
Hath sorted out a sudden day of joy,
That thou expect'st not, nor I look'd not for.
Jul. Madam, in happy time,80 what day is that ?
La. Cap. Marry, my child, early next Thursday
morn,
The gallant, young, and noble gentleman,
The County Paris,81 at Saint Peter's Church,
Shall happily make thee there a joyful bride.
Jul. Now, by Saint Peter's Church, and Peter
too,
He shall not make me there a joyful bride.
I wonder at this haste; that I must wed
Ere he, that should be husband, comes to woo.
I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam,
I will not marry )et ; and, when I do, I swear,
It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,
Rather than Paris : — these are news indeed !
La. Cap. Here comes your father ; tell him so
yourself,
And see how he will take it at your hands.
Enter Capulet and Nurse.
Cap. When the sun sets, the air doth drizzle
dew ;82
But for the sunset of my brother's son83
It rains downright. —
How now ! a conduit, girl ? what ! still in tears ?
Evermore showering ? In one little body
Thou counterfeit's! a barque, a sea, a wind :
For still thy eyes, which I may call the sea,
Do ebb and flow with tears ; the barque thy body is,
80. In happy time. 'Opportunely,' 'aptly,' ' appositely
See Note 45, Act in., " Richard III.," and Note 34, Act i. of
the present play. The phrase was sometimes used with a touch
of petulance or implied sarcasm ; as in Bishop Lowth's Letter to
Warburton: — "And may I not hope then for the honour of
your lordship's animadversions? In good time: when the
candid examiner understands Latin a little belter ; and when
your lordship has a competent knowledge of Hebrew."
81. The County Paris. See Note 62, Act i.
82. The air doth drizzle de-ru. This is the reading of the
undated Quarto and the 1637 Quarto : while the Folio and the
other Quartos give 'earth' instead of "air." Passages have
been cited from Shakespeare to prove that he may have in-
tended 'earth' here: as, for instance, in " Richard III.," Act
v., sc. 3 — " I would these dewy tears were from the ground'/'
in " Lucrece," stanza 162 —
" As the dank earth weeps at thy languishment ; "
and again in stanza 176 —
" But as the earth doth weep, the sun being set."
Nevertheless, it must be borne in mind that, in each of these
passages, the earth is poetically represented as being Viet with
dew, rather than shedding dew : whereas the expression
"drizzle," in the text, denotes the dropping of dew, in the
same way that Shakespeare indicates it where he says [" King
John," Act ii., sc. i.) — " Before the dew of evening./*//."
Sailing in this salt flood ; the winds, thy sighs ;
Who, — raging with thy tears, and they with
them, —
Without a sudden calm, will overset
Thy tempest-tossed body. — How now, wife!
Have you delivered to her our decree ?
La. Cap. Ay, sir ; but she will none, she gives
you thanks.
I would the fool were married to her grave !
Cap. Soft ! take me with you,34 take me v. ith
you, wife.
How ! will she none ? doth she not give us thanks ?
Is she not proud ? doth she not count her bless'd,
Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought
So worthy a gentleman to be her bridegroom ?
Jul. Not proud, you have; but thankful, that
you have :
Proud can I never be of what I hate ;
But thankful even for hate, that is meant love.
Cap. How now, how now, chop-logic !85 What
is this ?
Proud, — and, I thank you, — and, I thank you
not ; —
And yet not proud : — mistress minion, you,
Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds,
But fettle86 your fine joints 'gainst Thursday next,
To go with Paris to Saint Peter's Church,
Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither.
Out, you green-sickness carrion ! out, you bag-
gage !
You tallow-face !s7
La. Cap. Fie, fie ! what ! are you mad ?
Jul. Good father, I beseech you on my knees,
Hear me with patience but to speak a word.
Cap. Hang thee,88 young baggage ! disobedient
wretch !
83. My brother's son. It is probable that here " brother's "
is used for 'brother-in-law's' (see Note 5, Acti., "Third Part
Henry VI.," and Note 4, Act iv., "Richard III."), as Lady
Capulet says in the first scene of the present Act, "Tybalt,
my cousin ! Oh, my brother s child ! "
84. Take me with yon An idiomatic phrase, signifying ' let
me understand you,' ' let me follow your meaning.' See Note
136, Act ii., "First Part Henry IV."
85. Chop-logic. That this was used as a nick-name is shown
by a passage from "The XXII1I. Orders of Knaves:" —
" Choplogyk is he that whan his mayster rebuketh his servaunt
for his defawtes, he will gyve hyin XX. words for one."
86. Fettle. An old word, and still in provincial use, signify-
ing ' prepare,' ' make ready,' ' adjust,' ' put in order.'
87. Yon tallow-face! Even in these coarsely abusive terms
with which the irate old man loads his daughter, how well the
dramatist contrives to paint and set before our imagination the
pale face of Juliet ; white with suppressed feeling, and almost
livid under the momentary impulse to throw herself at her
father's feet and confess all.
88. Hear me with patience .... Hang thee, <zVf. We
here see the root of Juliet's prevarication : irrational violence if
she attempt to offer remonstrance instead of blind obedience, or
if she think for a moment of honest avowal. This is the way to
convert original candour of disposition into timid misprision of
truth, and artlessness into artfulness. Wise, and good, and
moral Shakespeare !
VOL W
Act III.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
I tell thee what,— get thee to church o' Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face :
Speak not, reply not, do not answer me ;
My fingers itch.— Wife, we scarce thought us
bless'd
That God had lent us but this only child ;m
But now I see this one is one too much,
And that we have a curse in having her :
Out on her, hilding!90
Nurse. God in heaven bless her ! —
You are to blame, my lord, to rate her so.
Cap. And why, my lady wisdom ? hold your
tongue,
Good prudence ; smatter with your gossips, go.
Nurse. I speak no treason.
Cap. Oh, give ye good-den.
Nurse. May not one speak ?
Cap. Peace, you mumbling fool
Utter your gravity o'er a gossip's bowl ;
For here we nee*i it not.
La. Cap. You are too hot.
Cap. God's bread !91 it makes me mad :
Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play,
Alone, in company, still my care hath been
To have her match'd : and having now provided
A gentleman of noble parentage,
Of fair demesnes, youthful, and nobly train'd,
Stuft'd (as they say) with honourable parts,
Proportion'd as one's thought would wish a man, —
And then to have a wretched puling fool,
A whining mammet,92 in her fortune's tender,93
To answer — " I'll not wed," — " I cannot love," —
" I am too young," — " I pray you, pardon me;" —
But, an you will not wed, I'll pardon you :
Graze where you will, you shall not house with me.
Look to 't, think on 't, I do not use to jest.
Thursday is near ; lay hand on heart, advise :94
89- Had lent us but this only child. The first Quarto gives
' sent ' for " lent," which is the word given in the Folio and all
the other Quartos. We think it possible that ' left ' may have
been originally written by the author here ; because, in a
previous scene, Capulet speaks as if he had had other children
born to him, who died young. See Note 2S, Act i.
90 Hilding. ' Degenerate creature,' ' base and despicable
girl.' See Note 4, Act ii., "Taming of the Shrew."
9r. God's bread! We have had more than one occasion to
observe upon Shakespeare's accurately appropriate exclamations,
imprecations, and adjurations. See Note 11, Act i., "Merchant
of Venice," and Note 31, Act ii. of the present play. Here,
the solemn expression, " God's bread ! " put into the mouth of
the furious Capulet, is in strict accordance with what we still
hear in Italy from the mouths of angry quarrellers ; who often
use its equivalent in the words, ' Per I'Ostia.' I'll make you rue
it ! ' or, ' Per I'Ostia ! you shall pay for this !
92. Mammet. ' Puppet,' 'doll.' See Note 57, Act ii.,
"First Part Henry IV." In Archbishop Trench's admirable
book " On the Study of Words," he traces the origin of this
word to ' Mahomet : ' because the religion of the Arabian
prophet was synonymous in the minds of English Christians
with idolatry, it being forgotten that the most characteristic
feature and chief glory of Mahometanism is its protest against
all idol-worship whatsoever. From this original error and in-
justice arose the habit of applying the word "mammet" (a
An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend ;
An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die i' the streets,
For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee,
Nor what is mine shall never do thee good :
Trust to 't, bethink you ; I'll not be forsworn.
\_Exit.
Jul. Is there no pity sitting in the clouds,
That sees into the bottom of my grief? —
Oh, sweet my mother, cast me not away !
Delay this marriage for a month, a week ;
Or, if you do not, make the bridal bed
In that dim monument where Tybalt lies.
La. Cap. Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a
word :
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee. [Exit.
Jul. O God ! — Oh, nurse, how shall this be pre-
vented ?
My husband is on earth, my faith in heaven ;
How shall that faith return again to earth,
Unless that husband send it me from heaven
By leaving earth ? — comfort me, counsel me. —
A lack, alack, that heaven should practise stratagems
Upon so soft a subject as myself ! — •
What say'st thou ? hast thou not a word of joy ?
Some comfort, nurse.
Nurse. Faith, here it is.
Romeo is banish'd ; and all the world to nothing, 9i
That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you ;'6
Or, if he do, it needs must be by stealth.
Then, since the case so stands as now it doth,
I think it best you married with the county.
Oh, he's a lovely gentleman !
Romeo's a dishclout to him : an eagle, madam,
Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an e)e9?
As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart,
I think you are happy in this second match,
For it excels your first : 9S or if it did not,
corruption of ' Mahomet ' ) not only to idols or religious images,
but to dolls and puppets.
93. In her fortune 's tender. 'In the moment when good
fortune presents itself to her.'
94. Advise. ' Reflect,' ' consider.'
95. All the -world to nothing. An elliptical and idiomatic
phrase, signifying, ' 'Tis all the world to nothing,' or ' I'd
stake all the world against nothing.' See Note 43, Act i.,
"Richard III."
96. To challenge you. ' To claim you,' 'to declare you his ;'
and 'to call you to answer for what you do,' 'to accuse you.'
The word was used in both these senses by writers of Shake-
speare's time, and it was his mode to include several meanings
in one comprehensive word.
97 So green, so quick, so fair an eye. The brilliant touch of
green visible in very light hazel eyes, and which gives wonderful
clearness and animation to their look, has been admiringly
denoted by various poets from time immemorial ; while Lord
Bacon observes, " Eyes, somewhat large, and the circles of
them inclined to greenness, are signs of long life."
98. This sec nd match, /or it excels your first : or if it did
not .... as good he were . ... no use of him. This sentence
presents a point of study in Shakespeare's method of using
relative words in a sentence : "it" refers to " second match ;"
then "first" relates to "match;" then "he" and "him"
relate to " first"
186
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Your first is dead ; or 'twere as good he were,
As living here" and you no use of him.
Jul. Speakest thou from thy heart?
Nurse. And from my soul too;
Or else beshrew them both.
Jul. Amen!
Nurse. What?
Jul. Well, thou hast comforted me marvellous
much.
Go in ; and tell my lady I am gone,
Having displeas'd my father, to Laurence' cell,
To make confession and to be absolv'd.
Nurse. Many, 1 will ; and this is wisely done.
[Exit.
Jul. Ancient perdition ! Oh, most wicked fiend!
Is it more sin to wish me thus forsworn,
Or to dispraise my lord with that same tongue
Which she hath prais'd him with above compare
So many thousand times ?— Go, counsellor;
Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain. —
I'll to the friar, to know his remedy :
If all else fail, myself have power to die. [Exit.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Friar Laurence's Cell.
Enter Friar Laurence and Paris.
Fri. L. On Thursday, sir? the time is very
short.
Par. My father Capulet will have it so ;
And I am nothing slow, to slack his haste.1
Fri. L. You say you do not know the lady's
mind :
Uneven is the course, I like it not.
Par. Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death,
And therefore have I little talk'd of love ;
For Venus smiles not in a house of tears.
Now, sir, her father counts it dangerous
That she doth give her sorrow so much sway ;
And, in his wisdom, hastes our marriage,
Ts stop the inundation of her tears ;
Which, too much minded by herself alone,
May be put from her by society :
Now do you know the reason of this haste.
Fri. L. \_Aside.~\ I would I knew not why it
should be slow'd.2
Look, sir, here comes the lady towards my cell.
Enter Juliet.
Par. Happily met, my lady and my wife !
Jul. That may be, sir, when I may be a wife.
99. As living here. ' As living in this world.'
1. / am nothing slew, to slack his haste. This sentence
offers a notable instance of Shakespeare's elliptical style ; which
is sometimes, as here, so condensed as to give, superficially
viewed, the contrary effect to the one intended. Besides his
condensation, it must also be borne in mind that he frequently
uses the word "to" with great latitude of significance ; and
thert we shall see that Paris is meant to say, ' I am not slow
in my own desire to have the wedding speedily, a slowness
which would tend to slacken his haste.' We here take occasion
to point out the remarkably few instances of elliptical diction in
the present play. It was a form that he used but sparingly in
Par. That may be must be, love, on Thursday
next.
Jul. What must be, shall be.
Fri. L. That's a certain text.
Par. Come you to make confession to this
father ?
Jul. To answer that, I should confess to you.
Par. Do not deny 10 him that you love me.
Jul. I will confess to you that I love him.
Par. So will you, I am sure, that you love me.
Jul. If I do so, it will be of more price,
Being spoke behind your back, than to your face.
Par. Poor soul, thy face is much abus'd with
tears.
Jul. The tears have got small victory by that ;
For it was bad enough before their spite.
Par. Thou wrong'st it, more than tears, with
that report.
Jul. That is no slander, sir, which is a truth ;
And what I spake, I spake it to my face.
Par. Thy face is mine, and thou hast slandei M it.
Jul. It may be so, for it is not mine own. —
Are you at leisure, holy father, now ;
Or shall I come to you at evening mass !-3
Fri. L. My leisure serves me, pensive daughter,
now. —
My lord, we must entreat the time alone.
his earlier dramas : whereas, in his latter ones, it occurs per-
petually. As his habit of writing and facility of expression
increased, so his power of condensed and inclusive phraseology
strengthened ; while his own taste and judgment made him
ever more and more exercise it as a skill in itself and as pro-
ductive of the most vigorous effect.
2. Slow'd. To ' slow ' was a verb used in Shakespeare's time.
3. Evening mass. Meaning 'vespers,' "Mass" is always
performed during the morning. The word "mass" is here
employed in the general sense of 'service,' 'office,' 'prayer;'
while, on the contrary, the Italians usually apply their word
funzione to 'high mass' only, though in strictness it means
' divine service' generally.
187
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
Par. God shield I should disturb devotion ! —
Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse ye:
Till then, adieu ; and keep this holy kiss. [Exit.
Jul. Oh, shut the door ! and when thou hast
done so,
Come weep with me ; past hope, past cure, past
help!
Fri. L. Ah ! Juliet, I already know thy grief;
It strains me past the compass of my wits :
I hear thou must, and nothing may prorogue4 it,
On Thursday next lie married to this county.
Jul. Tell me not, friar, that thou hear'st of this
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it :
If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help,
Do thou but call my resolution wise,
And with this knife I'll help it presently.
God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;
And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd,
Shall be the label to another deed,5
Or my true heart with treacherous revolt
Turn to another, this shall slay them both :
Therefore, out of thy long-experienc'd time,
Give me some present counsel ; or, behold,
'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife6
Shall play the umpire ; arbitrating that
Which the commission7 of thy years and art
Could to no issue of true honour bring.
Be not so long to speak ;8 I long to die,
If what thou speak'st speak not of remedy.
Fri. L. Hold, daughter : I do spy a kind of hope,
Which craves as desperate an execution
As that is desperate which we would prevent.9
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,
Then is it likely thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame,
That cop'st with death himself to scape from it;
4. Prorogue. See Note 16, Act ii.
5. The label to another deed. Instead of being placed on the
deeds themselves, seals of attestation were placed upon labels
on slips of parchment, which were appended to the deeds. See
Note 20, Act v., " Richard II."
6. 'Twixt my extremes and me, &*c, 'This dagger shall
decide the struggle between me and my distresses.'
7. Commission. Here used for 'authority.' See Note 47,
Act i., " Winter's Tale."
8. Be not so long to speak. Admirably has Shakespeare
maintained the native warmth and eagerness with youthful
impatience that characterise Juliet throughout. Compare her
breathless flutter, her rapid utterance, her quick and almost
anticipative course "if thought, making her several times break
in upon her lover's speech and interrupt him ere he can finish
what lie is about to say, during the dialogue in the garden scene
(see Noto 21, Act ii. ) ; compare all this with her conduct and
diction in tho present scene, and observe how wonderfully
the character is preserved from first to last. The constraint
with sparing hpeoch, too, visible in Juliet when with her parents,
as contrasted with her free outpouring flow of words when she
is with her lover, her father-confessor, or her nurse — when, in
short, she is her natural self and at perfect ease — is equally true
to characteristic delineation. The young girl, the very young
girl, the girl brought up as Juliet has been reared, the youthful
And, if thou dar'st, I'll give thee remedy.
'Jul. Oh, bid me leap, rather than marry Pari-,
From of! the battlements of yonder tower;
Or walk in thievish ways ; or bid me lurk
Where serpents are ; chain me with roaring bears ;
Or shut me nightly in a charnel-house,
OYr-cover'd quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky shanks, and yellow chapless skulls ;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave,
And hide me with a dead man in his shroud ;'"
Things that, to hear them told, have made me
tremble ;
And I will do it without fear or doubt,
To live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love.
Fri. L. Hold, then ; go home, be merry, give
consent
To marry Paris : Wednesday is to-morrow ;
To-morrow night look that thou lie alone,
Let not thy nurse lie with thee in thy chamber:
Take thou this vial, being then in bed,
And this distille I liquor drink thou off:
When, presently, through all thy veins shall run
A cold and drowsy humour ; for no pulse
Shall keep his native progress, but surcease :"
No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou liv'st ;
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade
To paly ashes ; thy eyes' windows fall,
Like death, when he shuts up the day of life ;
Each part, depriv'd of supple government,
Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death :
And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes
To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead :
Then (as the manner of our country is)
In thy best robes, uncover'd, on the bier,12
southern maiden lives and breathes in every line by which
Shakespeare has set her before us.
9 Which craves as desperate an execution as tint is
desperate which we would prevent. It is interesting to observe
how different is the style here, in one of Shakespeare's earlier
written plays, from the style in his later ones. The repetition
of the word " desperate," the precision of statement in this
comparison, is utterly contrary to the conciseness, the elliptical
condensedness which we find in the comparisons from Shake-
speare's hand at a later date. See, for instance, Note 51, Act
iv., " Troilus and Cressida : " Note 37, Act ii., " Coriolanus ;"
and Note 145, Act iv., "Winter's Tale," among a multitude of
others.
10. With a dead man in his shroud. "Shroud" is the word
given in this line by the undated Quarto. The other Quartos
omit it altogether ; while the Folio, by an error, repeats "grave "
from the previous line in substitution for " shroud " here.
11. Surcease. An ancient form of ' cease,' 'stop.' See Note
77, Act hi., " Coriolanus."
12. /« thy best robes, uncovered, on the bier. The ancient
Italian custom, here recorded, of bearing a dead body to the
grave richly attired, and with the face " uncovered," still
prevails in many parts of Italy, It is mentioned in Arthur
Brooke's poem on the subject of " Romeo and Juliet," and also
in Coryat's " Crudities."
188
Acr IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene II.
Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault
Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.
In the meantime, against thou shall awake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift ;
And hither shall he come : and he and I
Will watch thy waking, and that very night
Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua.
And this shall free thee from this present shame ;
If no inconstant toy,13 nor womanish fear,
Abate thy valour in the acting it.
Jul. Give me, give me ! Oh, tell not me of
fear !
Fri. L. Hold ; get you gone, be strong and
prosperous
In this resolve : I'll send a friar with speed
To Mantua, with my letters to thy lord.
Jul. Love give me strength ! and strength shall
help afford.
Farewell, dear father! [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Hall in Capulet's Houte.
Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, and
Servant.
Cap. So many guests invite as here are writ. —
[Exit First Servant.
Sirrah, go hire me twenty cuaning cooks.14
Sec. Ser-v. You shall have none ill, sir ; for I'll
try if they can lick their fingers.
Cap. How canst thou try them so ?
Sec. Ser<v. Marry, sir, 'tis an ill cook that
cannot lick his own fingers:16 therefore he that
cannot lick his fingers goes not with me.
Cap. Go, be gone. — [Exit See. Servant.
We shall be much unfurnish'd for this time.—
What ! is my daughter gone to Friar Laurence?
13. Toy. 'Freak,' 'whim,' 'triviality.'
14. Twenty cunning cooks. The elaborate cookery which
was a part of feasting formerly required a staff of culinary
artists that appear impossibly enormous now-a-days. Moreover,
Capulet's previous declaration in Act iii., sc. 4, " We'll keep no
great ado, — a friend or two," must be taken as said in the same
spirit of affected unostentation as his words, "We have a
trilling foolish banquet towards" (see Note 104, Act i. I ; while
his anxious desire here to have all things done in a spirit
of lavish profusion is in accordance with his fussy hospitality
when he holds his " old accustomed feast," and gives his ball-
supper in the early part of the play.
15. Cannot lick his oivnjiugers. Puttenham, in his "Arte
of English Poesie," 1589, gives the proverbial saying here
alluded to s—
" As the olde cocke crowes, so doeth the chicke :
A bad cooke that cannot his owne fingers licke."
16. He may chance to do some good on Jier. A similar form
of idiomatic expression is used by Glendower, where he says
of his daughter, Lady Mortimer, " One that no persuasion
can do good upon." And he calls her by the same rough name,
"a peevish self-will'd harlotry," as Capulet here applies to his
daughter Juliet. See Note 34, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV."
Nuise. Ay, forsooth.
Cap. Well, he may chance to do some good on
her : '«
A peevish self-will'd harlotry it is.
Nurse. See where she comes from shrift with
merry look.
F.iiicr Juliet.
Cap. How now, my headstrong ! where have
you been gadding ?
Jul. Where I have learn'd me to repent the
sin
Of disobedient opposition
To you and your behests ; and am enjoin'd
By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here,
And beg your pardon : — pardon, I beseech you !
Henceforward I am ever rul'd by you.
Cap. Send for the county ; go tell him of this :
I'll have this knot knit up to-morrow morning.
Jul. I met the youthful lord at Laurence' cell ;
And gave him what becomel17 love I might,
Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty.
Cap. Why, I am glad on 't ; this is well, — gland
up,—
This is as 't should be. — Let me see the county ;
Ay, marry, go, I say, and fetch him hither. —
Now, afore Heaven, this reverend holy friar,
All our whole city is much bound to him.
Jul. Nurse, will you go with me into my closet,
To help me sort such needful ornaments
As you think fit to furnish trie to-morrow ?
La. Cap. No, not till Thursday; there is time
enough.
Cap. Go, nurse, go with her : — we'll to church
to-morrow. [Exeunt Juliet and Nurse.
La. Cap. We shall be short in our provision :
'Tis now near night.13
Cap. Tush, I will stir about,
17. Beamed. Here used for 'becoming;' the passive form
of participle and the active form of participle were sometimes
used the one for the other. See Note 56, Act iii. , " King John."
18. 'Tis ntr.v near night. On this passage Malone has a
note, ending with the observation, "This is one out of the
many instances of our author's inaccuracy in the computation of
time." That which appeared to Mr. Malone and other con-
temporary critics to be " inaccuracy," and subject for sneering
censure (see Note 96, Act ii., " Merchant of Venice"), has since
been discovered to result from accurate system, and to deserve
the highest admiration. See Notes 1 and 35, Act iv., " Measure
for Measure;" Notes 7, 10, 54, and 55, Act iii., "Merchant
of Venice;" Note 78, Act iii., "First Part Henry IV ;" and
Note 75, Act ii. of this play. If the indications of time be care-
fully examined throughout the present play, we shall sec how
assiduously and ingeniously the dramatist has taken pains to trace
it all along. In the first scene, the prince desires Capulet to go
with him at once, and Montague to come to him "this after-
noon," to know his pleasure in the affair of the street-brawl
between their rival houses ; in the second scene, Capulet speaks
of Montague being "bound," as well as himself, which in-
dicates that the prince's charge has just been given to both of
them, and shortly after speaks of the festival which is t.. take
place at his house "this night." On the night of the festival
189
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
And all things shall be well, 1 warrant thee, wife :
Go thou to Juliet, help to deck up her ;
I'll not to bed to-night ; — let me alone ;
I'll play the housewife tor this once. — What, ho ! —
They are all forth : well, I will walk myself
To County Paris, to prepare him up
Against to-morrow : my heart is wondrous light,
Since this same wayward girl is so reclaim'd.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Juliet's Chamber.
Enter Juliet and Nurse.
Jul. Ay, those attires are best: — but, gentle
nurse,
I pray thee, leave me to myself to-night
lror I have need of many orisons
To move the heavens to smile upon my state,
Which, well thou know'st, is cross and full of sin.
Enter Lady Capulet.
La. Cap. What! are you busy, ho? need you
my help ?
Jul. No, madam ; we have cull'd such neces-
saries
As are behoveful for our state to-morrow :
So please you, let me now be left alone,
And let the nurse this night sit up with you ;
For, I am sure, you have your hands full all,
In this so sudden business.
La. Cap. Good night':
Get thee to bed, and rest ; for thou hast need.
[Exeunt Lady Capulet and Nurse.
Jul. Farewell ! — God knows when we shall
meet again.
Romeo sees Juliet in the garden, when she speaks of sending to
him "to-morrow;" and on that 'morrow' the lovers are
united by Friar Laurence. The third Act opens with the scene
where Tyhalt kills Mercutio, and during which scene Romeo's
words, " Tybalt, that an hour hath been my kinsman," show
that the then time is the afternoon of the same day ; the friar,
at the close of sc. iii. of that Act, bids Romeo " good-night ; ''
and in the next scene, Paris, in reply to Capulet's inquiry.
"What day is this?" replies "Monday, my lord" This, by
the way, denotes that the "old accustomed feast" of the
Capulet family, according to a usual practice in Catholic
countries, was celebrated on a Sunday evening. In sc. 5 of
Act iii. comes the parting of the lovers at dawn of Tuesday
morning, when Lady Capulet comes to her daughter's room,
and when, at the close of the scene, Juliet says she shall
repair to Friar Laurence's cell. Act iv. commences with her
appearance there, thus carrying on the action during the same
day. Tuesday. But the effect of long time is introduced by
the mention of " ez'ening mass," and by the friar's detailed
directions and reference to " to-morrow night : " so that when
the mind has been prepared by the change of scene, by
Capulet's anxious supervision of his household preparations for
the wedding, and by Juliet's return to filial submission, there
seems no violence done to the imagination by Lady Capulet's
remarking. " 'Tis now near night." Nay, it is one of Shake-
speare's expedients in dramatic time for bringing on the period
I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins,
That almost freezes up the heat jf life :
I'll call them back again to comfort me ; —
Nurse ! — What should she do here ?
My dismal scene I needs must act alone. — ■
Come, vial. —
What if this mixture do not work at all ?
Shall I be married, then, to-morrow morning ? —
No, no ; — this shall forbid it : — lie thou there. —
[Laying doivn her dagger.1*
What if it be a poison, which the friar
Subtly hath minister'd to have me dead,
Lest in this marriage he should be dishonour'd,
Because he married me before to Romeo ?
I fear it is : and yet, methinks, it should not,
For he hath still been tried a holy man :
I will not entertain so bad a thought.20 —
How if, when I am laid into the tomb,
I wake before the time that Romeo
Come to redeem me ? there's a fearful point!
Shall I not, then, be stifled in the vault,
To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes
in,
And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes?
Or, if I live, is it not very like,
The horrible conceit of death and night,
Together with the terror of the place, —
As in a vault, an ancient receptacle,
Where, for these many hundred years, the bones
Of all my buried ancestors are pack'd ;
Where bloody Tybalt, yet but green in earth,
Lies festering in his shroud ; where, as they say,
At some hours in the night spirits resort ; —
Alack, alack, is it not like that I,
So early waking, — what with loathsome smells,
And shrieks like mandrakes'21 torn out of the earth,
That living mortals, hearing them, run mad ; —
of the catastrophe ; for Juliet retires to her own room with
the stated intention of selecting wedding attire ready for the
next morning, which her father has said shall be that of the
marriage, anticipating it by a whole day — Wednesday instead of
Thursday — thus naturally preparing for the immediate sequence
of the incidents which occupy the remainder of the fourth
Act.
19. Laying down her dagger. The stage direction here was
first supplied by Rowe ; warranted by the reading of the 1597
Quarto, which gives the line thus: — 'This shall forbid it.
Kni/e, lye thou there.' A dagger, or, as it was commonly
called, a knife, was often worn by women formerly ; and Juliet
refers to hers in the previous scene with the friar, where she
says, " With this knife I'll help it presently."
20. / will not entertain so bad a thought. This line, found
only in the first Quarto, seems to us to be so characteristic of
Juliet, in its sweet girlish simplicity and trustfulness, that we
believe it to have been what the author wrote, and intended to
retain, and that it was omitted by mistake in the Folio and
other old copies.
21. Shrieks like mandrakes'. The fatal effects attributed to
the sound supposed to be uttered by the mandrake when rent
from the ground are described in Note 95, Act iii., " Second
Part Henry VI. ;" and in Webster's " Duchess of Matfy," 1623,
there is an illustrative passage : — " I have this night digg'd up
a mandrake, and am grown mad with it."
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scenes IV., V.
Oh, it I woke,-'- shall I not be distraught,-3
Environed with all these hideous fears ?
And madly play with my forefathers' joints ?
And pluck the mangled Tybalt from his shroud ?
And, in this rage, with some great kinsman's bone,
As with a club, dash out my desperate brains ? —
Oh, look ! methmks I see my cousin's ghost
Seeking out Romeo, that did spit his body
Upon a rapier's point: — stay, T)balt, stay ! —
Romeo, I come ! this do I drink to thee.24
[Throivs herself on the bed.
SCENE W.—Ha/l in Capulet's House.
Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.
La Cap. Hold, take these keys, and fetch more
spices, nurse.
Nurse. They call for dates'-* and quinces in tie
pastry.26
Enter Capulet.
Cap. Come, stir, stir, stir ! the second cock
hath crow'd,
The curfew bell hath rung, 'tis three o'clock :■' —
Look to the bak'd meats, good Angelica:
Spare not for cost.
Nurse. Go, you cot-quean,23 go,
Get you to bed ; faith, you'll be sick to-morrow
For this night's watching.-'9
Cap. No, not a whit : what ! I have watch'd ere
now
All night for lesser cause, and ne'er been sick.
La. Cap. Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt30 in
your time ;
But I will watch you from such watching now.
[Exeunt Lady Capulet and Nurse.
22. Oh, if I wake. The word " wake" here is the reading of
the undated Quarto, and of the 1637 Quarto ; while the Folio
and the other Quartos print 'walke.' It is worth while to
notice the inconsecutive construction in the course of the
present soliloquy ; so Shakespearianly indicative of agitation in
the speaker. The present sentence, for instance, beginning,
"Alack, alack, is it not like that I, so early waking, — what
with," &c. ; then breaking off unfinishedly. and proceeding dis-
jointedly with " Oh, if I wake, shall I not," &c. See Notes 56
and 92, Act i., " Richard III "
23. Distraught. An old form of ' distracted.'
24. Romeo, I cotue! this do I drink to thee. This line, the
reading of the 1597 Quarto, is given in the Folio thus : —
' Romeo, Romeo, Romeo, here's drinke : I drinke to thee.'
25. Dates. See Note 39, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida."
26. TIte pastry. The room where paste or pastry was made ;
as ' pantry ' was the name given to the room where bread Latin,
panis) in former times was exclusively kept ; and ' laundry' to
the one where washing old French, lavanderie] was done.
27. The citrfew bell hath rittig, 'tis three o'clock. "The
curfew bell" originally signified the bell rung at even t
Note 25, Act iv., " Measure for Measure" ' : but inasmuch as the
same bell was used for ringing the last thing at night and the
first thing in the morning, it is probable that the same term
Cap. A jealous-hood, a jealous-hood !— Now
fellow,
Enter Servants, tilth spits, togs, and baskets.
What's there ?
first Ser-v. Things for the cook, sir ; but 1
know not what.
Cap. Make haste, make haste. — [Exit First
Serv.]— Sirrah, fetch drier logs :
Call Peter, he will show thee where they are.
Sec. Ser-v. I have a head, sir, that will find out
logs,
And never trouble Peter for the matter. [Exit-.
Cap. Mass, and well said ; a merry villain,
ha!
Thou shalt be logger-head. — Good faith, 'tis day :
The county will be here with music straight,
[Music 'within.
For so he said he would : — 1 hear him near
Nurse! — wife !— what, ho! — what, nurse, I say!
Re-enter Nurse.
Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up;
I'll go and chat with Paris: — hie, make haste,
Make haste ; the bridegroom he is come already :
Make haste, I says [Exeunt.
SCENE V. — Juliet's Chamber; Juliet on
the bed.
Enter Nurse.
Nurse. Mistress! — what, mistress! — Juliet!—
fast, I warrant her, she : —
Why, lamb ! — why, lady! — fie, you slug-a-bed ! —
Why, love, I say! — madam! sweet-heart! — why,
bride ! —
came to be applied to the ringing at both periods: so that
what is here familiarly called "the curfew bell" means, more
strictly speaking, " the matin bell."
28. Cot-qtieatc. An old name for a man who meddled ami
pottered in domestic affairs that more properly belong to female
superintendence ; what, in modern phraseology, is called a
' molly-coddle.' The term survived to a much later period in
provincial use : for in No. 482 of " The Spectator " mention is
made of a country gentleman, skilled in preserving apricots,
making jellies, seasoning venison, and making pastry — " a
character who, in several places of England, goes by the name
of a cot-quean. "
29. Sick lo-morro7v for this nights watching. "F.ir" is
here used in the sense of ' on account of ' See Note 9.
"Richard III."
30. Mouse-hunt. An old name for a stoat, marten, or
accustomed to hunt for its prey in the night-time,
was formerly a term of familiar endearment for a won.
Note 73, Act i., "Twelfth Night"); which >
Capulet's sportive application of the word " mouse-hunt " to her
husband, as a hint that he had formerly been a pcriloi;
gallant. He himself boasts in the ball-scene of the da)
he wore a visor, and " could tell a whispering talc in a fair
lady's ear, such as would please.'"
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
I
Juliet. What if it be a poison, which the friar
Subtly hath ministered to have me dead. Act IV. Scene III
What! not a word ?— you take your pennyworths , La. Cap. Oh, me! oh, me! — My child, my only
Marry, and Amen, how sound is she asleep !
I must needs wake her. — Madam, madam,
madam !
What, dress'd ! and in your clothes ! and down
again !
I must needs wake you : — Lady ! lady ! lady ! —
Alas, alas! — Help, help ! my lady's dead ! —
Oh, well-a-dav, t lint ever I was born ! —
Some aqua-vita-, ho !31 — My lord ! my lady !
life,
Revive, look up, or I will die with thee ! —
Help, help! — call help.
Enter Capulet.
Cap. For shame, bring Juliet forth ; her lord is
come.
Nurse. She's dead, deceas'd, she's dead ; alack
the day !
La. Cap. Alack the day, she's dead, she's dead,
she's dead !
Cap. Ha! let me see her: — out, alas! she's
cold ;
Enter Lady CAPULET.
La. Cap. What noise is here ?
Nurse. Oh, lamentable day ! \ Her blood is settled, and her joints are stiff;
La. Cap. What is the matter ? Life and these lips have long been separated
Nurse. Look, look ! oh, heavy dav !
favourite remedy with Mistress Nurse : and she has recourse to
31. Some aqua-vita?, ho! See Note 38, Act iii. This is a it upon all occasions trying to her feelings.
Nurse. Oh, lamentable day !
Lady Capulet. Oh, woeful time !
Capulel. Death, that hath ta'en her hence to make me wail,
Ties up mv tongue, and will not let me speak.
Act IV. Scene I'.
VOL. 111.
191
Act IV.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
Death lies on her like an untimely frost
Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.
Nurse. Oh, lamentable day !
La. Cap. Oh, woeful time !
Cap. Death, that hath ta'en her hence to make
me wail,
Ties up my tongue, and will not let mo speak.
Enter Friar Laurence ami Paris, ivith
Musicians.
Fri. L. Come, is the bride ready to go to
church ?
Cap. Ready to go, but never to return : —
Oh, son, the night before thy wedding-day
Hath death lain with thy wife : — there she lies,
Flower as she was, deflowered by him.
Death is my son-in-law, death is my heir ;
My daughter he hath wedded : I will die,
And leave him all ; life, living, all is death's.32
Par. Have I thought long to sec this morning's
face,
And doth it give me such a sight as this ?
La. Cap. Accurs'd, unhappy, wretched, hateful
day !
Most miserable hour that e'er time saw
In lasting labour of his pilgrimage !
Hut one, poor one. one poor and loving child,33
But one thing to rejoice and solace in,31
And cruel death hath catch'd it from my sight!
'Nurse. Oh, woe ! oh, woeful, woeful, woeful
day !
Most lamentable day, most woeful day,
That ever, ever, I did yet behold !
Oh, day ! oh, day ! oh, day ! oh, hateful day !
Never was seen so black a day as this :
Oh, woeful day ! oh, woeful day !
Par. Beguil'd, divorced, wronged, spited, slain!
Most detestable death, by thee beguil'd,
By cruel cruel thee quite overthrown ! —
Oh, love ! oh, life ! — not life, but love in death !
Cap. Despis'd, distressed, hated, martyr'd,
kill'd!—
Uncomfortable time, why cam'stthou now
To murder, murder our solemnity ? —
Oh, child ! oh, child ! — my soul, and not my child !
Dead art thou! — alack, my child is dead ;
And with my child my joys are buried!
3^. Life, living, all is death's. "Living" is here used in
the sense of 'possessions,' ' wealth. ' See Note 47, Act v.,
" Merchant of Venice."
33. But one, poor one, one poor and loving child. See Note
8g, Act iii.
34. To rejoice and solace in. "Solace," bearing the sense of
' take comfort,' ' take delight,1 is here used as a neuter verb.
35. Confusion 's care lives not in litest- tc'i/iisions. The old
copies print ' care' for " cure." Theobald's correction.
36. Heaven /.reps his part . ... as high as heaven itself.
Example of Shakespeare's using " his" and " itself " in relation
in tlic same subject in the same sentence. See Note 52, Act v.,
" Henry V."
Fri. L. Peace, ho, for shame! confusion's cure
lives not
In these confusions.35 Heaven and yourself
Had part in this fair maid ; now Heaven hath all,
And all the better is it for the maid :
Your part in her you could not keep from death ;
But Heaven keeps his part in eternal life.
The most you sought was her promotion :
For 'twas your heaven she should be advane'd :
And weep ye now, seeing she is advane'd
Above the clouds, as high as heaven itself r36
Oh, in this love, you love your child so ill,
That you run mad, seeing that she is well :37
She's not well married that lives married long ;
But she's best married that dies married young.
Dry up your tears, and stick your rosemary33
On this fair corse ; and, as the custom is,
In all her best array bear her to church :33
For though fond nature40 bids us all lament,
Yet nature's tears are reason's merriment.
Cap. All things that we ordained festival,
Turn from their office to black funeral :
Our instruments, to melancholy bells;
Our wedding cheer, to a sad burial feast ;
Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change
Our bridal flowers serve for a buried corse,
And all things change them to the contrary.
Fri. L. Sir, go you in,— and, madam, go with
him ; —
And go, Sir Paris; — every one prepare
To follow this fair corse unto her grave ;
The heavens do lower upon you for some ill ;
Move them no more by crossing their high will.
[Exeunt Capulet, Lady Capulet, Paris,
and Friar.
First Mus. Faith, we may put up our pipes, and
be gone.
Nurse. Honest good fellows, ah ! put up, put
up;
For, well you know, this is a pitiful case. [Exit.
First Mus. Ay, by my troth, the case may be
amended.
Enter Peter.41
Pit. Musicians, oh, musicians, " Heart's ease,
Heart's ease :" oh, an you will have me live, play
" Heart's ease."
37. Seeing that she is locll. One of several allusions in
Shakespeare to the conventional mode of saying of the dead
that they are " well." See Note 2, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
38. Rosemary. This herb, being supposed to strengthen
memory, and therefore made to typify remembrance, was used
at funerals as well as at marriages. See Note 77, Act ii.
39. In all her best array bear her to church. See Note 12
of this Act.
40. Though fond nature. The old copies print * some '
in te.il of "fond," which was the correction by the editor of
the second Eolio.
41. Enter Peter. 'This is the stage direction given in the
lull ' and the latter Quartos. In the 1599 Quarto it is given
Act IV.
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene V.
First Mus. Why " Heart's ease " ?
Pet. Oh, musicians, because my heart itself
plavs " My heart is full of woe:"42 oh, play me
some merry dump,"13 to comfort me.
First Mus. Not a dump we ; 'tis no time to play
now.
Pet. You will not, then ?
First Mus. No.
Pet. I will, then, give it you soundly.
First Mus. What will you give us ?
Pet. No money, on my faith ; but the gleek,'14
— I will give you the minstrel.
First Mus. Then will I give you the serving-
creature.
Pet. Then will I lay the serving-creature's dag-
ger45 on your pate. I will carry no crotchets:46 —
I'll re you, I'll fa you ; do you note me ?47
First Mus. An you re us and fa us, you note
thus — ' Enter Will Kemp,' and in the 1609. Quarto thus — ' Enter
Will Kempe;' showing that William Kemp or Kempe origi-
nally played the part of Peter. We meet with the name of this
actor again in the first Folio ; where it appears among the pre-
fixes in "Much Ado," Act iv., sc. 2, as the name of the
performer who played the part of Dogberry. It is pleasant to
have these vestiges of men who played in Shakespeare's com-
pany : in company with him, and in the company of which he
was a member. We can fancy him giving them occasional hints
of how he would have certain characters played, and furnishing
them with many a touch of the playful or pathetic, humorous or
tragic in impersonation, as the case might be. Sec Note 1,
Act iii., "Third Part Henry VI."
42. "Heart's case." . . . "My heart is full of ".foe.'"
The names of two popular ballads in Shakespeare's time.
43. Some merry dump. A "dump" was a doleful or
plaintive air (see Note 33, Act iii., "Two Gentlemen of
Verona"); and Peter facetiously adds the epithet "merry"
with intentional discrepancy. The introduction of this grinning
scene at a juncture of such seriousness in the tragedy has been
objected to as ill-judged on the part of the dramatist ; and even
Coleridge observes, " It is difficult to understand what effect,
whether that of pity or of laughter, Shakespeare intended
to produce;" but to our minds the intention was to show how
grief and gaiety, pathos and absurdity, sorrow and jesting,
elbow each other in life's crowd ; how the calamities of existence
fall heavily upon the souls of some, while others, standing close
beside the grievers, feel no jot of suffering or sympathy. Far
from the want of harmony that has been found here, we feel it
to be one of those passing discords that produce richest and
fullest effect of harmonious contrivance. The nurse's heart-
lessness in bidding Juliet renounce Romeo for Paris, from her
Selfish desire to secure her snug place, with its comforts of good
feeding, store of aqua-zntcz, a footboy to wait upon her nurse-
ship, &c. Sec, is in strict keeping with the footboy's callous
eagerness to have his "merry dump" played to him while
the musicians are conveniently in the house, though in the very
hour of his young lady's sudden death ; and the musicians'
loitering to bandy jokes with the footboy, seenre their pay, and
get a good dinner ere they go, all combine to form the most
perfect harmony in dramatic composition.
44. T/te gleck, — I will give you the minstrel. "Gleek" is
here used punningly, in reference to its sense of 'joke,' 'jeer'
{see Note 19, Act iii., "Midsummer Night's Dream "), and to
its sense as forming a portion of the word * gleekman, " glig-
man,' or 'glee-man, which was an old term for a minstrel.
The girl-minstrel, in Walter Scott's " Fair Maid of Perth," is
railed the "glee-maiden,"
Sec. Mus. Pray you, put up your dagger, and
put out your wit.
Pet. Then have at you with my wit!4'' I will
dry-beat49 you with an iron wit, and put up my
iron dagger. — Answer me like men ■
When griping grief the heart doth wound,1*0
And doleful dumps the mind oppress,
Then music with her silver sound —
why "silver sound" ? why "music with her silver
sound " ? — What say you, Simon Catling ?51
First Mus. Marry, sir, because silver hath a
sweet sound.
Pet. Pretty I— What say you, Hugh Rebec k ! '
Sec, Mus. I say, " silver sound," because musi-
cians sound for silver.
Pet. Pretty too ! — what say you, James Sound-
post ?
Third Mus. Faith, I know not what lo say.
Pet. Oh, I cry you mercy ; you arc the singer :
45. The serving-c feature's dagger. Even in so slight a
touch as this, Shakespeare gives token of his sleepless attention
to consistency and the production of dramatic verity in effect.
Peter is thus shown to wear a knife or dagger about him, which
he draws upon the slightest occasion of threat, whether made
in joke or in earnest ; and this serves to make more natural the
point of Juliet's wearing a dagger. See Note 19 of the present
Act. So habitual is the wearing of this kind of weapon among
Italians, so constant and instinctive is their recourse to it on any
sudden emergency of menace given by themselves or received
from others, even at the present period, that not only is the knife
drawn on ordinary occasions, but in battle, in the struggle now
[July, i860] going on against Austria, the meridional soldiers
are frequently known to throw away their muskets after the first
fire and betake themselves to their knives in preference to their
bayonets when they close, man to man, with their enemies.
46. I iv ill carry no crotchets. An instance of Shakespeare's
using a familiarly known phrase, and varying it with one of his
own introduced words. See Note 76, Act ii. The effect is
given of the then well-known phrase, ' I'll not carry coals,*
meaning, 'I'll not put up with insults' (see Note r, Act i.) ;
while by introducing the word "crotchets" the joke is made
doubly applicable to the rallying musician, in the sense ol th ■
musical symbols of notes denominated " crotchets," and th
whimsies of banter sometimes jocosely so called.
47. I'll re you, I'll fa you; do you vote me? " Ren and
"fa" are terms of the gamut (see Note 53, Act iv.. " 1
I. Lb >ur's Lost ") ; while " note " is asked in the sense of 'mark,'
'observe,' and replied to in the sense the word 1"
musical notation.
48. Then have at you with my wit! These words, in the
Folio and earlier Quartos, are made to form part of the
musician's previous speech ; but, in the undated Quarto and
1637 Quarto, they are rightly assigned to Peter.
49. Dry-heat. See Note n, Act iii.
50. When griping grief &*c. This is the commencement of
a song, "In Commendation of Mustek," by Richard Ed
printed in "The Paradise of Dayntie Devises," 1576, ami in
Percy's "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry." The epithet
"griping" thus used was not deemed burlesque formerly.
Lord Surrey, in his translation of the Second B
" /Eneid," makes the ben. say—
" New gripes of dred then pearsc our trembling
51. Catling. See Note 64, Act iii., "Troilus an
52. Rebeck. An instrument somewhat resembling th
fiddle, having I e g»vcn as an ap]
name to the fiddler here,
Act V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
I will say for you. It is "music with her silver
sound," because musicians have seldom gold for
sounding :63 —
Then music with her silver sound
With speedy help doth lend redress. [£a'/7.
First Mus. What a pestilent knave is this
same !
Sec. Mus. Hang him, Jack!54 — Come, we'll in
here ; tarry for the mourners, and stay dinner.
\Rxeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— Mantua. A Street.
Enter Romeo.
Rom. If I may. trust the flattering truth of
sleep,1
My dreams presage some joyful news at hand :-
My bosom's lord sits lightly in his throne;3
And all this day an unaccustom'd spirit
Lifts me above the ground with cheerful thoughts.
I dreamt my lady came and found me dead
(Strange dream, that gives a dead man leave to
think!),
And breath'd such life with kisses in my lips,
That I reviv'd, and was an emperor.
53. Seldom gold for sounding. " Seldom " is the word in the
first Quarto ; while the other Quartos and the Folio give 'no-
instead of " seldom."
54. Jack. Used as a term of disparagement. See Note 54,
Act 1., "Richard III."
1. The flattering truth of sleep. The first Quarto reads
' eye ' here instead of " truth ;" which is the word in the Folio
andjall the other Quartos. Many editors adopt the word 'eye,'
pronouncing it to be the more intelligible word in this passage.
We greatly prefer the expression "truth of sleep ;" poetically
conveying, as it does, to our imagination the verisimilitude of
visions presented during sleep, "Flattering" is here used in
the sense of 'illusive;' as in the previous passage, Act ii.,
sc. 2 : —
" I am afeard,
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too jfattering-sweet to be substantial."
2. My dreams presage, &>c. Shakespeare has drawn Romeo
of peculiarly impressionable temperament. Very consistent
with his fancied passion for Rosaline and his sudden love for
Juliet is the susceptible imagination which causes him to say
(Act i., sc. 4), " I dreamt a dream to-night," following it up soon
afterwards by that speech of vague dread—
" My mind misgives,
Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night's revels : "
And again, in the garden scene—
" Oh, blessed, blessed night ! I am afeard,
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial."
Again, when he hears Mercutio is dead —
Ah me ! how sweet is love itself possess'd,
When but love's shadows are so rich in joy !
Enter Balthasar.
News from Verona: — How now, Balthasar!
Dost thou not bring me letters from the friar ?
How doth my lady ? Is my father well ?
How fares my Juliet ? that I ask again ;
For nothing can be ill, if she be well.
BaL Then she is well,4 and nothing can be
ill:
Her body sleeps in Capels' monument,5
And her immortal part with angels lives.
I saw her laid low in her kindred's vault,
"This day's black fate on more days doth depend ;
This but begins the woe, others must end."
While, on the contrary, equally sanguine and facile to anticipate
future good, when good presents itself to his imagination, are his
words of revived encouragement when the friar consoles him —
" How well my comfort is revived by this ■
But that a joy past joy, &c."
And also, in the same spirit, are his cheering words to his
Juliet, in the hour of their parting, when she exclaims —
"Oh, think'st thou we shall ever meet again?"
He replies —
" I doubt it not : and all these woes shall serve
For sweet discourses in our time to come."
Thoroughly young are his excitable fancy and his vivid im-
pressions ! at one moment full of dark misgivings ; at another
filled with rapturous hope and trust !
3. My bosom's lord, &»c. This exhilaration of spirits pre-
viously to the approach of misfortune is in accordance with a
popular superstition to which Shakespeare has more than once
alluded- See Note 49, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV. ; " also
the passage referred to in Note 30 of this Act.
4. Then she is well. See Note 17, Act v., "Second Part
Henry IV.," and Note 37, Act iv. of this play.
5. Capets' monument. The abbreviation of "Capels"' for
' Capulets* ' is found in the poem by Arthur Brooke on the
subject of Romeo and Juliet, which probably partly furnished
Shakespeare with the groundwork for this play : but he himself
has frequently these contracted forms of proper names, as
" Prosper" for ' Prospero.' " Helen " for ' Helena,' &c, where
the metre is accommodated by the contraction, or where an
indication of affectionate familiarity is intended as in the present
play, Act i., sc. 3, " Jule" for 'Juliet.'
196
Act V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene I.
ife H
Apothecary. Who calls so loud?
Romeo. Come hither, man.
Act V. :
And presently took post to tell it you :
Oh, pardon me for bringing these ill news,
Since you diil leave it for my office, sir.
Rom. Is it even so ? then I defy you, stars !'• —
Thou know'st my lodging : get me ink and
paper,
And hire post-horses ; I will hence to-night.
Bal. I do beseech you, sir, have patience :
Your looks are pale and wild, and do import
Some misadventure.
Rom. Tush, thou art deceiv'd :
Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do.
Hast thou no letters to me from the friar?
6. Then I defy you, stars! The Folio and all the Quartos
hut one give 'denie' here instead of "defy:" which is the
word (printed "dene"; in the first Quarto. There is a terribly
quiet depth of concentrated anguish and will in this brief
despairing ejaculation of Romeo's, that is more expressive than
a hundred raving lines of lament would be. It is noteworthy,
Bill. No, my good lord.
Rom. No matter: get thee gone,
And hire those horses; I'll be with thee straight.
[Exit Balthasar.
Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to-night.
Let's see for means : — Oh, mischief, thou art swift
To enter in the thoughts of desperate men '
I do remember an apothecary, —
And hereabouts lie dwells, — which late I noted
In tatter'd weeds,? with overwhelming brows.
Culling ot simples ;8 meagre were his looks.
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones :
And in his needy shop a tortoise hung,
too, how the few pertinent words which follow are just to the
point for dramatic purpose, and nothing more : while the
servant's observation, "Your looks arc pale and wild." furnish
significant comment.
7. Weeds. ' Garments.'
8. Simples. ' Medicinal herbs.'
Act V.J
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene Ii.
An alligator stuff 'd,9 and other skins
Of ill-shap'd fishes; and about his shelves
A beggarly account of empty boxes,
Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds,
Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses,
Were thinly scatter'd, to make up a show.
Noting this penury, to myself I said,
An if a man did need a poison now,
Whose sale is present death in Mantua,
Here lives a caitiff10 wretch would sell it him.
Oh, this same thought did but forerun my need ;
And this same needy man must sell it me.
As I remember, this should be the house :
Being holiday, the beggar's shop is shut. —
What, ho ! apothecary !
Enter Apothecary.
Ap. Who calls so loud ?
Rom. Come hither, man. — I see that thou art
poor ;
Hold, there is forty ducats: let me have
A dram of poison ; such soon-speeding gear11
As will disperse itself through all the veins,
That the life-weary taker may fall dead ;
And that the trunk may be discharg'd of breath
As violently as hasty powder fir'd
Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.
Ap. Such mortal drugs I have ; but Mantua's
law
Is death to any he that utters1- them.
Rom. Art thou so bare and full of wretched-
ness,
And fear'st to die ? famine is in thy cheeks,
Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes,
Contempt and beggary hang upon thy back,13
The world is not thy friend, nor the world's
law :
The world affords no law to make thee rich ;
Then be not poor, but break it, and take this.
9. An alligator stieffd. That this formed a customary part
of the appointments in an apothecary's shop in Shakespeare's
time is testified by a passage from Nashe's " Have with You
at Saffron Walden," 1596: — "He made an anatomic of a rat,
and after hanged her over his head, instead of an apothecary s
crocodile, or dried alligator? And that the fashion of thus
suspending it continued to a much later date, is shown by its
appearance among the accessories in Hogarth's third picture of
his series of " Marriage a la Mode."
to. Caitiff. ' Miserable,' 'spare,' 'meagre,' 'squalid.' French,
che'tif. See Note 24, Act ii. , "Measure for Measure."
n. Gear. Here used in the general sense of ' stuff,'
'matter.'
12. Utters. ' Sells,' ' vends.' See Note 87, Act v., " Love's
Labour's Lost."
13. Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes, contempt
and beggary hang upon thy back. The first Quarto gives,
instead of these two lines, the following —
" Vpon thy backc hangs ragged Miserie,
And starued Famine dwelleth in thy cheekes ;"
which show " starveth " to be the right word in the two lines as
given by the Folio, and the rest of the Quartos. Vet it has
Ap. My poverty, but not my will, consents.
Rom. I pay thy poverty,14 and not thy will.
Ap. Put this in any liquid thing you will,
And drink it off; and, if you had the strength
Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight.
Rom. There is thy gold ; worse poison to men's
souls,
Doing more murders in this loathsome world,
Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not
sell:
I sell thee poison, thou hast sold me none.
Farewell : buy food, and get thyself in flesh. —
Come, cordial, and not poison, go with me
To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Friar Laurence's Cell.
Enter Friar John.
Fri. J. Holy Franciscan friar! brother, ho !
Enter Friar Laurence.
Fri. L. This same should be the voice of Friar
John.
Welcome from Mantua : what says Romeo ?
Or, if his mind be writ, give me his letter.
Fri. J. Going to find a bare-foot brother out,
One of our order, to associate me,15
Here in this city visiting the sick,10
And finding him, the searchers of the town,
Suspecting that we both were in a house
Where the infectious pestilence did reign,
Seal'd up the doors, and would not let us forth ;
So that my speed to Mantua there was stay'd.
Fri. L. Who bare17 my letter, then, to Romeo?
Fri. J. I could not send it, — here it is again, —
Nor get a messenger to bring it thee,
been altered by Rowe and others to 'stareth ; ' Ritson observ-
ing that " need and oppression cannot, properly, be said to
starve in his eyes." As well might it be objected that contempt
and beggary cannot, strictly, be said to hang upon his back.
These arc among the bold licences of expression that poets
take, and which are full of poetic significance to poetic minds,
while affording trouble and perplexity to literal scanners. The
false concord between the two nouns and the verb in the
singular was an infringement of grammatical rule permitted in
Shakespeare's time.
14. / pay thy poverty. The Folio and two of the Quartos
give ' pray ' instead of " pay ; " which is the word in the 1597,
1637, and undated Quartos.
15. To associate me. 'To bear me company,' 'to associate
with me.' Tt was the custom for each friar, desiring leave of ab-
sence, to have one of the brothers of his order appointed by the
superior as his companion.
16. Here in this city visiting the sick. These words apply
to the " bare-footed brother : " the construction of the sen-
tence being somewhat involved. If the phrase "to associate
me" be read parenthetically, the intended consecution will be
obvious.
17. Bare. An old form of 'bore.'
198
Act V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene 111
So fearful were they of infection.13
Fri, L. Unhappy fortune! by my brotherhood,
The letter was not nice,1" but full of charge
Of deal' import ; and the neglecting it
May do much danger. Friar John, go hence;
Get me an iron crow, and bring it straight
Unto my cell.
Fri. J. Brother, I'll go and bring it thee.
Fri. L. Now must I to the monument alone ;
Within these three hours20 will fair Juliet wake:
She will beshrew me much that Romeo21
Hath had no notice of these accidents;
But I will write again to Mantua,
And keep her at my cell till Romeo come ; —
Poor living corse, clos'd in a dead man's tomb !
[Exit.
SCENE 1 1 1.— A Churchyard; in it a Monument
belonging to the CAPULETS.
Enter Paris, and his Page bearing Jtouicrs and
a torch.
Par. Give me thy torch, boy : hence, and stand
aloof; —
Yet put it out, for I would not be seen.
Under yond yew-trees22 lay thee all along,
Holding thine ear close to the hollow ground ;
So shall no foot upon the churchyard tread
(Being loose, (infirm, with digging up of graves),
But thou shalt hear it : whistle then to me,
As signal that thou hear'st something approach.
Give me those flowers. Do as I bid thee, go.
Page. [Aside.] I am almost afraid to stand alone
Here in the churchyard ; yet I will adventure.
[Retires.
Par. Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed
I strew, —
(Oh, woe, thy canopy is dust and stones !)
Which with sweet water nightly I will iie\v ;
Or, wanting that, with tears distill'd by moans :
The obsequies that I for thee will keep,
Nightly shall be, to strew thy grave and weep.
[The Page lubistles.
18. So fearful were they of infection. The manner in
which "they" is used in this sentence affords an example of
Shakespeare's employing a relatively used pronoun in refer-
ence to an implied particular; "a messenger" allowing to
be implied, in the word "they,"' those who would not under-
take to bear a message for fear of infection.
19. If ice. Here used in the sense of ' trivial,' 'insignificant,'
'of little consequence.'
20. Within this three hours. "This "is here idiomatically
used before a plural, the phrase being an ellipsis for ' this three
hours' time.' See Note 77, Act ill. , " Henry VIII."
21. Site witi beshrew me much that, cVr. ' She will invoke
mischief upon me in that,' &c. ; ' She will wish me ill because,'
&c. See Note 66, Act ii., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
22. Yond yew-trees. The Folio gives 'yond young trees;'
which is shown to be a misprint by the reading of the first
(Quarto, ' this ew-lree,'
The boy gives warning something doth approach.
What cursed foot wanders this way to-night,
To cross my obsequies and true lot e's rite '(
What! with a torch !— muffle me, night, awhile.
[Retires,
Enter RoMEO and BALTHASAR, with a torch,
mattock, &c.
Rom. Give me that mattock and the wrenching
iron.
Hold, take this letter; early in the morning
See thou deliver it to my lord and father.
Give me the light : upon thy life, I charge thee,
Whate'er thou hear'st or seest, stand all aloof,
And do not interrupt me in my course.
Why I descend into this bed of death,
Is partly to behold my lady's face ;
But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger
A precious ring, — a ring that I must use
In dear employment :23 therefore hence, begone:
But if thou, jealous,24 dost return to pry
In what I farther shall intend to do,
By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint,
And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs:
The time and my intents are savage-wild ;
More fierce and more inexorable far
Than empty tigers or the roaring sea.
Bta. I will be gone, sir, and not trouble you.
Rom. So shalt thou show me friendship. — Take
thou that :
Live, and be prosperous: and farewell, good fellow.
Bal. [Aside.] For all this same, I'll hide me
hereabout :
His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt.
[Retires.
Rom. Thou detestable25 maw, thou womb of
death,
Gorg'd with the dearest morsel of the earth,
Thus I enforce thy rolten jaws to open,
[Breaking open the door of the monument.
And, in despite, I'll cram thee with more food !
Par. This is that banish'd haughty Montague,
That murder'd my love's cousin, — with which
grief,
23. In dear employment Gems were supposed to 1
valuable properties and peculiar virtues ;see Notescj, Acl iii .
"Merchant of Venice," and 13, Act iv\, ''Twelfth Night") ;
and it may be that Romeo gives his man to understand that he
wishes to obtain the ring for some purpose wherein it may prove
efficacious; or it may be that he allows him to believe that he
desires to secure it for his own wearing, as a memorial of his
lost mistress ; since the expression " in dear employment " is of
sufficiently wide signification to admit of Balthxsar's under-
standing it in either sense. The word " dear, " applied accord-
ing to the former interpretation, would be used in the sense of
' important ; ' according to the latter, ' cherished.*
24. Jealous- Here used in the sense ..f 'suspicious.'
25. Detestable. The word was aim isl always thus accented,
on the first syllable, in Shakespeare's time ; as he h
accented the word "receptacle" in Juliet's soliloquy, Act iv.,
sc. 3.
Act v.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
It is supposed, the fair creature died, —
And here is come to do some villanous shame
To the dead bodies : I will apprehend him. —
[Advances.
Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague !
Can vengeance be pursu'd farther than death ';
Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee :
Obey, and go with me ; for thou must die.
Rom. I must indeed ; and therefore came I
hither. — ■
Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man ;
Fly hence, and leave me: — think upon these
gone ;
Let them affright thee. — I beseech thee, youth,
Put not another sin upon my head,
By urging me to fury : — Oh, be gone !
By Heaven, I love thee better than myself";
For I come hither arm'd against myself:
Slav not, be gone ; — live, and hereafter say,
A madman's mercy bade thee run away.
Par. I do defy thy conjurations,-6
And apprehend thee for a felon here.
Rom. Wilt thou provoke me? then have at thee,
boy ! [They fight.
Page. O Lord, they fight! I will go call the
watch. [Exit. — Paris falls.
Par. Oh, I am slain ! — If thou be merciful,
Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet. [Dies.
Rom. In faith, I will. — Let me peruse this
face : —
Mercutio's kinsman, noble County Paris! —
What said my man, when my betossed soul
Did not attend him as we rode ': I think
He told me Paris should have married Juliet :
26. Thy conjurations. Here used in the sense of ' thy
word: 1 injuring me Milton has the term ' conjurements,' to
express the same meaning. ''Conjurations" is the word in the
first Quarto ; while that o{ the Folio is ' commisseration.'
27. A lantern. One of those spacious round or octagonal
turrets roll of windows, by means of which cathedrals and
sometimes halls are illuminated, and styled in ancient records
a ' lanternium.' There is a beautiful specimen at Ely Minster.
28. Presence. This was an abbreviation of* presence-cham-
ber;' a r 11 dedicated to royal receptions, or to the most
solemn feslal occasions. See Note 85, Act i., ''Richard II."
29. By <i dead man interr'd. This fine licence of poetic
anticipation, by which Romeo, resolved to die, speaks already
of himself as " a dead man," is stigmatised by Steevi ns as one of
" those miserable com cits with which our author too frequently
counteracts his own pathos.' ' That the genuine poet, John
Keats,_ thought very differently of this striking idea is testified
by his having introduced its twin thought into his poem of
"Isabella." where stanza x.wii. begins —
"So the two brothers and their murdered man
Rode past fair Florence," ecc
30. .-J lightning before death. Frequent allusion i- m 1 le in
the old dramas to the belief that men previously to coming
misfortune or death are in unusually high spirits ; and Sir
Walter Scott, who delights in recording popular superstitions,
has reference to this one in chap. ix. of his " Guy Mannering,"
where we find — "'I think,' said the old gardener to one of
the maids, ' the ganger's _/?f;' by which word the common people
Said he not so ? or did I dream it so ?
Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,
To think it was so ?— Oh, give me thy hand,
One writ with me in sour misfortune's book !
I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave ; —
A grave ? oh, no, a lantern,2? slaughter'd youth,
For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes
This vault a feasting presence2" full of light.
Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd.29
{Laying Paris in the monument.
How oft when men are at the point of death
Have they been merry ! which their keepers call
A lightning before death :30 oh, how may I
Call this a lightning ? — Oh, my love, my wife !
Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty :
Thou art not conquer'd ; beauty's ensign yet
Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advanced there. —
Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet 'i
Oh, what more favour can I do to thee,
Than with that hand that cut thy youth in
twain
To sunder his that was thine enemy ?
Forgive me, cousin !•" — Ah ! dear Juliet,
Why art thou yet so fair Y shall I believe
That unsubstantial death is amorous ;
And that the lean abhorred monster keeps
Thee here in dark to be his paramour ?
For fear of that, I still will stay with thee ;
And never from this palace of dim night32
Depart again : here, here will I remain
With worms that are thy chamber-maids ; oh,
here:i3
express those violent spirits which they think a presage of
death." Romeo comments upon the exultant tone of his address
to the "slaughter'd youth," Paris, and upon the waywardness of
his own imagination, which can toy with flights of anticipative
fancy, and allow itself to luxuriate in thoughts of his dead wife's
loveliness with a grim semblance of levity that overlies deepest
grief. The mingling here of words and images full of light and
colour with the murky grey of the sepulchral vault and the
darkness of the midnight churchyard, the blending of these
images of beauty and tenderness with the deep gloom of the
speaker's inmost heart, form a poetical and metaphysical picture
unequalled in its kind.
31. Forgive me, cousin! Inexpressibly beautiful and moving
is this gentleness of Romeo's in his death hour. His yearning
to be at peace with his foe : his beseeching pardon of him and
calling him kinsman in token of final atonement ; his forbear-
it md even magnanimity towards Paris ; his words of closing
consideration and kindly farewell to his faithful lialthasar, all
combine 10 crown Romeo as the prince of youthful gentlemen
and lovers. Worthy is he of being the hero of the youthful
Shakespeare's pen !
32. This palace of dim night. By these few words, 1
concentrated amalgamation of richest splendours with dunnest
obscurity, — the poet brings his grandly-blended imagery in this
speech to a fitting climax.
33. Here, here will I remain .... Oh, here will I. cVc.
The effect of intensity given to this passionate passage by the
reiteration of the little word "here," affords a study in ex-
pressive composition. See Note 42, Act iv., " Henry V."
Will I set up my everlasting rest ;3i
And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars
From this world-wearied flesh. — Eyes, look your
last!
Arms, take your last embrace ! and lips, oh,
you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing death ! —
Come, bitter conduct,35 come, unsavoury guide !
Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary barque !
Here's to my love! [Drinks.] — Oh, true apothe-
cary !
Thy drugs are quick.— Thus with a kiss I die.
[Dies.
34 Here will I set up my everlasting rest. An idiomatic
expression, the origin of which is explained in Note 30, Act iv.,
"Comedy of Errors." It is here used in a double sense:
meaning ' to finally resolve upon, or make up my mind for,
death ; ' and ' remain for ever at peace.'
Enter, at the other end of the churchyard, Friar
Laurence, nuith a lantern, croiv, and spade.
t'ri. L. Saint Francis be my speed! how oft
to-night
Have my old feet stumbled36 at graves ! — Who's
there ?
Bal. [Advancing?^ Here's one, a friend, and one
that knows you well.
t'ri. L. Bliss be upon you ! Tell me, good my
friend,
What torch is yond', that vainly lends his light
To grubs and eyeless skulls ? as I discern,
It burnetii in the CapeK' monument.
li.il. It doth so, holy sir: and there's my master,
One that you love.
35. Conduct. 'Conductor.' See Note 21, Act iii. of the
present play.
36. My old feet stumbled. Reckoned an omino:is occurrence.
Sec Note 53, Act iii., "Richard III.'*
Act V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
Fri. L. Who is it ?
Bal. Romeo.
Fri. L. How long hath he been there?
Bal. Full half an hour.
Fri. L. Go with me to the vault.
Bal. I dare not, sir,
My master knows not but I am gone hence ;
And fearfully did menace me with death,
If I did stay to look on his intents.
Fri, L. Stay, then ; I'll go alone: — fear comes
upon me ;
Oh, much I fear some ill unlucky thing.
Bui. As I did sleep under this yew-tree37 here,
I dreamt my master and another fought,
And that my master slew him.
Fri. L. [Approaching the monument.] Romeo! — ■
Alack, alack, what blood is this, which stains
The stony entrance of this sepulchre ? —
What mean these masterless and gory swords
To lie discolour'd by this place of peace ?
[Enters the monument.
Romeo ! oh, pale ! — Who else ? what ! Paris too ?
And steep'd in blood ? — Ah ! what an unkind
hour
Is guilty of this lamentable chance ! —
The lady stirs. [Juliet luakes.
Jul. Oh, comfortable friar ! where is my lord ? — ■
I do remember well where I should be,
And there I am: — where is my Romeo?
[Noise •within.
Fri. L. I hear some noise. — Lady, come from
that nest
Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep :
A greater power than we can contradict
Hath thwarted our intents : — come, come away:
Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead ;
And Paris too : — come, I'll dispose of thee
Among a sisterhood of holy nuns:
Stay not to question, for the watch is coming ;
Come, go, good Juliet [noise again], — I dare no
longer stay.
Jul. Go, get thee hence, for I will not away. —
[Exit Fri. L.
What's here ? a cup, clos'd in my true love's
hand ?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless 39 end : —
Oh, churl ! drink all, and leave no friendly drop
37. This yew-tree. The old copies have ' yong ' and ' young '
here again instead of "yew;" which is Pope's correction,
warranted by the first Quarto's reading in the previous passage
See Note 22 of this Act.
38. Timeless. .'Untimely.' See Note 3, Act iv. , "Richard
II."
39. There rest, and let me die. The Folio and all the Quartos
excepting the first give 'rust' for "rest." But the reading of
the earliest Quarto, 1597, is this —
" Oh, happy dagger, thou shalt end my fcare,
Rest in my bosome, thus I come to thee ; "
which appears to render it probable that ' nibt,' in the other old
To help me after ? — I will kiss thy lips ;
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make me die with a restorative. [Kisses him.
Thy lips are warm !
First Watch, [Within."] Lead, boy:— which way?
Jul. Yea, noise? — then I'll be brief. — Oh,
happy dagger !
[Snatching Romeo's dagger.
This is thy sheath [stabs herself] ; there rest, and
let me die.39
[Falls on Romeo's body, and dies.
Enter Watch, ivith the Page of Paris.
Page. This is the place ; there, where the torch
doth burn.
First Watch. The ground is bloody ; search
about the churchyard :
Go, some of you, whoe'er you find, attach.
[Exeunt some of the Watch.
Pitiful sight ! here lies the county slain ; —
And Juliet bleeding; warm, and newly dead,
Who here hath lain these two days buried.'111 —
Go, tell the prince, — run to the Capulets, —
Raise up the Montagues, — some others search : —
[Exeunt others of the Watch.
We see the ground whereon these woes do lie ;
But the true ground of*alI these piteous woes
We cannot without circumstance descry.
Re-enter some of the Watch, 'with Balthasar.
See. Watch. Here's Romeo's man; we found
him in the churchyard.
First Watch. Hold him in safety, till the prince
come hither.
Re-enter others of the Watch, with Friar
Laurence.
Third Watch. Here is a friar, that trembles,
sighs, and weeps :
We took this mattock and this spade from him,
As he was coming from this churchyard side.
First Watch. A great suspicion: stay. the friar
too.
Enter the Prince and Attendants,
Prince. What misadventure is so early up,
That calls our person from our morning's rest ?
copies was a misprint for " rest." The expression, " Oh, happy
dagger," though meaning, ' Oh, happily-found dagger ! ' ' oppor-
tune dagger ! ' yet conveys an included sense that is in keeping
with the word "rest," which also affords antithetical effect with
'Met me die." Poetically calling her bosom the "sheath" to
Romeo's dagger, "rest" seems more in harmony than 'rust'
with the image presented.
40. Lain these two days buried. The time is here made to
tally with the period mentioned by the friar in Act iv. , sc. I, as
the one during which the sleeping-potion will take effect—
" And in this borrow'd likeness of shrunk death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours."
ACT V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[SCENE III.
Enter Capulet, Lady Capulet, and others.
Cap. What should it be, that they so shriek
abroad ?
La. Cap. The people in the street cry Romeo,
Some Juliet, and some Paris ; and all run,
With open outcry, toward our monument.
Prince. What fear is this which startles in our
ears ?41
First IVatch. Sovereign, here lies the County
Paris slain ;
And Romeo dead ; and Juliet, dead before,
Warm and new kill'd.
Prince. Search, seek, and know how this foul
murder comes.
First Watch. Here is a friar, and slaughter'd
Romeo's man ;
With instruments upon them, fit to open
These dead men's tombs.
Cap. Oh, heaven !— Oh, wife, look how our
daughter bleeds !
This dagger hath mista'en, — for, lo, his house
Is empty on the back of Montague,4- —
And is inis-sheathed in my daughter's bosom!
La. Cap. Oh, me ! this sight of death is as a
bell,
That warns my old age to a sepulchre.
Enter Montague and others.
Prince. Come, Montague ; for thou art early
up,
To see thy son and heir more early down.
Mon. Alas ! my liege, my wife is dead to-night;
Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath :
What farther woe conspires against my age ?
Prince. Look, and thou shalt see.
Mon. Oh, thou untaught ! what manners is in
this,
To press before thy father to a grave ?
Prince. Seal up the mouth of outrage43 for a
while,
Till we can clear these ambiguities,
And know their spring, their head, their true
descent;
And then will I be general of your woes,
And lead you even to death : meantime forbear,
And let mischance be slave to patience. — ■
Bring forth the parties of suspicion.
Fri. L. I am the greatest, able to do least,
Yet most suspected, as the time and place
Doth make against me, of this direful murder;
41. In our ears. The old copies print 'your' for "our.''
Johnson's correction.
42. His house is empty on tlve back 0/ Montague. " His"
is here used for 'its.' The dagger was formerly sometimes
worn behind the back, as appears from several passages quoted
from old writers.
43. Outrage. Here used to express ' raging out,' ' storming
aloud ;' ' uproar,' ' clamour,' ' outcry.' It was sometimes used
And here I stand, both to impeach and purge
Myself condemned and myself excus'd,
Prince. Then say at once what thou dost know
in this.
Fri, L. I will be brief, for my short date of
breath
Is not so long as is a tedious talc.
Romeo, there dead, was husband to that Juliet ;
And she, there dead, that Romeo's faithful wife:
I married them ; and their stol'n marriage-day
Was Tybalt's dooms-day, whose untimely death
Banish'd the new-made bridegroom from this city;
For whom, and not for Tybalt, Juliet pin'd.
You, to remove that siege of grief from her,
Betroth'd, and would have married her perforce,
To County Paris : — then comes she to me ;
And, with wild looks, bid me devise some means
To rid her from this second marriage,
Or in my cell there would she kill herself.
Then gave I her, so tutor'd by my art,
A sleeping potion ; which so took effect
As I intended, for it wrought on her
The form of death : meantime I writ to Romeo,
That he should hither come «s this dire night,
To help to take her from her borrow'd grave,
Being the time the potion's force should cease.
But he which bore my letter, friar John,
Was stay'd by accident ; and yesternight
Return'd my letter back. Then all alone
At the prefixed hour of her waking,
Came I to take her from her kindred's vault
Meaning to keep her closely4'1 at my cell,
Till I conveniently could send to Romeo:
But when I came (some minute45 ere the time
Of her awakening), here untimely lay
The noble Paris and true Romeo dead.
She wakes ; and I entreated her come forth,
And bear this work of heaven with patience :
But then a noise did scare me from the tomb ;
And she, too desperate, would not go with me,
But (as it seems) did violence on herself.
All this I know ; and to the marriage
Her nurse is privy : and, if aught in this
Miscarried by my fault, let my old life
Be sacrifie'd, some hour before his time,46
Unto the rigour of severest law.
Prince. We still have known thee for a holv
man. —
Where's Romeo's man ? what can he say in tliis ?
Bal. I brought my master news of Juliet's
death ;
in the sense of ' commotion,' ' tumult,' without including the
meaning of injury or offence, by writers formerly.
44. Closely. 'Secretly,' ' privately,' 'hiddenly,' ' in conceal-
ment.' Sec Note 17, Act iv., " King John."
45. Some minute. Hanmer changed this to 'some minutes ;'
but "some minute " is used as an equivalent for ' but a moment/
' scarce an instant,' ' about a minute.'
' 46. His time. ' Its time.'
Act V.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.
[Scene III.
And then in post he came from Mantua
To this same place, to this same monument.
This letter he early bid me give his rather;
And threaten'd me with death, going in the vault,
If I departed not, and left him there.
Prince. Give me the letter, — I will look on
it.—
Where is the county's page, that rais'd the watch ? —
Sirrah, what made your master in this place c1'
Page. He came with flowers to strew his lady's
grave ;
And bid me stand aloof, and so I did :
Anon comes one with light to ope the tomb ;
And by-and-by my master drew on him ;
And then I ran away to call the watch.
Prince. This letter doth make goo:! the friar's
words.
Their course of love, the tidings of her death :
And here he writes that he did buy a poison
Of a poor 'pothecary, and therewithal
Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet. —
Where be these enemies? — Capulet, — Montague, —
47. What made your master in this plate? ' What did your
master do in this place?' ' What made your master come to
this place?' 'What brought your master to this place?' See
Note 26, Act ii.. "Merry Wives."
48. A brace of kinsmen. Mercutio and Paris: the former of
whom is spoken of by Benvolio. addressing the prince in Act iii.,
sc. 1, as ''thy kinsman, brave Mercutio;" and the latter of
whom is indirectly shown to be related to the prince by Romeo's
words in the present sc?ne, where he says. "Let me peruse
this face : — Mercittio's L-uismin, noble County Paris."
49. A glooming peace. To 'gloom' is an ancient verb used by
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That Heaven finds means to kill )Our joys with
love !
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen i4- — all are punish'd.
Cap. Oh, brother Montague, give me thy hand :
This is my daughter's jointure, for no more
Can I demand.
Mon. But I can give thee more :
For I will raise her statue in pure gold ;
That while Verona by that name is known,
There shall no figure at such rate be set
As that of true and faithful Juliet.
Cap. As rich shall Romeo by his lady lie;
Poor sacrifices of our enmity !
Prince. A glooming peace 43 this morning with
it brings;
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head :
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things ;
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished : 5U
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. [Exeunt.
Spenser and other old writers. "Glooming" has expressive
effect as an epithet here. It is the word given in the Folio and
all the Quarto copies, with the exception of the earliest Quarto,
which prints 'gloomie.'
50. And some punished. This line has referenre to the dis-
tribution of pardon and punishment as detailed in the poem
whence Shakespeare took the groundwork of this play : for
there the nurse is banished for having concealed the marriage ;
Romeo's servant is acquitted, because he acted in obedience to
his master's orders; the apothecary is hanged ; and the friar is
dismissed to end his days in a hermitage
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Timon, a noble Athenian.
Lucius, \
Lucullus, 5 Lords, and Flatterers of Timon.
Sempronius, *
Ventidius, one of Timon's false Friends.
Alcibiades, an Athenian General.
Apemantus, a churlish Philosopher.
Flavius, Steward to Timon.
Poet, Painter, Jeweller, and Merchant.
An old Athenian.
Flaminius, \
Lucilius, S Servants to Timon.
Servihus, )
Caphis,
Philotus,
Titus l Servants to Timon's Creditors.
Hortensius, I
Servants of Ventidius, and o/Varro and Isidore,
/■tub of Timon's Creditors.
A Page. A Fool. Three Strangers.
Phrynia, ) ■
Timandra ™,stresses to Alcibiades.
Cupid and Amazons in the Mask.
Lords, Senators, Officers, Soldiers, Thieves, and Attendants.
Scene— Athens, and the Wands adjoining.
> Servant
TIMON OF ATHENS.1
ACT I.
SCENE I.— Athens. A Hall in Timon's House.
Enter Poet, Painter, Jeweller, Merchant, and
others, at several doors.
Poet. Good day, sir.
Pain. I am glad you're well.
Poet. I have not seen you long ; how goes the
world P
i. In the 1623 Folio this play appears under the title of
" The Life of Tymon of Athens ; " and it is probable that this
is the first printed copy, since in the same year the play was
entered at the Stationers' Company by Blount and Jaggard
(the printers of the 1623 Folio) as one of the plays "not for-
merly entered to other men." The subject was popularly
known, inasmuch as there are allusions to Timon's cynicism in
writings of Shakespeare's time ; and he himself, in one of his
early plays, has a line referring to it. See Note 89, Act iv.,
" Love's Labour's Lost." The sources whence he in ?.ii proba-
bility most directly derived the groundwork of hi:, play of
"Timon of Athens " are, one of the novels in Payntcr's " Palace
of Pleasure " on this subject, and a passage in Sir Thomas
North's "Plutarch,'' occurring in the " Life of Antony," which
describes Timon the man-hater, his manner of life, his death,
and his epitaph. Malone ascribes the period at which " Timon of
Athens" was probably written to the year 1610 ; and there is no
external evidence to disprove this point, while we think that the
internal evidence offers several particulars that seem to confirm
it as true. There is the elliptical condensation of style that
marks Shakespeare's productions about the period indicated,
such as we find signally visible in " Henry VIII.," " Winter'-.
Tale," and " Coriolanus," for instance: there is the same con-
traction of * has ' for ' he has ; * while the choice of the subject,
the withering power of scorn and invective, the bitter reflection
upon the follies and vices of mankind, the mournful resignation
to the fact of their existence, are all belonging to a mature and
experienced mind in one of its peculiar moods. It gives us the
effect of having been a composition thrown off in one of Shake-
speare's moments of depression ; when he had occasion to be
less pleased with life and its mysteries, mankind and its per-
plexities. There is magnificent power, but there is little polish ;
there is prodigious strength, but there is a want of finish and
final care in the drama as a whole, which makes it look to us
like ime of his writings that he struck off at a heat, and cared
not ever to look at again to reconsider, revise, and re-touch,
Pain. It wears, sir, as it grows.
Poet. Ay, that *s well known ■
But what particular rarity ? what strange,
Which manifold record not matches ? See,
Magic of bounty !2 all these spirits thy power
Hath conjur'd to attend. I know the merchant.
Pain. I know them both ; th' other 's a jeweller.
Mer. Oh, 'tis a worthy lord.
There is a want of any of those redeeming traits of beauty or
goodness with which he so profusely irradiates his darkest
tragedies ; there are none of those softening strokes of gentle-
ness or repose that smooth the roughest and stormiest incidents
of his finest and most serious works. In "Timon of Athens"
there are no lovable characters; no women, — save those wh 1
are hardly to be called women ; and only one man, — the faith-
ful Steward Flavius, — who possesses a single claim upon our
liking. Moreover, there is an abruptness, a want of cohesion
and congruity, in certain portions of the dramatic structure,
which give it the appearance to our minds of an imperfectly
thought-out play of Shakespeare's. As an example of what we
mean, see with what apparent irrelevance the Fool is brought
in, in Act ii., sc. 2, together with the Page ; both belonging to
a mistress of whom we know nothing more than that she is
their mistress. This vagueness in the introduction ol
personages, and the indefiniteness of their errand, we should
take to be possibly one of Shakespeare's purposed devii ■- ol
dramatic art, and believe that he contents himself with it as
a fleeting phantasmagorical intimation of Athenian vice and
luxury, a shadowy vestige of the profligacy and pr
that made "Corinthian" manners a by-word, but that we find
a similarly unprepared and unexplained introduction "fan un-
named personage in Act iii., sc. 5; where Alcibiades plead-
vehemently fur some unspecified "friend" who has incurred
legal condemnation, and strives to rescue him from execution.
It is not in accordance with Shakespeare's method to work thus
disjointedly i and it therefore leads us to believe that "Timon
of Athens," with all its potential gi I rtain main pas-
sages, was written rapidly in a fervour of somewhat tern
feeling and inspiration, and never received its author's pevi
or re -consideration. We can fancy Shakespeare, who never
edited his own works, giving way to a passing Impulse in writ-
ing this misanthj . and never caring to rc-scan or even
re-read it with a view to its perfect ioning.
2. Not matches? see, magic, &>c. In. the midst of inquiring
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene L
Jezu. Nay, that's most fix'd.
Mer. A most incomparable man ; breath'd,3 as
it were,
To an untirable and continuate4 goodness :
He passes.5
Jezv. I have a jewel here —
Mer. Oh, pray, let 's see 't : for the Lord Timon,
sir?
Jezv. If he will touch the estimate :fl but, for
that—
toa. {Reciting to himself. .]
When we for recompense have pr.,.., d the vile,
It stains the glory in that happy verse
Which aptly sings the goad.
Mer. {Looking at the jezve/.] ' Tis a good
form.
Jezv. And rich : here is a water, look ye.
Pain. You are rapt, sir, in some work, some
dedication
To the great lord.
Poet. A tiling slipp'd idly fifljp me.
Our poesy is as a gum, which oozes'
From whence 'tis nourish'd : the fire i' the flint
Shows not till it be struck ; our gentle flame
Provokes itself, and, like the current, rlies
Eac h bound it chafes.8 — What have you there ?
Pain. A picture, sir. — When come; your book
forth ?
whether any particular and unusual event has lately happened,
the Poet interrupts himself- to remark upon the concourse of
people assembled to await the appearance of bounteous 1 ord
Timon.
3. Breathed. 'Exercised;' 'inured by practice' See Note
49, Act i., "As You Like It;" also the speech delivered by
Armado when he represents Hector, in " Love's Labour's Lost,"
Act v., sc. 2 — " The heir of Ilion : a man so breath'd, he would
fight ye from morn till night."
4. Continuate. ' Continuous,' 'continual,' 'continued.'
5. He passes. ' He surpasses,' ' he excels : ' ' he exceeds the
ordinary race of men.' See Note 13, Act iv , " Merry Wives.''
6. Touch the estimate. 'Pay the price at which it is esti-
mated,' ' come up to the sum demanded.'
7 . I gitm, which oozes. The Folio prints ' a gowne, which
vses.' Pope made the correction of 'gowne' to "gum;" and
Johnson that of ' uses' to " oo2es;"
8. Each bound it chafes. The Folio spells "chafes" with a
letter that looks like a long s, but which may be an f ; and cer-
tainly we think that "chaf*s" is the word ihe author wrotfe
" Provokes" is here used for ' evokes,' ' calls forth ' (see Note 5,
Act iii., " Measure for Measure ") ; and the sense of the entire
passage appears to us to be, ' Our gentle flame elicits itself,
and, like the current, flows rapidly on at each bound that it
chafingly makes.' Johnson pronounces " the images in the
comparison" to be "ill-sorted, and the effect obscurely ex-
pressed ; " but we think that it is one of those passages where
an exuberance of idea and a multiplicity of images convene and
are expressed in Shakespeare's condensed style. For instance,
the one word "chafes" expresses what in general parlance
would be expressed by the phrase ' makes chafingly,' or 'takes
with much chafing.'
9. Upon the heels of my Presentment. 'As soon as I have
presented my book to Lord Timon.'
10. This comes off well and excellent. "This comes oft"
wall " is an idiomatic phrase, signifying 'this is admirably done,'
' this is capitally executed' (see Note 11, Act ii., " Measure for
Poet. Upon the heels of my presentment,9
sir, —
Let 's see your piece.
Pain. 'Tis a good piece.
Poet. So 'tis : this comes off well and excellent.1 J
Pain. Indifferent.
Poet. Admirable: how this grace
Speaks his own standing!11 what a mental power
This eye shoots forth ! how big imagination
Moves in this lip ! to the dumbness of the gesture
One might interpret. l~
Puin. It is a pretty mocking of the life.
Here is a touch ; is 't good ?
Poet. I'll say uf it,
It tutors Nature: artificial strife-13
Lives in these touches, livelier than life.
Enter certain Senators, and pass over.
Pain. How this lord i-; folio w'cl !
Poet. The senators of Athens: — happy men !14
Pain. Look, more !
Poet. You see this confluence, this great rloo 1
of visitors.
I have, in this rough work, shap'd out a man,
Whom this beneath world doth embrace and hug
With amplest entertainment: my free drift
Halts not particularly,15 but moves itself
In a wide sea of wax:16 no levell'd malice
Measure ,r) ; and, also, in the present instance, includes the
effect of a technicality in art, meaning ' this is well brought
into relief,' ' this stands forth boldly and distinctly.' See Note
59, Act ii., " Henry V." " Excellent " is here used adverbially
for ' excellently.*
ir. How this grace speaks his own standing ! ' How true to
the life of the original is this graceful attitude ! ' 'how like the
easy and dignified carriage of his usual position is the grace of
this figure !' We imagine the picture to be a representation of
Timon surrounded by his admirers ; wherein he stands as the
central and principal figure. Timcn afterwards, when receiving
the painter's '"piece," speaks of "these pencill'd .figures ; "
which we think shows the picture to be not a portrait of Timon
singly (as has been supposed), but a picture showing him amid
the baskers in his bounty.
12. To the dumbness 0/ the gesture one might interpret.
'The gesture is so eloquent in its forcible depicting, that one
might easily imagine the words which are supposed to be spoker
as its accompaniment.'
13. Strife. This word here includes the sense of contention
of Art with Nature to outdo her, the sense of contrast in colours
and forms, and the sense of 'striving,' 'endeavour to excel;'
and affords a marked example of Shakespeare's employing
largely comprehensive terms and widely inclusive words. Se.-
Note 96, Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet."
14. Happy men! Theobald altered "men" to ' man ' here, —
a plausible alteration : but inasmuch as the intention may be to
indicate that the senators are happy in enjoying the friendship
and hospitality of so bounteous a lord as Timon, we leave the
old text unchanged.
15. Halts not particularly. ' Is not confined to any par-
ticular instance.'
16. A wide sea 0/ wax. This phrase includes allusion to an
ancient practice of writing with a style on tablets covered with
wax, and also uses " wax" as a type of the flexibility pertaining
to the poet's matter, which can be moulded to what shape he
d I eases.
VO.. III.
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene I.
Infects one comma17 in the course I hold;
But flies an eagle flight,H bold, and forth on,
Leaving no tract behind.
Pain. How shall I understand you ?
Poet. I will unbolt19 to you.
You see how all conditions, how all minds
(As well of glib and slippery creatures as
Of grave and austere quality) tender down
Their services to Lord Timon : his large fortune,
Upon his good and gracious nature hanging,
Subdues and properties20 to his love and tendance
All sorts of hearts; yea, from the glass-fac'd
flatterer
To Apemantus,21 that few things loves better
Than to abhor himself: even he drops down
The knee before him, and returns in peace
Most rich in Timon's nod.
Pain. I saw them speak together.
Poet. Sir, I have upon a high and pleasant
hill
Feign'd Fortune to be thron'd : the base o' the
'mount
Is rank'd with all deserts,22 all kind of natures,
That labour on the bosom of this sphere
To propagate their states :23 amongst them
Whose eyes are on this sovereign lady fix'd,
One do I personate of Lord Timon's frame,
Whom Fortune with her ivory hand wafts to
her;
Whose present grace to present slaves21 and ser-
vants
Translates his rivals.
17. Co/lima. Being the smallest mark in punctuation, "comma"
is here used for 'jot,' ' iota,' to express the smallest imaginable
point That the phraseology in this speech is purposely tinctured
with affectation and peculiarity of expression is made evident
by the Painter's rejoinder, "How shall I understand you?"
18. But /ties an eagle flight. Here ' it ' is elliptically under-
stood between " but" and " flies," in reference to " course."
19. Unbolt. ' Unfold,' ' open my meaning,' ' explain.'
20. Properties. ' Makes his property,' 'appropriates.' See
Note 20, Act v., " King John."
21. Apemantus. The speaker assumes that Apemantus pays
court to Timon because he sees him often at his house ; ami
his frequent repair thither is an indirect adulation, although
his actual words and behaviour are uncourteous.
22. Is rank'd with ail deserts. 'Is occupied by ranks of
men of various degrees in merit.'
23. To propagate their states. ' To promote the advantage
of their several conditions in life.' Shakespeare uses the
word "propagate" and "propagation" see Note 28, Act i.,
" Measure for Measure ") with this sense of ' promoting.'
24. Whose present grace to present stares. The second
in lit" in this tine has been objected to by a modem critic,
who proposes 'peasant' as its substitution. But the emphatic
repetition of the word "present" here i> just 011c of Shake-
speare's expedients for drawing particular attention to a point
he wishes to enforce; and it is Timon's "present" prosperity
which makes "present" slaves and servants of those around
him, as his 'future' d iwtifali will make 'future' ing] iti ol
i ..iio urn worship him. A word thus emphatically re-
! in close and pointed juxtaposition, is one of the peculi-
arities of Shakespeare's style which we have frequently pointed
our. See. among many others, Note 25, Act iv., " Coriulanus."
Pain. 'Tis conceiv'd to scope.-5
This throne, this Fortune, and this hill, methinks,
With one man beckon'd from the rest below,
Bowing his head against the steepy mount
To climb his happiness, would be well express'd
In our condition.26
Poet. Nay, sir, but hear me on.
All those which were his fellows but of late
(Some better than his value), on the moment
Follow his strides, his lobbies fill with tendance,
Rain sacrificial whisperings27 in his ear,
Make sacred even his stirrup,23 and through him
Drink the free air.29
Pain. Ay, marry, what of these?
Poet. When Fortune, in her shift and change
of mood,
Spurns down her late belov'd, all his dependants,
Which labour'd after him to the mountain's top,
Even on their knees and hands, let him slip down,30
Not one accompanying his declining foot.
Pain. 'Tis common ;
A thousand moral paintings I can show,
That shall demonstrate these quick blows of
Fortune's31
More pregnantly than words. Yet you do well
To show Lord Timon that mean eyes32 have
seen
The foot above the head.
Trumpets sound. Enter Timon, attended ; the
Servant of Ventidius talking ivith him.
Tim. Imprison' d is he, say you?
25. 'Tis conceiv'd to scope. This includes the duplicate
meaning of ' it is conceived with large scope or compass of
imagination,' and ' it is conceived with apt fulfilment of its
purposed scope or drift ; ' for Shakespeare elsewhere uses
"scope" in both these senses.
26. In our condition. ' In our art of painting,' ' in our
pictorial faculty.' "Condition" was sometimes used for 'pro-
fession,' ' calling, ' official capacity,' as well as for ' rank '
or 'station in life.' See Note 61, Act iv., "Second Part
Henry IV."
27. Rain sacrificial whisperings. ' Pour forth worshipping
protestations in awe-stricken whispers, as though offering
incense to a god.'
28. Make sacred even his stirrup. To hold the stirrup fir
a personage of superior rank as a mark of respect is alluded to
in the passage commented on in Notes n and 12, Act iv.,
" Second Part Henry VI."
29. Through him drink the free air. ' Breathe as though
they drew breath merely by his permission.'
30. Let him slip down. The Folio gives 'sit' for "slip."
Rowe's correction.
3r. These quick lion's of Fortune's. The first Folio prints
'Fortunes' for "Fortune's" here; while the second Folio
altered the word to ' Fortune.' In the same way the first Folio
prints 'Timons' for "Timon's" (see Note 48, Act v.), as it
often does when the apostrophe is needed for a sign of the
possessive case. This makes us think that here "Fortune's"
was intended by the author ; because this pleonastic form of
the possessive case is by no means uufrcqucntly used, not only
by Shakespeare, but by many English writers and speakers.
32 Mean eyes. ' Lowly eyes,' ' the eyes of those in a humble
position.'
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene [.
Ven. Serv. Ay, my good lord : rive talents is
his debt;33
His means most short, his creditors most strait •
Your honourable letter he desires
To those have shut him up ; which, failing,'"
Periods his comfort.35
Tim. Noble Ventidius! Well;
1 am not of that feather to shake off
My friend when he must need me.30 I do know him
A gentleman that well deserves a help, —
Which he shall have: I'll pay the debt, and free
him.
Ven. Serv. Your lordship ever binds him.
Tim. Commend me to him : I will send his
ransom ;
And, being enfranchis'd, bid him come to me : —
'Tis not enough to help the feeble up,
But to support him after.37 — Fare you well.
Ven. o>;a>. All happiness to your honour !
[Exit.
Enter an old Athenian.
OIi! Aib. Lord Timon, hear me speak.
Tim. Freely, good father.59
Old Ath. Thou hast a servant nam'd Lucilius.
Tim. I have so : what of him ?
Old Aib. Most noble Timon, call the man
before thee.
Tim. Attends he here, or no ? — Lucilius !
Lucilius comes forivard from among the
Attendants.
Luc. Here, at your lordship's service.
Old Jib. This fellow here, Lord Timon, this
thy creature,
By night frequents my house. I am a man
That from my hist have been inclin'd to thrift ;
And my estate deserves an heir more rais'd
Than one which holds a trencher.
33. Five talents is his debt. A "talent" was a term origi-
nally applied to a large weight of gold or silver, then to a large
sum in 'gold or silver coin ; and subsequently was sometimes
Used to express a thing of indefinite but great value. The
"talent" meant throughout this play is the Attic talent; which
has been calculated to amount in worth to rather more than
56 lbs. of silver, or to be equivalent to about ,6243 15s. of
modern English money.
34. Whic/t^ failing. The editor of the second Folio added
the words 'to him' after "failing;" but the phraseology-
appears to us to be elliptical ; the sentence meaning ' which
letter, he failing to have.'
35. Periods his comfort. ' Terminates or brings to a period
his comfort.' To ' period ' was a verb used by writers of
Shakespeare's time.
36. When Jie must need me. The third Folio changes " must
need" to 'most needs;' and Some modern editors adopt the
change. But it seems to us that the phrase " when he must
need me " is a mode of saying ' when he has urgent need of my
aid,' ' when he is forced by circumstances to have recourse to
me fir assistance,' 'when he is obliged in spite of himself to
need me.' It is almost as if the word 'needs' were implied,
and as if the sentence gave the effect of ' when he must needs
Tim. Well; what farther?
Old Alb. One only daughter have I, no km
eke,
On whom I may confer what I have got :
The mail is fair, o' the youngest for a bride,
Ami I have bred her at my dearest cost
In qualities of the best. This man of thine
Attempts her love : 1 pr'ythee, noble lord,
Join with me to forbid him her resorl ;
M\ -elf have spoke in vain.
Tim. The man is honest.
Old Alb. Therefore he will be, Timon :3'J
His honesty rewards him in itself;
It must not bear my daughter.40
Tim. Does she love him ?
Old Ath. She is young and apt :
Our own precedent passions do instruct us
What levity's in youth.
Tim. [To Lucilius.] Love you the maid P
Luc. Ay, my good lord ; and she accepts of il.J1
Old Ath. If in her marriage my consent be
missing,
I call the gods to witness, I will choose
Mine heir from forth the beggars of the world,
And dispossess her all.
Tim. How shall she be endow 'd,
If she be mated with an equal husband ?
Old Ath. Three talents on the present; in
future, all.
Tim. This gentleman of mine hath serv'd ine
long :
To build his fortune I will strain a little,
For 'tis a bond in men. Give him thy daughter:
What you bestow, in him I'll counterpoise,
And make him weigh with her.
Old Ath. Most noble lord,
Pawn me to this your honour, she i^ hi-.
Tim. My hand to thee ; mine honour on my
promise.
need me.' In accordance with the delicacy of a bounteous
generosity is the inference that the friend would net apply for
aid to Timon unless he nius! d
37. But to support him after. Here 'it is requisite' is
elliptically understood between " but " and " to."
38. Freely, good fatlter. The title of "father" was (and
still is) sometimes given to old men in reverence for tlieil
as well as to priests in reverence for their calling. Sc
43, Act hi., " Measure for Measure."
39. Therefore he will be. Timon. It has been conjectured
that something has been omitted here by the I
As the passage stands, it will bear the interpretation, 'There-
fore he will still be honest, Timon ; ' meaning he will be
enough to withdraw his suit, if you join with me to f>rbid him
from resorting to my daughter.
40. It must not bear my daughter. The woi
here used by Shakespeare in the same way that he sometimes
uses the word "carry," to express 'prevail.' 'win,
'obtain;' as we now sometimes use
'carry off.' See Note So, Act ii., " I
41. And she accepts of it. The word " love," in the |
question, allows "it" here to imply 'my I
Act v.. " Coriolanus."
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene I.
Luc. Humbly ] thank your lordship : never
may
That state or fortune fall into my keeping,
Which is not ow'd to you !4J
[Exeunt Locilius and Old Athenian,
Poet. Vouchsafe my labour,''3 and long live your
lordship !
Tim. I thank you ; you shall hear from me
anon :
Go not away : — What have you there, my friend f
Pain. A piece of painting, which I do beseech
Your lordship to accept.
Tim. Painting is welcome.
The painting is almost the natural man ;
For since dishonour traffics with man's nature,
He is but outside : these pencill'd figures are
Even such as they give out.44 I like your work ;
And you shall find I like it : wait attendance
Till you hear farther from me.
Pain. The gods preserve you !
77m. Well fare you, gentleman : give me your
hand ;
We must needs dine together. — Sir, your jewel
Hath suffer' d under praise.
Jeiu. What, my lord ! dispraise ?
Tim. A mere satiety of commendations.
It I should pay you for 't as 'tis extoll'd,
It would unclew me quite.45
Jeiu. My lord, 'tis rated
As those which sell would give : but you well
know,
Things of like value, differing in the owners,
Are prized by their masters:46 believe 't, dear
lord,
You mend the jewel by the wearing it.
Tim. Well mock'd.
Mer. No, my good lord ; he speaks the common
tongue,
Which all men speak with him.
Tim. Look, who comes here : will you be chid ?
Enter Apemantus.47
jfexu. We'll bear, with your lordship.
Mer. He'll spare none.
Tim. Good morrow to thee, gentle Apemantus!
Apem. Till I be gentle, stay thou for thy good
morrow ;
42. Which is not oil' J to you. ' Which Is not deemed by me
as owing to you, or due to you ; ' and therefore to be held as
yours and at your disposal.
43. Vouchsafe my labour. 'Vouchsafe to approve and ac-
cept my labour.' Sec Note 37, Act Hi., " King John." Shake-
speare often u^e- "vouchsafe" exactly as the French use their
word agri.'g, ' condescend to accept,' ' receive favourably.'
44. Even such as they give on!. ' Precisely what they pro-
fess to be ; ' true to themselves and to the life.
45. // would unclew mc quite. ' It would leave me quite
undone ;' stripped of fortune, as a ball of thread is unclewed or
unwound.
When thou art Timon's dog, and these knaves
honest.
Tim. Why dost thou call them knaves ? thou
knows't them not.
Apem. Are they not Athenians ?
Tim. Yes.
Apem. Then I repent not.
Jeiu. You know me, Apemantus ?
Apem. Thou know'st I do; 1 call'd thee bv thy
name.
Tim. Thou art proud, Apemantus.
Ap: m. Of nothing so much as that I am not
like Timon.
Tim. Whither art going ?
Apem. To knock out an honest Athenian's
brains.
'Tim. That's a deed thou 'It die for.
Apem. Right, if doing nothing be death by the
law.
Tim. How likest thou this picture, Apemantus?
Apem. The best, for the innocence.
Tun. Wrought he not well that painted it ?
Apem. He wrought better that made the painter ;
and yet he's but a filthy piece of work.
Pain. You're a dog.
Apem. Thy mother's of my generation : what's
she, if I be a dog ?
Tim. Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ?
. Apem. No; I eat not lords.
Tim. An thou shouldst, thou'dst anger Jadies.
How dost thou like this jewel, Apemantus?
Apem. Not so well as plain-dealing,43 which
will not cost a man a doit.
Tim. What dost thou think 'tis worth ?
Apem. Not worth my thinking. — How now,
poet !
Poet. How now, philosopher !
Apem. Thou liest.
Poet. Art not one ?
Apem. Yes.
Poet. Then I lie not.
Apem. Art not a poet ?
Post. Yes
Apem. Then thou liest : look in thy last work,
where thou hast feigned him a uni thv fellow.
Poet. That's not feigned, — he is so.
Apem. Yes, he is worthy of thee, and to pay
thee tor thy labour: he that loves to be flattered is
40 Are prized by their masters. 'Arc rated according ta
the esteem in which their possessor is held '
47. Apemantus. The name and character of this personage
were probably adopted by Shakespeare from the novel in
Paynter's " Palace of Pleasure : " while he may have taken
same additional points in its delineation from the " Sale of
Philosophers," in Lucian's Dialogues. This book was trans-
lated by Jasper Maync in rC>3S, and published in 1664.
4S. Not so well as plain-dealing. In allusion to the pro-
verb, " Plain-dealing is a jewel : but they who use it die
beggars."
Heavens, that I were a
worthy o' the flatterer
lord !
Tim. What wouldst do then, Apemantus?
Apem. Even as Apemantus does now, — hate a
lord u ith my heart.
Tim. What! thyself?
Apem. Ay.
Tim. Wherefore?
Apem. That I ha I no angry wit to 1 e a lord."
— Ait not thou a merchant ?
Mer. Ay, Apemantus.
Apem. Traffic confound thee, if the gods will not!
4> That I liad no angry wit to be a lord. This sentence
has been suspected of error, and has been variously altered.
As it stands, it appears to us to bear the interpretation, 'That
hein^ a lord, I should have no angry wit ; ' no faculty for acri-
monious satire. — such as Apemantus prides himself upon pos-
sessing. The sentence also includes the effect of ' that I
had given up (Apcmantus's) angry wit in order to be a lord.'
Mer. If traffic do it, the gods do it.
Apem. Traffic's thy god ; and thy god con-
found thee !
Trumpet iounds. Enter a Servant.
Tim. What trumpet's that?
Ser<v. ' 1 is Mcibiades, and some twenty horse,60
All of companionship.
Tim. Pray entertain them ; give them guide to
us. — [Exeunt some Attendants.
You must needs dine with me : — go not you hence
It must be borne in mind that Shakespeare sometimes uses the
form "to be" very peculiarly ; for instance, in th
we find, " Never mind was to be so unwise, to be so kind . "
where the construction is not in accordance with common
phraseology. See Note 14. A I ii.
50 Some twenty horse. "Horse" is here used for ' horse-
men.' See Note 43. Act iii , "Taming of the Shrew;" and
Note 32, Act iv., " First Part Henry VI."
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Till I have thank' d ) on : — when dinner's done,
Show me this piece. — I am joyful of your sights.
Enter Alcibiades, ivith his Company.
Most welcome, sir! [They salute.
Apem. . So, so, there ! —
Aches51 contract and starve6'- your supple joints! —
That there should be small love 'mongst these
sweet knaves,
And all this courtesy ! The strain of man's bred
out03
Into baboon and monkey.
Alc'ib. Sir, you have sav'd my longing, and I
feed
Most hungerly on your sight.
Tim. Right welcome, sir !
Ere we depart,54 we'll share a bounteous tiir.c
In different pleasures. Pray you, let us in.
[Exeunt all except Apemantus.
Enter txuo Lords.
First Lord. What time o' day is't, Apemantus?
Apem. Time to be honest.
First L':rd. That time serves still.
Apem. The most accursed thou,55 that still
omitt'st it.
See. Lord. Thou art going to Lord Timon's
feast ?
Apem. Ay, to see meat fill knaves, and wine
heat fools.
Sec. Lord. Fare thee well, fare thee well.
Apem. Thou art a fool to bid me farewell twice.
See. Lord. Why, Apemantus?
Apem. Shouldst have kept56 one to thyself, for
I mean to give thee none.
First Lord. Hang thyself!
Apem. No, I will do nothing at thy bidding :
make thy requests to thy friend.
Sec. Lord. Away, unpeaceable dog, or I'll
spurn thee hence !
Apem. 1 will fly, like a dog, the heels o' the
ass. [Exit.
First Lord. He's opposite to humanity. — Come,
shall we in,
And taste Lord Timon's bounty ? he outgoes
The very heart of kindness.
51. Aches. Here, and elsewhere, sounded as a dissyllable;
See Note 59, Act i., "Tempest."
52. Starve. Here used for 'destroy,' 'perish.'
53. The strain of wait's bred out. ' The race of man is
degenerated.' See Note 4S, Act ii., " Much Ado."
54. Depart. Sometimes, as here, used for 'part,' 'separate.'
See Note 78, Act ii., " King John."
55. The most accursed thou. Ritson proposed to change
"most" here to 'more;' a proposal followed by Hanmer and
others. But it may be that here the superlative is used where
ordinarily the comparative is employed, as in other passages
the comparative is used where the superlative is ordinarily
employed (see Note 6, Act v., " Coriolanus") ; and also it may
be that the present sentence is an instance of one of those
Sec. Lord. He pours it out ; Plutus, the god of
gold,
Is but his steward : no meed,5'' but he repays
Sevenfold above itself; no gift to him,
But breeds the giver a return exceeding
All use of quittance.58 —
Fust Lord. The noblest mind he carries
That ever govern'd man.
Sec. Lord. Long may he live in fortunes I — Shall
we in f
First Lord. I'll keep you company.69 [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Athens. A Room of State in
Timon's House.
Hautboys playing loud music. A great banquet
served in ; Flavius and others attending ;
then enter Timon, Alcibiades, Lords, Sena-
tors, and Ventidius. Then comes, dropping
after all, Apemantus, discontentedly.
Fen. Most honour'd Timon,
It hath pleas'd the gods to remember my father's
age,
And call him to long peace.
He is gone happy, and has left me rich :
Then, ns in grateful virtue I am bound
To jour free heart, 1 do return those talents,
Doubled with thanks and service, from whose
help
I deriv'd liberty.
77m. Oh, by no means,
Honest Ventidius; you mistake my love :
I gave it freely ever; and there's none
Can truly say he gives, if he receives :
If our betters play at that game, we must not
dare
To imitate them ; faults that are rich are fair.
Ven. A noble spirit!
[They all stand ceremoniously looking
on Timon.
Tim. Nay, my lords, ceremony was but devis'd
at first
To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes,
phrases we have pointed out, in which Shakespeare uses a well-
known form of expression, while varying it by the introduction
of a word of his own. Sec Note 46, Act iv. , " Romeo and
Juliet." Apemantus may be intended to use the common form
of ' the more accursed thou,' and to give it intensified virulence
by substituting " most " for ' m ire.'
56. Shouldst have kept, &*c. Here 'thou' is elliptieallyunder-
stoo 1 before."shouldst." See Note 7, Act v., " Henry VI 1 [."
57. Meed. Here used for 'merit,' 'desert.' See Note to,
Act ii., " Third Part Henry VI."
58. All use of quittance. 'All usual requital.'
59. I'll keep you company. The prefix of " First Lord" is
omitted in the Folio ; and these words are made a portion of the
preceding speech.
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[SCENK II.
Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown ;
But where there is true friendship, there needs
none.
Pray, sit ; more welcome are ye to my fortunes
Than my fortunes to me. [They sit.
First Lord. My lord, we always have confess' d
it.
A fern. Ho, ho, confess'd it ! hang'd it, have
you not im
Tim. Oh, Apemantus, — you are welcome.
Apem. No;
You shall not make me welcome :
I come to have thee thrust me out of doors.
Tim. Fie, thou'rt a churl ; you've got a humour
there
Does not become a man ; 'tis much to blame. —
They say, my lords, Ira furor bre-jis est ;61
But yond man is ever angry. ci
Go, let him have a table by himself;
For he does neither affect company,
Nor is he fit for 't, indeed.
Apem. Let me stay at thine apperil,63 Timon :
I come to observe ; I give thee warning on 't.
Tim. I take no heed of thee; thou'rt an
Athenian, therefore welcome : I myself would
have no power; pr'ythee, let my meat make thee
silent.
Apem. I scorn thy meat ; 'twould choke me,
for I should ne'er flatter thee.64 — Oh, you gods,
what a number of men eat Timon, and he sees
them not ! It grieves me to see
So many dip their meat in one man's blood ;
And all the madness is, he cheers them up too.
I wonder men dare trust themselves with men :
Methinks they should invite them without knives ;65
Good for their meat, and safer for their lives.
There's much example for 't; the fellow that sits
next him now, parts bread with him, and pledges66
the breath of him in a divided draught, is the
readiest man to kill him: it has been proved. If
1 were a huge man, I should fear to drink at
meals ;
- 60. Confess'd it '. hang'd it, liave yoic not? In allusion to
the old proverbial saying, " Confess and be hanged."
61. Ira furor brtrtiis est. Latin; 'Anger is a brief madness.'
62. But yond nun: is ever angry. The Folio prints 'verie'
for "ever." Rowe's correction.
63. Apperil. A form of 'peril;' frequently used by Ben
Jonson in his plays.
64. 'Twould choke me, for I should ne'er flatter thee. "For"
is here used in the sense of ' because.'
65. They should invite them without knives. Formerly it
was the custom for each guest to bring his own knife for use at
table.
66. Parts bread with him, and pledges, &c. The Folio
omits " and " here. Inserted by Pope.
67. My windpipe's dangerous notes. 'The dangerous noti-
fication of where my windpipe precisely lies.' In former times
men's dress left the throat uncovered. There is probably a
play on the words " wind-pipes " and ilnotes."
Lest they should spy my windpipe's dangerous
notes :6'
Great men should drink with harness68 on their
throats.
Tim. My lord, in heart;60 and let the health
go round.
See. Lord. Let it flow this way, my good lord.
Apem. Flow this way I A brave fellow! lie
keeps his tides well. — Those healths will make
thee and thy state look ill, Timon. —
Here's that which is too weak to be a sinner,
Honest water, which ne'er left man i' the mire :
This and my food are equals ; there's no odds:
Feasts are too proud to give thanks to the gods.
Apemantus's grace.
Immortal gods, I crave no pelf;70
I pray for no man but myself :
Grant I may never prove so fond,"
To trust man on his oath or bund ;
Or a wanton, for her weeping ;
Or a dog, that seems a-sleeping ;
Or a keeper with my freedom ;
Or my friends, if 1 should need 'em.
Amen. So fall to 't :
Rich men sin, and I cat root.72
[Eats and drinks.
Much good dich"3 thy good heart, Apemantus!
Tim. Captain Alcibiades, your heart's in the
field now.
Alcib. _ My heart is ever at your service, my lord.
Tim. You had rather be at a breakfast of ene-
mies than a dinner of friends.
Alcib. So they were bleeding-new, my lord,
there's no meat like 'em : 1 could wish my best
friend at such a feast.
Apem. 'Would all those flatterers were thine
enemies, then, that then thou mightst kill 'em,
and bid me to 'em !
First Lord. Might we but have that happiness,
my lord, that you would once use our hearts,
whereby we might express some part of our zeals,
we should think ourselves for ever perfect."4
Tim. Oh, no doubt, my good friends ; but the
68. Harness. 'Armour.' See Note 68, Act hi., " First Part
Henry IV."
69. In heart. 'In heartiness;' 'in truth,' 'in sincerity.'
Timon is pledging one of the lords, his friends ; and menus,
' My lord, I drink to you in all heartiness.'
70. Pelf. A scornful term for 'riches,' 'money,' 'goods.'
Low Latin, pelfra.
71. Pond. ' Weak,' ' foolish.'
72. Rich men sin, and I eat root. It has been proposed to
change " sin" to ' sing' or 'dinc'herc; but we think the word
" sin " is used antithetically to " eat root," in the sens- 1
sinfully,' 'gorge,' or 'gormandise,' with allusion to gluttony
being one of the seven deadly sins.
73. Dich. This appears to be a peculiar form of 'do V ' d°
it,' 01 ' in. iv it do ; ' but no other instance of the word "dich"
thus used has hitherto been found.
-4. Perfect. Here used for 'perfect in content,' or ' perfectly
contented.'
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
gods themselves have provided that I shall have
much help from you : how had you been my
friends else ? why have you that charitable75 title
horn thousands, did not you chiefly belong to my
heart ? 1 have told more of you to myself than you
can with modesty speak in your own behalf; and
thus far I confirm you. Oh, you gods, think I,
what need we have any friends, if we should ne'er
have need of them ? they were the most needless
creatures living, should we ne'er have use for them;
and would most resemble sweet instruments hung
up in cases, that keep their sounds to themselves.
Why, I have often wished myself poorer, that I
might come nearer to you. We are born to do
benefits: and what better or properer can we call
our own than the riches of our friends ? Oh, what
a precious comfort 'tis, to have so many, like
brothers, commanding one another's fortunes ! Oh,
joy, e'en made away ere 't can be born !'6 Mine
eyes cannot hold out water, methinks: to forget
their faults, I drink to you.
Apem. Thou weepest to make them drink,
Tim on.
Sec. Lou/. Joy had the like conception in our
<." es,
And, at that instant, like a babe sprung up.
Apem. Ho, ho! I laugh to think that babe a
bastard.
Third Lord. I promise you, my lord, you mov'd
me much.
Apem. Much!" [Tucket sounded.
Tim. What means that trump ?
Enter a Servant.
How now !
Ser'v. Please you, my lord, there are certain
ladies most desirous of admittance.
Tim. Ladies ! what are their wills ?
Ser'v. There comes with them a forerunner,
my lord, which bears that office, to signify their
pleasures.
Tim. I pray, let them be admitted.
Enter Cupid.
Cup. Hail to thee, worthy Timon ; — and to all
75 Charitable. Here used by Timon in its primitive sense of
' loving,' as referring to the affection subsisting between himself
and bis friends ; and in its more usual sense of ' kindly,' ' benevo-
lent,' as referring to their professions of willingness to assist him.
76. Ok, joy, e'en made away ere 't can be born ! ' Oh, joy,
tli.u is drowned in tears ere it can express itself!' The Folio
misprints 'ioyes' for "joy." Rowe's correction
77. Mitch .' Apemantus sneeringly echoes the Third Lord's
word, converting it into the significant exclamation colloquially
used in Shakespeare's time. See Note 87, Act ii., "Second
Part Henry IV."
78. The ear, taste, touch, smell, pleas'd, 6^c. The Folio
prints, 'There last, touch all, pleas'd, &c.' Wai burton made
the correction ; which enables the passage to show that four
senses have been gratified at Timon's table, while the fifth,
sight, is to be delighted by the approaching mask.
79. They dance I they are mad women. The Puritanical
That of his bounties tasle ! — The five best senses
Acknowledge thee their patron ; and come freely
To gratulate thy plenteous bosom : the ear,
Taste, touch, smell, pleas'd from thy table rise;73
They only now come but to feast thine eyes.
Tim. They 're welcome all ; let them have kind
admittance : — ■
Music, make their welcome ! [Exit Cupid.
First Lord. You see, my lord, how ample you're
belov'd.
Music. Re-enter Cupid, •with a mask of Ladies
as Amazons, 'with lutes in their hands,
dancing ami playing.
Apem. Heyday! what a sweep of vanity comes
this way !
They dance ! they are mad women.79
Like madness is the glory of this life,
As this pomp shows to a little oil and root.80
We make ourselves fools, to disport ourselves ;
And spend our flatteries, to drink those men,
Upon whose age we void it up again,
With poisonous spite and envy.
Who lives, that 's not depraved or depraves ?
Who dies, that hears not one spurn to their gra\cs
Of their friends' gift ?
I should fear, those that dance before me now
Would one day stamp upon me : 't has been done ;
Men shut their doors against a setting sun.
The Lords rise fiom table, zcith mucn adoring 0/
Timon ; and to shozu their loves, each singles
out an Amazon, and all dance, men i;ith
•women, a lojty strain or txuo to the hautboys,
and cease.
Tim. You have done our pleasures much grace,
fair ladies,
Set a fair fashion on our entertainment,
Which was not half so beautiful and kind ;
You have added worth unto 't and lustre,
And entertain'd me with mine own device ;
I am to thank you for it.
First Lady. My lord, you take us even at tbe
best.81
writers of Shakespeare's time denounced dancing as madness
and sin. Stubbes, in his " Anatomie of Abuses," 1583. speaks
, f " dauncers thought to be madmen." "And as in all feasts
and pastimes dauncing is the last, so it is the extream of all
other vice."
80. Like madness is tlie glory 0/ this life, as this pomp shows
to, &*c. 'Just such madness is the glory of this life, as the
pomp of this feast appears when compared with the philo-
sopher's frugal repast of a little oil and a few roots.' We have
before remarked upon the peculiar construction visible in many
of Shakespeare's passages of comparison. See, among several
others, Note 57, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
: 1 . 1 'oh take us even at the best. ' You make the best of our
attempts.' The Folio gives the prefix to this speech, ' 1 Lord,'
instead of " First Lady," to whom it obviously belongs, as a
reply to Timon's compliment to herself and her companions.
Steevens made the correction.
flip-
Timon. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends you :
Please you to dispose yourselves.
All Ladies. Most thankfully, my lord.
Act I. Scene II.
VOL. III.
•94
Act I.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Apem. 'Faith, for the worst is filthy ; and would
not hold taking, I doubt me.
Tim. Ladies, there is an idle banquet attends
you :
Please you to dispose yourselves.
All Lad. Most thankfully, my lord.
[Exeunt Cupid and Ladies.
Tim. Flavius, —
Flat). My lord ?
Tim. The little casket bring me hither.
Fla'v. Yes, my lord.— [Aside,] More jewels
)et!
There is no crossing him in his humour ;
Else I should tell him well,8- i' faith, I should :
When all's spent, he'd be cross'd then,83 an he
could.
'Tis pity bounty had not eyes behind,34
That man might ne'er be wretched for his mind.33
[Exit, and returns ivitb the casket.
First Lord. Where be our men ?
Sert>. Here, my lord, in readiness.
Sec. Lord. Our horses !
Tim. Oh, my friends,
I have one word to say to you: — look you, my
good lord,
I must entreat you, honour me so much
As to advance this jewel ;sli accept it and wear
it,
Kind my lord.
First Lord. I am so far already in your gifts, —
Ail. So arc we all.
Enter a Servant.
Ser'v. My lord, there are certain nobles of the
senate
Newly alighted, and come to visit you.
Tim. They are fairly welcome.
Flav. I beseech your honour,
Vouchsafe me a word ; it does concern you near.
Tim. Near! why, then, another time I'll hear
thee :
I pi') thee, let's be provided to show them enter-
tainment.
Fla'v. [Aside.] I scarce know how.
82. Else I should tell hint well. We here give (he punctua-
tion of the Folio ; while most modern editors adopt Rowe's,
which places a dash between "him" and "welt." making
"well, i'faith, I should." a parenthetical phrase, and *' when
all's spent," &c., what Flavius would tell Timou, instead of its
being Flavius's present reflection upon his master's extrava-
gance. We agree with Mr Staunton in believing that "tell
him well" bears the sense of ' rate him,' or ' c all him to account '
it appears to us to lie equivalent to the modern vulgarism, ' tell
him his own,' or 'tell him a piece of my mind.' 'Tell him
plainly,' and ' tell him flatly,' too, often used by Shal.cspc.are,
are phrases of the same kind.
S3. He'd If cross'd .'hen. "Cross'd" is here used with a
play on the word, in its sense of ' thwarted,' as referring to the
previous expression, "crossing him in his humour," and in its
sense of having the hand crossed with money. There is a
Enter a second Servant.
Sec. Ser<v. May it please your honour, Lord
Lucius,
Out of his free love, hath presented to you
Four milk-white horses, trapp'd in silver.
Tim. I shall accept them fairly: let the presents
Be worthily entertain' d.
Enter a third Servant.
How now ! what news ?
Third SeriK Please you, my lord, that honour-
able gentleman, Lord Lucullus, entreats your com-
pany to-morrow to hunt with him; and has sent
your honour two brace of greyhounds.
Tim. I'll hunt with him ; and let them be re-
ceiv'd,
Not without fair reward.
Fla'v. [Aside.] What will this come to ?
He commands us to provide, and give great gifts,
And all out of an empty coffer:
Nor will he know his purse ; or yield me this,
To show him what a beggar his heart is,
Being of no power to make his wishes good :
His promises fly so beyond his state,
That what he speaks is all in debt, he owes
For every word : he is so kind, that he now
Pays interest for't ; his land's put to their books.
Well, would I were gently put out of office,
Before I were fore'd out !
Happier is he that has no friend to feed
Than such that do e'en enemies exceed.
I bleed inwardly for my lord. [Exit,
Tim. You do yourselves
Much wrong, you bate too much of your Oivn
merits : —
Here, my lord, a trifle of our love.
Sec. Lord. With more than common thanks I
will receive it.
Third Lord. Oh, he's the very soul of bounty !
Tim. And now I remember, my lord, you
gave
Good words the other day of a bay courser
I rode on : it is yours, because you lik'd it.
somewhat similar quibbling allusion pointed out in Note 38,
Act u., "As You Like It." The present passage includes a
kind of pun on the word " tell," in its connection with
"cross'd;" inasmuch as "tell" is sometimes used to express
reckon or count money.
84. 'Tis pity Bounty hud not eyes behind. In order that it
might perceive the consequences which follow in its train, when
lavishly exercised.
85. That man might ne'er be wretched for his nritid. ' That
man might never come to misery through his generosity of dis-
position.' "For" is here used in the sense of 'through,' 'on
account of (see Note 29, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet") ; and
"mind" in the sense of ' high-mindedness,' 'liberality of spirit.'
86. Advance this jewel. ' Give it dignity by acceptance,'
' honour it by wearing it;' as, a short time before, the Jeweller
tells Timon he would " mend the jewel by the wearing it."
Act 1I.J
TIMON
[Scene i.
Sec. Lord. Oli, I beseech you, purjon ine, my
lord, in that.
Tim. You may take my word, my lord ; I
know, no man
Can justly praise, but what he does affect :
I weigh my friend's affection with mine own ;
I'll tell you true.8? I'll call to you.s3
All Lords. Oh, none so welcome.
Tim. I take all and your several visitations
So kind to heart, 'tis not enough to give;
Methinks, I could deal kingdoms to my friends,
And ne'er be weary. — Alcibiades,
Thou art a soldier, therefore seldom rich
It comes in charity to thee: for all thy living
Is 'mongst the dead;89 and all the lands thou
hast
Lie in a pitch'd field.
Alcib. Ay, defil'd land, my lord.
First Lord. We are so virtuously bound, —
Tim. And so
Am I to you.
. Sec. Lord. So infinitely endear'd, — •
Tim. All to you.90— Lights, more lights!
First Lord. The best of happiness,
Honour, and fortunes, keep with you, Lord Timon !
Read) for his friends,
[Exeunt Alcibiades, Lords, &c.
Apem. What a coil's here:'-"
Serving of becks,92 and juttings out behind !
1 doubt whether their legs88 be worth the sums
That are given for 'cm. Friendship's full of
dregs
Methinks, false hearts should never have sound
legs.
Thus honest fools lay out their wealth on court'sies.
Tim. Now, Apemantus, if thou wert not sullen,
I would be good to thee.
Apem, No, I'll nothing : for if I should be
bribed too, there would be none left to rail upon
thee ; and then thou wouldst sin the faster. Thou
giv'st so long, Timon, I fear me thou wilt give-
away thyself in paper94 shortly : what need these
feasts, pomps, and vain-glories?
Tim. Nay, an you begin to rail on society
once, I am sworn not to give regard to you.
Farewell; and come with better music. [Exit.
Apem. So ; — thou wilt not hear me now, — thou
shalt not then, I'll lock thy heaven95 from thee.
Oh, that men's ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery, [Exit.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— Athens. A Room in a Senator's
House.
Enter a Senator, xvitb papers in his hand.
Sen. And late, five thousand ;— to Varro and
to Isidore
He owes nine thousand ; — besides my former
sum,
Which makes it five and twenty. — Still in motion
87. /'// tell you true. Johnson proposed to change "1*11"'
here to 'I;' but Shakespeare frequently uses "I'll tell you,"
or " I'll tell thee," where the usual form is ' I tell you,' or ' I tell
thee,' in other passages besides the two pointed out in Note 26,
Act iv., " As Yuu Like It."
88. I'll call to you. Equivalent to the modem idiom, 'I'll
call upon you .' * I'll call at or come to your house.*
89. All thy living is 'mongst the dead, " Living" is here
punningly used: in its sense of 'existing,' and in its sense ef
'possessions.' See Note 47, Act v., " Merchant of Venice.''
90. All to you. * All good wishes to you,' 'all happiness be
granted to you.'
91. What a coil's here! 'What a fuss is here !' See Note
81, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet."
92. Becks, An old word for 'bows,' 'bindings of the
head.'
93. Legs. Here used punningly; in its sen .c of ' limbs,' and
Of raging waste ? It cannot hold ; it will not.
It I want gold, steal but a beggar's dog,
And give it Timon, why, the dog coins gold :
If I would sell my horse, and buy twenty more
Better than he, why, give my horse to 'J mum.
Ask nothing, give it him, it foals me, straight,
And able horses :' no porter at his gate ;
But rather cne that smiles, and still invites2
All that pass by. It cannot hold ; no reason
in its sense of 'salutations,' 'acts of obeisance.* See Note 125,
Act ii , " First Part Henry IV."
94. In paper. In securities,' ' in bonds '
95. Thy heaven. Apemantus means good advice, the only
thing which could save Timon. lit- word "counsel," in the
next line but one, shows this to lie the right interpretation.
1. It foals me, straight, and able horses. 'It straightway
produces me several full-grown horses.' "Me" is hen used in
the idiomatic manner so frequently pointed out. See Note 88,
Act iv., " Henry V. "
■2. Ifo farter at his gate ; but rather one, &*c. Porters were
usually stern, surly, and forbidding of asp< I tified by
many passages from ancient writers; so that the mere term
"porter" here infers a grim official whose office it is to keep
people out, while the word "one." in the next line,
to " porter," but means ' a pcrs.ui,' ' some one that smile-, &c.
Act II.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Can found his state in safety.3— C aphis, ho !
Cap his, I say !
Enter Caphis.
Caph. Here, sir ; what is your pleasure ?
Sen. Get on your cloak, and haste you to Lord
Timon ;
Importune him for my moneys; be not ceas'd
With slight denial ;4 nor then silenc'd, when—
" Commend me to your master" — and the cap
Plays in the right hand, thus;5— but tell him,
My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn
Out of mine own ; his days and times are past,
And my reliances on his fracted dates6
Have smit my credit: I love and honour him ;
But must not break my back to heal his finger :
Immediate are my needs ; and my relief
Must not be toss'd and turn'd to me in words,
But find supply immediate.7 Get you gone
Put on a most importunate aspect,
A visage of demand ; for, I do fear,
When every feather sticks in his own wing,8
Lord Timon will be left a naked gull,9
Which flashes now a phoenix.10 Get you gone.
Caph. I go, sir.
3. Can found his state in safety. The Folio prints 'sound'
(with a long s) for "found" here. Hanmer's correction. We
cannot think the passage will bear either of the senses given to
it by those who retain the originally printed word 'sound:'
some of whom interpret 'sound' here to mean 'fathom,'
others interpreting it to mean 'proclaim.'1 We think that the
phrase " can found his state in safety " signifies ' can consider
his state to be founded in safety,' 'can judge his condition to
have any safe or solid foundation.' We are confirmed in our
bjlief of the misprint here, because in the next scene of this
same play there occurs a similar typographical error committed
by the Folio printer of ' sound ' {also printed with a long s) for
"found." See Note 31 of the present Act.
4. Be not ceas'd with slight denial. Here " ceas'd " is used
actively. See Note 21, Act v., " Second Part Henry VI."
5. The ca/> plays in tlie right hand, thus. The present
piisage appears to us to support our interpretation of the word
" bonneted" in Note 47, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
6. Fracted dates. ' Broken dates.' See Note 37, Act ii.,
" Henry V." The expression signifies appointed dates on which
promises of payment have been broken.
7. But find supply immediate. ** Must not," in the previous
line, gives ' must ' to be elliptically understood between '* but "
and " find " here.
8. When every feather sticks in his own wing. " His " here
used for ' its.'
9. Gull. Here used in a double sense, that of 'dupe,' and
that of 'callow or unfledged bird.' See Note 6, Act v., "First
Part Henry IV." The word "naked" renders doubly obvious
the allusion to being without feathers ; and indeed the term
"a naked gull" was a technicality, as well as " a gull," for a
nestling bird. The fact that callow birds are of a yellowish
cast makes it probable that "gull," as thus applied, is derived
from the Saxon geole, or Gothic gut, yellow.
10. Which flashes now a phaznix. The present passage
affords another instance of the former use of " which "/or ' who,'
and "who" for 'which,' giving the means of imparting increased
effect to figurative writing (see Note 18, Act v., " Richard II.) ;
since here "which" applies to "Lord Timon" in his own
person, and to "a naked gull" as figuratively personifying him.
Sen. Take the bonds along with you,11
And have the dates in compt.12
Caph. I will, sir,
Sen, Go. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Athens. A Hall In Timon's
House.
Enter Klavius, ivith many bills in his hand.
Fla-u. JNo care, no stop ! so senseless of expense,
That he will neither know how to maintain it,
Nor cease his flow of riot : takes no account
How things go from him ; nor resumes no care13
Of what is to continue : never mind
Was to be so unwise, to be so kind.14
What shall be done ? he will not hear, till feel :15
I must be round with him,16 now he comes from
hunting.
Fie, fie, fie, fie !
Enter Caphis, and the Servants of Isidore and
Varro.
Caph. Good even, Varro :17 what !
You come for money ?
11. Take the bonds, &>c. These words, in the Folio, are
preceded by a repetition of " I go, sir ;" which may possibly
have been meant for ' Ay, go, sir,' to mark the senator's im-
patient repetition of the man's words, bidding him be gone at
once: but it seems more probable that the phrase was repeated
by a mistake of the printer or transcriber.
12. An l have t/te dates in compt. 'And take account of the
dates.* The Folio prints this line, 'And haue the dates in.
Come.' Theobald's correction.
13. Nor resumes no care of wJiat, &*c. The Folio gives
'resume' instead of "resumes." Rowe's correction. The
double negative is not unusual with Shakespeare; yet even
allowing this, if "resumes" be taken in its usual sense of
' re-takes ' or ' assumes again,' the passage seems still doubtful,
because Timon never having taken care of his possessions can-
not be expected to re-take care of them. We think, therefore,
that it is possible that " resumes no care " is here used to ex-
press something like 'takes no recapitulatory care,' ' takes no
summing-up care ;' as the French use their word ' resume* for
' recapitulation,' ' summary,' or ' summing-up.*
14. Never mind was to be so unwise, to be so hind. ' There
never was a mind being so unwise, yet at the same time so kind ;*
or, 'There never was a mind created at once so unwise and so
kind ;' or, again, ' Never was there a mind made to be so unwise
and to be so kind.' We have before now remarked upon Shake-
speare's peculiar employment of ' to be.' See Note 49, Act i.
of the present play. Also, Note 28, Act v., " Henry VIII."
15. He ivitl not luar, till feel. " He" is elliptically under-
stood as repeated between " till " and ' feel."
16. / must be roumi with him. "Round " is here used in
the s^ense of 'plain,* 'frank,' 'blunt,' 'out-spoken,' or 'free-
spoken.' See Note 46, Act ii., " Twelfth Night."
17. Good even, Varro. 'Good den,' 'good even,' or 'good
evening,' was always used in salutation directly after twelve
o'clock in the day had passed. " Varro " is here addressed to
Varro's servant ; men often being called by their masters'
names or titles. So, in the more modern farce of " High Life
Below Stairs," written by Garrick in 1759, the duke's servant is
addressed as "my lord duke," "your grace," &c, and Sir
Harry's servant as " Sir Harry," " baronet," &c.
n^^f^iL-n^], j J Mi^^^fim'!&i3s^^i
Timon. You make me marvel : wherefore, ere this time,
Had you not fuliy laid my state before me ? Act II. Scene II.
far. Sew. Is 't not your business too ?
Capb. It is : — and yours too, Isidore ?
hid. Sew. It is so.
Capb. Would we were all discharg'd !ls
Far. Sew. I fear it.19
Capb. Here comes the lord.
Enter Timon, Alcibiades, and Lords, &c.
Tim. So soon as dinner's done, we'll forth
again,20
My Alcibiades.— With me ? What is your will ?
Capb. My lord, here is a note of certain dues.
18. Would -we were all discharged'. ' Would that all the debts
owing to us were discharged!' In the "Comedy of Errors,"
Act iv., sc. i, we find the same idiom, where Angelo says,
" See him presently discharged ;" meaning, ' See that my debt
to him be immediately discharged.'
19. I fear it. 'I fear that we shall not be discharged,' or
'paid.' See Note 4, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
Tim. Dues ! Whence are you ?
Capb. Of Athens here, my lord.
Tun. Go to my steward.
Capb. Please it your lordship, he,hath put me
off
To the succession of new days this month :
My master is awak'd by great occasion
To call upon his own ; and humbly prays you,
That with your other noble parts you'll suit,
In giving him his right.
Tim. Mine honest friend,
I p'rythee, but repair to me next morning.
20. So scon as dinner's done, we'll forth again. Timon
means that he and his guests will go out again a-hunlin.;, from
which diversion Flavius's speech shows they had just returned
In Shakespeare's time it was the custom to hunt in the latter
part of the day as well as early. From Lancham's " V it
of the Entertainment at Kenilworth Castle" we lind that Queen
Elizabeth, while there, hunted both in the. ifl reniog
Act II.]
TI.MON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Caph. Nay, good my lord, — ■
Tim. Contain thyself, good friend.
Var. Sera). One Varro's servant, my good
lord,—
hid. Sera). From Isidore ;
He humbly prays your speedy payment,—
Capb. If you did know, my lord, my master's
wants,—
Var. Serv. 'Twas due on forfeiture, my lord,
six weeks
And past, —
hid Ser-v. Your steward puts me off, my lord ;
And I am sent expressly to your lordship.
Tim. Give me breath. —
I do beseech you, good my lords, keep on ;
I'll wait upon you instantly.
[Exeunt Alcibiades and Lords.
[7b Flavius.] Come hither : pray you,
How goes the world, that I am thus encounter'd
With clamorous demands of date-broke bonds,31
And the detention of long-since-due debts,
Against my honour ?
Flav. Please you, gentlemen,
The time is unagreeable to this business ;
Your importunacy cease till after dinner;
That I may make his lordship understand
Wherefore you are not paid.
Tim. Do so, my friends. —
See them well entertain'd. [Exit.
Flav. P''ay, draw near. [Exit.
Enter Apemantus and Fool.
Capfj. Stay, stay, here comes the fool with
Apemantus : let's ha' some sport with 'em.
far. Ser-v. Hang him, he '11 abuse us.
hid. Ser-v. A plague upon him, dog!
Var. Ser-v. How dost, fool f
Apem. Dost dialogue with thy shadow ?
Var. Ser<v. I speak not to thee.
Apem. No, 'tis to thyself. — [7b the Fool.] Come
away.
hid. Serv. [To Var. Serv.l There's the fool
hangs on your back already.
Apem. No, thou stand'st single, thou'rt not on
him yet.
Caph. Where's the fool now ?
21. Demands of date-broke bonds. The Folio gives ' de-
mands of debt, broken bonds ; ' but the ensuing line, where
"debts" are mentioned, makes it improbable that the Folio
reading in the present line is correct, while the expression
" fracted dates," in the previous scene, renders it likely that
Steevens's emendation of "dale-broke," which we adopt, is
right.
22. Oratnercies. ' Great thanks.' The more usual form was
"gramercy;" which is used a little farther ou. See Note 14,
Act i., "Taming of the Shrew."
23. To scald sJtch chickens as yon are. It was usual to
scald poultry before plucking, to make the feathers come off
easily.
Apem. He last asked the question. — Poor rogues,
and usurers' men! brokers between gold and want!
All Serv. What are we, Apemantus ?
Apem. Asses.
All Serv. Why ?
Apem. That you ask me what you are, and do
not know yourselves. — Speak to 'em, fool.
Fool. How do you, gentlemen ?
All Ser<v. Gramercies,-- good fool : how does
your mistress ?
Fool. She's e'en setting on water to scald such
chickens as you are.:3 Would we could see you
at Corinth '."i
Apem. Good ! gramercy.
Fool. Look you, here comes my mistress*
page.-5
Enter Page.
Page. [7c/ the Fool,] Why, how now, captain!
what do you in this wise company r — How dost
thou, Apemantus ?
Apem. Would I had a rod in my mouth, that I
might answer thee profitably.
Page. Pr'ythee, Apemantus, read ine the super-
scription of these letters : I know not which is
which.
Apem. Canst not read ?
Page. No.
Apem. There will little learning die, then, that
day thou art hanged. This is to Lord Timon ;
this to Alcibiades. Go ; thou wast born a bastard,
and thou'lt die a broker.
Page. Thou wast whelped a dog, and thou
shalt famish, — a dog's death. Answer not, I am
gone.
Apem. Even so thou outrunnest grace. [Exit
Page.] Fool, I will go with, you to Lord Timon's.26
Fool. Will you leave me there ?
Apem. If Timon stay at home. — You three
serve three usurers ?
All Sera). Ay ; would they served us !
Apem. So would I,— as good a trick as ever
hangman served thief.
Fool. Are you three usurers' men ?
All Serv. Ay, fool.
Fool. I think no usurer but has a fool to his
24. Would we could see yon at Corinth 1 " Corinth " is here
used by the Fool to indicate his mistress's residence ; because it
was a cant name given to dissolute haunts, originating in the
celebration of the ancient worship of Venus at Corinth, and in
the profligate manners of the Corinthians. See Note 64, Act ii.,
" First Part Henry IV."
25. My mistress' page. The Folio prints 'my masters page ;'
the mistake having probably arisen from the word in the original
manuscript having been written merely with an initial M.
26. / will go with yon to Lord Timon's. This probably
refers not to Lord Timon's house, inasmuch as they are there
already, but to Lord Timon's banqueting-room or Lord Timon's
presence-chamber.
Act II.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
servant : my mistress is one, anil I am her fool.
When men come to borrow of your masters, they
approach sadly, ami go away merry ; hut they
enter my mistress' house-? merrily, and go away
sadly : the reason of this ?
Far. Sert/i I could render one.
Apt "t. Do it, then, that we may account thee a
profligate and a knave ; which, notwithstanding,
thou shalt he no less esteemed.
Far. Seiv. What is a profligate, fool ?
Fool. A fool in good clothes, and somethwig
like thee. 'Tis a spirit : sometime 't appears like
a lord ; sometime like a lawyer ; sometime like a
philosopher : he is very often like a knight ; and,
generally, in all shapes that man goes up and down
in from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks
in.
Far. Ser*v. Thou art not altogether a fool.
Fool. Nor thou altogether a wise man : as
much foolery as I have, so much wit thou lackest.
Apem. That answer might have become Ape-
man tus.
All Serv. Aside, aside ; here comes Lord
Timon.
Re-enter Timon and Flavius.
Afiem. Come with me, fool, come.
Fool. I do not always follow lover, elder brother,
and woman ; sometime the philosopher.
[Exeunt Apemantus anil Fool.
Fla<v. Pray you, walk near: I'll speak with you
anon. [Exeunt Servants.
Tim. You make me marvel : wherefore, ere
this time,
Had you not fully laid my state before me ;
That I might so have rated my expense,
As I had leave of means ?
Fla-v. You would not hear me,
At many leisures I propos'd.-3
Tim. Go to :
Perchance some single vantages you took,
27. My mistress house. Htre again the Folio prints
' masters' instead of " mistress."
28. At many leisures I propos'd. The first Folio prints 'pro-
pose ' for " propos'd ;" corrected in the second Folio. The
sentence is elliptical ; meaning, ' At many leisure moments,
when I proposed to lay your state berore you.'
29. Some single vantages yon took .... and that nnaptness
made. &e. Here the " you " before " took " gives ' you ' to be
elliptically understood as repeated before "made;" according
to a mode of construction not unfrequently used by Shakespeare.
See, among many other examples, Note 98, Act iii , " Corio-
lanus," and Note 15 of the present Act.
30. At many times I brought in my accounts, laid them
be/ore you. Here ' when ' is elliptically understood before "I,"
and 'and'before "laid."
31. You found them in mine honesty. The Folio prints
' sound * for " found " here.
32. So much. This expression is used by Shakespeare to imply
an indefinite sum, such and such an amount ; although here it
may include the sense of so great a sum, or so large an amount.
When my indisposition put you back ;
And that unaptness made your minister,2'
Thus to excuse yourself.
Flail. Oh, my good lord,
At many times I brought in my accounts,
Laid them before you;30 you would throw them
off,
And say, you found them in mine honesty."
When, for some trifling present, you have bid
me
Return so much,3-' I have shook my head and
wept ;
Yea, 'gainst the authority of manners, pray'd you
To hold your hand more close : I did endure
Not seldom, nor no slight checks, when I have
Prompted you, in the ebb of your estate,
And your great flow of debts. My dear-lov'd
lord,33
Though you hear now (too late!), yet now's a
time,
The greatest of your having lacks a half3*
To pay your present debts.
Tim. Let all my land he sold.
Flav. 'Tis all engaged, some forfeited and
gone ;
And what remains will hardly stop the mouth
Of present dues : the future comes apace :
What shall defend the interim ? and at length
How goes our reckoning ?
Tim. To Lacedicmon did my land extend.
Flan). Oh, my good lord, the world is but a
word :
Were it all yours to give it in a breath,
How quickly were it gone !
77m. You tell me true.
F/af. If you suspect my husbandry or false-
hood,35
Call me before the exactest auditors-,
And set me on the proof. So the gods bless
me,
When all our offices30 have been oppress'd
33. My dcar-lov\i lord. The first Folio omits " dear ;" in-
serted by the editor of the second Folio.
34. 1 ~et how's a time, t/te greatest of your having lacks, &c.
1 Yet now is a time when the utmost of your wealth amounts not
to half what is need!ul to pay your present debts.' " Having"
is here and elsewhere used to express ' possessions.' See Note
94, Act iii., "Twelfth Night." We take occasion to point out
the frequency with which the word ' when ' is elliptically under-
stood in the construction just hereabouts in the present play.
See Notes 28 and 30.
35. If you suspect my husbandry or falsehood. '11 JTOU
suspect my want of good economy, or my fraudulent practice.'
" Husbandry" is here used for 'good management,1 ' ■ no
'thrift.' 'prudence' sec Note 16, Act i., " Trcilui and
Crcssida") ; and the sentence is constructed, like several olhcrs
by Shakespeare, so as to give ' want of to be elliptically under-
stood therein. See Note 26, Act v., " Richard III."
36. Offices. The places, in a Iarje mansion, where refresh-
ments we e prepared, anil whence they were lerved out , as
the cellar, the buttery, the larder, the pjnlry. .1c. &c.
Act II.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
With riotous feeders ; when our vaults have wept
With drunken spilth of wine; when every room
Hath blaz'd with lights, and bray'd with min-
strelsy ;
I have retir'd me to a wasteful cock,
And set mine eyes at flow.3'
Tim. Pr'ythee, no more.
Fla<v. Heavens, have I said, the bounty of this
lord!
How many prodigal bits have slaves and peasants
This night englutted ! Who is not Tiinon's ?
What heart, head, sword, force, means, but is Lord
Timon's p
Great Timon, noble, worthy, royal Timon !
Ah ! when the means are gone that buy this
praise,
The breath is gone whereof this praise is made:
Feast-won, fast-lost ; one cloud of winter showers,
These flies are couch'd.
Tim. Come, sermon me no farther :
No villanous bounty yet hath pass'd my heart ;
Unwisely, not ignobly, have I given.
Why dost thou weep? Canst thou the conscience
lack,
To think I shall lack friends? Secure33 thy
heart ;
If I would broach the vessels of my love,
And try the argument of hearts39 by borrow-
ing.
Men and men's fortunes could I frankly use
As I can bid thee speak.
Flail Assurance bless your thoughts !
Tim. And, in some sort, these wants of mine
are crown'd,
That I account them blessings ; for bv these
Shall I try friends: you shall perceive how you
Mistake my fortunes; I am wealthy in my
friends. —
Within there! Flaminius! Servilius '.*"
Enter Flaminius, Servilius, and other
Servants.
Servants. My lord ? my lord p —
Tim. I will dispatch you severally : — you, to
Lord Lucius; — to Lord Lucullus you; I hunted
with his honour to-day ; — you, to Sempronius :
37. / have retir'd me to a "wasteful eock. and set mine eyes
at flow. The expression " a wasteful cock " was explained by
Hanmcr to mean 'a cock-loft or garret lying in waste, neglected,
put to no use :' while Johnson says it is 'a pipe with a turning
stopple running to waste.' We think that the latter interpre-
tation is evidently the right one ; and that Flavins is referring
to one of those taps of the wine-casks in the " vaults " he has
mentioned, which, wastcfully flowing with liquor, he has mourn-
fully stood beside and let his tears flow in emulation. We think
that the word "wept" and "set mine eyes at flow " serve to
show the consecutive connection here intended througnout this
figurative sentence.
38. Secure. Here used for 're-assure,' 'restore confidence
commend me to their loves; and, I am proud, say,
that my occasions have found time to use them
toward a supply of money : let the request be fitly
talents.
Flam. As you have said, my lord.
Fla-v. [Aside."] Lord Lucius and Lord Lucul-
lus ? h'm !
Tim. [To another Serv.] Go you, sir, to the
senators
(Of whom, even to the state's best health, 1
have
Deserv'd this hearing); bid them send o' the in-
stant
A thousand talents to me.
Flam. I have been bold
(For that I knew it the most general41 way)
To them to use your signet and your name ;
But they do shake their heads, and I am here
No richer in return.
Tim. Is 't true ? can 't be ?
Flam. They answer, in a jcint and corporate
voice,
That now they are at fall,'12 want treasure, can-
not
Do what they would ; are sorry — you are honour-
able,—
But yet they could have wish'd — they know
not — ■
Something hath been amiss — a noble nature
May catch a wrench— would all were well — 'tis
pity ; —
And so, intending43 other serious matters,
After distasteful looks, and these hard fractions,41
With certain half-caps45 and cold-moving nods
They froze me into silence.
Tim. You gods, reward them ! —
Pr'ythee, man, look cheerly. These old fellows
Have their ingratitude in them hereditary :
Their blood is cak'd, 'tis cold, it seldom flows ;
'Tis lack of kindly warmth they are not kind ;
And nature, as it grows again toward earth,
Is fashion'd for the journey, dull and heavy. — ■
[To a Servant.] Go to Ventidius :— [To Flaw]
Pr'ythee, be not sad,
Thou art true and honest ; ingeniously46 I
speak,
33. Try the argument 0/ hearts. " Argument" being used
to express the theme or subject-matter of that which is contained
in a book, the word is here applied to the contents of men's
hearts, or the stuff of which they are composed.
40. Flaminius .' Serviliiu I The Folio here misprints
' Flauius ' for " Flaminius."
41. General. Here used to express 'collectively effectual,'
' generally comprehensive.'
42. At fall. ' At a low ebb.'
43. Intending. Here used for ' pretending.' See Note 56,
Act iii., "Richard 111."
44. Fractions. ' Hrokcn sentences,' 'fragmentary phrases.
45. Half-elf's. 'Caps half taken off ;' ' slight salutations.'
46. Ingeniously. ' Sincerely ; ' " ingeniously," used where
224
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Sckne I.
No blame belongs to thee : — [To Serv.] Ventiuius
lately
Buried his lather; by 'whose death he's stepp'd
Into a great estate : when he was poor,
Imprison'd, and in searcity of friends,
I clear'd him with five talents: greet him from
me ;
Bid him suppose some good necessity17
Touches his friend, which craves to be remember'd
With those five talents:— [7o Flav.] That had,
give it these fellows
To whom 'tis instant' due. Ne'er speak, or
think,
That Timon's fortunes 'mong his friends can
sink.
Flav. 1 would I could not think it : that
thought is bounty's foe ;
Being free43 itself, it thinks all others so. [Exeunt.
ACT III
SCENE I. — Athens. A Room in Lucullus*
House.
Flaminius waiting. Enter a Servant to him.
Ser<v. I have told my lord of you ; he is coming
down to you.«
Flam, I thank you, sir.
Enter Lucullus.
Serv. Here's my lord.
Lucul. [Aside.] One of Lord Timon's men ? a
gift, I warrant. Why, this hits right ; I dreamt of
a silver basin and ewer to-night. — Flaminius, honest
Flaminius; you arc very respectively1 welcome,
sir. — Fill me some wine. [Exit Servant.] — And
how does that honourable, complete, freehearted
' ingenuously* would be the more strictly proper word, was not
unusual among even the best writers formerly. See Note 2,
Act i., "Taming of the Shrew." The character of Timon is
nobly delineated in this scene, and demonstrates that his misan-
thropy is not the result of a disposition naturally harsh, but that
it is the growth of stung feeling and outraged confidence. We
are here shown that it is not a "villanous bounty," a self-
glorifying and ostentatious bounty, that he has hitherto in-
dulged in : he has not given " unwisely " or " ignobly ; " he has
had no unworthy motives in his munificent course of action ; he
has been so patriotic a maintainer of " the state's health " in his
transactions with the senators as to "have deserv'd this hear-
ing ;" he is tolerant of even "these old fellows" in their "in-
gratitude," and makes the best excuses he can for their cold and
hard conduct; he has full faith in his friends and their willing-
ness to make good their professions of attachment and proffers
of service in return for his lavish gifts to them ; and, finally, he
has steady belief in his worthy steward's having been perfectly
' true and honest " to him, while acquitting him of all " blame."
Timon is of a thoroughly generous nature ; generous in use of
his wealth ; generous in its bestowal ; generously benevolent,
and equally ready to aid an imprisoned friend or give a wedding-
portion to a retainer really in love with a girl superior in fortune,
as he is ready to bestow jewels and rich presents to the com-
panions of his festive hours ; a generous patron of Art and
Literature ; in short, a man of generous propensities and
generous emotions. It is exactly in proportion to his own
native generosity, that he is so indignant at the want of corn-
gentleman of Athens, thy very bountiful good lord
and master ?
Flam. His health is well, sir.
Lucul. I am right glad that his health is well,
sir : and what hast thou there under thy cloak,
pretty Flaminius ?
Flam. Faith, nothing but an empty box, sir ;
which, in my lord's behalf, I come to entreat your
honour to supply ; who, having great and instant
occasion to use fifty talents, hath sent to your lord-
ship to furnish him, nothing doubting your present
assistance therein.
Lucul. La, la, la, la, — nothing doubting, says
he? Alas! good lord ; a noble gentleman 'tis, if
he would not keep so good a house. Many a time
and often I have dined with him, and told him
moncst generosity which he suddenly finds in his fellow-men.
His liberal confidence and benevolence are met with base
treachery and niggardly meanness ; his warmth of heart is met
by coldest cruelty ; his gifts have been proved wholly mis-
bestowed ; his faith and trust as entirely misplaced ; and all
this discovered by him with the most painful abruptness. His
change is as abrupt, he becomes chilled and turned to stone by
the conviction of man's vileness ; his generosity is transformed
to relentless hatred ; his kindness to bitterness, his faith to
sternest disbelief. It is this warmth and worth of his original
nature which makes his misanthropy so profoundly melancholy ;
were he innately austere he would be, like Apemantus, malicious
and jeering in his cynicism ; but he inwardly grieves while h«
resents, he ranklingly mourns while he denounces; and he
actually dies from the depth of his sorrow as well as indignation
at his brother man's unworthiness.
47. Some good necessity. "Good" here has been said to
bear the meaning of contrary to bad, inasmuch as it affords
Vcntidius an opportunity of relieving his friend in return for
former kindness ; or 'honest,' in opposition to an unworthy need
for the money. But we incline to think that here "good"
bears the sense of 'valid,' 'substantia!,' 'real,' 'unfeigned.'
Sec Note 56, Act L, " Merchant of Venice."
48. Free. 'Liberal.'
1. Respectively. 'With much regard,' 'with much con-
sideration' Sec Note 33, Act v., "Merchant of Venice," and
Note 26, Act i., " King John."
VOL. HI.
195
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
on 't ; and come again to supper5 to him, of pur-
pose to have him spend less ; and yet he would
embrace no counsel, take no warning by my
coming. Every man has his fault, and honesty
is his:3 I have told him on 't, but I could ne'er
get him from it.
Re-enter Servant, ivith ivine.
Ser<v. Please your lordship, here is the wine.
Lucul. Flaminius, I have noted thee always
wise. Here's to thee.
Flam. Your lordship speaks your pleasure.
Lucul. I have observed thee always for a to-
ward ly4 prompt spirit, — give thee thy due, — and one
that knows what belongs to reason ; and canst use
the lime well, if the time use thee well : good parts
in thee.— [To the Servant.] Get you gone, sirrah. —
[Exit Servant.] Draw nearer, honest Flaminius.
Thy lord's a bountiful gentleman : but thou art
wise ; and thou knowest well enough, although thou
comest to me, that this is no time to lend money ;
especially upon bare friendship, without security.
Here's three solidares5 for thee : good boy, wink
at me, and say thou sawest me not. Fare thee
well.
Flam. Is 't possible the world should so much
differ,
And we alive that liv'd f6 Fly, cursed base-
ness,
To him that worships thee !
[ThroTuing the money back.
Lucul. Ha ! now I see thou art a fool, and fit
for thy master. [Exit.
Flam. May these add to the number that may
scald thee !
Let molten coin be thy perdition,
Thou disease of a friend, and not himself!
Has friendship such a faint and milky heart,
It turns in less than two nights ? Oh, you
gods,
f 2. I have (fined with him .... and come again to sup/>er.
Here "have" before "dined" gives 'have' to be etliptically
understood as repeated before "come." See Note 29, Act ii.
of the present play.
3. Every man has his fault, and honesty is his. Shake-
speare seems to have enjoyed this joke ; for he has a similar
one in the speech referred to in Notes 57 and 58, Act i.,
"Merry Wives." In the present passage "honesty" is used
for ' liberality.'
4. Tozvardly. ' Tractably,' ' docilely,' 'aptly.' See Note
30, Act ii., "Third Part Henry VI."
5. Solidares. A name for a coin; originally derived from
the Latin, solidutus, a soldier in pay. The word in Low Latin
fur the daily pay of a common soldier is sotidata ; and Florio
has — ''Soldo, a coine called a shilling, the pay due to soldiers
and men of warre." It has not been ascertained whether there
were actual coins called " solidares ;" but it is evident that
here Shakespeare uses the term to express such pieces of money
as Lucullus may be supposed to give to Flaminius by way of a
bribing gratuity.
6. And ive alive that liv'd? 'And we still alive who lived
I feel my master';- passion I7 this slave
Unto his honour8 has my lord's meat in him :
Why should it thrive, and turn to nutriment,
When he is turn'd to poison ?
Oh, may diseases only work upon 't !
And, when he's sick to death, let not that part of
nature
Which my lord paid for, be of any power
To expel sickness, but prolong his hour I9 [Exit,
SCENE II.— Athens. J Public Place.
Entet Lucius, ivith three Strangers.
Luc. Who, the Lord Timon ? he is my very
good friend, and an honourable gentleman.
First Stran. We know him for no less, though
we are but strangers to him. But I can tell you
one thing, my lord, and which I hear from com-
mon rumours, — now Lord Timon's happy hours
are done and past, and his estate shrinks from
him.
Luc. Fie, no, do not believe it ; he cannot want
for money.
Sec. Stran. But believe you this, my lord, that,
not long ago, one of his men was with the Lord
Lucullus to borrow so many10 talents ; nay, urged
I extremely for 't, and showed what necessity be-
longed to't, and yet was denied.
Luc. How!
See. Stran. I tell you, denied, my lord.
Luc. What a strange case was that ! now,
before the gods, I am ashamed on 't. Denied that
honourable man ! there was very little honour
showed in't. For my own part, I must needs
confess, 1 have received some small kindnesses
from him, as money, plate, jewels, and such like
trifles, nothing comparing to his; yet, had he mis-
then?' meaning, 'in so short an interval, that we have drawn
breath but a few hours since the time when these worldlings
professed entire devotion to Timon.'
7. / feel my masfej'i passion ! ' I feel what my master's
emotion will be!' The word "passion" was sometimes used
for 'emotion,' 'agitation,' 'hurt feeling,' 'sorrowful indignation,'
'grief.' See Note 38, Act v., " Midsummer Night's Dream,"
and Note 77, Act ii., "King John."
8. This slave unto his honour. Various alterations have
been made in this expression by those who take it literally. We
believe it to be spoken ironically by Flaminius, in bitterness at
Lord Lucullus's pretension to be considered a man of honour.
That he sets up these pretensions may be gathered from what
Lucius says, in the next scene, of Lucullus's refusal— " There
was very little honour show'd in 't." See also Notes 16 and 30
of the present Act.
g. Prolong his hour! 'Of sickness,' 'of illness,' or 'of
suffering,' is understood elliptically after "hour."
10. So many. This is an idiom (like ''so much ;" see Note
32, Act ii.) used to express an indefinite amount, an unspecified
number, such and such a sum.
226
Act ill.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene ii.
took him, and sent to me,11 I should ne'er have
denied his occasion so many talents.
Enter Servilius.
Ser. See, by good hap, yonder's my lord ; I
have swet13 to see his honour. — [To Lucius.] My
honoured lord, —
Luc. Servilius! you are kindly met, sir. Fare
thee well : commend me to thy honourable,
virtuous lord, my very exquisite friend.
Ser, May it please your honour, my lord hath
sent —
Luc. Ha! what has he sent? I am so much
endeared to that lord ; he *s ever sending : how
shall I thank him, thinkest thou? And what has
he sent now ?
Ser. He has only sent his present occasion now,
my lord ; requesting your lordship to supply his
instant use with so many talents.13
Luc. I know his lordship is but merry with me ;
He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.14
Ser, But in the meantime he wants less, my
lord.
If his occasion were not virtuous,15
1 should not urge it half so faithfully.
Luc, Dost thou speak seriously, Servilius P
Ser, Upon my soul, 'tis true, sir.
ii. Had lie mistook kirn, and sent to me. 'Had he mis-
taken the relative amount of gifts conferred upon Lucullus and
myself, and, instead of giving priority of application to him, had
sent to me first.'
12. Swet. An old form of 'sweated.' See Note 3, Act ii ,
"Henry VIII."
13. With so many talents. Here again " so many " is used
idiomatically, to signify an unspecified number ; but in this case
it means 'as many talents as will supply his present occasion.'
We have learned from a passage in Act ii., sc. 2, the amount
for which application is made to both Lucius and Lucullus,
because Timon there says, " Let the request be fifty talents'*
14. He cannot want fifty-five hundred talents. Here
" want " is said in the sense of ' be without,' ' be unpossessed
of;' while Servilius answers with the word "wants," in the
sense of 'needs,' 'requires.' Shakespeare, and writers of his
time, frequently used the word "want" to express simply not
having, being without, not possessing, without including the
sense of needing or requiring. See Note 27, Act ii., "Mid-
summer Night's Dream." In the "Tempest," Act hi., sc. 3,
we find — " Although they want the use of tongue ;" and in
"Richard III.," Act ii., sc. 2 — "Why wither not the leaves
that want their sap?" We still have the idiom 'are wanting
in.' to express 'are without,' 'have not,' or 'possess not.'
15. Virtuous. If this word be taken in its usual sense of
'righteous' or ' morally good ' (and the context of " faithfully "
makes it probable that such is the sense here intended), n seems
to give support to Malone's second interpretation of the word
"good" Chanest'), as discussed in Note 47, Act ii. But
"virtuous" may here be used in the sense of 'powerful,'
'strong,' 'forcible,' 'strenuous,' 'pressing,' 'urgent,' as derived
from the Latin word virtus, which has the sense of 'force,'
'strength,* 'power,' 'efficacy,' as well as 'virtue' or 'good-
ness ;' and " faithfully " may here bear the sense of ' earnestly,'
'fervently,' rather than that of 'with fidelity.' Also, it must be
observed that the expression "some good necessity" occurred
in Timon's charge to the servant who is to request the loan
from Ventidius ; while the present phrase, "if his occasion were
Luc. What a wicked, beast was 1 to disfurnish
myself against such a good time, when I might
have shown myself honourable !16 how unluckily
it happened, that I should purchase the day before
for a little part, and undo1* a great deal of honour!
—Servilius, now, before the gods, I am not able to
do,13— the more beast, I say:— I was sending to use
Lord Timon myself, these gentlemen can wit-
ness;19 but I would not, for the wealth of Athens,
I had done it now. Commend me bountifully to
his good lordship ; and I hope his honour will con-
ceive the fairest of me, because I have no power to
be kind : — and tell him this from me, I count it
one of my greatest affliction;, say, that I cannot
pleasure such an honourable gentleman. Good
Servilius, will you befriend m . so far, as to use
mine own words to him P
Ser. Yes, sir, I shall.
Luc. I'll look you out a good turn, Servilius.
[Exit Servilius,
True, as you said, Timon is shrunk indeed ;
And he that's once denied will hardly speed.
[Exit.
First St ran. Do you observe this, Hostilius ?
Sec. Strati. Ay, too well.
First Stran. Why, this is the world's soul ; and
just of the same piece
not virtuous," is used by Servilius, the man who applies for a
loan from Lucius : so that there may be no connection between
the words "good" and "virtuous" as employed in thesx* two
passages.
16. Shown myself honourable . . . . a great deal of honour.
Lucius is here making so ostentatious a parade of his desire for
honour, that the ironical expression discussed in Note 8 of the
present Act, " this slave unto his honour," might very well have
applied to him instead of to Lucullus. Cut it seems to us that
Shakespeare meant to show how all these professing gentlemen
of the world affect to be bound by honour, devoted to honour,
ambitious of honour, while trampling honour beneath their feet
and acting with the most dishonourable heartlessness.
17. That I should purchase the day before for a little /'■iff,
and undo, &c. "Part" has been suspected to be a misprint
here; and has been variously altered to 'park,' 'port,* * dirt/
' profit,' &c. We think it possible that the expression in the
text may mean, 'That I should buy some showy acquisition
bringing me in but little honour, and forego,* &c. ; ' Tl .it 1
should invest my money in some costly trille that will bring tne
but a small portion of honour, and thus lose the opportunity of
acquiring much honour by obliging my friend.'
18. / am not able to do. Capel! altered " do " to ' do 't ;' but
it seems to us that Lucullus is speaking disjoiutedly, pouring
forth his hollow pretences and sham excuses with half-expre 1
sentences in which he gets entangled. Here "to do" is a
feeble half-utterance of 'to do what I could have wished,' I 1
do as my friendship would prompt me;' just as "for a little
part," immediately before, drops from his lips in imperfi
nification of 'some expensive bauble bringing me little honour.'
19. These gentlemen can witness. Unless Lucius can be
supposed to have mentioned his intention of sending to borrow
money of Timon to the three strangers, during the early pari
of the already-commenced coi rith which thi
begins, he is here guilty of a glaring falsehood and a shai
appeal to them to confirm it as a truth. Verily, these Athenian
lords in their unblushing selfishness arc depicted with if.
strongest colouring.
227
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Servant. Please your lordship, here is the wine.
Litcitlltts. Flaminius, 1 have noted thee always wise. Here's to thee.
Flaminins. Your lordship speaks your pleasure. Act 111. Scene I.
Is every flatterer's spirit.20 Who can call him
His friend that dips in the same dish ? for, in
My knowing, Timon has been this lord's father,21
And kept his credit with his purse:
Supported his estate ; nay, Timon's money
Has paid his men their wages: he ne'er drinks,
But Timon's silver treads upon his lip ;
And yet (oh, see the monstrousness of man
When he looks out in an ungrateful shape !)
He docs deny him, in respect of his,"
20. Every flatterer's spirit. The Folio gives ' spurt ' for
" spirit." Theobald's correction : which we think is shown to
be right by the analogy between " soul " and "spirit ;" whereas
4 sport' affords no sense in this passage.
" 21. Timon has been this lord's father. We have still a
similar idiomatic expression, 'he has been a father to him,' to
express paternal kindness shown by one man to another : and
the adoptive title of "father" was by no means unusual in
What charitable men afford to beggars.
Third Slran. Religion groans at it.
First Stran. For mine own part,
I never tasted Timon in my life,
Nor came any of his bounties over me,
To mark me for his friend ; yet, I protest,
I'm- his right noble mind, illustrious virtue,
And honourable carriage,
Had his necessity made use of me,
I would have put my wealth into donation,'-3
Shakespeare's time. See Note 90. Act ii., "Troilus and
Crcssida."
22. In respect of his. 'As respects his own fortune,' 'in
proportion to what he himself possesses ;' the entire passage
signifying, 'Vet refuses to give Timon that which, in com-
parison with his own means, is but the usual alms afforded by
charitable men to beggars,'
23. / would have fut my wealth into donation, and the best,
Act 1 1 I.J
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
And the best halt" should have return' d to him,
So much I love his heart : but, I perceive,
Men must learn now with pity to dispense ;
For policy sits above conscience. [Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Athens. A Room in Sempronius'
House.
Enter Sempronius, and a Servant ©/"Timon's.
Sem. Must he needs trouble me tn't, — h'm! —
'bove all others ?
He might have tried Lord Lucius or Lucullus ;
And now Ventidius is wealthy too,
Whom he redeem'd from prison : all these
Owe their estates unto him.
Serv. My lord,
They have all been touch'd, and found base
metal ;24 for
They have all denied him.
Sem. How ! have they denied him ?
Has Ventidius and Lucullus denied him ?
And does he send to me ? Three ? h'm !—
It shows but little love or judgment in him :
Must I be his last refuge? His friends, like
physicians,
Thrice give him over :-5 must I take the cure
upon me P
He has much disgrae'd me in't; I'm angry at
him,
&*c. ' I would have treated my wealth as if it had been
Timon's gift, and would have sent him back the larger half.'
The introduction of these three strangers, with their comments
upon Timon's condition, is precisely in Shakespeare's mode of
using this expedient in dramatic art to indicate popular opinion
upon passing events. See Note 4, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
He employs it as the Greeks employed the chorus in their
tragedies ; but Shakespeare's system is the less artificial of the
two. Most naturally do these strangers converse upon the
incident that comes beneath their observation; most naturally
is their discourse made a means of confirming to us the fact of
Timon's benevolence and generosity of disposition ; and very
naturally, alas ! is it made the means'of showing the superficial
compassion excited in casual witnesses of social injustices.
These men behold the callous ingratitude with which Timon is
treated, they pity his condition, they profess themselves willing
to relieve his distress, — had they been applied to; but not
having been applied to, they consider it no business of theirs,
nmke no pause to inquire into the truth of his need, but go on
their way with a shrug of the shoulders and a common-place
axiom upon the prudence of dispensing with pity and sup-
pressing conscience.
24. They have all been touctid, and found, &Pc. In allusion
to testing metals by the touchstone. See Note 12, Act iv.,
"Richard III."
25. Thrice give him over. The Folio prints ' Thriue, giuc
him ouer.' Johnson made the emendation, which we adopt,
because the previous exclamation, " Three f h'm!" seems to
evidence its correctness.
26. And 'tnongst lords I be thought a fool. The lir-t Folia
omits "I" here. Added in the second Folio- Mr. Staunton's
suggestion that " it " in the previous line may be a misprint for
That might have known my place : I see no sense
for 't,
But his occasions might have woo'd me first ;
For, in my conscience, I was the first man
That e'er receiv'd gift from him :
And does he think so backwardly of me now,
That I'll requite it last ? No :
So it may prove an argument of laughter
To the rest, and 'mongst lords I be thought a
fool.-6
I'd rather than the worth of thrice the sum,
He had sent to me first, but for my mind's
sake ;-7
I 'd such a courage to do him good.23 But now
return,
And with their faint reply-9 this answer join ;
Who bates mine honour shall not know my coin.3a
[Exit.
Ser<v. Excellent ! Your lordship's a goodly vil-
lain. The devil knew not what he did when he
made man politic, — he crossed himself by 't : and I
cannot think but, in the end, the villanies of man
will set him clear.31 How fairly this lord strives to
appear foul ! takes virtuous copies to be wicked ;
like those that, under hot ardent zeal,3- would set
whole realms on fire :
Of such a nature is his politic love.
This was my lord's best hope; now all are tied,
Save the gods only i33 now his friends are dead,
Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards
Many a bounteous year, must be employ'd
Now to guard sure their master.34
' I,' thus leaving no necessity for inserting " I " in the present
line, we think excellent ; so much so, that we were much tempted
to adopt his suggested correction, only that we preferred abiding
by the one that was earliest made and has bocn most generally
received.
27. But for my minds sake. ' If only for the sake of my
understanding's reputation.' He has before said that to be
applied to last, and then to comply, would risk his being
" thought a fool."
28. I'd such a courage to do him good. Here "courage" is
used in the sense of 'will,* 'strength of desire, ' 'ardour,'
'spirit.' See Note 29, Act ii., " Third Part Henry VI."
29. With their faint reply. Here "faint" is used in the
sense of 'feeble,' 'weak,' 'spiritless,' 'faint-hearted,* antitheti
cally with " courage" in the previous line.
30. Who bates mine honour shall not, &*c. Here is an. .tin t
"slave untd his honour!" See Notes 3 and iG of the present
Act.
31. The villanies of man mill set him clear. 'The trickeries
of man will free him from his arch-enemy's toils.' That
" villanies " is here used in the sense of ' trickeries/ ' rogui ri<
'cunning shifts,1 'artful devices,' is manifest from the epithet
" goodly villain" just before applied t<> Lord Sempronti
has been pouring forth a volley of such sophistical " vill 1
32. Under hot ardent zeal. W<i\- " undei " is u ed ellipti-
cally for ' under the plea of,' ' under the pn I
33. Save the gods only. The Folio prints ' Saue only the
gods.' Pope made the transposition.
34. Now his friends .... empt'.n mrd sure their
master. This superfluous repetition of the w rd "now" was a
pleonastic form not unusual with Shakespeare. See Note 106,
Act 1., " Romeo and Juliet."
229
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene IV.
And this is all a liberal course allows ;
Who cannot keep his wealth must keep his house.35
[Exit.
SCENE IV.— Athens. A Hall in Timon's
House,
Enter ivjo Servants of Varro, and the Servant of
Lucius, meeting Titus, Hortensius, and
other Servants of Timon's Creditors, waiting
his coming out.
First Var. Serv. Well met ; good morrow,
Titus and Hortensius.
Tit. The like to you, kind Varro.
Hor. Lucius !
What ' do we meet together ?
Luc. Serv. Ay, and I think
One business does command us all ; for mine
Is money.
Tit. So is theirs and ours.
Enter Philotus.
Luc. Serv. And Sir Philotus too !
Phi. Good day at once.
Luc. Serv. Welcome, good brother.
What do you think the hour ?
Phi. Labouring for nine.
Luc. Serv. So much ?
Phi. Is not my lord seen yet ?36
Luc. Serv. Not yet.
Phi. I wonder on 't ; he was wont to shine at
seven.3?
Luc. Serv. Ay, but the days are wax'd shorter
with him :
You must consider that a prodigal course
Is like the sun's; but not, like his, recoverable.
I fear 'tis deepest winter in Lord Timon's purse ;
That is, one may reach deep enough, and yet
Find little.
Phi. I am of your fear for that.
Tit. I'll show you how to observe a strange
event.
Your lord sends now for money.
Hor. Most true, he does.
35. Must keep his house. ' Must keep in doors,' for fear of
duns. ' Keep the house' is used as a jocose term for ' stay in
prison,' 'stay at home,' or 'keep in doors,' in " Measure for
Measure," Act iii., sc. 2. See passage referred to in Note 48,
Act iii. of that play.
36. Is 7ioi my lord seen yet? An idiom : signifying, ' Is not
my lord visible J*et ? ' ' Is not my lord to be seen yet ? '
37. He runs tuont to shine at seven. By the use of the verb
"shine" here, how well the image of Timon's being like the
sun is suggested and introduced ! See Note 26, Act iii., "All's
Well."
38. Yes, mine's three thousand crowns. The hasty "yes"
in assent to Hortensius's speech of concern for Timon, and the
Tit. And he wears jewels now of Timon's
g'ft,
For which I wait for money.
Hor. It is again9t my heart.
Luc. Serv. Mark, how strange
it shows,
Timon in this should pay more than he owes :
And e'en as if your lord should wear rich jewels,
And send for money for 'em.
Hor. I'm weary of this charge, the gods can
witness :
I know my lord hath spent of Timon's wealth,
And now ingratitude makes it worse than stealth.
First Far. Serv. Yes, mine's three thousand
crowns :33 what's yours?
Luc. Serv. Five thousand mine.
First Far. Serv. 'Tis much deep : and it should
seem by the sum,39
Your master's confidence was above mine ;
Else, surely, his had equall'd.
Enter Flaminius.
Tit. One of Lord Timon's men.
Luc. Serv. Flaminius ! Sir, a word : pray, is
my lord ready to come forth ?
Flam. No, indeed, he is not.
Tit. We attend his lordship ; pray, signify so
much.
Flam. I need not tell him that ; he knows you
are too diligent. [Exit.
Enter Flavius in a cloak, muffled.
Luc. Serv. Ha! is not that his steward muffled
so?
He goes away in a cloud : call him, call him.
Tit. Do you hear, sir ?
Sec. Far. Serv. By your leave, sir, —
Flav. What do you ask of me, my friend ?
Tit. We wait for certain money here, sir.
Flav. Ay,
If money were as certain as your waiting,
'Twere sure enough.
Why then preferr'd you not your sums and
bills,
When your false masters eat of my lord's meat?
Then they could smile, and faun upon his debts,
immediately hurrying on to speak with business precision and
eagerness of the sum due to the speaker's master, is finely con-
centrated satire upon the indifference ordinarily felt upon such
occasions. The way in which the word "mine" is used here
and in the next speech, meaning ' .ny demand,' or ' the sum
owing to my master,' is an instance of Shakespeare's elliptical
construction, and the natural effect it has in familiar dialogue.
39. It should seem, &V. This speech has produced lengthy
discussion and strangely varied interpretation from the commen-
tators. It is clliptically constructed : and means, ' It should
seem by the sum you name as lent to Timon, that your master's
confidence in him surpassed my master's confidence in him ; else,
surely, my master's loan would have equalled your master's loan.'
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene V.
And take down the interest into their gluttonous
maws.
"1 ou do yourselves but wrong to stir me up ;
Let me pass quietly :
Believe 't, my lord and I have made an end ;
I have no more to reckon, he to spend.
Luc. Sew. Ay, but this answer will not serve.
Flaii. If 'twill not serve, 'tis not so base as
you ;
For you serve knaves. [Exit.
First Far. Sew. How! what does his cashiered
worship mutter p
Sec. Far. Sew. No matter what ; he's poor,
and that's revenge enough. Who can speak
broader than he that has no house to put his head
in ? such may rail against great buildings.
Enter Servilius.
Tit. Oh, here's Servilius; now we shall know
some answer.
Senvil, If I might beseech you, gentlemen, to
repair some other hour,40 I should derive much
from 't ; for, take 't of my soul, my lord leans
wondrously to discontent : his comfortable temper
has forsook him ; he's much out of health, and
keeps his chamber.
Luc. Sew. Many do keep their chambers are
not sick :
And, if it be so far beyond his health,
Methinks he should the sooner pay his debts,
And make a clear way to the gods.
Servil. Good gods !
Tit. We cannot take this for answer, sir.
Flam. [IFithin.] Servilius, help !— My lord ! my
lord !
Enter Timon, in a rage; Flaminius following.
Tun. What ! are my doors oppos'd against my
passage f
Have I been ever free, and must my house
Be my retentive enemy, my gaol ?
The place which I have feasted, does it now,
Like all mankind, show me an iron heart ?
Luc. Sew. Put in now, Titus.
Tit. My lord, here is my bill.
Luc. Sew. Here's mine.
Hor. And mine, my lord.
40. To repair some other hour. 'Hither' is elliptically
understood after " repair."
4t. Knock me down tvitk "em. The men pressing upon him
with their written demands, Timon grimly plays upon the word
"bills" in its sense of weapons such as are alluded to in Note
22, Act iii., "Richard II.;" and affords another instance of
men indulging in bitter jests in moments of anguish. See Note
68, Act iii., "Romeo and Juliet."
42. Lucius, Lucullus, and Sempronius' all. The fast Folio
prints the word "Vllorxa" after Sempronius ; while the second
Folio omits the word as inexplicable and as injurious to the
metre of the line. We at one time thought it possible that
Both Far. Sew. And ours, my lord.
Phi. All our bills.
Tim. Knock me down with 'em : 41 cleave me
to the girdle.
Luc. Sew. Alas ! my lord,—
Tim. Cut my heart in sums.
Tit. Mine, fifty talents.
Tim. Tell out my blood.
Luc. Sew. Five thousand crowns, my lord.
Tim. Five thousand drops pays that.— What
yours ? — and yours f
First Far. Sew. My lord, —
Sec. Far. Sew. My lord, —
Tim. Tear me, take me, and the gods fall upon
you I [Exit.
Hor. Faith, I perceive our masters may throw
their caps at their money : these debts may well
be called desperate ones, for a madman owes 'em.
[Exeunt.
Re-enter Timon and Flavius.
Tim. They have e'en put my breath from me,
the slaves. Creditors ? — devils !
Flan. My dear lord, —
Tim. What if it should be so ?
Flan. My lord, —
Tim. I'll have it so. — My steward !
Flan. Here, my lord.
Tim. So fitly ? Go, bid all my friends again,
Lucius, Lucullus, and Sempronius; all :*"■
I '11 once more feast the rascals.
F/ai\ Oh, my lord,
You only speak from your distracted soul ;
There is not so much left, to furnish out
A moderate table.
Tim. Be 't not in thy care ; go,
I charge thee, invite them all : let in the tide
Of knaves once more ; my cook and I'll provide.
[Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Athens. The Senate-House.
The Senate sitting.
First Sen. My lord, you have my voice to it ;
the fault 's
"Vllorxa " might have been a misprint for ' Ventidius,' because
the first Folio gives the word in italics and with a capital letter :
and also because in lines where proper names occur, regard
is frequently not had to strict metre see Note 46, A- r 1 .
" Richard II." : but we content ourselves with mentioning this
possibility, preferring to adopt the omission of the second Folio,
on the theory that the word was probably inserted by an errnr
of the original printer. In fairness we mention that the surmise
respecting " Vllorxa" being a possible misprint for 'Ventidius*
occurred also to Mr. Grant While; but when it suggested itself 10
our minds, we had not from " The Cambridge
Edition"' that that gentleman had made the same conjecture.
Timon. Tear me, take me, and the gods fall upon you !
Act III. Scene IV.
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene V.
Bloody ; 'tis necessary he should die :
Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy. .
Sec. Sen. Most true ; the law shall bruise
him.
Enter Alcibiades, attended.
Alcib. Honour, health, and compassion to the
senate !
First Sen. Now, captain ?
A-cib. I am a humble suitor to your virtues ;
For pity is the virtu? of the law,
And none but tyrants use it cruelly.
It pleases time and fortune to He heavy
Upon a friend of mine, who, in hot blood,
Hath stepp'd into the law, which is past depth
To those that, without heed, do plunge into't.
He is a man, setting his fate aside,*13
Of comely virtues :
Nor did he soil the fact4'1 with cowardice
(An honour in him which buys out his fault) ;
But with a noble fury and fair spirit,
Seeing his reputation touch'd to death,
He did oppose his foe :
And with such sober and unnoted45 passion
He did behave his anger,46 ere 'twas spent,
As if he had but prov'd an argument.
First Sen. You undergo too strict a para-
dox,4?
Striving to make an ugly deed look fair :
Your words have took such pains, as if they
labour'd
To bring manslaughter into form, and set quar-
relling
Upon the head of valour; which, indeed,
I> valour misbegot, and came into the world
When sects and factions were newly born :
He's truly valiant that can wisely suffer
The worst that man can breathe; and make his
wrongs
43. Setting his /ate aside. " Fate " here has been altered to
'fact' and to 'fault;' but the word "fate" may here allude to
the hard destiny of the friend in having " time and fortune to
lie heavy" upon him, and which, seeming deserved, renders
him liable to imputation as an evil-doer. This would give the
meaning of the passage to be — ' He is a man — viewed apart
from this misfortune fated to fall upon him and make him
appear criminal — of comely virtues.' It is also possible that
" fate" here may refer to " hot blood ;" and so mean ' the fiery
temper decreed him by fate,' 'the rash disposition that destiny
has made his.'
44. Fact. Here, and elsewhere, used for ' deed.' See Note
37, Act iv., " Measure for Measure."
45. Unnoted. ' Undemonstrative ;' unnoting itself by out-
ward display.
46 He did behave his anger. The Folio prints 'behoone'
here for "behave:" which is Rowe's correction. We adopt
this, because Spenser uses the word "behave" in the sense
of 'govern,' 'control,' 'discipline,' 'subdue:' a sense which
precisely suits the present passage, and makes it probable that
"behave" may have been the word originally intended here.
Nevertheless, knowing as we do Shakespeare's absolute mode
His outsides,— to wear them like his raiment,
carelessly ;
And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart,
To bring it into danger.
If wrongs be evils, and enforce us kill,
What folly 'tis to hazard life for ill !
Alcib. My lord,—
First Sen. You cannot make gross sins
look clear :
To revenge is no valour, but to bear.
Alcib. My lords, then, under favour, pardon
me,
If I speak like a captain : —
Why do fond43 men expose themselves to battle
And not endure all threats ? sleep upon 't,
And let the foes quietly cut their throats,
Without repugnancy ? If there be
Such valour in the bearing, what make we
Abroad r43 why then, women are more valiant
That stay at home, if bearing carry it ;
And the ass more captain than the lion ; the
felon50
Loaden with irons wiser than the judge,
If wisdom be in suffering. Oh, my lords,
As you are great, be pitifully good :
Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood ?
To kill, I grant, is sin's extremest gust ;51
But, in defence, by mercy,5-' 'tis most just.
To be in anger is impiety ;
But who is man that is not angry ?
Weigh but the crime with this.
Sec. Sen. You breathe in vain.
Alcib. In vain ! his service done
At Laoedsemon and Byzantium
Were a sufficient briber for his life.
First Sen. What's that ?
Alcib. Why, I say, my lords, h' 'as done fair
service,
And slain in fight many of your enemies :
of dealing with verbs (an absolutism that was his by right of
imperial genius), and making them comprise large meaning in
a single word, we think it just possible that he may have
written " did behoove his anger " to express ' did make his
anger do that which was behoveful or becoming,' 'did sway his
anger to do that which behoved it.
47. Von undergo too strict a paradox. ' Yon undertake to
support too strained a paradox.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses
"undergo" for ' undertake.'
48. Fond. 'Foolish.'
40 What make w abroad f 'What do we do out fighting ?
' What makes us go forth into the field ?
50. The felon. The Folio here prints 'fellow' for "felon."
Johnson's correction.
51. Cast. It is a moot point whether this word, as here used,
signifies figuratively a violent burst of passion, a storm of wrath,
.1 whirlwind "f rage; or whether it means 'appetite,' 'ze*t,'
'relish.' The passage referred tj in Note 29, Act i., "Twelfth
Night," inclines us to believe that the latter signification is the
ikely.
53. l',y mercy. This is a passing adjuration ; ' I swear by
mercy,' ' I call mercy to witness.'
233
190
ACT III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene VI.
How full of valour did he bear himself
In the last conflict, and made plenteous wounds !
Sec. Sen. He has made too much plenty with
them,
He's a sworn rioter : he has a sin that often
Drowns him, and takes his valour prisoner :
If there were no foes, that were enough
To overcome him : in that beastly fury
He has been known to commit outrages,
And cherish factions : 'tis inferr'd to us,
His days are foul, and his drink dangerous.
First Sen. He dies.
Alcib. Hard fate ! he might have died in war.
My lords, if not for any parts in him
(Though his right arm might purchase his own
time,
And be in debt to none), yet, more to move you,
Take my deserts to his, and join them both :
And, for I know your reverend ages love
Security,53 I '11 pawn my victories, all
My honour to you, upon his good returns.
If by this crime he owes the law his life,
Why, let the war receive 't in valiant gore ;
For law is strict, and war is nothing more.
First Sen. We are for law, — he dies ! urge it no
more,
On height of our displeasure :si friend or brother,
He forfeits his own blood that spills another.55
Alcib. Must it be so ? it must not be. My
lords,
I do beseech you, know me.
Sec. Sen. How !
Alt ib. Call me to your remembrances.
Third Sen. What!
Alcib. I cannot think but your age has forgot
me ;
It could not else be, I should prove so base,56
To sue, and be denied such common grace :
My wounds ache at you.
First Sen. Do you dare our anger ?
53. / know your reverend ages love security. One among
the many allusions in this play to the usurious propensities of
the senators.
54. On height of our displeasure. ' Peril of incurring the'
is elliptically understood between " on " and " height."
55. He forfeits his cr.vn blood that spills another. ' He
forfeits his own blood that spills another's.' Here we have the
same kind of ellipsis as those referred to in Note 75, Act i.,
" Coriolanus."
56. Base. Here used for ' abased,' ' degraded.'
57. Attend. Here used in the sense of 'expect.' French,
attendre.
58. Not to S7vell our spirit. ' In order that our resentment
may not be increased or augmented ;' ' In order that our spirit
of wrath may not be exacerbated or aggravated.'
59. That you may live only in hone, tltat none may look on
you I This has been suspected of error; but we take it to
mean, ' That you may live to be mere skeletons, and scare
men from looking at you!' In her abuse of the lean and
withered beadle, Doll calls him "Goodman Death! goodman
hones I" See context of passage referred to in Note 71, Act v.,
'Tis in few words, but spacious in effect ;
We banish thee for ever.
Alcib. Banish me !
Banish your dotage ; banish usury,
That makes the senate ugly.
First Sen. If, after two days' shine, Athens con-
tain thee,
Attend5" our weightier judgment. And, not to
swell our spirit,53
He shall be executed presently. [Exeunt Senators.
Alcib. Now the gods keep you old enough ;
that you may live
Only in bone, that none may look on you !59
I'm worse than mad : I have kept back their
foes,
While they have told their money, and let out
Their coin upon large interest ; I myself
Rich only in large hurts ; — all those for this ?
Is this the balsam that the usuring senate
Pours into captains' wounds? Banishment!
It comes not ill ; I hate not to be banish'd ;
It is a cause worthy my spleen and fury,
That I may strike at Athens. I'll cheer up
My discontented troops, and lay for hearts.00
'Tis honour with most lands to be at odds ;G1
Soldiers should brook as little wrongs as gods.
[Exit.
SCENE VI.— Athens. A Banquet-hall in
Timon's House.
Music. Tables set out : Servants attending. Enter
divers Lords at several doors.
First Lord. The good time of day to you,
sir.
Sec. Lord. I also wish it to you. I think this
honourable lord did but try us this other day.
First Lord. Upon that were my thoughts tiring, f'-
" Second Part Henry IV." It must be remembered that
Alcibiades is here using exaggerated language, and owns that
he is " worse than mad."
60. Lay for /warts. 'Endeavour to win popular affection,'
'strive to gain men's favour.' " Lay for " was formerly used as
the more modern phrase, ' lay oneself out for ' is used, to ex-
press 'try to gain or engage.' Baret has — "To laic for a
thing before it come ; pratendo? and Ben Jonson, in "The
Devil is ;in Ass," has — " Lay for some pretty principality."
61. 'Tis honour with most lands to be at odds. A military
sentiment appropriately put into the mouth of Captain Alci-
biades ; although many of the commentators object to it as
inapt, and therefore pronounce it to be probably wrong. That
Alexander the Great, and conquerors of his stamp, should con-
sider the more war the more glory, or the more hostility the
more honour, appears to us to be perfectly characteristic, and
therefore Shakespearian.
62. Tiring. Besides its usual sense of ' wearying,' 'fatiguing
themselves,' this word includes allusion to ' tearing with the
beak,' 'pecking restlessly.' See Note 25, Act i., "Third Part
Henry VI."
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene VI.
when we encountered : I hope it is not so low with
him as he made it seem in the trial of his several
friends.
Sec. Lord. It should not be, by the persuasion
of his new feasting.
First Lord, I should think so : he hath sent me
an earnest inviting, which many my near occasions
did urge me to put off; but he hath conjured me
beyond them, and I must needs appear.
Sec. Lord. In like manner was I in debt to my
importunate business, but he would not hear my
excuse. I am sorry, when he sent to borrow of
me, that my provision was out.
First Lord. I am sick of that grief too, as I
understand how all tilings go.
Sec. Lord. Every man here's so. What would
he have borrowed of you?
First Lord. A thousand pieces.
Sec. Lord. A thousand pieces !
First Lord. What of you?
Sec. Lord. He sent to me, sir, — Here he
comes.
Enter TlMON and Attendants.
Tim. With all my heart, gentlemen botli : — and
how fare you ?
First Lord. Ever at the best, hearing well of
your lordship.
Sec. Lord. The swallow follows not summer
more willing than we your lordship.
Tim. [Aside.] Nor more willingly leaves
winter ; such summer-birds are men. — [Aloud.]
Gentlemen, our dinner will not recompense this
long stay : feast your ears with the music awhile, if
they will fare so harshly o' the trumpet's sound ;
we shall to 't presently.
First Lord. I hope it remains not unkindly
with your lordship, that I returned you an empty
messenger.
Tim. Oh, sir, let it not trouble you.
63. Let it not climber your better remembrance. This has
been explained, ' Let it not cumber your good memory ;' and it
is true that Shakespeare sometimes uses the comparative where
the positive or superlative are ordinarily employed. See Note
6, Act v., " Coriolanus." But we think it extremely probable
that the present expression means, ' Let it not burden your
remembrance of better things than such a trifle ; ' Let it not
weigh upon your thoughts occupied with things better worth
remembering.' That the passage may be thus interpreted was
suggested to us by a young friend whose Shakespearian dis-
crimination equals his Shakespearian enthusiasm.
64. All coz'ered dishes'. Here is one of Shakespeare's ex-
pedients in dramatic art, slight but significant. By these words
he draws attention to the point of the guests' anticipation of
extra choice fare, and at the same time naturally and easily
accounts for the circumstance of their not seeing its real nature
until the very moment when the striking effect of its discovery
is to be made.
65. What 's the news ? Alcibiades is banislied. This passage
and the introduction of Alcibiades and his company at Timon's
feast in the first Act of the play serve to unite the otherwise
Sec. Lord. My noble lord, —
Tim. Ah ! my good friend, — what clu-ei t
Sec. Lord. My most honourable lord, I am
e'en sick of shame, that, when your lordship this
other day sent to me, I was so unfortunate a
beggar.
Tim. Think not on 't, sir.
Sec. Lord. If you had sent but two hours
before, —
Tim. Let it not cumber your better remem-
brance.63— Come, bring in all together.
[The banquet brought in.
Sec. Lord. All covered dishes iu
First Lord. Royal cheer, I warrant you.
Third Lord. Doubt not that, if money and the
season can yield it.
First Lord. How do you? What's the news?
Third Lord. Alcibiades is banished ;65 hear you
of it?
First and Sec. Lord. Alcibiades banished !
Third Lord. 'Tis so, be sure of it.
First Lord. How! how !
Sec. Lord. I pray you, upon what ?
Tim. My worthy friends, will you draw near ?
Third Lord. I'll tell you more anon. Here's a
noble feast toward.66
Sec. Lord. This is the old man still.
Third Lord. Will 't hold F will 't hold ?
Sec. Lord. It does: but time will — and so6? — ■
Third Lord. I do conceive.
Tim. Each man to his stool, with that spur as
he would to the lip of his mistress : your diet shall
be in all places alike.68 Make not a city feast of
it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon
the first place:69 sit, sit. The gods require our
thanks. —
You great benefactors, sprinkle our society with
thankfulness. For your own gifts, make yourselves
praised : but reserve still to give, lest your deities
be despised. Lend to each man enough, that one
almost episodical events of Alcibiades' career with those of
Timon's, and to blend the secondary incidents with the main
plot and story.
66. Here's a noble feast toward. "Toward " here means 'pre-
pared,' ' ready.' See Note 104, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
67. It does: but time will — and so — . An emphasis on the
word " does " will mark the meaning to be, ' it does at present,'
1 it does now.' This little speech affords an instance of Shake-
speare's power of giving by a few monosyllables, by muttered
and disjointed phrases, the effect of significant inuendo ; and also
of what we call his skill in giving perfect impression through
imperfect expression. See Note 85. Act ii., " Coriolanus ;" and
Note 16, Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet."
68. Your diet shall /••■ in all places alike. In former limes,
when men of vari 1 1 sal down to table together in large
companies, it was usual to signify the respective gra
distinction of seats and meats. See Note 24, Act iii., "Two
Gentlemen of Verona ;" and Note 70, Art i.. " Winter's Tale."
69. Make not a city /east of it, to let, &=c. A quiet satire
upon civic anxiety for precedence, and generally vulgar sensi-
tiveness on the subject of priority in position.
Act III.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene VI.
need not lend to another ; for, were your godheads
to borrow of men,1 men would forsake the gods.
Make the meat be beloved more than the man that
gives it. Let no assembly of twenty be without a
score of villains : if there sit twelve women at the
table, let a dozen of them be — as they are. The
rest of your fees,'0 oh, gods, — the senators of
Athens, together with the common lag of people,"1
— what is amiss in them, you gods, make suitable
for destruction. For these my present friends, — as
they are to me nothing, so in nothing bless them,
and to nothing are they welcome. —
Uncover, dogs, and lap.
[The dishes ivhen uncovered are seen to be
full of nv arm ivater.
Some speak. What does his lordship mean ?
Some other. I know not.
Tim. May you a better feast never behold,
You knot of mouth-friends! smoke and luke-warm
water
Is your perfection.72 This is Timon's last;
Who, stuck and spangled with your flatteries,
Washes it off, and sprinkles in vour faces"3
[Throwing the ivater in their faces.
Your reeking villany. Live loath'd, and long,
Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears.
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time's
flies,"'
70 Fees. Changed by Hanmer fat Warburton's suggestion!
to 'foes;' but Capell explains "your fees" to mean 'forfeits due
to your vengeance.' We think it probable that " fees" is here
used in its legal and feudal sense, which Cowel, the great law
authority, explains. He says the word " fee " is applied to "all
tenements that are held by any acknowledgment of superiority to
a higher lord ;" and hence Shakespeare may have used " fees,"
applied to the senators and commoners of Athens, to express
their being creatures who hold their existence by sufferance of
the gods, creatures who are but the serfs of heaven, drawing
breath and keeping goods at its supreme will and pleasure.
71. The common lag of profile. The Folio prints 'legge'
for " lag." Rowe's correction.
72. Is your perfection. * Is your perfect image,' ' resembles
you perfectly ;' 'perfectly represents your qualities.'
73. Stuck and spangled with your flatteries, ivaskes it off,
and sprinkles, &>c. The Folio prints 'you with' for "with
your." Hanmer's correction, suggested by Warburton. That
" it " should here be used in reference to " flatteries " is consis-
tent with Shakespeare's occasional mode of allowing a singular
pronoun to refer to a plural noun See Note 2, Act iii.,
"Tempest ;" and Note 30, Act i., " Richard II."
Cap and knee slaves, vapours, ami minute-jacks \~>*
Of man and beast the infinite malady
Crust you quite o'er ! — What ! dost thou go ?
Soft! take thy physic first, — thou too,— and thou:—
[Throws the dishes at them, and drives
them out.
Stay, I will lend thee money, borrow none.
What ! all in motion ? Henceforth be no feast
Whereat a villain's not a welcome guest.
Burn, house! sink, Athens! henceforth hated be
Of Timon man and all humanity ! [Exit.
Re-enter the Lords.
First Lord. How now, my lords !
Sec. Lord. Know you the quality of Lord
Timon's fury ?
Third Lord. Push I?6 did you see my cap ?
Fourth Lord. I have lost my gown.
First Lord, He's but a mad lord, and naught
but humour''7 sways him. He gave me a jewel
the other day, and now he has beat it out of my
hat : — did you see my jewel ?
Third Lord. Did you see my cap ?
Sec. Lord, Here 'tis.
Fourth Lord. Here lies my gown.
First Lord. Let's make no stay.
Sec. Lord. Lord Timon's mad.
Third Lord, I feel 't upon my bones.
Fourth Lord. One day he gives us diamonds,
next day stones.78 [Exeunt.
74. Time's flies. ' Flies of a season;' creatures of a bright
period only.
75. Minute-Jacks. The allusion is to figures called
o' the clock' (sec Note 25, Act iv., "Richard III.") ; and the
term is here used for ' time-servers,' fellows who track the
moments of revelry, and keep pace with idle hours.
76. Push! An old form of 'pish!' See Note 8, Act v.,
" Much Ado."
77. Humour. Here used for 'caprice,' 'waywardness.'
See Note 41, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV "
78. Next day stones. In an old play on the subject of
Timon, the hero is made to throw stones painted to look like
artichokes at his traitorly guests : and it has been sug
that the present passage may contain reference to the incident
there introduced, although, from making the feast consist of
merely warm water in dishes, the reference is inappropriate.
But we incline to think that Shakespeare here employed the
word "stones" because it afforded a concluding rhyme,
because it formed the antithesis to "diamonds," and because
it conveys the effect of 'missiles,' things |thc dishes) hurled at
the departing cur-tribe, to pelt them out with.
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scenes I., II.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Without thenva/ls of Athens.
Enter Timon.
Tim. Let me look back upon thee. Oh, thou
wall,
That girdlest in those wolves, dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incon-
tinent !
Obedience fail in children ! slaves and fools,
Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench,
And minister in their steads ! bankrupts, hold
fast;
Rather than render back, out with your knives,
And cut your trusters' throats! bound servants,
steal !
Large-handed robbers your grave masters are,
And pill by law: son of sixteen,1
Pluck the lin'd crutch from thy old limping
sire,
With it beat out his brains ! piety, and fear,
Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth,
Domestic awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood,
Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades,
Degrees, observances, customs, and laws,
Decline to your confounding2 contraries,
And let confusion live!3 — Plagues, incident to
men,
Your potent and infectious fevers heap
On Athens, ripe for stroke ! thou cold sciatica,
Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt
As lamely as their manners! lust and liberty
Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth,
That 'gainst the stream of virtue they may
strive,
And drown themselves in riot ! itches, blains,
Sow all the Athenian bosoms ; and their crop
i. Son of sixteen. The first Folio prints 'some' for "son."
Corrected in the second Folio.
2. Confounding. Here used for 'destructive.' See Note 12,
Act iii., " Henry V."
3. And let confusion live I The Folio gives 'yet' for
"let." Hanmer's correction.
4. Then detestable town! See Note 25, Act v., " Romeo
and Juliet."
5. Multiplying buns. 'Manifold curses,' 'accumulated
maledictions.' "Multiplying" is here used for 'multiplied;'
the active participle with a passive signification.
6. Not one friend to take his fortune by 'lie. arm. This
is one of the hold licences in figurative expression that
Shakespeare, like all true poets, delights in. See Note 32,
Act ii., " Coriolanus ;" and Note is. Act v., "Romeo and
Juliet.'' Moreover, it is one of those familiar— almost homely —
images, that would very naturally present itself to a serving
man's mind, and is, therefore, so peculiarly characteristic.
Observe, too, how finely the great adept in knowledge of
Be general leprosy ! breath infect breath ;
That their society, as their friendship, may
Be merely poison ! Nothing I'll bear from thee,
But nakedness, thou detestable town !4
Take thou that too, with multiplying bans !s
Timon will to the woods; where he shall find
The unkindest beast more kinder than man-
kind.
The gods confound (hear me, you good gods
all)
The Athenians both within and out that wall!
And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may
grow
To the whole race of mankind, high and low!
Amen. [Exit.
SCENE II. — Athens. A Room in Timon's
House.
Enter FlavIUS, ivith tzvo or three Servants.
First Serv. Hear you, master steward, — where's
our master ?
Are we undone ? cast off? nothing remaining ?
Flav. Alack, my fellows, what should I say to
you?
Let me be recorded by the righteous gods,
I am as poor as you.
First Ser'V. Such a house broke !
So noble a master fall'n ! All gone ! and not
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,6
And go along with him !
Sec. Serv. As we do turn our backs
From our companion thrown into his grave,
So his familiars to his buried fortunes7
human nature makes this poor fellow begin in a momentary
impulse of self-interest, by the inquiry, " Are we undone ?
cast off? nothing remaining?" but, on recollection of their
master's nobleness, merge all regret into concern for his fate.
7. from onr companion . ... so his familiars to his
buried fortunes. Hanmer altered "to" into 'from' here;
while Mason transposed "from" and "to" in this sentence.
We give the reading of the Folio, which we think is com-
pletely in Shakespeare's style ; understanding the passage thus :
' As we turn our backs from our companion thrown into his
grave, so his familiars to his (now buried) fortunes slink all
.1w.1v from him.' This mode of allowing a word to be ellipti-
cally uivlcistooii at the close of a sentence is frequently found
in our author's writings. See Note 149, Act iv., " Winter's
Tale ;" and in the present instance the freedom of construc-
tion is characteristic of the speaker. The servant means to say,
'As we turn away from our companion when he is buried, so
those who were familiar with Timon's fortunes turn from him
now they are buried.'
23S
Act I V.J
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene
Slink all away ; leave their false vows with him,
Like empty purses pick'd ; and his poor self,
A dedicated beggar to the air,
With his disease of all-shunn'd poverty,
Walks, like contempt, alone. — More of our
fellows.
Enter other Servants,
broken implements
of a ruin'd
Yet do our hearts wear Timon's
Flaw. All
house.
Third Ser-v.
livery, —
That see I by our faces; we are fellows still,
Serving alike in sorrow : leak'd is our barque ;
And we, poor mates, stand on the dying deck,8
Hearing the surges threat : we must all part
Into this sea of air.
Flav, Good fellows all,
The latest of my wealth9 I'll share amongst
you.
Wherever we shall meet, for Timon's sake,
Let's yet be fellows ; let's shake our heads, and
say,
As 'twere a knell unto our master's fortunes,
" We have seen better days." Let each take some ;
[Offering them money.
Nay, put out all your hands.1" Not one word
more :
Thus part we rich in sorrow, parting poor.
[Servants embrace, and part several ivays.
Oh, the fierce wretchedness that glory brings
us !
Who would not wish to be from wealth
exempt,
Since riches point to misery and contempt ?
Who would be so mock'd with glorv i or to
live
But in a dream of friendship ?
8. The dying deck. Just one of those expressions that
enrapture a poetic mind, and disturb a prosaic one.
9. The latest of my wealth. Here " latest " is used where,
ordinarily, ' last' is used.
10. Xay, put out all your hands. ' Nay, put out, all of
you, your hands ;' a similar form of expression to the one
pointed out in Note 33, Act iv., "Third Part Henry VI." This
brief sentence, indicating the hesitation with which the faithful
serving men take the offered gift of the worthy steward, and the
reluctance they feel in sharing the last sad remnant of all their
lord's fortune, is exactly one of Shakespeare's beautiful touches
in feeling and character. It serves to show the sentiment of
honest sympathy felt by a class generally supposed to be merely
selfish and mercenary, and to show the influence which a good
master has upon well-disposed servants. Had Timnn not been
of a really generous nature, he would not have thus genuinely
attached his servants. The whole scene, though brief, contains
a volume of condensed teaching upon the relations between
servant and master ; and while the diction in which it is
couched is so poetically beautiful as to be among the loveliest
in the play, the impression that affectionate fidelity still exists
in the heart of grateful dependents affords the one point of
relief in its melancholy story.
11. Or to live but in a dream 0/ friendship ? to have h.s
To have his pomp,"1 and all what state com-
pounds,12
But only painted, like his varnish'd friends ?
Poor honest lord, brought low by his own heart,
Undone by goodness! Strange, unusual blood,13
When man's worst sin is, he does too much
good !
Who, then, dares to be half so kind again ?
For bounty, that makes gods, does still mar
men.
My dearest lord, — bless'd, to be most accurs'd,
Rich, only to be wretched, — thy great fortunes
Are made thy chief afflictions. Alas ! kind
lord!
He's flung in rage from this ingrateful seat
Of monstrous friends; nor has he with him to
Supply his life,14 or that which can command it.
I'll follow, and enquire him out:
I'll ever serve his mind with my best will ;
Whilst I have gold, I'll be his steward still.
[Exit.
SCENE III.-
-The Woods.
Cave.
Before Timon's
Enter Timon.
Tim. Oh, blessed breeding sun, draw from the
earth
Rotten humidity; below thy sister's orbls
Infect the air ! Twinn'd brothers of one womb, —
Whose procreation, residence, and birth,
Scarce is dividant,— touch them with several for-
tunes ;
The greater scorns the lesser : not nature,
To whom all sores lay siege,16 can bear great for-
tune,
pomp. &>c. The first " to " in this sentence has been changed to
' Ro ' by a few modern editors, while others have altered "or"
to 'as,' omitting the point of interrogation after "glory." We
think that if the first " to " be banished from the sentence, the
link i> lost for the second " to ;" and it seems to us that " to"
in both instances is here u.-ed consistently with a practice
Shakespeare has of occasionally using " to " elliptically, as a
repetition of the previous form in the sentence. Thus, here,
we think that Flavins is meant to say, ' Who would be so
mocked with glory? or [who would" live merely in a dream of
friendship ? [Who would^ have his pomp,' Sec.
12. And all what state compounds. 'All that goes to
compound or compose state.' Here "what'' is used for 'that
which •' a not in frequent licence still used in common speaking.
13. Blood. Here used for 'disposition,' 'propensity.' 'in-
clination-' See Note 75, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV'
14 Nor has he with him to supply his life ' Wherewith ' or
' wherewithal ' is here elliptically understood between " him "
and " to ."
is- Thy sister's orb. 'Themoon.' In thcmythology. I
and Luna, the twin children of Latona. are brother and sister.
'I nature, to whom, cVlt. ' Human nature, liable to
the assaults of every misfortune, can never bear the advent of
great fortune without showing contempt for its fellow-creatures.'
Act IV.l
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Timon. Oh, blessed breeding sun, draw from the earth
Rotten humidity. Act IV. Scene III.
But by contempt of nature.
Raise me this beggar, and deny 't that lord ;17
1 he senator shall bear contempt hereditary,
The beggar native honour.
It is the pasture lards the rother's sides,
17. Raise me this beggar, and deny 't that lord. "Me"
is here used idiomatically. See Note 1, Act ii. "Deny't"
has been variously changed to 'denude,' 'degrade,' 'deprive,'
' devest,' ' dechute,' ' decline,' ' demit/ ' deject,' and ' de-
knight ;' but we believe that the original expression affords
an instance of Shakespeare's making ' 't ' or ' it ' refer to an Im-
plied particular in a sentence, and that the whole line presents
an example of his peculiarly condensed and elliptical style.
"Fortunes" and "great fortune" have been previously men-
tioned, and "every grise of fortune" subsequently occurs in
this portion of the speech ; therefore fortune is the prevail-
ing idea here. Consequently we believe that the present line
means, ' Raise me to fortune this beggar, and deny fortune
to that lord.'
18. It is the pasture lards the '-other's sides, the want that
makes him lean. The Folio prints this sentence thus: — It is
The want that makes him lean.18 Who dares, who
dares,
In purity of manhood stand upright,
And say, " This man's a flatterer" ? if one be,
So are they all ; for every grise19 of fortune
the Pastour Lards, the Brothers sides, the want that makes
him leaue.' Rowe corrected the word " pasture," and the
second Folio the word " lean." Mr. Singer, in 1842, sug-
gested the word " rother," and it has since been generally
adopted as the right word. A "rother" is a horned beast;
oxen and cows are "rothcrs." In the statute-book, and in
Gelding's " Ovid," this expression is used : — " Herds of rother
beasts." In Huloet's "Dictionary" we find — " Rother beast,
Ju7uneus;" and in Holloway's "General Provincial Dictionary"
ii is stated that there is a market in Stratford-upon-Avon, called
the " rother market." This latter point brings the word home
to Shakespeare's own knowledge and familiar use, as it subsisted
in his native town ; and gives every probability to it being the
one he here employed.
19. Grise. 'Step,' 'degree.' See Note 22, Act iii., "Twelfth
Night."
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Is sraooth'd50 by that below : the learned pate
Ducks to the golden fool : all is oblique ;
There's nothing level in our curse J natures,
Hut direct villany. Therefore, be abhorr'd
All feasts, societies, and throngs of men !
His semblable, yea, himself, Tiinon disdains:
Destruction fang mankind! — Earth, yield me
roots ! [ Digging .
Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
With thy most operant poison !— What is here ?
Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No,
gods,
I am no idle votarist:21 roots, you clear heavens!22
Thus much of this will make black, white; foul,
fair;-'3
Wrong, right; base, noble; old, young; coward,
valiant.
Ha, you gods ! why this ? what this, you go Is ?
Why, this
Will lug your priests and servants from your
sides ;
Pluck stout men's pillows from below their
heads:24
This yellow slave
Will knit and break religions; bless the accurs'd ;
Make the hoar leprosy ador'd; place thieves,
And give them title, knee, and approbation,
With senators on the bench : this is it
That makes the wappen'd widow wed again ;25
She, whom the spital-house and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and
spices
To the April day again.26 Come, cursed earth,
Thou common slave of mankind, that putt'st odds
Among the rout of nations. I will make thee
Do thy right nature.27 — [March afar off.~] Ha! a
drum ? — Thou'rt quick,23
20. Smootlid. 'Flattered.' See Note 39, Act i., "Richard
III."
21. / ant no idle votarist. "Idle" is here used for
'meaningless,' 'inconsiderate,' 'insensate.' See Note 153,
Act ii., "All's Well." Timon has just besought Earth to yield
him roots ; and now that it yields him gold, he means to say he
is not one to adjure Earth in an idle, inconsiderate spirit, to send
him simplest food, and then to be gratified by finding wealth.
22. You clear heave/is! "Clear" is here used for 'pure/
' immaculate,' ' sinless.' See Note 26, Act iii., " Tempest."
23. Will make black, white; foul, fair. Here is an instance
of Shakespeare's causing a verb to do multiplied service in a
sentence ; " make" before " black " giving ' make ' to be ellipti-
crilly understood as repeated in succession before " foul,"
."wrong," "base," "old," and "coward." See Note 91,
A 1 iv., " Coriolanus."
24. Pluck stout men's pillows from, &>c. Hanmer alterc 1
"stout " to 'sick,' because it was the practice to draw the pillow
from beneath the head of dying persons, under the idea of
making their end more easy. But by the word "stout" we
think that the poet intends to indicate patients who have
strength sufficient to rally through their illness, yet who are
treated by mercenary attendants as though they were in their
last agonies, and are thus hurried into death, from which they
might otherwise escape.
But yet I'll bury thee : thou'lt go, strong thief,
When gouty keepers of thee cannot stand : —
Nay, stay thou out for earnest.
[Reserving some gold.
Enter Alcibiades, ivnn drum and fife, in -warlike
manner ; Hhrynia and Timandra.
Alcib. What art thou there ? speak.
Tim. A beast, as thou art. The canker gnaw
thy heart,
For showing me again the eyes of man !
Alcib. What is thy name ? Is man so hateful to
thee,
That art thyself a man ?
Tim. I am misantbropos, and hate mankind.
I1" or thy part, I do wish thou wcrt a dog,
That I might love thee something.29
Alcib. I know thee well ;
But in thy fortunes am unlcarn'd and strange.
Tim. I know thee too ; and more, than that I
know thee,
I not desire to know. Follow thy drum;
With man's blood paint the ground, gules,
gules : 30
Religious canons, civil laws are cruel ;
Then what should war be? This fell wench of
thine
Hath in her more destruction than thy sword,
For all her cherubin look.
Pbry. Thy lips rot off !
Tim. I will not kiss thee ; then the rot re-
turns31
To thine own lips again.
Alcib. How came the noble Timon to this
change ?
Tim. As the moon does, by wanting light to
give :
25. That makes the luappciid widow wed again. " Wap-
pen'd " means ' worn out,' ' stale ;' and " wed " is here used for
'wedded,' as it is in the "Taming of the Shrew," Act i., sc. z,
where we find, " Until the elder sister first be wed,"
26. This embalms and spices to the April day again. ' Tins
restores to the freshness and fragrance of youth,' the sprm j
time of life.
27. / will make thee do thy right nature. Johns >n 1
plains this to mean ' lie in the earth where nature laid thee ;'
but we think it means ' I will make thee fulfil thy natural
course,' by lying in the earth till I bring thee forth to sow
dissension among the rabble of nations. That it includes this
latter meaning we think is evident by the com hiding
" Nay, stay thou out for earnest ;" that is, ' for a pledge 1 .f my
intention.'
28. Quick. Here use 1 with reference to its s en '
to express 'current,' 'able to pass from hand to band,' 'power
of circulation.'
29. Something. Occasionally, as here, used for 'somewhat.'
30. Gules. The term in heraldic nomen red.'
31. I will not kiss thee ; thai, &°c. It has been
change "not" to 'but' here. Wc think, however, that 1
is meant to say he will not ki&s her, because then the "rot,"
wished in foul breath by her lips, recoils upon them
uncommunicated.
197
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
But then renew I could not, like the moon ;
There were no suns to borrow of.
Alcib. Noble Timon,
What friendship may I do thee ?
Tim. None, but to
Maintain my opinion.
Alcib. What is it, Timon ?
Tim. Promise me friendship, but perform none:
if thou wilt not promise, the gods plague thee, for
thou art a man ! if thou dost perform, confound
thee, for thou art a man !
Alcib. I have heard in some sort of thy
miseries.
Tim. Thou saw'st them, when I had pros-
perity.
Alcib. I see them now ; then was a blesse-d
time.
Tim. As thine is now, held with a brace of
wantons.
Timan. Is this the Athenian minion, whom
the world
Voic'd so regardfully ?
Tim. Art thou Timandra ?
Timan. Yes.
Tim. Be thyself still : they love thee not that
use thee.
Timan. Hang thee, monster !
Alcib. Pardon him, sweet Timandra ; for his
wits
Are drown'd and lost in his calamities.—
I have but little gold of late, brave Timon,
The want whereof doth daily make revolt
In my penurious band : I have heard, and
griev'd,
How cursed Athens, mindless30 of thy worth,
Forgetting thy great deeds, when neighbour
states,
But for thy sword and fortune, trod upon them, —
Tim. I pr'ythee, beat thy drum, and get thee
gone.
Alcib. I am thy friend, and pity thee, dear
Timon.
Tim. How dost thou pity him whom thou dost
trouble ?
I had rather be alone.
Alcib. Whv, fare thee well :
Here is some gold for thee.
32. Mindless. Here used for ' unmindful.'
33. On a heap. Idiomatically used, like "on heaps," where
the more ordinary usage is to say 'in a heap,' and ' in heaps.'
See Note 14. Act iii. , " Troilus and Cressida."
34. Ay, Timon, and have cause. Here ' I ' is elliptically
understood before "have."
35. The window-bars. The Folio prints this ' the window
barne ;' ' n,' ' ne,' or ' en,' being an old form of plural derived
from the Saxon language. " The window-bars " here alludes to
the cross-bar lacing of women's boddices, which formed a kind of
lattice-work. This, in more modern peasant costume, as we see
it on the stage, and as it exists in Swiss dresses, has a stomacher
Tim. Keep it, I cannot eat it.
Alcib. When I have laid proud Athens on a
heap,33 —
Tim. Warr'st thou 'gainst Athens?
Alcib. Ay, Timon, and have cause.34
Tim. The gods confound them all in thy cun-
quest ;
And thee after, when thou hast conquer' d !
Alcib. Why me, Timon ?
77m. That, by killing of villains,
Thou wast born to conquer my country.
Put up thy gold : go on, — here's gold, — go on
Be as a planetarv plague, when Jove
Will o'er some high-vie'd city hang his poison
In the sick air : let not thy sword skip one :
Pity not honour'd age for his white beard, —
He is a usurer: strike me the counteifeit
matron, —
It is her habit only that is honest,
Herself is naught : let not the virgin's cheek
Make soft thy trenchant sword; for those milk-
paps,
That throigh the window-bars35 bore at men's
eyes,
Are not within the leaf of pity writ,
But set them down horrible traitors : spare not the
babe,
Whose dimpled smiles from fools exhaust their
mercy ;36
Think it a bastard, whom the oracle
Hatli doubtfully pronoune'd thy throat shall
cut,
And mince it sans3'' remorse: swear against
objects;38
Put armour on thine ears and on thine eyes ;
Whose proof, nor yells of mothers, maids, nor
babes,
Nor sight of priests in holy vestments bleeding,
Shall pierce a jot. There's gold to pay thy
soldiers :
Make large confusion ; and, thy fury spent,
Confounded be thyself! Speak not, be gone.
Alcib. Hast thou gold yet ? I'll take the gold
thou giv'st me,
Not all thy counsel.
Tim. Dost thou, or dost thou not, heaven's
curse upon thee !
of silk, satin, muslin, or other material beneath: but in Shake-
speare's time this lacing — not inaptly likened to " window-bars ''
— was sometimes worn over the bosom itself, merely serving to
fasten the two sides of the boddice together.
36. From foots exhaust their mercy. Hanmer changed
" exhaust " to ' extort ;' but here Shakespeare uses " exhaust "
in the sense it bears, as classically derived—' draw forth.'
37. Sans. 'Without.'
38. Swear against objects. ' Take an oath against being
moved by objects likely to inspire relenting.' " Objects " is bere
used to express what is intended by "tender objects" in the
passage referred to in Note 50, Act iv., " Troilus and Cressida."
Act IV.]
T1M0N OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Phr. and Timan. Give us some gold, good
Timon : hast thou more ?
Tim. Enough to make you both. Hold up,
you sluts,
Your aprons mountant : you are not oathable, —
Although, I know, you'll swear, terribly swear,
Into strong shudders and to heavenly agues,
The immortal gods that hear you, — spare your
oaths,
I'll trust to your conditions : be queans still.
Phr, and Timan. Well, more gold :— what
then ? —
Believe 't, that we'll do anything for gold.
Tim. Consumptions sow
In hollow bones of man ; strike their sharp
shins,
And mar men's spurring. Crack the lawyer's
voice,
That lie may never more false title plead,
Nor sound his quillets39 shrilly : hoar the flamen,4'1
That scolds against the quality of flesh,
And not believes himself : plague all ; plague
all.
There's more gold : —
Do you doom others, and let this doom you,
And ditches grave you all !
Phr. and Timan. More counsel with more
money, bounteous Timon.
Tim. More ill, more mischief first ; I have given
you earnest.
Alcib. Strike up the drum towards Athens! —
Farewell, Timon :
If 1 thrive well, I'll visit thee again.
Tim. If I hope well, I'll never see thee more.
Alcib. I never did thee harm.
Tim. Yes, thou spok'st well of me.
Alcib. Call'st thou that harm P
Tim. Men duly find it. Get thee away, and lake
Thy beagles with thee.
39. Quillets. ' Legal quibbles,' * frivolous distinctions,' 'subtle-
ties of sophistry." See Note 105, Act iv., " Love's Labour's
Lost."
40. Hoar the Jlanien. Upton suggested changing the word
"hoar" to 'hoarse' here, which latter word, taken in the sense
of ' render hoarse,' certainly accords well with the context.
Nevertheless it is probable that here "hoar" is used to express
' give the hoar leprosy,' ' afflict with the hoar leprosy ;' because
there is mention of that disease in the early part of this same
scene, where Timon says, " .Make the /war leprosy ador'd."
The epithet " hoar" is poetically applied to " leprosy," because
it covers the skin with a shiny white scale on the part affected.
" Flamen" is a 'priest.' See Note 33, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
41. Eyeless zenom'd worm. A poetical term for the small
snake called the ' blind-worm,' which was formerly supposed to
be venomous. See Note 59, Act ii., " Midsummer Night's
I Iream."
42. Crisp heaven. In the two other passages where Shake-
speare has used the word "crisp." he has used it in the sense of
' curled' see Note 73. Act i., " First Part Henry IV.") ; and in
the " Tempest," Act i., sc. 2, Ariel says, " to ride on the curl\t
clouds." These points lend probability to the supposition thai
here "crisp heaven" is used to express a sky covered with
Alcib. We but offend him Strike !
\_Dium beats. Exeunt ALCIBIADES, PHRYNIA,
.;/;./ 1 IMAKDRA.
Tim. That nature, being sick ot man's unkind-
ness,
Should yet be hungry !— Common mother, thou,
[Digging.
Whose womb unmeasurable, and infinite breast,
Teems, and feeds all ; whose self-same mettle,
Whereof thy proud child, arrogant man, is
puffd,
Engenders the black toad and adder blue,
The gilded newt and eyeless venom'd worm,'11
With all the abhorred births below crisp heaven45
Whereon Hyperion's43 quickening fire doth shine ,
Yield him, who all thy human sons doth hate,'14
From forth thy plenteou. bosom, one poor root !
Ense.ir thy fertile and conceptions womb,
Let it no more bring oat mgrateful man 1
Go great with tigers, dragons, wolves, ami bears ;
Teem with new monsters, whom thy upward
face
Hath to the marbled mansion all above
Never presented ! — Oil, a root, — dear thanks ! —
Dry up thy marrows, vines, and plough-torn
leas ;46
Whereof ingrateful man, with liquorish draughts
And morsels unctuous, greases his pure mind,
That from it all consideration slips ! —
Enter Apemantus.
More man ? plague, plague !
A pern. I was directed hither: men report
Thou dost affect my manners, and dost use
them.
Tim. 'Tis, then, because thou dost not keep a
dog,
Whom I would imitate: consumption catch thee !
Apem. This is in thee a nature but infected ;46
dappled, wavy, curl-like clouds ; but we have an idea that per-
haps the poet here used the epithet "crisp" to denote ' shining,'
' glistening,' ' brilliant,' from the circumstance that one meaning
of the Latin verb crispare is ' to cause to shine.'
43. Hyperion. One of the names given by ancient poets to
the sun. See Note 80, Act ii., " Troilus and Cn ida."
44. Who all thy human s.>us doth hate. The Folio prints,
' Who all the humane sonnes do hate.' The present pa sage
affords a similar case of misprint occasioning utterly reversed
sense from the one intended, to that pointed out 111 Note 7 .
Act iii.
45. Dry up thy marrows, vines, ami plough-ton: teas. This
line has been suspected of error : and ' marrowy ' lias bei
posed as a substitution for " marrows.*' But it seems to us that
the line may give the sense, !>y an ellipsis, of ' Llry up tin;
marrows of thy vines and plough-torn le.is;' because wii
be poetically said to be the marrow- of vines, furnishing "liquor-
ish draughts;" as grain, fruits, and beasts of pasture maybe
poetically called the marrow of leas, supplying 111.111 with
" morsels unctuous."
46. A nature out infected. Rowe changed " infi
'affected ;' but here " infected " is use 1 in the lense of 'diseased,'
' morbid,' 'poisoned' by reverse and disapp ■> anient.
Act IV.]
TIM ON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
A poor unmanly melancholy sprung
From change of fortune.4? Why this spade? this
place ?
This slave-like habit ? and these looks of care ?
Thy flatterers yet wear silk, drink wine, lie-
soft ;
I lug their diseas'd perfumes, and have forgot
That ever Timon was. Shame not these woods,
By putting on the cunning of a carper.4"*
Be thou a flatterer now, and seek to thrive
By that which has undone thee : hinge th)
knee,
And let his very breath, whom thou'lt ob-
serve,49
Blow off thy cap; praise his most vicious strain,
And call it excellent : thou wast told thus ;
Thou gav'st thine ears like tapsters that bid wel-
come
To knaves and all approachers :50 'tis most just
That thou turn rascal; hadst thou wealth again,
Rascals should have't. Do not assume my like-
ness.
Tim. Were I like thee, I'd throw away my-
self.
Afem. Thou hast cast away thyself, being like
thyself;
A madman so long, now a fool. What! think'st
That the bleak air, thy boisterous chamberlain,
Will put thy shirt on warm? will these moss'd
tiees,31
47. Cltauge of fortune. The Folio misprints 'future* for
" fortune." Rowe's correction.
48. Tlit cunning of a cw/er. 'The affected superiority in
judgment of a systematic fault-finder.' The term "carper"
was often applied in Shakespeare s time to a ' critic,' because
' critic ' was, and is still, almost used synonymously with ' fault-
finder ' See Note 89, Act iv., " Love's Labour's Lost." It is
worthy of remark with what fine and subtle satire Shakespeare
has here made the professedly cynical Apemantus, the mere
philosophy-monger, the dealer in misanthropical bitternesses,
rate the genuine sufferer from man's injuries. He grudges that
Timon should trench upon his gruund, and surpass him in railing,
which he assumes to be his own special province. He does not
see that Timon's is a true indignation, while his own is but a
spurious imitation and affectation ; or rather, he instinctively
feels this to be the case, and resents it heartily while treating it
as something that Timon is to be scolded out of.
49. Observe. Here used for ' pay observance to,' ' treat with
deference.' See Note 72, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
50. Like tapsters that bid welcome to, &>c. The first Folio
gives 'bad' for '"bid." Corrected in the second Folio. We
cannot help thinking that to retain the first Folio word ' bad,'
and take it to mean * bad people,' is not only a forced interpre-
tation, but an alteration of the sense of the passage ; because
tapsters bid welcome to " nil approachers," not merely to ' bad *
ones or "knaves." In the first Folio the words are printed
thus: 'i,Like tapsters, that bad welcom)' ; and we have before
pointed out that Shakespeare sometimes uses parenthetical sen-
tences in such a manner as to make the matter within the
parenthesis form part of the main sentence. Sec Note 75, Act i.,
Winter's Tale." Therefore we believe that, according to this
particular mode of construction, "gav'st thine cars" and "bid
welcome" are both to be taken in connection with " to knaves," &c.
51. T/tese moss'd trees. The Folio prints * moyst ' for
That have outhVd the eagle, page thy heels,
And skip when tlicm point's! out P« will the cold
brook,
Candied with ice, caudle thy morning taste,
To cure thy o*er-nigut's surfeit P Call the crea-
tures,—
Whose naked natures live in all the spite
Or wreakful heaven ; whose hue unhoused trunks,
To the conflicting elements expns'd.
Answer mere nature, — bid them Hatter thee;
Oh, thou shalt find —
Tim. A fool of thee :M depart.
A pern. I love thee better now than e'er I
did.
Tim. I hate thee worse.
Apem. Why?
Tim. Thou flatter'st misery.
Apem. I flatter not; hut say thou ait a caitiff."
Tim. Why dost thou seek ine out r
Apem. To vex thee,
Tim. Always a villain's office, or a fool's.
Dost please thyself in 't ?
Apem. Ay.
Tim. What! a knave too?55
Apem. If thou didst put this sour-cold habit
on
To castigate thy pride, 'twere well : but thou
Dost it enforcedly ; thou'dst courtier be again,
Wert thou not beggar. Willing misery
Outlives in certain pomp, is crown'd before:56
"moss'd." Hanmer's correction. The misprint of the Folio
probably arose from the word having been written in the original
MS. 'mosst,' with the first s a long one. That " moss'd" was
intended by the author seems to be certified by the pas
" As You Like It," Act iv., sc. 3 : " An old oak, whose boughs
were moss'd with age."
52. And skip when tftou point' 'st out ? It has been suggested
that " when " should be ' where' in this passage ; hut in Lsmuch
as "where" is used in passages that seem to require 'when'
(see Note 14, Act ii., " Henry VIII."), so here it may be that
' when ' is used in a passage that might ordinarily have ' where '
written therein.
53. A fool of tltee. Here "of" is used where 'in' is
generally employed. The context of the passage referred t<> in
Note 22, Act v., " All's Well," affords a similar instance: "We
lost a jewel of her."
54. A caitiff. 'A wretch,' 'a miserable creature.' See
Note 24, Act ii., " Measure for Measure."
55. IV/iat ! a knave toy? Timon has already called Ape-
RiantUS "a fool," and now exclaims, 'What ! a knave as well as
a fool?1 He means that if he came merely to vex him from an
idle habit of purposeless scoffing, it was the act of a fool . but
since he comes to vex him for the pleasure he takes in teasing,
he proves himself to be spiteful as well as foolish.
56. Is crown'd before. 'Has its desire sooner fulfilled.'
"Before" is here used in the sense of 'sooner, 'earlier.' The
whole of this portion of the speech is most condcnscdly and
elliptically constructed : and may be thus paraphrased : ' Willing
misery outlives uncertain grandeur, it d« ir« ire sooner ami
more surely fulfilled: the one is ever cravii itisfied ;
the other is always at the heicht of ll : the best of
states, without content. h:is a distracted and most wretched
existence, worse than the very w >rst of states, with content.
Thou shouldst desire to die, being unwillingly miserable.'
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
The one is filling still, never complete ;
The other, at high wish : best state, content-
less,
Hath a distracted and most wretched being,
Worse than the worst, content.
Thou shouldst desire to die, being miserable.
Tim. Not by his breath5'' that is more miser-
able.
Thou art a slave, whom Fortune's tender arm
With favour never clasp'd ; but bred a dog.
Hadst thou, like us from our first swath,53 pro-
ceeded
The sweet degrees that this brief world affords
To such as may the passive drugs50 of it
Freely command, thou wouldst have plung'd thy-
~ self
In general riot ; melted down thy youth
In different beds of lust ; and never leirn'd
The icy precepts of respect,60 but follow'd
The sugar'd game before thee. But myself,
Who had the world as my confectionary ;
The mouths, the tongues,61 the eyes, and hearts of
men
At duty, more than I could frame employ-
ment ;62
That numberless upon me stuck,63 as leaves
Do on the oak, have with one winter's brush64
Tell65 from their boughs, and left me open,
bare
For every storm that blows; — I, to bear this,
That never knew but better, is some burden :
Thy nature did commence in sufferance, time
Hath made thee hard in 't. Why shouldst thou
hate men ?
They never flatter' d thee : what hast thou given,
Poor rogue hereditary ? Hence, be gone ! —
If thou hadst not been born the worst of men,
Thou hadst been a knave and natterer.66
57. Breath. Here used for 'bidding' Shakespeare uses
"breath" in a general sense, for that which is uttered] as in
"Coriolanus" he repeatedly uses it for ' suffrage,* 'vote,' 'popular
testimony.' See the passage referred to in Note 74, Act iv.t
" Coriolanus."
5S. From our first swath. Here used to express 'from our
infancy,' from the period when a new-born habe is first swathed.
59. Drugs An old form of 'drudges :' and here used because
a monosyllable suits the metre.
60. The icy precepts of respect. ' The cold dictates of a
regard to prudence.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses "•respect"'
in this sense. See Note 2S. Act ii , " Troilus and Cressida."
61. The months, the tongues. "Who had." before "the
\\ irld " in the previous line, gives 'who had' to be eHiptically
understood as repeated before " the mouths."
More than I could frame employment. 'For' is here
elliptii ally understood after " employment." Sec Note 7 of the
present Act.
63. That numberless upon lire slink, fine of the com-
mentators complains that the "grammar of this passage is in
a hopeless state ;" the construction, nevertheless, is in accord-
ance with that inconsecutiveness of diction which Shakespeare
introduces into some of his speeches, in order to mark the
tumultuous feeling of the utterer. See Note 56, Act i.,
Apem. Art thou proud yet ?
Tim. Ay, that I am not thee.
Apem. 1, that I was
No prodigal.
Tim. I, that I am one now :
Were all the weilth I have shut up in thee,
I'd give thee leave to hang it. Get thee
gone. —
That the whole life of Athens were in this !67
Thus would I eat it. [Eating a root.
Apem. Here ; I wrll mend thy feast.
[Offering him something.
Tim. First mend my company,6* take away
thyself.
Apem. So I shall mend mine own, by the lack
of thine.
Tim. 'lis not well mended so, it is but
botch'd ;
If not, I would it were.
Apem. What wouldst thou have to Athens ?
Tim. 1 hee thither in a whirlwind. If thou
wilt,
Tell them there I have gold ; look, so 1 have.
Apem. Here is no use for gold.
Tim. The best and truest ;
For here it sleeps, and does no hired harm.
Apem. Where ly'st 0' nights, Timon ?
Tim. Under that's above me.
Where feed'st thou o' days, Apemantus?
Apem. Where my stomach finds meat ; or,
rather, where I eat it.
Tim. Would poison were obedient, and knew
mv mind !
Apem. Where wouldst thou send it ?
Tim. To sauce thy dishes.
Apem. The middle of humanity thou never
knewest, but the extremity of both ends: when
thou wast in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mocked
"Richard III." Timon, moved by passionate indignation
against his conventionally cynical tormentor, and the remem-
brance of his faithless friends, pours out his invective sentences
as they surge up in his mind, a torrent of disconnected wrath-
billows — one stream, but broken into innumerable roughnesses.
64. Brush. Here, as elsewhere, used with more than prdr-
nary force of meaning, to express 'stormy sweep,' "roughest
violence.* See Note 29, Act v., " Second Part Henry VI "
65. Fell. Used, by a grammatical licence, for ' fallen,' on
ac:ount of the metre, which here requires a monosyllable
66. If thou huist not been born the worst of men. thou
hadst been a knave and flatterer. One of Shakespeare's
sentences containing an apparent paradox and antithesis, but in
fact containing a profound truth. At the first glance it should
seem that being born the vilest of wretches would qualify a
man for being a knave and flatterer : but the poet put into the
mouth "f Timon the pungent verity that while one bom a
gentleman might take to fawning, one so utterly vile takes to
railing, not to servility.
67. That the whole life of Atlteus were in this i 'Would' is
eHiptically understood before "that." See Note 56, Act i.,
md Part Henry VI."
68. First mend my company. The Folio prints ' thy : for
"my." Rowe's correction.
246
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene in.
thee for too much curiosity;69 in thy rags thou
knowest none, but art despised for the contrary.
There's a medlar for thee, eat it.
Tim. On what I hate I feed not.
Apem, Dost hate a medlar?
Tint. Ay, though it look like thee.70
Apem. An thou hadst hated meddlers sooner,
thou shouldst have loved thyself better now. What
man didst thou ever know unthrift that was beloved
after his means?
Tim. Who, without those means thou talkest
of, didst thou ever know beloved ?
Apem. Myself.
Tim. I understand thee; thou hadst some
means to keep a dog.
Apem. What things in the world canst thou
nearest compare to thy flatterers ?
Tim. Women nearest ; but men, men are the
things themselves. What wouldst thou do with
the world, Apemantus, if it lay in thy power ?
Apem. Give it the beasts, to be rid of the
men.
Tim. Wouldst thou have thyself fall in the
confusion of men, and remain a beast with the
beasts ?
Apem. Ay, Timon.
Tim. A beastly ambition, which the gods grant
thee to attain to! If thou wert the lion, the fox
would beguile thee : if thou wert the lamb, the fox
would eat thee : if thou wert the fox, the lion
would suspect thee, when, peradventure, thou wert
69. Too much curiosity. ' Over-careful regard to luxurious
appointments, ' ' fastidious refinement,' 'over-niceness,' ' squea-
mishness.' Sec Note 5S, Act ii., "Third Part Henry VI.*'
70. Ay, though it took like tlwe. Another instance of the
peculiar mode in which Shakespeare uses the word "though."
Here it bears the sense of ' since,' ' if,' ' being that,' ' inasmuch
as.' See Note 104, Act ii., "Twelfth Night;" and Note 27,
Act ii., " Troilus and Cressida."
71. Wert thou the unicorn, pride, cVv. In allusion to the
account given of the unicorn, that in its furious pursuit of
its enemy, it strikes its horn into a tree ; and thereby itself
becomes an easy victim to its opponent.
72. German to the lion. ' Akin to the lion.' See Note 206,
Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
73. T/ie spots 0/ thy kindred were jurors on thy li/e.
' The spots which testify thy royal relationship would be the
means of condemning thee to lose thy life.' The lion being
named ' king of beasts,' is here supposed to be jealous of a
beast claiming to be of his race ; and, moreover, in heraldry,
the terms, ' lions Jeoparded,' ' and leopards maned,' show the sort
of kinship here inclusively referred to. They figure in old
armorial bearings; and, in the Royal shield of England, the
three lions were by some ancient heralds denominated three
leopards.
74. RemotiaH. ' Removing to a distance,' ' removing far
away.' Shakespeare uses the word again in " Lear," Act ii.,
sc. 4 ; but there with a somewhat modified meaning.
75. yonder comes a poet and a painter. Several of the
commentators, treating this as an announcement on the part
of Apemantus that he sees the poet and the painter approaching,
find fault with Shakespeare's dramatic arrangement in pre-
ceding their advent by that of the thieves and the steward.
Reed thinks it may arise " from the negligence of Shakespeare ;"
accused by the ass : if thou wert the ass, thy dulness
would torment thee ; and still thou livedst hut as a
breakfast to the wolf: if thou wert the wolf, thy
greediness would afflict thee, and oft thou shouldst
hazard thy life for thy dinner: wert thou the uni
corn, pride and wrath would confound thee,''1 and
make thine own self the conquest of thy fury : wert
thou a bear, thou wouldst be killed by the hoi -< :
wert thou a horse, thou wouldst be seized by the
leopard : wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to
the lion,'2 and the spots of thy kindred were jurors
on thy life :<3 all thy safety were remotion,7,1 and
thy defence absence. What beast couldst thou be,
that were not subject to a beast? and what a beast
art thou already, that seest not thy loss in trans-
formation !
Apem. If thou couldst please me with speaking
to me, thou mightst have hit upon it here : the
commonwealth of Athens is become a forest of
beasts.
Tim. How has the ass broke the wall, that thou
art out of the city ?
Apem. Yonder comes a poet and a painter :<'s
the plague of company light upon thee! I will
fear to catch it, and give way : when I know not
what else to do, I'll see thee again.
Tim. When there is nothing living but thee,
thou shalt be welcome. I had rather be a beggar's
dog than Apemantus.
Apem. Thou art the cap"6 of all the fools
alive.
while Malone accounts for it by saying that " Shakespeare was
not very attentive to these minute particulars." We think, how-
ever, that a much more likely solution of the difficulty than
imagining the most finished dramatist ever seen by the world to
be guilty of oversight lies in the probability that here "yon
is used for ' over there,' ' that place.' Apemantus has just been
speaking of " Athens," and Timon of the "city;" therefore
"yonder," probably, refers to Athens, and not to any spol
within view. Shakespeare very frequently uses the
" yonder " in passages where the. object spoken of is not seen by
the speaker. For instance, in "Merry Wives." Act iv., sc. 2,
" He so takes on yonder willi my husband ;" in the same
play, Act v., sc. 5, " I came yonder at Eton ;" in " All's Well,"
Act iv., sc. 5, " Yonder s my lord your son with a patch
of velvet on 's face ;" where, in each passage, the word yonder
refers to a place not within sight. This makes us believe that in
the present passage " yonder " refers to Athens, an I
be taken in the sense of 'yonder city.' It is not impossible
that, in Shakespeare's elliptical mode "f n>iog words, h- tin .
allow 'from' to be understood here ; so that Apemantus may be
meant to imply 'from yonder place are coining a po
a painter.' He evidently knows their intention of coming, and
here predicts it; were he expecting it instantly, he would with-
draw at once, because he says he will " give way ;" but he
lingers, thereby showing that he means they are coming '
unspecified time. There is nothing in the word "conn
makes against our idea of the meaning of this pass
"comes" is often used to express 'there comes,' or ;
coming.' "Comes" here also affords an instance of Shake-
speare's using the grammatical licence of a verb in the
with a plural nominative. See Note 1, Act v. of the prc-cnt
play.
76. Cap. Here used for ' chief.'
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Tintou, Rnscil thieves,
Here's gold Act IV ycne III.
Tim. Would thou wert clean enough to spit
upon !
Apem. A plague on thee, thou art too bad to
curse!
Tim. All villains that do stand by thee are
pure.
Apt m. There is no leprosy but what thou
speak'st.
Tim. It I name thee. —
I'll heat thee,''" but I should infect my hands,
Apcm. I would my tongue could rot them
off!
Tim. Away, thou issue of a mangy dog !
Choler docs kill me that thou art alive ;
I swoon to see thee,
77. /'// l:\il thee. " I'll " w.-is formerly sometimes used where
'I'd' is now employed. Sec Note 101, Act i.f "Coriolanus."
Apcm. Would thou wouldst burst !
Tim. Away,
Thou tedious rogue ! I am sorry I shall lose
A stone by thee. [Tbrozvs a none at him.
Apcm. Beast !
Tim. Slave !
Apcm. Toad !
Tim. Rogue, rogue, rogue !
[Apemantus retreats backivard, as going.
1 am sick of this false world ; and will love
naught
But even the mere necessities upon 't.
Then, Timon, presently prepare thy grave ;
Lie where the light foam of the sea may beat
Thy grave-stone daily : make thine epitaph,
See also the '111c referred to in Note 32, Act i., "Midsummer
Night's Dream."
248
Act IV.]
TI.MON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
That death in me at others' lives may laugh.79
[Looking on the gold.'] Oh, thou sweet king-
killer, and dear divorce
' Twixt natural son and sire !" thou bright dehler
Of" Hymen's purest bed ! thou valiant Mars !
Thou ever young, fresh, lov'd, and delicate wooer,
Whose blush doth thaw the consecrated snow
That lies on Dian's lap ! thou visible god,
That solder'st close impossibilities,80
And mak'st them kiss! that speak'st with even
tongue,
To every purpose! Oh, thou touch31 of hearts!
Think, thy slave man rebels; and by tin virtue
Set them into confounding odds,8i that beasts
May have the world in empire !
Apem. Would 'twere so ! —
But not till I am dead. — I'll say thou'st gold :
Thou wilt be throng'd to shortly.
Tim,
Apt in.
T.m.
Apem.
Tim.
Throng'd to !
Thy back, I pr'ythee.
Live, and love thy misery !
Long live so, and so die! [Exit Ape-
MANTUS.] I am quit
More things like men f — Eat, Timon, and abhor
them.33 [Goes towards his Cave.
Enter Thieves.
First Thief. Where should he have this gold ?
It is some poor fragment, some slender ort of
his remainder : the mere want of gold, and the
falling-from of his friends, drove him into this
melancholy.
See. Thief. It is noised he hath a mass of
treasure.
73. Prepare thy grave .... thy grave-stone .... thine
epitaph, that death in me at, &c. This abrupt change of pro-
111 111 111 ihe course of tlie same speech, and referring to the same
person, is one of Shakespeare's peculiarities in style, for producing
effective impression. See Note 32, Act iii., "Richard II.'' In
the present passage, how finely it serves to mark the deep
melancholy with which Timon begins by apostrophising himself,
rising '* thy" and ' thine," and then the sharp stab with which
he drives home to his own bosom the thought of death, actual
death, from sickness of the false world, by suddenly changing to
the more personal " me." A monosyllable of but two letters,
in the hands of a poet, becomes an instrument of might.
79. Son and sire. In the Folio ' sunne and fire.' Rowe's
correction.
80. Close impossibilities. One of Shakespeare's elliptical ex-
pressions, meaning ' those things that seem impossible to be
brought close together.' See Note 52, Act iii., " Romeo and
Juliet."
81. Touch. ' Touchstone,' ' test ' See Note 24, Act iii.
82. Thy slave man repels; and by thy virtue set them into,
&*c. Here " man" is treated as a noun of number, referred to
by the pronoun " them ;" and the passage affords another among
the numerous instances of Shakespeare's antithesising " man,"
or " men," and " beasts." See Note 54, Act iii., " Romeo and
Juliet."
83. More things /ihe men ? — Eat, Timon, and abhor them
In the Folio these words are assigned to Apemantus. Hanmer's
correction.
Third Thief. Let us make the assay upon him :
if he care not for 't, he will supply us easily ; it he
covetously reserve it, how shall 's get it ?
See. Thief. True; fur he bears it not about
him, 'lis hid.
hint Thief. Is not this her1
Thieves. Where ?
See. Thief 'Tis his description.
Third Thief. He; I know him.
Thieves. Save thee, Timon.
Tim. [Ad-vaneing.] Now, thieves ?
Thieves. Soldiers, nut thieves.
Tim. Both too ; ami women's sons.
Thieves. We are not thieves, but men that
much do want.
Tim. Your greatest want is, you want much of
meat.*4
Why should you want ? Behold, the earth hath
roots ;
Within this mile break forth a hundred springs ;
The oaks hear mast, the briers scarlet hips;
The bounteous housewife, Nature, on each bush
Lays her full mess before you. Want ! why
want ?
First Thief. We cannot live on grass, on berrios,
water,
As beasts and birds and fishes.85
Tim. Nor on the beasts themselves, the birds,
and fishes ;
You must eat men.86 Yet thanks I must _\ou
con,87
That you are thieves profess' d ; that you work
not
In holier shapes: for there is boundless theft
In limited professions.88 Rascal thieves,
84. You want much 0/ meat. The word "meat" in this
passage has been variously altered by various editors ; but it is
here used in its general sense of 'food,' and seems to us to
accord peifectly with the gist of Timon's discourse.
85. As beasts and birds and fishes. 'As on beasts,' &c; 'as
we can live on beasts,' &c. : or 'as we could live on beasts,' &c.
Shakespeare often uses "as" with much force of ellipsis. See
Notes - > and 53, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
86 You must cat men. 'You must needs eat men,' 'you
think it needful to eat men.' Shakespeare sometimes see Note
36, Act i.) uses "must" in this way, and not with the ordinary
meaning of 'should' or 'ought to;' and also sometimes with
less of its usual sense of included necessity. For instance, when
Portia, in " Merchant of Venice," Act iv., sc E, says, "Then
must the Jew be merciful," she uses the word " must" with less
meaning of enforcement than Shylock puts into it, when he
replies, "On what compulsion must I.'" She rather means,
' Then it behoves the Jew to be merciful :' while he sneeringly
asks, "What is there that should compel inc to be So
a_'ain, in " Coriolanus," in the sentence referred to in Note go,
Act iii. of that play, "Must all determine here?" the question
does not mean, ' Is it imperative that all must terminate here?'
It means, 'Shall all terminate here?' 'Is it agreed that all
shall conclude here ?'
S7. Yet thanks I must you con 'Yet I must rcm!er you
thanks,' 'Vet I acknowledge tint my thanks arc due to you.'
See Note 45, Act iv., "All', V
88. Limited professions. " Limited " is here and elsewhere
■ 98
Act IV.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Here's gold. Go, suck the subtle blood o' the
grape,
Till the high fever seethe your blood to froth,
And so scape hanging: trust not the physician ;
His antidotes are poison, and he slays
More than you rob : take wealth and lives to-
gether ;
Do villany, do,89 since you protest to do 't,
Like workmen. I'll example you with thievery;
The sun's a thief, and with his great attraction
Robs the vast sea : the moon's an arrant thief,
And her pale fire she snatches from the sun :
The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves
The moon into salt tears:90 the earth's a thief,
That feeds and breeds by a composture stol'n
From general excrement : each thing's a thief:
The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough
power
Have uncheck'd theft. Love not yourselves ;
away !
Rob one another; — there's more gold ;— cut
throats ;
All that you meet are thieves: to Athens go,
Break open shops ; nothing can you steal,
But thieves do lose it : steal not less91 for this
I give you ; and gold confound you howsoe'er!
Amen ! [Timon retires to his Cave.
Third Thief. He has almost charmed me from
my profession, by persuading me to it.
First Thief. 'Tis in the malice of mankind that
he thus advises us ; not to have us thrive in our
mystery.92
Sec. Thief. I'll believe him as an enemy, and
give over my trade.
First Thief. Let us first s.'e peace in Athens :
there is no time so miserable but a man may be
true.93 [Exeunt Thieves.
Enter Flavius.
Fla<v. Oh, you gods !
Is yond' despis'd and ruinous man my lord ?
used by Shakespeare for ' appointed,' ' stated,' ' set.' See Note 12,
Act v., " Richard III." In the present passage, "limited pro-
fessions" is used in opposed connection with " thieves profess'd,'
and means the socially-appointed avocations of doctor, lawyer,
soldier, &c. , in contradistinction to the wild calling adopted by
the thieves whom he is addressing. The immediately subse-
quent mention of " the physician." we think, shows this.
89. Do villany, do. The Folio prints ' Do villaine do.
Rowe's correction.
90 Whose liquid surge resolves, &>c. A poetical fancy that
the moon, in its influence upon the sea, is caused to shed tears
that swell the main of waters.
91 Steal not less. The Folio omits " not " here. Inserted
by Rowe.
92. Mystery. 'Trade.' See Note 18, Act iv., " Measure for
Measure "
93. There is no time so miserable but a wan may be true
One of Shakespeare's crystallised pieces of wit, sparkling with
many-sided meanings It can be taken in the sense in which
we think that this sturdy thief says it : ' There is no time so
Full of decay and failing ? Oh, monument
And wonder of good deeds evilly bestow'd !
What an alteration of honour
Has desperate want made !
What viler thing upon the earth than friends
Who can bring noblest minds to basest ends !
How rarely9'1 does it meet with this time's guise,
When man was wish'd95 to love his enemies!
Grant I may ever love, and rather woo
Those that would mischief me than those that
do!96—
He has caught me in his eye : I will present
My honest grief unto him ; and, as my lord,
Still serve him with my life. — My dearest master !
Timon comes from his Cave.
Tim. Away! what art thou?
Flail. Have you forgot me, sir ?
Tim. Why dost ask that? I have forgot all
men ;
Then, if thou grant'st97 thou'rt a man, 1 have for-
got thee.
Flaw. An honest poor servant of yours.
Tim. Then I know thee not.
I never had honest man about me, I ;98 all
I kept were knaves, to serve in meat to villains.
Flanj. The gods are witness,
Ne'er did poor steward wear a truer grief
For his undone lord than mine eyes for you.
Tim. What! dost thou weep? — come nearer;—
then I love thee,
Because thou art a woman, and disclaim'st
Flinty mankind ; whose eyes do never give
But thorough lust and laughter. Pity's sleeping:
Strange times, that weep with laughing, not with
weeping !
Flav. I beg of you to know me, good my
lord,
To accept my grief, and, whilst this poor wealth
lasts,
To entertain me as your steward still.
miserable but a man may be true to his adopted profession :' it
can be taken in the sense of ' there is no time so miserably late
but a man may turn honest ' (the word " true " was often used in
the sense of ' honest ;' see Note 40, Act iii., " Much Ado") ; or
it can be taken in the sense of ' there is no time so miserable
but a man may find consolation in being true to himself and to
virtue.'
94. Rarely. Here used for ' admirably,' ' choicely,' ' excel-
lently.'
95. Wish'd. ' Desired,' ' recommended/ ' enjoined.' See
Nil', 5, Act iii , " Much Ado."
96. Rather woo those that would mischief me titan those that
do. ' Rather woo those who own they would harm me if they
could than those who do injure me while professing friendship.'
Very elliptically expressed : but the tenor of the whole speech
gives the sense to be inferred in this condensed line.
97. Grant'st. Printed 'grunt'st' in the Folio.
9S. / never had honest man about me, I. Example of the
repeated " I " in a sentence, for emphatic effect See Note 66,
Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet."
Act IV.]
Tl.MON OF ATHENS.
[Scene III.
Tim. Had I a steward
So true, so just, and now so comfortable ?
It almost turns my dangerous nature mild."
Let me behold thy face. Surely, this man
Was born of woman. —
Forgive my general and exceptless rashness,
You perpetual-sober gods ! I do proclaim
One honest man, — mistake me not, — but one ;
No more, I pray, — and he's a steward. —
How fain would I have hated all mankind !
And thou redeem'st thyself: but all, save thee,
I fell with curses.
Methinks thou art more honest now than wise ;
For, by oppressing and betraying me,
Thou mightst have sooner got another service :
For many so arrive at second masters,
Upon their first lord's neck. But tell me true
(For I must ever doubt, though ne'er so sure),
Is not thy kindness subtle, covetous,
If not a usuring kindness, and, as rich men deal
gifts,
Expecting in return twenty for one ?
Flan}. No, my most worthy master; in whose
breast
Doubt and suspect, alas ! are plac'd too late :
You should have fear'd false times when you did
feast :
Suspect still comes100 where an estate is least.101
That which I show, Heaven knows, is merely10*
love,
99. It almost turns my dangerous nature' mild. The Folio
prints 'wilde' for "mild." Hanmer's correction, which we think
is proved to be right, not only by the immediate context and
purport of this whole speech, but by the preceding words,
"What ! dost thou weep? — come nearer: — then I love thee," &c,
all of which shows that Timon is softened and milder than he
was, not that he is wilder or more infuriated by the discovery
that Flavius is true to him. He is touched by the honest
fellow's tears ; he feels that they are genuine : he acknowledges
his veritable worth ; he asks forgiveness of the gods for his own
" exceptless rashness," and utters the first gentle words that
have passed his lips since rushing from Athens He feels that
he is giving way — that he is becoming " almost" mild; and,
accordingly, after the momentary yielding to better feelings, he
resumes his harshness, and bids the one " singly honest man"
Duty and zeal to your unmatched mind,
Care of your food and living ; and, believe it,
My most honour' d lord,
For any benefit that points to me,
Either in hope or present, I'd exchange
For this one wish, — that you hud power and
wealth
To requite me, by making rich yourself.
Tim. Look thee, 'tis so ! — Thou singly honest
man,
Here, take : — the gods, out of my misery,
Have sent thee treasure. Go, live rich and
happy;
But thus condition'd : — thou shalt build from
men ;103
Hate all, curse all ; show charity to none ;
But let the famish'd flesh slide from the bone,
Ere thou relieve the beggar : give to dogs
What thou deny'st to men ; let prisons swallow
'em,
Debts wither 'em to nothing: be men like blasted
woods,
And may diseases lick up their false bloods !
And so, farewell, and thrive.
Fla<v. Oh, let me stay,
And comfort you, my master.
Tim. If thou hat'st curses,
Stay not; fly, whilst thou'rt bless' d ami free:
Ne'er see thou man, and let me ne'er see thee.
[Exit Flavius. Timon retires to his Came.
begone from his side : though, be it observed, with wishes for
his living " rich and happy." and desiring that he may " thrive "
— a kindliness which, if exceptional, is still a touch of mildness
and not additional wildness.
100. Doubt and suspect .... suspect still comes. "Sus-
pect" is here used for 'suspicion.' See Note 59, Act iii.,
"Richard III "
101. Suspect still comes inhere an estate is least. Hanmer
altered " where " to 'when' here: but see the remarks upon
these words in Note 52 of the present Act.
102. Merely. Here used for ' exclusively/ ' absolutely/
'genuinely.' See Note 27, Act iv., "All's Well."
103. Thou shalt build from men. Here " from " is used in
its sense of 'away fiom,' 'far from,' 'at a distance from,' Sec
Note 66, Act iv., " Richard III."
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene
ACT V.
SCENE \.— The Woods. Before Timon's Cave.
Enter Poet and Painter; Timon 'watching them
from bis Cave.
Pain. As I took note of the place, it cannot
be far where lie abides.
l'oet. What's to be thought of him? does the
rumour hold for true, that he's so full of gold ?
Pain. Certain: Alcibiades reports it ; Phrynia
and Timandra had gold of him : he likewise en-
riched poor straggling soldiers' with great quantity :
'tis said he gave unto his steward a mighty sum.
Poet. Then this breaking of his has been but a
try for his friends.
Pain. Nothing else: you shall see him a palm
in Athens again, and flourish with the highest.
Therefore 'tis not amiss we tender our loves to
him, in this supposed distress of his : it will show
honestly in us; and is very likely to load our
purposes with what they travail for, if it be a
just and true report that goes of his having.5
Port. What have you now to present unto
him ?
Pain. Nothing at this time but my visitation:
only 1 will promise him an excellent piece.
Poet. I must serve him so too, — tell him of an
intent that's coming toward him.
Pain. Good as the best. Promising is the very
air o' the time: it opens the eyes of expectation:
performance is ever the duller for his act ; and, but
in the plainer and simpler kind of people, the deed
of living3 is quite out of use. To promise is most
courtly and fashionable : performance is a kind of
will or testament which argues a great sickness in
his judgment that makes it.
I. Poor straggling soldiers. This refers to the thieves,
who, in their interview with Timon, repudiated this opprobrious
title, and styled themselves " soldiers." The present speech,
we think, affords support to our view of the phrase, "Yonder
coines a poet and a painter," as explained in Note 75 of the
preceding Act, because here seems to be implied that the poet
and the painter had first heard Alcibiades' report of Timon's
possessing gold, with his having given some to Phrynia and
Timandra, and subsequently that he had given more to the
thieves and a large sum to his steward. The former intelligence
they probably heard as a current rumour in Athens, which
oci asioned their intention referred to by Apemantus' of coming
to seek Timon ; while the latter piece of information, relative to
the thieves and Flavius, they apparently have learned on their
way to the woods, thus confirming their original intention. This
interpretation makes the division of the Acts here, and the
concomitant entrance of the poet and painter occur naturally ;
whereas, by following the commentators in believing Ape-
mantus' words, " Yonder comes," &c. , to be indicative that the
poet and painter are at that time within view, the confusion is
created here which the commentators find in the present arrange-
ment of the successive interviews and commencement of Act.
Tim. [Apart.] Excellent workman ! thou canst
not paint a man so bad as is thyself.
Poet. I am thinking what I shall say I have
provided tor him : it must be a personating of him-
self; a satire against the softness of prosperity,
with a discovery of the infinite flatteries that follow
youth and opulency.
Tim. [Apart,] Must thou needs stand for a vil-
lain in thine own work? will thou whip thine own
faults in other men ? Do so, I have gold tor thee.
Poet. Nay, let's seek him :
Then do we sin against our own estate,
When we may profit meet, and come too late.
Pain. True ;
When the day serves, before bhick-corner'd night,4
Find what thou want'st by free and offer'd light.
Come.
Tim. [Apart.] I'll meet you at the turn. — What
a god's gold,
That he is worshipp'd in a baser temple
Than where swine feed !
' lis thou that rigg'st the barque, and plough'st the
foam ;
Settlest admired reverence in a slave :
To thee be worship! and thy saints tor aye
Be crown'd with plagues, that thee alone obey ! —
Fit I meet them. [Coming Jrom bis Cave.
Poet. Hail, worthy Timon !
Pain. Our late noble master!
Tim. Have I once liv'd to see two honest men 't
Poet. Sir,
Having otten of your open bounty tasted,
Hearing you were retir'd, your friends fall'n off,
Whose thankless natures — oh, abhorred spirits ! —
Not all the whips of heaven are large enough :s
e. Having. ' Possession,' ' store of wealth.' See Note ;r,
Act ii <j( the present play.
3. The deed 0/ saying. 'The act of doing that which has
been said will be done ;' 'the fulfilment of protestation.'
4. Black-corner1 d night. The epithet " black-comer'd " his
been variously altered to ' black-coned,' ' black-crowned,' ' black
cover'd,' S:c. ; but, remembering that Shakespeare uses " corners "
peculiarly and poetically, to express 'remote places," 'distant
quarters.' in such passages as "all corners else o' the earth." &c.
("Tempest," Act i., sc 21; " from the four corners "i the earth,"
&c. ["Merchant of Venice," Act ii , s. 7 . "come the three
corners of the world in amis" " King John," A [ \ , SC 7 .
"winds of all the corners kiss'd your sails" ("< yml
Act ii., sc. 4), — so, in the present passage, we think it pi
that " black-corner'd night " U employed t" Convey the idea of
'night, whose vast spaces are all dark;' 'night, dark t I its
remotest distances ;' ' night, dark in all its farthest quai ti
s. Whose tkan/dess natures .... not all the whips
of hca-'en, &>c. ' For ' is understood before " wh 1 \
similar instance of ellipsis is pointed out in Note 23, Act i.,
"Tempest;" and "for" is also elliptic. illy understood in the
passage remarked upon in Note 62, Act iv. of the ;
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
What ! to you,
Whose star-like nobleness gave life and influence
To their whole being ! I am rapt, and cannot
cover
The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude
With any size of words.
Tim. Let it go naked, men may see 't the better :
You that are honest, by being what you are,
Make them best seen and known.
Pain. He and myself
Have travail'd in the great shower of your gifts,
And sweetly felt it.
77m. Ay, you are honest men.
Pain. We are hither come to offer you our
service.
Tim. Most honest men ! Why, how shall I
requite you ?
Can you eat roots, and drink cold water ? no.
Both. What we can do, we'll do, to do you
service.
Tim. Ye're honest men : ye've heard that I
have gold ;
I am sure you have : speak truth ; ye're honest
men.
Pain. So it is said, my noble lord : but therefore
Came not my friend nor I.
77m. Good honest men !— Thou draw'st a
counterfeit6
Best in all Athens : thou'rt, indeed, the best ;
Thou counterfeit's! most lively.
Pain. So, s6, my lord.
Tim. E'en so, sir, as I say. — And, for thy
Action,
Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth/
That thou art even natural in thine art.9 —
But, for all this, my honest-natur'd friends,
I must needs say you have a little fault :
Marry, tis not monstrous in you ; neither wish I
You take much pains to mend.
Boib. Beseech your honour
To make it known to us.
77m. You'll take it ill.
Both. Most thankfully, my lord.
Tim. Will you, indeed ?
Both, Doubt it not, worthy lord.
Tim. There's never a one of you but trusts a
knave,
That mightily deceives \ou.
6. A counterfeit. The word is here played on in the sense it
bore as a term for a portrait. See Note 31, Act iii., " Merchant
of Venice."
■j. Fine unit smooth Here ostensibly used in the sense
of ' admirable and delicate ;' but really user] in the sense of
' cunning and Mattering.' See Note 64, Act v., "All's Well,"
and Note 20, Act iv. of the present play.
8. Tltoii art e;'e>i natural in thine art. Superficially coa-
veying the sense of ' thou art admirably natural 111 thine artistic
productions,' but subtly implying ' thou putt'st thine own false
flattering nature even into thine art.'
Both. Do we, my lord ?
Tim. Ay, and you hear him cog, see him
dissemble,
Know his gross patchery,9 love him, feed him,
Keep in your bosom : yet remain assur'd
That he's a made-up lu villain.
Pain. I know none such, my lord.
Poet. Nor I.
Tim. Look you, I love you well; I'll give you
gold,
Rid me these villains from your companies :
Hang them or stab them, drown them in a
draught,11
Confound them by some course, and come to me,
I'll give you gold enough.
Both. Name them, my lord, let's know them.
Tim. You that way, and you this, — but two in
company : 12
Each man apart, all single and alone,
Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.
[To the Painter.'] If, where thou art, two villains
shall not be,
Come not near him.— [To the Poet.] If thou
wouldst not reside
But where one villain is, then him abandon. —
Hence, pack ! there's gold, — ye came for gold, ye
slaves :
[To the Painter.] You have done work for me,"
there's payment : hence ! —
[To the Poet.] You are an alchemist, make gold of
that :—
Out, rascal dogs !
[Beats them out, ami then retires to his Cave.
SCENE II.— The Same.
Enter Flavius and txio Senators.
Flat'. It is in vain that you would speak with
Timon ;
For he is set so only to himself,
That nothing but himself, which looks like man,
Is friendly with him.
First Sen. Bring us to his cave :
It is our part, and promise to the Athenians,
To speak with Timon.
9. Patchery. 'Roguery,' 'villny,' 'cozenage.' See Note
64, Act ii.. " Troilus and Cressida."
10. Made up. ' Complete,' ' accomplished,' ' finished.'
11. A draught. A receptacle for ordure. See Note 11,
Act v., "Troilus and Cressida."
u. But two ill company. Timon means that each man takes
with him his villain self, and thus becomes " two."
13. Van have ilone work/or me. The Folio prints ' You haue
tvorke for me.1 Malone inserted "done," which we think is likely
to be right, because the painter has said. " He and myself hav«
travail'd in the great shower of your gifts," and because the
metre of the line is improved by the added monosyllable.
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene
Sec. Sen, At all times alike
Men are not still the same : 'twas time and griefs
That t'ram'il him thus : time, with his fairer hand,
Offering the fortunes of his former days,
The former man may make him. Bring us to
him,
And chance it as it may.
Flam. Here is his cave. —
Peace and content be here ! Lord Timon !
Timon !
Look out, and speak to friends : the Athenians,
By two of their most reverend senate, greet thee :
Speak to them, noble Timon !
TlMON comes from his Cafe.
Tim. Thou sun, that comfort'st, burn ! — Speak,
and be hang'd :
For each true word, a blister! and each false
Be as a caut'rising14 to the root o' the tongue,
Consuming it with speaking !
First Sen. Worthy Timon, —
Tim. Of none but such as you, and you of
Timon.
Sec. Sen. The senators of Athens greet thee,
Timon.
Tim. I thank them ; and would send them back
the plague,
Could I but catch it for thein.
First Sen. Oh, forget
What we are sorry for ourselves in thee.
The senators with one consent of love
Entreat thee back to Athens; who have thought
On special dignities, which vacant lie
For thy best use and wearing.
Sec. Sen. They confess,
Toward thee, forgetfulness too general, gross:
Which now the public bo ly,ls — which doth seldom
Play the recanter, — feeling in itself
A lack of Timon's aid, hath sense16 withal
Of its own fall,17 restraining aid to Timon ;
And send forth us, to make their sorrow'd render,18
Together with a recompense more fruitful
Than their offence can weigh down by the dram ;
Ay, even such heaps and sums of love and Health,
14. Canf rising. The Folio prints this 'cantherizing.' Rowe's
correction.
15. Which ncnu the public body. " Which " was changed
by Hanmer to ' and ' here, and by Capell to ' but.' We think,
however, that this passage may be one of those constructed
by Shakespeare, wherein " which" is introduced inconse-
quently (see Note 27, Act ii., "Winter's Tale" , to serve the
purpose of marking perplexity in the speaker. Here the
senator is embarrassed, and trying to make a plausible excuse ;
while, in the parallel case of confused construction above pointed
out, Leontes is greatly agitated. In both instances the word
" which " imperfectly joins on with what follows.
' 16. Hath sense withal of its 07011. <5-v. The Folio prints
'since' for"sense" Rowe's correction); and 'it' for "it.,"
in accordance with the then sometimes given form of that word.
See Note 57, Act ii., "Winter's Tale."
As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs,
And write in thee the figures of their love,
Ever to read them thine.
Tim. You witch me in it ;
Surprise me to the very brink of tear-, :
Lend me a fool's heart ami a woman's eyes,
And I'll beweep these comforts, worthy senators.
First Sen. Therefore, so please thee to return
witli us,
And of our Athens (thine and ours) to take
The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,
Allow'd19 with absolute power, and thy good name
Live with authority : so soon we shall drive back
Of Alcibiades the approaches wild ;
Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up
His country's peace.
Sec. Sen. And shakes his threat'ning sword
Against the walls of Athens.
First Sen. Therefore, Timon, —
Tim. Well, sir, I will ; therefore, I will, sir ;
thus : —
If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,
Let Alcibiades know this of Timon,
That Timon cares not. But if he sack fair
Athens,
And take our goodly ag6d men by the beards,
Giving our holy virgins to the stain
Ot contumelious, beastly, mad-btain'd war;
Then let him know, — and tell him Timon speaks
it,
In pity of our aged and our youth,
I cannot choose but tell him, that I care not,
And let him take 't at worst ; for their knives care
not,
While you have throats to answer : for myself,
There's not a whittle20 in th' unruly camp,
But I do prize it at my love,2' before
The reverend'st throat in Athens. So I leave you
To the protection of the prosperous gods,
As thieves to keepers.
Flat). Stay not, all's in vain.
Tim. Why, I was writing of my epitaph ;
It will be seen to-morrow : my long sickness
Of health and living now begins to mend,
17. Fall. Changed by Hanmer to 'fink.' and by Capell to
'fail;' but it appears to us that the original word gives here
the same sense, 'downfall,' which it bears twice afterwards in
this piay. See Notes 32 and 37 of the present Act. The
meaning of the sentence appears to us to be, ' Feeling in itself
a need of Timon's assistance, hath perception of its own down-
fall in withholding assistance from him.
18. Their sorrow'd render. 'Their sorrowful acknowledg-
ment.' "Render" is sometimes used fir 'avowal,' 'confes-
sion.' See Note 4j, Act iv., "As You Like It."
19. Alloiv'd. Here used for 'privileged,' 'licensed.' See
Note So, Act i., " Twelfth Night."
20. A whittle. 'A clasp-knife.'
21. / do prize it at my love. "At" is here used idiomati-
cally, as in the passage pointed out in Note 109. Act i.,
" Henry V."
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene II.
Tinwn. You are an alchemist, make gold of that : —
Out, rascal dogs! Act i '. Scene I,
And nothing livings me all things.'-2 Go, live still ;
Be Alcibiades your plague, you his,
Ami last so long enough !
First Sen. We speak in vain.
Tim. But yet I love my country ; and am not
One that rejoices in the common wreck,
As common bruit23 doth put it.
First Sen. That's well spoke.
Tim. Commend me to my loving country-
men,—
First Sen. These words become your lips as
they pass through them.
22. My long sickness of health and tiring noiv begins to
mend, and nothing brings me alt tilings. One of Shakespeare's
nobly-condensed declarations of faith. Tiinon, heart-sick at the
plethora of friendly professions in prosperity, and starvation of
friendship in adversity, feels his soul revive at the prospect of
death, which will bring him solution of life's mysteries, with
peace from its sufferings ; and which, in seeming to give him a
Sec. Sen. And enter in our ears like great
triumphers
In their applauding gates.
Tim. Commend me to them ;
And tell them that, to ease them ot their griefs,
Their tears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain
In life's uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do
them, —
I'll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath.
blank, gives him infinite and immortal joys. This is expressed
with a concentration, yet comprehensiveness, that is the very
sublime of human writing : for in those few words, "And nothing
brings me all things," are not only summed up firmest and purest
trust, but in them are comprised, characteristically, epigrammatic
antithesis and witty succinctness.
23. Bruit. 'Report.' French ;' noise.' See Note 11, Act i.,
" Second Part Henry IV."
356
Spidt'er, Dead, sure ; and this his grave.
Act /". Seem ll .
First Sen. I like this well ; he will return again.
Tim. I have a tree, which grows here in my
close,
That mine own use invites me to cut down,
And shortly must I fell it : tell my friends,
Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree,
From high to low throughout, that whoso please
To stop affliction, let him take his haste,24
24 Let him take his haste. The word " haste " here has
been variously altered by various emendators : but the parallel
passage in North's " Plutarch," whence Shakespeare evidently
took the ground-work for this play, will show the original word
to be the right one. It runs thus : — " I thought good to let you
all understand it, that before the figge tree be cut downe, if any
of you be desperate, you may there in time go hang yourselves."
The expressions in Shakespeare's text, "and shortly must I
fell it," and "ere my tree hath felt the axe," show that he is
urging them to be speedy. To " take his haste," meaning to
' make haste,' is an idiom of which we still use the parallel in a
reversed sense— to 'take his time," meaning 'to use his leisure.'
Moreover, Shakespeare himself uses the idiomatic expression
Come hither, ere my tree hath felt the axe,
And hang himself: — I pray you, do my greeting.
Flcrv. Trouble him no farther; thus you still
shall find him.
Tim. Come not to me again: but say to Athens
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood ;
Which once a day-5 with his embossed-" froth
"take his gait," in the last scene of "Midsummer Night's
Dream," to express 'immediately take his way,' 'at once be
gone.'
25. Which once a day. The tir-.t Folio prints 'who* 1 1
"which" corrected in the second Folio . and inasmuch a>
'who'was often used for " which," it migh itly have
been retained here. But, on the theory of typographical error,
stated in Note 47, Act iii., "Troilus and < n Ida," wi venture
to give "which" in the present passage, as we did in the one
there discussed.
26. Embossed. Here used for ' foaming, ' ' bubbling.* A
'boss1 was sometimes employed for a 'bubble' former'
Note 12, Induction, " Taming of the Shrew."
VOL. Ill,
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scenes III., IV.
The turbulent surge shall cover: thither come,
And let my grave-stone be your oracle. —
Lips, let sour words go by, and language end :
What is amiss, plague and infection mend !
Graves only be men's works, and death their gain!
Sun, hide thy beams ! Timon hath done his reign.
[Retires to his Cave*
First Sen. His discontents are unremovably
Coupled to nature.
See. Sen. Our hope in him is dead : let us return,
And strain what other means is left2' unto us
In our dear peril. "s
First Sen. It requires swift foot. [Exeunt.
SCENE III. — The Walls of Athens.
Enter tivo Senators and a Messenger.
First Sen. Thou hast painfully discovered : are
his files
As full as thy report ?
Mess. I have spoke the least :
Besides, his expedition promises
Present approach.
See. Sen. We stand much hazard, if they bring
not Timon.
Mess. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend;21*
Whom, though in general part we were oppos'd ;M
Yet our old love made a particular force,
27. Strain what other means is left. " Means" is here used
as a noun singular. See Note 62, Act 1., " Richard III."
28. hi our dear peril. "Dear" is used for 'imminent,'
'urgent,' ' threatened,' 'extreme,' 'intense.' See Note 101,
Act i , " Richard III "
29. One mine ancient friend. Upton proposed to change
"one" to 'once;' but the phrase in the text is equivalent to
'one of my ancient friends,' or 'an old friend of mine.' The
Italians have a precisely similar form of expression : ' un mio
antlCO ana,-'.''
30. Whom, though in general part, &-y. Hanmer altered
"whom" to 'and,' while Singer substituted 'when.' It is
probable, however, that "whom" is here used not only in
reference to the " courier," but also to the " I " of the preceding
line — not only to the " friend," but to the speaker ; so that thus
"whom "would stand clliptically for ' between whom and my-
self.' It should be remembered that Shakespeare uses relative
pronouns very peculiarly, with great force of ellipsis, and often
in reference to an implied particular.
31. Our old lore made a part Millar force, and made us, &>c.
Here Hanmer and others change the first " made " into ' had ;'
but it appears to us that the repeated word is precisely in
Slul.i speare'5 style. We take occasion to point out the present
passage as affording one of many wherein he opposes the two
expressions, "general" and " particular " (see, among several
others that may be cited, the passage referred to in Note 18,
A.i ' iv., "Second Part Henry IV '*) ; and yet Mr. Singer altered
the words " in general," in the prei eding line, to ' on s> vcral.'
32. Ours ts the fall. " Fall " here means 'downfall,' ' defeat,'
and we think coincides with our view uf the word in tin: pas age
discussed in Note 17 of this Act.
33. Reads an inscription near the grave. There is no stage
direction here in the Folio. Mr. Staunton first introduced it th.113
And made us31 speak like friends: — this man was
riding
From Alcibiades to Timon's cave,
With letters of entreaty, which imported
His fellowship i' the cause against your city,
In part for his sake mov'd.
First Sen. Here come our brothers.
Enter Senators from Timon.
Third Sen. No talk of Timon, nothing of him
expect.—
The enemies* drum is heard, and fearful scouring
Doth choke the air with dust : in, and prepare :
Ours is the tall,3* I fear; our foes the snare.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— The Woods. Timon's Cure, and
a tombstone seen.
Enter a Soldier, seeking Tlt^ON.
Sold. By all description this should be the place.
Who's here? speak, ho ! — -No answer? — What is
this?
[Reads an inscription near the graved
Timon is dead. Who hath outstretch'd his span,3*—
Some beast, — read this j35 there docs not live a man.
Dead, sure ; and this his grave. What's on this
tomb
— " [Reads]" which we adopted in our editions published in 1S60
and 1864, amplified as above. We thoroughly agree with that
gentleman in believing that the two lines of rhyming couplet
which follow were intended by the author as an inscription to be
read by the soldier, and not as forming a portion of his speech.
The two lines are in Timon's own style of bitter misanthropy ;
they announce his death, they bid his survivors read the epitaph,
they declare these survivors to be beasts only — a declaration
which tallies with his previous words in Act iv., sc. 3, " that
beasts may have the world in empire !" The soldier is able to
read this inscription near the grave, because it is written in the
language of the country ; but he is unable to read what is on
the tomb, because it is insculptured in another (and to him un-
known) character. That this is intended, we think is indicated
by the words, "our captain hath in every figure skill," which
seem purposely put to draw attention to the point ; for were
that which is on the tomb to be merely written in the ordinary
vernacular, it would hardly have been needful to lay so much
stress upon Alcibiades being " an ag'd interpreter, though young
in days." That there should be two distinct inscriptions in two
distinct characters, is in strict accordance with an ancient ob-
servance in sepulchral inscriptions ; and this observance is twice
referred to in Miss Martineau's " Eastern Life, Present and
Past" (1850), at pages 107 and 252.
34. Timon is dead. Who hath outstretch'd his span. "Who"
is here used in the sense of 'whoever.' or 'whosoever.' See
Note 77. Act. iv., " Second Part Henry VI." Those who accept
these two lines as part of the soldier's speech take "who" to refer
t<> Timon, and "outstretch'd" to mean 'passed beyond;' but
[ wc ih ink that " outstretch'd " here means 'outlived,' ' exceeded
! in length' — a less forced interpretation, as it appears to us.
35. Some beast, — read this. Warburton, not being able to
make out the meaning of these words, as spoken by the soldier
53
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene V.
I cannot read;36 the character I'll take with ".vax :
Our captain hath in every figure skill,
An ag'd interpreter, though young in days :
Before proud Athens he's set down by this,
Whose fall the mark of his ambition is.3? [Exit.
SCENE V.— Before the Walts of ATHENS.
Trumpets sound. Enter Alcibiades and Forces.
Alcib. Sound to this coward and lascivious
town
Our terrible approach. \A parley sounded.
Enter Senators on the Walls .
Till now you have gone on, and fill'd the time
With all licentious measure, making your wills
The scope of justice; till now, myself, and such
As slept within the shadow of your power,
Have wander'd with our travers'd arms,33 and
breath'd
Our sufferance vainly : now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong,
Cries, of itself, " No more :" now breathless wrong
Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease;
And pursy insolence shall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.
First Sen. Noble and young,
When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
Ere thou hadst power, or we had cause of fear,
We sent to thee ; to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
Above their quantity.
Sec. Sen. So did we woo
Transformed Timon to our city's love
By humble message and by promis'd means:
We were not all unkind, nor all deserve
The common stroke of war.
— and certainly they afford no sense as part of his speech — says
in a note on this passage, "Some beast read what ?" and then
alters " read " to 'rear'd.'
36. What's on this tomb 1 cannot read. The soldier here
shows that he has before been able to read what he beheld, but
that he is now unable to decipher something that there was
a bidding to read.
37. Witose fall the mark 0/ his ambition is. "Fall" is
here again used in the sense of ' downfall,' ' ruin,' 'destruction.*
See Note 32 of this Act.
38. Travers'd arms. 'Arms crossed,' ' arms folded athwart
the chest in token of dejection ;' what Ariel poetically calls,
" in this sad knot." See Note 40, Act i., "Tempest.
39. By their hands. 'By the hands of those.' Elliptically
expressed ; and the " them," at the close of this speech, refers to
the persons thus elliptically implied.
40. From whom you have receiv'd your griefs. The Folio
prints .' greefe ' for "griefs" here. Theobald's correction;
shown to be right by the previous speech : " Noble and young,
when thy lirst griefs were," &c.
41. Nor are they living who, *5>v. One of Shakespeare's
First Sen. These walls of purs
Were not erected by their hands '■>'> from n horn
You have receiv'd your griefs:™ nor are they such,
That these great towers, trophies, and schools
» should fall
For private faults in them.
Sec. Sen. Nor are they living
Who were the motives that you first went oul ,"
Shame, that they wanted cunning,4- in excess,
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread :
By decimation, and a tithed death
(It thy revenges hunger for that food,
Which nature loathes), take thou the destin'd
tenth ;
And by the hazard of the spotted die
Let die the spotted.
First Sen. All have not offended ;
For those that were, it is not square43 to take,
On those that are, revenges :44 crimes, like lands,
Are not inherited.45 Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage :
Spare thy Athenian cradle, and those kin
Which, in the bluster of thy wrath, must fall
With those that have offended : like a shepherd,
Approach the fold, and cull the infected forth,
But kill not all together.
Sec. Sen. What thou will,
Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
Than hew to 't with thy sword.
First Sen. Set but thy foot
Against our rampir'd gates, and they shall ope;
So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before,
To say thou'lt enter friendly.
Sec. Sen. Throw thy glove,
Or any token of thine honour else,
That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress,
And not as our confusion, all thy powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
Have seal'd thv full desire.
devices for producing the effect of dramatic long time. See
Note 18, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet." In the present instance,
by the introduction of this mention that those who refused
Alcibiades his demand in Act iii., sc. 5, are now dead, the
effect is produced of a sufficiently long period having elapsed to
allow of the incidents taking place concerning Timon's sojourn
in the woods, his life of gnawing wrath and fever of indi .
his decay, and death.
42. Cunning. Here used for 'wisdom,' 'judgment.' See
Note 2, Act iv., "Corioianus."
43. Square. Here employed for ' according to due rule ;'
'just.' 'equitable.'
44. Revenges. The Folio prints 'revenge;' but the metre
of the present line, as well as the word "revenges" in the pre-
vious speech, show that Steevens's correction is right here.
45. Crimes, like lands, are not inherited. Instance of trans-
posed construction, where the transposition aim
effect of a contrary sense to the one intended. I I
superficially viewed, gives thi Ncu.y
as I. ,ii. Is. arc not inherited ;' whereas, rightly viewed, it means
' crimes are not inherited, as lands are.'
Act V.]
TIMON OF ATHENS.
[Scene V.
Alcib. Then there's my glove;
Descend,45 and open your uncharged47 ports :
Those enemies of Timon's,48 arid mine own,
Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof,
Kali, and no more : and, — to atone49 your fears
With my more noble meaning, — not a man
Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream
Of regular justice in your city's bounds,
But shall be render'd60 to your public laws
At heaviest answer.51
Both. 'Tis most nobly spoken.
Alcib. Descend, and keep your words.
[The Senators descend, and open the gates.
Enter a Soldier.
Sold. My noble general, Timon is dead ;
Entomb'd upon the very hem o' the sea ;
And on his grave-stone this insculpturc, which
With wax I brought away, whose soft impression
Interprets for my poor ignorance.
46. Descend. The first Folio prints ' defend ' for " descend ;"
corrected in the second Folio.
47. Uncharged. ' Unattacked,' ' left without being charged
by my troops.'
48. Those enemies of Timon s. Here Met' is elliptically
understood before " those enemies. " For a similar form of con-
struction see Note 25, 'Act iii., " Coriolanus." See also Note 31,
Act i. of the present play.
4). Atone. Here, and elsewhere, used in tlie sense of
' reconcile.' See Note 33, Act i., " Richard II."
50. Render'd. The Folio prints 'remedied* for "render'd"
here. This correction has been ascribed to Mason ; but the
Ombm'ge Editors point out that it was originally suggested by
Lord Chcdworth.
51. At heaviest answer. A somewhat similar form of
phrase is pointed out in Note 74, Act ii., "Henry V."
52. Here lies a wretched^ &>c. That which here forms one
epitaph is a combination of two distinct epitaphs, cited in
North's "Plutarch" as being the first couplet composed by
Timon himself, the second by the poet Callimachus. This
accounts for the discrepancy between "seek not my name" in
the first couplet, and " here lie I, Timon," in the second. It
is as if Shakespeare had jotted down both the epitaphs from
North's "Plutarch" in his own original MS. of this play,
intending to mould a third upon these two. A small point seems
to corroborate the idea of our author's having transcribed the
brace of couplets with a view to altering them ; and this is, that
the word " caitiffs," as occurring in Shakespeare's play, is
Alcib. [Heads.]
Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft : sa
Seek not my name : a plague consume you wicked caitiffs left !
Here lie I, Timon ; who, alive, all living men did hate :
Pass by, and curse thy fill ; but pass, and stay not here thy gait.
These well express in thee thy latter spirits:
Though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs,
Scorn'dst our brain's flow, and those our droplets
which
From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit
Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for
aye
On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead
Is noble Timon : of whose memory
Hereafter more. — Bring me into your city,
And I will use the olive with my sword :
Make war breed peace; make peace stint53 war;
make each
Prescribe to other, as each other's leech.64 —
Let our drums strike. [Exeunt.
'wretches' in the parallel passage of North's "Plutarch."
Moreover,' this word "caitiffs" seems to have been suggested
by the version of the epitaph, as given in Painter's " Palace
of Pleasure," thus: —
" My wretched cati/e dayes expired now and past,
My carren corps intered here is fast in grounde,
In waltering waves of swelling sea by surges cast :
My name if thou desire, the gods thee doe confounde."
We are confirmed in our idea that Shakespeare meant to write
an almost wholly different epitaph from the one that here
appears to be a hasty sketch framed upon those already written,
by Timon's closing words to the senators : " Thither come, and
let my grave-stone be your oracle." We imagine that the
author intended to have composed an epitaph for Timon that
should have been oracular in its moral monition, in its sen-
tentious Warning ; whereas the four disjointed lines here in-
serted contain nothing of the kind. All this adds probability to
the conjecture we stated in our opening Note — that Shake-
speare's "Timon of Athens " was one of his productions that
he wrote in a fit of temporary depression, and never cared
to re-read or to polish. There is a possibility that he never saw
it put upon the stage, and that it was never acted during
his lifetime ; for there is no record of its performance anterior to
its publication in the 1623 Folio.
53. Stint. 'Stop,' 'put a period to.' See Note 53, Act i.,
" Romeo and Juliet,"
54. Leech. An old term for a ' physician.'
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Julius Caesar.
Octavius C.tsar, \
Marcus Antonius, S Triumvirs after the Death of Julius Csesar.
M. >Emil. Lepidus, ;
Cicero, \
Publius, S Senators.
Popilius Lena, '
Marcus Brutus,
Cassius,
Casca,
Trebonius,
Licarius i Conspirators against Julius Csesar.
Decius Brutus,
Metellus Cimber,
Cinna,
Flavius and Marullus, Tribunes.
Artemidorus, a Sophist of Cnidos.
A Soothsayer.
Cinna, a Poet. Another Poet.
Lucilius, ' i
Titinius, I
Messala, Friends to Brutus and Cassius.
Young Cato, \
Volumnius, /
Varro, \
Clitus, J
Claudius, f
Cr_ > Servants to Brutus.
Strato, I
Lucius, \
Dardanius, /
Pindarus, Servant to Cassius.
Calphurnia, Wife to Ca?sar.
Portia, Wife to Brutus.
Senators, Citizens, Guards, Attendants, &c.
Scene— During a great part of the Play, at Rome ; ajteriuards
at Sardis, and near Philippi.
JULIUS CAESAR.1
ACT I.
SCENE I.— Rome. A Street.
Enter Flavius, Marullus,3 and a throng of
Citizens.
blanj. Hence! home, you idle creatures, get
you home :
I ; this a holiday ? what! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk 3
Upon a labouring day without the sign
Ot" your profession ? — Speak, what trade art thou ?
i. The first known printed copy of Julius Cesar is the
one in the 1623 Folio; where it is given with perhaps fewer
typographical errors than any of the plays in that volume.
From this it should appear that the manuscript whence it was
taUen was written with great clearness and legibility. ,The
date "( ii-. composition has not been ascertained : Malone at-
tempted to trace this to 1607; but Mr. Collier, by a series of
quotations from a certain passage in Drayton's " Barons' Wars,"
bearing marked resemblance to one in Shakespeare's "Julius
Caesar," has almost established the circumstance that the latter
was probably written before 1603. The demonstration of the
argument consists in showing that Drayton's " Barons' Wars "
first appeared in 1596, quarto, under the title of " Morti-
meriados," and without the passage in question ; that when
Drayton afterwards changed the title of his historical poem
from " Mortimeriados " to "The Barons' Wars," re-modelling
the work, and publishing an octavo edition in 1603, the passage
containing similarity to the one in "Julius Caesar" first ap-
peared (as if he had heard or seen Shakespeare's tragedy on
that subject before that date); that in the printed copies of
Drayton's " Barons' Wars," which followed successively in
1605, 160S, i6ro, and 1613, the passage remained unaltered
from the version of 1603 ; but that in 1619, after Shakespeare's
death, and before his "Julius Caesar" was printed, Drayton
re-published the "Barons' Wars," containing the passage in
question, with a still closer resemblance to the one in the
dramatist's production. This leads to the conclusion that
Drayton borrowed the expressions in his introduced passage
from that by Shakespeare ; and also goes far to establish the
likelihood that the latter wrote his "Julius Caesar" before the
year 1603. We subjoin the passages above referred to, that
our readers may perceive their points of similarity. In " Julius
Caesar," Act v. sc. 5 : —
First Cit, Why, sir, a carpenter.
Mar, Where is thy leather apron and thy
rule ?
What dost thou with thy best apparel on ? — ■
You, sir, what trade are you ?
Sec. Cit. Truly, sir, in respect of a Hue workman,
I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.
Mar. But what trade art thou? answer me
directly.
Sec, Cit, A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use
"His life was gentle ; and the elements
So mix d in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, ' This was a man !' "
In Drayton's " Barons' Wars," 1603 :—
"Such one he was, of him we boldly say.
In whose rich soul all sovereign powers did -nd.
In nhom in peace the elements all lay
S.< ji:i.i\l, as none could sovereignty impute;
As all did govern, yet all did obey :
His lively temper was so absolute
That 't seem'd when Heaven his model tint began,
In him it show'd perfection in a man."
In Drayton's "Barons' Wars," 1619: —
" He was a man, then boldly dare to aj .
In whose rich soul the virtues well did suit
In whom so mi.v'd the elements did lay,
That none to one could sovereignty impute ;
As all did govern, so did all obey :
He of a temper was so absolute,
As that it seem'd, when Nature him began,
She meant to show all lluit might le in man."
Shakespeare has evidently derived the mam materials for his
"Julius Caesar" from sir Thomas North's "Plutarch;" as
the incidents there related are followed with
dramatised with that ability and grandeur which mark all
Shakespeare's adoptions from history.
?. Marttllus. The Folio gives this name ' M
Theobald, in accordance with Plutarch, first gave it properly,
" MalllllllS."
3. You ought vol walk. 'To' is elliptically undi
between " not" and " walk."
263
Act I.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene I.
with a safe conscience ; which is, indeed, sir, a
mender of bad soles.
Mar. What trade, thou knave ?* thou naughty
knave, what trade ?
Sec. Cit. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out
with me : yet, if you be out, sir,5 I can mend
you.
Mar. What meanest thou by that f mend me,
thou saucy fellow !
Sec. Cit. Why, sir, cobble you.
Flaw. Thou art a cobbler, art thou ?
Sec. Cit. Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the
awl : I meddle with no tradesman's matters, nor
women's matters, but with awl. I am, indeed, sir,
a surgeon to old shoes ; when they are in great
danger, 1 re-cover them. As proper6 men as
ever trod upon neat's-leather have gone upon my
handiwork.
Flav. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-
day?
Why dost thou lead these men about the
streets ?
Sec . Cit. Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to
get myself into more work. But, indeed, sir, we
make holiday, to see Caesar, and to rejoice in his
triumph.7
Mar. Wherefore rejoice ? What conquest brings
he home f
What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels P
You blocks, you stones, you worse' than senseless
things !
Oh, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome,
Knew you net Pompey ? Many a time and
oft8
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The live-long day, with patient expectation,
4. What trade, thou knave1. This speech has the prefix
' Fla.' in the Folio ; but we think that it is evidently Marullus
who speaks here, who is replied to by the cobbler, and who then
retorts, " Mend tite. thou saucy fellow ! " Capell's correction.
5. Be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir. "Out" is
here elliptically and facetiously used : to express, first, ' out of
temper;' secondly, ' out at toes.'
6. Proper. ' Comely,' ' good-looking,' ' handsome.' See
Note 1, Act iv. , "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
7. Rejoice in his triumph. This was in celebration of his
having defeated the sons of Pompey at the battle of Muuda, in
Spain ; and of his having been appointed Consul for the next
ten years, and Dictator for life.
8. Many a time and oft. One of those pleonastic phrases
in current use, like ' many and many,' ' often and often,' ' again
and again,' ' for ever and ever,' ' how or which way.' See
Note 66, Act ii., "Richard II." With slight variations, the
pic-sent phrase is found in other plays of Shakespeare, and
precisely as here in " Merchant of Venice," Act i., sc. 3.
9. Pass. Here elliptically used for ' pass along,' or ' pass
through '
10. Tiber trembled underneath her banks. Rivers are
generally typified by masculine personification, though sonie-
To see great Pompey pass9 the streets of
Rome :
And when you saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not made a universal shout,
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks,10
To hear the replication of your sounds
Made in her concave shores ?
And do you now put on your best attire ?
And do you now cull out a holiday f
And do you now strew flowers in his way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood f ll
Be gone !
Run to your houses, fill upon your knees,
Pray to the gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this ingratitude.
Flav. Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this
fault,
Assemble all the poor men of your sort ;
Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your
tears
Into the channel, till the lowest stream
Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.
[Exeunt Citizens.
See, whe'r their basest metal be not mov'd ;
They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.
Go you down that way towards the Capitol ;
This way will I : disrobe the images,
If you do find them deck'd with ceremonies.13
Mar. May we do so ?
You know it is the feast of Lupercal.13
Flan.'. It is no matter ; let no images
Be hung with Caesar's trophies.1' I'll about,
And drive away the vulgar from the streets :
So do you too, where you perceive them thick.
These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's
wing,
Will make him fly an ordinary pitch ;
Who else would soar above the view of men,
And keep us all in servile fearfulness. [Exeunt.
times, as here, by female personification. In the present
passage Shakespeare probably chose to use "her" in refer-
ence to "Tiber," on account of "his" having been so recently
used in reference to " Pompey."
11. Pompey's blood. 'Pompey's sons;' the elder of whom,
Cntcus Pompey, was beheaded after the battle of Munda.
12. Ceremonies. 'Ceremonial adornments;' which we find,
by a passage in the next scene, to have consisted of "scaifs,"
or coloured draperies.
13. 'file feast of Lupercal. The " Lupercal" was an en-
closure on the Palatine hill, dedicated to the celebration of a
festival in honour of the god Pan, which was held each
February. This festival was called Lupercalia : and its priests.
Luperei. The origin of the name has been traced to ' Lycseus,'
one of the titles given to Pan, from the Greek term for ' wolf :'
as he was the patron god of shepherds, and protected the flocks
from wolves.
14 // is no matter; let no images, &c. This reply shows
that Marullus's scruple, as to whether they might "disrobe the
images" adorned in celebration of a religious festival, is met by
Flavius's hint that the ostensibly sacred ornaments are really
made the means of celebrating Caesar's triumph ; and as such,
they had better be plucked away.
264
.. Will
Brutus. Not 1
Act I. Scene II.
SCENE II.— Rome. A Public Place.
Enter, in procession, nuilh music, Cesar. ; An-
TONV,/or the course ;15 Calphurnia,16 Portia,
Decius," Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, and
Casca ; a great crotvd following, among
them a Soothsayer.
Cues. Calphurnia, —
Casca.
Peace, ho ! Csesar speaks.
[Music ceases.
15. Antony, /or the course. Marc Antony was chief of [lie
Julian Luperci : a company of flamens who were on this occa-
sion raised to equal dignity with the other priests of Pan, whose
duty it was at the feast of Lupercalia to run up and down the
streets, wearing nothing but a narrow girdle around them, and
waving a thong of goat's hide. He is therefore here repre-
sented as prepared for running this sacerdotal course.
16. Calphurnia. This name is spelt thus in pages 654 and 71S
of our copy of Sir Thomas North's " Plutarch " edition, 1612 :
and spelt " Calpumia" in pages 739 and 740 of the same
volume. We state this because there has been some difference
Cces. 1 'alphurnia, —
Cal. Here, in y lord.
Ciis. Stand you directly in Antonius' way,
When he doth run his course. — Antonius.
Ant. Csesar, my lord *
Ctes. Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
To touch Calphurnia ; for our ciders say,
The barren, touched in this holy chase,
Shake off their sterile curse.18
Ant. I shall remember :
of opinion as to the correct orthography of the name. In the
Folio it 1- given " CalpHurnia ;,J therefore it is probable that
Shakespeare chose that form.
1; Decius. In North's " Plutarch" this name is thus given :
but it was. in realit D Decimus Brutus was the
man who possessed that share of Caesar's friendship which is
in this play suppose.! to subsist between the dictator and Marcus
Brutus. Decimus accepted favours and honours from his patron,
Julius Caesar, which the more disinterested spirit of Marcus
would have made him shrink from receiving.
18. T/ic barren, touched sn this holy chase, shake off their
VOL III.
200
Act I.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
When Caesar says, "Do this," it is perform'd.
Cas. Set on ; and leave no ceremony out.
[Music.
Sooth. Caesar !
Cues. Ha ! who calls ?
Cased. Bid every noise be still : — peace yet
again ! [Music ceases.
Cies. Who is it in the press that calls on me f
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
Cry, "Caesar." Speak! Cajsar is turn'd to hear.
Sooth. Beware the Ides of March.19
Cat. What man is that ?
But. A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of
March.
Cies. Set him before me ; let me see his face.
Cas. Fellow, come from the throng ; look upon
Cajsar.
Gees. What say'si thou to me now ': speak once
again.
Sooth. Beware the ides of March.
Cies. He is a dreamer ; let us leave him : — pass.
[Sennet. Exeunt all except Brutus
and Cassius.
Cas. Will you go see the order of the course ?
Bru. Not I.
Cas. I pray you, do.
But. I am not gamesome : I do lack some
part
Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.
Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires ;
I'll leave you.
Cas. Brutus, I do observe you now of late :
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I was wont to have :
You bear too stubborn and too strange -° a hand
Over your friend that loves you.
Brit. Cassius,
Be not deceiv'd : if I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am,
Of late, with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours;21
sterile atrse. The point of heathen belief here recorded is
derived from North's " Plutarch."
19. Beware tlie ides of March. The Ides ildns) of the
Roman Kalendar fell on the 15th of March, May, July, and
October; and on the 13th of the other eight months. The
feast of Lupcrcal was celebrated on the 13th (or Ides of
February ; and on the present occasion in the year B.C. 44.
20. Strange. ' Unfamiliar, ' 'alien;' more like the manner
of a stranger than of a friend.
21. My behaviours. One of many words that were in
Shakespeare's time used in the plural, which are now used in
the singular. See Note 2, Act iv., " Richard III."
22. Passion. The word "passion" here, as "passions" in the
previous speech, is used for 'emotion,' 'feeling.' See Note 7,
Act iii., "Timon of Athens.' 'Passions of some difference"
mean 'conflicting emotions,' 'feelings somewhat at variance
with each other'
23 Bnt by ',■'/,-, Hon, by some other things. Pope changed
But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd
(Among which number, Cassius, be you one),
Nor construe any farther my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.
Cas. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your
passion ;22
By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face r
Bru. No, Cassius ; for the eye sees not itself,
But by reflection, by some other things.-3
Cas. 'Tisjust:
And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,
That you might see your shadow. I have heard,
Where many of the best respect in Rome
(Except immortal Caesar), speaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.
Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me,
Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself
For that which is not in me ?
Cas. Therefore, good Brutus, he prepai'd to
hear :
And, since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And be not jealous on me,24 gentle Brutus:
Were I a common laugher,25 or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love';c
To every new protester; if you know
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after scandal them ; or if you know
That I profess myself, in banqueting,
To all the rout, then hold ine dangerous.
[Flourish and shout.
Bru. What means this shouting : I do fear, the
people
Choose Caesar for their king.
the second "by" in this sentence to 'from;' but we take the
meaning to be : 'The eye sees not itself but by reflection, by
means of some other things than itself.'
24. /•',• not iealoits on me. Shakespeare not unfrequently
uses "on" where 'of is ordinarily used. See Note n, I. [1,
"Troilus and Cressida."
rs. A common laugher. The Folio here prints 'laughter'
instead of "laugher." Rowe's collection: which seem, pro-
bably right, since Shakespeare uses "laugh," "laughed." and
" laughing" in such a manner as to give ground to believe that
he here employs "a common laugher" to express one who
laughs lightly and idly with any one he meets.
26. Or did use to stale with ordinary oaths. &°c. ' Or were
in the habit of debasing my attachment to friends by making
hollow professions of it to every fresh protester of preference for
me.' Shakespeare uses " to stale " in the sense of ' to degrade,*
' to debase,' 'to render poor and common,' in other passages.
•See Note 11, Act i., " Coriolanus."
66
Act I.
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene LI.
Las. A) . 'I" you fear It ?
Then must I think you would not have it so.
Bru. I would not, Cassius ; yet I love him
urll.—
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me ':
It it be aught toward the general good,
Set honour in one eye, and death i' the other,
And I will look on both indifferently ;-?
For, let the gods so speed ine, as I love
The name of honour more than I tear death.
Cas. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.3'
Well, honour is the subject of my story. —
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life ; hut, for my single self,
I had as lief not be, as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Ca?sar ; so were you :
We both have fed as well ;'-:' and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he :
For once, upon a raw and gusty day',
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shore;.,3"
Cssar said to me, " Dar'st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,31
And swim to yonder point ':" Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,
And bade him follow : so, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd ; and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside,
And stemming it with hearts of controversy ;
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,3'-'
Ca?sar cried, " Help me, Cassiu-, or I sink !"
I, as .#ineas, our great ancestor,33
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of
Tiber
Did I the til 0 d Caesar : and this man
Is now become a god ; and Cassiu^ is
A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
27. / will look on both indifferently. ' I will regard both
with equal firmness.' Brutus means that he would face death
for the sake of preserving honour.
28. Your outward favour. ' Your external appearance,'
' your aspect.' See Note 60, Act IV., " Troilus and Cressida."
29- We both have fed as well. ' W'e have both been as well
nurtured ;' " well fed " bearing the signification of ' well brought
up,' or 'well trained.' See Notes 58 and 137, Act ii., "All's
Well." .
30. Tiber chafing with her shores. See Note to of the
present Act.
31. Leaf in with me, i~e. This challenge of Caisar's to
Cassius may have been suggested by the incident which
Suetonius relates of Caesar's leaping into the sea from a boat
that was in danger through being overladen, and swimming to
the next ship, holding his " Commentaries" in his left hand.
32. Ere we could arrive the point proposed. Here " arrive "
is used actively, without the 'at' or 'in' which usually accom-
panies the word. See Note 17, Act v.. "Third Part Henry VI."
33. --Eneas, our great ancestor. The Romans traced their
origin from the settlement of the Trojan Prince. iCneas, in Italy.
34. His coward lips did from their colour fly. This bold
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.
He had a fever when lie was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake : 'tis true, this god did shake :
His coward lips did from their colour lU . '
And that same eye, whose bend35 doth awe the
world,
Did lose his lustre :'•''' I did hear him groan :
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the
Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas! it cried, "Give me some drink, Titinius,""
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of such a feeble temper3* should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone. [Flourish anil shout.
Bru. Another general shout]
I do believe that these applauses are
For some new honours that are heap'd on C.r-ar.
Cas. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow
world
Like a Colossus,39 and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Ca-'sar : what should be in that
Caesar 'I
Why should that name be sounded more than
yours p
Write them together, yours is as fair a name ;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well ;
Weigh them, it is as heavy ; conjure with them,
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar.
Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,
That he is grown so great ': Age, thou art
shara'd !
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods !
image, making the lips fly from their colour, instead o( the
colour from them, and thus suggcstii-ig the idea of soldiers
deserting their colours, is completely in Shakespeare's spirited
style. Warburton calls this line "a false expression," and "a
poor quibble ; " but, to our thinking, it is one of those sentences
that poets make, that critics carp at. and that good readers
relish.
35. Bend. Here used as "bent" is used in (he 1
! referred to in Note 24. Act v., " Henry V." to express a stern
look, a frowning glance turned upon the object of wrath.
36. Did lose his lustre. Instance of "his" for 'its.' See
Note S, Act ii., " Timon of Athens."
37. Titinius. Cassius's faithful adherent, who appi
Act v., sc. 3 of the present play.
38. Temper. Here used for 'temperament,1 'constil
quality.'
30. Like a Colossus. In allusion to the ' statue
at Rhodes, which formed the entrance to the harbour, bestriding
it from side to side. So vast was the figure's size, that slops in
full sail could pass between the outstretched logs, and its height
was 70 cubits, or 105 feet. It was esteemed one of the seven
wonders of the world.
267
Act I.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene II.
When went there by an age, since the great
flood40
But it was fam'd with more than with one man ?
When could they say, till now, that talk'd of
Rome,
That her wide walls encompass'd41 but one
man ?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough, 4:
When there is in it but one only man.
Oh, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once," that would have
brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.
Brit. That you do love me, I am nothing
jealous ;
What you would work me to, I have some
aim : 44
How I have thought of this, and of these time-,
I shall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not, 6Q with love I might entreat you.
Be any farther mov'd. What you have said,
I will consider ; what you have to say,
I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew45 upon thi-j
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself46 a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.4"
Cas. I am glad that my weak words
Have struck but thus much show of fire from
Brutus.
Bru. The games are done, and Caesar is re-
turning.
Cas. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the
sleeve ;
40. Since the great flood In reference to the Deluge sent
by Jupiter when Deucalion reigned in Thessaly.
41. That her wide waits encompass'd. The Folio prints
1 walkes ' for "walls'' here. Rowe's correction, which seems
shown to be right, by the word "encompass'd." The pro-
bability that the printer's eye was misled by the word "talk'd"
in the previous line, and the improbability that Shakespeare's
ear would have allowed him to use ' walks * so near to " talk'd,"
farther support the belief that " walls " was the word originally
written in this passage.
42. Xow is it Rome indeed, and room enough. Here
Shakespeare gives the pronunciation to " Rome " which affords
a play upon the word in connection with "room." See Note
27, Act iii., "King John;" and Note 6, Act iii., "First Part
Henry VI,"
43. There ivas a Brutus once. Alluding to Lucius Junius
Brutus, who caused the Tarquins to be driven from Rome, and
kingly authority to be exchanged for consular authority. As
consul himself, he condemned his own sons to death for joining
in a conspiracy to restore royalty ; therefore Cassius reminds the
Brutus he is addressing, and who was lineally descended from
the earlier Brutus, that his predecessor would as s ion have had
a demon reign for ever in Rome as have endured a human king.
44. Aim. Here used for 'guess.' 'surmise,' 'conjecture.'
See Note 2, Act iii , " Two Gentlemen of Verona "
And he will, after Ins sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded worthy note to-day.
Re-enter CiESAR and his Train.
Bru. I will do so ; — but, look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Ca=sar's brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train ;
Calphurnia's cheek is pale ; and Cicero
Looks with such ferret43 and such fiery eyes
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being cross'd in conference by some senators.
Cas. Casca will tell us what the matter is.
Cees. Antonins, —
Jut. Caesar?
Cces. Let me have men about me that are
tat;4*
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights :
Yond' Cassius lias a lean and hungry look ;
He thinks too much ; such men are dangerous.
Ant. Fear him not, Cxsar ; he's not dangerous ;
He i^ a noble Roman, and well given.
Cas. Would he were fatter! — but I fear him
not;
Yet if my name were liable to tear,
I do not know the man 1 should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much ;
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men : he loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;50
Seldom he smiles ; and smiles in such a sort
As if he mock'd himself,51 and scorn'd his spirit
That could be mov'd to smile at anything.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves ;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd
Than what I fear, — for always lam Caesar.
45. Chew. ' Ruminate,' ' deliberately consider.'
46. To repute himself. ' To give himself the reputation of
being,' 'to l>>isl himself,' 'to set himself forth as.' See Note
12, Act iii., " Second Part Henry VI."
47. Under t/tese hard conditions as this time, e-v. "As"
ia this sentence is used peculiarly ; giving to be understood
the more ordinary construction of 'under such hard conditions
as this time,' &c, or "under those hard conditions that this
time,' «-<:c.
48. Ferret. Here used adjectively, to express ' like those of
a ferret ; ' a ferret having red eyes.
49. Let in: Itsve men about me that are fat. The points
in this speech arc directly taken from Sir Thomas North's
" Plutarch."
50. //.• lozt.'S u< plays he hears no music. It is
pleasant to have the player and play-writer, Shakespeare, ad-
vocating by this slight indirect touch the wholesome effect of
dramatic recreation upon the spirit of man ; and adverting to
the morally salutary influence of music, with moral indication
in love of music : which he has elsewhere still more strongly
insisted upon. See the passage referred to in Note ig, Act v.,
" Merchant of Venice."
51. Seldom /&• smites; and smiles in such a sort as if. d-Y.
Here again Shakespeare is true to his own sweet and cheerful
philosophy See Note 62, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV.''
Act I.]
JULIUS C/ESAK.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Exeunt Caesar anil his Train.
Casca slays behind.
Casca. You pull'd me by the cloak ; would you
speak with me ?
Bru. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanc'd
to-day,
That Caesar looks so sad.
Casca. Why, you were with him, u ere you
not:-'
Bin. I should not, then, ask Casca what hail
chanc'd.
Casca. Why, there was a crown offered him :53
and being offered him, he put it by with the back
ot his hand, thus; and then the people fell a-
shouting.
Bru. What was the second noise for ':
Casca. Why, for that too.
("as. They shouted thrice : what was the last
cry for ?
Casea. Why, for that too.
Bru. Was the crown offered him thrice i
Casca. Ay, marry, was 't, and he put it by thrice,
every time gentler than other ; and at every pulling
by mine honest neighbours shouted.
Cas. Who offered him the crown ?
Casca. Why, Antony.
Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.
Casca. I can as well be hanged as tell the
manner of it: it was mere foolery; I did not mark
it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown ; —
yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these
coronets ; — and, as I told you, he put it by once :
but, for all thai, to my thinking, he would fain
have had it. Then he offered it to him again ;
then he put it by again : but, to my thinking, he
was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And then
he offered it the third time ; he put it the third
time by ; and still as he refused it, the rabblement
hooted,53 and clapped their chopped hands, and
threw up their sweaty night-caps, and uttered such
a ileal of stinking breath because Ca;sar refused
the crown, that it had almost choked Caesar ; for
he swooned, and fell down at it : and for mine
own part, 1 durst not laugh, for fear of opening
my lips, and receiving the bad air.
52. There was a crown offered him. This incident is derived
from .Sir Thomas North's "Plutarch."
53. The rabblement hooted. Hanmer and others change
"hooted" here to 'shouted;' alleging that the pepple ap-
plauded when Cassar refused the crown, and only expressed
disapprobation when they thought he was about to accept it.
But, firstly, the Folio spells the word here ' howted,' and a little
farther on in this play vsee Note 69 of the present Act it spells
the word used in that passage ' howtiug ; ' secondly, in " Love's
Labour's Lost," Act iv. , sc. 2, we find, "The people fall a-hoot-
ing ;" and in " Coriolanus," Act iv. . sc. 6, "When you cast
your greasy caps, in hooting at Coriolanus' exile ;" where, in
[Scene 11.
what ! did Cajsar
Cas. But, soft, I pray
swoon f
Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and
foamed at mouth, and was speechless.
Bru. 'Tis very like, — he hath the falling-sick-
ness."
Cas. No, Caesar hath it not; but you, and I,
And honest Casca, we have the felling-sickness,
Casca. I know not what you mean by that ;
but, I am sure, Caesar fell down. If the tag-rag
people did not clap him and hiss him, according as
he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do
the players in the theatre, I am no true man.
Bru. What said he when he came unto him-
self?
Casca. Marry, before he fell down, when he
perceived the common herd was glad he refused
the crown, he plucked me ope his doublet, and
offered them his throat to cut :— an I had been a
man of any occupation,55 if I would not have taken
him at a word, I would I might go to hell anion.;
the rogues : — and so he fell. When he came to
himself again, he said, If he had done or said any-
thing amiss, he desired their worships to think it
was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where
I stood, cried, "Alas! good soul!" and forgave
him with all their hearts : but there's no heed to be
taken of them ; if Caesar had stabbed their mother^,
they would have done no less.
Bru. And after that, he came, thus sad, away ''
Casca. Ay.
Cas. Did Cicero say anything ?
Casca. Ay, he spoke Greek.
Cas. To what effect ?
Casca. Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look
you i' the face again : but those that understood
him smiled at one another, and shook their heads ;
but, for mine own pari, it was Greek to me. I
could tell you more, news too: Marullus and
Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar's images, are
put to silence. Fare you well. There was more
foolery vet, if I could remember it.
Cas. Will you sup with me to-night, Casca ;
Casca. No, I am promised forth."'
Cas. Will you dine with me to-morrow ?
Casca. Ay, if 1 be alive, and your mind hold,
and your dinner worth the eating.
both instances, the word is used as a contemptuous term for
Vttlgar acclamation, not disapprobation; and, thirdly, we think
it probable that here Casca uses "hooted" as a scoffing epithet
for hurrahed, or howled approval.
54 lie hath tlie falling-sickness. Plutarch and Suetonius
both record that Caesar was subject to the falling-sickness, or
epilepsy.
55. A man of any occupation. 'A man occupied in any
mechanical employment,' 'a man like any of those mechanics
whom he addressed.' See Note 74, Act iv , " Coriolanus."
56. / ant promised forth. ' 1 am under a promise to go out ;'
1 I am engaged elsewhere.'
Act I.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene III.
Cas. Good ; I will expect you.
Casca. Do so: farewell, both. [Exit.
Bru. What a blunt fellow is this grown to be !
He was quick mettle when he went to school.
Cas. So is he now, in execution
Of any bold or noble enterprise,
1 [owe'ver he puts on this tardy form.
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digest his words
With better appetite.
Bru. And so it is. For this time I will leave
you :
To-morrow, if you please to speak with me,
1 will come home to you ; or, if you will,
Come home to me, and I will wait for you.
Cas. I will do so: — till then, think of the world.
[Exit Brutus.
Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see,
Thy honourable metal may be wrought
From that it is dispos'd :57 therefore 'tis meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes ;
For who so firm that cannot be seduc'd ?
Cajsar doth bear me hard ;53 but he loves Brutus :
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
Fie should not humour me.5<J I will this night.
In several hands,00 in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens, )
Writings, all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely
Caesar's ambition shall be glanced at :
And, after this, let Csesar seat him sure ;
For we will shake him, or worse clays endure.
[Exit.
57. From that it is dispos'd. Elliptically expressed : mean-
ing, 'from that to which it is disposed.'
58. Ban- me Jiard. This is an idiom which occurs thrice in
the present play, and which is nowhere else used by Shake*
speare. It signifies ' bear a hard opinion of me ; ' ' bear me
ill-will,' ' bear me a grudge.' See Note 45, Act ii., and Note 30,
Act iii.
59. 1/ I were Brutus now, and he '.cere Cassins, he should
not humour me. ' Now, a" I were Brutus' (beloved by Caesar),
' and Brutus were Cassius ' idislisked by Cajsar , ' Brutus should
not inlluence my disposition as I do his.' To "humour,"
employed to express 'influence disposition,' or 'sway inclina-
tion,' occurs in a passage in " Much Ado," Act ii.. sc. 1 ; where
Don Pedro says, " I will teach you how to humour your cousin,
that she shall fall in love with Benedick."
60. In several hands. ' In different hand-writings,' ' in
various characters of hand-writing. '
61. Brought you Caesar home ? 'Did you accompany I
h une ?' See Note 79, Act ii., " Henry V."
62. The sway 0/ earth. " Sway " is here used to express
the ponderous swing of the terrestrial globe in its appointed
orbit See Note 5, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
63. To be e.ralted 701th the threatening clouds. Here '"with"
is elliptically used to express ' on a level with/ or ' to the same
height with.'
64. Saw you anything more -vendcr/itl'* ' Did you see any-
thing more that was wonderful ?' ' Did you see anything else
of this wonderful kind V " More" is here used in the sense of
'else,' 'besides,' 'additionally.'
65. A common slave {you know him well by sight' held, e-v-
SCENE III. — Romf. ./ Street.
Thunder and lightning. Enter, pom opposite sides,
Casca, ivitb bis sivonl drawn, ami Cicero,
Cic. Good even, t;ix;i : brought you Ca n
home r61
Why are you breathless ? and win stare you s,, ;-
Casca. Are not you mov'd, when all the swaj
of earth-6'
Shakes like a thing unfirm ? O Cicero,
I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
Have riv'd the knotty oaks ; and I have seen
The ambitious ocean swell, and rage, and foam,
To be exalted with the threatening clouds :63
But never till to-night, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Either there is a civil strife in heaven ;
Or else the world, too saucy with the g"<K
Incenses them to send destruction.
Cic. Why, saw you anything more wonderful ?w
Casca. A common slave (you know him well
by sight)
Held up his left hand,"' which did flame and
burn60
Like twenty torches join'd ; and yet his hand,
Not sensible of fire, remain'd unscorch'd.
Besides (I have not since put up my sword),
Against the Capitol I met a lion,
Who glar'd6? upon me, and went surh In,
Without annoying me : and there were drawn
Upon a heap68 a hundred ghastly women,
Transformed with their fear: who swore they saw
Men, all in fire, walk up and down the streets.
It has been plausibly suggested thai for "you know " here we
should read ' you'd know,' "i- ' you knew,' as pointing out more
obviously that Casca mean, to me would have known
him at once to be a common slave, ami not a preternatural
appearance ; but we think that the phrase, as it stands, gives
this to be understood. " You " is often used impersonally in
familiar parlance for 'persons,' 'people,' 'men,' 'one;' and
" you know him well by sight," according to a licence of con-
struction, probably means 'he may be known :a firs! sight foi
such/ or 'one might see at a glan thai he was a common
slave, '
erd. which did jlame and burn. &»c. To enable the
leader to judge how accurately Shakespeare adopts historical
record, while enriching it with his own magnificent imagery and
poetic diction, we give the extract from North's " Plutarch,"
which forms the groundwork of this and the preceding speech
Casi t 1' hi liing the fires in the element, and spirits
running vp and downe in the night, and also the solitary birds
to be seene at noon daies sitting in the great market-place, arc
not all these signes perhaps worth the imting, in such a won-
derful chance as happened ? But Strabo, the philosopher,
writeth, that diuers were seene going vp and down in fire : and
furthermore, that there was a slaue of the souldters, that did
cast a maruellous burning flame out of his hand, insomi
they that saw it thought he had bene burnt ; but when the fire
was out, it was found he had no hurt.*'
67. Glard. The Folio prints 'glairM' for "glar'd." Rowe's
correction.
68. Upon a heap An idiomatic form used by Shakespeare.
See Note 33. Act iv., " Timon of Athens.*1
Act I.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene III.
And yesterday the bird of night did sit,
Even at noon-day, upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking.69 When these prodigies
Do so conjointly meet, let not men say,
" These are their reasons, — they are natural ;"
For, I believe, they are portentous things
Unto the climate70 that they point upon.
C/V. Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time :
But men may construe things after their fashion,
Clean from the purpose71 of the things them-
selves.
Comes Cassar to the Capitol to-morrow?
Casca. He doth ; for he did bid Antonius
Send word to you he would be there to-morrow.
Cic. Good night, then, Casca : this disturbed
sky
Is not to walk in.
Casca. Farewell, Cicero. [Exit ClCEKO.
Enter Cassius.
Cas. Who's there?
Casca. A Roman.
Cas. Casca, by your voice.
Casca. Your ear is good. Cassius, what night
is this!?3
Cas. A very pleasing night to honest men.
Casca. Who ever knew the heavens menace
so?
Cas. Those that have known the earth so full
of faults.
69. Hooting and shrieking. The folio here prints ' howling1
for " hooting ; " which latter word is evidently meant, as the owl
is intended by the expression, " the bird of night."
70. The climate. 'The region.' The word "climate*' was
sometimes used formerly in reference merely to a certain por-
tion of the earth, without including allusion to temperature
In "Richard II.," Act iv., sc. 1, we find, "Oh, forfend it,
Heaven ! that in a Christian climate souls refin'd should show,"
&c. See also Note 48, Act ii., " King John," for yet another
employment of the word " climate.''
71. Clean from the purpose, "Clean" is here used in its
. sense of ' quite,' ' completely ' (see Notes 2, Act iii., " Richard
II.," and 41, Act iii., " Coriolanus" ; and '"from" in its sense
nf 'away from,' 'apart from.' See Note 103, Act iv., "Timon
of Athens."
72. Wh.it ■. A similar form of construction in
exclamation to the one pointed out in Note 18, Act i., "Two
Gentlemen of Verona." In usual phraseology, 'a' wmiM pre-
cede "night" in the present passage, and "fool" in the other
passage to which we refer.
73. The thunder-stone. Imagined by the ancients to be the
produce of the thunder, to be a species of gem discharged in the
form of a meteoric stone, and, falling with the lightning, to cause
the mischief. The name thunder-stones, or thunder-bolts, was
given to certain extinct fossil shells, called belemnites, or finger-
stoites.
74. Cast yourself in wonder. It has been doubted whether
this phrase means 'conjecture within yourself wonderingly' (in
which case, "cast" would be used according to the sense it
bears in such sentences as ' cast about in yourself,' ' cast in your
mind'); or whether it means 'cast yourself into a state of
wonder' (in which case "in" would be used for 'into,' as il
often is by Shakespeare). Also, it has been conjectured that
possibly " cast " may he a misprint for ' case ;' which is plausible,
because elsewhere we find, "I am so attir'd in ivonder"
For my part, I have walk'd about the streets,
Submitting me unto the perilous night ;
And, thus unbraced, Casca, as you see,
Have bar'd my bosom to the thunder-stone :"3
And when the cross blue lightning seem'd to
open
The breast of heaven, I did present myself
Even in the aim and very flash of it.
Casca. But wherefore did you so much tempt
the heavens ?
It is the part of men to fear and tremble,
When the most mighty gods, by tokens, send
Such dreadful heralds to astonish us.
Cas. You are dull, Casca ; and those sparks of
life
That should be in a Roman you do want,
Or else you use not. You look pale, and gaze,
And put on fear, and cast yourself in wonder,'"4
To see the strange impatience of the heavens :
But if you would consider the true cause
Why all these tires, why all these gliding ghosts,
Why birds and beasts, from quality and kind ;'5
Why old men, fools, and children calculate ;76
Why all these things change, from their ordinance,
Their natures, and preformed faculties,
To monstrous quality ; — why, you shall find
That Heaven hath infus'd them with these spirits,
To make them instruments of fear and warning
Unto some monstrous state.77
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
["Much Ada,'' Act iv,, sc. i , and "Though 'tis wonder that
enwraps me thus" "Twelfth Night," Act iv., sc. 3^: and
moreover because ' case ' agrees, in the present passage, with
the expression "put on" in the same line. Nevertheless, so
averse are -we from altering the text, that we retain the original
word " cast," believing that the phrase means * cast yourself into
a stale of wonder,' and observing that Shakespeare has two
instances of "cast in" for 'cast into:' one of which is, "Whom
I indeed have cast in darkness " (" Richard III.," Act i., sc. 3' ;
the other, "Though forfeitersyou cast in prison " ." Cvmbehne,"
Act iii. , sc. 2).
75. Why birds and beasts^ from quality and kind. 'Why
birds and beasl> deviate from their condition and nature ;' in
allusion to the owl appearing at noon-day, and the lion refraining
from attack
76. Why old men, fools, and children calculate. This is the
stopping of the Folio, and we think it gives the sense of the
passage ; though some editors, altering the punctuation, give
obscurity and obstructed meaning to the sentence. They take
"old men" to signify 'wise men,' in opposition to "fools;"
whereas, it appears to us that " old men" here signify ' dotards ;'
as, in every instance where Shakespeare uses the expression
" old men," he implies that signification. Witness, among
many others — "Old men, and beldams, in the streets." &c.
(** King John," Act iv., sc. 21 ; " Old men forget : yet all," &c.
<" Henry V.," Act iv., sc. 3 ; " Old men have greybeards," &c
("Hamlet," Act ii., sc. 2). Therefore we take it tha: he here
classes "old men" with "fools" and "children," as persons
naturally incapable of calculating upon portents, and predicting
what these portents indicate, although Heaven occasionally
endows them with exceptional power to do so.
77. To monstrous quality some monstrous state.
Here "monstrous," in both instances, signifies 'unnatural,'
'unwonted,' 'exceptional ;' and "state" is used elliptically for
' slate of things,' ' state of affairs,' 'state of events.'
Act I.J
JULIUS OESAR.
[SCENI III.
Most like this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars,
As doth the lion, in the Capitol,^—
A man no mightier than thyself or me
In personal action ; yet prodigious79 grown,
And fearful, as these strange eruptions are.
Casca. 'Tis Caesar that you mean; is it not,
Cassius ?
Cas. Let it be who it is : for Romans non-
Have thewes80 and limbs like to their ancestors ;
But, woe the while!31 our fathers' minds are
dead,
And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits ;
Our yoke and sufferance show us womanish.
Casca. Indeed, they say the senators to-morrow
Mean to establish Cesar as a king ;
And he shall wear his crown by sea and land,
In every place, save here in Italy.
Cas. I know where I will wear this dagger,
then ;
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius :
Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong ;
Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat :
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the strength of spirit ;
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
Never lacks power to dismiss itself.
If I know this, know all the world besides,
That part of tyranny, that I do bear,
I can shake oft" at pleasure. [Thunder still.
Casca. So can I :
So every bondman in his own hand bears
The power to cancel his captivity.
Cas. And why should Cesar be a tyrant, then p
Poor man ! I know he would not be a vyolf,
But that he sees the Romans are but sheep :
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
Those that with haste will make a mighty fire,
Begin it with weak straws : what trash is Rome,
What rubbish, and what offal, when it serves
For the base matter to illuminate
So vile a thing as Cesar! But, oh, grief,
78. And roars, as doth the lion, in the Capitol. Instance of
transposed construction ; the sentence meaning, ' And roars in
the Capitol, as the lion roars.'
79. Prodigious. Here used to express ' indicating some
prodigy;' 'portentous,' 'ominous.' See Note 13, Act v.,
" Troilus and Cressida."
80. Thewes. ' Physical strength,' ' muscular power;' 'sinews.'
This is the sense in which Shakespeare uses the word : though pre-
viously to his time it was generally applied by writers to mental or
moral qualities. See Note 45. Act iii., '* Second Part Henry IV."
8r. Woe t/w while 1 "Alas for the present age ! ' ' Alas for
this woful time!' See Note 30. Act iii., " Winter's Tale."
82. Then I know my answer must be mads. A mode of
saying, ' In that case I must answer for what I have said.'
83. Hold, my hand. An ellipsis for ' Hold, there's my hand,'
or ' Hold, take my hand.'
84. Be factious for redress. Here "'factious" is used for
'active,' 'energetic,' 'up and doing,' while at the same time
Where hast thou led me : I perhaps speak this
Before a willing bondman ; then I know
My answer must be made:8-' bm 1 am .11111 'd.
And dangers are to me indifferent.
Casca. You speak to Casca ; and to such a
man
That is no fleering tell-tale. Hold, my hand ; ~J
Be factious for redress81 of all these griefs ,
And I will set this foot of mine as far
I As who goes farthest.
Cas. There's a bargain made.
i Now know you, Casca, I have mov'd already
' Some certain of the noblest-minded Romans
To undergo si with me an enterprise
I Of honourable-dangerous consequence ;
And I do know, by this, they stay fir me
In Pompey's porch: for now, this fearful night,
There is no stir or walking in the streets ;
And the complexion of the element
1 In favour's like86 the work we have in hand,
Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
Casca. Stand close awhile, for here comes One
in haste.
Cas. 'Tis Cinna, — I do know him by Ins gait ;
He is a friend.
Enter Cinna.
Cinna, where haste you so
Cin. To rind out you. Who's that '; Metellus
Cimber ?
Cas. No, it is Casca; one incorporate
I To our attempts. Am I not stay'd for, Cinna 5
Cin. I am glad on 't.sl What a fearful night
is this !
■ There's two or three of us have seen strange
sights.
Cas. Am I not stay'd foi ': tell me.
Cin. 1 es, \ ou are.
O Cassius, if you could
But win the noble Brutus to our party —
Cas. Be you content; g"n,t Cinna, take this
paper,
And look you lay it in the prastor's chair,
including its meaning of 'forming a faction,' 'organi&ing a
party;' without, however, including the unfavourable sense
which is now involved in the latter meaning. Casca
"factious" in the same way that Menenius uses "tactionary"
see Note 22, Act v., " Coriolanus " . as implying som
ible in activity for a cause.
85. Undergo. Her undertake.' Sec Note 47,
Act iii., " Timon of Athens."
86. In favour s like. The Folio misprints t!ii. ':
like.' Johns in made the : leaning
'aspect,' 'appearance.1 See Note 28 of the presen
87. I am glad on1 1. Here "on" is 11
24 of this A.tl : and the sentence, spoken in rep!) '
assurance that 1 member of their
party and has joined in their enterprise, affords an instance 0!
our dramatist's characteristic mode of introducing . I
speeches into agitated or hurried .dial
" C01 iolanus,"
273
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I.
Where Brutus may but find it;8S and throw this
In at his window ; set this up with wax
Upon old Brutus' statue :*" all this done,
Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find
us.
Is Decius Brutus and Trebonius there f
Cm. All but Metellus Cimber ; and he's gone
To seek you at your house. Well, I will hie,
And so bestow90 these papers as you bade me.
Cos. That done, repair to Pompey's theatre.
[Exit Cinna.
Come, Casca, you and I will yet, ere day,
See Brutus at his house : three parts of him
Is ours already ; and the man entire,
Upon the next encounter, yields him ours.
Casca. Oh, he sits high in all the people's hearts:
And that which would appear offence in us,
His countenauce, like richest alchemy,
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.
Cas. Him, and his worth, and our great need
of him,
You have right well conceited.91 Let us go,
For it is after midnight ; and, ere day,
We will awake him, and be sure of him. [Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— Rome. Brutus's Orchard}
Enter Brutus.
Bru. What, Lucius, ho ! —
I cannot, by the progress of the stars,
Give guess how near to day.— Lucius, I say ! —
I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly. —
When, Lucius, when ''."• awake, I say ! what,
Lucius !
Enter Lucius.
Luc. Call'd you, my lord ?
Bru. Get me a taper in my study, Lucius :
When it is lighted, come and call me here.
Luc. I will, my lord. [Exit.
Bru. It must be by his death :3 and, for my part,
I know no personal cause to spurn at him,
But for the general.4 He would be crown'd : —
How that might change his nature, there's the
question :
88. Where Brutus may but Jinti it. ' Where none but
Brutus may find it,' 'Where Brutus only may find it.' The
pranors were the chief magistrates of Rome ; and Brutus filled
this office at the then time. See Note 48, Act ii.
89. Old Brutus' statue. The statue of Lucius Junius Brutus.
See Note 43 of this Act.
90. Bestow. Often, as here, used by Shakespeare in the
sense of 'place,' 'put,' without including its signification of
'conler.' See Note 23, Act i.t "Comedy of Errors." In
".Merry Wives," Act iv. , sc. 2, Mistress Ford, asking where
she should hide Falstaff, says, " How should I bestcno him?"
and in " Henry V.," Act iv.t sc. 3, Salisbury says to the king,
" My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed."
91. Conceited. ' Conceived,' ' estimated.' See Note 8, Act v.,
" Second Part Henry IV."
J. Orchard. Probably here meaning ' garden.' See Note 2,
Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet."
2. IVIwn, Lucius, when ? An old form of impatient ex-
clamation. See Note 25, Act i., " Richard II."
It is the bright day that brings forth the adder;
And that craves wary walking. Crown him ? —
that ;—
And then, I grant, we put a sting in him,
That at his will he may do danger with.
The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins
Remorse5 from power: and, to speak truth of
Cajsar,
I have not known when his affections sway'd
More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof,6
That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face ;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees?
By which he did ascend : so Cajsar may ;
Then, lest he may, prevent. And, since the
quarrel
Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus ; that what he is, augmented,
3. It must be by his death. The manner in which " it" and
"his" are here used affords an example of Shakespeare's
peculiar construction in employing pronouns with reference to
an implied particular, and of his dramatic art in commencing
a scene or a soliloquy with abrupt allusions to a pre-supposed
thought. See Notes 76, Act iii., "All's Well," and 35, Act ii.,
"Winter's Tale." In the present passage "it" refers to the
prevention of Caesar's becoming king ; the means of which
prevention Brutus has been revolving.
4. But for the general. ' But for the sake of the general
community.' " The general," used as a term for ' the people,'
' the multitude,' occurs elsewhere in Shakespeare (see Note 65,
Act ii., " Measure for Measure") : and he also more than once
uses "general" in antithetical opposition to "particular" or
"personal." See Note 31, Act v., "Timon of Athens."
5. Remorse. Here used for 'mercy,' 'clemency,' 'leniency,*
'pity.'
6. 'Tis a common proof. 'It is a thing proved by common
experience.'
7. Base degrees. 'Low steps;' French, bas degrt's.
274
Act II.]
JULIUS CVESAR.
[Scene I.
Wouki run to these and these extremities :
And therefore think him as a serpent's egg,
Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind,9 grow mis-
chievous ;
And kill him in the shell.
Re-enter LUCIUS.
Luc. The taper burneth in your closet, sir.
Searching the wirdow for a flint, I found
[Giving him a leller.
This paper, thus seal'd up ; and, I am sure,
It did not lie there when I went to bed.
Bru. Get you to bed again ; it is not day.
Is not to-morrow, boy, the ides of-March ?9
Luc. I know not, sir.
Bru. Look in the calendar, and bring me
word.
Luc. I will, sir. [Exit.
Bru. The exhalations, whizzing in the air,
Give so much light, that I may read by them.
[Opens the letter and reads.
Brutus, thou sleep'st : awake, and see thyself.
Shall Rome, &c. Speak, strike, redress !
" Brutus, thou sleep'st : awake !" lu —
Such instigations have been often dropp'd
Where I have took them up.
" Shall Rome, Sec." Thus must I piece it out ;
Shall Rome stand under one man's awe r What,
Rome ?
My ancestors did from the streets of Rome
The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a king.
" Speak, strike, redress ! " — Am I entreated
To speak and strike ? O Rome, I make thee
promise,"
If the redress will follow, thou receiv'st
Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!
8. As his kind. ' Like his species," ' like those of his nature.'
9. The ides of March. The Folio prints ' first ' here for
" ides." Theobald's correction.
10. " Brutus, thou sleep'st : awake!" This repetition of the
words is probably intended to be Brutus's re-reading them and
revolving them ; as he afterwards re-reads and revolves the
other clauses from the paper.
n. / make thee promise. 'I make promise to thee,' 'I
promise thee.'
12. Wasted fourteen days. The Folio gives 'fifteen' for
11 fourteen" here. Theobald's correction.
13. Motion. Here used for 'impulse,' 'intention,' 'inward
suggestion towards.'
14. The Genius and the mortal instruments are, cV-Y. It
has been debated whether " genius " here means the presiding
spirit supposed to be attendant upon each human being and
influencing his actions, while "mortal instruments" mean his
natural passions; or whether "genius" is to be considered as
the immortal soul of man, while "mortal instruments" arc to be
understood as the bodily powers, the operating organs. In
support of the former interpretation has been quoted the
passage from "Comedy of Errors," Act v., sc. 1 : — "One of
these men is Genius to the other .... Which is the natural
man, and which the spirit ?" In support of the latter has
been cited the passage from "Othello." Act i., sc. 3, where
the Moor speaks of his eyes and hands as " my speculative and
Re-enter Lucius.
Luc. Sir, March is wasted fourteen days.10
[Knocking •within.
Bru, 'Tis good. Go to the gate ; somebody
knocks. [Exit Lucius.
Since Cassius first did whet me against Cssar,
I have not slept.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion,13 all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream :
The Genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council ;H and the state of man,15
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.
Re-enter Lucius.
Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius19 at the
door,
Who doth desire to see you.
Bru. Is he alone ?
Luc. No, sir, there are more with him.
Bru. Do you know them ?
Luc. No, sir; their hats are pluck'd about their
ears,
And half their faces buried in their cloaks,
That by no means I may discover them
By any mark of favour.17
Bru. Let them enter.
[Exit Lucius.
They are the faction. Oh, conspiracy,
Sham'st thou to show thy dangerous brow by
night,
When evils are most free ? Oh, then, by day
Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
To mask thy monstrous visage ? Seek none, con-
spiracy ;
offie'd instruments ;" and also the passage flom " Troilus and
Cressida," Act ii., sc. 3 — " "fwixt his mental and his acti-.'e
parts kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages, and batters down
himself." It is evident to us that in the present case Shake*
speare refers to the conflict that takes place within the mind,
when debating a deadly project, between the spiritual and
higher nature and the more animal and lower nature, the
immortal with the mortal portion of man ; so that the word
"genius" here, according to our poet's grandly inclusive style,
may well signify both the Christianby-undcrstood "soul" and
the paganly-understood attendant 'spirit,' whde "mortal in-
struments " may no less comprise both ' natural passions ' and
' bodily powers.'
15. The state of man. The first Folio here erroneously
inserts 'a' between "of" and "man." The second Folio
made the correction, which, we think, is proved to be right,
not only by the metre of the line, but by the similar expression
in " Macbeth," Act i., sc. 3: —
" My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man, that function
Is smother'd in surmise."
16. Your crot/ter Cassius. Cnssius had married Junia. the
sister of Brutus : therefore here, as elsewhere by Sh.tkespeare,
" brother" is used for ' brother-in-law.1
17. Favour. ' Countenance,' 'aspect,' ' look.'
Ac I' 11.1
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene I.
Brutus. The exhalations, whizzing in the air,
Give su much light, that I may read by them.
Act 11. Scene I.
Hide it in smiles and affability :
For if thou path, thy native semblance on,"
Not Erebus19 itself were dim enough
To hide thee from prevention.
Enter Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus
Cimber, and Trebonius.
Cas. I think we are too bold upon your rest :
Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you ?
Bru. I have been up this hour ; awake all
night.
Know I these men that come along with you ?
Cas. Yes, every man of them; and no man
here
18. For if thou path, thy native semblance on. 'For if thou
walk forth, wearing thy natural appearance.' " Path " has been
suspected of being a misprint here ; but Drayton uses the word
as a verb, although in conjunction with " way " and "ways."
For instance, in his ''Karons' Wars," is found— " Path out
But honours you ; and every one doth wish
You had but that opinion of yourself
Which every noble Roman bears of you.
This is Trebonius.
Bru. He is welcome hither.
Cas. This, Decius Brutus.
Bru. He is welcome too.
Cas. This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this, Me-
tellus Cimber.
Bru. They are all welcome. —
What watchful cares do interpose themselves
Betwixt your eyes and night ?
Cas. Shall I entreat a word ? [Brutus and
Cassius •whisper.
another milky way;" in his " Heroical Epistles — " Pathing
young Henry's unadvised ways "
19. Erebus. A deity of the infernal regions : but often used
by the poets for the region itself.
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR
[Scene I.
Dec. Here lies the east:20 doth not the day
break here ?
Case a. No.
Chi. Oh, pardon, sir, it doth ; and von grey
lines
That tret the clouds are messengers of day.
Vasca. You shall confess that you are both
deceiv'd.
1 lere, as I point my sword, the sun arises;
Which is a great way growing on the south,'-'1
Weighing the youthful season of the year.
Some tu-o months hence, up higher toward the
north
He first presents his fire; and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.
Bru. Give me your hands all over,*-* one by
one.
Cas. And let us swear our resolution.
Bru. No, not an oath : if not the face of
men,53
The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse.—
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed ;'-'
So let high-sighted tyranny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery.25 But if these.
As I am sure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women ; then, countrymen,
What need we any spur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redress ? what other bond
1 han secret Romans,26 that have spoke the word,
And will not palter r and what other oatli
Than honesty to honesty engag'd,
That this shall be, or we will fall. for it :-
20. II, lies The conversation introduced here,
while Brutus and Cassius talk apart, is most artistically con-
ceived ; it is beautifully poetic, as affording contrast by the
image of the approaching daylight splendours brought thus
against the gloom of night and darkness of contemplated deed,
and it is admirably dramatic, as drawing attention to the coming
morning of that day which, in the '.pinion of the speakers, is to
bring new vitality of freedom to their native Rome.
2t. Which is a great way growing, &°c. 'Which [the
quarter of the sky where the sun then rises] is a considerable
distance more towards the south of the east, if we take into
account the early period of the year.'
22. Give me your hands alt over. ' Give me your hands, all
of you ;' ' Give me your hands, all throughout your assembled
party.' For a somewhat similar form of phrase, see Note 10,
Act iv. , " Timon of Athens. "
23. If not the face of men. This sentence has been suspected
of error, and various alterations have been made ; but we take
the original reading, ' the face of men,' to mean ' the aspect of
men,' 'the looks of men,' implying 'the louring aspect of
men,' ' the discontented looks of men.' The construction of the
phraseology is inconsecutive here, according to a characteristic
mode Shakespeare has of making it so, in order to mark
agitation or eagerness in the speaker. See Note 96, Act hi.,
" Twelfth Night." Here the effect is implied of ' If the dis-
content visible in the faces of men, the misery of our souls, the
abuses now prevailing, be not sufficient to hold us to our
purpose, — if these be weak motives,' &c.
24. Idle bed. ' Bed where he may lie idle.' An instance of
Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,-?
Ol. 1 feeble carrions, and such suffering souls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain
The even28 virtue of our enterprise,
Nor th' insuppressive-"' mettle of our spirits,
To think that or our cause or our performance *>
Did need an oath ; when every drop of blood
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy,
If he do break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.
t'.is. But what of Cicero ? shall we sound
him ?
I think he will stand very strong with us.
Casca. Let us not leave him out.
Cm. No, by no means.
Met. Oh, let us have him ; for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,
And buy men's voices to commend our deeds ;
It shall be said, his judgment rul'd our hands ;
Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.
Bru. Oh, name him not : let us not break with
him ;31
For he will never follow anything
That other men begin.
Cas. Then leave him out.
Casca. Indeed he is not fit.
Dec. Shall no man else be touch'd but only
Ca?sar ?
Cas. Decius, well urg'd : — I think it is not
meet,
Mark Antony, so well belov'd of Caesar,
Shakespeare's elliptically used epithets. See Note 52, Act iii..
" Romeo and Juliet."
2^. By lottery. 'By chance,' 'by a capricious hazard :'
without any determinate cause why he should fall.
26. Secret Romans. ' Romans secretly united in a mutual
cause.' Another of Shakespeare's expressive and elliptical
epithets.
27. Caiitelojis. Here used for 'wary,' 'wily,' ' timidly and
artfully cautious.' See Note 9, Act iv., " Coriolanus."
28. Even. Shakespeare uses this word with such various
signification, that it is not easy to define the precise one which
it bears here. It may mean 'firm,' steady,' or 'straight-
forward,' 'honest,' 'direct,' 'impartial,' or 'just,' 'equitable,'
' well-balanced,' or, as we incline to think in the present
passage, ' serene,' ' equable.' Examples might be cited of the
poet's employing "even " in each of the above senses.
29. Itisnppressive. ' Insuppressible,' 'not to be suppressed.'
See Note 10, Act iii., "As You Like It."
30. But do not stain . ... to think thai, &*c. The con-
struction is here in accordance with Shakespeare's <■'
style, giving 'so' to 1"! understood before "stain," and 'as'
before "to," or allowing us to accept " to think" for 'by
thinking.'
3t. Let us not break with bint. ' Let us not break the
matter to him.' Shakespeare generally uses the idiom "break
with" in this sense: but he once uses it in the more usual sense
of ' quarrel with,' ' eome to a rupture with.' where the tribune,
in " Coriolanus," V 1 iv., ic. 6, says, " It cannot be the Volsces
due break with us."
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I.
Should outlive Cesar : we shall find of him
A shrewd contriver;3- and, you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all : which to prevent,
Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius
Cassius,
To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs, —
Like wrath in death, and envy83 afterwards;
For Antony is but a limb of Caesar :
Let's be sacrifices, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Cassar;
And in the spirit of men there is no blood :
Oh, that we, then, could come by Cesar's spirit,
And not dismember Caesar! But, alas !
Ca?sar must bleed for it ! And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully ;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds :
And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,
Stir up their servants to an act of rage,
And after seem to chide them. This shall make
Our purpose necessary,34 and not envious :
35. A shrewd contriver. "Shrewd" here comprises the
sense of ' mischievous ' as well as that of ' slily clever,' ' artfully
knowing,' 'astute,' 'cunning.' See Note 91, Act iv., "All's
Well."
33. Envy. 'Malice,' 'hatred.'
34. This shall 7>iake our purpose necessary. Here "make"
has been supposed to be a misprint for 'mark;' but we think
the phrase, as it stands, gives to be understood ' this shall
make our purpose seem necessary,' or ' this shall make our
purpose appear necessary.' The words "seem," used previously
in the same line, and "appearing" in the following line, lend
support to our interpretation, because Shakespeare often allows
a word that has just before been used, or a word that is just
afterwards used, to lend its effect of elliptical inclusion to an
immediately near sentence. See, among other instances, Note
33, Act v., " Richard III.," and Note 80, Act iv., " Coriolanus, "
35. And that zuere much he should. 'And that would be
much for him to do' — meaning to "take thought." Formerly
to " take thought " meant to ' give way to grief or anxiety,' to
* trouble oneself.'
* 36. There is no fear in him. 'There is nothing for us to fear
in him.' Many phrases in Shakespeare, where the word "fear"
occurs, are thus elliptically constructed (see Note 19, Act n.,
" Timon of Athens "), and it is in accordance with a common
English idiom, that " fear " is used for ' cause of fear.' Witness
the story told in one of the elder Mathews's Entertainments,
where the old lady, in a vessel with the sea running high,
says, "There's no fear, is there, captain?" and the reply is,
" Oh, dear, yes, ma'am ! plenty of fear, but no danger."
37. Count the clock. It has been pointed out that Shake-
speare has here committed an anachronism, as clocks and
watches were unknown to the Romans. They measured their
time by sun-dials and clepsydra; ; but a sun-dial would not have
served the poet's purpose in this night-scene, and a clepsydra
(which measured time by the flowing of water, somewhat on
the principle of sand in the hour-glass) would have been an
unknown instrument to the dramatist's audience. From the
free allusion to " clock " which we find in many of his plays —
even such plays as " Winter's Tale," " Comedy of Errors," and
" Cymbcline," where the supposed period of the action renders
the allusion in strictness an anachronism — we think Shakespeare
merely uses the word as an acknowledged and readily under-
stood time-measurer, which was what his object required.
Which so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him ;
For he can do no more than Caesar's arm
When Caesar's head is off.
Cas. Yet I fear him;
For in the ingrafted love he bears to Caesar, — ■
Bru. Alas! good Cassius, do not think of
him :
If he love Caesar, all that he can do
Is to himself, — take thought, and die for Caesar :
And that were much he should ;35 for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.
Treb. There is no fear in him;36 let him not
die ;
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.
[Clock strikes.
Bru. Peace ! count the clock.37
Cas. The clock hath stricken three.
Treb. 'Tis time to part.
Cas. But it is doubtful yet,
Whether Caesar will come forth to-day, or no ;3*
For he is superstitious grown of late ;
38. Whether Ceesar will come forth to-day, or no. The
word "to-day"' in this sentence shows that the period of the
action is now brought to the dawn of the day which is to
witness the deed that the conspirators have resolved to perform,
and it is interesting to trace the subtle dramatic art with which
Shakespeare, by his system of blended long time and short
time, has conducted the progress of days and hours from the
commencement of the play up to the present point. In the first
and second scene, the then actual time was the ides (or 13th) of
February. In the third scene, it was the night of that same
day, the commencement of the scene giving the effect of early
in the night, by the words, " Brought you Caesar home ?" and
the close of the scene bringing the time to "after midnight.''
In this same scene is artfully prepared the advance of time by
the casual introduction of the words, *' Comes Caesar to the
Capitol to-morrow?'' and, later on, by the sentence, "Ere day
we will awake him" [Brutus]. At the beginning of Act ii. we
find Brutus saying, " I cannot, by the progress of the stars,
give guess how near to day" which serves to link on the first
scene of this Act with the last scene of the previous Act, and
show that it is still the same night or earliest morning as then ;
while, at the same time, a little farther on, the advance of days
is emphatically marked by the inquiry as to the date of the
month, and the order to "look in the calendar." Then comes
the reading of the paper found in the window, the same
alluded to by Cassius, when he says in Act i., sc. 2, " I will
this night . . . . in at his windows throw .... writings," and
the mention of those which Brutus says "have been often
dropped where"' he has taken them up, and which are others
of the same kind with the one which Cassius, in Act i., sc. 3,
bids Cinna " lay in the praetor's chair," &c. By the little word
" often" see how Shakespeare conveys the impression of long
time, and how, as ingeniously, he produces that of short time,
when he now makes Trebonius observe, " 'Tis time to part,"
and immediately afterwards introduces the doubt as to "whether
Caesar will come forth to-day," which brings the dramatic time
to the very morning of the day for his death, — the ides (or 15th)
of March. How skilfully, how almost imperceptibly is the
month's interval contrived ! How wholly are we prevented from
feeling the improbability or difficulty of this lapse of time !
How smoothly and how naturally is it made to glide by, owing
to this skilfully invented system of time which Shakespeare
created. See Note 7, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice."
a78
Act II.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene i.
Quite from the main opinion he held once39
Of fantasy,40 of dreams, and ceremonies:41
It may be, these apparent4' prodigies,
The unaccustom'd terror43 of this night,
And the persuasion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.
Dec. Never fear that : if he be so resolv'd,
I can o'ersway him ; for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be betray' d with trees,
And bears with glasses,41 elephants with holes,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers :
But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He says he does, — being then most flattered.
Let me work ;
For I can give his humour the true bent,
And I will bring him to the Capitol.
Cas. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
Bru. By the eighth hour : is that the utter-
most ?
Ci/i. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard,45
Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey :
I wonder none of you have thought of him.
liru. Now, good Metellus, go along by him : 46
He loves me well, and I have given him reasons;4'
Send him but hither,-1"1 and I'll fashion him.
Cas. The morning comes upon us : we'll leave
you, Brutus : —
And, friends, disperse yourselves: but all remember
What you have said, and show yourselves true
Romans.
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily ;
39- Quite from the main opinion lie held once. Here
"from" is used in the sense of 'away from.' 'contrary to'
(see Note 75, Act i.); and "main" in the sense of 'strong,'
'forcible,' 'predominant.'
40. Fantasy. Here used for 'tricks of imagination,' 'fanciful
impressions.'
41. Ceremonies. Omens or signs deduced from sacrifices or
other ceremonial rites.
42. Apparent. ' Evident,' ' manifest.' See Note 26, Act iv.,
" King John."
43. Terror. Here used, as " fear " is in the passage referred
to in Note 36 of this Act, for that which causes terror.
44. T/tat unicorns may be betrayedwith trees, and bears, cW.
The idea that the unicorn might be overcome by means of its
striking its horn into a tree, is referred to in the passage dis-
cussed in Note 71, Act iv., "Timon of Athens." Bears were
supposed to hi captured by showing them a mirror, into which
they gazed, thus affording their hunters an opportunity of taking
the surer aim : and elephants were beguiled into pitfalls, by
placing food on hurdles lightly disposed over these cavities.
45. Doth bear Casar hard. 'Doth owe Cassar a grudge,'
' doth bear Csesar ill-will.' See Note 58, Act i.
46. Go along by him. ' Go. by the way of his house,' ' go
round by his house.'
47. He loves me well, and I have given him reasons. Here
'to love me' is elliptically understood after " reasons."
48. Send him but hither. ' Do but send him hither,' ' only
send him hither.' The "but" in the present sentence is used
transposedly, as in the sentence explained in Note 88, Act i.
We point this out because the word "but" in the previous
passage has been by some suspected of error, with the proposal
of changing it for ' best.'
Let not our looks put on our purposes ;49
But bear it5" as our Roman actors51 do,
With untir'd spirits and formal constancy :6i
And so, good morrow to you every one.
[Exeunt all except Brutus.
Boy! Lucius! — Fast asleep ? It is no matter ;
Enjoy the heavy honey-dew53 of slumber :
Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies,54
Which busy care draws in the brains of men ;
Therefore thou sleep'st so sound.
Enter Portia.
Por. Brutus, my lord !
Bru. Portia, what mean you ? wherefore rise
you now ?
It is not for your health thus to commit
Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.
Por. Nor for yours neither. You've ungently,
Brutus,
Stole from my bed : and yesternight, at supper,
You suddenly arose, and walk'd about,
Musing and sighing, with your arms across ;
And when I ask'd you what the matter was,
You star'd upon me with ungentle looks :
I urg'd you farther ; then you scratch' d your head,
And too impatiently stamp'd with your foot:
Yet I insisted, yet you answer'd not ;
But, with an angry wafture of your hand,
Gave sign for me to leave you : so I did ;
Fearing to strengthen that impatience
Which seem'd too much enkindled; and withal
Hoping it was but an effect of humour,55
49. Let not our looks put on our purposes. ' Let not our
looks wear our purposes written in them,' ' Let not our looks
betray our intentions.'
50. Bear it. Ail idiomatic expression, signifying ' conduct
yourselves,' ' demean yourselves ;' we have a similar idiom in
' carry it through.'
» 51. Our Roman actors. This reference to excellence in his-
trionic deportment will be recognised as the more appropriate,
when we remember that Roscius was then upon the stage :
Roscius, the admired and eulogised friend of Cicero, and arch-
exemplar of merit in acting.
52. Formal constancy. ' The constancy of exterior form and
aspect:* but the word "formal" here likewise includes the
sense of ' discreet,' ' well-regulated,' 'judicious.' See Note 102,
Act ii. , "Twelfth Night:" and also the manner in which the
word is used in that passage in "Second Part Henry IV.,"
Act v., sc. 2 — " And flow henceforth \n formal majesty."
53. The heavy honey-dew. The Folio prints this with these
errors of transposition and mishyphening : ' the honey-heauy-
dew.' "Honey-dew" is a sweet substance found upon the
leaves of plants, and would be familiarly known to the country-
born lad in his strolls through his native Warwickshire lanes
while his poet-truth would naturally avail itself of this know-
ledge, and would never have allowed him to form such an
epithet as ' honey-heavy.'
54. No figures nor 110 fantasies. ' No visionary images or
impressions of the fancy.' See Note 40 of the present Act.
55. Hoping it was but . ... it will net let you .... and.
could it "work so much upon your shape, as it hath. cVr\ Here
" it "—in Shakespeare's mode of using this w.ir.l with reference 10
an implied particular— refers to that which ailed Brutus, implied
in Portia's words, " when I ask'd you what the matter was."
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I .
Which sometime hath his hour with every man.
It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep ;
A ml, could it work so much upon your shape,
As it hath much prevail' d on your condition,56
1 should not know you, Brutus. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
Bru. I am not well in health, and that is all.
Por. Brutus is wise, and, were he not in
health,
He would embrace the means to come by it.
Bru. Why, so I do: — good Portia, go to
bed.
Por. Is Brutus sick, — and is it physical57
To walk unbrace I, and suck up the humours
Of the dank morning ? What ! is Brutus sick, —
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,
To dare the vile contagion of the night,
And tempt the rheumy58 and unpurge 1 air
To add unto his sickness ? No, my Brutus ;
You have some sick offence59 within your mind,
Which, by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of: and, upon my knees,
I charm you,60 by my once commended beauty,
By all your vows of love, and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, yourself, your half,
Why you are heavy; and what men to-night
Have had resort to you, — for here have been
Some six or seven, who did hide their faces
Even from darkness.
Bru. Kneel not, gentle Portia.
Por. I should not need, if you were gentle
Brutus.
Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
Is it excepted I should know no secrets
That appertain to you? Am I yourself
But, as it were, in sort or limitation,61 —
To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
And talk to you sometimes:'' Dwell I but in the
suburbs
56. Condition. Here used for ' state of mind,' ' temper,'
4 disposition.'
57. Physical. ' Medicinal,' ' wholesome,' ' salutary.' Shake-
speare employs it in the same sense in the only other passage
where he uses this word. In ' ' Coriolanus," Act l. , sc. 5, Marcius
says, " The blood I drop is rather physical than dangerous
to me,"
58. Rlieumy. 'Moist.'
59. Sick offence. 'Offensive thought causing mental sick-
ness,''offending matter of consideration that occasions mental
illness.' " Sick" is here one of Shakespeare's elliptically used
epithets.
60. I charm you. ' I conjure you,' ' I adjure you ; ' with the
effect of invocation. Shakespeare uses the verb " charm "
elsewhere to express control or influence, as by a spell (see
Notes 53, Act i., and 47, Act iv., "Taming of the Shrew");
and though it is generally, as in those two instances, with a
view to impose silence, yet here it is for the purpose of evoking
speech.
61. In sort or limitation. ' In a restricted sense or limited
degree.' We still say ' in a sort.' and ' in some sort.'
62. The ruddy drops that visit my sad heart. It has been
Of your good pleasure ? If it be no mure,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.
Bru. You are my true and honourable wife ;
As dear to me as are the ruddy drops
That visit my sad heart.62
Por. If this were true, then should I know this
secret.
I grant I am a woman ; but withal
A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife :
I grant I am a woman ; but withal
A woman well reputed, — Cato's daughter.
Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so tather'd and so husbanded r63
Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose them :
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound61
Here, in the thigh : can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets ?
Bru. Oh, ye gods,
Render me worthy of this noble wife !
[Knocking -a: it bin.
Hark, hark '. one knocks: Portia, go in awhile;
And by-and-by thy bosom shall partake
The secrets of my heart :
All my engagements I will construe to thee,
All the character)' of my sad brows :05 —
Leave me with haste. [Exit Portia.] — Lucius,
who's that knocks ?
Re-enter Lucius icith Ligarius.
Luc. Here is a sick man that would speak with
you.
Bru. [Aside.'] Cuius Ligarius, that Metellus
spake of. —
Boy, stand aside. [Exit Lucius.] — Caius Liga-
rius,— how !
Lig. Vouchsafe66 good morrow from a feeble
tongue.
Bit. Oh, what a time have you chose out,
brave Caius,
said that in these glowing words Shakespeare has anticipated
Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood, which was
made in 1628. The poet's intuition taught him many sei I
Nature as yet unpromulgated by science to the world, its well as
many of those known only to adepts in their several particular
branches of science (see Note 109, Act iv., " Love's Labour's
Lost") ; and that he had intuitive perception on the subject of
the blood's course through the body, witness not only the present
passage, but also that gloriously expressive one in " Measure
for Measure," Act ii., sc. 4, where Angelo exclaims, "Oh,
heavens ! why does my blood thus muster to my heart ? " &c.
63. So fatlter'd and so husbanded. Another instance of
Shakespeare's potential mode of forming an effective participle
from a noun. See Note 34, Act ii., " Henry A' 1 1 1."
64. Givii r myself a voluntary wound. This incident is
recorded in North's " Plutarch."
65. 1'hr . ha>\ictery of my sad bro-.vs. 'That which i
in visible characters upon my saddened countenance.' See
Note 16, Act v.. " Merry Wives."
66. Vouchsafe. Here, as frequently by Shakespeare, used
elliptically. to express 'vouchsafe t<» accept,' <>r 'vouchsafe to
receive.' See Note 43, Act i., " Timon o( Athens."
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
To wear a kerchief!67 Would you were not sick !
Lig. I am not sick, if Brutus have in hand
Any exploit worthy the name of honour.
Bru. Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,
Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.
Lig. By all the gods that Romans bow before,
I here discard my sickness! Soul of Rome !
Brave son, deriv'd from honourable loins !
Thou, like an exorcist, hast conjur'd up63
My mortified spirit. Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible;
Yea, get the better of them. What's to do ?
Bru. A piece of work that will make sick men
whole.
Lig. But are not some whole that we must
make sick ?
Bru. That must be also. What it is, my Caius,
I shall unfold to thee, as we are going
To whom it must be done.09
Lig. Set on your foot ;
And, with a heart new fir"d, I follow you,
To do I know not what : but it sufficeth
That Brutus leads me on.
Bru. Follow me, then. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Rome. A Hill in Cesar's
Palace.
Thunder and Lightning. Enter. Cjesar, in his
nighi-goivn.
Cits. Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace
to-night :
67. To wear a kerchief. " Kerchief" is a corruption of
'cover-chief;' "chief," from the French chef, meaning head.
In the three instances where Shakespeare uses " kerchief" he
employs it as a covering for the head ; although the word sub-
sequently became applied to a piece of covering for other
portions of the person. As evidence that in Shakespeare's time
it was the custom for sick persons to keep their heads covered,
see passage adverted to in Note 16, Act i., " Second Part
Henry IV.," and also a sentence from Fuller's "Worthies of
Cheshire" — " If any there be sick, they make him a posset and
tye a kerchief on his head ; and if that will not mend him, then
God be merciful to him."
68. Like an exorcist, hast conjur'd up, &°c. Here again
Shakespeare uses "exorcist" to signify one who raises spirits,
not one who lays them. See Note 65, Act v., " All's Well."
69. A s we are going to whom it must be done. Elliptically
constructed : ' to those ' or ' to him ' being understood between
"going" and "to whom." The sentence is similarly formed
with the one pointed out in Note 57, Act i.
70. Success. Here used for ' what will follow,' ' what will
happen,' 'what will be the issue.' See Note 47, Act iv.,
" Second Part Henry IV."
71. The tilings that threaten d me, cW. 'Whatever things
have menaced me have never ventured to come otherwise than
skulkingly behind me : but when once they come face to face
with me, they will vanish into nothing.' No commentator has
hitherto remarked upon this passage ; but it appears to us to be
very peculiarly expressed, and to bear very distinctive marks of
Shakespeare's style. For instance, ob.erve how perfectly in
Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out,
" Help, ho ! they murder Caesar !" — Who's within ?
Enter a Servant.
Ser-v. My lord ?
Cars. Go bid the priests do present sacrifice,
And bring me their opinions of success.'0
Seri). I will, my lord.
Enter Calphurnia.
Cal. What mean you, Caesar? think you to
walk forth ?
You shall not stir out of your house to-day.
Cues. Caesar shall forth: the things that thieaten'd
me71
Ne'er look'd but on my back ; when they shall
see
The face of Cajsar, they are vanished.
Cal. Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,"2
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelped in the streets ;
And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their
dead ;
Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;73
The noise of battle hurtled74 in the air,
Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan ;75
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the
streets.
O Cesar, these things are beyond all use,70
And I do fear them !
his manner is the peculiar introduction of the words "shall"
and "are" in the last clause of the sentence; the "shall"
gives the effect of a supposed future confronting, while the
"are" gives the effect of an actual and effected annihilation.
For similar peculiarities of construction, see Note 61, Act ii-,
" Second Part Henry IV."
72. / never stood on ceremonies. ' I never attached mu :h
importance to ominous signs expounded through ceremonial
divinations and auguries.' See Note 41 of the present Act.
73 Warriors fight it/en the clouds .... which driy.zled
blood. Here "fight" has been objected to as inconsistent,
and has been changed to 'fought,' as according better with
"drizzled ;" but we have shown numerous instances of Shake-
speare's thus suddenly deviating into present tense while nar-
rating an event that has taken place. See, among many others,
Note 38, Act i., "Tempest ;" Note 37, Act v., " Winter's Tale ;"
Note 91, Act ii., "First Part Henry IV.;" Note 104, Act iv.,
" Henry V. ;" and Note 29, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida."
74. Hurtled. From the old French verb, lieurteler ; modern
French, heurter, ' to violently dash or knock against.' Shake-
speare uses "hurtling" in "As You Like It" (see Note 51,
Act iv. of that play) ; and here he employs "hurtled" to
express ' clashed,' ' sounded like combatants in violent struggle
or encounter."
75. Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan. The first
"did" in this line is misprinted 'do' in the first Folio; cor-
rected in the second.
76. Use. Here employed in the sense of 'usual event,'
' customary occurrence.'
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
Cars. What can be avoided
Whose end is purpos'd by the mighty gods ?
Yet Caesar shall go forth ; for these predic-
tions
Are to the world in general as to Caesar.
Cal. When beggars die, there are no comets
seen ;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of
princes.77
Cms. Cowards die many times before their
deaths !
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should
fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
Re-enter Servant.
What say the augurers?"8
Serf. They would not have you to stir forth
to-day.
Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,
They could not find a heart within the beast.'9
Cces. The gods do this in shame of cowardice :
Caesar should be a beast without a heart,
If he should stay at home to-day for fear.
No, Caesar shall not : danger knows full well
That Cesar is more dangerous than he :
We are two lions80 litter' d in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible :81—
And Cesar shall go forth.
Cal. Alas ! my lord,
Your wisdom is consum'd in confidence.
Do not go forth to-day : call it my fear
That keeps you in the house, and not your
own.
We'll send Mark Antony to the senate-house ;
And he shall say you are not well to-day :
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.
77. The death of princes. It was an old superstition that the
appearance of comets foretold the death of monarehs and the
overthrow of dynasties.
78. Augurers. This is the form of the word used by Shake-
speare twice in the present play, although its more strictly
correct form is" augurs,' when indicating the Roman sacerdotal
foretellers of events. He uses "augurer" (misprinted ' agurer'
in the Folio) in the same sense, at the commencement of Act ii.,
" Coriolanus ; " but he has "augurer" in its more legitimate
sense of one who augurs, any person who predicts a circum-
stance, in "Antony and Cleopatra," Act v., sc. 2. He employs
the word "augurs" (spelt 'augures' in the Folio) in "Mac-
beth," Act iii., sc. 4 ; but there it is probably used to express
'auguries.' Finally, we find "augurers" (given by the Folio
printer 'auguries' I in "Antony and Cleopatra," Act iv.. sc. 10:
meaning, as in the present play, the official personages called
augurs.
79. They could not find a heart within the beast. This
incident is recorded by Plutarch in the same passage as the one
that relates the ominous circumstances preceding the death
of Caesar, quoted in Note 66, Act i. ; and the manner in which
Cces. Mark Antony shall say I am not well ;
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.
Enter Decius.
Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.
Dec. Cassar, all hail ! good morrow, worthy
Caesar :
I come to fetch you to the senate-house.
Coes. And you are come in very happy time,
To bear my greeting to the senators,
And tell them that I will not come to-day :
Cannot, is false ; ami that I dare not, falser :
I will not come to-day, — tell them so, Decius.
Cal. Say he is sick.
Cces. Shall Caesar send a lie ?
Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afeard to tell greybeards the truth ?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.
Dec. Most mighty Ca:sar, let me know some
cause,
Lest I be Iaugh'd at when I tell them so.
Cass. The cause is in my will, — I will not
come ;
That is enough to satisfy the senate.
But, for your private satisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let you know, —
Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home :
She dreamt to-night she saw my statua,"2
Which, like a fountain with a hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood ; and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it :
And these do.'s she apply for warnings, and por-
tents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.
Dec. This dream is all amiss interpreted ;
It was a vision fair and fortunate :
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
the historian's narration is dividedly adopted, introducing cer-
tain points in an early scene, and another point in a later scene,
affords a specimen of the skill with which Shakespeare selected
and used historic material for dramatic purpose. See Note 1,
Act i., "Coriolanus."
80. IVe are two lions. The Folio misprints 'hcare' for
"are." Upton's correction.
81. Litter d in one day, and I the elder, cVc. Shakespeare
uses the word "elder" peculiarly, including in it the effect of
priority in rank, and even superiority generally, as well as its
strict sense of 'older.' See, for instance, the passage referred
to in Note 22, Act iv., " Merchant of Venii e," where " nmre
elder," besides meaning more advanced in years or in age,
includes the effect of ' more sage,' ' more experienced,' In the
present passage "the elder," intended to convey the impression
of 'the more potent,' 'the more mighty,' as well as ' the first
born,' helps to soften the apparent paradox of both being born
at the same period, yet one being older than the other. See
Note 66, Act iv., "Timon of Athens."
83. Statua, Spelt 'statue' in the Fulio. See Note 76, Act
iil., " Richard III."
(83
Calphurnia. O Csesar, the^e things are beyond all u»e,
And I do fear them •
Ctesar. What can be avoided
Whose end is purpos'd by the inightv go.K ;-
Act II. Scene II.
Act 1 1.1
JULIUS CESAR.
[SCLNE II.
*
Artemidonts. Here will I stand till Caesar pass along.
And as a suitor will I give him this. Act II. Scene III.
Reviving blood ;83 and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calphurnia's dream is signified.
Ctes. And this way have you well expounded it.
Dec. I have, when you have heard what I can
say :
And know it now, — the senate have concluded
To give, this day, a crown to mighty Caesar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
83. From you great Rome shall suck reviving blood. Here
Decius is carrying into effect the promise he made the con-
spirators in his speech referred to in Nnte 44 of the present
Act He is showing that he **can o'ersway him," that he
can insidiously flatter him, and that he " can give his humour
the true bent," He here figuratively infers that from Caesar's
rule Rome would derive new vigour and power as from a
vital fluid, and that the leading men of Rome would eagerly
seek to invest themselves with this power flowing from him,
as devotees embnie cloths and handkerchiefs in the blood of
martyrs for memorials of them. Decius artfully metapliorises
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a
mock
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say,
" Break up the senate till another time,
When Caesar's wife shall meet with better
dreams.'*
If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper,
" Lo, Caesar is afraid ': "
Pat don me, Cresar; for my dear, dear love
throughout the present passage, presenting to Caesar's mind
the prevailing idea of his greatness and influence, and turning
even apparently menacing images into significations ul d
tion and homage. Mr. Craik, in his admirable philological
commentary upon Julius Caesar, entitled, "The English of
Shakespeare," has some excellent remarks upon the pa 1
in question, but we think he scarcely enough perceives th 11
Decius speaks metaphorically ; and, far from
"blood," "tinctures," "stains," .hi! "relics," as the conse-
quence of Caesar's death, he uses them as presage I
grandeur in life.
=85
Act II.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scenes 111., IV.
To your proceeding bids me tell you this ;
And reason to my love is liable.84
C&s. How foolish do your fears seem now,
Calphurnia !
1 am ashamed I did yield to them. —
Give me my robe, for I will go : —
Enter Publius, Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus,
Casca, Trebonius, and Cinna.
And look where Publius is come to fetch me.
Pub. Good morrow, Caesar.
Cces. Welcome, Publius. —
What ! Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too ? —
Good morrow, Casca. — Cains Ligarius,
Caesar was ne'er so much your enemy
As that same ague which hath made you lean. —
What is't o'clock ?
Bru. Caesar, 'tis strucken eight.
Cas. I thank you for your pains and courtesy.
Enter Antony-.
See ! Antony, that revels long o' nights,
Is notwithstanding up. — Good morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to most noble Caesar.
&es. Bid them prepare within : —
I am to blame to be thus waited for. —
Now, Cinna: — now, Metellus: — what, Trebonius !
I have an hour's talk in store for you ;
Remember that you call on me to-day :
Be near me, that I may remember you.
Treb. Caesar, I will : — [Aside.] And so near will
I he,
That your best friends shall wish I had been farther.
Cces. Good friends, go in, and taste some wine
with me ;
And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
Bru. [Aside.] That every like is not the same,85
O Caesar,
The heart of Brutus yearns86 to think upon !
[Exeunt,
SCSNE III.— Rome. A Street near the Capitol.
Enter Artemidorus, reading a paper.
Art. Caesar, beware of Brutus ; take heed of Cassius ; come
not near Casca ; have an eye to Cinna : trust not Trebonius :
84. Reason to my love is liable. ' My discretion is sub-
ordinate to my attachment.'
85. Every like is not the same. A proverbial expression,
signifying, ' Everything that seems like another is not always
the same as that other.' Brutus says this in allusion to Cesar's
having said, "We. like friends, will," &c.
86. Yearns. 'Grieves,' 'mourns.' See Note 65, Act iv.,
" Henry V."
87. Security p~iz>es way to conspiracy. ' Feeling too secure
opens the way to conspiracy,' ' over-confidence affords scope for
cnii^jirai:y
83. Thy lover. 'Thy well-wisher.' 'thy admirer.' 'thy
friend,' equivalent to * one who loves thee.' In Shakespeare's
mark well Metellus Cimber ; Decius Brutus loves thee not ;
thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in
all these men, and it is bent against Caesar. If thou beest not
immortal, look about you : security gives way to conspiracy.87
The mighty gods defend thee ! Thy lover,88
ARTEMIDORUS.
Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.89
If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayst live ;
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.90
[Exit.
SCENE IV. — Rome. Another part of the same
Street, before the house oj Brutus.
Enter Portia and Lucius.
Por. I pr'ythee, boy, run to the senate-
house ;
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone :
Why dost thou stay ?
Luc. To know my errand, madam.
Por. I would have had thee there, and here
again,
Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do
there. —
Oh, constancy,9' be strong upon my side,
Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and
tongue !
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.
How hard it is for women to keep counsel ! —
Art thou here yet ?
Luc. Madam, what should I do ?
Run to the Capitol, and nothing else ?
And so return to you, and nothing else ?
Por. Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look
well,
For he went sickly forth : and take good note
What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.
Hark, boy ! what noise is that?
Luc. I hear none, madam.
Por. Pr'ythee, listen well :
I heard a bustling rumour,92 like a fray,
And the wind brings it from the Capitol.
Luc. Sooth, madam, I hear nothing.
time the term was used by men to each other as well as
between men and women. See Note 60, Act iii., "Troilus and
Cressida."
89. Out of the teeth of emulation. ' Free from the attacks
of envious opposition.' See Note 56, Act ii., "Troilus and
Cressida."
90 Contrive. 'Plot,' 'conspire.' See Note 29, Act iv.,
"All's Well."
91. Constancy Here used in the sense of ' firmness,' 'stead-
fislness '
92. Rumour. In the present instance used by Shakespeare,
as the Italians use their word ro/uore, for 'noise,' 'uproar,'
' tumultuous sound.'
Act i i I.J
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene I.
Enter Artemidorus.93
Art. None that I know will be, much that 1
fear may chance.
Por. Come hither, fellow :
Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow :
Which way hast thou been ?
The throng that follows C Cesar at the heels.
Art. At mine own house, good lady.
Of senators, of praetors, common suitors,
Por. What is 't o"clock ?
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death :
Art. About the ninth hour, lady.
Por. Is Caesar yet gone to the Capitol ?
Art. Madam, not yet : I go to take my stand,
To see him pass on to the Capitol.
I'll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Cassar as he comes along. [Exit.
Por. I must go in. — Ah! me, how weak a
thing
Por. Thou hast some suit to Cassar, hast thou
The heart of woman i> ! O Brutus,
not ?
Art. That I have, lady : if it will please
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise !
Sure, the boy heard me: — Brutus hath a suit
Csesar
To be so good to Csesar as to hear me,
I shall beseech him to befriend himself.
Por. Why, know'st thou any harm's intended
towards him ?
That Caesar will not grant.94 — Oh, I grow faint.—
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord ;
Say I am merry ;95 come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say lo thee.
[Exiunt severally.
ACT III.
SCENE I. — Rome. The Cap'*toli the Senate
sitting.
A crowd of People in the Street leading to the I
Capitol; among them Artemidorus and the \
Soothsayer, flourish. Enter Cjesar, Brutus,
Cassius, Casca, Decius, Metellus, Tre-
bonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Popilius,
Publius, and others.
Cies. The ides of March are come.1
93. Enter Artemulorus. In the Folio this stage-direction
is given thus: — 'Enter the Soothsayer;' but we agree with
Rowe and Tyrrwhitt in thinking that it is more likely Arte-
midorus should here be meant. Portia's words, " Thou hast
some suit to Caesar, hast thou not?" seem to refer to the paper
which Artemidorus has just been reading over in the previous
scene, and is probably still holding in his hand. His saying,
" I go to take my stand, to see him pass," &c, " Here the street
is narrow," and " I'll get me to a place more void," tally with
his having before said, "Here will I stand till Caesar pass
along," and yet immediately leaving the spot, as if he resolved
upon changing it for one better adapted to his purpose. A
passage in North's " Plutarch " explains the knowledge of the
enmity to Caesar manifested in the paper which Shakespeare
has made Artemidorus read over : — " And one Artemidorus also
borne in the isle of Gnidos, a doctor of Rhetorick in the Greeke
tongue, who by means of his profession was very familiar with
certaine of Brutus' confederates, and therefore knew the most
part of all their practices against Caesar, came and brought
him a little bill written with his owne hand of all that he meant
to tell him." But another passage, a little farther on, in North's
" Plutarch," serves to account for the uncertainty whether Arte-
midorus, or the soothsayer, or still another person, was intended
in the present scene by the dramatist : — " Howbeit other are of
opinion, that it was some man else that gave him that memorial,
and not Artemidorus;" and in a passage, occurring just pre-
Sooth. Ay, Caesar; but not gone.
Art. Hail, Caesar! read this schedule.
Dee, Trebonius doth desire you to o'er-read,
At your best leisure, this his humble suit.
Art. O Cicsar, read mine first ; for mine's a
suit
That touches Caesar nearer: read it, great Caesar.
Cars. What touches us ourselt shall be last
serv'd.2
Art. Delay not, Csesar; read it instantly.
viously in North's " Plutarch," there is mention made of "a
bondman, a stranger, who did what he could to speak e with
him" (Caesar. Therefore it is possible that here this third
individual was meant by Shakespeare to make his appearance,
so as to give the effect of the numerous and various warnings
that Caesar received: although theatrical necessity may have
required that the p?.rts of the soothsayer and the personage
who appears in the present scene were (in stage technical
phrase) "doubled," or performed by the same actor; and thus
have led to the Folio printer's giving " Enter the Soothsayer."
94. Brutus hath a suit that C&sar will not grant. Portia
says this to Lucius by way of explaining her evident anxiety and
agitation, and of giving a colour to her aspiration that the
heavens would favour her husband in his "enterprise;" which
aspiration she fears the boy may have overheard
95. Say I am merry. Here, as elsewhere. Shakespeare uses
the word "merry" to signify 'cheerful.' So, in "Romeo and
Juliet," Act iv., sc. 2 — "See, where she comes from shrift with
merry look."
1. T/f tries of March are come. In allusion to the sooth-
sayer's words referred to in Note 19, Act i. Both the |
warning and the allusion to it on the present occa-
recorded by Plutarch.
2. What touches us ourself shall be last strtfd. Mr. Collier's
MS. corrector alters this to— 'That touches usl ' >ui elf shall
287
Act I II. J
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I.
Cas. What ! is the fellow mad ?
Pub. Sirrah, give place.
Cas. What ! urge you your petitions in -the
street ?
Come to the Capitol.3
C&sar enters the Capitol, the rest follouLing.4
All the Senators rise.
Pop. I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive.
Cas. What enterprise, Popilius ?
Pop. Fare you well.
[Advances to C^SAR.
Bru. What said Popilius Lena?
Cas. He wish'd to-day our enterprise might
thrive.
I fear our purpose is discovered.
Bru. Look, how he makes to Caesar : maik
him.
Cas. Casca, be sudden, for we fear pre-
vention.—
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
be last serv'd ; ' an alteration which is adopted by Mr. Craik,
who remarks, "To serve, or attend to, a person is a familiar
form of expression ; to speak of a thing as serv'd, in the sensi
of attended to, would, it is apprehended, be unexampled." Yet,
in "As You Like It," Act ii., sc 7, Orlando says, "Nor shall
not, till necessity be serv'd ; " where " serv'd," though meaning
' ministered to,' ' serv'd with food,' also includes the meaning of
'attended to.' We think that the sentence in question bears the
meaning, 'That which concerns our own person shall be last
attended to ;' " what " being used either for ' that which' (see
Note 12, Act iv., "Timon of Athens"), or for ' whatever ' (see
Note 25, Act iii., " Coriolanus"). ,
3. Come to the Capitol. Shakespeare not only in the present
play makes the Capitol the scene of Caesar's assassination, but
also in two passages in other plays alluding to the event. It is
probable, therefore, that there was some popular belief as to
this being the spot where Julius was killed ; although, in fact,
it was the curia, or council-house, built by Pompey and given
by him, together with his famous theatre which adjoined the
edifice, to the people of Rome. In this curia, where the senate
then assembled, stood the statue of Pompey ; to which Shake-
speare makes allusion in the present and the next scene (see
Notes 23 and 74 of this Act). He has also a reference to
" Pompey's Theatre" and " Pompey 's Porch" — which latter
was a portico that surrounded it — towards the clo^e of the first
Act ; therefore it seems as if the dramatist were perfectly awa e
of these particulars, although he chose to lay the scene of the
catastrophe in the Capitol, as the generally received and under-
stood place where it occurred.
4. CtPsar enters the Capitol, the rest, &>c. There is no stage
direction here in the Folio. It is demanded by the exigencies
of the scene ; which require that the outside and inside of the
Capitol should here be supposed to be both visible to the
audience during the progress of the representation. The words
"All the Senators rise" are in accordance with a sentence to
that effect in North's " Plutarch."
5. Cassius or Ctesar never shall turn hack. Malone proposed
to change "or" here to ' on ; ' and his change has been adopted
by two of the carefullest modern commentators — Mr. Craik
and Mr. Hunter on the assumption that "turnback" cannot
be taken in the sense of 'return home,' 'return alive,* or * return'
in any way. But see how Shakespeare uses the expression
" turn back " in the following instances : — " Gentle my lord, turn
back," " Measure for Measure," Act ii. , sc. 2 ; "Turn thee back,
and tell thy king," &c, "Henry V.," Act iii., sc. 6; "We
turn not back the silks," &c, " Troilus and Cressida," Act ii.,
Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back,5
b or 1 will slay myself.
Bru. Cassius, be constant:6
Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes;
1-or, look, he smiles, and Caesar doth not change.
Cas. Lrebonius knows his time ; for, look >ou,
Brutus,
He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
[Exeunt Antony and Trebonius. C^sar
ami the Senator:, take their seats.
Dec. Where is Metellus Cirnber? Let him go,
And presently prefer his suit to Cce-ar.
Bru. He is address'd:7 press near and second
him.
Cin. Casca, you are the first that rears your
hand.8
Casca. Are we all ready ?9
Cas, What is now amiss
That Caesar and his senate must redress ?
Met. Most high, mo^t mighty, and most
puissant Caesar,
sc. 2; "Turn back, dull earth, and find," &c, "Romeo and
Juliet," Act ii., sc. 1. Moreover, we think that the passage in
Plutarch's " Life of Marcus Brutus" — describing the incident 01
Popilius Lena's passing hint to the conspirators respecting their
projected "enterprise," his proceeding to address Caesar, and
their dread that this portended a discovery of their purpose —
concludes with words that favour the retention of the Folio word
" or," and go far to show that " turn back" here means ' return.'
.In North's translation the words run thus: — "They [the con-
spirators] were affraid euerie man of them ; and one looking in
another's face, it was easie to see that they were all of a minde,
that it was no tarrying for them till they were apprehended, but
rather that they should kil themselves with their own hands.
And when Cassius and certaine other clapped their hands on
their swords under their gownes to draw them, Brutus, marking
the countenance and gesture of Lcena, and considering," &c.
We think that the expression "no tarrying," here, was more
Hkely to suggest to Shakespeare the intention of giving the
effect of 'return' or *get away,' conveyed by the expression
" turn back," than that he should have meant to make Cassius
say he would never turn his back on Ca:sar. With this con-
viction, we interpret the sentence in question to signify, 'Either
I or Caesar shall never return from hence ;' ' Either I or he shall
never quit this place alive.'
6. Be constant. 'Be firm,' 'be selt-possessed.* Shakespeare
sometimes, as here and in the passage discussed in Note 52,
Act ii., uses "constant" and "constancy" in this sense. The
French use their word aplomb to express 'firmness,' 'steadi-
ness,' ' self-possession ; ' in the same way that Shakespeare
occasionally uses " constancy."
7. Address'd. 'Prepared,' 'ready.' See Note 70, Act iv.,
" Second Part Henry IV."
8. You are the Jirst that rears your hand. Here "rears"
is used instead of ' are to rear.' The sentence would be more
consistent with usual construction were it written ' You are the
first that rear your hand,' or * You are the first that rears his
hand ; ' but, as it stands, it is in accordance with an occasional
mode of construction used by Shakespeare. See Note 38, Act ii. (
"Winter's Tale."
9. Are we all ready? The Folio prints these words as
forming the commencement of Caesar's next speech. Ritson
suggested that they seemed rather to belong to Cinna than
to Caesar; and Mr. Collier's MS. corrector assigned them to
Casca. We adopt this arrangement, because they seem to
come with propriety from him in reply to China's saying,
" Casca, you are the first," &c.
Brutus. People, and senators, be not affrighted ;
Fly not ; stand still :— ambition's debt is paid.
Act 111. Scene I.
Metellns Cimber throws before thy seat
A humble heart— [Kneeling.
Co?!. I must prevent thee, Cimber.
These couchings10 and these lowly courtesies
Vlight fire the blood of ordinary men,
And turn pre-ordinance and first decree
Into the law of children." Be not fond,
To think that Cssar bears such rebel blood ,2
That will be thaw'd from the true quality
10 Couchings. Altered by Hanmer and others to ' crouch-
ings ;' but the original word is here used in accordance with the
sense which it bore in Shakespeare's time. He himself has —
" Henry V.," Act iv., sc. 2—" England shall couch down in
fear;" Chapman, in his translation of Homer's " Iliad." Book 13,
speaking of draught oxen, says, " All heads couch' d so close to
earth they plow the fallow with their horns :" and Huloet explains
the word thus — " Cowche, like a dogge : Procumbo, Prost^rno."
11. The /.ire 0/ children. The Folio prints 'lane' instead
of "law." Johnson made the correction, justly observing that
' lane and levwe in some manuscripts are not easily distinguished."
\v
I
mean, sweet
that which melteth fools ;
words,
Low-crooked court'sies,13 and base spaniel fawn-
ing.
Thy brother by decree is banished :
If thou dost bend, and pray, and fawn for him,
I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.
Know, Csesar doth not wrong; nor without cause
Will he be satisfied.11
The sentence means, ' And cause that which is pre-ordained
and decreed to be of no more stability and consequence than if
it were a regulation appointed by children.'
12. Be not fond, to think, cVc. ' Be not so weak as to think,
&c.' For instance of similar construction, see Note V t r 1
13. Low-crooked court'sies. ' Low-bent court'sies,' ' low-bent
salutations with the knee.' Shakespeare uses "crook" ("t
'bend' in a passage which illustrates the present expn
" Let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp : and crook the
pr-gnant hinges of the knee. &c ," " Hamlet." Act iii . sc. a.
14 Ctrsirr doth net wrong; nor viithffui cnuse will he be
VOL III.
7°i
Act III.]
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene I.
Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my
o w n ,
To sound more sweetly in great Caesar's ear
For the repealing of my banish'd brother?
Bru. I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery,
Caesar ;
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
Cas. What, Brutus!
Cas. Pardon, Caesar; Caesar, pardon :
As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Cas. I could be well mov'd, if I were as
you ;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move
me : lo
But I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks,
They are all fire, and every one doth shine ;
But there's but one in all doth hold his place :
So in the world, — 'tis furnish'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehen-
sive ; 16
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshak'd of motion : and that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this, —
That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so.
Cin. O Caesar, —
Cas. Hence ! wilt thou lift tip Olympus?
Dec. Great Cxsar, —
Cas. Doth not Brutus bootless kneel ?
satisfied. ' Csesar doth not commit injustice, nor without just
cause will he be satisfied.' We think that 'injustice' and
'justice' both being eUiptically conveyed in the present sen-
tence, probably caused Ben Jonson to mis-quote it as he twice
did ; once in his " Discoveries," where, speaking of Shakespeare,
he says, " Many times he fell into those things that could not
escape laughter," as when he said in the person of Csesar, one
speaking to him, ' Caisar, thou dost me wrong,' he replied,
' Caesar did never wrong but with just cause ;' and once ;n the
induction to " The Staple of News," where he makes Prologue
say, "Cry you mercy; you never did wrong but with just
cause" It is evident to our mind that Jonson quoted from
memory, having heard the play on the stage, and having
thought the phrase ran in the particular form which he gives
to it in both instances. It was most natural that to Jonson's
thinking the passage should statedly include the word "just;"
had he himself written it, not only would he never have
suffered "just" to be eUiptically understood, but he would
never have penned anything so concise and inclusive. Jon-
son's style, in its formal prolixity and elaboration, is the very
opposite to Shakespeare's terse, succinct, pointed, yet largely
comprehensive style. We think it is much more likely that
Jonson quoted inaccurately, biased by his own particular taste
and judgment in literary composition, and even by his own
particular conceit of superiority, which allowed him at the very
moment of professing hearty affection for Shakespeare, to say
such a ludicrously patronising and blindly judging tiling of him
as, " His wit was in his own power ; would the rule of it had
Casca. Speak, hands, for me!
[Casca stabs Caesar in the neck. Cjesau
catches bold oj his arm. He is then
stabbed by senjeral other Conspirators,
and last by Marcus Brutus.
Cas. Et in, Brute.'1' — Then fall, Caesar!
[Dies. The Senators and People retire
in conjusion.
Cin. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead ! —
Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.
Cas. Some to the common pulpits, and cry
out,
" Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!"
Bru. People, and senators, be not affrighted ;
Fly not ; stand still : — ambition's debt is paid.
Casca. Go to the pulpit, Brutus.
Dec. And Cassius too.
Bru. Where's Publiu-?
Cin. Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.
Met. Stand fast together, lest some friend of
Caesar's
Should chance —
Bru. Talk not of standing. — Publius, good
cheer;
There is no harm intended to your person,
Nor to no Roman else : ls so tell them, Publius.
Cas. And leave us, Publius; lest that the
people
Rushing on us, should do your age some mischief.
Bru. Do so : — and let no man abide this deed,10
But we the doers.
Re-enter Trebonius.
Cas. Where's Antony f
Tre. Fleti to his house amaz'd :-°
been so too ! " than that Shakespeare, as by some critics has
been supposed, altered the present phrase from its original
diction, in consequence of Jonson's having denounced it as it
then stood.
15. 1/ 1 could pray to move, prayers would move me. ' If I
could bring myself to supplicate for yielding in my favour, I
might be brought to yield to supplication.'
16. Appreliensive. ' Capable of comprehending,' ' possessed
of intelligence.' See Note 65, Act iv., "Second Part Henry
IV."
17. Et tu, finite? Latin: ' And thou also. Brutus?' There
seems to have been a popular tradition that these words were
uttered by Cassar when he saw his friend Brutus among his
assailants ; but it is believed that the only classical authority
for them is in Suetonius, who, in describing the scene, mentions
a Greek exclamation, equivalent to 'And thou, my son?' as
the one that burst from Csesar on this occasion.
1 3 Nor to ho Roman else. Instance of double negative.
See Note 46, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
19. Let no man ahidt this deed. Here " abide " signifies
'endure the consequence of,' 'incur the penalty of.' The word
is akin to "aby" see Note 51, Act iii., " Midsummer Night's
Dream ") ; but "abide," instead of meaning to ' pay dearly for,'
'to compensate for,' or 'purchase by suffering for,' means' to
stay for the result and suffer the consequences,' ' to stand by the
deed and endure its consequences-'
20. Ama^d. ' Bewildered,' ' confounded.' See Note 67,
Act iv. , " King John."
Act III.]
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene I.
Men, wives, ami children stare, cry out, and
run,
As it were doomsday.
But. Fates, we will know your pleasures : —
That we shall die, we know ; 'tis but the time,
And drawing days out, that men stand upon.-1
Casta. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of
life a"
Cuts off so many years of fearing death.
Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit :
So are we Caesar's friends, that have abridg'd
His time of fearing death. — Stoop, Romans,
stoop,
And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood
Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords:
Then walk we forth, even to the market-place,
And, waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Lot's all cry, "Peace, freedom, and liberty!"
Cas. Stoop, then, and wash. — How many age-
hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over
1 n states unborn and accents yet unknown !
Bru. How many times shall Csesar bleed in
sport,
That now on Pompev's basis lies along23
No worthier than the dust!
Cas. So oft as that shall he,
So often shall the knot of us be call'd
The men that gave their country liberty.
Dec. What! shall we forth ?
Cas. Ay, every man any :
Brutus shall lead ; and we will grace his heels
With the most boldest and best hearts24 of
Rome.
Bru. Soft! who comes here ?
Enter a Servant.
A friend of Antony's.
Serai. Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me
kneel ;
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fill down ;
And, being prostrate, thus he bade me say : —
21. Stand upon. An idiomatic expression, signifying 'are
anxious for,' ' attach importance to.' See Note 72, Act ii. of
this play.
22. Why, he iliat cuts off twenty years of life, &c. Pope,
and several other editors since his time, have exchanged the
Folio prefix which gives this speech to Casca for one that
assigns it to Cassius ; but the sentiment and blunt diction here
precisely accord with Casca's words in Acti., sc. 3: — "Every
bondman in his own hand bears the power to cancel his cap-
tiv.ty."
2}. Now on Fomoey's basis lies along. The Folio here mis-
prints ' lye ' for " lies ; " as in the last line but one, ' state ' for
" states." " On Pompey's basis " means ' at the base of Pompey's
statue.'
24 The most boldest and best hearts. Instance of double
superlative. See Note 4, Act iii. , " Second Part Henry IV."
25. Be resolvd. ' Be assured,' ' be relieved from perplexity,'
'have his uncertainty settled.' See Note 14, Act iii., "Third
Part Henry VI."
Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest ;
Caesar was mighty, bold, royal, and loving;
Say I love Brutus, and I honour him;
Say I fear'd Caesar, honour' d him, and lowl
him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
May safely come to him, and be resolv'd25
How Csesar hath deserv'd to lie in death,
Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
So well as Brutus living; but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus
Thorough the hazards of this untrod state36
With all true faith. So says my master An ton v.
Bru. Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
I never thought him worse.
Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
He shall be satisfied ; and, by my honour,
Depart untouch'd.
Serai. I'll fetch him presently. (Exit.
Bru. I know that we shall have him well to
friend.2''
Cas. 1 wish we may : but yet have I a mind
That tears him much ; and m) misgiving still
Falls shrewdly to the purpose.23
Bru. But here comes Antony.
Re-enter Antony.
Welcome, Mark Antony.
Ant. Oh, mighty Caesar ! dost thou lie so
low ?
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure? — Faie thee well. —
1 know not, gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank :-'9
If I myself, there is no hour so fit
As Caesar's death's hour ; nor no instrument
Of half that worth as those your swords, made
rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,30
Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and
smoke,
26. This itntrod state. ' This new and untried state of
things.' See Note 77, Act i.
27. To friend. An idiomatic phrase, signifying 'to be our
friend,' ' for friend.'
28. My misgiving still falls shrewdly to the purpose. 'My
misgiving always proves astutely apt in its drift.' We use the
idiom, " to the purpose" — in such a sentence as ' his speech was
very much to the purpose ' — in the same sense that the French
use their idiomatic expression, it piopos.
29. Rank. 'Aspiring' Note 15, Acti, " As You Like It,"
and Note So. Act i., "Troilus and Cressida," show how Shake-
speare uses "rank" and "rankness" to express 'rampant crouth.'
and 'high-reaching insolence,' or 'arrogance.' A pas
"Troilus and Cressida," Act i , sc. 3. demon Urates thi e linked
significations of the word blended by Sh ikes] 1 are in tl
epithet, as there employed by him — "The seeded pride, that
hath to this maturity blown up in rank Achilles, must,1 &i
30. If you bear me hart/ ' If you bear me ill-will,' ' if you
hold me in enmity.' See Note 45, A 1 ii.
Act III.]
JULIUS CiESAR.
[Scene I.
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,31
I shall not find myself1 so apt113 to die :
No place will please me so, no mean of" death,33
As here by Caesar, and by you cut otf,34
The choice and master spirits of this age.
Bra. O Antony, beg not your death of us.
Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
As, by our hands and this our present act,
You see we do; yet see you but our hands,
And this the bleeding business they have done:
Our hearts you see not,— I hey are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome
(As fire drives out fire, so pity pity)
Hath done this deed on Caesar. For your part,
To you our swords have leaden points, Mark
Antony ;
Our arms no strength of malice ;35 and our hearts,
Ot brothers' temper, do receive you in
With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
Cas. Your voice shall be as strong as any
man's
In the disposing of new dignities.
Bru. Only be patient till we have appeasM
The multitude, beside themselves with fear,31''
And then we will deliver you the cause,
Why I, that did love Csesar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.
Ant. I doubt not of your wisdom.
Let each man render me his bloody hand :
hirst, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you ; —
Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand ; —
Now, Decius Brutus, yours ; — now yours, Me-.
tellus; —
31. Livj a thousand years. ' If I live a thousand years.' A
similar form of ellipsis to the one pointed out in Note 12, Act iii.,
" Merchant of Venice."
32. Apt. Here used for 'ready,' 'thoroughly disposed,'
'willing;' as it is in the passage where Viola says ("Twelfth
.Night," Act v., sc. 1) : —
"And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly,
To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die."
33. No mean 0/ death. See Note 62, Act i., " Richard III,"
34. Here by Ca>sar, and by you cut off. Not only is the use
of the same word in a different sense in one sentence — "by,'' in
the sense of ' by the side of,' and " by " in the sense of ' through '
— now thought inadmissible, but the introduction of this kind of
play upon a word in a serious passage would at present be
deemed misplaced. But when Shakespeare wrote, the one was
held to be perfectly legitimate, and the other was in accordance
with a system of his explained in Note 69, Act i., " Richard III."
35. Our arms no strength of malice. The Folio misprints
' in* for " no" here. Capelt's correction.
36. The multitude, beside themselves with fear. " Beside
themselves" is .1 figurative idiom, like 'out of their wits,'
'bereft of their senses.' We still have the phrase 'not him-
self,' to express a person who is disordered in his intellects.
The Italians use fuor di se to express 'out of one's mind ;'
and Florio, in his Dictionary, explains fuor di se by the
words, "Out of his wits, besides hi/tti '■'■'
37. Conceit me, ' Conceive of inc.' See Note 91, Act i.
38. Deader. ' More intensely,' ' more deeply.' See Note 61 ,
Act i., " As You Like It."
[ Yours, Cinna ; — and, my valiant Casca, yours ;—
Though last, not least in love, yours, good Tre-
bonius.
Gentlemen all, — alas! what shall I say ?
My credit now stands on such slippery ground,
That one of" two bad ways you must conceit
me,37
Either a coward or a flatterer. —
That I did love thee, Caesar, oh, 'tis true:
If, then, thy spirit look upon us now,
Shall it not grieve thee dearer38 than thy death,
To see thy Antony making his peace,
Shaking the bloo.ly fingers of* thy foes,
Most noble ! in the presence of thy corse ?
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
It would become me better than to close
In terms of friendship with thine enemies.
Pardon me, Julius ! — Here wast thou bay'd, brave
hart ;
Here didst thou fall ; and here thy hunters
stand,
Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe.39—
Oh, world, thou wast the forest to this hart;
And this, indeed, oh, world, the heart of thee. —
How like a deer, stricken by many princes,
Dost thou here lie !
Cas. Mark Antony, —
Ant. Pardon me, Caius Cassius:
The entmies of Ca?sar shall say this ;40
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.41
dts. I blame you not for praising Caesar so;
But what compact mean you to have with us?
39. Lethe. Fioin the Latin, lethnm, death. Nares affirms
that when the word is used in this sense, as thus derived, it is
pronounced as a monosyllable ; but when it is used for the
waters of oblivion (see Note 12, Act iv. , "Twelfth Night"),
it is pronounced as a dissyllable. Capell says that it is a term
used by hunters to signify the blood shed by a deer at its fall,
with which it is the custom to mark those who come in at the
death ; and the allusion in the present passage has evident
reference to that custom. See Note 44, Act ii., " King John."
" Life " has been employed by writers of Shakespeare's time to
signify ' life-blood :' and therefore here " lethe," a classical term
for ' death,' is probably employed to signify 'death-blood ;* and,
inasmuch as it may be taken to indirectly involve the idea of
the river of oblivion, it also expresses 'death-stream,' or 'death-
flood.' Shakespeare, in his largely inclusive style and abundant
luxuriance of imagery, not unfrequently allows himself thus to
blend varied allusion in one comprehensive word, to an extent
that puzzles those who have not sufficiently penetrated the prin-
ciple of this his peculiarity. For instance, Pope, not enough
taking into consideration this practice of Shakespeare's, altered
"lethe" here for 'death;1 which loses the included effect of
' stream,1 ' flood, ' or ' blood,' so needful to the sense and poetry
of the passage, and which the original word, to our thinking, so
admirably comprises. See Note 2, Act iv. , "Henry V.," and
Note 13. Act i., " Timon of Athens."
40. The enemies of Ccesar shall say this. "This" is her.:
used elliptically for ' as much as this,' or ' this much.'
41 Modesty. Here, as elsewhere, us-'d in the sense of
'moderation,' 'reticence,' 'forbearance.' See Note 47, Act v.,
" Henry VIII. "
Act III.]
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene I.
Will you be prick'd in number42 of our friends;
Or shall we on, and not depend on you ?
Ant. Therefore I took your hands; but was,
indeed,
Svvay'd from the rtbint, by looking down on
Caesar.
Friends ami with you all,43 and love you all ;
Upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.
Btu. Or else were this a savage spectacle :
Our reasons are so full of good regard,
That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar,
You should be satisfied.
Ant. That's all I seek :
And am moreover suitor that I may
Produce his body to the market-place ;**
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.46
Biu. You shall, Mark Antony.
Cas. Brutus, a word with you. —
[Aside to Bru.] You know not what you do: do
not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral :
Know you how much the people may be mov'd
By that which he will utter ?
Bru. [Aside to Cas.] By your pardon ; —
I will myself into the pulpit first,
And show the reason of our Caesar's death:
What Antony shall speak, I will protest
He speaks by leave and by permission ;
And that we are contented Caesar shall
Have all true rites46 and lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
Cas. [Aside to Bru.] I know not what may-
fall ;4? I like it not.
Bru. Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar's
body.
42. Prick'd in number. ' Marked down among the number."
See Note 33, Act iii., " Second Part Henry IV."
43. Friends am 1 with you all. " Friends," thus used in the
plural, is an idiomatic form still in use ; were the word changed
to 'friend.' that it might grammatically accord with "I," the
phrase would lose the effect it conveys of 'we are friends,'
' you and I will be friends.'
44. Produce his body to tlte market-place. "To" was some-
times used for ' in' by Shakespeare (see Note 6, Act iii , " l'ust
Part Henry IV.") ; and in the present passage, by using the
word "to," the effect is given of 'produce his body to the
populace in the market-place;' because "to produce to" is
generally used with regard to persons, not things or places.
45. Speak in the order of /lis funeral. 'Speak in the ap-
pointed course of his funeral.' "Order" is here used for
1 pre-arranged ceremonial,' or ' appointed course.'
46. True rites. Pope changed " true " to ' due ' here ; but,
in this passage, "true " is used to express ' rightful,' 'just.'
47. Fall. Here used for ' be.'all ; ' ' fall out,' in the sense of
' happen.'
48. Tlte tide of times. -The now of time ;' ' the course of ages.'
49. A curse shall light upon the limbs of men. The word
" limbs " in the present line has been suspected of error ; and
various substitutions have been proposed. The original word,
however, far from giving an unusual form of anathema, rather
You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Caesar;
And say you do 't by our permission ;
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral : and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.
Ant. Be it so ;
I do desire no more.
Bru. Prepare the body, then, and follow us.
[Exeunt all except Antony.
Ant. Oh, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of
earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these 'butchers !
Thou art the ruins of the noblest )nan
That ever live! in the title of times.43
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood !
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy, —
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue, —
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men ;49
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy ;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when thev behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war ;
All pity chok'd with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate50 by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry "Havoc,"51 and let slip the dogs of war;53
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Enter a Servant.
You serve Octavius Caesar, do you not ?
corresponds with a very common one ; ' my eyes and limbs ! '
being a sailor's ordinary .oath or exclamation. There is a
marked link of consistency between " the limbs of men" and
" woe to the hand tor ' hands,' as some have plausibly supposed
it may be) that shed this costly blood ; " while there is also
analogy between "limbs" and "their infants quarter'd wall
the hands of war." It appears to us that the "curse" being
invoked upon the "limbs of men," shows that the ancient
sacrificial offerings offered up to the manes of a murdered person
are here referred to ; and that the spirit of Ctcsar is to be
appeased by the heap of " carrion men" which will result from
the civil wars consequent upon the recent deed.
50. Ate". The goddess of strife and discord. See Note 10,
Act ii , " King John."
51. " Havoc." See Note 3S, Act iii." Coriolanus."
52 Let slip the dogs of war, ' To " let slip " a dog.' was a
hunting technicality, signifying to free it from the straps of
leather (called "slips;" see Note 17, Act iii., " Henrv V.")
which held it till the moment for pursuit. By "the dogs of
war," in the present passage, Shakespeare most probably makes
figurative allusion to the same image that he has in the chorus
to " Henry V.," Act i. : —
"... At his heels,
Leash'd-in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire.
Crouch for employment."
Act III.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene II.
Serx>. I do, Mark Antony.
Ant. Caesar did write for him to come to
Rome.53
Serm. He did receive his letters, and is coining ;
And bid me say to you by word of mouth, —
[Seeing the body.
O Cajsar !—
Ant. Thy heart is nig, get thee apart and ween.
Passion, I see, is catching; for mine eyes,54
Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy master coining ?
Serv. He lies to-night within seven leagues of
Rome.
Ant. Post back with speed, and tell him what
hath chane'd :
Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
No Rome of safety 55 for Octavius yet ;
Hie hence, and tell him so. Yet, stay awhile;
Thou shalt not back till I have borne this
corse
Into the market-place: there shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men ;56
According to the which,57 thou shalt discnurse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand.
[Exeunt ivith Cesar's body.
SCENE II.— Rome. The Forum.
Enter Brutus and Cassius, and a throng of
Citizens.
Citizens. We will be satisfied ; let us be
satisfied.
Bru. Then follow me, and give me audience,
friends. —
Cassius, go you into the other street,
And part the numbers. —
Those that will hear me speak, let them stay
here ;
53 To come to Rome. Octavius was the son of Alia, Julius
Cxsar's niece ; and was adopted by the dictator. At the period
here denoted, Octavius was about nineteen years of age, and
was pursuing his studies at Apollonia, in Iliyricum.
54. Is catching-; for mine eyes. The first Fulio prints ' is
catching from mine eyes.' Corrected in the second Folio.
55. A'o Rome 0/ safety. There is here the same pronunciation
and play upon the word pointed out in Note 42, Act i. of the
present piay.
56. The cruel issne 0/ these bloody men. " Issue" is here
used for 'procedure,' 'act:' that which emanates from. Shake-
speare again uses the word in this sense, " Cymbeline," Act ii.,
sc. 1 : — "'Your issues, being foolish, do not derogate."
57. According to tlie which. In the present passage "which"
refers to " how the people take," not to " issue." For an instance
of similar construction, see Note 17. Act i., " Henry V."
58. Censure me. 'Judge me,' 'form your own opinion of
me.' See Note 15. Act i., " Two Gentlemen of Verona."
5a. cVot that I loved Ctesar less, hit lltat I loved Rome
Those that will follow Cassius, go with him ;
And public reasons shall be rendered
Of Ca=sar's death.
First Cit. I will hear Brutus speak.
Sec. Cit. I will hear Cassius; and compare
their reasons,
When severally we hear them rendered.
[Exit Cassius, itiith some of the Citizens.
Brutus goes into the rostrum.
Third Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended:
silence !
Bru. Be patient till the last.
Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my
cause ; and be silent, that you may hear : believe
ine for mine honour ; and have respect to
mine honour, that you may believe : censure
me5s in your wisdom ; and awake your senses
that you may the better judge. If tl ere be any in
this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar's, to him I
say, that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than
his. If, then, that friend demand whv Brutus
rose against Caesar, this is my answer, — Not that
I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more."
Had you rather Caesar were living, ami die all
slaves; than that Caesar were dead, to live all free
men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as
he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant,
I honour him : but, as he was ambitious, I slew
him: there is tears6" for his love; joy for his
fortune; honour for his valour ; and death for his
ambition. Who is here so base that- would be
a bondman ? If any, speak ; for him have I
offended. Who is here so rude that would not
be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I
offended. Who is here so vile that will not love
his country ? If any, speak ; for him have I
offended. I pause for a reply.
Citizens. None, Brutus, none.
Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done
no more to Caesar than you shall do to Brutus. SI
The question6'3 of his death is enrolled in the
Capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was
more. ' Not because I loved Caesar the less, although I
killed him ; but because I loved Rome even more than I loved
Caesar.
60. There is tears. Here "tears" i- used j. a co'Iective
noun : because by putting " is" instead of 'are ' before " tears,"
the verb is made to do multiplied duly in the sentence, giving
to be understood ' there is tears for his love ; ' there is joy for
his fortune; there is honour for his valour; and there u death
for his ambition.' This construction is in accordance with a
practice of Shakespeare's (see Note 23, Act iv., " Timon of
Athens"1 ; and thus " tears," "joy." " honour," and "death,"
are each individualised, and not, we ihink (as .Mr. Craik al
regarded as making one thing.
61. / have done no more to Ccrsar than yon shall do to
Brutus. That is, dealt with him as the welfare of his country
required.
62. Question. Here used for 'statement of the rea
' debated argument ; ' what in familiar and idiomatic parlance
would be expressed by ' the why and wherefore.'
Act III.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
worth)1; nor his offences enforced,03 for which he
suffered death. Here comes his body, mourned by
[Enter Antony and others, ivith Cesar's body.']
Mark Antony : who, though lie had no hand in
his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a
place in the commonvvealth ; as which of you shall
not? With this 1 depart, — that, as 1 slew my
best lover M for the good of Rome, I have the same
dagger for myself, when it shall please my country
to need my death.05
Citizens. Live, Brutus! live! live
First Cil. Bring him with triumph home unto
his house.
Sec. Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors.
Third Cit. Let him be Caesar.
Fourth Cit. Caesar's better parts
Shall be crown'd in Brutus. 66
First Cit. We'll bring him to his house with
shouts and clamours.
Bru. My countrymen, —
See. Cit. Peace, silence ! Brutus speaks.
First Cit. Peace, ho !
Bin. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony :
Do grace to Caesar's corse, and grace his speech
Tending to Caesar's glories; which Mark Antony,
By our permission, is allow'd to make.
1 <lo entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke. [Exit.
First Cit. Stay, ho! and let' us hear Mark
Antony.
Third Cit. Let him go up into the public
chair ;
We'll hear him. — Noble Antony, go up.
Ant. For Brutus' sake, I am beholden to you.
[Goes up.
Fourth Cit. What does he say of Brutus?
Third Cit. He says, for Brutus' sake,
He finds himself beholden to us all.
Fourth Cit. 'Twere best he speak no harm of
Brutus here.
First Cit. This Cae>ar was a tyrant.
Third Cit. Nay, that's certain :
We are bless'd thnt Rome is rid of him.
63. Enforced. Here used for ' exaggeratedly urged,' ' un-
fairly dwelt upon.' See Note 83, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
64. Lover. ' Friend.' See Note 88, Act ii.
65. To need my death. In these two speeches of address to
his countrymen from Brutus, Shakespeare has pursued the
characteristic hint respecting Brutus's style, which is found in
North's " Plutarch :" — "They do note in some of his Epistles,
that he counterfeited that brief compendious manner of speech
of the Lacedaemonians. As when the war was begun, he wrote
vnto the Pergamenians in this sort : — ' 1 vnderstand you haue
giuen Dolabella money : if you haue done it willingly, you
confesse you haue offended me : if against your wils, shew it
then by giuing me willingly.' Another time againe vnto the
Samians : ' Your councels be long, your doings be slow, consider
the end.' And in another Epistle he wrote vnto the Patareians :
Sec. Cit. Peace! let us hear what Antony can
sav.
Ant. You gentle Romans, —
Citizens. Peace, ho ! let us" hear him.
Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me
your ears ;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them ;
'I he good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious ;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault ;
And grievously hath Caesar answer' d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest
(For Brutus is an honourable man ;
So are they all, all honourable men),
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious ;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill :
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious ?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath
wept :
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious ;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse : was this ambition ?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious ;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, — not without cause :
What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for
him ?
Oh, judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason! — Bear with
me ;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
First Cit. Methinks there is much reason in his
sayings.
'The Xanthians despising my good will, haue made their countrey
a graue of despaire, and the Patareians that put tliemselues into
my protection, haue lost no iot of their liberty : and therefore
whitest you haue liberty, either chuse the iudgment of the
Patareians, or the fortune of the Xanthians. These were
Brutus maner of letters, which were honored for their brief-
nesse." The dramatist's purpose was also well served by here
giving to Brutus his peculiarly laconic diction, as it comes in
strikingly effective contrast with that of Mark Antony ; which
is polished, insinuative, florid, and ample.
66. Shall be crozvnd in Brutus. The defective foot in this
half line, as the dialogue is in verse here, has been variously
filled up by the insertion of a monosyllable between " shall " and
" be ; " Pope giving ' now,' and Mr. Staunton proposing either
' all ' or ' well. '
296
Act III.]
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene II.
Sec. Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Caesar lias had great wrong.
Third Cit. Has he, masters ?67
1 fear there will a worse come in his place.
Fourth Cit. Mark'd ye his words ? He would
not take the crown ;
Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.
First Cit. If it be found so, some will dear
abide it.68
Sec. Cit. Poor soul ! his eyes are red as fire with
weeping.
Third Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome
than Antony.
Fourth Cit. Now mark him, he begins again to
speak.
Ant. But yesterday the word of Caesar might
Have stood against the world : now lies he
there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.
Oh, masters, if I were dispos'd to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men :
I will not do them wrong ; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.*
But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesr.r, —
I found it in his closet, — 'tis his will :
Let but the commons hear this testament
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read),
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood ;c3
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it, as a rich legacy,
Unto their issue.
Fourth Cit. We'll hear the will: read it, Mark
Antony.
Citizens. The will, the will ! we will hear
Caesar's will.
Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must net
read it ;
It is not meet you know how Cesar lov'd you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but
men ;
And, being men, hearing the will of Ca?sar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad :
67. Has tie, masters ? Here also the defect in the metre
has been supplied ; Capell introducing 'my' before "masters,"
and Mr. Craik placing ' not' after ' he.'
68 Some will dear abide it. Sec Note 19 of the present Act.
69. Dif> their napkins in his sacred blood. " Napkins" is
here used for ' handkerchiefs.' Sec Note 46, Act iv., " As You
Like It." For a similar allusion with the one contained in the
present passage, see Note 83 of Act ii. in this play.
70. / have o'ersliot myself. ' I have gone beyond the mark
in whit I have said.' ' 1 have said more than I intended.'
71. The A'er-'ii. A numher of small tribes around the river
Scheldt ; whose territory afterwards became known as Belgium
The defeat to which Antony alludes formed one of Caisar's
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs ;
For, if you should, oh, what would come ot it !
Fourth Cit. Read the will ; we'll hear it,
Antony ;
You shall read us the will, — Caesar's will.
Ant. Will you be patient i will )ou stay
awhile ?
I have o'ershot myself"" to tell you of it :
I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar ; I do fear it.
Fourth Cit. They were traitors: honourable
men !
Citizens. The will ! the testament !
Sec. Cit. They were villains, murderers: the
will ! read the will.
Ant. You will compel me, then, to read the
will ?
Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend ? and will you give me leave ?
Citizens. Come down.
Sec. Cit. Descend. [Antony comes Jozin.
Third Cit. You shall have leave.
Fourth Cit. A ring; stand round.
First Cit. Stand from the hearse, stand from
the body.
Sec. Cit. Room for Antony, most noble
Antony.
Ant. Nay, press not so upon me ; stand far
off.
Citizens. Stand back ; room ; bear hack.
Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them
now.
You all do know this mantle : I remember
The first time ever Caesar put it on ;
'Twas on a summer'? evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii :"' —
Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through :
See what a rent the envious Casca made :
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd ;
And, as he pluck' d his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd or no ;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caes.tr'> angel :"-
Judge, oh, you gods, how dearly Caesar lov'd
him !
famous victories, and as such was peculiarly calculated to excite
the speaker's hearers into enthusiasm.
72. Casar's angel. It has been supposed that this expression
has allusion to a guardian spirit or angel; but it appears tons
to mean a man venerated and beloved by Cscsar as if he hr.d
been an angel. At the period when Shakespeare wrote, the
terms of aflectionate friendship between men were passionately
tender and exalted ; and that to a degree only used by men to
women in more modern times. See Note 71, Act iii , " Mer-
chant of Venice," and Note 98, Act iii., " Twelfth Night ; " and
also the passage in " Coriolanus," Act v., sc. 3, where Menenius
is spoken of by Coriolanus as one who " loved me above the
measure of a father , nay, godded me, indeed."
Act III.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
This was (he most unkindest cut73 of all ;
For when the noble Cassar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him : then burst his mighty
heart ;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Poihpey's statua/'
Which all the while ran blocd,'6 great Ctesar
fell.
Oh, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd'6 over us.
Oh, now you weep ; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint" of pity : these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what! weep you when you but behold
Our Cesar's vesture wounded ? Look vou here,
Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors.
First Cit. Oh, piteous spectacle !
See. Cit. Oh, noble Caesar !
Third Cit. Oh, ivoful day !
Fourth Cit. Oh, traitors, villains !
First Cit. Oh, most bloody sight !
Sec. Cit. We will be revenged : revenge, —
about, -seek, — burn,— fire,— kill, — slay,— let not a
traitor live !
Ant. Stay, countrymen.
First Cit. Peace there ; hear the noble Antony.
See. Cit. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll
die with him.
Ant. Good friends, sweet friends, let me not
stir \ou up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honour-
able ; — ■
What private griefs"3 they ha\e, alas! I know
not,
That made them do it; — thev are wise and
honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts :
I am no orator, as Brutus is ;
But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend; and that thev know full
well
That gave me public leave to speak of him :
For I have neither wit,'9 nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
Double superlative. See
of
73. The most unkindest cut.
Note 24 of this Act.
74. At the base of Pom/ey's sfatt/a. Here " statua
spelt by the Folio printer 'statue.' See Note 82, Act ii
this play.
75. Which all tlie -while ran blood. 'Which all the while was
streaming with the blood that flowed from Caesar's wounds.'
Shakespeare has adopted this image from North's " Plutarch:" —
"Against the base whereupon Pompcy's image stood, which
ran all of a goare blond."
76. Flourish'd. Here used for ' triumphed,' ' exalted ; ' in-
cluding the sense of ' prospered,' ' prevailed."
77. The dint. ' The impression,' ' the strong effect.'
To stir men's blood : I only speak right on ;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know ;
Show you sweet Csesar's wounds, poor poor dumb
mouths,
And bid them speak for me: but were 1 Brutus
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Caesar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
Citizens. We'll mutiny.
First Cit. We'll burn the hou-e of Brutus.
Third Cit. Away, then! come, seek the con-
spirators.
Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen ; yet hear me
speak.
Citizens. Peace, ho! hear Antony, most noble
Antony.
Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not
what.
Wherein hath Caesar thus deserv'd your loves ?
Alas! )ou know not,_I must tell you, then:—
You have forgot the will I told you of.
Citizens. Most true ;— the will :— let's stay and
hear the will.
Ant. Here is the will, and under Cesar's
seal : —
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.80
Sec. Cit. Most noble ,Ca;sar !— we'll revenge
his death.
Third Cit. Oh, royal Caesar !
Ant. Hear me with patience.
Citizens. Peace, ho!
Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever, — common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves. "'
Here was a Cajsar ! when comes such another ?
First Cit. Never, never. — Come, away, away I
We'll burn his body in the holy place,82
And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.
Sec. Cit. Go fetch fire.
Third Cit. Pluck down benches.
Fourth Cit. Pluck down forms, windows, any-
thing. [Exeunt Citizens teilb the body.
78. Private griefs. ' Personal grievances.' See Note 13,
Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
79. Wit. Printed ' writ ' in the first Folio ; corrected in the
second.
80. Drachmas. The drachma was worth four sesterces ;
about sevenpence. See Note 70, Act i., " Coriolanus."
81. Common pleasures, to ivalk abroad, and recreate your-
selves. ' Pleasures to be enjoyed by you all in common, where
you may walk abroad and recreate yourselves.' The construc-
tion is elliptical.
82. In the holy place. ' In consecrated ground.' The place
where a body was buried was held sacred by the Romans, but
not the place where it was burned.
Act III.]
JULIUS CAESAR.
[Scene III.
Octavius. Your brother loo must die ; consent you, Lepidus ?
Lepidus. I do consent. Act IV. Scene I.
Ant. Now let it work : — mischief, thou art
afoot,
Take thou what course thou wilt !
Enter a Servant.
How now, fellow !
Sew. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.
Ant. Where is he ?
Sew. He anil Lepidus are at Cajsar's house.
Ant. And thither will I straight to visit
him :
He comes upon a wish.83 Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us anything.
83. Fie comes upon a wish. An idiomatic form of 'he comes
immediately upon my wish,' ' he comes just as I have been
wishing for him.'
84. Things unlucky charge my fantasy. The Folio gives
'unluckily' for "unlucky" here. Warburton made the cor-
Srw. I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius
Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.
Ant. Belike they had some notice of the people,
How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius.
[Exeunt,
rection ; which appears to us to be probably right, because misfortune.'
3°°
SCENE III.— Rome. A Street.
Enter Cinna the Poet.
Cin. I dreamt to-night that I did feast with
Caesar,
And things unlucky charge my fantasy:84
the passage conveys the idea of superstitious impression,
akin to that implied in the passage referred to in Note 63,
Act ii., " Merchant of Venice," and because Steevens men-
tions that in an old black-letter treatise on fortune-telling
he found that " to dream of being at banquets betokenetll
Act I V.J
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I.
I have no will to wander forth of doors,
Yet something leads me forth.
Enter Citizens.
First Cit. What is your name ?
Sec. Cit. Whither aro you going ?
Third Cit. Where do you dwell?
Fourth Cit. Are you a married man or a
bachelor?
See. Cit. Answer every man directly.
First Cit. Ay, and briefly.
Fourth Cit. Ay, and wisely.
Third Cit. Ay, and truly, you were best.
Cin. What is my name ? Whither am I going?
Where do I dwell ? Am I a married man or a
bachelor ? Then, to answer every man directly
and briefly, wisely and truly : — Wisely I say, I am
a bachelor.
Sec. Cit. That's as much as to say, they are
fools that marry : — you'll bear me a bang for that,"'
I fear. Proceed ; directly.
Cin. Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral.
First Cit, As a friend or an enemy ?
Cin. As a friend.
See. Cit. That matter is answered directly.
Fourth Cit. For your dwelling, — briefly.
Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
Third Cit. Your name, sir, truly.
Cm. Truly, my name is China.
First Cit. Tear him to pieces; he's a con-
spirator.
Cin. I am Cinnathe poet, I am Cinna the poet.
Fourth Cit. Tear him for his bad verses, tear
him for his bad verses.
Cin. I am not Cinna the conspirator.
Fourth Cit. It is no matter, his name's Cinna ;
pluck but his name out of his heart, *G and turn him
going.
Third Cit. Tear him, tear him ! Come, brands,
ho! firebrands: to Brutus', to Cassius' ; burn all:
some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's ; some
to Ligarius' : away, go ! [Exeunt.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Rome. A Room in Antony's
House.
Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus, seated at a
table.
Ant. These many, then, shall die ; their names
are prick'd.1
Oct. Your brother too must die ; consent you,
Lepidus ?
Lep. I do consent, —
Oct. Prick him down, Antony.
Lep. Upon condition Publius shall not live,
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.2
Ant. He shall not live; look, with a spot I
doom him.
85. You'll bear me a bang for tltat. ' You'll have to bear a
bang for that.' The " me " is used idiomatically and exple-
tively. in the mode we have so often poi nted out. See Note 1
Act ii., " Timon of Athens."
86. Pluck but kis name out 0/ his heart. 'Do but pluck his
lame,' Ac. , ' only pluck his name,' &c. A similar transposition
of" but" to those pointed out in Note 48, Act ii.
1. Prick'd. Marked down for proscription. See Note 42,
Act iii.
2. Who is your sisters son, Mark Antony. Mr. Upton
demonstrated that the person here meant, according to history,
was not Publius, but Lucius Cxsar, the brother of Mark Antony's
mother : he therefore suggested that the true reading might
be, " You are his sister's son, Mark Antony." But it is more
But, Lepidus, go you to Cajsar's house;3
Ketch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
Lep. What I shall I find you here ?
Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol.
[Exit Lepidus.
Ant. This is a slight, unmeritable man,'
Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit,
The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it ?
Oct. So you thought him ;
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.
Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than
you :
probable, we think, that Shakespeare here, as he sometimes
does, in adopting passages from history, blended two persons
in one: since in Plutarch's " Life of Brutus" we find mention
of " Publius Sicilius, who shortly after was one of the proscripts
or outlawes appointed to be slaine."
3. Go you to Ciesar's house. This sentence and the one
a little farther on, "Or here, or at the Capitol," show that
Shakespeare intended to lay the present scene in R
although there is every probability that he had seen in North's
"Plutarch" that "all three met together (to wit. Caesar,
Antonius, and Lepidus) in an Hand enuironed round about
with a little riuer."
4. A slight, unmeritable man. 'An insignificant, unmeri-
torious man.' Words ending in "ve"and "IJc"aic occasionally
thus used by Shakespeare. Sec Note 29, Act ii.
Act IV.]
JULIUS C^SAR.
[Scene II.
Ami though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall hut bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Hither led or driven, as we point the way ;
And having brought our treasure where we
will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.
Oct. You may do your will :
But he 's a tried and valiant soldier.
Ant. So is my horse, Octavius ; and for that
I do appoint him store of provender:
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on, —
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste,5 is Lepidus but so ;
He must be taught, and train' d, and bid go
forth ;—
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations,
Which, out of use and stal'd by other men,6
Begin his fashion : do not talk of him,
But as a property.7 And now, Octavius,
Listen great things :s — Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers: we must straight make
head :
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd,
Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd
out ; u
And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclos'd,
And open perils surest answered.
Oct. Let us do so : for we are at the stake,
And bay'd about with many enemies,10
And some that smile have in their hearts, I
fear,
Millions ot mischiefs. [Exeunt.
5. In some taste. 'In some small degree.' A "taste" is
still familiarly used to express a slight specimen of anything.
6. On objects, arts, and imitations, which, &>c. ThU is the
reading of the Folio; excepting that there a lull stop is placed
after "imitations." The line has been variously altered by
various emendators : Theobald giving 'abject orts;' Staunton,
'abjects, orts;' and Becket, 'abject arts.' The objection we
make to all these alterations is, that they represent the par-
ticulars spoken of as being already stale ; whereas, it appears
to us that they are intended to be things originally available,
but now grown "out of use and stal'd by other men." We
think that the commencement of the difficulty found in this
passage was occasioned by Malone's note upon it : — "Objects,"
he says, " means, in Shakespeare's language, whatever is pre-
sented to the eye." Now, to our mind, by "objects" S.hake-
spcare here means ' objects of pursuit,' ' objects to be attained ; '
by "arts," 'artful practices,' 'dexterities in scheming;' and
by "imitations," such 'simulations of fairness and truth* as
Baconian statesmen hold to be eligible. That Lepidus is here
mentioned as one that affects political strategy and astute tricks
of diplomacy that are rejected, as worn out, by other men, but
adopted by him as something new and clever, we feel to be not
only shown in the present passage, but to be borne out by the
character of Lepidus as Shakespeare has admirably drawn it
in "Antony and Cleopatra."
7. As a property. 'As something to be held in subjection,
and treated as we please.' See Note 20, Act v., "King
John."
8. Listen great things. "Listen" is here, like some other
verbs by Shakespeare, used actively, in contradistinction to
modern usage. See Note 32, Act i.
9. Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd out.
SCENE IL— Before Brutus' Tent, in the Camp
near SARDIS.
Drum. Enter Brutus, Lik ilius, Lucius, and
Soldiers; Titinius and Pindarus meeting
them.
Bru. Stand, ho!
Luc'il. Give the word, ho ! and stand.
Bru. What now, Lucilius ! is Cassius near ?
Lucll. He is at hand ; and Pindarus is come
To do you salutation from his master.
[Pindarus gives a letter to Brutus.
Bru. He gleets me well. — Your master, Pin-
darus,
In his own change,11 or by ill officers,
Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done, undone : but, if he be at hand,
I shall be satisfied.
Pin. I do not doubt
But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.12
This is the reading of the second Folio ; the first Folio giving
the line thus imperfectly : — * Our best friends made, our meanes
stretcht.' We take occasion to remark that the present passage
affords illustration of the one discussed in Note 103, Act iv.,
" Second Part Henry IV., because in this passage the word
"made," and in the other the word "make" in connection
with "friends," shows that " to make friends" is not used
in these instances by Shakespeare exactly as we use the
term, expressing ' to form friends,' but rather expressing 'to
secure friends ; ' ' to make those already friendly into strong
adherents. '
10. Bay d about with many enemies. Shakespeare uses the
word "bay'd" with largely comprehensive meaning; he uses
it to express 'surrounded,' 'encompassed,* and 'brought to a
stand,' as when a stag is at bay ; to express ' embayed,'
'enclosed,' as when a ship is in a bay ; and to express ' baited
at,' ' barked at,' as a hunted animal, or one bound to a stake, in
bayed at by dogs. As he uses the word, it means ' beset closely
and persecutingly ; ' and even in one instance (see passage
referred to in Note 21, Act iv., "Midsummer Night's Dream")
it means ' chased and brought to bay.' In the previous passage
of the present play, " Here wast thou bay'd, brave hart" (see
passage referred to in Note 39, ActiiL), the word makes evident
allusion to a hunted deer ; in the present passage the image is
of a baited bear.
11. In his own change. ' In his own changed conduct,* 'in
his own change of conduct.'
12. Full 0/ regard and honour. Here "regard" is used fur
that which is worthy of regard ; according to a mode which
Shakespeare occasionally has of employing words in this man-
ner. See Note 18, Act iii., "All's Well;" Note 65, Act :.,
" Richard II. ; " and Note 36, Act ii. of the present play.
Act IV.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene III.
Bin. He is not douliteJ. — A word, Lucilius;
I low he receiv'd you, let me be resolv'd.
Lucil. With courtesy ami with respect enough ;
But not with such familiar instances,13
Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath us'd of old.
Hut. Thou hast describ'd
A hot friend cooling: ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforce I ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith :
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,"
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle ;
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on f
Lucil. They mean this night in Sardis to be
quarter'd ;
The greater part, the horse15 in general,
Are come with Cassius. [March 'within.
Bru. Hark ! he is arriv'd : —
March gently on to meet him.
Enter Cassius and Soldiers.
Cas. Stand, ho !
Bru. Stand, ho ! Speak the word along.
Within. Stand !
Within. Stand !
Within. Stand!
Cas. Most noble brother, you have done me
wrong.
Bin. Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine
enemies?
And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother ?
Cas. Brutus, this sober form of yours hides
wrongs ;
And when you do them —
Bru. Cassius, be content ;"
Speak your griefs softly, — I do know you well : —
13. Instances. ' Earnest enforcements,' ' pressing solicita-
tions.' 'Instancy,' meaning 'urgency of appeal,' was a form
of the word used by writers of Shakespeare's time.
14. Hot at /land. ' Full of fire when lej by the hand.' See
Note 41, Act v., " Henry VIII."
15. Horse. Here used for ' horsemen.' See Note 50, Act i.,
" Timon of Athens."
16. Be content. ' Be self-restrained.'
17. Nothing but love from its. ' To each other' is elliptically
understood after " us."
18. Enlarge yonr griefs. ' Enlarge upon your grievances,'
' give free vent to your grievances.' The word " enlarge," as it
is here used, combines the senses it has in both the familiar ex-
pressions, ' to enlarge upon a theme,' and ' to enlarge a prisoner '
19. Lncilllis, do yon tlte like; and let no man . . . Let
Lucirts and Titinhis guard, &°c. Mr. Craik made a trans-
position of the two names, "Lucilius" and "Lucius," and
omitted the word " let " in the last line ; an arrangement which
has points of decided advantage to recommend it. It obviates
the superfluous foot in the first line, and it assigns to Lucilius
the guardianship of the door in conjunction with Titinius, whit h
seems borne out by Luciiius's subsequent words in the next
I chnc the e_\es ot both out armies here,
Which should perceive nothing but love from
Us,1'"
Let us not wrangle: bid them move away ;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,18
And I will give you audience.
Cas. Pindarus,
Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.
Bin. Lucilius, do you the like; and let 11c
man
Come to our tent till we have done our con-
ference.
Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.19
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Within the Ter.t o/Brutus.
Enter Brutus and Cassius.
Cas. That you have wrong'd me doth appear
in this, —
You have condemn'il and noted Lucius Pclla
For taking bribes here of the Sardians ;
Wherein my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.
Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a
case.
Cas. In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear his coin-
men!.-0
Bru. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm ;
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.
Cas. I an itching palm !
You know that )ou are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
scene, "You shall not come to them," and by Brutus's address-
ing the two men together, where he says, " Lucilius and
Titinius. bid the commanders," &c. Nevertheless, bearing in
mind Shakespeare's occasional too many or too few feet in a
line where proper names are concerned (see Note 42, Act i.,
" Richard II."), also that here Lucilius is sent with a message
" to bid the commanders," &c, as he is afterwards, and also
that Lucius is within call in the next scene as well as Lucilius,
we adhere to our principle of changing the original text as littie
as possible. Another point we think tends to strengthen the
probability that the Folio gives the names rightly here : which
is, that Lucius is a page in close and constant personal attend-
ance upon Brums, and therefore less likely to be dcsp.it, hed
on a message to the commanders than Lucilius, who is a
military officer : while the boy would very naturally be bid to
remain within the tent, as one of those desired to guard its
entrance, and keep watch to prevent intruders. Lucilius, too,
may well be imagined to have returned an ! us. ere
the time when they enter together, following the camp p '
20. Every nice offence slwitld lear his continent '. "Nice" is
here used in the sense of ' slight,' 'trivial' see Note 9S. V 1 111
" Richard III." ; and "his" for ' its '
Act IV.]
JULIUS C-ESAR.
Scene 111.
Bru. The name of Cassius honours this corrup-
tion,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.
Cas. Chastisement!
Bru. Remember March, the ides of March re-
member:
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touch' d his body,51 that did stab,
And not for justice ? What ! shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus? —
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.
Cas. Brutus, bay not me,— —
I'll not endure it: you forget yourself,
To hedge me in ;-■* I am a soldier, l,-*
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.'-5
Bru. Go to ;26 you are not, Cassius.
Cas. I am.
Bru. I say you are not.
Cas. Urge me no more, 1 shall forget my-
self;
Have mind upon your health, tempt me no
farther.
Bru. Away, slight man !2?
Cas. Is 't possible ?
Bru. Hear me, for I will spenk.
Must I give way and room to your rash choler ?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?
Cas. Oh, ye gods, ye gods! must i endure all
this?
liru. All this! ay, more: fret till your proud
heart break ;
Go show your slaves how choleric you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I
budge ?
Must I observe vou P23 must 1 stand and crouch
21. What villain touch' d his body. &c. ' Who among those
that assailed Ca:sar was a villain that stabbed him otherwise
than for justice?'
22. Bnttns, hay not lire. The Folio prints ' baite' here : but
it is evident that Cassius is intended to retort the same word
that Brutus has just used. Theobald made the correction.
Here "bay" is used for 'pertinaciously bark,' 'harassingly
bark.' See Note 10 of the present Act.
23. To hedge tnc in. 'To restrain me.' 'to encompass me
with restraint.' See Note 6, Act ii., " Merchant of Venice"
24. I am a soldier, I. See Note 66, Act iii., " Romeo and
Juliet."
25. To make conditions. To decide the terms upon which
offices shall be conferred.
26. Co to. An idiomatic expression, equivalent to the familiar
phrases, 'get away with YOU,' 'have done with this.' The
English 'pooh pooh,' or 'pshaw,' and the Irish 'be aisy' arc
now commonly used in the same sense that "go to" was
formerly used, excepting that "goto" was employed with less
common effect, although with [generally) an equally scomrul I
one. It occasionally was employed more as the word via
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
Vou shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split ycu; for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.
Cas. Is it come to this ?
Bru. You say you are a better soldier :
Let it appear so; make your vaunting true,
And it shall please me well : for mine own part,
I shall be glad to learn of noble men.2''
Cas. You wrong ine every way ; you wrong
me, Brutus ;
1 said, an elder soldier, not a better :
Did I say, better ?
Bru. If you did, I care not.
Cas. When Ca;sar liv'd, he durst not thus have
mov'd me.
Bru. Peace, peace ! yc u durst not so have
tempted him.
Cas. I durst not !
Bru. No.
Cas. What ! durst not tempt him ?
Bru. For your life you durst not.
Cas. Do not presume too much upon my
love ;
I may do that I shall be sorry for.
Bru. You have done that you should be sorry
for.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;30
r^or I am arin'd so strong in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied
me ; —
For I can raise no money by vile means :
By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection ;31 — I did send
To you for gold to pay my legions,
Which vou denied me: was that done like Cassius?
was used (see Note 47, Act ii., "Merry Wives"), to imply
encouragement, exultation, or exhortation.
27. Away, slight man ! Here "slight" is used in the same
disparaging sense of ' insignificant' that it bears in the passage
discussed in Note 4 of the present Act.
28. Must I observe you? 'Must I pay you observance?'
1 Must I treat you with deferential attention ?'
20. I shall be glad to learn of noble men. The word "noble"
here has been altered to 'abler' by Mr. Collier's MZ. cor-
rector and others ; but it appears to us that Brutus, by the
word " noble," intends a stinging reflection upon the ignoble
dealings, the selling " offices for gold to undeservers," the taking
" base bribes," for which he has been rebuking Cassius ; whose
reply, " You wrong me every -way" we think shows that he feels
this, as well as the misquoting of his words in the early part of
Brutus's speech, " a better soldier." See Note 54 of this Act.
30. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats. The word
"terror" is here used like the word "fear" in the passage
referred to in Note 36, Act ii
31. Indirection. 'Indirectness,' 'unfairness;' 'unrightful
means.' See Note 34, Act iii., "King John."
3°4
Act IV.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene III.
Should I have answer" d Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, goJs, with all your thunderbolts,
Dash him to pieces '.
Cas. I denied you not.
Bru. You did.
Cas. I did not :— he was but a fool that brought
My answer back. —Brutus hath riv'd my heart :
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Bru. I do not, till you practise them on me.
Cos. You love me not.
Bru. I do not like your faults.
Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults,
Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do
appear
As huge as high Olympus.
Cas. Come, Antony, and young Cctavius,
come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is a-weary of the world ;
Hated by one he loves ; brav'd by his brother ;
Check'd like a bondman ; all his faults obscrv'd,3-
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,33
To cast into my teeth. Oh, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes .'—There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast ; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine,31 richer than gold :
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth ;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart :
Strike, as thou didst at Ciesar ; for, I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him
better
Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.
Bru. Sheathe your dagger :
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope ;
Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.3,5
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire ;
Who, much enforced,38 shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.
Cas. Hath Cassius liv'd
32. All his Jaults observ'd . ... to cost into my le th.
Here is another instance of Shakespeare's use of an abrupt
change uf pronoun in .1 speech .is ,\ means of pathetic force in
effect. Cassius uses the words "lie" and "his" throughout
his lament, until he brings it to piercing climax by the h _-
thrust in the little word "my." See Note 78, Act iv., " Tiinon
of Alliens."
33. Conn'd by rote. 'Studied thoroughly,' 'committed I"
memory by dint of repetition.' See Note 3. Activ., "Coriolanus."
34. Dearer than 1'tutus' mine. 'Worth muni e than all
tint Plutus, god of ric'ies, owns.' A simil.ir error occurs in the
Folio here as in the passage pointed out in Note 55, Act hi.,
"Troilus and Cressida "
35. Dishonour shall be humour. 'Any indignity coming
from you shall be allowed to pass for the effect of hasty tem-
perament.' See Note 4, Act ii., " Coriolanus," and Note 77,
Act hi.. " Timon of Athens,"
36. lV/iot much enforced. "Who," used for ' which ' in the
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-temper' d, vexeth him ?
Bin. When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd
too.
Cas. Do you confess so much ? Give me your
hand.
Bru. And my heart too.
Cas. O Brutus,—
Bru. W hat's the matter ?
Cas. Have not you love enough to bear u lib
me,
When that rash humour which my mother gave
me
Makes me forgetful p
Biu. Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth,
When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you
so.
Poet. [Ilrithiu.] Let me go in to see the
generals ;
There is some grudge between them, 'tis not meet
They be alone.
Lucil. [IFithin.] You shall not come to them.
Poet. [IVitbin.] Nothing but death shall stay
me.
Enter Poet, foliotved by Lucilius and Titinius.
Cas. How now ! what's the matter P
Poet. For shame, you generals ! what do you
mean ?
Love, and be friends, as two such men should be ;
F'or I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.
Cas. Ha, ha! how vilely doth this cynic3?
rhyme !
Bru. Get you hence, sirrah ; saucy fellow,
hence !
Cas. Bear with him, Brutus ; 'tis his fashion.
Bru. I'll know his humour, when he knows his
time:33
What should the wars do with these jigging39
fools ?—
Companion,'10 hence !
Cas. Away, away, be gone ! [Exit Poet.
present passage, has the same force of effect for nguxath e pur-
pose that it lias in the passage pointed out in Note 18, Act v.,
" Richard II."
37. This cynic. The passage in North's " Plutarch," record-
ing the entrance of this intruder, represents him as " a cynic
philosopher;" and the expression in the text shows that Shake-
speare had in mind the character of the person here introduced,
as originally recorded, though he rather chose to represent him
as one of those professional rhymesters that used to follow the
crimp in ancient wars, and doggcrelisc the feats of the leaders.
3S. /'// know his humour, when he knows his time. 'I'll
bear in mind the tolerated mode of his class, when he bears in
nun. I Ins proper time for exercising it.'
39 Ji.eeiu.f. A "jig" was formerly used for a ballad or
rhyming verse, as well as for a dance ; therefore here "jigging "
means 'rhyming,' ' ballad. making.'
40. Companion. Used as a term of contempt. See Note 33,
Act iv., " Coriolanus."
Act IV.]
JULIUS OESAR.
[Scene III.
Bru. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders
Prepare to lodge their companies to-night.
Cas. And come yourselves, and bring Messaln
with you
Immediately to us.
[Exeunt Lucilius and Titinius
Bru. Lucius, a bowl of wine !
Cas. I did not think you could have been so
angry.
Bru. O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.
Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.
Bru. No man bears sorrow better. — Portia is
dead.
Cas. Ha! Portia!
Biu. She is dead.
Cas. How scap'd I killing when I cross'd you
so?—
Oh, insupportable and touching loss ! —
Upon what sickness ?41
Bru. Impatient of my absence,'1'2
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Have made themselves so strong; — for with her
death
That tidings came ;43 — with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.'14
Cas. And died so ?
Bru. Even so.
Cas. Oh, ye immortal gods !
Enter Lucius, •with ntiine and tapers.
Bru. Speak no more of her. — Give me a bowl
of wine. —
In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius. [Drinks.
Cas. My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge. —
Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup ;
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.
[Drinks.
Bru. Come in, Titinius !
Re-enter Titinius, luith Messala.
Welcome, good Messala. —
Now sit we close about this taper here,
41. Upon what sickness I Here "upon" is used idiomatically;
and expresses ' in consequence of.'
42. Impatient of my absence. The use of " impatient " here,
where ' impatience ' would be in more strictly grammatical ac-
cordance with "grief" in the sentence, affords a proof how
faithfully to nature Shakespeare delineated emotional diction ;
which is so apt to fall into disjointed and inaccurate expression.
43. For with iter death that tidings came. The construction
is elliptical here; 'the tidings of being understood between
" her" and " with." We the rather point this out because the
sentence has been differently explained. That our interpreta-
tion is correct, we think is shown by Brutus's subsequent
words : " I have here received letters," &c. The inconsecu-
tive construction in the present speech is consistent with the
dramatist's admirable usage in this particular, where he wishes
to mark agitation in the speaker. See Note 23, Act ii. of this
play.
44. Swallow'd Jire. This is taken from North's " Plutarch ;"
And call in question45 our necessities.
Cas. Portia, art thou gone ?
Bru. No more, I pray you. —
Messala, I have here receive I letters,
That young Octavius and Mark Antony
Come down upon us witii a mighty power,
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.
Mes. Myself have letters of the selfsame tenour.
Bru. With what addition ?
Mes. That by proscription and bills of
outlawry,
Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus,
Have put to death a hundred senators.
Bru. Therein our letters do not well agree !
Mine speak of seventy senators that died
By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.
Cas. Cicero one !
Mes. Cicero is dead,
And by that order of proscription. —
Had you your letters from your wife, my lord ?
Bru. No, Messala.
Mes. Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?
Bru. Nothing, Messala.
Mes. That, methinks, is strange.
Bru. Why ask you? hear you aught of her in
yours ?
Mes. No, my lord.
Bru. Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true.
Mes. Then like a Roman bear the truth I
tell:
For certain she is dead, and by strange manner.
Bru. Why, farewell, Portia. — -We must die,
Messala :
With meditating that she must die once,46
I have the patience to endure it now.
Mes. Even so great men great losses should
endure.
Cas. I have as much of this in art4'' as you,
But yet my nature could not bear it so.
Bru. Weil, to our work alive. 4S What do you
think
Of marching to Philippi presently ?
Cas. I do not think it good.
which says; — "And fir Porcia, Brutus' wife, Nicolaus the
Philosopher, and Valerius Maximus do write, that she, deter-
mining to kil herselfe ^her parents and friends carefully looking
to her to keepe her from it: tooke hote burning coles and cast
them into her mouth, and kept her mouth so close, that she
choked herselfe."
45. Call in question. 'Discuss the question of,' 'bring for-
ward for consideration;' the idiom "call in question" is now
used to express 'dispute,' 'put into doubt.'
46. Once. Here used for ' at one time or other.' See Note
51, Act v., " Second Part Henry IV."
47. In art. ' In studied philosophy,' ' in acquired reasoning.'
48. Well, to our work alive. This expression, thus intro-
duced, has triple effect ; it includes the sense of ' let us now
devote ourselves to the work which we survivors have to do ;'
the sense of 'let us attend to our work th3t concerns the living,
not the dead ;' and the sense of ' let us proceed to our work
with animation.'
Act 1V.J
JULIUS C£SAR.
[Scene 111.
Bru. Your reason ?
Cas. This it is: —
'Tis better that the enemy seek us:
So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,
Doing himself offence ; whilst we, lying still,
Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness.
Bru. Good reasons must, of force, give place
to better.
The people 'luixt Philippi and this ground
D'j stand but in a forc'd affection ;
For they have grudg'd us contribution :
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,49
Come on refresh'd, new-added,50 and encourag'd ;
From which advantage shall we cut him off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,
These people at our back.
Cas. Hear me, good brother.
Bru. Under your pardon. — You must note
beside,
That we have tried the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day ;
We, at the height, are ready to decline.51
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune ;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life,
Is bound52 in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Cas. Then, with your will, go on;
We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi.
Bru. The deep of night is crept upon our talk,
And nature must obey necessity;
Which we will niggard53 with a little rest.
There is no more to say ?
Cas. No more. Good night :
Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.
Bru. Lucius, my gown. [Exit Lucius.] Fare-
well, good Messala : —
Good night, Titinius : — noble, noble Cassius,54
Good night, and good repose.
Cas. Oh, my dear brother!
This was an ill beginning of the night :
49 Marching along by them, by them shall, &>e. As an
illustration of the present passage, see Note 46, Act ii., and
Note 34, Act iii. of this play.
50. New-added. This has been altered to ' new-aided,' and
'new-hearted ;' hut "new-added "appears to express 'reinforced,'
' having gained fresh and additional strength of numbers.'
51. At the height, are ready to decline. 'At the height of
our advantage, arc in position to decline;' as the tide inevitably
ebbs whan it has attained its highest point. The immediately
following image of the " tide " gives this figurative effect to be
understood in the present line.
52. Is bound. Here the word "bound" is used in accordance
with the sense it bears in the marine technical expressions.
' weather-bound," or 'wind-bound ;' and therefore has admirable
appropriateness to express ' held fast,' ' hemmed in.'
Never come such division 'tween our souls!
Let it not, Brutus.
Bru. Everything is well.
Cas. Good night, my lord.
Bru. Good night, good brother.
Tit., Mes. Good night, Lord Brutus.
Bru. Farewell, every one.
[Exeunt Cas., Tit., and Mes.
Rt -enter Lucius, muith the gown.
Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument ?
Luc. Here in the tent.
Bru. What! thou speak'st drowsily ?
Poor knave!55 I blame thee not; thou art o'er-
watch'd.50
Call Claudius and some other of my men ;
I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.
Luc. Varro and Claudius !
Enter Varro and Claudius.
Var. Calls my lord ?
Bru. I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent and sleep ;
It may be I shall raise you by-and-by
On business to my brother Cassius.
Var. So please you, we will stand and watch
your pleasure.
Bru. I will not have it so : lie down, good
sirs;
It may be I shall otherwise bethink me. —
[VAit. and Clau. lie doiun.
Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;
I put it in the pocket of my gown.
Luc. I was sure your lordship did not give it
me.
Bru. Bear with me, good boy, I am much for-
getful.
Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,
And touch thy instrument a strain or two ?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an 't please you.
Bru. It does, my boy:
I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.
Luc. It is my duty, sir.
Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy
might ;
I know young bloods look for a time of rest.
53 Niggard. A verb formed for his purpose here by Shake-
speare, from a word ordinarily used as either a noun or an
adjective, to express ' supply sparingly,' ' give in stinted
measure.'
54. Noble, noble Cassius. The emphatic repetition of the
word " noble" here has the effect, to our minds, of being not
only an expression of perfect reconciliation and restored esteem,
but also of being a kind of implied atonement for the hinted
reflection upon Cassius's conduct in the passage referred to in
Note 29 of this Act ; and therefore goes far to support the
propriety of retaining the original reading there.
55. Knaz'e. Here, and a few speeches farther on, used for
' lad,' ' boy.' See Note 46, Act iii., " Merry Wives."
56. O'er-watch'd. ' Worn out with too much watching;,'
' kept too long in wakeful attendance.'
,i°S
Act I V.J
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene III.
Brutus. Speak to me what thmi art.
Cltost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Act li\ Scene III.
Luc. I have slept, my lord, already. I'll take it from thee ; and, good boy, good
Bru. It was well done ; and thou shalt sleep night.57—
again ; I Let me see, let me see ; — is not the leaf Unn'd
I will not hold thee long: if I do live, down
I will be good to thee. [Music, and a song. Where I left reading: Here it is, I think.
This is a sleepy tune : — Oh, murderous slumber, [Sits doiiun.
Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my hoy,
That plays thee music ? — Gentle knave, good
night ;
I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee:
If thou dost nod. thou break'st thv instrument:
57. /'// tnke it from titee ; and, good boy, good night, Very
beautifully has Shakespeare introduced this gentle touch of
Brutus's consideration for his young page — alnmst unmanly in
its kindly compunctious feeling — in a character such as he has
drawn him : Marcus Brutus, the stoic philosopher, by study
and avowed practice, bearing the tidings of his beloved wife's
death with rutward calm and fortitude; yet Marcus Brutus,
according to his own man's nature, speaking with her in terms
The Ghost o/Cjesxk appears.
How ill this taper burns ! 5* — Ha ! who
here?
I think it is the weakness of mine eyes
of tenderest affection, and thinking for his boy-page's natural
drowsiness with forbearance and paternal softness.
58. How Hi this taper burns! The ancient superstition that
lights grew dim, or burned blue, at the approach of
has been elsewhere turned to good account in ims
by Shakespeare (see Note -4, Act v . " 1-V hard III."
North's *' Plutarch," narrating the pi ■' m ntion is
piade of " the light of the lamp, that waxed very dim."
Act v.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scene I.
That shapes this monstrous apparition.
It comes upon me. — Art thou anything ?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
That mak'st my blool cold, ami my hair to stare ?59
Speak60 to me what thou art.
Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Bru. Why com'st thou ?
Ghost. To tell thee thou shalt see me at
Philippi.
Bru. Well ;
Then 1 shall see thee again p
Ghost. Ay, at Philippi.
Bru. Why, I will see thee at Philippi, then.
[Ghost disappears.
Now I have taken heart thou vanishest :
111 spirit, I would hold more talk with thee. — ■
Boy, Lucius ! — Varro ! Claudius ! — Sirs, awake ! —
Claudius!
Luc. The strings, my lord, are false.
Bru. He thinks he still is at his instrument. —
Lucius, awake !
Luc. My lord ?
Bru. Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so
criedst out ?
Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did cry.
Bru. Yes, that thou didst : didst thou see any-
thing ?
Luc. Nothing, my lord.
Bru. Sleep again, Lucius. — Sirrah Claudius !
Fellow thou, awake !
far. My lord ?
Clau. My lord ?
Bru. Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your
sleep ?
Var., Clau. Did we, my lord ?
Bru. Ay : saw you any thing ?
Var. No, my lord, I saw nothing.
Clau. Nor I, my lord.
Bru. Go and commend me to my brother
Cassius ;
Bid him set on cl his powers betimes before,
And we will follow.
Var., Clau. It shall be done, my lord.
[Exeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE l.—The Plains ©/"Philippi.
Enter OcTAVius, Antony, and their Army.
Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answereJ :
You said the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions;
It proves not so: their battles1 are at hand ;
They mean to warn2 us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.
Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I
know
Wherefore they do it : they could be content
To visit other places ; and come down
With fearful bravery,3 thinking by this face4
59. Stare. ' Stand on end,' ' stick upright.'
60. Speak, Here used for 'declare,' 'proclaim,* 'describe,'
'explain.' See Note 73, Act ii., and Note 25, Act hi., " Henry
VIII."
61. Set on. As a modern idiom, this is used to express
'excite to attack,' 'urge to opposition ;' but here it is used to
express 'set forward,' 'set out with,' 'send onward.'
1. Battles, Here used for ' battalions,' or 'embattled forces.'
See Note 2, Act iv., " Henry V."
2. Warn. Sometimes, as here, used for 'summon.' See
Note 51, Act i., " Richard III."
3. Fearful brave* y. 'Secretly timid valour.'
4. This face. ' This show of courage. '
5. Their bloody sign of battle is hung out, and something to
be done, &*c. The construction is elliptical here ; "is" before
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage ;
But 'tis not so.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Prepare you, generals:
The enemy comes on in gallant show ;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.5
Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.
Oct. Upon the right hand I ; keep thou the left.
Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent r6
Oct. I do not cross you ; but I will do so7
[March'.
"hung" giving 'is' to be understood as repeated before "to
be done." The allusion in the text is explained by a passage
from North's "Plutarch." — "The next morning by break of
day, the signall of battell was set out in Brutus and Cassius
campe, which was an arming scarlet coatc."
6. Exigent. An old form of ' exigence ' or ' exigency.'
7. But I will do so. 'But I will take the right hand;' the
construction being in accordance with Shakespeare's occasional
mode of referring to the not immediately preceding antecedent.
It is worth remarking also how completely here the dramatist
has indicated the peremptory style with which Octavius, although
still but a stripling of barely twenty years of age, bore himself
towards Mark Antony at the present epoch. It has historical
warrant; and Shakespeare has admirably maintained the cha-
racteristic effect, both in this play and in "Antony and
Cleopatra."
Act V.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene I.
Drum. Enter Brutus, Cassius, and their Army;
Lucilius, Titinius, Messala, and others.
Bru. They stand, and would have parley.
Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: we must out and
talk.
Oct. Mark Antony, shill we give sign of battle?
Ant. No, Caesar, we will answer en their charge.
Make forth ; the generals would have some words.
Oct. Stir not until the signal.
Bru. Words before blows: — is it so, country-
men t
O.t. Not that we love words better, as you do.
Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes,
Octavius.
Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good
words :
Witness the hole you made in Caesar's heart,
Crying, " Long live ! hail, Caesar !"
Cas. Antony,
The posture of your blows are yet unknown ;8
But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,9
And leave them honey less.
Ant. Not stingless too.
Bru. Oh, yes, and soundless too;
For you have stoPn their huzzing, Antony,
And very wisely threat before you sting.
Ant. Villains, you did not so, when your vile
daggers
Hack'd one another in the sides of Caesar :
You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like
hounds,
And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Caesar's feet ;
Whilst traitor Casca, like a cur, behind
Struck Caesar on the neck. Oh, you flatterers !
Cas. Flatterers! — Now, Brutus, thank yourself:
This tongue had not offended so to-day,
If Cassius might have rul'd.
8. Tile posture of your blows are yet unknown. "Posture"
is used to express ' mode of giving,' ' way of dealing,' ' manner
of planting or placing ; ' as derived from the Latin, positura,
'a placing.' The false grammatical concord of "are" and
"postuie" is consistent with a practice licensed in Shake-
speare's time. See Note 29, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet."
9. T/iey rob the Hybla bees. cVc. ' They are so sweet as to
seem composed of that which supplies the bees of Mount Hybla.
This is a scoff at Mark Antony's sugary and insinuating eloquence
on the occasion of Caesar's funeral. Hybla was a district of
Sicdy famed for excellent honey.
to. Three and thirty wounds. Historical authority gives
' three and twenty ' as the number of Caesar's death-wounds ;
but there was probably a larger number popularly traditional in
England when Shakespeare wrote ; as in Fletcher's play of
" The Noble Gentleman," we find : —
" So Cassar fell, when in the Capitol
They gave his body two and thirty wounds."
See Note 3, Act iii.
11. Till anotlier Ca>sar. Octavius here speaks of himself.
Antony has just previously addressed him as " Caisar ; " and
Brutus, in his next speech, also gives him this title.
12. Have added slaughter to tile sword of traitors. 'Have
Oct. Come, come, the cause : if arguing make
us sweat,
The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
Look, — I draw a sword against conspirators;
When think you that the sword goes up again ? —
Never, till Caesar's three and thirty wounds"1
Be well aveng'd ; or till another Caesar"
Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.12
Bru. Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors'
hands,
Unless thou bring'st them with thee.
Oct. So I hope;13
I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.
Bru. Oh, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,"
Young man, thou couldst not die more honour-
able.14
Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such
honour,18
Join'd with a masker and a reveller!
Ant. Old Cassius still!"
Oct. Come, Antony; away! —
Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth :
If you dare fight to-day, come to the field ;
It not, when you have stomachs.
[Exeunt Octavius, Antony, aid their Army.
Cas. Why, now, blow wind, swell billow, and
swim barque !
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
Bru. Ho, Lucilius! hark, a word with you.
Lucil. My lord ?
[Brutus and Lucilius converse apart.
Cas. Messala, —
Mes. What says my general ?
Cas. Messala,
This is my birth-day ; as this very day 13
Was Cassius horn. Give me thy hand, Messala :
Be thou my witness that, against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set
been slain by, the sword of the same traitors who killed the first
Caesar.'
13. So I hope. Meaning. ' I hope not to die by traitors' hands.'
See Note 62, Act i., "As You Like It."
14. Strain. 'Race,' 'stuck,' Mine' See Note 48, Act ii.,
" Much Ado."
15 Honourable. Although Shakespeare frequently uses ad-
jectives for adverbs, yet we agree with Mr. Craik in thinking
that here very probably Shakespeare wrote 'honorably' (or
' honorablie ') : because the first Folio prints " honourable " in
a passage in the "Third Part Henry VI.," Act iii., sc. 2, which,
by the parallel passage in "The True Tragedie," is shown to
have had 'honorablie' originally written therein ; and because
in all other instances he uses the word "honourably" where
the adverbial form of the expression is intended.
16. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour. Here
" peevish " has the sense of ' weakly wayward,' ' foolishly wilful ;'
and "worthless" is used for 'unworthy.' See Note 3, Act v.,
"Two Gentlemen of Verona "
17. Old Cassius still! 'Just the same Cassius as ever!'
always testy and opprobrious. See Note 23, Act ii., " Corio-
lanus."
18. As this very day. "As" is here used clliptically for 'as
it were,' or ' as if on.'
ACT V.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene II.
Upon one battle all our liberties.
You know that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion : now I change my rain I,
Ami partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former19 ensign
Tivo mighty eagles fell ; and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands,
Who to Philippi here consented us :
This morning are they Red away and gone ;
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kilos,
fly o'er our head.;, and downward look on lis,
As we were sickly prey : their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
Mes. Believe not so.
Cas. I hut believe it partly ;
for I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd
To meet all perils very constantly.-"
Bru. Even so, Lucilius.'-1
Cas. Now, most noble Brutus,
The guils to-day stand friendly,-- that we may,
Lovers in peace,33 lead on our days to age!
But, since the affairs of men rest still incettain,-*
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you, then, determine I to do ?
Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy23
By which 1 did blame Cato fur the death
Which he did give himself: — I know nut how,
But I do find it cowardly and vilej
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of Hie :26 —arming myself with patience
To stay the providence of some high powers
That govern us below.
19. Former. This word was sometimes used for 'fore' or
'foremost.' Ritson quotes, in corroboration, a passage from
Adlyngton's "Apuleius," 1596: — "First hee instructed me to
sit at the table vpon my taile, and hovve I should leaps and
daunce, holding vp xny former feele."
20. Constantly. ' Firmly.' See Note 6, Act iti.
21. Even si, Lneilius. This is said by Brutus in reply to
something that Lucilius has said to him. while they were talk-
ing apart. See Note 127, Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
22. The gods to-day stand friendly. 'May' is here ellip-
tically understood before " the gods." See Note 48, Act v.,
" Tiinon of Athens."
23. Lovers in peace. "Lovers" is here used for 'friends.'
See Note 64, Act iii.
24. Rest still ineertain " Incertain" has Ijeen changed by
a few modern editors {■< 'uncertain :' hot Shakespeare n
both forms of the word See passages roferred to in Note 24,
V < in " \li 1 lire It M 1,1 ne," .Hid Note 33, Act i., " Two
Gentlemen of Verona."
25. Even by the rule of that philosophy, c>-y The construc-
tion in this speech is im in iei utive, and well represents a man
1 oh 1 deliberating with himself and pursuing an inward train of
thought, thin giving a direel answer l" a question. Brutus
feels that Cnssius's inquiry implies, 'Do you mean to survive
ill' It. f such .1 defeat, 01 shall you kill youself?' and he.
ma. mi! ..I 1 . ; I \ 1 1 1 — In l!\ tii.it im In.- I qin-sl nivi's, by
way of rejoinder, expression i" the debate going on' iu his own
mind. Brutus's principles of Stoic phil isophy, backed by his
Cas. Then, if we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome ?
Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble
Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome ;
He' bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the ides of March begun ;-'"
And whether we shall meet again I know nut.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take:23 —
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius !
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why, then, this parting was well made.
Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus !
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed ;
It nut, 'tis true this parting was well made.
Bru. Why, then, lead on. — Oh, that a man
might know
The end of this day's business ere it come !
But it sufficeth that the day will end,
Ami then the end is known. — -Come, ho ! away !
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Philippi. The Field of Battle.
Alarum. Enter Bv.urvs ami Messala.
Bui. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these
bills29
I Unto the legions on the other side: [Loud alarum.
Let them set on at once; for I perceive
But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing,
And sudden push gives them the overthrow.
Ride, ride, Messala : let them all come down.
[ Exeunt.
innate and instinctive feeling, dictate patient fortitude and calm
trust : but his more conventional ideas of that which behoves a
Roman to do in circumstances of disgrace overpower his better
judgment, and in his very next speech he shows himself to be
wholly swayed by them. Strikingly, in the character of Brutus,
has the poet shown the dual nature that co-exists in most men :
the higher and better self, with the less fine and exalted one :
the true sense of right, with the narrowed and biased one ; the
noble, elevated, and free soul, with the prejudiced and stunted
one.
26. So to prevent ttur time of life. ' So to anticipate the
period at which our life is appointed to end ' "Prevent" is
here used in its primitive sense, as derived from the Latin,
preeveuire, 'to come before;' and " the time "i lit," used to
express 'the time at which life is destined to terminate,' is akin
to the manner in which Shakespeare employs the same phrase
to express the appointed term fir duration of life. See Hot-
pur next speech to the one referred to in Note 26, Act v.,
" First Bart Henry IV "
27 Begltn. Frequently used, by a grammatical licence, to
'began;' especially where the purposes of rhyme are to be
served. S :e the ■ Dm luding stanza of the clown's song at the
end of "Twelfth Night."
28. Take. Here elliptical!/ used for 'let us take,' or 'Lake
we.'
:• , /lilts. What would now be called 'billets.' In North's
" Plutarch " they are called ' little bills.' ' Brief written orders'
are meant.
Act V.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scenk III.
Antony, This was the noblest Roman of them all.
Act V. Scene V.
SCENE III. — in other part of the Field.
Alarum. Entet Cassius ami Titinius.
Cas. Oh, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly !
Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy :
This ensign here of mine was turning back ;M
I slew the coward, and did take it from him.
Tit. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early :
Who, having some advantage on Octavius,
Took it too eagerly : his soldiers fell to spoil,
Whilst we by Antony are all enclos'd.
Enter Pindarus.
Pin. Fly farther off, my lord, fly farther off;
Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord :
Fly, therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off.
30 This ensign here of mine, &*c.
affords a marked instance of the word
The present passage
'ensign" bearing the
Cas. This hill is far enough. — Look, look,
Titinius ;
Are those my tents where I perceive the fire ?
Tit. They are, my lord.
Cas. Titinius, if thou lov'st me,
Mount thou my horse, and hide thy spurs in him,
Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops,
And here again ; that I may restassur'd
Whether yond' troops are friend or enemy.
Tit. I will be here again, even with a thought.
[ Exit.
Cas. Go, Pindarus, get higher on that hill ;
My sight was ever thick ; regard Titinius,
And tell me what thou not'st about the field. —
[Pindarus goes up.
double meaning of 'standard' and 'standard-bearer.' Sec
Note 9. Act iii.. "Tempest;" N«te 30. Act iv . " First 1
Henry IV- ;" and Note 84, Act iii , " H' 111 \
206
Act V.]
JULIUS C^SAR.
[Scene III.
This day I breathed first: time is come round,31
And where I did begin, there shall I end;
My life is run his compass. — Sirrah, what news ?
Pin. [Above.] Oh, my lord !
Cos. What news ?
Pin. [Above.] Titinius is enclosed round about
With horsemen, that make to him on the spur; —
Yet he spurs on. — Now they are almost on him ; —
Now, Titinius ! — Now some 'light : — Oh, he 'lights
too : —
He's ta'en ; — [shout] and, hark ! they shout for
joy.
Cas. Come down, behold no more. —
Oh, coward that I am, to live so long,
To see my best friend ta'en before my face !
Pindarus descends.
Come hither, sirrah :
In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;
And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,
Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine
oath ;
Now he a freeman ; and, with this good sword,
That ran through Caasar's bowels, search this
bosom.
Stand not to answer : here, take thou the hilts ;
And, when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword. — Cajsar, thou art reveng'd,
Even with the sword that kill'd thee. [Dies.
Pin. So, I am free ; yet would not so have
bee "1,
Durst I have done my will. O Cassius !
Far from this country Pindarus shall run,
Where never Roman shall take note of him.32
[Exit.
Re-enter Titinius iviib Messala.
Ales. It is but change, Titinius ; for Octavius
Is overthrown by noble Brutus' power,
As Cassius' legions are by Antony.
Tit. These tidings will well comfort Cassius.
Ales. Where did you leave him ?
Tit. All disconsolate,
With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill.
Mes. Is not that he that lies upon the ground ?
Tit. He lies not like the living. Oh, my heart !
Ales. Is not that he ?
Tit. No, this was he, Messala,
But Cassius is no more. — Oh, setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,
So in his red blood Cassius' day is set, —
3t. This day I breathed first l time, Grc. These few musing
words of Cassius always strike us with peculiarly impressive
effect, as put into his mouth by Shakespeare, who himself died
on his birth-day. The circumstance of the day of the battle
being the anniversary of that on which Cassius was born, is
recorded in North's "Plutarch:" but the dramatist turned it
to account in his own poetical manner; a manner that has a
The sun of Rome is set ! Our day is gone ;
Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds aie
done !
Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.
Mes. Mistrust of good success hath done this
deed.
Oh, hateful error, melancholy's child,
Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men
The things that are not? Oh, error, soon con-
ceived,
Thou never com'st unto a happy birth,
But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee !
Tit. What, Pindarus! where art thou, Pindarus ?
Mes. Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet
The noble Brutus, thrusting this report
Into his ears : I may say, thrusting it ;
For piercing steel, and darts envenomed,
Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus
As tidings of this sight.
Tit. Hie you, Messala,
And I will seek for Pindarus the while.
[Exit Messala.
Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius ?
Did I not meet thy friends ? and did not they
Put on my brows this wreath of victory,
And bid me give it thee? Didst thou not hear
their shouts ?
Alas! thou hast misconstru'd everything!
But, hold thee, take this garland on thy brow ;
Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I
Will do his bidding. — Brutus, come apace,
And see how I regarded Cains Cassius. — ■
By your leave, gods : — this is a Roman's part :
Come, Cassius' sword, and find Titinius' heart.
[Dies.
Alarum. Re-enter Messala, ivith Brutus, young
Cato, Strato, Volumnius, and Lucilius.
Bru. Where, where, Messala, doth his body
lie?
Ales. Lo, yonder ; and Titinius mourning it.
Bru. Titinius' face is upward.
Cato. He is slain.
Bru. O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!
Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords
In our own proper entrails. [Loxv alarums.
Cato. Brave Titinius !
Look, whe'r he have not crown'd dead Cassius !
Bru. Are yet two Romans living such as
these ?—
The last of all the Romans,33 fare thee well !
strangely significant import, when we call to mind the drama-
tist's own fate.
32. Take note of trim. Plutarch relates that Pindarus, after
the death of Cassius, was never more heard of.
33. Tlw i.ist 0/ all the Romans. Rowe changed "the last" to
'thou last' here ; but we think that " the" gives more emphatic
effect in the present passage, and is more probably what Shake-
spearc wrote See also Note 27, Act v., "Third Part Henry VI."
Act V.]
JULIUS C/ESAR.
[Scenes IV., V.
It is impossible that ever Koine
Should breed thy fellow.— Friends, I owe more
tears
To this dead man than you shall see me pay. —
I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time. —
Come, therefore, and to Thassos34 send his body :
His funerals35 shall not be in our camp,
Lest it discomfort us. — Lucilius, come; —
And come, young Cato ; — let us to the field. —
Labeo and Flavius, set our battles on :—
'Tis three o'clock ; and, Romans, yet ere night
We shall try fortune in a second fight. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Another part of the Field.
Alarum. Enter, fighting, Soldiers of both Armies;
then Brutus, young Cato, Lucilius, and
others.
Bru. Yet, countrymen, oh, yet hold up your
heads !
Cato. What bastard doth not ? Who will go
with me ?
I will proclaim my name about the field : —
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho !
A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend ;
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho !
[Charges the enemy.
Bru. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, 1 ;
Brutus, my country's friend ; know me for Brutus!
[Exit, charging the enemy. Young Cato is
o'verpouoered, and fills.
Lueil. Oh, young and noble Cato, art thou
down ?
Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius;
And mayst be honour'd, being Cato's son.
First Sold. Yield, or thou diest.
Lueil. Only I yield to die :
There is so much36 that thou wilt kill me straight ;
[Offering money.
Kill Brutus, and be honour'd in his death.
First Sol. We must not. — A noble prisoner!
See. Sold. Room, ho ! Tell Antony, Brutus
is ta'en.
First Sold. I'll tell the news: — here comes the
general.
&/(i-Antony.
Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord.
Ant. Where is he ?
Lueil. Safe, Antony; Brutus is safe enough :
34. Thassos. An island at no great, distance from Philippi.
The Folio misprints ' Tharsus' for "Thassos." Theobald's cor-
rection : shown to be right by the account of the circumstance
in North's " Plutarch," which Shakespeare used as his historical
authority.
1 dare assure thee that no enemy
Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus :
The gods defend him from so great a shame !
When you do find him, or alive or dead,
He will be found like Brutus, like himself.
Ant. This is not Brutus, tnend ; but, I assure
you,
A prize no less in worth : keep this man safe,
tme him all kindness : I had rather have
Such men my friends than enemies. Go on,
And see whe'r Brutus be alive or dead ;
And bring us word unto Octavius' tent
How everything is chanc'd. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Another part of the Field.
Enter Brutus, Dardanius, Clitus, Strato, and
VOI.UMNIUS.
Bru. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this
rock.
Cli. Statilius show'd the torch-light ; but, my
lord,
He came not back : he is or ta'en or slain.
Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus : slaying is the
word ;
It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.
[Whispering him.
Cli. What! I, my lord? No, not for all the
world.
Bru. Peace, then, no words.
Cli. I'll rather kill myself.
Bru. Hark thee, Dardanius. [Whispers him.
Dar. Shall I do such a deed ?
Cli. O Dardanius !
Dar. O Clitus!
Cli. What ill request did Brutus make to
thee f
Dar. To kill him, Clitus. Look, he medi-
tates.
Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief,
That it runs over even at his eyes.
Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius; list a
word.
Vol. What says my lord ?
Bru. Why, this, Volumnius:
The ghost of Caesar hath appear'd to me
Two several times by night,— at Sardis once,
And, this last night, here in Philippi fields:
I know my hour is come.
Vol. Not so, my lord.
35. Funerals. 'Funeral obsequies;' 'funereal ceremonies.*
The word was formerly sometimes used in the plural.
36. T/tere is so much. Here "so much" is used to express
an unspecified sum. an indefinite amount of money. See
Note 32, Act ii. , " Timon of Athens."
Act V.]
JULIUS CESAR.
[Scene V.
Bru. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.
Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit :
[Lotv alarums.
It is mure worthy to leap in ourselves,
Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius,
Thou know'st that we two went to school together :
Even for that our love of old, I pray thee,
Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it.37
Vol. That's not an office for a friend, my lord.
[Alarum still.
Cli. Fly, fly, my lord ; there is no tarrying here.
Bru. Farewell to you; — and you;— and you,
Volumnius. —
Stiato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewell to thee too, Strato. — Countrymen,
My heart doth joy, that yet, in all my life,
I found no man but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day,
More than Octavius and Mark Antony
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So, fare you well at once ; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almost ended his life's history :
Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would
rest,
That have but Iabour'd to attain this hour.
[Alarum. Cry ivilbin, " Fly, fly, fly !"
Cli. Fly, my lord, fly.
Bru. Hence ! I will follow.
[Exeunt Clitus, Dardanius, and Volumnius.
I pr'ythee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord :
Thou art a fellow of a good respect ;
Thy life hath had some smalch33 of honour in it:
Hold, then, my sword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?
Sua. Give me your hand first: fare you well,
my lord.
Bru. Farewell, good Strato. — Caesar, now be
still:35
37. Mold thou my sword-hilts^ whilst I run on it. "Hilts"
was formerly used as we now use " hilt ;" and was treated as a
noun singular.
38. Swatch. 'Smack,' 'savour,' 'taste,' 'flavour.' See
Note 122, Act ii., "All's Well."
39. Ctesar. now be still. These few solemn words of ex-
piatory deprecation, bidding the spirit of Caisar he henceforth
at peace, as well as the allusion contained in the exclamation,
"O JaMus Cassar, thou art mighty yet!" &c, when Brutus
beholds Cassias dead, serve strikingly to denote the abiding
impression made upon the speaker's mind by the deed he has
done, and by the apparition he has seen.
I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.
[lit1 runs on bis rwortl, and dies.
Alarum. Retreat. Enter Octavius, Antony,
Messala, Lucilius, and Army.
Oct. What man is that ?
Mes. My master's man. — Strato, where is thy
master ?
Stra. Free from the bondage you are in,
Messala :
The conquerors can but make a fire of him ;
For Brutus only overcame himself,
And no man else hath honour by his death.
Lucil. So Brutus should be found. — I thank thee,
Brutus,
That thou hast prov'd Lucilius' saying true.
Oct. All that serv'd Brutus, I will entertain
them.4"—
Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me ?
Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer 41 me to you.
Oct. Do so, good Messala.
Mes. How died my master, Strato?
Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it.
Mes. Octavius, then take him to follow thee,
That did the latest service to my master.
Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them
all:
All the conspirators, save only he,
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar ;
He only, in a general honest thought,
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle ; and the elements
So mix'd in him,4- that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, " This was a man !"
Oct. According to his virtue let us use him,
With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Most like a soldier, order'd honourably. —
So call the field to rest : and let's away,
To part43 the glories of this happy day. [Exeunt.
40. Entertain them. ' Receive them into my service.'
41. Prefer. This word is here used for ' recommend,' ' present
for acceptance.' See Note 39, Act iv., "Midsummer Night's
Dream."
42. The elements so mix'd in him. Tn reference to the
belief which prevailed in Shakespeare's time that the due com-
mixture of the four elements in a man's composition conduce
to render him a perfect human being. See Note 20, Act ii.,
"Twelfth Night."
43. To part. Here used for ' to share," ' to distribute duly,'
' to apportion ; ' ' to divide into just parts.'
316
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Duncan, King of Scotland.
Malcolm, \
DONALBAIN, j tUS S°nS-
Macbeth, )
„ . Generals of the king's An
BANOj.tO, i °
Macduff,
Lennox,
Rosse,
> Noblemen or Scotland.
Menteith,
Angus,
Caithness,
Fleance, Son to Banquo.
Siward, Earl of Northumberland, General of the English Forces.
Young Siward, his Son.
Seyton, an Officer attending on Macbeth.
Boy, Son to Macduff.
An English Doctor.
A Scotch Doctor.
A Soldier.
A Porter.
An Old Man.
Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macduff.
Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth.
Hecate, and Three Witches.
Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers.
The Ghost of Ban quo, and other Apparitions.
SCENE—/'/ the end of the Fourth Act, in England ; through the reit of the
I'Uiy, in Scotland.
MACBETH
ACT I.
SCENE \.—Jn open Place,
Thunder and Iigbtn:ng. Enter three Witches.
First Witch. When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain f
i. The first known printed copy of Macbeth is the one in
the 1623 folio; and there exists record of its performance in
the MS. diary of Dr. Forman, preserved in the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford. Dr. Forman gives a circumstantial 1
the plot of the tragedy : and mentions the precise date when
and where he saw it. in the opening words of the entry in his
diary— " In ' Macbeth,' at the Globe, 1610, the 20th of April,
Saturday, there was to be observed, first, how Macbeth and
Banquo, two noblemen of Scotland, riding through a wood,
there stood before them three women," &c. It is probable,
however, that at the period of this performance, "Macbeth''
had been written for some time past, and had been acted many
times ; because the words uttered during the vision of the eight
kings, in Act iv., sc. 1 —
"Some I see
That two-fold balls and treble sceptres carry " —
containing a direct allusion to the union of the three kingdoms
of Great Britain by the accession of James I. to the throne of
England, give reason to suppose that they were written at a
time more nearly subsequent to the epoch when that union
took place. James became King of England by the death of
Elizabeth, 24th March, 1603, and made his entry into London
on the 7th of May ; the date of his proclamation was the 24th of
October, 1604. But previously to his proclamation— indeed, but
a few days after he had entered London — he had already con-
ferred a favour on the theatrical company of which Shakespeare
was a member ; having on the 17th of May, 1603, granted a
patent authorising the actors therein mentioned to perform
plays not only at the Globe Theatre, Bankside, but in any part
of the kingdom; and, farthermore, taking them into his royal
pay and patronage, and calling them " the king's servants." It
is presumable, therefore, that the compliment of taking a story
Irom Scottish history for his subject, and of introducing the
above acceptable allusion, was a piece of homage paid by the
dramatist to King James soon after his becoming monarch of the
united realm. Malone attempted to prove that "Macbeth"
« as written in 1606 ; grounding his argument upon two passages
in the Porter's speech in Act ii , sc. 3 — " Here 's a farmer, that
hanged himself on the expectation of plenty ;" and " Here's an
equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either
scale ; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could
See. Witch. When the hurlyburly's done,2
When the battle's lost and won.
Third Witch, That will be ere the set of sun.
First Hitch. Where the place ?
Sec. Witch. Upon the heath.
not equivocate to heaven." The former passage was supposed
by Malone to refer to the known cheapness of corn in the year
1 and the latter, to refer to the advocacy of equivocation by
Henry Garnet, superior of the order of Jesuits, on the occasion
of his trial for being concerned in the Gunpowder Plot, which
took place also in 1606. The deduction is ingenious; but we
cannot think that it goes far towards establishing tin
date at which this tragedy was written, for the reasons that will
be found given at greater length in Note 32, Act ii. Hi 1
this may be, there seems to be certainty in placing the date of
writing " Macbeth " between 1603 and 1610 ; with every
bility that it was soon after the former-named year. Holinshed's
" Chronicle " was the historical authority taken by Shakespeare
for the incidents of this grandly -poetical drama; and it is most
interesting to observe the admirable manner in which he has
adopted, selected, arranged, and blended materials in producing
one of his noblest works. He has taken a story from the most
primitive and simple times, yet has treated it with refinement of
composition that elevates the subject, while in nowise injuring
the characteristic plainness of the epoch ; a story of a murder, a
regicide, yet coloured with a rich harmony of painting that
glows in gorgeous poetic tints, though nowise embellishing or
palliating vice ; a story of a sordid witch-superstition, yet exalted
into the region of imagination by touches of fancy that still
spare no detail of squalor; a story of a chieftain and chicf-
tainess in an era of rudest intellectual cultivation, yet end I
with force of character, intelligence, ambition, that male*
objects of profoundest moral and metaphysical speculation, while
detracting nothing from their naturalness and appropriateness
as beings who lived at that rude period. A marvel at once of
simplest fitness and loftiest achievement is the superb ti
of" Macbeth."
2. The hnrlyburlys done Henry Peacbam. in 1
of Eloquence," 1577, explains the word " hurlyburly " to mean
'an uprore and tumultuous stirre ;' in More I .."trans-
lated by Ralphe Robinson, 1551, we find— " All this busy pre
parance to war, whereby so many nations for his sake should
be brought into a troublesome hurhyburley, when all his coffers
were emptied, his treasures wasted, and his people destroyed ;"
and in Holinshed— "There were such hurlie burlus kept in
every place, to the great danger "f overthrowing the whole
state of all government in ibis land."
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
Third Witch. There to meet with Macbeth.
First Witch. I come, Graymalkin !3
All. Paddock calls:-1 — anon ! —
Fair is foul, and foul is fair :
Hover through the log and filthy air.
[Witches vanish.
SCENE U.—A Camp near Fores.
Alarum 'within. Enter Duncan, Malcolm,
Donalbain, Lennox, with Attendants, meet-
ing a bleeding Soldier.
Dun. What bloody man is that ? He can report,
Asseemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
Mai. This is the sergeant,5
Who, like a good and hardy soldier, tought
'Gainst my captivity. — Hail, brave friend !
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
Sold. Doubtful it stood ;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonuald
(Worthy to be a rebel, — for, to that,c
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him) from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied ;7
And fortune, on his damned quarry smiling,8
Show'd like a rebel's wench ; butall's too weak :
For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
3. GraynialKm. An old name for a cat, as "paddock " was
(or a toad. In Scot's " Discoverie of Witchcraft" (1584), there
iv a passage that serves to illustrate the one in the text — " Some
say, they [witchesj can keepe devils and spirits, in the likeness
of todes and cats."
4. Paddock calls :—a?ton ! Pope assigned these words to the
Second Witch, making the remainder, " Fair is foul," &c, to be
spoken by the three witches in concert; and certainly there
seems great probability that only the concluding couplet was
intended to be said by them all, as a kind of chorus,
5. Sergeant. A term formerly not implying the subaltern
officer now so called ; but a man performing a special feudal
military service, in rank next to an esquire.
6. For, to that. This has been explained by some to mean
' for, hi addition to that ;' while others affirm that "for, to that"
means no more than 'for that,' or 'cause that.' We think it
more probable that here "for, to that " is an elliptical phrase,
expressing 'fur, to that end,' 'for, to that purpose,' or 'for, as
tending naturally to that effect.'
7. Of ftcrm and gallowglasses is supplied. "Of" is here
used foi 'with.' See Note 64, Acl i., " Richard III." For an
explanation ol "kerns and gallowglasses," see Note 82, Act iv.,
■ M 1 Pai 1 1 1< in y VI."
' ortitnc, on his damned quarry nnuir/g, " Quarry" has
been changed to ' quarrel ' in this passage by Hanmer and
others ; but inasmuch as Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word
" damned " to express ' doomed ' or ' condemned,* and as
"quarry" meant a heap of daughtered game (see Note 28,
Act i , *' Coriolanus"), we take the passage to signify — ' Fortune,
smiling temporary encouragement upon Macdonwald's herd of
fellows doomed to become a heap of slaughtered creatures.'
Which smok'd with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion,
Carv'd out his passage till he fae'd the slave ;
Which ne'er shook hands,9 nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chops,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
Dun. Oh, valiant cousin ! worthy gentleman !
Sold. As whence the sun 'gins his reflection,
Shipwrecking storms and direkil thunders break ;"'
So from that spring, whence comtort seem'd to
come,
Discomfort swells. Mark, King of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had, with valour arm'd,
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men,
Began a fresh assault.
Dun. Dis.may'd not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo ?
Sold. Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.11
If I say sooth,1- I must report they were
As cannons overcharg'd with double cracks;13
So they, doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe :
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise14 another Golgotha,
1 cannot tell : —
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
Dun. So well thy words become thee as thy
wounds ;
They smack of honour both. — Go get him sur-
geons. [Exit Soldier, attended.
Who comes here ?
The fact that "quarry" also signified the _offal portion of the
venison just killed which was thrown to the hounds, contributes
to confirm our belief that here the original word "quarry" is
what the poet wrote ; "because it is as if, by implication, he
called them 'a heap of c;u-rion.' That Shakespeare has these
largely inclusive epithets, and that he employs boldly poetical
expressions of anticipative signification, we have shown in
several instances. See, among many others, Note 48, Act
iv., "Julius Caesar;" and Note 29, Act v., "Romeo and
Juliet"
9. fV/u'eA ne'er shook hands. " Which" is here used for
' who,* and refers to Macbeth, not to the " slave ;" in Shake-
speare's mode of allowing a relatively-used pronoun sometimes
to refer to the not immediately preceding antecedent.
10. Direful thunders break. The first Folio omits the need-
ful verb at the conclusion of this line; the second Folio prims
'breaking;' and Pope gave "break" as the probably right
word, which we adopt
11. As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. " I'ismay'd,"
in the previous speech, gives 'dismay' before "eagles," and
' dismays' before " the lion," to be elliptically understood.
12. If I say sooth. ' If I speak the truth.' See Note 91,
Act iv. , "Winter's Tale."
13. Cracks. Here used for 'reports,' 'explosions.' This is
one of the many small and familiar words to which Shakespeare
gives dignity and force by his mode of using them. See Note 3,
Act hi., "Tempest." In the present play he uses the word
"crack " again with even more strong and even solemn effect.
See Note 29, Art iv
14. Alcji/orisc. ' Make memorable,' ' commemorate.' See
Note 39, Act iii., " Henry VI II.''
Macbeth, Speak, if you can ;— what are you?
First Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!
Act I. Scene lit. ' ^£'
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
Rosse.
Dun.
Rosse.
Mai. • The worthy thane of Rosse.
Lett. What a haste looks through his eyes ! So
should he look
That seems to speak things strange.15
Enter Rosse.
God save the king!
Whence cam'st thou, worthy thane ?
From Fife, great king;
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And ran our people cold.
Norway himself, with terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict ;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom,10 lapp'd in proof,17
Confronted him with self-comparisons,18
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm,
Curbing his lavish spirit : and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us ; —
Dun. Great happiness !
Rosse. That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition ;
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed, at Saint Colines-incK,19
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
Dun. No more that thane of Cawdor shall
deceive
15. T/uit seems to speak things strange. * That seems about
to speak strange things,1 ' that appears to be on the e've of
announcing strange tidings.' The mode of using "seems " here
is peculiar ; as is the one pointed out in Note 92, Act i., " Romeo
and Juliet."
16. Bellona's bridegroom. " Bellona" is the goddess of war ;
and Rosse calls Macbeth her " bridegroom," as a poetically-
honouring title.
17. Lapp' d in proof . ' Encased in armour of proof.'
18. Confronted him with self-comparisons. ' Met him with
competitive strokes of the self-same force as those he gave,'
'dealt him blows of equal might to his own.'
19. Colntes-inch. Now called 'Inch-comb.' It is a small
island in the Frith of Forth, with an abbey upon it dedi-
cated to St. Columb, " Inch," or 'inse,' in Erse, means 'island.'
20. Aroint. Thi^ word is probably derived from the Latin
averrttneo, ' I drive away evil ;' and employed to mean ' begone,'
' stand off/ 'avoid,* ' avaunt.' Various other derivations have
been suggested ; but we think the above is the most probable,
be ause old exorcists and witch-suppressors were in the habit of
using Latin terms in their adjurations. Dr. Johnson met with
an old print representing St. Patrick visiting the infernal regions
and putting the devils to great confusion ; one of whom is driv-
ing away a crowd of the condemneJ, with a label issuing out of
his mouth bearing these words — 'Out, out, Arongt:' which
word, being probably an antique form of "aroint," comes even
nearer to the Latin word, which we believe to be its original
root. Narcs mentions that tlie expression is still used in
Cheshire ; where, if the cow press too close to the dairy-maid
who is milking her, she will give the animal a push, saying ->t
the same time, 'Roint thee !' by which she means, ' Stand off.
There is also a North-country proverb — ' Rynt ye, witch ! quoth
Bessie Locket to her mother.'
21. The rump-fed ronyon. Formerly the cooks in large
establishments claimed as perquisites ili^ fat and chump-ends of
the meat ; therefore the epithet in the text is applied by the
witch to the sailor's wife as a fleer at her being so poor as to
have nothing to feed up' in but offal and refuse bits, "Ronyon"
means a scurvy wretch. See Note
Our bosom interest: — go pronounce his present
death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
Rosse. I'll see it done.
Dun. What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath
won. [Exeunt.
SCENE \\\.—A Heath.
Thunder, Enter the three Witches.
Firs Witch. Where hast thou been, sister?
Sec. Witch. Hilling swine.
Third Witch. Sister, where thou ?
First Witch. A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her
lap,
And mounch'd, and mounch'd, and mounch'd : —
"Give me," quoth I :
" Aroint-0 thee, witch!" the rump-fed ronyon21
cries.
Her husband's to' Aleppo gone, master o' the
Tiger:82
But in a sieve Til thither sail,-3
And, like a rat without a tail,-4
I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.
Sec. Witch. I'll give thee a wind.23
22. To Aleppo gone, mastcrd the Tiger. SirW. C. Trevelyan
has remarked that in " Hakluyt's Voyages " there are several
letters and journals of a voyage made to Aleppo in the ship
Tiger, of London, in the year 1583.
23. In a sieve I'll thither sail. A pamphlet concerning the
" Life and Death of Dr. Fian, a Notable Sorcerer," 1591, and
describing a conspiracy of 200 witches with Dr. Fian to " be-
witch and drovvne" King James in the sea, contains this passage:
" They altogether went by sea, each one in a riddle or sieve,
and went in the same very substantially with flaggons of wine,
making merry and drinking by the way in the same riddles or
sieves." Reginald Scot, in his " Discoverie of Witchcraft,"
15S4, says it was believed that witches "could sail in an egg
shell, a cockle or mussel shell, through and under the tempestuous
seas."
24. Like a rat without a tail. Among other preposterous
popular beliefs respecting witches, it was sii|ipo>ed that though
a witch could assume the form of any animal she pleased, the
tail would still be wanting.
25. I* II give thee a wind. This offer of a wind as a free gift
is accepted as a kindness, because witches were supposed to
make it an article of traffic. Witness, among other quot.iii.iii-,
that have been cited to prove this, a passage from Summary's
" Last Will and Testament," 1600: —
" In Ireland and in Denmark both,
Wit hes for gold will sell a man <i wind.
Which, in the corner of a napkin wrapp'd,
Shall blow him ^jXz unto what coast he will."
Also an account written in Sir Walter Scott's own graphic style,
and given hi Lockhart's Life of Scott" (1845), chap, xxx.,
p. 276, showing that the custom alluded to in the text survived
to a much later date. ' Off Stromness [Orkneys], 17th August,
1814. — We clomb, by steep and dirty lan„*s, an eminence rising
above tlie town, and commanding a fine view. An old hag lives
in a wretched cabin on this height, and subsists by selling winds.
Each captain of a merchantman, between jest and earnest, gives
the old woman sixpence, and she boils her kettle to procure a
7, Act iv,, " Merry Wives." 1 .favourable gale. She was a miserable figure, upwards of ninety,
322
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
First Witch, Thou art kind.
Third Witch. Ami I another.
First Witch. I myself have all the other;
Ami the very ports they blow,-6
All the quarters that they know
I' the shipman's card.-'"
I'll drain him dry as hay:
Sleep shall neither night nor day
Hang upon his pent-house lid ;
He shall live a man forbid i23
Weary seven-nights nine times nine
Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine:-'J
Though his bark cannot be lost,
Yet it shall be tempest-tost. —
Look what I have.
Sec. Witch. Show me, show me.
First Witch. Mere I have a pilot's thumb,
Wieck'd as homeward he did come.
[Drum within.
Third Witch. A drum, a drum !
Macbeth doth come.
All. The weird30 sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go about, about :
Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine,
And thrice again, to make up nine :
Peace ! — the charm's wound up.
she told us, and dried up like a mummy. A sort of clay-coloured
cloak, folded over her head, corresponded in colour to her
corpse-like complexion. Fine light-blue eyes, and nose and
chin that almost met, and a ghastly expression of cunning, gave
her quite the effect of Hecate We left our Pythoness,
who assured us there was nothing evil in the intercession she
was to make for us, but that we were only to have a fair wind
through the benefit of her prayers. She repeated a sort of
rigmarole, which I suppose she had ready for such occasions;
and seemed greatly delighted and surprised with the amount of
our donation, as everybody gave her a trifle, our faithful
Captain Wilson making the regular offering on behalf of the
ship. So much for buying a wind."
26. And the very ports they blozu. ' To ' is elliptically under-
stood after " blow."
27. /' the shipman's card. It has been proposed to add 'to
show ' here, in order to complete the line and rhyme ; but the
imperfect rhyming and unequal metre to be traced at intervals
throughout the speeches of the witches, appear to us to be so
marked as to prove that they are intentional on the part of the
dramatist ; giving characteristic ruggedness and uncouthness to
that which is uttered by these unhallowed creatures. "The
shipman's card " is the mariner's compass ; or, more strictly,
the paper on which the points of the wind are marked.
2S. Forbid. Here used in the sense of 'forespoken,' 'be-
witched;' under a spell or charm. 'A forbodin fellow' is a
Scottish term for an unhappy fellow.
29. Sleep shall neither night vor day, &>e Shall lie
.- , peak, and pbie. In Holinshed Shakespeare found a
hint for these witch-spells : for, speaking .if the witchcraft prac-
tised against King Duff, the chronicler says, that a witch was
round roasting upon a wooden broach an image of wax at the
fire, resembling in feature the king's person ; and "as the image
did waste afore the fire, so did the bodie of the king break forth
in sweat : and as for the words of the inchantment, they served
to keepe him still ivaking from slcepe"
30. Weird. Spelt in the Folio sometimes ' weyward,' some-
tunes * v/cyard.' The word " weird " is derived from the Saxon,
Enter Macbeth and Banquo.
Macb. So foul and fair a day31 I have not seen.
Ban. Mow far is'tcaiTd to Fores ?3- — What are
these
So wither'd, and so wild in their attire,
That look not like lh' inhabitants o' the earth,
And yet are on 't ?— Live you ? or are you aught
That man may question ? You seem to under-
stand me,
By each at once her choppy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips: — you should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so.
Macb. Speak, if you can ; — what are you ?
First Witch. All hail,33 Macbeth! hail to thee,
thane of Glamis !34
Sec. Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee,
thane of Cawdor !
Third Witch. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be
king hereafter!
Ban. Good sir, why do you start ; and seem to
fear
Things that do sound so fair?— I' the name of
truth,
Are ye fantastical,35 or that indeed
Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner
■wyrd, a fate, or witch; and signifies *fatal,' 'prophetic' Shake-
speare derived the expression in the text from Holinshed, who
says, "The common opinion was, that these women were either
the ivetrd sistersf that is (as ye would say) the goddesses of
destinie, or else some nymphs or feiries, indued with knowledge
of prophesie by their necromanticall science, bicause everie
thing came to passe as they had spoken.'1
31. So foul and fair a day. By these words we think
Shakespeare indicates the effect of fair weather overcast and
rendered foul by the witches' spells. Their appearance is
always accompanied by thunder; they meet in thunder, light-
ning, and rain ; they control the elements, vend the winds, and
revel in storm and tempest. The commotion produced in the
air by their unholy incantations, and the discord of good marred
by evil which they delight to promote, are indicated by some-
what similar words, where they previously chant in grim
chorus —
" Fair is foul, and foul is fair :
Hover through the fog and filthy air."
32. How far is 7 calVd to Fores ? The Folio misprints
'Soris' for " Fores" here ; shown to be right by the passage in
Holinshed which recounts the circumstance of Macbeth and
Banquo's meeting the witches on their way " towards Fores,
where the king then lay." By these few words, the dramatist
contrives to denote the place where the incident takes place, to
open the scene naturally and easily, and to mark the moment
emphatically when the witches are first beheld by their human
encounterers.
3 ;. A!/ frail. " Hail " is derived from the Anglo-Saxon
or hit, meaning 'hale,' 'whole,' or 'healthy;' and "all hail"
is a salutation equivalent to the Latin ave or salre, ' God save
you !'
34- Thane of Glamis. The thaneship of Glamis was the
ancient inheritance of MacBeth's family. The castle where they
lived is still standing ; and was in late years the residence of
the Earl of Strathmore.
35. Fantastical. ' Creatures of fantasy or imagination/
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
You greet with present grace, and great prediction
Of noble having30 and of royal hope,
That he seems rapt3'' withal:— to me you speak
not :
If you can look into the seeds of time,
And say which grain will grow, and which will
not,
Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear
Your favours nor your hate.38
Fust Witch. Hail!
Sec, Witch. Hail !
Third Witch. Hail !
First Witch. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.
Sec. Witch. Not so happy, yet much happier.
Third Witch. Thou shalt get kings, though
thou be none :
So, all hail, Macbeth and Banquo !
tint Witch. Banquo and Macbeth, all hail !
Mitch. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me
more :
Bv Sinel's death39 I know I am thane of Glainis;
But how of Cawdor ? the thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman ; and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence ? or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting ? Speak, [ charge
you. [Witches 'vanish.
Ban. The earth hath bubbles, as the water
has,
And these are of them : — whither are they vanish'd?
Math. Into the air; and what seem'd corporal
melted
As breath into the wind. — Would they had stay'd !
Ban. Were such things here as we do speak
about ?
36. Having. ' Possession,' ' fortune/ ' estate.' See Note 34,
Act 11., "Timon of Athens. "
37. Rapt. Here and elsewhere used by Shakespeare to ex-
press ' transported ;' ' in a state of mental abstraction,' ' in a fit
of strongly excited impression.'
3S. Who neither beg nor feat- your favours nor your hate.
' Who neither beg your favours nor fear your hate.' See
Note 42, Act v., " Coriolanus."
39. By Sittet 's death. Holinshed mentions " Sinell, the thane
ofG!amis,"as being Macb-'th's father.
40. Eaten on the insane root. Here "on" is used for 'of.
See Nolo 23, Act i., '"Henry VIII." It is conjectured that
Sll 11 ispeare, in the present passage, had thought of one that
occurs in Batman's "Commentary lie Propriet. Rerum" — " Hen-
bm;: .... is called insan r, mad, for the use thereof is perillous ,
for if it \i- cite or dronke, it breedeth madnesse, or slow lyke-
nesse of sleepc Therefore this hearb is called commonly Miri-
ll.iuuu, for it taketh away wit and reason."
41. His wonders and his praises, &*c. ' His wonder and his
admiration at your deeds struggle with desire to express them-
sclve. iii laudation towards yourself instead of remaining within
his own breast ;' or, ' his wonder at your deeds and his desire to
praise you for them contend for mastery within him '
42. Sttenc'if iv/th that. 'Remaining silently absorbed in that
wonder and admiration.'
43. As thick as tale, came post with post. The Folio mis-
Or have we eaten on the insane roof10
That takes the reason prisoner ?
Mac. Your children shall be kings.
Ban. You shall be king.
Much. And thane of Cawdor too, — went it not
so?
Ban. To the selfsame tune and words. — Who's
here ?
Enter Rosse and Angus.
Rosse. The king hath happily receiv'd, Mac-
beth,
The news of thy succe-i : and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' tight,
His wonders and his praises do conten i4L
Which should be thine or his : silene'd with that,42
In viewing o'er the rest o' the selfsame day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death. As thick as tale,
Came post with post ;43 and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence,
And pour'd them down before him.
Ang. We are sent
To give thee, from our royal master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,
Not pay thee.
Rosse. And, for an earnest of a greater honour,
He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor:
In which addition,44 hail, most worthy thane !
For it is thine.
Ban. What ! can the devil speak true ?
Mach. The thane of Cawdor lives : why do you
dress me
In borrow'd robes?
Ang. Who was the thane lives yet ;
But under heavy judgment bears that life
prints ' can' for "came." Rowe's correction. He also changed
"tale" to 'hail ;' but when we remember that Shakespeare uses
"thick" to express 'rapidly' (see Note 52, Act ii., "Second
Part Henry IV."), and "tales" in reference to the sense it
bears of 'reckoned numbers' (see Note 46, Act iii., "Mid-
summer Night's Dream"), we believe that here "as thick as
tale" means 'as quickly as counting,' 'as rapidly in succession
as could be counted.' Baret explains Crebritas literarum by
' th- often sending or thick coming of letters ;' while Milton and
Dryden both employ the word "talc" in the sense of 'score
taken,' or ' number reckoned.' Milton has —
/'And every shepherd tells his tale,
Under the hawthorn in the dale."
Dryden has —
" Both number twice a day the milky dams,
And once she takes the tale of all the Iambs."
We think, moreover, that the image of successive numbers
reckoned quickly one after the other accords far better with the
arrival of many posts rapidly following each other, than the
im ige of fast down-coming hail would do : and therefore we
bel eve " as thick as tale " to be what Shakespeare wrote 111
the present passage.
44. lit which addition, 'In which title.' See Note 97,
Act i., " Coriolanus."
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
Battauo. Look, how our partner's rapt.
Act I. Scene 111.
Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was
combin'd
With those of Norway, or did line45 the rebel
With hidden help and vantage, or that with both .
He labour'd in his country's wreck, I know not;
But treasons capita], confess'd, and prov'd,
Have overthrown him.
Much. [Aside.'] Glamis, and thane of Cawdor ;
The greatest is behind. — [Aloud.] Thanks for
your pains
Do you not hope your children shall be kings,
45. Line. Here used to express 'strengthen.' 'reinforce,' 'sup-
port,' ' sustain.' See Note 54, Act ii , " First Part Henry IV."
46. That, trusted home. ' That oracle trusted fully.' See
Note 23, Act v., "All's Well."
47. Enkindle. 'Incite,' 'stimulate' (see Note 25, Act i.,
" As You Like It ") ; ' fire you with the hope of attaining.'
48. Besides the tJtane of Ca-.vdor. Here, and in the preceding
speech, " thane " is used elliptically for ' thaneship ' or ' title of
thane.'
When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me
Proinis'd no less to them ?
Ban. That, trusted home,48
Might yet enkindle4? you unto the crown,
Besides the thane of Cawdor.43 But 'tis strange :
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths ••
Win us with honest trifles, to betray us
In deepest consequence. —
Cousins, a word, I pray you.
Macb. [Aside.] Two truths are told,4'
49. Two truths are told. Steevens and Malone complain
that it is not stated how the former of these " truths" ha
fulfilled; proceeding to discuss the witch's first salutation < il
it were intended to be a prediction. Hut it appears to us that
Macbeth is dwelling upon the point of whether the titles by
which the witches have saluted him are true, and not thinking
of them all as prophetic. He knows that he is already thane of
Glamis, he learns that he has just been created thane of Cawdor,
and he tests the probability of the truth that may lie in the
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme.— [Aloud.] I thank you,
gentlemen. —
[Aside.] This supernatural soliciting50
Cannot be ill; cannot be good: — if ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth ? I am thane ot Cawdor :
If good, why do 1 yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature ? Present fears51
Are less than horrible imaginings :
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,52
Shakes so my single state of man,5-1 that function
Is smother' d in surmise ;54 a<nd nothing is
But what is not.55
Ban. Look, how our partner's rapt.66
Macb. [Aside.] If chance will have me king,
why, chance may crown me,
Without my stir.
Ban. New honours come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their
mould5'
But with the aid of use.
Macb. [Aside.'] Come what come may,
Time and the hour58 runs through the roughest day.
Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your
leisure.59
Macb. Give me your favour :60 — my dull brain
was wrought
With things forgotten.61 Kind gentlemen, your
pains
Are register' d where every day I turn
The leaf to read them.62 — Let us toward the king —
[Aside la Ban.] Think upon what hath chanc'd;
and, at more time,
The interim having wcigh'd it,63 let us speak
Our free hearts each to other.
Ban. Very gladly.
Macb. Till then, enough. — Come, friends.
[Exeunt.
"shah be king hereafter" by his knowledge of the verity th.it
lies in the " two truths " already " told."
50. Soliciting. Here used for ' prompting,' ' urging upon the
attention.'
5r. P resent fears. 'Objects of fear actually present.' See
Note 36, Act ii. , " Julius Catsar."
52. Fantastical. ' A circumstance of the fantasy or imagina-
tion.' See Note 35 of this Act.
53. My single state of man. " Single " is here used in the
sense of 'imperfect,' 'fallible,' 'weak,' 'simple' (see Note 54,
Act i., "Second Part Henry IV."): and "state of man" is
' realm of man,' ' constitutional condition of man,' ' component
conformation- as a human being.' See Note 7, Act ii., " Corio-
lauus ;" and Note 15, Act ii., "Julius C-esar."
54. Function is smother',/ in surmise. ' My mental and
bodily powers are absorbed in contemplation of a possible
future.'
55. Nothing is but what is not. ' Nothing is palpaljy be-
fore me but that which does not yet exist,' ' Nothing seems real
to me but that which is as yet unreal,' ' I can sec nothing of the
actual things around me, my mind being so occupied with visions
of what may hereafter happen.'
56. Raf>t. ' Involved in a state of abstraction,' 'carried away
into a fit of thought and absence of mind.' See Note 37 of this Act.
* 57- Cleave not to their mould. 'They' is clliptically under-
stood before "cleave."
58. Time and the hour. An idiomatic and pleonastic phrase,
in use among early English writers ; as its counterpart, it
tempo e t'ora, is among Italian writers. In the present passage
SCENE IV.— Fores. A Room in the Palace.
Flourish. Enter Duncan, Malcolm, Donal-
bain, Lennox, and Attendants.
Dun. Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
Those in commission64 yet return' d ?
Mai. My liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die : who did report,
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons ;
Implor'd your highness' pardon ; and set forth
A deep repentance : nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it ; he died
As one that had been studied in his death,65
To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd,66
As 'twere a careless trifle.
Dun. There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face :67
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
Enter Macbeth, Banquo, Rosse, and Angus.
Oh, worthiest cousin !cs
The sin of my ingratitude even now
its signification is equivalent to ' Time and the hour destined to
witness a special event,' ' Time and the hour appointed for n
pre-ordained event.'
59. We stay upon your leisure. ' We attend upon your will
to depart,' 'we wait but for your convenience to go.' See
Note 55, Act v., " Coriolanus."
60. Give we your favour. 'Give me your favourable con-
struction,' ' Give me your indulgence.'
, 61. My dull brain ivas wrought with things forgotten.
" Wrought " is here used for ' working,' ' toiling,' ' occupied.'
62. Register d wltere everyday I turn tile leaf to read them.
Macbeth poetically refers to his mind as a memorandum-book,
where he keeps a record of his friends' courtesies and kindly
deeds. Sec Note 39, Act iv., "Second Part Henry IV."
63. The interim having iveigh'd it. ' The interim having
allowed of its being deliberately considered,' or ' duly balanced
in our minds.'
64. Are not those in commission. The first Folio prints
' or ' for " arc." Corrected in the second folio.
65. As one that had been studied in his death. ' Like one
that had perfectly studied the part he was to play in dying with
firmness and penitence.'
66. Ow'd. 'Owned.'
67. To find the mind's construction tn the face. 'To dis-
cover the mode of construing the inward mind by the exterior
demonstration of the face.'
68. Oh. worthiest cousin 1 Duncan and Macbeth were the
sons of two sisters, Beatrice and Doada, daughters to Malcolm,
the previous King of Scotland.
26
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene v.
Was heavy on me : thou art so far before,
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserv'd ;
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine!69 only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.70
Maeb. The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself.71 Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties: ami our duties
Are to your throne and state, children and servants ;
Which do but what they should, by doing ever) -
thing
Safe toward your love and honour. 7-
Dun. Welcome hither:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. — Noble Banquo,
That has no less deserv'd, nor must be known,
No less to have done so ; let me infold thee,
And hold thee to my heart.
Han. There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.
Dun. My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themseUes
In drops of sorrow. — Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland :76 which honour must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. — From hence to Inverness,"''
And bind us farther to you.
Much. The rest is labour, which is not us'd for
you :
69. TJuit the Proportion both 0/ thanks an I payment might
have been mine. The word " mine " has been suspected of
error here ; but we think that the sentence bears this interpreta-
tion : — *I would thou hadst de>erved less, that the satisfaction
might have been mine of knowing that my thanks and rewards
were better proportioned 10 thy merit than now they can be.'
70. Afore is thy due than more than all can pay. ' More is
thy due than could be repaid by even mure than all that I can
give thee.'
71. Tin service and the loyalty I owe, in doing it, pays
itself. Here " service" and *' loyalty " are treated as one and
the same thin:;, and therefore referred to by " it " and " itself,"
in-read of by a plural pronoun. See Note 73, Act hi., " Timon
of Athens."
72. By doing everything safe toward your love and honour.
" Safe" has here been variously interpreted : Blackstoue altering
'* your" to 'you,' and affirming that " safe " bears the same sen=e
in this passage that 'saitf' does in the form of doing homage
during the feudal times: — ' Sauf la foy que Je day a nostre
Scignor le roy ;* and Upton alleging that here " safe " is used.
adverbially, for 'safely.' We incline to think that here " safe "
is employed adjectively, meaning ' productive of security ;' as 11
is in Philippians iii. \ : " To write the same things to you, to
me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe." And there-
fore we take the passage in the text to signify, 'by doing every-
thing productive of security toward you whom we love and
honour,' or ' by doing everything that tends to secure an 1 pro
mote your love and honour.'
73. T/ie Prince of Cumberland. The crown of Scotland was
I'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach ;
So, humbly take my leave.
Dun. My worthy Cawdor !
htacb. [Aside.] The Prince of Cumberland !
that is a step,75
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
Tor in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires ;
Let not light see my black and deep desires ■
The e_\e wmk at the hand ; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. [Exit.
Dun. True, worthy Banquo,— he is full so
valiant .'"''
And in his commendations I am fed, — .
It is a banquet to me. Let's after him,
Whose care is gone belore to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman.77 [Flourish, Exeunt,
SCENE V. — Inverness. A Room in
Macbeth's Castle.
Enter Lady Macbeth, reading a letter.
Lady M. They met me in the day of success ; and I
have learned by the perfectest report,78 they have more in them
than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question
them farther, they made themselves air, into which they vanished.
Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives"3 from
the king, who all-hailed me, " Thane of Cawdor ;" by which title,
before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the
coming on of time, with " Hail, king th.it shalt be ! " This have
I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness,
that thou might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being igno-
rant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart,
and farewell.
in early times not strictly hereditary; and when a successor
was declared in the lifetime of a king (as was sometimes the
case), the title of Prince of Cumberland was conferred upon him
in token of his appointment. Cumberland w,i^ then held in lief
of the English crown.
74. From hence to hwemess. This royal visit to Macbeth's
castle has historical authority ; and it was customary for the
king to make an annual progress through his dominions,
sojourning at the mansions of his nobles.
75. Tlmt is a step. Macbeth being, equally with Duncan,
the grandson of the late monarch, considered that his claims
to the throne were set aside by this nomination of Malcolm to be
heir to the crown ; and it acts as a fresh incentive to his medi-
tated deed.
76. True, -worthy Banquo, — he is full so valiant. These
words are said by Duncan in reply to something which has been
said by Iianquo in praise of Macbeth's valour, while conversing
apart during Macbeth's soliloquy. The proneness of the latter
to fall into abstracted self-communing throughout these firM
scenes serves forcibly to depict the tumult of h
engrossed with its subject of secret debate, that it posil
cannot disengage itself therefrom, but causes him to fall into
perpetually recurring fits of soliloquising even iu the pri n
of others.
77. // is a peerless kinsman. See Note 76, Act ii.,
°art Henry IV."
78. By llu- perfectest report. 'From the must reliable
information.'
79. Missives. Here used for 'messengers.'
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene V.
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor ; and shalt be
What thou art promis'd : yet do 1 fear thy nature ;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way : thou wouldst be great ;
Art not without ambition ; but without
The illness80 should attend it: what thou wouldst
highly,
That wouldst thou holily ; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win : thou'dst have,
great Glamis,
That which cries, " Thus thou must do, if thou
have it ;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do
Than wishest should be undone." Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear ;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical81 aid doth seem
To have32 thee crown'd withal.
Enter an Attendant.
What is your tidings ?
Allen. The king comes here to-night.
Lady M. Thou'rt mad to say it :
Is not thy master with him ? who, were 't so,
Would have inform'd for preparation.
Atten. So please you, it is true : — our thane is
coming :
One of my fellows had the speed of him ;
Who, almost dead for breath,83 had scarcely more
Than would make up his message.
80. Illness. Here used for ' badness,' ' evilness.'
8:. Metaphysical. In Shakespeare's time this word was used
to express ' supernatural' or 'preternatural.'
82. Seem to have. An idiom used by Shakespeare to express
' appear to wish,' ' make show of desiring,' ' give token of wish-
ing.' See the passage referred to in Note 39, Act L, "All's Well."
83. Who, almost dead for breath. 'Want of is elliplically
understood between "for" and " breath." See Note 23> Act i.,
"Henry V."
84. The raven himself is hoarse, eVf. Lady Macbeth,
hearing that the messenger has scarcely breath to announce the
king's arrival, follows up the thought by saying to herself, ' Ay,
all who proclaim that advent may naturally be wanting in voice ;
the very bird that hath the harshest of notes is hoarse,' &c.
85. Mortal. Here, and elsewhere, used by Shakespeare fur
' deadly.' See Note 81, Act iii., "Twelfth Night."
86. Nor keep peace between the effect nrt.i it. The first
Folio prints ' hit' for " it" here ; corrected in the third Folio
Perhaps we should rather say modernised than corrected; for
'hit' was an old form of "it." See Note 52, Act v., "All's
Well," for a similar first Folio use of ' hit' as a form of " it ;"
the present passage serving to confirm the propriety of our
adopted reading there. The word "peace" in the present
passage lias been suspected of error, Johnson proposing that it
should lie changed to 'pace :' but by "keep peace" the effect is
produced of ' mediate,' 'suspend proceedings,' 'check hostilities,'
ami therefore of hindering achievement.
87. Sightless. Here, and in the passage referred to in Note
118 of the present Act, used to express 'unseen,' 'invisible.'
Elsewhere Shakespeare employs it in the sense of 'unsightly'
(see Note 8, Act iii., " King John") : and these instances afford
an example of the licence with which he uses words ending in j
'' less." See also Note 32, Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
3^
■ Lady M. Give him tending ;
Me brings great news. [Exit Attendant.
The raven himself is hoarse84
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal sb thoughts, unsex me here ;
And fill me, from the crown to the toe, lop-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse ;
That no compunctious visitings cf nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it!86 Come to my woman's
breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering mini-
sters,
Wherever in your sightless87 substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick
night,
Ami pall thee in the dun nest smoke*8 of hell,
That my keen knifes9 see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,90
To cry, "Hold, hold!"91
Enter Macbeth.
Great Glamis ! worthy Cawdor !
Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!
Thy letters have transported me beyond
This ignorant present,9- and I feel now
The future in the instant.
Macb. My dearest love,
Duncan comes here to-night.
88 Pall thee in the dnnnest smoke. " Pall " has been
explained by some to mean 'a robe of state ;' and by others
has been derived from the Latin />alliar?t to ' invest,' ' clothe,"
'wrap,' or 'cover.' We think that it is one of Shakespeare's
poetically coined verbs from nouns to express ' cover as with a
funereal pall.' It will hardly be believed that "dunnest" his
been objected to as a mean epithet (!) ; to our minds it has an
even superbly impressive effect, in its dark, shadowy grimness.
89. That my keen knife. " Knife," in the present day
sounding more familiar than would seem to befit the language
of tragedy, was formerly a usual name for a 'dagger.' See
Note 19, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet."
90. The blanket of the dark. Here is another of those
familiar expressions which trouble fastidious commentators,
causing them to suspect error and propose so-called emenda-
tion ; but which to poets and poetical appreciates seem fraught
w th grand simplicity. See Note 39, Act v., "Merchant of
Venice," and Note 13 of the present Act.
91. "Hold, hold!" This was the phrase formally and
solemnly used when parting combatants. In Bel lay's " Instruc-
tions for the Wars," 1589, we find that the old military laws
declared capital punishment to be the penalty for " whosoever
shall strike stroke at his adversary, either in the heat or other-
wise, if a third do cry Iwld, to the intent to part them ; except
that they did fight a combat in a place enclosed ; and then no
man shall be so hardy as to bid Iwld, but the general."
92. This ignorant present. 'This present moment unac-
quainted with the existence of that which hereafter will exist.1
" Ignorant" here includes the sense of 'unpossessed of as well
as 'unacquainted wit-,' 'unconscious of,' 'unknowing.' The
phrase is one of Shakespeare's finely succinct elliptical expres-
sions, which the meddlers with his phraseology would fun
deprive us of by diluting it into ' this ignorant present lime.'
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene VI.
Lady M. And when goes hence Y
Macb. To-morrow, as he purposes.
Lady M. Oh, never
Shall sun that morrow see !
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters: — to beguile the time,
Look like the time ; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue : look like the innocent
flower,
But be the serpent under it. He that's coming93
Must be provided for : and you shall put
This night's great business into my despatch ;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
Macb. We will speak farther.
Lady M. Only look up clear ;
To alter favour94 ever is to fear :
Leave all the rest to me. ' [Exeunt.
SCENE VI.— Inverness. Before the Castle.
Hautboys. Servants ©/'Macbeth attending. Enter
Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Ban quo,
Lennox, Macduff, Rosse, Angus, and
Attendants.
Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat;'J5 the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.90
93. He that's coming. By this hard abstract expression,
going even beyond her husband's plain mention of the king by
his simple name of " Duncan," how strikingly does the drama-
tist denote Lady Macbeth's character, and her tact in avoiding
direct nomination of their intended victim by any title that may
remind her partner of the claims he has upon their respect and
hospitality as king and guest !
04. Favour. 'Aspect,' 'appearance,' 'look,' 'countenance.*
See Note 86, Act i., "Julius Caesar."
95. Seat. Here used for 'site,* 'situation.'
96. Unto our gentle senses. Sir Joshua Reynolds, upon the
present passage, has a graceful note, which comes with double
effect from an artist. He says: "This short dialogue between
Duncan and Banquo, whilst they are approaching the gates of
Macbeth's castle, has always appeared to me a striking instance
of what in painting is termed repose The subject of this
quiet and easy conversation gives that repose so necessary to
the mind after the tumultuous bustle of the preceding scenes,
and perfectly contrasts the scene of horror that immediately
succeeds."
97. Martlet, Misprinted ' barlet ' in the Folio. Rowe's
correction. See Note 47, Act ii., " Tempest."
98. Approve. Here used for 'prove,' ' testify.' See Note 80,
Act iii., "All's Well."
99. Coigne of vantage. 'Advantageous corner,' 'convenient
nook.' At the opening of Act v., sc. 4, " Coriulanus," Menenius
says, " See you yond' coigne o' the Capitol, — yond' corner-
ttotu ' "
100. God yield. This is probably the same expression and
has the same meaning as the phrase " God 'ild," explained in
Note 91. Act iii., "As You Like It." In all the four passages
where Shakespeare uses this phrase, the Folio prints it
differently : thus :—
Ban. This guest of summer,
The temple-haunting martlet,1''' does approve,98
By his lov'd mansionry, that the heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coigne of vantage," hut this bird
Math made his pendent bed and procreant cradle :
Where they most breed and haunt, I have ob-
serv'd,
The air is delicate.
Enter Lady Macbeth.
Dun. See, see, our honour'd hostess ! —
The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you
How you shall bid God yield100 us for your pains,
And thank us for your trouble.101
Lady M. All our service
In every point twice done, and then done double,
Were poor and single business102 to contend
Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities103 heap'd up to them,
We rest your hermits.104
Dun. Where's the thane of Cawdor ?
We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose
j To be his purveyor:105 but he rides well ;
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp
him
To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.
Lady M. Your servants ever
" Goddild you for your last companie."
" As You Like It," Act iii., sc. 3.
" God'ild you, sir, I desire you of the like."
"As You Like It," Act v., sc. 4.
" Shall bid God-eyld vs for your paines."
" Macbeth," Act i., sc. 6.
"Well, God dil'd you." — " Hamlet," Act iv., sc. 5.
The question has been mooted whether the abbreviated phrase
meant ' God yield,' meaning ' God reward,' or ' God shield,*
meaning ' God protect ;' but we do not believe that it bears the
latter sense, because wherever Shakespeare has " God shield "
he employs it to express 'God forbid.*
101. For your trouble. This passage has been pronounced
" undoubtedly obscure." We think it is a delicately-worded,
royal compliment, to this effect : ' We ourselves have sometimes
felt the love shown us by our subjects to be a trouble, but,
I. ii' win:; its source, we have thanked it as love ; by this I show
you how you shall invoke a blessing on our heads, and thank us
for the trouble we give you, since it proceeds from our love
towards you.'
102. Poor and single business. Here "single" is not only
used in its sense of ' weak,' ' feeble,' ' ineffectual ' see Note 53
of this Act1 : it has also antithetical effect in juxtaposition u iih
" double " in the previous line.
103. Late dignities. 'Lately conferred dignities.' See
Note 52, Act ii., " Henry V."
Beadsmen 'see Note 3, Act i., "Two Gentle-
persons dedicated to constant prayer on your
104. Hermits.
men of Verona") ;
behalf.
105. Purveyor.
before, or first.'
Here used for ' precursor,' ' one that jrrives
vjl. in.
20S
Act I.]
MACBETH.
[Scene VI
Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in
compt,106
To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.
Dun. Give me your hand ;
Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII. — Inverness. A Passage Room in
the Castle.
Hautboys and torches. Enter, and pass over, a
Sewer,107 and divers Servants with dishes
and service. Then enter Macbeth.
Macb. If it were done when 'tis done,10s then
'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence,109 and catch,
With his surcease, success;110 that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
Hut here, upon this bank and shoal of time,111 —
We'd jump the life to come.112 But in these cases,
We still have judgment here ; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice113
Commends114 the ingredients of our poison'd
chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust :1"'
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed ; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
106. In compt. Here used to express ' in trust ;' ' that which
is to be accounted for.' See Note 12, Act ii., " Timon of
Athens."
107. A sctver. An officer, whose duty it was to place the
dishes on the tabic. From the French asseoir, meaning ' to
place.'
108. 1/ it lucre done tulten 'tis done. ' If it were done with
when 'tis done,' ' if it were concluded when 'tis accomplished."
One of Shakespeare's paradoxically framed sentences, replete
with meaning. See Notes 55 and 70 of this Act.
109. Trammel up tJiz consequence. A " trammel " was a net
in which birds or fish were caught ; and ' trammels ' were
shackles in which horses' legs were placed when they were
taught to pace : therefore Shakespeare uses the verb to " tram-
mel " for 'impede' or 'obviate.' "Up" is here employed to
give an effect of completeness or thoroughness. See Note 66,
Act iv. , " King John."
no. And catch, with his surcease, success. " Catch" is here
used for 'ensure,' 'securely obtain;' "his" used for 'its' in
reference to "assassination " includes the effect of reference to
the man who is to be assassinated ; "surcease" means 'cessa-
tion,' 'stop' (see Note ir, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet") ; and
" success" is here employed in its sense of ' that which follows
or ensues,' ' issue,' ' consequence,' while also including the sense
of ' successful termination' as implying impunity. See Note 122,
Act i., " All's Well."
in. This bank and shoal of. time. The Folio gives 'schoole'
for "shoal." Theobald's correction.
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties116 so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office,117 that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongu'd, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin, hors'd
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,118
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind.119 — I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself,
And falls on the other.120 —
Enter Lady Macbeth.
How now! what news?
Lady M. He has almost snpp'd : 121 why have
you left the chamber?
Macb. Hath he ask'd for me ?
Lady M. Know you not he has ?
Macb. We will proceed no farther in this
business :
He hath honour'd me of late ; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
Lady M. Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since ?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely ? \ From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
Ami live a coward in thine own esteem,
T12. We'd jump tlze life to come. 'We'd risk the life to
come.' See Note 27, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
113. This even-lianded justice. It has been proposed to
change " this " to ' thus ;' but "this " is here used as it is in the
passage referred to in Note 42, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
114. Commends. Here used in the sense of 'commits,'
'directs.' See passage referred to in Note 7, Act v., "All's
Well."
115. He's here in double trust. There has been no mention
of any one by name in this speech : yet with what pointed
significance of effect the pronoun " he " is here used ! See
Note 84, Act i., " Richard III."
116. Faculties. Here used for ' sovereign powers,' ' royal
prerogatives,' 'rights of dominion.'
117. So deal in his great office. "Clear" is used in the
sense of ' pure,' ' free from blemish,' ' immaculate.'
118. The sightless couriers of the air. For " sightless " see
Note 87 of the present Act. " Couriers of the air" is a poetical
term for the winds.
119. Tears shall drown the wind. A metaphor founded upon
the suspension of wind by a shower of rain.
120. And falls on the other. In the present passage " sides,"
in the penultimate line, allows 'side' to be elliptically under-
stood after " other ;" according to a mode of construction
occasionally used by Shakespeare. See, among many other
instances. Note 43, Act iii., " Second Part Henry IV."
121. He has almost supp'd. Observe here again the dramatic
effect of " he " thus used.
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
Letting " I dare not " wait upon " 1 would,"
Like the poor cat i' the adage i1'--
Macb. Pr') thee, peace :
I dare do all that may become a man ;
Who dares do more is none.123
Lady M. What beast was't, then,1'21
That made you break this enterprise to me ?
When you durst do it, then you were a man ;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
Did then adhere,125 and yet you would make both :
They have made themselves, and that their fitness
now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me :
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
Macb. If we should fail ?
Lady M. We fail !
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,126
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep
(Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him), his two chamberlains1-'
Will I with wine and wassail so convince,128
That memory, the warder129 of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only :130 when in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and 1 perform upon
Th' unguarded Duncan ? what not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell ?131
Macb. Bring forth men-children only ;
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be receiv'd,
When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers,
That they have done 't ?
Lady M. Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death ?
Macb. I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show :
False face must hide what the false heart doth
know. [Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE I. — Inverness. Court loithin Mac-
beth's Castle.
Enter Banquo, preceded by Kleance "with a
torch.
Ban. How goes the night, boy ?
t'le. The moon is down ; I have not heard the
clock.
Ban. And she goes down at twelve.
122. Like the poor cat F the adage. A version of the adage
here alluded to is to be found in Heywood's " Proverbs,"
1566 ; " The cat would eate flshe, but would not wet her feete."
123. WIw dares do more is none. The Folio misprints 'no'
for "do." Rowe's correction.
124. What beast was V,* then, that, &>c. It has been pro-
posed to change " beast " to ' boast ' or ' baseness ;' but here, as
in more than a dozen other instances, Shakespeare uses " beast"
as an antithesis to "man." See Note 82, Act Iv., "Timon of
Athens."
125. Adhere. Employed instead of 'cohere.' See Note 58,
Act iii., "Twelfth Night."
126. Screw your courage to the sticking-place. A meta-
phorical phrase, taken from "screwing" up the chords of a
stringed instrument to their requisite tension ; when the peg
remains fast in its "sticking-place," or place whence it is not to
recede.
127. His two chamberlains. This incident is taken from
Holinshed's account of King DufFe's murder by Donwald ; and,
Indeed, it is interesting, in reading the old chronicle, to observe
Fie. I take 't, 'tis later, sir.
Ban. Hold, take my sword : — there's husbandry l
in heaven,
Their candles are all out:2 — take thee that too. —
A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not sleep : — merciful powers,
Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature
Gives way to in repose ! — Give me my sword. —
Who's there ?
from what different portions of the history Shakespeare has
here and there culled morsels which he has appropriated,
brought together, and turned to choicest account, in his tragedy
of "Macbeth."
128. With wine and wassail so convince. " Wassail " is here
used for 'feasting' (see Note 88, Act v., "Love's Labour's
Lost"); and "convince" for 'overcome,' 'overpower,' 'sub-
due.' See Note 152, Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost."
129. Warder. ' Guard,' ' sentinel.'
130. The receipt of reason a limbeck only. " Receipt" is
here used for 'recipient' or 'receptacle;' and "limbeck" (a
colloquially corrupted form of 'alembic'} is a vessel through
which distilled liquors pass, in the state of fume or vapour.
131. Quell. ' Murder ;' from the Saxon quellan, to kill.
1. Husbandry. Here used for 'thrift,' 'economy,' 'pru-
dence.' See Note 35, Act ii., " Timon of Athens."
2. Their candles are all out. This is the third passage In
which Shakespeare uses the homely word "candles" as an epithet
for the stars. See Note 65, Act hi., " Romeo and Juliet."
mi-
Lady Macbeth. Alack, I am afraid thes have auakd,
And 'tis not dune.
Act II. Scene II.
-i -
-^jg^r,
Macbeth. Louk on \ again I dare not.
Lady Macbeth. Infirm of purpose
Give me the daggers.
Act II. Scene If.
Enter Macbeth, and a Servant with a torch.
Macb. A friend.
Ban. What! sir, not yet at rest ? The king'*
a -bed :
He hath been in unusual
Measure, and
Sent forth great largess to your offices ;3
This diamond he greets your wife withal,
3. Sent forth great largess to your offices. " Largess " means
'bounty,' 'donations.' Sec Note 98, Act i., "Richard II."
" Offices " was altered bv Rowe to ' officers ;' but the " offices "
of a mansion arc the rooms where the household servants
assemble, and therefore the phrase conveys effect of the largess
being sent to Macbeth's household retainers generally.
4. And shut up in measureless content. Here "shut up"
has been explained to mean either ' closed,' * concluded,' ' termi-
nated his speech,' or ' retired for the night by shutting himself
up into his room ;' but we think, considering the manner in
which Shakespeare generally uses the expression "shut up,"
that here it means 'enclosed,' ' enfolded,' 'wrapped,* 'enveloped,'
and that 'is' is elliptically understood before "shut up." The
phrase appears to us to be a somewhat similarly figurative mode
By the name of most kind hostess; and shut up
In measureless content.4
Macb. Being unprepar d,
Our will became the servant to defect ;5
Which else should free have wrought.
Ban. All's well. —
I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters:6
of expressing the king's pleased state of mind by saying ' and is
wrapped in measureless content ;' as the phrase, " I am ivrapp'd
in dismal thinkings" is used in " All's Well," Act v., sc. 3, to
express the speaker's uneasy state of mind.
5. Our -will became, &>c. 'Our desire to duly welcome the
king was made subservient to our defective state of prepara-
tion; otherwise our. willingness should have more efficiently
demonstrated itself.' " Which " refers to " will," not to "de-
fect;" in Shakespeare's mode of allowing a relatively used
pronoun to refer to a not immediately preceding antecedent.
6. I dreamt last night, &>c. These words serve to illustrate
those which Banquo hxs just previously said in soliloquy
yet I would not sleep," &c. It is evident that his last 1
dream has suggested "cursed thoughts" from winch his
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
To you they have show'd some truth.
Macb. I think not of them:
Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that busi-
ness,
If you would grant the time.
Ban. At your kind'st leisure.
Macb. If you shall cleave tc my consent, — when
'tis,?
It shall make honour for you.
Ban. So I lose none
In seeking to augment it, but still keep
My bosom franchis'd, and allegiance clear,
I shall be counsell'd.
Macb. Good repose the while!
Ban. Thanks, sir : the like to you !
[Exeunt Banquo ami Fleance.
Macb. Go bid thv mistress, when my drink i^
ready,
She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. —
[Exit Servant.
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand ? Come, let me
clutch thee : —
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight ? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat oppressed brain ?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest : I see thee still ;
And on thy blade and dudgeon8 gouts0 of blood,
honourable waking sense revolts : and his praying against even
the involuntary temptation presented to his mind during sleep
presents fine moral contrast with Macbeth's lying words, " I
think not of them," and his deliberately pursued purpose in
spite of all occasional inward promptings to desist.
7. If yon shtill cleave to my consent, — wlten 'tis. "Con-
sent" is here used in the sense of 'agreement' (see Note 17,
Act ii., " As You Like It," and Note 13, Act v., " Second Part
Henry IV."}, 'agreed opinion :' the sentence meaning, ' If you
will adopt and adhere to my opinion, — when my mind is made up.'
Macbeth purposely expresses himself vaguely and imperfectly.
8. And on thy blad* and dudgeon. " Dudgeon" is here used
for the ' haft ' or ' handle ' of a dagger. Bishop Wilkins ex-
plains a dudgeon dagger to be " a dagger whose handle is
made of the root of box." The Scottish daggers had generally
handles made of box-wood. Torriano has " a Scotch or dudgeon
haft dagger." Therefore there is peculiar appropriateness in
putting this word into Macbeth's mouth.
. 9. Gouts. ' Drops ;' French, gouttes.
10. There's no such thing. Dr. Bucknill, whose professional
acquaintance with every variety of excited and diseased brain
entitles his opinion on the subject to the highest respect, says in
his admirable volume, "The Psychology of Shakespeare" (1859),
"The dagger-scene is an illustration of Shakespeare's finest
psychological insight : an hallucination of sight resulting from
the high-wrought nervous tension of the regicide, and ' the
present horror of the time,' and typifying in form the dread
Which was not so before. — There's no such thing;10
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. — Now o'er the one half world
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebrates"
Pale Hecate's offerings ; and wither' d murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl 's his watch, thus with his stealthy
pace,
With Tarquin's ravishing strides,12 towards his
design
Moves like a ghost. — Thou sure and firm-set
earth,13
Hear not my steps, which way they walk,14 for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. — Whiles I threat, he
lives :
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.15
\_A bell 1 ings.
I go, and it is done ; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan ; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell. [Exit.
SCENE II. — The Same.
Enter Lady Macbeth.
Lady M. That which hath made them drunk
hath made me bold ;
What hath quench'd them hath given me fire. —
Hark !— Peace!
It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman,
Which gives the stern'st good-night. — He is about
it:
purpose of his mind ; impressed upon his senses, but rejected by
his judgment ; recognised as a morbid product of mental excite-
ment, and finally its existence altogether repudiated, and the
bloody business of the mind made answerable for the foolery of
the senses."
11. Tlie curtain d sleep; witcltcraft celebrates. Davenant,
in his altered version of "Macbeth," inserted 'now' before
"witchcraft" here; and Steevens proposed to change "sleep"
to ' sleeper,' in order that the regular number of feet might be
given in this line. But we have pointed out several passages
where Shakespeare has lines containing either redundant or
defective metre, if judged by strict metrical rule (see Notes 49
and 50, Act iii., " Coriolanus ") ; and we think that the present
may be of them.
12. With Tarquin's ravishing strides. The Folio has
( sides' instead of " strides." Pope's correction. The expres-
sion, "ravishing strides" is in conformity with Shakespeare's
occasionally elliptical mode of using epithets (see Note 28,
Act iv., " Henry VIII."), meaning ' strides of a ravisher.'
13. Thou sure and firm-set earth. The Folio misprints
'sowre ' for " sure."
14. Which way they walk. The Folio gives 'they may,'
instead of" way they," here.
15. Words to the heat 0/ deeds too cold breath gives. The
false grammatical concord, permitted when Shakespeare wrote,
here affords scope for the needed rhyme. See Note 8 Act v.,
" Julius Oesar."
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
The doors are open ; and the surfeited grooms
Do mock their charge with snores : I have drugg'd
their possets,16
That death and nature do contend17 about them,
Whether they live or die.
Macb. [irilbin.] Who's there? what, ho!
Lady M. Alack, I am afraid they have awak'd,
And 'tis not done: — the attempt, and not the
deed,
Confounds us. — Hark! — I laid their daggers ready;
He could not miss them. — Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done 't — My hus-
band !
Re-enter Macbeth.
Macb. I have done the deed. — Didst thou not
hear a noise ?
Lady M. I heard the owl scream and the
crickets cry.
Did not you speak ?
Mad. ' When ?
Lady M. Now.
Mad. As I descended ?
Lady M. Ay.
Mad. Hark ! 13—
Who lies i' the second chamber ?
Lady M. Donalbain.
Mad. [Looking on his hands.] This is a sorry-
sight.
Lady M. A foolish thought, to say a sorry
sight.
Mad. There's one did laugh in's sleep, and
one cried " Murder!"
That they did wake each other : I stood and
heard them :
But they did say their prayers, and address'd them
Again to sleep.
Lady M. There are two lodg'd together.
16. Possets. Sec Note 24. Act v., " Merry Wives." The
several uses made by the dramatist in this scene of the custom
which prevailed formerly of taking a night-draught before
retiring to rest, are worthy of remark. Macbeth, wholly
engrossed with his contemplated deed, says to the servant,
11 Bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready, she strike upon
the bell ;" using the signal as a mere summons to his bloody
act. Lady Macbeth swallows her portion as that which shall
give her nerve and firmness for her task ; while the cup pre-
pared for the already "surfeited grooms " is " drugg'd " to make
all doubly secure.
17. Death and nature do contend. " Nature " is here used
for 'natural strength,' 'native constitution.' See Note 68,
Acti., "All's Well."
18. Hark! The poetry of this exclamation, as Shakespeare
has employed it in this appalling scene, has been strangely
vulgarised into bare matter of fact by theatrical representation,
which usually accompanies this exclamation of Macbeth by a
clap of stage thunder. It appears to us that Macbeth's " Hark ! "
here is of a piece with Lady Macbeth's " Hark !" which she
twice utters just before. It is put into both their mouths to
denote the anxious listening, the eager sensitive ears, the breath-
less strain with which each murderous accomplice hearkens after
any sound that they dread should break the silence of night.
Mjcb. One cried, " God ; bless us ! " ami
" Amen," the other ;
As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.
Listening their fear, I could not say, "Amen,"
When they did say, "God bless us."
Lady M. Consider it not so deeply.
Mad. But wherefore could not I pronounce
" Amen " ?
I had most need of blessing, and " Amen "
Stuck in my throat.
Lady M. These deeds must not be thought
Alter these ways ; so, it will make us mad.
Macb. Methought I heard a voice cry, " Sleep
no more !
Macbeth does murder sleep," — the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave19 of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast, —
Lady M. What do you mean ?■"
Macb. Still it cried, " Sleep no more ! " to all
the house :
" Glamis hath murder' d sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more, — Macbeth shall sleep no
more ! "
Lady M. Who was it that thus cried ? Why,
worthy thane,
You do unbend your noble strength, to think
So brainsickly of things. — Go get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand. —
Why did you bring these daggers from the place ?
They must lie there: go carry them; and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.
Macb. I'll go no more :
I am afraid to think what I have done ;
Look on 't again I dare not.
Lady M. Infirm of purpose !
Give me the daggers : the sleeping and the ttead
She answers her own ejaculation, in the first place, by observing
that "it was the owl that shriek'd ;" and, in the second place, by
" I laid their daggers ready ;" showing that she is tracking {by
her ear) the progress made by her husband, his steps, his descent
from the death-chamber : then he, after coming to her, also
exclaims, " Hark ! " — adding, as the shudder subsides with which
he has gasped it forth, "Who lies i' the second chamber?"
showing that he too is listening for possible sounds, and not
listening to actual ones. The word, to our thinking, expressively
indicates that susceptibility to a sound that may at any instant
come, which obtains possession of those engaged in a perilous
deed — perilous to body and soul — and causes them to bid them-
selves hush and hearken to what they fancy might be heard but
for the beating of their own heart and the already busy whispers
of their own conscience.
19. Sleave. ' Raw silk,' ' unwrought silk ;' sometimes called
' floss silk.'
20. Wliat do you mean ? Wonderfully characteristic is this
inquiry on the part of Lady Macbeth. Utterly unable to follow
the flights of overwrought fancy which shake her imaginative
and impressionable husband, she interrupts him with this
amazed exclamation. The mental effect produced by their deed
upon each of these partners in guilt is indeed a profound meta-
physical study.
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
I hear a
iber :
Arc but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal ;
For it must seem their guilt.
[Exit. Knock} tig beard.
Macb. Whence is that knocking?
How is 't with me, when every noise appals me ?
What hands are here? ha! they pluck out mine
eyes I
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand ? No ; this my hand will
rather
The multitudinous seas incarnardine,21
Making the green" — one red.
Re-enter Lady Macbeth.
Lady M. My hands are of your colour; but I
shame
To wear a heart so white. [Knocking. ]
knocking
At the south entry : — retire we to our cha
A little water clears us of this deed :
How easy is it, then !23 Your constancy
21. Incarnardine. A magnificently poetic verb ; formed from
the Italian word incarnardino, 'carnation or flesh colour.'
22. Making t/ie green — one red. The Folio prints, ' making
the green one, red.* The mode of printing the line which is
adopted in our text was first suggested by Murphy ; and we
think it advisable that the disjunction of "green" and "one"
should be thus marked, in order to designate unmistakably what
we believe Shakespeare intended — that the sense of the line is,
* making the green of the seas one entire red colour.' Milton,
in his "Comus," has a somewhat similar form of expression —
*" Makes one blot of all the air ;" while Shakespeare himself has,
in "Henry VIII.," Act ii., sc. i— " Make of your prayers one
sweet sacrifice "
23. Henv easy is it, then I " Easy" is here used in a double
sense : that of ' facile of riddance,' and ' slight,' ' inconsiderable,'
'venial.' See Note 23, Act in., "Second Part Henry VI."
24. Your constancy Juith left you unattended. 'Your firm-
ness has deserted you.' " Constancy " is here used in the sense
it bears as pointed out in Note 91, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
25. To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself. This, in
rejoinder to Lady Macbeth's concluding words, means — ' Since
my thoughts must be conscious of my deed, it were best that I
should be " lost " and not be conscious of my own being.'
26. / would thou contest I This burst of anguished desire
that his deed could be undone, thus early after its committal, is
uf a piece with the lesson read with such terrible force through-
out this uniquely drawn scene. The brave soldier — familiar with
slaughter and death in their ghastly forms — converted into the
tumbling dastard who shudders forth, " I ant afraid to think
what I have done; look on 't again I dare not;" the racked
imagination, blinded with gazing upon his blood-dyed hands; the
writhing desire to be rid of his own identity ; and, finally, this
anguished cry of at-once-awakened remorse, all form a match-
less picture of present torture foreboding future unending misery.
27. Old. Here, and elsewhere, used to express ' abundant-,'
'excessive.' See Note 67, Act ii., "Second Part Henry IV."
This short scene of the Porter has been strongly denounced ;
Coleridge going so far as to affirm that it is not Shakespeare's
writing. Nevertheless, we cannot help thinking that there are
many grounds for believing it to have been not only his composi-
tion, but his maturcdly considered introduction at this point of
the tragedy. In the first place, it serves to lengthen out
dramatic time, which requires that the period from the king's
' Hath left you unattended.-4 — [Knocking.] Hark !
more knocking :
Get on vour nightgown, lest occasion call us,
And show us to be watchers : —be not lost
So poorly in your thoughts.
Macb. To know my deed, 'twere best not know
myself.'23 [Knocking.
Wake Duncan with thy knocking ! I would thou
couldst !28 [Exeunt.
SCENE III. —The Same.
Enter a Porter. Knocking beard.
Porter. Here's a knocking indeed ! If a man
were porter of hell-gate, he should have old27
turning the key. [Knocking.'] Knock, knock,
knock ! Who's there,28 i' the name of Beelzebub ?
Here's a farmer,29 that hanged himself on the
expectation of plenty : come in time ;30 have nap-
kins31 enow about you; here you'll sweat for 't. —
[Knocking.] Knock, knock ! Who's there, in the
other devil's name ? Faith, here's an equivocator,32
retiring to rest — the dark hours for the commission of the murder
— should be supposed to have elapsed ere the now entrance of
Macduff" to attend upon the king's awakening ; and, in the
second place, its repulsively coarse humour serves powerfully to
contrast, yet harmonise, with the base and gory crime that ha«
been perpetrated. Shakespeare's subtleties of harmony in con-
trast are among his most marvellous powers ; and we venture
to think that this Porter scene is one of these subtleties. See
Note 43, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet."
28. Knock, knock, knock ! WItds there, &*c. Here we must
suppose the drunken lout to be amusing himself by goiug through
the part, and grotesquely fulfilling the office he has supposed, as
"porter of hell-gate." He imagines, in turn, three candidates
for admittance there, the " farmer," the "equivocator," and the
" tailor."
29- /fere's a farmer, &>c. This seems to have been a pro-
verbially-known accusation; for in Hall's " Satires" we find — ■
" Each muckworme will be rich with lawless gaine,
Altho* he smother up mowes of seven yeares graine.
And Jiang' d himself e when come grows cheap againe."
30. Come in ti/ne. We take this to be equivalent to Shake-
speare's expression, " Come apace," and to the phrases, ' Be in
time, be in time ! ' or ' Come early, come early ! ' of the show-
men at fairs. See conclusion of chapter xxxii. of "The Old
Curiosity Shop," by Charles Dickens.
31. Napkins. 'Handkerchiefs.' SeeNoteS^, Actiii., "Julius
Cassar."
32. An equivocator. This and the phrase explained in Note
29 above are the two passages upon which Malone grounded
his theory as to the date at which Shakespeare's "Macbeth"
was written. See our opening Note of this play. We are in-
clined to doubt, however, that the passages in question denote
reference to any special year ; because the former seems to
have been a traditional joke against the greed of farmers, and
the latter contains a term ("equivocator " that appears to have
been generally applied to and associated with Jesuits, instead of
having been thus associated merely on the occasion of Garnet's
trial. For instance, Fuller, in his "Holy and Profane State,"
on "The Liar," says : " Hence it often comes to pass,
' When Jesuits unto us answer Nay,
They do not English speak, 'tis Greek they say.*
Such an equivocator we leave, more needing a book than character
336
Act II.
MACBETH.
[Si ENE III.
Macduff, Oh, horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart
C ' cancel vc nor name thee! Act II. Scene HI.
that could swear in both the scales against either
scale ; who committed treason enough for God's
take, yet could not equivocate to heaven : oh,
come in, equivocator. — {Knocking.} Knock, knock,
knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an English
tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French
hose:33 come in, tailor; here you may roast your
goose. — [Knocking.] Knock, knock ; never at
quiet ! What are you ? — But this place is too cold
for hell. I'll devil-porter it no farther: I had
to describe him." And Dryden, in "The Hind and the Panther,"
has the line, "Not only Jesuits can equivocate." Although
both the examples we cite were written subsequently to Garnet's
trial, we think it quite as probable that they indicate a previous
popular consociation of "Jesuit ' and "eqiiLVOCator," as that
they allude to the notorious consociation of them which occurred
on that occasion. That the passage in the text implies allusion
to Jesuitism by the term " equivoeator " wears great show of
likelihood.
jj. An English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a
thought to have let in some of all professions, that
go the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire.34
[Knocking.] Anon, anon ! I pray you, remember
the porte;-. [Opens the gate,
Et'ter Macduff and Lennox.
Kucd. Was it so late, friend, ere vou went to
bed,
That you do lie so late ?
French Iwse. Meaning, so dexterous a rogue that he could
contrive to thieve some surplus stuff even out of a French
which was in make so ample as to allow of but very
cuttings. See passages referred to in Note 48, Act i , " Mer-
chant of Venice," and Note 116, Act in., " Henry V."
34. The primrose way to the everlasting bonfire. I
Coleridge was compelled t ) admit that this sentence cam
Shakespeare's pen, so evidently is it hisphra ■ I mp.are.
in " Hamlet," Act i., sc. 3. "the primrose path of dalliance:"
an I in " All's Well," A t iv sc 5, " th : il >wery way that lea Is
to the broad gate an 1 thi gi eat lire."
209
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene 111.
Port, Faith, sir, tve were carousing till the
second cock.35
Macd. I believe drink gave thee the lie last
night.^6
Port, That it did, sir, i' the very throat on me :
but I requited him tor his lie ; and, 1 think, being
too strong for him, though he took up my legs
sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him.37
Macd. Is thy master stirring ? — ■
Our knocking has avvak'd him ; here he comes.
Enter Macbeth.
Len. Good morrow, noble sir.
Macb. Good morrow, both.
Macd. Is the king stirring, worthy thane ?
Macb. Not yet.
Macd. He did command me to call timely on
him :
I have almost slipp'd the hour.
Macb. I'll bring you to him.
Macd. I know this is a joyful trouble to you;
But yet 'tis one.
Macb. The labour we delight in physics pain.
This is the door.311
Macd. 1*11 make so bold to call,
For 'tis my limited service.39 [Exit.
Len. Goes the king hence to-day ?
Macb. He does : — he did appoint so.
Len. The night has been unruly : where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down'; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of
death ;
35. Tlte second cock. * The second cock-crowing.' This seems
to have been a familiar expression for an early hour in the
morning; and, by the passage referred to in Note 27, Act iv.,
" Romeo and Juliet," it is defined to be about " three o'clock."
Shakespeare also uses the term " the first cock " in " First Part
Henry IV.," Act ii., sc. 1; and in "Lear," Act iii., sc. 4;
signifying the earliest hour of morning.
36. Last night. Malone has a long note^ here upon the
difficulty of ascertaining "precisely the time when Duncan wab
murdered ;" and accuses Shakespeare of being " seldom very
exact in his computation of time." The fact is, that the three
first scenes of the present Act ;divided thus into three scenes in
the Folio, and probably by the author's intention, as helping to
give effect of prolongation ; and therefore should be kept printed
as three scenes), which take place on the same spot, and form but
one continuous scene of action, afford a signal instance of Shake-
speare's artistic system of dramatic time. He marks its progress,
as the action proceeds, with carefullest touches. First, he makes
Eanquo's inquiry and Fleance's reply mark that the then tune
is something "later" than "twelve," then Macbeth's words,
" Now o'er the one half world," &c, give the impression of the
dark and silent hours that immediately succeed upon midnight ;
Lady Macbeth's " It was the owl that shriek'd," &c , still keep
the time to night; the "knocking at the south entry" brings
.the first token of early stirring and the break of day ; the
Porter's soliloquy aids to prolong the advent of the morning-
comers, so that when they enter and question him as to his
drowsy delay in opening the gate, and he answers by telling
them of his "carousing tdl the second cock," dawn is fairly
brought on, morning is come, and there seems no violation of
probability in their asking him about " last night." There is also
ingenuity in the subsequent questions—" lb thy master stirring ?"
And prophesying, with accents terrible,
Of dire combustion and contus'd events
New hatch'd to the woeful time : the obscure
bird40
Clamour'd the livelong night : some say, the earth
Was feverous and did shake.
Macb. 'Twas a rough night.
Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel
A fellow to it.
Re-enter Macduff.
Macd. Oh, horror, horror, horror! Tongue
nor heart
Cannot conceive nor name thee!41
Macb., Len. What's the matter ?
Macd. Confusion now hath made his master-
piece!
Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life 0' the building!
Macb. What is 't you say ? the lite ?
Len. Mean you his majesty ?
Macd. Approach the chamber, and destroy your
sight
With a new Gorgon :4- — Ho not bid me speak ;
See, and then speak yourselves.
[Exeunt Macb. and Len.
Awake, awake! —
Ring the alarum-bell : — murder and treason ! —
Banquo and Donalbain ! Malcolm ! awake !
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself! up, up, and see
and "Is the king stirring?" marking the likelihood of their
not yet being awake ; and in Macduff's mention that "he did
command me to call timely on hiin," thus drawing attention to
the point of its being an extremely early hour, and therefore
naturally ensuing upon the previously noted dramatic time.
So much for the charge of Shakespeare's " being seldom c.act. '
See Note 3S, Act ii., "Julius Ca:sar."
37 To cast him. Here there is a play upon the wo.d " cast "
in its sense of 'reject after swallowing,' and 'throw, as in
wrestling. See Note 23, Act ii., " Tempest. "
38. This is the door. Observe the brief constrained replies
of Macbeth, " Good morrow, both," and " Not yet," as though
the syllables clove to his parched tongue and 'Stuck in his
throat ." then his offer to accompany Macduff to the king's
presence, and finally his incapability of entering, marked by the
words, ' This is the door."
39. '7Yj my limited service. "Limited" is here used for
' appointed.' See Note 83, Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
40. The obscure bird. 'The owl.' Lady Macbeth has twice
during the night adverted to its continuous cry : " It was the
owl that shriek'd," and " I heard the owl scream." The
elemental terrors and portentous signs which accompanied a
regicidal act similar to Macbeth's midnight murder of Duncan,
are recorded by Holinshed ; but the adoption and appropriation
of the historian's record to suit the purposes of his tragedy were
thus judiciously made by the dramatist.
41. Cannot conceive nor name thee. Instance of double
negative, used to give additional force of denial. See Note 46,
Act ii., " Henry VIII."
42. A new Gorgon. The Gorgons were three sisters —
Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa— so terrific in appearance that
they turned to stone all who gazed upon them.
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
The great doom's image !43 Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites,
To countenance this horror ! Ring the bell.
[Alarum-belt ring!.
Enter Lady Macbeth.
Lady M. What's the business,
That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
The sleepers of the house ? speak, speak !
Macd. Oh, gentle lady,
'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak :
The repetition, in a woman's ear,
Would murder as it fell. —
Enter Banq^uo.
O Banquo, Banquo,
Our roval master's murder'd !
Lady M. Woe, alas !
What ! in our house ?
Ban. Too cruel anywhere. —
Dear Duff, I pr'ythee, contradict thyself,
And say it is not so.
Re-enter Macbeth and Lennox.
Macb. Had 1 but died an hour before this
chance,
I had Iiv'd a blesse I time ; for, from this instant,
There's nothing serious in mortality :
All is but toys : renown and grace is dead ;
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vault to brag of.
Enter Malcolm and Donalbain.
Don. What is amiss ?
Macb. You are, and do not know 't :
The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood
Is stopp'd, — the very source of it is stopp'd.
Macd. Your royal father's murder'd.
Mai. Oh, by whom E
Lcn. Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had
done 't :
Their hands and faces were all badg'd with blood ;
So were their daggers, which, unwip'd, we found
Upon their pillows:
They star'd, and were distracted ; no man's life
Was to be trusted with them.
Macb. Oh, yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.
43- T!'c great doom's image. 'A foreshadowing of the
horrors of doomsday.'
44. His silver skht lac'd rt'itli his golden blood. See Note 43,
Act ii., " King John."
45. Our tears are not yet brew'd. In contemptuous allusion
to the feigned lamentation of the host and hostess, which the
young princes evidently see through.
46. Nor onr strong sorrozo, &*c. 'Nor is our deep and real
grief able to parade itself.' The " are " in the previous speech
gives 'is' to be elliptically understood between "nor" and
" our " here.
47. A tsd when 7ve haz'e, cVr. ' And when we have fully
Macd. Wherefore did you so?
Math. Who can be wise, amaz'd, temperate,
and furious,
Loyal and neutral, in a moment ? No man :
The expedition of my violent love
Outrun the pauser reason. Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood ;44
And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature
For ruin's wasteful entrance : there, the murderers,
Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers
Unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could re-
frain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make his love known ?
Lady M. Help me hence, ho !
Macd. Look to the lady.
Ma!. [Aside to Don.] Why do we hold our
tongues,
That most may claim this argument for ours ?
Don. [Aside to Mal.] What should be spoken
here, where our fate,
Hid in an auger-hole, may rush, and seize us ?
Let's away ;
Our tears are not yet brew'd.45
Mal. [Aside to Don.] Nor our strong sorrow
Upon the foot of motion.46
Ban. Look to the lady :—
[Lady Macbeth is carried out.
And when we have our naked frailties hid,4'
That suffer in exposure, let us meet,
And question43 this most bloody piece of work,
To know it farther. Fears and scruples shake us :
In the great hand of God I stand ; and thence
Against the undivulg'd pretence49 I fight
Of treasonous malice.
Macd. And so do I.
All. So all.
Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness,
And meet i' the hall together.
All. Well contented.
[Exeunt all except Malcolm and
DONALBAtN.
Mal. What will you do ? Let's not consort
with them :
To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.
Don. To Ireland, 1 ; our separated fortune
Shall keep us both the safer : where we are,
clothed our half-dressed bodies, that risk danger to health by
exposure to the open air.' This serves well to denote the hasty
summons they have had by the ringing of the alarm-bell, and to
indicate the keen northern atmosphere of the castle courtyard,
where the scene occurs. The words put into the Porter's mouth
have already drawn attention to the same point : " This place is
" &c. By such ind'reet touches as these our dramatist
constantly manages to keep the spectator in mind of the locali-
ties wherein he desires they should imagine themselves to 1
48. Question. Here used for ' inquire into.* ' examine into.'
4, Pretence. ' Intention,' ' design,' ' purpose.' See Note 8.
Act iii., "Winter's Tale."
Act II.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
1 here's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody.50
Mai. This murderous shaft that's shot
Hath not vet lighted ;51 and our safest way
Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift" away : there's warrant in that theft
Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left.
[Exeunt.
Old M. ' lis ,->aid they eat each other.
Rosse. They did so, — to the amazement of mine
eyes,
That look'd upon 't. — Here comes the good Mac-
duff.
Enter MaCDUFF.
SCENE IV. — Inverness. Without the Castle.
Enter Rosse and an old Man.
Old M. Threescore and ten I can remember
well:
Within the volume of which time I have seen
Hours dreadful and things strange ; but this sore
night
Hath trifled former knowings.
Rone. Ah ! gooi father,
T hou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp :•'''
Is 't night's predominance, or the day's shame,
That darkness does the face of earth entomb,
When living light should kiss it ?
Old M. 'Tis unnatural,
Even like the deed that's done.M On Tuesday
last,
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,55
Was by a mousing owl5* hawk'd at and kill'd.
Rosse. And Duncan's horses (a thing most
strange and certain),
Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.
50. The near ill blood, the nearer bloody. Probably "near''
is here used for 'nearer.' See Note 13. Act v., " Richard II."
Donalbain shows by this that he suspects Macbeth, who was
next of kin to Duncan and his two sons. See Note 75, Act i.
of the present play.
51. This munitions shaft that's shof hath not yet lighted.
Meaning that it has not yet fallen upon all against whom it is
directed.
52. Shift Here used in the same sense of 'act furtively'
which it bears in the sentence where Falstaff says !" Merry-
Wives, " Act i., sc. 3), " I must coney-catch, I must shift."
55. Tlte travelling lamp. ' The sun.' See Notes 90, Act i,
and 2, Act ii. of this play.
54. Unnatural, even like thi deed that's done. Here again
Shakespeare derives material from Holinshed and adapts it to
his purpise. The historian, recording the ptodigies that
occurred after the murder of King Puff, mentions : "For the
space of six months togither there appeared no sunne by dav,
nor moone by night, in any p-irt of the realme, hut still was the
sky covered with continual cloud. : and sometimes such out-
rageous winds arose, with lightenings and te npests, that the
people were in great fear of present destruction."
55. Towering in her pride of place. A technical phrase in
How goes the world, sir, now :
Macd. Why, see you not ?
Rosse. Is 't known who did this more than
bloody deed ?
Macd. Those that Macbeth hath slain.
Rosse. Alas! the day;
What good could they pretend ? 57
Macd. They were suborn'd
Malcolm and Donalbain, the king's two sons,
Are stol'n away and fled ; which puts upon them
Suspicion of the deed.
Rosse. 'Gainst nature still.
Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up
Thine own life's means! — Then 'tis most like
The sovereignty will fill upon Macbeth.58
Macd. He is already nam'd ; and gone to Scone
To be invested.
Rosse. Where is Duncan's body ?
Macd. Carried to Colme-kill,59
The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,
And guardian of their hones.
Rosse. Will you to Scone :M
Macd. No, cousin, I'll to Fife.61
Rosse. Well. I will thither.65
Macd. Well, may you see things well done
there, — adieu, —
Lest our old robes sit easier than our new !
Rosse. Farewell, father.
Oil M. God's benison63 go with you ; and with
those
That would make good of bad, and friends of foes !
[Exeunt.
falconry for 'soaring at the highest point of flight.' See Note
27, Act v., " King John."
56. A mousing owl. An owl hunting for mice, as its usual
prey. Holinshed records the circumstance that "there was a
sparhawh strangled by an owl;" and also that " horses of
singular beauty and swiftness did eat their own flesh."
57. Pretend. ' Intend,' design,' 'purpose. ' Sec Note 49 of
this Act.
5S. The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth. Because lie
stood next in succession to the crown, after the sons of Duncan.
See Note 50 of this Act.
59. Colme-kill. The famous lona, rne of the western isles,
mentioned by Holinshed as the burial-place of many ancient
kings of Scotland. "Colme-kill" means the 'cell ' or ' chapel
of St. Columb.' See Note 19. Act i. "Kill," in the Erse
language, signifies a burying-place.
60. Scone. Where it was customary for the coronation of the
Scottish kings to take place.
fit. I'll to Fife. Macduff s castle was at Fife.
62. / will thither. Meaning to Scone : Shakespeare some-
times allowing a word to refer back to the antecedent which is
11 t the last-named one.
63. Benison. 'Blessing.' Old French, benicon, ' benediction '
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— Fores. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Banquo.
Ban. Thou hast it now, — king, Cawdor, Glamis,
all,
As the weird women promis'd ; l and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for t : vet it was said
It should not stand in thy posterity ;
But that myself should be the root and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them
(As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine),2
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my oracles as well,
And set me up in hope ? But, hush ; no more.3
Sennet sounded. Enter Macbeth, as King; Lady
Macbeth, as Queen ; Lennox, Kosse,
Lords, Ladies, and Attendants.
Mich. Here's our chief guest.
Lady M. It he had been forgotten,
It had been as a gap in our great feast,
And all-thing4 unbecoming.
Macb. To-night we hold a solemn supper,5 sir,
And I'll request your presence.
Ban. Let your highness
Command upon me ; to the which my duties6
Are with a most indissoluble tie '
For ever knit.
Macb. Ride you this afternoon ?
Ban. Ay, my good lord.
Macb. We should have else desir'd your good
advice
(Which still hath been both grave and prosperous)
In this day's council ; but we'll take to-morrow.'
Is 't far you ride ?
i. All, as the weird women promis'd. The wording of this
passage is, like that of the one discussed in Note 49, Act i.,
subject to .1 surmise from Malone that the title of " Glamis " (as
well as those of "Cawdor" and "king") was given propheti-
cally to Macbeth by the witches : but we think that the present
passage, simi'arly to the other one, rather implies that the
accession of augmented dignities, from the thaneship of Glamis
bv natural inheritance, to the acquisition of the throne by unex-
pected event, has accrued to Macbeth as announced to him by
the weird women. The dignity of " Glamis " is included as
having been stated by them, not as having been foretold by
them : while the construction of the sentence gives " king,
Cawdor, Glamis. all," an almost parenthetical effect.
2. Their speeches shine. "The brilliant fulfilment of their
predictions show obviously.'
3. But, hush ', 110 more. These words are in perfect moral
keeping with Banquo's previous resolute fighting against evil
suggestions. See Note 6, Act ii.
4. All-thing. 'All ways.' 'every way
5. A solemn supper. This was a phrase used in Shnke-
speare's time to express a feast or banquet given on a particular
occasion, to solemnise some special event, such as a birth,
marriage, coronation, &c.
Ban. As far, my lord, as will fill up the time
'Twixt this and supper; go not my horse the
better,8
1 must become a borrower of the night
For a dark hour or twain.
Macb. Fail not our feast.
Ban. My lord, I will not.9
Macb. We hear, our bloody cousins are be-
stow'd
In England and in Ireland; not confessing
Their cruel parricide, tilling their hearers
With strange invention : but of that to-morrow ;
When therewithal we shall have cause of state
Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse : adieu,
Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you ?
Ban. Ay, my good lord: our time does call
upon us.
Macb. I wish your horses swift and sure of foot ;
And so 1 do commend"1 you to their backs.
Farewell. — [Exit Banquo.
Let every man be master of his time
Till seven at night : to make society
The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself
Till supper-time alone: while then, God be with
you <<•
[Exeunt Lady Macbeth, Lords, Ladies, (sV.
Sirrah, a word with you: attend those men
Our pleasure ?
Alien. They are, my lord, without the palace-
gate.
Macb. Bring them before us. [Exit Attendant.
To be thus is nothing ;
But to be safely thus : — our fears in Banquo
Stick deep ; and in his royalty of nature '■
6. To the which my duties, &>.e. " Which " here, in Shake-
speare's mode of making a relatively-used pronoun refer to an
implied particular, refers to 'commands,' as implied in the pie-
ceding phrase, " Let your highness command upon me."
7. We it take to-morrow. This is a familiar colloquial idiom :
" take" being used in the sense of 'appropriate,' 'employ,' 'use '
8. Go not my horse the better. ' Should my horse not go
well,' or ' if my horse do not go better than slowly.' See
Note 63, A<1 hi , "Timon of Athens."
9. My lord, I luttl not. This reply, mnde to the hypocritical
injunction of the intended destroyer by Ins unconscious victim,
comes with fearfully impressive significance of effect, when we
find that the pledge given in the flesh is fulfilled in the spirit ;
and that the promise which the living man makes to be present
at the feast is kept by his dead apparition. Shakespeare's most
trivial-seeming speeches, as he employs them, have often deep
and important meaning.
10. Commend. 'Commit.' See Note 114, Act i.
1 1 While then, God be 70th yon '. " While " is here used in
the sense of 'till' or 'until.' See Note 52, Act iv., "Twelfth
Night."
12. Royalty of nature. ' Exaltedness of nature,' ' elevated
quality of nature.'
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
Reigns that which would be fear'd : 'tis much he
dares ;
And, to that dauntless temper13 of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety.1-1 There is none but he
Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius16 i* rebuk'd ; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Cicsar. lie chid the
sisters,
When first they put the name of king upon me.
And bade them speak to him; then, prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of kings :
Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If 't be so,
For Banquo's issue have I fil'd16 my mind ;
For them the gracious Duncan have I inurder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace
Only for them ; and mine eternal jewel17
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings !
Rather than so, come, fate, into the list,
And champion me to the utterance I !8— Who's
there ?
Re-enter Attendant, -with tzvo Murderers.
Now go to the door, and stay there till we call.
[Exit Attendant.
Was it not yesterday we spoke together ?
First Mur. It was, so please your highness.
Macb. Well then, now
Have you considered of my speeches ? Know
i }. And to that dauntless temper. Here " lo that is ellip-
tically used far ' in addition lo that.'
14. Safety. Here used for 'moral safety,' 'righteous pre-
caution;' 'virtuous course.' The instinctive perception that
Macbeth has of Banquo's superiority in purity and integrity is
very pathetic. The recognition of the beauty of truth and good-
ness by those who allow themselves to be uglied over and soiled
by vice, is among the most affecting of humanity's strange
inconsistencies; and Shakespeare has wonderfully portrayed it
here.
• 15. My Genius. The attendant spirit believed to preside over
each human being's actions, guiding and influencing him to good
or evil. See Note 14, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
16. Fii'd. 'Denied.'
17 Mine eternal jewel. * My immortal soul.'
18. To the utterance. A phrase derived from the French
expression, a V out ranee; which signified that a combat was to
be fought out * to the uttermost,' ' to extremity,' or unto death.
The sentence 111 the text means, ' Rather than this should be
so, come, fate, into the list, and fight in support of thy decree
against me to the last extremity.'
19. Pass'd in probation ivith you. * Passed in proving to you.'
20. Borne in hand. ' Beguiled by false expectations,' ' lured
on by deceitful encouragement.' See Note 35, Act i., " Second
Part Henry IV."
21. That might to half a soul. ' Even' is elliptically under-
stood'.between "might" and "to" here. For instances of a
similar ellipsis, see Note 52, Act i , " Henry V."
22. And went farther, which is now, &*c. "Which" refers
to the suggestion implied in the words " went farther." Mac-
That it was lie, in the times past, which held
you
So under fortune ; which you thought had been
Our innocent self: this I made good to you
In our last conference, pass'd in probation with
you,"
How you were borne in hand,-0 how cross'd, the
instruments,
Who wrought with them, and all tilings else that
might
To half a soul-1 and to a notion craz'd
Say, " Thus did Banquo."
First Mur. You made it known to us.
Macb. I did so ; ami went farther, which is
now2"
Our point of second meeting.-3 Do you find
Your patience so predominant in your nature,
That you can let this go ? Are you so gospell'd,-1
To pray for this good man and for his issue,
Whose heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave,
And beggar' d yours for ever ?
First Mur. We are men, my liege.
Macb. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men ;
As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrel?, spaniels,
curs,
ShoughSj25 water-rugs, and deini-wolves, are clep\l-fi
All by the name of dogs: the valu'd rile-?
Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,
The housekeeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd ; whereby he does receive
Particular addition, from the bill28
That writes them all alike : and so of men.
beth means, ' I did make it known to yon ; and I went farther,
suggesting to you resentment and revenge for what I made
known to you.*
23. Our point of second meeting. ' The point for object of
our second meeting.' for a somewhat similar constructional
transposition see Note 23, Act v., " Henry V."
24. Are you so gospeltd. 'Are you so schooled in gospel
precept?' 'Are you so imbued with the spirit of Christian
charity V " Gospell'd " is one of Shakespeare's expressive par-
ticiples framed from a substantive. See Note 63, Act ii ,
" Julius Caesar."
25. Shouglis. Shaggy dogs ; more modernly called 'shocks.'
Nashe (a contemporary with Shakespeare*, in his " Lenten
Staffe," uses the form employed at the time he wrote : " A
trundle-tail tike or shough or two."
26. Clep'd. 'Called.' " Clepeth " is used for 'calleth,' or
'calls,' in the speech referred to in Note 14, Act v., " Love's
Labour's Lost."
27. The vain d file. Here is one of Shakespeare's elliptically
and inclusively used epithets. "The valu'd file" means not only
the file or list where dogs valuable for particular qualities are
entered, ; it also means the file in which dogs have their several
qualities valued, described, and specially stated. He uses the
word " valu'd" here so as to combine its sense of 'esteemed'
and ' estimated '
28. Particular addition, from the lull. "Addition" is here
used in its sense of 'title or claim to superiority,' 'reputation
(or a certain quality' (see Note 89, Act ii., " Troilus and
Cressida "1 ; and " from " is employed for ' apart from.' ' in con-
tradistinction to.' Sec Note 30. Act ii., "Julius Ca U
Act 111.]
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
Now, if you have a station in the file,23
Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say it ;
And I will put that business in your bosoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and loveot us,
Who wear our health but sickly in his lite,
Which in his death were perfect.
Sec. Mur. 1 am one, my liege,
Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have so incens'cl, that 1 am reckless what
I do to spite the world.
First Mur. And I another,
So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune,
That I would set my life on any chance,
To mend it, or be rid on 't.
Macb. Both of you
Know Banquo was your enemy.
Both Mur. True, my lord.
Much. So is he mine; and in such bloody distance,
That every minute of his being thrusts
Against my near'st of life : and though I could
With barefac'd power sweep him from my sight,
And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,
Tor certain friends3" that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his tall31
Whom I myself struck down ;3J and thence it is
That I to your assistance do make love ;
Masking the business from the common eye33
For sundry weighty reasons.
Sec. Mur. We shall, my lord,
Perform what you command us.
First Mur. Though our lives —
Much. Your spirits shine through you. Within
this hour at most,
1 will advise you where to plant yourselves ;
29. The Jlle. The previous expression, "the valu'd file," is
allowed to give 'valu'd' to be here elliptically understood before
" file ;" and the word bears the same sense as in the preceding j
sentence, explained in our penultimate Note, thus ; ' If you
have a station in the file of men which enrols them as valuable
and specifies their particular kind of value, and are not in the
worst rank of manhood where there are none of value, and
none with any special quality to distinguish them.'
jo, I must not, for certain friends. "For" Is here used to I
express 'on account of,' 'because of.' See Note 29, Act i v.,
" Romeo and Juliet."
31. But wail his fail. In the present sentence the " must"
in "yet I must not " gives 'must-' to be eltiptically understood
before " wail " here.
32. Whom I myself struck down. The Folio gives 'who'
instead of "whom" here Pope's correction); and though 'who'
for "whom" was a grammatical licence allowed in Shake-
speare's time, our idea is, that here perhaps he wrote "whom,"
the Folio misprinting the word. At any rate, so fine a passage
as this may, we think, have the benefit of the doubt.
33. Masking the business from tht common eye. Observe
with what skill of significance the general and even common-
place word " business" is put into the royal murderer's mouth
here; as well as into his wife's and his own previously in the
play, where she savs, " You shall put this night's great
w into my despatch ," and where he says, " We will
proceed no farther in this business."
34. The perfect spy o' the time. 'The precise tunc when
Acquaint you with the perfect spy p' the time,31
The moment on 't ; i'ov 't must be dune to-night,
And something from the palace ; 3,s always thought
That I require a clearness :36 and wilh him
(To leave no rubs nor botches in the work)
Kleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Ot that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart :
I'll come to you anon.
Both Mur. We are resolv'd, my lord.
Mack. I'll call upon you straight : abide within.
[Exeunt Murderers.
It is concluded : — Banquo, thy soul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to-night. [Exit.
SCENE II.— Fores. Another Room in the Palace.
Enter Lady Macbeth and a Servant.
Lady M. Is Banquo gone from court ?
Serif. Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.
Lady M. Say to the king, I would attend his
leisure
For a few words.
Se'rv. Madam, I will. [Exit.
Lady M. Naught's had, all's spent,3''
Where our desire is got without content :
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy,
Than, by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy.
Enter Macbeth.
How now, my lord ! why do you keep alone,
Or sorriest33 fancies your companions making ;
you may espy him coming ;' ' the exact time at which you may
expect to see him approach, and may despatch him.' That this
sense is included and implied in the phrase, we perceive from
the peculiar use of " it " in the expressions, " the moment on 't,"
and "for't must be done to-night;" alluding to an unnamed
but perfectly understood deed.
35. And something front the palace. 'And somewhat away
from the palace ;' ' and at some little distance from the palace.'
36. Always thought that I require a clearness. ' Always bear-
ing in mind that I must be held clear from suspicion, and that
I require neatness and completeness in the task you have under-
taken.' "Clearness," as here used, includes both these senses.
37. Naught's ibid, all's spent. In this brief soliloquy, of but
three lines and a half, there is wonderful condensation of moral
painting and dramatic art. It shows us the deep-seated misery
of the murderess, discontented with rank gained by toss of
peai '-, absolutely envying her victim sent to peace, and writhing
beneath the constant sense of doubt and dread ; it allows Lis to
see the inward dejection of her spirit, the profound melancholy
and perturbation in which she is secretly steeped ; while, on the
very instant that she sees her husband approach, she can rally
her forces, assume exterior fortitude, and resume accustomed
hardness of manner, with which to stimulate him by remon-
strance almost amounting to reproach.
38. Sorriest. Here used for 'grimmest,' 'dismatest ;' as before,
in the present play, where Macbeth, looking on his blood-stained
hands, says, "This is a sorry sight," "sorry" means 'grim,'
' dismal," 'ghastly.' See Note 9, Act v., "Comedy of Errors
344
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
Lady Macbeth. What's to be done?
Macbeth Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. Act III. Scene II.
Using those thoughts which should indeed have
died
With them they think on ? Things without all
remedy
Should be without regard : what's done is done.
Macb. We have scotch'd3a the snake, not kill'd
it:
She'll close, and be herself; whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.
But let the frame of things disjoint,
39. Scotch d- The Folio prints ' scorch'd.' This was pos-
sibly an old form of the word, as it seems to be derived from
the old French escorclter, ' to flay,' ' to skin ;' and from the
Italian, scorzarc. which Florio explains by 'to flea the skin
off.' The word "scotch'd," however, more properly means
'gashed with cuts rather more than skin deep;' and Shake-
speare thus uses it here and elsewhere. S^c passage referred to
in Note 53, Act iv., " Curiolanus,"
Both the worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly : better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,10
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstacy.41 Duncan is in his grave ;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well ;
Treason has done his worst : nor steel, nor poison,
40. To gain our peace, have sent to peace. The second Folia
changed the first " peace " in this line to ' place ;' a change that
has been adopted by several editors. Not only, however, is the
repeated word completely in Shakespeare's manner bul il pre-
cisely suits with that which Macbeth has aimed at, in order to
appease his restless ambition, and to give expected ful I
content to all his after days.
41. Ecstacy. ' Strong emotional disturbance.' See Nol 61,
Act li., " Much Ado."
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him farther.
Lady M. Come oij ;
Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks ;
Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night.
Macb. So shall I, love ; and so, I pray, be you :
Tet your remembrance apply to Banquo ;
Present him eminence,4- both with eye and tongue:
Unsafe the while, that we43
Must lave our honours in these flattering streams ;
And make our faces visards to our hearts,
Disguising what they are.
Lady M. You must leave this.
Macb, Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear
wife !
Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.
Lady M. But in them nature's copy's not eterne.44
Macb. There's comfort yet ; they are assailable;
Then be thou jocund : ere the bat hath flown
His cloister'd flight;45 ere, to black Hecate's sum-
mons,
The shard-borne beetle,4'' with his drowsy hums,
Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall 'be
done
A deed of dreadful note.
Lady M. What's to be done ?
Macb. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest
chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. — Come, seeling night.'1'
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful* day ;
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
( lance] and tear to pieces that great bond4s
42. Present him eminence. ' Treat him with the highest
distinction.'
43. Unsafe the rvhile, thai we, &>c. It seems extremely
probable that something has been omitted in the Folio printing
Oi' the original passage here, As it stands, we must ellipticatly
understand 'Ah* how' before "unsafe," and 'is ours' before
"the while;" since the word "eminence " appears to supply
the particular here referred to, and the meaning of the entire
sentence to be, 'Treat him with highest dignity and dis-
tinction, both by your looks and speech : alas ! how unstable is
our own royal dignity when it must condescend to use flattery
and dissimulation.'
44. In them nature's copy 's not eterne. Here " copy,"
besides meaning 'example' or 'specimen' of humanity, has
reference to the technical legal term used for a 'lease' held by
copyhold tenure ; in which the tenant holds an estate for life
merely, and not in perpetuity. " Eterne" is an abbreviated form
of ' eternal,' frequently used by Chaucer.
45. The bat 1taih.floi.vn his cloister d flight. "Cloister'd"
is one of Shakespeare's elUptically-frained epithets ; the ex-
pression meaning ' the flight which is taken round ami round
through cloisters.' Its propriety of effect to the dramatic
story, and propriety of truth to natural fact, arc both perfect,
46. The shard-borne beetle. * The beetle borne along the air
by its shards or scaly wings
47. Come, seeling night. "Seeling" is here used for ' blind
in ;.' I'll'- term is from falconry: it being the custom to i
eyes of a hawk by sewing its upper and under litis together,
whii h was done in order to accustom ii to its hood.
48. That great bond. Macbeth here alludes to the life
of Banquo by a legal expression in conformity with Lady
Which keeps me pale I — Light thickens; and the
crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood :49
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse ;
Whiles night's black agents to their preys60 do
rouse. —
Thou marvell'st at my words : but hold thee still ;
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill :
So pr'ythee, go with me. [Exeunt,
SCENE III.— Fores. A Park, 'with a path
leading to the Palace gate.
Enter three Murderers.
First Mur. But who did bid thee join with us ?
Third Mur. Macbeth.
Sec. Mur. He needs not our mistrust ;51 since he
delivers
Our offices, and what we have to do,
To the direction just.
First Mur. Then stand with us.
The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day :
Now spurs the lated traveller apace
To gain the timely inn ; and near approaches
The subject of our watch.
Third Mur. Hark ! I hear horses.
Ban. \]{rithin.~\ Give us a light there, ho !
Sec. Mur. Then 'tis he : the rest
That are within the note of expectation52
Already are i' the court.
Macbeth's previous phrase explained in Note 44 of this Act ;
and Shakespeare uses a similar form where he makes Queen
Margaret say, in "Richard 111.," Act iv., sc. 1, "Cancel his
bond of life."
49. The crow makes wing to the rooky ivood. Strange to
say, this most poetical sentence has been misunderstood ;
whereas it surely gives most vividly the impression of the
long flight of crows that troop at close of day to their nests
among the high trees of a wood— rooks returning to their
1 ikery. The very epithet "rooky," appears to as t<> caw
with the sound of many bed-ward rooks bustling and ci I ii
to their several roosts.
50. Preys. One of the words which were used in Shake-
speare's time in the plural that now are employed only in the
singular. See Note 2, Act iv., '* Richard III."
51. //*• needs not our mistrust. The "he" here seems to
refer to "Macbeth;*' but it is said of the third murderer by
the second murderer to his associate, the first murderer. The
meaning of the speech is, ' We need not mistrust him, since
he bring-, us word what we have to do, exactly according to our
employer's direction.' That this is the true interpretation is
shown by the first murderer's rejoinder addressed to the third
murderer, "Then stand with us." As this brief dialogue is
1 tanaged, however, the effect is included of the two men''- s< nse
of -Mi' befh's mistrust of themselves, by thus sending a third
to join them and keep them to their pledged deed.
52. The rest that are within the note oj ",-_e/v. tation. 'The
remainder of those who are included in the list of expe« ted
guests.' There ts evidence that it was the custom to make out
a written list of the persons invited to a festive banquet, from
the passage referred to„in Note 38, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
First Mur. His horses go about.
Third Mur. Almost a mile : but he does
usually,
So all men do, from hence to the palace- gate
Make it their walk.53
Sec. Mur. A light, a light !
Third Mur. 'Tis he.
First Mur. Stand to 't.
Enter Banquo and Fleance, •uiitb a torch.
Ban. It will be rain to-night.
First Mur. Let it come down.
[Assaults Banquo.
Ban. Oh, treachery! — Fly, good Fleanee, fly,
fly, fly !
Thou mayst revenge. — Oh, slave !
[Dies. FLEANCE escapes.7'*
Third Mur. Who did strike out the light ?
First Mur. Was 't not the way ?
Third Mur. There's but one down ; the son is
fled.
Sec. Mur. We have lost
Best halt' of our affair.
First Mur. Well, let's away, and say how much
is done. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Fores. A Room of State in the
Palace.
A Banquet prepared. Enter Macbeth, Lady
Macbeth, Rosse, Lennox, Lords, and
Attendants.
Macb. You know your own degrees, sit down :
at first
And last55 the hearty welcome.
Lords. Thanks to your majesty.
Maeb. Oursclf will mingle with society,
53. Make it their walk. With what perfect vividness does
this in ill speech set the actual place before our imagination,
and serve most naturally to account for Banquo and Fleance's
being; on foot when their attackers lie in wait for them.
51. Fleanee escapes. He fled into Wales, where, by the
daughter of the prince of that country, he had a son named
Walter, who afterwards became Lord High Steward of Scot-
land, ami from thence assumed the name of Walter Steward
From him in a direct line King James I. was descended ; in
compliment to whom Shakespeare made Banquo innocent of the
murder of Duncan, although, historically, he was a participator
in Macbeth's crime. Moreover, this suited the dramatist's
purpose, enabling him to give the moral contrast of the two
characters — the one man striving against evil temptation to
which the other yielded.
55. At first and last. Johnson proposed to substitute 'to'
for "at" here, explaining the sentence to mean, 'All of what-
ever degree, from the highest ta the lowest, may be assured
that their visit is well received.' As it stands, it probably is
intended to include not only this meaning, but also ' let those
who .uiive at first as well as at last feel heartily welcome," while
the phrase itself, "at first and last," is very likely, an equivalent
for the familiar expression, ' once for all.'
And play the humble host.
Our hostess keeps her state ;•">« but, in best time,
We will requite her welcome.
Lady M. Pronounce it for me, sir, to all out
friends ;
For my heart speaks they are welcome.
Mach. See, they encounter thee with their
.hearts' thanks. —
Both side- ate even : here I'll sit i' the midst :
Enter first Murderer to the door.
Be large in mirth ; anon well drink a measure
The table round. — There's blood upon thy face.
Mur. 'Tis Banquo's, then.
Macb. 'Tis better thee without than he within.5?
Is he despatch'd ?
Mur. My lord, his throat is cut; that 1 did tor
him.
Macb. Thou art the best o' the cut-throats:
yet he's good63
That did the like for Fleanee : if thou didst it,
I hou art the nonpareil.53
Mur. Most royal sir,
Fleanee is scap'd.
Macb. Then comes my fit again: I had else
been perfect ;
Whole as the marble, founded as the rock ;
As broad anil general as the casing air:
But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound
in
To saucy doubts and fears. But Banquo's safe rl"
Mur. Ay, my good lord: safe in a ditch he-
bides,
With twenty trenche I61 gashes on his head ;
The least a death to nature.
Macb. Thanks for that :
There the grown serpent lies; the worm,0-' that's
fled,
Hath nature that in time will venom breed,
56. Keeps tier stats. ' Remains in her seat of state.' See
Note 122, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV ."
57. 'Tis better thee ivitlioitt titan he within. It In
strangely doubted whether this may nut mean, ' h is better that
Banquo's blood should be on thy face than he in this ro ,'
but surely the meaning is, 'It is better that Banquo's Mil
should be outside thee than inside him, ' since "lie" is imi
tinier used by Shakespeare, according to a grammatical li< cm ■■
of his time, instead of 'him.' See Note 75, Act iii., " I'
an,! Juliet."
58. Yet /■<■', i II 's" is here probably .01 elisi
' he is as,* not for ' he is,'
59. Nonpareil. A French word adopted into the Engli ll
., meaning 'not equalled,' 'unequalled,' or 'without
equal.'
v. Here used for 'secure from doing harm,' '
done for, or despatched,' while immediately .do a' it 1 . used in the
sense of ( securely stowed away.' SeeNoti , \ cti
There is a kind of grim levity in the equivocally-sounding word
lien' used, that horribly enhances the ghastlines ;of thei
6r. Trenched. French, tranche; 'cut,' '
*^2. The 'form. Here used for 'the young serpent.' See-
Note 4, Act hi., " Measure for Measure."
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
No teeth for the present.03- -Get thee gone: to-
morrow
We'll hear, ourselves, again [Exit Murderer.
Lady M. My royal lord,
You do not give the cheer: the feast is sold
That is not often vouch'd, while 'tis a-making,
' Tis given with welcome:64 to feed were best at
home;
From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony ;
Meeting were bare without it.
Macb, Sweet remembrancer ! —
Now, good digestion wait on appetite,
And health on both !
Lett. May 't please your highness sit.
[The Ghost of Bancjuo appears, and sits in
Macbeth's place.
Macb. Here had we now our country's honour
roof'il,
Were the grae'd person of our Banquo present ;
Who may I rather challenge for unkindness
Than pity for mischance !
Rosse. His absence, sir,
Lays blame upon his promise. Please it your
highness
To grace us with your royal company.
Macb. The table's full'.65
Len. Here is a place reserv'd, sir.
Macb. Where ?
Len. Here, my good lord. What is 't that
moves your highness rc0
Macb. Which of you have done this?67
Lords. What, my good lord ?
63. No teeth for the present. 'Hath' before "nature," in
the previous line, gives ' but hath ' to be elliptically understood
before " no teeth "
64. 'Tis given with welcome. The " that " in the preceding
line is elliptically understood as repeated before "'tis given,"
the meaning of the entire sentence being, ' Tliat feast is more
like a vended entertainment at a tavern than a freely bestowed
banquet which is not attended by frequent assurances, while it
is in progress, that it is given with hearty welcome; if the
object be merely to feed, it were best done at home ; away from
home, the proper accompaniment to a repast is courteous ob-
servance.' " From" is here used in its sense of 'away from,'
' at a distance from.' See Note 28 of the present Act.
65. The table s full. Very heart-shaking is the effect upon
us of these first few unconscious words of Macbeth in the
presence of his victim's shade. They show us that he sees
the row of guests apparently complete by the some one or
some thing that is there in the seat which the rest of the com-
pany believe is empty, for he has not yet recognised the figure
for what it is.
66. Here, my goal lord. What is V, &>c. This is the
point — between the first sentence and the second of Lennox's
speech — where Macbeth first perceives what it is that fills the
"place reserv'd " for him.
67. Which 0/ you (lave done this ? For one single instant
he thinks that the actual mangled body of his victim has been
placed there before him to convict him of his crime.
68. Thott canst not say / did it. His next impulse is t"
deny that his own hand has done the deed, basely flinging the
foul blame upon his hirer! instruments. Shakespeare not un-
frequently lays the emphasis on the usually unaccented Syllable
i.i his line, as a musician will sometimes throw expiession.il
Macb. Thou canst not say I did it :08 never
shake
Thy gory locks at me.
Rosse. Gentlemen, rise ; his highness is not well.
Lady M. Sit, worthy friends : — my lord is often
thus,
And hath been from his youth: pray you, keep
seat ;
The fit is momentary; upon a thought69
He will again be well: if much you note him,
You shall offend him, and extend his passion :
Feed, and regard him not.- Are you a man ?
Macb. Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on
that
Which might appal the devil.
Lady M. Oh, proper stuff!
This is the very painting of your fear :
This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said,
Led you to Duncan. Oh, these flaws"0 and starts
(Impostors to true fear)71 would well become
A woman's story at a winter's fire,
Authoris'd by her grandam. Shame itself!
Why do you make such faces ? When all's done,
You look but on a stool.
Macb. Pr'ythee, see there! behold! look! lo!
how say you f —
Why, what care I ? If thou canst nod, speak too. —
If charnel-houses and our graves must send
Those that we bury back, our monuments72
Shall be the maws of kites. [Ghost disappears.
Lady M. What ! quite unmann d in folly F
Macb. If I stand here, I saw him.73
stress on the unaccented note in a bar, and here the effect of
the emphatic " I " is most striking. These are the rightful
despotisms of Alt.
69. Upon a thought. ' As quick as thought,' ' with the speed
of thought.'
70. Flaws. ' Sudden gusts.' See Note 74, Act iv., " Second
Part Henry IV."
71 Impostors to true fear. 'Impostors compared to true
fear,' 'impostors in comparison with true fear.' For similar
construction, see Note 60, Act hi., " Coriolanus."
72. Monuments. Here used for ' tombs,' ' sepulchres ; ' not,
as now, for the mere exterior structures nr tombstones. See the
concluding line of the speech referred to in Note 10, Act ii.,
" Henrv VIII."
73. 1J I stand here. I saw him. Observe, again, the im-
pressive use of the indefinite word "him" here. See Notes
115 and r2i of Act i. Macbeth absolutely cannot name his
victim at this awful moment. We' may here take occasion to
notice that the question has been mooted as to whether the
ghost which appears and re-appears in this scene may not have
been meant for two separate ghosts — those of Duncan and
Tianquo. In the Folio, the first stage direction is, " E titer the
Ghost of Baitouo, and sits in Macbeth's place ; " and the second
is "Enter Glwst." To say nothing of the likelihood that had
a different ghost been intended, there would doubtless have
been some indication of it in the original stage-direction (as in
Act iv., sc. 1, the Folio indicates the three several apparitions
by " t. Apparition, an Armed Head;" "2 Apparition, a
Bloody Child;" and "3. Apparition, a Childe Crowned, with
a Tree in his hand"), we think that the intrinsic evidence of
the text itself clearly shows that but one single ghost is here
intended ; the one terrible spectre that solely haunts Macbeth's
343
fwiinwsimRi
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
Lady M. hie, for shame !
Macb. Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the
olden time/4
Ere human statute purg'd the gentle weal ;75
Ay, and since too, murders have been perform* d
Too terrible for the ear: the times have been/"
That, when the brains were out, the man would die,
And there an end ; but now they rise again,77
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools : this is more strange
Than such a murder is.
Lady M. My worthy lord,
Your noble friends do lack you.
Macb. I do forget : —
Do not muse"3 at me, my most worthy friends;
I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing
To those that know me. Come, love and health
to all ;
Then I'll sit down. — Give me some wine, fill full. —
I drink to the general joy o' the whole table,
And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss;
Would he were here ! to all, and him, we thirst,
And all to all.'9
Lords. Our duties, and the pledge.
Ghost re-appears.
Macb. A vaunt!80 and quit my sight! let the
earth hide thee !
imagination at present, the gashed corpse of him whom lie dares
to desire might be " present," of him whom he even a second
time dares to "drink to," and wish that "he were here!'
The mere effort thus twice made by Macbeth in bold defiance
of his tortured fancy, excites it into its diseased excess, and
brings its horrible creation visibly before him.
74. /' the olden time. ' Even' is elliptically understood before
" i' the " (see Note 21 of this Act) ; and "olden " is an antique
form of ' old.'
75. Ere human statute purg*d the gentle weal. ' Eefore
human laws were instituted to restrain the pristine innocence of
men in that era when restraint was unneeded.' The allusion is
to the golden age of mankind. See Note iS, Act i., "As You
Like It." "Weal" is here used for 'wealth' (as that word is
employed in its combination form, ' common-wealth';1 ; signifying
' national state,' ' collective popular condition.'
76. The times have been. The first Folio prints here, 'The
times has bene;' and the Cambridge Editors read, 'The time
has been.' P>ut we think that the reading of the second Folio,
adopted in our text and by the majority of editors, is more pro-
bably the original sentence, inasmuch as Macbeth is referring to
two former periods, — before human laws existed, and since then.
77. The man would die .... but now they rise again.
Here the plural pronoun " they," used in reference to the noun
singular " man," accords with an occasional practice of Shake-
speare's. Sec Nnte 73, Act iii., "Timon of Athens."
78. Muse. ' Wonder,' 'marvel.' See Note 46, Act iii.,
" Coriolanus."
79. To all, an f him, we thirst, a ■'■•■" to all. To all and to
him we desire t" drink, and desire all good wishes to all.' See
Note 90, Act i.t " Timon of Athens."
80. Avauntl 'Away!' ' Hence !' ' Begone !' Sec Note 21,
Act iii., " Henry V." This exclamation is derived from the
Italian word avanti, 'onward ;' the exclamation ' Avanti !'
being briefly used cither to express 'go onward' or 'come
forward,* though in strictness they should be andate avanti and
veniie avanti.
Thy bones are marrowless, thy blond is cold ;
Thou hast no speculation^1 in those eyes
Which thou dost glare with !
Lady M. Think of this, good peers,
But as a thing of custom : 'tis no other;
Onlv it spoils the pleasure of the time.
Macb. What man dare, I dare :
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger:62
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: or be alive again,
And dare me to the desert with thy sword ;
If trembling I inhabit then,83 protest me
The baby of a girl.34 Hence, horrible shadow !
Unreal mockery, hence! [Ghost disappears.
Why, so; — being gone,
I am a man again. — Pray you, sit still.
Lady M. You have displac'd the mirth, broke
the good meeting,
With most admir'd disorder.85
Macb. Can such things be,
And overcome us like a summer's cloud,86
Without our special wonder? You make me
strange
Even to the disposition that I owe,87
When now I think you can behold such sights,
And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks,
When mine are blanch1 d with fear.83
81. Specitfation. 'Power of sight,' 'faculty of sight." See
Note 43, Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida."
82. The Hyrcan tiger. " Hyrcan" is an abbreviated form of
'* Hyrcanian," used by other writers besides Shakespeare.
83. If trembling I inhabit then. This phrase has been
changed by various emendators ; but it appears to us to be
perfectly in Shakespeare's style, forming direct antithesis with
" dare me to the desert." He uses " inhabit " several times as
an intransitive verb, signifying 'remain,' 'dwell;' and here the
sense is 'remain within doors,' 'stay in any habitation or in any
inhabited place when thou challenges! me forth.' That daring
an opponent to some wild and lonely spot was a form of defiance
in use when Shakespeare wrote, we find from several passages in
his works. See Note 9, Act iv., " Richard II.
84. The baby of a girl. A " baby " was sometimes used for
what is now called a 'doll.'
85. With most admired disorder. "Admir'd" is here used
for 'wondered at.' The challenge, in "Twelfth Night.'' Act
iii., sc. 4, has the expression, "Wonder not, nor admire not
in thy mind, why I," &c. The word "admir'd" here, as put into
Lady Macbeth's nmuth, also includes the effect of being used
ironically in the sense of 'admirable.'
its like a summers cloud, &*<*. ' And pass
over us as a summer's cloud passes ovei us h ith tut exciting any
particular wonder.' The use of the word "overcome" here is
especially ingenious ; as it not only expresses casually come or
pass over us, but it also involves the effect of subdue our spirits,
impress our senses, as a sudden dark cloud overspreading the
summer sky would do. Shakespeare's skill in Ins selection of
words, SO as 10 combine various and even contrasted im iges, is
perfectly m.n'v llous, and worthy of closest study.
S7. You make me strange even to the disposition that I ovu?.
' You m ike me feel strangely even with regard to my own d\z-
position,' 'You make mc feel doubtful and unacquainted even
with my own disposition.'
88. When mine, are mik fear. The Folio prin'^
' is' for " are" here. Malone's correction.
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene V.
Rjsse. What sights, my lord ?
Lady M. I pray you, speak not; he grows
worse and worse;
Question enrages him : at once, good night : —
Stand not upon the order of your going,
But go at once.
Len. Good night ; and better health
Attend his majesty !
Lady M. A kind good night to all!
[Exeunt all except Macbeth and Lady M.
Macb. It will have blood ; they say, blood will
have blood :
Stones have been known to move, and trees to
speak ;
Augurs, and understood relations,89 have
B) magot-pies,wand choughs,91 and rooks, brought
forth
The secret'st man of blood.92— What is the night ?
Lady M. Almost at odds with morning, which
is which.
Macb, How say'st thou,93 that Macduff denies
his person
At our great bidding ?
Lady M. Did you send to him. sir 't'n
Macb, I hear it by the way ;95 but I will send ;
There's not a one of them but in his house
I keep a servant fee'd. I will to-morrow
(And betimes I will) to the weird sisters :
More shall they speak ; for now I am bent to know,
89. Augurs, and understood relations. "Augurs," spelt in
the Folio ' Augures,' probably here means ' auguries ' (see Note
78, Act ii., "Julius Ciesar"} ; for in Florio's " Dictionary," 1598,
the Italian word Augurio is rendered into English by "an
augure% a soothsaying, a prediction, a signe, a coniecture, a
diuination, a bad or ill hap, a wishing of good hap, a fore-
boding." '" I nderstood relations" means 'comprehended affini-
ties,' 'perceived links of evidence.'
90. Magot-pies. An old form of ' magpies.
91. Choughs. See Note 32, Act iii., " Midsummer Night's
Dream."
92". Brought forth the secret 'st man of blood. 'Brought to
light the most concealed murderer.' Stories of discovered
crime, such as Shakespeare here alludes to, are recorded in
I.upton's "Thousand Notable Things," and in Goulart's
"Admirable Histories."
93. Hozo say'st thou. Here used to express ' How say you to
this ?' or ' What think you of this circumstance V
94. Did you send to him, sir? The quietness, the almost
meekness of Lady Macbeth'.s tone here, as contrasted with the
previous stern and contemptuous roughness of her manner lo
her husband, in "such speeches as the one commencing, '* Oh,
proper stuff !" has always struck us as thoroughly characteristic
and very significant. As long as he required stimulus, urging
him to control and suppress his tell-tale agitation, she roused
herself to supply it with all requisite strength and energy ; but
the moment they are alone, the moment there is no longer need
for this false vigour, she drops from exertion into apathy. lapsing
into her now habitual depression. The fact is, Lady Macbeth,
who is always considered a naturally hard, bold, bad woman, is,
in truth, a woman who nerves herself to hardness and boldness
for the sake of gaining a point upon which she has set her
ambitious heart, and for the sake of her husband whom she
I 'Yes She is a thoroughly unscrupulous woman; but she is
anything but a vicious woman, or a woman without native
feeling. Her feelings are strong: even certain <>( her I
By the worst means, the worst. For mine own
good,
All causes shall give way: I am in blood
Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er :
Strange things I have in head, that will to hand ;
Which must be acted ete they may be scann'd.
Lady M. You lack the season96 of all natures,
sleep.
Macb. Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and
self-abuse
Is the initiate fear,9' that wants hard use:
We are yet but young in deed. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Ihe Heath.
Thunder, Enter the three Witches, meeting
Hecate.98
First Hitch. Why, how now, Hecate! you look
angerly.
Hec* Have I not reason, beldams as you are,
Saucy and overbold ?■ How did you date
To trade and traffic with Macbeth
In riddles and affairs of death ;
And I, the mistress of your charms,
The close contriver of all harms,
are fond, but they are made to merge their fondness in the
potencies of those of her feelings which lake the form of
ambition. Witness her knowing " how tender 'tis to love " the
babe she has nourished at her breast, but merging that tender
experience in the vow that should swear to destroy the babe for
fulfilment of an ambition. Witness her being withheld from
murdering the old king by a remembrance of her own " father
as he slept," yet letting not that remembrance deter her from
abetting her husband in destroying Duncan. Witness her
<_r ishing resolutely down all her own sufferings from remorse to
so ithe those of Macbeth ; and bearing her own nightly horrors
of burdened conscience with so brave a silence that they kill
her before she utters one syllable of complaint to him. Hex
generous and even affectionate courage in this wifely conduct
contrasts, with most subtly characteristic effect, against Mao
beth's marital confiding to her his affliction of soul, his torture
of mind, and those " terrible dreams that shake " him " nightly."
The man. the valorous soldier, reposes bis griefs in his wife's
bosom; the woman, the faithful wife, hardened into fortitude
for his sake, keeps her " scorpions" of misery within her own
heart, until they sting her to death.
qj. I hear it by the way. " By the way " is here used idii imati-
cally, to express ' by indirect means,' ' by a surreptitious course.'
96 The season. Here used for 'the preservative.' See Note
8, Act i.. "All's Well."
97. The initiate far. ' The fear that attends the initiative
steps in guilt' or ' the first entrance into a course of crime.'
98 Hecate. Reginald Scot, in his "Discoverie of Witcn
craft," mentions it as the common opinion of all writers, that
witches were supposed to have nightly " meetings with Hi ro
dias and the Pa oid "that in the night-tim
side abroad with Diana, the goddess of thi P &c. In
Middleton's " Wil . is the name of one of his u itches :
an ! in Ben Jons m's " Sad Shepherd" Maudlin the witch calls
N '■■■ the mistress of witches, "..'ir dame Hecate." See
Note 43, Act v., '" Midsuniiiiei Sight's I "ream."
Act III.]
MACBETH.
[Scene VI.
Was never call'd to bear my part.
Or show the glory of our art ?
And, which is worse, all you have done
Hath been but for a wayward son,
Spiteful and wrathful ; who, as others do,
Loves for his own ends, not for you.
But make amends now : get you gone,
And at the pit of Acheron'-19
Meet ine i' the morning : thither he
Will come to know his destiny :
Your vessels and your spells provide,
Your charms, and everything beside.
I am for the air ; this night I'll spend
Unto a dismal and a fatal end :
Great business must be wrought ere noon :
Upon tie corner of the moon
There hangs a vaporous drop profound ;,0°
I'll catch it ere it come to ground :
And that, distill' d by magic sleights,
Shall raise such artificial sprites,
As, by the strength of their illusion,
Shall draw him on to his confusion :
Heehall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear
His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear :
And you all know security'1"
Is mortals' chiefest enemy.
[Music and song ixithin, " Come away, come
away," &c.lu2
Hark ! I am call'd ; my little spirit, see,
Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me. [Exit,
First Witch. Come, let's make haste ; she'll
soon be back again. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI.— Fore«. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Lennox and another Lord
Leu. My former speeches have but hit your
thoughts,
99. At tile pit of Ae/teron. The witches are poetically made
to give this name of one of the rivers in the infernal regions (see
Note 69, Act iii., "Midsummer Night's Dream") to some foul
tarn or gloomy pool in the neighbourhood of Macbeth's castle,
where they habitually assemble.
. 100. A vaporous drop profound. " Profound " is here
used to express 'possessed of occult properties,' 'containing
deeply hidden virtues;' and "the vaporous drop profound"
appears to have been intended for the same as the virus lunare
of the ancients, which was a foam supposed to be shed by the
moon upon particular herbs or other objects, when strongly
solicited by enchantment.
101. Security. Here used in the sense of ' over-confidence,'
' 1. t-.Ii assurance,' ' presumptuous trust,' 'too great self-reliance.'
: - Note 48, Act ii., " Henry V."
102. "Come away, come away" cVt. The entire song, ot
which this forms the commencing line, is to be found both in
Middleton's "Witch" and in Davenant's version of " Macbeth ;"
therefore ii was probably Shakespeare's composition, adopted by
Middleton and Davenant from some stage copy of the song, as
preserved either by itself or in a more complete transcript of the
tragedy than the one from which the Folio was printed.
Which can interpret farther: only, 1 say,
Tilings have been strangely borne. Tne gracious
Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth : — marry, he was dead : —
And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late;
Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance
kill'd,
For Fleance fled : men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought,1"3 how monstrous
It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain
To kill their gracious father ? cursed fact !
How it did grieve Macbeth ! did he not straight,
In pious rage, the two delinquents tear,
That were the slaves ot drink and thralls of sleep ?
Was not that nobly done ? Ay, and wisely too ;
For 't would have angeted any heart alive
To hear the men deny 't. So that, I say,
He has borne all things well : and I do think,
That, had he Duncan's sons under his key
(As, an't please Heaven, he shall not), they should
find
What 't were to kill a father ; so should Fleance.
Iiut, peace ! — for from broad words, and 'cause he
fail'd
His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear,
Macduff lives in disgrace : sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?
Lord. The son of Duncan,101
From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth,
Lives in the English court ; and is receiv'd
Of the most pious Edward with such grace,
That the malevolence of fortune nothing
Takes from his high respect : thither Macduff
Is gone to pray the holy king, upon his aid
To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward :
That, by the help of these (with Him above
To ratify the work), we may again
Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights ;
Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives ; 105
Do faithful homage, and receive free honours j1"6 —
103. Who cannot want the thought, to*c. The superficial
effect of this sentence is tantamount to 'Who can fail to ha\e
the thought how monstrously wicked it was,' &c. ; but, in
reality, it means, 'Who cannot be without the thought that
Malcolm and Donalbain could be so monstrously wicked as to
kill,' &c. We have before shown (see Notes 02, Act ii., and 22,
Act v., "Henry VIII.") that in the construction of questions
Shakespeare is sometimes purposedly peculiar, for the sake
of producing double effect ; and in the present instance, the
ambiguity of the mode of expression harmonises completely
with the strain of irony and mocking question throughout this
speech. " Want" is here used in the sense of ' be without,' ' be
unpossessed of.' See Note 14, Act iii., "Tiinon of Athens."
104. The sou of Duncan. The Folio misprints ' sonnes' here
for "son." Theobald's corrc tion.
105. Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives. ' Free
our feasts and banquets from bloody knives.' Instance of trans-
posed construction. See Note 45, Act v., "Tiinon of Athens."
106. Receive free tumours, " Free" is here used to express
' free from pollution in the hand that confers them,' 'free from
1 iiut nf servility in us that accept them' (see Note 36, Act ii..
" Winter's tale " , and ' flee from fear and constraint in their
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
All which we pine for now : and this report
Hath so exasperate the king,10' that he
Prepares for some attempt of war.
Len. Sent he to Macduff?
Lord. He did : and with an absolute, " Sir,
not I,"
The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
And hums, as who should say, " You'll rue the time
That clogs me with this answer."
Len. And that well might
Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England, and unfold
His message ere he come ; that a swift blessing
May soon return to this our suffering country
Under a hand accurs'd !103
Lord. I'll send my prayers with him.
[Exeunl.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— A dark Cave. In the middle, a
cauldron boiling.
Thunder. Enter the three Witches.
First Witch. Thrice the brinded cat hath
mewM.1
Sec. Hritch. Thrice ; and once the hedge-pig
whin'd.
Third Witch, Harper3 cries; — 'tis time, 'tis time.
First Witch. Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.—
Toad, that under cold stone3
Days and nights has thirty-one*
Swelter' d venom4 sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charme 1 pot.
All. Double, double toil and trouble ;
Fire, burn ; and, cauldron, bubble.
Sec. JFitch. Fillet of a fenny sn ike,
In the cauldron boil and bake ;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
possession.' See Note 33, Act hi., "Second Part Henry VI."
" Free," as used in the present passage, affords an example of
Shakespeare's elliptically used epithets, and of his words which
include various combined meanings.
107. Hath so exasperate the kin*. " Exasperate " is here
used for 'exasperated;' and Shakespeire has employed the
same abbreviated form of the word in " Troilus and Cressida,"
Act v., sc. 1, where Thersites asks, "Why art thou, then,
exasperate^ thou," &c. See Note 45, Act ii., "Henry V."
The Folio prints ' their' for "the." Hanmer's correct!. >n.
10S. Our suffering country under a hind accurs'd! ' Our
country suffering under an accursed hand ! '
1. Thrice the brinded cat hath me:o'd. It has been detailedly
pointed out by Johnson with how much judgment Shakespeare
has selected all the circumstances of his witchcraft ceremonies,
and how exactly he has conformed to common opinions and
traditions therein. Douce also observes that " Dr. Warburton
has adduced classical authority for the connection between
Hecate and this animal [the cat), with a view to trace the reason
why it was the agent and favourite of modern witches It may
be added, that '.m mg the Egyptians the cat was sacred I 1 [sis,
or the moon — their Hecate or Diana — and accordingly wor-
shipped with great honour. Many cat-idols are still preserved
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,''
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, —
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
All. Double double toil and trouble ;
Fire, burn ; and, cauldron, bubble.
Third IVttch. Scale of dragon ; tooth of wolf;
Witches' mummy ; maw and gultfi
Of the ravin'd' salt-sea shark ;
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark ;
Liver of blaspheming Jew ;
Gall of goat; and slips of yew
Sliver'd8 in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips ;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver' d by a drab —
Make the gruel thick and slab :
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,9
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
in the cabinets of the curious, and the sistrum or rattle used by
the priests of Isis is generally ornamented with a figure of a
cat with a crescent on its head."
2. Harper. The Folio prints ' Harpier ;' which some suppose
to be a mistake for 'harpie,' or 'harpy.' Pope gave „" Harper;"
and in Marlowe's " Tamburlaine," 1590, " Harper " is printed
for ' harpie,' or ' harpy.' The word, however, may be the name
of some familiar or spirit known in the demonology of that
period.
3. Toad, that under cold stone. This line has been variously
altered by various emendators ; but we leave it as given in the
Folio, for the reason stated hi Note 27, Act i.
4. Siveltcrd venom. In the Philosophical Transactions for
1826 Dr. Davy has shown that the toad is poisonous, the poison
lying diffused over the body immediately under the skin.
5. Adder's fork, and blind-worm* s sting. See Note 4, Act
in. "'Measure for Measure," and Note 59, Act :i., "Mid-
summer Night's Dream "
6. Gulf. 'Throat,' 'gullet.'
7. Ravbid, Here used for ' ravining ' or 'ravenous.' See
Note 17, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet."
8. Sliver'd. ' Sliced.'
9. Chaudron. An old name for 'entrails.' Spelt also
' chawdron ' and ' chauldron.'
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scenic I.
All. Double, double toil and trouble ;
Fire, burn ; and, cauldron, bubble.
Sec. Witch. Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
Enter Hecate.111
Ucc. Oh, well done ! I commend sour pains ;
And every one shall share i' the gains :
And now about the cauldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.
[Music ami .Song, " Black spirits," &c."
[Exit Hecate.
Sec. IVitch. By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes: —
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
Enter Macbeth.
Macb. How now, you secret, black, and mid-
night hags!
What is't you do?
All. A deed without a name.
Macb. I conjure you, by that which you profess
(Howe'er you come to know it), answer me:
Though you untie the winds, and let them fight
Against the churches ; though the yesty1'2 waves
Confound and swallow navigation up ;
Though bladed corn be lodg'd,13 and trees blown
down ;
Though castles topple on their warder-,' heads;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations ; though the
treasure
Of Nature's germins14 tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken, — answer me
To what I ask you.
First IVitch. Speak.
See. IVitch. Demand.
10. Enter Hecite. In the Folio this stage -direction runs
thus: u Enter Hecat, ami the oilier three Witches;" but it
appears improbable that Shakespeare intended more than the
three weird sisters already known to Macbeth to be upon the
stage in his present interview with them. Moreover, it was
frequently the custom in old plays to accompany the stage-
direi tion, marking the entrance of a fresh personage upon the
scene by a recapitulation of those already present.
it. " Black spirits" d-Y. This song is also found entire
in both Middleton"s " Witch " and Davenant's version of
" Macbeth " See Note 102, Act iii.
i.-. Yesty. ' Frothy,' ' foaming,' as yeast foams and works,
forming a froth on its surface.
13. Though. Haded com he lodg'd. See Note 80, Act iii.,
"Second Part Henry VI." In Scot's " Discoverie of Witch-
craft" it is said of witches that "they can transferre com in
the blade from one place to another ; " and, in the article on
Husbandry in Comenius, " Janua Linguarum." 167}, it is men-
tioned that "as soon as standing corn shoots up to a Hade, it
is in danger of scathe by a tempest."
14. Germins. ' Principles of germination,' ' seeds.' Shake-
speare uses the same word in Act iii., sc. 2, " King Lear."
Third Hitch. We'll ansuer.
First IVitih. Say, if thou'dst rather hear it from
our mouths,
Or from our masters' E
Macb. Call them, let me see them.
First Witch. Pour in sow's blood, that halh
eaten
Her nine farrow;15 grease, that's su eaten
From the murderer's gibbet, throw
Into the name.
All. Come, high or low ;
'Thyself and office deftly16 show !
Thunder. An Apparition of an armed Head
Mart. Tell me, thou unknown power, —
Fust IVitch. He knows thy thought :
Hear his speech, but say thou naught.13
App. Macbeth ! Macbeth ! Macbeth ! beware
Macduff;
Beware the thane of Fife. — Dismiss me : — enough. 19
[Descends.
Macb. Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution,
thanks ;
Thou hast harp'd my fear aright :M — but one word
more, —
First IVitch. He will not be commanded : here's
another,
More potent than the first.
Thunder. An Apparition of a bloody Child rises.
App. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!—
Macb. Had I three ears, I'd hear thee.'-1
App. Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to
scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth. [Descends.
Macb. Then live, Macduff: what need I fear
of thee ?
15. Her nine farrow. In Holinshed's " History of Scotland,"
1577, among the laws of Kenneth II., it is stated that "if a sow
fate herpiggeSi let h\r be stoned to deathe and buried, that no
man eate of hyr flesh."
16. Deftly. 'Dexterously,' 'skilfully.'
17. An apparition of an armed head rises. Upton pointed
out that these three apparitions are symbolical : the first repre-
senting Macbeth's head cut off and brought to Malcolm by
Macduff; the second, Macduff '' untimely ripped " at the period
of hhs birth: and the third, Malcolm's soldiers approaching
Dunsinane Castle under the screen of boughs borne before
them.
18. Say thou naught. Silence was imposed during an incan-
tation. See Note 10, Act iv., "Tempest."
19. Dismiss me: — enough. It was believed that spirits
summoned to appear were intolerant of questioning, and were
impatient to be gone. See Note 56, Act i., "Second Part
Henry VI,"
20. Thau hast harp'd my fear aright. 'Thou hast struck
the right key-note of my fear.'
21. Had 1 three ears, I'd hear thee. Macbeth's eager reply
to the triple adjuration, " Macbeth \ Macbeth ! Macbeth !"
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
But yet I'll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate : thou shalt not live ;
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder. — What is this,
Thunder, An Apparition of a Child crowned,
with a tree in his hand, rises.
That rises like the issue of a king,
And wears upon his baby brow the round
And top of sovereignty ?*-2
All. Listen, but speak not to 't.
A/p. Be lion-mettled, proud ; and take no
care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish' d be, until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill23
Shall come against hitn. [Descends.
Macb. That will never be:
Who can impress*4 the forest ; bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements!
good !
Rebellious head,25 rise never, till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-plac'd Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time and mortal custom. — Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me (if your art
Can tell so much), shall Banquo's issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?
All. Seek to know no more.
Macb. I will be satisfied : deny me this, *
A nd an eternal curse tall on you ! Let me know : —
22. The round and (op of sovereignty. Meaning the por-
tion of a crown that encircles the head and the ornament that
rises above it.
23. To high Dunsinane hill. In the present passage Shake-
speare accents the wori " Dunsinane " as it is usually pronounced
(Dunsinnan) ; but in the six other passages of the play where he
uses the word, he accents it as if it were pronounced Dunsinane.
24. Impress. Here used in the sense of ' press into his service.'
25. Rebellious head. The Folio prints 'rebellious dead;'
which was altered by Hanmer to 'rebellion's head,' and by
Theobald to the reading which we adopt. Our reason for so
doing is that it departs less from the original ; and not only ex-
presses ' rebellious body of men,' ' insurgent force' (see Note 92,
Act i., " First Part Henry IV."), but allows the inclusive effect
of reference to the apparition of the "armed head" that Macbeth
has lately beheld. This first apparition, be it remembered, un-
like the second and third, speaks warningly, and as if foretelling
danger, while the other two seem to inspire encouragement and
security ; therefore Macbeth may well imagine it to typify the
armed force which is likely to rise against him.
26. Noise. Sometimes used by ancient writers to express
1 musical sound.' Spenser, in his " Faerie Queene," book i.,
canto xii., st. 39, says, ''During the which there was a
heavenly noise" And in the 47th Psalm of the Liturgy we
find, "God is gone up with a merry noise, and the Lord with
the sound of the trump."
27. Thy hair, it has been proposed to change "hair" to
*air' or to ' heir ;' hut the original word draws the spectator's
attention to the head of hair surmounted by the symbol of
royalty which so disturbs Macbeth in those whom he recognises
as but "too like the spirit of Banquo," and therefore as his
progeny who are to become kings.
28. Is like the first. ' Is like that of the first.' A similar
Why sinks that cauldron? [hautboys] and what
noise26 is this?
First Witch. Show!
Sec. Witch. Show!
Third Witch. Show!
All. Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
Come like shadows, so depart!
Eight Kings appear, and piss over in order, the
last cwith a glass in his hand; Banquo
Jol lowing.
Macb. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo ;
down !
Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls: — and thy
hair,27
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first :28 —
A third is like the former. — Filthy hags!
Why do you show me this? — A fourth r— Start,
eyes! —
What! will the line stretch out to the crack of
doom ?29—
Another yet? — A seventh ? — I'll see no more: —
And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass30
Which shows me many more; and some I see
That two-fold balls and treble sceptres carry :3i
Horrible sight!— Now, I see, 'tis true;
For the blcod-bolterV. 32 Banquo smiles upon me,
And points at them for his. — What ! is this so ?
First Witch. Ay, sir, all this is so: — but why
Stands Macbeth thus amazedly? —
Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,33
form of ellipsis to those pointed out in Note 75, Act i.,
" Coriolanus."
29. The crack of doom. 'The disruption of universal Nature
at doomsday.' See Note 13, Act i.
30. A glass. One of the magic mirrors used by sorcerers.
See Note 38, Act ii., " Measure for Measure." Among the
penal laws against witches there is a passage which states that
" they do answer either by the voice, or else set before their
eyes in glasses, chrystal stones, &c., the pictures or images of
the persons or things sought for." There is a description of one
of these wondrous mirrors in Spenser's " Faerie Queene,"
book iii., canto ii. ; and in "The Squire's Tale," by Chaucer,
there is "a brod mirrour of glas," sent by " the King of Arabie
and of Inde" to King Cambuscan, which possesses main mar-
vellous qualities. Boisteau's " Theatruin Mundi," translated
by John Alday, mentions that " a certaine philosopher did the
like to Pompey, the which shelved him in a giasse the order of
his enemies' march."
31. Two-fold balls and treble sceptres carry. The compli-
mentary allusion to James I., referred to in Note 1, Act i.
32. Blood-bolter el. ' Blood-smeared,* ' blood-clotted.' Mai. me
states that " in Warwickshire, when a horse, sheep, or other
animal perspires much, and any of the hair or wool, in conse-
quence of such perspiration, or any redundant humour, beounes
matted into tufts with grime and sweat, he is said to bebo/fe>;d ;
and whenever the blood issues out and coagulates, forming the
locks into hard clotted bunches, the beast is said to be blood-
boltered. When a boy has a broken head, so that his hair is
matted together with blood, his head is said to be boltered."
The term is therefore appropriately applied to Banquo, who had
" twenty trenched gashes on his head. "
33. Sprites. In Shakespeare's time 'spirits' was often thus
written and pronounced.
356
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
.SV« of Macduff.
Run away, I pray you
He has kill'd me, mother :
Act IV. Scene II.
And show the best of our delights :
I'll charm the air to give a sound,
While you perform your antic round ;
That this great king may kindly say,
Our duties did his welcome pay.
[Music. The Witches dance, ami then vanish.
Macb. Where are they? Gone?— Let this
pernicious hour
Stand aye accursed in the calendar! — ■
Come in, without there !
Len.
Macb.
Len.
Enter Lennox.
What's your grace's will ?
Saw you the weird sisters ?
No, my lord.
34. Horse. Here used for horses. See Note 3, Act ii.,
" First Part Henry IV."
35. Anticipat'st. ' Preventcst,' by taking away the oppor-
tunity.
Macb. Came they not by you ?
Len. No, indeed, my lord.
Macb. Infected he the air whereon they ride ;
And damn'd all those that trust them ! — I did hear
The galloping ot horse :34 who was 't came by ?
Len. 'Tis two or three, my lord, that bring
you word
Macduff is fled to England.
Macb. Fled to England !
Len. Ay, my good lord.
Macb. Time, thou anticipat'st35 my dread exploits:
The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
Unless the deed go with it : from this moment
The very firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings36 of my hand. And even now,
36. Firstlings. Here used to express ' first imagined Jceds '
and ' first enacted deeds ;' while in the passage referred to ill
Note 7, Prologue, "Troihis and Cressida," the word is em-
ployed for ' earliest deeds,' ' first a :
Act I V.J
MACBETH.
[Scene II.
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought
. and done :
The castle of Macduff I will surprise ;
Seize upon Fife ; give to the edge o' the sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace37 him in his line. No boasting like a
fool;
This deed I'll do before this purpose cool :
But no more sights!3'1 — Where are these gentle-
men ?
Come, bring me where they are. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Fife. A Room in Macduff's
Castle.
Enter Lady Macduff, her Son, and Rosse.
L. Macd. What had he done, to make him fly
the lan.l ?
Rosse. You must have patience, madam.
L. Maud. He had none :
His flight was madness ; when our actions do not,
Our fears do make us traitors.39
Rosse. You know not
Whether it was his wisdom or his fear.
L. Macd. Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave
his babes,
His mansion, and his titles, in a place
From whence himself does fly ? He loves us
not ;
He wants the natural touch ;40 for the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.
All is the fear, and nothing is the love ;
As little is the wisdom, where the flight
So runs against all reason.
Rosse. My dearest coz,
I pray you, school yourself: but, for your husband.
He is noble, wise, judicious, and best knows
The fits o' the season. 41 I dare not speak much
farther :
37. Trace. 'Follow,' 'succeed.' See Note 3S, Act iii.,
"Henry VIII."
38. But no more sights! The word "sights" has been
changed to ' flights' and to 'sprites' here ; but we think that
"sights " clearly refer to the apparitions and vision shown to
Macbeth by the witches ; he having actually called the latter
"horrible sight t" as it passes before him.
39 When our actions do not, our fears do make us traitors.
' When our actions do not show us to be traitors, by our
cowardly flight we make ourselves seem to be traitors.'
Shakespeare occasionally uses "make" in phrases so con-
structed as to give the word ' seem ' or ' appear ' to be ellipti-
cally understood. See Note 34, Act ii.. "Julius Caesar."
40. He wants the natural touch ' He is without the divine
spark of natural affection.' " Wants" is here used in its sense
of ' is wanting in,' ' is without.' ' is unpossessed of see Note
103, Act iii.) ; and "touch" affords another instance of Shake-
speare's employment of the simplest and briefest words with
But cruel are the times, when we are traitors,
And do not know ourselves;4- when we hold
rumour
From what we fear, yet know not what we fear,43
But float upon a wild and violent sea
Each way and move. — I take my leave of vou:
Shall not be long but I'll be here again :44
Things at the worst will cease, or else climb up-
ward
To what they were before. — My pretty cousin,
Blessing upon vou !
L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's father-
less.
Rosse. I am so much a fool, should 1 stay
longer,
It would be my disgrace and your discomfort :
1 take my leave at once. [Exit.
L. Macd. Sirrah,45 your father's dead :
And what will you do now ? How will you live ?
Son. As birds do, mother.
L. Macd. What ! with worms and flies ?
Son. With what I get, I mean ; and so do
they.
L. Macd. Poor bird ! thou'dst never fear the
net nor lime,
The pitfall nor the gin.
Son. Why should I, mother ? Poor birds they
are not set for.
My father is not dead, for all your saying.
L. Macd. Yes, he is dead : how wilt thou do
for a father?
Son. Nay, how will you do for a husband ?
L. Macd. Why, I can buy me twenty at any
market.
Son. Then you'll buy 'em to sell ngnin.
L. Macd. Thou speak'st with all thy wit ; and
yet, i' faith,
With wit enough for thee.
Son. Was my father a traitor, mother?
L. Macd. Ay, that he was.
Son. What is a traitor ?
L. Macd. Why, one that swears and lies.
most impressive effect in this grandly poetic drama. See Note
13, Act i.
41. The Jits d the season. ' The crises of the times.'
Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word " fit " to express ' perilous
crisis.' 'critical period :' as when a disorder is at its height. See
passage referred to in Note 54, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
42. When we are traitors, and do not know ourselves.
' When we are believed to be traitors, yet do not know our-
selves to be traitors,' or ' yet know ourselves to be none."
43 When we hold rumour from what we /ear, yet, &°c.
' When we accept rumour according to what we fear may be in
store for us, yet not knowing in ourselves a cause for fear.' or
'yet knowing ourselves to be free from that which should
inspire us with fear.'
44. Shall not l'e long I'll t Vll he here again. Here ' it ' or
"t ' is elliptically understood before " shall ;" as in the passages
referred to in Note 68, Act iii., "Merchant of Venice."
45. Sirrah. Sometimes used as a term of affection, or or
familiarity. See Note 90, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
358
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene J 1 1.
Son. And be al. traitors that do so ?
L. Macd. Every one that does so is a traitor, and
must be hanged.
Son. And must they all be hanged that swear
and lie ?
L. Macd. Every one.
Son. Who must hang them ?
L. Macd. Why, the honest men.
Son. Then the liars and swearers are fools ; for
there are liars and swearers enough to beat the
honest men, and hang up them.
L. Macd. Now, God help thee, poor monkey!
But how wilt thou do for a father ?
Son. If he were dead, you'd weep for him : if
you would not, it were a good sign that 1 should
quickly have a new father.
L. Macd. Poor prattler, how thou talk'st !
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Bless you, fair dame ! I am not to you
known,
Though in your state of honour I am perfect.46
I doubt some danger does approach you nearly :
If you will take a homely man's advice,
Be not found here ; hence, with your little ones.
To flight you thus, methinks, I am too savage ;
To do worse to you were fell cruelty,
Which is too nigh your person. Heaven preserve
you !
I dare abide no longer. [Exit.
L. Macd. Whither should I fly ?
I have done no harm. But I remember now
I am in this earthly world ; where to do harm
Is often laudable ; to do good, sometime
Accounted dangerous folly : why, then, alas!
Do I put up that womanly defence,
46. In your state of honour I am perfect. " State of
honour" is here generally explained to mean ' high rank ;' but
we think it includes the sense of distinguished condition as a
lady of honourable nature, no less than as a lady of honourable
station. The man sees her in her own castle, and knows her to
be its lady mistress ; but he also seems to know that she is a
virtuous, a kind, a good lady as well as a noble lady, and there-
fore comes to warn her of approaching danger. The w ird
"perfect "is here used in its sense of ' perfectly acquainted,'
'perfectly informed.' See Note 39, Act Hi., " Winter's Tale."
47. What are these faces ? Only a true poet would have
thought of the impressive simplicity of this expression ; con-
taining horrible significance as to the effect produced upon the
speaker by the grim visages of the cut-throats as they enter her
presence, and causing us to behold them through her words in
their full menace of aspect.
48. Shag-hair'd. The Folio prints this ' shagge-ear'd ;
which seems to be a corruption of shag hear'd, as " hair" was
sometimes formerly written ' heare.' See Note 23, Act v.,
" kin.; John." " Shag-hair'd " is an abusive epithet frequently
used by the early writers; and in Alleyn's "Reports" it is
stated that the words, " Where is that long-lock'd, shag-hair d,
murdering rogue?" were actionable. In Lodge's "Incarnate
Devils of this Age," 1596, the old form of the word is given,
thus: " shag-heard slave." Steevens suggested the correction.
49. Run away, I pray you. The loving unselfishness of these
To say I have done no harm ? — What arc these
faces?4?
Enter Murderers,
First Mur. Where is your husband ?
L. Macd. I hope, in no place so unsanctificd
Where such as thou mayst rind him.
First Mur. He's a traitor.
Son. Thou liest, thou shag-hair'd4s villain !
First Mur. What, you egg ! [Slabbing him.
Young fry of treachery !
Son. He has kill'd me, mother:
Run away, I pray you '.,2 [Dies.
[Exit Lady Macduff, crying " Murder ! "
and pursued by the Murderers.
SCENE III. — England. Before the King's
Palace.
Enter Malcolm and Macduff.
Mai. Let us seek out some desolate shade, anil
there
Weep our sad bosoms empty.
Macd. Let us rather
Hold fast the mortal50 sword ; and, like good men,
Bestride our down-fall'n birthdom:51 each new
morn
New widows howl ; new orphans cry ; new sorrows
Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds52
As if it felt with Scotland, and yell'd out
Like syllable of dolour,
Mai. What I believe, I'll wail ;
What know, believe ; and what I can redress,
As I shall find the time to friend,53 I will.
words, showing the boy's thought for his mother even in the
1111 uncut of his own assassination, is exactly one of Shakespeare's
beautiful touches of humanity ; and the whole of this brief but
charmingly written scene forms another of his exquisite delinea-
tions of child nature. Witness his portraiture of little York in
" Richard III.," and Prince Arthur in " King John." See
also Note 1, Act ii., " Winter's rale," and Note 18, Act iv.,
"Richard III."
50. Mortal. Here used for 'deadly,' or 'death- dealing.'
See Note 68, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
51. Bestride our down-falVn birthdom. The Folio prints
' downfall ' for " down-fall'n ;" which correction was suggested
by Johnson. The passage contains the same figurative allusion
that is to be found explained in Note 25, Act i., " Second Part
Henry IV."
52. New sorrows strike heaven on the face, ttuit it resounds,
&°c. It is worth while to observe how differently Shakespeare's
sublimely familiar expressions affect different judgments and
different natures. Mr. Steevens says, "This presents a
ridiculous image" [!!!) ; while Professor Wilson exclaims rap-
turously, "That is true Shakespeare. No poet, before or
since, has in few words presented such a picture. No poet,
before or since, has used such words. He writes like a man
inspired."
53. To friend. Here used for ' befriend me,' ' be fi'.
or propitious to me.' See Note 27, Act in , " Julius Cxsar."
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene hi
What you have spoke, it may be so perchance.
This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,
Was once thought honest : you have lov'd him
well ;
He hath not touch'd you yet. I am young; but
something
You may discern of him through ine ;54 and
wisdom
To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb
To appease an angry god.
Macd. I am not treacherous.
Mai. But Macbeth is.
A good and virtuous nature may recoil
In an imperial charge.55 But I shall crave your
pardon ;
That which you are, my thoughts cannot transpose :
Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell :
Though all things foul would wear the brows of
grace,
Yet grace must still look so.56
Macd. I have lost my hopes.
Mai. Perchance even there where I did find my
doubts.
Why in that rawness left you wife and child57
(Those precious motives, those strong knots of
love)
Without leave-taking ?— I pray you,
Let not my jealousies be your dishonours,
But mine own safeties : — you may be rightly just,
Whatever I shall think.
Macd. Bleed, bleed, poor country !
Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,
For goodness dare not check thee! wear thou thy
wrongs,
The title is affeer'd !53 — Fare thee well, lord :
I would not be the villain that thou think'st
For the whole space that's in the tyrant's grasp,
And the rich East to boot,
Mai. Be not offended :
1 speak not as in absolute fear of you,
54. Something von may discern oj him through me. The
Folio word 'discerne' was changed by Theobald to 'deserve ;'
and since his time the alteration has been adopted by every
modern editor save ourselves. After banishing the original
word from the passage, they complain that ' the construction is
difficult, as there is no verb to which " wisdom " can refer,' and
assert that 'something is omitted, either through the negligence
of the printer or the inadvertence of the author,' since ' some-
thing is wanted to complete the sense.' Now, if the original
word "discern" be retained, we have the sense of the passage
unimpaired, thus ; ' 1 am young, but something you may per-
ceive of Macbeth in me [Malcolm has stated that Macbeth
" was once thought honest," and afterwards taxes himself with
vices], and also you may perceive the wisdom of offering up,' &c,
thus gaining the verb before " wisdom" that the commentators
miss. Shakespeare occasionally makes one verb do double duty
in a sentence. See Note 23, Act iv. , " Timon of Athens." It
may be advisable to mention that we made this restoration in
the text when preparing our edition of Shakespeare for America
in i860.
55. A good and virtuous nature may recoil in an imperial
1 think our country sinks beneath the yoke ;
It weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash
Is added to her wounds : 1 think, withal,
There would be hands uplifted in my right ;
And here, from gracious England, have I offer
Of goodly thousands: but, for all this,
When I shall tread upon the tyrant's head,
Or wear it on my sword, yet my poor country
Shall have more vices than it had before ;
More suffer, and more sundry ways than ever,
By him that shall succeed.
Macd. What should he be ?
Mai. It is myself I mean : in whom I know
All the particulars of vice so grafted,
That, when they shall be open'd, black Macbeth
Will seem as pure as snow ; and the poor state
Esteem him as a lamb, being compar'd
With my confineless harms.59
Macd. Not in the legions
Of horrid hell can come a devil more damn'd
In evils to top Macbeth.
Mai. I grant him bloody,
Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful,
Sudden,60 malicious, smacking of every sin
That has a name : but there's no bottom, none,
In my voluptuousness: and my desire
All continent impediments would o'erbear,
That did oppose my will : better Macbeth,
Than such a one to reign.
Macd. Boundless intemperance
In nature is a tyranny ; it hath been
The untimely emptying of the happy throne,
And fall of many kings. But fear not yet
To take upon you what is yours : you may
Convey61 your pleasures in a spacious plenty,
And yet seem cold, the time you may so hoodwink.
We have willing dames enough ; there cannot be
That vulture in you, to devour so many
As will to greatness dedicate themselves,
Finding it so inclin'd.
cliarge.
' Even a virtuous disposition may forsake its princip les
when urged by a royal command.'
56. Vet grace must stilt look so. 'Yet grace must still bok
itself,' or ' like itself,' or ' as it does look.' For a similar use of
the word " so," see Note 94, Act ii., " All's Well."
57. Why in that rawness left you wife and child. " Raw-
ness" here includes the combined senses of 'rashness,' 'absence
of mature consideration and due preparation,' as well as ' help-
lessness,' ' unprovidedness.' Sec Note 25, Act iv., " Henry V."
58. The title is affeer'd '. Affeer'd is a legal term for ' con-
firmed,' 'assessed,' or 'reduced to certainty;' therefore the
meaning of the entire passage seems to be, ' Great tyranny, be
securely seated now.f or goodness dare not oppose thee ! wear
thou thy wrongfully gained honours, since the title to them is
confirmed ! '
59. Confineless liartns. ' Unlimited evils.'
60. Sudden. ' Rash,' 'hasty,' 'violent-tempered,' 'passionate.'
See Note 86, Act ii., " As You Like It ;" and Note 74, Act iv.,
" Second Part Henry IV."
61. Convey. Here used for ' conduct stealthily,' ' carry on
clandestinely or furtively.'
360
Act I V.J
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
Mat. Witli this, there glows,
In my most ill-compos' d affection, such
A stanchless avarice, that, were I king,
I should cut off the nobles tor their lands ;
Desire his jewels, and this other's house:
And my more-having would be as a sauce
To make me hunger more; that I should forge
Quarrels unjust against the good and lo)al,
Destroying them tor wealth.
Macil. This avarice
Sticks deeper; grows with more pernicious root
Than summer-seeming6- lust; and it hath been
The sword of our slain kings: yet do not fear;
Scotland hath foisons63 to fill up your will,
Of your mere own :04 all these are portable,05
With other graces weigh'd.
Mul. But [ have none: the king-becoming
graces,
As justice, verity, temperance, stableness,
Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness,
Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,
I have no relish of them ; but abound
In the division of each several crime,
Acting it many ways. Nay, had I power, 1
should
Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell,
Uproar the universal peace, confound
All unity on earth.
Macd. O Scotland, Scotland !
Mai. If such a one be tit to govern, speak :
I am as I have spoken.
Macd. Fit to govern!
No, not to live. — Oh, nation miserable,
With an untitled tyrant bloody-scepter'd,
When shalt thou see thy wholesome days again,
Since that the truest issue of thy throne
By his own interdiction stands accurs'd,
And does blaspheme his breed ? — Thy royal father
Was a most sainted king: the queen that boiv
thee,
Oftener upon her knees than on her feet,
Died every day she liv'd.66 Fare thee well !
These evils thou repeat'st upon thyself
62. Summer-seeming. " Seeming " in this compound word
has been variously changed to 'teeming,' 'seeding,' 'seaming,'
and 'sinning ;' but we take it that the original " seeming " here
means 'beseeming,1 'not unseemly in,' 'not unbecoming to,'
' belonging to,' ' pertaining to' the season of youth. This, in a
man who is smoothing matters for a young king, would not be
inappropriate. Shakespeare uses "seeming" for 'beseemingly,'
' benttingly,' ' becomingly,' in the passage explained in No i.
Act v., "As You Like It."
63. Foisons. 'Plenty,' 'abundance.' See Note 17, Act ii.,
'' Tempest."
64. 0/ your mere (nun . 'Absolutely your own.' See Note 73,
Act hi., " Henry VIII."
65. Portable. ' Bearable.' ' endurable.
66. Died every day she liv'd. An expression derived from
Scripture : " I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ
Jesus our Lord, I die daily" 1 Cur. xv. 31.
Have banish'.d me from Scotland.— Oh, iny breast,
Thy hope ends here !
Mai. Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from iny soul
Wip'd the black scruples, reconcil'd my thoughts
To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth
By many of these trains hath sought to win me
Into his power; and modest wisdom plucks me
From over-credulous haste : but God above
Deal between thee and me! for even now
I put myself to thy direction, and
Unspeak mine own detraction ; here abjure
The taints and blames I laid upon myself,
For strangers to my nature. I am yet
Unknown to woman ; never was forsworn ;
Scarcely have coveted what was mine own ;
At no time broke my faith ; would not betray
The devil to his fellow; and delight
No less in truth than life : my first false speaking
Was this upon myself: — what I am truly,
Is thine, and my poor country's, to command :
Whither, indeed, before thy here-approach,
Old Siward, with ten thousand warlike men,
Already at a point,67 was setting forth :
Now we'll together; and the chance of goodness
Be like our warranted quarrel!63 Why are )ou
silent?
Macd. Such welcome and unwelcome things at
once
' lis hard to reconcile.
Enter a Doctor.
Mai. Well ; more anon. — -Comes tlie king forth,
I pray you ?
Doct. Ay, sir ; there are a crew of wretched
souls
That stay his cure: their malady convinces69
The great assay of art ; but, at his touch,
Such sanctity hath Heaven given his hand,
They presently amend.
\tal. I thank you, doctor. [Exit Doctor.
Macd. What's the disease he means p
Mai. 'Tis call'd the evil :
67. Already at a point. 'Already come to a decision,'
'already determined.' "At a point" is an idiomatic phrase,
signifying ' arrived at the decisive point.'
68. And the chance 0/ goodness be lilte onr warranted quarrel.
' And may the chance of our good success be equal to the good-
ness of our cause!' In phrases like this Shakespeare some-
times allows the word 'may' to be elliptically understood (see
Note 22, Act v., "Julius Cassar"). He occasionally employs
"goodness" to express ' propitiousness,' 'favour' (see passage
referred to in Note 24, Act iv., "Henry VIII."), and here it
gives the sense of ' favourable,' ' propitious,' or ' successful issue ;'
and as he also uses " goodness " in some cases for 'justice ' (see
Notes 35, Act ii., and 66, Act iii., " Henry VIII."), the present
passage, moreover, includes the meaning of ' And may our
chance of justice be great as the justice of our cause ! '
69. Convinces. ' Overcomes,' ' conquers,' 'defeats,' 'baffles.'
See Note 128, Act i.
361
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
A most miraculous work in this good king; 7U
Which often, since my here remain in England,
I have seen him do. How he solicits Heaven,
Himself best knows: but strangely-visited people,
All swoln and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye,
The mere despair of surgery, he cures;
Hanging a golden stamp71 about their necks,
Put on with holy prayers : and 'tis spoken,
To the succeeding royalty he leaves
The healing benediction. With this strange
virtue,
He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy ;
And sundry blessings hang about his throne,
That speak him lull ot grace.
Macd. See, who comes here ?
Mill. My countryman; but yet I know him
not.7-
Enier Rosse.
Macd. My ever-gentle cousin, welcome hither.
Mai. I know him now : — good God, betimes
remove
The means that makes us strangers!73
Rosse. Sir, Amen.
Macd. Stands Scotland where it did P
Rosse. Alas ! poor country, —
Almost afraid to know itself! It cannot
Be call'd our mother, but our grave : where
nothing,
But who knows nothing, is once seen to smile ;
Where sighs, and groans, and shrieks that rent''1
the air,
Are made, not mark'd : where violent sorrow
seems
A modern ecstacy :75 the dead man's knell
Is there scarce ask'd for who;76 and good men's
lives
70. This good king. Edward the Confessor; of whom Holin-
shed records, ' As hath been thought, he was inspired with the
gift of prophecie, and also to have the gift of healing infirmities
and diseases. He used to helpe those that were vexed with the
disease commonlie called the king's evil, and left that virtue as
it were a portion of inheritance unto his successors, the kings of
this realmc. " The allusion to the custom of royal touching for
lli king's evil is a compliment to King James ; for it continued
to be practised until as late as the reign of Queen Anne, who
touched Dr. Johnson when a child for this disease.
71. A golden stamp. The coin called an angel. See Note 45,
Act i., " Merry Wives."
72. My countryman: but yet I know him not. The Scottish
tartan dress worn by Rosse shows Malcolm that it is one of his
own countrymen u h 1 .^roaches ; but until quite near, and
addressed by Macduff as his kinsman, the prince does not recog-
nise him individually. When he dues perceive who it is, he
adds an aspiration that the cause may speedily be removed
which prevents him from being thoroughly acquainted with the
persons of all his native nobles.
73 T/te means Hint makes its strangers. This sentence
has been variously altered : but Shakespeare elsewhere treats
"means" as a substantive singular. See Note 27, Act v.,
" Timon of Athens."
74. Rent. An old form of 'rend.' See Note 55, Act iii .
" M idsummer Night's 1 Ircara."
Expire before the flowers in their caps,
Dying or ere they sicken.77
Macd. Oh, relation
Too nice, and yet too true !
Mai. What's the newest grief?
Rosse. That of an hour's age doth hiss the
speaker ;
Each minute teems a new one.
Macd. How does my wife ?
Rosse. Why, well.
Macd. And all my children ?
Rosse. Well too.73
Macd. The tyrant has not batter'd at their
peace ?
Rosse. No ; they were well at peace when I
did leave them.
Macd. Be not a niggard of your speech ; how
goes it ?
Rosse. When I came hither to transport the
tidings,
Which I have heavily borne, there ran a rumour
Of many worthy fellows that were out ;79
Which was to my belief witness' d the rather,
For that I saw the tyrant's power a-foot :
Now is the time of help ; your eve in Scotland
Would create soldiers, make our women fight,
To dofTs0 their dire distresses.
Mai. Be it their comfort
We are coming thither: gracious England hath
Lent us good Siward and ten thousand men ;
An older and a better soldier81 none
That Christendom gives out.
Rosse. Would I could answer
This comfort with the like ! But I have words
That would be howl'd out in the desert air,
Where hearing should not latch82 them.
Macd. What concern they ?
75. A modern ecstacy. ' An ordinary emotion,' ' a usual dis-
turbance of the mind.' See Note 67, Act iii., *' King John,"
and Note 41, Act iii. of the present play.
76. The dead man's knelt is tliere scarce ask'd for who.
' There it is scarcely asked for whom the dead man's knell is
tolling.' "Who" is here used for ' whom ' by a grammatical
licence. See Note 1, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
77. Dying or ere they sicken. ' Dying before they are
attacked by disease;' 'dying a premature and unnatural
de iili ' For an explanation of " or ere " see Note 52, Act iv.,
"King John."
7 : //'./.' ,'.',> One among several passages in Shakespeare
which show that it was usual to say of the dead they were
" well." See Note 17, Act v., " Second Part Henry IV."
7 1 Ifany worthy fellows that mere out. "Out" is here
used idiomatically, meaning 'out fighting against tyranny,' 'out
in rebellion ;' as it was a common phrase at a later period,
" He was out in the '45;" meaning he was engaged in the
Scotch Rebellion of 1745.
80 Doff. 'Throw off,' 'cast off;' 'do off ' or 'put off.' See
Note 3, Act v , " First Part Henry IV."
81. An older and a better soldier. Here "older" is used
in the sense of 'more experienced,' 'more practised,' 'more
proficient1 See Note 81, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
82. Latch. Used in North country dialect for ' catch ;' and
hi re emploj e 1 foi ' ■ 0' Ii the sound of.'
Act IV.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
The general cause ? or is it a fee-grief83
Due to some single breast ?
Rosse. No mind that's honest
But in it shares some woe ; though the main part
Pertains to you alone.
Maai. If it be mine,
Keep it not from ine, quickly let me have it.
Rosse. Let not your ears despise my tongue for
ever,
Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound
That ever yet they heard.
Macd. H'm! I guess at it.
Rosse. Your castle is surpris'd ; your wife and
babes
Savagely slaughter'd : to relate the manner,
Were, on the quarry84 of these murder'd deer,
To add the death of you.
Mai. Merciful Heaven !—
What, man ! ne'er pull your hat upon your
brows j"'5
Give sorrow words : the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.
Macd. My children too ?
Rosse. Wife, children, servants, all
That could be found.
Macd. And I must be from thence ! —
My wife kill'd too ?
Rosse. 1 have said.
Mai. Be comforted :
Let's make us medicines of our great revenge,
To cure this deadly grief.
Macd. He has no children. — All my pretty
ones ?
83. A foe-grief. 'An individual grief,' 'a peculiar sorrow;'
' a grief belonging to one >-<le possessor.' It has reference to
the legal term significative of special and perpetual possession.
See Note 22, Act iii., "Troilus and Cressida."
84. Quarry. The sporting technicality for a heap of slaughtered
game. See Note 8, Act i.
85. Ne'er pull your hat upon your brows. By these few
significant words, and by making Malcolm, and not MacdulT,
utter the exclamation of horror at Rosse's tidings, how ex-
pressively does Shakespeare depict the silent anguish that over-
whelms the husband and father on their first shock !
86. Swoop. The expression used for the sweeping flight with
which a bird of prey descends upon the object of its pursuit.
87. Dispute it like a man. ' Contend manfully with your
sorrow,' 'wrestle with your grief like a man.' We should not
have thought it needful to explain this, but that the word
"dispute" has been suspected of error, and was changed by
Pupe to ' endure.'
Did you sa> all ?— Oh, hell-kite ! — .All ?
What ! all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop ?8S
Mil. Dispute it like a man.8?
Macd. 1 shall do so ;
But 1 must also feel it as a man ■
I cannot but remember such things were,
That were most precious to me. — Did Heaven
look on,
And would not take their part? Sinful Macduff,
They were all struck for thee! naught that I am,
Not for their own demerits, but for mine,
Fell slaughter on their souls: Heaven rest them
now !
Mai. Be this the whetstone of your sword : let
grief
Convert to anger ; blunt not the heart, enrage il.
Macd. Oh, I coultl play the woman with mine
eyes,
And braggart with my tongue ! — But, gentle
heavens,
Cut short all intermission ; front to front
Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself;
Within my sword's length set him ; if he 'scape,
Heaven forgive him too!
Mai. This tune goes manly. ss
Come, go we to the king ; our power is ready ;
Our lack is nothing but our leave :89 Macbeth
Is ripe fur shaking, and the powers above
Put on90 their instruments. Receive what cheer
you may ;
The night is long that never finds the day.
\Exeunt,
88. This tune goes manly. The Folio gives " tmrj ' for
"tune*' here, and it is true that the one word was sometimes
u 1 for the other when Shakespeare wrote (see Note 24,
Act v., "As You Like It"); but we think it more probable
that here 'time' was a misprint, and that the author's word
was "tune," because of the idiomatic sense it bears in the
present passage ; a sense which he has given to it more than
unce elsewhere. See, for instance, the passage referred to in
Note 22, Act v., "Twelfth Night ;" and " King Lear," Act iv.,
sc. -j, where Kent says of the distressed king, " Who some-
time, in his better tune, remembers," txc. Rowe made the
correction.
89. Our laek is nothing hut our leave. ' Nothing is needed
now but for us to take our leave of the king.'
90. Put on. 'Urge,' 'incite,' ' press forward.' See Note -4,
Act ii., "Winter's Tale." The phrase means, 'The powers
above urge us, the instruments of their righteous vengeance, to
fulfil their purpose.'
3«3
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scene I.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— Dunsinane. A Room in the Castle.
Enter a Doctor of Physic and a Waiting-
Gentlewoman.
Doct. I have two nights watched with you, but
can perceive no truth in your report. When was it
she last walked ?
Gent. Since his majesty went into the fie! J,1 I
have seen her rise from her bed, throw her night-
gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper,
fold it, write upon it, read it, afterwards seal it, and
again return to bed ; yet all this while in a most
fast sleep. ■
Doct. A great perturbation in nature, — to re-
ceive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects
of watching! — In this slumbery agitation, besides
her walking and other actual performances, what,
at any time, have you heard her say ?
Cent. That, sir, which I will not report after
her.
Doct. You may to me ; and 'tis most meet you
should.
Gent. Neither to you nor any one; having no
witness to confirm my speech. — Lo you, here she
comes!
Enter Lady Macbeth, iv'th a lighted taper.
This is her very guise ; and, upon my life, fast
asleep. Observe her; stand close.
Doct. How came she by that light ?
Gent. Why.it stood by her: she has light by
her continually ; 'tis her command.
Doct. You see, her eyes are open.
Gent. Ay, but their sense is shut.
Doct. What is it she does now? Look, how
she rubs her hands.
i. Since. his majesty went into tke field. Mr. Steevens
brings one of his usu.il charges against Shakespeare here,
declaring that " this is one of his oversights He forgot that he
had shut up Macbeth in Dunsinane, and surrounded him with
besiegers;" adding afterwards, "Out poet, in the haste of
finishing his play, forgot his plan." The oversight and for-
getfulness are the commentator's, not the author's: for Mr.
Steevens overlooked the circumstance that it has been before
mentioned how Macbeth " prepares for some attempt of war,"
and that Rosse says, " I saw the tyrant's power a-foot," and
forgot that the warlike usurper would be sure to superintend
these military preparations ere he enclosed himself in his strong-
hold to await the expected assailants
3. Yet all ikis while in a most fast sleep. We have here a
marked instance of Shakespeare's allowing a nominative to be
ellipticaljy understood. Either the previous words, " I have
seen her," are understood as repeated before " in " here, or we
must understand ' she was ' after " while."
3. Hell is murky! "Murky" means 'dark,' 'gloomily
dark.' See Note 44, Act ii., "All's Well." The sentence,
" Hell is murky ! " — that grand rcvealment of the murderess's
Gent. It is an accustomed action with her, to
seem thus washing her hands : I have known her
continue in this a quarter of an hour.
Lady M. Yet here's a spot.
Doct. Hark! she speaks : I will set down what
comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the
more strongly.
Lady M. Out, damned spot! out, I say! — One,
two; why, then 'tis time to do 't. — Hell is murky!3
— Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard ? What
need we fear who knows it, when none can call
our power to account ? — Yet who would have
thought the old man to have had so much blood in
him ?
Doct. Do you mark that ?
Lady M. The thane of Fife had a wife ; where
is she now? — What! will these hands ne'er be
clean? No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that :
you mar all with this starting.
Doct. Go to, go to ; you have known what you
should not.
Gent. She has spoke what she should not, I
am sure ot that: Heaven knows uh.it she has
known.
La iy M. Here's the smell of the blood still : all
the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
hand. Oh, oh, oh !
Doct. What a sigh is there! The heart is
sorely charged.
Gent. I would not have such a heart in my
bosom for the dignity of the whole body.
Doct. Well, well, well,—
Gent. Pray God it be, sir.
Doct. This disease is beyond my practice : vet
I have known4 those which have walked in their
sleep who have died holily in their beds.
soul-rlread — has been interpreted by some commentators to be a
contemptuous reiteration of an exclamation she is supposed to
dream she hears her husband make. But those who have heard
the great tragic actress Ristori the writer of the present Note,
alas ! never heard Mrs. Siddons drop out the equivalent words
in the Italian version of the play, from her perturbed yet slum-
berous breathing, as though her lips could scarce form the
shuddering words, will understand how they ought to be inter-
preted and delivered. The very incoherence and want of
sequence in Lady Macbeth's sentences throughout this speech
serve to show her disjointed thoughts and broken mind. She
first is haunted by the impression of her blood-spotted hands :
then she recurs in imagination to the night of the murder, and
hears the hour strike when the deed should be done : next her
inward soul shivers at the thought of that eternal gloom which
shall enshroud it evermore ; then she suddenly rouses herself to
sustain and inspirit her husband : and finally she lapses into a
trembling horror at the image of aged blood streaming from
those pitiless wounds
4. This disease is beyond my practice: yet I hat1? known,
&*c. We have the evidence of Dr. Kellogg, in his book upon
364
i'S'i i it
111
■HBfiif "":
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scenes It., III.
Lady M. Wash your hands, put on your night-
gown ; look not so pale: — I tell you yet again,
Banquo \s buried ; lie cannot come out on 's grave.
Doct. Even so ?
Lady M. To bed, to bed ; there's knocking at
the gate : come, come, come, come, give me your
hand: what's done cannot be undone : to bed, to
b*ed, to bed. [Exit.
Doct. Will she go now to bed ?
Gent. Directly.
Doct. Foul whisperings are abroad : unnatural
deeds
Do breed unnatural troubles : infected minds
To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets :
M.ore needs she the divine than the physician : —
God, God forgive us all !5 — Look after her ;
Remove from her the means of all annoyance,
And still keep eyes upon her : — so, good night :
My mind she has mated, and amaz'd my sight :6
I think, but dare not speak.
Gent. Good night, good doctor.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II. — The Country near Dunsinane.
Enter, ivith drum and colours, Menteith,
Caithness, Angus, Lennox, and Soldiers.
Mcnt. The English power is, near, led on by
Malcolm,
His uncle Siward,7 and the good Macduff:
Revenges burn in them; for their dear causes
Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm
Excite the mortified man.3
Ang. Near Birnam wood
Shall we well meet them ; that way are they
coming.
Caith. Who knows if Donalbain be with his
brother ?
" Shakespeare's Delineations of Insanity, Imbecility, and
Suicide" (1866), that Lady Macbeth's "mental disquietude"
in her "state of imperfect sleep" is thoroughly "true to
nature." He being Assistant-Physician to the State Lunatic
Asylum, TJtica, N. V., his opinion has grave weight on the
subject : and it is interesting to note these reiterated tributes of
scientific men to the poet's unerring accuracy in psychological
detail. See Note 10, Act ii.
5. Gad, God forgive us alii It has been conjectured that
" God, God " is a misprint for " Good God :" but to our minds
the emphatic and solemn repetition of the Divine name is pre-
cisely in Shakespeare's impressive style. Witness, for instance,
the exclamation at the commencement of the speech referred
to in Note 40, Act iii., "Richard II. ;" and also the fervent
iteration pointed nut in Note 42, Act iv., " Henry V."
6. My mind site has mated, and amaz'd my sight. 'She
has dismayed my mind, and bewildered my sight.' See Note
25, Act v., "Comedy of Errors," and Note 67, Act iv., " King
John
7. His uncle Siward. Holinshed mentions that Duncan
had two sons by his wife, who was the daughter of Siward,
Earl of Northumberland.
Len. For certain, sir, he is not: I have a file
Of all the gentry : there is Si ward's son,
And many unrough9 youths, that even now
Protest their first of manhood.
Mcnt. What does the tyrant ?
Caith. Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies :
Some say he's mad ; others, that lesser hate him,
Do call it valiant fury : but, for certain,
He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause10
Within the belt of rule.
Ang. Now does he feel
His secret murders sticking on his hands ;
Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach ;
Those he commands move only in command,
Nothing in love : now does he feel his title
Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe
Upon a dwarfish thief.
Meat. Who, then, shall blame
His pester'd senses to recoil and start,
When all that is within him does condemn
Itself for being there ?
Caith. Well, march we on,
To give obedience, where 'tis truly ow'd :
Meet we the medicine11 of the sickly weal ;
And with him pour we, in our country's purge,
Each drop of us.
Len. Or so much as it needs,
To dew the sovereign fiower, and drown the weeds.
Make we our march towards Birnam.
[Exeunt, marching.
SCENE III.— Dunsinane. A Room in the Castle.
Enter Macbeth, Doctor, and Attendants.
Macb. Bring me no more reports ; let thein fly
all : '-
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane,
I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Malcolm ?
8. Tlte mortified man. ' The ascetic ;' ' the man who has
mortified his passions,' ' the man who is dead to the world and
its desires.' See the first line of the speech referred to in
Note 5, Act i., "Love's Labour's Lost " The word 'even' is
elliptically understood before " the mortified man." See Note
55, Act iv., for an instance of similar ellipsis.
9. Unrough. 'Unbearded.' See Note 23, Act v., "King
John." See also the passage referred to in Note 22, Act ii.,
" Tempest."
10. His distemper d caust. It has been proposed to substitute
'course' for "cause" here; but we think that the present
passage affords one of those instances we have pointed out
where Shakespeare uses the word " cause " peculiarly, to signify
'course of conduct,' 'motived action.' 'impelled procedure,'
' career.' See Note 85, Act iii., " Coriolanus."
11. The medicine. ' The healer,* ' the physician.' Here used
figuratively, in reference to Malcolm. See Note 22, Act ii.,
" Alls Well."
12. Brim; me no more reports ; let them fly all. ' Bring
me word of no more desertions ; let all my nobles fly from
me.' He twice afterwards mentions the " thanes" as those
who "fly."
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scene III.
Was lie nut born ut" woman '< The spirits that
know
All mortal consequences have pronoune'd me
thus,—
"Fear not, Macbeth; no man that's born of
woman
Shall e'er have power upon thee." — Then fly, false
thanes,
And mingle with the English epicures;13
The mind I sway by, and the heart I bear.
Shall never sag11 with doubt nor shake with
fear.
Enter a Sen ant.
The devil dye thee black, thou cream-fae'd loon !la
Where gott'st thou that goose look ?
Serif. There is ten thousand —
Macb. Geese, villain ?
Sew. Soldiers, sir.
Macb, Go prick thy face, and over-red thy
fear,
Thou lily-liver'd18 boy. What soldiers, patch?17
Death of thy soul ! those linen cheeks of thine
Are counsellors to fear. What soldiers, whey-
face?
Sew. The English force, so please you.
Macb, Take thy face hence.18 [Exit Servant.
13. T/ie English epicures. An epithet put naturally into the
mouth of Macbeth, one of an abstemious nation, against those
who were more luxurious. Holinshed mentions the spare diet
of the Scottish people as contrasted with the richer fare of the
English ; and speaks of " those superfluities which came into
the realm of Scotland with the Englishman."
14. Sag. ' Sink by its own weight ;' ' sway ;' 'pend heavily,'
as if overladen.
15. Loon. A term signifying a 'base, abject fellow,' now used
only in Scotland ; it was formerly common in England, but spelt
' lown ;' and is considered by Home Tooke as the past par-
ticiple of to 'low' or 'abase.' ' Lowt,' or 'lout,' has the same
origin.
16. Lily-liver'd. See Note 21, Act hi., " Merchant of Venice."
17. Patch. 'Fool.' See Note 72, Act ii.( "Merchant of
Venice," for farther explanation of the word.
18. Take thy face lience, Shakespeare's imaginative ingenuity
in devising an expression that shall rivet attention upon the chief
point that agitates a speaker in that which he beholds, and so
make the reader or hearer mentally see it also, is among his
most skilful arts. See Notes 27 and 47, Act iv.
19. Will cheer vie ever, or disscat me now. " Cheer "has
been changed by Dr. Percy and others to ' chair ;' but we think
that the original word, inasmuch as it follows up the expression,
" sick at heart," accords far better than the proposed substitution
with the general sense of the passage. Uneasiness of mind and
body are the theme throughout Macbeth's ruminations here.
We may point out, in corroboration, that the words "cheer"
and "sick" are similarly brought into antithetical juxtaposition
where the Player Queen, in "Hamlet," Act iii., sc. 2, says,
" You are so sick of late, so far from cheer" &c.
20. Way 0/ life. 'Course of life,' 'course of existence.'
Shakespeare uses the expression in "Pericles," Act i., sc. 1,
"Thus ready for the ivay 0/ life or death, I wait the sharpest
blow." The 'way of youth.' the 'way of justice,' were ex-
pressions used by writers in Shakespeare's time to express
'youth,' 'justice ;' and here " my way of life" is equivalent to
' my life.' The proposal, therefore, made by Dr. Johnson to
Seyton ! — I am sick at heart,
When I behold — Seyton, I say ! — This push
Will cheer me ever, or dis>cat me now.14
I have liv'd long enough : my way of life20
Is fall'n into the sear,-1 the yellow leaf;
And that which should accompany old age,22
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have ; but, in their stead,
Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,'
Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare
not. —
Seyton !
Enter Seyton.
Sey. What is your gracious pleasure ?
Macb. What news more ?
Sey. All is confirm'd, my lord, which was re-
ported.
Macb. I'll fight, till from my bones my flesh be
hack'd.
Give me my armour.
Sey. 'Tis not needed yet.
Macb. I'll put it on. —
Send out more horses, skin-3 the country round ;
Hang those that talk of fear. — Give me mine
armour. —
How does your patient, doctor ?
Doer. Not so sick, my lord,
read 'May of life,' instead of "way of life," is clearly inad-
misible.
21. Sear. Here used for 'dryness,' ' witheredness.' The word
is sometimes spelt 'sere.' See Note 17, Act iv., " Comedy of
Errors;" and also Note 5S, Act ii., "Measure for Measure."
In Todd's edition of Johnson's Dictionary, it is asserted that
" the sear" is used still, in some parts of the North, for 'the
autumn.'
22. Old age. Macbeth's mention of himself as being now in
the autumn of life, and his anticipation of the period when he
shall be old, is one of those touches of long time systematically
thrown in at intervals, to convey the effect of a ^sufficiently
elapsed period for the reign of the usurper since his murder of
the preceding king, Duncan. It is interesting to trace in how
artistic (according to his own system of art) a mode Shakespeare
has achieved this indication of dramatic time from the epoch
when it is stated that Macbeth is "gone to Scone to be in-
vested " with royalty. There is mention of " our bloody cousins
[meaning Malcolm and Donalbain] are beslow'd in England,
and in Ireland;" there is the dread of " Banquo's issue"
succeeding to the throne ; there is his assassination ; there is
Macduff's flight to the English court, that he may obtain succour
to rescue his "suffering country" from the oppressor's cruel
sway; there is the scene in England, with the eloquent descrip-
tion of Scotland's miseries, as of a long-standing course of wrong
and suffering ; there are the words, " She has light by her con*
tinually," and *' It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus
washing her hands," thrown in during the sleep-walking scene,
so as to produce the impression of a protracted period in Lady
Macbeth's condition of nightly disquiet ; and now there is intro-
duced this allusion to Macbeth's having advanced in years. Be
it observed also, that concomitantly with these notifications of
long time, there are likewise given touches of short time, such as,
" To-night we hold a solemn supper," "I will to-tnerrow and
betimes I will, to the weird sisters," in order to show passing
and existent points of action and actual period , thus bringing
all within appearance of natural progress, m.
23. Skirr. ' Scour.' Sec Note 111, Act iv., " Henry V."
367
Act V."
MACBETH.
[Scene III
Macbetk. Cure her of that :
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd 't
Act V. Sctne III.
As she is troubled with thick-coming2'1 fancies,
That keep her from her rest.
Macb. Cure her of that :
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd ;
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow ;
Raze out the written troubles of the brain ;
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuff' d bosom of that perilous stuH25
Which weighs upon the heart?
Doc/. Therein the patient
Must minister to himself.
24. Thick-coming. 'Thickly-coming,' 'coming in rapid suc-
cession,' ' quickly-thronging. ' See Note 43, Act i. of the pre-
sent play.
25. Cleanse the stu/Td bosom oj that perilous stujf. Mr
Steevens obligingly observes, " For the sake of the ear, which
must be shocked by the recurrence of so harsh a word, I am
willing to read ' foul ;' " but no one who remembers how Shake-
speare purposely uses recurring words in a line for the sake of
emphatic effect, and dignifies familiar words by his judicious
Macb. Throw physic to the dogs, — I'll none of
it.—
Come, put mine armour on ; give me my staff: —
Seyton, send out. — Doctor, the thanes fly from
me. —
Come, sir, despatch. — If thou couldst, doctor,
cast
The water of my land, find her disease,
And purge it to a sound and pristine health,
I would applaud thee to the-very echo,
That should applaud again. — Pull 't off, I say. —
employment, will, we imagine, feel inclined to avail himself of
this polite offer, by exchanging the poet's diction for the com-
mentator's substitution. The nearness of " stuff 'd " and "stuff"
here is perfectly in Shakespeare's style (see, for instance, pas-
sages referred to in Notes 25, Act ii. , and 105, Act iii. of the
present play ) : and as for the harshness or ordinariness of the
expression, see how Shakespeare has sublimated such words
as "crack," " touch," " lamp," " candles," " blanket." " knife,"
" clutch," and " business," in this nobly poetical drama
36S
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scene IV.
'''><#*■;■ \\
Macbeth. Yet I will try the last : — Before my body
I throw my warlike shield : lay on, Macduff. Act V. Scene VII.
What rhubarb, senna,26 or what purgative drug,
Would scour these English hence? Hear'st thou
of them ?
Doct. Ay, my good lord ; your royal prepara-
tion
Makes us hear something.
Macb. Bring it after me. —
I will not be afraid of death and bane,2?
Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.
[Exeunt all except Doctor.
Doct. Were I from Dunsinane away and
clear,
Profit again should hardly draw me here. [Ex-it.
26. Senna. The first Folio prints ' cyme ;' the second and
third Folios 'caeny;' while the fourth Folio gives '•senna."
It seems to us probable that the earlier Folio readings are mis-
prints for some old form of the word which has since been known
as "senna;" such as 'cyna,' or ' cynna,' perhaps. It is stated 27, Bane. 'Destruction.'
369
SCENE IV. — Country near Dunsinane: a Wood
in view.
Enter, 'with drum and colours, Malcolm, Old
Siward and his Son, Macduff, Mf.ntf.ith,
Caithness, Angus, Lennox, Rosse, and
Soldiers, marching.
Mai. Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
That chambers will be safe.
Ment. We doubt it nothing.
Siiv. What wood is this before us ?
Ment. The wood of Birnam.
Mai. Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
that the leaves of a plant called Cynanchum Arghuel constitute
two parts in ten of the senna of Alexandria : and it may he that
there was some word, derived from the same origin, by which
" senna" was known among our ancestors.
-''-,
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scene V.
And bear 't before him : thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
• Err in report of us.
Soldiers. It shall be done.
Situ. We learn no other but the confident
tyrant
Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
Our setting down before 't.
Mai, 'Tis his main hope :
For where there is advantage to be given,28
Both more and less-9 have given him the revolt ;
And none serve with him but constrained things,
Whose hearts are absent too.
Macd. Let our just censures
Attend the true event,30 and put we on
Industrious soldiership.
Siiv. The time approaches,
That will with due decision make us know
What we shall say we have, and what we owe.31
Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate ;
But certain issue strokes must arbitrate :
Towards which advance the war.
[Exeunt, marching.
SCENE V. — Dunsinane. Within the Castle.
Enter, 10'ith drum and colours, Macbeth, Seyton,
and Soldiers.
Macb. Hang out our banners on the outward
walls ;
The cry is still, " They come : " our castle's
strength
Will laugh a siege to scorn : here let them lie
Till famine and the ague eat them up :
Were they not forc'd32 with those that should be
ours,
We might have met them dareful, beard to beard,
And beat them backward home.
[A cry of 'women ivilhin.
What is that noise ?
28. Where there is advantage to be given. On account of
the word "given" in the next line, the "given" in this line has
been variously changed to 'gone,' ' gain'd,' ' got,' ' ta'en,' &c. :
but we think the near repetition of the word hardly makes
against its being the one used by Shakespeare ; and as a sense
is to be obtained from the passage as it originally stands, we
leave it untouched in our text.
29. Both more and less. ' Eoth those of higher and those of
lower rank.' See Note 53, Act iv., " First Part Henry IV."
30. Let our just censures attend the true event. ' Let us
defer giving our opinion upon these things until the event we are
expecting has actually taken place.'
31. What -we shall say we have, and what we owe. ' What
we shall be able to say we have gained, and what we really
shall then possess. ' " Owe " is almost always used by Shake-
speare for 'own,' 'possess.'
32. Forc'd. 'Reinforced;' 'provided with forces.' One of
those vigorous words framed by Shakespeare, of which his
emendators would deprive us by proposing various substi-
tutions.
Sey. It is the cry of women, my good lord.
[Exit.
Macb. I have almost forgot the taste of fears :
The time has been, my senses would have cool'd
To hear a night-shriek ; and my fell33 of hair
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
As life were in 't ; I have supp'd full with horrors ;
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,
Cannot once start me.
Re-enter Seyton.
Wherefore was that cry ?
Sey. The queen, my lord, is dead.
Macb. She should have died hereafter ;
There would have been a time for such a word.34 —
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time ;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle !
Life 's but a walking shadow ; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more : it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Enter a Messenger.
Thou com'st to use thy tongue ; thy story quickly.
Mess. Gracious my lord,
I should report that which I say I saw,
But know not how to do it.
Macb. Well, say, sir.
Mess. As I did stand my watch upon the hill,
I look'd toward Birnam, and anon, methought,
The wood began to move.
Macb. Liar and slave !
Mess. Let me endure your wrath, if't be not so:
Within this three mile 35 may you see it coming ;
I say, a moving grove.
Macb. If thou speak'st false,
Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive,
Till famine cling36 thee : if thy speech be sooth,37
33. Fell. The portion of the skin which produces hair. A
dealer in hides is called a ^//-monger.
34. A word. Here used for ' a sentence.' See Note 64.
Act i., "Richard II." Nothing could have served more fully
to show the utter prostration and despairing apathy of Macbeth's
mind, after all his miserably fulfilled ambition, than the manner
in which he receives the tidings of his wife's death. His first
few words have almost the dulness of insensibility upon them ;
and he follows them up with a gloomy acquiescence in the
universal poorness and nothingness of all things that belongs to
the utterly disappointed man. No more pregnant lesson upon
the worthlessness of fruition in unholy desires was ever penned
than Shakespeare's " Macbeth."
35. Within this three mile. A familiar colloquial idiom,
something similar to the one pointed out in Note 77, Act iii.,
" Henry VIII." It is an ellipsis for ' within this space of three
miles,' ' within this distance of three miles.'
36. Cling. A north country word, signifying 'shrivel,'
'sin ink,' 'wither,' 'dry up.'
37. Sooth. 'Truth.' See Note 12, Act i.
Act V.]
MACBETH.
[Scenes VI., VII.
I care not if thou dost for me as much. —
I pull in33 resolution ; and begin
To doubt the equivocation of the fiend,
That lies like truth : " Fear not, till Birnam wood
Do come to Dunsinane ;" — and now a wood
Comes toward Dunsinane. — Arm, arm, and out!
If this which he avouches does appear,
There is nor Hying hence nor tarrying here.
I 'gin to be a-weary of the sun,
And wish th' estate o' the world were now un-
done.—
Ring the alarum-bell ! — Blow,. wind ! come, wrack!
At least we'll die with harness39 on our back.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — Dunsinane. A Plain before the
Castle.
Enter, tvitb drum and colours, Malcolm, old
Siward, Macduff, &c, and their Army
•with boughs.
Mai. Now near enough ; your leafy screens
throw down,
And show like those you are. — You, worthy uncle,
Shall, with my cousin, your right-noble son,
Lead our first battle: worthy Macduff and we
Shall take upon us what else remains to do,
According to our order.
Situ. Fare you well. —
Do we but find the tyrant's power to-night,
Let us be beaten, if we cannot fight.
Macd. Make all our trumpets speak ; give them
all breath,
Those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VII. — Dunsinane. Another part of the
Plain.
Alarums. Enter Macbeth.
Macb. They have tied me to a stake ; I cannot flv,
But, bear-like, I rnu„: fight the course.40 — What's he
That was not born of woman ? Such a one
Am I to fear, or none.
Enter young Siward.
To. Sizu. What is thy name ?
Macb. Thou 'It be afraid to hear it.
To. Sizu. No ; though thou call'st thyself a
hotter name
Than any is in hell.
38. Pull in. Here used in the sense of ' draw back,' ' rein in,'
' check.'
39. Harness. 'Armour.' See Note 68, Act i., " Timon of
Athens."
40. The course. A phrase used at bear-baiting.
41. Kerns. See Note 7, Act i.
Macb. My name's Macbeth.
To. Siiu. The devil himself could not pronounce
a title
More hateful to mine ear.
Macb. No, nor more fearful.
To. Sizu. Thou liest, abhorred tyrant ; with my
sword
I'll prove the lie thou speak'st.
[They fight, and young Siward is slain
Macb. Thou wast born of woman : —
But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn,
Brandish'd by man that's of a woman born. [Exit.
Alarums. Enter Macduff.
Macd. That way the noise is. — Tyrant, show
thy face !
! If thou be'st slain and with no stroke of mine,
My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still.
I cannot strike at wretched kerns,41 whose arms
Are hir'd to bear their staves: either thou, Macbeth,
Or else my sword, with an unbatter'd edge,
I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shouldst be :
By this great clatter, one of greatest note
Seems bruited :42 — let me find him, fortune!
And more I beg not. [Exit. Alarums.
Enter Malcolm and old Siward.
Sizu. This way, my lord ; — the castle's gently
render'd :
The tyrant's people on both sides do fight ;
The noble thanes do bravely in the war ;
The day almost itself professes yours,
And little is to do.
Mai. We have met with foes
That strike beside us.
Situ. Enter, sir, the castle.
[Exeunt. Alarums.
Re-enter Macbeth.
Macb. Why should I play the Roman fool, and
die
On mine own sword ?43 whiles I see lives,44 the
gashes
Do better upon them.
Re-enter Macduff.
Macd. Turn, hell-hound, turn !
Macb. Of all men else I have avoided thee :
But get thee back ; my soul is too much charg'd
With blood of thine already.
Macd. I have no words, —
My voice is in my sword ; thou bloodier villain
Than terms can give thee out ! [Thev fight.
42. Bruited. 'Noised:' 'proclaimed with clamour.' Sec
Note 11, Act i., " Second Part Henry IV."
43. II 'liy sltould I play tlte Roman /col, and die on mm
sword ? In allusion to the antique Roman idea of the dignity of
self-destruction. See Note 25, Act v., "Julius Cssar."
44. Lives. Here poetically used for ' living men.'
Act V.j
MACBETH.
[Scene VII.
Macb. Thou losest labour :
As easy mayst thou the intrenchant45 air
With thy keen sword impress, as make me bleed :
Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests ;
I bear a charmed life, which must not yield
To one of woman born.
Macd. Despair thy charm ;
And let the angel whom thou still hast serv'd
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripp'd.
Macb. Accursed be that tongue that tells me so,
For it hath cow'd my better part of man !
And be these juggling fiends no more believ'd,
That palter with us in a double sense ;
That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope. — I'll not tight with thee.
Macd. Then yield thee, coward,
And live to be the show and gaze o' the time :
We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are,
Painted upon a pole, and underwrit,
" Here may you see the tyrant."
• Macb. I will not yield,
To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,
And to be baited with the rabble's curse.
Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane,
And thou oppos'd, being of no woman born,
Yet I will try the last: — Before my body
I throw my warlike shield : lay on, Macduff;
And damn'd be him that first. cries,46 " Hold,
enough !" 47 [Exeunt, Jighting.
Retreat. Flourish. Enter, luitb drum and colours,
Malcolm, old Siward, Rosse, Lennox,
Angus, Caithness, Menteith, and Soldiers.
Mai. I would the friends we miss were safe
arriv'd.
Sfati. Some must go off: and yet, by these I
see, '
So great a day as this is cheaply bought.
Mai. Macduff is missing, and your noble son.
Rosse. Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's
debt:
He only liv'd but till he was a man ;
To which no sooner had his prowess confirm'd
In the unshrinking station where he fought,
But like a man he died.
45. Intrenchaitt. Here used to express ' incapable of being
cut.' See Note 61, Act iii.
46. Be him that first cries. " Him " is used here instead of
' he,' by a grammatical licence permitted in Shakespeare's time.
47. " Hold, enough !" Sec Note 91. Act i.
48. Why then, God's soldier be he! Siward's speech and
conduct upon the occasion of his son's death have historical
authority.
49. Behold, where stands the usurpers cursed head. This
expression is explained by the record in the chronicle : — "Then
cutting his head from his shoulders, he set it upon a pole, and
brought it unto Malcolm."
50. Thy kingdom** pearl. 'Thy kingdom's chief ornament,'
the nobles of Scotland.
Situ. Then he is dead ?
Rosse. Ay, and brought off the field : your
cause of sorrow
Must not be measur'd by his worth, for then
It hath no end.
Situ. Had he his hurts before ?
Rosse. Ay, on the front.
Situ. Why then, God's soldier be he !4S
Had I as many sons as I have hairs,
I would not wish them to a fairer death :
And so, his knell is knoll'd.
Mai. He's worth more sorrow,
And that I'll spend for him.
Situ. He's worth nomoie:
They say he parted well, and paid his score :
And so, God be with him ! — Here comes newer
comfort.
Re-enter Macduff, tuith Macbeth's head.
Macd. Hail, king! for so thou art: behold,
where stands
The usurper's cursed head :49 the time is free :
I see thee compass' d with thy kingdom's pearl,50
That speak my salutation in their minds ;
Whose voices I desire aloud with mine, — ■
Hail, King of Scotland !
All. Hail, King of Scotland! [Flourish.
Mai. We shall not spend a large expense of
time51
Before we reckon with your several loves,
And make us even with you. My thanes and
kinsmen,
Henceforth be earls, — the first that ever Scotland
In such an honour nam'd.52 What's more to do,
Which would be planted newly with the time, —
As calling home our exil'd friends abroad,
That fled the snares of watchful tyranny ;
Producing forth the cruel ministers
Of this dead butcher, and his fiend-like queen, —
Who, as 'tis thought, by self and violent hands
Took off her life ; — this, and what needful else
That calls upon us, by the grace of Grace,
We will perform in measure, time, and place :
So, thanks to all at once53 and to each one,
Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone.
[Flourish. Exeunt.
51. Il'e shall not spend a large expense of time. It has been
suggested that ' extent ' or ' expanse ' may have been the word
intended by Shakespeare, instead of the Folio word "expense"
here. Locke has used ' expanse,' and Charles Cotton has used
'extent,' both in the sense of 'space;' and although we leave
in the text the word given in the Folio, we think it by no means
improbable that it was a misprint for either of the suggested
words.
52. Earls, — the first that ever Scotland ill such an honour
na/n'd. This circumstance is recorded by Holinshed in his
history of Scotland. 'Thane' was the title previously in use
tnere.
53. All at once. An idiomatic phrase, signifying 'all in-
clusively,' ' all collectively.' See Note 14, Act i., " Henry V."
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Claudius, King of Denmark.
Hamlet, Son to the former and Nephew to the present King.
Polonius, Lord Chamberlain.
Horatio, Friend to Hamlet.
Laertes, Son to Polonius.
Voltimand,
Cornelius,
Rosencrantz,
'> Courtiers.
GUILDENSTERN,
OSRIC,
A Gentleman,
A Priest.
Marcellus, ) „
D , Officers.
Bernardo, )
Francisco, a Soldier.
Reynaldo, Servant to Polonius.
Players.
Two Clowns, Grave-diggers.
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway.
A Captain.
English Embassadors.
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, and Mother to Hamlet.
Ophelia, Daughter to Polonius.
Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Sailors, Messengers, and
Attendants.
Gho^t of Hamlet's Father.
Scene— Elsinore.
L'
HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK
ACT I.
SCENE I. — Elsinore. A Platform before the
Castle.
Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo.
Ber. Who's there ?
Fran. Nay, answer me:2 stand, and unfold
yourself.
Ber. Long live the king !
Fran. Bernardo ?
Ber. He.
Fran. You come most carefully upon your
hour.
i. There were no fewer than five quarto editions of Hamlet
printed before the copy of the play which, appeared in the 1623
Folio ; in 1603, 1604, 1605, 1611, and an undated one, believed
to have been published in 1607, as it was entered at Stationers'
Hall on November 19 of that year. There also exists an entry
in the Register of the Stationers' Company, which seems to
mark the period when this tragedy was first performed: — "26
July, 1602. James Roberts.] A booke, The Revenge of Hamlett
prince of Denmarke, as yt was latelie acted by the Lord Cham-
berlayne his servantes." The title-page of the 1604 Quarto
describes the work as being " newly imprinted and enlarged to
almost as much againe as it was ;" showing that the play was
originally written by its author in a very different form from the
improved and augmented one in which he ultimately brought it
forth. That he bestowed extreme pains upon the re-touching,
polishing, and perfectioning of this wonderful drama is evident,
and seems to prove that it was a favourite composition of his own.
When he first imagined and sketched his "Hamlet " is untrace-
able, but it is believed that his perfected version was completed
somewhere about the year 1600. The story of the plot is to be
found in the "Chronicles of Saxo Drammaticus," the Danish
historian ; from whence it was taken by Belleforest, and given
as one of his collection of novels ; and from Belleforest it was
translated into English, appearing in black letter prose as "The
Hystorie of Hamblet." Of this latter work, the earliest edition
that has yet been discovered is dated 160S ; but it is probable
that there were earlier impressions, one of which in all likelihood
furnished Shakespeare with the materials for his plot. From the
bare outline of original story — rude and gross to an excessive
degree — our poet has compiled one of the noblest, if not the
noblest, drama that human brain has ever produced. None
has had such admiring readers, none has had such multiform
criticism and analysis, none has had such scrutiny of competent
Ber. 'Tis now struck twelve ;8 get thee to bed,
Francisco.
Fran. For this relief much thanks : 'tis bitter
cold,
And I am sick at heart.
Ber. Have you had quiet guard ?
Iran. Not a mouse stirring.
Ber. Well, good night.
If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,
The rivals of my watch,4 bid them make haste.5
Fran. I think I hear them. — Stand, ho \ Who's
there ?
judges, none has had such study of loving disciples. Men return
again and again to the perusal of "Hamlet," not so much be-
cause of its poetical beauty, its dramatic excellence, its con-
summate portraiture of character; but they come to it again and
again, because in it they find ever-new reflection of man's myriad
varieties of nature, ever-new mirroring of life's mysteries and
perplexities. Hamlet is not so much an exquisitely limned
image of an individual human being, as he is a transcript of the
thousand qualities, emotions, thoughts, and experiences that go
to compound humanity generally. In him we all find ourselves
depicted ; our highest aspirations, our dearest hopes, our deepest
griefs, our bitterest disappointments, our secret conflicts, our
daily toil through the labyrinth of existence, all, in him, are set
forth with a vividness and truth that supply us with endless
interest and food for simultaneous introspection and speculation.
Hamlet, in his brief career of a five-act play, goes through the
cycle of trials — actual mental, and moral — that beset mankind ;
and mankind watch his career with the sympathy of brotherhood.
2. Nay, answer me. There is an emphasis on "me ;" Fran-
cisco meaning, ' Nay, it is for you to answer vie, who am on
guard here, and have the right to demand the watchword.'
Bernardo's rejoinder shows that "Long live the king !" is the
watchword for the night.
3. 'Tis 7tow struck twelve. It has been propost\l to substitute
( new' for " now" here ; but "now" has the elliptical force of
'just now,' ' but now,' ' this moment since."
4. The rivals 0/ my watch. "Rivals" '. here used for
' sharers,' ' partners,' 'associates.*
5. Bid them make haste. The effect of_1;these few words,
coming upon the inquiry, " Have you had quiet guard ?" serves
admirably to indicate the speaker's state of mind Bernardo
having before seen the apparition , and to prepare the audience
for what is coming.
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Hor. Friends to this ground.
Mar. And liegemen to the Dane.
Fran. Give you good night.
Mar. Oh, farewell, honest soldier :
Who hath reliev'd you?
Fran. Bernardo has my place.
Give you good night. [Exit.
Mar. Holla! Bernardo!
Ber. Say.
What ! is Horatio there ?
Hor. A piece of him.6
Ber. Welcome, Horatio: — welcome, good Mar-
cellus.
Mar. What! has this thing appear'd again to-
night V
Ber. I have seen nothing.
Mar. Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,
And will not let belief take hold of him
Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us:
Therefore I have entreated him along
With us to watch the minutes of this night ;
That, if again this apparition come,
He may approve our eyes,8 and speak to it.
Hor. Tush, tush, 'twill not appear.9
Ber. Sit down awhile ;
And let us once again assail your ears,
That are so fortified against our story,
What we two nights have seen.10
Hor. Well, sit we down,
And let us hear Bernardo speak of this.
Ber. Last night of all,
When yond' same star11 that's westward from the
pole
Had made his course to illume that part of heaven
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,
The bell then beating one, —
Mar. Peace, break thee off; look, where it
comes again!
Enter Ghost.
Ber. In the same figure, like the king that's
dead.
Mar. Thou art a scholar ; speak to it,
Horatio.12
Ber. Looks it not like the king ? mark it,
Horatio.
Hor. Most like : — it harrows13 me with fear
and wonder.
Ber. It would be spoke to.
Mar. Question it, Horatio.
Hor. What art thou, that usurp'st this time of
night,
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the majesty of buried Denmark
Did sometimes march ? by heaven I charge thee,
speak !
Mar. It is offended.
Ber. See, it stalks away !
Hor. Stay! speak, speak ! I charge thee, speak!
[Exit Ghost.
Mar. 'Tis gone, and will not answer.
Ber. How now, Horatio! you tremble, and
look pale :
Is not this something more than fantasy ?
What think you on 't ?
Hor. Before my God, I might not this believe
Without the sensible14 and true avouch
Of mine own eyes.
Mar. Is it not like the king ?
Hor. As thou art to thyself:
6. A piece of him. Warburton explains this by observing,
" He says this as he gives his hand." We think that Horatio
rather says this as if implying ' the mortal part of him,' ' the
substantial or material portion of him,' in all but sportive allusion
to his having been summoned by Marcellus and Bernardo to be-
hold a spiritual appearance which they believe to have seen, but
in which he does not believe.
7. What I has tin's thing appear d again to-night ? The
latter Quartos assign this speech to Horatio : but the first
Quarto and the Folio give it to Marcellus. We think there
is more probability that these are right, because the word
"again" has (as Coleridge justly remarks) its credibilising
effect ; and as Horatio is sceptical on the subject of the appa-
rition, he would hardly use the word " again," even in irony.
8. He may approve our eyes. Here "approve" is used in
the sense of ' cunfirm the witness of,' ' add proof to the testi-
mony of,' tht sentence meaning 'he may add the testimony of
his eyes to taa. of ours.'
9. Tns/i, tush, 't'A'ill not appear. Ineffably fine as the
opening of thj1, supreme drama is, with its chill midnight
terrors clinging! o every line that is uttered, there is nothing
more artistically conceived in the whole conduct of the first
scene than the incredulity of Horatio as to the dead king's
spirit having appeared. It forestalls the want of belief that
exists among us whto read the play or witness its performance,
and by the effect produced upon Horatio's mind when the
\ «6
spectre actually comes is created the due impression that the
author intends to make upon our senses. Horatio's previous
light treatment of the men's assertion that they have seen the
dread apparition, makes his subsequent words of acknowledged
awe, his solemn admission of the truth of what he beholds,
together with his trembling and turning pale (noticed by his
companions), affect us as if they were the involuntary expres-
sion of our own awe-stricken imaginations.
10. Assail your ears .... what we two nights have seen.
1 With ' is elliptically understood before " what."
n. When yond* same star. How poetically, and with what
dramatic fitness, has Shakespeare introduced this touch to mark
time and place ! Nothing more natural than for a sentinel to
watch the course of a particular star while on his lonely mid-
night watch : and what a radiance of poetry is shed upon the
passage by the casual allusion ! See Note 52, Act hi., " Mid-
summer Night's Dream."
12. Thou art a scholar; speak to it. Horatio. The popular
belief that spirits and supernatural beings are most fitly ad-
dressed by persons of erudition probably arose from exorcisms
having been usually spoken in Latin.
13. Harrows. 'Harasses,' 'tears, 'rends,' as a harrow
breaks up the clods.
14. Sensible. Here used for that which pertains to the
senses, not (as usually) for that which pertains to common sense
or good sense.
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Horatio. But, soft, behold ! !o, where it comes again !
I'll cross it, though it blast me. — Stay, illusion !
Act I. Scene I.
Such was the very armour he had on
When he the ambitious Norway combated ;
So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle,15
He smote the sledded Polack16 on the ice.
'Tis strange.
Mar. Thus, twice before, and just at this dead
hour,
With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch.
Hor. In what particular thought to work I
know not ;
15. Parle. An abbreviated form of ' parley.'
16. T/ie sledded Polack. "Sledded" is used to express
' borne in a sled,' or sledge ; and " Polack" means ' Polander,'
' native of Poland.' The old copies spell the word ' Pollax,'
which has led some to suppose that the author intended to give
the word ' Polacks.' Inasmuch, however, as twice elsewhere in
the play Shakespeare employs " Polack," in the singular, to
express the Polish people collectively, we think he probably
wrote " Polack " here (see Note 34, Act ii. ;, even if he meant to
But, in the gross and scope of my opinion,
This bodes some strange eruption to our state.
Mar. Good now, sit down, and tell me, he that
knows,
Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land ;
And why such daily cast of brazen cannon,
And foreign mart for implements of war ;
Why such impress17 of shipwrights, whose sore
task
Does not divide the Sunday from the week ;
designate a body of Polanders : but the word "parle" seems to
imply that the Polish leader only was intended.
17. Impress. This does not signify enlistment against the
will, hut engagement by money given to hold tho^e retained
ready for service; from the old French word prtst, ready In
Chapman's second book of Homer's "Odyssey" we find : -
rt I from the people straight will press for you
Free voluntaries."
214
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint labourer with the day :
Who is 't that can inform me ?
Hor. That can I ;
At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dar'd to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet
(For so this side of our known world esteem'd him)
Did slay this Fortinbras ; who, by a seal'd com-
pact,
Well ratified by law and heraldry,
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands
Which he stood seiz'd of,13 to the conqueror :
Against the which, a moiety competent
Was gaged by our king ; which had return'd
To the inheritance of Fortinbras,
Had he been vanquisher; as, by the same co-mart, 19
And carriage20 of the article design'd,21
His fell to Hamlet. Now, sir, young Fortinbras,
Of unimproved" mettle hot and full,
Hath in the skirts of Norway, here" and there,
Shark'd up23 a list of landless resolutes,
For food and diet, to some enterprise
That hath a stomach21 in 't : which is no other
(As it doth well appear unto our state)
But to recover of us, by strong hand
And terms compulsative, those '.foresaid lands
So by his father lost : and this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The source of this our watch, and the chief head
Of this post-haste and romage25 in the land.
Ber. I think it be no other, but e'en so :
Well may it sort,26 that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch ; so like the king
That was, and is, the question of these wars.
18. Seiz'd of. A legal term, signifying ' lawfully possessed
of,' ' rightfully owner of.'
19. Co-mart. A word formed by Shakespeare to express
'joint bargain,' 'mutual compact.' We have the words 'co-
heiress,' 'co-partner,' &c.
20. Carriage. ' Import,' ' purport,' ' bearing.'
21. Design'd. 'Designated," 'indicated,' ' marked out.'
22. Unimproved. Here used for 'untested by trial;' 'un-
practised,' 'inexperienced.'
23. Shark'd up. ' Snapped up,' ' taken up ;' " scraped together.'
24. Stomach. ' Courage,' 'resoluteness.' See Note 32, Act i.,
" Tempest."
25. Romage. Now spelt ' rummage ;' 'ransacking,' 'thorough
search,' ' commotion.'
26. Sort. Here used for ' fit.' 'suit,' ' agree,' 'cohere.'
27. Palmy. ' Victorious ;' the palm being the emblem of
victory.
28. As, stars with trains of Jire. It has been .supposed that
a line was omitted here by the early printers of the play j in
which case " as " is probably elliptically used to express 'a..
for instance.' See Note 52, Act iv., "As You Like It." Hut,
bearing in mind that Shakespeare uses the word "as" many
times with markedly elliptical force, and in passages of very
peculiar construction, we do not feel so sure that the present one
has suffered from omission. See, for example, Note 50, Act v.,
Hor. A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.
In the most high and palmy27 state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets :
As, stars with trains of fire,28 and dews of blood,
Disasters in the sun ; and the moist star,29
Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands,
Was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse :
And even the like precurse of fierce events, — ■
As harbingers preceding still the fates,
And prologue to the omen30 coming on, —
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen,31 —
But, soft, behold! lo, where it comes again !
Re-enter Ghost.
I'll cross it, though it blast me.32 — Stay, illusion !
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,
Speak to me :
If there be any good thing to be done,
That may to thee do ease, and grace to me,
Speak to me :
If thou art privy to thy country's fate,
Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid,33
Oh, speak !
Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure34 in the womb of earth,
For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,
[Cock crows.
Speak of it : — stay, and speak ! — Stop it, Marcellus.
Mar. Shall I strike at it with my partisan ?
Hor. Do, if it will not stand.
Ber. 'Tis here !
Hor. 'Tis here!
Mar. 'Tis gone! [Exit Ghost.
We do it wrong, being so majestical,
"Winter's Tale," and Note 85, Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
It may be that here the sentence gives to be understood, ' As
there were stars with trains of tire, and dews of blood, so there
were disasters in the sun.'
29. The moist star. 'The moon.' See Note 10, Act i.,
" Winter's Tale."
30. Omen. Here used for 'ominous event.'
31. Our climatures and countrymen. "Climatures" is here
used for '-regions.' See Note 70, Act i., " Julius Csesar." The
Folio omits Bernardo's preceding speech and Horatio's present
speech as far as this line ; but they are found in all the Quartos,
excepting that of 1603.
32. I'll cross it, though it blast me. There was a superstition
that a person crossing the path of a spectre became subject to
its malignant influence.
33. Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid. Here " hap-
pily" is used for 'haply,' with the same felicitous blending of
the senses of the two words as in the passage referred to in
Note 32, Act iv., " Measure for Measure."
34. Treasure. It was popularly believed that the spirits of
pci .his who had secreted treasure returned to earth for the
purpose of disclosing where it was hidden. There is great pro-
priety in making Horatio, the scholar and the unbeliever in
ghosts, use the words " they say " and " I have heard," wdien
citing the various superstitious beliefs regarding apparitions.
378
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
To offer it the show of violence ;
For it is, as the air, invulnerable,
And our vain blows malicious mockery.
Ber. It was about to speak when the cock crew.
llor. And then it started, like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful summons. I have heard,
The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day ; and, at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit35 hies
To his confine :36 and of the truth herein
This present object made probation.
Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
This bird of dawning singeth all night long :
And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes,3? nor witch hath power to charm;
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.
Hoi: So have I heard, and do' in part believe
it.33
But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill. —
Break we our watch up : and, by my advice,
Let us impart what we have seen to-night
Unto young Hamlet ; for, upon my life,
This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty ?
Mar. Let's do 't, I pray ; and I this morning
know
Where we shall find him most conveniently.
\_Extunt.
SCENE II.— Elsinore. A Room of State in the
Castle.
Enter the King, Queen, Hamlet, Polonius,
Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Lords,
and Attendants.
King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's
death
The memory be green ; and that it us befitted
35. The extravagant and erring spirit. Shakespeare uses
both these epithets in their classically derived senses : " extrava-
gant " from the Latin extravagans, 'wandering out of;' and
"erring" from the Latin errando. 'straying,' ' roving.'
36. Hies to his confine. See Note 72, Act iii., " Midsummer
Night's Dream."
37 No fairy takes. "Takes" is here used in the sense it
bore of 'blasts,' 'bewitches.' See Note 22, Act iv., " Merry
Wives."
38. And do in part believe it. This assent of Horatio's to so
lovely and imaginative a creed is peculiarly appropriate, coming,
as it does, immediately upon the supernatural appearance he has
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole
kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe ;
Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature,
That we with wisest sorrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore, our sometime sister, now our queen,
The imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere with a defeated joy, —
With one auspicious, and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole, —
Taken to wile: nor have we herein barr'd
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along : — for all, our thank-.
Now follows, that you know, young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleagued with the dream of his advantage, —
He hath not fail'd to pester us with message,
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our m it valiant brother. So much for him. —
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting :
Thus much the business is : — we have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras, — ■
Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Ot this his nephew's purpose, — to suppress
His farther gait39 herein ; in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions, are all made
Out of his subject :J0 — and we here despatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway ;
Giving to you no farther personal power
To business-" with the king, more than the scope
Of these dilated articles allow.42
Farewell ; and let your haste commend your duty.
Cor. and Vol. In that and all things will we
show our duty.
King. We doubt it nothing : heartily farewell.
[Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius.
And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
You told us of some suit ; what is 't, Laertes p
You cannot speak of reason to the Dane,
And lose your voice : what wouldst thou beg,
Laertes,
seen ; when his mind is softened into impressionableness by
supernatural influences, and it is prepared to admit the possi-
bility of any spiritual wonders that may exist in the sy
the universe.
39. Gait. ' Progress,' 'course,' ' proceeding.'
40. Subject. Here used for ' subjects ;' ' those subject to
him.'
41. To business. ' To transact business.' One of Shake-
speare's forcible verbs framed from a noun.
42. The scope of these dilated articles a low distance of
the false rd which was allowable in Shake-
speare's time. See.'. :i, '' Romeo and Juliet."
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II
That shall not be my offer, not thy asking ?
The head is not more native to the heart,13
The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
What wouldst thou have, Laertes '?
Laer. Dread my lord,'11
Your leave and favour to return to France ;
From whence though willingly I came to Den-
mark,
To show my duty in your coronation ;
Yet now, I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France,
And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
King. Have you your father's leave ? What
says Polonius ?
Pol. He hath, my lord, wrung from me my slow
leave
Bv laboursome petition ; and, at last,
Upon his will I seal'd my hard consent :
I do beseech you, give him leave to go.
King. Take thy fair hour, Laertes ;4i time be
thine,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will ! —
But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son, —
Ham. [Aside.] A little more than kin, and less
than kind.40
King. How is it that the clouds still hang on
\ ou ?
Ham. Not so, my lord ; I am too much i' the
sun.4?
S^ueen. Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour
off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Den-
mark.
Do not for ever with thy vaile.i lids43
Seek for thy noble father in the dust :
Thou know'st 'tis common, — all that live must
die,
Passing through nature to eternity.
Ham. Ay, madam, it is common.
43. The head is riot more native to, ,5-v. 'The he.id 15 not
more naturally co-operative with the heart, or the hand more
actively useful to the mouth, than the throne of Denmark is
willing to be serviceable to thy father.'
44. Dread my lord. This is the reading of the Folio, while
the Quartos give ' my dread lord.' The transposal of the more
usual succession in pronoun and adjective was occasionally
adopted at the time when Shakespeare wrote. See Note 15,
Act ii., " Winter's Tale."
45. Take thy fait /ton*-. cVtr. ' Take an auspicious hour,
Laertes. Use your own time, and may thy best qualities teach
thee to spend it according to thy will ! '
46. A little more than kin, and less than- kind. Hamlet
implies that his uncle has made himself doubly a kinsman by
his marriage with his brother's wife ; and yet is less than
naturally and affectionately attached. The original analogy
between the word "kind" and 'kindred' is ably shown in
Trench's " Study of Words" '1852'. p. 42.
47. / ant too much i the sun. There is triple allusion in this
sentence. Hamlet means thai he is too much in the glare of
his uncle's nuptial festivities so soon after his father's death ;
Queen. If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee ?
Ham. Seems, madam! nay, it is ; I know not
seems.
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of tore'd breuh,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected haviour of the visage,
Together with all forms, modes,4' shows of grief,
That can denote me truly : these, indeed, seem,
For they are actions that a man might play :
But I have that within which passeth show ;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
King. 'Tis sweet and commendable in your
nature, Hamlet,
To give these mourning duties to your father :
But, you must know, your father lost a father ;
That father lost, lost his ; and the survivor bound,
In filial obligation, for some term
To do obsequious50 sorrow : but to persever51
In obstinate condolement, is a course
Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief:
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven ;
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient ;
An understanding simple and unschool'd :
For what we know must be, and is as common
As any the most vulgar thing to sense,
Why should we, in our peevish opposition,
Take it to heart ? Fie ! 'tis a fault to heaven,
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reason most absurd; whose common theme
Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried,
From the first corse till he that died to-day,
" This must be so." We pray you, throw to
earth
This unprevailing52 woe; and think of us
As of a father : for let the world take note,
You are the most immediate to our throne ;
And with no less nobility of love63
he makes figurative reference to the old proverb, "Out of God's
blessing into the warm sun," which signifies exchanging a
righteous condition for a corrupt one ; and he deplores ,by a
play upon the word) that he has become son as well as nephew
to the usurping king, by the hateful marriage of the latter.
48. Vailed lids. ' Drooped lid-*,' 'downcast eyes.' See Note
g, Act i. , " Merchant of Venice."
40 Modes. The Folio gives ' moods,' the Quartos 'moodes :'
I but in all probability these are only different spellings o{ the
word "modes;' since Hamlet is here dwelling wholly on
externals.
50. Obsequious. Here used not only in its usual sense of
'deferential,' but in the seme of 'belonging to obsequies or
funereal observances.' See Note 64, Act ii., "Third Part
Henry VI."
51. PersSver. An accentuation' of 'persevere' formerly in
use. See Note 00, Act iii., " All's Well "
52. Unprevailing. Formerly sometimes used in the sense of
' unavailing.'
;; Mobility of love. ' Exaltedness of affection,' 'elevated
quality of affection.'
380
King. How is it that the clouds still hnng on you ?
Hamlet. Not so, my lord ; I am too much i' the sun.
Act I. Scene II.
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Than that which dearest father bears his son,
Do I impart54 toward you. For your intent
In going back to school in Wittenberg,55
Itjis most retrograde to our desire :
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
§>ueen. Let not thy mother lose her prayers,
Hamlet:
I pray thee, stay with us ; go not to Wittenberg.
Ham. I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
King. Why, 'tis a loving and a fair reply :
Be as ourself in Denmark. — Madam, come ;
This gentle and untore'd accord of Hamlet
Sits smiling to my heart : in grace whereof,
No jocund health that Denmark drinks to-day,
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell ;
And the king's rouse56 the heavens shall bruit
again,
Re-speaking earthly thunder. Come away.
[E.XLttnt all except Hamlet.
Ham. Oh, that this too too solid flesh would
melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew !
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon. 'gainst self-slaughter! O God ! O God !
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world !
Fie on 't! oh, fie ! 'tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed ; things rank and gross in
nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this !
But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not
two :
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr :5? so loving to my mother,
That he might not beteem53 the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth !
54. Impart. Here used for 'confer,' 'bestow,' 'dispense.'
The monarchy of Denmark being elective. King Claudius
implies that he will promote Hamlet's being chosen as his
successor to the throne, no less than if he were his own son.
55 Wittenberg. There was a university at Wittenberg in
Shakespeare's time, and he has therefore, for dramatic pur-
pose, assumed it to be in existence at the -period of this play's
story. " Going to school " was a term formerly used for
being at college or other place of academical study and in-
struction. In the opening scene of "As You Like It," Orlando
speaks of his brother. Jaques de Bois, as being " at school,"
although he is then a young man grown, and older than the
speaker.
56. Rouse. An abbreviated form of ' carouse ;' sometimes,
as here, used to express a deep draught, in drinking which it
was customary to empty the glass or vessel.
57. Tliat was. to this. Hyperion to a satyr. In this passage
"to" has the elliptical force of 'compared to.' "Hyperion,"
one of the names for Apollo, was a model of beauty.
58. Beteem. ' Allow,' ' permit.' 'suiter;' from the Saxon ge-
teman, to ' warrantise.' See Note 18, Act i., "Midsummer
Night's Dream."
5g. Niobe. The mother of several sons and daughters, of
whom she was so proud that she vaunted herself to be better
Must I remember? why, she would hang on him,
As if increase of appetite had grown
Bv what it fed on : and yet, within a month, —
Let me not think on 't, — Frailty, thy name is
woman ! —
A little month ; or ere those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body,
Like Niobe,59 all tears ; — why she, even she, — ■
O God ! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,60
Would have mourn'd longer, — married with mine
uncle,
My father's brother ; but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules: within a month ;
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,
She married : — Oh, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets !
It is not, nor it cannot come to, good :
But break, my heart, — for I must hold my tongue !
Enter Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo.
Hor. Hail to your lordship !
Him. I am glad to see you well :
Horatio, — or I do forget myself.
Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor servant
ever.
Ham. Sir, my good friend ; I'll change that
name with you :61
And what make you from Wittenberg,6- Horatio? —
Marcellus ?
Mar. My good lord, —
Ham. I am very glad to see you. — Good even,
sir.63 —
But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg ?
Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord.
Ham. I would not hear your enemy say so ;
Nor shall you do mine ear that violence,
To make it truster of your own report
worthy of immortal honours than Latona, who was the mother
of Apollo and Diana. This so incensed Latona that she urged
her children to avenge her ; and the sons of Niobe were all
slain by the darts of Apollo, while the daughters perished by
those of Diana. Overwhelmed by her loss, Niobe wept till she
became transformed to stone.
60. Discourse of reason. ' Ratiocination,' ' the power of
arguing rationally,' 'the faculty of reasoning.' See Note 42,
Act ii., " Troilus and Cressida."
61. I'll change that name with you. Hamlet means that he
will exchange the name of " friend " between Horatio and him-
self: but not surfer him to address him as "my lord," or call
himself " your poor servant"
62. IVlmt make you from Wittenberg? 'What do you do
away from Wittenberg?' ' What causes you to have left Witten-
berg?' " Make" is here used as in the passage referred to in
Note c/i. Act iv., " Love's Labour's Lost."
63. Good even, sir. This is said by Hamlet as a courteous
greeting to Bernardo, whom he does not seem to know so well
as he knows the others ; but whom he salutes in his own gracious
manner. Hanmer and Warburton changed "even" to 'morn-
ing ' here ; bec.iuse. in the previous scene, Marcellus has said,
" I this morning know where we shall find him." But "good
even" was used for any time subsequent to noonday.
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Against yourself: I know von are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore ?
We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
Hor. My lord. I came to see your father's
funeral.
Hum. I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow-
student ;
I think it was to see my mother's wedding.
Hor. Indeed, my lord, it follow' d hard upon.
Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio ! the funeral bak'd
meats64
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest65 foe in heaven
Ere I had ever seen that dav, Horatio ! —
My father,— methinks I see my father.
Hor. Oh, where, my lord ?
Hum. Tn my mind's eye,66 Horatio.
Hor. I saw him once ; he was a goodly king.
Hum. He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.
Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
Hum. Saw who ?
Hor. My lord, the king your father.
Hum. The king my father !
Hor. Season your admiration for a while
With an attent6" ear; till I may deliver,
Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
This marvel to you.
Ham. For God's love, let me hear.
Hor. Two nights together had these gentlemen,
Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch,
In the dead vast and middle of the night,63
Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father,
Arm'd at all points exactly, cap-i-pe,69
Appears before them,70 and with solemn march
Goes slow and stately by them : thrice he walk'd
By their oppress'd and fear-surprised eyes,
Within his truncheon's length ; whilst they, dis-
till'd'1
Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me
64. The funeral bak'd meats. It was anciently the custom
to give an entertainment at a funeral. The usage was derived
from the Roman carta funeralis, or 'funeral supper;' and it
continued to be observed in Scotland and the north of England
under the name of an 'arvel supper.'
65. Dearest. Here used with the sense of intensity which
we have before pointed out as included in this word by Shake-
speare's employment of it. See Note 28, Act v., " Timon of
Athens ;" and Note 38, Act iii. , " Julius Cssar."
66. Mind's eye. 'Eye of imagination.' Chaucer uses the
expression " eyen of his minde," in " The Man of Lawe's Tale. "
67. Attent. A. 1 abbreviated form of ' attentive.'
68. The dead vast and middle of the night. The Folio mis-
prints 'wast' for "vast," which is the word given in the 1603
Quarto, and which is shown to be right by the passage referred
to in Note 53, Act i., " Tempest."
69. Cap-a-pS. ' From head to foot.' See Note 199, Act iv.,
11 Winter's Tale."
70. Appears before tliem. The present speech affords a signal
instance of Shakespeare's mode of alternately using past time
In dreadful secrecy impart they did ;
And I with them the third night kept the watch :
Where, as they -had deliver'd, both in time,
Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
The apparition comes: I knew your father;
These hands are not more like.
Hum. But where was this ?
Mar. My lord, upon the platform where we
watch'd.
Ham. Did you not speak to it ':'-
Hor. My lord, I did ;
But answer made it none : yet once methought
It lifted up its head/3 and did address
Itself to motion, like as it would speak :
But, even then, the morning cock crew loud ;
And at the sound it shrunk in haste away/4
And vanish'd from our sight.
Ham. Tis very strange.
Hor. As I do live, my honour'd lord, 'tis true ;
And we did think it writ down in our duty
To let you know of it.
Hum. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me.
Hold you the watch to-night ?
Mur., Ber. We do, my lord.
Ham. Arm'd, say you ?
Mar., Ber. Arm'd, my lord.
Ham. From top to toe ?
Mur., Ber. My lord, from head to foot.
Ham. Then saw you not his face ?
Hor. Oh, yes, my lord ; he wore his beaver75
up.
Ham. What ! look'd he frowningly ?
Hor. A countenance more in sorrow than in
anger.
Ham. Pale or red ?
Hor. Nay, very pale.
Ham. And fix'd his eyes upon you ?
Hor. Most constantly.
Hum. I would I had been there.
Hor. It would have much amaz'd you.
Hum. Very like, very like. Stay'd it long ?
and present time in the tenses of verbs while narrating an event.
See Note 73, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
71. DistiU'd. This is the reading of the Quartos; while the
Folio gives ' bestill'd.' " DistiU'd " is here used by Shakespeare,
as it has been by other writers, to express ' melted,' ' dissolved.'
72. Did yon not speak to it ? The belief was that spirits must
be spoken to ere they would speak and unfold what they came
to reveal.
73. It lifted up its head. One of the rare instances where
"its" occurs in Shakespeare's writings. See Note 57, Act ii.,
" Winter's Tale." The Folio prints the form of 'it ' in the pre-
sent passage. The use of ihe impersonal pronoun here, 11
of the then more usual ' his,' aids greatly to impart spiritual
effect to this passage.
74. At the sound it shrunk in haste away. That the cri tng
of the cock was a signal for the disappearance of ghosts is a
superstition of very ancient date.
75. Beaver. The portion of the helmet th.rt could he lifted up
or lowered over the face. See Note 25, Act iv., " First Part
Henry IV."
383
ACT I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene III.
Hor. While one with moderate haste might tell
a hundred.
Mar., Ber. Longer, longer.
Hor. Not when I saw 't.
Ham. His beard was grizzled, — no?
Hor. It was, as I have seen it in his lite,
A sable silver'd.
Ham. I will watch to-night ;
Perchance 'twill walk again.
Hor. I warrant it will.
Ham. If it assume my noble father's person,
I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape,76
And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
If you have hitherto conceal'd this sight,
Let it be tenable'7 in your silence still ;
And whatsoever else shall hap to-night,
Give it an understanding, but no tongue:
I will requite your loves. So, fare ye well :
Upon the platform, 'twixt eleven and twelve,
I'll visit you.
All. Our duty to your honour.
Ham. Your loves, as mine to you : farewell.
[Exeunt Horatio, Marcellus, and
Bernardo.
My father's spirit in arms ! all is not well ;
I doubt some foul play : would the night were come !
Till then sit still, my soul : foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'eruhelm them, to men's
eyes. [Exit.
SCENE Wl.—A Room in Polonius' House.
Enter Laertes and Ophelia.
Laer. My necessaries are embark' d : farewell :
And, sister, as the winds give benefit,
And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.
Opb. Do you doubt that ?
Laer. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour,
Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood ;
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance78 of a minute ;
No more.
76. Gape. Here used in its double sense of 'yawn,' 'open
wide,' and of 'roar,' 'yell,' 'howl.' See Note 7, Act iii.,
"Henry V."
77. Tenable. The Folio misprints 'treble' for "tenable,"
which is the reading of the Quartos. " Tenable " is here used
for 'held,' or 'kept;' according to Shakespeare's occasional
practice when employing words ending in ' ble.' See Note 50,
Act iv., "Twelfth Night ," and Note 4. Act iv., "Julius Caesar."
78. Suppliance. A word framed by Shakespeare to express
succinctly that which is supplied.
79. Thtws. 'Muscular power,' 'physical strength,' 'sinewy
vigour.' See Note 80, Act i., " Julius Caesar."
80. Cautel. ' Craft,' ' deceit,' ' fraud.' See Note a, Act iv.,
" Coriolanus. "
Opb. No more but so ?
Laer. Think it no more :
For nature, crescent, does not grow alone
In thews'* and bulk; but, as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now ;
And now no soil nor cautel30 doth besmirch51
The virtue of his will : 82 but you must fear,
His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own ;
For he himself is subject to his birth :
He may not, as unvalu'd persons do,
Carve for himself ;"3 for on his choice depends
The safety and the health of the whole state ;
And therefore must his choice be circumscrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding of that body,
Whereof he is the head. Then, if he says he loves
you,
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it,
As he in his particular act and place
May give his saying deed ; which is no farther
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.
! Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain,
If with too credent ear you list his songs ;
Or lose your heart ; or your chaste treasure open
To his unmaster'd importunity.
Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister ;
And keep you in the rear of your affection,84
Out of the shot and danger of desire.
The chariest85 maid is prodigal enough,
If she unmask her beauty to the moon :
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes:
The canker galls the infants of the spring,
Too oft before their buttons86 be disclos'd ;
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary, then ; best safety lies in fear:
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.
Opb. I shall the effect of this good lesson keep,
As watchman to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven ;
Whilst, like a puff d and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own read.87
Laer. Oh, fear me not.88
I stay too long: — but here my father comes.
81. Besmirch. 'Sully.'
82. The virtue of his will. ' The rectitude of his intention.'
'83. Carve for himself. 'Selfishly select.' See Note 84,
Act ii,, " Richard II."
84. Keep you in the rear of your affection. 'Be more re-
served in manner than your affection might lead you to be.'
85. Chariest. 'Most regardful of her honour,' 'holding her
honour most dear.' See Note 10, Act ii., " Merry Wives."
86. Buttons. 'Buds;' French, boutons.
87. Recks not his own read. ' Heeds not his own monition.'
" Read," as a substantive, was sometimes spelt ' rede ' or ' reed.'
It means the lesson or precept.
83. Fear me not. ' Fear not that I shall do thus.' See
Note 4, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
384
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene III.
Polonius. What is 't, Ophelia, he hath said to you?
Op/wlia. So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet.
Act I. Scene II I.
A double blessing is a double grace ;
Occasion smiles upon a second leave.
Enter Polonius.
Pol. Yet here, Laertes ! aboard, aboard, for
shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stay'd for. There, — my blessing with
you ! [Laying his band on Laertes' head.
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character.89 Give thy thoughts no
tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
89. Loik tliou character. ' Be attentive to mark, imprint, or
write down.'
90. Hooks. Theold copies print 'hoops' for "hooks." Pope's
correction ; which seems warranted by the word "grapple."
91. Do not dull thy palm with, &•€. ' Do not render callous
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hooks™ of steel ;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment91
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in,
Bear 't, that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice :
Take each man's censure, 9J but reserve thy judg-
ment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy ; rich, not gaudy :
For the apparel oft proclaims the man ;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous, chief in that.93
thy sense of attachment by giving thy hand and intimacy to
every new-made acquaintance.'
92. Censure. 'Opinion.' See Note iS. Act ii., " Richard 1 1 I
93. Are most select and generous, chief in that. This line is
printed in the F..lin. ' Arc ••( a most select and generous cheffin
215
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be :
For loan oft loses both itself and friend ;
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.9'
This above all, — to thine own self be true ;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell : my blessing season95 this in thee !
Laer. Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord.
Pol. The time invites you ; go, your servants
tend.90
Laer. Farewell, Ophelia ; and remember well
What I have said to you.
Oph. 'Tis in my memory lock'd,
And you yourself shall keep the key of it.
Laer. Farewell. [Exit.
Pol. What is 't, Ophelia, he hath said to you ?
Oph. So please you, something touching the
Lord Hamlet.
Pol. Marry, well bethought :
'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late
Given private time to you ; and you yourself
Have of your audience been most free and boun-
teous :
If it be so (as so 'tis put on me,
And that in way of caution), I must tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour.
What is between you ? give me up the truth.
Oph. He hath, my lord, of late made many
tenders
Of his affection to me.
Pol. Affection ! pooh ! you speak like a green
g'rl.
Unsifted97 in such perilous circumstance.
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them ?
Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I should
think.
Pol. Marry, I'll teach you: think yourself a
baby ;
That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay,
Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more
dearly ;
that ;' while the Quartos give it in various somewhat similar forms.
The reading we adopt is Rowe's, accepting Ritson's interpretation
of its meaning : ' The nobility of France are select and generous
above all other nations, and chiefly in the point of apparel.'
94. Husbandry. 'Good economy.' See Note 35, Act ii.,
" Timon of Athens."
95. Season. This word here bears the meaning which is
given to it by Baret, who explains, "To season: to temper
wisely, to make more pleasant and acceptable."
96. Tend. Abbreviated form of ' attend ;' used irt the sense
of 'wait.' See Note 107. Act i.t " Coriolanus "
97. Unsifted. Here used for ' untried,' ' untested,' ' inex-
perienced.' See Note 32, Act ii.
98. Wronging it thus. The Folio prints* ' roaming ' for
"wronging" here ; but, as the Quartos give 'wrong,' wc think
it probable that " wronging " (Pope's correction) is the word
originally intended.
99. Y'our eittrcatiuenls ' The entreaties you receive for
granting an interview.'
Or, — not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,
Wronging it thus,93 — you'll tender ine a fool.
Oph. My lord, he hath importun'd me with love
In honourable fashion.
Pol. Ay, fashion you may call it ; go to, go to.
Oph. And hath given countenance to his
speech, my lord,
With almost all the holy vows of heaven.
Pol. Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do
know,
When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
Lends the tongue vows : these blazes, daughter,
Giving more light than heat, — extinct in both,
Even in their promise, as it is a-making, —
You must not take for fire. From this time
Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence ;
Set your entreatments99 at a higher rate
Than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet,
Believe so much in him, that he is young ;
And with a larger tether may he walk"10
Than may be given you:101 in few, Ophelia,
Do not believe his vows ; for they are brokers,102 —
Not of that dye which their investments show,
But mere implorators of unholy suits,
Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds,103
The better to beguile. This is for all, —
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you so slander101 any moment's leisure,
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.
Look to 't, I charge you : come your ways.
Oph. I shall obey, my lord. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— The Platform.
Enter Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus.
Ham. The air bites shrewdly ; it is very cold.
Hor. It is a nipping and an eager105 air.
Ham. What hour now?
Hor.
Mar. No, it i= struck.
I think it lacks of twelve.
100. With a larger tether may he walk. Figuratively used
to express ' with greater latitude may he behave.'
101. Than may be given you. ' Than may be allowed in
you,' or ' than may be granted to you.' See Note 15, Act iii.,
" Coriolanus."
102. Brokers. ' Infamous pleaders, agents, or go-betweens.'
See Note 84, Act ii., " King John."
103. Bonds. This word has been suspected of error by
several of the editors and commentators ; but all the old copies
give it thus in the present passage, and we cannot help believing
it to be right, because Shakespeare uses "bonds" in several
other instances to express that which agrees with the sense here
required. See, for instance, how he employs " bonds " in the
passage referred to in Note 73, Act ii., " Merchant of Venice,"
and Note 30, Act v., "Troilus and Cressida," to signify
' pledged vows,' * plighted assurances of faith and troth.'
104. Slander. Here used for ' injure,' ' disgrace,' 'abuse.'
105. Eager. Here employed in its sense as derived from the
French, aigre, ' sharp,' ' keen.'
386
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
Hor. Indeed? I heard it not: then it draws
near the season
Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.
\_J flourish of trumpets, and ordnance
shot off, ivitbin.
What does this mean, my lord ?
Ham. The king doth wake106 to-night, and
takes his rouse,
Keeps wassail, and the swaggering up-spring
reels ;W
And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down,
The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out .
The triumph of his pledge.
Hor. Is it a custom ?
Hani. Ay, marry, is 't :
But to my mind, — though I am native here,
And to the manner born, — it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach than the observance.
This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduc'd and tax'd of other nations :
Theyclepe103 us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition ;109 and, indeed, it takes
From our achievements, though perform'd at
height,
The pith and marrow of ou- attribute.
So, oft it chances in particular men,
That, for some vicious mole of nature in them,
As, in their birth (wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin), '
By the o'ergrowth of some complexion,110
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason
Or by some habit, that too much o'er-leavens
The form of plausive manners ; — that these men, —
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being nature's livery, or fortune's star,111 —
Their virtues else (be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo)
106. Wake. 'Hold a late revel.' A "wake" originally
meant a church night-festival, and came to signify any kind of
night revelling. See Note 88, Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost,"
for this, and for the expression " keeps wassail." tor " rouse,"
see Note 56 of the present Act.
107. The swaggering up-spring reels. ' Reels through the
swaggering dance called an up-spring.' That " up-spring" was
the name uf a Northern national dance is testified by two lines
from Chapman's " Alphonsus, Emperor of Germany :" —
" We Germans have no changes in our dances ;
An almain and an up-spring, that is all."
108. Clepe. 'Call.' See Note 26, Act iii., " Macbeth."
109. With s-winish phrase soil our addition. ' Disgrace our
title by a swinish epithet.' See Note 28, Act in., " Macbeth,"
The intemperance of die Danes in their drink was matter of
special notoriety at the time when Shakespeare wrote : and
marvellous anecdotes are extant of enormous measures drained
at a draught by them.
no. Complexion. Here used for 'natural propensity,' 'con-
stitutional tendency.' See Note 43, Act hi., "As You Like It."
in. Fortune's star. The influence of the planet supposed to
govern the birth of each human individual.
112. The dram of base, &c. This passage is omitted alto-
gether in the Folio ; while some of the Quartos give ' ease,'
others ' eale,' for " base." In the next line the Quartos print
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault : the dram of base115
Doth all the noble substance often dout,
To his own scandal.113
Hor. Look, my lord, it comes !
Enter Ghost.
Ham. Angels and ministers of grace defend us!
Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd,
Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,
Thou com'st in such a questionable shape,114
That I will speak to thee : I'll call thee Hamlet,
King, father, royal Dane : oh, answer me !
Let me not burst in ignorance ; but tell
Why thy canonis'd hones, hearsed in death,
Have burst their cerements;115 why the sepulchre,
Wherein we saw thee quietly in-urn'd,
Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws,
To cast thee up again ! What may this mean,
That thou, dead corse, again, in complete steel,116
Re-visit'st thus the-glimpses of the moon,
Making night hideous ; and we fools of nature,11'
So horridly to shake our disposition,
With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls ?
Say, why is this ? wherefore ? what should we do ?
[The Ghost beckons Hamlet.
Hor. It beckons you to go away with it,
As if it some impartment did desire
To you alone.
Mar. Look, with what courteous action
It waves you to a more removed ground :
But do not go with it.
Hor. No, by no means.
Ham. It will not speak ; then will I follow it.
Hor. Do not, my lord.
Ham. Why, what should be the fear ?
'of a doubt' instead of "often dout." Of the many v; us
readings of these two lines we adopt Steevens's correction, as
being the one which seems to us to afford the sense and words
most likely intended by the author. " Dout" signifies ' do out,'
'put out,' 'extinguish,' 'obliterate.' See Note 49, Act iv.,
" Henry V." That ' doubt ' and " dout " were often printed the
one for the other, and that the two words afforded scope for
quibbling play upon them, is testified by the opening jest in
" A C. Merry Talys," 1567 (reprinted in 1864I, where we find : —
" I never harde tell of more doutcs but twayn, that is to say,
dout the candell and dout the fyre."
113. To his otcn scandal. " His " used for ' its.'
114. A questionable shape. 'A shape inviting question or
inquiry.' The word "questionable" is here used to express
' conversable,' and not, as more usually, signifying ,' doubtful.'
See Notes 68 and ico, Act iii., " As You Like It."
115. Cerements. See Note 87, Act ii., " Merchant of Venice."
116. In c6mplete steel. It is recorded by Olaus Wormius
that it was the custom to bury the Danish kings in their arm iui
Shakespeare seems to have been aware of this fact, and has
used it with excellent dramatic purpose in this play: making
Hamlet Act i., sc. 2) emphatically advert to the circumstance,
and draw ominous inferences therefrom: — "Arm'd, say you?"
and " My father's spirit in arms .' all is not well."
117 We fools of nature. ' We ignoramuses in the numerous
secrets and mysteries of nature.'
387
Act I.]
HAMLET.
fSCENE V.
I do not set my life at a pin's tee ;
And for my soul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?
It waves me forth again ; — I'il follow it.
Hor. What if it tempt you toward the flood,
my lord,
Or to the dreadful summit of the clitF
That beetles o'er his hase into the sea,
And there assume some other horrible form,
Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason,113
And draw you into madness ? think of it :
The very place puts toys of desperation,119
Without more motive, into every brain,
That looks so many fathoms to the sea,
And hears it roar beneath.
Ham. It waves me still. —
Go on ; I'll follow thee.
Mar. You shall not go, my lord.
Ham. Hold off your hands.
Hor. Be rul'd ; you shall not go.
Ham. My fate cries out,
And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve.120 —
[Ghost beckons.
Still am I call'd : — unhand me, gentlemen ; —
[Breaking from them.
By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets121
me : —
I say, away ! — Go on ; I'll follow thee.
[Exeunt Ghost and Hamlet.
Htr. He waxes12- desperate with imagination.
Mar. Let's follow; 'tis not fit thus to obey him.
Hor. Have after.123 — -To what issue will this
come ?
Mar. Something is rotten in the state of Den-
mark.
Hor. Heaven will direct it.134
Mar. Nay, let's follow him. [Exeum.
SCENE V. — A more remote part of the Platform.
Enter Ghost and Hamlet.
Ham. Where wilt thou lead me ? speak ; I'll
go no farther.
118. Deprive your sovereignty of reason. "Deprive" is
here used elliptic. illy :as Shakespeare uses some verbs) to ex-
press 'deprive you of;' and "sovereignty of reason " signifies
'pre-eminence of reason,' 'exaltedness of reason,' 'elevated
quality of reason.'
119. Toys of desperation. Here used for ' desperate tricks of
fancy,' 'desperate freaks of the imagination.' See Note 12,
Act i , "Richard III."
120. Each petty artery hardy as the Ntntean lion's
nerve. Here Shakespeare distinctly consociates the arteries
with the tterz'es. See Note tog. Act iv., " Love's Labour's Lost."
xai. Lets. 'Hinders.' 'prevents.' See Note n, Act iii.,
"Two Gentlemen of Verona."
122. Waxes. 'Grows.'
Ghost, Mark me.
Ham. 1 will.
Ghost. My hour is almost come,
When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames
Must render up myself.
Ham. Alas ! poor ghost !
Ghost. Pity me not, but lend thy serious
hearing
To what I shall unfold.
Ham. Speak; I am bound to hear.
Ghost. So art thou to revenge, when thou shall
hear.
Ham. What?
Ghost. I am thy father's spirit ;
Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,121'
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am
forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison-house,
I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul ; freeze thy young
blood ;
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their
spheres ;
Thy knotted and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine :
But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood. — List, list, oh, list !
If thou didst ever thy dear father love, — •
Ham. O God !
Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural
murder.
Ham. Murder!
Ghost. Murder most foul, as in the best it is ;
But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.
Ham. Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings
as swift
As meditation or the thoughts of love,
May sweep to my revenge.
Ghost. I find thee apt;
And duller shouidst thou be than the fat weed
That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,126
Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet,
hear :
123. Have after. An idiomatic expression, signifying willing-
ness to go. See Note 112, Act iv., "Taming of the Shrew."
124. Heaven will direct it. This is- a following up ot
Horatio's own question ("To what will this come!"), and
forms a kind of response to it after Marcellus' reply.
125. Confin'd to fast in fires. Heath proposed to change
" fast in " to ' lasting ;' but it was supposed that departed spirits
felt the same desires and appetites as when existing in the flesh ;
therefore deprivation of food was among the penalties they were
believed to endure.
126 That rots itself in ease on Lethe 7uharf. The Quarto
read 'roots' instead of "rots," which is the Folio word, and
which we think by far the mor? fit expression here. For an
explanation of " Lethe " see Note 12, Activ , "Twelfth Night."
389
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
'Tis given out that, sleeping in mine orchard,12?
A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forge. 1 process of my death
Rankly abus'il : but know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown.
Ham. Oh, my prophetic soul !
My uncle !
Ghost. Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,
(Oh, wicked wit, and gifts, that have the power
So to seduce !) won to his shameful lust
The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen :
0 Hamlet, what a falling-off was there!
From me, whose love was of that dignity,
That it went hand in hand even with the vow
1 made to her in marriage ; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whose natural gifts were poor
To those of mine !
But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,
Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven ;
So luit, though to a radiant angel link'd,
Will sate itself in a celestial bed,
And prey on garbage.
But, soft ! methinks I scent the morning air;
Brief let me be. — -Sleeping within mine orchard,
My cistom always in the afternoon,
Upon my secure hour128 thy uncle stole,
With juice of cursed hebenon122 in a vial,
And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous distilment ;130 whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man,
That, switt as quicksilver, it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body ;
And, with a sudden vigour, it doth posset
And curd, like eager1'" droppings into milk,
127. Orchard. 'Garden.' See Note 53, Act ii., " Much Ado."
128. My secure hour. ' My hour of fancied security,' ' my
hour of supposed safety.' See Note 31, Act v., " Richard II."
129. Hebenoti. By this word some suppose Shakespeare to
have meant ' henbane : ' the oil of which, according to Pliny,
dropped into the ear. disturbs the brain. In Shakespeare's time
it was held to be poisonous. Others surmise that the word is used
to signify ' ebony ; ' which was believed to possess soporific and
poisonous qualities. The 1603 Quarto gives the word ' hebona.'
130. The leperous distilment. Meaning the liquid distilled
from "hebenou," which caused the leprosy subsequently de-
scribed as producing a " vile and loathsome crust."
i3t. Eager. 'Sharp,' 'acid,' 'sour:' French, aigre. See
Note 105 of this Act.
132. Despatch'd To 'rid' and to 'despatch' were for-
merly used the one word for the other. See Note 47, Act v.,
"Richard II." Here "despatch'd" signifies ' summarily sent
from and bereft of.'
133. Uitlimtserd. 'Without having received the sacrament :'
from the Latin hostiola, which is rendered by Ainsworth, in his
Dictionary, ' a little consecrated host, a hottsel."
134. Disappointed. 'Unappointed,' 'unprepared ;' 'spiritually
unprovided.' See Note 13, Act in., " Measure for Measure."
1; UnaneVd. ' Without extreme unction.'
136 Ok, horriblel oh, horrible I most horrible ! Notwith
standing that all the old copies concur in assigning these word*
The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine;
And a most instant tetter bark'd about,
Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,
All my smooth body.
Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand
Of life, of crown, of queen, at once despatch'd: I3i
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,
Unhousel'd,133 disappointed,13'1 unanel'd ;135
No reckoning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on mv head :
Oh, horrible! oh, horrible! most horrible!136
[f thou hast nature in thee, bear it not ;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursu'st this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven,
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once .'
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual137 fire :
Adieu, adieu ! Hamlet, remember me.138 [Exit.
Ham. Oh, all you host of heaven! oh, earth!
what else ?
And shall I couple hell?-Oh, fie!— Hold, my
heart ;
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up. — Remember thee !
Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a scat
In this distracted globe.139 Remember thee!
Yea, from the table"0 of mv memory
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws"1 of books, all forms, all pressures142 past,
That youth and observation copied there ;
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of mv brain,
to the ghost, some editors have given them to Hamlet. We
think they markedly belong to the ghost, if it were only on
account of their emphatic triple iteration, which is so completely
consistent with the previous three-fold " List, list, oh, list ! " and
the subsequent solemn repetition of " Swear ! "
137. Unejfectual. There is double signification included in
this word : it means the glow-worm's l'ght, which shines without
giving heat, and which no longer shows when morning appears.
138. Adieu, adieu'. Hamlet, remember met This is the
Folio reading ; but the Quartos give ' Adieu, adieu, adieu !
remember me :' which confirms our view of the triple iteration
with which the ghost's diction was marked in the author's con-
ception of it, although he may have seen fit to modify it on
revisal. See our last Note but one.
139. This distracted globe. 'This head of mine disturbed
with perplexing ideas.'
140. Table. In figurative reference to the tablets or table-
books used for keeping memorandums in, which were tem-
porarily inscribed, and could be readily effaced. See Note 39,
Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
141. Saws. 'Axioms,' 'adages.' See Note lot, Act iii.,
"Twelfth Night."
142. Pressures. Here used as an abbreviated form of ' iin-
pressures,' meaning ' impressions.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses
" itnpressure" for 'impression.' See Note 109. Act iii,, "As
You Like It."
Act I.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
Unmix' d with baser matter: yes, by heaven. —
Oh, most pernicious woman !
Oh, villain, villain, smiling, dainnu.1 villain !
My tables,143 — meet it is I set it down,
That one may smile, ami smile, and be a villain ;
At least I'm sure it may be so in Denmark :
[Writing.
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word ; il*
It is, " Adieu, adieu ! remember me :"
I have sworn 't.
Hor. [Within.] My lord! my lord !—
Mar. [Within.] ' Lord Hamlet,—
Hor. [Within.] Heaven secure him I1"
Mar. [Within.] So be it !
Hor. [Within.] Illo, ho, ho, my lord !
Ham. Hillo, ho, ho, boy ! come, bird, come.1""'
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Mar. How is 't, my noble lord ?
Hor. What news, my lord ?
Ham. Oh, wonderful !
Hor. Good my lord, tell it.
Ham. No ; you'll reveal it.
Hor. Not I, my lord, by heaven.
Mar. Nor I, my lord.
Ham. How say you, then ; would heart of man
once think it ? —
But you'll be secret ?
Hor., Mar. Ay, by heaven, my lord.
Ham. There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all
Denmark
But he's an arrant knave.
Hor. There needs no ghost, my lord, come
from the grave
To tell us this.
Ham. Why, right ; you are i' the right ;
And so, without more circumstance l4? at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part :
You, as your business and desire shall point you,-
For every man has business and desire,
Such as it is ; — and for mine own poor part,
Look you, I'll go pray.
143. My tables. Here refers to the actual tablets or memo-
randum-books kept about the person ready for use.
144. Word. Occasionally, as here, used for a brief sentence,
a watch-word. See Note 34, Act v., " Macbeth."
145. Heaven secure him! "Secure" is here used in the
sense of 'keep safe,' 'guard,' 'protect.' Shakespeare uses the
words " secure" and ' safe ' thus respectively, the one including
the sense of the other. See Note 72, Act i. , "Macbeth."
146. Hillo, ho, ho, boy .' come, bird, come. This is the call
used by falconers to the hawk, when they would have it descend
from the air to them ; and Hamlet, hearing Horatio shout to
him, replies thus, in the spirit of wild levity which suddenly
possesses him, and which is so affectingly the contrary to real
hilarity.
147. Circumstance. Here, as elsewhere by Shakespeare,
used in the sense which it formerly sometimes bore of 'circum-
locution.' See Note 28, Act i.. "Merchant of Venice."
148. By Saint Patrick. There is propriety in making the
studious prince, Hamlet, use this adjuration, since " Saint
Hor. These are but wild and whirling words,
my lord.
Ham. I'm sorry they offend you, heartily ;
Yes, faith, heartily.
Hor. There's no offence, my lord.
Ham. Yes, by Saint Pattick,148 but there is,
Horatio,
And much orl'ence too. Touching this vision
here, —
It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you :
For your desire to know what is between us,
O'ermaster it as you may. And now, good friends,
As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,
Give me one poor request.
Hor. What is 't, my lord ? we will.
Ham. Never make known what you have seen
to-night.
Hor., Mar. My lord, we will not.
Ham. Nay, but swear 't.
Hor. In faith,
My lord, not I.
Mar. Nor I, my lord, in faith.
Ham. Upon my sword.149
Mar. We have sworn, my lord, already.
Ham. Indeed, upon my sword, indeed.
Ghost. [Beneath.'] Swear.
Ham. Ah, ha, boy! say'st thou so? art thou
there, true-penny ?160 —
Come on, — you hear this fellow in the cellarage, —
Consent to swear.
Hor. Propose the oath, my lord.
Ham. Never to speak of this that you have
seen,
Swear by my sword.
Ghost. [Beneath.] Swear.
Ham. Hie el ubique >151 then He'll shift our
ground. —
Come hither, gentlemen,
And lay your hands again upon my sword :
Never to speak of this that you have heard,
Swear by my sword.
Ghost. [Beneath.] Swear.
Patrick" is the patron saint of Ireland, and Ireland was in
ancient times a famed seat of learning whence the whole
northern world derived their erudition. Dean Swift's " Verses
on the Sudden Drying Up of St. Patrick's Well, 1726," contain
many allusions to the early cultivation of literature in Ireland.
149. Upon my sword. It was the custom to swear by the
cross upon the hilt of the sword ; and therefrom came the
idiomatic expression ' to swear upon the sword.'
150. Truepenny. A familiar epithet for an honest fellow ;
and it has peculiar appropriateness as here used by Shakespeare
in reference to the ghost's voice beneath the earth, since it has
been asserted by Mr. Collier, on the authority of competent
informants, to be a mining term, significative of a particular
indication in the soil of the direction in which ore may be
found. The tone of forced ease taken by Hamlet in this period
of excitement is finely and boldly imagined, as well as wonder-
fully in keeping with the whole mental development of the
character.
151. Hie et ubique ? Latin; ' here and everywhere.'
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Ham. Well said, old mole ! canst work i' the
earth so fast ?
A worthy pioneer !— Once more remove, good
friends.
Hor. Oh, day and night,15-' but this is wondrous
strange !
Hum. And therefore as a stranger give it
welcome.153
There are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.151
But come ; —
Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, —
As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on,155 —
That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,
With arms encumber'd thus, or this head-shake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,
As, " Well, well, we know; " — or, " We could, an
if we would ; "156 —
Or, " If we list to speak ; "—or, " There be, an if
they might ; "1S< —
Or such ambiguous giving out,158 to note
That you know aught of me : — this not to do,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you,
Swear.
Ghost. [Beneath.'] Swear.
Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit !159 — So, gentle-
men,
With all my love I do commend me to you :
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is16"
May do, to express his love and friending to you,
God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together ;
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.
The time is out of joint : — Oh, curst-d spite,
That ever I was born to set it right ! —
Nay, come, let's go together. [Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— A Room in Polonius' House.
Enter Polonius and Reynaldo.
Pol. Give him this money and these notes,
Reynaldo.
Rey. I will, my lord.
Pol. You shall do marv'lous wisely, good
Reynaldo,
152. Oh, day and 7ilght. See Note 78, Act i., "Henry VIII."
153. As a stranger give it welcome. ' Receive it with
respectful deference, and as something with which you are to
appear unacquainted.'
154. In your philosophy. This is the reading of all the
Quartos, while the Folio gives ' our ' instead of " your ;" which
word is used in the idiomatic manner so frequently pointed out,
where the object is to instance a generality. See Note 26,
Act ii., " Coriolanus."
155. To put an antic disposition on. The earnestly disputed
question as to whether Hamlet is really insane or not may
here, we think, be appropriately adverted to ; since it seems
to us sufficiently evident, if only from this one passage, that
the author clearly intended Hamlet to assume madness, not
to be inad in truth. We feel a certain diffidence in stating
our opinion when so totally opopsed to that of the several
medical practitioners whose care of insane patients gives to
their opinion so much claim to be regarded ; nevertheless, our
conviction is strong as derived from the internal evidence of
the play itself, and we therefore hold ourselves called upon
sincerely and candidly to express our belief that Hamlet is
meant by Shakespeare to be profoundly melancholy, to have
had his spirits and mental energies depressed to a condition
of almost hypochondriacal dejection, but that his intellect is
sound and his intelligence thoroughly unimpaired. As we pro-
ceed, we shall point out the particular passages which most
confirm us in our view and most tend to support uiir side of
the argument.
135. We *juld, an if we would, ' Tell,' or 'say,' is ellipti-
Before you visit him, to make enquiry
Of his behaviour.
Rey. My lord, I did intend it.
Pol. Marry, well said; very well said. Look
you, sir,
Enquire me first what Danskers1 arc in Paris ;
And how, and who, what means,2 and where they
keep,3
cally understood after " could." See Note 67, Act hi., "Tiinon
of Athens."
157. There be, an if they might. An ellipsis for ' there are
persons, were they permitted to divulge.'
158. Or such ambiguous giving out. The previous " by " be-
fore ''pronouncing "is here understood as repeated before "such."
159. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit .' After the strain of almost
unseemly levity in which Hamlet's agitation of mind has taken
refuge — using such expressions as " boy," " true-penny," " this
fellow in the cellarage," and "old mole" — it has an effect of
pathos and deep heart-feeling, these few murmured soothing
words, " Rest, rest, perturbed spirit ! " coming as a climax and
close to the scene.
160. So poor a man as Hamlet is. It is noteworthy that
Hamlet frequently speaks of himself in the third person ; which
is excellently characteristic of the philosophic man— reflective,
thoughtful, given to moralise and speak in the abstract.
1. Enquire me first what Danskers. " Me " is used idiomati-
cally, in the sense of ' for me' (see Note 33, Act ii., " Merchant
of Venice"); and "Danskers" is an old form of 'Danes.'
Warner, in his "Albion's England," calls Denmark Danske.
2. And ho?u, and who, what means, and, &*c. These two
lines afford a notable example of Shakespeare's elliptical style ;
'they live there' being understood after "how," 'they are'
after " who," ' they have ' after " means," ' they frequent ' after
"company," and ' they live' after "expense."
3 Keep, 'Dwell,' 'reside.' See Note 13, Act iv., " Love's
Labour's Lost."
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Polonius. How now, Ophelia! what's the matter?
Gplielia. Alas ! my lord, I have been so affrighted !
Act If. Scene I.
What company, at what expense; and finding,
By this encompassment and drift of question,
That they do know my son, come you more
nearer
Than your particular demands will touch it : 4
Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of
him ;
As thus, " I know his father and his friends,
And in part him ;" — do you mark this, Reynaldo ?
Rey. Ay, very well, my lord.
Pol. "And in part him; — but," you may say,
" not well :
4. Will touch it. "It" here refers to the "enquiry of his
behaviour" previously mentioned.
5. Noted and most kno-,on to youth. In ordinary construction
this phrase would be written ' notedly most known to youth,' or
' noted to be most known to youth :' but by Shakespeare's ellip-
tical style it is thus succinctly worded, giving ' to be known' as
understood between " known " and " to youth."
But, if 't be he I mean, he's very wild;
Addicted so and so;" — and there put on him
What forgeries you please ; marry, none so rank
As may dishonour him ; take heed of that ;
But, sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips
As are companions noted and most known
To youth* and liberty.
Rey. As gaming, my lord.
Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing,6 swearing,
quarrelling,
Drabbing : — you may go so far.
Rey. My lord, that would dishonour him.
6. Fencing. This word, as here used, includes the liability
to squabbling and brawling to which over-zealous cultivation of
skill in the use of the weapon is likely to lead. In Gosson's
" Schole of Abuse," 1579. it is said : " The cunning of fencers
is now applied to quarrelling-: they think themselves no men.
if, for stirring of a straw, they prove not their valure uppon
some bodies fleshe."
2l6
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Pol. Faith, no ; as you may season it7 in the
charge.
You must not put another scandal on him,
That he is open to incontinency ;
That's not my meaning : but breathe his faults so
quaintly,8
That they may seem the taints of liberty ;
The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind ;
A savageness9 in unreclaimed blood,
Of general assault.10
Rey. But, my good lord,—
Pol. Wherefore should you do this ?
Rey. Ay, my lord,
I would know that.
Pol. Marry, sir, here's my drift ;
And, I believe, it is a fetch of warrant:11
You laying these slight sullies on my son,
As 'twere a thing a little soil'd i' the working,
Mark you,
Your party in converse, him you would sound,
Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes13
The youth you breathe of guilty, be assur'd
He closes13 with you in this consequence;
"Good sir," or so;14 or "friend," or "gentle-
man,"— •
According to the phrase, or the addition,15
Of man and country.
Rey. Very good, my lord.
Pol. And then, sir, does he this, — he does —
What was I about to say ? — By- the mass, 1 was
About to say something : — where did I leave ?
Rey. At "closes in the consequence,"
At "friend or so," and "gentleman."
Pol. At — closes in the consequence, — ay, marry;
He closes with you thus: — "I know the gentle-
man ;
I saw him yesterday, or t' other day,
Or then, or then ; with such, or such ; and, as you
say,
There was he gaming ; there o'ertook in 's rouse ;
There falling out at tennis :" or perchance,
" I saw him enter such a house of sale,"
Or so forth. — See you now ;
Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth :
7. As you may season it. Here "season" is used in nearly
the same sense as in the passage referred to in Note 95, Act i.,
(or ' temper,' ' modify.'
8. Quaintly. Here used for 'dexterously,' 'adroitly,' 'in-
geniously,' 'skilfully.' See Note 13, Act ii., "Two Gentlemen
of Verona."
9. Savageness. ' Wildness,' ' irregularity,' ' lawlessness.*
10. Of general assault. ' Which generally attacks youth,' or
1 to which youth is generally liable.'
n. A fetch of warrant. 'A warranted contrivance,' 'an
allowable trick or stratagem.'
12. Tlic ^renominate crimes. The crimes I have just named.'
13. Closes. ' Finally agrees with,' ' comes to the concluding
point of assent with.' See Note 127, Act ii., "Second Tart
Henry IV."
14. Or so. Here " so" is used for 'so forth,' 'such and such,'
' thus,' ' after this fashion.'
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlaces, and with assays of bias,
By indirections find directions out :
So, by my former lecture and advice,
Shall you my son. You have me, have you not ?
Rey. My lord, I have.
Pol. God b' wi' you ; fare you well.
Rey. Good my lord ! 16
Pol. Observe his inclination in yourself.1'
Rey. 1 shall, my lord.
Pol. And let him ply his music.18
Rey. Well, my lord.
Pol. Farewell ! [Exit Reynaldo.
Enter Ophelia.
How now, Ophelia ! what's the matter ?
Oph. Alas! my lord, I have been so affrighted !
Pol. With what, i' the name of Heaven ?
Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my chamber,
Lord Hamlet, — with his doublet all unbrae'd ;
No hat upon his head ; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved19 to his ancle ;
Pale as his shirt ; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors, — he comes before me.
Pol. Mad for thy love ?-"
Oph. My lord, I do not know ;
But, truly, I do fear it.
Pol. What said he ?
Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me
hard ;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm ;
And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
He falls to such perusal of my face
As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so ;
At last, — a little shaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down, —
He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound,
That it did seem to shatter all his bulk,21
And end his being : that done, he lets me go:
And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
15. Addition. 'Title.' See Note 109, Act i. of the present
play.
16. Good my lord I A phrase of courtesy used in leave-taking.
See Note 49, Act ii. , " Henry VIII."
17. ht yourself . An idiom equivalent to 'in your own per-
son,' ' by your own observation.'
18. Let him ply his music. A figurative expression, meaning
'let him go on to what tune he pleases,' 'let 'him conduct "himself
in any style, and at any rate he chooses.'
19. Down-gyved. Hanging loosely down, like the ring that
confines gyves or fetters round the ankle.
20. Mad for thy love ? Here is the first indication of the
"antic disposition" having been " put on," and ofitshaving
produced the idea of his being " mad," which Hamlet intended
to inspire. ,
?t. Hulk. 'Body,' 'personal frame;' especially the chest.'
See Note 87, Act i., " Richard III."
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ami, to the last, bended their light on me.
Pol. Come, go with me: I will go seek the king.
This is the very ecstacy of love ;
Whose violent property fordoes- itself
And leads the will to desperate undertakings,
As oft as any passion under heaven
That does afflict our natures. I am sorry, —
What! have you given him any hard words of late?
Ofilj. No, my good lord ; but, as you did com-
mand,
I did repel his letters, and denied
His access to me.
Pol. That hath made him mad.
I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted23 him : I fear'd he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my
jealousy !
It seems54 it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,
As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king :
This must be known ; which, being kept close,
might move
More grief to hide than hate to utter love.25
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— .4 Room in the Castle.
Enter King, Queen, Rosencrantz, Guilden-
stern, and Attendants.
King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Gtijl-
denstern !
Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need we have to use you did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation ; so I call it,
Since nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put
him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,
That, being of so young days brought up with him,
And since so neighbour'd to his youth and humour,
That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time : so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,
Act i.,
See Note
See Note 69,
32. Fordoes. 'Undoes,' 'destroys.'
" Second Part Henry IV."
23. Quoted. 'Noted,' ' observed,' ' remarked.
Act iv. , "Troilus and Cressida."
24. It seems. This is the reading of the Folio, while the
Quartos give ' By heaven.' See Note 92, Act i., " Romeo and
Juliet."
25. Might move more grief, cVc. ' Might occasion us more
mischief were we to hide it from the king, than hate from
Hamlet were we to speak of his love.'
26. Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus. This
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,25
That, open'd, lies within our remedy.
Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd
of you ;
And sure I am two men there are not living
To whom he more adheres. If it will ple;ise you
To show us so much gentry2? and good will
As to expend your time with us awhile,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.
Ros. Both your majesties
Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.
Guil. But we both obey,
And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,29
To lay our service freely at your feet,
To be commanded.
King. Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guil-
denstern.
Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Ro-
sencrantz :
And I beseech you instantly to visit
My too much changed son. — Go, some of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.
Guil. Heavens make our presence and our
practices
Pleasant and helpful to him !
Queen. Ay, Amen !
[Exeunt Rosencrantz, Guildenstern,
and some Attendants.
Enter Polonius.
Pol. The embassadors from Norway, my good
lord,
Are joyfully return'd.
King. Thou still hast been the father of good
news.
Pol. Have I, my lord ? Assure you, my good
liege,
I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,
Both to my God, and to my gracious king :
And I do think (or else this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy29 so sure
As it hath us'd to do) that I have found
The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.
line, so necessary to the complete sense of the passage, is
omitted in the Folio : affording another instance of the signal
benefit derived from the Quarto copies as guides to obtaining
the true text.
27. Gentry. Here used for 'gentility," gentleness," courtesy.'
28. The full dent. A phrase expressive of 'the full extent,'
' the full tension.' ' the utmost strain of exertion.' See Note 68,
Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
29. Hunts not t/w trait 0/ policy. Figuratively referring to
the chase of game by the track of its scent. See Note 18, Act
iv. , " Merry Wives."
Act 11. 1
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
King. Oh, speak of that ; that do I long to
hear.
Pol. Give first admittance to the embassadors;
My news shall be the fruit30 to that great feast.
King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring
them in. [Exit Polonius.
He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found
The head and source of all your son's distemper.
i^ueen. \ doubt it is no other but the main,31 —
His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage.
King. Well, we shall sift him.32
Re-enter Polonius, ivitb Voltimand and
Cornelius.
Welcome, my good friends!
Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway ?33
Volt. Most fair return of greetings and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies ; which to him appear' d
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack;34
But, better look'd into, he truly found
It was against your highness : whereat griev'd, —
That so his sickness, age, and impotence,
Was falsely borne in hand,35 — sends out arrests
On Fortinbras ; which he, in brief, obeys ;
Receive* rebuke from Norway ; and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle never more
To give the assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee ;36
And his commission to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack :
With an entreaty, herein farther shown,
[Gives a paper.
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprise,
On such regards of safety and allowance
As therein are set down.
King. It likes us well ;w
And at our more consider'd time we'll read,
Answer, and think upon this business.
30 The fruit. 'The dessert.'
31. No oilier hut the main. Elliptically expressed ; signifying
' no other than the main and obvious cause.'
32. Well, we shall si/t him. "Sift" is here used for 'try,'
'test,' 'search,' 'examine.' See Note 97, Act i.
33. What from our brot/ier Norway f "What" is here
elliptically employed for 'what news;' "our brother" means
' our brother king ; ' and " Norway '' is used as in the first and
second scene of this play, and as " Morocco " is in the passage
referred to in Note S6. Act ii., " Merchant of Venice" — the title
of the kingdom used for a royal name.
34. The Polack. ' The Polanders,' ' the Polish people.' See
Note 16, Act i.
35. Borne in hand. 'Deluded,' 'beguiled by false pretexts
and appearances.' See Note 20 Act iii., " Macbeth "
36. Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee. ' Gives
him a feud (or " fee ") in land to the value of three thousand
crowns a year.'
37. 1 't likes us well. ' Jt pleases us well.' See Note 75, Act
[i , " King John."
Meantime we thank you for your well-took labour :
Go to your rest : at night we'll feast together :
Most welcome home !
[Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius.
Pol. This business is well ended. —
My liege, and madam, — to expostulate 3a
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,39
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: — your noble son is mad :
Mad call I it ; for, to define true madness,
What is 't, but to be nothing else but mad ?
But let that go.
£>ueen. More matter, with less art.
Pol. Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true : 'tis true 'tis pity ;
And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure ;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him, then : and now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,—
Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause :
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus.
Perpend.
I have a daughter, — have, while she is mine, —
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this : now gather, and surmise.
[Reads.
To the celestial, and my soul's idol, the most beautified40
Ophelia,
That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase, — " beautified "
is a vile phrase ; but vou shall hear. Thus :
[Reads.
In her excellent white bosom, these,41 &c. —
£>ueen. Came this from Hamlet to her?
Pol. Good madam, stay awhile ; I will be faith-
ful. [Reads.
Doubt thou the stars are fire i43
Doubt that the sun doth move ;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
38. Expostulate. From the Latin, exfiostttlare, * to argue
the case,' * to discuss,' ' to inquire into.'
39. Wit. Here used for 'wisdom.' though it includes the
sense in which it is ordinarily used. The word signifies intelli"
gcniial acuteness generally, in grave and serious matters as well
as in humorous points.
40. Beautified. An expression used by Shakespeare, in
" Two Gentlemen of Verona," Act iv., sc. i, to signify ' made
comely,' 'graced,' 'embellished;' and here meaning 'adorned
by many lovely gifts of nature.' The word was employed in
various dedications and eulogistic addresses by writers of his
time. Polonius, taking it for an affected form of ' beautiful,'
calls it " a vile phrase."
41. In tier excellent ivhite bosom, tJtese. See Note 18, Act iii.,
"Two Gentlemen of Verona."
42. Doubt thou, &>c. Here, In the first three lines, the word
"doubt" is used in the sense of 'hnve a misgiving,' 'have a
dread or half-belief;' and in the fourth line, in the sense of
' disbelieve."
396
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Oh, dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers I*3 I have not
art to reckon my groans : but that I love thee best, oh, most
best, believe it. Adieu.
Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst this
machine is to him, Hamlet.
This, in obedience, hath my daughter shown me:
And more above, hath his solicitings,
As they fell out by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.
King. But how hath she
Receiv'd his love ?
Pol. What do you think of me ?
King. As of a man faithful and honourable.
Pol. I would fain prove so. But what might
you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing
(As I perceiv'd it, I must tell you that,
Before my daughter told me), — what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think,
If I had play'd the desk or table-book ;44
Or given my heart a winking, mute and dumb ;45
Or look'd upon this love with idle sight ;46 —
What might you think f No, I went round to
work,4'
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak :
"Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of thy star;48
This must not be:" and then I precepts gave
her,
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice ;
And he, repulsed (a short tale to make),
Fell into a sadness ; then into a fast ;
Thence to a watch ;49 thence into a weakness ;
Thence to a lightness ; and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,60
And all we wail for.
43. / am ill at these numbers. ' I am unskilful at these
attempts in verse.' See Note 98, Act ii., " Twelfth Night."
44. If I had play' d tlu desk or table-book. 'If I had locked
up this letter and the secret of their love as closely as if I had
been a desk or a pocket-book.'
45. Given my heart a winking, mute and dumb. ' Given my
heart a tacit hint to be silent about their passion.' The pleo-
nastic expression " mute and dumb " is used again by Shake-
speare in the :6tst stanza of his " Lucrece ;" and we have
explained the principle upon which these redundancies in epithet
were formerly used. See Note 29, Act v., "All's Well."
46. Or look'd upon this love with idle sight. ' Or beheld this
love with an unobservant eye.'
47. Round to work. "Round" is here used for 'roundly,'
in the sense of ' frankly,' ' bluntly,' 'free-spokenly,' ' straight-
forwardly.'
48. Out of thy star. " Star " is here used in the sense of
' sphere,' ' rank of life,' ' appointed destiny or course of fortune.'
See Note 106, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
49. Then into a fast ; thence to a wateh. 'Then into loss of
appetite, thence into wakefulness or loss of sleep. '
50. Tile madness wherein noiv he raves. It appears to us
that Shakespeare intended Hamlet should be deeply moved by
Ophelia's unexplained repulse of him, coming immediately upon
the shock he receives from the ghost's revelation ; and that he
seizes upon the one as affording apparent cause for his disturbance
of mind arising out of the other, and as giving plausible and
King.
Do you think 'tis this f
It may be, very likely.
Pol. Hath there been such a time (I'd fain
know that),
That I have positively said, "'Tis so,"
When it prov'd otherwise ?
King. Not that I know.
Pol. [Pointing to bis bead and shoulder.'] Take
this from this, if this be otherwise :
If circumstances lead me, I wilt find
Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.
King. How may we try it farther ?
Pol. You know, sometimes he walks four hours
together51
Here in the lobby.
i^ueen. So he does, indeed.
Pol. At such a time I'll loose my daughter to
him :
Be you and I behind an arras52 then ;
Mark the encounter : if he love her not,
And be not from his reason fall'n thereon,
Let me be no assistant for a state,
But keep a farm and carters.53
King. We will try it.
Queen. But, look, where sadly the poor wretch 54
comes reading.
Pol. Away, I do beseech you, both away :
I'll board50 him presently : — Oh, give me leave.
[Exeunt King, Queen, and Attendants.
Enter Hamlet, reading.
How does my good Lord Hamlet ?
Ham. Well, God-a-mercy.
Pol. Do you know me, my lord ?
Ham. Excellent well ; you are a fishmonger.56
ostensible ground for the madness which he assumes and by
which he wishes to be believed to have been seized. Polonius's
.deduction and his report to the king and queen of that and
Hamlet's condition are precisely what the prince desired should
successively accrue from his own behaviour. This all appears
to us to be in favour of our opinion with regard to Hamlet's
feigned insanity. See Note 155, Act i.
51. Walks four hours together. "Four" here is used as it
sometimes was in Shakespeare's time, to express an indefinite
number. See Note 81, Act i., " Coriolanus."
52. Behind an amis. See Note 27, Act iii., " Merry Wives."
53. Keep a farm and carters. The Duke of Bourbon (see
passage referred to in Note 73, Act iii., " Henry V.") uses a
similar figure of speech in alternative.
54. Tlte poor wretch. See Note 52, Act i., " Romeo and
Juliet."
55. Board. ' Accost,' 'address.'
56. You are a fishmonger. ' You are a dealer in fished-out
things.' In allusion to Polonius's being the agent for trying to
find out the origin of the speaker's madness. Hamlet evidently
suspects that there is a scheme for discovering his secret, and
feels himself to be surrounded by spies ; he therefore promotes
their belief in his insanity by his incoherent mode of talking,
while he baffles their endeavours to ascertain its cause. It
appears to us that Hamlet's course of conduct is far too much
systematised to be that of one whose mind is really deranged ;
madmen are shrewd and cunning, but they are not systematic
Act II.}
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Pol. Not I, my lord.
Ham. Then I would you were so honest a man.
Pol. Honest, my lord !
Ham. Ay, sir ; to be honest, as this world goes,
is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.
Pol. That's very true, my lord.
Ham. For if the sun breed maggots in a dead
dog, being a god kissing carrion,5'' — Have you a
daughter ?
Pol. I have, my lord.
Ham. Let her not walk i' the sun : conception
is a blessing; but not as your daughter may con-
ceive : — friend, look to't.
Pol. How say you by that ? — [Aside.] Still harp-
ing on my daughter : — yet he knew me not at first;
he said I was a fishmonger : he is far gone, far
gone : and truly in my youth I suffered much
extremity for love; very near this. I'll speak to
him again. — What do you read, my lord p
Ham. Words, words, words.
Pol. What is the matter, my lord ?
Ham. Between whom ?
Pol. I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.
Ham. Slanders, sir : for the satirical rogue says
here, that old men have grey beards ; that their
faces are wrinkled ; their eyes purging thick amber
and plum-tree gum ; and that they have a plentiful
lack of wit, together with most weak hams: all
which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently
believe, yet I hold it not honesty58 to have it thus
set down ; for you yourself, sir, should be old as I
am, if, like a crab, you could go backward.
Pol. [Aside.] Though this be madness, yet there
is method in 't. — Will you walk out of the air, my
lord ?
Ham. Into my grave ?
Pol. Indeed, that is out o' the air. — [Aside.]
How pregnant sometimes his replies are ! a hap-
piness that often madness hits on,59 which reason
and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered
57. A god kissing carrion. The old copies print ' good '
instead of " god ;" a correction first suggested by Warburton.
The expression " common-kissing Titan," in " Cymbeline," Act
iii., sc. 4, and the phrase, " Didst thou never see Titan kiss a
dish of butter?" (see Note 85, Act ii., " First Part Henty IV."),
seem to us to show that the idea of a pod kissiti^ (the influence
of the sun-divinity) was here in the poet's mind : and, more-
over, we have seen in Note 75, Act i., "Troilus and Cressida,"
and Note 71, Act iv., " Coriolanus," instances where 'good'
and "god" have been mistakenly printed. The word "for,"
at the commencement of the sentence, seems to us to be intro-
duced by Hamlet for the purpose of linking on a disconnected
and irrelevant phrase in a manner that shall favour the supposi-
tion of his being insane.
58. Honesty. Here used as if in one of the senses in which
the French use their honneteti. 'politeness,' 'civility,' 'deco-
rum ;' but, in fact, with the included English and ordinary
meaning of ' truth,' ' candour ;' so that witty doubled significa-
tion is given by its employment here.
5g. A happiness that often mildness hits on. Polonius, like
the great medical proficients in cases of insanity who have
of. I will leave him, and suddenly contrive the-
means of meeting between him and my daughter. —
My honourable lord, I will most humbly take my
leave of you.
Ham. You cannot, sir, take from me anything
that I will more willingly part withal, — except my
life, except my life, except my life.60
Pol. Fare you well, my lord.
Ham. These tedious old fools !
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Pol. You go to seek the Lord Hamlet ; there
he is.
Ros. [To Polonius.] God save you, sir !
[Exit Polonius,
Guil. Mine honoured lord!
Ros. My most dear lord !
Ham. My excellent good friends! How dost
thou, Guildenstern ? Ah, Rosencrantz ! Good
lads, how do ye both p
Ros. As the indifferent61 children of the earth.
Guil. Happy, in that we are not over-happy ;
On fortune's cap we are not the very button.
Ham. Nor the soles of her shoe ?
Ros. Neither, my lord.
Ham. Then you live about her waist, or in the
middle of her favours P — What news ?
Ros. None, my lord, but that the world's grown
honest.
Ham. Then is doomsday near : but your news
is not true. Let me question more in particular:
what have you, my good friends, deserved at the
hands of fortune, that she sends you to prison
hither p
Guil. Prison, my lord !
Ham. Denmark's a prison.
Ros. Then is the world one.
Ham. A goodly one ; in which there are many
confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one
of the worst.
written tipon the subject of Hamlet's madness, squares all that
drops from the prince's mouth according to his own precon-
ceived conviction that Hamlet is really deranged : and, in truth,
Shakespeare has depicted this character's assumption of madness
with so remarkable a knowledge of all the indications attendant
upon that fatal malady, that it has occasioned the difficulties of
deciding whether Hamlet's brain be diseased or not, which have
led to so much and such able discussion. Highest homage is
indeed paid by it to the writer whose subtlety of delineation and
accurate knowledge have given rise to the debate.
60. Except my life, except my life, except my life. The
Folio has only ' Except my life, my life ;' while the Quarto
reading, in its expressive iteration, gives precisely the effect of
sentential repetition so often noticed in mad speakers, and which
Hamlet purposely uses (as just before, " Words, words, words "),
besides being profoundly pathetic and characteristic in convey-
ing that impression of utter life-weariness which besets Hamlet
throughout
6r. Indifferent. Here used to express ' moderately favoured,'
'tolerably well oft,' 'averagely well treated,' 'impartially
treated.' See Note 61, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
398
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ros. We think not so, my lord.
Ham. Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is
nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it
so : to ine it is a prison.
Ros. Why, then, your ambition makes it one ;
'tis too narrow for your mind.
Ham. O God ! I could be bounded in a nut-
shell, and count myself a king of infinite space,
were it not that I have bad dreams.
Gull. Which dreams, indeed, are ambition ; for
the very substance of the ambitious is merely the
shadow of a dream.
Ham. A dream itself is but a shadow.
Ros. Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy
and light a quality, that it is but a shadow's
shadow.
Ham. Then are our beggars bodies, and our
monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars'
shadows. Shall we to the court ? for, by my fay,62
I cannot reason.
Ros., Guil. We'll wait upon you.
Ham. No such matter : I will not sort you with
the rest of my servants; for, to speak to you like
an honest man, I am most dreadfully attended.
But, in the beaten way of friendship, what make
you at Elsinore ?
Ros. To visit you, my lord ; no other occasion.
Ham. Beggar that I am, I am even poor in
thanks; but I thank you : and sure, dear friends,
my thanks are too dear a halfpenny.63 Were you
not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a
free visitation ? Come, deal justly with me : come,
come ; nay, speak.
Guil. What should we say, my lord ?
Ham. Why, anything — but to the purpose.64
You were sent for ; and there is a kind of con-
fession in your looks, which your modesties have
not craft enough to colour : I know the good king
and queen have sent for you.
Ros. To what end, my lord ?
Ham. That you must teach me. But let me
conjure you, by the rights of our fellowship, by the
consonancy of our youth, by the obligation of our
ever-preserved love, and by what more dear a
62. By my fay. "Fay" is a familiar corruption of 'faith.'
See Note 105. Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
63. My thanks are top dear a halfpenny. This phrase seems
to be idiomatic, and similar in construction to the one referred
to in Note 35, Act ii., "As You Like It"— "It is too late
a week :" while " halfpenny " we take to be here used much as
"penny" is in the passages referred to in Note 12, Act i.,
" Merry Wives," and Note 7, Act iii., " Love's Labour's Lost "
— the one signifying something like 'penny-worth,' the other
giving somewhat the sense of 'halfpenny-worth.'
64. Why. anything — bnt to the purpose. " But " here signi-
fies ' only let it be ;' while it includes the effect of ' except,'
and therefore conveys the covert sarcasm felt by Hamlet.
65. / have an eye of yon. ' I have a glimpse of your purpose ;*
but the word "of" being sometimes used for 'on,' allows the
phrase to comprise the meaning of ' I will keep an eye upon you.'
better proposer could charge you withal, be even
and direct with me, whether you were sent for, or
no?
Ros. [Aside to Guildenstern.] What say you ?
Ham. [Aside.] Nay, then, I have an eye of
you.63 — If you love me, hold not off.
Guil. My lord, we were sent for.
Ham. I will tell you why ; so shall my anticipa-
tion prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to
the king and queen moult no feather. I have of
late (but wherefore I know not) lost all my mirth,
forgone all custom of exercises ; and, indeed, it
goes so heavily with my disposition, that this goodly
frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory ;
tliis most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this
brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof
fretted with golden fire, — why, it appears no other
thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation
of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! how
noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty ! in form
and moving how express and admirable ! in action
how like an angel ! in apprehension how like a
god ! the beauty of the world ! the paragon of
animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintes-
sence of dust? man delights not me; no, nor
woman neither, though by your smiling you seem
to say so.
Ros. My lord, there was no such stuff in my
thoughts.
Ham. Why did you laugh, then, when I said,
man delights not me ?
Ros. To think, my lord, if you delight not in
man, what lenten entertainment66 the players shall
receive from you: we coted67 them on the way;
and hither are they coming, to offer you service.
Ham. He that plays the king shall be welcome,
— his majesty shall have tribute of me ; the
adventurous knight shall use his foil and target ;
the lover shall not sigh gratis; the humorous man
shall end his part in peace; the clown shall make
those laugh whose lungs are tickled o' the sere ;6i
and the lady shall say her mind freely, or the blank
verse shall halt for 't. — What players are they ?
Ros. Even those you were wont to take delight
in, the tragedians of the city.
66. Lenten entertainment. " Lenten " is here used for
'sparing,' 'stinted,' 'meagre;' like the fare in Lent. See
Note 61, Act i., " Twelfth Night." Moreover, actors were pro-
hibited from playing during the season of Lent.
67. Coted. ' Passed beside,' ' passed by,' ' overtook ;' from
the French, cote. ' side.'
68. Shall make tlwsc laugh whose lungs are tickled o' the
sere. This phrase seems to mean ' shall make even those laugh
whose lungs are troubled with dryness' see Note 17, Act iv.,
"Comedy of Errors"}; but there is a passage in Howard's
" Defensative against the Poyson of Supposed Prophecies "
(1620I — " Discovering the moods and humours of the vulgar sort
to be so loose and tickle of t lie scare1' — which gives reason to
suppose that the expression may have been an idiom signifying
' so easily excited to mirth.'
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ham. How chances it they travel r0J their resi-
dence, both in reputation and profit, was better
both ways.
Ros. I think their inhibition comes by the
means or' the late innovation. 70
Ham, Do they hold the same estimation they
did when I was in the city ? are they so followed ?
Ros. No, indeed, they are not.
Ham. How comes it ? do they grow rusty ?
Ros. Nay, their endeavour keeps in the wonted
pace: but there is, sir, an aiery'1 of children, little
eyases,'2 that cry out on the top or" question/3 and
are most tyranically clapped ror't: these are now
the fashion ; and so berattle the common stages (so
they call them), that many wearing rapiers are
afraid of goose-quills, and dare scarce come thither.
Ham. What! are they children ? who maintains
them? how are they escoted r74 Will they pursue tht
quality'5 no longer than they can sing?** will they
not say afterwards, if they should grow themselves
to common players77 (as it is most like, if their
means are no better), their writers do them wrong,
to make them exclaim against their own succession ?
69. Hozv chances it they travel? ' How happens it that they
have become strolling players?' In Shakespeare's time, to
" travel " was the technical expression for players who went
about the country giving performances at various places.
70. Titeir inhibition comes by the means of the late innova-
tion. 'Their repression is owing to this recent fashion for
children's performances.' In Shakespeare's time there were
companies of juvenile players that came into vogue, and were
called " children of the revels," " the children of St. Paul's," &c. ;
and these probably interfered somewhat with the popularity of
the troops of grown-up actors. They may have had some
influence also in producing an order, issued by the Privy
Council during the year 1600, laying severe restrictions upon
stage performances, and limiting the number of playhouses to
two within the city ; since the present passage seems to infer
some allusion of the kind.
71. An aiery. 'Abrood.' See Note 77, Act i., " Richard III."
72. Eyases. 'Nestlings,' 'fledgelings.' See Note 17, Act
iii., "Merry Wives."
73. Cry out on the top of question. This seems to have been
an idiom for ' challenge applause beyond appeal ;' for in Armin's
" Nest of Ninnies," fencers and players at single-stick are men-
tioned as being made " expert till they cry it up in the top of \
question ;" but we think that Shakespeare here includes the sense
of 'pipe out their parts at the top of their shrill infantine voices.*
74- Escoted. ' Paid / from the old French, escot, ' shot,' ;
'reckoning.'
75. Quality. 'Profession,' ' calling,' ' avocation.' See Note
12, Act ii., "Measure for Measure."
76. No longer than they can sing.
preserve their boyish voices unbroken.'
77. Common players. Here the term "common," as just
previously in the phrase " common stages," is technically used,
as it was in Shakespeare's time, to express what we now call
* strolling.' This is evidenced by the following passage from
Stephens's " Essayes and Characters" (1615) : — "I prefix an
epithite of common, to distinguish the base and artlessc
appendants of our Citty companies, which often times start
away into rusticall wanderers, and then (like Proteus) start
backe again into the City number."
78. Tarre. 'Urge,' 'incite.' See Note 14, Act iv., "King
John."
79. Hercules and his load too. * The world-bearer as well as
' No longer than they
Ros. Faith, there lias been much to do on both
sides; and the nation holds it no sin to tarre W
them to controversy : there was, for a while, no
money bid for argument, unless the poet and the
player went to curls in the question.
Ham. Is it possible ?
Guil. Oh, there has been much throwing about
of brains.
Ham, Do the boys carry it away ?
Ros. Ay, that they do, my lord; Hercules and
his load too.7u
Ham. It is not strange; for my uncle is king
of Denmark,31* ami those that would make mows5*1
at him while my father lived, give twenty, forty,
fifty, a hundred ducats apiece for his picture in
little.82 'Sblood, there is something in this more
than natural, ir philosophy could find it out.
[Flourish of trumpets ivitbin,
Gutl. There are the players.83
Ham. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore.
Your hands, come : the appurtenance of welcome
is fashion and ceremony : let me comply with you
in this garb ;84 lest my extent to the players, which,
the world.' Probably in allusion to the Globe Theatre, the
sign of which was Hercules carrying the globe. It is interesting
to see these vestiges of Shakespeare himself, with his partisan-
ship for his brother actors and their troop, in certain passages of
his plays. We gain a glimpse of his fellowly feeling, his pro-
fessional sympathies, his artistic anxieties ; and withal we
gather, through all, fresh proofs of his sweet temper and large
tolerance, playfully treating even subjects of avocational rivalry.
80. It is not strange ; for my uncle is, &*c. Here "for" is
thrown in, with the same intention of giving the effect of insane
irrelevance, while using the form of connected phraseology,
which we noticed in Note 57 of this Act.
81. Make mows. 'Make mouths,' 'make faces,' 'make
erimaces.' Ariel ("Tempest," Act iv., sc. ij tricksily says or
sings —
" Each one, tripping on his toe.
Will be here with mop and mow."
82. In little. ' In miniature.' See Note 33, Act iii., "As
You Like It." Beneath his assumed incoherency, Hamlet has
an underlying vein of satirical association ; since there is to be
traced in this speech the meaning of ' It is not strange that the
children performers should obtain popular favour rather than
the adult players who formerly pleased ; for now that my uncle
15 the reigning king, those that put up their lip contemptuously
at him while my father lived, are willing to give large sums for
a small semblance of him.*
83. There are the players. This is said in consequence of
the flourish of trumpets with which it was customary to announce
the approach of a company of actors. See Note 21, sc. 1,
Induction to " Taming of the Shrew."
84. Let me comply with you in this garb. ' Let me be com-
plaisant with you in this fashion.' " Comply," as Shakespeare
uses it in this play (see Note 88, Act v.}, besides meaning 'to
bend to,' ' to defer to,' ' to be courteous, obsequious, or com-
plaisant to,' as derived from the French complaire, and compiler
{plier, 'to bend,' being still a word used in the French lun-im^1,
also comprises the significati&n that it bore in his time of
'enfold,' 'embrace,' 'caress.' Herrick thus employs it in the
two following passages : —
" Witty Ovid, by
Whom fair Corinna sits, and doth comply.
With iv'ry wrists, his laureat head, and steeps
His eye in dew of kisses, while he sleeps ;"
217
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
I tell you, must show fairly outward, should more
appear like entertainment than yours. You are
welcome : but my uncle-father and aunt-mother
are deceived.
Gull. In what, my dear lord?
Ham. I am but mad north-north-west: when the
wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.86
Enter Polonius.
Pol. Well be with you, gentlemen !
Ham. Hark you, Guildenstern ; — and you too ; —
at each ear a hearer : that great baby you see there
is not yet out of his swathing-clouts.
Ros. Haply he's the second time come to them ,
for they say an old man is twice a child.
Ham. I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the
players; mark it. — You say right, sir: o' Monday
morning ; 'twas so, indeed.
Pol. My lord, I have news to tell you.
Ham. My lord, I have news to tell you. When
Roscius was an actor in Rome,86 — •
Pol. The actors are come hither, my lord.
Ham. Buz, buz !87
Pol. Upon mine honour, —
Ham, Then came each actor on his ass, —
Pol. The best actors in the world, either for
tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comi-
cal, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-
and —
" A rug of carded wool
Which, sponge-like, drinking in the dull
Light of the moon, seem'd to comJ>lyt
Clouddike, the dainty deity."
85. / kncnu a hawk from a handsaw. An old proverbial
saying; "handsaw" being a corruption of 'hernshaw' (spelt
also 'hernsew' and 'heronshaw'), which was used in Shake-
speare's time for a 'heron,' although, strictly speaking, it
signifies a heronry, or place where herons are kept. Spenser
employs the word for a ' heron ' where he says—
"As when a cast of falcons make their flight
At a hernshaw, that lies aloft on wing," &c.
See Note 22, Act ii., "Taming of the Shrew." In the ex-
pression, " when the wind is southerly," there may be involved
a reference thus ingeniously suggested and explained by a
correspondent to the Athetueum, Dec. 30th, 1865: — "Among
the ancient Egyptians the hawk signified the Etesian, or
northerly wind (which, in the beginning of summer, drives the
vapour towards the south, and which, covering Ethiopia with
dense clouds, there resolves them into rains, causing the Nile
toswcllj, because that bird follows the direction of that wind
(Job xxxix. 26). The heron, or hern, or hernshaw, signified
the southerly wind, because it takes its flight from Ethiopia into
Higher Egypt, following the course of the Nile as it retires
within its banks, and living on the small worms hatched in the
mud of the river. Hence the heads of these two birds may be
seen surmounting the canopi used by ihe ancient Egyptians to
indicate the rising and falling of the Nile respectively. Now
Hamlet, though feigning madne'ss, yet claims sufficient sanity
to distinguish a hawk from a hernshaw when the wind is
southerly — that is, in the time of the migration of the latter to
the north, and when the former is not to be seen. Shakespeare
may have become acquainted with the habits of these migrating
birds of Egypt through a translation of ' Plutarch,' who gives
a particular account of them, published in the middle of the
comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or
poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor
Plautus too light.88 For the law of writ and the
liberty,89 these are the only men.
Ham. O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a
treasure hadst thou !
Pol. What a treasure had he, my lord?
Ham. Why,
One fair daughter, and no more,90
The which he loved passing well.
Pol. [Aside.] Still on my daughter.
Ham, Am I not i' the right, old Jephthah ?
Pol. If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a
daughter that I love passing well. .
Ham. Nay, that follows not.
Pol. What follows, then, my lord ?
Ham. Why,
As by lot, God wot,
and then, you know,
It came to pass, as most like it was,—
the first row of the .pious chanson91 will show you
more ; for look, where my abridgment92 comes.
Enter four or five Players.
You are welcome, masters ; welcome, all : — I am
glad to see thee well: — welcome, good friends. —
Oh, my old friend ! Thy face is valanced93 since I
sixteenth century, by Thomas North," To our thinking, such
an occult allusion would be most characteristic in a scholarly
man like Hamlet, while the superficial effect is given of his
saying, in the manner of an insane person, that he is more mad
when the wind is in one quarter than when in another.
86. When Roscius was an actor hi Rome. See Note 51, Act
ii., "Julius Caesar."
87. Buz, buz I An exclamation used when any one began to
relate that which was already known.
88. Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus, &c. In Shake-
speare's day, as in our own, it was the custom among the
students at the universities to enact Latin plays.
89. For the law of writ and the liberty. ' For the delivery
of such plays as are legitimately written, and for those where
the actor is at liberty to substitute his own words.' There were
formerly extemporal dramas, in imitation of the Italian commedie
al improviso, where the performers had to invent the dialogue
for themselves.
90. One fair daughter, cVr. The scraps here quoted by Ham-
let are from an old ballad, entitled "Jephtha, Judge of Israel ;"
of whicli there is a copy preserved in Percy's " Reliques," and
another, a more correct version, in Evans's "Old Ballads" (1810).
91. The first row of the pious ohanson, " The first row"
means the first column ; old ballads being frequently printed in
double column form. The first Folio prints 'pons' for "pious,"
which is the word in all the earlier Quartos. " Pious chansons "
(French, chanson, 'song') were a kind of Christmas carols,
containing some portion of Scripture history rudely versified,
and chanted by those who went about from door to door, at
church festival seasons, collecting alms.
92. Abridgment. 'A brief performance' (see Note 9, Act v.,
"Midsummer Night's Dream"); 'entertainment,' 'pastime.'
Hamlet uses the word " abridgment " in this latter sense, also
including a play upon it, to signify ' that which abridges or cuts
short my talk.*
93. Valanced. ' Fringed with a beard.' This is the reading
of the Quartos, while the Folio prints, ' valiant.'
402
Act II.]
HAMLET.
t Lc
[Scene II.
saw thee last; comest t..ou to beard me in Den-
mark?— What! my young lady and mistress! By'r
lady, your ladyship is nearer heaven, than when I
saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine.94 Pray
Heaven, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold,
be not cracked within the ring.95 — Masters, you
are all welcome. We'll e'en to 't like French
falconers, fly at anything we see : we'll have a
speech straight : come, give us a taste of your
quality ;96 come, a passionate speech.
First Play. What speech, my lord ?
Ham. I heard thee speak ine a speech once, —
but it was never acted ; or, if it was, not above
once ; for the play, I remember, pleased not the
million ; 'twas caviare to the general:97 but it was
(as I received it, and others, whose judgments in
such matters cried in the top of mine)98 an ex-
cellent play, well digested in the scenes, set down
with as much modesty as cunning. I remember,
one said there were no sallets99 in thelinesto make
the matter savoury, nor no matter in the phrase
that might indict the author of affectation ; but
called it an honest method, as wholesome as sweet,
and by very much more handsome than fine.10c
One speech in it I chiefly loved : 'twas Eneas'
tale to Dido; and thereabout of it especially, where
he speaks of Priam's slaughter: if it live in your
memory, begin at this line ;— let me see, let me
see ; —
The rugged Pyrrhus, like the Hyrcanian beast,
— 'tis not so : — it begins with Pyrrhus : —
The rugged Pyrrhus,— he, whose sable arms.
Black as his purpose, did the night resemble
When he lay couched in the ominous horse, —
Hath now this dread and black complexion smear'd
With heraldry more dismal ; head to foot
Now is he total gules ; horridly trick'd101
94. A cltopine. A high shoe, or clog, formerly worn by
Spanish and Italian ladies, and adopted at one time, as a
fashion, by the English. Coryat, in his "Crudities" (1611),
mentions them under the name of " chapineys," and says they
are worn by the Venetians " of a great height — even half a yard
high." The word " chopine " also includes appropriate allusion
to the classic cothurnus, which, in Ainsworth's "Latin Dic-
tionary" (1761), is thus rendered into English : "A sort of shoe,
coming over the calf of the leg, and worn by actors of tragedies,
with a high heel to it, that t/ny may seem the taller. Also, a
choppen, or chippcn ; a high-soled shoe." It was the custom
in Shakespeare's time for boys to play the women characters
('see Note 3, Epilogue to "As You Like It") ; and Hamlet
is addressing the growing- youth who enacts the stage heroines.
95. Cracked -within tlie ring: The old gold piece was thin,
and liable to crack. There was a ring or circle on it, within
which the sovereign's head or other device was placed, and if the
crack extended beyond this ring it was rendered " uncurrent."
Hamlet applies the phrase punningly to the lad's voice, hoping
it may not be ' cracked in the ring of its tone,' by his having so
much grown since last he saw him, that he has reached the age
when the boyish treble voice changes to the manly tenor or
bass, and renders him unfit longer to play the lady characters.
96. Your quality. Here used for 'your theatrical powers,'
' your professional ability ' See Note 75 of this Act.
97. Caviare to the general. "Caviare" is a condiment
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
liak'd and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrannous and cursed li_;ht
To their vile murdirs : roasted in wrath and fire
And thus o'er-sized with coagulate gore
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Uid graudsire Priam seeks. —
So proceed you.
Pol. 'Fore Heaven, my lord, well spoken, with
good accent and good discretion.
First Play. Anon he find_ him
Striking too short at Greeks ; his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command : unequal match'd,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide ;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base ; and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for, lo ! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick :
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood ;
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
But, as we often see, against some storm,
A silence in the heavens, the rack loa stand still,
The bold winds speechless, and the orb below
As hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region ; so, after Pyrrhus' pause,
Aroused vengeance sets him new a-work ;
And never did the"Cyclops' hammers fall
On Mars's armour, forg'd for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus' bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam. —
Out, out, thou giglot, Fortune ! All you gods,
In general synod, take away her power ;
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven.
As low as to the fiends !
Pol. This is too long.
Ham. It shall to the barber's, with your beard.
— Pr'ythee, say on: — he's for a jig,103 or a tale of
ribaldry, or he sleeps : — say on ; — come to Hecuba.
made of preserved roes of various fish, chiefly of sturgeon ; and
being of strong and peculiar flavour, is not generally popular,
though much approved by epicures. Ben Jonson, in his
"Cynthia's Revels," speaks of a fellow who "doth learn to
make strange sauces, to eat anchovies, maccaroni, Bo vol i,
Fagioli, and Caviare, because he loves 'em ;" as if it were an
acquired taste, and one proper for a fashionable exquisite to
affect. "The general" is used in the present passage to
express 'the ordinary run of people,' 'the multitude.' See
Note 4, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
98, Cried tit the tp of mine, 'Were of higher authority
than mine,' 'were more beyond appeal than mine.' See Note
73 of this Act.
99. Sallets. 'Pungent sentences,' 'piquant ph.ases;' whit
in modern slang might be called 'spicy bits;' phrases seasoned
with salt or ribald meanings.
ico. One said by very much more handsome than
fine. In the present passage Shakespeare, to our thinking, is.
in his own subtle vein of quiet humour, satirising the foppery of
give-and-take criticism.
101. Gules; fwrridly tricked. "Gules" and " trurk'd " are
bith heraldic terms; the former signifying 'red,' the latter
' blazoned.*
102. T lie rack. 'The train of thin vaporous cloud in upper
air.' See Note 19, Act iv., "Tempest."
io3- 7*g- This, though now meaning a dance, originally
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Hamlet. Dost thou heir me, old friend ; can you play the Murder of Gonzago?
First Flayer. Ay, my lord. Act II. Scene II.
First Play.
But who, oh, who had seen the mobled queen—
Ham. " The mobled1"4 queen ?"
Pol, That's good ; "mobled queen " is good.
First Play.
Run barefoot up and down, threatening the flames
With bissoc los rheum ; a clout upon that head
Where late the diadem stood ; and for a robe.
About her lank and all o'er-teemed loins,
A blanket, in the alarm of fear caught up ; —
Who this had seen, with tongue in venom steep'd,
'Gainst Fortune's state would treason have pronounc'd :
But if the gods themselves did see her then l06
meant a ballad or ditty sung to the violin : giga being the
Italian word fur a fiddle. These old "jigs" were often in the
form of farcical dialogues : and the term was used to express a
brief comic interlude. They were frequently broad and coarse
in character.
104. Mobled. A form of 'muffled.' 'A mob cap' was, until
a very late period, the name for a careless kind of morning
head-dress; and to 'mah' or to 'mob' was a North country
term for ' to dress carelessly.'
When she saw Pyrrhus make malicious sport
In mincing with his sword her husband's limbs.
The instant burst of clamour that she made
(Unless things mortal move them not at all),
Would have made milch 10' the burning eyes of heaven,
And passion1113 in the gods.
PoL Look, whether he has not turned his colour,
and has tears in 's eyes.— -Pray you, no more.
Ham. 'Tis well ; I'll have thee speak out the
rest soon.— Good my lord, will you see the players
well bestowed ? Do you hear, let them be well
u^ed; for they are the abstracts and brief chronicles
105. Bissau. 'Blind.1 See Note 8, Act ii., " Coriolaniis."
" Bisson rheum " is here used for 'blinding tears.' See Note 5.
Act in. , " King John."
106. If ike gods themselves did see her then. " Did see " is
here used for had seen/ Shakespeare has elsewhere these
licences of tenses in verbs. See Note 61, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
107. Milch. 'Capable of yielding moisture.*
108. Passion. 'Emotion,' 'feeling.' See Note 22, Act i.,
" Julius Caesar."
iftiiiiiiifffi'i'iiiniii1
\\WUV I
nriiirii'i m1 ■:■!'■ 1 1- us
A'/>;£. And can you, by no drift of circumstance,
Get from him why he puts on this confusion ?
Act III. Scene I.
Act II.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
of the time : after your death you were better have
a bad epitaph than their ill report while you live.
Pol. My lord, I will use them according to
their desert.
Ham. Bodykins, man, much better : use every
man after his desert, and who should 'scape whip-
ping? Use them after your own honour and
dignity: the less they deserve, the more merit is
in your bounty. Take them in.
Pol. Come, sirs.
Ham. Follow him, friends : we'll hear a play
to-morrow.
[Exit Polonius -with all the Players
except the First.
Dost thou hear ma, old friend ; can you play the
Murder of Gonzago ?
First Play. Ay, my lord.
Ham. We'll have it to-morrow night. You
could, for a need, study a speech of some dozen or
sixteen lines, which I would set down and insert
in 't, could you not ?
First Play. Ay, my lord.
Ham. Very well. — Follow that lord ; and look
you mock him not.109 [Exit First Player.] [To
Ros. and Guil.] My good friends, I'll leave you
till night : you are welcome to Elsinore.
Ros. Good my lord !110
[Exeunt Ros. anil Guil.
Ham. Ay, so, Heaven be ivi* you ! — Now I am
alone."1
Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave112 am I !
Is it not monstrous, that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream or passion,
109. Look you mock liim not. This is one of the slight but
significant touches which show us what a man of delicate per-
ception in points of propriety in feeling our Shakespeare was.
See Note 2, Act ii., "Twelfth Night," and Note 73, Act iii.,
" Merchant of Venice." Hamlet, like the true gentleman that
he is, feels that he has been betrayed into treating the old
courtier with something of impatience and discourtesy ; there-
fore he bids the actor, whom he knows to be naturally and pro-
fessionally disposed to waggery, not forget himself to Polonius
on the strength of the example just given. The prince not only
does not choose to have the old man ridiculed because he is a
trusted officer of the state, but because he is the father of the
woman he loves.
no. Good my lord'. See Note 16 of this Act.
111, Now I am alone. The eagerness shown by Hamlet to
be left in peace and quiet by himself, appears to us to be a main
evidence of his merely acting a part and assuming madness ;
he longs to get rid of the presence of persons before whom he
has resolved to wear a show of insanity, and whose absence
relieves him from the wearisome effort demanded by this self-
imposed task. Alone, he is collected, coherent, full of intro-
spection and careful auto-examination ; his thoughts range
themselves into sequent argument, and he reasons with all the
cogency, if not with all the dispassionate coolness, of philo
sophical casuistry. That he is neither dispassionate nor cool
appears to us to be the result of his unhappy source of thought,
not the result of derangement : he is morally afflicted, not
mentally affected ; his feelings are deeply touched, not his
intellects; his heart, not his mind, is disturbed.
112. Peasant slave. "Peasant" is here employed adjectively,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit,
That, from her working, all his visage wann'd ;113
Tears in his eyes, distraction in 's aspect,
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit ? and all for nothing !
For Hecuba ?
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue1" for passion
I hat I have? He would drown the stage with
tears,
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech ;
Make mad the guilty, and appal the free,115
Confound the ignorant ; and amaze,116 indeed,
The very faculties of eves and ears.
Yet I,
A dull and mudd) -mettled rascal, peak,117
Like John-a-dreams,lls unpregnant of my cause,113
And can say nothing ; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward ?
Who calls me villain ? breaks my pate across?
Plucks ofF my beard, and blows it in my face ?
Tweaks me by the nose ? gives me the lie i' the
throat,
As deep as to the lungs ? who does me this, ha ?
Why, I should take it : for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd, and lack gall
To make oppression bitter;120 or, ere this,
I should have fatted all the region kites
With this slave's offal : — bloody, wanton villain !
Remorseless, treacherous, kindless121 villain !
Oh, vengeance !
to express ' rude,' 'rustic' See Note 6, Induction to " Second
Part Henry IV."
113. Ifann'd. The Folio prints ' warm'd ' here for " wann'd,"
spelt ' wand ' in the Quartos ; which latter selves to show that the
right word is " wann'd," meaning ' became wan,' ' turned pale.'
114. Cue. Here used for 'prompting cause.' See Note too,
Act iii., " Henry V."
115. Tlu/ree. Here used for 'the pure,' 'the innocent;'
' those free from crime.' See Note 36, Act ii., " Winter's Tale."
Tib. Amaze. ' Bewilder,' ' confound.' See Note 67, Act iv.,
" King John."
117. Peak. 'Act sneakingly,' 'demean myself pitifully,'
'remain imbecilely inactive.' A passage from "The Wild
Goose Chase " of Beaumont and Fletcher serves to show the
sense in which the word was thus used ; —
" Why stand'st thou here then.
Sneaking, and peaking, as thou would'st steal linen ?
Hast thou not place and time ?"
it8. yohu-a-dreatns. A nick-name for a sleepy-headed, dreamy
fellow. It occurs in Armin's " Nest of Ninnies" (160S): — "His
name is John, indeed, says the cinnick, but neither John-a-nods
nor Jolfi-a-dreanis, yet either, as you take it."
119. Unpregnant of 'my cause. 'Unquickened by a sense of
the cause I have for resentment.'
120. Lack gall to make oppression bitter. Elliptically ex-
pressed ;. meaning, ' lack gall to make oppression seem bitter
to me.'
r_M. Kindless. 'Unnatural;' 'without regard for ties of
kindred.' See Note 8, Act iv., " Much Ado."
406
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Why, what an ass am I ! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder' d,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a wench, unpack my heart with
words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion !
Fie upon't! foh ! — About, my brain!1-2 I have
heard
That guilty creatures, sitting at a play,
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul, that presently
They have proclaim' d their malefactions ;1:3
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ. I'll have these
players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;
I'll tent'24 him to the quick: if he but blench,12*
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen
May be the devd : and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy
As he is very potent with such spirits),
Abuses me to doom me : I'll have grounds
More relative1-6 than this: — the play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
[Exit.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— A Room in the Castle.
Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosen-
CRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN.
King. And can you, by no drift of circum-
stance,1
Get from him why he puts on this confusion,
Grating so harshly all his days of quiet
With turbulent and dangerous lunacy ?
Ros. He does confess he feels himself dis-
tracted ;
But from what cause he will by no means speak.
Guil. Nor do we find him forward to be
sounded ;
But, with a crafty madness, keeps aloof,
122. About, my brain / This is a phrase of elliptical con-
struction, signifying ' Set about your work, my brain ! ' * Brain,
busy yourself about your task ! ' It is used by Hey wood in his
*' Iron Age : " —
" My brain, about agai?i .' for thou hast found
New projects now to work on."
123. Proclaiind their malefactions. Thomas Heywood, in
his "Apology for Actors" (1612), mentions an instance of this
kind of self-betrayal from witnessing the performance of a play
upon the subject of murder.
124. Tent. 'Probe,' 'search.' See Note 24, Act ii., "Troilus
and Cressida."
135. Blench. 'Flinch,' 'shrink,' 'start from.' See Note 35,
Act ii., "Troilus and Cressida."
126. Relative. 'Pertinent,* 'nearly concerning,' 'closely
connected.'
1. Circumstance. Here used in the sense of ' circumlocution/
' indirect enquiry.' See Note 147, Act i.
2- Niggard of question; but, of our demands, &c. This
sentence has caused much difficulty to the commentators, who
complain that it ill agrees with the conversation that took
place between the speakers and Hamlet. We think it is be-
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.
§>ueen. Did he receive you well ?
Ros. Most like a gentleman.
Guil. But with much forcing of his disposition.
Ros. Niggard of question; but, of our demands,
Most free in his reply.2
Queen. Did you assay him
To any pastime ?3
Ros. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players
We o'er-raught4 on the way : of these we told him;
And there did seem in him a kind of joy
To hear of it : they are about the court ;
And, as I think, they have already order
This night to play before him.
cause the meaning of the present sentence has been hitherto
misinterpreted, that these difficulties and complaints have arisen.
If it be borne in mind that Shakespeare employs "of" very
variously, and that he occasionally uses the word " question"
to signify 'inquisition,' 'cross-examining' (see Note 48, Act ii.,
"Midsummer Night's Dream"), it appears to us to be evi-
dent that here "niggard of question" elliptically expresses
'sparing of speech when we cross-examined him :' and if it be
remembered how peculiarly Shakespeare sometimes employs
the possessive case (see "your entreatments," Note $g. Act i.
of the present play; "their ruin," Note 78, Act in., "Henry
VIII.;" "our main opinion," Note 100, Act L, "Troilus and
Cressida;" and "our recompense," Note 21, Act iii., " Corio-
lanus"', we think it will be perceived that here "of our demands"
is employed to express ' of demands respecting ourselves.' Thus,
then, we take the whole speech to mean— 'He was sparing of
speech when we questioned him; but of demands respecting
ourselves he was very free in return :' which interpretation
completely tallies with the circumstances which really occurred
in the previous interview.
3. Did you assay him to any pastime? Elliptically expressed,
meaning, ' Did you endeavour to win him to any pastime?'
4. O'er-raught. 'Over-reached: used in the sense of ' over-
took.*
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Pol. 'Tis most true:
And he beseech'd me to entreat your majesties
To hear and see the matter.
King. With all my heart; and it doth much
content me
To hear him so inclin'd.5 —
Good gentlemen, give him a farther edge,
And drive his purpose on to these delights.
Ros. We shall, my lord.
[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
King. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too ;
For we have closely6 sent for Hamlet hither,
That he, as 'twere by accident, may here
Affront? Ophelia :
Her father and myself, — lawful espials,8 —
Will so bestow9 ourselves, that, seeing, unseen,
We may of their encounter frankly judge ;
And gather by him, as he is behav'd,
If 't be the affliction of his love or no
That thus he sutlers tor.
2>ueen. I shall obey you : —
And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness : so shall I hope your
virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honours.
Uph. Madam, I wish it may. [Exit Queen.
Pol. Ophelia, walk you here. — Gracious,10 so
please you,
We will bestow ourselves. — [To Ophelia.] — Read
on this book ;u
That show of such an exercise may colour
Your loneliness. — We are oft to blame in this, —
'Tis too much prov'd, — that, with devotion's visage
And pious action, we do sugar o'er
The devil himself.
5. To hear him so inclin'd. An ellipsis for ' to hear that he
is so inclined.'
6. Closely. 'Secretly,' 'hiddenly' (see Note 17, Act iv.,
" King John") ; but, in the present passage, giving the meaning
of ' indirectly,' ' in so covert a manner that he shall not know it
is I who have sent for him.'
7. AJfront. Here used for 'meet,' 'encounter,' 'confront.'
See Note 7, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
8. Espials. 'Spies.' See Note 63, Act i., "First Part
Henry VI."
9. Bestow. Here used in the sense of ' place,' ' stow away.'
See Note 23, Act i.( " Comedy of Errors."
10. Gracious. Here used as a form of address to the king.
See Note 57, Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
11. Read on litis book. Polonius's subsequent words, "de-
votion's visage and pious action," show that a prayer-book was
here intended ; which point accounts for Hamlet's after expres-
sion, " In thy orisons be all my sins remember' d."
12. Xot more ugly to the thing .... my deed to my
most painted word. Here "to" has the force of 'compared
to,' or 'in comparison with.' See Note 57, Act i.
13. To take arms against a sea 0/ troubles. This figure has
been objected to, and various alterations have been proposed as
that which Shakespeare probably wrote ; but we think that
'sea" is here most expressively used as the type of an over-
whelming and multiplied opposing force.
King. [JsiJe.] Oh, 'tis too true!
How smart a lash that speech doth give ray
conscience !
The harlot's cheek, beautied with plastering art,
Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it,
Than is my deed to my most painted word :''-
Oil, heavy burden
Pol. I hear him coming : let's withdraw, my
lord. [Exeunt King anil Polonius.
Enter Hamlet.
Hum. To be, cr not to be, — that is the
question : — ■
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,13
And by opposing end them ? — To die, — to sleep, —
No more ; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, — 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, — to sleep ; —
To sleep! perchance to dream: — ay, there's the
rub j"
For in that sleep of death what dreams may
come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,16
Must give us pause : there's the respect16
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of
time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's con-
tumely,
The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus17 make
With a tare bodkin ?18 who would fardels19 bear,
14. Tlwre's the rub. A familiar phrase, signifying ' there
lies the difficulty.' It originated in a technicality used at the
game of bowls. See passage referred to in Note 50, Act hi.,
" Richard II." Shakespeare several times uses the word " rub"
to express 'difficulty,' 'obstruction,' 'hindrance;' and we have
elsewhere observed upon his employment of the very simplest
expressions in passages of solemn import. See Note 13, Act i.,
" Macbeth."
15. Coil. 'Tumult,' 'bustle,' 'worry,' 'fuss.' See Note 81,
Act ii., "Romeo and Juliet." The choice of this word in the
present passage appears to us peculiarly felicitous, inasmuch as
it includes the effect of that which oppressively encircles, like
the coil of a serpent around its prey.
16. Respect. 'Consideration.' See Note 98, Act iii.,
"Richard III."
17. Quietus. This phrase originated in the Latin law term,
quietus est, which was used in settling accounts at exchequer
audits ; but it passed into use as a figurative expression for
'final rest,' 'ultimate repose.' 'eternal quiet.' In Sir Thomas
Overbury's character of a Franklin, we find — " Lastly, to end
him, he cares not when his end comes ; he needs not feare his
audit, for his quietus is in heaven."
18. Bodkin. A name formerly used for a 'stiletto,' or 'small
dagger.'
19. Fardels. 'Burdens.' See Note 19:, Act iv., "Winter's
Tale."
408
218
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
To grunt and sweat-0 under a weary lire,
But that the dread of something after death, —
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, — puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all ;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought ;
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. — Soft you now !
The fair Ophelia. — Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins reinember'd.
Opb. Good my lord,
How does your honour for this many a day ?21
Ham. 1 humbly thank you ; well, well, well.22
Opb. My lord, I have remembrances of yours,
That I have longed long to re-deliver ;
I pray you, now receive them.
Ham. No, not I ;
I never gave you aught.23
Opb. My honour' d lord, I know right well you
did ; '
And, with them, words of so sweet breath compos'd
As made the things more rich : their perfume lost,
Take these again ; for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
There, my lord.
20. To grunt and sweat. " Grunt," although having a some-
what harsh sound to modern ears in a passage of poetic dignity,
was thought sufficiently expressive to be accepted as a proper
term when Shakespeare wrote. In Armin's "Nest of Ninnies"
there is a passage exemplifying this : " How the fat fooles of
this age will gronte and sweate under this massie burden."
zi. This many a day. An idiomatic ellipsis for * this period
of many a day.' See Note 77, Act in., " Henry VIII." Here
we have one of Shakespeare's touches of dramatic long time ;
serving to show that a period of some length has elapsed since
the abrupt interview referred to in the passage commented upon
in Note 19, Act ii. With what subtle delicacy, too, it serves to
show the regret and tedium of that sad interval to the gentle
Ophelia ! There is an exquisite tone of melancholy, perceptible
beneath her assumed cheerfulness here, that harmonises wonder-
fully with the key-note of the tragedy, and with Hamlet's pro-
found and radical melancholia, while so inexpressibly pathetic
in itself.
22. Wtll, well, well. The iteration of this word (which is
given by the Folios, though not by the Quartos — they giving
" well " but once here) appears to us to be peculiarly significant.
Hamlet, on first seeing Ophelia, addresses her with all his old
affection and faith in her sweet rectitude of character ; her
gentle inquiry reminds him of the lapsed interval and all the
misery that has marked it, and he confusedly resumes the
sentential repetition with which he characterise* his assumed
mad mode of speaking. See Note 60, Act ii.
23. / never gave you aught. Almost immediately after his
first involuntary address to her, in the old tone of loving belief
in her truth and goodness, Hamlet instinctively perceives that
Ophelia is acting a part dictated by others, speaking as prompted
by others, and that both she and he are watched as they talk ;
therefore he takes up his own resolved part of wildncss and
lunacy, and hence his t]at denial in the present speech.
24. I fa, ha ! are you honest ? Hamlet, wounded to the soul
by Opheh.i's having repulsed his love without a word of ex-
Ham. Ha, ha! are you honest Z2i
Opb. My lord?
Ham. Are you fair ?
Oph. What means your lordship ?
Ham. That if you be honest and fair, your
honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.26
Opb. Could beauty, my lord, have better com-
merce than with honesty ?
Ham. Ay, truly ; for the power of beauty will
sooner transform honesty from what it is to a
cheat, than the force of honesty can translate
beauty into his likeness : this was sometime a
paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did
love you once.26
Oph. Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.
Ham. You should not have believed me ; for
virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but we
shall relish of it :~7 I loved you not,
Oph. I was the more deceived.
Ham. Get thee to a nunnery : why wouldst
thou be a breeder of sinners ? I am myself in-
different38 honest ; but yet I could accuse me of
such things, that it were better my mother had
not borne me : I am very proud, revengeful,
ambitious; with more offences at my beck29 than
I have thoughts to put them in,3y imagination
to give them shape, or time to act them in.
What should such fellows as I do crawling be-
tween heaven and earth ? We are arrant knaves,
planation, is now stung to the quick by her accusing him of
proving "unkind;" and accordingly launches into the strain of
bitter invective against her sex, its caprices, follies, and frailties,
which he maintains during the rest of the scene. It is grief at
finding her conduct in rejecting him so little coincide with that
which he had originally known and loved in her, that goads him
to the present harshness ; for it must always oe borne in mind
that Hamlet can only judge of Ophelia's rejection by what he
sees it — apparently groundless, heartless, capricious; he cannot
know that it is the mere offspring of her father's will and in-
junction.
25. Your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.
1 Your truth should allow of no flattering address to your beauty '
" Honesty," here, besides meaning 'virtue,' 'purity,' includes
the sense of ' truth.'
26. Now the time gives it proof I did love you once. Here
Hamlet appears to us to be deeply deploring that dereliction
from the singleness and purity of truth which he once believed
to exist in the beautiful Ophelia. He once loved her as truth
itself; he now beholds her beauty impaired by the fickleness
arid instability that belong to a woman without constancy of
character.
27. Virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but ?ue shall
relish of it. ' Individual virtue cannot so wholly overcome
original sin but that we shall have some remaining taint of it.'
While seeming to acknowledge this inherent viciousness in
himself, Hamlet, to our thinking, includes a reflection upon
the likelihood that Ophelia, truthful and guileless as she once
appeared to him, has inherited a touch of her father's indirect-
ness.
28. Indifferent. For 'indifferently,' in the sense of 'mode-
rately,' 'tolerably,' 'averagely.' See Note 61, Act ii.
29. At my beck. 'Ready for immediate summons,' 'within
call.'
30. Thoughts to put them in. ' Thoughts to clothe them in,
or invest them in.'
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene ii.
all ; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nun-
nery. Where's your father ?31
Opb. At home, my lord.
Ham. Let the doors be shut upon him, that
he may play the fool nowhere but in's own house.
Farewell.
Opb. Oh, help him, you sweet heavens!
Ham. If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this
plague for thy dowry, — be thou as chaste as ice,
as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny.
Get thee to a nunnery, go : farewell. Or, if thou
wilt needs marry, marry a fool ; for wise men know
well enough what monsters you make of them.
To a nunnery, go ; and quickly too. Farewell.
Opb. Oh, heavenly powers, restore him !
Ham. I have heard of your paintings too, well
enough ; God hath given you one face,32 and you
make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and
you lisp, and nick-name God's creatures, and make
your wantonness your ignorance.33 Go to, I'll no
more on 't ; it hath made me mad.34 I say, we
will have no more marriages: those that are
married already, all but one, shall live ; the rest
shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go. [Exit.
Opb. Oh, what a noble mind is here o'er-
thrown!35
The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue,
sword :
The expectancy and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion and the mould of form,36
The observ'd of all observers, — quite, quite down !
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That suck'd the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh ;
That unmatch'd form and feature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstasy :3' oh, woe is ine,
To have seen what I have seen, see what 1 see !
Re-enter King and Polonius.
King. Love ! his affections do not that way tend;
Nor what he spake, though it lack'd form a little,
31. Where's your fat/ter? This sudden question shows that
Hamlet suspects Polonius to be a hidden listener : and, alas !
Ophelia's disingenuous reply but too well confirms the prince's
impression that she has not escaped the infection of her father's
duplicity. Shakespeare, with his perfect discrimination in
character, has in one or two of his sweetest women permitted
it to be seen '.how feminine gentleness, if forced by uncongenial
surroundings into timidity, becomes warped from truth of speech
and direct proceeding.
32. Paintings too. . . . one/ace. This is the Quarto reading:
while the Folio prints 'pratlings' for "paintings," and 'pace*
for " face."
33. Make your wantonness your ignorance. Ellipticaliy
expressed: 'seem,' or 'pass for,' being understood between
"wantonness" and " your ignorance."
34. // liatlt made me mad. This completes the evidence
that Hamlet suspects himself to be watched during his interview
with Ophelia, and, feeling himself compelled to maintain the
assumption of insanity throughout, ascribes its origin to the
Was not like madness. There's something in his
soul,
O'er which his melancholy sits on brood ;
And, I do doubt, the hatch and the disclose33
Will be some danger: which for to prevent,
I have in quick determination
Thus set it down: — he shall with speed to England,
For the demand of our neglected tribute :
Haply, the seas, and countries different,
With variable objects, shall expel
This something-settled matter in his heart ;
Whereon his brains still beating, puts him thus
From fashion of himself. What think you on 't P
Pol. It shall do well : but yet do I believe
The origin and commencement of his grief
Sprung from neglected love. — How now, Ophelia !
You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said ;
We heard it all. — My lord, do as you please ;
But, if you hold it fit, after the play,
Let his queen mother all alone entreat him
To show his grief: let her be round39 with him ■
And I'll be plac'd, so please you, in the ear
Of all their conference. If she find1" him not,
To England send him ; or confine him where
Your wisdom best shall think.
King. It shall be so :
Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— ^ Hall in the Castle.
Enter Hamlet and certain Plajers.
Ham. Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pro-
nounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue : but
if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had
as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not
saw the air too much with your hand, thus ; but
use all gently : for in the very torrent, tempest,
and, as 1 may say, the whirlwind of passion, you
must acquire and beget a temperance that may
same cause which he before gave to be inferred. See Note 50,
Act ii.
35. Ok, what a neibte mind is fere overthrown .' The poig-
nant regret of Ophelia here expressed, and her ejaculatory
prayers on Hamlet's behalf in her two previous speeches, are
the perfection of love — thought for him more than for herself;
her anguish for her own loss of his affection is even subordinate
to her grief for his loss of reason.
36. The glass of fashion ami the mould of farm. 'The
image by which each endeavours rellectedly to fashion himself,
and the model upon which all form themselves.'
37. Ecstasy. Sometimes, as here, used for alienation or
aberration of mind. See Note 47, Act iv., " Comedy of
Errors."
38. The disclose. This was the technical term applied to the
first coming of birds from the shell.
39. Round. 'Plain-spoken,' 'straightforward in speech.'
See Note 47, Act ii.
40. Find. 'Detect.' See Note 116, Act ii., " All's Well."
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Hamlet. Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you.
Act III. Scene II.
give it smoothness. Oh, it offends me to the soul
to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow41 tear a
passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of
the groundlings;'1- who, for the most part, are
capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows
and noise : I would have such a fellow whipped for
o'erdoing Termagant;" it out-herods Herod:44
pray you, avoid it.
First Play. I warrant your honour.
Ham. Be not too tame neither, but let your
own discretion be vour tutor : suit the action to
41. Perrhvig-pated fellow. Players in Shakespeare's time
generally wore wigs and abundance of false hair.
42. The groundlings. Those who frequented the 'ground'
or 'pit' of the theatre. Originally it had neither floor nor
benches ; but was a mere sunken space, considerably beneath
the level of the stage.
43. Termagant. The name given in old romances to the
god of the Saracens.
44. It oul-lierods Herod. The murder of the innocents was a
the word, the word to the action ; with this special
observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of
nature: for anything so overdone is from the
purpose of playing,45 whose end, both at the first
and now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror
up to nature; to show virtue her own feature,
scorn her own image, and the very age and body
of the time his form and pressure.46 Now, this
overdone, or come tardy off,1' though it make the
unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious
grieve ; the censure of the which one must, in
favourite subject for a mystery, or ancient dramatic performance ;
and Herod was always represented as an outrageous tyrant.
45. Is from the purpose 0/ playing Here " from " is used in
the sense of 'away from,' 'contrary to.' See Note 97, Act i.,
" Twelfth Night."
46. His form and pressure. ' Its form and impression.1 See
Note 142, Act i.
47. Or come tardy off. An idiomatic rr.cde of saying 'or
inefficiently executed.'
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
your allowance,48 o'erweigh a whole theatre of
others. Oh, there be players that I have seen
play,— and heard others praise, and that highly, — ■
not to speak it profanely, that, neither having the
accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian,
pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed,
that I have thought some of nature's journeymen
had made men, and not made them well, they
imitated humanity so abominably.
First Play. I hope we have reformed that in-
differently 49 with us, sir.
Ham. Oh, reform it altogether. And let those
that play your clowns speak no more than is set
down for them : for there be of them that will
themselves laugh, to set on some quantity of
barren spectators to laugh too ; though, in the
meantime, some necessary question of the play be
then to be considered : that's villanous, and shows
a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it. Go,
make you ready. [Exeunt Players.
Enter Polunius, Rosencrantz, and Guilden-
STERN.
How now, mv lord ! will the king hear this piece
of work ?
Pol. And the queen too, and that presently.
Ham. Bid the players make haste. [Exit
Polonius.] Will you two help to hasten them ?
Ros., Guil. We will, my lord.
[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Ham. What, ho, Horatio!
Enter Horatio.
Hor. Here, sweet lord, at your service.
Ham. Horatio, thou art e'en as just a man
As e'er my conversation cop'd withal.
Hor. Oh, my dear lord, —
Ham. Nay, do not think I natter ;
For what advancement may I hope from thee,
That no revenue hast, but thy good spirits,
48. In your allowance. 'In your estimation,' 'by your
admission.'
49. Indifferently. Here used for ' tolerably well,' ' rather
well.' See Note 28 of this Act.
50. Lei t/te candied tongue. Here "candied" is used for
'sugary,' ' fawningly sweet ; ' while it includes an ironical play
upon the word 'candid.' See Note 27, Act ii., " Tempest.1'
Si. Pregnant. Sometimes, "as here, used "by Shakespeare
in the sense of 'quick,' 'ready,' 'prompt.' In "Troilus and
Crcssida," Act iv., sc. 4, we find, "To which the Grecians are
most prompt and f regnant."
52. Blood and Judgment. Blood is here used for 'vehement
affection,' 'passions,' 'strong propensities.' See Note 63, Act
ii. , " Much Ado."
53. Something too much 0/ this. The genuine manliness of
this little sentence put into the mouth of Hamlet, checking
himself when conscious that he has been carried away by
fervour of affectionate friendship into stronger protestation than,
mayhap, becomes the truth and simplicity of sentiment between
man and man, is precisely one of Shakespeare's own exquisite
touches of innate propriety in questions of feeling. See Note
109, Act ii. hex any one, who doubts for a moment whether '
413
To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor
be flatter'd ?
No, let the candied tongue5" lick absurd pomp ;
And crook the pregnant51 hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou
hear ?
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,
And could of men distinguish, her election
Hath seal'd thee for herself: for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing ;
A man that fortune's buffets and rewards
Hast ta'en with equal thanks : and bless' d are
those
Whose blood and judgment62 are so well co-
mingled,
That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that
man
That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him
In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee. — Something too much of this.53
There is a play to-night before the king ;
One scene of it comes near the circumstance
Which I have told thee of my father's death :
I pr'ythee, when thou seest that act a-foot,
Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle : if his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a damned ghost that we have seen ;
And my imaginations are as foul
As Vulcan's stithy.54 Give him heedful note :
For I mine eyes will rivet to his face ;
And, after, we will both our judgments join
In censure55 of his seeming.
Hor. Well, my lord :
If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing,
And 'scape detecting, I will pay the theft.
Ham. They are coming to the play ; I must be
idle:56
Get you a place.
the author of this supreme drama intended that Hamlet should
merely feign madness, read carefully over the present speech,
marking its sobriety of expression even amid all its ardour,
its singleness and purity of sentiment amid its most forcible
utterance, and then decide whether it could be possible that he
should mean Hamlet's wits to be touched. That his heart is
shaken to its core, that he is even afflicted with melancholia and
hypocondria, we admit : but that his intellects are in the very
slightest degree disordered, we cannot for one instant believe.
54. Stithy. 'Forge,' 'smithy.' See Note 70, Act iv.,
" Troilus and Cressida."
55. Censure. Here used for ' opinion,' ' comment.'
56. / must be idle. ' I must be meaningless in manner,' ' I
must put on my crazy behaviour,' ' I must seem insensate and
purposeless.' That Shakespeare uses "idle" in this sense, we
have shown in Note 153, Act ii., "All's Well," and Note 21,
Act iv., " Timon of Athens :" and, moreover, as additional con-
firmation that here Shakespeare employs the word thus, in the
1603 Quarto, where the queen has the interview with her son
in her own private room, she says, "For my love forget these
idle fits ;" and Hamlet replies, "Idle, no mother, my pulse doth
beate like yours, it is not madnesse that possesseth," tVc.
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Danish March.
Polonius,
denstern,
King.
Ham
A flourish. Enter King, Queen,
Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guil-
and others.
How fares our cousin Hamlet?
Excellent, i' faith ; of the cameleon's
dish : I eat the air, promise-crammed : you cannot
feed capons so.
King. 1 have nothing with this answer, Ham-
let ; these words are not mine.
Ham. No, nor mine now." [To Polonius.]
My lord, you played once in the university, you
say f58
Pol. That did I, my lord ; and was accounted
a good actor.
Ham. And what did you enact ?
Pol. I did enact Julius Caesar: I was killed i'
the Capitol ;59 Brutus killed me.
Ham. It was a brute part of him to kill so
capital a calf there.— Be the players ready ?
Ros. Ay, my lord; they stay upon your
patience.60
$ueen. Come hither, my deal Hamlet, sit by
me.
Ham. No,
attractive.
Pol. [To the KING.] Oh, ho!
that ?
Lady, shall I lie in yoi.r lap ?61
[Lying do-ivn at Ophelia's jeet.
No, my Ion'..
I mean, ray head upon your lap ?
You are merry, my lord.
Who, I ?
Ay, my lord.
Oh, heave.i, your only jig-maker. What
good mother, here's metal more
do you mark
Ham.
Oph.
Ham.
Oph.
Ham.
Oph.
Ham.
should a man do but be merry ? for, look you, how
cheerfully my mother looks and my father died
within these two hours.
Oph. Nay, 'tis twice two months,62 my lord.
Ham. So long ? Nay, then, let the devil wear
black, for I'll have a suit of sables.63 Oh, heavens !
die two months ago, and not forgotten yet ? Then
there's hope a great man's memory may outlive
his life half a year : but, by'r lady, he must build
churches, then ; or else shall he suffer not think-
ing on, with the hobby-horse, whose epitaph is,
" For, oh, for, oh, the hobby-horse is forgot."64
Trumpets sound. The dumb-show enters.
Enter a King and a Queen very lovingly ; the Queen em-
bracing him, and he her. She hneets, and makes shorn
of protestation unto him. He takes Iter up, and declines
his liead upon her neck: Itys him down upon a bank oj
flowers ! she, seeing him asleep, leaves him. A non comes
in a/elUrw, takes off his crown, kisses it, and pours poison
in the King's ears, and exit. The Queen returns ; finds
the King dead, and makes passionate action. The Poisoner,
with some tivo or three Mutes, comes in again, seeming to
lament with Iter. The dead body is carried away. The
Poisoner wooes the Queen with gifts : she seems loth and
unwilling awhile, but in Hie end accepts his love.
\_Exeunt,
Oph. What means this, my lord ?
Ham. Marry, this is miching mallecho ;65 it
means mischief.
Oph. Belike this show imports the argument of
tht play.
Enter Prologue.
Ham. We shall know by this fellow : the
players cannot keep counsel ;66 they'll tell all.
Oph. Will he tell us what this show meant ?
Ham. Ay, or any show that you'll show him.
Oph. You are naught, you are naught: I'll
mark the play.
Pro. For us, and for our tragedy,
Here stooping to your clemency,
We beg your hearing patiently.
' A man's words
57. Nor mine r.ow. An old proverb says,
are his own no longer than he keeps them unspoken."
58. You played once in the university, yon say ? Here " you
say " affords an example of Shakespeare's practice of occasion-
ally using the present tense where reference is made to some-
thing past. In this instance the effect is excellent; it allows
Hamlet to advert to the old courtier's boast as if it were
something just said, whereas it is evident that he has been in
the habit of vaunting his having acted in the classical plays
w.iich it was the custom for college students to perform. See
Note 88, Act ii.
59. / was killed V the Capitol. See Note 3, Act iii., " Julius
Caisar."
60. They stay upon your patience. An idiomatic phrase,
signifying ' they attend upon your sufferance,' ' they wait for
your permission.' Shakespeare uses "patience" occasionally
in this sense.
61. Lie in your lap. That it was not only the fashion for
gallant-, to lie at the feet of the ladies to whom they paid court,
but that it was not uncommon for men to sit at the knee of some
gentleman friend who wished to afford them a good place for
witnessing a performance, is shown by a passage from the
Induction to Marston's " Malcontent" (1604) :—
"Sink. Save you, coose.
"Sly. Oh, coosin,.come, you shall sit betweene my legs
hcare.
" Sink. No, indeede, coosin, the audience then will take
me for a viol-de-gambo, and thinke that you play upon me."
62. Twice two months. By these few words Shakespeare
marks the lapse of dramatic time since Hamlet, in the second
scene of the first act, has spoken of his father as having been
"but two months dead— nay, not so much, not two." In his
previous remark here, " within two hours," and his subsequent
one, "two months ago," Hamlet purposely indefinitises the
period that has transpired, in order to maintain the wild mode
of speech characteristic of that madness which he assumes.
63. A suit 0/ sables. " Sables " being the name of a rich fur,
and for black, Hamlet says he will have a suit that may
nominally pass for mourning ; thus giving a sarcastic fling at
the shameless want of respect shown towards his father's
memory. .,
64. " For, oh, for, oh, tlie hobby-horse is forgot. A line ol
an old ballad, deploring the omission of the hobby-horse from
the May games by desire of the Puritans. See Note 8, Act iii.,
" Love's Labour's Lost."
65. Miching Mallecho. ' Lurking malice, mischief, or mis-
deed.' To ' mich ' is an old English verb for ' lurk,' ' skulk,' or
'act stealthily;' and malheco is a Spanish word, siKi"'yi»K
' malpractice,' ' evil doing,' ' mischief.' See Note 129, Act ii.,
" First Part Henry IV."
66. Counsel. Here used for ' secrets.' See Note 59. Act '"■'
" Midsummer Night's Dream."
4'4
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ham. Is this a prologue or the posy of a ring P
Oph. 'Tis brief, my lord.
Ham. As woman's love.6?
Enter a King and a Queen.
P. King. Full thirty rimes hath Phoebus' jart6? gone
round
Neptune's salt wash and Tellus' 69 orbed ground,
And thirty dozen moons with borrow'd sheen70
About the world have times twelve thirties been,
Since love our hearts, and Hymen did our hands,
Unite commutual in most sacred bands.
P. Queen. So many journeys may the sun and moon
Make us again count o'er ere love be done !
But. woe is me, you are so sick of late,
So far from cheer and from your former state,
That I distrust you. Yet, though I distrust,
Discomfort you, my lord, it nothing must :
For women's fear and love hold quantity ;71
In neither aught, or in extremity.
Now, what my love is, proof hath made you know ;
And as my love is siz'd, my fear is so :
Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear ;
Where little fears grow great, great love grows there."2
P. King. 'Faith, I must leave thee, love, and shortly ]
too;
My operant powers their functions leave73 to do :
And thou shalt live in this fair world behind,
Honour'd, belov'd ; and haply, one as kind
For husband shalt thou
P. Queen. Oh, confound the rest !
Such love must needs be treason in my breast :
In second husband let me be accurst !
None wed the second but who kill'd the first.
67. As woman's love. This bitter sarcasm, and the tone of
cruel lightness — even coarseness — with which Hamlet allows
himself to address Ophelia during this scene, give evidence uf
the deep wound his affection and esteem for her have received
from the apparent heartlessness of her unexplained rejection.
His innocent mistress's seeming' fickleness and faithlessness,
combined with his mother's gross conduct, have cut to the root
all the prince's belief in the purity and goodness of woman-
hood ; and he takes a strange pleasure in probing his own
wound by these rough speeches to her in whom he has been so
vitally disappointed, as men press a painful sore to momentarily
still its aching. When, as is often the case, readers judge
Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia to be unprovokedly harsh, they
should remember that to th-em her entire freedom from ground
of reproach is known, while to hint it is unknown, being
shrouded by what seems unwarranted caprice and inconstancy.
68. Phoebus' cart. " Cart " was sometimes formerly used for
'car' or ' chariot.'
69. Tettus, The classical name, in the ancient mythology,
for the earth.
70. Sheen. 'Shining,' 'brightness,* 'lustre.' A word chiefly
used in poetry. Spenser has employed it adjectively, as Shake-
speare has done [see Note 6, Act ii., " Midsummer Night's
Dream") ; and Milton has used it substantively, as Shakespeare
does in the present passage. ' " Sheen," adjectively used, is an
abbreviation of 'sheeny.'
7:. Hold quantity. An idiomatic expression used by Shake-
speare (see Note 36, Act i., " Midsummer Night's Dream") ;
and here meaning * hold equal quantity,' * are of equal amount,'
'have parity.'
72. Great love groins there. These two concluding lines of
the speech are omitted in the Folio : they are given by all the
Quartos.
73. Leave. Here used in the sense of ' cease.' See Note 21,
Activ., "Henry VIII."
74. Instances. Here used for 'motives,' 'grounds of induce-
ment.' See Note 26, Act iii., " Richard III."
75. Most necessary 'tis, &*c. ' It is needful that we should
Ham. [Aside.] Wormwood, wormwood.
P. Queen. The instances7* that second marriage move,
Are base respects of thrift, but none of love.
P. King. I do believe you think what now you speak ;
But what we do determine oft we break.
Purpose is but the slave to memory ;
Of violent birth, but poor validity ;
Which now, like fruit unripe, sticks on the tree ;
But fall, unshaken, when they mellow be.
Most necessary 'tis that we forget75
To pay ourselves what to ourselves is debt :
What to ourselves in passion we propose,
The passion ending, doth the purpose lose.
The violence of either grief or joy
Their own enactures76 with themselves destroy :
Where joy most revels, grief doth most lament ;
Grief joys, joy grieves, on slender accident.
This world is not for aye ; nor 'tis not strange
That even our loves should with our fortunes change ;
For 'tis a question left us yet to prove,
Whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love.
The great man down, you mark his favourite flics ;
The poor advane'd makes friends of enemies.
And hitherto doth love on fortune tend :
For who not needs shall never lack a friend ;
And who in want a hollow friend doth try,
Directly seasons him77 his enemy.
But, orderly to end where I begun,—
Our wills and fates do so contrary run,
That our devices still are overthrown;
Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own : 78
So think thou wilt no second husband wed ;
But die thy thoughts when thy first lord is dead.
P. Queen. Nor earth to me give food, nor heaven light !
omit to perform what we in a rash moment promise ourselves to
perform.'
76. Enactures. ' Purposes put into action,' ' intentions
enacted.* An expressive word fabricated by Shakespeare ;
and which is given in the Quartos, but misprinted in the
Folio ' enactors.'
77. Seasons him. Here used so as to combine the sense of
'tempers him into,' 'moulds him into' (see Note 7, Act ii. oi
this play), and of 'inures,' 'habituates, or accustoms him to
become.'
78. Purpose is but ilte slave their ends none of our
own. We have an idea that this is the passage " of some dozen
or sixteen lines " which Hamlet has proposed to " set down and
insert" in the play, asking the player whether he could "study"
it for the occasion. The style of the diction is markedly different
from the remainder of the dialogue belonging to this acted play
of "The Murder of Gonzago ;" and it is signally like Hamlet's
own argumentative mode. "This world is not for aye," the
thoughts upon the fluctuations of " love " and "fortune," and
the final reflection upon the contrary current of " our wills and
fates," with the overthrow of our " devices," and the ultimate
diversity between our intentions and their " ends," are as if
proceeding from the prince himself. His motive in writing
these additional lines for insertion, and getting the player to
deliver them, we take to be a desire that they shall serve to
divert attention from the special passages directed at the king,
and to make these latter seem less pointed. We have fancied
that this is Shakespeare's intention, because of the emphatic
variation in the style just here. Observe how very different are
the mythological allusions to " Phcebus," " Neptune," " Tellus,"
" Hymen," " Hecate," and the stiff" sentential inversions of
"about the world have times twelve thirties been," "discomfort
you, my lord, it nothing must," &c. ; and, moreover, observe
how exactly the couplet commencing the player-king's speech,
" I do believe," &c, and the couplet concluding it, " So think
thou wilt," &c, would follow on conjoinedly, were the inter-
vening lines (which we suppose intended to be those written by
Hamlet! not inserted.
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Sport and repose lock from me day and r.ight !
To desperation turn my trust and hope !
An anchor's cheer79 in prison be my scope !
Each opposite, that blanks the face of joy,
Meet what I would have well, and it destroy !
Both here and hence, pursue me lasting stale,
If, once a widow, ever I be wife !
Ham. If she should break it now !80
P. King. 'Tis deeply sworn. Sweet, leave me here
awhile ;
My spirits grow dull,61 and fain I would beguile
The tedious day with sleep. [Sleeps.
P. Queen, Sleep rock thy brain ;
And never come mischance between us twain ! \_Exit.
Ham. Madam, how like you this play ?
^uetn. The lady protests too much, methinks.
Ham. Oh, but she'll keep her word.
King. Have you heard the argument :8'2 Is
there no offence in 't ?
Ham. No, no, they do but jest, poison in jest ;
no offence T the world.
King. What do you call the play ?
Ham. The Mouse-trap. Marry, how ? Tro-
pically.83 This play is the image ot a murder done
in Vienna: Gonzago is the duke's name;34 his
wife, Baptista : Sb you shall see anon ; 'tis a knavish
piece of work : but what o' that ? your majesty,
and we that have free86 souls, it touches us not :
let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.
Enter Lucianls.
This is one Lucianus, nephew to the king.
Oph. You are as good as a chorus,37 my lord.
Ham. I could interpret between you and your
love,*8 if I could see the puppets dallying.
79. An anchor s cheer. ' An anchorite's fare.' "Anchor," as
an abbreviated form of ' anchorite,' was used by others besides
Shakespeare in his time.
80. If slie should break it now 1 'Tis, &*c. Here 'it' is
used, according to Shakespeare's mode of employing this pro-
noun, in reference to an implied particular, with allusion to ' the
vow' which the previous speech forms. See Note 4, Act ii.
81. Dull. ' Drowsy,' 'slumberous.' See Note 87, Act iv.,
"Second Part Henry IV."
82. Have you heard the argument? This shows that the
king is intended either not to have noticed the " dumb-show,"
or not to have known that it denoted the subject of the play.
Possibly the latter ; since Ophelia's remark, " Belike this show
imports the argument of the play," indicates that it does not
necessarily do so.
83. Tropically. ' Metaphorically ; ' ' figuratively ; ' ' by means
of a trope.'
84. Gonzago is the duke's name. The title of " duke " was
sometimes, in Shakespeare's time, used synonymously with that
of ' king." See Note 5, Act ii., " Love's Labour's Lost."
85. Baptista. Here used for a woman's name ; but that
Shakespeare was perfectly aware of its being employed in Italy
as a man's name, is proved by his character of Baptista Mmola
in " The Taming of the Shrew."
86. Free. 'Unguilty,' 'free from crime.' See Note 115,
Act ii.
87. As good as a chorus. Meaning that Hamlet affords an
accompanying explanatory comment upon the play ; as we see
that the " Chorus" is made to do in Shakespeare's own drama
of " Henry V."
88. / could interpret, &C. In allusion to the 'interpreter'
Oph. Still better, and worse.
Ham. So you must take your husbands.89 —
Begin, murderer ; leave thy horrible faces, and
begin. Come : — the croaking raven doth bellow
tor revenge.
Luc. Thoughts black, hands apt, drugs fit, and lime
agreeing ;
Confederate season, else no creature seeing ;
Thou mixture rank, of midnight weeds collected,*0
With Hecate's ban thrice blasted, thrice infected,
Thy natural magic and dire property,
On wholesome life usurp immediately.
[_roitrs the poison into t/ie sleeper's ears.
Ham. He poisons him 1* the garden for his estate.
His name's Gonzago : the story is extant, and
written in very choice Italian. You shall see anon
how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago's wife.
Oph. The king rises.
Ham. What ! frighted with false fire !
l^ueen. How fares my lord ?
Pol. Give o'er the play.
King. Give me some light : — ;iway !
All. Lights, lights, lights!
[Exeunt all except Hamlet^/^/ Horatio
Ham. Why, let the strucken deer go weep,91
The hart ungalled play ;
For some must watch, while some must
sleep :
So runs the world awav. — ■
Would not this, sir, and a forest of feathers92 (if the
rest of my fortunes turn Turk03 with me), with two
Provincial roses94 on my razed95 shoes, get me a
fellowship in a cry 9fi of players, sir ?
Hor. Haifa share.9-7
who supplied the dialogue for " the puppets" in a show, and
occasionally explained the subject represented. See Note 10,
Act ii., "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
89. So you must take your husbands. Referring to the words
in the marriage service : — :" To have and to hold from this day
forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer," &c.
90. Of midnight weeds collected. This gives the double
effect of ' collected from midnight weeds,' and ' made of weeds
collected or gathered at midnight.' That poisonous herbs were
obtained at night, in order to add to their mystic properties and
efficacious qualities, is evidenced by the line in "Macbeth,"
Act iv., sc. i, " Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark."
91. Let the strucken deer go weep. An allusion to the tears
that deer were supposed to shed when killed by the hunters.
See Note 8, Act ii., " As You Like It."
92. A forest of fcatliers. Feathers being an, article always in
great request for theatrical attire.*
93. Turn Turk. A familiar phrase for any sudden reverse,
or violent change of condition or character. See Note 5S,
Act in., " Much Ado."
94. Provincial roses. A name for the roses grown at Proznns,
in Lower Brie ; and sometimes given to the enormous ' rosettes '
worn on the shoes at one period of fashion.
95. Razed. 'Cut,' 'slashed.' French, rase. The mode of
slashing the shoes was at one time prevalent, as also slashing
the dresses. See Note 67, Act iv., " Taming of the Shrew."
96. A cry. 'A troop,* ' a company;' 'a pack.' See Note
101, Act ih., " Coriolanus."
97. Half a share. Players were paid, not by salaries, but by
'shares,' or portions of the general profit divided according to
agreement or individual merit.
0%
i I
' I '"■: 1 ';f
219
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ham. A whole one, I.98
For thou dost know, O Damon dear,99
This realm dismantled was
Of Jove himself; and now reigns here
A very, very — peacock.100
Hor. You might have rhymed.101
Ham. Oh, good Horatio, I'll take the ghost's
word for a thousand pour.d.102 Didst perceive ?
Hor. Very well, my lord.
Ham. Upon the talk of the poisoning, —
Hor. I did very well note him.
Ham. Ah, ha! — Come, some music! come, the
recorders !103 —
For if the king like not the comedy,
Why, then, belike, — he likes it not, perdy.104 —
Come, some music !
Re-enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Gu'il. Good, my lord, vouchsafe me a word with
you.
Ham. Sir, a whole history.
Guil. The king, sir, —
Ham. Ay, sir, what of him ?
Guil. Is, in his retirement, marvellous distem-
pered.105
Ham. With drink, sir ?
Guil. No, my lord, rather with choler.
Ham. Your wisdom should show itself more
richer to signify this to his doctor ; for, for me to
put him to his purgation would perhaps plunge him
into more choler.
Guil. Good my lord, put your discourse into
some frame, and start not so wildly from my affair.
Ham. I am tame, sir : — pronounce.
Guil. The queen, your mother, in most great
affliction of spirit, hath sent me to you.
Ham. You are welcome.
98. A whole one. I. An idiomatic and elliptical form of
phrase; the "1" being equivalent to 'I'll have,' or 'for my
part.'
99. O Damon dear. Hamlet gives this name to Horatio in
allusion to the story of the two celebrated friends of antiquity,
Damon and Pythias ; a story popularly known in Shakespeare's
time.
100. Peacock. This word is printed in the Fulio 'paiocke,'
in the early Quartos ' paiock,' in the 1676 Quarto ' paicock,' and
in the 1695 Quarto 'pecock.' We think the word is here used
ti designate a fellow who struts about in a position to which he
has no claim ; as Thersites describes the putTed-up Ajax, in
"Troilus and Cressida," Act hi., sc. 3: — "He stalks up and
down like a peacock— a stride and a stand."
lot. You might have rhymed. Meaning, ' You might have
substituted jackass fur peacock.'
102. /'// take the ghost's word for a thousand pound. An
idiomatic mode of saying ' I would stake a thousand pounds on
the truth of the ghost's assertion.'
103. Come, some music! come, the recorders! Hamlet's
wild state of excitement upon the verification of the spirit's
revealments, his putting his utterances into rhymed form and
scraps of doggrel, his hysterical levity and false spirits, are
most characteristic ; whilst liis calling for music at this juncture,
as a means of calming his perturbation, is true to a natural
Guil, Nay, good my lord, this courtesy is not of
the right breed. If it shall please you to make me
a wholesome answer, I will do your mother's com-
mandment : if not, your pardon and my return
shall be the end of my business.
Ham. Sir, I cannot.
Guil. What, my lord ?
Ham. Make you a wholesome answer; my
wit's diseased : but, sir, such answer as I can make,
you shall command ; or, rather, as you say, my
mother : therefore no more, but to the matter : my
mother, you say, —
Ros. Then thus she says ; your behaviour hath
struck her into amazement and admiration.
Ham. Oh, wonderful son, that can so astonish a
mother! — But is there no sequel at the heels of
this mother's admiration ? impart.
Ros. She desires to speak with you in her closet,
ere you go to bed.
Ham. We shall obey, were she ten times our
mother. Have you any farther trade106 with us?
Ros. My lord, you once did love me.
Ham. So I do still, by these pickers and
stealers. ,0?
Ros. Good my lord, what is your cause of
distemper ? you do, surely, bar the door upon your
own liberty, if you deny your griefs to your friend.
Ham. Sir, I lack advancement.
Ros. How can that be, when you have the voice
of the king himself tor your succession in Den-
mark ?
Ham. Ay, sir, but "While the grass grows," loq
— the proverb is something musty.
Re-enter Players ivilh recorders.
Oh, the recorders: — let me see one. — To with-
draw with you :109 — why do you go about to re-
instinct. "Recorders'" are small flutes, or flageolets. See
Note 22, Act v., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
104. Per.iy. A corrupted form of the French oath, pardieu.
105. Distempered. Used here in its sense of ' disturbed,'
'disordered' (see Note 28, Act ii., "Midsummer Night's
I beam ") ; but Hamlet replies to it as if it included the sense it
sometimes bore of 'intemperate,' 'intoxicated.' See Note 51,
Act ii. , " Henry V."
106. Trade. ' Dealing,' ' business.'
107. These pickers and stealers. Meaning his hands. A
passage in the Church Catechism has, " To keep my /lands
from picking and stealing."
108. While the grass gro-.vs. In allusion to the ancient
saying, ' While the grass grows, the steed starves : ' Hamlet
breaking off in the middle because it is so " musty," stale, or
often repeated and well known.
109 To withdraw with yon. These words have been
variously interpreted. Bearing in mind that to "draw" is a
term of the chase for track by the scent, trail, or foot-print of
the animal pursued (see Note 22, Act iv., " Comedy of Errors"),
and that a hunting term ("recover the wind") is immediately
after used, we think it probable that the words in the text are
in. lie .live that Hamlet, observing the two spies "going about,"
or drawing a little apart to watch him and track him, mutters,
' Now, then, to withdraw a little as you do, and to track you as
4i
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
cover the wind of me,110 as if )ou would drive
me into a toil ?
Guil. Oh, my lord, if" my duty be too bold, my
love is too unmannerly.111
Ham. I do not well understand that. Will
you play upon this pipe ?
Guil. My lord, I cannot.
Ham. I pray you.
Guil, Believe me, I cannot.
Ham, I do beseech you.
Guil. I know no touch of it, my lord.
Ham. 'Tis as easy as l)ing : govern these
ventages112 with your ringer and thumb, give it
breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most
eloquent music. Look you, these are the stops.113
Guil. But these cannot I command to any
utterance of harmony ; I have not the skill.
Ham. Why, look you now, how unworthy a
thing you make of me ! You would play upon
me ; you would seem to know my stops ; you
would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you
would sound me from my lowest note to the top
of my compass: and there is much music, ex-
cellent voice, in this little organ ; yet cannot
you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I
am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me
what instrument you will, though you can fret114
me, you cannot play upon me. —
Re-enter Polonius.
God bless you, sir !
you do me ; ' and then proceeds to tax them with their intention,
and to trap them by his proffer that they shall play upon the
recorder. Hamlet habitually and characteristically uses words
with double meaning and comprehensive meaning ; and we
believe that his employment of the word "withdraw" here is
one of the many instances of this.
no. To recover the wind of me. A term borrowed from the
chase ; to recover the wind of an animal meaning to take advan-
tage of it by getting to windward of it, in order that it may not
scent its pursuers. See Note 75, Act iii., " All's Well."
in. If my ditty be too bold, my love, &*c ' If my duty in
endeavouring to discover the cause of your alienation be too
bold, the blame must be laid on my love, which makes me thus
unmannerly.' The courtier's consciousness that while he pro-
fesses duty and love to the prince, he is in fact fulfilling an
undertaken task for the king, makes him express himself in the
confused phraseology which causes Hamlet to reply, " I do not
well understand that."
H2. Govern these ventages. "Govern" is here used as a
technicality of musical execution, meaning to place the fingers
properly on the instrument (see Note 23, Act v., " Midsummer
Night's Dream"); and "ventages" are the holes in a flute,
which, being opened or closed by pressure of the finger, form
the different notes required.
113. The sto/>s. Another name for the " ventages," or wind-
holes of the instrument ; which are "governed" or stopped by
appliance of the performer's finger.. See Note 4, Induction,
" Second Part Henry IV."
114. Fret. Here said with a play upon the word; in its
sense of 'vex,' and in its sense of that portion of a stringed
instrument called a "fret" or 'stop.' See Note 17, Act ii.,
" Taming of the Shrew."
115. To t/ie top of my bent. To the full extent of my
Pol. My lord, the queen would .speak with you,
and presently.
Ham. Do you see yonder cloud that's almost
in shape of a camel ?
Pol. By the mass, and 'tis like a camel, indeed.
Ham. Methinks it is like a weasel.
Pol. It is backed like a weasel.
Ham. Or like a whale ?
Pol. Very like a whale.
Ham. Then will I come to my mother by-and-
by. — They fool me to the top of my bent.115— I
will come by-and-by.
Pol. I will say so.
Ham. By-and-by is easily said. [Exit Polo-
nius.]— Leave me, friends.
[Exeunt Ros., Guil., Hor., and Players.
'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world : now could I drink hot
blood,
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on.116 Soft! now to my
mother. —
Oh, heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom :
Let me be cruel, not unnatural ;
I will speak daggers to her, but use none ;117
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites, —
How in my words soever she be shent,113
To give them seals119 never, my soul, consent !
[Exit,
patience,' ' to the utmost strain of my endurance.' See Note 28,
Act ii.
116. Such bitter business as the day, &*c. Because the
Quartos transpose this passage thus — ' Such business as the
bitter day,' &c, it has been proposed to alter the phrase into
' Such business as the better day,' &c. But the Folio reading,
which we give, affords perfectly the sense here required, when
it is borne in mind with what special force Shakespeare else-
where uses the word in such passages as —
"Those blessed feet
Which fourteen hundred years ago were nail'd
For our advantage on the Utter crass."
" First Part Henry IV.," Act i., sc. 1.
And—
" There is no help ;
The bitter disposition of the time
Will have it so."
" Troilus and Cressida," Act iv., sc. r.
117. / will spenk daggers to her, but use none. This steady-
ing of his thoughts from their rage of resentment in thinking of
the murderous king, this recalling of gentler and tenderer
emotions when preparing to encounter his mother, this dis-
crimination of purpose and pre-arrangement of the words and
conduct he will use towards her, are surely those of a man
whose mind, however tossed by misery, is thoroughly untouched
in intellect.
118. Slient. ' Reproved,' ' rated,' ' rebuked.' See Note 66,
Act ii., "Troilus and Cressida."
119. To give them seals. 'To confirm them by deeds, ' (to
give them force and effect by action as well as speech.' The
allusion is to sealing a bond, in order to give it validity and
render it effective.
Act
•]
HAMLET.
[Scene III.
SCENE III.— A Room in the Castle.
Enter King, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern.
King. I like him not; nor stands it safe with
Therefore prepare
To let his madness range.
you ;
I your commission will forthwith despatch,
And he to England shall along with you :
The terms of our estate may not endure
Hazard so dangerous as doth hourly grow
Out of his lunacies.
Guil. We will ourselves provide:
Most holy and religious fear it is
To keep those many many bodies safe
That live and feed upon your majesty.
Ros. The single and peculiar life is bound,
With all the strength and armour of the mind,
To keep itself from 'noyance; but much more
That spirit upon whose weal depend and rest
The lives of many. The cease of majesty
Dies not alone ; but, like a gulf, doth draw
What's near it with it: it is a massy wheel,
I'ix'd on the summit of the highest mount,
To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things
Are morlis'd and adjoin'd ; which, when it falls,
Each small annexment, petty consequence,
Attends the boisterous ruin. Never alone
Did the king sigh, but with a general groan.
King. Arm you, I pray you, to this speedy
voyage ;
For we will fetters put upon this fear,
Winch now goes too free-footed.1-0
Ros.r Guil. We will haste us.
[Exeunt Rosencrantz an.l Guildenstern.
Enter PoLONIUS.
Pol. My lord, he's going to his mother's closet ;
Behind the arras I'll convey myself,121
To hear the process; I'll warrant she'll tax him
home :
And, as you said, and wisely was it said,
'Tis meet that some more audience than a mother,
Since nature makes them partial,1-2 should o'er-
hear
The speech, of vantage.12'1 Kare you well, my
liege :
120. This fear, -.vhicli now goes too free-footed. Here Shake-
speare poetically uses the word " fear" as personifying Hamlet,
who goes too much at large and causes the speaker too much
dread. See Note 68, Act i., " First Part Henry fV."
121. Behind the arms I'll convey myself See Note 27,
Act iii., " Merry Wives."
122. More audience than .1 mother, since nature makes
them partial. Here "them" is used in reference to mothers
generally, as implied in the previous "a mother." and not to
" audience ;" according to an occasional practice of Shake-
speare's in this respect. See Note 11, Act iv., "Troilus and
Cressida."
123. OJ vantage. 'With the advantage of concealment,'
I'll call upon you ere you go to bed,
And tell you what I know.
King. Thanks, dear my lord.
[Exit Polonius.
Oh, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven ;
It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't, — ■
A brother's murder ! — Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will:124
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent ;
And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause where 1 shall first begin,
And both neglect. What if this cursed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother's blood, —
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow ? Whereto serves mercy
But to confront the visage of offence ?
And what's in prayer but this twofold force, —
To be forestalls I ere we come to fall,
Or pardon'd being down ? Then I'll look up ;
My fault is past. But, oh, what form of prayer
Can serve my turn ? Forgive me my foul mur-
der !—
That cannot be ; since I am still possess' d
Of those effects for which I did the murder, —
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardon'd, and retain the offence ?'•''
In the corrupted currents of this world
Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice ;
And oft 'tis seen the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law : but 'tis not so above ;
There is no shuffling, — there the action lies
In his true nature ; and we ourselves compeli'd,126
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then ? what rests ?
Try what repentance can : what can it not ?
Yet what can it when one cannot repent ?
Oh, wretched state ! Oh, bosom black as death !
Oh, limed soul,127 that, struggling to be free,
Art more engag'd ! Help, angels! make assay :
Bow, stubborn knees ; and, heart, with strings of
steel,
Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe !
All may be well. [Retires and kneels.
Enter H AM LET.
Ham. Now might I do it pat, now he is
praying ;
'having the advantage of being hidden ;' and it may also include
the sense of ' for the sake of advantage,' 'for future benefit.'
124. Though inclination be as sharp as will. 'Though my
desire he as strong as my determination.'
125. Retain the offence. Here "offence" is elliptically
used for 'the gain for which the offence was committed.' See
Note i8, Act iv., "All's Well," and Note 36, Act ii., "Julius
1 6, //'(■ ourselves comfielVd'. " Is " before " no shuffling,"
gives "are" to be elliptically understood before "compeli'd."
See Note 46, Act ii., " Macbeth."
127. Oh, Umcti son! ' 1 Hi, soul, snared as with bird-lime.'
See Note 56, Act hi., "Twelfth Night."
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene III.
Hamlet. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying
Act III. Scene III.
Ami now I'll do 't; — and so he goes to heaven ;
And so am I reveng'd: — that would be scann'd : '-s —
A villain kills my father ; and, for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge.
He took my father grossly, lull of bread ;
With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as
May;
And how his audit stands who knows save heaven ?
But, in our circumstance and course of thought,
'Tis heavy with him : and am I, then, reveng'd,
12S. That would be scann'd. 'That should be inquired
into,' ' that ought to be well considered.'
129. Hent. 'Seizure,' 'capture.' See Note 74, Act iv.,
".Measure for Measure," and Note 55, Act iv., "Winter's
Tale."
130. But prolongs thy sickly days. Thoroughly characteristic
of Hamlet, and thoroughly true to an instinct in humanity gene-
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and season' d for his passage ?
No.
Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent : '-9
When he is drunk, asleep, or in his rage ;
At gaming, swearing; or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in 't ; —
Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven ;
And that his soul may be as damn'd and black
As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays:
This physic but prolongs thy sickly days.130 [Exit.
[The King r.ses ami advances.
rally, is this speech. Its violence and exaggerated malice show
it to be the refuge taken by a man whose soul rs tease
conflicting duties. Hamlet's nature, his reflective mind, his
scholarly habits, all cause him to recoil from the idea of shed-
ding blood ; but his sense of what is due to .1 father's memory,
and to avenging a father's murder, impel him to item retribu-
tion; and while yielding to his own strong reluctau
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
King. My words fly up, my thoughts remain
below :
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.131
[Exit.
SCENE tV.— The Queen's Private Apartment
in the Castle.
Enter Queen and Polonius.
Pol. He will come straight. Look you lay
home to him :
Tell him his pranks have been too broad to bear
with,
And that your grace hath screen'd and stood
between
Much heat and him. I'll silence me e'en here.132
Pray you, be round with him.
Ham. [ICilhin.] Mother, mother, mother !133
Queen. I'll warrant you ;
Fear me not : — withdraw, I hear him coming.
[Polonius conceals himself behind the arras.
Enter HAMLET.
Ham. Now, mother, what's the matter?
Queen. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much
offended.
Ham. Mother, you have my father much
offended.
Queen. Come, come, you answer with an idle134
tongue.
Ham. Go, go, you question with a wicked
tongue.135
Queen. Why, how now, Hamlet!
Ham. What's the matter now ?
Queen. Have you forgot me ?
Ham. No, by the rood,136 not so :
You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife ;
And, — would it were not so ! — you are my mother.
Queen. Nay, then, I'll set those to you that can
speak.
Ham. Come, come, and sit you down ; you
shall not budge ;
satisfies the urgings of his conscience by telling himself that he
will take a still more ample vengeance by deferring the deed.
It is the excuse of hesitation under the semblance of determined
cruelty.
131. Words without thoughts never to heaven go. This
couplet forms a fitting conclusion to the previous finely monitory
speech of the king : the writhings of remorse, of guilty clinging
to guilty gains, of feeble struggle towards repentance over-
powered by unsubdued vicious inclinations, of the incapacity
to pray or to receive the solace of prayer when the soul is thus
trammelled, were surely never more forcibly depicted.
132. 77/ silence me e'en here. Hanmer and others alter
"silence" to 'sconce;' but the expression, "I'll silence me
e'en here," for ' I'll silently station myself even here behind the
arras," is not only characteristic of Polonius, but it forms an
antithesis to his bidding her " lay home to him " and " be
round with him."
You go not till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the inmost part of you.
Queen. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not mur-
der me ? —
Help, help, ho !
Pol. [Behind.] What, ho ! help, help, help !
Ham. How now! a rat ? [Draws,] Dead, for
a ducat, dead !
[Makes a pass through the arras.
Pol. [Behind.] Oh, I am slain ! [Falls and dies.
Queen. Oh, me, what hast thou done ?
Ham. Nay, I know not:
Is it the king ?
[Lifts up the arras, and sees Polonius.
Queen. Oh, what a rash and bloody deed is this !
Ham. A bloody deed ! — almost as bad, good
mother,
As kill a king, and marry with his brother.
Queen. As kill a king !
Ham. Ay, lady, 'twas my word. —
[To Pol.] Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool,
farewell !
I took thee for thy better : take thy fortune ;
Thou find'st to be too busy is some danger. —
Leave wringing of your hands : peace ! sit you
down,
And let me wring your heart : for so I shall,
If it be made of penetrable stuff;
If damned custom have not braz'd it so,
That it is proof and bulwark against sense.
Queen. What have I done, that thou dar'st wag
thy tongue
In noise so rude against me ?
Ham. Such an act
That blurs the grace and blush of modesty ;
Calls virtue hypocrite ; takes off the rose
Prom the fair forehead of an innocent love,
And sets a blister there ; makes marriage-vows
As false as dicers' oaths : oh, such a deed
As from the body of contraction l3t plucks
The very soul ; and swett religion makes
A rhapsody of words : heaven's face doth glow ;
Yea, this solidity and compound mass,
133. Mother, mother, mother*. This speech, omitted in the
Quartos, is given in the Folio ; and we feel it to be indicative of
Hamlet's approaching his mother with the wild iterative mode
of speech and abrupt manner which shall keep up the effect of
madness that he has assumed ; although he preserves them but
for a short time, being goaded into serious reply by her using
the tone of reproof to him. and roused into a remembrance of
his resolve to rebuke her, when she proposes to bring others
who shall second her in speaking authoritatively to him.
134. Idle. 'Meaningless,' 'senseless.' See Note s6of this Act.
135. With a wicked tongue. The Folio prints ' idle* instead
of " wicked " here, which is the word given by the Quartos.
That a variation in the retort was intended, is shown by the
words "answer" and "question."
136. By the rood. See Note 16, Act in., "Second Part
Henry IV."
137. Contraction. ' Contracting in marriage.'
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
With tristrul visage, as against the doom,
Is thought-sick at the act.
Queen. Ah me, what act,
That roars so louJ, and thunders in the index 'i 133
Ham. Look here, upon this picture, and on
this, —
The counterfeit presentment of two brothers.
See, what a grace was seated on this brow;
Hyperion's curls ; the front of Jove himself;
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command;
A station139 like the herald Mercury
New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill ;
A combination and a form, indeed,
Where every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the world assurance of a man :
This was your husband. — Look you now, what
follows :
Here is your husband ; like a mildew'd ear,
Blasting his wholesome brother.110 Have you
eyes ?
Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed,
And batten on this moor? Ha ! have you eyes r
You cannot call it love,; for at your age
The hey-day in the blood is tame, it's humble,
And waits upon the judgment : and what judgment
Would step from this to this ? Sense,"1 sure, you
have,
Else could you not have motion : but, sure, that
sense
Is apoplex'd : for madness would not err ;
Nor sense to ecstasy was ne'er so thrall'd
But it reserv'd some quantity of choice,
To serve in such a difference. What devil was 't
That thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman-blind ?14J
Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,
Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,
Or but a sickly part of one true sense
Could not so mope.113
Oh, shame! where is thy blush ? Rebellious hell,
If thou canst mutine111 in a matron's bones,
To flaming youth let virtue be as wax,
And melt in her own fire : proclaim no shame
When the compulsive ardour gives the charge,
138. Index. As the " index," or table of contents, was
formerly placed at the beginning of a book, this word is used
by Shakespeare to express ' induction,' ' prefatory matter,'
'prelude,' 'opening.' See Notes 20, Act ii., and 49, Act iv.,
" Richard III."
139. Station. Here used to express ' attitude ; * ' position
assumed when standing.' The construction in this line is ellip-
tical (according to Shakespeare's frequent practice in this
particular, when passages of comparison are in question! ;
'that of ' being understood between 'Mike" and "the herald
Mercury." The allusion to the position or attitude of the king,
as if standing, shows that full-length pictures of the royal
brothers are here intended by the author.
140. Blasting his wholesome brother. The Folio misprints
' breath ' for " brother ;" which is the word in all the Quartos,
i4r. Sense. Here used for 'appreciation,' 'perception;'
power to discriminate the differences in external objects.
Since trust Itselt as actively doth burn,
And reason panders will.
Queen. O Hamlet, speak no more:
Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul ;
And there I see such black and grained140 spots
As will not leave their tinct.
Ham- Nay, but to live
Stew'd in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty sty,—
Queen. Oh, speak to me no more ;
These words, like daggers, enter in mine ears ;
No more, sweet Hamlet !
Ham. A murderer and a villain ,
A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe
Of your precedent lord; a Vice"6 of kings;
A cutpurse of the empire and the rule,
That from a shelf the precious diadem stole,
And put it in his pocket !
Queen. No more !
Ham. A king of shreds and patches,14? —
Enter Ghost.
Save me, and hover o'er me with your wings,
You heavenly guards ! — What would your gracious
figure ?
Queen. Alas! he's mad !
Ham. Do you not come your tardy son to
chide,
That, laps'd in time and passion, lets go by
The important acting of your dread command ?143
Oh, say !
Ghost. Do not forget : this visitation
Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.
But, look, amazement on thy mother sits :
Oh, step between her and her fighting soul, —
Conceit149 in weakest bodies strongest works, —
Speak to her, Hamlet.
Ham. How is it with you, lady ?
Queen. Alas! how is 't with you,
That you do bend your eye on vacancy,
And with the incorporal air do hold discourse ?
Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep ;
And, as the sleeping soldiers in the alarm,
142. Hoodinan-blind. An old name for the game now known
as ' Blindman's Buff' See Note 42, Act iv., "All's Well."
143. Mope. ' Dully go astray,' ' blindly wander.' See Note
I2if Act Hi., " Henry V."
144. Mutine. An old form of the verb ' mutiny.'
145. Grained. 'Ingrained:' ' dyed in grain.'
146. Vice. One of the names given to the jester or fool of
the old moralities. See Note 39, Act iv., " Twelfth Night."
147. A king 0/ shreds and patches. In allusion to the motley
coat or parti-coloured suit worn by the fool-jesters. See Note n,
Act in., " Tempest," and Note 67, Act ii., " As You Like It."
14S. That, laps'd in time and passion, lets go by, &c.
' That allows the fulfilment of your solemn injunction to pass
unperformed, as if because of lapsed time and abated ardour.'
149. Conceit. ' Mental conception or apprehension.' See
Note 59, Act ii., "As You Like It," and Note 48, Act iii ,
"Richard III."
Act III.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
Your bedded hair, like life in excrements, ,M
Starts up, and stands on end. Oh. gentle son,
Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look?
Ham. On hiin, on him! Look you, how pale
he glares !
His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones,
Would make them capable.151 — Do not look upon
me ;
Lest with this piteous action you convert
My stern effects:152 then what I have to do
Will want true colour; tears perchance for bloo 1.
Queen. To whom do you speak this ?
Ham. Do you see nothing there ?
Queen. Nothing at all ; yet all that is I see.
Ham. Nor did you nothing hear ?
Queen. No, nothing but ourselves.
Ham. Why, look you there I look, how it
steals away !
My father, in his habit as he liv'd ! ,
Look, where he goes, even now, out at the portal !
[Exit Ghost.
Queen. This is the very coinage of your brain :
This bodiless creation ecstasy
Is very cunning in.153
Ha-u. Ecstasy!
My pulse, as yours, doth temperately keep time,
And makes as healthful music: it is not mad-
ness
That I have utter'd : bring me to the test,
And I the matter will re-word ; which madness
Would gambol from. Mother, for love of grace,
Lay not that flattering unction to your soul,154
That not your trespass, but my madness speaks :
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place,
Whilst rank corruption, mining all within,
Infects unseen. Confess yourself to heaven :
150. Like life in excrements. 'As though there were vitality
in that evcrescent portion of the human frame.' Not only was
the term " excrement " applied to hair in Shakespeare's time see
Note 22, Act iii., "Merchant of Venice"), but also to the
feathers of birds ; for Walton, in the first chapter of his " Com-
plete Angler," says, " I will not undertake to mention the
several kinds of fowl by which this is d me ; and his curious
palate pleased by day, and which with their ve*ry excrements
afford him a soft lodging at night."
151. Capable. Here used in the combined senses of 'sus-
ceptible' and of 'intelligent' See Note 3, Act iii., "King
John," an 1 Note 65, Act iii., "Troilus and Cressida."
152. Effects. ' Deeds ; ' those which Hamlet says he has
"to do." It seems to us that this is most clearly evident ; yet
the word "effects" has been changed by Mr. Singer and
others to 'affects.' " Effects" is not here used for that which
has been effected, but for that which is to be effected.
153. Esctasy is very cunning in. 'Aberration of mind is
very skilful in." See Note 37 of the present Act, and Note 25,
Act i., "Taming of the Shrew."
154 Mother, for love of grace, lay net. eV<\ Let any one who
is inclined to he swayed by the special pleading and question'
begging <<( ihn.e who maintain that Hamlet is really mad, read
carefully over this speech, with its sad earnestness, its solemn
adjuration, its sober remonstrance, and ask himself whether
Repent what's past ; avoid what is to come ;
And do not spread the compost on the weeds,
To make them ranker. Forgive me this my
virtue ;155
For in the fatness of these pursy times,
Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg,
Yea, curb156 and woo for leave to do him good.
Queen. O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in
twain.
Ham. Oh, throw away the worser part of it,
And live the purer with the other half.
Good night: but go not to mine uncle's bed ;
Assume a virtue, if you have it not.
That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat,1"'"
Of habits devil, is angel yet in this, —
That to the use of actions fair and good
He likewise gives a frock or livery,
That aptly is put on. Refrain to-night ;
And that shall lend a kind of easiness
To the next abstinence : the next more easy ;
For use almost can change the stamp of nature,
And master the devil, or throw him out
With wondrous potency. Once more, good night :
And when you are desirous to be bless' d,
I'll blessing beg of you. — For this same lord,
[Pointing to PoLONIUS.
I do repent : but Heaven hath pleas' d it so,
To punish me with this, and this with me,15"
That I must be their scourge159 and minister.
I will bestow him, and will answer well
The death I gave him. So, again, good night. —
I must be cruel, only to be kind :
Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. —
One word more, good lady.
Queen. What shall I do ?
Ham. Not this, by no means, that I bid you do :
Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed ;
Shakespeare could by possibility have intended his hero lo be
otherwise than most sane and sound of mind.
155. Forgive me this my virtue. It has been contended that
there should be a comma placed after " this," and that Hamlet
is here addressing an imploration to his own virtue ; but surely
the context shows that the prince asks his mother to pardon the
candour of his virtuous reproof, adding, " For in the fatness of
these pursy times, virtue itself pf vice must par,lon leg."
156. Curb. 'Bend,' 'bow;' French, courier.
157. That monster, custom, -.oho nil sense, &C. This passage
(which is taken from the Quartos, the Folio omitting all between
" if you have it not," and " refrain to-night ") has been variously
pointed and variously explained. We take its meaning to be,
'That monster, custom, who devours or destroys all sense of
shame in evil-doing, and is the very devil or evil genius of bad
habits, is yet an angel in this particular '
158. To punish me with this, and this with tue. ' To punish
me by causing me to kill this man, and to punish this man by
letting him be killed by me.'
T59. But Heaven hath pleased it so, . . . thnt I must it
their scourge. The construction is elliptical in the first clause of
this sentence, 'been' being understood after "hath," and 'to
have' after " pleased." That "their" should be used in rerercnce
t'i " Heaven," is accordant with Shakespeare's usage elsewhere.
See Note 73, Act i., " Richard 111 "
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
Pinch wanton on your cheek; call you his mouse; "iJ
And let hiin, for a pair of reechy m kisses,
Make you to ravel all this matter out,
That I essentially am not in madness,
But mad in craft.162 'Twere good you let him
know ;
For who, that's but a queen, (air, sober, wise,
Would from a p.uidock,103 from a bat, a gib,1"
Such dear concernings hide ? who would do so ?
No, in despite of sense and secrecy,
Unpeg the basket on the house's top,
Let the birds fly,165 and, like the famous ape,
To try conclusions,166 in the basket creep,
And break your own neck down.
Queen. Be thou assur'd, if words be made of
breath,
And breath of life, I have no life to breathe
What thou hast said to me.
Ham. I must to England;167 you know that?
Queen. Alack,
I had forgot: 'tis so concluded on.
and
my
two
Ham. There's letters seal'd ;
schoolfellows, —
Whom I will trust as I will adders tang'd, —
They bear the mandate; they must sweep my
way,
And marshal me to knavery. Let it work ;
For 'tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist 16s with his own petar :lra and it shall go
hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines,
And blow them at the moon : oh, 'tis most sweet,
When in one line two crafts directly meet.—
This man shall set me packing :
I'll lug the carcase to the neighbour room.—
Mother, good night. — Indeed, this counsellor
Is now most still, most secret, and most grave,
Who was in life a foolish prating knave.
Come, sir, to draw toward an end with you. —
Good night, mother.
[Exeunt scvtrally ; Hamlet dragging
aivay the body oj Polo.mus.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— A Room in the Castle.
Enter King, Queen, Rosencrantz, and
GUILDENSTERN.
King. There's matter in these sighs, these pro-
found heaves :
You must translate :* 'tis fit we understand them.
160. Mouse. Formerly used as a term of endearment. See
Note 75, Act L, " Twelfth Night"
161. Reechy. Originally 'smoky,' 'grimy' (see Note 31, Act ii.,
" Coriolanus") ; but it came to be used as we now use the word
'smutty,' signifying 'dirty,' morally as well ae materially filthy
and coarse.
162. That I essentially a?n not in madness, but mad in
Craft. It assuredly requires the question-begging, the taking-for-
grantcd, and the one-sided views which peculiarly mark those
who determine to assert that insanity exists in a mental condition
under examination, to pronounce, after reading this, that Shake-
speare intended to represent H;imlet as really mad.
163. A paddock. ' A toad.' See Note 3, Act i., " Macbeth."
164. A gib. 'A male cat.' See Note 31, Act i., " First Part
Henry IV."
165. Let the birds J?y. It has been supposed that Sir John
Suckling, in one of his letters, alludes to the same story that is
here referred to : — " It is the story of the jackanapes and the
partridges ; thou starest after a beauty till it be lost to thee,
and then let'st out another, and starest after that till it is gone
too.'*
166. Conclusions. 'Experiments.' See Note 24, Act ii.,
"Merchant of Venice."
167. / must to, England. M atone makes it subject of com-
plaint that " Shakespeare does not inform us how Hamlet came
Where is your son ?
Shteen* [To Ros. and Guil.] Bestow this place
on us a little while. [Exeunt.
Ah ! my good lord, what have I seen to-night !
King. What, Gertrude ? How does Hamlet ?
i^ueen. Mad as the sea and wind,2 when both
contend
to know that he was to be sent to England." But King Claudius
has twice mentioned his determination that the prince shall be
dispatched thither, first to Polonius, then to Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern ; and such personages as these would be sure not
to leave a court decree unbuzzed about, especially as since the
first royal expression of resolve a whole day has elapsed. More-
over, Hamlet's succeeding words, "There's letters seal'd," imply
that the decree has been officially announced to him ; and though
subsequently Act iv., sc. 3' he chooses to express surprise when
the king announces that he is to set out for England imme-
diately, this is but in consonance with his assumed flightiness
of manner and contemptuous flippancy when speaking to his
" uncle-father." Shakespeare, like the all-accomplished drama-
tist that he is, gives certain points to be inferred without prolix
detail, when he has ingeniously provided for their being sug-
gested to the imagination of his readers or audience. Sec Note
55, Act v., "All's Well."
168. Hoist. An old form of 'hoisted,' or ' hois'd.' See Note
S5, Act iv., " Richard III."
169. Petar. A kind of mortar used in countermining to break
through into the enemy's galleries.
1. Translate.
and Cressida."
2. Mad as the
'Explain.' See Note 52, Act iv., "Troilus
rn and wind. Here Queen Gertrude both
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Which is the mightier : in his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
He whips hia rapier out, ami cries, " A rat, a
rat!"
Ami, in this brain ish apprehension, kills
The unseen good old man.
King. Oh, heavy deed !
It had been so with us, had we been there :
His liberty is full of threats to all ;
To you yourself, to us, to every one.
Alas ! how shall this bloody deed be answered ?
It will be laid to us, whose providence
Should have kept short, restrained, and out of
haunt,3
This mad young man : but so much was our
love,
We would not understand what was most fit ;
But, like the owner of a foul disease,
To keep it from divulging, let it teed
Even on the pith of life. Where is he gone ?
i^ueen. To draw apart the body he hath kill'd :
O'er whom his very madness, like some ore4
Among a mineral5 of metals base,
Shows itself pure ; he weeps for what is done.
King, O Gertrude, come away !
The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch,
But we will ship him hence: and this vile deed
We must, with all our majesty and skill,
Both countenance and excuse. -Ho, Guildenstern :
Re-enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Friends both, go join you with some farther aid :
Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain,
And from his mother's closet hath he dragg'd
him :
Go seek him out ; speak fair, and bring the body
Into the chapel. I pray you, haste in this.
[Exeunt Ros. and Guil.
Come, Gertrude, we'll call up our wisest friends ;
And let them know, both what we mean to do,
And what's untimely done: so, haply, slander,6 —
Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter,
follows her Dili's injunction of keeping up the belief in his mad-
ness, and, with maternal ingenuity, makes it the excuse for his
rash deed. This affords a clue to Hamlet's original motive in
putting "an antic disposition on" and feigning insanity; he
foresaw that it might he useful to obviate suspicion of his having
a steadily-pursued object in view, and to account for whatever
hostile attempt he should make.
3. Out 0/ luiunt. ' Out oi company,' ' apart from general
com oin'se.'
4. Ore. Here used for gold or precious metal.
5. A mineral. Employed here for a 'metallic vein,' what
is now called 'a lode.' Minsheu, in Ins Dictionary [61 .
defines "a mineral" to In: "anything tint grows in mines,
and contains metals" The word 'minerals' was formerly
sometimes used for 'mines:' thus, in "The Golden Remaines,"
Hales of Eton 10 j ;'. we find, " Controversies of the times, like-
spirits in the mill mis, with all their labour, nothing is done."
The "Cambridge Dictionary" (1594)1 under the Latin word
As level as the cannon to his blank,'
Transports his poison'd shot, — may miss our
name,
And hit the woundless air.s — Oh, come away
My soul is full of discord and dismay. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Another Room In the Castle.
Enter Hamlet.
Ham. Safely stowed.
Ros., Guil. [Within.'] Hamlet! Lord Hamlet!
Ham. What noise? who calls on Hamlet?
Oh, here they come.
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Ros. What have you done, my lord, with the
dead body ?
Ham. Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis
kin.
Ros. Tell us where 'tis; that we may take it
thence,
And bear it to the chapel.
Ham. Do not believe it.
Ros. Believe what ?
Ham. That I can keep your counsel, and not
mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge i
— what replication should be made by the son ot a
king?
Ros. Take you me for a sponge, my lord ?
Ham. Ay, sir; that soaks up the king's coun-
tenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such
officers do the king best service in the end : he
keeps them, like an ape doth nuts,9 in the corner
of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed:
when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but
squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry
again.
Ros. I understand you not, my lord.
Ham. I am glad of it : a knavish speech sleeps
in a foolish ear.
mincralia, shows how the English "mineral" came to be used
for a mine.
6. So, haply, slander. The Folio ontits all between "untimely
done" and "Oh, come away." The Quartos give the pas-
sage as it stands in our text, excepting that they have not the
words " So, haply, slander," which were inserted by Capell,
who slightly modified Theobald's suggestion of 'for, haply,
slander.'
7. The cannon to his blank. 'The cannon to its mark.' The
"blank "was the technical name for the white mark at which
shot or arrows were directed : from the French word blanc,
white. See Note 33, Act if, " Winter's Tale."
8. The woundless air. ' The air incapable of being wounded.'
See Note 40, Act if, "Richard III.," and Note 87, Act i.,
"Macbeth;" also, observe the expression, "intrenchant air,"
Note 45, Act v., " Macbeth."
9. Like an ape doth nuts. The Folio omits the words
" doth nuts , " which are supplier from the 160 j Quarto.
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene III.
Ros. My lord, you must tell us where tlie body
is, and go with us to the king.
Ham. The body is with the king, but the king
is not with the body.10 The king is a thing —
Guil. A thing, my lord !
Ham. Of nothing: bring me to him. Hide
fox, and all after." [Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Another Room in the Castle.
Enter King, attended.
King. I have sent to seek him, and to find the
body.
How dangerous is it that this man goes loose !
Yet must not we put the strong law on him :
He's lov'd of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes;
And where 'tis so, the offender's scourge is
weigh'd,
But never the offence. To bear all smooth and
even,
This sudden sending him away must seem
Deliberate pause:1- diseases, desperate grown,
By desperate appliance are reliev'd,
Or not at all.
Enter Rosencrantz.
How now! what hath befall' n ?
Ros. Where the dead body is bestow'd, my
lord,
We cannot get from hi.n.
King. But where is he ?
Ros. Without, my lord ; guarded, to know
your pleasure.
King. Bring him before us.
Ros. Ho, Guildenstern ! bring in my lord.
Enter Hamlet and Guildenstern.
King. Now, Hamlet, where's Polomus?
Ham. At supper.
King. At supper ! where ?
Ham. Not where he eats, but where he is eaten:
a certain convocation of politic worms13 are e'en
at him. Your worm is your only emperor for
diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat
ourselves for maggots : your fat king and your lean
10. The body is with the king, but tlie king is not with the
body. Hamlet is intentionally perplexing the courtierly spies,
and keeping up their conviction of his insanity by these riddling
replies. Jt appears to us that the underlying sense of what he
here says is — ' Materiality and corporeal grossness characterise
the king : but the king has no real or virtuous substance, no
genuine matter in him : he is a thing of naught, a mere worth-
less nonentity '
it. Hide fox \ and all after. The name of a juvenile game,
similar to what is now called ' hide-and-seek : ' where one
player hides himself, and tlie rest run "all after," seeking him
beggar is but variable service, — two dishes, but to
one table : that's the end.
King. Alas, alas !
Ham. A man may fish with the worm that
hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath led
of that worm.
King. What dost thou mean by this ?
Ham. Nothing but to show you how a king
may go a progress14 through the maw1"' of a
beggar.
King. Where is Polonius ?
Ham. In heaven; send thither to see : if your
messenger find him not there, seek him i' the other
place yourself. But, indeed, if you find hiin not
within this month, you shall nose him as you go
up the stairs into the lobby.
King. [To some Attendants.] Go seek him
there,
Ham. He will stay till you come.
[Exeunt Attendants.
King. Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial
safety, —
Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve
For that which thou hast done, — must send thee
hence
With fiery quickness: therefore prepare thyself;
The barque is ready, and the wind at help,1"
The associates tend,1' ami everything is bent
For England.
Ham. For England !
King. Ay, Hamlet.
Ham. Good.
King. So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes.
Ham. I see a cherub that sees them. — But,
come; for England! — Farewell, dear mother.
King. Thy loving father, Hamlet.
Ham. My mother: father and mother is man
and wife; man and wife is one flesh; and so, my
mother. — Come, for England! [Exit.
King. Follow him at foot; tempt him with
speed aboard ;
Delay it not ; I'll have him hence to-night:
Away ! for everything is seal'd and done
That else leans on the affair : pray you, make
haste. [Exeunt Ros. and Guil.
And, England, if my love thou hold'st at aught
(As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
12. Mitst seem deliberate pause. 'Must seem to be the
result of deliberate consideration.'
1 <. Convocation of politic worms. An allusion to the Diet
of Worms, convoked in 1521 by tlie Emperor Charles V
14. A progress. The name of a state journey, or royal visit
through the provinces.
15. Maw. ' Stomach.' See Note 21. Act ii., " Henry V."
16. /'tie wind at help. 'The wind serves,' 'the wind is
favourable to aid your departure.'
17. Tend. An abbreviated form of 'attend;* used in the
sense of 'wait.' See Note 107, Act i., " Coriolanus."
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene IV.
Roscncrantz. What have you done, my lord, with the dead body
Hamlet. Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis kin.
Act IV. Scene II.
After the Danish sword, and thy free awe
Pays homage to us), thou mayst not coldly set18
Our sovereign process ; which imports at full,
By letters conjuring to that effect,
The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England ;
For like the hectic in my blood he rages,
And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done,ia
Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.-0
[Exit.
18. Set. Here used for ' estimate,' ' rate,' ' reckon,' ' value ; '
a sense which this word formerly bore. We still have the ex-
pression, 'set it at naught ;' signifying 'value it or rate it at
nothing,' 'set down its price at nothing1.'
19. Do it, England till I know 'tis done. Here
" it " signifies ' this deed,' as implied in the previous expression,
" the present death of Hamlet."
20. Tilt I know 'tis done, hou-e'er my h,r/-s, my Joys were
ne'er begun. ' Until I know this deed is done, however I m.Ty
i.uv or whatever may happen to me*, my joys will never have
begun.' That Shakespeare should use "were ne'er" for ' "ill
never have,' is in consonance with an occasional practice of his
SCENE IV.— A Plain in Denmark.
Enter Fortinbras and Forces, marching.
For. Go, captain, from me greet the Danish king;
Tell him that, by his license, Fortinbras
Claims the conveyance of a promis'd inarch
Over his kingdom. You know the rendezvous.
If that his majesty would aught with us,
We shall express our duty in his eye ;:i
with regard to indefinite future time. See Note 42, Act i.,
" Coriolanus." The rhyme in this final couplet of the scene
shows it to be the reading probably intended by Shakespeare ;
although the Quartos give the last line thus — ' Howe'er my
haps, my joys will ne'er begin.'
21. In his eye. 'In his presence.' The expression in the
text was according to a state formula used in Shakespeare's
time ; since it is found in "The Regulations for the Government
of the Queen's Household" (1627) — "All such as doe service
in the queers eye ;" and in "The Establishment of the House-
hold of Prince Henry" [1610) — "All such as doe service in the
Prince s eye.'"
428
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
And let him know so.
dip. I will do 't, my lord.
For. Go softly on.22
\Exeunt Fortinbras anJ Forces.
Enter Hamlet, Rosencrantz, Guilden-
STERN, &C.
Ham. Good sir, whose powers are these ?
C.tp. They are of Norway, sir.
II. tin. How purpos'd, sir, I pray you ?
Cap. Against some part of Poland.
Ham. Who commands them, sir?
Cap. The nephew to old Norway, Fortinbras.
Ham. Goes it against the main of Poland, sir,-'3
Or for some frontier ?
Cap. Truly to speak, and with no addition,
We go to gain a little patch of ground
That hath in it no profit but the name.
To pay five ducats, five, 1 would not farm it;
Nor will it yield to Norway or the Pole
A ranker rate, should it be sold in fee.
Ham. Why, then the Polack never will defend it.
Cap. Yes, it is already garrison'd.
Ham. Two thousand souls and twenty thousand
ducats
Will not debate the question of this straw:
This is the imposthume of much wealth and peace,
That inward breaks, and shows no cause without
Why the man dies. — I humbly thank you, sir.2J
Cap. God be wi' you, sir. • [Exit.
Ros. Will 't please you go, my lord 'i
Ham. I'll he with you straight. Go a little
before. [Exeunt all except Hamlet.
How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge! What is a man,
It his chief good and market-5 of his time
Be but to sleep and feed : a beast, no more.
Sure, He that made us with such large discourse,16
Looking before and alter, gave us not
22. Go softly on. The Folio misprints 'safely ' for " softly,"
and concludes the scene here. To the Quartos we not only owe
the right word, "softly " ^in the sense of 'gently,' 'at a moderate
pace'), but also the whole of the dialogue and soliloquy that
follow. Possibly they were omitted for stage curtailment ; but
their great significance, as part of the development of Hamlet's
character, shows the omission to have been made by no desire
of the author.
23. does it against. cW. Here "it" means 'force,' or
'military expedition,' as implied in the previous mention of
" powers " sent " against some part of Poland."
24. / humbly thank yon. sir. Very characteristic is this of the
gracious-mannered Prince Hamlet. See Note 63, Act i. He un-
consciously lapses into his own natural reflective mood upon re-
ceiving the captain's information ; then, recollecting himself, he
gives htm this courteous acknowledgment as a kind of dismissal :
and then follows up his desire to indulge unobserved meditation,
by sending his court attendants on a " little before." The whole
of this dialogue and soliloquy, to our mind, affords conclusive
proof— even if other were wanting — that Hamlet's madness is
sheer feigning, and that Shakespeare fully intended him not
only to be entirely in possession of his senses, but depicted him
as one of his men of soundest and profoundest intellect.
part
That capability and god-like reason
To fust" in us unus'd. Now, whether it be
Bestial oblivion, or some craven 28 scruple
Of thinking too precisely on the event,
A thought which, quartered, hath hut one
wisdom,
And ever three parts coward, — 1 do not know
Why yet I live to say, " This thing's to do ;"
Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means,
To do 't. Examples, gross as earth, exhort me :
Witness this army, of such mass and charge,
Led by a delicate and tender prince ;
Whose spirit, with divine ambition puff d,
Makes mouths at the invisible event;
Exposing what is mortal and unsure
To all that fortune, death, and danger dare,
Even for an egg-shell.29 Rightly to he great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honour's at the stake. How stand I, then,
That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd,
Excitements of my reason and my blood/"'
And let all sleep ? while, to my shame, I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds ; fight for a plot31
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent32
To hide the slain ?— Oh, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth !
[Exit.
SCENE V.— Elsinore. A Room in the Castle.
Enter Queen and Horatio.33
£>ueen. I will not speak with her.
Hor. She is importunate ; indeed, distract :
Her mood will needs be pitied.
25. Market. Here used for ' purchase made,' ' bargain
gained.' Dryden employs the word "markets" for 'pur-
chases,' or ' bargains," in his translation of the fifth " Satire of
Persius : " —
" With post-haste thy running markets make ;
Be sure to turn the penny."
26. Discourse. ' Capacity for ratiocination,' ' faculty of
reasoning,' 'power of argument,' See Note 60, Act i,
27. Fust. ' Grow mouldy ;' ' become fusty.'
28. Craven. 'Cowardly,' 'dastardly.' For the derivation
of this word see Note 24, Act ii.t "Taming of the Shrew."
29. An eggskell. Used for a type of extremes! insignificance.
See Note 29, Act iv., " Coriolanus."
30. Excitements of my reason and my blood. 'Exciting
c.iiisL-s sufficient to stimulate my reason and my passions to
vengeance.' " Blood " is here used in the sense it bears in the
passage discussed in Note 61, Act ii., "Troilus and Cressida."
31. A plot. A small portion of ground. We still use the
word in our term ' grass-plot.'
32. Continent. A word used by Shakespeare to expri
which contains. Sec Note 33, Act hi., " Merchant of Y
33. Enter Qtteen and Horatio. This is the stage direction
429
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
Queen. What would she have?
Hot: She speaks much of her father; says she
hears
There's tricks i' the world ; and hems, and beats
her heart ;
Spurns enviously34 at straws; speaks things in doubt,
That carry but half sense : her speech is nothing,
Yet the unshapel use of it doth move
The hearers to collection ; they aim at it;
And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts ;
Which, as her winks, and nods, and gestures yield
them,
Indeed would make one think there might be
thought,
Though nothing sure, yet much unhappily.35
'Twere good she were spoken with ;36 for she may
strew
Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.
Queen. Let her come in. [Exit Horatio.
To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is,
Each toy3'' seems prologue to some great amiss :2S
So full of artless39 jealousy is guilt,
It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.
Re-enter Horatio, with Ophelia.
Opb. Where is the beauteous majesty of Den-
mark ?
Queen. How now, Ophelia!
Opb. [Sings.]
How should I your true love know
From another one ?
in the Folio; while the Quartos introduce "a Gentleman" as
well as the two other characters. But we think there is some-
thing exquisitely appropriate in making Hamlet's beloved friend
Horatio the one who watches and tenderly thinks for Ophelia
during the prince's absence, and brings her to his mother alone.
Inasmuch as we feel this appropriateness, we believe it to have
been Shakespeare's re-considered intention.
34. Enznously. As ' envy ' was frequently used in Shake-
speare's time for 'hatred,' 'malice,' 'spite,* and 'envious' for,
'malicious' (see Notes 6, Act ik, and 23, Act iii., "Henry
VIII/'), so, here, " enviously " is used for 'maliciously,' 'spite-
fully,' ' petulantly,' ' wrathfully.'
35. UnJuippily. 'Mischievously.' See Note 102, Act i.,
"Henry VIII."
36. 'Twere good she were spoken with. These two concluding
lines of Horatio's speech are made, in the Folio, the commence-
ment of the queen's next speech ; but the Quartos show, as well
as the sense of the words themselves, that they belong to Horatio.
37. Toy. 'Trifle.' See Note 13, Act iv., "Romeo and Juliet."
38. Amiss. Shakespeare here, as did some of his contem-
poraries, uses this word as a substantive ; but while they em-
ployed it in the sense of 'misdeed,' he employs it rather in that
of ' mishap.'
39. Art/ess. Here signifying 'skilless,' or 'unskilful.'
40. Cockle hat and stiff. These were adopted by pilgrims:
as their devotional wanderings took them beyond sea, they put
cockle-shells upon their hats, to denote their special mission
Inasmuch as the pilgrim's habit was held sacred, it was fre-
quently assumed by persons engaged in love adventures, who
were desirous of a safe disguise.
41. Shoon. An old plural fnrm of 'shoes.' See Note 43,
Act iv., "Second Part Henry VI."
42. Larded with siveet Jlowers. "Larded" strictly means
By his cockle hat and staff,"
And his sandal shoon.41
Queen. Alas! sweet lady, what imports this
song ?
Opb. Say you ? na^v, pray you, ir.arlc.
[j"'^-f-] He is dead and gone, lady,
He is dead and gone ;
At his head a grass-green turf,
Oh, ho ! at his heels a stone.
Queen. Nay, but, Ophelia, —
Oph. Pray you, mark.
[•->/"£*.] White his shroud as the mountain snow.
Enter KlNG.
Queen. Alas! look here, my lord.
Opb. [Sings.]
Larded with sweet flowers : *2
Which bewept to the grave did go
With true-love showers.
King. How do you, pretty lady ?
Opb. Well, -God *ild you !43 They say the owl
was a baker's daughter.41 Lord! we know what
we are, but know not what we may be. God be
at your table !
King. Conceit upon her father.
Opb. Pray you, let's have no words of this;
but when they ask you what it means, say you
this:
[j/W^J.J To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.45
stuffed with minute slices of bacon fat, from the Latin, lardnm,
bacon ; but it came to be sometimes, as here, used, for ' gar-
nished.'
43. God 'Hd you. 'God yield you,' 'God give you your
reward.' See Note 100, Act i., "Macbeth."
44. The ow t was a baker's daughter. In allusion to a legend,
which Mr. Douce says "is a common tradition in Gloucester-
shire." He thus narrates it : — " Our Saviour went into a baker's
«hop where they were baking, and asked for some bread to eat.
The mistress of the shop immediately put a piece of dough in the
oven to bake for him, but was reprimanded by her daughter,
who, insisting that the piece of dough was too large, reduced it
to a very small size. The dough, however, immediately began
to swell, and presently became of a most enormous size, where-
upon the baker's daughter cried out, 'Heugh, heugh, heugh,'
which owl-like noise probably induced our Saviour to transform
her into that bird for her wickedness."
45. To be your Valentine. The custom of choosing a valen-
tine is of ancient date, but its origin has not been decisively
discovered. Mr. Douce traces it to a pagan usage of the same
kind during the Leupercalia feasts in honour of Pan and Juno,
celebrated in the month of February by the Romans. The
anniversary of the good bishop, or Saint Valentine, happening in
this month, the early Christians placed this popular custom under
the patronage of the saint, in order to eradicate the idea of its
pagan origin ; but there seems to be nothing in the legend of
the saint's life to warrant his being specially associated with
the practice of choosing valentines. Elia's charming paper on
the subject of " Valentine's Day" throws but little light on the
origin of the custom ; and Waiter Scott's early chapters of " The
Fair Maid of Perth" as little, but they serve delightfully to
illustrate the graceful custom itself as variously practised in
Great Britain.
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
King. Pretty Ophelia!
Oph. Indeed, la, without an oath, I'll make an
end on 't.
King. How long hath she been thus?
0[>h. I hope all will be well. We must be
patient: but I cannot choose but weep, to think
they should lay hiin i' the cold ground. My
brother shall know of it: and so I thank you for
your good counsel. Come, my coach ! — Good
night, ladies; good night, sweet ladies; good
night, good night. [Exit.
King, Follow her close ; give her good watch,
I pray you. [Exit Horatio.
Oh, this is the poison of deep grief; it springs
All from her father's death. O Gertrude, Ger-
trude,
When sorrows come, they come not single spies,
But in battalions ! First, her father slain :
Next, your son gone ; and he most violent author
Of his own just remove : the people muddied,
Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and
whispers,
For good Polonius' death ; and we have done but
greenly,46
In hugger-mugger'17 to inter him : poor Ophelia
Divided from herself and her fair judgment,
Without the which we are pictures, or mere
beasts :
Last, and as much containing as all these,
Her brother is in secret come troin France ;
Feeds on his wonder, keeps himself in clouds,
And wants not buzzers to infect his ear
With pestilent speeches of his father's death ;
Wherein necessity, of matter beggar'd,
Will nothing stick our person to arraign
In ear and ear. Oh, my dear Gertrude, this,
Like to a murdering-piece,*3 in many places
Gives me superfluous death. [A noise ivithin.
sateen. Alack, what noise is this?
King. Where are my Switzers ?4'J Let them
guard the door.
Enter a Gentleman.
What is the matter ?
Gent. Save yourself, my lord :
46. Greenly. 'Unwisely,' with unripe judgment, without
mature consideration.
47. In hugger-mugger. ' In secret,' ' stealthily,' ' clandes-
tinely.' The expression occurs in North's *' Plutifrch's Life of
Brutus : " — " Antonius, thinking good his testament should be
read openly, and also that his bodie should be honorably buried,
and not in hugger-mugger, lest the people," &c.
48. A murdering-piece. A small piece of ordnance, with
several barrels. It was charged with bullets, nails, old iron, &C.,
and with it could be kept up a murderously raking fire.
49. Switzers. The king calls to his own immediate guard of
soldiers — the Swiss being formerly, as now, the mercenaries of
any nation that chose to hire them.
50. Overperring of his list. ' Overflowing its boundary.'
51. In a riotous head. ' Among a rebellious force,' ' leading
The ocean, overpeering of his list,50
Eats not the flats with more impetuous haste
Than young Laertes, in a riotous head,51
O'erbears your officers, The rabble call him
lord ;
And, as the world were now but to begin,"
Antiquity forgot, custom not known,
The ratiflers and props of every word,
They cry, "Choose we; Laertes shall be king !"
Caps, hands, and tongues, applaud it to the
clouds,
" Laertes shall be king, Laertes king !"
^neen. How cheerfully on the false trail they
cry !
Oh, this is counter,53 you false Danish dogs!
King. The doors are broke. INoise 'within.
Enter Laertes, armed; Danes following .
Laer. Where is this king? — Sirs, stand you all
without.
Danes. No, let's come in.
Laer. I pray you, give me leave.
Danes. We will, we will.
[They retire without the door.
Laer. I thank you: — keep the door. — Oh, thou
vile king,
J Give me my father !
Queen, Calmly, good Laertes.
Laer. That drop of blood that's calm proclaims
me bastard ;
Cries dotard to my father; brands the harlot
Even here, between the chaste unsinirche.l54 brow
Of my true mother.
A;»c;. What is the cause, Laertes,
That thy rebellion looks so giant-like ? —
Let him go, Gertrude ; do not fear our person :5
There 's such divinity doth hedge a king,
That treason can but peep to what it would,
Acts little of his will.56 — Tell me, Laertes,
Why thou art thus incens'd: — let him go, Ger-
trude : —
Speak, man.
Laer. Where is my father ?
King. Dead.
Queen. But not by him.
an insurrectionary throng.' See Note 92, Act i., " First Part
Henry IV."
52. Ami, as the 7vorl,t were now, &*c. The word " as " here
has the force of 'as if,' and the sentence is parenthetical —
"ratiflers and props" referring to "antiquity" and "custom."
53. This is counter. A hunting term, signifying 'this is follow-
ing on a wrong scent.' See Note 22, Act iv., "Comedy of Errors.'
54. Unsmirchcd. ' Unsullied,' 'spotless.' See Note 47, Act hi.,
" Much Ado."
55. Do not fear our person. 'Do not fear for our person.' For
a somewhat similar idiom, see Note 83, Act i. , " Conolanus. "
56. Treason can but peep to what it would, acts little of his
will. Here 'and' is understood before "acts," in accordance
with an elliptical mode of construction sometimes used by Shake-
speare. See Note 14, Act ii., " Henry VIII."
Horatio, \_Reads.~\ Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these fellows some means to the king:
they have letters for him. Act IV. Scene VI.
King. Let him demand his fill.
Laer. How came he dead ? I'll not be juggled
with :
To hell, allegiance! to this point I stand,—
That both the worlds I give to negligence,
Let come what comes ; only I'll be reveng'd
Most throughly for my father.
King. Who shall stay you ?
Laer. My will, not all the world :
And for my means, I'll husband them so well,
They shall go far with little.
King. Good Laertes,
If you desire to know the certainty
Of your dear father's death, is 't writ in your
revenge.
57. Rrf-ast Hunt with viy bipod. The fact that this bird
presses its red-tipped beak against its breast when feeding its
young from the capacious pouch wherein it stores up nutrirn"nr.
That, sweepstake, you will draw both friend and foe,
Winner and loser ?
Laer. None but his enemies.
King. Will you know them, then ?
Laer. To his good friends thus wide I'll ope rr.v
arms ;
And, like the kind life-rendering pelican,
Repast them with my blood.57
King. Why, now you speak
Like a good child and a true gentleman.
That I am guiltless of your father's death,
And am most sensibly in grief for it,
It shall as level to your judgment pierce
As day does to your eye.
Danes. [Within.'] Let her come in.
Laer. How now ! what noise is that ?
gave rise to the fabulous idea that the pelican nourishes its little
ones with its own blood.
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene V.
Oh,
heat,
salt,
Re-enter Ophelia.
dry up my brains ! tears seven times
Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye ! —
By Heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight,
Till our scale turn the beam. Oh, rose of May !
Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia ! —
Oh, heavens! is't possible, a young maid's wits
Should be as mortal as an old man's life?
Nature is fine in love ;5S and, where 'tis fine,
It sends some precious instance of itself
After the thing it loves.
Oph. [Sings.]
They bore him barefac'd on the bier :
Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nunny ;
And on his grave rain'd many a tear, —
Fare you well, my dove !
Laer. Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade
revenge,
It could not move thus.
Oph. You must sing, " Down a-down, an you
call him a-down-a." Oh, how the wheel becomes
it!59 It is the false steward, that stole his master's
daughter.
Laer. This nothing's more than matter.
Oph. There 's rosemary, that's for remem-
brance ;60 pray, love, remember: and there is
pansies,61 that's for thoughts.
Laer. A document in madness, — thoughts and
remembrance fitted.
Oph. There 's fennel for you, and columbines :
there 's rue forj you ; and here 's some for me : —
we may call it herb of grace62 o' Sundays: — you
may wear your rue with a difference. — There's a
daisy : — I would give you some violets, but they
withered all when my father died : — they say he
made a good end, —
[Sings.] For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy, —
58. Nature is fine in love. These three concluding lines are
in the Folio, though omitted in the Quartos. We interpret them
to mean. ' Nature is refined by love : and being thus refined, the
most precious of its spiritual essence readily exhales when bereft
of the object beloved.'
59. Oh, lunv the ivheel becomes it .' " The wheel" was an old
name for 'the burden' of a ballad : Latin, rota — that'which goes
round and round, recurring again and again. Ophelia, repeat-
ing the words "Down a-down," &c. — probably the burden of
some old ballad — and using the word " wheel" in commendation,
by an association of ideas, thinks of the instrument of torture so
called, and says it would well befit " the false steward that stole
his master's daughter."
60. Rosemary, tluit's for remembrance. See Note 70, Act iv.,
"Winter's Tale."
6:. Pansies. Misprinted in the Folio ' Paconcies :' while the
Quartos give ' pancies.' The name is derived from the French,
pensies, 'thoughts.'
62. Rue call it herb 0/ grace. See Note 85, Act iv.,
"All's Well," and Note 58, Act Hi., "Richard II." " Fennel"
was held emblematic of flattery ; and " columbines " were given
to those who were forsaken. A "daisy" was the token of a
dissembler : and " violets " were the symbol oi faithfulness.
Ophelia's flowers, as it appears to us, are all selected with
Laer. Thought and affliction, passion, hell
itself,
She turns to favour and to prettiness.
Oph. [Sings.]
And will he not come again ?
And will he not come again ?
No, no, he is dead,
Go to thy death-bed,63
He never will come again.
His beard was as white as snow.
All flaxen was his poll :
He is gone, he is gone,
And we cast away moan :
•God ha' mercy on his soul !
And of all Christian souls, I pray God. — God be
wi' you. [Exit Ophelia.
Laer. Do you see this, O God ?
King. Laertes, I must commune61 with your
grief,
Or you deny me right. Go but apart,
Make choice of whom your wisest friends you
will,
And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and
me :
If by direct or by collateral hand
They find us touch'd, we will our kingdom
give,
Our crown, our life, and all that we call ours,
To you in satisfaction ; but if not,
Be you content to lend your patience to us,
And we shall jointly labour with your soul
To give it due content.
Laer. Let this be so ;
His means of death, his obscure funeral, —
No trophy, sword,65 nor hatchment o'er his bones,
No noble rite, nor formal ostentation, —
Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heaven to
earth,
That I must call 't in question.
affecting reference to her own sorrows ; they have been sup-
posed by some explainers to bear typical reference 10 those to
whom she presents them ; but we think she only for a moment
wanders oft' into other application of them than to her own con-
dition— which moment being when she tells the king and queen
that they " may wear" their " rue with a difference;" meaning
thereby, that for herself it means 'ruth' in the sense of piteous
regret, whereas for them it means ' ruth ' in the sense of con-
trition, repentance, or remorse. A passage from Greene's
"Quip for an Upstart Courtier" serves to illustrate this: —
" Some of them smil'd and said. Rue was called Herbegrace,
which though they scorned in their youth, they might wear in
their age, and that it was neTer too late to say miserere."
63. Go to thy death-bed. This has been changed to ' Gone to
his death-bed : ' but we think that there is intentional irregularity
in the delivery* of Ophelia's snatches of songs, serving well to
mark her wandering of mind.
64. Commune. This is the reading of all the Quartos, while
the Folio prints ' common ; ' but that was merely an old mode
of spelling " commune."
65. Sword. It was the custom to celebrate the obsequies of
personages of high rank with great pomp and ceremony ; placing
the sword, helmet, gauntlet, spurs, and armorial insignia of those
belonging to knighthood on the grave of the deceased.
Act 1V.J
HAMLET.
[Scenes VI., VII.
King. So you shall ;
And where th' offence is let the great axe fall.
I pray you, go with me. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI Another Room in the Castle.
Enter Horatio and a Servant.
Hor . What are they that would speak with me?
Serz>. Sailors, sir : they say they have letters
for you.
Hor. Let them come in. — [Exit Servant.
I do not know from what part of the world
I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.
Enter Sailors.
First Sail. God bless you, sir.
Hor. Let him bless thee too.
First Sail. He shall, sir, an 't please him.
There's a letter for you, sir; it comes from the
embassador that was bound for England ; if your
name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is.
Hor. [Reads.] Horatio, when thou shalt have over-
looked this, give these fellows some means to the king : they
have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate
of very warlike appointment gave us chase. Finding ourselves
too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour : in the grapple I
boarded them : on the instant they got clear of our ship : so
I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with me like
thieves of mercy : but they knew what they did ; I am to do a
good turn for them. Let the king have the letters I have sent ;
and repair thou to me with as much haste as thou wouldst fly
death. I have words to speak in thine car will make thee dumb ;
yet are they much too light for the bore66 of the matter. These
good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rosencrantz and
Gutldenstern hold their course for England : of them I have
much to tell thee. Farewell.
He that thou knowest thine, Hamlet.97
Come, 1 will give you way for these your letters;
And do't the speedier, that you may direct me
To him from whom you brought them. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— Another Room in the Castle.
Enter King and Laertes.
King. Now must your conscience my ac-
quittance seal,
66. The bore. A name for the calibre of a gun, the circum-
ferential size of its barrel. Hamlet figuratively says, ' Yet are
the words I have to speak much too light missiles for the deadly
breadth of matter which sends them forth into thine ear.'
67. He that thou knowest thine. Hamlet. This simple yet
strong conclusion to his sedate but most earnest letter to his
bosom-friend might, we think, fully serve to denote Hamlet's
perfect sanity. Madmen do not write thus condensedly and
pertinently ; if they are warm they are violent, if they are
fervent they are excited : but here is warmth of friendship with
staid expression, fervour of feeling with sobriety of assurance.
68. The general gender. ' The ordinary race of people,' ' the
community,' ' the populace.'
And you must put me in your heart for friend,
Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear,
That he which hath your noble father slain
Pursu'd my life.
Laer. It well appears: — but tell me
Why you proceeded not against these feats,
So cnmeful and so capital in nature,
As by your safety, greatness, wisdom, all things
else,
You mainly were stirr'd up.
King. Oh, for two special reasons ;
Which may to you, perhaps, seem much un-
sinew'd,
But yet to me they are strong. The queen his
mother
Lives almost by his looks ; and for myself
(My virtue or my plague, be it either which),
She's so conjunctive to my life and soul,
That, as the star moves not but in his sphere,
I could not but by her. The other motive,
Why to a public count I might not go,
Is the great love the general gender68 bear him ;
Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,
Would, like the spring that turneth wood to
stone,69
Convert his gyves to graces ;70 so that my arrows,
Too slightly timber'd for so loud a wind,71
Would have reverted to my bow again,
And not where I had aim'd them.
Laer. And so have I a noble father lost ;
A sister driven into desperate terms, —
Whose worth, if praises may go back again,'2
Stood challenger on mount of all the age
For her perfections : — but my revenge will come.
King. Break not your sleeps for that : you
must not think
That we are made of stuff so flat and dull,
That we can let our beard be shook with danger,
And think it pastime. You shortly shall hear
more :
I lov'd your father, and we love ourself ;
And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine, —
Enter a Messenger.
How now ! what news P
Mess. Letters, my lord, from Hamlet :
This to your majesty ; this to the queen.
69. Like the spring that turneth wood to stone. In allusion
to waters that possess a petrifying power, such as those of the
dropping well at Knaresborough.
70. Convert his gyves to graces. 'Turn his fetters into
adornments ; ' or, figuratively, ' turn all my attempts to restrain
him into so many injuries perpetrated against his innocence and
good qualities.'
71. My arrows, too slightly timber'd for so loud a wind. In
illustration of this sentence, a passage may be cited from
Ascham's "Toxophilus" (1589): "Light shafts cannot stand
in a rough wind."
72. //praises may go back again. ' If my praises may revert
to the period of what she was before this calamity.'
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene VII.
King. From Hamlet ! who brought them ?
Mess. Sailors, my lord, they say ; I saw them
not :
They were given me by Claudio,— he receiv'd them
Of him that brought them.
King. Laertes, you shall hear them.—
Leave us. [Exit Messenger.
[Reads.] High and mighty,— You shall know I am set
naked on your kingdom. To-morrow shall I beg leave to see
your kingly eyes : when I shall, first asking your pardon there-
unto, recount the occasions of my sudden and more strange
return. Hamlet.
What should this mean ? Are all the rest come
back?
Or is it some abuse, and no such thing ?
Lae r. Know you the hand ?
King. 'Tis Hamlet's character: — "Naked," —
And in a postscript here, he says, " alone."
Can you advise me ?
Laer. I'm lost in it, my lord. But let him
come ;
It warms the very sickness in my heart,
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth,
" Thus diddest thou."
King. If it be so, Laertes, —
As how should it be so? how otherwise ? —
Will you be rul'd by me ?
Laer. Ay, my lord ;
So you will not o'errule me to a peace.
King. To thine own peace. It he be now
return'd, —
As checking at73 his voyage, and that he means
No more to undertake it, — I will work him
To an exploit, now ripe in my device,
Under the which he shall not choose but fall :
And for his death no wind of blame shall
breathe ;
But even his mother shall uncharge the prac-
tice,?4
And call it accident.
Laer. My lord, I will be rul'd ;
The rather, if you could devise it so,
That I might be the organ.
King. It falls right.
You have been talk'd of since your travel much,
And that in Hamlet's hearing, for a quality
Wherein, they say, you shine: your sum of
parts
73. Clucking at. 'Shying at,' 'flying startingly from;' an
expression borrowed from falconry. See Note 9, Act ill.,
" Twelfth Night."
74. Shall uncharge tlte practice.
one with scheming against him."
"Henry V."
75. Siege. Strictly, 'scat,' 'place,' 'state
here used to signify 'rank,' 'order of merit.
76. Importing. Here used with double significance ; mean-
ing 'of importance to ' as regards " health," and ' implying ' as
regards "graveness."
77. Tltey can -.veil on horseback. This is the reading of the
' Shall not charge any
See Note 57, Act ii.,
' position ; ' but
Did not together pluck such envy from him,
As did that one ; and that, in my regard,
Of the unworthiest siege.75
Laer. What part is that, my lord ?
King. A very riband in the cap of youth,
Yet needful too ; for youth no less becomes
The light and careless livery that it wears,
Than settled age his sables and his weeds,
Importing76 health and graveness. — Two months
since,
Here was a gentleman of Normandy, —
I've seen myself, and serv'd against, the French,
And they can well on horseback:77 but this
gallant
Had witchcraft in 't ;73 he grew unto his seat ;
And to such wondrous doing brought his horse,
As he had been incorps'd and demi-natur'd
With the brave beast : so far he topp'd my
thought,
That I, in forgery of shapes and tricks,79
Come short of what he did.
Laer. A Norman was 't r
King. A Norman.
Laer. Upon my life, Lamord.
King. The very same.
Laer. I know him well: he is the brooch/"
indeed,
And gem of all the nation.
King. He made confession of you ;
And gave you such a masterly report,
For art and exercise in your defence,81
And for your rapier most especially,
That he cried out, 'twould be a sight indeed,
If one could match you: the scrimerss2 of their
nation,
He swore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye,
If you oppos'd them. Sir, this report of his
Did Hamlet so envenom with his envy,
That he could nothing do but wish and beg
Your sudden coming o'er, to play with you.
Now, out of this, —
Laer. What out of this, my lord ?
King. Laertes, was your father dear to you ?
Or are you like the painting of a sorrow,
A face without a heart ?
Laer. Why ask you this ?
King. Not that I think you did not love your
father ;
Quartos; while the Folio misprints 'ran' for "can." lo
" can," for ' can do,' is an elliptically expressive verb used in
the old English language.
78. Had witchcraft m't. Here " 't " refers to 'horseman-
ship,' as implied in the previous sentence. See Note So,
Act iii.
79. In forgery of shapes and tricks. ' In invention of
dexterous feats,' ' in imagining dexterous feats to describe.'
80. Brooch. Here, as elsewhere, used for 'distinguishing
ornament.' Sec Note 59, Act v., " Richard II."
81. Defence. ' Science of defence ; ' 'fencing.'
82. Scrimers. ' Fencers ; ' French, escrimeurs.
436
Act IV.]
HAMLET.
[Scene VII.
But that I know love is begun by time ;83
And that I see, in passages of proof,
Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.
There lives within the very flame of love
A kind of wick or snuff that will abate it,
And nothing is at a like goodness still ;
For goodness, growing to a plunsy,84
Dies in his own too-much : that we would do,
We should do when we would ; for this " would "
changes,
And hath abatements and delays as many
As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents ;
And then this "should" is like a spendthrift
sigh,
That hurts by easing.85 But, to the quick o' the
ulcer: —
Hamlet comes back : what would you under-
take,
To show yourself your father's son in deed
More than in words?
Laer. To cut his throat i' the church.
King. No place, indeed, should murder sanc-
tuarise ;
Revenge should have no bounds. But, good
Laertes,
Will you do this,86 keep close within your chamber.
Hamlet return'd shall know you are come home :
We'll put on those shall praise your excellence,
83. Love is begun by time, &>c. ' I see by experien« of
constant occurrences, that time, which originates love, also
abates its ardour.'
84. Plurisy. 'Superabundance,' ' superfluence.' In Shake-
speare's time the word was thus used, as if derived from the
Latin plus, plan's, more. The disease of "pleurisy" was
formerly thought to proceed from too much blood flowing to the
part affected ; but the term is now applied to inflammation of
the pleura, which is the Greek na^ie for 'side,' or 'side of the
breast.*
85. A spendthrift sigh, that hurts by easing. ' A prodigal
sigh, that injures the constitution while it seems to relieve
the heart ' That it was the belief, at the time Shakespeare
wrote, that sighs were injurious to the blood and affected the
health, we have more than one passage to prove. See Note 42,
Act hi, "Midsummer Night's Dream;" Note 60, Act iii.,
" Second Part Henry VI, ;" and Note 28, Act iv., " Third Part
Henry VI. "
86. Will you do this. * If you will do this.' Elliptically and
transposedly constructed.
87. Remiss. 'Negligent of precaution.'
88. Unhated. ' Unblunted.' Shakespeare uses "bate" for
* blunt' in the opening speech of " Love's Labour's Lost" —
" Shall bate his scythe's keen edge." Here "a sword unbated "
signifies a weapon unfurnished at its point with the button
which fencing foils have.
89. A Pass of practice. ' A skilful thrust ; ' a pass in which
Laertes was well practised.
90. F II anoint my sword. Ritson expresses " surprise that
no one of Shakespeare's commentators has remarked, with
proper warmth and detestation, the villanous, assassin-like
treachery of Laertes in this horrid plot ;" adding, " There is the
more occasion that he should be here pointed out an object of
abhorrence, as he is a character we are. in some preceding parts
of the play, led to respect and admire." We cannot help
wholly disagreeing with this latter observation of Mr Ritson's.
We think that the dramatist has, with hi> usual consistency in
And set a double varnish on the fame
The Frenchman gave you; bring you, in fine,
together,
And wager on your heads : he, being remiss,87
Most generous, and free from all contriving,
Will not peruse the foils; so that, with ease,
Or with a little shuffling, you may choose
A sword unbated, 8S and, in a pass of practice,89
Requite him for your father.
Laer. I will do 't :
And, for that purpose, 1*11 anoint my sword.90
I bought an unction of a mountebank,
So mortal, that but dip a knife in it,
Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,
Collected from all simples that have virtue
Under the moon,91 can save the thing from death
That is but scratched withal : I'll touch my point
With this contagion, that, if I gall him slightly,
It may be death.
King. Let 's farther think of this ;
Weigh what convenience both of time and means
May fit us to our shape :9- if this should fail, r\
And that our drift look through our bad per-
formance,
'Twere better not assay'd : therefore this project
Should have a back or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof.93 Soft ! — let me see: —
We'll make a solemn wager on your cunnings,94—
character, drawn Laertes throughout as a rash, ill-judging
young man. He sets out by conceiving unfounded suspicions
of Hamlet's faith and truth, instilling them into his sister's
mind, and thus himself laying the foundation for her subsequent
unhappiness : upon hearing of his father's death, he rushes
back, full of hot-headed fury, accusing and resenting, without
a moment given to investigation or just inquiry, and falls an
easy prey to Claudius's specious representations, becoming at
once the tool of the king's hatred against his nephew. Is this
a man to "respect and admire?" Where is there a single
really estimable point in Laertes' character? His furious judg-
ments, his hot-headed wrath, are precisely the characteristics
that would lead to so murderous a deed as the one he now
proposes; and as for its treachery, he believes, with his usual
headlong style of leaping to unproved conclusions, that Hamlet
has treacherously killed his father, and that therefore he is
warranted in his contemplated assassination, as an act of filial
revenge. For our parts, we can see nothing but perfect con-
sistency of character-drawing as regards Laertes himself, and
perfect harmony of dramatic composition as regards his intended
vengeance for a father's death, in all that Shakespeare has here
achieved.
91. All simples that have virtue under the moon. " Simples"
are 'herbs' see Note 25, Act iii., " Merry Wives "\ and that
their efficacious growth was supposed to be influenced by th;
moon, is adverted to in Note 29, Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida."
92. May fit its to our sluipe. 'May suit to aid us in well
playing our intended parts.'
93 U *h's should blast in proof. A metaphor taken from
trying fire-arms, which sometimes burst when being proved.
94 Your cunnings. ' Vour respective skills,' ' the respective
skill of each of you.* The Folio misprints 'commings' for "cun-
nings," which is the worn in the Quartos ; and this misprint in
the present passage, as well as a similar one in "Troilus and
Cressida," helps to show the propriety of the reading adopted
and discussed in Note 59. Acl v., "All's Well." See also Note
27, Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida."
•!38
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
1 ha't :
When in your motion you are hot and dry
(As make your bouts more violent to that end),
And that he calls for drink, I'll have prepar'd him
A chalice for the nonce ;95 whereon but sipping,
If he by chance escape your venom'd stuck,96
Our purpose may hold there.
Enter Queen.
How now, sweet queen !
Queen. One woe doth tread upon another's
heel,
So fast they follow : — your sister's drown'd, Laertes.
Laer. Drown'd! Oh, where?
Queen. There is a willow grows aslant a brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream ;97
There with fantastic garlands did she come
Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal93 shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men's nngers call
them :
There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver99 broke ;
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Kell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread
wide ;
And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up :
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunei ;
As one incapable1"0 of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indu'd101
Unto that element : but long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
PullM the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.
Laer. Alas ! then, she is drown'd ?
Queen. Drown'd, drown'd.
Laer. Too much of water hast thou, poor
Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears : but yet
It is our trick ; nature her custom holds,
Let shame say what it will : when these are gone,
The woman will be out.10'2 — Adieu, my lord :
I have a speech of fire, that fain would blaze,
But that this folly douts it.103 [Exit.
King. Let 's follow, Gertrude :
How much I had to do to calm his rage !
Now fear I this will give it start again ;
Therefore let's follow. [Exeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— A Churchyard.
Enter tivo Clowns, iuith spades t &c.
First Clo. Is she to be buried in Christian
burial that wilfully seeks her own salvation ?
See. Clo. I tell thee she is; and therefore make
her grave straight :l the crowner hath sat on her,
and finds it Christian burial.
95. For ttie nonce. 'For that occasion,' 'for the special
purpose.' See Note 47, Act i., " First Part Henry IV."
96. Stuck. ' Thrust ;' Italian, stoccata. See Note 9, Act iii.,
" Romeo and Juliet."
97. Shows his hoar leaves in, &*c. Beautifully and poetically
true to nature is this image ; the willow having leaves which are
green on the upper side, but silvery-grey on the under side, the
portion reflected in the water is "hoar," 'hoary,' or white.
Moreover, the introduction of this tree has peculiar appropriate-
ness here, inasmuch as it is the emblem of despairing love.
98. Liberal. Here used for 'free-spoken.'
99. An envious sliver, * A malignant slice or portion.' See
Note 34 of the present Act, and Note 8, Act iv., " Macbeth."
100. Incapable. ' Unsusceptible,' * unintelligent,' ' uncon-
scious.' See Note 151, Act iii.
101. Indu'd. Here used, with elliptical force, to signify
1 endowed with qualities that fitted her,' ' gifted with powers that
qualified her.* See Note 73, Act ii., " Henry V."
102. The -woman will be out. ' The womanly tendency to
weep at grief will prevail.'
103. Doiits it. ' Docs it out,' 'puts it out,' 'extinguishes it.'
First Clo. How can that be, unless she drowned
herself in her own defence ?
Sec. Clo. Why, 'tis found so.
First Clo. It must be se offe/tdendo;3 it can-
not be else. For here lies the point : if 1 drown
myself wittingly, it argues an act: and an act
hath three branches;3 it is, to act, to do, and
The first Folio here spells the word thus, 'doubts,' See Note
112, Act 1. The Quartos give 'drownes ' instead of " douts."
1. Straight. 'Straightway,' 'forthwith,' 'at once,' 'imme-
diately,' 'directly.' See Note 102, Act ii., "Merchant of
Venice."
2. Se offe>idendo. The clown blunderingly confounds this
with ' se defendendo* which is a plea allowed to be used by one
accused of homicide, alleging that the act was committed in
self-defence. Nevertheless, the fellow blunders with the wit of
his author-creator, since he uses the expression " se offendendo"
which means ' offending against oneself,' or ' committing violence
on oneself.'
3. An act hath three branches. It has been pointed out that
in the gravedigger's dabbling with legal subtleties, Shakespeare
has satirised those who figure conspicuously in a law-case,
reported among others in Plowden's " Commentaries," concern-
ing a certain Sir James Hale, who drowned himself in a river.
Assuredly some of the grave disquisitions quoted from that case
bear marvellous resemblance to the humorous points discussed by
" goodman delvcr " here. For instance. Sergeant Walsh argued
thus: — '* T/ie act consists of three parts : the first is," &c. ;
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
to perform : argal,4 she drowned herself wit-
tingly.
Sec. Clo. Nay, but hear you, good man delver,—
First Clo. Give me leave. Here lies the water;
good : here stands the man ; good : if the man go
to this water, and drown himself, it is, will he, nill
he,5 he goes,— mark you that ; but if the water
come to him and drown him, he drowns not him-
self: argal, he that is not guilty of his own death
shortens not his own life.
Sec. Clo. Bufjs this law ?
First Clo. Ay, marry, is 't ; crowner's-quest6
law.
Sec. Clo. Will you ha' the truth on 't ? If this
had not been a gentlewoman, she should have been
buried out of Christian burial.
First Clo. Why, there thou sayst: and the
more pity that great folk should have countenance
in this world to drown or hang themselves, more
than their even Christian.7 — Come, my spade.
There is no ancient gentleman but gardeners,
ditchers, and grave-makers: they hold up Adam's
profession.
Sec. Clo. Was he a gentleman ?
First Clo. He was the first that ever bore
arms.
Sec. Clo. Why, he had none.
First Clo. What ! art a heathen ? How dost
thou understand the Scripture ? The Scripture
says, Adam digged : could he dig without arms ?
I'll put another question to thee : if thou answerest
me not to the purpose, confess thyself —
Sec. Clo. Go to.
First Clo. What is he that builds8 stronger
and then Lord Dyer and others follow with such important con-
siderations as these : " Sir James Hale was dead, and how came
he to his death? It may be answered, By drowning. And
who drowned him? Sir James Hale, And when did he drown
him? In his lifetime. So that Sir James Hale being alive,
caused Sir James Hale to die, and the act of the living man was
the death of the dead man. And then for this offence it is
reasonable to punish the living man who committed the offence,
and not the dead man." It is, indeed, very probable that this
kind of forensic wire-drawing and hair-splitting was in the
poet's mind when he put these sentences into the First Clown's
mouth.
4. Argal. The gravedigger's blunder for the Latin word
ergo, 'therefore.'
;. Will he, nill he. See Note 27, Act ii., "Taming of the
Shrew."
6. Creamer 's-quest. A common corruption of ' coroner's in-
quest.'
7. Even Christian.
Christian.' The term
now say ' fellow-servant.
5. What is he that builds? It formed one of the diversions in
ancient times to propound questions of this kind ; and collections
of them are extant, among which is one entitled " Dcmaundes
Joyous" US11^. preserved in the University Library at Cam-
bridge.'
9. Unyoke. An expression signifying ' give over,' ' desist.'
'cease doing what you are about.' It is figuratively derived
from the unyoking of oxen at the end of their labour.
An old expression, equivalent to ' fcllow-
ven servant ' was formerly used as wc
than either the mason, the shipwright, or the
carpenter ?
Sec. Clo. The gallows-maker; for that frame
outlives a thousand tenants.
First Clo. I like thy wit well, in good faith :
the gallows does well ; but how does it well ? it
does well to those that do ill : now, thou dost ill to
say the gallows is built stronger than the church :
argal, the gallows may do well to thee. To 't
again, come.
See. Clo. Who builds stronger than a mason, a
shipwright, or a carpenter ?
First Clo. Ay, tell me that, and unyoke.9
See. Clo. Marry, now I can tell.
First Clo. To 't.
Sec. Clo. Mass, I cannot tell.
Enter Hamlet and Horatio, at a distance.
First Clo. Cudgel thy brains no more about it,
for your dull ass will not mend his pace with
beating; and, when you are asked this question
next, say, a grave-maker ;— the houses that he
makes last till doomsday. Go, get thee to
Yaughan ; 10 fetch me a stoop " of liquor.
[Exit Sec. Clown.
[Digging and singing.]
In youth, when I did love, did love,12
Methought it was very sweet,
To contract, oh, the time, for, ah ! my behove.
Oh, methought, there was nothing meet.
Ham, Has this fellow no feeling of his business,
that he sings at grave-making ?
Hor. Custom hath made it in him a property
of easiness.13
Probably meant for the name of the "liquors-
See Note 22, Act ii.,
10. Yaughan.
seller.
11. A stoop. *A flagon," 'a measure.'
"Twelfth Night."
12. In youth, when I did love, did love. The clown sings, in
his blundering fashion, three stanzas from a ballad printed in
" TottePs Miscellany ; or, Songes and Sonnettes," by Lord
Surrey and others (1575). The ballad is attributed to Lord
V'aux, and has been reprinted in Percy's " Reliques," where
the version of these three stanzas is given as follows : —
"I lothe that I did love,
In youth that I thought swete ;
As tyme requires for my behove,
Me thinkes they are not mete.
" For age with stealing steps
Hath clawed mc with his crouch,
And lusty life away she le.ipes.
As there had been none such.
" A pikeax and a spade.
And eke a shrowding shetc,
A howsc of clay for to be made.
For such a guest most mete."
13. A property 0/ easiness. Here " property," as it appears
to us, is used in the same sense that it bears in the passage
discussed in Note 53, Act ii., "All's Well;" and we take "a
property of easiness" to signify 'an adopted calling that hefnlfik
with ease," 'an avocation of his that costs him no uneasiness.'
Act V.l
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
'mm- -
Second Cloiun. Who builds stronger than a mason, a shipwright, or a carpenter ?
First Ctazun, Ay, (ell me that, and unyoke. £et V. Scene I.
Ham. *Tis e'en so: the hand of little employ*
ment hath the daintier sense,
First CIo. [Sings.]
But age, with his stealing steps,
Hath claw'd me in his clutch,
And hath shipped me intil the land,
As if I had never been such.
[Throws up a skull.
Ham. That skull had a tongue in it, and could
sing once : how the knave jowls it to the ground,14
as if it were Cain's jaw-bone, that did the first
14. How the knave jowls it to flu- ground. If proof were
wanted of the exquisite propriety and force of effect with which
Shakespeare uses words, and words of even homely fashion,
there could hardly be a more pointed instance cited than the
mode in which he employs the verb "jowls" here. What
strength it gives to the impression of the head and cheek-bone
smiting against the earth : and how it makes the imagination
feel the bruise in sympathy ! The poet himself so evidently
put his whole intense sensitiveness into the passage as he wrot •
murder! This might be the pate of a politician,
which this ass now o'er-reaches ;>6 one that would
circumvent Heaven, might it not ?
Hor. It might, my lord.
Ham. Or of a cuurtier ; which, could say,
"Good morrow, sweet lord! How dost thou,
good lord ?" This might be my lord such-a-onc,
that praised my lord such-a-one's horse, when he
meant to beg it, — might it not f
Hor. Ay, my lord.
Ham. W by, e'en so : and now m v Lady
Worm's ;16 chap less, and knocked about the
it, that he soon afterwards makes his hero exclaim, " Mine ache
to think on 't."
15. O'er-reaclies. This is the Quarto reading ; which we
think is more pointed than that of the Folio — 'o're offices.'
16. This might be my lord such-aouc and tunc n y
Lady Worm's. Elliptically constructed ; meaning, 'This might
be the pate of my lord such-a one ; an i is n iw the pro-
perty of my Lady Worm.'
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
mazard 17 with a sexton's spade : here 'i> fine revolu-
tion, an we had the trick to see 't. Did these bones
cost no more the breeding, but to play at loggats13
with them? mine ache to think on 't.
First Clo. [Sings."]
A pick-axe, and a spade, a spade,
For and 19 a shrouding sheet :
Oh, a pit of clay for to be made
For such a guest is meet.
[Throw up another skull.
Ham. There's another: why may not that be
the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddits
now, his quillets,20 his cases, his tenures, and his
tricks? why does he suffer this rude knave now to
knock him about the sconce with a dirt) shovel,
and will not tell him of his action of battery ?
H'm ! This fellow might be in's time a great
buyer of land, with his statutes, his recognisances,
his fines, his double vouchers, his recoveries :21 is
this the fine of his fines, and the recovery of his
recoveries, to have his fine pate full of fine dirt?
will his vouchers vouch him no more of his
purchases, and double ones too, than the length
and breadth of a pair of indentures? The very
conveyances of his lands will hardly he in this
box;22 and must the inheritor himself have no
more, ha?
lior. Not a jot more, my lord.
Ham. Is not parchment made of sheep-skins ?
Hor. Ay, my lord, and of calf-skins too.
Ham. They are sheep and calves which seek
\ 17. The mazard. ' The jaw.' Old French, maschoirc.
18. Loggats. Small logs or pieces of wood. They were used
in a game named after them; which was played by throwing
. the " loggats " at a centre, wherein was a stake, a bowl, or first-
placed single loggat. Sometimes bones were used by boys at
this game instead of wooden "loggats;" a fact that renders
Shakespeare's allusion more appropriate.
19. For and. By reference to the version of this stanza, as
quoted in Note 12 of the present Act, it will be seen that " For
and" is equivalent to "and eke." Several passages from old
writers show that " for and " was sometimes used in the sense
of *and eke;* *eke' meaning 'also,* 'likewise,' 'besides/
'moreover.' See Note 13, Act iii., "Midsummer Night's
Dream."
20. His quiddits tww, his quillets. " Quiddits " are ' quirks '
or 'subtle points of question ;' and "quillets" are 'sophistical
quibbles,' ' frivolous distinctions in argument.' See Note 105,
Act iv , " Love's Labour's Lost." " Quiddits" is a contraction
of "quiddities;" which word is used by Shakespeare, "First
I mi Henry IV.," Act i., sc. 3, where Falstaff says to Prince
Hal, "How now, mad wag! what, in thy quips and thy
ti\ s ' " Iii, derive 1 from the low Latin word, quiditas; which
h used i lastic term t<> signify the nature or essence
of anything, and which, literally rendered, means 'sum thing
II CSS.'
21. His double vouchers, his recoveries. Ritson, himself a
lawyer, thus explains the numerous legal terms in this
"A recovery with double voucher is the one usually suffered,
and IS so denominated from two persons (the latter of whom is
always the common cryer, or some such inferior persnn being
1 all Upon 1 1 u n i. int the tenant's
title. Both fine* and recoveries are fictions of law, used to
■ ■ 1 I an estate tail into a fee simple. Statutes are (not Acts
out assurance23 in that. 1 will speak to this
fellow. — Whose grave's this, sir?
First Clo. Mine, sir. —
X Sings.] Oh, a pit of clay for to be made
For such a guest is meet.
Ham. I think it be thine, indeed ; for thou
liest in 't.
First Clo. You lie out on 't, sir, and therefore
it is not yours: for my part, I do not lie in *t, and
yet it is mine.
Ham. Thou dost lie in 't, to be in 't, and say it
is thine: 'tis for the dead, not for the quick ; there-
fore thou liest.
First Clo. 'Tis a quick lie, sir; 'twill awayr
again, from me to you.
Ham. What man dost thou dig it for ?
First Clo. For no man, sir.
Ham. What woman, then ?
First Clo. For none, neither.
Ham. Who is to be buried in 'I ?
First Clo. One that was a woman, sir;- but,
rest her soul, she 's dead.
Ham. How absolute the knave is! we must
speak by the card,-4 or equivocation will undo us.
By the lord, Horatio, these three years I have
taken note of it ;25 the age is grown so picked,-6
that the toe of the peasant comes so near the heel
of the courtier, he galls his kibe.27 — How long
hast thou been a grave-maker?
First Clo. Of all the days i' the year, I came
of Parliament, but) statutes-merchant and staple, particular
modes of recognizance or acknowledgment for securing debts,
which thereby become a charge upon the party's land. Statutes
and recognizances are constantly mentioned together in the
covenants of a purchase deed."
22. This box. The humour of this term, as applied to the
grave or the coffin wherein the supposed " lawyer" who is " a
great buyer of land " lies in his last sleep, will be perceived
when it is recollected that conveyancers and attorneys keep
thjir deeds in boxes.
23. Assurance. A play on the word is here intended ; deeds,
generally written on parchment, being called the common
assurances of the realm.
24. Speak by the card. It has been thought that here allusion
is made to " the shipman's card " explained in Note 27, Ac-, i ,
"Macbeth;" but we think it more likely, judging from the
succeeding words (" the age is grown so picked," &c), that the
reference is rather to the "card or calendar of gentry," men-
tioned by Osric, and explained in Note 74 of this Act ; "speak
by the card " signifying ' speak according to the rule laid down
in the register of etiquette — correctly, accurately, precisely.'
25. These three years I have taken note of it. Here " three
years" is used as one of those idioms of indefinite time, of
which we have pointed out instances in Shakespeare. See
jNote 51, Act ii.
26. Picked. ' Over-particular,' 'excessively precise.' See
Note 10, Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost."
27. Kibe. 'Chilblain.' See Note 26, Act ii., "Tempest."
Hamlet, speaking thus lightly, almost jestingly, and standing
by the grave prepared for the woman of Ins love — what a homily
it all is upon humanity and its unconsciousnesses, treading
blindly upon the verge of all we hold most sacred and most
dear !
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
to 't that day that our last King Hamlet o'ercame
Fortinbras.
Ham. How long is that since- ?
First Clo. Cannot you tell that? every fool can
tell that: it was the very day that young Hamlet
was born, — he that is mad, and sent into England.
Ham. Ay, marry, why was he sent into
England ?
First Clo. Why, because he was mad : he shall
recover his wits there ; or, if he do not, it 's no great
matter there.
Ham. Why?
First Clo. 'Twill not be seen in him there ;
there the men are as mad as he.
Ham. How came he mad ?
First Clo. Very strangely, they say.
Ham. How strangely ?
First Clo. Faith, e'en with losing his wits.
Ham. Upon what ground ?
First Clo. Why, here in Denmark: I ha\e
been sexton here, man ami boy, thirty years.23
Ham. How long will a man lie i' the earth ere
he rot?
First Clo. 'Faith, if he be not rotten before he
die (as we have many plaguy corses now-a-days,
that will scarce hold the laying in), he will last you
some eight year or nine year : a tanner will last
you nine year.
Ham. Why he more than another ?
First Clo. Why, sir, his hide is so tanned with
his trade, that he will keep out water a great while ;
and your water is a sore decay er of your dead body.
Here's a skull now ; this skull hath lain you i' the
earth three and twenty years.
28. Thirty years. This, taken in connection with the clown's
previous words, " I came to 't that Jay," &c, and " the very
day that young Hamlet was born," shows that the poet intended
distinctly to specify the prince's age at the period of the play.
Blackstone has a strange note — one of those notes carping at
Shakespeare's "forgetfulness," "discrepancies," "omissions,"
&c. &c. &c, which it was at one time the fashion to write-
wherein he says, " By this scene it appears that Hamlet was
then thirty years old ; and yet in the beginning of the play he
is spoken of as a very young man, one that designed to go back
to school, i.e., to the university of Wittenberg. The poet, in
the fifth act, had forgot what he wrote in the first." Rather,
the commentator "forgot," or did not know, that "going to
school " was a term used for attending college, or being an
academic student. See Note 55, Act i. That Shakespeare
intended Hamlet to be a man of thirty, his mature reflections
upon life, the world, and humanity give strong inferential
testimony, besides tho direct testimony afforded by the drama-
tist's own care in stating his hero's age here ; that he also
intended him to be graceful, handsome, possessed of the
attractions of a still young man, we are sure, from the expres-
sions used by Laertes when first speaking of the prince to
Ophelia, and by herself when she speaks of " that unmatched
form and feature of blown youth." The very epithet, "blazon
youth," appears to us advisedly used by the author to precisely
designate a young man in his matured prime of life ; what, in
poetical language, and a loving maiden's language, would be
figuratively imaged by a rose or spring flower fully "blown."
It appears to us that, in judging of Shakespeare's productions,
his peculiar dramatic art in combining effects — sometimes even
Ham. Whose was it ?
First Clo. A mad fellow's it was : whose do
you think it was ?
Ham. Nay, I know not.
First Clo. A pestilence on him for a mad
rogue ! 'a poured a flagon of Rhenish on my head
once. This same skull, sir, was Yorick's skull, the
king's jester.
Ham. This ?
First Clo. E'en that.
Ham. Let me see. [Takes the skull.] — Alas!
poor Yorick ! — I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of
infinite jest, of most excellent fancy : he hath
borne me on his back-9 a thousand times; and
now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!30 my
gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that [
have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your
gibes now ? your gambols ? your songs ? your
flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the
table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your
own grinning ?31 quite chap-fallen ? Now get you
to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint
an inch thick, to this favour3'- she must come ;
make her laugh at that. — Pr'ythee, Horatio, tell
ine one thing.
Hor. What 's that, my lord ?
Ham. Dost thou think Alexander looked o'
this fashion i' the earth ?
Hor. E'en so.
Ham. And smelt so ? pah !
[Puts down lie skull.
Hor. E'en so, my lord.
Ham. To wdiat base uses we may return,
Horatio! Why may not imagination trace33 the
contrary effects — is not sufficiently taken into consideration by
those who estimate him by ordinary standards. His story, his
development of character, demanded that the hero of this play
should be, so to say, both youthful and mature ; both personally
young and mentally experienced : and Shakespeare has, with
his wonted felicity of conveying blended impressions, contrived
to present this dual combination in the individuality of Hamlet.
29. He luitk borne me on his back, &-'c. This point again
emphasises the age of Hamlet ; he remembers well the jester,
who has been buried "three and twenty years:" and the
relative dates show the prince to have been just seven years old
when Yorick died.
30. And now, Juno abhorred in my imagination it is I This
is the reading of the Quartos : while the Folio exhibits the
passage thus — 'And how abhorred my imagination is!' We
believe that the reading we have adopted is the correct one ;
and that "it" in this sentence (and in the succeeding clause,
"my gorgo rises at it") is used in reference to the idea of
having been borne on the back of him whose skeleton remains
arc thus suddenly presented to the speaker's gaze, the idea of
having caressed and been fondled by one whose mouldering
fleshless skull is now held in the speaker's hand. We have
pointed out manifold instances of Shakespeare's thus using " it"
in reference to an implied particular. See, among many others,
Notes 19 and 23, Act iv., of the present play.
31. Grinning. This also is the word in the Quartos; the
Folio giving 'jeering.'
32. Favour. 'Aspect,' 'appearance.' See Note 86, Act i.,
"Julius Ca;sar."
33. Trace. See Note 3S, Act iii., " Henry VIII."
443
Act v.]
HAMLET.
[Scene I.
noble dust of Alexander, till he rind it stopping a
bung-hole ?
Hor. 'Tivere to consider too curiously, to
consider so.
Ham. No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him
thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to
lead it: as thus; Alexander died, Alexander was
burie I, Alexander returneth into dust ; the dust is
earth ; of earth we make loam ; and why of that
loam, whereto he was converted, might they not
stop a beer-barrel ?
Imperial Cesar,34 dead and turn'd to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away :
Oh, that that earth, which kept the world in
awe,
Should patch a wall to expel the winter's
flaw!*-
But soft ! but soft ! aside : — here comes the king,
Enter Priests, &c, in procession ; the Corpse of
Ophelia, Laertes and Mourners following ;
King, Queen, their trains, &c.
The queen, the courtiers : who is that they
- follow ?
And with such maimed rites? This doth be-
token,
The corse they follow did with desperate hand
l'ordo its own life :36 'twas of some estate.3'*
Couch we awhile, and mark.
[Retiring ivith HORATIO.
Laer. What ceremony else P
Ham. That is Laertes,
A very noble youth : mark.
Laer. What ceremony else ?
First Priest. Her obsequies have been as far
enlarg'd
As we have warranty : her death was doubtful ;
34. Imperial Casar. The Folio gives ' imperial!, ' while the
Quartos give ' imperious ; ' but ' imperial ' and ' imperious '
were formerly used the one for the other. See Note 58, Act iv.,
"Troilus and Cressida." It has been suggested that possibly
here, and in the two passages referred to in Notes 99 and 100 of
Act iii. , Hamlet may be quoting from some ancient ballad ; but
we think that he is in both instances merely putting into
rhyming form the fancy that for the moment passes through his
mind. Shakespeare has made this a marked characteristic with
Hamlet — a tendency to doggerelise, when he is speaking lightly
or excitedly ; witness (in that same scene, Act iii., sc. 2)—
" For if the king like not the comedy,
Why then, belike, — he likes it not, perdy."
And again, at the close of the present scene —
" Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day;"
where it is not so much a couplet that conventionally closes
a scene of exit, as it is a fleer extemporaneously put into
rhyme, by way of a light turning off from serious thought and
remonstrance to a manner that shall favour the belief in his
madness.
35. Flaw. ' (",11st of wind.' See Note 39, Act v., " Corio-
lanus."
And, but that great command o'ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctiried have lodg'd
Till the last trumpet; for charitable prayers,
Shards,33 flints, and pebbles, should be thrown on
her :
Yet here she is allow'd her virgin crants,39
Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home
Of bell and burial.
Laer. Must there no more be done ?
First Priest. No more be done!
We should profane the service of the dead
To sing a requiem,4" and such rest to her
As to peace-parted souls.
Laer. Lay her i' the earth ; —
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring! — I tell thee, churlish priest,
A ministering angel shall my sister be,
When thou licst howling.
Ham. What ! the fair Ophelia!
£>neen. Sweets to the sweet : farewell !
[Scattering, flowers.
I hop'd thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's
wife ;
I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet
maid,
And not have strew' d thy grave.
Laer. Oh, treble woe
Fall ten times treble on that cursed head,
Whose wicked deed thv most ingenious sense
Depriv'd thee of! — Hold off the earth awhile,
Till I have caught her once more in mine arm- :
[Leaps into the grave.
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.
Ham. [Advancing.] What is he whose grief41
36. Fordo its own li/c. " Fordo " means destroy ; and " iLs "
is printed ' it' in the Folio. See Note 73, Act i.
37. Estate. Here used for ' high rank,' ' distinguished con-
dition.'
38. For clutritable prayers, sluirds. " For " is here used to
express ' instead of; ' and " shards" not only means fragments
of pots and tiles, but signifies fragmentary rubbish of any
kind. Baret mentions " shardes, or pieces of stones broken and
shattered, rubbel or rubbish of old houses ;" and in Surrey and
Sussex bricklayers use the compound words, 'tile-sherds,' 'slate-
sherds,' as the Bible speaks of ' pot-sherds.'
39. Crants. 'Garlands,' 'chaplets,' 'coronals,' 'wreaths.'
German, krantz. It was the custom to carry garlands before
the bier of a maiden, and to hang them over her grave. " Crants "
is the word in the Quartos, while the Folio changes it to ' rites.'
"Crants" being an unusual word, it may have been thought
advisable to substitute a more commonly known term ; and it
has been suggested that probably Shakespeare originally met
with the word "crants" in some Danish legend -of Hamlet; as
krantz is the name for ' garland,' not only in German, but in
several of the northern languages.
40. A requiem. The reading of the Quartos; while the Folio
gives ' sage ' instead of " a. "
41. lyitat is Iw whose grief. Those who insist thai Hamlet is
really mad, point to his conduct at this juncture as a conclusive
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Bears such an emphasis? whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wandering stars, and makes them
stand
Like wonder-wounded hearers ? This is I,
Hamlet the Dane. [Leaps into 1 he grave.
Laer. The devil take thy soul !
[Grappling -with him.
Ham. Thou pray'st not well.
I pr'ythee, take thy fingers from my throat ;
For, though I am not splenitive and rash,
Yet have I in me soinething dangerous,
Which let thy wiseness fear : hold off thy hand !
King. Pluck them asunder.
<$ueen. Hamlet, Hamlet !
All. Gentlemen, —
llor. Good, my lord, be quiet.
[The Attendants part them, and they come
out of the grave.
Ham. Why, I will fight with him upon this
theme
U'ltil my eyelids will no longer wag.
Slueen. ■ Oh, my son, what theme ?
Ham. I lov'd Ophelia : forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,4-
Make up my sum.— What wilt thou do for her ?
King. Oh, he is mad, Laertes.
0$ueen. For love of heaven, forbear him.
Ham. 'Sfoot, show me what thou'lt do :
Woo't ° weep ? woo't fight? woo'tfast? woo'ttear
thyself?
Woo't drink up Esil ?44 eat a crocodile ?
I'll do 't. — Dost thou come here to whine ?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick45 with her, and so will I :
proof of the justice of their theory ; whereas we think that in
ari impressionable temperament like Hamlet's — subject to even
morbid excitement at times, by the exceptionally potent causes
of anguish from which he has suffered — the demeanour of
Laertes at the grave of his sister would be exactly calculated
to produce disgust and resentment ; in short, the emotion which
Hamlet afterwards, in confidential converse with his friend
Horatio, describes as " a towering passion.'* A man need not
be insane to feel outraged at " the bravery of grief," the rant of
sorrow displayed by Laertes on this occasion : his rough inso-
lence to the officiating priest, his vindictive curses invoked upon
the head of him whose deed deprived Ophelia of reason, and
his hyperbolical phrases of lament for one so gentle and so
mcek-natured as she who lies in that early grave, are each
sufficient to excite indignation in the listener — especially a
listener like the sorely heart-smitten Hamlet.
42. Forty thousand brotliers could not, &°c. Well may
Hamlet, with his passionate love for Ophelia crushed into
silence and prisoned within his own heart, feel that he indeed
bis loved her better than "forty thousand" such " brothers "
as Laertes, with his ranting boast of affection, could love her!
Laertes has in his nature more suspicion than attachment,
more malice than kindliness, more rancour than love. He
begins by imputing evil intention to Hamlet, cherishes a
malignant wrath against him, and carries out a treacherous
si heme to take away his life. He is more capable of hating
Hamlet than of loving Ophelia.
43. Woo't. An old form of ' wilt thou,' or ' would'st thou,'
still in provincial use.
44. Esil. Spelt also ' eiscl ;' a word used by early writers
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 Ossa46 like a wart ! Nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.
S^ueen. This is mere madness :
And thus awhile the fit will work on him ;
Anon, as patient as the female dove,
When that her golden couplets4' are disclos'd,48
His silence will sit drooping.
Ham. Hear you, sir;
What is the reason that you use me thus ?
I lov'd you ever: but it is no matter;
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.
[Exit.
King. I pray you, good Horatio, wait upon
hiin. — [Exit Horatio.
[To Laertes.] Strengthen your patience in our
last night's speech ;
We'll put the matter to the present push. —
Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son. —
This grave shall have a living monument :
An hour of quiet shortly shall we see ;
Till then, in patience our proceeding be.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.— A Hall in the Castle.
Enter Hamlet and Horatio.
Ham. So muchfor this, sir: now shall you see
the other ; —
to signify ' vinegar,' or ' wormwood. ' Shakespeare uses it to
express a bitter and unpalatable draught. It was a fashion of
his time for amorous gentlemen to swallow nauseous potions
as a proof of their gallantry ; and Hamlet is emulating the
ranting style of Laertes. The question has been debated
whether by "Esil" (spelt in the Folio 'Esile'Jmay not here
have been meant the river Yssell, Issell, or Izel, near Den-
mark ; but we think that the following passage from Shake-
speare's inth Sonnet shows that he uses the word in the sense
we above explained : —
" Like a willing patient, I will drink
Potions o[ eisel 'gainst my strong infection ;
No bitterness that I will bitter think,
Nor double penance, to correct correction."
Quick.
Ossa.
Alive.'
A lofty mountain in Thessaly ;
also was
Pelion," alluded to a few speeches previously. In their war
with the gods, the giants were said to heap these mountains
the one on the other, in order to reach heaven. It was also
asserted that Ossa and Olympus originally formed one moun-
tain ; but that Hercules separated them, and made the vale of
Tempe between the two. It is possibly in latent allusion to
this incident of the mythology that Hamlet concludes his next
speech with an apparently irrelevant mention of " Hercules."
47. Golden couplets. The dove lays but two eggs at a time ;
and the young birds, when first hatched, are covered with
yellow down.
48. Disclos'd. Formerly a technical term for 'hatched.'
See Note 38, Act iii.
446
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
You do remember all the circumstance ?
Hor. Remember it, my lord !
Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of
fighting,
That would not let me sleep : methought I lay
Worse than the mutines49 in the bilboes.6y
Rashly,—
(And prais'd be rashness for it :51 let us know,
Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well,
When our deep plots do pall:52 and that should
teach us
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew63 them how we will.
Hor. That is most certain.)
Ham. Up from my cabin,
My sea-gown &1 scarf d about me, in the dark
Grop'd I to find out them i55 had my desire;
Finger'd their packet; and, in fine, withdrew
To mine own room again : making so bold,
My fears forgetting manners, to unseal
Their grand commission ; where I found, Horatio,
Oh, royal knavery ! an exact command, —
Larded with many several sorts of reasons,
Importing Denmark's health, and England's too,
With, ho! such bugs and goblins in my life,56 —
49. Mutines. An abbreviated form of ' mutineers.* See
Note 55, Act ii., " King John."
50. Bilboes. Bars of iron with fetters annexed to them, by
which mutinous or disorderly soldiers were anciently linked
together. The term is derived from ' BUboa,' in Spain, where
implements of iron and steel were fabricated with great excel-
lence. See Notes 22, Act i., and 48, Act hi., " Merry Wives."
Inasmuch as these fetters connected the legs of the delinquents
very closely together, their attempts to rest must have been
as fruitless as those of Hamlet, in whose " heart there was a
kind of fighting, that would not let" him "sleep." Every
motion of the one " murine " in his cramped position must have
disturbed the other man linked close beside him. The " bilbues"
are still shown in the Tower, among other spoils of the Spanish
Armada.
51. Rashly, — and praised he rashness, «5>°c. The paren-
thetical construction of this passage is completely characteristic
of Hamlet's mind, which digresses to philosophise upon every
thought that strikes him as he proceeds. The thought itself,
too, harmonises with Hamlet's disposition ; which lets a sudden
impulse and a casual opportunity occasion him to enact a pur-
pose "ong cherished but long deferred.
52. Pall. Used to express become ' spiritless,' ' lifeless,'
* without vigour and vitality.'
53. Rough-Jiciu. 'Give a first form to,' 'sketch out/ 'origi-
nally devise.' Florio defines the Italian word, abozzare, by
" To rough-hew any first draught, to bungle ill-favouredly."
54. Sea-gown. Cotgrave has — "Esclavine: a sea-gowne ; a
coarse, high-collar'd and short-sleeved gowne, reaching to the
mid-leg, and used mostly by seamen and sailors."
55. In the dark grofldl tojiiid out them. The transposed
construction here, the condensed brevity of the diction, the use
of the pronoun " them " in reference to the bearers of the
packet (whom the reader as well as the hearer knows to be
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ', all serve to indicate the breath-
less condition of the speaker when enacting that which he is
now describing.
56. Such bugs and goblins in my life. ' Such causes of terror
from my dangerous disposition should I be suffered to continue
ahve. ' " Bugs " is an abbreviation of ' bugbears.' See Note 19,
Act iii., " Winter's Tale."
That, on the supervise,5'' no leisure bated,53
No, not to stay the grinding of the axe,
My head should be struck off.
Hor. Is 't possible ?
Ham. Hera's the commission : read it at more
leisure.
But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed ?
Hor. I beseech you.
Ham. Being thus be-netted round with villa-
nies,59 —
Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play,co— I sat me down ;
Devis'd a new commission ; wrote it fair : —
I once did hold it, as our statists61 do,
A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much
How to forget that learning; but, sir, now
It did me yeoman's service :GJ — wilt thou know
The effect of what I wrote ?
Hor. Ay, good my lord.
Ham. An earnest conjuration from Hie king, —
As England was his faithful tributary ;
As love between them like the palm mignt
flourish
As peace should still her wheaten garland wear,
And stand a comma133 'tween their amities ;
'The looking over.'
' Act IV., 5C 2, says,
Hulofernes, in
I will supervise
57. The supervise.
" Love's Labour's Lost,'
the canzonet."
5S. No leisure bated. 'No period of leisure allowed,1 'no
abatement of time suffered.'
59. Villanies. The old copies print ' villaines ' for " villanies."
Capell's correction.
60. Ere I could make a prologue to my brains, they Juid
begun the play. Besides the characteristic effect of this as
depicting Hamlet's state of mind when devising the scheme
for counter-plotting and frustrating the machinations of bis
treacherous uncle, we cannot but believe that it also gives us
a vivid picture of Shakespeare's own mode of sitting down to
write — his teeming brains beginning a play, and seeing all its
scope and bearings, ere he had well penned down the opening
words.
61. Statists. 'Statesmen.* Blackstone observes that "most
of the great men of Shakespeare's time, whose autographs have
been preserved, wrote very bad hands ; their secretaries very
neat ones." There were exceptions to this, of course ; but it
has always been a modish affectation to write illegibly as a
mark of supposed superiority, and as if to write clearly were a
mere vulgar and mechanical accomplishment — an affectation
which the poet here satirises.
62. Yeoman's service. A mode of saying 'effectual service,*
' substantial service.' The ancient yeomen were famous for
their staunch valour in the field ; and Sir Thomas Smith says of
them, "These were the good archers in time past, and the
stable troop of footmen that affraide all France."
63. Comma. This word has been changed by some commen-
tators ; and, by others who retain it, it has been explained to
mean the smallest point in punctuation, while they interpret the
line accordingly. We think, however, that in the present
passage Shakespeare uses the word in a different sense from
the one in which he uses it as pointed out in Note 17, Act i.,
" Timon of Athens." There he probably employs it with
reference to the minutest stop; here, we believe that he employs
it .is the term applied by theoretical musicians to express ' the
least of all the sensible intervals in music,' showing the exact
proportions between concords. Tuners of organs and pi, -
fortes use the word " comma " thus to the present day. The
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
And many such like as's of great charge,—
That, on the view and know of these contents,64
Without debatement farther, more or less,
He should the bearers put to sudden death,
Not shriving-time allow'd.
Hor. How was this sealM ?
Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant.
I had my father's signet in my purse,
Which was the model65 of that Danish seal :
Folded the writ up in form of the other;
Subscribed it; gave 't the ^impression ; plac'd it
safely,
The changeling never known. Now, the next
day
Was our sea-fight ; and what to this was sequent
Thou knovv'st already.
Hor. So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz goto't.
Ham. Why, man, they did make love to this
employment ;66
They are not near my conscience ; their defeat
Does by their own insinuation grow:67
'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes
Between the pass and tell incensed points
Of mighty opposftes.
Hor. Why, what a king is this !
Ham. Does it not, think'st thee, stand me now
upon6''—
He that hath kill'd my king, denTd my mother ;
term in its musical sense is fully explained in Hawkins's
" History of Music " (Novello's Edition, 1853), at pp. 28, 122,
and 410. From the context of the present passage, there is far
greater probability that Shakespeare had in view a term re-
ferring to concord, than one alluding to the method of stopping ;
and we think that he here uses the word " comma" to express
a link of amicably harmonious connection. That he was well
acquainted with various technical terms in music we have several
proofs in his writings. See, among others, Notes 46 and 47,
Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet."
64. On the view and know of these contents. The Quartos
print 'knowing' for "know" here, which latter is the Folio
word, aud is probably the author's intentional abbreviation of
' knowledge.'
65. T/ie model. Here used in the sense of "copy;" that
which is modelled upon a pattern. See Note 39, Act i.,
" Richard II."
66. They did make love to this employment. A more pointed
form of the common phrase, ' they courted this employment.'
67. Their defeat does by their own insinuation grow.
' Their defeat is the consequence of their having insinuated
themselves into so base a service.'
68. Does it not, think'st thee, stand me now upon ? ( Does
it not, think you, behove me ?' See Note 19, Act iv.,
" Ri< hard III." The Folio gives 'thinkst thee,' the Quartos
' thinke thee : ' and it has been contended that " think'st thee "
should rather be printed ' thinks 't thee,' as being equivalent to
'thinks it thee.* But we are rather inclined to believe that
"think'st thee " is intended for 'thinkest thou' or 'think'st
thou,' of which expression there are several instances in Shake-
speare.
69. I'll count his favours, Rowe and others altered "count"
to 'court ;' but it appears to us that " I'll count his favours " is
a following up of the previous sentence, and means, ' I'll reckon
up the favourable points of his cause.' Hamlet has been
enumerating all (he siniiipK nf hm own injuries received from
his uncle, and will count those which Laertes has undergone as
Popp'd in between the election and my hopes;
Thrown out his angle for my proper life,
And with such cozenage — is 't not perfect con-
science,
To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be
damn'd,
To let this canker of our nature come
In farther evil ?
Hor. It must be shortly known to him from
England
What is the issue of the business there.
Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine ;
And a man's life 's no more than to say, one.
Hut I am very sorry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myself;
For, by the image of my cause, I see
The portraiture of his : I'll count his favours:60
But, sure, the bravery of his grief did put ine
Into a towering passion.70
Hor. Peace ! who comes here ?
Enter Osric.
Osr. Your lordship is right welcome back to
Denmark.
Ham. I humbly thank you, sir. — [Aside to Hok.]
Dost know this water-fly P71
Hor. [Aside to Ham.] No, my good lord.
Ham. [Aside to Hor.] Thy state is the more
those which favourably plead for him — his father killed, his
sister deranged and destroyed, himself insulted.
70. The braz'ery of his grief did put me into a towering
Passion. The manly regret for his late violence to Laertes, the
generous allowance he makes for the young man's resentment
against himself, together with this recurrence to the excusing
cause of his own indignation, expressed in confidence to his
bosom-friend Horatio, form beautifully characteristic touches of
Hamlet's disposition ; and at the same time tend strongly to
confute the (to our mind) unsound theory that he is really
insane. Through all the agitated account of the counter-plot on
board ship there is visible a collected mind, with a rational and
vindicated course of procedure ; while this summing-up of the
confidence reposed in his friend by self-rebuke, and by men-
tioning his "towering passion" as a thing of the past, bespeak
a temper capable of cool reflection and staid introspection- It
is observable that Hamlet never once here alludes to the lost
Ophelia, even though he is pouring out his thoughts to his
faithful and cherished friend. The fact is, as it appears to us,
that Hamlet said the truth in its sad and full extent, when he
told her, " I did love you once." See Note 26, Act iii. He
loved her passionately, intensely, with all the warmth and
earnestness of his intense nature, but this was while he believed
her guileless, artless, incapable of caprice or inconstancy.
When he finds her, as he thinks (unknowing that it is from
her father's and brother's instigation), capable of rejecting him
without apparent cause, his love for her is crushed and buried
within his own heart ; and he allows it to lie there extinct,
speaking of it as dead and gone, acquiescing, moreover, in the
necessity forced upon him by fate of including it among those
"trivial fond records" which he had vowed to "wipe away
from the table of" his "memory," when binding himself to his
vowed duty of avengement.
71. This water-fly. Any one who has watched the busy
yet light skimming of the winged insects that flit upon the
surface of pools, will verify the exact appropriateness of this
epithet for the court flutterer, Osric.
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Osric. Your lordship is right r.'elcome back to Denmark.
Hamlet. I humbly thank you, sir. — [Aside to Horatio.] Dost know this water-fly?
Act V. Settle II.
gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him. He hath
much land, and fertile : let a beast be lord of beasts,
and his crib shall stand at the king's mess : 'tis a
chough ; but, as I say, spacious in the possession
of dirt.
Osr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at
leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his
majesty.
Ham. I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of
spirit. Put your bonnet to his right use ; 'tis for
the head.
Osr. I thank your lordship, 'tis very hot.
Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold ; the wind
is northerly.
72. Or my complexion. This is the Quarto reading : while
the Folio gives 'for my complexion.' We think that Hamlet is
intended to imply, ' I find it very sultry and hot ; or it may be
that my constitutional temperament renders me peculiarly liable
Osr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed.
Ham. But yet, methinks it is very sultry and
hot ; or my complexion '- —
Osr. Exceedingly, my lord ; it is very sultry, —
as 'twere, — I cannot tell how. — But, my lord,
his majesty bade me signify to you, that he has
laid a great wager on your head : sir, this is the
matter, —
Ham. I beseech you, remember —
[Hamlet mo<ves him to put on his hat.
Osr. Nay, in good faith ; for mine ease, in good
faith. Sir, here is newly come to court Laertes ;
believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most
excellent differences,73 of very soft society, and
to feel heat.' " Complexion " is here used in a similar sense to
that pointed out in Note no, Act i.
73- Excellent differences. ' Various and distinguishing ex-
cellences.'
aaj
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
great showing : indeed, to speak feelingly of him,
he is the card or calendar of gentry, for you shall
find in him the continent of what part a gentleman
would see.'"4
Ham. Sir, his definement suffers no perdition in
you;— though, I know, to divide him inventorially
would dizzy the arithmetic of memory ; and yet
but raw/5 neither, in respect of his quick sail.
But, in the verity of extolment, I take him to
be a soul of great article; and his infusion of
such dearth and rareness, as, to make true diction
of him, his semblable is his mirror; and who else
would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.'6
Osr. Your lordship speaks most infallibly of
him.
Ham. The concernancy, sir? why do we wrap
the gentleman in our more rawer" breath ?
Osr. Sir ?
Hor. Is't not possible to understand in another
tongue?78 You will do't, sir, really.
Ham. What imports the nomination of this
gentleman ?
Osr. Of Laertes?
Hor. {Aside to Ham.] His purse is empty
already; all his golden words are spent.
Ham. Of him, sir.
Osr. I know you are not ignorant —
Ham. I would you did, sir ; yet, in faith, if
you did, it would not much approve me : — well,
sir.
74. You shall find in him the continent of, &C. 'You
shall find him to be the container and compriser of whatsoever
meritorious accomplishment one gentleman would wish to behold
in another.' By "the card or calendar of gentry" Osric pro-
bably means one of those " books of good manners" mentioned
by Touchstone in the passage referred to in Note 37, Act v.,
"As You Like It."
75. Vet but raw. The Folio omits the present passage;
while all the Quartos, excepting one (that of 1604, which prints
'yaw' for "raw"), give the reading we adopt. We take the
word "raw" to be here used in the sense pointed out in Note
20, Act iii., "As You Like It;" and we believe it to refer to
" definement," at the commencement of Hamlet's speech. He
is mimicking Osric's affected phraseology ; purposely expressing
himself in the finically fantastic ityle which the euphuistic fops
of Shakespeare's time adopted as a fashionable jargon, and
which is here satirised. We thus interpret the sentence : ' Sir,
his description loses nothing by your account ; though I know,
to sum up his numerous merits would make an arithmetician
giddy ; and yet your description is but inefficient and inade-
quate, after all, owing to the rate at which he outruns all
praise.'
76. Who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing, more.
' Whoever else would endeavour to give but a faint image of
him, is his shadow, nothing more.* " Trace " is here used so as
to include the senses of ' follow closely,' 'keep up with' (see
Note 38, Act iii., " Henry VIII."), 'emulate,' ' imitate,' ' repre-
sent/ ' give a reflection of.'
77. Rawer. This word, used here, is in keeping with what
wc conceive to be the right word ("raw") in the passage dis-
cussed in the penultimate note. Hamlet asks, " But to return
to the matter that concerns us, sir? Why do we digress to
Osr. You are not ignorant of what excellence
Laertes is —
Ham. I dare not confess that, lest I should
compare with him in excellence ; but, to know a
man well, were to know himself.
Osr. I mean, sir, for his weapon ; but in the
imputation79 laid on him by them, in his meed,80
he's unfellowed.
Ham. What's his weapon ?
Osr. Rapier and dagger.
Ham. That 's two of his weapons : but, well.
Osr. The king, sir, hath wagered with him six
Barbary horses : against the which he has im-
poned,81 as I take it, six French rapiers and
poniards, with their assigns, as girdle, hangers,S2
and so : three of the carriages, in faith, are
very dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts,
most delicate carriages, and of very liberal con-
ceit.
Ham. What call you the carriages?
Hor. [Aside to Ham.] I knew you must be
edified by the margent83 ere you had done.
Osr. The carriages, sir, are the hangers.
Ha?n. The phrase would be more german84 to
the matter, if we could carry cannon by our sides :
I would it might be hangers till then. But, on :
six Barbary horses against six French swords,
their assigns, and three liberal-conceited carriages ;
that's the French bet against the Danish. Why
is this imponed, as you call it ?85
envelope the gentleman in eulogium breathed forth so inex-
pertly and inefficiently by us?"
78. Is '/ not Possible, &>c. This speech has been variously
altered by various emendators ; but its meaning appears to us
to be, ' Is it not possible to make us comprehend in other and
simpler language? You will be able to do it, sir, assuredly.'
The speech admits of yet another interpretation: 'Is't not
possible to understand in another and more fantastic language
than ordinary parlance? You will be at no loss to do so, sir,
assuredly.' The speaker is joining Hamlet in bantering Osric ;
and the poor gentleman-dealer in fine diction being utterly non-
plussed by the torrent of sentences in mockery of his own
style which the prince pours upon him, is exquisitely comic in
effect.
79. The imputation. ' The attributed merit,' ' the imputed
excellence.' See Note 95, Act i., " Troilus and Cressidal"
80. Meed. 'Merit,' 'desert;' ' that which deserves meed or
reward.' See Note 57, Act i., " Tiinon of Athens."
81. ImPoned. This is the Folio form of the word, while the
Quartos give ' impawned.' " Imponed " is evidently spelt thus
to mark Osric's affected pronunciation of ' impawned ;' wliich
meant ' pledged,* ' staked,' 'given as a gage.' In " First Part
Henry IV.," Act iv., sc. 3, we find, " Let there be impawned
some surety," &c.
82. Hangers. Those portions of the girdle or belt by which
the sword is suspended.
83. Tlte margent. Explanatory comments of books were
anciently printed on the margin of the pages. See Note 57,"
Act i., "Romeo and Juliet."
84. German. 'Akin,' 'allied,' 'pertinent.' See Note 206,
Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
85. Why is this imponed, as you call it ? Hamlet's inquiry
450
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Osr. The king, sir, hath laid, that in a dozen
passes between yourself and him, he shall not
exceed vou three hits: he hath laid, on twelve for
nine; and it would come to immediate trial, if
your lordship would vouchsafe the answer.
Ham. How if I answer no ?
Osr. I mean, my lord, the opposition of your
person in trial.
Ham. Sir, I will walk here in the hall : if it
please his majesty, it is the breathing time of day
with me ;86 let the foils be brought, the gentleman
willing, and the king hold his purpose, I will win
for him if I can ; if not, I will gain nothing but my
shame, and the odd hits.
Osr. Shall I deliver you so ?
Ham. To this effect, sir ; after what flourish
your nature will.
Osr. I commend my duty to your lordship.
Ham. Yours, yours. [Exit Osric] — He does
well to commend it himself; there are no tongues
else for 's turn.
Hor. This lapwing runs away with the shell on
his head.87
Ham. He did comply with89 his dug, before he
sucked it. Thus has he (and many more of the
same breed, that, I know, the drossy age dotes on)
only got the tune of the time, and outward habit
of encounter; a kind of yesty collection, which
carries them through and through the most fond
and winnowed opinions;'9 and do but blow them
to their trial, the bubbles are out.
Enter a Lord.
Lord. My lord, his majesty commended him to
you by young Osric, who brings back to him, that
you attend him in the hall : he sends to know if
your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that
you will take longer time.
Ham. I am constant to my purposes ; they
serves to mark unmistakeably his own raillery of and the
author's intended satire upon Osric's mincing pronunciation, as
pointed out in Note 81 of the present Act. See also Note 34,
Act i. , "As You Like It."
86. The breathing time of 'day with me. ' The time I appro-
priate in the day for taking exercise.' See Note 44, Act i.,
" All's Well."
87. This lapwing, &c. In allusion to an old proverb, thus
given in Meres's "Wits' Treasury" (1598}: "As the lapwing
runneth away with the shell on her head, as soon as she is
hatched." This is Horatio's way of calling Osric a silly
fledgling fellow.
88. He did comply with. ' He was complaisant to,' ' he was
obsequious or deferential to.' See Note 84, Act ii. Hamlet's
phrase is equivalent to 'he is a born courtier,' or ' a courtier
from his very cradle.'
89. The most fond and winnowed opinions. This is the
Folio reading; while the Quartos give ' prophane and tren-
nowed' instead of " fond and winnowed." Warburton changed
" fond " to ' fanned,' a plausible alteration; but we think that
probably here "fond" is used to express 'fondly cherished,'
follow the king's pleasure : if his fitness speaks,
mine is ready; now or whensoever, provided I be
so able as now.
Lord. The king and queen and all are coming
down.
Ham. In happy time.90
Lord. The queen desires you to use some
gentle entertainment" to Laertes before you fall
to play.
Ham. She well instructs me. [Exit Lord.
Hor. You will lose this wager, my lord.
Ham. 1 do not think so ; since he went into
France, I have been in continual practice ; I shall
win at the odds. But thou wouldst not think
how ill all 's here about my heart: but it is no
matter.
Hor. Nay, good my lord, —
Ham. It is but foolery ; but it is such a kind
of gain-giving,92 as would perhaps trouble a
woman.
Hor. If your mind dislike anything, obey it :
I will forestall their repair hither, and say you are
not fit.
Ham. Not a whit, we defy augury : there 's
a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If
it be now, 'tis not to come ; if it be not to come,
it will be now ; if it be not now, yet it will
come : the readiness is all : since no man, of aught
he leaves, knows,93 what is 't to leave betimes?
Let be.
Enter King, Queen, Laertes, Lords, Osric, and
Attendants ivith foils, feff.
King. Come, Hamlet, come, and take this
hand from me.
[The King puts Laertes' hand into
Hamlet's.
Ham. Give me your pardon, sir : I've done you
wrong ;
'dearly esteemed,' while "winnowed" we take to mean
' choice,1 ' select.' In a previous passage of the present play
(see the one adverted to in Note 141, Act i.), "All trivia! fond
records," the word " fond " is probably used in this same sense
of ' fondly cherished,' ' fondly entertained.'
90. In happy time. See Note 80, Act iii., " Romeo and
Juliet."
91. Gentle entertainment. 'Conciliatory conversation;'
'mildness of manner.'
92. Gain-giving. 'Misgiving;' an internal feeling of mis-
trust, and giving way against the impression of coming evil.
93. Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows. This is the
Quarto reading ; while the Folio gives, ' Since no man ha's ought
of what he leaves.' We adopt the former ; believing it to be
more characteristic of Hamlet that he thinks leaving life of little
consequence because he cannot come to a right knowledge of
its many mysteries and perplexities, than because he cannot
carry with him life's goods and advantages. Nay, we think
(agreeing in this particular with Johnson) it not improbable that
the Folio reading was a simplified construction of the original
passage ; and that ' ha's ' was merely a misprint for " knows."
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
But pardon 't, as you are a gentleman.
This presence knows,94
And you must needs have heard, how 1 am
punish'd
With sore distraction. What I have done,
That might your nature, honour, and excep-
tion,
Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.
Was 't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes ? Never Hamlet :
If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away,
And when he.'s not himself does wrong Laertes,
Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it.
Who does it, then ? His madness : if 't be so,
Hamlet is of the faction that is wrong'd ;
His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.
Sir, in this audience,
Let my disclaiming from a purpos'd evil
Free me so far in your most generous thoughts,
That I have shot mine arrow o'er the house,
And hurt my brother.95
Laer. I am satisfied in nature,
Whose motive, in this case, should stir me most
To my revenge : but in my terms of honour
I stand aloof; and will no reconcilement,
Till by some elder masters, of known honour,
I have a voice and precedent of peace,
To keep my name ungor'd.96 But till that
time,
I do receive your offer'd love like love,
And will not wrong it.
Ham. I embrace it freely ;
And will this brother's wager frankly play. —
Give us the foils. — Come on.
Laer. Come, one for me.
Hum. I'll be your foil, Laertes : in mine igno-
rance
Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night,
Stick fiery off indeed.97
Laer. You mock me, sir.
Ham. No, by this hand.
94. This presence knows. The king, queen, and assembled
court.
95. / have shot mine arro-.v o'er the honse, and hurt niy
brother. The Folio misprints 'mother' for "brother" here,
which is the word given in the Quartos. For the expression,
" o'er the house," see Note 6, Act iv., " Twelfth Night."
96. To keep my name ungor'd. In the Folio there is a mis-
print of ' vngorg'd ' for " ungor'd ;" which is shown to be right
by the Quarto copies. Very consonant with Laertes' character
is his present speech ; he admits that he has received satisfaction
for the wounds his " nature " has received in the death of his
father and the destruction of his sister, but reserves the right to
demand farther atonement made to his hurt honour, until some
persons of authority in questions of gentlemanly punctilio shall
decide whether or not he may consider himself at liberty to
remain satisfied, and feel that his reputation is untouched. The
stifiTncss of egotistical susceptibility, the petty anxiety to pre-
serve the world's good opinion, the regard to social claims
rather than to natural affections, the artificial gentleman and
not the true gentleman — all are admirably embodied in Laertes ;
King. Give them the foils, young Osric. —
Cousin Hamlet,
You know the wager P
Ham. Very well, my lord ;
Your grace hath laid the odds o' the weaker
side.
King. I do not fear it ; I have seen you
both:
But since he is better'd, we have therefore
odds.
Laer. This is too heavy, let me see another.
Ham. This likes me well. These foils have all
a length ? [They prepare to play.
Osr. Ay, my good lord.
King. Set me the stoops03 of wine upon that
table.—
If Hamlet give the first or second hit,
Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
Let all the battlements their ordnance fire ;
Thejking shall drink to Hamlet's better breath ;
And in the cup a union99 shall he throw,
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn. Give me the
cups ;
And let the kettle10" to the trumpet speak,
The trumpet to the cannoneer without,
The cannons to the heavens, the heavens to
earth,
"Now the king drinks to Hamlet." — Come,
begin ; —
And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.
Ham. Come on, sir.
Laer. Come, my lord. [They play.
Ham. One.
Laer. No.
Ham. Judgment.
Osr. A hit, a very palpable hit.
Laer. Well ; — again.
King. Stay ; give me drink. — Hamlet, this
pearl is thine ; ""
and he forms, besides his dramatic fitness in the play wherein
he figures, an excellent impersonated satire upon those empty
gallants of whom Shakespeare saw so many specimens in the
fashionable circles of his day.
97. Stick Jiery off indeed. " Stick off" is a similar idiom to
" stands off"," as used in the passage we have referred to in
Note 59, Act ii., " Henry V.," and " comes oft','' »s inclusively
employed in that referred to in Note 10, Act i., "Timon of
Athens."
98. Stoops. 'Flagons.' See Note 11 of the present Act.
99. A union. A pearl of unique beauty and value. To
swallow a pearl in a draught was formerly done' as a token of
princely liberality and gallantry.
100. Kettle. An abbreviated form of ' kettle-drum.'
101. Hamlet, this pearl is thine. Probably here the king is
intended to drop a poisonous drug into the cup prepared for
Hamlet, under pretence of putting a pearl into the cup from
which he himself is about to drink. The prince's subsequent
scoffing inquiry, "Is thy union here?" seems to confirm the
probability that such was the author's intention in the present
Horatio. Now cracks a noble heart: — good night, sweet prince;
And Hights of angels sing thee to thy rest !
Act V. Scene II.
ACT V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Here 's to thy health.
[Drinks from one of the cups. Trumpets
sound, and cannon shot off within.
Give him the cup.
Ham. I'll play this bout first ; set it by
awhile. —
Come. [They play.] — Another hit; what say
you?
Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess.
King. Our son shall win.
Queen. He 's fat, and scant of breath. 102-
Here, Hamlet, take my napkin,103 rub thy
brows :
The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.
[Takes the other cup.
Ham. Good madam!
King. Gertrude, do not drink.
Queen. I will, my lord ; I pray you, pardon me.
[Drinks.
King. [Aside.] It is the poison'd cup ; it is too
late.
Ham. [Queen offers the cup to Hamlet.] I dare
not drink yet, madam ; by-and-by.
Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.
Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.
King. I do not think it. .
Laer. [Aside.] And yet 'tis almost 'gainst my
conscience.104
Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes : you but
dally ;
I pray you, pass with your best violence ; _
I am afeard you make a wanton of me.105
Laer. Say you so ? come on.
[They play.
Osr. Nothing, neither way.
passage, and to show that he meant Hamlet to have a suspicion
of Claudius's feint
102. He's fat, and scant of breath. By some commentators
it has been proposed to substitute ' faint ' for " fat ; " by others,
who retain the original word, the passage has been explained as
referring apologetically to the obesity of the first actor who
played the part — Burbage. We believe, however, that the
expression in the text refers to Hamlet himself; who, as a
sedentary student, a man of contemplative habits, one given
rather to reflection than to action, might naturally be supposed
to be of somewhat plethoric constitution. This accords well
with his not daring to "drink" while he is heated with the
fencing bout : with his being of a " complexion " that makes him
feel the weather "sultry and hot ;" with his custom of walking
*' four hours together in the lobby ;" with his having a special
" breathing time of the day ;" and with his telling Horatio that
he has " been in continual practice " of fencing — as though he
took set exercise for the purpose of counteracting his constitu-
tional tendency to that full habit of body which is apt to be the
result of sedentary occupation and a too sedulous addiction to
scholarly pursuits.
103. Napkin. 'Handkerchief.' See Note 63, Act iii.,
" Julius Csesar."
104. And yet 'tis almost 'gainst my conscience. This
symptom of relenting is not only a redeeming touch in the
character of Laertes 'ami Shakespeare, in his large tolerance
Laer. Have at you now !
[Laertes ivounds Hamlet ; then, in
scuffling, they change rapiers, and
Hamlet 'wounds Laertes.
King. Part them ; they are incens'd.
Ham. Nay, come, again. [The Queen falls.
Osr. Look to the queen there, ho '.
Hor. They bleed on both sides. — How is it, my
lord?
Osr. How is it, Laertes ?
Laer. Why, as a woodcock to mine own
springe, Osric ;
I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.
Ham. How does the queen ?
King. She swoons to see them bleed.
Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink, — oh, my
dear Hamlet, — ■
The drink, the drink ! — I am poison'd. [Dies.
Ham. Oh, villany ! — Ho ! let the door be
lock'd :
Treachery ! seek it out. [LAERTEs/a//r.
Laer. It is here, Hamlet : Hamlet, thou art
slain ;
No medicine in the world can do thee good,
In thee there is not half an hour of life ;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated106 and envenom'd : the foul practice
Hath turn'd itself on me ; lo, here I lie,
Never to rise again : thy mother's poison'd : —
I can no more :— the king, the king 's to blame.
Ham. The point, — envenom'd too!10' —
Then, venom, to thy work. [Stabs the King.
All. Treason ! treason !
King. Oh, yet defend me, friends ; I am but
hurt.
and true knowledge of human nature, is fond of giving these
redeeming touches to even his worst characters), but it forms a
judiciously interposed link between the young man's previous
determination to treacherously take the prince's life and his
subsequent revealment of the treachery. From the deliberate
malice of becoming the agent in such a plot, to the remorseful
candour which confesses it, would have been too violent and too
abrupt a moral change, had not the dramatist, with his usual
skill, introduced this connecting point of half compunction.
105. Von make a wanton of me. 'You treat me as if I were
an effeminate creature.' In " King John," Act v., sc. 1, the
term, " a cocker'd silken wanton," is used to express an effemi-
nate stripling.
106. Unbated. ' Unblunted.' See Note 88, Act iv. of this
play.
107. T/ie point, — envenom'd too I We agree with Mr.
Staunton in thinking that instead of printing this, as in most
editions, 'The point envenom'd too!' there should be a break
put after the word "point," to indicate that Hamlet, recurring
to what Laertes has just said ("unbated and envenom'd"),
examines the foil, and finding it without the customary button,
exclaims, " The point," — and then, without completing his sen-
tence by "unbated," hurries on to "envenom'd too '" Finding
he has a sharp-pointed and poisoned weapon in his hand, he
suddenly resolves to make it the instrument of his long-deferred
vengeance.
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Ham. Here, thou incestuous, murderous,
damned Dane,
Drink off this potion : — is thy union here :
follow my mother. [King dies.
Laer. He is justly serv'd ;
It is a poison temper'd by himself. —
Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet :
Mine and my father's death come not upon
thee,
Nor thine on me! [Dies.
Ham. Heaven make thee free of it ! I follow
thee. —
I am dead, Horatio. — Wretched queen, adieu! —
You that look pale and tremble at this chance,
That are but mutes or audience to this act,
Had I but time (as this fell sergeant, death,
Is strict in his arrest), oh, I could tell you, —
But let it be. — Horatio, I am dead ;
Thou liv'st ; report me and my cause aright
To the unsatisfied.
Hor. Never believe it :
I am more an antique Roman than a Dane : ll19
Here 's yet some liquor left.
Ham. As thou 'rt a man,
Give me the cup : let go ; by heaven, I'll have
it—
Oh, good Horatio, what a wounded name,
Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind
me !
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in
pain,
To tell my story.
[March afar off, and shot nuithin.
What warlike noise is this ?
Osr. Young Fortinbras, with conquest come
from Poland,
To the embassadors of England gives
This warlike volley.
Ham. [Falls.'] Oh, I die, Horatio ;
The potent poison quite o'er-crows109 my spirit :
I cannot live to hear the news from England ;
But I do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras : he has my dying voice ;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited.110 — The rest is silence.
[Dies.
108. More an antique Roman tluin a Dane. See Note 25,
Act v., "Julius Csesar."
109. O'er-crows. ' Overcomes,' ' subdues.'
no. Solicited. ' Urged this decision,' ' prompted this decree.'
See Note 50, Act i., " Macbeth."
in. This quarry cries on luiToc. "Quarry" was the term
for a heap of slaughtered game. See Note 84, Act iv.,
Macbeth." " Cries on" is ' exclaims against ' or ' proclaims,'
' announces.' See passage referred to in Note 74, Act ii., "As
You Like It," and Note 37, Act v., " Richard III." " Havoc"
Hor. Now cracks a noble heart: — good night,
sweet prince ;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
[March 1x31 thin.
Why does the drum come hither ?
Enter Fortinbras, the English Embassadors, and
others.
Fort. Where is this sight ?
Hor. What is it ye would see ?
If aught of woe or wonder, cease your search.
Fort. This quarry cries on havoc.1" — Oh,
proud death,
What feast is toward112 in thine eternal cell,
That thou so many princes at a shot
So bloodily hast struck ?
First Emb. The sight is dismal ;
And our affairs from England come too late :
The ears are senseless that should give us hear-
ing.
To tell him his commandment is fulfill'd,
That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead :
Where should we have our thanks ?
Hor. Not from his mouth,
Had it the ability of lite to thank you :
He never gave commandment for their death.
But since, so jump113 upon this bloody question,
You from the Polack wars, and you from Eng-
land,
Are here arriv'd, give order that these bodies
High on a stage be placed to the view ;
And let me speak to the yet unknowing world
How these things came about: so shall you
hear
Of carnal,114 bloody, and unnatural acts ;
Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters ;
Of deaths put onlls by cunning and forc'il
cause ;
And, in this upshot, purposes mistook
Fall'n on the inventors' heads : all this can I
Truly deliver.
Fort. Let us haste to hear it,
And call the noblest to the audience.
For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune :
I have some rights of memory in this king-
dom,116
Which now to claim my vantage doth invite
me.
was the word for profuse and indiscriminate destruction. See
Note 50, Act ii., "King John."
112. What feast is toward ? See Note 104, Act i., " Romeo
and Juliet."
113. fmnp. 'Just immediately ;' ' exactly,' ' precisely.'
114. Carnal. 'Sanguinary.' See Note 45, Act iv.,
"Richard III."
115. Put on. ' Instigated,' ' occasioned.'
116. Some rights of memory in this kingdom. 'Some rights
which are remembered in this kingdom.'
Act V.]
HAMLET.
[Scene II.
Hor. Of that I shall have also cause to speak,
And from his mouth whose voice will draw on
more :
But let this same be presently perform'd,
Even while men's minds are wild ; lest more
mischance,
On plots and errors, happen.
Fort. Let four captains
Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage ;
For he was likely, had he been put on,
117. The soldiers' music and the rites 0/ "war speak
loudly /or him. The word "let," which commences this
To have prov'd most royally : and, for his pas-
sage,
The soldiers' music and the rites of war
Speak loudly for him."" —
Take up the bodies : — such a sight as this
Eecomes the field, but here shows much amiss. —
Go, bid the soldiers shoot.
\A dead march. Exeunt, bearing aivay
the dead bodies ; ajter •which a peal
of ordnance is shot off.
speech, is understood as repeated before " the
music"
DRAMATIS PERSONyE.
Lear., King of Britain.
King of France.
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Cornwall.
Duke of Albany-
Earl of Kent.
Earl of Gloster.
Edgar, Son to Gloster.
Edmund, Bastard Son to Gloster.
Curan, a Courtier.
Oswald, Steward to Goneril.
Old Man, Tenant to Gloster.
Physician.
Fool.
Captain employed by Edmund.
Gentleman, Emissary to Cordelia,
A Herald.
Servants to Cornwall.
Goneril,
• Daughters to Lear.
Goneril, "J
Regan, > 1
Cordelia,'
Knights of Lear's train, Officers, Messengers, Soldiers, and
Attendants.
Scene — Britain.
KING LEAR.1
ACT I.
SCENE I.— A Room of State in King Lear's
Palace.
Enter Kent, Gloster, and Edmund.
Kent. I thought the king had more affected the
Duke of Albany2 than Cornwall.
Glo. It did always seem so to us : but now, in
the division of the kingdom, it appears not which
of the dukes he values most; for equalities are so
weighed, that curiosity3 in neither can make choice
of either's moiety.4
Kent. Is not this your son, my lord ?
Glo. His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge :
I have so often blushed to acknowledge him, that
now I am brazed to't.
Kent. I cannot conceive you.
Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother had a son
for her cradle ere she had a husband for her bed.
Do you smell a fault ?
i. The earliest known printed copies of this sublime drama
are three Quarto editions, published in i6o3 : but they vary, in
many particulars, from the text of the play as it appears in the
Folio 1623. These variations have all the effect of curtailments
made for stage representation : as they consist chiefly of passages
which it is not likely that the writer of the tragedy would have
cancelled from any other consideration. As manager, he may
hive sanctioned their omission; as author, certainly not; for
they possess beauty of diction, development of character, and
dramatic fitness. Therefore, it is matter of immense gratulation
that these Quarto copies exist, where the original passages are
preserved, as well as the Folio copy; which, together, afford
means of giving the text as nearly as possible in accordance with
what Shakespeare first penned. Under the date November 26th,
1607, the " Stationers' Registers " contain this memorandum—
"X.i. Eutter and Jo. Busby] Entered for their copie under t'
hands of Sir George Eucke, Kt., and tho Wardens, a booke
called Mr. Willm. Shakespeare, his Hystorie of Kinge Lear,
as it was played beferc the King's Majestie at Whitehall, upon
St. Stephen's night at Christmas last, by his Majesties Servants
playing usually at the Globe on the Bank-side : " thus proving
that it was acted at oourt on the 26th of December, 1606. The
three Quarto editions, published in the course of the very next
year, show how immediately this grand drama became popular.
Kent. I cannot wish the fault undone, the issue
of it being so proper.5
Glo. But I have a son, sir, hy order of law,
some year elder than this, who yet is no dearer in
my account : though this knave came somewhat
saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet
was his mother fair; there was good sport at his
making, and the son must be acknowledged.— Do
you know this noble gentleman, Edmund?
Ei/m. No, my lord.
Glo. My lord of Kent : remember him here-
after as my honourable friend.
Eilm. My services to your lordship.
Kent. I must love you, and sue to know you
better.
Edm. Sir, I shall study deserving.
Glo. He hath been out nine years, and away he
shall again. — The king is coming.
[Sennet within.
The period of its composition has been pointed out as in all
probability subsequent to 1603; because Harnet's "Discovery*
of Popish Impostures" appeared at that date ; and the names of
the fiends mentioned by Edgar are evidently derived from that
work. Hints for the materials of his plot Shakespeare very likely
obtained from Geoffrey of Monmouth, Holinshed, "The Mirror
of Magistrates," Spenser's " Faerie Queene," book ii., canto 10;
Sidney's "Arcadia," book ii., chap, x ; and perhaps from an old
anonymous play on the subject, entitled " The True Chronicle
History of King Leir, and his Three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan,
and Cordelia;" perhaps also from the " Gesta Romanorum,"
the ''Rcmance of Perceforest," and an old ballad called " King
Leir and his Three Daughters," of which there is a version in
Percy s " Reliques." However this may be, certain it is that the
' iv was popularly known in our poet's time ; and he treated it
in his own super-potential style, producing, perhaps, the loftiest
portrayal of tragic passion ever delineated by human hand.
2. Albany, or ' Albania,' was the ancient name for Scotland.
3. Curiosity. Here used to express ' extremest precision of
scrutiny.' See Note 69. Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
4. Moiety. 'Portion,' 'share.' See Note 16, Act iii., " First
Part Henry IV."
5. Prober. 'Comely,' 'handsome.' See Note 1, Act iv.,
" Two Gentlemen of Verona."
ACT I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Enter Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Goneril,
Regan, Cordelia, and Attendants.
Lear. Attend the lords of France and Bur-
gundy, Gloster.
Glo. I shall, my liege.
[Exeunt Gloster ami Edmund.
Lear. Meantime we shall express our darker
purpose.6 —
Give me the map there.— Know that we have
divided
In three our kingdom : and 'tis our fast intent'
To shake all cares and business from our age ;
Conferring them on younger strengths, while we
Unburden'd crawl toward death. — Our son of
Cornwall,
And you, our no less loving son of Albany,
We have this hour a constant8 will to publish
Our daughters' several dowers, that future strife
May be prevented now. The princes, France and
Burgundy,
Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love,
Long in our court have made their amorous
sojourn,
And here are to be answer'd. — Tell me, my
daughters,
(Since now we will divest us, both of rule,
I nterest of territory, cares of state,)9
Which of you shall we say doth love us most ?
That we our largest bounty may extend
Where nature doth with merit challenge. — Goneril,
Our eldest-born, speak first.
Gon. Sir, I love you more than words can wield
the matter ;
Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty ;
Beyond what can be valu'd, rich or rare ;
6. IVe shall express our darker purpose. ' We shall now
disclose our hitherto unexplained intention.' Lear has already
declared that he shall make " division of the kingdom," as we
find from Gloster' s first speech ; but he here lets it be understood
that the equal shares, in which he has been supposed to have
divided it. are subject to an ulterior decision on his own part,
and that he will make this decision greatly depend upon the
Amount of love felt for him by each of his three daughters, who
are to receive their respective shares in relative proportion to
tin ii professed affection. So irrational a scheme serves well to
show, at. the very outset of the play, how unsound is the old
king's judgment, and how already touched with a diseased
perversion is his understanding ; a mental condition that has
resulted from a long course of irresponsible power and uncurbed
self-will, mill which is but the commencement of that insanity
whii li ultimately breaks out into complete madness.
7. Fast intent. ' Firm intention.'
8. Constant. Here used in the sense of ' steadfast,' ' deter-
mined,' ' resolute." See Note 91, Act ii., "Julius Carsar."
1 II \ will divest us, kith of rule, interest 'of territory, cares
of state. Here, as elsewhere, Shakespeare vises "both" in
reference to more than two specified objects. See Note 69,
Act iv., '" Winter's Tale."
10. Beyond all manner of so much I love yon. 'Beyond all
power "t" tying how much I love you,' 'beyond all means of
stating that so much I love you.' Here "so much" is used
1 ".'ally, to signify an indefinite amount or quantity.
No less than , life, with grace, health, beauty,
honour ;
As much as child e'er lov'd, or father found ;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech un-
able ;
Beyond all manner of so much I love you.10
Cor. [Aside.] What shall Cordelia do ? Love,
and be silent.
Lear. Of all these bounds, even from this line
to this,
With shadowy forests and with champains11 rich'd,
With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads,
We make thee lady : to thine and Albany's issue
Be this perpetual. — What says our second daughter,
Our dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall ? Speak.
Reg. I am made of that self metal12 as my
sister,
And prize me at her worth.13 In my true heart
I find she names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short, — that I profess14
Myself an enemy to all other joys,
Which the most precious square15 of sense possesses;
And find I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness' love.
Cor. [Aside.] Then poor Cordelia !
And yet not so; since, I am sure, my love's
More richer10 than my tongue.
Lear. To thee and thine, hereditary ever,
Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom ;
No less in space, validity,17 and pleasure,
Than that conferr'd on Goneril. — Now, our joy,
Although our last, not least; to whose young
love
The vines of France and milk of Burgundy
Strive to be interess'd ;ls what can you say to
draw
Compare the mode in which it is employed in the passages
referred to in Note 32, Act ii., " Timon of Athens," and Note
36, Act v., "Julius Caesar."
11. Champains. 'Open stretches of country;' 'extensive
tracts of land.' See Note 112, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
" Rich'd " is an abbreviated form of ' enriched.'
12. I am made of that self metal. "Self" is here used to
express ' self-same.'
11 And prize me at her worth. 'And I reckon myself
equal to her in amount of affection.'
14. She comes too short, — that I profess. Here "that" is
elliptically used for 'in that,' or 'inasmuch as.' Shakespeare
often uses "that" with considerable force of ellipsis. See,
among others, Note 121, Act i., " All's Well ;" Note 13, Act i.,
" Henry VIII. ; " and Note 6, Act i , " Macbeth."
15. Square. Here employed to express that which conqu ises
'complement,' 'compass.'
16. More richer. This is the Quarto reading : while the
Folio gives ' more ponderous.' The word " richer " forms the
antithesis to " poor," in the penultimate line ; and Shakespeare
has frequently antithetical style, as well as occasionally a double
comparative.
17 Validity. 'Value.' See Note 5, Act i, "Twelfth
Night."
18. Interess'd. This word was used in Shakespeare's tune :
being derived from the French, interessc. while 'interested' is
derived from the Latin, isiterrst.
460
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[SCF.NE I.
Lear. Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. —
Give me the map there. — Know that we have divided
In three our kingdom. Act I. Scene I.
A third more opulent than your sisters ?19 Speak.
Cor. Nothing, my lord.
Lear. Nothing !
Cor. Nothing.
Lear. Nothing will come of nothing: speak
again.
Cor. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth: I love your majest)
According to my bond ; nor more nor less.
19. What can you say to draw a third more opulent than
your sisters? 'Have drawn" is elliptically understood after
"sisters" The appeal here made by Lear again aflfi rd
of his already unsound mind : he puts forth the very last induce-
ment that would be likely to move so disinterested a nature
as Cordelia's into a declaration of attachment, and he talks
of giving her "a third more opulent," when he has already
given an "ample third" to his second daughter that equals
the first third given to Goneril. This confu ion of division
in allotment — giving two large thirds, and then thinking that
Lear. How, how, Cordelia! mend ) our speech
a little,
Lest you may mar your fortunes.
Cor. Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me: I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my sisters husbands, if they ray
They love you all ? Haply, when I shall wed,
he has in reserve a third ^till larger t" bestow— is quite t he
reasoning of one whose understanding is impaiied by ig in
habitually despotic wilfulness. Shaker. eare has wonderfully
prepared the ground for Lear's subsequent derangcmcnl 0
intellect, from the very first opening of the play. His ill
conceived device, his senseless rage .it 1 Cordelia's refusal to pro
fess affection, his headstrong fury against Kent for his timely
remonstrance, :tre all the precise indications of .i w< ikened
brain, that becomes a thoroughly disordered one 1 y in
resentment.
46,
is:
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall
carry
Half my love with him, half my care, and duty:
Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.
Lear. But goes thy heart with this ?
Cor. Ay, good my lord.
Lear. So young, and so untender ?
Cor. So young, my lord, and true.
Lear. Let it be so, — thy truth, then, be thy
dower :
For, by the sacred radiance of the sun,
The mysteries10 of Hecate, and the night ;
By all the operation of the orbs
From whom we do exist, and cease to be ;
Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity and property of blood,
And, as a stranger to my heart and me,
Hold thee, from this,21 for ever. The barbarous
Scythian, -
Or he that makes his generation23 messes
To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom
Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and reliev'd,
As thou my sometime daughter.
Kent. Good my liege, —
Lear. Peace, Kent !
Come not between the dragon and his wrath. —
I lov'd her most, and thought to set my rest
On her kind nursery. Hence, and avoid my
sight !24
So be my grave my peace, as here I give
Her father's heart from her! — Call France ; — who
stirs ?
Call Burgundy. — Cornwall and Albany,
With my two daughters' dowers digest the third:
Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her.
1 do invest you jointly with my power,
Pre-eminence, and all the large effects
That troop with majesty. — Ourself, by monthly
course,
20. Mysteries. The first Folio prints ' miseries,' the Quartos
print ' mistresse ' here. Corrected in the second Folio.
2t. From (his. ' From this time,' 'from henceforth.'
22. Scythian. Some writers have represented that the
Scythians fed upon human flesh
23. His generation. Here used to express 'those whom he
has generated ;' his children.
24. Hence, and avoid i<:\ sight I This, by some, is believed
to be parenthetically addressed to Cordelia ; by others, to Kent.
It is to be observed that he has already bidden Kent stand
aside, while, on the contrary, he immediately sends for France
and Burgundy, that he may offer Cordelia to either of their
acceptance ; and as for the argument that Kent did not deserve
such treatment from the king— having as yet said no more than
" Good iny liege " — Lear's ire at any one who offers to " come
between the dragon and his wrath" is sufficiently impetuous to
account for his hurling these words at his faithful counsellor,
with quite .1- much (or as little) reason as at his reticent
daughter.
25. Alt the additions to a king. ' All the titles belonging to
c. king.' Sec Note 109, Act i., " Hamlet."
With reservation of a hundred knights,
By you to be sustain'd, shall our abode
Make with you by due turns. Only we still retain
The name, and all the additions to a king;26
The sway,
Revenue, execution of the rest,26
Beloved sons, be yours : which to confirm,
This coronet27 part between you.
[Giving the erouun.
Kent. Royal Lear,
Whom I have ever honour'd as my king,
Lov'd as my father, as my master follow'd,
As my great patron thought on in my prayers, —
Lear. The bow is bent and drawn, make from
the shaft.
Kent. Let it fall rather, though the fork invade
The region of my heart: be Kent unmannerly,
When Lear is mad.23 What wouldst thou do, old
man ?
Think'st thou that duty shall have dread to speak,
When power to flattery bows ? To plainness
honour's bound,
When majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom ; 29
And, in thy best consideration, check
This hideous rashness : answer my life my judg-
ment,30
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least ;
Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sound
Reverbs31 no hollowness.
Lear. Kent, on thy life, no more.
Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn
To wage against32 thine enemies; nor fear to
lose it,
Thy safety being the motive.
Lear. Out of my sight !
Kent. See better, Lear ; and let me still remain
The true blank33 of thine eye.
Lear. Now, by Apollo, —
Kent. Now, by Apollo, king,
Thou swear'st thy gods in vain.
26. Execution of the rest. An elliptical expression ; implying
'execution of those offices which belong to a king, and which
remain for him to perform.'
27. Coronet. Sometimes, as here, used for 'crown.' See
Note 49, Act v., " First Part Henry VI."
rS. When Lear is mad. This affords obvious corroboration
of our view respecting the author's intention ; it serves to
manifest how insane the king's conduct is thought by his
faithful friend.
29. Reverse thy doom. This is the reading of the Quartos ;
while the Folio gives ' reserue thy state.'
30. Answer my life my judgment. 'Let my life be answer-
able for my judgment ;' ' I will stake my life on the correctness
of my conviction.'
31. Reverts. A poetically abbreviated form of ' reverberates.
32. As a pawn to wage against. ' As a pledge to stake
against.' See Note 81, Act v., " Hamlet."
33. Blank. This was the term for the white mark at which
shooters aimed. See Note 7. Act iv., "Hamlet" Kent
figuratively says, ' Let me still serve as the point which guides
your sight, and aids you to direct your surmises correctly.
46?
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Lear. [Grasping his sword.] Oh, vassal! mis-
creant!
Alb., Corn. Dear sir, forbear.
Kent. Do ;
Kill thy physician, and the fee bestow
Upon the foul disease. Revoke thy gift ;
Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat,
I'll tell thee thou dost evil.
Lear, Hear me, recreant !
On thine allegiance, hear me ! —
Since thou hast sought to make us break our vow
(Which we durst nexer yet), and with strain'd
pride
To come betwixt our sentence and our power
(Which nor our nature nor our place can bear),
Our potency made good, take thy reward.
Five days we do allot thee, for provision
To shield thee from diseases31 of the world ;
And, on the sixth, to turn thy hated back
Upon our kingdom : if, on the tenth day following
Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions,
The moment is thy death. Away ! by Jupiter,
This shall not be revok'd.
Kent. Fare thee well, king : since thus thou
wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here. —
[To Cordelia.] The gods to their dear shelter
take thee, maid,
That justly think'st, and hast most rightly said! —
[To Gon. and Reg.] And your large speeches
may your deeds approve,35
That good effects may spring from words of love. —
Thus Kent, oh, princes, bids you all adieu ;
He'll shape his old course in a country new. [Exit.
Flourish. Re-enter Gloster, with France,
Burgundy, and Attendants.
Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble
lord.
Lear. My lord of Burgundy,
We first address toward you, who with this king
Hath rivall'd for our daughter : what, in the least,
31. Diseases. Here used in the sense of 'hardships,' 'dis-
comfort!,' ' uneasinesses,' ' inconveniences.' This is the Quarto
word, while the Folio gives ' disasters ;' and we think that, in all
probahility, "diseases" was the author's expression, inasmuch
as a "provision " made in " five days " might suffice to avert the
difficulties of the world, though scarcely its calamities.
35. Arid your large speeches may your deeds approve. 'And
may your acts substantiate your ample protestations.'
.: 3D- Quest. ' Seeking,' ' pursuit,' ' suit,' ' solicitation.'
37. We did hold her so. ' We did esteem her worthy of that
dower which you say we offered to give as hers.' "Dear "is
used in this sentence with a slightly punning effect, as in the
senses of 'affectionately valued,' and ' of high value;' while
" so " has here elliptical force.
38. That little seeming substance. There has been some
difference among the commentators as to what this phrase
means ; to us it appears to signify a slighting expression on the
part of Lear, as if he had said, ' that small scrap of womanhood.'
' that mere morsel of humanity.' He is speaking of Cordelia as
Will you require in present dower with her,
Or cease your quest30 of love ?
Bur. Most royal majesty,
[ crave no more than hath your highness offer'd,
Nor will you tender less.
Lear. Right noble Burgundy,
When she was dear to us, we did hold her so ;37
But now her price is fall'ii. Sir, there she stands :
If aught within that little seeming substance,33
Or all of it, with our displeasure piee'd,
And nothing more, may fitly like your grace,39
She's there, and she is yours.
Bur. T know no answer.
Lear. Will you, with those infirmities she owes,'10
Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate,
Dower'd with our curse, and stranger' d with our
oath,
Take her, or leave her ?
Bur. Pardon me, royal sir ;
Election makes not up on such conditions.41
Lear. Then leave her, sir; for, by the power
that made me,
I tell you all her wealth.— [To France.] For you,
great king,
I would not from your love make such a stray,
To match you where I hate ; therefore beseech
you
To avert your liking a more worthier way
Than on a wretch whom nature is asham'd
Almost t' acknowledge4hers.
France. This is most strange,
That she, who even but now was your best object,
The argument of your praise, balm of your age,
The best, the dearest, should in this trice of time
Commit a thing so monstrous, to dismantle
So many folds of favour. Sure, her offence
Must be of such unnatural degree,
That monsters it,48 or your fore-vouch'd affection
Fall into taint r13 which to believe of her,
Must be a faith that reason, without miracle,
Could never plant in me.
Cor. I yet beseech your majesty
solely and simply herself, without any of her former advantages
as daughter to a king.
39. May fitly like your grace. In modern phraseology,
' may suit your grace.'
40. Owes. ' Owns,' 'possesses.*
41. Election makes not up on such conditions. The expres-
sion, "makes not up," here is idiomatic and elliptical ; convey-
ing the effect of ' makes not up its mind,' ' cannot come to a
decision.'
42. That monsters it. An idiomatic form of phrase, implying
' as to be monstrous,' ' as to assume the proportions of a mon-
ster.' Shakespeare occasionally uses " that" for 'as' in phrases
where the word "such* occurs. See passage referred to in
Note 59, Act hi., " Coriolanus."
43. Fall into taint. 'Come within imputation of blame ;'
'become subject to accusation as having been misplaced.'
Shakespeare has " taints and blames " in the euurse of the
speech referred to in Note 67, Act iv., "Macbeth;" and he
there, as here, uses the word as an abbreviation of ' attaint.'
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
(It fur I want that glib and oily art,44
To speak and purpose not ; since what I well
intend,
I'll do't before I speak), that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness,45
No unchaste action, or dishonour'd step,
That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour ;
But even for want of that for which I am richer,—
A still-soliciting eye, and such a tongue
That I am glad I have not, though not to have it
Hath lost me in your liking.
Lear. Better thou
Hadst not been born than not to have pleas'd me
better.
France. Is it but this, — a tardiness in nature
Which often leaves the history unspoke
That it intends to do ?— My lord of Burgundy,
What say you to the lady ? Love is not love,
When it is mingled with respects,46 that stand
Aloof from the entire47 point. Will you have
her?
She is herself a dowry.
Bur. Royal Lear,
Give but that portion which yourself propos'd,
And here I take Cordelia by the hand,
Duchess of Burgundy.
Lear. Nothing : I have sworn ; I am firm.
Bur. I am sorry, then, you have so lost a father
That you must lose a husband.
Cor. Peace be with Burgundy !
Since that respects ot fortune are his love,
I shall not be his wife.
Frame. Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich,
being poor ;
Most choice, forsaken ; and most lov'd, despis'd!
Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon :
Be it lawful I take up what 's cast away.
44. Tf for 1 want that glib and oily art. "For" is here
used in the sense of 'because;' and "want" in that of 'am
without,' or ' have not.'
45. So vicious blot, murder, or foulness. Objection has
been made to the word " murder" here, and substitutions have
been proposed ; but, considering that her father has spoken of
her as " a wretch whom nature is asham'd almost to acknow-
ledge hers," .01 i that the King of France has suggested that
"her offence must be of such unnatural degree " as to imply
tli.it it is absolutely monstrous, Cordelia's allusion to even the
dark crime of "murder," as among those which she may be
suspected of having committed, does not seem at all over-
strained. The era of the world in which the story took place
upon which this play is founded should be remembered ; an era
when the poisoning of one sister by the other, and the putting
out the eyes of a man iuspei il to be a traitor, were occurrences
that seem but a part of the savage procedure common to persons
in power at that period.
4'-. Respects. This is the word in the Quarto copies: while
the Folio gives 'regards.' "Respects" i, here, and else-
where, used to cypress 'scrupulous considerations,' 'over-
prudential or over-cautious considerations.' See Note 98,
1 1 in., " Richard III."
47. Rutin. 'Integral;' that which comprises in itself its
• on tituant and essential parts.
Gods, gods! 'tis strange that from their cold'st
neglect
My love should kindle to inflam'd respect. —
Thy dowerless daughter, king, thrown to my
chance,
Is queen of us, of ours, and our fair France :
Not all the dukes of waterish Burgundy
Can buy this unpriz'd precious maid of me. —
Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind :4S
Thou losest here, a better where to find.49
Lear. Thou hast her, France : let her be thine ;
for we
Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see
That face of hers again : — Therefore be gone
Without our grace, our love, our benison.50 —
Come, noble Burgundy.
[Flourish. Exeunt Lear, Burgundy,
Cornwall, Albany-, Gloster,
and Attendants.
France. Bid farewell to your sisters.
Cor. Ye jewels of our father,61 with wash'd eyes
Cordelia leaves you : I know you what you are ;
And, like a sister, am most loth to call
Your faults as they are nam'd. Love well our
father:
To your professed52 bosoms I commit him :
But yet, alas ! stood I within his grace,
I would prefer63 him to a better place.
So, farewell to you both.
Reg. Prescribe not us our duty.
Gon. Let your study
Be to content your lord, who hath receiv'd you
At fortune's alms. You have obedience scanted,
And well are worth the want that you have
wanted.54
Cor. Time shall unfold what plighted55 cun-
ning hides:
48. Unkind. Here includes the combined senses of ' un-
natural ' and ' unaffectionate.' See Note 46, Act i., " Hamlet."
49. Thou losest hero, a better where to find. " Here" and
" where " are in this passage used substantively; and the sen-
tence implies, ' Thou losest thine own place here, to find a
better place of thine own elsewhere.' In the speech previous to
the one referred to in Note 21, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet,"
" he's some other where " means ' he's in some other place.'
50. Benison. ' Blessing.' See Note 63, Act ii , " Macbeth."
51. IV jewels 0/ our father. In the Folio there is the same
misprint of 'The ' for " Ye " here as in the passage pointed out
in Note 73, Act i., " Coriolanus. " Rowe made the present
correction. The old mode of occasionally writing 'ye' for 'the'
probably led the printer, in both instances, into the mistake of
believing that ' the ' was intended by the author.
52. Professed. Here used for ' professing,' or ' full of pro-
fessions.' See Note 7, Act iv., "Macbeth."
S3 Prefer. ' Recommend,' ' promote.' See Note 41, Act v.,
"Julius Csesar."
54. Well arc worth the mint that yon have wanted. 'Well
deserve to be without that which you are without:' 'well
deserve to need that dower of which you have been deprived.
See Note 44 of this Act.
55. Plighted. 'Complicated,' 'involved, "intricate.' From the
Latin plieatus, knitted, plaited or folded together : interweaved.
,t6)
Cordelia. Who cover faults, at last shame them derides.
Well may you prosper !
trance. Come, my fair Cordelia.
Act I. Scene I.
"5
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Who cover faults, at last shame them derides.56
Well may you prosper !
France. Come, my fair Cordelia.
[Exeunt France and Cordelia.
Gon. Sister, it is not little I have to say of what
most nearly appertains to us both. I think our
father will hence to-night.
Reg. That's most certain, and with you j next
month with us.
Gon. You see how full of changes his age i^ ;
the observation we have made of it hath not been
little :5? he always loved our sister most ; and with
what poor judgment he hath now cast her oh1
appears too grossly.
Reg. 'Tis the infirmity of his age : yet he hath
ever but slenderly known himself.
Gon. The best and soundest of his time hath
been but rash ; then must we look to receive
from his age, not alone the imperfections of long-
engrafted condition,58 but therewithal the unruly
waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring
with them.
Reg. Such unconstant starts are we like to have
from him as this of Kent's banishment.
Gon. There is farther compliment of leave-
t. iking between France and him. Pray you, let us
hit together ;s9 if our father carry authority with
such dispositions as he bears, this last surrender of
his will but offend us.
Reg. We shall farther think of it.
Gon. We must do something, and i' the heat.60
[Exeunt.
-\ — ,
56. Who c.ver faults, at last shame them derides. Th!s,
with the exception of a misprinted 's' after " cover," is the
reading of the Quartos ; while the Folio gives ' who couers
faults, at last with shame derides.' "Who" is here used fur
' persons who,' or 'those who.' See Note 53, Act i., "All's
Well," and Note 38, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
57. The observation we have mad* of it hath not been little.
The Folio omits the word "not" in this sentence, while the
Quartos give it ; and we think that the similarly-constructed
phrase in Goneril's previous speech (" It is not little I have to
say," &c'.] tends to confirm the probability that the Quarto
reading here is the correct one. What she goes on to say, also,
shows that siie has much observed her father; and aids in
proving that the text, as here given, is right. This short scene
between the two women, by the way, commenting with un-
iterly hardness upon the tokens of failing judgment and
uncertain temper in the old king, is full of testimony that he has
been for some time in that state of unchecked wilfulness and
arbitrariness which is the next stage to mental unsoundness, and
wrhii h prepares the way for total derangement when thwarting
and cruelty come up >u him.
58. Long*engrfi ■!■ ■>. fition. ' A temper rendered imperious
:■■ h ibit:'
50 Let us hit together "Hit "is the Quarto word; while
the Folio prints 'sit,' " Let us hit together" is an idiomatic
phrase, signifying 'let us agree together;' but it also in-
! 'lei 11s strike at the same time,' 'let us
1 ' in concert,' a 1- shown by what Goneril says in her next
speech.
60. We must do something, and ;' t/u heat Equivalent to
the proverbial phrase, 'We must strike while the iron is hot.J
, Act ii , " Sd ond Part I [enry 1 V."
SCENE II.— .4 Hall in the Earl of Gloster's
Castle.
Enter Edmund, with a letter.
Edm. Thou, nature, art my goddess ; to thy law
My services are bound. Wherefore should I
Stand in the plague of custom,61 and permit
The curiosit) 6- of nations to deprive63 me,
For that I am some twelve or fourteen moon-
shines
Lag of a brother ? Why bastard ? wherefore base ?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as generous, and my shape as true,
As honest madam's issue ? Why brand they us
With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land :
Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund
As to the legitimate : fine word, — legitimate !
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall top the legitimate. C4 1 grow; I prosper:—
Now, gods, stand up for bastards!
Enter Gloster.
Glo. Kent banish'd thus ! and France in choler
parted !
And the king gone to-night ! subscrib'd65 his
power !
Confin'd to exhibition !6fi All this done
Upon the gad !67 — Edmund, how now! what news?
Edm. So please your lordship, none.
[Putting up the letter.
61. Stand in the plague of eustom. The word "plague" in
this passage has been suspected of error by some of the commen-
tators ; but we think that the sentence may refer to the social
banishment awarded to those who were smitten by the malady
of the plague ; and that Edmund means figuratively to say,
'Wherefore should I remain an outcast from society, by the
stern decree of custom, because I am a younger and an illegiti-
mate son?' ' Why should I remain, like a plague-smitten crea-
ture, set apart by custom?' &c The idiom, "Stand in the
plague of," seems to us to have analogy with the old legal
expression, "Stand within his danger," explained in Note iS,
Act iv , " Merchant of Venice," and with the phrase, " My life
stands in the level of your dreams," explained in Note 17, Act iii.,
" Winter's Talc."
62. Curiosity. 'Scrupulousness,' 'strictness,' 'punctilious-
ness.' See Note 69, Act iv., " Timou of Athens," and Note 3,
Act i., of the present play.
63. Deprive. Besides that Shakespeare uses this word with
elliptical force (see Note irS, Act i., "Hamlet"), it was em-
ployed, in his time, to express 'disinherit.'
64. Shall top the legitimate. Instead of "top the" ^Capell's
correction), the Quartos give 'tooth,' and the Folio 'to'th'.'
The word "base," in the previous line, lends every appearance
of probability to " top" being the right word here.
65. Subscrib'd. 'Yielded,' 'surrendered,' 'given up.' See
Note 50, Act iv. , "Troilus and Cressida."
66. Exhibition. An ancient term for 'an allowance,' 'a
stipend." See Note 32, Act i., " Two Gentlemen of Verona."
67. Upon t/ie gad. Equivalent to ' upon the spur of the
moment.' A "gad" or 'goad' was a sharp-pointed piece of
steel, used as a spur to urge cattle forward ; whence the ex-
pression ' goaded/
466
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II
Glo. Why so earnestly seek you to put up that
letter?
Edm. I know no news, my lord.
Glo. What paper were you reading ?
Edm. Nothing, my lord.
Glo. No! What needed, then, that terrible
despatch of it into your pocket ? the quality of
nothing hath not such need to hide itself. Let's
see : come, if it be nothing, I shall not need spec-
tacles.
Edm. I beseech you, sir, pardon me : it is a
letter from my brother, that I have not all o'er-
read ; and for so much as I have perused, I find it
not fit for your o'er-looking.
Glo. Give me the letter, sir.
Edm. I shall offend, either to detain or give it.
The contents, as in part I understand them, are to
blame.
Glo. Let's see, let's see.
Edm. I hope, for my brother's justification, he
wrote this but as an essay or taste63 of my virtue.
Glo. [/iffli/j.J This policy and reverence of age makes
the world bitter to the best of our times ; keeps our fortunes
from us till our oldness cannot relish them. I begin to find an
idle and fond 69 bondage in the oppression of aged tyranny ; who
sways, not as it hath power, but as it is suffered Come to me,
that of this I may speak more. If our father would sleep till I
waked him, you should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live
the beloved of your brother, Edgar.
H'm — conspiracy! — "Sleep till I waked him, — you
should enjoy half his revenue," — My son Edgar !
Had he a hand to write this? a heart and brain to
breed it in ? — When came this to you ? who
brought it ?
Edm. It was not brought me, my lord, — there's
the cunning of it ; I found it thrown in at the case-
ment of my closet.
Glo. You know the character to be your
brother's ?
Edm. " If the matter were good, my lord, I durst
swear it were his ; but, in respect of that, I would
fain think it were not.
Glo. It is his.
Edm. It is his hand, my lord; but I hope his
heart is not in the contents.
68. Taste. ' Test.' See Note 78, Act iii., " Twelfth
Night."
69. Idle and fond. ' Senseless and weak.' See Note 56,
Act iii., "Hamlet." It is worthy of observation how harmo-
niously the dramatist has made the secondary plot of this great
tragedy consist with its main subject — the filial treachery and
rebellion to age in the person of Gloster, with filial barbarity to
age in the person of Lear.
70. IV/tere. Sometimes, as in the present passage, used for
'whereas.' See Notes 13 and 100, Act i., " Coriolanus."
7t. Your honour. Here meaning 'your lordship.' See
Note 30, Act ii., " Measure for Measure."
T2- Pretence. ' Design,' ' purpose,' ' intention.'
73. Wind me into him. Here " me" is used in the idiomatic
manner so frequently indicated by us.
74. / would uttstale myself, to be, &>c. 'I would give all J
possess ia state, rank, and fortune, to be duly resolved (or
Glo. Hath he never heretofore sounded you in
this business?
Edm. Never, my lord : but I have oflen heard
him maintain it to be fit, that, sons at perfect age,
ami fathers declined, the father should be as ward
to the son, and the son manage his revenue.
Glo. Oh, villain, villain ! — His very opinion in
the letter! — Abhorred villain! Unnatural, de-
tested, brutish villain ! worse than brutish ! — Go,
sirrah, seek him; I'll apprehend him: — abominable
villain ! — Where is he ?
Edm. I do not well know, my lord. If it shall
please you to suspend your indignation against my
brother till you can derive from him better testi-
mony of his intent, you shall run a certain course ;
where,"0 if you violently proceed against him, mis-
taking his purpose, it would make a'great gap in
your own honour, and shake in pieces the heart of
his obedience. I dare pawn down my lite for him,
that he hath writ this to feel my affection to \our
honour,71 and to no other pretence" of danger.
Glo. Think you so ?
Edm. If your honour judge it meet, I will place
you where you shall hear us confer of this, and by
an auricular assurance have your [satisfaction ; and
that without any farther delay than this very
evening.
Glo. He cannot be such a monster —
Edm. Nor is not, sure.
Glo. To his father, thit so tenderlv'and entirely
loves him. — Heaven and earth! — Edmund, seek
him out ; wind me into him/3 I pray you : frame
the business after your own wisdom. I would un-
state myself, to be in a due resolution.74
Edm. I will seek him, sir, presently; convey"5
the business as I shall find means, and acquaint you
withal.
Glo. These late eclipses in the fun and moon
portend no good to us: though tie wisdom ot
nature can reason it thus and thus,76 yet nature
finds itself scourged by the sequent effects : love
cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide : in cities,
mutinies; in countries, discord ; in palaces, treason;
and the bond cracked between son and'father. This
satisfied) of the truth.' Shakespeare frequently uses ' resolved'
in the sense of 'satisfied,' 'fully informed;' witness, for in-
stance, " We would be resol-Sd, before we hear him, of some
things," &c, " Henry V.," Act i , sc. 2 ; and, "To be resolvd
if Brutus so unkindly knocked or no," " Julius Ca:sar," Act iii.,
sc. 2 : see also Note 26, Act iv., " Richard III.," and Note 80,
Act ii. of the present play.
75. Convey. Here used for ' conduct,' ' carry through,
' manage.'
76. Though the wisdom of nature, &°c. 'Though natural
philosophy can explain the causes of these eclipses, yet human
nature feels their consequences." This was in accordance with
the belief in Shakespeare's time : and he characteristically makes
the credulous Gloster a medium for showing the faith in 'astro-
logical influence as it existed in the general mind, while he
makes the shrewd Edmund a medium for exposing its absurdity
and depraving tendency.
467
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
villain of mine comes under the prediction ; there's
son against father : the king falls from bias of
nature ; there's father against child. We have seen
the best of our time : machinations, hollowness,
treachery, and all ruinous disorders, follow us dis-
quietly to our graves. — Kind out this villain, Ed-
mund'; it shall lose thee nothing ; do it carefully.
— And the noble and true-hearted Kent banished !
his offence, honesty !— Strange ! strange ! [Exit.
EJm. This is the excellent foppery of the world,
that, when we are sick in fortune (often the surfeit
of our own beha\ iom ), we make guilty of our disas-
ters the sun, the moon, and the stars : as if we were
villains by necessity ; fools by heavenly compul-
sion ; knaves, thieves, and treachers,77 by spherical7*
predominance; drunkards, liars, and adulterers, by
an enforced obedience of planetary influence ; and
all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting on : an
admirable evasion of man, to lay his disposition to
the charge of a star ! My nativity was under ursa
major;'1'' so that it follows, I am rough and lawless.
— Tut, I should have been that I am, had the
maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled on my
bastardising. Edgar—
Enter Edgar.
And pat he comes like the catastrophe of the old
comedy :"° my cue is villanous melancholy, with a
sigh like Tom o' Bedlam. — Oh, these eclipses do
portend these divisions ! fa, sol, la, mi.81
Edg. How now, brother Edmund ! what serious
contemplation are you in f
Edm. I am thinking, brother, of a prediction I
read this other day, what should follow these
eclipses.
Edg. Do you busy yourself with that r85
Edm. I promise you, the effects he writes of
77 Trenchers. An old word for ' traitors ; ' those who are
guilty of treachery, treacherous persons.
78. Spherical. This word, generally used to express ' sphere-
like in shape,' ' round,' is here used by Shakespeare in the
sense of ' pertaining to the spheres,' ' belonging to the heavenly
bodies.'
79. Ursa major. 'The great bear;' the constellation so
called. See Note 51, Act i., "Twelfth Night"
80. Like the catastrophe of the old comedy. In this passage
the Folio omits the words " Edgar — and ; " while the Quartos
give them, but misprint 'out' for " pat." It has been supposed
that here Shakespeare intended to ridicule the awkward con-
clusions of the old comedies, where the persons of the scene
make their entry inartificially, and just when the author wants
them on the stage : probably so ; but we think that the passage
also very likely includes allusion to the adage, "Talk of the
devil and he instantly appears," said when any one approaches
while he is being spoken of. There may have been some well-
known morality or ancient dramatic show, where the devil who
frequently figured in them (see Notes 39 and 40, Act iv.,
" Twelfth Night") came in thus patly at the catastrophe of the
piece ; and the wording of the phrase, " like the catastrophe
of the old comedy," seems to us to countenance our idea.
81. Fa. sol, la, mi. Dr. Bumcy has the following note upon
this passage :— " Shakespeare shows by the context that he was
succeed83 unhappily; as of unnaturalness between
the ci.ild and the parent ; death, dearth, dissolu-
tions of ancient amities; divisions in state, menaces
and maledictions against king and nobles; needless
diffidences, banishment ot friends, dissipation of
cchorts,81 nuptial breaches, and I know not what.
Edg. How long have you been a sectary astro-
nomical ?
Edm. Come, come ; when saw \ ou my father last ?
Elg. The night gone by.
Edm. Spake you with him ?
Edg. t\y, two hours together.85
Edm. Parted yon in good terms? Found you
no displeasure in him by word or countenance?
Edg. None at all.
Edm. Bethink yourself wherein you may have
offended him : and at my entreaty forbear his
presence till some little time hath qualified the heat
of his displeasure; which at this instant so rageth
in him, that with the mischief of your person it
would scarcely allay.
Edg. Some villain hath done me wrong.
Edm. That's my fear. I pray you, have a con-
tinent forbearance36 till the speed of his rage goes
slower; and, as I say, retire with me to my lodg-
ing, from whence I will fitly bring you to hear my
lord speak. Pray you, go ; there 's my key. If you
do stir abroad, go armed.
Edg. Armed, brother '.
Edm. Brother, I advise you to the best ; I am
no honest man if there be any good meaning toward
you : I have told you what I have seen and heard
but faintly, nothing like the image and horror of
it : pray you, away.
Edg. Shall I hear from you anon ?
Edm. I do serve you in this business.
[Exit Edgar.
well acquainted with the property of these syllables in solmisa-
tion, which imply a series of sounds so unnatural, that ancient
musicians prohibited their use. The monkish writers on music
say, Mi contra fa est diabolus: the interval fa mi, including a
tritonus or sharp fourth, consisting of three tones without the
intervention of a semi-tone, expressed in the modem scale by
the letters F G A B, would form a musical phrase extremely dis-
agreeable to the ear. Edmund, speaking of eclipses as portents
and prodigies, compares the dislocation of events, the times
being out of joint, to the unnatural and offensive sounds, fa
sol, la, mi."
82. Do you busy yourself iuith that? By the contemptuous
inquiry in this and the next speech, put into the mouth of the
sensible and worthy Edgar, our poet has emphasised his own
opinion upon the astrological creed previously satirised through
Edmund's sneering soliloquy.
83. Succeed. 'Follow,' ' successively occur.' See Note 122,
Act i., "All's Well."
84. Cohorts. ' Large troops of soldiers.' Johnson and others
proposed to substitute ' courts' for " cohorts."
85. Two hours together. An idiom of indefinite time, some-
what similar to the one noticed in Note 51, Act ii., " Hamlet."
86. Have a continent forbearance. ' Keep a forbearing
restraint upon yourself." ' contain yourself within forbearing
Ijounds.' See Note 29, Induction, " Taming of the Shrew."
468
Act i.J
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Edmund, Pray you, gn
Edgar. Armed, brother
my key. If you do stir abroad, go armed.
Act I . Scene //.
A credulous father! and a brother noble,
Whose nature is so far from doing harms,
That he suspects none ; on whose foolish honesty
My practices3" ride easy ! — I see the business. —
Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit :
All with me's meet that I can fashion fit. [Exit.
SCENE III. — i Room in the Duke of Albany's
Palace.
Enter GoNliRlL and Oswald.
Con. Did my father strike my gentleman for
chiding of his fool ?
Osw. Ay, madam.
Gon. By day and night89 he wrongs me; every
hour
He flashes into one gross crime or other,
That sets us all at odds: I'll not endure it:
His knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle. — When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; say I am sick : —
If you come slack of former services,
You shall do well ; the fault of it I'll answer.
[Horns heart/.
Osiv. He's coming, madam ; I hear him.
Gon. Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellows; I'd have it come to ques-
tion :
87. Practices. ' Devices,' 'stratagems.' See Note 57, Act ii., and Note 152. Act i. , " Hamlet" , but an idiomatic expression
"Henry V." j of lime, signifying 'daily and nightly,' 'constantly,' ' perpetually '
88. by day and night. In this passage we take these words , " Every hour," immediately afterwards in the same line, seems
to be not an adjuration (see Note 78, Act i., " Henry VIII.," ' to confirm the correctness of our interpretation.
469
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
If he distaste it, let him to my bister,
Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,
Not to be over-rul'd. Idle89 old man,
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away !— Now, by my life,
Old fools are babes again ; and must be us'd
With checks as flatteries,90— when they are seen
abus'd.
Remember what I have said.
Osiv. Well, madam.
Gon. And let his knights have colder looks
among you ;
What grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows
so :
I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall,
That I may speak : — I'll write straight to my
sister,
To hold my course. — Prepare for dinner.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— A Hall in the Duke of Albany's
Palace.
Enter Kent, disguised.
Kent. If but as well I other accents borrow,"
That can my speech diffuse,82 my good intent
May carry through itself to that full issue
I''or which I raz'd93 my likeness. — Now, banish'd
Kent,
If thou canst serve where thou dost stand con-
demn'd,
So may it come, thy master, whom thou lov'st,
Shall find thee full of labours.
Horns beard. Enter Lear, Knights, and
Attendants.
Lear. Let me not stay a jot for dinner; go get
it ready.
[£.v;/ an Attendant.] How now! what art thou ?
8). Idle. 'Senseless.' 'silly.' See Note 69 of the present
A':t.
90. With checks as flatteries. " As " seems to be used here
with the force of 'instead of,' 'in lieu of:' and we take the
whole sentence to mean, " Old folk are like children ; and
must he treated with restraint rather than with indulgence, when
the latter is seen to be misused." The passage is susceptible of
another interpretation if "they" be supposed to refer to "old
fools," and " abused " be accepted in the sense that Shakespeare
s imetimes gives it of 'deluded ;' but we believe our explanation
to be the correct one.
91. 1/ but as well I, &>c. Kent says this in reference to
his d:sSuis; ; implying, ' If I can but as well alter my tone and
utterance as I have altered mv dre.s and appearance,' &c.
92. Diffuse. 'Disorder;' 'render wild, irregular, uncouth,
a id rough.' See Note 25, Act iv., " Merry Wives," and Note
37, Act v.. " Henry V."
93. Raz'd. ' Eftaced,' 'obliterated.' See the speech where
the passage occurs adverted to in Note 25, Act v., " Macbeth."
94. Converse with. Here used to express not merely ' talk
Kent. A man, sir.
Lear. What dost thou profess? What wouldst
thou with us ?
Kent. I do profess to be no less than I seem ;
to serve him truly that will put me in trust; to
love hiin.that is honest; to converse with94 him
that is wise, and says little; to fear judgment;
to fight when I cannot choose;95 and to eat no
fish.9*
Lear. What art thou ?
Kent. A very honest-hearted fellow, and as
poor as the king.
Lear. If thou be'st as poor for a subject as he is
for a king, thou art poor enough. What wouldst
thou ?
Kent. Service.
Lear. Whom wouldst thou serve ?
Kent. You.
Lear. Dost thou know me, fellow ?
Kent. No, sir; but you have that in your coun-
tenance which I would fain call master.
Lear. What's that?
Kent. Authority.
Lear. What services canst thou do ?
Kent. I can keep honest counsel, ride, run, mar
a curious9'' tale in telling it, and deliver a plain
message bluntly: that which ordinary men are fit
for, 1 am qualified in ; and the best of me is
diligence.
Lear. How old art thou ?
Kent. Not so young, sir, to love a woman for
singing, nor so old to dote on her for anything: I
have years on my back forty-eight.
Lear. Follow me; thou shalt serve me: if I like
thee no worse after dinner, I will not part from
thee yet. — Dinner, ho, dinner! — Where's my
knave?93 my fool? — Go you, and call my fool
hither. [Exit an Attendant.
Enter Oswald.
You, you, sirrah, where' s my daughter?
with,' but 'have intercourse with,' 'hold communion wi.h,"
'have commerce with.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word
in this larger sense. See the passage referred to in Note 14,
Act iv„ " Richard III.," and also Note 5, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
95. When I cannot choose. An idiom in use formerly, equiva-
lent to 'when I cannot help it,' ' when it is not to be avoided.'
See Note 91, Act i., " First Part Henry IV."
96. To eat no fish. Warburton, in illustration of this passage,
has pointed out that during Elizabeth's reign, when Papists were
considered as enemies to the Government, there was a proverbial
phrase of " He's an honest man, and eats no fish" signifying
he s a friend to the Government and a Protestant ; an assertion
corroborated by various citations from plays of that period. But
we think that here, Kent, in his just-assumed blunt fashion of
speaking, means to infer that he is not very strict in the ob-
servance of abstinence and fast days.
97. Curious. Here used in the sense of 'elaborate,' 'com-
plicated,' ' involved,' ' unsimple,' in contradistinction to " plain."
9S. Knave. Meaning ' boy.' See Note 30, Act iii., " Love's
Labour's Lost."
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Ostv. So please you, — [Exit.
Lear. What says the fellow there? Call the
clotpoll M back. [Exit a Knight.] — Where's my
fool, ho? — I think the world's asleep. —
Re-enter Knight.
How now! where's that mongrel ?
Knight. He says, my lord, your daughter is not
well.
Lear. Why came not the slave back to me
when I called him ?
Knight. Sir, he answered me in the roundest1"0
manner, he would not.
Lear. He would not !
Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter
is; but, to my judgment, your highness is not
entertained with that ceremonious affection as you
were wont; there's a great abatement of kindness
appears, as well in the general dependants, as in the
duke himself also, and your daughter.
Lear. Ha ! sayest thou so ?
Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if
I be mistaken ; for my duty cannot be silent when
1 think your highness wronged.
Lear. Thou but rememberest me of mine own
conception: I have perceived a most faint neglect
ot late; which I have rather blamed as mine own
jealous curiosity101 than as a very pretence1"- and
purpose of unkindness : I will look farther into't.
— But where's my fool ? I have not seen him this
1 wo days.
Knight. Since my young lady's going into
Trance, sir, the fool hath much pined away.103
Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well. —
Go you, and tell my daughter I would speak with
her. [Exit an Attendant.] — Go you, call hither
my lool. [Exit an Attendant.
99. Clo-poll. Spelt also ' clotpole' and ' clod-poll.' A ' thick-
skull,' a ' blockhead ; ' a fellow with a head like a clod of earth.
too. Roundest. ' Bluftest,' 'bluntest.' See Note 47, Act ii.,
"Hamlet."
101. Jealous curiosity. ' Susceptible punctilio, ' ' over-
scrupulous care for deference.' See Note 62 of this Act.
102. A very pretence. 'An actual intention,' 'an absolute
design.' See Note 5, Act iii., " Two Gentlemen of Verona."
103. Tlic fool hatli much pined away. By the exquisite
touch Contained in this little speech and in Lear's rejoinder,
how finely has the dramatist concentrated large significance !
It serves to excite a tender interest in the boy-fool even before
he enters, and to mark him at once as a creation apart from all
other of Shakespeare's fools : it serves to depict Cordelia's
power of attaching and endearing those around her ; and it
serves to denote her old father's already awakened conscious-
ness that he has done her grievous injustice.
104. My lady's father '. my lords knave. A retort of the
kind we have several times pointed out as being a favourite
with Shakespeare. See Note 10S, Act ii., " First Part
Henry IV."
105. Ii 'ere 's my coxcomb. Tlie professional fool-jest. I
was ornamented by an appendage in scarlet cloth formed like a
cock's comb (see Note 22, Act v., " Merry Wives ") ■ and even
sometimes by the cock's co-nb itself. In Minshev/s "Dictioi :\
(1617, it is said : " Natural idiots and fools have, and still d 1
Re-enter Oswald.
Oh, you sir, you, come you hither, sir: who am I, sir?
Osxu. My lady's father.
Lear. My lady's father! my lord's knave:104
you dog ! you slave ! you cur !
Osiv. I am none of these, my lord ; I beseech
\ our pardon.
Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal?
[Striking him.
Ostv. I'll not be struck, my lord.
Kent. Nor tripped neither, you base foot-ball
player. ['^''PP'^g "P bis heels.
Lear. I thank thee, fellow ; thou servest me,
ami I'll love thee.
Kent. Come, sir, arise, away! I'll teach you
differences : away, away! If you will measure
your lubber's length again, tarry : but away ! go to ;
have you wisdom? so. [Pushes Oswald out.
Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee:
there's earnest of thy service. [Giving Kent money.
Enter Fool.
Foil. Let tr.e hire him too : — here's my cox-
comb.1115 [Offering Kent his cap.
Lear. How now, my pretty knave ! how dost
thou ?
Fool. Sirrah, you were best take my coxcomb.
Kent. Why, fool?1"6
Fool. Why, for taking one's part that 's out of
favour: nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits,
thou'lt catch cold shortly:107 there, take my cox-
comb: why, this fellow has banished two of his
daughters, and did the third a blessing against his
will; if thou follow him, thou must needs wear my
coxcomb. — How now, nuncle !103 Would I had
two coxcombs and two daughters !
accustom themselves to wcare in their cappes cockes feathers,
or a hat with a cocke and heade 0/ a cockc on the top, and a bei!
thereon "
106. Why, fool ? This is the read ng of the Quartos, and
assigned therein to Kent as his speech; while the Folio 1 1 nl
' Why, my boy?' giving the prefix of 'Lear.' It is evident
that the fool, as he approaches, has witnessed Kent's " taking™
Lear's "part" by tripping up Oswald's heels, and therefore
does not answer the king's first speech of inquiry ; but goes
straight up to Kent, addresses him. receives his reply, and does
not speak to Lear until the words, " How now, nuncle ! "
107. Catch cold shortly. ' Be turned out of doors and ex-
posed to the inclemency of the weather.' See Note 62, Art i ,
"Twelfth Night"
108. Nuncle. A familiar contraction of ' mine uncle.' 'Uncle.'
or " nuncle," was the usual appellation of the professional fo 1
for his employer and his superiors. Mr. Vaillant mentions that
tii- lower people in Shropshire call the j.idge of assize 'my
nuncle the judge:' and Mr. Hudson observes that "in the
Southern states it is customary for a family, especially the
younger members of it, to call an old and faithful servant uncle
or aunt, from a mixed feeling of respect for his character, at-
I tachment to his person, dependence on his service, and authority
I over his actions." This, by the way, Ferves to explain to
English readers the name given to the hero of Mrs. Beecher
Si iwe's popular book. " I';:.!.- Tom s Cabin."
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Lear. Why, my boy ?
Fool. If I gave them all my living,11" I'd keep
mv coxcombs myself. There's mine ; beg another
of thy daughters.
Lear. Take heed, sirrah,— the whip.110
Fool. Truth's a dog must to kennel ; he must
be whipped out, when Lady, the brach,111 may stand
by the fire and stink.
Lear. A pestilent gall to me !
Fool. [To Kent.] Sirrah, I'll teach thee a
speech.
Lear. Do.
Fool. Mark it, nuncle : —
Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,"-
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,113
Set111 less than thou throwest ;
Leave thy drink and thy roar.
And keep in-a-door,
And thou shalt have more
Than two tens to a score.
Kent. This is nothing, fool.
Fool. Then 'tis like the breath of an unfee'd
lawyer, — you gave me nothing for't. — Can you
make no use of nothing, nuncle ?
Lear. Why, no, boy ; nothing can be made out
of nothing.
Fool. [To Kent.] Pr'ythee, tell him, so much
the rent of his land comes to : he will not believe
a fool.
Lear. A bitter fool !
Fool. Dost thou know the difference, my boy,
between a bitter fool and a sweet one ?
Lear. No, lad ; teach me.
109. Living. ' Possessions, ' 'property;' 'means of liveli-
hood.' See Note 47, Act v., " Merchant of Venice."
no. Take heed, sirrah, — the whip. Lear reminds the lad of
the punishment given to fools who exceed their privilege of
uttering unwelcome truths in the form of jests. See Note 33,
Act i., " As You Like It."
in. Lady, the brach. The Folio prints 'the Lady Brach ;'
and the Quartos ' Lady oth 'e brach.' We adopt Malone's cor-
rection ; because it tallies with Hotspur's expression, referred
to in Note 43, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV."
"- Owest. 'Ownest.' See Note 71, Act ii., " Midsummer
Night's Dream."
113. Trowest. ' Believest.' See Note 9, Act v., " Third Part
Henry VI."
114. Set. 'Stake.' The word is used for ' staked' in Act v.,
sc. 4, "Richard III.," where the king says, "I have s.-t my
life upon a cast ;" and for 'stake ' in Act iii., sc. 1, " Macbeth,"
where one of the murderers says, " 1 would set my life on any
chance."
115. Th.it lord that eotmseWd thee. This speech, and all
that follows as far as to " Nuncle, give me an egg," &c. is
omitted in the Folio.
116. 1/ 1 had a monopoly out. "Out" is here used in the
sense of 'extant,' 'issued on my account,' ' given .it for my
benefit.' The passage is a satire upon the unjust monopolies
llial were jr.uuej in jhakl ipeare's time, and upon the high
Fool. That lord that counsell'd thee115
To give away thy land,
Come place him here by me, —
Do thou for him stand :
The sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear;
The one in motley here,
The other found out there.
Lear. Dost thou call me fool, boy ?
Fool. All thy other titles thou hast given away;
that thou wast born with.
Kent. This is not altogether fool, my lord.
Fool. No, faith, lords and great men will not let
me; if I had a monopoly out,116 they would have
part on 't, and loads117 too : they will not let me
have all fool to myself; they'll be snatching. —
Nuncle, give me an egg, and I'll give thee two
crowns.
Lear. What two crowns shall they be ?
Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i' the
middle, and eat up the meat, the two crowns of
the egg. When thou clovest thy crown i' the
middle, and gavest away both parts, thou borest
1 thine ass on thy hack o'er the dirt : thou hadst
I little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gavest thy
golden one away. If I speak like myself in this
let him be whipped that first finds it so.
[Singing.]
Fools had ne'er less grace in a year ;118
For wise men are grown foppish,
And know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are so apish.
Lear. When were von wont to be so full of
songs, sirrah ?
Fool* I have used it, nuncle, ever since thou
mrulest thy daughters thy mothers: for when thou
gavest them the rod,
personages who shamelessly shared in the profit made by the
monopolist, on the plea that they had aided in procuring him
his grant from the sovereign ; therefore it has been plausibly
supposed that the reason why the passage was omitted in the
Folio was because the point and truth of the satire were likely
to render it obnoxious to those against whom it was levelled.
117. Loads. This word is printed in the Quarto copies [(he
Folio omits the passage altogether' 'lodes;' while Capell an 1
most modern editors change the word to ' ladies.' " Loads," how-
ever, is a familiar form of expressing ' a large quantity,' ' a great
amount ;' and may be the word here intended by the author.
118. Fools had ne'er less grace in a year. ' Fools were never
in less favour than at present.' The expression "in a year'
seems to be one of those idioms of indefinite time, specimens c_f
which we have heretofore pointed out (see Note 24, Act i.,
" Troilus and Cressida," and Note 25, Act v., " Hamlet "), and
appears to have been used to imply ' now-a-days,' 'at present;*
for in Lyly's comedy of "Mother Bombie " (1594) we find:
" I think gentlemen had never /ess wit in a year." In the
Quarto copies, the present line has 'wit' instead of "grace;"'
which is the word in the Folio. The gist of what the fool here
says, or sings, is, ' Fools were never' in less favour than at
present ; for wise men are grown absurd, and know not how to
appear provided with brains, their manners are so fantastic;'
inferring that there is no need of fools, since there is such an
abundance of foolish wiseacres in their stead.
Lear. Hear, Nature, hear ; dear goddess, hear !
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creiture fruitful: .ia I Scene lb
22«
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
[Singing.]
Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,119
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools amon,g.
Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can
teach thy fool to lie : 1 would fain leant to he.
Lear. An you lie, sirrah, we'll have you whipped.
Fool. I marvel what kin thou and thy daughters
are: they'll have me whipped for speaking true,
thou'lt have me whipped for lying ; and sometimes
I am whipped for holding my peace. I had rather
be any kind o' thing than a fool : and yet 1 would
not be thee, nuncle ; thou hast pared thy wit o'
both sides, and left nothing i' the middle :— here
comes one o' the parings.
Enter Goneril.
Lear. How now, daughter! what makes that
frontlet120 on? Methinks you are too much of
late i' the frown.
Fool. Thou wast a pretty fellow when thou hadst
no need to care for her frowning ; now thou art an
O1-1 without a figure : 1 am better than thou art
now ; I am a fool, thou art nothing.— [To Gon.]
Yes, forsooth, I will hold my tongue ; so your face
bids me, though you say nothing. Mum, mum,
He that keeps nor crust nor crum,
Weary of all, shall want some. —
{Pointing to Lear.] That's a shealed peascod.122
Gon. Not only, sir, this your all-licens'd tool,
But other of your insolent retinue
Do hourly carp and quarrel ; breaking forth
In rank and not-to-be-endured riots. Sir,
I had thought, by making this well known unto
you,
To have found a safe redress ; but now grow fearful,
By what yourself too late have spoke and done,
That you protect this course, and put it on123
By your allowance;124 which if you should, the fault
Would not 'scape censure, nor the redresses sleep,
Which, in the tender of a wholesome weal,
Might in their working do you that offence,
Which else were shame, that then necessity
Will call discreet proceeding.
Fool. For, you trow, nuncle,
The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long,125
That it had its head bit off by its young.120
So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling.12'
Lear. Are you our daughter ?
Gon. I would you would make use of your good
wisdom,
Whereof I know you are fraught ; and put away
These dispositions, which of late transport ) ou
From what you rightly are.
Fool. May not an ass know when the cart draws
the horse?— Whoop, Jug! I love thee.123
Lear. Does any here know me ?12' — This is not
Lear : does Lear walk thus ? speak thus ? Where
are his eves ? Either his notion weakens or his
119. Then they for sudden joy did weep, and I, &*c. In
Thomas Heywood's " Rape of Lucrece " (1608) there is a similar
couplet : —
" Some men for sodden joy gan weep,
And I for sorrow sing."
120. Frontlet. A forehead cloth, worn by ladies formerly to
prevent wrinkles ; and often, as here, associated by writers with
tile idea of frowning. For instance, in "Zepheria," a collection
of sonnets (1594), we find : —
" But now, my sunnc, it fits thou take thy set,
And vayle thy face witrifrownes as with a front 'let."
In Lyly's " Euphues and his England " (1580) :— " The next day
coining to the gallery where she was solitary, walking, with her
frowning cloth, as sick lately of the sullens," ccc. And in
< . . Chapm ni's " Hero and Leander : " —
" E'en like tilt forehead cloth that in the night,
Or when they sorrow, ladies us'd tu wear."
I2t. An O. 'A cipher;' ' a naught.'
122. A sliealed peascod. 'A pea-shell without its peas;' 'a
husk containing nothing.' Toilet mentions that " the robing of
Richard II.'s effigy 111 Westminster Abbey is wrought with
peasi ods open, and the peas out ; perhaps an allusion to his being
nine in full possession of sovereignty, but soon reduced to an
empty title."
1 : Pitt it on. ' Promote it,' ' encourage it,' 'push it forward.'
i.\( Allowance. 'Approval,' 'sanction.'
i^s. Fed ike cuckoo so long. Sec Note 6, Act v., " First Part
Henry IV."
126. It had its head hit off by its young. The first Folio
prints this, ' li ha ' ii hi ad bil off l>\ it \ ig ' Corrected in
ih ,. ,!,,! Folio. We have before commented upon the rare
usi -1 " its " in Shakespeare's time. See Notes 73, Act i. , and
36, Act v., " Hamlet"
127. Darkling. 'In the dark.' See Note 72, Act ii.,
"Midsummer Night's Dream." The expression probably in-
cluded a figurative meaning of ' baffled,' ' deserted,' ' bereft of
light and help ; ' for in all three passages where Shakespeare
uses the word " darkling " it involves this sense. Mr. Charles
Knight has well pointed out the link of connection between
these apparently irrelevant words of the fool, and a passage in
Spenser's " Faerie Queene," where Lear's story is adverted to : —
" But true it is, that, when the oil is spent.
The light goes out, and wick is thrown away ;
So when he had resign'd his regiment,
His daughter 'gan despise his drooping day."
Sir Joshua Reynolds is quite correct in saying that " Shake-
speare's fools are copied from the life," and that " the originals
whom he copied had a custom of taking off the edge of too
sliarp .1 speech by covering it hastily with the end of an old song
or any glib nonsense that came into the mind ;" adding, " I
know no other way of accounting for the incoherent words with
which Shakespeare often finishes this fool's speeches." The
fact is, the fool in "Lear" does make "incoherent" and
flighty speeches ; but not wholly irrelevant ones. They all,
more or less, contain some fine underlying thread of connection
with, and remote allusion to, points that figuratively illustrate
the sulijecl which engrosses the lad's dimly lighted mind and
deeply affectionate heart— his old master's ill-usage.
12S. Whoop, Jug! I love thee. Probably the burden of an
old song. Shakespeare, in the speech referred to in Note 94,
Act iv., "Winter's Tale," alludes to one which contains the
same word— " Whoop, do me no harm, good man;" and Mr.
Chappell, in bis " Popular Music of the Olden Time" (p. 774),
mentions another —
" U'hoop, Jenny, come down to me."
129 Does any here know me* The Folio prints this speech
of leu's in halting verse, and omits portions of the dialogue
here. We adopt the arrangement of the Quartos.
474
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
discerning* are lethargied. — Sleeping or waking ? —
Ha ! sure 'tis not so. Who is it that can tell me
who I am? —
Fool, Lear's shadow,130 —
Lear, I would learn that ;131 for, by the marks
of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason, I should be
false persuaded I had daughters.132
Fool. Which they will make an obedient
father.133
Lear, Your name, fair gentlewoman ?
Gofi. This admiration,131 sir, is much o' the
favour
Of other your new pranks.13? I do beseech you
To understand my purposes aright :
As you are old and reverend, should be wise.136
Here do you keep a hundred knights and squires;
Men so disordered, so debosh'd,13' and bold,
That this our court, infected with their manners,
Shows like a riotous inn : epicurism and vice
Make it more like a tavern or an alehouse
Than a grae'd palace. The shame itself doth speak
Kor instant remedy : be, then, desir'd
By her. that else will take the thing she begs,
A little to disquantity your train ;
And the remainder, that shall still depend,133
To be such men as may besort your age,
Which know themselves and you.
Lear, Darkness and devils ! —
SadJle my horses; call my train together. —
Degenerate bastard ! I'll not trouble thee :
Yet have I left a daughter.
Gon, You strike my people; and your dis-
order'd rabble
Make servants of their betters.
130. Lear's sluzdow. The Quartos erroneously make this a
portion of the king's speech ; but the Folio gives it correctly as
the fool's interruption. This is shown to be the author's inten-
tion by the lad's next speech, which is a following up of his
present interposed words.
131. / would learn that. This is said by Lear in con-
tinuation of his own speech, regardless of the fool's intervening
reply.
132. By the marks of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason, I
should he false persuaded I had daughters. The Folio omits
this, as well as the fool's rejoinder. It has been contended that
the passage is obscure; since " the marks of sovereignty, know-
ledge, and reason " could not serve to persuade Lear as to
whether he had or had not daughters. But we take the conse-
cution of thought to be this : ' I cannot be Lear : can any one
tell me who I am ? I would know that : for by the tokens of
sovereignty that I still retain, by the knowledge and reason that
are Nti!l mine, I could almost persuade myself into the false
belief that I am that King Lear who had daughters.*
133. Which they will make an obedient father. The fool
here concludes his interposed speech; "which" referring to
"Lear's shadow," and "they" to "daughters."
134. Admiration. Here used to express ' assumed wonder,'
'pretended amazement.' See Note 61, Act ii., " Henry V."
135. Is much o' the favour of oilier, &>c. The Folio and
majority of Quartos print 'savour,' while the third Quarto gives
"favour," here ; which latter reading we adopt as more in con-
sonance with Shakespeare's phraseology elsewhere in passages
where the words "favour" and "savour" respectively occur.
Ihe word "favour" is here used in the sense of 'aspect,' ' ap-
Enter Albany.
Lear. Woe, that too late repents, — [To Alb.]
Oh, sir, are you come ?
Is it your will ? Speak, sir. — Prepare my horses. —
Ingratitude, thou marble -hear ted Rend,
More hideous when thou show'st thee in a child
Than the sea-monster !139
Alb, Pray, sir, be patient.
Lear. [To Gon.] Detested kite! thou liest :
My train are men of choice and rarest parts,
That all particulars of duty know,
And in the most exact regard support
The worships of their name. — Oh, most small fault,
How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show!
Which, like an engine,140 wrench* d my frame of
nature
From the tix'd place ; drew from my heart all love,
And added to the gall. O Lear, Lear, Lear!
[Striking his bead.
Beat at this gate, that let thy folly in,
And thy dear judgment out ! — Go, go, my people.
Alb. My lord, I am guiltless, as I am ignorant
Of what hath mov'd you.
Lear. It may be so, my lord. —
Hear, Nature, hear; dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful !
Into her womb convey sterility !
Dry up in her the organs of increase;
And from her derogate 141 body never spring
A babe to honour her ! If she must teem,
Create her child oi spleen ; that it may live,
And be a thwart14- disnatur'd143 torment to her !
pearance,' ' complcxional character.' See Note 86, Act i.,
" Julius Caesar."
136. As you are old and rez>erend, should he wise. The word
"you "in this line is elliplically understood as repeated before
" should. " Two of the Quartos print " you '* a second time in
the line ; but we think it likely that the author allowed the
repetition to be understood here for the sake of metrical
euphony, as he has elsewhere done.
137. Dehosh'd. See Note 97, Act ii., "All's Well."
138. Still depend. Here used to express 'remain depend-
ants,* ' continue in service.'
139. The sea-monster. Probably meaning the hippopotamus ;
which is the hieroglyphical symbol of impiety and ingr.tiin.lL-.
Sandys, in his "Travels," mentions that this animal " killeth
his sire." It may be that the hippopotamus was mentioned in
Shakespeare's time as a sea-beast ; though it is in fact, as its
name imports, the ' river-horse.*
140. An engine. Hero meant for the rack. In his " Nun's
Priest's Tale," Chaucer uses the word " engined" for 'racked,'
' tortured,' 'strained upon the rack.'
141. Derogate. 'Degenerate,' 'debased,' 'degraded,* 'de-
praved ;' 'damaged,' 'deteriorated.' Shakespeare, in the word
he here puts into Lear's mouth, comprises the effect of ' del
from her nature as his daughter, by the deed which has caused
him to denounce her as " Degenerate bastard !" and 'damaged'
physically by the fearful malediction he here invokes upon her.
142. Thwart, This word, used as a noun adjective, is found
also in " Promos and Cassandr.i " 1578 : " Sith fortune thwart
doth cros^e my joys with care."
143. Disnatur'd. 'Unnatural,1 ' without natural affection.*
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene V.
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth ;
With cadent144 tears fret channels in her cheeks;
Turn all her mother's pains ami benefits
To laughter anil contempt; that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child !— Away, away ! [Exit.
Alb. Now, gods that we adore, whereof comes
this ?
Gon. Never afflict yourself to know the cause ;
But let his disposition have that scope
That dotage gives it.
Re-enter Lear.
Lear. What ! fifty of my followers at a clap !
Within a fort. light !145
Alb. What's the matter, sir?
Lear. I'll tell thee,— [To Gon.] Life and death!
I am asham'ii
That thou hast power to shake my manhood thus ;
That these hot tears, which break from me per-
force,
Should make thee worth them. — Blasts and fogs
upon thee !
The untented140 woundings of a father's curse
Pierce every sense about thee ! — Old tond eyes,
Beweep this cause again, I'll pluck you out,
And cast you, witn the waters that you lose,
To temper clay. — Ha !
Let it be so: — 1 have another daughter,
Who, I am sure, is kind and comfortable:
When she shall hear this of thee, with her nails
She'll flay thy wolfish visage. Thou shalt find
That I'll resume the shape which thou dost think
I have cast off for ever.
[Exeunt Lear, Kent, and Attendants.
Gon. Do you mark that ?
Alb. I cannot be so partial, Goneril,
To the great love I bear you, —
Gon. Pray you, content. — What, Oswald, ho ! —
[To the Fool.] You, sir, more knave than fool,
after your master.
Fool. Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry, and take
the fool with thee. —
A fox, when one has caught her,
And such a daughter,
Should sure to the slaughter,
If my cap would buy a halter :
So the fool follows after. [Exit.
144. Cadetlt. From the Latin, cadens, ' falling,' ' trickling.'
145. Within a fortnight! Here is one of Shakespeare's
in lie itions of dramatic time, serving to mark the space that
has 1 lapsed since the opening scene of the play. So artfully is it
introduced, that no violation of probability is felt as to nearly two
whole weeks having passed during the progress of the fiist Act.
X46. Untented. ' Untentable,' 'unsearchable,' 'incurable.'
' not to be relieved or healed.' See Note 24, Act ii., " Troilus
and < Iressida." Shakespeare thus occasionally uses participles :
tli.- passive for the active form, or active for the passive form.
Sec Note 52 of the present Act
Gon. This man hath had good counsel : — a
hundred knights !
'Tis politic and safe to let him keep
At point14'" a hundred knights: yes, that, on every
dream,
Ea-h buii, each fancy, each complaint, dislike,
He may enguard his dotage with their powers,
And hold our lives in mercy. — Oswald, I say ! —
Alb. Well, you may fear too far.
Gon. Safer than trust too far :
Let me still take away the harms I fear,
Not fear still to be taken : I know his heart.
What he hath utter' d I have writ my sister:
If she sustain him and his hundred knights,
When I have show'd the unfitness, —
Ri -enter Oswald.
How now, Oswald!
What ! have you writ that letter to my sister ?
Osiv. Ay, madam.
Gon. Take you some company, and away to
horse :
Inform her full of my particular fear;
And thereto add such reasons of your own
As may compact it more. Get you gone ;
And hasten your return. [Exit Oswald.] No,
no, my lord,
This milky gentleness and course of yours,
Though I condemn not, yet, under pardon,
You are much more attask'd149 for want of wisdom
Than prais'd for harmful mildness.
Alb. How far your eyes may pierce I cannot
tell:
Striving to better, oft we mar what 's well.
Gon. Nay, then —
Alb. Well, well; the event. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Court before the Duke of Albany's
Palace.
Enter Lear, Kent, and Fool.
Lear. Go you before to Gloster with these
letters. Acquaint my daughter no farther with
anything you know than comes from her demand
out of the letter. If your diligence be not speedy,
1 shall be there before you.149
147. At point. This is an idiomatic phrase, signifying 'in
preparative appointment,' 'in a state of preparation;' 'armed
and prepared.' See Note 67, Act iv.( " Macbeth."
148. Attask'd. 'Taken to task,' 'censured,' 'rated,' ' taxed.'
' Tasked' and ' taxed' were formerly not unfrequently used the
one for the other. See Note 55, Act iv., " First Part Henry IV."
149. / sltall be tliere be/ore you. "There" is used, in this
sentence, according to a mode of Shakespeare's when occa-
sionally employing the word (see Note 63, Act iii. , "As You
Like It:" Note 55, Act ii., "Second Part Henry IV. ;" and
Note 4, Act iii., "Henry VIII." ), to signify an implied place;
476
Act I.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene V.
Lear. Go you before to Gloster with these letters.
Act I. Scene V.
Kent. I will not sleep, my lord, till I have
delivered your letter. \_Fxit.
Fool. It' a man's brains were in's heels, were't
not in danger of kibes?150
Lear. Ay, boy.
Fool. Then I pr'ythee, be merry; thy wit shall
not go slip-shod.
Lear. Ha, ha, ha!
Fool. Shalt see,151 thy other daughter will use
thee kindly;152 for though she's as like this as a
crab is like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.
and in the present instance means the place to which the
speaker is sending his messenger. " Gloster," in this speech,
seems to mean the county where the Duke of Gloster's castle
is situated, and where the residence of the Duke of Cornwall
and his wife is supposed also to be : since the two mansions
are sufficiently near to allow of Regan and her husband setting
out late and riding hurriedly through the night from the one
house to the other, in order to be away from home when the
old king arrives.
150. If a man's brains were in 's heels, were 't not, &c.
Lear. What canst tell, boy ?
Fool. She will taste as like this as a crab does to
a crab. Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i'
the middle on 's face ?
Lear. No.
Fool. Why, to keep one's eyes of either side 's
nose; that what a man cannot sinell out, he may
spy into.
Lear. I did her wrong:153 —
Fool. Canst tell how an oyster makes his
shell?
"Brains" here is treated as a collective noun. See Note 60,
Act iii., "Julius Cajsar."
151. Shalt see. 'Thou' is understood before "shalt." See
Note 55, Act v., "Twelfth Night."
152. Kindly. Here used with punning significance ; osten-
sibly, in the sense of 'affectionately,' and really in the double
sense of 'according to her nature or kind,* and 'with kindred
cruelty to that of her sister.'
153. / did her wrong. He is reverting to his injustice towards
Cordelia. See Note 103 of this Act.
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Lear. No.
tool. Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail
has a house.
Lear. WhyP
Fool. Why, to put his head in ; not to give it
away to his daughters, and leave his horns without
si case.
Lear. I will forget my nature. — So kind a
father !— Be my horses ready ?
Fool. Thy asses are gone about 'em! The
reason why the seven stars are no more than seven
is a pretty reason.
Lear. Because they are not eight f
Fool. Yes, indeed : thou wouldst make a good
fool.
Lear. To take it again perforce!15' — Monster
ingratitude !
Fool. If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I'd have,
thee beaten for being old before thy time.
Lear. How's that?
Fool. Thou shouldst not have been old before
thou hadst been wise.
Lear. Oh, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet
Heaven !155
Keep me in temper: I would not be mad ! —
Enter Gentleman.
How now ! are the horses ready ?
Gent. Ready, my lord.
Lear. Come, boy.
[ Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE \.—A Court ivithin the Castle of the
Earl of Gloster.
Enter Edmund and Curan, meeting.
Eilm. Save thee, Curan.
Cur. And ) ou, sir. I have been with your
father, and given him notice that the Duke of
Cornwall and Regan his duchess will be here with
him this night.
Eilm. How comes that P
Cur. Nay, I know not. — You have heard of the
news abroad, — I mean the whispered ones, tor they
are yet but ear-kissing arguments ?'
Etlm. Not I : pray you, what are they ?
Cur. Have you heard of no likely wars toward,
'twixt the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany ?
Etlm. Not a word.
Cur. You may, then, in time. Fare you well,
sir. [Exit.
Edm. The duke be here to-night ? The better !
best !
This weaves itself perforce into my business.
My father hath set guard to take my brother ;
And I have one thing, of a queasy question,2
Which I must act: — briefness and fortune, work! —
154. To take it again perforce ! Lear is meditating upon
the means of fulfilling his threat to Goneril: — "Thou shah find
that I'll resume tiie shape which thou dost think I have cast off
for ever."
155. Oil, let me not be mad, not matt, sweei Heaven! In-
tently pathetic is this cry of the shaken mind in its anguish of
foreboded overthrow.
1. Earkissiug arguments. 'Reports buzzed about;' as if
spoken by one man into another's ear.
2. 0/ a queasy question. ' Of a delicate nature/ 'of par-
Brother, a word ; — descend : — brother, I say !
Enter Edgar.
My father watches : — Oh, sir, fly this place ;
Intelligence is given where you are hid ;
You have now the good advantage of the night : —
Have you not spoken 'gainst the Duke of Corn-
wall p
He's coming hither; now, i' the night, i' the haste,
And Regan with him : have you nothing said
Upon his party3 'gainst the Duke of Albany ?
Advise yourself.4
Edg. I am sure on 't, not a word.
Edm. I hear my father coming : — pardon me;
In cunning I must draw my sword upon you :—
Draw : seem to defend yourself : now 'quit you
well.6—
Yield : — come before my father. — Light, ho, here! —
Fly, brother. — Torches, torches! — So, farewell.
{Exit Edgar.
\JVounds his arm."] Some blood drawn on me
would beget opinion
Of my more fierce endeavour: I have seen drunkards
Do more than this in sport.6 — Father, father ! —
Stop, stop ! — No help ?
ticular concern.' ''Queasy" strictly means 'squeamish,' 'fas-
tidious.' See Note 49, Act ii., " Much Ado."
3. Upon his party. 'On his side,' 'on his behalf,' 'as a
partisan of his.'
4. Advise yourself. 'Recollect yourself;' 'bethink your-
self;' ' reflect/ ' consider.'
5. 'Quit you well. ' Acquit yourself well.'
6. Do more than this in sport. Feats of the kind here alluded
to are enumerated in one of Marston's plays : " Have I not
been drunk for your health, eat glasses, drunk wine, stabbed
arms, and done all offices of protested gallantry for your sake*"
478
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Enter Gloster, and Servants toilb torches.
Glo. Now, Edmund, where 's the villain ?
Edm. Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword
out,
Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon
To stand auspicious mistress,' —
Glo. But where is he ?
Edm. Look, sir, I bleed.
Glo. Where is the villain, Edmund ?
Edm. Fled this way, sir. When by no means
he could —
Glo. Pursue him, ho !— Go after. [Exeunt some
Servants.]—" By no means" what?
Edm. Persuade me to the murder of your lord-
ship ;
But that I told him, the revenging gods
'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend ;8
Spoke, with how manifold and strong a bond
The child was bound to the father ; — sir, in fine,
Seeing how loathly opposite I stood
To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion,
With his prepared sword, he charges home
My unprovided body, lanc'd mine arm :
But when he saw my best alarum'd spirits,
Bold in the quarrel's right, rous'd to til' encounter
Or whether gasted9 by the noise I made,
Pull suddenly he fled.
Glo. Let him fly far :
Not in this land shall he remain uncaught ;
And found — despatch.10 — The noble duke my
master,
My worthy arch11 and patron, comes to-night :
By his authority I will proclaim it,
That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks,
Bringing the murderous coward to the stake;
He that conceals him, death.
Edm. When I dissuaded him from his intent,
And found him pight12 to do it, with curst13 speech
I threaten'd to discover him: he replied,
" Thou unpossessing bastard ! dost thou think,
If I would stand against thee, would the reposal
Of any trust,1'1 virtue, or worth, in thee
Make thy words faith'd ? No : what I should deny
7. To stand auspicious mistress. Edmund here craftily
appeals to his father's fuible of credence in superstitions relative
to astrological influence. See Note 76, Act i.
8. All their thunders bend. This is the reading of the
Quartos ; while the Folio prints, ' all the thunder bend.'
9. Gasted. ' Aghasted,' ' affrighted.'
10. And found- — despatch. 'And being found, despatch is
the word ;' he shall be punished forthwith.
11. Arch. Chief. Now used only in compound with other
words : as ' arch-duke,' 'arch-angel,' &c.
12. Pight. ' Pitched,' 'fixed,' 'settled,' ' resolved.'
13. Curst. ' Harsh,' 'scolding,' 'severe.' See Note 58,
Act hi., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
14. W'ouid the reposal, &*c. ' Would any confidence that
men may have reposed in thy trustworthiness, virtue, or merit,
have caused thy word to be believed V
(As this I would ; ay, though thou didst produce
My very character),15 I'd turn it all
To thy suggestion,10 plot, and curse-d practice :17
And thou must make a dullard of the world,
If they not thought the profits of my death
Were very pregnant and potential spurs
To make thee seek it."
Glo. Strong and fasten' d 13 villain
Would he deny his letter ? — I never got him. —
[Tucket ivilbin.
Hark, the duke's trumpets ! I know not why he
comes. —
All ports1'1 I'll bar ; the villain shall not 'scape ;
The duke must grant me that : besides, his picture
I will send far and near, that all the kingdom
May have due note of him; and of my land,
Loyal and natural boy, I'll work the means
To make thee capable.20
Enter Cornwall, Regan, and Attendants.
Com. How now, my noble friend ! since I came
hither
(Which I can call but now), I have heard strange
news.
Reg. If it be true, all vengeance comes too short
Which can pursue the offender. How dost, my lord ?
Glo. Oh, madam, my old heart is crack'd, — it's
crack'd !
Reg. What ! did my father's godson seek your
life?
He whom my father nam'd ? your Edgar ?
Glo. Oh, lady, lady, shame would have it hid !
Reg. Was he not companion with the riotous
knights
That tend upon my father?
Glo. I know not, madam : — 'tis too bad, too bad.
Edm. Yes, madam, he was of that consort.
Reg. No marvel, then, though he were ill
affected :
'Tis they have put him on21 the old man's death,
To have the expense and waste of his revenues.
I have this present evening from my sister
Been well inform'd of them ; and with such
cautions,
15. Character. ' Handwriting.'
16. Suggestion. ' Instigation,' ' incitement.'
17. Practice. ' Scheming,' ' contrivance.'
18. Strong and fasten d. 'Confirmed and inveterate;'
steadfast in guilt.'
19. Ports. 'Gates.' See Note 64, Act v. , " Coriolanus."
20. Capable. Here used to express ' capable of inheriting ; '
because, as an illegitimate son, Edmund was legally disqualified
from succeeding to Gloster's title and estate.
21. Put him on. ' Incited him to,' 'prompted him to.' See
Note 123, Act i. It is just one of Shakespeare's subtleties in
knowledge of human nature, making Regan seek, to associate
the accused man, Edgar, with the knights who belong to her
father's train, and whom she is determined to fasten blame,
upon, as an excuse for her refusal to receive and entertain
them.
Act II.
KING LEAR.
[Scene II,
That it' they come to sojourn at my house,
I'll not be there.
Com. Nor I, assure thee, Regan. —
Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father
A child-like office.
Edm. 'Twas my duty, sir.
G/o. rie did bewray his practice ;~ and receiv'd
This hurt you see, striving to apprehend him.
Com. Is he pursu'd ?
Gh. Ay, my good lord.
Com. If he be taken, he shall never more
Be fear'd of doing harm : make your own purpose,
How in my strength you please.^For you,
Edmund,
Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant
So much commend itself, you shall be ours :
Natures of such deep trust we shall much need ;
You we first seize on,
Edm. I shall serve you, sir,
Truly, however else.
G/o. For him I thank your grace.
Com. You know not why we came to visit
you, —
Keg. Thus out of season, threading dark-ey'd
night :
Occasions, noble Gloster, of some poise,23
Wherein we must have use of your advice : —
Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister,
Of differences, which I best thought it fit
To answer from our home;21 the several mes-
sengers
From hence attend despatch. Our good old
frie n d ,
22. He did bewray his practice. ' He d!sco\ereJ his mali
cious scheme/ ' he revealed his treacherous device.'
23. Poise. ' Weight/ * moment/ ' importance.'
24. From our koine. ' Away from our home.' See Note 103,
Act iv., " Tiinon of Athens."
25. Good dawning to thee. Shakespeare here, and elsewhere,
uses ' dawning" substantively as a form of 'dawn.' He has
marked the time throughout this scene with especial care ;
opening it with the hours before the breaking of the morning,
when it is still "night, yet the moon shines," and allows suf-
ficient light for Kent to draw and attack Oswald ; for the re-
appearance of Regan and her husband, who have ridden through
the night ; and yet not sufficient light to permit Kent to read
the letter he has received from Cordelia.
26. 1/ I had thee in Lipsbury pin/old. It has been con-
jectured that " Lipsbury pinfold " may have been a fabricated
name, like ' Lob's pound/ which was a cant term for a jail, or
any confined place; "pinfold" meaning a 'pound' or 'cattle-
pen.' There is a possibility that " Lipsbury pinfold " may be
here intended to signify some enclosed space suited for coming
to fisticuff's, or for administering a drubbing ; but we think it
not unlikely that the present is a rougher version of one of those
forms of defiance which we have before pointed out. See
Notes 11, Act i., and 9, Act iv., " Richard II. ;" and Note 83,
Act iii., "Macbeth." Again in this scene Kent says, "If I
had you upon S.irum plain;" which distinctly indicates the
reference to *a wide and deserted place, an open and solitary
spot.
27. Three-suited. This seems to be an epithet flung at the
upper-serving-man condition of Oswald, which sufficiently dis-
tinguished Ins class at the time Shakespeare wrote ; for after-
Lay comforts to your bosom ; and bestow
Your needful counsel to our business,
Which craves the instant use.
Gh. I serve you, madam :
Your graces are right welcome. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Before Gloster's Castle.
Enter Kent and Oswald, severally,
Ostv. Good dawning to thee,26 friend: art of
this house ?
Kent. Ay.
Ostv. Where may we set our horses .?
Kent. I' the mire.
Oszv. Pr'ythee, if thou love me, tell me.
Kent. I love thee not.
Osxv. Why, then, I care not for thee.
Kent. If I had thee in Lipsbury pinfold,26 I
would make thee care for me.
Osuj. Why dost thou use me thus ? I know
thee not,
Kent. Fellow, I know thee.
Osiu. What dost thou know me for?
Kent. A knave; a rascal ; an eater of broken
meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-
suited,27 hundred-pound,28 filthy, worsted-stocking
knave;29 a lily-livered, action-taking knave;30 a
glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue ; one-
trunk-inhenting slave;31 one that wouldst be a
broker, in way of good service, and art nothing but
the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, ami
wards, Edgar, when reverting to his supposed former station as
one of these pampered serving-gentlemen, speaks of himself as
one "who hath had three suits to his back." Possibly it was a
stipulated part of their hire that they were to have three suits
at a time provided for their wear.
28. Hutui red-pound. This also seems to have been an ex--
pression formerly used to designate a pretender to gentry ; for
in Middleton's play of " The Phcenix " (1607!, we find, " Am I
used like a hundred-pound gentleman ;" and in Oldys's "Life
of Raleigh," " At Milan, where there are three hundred-pound
Englishmen, they cannot so much as have a barber among
them."
29. Worsted-stocking knave. Stockings in England, when
Shakespeare wrote, were a very expensive article of apparel ;
though elegant ones were reckoned so essential a part of luxurious
wear, that Stubbes, in his " Anatomie of Abuses," says, " Those
who have not above forty shillings a year wages, will not stick
to have two or three pair of these silk nether stocks, or else of
the finest yarn that may be got, though the price of them be
a ryall, or twenty shillings." Prince Hal adverts to Poins's
"silk stockings" as matters " to take note how many pair of"
them he possesses (see passage referred to in Note 31, Act ii.,
" Second Part Henry IV.") ; and in Robert Tailor's comedy of
"The Hog hath lost its Pearl " (1614), it is said, "Good parts
are no more set by, than a good leg in a woollen stocking"
30. Action-taking knave. A fellow who, if you be.it him,
would bring an action for the assault, instead of resenting it like
a man of courage.
31. One-truuk-inheriting slave. One whose sole inheritance
is an old chest left by his father, and containing all that exists
of the family property.
4.80
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Kent. Strike, you slave : stand, rogue, stand ; you neat slave, strike.
Oswald. Help, ho ! murder ! murder ! Act II. Scene II.
the son and heir of a mongrel : one whom I will
beat into clamorous whining, if thou deniest the
least syllable of thy addition.32
Oriv. Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou,
thus to rail on one that is neither known of thee
nor knows thee!
Kent. What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to
deny thou knowest me! Is it two days since I
tripped up thy heels, and beat thee, before the king?
32. Addition. 'Title,' 'descriptive designation.' See Note
89, Act ii., " Troilus and Cressida."
33. A sop o' the moonshine. In allusion to an antique dish
called 'eggs in moonshine;' which consisted of eggs hroken
and boiled in salad oil till the yolks become hard. Kent's
threat is equivalent to ' I'll beat you flat as a pancake.'
34. Barber-monger. A ' finical rogue,' who deals much with
barbers, to trim and fashion his beard according to the most
approved cut. See Note 87, Act ii. , " As You Like It." See
also the passage where Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato rally
Benedick upon his having the barber to make him look "younger
Draw, you rogue: for, though it be night, yet the
moon shines; I'll make a sop o' the moonshine33
of you: [drawing his sivorJ] draw, you cullionly
barber-monger,34 draw.
Osrw. Away ! I have nothing to do with thee.
Kent. Draw, you rascal : you come with letters
against the king ; and take Vanity,35 the puppet's
part, against the royalty of her father: draw, you
rogue, or I'll so carbonado36 your shanks : — draw,
you rascal ; come your ways.
than he did, by the loss of a beard," "Much Ado," Act iii.,
sc. 2 ; and the one in " Antony and Cleopatra," Act ii., sc. 2,
where Enobarbus mentions Mark Antony as " being barber'd
ten times o'er."
35. Vanity. One of the characters in the ancient moralities
and puppet-show dramas. See Note 135, Act ii., " First Part
Henry IV." Kent gives this name of "Vanity" to Goneril, in
antithesis to " royalty," and as a contrast between her puppet
queenship and her father's veritable kingliness.
36. Carbonado. See Note 94. Act iv., " All's Well,"
481
aa7
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Ostju. Help, ho ! murder ! help !
Kent. Strike, you slave ; stand, rogue, stand ;
you neat slave,37 strike. [Bearing him.
Ost-v. Help, ho ! murder ! murder !
Enter Edmund, Cornwall, Regan, Gloster,
and Servants.
Edm. How now ! What's the matter ?38
Kent. With you, goodman boy, if you please :
come, I'll flesh you;39 come on, young master.
Glo. Weapons ! arms ! What's the matter
hereP
Corn. Keep peace, upon your lives;
He dies that strikes again. What is the matter ?
Reg. The messengers from our sister and the
king.
Corn. What is your difference p speak.
Osiv. I am scarce in breath, my lord.
Kent. No marvel, you have so bestirred your
valour. You cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in
thee :40 a tailor made thee.
Corn. Thou art a strange fellow : a tailor make
a man ?
Kent. Ay, a tailor, sir: a stone-cutter or a
painter could not have made him so ill, though
they had been but two hours at the trade.
Corn. Speak yet, how grew your quarrel ?
Ostv. This ancient ruffian, sir, whose life I have
spared at suit of his grey beard, —
Kent. Thou rascal zed!41 thou unnecessary
37. You neat slave. Here the epithet "neat" has double
and treble significance of allusion. It means ' spruce,' ' dapper,'
'cleanly,' in reference to Oswald as a " glass-gazing, finical
rogue ;" 'unclean,' like black or 'neat cattle' (from the Saxon
rteten, or ni/en), and ' villanous,' in allusion to the ' neat land/
or terra villanorum, which was land let out to feudal tenants.
Thus the word "neat" forms an appropriate term for the foppish
yet dirtily servile, arrogant yet serf-devoted steward, Oswald.
38. Wliat's the matter? In the Folio these words are fol-
lowed by ' Part.' We follow the Quartos, which omit the
monosyllable, it being probably a stage-direction, indicating
that those who enter part the combatants, or rather interpose
between Kent and the object of his castigation. If the word
'Part' be retained in the text, it conveys the effect of Kent's
saying he'll part with Edmund, if he please ; whereas, he says,
"The matter" shall be " with you," if you will.
39. I'll flesh you. ' I'll initiate you in fighting.' See Note 6,
Act v., " King John."
40. Disclaims in thee. To " disclaim in " was used formerly
as, since then, ' disclaim,' simply, is used.
41. Zed. Kent employs this as a term of contempt because
it is the last letter in the English alphabet ; and it is called an
" unnecessary letter," because its place may be supplied by S.
42. Unbolted. 'Unsifted;' coarse. ' Unbolted mortar' is
mortar made of unsifted lime ; and, to break the lumps, it was
trodden by men in wooden shoes.
43. Too intrinse. The Folio misprints this ' t' intrince ;' and
the Quartos ' to intrench.' Shakespeare probably used " in-
trinse" here as an abbreviated form of " intrinsicate ;" which
latter word he employs in the last scene of "Antony and Cleo-
patra " to express ' intricate-'
44. Smoolhe. ' Flatter.' Sec Note 39, Act i., " Richard III."
45. Renege. The Quarto spells this word ' reneag,' while the
1 olios misprint it ' reuenge.' " Renege" is ' deny,' 'disclaim,'
'give a negative."
letter! — My lord, if you will give me leave, I will
tread this unbolted4' villain into mortar, and daub
the wall of a sewer with him. — Spare my grey
beard, you wagtail p
Corn. Peace, sirrah !
You beastly knave, know you no reverence ?
Kent. Yes, sir ; but anger hath a privilege.
Corn. Why art thou angry ?
Kent. That such a slave as this should wear a
sword,
Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as
these,
Like rats, oft bite the holy cords a-twain
Which are too intrinse43 t' unloose; smoothe44
every passion
That in the natures of their lords rebels;
Bring oil to fire, snow to their colder moods ;
Renege,45 affirm, and turn their halcyon46 beaks
With every gale and vary of their masters,
Knowing naught, like dogs, but following. —
A plague upon your epileptic visage !4'
Smile you my speeches, as I were a fool P
Goose, if I had you upon Sarum43 plain,
I'd drive ye cackling home to Camelot.49
Corn. What ! art thou mad, old fellow ?
Glo. How fell you out ? say that.
Kent. No contraries hold more antipathy
Than I and such a knave.
Corn. Why dost thou call him knave ? What
is his fault ?
46. Halcyon. One name for the bird called the kingfisher ;
which, when dried and hung up by a thread, is popularly be-
lieved to turn his bill to the point from whence the wind blows.
In Marlowe's " Jew of Malta " (1633) we find : —
" But how stands the wind ?
Into what corner peers my halcyon's bill?"
And in the " Book of Notable Things :" — "A lytle byrde called
the Kings Fysher, being hanged up in the ayre by the neck,
his nebbe or byll wyll be always direct or strayght against
y" winde."
47. Your epileptic visage. One of the many signal proofs
that Shakespeare was well acquainted with the symptoms of
various disorders. During an attack of epilepsy the muscles of
the face are in violent action, producing frightful distortions of the
countenance ; and Kent, by the term here used, depicts forcibly
to our mind's eye the visage of Oswald, grinning with suppressed
rage, while striving to pass it off as a smile of contemptuous
superiority.
48. Sarum. The ancient name for Salisbury. Kent threatens
the steward that if he had him in the broad open space of Wilt-
shire, he would drive him into the adjoining county of Somerset,
where there are large moors, famous for breeding great quantities
of geese.
49. Camelot. Situated in Somersetshire. Selden, in his
Notes on Drayton's " Polyolbion," says, "By South Cadbury
is that Camelot ; a hill of a mile compass at the top ; four
trenches encircling it ; and betwixt every of them an earthen
wall : the contents of it within, about twenty acres ; full of
ruins and reliques of old buildings. Antique report makes this
one of Arthur's places of the Round Table, as the muse here
sings—
" ' Like Camelot what place was ever yet renown'd?
Where, as at Caerlion oft, he kept the Table Round. ' "
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Kent. His countenance likes me not.s0
Com. No more, perchance, does mine, nor his,
nor hers.
Kent. Sir, 'tis my occupation to be plain:
I have seen better faces in my time
Than stands on any shoulder that I see
Before me at this instant.
Corn. This is some fellow,
Who, having been prais'd for bluntness, doth affect
A saucy roughness, and constrains the garb
Quite from his nature:51 he cannot flatter, he, —
An honest mind and plain, — he must speak truth !
An they will take it, so; if not, he's plain.
These kind of knaves I know, which in this plain-
ness
Harbour more craft, and more corrupter ends,
Than twenty silly ducking 6bservants
That stretch their duties nicely.52
Kent. Sir, in good faith, in sincere verity,
Under the allowance of your grand aspect,
Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire
On flickering Phoebus' front, —
Corn. What mean'st by this ?
Kent. To go out of my dialect, which you dis-
commend so much. I know, sir, I am no flatterer:
he that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain
knave; which, for my part, I will not be, though I
should win your displeasure to entreat me to't.53
Corn. What was the offence you gave him ?
Osuu. I never gave him any :
It pleas'd the king his master very late
To strike at me, upon his misconstruction ;
When he, compact,54 and flattering his displeasure,
Tripp'd me behind; being down, insulted, rail'd,55
And put upon him such a deal of man,
That worthied him, got praises of the king
50. His countenance likes me not. ' I do not like his counte-
nance;' 'his countenance does not please me.' See Note 19,
Act v., " Troilus and Cressida."
51. Quite from his nature. " His " here used for ' its.' Corn-
wall implies, in what he says of Kent, that he distorts the style of
straightforward speaking quite from its nature, which is sin-
cerity : whereas he makes it a cloak for craft. We explain our
view of the passage ; because it has been by some commentators,
who here follow Johnson, stated to mean, ' Forces his outside or
his appearance to something totally different from his natural dis-
position ;' whereby "his" is understood as the personal pronoun,
and not the impersonal one ' its,' which we take it here to be
employed for.
52. Nicety. 'Punctiliously,' 'precisely,' 'with scrupulous
exactness.' See Note 66, Act v., " Henry V."
53. Though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't.
' Though I should win you from your displeasure sufficiently to
make you entreat me to be a knave.'
54. Compact. 'Acting in concert with him,' 'joined in a
compact with him.' See Note 25, Act v., " Measure for
Measure."
55. Being doivn, insulted, rail'd. Here ' I ' is understood
before "being," and 'he' before "insulted." See Note 34,
Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
56. In the fleshment of this dread exploit. ' In the first
glory of this grand achievement.' Oswald sneers at Kent's
initiative piece of service performed for the king, his master ;
For him attempting who was self-subdu'd ;
And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,54
Drew on me here again.
Kent. None of these rogues and cowards,
But Ajax is their fool.5'
Corn. Fetch forth the stocks ! —
You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend brag-
gart,
We'll teach you —
Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn :
Call not your stocks for me : I serve the king ;
On whose employment I was sent to you:
You shall do small respect, show too bold malice
Against the grace and person of my master,
Stocking his messenger.
Corn. Fetch forth the stocks! — As I have life
and honour,
There shall he sit till noon.
Reg. Till noon ! till night, my lord ;59 and all
night too.
Kent. Why, madam, if I were your father's dog,
You should not use me so.
Reg. Sir, being his knave, I will.
Corn. This is a fellow of the self-same colour
Our sister speaks of.59— Come, bring away the
stocks! [Stocks brought out.60
Glo. Let me beseech your grace not to do so :
His fault is much, and the good king his master
Will check him for't: your purpos'd low cor-
rection
Is such, as basest and contemned'st wretches
For pilferings and most common trespasses
Are punish'd with : the king must take it ill,
That he, so slightly valu'd in his messenger,
Should have him thus restrain'd.
Corn. I'll answer that.
" fleshment " being used in reference to the commencing training
of a young swordsman. See Note 39 of this Act.
57. Ajax is their fool. Equivalent to 'Ajax is a fool to
them ;' the whole speech signifying, ' There is not one of these
rogues and cowards but, by his own account, makes out Ajax to
be a mere fool compared with himself.'
58. Till noon I till night, my lord. Very artfully is this
speech thrown in. Not only does it serve to paint the vindictive
disposition of Regan ; it also serves to regulate dramatic time,
by making the subsequent scene, where Lear arrives before
Gloster's castle and finds his faithful messenger in the stocks,
appear sufficiently advanced in the morning to allow of that
same scene closing with the actual approach of " night " without
distutbing the sense of probability. So carefully, so artistically
does our dramatist work, that he makes a whole day pass before
our eyes during a single scene and dialogue, yet all seems con-
sistent and natural in the course of progression. This great
enchanter sways our impressions with such potent art, that the
very laws of Nature seem subject to his will ; and we accept his
order of time and space as established verities.
59. A fetlovj 0/ the self-same colour our sister speaks of
Elliptically expressed : ' a fellow of exactly the same kind as
those "riotous knights" concerning whom my sister wrote to
me.' " Colour" is here used for ' complexional character.'
60. Stocks brought out. Formerly in great houses, as at a
later period in some colleges, there were movable " stocks" for
the correction of the servants.
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Reg. My sister may receive it much more
worse,
To have her gentleman abus'd, assaulted,
Kor following her affairs.— Put in his legs.61 —
[Kent is put in the stocks.
Come, my lord, away.
[Exeunt all except Gloster and Kent.
Gh. I am sorry for thee, friend; 'tis the duke's
pleasure,
Whose disposition, all the world well knows,
Will not be rubb'd nor stopp'd;62 Til entreat tor
thee.
Kent. Pray, do not, sir : I have watch'd,63 and
travell'd hard ;
Some time I shall sleep out, the rest I'll whistle.
A good man's fortune may grow out at heels :
Give you good morrow !
Glo. The duke *s to blame in this ; 'twill be ill
taken. [Exit.
Kent. Good king, that must approve64 the
common saw,65 —
Thou out of heaven's benediction com'st
To the warm sun !
Approach, thou beacon to this under globe,
That by thy comfortable beams I may
Peruse tliis letter!66— Nothing, almost, sees miracles
But misery :67 — I know 'tis from Cordelia,
61. Put in his legs. This line is omitted in the Folio, but
given in the Quartos; and its concluding portion certainly is
most characteristic of Regan's stony and relentless nature. It
is difficult to assign the pre-eminence in repulsive qualities
between these two horrible women ; but to our thinking there
is a brassy malignancy about Regan's manner that is still more
repulsive than Goneril's disdainful arrogance. The one is meanly
as well as cruelly cold and hard ; the other is haughtily un-
feeling.
62. Not be rubb'd nor stopp'd. Double negative. The
metaphor is from the game of bowling.
63. Watclid. ' Been awake,' ' been without sleep.'
64. Approve. 'Support/ 'confirm,' 'justify;' 'make mani-
fest the truth of.' See Note 19, Act iii., "Merchant of
Venice."
65. The common saw. 'The common proverb, or adage.'
The one here alluded to is given thus in Heywood's " Dialogues
on Proverbs : " —
" In your running from him to me ye runne
Out of God' s blessing into tlte warm s urine."
And also in Howell's "Collection of English Proverbs," in his
Dictionary (1660), together with its explanation :— " He goes out
of God's blessing to the warm sun, viz, from good to worse."
See Note 47, Act i., "Hamlet." Kent is here thinking that
the king is likely to receive even worse treatment from Regan
than that which he has experienced from Goneril.
66. This letter. Meaning ' this letter that I have received ;'
and possibly being supposed to draw it forth and look at it for
a moment, attempting to read it by the still imperfect light of
i oming dawn.
67. Nothing, almost, sees miracles but misery. 'There is
hardly anything but misery that sees miracles.' "Almost"
is here used with the effect of 'scarcely* or 'hardly.' See
Note 61, Act iii., " Richard III." Kent seems to allude to his
having adopted the lowly discjuise of a serving-man ; which will
pen banco enable him to behold the miracle of redress for the
present unnatural condition of affairs.
Who hath most fortunately been inform'd
Of my obscured course ; and shall find time63
From this enormous69 state, — seeking to give
Losses their remedies. — All weary and o'er-watch'd,
Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold
This shameful lodging.
Fortune, good night; smile once more; turn thy
wheel ! [Sleeps.
SCENE III.— The open Country.
Enter Edgar.
Edg. I heard myself proclaim'd ;
And by the happy hollow of a tree
Escap'd the hunt. No port is free ; no place,
That guard, and most unusual vigilance,
Does not attend my taking. While I may 'scape,
I will preserve myself: and am bethought
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury, in contempt of man,
Brought near to beast ; my face I'll grime with
filth;
Blanket my loins ; elf all my hair in knots;"0
And with presented nakedness out-face
The winds and persecutions of the sky.
The country gives me proof and precedent
68. And shall Jlnd time, 6°r. Here "shall " has been altered
to 'she'll,' with a view to give clearness to a passage which has
been pronounced to be "obscure" and "perhaps corrupt;"
but we think that it is made purposely confused in phraseology,
to indicate the situation of Kent. In the first place, we believe
that "who" before "hath" is allowed to be elliptically under-
stood as repeated before " shall . " in accordance with a frequent
practice of Shakespeare's in sentences of similar construction
See, for instance, Note 20, Act ii., " Tempest ;" Notes 15, Act
ii., and 61, Act iv., "Timon of Athens ;" and Note 136, Act i.
of the present play, among hosts of other examples that we have
denoted. In the next place, we take the portion of this speech
from "I know 'tis from Cordelia" to "their remedies," to be
a series of disjointed sentences, imperfectly uttered by the
sohloquiser ; and that the breaks in them are intentionally
given, to mark that Kent is dropping off to sleep. The current
of his thoughts appears to us to be this : — ' I know this letter is
from Cordelia, who hath most fortunately been informed of my
disguised condition ; and who will find an opportunity from this
irregular and unnatural state of things' [to convert it into duer
orderl, — 'seeking to give losses their remedies' [by reinstating
her father in his kingdom and restoring me to my dukedom] :
then finding himself unable to pursue his train of ideas, or even
to express them coherently, he interrupts himself with " All
weary and o'erwatch'd," &c., and resolves to rest. In this
speech we find precisely that felicity of perfect impression in
imperfect expression which we have so often pointed out and
dwelt upon as one among the numberless excellences of Shake-
speare's power in style isee Note 67, Act iii. , " Timon of Athens") ;
as well as that most natural and characteristic inexplicitncss in
wording, which he gives when writing soliloquy. See Note 34,
Act iv., " Henry V."
69. Enormous. ' Out of rule,' ' out of order,' contrary to
natural ordination ; 'abnormal.'
70. Elf all my hair in knots. Shakespeare has formed the
substantive "elf" into a verb, to succinctly express an operation
which was popularly supposed to be performed by elves or fairies.
See Note 82, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
484
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Of Bedlam beggars,71 who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortified bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary ;
And with this horrible object, from low farms,
Poor pelting72 villages, sheep-cotes, and mills,
Sometime with lunatic bans,73 sometime with
prayers,
Enforce their charity.— Poor Turlygod \7i poor
Tom !
That's something yet:— Edgar I nothing am.
[Exit.
SCENE IV.— Before Gloster's Castle. Kent
in the Stocks.
Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.
Lear. 'Tis strange that they should so depart
from home,75
And not send back my messenger.
Gent. As I learn'd,
The night before,76 there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.
Kent. Hail to thee, noble master !
Lear. Ha !
Mak'st thou this shame thy pastime ?
Kent. No, my lord.
tool. Ha, ha ! he wears cruel garters.77 Horses
are tied by the head, dogs and bears by the neck,
71. Bedlam beggars. Aubrey, in his MS. " Remaines of
Gentilisme and Judaisme," describes the kind of wanderers who
were the originals of those here alluded to : — " Before the civil
wars, I remember Tom a Bedlams went about begging. They
had been such as had been in Bedlam, and come to some
degree of sobemesse ; and when they were licensed to goe out,
they had on their left arme an armilla of tinne printed, of about
three inches breadth, which was sodered on." The compassion
shown for these veritable lunatics occasioned their condition to
be counterfeited by a set of vagabonds, thus mentioned by Randal
Holme in his " Academy of Arms and Blazon : " — " The Bedlam
is in the same garb, with a long staff, and a cow or ox-horn by
his side ; but his cloathing is more fantastick and ridiculous ;
for being a mad-man, he is madly decked and dressed all over
with rubins, feathers, cuttings of cloth, and what not ; to make
him seem a mad-man, or one distracted, when he is no other
than a dissembling knave." Decker, in " The Bell-man of
London " (1640), also gives an account of one of these impostors,
under the title of Abraham Man (which doubtless gave rise to
the cant phrase, ' to sham Abraham,' signifying ' to make pre-
tence of illness, or other false condition') : — " He swears he hath
been in Bedlam, and will talke frantickely of purpose : you see
pinnes stuck in sundry places of his naked flesh, especially in
his armes, which paine he gladly puts himself to, only to make
you believe he is out of his wits. He calls himselfe by the name
of Poore Tom, and, coming near any body, cries out, Poor Tom
is a-cold."
72. Pelting. 'Paltry,' 'petty.' See Note 10, Act ii.,
" Richard II."
73. Bans. 'Curses.'
74. Turlygod. Sometimes spelt ' Turlygood.' It was the
English word in use to signify the Italian Turlitpino, or Tur-
luru, and the French Turlupin, or Turelureau, which signify
' buffoon,' ' fool,' ' crazy fellow.'
monkeys by the loins, and men by the legs: when
a man 's over-lusty at legs, then he wears wooden
nether-stocks.78
Lear. What's he that hath so much thy place
mistook
To set thee here?
Kent. It is both he and she,—
Your son and daughter.
Lear. No.
Kent. Yes.
Lear. No, I say.
Kent. I say, yea.
Lear. No, no, they would not.
Kent. Yes, they have.
Lear. By Jupiter, I swear, no.
Kent. By Juno, I swear, ay.
Lear. They durst not do 't ;
They could not, would not do't; tis worse than
murder,
To do upon respect79 such violent outrage :
Resolve me,90 with all modest haste, which way
Thou mightst deserve, or they impose, this usage,
Coming from us.
Kent. My lord, when at their home
I did commend your highness' letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that show'd
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post,
Stew'd in his haste, half breathless, panting forth
From Goneril, his mistress, salutations ;
Deliver'd letters, spite of intermission,81
75. 'Tis strange, cVv. Here it seems to us that Lear has
come to Gloster's castle, instead of going to his daughter Regan's
residence, having heard from his attendant gentleman that the
Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have left their home and repaired
hither. See Note 149, Act i.
76. The nig/it be/ore. This expression, introduced at this
juncture, serves to denote that morning is now well set in ; and
therefore, though the duke and duchess have retired to their
apartment, and still remain there on the plea that " they have
travell'd hard to-night," the effect is given of advancing day,
and allows the progress of dramatic time to take place with
sufficient rapidity for the spectators being beguiled into easy
credence, when, at the close of the present long scene, Gloster
says, " The night comes on ;" and Cornwall soon after observes,
"'Tis a wild night." See Note 58 of this Act
77. Cruel garters. The fool puns on the word " cruel," as if
it were 'crewel ;' which is a kind of worsted used for making
garters, &c.
78. Nether-stocks'. An old term for ' stockings.' See Note 84,
Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
79. To do upon respect. We think that here "respect" is
used, with elliptical significance, to signify ' that which should
command respect.' Shakespeare sometimes thus uses such words
as " reproach," "obloquy," "merit," "terror," " offence," &c.
See Note 125, Act iii., "Hamlet." As messenger from the
king, Kent was entitled to special respect.
80. Resohe me. ' Inform me,' 'satisfy my desire to know.'
See Note 74, Act t.
81. Spite 0/ intermission. 'In defiance of pause required,'
for him to take breath, or for me to rise from my knee and
receive my answer. That "intermission" bears the sense we
here give we think is proved by the mode in which Shakespeare
employs the word elsewhere. See Note 37, Act iii., " Merchant
of Venice ;" the passage referred to in Note 67, Act ii., "As
486
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Which presently they read : on whose contents,
They summon' d up their meiny,83 straight took
horse ;
Commanded me to follow, and attend
The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks:
And meeting here the other messenger,
Whose welcome, I perceiv'd, had poison'd mine
(Being the very fellow which of late
Display' d so saucily agaipst your highness),
Having more man than wit about me, drew Is3
He rais'd the house with loud and coward cries.
Your son and daughter found this trespass worth
The shame which here it suffers.84
Fool. Winter 's not gone yet, if the wild-geese
fly that way/3
Fathers that wear rags
Do make their children blind ;
But fathers that bear bags
Shall see their children kind.
Fortune still shuts the door,
Ne'er turns the key to the poor. —
But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours86
for thy daughters as thou canst tell in a year.
Lear. Oh, how this mother swells up toward
my heart ! ";
Hysterica passio, — down, thou climbing sorrow,
Thy element *s below ! — Where is this daughter ?
Kent. With the earl, sir, here within.
You Like It ; " and the speech before the one adverted to in
Note 88, Act iv., " Macbeth." These three, and the one under
consideration, are the only four occasions on which Shakespeare
uses "intermission ;" and we are thus particular in specifying
them because the present passage has been variously explained
by other commentators, each giving a different interpretation
from ours.
82. Meiny. ' Train/ ' retinue.' "From the old French, meinie;
or, as anciently spelt, mesnie ; which Du Cange considers to be
a form of meson ie or maisonie, from maison, 'house.* The
modern French word is menage, 'household.* Our word
' menial,' still in use, is of the same stock as " meiny."
83. Having more man than wit about me, drew. " I " before
" perceived " allows the same pronoun to be understood as
repeated before " having " or before " drew " in the present line.
See Notes 55 and 68 of this Act.
84. Found this trespass worth the shame which here it
suffers. By employing the word " worth " here to express
' deserving of,' Shakespeare gives the included contemptuous
effect to this sentence of ' found it worth while to put me to the
shame which I here undergo.'
85. Winter's not gone yet, if, &*c. Figuratively hinting,
'The king's season of discomfort is not over yet, if this be the
way his son and daughter behave.'
86. Dolours. There is a quibble between this word and
' dollars ; ' and ' for thy daughters' is used in the sense of ' on
account of thy daughters,' or 'owing to thy daughters.' See
Note 9, Act iv., " Richard III."
87. Hoiu this mother, &>c. Lea_ affects to pass off the
swelling of his heart, in its paroxysm of grief and indigna-
tion, for the disease called 'the mother,' or ''hysterica passio,
to which, in Shakespeare's time, men as well as women were
believed to be subject. It is probable that our author had this
point suggested to him by two passages in Harsnet's " Declara-
tion of Popish Impostures," which he in all likelihood consulted
in order to supply him with his characteristic matter for port ray -
Lear. Follow me not;
Stay here. [Exit.
Gent. Made you no more offence than what you
speak of ?
Kent. None.
How chance the king comes with so small a train'?
Fool. An thou hadst been set i' the stocks for
that question, thou hadst well deserved it.
Kent. Why, fool?
Fool. We'll set thee to school to an ant,88 to
teach thee there's no labouring i' the winter. All
that follow their noses are led by their eyes, but
blind men :89 and there 's not a nose among twenty
but can smell him that's stinking. Let go thy
hold when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it
break thy neck with following it ; but the great
one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after.
When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give
me mine again : I would have none but knaves
follow it, since a fool gives it.
That sir which serves90 and seeks for gain
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry ; the fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly :
The knave turns fool that runs away ;91
The fool no knave, perdy.92
ing his Tom of Bedlam. The first passage runs thus: — "Ma.
Maynie had a spice of the hysterica passio, as seems, from his
youth ; he himself termes it the moother." The other, thus: —
" The disease I spoke of was a spice of the mother, wherewith
I had been troubled before my going into Fraunce : whether I
doe rightly term it the mot/ier or no, I knowe not."
88. Set thee to school to an ant. Solomon says, " Go to the
ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise : which
having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the
swwtftter, and gathereth her food in the harvest." The fool
implies, ' Had you learned wisdom of the ant, you would have
known that the king has so small a train because few adhere in
the cold season of adversity ; the majority preferring the sun-
shine of prosperity, which offers prospect of gain.'
89. All that follow, &*c. 'All men, following their noses,
are led by their eyes, excepting blind men ; and even among
these, who have nothing but their nose to guide them, there is
not one among twenty but has sense enough to perceive when
a man's fortunes are tainted and decaying.'
go. That sir which serves. "Sir" used substantively, and
"which" used for 'who.' See Note 62, Act i., "Winter's
Tale."
91. The knave turns fool tliat runs away. Johnson and
others thought that the sense of this line would be improved if
the words " knave" and " fool " were transposed ; but we think
that Shakespeare, in his own noble philosophy, here affirms that
the cunning rogue who deserts his benefactor in the time of
reverse, from motives of prudence, shows himself fool as well as
knave, moral miscalculator as well as moral coward. That our
poet, through all this jingle of "knave" and "fool "put into
the mouth of his subtlest-drawn fool, meant something espe-
cially pointed in its bitter and sarcastic irony, he has taken care
to mark, by following up the given "counsel" with the words,
" I would have none but knaves follow it ;" and, after the entire
speech, by Kent's inquiry, " Where learned you this, fool f "
92. Perdy. See Note 104, Act iii., " Hamlet."
ACT II.]
KING LlAIC
[Scene IV.
Kent. Where learned you this, fool ?
tool. Not T the stocks, fool.
Re-enter Lear, ivith Gloster.
Lear. Deny to speak with me? They are
sick ? they are weary ?
They have travell'd hard to-night ? Mere fetches;
The images of revolt and flying °"-
Fetch me a better answer.
Glo. My dear lord,
You know the fiery quality of the duke ;
How unremovable and fix'd he is
In his own course.
Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confusion! —
Fiery ? what quality ? Why, Gloster, Gloster,
1 'd speak with the Duke of Cornwall and his wife.
Glo. Well, my good lord, I have inform'd
them so.
Lear. Inform'd them! Dost thou understand
me, man ?
Glo. Ay, my good lord.
Lear. The king would speak with Cornwall ;
the dear father
Would with his daughter speak, commands her
service :
Are they inform'd of this? — My breath and
blood !—
Fiery ? the fiery duke ? — Tell the hot duke that —
No, but not yet : — may be he is not well :
Infirmity doth still neglect all office
Whereto our health is bound ; we are not ourselves
\\ hen nature, being oppress'd, commands the mind
To suffer with the body : I'll forbear;
And am fall'n out with my more headier will,
To take the indispos'd and sickly fit
For the sound man.93 — [Looking on Kent.] — Death
on my state! wherefore
Should he sit here? This act persuades me
That this remotion94 of the duke and her
Is practice95 only. Give me my servant forth.
Go tell the duke and 's wife I 'd speak with them,
93. To take t/ie indisposed and sickly Jit for the sound man.
The elliptical force and condensation of this phrase has finely
characteristic effect here. How well it serves to paint the ill-
suppressed wrath, the pathetic effort made by the old king to
control his agitation, to compel himself into forbearance and
allowance-making ; and what double and treble strength is given
by this momentary check, to the burst of indignant rage with
which he breaks firth when reminded, by the sight of (Cent in
the stocks, that the conduct of those who set his faithful servant
there is intentional in its slight and offence towards himself.
94. Remotion. ' Removal.' from their own residence to that
of the Earl of Gloster. See Note 74, Act iv., " Timon of
Athens."
95. Practice. ' Artifice,' ' designing scheme.' See Note 17
of this Act.
96. Tilt it cry sleep to death. 'Till it clamour sleep tn
death;' 'till it give the death-stroke to sleep;' by awakening
them, and causing them to slumber no longer.
07. Cockney. This word meant both a ' ninny' and a 'cook :'
and, in the present passage, it seems to include reference to bolh
Now, presently : bid them come forth and hear me,
Or at their chamber-door I'll beat the drum
Till it cry sleep to death.96
Glo. 1 would have all well betwixt you. [Exit.
Lear. Oh, me, my heart, my rising heart ! — but,
down !
Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney97 did to
the eels when she put 'em i' the paste alive ; she
rapped 'em o' the coxcombs with a stick, and cried,
"Down, wantons, down!" 'Twas her brother,
that, in pure kindness to his horse, buttered his hay.
Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gloster, and
Servants.
Lear. Good morrow to you both.
Corn. Hail to your grace !
[Kent is set at liberty.
Reg. I am glad to see your highness.
Lear. Regan, I think you are ; I know what
reason
I have to think so : if thou shouldst not be glad,
I would divorce me from thy mother's tomb,
Sepulchring an adultress. — [To Kent.] Oh, are
you free ?
Some other time for that. — Beloved Regan,
Thy sister's naught:98 O Regan, she hath tied
Sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture, here, — ■
[Points to his heart.
I can scarce speak to thee ; thou 'It not believe
Willi how deprav'd a quality — O Regan !
Reg. I pray you, sir, take patience : I have hope
You less know how to value her desert99 g
Than she to scant her duty.
Lear. Say, how is that ?
Reg. I cannot think my sister in the least
Would fail her obligation : if, sir, perchance
She have restrain' d the riots of your followers,
'Tis on such ground, and to such wholesome end,
As clears her from all blame.
Lear. My curses on her!
Reg. Oh, sir, you are old ;
these senses. In the only other passage where Shakespeare uses
the word, he employs it more in the sense in which it is now
used ; a term of contempt for a simpleton born and bred in the
metropolis, bigoted to its ways, and knowing nothing beyond
them. See Note 2, Act iv., " Twelfth Night." That its deriva-
tion has some link of connection with cookery, and that it partly
came from the Italian cocagna, and the French cocague, seems
certain. Florio translates cocagna by ' Lubberland ; ' and the
French pays de cocagne means a country containing a fabulous
amount of good cheer, such as none but gulls could believe in.
98. Naught. 'Worthless,' 'good for nothing,' 'bad.' See
Note 11, Act Hi., " As You Like It." The struggle to speak,
the broken sentences, the incapacity of utterance, together with
the affecting attempt to wile Regan into affectionate conduct by
attributing it to her. by professing faith in her, and even by
calling her affectionate names himself, is inexpressibly pathetic,
as delineated in this speech of the unhappy father and wronged
old man.
93. You less know ho-». &*c. ' You are less capable of appre-
ciating her merit than she is of failing in her duty.'
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Lear. O Regan, wilt thou take her by the hand ?
Goneril Why not by the hand, sir? How have I offended?
Ac I II. Scene IV.
Nature in you stands on the very verge
Of her confine: you should be rul'd, and led
By some discretion, that discerns your state
Better than you yourself. Therefore, I pray you,
That to our sister you do make return ;
Say you have wrong'd her, sir.
Lear. Ask her forgiveness?
Do you but mark how this becomes the house :100
[ Kneeling.
" Dear daughter, I confess that I am old;
Age is unnecessary :101 on my knees I beg
ico. Flow this becomes ike house. We think that here "the
house " is probably used to express ' the household,' ' the
domestic circle,' ' the family home.'
101. Age is unnecessary. Shakespeare uniformly uses the
word " unnecessary " in the sense of ' needless.' ' superfluous ;'
and he also uses "unnecessarily" in the sense of 'superflu-
ously,' 'needlessly.' Consequently, we think that here by "age
is unnecessary " is meant ' living to be old is superfluous,'
'advanced years are needless,' 'living beyond a certain period
That you'll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food."
Reg, Good sir, no more ; these are unsightly-
tricks :
Return you to my sister.
Lear. [Rising.] Never, Regan:
She hath abated me of half my train ;
Look'd black upon me; struck me with her tongue,
Most serpent-like, upon the very heart : —
All the stor'd vengeances of Heaven fall
On her ingrateful top !102 Strike her young bones,
You taking 1M airs, with lameness !
is unneeded,' The sense is perhaps included of ' age needs
but the merest necessaries of life' — no more than "raiment,
bed, and food."
102. Top. We have before observed upon the dignity with
which Shakespeare invests this slight word of three letters by his
employment of it. See Note 3, Act iii., " Tempest," and Note
36, Act ii.. " Measure for Measure."
103. Taking. ' Blighting,' ' infecting,' ' blasting." See Note
37, Act i., " Hamlet."
4S9
22S
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Corn. Fie, sir, fie !
Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blind-
ing flames
Into her scornful eyes ! Infect her beauty,
You fen-suck'd fogs, drawn by the powerful sun,
To fall and blast her pride !
Reg. Oh, the blest gods! so will you wish on
me,
When the rash mood is on.
Lear. No, Regan, thou shalt never have my
curse :
Thy tender-hefted104 nature shall not give
Thee o'er to harshness : her eyes are fierce; but
thine
Do comfort, and not bum.105 'Tis not in thee
To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train,
To bandy hasty words, to scant my sizes,106
And, in conclusion, to oppose the bolt
Against my coming in : thou better know'st
The offices of nature, bond of childhood,
Effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude ;
Thy half o' the kingdom hast thou not forgot,107
Wherein I thee endow'd.
Reg. Good sir, to the purpose.
Lear. Who put my man i' the stocks ?
[Tucket within.
Corn. What trumpet 's that ?
Reg. I know 't, — my sister's :103 this approves109
her letter,
That she would soon be here.
Enter Oswald.
Is your lady come ?
Lear. This is a slave, whose easy-borrow'd pride
Dwells in the fickle grace of her he follows. —
Out, varlet, from my sight !
Corn. What means your grace ?
104. Tender-hefted. This word has been altered by various
emendators ; but we think, judging from the following grounds,
that it was the one here intended by the author. Firstly, in the
only place where Shakespeare uses the word "hefts" he em-
ploys it to express 'heavings.' See Note 8, Act ii., "Winter's
Tale." Secondly, in the speech referred to in Note 1, Act iv. ,
"Hamlet," he uses "heaves" for 'sighs,' or deep-drawn
breaths of emotion : and in the present play (Act iv., sc. 3} he
has " heaved " to express ' breathed sighingly.' He also some-
times uses a passive participle instead of an active one ; and
therefore we think it probable that " tender-hefted nature " may
be taken to mean ' tenderly-sighing nature ' or ' tenderly-breath-
ing nature,' as signifying ' tenderly-compassionate nature.'
105. Thine do comfort, and not burn. The eagerness of
poor, weak-judging Lear to ascribe gentleness to the cold, piti-
less eyes of Regan, to prompt her with those kindlinesses which
he would have her show him, together with the involuntary be-
trayal of his knowledge of her real nature, discovered by his
closing appeal to her mercenary and interested spirit, are all
marvellously drawn.
106. Sizes. 'Allotted portions of food,' ' allowances of pro-
vision.' The term'sizer' is still used at Cambridge for that
class of students who live there on a stated allowance.
107. Hast thou not forgot. Transposed construction : ' thou
hast not forgot.' An emphasis is laid on " thou."
Lear. Who stock'd my servant ? Regan, J
have good hope
Thou didst not know of 't. — Who comes here f
Oh, heavens,
Enter Gonerii.
If you do love old men, if your sweet sway
Allow uo obedience, if yourselves are old,
Make it your cause; send down, and take my part! —
[To Gon.] Art not asham'd to look upon this
beard ?—
0 Regan, wilt thou take her by the hand ?
Gon. Why not by the hand, sir ? How have I
offended ?
All's not offence, that indiscretion finds,
And dotage terms so.
Lear. Oh, sides, you are too tough ;
Will you yet hold ? — How came my man i' the
stocks ?
Corn. I set him there, sir ; but his own disorders
Deserv'd much less advancement."1
Lear. You ! did you P
Reg. I pray you, father, being weak, seem so.118
If, till the expiration of your month,
You will return and sojourn with my sister,
Dismissing halt your train, come then to me:
1 am now from home, and out of that provision
Which shall be needful for your entertainment.
Lear. Return to her, unci fifty men dismiss'd ?
No, rather I abjure all roofs, and choose
To wage113 against the enmity o' the air ;
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl, — ■
Necessity's sharp pinch ! 1H — Return with her ?
Why, the hot-blooded Fiance, that dowerless took
Our youngest born, I could as well be brought
To knee his throne, and, squire-like, pension beg
To keep base life afoot. — Return with her?
108. / kuozo V, — my sister's. Regan recognises the particular
passage or flourish on the trumpet used for Gonerii. It was the
custom of great personages to have their arrival announced by
a preceding trumpeter, who played some specially adopted
" tucket," or flourish on his instrument. See Note 25, At t v ,
" Merchant of Venice."
109. Approves. ' Confirms.' See Note 64 of this Act.
no. Allow. 'Approve.' See Note 51, Act ii., "Merry
Wives."
in. Less advancement. Cornwall's sneering mode of saying
that Kent's disorderly conduct deserved even a meaner position
than the stocks as his punishment.
112. Being weak, seem so. 'As you are weak, be content
to let it appear that you are so.' There is a cool brutality of
bluntness in Regan's speeches to her father, an unsparing hard-
ness of allusion to his age and weakness, that are unspeakably
revolting.
113. To wage. Shakespeare uses this word with diverse
meaning, and with elliptical force. Here he employs it to
express ' contend,' ' wage war.'
114. Necessity* s sharp pinch. Lear's parenthetical exclama-
tion, growing out of the three previous lines ; to abjure all roofs,
to contend against the inclemency of the weather, to keep fel-
lowship with beasts and birds, — enduring these severe pressures
of necessity, compelled by the unfdial conduct of his children.
Act II.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Persuade me rather to be slave and sumptcr"5
To this detested groom. [Pointing at Oswald.
Gon. At your choice, sir.
Lear. I pr'ythee, daughter, do not make me
mad : "6
I will not trouble thee, my child ; farewell :
We'll no more meet, no more see one another: —
But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter ;
Or rather a disease that's in my flesh,
Which I must needs call mine: thou art a boil,
A plague-sore, an embossM"7 carbuncle,
In my corrupted blood. But I'll not chide thee ;
Let shame come when it will, I do not call it :
I do not bid the thunder-bearer shoot,
Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging Jove :
Mend when thou canst; be better at thy leisure :
I can be patient ; I can stay with Regan,
I and my hundred knights.
Reg. Not altogether so :
I look'd not for you yet, nor am provided
For your fit welcome. Give ear, sir, to my sister ;
For those that mingle reason with your passion,
Must be content to think you old, and so —
But she knows what she does.
Lear. Is this well spoken ?
Reg. I dare avouch it, sir: what! fifty followers?
Is it not well ? What should you need of more?
Yea, or so many, sith that both charge and danger
Speak 'gainst so great a number? How, in one
house,
Should many people, under two commands,
Hold amity ? 'Tis hard ; almost impossible.
Gon. Why might not you, my lord, receive
attendance
From those that she calls servants, or from mine ?
Reg. Why not, my lord ? If then they chanc'd
to slack you,
We could control them. If you will come to me
(For now I spy a danger), I entreat you
To bring but five-and-twenty: to no more
Will I give place or notice.
Lear. I gave you all —
Reg. And in good time you gave it.
Lear. Made you my guardians, my depositaries;
But kept a reservation to be follow'd
115. Sumpter. Generally combined with the words 'horse'
or ' mule ;' but sometimes formerly used by itself as an abbre-
viated form of ' sumpter-horse.' It is also found in the com-
pound words, ' sumpter-cloth,' ' sumpter-saddle,' See. It is
derived from the Latin, sumptus, ' burden,' ' charge ; ' the
sumpter-horses being those employed to carry provisions or
other necessaries. Here the effect is implied of ' beast of
burden.'
116. Do not make me mad. The dramatist gradually pre-
pares for that which follows. Sec Note 155, Act i. of this
play.
117. Embossed. 'Swollen,' ' protuberant.' See Note ios,
Act iii , " First Part Henry IV."
1:8. Cheap. ' Of little value ; ' ' worth as little.'
rig. That patience, patience / need'. We think it very pro-
bable that a conjecture of Ritson's is true with regard to this
With such a number. What ! must I come to you
With five-and-twenty, Regan ? said you so ?
Reg. And speak 't again, my lord; no more
with me.
Lear. Those wicked creatures yet do look well-
favour'd,
When others are more wicked ; not being the worst
Stands in some rank of praise. — [To Gon.] I'll go
with thee :
Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty,
And thou art twice her love.
Gon. Hear me, my lord :
What need you five-and-twenty, ten, or five,
To follow in a house where twice so many
Have a command to tend you ?
Reg. What need one?
Lear. Oh, reason not the need : our basest
beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous :
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life is cheap"8 as beast's: thou art a lady;
If only to go warm were gorgeous,
Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st,
Which scarcely keeps thee warm. — But, for true
need, —
You heavens, give me that patience, patience I
need!119
You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,
As full of grief as age; wretched in both !
If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts
Against their father, fool me not so much
To bear it tamely;120 touch me with noble anger !
Oh, let not women's weapons, water-drops,
Stain my man's cheeks! — No, you unnatural hags,
I will have such revenges on you both,
That all the world shall — I will do such things, —
What they are, yet I know not ; but they shall be
The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep ;
No, I'll not weep : —
I have full cause of weeping ; but this heart
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws,121
Or ere I'll weep. — Oh, fool, I shall go mad !
[Exeunt Lear, Gloster, Kent, and
Fool. Storm heard at a distance.
Corn. Let us withdraw ; 'twill be a storm.
line; and that the author originally wrote it, "You heavens,
give me patience ! that I need."
120. To dear it tamely. Elliptically expressed: 'as to let
me bear it tamely' being understood. This momentary lull in
Lear's passion, pausing to argue the question of need and super-
fluity, praying one instant for "patience," the next supplicating
for " noble anger," striving to retain his tears, and finally
breaking forth into vague impotence of threat, are all conceived
in the very finest spirit of poetic delineation, and withal the
most perfect truth to incipient madness ; so that we are fully
and fearfully prepared for seeing him next in his raving con-
dition, braving the storm, and invoking the elements to "let
fall " their " horrible pleasure" upon him.
121. Flaws. Anciently used to express ' fragments,' as well as
mere ' cracks.' Bailey observes that it was " especially applied
to the breaking oft shivers, or thin pieces from precious stones."
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Reg. This house is little: the old man and his
people
Cannot be well bestow'd.
Gon. 'Tis his own blame ;122 h'ath put himself
from rest,
And must needs taste his folly.
Reg. For his particular, I'll receive him gladly,
But not one follower.
Gon. So am I purpos'd.
Where is my lord of Gloster?
Corn. Kollow'd the old man forth:— he is re-
turn'd.
Re-enter Gloster.
Glo. The king is in high rage.
Corn. Whither is he going ?
Glo. He calls to horse ; but will I know not
whither.
Corn. 'Tis best to give him way; he leads
himself.
Gon. My lord, entreat him by no means to
stay.
Glo. Alack, the night comes on, and the bleak
winds
Do sorely ruffle ; 123 for many miles about
There 's scarce a bush.
Reg. Oh, sir, to wilful men,
The injuries that they themselves procure
Must be their schoolmasters. Shut up your doors :
He is attended with a desperate train ;
And what they may incense1" him to, being apt
To have his ear abus'd, wisdom bids fear.
Corn. Shut up your doors, my lord ; 'tis a wild
night :
My Regan counsels well : come out o' the storm.
[£.vc««/.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— A Heath.
A storm, 'with thunder ami lightning. Enter Kent
and a Gentleman, meeting.
Kent. Who 's there, besides foul weather ?
Gent. One minded1 like the weather, most un-
quietly.
Kent. I know you. Where's the king ?
Gent. Contending with the fretful elements ;
Bids the wind blow the earth into the sea,
Or swell the curled waters 'bove the main,2
That things might change or cease ; tears his white
hair,
Which the impetuous blasts, with eyeless rage,
Catch in their fury, and make nothing of;
Strives in his little world of man to out-scorn
122. ' Tis his own blame. "Blame" is here used for ' fault,'
01 'that which deserves blame;' according to a mode Shake-
speare has of employing certain words. See Note 79 of the
present Act. The phrase in the text is equivalent to ' He has
no one to blame but himself for it.'
123. Ruffle. This word was formerly used with greater
strength of meaning than at present. Here it means ' roughly
blow ;' in another passage of this play it means ' roughly tear.'
' rend.' See Note 105, Act iii. In the preceding line "bleak"
is the Quarto word, while the Folio gives 'high.' We think the
former is more probably the poet's epithet, because it adds the
effect of ' cold ' to a description where ' boisterous ' or ' high ' is
sufficiently indicated by the expression "ruffle."
124. Incense. 'Incite/' instigate.' Sec Note 5. Act v.,
"Winter's Tale." Regan's bare-faced pretence— insisting on
speaking of her old father as still attended by a large train of
followers, both in this speech and the one a little before, where
The to-and-fro conflicting wind and rain.
This night, wherein the cub-drawn bear3 would
couch,
The lion and the belly-pinched wolf
Keep their fur dry, unbonneted he runs,
And bids what will take all.
Kent. But who is with him P
Gent. None but the fool ; who labours to out-jest
His heart-struck injuries.
Kent. Sir, I do know you;
And dare, upon the warrant of my note,
Commend a dear thing to you. There is division,
Although as yet the face of it be cover'd
With mutual cunning, 'twixt Albany and Corn-
wall ;
Who have (as who have not, that their great stars
she talks of there not being room for " the old man and his
people," while in reality he has only with him his faithful Kent
and fool— is thoroughly in character with her brassy nature.
1. One minded. 'One whose mind is.' 'one with his mind
disposed.' This is among the expressive participles which
Shakespeare frames from nouns. See Note 24, Act iii.,
" Macbeth."
2. The main. Here used for 'the mainland' See the
passage referred to in Note 2j, Act iv., "Hamlet." Lear
antithetically bids the wind cither blow the land into the water
or raise the waters till they overwhelm the land.
3. The cub-drawn hear. ' The bear whose dugs are drawn
by its young.' Elsewhere Shakespeare has "a lioness, Math
udders all drawn dry " (see speech referred to in Note 48,
Act iv., "As You Like It") ; in both passages giving the effect
of a beast urged by hunger.
v-;.'^»
'Mm*:';
mm
asps
IjCqr. I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness ;
I never gave you kingdom, call'd you children,
You owe me no subscription. Act III. Scene II.
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Thron'd and set high ?)* servants, who seem no less,
Which are to France the spies and speculations6
Intelligent6 of our state ; what hath been seen,
Either in snuffs and packings? of the dukes ;
Or the hard rein which both of them have borne
Against the old kind king ; or something deeper,
Whereof perchance these are but furnishings;3—
But, true it is,9 from France there comes a power
Into this scatter'd kingdom ; who already,
Wise in our negligence, have secret feet10
In some of our best ports, and are at point
To show their open banner. — Now to you :
If on iny credit you dare build so far
To make your speed to Dover, you shall find
Some that will thank you, making just report
Of how unnatural and bemadding sorrow
The king hath cause to plain.
I am a gentleman of blood and breeding ;
Ami, from some knowledge and assurance, offer
This office to you.
Gent. I will talk farther with you.
Kent. No, do not.
For confirmation that I am much more
Than my out wall, open this purse, and take
What it contains. If you shall see Cordelia
(As tear not but you shall), show her this ring ;
And she will tell you who that fellow is
That yet you do not know. [Thunder.] Fie on
this storm !
I "ill go seek the king.
Gent. Give me your hand : have you no more
to say ?
Kent. Few words, but, to effect, more than all
yet,-
4. That their great stars throned and set high. " Stars " is
here used for 'fortune,' 'ruling fate or destiny.' Theobald and
others change " thron'd " to 'throne ;' but we think that here
"thron'd" is used to express 'have throned,' according to a
mode of construction sometimes employed by Shakespeare in
pn^jigcs referring to indefinitely expressed past time. See
Note 61, Act ii . u Coriolanus." In the present instance, the
twice recurring "have" in the preceding line renders the ellipti-
caliy understood * have ' before " thron'd " particularly eligible.
5. Speculations. Here used to express ' those who speculate
or observe.' Shakespeare has several examples of this poetical
lkcncc of employing things for persons. See Note 32, Act ii.,
and Notes 74 and 77, Act i\\, " Coriolanus."
6. Intelligent. This word is used by Shakespeare to express
'conveying intelligence,' 'giving information' (see Note go,
A.t 1 , "Winter's Tale," and Notes 74 and 95 of the present
Acl . and here it comprises ibis sense as well as 'knowing,'
'cognisant.' So that the sense of the entire passage is, 'Who
have [as who have not, that have been placed by their destiny
in exalted rank and station ?) servants, who seem to be such,
but are really m the service of France as spies and observers,
knowing and communicating all particulars of our state.'
7. Snuffs and packings. "SnufTs" are 'offences taken,'
' angers conceived.' Sec Note 33, Act v., " Midsummer Night's
Dream." " Packings " are ' factious conspiracies,' ' private con-
federacies,* ' underhand machinations. ' Sec Note 23, Act v.,
" Comedy of Krrorb."
8. Furnishings. ' External adjuncts,' ' outward appendages.'
9. What Juith been seen or something deeper ....
That, when we have found the king (in which your
pain
That way, I'll this), he that first lights on him
Holla the other. \Exeunt severally.
SCENE II.— Another part of the Heath. Storm
continues.
Enter Lear and Fool.
Lear. Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!
rage ! blow !
You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout
Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the
cocks !
You sulphurous and thought-executing11 fires,
Vaunt-couriers 1: of oak-cleaving thunderbolts,
Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking
thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o' the world !
Crack nature's moulds, all germins13 spill at once,
That make ingrateful man !
Fool. Oh, nuncle, court holy-water14 in a dry
house is better than this rain-water out o' door.
Good nuncle, in; and ask thy daughters' blessing:
here's a night pit-es neither wise men nor fools.
Lear. Rumble thy bellyful ! Spit, fire ! spout,
rain !
Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters :
I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness ;
I never gave you kingdom, call'd you children,
You owe me no subscription :1& then let fall
Your horrible pleasure ; here I stand, your slave,
But, true it is. The phraseology here is inconsecutive, accord-
ing to strict construction, but the effect is conveyed of 'Whether
it be owing to that which has been seen of the secret enmity
between the dukes, or to their harsh treatment of the king, or
to something deeper whereof these are but the external ad-
juncts— certain it is that,' &c. The irregularity of the diction
aids to give it characteristic effect, suiting with the wild circum-
stances of the scene, with the mysteriously hinted nature of the
communication, and with the concealed rank of the speaker.
10. Hare secret feet. The word "have " here treats " power "
as a noun of multitude (see Note 52, Act v., " King John "; ;
' and "feet" is used for 'footing.'
11. Though t'Cxecu ting. ' Doing execution with the rapidity
of thought.'
12. Vaunt-couriers. 'The foremost scouts of an army;'
here figuratively used for ' precursors." See Note 7, Prologue,
1 " Troilus and Cressida."
13. Gcrmins. 'Principles of germination,' 'seeds.* See
Note 14, Act iv., " Macbeth."
14. Court holy-water. A cant phrase for 'empty phrases,'
'flattering protestations,' 'pretty speeches,' 'lip-service.' Ray,
. among his proverbial phrases, mentions "court holy-water " as
meaning ' fair words.' The French have a similar expression,
with similar signification : Eau btnite de la cour. Florio ex-
plains dare Vallodola by " to cog, to foist, to flatter, to give one
court-hollie water ;" and mantcllizzare by " to flatter, to
faune, to claw, to sooth up, to give one eourt-holie water,"
15. Subscription. ' Submission,* ' deference,* ' obedience.'
See Note 65, Act x.
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
A poor, infirm, weak, and despis'd old man : —
But yet I call you servile ministers,
That will with two pernicious daughters join
Your high-engender'd battles 'gainst a head
So old and white as this. Oh ! oh ! 'tis foul !
Fool. He that has a house to put 's head in has
a good head-piece.
The man that makes his toe
What he his heart should make
Shall of a corn cry woe,
And turn his sleep to wake.
— For there was never yet fair woman but she
made mouths in a glass.
Lear. No, 1 will be the pattern of all patience ;
I will say nothing.
Enter Kent.
Kent. Who 's there ?
Fool. Marry, here 's a wise man and a fool.
Kent. Alas! sir, are you here ? things that love
night,
Love not such nights as these ; the wrathful skies
Gallow16 the very wanderers of the dark,
And make them keep their caves : since I was man,
Such sheets of fire, such bursts of horrid thunder,
Such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never
Remember to have heard : man's nature cannot
carry
The affliction nor the fear.
Lear. Let the great gods,
That keep this dreadful pother o'er our heads,
Find out their enemies now. Tremble, thou wretch,
That hast within thee undivulged crimes,
rtj. Gallcnu. ' Frighten,' ' terrify,' ' scare.' From the Anglo-
Saxon, ageclan, or agoslran. '1'he word "gallow," in the cor-
rupted form of ' gaily,' still exists in provincial use.
17. Stmular. ' Simulator,' ' counterfeit.'
18. Continents. 'Exterior enclosures;' Shakespeare uses
'continent' for that which contains or encloses. See Note 124,
Act ii., " Second Part Henry IV."
19. Snnimoners. Officers that summon offenders before a
proper tribunal. In Howard's " Defensative against the Poison
of Supposed Prophecies" 1581 occurs an illustrative passage : —
"They seem to brag most of the strange events which follow for
the most part after blazing starres, as if they were the siim-
moners of God, to call princes to the scat of judgment."
20. Tills haul halts,'. Here " this " is used as in the passage
discussed in Note 54, Act v., " Richard III"
21. Force their scanted courtesy. In this sentence "their"
»s used with reference to the hard-hearted inhabitants implied in
the previous words, "this hard house." See Note iS, Act * ,
" Romeo and Juliet."
22. Where is this strain ? Those who stickle for precision in
every minute particular of detail might just as well here com-
plain that there has been no previous mention of " straw," as
they have elsewhere complained of what they term discrepancies.
The poet and those of his readers who can appreciate poetically-
dramatic writing know that Kent's bidding Lear " repose " in
" a hovel " near at hand sufficiently indicates the roughest
possible means of taking rest.
23. Knave. ' Boy,' ' lad.' See Note 9S, Act i. of the pre-
sent play. This touch of tender consideration of the poor old
royal heart, amid all its own griefs, for the stripling that has
Unwhipp'd of justice : hide thee, thou bloody hand ,
Thou perjur'd, and thou simular17 of virtue
That art incestuous : caitiff, to pieces shake,
That under covert and convenient seeming
Hast practis'd on man's life: close pent-up guilts,
Rive your concealing continents,18 and cry
These dreadful summoners" grace. — I am a man
More sinn'd against than sinning.
Kent. Alack, bare-headed !
Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel ;
Some friendship will it lend you 'gainst the tempest :
Repose you there ; while I to this hard house2"
(More hard than is the stone whereof 'tis rais'd
Which even but now, demanding after you,
Denied me to come in,) return, and force
Their scanted courtesy.21
Lear. My wits begin to turn. —
Come on, my boy: how dost, my boy 1 art cold ?
I am cold myself. — Where is this straw,22 my
fellow ?
The art of our necessities is strange,
That can make vile things precious. Come, your
hovel. —
Poor fool and knave,23 I have one part in my heart
That "s sorry yet for thee.
Fool. [Singing.']
He that has and a little tiny wit,2*—
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, —
Must make content with his fortunes fit :
Though the rain it railieth every day.
Lear. True, boy. — Come, hring us to this
hovel. [Exeunt Lear and Kent.
Fool. This is a brave night2'' to cool a cour-
tesan.— I'll speak a prophecy ere I go :
been its toy in happier hours, and its attached adherent now,
is profoundly beautiful,
24. He that tuts and a little, &*e. The "and " in this line is
omitted in the Quartos, but given in the Folio copy. Inasmuch
as the present stanza is evidently either a portion of the clown's
song at the end of " Twelfth Night," or a fabricated fragment in
imitation of it, the " and " was most probably intended here by
the author. See Note 70. Act v., " Twelfth Night."
25. Tltis is a brave night, cV<". The remainder of this scene,
from the present line to the close of the speech, is omitted in
the Quartos, although given in the Folio. We heartily concur
with a remark of Charles Armitage Brown, in his enthusiastic
book, called "Shakespeare's Autobiographical Poems," where he
speaks of coarse passages that " were not printed either in one
^f the old Quartos or in the fust Folio ;" he thinks that when
passages of such nature are wanting in either one of the old
copies, it suffices to prove that they were not written by Shake-
speare, and holds it to be warrant for their exclusion altogether .
adding, " They may be spared without the slightest injury to the
text — another proof of their having been interpolated." This
remark precisely applies to the present passage: it is clearly a
scrap of ribaldry tacked on, by the actor who played the fool,
to please the "barren spectators" among the audience: just
one of those instances of irrelevant and extemporaneous jesting
to which Shakespeare himself, through his character of Hamlet,
so strongly objects. Sec the speech following the one referred
to in Note 49, Act iii., "Hamlet." The fact of the fool's
present speech occurring after Lear has left the stage, alone
serves to condemn it as spurious : Shakespeare's fool utters his
half-rambling, half-pertinent morsels for the sake of beguiling
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scenes III., IV.
When priests are more in word than matter ;
When brewers mar their malt with water ;
When nobles are their tailors' tutors ;
No heretics burn'd, but wenches' suitors ;
When every case in law is right;
No squire in debt, nor no poor knight ;
When slanders do not live in tongues ;
Nor cutpurses come not to throngs ;
When usurers tell their gold i' the field ;
And jades and sluts do churches build ;—
Then shall the realm of Albion
Come to great confusion :
Then comes the time, who lives to see 't,
That going shall be us'd with feet.
This prophecy Merlin shall make; for I live before
his time. [Exit.
SCENE III.— A Room in Gioster's Castle.
Enter Gloster and Edmund.
Glo. Alack, alack, Edmund, I like not this
unnatural dealing. When I desired their leave-6
that I might pity him, they took from me the use
of mine own house ; charged me, on pain of their
perpetual displeasure, neither to speak of him,
entreat for him, nor any way sustain him.
Edm. Most savage and unnatural !
Glo. Go to ; say you nothing. There is division
between the dukes ; and a worse matter than that:
I have received a letter this night ; — 'tis dangerous
to be spoken ; — I have locked the letter in my
closet : these injuries the king now bears will be
revenged home ; there is part of a power already
footed :27 we must incline to the king. I will seek
him, and privily relieve him : go you, and maintain
talk with the duke, that my charity be not of him
perceived : if he ask for me, I am ill, and gone to
bed. If I die for it, as no less is threatened me, the
king my old master must be relieved. There is
some strange thing toward, Edmund ; pray you, be
careful. [Exit.
Edm. This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the duke
Instantly know ; and of that letter too : —
This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me
That which my father loses, — no less than all :
The younger rises when the old doth fall. [Exit.
In -I. I master's thoughts, and labouring "to out-jest his heart-
struck injuries ;" he does not stay behind to jabber trumpery by
himself, addressed solely to the rain and wind. Whosoever
patched up and introduced here the present "prophecy," it is
t i\ imilar to a version given by Puttenham, in his "Arte
of English Pocsie" 1589), of what was commonly called
" Chaucer's Prophecy," though really of an earlier date.
26. When I desired their leave. " Their " is here used accord-
ing to Shakespeare's skilful system of dramatic art in abrupt
commencements of scenes. Sec Note 55, Act v., " II. unlet '
'This speech serves to explain how it is that Gioster's castle.
SCENE IV.— Apart of the Heath,iuitha Hovel.
Storm continues.
Enter Lear, Kent, and Fool.
Kent. Here is the place, my lord ; good my lord,
enter :
The tyranny of the open night 's too rough
For nature to endure.
Lear. Let me alone.
Kent. Good my lord, enter here.
Lear. Wilt break my heart ?
Kent. I had rather break mine own. Good my
lord, enter.
Lear. Thou think'st 'tis much that this conten-
tious storm
Invades us to the skin : so 'tis to thee ;
But where the greater malady is fix'd,
The lesser is scarce felt. Thou'dst shun a bear ;
But if thy flight lay toward the roaring sea,
Thou'dst meet the bear i' the mouth. When the
mind 's free,
The body 's delicate : the tempest in my mind
Doth from my senses take all feeling else
Save what beats there. — Filial ingratitude !
Is it not as this mouth should tear this hand
For lifting food to 't ? — But I will punish home ; —
No, I will weep no more. — In such a night
To shut me out ! — Pour on ; I will endure : —
In such a night as this ! O Regan, Goneril ! —
Your ohl kind father, whose frank heart gave
all,—
Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that;
No more of that.
Kent. Good my lord, enter here.
Lear. Pr'ythee, go in thyself: seek thine own
ease :
This tempest will not give me leave to ponder
On things would hurt me more. — But I'll go in. —
[To the Fool.] In, boy; go first. — You houseless
poverty, —
Nay, get thee in. I'll pray, and then I'll sleep. —
[Fool goes in.
Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness,28 defend
you
From seasons such as these ? Oh, I have ta'en
alluded to in the previous scene as " this hard house," came to
refuse Kent entrance when " demanding after " his old master ;
and it serves to show how completely Gloster has fallen into the
tyrannously used power of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
27. Footed. ' On foot ; ' ' has obtained footing.' Sec Note ro
of this Act.
28. Loop 'd and wlndoio'd raggedness. Figuratively, 'ragged-
ness full of rents and holes.' Loops or loop-liolos are apertures
that were made in ancient castles for the archers to shoot their
arrows from, and also for the admission of light where windows
would have been incommodious.
496
wmmmm
i
Didst thou give all to thy two daughters ?
hou come to this ?
Edgar. Who gives anything to poor Tom?
Act III. Scene IV.
229
ACT III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
Too little care of this !':9 Take physic, pomp;
Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
That thou mayst shake the superflux to them,
And show the heavens more just.
Edg. [Within."] Fathom and half, fathom and
half! Poor Tom !
[The Fool runs outftom the hovel.
Fool. Come not in here, nuncle, here 's a spirit.
Help me, help me!
Kent. Give me thy hand.— Who 's there ?
Fool. A spirit, a spirit : he says his name 's poor
Tom.
Kent. What art thou that dost grumble there i'
the straw ? Come forth.
Enter Edgar disguised as a madman.
Edg. Away ! the foul fiend follows me ! —
Through the sharp hawthorn blows the cold
wind. —
H'm ! go to thy cold bed, and warm thee.30
Lear. Didst thou give all to thy two daughters?31
And art thou come to this ?
Edg. Who gives anything to poor Tom? whom
the foul fiend hath led through fire and through
flame, through ford and whirlpool, o'er bog and
quagmire;32 that hath laid knives under his
pillow,33 and halters in his pew ; set ratsbane by
his porridge ; made him proud of heart, to ride on
a bay trotting-horse over four-inched bridges, to
29. Oh, 1 have ta'eu too little care 0/ this ! Lear's staying
out in the inclement night to reflect upon the wretchedness of
others, his self-tasking for former too-heedless thought of their
condition, form just one of those subtle monitions upon the
schooling from adversity that Shakespeare throws in with his
own wise and bounteous hand. Well may Lear say, " I'll
/ray, and then I'll sleep." These disciplines of introspection,
these penitences of the conscience, these layings bare to God
our remorseful memories, are the very stuff of which mental
prayer is truly composed.
30. Go to thy cold bed, and -.varm thee. A proverbial saying.
See Note 8, Induction, " Taming of the Shrew." " Cold bed "
seems to be an elliptical phrase, like " idle bed" {see Note 24,
Act ii., "Julius Caesar"); meaning 'bed to which one goes
being cold,' and 'bed feeling cold at first plunge into it.' The
Folio omits the word "cold" in this and the preceding line,
while the Quartos give it correctly. We think that the markedly
frequent recurrence of the word "cold" during this scene has
peculiar (and most likely intentional) effect ; aiding to preserve
in our minds the impression of its inclemency throughout.
3:. Didst thou give all to thy two daughters ? The Folio
omits the word " two " here ; while the Quartos have ' Hast
thou given' instead of "Didst thou give." We think that
"two "lends additional point to Lear's unsettled-witted ques-
1 ■ il 'ends to make it more strictly arising out of his own
personal sorrows, and more inapt to the stranger addressed.
32. O'er bog and quagmire. In allusion to the luminous
vapour in marshes, called ignis fa tuns ; supposed to be lights
kindled by mischievous goblins to lead travellers to destruction.
Sec Note 84, Act iii. , " First Part Henry IV."
33. Knives under his /Mow. In Harsnet's " Declaration of
Popish Impostures" there is a passage respecting this kind of
temptation to commit suicide, and attributed to infernal influ-
ence ; since fiends were popularly supposed to be always urging
the wretched to self-destruction. In "Dr. Faustus" (1604) we
find : —
course his" own shadow for a traitor. — Bless thy
five wits !34 — Tom 's a-cold, — Oh, do de, do de, do
de.35- Bless thee from whirlwinds, star-blasting,
and taking !36 Do poor Tom some charity, whom
the foul fiend vexes: — there could I have him now,
— and there, — and there again, and there.
[Storm continues.
Lear. What! have his daughters brought him
to this pass?— Couldst thou save nothing? Didst
thou give them all ?
Fool. Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had
been all shamed.
Lear. Now, all the plagues that in the pen-
dulous air
Hang fated o'er men's faults light on thy daughters!
Kent. He hath no daughters, sir.
Lear. Death, traitor ! nothing could have sub-
du'd nature
To such a lovvness but his unkind daughters.
Is it the fashion, that discarded fathers
Should have thus little mercy on their flesh ?3'
Judicious punishment ! 'twas this flesh begot
Those pelican daughters.38
Edg. Pillicock sat on Pillicock-hill :39—
Halloo, halloo, loo, loo !
Fool. This cold night will turn us all to fools
and madmen.
Edg. Take heed o' the foul fiend : obey thy
parents ; keep thy word justly ; swear not ; commit
" Swords, poisons, halters, and envenom'd steel
Are laid before me to despatch myself."
34 Bless thy five wits! The " wits " were anciently reckoned
" five," in correspondent number with ' the five senses;' these
latter being sometimes called "the five wits." See Note 11,
Acti., "MuchAdo." An ancient interlude ; called "The Worlde
and the Chylde," reprinted in the last edition of Dodsley's "Old
Plays," has a passage that affords illustration of this : —
" Forsoth, Syr, heryinge, seynge, and smellynge,
The remenaunte tastynge, and felynge ;
These ben the v wittes bodely."
35. Oh, do de, do de, do de. Perhaps intended to represent the
teeth-chattering sound emitted by one who shivers with cold.
See Note 28, Act iv., " Taming of the Shrew." Edgar repeats
these words, in nearly the same form, in sc. vi. of this Act.
36. Taking. ' Blighting,' ' infection.' See Note 103, Act ii.
37. Thus little mercy on tlteir flesh. In allusion to the ex-
posure of " Poor Tom's " body to the severity of the weather.
38. Those pelican daughters. " Pelican," here, is one of
those expressive adjectively-used nouns that Shakespeare frames
with such felicitous effect. See Note 48, Act i., "Julius Csesar."
The pelican was supposed to feed upon its parent's blood. See
Note 57, Act iv., " Hamlet."
39. Pillicock sat on Pillicock-hill. In Ritson's " Gammer
Gurton's Garland ; or, The Nursery Parnassus," there is this
couplet : —
" Pillycock, Pillycock sat on a hill ;
If he's not gone, he sits there still."
Cotgrave interprets Alon Turelureau by "My pillicock, my
pretty knave" (see Note 74, Act ii.) ; and in Harsnet's book
Killico is the name of one of the fiends. " Pelican," at the
close of Lear's speech, catches Edgar's ear; and, in his assumed
character of " Bedlam beggar," he roars out grotesque exclama-
tions of " Poor Tom ! " " Turly god ! " " Pillicock ! " &c. &c.
498
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
not with man's sworn spouse ; set not thy sweet
heart on proud array. Tom's a-cold.
Lear. What hast thou been ?
Edg. A serving-man, proud in heart and mind ;
that curled my hair;40 wore gloves in my cap;J1
served the vice of my mistress' heart ; swore as
many oaths as I spake words> and broke them in
the sweet face of heaven : one that slept in the
contriving of sin, and waked to do it: wine loved
I deeply, dice dearly ; and in woman out-para-
moured the Turk : false of heart, light of ear,42
bloody of hand : hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf
in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey. Let
not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks
betray thy poor heart to woman : keep thy foot out
of taverns, thy hand out of pockets, thy pen from
lenders' hooks,43 and defy the foul fiend.— Still
through the hawthorn blows the cold wind :44 says
suum, mun, nonny.45 Dolphin my boy, my boy,
sessa ! let him trot by.46 [Storm continues.
Lear. Why, thou wert better in thy grave than
to answer with thy uncovered body this extremity
40. Curled my hair. In Harsnet's "Declaration," Sec,
occurs this passage : — " Then Ma. Mainy, by the instigation of
the first of the seven [spirits], began to set his hands unto his
side, curled his hair, and used such gestures as Ma. Edmunds
[the exorcist] presently affirmed that that spirit was Pride"
41. Wore gloves in my cap. Gloves were anciently worn in
the cap, either as the favour of a mistress, as the memorial of a
friend, or as a token to be challenged by an opponent. See the
preceding speech to that referred to in Note 28, Act v.,
"Richard II.," and the passage adverted to in Note 122,
Act iv., " Henry V.," in illustration of the first and last of these
three occasions for wearing gloves in the cap.
42. Light 0/ ear. ' Easily credulous of slander,' 'prompt to
give ear to malicious reports,' 'ready to listen to calumny.'
43. Lenders' books. When spendthrifts resorted to usurers
and money-lenders, receiving advances partly in cash, partly in
goods, they had to enter their promissory notes or acknowledg-
ments of the transaction in " books" kept for the purpose.
44. Still through the hawthorn, &»e, Edgar here repeats the
line (probably a fragment from some old ballad) which he chants
as he enters.
45. Says suum, mun, nonny. The Quartos print ' hay no on
ny ' instead of " nonny," which the Folio gives. " Hey, nonny,
nonny" is an ancient ballad-burden which Shakespeare has
twice elsewhere used (sec the song in "Much Ado," Act ii.,
sc. 3, and one of Ophelia's ditties in " Hamlet," Act iv., sc. 5) ;
and here Edgar is stringing gibberish together composed of
scraps of old ballads.
46. Dolphin my boy, my boy, sessa ! let him trot by. The
word " sessa," meaning ' cease,' ' be quiet,' ' stay still,' is used
elsewhere by Shakespeare ; see Note 4, Induction, " Taming of
the Shrew." Steevens asserts that he heard from an old gentle-
man the story of an old ballad, and a portion of the ballad itself,
which was written on some battle fought in France, during
which the king, unwilling to put the suspected valour of his son
the Dauphin, or " Dolphin " {as the title was formerly spelt and
pronounced in its corrupted form ; see Note 70, Act ii., "All's
Well"), to the trial, is represented as desirous to restrain him
from any attempt to establish an opinion of his courage on an
adversary who wears the least appearance of strength : and at
last assists in propping up a dead body against a tree for him to
try his manhood upon. Therefore, as different champions are
supposed to cross the field, the king always discovers some
objection to his attacking each of them, and repeats these two
lines as every fresh personage is introduced :—
of the skies.— Is man no more than this? Con-
sider him well. Thou owest the worm no silk, the
beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no per-
fume— Ha ! here's three of us are sophisticated !4'
— Thou art the thing itself : unaccommodated man
is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as
thou art. — Off, off, you lendings! — come, unbutton
here.48 [Tearing off his clothes.
Foot. Pr'ythee, nuncle, be contented; 'tis a
naughty49 night to swim in. — Now a little fire in
a wild field were like an old sinner's heart, — a small
spark, all the rest on *s body cold. — Look, here
comes a walking fire.50
Ecig. This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet :51 he
begins at curfew,52 and walks till the first cock ; he
gives the web and the pin,63 squints the eye, and
makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and
hurts the poor creature of earth.
Swithold54 footed thrice the old ;M
He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold;56
Bid her alight,
And her troth plight,5?
" Dolphin, my boy, my boy, cease, let him trot by ;
It seemeth not that such a foe from me or you would fly."
In Ben Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair," Act v., sc. 4, Cokes
says, "He shall be Dauphin my boy? but although this be-
tokens some popularly-understood allusion, such as allusion to a
well-known ballad would be, yet the contexc to Cokes's words
affords no corroboration of their meaning as explained in Stee-
vens's account.
47. Here's three of us are sophisticated. Meaning himself,
Kent, and the fool ; who are dressed in conventional clothing,
and therefore "sophisticated" from the plain, simple, natur.d
man.
43. Come, unbutton here. The Quartos read, 'Come on, be
true.*
49. Naughty. We have before pointed out that this word had
much more force of significance formerly than now. See Note 46,
Act v., " Much Ado," and Note 98, Act ii. of the present play.
50. Here comes a walking fire. In allusion to the approach-
ing torch, borne by Gloster.
51. Flibbertigibbet. One of the fiends mentioned in Bishop
Harsnet's book: — " Frateretto, Flibberdigibbet, Hoberdidance,
Tocobatto, were four devils of the round or morrice."
52. Begins at curfew. Spirits were supposed to be released
from confinement at close of day, and permitted to wander at
large until dawn. See Note 36, Act i., " Hamlet."
53. The web and the pin. A disease of the eyes, resembling
the cataract in an imperfect stage. See Note 78, Act i.,
" Winter's Talc."
54. Swithold. A contraction of ' S. Withold,' ' St. Withold,'
or ' Saint Withold.' There has been no trace yet found of thi*
saint in any of the old legends ; but Shakespeare probably met
with the name in the old play of "The Troublesome Raigne of
John, King of England," 1591 (see our opening Note to " King
John "), where occurs : —
" Sweet S. Withold, of thy lenitie, defend us from extremitte,
And heare us for S. Charitie, oppressed with austeritie."
55. Old. A provincial corruption of 'wold;' a large wild
tract of land.
56. Nine-fold. Here used to express nine imps or familiar
spirits, in the likeness of foals: as it were, 'nine-numbered
foals,' or ' nine-fold foals.'
57. And her troth plight. In allusion to a popular spell
against the nightmare, thus mentioned by Reginald Scot, in his
499
ACT 1 1 I.J
KING LEAR.
[Scene IV.
And, aroint63 thee, witch, aroint thee !
Kent. How fares your grace ?
Enter Gloster, with a torch.
Lear. What's he?
Kent. Who 's there ? What is Tt you seek ?
Glo. What are you there ? Your names ?
Edg. Poor Tom ; that eats the swimming frog,
the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt and the water;59
that in the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend
rages, eats cow-dung for sallets;fi0 swallows the
old rat and the ditch-dog ; drinks the green mantle
of the standing pool; who is whipped from tything
to tything,61 and stocked, punished, and impri-
soned ; who hath had three suits to his back,0- six
shirts to his body, horse to ride, and weapon to
wear ; —
But mice and rats, and such small deer,63
Have been Tom's food for seven long year.
Beware my follower. — Peace, Smulkin;64 peace,
thou fiend !
"Discoverie of Witchcraft " (1584 :— " If any hear the groaning
of the party, speak vinto him ; so as he wake him, he is presently
relieved. Howbeit there are magical cures for it; as, for
example —
" S. George, S. George, our ladle's knight,
He walkt by day, so did he by night ;
Until such time as he her found,
He her beat, and he her bound,
Until her troth she to him plight, ■
He would not come to her that night."
This same spell is given, with a slight variation, in Beaumont
and Fletcher's " Monsieur Thomas " (1639).
58. Aroint. For a full explanation of this word, see Note 20,
Act i., "Macbeth."
59. The wall-newt and the water. ' The wall-newt and the
water-newt;' the first "newt" being elliptically understood as
repeated after " water."
60. Saltets. Here used in its combined sense of ' salads ' and
of 'savoury morsels.' See Note 87, Act iv., "Second Part
Henry VI.," and Note 99, Act ii., " Hamlet."
61. From tything to tything. Equivalent to ' from parish to
parish-' A " tything" is, strictly, a district consisting of a tenth
part ; the land, in ancient times, having been divided into
'hundreds' and ' tythings.' In Harrison's "Description of
England," published with Holinshed's " Chronicle," the bar-
barous severities inflicted on the wretched beings, one of whom
Edgar is personating, are set forth with horrible minuteness of
detail.
62. Three suits to his back. See Note 27, Act ii.
63. And such smalt deer. The word " deer" was anciently
used to express animals in general: as the Germans use their
word tkier for ..11 kinds of animals, as well as for animals of the
stag species. The couplet here chanted by Edgar is like one in
the old metrical romance of " Sir Bevis," describing his hardships
during long confinement in a dungeon : —
" Rattes and myce and such small dere
Was his meate that seven yerc."
64. Peace, Smulkm. Edgar addresses the fiend supposed to
be one of those that possess him In liar. net's " Declaration,"
&C, we find — "The names of other punie spirits cast out of
Trayford were these : rlilco, Smolkin, Hillio," &c.
65. The prince 0/ darkness is a gentleman. This is said as
a retort to what Glostei has just said Harsnet's book states—
Glo. What! hath your grace no better company ?
Edg. The prince of darkness is a gentleman :6b
Modo he 's call'd, and Mahu.
Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so
vile,66
That it doth hate what gets it.
Edg. Poor Tom 's a-cold.
Glo. Go in with me: my duty cannot suffer
To obey6' in all your daughters' hard commands:
Though their injunction be to bar my doors,
And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you,
Yet have I ventur'd to come seek you out,
And bring you where both fire and tood is ready.
Lear. First let me talk with this philosopher.68 —
What is the cause of thunder ?
Kent. Good my lord, take his offer ; go into the
house.
Lear. I'll talk a word with this same learned
Theban. —
What is your study ?
Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill
",lAf/((j\vas the chief devil that had possession of Sarah Williams ;
but another of the possessed, named Richard Mainy, was mo-
lested by a still more considerable fiend called Ji/odu." And
elsewhere the said Richard Mainy deposes — "There remaineth
still in mec the prince of all other devils, whose name should be
Afodu." In the "Goblins," by Sir John Suckling, a catch is
introduced, which concludes with these two lines :—
" The prince of darkness is a gentleman,
Mahu, Mahu is his name."
See also the passage referred to in Note 88, Act iv., "All's Well,"
for Shakespeare's using the title of " the prince of darkness. "
66. Our Jiesh and bloody &*c. Just one of Shakespeare's
subtle touches. Some tone, or inflection of tone, in Edgar's
voice has reached the father's heart, and bitterly recalls his
sense of the supposed unfihal conduct of his elder son, causing
him to blend that son's tokens of unnatural hatred with those
shown by Lear's two daughters. Edgar, instinctively feeling
this, perseveres with his Bedlam cry, " Poor Tom 's a-cold," to
drown the betrayed sound of his own voice, and maintain the
impression of his assumed character.
67. Cannot stiver to obey. Another example of the elliptical
force with 'which Shakespeare uses the verb "suffer." It is
here made to express 'suffer me;' and gives the effect of
'bear' or 'endure.' See Note 87, Act i., "All's Well."
68. Talk -with this philosopher. It is here that Lear show,s
the first token of absolute insanity set in. His disordered judg-
ment, his violent ravings, his wandering wits in the question,
"Didst thou give all to thy two daughters?" his snatching off"
his clothes to be like the bare natural animal man, are all the
symptoms of derangement and coming madness ; but here is the
actual madness itself, the fixed delusion, the conviction of un-
reason. The storm has told upon his physical condition, the
flighty beggar-man's appearance in naked unsophisticated truth
of human individuality has struck his imagination, has caught his
fancy, has engaged his belief in him as one who, because he abjures
the vain adjuncts of clothing, must needs be a "philosopher."
69. To kill vermin. An instance of Shakespeare's dexterous
mode of indicating points that would be treated by other writers
of his time with revolting coarseness. When we know what
Beaumont and Fletcher, for instance, would make, and did
make, of an allusion to the circumstance of a beggar's care to
destroy the concomitants of dirt and squalor, we cannot but
wonder how people have dared to accuse Shakespeare of coarse-
ness, if compared with his contemporaries in authorship.
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene V.
Lear. Let me ask you one word in private.
Kent, Importune him once more to go, my
lord ;
His wits begin to unsettle.
Glo. Canst thou blame him ?
His daughters seek his death: — ah! that good
Kent !—
He said it would be thus,— poor banish'd man ! —
Thou say'st the king grows mad ; I'll tell thee,
friend,
I am almost mad myself: I had a son,
Now outlaw'd from my blood ; he sought my life,
But lately, very late : I lov'd him, friend,
No father his son dearer : true to tell thee,
[Storm continues.
The grief hath craz'd my wits. — What a night's
this!—
I do beseech your grace,"0 — -
Lear. Oh, cry you mercy, sir. —
Noble philosopher, your company.
/; ig. Tom 's a-cold.
Glo. In, fellow, there, into the hovel : keep thee
warm.
Lear. Come, let's in all.
Kent. This way, my lord.
Lear. With him ;
I will keep still with my philosopher.
Kent. Good my lord, soothe him ; let him take
the fellow.
Glo. Take him you on.
Kent. Sirrah, come on ; go along with us.
Lear. Come, good Athenian.
Glo. No words, no words :
Hush.
70. I do beseech your grace. Here Gloster attempts to lead
Lear towards the shelter he has provided in the farm-house ad-
joining the castle : but the king will not hear of quitting his
"philosopher." Gloster then induces the Bedlam-fellow to go
into the hovel, that he may be out of Lear's sight ; but Lear
proposes to follow him thither, saying, " Let 's in all." Kent
endeavours to draw Lear away ; but, finding him resolved to
"keep still with" his "philosopher," begs Gloster to humour
the king and "let him take the fellow" with him. Gloster
accedes, and bids Kent himself to take the fellow with them in
the direction they desire to go ; and this is done. We point out
the details of the stage-situation here, as deducible from the
dialogue ; because, if it be not especially observed, the distinc-
tion between the "hovel" and the "farm-house," together
with their relative position in the scenes of the story, would
hardly be duly understood. The mention of "cushions" and
a "joint-stool " in scene vi., shows it to be some place of better
accommodation than the " hovel ;" and probably some cottage
or farm-house belonging to one of Gloster" s tenants.
71. ChHd Roivlaud. "Child" was anciently the title of a
noble youth trained up to arms. It is given in old poems and
romances to heroes both before and after receiving knighthood,
though it is generally used as if it were equivalent to "knight"
or " sir." These three lines appear to be a fragment of an old
verse-story known in England when Shakespeare wrote, and
still preserved in Scotland. When "Child Rowland" comes in
search of his sister to the tower where she has been confined by
the fairy emissaries of Rosnan, King of Elfland, the elfin
monarch exclaims —
Edg. Child Rowland?1 to the dark tower came,
His word was still, — Fie, foh, and turn,
I smell the blood of a British man.
\_Exeunt.
SCENE V.— A Room in Gloster's Castle.
Enter Cornwall and Edmund.
Co>n. I will have my revenge ere I depart his
house.
Edm. How, my lord, I may be censured, that
nature thus gives way to loyalty, something fears
me to think of.
Corn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your
brother's evil disposition made him seek his death ;
but a provoking merit,'2 set a-work by a improv-
able badness in himself.
Edm, How malicious is my fortune, that I must
repent to be just! This is the letter he spoke of,
which approves him73 an intelligent7"* party to the
advantages of France. Oh, heavens ! that this
treason were not, or not I the detector !
Corn. Go with me to the duchess.
Edm. If the matter of this paper be certain,
you have mighty business in hand.
Corn. True or false, it hath made thee Earl of
Gloster. Seek out where thy father is, that he may
be ready for our apprehension.
Edm. [dside.] If I find him comforting the king,
it will stuff his suspicion more fully. — [To Corn.]
I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though
the conflict be sore between that and my blood.
" Fi, fi, fo, and fum !
I smell the blood of a Christian man !
Be he dead, be he living, wi' my brand
I'll dash his hams frae his harn-pan."
There is a similar stanza, put into the mouth of a giant, in "Jack
and the Giants ;" evidently derived from the old verse-story —
" Fee, faw, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman ;
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I'll grind his bones to make my bread."
72. A prm>oking merit . ' An inciting desert.' We think that
this probably refers to what the speaker considers the discovered
turpitude of Gloster, which deserves punishment, and incites
Edgar to seek his death, putting into activity the latter's blam-
able " badness" of character. The passage has been otherwise
explained ; some authorities thinking that the " merit " referred
to is Edgar's, others believing that it is Edmund's. The diffi-
culty in the sentence arises out of the pronouns "him," "his,"
and "himself" here ; leaving it somewhat uncertain to whom
they respectively allude.
73 His house .... his death . . . the letter he spoke of ... t
approves him. Observe how the pronouns are here used instead
of the name of the man against whom the speakers are caballing.
See Notes 93 and 115, Act i., "Macbeth." "Approves" is
here used for 'proves.'
74. Intelligent. Here used to express knowing circumstances,
and conveying the knowledge of them ; intelligent of events, and
communicating intelligence of them. See Note 6 of this Act.
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Corn. I will lay trust upon thee ; and thou shalt
find a dearer father in my love. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — A Chamber in a Farm-house
adjoining the Castle.
Enter Gloster, Lear, Kent, Fool, and Edgar.
Glo. Here is better than the open air ; take it
thankfully. I will piece out the comfort with
what addition I can : I will not be long from you.
Kent. All the power of his wits has given way
to his impatience: — the gods reward your kind-
ness ! [Exit Gloster.
Edg. Frateretto75 calls me; and tells me Nero
is an angler in the lake of darkness. — Pray, inno-
cent/6 and beware the foul fiend.
Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me whether a mad-
man be a gentleman or a yeoman ?
Lear. A king, a king !
Fool. No, he 's a yeoman that has a gentleman
to his son ; for he 's a mad yeoman that sees his
son a gentleman before him.
Lear. To have a thousand with red burning spits
Come whizzing in upon them, —
Etlg. The foul fiend bites my back.
Fool. He's mad that trusts in the lameness of a
wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a jade's oath.
Lear. It shall be done; I will arraign them
straight. —
[To Edgar.] Come, sit thou here, most learned
justicer ; —
[To the Fool.] Thou, sapient sir, sit here. — Now,
you she foxes ! —
Etlg. Look, where he stands and glares! —
75. Frateretto. See the quotation from Harsnet, given in
Note 51 of this Act.
76. Innocent. Addressed to the fool. The term " innocent,"
though at first applied to born naturals and idiots, came to be
given to professional fool-jesters. In " All's Well," Act iv.,
sc. 3, mention is made of " the Sheriff's fool — a dumb innocent,
that could not say nay."
77. Wanttst thou eyes. &c. This speech has been variously
altered ; but, to our thinking, it signifies, as originally given,
' Look where the fiend stands and glares ! Do you want eyes
to gaze at and admire you during trial, madam ? The fiends
are there to serve your purpose.'
78. Bourn. The old copies give ' brnome ' instead of " bourn ;"
which means a 'brook' or 'rivulet,' and also a 'boundary,' a
' limit.' In an old comedy entitled " The Longer Thou Livest
the More Foul Thou Art," there is a fragment of a song given
thus : —
" Com over the boornc, Hesse",
My litle pretie Besse",
Come over the boorne, Besse", to me."
" Mad Bessies" was the name given to mad women who wan-
dered about the country like the madmen who called themselves
"Poor Tom." There is "A Songe betweene the Queene's
Majestie and Englande," written by Birch, in imitation of an
older song (which older song may have furnished the stanza
introduced here by Shakespeare}, beginning thus : —
Wantest thou eyes at trial,77 madam ?
Come o'er the bourn,'8 Bessy, to me, —
Fool. Her boat hath a leak,
And she must not speak
Why she dares not come over to thee.
Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the
voice of a nightingale. Hopdance79 cries in Tom's
stomach for two white herring.80 Croak not,
black angel ; I have no food for thee.
Kent. How do you, sirp Stand you not so amaz'd:
Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions ?
Lear. I'll see their trial first. — Bring in the
evidence. — ■
[To Edgar.] Thou robed man of justice, take thy
place ; —
[To the Fool.] And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity,
Bench by his side: — [To Kent.] You are o' the
commission,
Sit you too.
Edg. Let us deal justly.
Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd ?
Thy sheep be in the corn ;
And for one blast of thy minikin81 mouth,
Thy sheep shall take no harm.
Pur ! the cat is grey.
Lear. Arraign her first; 'tis Goneril. I here
take my oath before this honourable assembly, she
kicked the poor king her father.
Fool. Come hither, mistress. Is your name
Goneril ?
Lear. She cannot deny it.
Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-
stool.82
Lear. And here's another, whose warp'd looks
proclaim
What store her heart is made on. — Stop her there!
" Come over the bourn, Bessy,
Come over the bourn, Bessy,
Sweet Bessy, come over to me ;
And I shall thee take,
And my dear lady make
Before all that ever I see."
These citations show that " bourn" is the right word here ; while
the fool's taking up the first line from Edgar, and supplying
the remainder, indicate that it was a generally-known song.
79. Hopdance. This name may have been suggested by that of
" Hoberdidance," as cited from Harsnet in Note St of this Act.
80. Two lohite herring. Pickled herrings were sometimes
called "white herrings." It is observable that here the old
copies print " herring " without the final s. See Note 84, Act i.,
"Twelfth Night." It may have been that "herring "was an
old familiarly corrupted form of ' herrings ; ' as " horse " was of
'horses.' See Note 3, Act ii., " First Part Henry IV."
81. Minikin. Besides meaning ' small,' ' diminutive,' this
word was sometimes formerly used to express 'dainty,' 'trim,'
' pretty,' ' darling ; ' like the French word, mignon,
82. Cry you mercy ', I took you for a joint-stool. A proverbial
expression ; possibly, in ridicule of a blundering apology that
is more insulting than the offence for which it is made. See
Note 19, Act ii., "Taming of the Shrew." The fool uses the
phrase from seeing his poor old master mistake one of the chairs
or stools for his daughter.
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Anns, arms, sword, fire! — Corruption in the
place ! — ■
False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape ?
Edg. Bless thy five wits!83
Kint. Oh, pity ! — Sir, where is the patience now,
That you so oft have boasted to retain ?
Edg. [Aside.] My tears begin to take his part
so much,
They'll mar my counterfeiting.
Lear. The little dogs and all,
Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, see, they bark
at me.
Edg. Tom will throw his head at them. —
Avaunt, you curs !
Be thy mouth or black or white,
Tooth that poisons if it bite ;
Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim,
Hound or spaniel, brach or lym,81
Or bobtail tike85 or trundle-tail, —
Tom will make them weep and wail :
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.
Do de, de, de. Sessa!86 Come, march to wakes
and fairs and market-towns. — Poor Tom, thy horn
is dry.8?
Lear. Then let them anatomise Regan; see
what breeds about her heart. Is there any cause in
nature that makes these hard hearts ? — [To Edgar.]
You, sir, I entertain you for one of my hundred ;
only I do not like the fashion of your garments :
you will say they are Persian attire ; but let them
be changed.
Kent. Now, good my lord, lie here and rest
awhile.
Lear. Make no noise, make no noise ; draw
the curtains :
So, so, so: we'll go to supper i' the morning:
so, so, so.
Fool. And I Ml go to bed at noon.88
83. Bless thy Jive ivitsl The whole portion of this finely-
imagined scene, from "The foul fiend bites my back," to "Why
hast thou let her 'scape?" inclusive, is wanting in the Folio.
Fortunately, it was retained in the Quarto copies. Edgar here
repeats his previous exclamation (see Note 34 of this Act) : and
this repetition serves to mark the difficulty he has in sustaining
his character and inventing any more of the Bedlam beggar's
jargon. His next speech still more touchingly marks his inability
to continue his " counterfeiting."
84. BrackorZym. " Brach "is an old name for a female hound.
See Note ill, Act i. A " lym," or ' lyme,' was a bloodhound.
85. Tike. A worthless dog, a cur. See Note 13, Act ii.,
" Henry V."
£6. Sessa ! See Note 46 of the present Act.
87. Thy horn is dry. The Bedlam beggars usually carried a
horn with them, into which they put what drink was charitably
given to them. Here, therefore, Edgar, in his assumed character
of " PoorTom," says this as one of the usual phrases of reminder
that his horn wants filling ; but he also says it in his own person,
figuratively signifying that his powers of "counterfeiting" are
exhausted.
88. And I'll go to bed at noon. This speech, omitted in the
Quartos, but given in the Folio, is the last sentence uttered by
Re-enter Gloster.
Clo. Come hither, friend : where is the king
my master ?
Kent, Here, sir ; but trouble him not, — his wits
are gone.
Glo. Good friend, I pr'ythee, take him in thy
arms ;
I have o'erheard a plot of death upon him:
There is a litter ready; lay him in't,
And drive toward Dover, friend, where thou shalt
meet
Both welcome and protection. Take up thy master:
If thou shouldst dally half an hour, his life,
With thine, and all that offer to defend him,
Stand in assured loss : take up, take up ;
And follow me, that will to some provision
Give thee quick conduct.
Kent. Oppress'd nature sleeps :89 —
This rest might yet have balin'd thy broken
senses,90
Which, if convenience will not allow,
Stand in hard cure. — [To the Fool.] Come, help
to bear thy master ;
Thou must not stay behind.
Glo. Come, come, away.
[Exeunt Kent, Glostex, and the Fool,
bearing aivay Lear.
Edg. When we our betters see bearing our woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who alone suffers, suffers most i' the mind,
Leaving free things and happy shows behind :
But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip,
When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship.
How light and portable my pain seems now,
When that which makes me bend, makes the king
bow ;
He childed, as I father'd ! — Tom, away !
Mark the high noises;91 and thyself bewray,92
Lear's fool. It is greatly significant, though apparently so trivial.
It seems but a playful rejoinder to his poor old royal master's
witless words of exhaustion, but it is, in fact, a dismissal of him-
self from the scene of the tragedy and from his own short day
of life. The dramatist indeed has added one slight passing
touch of tender mention (Kent's saying, "Come, help to bear
thy master ; thou must not stay behind "), ere he withdraws him
from the drama altogether ; but he seems, by this last speech
put into the fool's own mouth, to let us know that the gentle-
hearted fellow who " much pined away" at Cordelia's going into
France, and who has since been subjected to still severer fret at
his dear master's miseries — the softly-nurtured jester, petted and
pampered at court, now exposed to a whole night's pelting
storm — has sunk beneath the accumulated burden, and has gone
to his eternal rest even in the very " noon " of his existence.
89. Oppressed nature sleeps. This speech of Kent's, and the
next of Edgar's, are omitted from the Folio ; but are preserved
in the Quartos.
90. Senses. The old copies print 'sinews' instead of "senses."
Theobald's correction.
91. Mark tlit high noises. Take note of the rumoured division
between the dukes, and the reports of approaching war.
92. Bewray. ' Betray;' 'discover,' 'disclose,' 'reveal.'
ACT III.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VII.
Kent. [To the Fool.] Come, help to bear thy master;
Thou must not stay behind.
Gloster. Come, come, away. Act III. Scene VI.
When false opinion, whose wrong thought denies
thee,
In thy just proof, repeals and reconciles thee.
What will hap more to-night, safe 'scape the king!03
Lurk, lurk. [Exit.
SCENE VII.— A Room in Gloster's Castle.
Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Edmund,
and Servants.
Corn. Post speedily to my lord your husband ;
93. Wltat will hap more to-nigkt^ safe 'scape the king!
' Let what will happen more to-night, may the king escape
safely ' ' See Note 30, Act i.
94. Festiuatc. 'Speedy,' 'prompt.' See Note 2, Act iii.,
" Love's Labour's Lost."
93 /W, '///.■;<■'/ A ' I . m iimi tn i. ilive "f intelligence,' ' conveyant
uf intelligence.' See Note 74 of this Act.
show him this letter: — the army of France is
landed. — Seek out the traitor Gloster.
[Exeunt some of the Servants.
Reg. Hang him instantly.
Gon. Pluck out his eyes.
Corn. Leave him to my displeasure. — Edmund,
keep you our sister company : the revenges we are
bound to take upon your traitorous father are not fit
for your beholding. Advise the duke, where you
are going, to a most festinate94 preparation : we
are bound to the like. Our posts shall be swift
and intelligent95 betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister:
— farewell, my lord of Gloster.96
96. My lord of Gloster. Cornwall here addresses Edmund
by the title which he previously said should be conferred upon
him. in the fifth scene of this Act, where the duke says, "True
or false, it bath made thee Earl 0/ Gloster." Immediately after-
wards, Oswald, of course, means Edmund's father by "my lord
of Gloster."
mi
Gloslcr. What mean your graces ? — Good my friends, consider
You are my guests : do me no foul play, friends.
Corniuall. Bind him, I say. Act III. Scene Vll.
2JO
Act III.]
KING LEAR.
[SCEOT. V*
Enter Oswald.
How now ! where 's the king ?
Osiv. My lord of Gloster hath convey'd him
hence :
Some five or six and thirty of his knights,
Hot qucstrists97 after him, met him at gate ;
Who, with some other of the lords dependants,93
Are gone with him toward Dover ; where they
boast
To have well-armed friends.
Corn. Get horses for yoar mistress.
Can. Farewell, sweet lord and sister.
Corn, Edmund, farewell.
[Exeunt Goneril, Edmund, and Oswald.
Go seek the traitor Gloster,
Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us.
[Exeunt other Servants.
Though well we may not pass upon99 his life
Without the form of justice, yet our power
Shall do a courtesy to100 our wrath, which men
May blame, but not control. — Who 's there ? — the
traitor ?
Re-enter Servants, rwith Gloster.
Reg. I ngrateful fox ! 'tis lie.
Corn. Bind fast his corky101 arms.
Glo. What mean your graces ? — Good my
friends, consider
You are my guests : do me no foul play, friends.
Corn. Bind him, I say. [Servants bind him.
Reg. Hard, hard.102— Oh, filthy traitor !
Glo. Unmerciful lady as you are, I'm none.
Com. To this chair bind him. — Villain, thou
shalt find — [ R egan plucks his beard.
Glo. By the kind gods, 'tis most ignobly done
To pluck me by the beard.
97. Qnestrists. ' Seekers,' ' searchers ; ' those who go in
quest. See Note 36, Act i.
98. Ttie lords dependants. In some editions this is given
' the lord's dependants,' as if referring to Gloster's adherents ;
but it is probably used as a designation for the lords dependant
upon Lear, those of his train, his hundred knights. This kind
of double plural was sometimes used in Shakespeare's time. See
Note 59, Act iii., " Henry VIII."
99. Pass upon. ' Pass judgment upon,' ' decide condemningly
upon,' 'pass sentence upon.' See Note 5, Act ii., "Measure
for Measure."
too. Do a courtesy to. ' Comply with,' ' gratify,' ' confer a
favour upon.'
101. Corky. 'Dry,' 'rigid;' like the bark of a cork-tree.
This expressive epithet may have been suggested by a passage
in Harsnet's book : " It would pose all the cunning exorcists,
that are this day to be found, to teach an old corkie \*„...an
to writhe, tremble, curvet, and fetch her morice garni ils, as
Martha Bressier [one of the possessed mentioned in the book]
did."
10a. Hard, hard. How subtly the true poet, by these two
little repetition monosyllables, strikes an echoing chord in the
key-note "f Regan's hard nature -. at the very time that he
shows the impenetrable material of which she is composed, by
tin- gratuitous piece of extra cruelty. The granite hardness in
Regan's composition is so marked an element of her disposition,
Reg. So white, and such a traitor !
Glo. Naughty103 lady,
These hairs, which thou dost ravish from my chin,
Will quicken, and accuse thee : I am your host :
With robbers' hands my hospitable favours104
You should not ruffle105 thus. What will you do ?
Corn. Come, sir, what letters had you late from
France ?
Reg. Be simple-answer'd, for we know the
truth.
Com. And what confederacy have you with the
traitors
Late footed in the kingdom ?
Reg. To whose hands have you sent the lunatic
king?
Speak.
Glo. I have a letter guessingly set down,
Which came from one that 'sofa netitral heart,
And not from one oppos'd.
Corn. Cunning.
Reg. And false.
Corn. Where hast thou sent the king ?
Glo. To Dover.
Reg. Wherefore to Dover ? Wast thou not
charg'd at peril —
Com. Wherefore to Dover? Let him answer
that.
Glo. I am tied to the stake, and I must stand
the course.106
Reg . Wherefore to Dover ?
Glo. Because I would not see thy cruel nails
Pluck out his poor old eyes ; nor thy fierce sister107
In his anointed flesh stick bonrish fangs.
The sea, with such a storm as his bare head
In hell-black night endur'd, would have buoy'd up,
And quench'd the stellfed103 fires:
Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain.
that her poor old father, even in his aberration of mind, pre-
serves a sense of it as her distinguishing characteristic : — "Then
let them anatomise Regan ; see what breeds about her heart.
Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?"
103. Naughty. ' Good for naught,' ' worthless,' ' bad,'
' wicked.' See Note 49 of this Act
104. Favours. Here used for the component portions of a
countenance, its features. See Note 86, Acti., "Julius Cssar."
105. Rujplc. 'Roughly treat,' 'roughly tear;' 'rend.' See
Note 123, Act ii.
106. / must stand tlte course. See Note 40, Act v.,
" Macbeth."
107. Thy pierce sister. Although, superficially considered,
Lear's two elder daughters seem so equal in wickedness, and so
alike in monstrosity of conduct, as to be hardly distinguishable
the one from the other in character, yet, duly examined, they
will be found to be individualised with all that discrimination of
special characterisation which belongs pre-eminently to Shake-
speare By the one epithet "fierce" here (used also in refer-
ence to her " eyes" in Act ii., sc. 4I, as well as by similarly brief
but forcible touches elsewhere, he depicts to us the haughtily
frowning woman, the scornfully flashing-eyed woman, in Goneril ;
while Regan is no less visibly set before us, with her coldly
malignant face and brutal inexorability of manner. See Note
61. Act ii.
108. Stetted. ' Starred,' 'starry;' Latin, Stella, 'star.'
506
Act II I.J
KING LEAR
LSCENE VII.
It wolves had at thy gate houl'd that stem time,
Thou shouldst have said, "Good porter, turn the
key,"
All cruels else subscrib'd :lu9 — but I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children.
Corn. See it shalt thou never. — Fellows, hold
the chair. —
Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot.
Glo. He that will think to live till he be old,
Give me some help ! — Oh, cruel ! — Oh, ye gods !
Reg. One side will mock another; the other
too.110
Corn. If you see vengeance, —
First Set*v. Hold your hand, my lord :
I have serv'd you ever since I was a child ;
But better sen ice have I never done you
Than now to bid you hold.
Reg. How now, you dog !
First Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your
chin,
I'd shake it on this quarrel. What do you mean ?
Corn. My villain ! 1" [Draws.
First Serv. Nay, then, come on, and take the
chance of anger.
[Draius. They fight. Cornwall is
•wounded.
Reg. Give me thy sword. — A peasant stand up
thus ! [Takes a sword from another Servant,
and stabs First Servant.
First Serv. Oh, I am slain ! — My lord, you
have one eye left
To see some mischief on him. — Oh ! [Dies.
Corn. Lest it see more, prevent it. — Out, vile
jelly !
Where is thy lustre now ?
109. All cruels else subscribed, " Cruels" is here used as a
poetical abbreviation of 'cruelties;' and "subscrib'd" means
' yielded,' ' relinquished.' See Note 65, Act i.
no. The other too. The ferocity, the overflowing ferocity of
Regan is marked with unmistakable emphasis by the dramatist.
At his period of play-writing, the barbarities committed during
this scene were not without parallel in other dramas. In
" Selimus, Emperor of .the Turks," one of the sons of Bajazet
pulls out the eyes of an Aga on the stage, and subsequently his
hands are cut off; while in "Antonio's Revenge," Piero's
tongue is torn out on the stage.
in. Villain. Meaning here ' bondrnan,' 'serf,' 'feudal re-
tainer.' See Note 17, Act i., " Comedy of Errors." Regan's
words, " A peasant stand up thus.'" show this to be the sense
in which "villain" is here used.
112. Quit. 'Acquit,' 'requite,' 'redress.'
113. Overture. ' Opening,' 'disclosure,' 'discovery.'
114. Then Edgar was abused. This opening of Gloster's
mental eyes immediately upon the extinction of his physical
eyes, this clearing of his moral sight just as his visual sight
Glo. All dark and comfortless. — Where's my
son Edmund ?
Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature,
To quit11'- this horrid act.
Reg. Out, treacherous villain!
Thou calPst on him that hates thee: it was he
That made the overture11** of thy treasons to us;
Who is too good to pity thee.
Glo. Oh, my follies!
Then Edgar was abus'd.114 —
Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him !
Reg. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him
smell
His way to Dover. — How is't, my lord? how look
you ?
Corn. I have receiv'd a hurt: — follow me, lady. —
Turn out that eyeless villain ; — throw this slave
Upon the dunghill. — Regan, I bleed apace:
Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm.llc
[Exit Cornwall, led by Regan. — Some
of the Servants unbind Gloster,
and lead him out.
Sec. Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do,
If this man come to good.
Third Serv. If she live long,
And, in the end, meet the old course of death,116
Women will all turn monsters.
Sec. Serv. Let 's follow the old earl, and get the
Bedlam
To lead him where he would : his roguish madness
Allows itself to anything.
Third Ser<v. Go thou : I'll fetch some flax and
whites of eggs117
To apply to his bleeding face. Now, Heaven help
him ! [Exeunt severally.
has been quenched, is precisely one of Shakespeare's striking
points ; and very finely, too, do these remorseful words of the
earl's, in reference to his elder son, harmonise with Lear's when
reverting to his mistaken usage of Cordelia. See Note 153,
Act i. The perfect harmony throughout, indeed, between the
two blended stories of disunion between parent and child in this
grand tragedy, yet without presenting the slightest effect of
repetition or re-duplication, is among the marvels of Shake-
spearian dramatic art.
115. Give me your arm. The remainder of this scene, after
these words, is omitted in the Folio, although found in the
Quartos.
116. Meet the old course 0/ death. Here used to express ' die
a natural death ;* or, as the common phrase goes, 'die in her
bed.' "Old" seems to be employed in the sense of 'usual,'
' ordinary.'
117. Flax and "whites of eggs. Popularly used in Shake-
speare's time as an application for staunching blood and as-
suaging the pain of wounds ; a medical authority of our own
time pronouncing it to be " good domestic surgery."
ACT IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— The Heath.
Enter Edgar.
Edg. Yet better thus, and known to be con-
temn'd,1
Than still contemn'd and rlatter'd. To be worst,
The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,
Stands still in esperance,2 lives not in fear :
The lamentable change is from the best ;
The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,
Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace !
The wretch, that thou hast blown unto the worst,
Owes nothing to thy blasts. — But who comes here ?
Enter Gloster, led by an Old Man.
My father, poorly led ? — World, world, oh, world !
But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,
Life would not yield to age.3
Old Man. Oh, my good lord, I have been your
tenant,4 and your father's tenant, these fourscore
years.
Glo. Away, get thee away ; good friend, be gone :
Thy comforts can do me no good at all ;
Thee they may hurt.
Old Man. Alack, sir, you cannot see your way.
Glo. I have no way, and therefore want no
eyes ;
I stumbled when I saw : full oft 'tis seen,
Our means secure us,6 and our mere defects
Prove our commodities. — Ah ! dear son Edgar,
The food of thy abused father's wrath !
Might I but live to see thee in my touch,6
I'd say I had eyes again !
Old Man. How now ! Who 's there ?
Edg. [Aside.'] Oh, gods ! Who is't can say, " I
am at the worst" ?
I am worse than e'er I was.
Old Man. 'Tis poor mad Tom.
Edg. [Aside.] And worse I may be yet : the
worst is not
So long as we can say, " This is the worst."
Old Man. Fellow, where goest ?
Glo. Is it a neggar-man ?
Old Man. Madman and beggar too.
Glo. He has some reason, else he could not
beg.
I' the last night's storm I such a fellow saw ;
Which made me think a man a worm : my son
Came then into my mind ; and yet my mind
Was then scarce friends with him : I have heard
more since.
As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods, —
They kill us for their sport.
Edg. [Aside] How should this be?—
Bad is the trade that must play fool to sorrow,
Angering itself and others. — [To Glo.] Bless
thee, master !
Glo. Is that the naked fellow ?
Old Man. Ay, my lord.
Glo. Then, pr'ythee, get thee gone : if, for my
sake,
Thou wilt o'ertake us, hence a mile or twain,
V the way toward Dover, do it for ancient love ;
And bring some covering? for this naked soul,
Which I'll entreat to lead me.
Old Man. Alack, sir, he is mad.
Glo. 'Tis the limes' 'dague, when madmen lead
the blind.
Do as I bi I thee, or rather do thy pleasure ;
Above the ivst, be gone.
Old Man. "ll bring him the best 'parel that I
have,
Come on 't what will. [Exit.
Glo. Sirrah, naked fellow, —
i. Yet better thus, and kntnvn, &e. ' It is better to be thus,
knowing myself to be contemned, than to be flattered and
covertly contemned.1
2. Esperance. A French word adopted into our language by
Shakespeare and other writers of his time; 'hope.' See Note
22, Act v., "Troilus and Cressida."
3. Life would not yield to age. Warburton, pronouncing
this to be an " obscure passage," has interpreted it one way ;
and Malone another. We take it to mean, ' Oh, world ! if it
were not that thy strange vicissitudes make us hate thee, we
should never be willing to surrender life even in old age.'
There are other condensedly constructed and concisely ex-
pressed phrases pointed out by us in Shakespeare, where the
word 'even' is elliptically understood, that corroborate our
interpretation here. See Notes 74, Act iii., and 55, Act iv.,
' Mai heth."
4. / have been your tenant. We imagine the old man who
here speaks to be the occupant of the farm-house in which
Gloster placed Lear for shelter (see Note 70, Act iii.) ; and that
508
the servants, who propose to "get the Bedlam to lead the old
earl," when Gloster -> ej.es are put out, not finding the supposed
beggar, have left the blind nobleman in charge of his faithful
tenant.
5. Our means secure us. * Our means render us over-con-
fident or rashly trusting.' That " secure " is thus used by
Shakespeare, witness the several passages to which a clue is
furnished in Note 128, Act i., " Hamlet." The context, " 1
stumbled when I saw," shows that this is the meaning of the
sentence, which is here given according to the original text.
6. Might I hut live to see thee in my touch. The poetically
expressed aspiration of a blind man. In scene vi. of this Act
Gloster uses a kindred phrase, " I see it feelingly."
7. Some covering. This request of Gloster's, followed by the
old man's compliance with it, serves the dramatic purpose of
accounting for Edgar's subsequent appearance in better clothing
than his Bedlam beggar's blanket : and also serves the moral
purpose of showing Gloster's thought for the unfortunate,
elicited by his own misfortunes.
Act I V.J
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
G foster. Sirrah, naked fellow, —
Edgar. Poor Tom 's a-coM. — [AstdeJ] I cannot daub it farther.
Act IV. Scene I.
Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold. — [rfside.] I cannot
daub it farther.3
GIo. Come hither, fellow.
Edg. [Aside.'] And yet I must. — Bless thy sweet
eyes, they bleed.
GIo. Know'st thou the way to Dover ?
Eilg. Both stile and gate, horse-way and foot-
path. Poor Tom hath been scared out of his good
8. / cannot daub it farther. ' I cannot any longer keep up
this miserable show of imitation, this wretched mimicry.' By
the one aptly-chosen monosyllable " daub," how succinctly yet
thoroughly docs Shakespeare express this ! Admirably well,
too, for the purposes of dramatic art, does he put these words
into Edgar's mouth at this juncture i they denote the son's
grief at his father's calamity, incapacitating him from any longer
• sustaining his assumed character ; and they bring the Bedlam
beggar's jargon to a close at a period of the play when no longer
needed and better dispensed with.
9. From tke foul fiend. The Folio omits the remainder of
this speech.
wits:— bless thee, good man's son, from the foul
fiend !9 — five fiends have been in poor Tom at
once; of wantonness, as Obidicut ; Hobbididance,
prince of dumbness; Mahu, of stealing ; Modo, of
murder; Flibbertigibbet, of mopping and mowing,
— who since possesses chambermaids and waiting-
women.10 So, bless thee, master!
GIo. Here, take this purse, thou whom the
heavens' plagues
10. C/tamber maids and waiting-women. The five fiends
mentioned here have these names assigned to them in a de-
scription given of the devils who were supposed to possess the
female servants, in Harsnet's book ; which has been Jo often
referred to as furnishing Shakespeare with matter lor Poor
Tom's gibberish. In one passage, Harsnet has — " If she haire
a little helpe of the mother, epilepsie, or cramp, to teach her
role her eyes, wrie her mouth, gnash her teeth, startc with her
body, hold her armes and handes stiffe, make antike faces,
grinne, maw and mop like an ape, then no doubt the younge
girle is owle-blasted and possessed '."
509
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
Have humbled to all strokes : that I am wretched
Makes thee the happier : — heavens, deal so still !
Let the superfluous11 and sin-dieted man,
That slaves" your ordinance, that will not see
Because he doth not feel, feel your power quickly ;
So distribution should undo excess,
And each man have enough. — Dost thou know
Dover?
Edg. Ay, master.
Glo. There is a cliff, whose high and bending
head
Looks fearfully in the confine! deep :13
Bring me but to the very brim of it,
And I'll repair the misery thou dost bear
With something rich about me : from that place
I shall no leading need.
Edg. Give me thy arm :
Poor Tom shall lead thee. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Before the Duke of Albany's
Palace.
Enter Goneril and Edmund; Oswald meeting
them.
Gon. Welcome, my lord : I marvel our mild
husband "
Not met uson the way. —Now, where's your master ?
Osrui. Madam, within ; but never man so
chang'd.15
I told him of the army that was landed ;
He smil'd at it : I told him you were coming;
Ilis answer was, "The worse:" of Gloster's
treachery,
11. Superfluous, Here used to express 'endowed with super-
fluity,' ' possessed of superabundance.'
12. Slaves. ' Treats as a slave,' ' makes a slave of.' " That
slaves your ordinance " implies ' that uses your divine ordina-
tions as if they were slaves to him, instead of acting in obedience
to them.1
13. Looks fearfully in the confined deep. Here " in" is used
for ' into,' as in the common phrase, ' looks in the glass ; ' the
cliff being poetically represented to behold its reflection in the
sea, as in a mirror.
14. Our mild husband. Shakespeare has the faculty to make
a gracious epithet become a sneer in the mouth of a sarcastic
speaker. The "fierce" Goneril may well scoff at the "mild
husband " who deprecated her treatment of her old father, in
Act i., sc. 4.
15. Never man so clung d. That is, from the approval and
affectionate admiration of his haughty wife, which he formerly
entertained, as indicated in Act i., sc. 4, where he says, " I
cannot be so partial, Goneril, to the great love I bear you ; " and
.ilsi from blind partisanship, and belief in the steward's repre-
sent,uiuns of what is going forward. We may see that until
lately Albany has beep, an easy-going, facile-tempered man,
prone to take for granted as right and fair much that he now
perceives to be harsh and unjust. More of Shakespeare's subtle
teaching on the subject of moral awakening by reason of
troublous events !
16. Our wishes on the way may prove effects. 'The wishes
And of the loyal service of his son,
When I inform'd him, then he call'd me sot,
And told me I had turn'd the wrong side out : —
What most he should dislike seems pleasant to him ;
What like, offensive.
Gon. [To Edm.] Then shall you go no farther.
It is the cowish terror of his spirit,
That dares not undertake : he'll not feel wrongs,
Which tie him to an answer. Our wishes on the way
May prove effects.16 Back, Edmund, to my brother;
Hasten his musters and conduct his powers :
I must change arms at home, and give the distaff
Into my husband's hands. This trusty servant
Shall pass between us: ere long you are like to hear,
If you dare venture in your own behalf,
A mistress's command. Wear this; spare speech ;
[Giving a favour.
Decline your head : 17 this kiss, if it durst speak,
Would stretch thy spirits up into the air : —
Conceive, and fare thee well.
Edm. Yours in the ranks of death.
Gon. My most dear Gloster !
[Exit Edmund.
Oli, the difference of man and man !
To thee a woman's services are due :
My fool18 usurps my body.
Osiv. Madam, here comes my lord.
[Ezit.
Enter Albany.
Gon. I have been worth the whistle.19
Alb. O Goneril !
You are not worth the dust which the rude wind
Blows in your face.20 I fear your disposition :
That nature, which contemns its origin,
Cannot be border'd certain in itself;-1
that we expressed to each other on our way hither may per-
chance be fulfilled.' These " wishes " refer to the death of
Albany, and to Goneril's becoming Edmund's wife ; as shown
in her letter, read by Edgar (scene vi. of this Act).
17. Decline your head. She bids Edmund bend towards her,
that she may give him " this kiss;" so as lo make it appear in
the e>es of the steward, who is present, a whisper passing
between them.
18. My fool Just the epithet for Queen Goneril to apply to
her " mild husband," whom she dupes and betrays. It is in
the nature of arrogant women to consider those who are too
generous to resent their insolence, and too forbearing to chastise
their misdeeds, as weak creatures, meek fools ; moreover, to
consider the marital rights of these meek fools as usurpations.
19. / luive been worth the whistle. Reproaching Albany for
not having sooner come to seek her : she has at the beginning
of the scene expressed her wonder that he did not come to meet
her " on the way." There is a proverbial saying, " It is a poor
dog that is not worth the whistling."
20. Blows in your face. The remainder of this speech, and
the whole of those two which follow, are omitted in the Folio.
21. Cannot be border'd certain in itself. 'Cannot comprise
reliable component substance in itself.' This has been explained
to mean 'cannot be restrained within any certain bounds ;' but,
examining the words themselves, together with their following
context, we think they rather bear the interpretation we have
given.
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene II.
She that herself will sliver-- and disbranch
From her material sap,-3 perforce must wither,
Ami come to deadly use.24
Gon. No more ; the text is foolish.
Alb. Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem
vile:
Filths savour but themselves. What have you done?
Tigers, not daughters, what have you perform'd ?
A father, and a gracious aged man,
Whose reverence the head-lugg'd bear would lick,
Most barbarous, most degenerate ! have you
madded.
Could my good brother suffer you to do it ?
A man, a prince, by him so benefited !
If that the heavens do not their visible spirits
. Send quickly down to tame these vile offences,
It will come,
Humanity must perforce prey on itself,
Like monsters of the deep.
Gon. Milk-liver'd man !
That bear'st a cheek for blows, a head for wrongs ;
Who hast not in thy brows an eye discerning
Thine honour from thy suffering;25 that not know'st
Fools do those villains pity who are punish'd
Ere they have done their mischief. Where's thy
drum ?
France spreads his banners in our noiseless land ;
With plumed helm thy slayer begins threats;
Whilst thou, a moral fool, sitt'st still, and criest,
" Alack, why does he so ?"
Alb. See thyself, devil !
Proper deformity seems not in the fiend
So horrid as in woman.26
Gon. Oh, vain fool !
Alb. Thou changed and self-cover'd thing,2' for
shame,
Be-monster not thy feature.23 Were 't my fitness
To let these hands obey my blood,29
They are apt enough to dislocate and tear
Thy nesh and bones:30 — howe'er thou art a fiend,
A woman's shape doth shield thee.31
Gon. Marry, )our manhood now !
Enter a Messenger.
Alb. What news?
Mess. Oh, my good lord, the Duke of Corn-
wall 's dead ;
Slain by his servant, going to put out
The other eye of Gloster.
Alb. Gloster's eyes !
Mess. A servant that he bred, thrill'd with
remorse,
Oppos'd against the act, bending his sword
To his great master ; who, thereat enrag'd,
Flew on him, and amongst them32 fell'd him dead;
But not without that harmful stroke, which since
Hath pluck'd him after.
Alb. This shows you are above,
You justicers, that these our nether crimes
So speedily can venge !_ But, oh, poor Gloster!
Lost he his other
eye ?
22. Sliver. 'Slice off,' 'dismember.' See Note 99, Act iv.,
" Hamlet."
23. Her material sap. Literally, ' the sap of the parent tree
or trunk : ' figuratively, ' her own parental blood,' ' the blood of
her old father;' elliptically, 'the parent stock which supplies
her vital sap.' " Material " has here especial force of apt mean-
ing ; materia, in Latin, besides signifying ' material,' ' matter,'
'substance,' signifying also 'timber,' 'wood,' 'the trunk of a
tree.*
24. Come to deadly use. In allusion to the use made of
withered branches and mystic boughs 'by sorcerers and en-
chanters ; as the " slips of yew slizier'd in the moon's eclipse,"
mentioned among the ingredients for the witches' cauldron, in
"Macbeth," Act iv., sc. 1. Albany may well "fear" the
"disposition" of one who, by her unnatural revolt from her
father, proves herself capable of committing any other " deadly "
wrong.
2s. From thy sneering. The remainder of this speech is
omitted in the Folio.
26. Proper deformity seems not, cW. ' Moral obliquity seems
not so horrible in the fiend, to whom it is appropriate, as in
woman, who should be by nature righteous.'
27. T/iou changed and self-cover'd thing. ' Thou perverted
creature, who hast covered thyself with the hideousness only
proper to a fiend.' This speech and the two next are not given
in the Folio.
Mess. Both, both, my lord. —
This letter, madam, craves a speedy answer;
'Tis from your sister.
Gon. [Aside."] One way I like this well;33
But being widow, and my Gloster with her,
May all the building in my fancy pluck
Upon my hateful life : another way,
The news is not so tart. — [To Mess.] I'll read,
and answer. [Exit.
Alb. Where was his son when they did take his
eyes?
28. Feature. Here used to express ' general aspect or per-
sonal appearance.' See Note 77, Act iii., "As You Like It."
29. Blood. 'Natural impulse,' 'prompting of passion.' See
Note 30, Act iv., " Hamlet."
30. To dislocate and tear thy flesh and hones. 'To dislocate
thy bones and tear thy flesh ' For instances of similarly inter-
volved construction, see Note 25, Act i., " Coriolanus ; " and
Note 38, Act i., " Macbeth."
31. Howe'er thou art a fiend, a woman s sltape doth shield
thee. 'However much thou hast covered thyself with a fiend's
ugliness, thy woman's form doth protect thee.'
32. Amongst them. There is no expressed antecedent to
"them" here: but the expression "amongst them" serves to
depict the scuffle of the scene, and is equivalent to 'between
them both,' signifying ' between the duke and his wife ; ' Regan
having snatched a sword from one of the other servants, and
helped her husband to dispatch the one who turned upon him.
33. One way I like this well. Goneril is satisfied with the
death of Cornwall, inasmuch as it facilitates her scheme of
gaining possession of the entire kingdom, of murdering Albany,
and marrying Edmund ; but dissatisfied with it, inasmuch as it
leaves her sister a widow and free to wed Edmund. It is
worthy of notice that during this dialogue Albany calls the
fatlter by his title of " Gloster," while Goneril calls the son
"my Gloster." The old earl is wholly in the thoughts of the
husband, while the new-made earl possesses those of the wife.
5™
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Mess. Come with my lady hither.
Alb. He is not here.
Mess. No, my good lord ; I met him back again.
Alb. Knows he the wickedness ?
Mess. Ay, my good lord ; 'twas he inform'd
against him ;
And quit the house, on purpose that their punish-
ment
Might have the freer course.
Alb. Gloster, I live
To thank thee for the love thou show'dst the king,
And to revenge thine eyes. — Come hither, friend :
Tell me what more thou knowest. [Exeunt.
SCENE III.34— The French Camp near Dover.
Enter Kent and a Gentleman.35
Kent. Why the King of France is so suddenly
gone back know you the reason?
Gent. Something he left imperfect in the state,
which since his coming forth is thought of; which
imports to the kingdom so much fear and danger,
that his personal return was most required and
necessary.
Kent. Whom hath he left behind him general p
Gent. The Mareschal of France, Monsieur La
Far.
Kent. Did your letters pierce the queen to any
demonstration of grief?
Gent. Ay, sir ; she took them, read them in my
presence ;
And now and then an ample tear trill'd down
Her delicate cheek : it seein'd she was a queen
Over her passion ; who, most rebel-like,
Sought to be king o'er her.
Kent. Oh, then it mov'd her.
34. Scene III. This brief but beautiful scene, aiding to the
development of the dramatic story by accounting for the absence
of the King of France from his army, and exquisitely describing
Cordelia's loving sympathy for her father, is wanting in the
Folio. It certainly never was omitted from the tragedy by the
author's desire, however it may have been an excision permitted
by him, as manager, for stage purposes of curtailment. See
Note 1 of the present play.
35. A Gentleman. The one who was sent in the first scene
of Act iii., by Kent to Cordelia, with intelligence of her father's
ill-usage.
36. Strove. Pope's correction of the typographical error,
'stremc,' in the Quartos.
37. A better way. This is the reading of all the old copies,
though it has been variously altered by various emendators,
one of them (Matone) going so far as to pronounce the original
phrase " perfectly unintelligible." Now, to our minds, it is not
only intelligible, but Shakespearian ; that is to say, thoroughly
explicit of the idea intended to be conveyed. It means that her
mingled " smiles and tears " expressed her feelings in "a better
way" than cither "patience or sorrow" could do separately;
each of which " strove who should express her goodliest." The
words, " her smiles and tears were like a better way," moreover
include comparison with the opening phrase of the speech, " Not
Gent. Not to a rage : patience and sorrow
strove36
Who should express her goodliest. You have seen
Sunshine and rain at once : her smiles and tears
Were like a better way :3? those happy smilets,33
That play'd on her ripe lip, seem'd not to know
What guests were in her eyes; which parted thence,
As pearls from diamonds dropp'd. — I n btief, sorrow
Would be a rarity most belov'd, if all
Could so become it.
Kent. Made she no verbal question ?
Gent. Faith, once or twice she heav'd the name
of " father"
Pantingly forth, as if it press'd her heart ;
Cried, "Sisters! sisters! — Shame of ladies! sisters!
Kent! father! sisters! What, i' the storm ? i' the
night?
Let pity not be believ'd !"39 — There she shook
The holy water from her heavenly eyes,
And clamour moisten'd:40 then away she started
To deal with grief alone.
Kent. It is the stars,
The stars above us, govern our conditions ;41
Else one self mate and mate42 could not beget
Such different issues. You spoke not with her since ?
Gent. No.
Kent. Was this before the king return'd ?43
Gent. No, since.
Kent. Well, sir, the poor distress'd Lear's in
the town ;
Who sometime, in his better tune, remembers
What we are come about, and by no means
Will yield to see his daughter.
Gent. Why, good sir P
Kent. A sovereign shame so elbows him : his
own unkindness,
That stripp'd her from his benediction, turn'd her
To foreign casualties, gave her dear rights
to a rage ; " showing that her emotion vented itself in nothing
like rage, but ("a Letter way") in gentle " smiles and tears,"
compounded of both "patience and sorrow." It appears to us
that, as usual, Shakespeare's own words are not only superior
to any attempted substitution for them, but are far more closely
apt and largely comprehensive than any for which they are
exchanged.
38. Smilets. A graceful diminutive of ' smiles ; * serving well
to denote the but slight smiles that "patience" could struggle
to muster " on her ripe lip."
39. Let pity not be beliezCd. ' In ' or ' to exist ' is here ellipti-
cally understood after "believ'd." See Note 62, Act iv. , "Timon
of Athens."
40. And clamour moisten'd. The old copies erroneously in-
sert ' her ' after " moisten'd ; " the passage meaning, ' and shed
tears amid her passionate ejaculations.'
41. Conditions. ' Dispositions.' ' tempers;' 'individual quali-
ties.' See Note 56, Act iv., "Richard III.;" and Note si,
Acti., "Twelfth Night."
42. One self mate and mate. 'The same husband and wife,'
'the self-same married pair.' Shakespeare generally uses "self"
in the sense of ' self-same.' See Note 12, Act i.
43. Be/ore the king returtCd. By " the king," Kent here
means the King of France.
Gloster. When shall I come to the top of that same hill ?
Edgar. You do climb up it now : look, how we labour.
Gloster. Methinks the ground is even.
Act IV. Scene VI
m
V
m
23'
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scenes IV., V.
To his dog-hearted daughters,— these things sting
His mind so venomously, that burning shame
Detains him from Cordelia.
Gent. Alack, poor gentleman !
Kent. Of Albany's and Cornwall's powers you
heard not ?
Gent. 'Tis so,41 they are a-foot.
Kent. Well, sir, I'll bring you to our master
Lear,
And leave you to attend him : some dear cause45
Will in concealment wrap me up awhile ;
When I am known aright, you shall not grieve
Lending me this acquaintance. I pray you, go
Along with me. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— A Tent in the French Camp.
Enter Cordelia, Physician, and Soldiers.
Cor. Alack, 'tis he : why, he was met even now
As mad as the vex'd sea ; singing aloud ;
Crown'd with rank fumiter40 and furrow-weeds,
With harlocks,47 hemlock, nettles, cuckoo-flowers,
Darnel,48 and all the idle weeds that grow
In our sustaining corn. — A century43 send forth;
Search every acre in the high-grown field,
And bring him to our eye. [Exit an Officer.] —
What can man's wisdom
In the restoring50 his bereave 1 sense ?
He that helps him take all my outward worth.
Phy. There is means,51 madam :
Our foster-nurse of nature is repose,
The which he lacks; that to provoke in him,
Are many simples operative, whose power
Will close the eye of anguish.
Cor. All bless'd secrets,
All you unpublish'd virtues of the earth,
Spring with my tears ! be aidant and remediate
44 'Tis so. Implying ' it is as was rumoured,' ' it is just as
we expected.' "So" is here used with elliptical effect. See
Note 37, Act i.
45. Some dear cause. 'Some important motive,' 'some pro-
ceeding of great moment,' 'some occasion of particular conse-
quence.' "Dear" and "cause" are both here used with the
peculiar latitude of significance which we have frequently pointed
out in Shakespeare's employment of them. See Note 23, Act v.,
" Romeo and Juliet ; " and Note 10, Act v., " Macbeth,"
46. Fumiter. An abbreviated form of 'fumitory.' TheQuaitos
print the word ' femiter ; ' the Folio, ' Fenitar.'
47. Ilarlocks. The Folio prints ' Hardokes ; ' the Quartos
• hor-docks.' Drayton, in one of his Eclogues, has —
" The honey-suckle, the harloeke,
'The lily, and the lady-smocke ;"
and it is supposed that " harlocke" is a corruption of 'charlock,'
which is a weed that grows much in corn-fields, bears a yellow
blossom, and is the wild mustard. Hanmer and others give
'bur-docks,' while Steevens proposes 'hoar-docks;' but our
reason for thinking that neither of these could be intended by
Shakespeare in this passage is, that they bear leaves too large
to mingle in Lear's crown (one would cover his head;, and that
1 n the good man's distress !- Seek, seek for him ;
Lest his ungovern'd rage dissolve the life
That wants the means to lead it.52
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. News, madam ;
The British powers are marching hitherward.
Cor. 'Tis known before ; our preparation stands
In expectation of them. — Oh, dear father,
It is thy business that I go about ;
Therefore great France
My mourning and important53 tears hath pitied.
No blown54 ambition doth our arms incite,
But love, dear love, and our ag'd father's right :
Soon may I hear and see him ! [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— A Room in Gloster's Castle.
Enter Regan and Oswald.
Reg. But are my brother's powers set forth ?
Oszu. Ay, madam.
Reg. Himself in person there ?
0>~w. Madam, with much ado:
Your sister is the better soldier.
Reg. Lord Edmund spake not with your lord
at home ?
Osiv. No, madam.
Reg. What might import my sister's letter to
him ?
Osiv. I know not, lady.
Reg. Faith, he is posted hence on serious matter.
It was great ignorance, Gloster's eyes being out,
To let him live : where he arrives he moves
All hearts against us ; Edmund, I think, is gone,
In pity of his misery, to despatch
1 lis nighted life ; moreover, to descry
The strength o' the enemy.
they do not grow among corn, whereas " harlocks " (or 'char-
locks ') do grow there. Shakespeare, in the passage referred to
in Note 30, Act v., "Henry V.," specially places "docks"
among meadow weeds, while he puts "darnel," "hemlock,"
and "fumitory" among corn-yield weeds.
48 Cwkoo-Jlouitrs, darnel. "Cuckoo-flowers,"called "cuckoo-
buds" by Shakespeare elsewhere (see Note 173, Act v., " Love's
Labour's Lost "J, is very likely a name for ' cowslips ; ' for a
description of "darnel," see Note 29, Act iii., "First Part
Henry VI."
49. A century. A company of a hundred men. See Note 82,
Act i., " Coriolanus."
50. IV/uit can mans wisdom in tlie restoring. " Can " is
here elliptically used for 'can do.' See Note 77, Act iv.,
" Hamlet."
51. There is means. Here "means" is used as a noun
singular. See Note 73, Act iv., " Macbeth."
52. Tltat wants the means to lead it. 'That is without the
governing power of reason to guide it.'
53. Important. Here used in the sense of 'importunate.'
See Note 84. Act iii., " All's Well."
54. Blown. 'Swollen,' 'tumid,' 'inflated.' See Note 62,
Act v., " Coriolanus."
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Os-ic. I must needs alter him, madam, with my
letter.
Reg. Our troops set forth to-morrow : stay
with us ;
The ways are dangerous.
Usiv. I may not, madam :
My !ady charg'd my duty in this business.
Reg. Why should she write to Edmund? Might
not you
Transport her purposes by word ? Belike,
Something — 1 know not what: — I'll love thee much ;
Let me unseal the letter.
Oi<w, Madam, I had rather —
Reg. I know your lady does not love her hus-
band ;
I am sure ot that : and at her late being here
She gave strange eyeliads55 and most speaking looks
To noble Edmund. I know you are of her bosom.
Ojto. I, madam?
Reg. I speak in understanding ; you are, I
know it:
Therefore I do advise you, take this note :s5
My lord is dead ; Edmund and I have talk'd ;
And more convenient is he for my hand
Than lor your lady's:— you may gather57 more.
If you do find him, pray you, give him this ;5S
And when your mistress hears thus much from you,
I pray, desire her call her wisdom to her.
So, fare you well.
If you do chance to hear of that blind traitor,
Preferment falls on him that cuts him off.
Ostv. Would I could meet him, madam ! I
would shew
What party I do follow.
Reg. Fare thee well. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — The Country near Dover.
Enter Gloster, and Edgar dressed like a peasant.
Glo. When shall I come to the top of that same
hill ?
55. E^etiads. 'Favouring glances,' 'encouraging looks:'
significant expressions of the eye. French, tcillades. See
Note 46, Act i., " Merry Wives,"
56. Take this note. ' Take note of this,' ' observe this.*
57. You may gat/wr. ' You may infer mure than I have
directly told you.'
58. Give him this. Regan is probably intended here to
confide some ring or token lu the steward's care fur conveyance
to Edmund.
59. Methinks thy voice is altered ; and tjwu speak' st in better
phrase, &c. This serves to mark Edgar's having dropped the
Bedlam beggar's diction (see Note 8 of this Act), and his
having assumed one which he may pass off afterwards as
that of "some fiend" supposed to have possessed Poor Tom,
and to have taken his own shape while aiding Gloster's
desperate thoughts in tempting him to throw himself from off
the cliff. See Note 33, Act iii., and Note 74 of the present
Act,
Edg. You do climb up it now: look, how we
labour.
Glo. Methinks the ground is even.
Edg. Horrible steep.
Hark ! do you hear the sea ?
Glo. No, truly.
Edg. Why, then, your other senses grow im-
perfect
By your eyes' anguish.
Glo. So may it be, indeed :
Methinks thy voice is alter'd ; and thou speak'st
In better phrase and matter than thou didst,6''
Edg. You 're much deceiv'd : in nothing am I
chang'd
But in my garments.
Glo. Methinks you're better spoken.
Edg. Come on, sir; here's the place: — stand
still. — How fearful
And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low !
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles : half way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire,60 — dreadful
trade !
Methinks he seems no bigger than his head :
The fishermen, that walk upon the beach,
Appear like mice ; and yon tall anchoring barque,
Diininish'd to her cock ;61 her cock, a buoy
Almost too small for sight : the murmuring surge,
That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes,
Cannot be heard so high.— I'll look no more ;
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong.63
Glo. Set me where you stand.
Edg. Give me your hand : — you are now n ithi.i
a foot
Of th' extreme verge : for all beneath the moon
Would I not leap upright.
Glo. Let go my hand.
Here, friend, is another purse; in it a jewel
Well worth a poor man's taking : fairies and gods
Prosper it with thee! Go thou farther off;
Bid me farewell, and let me hear thee going.
Edg. Now fare you well, good sir.
60. Samphire. In Smith's "History of Waterford " ,1774)
we find — " Samphire grows in great plenty on most of the sea-
clifts in this country : it is terrible to see how people gather it,
hanging by a rope several fathom from the top of the impending
rocks, as it were, in the air." And Vernier's "/ w Recta." &c.
{1622) — " Samphire is in like manner preserved in pickle, and
eaten with meates." That Dover cliffs were specially celebrated
for yielding this plant, witness the following lines in Drayton's
" Polyolbion :" —
" Some, his ill-season'd mouth that wisely understood,
Rob Dover's neighbouring cleeves of samphy re, to excite
His dull and sickly taste, and stir up appetite."
61. Cock. Abbreviated form of ' cock-boat.'
62. The deficient sight topp.'e down Iteadlong. One of those
fine poetical condensations which the mere prosaic stickler for
literal accuracy would object to — that the " sight " does not
topple down, but the looker.
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Glo. With all my heart.
Edg. [Aside.'] Why I do trifle thus with his
despair
Is done to cure it.
Glo. Oh, you mighty gods !
This world I do renounce, and, in your sights,
Shake patiently my great affliction off:
If I could bear it longer, and not fall
To quarrel with your great opposeless63 wills,
My snuff and loathed part of nature should
Burn itself out. If Edgar live, oh, bless him !—
Now, fellow, fare thee well.
Edg. Gone, sir:61 — farewell. —
[Gloster leaps, and falls along.
[Aside.'] And yet I know not how conceit may
rob
The treasury of life, when life itself
Yields to the theft:65 had he been where he
thought,
By this, had thought been past. — Alive or dead ?
[To Glo.] Ho, you sir! friend! — Hear you, sir?
— speak ! —
[Aside.] Thus might he pass66 indeed : — yet he
revives. —
[To Glo.] What are you, sir ?
Glo. Away, and let me die.
Edg. Hadst thou been aught but gossamer,6'
feathers, air,
So many fathom down precipitating,
Thou'dst shiver'd like an egg : but thou dost
breathe ;
Hast heavy substance ; bleed'st not ; speak'st ; art
sound.
T>n masts at each63 make not the altitude
Which thou hast perpendicularly fell :
Thy life 's a miracle. Speak yet again.
63. Opposeless. This word — employed with the usual licence
taken by Shakespeare in his use of words ending in ' less ' (see
Note 8, Act iv., " Hamlet") — conveys the combined effect of
'useless to oppose,' and ' ought not to be opposed.'
64. Gone, sir. "I am" is elliptically understood before
"gone."
65. IV-hcn life itself yields to the theft. 'When life willing-
ingly gives itself up to be taken away,' ' when life suffers itself to
be extinguished.'
66. Pass. 'Pass away;' 'expire,' 'die.' In the same
brief scene referred to in Note no, Act hi., "Second Part
Henry VI.," Salisbury says, "Disturb him not, let him pass
peaceably."
67 Gossamer. One of the lightest and slightest of sub-
stances ; that floats upon the summer air, and is formed of innu-
merable spiders' webs. Some have pronounced it to be the down
nt plants , Miliars, the vapour arising from marshy ground in hot
weather. The word is said to be formed from 'gauze o' the.
summer ;' which is its name in the North.
68. At each. Meaning ' each at end of each,' ' each placed at
the end of each.' The word ' eke ' — anciently spelt ' eche,'
signifying to 'add,' 'lengthen,' or 'piece out' — has the same
origin as this idiom. See passage referred to in Note 13, Act iii.,
11 Merchant of Venice."
69. This chalky bourn. " Bourn " is here used for 'boundary'
(see Note 78, Act iii ); and as the white cliffs of England form
her boundary, the expression, " this chalky bourn," tend., to give
Glo. But have I fall' 11, or no?
Edg. From the dread summit of this chalky
bourn.69
Look up a-height ; — the shrill-gorg'd lark so far
Cannot be seen or heard : do but look up.
Glo. Alack, I have no eyes. —
Is wretchedness depriv'd that benefit,
To end itself by death? 'Twas yet some com-
fort,
When misery could beguile the tyrant's rage,
And frustrate his proud will.
Edg. Give me your arm :
Up : — so.— How is 't ? Feel you your legs ? You
stand.
Glo. Too well, too well.
Edg. This is above all strangeness.
Upon the crown o' the cliff, what thing was that
Which parted from you ?
Glo. A poor unfortunate beggar.
Edg. As I stood here below, methought his
eyes
Were two full moons ; he had a thousand noses,
Horns whelk'd70 and wav'd like the enridged'1
sea :
It was some fiend ; therefore, thou happy father,
Think that the clearest'2 gods, who make them
honours
Of men's impossibilities,73 have preserv'd thee.
Glo. I do remember now : henceforth I'll bear
Affliction till it do cry out itself,
"Enough, enough," and die. That thing you
speak of,'4
I took it for a man ; often 'twould say,
" The fiend, the fiend :" he led me to that place.
Edg. Bear free and patient thoughts. — But who
comes here ?
the effect of extensive space to the object at which Edgar is
affecting to gaze up.
70. Whelk'd. ' Covered with protuberances.' See Note 96,
Act iii!, " Henry V." ' Whelk ' is the name of a small shell-
fish : its surface being covered with undulating corrugations and
protuberant convolutions.
71. Enridged. This is the Quarto word: while the Folio
gives 'enrag'd.' The reading we adopt is probably the one
intended by the author, describing the effect of the sea's surface
when broken into small ridge-like waves, and the surface of the
whelked horns.
72. Clearest. ' Most pure,' ' most immaculate.' See Note 22,
Act iv., "Timon of Athens."
73. Men's impossibilities. ' Things that are impossibilities to
men,' ' things that seem to men to be impossible.'
74. That tiling y°" spealc of. Here Gloster's credulous
disposition (see Note 76, Act i. , and Note 7, Act ii.) comes in
characteristically : and makes him accept as plausible the
account of the evil spirit that previously possessed the beggar-
fellow he had seen, and whose guidance he had taken. It also
helps to give a greater air of naturalness to the feint just made
by his son of leading him to the top of a cliff, and to his belief
in having thrown himself therefrom ; while the vividness in the
imagery and description, together with Edgar's vindication of
his motive (that he thus humours his father's "despair" in
order to "cure" it), complete the dramatic art by which we
arc swayed to feel do improbability in the incident and scene.
516
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Gloster. The trick of that voice I -do well remember:
Is *t not the king?
Lear. Ay, every inch a king. Act IV. Scene VI,
Enter Lear, fantastically dressed 'with ivild
flowers.
The safer sense will ne'er accommodate
His master thus.75
Lear, No, they cannot touch me for coining ;
I am the king himself.76
75. The safer sense will ne'er accommodate his master thus.
Here " safer" is used for ' surer,' ' steadier,' * stabler,' 'sounder ;'
and "his" for ' its : ' the meaning of the whole sentence being,
'The underanged sense would never suffer its master to go thus
fantastically dressed up;' 'A man in his sound senses would
never go about thus whimsically decorated.' Shakespeare else-
where uses "safe" and "safer" with the same signification
that he gives it here. See the passages referred to in Note 18,
Act i., " Measure for Measure," and Note 99, Act »., " Corio-
lanus."
76. T/tey cannot touch me for coining ; I am the king hint'
self. In reference to the ancient and fundamental principle of
the English constitution, that the king can do no wrong. See
Note 33, Act iv., " Henry V."
77. There 's your press-money. In allusion to the payment
Edg. Oh, thou side- piercing sight!
Lear. Nature 's above art in that respect. —
There's your press-money.77 That fellow handles
his bow like a crow-keeper :79 draw me a clothier's
yard.79 — Look, look, a mouse! Peace, peace; —
this piece of toasted cheese will do 't. — There 's my
made to soldiers as a token of engagement when retained ready
fur the king's service. See Note 17, Act i., " Hamlet."
78. A crmv-keeper. One who keeps crows off the corn. For
this purpose, sometimes a fellow with bow and arrow, sometimes
a stuffed figure similarly armed, were employed. In Drayton's
" Idea" (the 48th) there is this passage : —
" Or if thou'It not thy archery forbear,
To some base rustic do thyself prefer ;
And when corn's sown, or grown into the ear,
Practice thy quiver and turn crow-hec/er."
79. A clothier's yard. An arrow the length of a clothier's
yard. In Drayton's " Polyolbiou" we find —
" All made of Spanish yew, their bows were wondrous strong ;
They not an arrow drew, but was a cloth-yard long : "
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
gauntlet; I'll prove it on a giant. — Bring up the
brown bills.80— Oh, well flown, bird!81— i' the clout,
1' the clout :82 hewgh ! — Give the word.33
Edg. Sweet marjoram.
Lear. Pass.
Glo. I know that voice.
Lear. Ha! Goneril,— with a white beard! —
They flattered me like a dog \^ and told me I had
white hairs in my beard ere the black ones were
there.85 To say "ay" and "no" to everything I
said ! — " Ay " and " no" too was no good divinity. >G
When the rain came to wet me once, and the
wind to make ine chatter ; when the thunder would
not peace at my bidding; there I found them, there
I smelt them out.87 Go to, they are not men o'
their words: they told me I was everything ; 'tis a
lie, — I am not ague-proof.
Glo. The trick83 of that voice I do well re-
member :
Is't not the king ?
Lear. Ay, every inch a king:
When I do stare, see how the subject quakes.
I pardon that man's life. — What was thy cause ? —
Adultery?—
Thou shalt not die: die for adultery ! No:
For Gloster's bastard son
and in the old ballad of " Chevy-Chace " —
"An arrow, that a cloth yarde was lang,
To th' hard stele holydc he ;
A dynt, that was both sad and soar.
He sat on Sir Hewe the Mongon-byrry."
80. The brown bills. The name of the weapons is here given
to their bearers, by a licence of phraseology in familiar use.
See "lances" used for 'lance-men' or 'lancers/ Note 143,
Act v., "Love's Labour's Lost;" see also Note 27, Act v. of
this play. A description is given of " brown bills" 111 Note 83,
Act iv. , " Second Part Henry VI. ;" and, in Marlowe's " King
Edward II.," the term is used as in the present passage: —
" Lo, with a band of bow-men and of pikes,
Brown bills, and targiteers."
81. Well JJown, bird I The falconer's expression when the
hawk was successful in her flight. Lear rambles from military
preparations to a device for luring mice, to jousting in the tilt-
yard, to arrangements for a battle-field, to falconry, to archery,
to garrison precautions, all in the course of this short speech.
82. /' the clout. See Note 27, Act ni., "Second Part
Henry IV."
83. Give the word. " Word" is here used fur ' watch-word'
or ' pass-word.' See Note 144, Act i., " Hamlet."
84. They flattered me like a dog. This has double significa-
tion, according to two of the senses in which the French verb
flatter is used, and which the English verb "flatter' may be
made to bear as derived therefrom :— ' They fawned upon me
like a spaniel;' and 'They smoothly humoured my whims as
one strokes a dog.'
85. Told me I /tad white hairs in my beard ere the black
ones were there. A figurative mode of saying, ' Told me I had
attained the wisdom of age ere I had reached manhood. '
86. To say "ay" and " no" to everything I said! — "Ay"
and " no" too was no good divinity. Objection has been made
to this passage, and it has been altered by Pye and others to
'To say "ay" and "no" to everything I said "ay" and
" no" to, was no good divinity ; ' but we think that the passage
as it stands is perfectly intelligible. Lear first exclaims indig-
Was kinder to his father than my daughters. —
Behold yond simpering dame,
That minces virtue, 89 and does shake the head
To hear of pleasure's name ; —
Down from the waist they are Centaurs,
Though women all above:
But to the girdle do the gods inherit,
Beneath is all the fiends' ; there *s hell, there 's
darkness,
There is the sulphurous pit, burning, scalding,
stench, consumption ; — fie, fie, fie! pah, pah! Give
me an ounce of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten
my imagination : there 's money for thee.
Glo. Oh, let me ki.ss that hand !
Lear. Let ine wipe it first ; it smells of mortality.
Glo. Oh, ruin'd piece or nature ! This great
world
Shall so wear out to naught. — Do-*t thou know me ?
Lear. I remember thine eyes well enough.
Dost thou squiny at me ? No, do thy worst, blind
Cupid ; I Ml not love. — Read thou this challenge ;
mark but the penning of it.
Glo. Were all the letters suns, I could not see one.
Edg. [Aside,] I would not take this from re-
port ;90— it is
And my heart breaks at it.
nantly, "To say ' ay ' and 'no* to everything I said!" recol-
lecting the facility with which his courtiers veered about in
their answers to suit his varying moods, as [in " Hamlet") Osric
shifts from agreeing that it is " hot " to denying that it is " hot,"
consenting that it is "cold" and then negativing the chilliness
by allowing that it is " sultry" — a kind of virtual assent and
dissent, or " ay " and " no," in apparent affirmation ; and this
is the kind of "ay" and "no" too, which Lear goes 'on to
say is "no good divinity." In proof that "ay and no" was .
used by Shakespeare with some degree of latitude as a phrase
signifying alternate reply, and not merely in strictness "yes
and no," we refer the reader to the passage alluded to in
Note 47, Act iii., "As You Like It ;" where, if the questions
Rosalind asks be examined, it will be perceived that neither
"ay'' nor "no" will do as answers to any of them with the
exception of one — " Did he ask for me ?"
87. When t/te rain .... t/iere I smelt them out. This is
one of the passages 111 which Shakespeare uses the word " there '*
where 'then' might be, and ordinarily is, employed. See Note
72, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet." Very fine is this allusion of
Lear to that night of storm and suffering when first he awoke
to a sense of his own sins of omission (see Note 29, Act iji.l,
and to a perception of the flatteries and sycophancies amid
which lie had previously lived.
88. T/te trick. 'The peculiar quality,' 'the distinguishing
characteristic.' Shakespeare uses this expression in relation to
the countenance (see Note 21, Act i., "All's Well"), conveying
the impression of individual look or aspect ; in relation to the
voice, conveying the impression of individual intonation or
inflection.
89. Tltat minces virtue. 'That is affectedly demure in
v.rtuc.' See Note 38, Act ii., " Henry VIII." Cotgrave
renders the French expression, Faire la sadinette, by "to
mince it, nicefie it, be very squeamish, backward, or coy."
90. / rvould not take this from report. It has been com-
plained that there is "some obscurily here." Surely not; that
which Edgar "would not take from report" ('believe without
witnessing'}, is the extremity of pathos in the circumstance
now taking place before his eyes — the meeting between his
blind father and the distracted king.
518
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Lear, Read.
Glo. What! with the case of eyes?91
Lear. Oh, ho, are you there with me ? No
eyes in your head, nor no money in your purse ?
Your eyes are in a heavy case, your purse in a
light: yet you see how this world goes.
Glo. I see it feelingly.92
Lear. What, art mad ? A man may see how
this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears :
see how yon justice rails upon yon simple thief.
Hark, in thine ear: change places; and, handy-
dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief? —
Thou hast seen a farmer's dog bark at a beggar ?
Glo. Ay, sir.
Lear. And the creature run from the cur f
There thou mightst behold the great image of
authority: a dog's obeyed in office. — ■
Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand !
Why dost thou lash that slut? Strip thine own
back ;
Thou hotly longVst to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp'st her. The usurer hangs
the cozener.
Through tatter' d clothes small vices do appear ;93
Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with
gold,9*
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks ;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw doth pierce it.
None does offend, none, — I say, none; I'll able
'em :9i
Take that of me, my friend, who have the power
91. With tlte case of eyes ? Malone makes the astonishing
remark upon this passage that " case" could not have been the
author's word, since " case of eyes " in Shakespeare's time signi-
fied ' pair of eyes ; ' adding, that this is a sense directly opposed
to that intended to be conveyed. Wonderful in the commentator
not to see that, by using the word " case " here, the poet virtually
calls the eyes lost jewels.
92. / see it feelingly. Intensely pathetic is this play upon
the word in Gloster's reply to the old king's quibbling humour.
Hardly a stronger instance than the present could be cited in
proof of the affecting power with which bitter puns and conceits
may be introduced into the most serious and even tragic scenes
by a true poet. See Note 29, Act v., " Romeo and Juliet."
93. Through tatter'd clothes small vices., &C. " Small " is
the word in all the Quartos, though the Folio gives 'great.'
The sentence appears to us to be one of those where Shakespeare
allows the word ' even ' to be elliptically understood ; the effect
being conveyed of ' In those who wear poor garments even
small vices seem unpardonable, while those who dress richly
may sin with impunity,' See Note 3 of this Act.
94. Plate sin with gold. For "plate sin" the Folio prints
'place sinnes.' Pope made the correction ; which is shown to
be right, not only by the context here, but by the manner in
which Shakespeare uses the word " plated " elsewhere to express
* clad in plate armour,* or 'armed.' See speech referred to in
Note 52, Act »., "Richard II." The present sentence, com-
mencing with "Plate sin with gold," and ending with "to
seal th' accuser's lips," is not given in the Quartos.
95. I'll able 'em. "Able" is here used to express 'empower ;'
we still use ' disable * in the contrary sense.
96. Imperiinency. 'Irrelevant;' ' that which is not pertinent
to the subject.'
97. This' a good block. For similar elliptical contractions of
To seal th' accuser's lips. Get thee glass eyes ;
And, like a scurvy politician, seem
To see the things thou dost not. — Now, now, now,
now :
Pull off my boots: harder, harder: — so.
Edg. [Jside.] Oh, matter and iinpertinency 96
mix'd !
Reason in madness!
Lear. If thou wilt weep my fortunes, take my
eyes.
I know thee well enough ; thy name is Gloster:
Thou must be patient; we came crying hither:
Thou know'st, the first time that we smell the air,
We wawl and cry.— I will preach to thee : mark me.
Glo. Alack, alack the day !
Lear. When we are born, we cry that we are
come
To this great stage of fools. — This' a good block :q' —
It were a delicate stratagem, to shoe
A troop of horse with felt:98 I '11 put it in proof;
And when I have stolen upon these sons-in-law,
Then, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!99
Enter a Gentleman, iu:tb Attendants.
Gent. Oh, here he is: lay hand upon him. — Sir,
Your most dear daughter —
Lear. No rescue? What! a prisoner? lam
even
The natural fool of fortune. 10° — Use me well ;
You shall have ransom. Let me have a surgeon ;
I am cut to the brains.101
"this' " for 'this is,' see Note 16, Act v., " Measure for Measure ;"
and Note 66, Act i., "Taming of the Shrew." " Block" was
anciently used for the form upon which felt hats were moulded
into shape, and also for the hats themselves. See Note 15,
Act 1., "Much Ado;" and Note 69, Act i., " Winter's Tale."
When the king says, "I will preach to thee," he appears to
be intended to turn his hat round and round in his hands, as
was the custom with preachers of Shakespeare's time, until the
sensation of the soft material of which it is made suggests to
Lear the "stratagem, to shoe a troop of horse with felt"
98. Shoe a troop of horse with felt. " Horse " here used for
'horses.' See Note 34, Act iv., "Macbeth." Lord Herbert,
in his " Life of Henry VIII.," mentions that at a tournament in
1513 the horses, to prevent their slipping on a black stone pave-
ment, were shod with felt or flocks ; and in Fenton's " Tragicall
Discourses" (1567) we find — " He attyreth himself for the pur-
pose in a night-gowne girt to hym, with a paire of shoes of file,
leaste the noyse of his feete shoulde discover his goinge."
99. Kill, hill, kill, kill, kill, kill! This was formerly the
word given in the English army, when an onset was made upon
the enemy. It is put into the mouths of the conspirators when
they all set upon Coriolanus, in the closing scene of the play
that bears his name.
100. / am even the natural fool of fortune. See Note 23,
Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet."
101. / am cut to the brains. This — one of the most power-
fully yet briefly expressed utterances of mingled bodily pain and
consciousness of mental infirmity ever penned — is not the only
subtle indication given in this scene that Lear not merely feels
himself to be insane, but also feels acute physical suffering. His
" I am not ague-proof" tells how severely shaken his poor old
frame has been by exposure throughout that tempestuous night ;
his "pull oft my boots: harder, harder" gives evidence of a
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI.
Gent. You shall have anything.
Lear. No seconds ? all myself ?
Why, this would make a man a man of salt,102
To use his eyes for garden water-pots,
Ay, and laying autumn's dust.
Gent. Good sir,—
Lear. I will die bravely, like a smug103 bride-
groom. What !
I will be jovial : come, come ; I am a king,
My masters, know you that ?
Gent. You are a royal one, and we obey you.
Lear. Then there's life in't.104 Nay, an you
get it, you shall get it by running. Sa, sa, sa, sa.
[Exit; Attendants fol/ozv.
Gent. A sight most pitiful in the meanest
wretch,
Past speaking of in a king! — Thou hast one
daughter,
Who redeems nature from the general curse
Which twain have brought her to.
Ec/g. Hail, gentle sir.
Gent. Sir, speed you : what 's your will ?
Edg. Do you hear aught, sir, of a battle toward ?
Gent. Most sure and vulgar : 105 every one hears
that,
Which can distinguish sound.
Edg. But, by your favour,
How near 's the other army ?
Gent. Near and on speedy foot ; the main descry
Stands on the hourly thought.106
Edg. I thank you, sir : that 'sail.
Gent. Though that the queen on special cause
is here,
Her army is mov'd on.
Edg. I thank you, sir. [£.v;/ Gent.
Glo. You ever-gentle gods, take my breath
from me ;
Let not my worser spirit tempt me again
sensation of pressure and impeded circulation in the feet, so
closely connected with injury to the brain ; and his " I am cut
to the brains " conveys the impression of wounded writhing
within the head, that touches us with deepest sympathy. Yet,
at the same time, above all there are the gay irrationality,
the rambling incoherency that mark this stage of mania ; the
tendency to deck the person with flowers and scraps ; the idle
plays on words : the witless, inconsecutive wandering from sub-
ject to subject, from idea to idea. Oh, wondrous Shakespeare !
102. A man of salt. 'A man of salt tears,' or 'a man of
tears.' Aufidius taunts Coriolanus with having given up the
conquest of Rome " for certain drops of salt," meaning ' tears.'
103. Smug. 'Spruce,' 'smart,' ' trim,' 'neat.' See Note 19,
Act iii., " First Tart Henry IV."
104. There 's li/e in't. ' There is still a chance,' 'there is
hope still,' ' the case is not yet lost or desperate.'
105. Vulgar. Here used to express ' commonly or generally
known,' ' publicly reported.' The word is used in its classically-
derived sense from the Latin vntgo, ' publicly,' ' generally.'
106. Tit,- main descry stands on the hourly thought. * The
main body is hourly expected to be descried.'
107. By the art 0/ known and feeling sorrows. The word
"feeling" is here employed to include the double sense of
' personally felt' and of ' keenly piercing,' or ' deeply moving. '
To die before you please !
Edg. Well pray you, father.
Glo. Now, good sir, what are you ?
Edg. A most poor man, made taine to fortune's
blows ;
Who, by the art of known and feeling sorrows,10?
Am pregnant to good pity. Give me your hand,
I'll lead you to some biding.
Glo. Hearty thanks :
The bounty and the benison of Heaven
To boot, and boot!103
Entci Oswald.
Osru. A proclaim'd prize! Most happy !
That eyeless head of thine was first fram'd flesh
To raise my fortunes. — Thou old unhappy traitor,
Briefly thyself remember : 109 — the sword is out
That must destroy thee.
Glo. Now let thy friendly hand
Put strength enough to it.110 [Edgar interposes.
Osiu. Wherefore, bold peasant,
Dar'st thou support a publish'd traitor? Hence ;
Lest that the infection of his fortune take
Like hold on thee. Let go his arm.
Edg. Ch'ill not let go, zir,111 without varther
'casion.
Osiv. Let go, slave, or thou diest !
Edg. Good gentleman, go your gait,11'2 and let
poor volk pass. An ch'ud ha' been zwaggered out
of my life, 'twould not ha' been zo long as 'tis by a
vortnight.113 Nay, come not near the eld man ,
keep out, che vor' ye,114 or Ise try whether your
costard115 or my ballow116 be the harder; ch'ill be
plain with you.
Ostv. Out, dunghill!
Edg. Ch'ill pick your teeth, zir: come; no
matter vor your toins.11?
[Tbeyjigbt, and Edgar knocks him doivn.
See how the expression " feeling sorrows " is used in the speech
adverted to in Note 14, Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
108. Tilt benison of Heaven to boot, and boot ! 'The blessing
of Heaven over and above my thanks.' Sec Note 44, Act v.,
" Richard III." ..
100 Briefly thyself remember. ' Bethink thee quickly of thy
sins, and ask Heaven's forgiveness.'
no. Nolo let thy friendly hand, &*c. Most true is this to
the inconsistency of human nature. Gloster has hardly uttered
the wish that the "gods" would "take" his " breath from" him,
ere he calls upon Edgar to defend him, to save his life the instant
it is threatened.
in. Cliill not let go, air. Edgar here speaks in the strong
provincial dialect of the West of England, more particularly
Somersetshire.
112. Go your gait. 'Go your ways,' 'begone.' The ex-
pression 'gang your gait ' is still in use in North Britain.
113. Zo long as' its by a vortnight. One of those idioms of in-
definite time common to Shakespeare. See Note 35, Act ii.,
"As You Like It ;" and Note 118, Act i. of this play.
114. Che vor ye. ' I warn you.'
115. Costard. ' Head.' Sec Note 96, Act i., " Richard III."
116. Ballow. ' Pole,' ' staff,' or 'cudgel.'
117. Feint. 'Thrusts.' See Note 5s, Act ii., " Merry Wives."
Lear. Do not laugh at me ;
For, as I am a man, I think this lady
To be my child Cordelia,
Cordelia. And to 1 am, I cm.
Art IV. Scene VII.
VOL III.
*1*
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VI i.
Slave, thou hast slain me :— villain, take
Osiv
my purse :
If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body;
And give the letters, which thou find'st about me,
To Edmund earl of Gloster ; seek him out
Upon the English party : — Oh, untimely death !
[Dies.
Edg. I know thee well : a serviceable villain ;
As duteous to the vices of thy mistress
As badness would desire.
Glo. What! is he dead?
Edg. Sit you down, father; rest you. —
Let's see his pockets : these letters that he speaks^pf
May be my friends. — He 's dead ; I am only sorry
He had no other death's-man. — Let us see; —
Leave, gentle wax ; and, manners, blame us not :
To know our enemies' minds, we'd rip their hearts ;
Their papers, is more lawful.
[heads.] Let our reciprocal vows be remembered. You
have many opportunities to cut him off: if your will want not,118
time and place will be fruitfully offered. There is nothing done,
if he return the conqueror : then am I the prisoner, and his
bed"9 my gaol ; from the loathed warmth whereof deliver me,
and supply the place for your labour.
Your (wife, so I would say) affectionate servant,
Goneril.
Ohr-nndistinguish'd space of woman's will !12u
A plot upon her virtuous husband's life ;
And the exchange, my brother! — Here, in the
sands,
Thee I'll rake up,1-1 the post unsanctitied122
Of murderous treachers :123and, in the mature time,
With this ungracious paper strike the sight
Ot the death-practis'd duke : 124 for him 'tis well
I hat of thy death and business I can tell.
CIo. The king is mad : how stiff is my vile
sense,
That I stand up, and have ingenious 125*feeling
Of my huge sorrows ! Better I Here distract :
118. If your will want not. ' If your will be not wanting,'
'if you have the will.'
119. To cut him off . . . . if he return .... his bet.
The pronouns "him," "he." and "his" are here used, instead
of naming the person referred to, with Shakespeare's usual
dramatic and characteristic effect. See Note 73, Act iii.
120. Oh, nndistingnish'd space of woman's will ! Oh, bound-
less extent of woman's lawless inclination ! ' ' Oh, incalculable
range of woman's vicious preference!' The word " undis-
tinguish'd" here seems to include the sense of ' tnidistinguish-
ing ; ' for Edgar exclaims against the wide licence which Goneril
permits herself in preferring another man to her husband, ami
<"l,:'' ll'e want ofdisi rimination that cm induce her to prefer
the vicious Edmund to the virtuous Albany.
' 1 Rake up. 'Cover up.' Johnson states' that, in Stafford-
shire, to rake the lire is to cover it with fuel for the night:
and the lioston editor. Mr. Hudson, adds. "So 'tis in New
I ttgland."
122. Uiisaiictified. Expressing burial in a spot which is not
consecrated ground.
123. Treachers. See Note 77, Act i.
134. The death-practis'd duke. ' The duke whose death is
intended to be effected by treasonous machination.' Sec Note 17,
Act ii.
125. Ingenious. Here used for 'intelligent,' 'acutely per-
So should my thoughts be sever'd from my griefs,
And woes, by wrong imaginations, lose
The knowledge of themselves. [Drum afar off.
Edo. Give me your hand :
Far off, methinks, I hear the beaten drum :
Come, father,126 I'll bestow you with a friend.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— A Tent in the French Camp. Lear
on a ted asleep: soft music playing : Physician,
Gentleman, and others attending.
Enter Cordelia and Kent.
Cor. Oh, thou good Kent, how shall I live and
work,
To match thy goodness ? My life will be too short,
And every measure fail me.
Kent. To be acknowledg'd, madam, is o'erpaid.
All my reports go with the modest truth ;
Nor more nor clipp'd, but so.
Cor. Be better suited :12?
These weeds are memories128 of those worser hours:
I pr'ythee, put them off.
Kent. Pardon, dear madam ;
Yet to be known shortens my made intent:129
My boon I make it, that you know me not
Till time and I think meet.
Cor. Then be 't so, my good lord. — [To the
Phys.] How does the king ?
FTjys. Madam, sleeps still.130
Cor. Oh, you kind gods,
Cure this great breach in his abused nature !
The untun'd and jarring senses, oh, wind up
Of this child-changed father!131
Phys. So please your majesty
That we may wake the king : he hath slept long.
ceptive,' 'keenly appreciative.' Eullokar, in his "Expositor,"
interprets "ingenious" by 'quick-conceited;' that is, 'acute,'
' prompt in apprehension.'
126. Come, father. It will be observed that throughout this
scene Edgar has availed himself of the customary style of
" father," addressed to old men as a token of reverence to age
isee Note 38, Act i., " Timon of Athens".1, in order that he may
indulge himself with using the title really due to Gloster from
his son.
127. Be better suited. ' Wear a belter suit of clothes.' See
Note 48, Act i., "Merchant of Venice."
12S. Memories. 'Memorials.' Sec Note 22, Act ii., "As
You bike It."
129. My made intent. ' My formed intention.1
130. Madam, sleeps stilt. ' He ' is elliptically understood be-
fore " sleeps." The Folio omits the physician from this scene,
giving his speeches to the gentleman : while the Quartos have a
" doctor" as well as a "gentleman," distributing the speeches
between them. The blending of the two characters in the Folio
seems to have arisen from the occasional stage practice of
doubling certain parts ; that is, allowTi^ one actor to represent
two dramatic personages. See Note 93, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
131. Child-changed. 'Changed by his children.' Thus
Shakespeare, in " Richard III.," uses "care-crazed" for 'crazed
by woe,' and " woe-wearied " for ' wearied by woe.'
Act IV.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene VII.
Cor. Be govern'd by your knowledge, and
proceed
I' the sway of your own will. Is he array' d ?
Gent. Ay, madam ; in the heaviness of sleep
We put fresh garments on him.
Pbys. Be by, good madam, when we do awake
him ;
I doubt not of his temperance.
Car. Very well.
Phys. Please you, draw near. — Louder the music
there !
Cor. Oh, my dear father ! Restoration hang
Thy medicine on my lips ; 13- and let this kiss
Repair those violent harms that my two sisters
Have in thy reverence made !
Kent. Kind and dear princess!
Cor. Had you not been their father, these white
flakes
Had challeng'd pity of them. Was this a face
To be expos'd against the warring winds?
To stand against the deep dread-bolted ^ thunder?
In the most terrible and nimble stroke
Of quick, cross lightning? to watch (poor perdu!)134
With this thin helm ?135 Mine enemy's dog,
Though he had bit me, should have stood that night
Against my fire ; and wast thou fain, poor father,
To hovel thee with swine, and rogues forlorn,
In short and musty straw ? Alack, alack !
'Tis wonder that thy life and wits at onc'e
Had not concluded all.131' — He wakes; speak to him.
Phys. Madam, do you ; 'tis fittest.
Cor. How does my royal lord ? How fares
your majesty ?
132. Restoration hang. &fic. In some editions there is a
comma placed after ''restoration;" thereby personifying it,
and making the first " thy " refer to it. Rut by following the
original copies, ' may ' is elliptic.dly understood before " restora-
tion," .old the first " thy " refers to " father ; " which seems to
he the right reading, as thus the grammatical relation between
the second " thy " and " father " is constructionally preserved.
r33- Dread-bolted. An expressive compound word, convey-
ing ' charged with dreadful bolts.' We would here draw atten-
tion to the unusually numerous instances of compound words
that occur in thi» play 'see, among others, Notes 11, Act iii., and
131 of this Act! ; affording another example of particular diction
and modes of thought which may be traced in certain of Shake-
speare's dramas. See Note 71, Act ii. , " Coriolanus."
134. roor perdu ! In allusion to those soldiers composing
the forlorn hope of an army, called in French cnfatis perdits
(literally ' lost children ; ' used to express ' fellows already given
over as lost') ; who, among other desperate service in which
they were engaged, had frequently the night "watch1' to per-
form. In Davcnant's " Love and Honor' (1649' the expression
is used : —
" I have endured
Another night would tire a perdu
More than a wet furrow and a great frost."
And in Ecaumnnt and Fletcher's "Little French Lawyer:"—
" I am set here like a perdu,
To watch a fellow that has wrong'd my mistress."
Lear. You do me wrong to take me out o' the
grave : —
Thou art a soul in bliss ; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears
Do scald like molten lead.
Cor. Sir, do you know me ?
Lear. You are a spirit, 1 know: when did you die?
Cor. Still, still, far wide !
Phvs. He's scarce awake : let him alone awhile.
Lear. Where have I been ? Where am 1 ? —
Fair daylight ? —
I am mightily abus'd.13' — I should even die with pity,
To see another thus.— I know not what to say. —
I will not swear these are my hands : — let 's see ;
I feel this pin prick. Would I were assur'd
Of my condition !
Cor. Oh, look upon me, sir,
Ami hold your hands in benediction o'er me: — •
No, sir, you must not kneel.
Lear. Pray, do not mock me :
I am a very foolish fond old man,
Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less ; 133
And, to deal plainly,
1 fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Methinks I should know you, and know this
man ; 139
Yet I am doubtful : for I am mainly ignorant
What place this is ; and all the skill I have
Remembers not these garments ; nor I know not
Where I did lodge last night. Do not laugh at me ;
For, as 1 am a man, I think this lady
To be my child Cordelia.
Cor. And so I am, I am.11"
135. With this thill helm. 'With this thin helmet.'
ing, ' with no better covering for thy venerable head than
Mcan-
" these
white flakes" of silver hair.' The whole of this passage, from
" To stand against" as far as " with this thin helm," is omitted
in the Folio.
136. /At./ not concluded all. Shakespeare sometimes uses
" all," thus at the close of a phrase, to signify ' entirely,' ' alto-
gether,' 'completely,' 'collectively.' See, "The army is dis-
charged all, and gone," "Second Part Henry IV.," Act iv.,
sc. 3 : and, " dispossess her all," " Timon," Act i., sc. 1.
137. I am mightily abus'd. ' I am strangely confused ;' ' I
am greatly bewildered : ' ' I am much perplexed with illusions.'
Shakespeare elsewhere uses "abused " for ' deluded,' ' deceived
by false appearances.' See the speech referred to in Note 61,
Act v., " Much Ado ; " and also Note 142 of the present Act.
138. Not an hour more nor less. This, following upon a
statement of indefinite time, as if it were a statement of definite
period, is admirably indicative of Lear's feeble mental condition
at this juncture. He docs not perceive that " fourscore and
upward " is vague ; or rather, he is half conscious that it is so,
and thinks to verify and confirm it by the added words, "not
an hour mrfre nor less." They arc not in the Quartos, but are
given in the Folio.
139. This man. Meaning Kent. This momentary recog-
nition by Lear of his faithful servant Cains, is one of those
beautiful touches of sentiment that our dramatist knows so
magically how to throw in.
140. And so I am, I am. Never surely was the passionate
weeping of a reticent woman more perfectly expressed in brief
written words than these and the " No cause, no cavisc " that
follow. They so admirably portray the suppressed weeping
natural to such a character as Cordelia's ; concentrated and
undemonstrative, yet intensely loving and earnest.
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Lear. Be your tears wet ? yes, faith. I pray,
weep not :
If you have poison for me, I will drink it.
I know you do not love me ;m for your sisters
Have, as I do remember, done me wrong :
You have some cause, they have not.
Cor. No cause, no cause.
Lent: Am I in France?
Kent. In your own kingdom, sir.
Lear. Do not abuse me.142
Phvs. Be comforted, good madam : the great
rage,
You see, is cur'd in him : and yet it is danger
To make him even o'er the time he has lost.143
Desire him to go in ; trouble him no more
Till farther settling.
Cor. Will 't please your highness walk ?
Lear. You must hear with me :
Pray you now, forget and forgive : I am old and
foolish.
[Exeunt Lear, Cordelia, Physician,
and Attendants.
Cent. Holds it true,144 sir, that the Duke of
Cornwall was so slain ?
Kent. Most certain, sir.
Gent. Who is conductor of his people ?
Kent. As 'lis said, the bastard son of Gloster.
Gent. They say Edgar, his banished son, is with
the Earl of Kent in Germanv.
Kent. Report is changeable. 'Tis time to look
about; the powers of the kingdom approach apace.
Gent. The arbitrement is like to be bloody.
Fare you well, sir. [Exit.
Kent. My point and period will be throughlv
wrought,
Or well or ill, as this day's battle's fought. [Exit.
ACT V.
SCENE I. — The Camp of the British Forces, near
Dover.
Enter, ivith drum and colours, Edmund, Regan,
Officers, Soldiers, and others.
Edm. Ki ow of the duke if his last purpose hold,
Or whether since he is advis'd by aught
To change the course : he's full of alteration
And self-reproving : — bring his constant pleasure.1
[To an Officer, ixho goes out.
Reg. Our sister's man is certainly miscarried.
Edm. 'Tis to be doubted, madam.
Reg. Now, sweet lord,
You know the goodness I intend upon you:
Tell me, — but truly, — but then speak the truth,
Do you not love my sister ?
Edm. In honour'd love.
Reg. I am doubtful that you have been conjunct
141. I kncnv you do not love me. Said partly in consciousness
that hi; behaviour to her has been such as to warrant no love
from her, partly in remembrance of her former speeches, where
she says, " I love your majesty according to my bond ; nor
more nor less : " and which speeches seemed to him so cold,
" so untender."
142. Do not abuse nte. ' Do not mislead me,' 'do not delude me.'
143. To make turn even o'er the time he has lost. ' To make
him pass in review the interval that has elapsed, and endeavour
to render its events smooth and easy of comprehension to him-
self.' See Note 69, Act i., " All's Well."
144. //olds it trite. This dialogue between the gentleman
and Kent — finishing the Act, and containing one of those brief
comment-scenes upon passing occurrences which we have pointed
out as judiciously introduced by our dramatist (see Note 4,
Act ii., " Henry VIII.")— is omitted in the Folio, though given
in all the Quartos.
And bosom'd with her, as far as we call hers.
Edm. No, by mine honour, madam.
Reg. I never shall endure her : dear my lord,
Be not familiar with her.
Edm. Fear me not : —
She and the duke her husband.2 —
Enter, ivith drum and colours, Albany, Goneril,
and Soldiers.
Gon. [Aside.'] I had rather lose the battle than
that sister
Should loosen him and me.
Alb. Our very loving sister, well be-met. —
Sir, this I hear, — the king is come to his daughter,
With others whom the rigour of our state
Forc'd to cry out. Where I could not be honest,
I never yet was valiant : for this business,
It toucheth us as France invades our land,3
1. His constant pleasure. 'His firm decision,' 'his settled
determination.' See Note 6, Act iii., " Julius Caesar ;" and in
the same scene to which that Note refers Caesar says, " I was
constant Cimber should be banish'd, and constant do remain to
keep him so ;" where " constant " is used to express ' decided,'
' firmly resolved.'
2. She and the ditl-e her husband. ' Here she comes, and
the duke her husband.'
3. For this business, it touchcth us, as France inz'ades our
land. ' With regard to this affair of the approaching conflict,
I feel called upon to take part in it. inasmuch as France in-
vades our land, but not inasmuch as France sustains the king
and his party, who, I fear, have been but too justly driven
into opposition by grievous injuries.' The diction is condensed
and cramped here ; and very characteristically so, in a man
who has just before been described as "full of alteration and
self-reproving."
*»4
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene I.
Lear. The good year? shall devour [hem, flesh and fell,
Ere they shall make us weep : we'll see them starve first.
Come. Act V. Scene III.
Not holds4 the king, with others, whom, I fear,
Most just and heavy causes make oppose.
Edm. Sir, you speak nobly.
Reg. Why is this reason'ii ?
Gon. Combine together 'gainst the enemy ;
For these domestic and particular broils
Are not the question here.
Alb. Let 's, then, determine
With the ancient of war5 on our proceedings.
Edm. 1 shall attend you presently at your tent.
Reg. Sister, you '11 go with us ?
Gon. No.
Reg. 'Tis most convenient ; pray you, go with us.
4. Bohfc. 'Emboldens,' 'encourages.' 'strengthens,' 'sus-
tains.' Thus in the ancient interlude of " Hycke Scorner" —
" Alas ' that I had not one to bohie me ;" and in Arthur Hall's
translation of the fourth " Iliad " 'quarto, 1581I — "And Pallas
holds the Greeks."
Gon. \_Aside.~\ Oh, ho, I know the riddle. —
[Aloud.] I will go.
As they are going out, enter Edgar disguised.
Edg. If e'er your grace had speech with man so
poor,
Hear me one word.
Alb. I'll overtake you.— Speak.
[Exeunt Edmund, Regan, Goneril,
Officers, Soldiers, and Attendants.
Edg. Before you fight the battle, ope this letter.
If you have victory, let the trumpet sound
For him that brought it : wretched though I seem,
"ancient" here to 'ancients' or to 'ancient men;' but it is
possible that "the ancient of war" means 'the experienced in
war,' ot ' the experienced general,' ' the experienced military
officer,' ' the experienced authority in military tactics.' Shake-
speare uses the word "elder" with the inclusive effect of 'expe-
5. The ancient 0/ war. It has been proposed to change rienced;' and possibly here " ancient" implies similar meaning.
525
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scenes II., III.
I can produce a champion that will prove
What is avouched there. If you miscarry,
Your business of the world hath so an end,
And machination ceases. Fortune love you !
Alb. Stay till I have read the letter.
£,/„ I was forbid it.
When time shall serve, let but the herald cry,
And I '11 appear again.
Alb. Why, fare thee well : I will o'erlook thy
paper. [Exit Edgar.
Re-enter Edmund.
Edm. The enemy 's in view ; draw up your
powers.
Here is the guess of their true strength and forces
By diligent discovery ;6 — but your haste
Is now urg'd on you.
Alb. We will greet the time.7 [Exit.
Edm. To both these sisters have I sworn my love ;
Each jealous of the other, as the stung
Are of the adder. Which of them shall I take f
Both ? one ? or neither ? To take the widow
Exasperates, makes mad her sister Goneril ;
And hardly shall I carry out my side,8
Her husband being alive. Now, then, we '11 use
His countenance for the battle ; which being done,
Let her who would be rid of him devise
His speedy taking off. As for the mercy
Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia, —
The battle done, and they within our power,
Shall never see his pardon ;9 for my state
Stands on me to defend,10 not to debate. [Exit.
SCENE II.— A Field between the two Camps.
Alarum •within. Enter 'with drum and colours,
Lear, Cordelia, and their Forces; and exeunt.
Enter Edgar and Gloster.
Edg. Here, father, take the shadow of this tree
For your good host;11 pray that the right may
thrive :
6. Discovery. Here used for ' investigation,' ' exploring.'
" Discoverers " is used in the sense of ' investigators,' ' scouts,'
those sent to ascertain the numbers of the enemy, at the com-
mencement of Act iv., sc. I, "Second Part Henry IV."
j. We will greet the time. 'We will be ready to meet the
occasion.'
8. Carry out my side. ' Succeed in winning, making, or
maintaining my game' The metaphor is borrowed from the
card-table : ' to carry out a side,' or 'bear out a side,' meaning
to maintain the game skilfully with your partner ; 'to set up a
side,' meaning to become partners in the game ; and ' to pull or
pluck down a side,' meaning to lose the game.
9. And they •within our power, shall never, &°c. " They "
is here elliptically lei Itood as repeated before " shall."
io. For my state stands on, &°c. ' For my state requires that I
should defend it front all chance of destruction, not debate the jus-
tice of its claim.' "Stands on me" is an idiom signifying 'behoves
me,' ' requires me.' Sec Note 33, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet.'
If ever I return to you again,
I'll bring you comfort.
Glo. Grace go with you, sir !
[Exit Edgar.
Alarum; afterguards a retreat. Re-enter Edgar.
Edg. Away, old man, — give me thy hand, —
away !
King Lear hath lost, he and his daughter ta'en : 12
Give me thy hand ; come on.
Glo. No farther, sir ; a man may rot even here.
Edg. What ! in ill thoughts again ? Men must
endure
Their going hence, even as their coming hither:
Ripeness13 is all :— come on.
Glo. And that's true too. [Exeunt.
SCENK III.— The British Camp near Dover.
Enter, in conquest, 'with drum and colours,
Edmund; Lear and Cordelia, as prisoners;
Captain, Officers, Soldiers, £Vv.
Edm. Some officers take them away : good
guard,14
Until their greater pleasures first be known
That are to censure them.15
Cor. We are not the first
Who, with best meaning, have incurr'd the worst.
For thee, oppressed king, am I cast down ;
Myself could else out-frown false fortune's frown. —
Shall we not see these daughters and these sister.-, \ 16
Lear. No, no, no, no! Come, let's away to
prison :
We two alone will sing like birds i' the cage :
When thou dost ask me bles-ing, I'll kneel down,
And ask of thee forgiveness: so we'll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, ami hear poor rogues
Talk of court news ; and we'll talk with them too, —
Who loses and who wins ; who's in, who's out; —
And take upon 's the mystery of things,
As if we were God's spies : and we'll wear out,
11. Host. Here used for 'protection,' 'shelter ;' a host being
one who shelters and protects his guests.
12. King Lear luiih lost, he and /lis daughter ta'en. Here
" are" is elliptically understood before " ta'en." Fur an instance
of similar construction, see Note 58, Act ii., "Richard II."
-13. Ripeness. Here used for 'readiness,' 'maturity of pre-
paration : ' as a ripe fruit is ready for falling. The expression,
" the readiness is all" (see speech referred to in Note q.s. Act v ,
" Hamlet"), employed by Shakespeare elsewhere on this same
subject, serves to illustrate the present passage.
14. Good guard. 'Keep,' or 'let there be,' is elliptically
understood bcfoie " good."
15. Censure them. Here used for ' pass sentence upon
them,' * deliver Judgment upon them.' Sec Note 52, Act i.,
" Measure for Measure."
16. These daughter? and tltese sisters. A bitter sarcasm in
simplest words, thoroughly characteristic in the woman of quiet
expression with intense feeling.
526
Act V.]
KING LEAK.
[Scene III.
In a wall'd prison, packs and sects of great ones,"
That ebb and flow by the moon.
Edm. Take them away.
Lear. Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,
The gods themselves throw incense. Have I
caught thee ?
He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven,
And fire us hence like foxes.18 Wipe thine eyes ;
The good years19 shall devour them, rlesh and fell,20
Ere they shall make us weep : we'll see them starve
first.
Come. [Exeunt Lear and Cordelia, guarded.
Edm. Come hither, captain ; hark.
Take thou this note21 [giving a paper"] ; go follow
them to prison :
One step I have advanc'd thee ; if thou dost
As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way
To noble fortunes : know thou this, — that men
Are as the time is : to be tender-minded
Does not become a sword : — thy great employment
Will not bear question ;-'- either say thou 'It do 't,
Or thrive by other means.
Capt. I'll do 't, my lord.
Edm. About it; and write happy23 when thou
hast done.
Mark, — I say, instantly ; and carry it so
As I have set it down.
Capt. I cannot draw a cart,24 nor eat dried oats ;
If it be man's work, I will do 't. [Exit.
Flourish. Enter Albany, Goneril, Regan,
Officers, and Attendants.
Alb. Sir, you have shown to-day your valiant
strain,25
17. W V 'It wear out, in a wall'd prison, packs, &C. 'We'll
out-stay, within the walls of our prisons, party combinations and
factious confederations of great people, that are friends and
enemies, and, are in place and out of place, as often as the moon
changes.'
18. Fin us fence like foxes. In allusion to the ancient
practice of smoking foxes out of their holes ; thus referred to
in Harrington's translation of " Ariosto : " —
" E'en as ajbxe whom smoke and fire doth fright,
So as he dare not in the ground remaiue,
Bolts out and through the smoke and fire he flieth
Into the tarrier's mouth, and there he dieth."
ly. The good years. Equivalent to ' the pestilence.' Fur the
origin of this expression, see Note 51, Act i., " Much Ado."
20. Flesh and fell. " Fell " means ' skin ' (see Note 33,
Act v., " Macbeth") ; and the expression "rlesh and fell " wras
formerly thus used. From the Speculum Vila MS. has been
cited in evidence these lines : —
" That alle men sal a domesday rise
Oute of their graves ill fles/w and fclle."
And from " The Dyar's Playe, Chester Mysteries," this : —
" I made thee man of flesh and fell."
21. Take thou this note. The paper containing "the com-
mission" mentioned afterwards (in the speech referred to in
Note 56 of the present Act), which gives warrant fur the execu-
tion of Lear and Cordelia.
22. Bear question. ' Admit of debate.'
And fortune led you well : you have the captives
Who were the opposites of this day's strife :
We do require them of you, so to use them
As we shall find their merits and our safety
May equally determine.
Edm. Sir, I thought it fit
To send the old and miserable king
To some retention and appointed guard ;
Whose age has charms in it, whose title more,
To pluck the common bosom26 on his side,
And turn our impress'd lances27 in our eyes
Which do command them. With him I sent the
queen ;
My reason all the same ; and they are ready
To-morrow, or at farther space, to appear
Where you shall hold your session. At this time2"
We sweat and bleed : the friend hath lost his
friend ;
And the best quarrels, in the heat, are curs'd
By those that feel their sharpness : —
The question of Cordelia and her father
Requires a fitter place.
Alb. Sir, by your patience,
1 hold you but a subject of this war,
Not as a brother.
Reg. That 's as we list to grace him.
Methinks our pleasure might have been demanded,
Ere you had spoke so far. He led our powers ;
Bore the commission29 of my place and person ;
The which immediacy3" may well stand up,
And call itself your brother.
Gon. Not so hot :
In his own grace he doth exalt himself,
More than in your addition.31
23. Write happy. An idiomatic expression, equivalent to
'proclaim thyself to have succeeded,' 'give token thai thou
hast been fortunate.1 See Note 112, Act ii., " All's Well."
24. / cannot drazv a cart. The Folio omits this speech.
25. You have shown to-day your valiant strain. ' You have
to-day shown of what a valiant stock you come,' ' you have
to-day proved that you are descended from-a valiant race.* See
Note 14, Act v., "Julius Ccesar."
26. The common bosom. ' Popular affection,' ' the favour of
the commonalty,' ' the common people's inclination.' See Note
24, Act iii. , " Coriolanus. "
27. Lances. The word being used here both for the weapons
and for those who bear them (see Note So, Act iv. , idlows well
of the figurative turn given to this passage ; while " impress'd "
means engaged ready for service by pre-paymelit of press-money.
See Note 77, Act iv.
28. At this time. The Folio omits this, and the remainder of
the speech.
29. Commission. ' Authority,' ' represent. itiveship.'
jo. Immediacy. A word coined by Shakespeare to succinctly
express 'authority immediately derived,' ' representativeshtp
'irectly held.' Regan wishes to state that Edmund has h
position immediately from herself, and not intermediately I
any one else ; therefore that it is equal in rank and power to
that of Albany himself, who is her " brother " or brother-in-law.
31. Addition. This is the Folio word: while the Quarl
give 'advancement ' But "your addition " means thee titles
or claims to consideration which you have been enumerating.
See Note 25, Act i.
Act V.]
KING LEAK.
[Scene III.
Reg. In my rights,
By me invested, he compeers the best.
Gon. That were the most, if he should husband
you.32
Reg. Jesters do oft prove prophets.
Gon. Holla, holla !
That eye that told you so look'd but a-squint.33
Reg. Lady, I am not well ; else I should answer
From a full-flowing stomach. — General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony ;
Dispose of them, of me ; the walls are thine :34
Witness the world, that I create thee here ,
My lord and master.
Gon. Mean you to espouse him ?
AlK The let-alone lies not in your good will.35
Edm. Nor in thine, lord.
Alb. Half-blooded fellow, yes.
Reg. [To Edmund.] Let the drum strike, and
prove my title thine.
Alb. Stay yet ; hear reason. — Edmund, I arrest
thee
On capital treason ; and, in thy arrest,
[Pointing to Gon.] This gilded serpent. — For
your claim, fair sister,
I bar it in the interest of my wife ;
'Tis she is sub-contracted to this lord,
And I, her husband, contradict your bans.
If you will marry, make your love to me,
My lady is bespoke.
Gon. An interlude !
Alb. Thou art arm'd, Gloster :— let the trum-
pet sound :
If none appear to prove upon thy person
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There is my pledge [throwing down a glove] ; I'll
prove it on thy heart,
Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing less
Than I have here proclaimed thee.
Reg- Sick, oh, sick !
Gon. [Aside.] If not, I'll ne'er trust poison.36
Edm. There 's my exchange [throwing down a
glove] : what in the world he is
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies:
32. That -were the most, if lie should husband you. 'That
would be the utmost he could claim to be in rank, even if he
wen to become your husband. ' The Quartos assign this speech
to Goneril ; while the Folios give it to Albany,
1 'sat eye that told you so looKd but a-squint. In allusion
to the proverb, " Love being jealous makes a good eye look
asquint."
34. The -Mills air thine. A metaphor borrowed from military
phraseology ; equivalent to ' the besieged city surrenders at
discretion.'
it let-alone lies vol in your good will. ' The relinquish-
ment of the match depends not upon your will, however much
your will might desire that relinquishment'
Poison. The word given in the Quartos; while the Folio
has 'medicine.'
- Virtue. 'Valour.' 'coinage ;' as the Latin word virtus
is used.
Call by thy trumpet : he that dares approach,
On him, on you (who not r), I will maintain
My truth and honour firmly.
Alb. A herald, ho !
Edm. A herald, ho, a herald !
Alb. Trust to thy single virtue ;3? for thy
soldiers,
All levied in my name, have in my name
Took their discharge.
Reg. My sickness grows upon me.
Alb. She is not well ; convey her to my tent.
[Exit Regan, led.
Enter a Herald.
Come hither, herald. — Let the trumpet sound, —
And read out this.
Off. Sound, trumpet ! [A trumpet sounds.
Her. [Reads .] If any man of quality or degree within
the lists of the army will maintain upon Edmund, supposed Earl
of Gloster, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear at the
third sound of the trumpet: he is bold in his defence.
Edm. Sound ! [First trumpet.
Her. Again ! [Second trumpet.
Her. Again! [Third trumptl.
[Trumpet answers 'within.
Enter Edgar, armed, and preceded hy a trumpet.
Alb. Ask him his purposes, why he appears33
Upon this call o' the trumpet.
Her. What are you f
Your name, your quality ': and why you answer
This present summons f
Edg. Know, my name is lost ;
By treason's tooth bare-gnawn and canker-bit :
Yet am I noble as the adversary
I come to cope.39
Alb. Which is that adversary :"
Edg. What's he that speaks for Edmund earl
of Gloster r
Edm. Himself : — what say'st thou tu him :
Edg. Draw thy sword,
That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice : here is mine.
Behold, it is the privilege40 of mine honours,
My oath, and my profession : I protest, —
3S. Ask hint, &c. This is according to the ceremonial- 1 *
the trial by combat in cases criminal. In Selden's " I)uello " i-
f jund : " the appellant and his procurator tirst come 10 the
gate. The constable and marshal! demand, by voice of herald,
what he is, and why he comes so arrayed."
39, The adversary I come to cope. "Cope" is here used
without the customary ' withal ' that generally accompanies the
word, asjt is at the close of Act ii., " Troilus and Cressida,"
without the usual 'with.' The Quartos give 'with all' after
"cope" here ; but to the injury i'f the metre.
40. Behold, it is the privilege. 'That which Edgar asserts to
be his "privilege" is the right to draw his sword in main'
tenance of the charge he brings against Edmund : and by
"mine honours, my oath, and my profession," he means 'my
rank and tittc as a gentleman nobly born, my oatli of knight-
hood, and my profession of arms as a knight.'
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Lear. Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack.— She's gone for ever !
Act V. Scene III.
Maugre41 thy strength, youth, place, and emi-
nence,
Despite thy victor sword and fire-new42 fortune,
Thy valour and thy heart, — thou art a traitor ;
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince ;
And, from the extremest upward of thy head
To the descent and dust below thy foot,
A most toad -spotted traitor. Say thou " No,"
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent
41. Maugre. 'In spite of,' 'notwithstanding;' French,
mature'. See Note 28, Act iii., " Twelfth Night."
42. Fire-new. For explanation, see Note 24, Act i., "Love's
Labour's Lost."
43. 1 should ask Ihy name. In order to ascertain whether he
be really of the rank he asserts ; because if not of equal " quality
or degree " (as specified in the appeal read aloud by the herald),
Edmund would have the right to decline the combat.
44. 'Say. An abbreviated form of 'assay,' meaning 'sample,'
'taste,' ' specimen.' In the Preface to Maurice Kyffin's transla-
tion of the " Andria of Terence" (15881, there is found, "Some
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,
Thou liest.
Edm. In wisdom I should ask thy name;43
But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some *say44 of breeding
breathes,
What safe and nicely I might well delay45
By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn :
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head ;
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
other like places I could recite, but these shall suffice for a
say."
45. What safe and nicely, &c. The diction here is purposely
confused in expression : like that of a man enraged at finding
himself denounced as a villain, and conscious that he is one.
" Safe " is used for ' safely ;' and " nicely " for ' punctiliously,'
implying 'were I to avail myself of the niceties and punctilios
of chivalry ;' while the whole sentence signifies, ' I disdain to
avoid that trial by battle which, according to the rules of
knighthood, I might safely delay, were I to avail myself of
chivalrous punctilios.'
529
VOL. 111.
233
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Which,— for they yet glance by,46 and scarcely
bruise, —
This sword of mine shall give them instant way,
Where they shall rest for ever. — Trumpets, speak!
{Alarums. They fight. Edmund/«//i.
Alb. Save him, save him !4'
Gon. This is practice,49 Gloster :
By the law of arms thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown opposite ; thou art not vanquished,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.
Alb. Shut your mouth, dame,
Or with this paper shall I stop it : — Hold, sir-;
Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil : —
No tearing, lady ; I perceive you know it.
[Gives the letter to Edmund.
Gon. Say, if I do, — the laws are mine, not thine :
Who can arraign me for't?
Alb. Most monstrous !
Know'st thou this paper ?
Gon. Ask me not what I know.49
[Exit.
Alb. Go after her: she 's desperate ; govern her.
[To an Officer, ivho goes out.
Edm. What you have charg'd [me with, that
have I done ;
And more, much more ; the time will bring it out :
'Tis past, and so am I. — But what art thou
That hast this fortune on me ? If thou 'rt noble,
I do forgive thee.
Edg. Let 's exchange charity.50
I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund ;
If more, the more thou hast wrong'd me.
My name is Edgar, and thy father's son.
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to plague us :51
The dark and vicious place where thee he got,
Cost him his eyes.
Edm. Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true ;
The wheel is come full circle ; I am here.
Alb. Methought thy very gait did prophesy
46. TVkicke—for they yet, &c. Here 'to' is eltiptically
understood before " which ;" signifying ' to which heart' For
similar instances of peculiar construction, see Note 5, Act v.,
" Timon of Athens-"
47. Save him, save him 1 Albany is anxious to have Edmund
saved until he shall have been convicted by sight of the letter
thai ' ionerii had addressed to him.
48. Practice. ' Machination,' ' artful device.' See Note 55,
Act ii.
49. Ask me net what J knew. In the Folio this speech is
assigned to Edmund, Goneril's exit being marked earlier ; but
the Quartos have the arrangement as here given. We think
that Albany's words, "Go after her: she's desperate," show
that he is intended to say them immediately upon G iril's
uttering this speech of refusal to be questioned, and then
rushing out.
50. Let's exchange charity. True Shakespearian magna-
nimity ; the noble moral of a generous forgiveness he is ever
prone to inculcate. And yet Johnson observes upon this
"Our author by negligence gives his heathens the
sentiments and practices of Christianity." Can we believe that
the most careful dramatist that ever wrote set down anything
A royal nobleness :— I must embrace thee :
Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I
Did hate thee or thy father !
Edg. Worthy prince, I know 't.
Alb. Where have you hid yourself?
How have you known the miseries of your father?
Edg. By nursing them, my lord. — List a brief
tale ;—
And when 'tis told, oh, that my heart would
burst !—
The bloody proclamation to escape,
That follow'd me so near, (oh, our lives' sweetness !
That we the pain of deatli would hourly die,"3
Rather than die at once !) taught me to shift
Into a madman's rags ; to assume a semblance
That very dogs disdain'd : and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious stones new lost ; became his guide,
Led him, begg'd for him, sav'd him from despair;
Never (oh, fault !) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some half-hour past, when I was arm'd ;
Not sure, though hoping, of this good success,
I ask'd his blessing, and from first to last
Told him my pilgrimage : but his flaw'd heart, —
Alack, too weak the conflict to support ! —
'Twixt two extremes of passion, joy and grief,
Burst smilingly.
Edm. This speech of yours hath mov'd me,
And shall perchance do good : but speak you on ;
You look as you had something more to say.
Alb. If there be more, more woful, hold it in ;
For I am almost ready to dissolve,
Hearing of this.
Edg. This would have seem'd a period
To such as love not sorrow ;63 but another,
To amplify too much, would make much more,
And top extremity.
Whilst I was big in clamour, came there a man,
Who, having seen me in my worst estate,
Sliunn'd my abhorr'd society; but then, finding
"by negligence?" And is not the virtue of a magnanimous
generosity proper to human nature in all ages and in all creeds ?
• 51. To plague us. The Quartos give ' scourge,' instead of the
Folio word " plague."
52. That ~ve the pain of death would hourly die. This is the
Folio reading : while the Quartos exhibit the line thus : ' That
with tiie pain of death would hourly die.'
53. This would have seem'd a period to such, &*c. A con-
, fessedly difficult passage, which has been variously interpreted.
It may either mean, ' This would have seem'd to those who love
not sorrow a point whereat I should cease ; while others, to
amplify that which is already too much, would add much more,
and surpass the extreme of sorrow ; ' or, ' This would have
seemed to those who love not sorrow a point where my calamities
might cease ; but another point must be added, to amplify that
which is already too much, making it much more, and passing
the extreme of sorrow.' The interpretation depends upon the
sense that is to be ascribed to "another;" either taking it to
mean 'another man,' 'other persons,' or 'another period,*
' another ceasing point.' The Folio omits this and the two next
speeches altogether : while the Quartos give the passage as in
our text. S
530
Act V.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
Who 'twas that so endur'd, with his strong arms
He fasten' d on my neck, and bellow'd out
As he'd burst heaven : threw him on my father ;84
Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd : which in recounting
His grief grew puissant, and the strings of life
Began to crack : twice then the trumpets sounded,
And there I left him tranc'd.
Alb. But who was this ?
Edg. Kent, sir, the banish'd Kent ; who in
disguise
Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service
Improper for a slave.
Enter a Gentleman hastily, \uith a bloody knife.
Gent. Help, help, oh, help !
Edg. What kind of help?
Alb. Speak, man.
EJg. What means that bloody knife ?
Gent. 'Tis hot, it smokes;
It came even from the heart of— oh, she 's dead !
Alb. Who dead ? speak, man.
Gent. Your lady, sir, your lady : and her sister
By her is poison'd ; she hath confess'd it.
Edm. I was contracted to them both : all three
Now marry in an instant.
Alb. Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead : —
[Exit Gentleman.
This judgment of the heavens, that makes us
tremble,
Touches us not with pity.
Edg. Here comes Kent.
Enter Kent.
Alb. Oh, it is he :—
The time will not allow the compliment
Which very manners urges.
Kent. I am come
To bid my king and master aye good night :
Is he not here P
Alb. Great thing of us forgot ! —
Speak, Edmund, where 's the king ? and where 's
Cordelia ? — [The bodies o/'GoNERIL and
REGAN are brought in.
See'st thou this object, Kent ?
Kent. Alack, why thus ?
Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd :
The one the other poison'd for my sake,
And after slew herself.
Alb. Even so. — Cover their faces.
54. Thrtiu him on my father. The old copies give 'me'
instead of "him." Theobald's correction.
55. Settle good 1 menu to do, despite 0/ mine own nature.
This involuntary impulse to do " some good " ere dying, forced
upon the bad-natured Edmund by the teaching of disastrous
events, is among the many fine moral instilments with which
this sublime play abounds.
56. Fordid. 'Destroyed.' See Note 36, Act v., " Hamlet."
Edm. I pant for life: — some good I mean to do,
Despite of mine own nature.6" Quickly send, —
Be brief in it, — to the castle ; for my writ
Is on the life of Lear, and on Cordelia : — .
Nay, send in time.
Alb. Run, run, oh, run !
Edg. To whom, my lord p — Who has the
office ? send
Thy token of reprieve.
Edm. Well thought on : take my sword,
Give it the captain.
Alb. Haste thee, for thy life.
[Exit Edgar.
Edm. He hath commission from thy wife and me
To hang Cordelia in the prison, and
To lay the blame upon her own despair,
That, she fordid66 herself.
Alb. The gods defend her! — Bear him hence
awhile. [Edmund is borne off.
Re-enter Lear, ivitb Cordelia dead in his arms;
Edgar, Officer, and others folloixjing.
Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl!— Oh, you are
men of stones :
Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack. — She 's gone for
ever! —
I know when one is dead, and when one lives ;
She 's dead as earth. — Lend me a looking-glass ;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives.
Kent. Is this the promis'd end f 67
Edg. Or image of that horror P
Alb. Fall, and cease !
Lear. This feather stirs; she lives! if it be so,
It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows
That ever I have felt.
Kent. [Kneeling.] Oh, my good master !
Lear. Pr'ythee, away.
Edg. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend.
Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors
nil!
I might have sav'd her ; now she 's gone for ever ! —
Cordelia, Cordelia ! stay a little. Ha !
What is 't thou say'st ? — Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, — an excellent thing in woman. —
I kill'd the slave that was a hanging thee.
Off. 'Tis true, my lords, he did.
Lear. Did I rot, fellow?
I have seen the day, with my good biting falchion
1 would have made them skip : I am old now,
57. T/te promis'd end 'The predicted end of the world.'
Edgar's rejoinder, " Or image of that horror?" seems to show
this to be the sense of the passage ; while Albany's invocation,
" Fall, and cease ! " appears to us to mean, ' Nay, let it rather
befall at once, and cause these terrible events to cease.' See
Note 43, Act ii., "Macbeth;" and Notes 20 and 21, Act v.,
" Second Part Henry VI."
Act v.]
KING LEAR.
[Scene III.
And these same crosses spoil me. — Who are you?
Mine eyes are not o' the best : — I'll tell you straight.
Kent. If fortune brag of two she lov'd and hated,
One of them we behold.58
Lear. This is a dull sight.59 Are you not Kent ?
Kent. The same,
Your servant Kent. — Where is your servant Caius?
Lear. He 's a good fellow, I can tell you that ;
He'll strike, and quickly too : — he 's dead and
rotten.
Kent. No, my good lord ; I am the very man —
Lear. I'll see that straight.
Kent. That, from your first of difference and
decay,
Have follow'd your sad steps, —
Lear. You are welcome hither.
Kent. Nor no man else.60 — All 's cheerless, dark,
and deadly.—
Your eldest daughters have fordone themselves,
And desperately are dead.
Lear. Ay, so I think.
Alb. He knows not what he says ; and vain is it
That we present us to him.
Edg. Very bootless.
Enter an Officer.
Off. Edmund is dead, my lord.
Alb. That 's but a trifle here.—
You lords and noble friends, know our intent.
What comfort to this great decay r'' may come
Shall be applied ; for us, we will resign,
During the life of this old majesty,
To him our absolute power: — [To Edgar and
Kent.] You, to your rights ;
With boot,"2 and such addition as your honours
58. One of than vie behold. "We" here means Lear and
himself: each beholding in the other a man highly favoured
and cruelly used by fortune.
59. This is a dull sight. Lear, by these words, and by
" mine eyes are not o1 the best," speaks of his eyesight as
injured by age and grief; but the dramatist subtly indicates the
dim-sightedness that precedes death.
60. Nor no man else. These words have been differently
explained : but we take them to be a following on of Kent's
attempt to explain that he himself is Caius, thus :— " I am the
very man that, from your first of difference and decay,
have follow'd your footsteps nor no man else."
his great decay.^Ont of the poet's imaginative imper-
sonations of things, here used as a designation for Lear.
62. //'//// boot. 'With extra advantage,' 'with increase.'
Sec Note 10S, Ai 1 iv
63. Sly poor fool A term of endearment see Note 42,
Act ii., "Much Ado." and Note 50, Act i., "Romeo and
Juliet" , here applied by Lear to his dead daughter. Sir
Have more than merited. — All friends shall taste
The wages of their virtue, and all foes
The cup of their deservings. — Oh, see, see !
Lear. And my poor fool63 is hang'd ! No, no,
no life !
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all? Thou 'It come no
more,
Never, never, never, never, never! —
Pray you, undo this button : — thank you, sir. —
Do you see this ? Look on her, — look,— her lips, —
Look there, look there! — [Dies.
Eilg. He faints ! — My lord, my lord ! —
Kent. Break, heart ; I pr'ythee, break !
Edg. Look up, my lord.
Kent. Vex not his ghost : oh, let him pass! he
hates him
That would upon the rack of this tough world
Stretch him out longer.
Edg. He is gone, indeed.
Kent. The wonder is, he hath endur'd so long :
He but usurp'd his life.
Alb. Bear [them from hence. — Our present
business
Is general woe. — [To Kent and Edgar.] Friends
of my soul, you twain
Rule in this realm, and the gor'd state sustain.
Kent. I have a journey, sir, shortly to go ;
My master calls me, — I must not say no.
Alb. The weight of this sad time we must
obey ; M
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most : we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.
[Exeunt, ivith a dead march.
Joshua Reynolds and others have maintained that the words in
the text have literal reference to Lear's fool : but he has been
withdrawn front the tragedy by the words commented upon in
Note 88, Act in., there being no farther dramatic need for the
character, and we do not believe that Shakespeare would have
made the bereaved father recur for even one moment to any
thought of other loss than the one before hint — his murdcre 1
Cordelia. Furthermore, if Shakespeare had intended to denote
a tender reminiscence of the fool on the part of his old master,
and to take an opportunity of definitely stating the mode of the
fool's death, we do not think that he would have made this the
opportunity, or have made hanging the means by which the lad
came to his end : he would not have reserved Lear's mention of
the faithful jester until a time when the father's whole soul is
engrossed with but one idea, nor would he have committed the
dramatic tautology, as well as the dramatic injury to tragic
effect, of making the fool as well as Cordelia " hang'd.
64. Tlu ■weight, &c. The Folio assigns this concluding
speech to Edgar ; but the Quartos give it to Albany.
Il^i^lll^lg'lpg^
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Duke of Venice.
Brabantio, a Senator.
Other Senators.
Gratiano, Brother to Brabantio.
Lodovico, Kinsman to Brabantio.
Othello, a noble Moor: General in the Venetian service.
Cassio, his Lieutenant.
Iago, his Ancient.
Roderigo, a Venetian Gentleman.
Montano, Othello's predecessor in the Government of Cyprus.
Clown, Servant to Othello.
Herald.
Desdemona, Daughter to Brabantio, and Wife to Othello.
Emilia, Wife to Iago.
Bianca, Mistress to Cassio.
Officers, Gentlemen, Messengers, Musicians, Sailors,
Attendants, &c.
Scene— The First Act in Venice; during the rest of the Play,
at a Seaport in Cyprus.
OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE.
ACT I.
SCENE I.— Venice. A Street.
Enter Roderigo and Iago.
Rod. Never tell me ; I take it much unkindly
That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.3
Iago. 'Sblood, but you will not hear me ; —
If ever I did dream of such a matter,
Abhor me,
Rod. Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in
thy hate.
Iago, Despise me, if I do not. Three great
ones of the city,
i. The first known printed edition of this supremely tragic
drama is one in Quarto, which appeared some time in the year
1622, with the following title : — "The Tragedy of Othello, The
Moore of Venice. As it hath beene diverse times acted at the
Globe, and at the Black-Friars, by his Maiesties Servants.
Written by William Shakespeare. London, Printed by N. O.,
for Thomas Walkley, and arc to be sold at his shop at the
Eagle and Child, in Brittans Bursse, 1622." The Registers of
the Stationers' Company contain, under the date of Oct. 6th,
1621, the following: — "Tho. Walkley] Entered for his, to wit,
under the hands of Sir George Buck and of the Wardens : The
Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice." In 1623 the ver-
sion in the first Folio was published ; and in 1630 another
Quarto copy appeared, which contains some textual variations
that offer evidence of its having been printed from some other
manuscript source than that used for either the first Quarto
copy or for the first Folio copy. In the " Accounts of the
Revels at Court*' there is an entry containing the earliest
authentic record of this play's performance:—" Hallamas Day
being the first of Noucmbur, A play in the Banketinge house
att Whithall called The Moor of Venis. [Nov. 1st, 1604.]"
The name of " Shaxberd " (one of the multifarious fnrms in
which "Shakespeare" was then wniten) i^ appended to this
entry, as being author of the play therein named; therefore
its period of composition is thus ascertained to have been bcfon_-
that date. The story of the plot is to be found in one of
Cinthio's novels, in his " Hecatommithi ; " a French transla-
tion of which, by Gabriel Chappuys, was published in Paris
in 1584. No English translation of Cinthio's work, dating so
early as Shakespeare's time, is known to be extant ; but there
is every probability that one then existed. That the dramatist
In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
Off-capp'd3 to him : — and, by the faith of man,
I know my price, I am worth no worse a place : —
But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
Evades them, with a bombast circumstance4
Horribly stuff' d with epithets of war;
And, in conclusion,
Nonsuits6 my mediators ; for, " Certes,"6 says he,
" I have already chose my officer."
And what was he ?
Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,
A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife :'
derived his ground-work from this Italian novel is quite evident;
but, as usual, he has made a story thus adopted thoroughly his
own by his magical power of treatment. For vital domestic
interest, for intensity of passion, for truth and variety of cha-
racter, for profound knowledge of the human heart in its
inmost workings, this arch-tragedy stands unrivalled.
2. Shouldst k>/o?u of this. In Shakespeare's dramatic mode
of occasionally opening a play or scene with an already com-
menced conversation (see Note 2, Act i., " As You Like It "J,
the word "this" refers to the elopement and marriage of Des-
demona with Othello ; which Roderigo here accuses Iago of
having pre-known.
3. Off-capfid. This is the Folio reading, while the Quartos
give ' oft capt.' We think that the context shows that a single
interview of solicitation on the part of the three city magnates
was intended, and not a repeated series of applications; there-
fore " off-capp'd," as indicating the deference with which they
made their "personal suit," appears to us to be more likely to
be the author's expression here than 'oft capp'd,' which would
denote reiterated salutations. See Note 86, Act ii., " Corio-
lanus."
4. Circumstance. 'Circumlocution' See Note 147, Act i.,
" Hamlet."
5. Nonsuits This word, and "evades" previously, are here
used in accordance with Shakespeare's occasional mode of de-
viating into present tense when describing a past occurrence.
See Note 70, Act i., " Hamlet."
6. Certes, An antique form of certainly,' 'it is certain.'
See Note 18, Act i., "Henry VIII "
7. A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife. The word
1 wife" in this line has beer, suspected of error, and has been
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
That never set a squadron in the field,
Nor the division of a battle knows
More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,8
Wherein the toged9 consuls can propose
As masterly as he : mere prattle, without practice,
Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had th' election :
And I,— of whom his eyes had seen the proof,
At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds,
Christian and heathen,— must be be-lee'd and
calm'd
By debitor-and-creditor,10 this counter-caster;11
He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,
And I, sir, (bless the mark!) his Moorship's
ancient.
Rod. By heaven, I rather would have been his
hangman.
lago. Why, there 's no remedy ; 'tis the curse
of service,
Preferment goes by letter12 and affection,
Not by the old gradation, where each second
Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself,
Whether I in any just term am affin'd13
To love the Moor.
Rod. I would not follow him, then
lago. Oh, sir, content you ;
I follow him to serve my turn upon him :
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd. You shall mark
Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,
variously altered ; but it is here used in the sense of ' woman *
(see Note 2, Act v., " Henry V."), and the line, as it stands,
admits of several interpretations. If the word " in" be used in
the sense of ' into ' (as Shakespeare frequently does, see Note 13,
Act iv., " King Lear"), the line might mean, 'A fellow almost
transformed into a fair woman;' if "in" be used as it gene-
rally is, then the line might mean, ' A fellow whose ignorance
of war would be almost condemned in a pretty woman ; ' and,
lastly, the line may mean, by a license of expression, 'A fellow
who would almost go to perdition for a handsome woman,' or
'a fellow who is almost lost in his fondness for a fine woman.'
The context of " nor the division of a battle knows more
than a spinster," makes for the second interpretation ; while
Cassio's conduct with respect to Eianca gives probability to
the third being (as we think it is) the true interpretation. We
gave this last as our opinion of the passage, as early as in the
Glossary to our New York Edition of Shakespeare, published
in i860.
8. Theoric. 'Theory.' See Note 15, Act i., " Henry V."
9. Togid. This is ^the word in the first Quarto ; while the
Folio prints 'tongued.' "Toged" expresses 'gowned,' 'those
who wear a toga ; ' and there is a similar misprint of ' tongue '
foi "toge" 1 Ited out in Note 88, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
"Consuls" is here used for 'state rulers, 'civil governors,'
' members of the council.'
10. Deiitor-andi rcditor. The title of certain ancient treatises
upon commercial book-keeping ; and given to Cassio as a nick-
name by lago.
11. Counter-caster In allusion to the custom of reckoning
by means of counters. Sec Note 39, Act iv., "Winter's Tale."
The Florentines were famed for their book-keeping and com-
mercial knowledge ; therefore the Venetian lago sneers at the
Florentine Cassio, not only with the contempt that a professed
martialist feels for a man commercially educated, but with the
petty spirit of local grudge that used to subsist between Italians
bom m different provinces. Even so lately as far into the
ips
That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
Wears out his time, much like his master's ass,
For naught but provender ; and, when he 's old,
cashier'd :
Whip me such honest knaves. H Others there are,
Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,
Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves ;
And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,
Do well thrive by them, and, when they have lin'd
their coats,
Do themselves homage : these fellows have some
soul ;
And such a one do I profess myself.
For, sir,
It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
Were I the Moor, I would not be lago :
In following him, I follow but myself;
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end :
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern,15 'tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at : I am not what I am.16
Rod. What a full fortune does the thick
owe,17
If he can carry 't thus ! ls
1'igo. Call up her father,
Rouse him : — make after him,19 poison his delight,
present century, it was usual to hear Genoese men speak of
Piedmontese, Tuscans, and Neapolitans with a contempt and
acrimony that had nothing of the feeling of brotherhood which
now is gradually becoming general among all the sons of Italy.
12. By letter. This has been explained to mean ' by recom-
mendation ; ' but may it not mean ' according to the letter of
his promise,' or ' in accordance with theoretical knowledge and
pretensions?' in reference either to Othello's answer, " I have
already chose .my officer," or to Cassio's being versed in the
" bookish theoric."
13. In any just term am affind. ' Am bound by any due
claim of affinity.' See Note 47, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida,"
and Note 85, Act ii. of the present play.
14. Honest knaves. Iago's sneer in using the word " knaves"
for 'servants,' while scoffing at their fidelity, is of kindred wit
to FalstafFs calling a tradesman who applies for his justly-
due money a "knave." See Note 36, Act i., "Second Part
Henry IV."
15. In compliment extern. 'In external civility,' 'in super-
ficial politeness.' lago is blunt in manner ; and though he may
" follow" the Moor " to serve" his " turn upon him," he never
permits the thoughts of his "heart " to betray themselves through
any assumed obsequiousness.
16. / am not what I am. ' I am not what I seem to be.'
Shakespeare often has phrases where 'seem' is elliptically
understood. See Note 120, Act ii., " Hamlet."
17. What a full fortune does the thick-lips ewe. "A full
fortune" means 'a plenarily good fortune,* 'a completely filled
fortune ;' and " owe " is used for ' own,' ' possess.'
18. If he can carry' t thus. " If he can prevail thus.' Shake-
speare sometimes uses the word " carry" as we now use 'carry
ofT' 'carry away,' 'carry through,' 'carry the day.' See-
Note 80, Act ri., " Coriolanus "
19. Rouse him: — make after him. The first "him" refers
to Rrabantio ; the second, to Othello. See Note 72, Act iii.,
" King Lear."
536
Roderigo. What, ho, Brabantio ! Signior Brabantio, ho!
Act J. Scene I.
Proclaim him ill the streets ; incense her kinsmen, I Look to your house, your daughter, and your
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, bags!
Plague him with rlies: though that his joy be joy, Thieves! thieves!
Yet throw such changes of vexation on't,
As it may lose some colour.
Roil. Here is her father's house ; I 'II call
aloud.
Ingo. Do ; with like timorous accent and dire
yell
As when, by night and negligence,20 the fire
Is spied in populous cities.
Brabantio appears above, at a ivhidotu.
Bra. What is the reason of this terrible sum-
mons ?
What is the matter there ?
Rod. Signior, is all your family within ?
lago. Are your doors lock'd ?
Bra. Why, wherefore ask you this P
Rod. What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, I lago. 'Zounds, sir, you're robbed; for shame,
ho ! put on your gown ;
lago. Awake! what, ho, Brabantio ! thieves : Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul ;
thieves ! thieves ! Even now, now, very now Arise, arise ;
20. By flight and negligence. "By" is here used in the given of ' as when the fire that has been occasioned by negli-
sense of 'at.' and understood as repeated in tile sense of gence is spied at ni^ht in populous cities.' The construction is
' through,' ' from,' or 'owing to,' permitting the sense to be peculiar; and the diction is extremely condensed.
537
TOL. III.
234
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell :
Arise, I say.
Bra. What! have you lost your wits ?
Rod. Most reverend signior, do you know my
voice ?
Bra. Not I : what are you P
Rod. My name is Roderigo.
Bra. The worser welcome :
I have charg'd thee not to haunt about my doors :
In honest plainness thou hast heard me say
My daughter is not for thee ; and now, in madness,
Being full of supper and distempering'-1 draughts,
Upon malicious bravery," dost thou come
To start my quiet.
Rod. Sir, sir, sir, —
Bra. But thou must needs be sure
My spirit and my place have in them power
To make this bitter to thee.
Rod. Patience, good sir.
Bra. What tell'st thou me of robbing r this is
Venice ;
My house is not a grange.23
Rod. Most grave Brabantio,
In simple and pure soul I come to you.
Iago. 'Zounds, sir, you are one of those that
will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because
we come to do you service, and you think we are
ruffians,24 you '11 have your daughter contracted
with a Barbary horse ; you '11 have your nephews-5
neigh to you ; you '11 have coursers for cousins,
and gennets for germans.26
Bra. What profane'-7 wretch art thou?
Iago. I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your
daughter and the Moor are —
Bra. Thou art a villain.
Iago. You are — a senator.
Bra. This thou shalt answer ; I know thee,
Roderigo.
Rod. Sir, 1 will answer anything. But, i be-
seech you,
If 't be your pleasure and most wise consent,
2r. Distempering. ' Intoxicating.' See Note 105, A' I iii ,
" Hamlet."
22. Bravery. This is the Quarto word, the Folio having
'knaverie.' "Upon malicious bravery," means 'urged by a
malicious desire to brave me,' 'oul of a malicious spirit of
daring.'
(As partly I find it is), that your fair daughter,
At this odd-even :s and dull watch o' the night,
Transported, with no worse nor better guard
But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
To the gross clasps of a luxurious Moor,29 —
If this be known to you, and your allowance,
We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs ;
But, if you know not this, my manners tell me
We have vour wrong rebuke. Do not believe
That, from the sense of all civility,3"
I thus would play and trine with your reverence :
Your daughter,— if you have not given her leave, —
1 -.i\ again, hath made a gross revolt ;
T\ing her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes,
In an extravagant31 and wheeling stranger
Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself:
If she be in her chamber or your house,
Let loose on me the justice of the state
For thus deluding you.
Bra. Strike on the tinder, ho!
Give me a taper! — call up all my people ! —
This accident is not unlike my dream :
Belief of it oppresses me already. —
Light, I say! light! [Exit above.
Iago. Farewell ; for I must leave you :
It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,
To be produe'd (as, if I stay, I shall)
Against the Moor: for, I do know, the state, —
However this may gall him with some check, —
Cannot with safety cast him ; for he s embark'd
With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars
(Which even now stand in act), that, for their souls,
Another of his fathom they have none,
To lead their business: in which regard,
Though I do hate him as I do hell pains,
Yet, for necessity of present life,
I must show out a flag and sign of love,
Which is indeed but sign. That you shall sure!}
find him,
Lead to the Sagittarv32 the raise I search ;
And there will I be with him. So, farewell
[Exit.
27. Profane. Here us^-d to express * coarse-spoken,1 ' ^r>^ -.-
languaged ; ' in its classically derived sense from the Latin word
.v, which, besides signifying 'ungodly,' in..;.
meant "common,* * ordinary,' ' impure,- ' polluted,' 'unhallowed.'
aS. Odd-even. Apparently meant for the interval I
twelve at night and one in the morning; thai time whi h Shake
13, My house is not a grange. Implying, my house is no > speare elsewhere refers to by the words, " What i^ the night -
! place where robbery might easily be committed. For the
strict meaning of "grange/1 ee N ite ( , Act iii,, " Measure for
M asur
24. Ruffians, Here used for ' rufflers,' 'bullies,' 'swaggerers,'
"roisterers," in which sense the word was sometimes formcrly
used, rather than in tht sense t 'villains,' 'cut-throats,' 'out-
r.igers."
Here used for 'grand-children,' Set N
Act ii , " First Part Henry VI,"
26. Gennets for germans \ g . i , 'jennet,'
ill Spanish horse ; from tli. \ a small
horse of fine breed , ns,' 'kindred.'
\ct i\\, " Timon of Athens."
Almost at odds with morning, which is which." Sec the speech
referred to in Note 92. An iii., M Macbeth."
29. That your fair daughter . . . trutis/wrted .
m is elliptical here, allowing either
'should be* to be understood before " trans] herself '
to l>c understood after " transp
3a From the sense of all civility. Here '* from " is \\<g~\ in
the sense of 'deviating from,' "contrary 10/ Sec Note 24,
1 . 1
31. Ea 'Wandering'/ 'vagabond.' E 1 N
Act i., " Hamlet."
32. The Sagittarv. Mr. Charles Knight says, " This is
generally taken to be an inn. It was the residence at the
53S
Act 1.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Enter, below, Brabantio, and Servants ivith
torches.
Bra. It is too true an evil : gone she is ;
And what 's to come of my despised time
Is naught but bitterness. — Now, Roderigo,
Where didst thou see her ? — Oh, unhappy girl ! —
With the Moor, say'st thou r — Who would be a
father !—
How didst thou know 'twas she ? — Oh, she deceives
me
Past thought ! — What said she to you ? — Get more
tapers ;
Raise all my kindred. — Are they married, think
you?
RoJ. Truly, I think they are.
Bra. Oh, heaven! — How got she out ?— Oh,
treason of the blood ! —
Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds
By what you see them act. — Are there not charms
By which the property of youth and maidhood
May be alms' d ? Have you not read, Roderigo,
Of some such thing ?
Rod. Yes, sir, I have indeed.
Bra. Call up my brother.33 — Oh, that you had
had her ! —
Some one way, some another. — Do you know
Where we may apprehend her and the Moor ?
Rod. I think I can discover him, if you please
To get good guard, and go along with me.
Bra. Pray you, lead on. At every house I'll
call ;
I may command at most.31 — Get weapons, ho!
And raise some special officers of night. —
On, good Roderigo ;— I'll deserve your pains.
[Exeunt.
arsenal of the commanding officers of the navy and army of the
republic. The figure of an archer, with his drawn bow, over
the gates, still indicates the place. Probably Shakespeare had
looked upon that sculpture." There is a possibility that by
"the Sagittary" Shakespeare meant neither the Venetian
arsenal nor an inn, but a private house bearing one of those
distinctive names, and even signs, which it was the mode for-
merly to give to private mansions in England, and which custom
Shakespeare has occasionally made that of other countries.
See Note 15, Act iii., "Comedy of Errors ;" Note S3, Act iv .
" Taming of the Shrew ; " and Note 70, Acti.. "Henry VIII"
Thai < lihello should not take his bride either to his official
residence or to a place of public entertainment, but rather to a
private duelling-house, engaged by himself for her reception,
seems likely. That it is not the place where Othello usually
lives while in Venice, is shown by l/.i-.-i-i', subsequent words.
" being not at your lodging to be found;" and that it i- nol the
general's military quarters at the arsenal, seems testified by
Cassio's question, " What makes he here ?" The very difficulty
of finding Othello, indicated by the senate's "several qui '
sent in search of him. denotes that it is some unwonted place of
resort : and this confirms our idea that some newly-taken house,
bearing the classical name and sign of "the Sagittary," is
intended. See Note 73 of this Act. A description of the tradi-
tional "Sagittary" is given in Note 57, Act v., " Troilus and
Cressida."
33. Call up my brotlier. Meaning Gratiano.
SCENE II.— Venice. Another Street.
Enter Othello, Iago, and Attendants luitb
torches.
Iago. Though in the trade of war I have slain
men,
Yet do I hold it very stuff o' the conscience
To do no contriv'd murder : I lack iniquity
Sometimes to do me service : nine or ten times
I had thought to have yerk'd35 him here under the
ribs.
Oth. 'Tis better as it is.
Iago. Nay, but he prated,
And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms
Against your honour,
That, with the little godliness I have,
I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir,
Are you fast married ? for, be sure of this,
That the magnitico36 is much belov'd ;
And hath, in his effect, a voice potential
As double37 as the duke's : he will divorce you ;
Or put upon you what restraint and grievance
The law (with all his might to enforce it on)
Will give him cable.38
Oth. Let him do his spite :
My services, which I have done the signiory,
Shall out-tongue his complaints. 'Tis yet to
know, —
Which, when I know that boasting is an honour,
I shall promulgate, — I fetch my life and being
From men of royal siege ;3S and my demerits40
May speak, unbounded,41 to as proud a fortune
As this that I have reach'd : for know, Iago,
But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
I would not ray unhoused42 free condition
' Of them ' is elliptically under-
See Note 114, Act iv.,
34. / may command at most.
stood after " most."
35. Yerk'd. 'Thrust,' 'stabbed.'
" Henry V.''
36. Magui/ico. A Venetian title. It here refers to Bra-
bantio, who is one of the magnates of Venice.
37. Double. Here not only meant for ' forcible,' ' strong,'
but including the sense of ' possessing duplicate power,' either
to "divorce" or to imprison.
38. W ill give him cable. Elliptically expressed ; ' for,' or
'to put on,' being understood after "cable." See Note 62,
Act iv. , " Timon of Athens."
30. Men 0/ royal siege. ' Men who have sat on kingly
thrones.' " Siege," used for 'seat,' is more than once found in
Shakespeare. See Note 44, Act ii. , "Tempest;" and Note 33,
Act iv, , " Measure for Measure."
40. Demerits. Here used to express ' merits.' See Note 41.
Act i., "Coriolanus." In Dugdale's " Warwickshire " the word
is thus employed — "Henry Conway. Esq.. for his singular
demerits received the dignity of knighthood;" and Bullokar
says, "Demerit, a desert; also on the contrary', and as it is
most commonly used at this day , ill-deserving."
41. Unlomuted. We think that this word is here <
include the meanings of 'openly.' 'uncovered.' and .lso, 'with-
out need of deferential observance,' ' without being cap in hand.'
See Note 47, Act ii. . " Coriol
42 Unhoused. This word has double propriety of introduc-
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Put into circumscription and confine
For the sea's worth.43 But, look ! what lights
come yonder ?
lago. Those are the raised father and his friends :
You were best go in.
Oth. Not I ; I must be found :
My parts, my title, and my perfect soul,
Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they ?
lago. By Janus," I think no.
Enter Cassio, and certain Officers ivith torches.
Oil). The servants of the duke, and my lieute-
nant.—
The goodness of the night upon you, friends !
What is the news ?
Cas. The duke does greet you, general ;
And he requires your haste-post-haste45 appear-
ance,
Even on the instant.
Otb. What is the matter, think you P
Cas. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine :
It is a business of some heat : the galleys
Have sent a dozen sequent messengers
This very night at one another's heels ;
And many of the consuls,46 rais'd and met,
Are at the duke's already : you have been hotly
call'd for ;
When, being not at your lodging to be found,
The senate hath sent about three several quests47
To search you out.
Oth. 'Tis well I am found by you.
I will but spend a word here in the house,
And go with you. [Exit.
Cas. Ancient, what makes he here f43
lago. Faith, he to-night hath boarded a hind
carrack : "
If it prove lawful prize, he 's made for ever.
Cas. I do not understand.
lago. He 's married,
Cas. To whom ?
tion here, implying not only ' tincircumscribed,' ' unconfined to
house and home,' but also 'unmarried.' Florio — with whose
productions Shakespeare was evidently well acquainted, from
the excellent and large use he has made of them — explains the
Italian word easari by 'to marrie, to wed, to house;' and
Othello not only refers to his condition of unrestrained freedom
i i forth in military enterprises, but to his bachelor condition.
43. The sea's worth. 'AH that the sea contains.' Pliny, the
naturalist, has a chapter 011 ike riches of the sea ; and Shake-
speare h. sevei '1 rcferem es t., its heaps of engulfed " e ilili
See pa iges referred to in Note 40, Act i.t "Henry V. ; " and
Note 86, Act i., "Richard III "
4 |. By Janus. See Note it. Act i., " Merchant of Venice."
45. Maste/ost-haste. An ancient form of superscription
written 011 letters of importance, and here used as an expres-
sivi adjective.
46. The consuls. See Note 9 of the present Act.
47. Quests. Hire used for 'seekers.' Sec Note 97, Actio. ,
"King Lear;" Note 6, Act ii., "All's Well;" and Note 12,
Act iv., " Measure for Measure."
48. Ancient, what makes he here ? " Ancient " is synonymous
with ' ensign ; ' which was lagu's military grade. See Note 84,
Re-enter Othello.
lago. Marry, to — Come, captain, will you go ?
Oth. Have with you.
Cas. Here comes another troop to seek for you.
lago. It is Brabantio : — general, be advis'd ;
He comes to bad intent.
Enter Brabantio, Rooerigo, and Officers ivith
torches and weapons.
Otb. Holla! stand there!
Rod. Signior, it is the Moor.
Bra. Down with him, thief!
[They dra-w on both sides.
lago. You, Roderigo! come, sir, I am for you.
Oth. Keep up your bright swords, for the dew
will rust them. —
Good signior, you shall more command with years
Than with your weapons.
Bra. Oh, thou foul thief, where hast thou stow'd
my daughter ?
Curs'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
For I '11 refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy,
So opposite to marriage, that she shunn'd
The wealthy curled darlings50 of our nation,
Would ever have, to incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou, — to fear, not to delight.
Judge me the world, if 'tis not gross in sense,51
That thou hast practis'd on her with foul charms;
Abus'd her delicate youth with drugs or minerals
That weaken motion; 52— I '11 have 't disputed on ;
'Tis probable, and palpable to thinking.
I therefore apprehend and do attach thee
For an abuser of the world, a practiser
Of arts inhibited and out of warrant. —
Lay hold upon him : if he do resist,
Subdue him at his peril.
Act iii., " Henry V." " What makes he here ?" is equivalent to
'What is he doing here?' or 'What does he do here?' Sec
Note 26, Act ii., "Merry Wives." Cassio asks this question
and the next, " To whom?" in order that he may appear un-
conscious of the secret of Othello's attachment to Desdrmona,
with which we subsequently find he has been entrusted. Sec
Note iS, Act iii. It appears that lago has been informed where
the bride is conveyed immediately after the marriage has taken
place (see Note 73 of this Act) ; while Cassio had been in the
confidence of his general throughout.
49. Carrack. A ship of large burden ; a Spanish galleon.
Sec Note 33, Act iii., " Comedy of Errors."
50. The wealthy curled darlings. Ther« are many allusions
in writers of Shakespeare's time to the effeminate fashion of
curling the hair practised by young gallants ; and he himself
alludes to it in the passage referred to in Note 40, Act iii.,
" King Lear."
51. Gross in sense. ' Palpable to reason.'
5-- Weaken motion. ' Subdue the impulse of affection, '
'vanquish inclination.' Farther on, the first senator asks
Othello, " Did you by indirect and forced courses subdue and
poison this young maid's affections f "
Ligo. You, Koderigo ! come, sir, 1 am for you,
Othello. Keep up your bright swords, tor the dew will rust
them.
Act I. Scene U.
AC I I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Otb. Hold your hands,
Both you of my inclining, and the rest:
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it
Without a prompter. — Where will you that I go
To answer this your charge ?
Bra. To prison ; till fit time
Of law, and course of direct session,
Call thee to answer.
Oth. What if I do obey ?
How may the duke be therewith satisfied,
Whose messengers are here about my side,
Upon some present business of the state
To bring me to hiin ?
First Off. 'Tis true, most worthy signior;
The duke's in council, and your noble self,
I am sure, is sent for.
Bra. How ! the duke in council !
In this time of the night !— Bring him away :
Mine's not an idle cause: the duke himself,
Or any of my brothers of the state,
Cannot but feel this wrong as 'twere their own ;
For if such actions may have passage free,
Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Venice. A Council-Chamber.
The Duke and Senators sitting at a table ; Officers
attending.
Duke. There is no composition53 in these news
That gives them credit.
First Sen. Indeed, they are disproportion^ ;
My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.
Duke. And mine, a hundred and forty.
Sec. Sen. And mine, two hundred :
But though they jump64 not on a just account, —
As in these cases, where the aim55 reports,
'Tis oft with difference, — yet do they all confirm
A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus.
Duke. Nay, it is possible enough to judgment:
I do not so secure me in the error,
But the main6' article I do approve
In fearful sense.
53. Composition. Here used for ' consistency,' ' coincidence,'
1 congruity.'
51 Jump. 'Agree.' 'consist,' 'coincide.' See Note 39,
A. 1 v , "Twelfth Night."
lint. Here used for 'surmise,' 'guess,' 'conjecture.'
So Vote 44, Act i.. "Julius Csesar."
56 / t/o tut so secure me in the error, hut the main, &-Y.
' I do not feci so overconfident on account of the error that may
be in these reports, but that I can perceive ground for dread in
the main particular.'
57. This cannot be, by lie assay 0/ reason. ' This cannot be
> ase, if brought to any test of reason :' 'This cannot be
believed to be SO, if subjected to any trial of reason.' " Assay"
means 'test,' 'trial;' and a double negative is often used by
Shakespeare.
Sailor, [irithin.] What, ho! what, ho! what, ho!
First Off. A messenger from the galleys.
Enter a Sailor.
Duke. Now, — the business?
Sail. The Turkish preparation makes for
Rhodes ;
So was I bid report here to the state
By Signior Angelo.
Duke. How say you by this change ?
First Sen. This cannot be,
By no assay of reason :6? 'tis a pageant,
To keep us in false gaze. When we consider
The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk ;
And let ourselves again but understand,
That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes,
So may he with more facile question bear it,5s
For that it stands not in such warlike brace,69
But altogether lacks the abilities
That Rhodes is dress'd in: — if we make thought
of this,
We must not think the Turk is so unskilful
To leave that latest which concerns him first,
Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain,
To wake and wage60 a danger profitless.
Duke. Nay, in all confidence, he's not for
Rhodes.
First Off. Here is more news.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. The Ottomites, reverend and gracious,
Steering with due course toward the isle of
Rhodes,
Have there injointed them with an after fleet.
First Sen. Ay, so I thought. — How many, as
you guess ?
Mess. Of thirty sail : and now they do re-stem
Their backward course, bearing with frank ap-
pearance
Their purposes toward Cyprus. — Signior Montano,
Your trusty and most valiant servitor,
With his free duty recommends you thus,
And prays you to believe61 him.
Duke. 'Tis certain, then, for Cyprus. —
Marcus Luccicos,62 is not he in town ?
58. With more facile question bear it. ' With greater facility
of contest carry it,' ' with more ease of conflict prevail.'
59. Such warlike brace. ' Such warlike condition of defence,'
' such warlike state of armed preparation.' ' To brace on the
armour' signified ' to arm.'
60. Wage. ' Maintain,' ' carry on,' 'encounter,' ' undertake.1
See Note 63, Act iv., " First Part Henry IV. ;" and Note 113,
Act ii., " King Lear."
61. Believe. It has been proposed to substitute this word by
'relieve;' but we take the meaning of these two lines to be —
" With his freely-rendered duty informs you of this intelligence,
and begs you to believe him when he sends it to you."
62. Marcus Luccicos. We quote Mr. Charles Knight's excel-
lent note here. He says : — " Both the Folio and Quarto give
this proper name thus. Capell changed it to Marcus Lucchese,
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene ill.
First Sen. He's now in Florence.
Duke. Write from us to him ; post-post-haste
despatch.
First Sen. Here comes Brabantio ami the
valiant Moor.
Enter Brabantio, Othello, Iago, Roderigo,
and Officers.
Duke. Valiant Othello, we must straight em-
ploy you
Against the general enemy Ottoman.63 —
[To Bra.] I did not see you; welcome, gentle
signior ;
We lack'd your counsel and your help to-night.
Bra. So did I yours. Good your grace, pardon me;
Neither my place, nor aught I heard of business,
Hath rais'd me from my bed ; nor doth the general
care
Take hold of me ; for my particular grief
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature
That it engluts and swallows other sorrows,
And it is still itself.
Duke. Why, what 's the matter ?
Bra. My daughter ! Oh, my daughter !
Duke and Senators. Dead ?
Bra. Ay, to me ;
She is abus'd, stol'n from me, and corrupted
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks ;
For nature so preposterously to err,
Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense,
Sans witchcraft could not.
Duke. Whoe*er he be that, in this foul pro-
ceeding,
Hath thus beguil'd your daughter of herself,
And you of her, the bloody book of law64
You shall yourself read in the bitter letter
After your own sense; yea, though our proper son
Stood in your action.65
Bra. Humbly I thank your grace.
Here is the man, this Moor ; whom now, it seems,
Your special mandate, for the state-affairs,
Hath hither brought.
saying that such a termination as Luccieos is unknown in the
Italian. But who is the duke inquiring after? Most probably
a Greek soldier of Cyprus — an Estradiot — one who from his
local knowledge was enabled to give him information. Is it
necessary that the Greek should bear an Italian name ? and
does not the termination in cos better convey the notion which
we believe the poet to have had ?"
63. Against the general enemy Ottoman. It was part of the
policy of the Venetian state to employ strangers, and even
Moors, in their wars In Thomas's "History of Italye" there
occurs this illustrative passage : — " By lande they are served of
straungers, both for generals, for capitaincs. and for all other
menofwarre, because theyr lawe pcrmitteth not any Venetian
to be capitaine over an armie by lande ; fearing, I thinke,
Casar's example."
64. Tlw bloody book of laiu. By the Venetian law the giving
love-potions was highly criminal ; as appears in the " Coda
della Promission del Malefico." Among the edicts of King
James I. are those which refer to the same subject.
Duke and Sen. We are very sorry for it.
Duke. [To Oth.] What, in your own part, can
you say to this ?
Bra. Nothing, but this is so.
Oth. Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors,
My very noble and approv'd good masters, —
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true ; true, I have married her :
The very head and front of my offending
Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my
speech,
And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace ;
For since these arms of mine had seven years'
pith,
Till now some nine moons wasted,61' they have us'd
Their dearest 67 action in the tented field ;
And little of this great world can I speak,
More than pertains to feats of broil and battle ;
And therefore little shall I grace my cause
In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious
patience,
I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of love ; what drugs, what
charms,
What conjuration, and what mighty magic, —
For such proceeding I am charg'd withal, —
I won his daughter.68
Bra. A maiden never bold ;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at herself;69 and she, — in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, everything, —
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on !
It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect,
That will confess perfection so could err
Against all rules of nature ; and must be driven
To find out practices of cunning hell,
Why this should be. I therefore vouch again,
That with some mixtures powerful o'er the blood,
Or with some dram conjur'd to this effect,
He wrought upon her.
Duke. To vouch this, is no proof,
Without more wider and more overt test
Than these thin habits''11 and poor likelihoods
65. Though our proper son, &*c. ' Though our own son were
the subject of your accusation.'
66. Till now some nine moons wasted. ' Until about nine
months ago.'
67. Dearest. Here used to express combinedly * most
effectual, ' 'most strenuous,' and also 'favourite,' 'most dear'
to the speaker. We have repeatedly pointed out the varied
and inclusive meaning with which Shakespeare uses the words
"dear," "dearer," "dearest," and "dearly." See Note 45,
Act iv., " King Lear."
68. / 7<w/ his daughter. 'With' is elliptically understood
after "daughter." See Note 38 of the present Act.
69. Her motion blush'd at herself. According to the practice
among writers in Shakespeare's time, the personal pronoun is
here used instead of the neutral pronoun, — "herself" for 'it-
self See Note 59, Act ii., " Much Ado ;" and Note to, Acti.,
" Julius Cajsar."
70. Thin habits. Here used for ' slender assumptions.'
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Of modern'1 seeming do prefer against him.
First Sen. But, Othello, speak :
Did you by indirect and forced courses
Suhdue and poison this young maid's affections ?
Or came it by request,"- and such fair question
As soul to soul affordeth ?
Olb. I do beseech you,
Send for the lady to the Sagittary,
And let her speak of me before her father :
If you do find me foul in her report,
The trust, the office, I do hold of you,
Not onlv take away, but let your sentence
Even fall upon my life.
Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither.
Olb. Ancient, conduct them; you best know
the place.''3 —
[Exeunt Iaco and Attendants.
And, till she come, as truly as to heaven
I do confess the vices of my blood,
So justly to your grave ears I'll present
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,
And she in mine.
Duke. Say it, Othello.
Oth. Her father lov'd me; oft invited me ;
Still question' d me the story of my life,
From year to year, — the battles, sieges, fortunes,
That I have pass'd.
I ran it through, even from my boyish days,
To the very moment that he bade me tell it :
Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field ;
Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent deadly
breach ;
Of being taken by the insolent foe,
And sold to slavery ; of my redemption thence,
71 Modern. ' Common,' ' usual,' ' ordinary,' ' insignificant.'
See Note 43, Act iii.. " Romeo and Juliet."
72. This young maid's affections ? or came it by, is°c. Here
" it " is used in reference to " affections" as if the word were in
t)i. singular — ' affection.' See Note 71, Act i., " Macbeth."
73. You best know the place. This confirms our belief that
some private house bearing the name iand possibly a fresco or
relievo representing the figure) of "the Sagittary" is meant.
Had the arsenal of Venice been intended, the ducal mes-
n 1 could have had no difficulty in finding "the place,"
and there would have been no need to bid lago "conduct
them," as " best knowing " whereabouts it was. See Note 32
of the present Act. We think not only that lago, as here in-
dicatcd, is specially cognisant of the place, and therefore,
having been entl listed by Othello with the secret of where the
hou is to which he has taken his bride, is doubly treacherous
indisco\ ■ linage to her rather, but that also it denotes
[ago ".111 Emilia, having been the lady-attendant appointed
to receive Desdemona at this newly-engaged house. " the
Sagittary , " which is evidently in some retired quarter of the city
74. Parlance. 'Conduct,' 'carriage,' 'bearing.' See Note
100, Act ii., " Coriolai
75. Antrcs. 'Caverns;' Latin, antrum.
76. Idle. Here used for 'unfertile,' 'unproductive,' ' un-
fruitful,' "barren,' ,' sterile' Wickliffc has— " The earth was
■.del and voide."
77. The Anthropophagi, andvten, ir'c. In writing this pas-
sage Shakespeare probably had in his mind a description given
I And portance'1 in my travel's history :
Wherein of antres75 vast and deserts idle/6
Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch
heaven,
It was my hint to speak, — such was the process ;
And of the Cannibals that each other eat,
The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads"
Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear
Woiild Desdemona seriously incline :
But still the house-affairs would draw her thence ;
Which ever as she could with haste despatch,
She 'd come again, and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse : — which I observing,
Took once a pliant hour ; and found good means
To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart
That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
But not intentively :?s I did consent ;
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth sufTer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs :?9
She swore,80 — in faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing
strange ;
'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful :
She wish'd she had not heard it; yet she wish'd
That heaven had made her such a man:81 she
thank' d me ;
And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake :
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd ;
And I lov'd her that she did pity them.
This only is the witchcraft I have us'd : —
Here comes the lady ; let her witness it.
by Raleigh in his " Discoverie of Guiana," 1596, where he
mentions the Amazons, the cannibals, and the " nation of
people whose heads appear not above their shoulders ; " and
perhaps also an account given by Pliny of " other Scythians
called Anthropophagi, where is a country named Abarimon,
within a certain vale of the mountain Imaus, wherein are found
savage and wild men, living and conversing usually among the .
brute beasts, who have their feet growing backward, and turned
behind the calves of their legs, howbeit they run must swiftly.
The former Anthropophagi, or eaters of man's flesh, whom we
have placed above the north pole, tenne daies journey by land
above the river Borysthenes, used to drinke out of the sculs of
mens heads, and to weare the scalpes, haire and all, insteed of
mandellions or stomachers before their breasts .... Beyond
the Sciopodes westward, some there be without heads standing
upon theire neckes who Carrie eies in their shoulders "
78. Intentively. The Quarto word here; while the Folio
gives 'instinctively.' "Intentively" means 'attentively,' 'in-
tently.' Bullokar, in his " Expositor" 11616), has — " Intentivc,
which listeneth well and is earnestly bent to a thing."
79. Sighs. The Folio misprints 'kisses' for "sighs"in this
passage ; given correctly in the Quartos.
80. S-wore. Formerly used for ' averred,' ' affirmed.'
81. She -.vish'd that heaven had made her such a man.
'For' is elliptically understood before "her." We point this
out, because it has been strangely questioned whether the
meaning might not be, ' she wish'd that heaven had made her-
self such a man.'
Desdemona. You are the lord of duty, —
I am hitherto your daughter: but here 's my husband.
Art !. Scene III.
ACT I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Enter Desdemona, Iago, and Attendants.
Duke. I think this tale would win my daughter
too. —
Good Brabantio,
Take up this mangled matter at the best :
Men do their broken weapons rather use
Than their bare hands.
Bra. I pray you, hear her speak :
If she confess that she was half the wooer,
Destruction on my head, if my bad blame
Light on the man !— Come hither, gentie mistress :
Do you perceive in all this noble company
Where most you owe obedience ?
Des. My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty :
To )ou I am bound for life and education ;
My life and education both do learn82 me
How to respect )0ii ; you arc the lord of duty, —
I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my
husband ;
And so much duty as my mother show'd
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord.
Bra. God be with you ! — I have done. —
Please it your grace, 0:1 to the stale affairs :
1 had rather to adopt a child than get it. —
Come hither, Moor :
I here do give thee that with all my heart,
Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart
I would keep from thee. — For your sake, jewel,
I am glad at soul I have no other child ;
For thy escape"3 would teach me tyranny,
To hang clogs on them. — I have done, my lord.
Duke. Let me speak like yourself ;s4 and lay a
sentence,
Which, as a grise85 or step, may help these lovers
Into your favour.
When remedies are past, the griefs are ended
By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
82. Leani. Sometimes formerly, as here, used for 'teach.'
Sec Note 26, Act i., " As You Like It."
83. Escape. Besides its meaning of ' getting forth,' 'flight,1
1 elopement,' we think it probable that "escape" here includes
the sense of 'sally,' ' prank ;' as shown to be derived from the
French word, escapade See Note 53. Act in . "Winter's Tale "
84. Let me speak like yourself. This has been variously
mi' rpreted ; but wi take n t<> mean, ' I et me speak in a strain
of resignation to thai which is irretrievably past and gone, like
3 , when you saj '' I havi d ni '
85. Grise. 'Degree,1' top.' See Note 19, Act iv., "Timon
of Athens."
86. Next. 'Readiest,' 'nighest,' 'nearest.' Sec Note tjo,
Act in., " Winter's Tale."
87. 7 'A, 'tick frjm thence In- lirnrs. 'The
gratuitous tenl nts <■! consolation which lie hears delivered
t ether with the sentence.'
88. Piercid. ' Penetrated,' ' reached,' 'arrived at.' Shake-
speare frequently u es "1 rce" in tint sense. See the next
Is the next86 way to draw new mischief on.
What cannot be preserv'd when fortune takes,
Patience her injury a mockery makes.
The robb'd that smiles steals something from the
thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.
Bia. So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile ;
We lose it not, so long as we can smile.
He bears the sentence well, that nothing bears
But the free comfort which from thence he hears j87
But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow,
That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.
These sentences, to sugar, or to gall,
Being strong on both sides, are equivocal :
But words are words ; I never yet did hear
That the bruis'd heart was piercedss through the
ear. —
Beseech you, now to the affairs of state.
Duke. The Turk with a most mighty prepara-
tion makes for Cyprus: — Othello, the fortitude of
the place is best known to you ; and though we
have there a substitute of most allowed sufficiency,
yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws
a more safer voice on you : you must therefore be
content to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes89
with this more stubborn and boisterous expedition.
Oib. The tyrant custom, most grave senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My tin ice-driven bed of down : 90 I do agnise81
A natural and prompt alaciity
I find in hardness; and do undertake
These present wars against the Ottomites.
Most humbly, therefore, bending to your state,
I crave fit disposition for my wite ;
Due reference of place and exhibition ;02
With such accommodation and besort03
As levels with her breeding.
Duke. If you please,
Be 't at her father's.
Bin. I'll not have it so.
Oth.
Des.
Nor I.
Nor 1 ; I would not there reside,
line to the one commented upon in Note 153. Act v., " Love's
Labour's Lost
89. To slubber the gloss, &>c. "Slubber" is 'smear.' 'sully,1
'pollute.' The word "slubber." as here used, seems to have the
same origin as "slobbery " (see Note 73, Act in., "IlenryV." ;
but as used'by Shakespeare elsewhere (see Note 95, Act h.,
" Merchant ol Venice" . it seems rather allied to ' sloven.' In
f.n t, all nf these words are derived from the same source, im-
plj ing ' dirty," ' neglectful.'
90. Thrice-driven bed of down. A bed made of feathers
which have been driven by a fan, in order to separate the
downier portions from the coarser portions
01. Agnise. 'Acknowledge,' 'recognise,' 'confess,' 'avow.'
92. Exhibition. 'Provision,' 'allowance.' See Nute 06,
Act i., " King Lear."
93, Besort. ' Befitting attendance.' ' suitable companionship,
'proper retinue.' Shakespeare uses this word in " Kins Lear."
Act i , i 4, a- a verb, 10 express 'befittingty consort with,'
I suitably attend upon.'
^.1fi
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene 11 J.
To put my father in impatient thoughts
By being in his eye. Most gracious duke,
To my unfolding lend your prosperous'* ear;
Ami let me find a charter ill your voice,
To assist my simpleness.
Duke. YVlcit would you, Desdemona ?
Des. That 1 did love the Moor to live with him,'3
My downright violence and storm ot fortunes'*
May trumpet to the world: my heart 's subdu'd
Even to the very quality9' of my lord :
I saw Othello's visage in his mind ;
And to his honours and his valiant parts
Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.
So that, dear lords, it I be left behind,
A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
The rites for which I love hiin are bereft me,
And I a heavy interim shall support
By his dear absence.98 Let me go with him.
Oth. Your voices, lords: beseech you, let her u ill
Have a free way.
Vouch with me, Heaven, I therefore beg it not,
To please the palate of my appetite ;
Nor to comply with heat (the young affects9'
In me defunct)"10 and proper satisfaction ;
But to be free and bounteous to her mind :
And Heaven defend your good souls, that you
think
I will your serious and great business scant
For she is with me : no, when light-wing'd toys
Of feather' d Cupid seel101 with wanton dulness
My speculative and offie'd instruments,102
That my disports corrupt and taint my business,
Let housewives make a skillet103 of my helm,
And all indign and base adversities
Make head against my estimation !1M
94. Prosperous. Here used for ' propitious,' ' prospering.'
95. That I did love the Moor to live with him, &*c. Here
is a notable instance of the way in which Shakespeare makes
his most gentle women speak out firmly and eloquently when
stress of need comes. See Note 12. Acti.. " Midsummer Night's
Dream." Desdemona, since her entrance, has remained silent,
save when directly appealed to by her father : when seconding
her husband's fiat, by echoing his " Nor I ;" and now when
replying to the duke's question. Desdemona is gentle even to
timidity ; but. like many women whose gentleness of nature has
been wrought into timidity by a too rigid strictness on the part
of those who bring them up, she is capable of singularly bold
action and self-assertion on rare occasions. Her independent
act in leaving her father's house, and marrying the man of her
choice, is precisely characteristic of the one and her present
speech is an eminent specimen of the other. Encouraged by
loving treatment, she is capable of exerting moral strength ;
chilled by severity, she is a moral coward. Desdemona has the
virtues of a gentle-natured woman ; but, alas ! she also has the
faults of a timid woman. This we shall take occasion to point
out as the story proceeds.
96. My dov/nnght violence and storm of fortunes. 'The
downright violence and storm of fortunes which I have volun-
tarily encountered in ordet to marry him ' We have frequently
pointed out the elliptical mode in which Shakespeare often uses
the possessive case. See Note :?. Act v.," Richard 111:" Note 100,
Act i , " Troilusand Cressida;" Note 73, Act iv., '' King Lear;"
and Note roa of the present Act and play. We point this out in
Duke. Be it as you -hall privately determine,
Either for her stay or going : the affair cries haste,
And speed must answer it.
First Sen. You must away to-night.
Oth. With all my heart.
Duke. At nine i' the morning here we'll meet
again.- -
Othello, leave some officer behind,
And he shall our commission bring to you;
With such things else of quality and respect
As doth import you.
Oth. So please your grace, my ancient ;
A man he is of honesty and trust :
To his conveyance I assign my wife,
With what else needful your good grace shall think
To be sent after me.
Duke. Let it be so. —
Good night to every one. — [To Bra.] And, noble
signior,
If virtue no delighted1"5 beauty lack,
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.
First Sen. Adieu, brave Moor ; use Desdemona
well.
Bra. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to
see :
She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee.
[Exeunt Duke, Senators, Officers, Gfr.
Oth. My life upon her faith ! — Honest Iago,
My Desdemona must I leave to thee :
I pr'ythee, let thy wife attend on her;
And bring them after in the best advantage. —
Come, Desdemona ; I have but an hour
Of love, of worldly matters and direction,
To spend with thee : we must obey the time.
[Exeunt Otheilo and Desdemona.
the present instance, because the passage has been much dis-
cussed : and, we think, by many discussers misunderstood.
97. Quality. Here used to express ' individual nature,' 'moral
and mental identity.' It has been asserted that here " quality "
is used in its sense of 'profession' (see Note 75, Act ii.,
"Hamlet"): but we think that the words, "I saw Othello's
visage in his mind," prove that our interpretation is right.
Shakespeare uses the words "quality" and "qualities" with
large variety of signification.
y8. His dear absence. ' His intensely-felt absence.' We
have heretofore pointed out the effect of intensity, whether in
a pleasant or painful sense, that "dear" bears in Shakespeare's
employment of the word. See Note 61, Act i., "As You Like
It ; " and Note 67 of the present Act.
99. Affects. An abbreviated form of ' affections.' See Note
94, Act i., " Richard II."
100. In me defunct. The old copies have ' my ' instead of
me." Rami's correction.
101. Seel. ' Blind,' ' close up ;' 'incapacitate.' SceNote47,
Act iii., " Macbeth."
1 ■ My speculative and offie'd instruments. 'My organs
of sight and action,' 'my visual and active powers.'
103. Skillet. A small kettle or boiler; old French, escuelte.
104. My estimation. 'The estimation in which I am held.'
See Note cf of this Act. The Quartos have 'reputation ' instead
of the Folio word, "estimation."
105. Delighted. Here used for 'delighting,' 'delightful,' or
' delighted in.' See Note 52, Act i., " King I » "
Act 1.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Rod. Iago, —
hgo. What sa)'st thou, noble heart p
Rod. What will I do, thinkest thou f
lago. Why, go to bed, and sleep.
Rod. I will incontinently100 drown myself.
lago. If thou dost, 1 shall never love thee after.
Why, thou silly gentleman !
lago. It is merely a lust of the blood and a
permission of the will. Come, be a man : drown
th\ self ! drou n cats and blind puppies. I have
professed me thy friend, and 1 confess me knit
to thy deserving with cables of perdurable11"
toughness; I could never better stead thee than
now. Put money in thy purse ; follow these wars ;
Rod. It is silliness to live when to live is tor- ' defeat thy favour111 with an usurped beard; I say,
mer.t; and then have we a prescription to die put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Des-
when death is our physician. demona should long continue her love to the
lago. Oh, villanous! I have looked upon the ' Moor, — put money in thy purse, — nor he his to
world for four times seven years;10' and since 1 her: it was a violent commencement, and thou
could distinguish betwixt a benefit and an injury, : shalt see an answerable sequestration ;us — put but
I never found man that knew how to love him- I money in thy purse. — 1 hese Moors are changeable
self. Ere I would say, I would drown myself for in their wills; — fill thy purse with money: the
the love of a guinea-hen, 10s I would change my ! fcod that to him now is as luscious as locusts,113
humanity with a baboon.
Rod. What should I do? I confess it is my
shame to be so fond ; but it is not in my virtue to
amend it.
lago. Virtue! a fig! 'tis in ourselves that we
are thus or thus. Our bodies are gardens ; to the
which our wills are gardeners : so that if we will
plant nettles, or sow lettuce ; set hyssop, and weed
up thyme; supply it with one gender of herbs, or
distract it with many; either to have it sterile
with idleness, or manured with industry ; why,
the power and corrigible authority of this lies in
our wills. If the balance of our lives had not one
scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the
blood and baseness of our natures would conduct
us to most preposterous conclusions : but we have
reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal
stings, our unhitted lusts; whereof I take this,
that you call love, to be a sectll|,J or scion.
Rod. It cannot be.
106. Incontinently. 'Immediately,' 'at once,' 'without
delay," ' without pause.'
107. / have looked jcpon the world for four times seven yours.
It is remarkable that Shakespeare has here taken pains to
specify the exact age of lago, as he has specified that of
Hamlet. See Note 28, Act v., "Hamlet." They are perhaps
the two most intellectual characters that our poet has drawn ;
and he has made them nearly of the same age, as if at that
period of life a man's intellect were at its culminating point of
activity and energy. But the manner in which the intellectual
gifts of the two men are influenced by their moral essence — the
one being as noble in nature as the other is vile, the one as
just and virtuous in impulse as the other is unjust and vicious,
the one as scrupulous and conscientious as the other is un-
B TUpulous and remorseless — is a perfect study in ethical phi-
1> iphy. That lago should be no more than twenty-eight years
old, and yel 50 versed in worldly ways, so decided in his
opinions, so competent in stratagem so expert in turning the
worthiest as well as the weakest points of human nature to his
purpose, so utterly without faith in goodness as he is, makes
hint 1 1 more an innate villain. His cynical contempt is not
the growth of sad experience or soured feeling, his coarseness
and h njncss are not the result of a long course of battling
with the world, the savage pertinacity of revenge is not the
offspring of an old-conceived resentment ; but he is a lianl,
cold-blooded, almost vivacious scoundrel, from inherent dis-
position, who uses his keen intellect with the same fierce joy
shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.114
She must change for youth : when she is sated
with him, she will find the error of her choice :
she must have change, she must : therefore put
money in thy purse. — If thou wilt needs doom
thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning.
Make all the money thou canst : if sanctimony
and a frail vow betwixt an erring115 barbarian
and a supersubtle Venetian be not too hard for
my wits, thou shalt have her ; therefore make
money. A plague of drowning th) self ! it is clean
out of the way: seek thou rather to be hanged in
compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go
without her.
Rod. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend
on the issue ?
Iago. Thou art sure of me : — go, make money :
— I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again
and again, I hate the Moor : rr.y cause is hearted ;
thine hath no less reason. Let ns be conjunctive
in its skill and power to destroy that he uses his sharp dagger
or sword.
108. A gitinea-hen. A cant term for a woman who may be
had for money — who may be bought over or purchased: a
mercenary woman. And it is characteristic of the base nature
of Iago — incapable of appreciating or believing in purity — that
he should apply such a term, even indirectly, to Desdemona.
109. A sect. That which gardeners call 'a cutting.'
no. Perdurable. ' Extra durable,' ' extremely lasting.' See
Note rox, Act iv., " Henry V."
in. Defeat thy favour. 'Disfigure thy countenance,' 'obli-
terate thy natural aspect,' 'disguise thy look.' See Note 27,
Act v., " Comedy of Errors :" and Note 32, Act v., " Hamlet."
112. Sequestration. Here used to indicate 'a mutual seques-
tration from each other's company,' 'a voluntary separation
between the married pair.'
ni. locusts. It has been asserted by some that this is in
allusion to the insects so called, which are eaten and considered
great delicacies in the East ; others believe it to refer to the
fruit of the locust-tree ; a long black pod that contains the seeds,
among which there is a very sweet, luscious juice, of much the
same consistency as fresh honey.
114. Coloquintida. The fruit of a plant bearing this name,
brought from the Levant, about the size of a large orange, and
often called hitler apple. It is used for medicinal purposes.
115. Erring. 'Erratic' 'wandering.' See Note 35, Act i.,
" Hamlet."
S48
Act I.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Roderigo. I will incontinently drown myself.
Iago If thou dost, I shall never love thee after.
Why, thou silly gentleman !
Act I. Scent III
in our revenge against him : if thou canst iniure
him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport.
There are many events in the ivomb of time, which
will be delivered. Traverse;116 go; provide thy
money. We will have more of this to-morrow.
Adieu.
Rod. Where shall we meet i' the morning ?
Iago. At my lodging.
Ho I. I'll be with thee betimes.
Iago. Go to ; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo ?
Rod. What say you ?
iago. No more of drowning, do you hear?
116. Traverse. An ancient form of the military command,
'march.' See Note 51, Act iii., " Second Part Henry IV."
117. Snipe. Inasmuch as a "woodcock" was frequently
applied as a nickname typical of silliness, so Shakespeare makes
Iago here call Roderigo by the name of a still smaller bird of
somewhat the same species, to denote his being ultra silly and
insignificant. See Note 92, Act i., " Taming of the Shrew."
Rod. I am changed : I'll sell all my land.
Iago. Go to; farewell: put money enough in
your purse. — [Exit Roderigo.
Thus do I ever make my fool my purse ;
For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane,
If I would time expend with such a snipe,11'
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor;
And it is thought abroad, that in my home
He hath betray'd me : I know not if't be true ;
But I, for mere suspicion in (hat kind,
Will do as if for surety.11* He holds me well ;119
The better shall my purpose work on him.
118. /, for mere suspicion . . . will do as if for surely.
Here "for" is, in both instances, used in the sense of ' fr. .:n ' or
'through;' the sentence meaning. 'I. from mere suspicion, will
act as if I acted, from certainty,' or 'as if I were certain of its
being the fact.'
119. He holds we well. ' He entertains a good opinion
of me.'
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Cassio's a proper1'-0 man : let me see now ;
To get his place, anil to plume up my will
In double knavery,121— How, how ?— Let 's see :-
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear
That he is too familiar with his wife :—
He hath a person, and a smooth dispose, '--
To be suspected ; fram'd to make women false.
The Moor is of a free ami open nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so ;
And will as tenderly be led by the nose
As asses are.
I have 't ; — it is engender'd :— hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's
light. \Exit.
ACT II.
SCENE L— A Seaport Tozun
Platform.
Cyprus. A
Enter Montano ami tivo Gentlemen.
Mon. What from the cape can you discern at
sea ?
First Gent. Nothing at all : it is a high-wrought
flood;
I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main,1
Descry a sail.
Mon. Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at
land;
A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements:
If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sen,
What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them,
Can hold the mortise?2 What shall we hear of
this?
Sec. Gent. A segregation 3 of the Turkish fleet :
For do but stand upon the foaming shore,
The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds;
The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous
mane,4
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,5
120. Proper. 'Comely,' 'personable,1 'handsome' See
Note 45. Act i., " Richard III."
121. To plume up my will in double kitaz'ery. This, in
Iago's mouth, has most characteristic effect ; as if any project
that involved reduplication of knavery were a feather in the cap
of his depraved will — a thing to plume himself upon as a feat of
intellectual volition. The words Shakespeare chooses are so
significant, so inclusive, that they suggest a crowd of images in
their expressive concisen
122. Dispose. Here used for 'disposition,' 'manner,' ' de-
meanour.'
i. 'Twixt the heaven and tlu- main. The first Quarto mis-
prints ' haven ' for "heaven" here, win!.: the Folio gives the word
rightly. Steevens suggested that " perhaps our author wrote
'the heavens ;'" ami Malone remarks that "the article prefixed
i. mgly supports the original copy, for applied to /teaven it is
extremely awkward." Bui the fact is that Shakespeare uses
" llie heaven ' no Pcwi t than twelve times in the course of hrs
plays; and here it is ussd emphatically to designate 'the sky.'
ln;"Love's Labour's Lost,' Vi iv, 2, Holofernes s,,ys,
' I lie sky, the welkin, the heaven." " The main " is here used
foi ' the 11 e 111.' ' the sea ;' as if the speaker had aid. ' twixt sky
and sea.'
And quench the guards of th' ever-fixed pole ;°
I never did like molestation view
On the enchafed flood.
Mon. If that the Turkish fleet
Be not enshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd ;
It is impossible to bear it out.
Enter a third Gentleman.
Third Gent. News, lads ! our wars are done.
The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks,
That their designment halts: a noble ship of
Venice
Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance
On most part of their fleet.
Mon. How ! is this true ?
Third Gent. The ship is here put in,
A Veronessa;" Michael Cassio,
Lieutenant to the warlike Moor Othello,
Is come on shore : the Moor himself 's at sea,
And is in full commission here for Cyprus.
Mon. I am glad on't ; 'tis a worthy governor.
Third Gent. But this same Cassio, — though he
speak of comfort
2. T//c mortise. The hole of one piece of timber fitted to
receive the tenon of another, forming a joint.
3. A segregation, ' A separated portion.'
4. With high and monstrous mane. The Folio prints
'maine,' the Quartos 'mayne' here; and we have always
adopted Mr. Charles tCnight's reading of " mane," agreeing
with him in supposing the image of .1 war-horse tossing its
mane to have been in the thoughts of the poet when writing this
line. Nevertheless, we have an idea that very possibly "main"
here may be the right word after all, employed in its sense of
' strength,' ' force,' ' violence,' as it is used in the familiar phrase,
'with might and wain.'
5. Tile burning bear. The constellation called 'the great
bear,1 near to the polar star.
6. The guards of tlC ever-JixHd pole. In allusion to ihc star
Arctophylax, which literally signifies the guard of the bear, or
north.
7. A Veronessa. This is the orthography of the Quartos, the
Folio giving ' Verennessa.' "AVeronessa" probably means a
ship 1'iiilt al the cost of the people belonging to Verona, a
city of the Veneti m state, and supplied for the service of the
Government at Venice. She is, therefore, first generally
styled "a noble ship of Venice," and then particularised as
" a Veronessa."
Act I]
OJ HELLO.
[Scene I.
Touching the Turkish loss,— yet lie looks sadly,
Ami prays the Moor be sate ; for they were parted
With foul and violent tempest.
Mo„. Pray Heaven he he;
For I have serv'd him, and the man commamjs
Like a full soldier.3 Let's to the seaside, ho!
As well to see the vessel that's come in,
As to throw out our e\es for brave Othello,
Even till we make (he main and the aerial blue
An indistinct regard,
Third Gent. Come, let 's do so ;
For every minute is expectancy
Of more arrivance.0
Enter Cassio.
Cas. Thanks, you, the valiant of this warlike isle,
That >o approve the Moor! Oh, let the heavens
Give him defence against the elements,
For I have lost him on a dangerous sea !
Mon. Is he well shipp'd ?
Cas. His barque is stoutly timber'd, and his pilot
Of very expert and approv'd allowance ;10
Therefore my hopes, not surfeited to death,
Stand in hold cure."
[ir.'tbin.] A sail, a sail, a sail !
Enter a fourth Gentleman.
Cas. What noise ?
hourth Gent. The town is empty ; on the brow
o' the sea
Stand ranks of people, anil they cry, "A sail!"
Cas. My hopes do shape him tor the governor.
[Guns heard.
Sec. Gent. They do discharge their shot of
courtesy :
Our friends at least.
Cas. I pray you, sir, go forth,
And give us truth who 'tis that is arriv'd.
Sec. Gem. I shall. [Exit.
Mon. But, good lieutenant, is your general
wi\ 'd ?
Cas. Most fortunately: he hath achiev'd a maid
That paragons description and wild fame ;
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
8. Like a fnU soldier. "Full" is used to express 'fully
accomplished," * plcnarily competent,' ' complete,' or ' completely
proficient.' See Note 17, Act i.
9- Arrivance. This is the form of the word as given in
the Quarto copies, the Folio giving 'arriu.incie.' We shall
have occasion to point out. as we proceed, that there is a
marked prevalence of words ending in "ce" to be traced in this
play.
10. Of very expert find approv'd allowance. ' Of very
allowed and proved expertness,'
11. My hopes, not surfeited la death, stand in bold cure.
' My tiopes, not having been utterly destroyed by re
false excitement and successive defeat, remain in confident
expectation of being fulfilled.'
12. Sear all excellency. This is the reading of the first
Quarto, while the Folio gives ' tire the ingener,
And in the essential vesture of creation
Does bear all excellency. a —
Re-enter second Gentleman.
How now ! who has put in ?
Sec. Gent. 'Tisone lago, ancient to the general.
Cas. Hehashadmostfavourableand happy speed:
Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds,
The gutter'd rocks, and congregated sands, —
Traitors ensteep'd to clog the guiltless keel, —
As having sense of beauty, do omit
Their mortal ,J natures, letting go safely by,
The divine Desdemona.
Mon. What is she ?
Cas. She that I spake of, our great captain's
captain.
Left in the conduct of the bold lago ;
Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts
A se'nnight's speed. — Great Jove,1'1 Othello guard,
A nil swell his sail with thine own powerful breath,
That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,
Mike love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,
Give renew'd tire to our extincted spirits,
And bring all Cyprus comfort! — Oh, behold,
Enter Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, Roderigo,
and Attendants.
The riches of the ship is come on shore !15
Ye men of Cyprus, let her have )Our knees. —
Hail to thee, lady! and the grace of Heaven,
Before, behind thee, and on every hand,
En wheel thee round !
lies. I thank you, valiant Cassio.
What tidings can you tell me of my lord ?
Cas. He is not yet arriv'd : nor know I aught
But that he's well, and will be shortly here.
Des. Oh, but I fear — How lost you company?
Cas. The great contention of the sea and skies
Parted our fellowship : —
[Within.] " A sail, a sail !"
Bui, hark ! a sail. [Guns heard.
Sec. Gent. They give their greeting to the
citadel :
1'his likewise is a friend.
13. Mortal. Here used for 'deadly,' 'destructive.' See
Note 68, Act ii., " Corio'anus."
14. Great Jozie. Malone observes, " For this absurdity I
have not the smallest doubt that the Master of the Revels, and
not our poet, is answerable." The same commentator made a
similar remark on the introduction of " Jove" elsewhere. See
Note 63, Act iv., "Henry V.; " and Noie 97, Act iv., " Second
Part Henry VI." Far from thinking that there is either "ab-
surdity " in the word, or that it was a substitution for any other,
we believe it to have been the author's own word, characteristi-
cally put into Cassio's mouth here. To thi- day [talians use
mythological adjurations in common with Christian appeals;
and in Shakespeare's time the custom was almost universal. See
also Note I . A 1 iii,
15. The riches of the ship is conic on shore "Riches" is
here treated as a collective noun. See Note 72, Act i.
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Cas. See for the news. —
[Exit Gentleman.
Good ancient, you are welcome : — [To Emilia.]
Welcome, mistress: —
Let it not gall your patience, good Iago,
'I hat I extend my manners ; 'tis my breeding
That gives me this bold show of courtesy.
[Kissing her.
Iago. Sir, would she give you so much of her lips
As cf her tongue she oft bestows on me,
You'd have enough.
Des. Alas! she his no speech.
Iago. In faith, too much ;
I find it still, when I have list10 to sleep :
Marry, before your ladyship, I grant,
She puts her tongue a little in her heart,
And chides with thinking.
Em I. You have little cause to say so.
Iago. Coine on, come on ; you are pictures out
of doors,
Bells in your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchens,
Saints in your injuries,'" devils being offended,
Players in your housewifery, and housewives in
your beds.
Des. Oh, fie upon thee, slanderer !
Iago. Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk :
You rise to play, and go to bed to work.
Emit. You shall not write my praise.
Iago. No, let me not.
Des. What woilldst thou write of me, if thou
shouldst praise me ?
Iago. Oh, gentle lady, do not put me to 't ;
For I am nothing, if not critical.18
Drs. Come on, assay. — There's one gone to
the harbour ?
Iago. Ay, madam.
Drs. I am not merry ; but I do beguile
The thing I am, by seeming otherwise. —
Come, how wouldst thou praise me?
Iago. I am about it; but, indeed, my invention
Comes from my pate as birdlime does from frize, —
It plucks out brains and all : but my Muse labours,
And thus she is deliver' d.
If she be fair and wise, — fairness and wit,
16. List. 'Desire,' 'inclination.1 This is the word in the
I'n 1 Quarto, while the other Quartos and the Folio misprint
' leave ' for " list."
17. .Saints in your injuries. 'Sanctimonious when you are
committing injuries.' "Your injuries" here affords another
example of the peculiar manner in which Shakespeare occa-
sionally uses the possessive case. See Note 104, Act i.
. • ritual Here used for 'cynical,' 'censorious.' See
Note 8 ,. \> 1 iv . " Love's Labour's Lost;" and Note 24, Act v.,
" 1 roilus and Cressida."
11 On tlmt,in the authority oj tiei m rit, did justly, &>c.
' One who, in the consi iousness ol her own merit, due challenge
the 1!'' si ition of malice itself on her behalf.' " I'm on " is here
used in the sense it b ire "l 'u/ge,' ' incite,' 'instigate,' 'provoke.'
j ■ 1, Ai ■ 1 ., " Kin ■ I e u "
so. Tci cluinge tie ■ id Ji> the salmon's tail. Im-
plying, to exi hange .1 delicacy for .1 less-esteemed morsel. In
The one 's for use, the other useth it.
Des. Well prais'd ! How if she be black and
witty f
Iago. If she be black, and thereto have a wit,
She 'II find a white that shall her blackness fit,
Des. Worse and worse.
Emil. How if fair and foolish ?
Iago. She never yet was foolish that was fair ;
For even her folly help'd her to an heir.
Des. These are old fond paradoxes to make
fools laugh i' the alehouse. What miserable praise
hast thou for her that's foul and foolish ?
Iago. There's none so foul, and foolish thereunto,
But does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do.
Des. Oh, heavy ignorance ! — thou praisest the
worst best. But what praise couldst thou bestow
on a deserving woman indeed, — one that, in the
authority of her merit, did justly put on the vouch
of very malice itself!"9
Iago. She that was ever fair, and never proud ;
Hail tongue at will, and yet was never loud ;
Never lack'd gold, and yet went never gay ;
Fled from her wish, and yet said, " Now I may ;"
She that, being anger'd, her revenge being nigh,
Bade her wrong stay, and her displeasure flv ;
She that in wisdom never was so frail
To change the cod's head for the salmon's tail ;20
She that could think, and ne'er disclose her mind ;
See suitors following, and not look behind ;
She was a wight,-1 if ever such wight were, —
Des. To do what ?
Iago. To suckle fools, and chronicle small
beer.-2
Des. Oh, most lame and impotent conclusion !
— Do not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy
husband. — How say you, Cassio ? is he not a most
profane and liberal counsellor f'23
Cas. He speaks home, madam : you may relish
him more in the soldier than in the scholar.
Iago. [Aside.] He takes her by the palm: ay,
well said,24 whisper: with as little a web as this
will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Av, sini.'e
upon her, do; I will gyve thee in thine own court-
ship.25 You say true ; 'tis so, indeed : if such
Queen Elizabeth's Household Book for the forty-third year of
her reign, there is — " Item, the master cookes to have to fee all
the salmons' tailes," &c.
2i. A wight. An old term for 'a person.' See Note 39,
Act i., " Merry Wives."
22. To suckle Jools. and chronicle small beer. Implying, to
suckle such foolish children as she would have, and keep the
household accounts.
23. A most profane and liberal counsellor. "Profane" is
used for 'infamous,' 'unhallowed' (see Note 27, Act i. );
"liberal" for 'licentious,' and "counsellor" for 'instructor,'
' preceptor.'
24. Well said. Often, as here, used for ' well done.' See
Note 97, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
25. Gyve thee in thine own courtship, "Gyve" is 'fetter,'
shackle' (see Note 70, Act iv., "Hamlet): and "courtship"
here means 'courtesy,' or 'courteous behaviour.'
Act 11 J
OTHELLO.
[Scene 1.
tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry,-"
it had been better you had not kissed your three
fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt
to play the sir-7 in. Very good; well kissed! an
excellent courtesy !2S 'tis so, indeed. Yet again
your fingers to your lips ? would they were blisters
for your sake! [Trumpet heard.']-- The Moor ! I
know his trumpet.
Cas. 'Tis truly so.
Des. Let 's meet him, and receive him.
Cas. Lo, where he comes!
Enter Othello and Attendants.
Oth. Oh, my fair warrior!29
Des. My dear Othello!3"
Oth. It gives me wonder great as my content
To see you here before me. Oh, my soul's joy !
If after every tempest come such calms,
May the winds blow till they have waken'd death !
And let the labouring barque climb hills of seas
Olympus-high, and duck again as low
As hell 's from heaven ! If it were now to die,
'Twere now to be most happy; for, I fear,
My soul hath her content so absolute,
That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds in unknown fate.
Des. The heavens forbid
But that our loves and comforts should increase,
Even as our days do grow !
Oth. Amen to that, sweet powers ! —
I cannot speak enough of this content ;
It stops me here ; it is too much of joy :
And this, and this [kissing her], the greatest dis-
cords be
That e'er our hearts shall make !
Iago. [Aside] Oh, you are well-tun' d now!
But I'll set down the pegs31 that make this music,
As honest as I am.
26. Lieutenantry. Here used for ' lieutenancy,' or ' lieu-
tenantship.'
27. To play tJie sir. ' To play the fine gentleman,' ( to enact
the courtier.' " Sir" used as a noun is not unusual in Shake-
speare. See Note 90, Act ii., " King Lear."
28. An excellent courtesy ! The word " courtesy " here may
either mean ' piece of courteous behaviour,' in allusion to Cassio's
kissing his hand " so oft ; " or it may mean that he bows to Des-
deroona while speaking to her ; since "courtesy" or'court'sy'
was applied formerly to a man's as well as a woman's act of
salutation. See Note 95, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
29. Oh, myf.iir warrior I Othello playfully applies this name
to his wife, in allusion to her having refused to " be left behind,
a moth of peace, and he go to the war." It was a term, like
those explained in Note 25, Act i.. " All's Well," which it was
1'' fashion for amorous gallants to bestow upon their mistresses,
apposed 1 ruelty and antagonism it was usual to deprecate.
Konsard, the French s letteer, frequently calls his channels
g-Herrieres; and Southern, who imitated him. has in his fifth
sonnet, " And, my warrier, my light shines in thy fair eyes."
In his sixth sonnet twice ; thus :
" I am not, my cruel warrier, the Thebain," &c.
" I came not. my warrier, of the blood Lidain," &c
See Note iu4, Act iii. of the present play.
Oth. Come, let us to the castle. —
News, friends; our wars are done, the Turks are
drown'd.
How does my old acquaintance of this isle ? —
Honey, you shall be well desir'd in Cyprus ;
I have found great lo.e amongst them. Oh, my
sweet,
I prattle out of fashion,3- and I dote
In mine own comforts. — I pr'ythee, good Iago,
Go to the bay, and disembark my coffers:
Bring thou the master to the citadel ;
He is a good one, and his worthiness
Does challenge much respect. — Come, Desde-
mona,
Once more well met at Cyprus.
[Exeunt Othello, Dkdemona,
and Attendants.
Iago. Do thou meet me presently at tie harbour.
Come hither. If thou be 'st valiant, — as, they sav,
base men33 being in love have then a nobility in
their natures more than is native to them, — list
me. The lieutenant to-night watches on the court
of guard:34 — first, I must tell thee this — Desde-
mona is directly in love with him.
Rod. With him ! why, 'tis not possible.
Iago. Lay thy finger thus,35 and let thy soul be
instructed. Mark me with what violence she first
loved the Moor, but for bragging, and telling her
fantastical lies : and will she love him still for
prating ? let not thy discreet heart think it. Her
eye must be fed ; and what delight shall she have
to look on the devil ? When the blood is made
dull, there should be, — -again to inflame it, — love-
liness in favour, sympathy in years, manners, and
beauties; all which the Moor is defective in: now,
for want of these required conveniences, her delicate
tenderness will find itself abused, begin to heave
the gorge, disrelish and abhor the Moor; very
30. My dear Othello I Exquisitely true to such a nature as
Desdemona's, her having no more words than this simple ex-
clamation in which to express her full-hearted happiness : while
equally true to the glowing ardour of such a nature as Othello's
is his giving way to that burst of eloquent tenderness which
describes the overflow of his manly delight.
31. I'll set Jozuu the pegs. Pope substituted ' let ' for "set "
here : but it is possible that to " set down the pegs " of an in-
strument was formerly as much a musical technicality as is now
' let down the pegs.'
32. Out of fashion. ' Out of conventional method,' 'con-
trary to usual form.'
33. Base men, &*c. The insolent contempt with which Iago
treats Roderigo, not even caring to conceal the disdain he feels
for his inferiority of intellect and weak credulity, is one of the
peculiarities of his tact in swaying this poor dupe. It coolly
assumes his own superiority as an incontrovertible fact, which
imposes upon his victim, and tames him into unquestioning sub-
mission.
34. T/ie court of guard. The place where the guard musters.
See Note 1, Act ii., " First Part Henry VI."
35. Lay thy finger thus. Implying, lay thy finger on
thy lips, and be silent, while a wiser man than thyself
speaks.
Act II.]
OTIIKLLO.
[Scene I.
nature will instruct her in it, and compel her to
some second choice. Now, sir, this granted, — as it
is a most pregnant30 and unforced position, — who
stands so eminently in the degree of this fortune as
Cassio does? a knave very voluble; no farther
conscionable than in putting on the mere form
of civil and humane seeming, for the better com-
passing of his salt and most hidden loose affection ?
why, none; why, none: a subtle, slippery knave ;
a finder-out of occasions ; that has an eye can
stamp and counterfeit advantage?, though true
advantage never present itself. Besides, the knave
is handsome, young, and hath all those requisites
in him that folly and green3'' minds look after : a
pestilent complete knave; and the woman hath
found him already.
Rod. I cannot believe that in her ; she 's full of
most blessed condition.38
Ingo. Blessed fig's-end ! the wine she drinks is
made of grapes : if she had been blessed, she would
never have loved the Moor : blessed pudding !
Didst thou not see her paddle with the palm of his
hand ? didst not mark that ':
Rod. Yes, that I did ; but that was but courtesy.
lago. Levity, by this hand ; an index39 and
obscure prologue to the history of foid thoughts.
They met so near with their lips, that their breaths
embraced together. Villanous thoughts, Roderigo !
when these mutualities so marshal the way, hard at
hand comes — pish ! — But, sir, be you ruled by me :
I have brought you from Venice. Watch you
to-night; for the command, I'll lay 't upon you :
Gassio knows you not : — I'll not be far from you :
do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either
by speaking too loud, or tainting40 his discipline;
or from what other course you please, which the
time shall more favourably minister.
Rod-. Well.
Ingo. - Sir, he is rash, and very sudden in choler,
and haply may strike at you: provoke him, that he
may ; for even out of that will I cause these of
Cyprus to mutiny; whose qualification •" shall come
into no true taste again but by the displanting of
Cassio. So shall you have a shorter journey to
your desires, by the means I shall then have to
prefer42 them ; and the impediment most profitably
removed, without the which there were no expec-
tation of our prosperity.
Rod. 1 will do this, if I can bring it to any
opportunity.
lago. I warrant thee. Meet me by-and-by at
the citadel : 1 must fetch his necessaries ashore.'13
Farewell.
Rod. Adieu. [Exit.
lago. That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it;
That she loves him, 'tis apt, and of great credit :
The Moor, — howbeit that I endure him not, —
Is of a constant, loving, noble nature ;
And I dare think he'll prove to Desdemona
A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too ;
Not out of absolute lust, — though peradventure
I stand accountant for as great a sin, —
But partly led to diet my revenge,
For I suspect the Moor : the thought whereof
Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards ;
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am even'd with him, wife for wife ;
Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousy so strong
That judgment cannot cure. Which thing to
do, —
If this poor trash of Venice, whom 1 trash
For his quick hunting,'11 stand the putting on,45 —
I'll have our Michael Cassio on the hip ;46
36. Pregnant. Here used to express 'full of plausibility.'
37. Green. ' Immature,' ' inexperienced.'
38. Condition. ' Qualities of nature.' ' moral disposition.'
See Note 53, Act i., " Merchant of Venice."
39. Index. Formerly placed at the commencement of books.
See Note 138, Act iii., " Hamlet."
40. Tainting. ' Throwing a slur upon,' ' impugning.'
41. Qualification. Here used for 'allayed anger,' 'abated
displeasure,1 'assuaged wrath,' 'appeasement,' 'pacification.'
Baret has — "To appease and qualifie one that is angrie ;" and
Shakespeare uses the word " qualified" in two passages so as to
support this interpretation of the word "qualification" here.
See the speech referred to in Note 1, Act v., " King John,"
and the penultimate speech before the one referred to in Note
86, Act i.. " King Lear;" also, Note 55 of the present Act.
42. Prefer. 'Advance.' ' promote.'
43. / must fetch his necessaries ashore. Even the word
"his" here in reference to Othello, without naming him or
giving him his title, has characteristic effect in Iago's mouth as
a piece of cool, off-hand, slighting mention ; and therefore cal-
culated to confirm the impression he wishes to produce upon
Roderigo of hatred towards the Moor.
44. I/this poor trash of Venice, ivJtom I trash for fits, cVr.
The second "trash" in this line is printed 'trace' (probably a
form of 'trass' or "trash": in the Folio and second and third
Quartos ; while the first Quarto misprints it ' crush.' All the
old copies agree in giving the first " trash" in the line correctly.
We think it likely that the present is one of the many passages
where Shakespeare gives a closely repeated word (see Note 103,
Act ii., " Henry V. ;" Note 52, Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida ;"
Note 25, Act iv., " Coriolanus ;" and Note 24, Act 1., " Timon
of Athens "), for the sake of emphatic or quibbling effect ; and
that the second " trash " is used in the sense of ' check,' ' stop,'
'keep back.' See Note 20, Act i. , "Tempest." That a sport-
ing term is here intended, is shown b> the expression, " for his
quick hunting : " lago meaning that he restrains Roderigo like
a hound for his too impatient pursuit of Desdemona. The first
" trash " being used as a scoffing epithet, and afterwards, farther
on in the play, in the same manner, is consistent with a practice
which we have pointed out as belonging to Shakespeare's style.
See Note 10, Act v.
45. Stand the pntting on. ' Brook the urging.' ' bear the
instigation.' Here "the putting on" refers to Iago's inciting
Roderigo to pick a quarrel with Cassio, in contradistinction to
" trash for his quick hunting," which refers to Iago's restraining
Roderigo from too keenly pursuing Desdemona : and this talk-
ing of restraint and incitement in a breath gives complete effect
to Iago's ascendancy over his dupe. He can either pull him
back or push him on at pleasure.
46. I'll have our Michael Cassio on the hip. An expression
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scenes II., III.
Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb,4'' —
l'"or I fear Cassio with my night-cap too ; —
Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me,
For making him egregiously an ass,
And practising upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness. 'Tis here, but yet confus'.i :
Knavery's plain face is never seen till us'd.49
[Exit.
SCENE II.- A Street.
Enter a Herald tvith a proclamation ; People
fol/oiving.
Her. It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and
valiant general, that, upon certain tidings now
arrived, importing the mere13 perdition of the
Turkish fleet, every man put himself into triumph;
some to dance, some to make bonfires, each man
to what sport and revels his addiction leads him :
for, besides these beneficial news, it is the celebra-
tion of his nuptial : — so much was his pleasure
should be proclaimed. All offices50 are open ; and
there is full liberty of feasting from this present
hour of five till the bell have told eleven. Heaven
bless the isle of Cyprus an 1 our noble general
Othello! [Exeunt.
used in wrestling, meaning ' to have an antagonist at thorough
disadvantage,' ' to have him completely within the speaker's
power.' See Note 61, Act i., " Merchant of Venice."
47. In the rank garb. ' In the coarsest fashion,' ' in the most
rampantly free style.' For the manner in which Shakespeare
uses " rank" see passage referred to in Note 57, Act i., " Troilus
and Cressida ;" and for his mode of using " garb'' see the pas-
sage referred to in Note 51, Act ii., " King Lear." The Folio
misprints ' right ' hire for " rank ; " which is the word given in
the Quartos.
48. Knavery's plain fate is never seen till us'd. ' The full
design of knavery is never visible until the moment comes for its
being put in practice.' Iago's complacent contemplation of his
own villany, his willing self-admission of scoundrelism, are
thoroughly those of a man whose pride of intellect is all-engross-
ing, and who has no one perception of moral beauty or dignity,
lie can even afford to allow that " the Moor is of a free and
open nature," that he " is of a constant, loving, noble nature,"
even though he hates him, because he holds these as very poor
and contemptible characteristics ; he carelessly admits the pos-
sibility of his having an adulterous liking for Desdemona, but
chooses to ascribe it quite as much to desire of " revenge" as
preference ; and remorselessly plans the ruin of Cassio from no
stronger millvc than bare suspicion and professional envy ; his
sovereign thought, through all, being his own superiority of in-
tellect, which can crush these simple good people from out of his
p Hi at will, as if they were so many miserable worms.
41 Mere 'Absolute,' 'complete,' 'utter.' See Note 48,
Act iii., " Merchant of Venice."
50. Offices. The rooms in the castle where refreshments were
prepared and dispensed. See Note 36, Act ii., "Timon of
Athens."
51. Good .Ifichiel, look you to the guard. These few words,
introduced at this juncture, are illustrative of Shakespeare's
peculiar skill in dramatic art. They seem insignificant ; but
they give augmented effect to Othello's subsequent
( assio's being betrayed not only into neglect of duty in pre-
SCENE HI.— A Hall in the Castle.
Enter Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and
Attendants.
Oth. Good Michael, look you to the guard51
to-night :
Let's teach ourselves that honourable stop,
Not to outsport discretion.
Cas. Iago hath direction what to do ;
But, notwithstanding, with my personal eye
Will I look to't.
Oth. Iago is most honest.
Michael, good night : to-morrow with your earliest
Let me have speech with you. — [To Des.] Come,
my dear love. —
Good night. [Exeunt Othello, Desdemona,
and Attendants.
Enter I AGO.
Cas. Welcome, Iago ; we must to the watch.
Iago. Not this hour, lieutenant; 'tis not yet ten
o'clock. Our general cast us52 thus early tor the
love of his Desdemona ; whom let us not therefore
blame.
Cas. She 's a most exquisite lady.
Iago. What an eye she has ! methinks it sounds
a parley to provocation.
Cas. An inviting eye; and yet methinks right
modest.53
serving order, but into breach of order himself. They also
serve to set well before the mind Othello's trust and confidence
in Cassio as his chosen officer, and his liking for him as a per-
sonal friend ; calling him by his Christian name, " Michael,"
which, after the one final impressive appeal to him — "How
comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot ?" — he never again uses.
52. Cast us. ' Dismissed us,' 'sent us to our posts,' ' ap-
pointed us to our stations.'
53. Vet nutkinks right modest. It is worthy of observation,
how wonderfully this brief morsel of dialogue is made to serve the
dramatist's purpose in development of character. It shows the
hard intellectual calculator, Iago, dallying with unhallowed sug-
gestions, and presenting them to the thought of the man whom
he hopes to corrupt and sway to his purpose ; while the imagina-
tion of even the sensualist, Cassio, is held within bounds by the
more potent influence of Desdemona's pure immaculacy. It is the
counteracting power of virtue against vice; the might of in-
nocence over guilt ; and while depicting forcibly the natures of
the two men, indirectly denotes that of the woman. It has been
the fashion to speak of "the decent character of Cassio" here
as " most powerfully contrasted with that of the licentious Iago ; "
but the fact is, Cassio is a man of far warmer temperament
than Iago, and is a man of "licentious" conduct, while Iago's
passions are ever kept subordinated to his intellect and will.
Cassio is free-mannered and free-spoken with such women as
Emilia and Bianca ; but he has sufficient good in him to be
modest-mannered, modest-spoken, and even modest-thoughted
towards Desdemona. Iago has perception of personal beauty ;
but no other perception of moral beauty than as something
weak, which may be turned to advantageous account by his
intellectual strength. He can perceive that " she is of so free,
so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in
her goodness not to do more than' she is requested;" he can
even admit, in communing with himself, that " 'tis most easy
the inclining Desdemona to subdue in any honest suit: she's
fiain'd as fruitful as the free elements:" but this power to see
her excellence prompts him to spare her no jot either in act
556
Act I I.J
OI'IIELLO.
[Scene III.
lago. And when she speaks, is it not an alarum
to love ?
Cas. She is, indeed, perfection.
lego. Well, happiness to their union! Come,
lieutenant, I have a stoop54 of wine; and here
without are a brace of Cyprus gallants that would
fain have a measure to the health of black Othello.
Cas. Not to-night, good lago : I have very
poor and unhappy brains for drinking: I could
well wish courtesy would invent some other cus-
tom of entertainment.
lago. Oil, they are our friends; but one cup:
I'll drink for you.
Cas. 1 have drunk but one cup to-night, and
that was craftily qualified" too, and, behold, what
innovation it makes here : I am unfortunate in the
infirmity, and dare not task my weakness with any
more.
lago. What, man ! 'tis a night of revels : the
gallants desire it.
Cas. Where are they ?
lago. Here at the door; I pray vou, call
them in.
Cas. I'll do 't ; but it dislikes me.5* [Exit.
lago. It I can fasten but one cup upon him,
With that which he hath drunk to-night already,
He'll be as full of quarrel and orlence
As my young mistress' dog. Now, my sick fool
Rodeiigo,
Whom love has turn'd almost the wrong side out,
To Desdemona hath to-night carous'd
Potations pottle deep ; and he 's to watch :
Three lads of Cyprus, — noble swelling spirits,
That hold their honours in a wary distance,
The very elements5? of this warlike isle, —
Hive I to-night fluster'd with flowing cups,
And they watch too. Now, 'mongst this flock of
drunkards,
against her peace or thought against her purity. He classes her
with the rest of her sex ; whom lie, in his rankness of intellectual
pride, despises as naturally frail, and denounces as naturally
gross.
54. A stoop. A vessel for holding a measure of wine. Sec
Note 22, Act ii., " Twelfth Night."
55. Craftily qualified. ' Secretly allayed with water,' 'slily
abated in strength of quality by the admixture of water.'
56. // dislikes me. ' It displeases me,' ' it is distateful to me ;'
' I do it unwillingly." See Note 13, Act ii., " Romeo and
Juliet."
57. Elements. Implying, fellows as quick in opposition as
fire and water.
58. If consequence do but afifiroz'e my dream. ' If the issue
do but prove accordant with the scheme I have previsionarily
formed.'
59. A rouse. 'A deep draught.' Sec Note 56*. Act i. ,
"Hamlet."
Go. Your Dane, your German, See Note 50, Act i. , '■ -Mer-
chant of Venice ;"' and Note 109. Act i., " Hamlet."
61. A re not/ting to your English. ' Compared ' is elliptically
understood before "to." Henry Peacham, in his " Compleat
Gentleman" ^1622, has a section entitled " Drinking the Plague
of our English Gentry," wherein he says, " Within these fiftie
Am I to put our Cassto in some action
That may offend the isle :— but here they come :
If consequence do but approve my dream,5d
My boat sails freely, both with wind and stream.
Re-enter Cassio, •with him Montano and Gentle-
men. Servainjoi/oxuing •with 'wine.
Cas. Tore heaven, they have given me a rouse59
already.
Mon. Good faith, a little one; not past a pint,
as I am a soldier.
lago. Some wine, ho !
[Singing.]
And let me the canakin clink, clink :
And let me the canakin clink :
A soldier's a man ;
A life 's but a span ;
Why, then, let a soldier drink.
Some wine, boys !
Cas. 'Fore heaven, an excellent song.
lago. I learned it in England, where, indeed,
they are most potent in potting : \ our Dane, your
German,™ and your swag-bellied Hollander, —
Drink, ho ! — are nothing to your English.61
Cas. Is your Englishman so exquisite62 in his
drinking ?
lago. Why, he drinks you, with facility, your
Dane dead drunk ; he sweats not to overthrow
your Alinain ; he gives your Hollander a vomit,
ere the next pottle63 can be filled.
Cas. To the health of our general !
Mon. I am for it, lieutenant; and I'll do you
justice.64
lago. Oh, sweet England!
King Stephen was a worthy peer,65
His breeches cost him but a crown ;
He held them sixpence all too dear,
With that he call'd the tailor lowu.M
or three score yeares it was a rare thing with us to see a drunken
man, our nation carrying the name of the most sober and tem-
perate of any other in the world. But since we had to doe in
the quarrell of the Netherlands, the custom of drinking and
pledging healthes was brought over into England , wherein let
the Dutch be their owne judges, if we cquall them not : yea, I
think rather excell them."
62. Exquisite. This is the word given in the Folio and two
of the Quarto copies ; while the first Quarto has ' expert,' which
latter word has been adopted by several modern editors. We
cannot help thinking that "exquisite" was intended here by
Shakespeare : because it is a favourite word of Cassio's. He
uses it before in this same scene — " She's a most exquisite lady ; "
and again, subsequently in this scene, " This is a more exquisite
song than the other ;" moreover, it is a well-chosen word to put
into the mouth of a drunkard, with his natural use of a familiar
word, and with the humorous effect of his thick-spoken utter-
ance.
63. Pottle. See Note 21, Act ii., " Merry Wives."
64. Do you justice. ' Drink as much as you do.' See Note
53, Act v., " Second Part Henry IV."
65. Peer. This title, as well as ' lord ' and ' duke,' was some-
time applied to a king in old romances and ballads.
66. Loivn. ' Lout,' ' loon," 'stupid fellow.'
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
He was a wight of high renown,
And thou art but of low degree :
I , .nde that pulls the country down i
Then take thine auld cloak about thee.or
Some wine, ho !
Cas. Why, this is a more exquisite song than
the other.
lago. Will you hear 't again ?
Cas. No ; for I hold him to be unworthy of his
place that does those things. Well,— heaven 's
above all ; and there be souls must be saved, and
there be souls must not be saved.
Iago. It 's true, good lieutenant.
Cas. For mine own part, — no offence to the
general, nor any man of quality, — I hope to be
saved.
Iago. And so do I too, lieutenant.
Cas. Ay, but, by your leave, not before me ;
the lieutenant is to be saved before the ancient.
Let's have no more of this; let's to our affairs.—
Forgive us our sins! — Gentlemen, let's look to
our business. Do not think, gentlemen, I am
drunk : this is my ancient ; — this is my right hand, .
and this is my left hand : — I am not drunk now ;
I can stand well enough, and speak well enough.
All. Excellent well.
Cas. Why, very well, then ; you must not think,
then, that I am drunk. [Exit.
Man. To the platform, masters; come, let's
set the watch.
Iago. You see this fellow that is gone before ; —
He is a soldier fit to stand by Cssar68
And give direction : and do but see his vice ;
'Tis to his virtue a just equinox,
The one as long as the other : 'tis pity of him.
I fear the trust Othello puts him in,
On some odd time of his infirmity,
Will shake this island.
Man. But is he often thus ?
Iago. 'Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep :
He'll watch the horologe a double set,
If drink rock not his cradle.69
Man. It were well
The general were put in mind of it.
Perhaps he sees it not ; or his good nature
67. Then take thine auld cloak about thee. In Percy's
"Reliques" there is a ballad bearing the name of " Take thy
old cloak about thee," which contains a stanza slightly varied
from these line, sung by Iago.
68. He is a soldier fit to. <5rv. Compare this with Iago's
disparagement <.f C.is*; , in the opening scene of the play ; and
see how, for his purpose, he can praise or dispraise. To
Rodcrigo he can lie ^wa way, to Montano another; equally
raise, perhaps, the very low or the very high estimate of I
i .hip.
69. Hell -watch the horologe a • . V set, if shirk, .":-.■
' He'll keep awake while the clock marks two rounds of twelve
1 it each, if he have not drink to make him sleep.' '' Horo-
f" was used for a time-piece; whether clork. watch, or
hour-glass.
Pnzes the virtue that appears in Cassio,
And looks not on his evils : is not this true ?
Enter Roderigo.
Iago. [Aside to him.'] How now, Roderigo !
1 pray you, after the lieutenant; go.
[Exit Roderigo.
Mon. And 'tis great pity that the noble Moor
Should hazard such a place as his own second,
With one of an engraft"0 infirmity :
It were an honest action to say
So to the Moor.
Iago. Not I, for this fair island :
I do love Cassio well ; and would do much
To cure him of this evil — But, hark! what noise ?
[Cry %vitbin, — " Help ! help !"
Re-enter Cassio, driving in Roderigo.
Cas. You rogue ! you rascal !
Mon. What 's the matter, lieutenant ?
Cas. A knave ! — teach me my duty !
I'll beat the knave into a twiggen?1 bottle.
Rod. Beat me !
Cas. Dost thou prate, rogue ?
[Striking Roderigo.
Mon. [Staying bim.] Nay, good lieutenant ;
I pray you, sir, hold your hand.
Cas. Let me go, sir,
Or I'll knock you o'er the mazard."
Mon. Come, come, you 're drunk.
Cas. Drunk ! [Tbey fight.
Iago. [Aside to Roderigo.] Away, I say ; go
out, and cry a mutiny ! [Exit Rod.
Nay, good lieutenant, — alas ! gentlemen ; —
Help, ho! — Lieutenant, — sir,— Montano, — sir ; —
Help, masters! — Here's a goodly watch indeed!
[Bell rings.
Who 's that that rings the bell ?— Diablo, ho !"3
The town will rise : heaven's will, lieutenant, hold !
You will be sham'd for ever.
Re-enter Othello and Attendants.
Oth. What is the matter here?
Mon. 'Zounds, I bleed stil'
death."4
I am hurt to the
70. Engraft. An abbreviated form of ' engrafted ; ' used in
the -ensc of ' rooted,' ' inveterate.' See Note 58, Act i., " King
Lear,"
71. Twiggen. ' Made of twigs,' ' wicker.'
72. Mazard. ' The jaw.* See Note 17, Act v., " Hamlet."
73. Diablo, ho ! Appropriately put into the mouth of the
Italia/: Iago. See Notes 44, Act i., and 14, Act ii. of this
play. *
74. / aw hurt to the death. The first Quarto prints this line
thus; the Folio omits "zounds," and adds "he dies" at the
close of the line ; while the second and third Quartos give "he
faints" as a stage direction. But Othello's " Hold, for your
lives!" and Iago's words, " Hold, lieutenant ! — sir, — Montano,
— gentlemen, — &c. ." show that the contest is still proceeding,
and therefore that one of them cannot have fainted.
55S
ACT II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Otb. Hold, for your lives !
[ago. Hold, hold, lieutenant !— sir, — Montano,
— gentlemen, — ■
Have vou forgot all sense of place75 and duty ?
Hold! the general sneaks to you; hold, for shame !
Otb. Why, how now, ho! from whence ariseth
this?
Are we turn'd Turks, and to ourselves do that
Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites ?
For Christian shame, out by this barbarous brawl :
He that stirs next to carve76 for his own rage
Holds his soul light; he dies upon his motion. —
Silence that dreadful bell ! it frights the isle
From her propriety. — What is the matter,
masters ? —
Honest Iago, that look'st dead with grieving,
Speak, who began this? on thy love, I charge
thee.
Iago. I do not know : — friends all but now,
even now,
In quarter,7' and in terms like bride and groom
Devesting them for bed ; and then, but now
(As if some planet had unwitted men),
Swords out, and tilting one at other's breast,
In opposition bloody. I cannot speak
Any beginning to this peevish odds;
And would in action glorious I had lo;t
Those legs that brought me to a part of it !
Oth. How comes it, Michael, you are thus
forgot?78
Cas. I pray you, pardon me ; I cannot speak.
Otb. Worthy Montano, you were wont be
civil ;
The gravity and stillness of your youth
The world hath noted, and your name is great
In mouths of wisest censure ;79 what 's the matter,
That you unlace your reputation thus,
And spend your rich opinion 80 for the name
Of a night-brawler ? give me answer to it.
Mon. Worthy Othello, I am hurt to danger :
Your officer, Iago, can inform you, —
75. All sense of place. The old copies misprint it thus trans-
posedly, 'all place of sense.' Hanmer's correction.
76. Carve. ' Hew recklessly. ' Sec Note 84, Act ii.,
"Richard II."
77. In quarter. ' On our station,' ' at our posts.' In " King
John," Act v., sc. 5, the Dauphin says, " Keep good quarter,
and good care to-niglit ; " and in " Timon of Athens," Act v.,
sc. 5, Alcibiades says, "Not a man shall pass his quarter."
The word means the military place, station, or post, for the
time appointed ; and in the present instance, this was the hall
of the castle, " the court of guard." See Note 34 of this Act.
78. You are thus forgot. ' You have thus forgotten yourself. '
79. Censure. 'Opinion,' 'judgment.' See Note 92, Act i.,
" Hamlet."
80. Your rick opinion. ' The high opinion in which you are
held,' 'the high opinion entertained of you;' 'your good re-
putation.' See Note 100, Act i., " Troilus and Cressida."
81. My blood begins my safer guides to rule. ' My angry
impulse begins to prevail over my steadier sense and judgment.'
See Notes 29 and 75. Act i\\, " Kin~ Lear."
82. Collied. Literally, ' blackened ' as by coal or smut :
While I spare speech, which something now
offends me, —
Of all that I do know : nor know I aught
I5v me that 's said or done amiss this nijlht ;
Unless self-charity be sometimes a vice,
And to defend ourselves it be a sin
When violence assails us.
Oth. Now, by heaven,
My blood begins my safer guides to rule;31
And passion, having my best judgment collied, s-
As =ays to lead the way :— if I once stir,
Or do but lift this arm, the best of you
Shall -ink in my rebuke. Give me to know
How this foul rout began, who set it on ;
And he that is approv'd*3 in this offence,
Though he had twinn'd with me, both at a birth,
Shall lose me. — What! in a town of war,
Yet wild, the people's hearts brimful of fear,
To manage private and domestic quarrel,
In night, and on the court and guard of safety !sl
'Tis monstrous. — Iago, who began it ?
Mon. If partially affin'd,83 or leagu'd in office,
Thou dost deliver more or less than truth,
Thou art no soldier.
Iago. Touch me not so near :
I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth
Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio ;
Yet, I persuade myself, to speak the truth
Shall nothing wrong him. — Thus it is, geneial.
Montano and myself being in speech,
There comes a fellow crying out for help ;
And Cassio following him with determin'd sword,
To execute upon him. Sir, this gentleman
Steps in to Cassio, and entreats his pause :
Myself the crying fellow did pursue/6
Lest by his clamour (as it so fell out)
The town might fall in fright : he, swift of foot,
Outran my purpose ; and I return'd, the rather
For that I heard the clink and fall of swords,
And Cassio high in oath ; which till to-night
I ne'er might say before. When I came back
figuratively, 'obscured,' 'darkened.' See Note 21, Act i.,
" Midsummer Night's Dream."
83. Approv'd. ' Proved to be.' See Note 10 of this Act.
84. On the court and guard of safety. This has been altered
to 'on the court of guard and safety;' but we think that the
original reading conveys the effect of 'on the very spot and
guarding-place of safety.'
85. Affind. ' Swayed by any link of affinity.' See Note 13, Act i.
86. Tlie crying fellow did pursue. Iago's thoroughly lying
account of the incidents that occurred, with his art in seeming
to " mince" the " matter " and make " it light to Cassio," while
in fact contriving to give all possible heightening touches of his
misdeed, is most skilfully managed in this speech. It will be
remembered that far from pursuing Roderigo and returning ti 1
the scene of the «onffict, Iago never stirs from the spot, but
remains to direct the movements of his puppets, and prompt
them in the parts which he has previously designed that they
shall perform ; and that instead of Cassio's having been "high
in oath," he has given vent to nothing more offensive in pi c !.
than the threats, " I'll beat the knave inl n bottle,11
and "III knock you o'er the mazai I
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Iago. What ! are you hurt, lieutenant .'
Cassia. Ay, past all surgery.
Iago. Marry, Heaven forbid !
Act II. Scene III.
(For this was brief), I found them close together,
At blow and thrust ; even as again they were
When you yourself did part them.
More of this matter can I not report : —
But men are men ; the best sometimes forget :—
Though Cassio did some little wrong to him, —
As men in rage strike those that wish them best,-
Yet, surely, Cassio, I believe, receiv'd
From him that fled some strange indignity,
Which patience could not pass.
°<h- I know, Iago,
Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter,
M .king it light to Cassio.— Cassio, I love thee ;
But never more be officer of mine.—
Re-enter Desdkmova, attended.
Look, if my gentle love be not rais'd up!—
[To Cas.] I'll make thee an example.
Des- What 's the matler !'
now, sweeting ; come away to
Oih. All ':, well
bed.
[To Montano.] Sir, for your hurts, myself will be
your surgeon :
Lead him off. [Montano is led off.
Iago, look with care about the town.
And silence those whom this vile brawl dis-
tracted.—
Come, Desdemona : 'tis the soldiers' life
To have their balmy slumbers wak'd with strife.
[Exeunt all except Iago and Cassio.
Iago. What ! are you hurt, lieutenant ?
Cas. Ay, past all surgery.
Iago. Marry, Heaven forbid!
Cas. Reputation, reputation, reputation ! Oh,
I have lost my reputation ! I have lost the im-
mortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.
— My reputation, Iago, my reputation !
Iago. As I am an honest man, I thought you
560
Act II.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
had received some bodily wound ; there is more
offence87 in that than in reputation. Refutation
is an iille and most false imposition ; oft got with-
out merit, and lost without deserving: you have
lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself
such a loser. What, man ! there are ways to
recover the general again: you are hut now cast88
in his mood, a punishment more in policy than in
malice; even so as one would heat his offenceless
dog to affright an imperious lion : sue to him again,
and he's yours.
Cas. I will rather sue to be despised than to
deceive so good a commander with so slight, so
drunken, and so indiscreet an officer. Drunk ? and
speak parrot ?89 and squabble ? swagger ? swear ?
and discourse fustian with one's own shadow? —
Oh, thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no
name to be known by, let us call thee devil !
Iago. What was he that von Followed with your
sword ? What had he done to vou ?
Cas. I know not.
lago. Is 't possible ?
Ccis. I remember a mass of things, but nothing
distinctly ; a quarrel, hut nothing wherefore. — Oh,
that men should put an enemy in their mouths to
s'eal away their brains! that we should, with joy,
pleasance,90 revel, and applause, transform our-
selves into beasts !
Iago. Why, but you are now well enough: how
came you thus recovered ?
Cas. It hath pleased the devil drunkenness to
give place to the devil wrath : one unperfectness
shows me another, to make me frankly despise
myself.
Iago. Come, you are too severe a moraler:91
as the time, the place, and the condition of this
country stands, I could heartily wish this had not
befallen ; but, since it is as it is, mend it for your
own good.
Cas. I will ask him for my place again, — he
shall tell me 1 am a drunkard! Had 1 as many
mouths as Hydra,92 such an answer would stop
them all. To be now a sensible man, by-and-by a
fool, and presently a beast ! Oh, strange ! — Every
inordinate cup is unblessed, and the ingredient is a
devil.
Iago. Come, come, good wine is a good familiar
87. Offence. This is the reading of the Quartos ; while the
Folios print ' sence.'
88. Cast. ' Dismissed,' 'discharged,' ' cashiered.' See Note
52 of this Act.
89. S peak parrot. ' Talk idly,' ' prate meaninglessly.'
90. Pleasance. An antique form of ' pleasure ' or ' pleasantry :'
' gaiety,' ' gladness.'
01. Moraler. Old form of ' moraliser' or ' moralist.'
92. Hydra. See Note 46. Activ., " Second Part Henry IV."
93. Denotement. The old copies have 'denotement:' pro-
bably the not unusual typographical error of what is technically
called a turned letter. Theobald made the correction.
creature, if it be well used : exclaim no more
against it. And, good lieutenant, I think you
think I love you.
Cas. I have well approved it, sir. — 1 drunk !
Iago. You or any man living may be drunk at
some time, man. I'll tell you what you shall do.
Our general's wife is now the general ; — I may say
so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and
given up himself to the contemplation, mark, and
denotement93 of her parts and graces: — confess
yourself freely to her; importune her; she'll help
to put vim in your place again : she is of so free, so
kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds il a
vice in her goodness not to do more than she is
requested : this broken joint between you and her
husband entreat her to splinter ;94 and, my fortunes
against any lay93 worth naming, this crack of your
love shall grow stronger than it was before.
Cas. You advise me well.
Iago. I protest, 111 the sincerity of love and
honest kindness.
Cas. I think it freely; and betimes in the
morning I will beseech the virtuous Desdemon 1 to
■ undertake for me : I am desperate of my fortunes
if they check me here.
lago. You are in the right. Good night,
lieutenant ; I must to the watch.
Cas. Good night, honest Iago. [Exit,
lago. And what's he, then, that says I play the
villain ?
When this advice is free96 I give, and honest,
Probal9? to thinking, and, indeed, the course
To win the Moor again ? For 'tis most easy
The inclining9'* Desdemona to subdue
In any honest suit : she 's frain'd as fruitful 99
As the free elements. And then for her
To win the Moor, — were 't to renounce his
baptism,
All seals and symbols of redeemed sin,
His soul is so enfetter' d to her love,
That she may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite shall play the god
With his weak function. How am I, then, a
villain
To counsel Cassio to this parallel course,"10
Directly to his good ? Divinity of hell !
When devils will the blackest sins put on,""
94. Splinter. Used by Shakespeare and writers of his time
for ' splint.' See Note 13, Act ii., " Richard HI."
95. Lay. ' Wagered stake.'
96. Free. ' Liberal.'
97. Probal. A word peculiar to Shakespeare. It is in all
likelihood a contraction of 'probable ;' but it may be a form of
' proveable.'
98. Inclining: ' Compliant,' ' kindly disposed.'
99. Fruitful. ' Bountiful,' 'generous.'
too. Parallel com. 'Course that keeps pace with his
wish,' ' course that runs level with his purpose.'
101. The blackest sins put on. 'Instigate the blackest sins:'
237
Acr III.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
They do suggest10- at rirst with heavenly shows,
As I do now : for while this honest fool
Plies Desdeuiona to repair his fortunes,
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I '11 pour this pestilence103 into his ear, —
That she repeals him for her wantonness ;
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch ;
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.
Enter Roderigo.
How now, Roderigo!
Rod. I do follow here in the chase, not like a
hound that hunts, but one that fills up the cry.
My money is almost spent ; I have been to-night
exceedingly well cudgelled ; and I think the issue
will be— 1 shall have so much experience for my
pains; and so, with no money at all, and a little
more wit, return again to Venice.
lago. How poor are they that have not patience !
What wound did ever heal but by degrees P
Thou know'st we work by wit, and not by witch-
craft ;
And wit depends on dilatory time.
Does 't not go well ? Cassio hath beaten thee,
And thou, by that small hurt, hast cashier'd Cassio:
Though other things grow fair against the sun,104
Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe :
Content thyself awhile. — By the mass, 'tis morning;
Pleasure and action make the hours seem short. —
Retire thee ; go where thou art billeted :
Away, I say ; thou shalt know more hereafter :
Nay, get thee gone. [Exit Rod.] Two things
are to be done, —
My wife must move for Cassio to her mistress ;
I'll set her on ;
Myself the while to draw the Moor apart,105
And bring him jump 106 when he may Cassio find
Soliciting his wife :— ay, that's the way ;
Dull not device by coldness and delay. [Exit.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— Cyprus. Before the Castle.
Enter Cassio and some Musicians.
Cas. Masters, play here, — I will content your
pains, —
Something that's brief; and bid good morrow,
general.1 [Musi*. .
Enter Clown.
Clo. Why, masters, have your instruments been
in Naples, that they speak i' the nose thus ?2
First Mus, How, sir, how !
Clo. Are these, I pray you, wind-instruments?
First Mus. Av, marrv, are thev, sir.
se= Notes 19 and 45 of the present A~t for the expressions " put
on" and " putting on," used in this sense.
102. Suggest. 'Tempt,' 'entice.' See Note 65, Act ii.,
" Henry V."' Iago's pride of intellect takes delight in maintain-
ing that its diabolical ingenuity is equal to that of the fiends
themselves.
103. Pestilence. Here used for ' poison.'
104. Though o'her things gro:v fah\ &*c. These two lines
have been variously explained. We think they imply. ' Although
our other plans are growing to maturity, yet the fruits of our
scheme for the removal of Cassio, as it first b ire promising
blossom, will naturally first ripen.' Iago is trying to inspire
Roderigo with patience for the ripening of his plan against
Desdemona, by bidding him remember that meanwhile his plan
against Cassio is succeeding.
105. Myself the while to draw th<- Moor apart. The old
copies give 'a' instead of "the" before "while" Tiiolia'd's
correction. The word "to" in the sentence is used in accord-
ance with Shakespeare's construction when, as here, he makes
Clo. Oh, thereby hangs a tale. But, masters,
here 's money for you : and the general so likes your
music, that he desires you, for love's sake, to make
no more noise with it.
First Mus. Well, sir, we will not.
Clo. If you have any music that may not be
heard, to 't again : but, as they say, to hear music
the general does not greatly care.
First Mus. We have none such, sir.
Clo. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for
I '11 away : go ; vanish into air ; nwav !
[Exeunt Musicians.
Cas. Dost thou hear, mine honest friend ?
the speaker debating a plan or supposed case. See Note ir,
Act iv., " Ttmon of Athens."
106. "Jump. ' Precisely,' 'exactly.' See Note 113, Act v.,
"Hamlet."
1. Bid good vtorroiv. general. It was the custom for friends
to serenade a new married couple on the morning after the
celebration of theit marriage ; or to bid them " good morrow "
by a murning song. See Note 70, Act in., " Roineo and
Juliet." The time is thus marked at the commencement of
the present Act, as being the morning immediately after the
night brawl ; since, towards the close of the preceding Act,
Cassio has said, '■ Betimes in the morning I will beseech the
virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me"
2. In Naples, that they speak £' the nose thus. The
Neapolitans have a singularly drawling nasal twang in the
utterance of their dialect; and Shylock talks of "when the
bag-pipe sings V the nose." See context of passage referred to
in Note 7, Act iv., " Merchant of Venice."
562
Act HI.]
OTHELLO.
[Scenes II., III.
Clo. No, I hear not your honestfriend; I hear you.
Cas. Pr'ythee, keep up thy quillets.3 There's
a poor piece of gold tor thee: it the gentlewoman
that atte.ids the general's wife be stirring, tell her
there 's one Cassio entreats her a little favour of
speech : wilt thou do this?
Clo. She is stirring, sir : if she will stir hither, I
shall seem to notify unto her.*
Cas. Do, good iny friend. [Exit Clown.
Enter Iago.
In happy time, Iago.
lago. You have not been a-bed, then ?
Cas. Why, no ; the day had broke
Before we parted. I have made bold, lago,
To send in to your wife : my suit to he*
Is, that she will to virtuous Desdemona
Procure me some access.
lago. I'll send her to you presently;
And I 'II devise a mean to draw the Moor
Out of the way, that your converse and business
May be more free.
Cas. I humbly thank you for 't. [Exit Iago.]
I never knew
A Florentine more kind and honest.4
Enter Emilia.
Emit. Good morrow, good lieutenant : I am sorry
For your displeasure; 6 but all will soon be well.
The general and his wife are talking of it ;
And she speaks for you stoutly :• the Moor replies,
That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus
And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom
He might not but refuse you ; but he protests he
loves you,
And needs no other suitor but his likings
To take the saf'st occasion by the front
To bring you in again.
3. Quillets. ' Quibbling quirks,' 'word-twisting quips.' See
Note 20, Act v., " Hamlet." The introduction of this slight
scene of sportive dialogue just before Cassio's gravely anxious
appeal, and moreover very shortly before that supremely serious
scene of tragic interest — than which, perhaps, nothing finer in
artful working upon the passions was ever written — is thoroughly
true to Shakespeare's system of dramatic contrast. See Note
27, Act ii., " Macbeth."
4. I shall seem to notify unto iter. The expression "seem
to," used thus, is a colloquial idiom. In " Midsummer Night's
Dream," Act iii. , sc. 1, we have — " Let the prologue seem to
say;" and in "Merchant of Venice," Act ii., sc. 4—" An it
shall please you to break up this, it shall seem to signify." See
also "it seems," as exemplified in Note 92, Act i. , " Romeo
and Juliet ; " and Note 24, Act ii., " Hamlet."
5. / never knew a Florentine more kind an I honest. This
is one of the sentences where Shakespeare allows the word
'even' to be elliptically understood. See Notes 93, Act iv. ,
and 32, Act v., " King Lear." Cassio, the Florentine, says of
lago, the Venetian, ' I never knew even one of my own fellow-
Florentines more kind and honest than this man.' There are
several passages in the play showing that Cassio was a Floren-
tine and lago a Venetian. See Note 11, Act i. : and not only in
the third scene of the present Act lago says, " I know our
country disposition well ; in Venice they," &c. ; but also in
Cas. Yet, I beseech you, —
If you think fit, or that it may be done, —
Give me advantage ot some brief discourse
With Desdemona alone. s
Emit. Pray you, come in :
I will bestow you where you shall have time
To speak your bosom freely.
Cas I am much bound to you. [Exeunt.
SCENE [I.— A Room in the Castle.
Enter Othello, Iago, and Gentlemen.
Oth. These letters give, Iago, to the pilot ;
And, by him, do my duties to the senate :
That done, I will be walking on the works ;
Repair there to me.
lago. Well, my good lord, I '11 do 't.
Oth. This fortification, gentlemen, — shall we
see't ?
Gent. We '11 wait upon your lordship.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Before the Castle.
Enter Desdemona, Cassio, and Emilia.
Des. Be thou assur'd, good Cassio, I will do
All my abilities in thy behalf.
Emit. Good madam, do : I warrant it grieves
my husband,
As if the case were his.
Des. Oh, that's an honest fellow. — Do not
doubt, Cassio,
But I will have my lord and you again
As friendly as you were.
Cas. Bounteous madam,
Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio,
Act v., sc. i he exclaims, "Alas! my friend and my dear
countryman Roderigo?" replying, "Even he," when Gratiano
rejoins, " What ! of Venice?"
6. Your displeasure. ' The displeasure you have incurred
from Othello.' See Notes 17 and 80, Act ii., for similar in-
stances of Shakespeare's using the possessive case.
7 She speaks for you stoutly, ily this we find that the
gentle-hearted and generous-natured Desdemona has already
been pleading, unsolicited!)-, for the officer who has fallen into
disgrace : and that his general would have pardoned him and
restored him to place and favour again, had no adverse element
of treachery and misrepresentation been introduced into the
even*.
8. With. Desdemona alone. The Folio prints ' Desdemon '
here : though the Quartos have " Desdemona." We think that
the circumstance of the Folio's giving the abbreviated form of
'Desdemon' in this passage, as well as in the five other in-
stances pointed out by Mr. Charles Knight, suffices to subvert
his theory, very graceful though it be, that the contraction of
the name was purposely made by Shakespeare as an epithet of
familiar tenderness. Had this been the case, he would not
have put it into Cassio's mouth. Therefore we believe it to
have been a mere transcriber's or printer'* error ; and, in
accordance with this belief, we have uniformly given " Des-
demona" in the text.
Act III.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Cassia. Bounteou ■ ma
Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio,
He 's never anything but your true servant.
Act III. Seme III.
lie's never an\ thing but your true servant.
D.-s. I know 't, — 1 thank you. You do love
my lord :
You have known him long; and be you well
assur'd
He shall in strangeness stand no farther off
Than in a politic distance.
Cas. Ay, but, lady,
That policy may either last so long,
Or feed upon such nice and waterish diet,9
Or breed itself so out of circumstance,
That, I being absent, and my place supplied,
Mi general will forget my love ami service.
Dcs. Do not doubt that;10 before Emilia here
I give thee warrant of thy place : assure tl ee,
If I do vow a friendship, I '11 perform it
To the last article : in) lord shall never rest ;
I '11 watch him tame," and talk him out cf
patience ;
His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift :'-
I '11 intermingle everything he does
With Cassio's suit: therefore be merry, Cassio;
For thy solicitor shall rather die
Thau give thy cause away.
Emil. Madam, here comes my lord.
Cas. Madam, I 'II take my leave.
Dcs. Why, stay, and hear me speak.
Cas. Madam, not now : I am very ill at ease,
Unfit for mine own purposes.
Des. Well, do your discretion. [Exit Cassio.
9 Or/eed u/>on e-v. ' Or be sustained by such trivial occur
renrcs. or be renewed by such unforeseen circumstances, that,' &c
to. Do not doubt that. Here "doubt " is used in the sense of
' dread,' ' have a misgiving of.' See Note ±2, Act it.," Hamlet."
11. f It watch him t,iwe. In allusion to the practice of
keeping a hawk awake in order to train and reclaim it. See
Note 30. Act iv., "Taming of the Shrew."
12. A shy ft. Here used for ' a confessional.'
Acr 111. J
OTHELLO.
'Scene III.
Enter OTHELLO and Iago.
Iago. Ha! I like not that.
(Jib. What dost thou s.i\ P
A/£5. Nothing, my lord : or if — 1 know not
what.
Oth. Was not that Cassio parted from my wife ?
ligo. Cassio, my lord! No, sure, 1 cannot
think it,
That he would steal away so guilty-like,
Seeing you coming.
Otb. I do believe 'twas he.
Des. How now, my lord !
I have been talking with a suitor here,
A man that languishes in your displeasure.
Otb. Who is 't you mean f
Des. Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my
lord,
[f I have any grace or power to move you,
His present reconciliation13 take ;
For if he be not one that truly loves you,
That errs in ignorance, and not in cunning,"
I have no judgment in an honest face :
1 pr'ythee, call him back.
Otb. Went lie hence now f
Des. Ay, sooth ;15 so humbled,
That he hath lett part of his grief with me,
To suffer with him. Good love, call him hack.
O.'b. Not now, sweet Desdemona; some other
time.
Des. But shall 't be shortly ?
Oth. The sooner, sweet, for you.
Des. Shall 't be to-night at supper ?
O.'b. No, not to-night.
Des. To-morrow dinner, then ?
Oth. I shall not dine at home ;
I meet the captains at the citadel.
Des. Why, then, to-morrow night; or Tues-
day morn
On Tuesday noon, or night; on Wednesday
morn : —
I pr'ythee, name the time ; but let it not
Exceed three days: tn faith, he 's penitent ;
And yet hi? trespass, in our common reason, —
Save that, they say, tin- wars must make example-
Out of their best,1"- is not almost a fault
To incur a private check. When shall he come ?
Tell me, Othello : I wonder In my soul,
What you could ask me, that I should deny,
Or stand so mammering1' on. What! Michael
Cassio,
That came a-wooing with you;18 and so many a
time,
When I have spoke of you dispraising!),1'
Hath ta'en your part ; to have so much to do
To bring him in! Trust me, I could do much, —
Otb. Pr'ythee, no more : let him come when he
will ;
I will deny thee nothing.
Des. Why, this is not a boon ;
'Tis as I should entreat you wear your gloves,
Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep \ou warm,
Or sue to you to do a peculiar profit
To your own person : nay, when I have a suit
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed,
It shall be full of poise21' and difficult weight,
And fearful to be granted.
Oth. I "ill deny thee nothing:
Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me tins,
To leave me but a little to myself.
Des. Shall I deny you? no: farewell, my lord.
Otb. Farewell, my Desdemona : I'll come to
thee straight.
Des. Emilia, come. — Be as your fancies teach
you ;
Whate'er you be, I am obedient.
[Exit, 'with Emilia.
Oth. Excellent wretch !21 Perdition calch my
soul,
But I do love thee ! and when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again.
Iago. My noble lord, —
Otb. What dost thou say, Iago ?
Iago. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my
lady,
Know of your love ?
13. Reconciliation. 'Atonement,' 'submission;1 'act of
conciliation.1
14. Cunning. Knowledge,' ' intentional deed.'
15. Sooth. ' In truth,' ' truly.'
try Out of their b:st. The old copies give ' her' instead of
"their," which is Rowe's correction. 'The' and 'nnr' have
been proposed : bat " her' as a in:sprint for " their " is not an
uiifreqnent typographical error.
17. Mammering. ' Hesitating." or ' hesitatingly.' The word
is used for 'hesitation' or 'suspense' in Lyly's "Enphues"
(1580) : "Neither stand in a vtimering whether it be best to
depart nr n it
18. Came a-tvooing with yon. By this, and a passage a little
farther on, we find that Michael Cassio has been in Othello's
confidence while courting Desdemona : and that therefore the
lieutenant's inquiries of lag i in an early scene of the play see
passage referred to in Note 48, Act i. were made with the
design of affecting ignorance of his general's intended marriage,
and thus preserving the secret entrusted to him. That the con-
tiding friendship of the Moor for his young subaltern, as well .<•
the fond affection for his gentle wife, which his noble nature
has entertained, should be des:royed by the machinatii
human fiend, is an additional point of tragic regret and interest
in this supremely beautiful play.
19. Dispraisingly. That this subtlety in womanhood was
thoroughly known to our p-iet in all it- delicate winding
ness not only the present passage but the 01 1 Ei rn I to in
Note 56, Act v., " Henry V ;" and for a kindred branching
involution of the same enchanting womanly wile, see Note 98,
Act iii.. "As You Like It. '
jo. Poise. This word, besides the- moment,'
'importance' (see Note 23, Ac: ii.,"Kingl ear' in hides that
of 'nice balance,* ' careful adjustment." as by sc
21. Wre'ch. Here employed as a term of affectionate ten-
derness See passages referred to in Note 52, Act i. , " Romeo
and Juliet :" and Note 54, Act it. " Hamlet."
565
Act III.
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Oth. He did, from first to last : why dost thou ask ?
lago. But tor a satisfaction of my thought ;
No farther harm.
Oth. Whyofth) thought, lago?
lago. I did not think he had been acquainted
with her.
Oth. Oh, yes ; and went between us very oft.
lago. Indeed !
Oth. Indeed ! ay, indeed : — discern'st thou aught
in that?
Is he not honest ?
lago. Honest, my lord !
Oth. Honest! ay, honest.
lago. My lord, for aught I know.
Oth. What dost thou think ?
lago. Think, my lord !
Oth. Think, my lord !
By heaven, he echoes me,
As if there were some monster in his thought
Too hideous to be shown Thou dost mean
something :
I heard thee say but now, — thou lik'dst not that,
When Cassio left my wife : what didst not like ?
And when I told thee he was of my counsel
In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst,
" Indeed !"
And didst contract and purse thy brow together,
As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain
Some horrible conceit:-3 if thou dost love me,
Show me thy thought.
lago. My lord, )ou know I love you.
Oth. I think thou dost ;
And, — for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty,
And weigh'st thy words before thou gh'st them
breath, —
Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more :
For such things in a false disloyal knave
22. Conceit. 'Conception,' ' idea.'
23. Delations. The first Quarto gives ' denotements ' here ;
while the Folio and the two other Quartos give ' dilations,"
which is probably a misprint for " delations ; " Johnson's cor-
rection. "Close delations" mean 'secret accusations,' 'in-
wardly-conceived iinpugiiings,' ' quietly conveyed intimations.'
We have pointed out in Note 24, Act iii., ".Measure for
Measure," the combined meaning of 'carried' and 'accused'
which the word ' delated' includes ; and we believe that in that
passage " delighted " is a misprint for ' delated,' as 'dilations '
is for "delations" here; Shakespeare, in his inclusive style,
probably comprising something of both meanings in each
severally used word. Sir Henry Wotton, in his " Reliquiae
Wottonians" (1651I, speaking of the Inqnisitori di Stati at
Venice, says : " To which are commonly deputed three gentle-
men of the gravest and severest natures, who receive all secret de-
Intions in matter of practice against the Rcpublick :" where the
word is clearly used in the sense of ' accusations,' ' intimations.'
24- Working from the heart, that passion rannot rule. This
sentence may be underst tod in two ways : either ' working from
the heart that cannot control its passion of generous indigna-
tion,' or ' working from the heart that passionate impulse cannot
move to speak .nit unadvisedly.'
25. Would they might seem none' 'Would they might not
seem honest m;n ! ' We have before shown the largely elliptical
Are tricks of custom ; but in a man that's just
They 're close delations,23 working from the heart,
That passion cannot rule.24
lago. For Michael Cassio,
I dare be sworn, I think, that he is honest.
Oth. 1 think so too.
lago. Men should be what they seem ;
Or, those that be not, would they might seem
none I25
Oth. Certain, men should be what they seem.
lago. Why, then, I think Cassio 's an honest
man.
Oth. Nay, yet there 's more in this :
I pry'thee, speak to ine as to thy thinkings,
As thou dost ruminate ; and give thy worst of
thoughts
The worst of words.
lago. Good my lord, pardon me :
Though I am hound to every act of duty,
I am not bound to that all slaves are free to.26
Utter my thoughts ? Why, say they are vile and
false, —
As where's that palace whereinto foul things
Sometimes intrude not ? who has a breast so pure,
But some uncleanly apprehensions2?
Keep leets and law-days, and in session sit
With meditations lawful ?
Oth. Thou dost conspire against thy friend,
lago,
If thou but think'st him wrong'd, and mak'st his
ear
A stranger to thy thoughts.
lago. I do beseech you, —
Though I perchance am vicious in my guess,28
As, I confess, it is my nature's plague
To spy into abuses, and ott my jealousy
Shapes faults that are not, — that your wisdom vet,
force with which Shakespeare uses the word " none." See
Note 27, Act v., " Henry VI IT."
26. / am not hound to that all slaves are free to. Elliptically
expressed : the line meaning, ' I am not bound to do that
which even all slaves are free to do or not to do.' Here is
another instance of a passage where the word ' even' is allowed
to be understood. See Note 5 of this Act.
27. 1 1 'ho /las a breast so pure, but some. cW. 'Who has a
breast so pure that some injurious suspicions will not occa-
sionally enter into it, keep court there for judging others, and sit
side by side, as on a law bench, with more legitimate medita-
tions?' "Leets" is a legal technical term for what are also
called "law-days." Jacob, in his "Law Dictionary," says,
" Leet is otherwise called a law-day;' and he explains it to
be a court or meeting of the hundred, " to certify the king of
the good manners and government of the inhabitants."
28. Though I percliance. &>c. Here "though" is used
according to Shakespeare's occasionally peculiar employment
of this word, in the sense of 'inasmuch as' or 'since.' See
Note 70, Act iv., " Timon of Athens." The confused and im-
perfect construction in this speech is wonderfully managed, to
give the effect of Iago's adoption of a hesitating, unwilling
manner; half expressing, half suppressing his suggestions, and
whetting his victim's anxiety to hear more by bidding him desire
to hear no more.
Act III.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
From one that so imperfectly conceits,29
Would take no notice ; nor build yourself a trouble
Out of his scattering an.l unsure observance.
It were not for your quiet nor your goo. I,
Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom,
To let you know my thoughts.
Oth. What dost thou mean ?
Iago. Good name in man and woman, dear my
lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls :
Who steals my purse, steals trash ; 'tis something,
nothing ;
Twas mine, 'tis his,and has beenslave to thousands;
But h; that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.
Oth. By heaven, I'll know thy thoughts.
Iago. You cannot, if my h*art were in your hand ;
Nor shall not, whilst 'tis in my custody.
Oth. Ha !
Iago. Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy ;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on :3" that wrong'd man lives in
bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, oh ! what damned minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves!
Oth. Oh, misery '.
ligo. Poor and content is rich, and rich enough;
But riches tineless31 is as poor as winter
To him that ever fears he shall be poor : —
Good Heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend
From jealous) I
Oth. Why, why is this?
Think'st thou I'd make a life of jealousy,
To follow still the changes of the moon
With fresh suspicions ? No ; to be once in doubt
Is once to be resolv'd : exchange me for a goat,
When I shall turn the business of mv soul
29 Conceits. ' Conceives,' ' imagines.1
30. Doth mo:k Ike meat it feeds on. Hanmer and others
change " mock" to ' mike ;' but here " mock" bears the sense
of ' disdain,' 'spurn,' 'tear wrathfully,' even while feeding on.
Elsewhere, when Shakespeare uses the word " mock," he fre-
quently includes the sense of 'use despitefully ' together with
that of 'scoff at,' or 'make game of.' Fir instances, among
others, see the previous context of the passage referred to in
Note 61, Act v., "Love's Labour's Lost," and of that referred
to in Note 15, Act ii., "Richard II." Jealousy, even while
greedily devouring scraps of evidence, and stray tokens of sup-
posed guilt, bitterly scorns them, and stands self-contemned for
feeding on them.
31. Fineless. ' Endless,' ' infinite.'
32. Exsujfilcate. This wori is spelt 'exufflicate' in all the
old copies. Some authorities opine that it is derived from the
low Latin, exsujjflare, ' to spit down upon," an ancient form of
exorcising; and that therefore it signifies 'despicable,' 'con-
temptible,' 'abhorrent,' 'repudiated.' Others suppose it to have
reference to ' sufflition,' which is interpreted by Phillips 'a
puffing up, a making to swell with blowing ;' which allows the
w-ird to mean ' pufijd up,' 'blown out.' 'exaggerated,' 'ex-
travagant.' Others believe it to be framed from the Italian,
To such exstttflicate3-' and blown surmises,
Matching thy inference. ' Tis not to make me
jealous,
To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company.
Is free of speech, sings, plats, and dances well ;
Where virtue is, these are more virtuous:
Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw
The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt ;
For she had eyes, and chose me. No, Iago ;
I'll see before I doubt ; when I doubt, prove ;
And, on the proof, there is no more but this, —
Away at once with love, or jealousy !
Iago. I am glad of it; for r.ow I shall have
reason
To show the love and duty that I bear you
With franker spirit : therefore, as I am bound,
Receive it from me: — 1 speak not yet of proof.
Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio ;
Wear your eye thus, not jealous nor secure :
I would not have your free and noble nature,
Out of self-bounty,33 be abus'd ; look to 't :
I know our country disposition well ;
In Venice they do let heaven see the pranks
They dare not show their husbands; their best
conscience
Is not to leave undone, but keep unknown.
Oth. Dost thou say so ?
Iago. She did deceive her father, marrying you;
And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks,
She lov'd them most.
Oth. And so she did.34
ligo. Why, go to, then ;
She that, so young, could give out such a seeming,
To seel35 her fathei's eyes up close as oak,36 —
He thought 'twas witchcraft : — but I am much to
blame ;
I humbly do beseech you of your pardon3"
For too much loving you.
Oth. I am bound to thee for ever.
suffolare, ' to whisper : ' which gives the sense of ' whispered,'
' breathed.' It is possible that the word Shakespeare here
employed was intended to convey something of all these varied
meanings inclusively.
33. Self-bounty. ' Inherent generosity.'
3t- And so she did. In this little speech of four mono-
syllabic words' is contained the moral of Desdemona's fate.
Had Othello been able to refute as a foul calumny this in-
sinuated truth of Iago's, the villain's scheme must have come
to naught at once. But, unhappily, Desdemona's timidity his
let her to conceal from her father her love for the Moot by
affecting to dread him : and this former deviation from strict
honesty is now enabling a traitor to undermine her husband's
faith in her honour. Oh. just and v, ise, and most moral Shake-
speare ! See Note 95, Act i.
35. Seel. 'Fasten from the use of sight ;'|as a hawk's
eyelids were sewed up. Sec Note 101. Act i.
30. Close os oak This simile is used, by a poetical licence,
for 'close as the grain of oak ;' that wood being notoriously
close-grained.
37. / humbly do beseech you of rout- pardon. A peculiar con-
struction of sentence : to which we find a similar one elsewhere.
See Note 1, Act v., " Henry V."
5^7
Iff pS^t-l jhlL
HUH " ^ ^ISfcJ'if' '^ " =^™rt£
ll|
,"»a .' ; ! ■
Act III.]
O'i HELLO.
[Scene ill.
lago. I see this hath a litt.c dash'd your spirits.
Oth. Not a jut, not a jot.
lago. Trust me, I fear it has.
I hope you will consider what is spoke
Comes from my love ; — hut I do see you're
mov'd : —
I am to pray you not to strain my speech
To grosser issues nor to larger reach
Than to suspicion.
Oth. I will not.
lago. Should you do'so, my lord,
My speech should fall into such vile success^
As my thoughts aim not at. Casio's my worthy
friend : —
My lord, I see you're mov'd.
Oth. No, not much mov'd ::,!) —
I do not think but Desdemona's honest.
lago. Long live she so! and long live you to
think so!
Oth. And yet, how nature erring from itsclt, —
lago. Ay, there's the point:— as, — to he bold
with you, —
Not to affect many propose 1 matches
Of her own clime, complexion,40 and degree,
Whereto we see in all things nature tends, —
Foh ! one may smell in such a will most rank,
Foul disproportion, thoughts unnatural : —
But pardon me : I do not in position
Distinctly speak of her : though I may fear
Her will, recoiling to her better judgment,
38. Success. 'Consequence;' that which succeeds or fol-
lows. See Note 47, Act iv., "Second Part Henry IV."
39. / see you're mov'd. Xo, not much mov'd. The art
with which this wretch contrives to exasperate the pangs of the
wound he is inflicting, affecting to commiserate while he is
stabbing deeper and deeper, torturing the brave nature by
noticing its ill-concealed anguish, together with the efforts made
by the courageous man to repress the writhings of his pierced
soul, are sui ely unsurpassed in passionate composition. They
who can remember Edmund Kean in this scene will be able to
recall one actor, at least, who could duly give expression to the
mental agonies of the noble Moor.
40. Complexion. This word, as here used, comprises allusion
to the fair Venetian skin of Desdemona in contrast with the
dark Moorish skin of Othello, as well as allusion to the tem-
perament of the Italians in comparison with the slill more fervid
temperament of the nations nearer to the torrid zone See
Note 43, Act hi., " As You Like It."
41. Happily. Sometimes, where it suits the metre, used for
'haply.' See Note 32, Act iv., " Mea ure for Measure."
42. Set on thy wife to observe. In this brief speech of
Othello's the dramatist has wonderfully combined the native
nobleness of the speaker with the meanness inevitably super-
vening from jealousy. The nature of the man revolts from
hearing the probabilities of his chosen wife's fall discussed by
the gross lips of lago, and he abruptly dismisses him ; but the
vitiating poison of jealousy having once been instilled, the moral
dignity that has already taken one step in degradation con-
descends to desire him to watch, and to " set on " his " wife to
observe. "
4.3. With great ability. Observe again how the liar can
treacherously eulogise, when it may serve his purpose. See
-s- 1 53, Act ii. In the present instance, he knows that at this
particular juncture praise of Cassio would be specially calculate 1
May fall to match you with her cuuntry forms,
And happily41 repent.
Oth. Farewell, farewell :
If more thou dost perceive, let me know more ;
Set on thy wife to observe :4- leave me, lago.
lago. My lord, I take my leave. [Going,
Oth. Why did I marry? — This honest creature
doubtless
Sees ami knows more, much more, than he 111 folds.
lago. [Returning.'] My lord, I would I might
entreat your honour
To scan this thing no farther ; leave it to tiir.e :
Although 'tis fit that Cassio have his place, —
For, sure, he fills it up with great ability,43 —
Yet, if you please to hold him offawhile,
You shall by that perceive him and his means :44
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment45
With any strong or vehement importunity ;
Much will be seen in that. In the meantime,
Let me be thought too busy in my fears, —
As worthy cause I have to fear I am, —
And hold her free,46 I do beseech ycur hono/ur.
Oth. Fear not my government.4'
lago. I once more take my leave. [Exit.
Oth. This fellow 's of exceeding honesty,
And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit,
Of human dealings.48 If [ do prove her haggard,49
Though that her jesses50 were my dear heart-
strings,
I'd whistle her off, and let her down the wind,51
to injure instead of benefit him with Othello ; and moreover, the
mention of Cassio's "place" serves to suggest the idea that
lago himself may fill it— a suggestion adopted and acted upon,
as is seen by Othello's words at the close of this scene : " Now
art thou my lieutenant "
44. His means. Implying the means he takes to recover
your favour.
45. Strain his enteriainm nt. 'Urge his reinstatement,'
'press his restoration to pay and office.' For the word "enter-
tainment," as a military term, see Note 23, Act iv., "Corio-
lantis."
46. Hold her free. " Free " is here used in Its combined
senses of 'pure,' 'chaste,' and of 'exempt from blame." See
Note 36, Act ii. , " Winter's Tale "
47. Fear not my goz'ernruent. ' Do not distrust my power
of self-control.' See Note 83, Act i., " Coriolanus."
48. And knows all qualities, with a learned *pi> it. of human
dealings. " Learned " is here used for 'experienced,' and the
construction is transposed ; the meaning of the sentence being,
'And knows with an experienced spirit all qualities of human
dealings.'
49. Haggard. A degenerate hawk ; 'wild,' 'irreclaimable ;'
or, more strictly, ' unreclaimed.' See Note 9, Act ill., "Twelfth
Night."
50. Jesses. Short thongs or s'raps of leather attached to the
foot of the hawk ; which the falconer twisted round hi> hand, to
In ild the bird firmly on the fist.
51. I'd Vhislte her off, and let her down the wind. Terms
used in falconry, thus explained by Dr. Johnson, who had the
information from reliable authority: "The falconer always let
fly the hawk against the wind : if she flies with the wind behind
her, she seldom returns. If therefore a hawk was for any reason
to be dismissed, she was let down ■': '•■ind. and from that time
shifted for herself, and preyed at fortune"
5<>)
2\$
Act II I.J
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
\
I
To prey :it fortune. Haply, for I am black,
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chamberers5- have ; or, for I am declin'd
Into the vale of years,— yet that 's not much ;—
She 's gone ; I am abus'd ; and my relief
Must be to loathe her. Oh, curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
And not their appetites ! I had rather be a toad,
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For others' uses. Yet, 'tis the plague of great ones;
P.erogativ'd are they less than the base ;
'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death:
Even then this forked plague53 is fated to us
When we do quicken.51 — Desdemona comes:
It she be false, oh, then heaven mocks itself ! —
I'll not believe it.
Re-enter Desdemona and Emilia.
\ Des. How now, my dear Othello !
Your dinner, and the generous islanders55
By vou invited, do attend your presence.
Oth. . I am to blame.
Des. Why is your speech so faint ?5(1
Are you not well ?
Oth. I have a pain upon my forehead here.
Des. Faith, that's with watching; 'twill away
again :
Let me but bind it hard, within this hour
It will be well.
Oth. Your napkin57 is too little ;
[He puts the handkerchief from him ;
and she drops it.
Let it alone. Come, I'll go in with you.
Des. I am very sorry that you are not well.
[Exeunt Othello and Desdemona.
52. Chamberers. Haunters of ladies' drawing-rooms ; those
who are versed in drawing-room talk and behaviour.
53. This forked plague. See Notes 60 and 65, Act i.,
" Winter's Tale."
54. When we do quicken. ' When we begin to live.*
55. Generous islanders. 'Islanders of rank and distinction.'
See Note 73, Act iv., " Measure for Measure."
56. Why is your speech so faint ? This is the reading of all
the Quartos : while the Folio gives, ' Why do you speak so
faintly?' The effect conveyed, by this inquiry, is double: it
serves to impress upon us the fearful conflict of emotion that has
deprived the brave soldier of voice and strength, and to indicate
the wife's loving promptness of ear, quick to detect the slightest
variation in her husband's tone.
57. Napkin. An old word for ' handkerchief' See Note 103,
Act v., " Hamlet."
53. .-/ hundred times. "Hundred"1 is here used in the
idiomatic manner that various words denoting indefinite number
are employed by Shakespeare ; but. moreover, the expression,
"a hundred times," is here introduced to give the elTcct of a
considerable period having e'apsed. In hardly any play is our
dramatist's system of simultaneously indicated long time and
short time inure visibly anil skilfully sustained than in lliis one
Ol l »tli. I!... He had to give the brief effect of recent marriage,
consequent upon the elopement and secret espousals which occur
ill the opening of the play j and he had also to give the lei ig hened
Emit, I am glad I have found this napkin :
This was her first remembrance from the Moor:
My wayward husband hath a hundred times58
Woo'd me to steal it ; but she so loves the token,
For he conjur'd her she should ever keep it,
That she reserves it evermore about her
To kiss and talk to. I'll have the work ta'en out,59
And give 't Iago :
What he will do with it heaven knows, not 1 ;
I nothing, but to please his fantasy.
Re-enter Iago.
Iago. How now ! what do you here alone ?
Emit. Do not you chide ; I have a thing for
you.6u
Iago. A thing for me ! — it is a common thing —
Emit. Ha ?
Iago. To have a foolish wife.
Emit. Oh, is that all? What will you give me now
For that same handkerchief?
Iago. What handkerchief?
Emil. What handkerchief!
Why, that the Moor first gave to Desdemona ;
That which so often fl1 you did bid me steal.
Iago. Hast stol'n it from her?
Emil. No, faith ; she let it drop by negligence,
And, to the advantage, I, being here,6- took 't up.
Look, here it is.
Iago. A good wench ; give it me.
Emil. What will you do with 't, that you have
been so earnest
To have me filch it ?
Iago. [Snatching ;'/.] Why, what 's that to you ?
Emil. If it be not for some purpose of import,
Give 't me again : poor lady ! she'll run mad
When she shall lack it.
effect of conjugal union, in order to add to the tragic impression
of broken wedded faith and destroyed wedded happiness. To
produce the former effect, he has made but one night elapse
since the arrival of the married pair in Cyprus and the celebra-
tion of their nuptials; to produce the latter effect, he throws in
occasional touches that indicate a prolonged period. The present
is one of these ; and we shall point out others as they occur.
59. Ta'en out. 'Copied.' The term in this sense occurs
again in the play. See Note 109 of this Act, and Note 21, Act iv.
That it was thus used formerly is shown by a passage in the
Preface to Philemon Holland's translation of Pliny (1610 —
" Nicophanes (a famous painter) gave his mind wholly to antique
pictures, partly to exemplify and take out their patterns;" and
by a passage in Middleton's "Women Beware of Women" —
" She intends
To take out other works in a new sampler."
60. Do not you chide; I have, o"-v. Emilia has intended to
have the work copied, and a duplicate made of the handker-
chief, in order to conceal her having taken the original ; but her
husband coming in and addressing her sharply, makes her give
it to him. in the hope of appeasing his churlish humour. Even
in tins slight circumstance, Shakespeare has drawn the facile-
charactered, unstable woman.
61. So often. Longtime. See Note 58 of this V 1
62. To the advantage. I . being here. ' I being opportunely here '
Acr 11 I.J
OTHELLO.
[Scene HI.
Iago. Be not ackncm n6J on 'l ; I have use for it.
Go, leave me. [Exit Emilia.
I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin,
And let him find it. Tnries light as air
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ : this may do something.
The Moor already changes with my poison : —
Dangerous conceits are, in their natures, poisons,
Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,
But, with a little act upon the blood,
Burn like the mines of sulphur. — I did say so : —
Look, where he comes ! M Not poppy, nor man-
dragora,65
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world.
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou ow'dst06 yesterday.
Re-enter Othello.
Olh. Ha ! ha ! false to me ?
Iago. Whv, how now, general ! no more of that..
Olh. Avaunt ! be gone ! thou hast set me on
the rack : —
I swear 'tis better to be much abus'd
Than but to know 't a little.
Iago. How now, my lord!
Olh. What sense had I of her stol'n hours of
lust ?
I saw 't not, thought it not, it harin'd not me :
I slept the next night6? well, was free and merry ;
I found not Cassio's kisses on her lips :
He that is robb'd, not wanting what is stol'n,
Let him not know 't, and he 's not robb'd at all.
Iago. I am sorry to hear this.
Olh. I had been happy, if the general camp,
Pioneers63 and all, had tasted her sweet body,
63. Acknown. The Folio and the second Quarto give this
word : while the first and third Quarto have ' Be not you
knowne on't.' The word "acknown," besides implying know-
ledge, includes ' acknowledgment ; ' and is therefore better suited
to the present passage, since the effect is imparted to the sen-
tence not only of ' do not you know anything about it,' but also
of ' do not acknowledge anything concerning it.' The phrase
condensedly expresses, ' Be not you acknowledgedly aware of
it.' That the word was used in Shakespeare's time is shown
by a passage in the "Life of Ariosto," subjoined to Sir
John Harrington's translation of the " Orlando Furioso "
(1637 : "Some say he was married to her privilie, but durst
not be acknowtte of it ; " and by one in Kyd's tragedy of
" Cornelia" 1594 :
" Our friend's misfortune doth increase our own.
Cic. But ours of others will not be acknown."
64. / did say so: — Look, where he comes ! Implying, 'I
have just said that poisonous suggestions burn fiercely ; and see
where he comes, to confirm my words by his pangs of restless
misery ! '
65. Mandragora. 'Mandrake.' See Note 21, Act iv.,
II Romeo and Juliet." It was used in medicine as a sedative,
or as an opiate : which is testified by a passage from Pliny's
"Natural History" — "The herb mandragoras some writers
call circeium : two or three roots it hath of a fleshie substance
running downe into the earth almost a cubit, and a fruit or apple
of the bignesse of filberds or hazel-nuts, within which there be
So I had nothing known. Oh, now, for ever
Farewell the tranquil mind ! farewell content !
Farewell the plumed troop, ami the big wars,
That make ambition virtue ! Oh, farewell !
Farewell the neighing steed, ami the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, ami circumstance of glorious war!
And, oh ! you mortal engines, whose rude throats
The immortal Jove's dread clainours''J counterfeit,
Farewell ! Othello's occupation 's gone !
lago. Is't possible, my lord ?
Olh. Villain, be sure thou prove my love un-
true,—
Be sure of it ; give me the ocular proof ;
[Seizing him by the throat.
Or, by the worth of mine eternal soul,
Thou hadst been better have been born a dog
Than answer my wak'd wrath !
Iago. Is 't come to this ?
Olh. Make me to see 't ; or, at the least, so
prove it,
That the probation bear no hinge nor loop
To hang a doubt on ; or woe upon thy lift I
Iago. My noble lord, —
Olh. If thou dost slander her, and torture me,
Never pray more ; abandon all remorse ;70
On horror's head horrors accumulate ;
Do deeds to make heaven weep, all eirth amaz'd ;
For nothing canst thou to damnation add
Greater than that.
Iago. Oh, grace ! O Heaven, defend me !
Are you a man ? have you a soul or sense ? —
God be wi' you; take mine office. — Oh, wretched fool,
That liv'st to make thine honesty a vice ! —
seeds like unto the pippins of peares .... In some countries
they venture to eat the apples or fruit thereof: but those that
know not how to dresse and order them aright loose the use of
their tongue thereby, and prove dumbe for the time. And
verily if they be so bold as to take a great quantity thereof in
drink, they are sure to die for it. Yet it may be used safely
ynough for to procure sleepe if there be good regard had in the
dose, that it be answerable in proportion to the strength and
complexion of the patient. Also it is an ordinary thing to drink
it against the poyson of serpents : likewise before the cutting,
cauterizing, pricking, or launcing of any member to take away
the sence or feeling of such extreme cures. And sufficient it is
in some bodies to cast them into a sleepe with the smell of
mandrage."
65. Ow'dst. 'Ownedst.' See Note 17, Act i.
67. The next night. Indication of long time ; as if a succes-
sion of nights had elapsed. See Note 58 of this Act.
68. Pioneers. Implying, the vilest of the camp. Pioneers
were generally degraded soldiers ; appointed to be such, as a
punishment for misbehaviour. There is testimony to this effect
in "The Laws and Ordinances of War" ! 1640V
69. Jove's dread clamours. Here, although Othello is a
Christian for Iago says, speaking of the Moor in Act ii., sc. 3,
"Were't to renounce his baptism, all seals and symbols of re-
deemed sin," &c), he uses the familiar " Jove," so generally
employed. See Note 14, Act ii.
70. Remorse. ' Pity ; ' ' compunctious restraint.' See Note
56, Act iv., " King John."
Emilia, What will you give me 113W
For that same handkerchief?
lago. Wliat handkerchief ''.
Act 111 Scene 111.
Oh, monstrous world ! Take note, take note, oh ! I
world,
To be direct and honest is not safe. —
1 thank you for this profit ; and from hence
I'll love no friend, sith love breeds such offence.
Oil). Nay, stay : — thou shouldst be honest.
lago. I should be wise ; for honesty 's a fool,
And loses that it works for.
Oth. By the world,
I think my wife be honest, and think she is not ;
1 think that thou art just, and think thou art not :
I'll have some proof: her name, that was as tresh
As Hi. ui's visage, is now begrim'd and black
As mine own face. — If there be cords, or knives,
Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams,
I'll not endure it. — Would I were satisfied !
lago. I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion
71. Prime. ' Forward,' ' prompt.'
I do repent me that I put it to you.
You would be satisfied P
Oib. Would ! nay, I will.
lago. And may: but,how?howsatisned, my lord ?
Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape un?
Oth. Oh!
lago. 'Twere a tedious difficulty, I think,
To bring them to that prospect. What then ■ how
then ?
What shall I say ? Where 's satisfaction f
It is impossible you should see this,
Were they as prime71 as goats, and fools as gross
As ignorance made drunk. But yet, I say,
If imputation and strong circumstances, —
Which lead directly to the door of truth, —
Will give you satisfaction, you may have 't.
Oth. Give me a living72 reason she's disloyal.
72. Living. ' Vital ; ' "a living reason " means a reason that
Act III.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene IV.
lago. I ilo not like the office :
But, sith I am enter' <i in this cause so tar, —
Prick'd to 't by foolish honesty and love, —
I will go on. 1 lay with Cassio lately ;
And, being troubled with a raging tooth,
I couhl not sleep.
There are a kind of men so loose of soul,
That in their sleeps will mutter t..eir aff.iirs :
One of this kind is Cassio :
In sleep I heard him say, "Sweet Desdemona,
Let us be wary, let us hide our loves;"
And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand,
Cry, " Oh, sweet creature!" and then kiss me hard,
As if he pluck'd up kisses by the roots,
That grew upon my lips : and sigh'd, and then
Cried, "Cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor !" 73
Oth. Oh, monstrous ! monstrous !
Iaqo. Nay, this was but his dream.
Oth. But this denoted a foregone conclusion:
'Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream.
lago. And this may help to thicken other
proofs
That do demonstrate thinly.
Otb. I'll tear her all to pieces.
lago. Nay, but be wise : yet we see nothing done ;
She may be honest yet. Tell me but this, —
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief,
Spotted with strawberries, in your wife's hand ?
Oth. I gave her such a one ; 'twas my first gift.
lago. I know not that; but such a handkerchief
(! am sure it was your wife's) did 1 to-day
See Cassio wipe his beard with.
Oth. If it be that,—
lago. If it be that, or any that was her»,74
It speaks against her with the other proofs.
0;h. Oil, that the slave had forty thousand lives, —
One is too poor, too weak tor my revenge !
Now do I see 'tis true. — Look here, lago ;
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven :
'Tis gone. —
Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell!
Yield up, oh ! love, thy crown and hearted throne
To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught,
For 'tis of aspics' tongues !
has the life of truth and fact in it, not one founded on mere
surmise.
73. Tluit gave tliee to tlu Moor. The effect of long time is
conveyed throughout this speech. See Note 58 of this Act.
74. Or any that was hers. The old copies misprint ' it ' for
"that." Malone's correction.
75. Ve'er feels retiring ebb. This is the reading of the
second and third Quartos ; the Folio giving ' keepes ' for " feels."
It is probable Shakespeare framed this simile from a passage
in Holland's translation of Pliny's " Natural History:" — "And
the sea Pontus evermore floweth and runneth out into Pro-
pontis ; but the sea never retireth backe againe within Pontus."
76. Capable. As Shakespeare here uses this word, it com-
prises the senses of ' capacious.' ' comprehensive.' ' capable of
receiving.' and 'capable of satisfying.' See Note 109, Act Hi.,
" As You Like It."
[Kneels.
lago. fray, be content.
Oth. Oh ! blood, [ago, blood !
lago. Patience, I say ; your mind perhaps mav
change.
Olh. Never, lago. Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er feels retiring ebb,''5 but keeps due on
To the Propontic and the Hellespont ;
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable76 and wide revenge
Swallow them up. — [Kneels.~] Now, by yond'
marble heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow
I here engage my words.
lago. Do not rise yet. —
Witness, you ever-burning lights above,
You elements that clip us round about,77 —
Witness that here lago doth give up
The execution73 of his wit, hands, heart,
To wrong' tl Othello's service ! Let him command,
And to obey shall be in me remorse,'9
What bloody work soever.
Oth . I greet thy love,
Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance
bounteous,
And will upon the instant put thee to 't :
Within these three days let ine hear thee say
That Cassio 's not alive.
lago. My friend is dead ;s0 'tis done at your
request :
But let her live.
Oth. Her! —
Come, go with me apart ; I will withdraw,
To furnish me with some s>vift means of death
For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant.
lago. I am your own for ever. \Exeunt.
SCENE IV. — The Same.
Enter Desdemona, Emilia, and Clown.
Des. Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant
Cassio lies?
77. Witness, you ever-burning lights above, you elements
that clip us round about. These two lines establish the fact
that Shakespeare intended this scene to take place in the open
air, in the fade of Nature. See Note 52, Act iii., " Midsummer
Night's Dream."
78. The execution. Here used to express ' the employment.'
' the exercise.'
79. Remorse. Here used in the sense of 'pity.' 'compas-
sionate tenderness' (see Note 70 of this Act) ; the meaning of
the sentence being, 'To obey him shall be in me an act of pity
and commiseration for his wrongs, not of cruelty towards others,
whatever blood-shedding this may involve.'
80. My friend is dead. One of our poet's vigorous licenses of
anticipative construction. See Note 61, Act ii., " Second Part
Henry IV. ;" Note 73, Act v., " Richard II. ;" and Note 29,
Act v., " Romeo and Juliet."
Act II I.J
OTHELLO.
[Scene IV.
Clo. I dare not say lie lies anywhere.
Des. W liy, man ?
Clo. He 's a soldier ; and for one to say a
soldier lies, is stabbing.
Des. Goto: where lodges lief
Clo. To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you
where I lie.
Des. Can anything be made of this ?sl
Clo. I know not where he lodges; and for me
to devise a lodging, and say he lies here or he lies
there, were to lie in mine own throat.
Des. Can you inquire him out, and be edified
Enter Othello.
How is't with you, my lord ':
Oib. Well, my good lady.— [Aside.] Oh, hard-
ness to dissemble ! —
I low do you, Desdemona ?
Des. Well, my good lord.
Oih. Give me your hand: this hand is moist,
my lady.
Des. It yet has felt no age nor known no
sorrow.
Oih. This argues fiuittulness and liberal
heart : —
Hot, hot, and moist : this hand of yours requires
In report ?
Clo. I will catechise the world for him ; that is, A sequester from liberty, fasting and ina) er,
make questions, and by them answer.83 ! Much castigation, exercise86 devout.
Des. Seek him, bid him come hither : tell him 'Tis a good hand, a frank one.
I have moved my lord in his behalf,53 and hope all
will be well.
Clo. To do this is within the compass of man's
wit; and therefore I will attempt the doing it.
[Exit.
Des. Where should I lose that handkerchief,
Emilia?
Emil. I know not, madam.84
Des. Believe me, I had rather have lost my
purse
bull of cruzadoes:85 and, but my noble Moor
Is line of mind, and made of no such baseness
As jealous creatures are, it were enough
To put him to ill thinking.
Emil. Is he not jealous ?
Des. Who, he? I think the sun where he was
born
Drew all such humours from him.
Emil. Look, where he comes.
D. s. I will not leave him now till Cassio
Be call'd to him.
81. Can anything be made of this ? The phrase here used
gives i untn malion uf the adopted reading discussed in Note 21,
Act i., " Merchant of Venice."
82. And by them answer. 'And by means of the answers I
shall thus get 1 will answer you.'
83. / have moved my lord in his behalf. This introduces
short time again : making the present period a following up of
Desdemona's appeal to her husband that same morning, at the
commencement of the previous scene : " I have been talking
with a suitor here," &c. See Note 58 of this Act.
84. Ikneivnoi, madam. Here the slip-knot-principled woman
tells a point-blank falsehood. Although she knows that her lady
will be deeply distressed at its loss (she has before said, " Poor
lady ! she'll run mad when she shall lack it "', yet she has not
the courage to own that she has taken the handkerchief, lest her
husband should " chide " her for violating his injunction to " be
not acknown on't" [see Note 60 of this Act). Emilia is one of
those who think that a lie is the easiest means of evading a diffi-
culty ; and the dramatist has made her a coarse type , ,1 such
women ; while he has made the delicate, the gentle, the inno-
cent Desdemona a refined type of them. Fine moral harmony
in even two such dissimilar characters !
85. Crtlzadoes. Portuguese coins, current in England when
Shakespeare wrote. There were three sorts; one with a long
cross, one with a short cross, and the great cruzado of Portugal
Des. You may, indeed, say so ;
For 'twas that hand that gave away my heart.
Oth. A liberal hand : the hearts of old gave
hands ;6'
But our new heraldry is— hands, not hearts.
Des. I cannot speak of this. Come now, your
promise.
Oth. What promise, chuck ?
Des. I have sent to bid Cassio come speak with
you.
Oth. I have a salt and sullen88 rheum offends me;
Lend me thy handkerchief.
Des. Here, my lord.
Oih. That which I gave you.
Des. I have it not about me.
Oth. Not ?
Des. No, indeed, my lord.
Oth. That is a fault.
That handkerchief
Did an Egyptian to my mother give ;
She was a charmer, s9 and could almost read
They were of gold, and weighed from two pennyweights six-
grains to two pennyweights sixteen grains : and differed in
value from six shillings and eightpence to nine shillings.
86. Exercise. Here used in the same sense as in the passage
referred to in Note 80, Act iii., " Richard III.," for 'religious
duty,' ' prayer.'
87. Tlie hearts of old gave hands. In allusion to the old
form of troth-plight (see Note 8, Act iii., " Tempest " ), and to
giving the hand in marriage. The expression "gave hands'
suggests to Othello the heraldic term ' to give arms,' and he
says, " Our new Iteraldry is — hands, not hearts." A passage in
the "Essays" of Sir Wliliam Cornwallis the Younger 11601)
shows the antithetical mode in which the words "hands'' and
" hearts" were used by other writers as well as Shakespeare : —
" We of these later times, full of a nice curiositie, mislike all
the performances of our forefathers : we say they were honest,
plaine men, but they want the capering wits of this ripe age.
They had wont to give their hands and hearts together, but we
think it a finer grace to looke asquint, our hand looking one
way and our heart another."
88. Sullen. This is the word given in the Quartos, signifying
' churlish,' ' vexatious :' while the Folio gives ' sorry.'
89. A charmer. Here used for 'an enchantress ;' one who
deals in charms and spells. So in Perkins's " Discourse nn
Witchcraft" {16 to) : — " By witches we understand not those only
Act III J
OTHELLO.
[SCLNE IV.
The thoughts of people : she tokl her, while she
kept it,
'T would make her amiable, and subdue my father
Entirely to her love ; but if she lost it,
Or made a gift of it, my father's eye
Should hold her loathe I, and his spirits should hunt
After new fancies: she, dying, gave it me;
And bid me, when my fate would have me wive,
To give it her.90 \ did so : and take heed on 't ;
Make it a darling like your precious eye ;
To lose or give 't away were such perdition
As nothing else could match.
Dts. N't possible?
Oth. 'Tis 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 Vorms were hallow'd that did breed the silk ;
And it was dy'd in mummy''1 which the skilful
ConservM of maidens' hearts.
Des. Indeed ! is't true?
Oth. Most veritable ; therefore look to 't well.
Des. Then would to heaven that I had never
seen it !
Oth. Ha! wherefore?
Dts. Why do you speak so start ingly and rash ?
Oth. Is't lost? is 't gone ? speak, is it out o'
the way ?
Des. Heaven bless us!
Oth. Say you ?
Des. It is not lost ; but what an if it were ?
Oth. How!
Des. I say, it is not lost.
Oth. Vetch 't, let me see't.
which kill and torment, but all diviners, charmers, jugglers, all
wizards, commonly called wise men and wise women."
90. To give it Iter. Here " her'' is used according to Shake-
speare's manner of employing a pronoun in relation to an implied
particular; the present particular being 'my wife," as implied
in " when my fate would have me -wive.'* See Note 30, Act v.,
** Hamlet ; " and Note 32, Act iv,, " King Lear."
91. Dy'd in mummy. The balsamic liquor that oozed from
mummies was formerly believed to possess anti-epileptic virtues.
It was also used by painters, as a transparent brown colour
that threw warmth into the shadows of a picture.
92. Why, so I can. With marvellous tact and truth has
Shakespeare here depicted Desdemona's character.; naturally
gentle, and circumstantially timid. See Note 95, Act i. When
her husband speaks "so startingly and rash," she exclaims,
"Heaven bless us!" half in alarm, half in evasion of direct
answer. When he persists, she faintly denies, with " It is not
loit ;" adding the glanced-at possibility of its being so, by
"what an if it were?" Finding, however, that this admission
makes him only the more vehement, she repeats more firmly her
denial, " It is nut lost ;" and finally, upon his angry command,
** Fetch 't, let me see 't,'* she plunges into absolute falsehood,
and says she "cm" do so, though she knows she has it not,
having just before said, " I had rather have lost my purse full
of cruz;i I
93. My mind misgives. This phrase, without the customary
'me' after "misgives," is an ellipsis found elsewhere. See
speech referred to in Note S4, Act i., "' Romeo and Juliet."
94- Talk me of 'Cassia. "Me" is here used in the id
Des. Why, so I can,"- sir, but I will not now.
This is a trick to put me from my suit :
Pray you, let Cassio be receiv'd again.
Oth. Ketch me the handkerchief: my mind
misgives.93
Des. Come, come ;
You'll never meet a more sufficient man.
Oth. The handkerchief!
Des. I pray, talk me of Cassio.94
Oth. The handkerchief!
D-,1 A man that all his time
Hath founded his good fortunes on your love ;
Shar'd dangers with you, —
Oth. The handkerchief!
Des. In sooth, you are to blame.
Oth. Away! [Exit.
Em'tl. Is not tliis man jealous ?
Des. I ne'er saw this before.
Sure, there's some wonder in this handkerchief:
I am most unhappy in the loss of it.95
Emit. 'Tis not a year or two shows us a man :96
They are all but stomachs, and we all but food ;
They eat us hungerly, and when they are full,
They cast us.— Look you, — Cassio and my hus-
band.
Enter Cassio and Iago.
Idgn. There is no other way ; 'tis she must
do't :
And, lo, the happiness! go, and importune her.
Des. How now, good Cassio ! what 's the news
with you ?
Cas. Madam, my former suit : I do beseech you
That by your virtuous means I may again
manner of which we have so frequently pointed out instances.
See Note 73, Act i., " King Lear."
95. / am most unhappy in the loss of it. And yet, even yet,
Emilia says nothing of her having found the handkerchief and
given it to her husband ! Her anxiety to gratify him must be
very strong, to outweigh the need to step forward with the
truth for Desdemona's relief; for Emilia really is attached to
her gentle lady-mistress. But she is also strongly attached to
[ago , she has for him that attachment which women of her
nature feel towards men whom they both admire and fear,
whom they per3onally like and mentally stand in awe of. She
does not understand his superiority of intellect or his strength of
will, but she feels their domination and defers to their unex-
plained behests.
9 i. ' Tis not a year or two, &*c. This line of Emilia's, and
Des lenuna's words just previously, " 1 ne'er saw this before,"
aid in producing the effect of long time. They are indefinite
expressions, and the present one applies to experience of mar-
riage in the abstract ; but they tend to do away with the effect
of Desdemona's recent nuptials, and to substitute that of her
having been some time wedded. It is extremely interesting
to trace the ingenuity with which the dramatic has contrived
to establish the impression of a considerable period having
elapsed, even while preserving the stated few hours from the
arrival in Cyprus to the catastrophe of the tragedy. With liis
own wonderful and peculiar skill, and by bis own admirably
invented system of dramatic art, unity of time with dual
impression is consistently and constantly maintained. See
Note 58 of this Art.
Oihillo. Give me your hand : this hand is moist, my lady.
Desdemona. It yet has felt no age nor known no sorrow.
Mi 111. Seme IV.
h
Act III.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene IV.
Cassio.
Take me this work out.
Bianca.
Sweet Bianca,
O Cassio ! whence came this ?
Act III. Scent IV..
Exist, and be a member of his love
Whom I, with all the office9'" of my heart,
Entirely honour: I would not be delay'd.
If my offence be of such mortal kind
That nor my service past, nor present sorrow..,
Nor purpos'd merit in futurity,
Can ransom me into his love again,
But to know so must be my benefit ;
So shall I clothe me in a forc'd content,
And shut myself up in some other course,
To fortune's alms.93
Des. Alas! thrice-gentle Cassio !
97. Office. This is the word here in the Folio and two of
the Quartos, while the first Quarto gives ' duty;' but "orifice"
was sometimes used synonymously with ' duly,' and expressed
' dedicated service.' Baret has — " Dutie, office, dutie of
behaviour in honestie and reason : officium."
9S. Shut myself up in some other course, to fortune s alms.
' Confine myself to some other course, awaiting whatever for-
My advocation is not now in tune ;
My lord is not my lord ; nor should I know him,
Were he in favour,99 as in humour, alter'd.
So help me every spirit sanctified,
As I have spoken for you all my best,
And stood within the blank100 of his displeasure'
For my free speech ! You must awhile be patient:
What I can do I will ; and more I will
Than for myself I dare : let that suffice you.
logo. Is my lord angry ?
Emil. He went hence but now,
tune may bestow upon me." The expression " fortune's alms"
is used elsewhere. See context of passage referred to in Noto
54, Act i., " King Lear."
99. Favour. 'Aspect,' 'appearance,' 'countenance.' See
Note in, Act i.
100. Stood within the blank. 'Stood within the range, aim,
or mark.' See Note 33, Act ii., " Winter's Tale ;" and Note 7,
Act iv., " Hamlet."
•31
Act III.]
OTHELLO.-
[Scene IV.
And certainly in strange unquietness.
ltigo. Can he be angry ? I have seen the
cannon,
When it hath blown his ranks into the air,
And, like the devil, from his very arm
Puff'd his own brother ; — and can he be angry ?
Something of moment, then : I will go meet
him :
There's matter in't indeed, if he be angry.
Des. I pr'ythee, do so. [Exit Iago.
Something, sure, of state, —
Either from Venice, or some unhatch'd practice101
Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him, —
Hath puddled his clear spirit ; and in such cases
Men's natures wrangle with inferior things,
Though great ones are their object. 'Tis even so ;
For let our finger ache, and it indues102
Our other healthful members even to that sense
Of pain : nay, we must think men are not gods,
Nor of them look for such observances
As fit the bridal.103 — Beshrew me much, Emilia,
I was (unhandsome warrior as I am)10"1
Arraigning his unkindness with my soul ;
But now I find I had suborn'd the witness,
And he 's indicted falsely.
Emil. Pray Heaven it be state matters, as you
think,
And no conception nor no jealous toy1"5
Concerning you.
Des. Alas ! the day, I never gave him cause!
Emil. But jealous souls will not be answer'd so ;
They are not ever jealous for the cause,
But jealous for they are jealous : 'tis a monster
Begot upon itself, born on itself.
Des. Heaven keep that monster from Othello's
mind !
Emil. Lady, Amen.
Des. I will go seek him. — Cassio, walk here-
about :
ioi. Unluitch'd practice. * Undeveloped treason.'
102. Indues. We think that here "indues" bears the sense
which Shakespeare elsewhere assigns to it of ' endows,' ' gifts *
(see Note ioi, Act iv. , "Hamlet"); and that "to," in the
present sentence, is used peculiarly, conveying the effect of
'with.' In the passage referred to in Note 5, Act v., "King
John," the word " to" is similarly employed : " Shall we send
fair-play orders, and make compromise, insinuation, parley, and
base truce, to arms invasive ? " where we see that as regards
the verb "send," "to" has its usual effect, but that as regards
" make compromise, insinuation, parley, and base truce," it has
the effect of 'with.' So here,, the sentence signifies, 'Let but
our finger ache, and it endows our other healthful members with
the same sense of pain ; ' or ' Let but our finger ache, and it gives
to our other healthful members a like sense of pain.' It is
requisite, when judging some of Shakespeare's sentences that
have puzzled his commentators, to bear well in mind the peculiar
and varied mode in which he uses prepositions ; and, indeed,
very many words and parts of speech.
103. Sitch observances as /it the bridal Another artfully
introduced touch of protracted dramatic time ; it is, in fact, put
into the mouth of a woman the morning after the celebration of
If I do find him fit, I'll move your suit,
And seek to effect it to my uttermost.
Cas. I-humbly thank your ladyship.
[Exeunt Desdemona ami Emilia.
Enter BlANCA.
Bian. Save you, friend Cassio
Cas. What make you from home ?106
How is it with you, my most fair Bianca?
I' faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house.
Bian. And I was going to your lodging, Cassio.
What! keep a week away?10' seven days and
nights?
Eight score eight hours ? and lovers' absent hours,
More tedious than the dial eight score times ?
Oh, weary reckoning !
Cas. Pardon me, Bianca :
I have this while with leaden thoughts been
press'd ;
But I shall, in a more continuate108 time,
Strike off this score of absence. Sweet Bianca,
[Giving her Desdemona's handkercbiej.
Take me this work out.109
Bian. O Cassio ! whence came this ?
This is some token from a newer friend :
To the felt absence now I feel a cause:110
Is 't come to this ? Well, well.
Cas. . Go to, woman !
Throw your vile guesses in the devil's teeth,
From whence you have them. You are jealous
now
That this is from some mistress, some remem-
brance :
No, in good troth, Bianca.
Bian. Why, whose is it ?
Cas. I know not, sweet: I found it in my
chamber.
I like the work well : ere it be demanded
(As like enough it will), I'd have it copied :
her nuptials, one who is still a bride ; bvit it gives the effect of
being spoken by a woman long past the season of her honey-
moon. See Note 96 of this Act.
104. Unhandsome warrior as 1 am. A lovely reminiscence
of her husband's having called her " my fair warrior," in the joy
of his first meeting with her on arrival. See Note 29, Act ii.
105. Toy. 'Trifle;' 'vagary of the imagination.' See Note
119. Act i., "Hamlet."
106. What make you from home? ' What do you from
home?' ' Why are you away from home ? ' See Note 48, Act i.
107. Wliat ! keep a week away ? According to dramatic
short time, it is now only the morning after Cassio's arrival in
Cyprus : but this speech introduces the requisite effect of dra-
matic long time. See Note 58 of the present Act.
108. Continuate. ' Uninterrupted.'
109. Take me this work out. ' Copy this work for me.' See
Note 59 of the present Act.
no. To the Jelt absence now 1 "Jed a cause. Here the word
" to" includes the double effect of 'in addition to' and ' for ;'
since the sentence implies both ' In addition to the felt absence
I now feel its cause,' and ' I now feel that there is a cause for
the felt absence.' See Note 102 of this Act.
578
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Take it, and do 't ; and leave me for this time.
Bian. Leave you! wherefore?
Cas. I do attend here on the general ;
And think it no addition, nor my wish,
To have him see me woman'd.
Bian. Why, I pray you j
Cas. Not that I love you not.
Bian. But that you do not love me.
I pray you, bring me on the way a little ;m
And say if I shall see you soon at night.
Cas. 'Tis but a little way that I can bring you;
For I attend here : but I'll see you soon.
Bian. 'Tis very good; I must becircumstanc'd."-'
[Exeunt,
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Cyprus. Before tbt Castle.
Enter Othello and Iago.
Think, so, Iago !
Iago. Will you think :
Oth.
Iago. What!
To kiss in private ?
Oth. An unauthoris'd kiss.
Iago. Or to be with her friend an hour or more,
Not meaning any harm ?
Oth. And not mean harm !
It is hypocrisy against the devil :
They that mean virtuously, and yet do so,1
The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt
Heaven.
Iago. If they do nothing, 'tis a venial slip
But if I give my wife a handkerchief,—
Oth. What then ?
Iago. Why, then, 'tis hers, my lord ; and, being
hers,
She may, I think, bestow 't on any man.
Oth. She is protectress of her honour too :
May she give that ?
Iago. Her honour is an essence that 's not seen ;
They have it very oft that have it not :2
But, for the handkerchief, —
Oth. By Heaven, I would most gladly have
forgot it : —
Thou said'st, — oh, it comes o'er my memory,
As doth the raven o'er the infected house,3
Boding to all, — he had my handkerchief.
in. Bring me on the way a little. ' Escort or accompany
me a little on my way.' See Note 44, Act iii„ " Romeo and
Juliet."
us. I ntjtst be circumstauc'd. ' I must be content to yield
to circumstances, ' ' I must be made subservient to circum-
stances.'
1. And yet do so. 'And yet expose themselves to such
temptations.' See Note 37, Act i., " King Lear ; " where " so"
is used with similar force of ellipsis.
2. TJuy have it very oft that have it not. One of Shake-
speare's paradoxical sentences containing profoundest truth.
See Note 55, Act i., "Macbeth ;" and Note 16, Act i. of the
present play.
Iago. Ay, what of that?
Oth. That 's not so good now.
Iago. What!
If I had said I had seen him do you wrong ?
Or heard him say, — as knaves be such abroad,
Who having, by their own importunate suit,
Or voluntary dotage of some mistress,
Convince! or supplied them, cannot choose
But they must blab, —
Oth. Hath he said anything ?
Iago. He hath, my lord ; but be you well assur'd,
No more than he'll unswear.
Oth. What hath he said ?
Iago. Faith, that he did, — I know not what he
did.
Oth. What? what?
Iago. Lie —
Oth. With her?
Iago. With her, with her; what you will.
Oth. That 's fulsome. — -Handkerchief, — confes-
sions,— handkerchief! — To confess, and be hanged4
for his labour; — first, to be hanged, and then to con-
fess.— I tremble at it. Nature would not invest
herself in such shadowing passion, without some
instruction. It is not words that shake me thus : —
pish! — Is it possible? — Confess, — handkerchief!5
— Oh, devil! — [Falls in a trance.
Iago. Work on,
My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are
caught ;
And many worthy and chaste dames even thus,
3. The raven o'er the infected house. The Quartos give
"infected;" the Folio 'infectious.' It was believed that the
raven always hovered near a house where there was the plague.
4. To confess, and be hanged. This was an old proverbial
saying, alluded to elsewhere, See Note 60. Act i. , " Timon of
Athens."
5. Is it possible? — Confess.— handkerchief ! This speech, com-
posed entirely of abrupt and incoherent words, disjointed phrases,
and unconnected exclamations, wrung from the depths of a soul
immersed in images of the most revolting and poignantly dis-
tressing kind, affords a notable instance of Shakespeare's might in
producing powerful impressions through imperfect expression.
See Note 67, Act iii., "Timon of Athens;" and Note 140,
Act iv. , '" King Lear."
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
All guiltless, meet reproach. — What, ho! my lord !
My lord, I say ! Othello !
Enter Cassio.
How now, Cassio!
Cas. What's the matter ?
Iago. My lord is fall'n into an epilepsy :
This is his second fit ; he had one yesterday.0
Cas. Rub him about the temples.
Iago. No, forbear ;
The lethargy 7mist have his quiet course:
If not, he foams at mouth, and by-and-by
Breaks out to savage madness. Look, he stirs :
Do you withdraw yourself a little while,
He will recover straight : when he is gone,
I would on great occasion speak with you.
[Exit Cassio.
How is it, general ? have you not hurt your head ?
Oth. Dost thou mock me ?
lag o. I mock you ! no, by Heaven.
Would you would bear your fortune like a man !
Oth. A horned man 's a monster and a beast.
Iago, There 's many a beast, then, in a populous
city,
And many a civil monster.
Oth. Did he confess it ?
Iago. Good sir, be a man ;
Think every bearded fellow that's but yok'd
May draw with you: there's millions now alive.
Oh, 'tis the spite of hell, the fiend's arch-mock,
To lip a wanton in a secure couch,7
And to suppose her chaste! No, let me know;
And knowing what I am, I know what she
shall be.
Oth. Oh, thou art wise; 'tis certain.
Iago. Stand you awhile apart ;
Confine yourself but in a patient list. s
Whilst you were here o'envhelme.l with your
grief,—
A passion most unsuiting such a man, —
Cassio came hither : I shifted him away,
And laid good 'scuse upon vour ecstasy : 9
Bade him anon return, and here speak with me ;
The which he promis'd. Do but encave yourself,10 j
And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns,
That dwell in every region of his face ;
6. He had one yesterday. Iago is so solid a Har, that this
cannot be taken literally ; but it aids to give the effect of pro-
longed dramatic time.
7. A secure couch. ' A couch fancied to be safe from dis-
honour.' ' a couch believed to be secure from disgrace.' See
Note 128, Act i., " Hamlet," for the word " secure " used with
this elliptical force.
8. In a patient list. ' Within the bounds of patience.'
9. Ecstasy. ' Violent disturbance of mind,' ' fit of strong
emotion.' See Note 61, Act ii., " Much Ado.''
10. Encave yourself. ' Conceal yourself,' ' withdraw into
some hiding-place.'
11. 1 'oh are all in all in spleen. ' You are entirely composed
ofcholer,1 'you are wholly plunged in wrath.'
For I will make him tell the tale anew :
I say, but mark his gesture. Marry, patience;
Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen,"
And nothing of a man.
Oth. Dost thou hear, Iago ?
I will be found most cunning in my patience ;
But, — dost thou hear ? — most bloody.
Iat;o. That's not amiss;
But yet keep time in all. Will you withdraw ?
[Othello retires.
Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,
A housewife that, by selling her desires,
Buys herself bread and clothes : it is a creature
That dotes on Cassio, — as 'tis the wanton's plague
To beguile many and be beguil'd by one : —
He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain
From the excess of laughter : — here he comes : —
As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad ;
And his unbookish1- jealousy must construe
Poor Cassio's smiles, gestures,'and light behaviour,
Quite in the wrong.
lie-enter Cassio.
How do you now, lieutenant ?
Cas. The worser that you give me the addition l3
Whose want even kills me.
Iago. Ply Desdemona well, and you are sure on 't.
[Speaking loiver.] Now, if this suit lay in Bianca's
power,
How quickly should you speed !
Cas. Alas! poor caitiff!14
Oth. [Aside."] Look, how he laughs already !
Iago. 1 never knew woman love man so.
Cas. Alas ! poor rogue ! I think, 'i faith, she
loves me.
Oth. [Asiiie.~\ Now he denies it faintly, and
laughs it out.
Iago. Do you hear, Cassio ?
Oth. [Aside.] Now he importunes him
To tell it o'er: — go to ; well said, well said.
Iago. She gives it out that you shall marry her:
Do you intend it ?
Cas. Ha, ha, ha !
Oth. [Aside.] Do you triumph, Roman ?15 do
you triumph ?
Cas. I marry her! — what, a customer!10 I
12. Unbookish. ' Ignorant,' ' inexperienced.'
13. Addition. 'Title;' in allusion to Iago's calling him
"lieutenant." See Note 15, Act ii., " Hamlet."
14. Caitiff. Here used — as " wretch," " fool," &c., some-
times were — to denote half playful, half fond familiarity. See
Notes 50 and 52, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
15. Do you triumpJi, Roman? The word "triumph" sug-
gests "Roman" to Othello as a term for Cassio. That
triumphal celebration was associated in Shakespeare's mind
with the ancient Romans, witness the passage in "As You
Like It," Act iv., sc. 2. where Jaques, asking who is the vic-
torious huntsman that has killed the (]eer. says, " Let's present
him to the duke, like a Roman conqueror."
rfi. A customer. A woman who infamously trades on her
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
pr'ythee, bear some charity to my wit; do not
think it so unwholesome : — ha, ha, ha !
Otb. [Aside.'] So, so, so, so : — they laugh that
win.
Iago. Faith, thecry goes that you shall many her.
Cas. Pr'ythee, say true.
Iago. I am a very villain else.
Oth. {Aside.] Have you scored me r1" Well.
Cas. This is the monkey's own giving out :
she is persuaded I will marry her, out of her
own love and flattery, not out of my promise.
Oth. [Aside.] Iago beckons me ; now he begins
the story.
Cas. She was here even now ; she haunts me
in every place. I was, the other day,18 talking
on the sea-bank with certain Venetians; and
thither comes this bauble, and, by this hand, she
falls me thus about my neck, —
Oth. [Aside.] Crying, "Oh, dear Cassio!"as
it were : his gesture imports it.
Cas. So hangs, and lolls, and weeps upon me ;
so hales, and pulls me : — ha, ha, ha !
Otb. [Aside.] Now he tells how she plucked
him to my chamber. Oh, I see that nose of yours,
but not that dog I shall throw it to.
Cas. Well, I must leave her company.
Iago. Before me ! look, where she comes.
Cas. 'Tis such another fitchew!19 marrv, a
perfumed one.
Enter BlANCA.
What do you mean by this haunting of me ?
Bian. Let the devil and his dam haunt you!
What did you mean by that same handkerchief
you gave me even now ?20 I was a fine fool to
take it. I must take out the work !21 — A likely
piece of work, that you should find it in your
chamber, and not know who left it there !
This is some minx's token, and I must take out
the work ! There, — give it wheresoever you had
it ; I'll take out no work on 't.
Cas. How now, my sweet Bianca ! how now !
how now !
beauty. In the last scene of " All's Well," the king says to
Diana, " I think thee now some common customer"
17. Scored me. Here used to signify ' branded me,' 'set a
mark of infamy upon me.'
18. The other day. Indicating long time.
19. 'Tis such another fitchew I "'Tis such another" is an
idiomatic waggish phrase (see passage referred to in Note 67,
Act i., "Merry Wives"); and "fitchew" is 'pole-cat.' See
Note 8, Act v , " Troilus and Cressida."
20. You gave me even now. This allows short time to be
still maintained ; since the sentence links on the present scene
with the close of the last Act, where Cassio gives her the hand-
kerchief.
2r. I must take out the work! 'I must copy the work, or
embroidery.' See Note 109, Act iii.
22. An you'll come to supper to-night. This also indicates
short time, by linking on the present scene with the dialogue
at the conclusion of the last Act, where Bianca has asked
Otb. [Aside.] By Heaven, that should be my
handkerchief!
Bian. An you'll come to supper to-night,-2
you may ; an you will not, come when you are
next prepared for. [Exit.
Iago. After her, after her.
Cas. Faith, I must ; she'll rail in the street else.
Iago. Will you sup there f
Cas. Faith, I intend so.
Iago. Well, I may chance to see you ; for I
would very fain speak with you.
Cas. Pr'ythee, come ; will you ?
Iago. Go to; say no more. [Exit Cassio.
Otb. [Coming forward.] How shall I murder
him, Iago ?
Iago. Did you perceive how he laughed at his
vice ?
Otb. O Iago !
Iago. And did you see the handkerchief ?
Otb. Was that mine ?
Iago. Yours, by this hand : and to see how he
prizes the foolish woman your wife!23 she gave it
him, and he hath given it his mistress.
Otb. I would have him nine years a-killing. —
A fine woman ! a fair woman ! a sweet woman !
Iago. Nay, you must forget that.
Oth. Ay, let her rot, and perish,— and to-
night;21 for she shall not live: no, my heart is
turned to stone ; I strike it, and it hurts my
hand. — Oh, the world hath not a sweeter creature :
she might lie by an emperor's side, and command
him tasks.
Iago. Nay, that's not your way.
Otb. Hang her ! I do but say what she is : — so
delicate with her needle ! — an admirable musician !
oh, she will sing the savageness out of a bear ! —
of so high and plenteous wit and invention !
Iago. She's the worse for all this.
Oth. Oh, a thousand thousand times : — and
then, of so gentle a condition !25
Iago. Ay, too gentle.
Oth. Nay, that's certain : — but yet the pity of
it, Iago! O Iago! the pity of it, Iago!
Cassio to "say if I shall see you soon at night;" "soon" sig-
nifying 'by-and-by' (see Notes iS, Act i., and 39, Act iii.,
" Comedy of Errors "), and showing that the night of the same
day is meant.
23. Tlie foolish woman your wife. That Iago should dare to
use this expression in speaking of Desdemona to her husband,
that the noble Moor should have deigned to hide and play the
eaves-dropper, are the dramatist's pointed modes of showing to
what a pass of ignominious meanness jealousy brings its victims.
See Note 42. Act iii.
24. To-night. It is this necessity for prompt vengeance on
the part of Othello that makes the dramatist throw in occasional
touches of short time ; as it is the need for effect of destruction
to established wedded faith and happiness that makes Shake-
speare introduce denotements of long time. See Note 58,
Act iii.
25. Condition. 'Disposition,' 'native character.' See Note
38, Act ii.
ACT IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
lago. If you are so fond over her iniquity, give
her patent to offend ; for, if it touch not you, it
comes near nobody.
Oth. I will chop her into messes : — dishonour
me !
Ligo. Oh, 'tis foul in her.
Oth. With mine officer !
lago. That 's fouler.
Oth. Get me some poison, lago ; this night : —
I'll not expostulate with her, lest her body and
beauty unprovide my mind again : — this night, lago.
lago. Do it not with poison, strangle her in
her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.
Oth. Good, good : the justice of it pleases :
very good.
lago. And for Cassio, — let me be his under-
taker: you shall hear more by midnight.
Oth. Excellent good. [A trumpet heard.] What
trumpet is that same ?
lago. Something from Venice, sure. 'Tis
Lodovico
Come from the duke : and, see, your wife is with
him.
Enter Lodovico, Desdemona, and Attendants.
Lod. Save you, worthy general !
Oth. With all my heart, sir.26
Lod. The duke and senators of Venice greet
you. [Gives him a packet.
Oth. I kiss the instrument of their pleasures.
[Opens the packet, and reads.
Des. And what's the news, good cousin Lodo-
vico ?
lago. I am very glad to see you, signior ;
Welcome to Cyprus.
Lod. I thank you. How does Lieutenant
Cassio ?
lago Lives, sir.
Des. Cousin, there's fall'n between him and
my lord
An unkind breach : but you shall make all well.
Oth. Are you sure of that ?
26. With all my heart, sir. Malone and Steevens disagree
with respect to the exact meaning and application of these
words. The fact is, they form an elliptical phrase, found else-
where in Shakespeare. He has them as a reply to a salutation
in "King Lear," Act iv., sc. 6; where Edgar says, "Now
fare you well, good sir, ' and Gloster replies, " With all my
heart." And he has them as a salutation itself in " Timon of
Athens." Act hi., sc. 6, where Timon enters, saying, " With all
my heart, gentlemen both." As a reply to a salutation, it
elliptic.illy signifies, 'I thank you with all my heart;' as a
salutation, it elliptically signifies, ' I greet you with all my
heart'
27. Atone them. 'Make them one,' ' reconcile them.' See
Note 72, Act iv.. " Coriolanus."
28. / am glad to see you mad. We cannot help thinking
that the words here may have been transposed by the original
transcriber or printer : and that the author probably wrote, ' I
am mad to see you glad.' But we have not ventured to alter
the text ; because Othello's reply, as it stands, allows the mean-
Des. My lore) P
Oth. [Reads.] This fail you not to do, as you will—
Lod. He did not call ; he 's busy in the paper.
Is there division 'twixt my lord and Cassio?
Des. A most unhappy one: I would do much
To atone them,27 for the love I bear to Cassio.
Oth. Fire and brimstone !
Des. My lord ?
Oth. Are you wise ?
Des. What ! is he angry ?
Lod. May be, the letter mov'd him ;
For, as I think, they do command him home,
Deputing Cassio in his government.
Des. Trust me, I'm glad on 't.
Oth. I ndeed !
Des. My lord ?
Oth. I am glad to see vou mad.28
Des. How, sweet Othello ?
Oth. Devil ! [Striking her.
Des. I have not deserv'd this.
Lod. My lord, this would not be believ'd in
Venice,
Though I should swear I saw it : 'tis very much :
Make her amends ; she weeps.
Oth. Oh, devil, devil !
If that the earth could teem with woman's tears,29
Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile.30 —
Out of my sight !
Des. I will not stay to offend you. [Going.
Lod. Truly, an obedient lady :—
I do beseech your lordship, call her back.
Oth. Mistress !
Des. My lord ?
Oth. What would you with her, sir?
Lod. Who, I, my lord ?
Oth. Ay; you did wish that I would make her
turn :
Sir, she can turn, and turn, ami yet go on,
And turn again ; and she can weep, sir, weep;
And she 's obedient, as you say, — obedient, —
Very obedient. — Proceed you in your tears. —
Concerning this, sir, — Oh, well-painted passion !31 —
ing to be understood of ' I am glad to see you unwise,' in
reference to his having asked, " Are you wise ?"
29. Could teem with woman's tears. ' Could become fertile
by means of woman's tears,' ' could be capable of producing
animals by means of woman's tears.' " With" is here used for
' by.' See Note 8, Act ii., " Richard III."
30. Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. "Falls" is
used actively for 'lets fall,' 'drops' (see Note 57, Act hi.,
" Richard II.") : and "would prove a crocodile" has reference
to the fabulous accounts of this animal, which represent it as
especially deceitful, and as weeping hypocritical tears over its
victims. Bullokar, in his "Expositor" (1616), states that in
Latin there is a proverb, " Crocodile lachryuue, crocodiles
teares, to signifie such teares as are feigned, and spent only
with intent to deceive or do harm." See the speech referred to
in Note 33, Act iii., " Second Part Henry VI."
31. Passion. Here used for ' distressful emotion,' ' sorrowful
agitation.' See Note 7, Act iii., "Timon of Athens." The
struggle to preserve his tone of scorn, with his perpetually
583
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
I am commanded home. — Get you away;
I'll send for you anon. — Sir, I obey the mandate,
And will return to Venice. — Hence, avaunt!
[Exit Desdemona.
Cassio shall have my place. And, sir, to-night,
I do entreat that we may sup together:
You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus. — Goats and
monkeys! [Exit.
Lod. Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate
Call all-in-all sufficient ? this the noble nature
Whom passion could not shake? whose solid virtue
The shot of accident, nor dart of chance,
Could neither graze nor pierce ?
Iago. He is much chang'd.
Lod. Are his t\ its safe ?32 is he not light of brain ?
lago. He's that he is: I may not breathe my
censure.
What he might be, — if, what he might, he is not, —
I would to Heaven he were !
Lod. What, strike his wife !
Iago. Faith, that was not so well; yet would 1 knew
That stroke would prove the worst !
Lod. Is it his use f
Or did the letters work upon his blood,
And new-create this fault ?
/ago. Alas, alas !
It is not honesty in me to speak
What I haveseenand known. You shall observe him ;
And his own courses will denote him so,
That I may save my speech : do but go after,
And mark how he continues.
Lod. I am sorry that I am deceiv'd in him.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II .— A Room in the Castle. 33
Enter Othello and Emilia.
Otb. You have seen nothing, then ?
Emit. Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.31
Otb. Yes, you have seen Cassio and her together.
Emil. But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
Each syllable that breath made up between them.
Otb. What ! did they never whisper ?
recurring notice of Desdemona's passionate grief, which ex-
ercises its irresistible power of influence over his feelings, and
makes its artless appeal to his sense of truth and innocence, are
all conveyed with matchless skill in this speech of broken, in-
terrupted sentences.
32. Safe. Here used for 'steady,' 'stable,' 'in sound con-
dition.' See Note 81, Act ii.
33. A room in the cast It- . It has been remarked that there
is difficulty in ascertaining the place of this scene, because at its
commencement Othello's words to Emilia, " Shut the door,"
imply an apartment in the castle ; while, at its close, Roderigo's
careless entry seems to bespeak some out-of-door place adjoining
the castle. But if it be remembered that a portion of the man-
sion is used as a guard-room (see Note 77, Act ii.), it would be
natural enough that Roderigo shotdd seek Iago there, and, not
finding him, should pursue his search in some of the apartments
adjacent : moreover, it should be remembered that Roderigo is
partially disguised, and therefore not likely to be recognised as
Emil. Never, my lord.
Otb. Nor send you out o' the way ?
Emil. Never.
Otb. To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask,
nor nothing ?
Emil. Never, my lord.
Otb. That 's strange.
Emil. I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
Lay down my soul at stake : if you think other,
Remove your thought, — it doth abuse your bosom.
If any wretch have put this in your head,
Let Heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!
For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
There's no man happy; the purest of their wives
Is foul as slander.
Otb. Bid her come hither: — go.
[Exit Emilia.
She says enough ; — yet she's a simple one
That cannot say as much. This is a subtle jade,
A closet-lock-and-key of villanous secrets:
And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen herdo't.
Enter Desdemona •witb Emilia.
Des. My lord, what is your will ?
Otb Pray, chuck, come hither.
Des. What is your pleasure ?
Otb. Let me see your eyes;
Look in my face.
Des. What horrible fancy's this?
Otb. [To Emil.] Some of your function, mis-
tress ; shut the door;
Cough, or cry hem, if anybody come:
Your mystery,35 your mystery; — nay, despatch.
[Exit Emilia.
Des. Upon my knees, what doth your speech
import ?
I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.
Otb. Why, what art thou ?
Des. Your wife, my lord ; your true
And loyal wife.
Otb. Come, swear it, damn thyself;
Lest, being like one of heaven,36 the devils themselves
the man who gave Brabantio intelligence of Othello's having
married Desdemona. See Note m, Act i.
34. Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect. Here long time
is introduced : giving the effect of a lapsed period sufficient to
allow tokens of undue intimacy to have passed.
35. Your mystery. 'Your trade.' See Note 18, Act iv.,
"Measure for Measure." Othello taunts Emilia with having
made a traffic in connivance at stolen meetings between Cassio
and Desdemona, and now bids her give a specimen of pro-
ficiency in her avocation ; afterwards following up his insult by
flinging her " money for " her " pains."
36. Being like one of heaven. By such side touches as these
the poet contrives to set before our eyes the personality of certain
of his characters, and the effect it produces upon certain other of
his characters. How exquisitely these few words serve to paint
to us Desdemona's look of angelic purity and innocence, toge-
ther with the impression it exercises upon even her husband's
jaundiced sight !
5S4
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
1-ScENt: II.
WENT Worth ,.ic
Emilia. How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady?
Desdeuwiia. Faith, half asleep. Act IV. Scene II.
Should fear to seize thee : swear thou art honest.
Des.
Otb.
D?s.
I false ?
Otb.
D>s.
Heaven doth truly know it.
Heaven truly knows that thou art false.
To whom, my lord? with whom? how am
O Desdemona ! — away! away! away!
Alas the heavy day ! — Why do you
Am I the occasion of these tears, my lord?
If haply you my father do suspect
An instrument of this your calling hack,
37. Pleas' d Heaven .... had he raiu'd. The Folio prints
'they' here, instead of "he ;" which is the reading of all the
Quartos. See Note 61, Act v., " King John."
38. A fixed figure for tlie time of scorti to point his slozv,
itnmoving finger at. The Folio prints these two lines thus: —
' The fixed Figure for the time of Scome,
To point his slow, and mouing finger at.'
We adopt the reading of the second and third Quartos ; which
Lay not your blame on me: if you have lost him,
Why, 1 have lost him too.
Otb. Had it pleas'd Heaven
To try me with affliction ; had he rain'd37
All kinds of sores and shames on my hare head ;
Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips;
Given to captivity ine and my utmost hopes;
I should have found in some part of my soul
A drop of patience : but, alas ! to make me
A fixed figure for the time of scorn
To point his slow, unmoving finger at I33 —
•
is that of the first, excepting that it has 'fingers' instead of
"finger." We take "the time of scorn'' to be an impersonation
of the scornful spirit of the epoch in which the speaker lives,
including allusion to the image of Time which many ancient
clocks bore (see Note 25, Act iv., " Richard III.") ; while the
expression "to point his slow, unmoving finger at" we think
implies ' to point his finger, which generally moves slowly, un-
movingly at me.' To our minds the combination epithet, " slow,
unmoving," serves exactly to describe the hand of a dial, with
585
V(M. III.
24O
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Yet could I bear that too ; well, very well :
But there, where I have garner'd39 up my heart,
Where either I must live, or bear no life,
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up ; to be discarded thence!
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
Toknotand gender in ! — turn thy complexion there,
Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin, —
Ay, there,40 look grim as hell !
Des. I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
Oth. Oh, ay ; as summer flies are in the shambles,
That quicken even with blowing. Oh, thou weed,
Who art so lovely fair, and smell'st so sweet,
That the sense aches at thee, — would thou hadst
ne'er been born !
Des. Alas! what ignorant sin have I committed?41
Oth. Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
Made to write false upon ? What committed !
Committed ! — Oh, thou public commoner!
I should make very forges of my cheeks,
That would to cinders burn up modesty,
Did I but speak thy deeds. — What committed !
Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks;
The lawless wind, that kisses all it meets,
Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,
And will not hear it. — What committed ! —
Impudent wanton !
Dts. By Heaven, you do me wrong.
Oth. Are not you a wanton ?
Dts. No, as I am a Christian :
If to preserve this vessel for my lord
From any other foul unlawful touch,
Be not to be a wanton, I am none.
Oth. What ! not a whore ?
Des. No, as I shall be sav'd.
Oth. Is 't possible ?
Des. O Heaven, forgive us!
Oth. I cry you mercy, then :
I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
That married with Othello. — You, mistress,
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,42
And keep the gate of hell !
Re-enter Emilia.
You, you, ay, yoii !
We have done our course ; there 's money for your
pains
its onward-stealing yet apparently still finger ; so that, in every
way, the idea of the clock is presented to the imagination by
this passage.
39. GarTer'd. 'Stored," treasured.1 Shakespeare twice else-
where uses the word " garners " in this sense. See " Tempest,"
Act iv., sc. 1 'song' ; and " Coriolanus," Act i., sc. 1.
40. Ay, there. The old copies print ' I here.' Capell's correction.
41. H 'luii ignorant sinliaye I comniiitedl The use of the epithet
'ignorant" here gives duplicate effect to the sentence ; conveying
the two meanings ol 'What senseless sin have I committed V and
"What sin have I ignorantly committed?" For instances of
similar effect produced, see Note 62, Act i., " Henry VIII ."
42. The office opposite to Saint Peter. 'That of is ellip-
I pray you, turn the key, and keep our counsel.
[Exit.
Em'tl. Alas! what does this gentleman conceive? — ■
How do you, madam ? how do you, my good lady ?
Des. Faith, halt asleep.
Emit. Good madam, what 's the matter with
my lord ?
Des. With whom ?
Em'tl. Why, with my lord, madam.
Des. Who is thy lord ?
Emil. He that is yours, sweet lady.
Des. I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia;
1 cannot weep ; nor answer have 1 none,
But what should go by water. Pr'ythee, to-night
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets, — remember; —
And call thy husband hither.
Emil. Here's a change indeed! [Exit.
Des. 'Tis meet 1 should be us'd so, very meet.
How have I been behav'd, that he might stick
The small'st opinion on my least misuse f43
Re-enter Emilia ivith Iago.
Iago. What is your pleasure, madam? How
is 't with you ?
Des. I cannot tell. Those that do teach soung
babes
Do it with gentle means and easy tasks :
He might have chid me so ; for, in good faith,
I am a child to chiding.
Iago. What 's the matter, lady?
Emil. Alas! Iago, my lord hath so bewhor'd her,
Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,44
As true hearts cannot bear.
Des. Am I that name, Iago ?
Iago. What name, fair lady?
Des. Such as she says my lord did say I was.
Emil. A beggar in his drink could not have laid
•Such terms upon his callat.45
Iago. Why tlid he so ?
Dts. I do not know ; I am sure I am none such.
Iago. Do not weep, do not weep : — alas the day !
Emil. Has she forsook so many noble matches,
Her father, and her country, and her friends,
To be so call'd ? would it not make one weep ?
Des. It is my wretched fortune.
Iago. BesJirew him for't !
tically understood between "te" and "Saint." See Note 75,
Act i. , " Coriolanus."
43. My least misuse. This is the reading of the Folio and
the two latter Quartos ; while the first Quarto has ' my greatest
abuse.' We take the passage to mean, ' How can I have
behaved, that he could conceive the smallest ill opinion of mc
from even my least misdeed ?' ' How can I have behaved, that
even my least misconduct should have subjected me to the
smallest misconstruction on his part?'
44. Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her. This
shows that Emilia, among her other objectionable characteristics,
is a listener — a mean listener at doors. Consistent Shakespeare !
45. Callat. * Low-born, shrewish wench,' 'coarse creature,'
' drab.' Sec Note 39, Act i., " Second Part Henry VI."
5S6
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
How comes this trick upon him ?
Des. Nay, Heaven doth know.
Emit. I will he hang'd, it some eternal villain,4'
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
Have not devis'd this slander; I'll be hang'd else.
Iago. Fie, there is no such man ; it is im-
possible.
Des. If any such there be, Heaven pardon him!
Emit. A halter pardon him! Who keeps her
company ?
What place ? what time ? what form ? what likeli-
hood ?
The Moor's abus'd by some most villanous knave,
Some base notorious4" knave, some scurvy fellow: —
0 Heaven, that suchcompanions4'i thou 'dst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip
To lash the rascals naked through the world
Even from the east to the west !
Iago. Speak within door.4''
Emil. Oh,fieuponthem! Some such squire he was
That turn'd your wit the seamy side without,
And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
Iago. You are a fool ; go to.
ftj. Oh, good Iago,
What shall I do to win my lord again ?
Good friend, go to him ; for, by this light of heaven,
1 know not how I lost him. Here I kneel :—
If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
Either in discourse of thought50 or actual deed ;
Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
Delighted them in any other form ;
Or that I do not yet, and ever did,
And ever will, — though he do shake me off
To beggarly divorcement, — love him dearly,
Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much ;
And his unkindness may defeat my life,
But never taint my love. I cannot say whore,—
It does abhor me now I speak the word ;
46. Twill be luuig'd, if some, &°c. The actresses who im-
personate Emilia commit the mistake of making her say this
speech as if she suspected her husband of being this " eternal
villain" whom she denounces; whereas it is plain that the
dramatist intends her to glance at some one whom she believes
has misled Iago as well as Othello, has slandered herself as
well as Dcsdemona. She has before told the Moor, " If any
wretch have put this in your head, let Heaven requite it with
the serpent's curse." She has a suspicion of some one, " some
busy and insinuating rogue," "some slave," "some knave,"
" some scurvy fellow," who has done this " to get some office ; "
but her suspicion never for an instant falls upon her own hus-
band. The very repetition of the word "some" serves to keep
the object of her suspicion vague and undefined, showing that
i; is no one especially she suspects — least of all her husband, to
whom she is strongly attached ; and whose good opinion she is
so wishful to retain that she resents its bcin^ undermined by
this same suspected calumniator.
47. Xotorioits. Here used to express ' that should be noted,'
' that ought to be exposed to notoriety,' ' egregious.'
48. Companions. Occasionally, as here, employed as a term
of scorn. See Note 40, Act iv., "Julius Cae ar."
To do the act that might the addition51 earn
Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
Iago. I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humour :
The business of the state does him offence,
And he does chide with you.63
Des. If 'twere no other, —
Iago. 'Tis but so, I warrant.
[Trumpets heard.
Hark, how these instruments summon to supper !
The messengers of Venice stay the meat :
Go in, and weep not; all things shall be weH
[Exeunt Desdemona and Emilia.
Enter Roderigo.
How now, Roderigo !
Rod. I do not find that thoudealest justly with me.
Iago. What in the contrary ?
Rod. Everyday53 thou daff'st me54 with some
device, Iago ; and rather, as it seems to me now,
keepest from me all conveniency than suppliest me
with the least advantage of hope. I will, indeed,
no longer endure it ; nor am I yet persuaded to
put up in peace what already I have foolishly
suffered.
Iago. Will you hear me, Roderigo?
Rod. 'Faith, I have heard too much ; for your
words and performances are no kin together.
Iago. You charge me most unjustly.
Rod. With naught but truth. I have wasted
myself out of my means. The jewels you have had
from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have
corrupted a votarist : you have told me she has
received them, and returned me expectations and
comforts of sudden respect and acquaintance ; but
I find none.
Iago. Well ; go to ; very well.
Rod. Very well ! go to ! I cannot go to, man ;
nor 'tis not very well : by this hand, I say, it is
very scurvy, and begin to find myself fobbed55 in it.
49. Speak within door. ' Keep your tongue within bounds : '
'do not rave so loud as to be heard outside the house.'
50. Discourse of thought. ' Discursive range of thought," ex-
tensive operation of thought. ' See Note 6o, Act i., " Hamlet."
51. T/te addition. 'The title.' See Note 13 of this Act.
52. He does chide with you. To " chide with " was a form of
phrase used in Shakespeare's time ; giving the effect of quarrel
with' as well as ' reprove.'
■ 53. Every day. Effect of long time given ; though but niri
day (according to computation by short time) has elapsed since
they have been in Cyprus.
54. Daff'st me. ' Put'st me off,' ' set'st me aside : ' ' beguil'st
me.' See Note 23, Act iv., " First Part Henry IV."
55. Fobbed. The old copies print ' fopt ' instead of " fobbed ;"
which is Rowe's correction, and which we adopt, believing it to
be the word Shakespeare here intended, because he has used
"fobbed" elsewhere to express the same sense which it bears
here of 'snubbed,' 'baffled,' 'checked' (see FalstafF's speech in
" First Part Henry IV.," Act i., sc. 2 : " And resolution thus
Jobbed, as it is, with the rusty curb of old father antic, the law"),
and because he also has " fob," bearing a similar sense. See
passage referred to in Note r2, Act i., " Coriolanus."
587
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
logo. Very well.
Rod. I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make
myself known to Desdemona : if she will return
me my jewels, I will give over my suit, anil repent
mv unlawful solicitation ; if not, assure yourself I
will seek satisfaction of you.
lago. You have saiii now.
Rod. Ay, and said nothing but what I protest
'intendment of doing.
Iago. Why, now I see there's mettle in thee;
and even from this instant do build on thee a
better opinion than ever before. Give me thy
hand, Roderigo : thou hast taken against me a
most just exception ; but yet, I protest, I have
dealt most directly in thy affair.
Rod. It hath not appeared.
Iago. I grant, indeed, it hath not appeared ;
and your suspicion is not without wit and judg-
ment. But, Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee
indeed, which I have greater reason to believe now
than ever, — I mean purpose, courage, and valour, —
this night show it : if thou the next night follow-
ing win not Desdemona, take me from this world
with treacherv, and devise engines50 for my life.
Rod. Well, what is it ? is it within reason and
compass ?
Iago. Sir, there is especial commission come
from Venice to depute Cassio in Othello's place.
Rod. Is that true? why, then Othello and
Desdemona return again to Venice.
iago. Oh, no; he goes into Mauritania, and
takes away with him the fair Desdemona, unless
his abode be lingered here by some accident :
wherein none can be so determinate5' as the
removing of Cassio.
Rod. How do you mean, removing of him ?
Iago. Why, by making him uncapable of
Othello's place, — knocking out his brains.
Rod. And that you would have me to do?
Iago. Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a
right. He sups to-night with a harlotry,59 and
thither will I go to him : — he knows not yet of his
honourable fortune. If you will watch his going
56. Engines. ' Racks,' ' instruments of torture.' See Note
140. Act i., " King Lear."
57. Determinate. Used toexpress ' tending to that end,' 'pro-
motive of decided result.' See Note 1, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
58. A harlotry. Here used for ' a hireling,' 'a woman that
may be had for money.' See Note 34, Act iii., "First Part
Henry IV.," for the probable derivation of the word.
59. Amazed. 'Bewildered,' 'confounded,' 'confused.' See
Note 67, Act iv. , " King John."
60- High sitpptr-time. An idiomatic expression similar to
'great morning.' See Note 14. Act iv., " Troilusand Cressida."
" It is now high supper-time" signifies ' it is now high time for
supper,' ' supper-time is now fully come.' There would hardly
be need to explain this, were it not that Mason proposed to
change " high" for ' nigh.'
61. The night grows to waste. ' The night is wasting away,'
' the night is wearing away.'
thence, — which I will fashion to fall out between
twelve and one, — you may take him at your
pleasure: I will be near to second your attempt,
and he shall fall between us. Come, stand not
amazed59 at it, but go along with ine ; I will show
you such a necessity in his death, that you shall
think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now
high supper-time, G0 and the night grows to waste:61
about it.
Rod. I will hear farther reason for this.
Iago. And you shall be satisfied. [Exeunt.
SCENE III. — Another Room in the Castle.
Enter Othello, Lodovico, Desdemona, Emilia,
and Attendants.
Lod. I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no
farther.
Oth. Oh, pardon me ; 'twill do me good to
walk.62
Lod. Madam, good night ; I humbly thank
your ladyship.
Des. Your honour is most welcome.
Oth. Will you walk, sir? —
Oh, — Desdemona, —
Des. My lord ?
Oth. Get you to bed on the instant; I will be
returned forthwith : dismiss your attendant there :
look 't be done.
Des. I will, my lord.
[Exeunt Othello, Lodovico,
and Attendants.
Etn'tl. How goes it now ? he looks gentler than
he did.03
Des. He says he will return incontinent :64
He hath commanded me to go to bed,
And bade me to dismiss you.
Emit. Dismiss me !
Des. It was his bidding ; therefore, good Emilia,
Give me my nightly wearing, and adieu :
We must not now displease him.
Emil. I would you had never seen him !
62. 'Twill do me good to walk. One of Shakespeare's
subtle indications of physical condition ; it perfectly shows
the restlessness, the mat-ease, the fret of limb and frame ac-
companying fever of the mind. See Note 101, Act iv., "King
Lear."
63. He looks gentler than he did. This also serves to denote
the present state of Othello with perfect truth to natural course
in emotional disturbance. His look and manner are calmer,
because he has come to a resolved conclusion ; he has deter-
mined to put her to death, and he is therefore able to suppress
those starts of speech and that fierceness of glance which were
uncontrollable while his soul was tossed with doubt and racked
with suspense. His mind being once made up as to the course
he must pursue and the punishment he will inflict, it can sutler
him to speak and look more gently thnn he did.
64. Incontinent. 'Immediately;' the adjective used for the
adverb. Sec Note 106, Act i.
5S8
Act IV.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene III.
Des. So would not I : my love doth so approve him,
Thatevenhisstuhbornness,hisehccks, his frowns, —
Pr'vthee, unpin me,— have grace and favour in them.
Emit. I have laid those sheets you bade me on
the bed.
Des. All's one.— Good father ! how foolish are
our minds ! —
If I do die before thee, pr'ythee, shroud me
In one of those same sheets.65
Emit. Come, come, you talk.
Des. Mv mother had a maid call'd Barbara :
Site was in love ; and he she lov'd prov'd mad,66
And did forsake her: she had a song of " willow;"
An old thing 'twas, but it expressed her fortune,
And she died singing it : that song to-night
Will not go from my mind ; I have much to do,
But to go hang my head6" all at one side,
And sing it like poor Barbara.— Pr'ythee, despatch.
Em'tl. Shall I go fetch your night-gown ?
Des. No, unpin me here. —
This Lodovico is a proper68 man.
Emit. A very handsome man.
Des. He speaks well.
Em'tl, I know a lady in Venice would have
walked barefoot to Palestine for a touch of his
nether lip.
Des. [Singing.]
The poor soul sat69 sighing by a sycamore tree,
Sing all a green willow ;
Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
Sing willow, willow, willow :
The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd hsr moans ;
Sing willow, willow, willow;
Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones ;—
65. If I do die be/ore thee, pr*ythee% shroud mc in our of
those same sheets- Re "erring to her "wedding sheets ;" which,
in the previous scene, in the height of her distress, she has
bidden Emilia lay on her bed this night. The touch of super-
stitious foreboding, the touch of tender sentiment, the touch of
seif-chiding for being weak enough to indulge them, are all per-
fectly womanly ; and make one marvel how a man could so
intuitively have conceived the passage. But then, the man is
Shakespeare; whose knowledge of womanhood, in all its
intensest depths, is a miracle in itself. See Note 1, Act iv.,
** Love's Labour's Lost."
66. Mad. The commentators assert that this word ought to
be taken here in the sense of ' wild,' or ' frantic,' or ' uncertain,'
or ' inconstant,* or ' unruly,' or ' fickle ; ' but we do not see any
reason to suppose that the author meant it in any other sense
than the usual one of 'insane.' It appears to us that "prov'd
mad" may be taken to signify 'went mad,' 'went out of his
mind,' 'ran distracted;' or 'turned out to be mad,' 'became
known to be deranged '
67. / have much to do, but to go hang my head. " To do "
is here used where ' ado' is generally employed : but " to do "
and 'ado' were sometimes used the one for the other. In
Chaucer's " Romaunt of the Rose," line 5083, the word 'ado*
is employed for "to do:" "And done al that thei han ado."
In the present play there is another instance of " to do " for
' ado.' See the next line to the one referred to in Note 19,
Act iii. Johnson suggested that "but" might be changed to
'not' in this passage: the fact is, "but" has here large ellip-
tical force ; the phrase signifying, 'I have much ado to di any
thing but to go hang my head,* &c.
Lay by'these : —
[Singing.]
Sing willow, willow, willow ;
Pr'ythee, hie thee ; he'll come anon : —
[Singing.]
Sing all a green willow must be my garland.
Let nobody blame him ; his scorn I approve, -
Nay, that's not next.— Hark! who is'tthat knocks?
Emit. It's the wind.
Des. [Singing.]
I call'd my love false love ; but what said he then ?
Sing willow, willow, willow :
If I court mo women,"0 you'll couch with mo men. —
So, get thee gone ; good night. Mine eyes do itch ;
Dotli that bode weeping?
Em'tl. 'Tis neither here nor there.
Des. I have heard it said so. — Oh, these men,
these men ! —
Dost thou in conscience think, — tell me, Emilia, —
That there be women do abuse their husbands
In such gross kind ?'1
Em'tl. There be some such, no question.
Des. Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the
world ?
Emit.
Des.
Emil.
Why, would not you ?
No, by this heavenly light! 72
Nor I neither by this heavenly light ;
I might do 't as well i' the daik.
Des. Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the
world ?
Emil. The world's a huge thing : it is a great
price
For a small vice.
Des. In troth, I think thou wouldst not.
68. Proper. 'Comely,' 'good-looking.' See Note 5, Act i.,
"King Lear;" and Note 120, Act i. of the present play.
69. T/ie floor soul sat, &>c. The ballad whence thesesnatches
are taken is given in Percy's " Reliques," from a black-letter
copy in the Pepys Collection. It is originally a man's song,
being entitled "A Lover's Complaint, being forsaken of his
Love ;" but Shakespeare makes it a woman's song, and varies
its diction somewhat, to adapt it for his purpose.
70. If I court mo ivomen. "Mo" is an antique abbreviation
of ' more . ' and was frequently used in ballad poetry. See
Note 57, Act ii., " Much Ado."
71. In suck gross kind. Just one of Shakespeare's natural
touches of abrupt reference and introduction of subject. Dcs-
demona asks this question, and Emilia answers it, using the
word "such," although there has been no mention of unfaith-
fulness during this scene; but it has been the subject of their
thought, it has lain at the root of their dread that Othello is
jealous, and they now show that it is perfectly present to their
mind by this unushered allusion.
72. No, by this keaxienly light ! The contrast, throughout
the present brief dialogue, of the innately pure woman and the
ingrained coarse woman, the white-souled Desdemona and the
gross-thoughted, mercenary, lax-principled Emilia, with her
thread-bare sophisms, her shallow excuses, and her palterings
with right and wrong, forms a fine climax to the light and dark
characteristic difference between these two principal female
figures in the tragedy picture, even while the dramatic harmony
is maintained by the single point of moral fallibility which they
have in common. Sec Note 84, Act iii.
589
Act V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Emil. In troth, I think I should; and undo t
when I had done. Marry, I would not do such a
thing for a joint-ring,''11 nor for measures of lawn,
nor for gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty
exhibition ; but, for the whole world, — why, who
would not make her husband a gull to make him a
monarch f I should venture purgatory for't.
Des. Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong
For the whole world.
Emit. Why, the wrong is but a wrong i' the
world ; and having the world for your labour, 'tis a
wrong in your own world, and you might quickly
make it right.
Des. I do not think there is any such woman.
Emil. Yes, a dozen ; and as many to the van-
tage74 as would store the world they played for.
But I do think it is their husbands' faults
If wives do fall : say that they slack their duties,
And pour our treasures into foreign laps ;
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
Or scant our former having in despite ;
Why, we have galls; and though we have some
■ grace,
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know
Their wives have sense like them : they see, and
smell,
And have their palates both for sweet and sour,
As husbands have. What is it that they do
When they change us for others ! Is it sport ?
I think it is : and doth affection breed it ?
I think it doth : is't frailty that thus errs ?
It is so too: and have not we affections,
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have ?
Then let them use us well : else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
Des. Good night, good night : Heav.en me
such usage send,75
Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend !
[Exeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— Cyprus. A Street.
Enter Iago and Roderigo.
Iago. Here, stand behind this bulk;1 straight
will he come :
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home :
Quick, quick ; fear nothing ; I'll be at thy elbow :
It makes us, or it mars us ; think on that,
And fix most firm thy resolution.
73. A Joint-ring; This was anciently a usual token among
lovers; and it is described in a passage from Dryden's "Don
Sebastian ;" —
"A curious artist wrought them
"With joints so close as not to be perceiv'd ;
Yet are they both each other's counterpart :
Her part had Juan inscrib'd, and his had Zayda
{You know these names are theirs), and in the midst
A heart divided in two halves was plac'd. "
74. To the vantage. An idiomatic phrase, equivalent to
' over and above,' ' in addition to them.'
75. Heaven me such usage send. " Usage " is the word
given in the first Quarto ; while the others and the Folio give
'uses.' Most modern editors adopt the word 'uses,' without
stating in what sense they take it here ; while Johnson prefers
the word "usage," adding that it is an old word for custom.
But surely, in the present passage, "usage" bears the meaning
of ' treatment : ' the sentence signifying, 'May Heaven send
mc such treatment as that I shall not have to sort out bad from
bad, but — if I must have bad treatment — to mend my own cha-
racter by learning to bear bad treatment patiently." It should
be borne in mind that Shakespeare often gives greatly elliptical
sentences ; especially at the end of speeches previously to the
speaker's exit, and at the close of scenes.
Rod. Be near at hand ; T may miscarry in 't.
Iago. Here, at thy hand : be bold, and take thy
stand. [Retires to a little distance.
Rod. I have no great devotion to the deed ;
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons: —
Tis but a man gone :- — forth, my sword ; he dies.
[Goes to his stand.
Iago. I have rubb'd this young quat3 almost to
the sense,
1. Bulk. This is the word in the Quartos ; the Folio giving
'barke.' " Bulk" is explained to be a part of a building jutting
out, from the Danish bielcke, a beam ; but we believe that most
probably Shakespeare here meant by "bulk" one of those
stands, like tall benches, which the writer of this note remem-
bers in childhood seeing at various stations in London. There
was one, for instance, near to the corner of Park Lane, in Oxford
Street, appended to the pump that stood there ; one farther
down Oxford Street, near to James Street ; and one where
Farringdon Street joined Holborn Hill. They were generally
placed near to markets, and were used for porters to rest the
loads from their knots upon, or for those who carried burdens to
deposit them while resting. That these were well known to
Shakespeare, as a haunter of London streets, and that he should
have chosen to place one of them in a street in Cyprus, because
it was an object familiarly known to the majority of his audience,
is consistent with a practice of his. See Note 89, Act ii„
" Coriolanus "
2. 'Tis but a man gone. A half-line containing one of Shake-
speare's pregnant moral lessons : Roderigo's weak and wicked
companionship with Iago leading even to this !
3. Quat. A word still used in the midland counties for
'pimple' or 'pustule;' which, being "rubbed," is made to
smart. " Rubbed to sense" means rubbed to the quick, or to
the seat of sensation ; and Roderigo is called a " quat " by the
Act V.l
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
And lie grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,
Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
He calls me to a restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,1
As gifts to Desdemona ;
It must not be : if Cassio do remain,
He hath a daily beauty in his life
That makes ma ugly ; and, besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril :
No, he must die : — be 't so, I hear him coming.
Enter Cassio.
Rod. I know his gait, 'tis he. — Villain, thou
diest ! [Rushes from bis post, and makes
a pass at Cassio.
Cas. That thrust had been mine enemy indeed,
But that my coat5 is better than thou know'st :
I v. ill make proof of thine.
[Dravas, and wounds Roderigo.
Rod. Oh, I am slain !
[Iago rushes from bis post, cuts Cassio
behind in the leg, and exit.
Ccs. I am maim'd for ever. — Help, ho ! murder!
murder ! [falls.
Enter Othello, at a distance.
Oth. The voice of Cassio : — Iago keeps his word.
Rod. Oh, villain that I am !
Oth. It is even so.
Cas. Oh, help, ho! light! a surgeon !
Oth. Mis he: — oh, brave Iago, honest and just,
That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong !
Thou teachest me, — Minion, your dear lies dead,
And your unblest fate hies : — wanton, I come !
Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are
blotted ;
Thy bed, sin-stain'd, shall with sin's blood be
spotted. [Exit,
Enter Lodovico and Gratiano, at a distance.
Cas. What, ho! no watch ? no passage J0 mur-
der ! murder !
Cra. 'Tis some mischance ; the voice is very
direful.
Cas. Oh, help!
Lod. Hark !
Rod. Oil, wretched villain !
Lod. Two or three groan : — it is a heavy night -J
These may be counterfeits : let 's think 't unsafe
To come in to the cry without more help.
same figurative form of phrase that Sir Toby uses when he
exclaims, " Out, scab ! " or that Falstatf employs. See Note
54, Act iii., " Second Part Henry IV."
4. T/iat I bobb'd front hint. 'That I fooled him out of;' in
modern vulgar language, 'that I jockeyed him out of.'
5. My coat. Meaning the under-coat of proof or shirt of
mail, which he wear* ; and hearing this it is that causes Iago
to wound him in " the leg'* instead of ibe body.
Rod. Nobody come '; then shall I bleed to death.
Lod. Hark!
Gra. Here's one comes in his shirt, with light
and weapons.
Re-enter Iago, luith a light.
Iago. Who 's there ? whose noise is this that
cries on8 murder?
Lod. We do not know.
Iago. Did not you hear a cry ?
Cas. Here, here ! for Heaven's sake, help me !
Iago. What \s the matter ?
Gra. This is Othello's ancient, as I take it.
Lod. The same indeed ; a very valiant fellow.
Iago. What are you here that cry so grievously p
Cas. Iago? Oh, I am spoil'd, undone by villains !
Give me some help.
Iago. Oh, me, lieutenant! what villains have
done this ?
Cas. I think that one of them is hereabout,
And cannot make away.
Iago. Oh, treacherous villains! —
[To Lod. and Gra.] What are you there? come
in, and give some help.
Rod. Oh, help me here !
Cas. That 's one of them.
Iago. Oh, murderous slave! oh, villain !
[Stabs Rcderigo.
Rod. Oh, damn'd Iago ! Oh, inhuman dog !
Iago. Kill men i' the dark! — Where be these
bloody thieves ? —
How silent is this town ! — Ho ! murder ! murder ! —
What may you be ? are you of good or evil ?
Lod. As you shall prove us, praise us.
Iago. Signior Lodovico ?
Lod. He, sir.
Iago, I cry you mercy. Here 's Cassio hurt
by villains.
Gra. Cassio !
Iago. How is't, brother r9
Cas. My leg is cut in two.
Iago. Marry, Heaven forbid ! —
Light, gentlemen: — I'll bind it with my shirt.
Enter Eianca.
Bian. Whatislhematter,ho? who is't that cried?
Iago. Who is't that cried !
Bian. Oh, my dear Cassio ! my sweet Cassio !
O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio !
Iago. Oh, notable wanton ! — Cassio, may you
suspect
6. No passage ? No passengers 1 ' ' No one passing by V
7. It is a lieavy night. " Heavy" here bears the sense of
'dark,' ' thickly clouded ' (see Note 6, Act iv., "Measure for
Measure ") : while including that of ' sad,' ' grievous,' ' fraught
with mischance.'
8. Cries on. 'Proclaims,' 'announces,' 'exclaims against.'
See Note m, Act v.. " Hamlet."
9. Brother. Here used for ' brother officer.'
fill; i
ill
HI I
OTHELLO.
[Scene I.
Otltetlo. Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemo
Desdemona.
Ay, my lord.
Act V. Scene II.
Who they should be that have thus mangled you ?
Cas. No.
Gra. I am sorry to find you thus : I have been
to seek you.
lago. Lend me a garter : — so. — Oh, for a chair,
To bear him easily hence !
Bian. Alas ! he faints ! — O Cassio, Cassio,
Cassio !
Iago. Gentleman all, I do suspect this trash 10
To be a party in this injury. —
Patience awhile, good Cassio. — Come, come ;
Lend me a light. — Know we this face or no ?
Alas ! my friend and my dear countryman
Roderigo? no: — yes, sure; O Heaven! Roderigo.
Gra. What ! of Venice ?
Iago. Even he, sir: did you know him ?
10. Trash. Again used by Iago as a disparaging epithet.
See Note 44, Act ii.
Gra. Know him! ay.
Iago. Signior Gratiano? I cry you gentle
pardon ;
These bloody accidents must excuse my manners,
That so neglected you.
Gra. I am glad to see you.
Iago. How do you, Cassio? — Oh, a chair, a
chair !
Gra. Roderigo!
Iago. He, he, 'tis he.— Oh, that 's well said ;"—
the chair : — [A chair brought in.
Some good man bear him carefully from hence ;
I '11 fetch the general's surgeon. — [To Bian.] For
you, mistress,
Save you your labour. — He that lies slain here,
Cassio,
11. Welt said. Sometimes, as here, used for 'well done.'
See Note 24, Act ii.
241
Act v.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Was my dear friend : what malice was between you ?
Cas. None in the world ; nor do I know the man.
lago. [To Bian.] What! look you pale ?— Oh,
bear him out o' the air. — ■
[Cassio and Rod. are borne off.
Stay you, good gentlemen. — Look you pale, mis-
tress ? —
Dj you perceive the gastness of her eye ? —
Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon. —
Behold her well ; I pray you, look upon her :
Do you see, gentlemen ? nay, guiltiness will speak,
Though tongues were out of use.
Enter Emilia.
Emil. Alas! what's the matter? what's the
matter, husband ?
lag o. Cassio hath nere been set on in the dark
By Roderigo, and fellows that are 'scap'd :
He 's almost slain, and Roderigo dead.
Emil. Alas! good gentleman; alas! good Cassio!
Iago. Pr'ythee, Emilia,
Go know of Cassio where he supp'd to-night. —
What ! do you shake at that ?
Bian. He supp'd at my house ; but I therefore
shake not.
Iago. Oh, did he so ? I charge you, go with me.
Emil. Fie, fie upon thee, wanton !
Bian. I am no wanton ; but of life as honest
As you that thus abuse me.
Emil. As I ? foh ! fie upon thee !
Iago. Kind gentlemen, let's go see poor Cassio
dress'd.12 —
Come, mistress, you must tell 's another tale. —
Emilia, run you to the citadel,
And tell my lord and lady what hath happ'd. —
Will you go on, I pray ?— [Aside.'] This is the
night
That either makes me or fordoes13 me quite.
[Exeunt.
SCENE U.—A Bedchamber in the Castle:
Desdemona in bed, asleep; a light burning.
Enter Othello.
Oth. It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul, —
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars ! —
12. roor Cassio dress'd. ' Poor Cassio's wound dressed.'
Elliptical construction.
13. Fordoes. 'Undoes,' 'ruins, 'destroys.' See Note 22,
Act ii., " Hamlet."
14. It is the cause, it is the cause . ... it is the cause.
This is one of Shakespeare's impressively abrupt commence-
ments of scenes. It shows Othello in debate with his own
soul on the fatal necessity for putting his wife to death, and
striving to justify the deed by the cause which exists for its
perpetration. The iteration of the phrase, "it is the cause,'
serves admirably to denote the need he feels for urging upon
himself the instigating motive for his proposed act.
15. Put out tiie light, and then— Put out the light! The
It is the cause.14 — Yet I '11 not shed her blood ;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.
Yet she must die, else she '11 betray more men.
Put out the light, and then— Put out the light !15
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me : — but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd
thy rose,
I cannot give it vital growth again,
It needs must wither : — I '11 smell it on the tree. — ■
[Kissing her.
Oh, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her sword! — One more, one
more : —
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after : — one more, and this the last :
So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep,
But they are cruel tears : this sorrow's heavenly ;
It strikes where it doth love. — She wakes.
Des. Who's there? Othello?
Oth. Ay, Desdemona.
Des. Will you come to bed, my lord ?
Oth. Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemona?
Des. Ay, my lord.
Oth. If you bethink yourself of any crime
Unreconcil'd as yet to Heaven and grace,
Solicit for it straight.
Des. Alack, my lord, what may you mean by
that ?
Oth. Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by:
I would not kill thy unprepared spirit ;
No, — Heaven forfend !16— I would not kill thy soul.
Des. Talk you of killing?
Oth. Ay, I do.
Des. Then Heaven
Have mercy on me !
Oth. Amen, with all my heart !
Des. If you say so, I hope you will not kill me.
Oth. H'm !
Des. And yet I fear you; for you are fatal then,
When your eyes roll so: why I should fear I know
not,
Since guiltiness I know not ; but yet I feel I fear.
introduction of a dash after " then," indicating a pause in the
speaker's soliloquy, a.s if struck by his own words and repeating
them, was made by Warburton, who thus interprets the pas-
sage : " The meaning is, ' I will put out the light, and then
proceed to the execution of my purpose.' But the expression
of putting out the light, bringing to mind the effects of the
extinction of the light of life, he breaks short, and questions
himself about the effects of this metaphorical extinction, intro-
duced by a repetition of his first words, as much as to say,
' But hold, let me first weigh the reflections which this expres-
sion so naturally excites.' "
16. For/end. 'Forbid.' Shakespeare sometimes uses "de-
fend" to express ' forbid,' ' prohibit.'
Act V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Otb. Think on thy sins.
Des They are loves I bear to )Ou.
Otb. Ay, and for that thou diest.
Des. That death 's unnatural that kills for
loving. —
Alas! why gnaw you so your nether lip ?
Some bloody passion shakes your very frame :
These are portents ; but yet I hope, I hope,
They do not point on me.
Otb. Peace, and be still !
Des. I will so. What 's the matter ?
Oih. That handkerchief which I so lov'd, and
gave thee,
Thou gav'st to Cassio.
Des. No, by my life and soul !
Send for the man, and ask him.
Otb. Sweet soul, take heed,
Take heed of perjury ; thou art on thy death-bed.
Des. Ay, but not yet to die.
Otb. Yes, presently :
Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin ;
I'or to deny each article with oath
Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception
That I do groan withal. Thou art to die.
Des. Then Lord have mercy on me !
Otb. I say, Amen.
Des. And have you mercy too ! — I never did
Offend you in my life ; never lov'd Cassio
But with such general warranty of Heaven
As I might love ; I never gave him token.
Oib. By Heaven, I saw my handkerchief in 's
hand.
Oh, perjur'd woman ! thou dost stone my heart,
And mak'st me call what I intend to do
A murder, which I thought a sacrifice : 17
I saw the handkerchief.
Des. He found it, then ;
I never gave it him : — send for him hithei ;
Let him confess a truth.
Otb. He hath confess'd.
Des. What, my lord ?
Oth. That he hath — us'd thee.
Des. How ? unlawfully ?
Otb. Ay.
Dei. He will not say so.
Otb. No, his mouth is stopp'd ;
Honest Iago hath ta'en order for't.13
Des. Oh, my fear interprets ! — what! is he dead ?
Oth. Had all his hairs been lives, my great
revenge
17. Thou dost stone my heart, and tnak'st me call what I
in ten, I to do a murder, which I thought a sacrifice. 'Thou
dost harden my heart by denying thy guilt, and causes! me to
kill thee from wrath at thy perjury, when I intended thy death
to he a sacrifice made to justice.'
18. Ta'en order /or' t. 'Taken means to effect it,' 'made
provision to secure its being done.' See Note 17, Act iv.,
"Richard III."
19. Being done, there is no pause. ' My deed of retribution
Had stomach for them all.
Des. Alas ! he is betray'd, and I undone !
Otb. Out, wanton ! weep'st thou for him to my
face ?
Des. Oh, banish me, my lord, but kill me not !
Oth. Down, wanton !
Des. Kill me to-morrow; let me live to-night !
Otb. Nay, if you strive, — ■
Des. But half an hour !
Oth. Being done, there is no pause."
Des. But while I say one prayer!
Oth. It is too late.
[Smothers her.
Emit, [Ill thin.] My lord, my lord! what, ho!
my lord, my lord !
Oth. What noise is this? — Not dead ? not yet
quite dead ?
I that am cruel am yet merciful ;
I would not have thee linger in thy pain : —
So, so.20
Emil. [irithin.~\ What, ho! my lord, my lord !
Oth. Who's there ?
Emil. [Hritbin.~\ Oh, good my lord, I would
speak a word with you !
Oth. Yes: — 'tis Emilia: — by-and-by. — She's
dead. —
'Tis like she comes to speak of Cassio's death;
The noise was high. — Ha ! no more moving ?
Still as the grave. — Shall she come in ? were 't
good ? —
I think she stirs again : — no. — What's best to do ?
If she come in, she '11 sure speak to my wife :
My wife ! my wife! what wife? — I have no wife.
Oh, insupportable ! oh, heavy hour !
Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe
Should yawn at alteration.
Emit. [Within^ I do beseech you
That I may speak with you, oh, good my lord !
Oth. I had forgot thee : oh, come in, Emilia : —
Soft, — by-and-by: — let me the curtains draw. —
Where art thou? [Opens the c/oor.
Enter Emilia.
What 's the matter with thee now ?
Oh, my good lord, yonder 's foul murder
Emil.
done :
Oth.
Emil,
Oth.
What, now ?
But now, my lord.
It is the very error21 of the moon
being once put into execution, there must be no pause in com-
pleting it.'
20. So, so. It has been supposed that here Othello stabs
Desdemona to put an end to her sufferings, as is usually done
on the modern stage ; but the words in the text may merely be
intended to represent that he heaps more clothes around her,
pressing the pillow more closely upon her mouth.
21. Error. This word includes the senses of 'mistaken
path,' and ' errant or wandering path.' See Note 115, Act L
Act V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
She comes more near the earth than she was wont,
And makes men mad.
Emil. Cassio, my lord, has kill'd a young
Venetian
Call'd Roderigo.
Oth. Roderigo kill'd!
And Cassio kill'd !
Emil. No, Cassio is not kill'd.
Oth. Not Cassio kill'd! then murder's out of
tune,
And sweet revenge grows harsh.
D.'S. Oh, falsely, falsely murder'd !
Emil. Alas ! what cry is that ?
Oth. That! 'vhat?
Emil. Out, and alas ! that was my lady's
voice. —
Help ! help, ho ! help ! — Oh, lady, speak again !
Sweet Desdemona! oh, sweet mistress, speak!
Des. A guiltless death I die.
Emil. Oh, who hath done this deed ?
Dtt. Nobody ; I myself. Farewell :
Commend me to my kind lord : oh, farewell .'
[Dies.
O'h. Why, how should she he murdsr'd ?
Emil. Alas! who knows?
Oth. Ynu heard her say herself, it was not I.
Emil. She said so: I must needs report the
truth.
Oth. She 's, like a liar, gone to burning hell :
'Twas I that kill'd her.
Emil. Oh, the more angel she,
And you the blacker devil !
Oth. She turned to folly.
Emil. Thou dost belie her.
Oth. She was false as water.
Emil. Thou art rash as fire, to say
That she was false : oh, she was heavenly true !
Oth. Cassio did win her ; ask thy husband else.
Oh, I were damn'd beneath all depth in hell,
But that I did proceed upon just grounds
To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all.
Emil. My husband !
Oth. Thy husband.
Emil. That she was false to wedlock ?
Oth. Ay, with Cassio. Nay, had she been true,
If Heaven would make me such another world
Of one entire and perfect chrysolite,"
I'd not have sold her for it.
Emil. My husband !
Oih. Ay, 'twas he that told me first:
22. Chrysolite. A precious stone of a dusky green, with a
cast of yellow. It is the same as that which is modernly called
' peridot.'
23, My hnsbandl The numerous repetitions of this exclama-
tion serve to prove how impossible it is for Emilia to conceive
that [ago can be guilty of so atrocious a calumny, can be im-
plicated in the plot against Othello and Desdemona's peace, or to
suspect him for a moment in any way. See Note 46, Act iv.
An honest man he is, and hates the slime
That sticks on filthy deeds.
Emil. My husband Is3
Oth. What needs this iterance,24 woman ? I say
thy husband.
Emil. Oh, mistress, villany hath made mocks
with love.r:!5 —
My husband say that she was false !
Oth. He. woman ;
I say thy husband : dost understand the word ?
My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.
Emil. If he say so, may his pernicious soul
Rot half a grain a day ! he lies to the heart :
She was too fond of her most filthy bargain.
Oth. Ha!
Emil. Do thy worst :
This deed of thine is no more worthy Heaven
Than thou wast worthy her.
Oth. Peace! you were best.
Emil. Thou hast not half the power to do me
harm
As I have to be hurt.26 Oh, gull ! oh, dolt !
As ignorant as dirt ! thou hast done a deed, —
I care not for thy sword ; I'll make thee known,
Though I lost twenty lives. — Help! heip, ho!
help!
The Moor has kill'd my mistress ! Murder !
murder !
Enter Montano, Gratiano, and Iago.
Mon. What is the matter ? — How now, general ?
Emil. Oh, are you come, Iago ? you have done
well,
That men must lay their murders on your neck.
Gra. What is the matter ?
Emil. Disprove this villain, if thou be'st a man :
He says thou told'st him that his wife was false :
I know thou didst not, thou'rt not such a villain :
Speak, for my heart is full.
Iago. I told him what I thought ; and told no
more
Than what he found himself was apt and true.
Emil. But did you ever tell him she was false ?
Iago. I did.
Emil. You told a lie; an odious lie ;
Upon my soul, a lie ; a wicked lie : —
She false with Cassio ! — did you say with Cassio?
Iago. With Cassio, mistress. Go to, charm -7
your tongue.
Emil. I will not charm my tongue; I am bound
to speak :
24. Iterance. 'Iteration,' ' repetition.'
25. Villany hath math' mocks with love. ' Villany has
played off its false tricks upon true affection.'
26. As I have to be hurt. ' As I have power to endure b:ing
!un t. ' Elliptically expressed.
27. Charm. Here used for lay or still, as by a charm ; bind.
as by a spell.
506
F^ —
Emilia. I care not tor thy sword; I'll make thee known,
Though I lost twenty lives. — Help! help, ho! help!
The Moor has kill'd my mistress! Murder! murder!
Act K Scene II.
*4T
Act V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
let me have leave to
My mistress here lies murder'd in her bed, —
All. Oh, heavens forfend I
Emit. And your reports have set the murder on.
Oth. Nay, stare not, masters: it is true, indeed.
Gra. 'Tis a strange truth.
Mori. Oh, monstrous act!
Emil. Villany, villany, villany !—
I think upon 't, — I think, — 1 smell 't ; — oh, vil-
lany ! —
I thought so then;58— I'll kill myself for grief:—
Oh, villany, villany !
lago. What ! are you mad ? I charge you, get
you home.
Emil. Good gentlemen
speak :
'Tis proper I obey him, but not now. —
Perchance, lago, I will ne'er go home.
Oth. Oh ! oh ! oh ! [Falling on the bed.
Emil. Nay, lay thee down and roar ;
For thou hast kill'd the sweetest innocent
That e'er did lift up eye.
Olh. [Rising.] Oh, she was foul !—
1 scarce did know you, uncle :29 there lies your
niece,
Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly
stopp'd :
1 know this act shows horrible and grim.
Gra. Poor Desdemona ! I am glad thy father 's
dead :
Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief
Shore his old thread in twain : did he live now,
This sight would make him do a desperate turn,
Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
And fall to reprobance.30
Oth. 'Tis pitiful ; but yet lago knows
That she with Cassio hath the act of shame
A thousand times31 committed; Cassio confess' d it:
And she did gratify his amorous works
With that recognisance and pledge of love
Which I first gave her ; I saw it in his hand :
a8. / thought so then. In allusion to her suspicion that there
was some slanderer at work to defame Desdemona and deceive
Othello. See Note 46, Act iv. She seems to us to be about to
say, ' I thought then that there was villany going on, but little
thought my husband was its author.' The very thought that
lago could be capable of such villany causes her to interrupt
her half-uttered sentence with " I'll kill myself for grief."
29. Uncle. Gratiano is brother to Brabantio. Desdemona's
father ; therefore Othello here addresses him as "uncle."
30. Reprobance. A form of ' reprobation,' or ' reprobate-
ness.' The recurrence of this particular form of words — as
"arrivance," "iterance," " continuate," and " determinate" —
in the present play is remarkable ; and tends to confirm our
theory of certain modes of thinking or style of writing being
traceable in certain of Shakespeare's plays. See Note 133, Act
iv., " King Lear ; " and Note 9, Act ii. of this play.
31. A thousand times. One of Shakespeare's idiomatic ex-
pressions indicative of indefinite number : but here introduced
for the sake of conveying the effect of long time Precisely
the same remarks apply to it as those made upun the expres-
sion, " a hundred times/' in Note 5S, Act iii.
It was a handkerchief, an antique token
My father gave my mother.32
Emil. O Heaven ! oh, heavenly powers !
lago. Come, hold your peace.
Emil. 'Twill out, 'twill out : — I hold my peace,
sir ? no ;
I'll be in speaking liberal33 as the air :
Let Heaven and men and devils, let them all,
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.
lago. Be wise, and get you home.
Emil. I will not.
[IAGO offers to stab EMILIA.
Gra. Fie 1
Your sword upon a woman ?
Emil. Oh, thou dull Moor! that handkerchief
thou speak'st of
I found by fortune, and did give my husband ;
For often, with a solemn earnestness, —
More than, indeed, belong'd to such a trifle, —
He begg'd of me to steal it.
lago.
Villanous hag !
Emil. She give it Cassio ! no, alas ! I found it,
And I did give 't my husband.
lago. Filth, thou best !
Emil. By Heaven, I do not, I do not, gentle-
men.—
Oh, murderous coxcomb ! what should such a fool
Do with so good a wife ? [Iago slabs Emilia.
Oth. Are there no stones in heaven
But what serve for the thunder r34 — Precious
villain !
[Assaults Iago, and is disarmed by
Montano. Iago runs out.
Gra. The woman falls; sure, he has kill'd his
wife.
Emil. Ay, ay : — Oh, lay me by my mistress' side.
Gra. He 's gone, but his wife 's kill'd.
Mon. 'Tis a notorious35 villain. Take you this
weapon,
Which I have here recover' d from the Moor:
32. An antique token my /ather gave my mother. This
differs from what Othello said when he told Desdemona, " That
handkerchief did an Egyptian to my mother give;" but he
there stated it to be a direct gift from the "charmer" herself,
in order to heighten the impression of its mystic virtues upon
his wife's imagination. See Note 89, Act iii. Even this slight
deviation from truth on the part of Othello works its own retri-
bution. Had he not over-excited the gentle lady's fears by this
description of the handkerchief, and startled her by his
peremptormess in demanding it, she might not have been
tempted to prevaricate and tell a falsehood in reply to his
divergence from absolute fact. Thus subtly does the greatest
of dramatic moralists draw his ethical lessons. See Note 92,
Act iii.
33. Liberal Here used for 'free,' ' unrestrained.'
34. Are there no stones in heaven but, eh-'c. Implying,
' H.ith heaven no bolts wherewith to punish this miscreant is
well as to denounce his crime?' See Note 73, Act i., "Julius
Caesar."
35. Notorious. Here again used in the sense of 'egregious,'
'that should be noted and exposed.' See Note 47, Act iv.
598
\CT V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
Come, guard the door without ; let him not pass,
But kill him rather. I'll alter that same villain.
For 'tis a cursed slave.
[Exeunt Montano and Gratiano.
Oth. I am not valiant neither,
But every puny whipster gets my sword : —
But why should honour outlive honesty ?
Let it go all.
Emit. What did thy song bode, lady ?
Hark, canst thou hear me ? I will play the swan,
And die in music :36 — willow, willow, willow. —
Moor, she was chaste ; she lov'd thee, cruel Moor;
So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true ;
So speaking as I think, I die, — I die. [Dies.
Oth. I have another weapon in this chamber ;
It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper :3'" —
Oh, here it is. — Uncle, I must come forth.
Gra. [Within.] If thou attempt it, it will cost
thee dear :
Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.
Oth. Look in upon me, then, and speak with me,
Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee.
Re-enter Gratiano.
What is the matter ?
Behold, I have a weapon ;
Gra.
Oth.
A better never did itself sustain
Upon a soldier's thigh : I have seen the day,
That, with this little arm and this good sword,
I have made my way through more impediments
Than twenty times your stop :3S — but, oh, vain
boast !
Who can control his fate? 'tis not so now. —
Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd ;
Here is my journey's end, here is my butt,
And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.
Do you go back dismay'd ? 'tis a lost fear ;
Man but a rush against Othello's breast,
And he retires : — where should Othello go? —
Now, how dost thou look now ? Oh, ill-starr'd
wench !
Pale as thy smock ! when we shall meet at compr,
This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,
And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl !
Even like thy chastity. —
Oh, cursed, cursed slave ! — Whip me, ye devils,
Prom the possession of this heavenly sight !
Blow me about in winds ! roast me in sulphur !
Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!
O Desdemona ! Desdemona ! dead ! Oh, oh, oh !
36. / will play the swan, and die in music. Referring to
the graceful traditional notion of the swan, at point of death, sing-
ing its own dirge. See Note 14, Act iii., " Merchant of Venice."
37. A sword of Spain, tile ice-brook's temper. Spanish
sword-blades were highly esteemed (see Note 8r, Act i.,
" Romeo and Juliet"!, and the steel of which they were made
was tempered by plunging it into cold water — the colder the
water, the higher the temper attained.
Enter Lodovico, Montano, Cassio carried in a
chair, and Officers •with Iago, prisoner.
Lod. Where is this rash and most unfortunate
man ?
That 's he that was Othello ; — here I am.
Where is that viper? bring the villain
Oth.
Ud.
forth.
Oth.
I look down towards his feet,39 — but that 's
a fable. —
If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee.
[Wounds Iago.
Lod. Wrench his sword from him.
Iago. I bleed, sir; but not kill'd.
Oth. I am not sorry neither: I'd have thee live;
For, in my sense, 'tis happiness to die.
Lod. Oh, thou Othello, that wert once so good,
Fall'n in the practice40 of a cursed slave,
What shall be said to thee?
Oth. Why, anything:
An honourable murderer, if you will ;
For naught I did in hate, but all in honour.
Lod. This wretch hath part confess'd his
villany :
Did you and he consent in Cassio's death ?
Oth. Ay.
Cas. Dear general, I never gave you cause.
Oth, I do believe it, and I ask your pardon. —
Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil
Why he hath thus ensnar'd my soul and body?
Iago. Demand me nothing : what you know,
you know :
From this time forth I never will speak word.
Lod. What ! not to pray ?
Gra. Torments will ope your lips.
Oth. Well, thou dost best.
Lod. Sir, you shall understand what hath
befall'n,
Which, as I think, you know not. Here is a letter
Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo ;
And here another: the one of them imports
The death of Cassio to We undertook
By Roderigo.
Oth. Oh, villain!
Cas. Most heathenish and most gross !
Lod. Now here 's another discontented paper.
Found in his pocket too ; and this, it seems,
Roderigo meant to have sent this cursed villain ;
But that, belike, Iago in the interim
Came in and satisfied him.
Oth. Oh, the pernicious caitiff! —
38. More impediments than twenty times your stop. Ellip-
tically expressed : the phrase signifying ' more impediments
than twenty times as much as that by which you would stop
me.'
39. I look down towards his feet. Implying, to see if they
be cloven.
40. In the practice. 'In the snare ;' 'by the machinations.'
Act V.]
OTHELLO.
[Scene II.
How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief
That was my wife's ?
Cas. I found it in my chamber :
And he himself confess'd but even now
That there he dropp'd it for a special purpose
Which wrought to h"is desire.
Orb. Oh, fool ! fool ! fool !
Cas. There is besides in Roderigo's letter, —
How he upbraids Iago, that he made him
Brave me upon the watch ; whereon it came
That I was cast:41 and even but now he spake,
After long seeming dead, — Iago hurt him,
Iago set him on.
LoJ. You must forsake this room, and go
with us :
Your power and your command is taken off,
And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave, —
If there be any cunning cruelty
That can torment him much and hold him long,
It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest,
Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state. — Come, bring away.
Oib. Soft you ; a word or two before you go.
1 have done the state some service, and they
know it; —
No more of that. — I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am ; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
Of one, that lov'd not wisely, but too well ;
Of one, not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
41 Cast. ' Dismissed from office,' ' cashiered.' SeeNote88,
Act ii.
42. The base Indian. This is. the reading of all the Quartos :
while the Folio gives ' Iudean' instead of " Indian." Theobald
maintained that 'Judean' was the word 'intended,' and that
the allusion was to Herod, who, in a fit of blind jealousy, threw
away such a jewel of a wife as Mariamne was to him. Malone
also favoured ' Judean,' because he thought the word "tribe"
indicated that the Jews were referred to ; but in the present
play we see the word " tribe" more generally applied, where
Iago says, " Good Heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend from
jealousy !" Three passages, cited from other writers, show
that the recklessness with which Indians treat the treasures
yielded by their native realms was subject of known allusion.
In Habington's pocin, " To Castara Weeping," is found :
" So the unskilfull Indian those blight gems
Which might adde majestic to diadems
'Mong the waves scatters."
In Sir Edward Howard's "The Woman's Conquest:"
" Behold my queen —
Who with no more concern I'll cast away
Than Indians do a pearl, tluxt ne'er did know
Its value."
And in Drayton's " Legend of Matilda : "
"The wretched Indian spumes the golden ore."
Even though we adopt the Quarto reading, we confess to enter-
Pcrplex'd in the extreme ; of one, whose hand,
Like the base Indian,4- threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe ; of one, whose subdu'd
eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears43 as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinal41 gum. Set you down this ;
And say, besides', — that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk45
Beat a Venetian and tradue'd the state,
I took by the throat the circumcised dog,
And smote him — thus. [Stabs himself.
LoJ. Oh, bloody period !
Gia. All that 's spoke is marred.
Utb. I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee : — no way
but this, [Falling upon Desdemona.
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. [Dies.
Cas. This did I fear, but thought he had no
weapon ;
For he was great of heart.
Lod. [To Iago.] O Spartan dog,40
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea !
Look on the tragic loading of this bed ;
This is thy work : — the object poisons sight ;
Let it be hid. — Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,
For they succeed on you. — To you, lord governor,
Remains the censure4? of this hellish villain ;
The time, the place, the torture, — oh, enforce it !
Myself will straight aboard ; and to the state
This heavy act with heavy heart relate. [Exeunt.
tabling considerable doubts whether the Folio word 'Judean'
may not, after all, have been what Shakespeare wrote. That
he was well acquainted with the story of " Herod of Jewry "
is evident from his having no fewer than eight allusions to
him in the course of his plays ; and in all probability he
had seen Lady Elizabeth Carew's tragedy of " Mariam. the
Fair Queen of Jewry " (1613), with the passage where Herod
is made to say,
" I had but one inestimable jewel —
Yet in suddaine choler cast it downe
And dasht it all to pieces."
We have given the corroborative citations on each side of the
argument, and have honestly stated our own difficulty of deci-
sion ; leaving the reader to judge the question.
43. Drop tears. The sudden deviation from past tense to
present tense here has impressive effect ; it tends to make the
weeping of the noble-natured man and brave soldier the more
vividly actual and intense to the imagination of reader or spec-
tator. See Note 5, Act i.
44. Medicinal. This is the word in the Quartos ; the Folio
giving 'medicinable.'
45. A turban'd Turk. It has been affirmed that it was im-
mediate death for a Christian to strike a Turk in Aleppo.
46. Spartan dog. The dogs of Spartan race were reckoned
among those of the most fierce and savage kind.
47. Censure. Here used for 'sentence,' 'judgment,' 'con-
demnation. See Note 8, Act ii., " Measure for Measure."
600
*4*
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
M. Antony, )
Octavius CjESAR, [ Triumvirs.
M. JEmil. Lepidus, )
Sextus Pompeius.
Domitius Enobarbus,
Ventidius,
Eros,
Scarus, ■ Friends to Anlony.
Dercetas,
Demetrius,
Philo,
Mec.cn as, \
Agrippa, J
Dolabella, f . , _
„ S rnends to Caesar.
Proculeius, ,
Thyreus, A
Gallus, /
Menas, \
Menecrates, ? Friends to Pompey.
Varrius, "
Taurus, Lieutenant-General to Cesar.
Canidius, Lieutenant-General to Antony.
Silius, an Officer in Ventidius's Army.
Euphronius, an Ambassador from Antony to Caesar.
Alexas, Mardian, Seleucus, and Diomedes, Attendants on Cleopatra.
A Soothsayer.
A Cloivn.
Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
Octavia, Sister to Caesar, and Wife to Antony.
Charmian, i „ _,
, )■ Attendants on Cleopatra.
Iras, J '
Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants.
Scene — In several parts of the Roman Empire.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.1
ACT I.
SCENE I. — Alexandria. A Room in
Cleopatra's Palace.
Enter Demetrius and Philo.
Phi. Nay, but this dotage of our general's2
O'erHows the measure: those his goodly eyes,
That o'er the files and musters of the war
Have gloiv'd like plated3 Mars, now bend, now
turn,
The office4 and devotion of their view
Upon a tawny front :5 his captain's heart,
Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst
The buckles on his breast, reneges6 all temper,
i. The first known printed copy of Antony and Cleopatra
is the one in the 1623 Folio. There exists an entry in the
Stationers' Registers, made by Edward Blount, dated May 20th,
160S, of "A booke called Anthony and Cleopatra;" which
entry in all probability refers to Shakespeare's play on this
subject, as Blount was one of the publishers of the 1623 Folio.
The inference, therefore, is that Shakespeare's "Antony and
Cleopatra" was very likely written, and possibly acted, some-
where about the close of 1607, or commencement of 1608 ; the
intrinsic evidence of the style showing it to have been among
the productions of his maturest period in composition. He has
derived his materials from Sir Thomas North's translation of
" Plutarch ; " following his authority with a closeness, a fidelity
the most remarkable, while at the same time investing his his-
toric details with a richly glowing beauty and harmony of poetic
colouring that render his "Antony and Cleopatra" the most
superb and consummate picture-drama of history ever put upon
literary canvas. His Antony is an heroic figure that preserves
its majesty and dignity amid sensual indulgence and spell-bound
bewitchment that would sully and degrade a less magnificently
limned character; and Cleopatra is a matchless heroine of
voluptuous fascination and gorgeous charm. The author has
had the singular art to preserve their splendour of portraiture,
their grandeur of delineation, without rendering their example
alluring or their vices attractive ; he has nowise compromised
the truth of virtue or morality, even while investing this brace
of imperial voluptuaries with all the opulence of Oriental glow
and imagery. He has set them forth as that which will ever-
more secure the gaze of the world ; as that which enchains our
attention, even our admiration ; but amid all the glamour of
colour, warmth, and beauty, he has left us undazzled in judg-
And is become the bellows and the fan
To cool a gipsy's7 lust. [Flourish -within.'] Look,
where they come:
Take but good note, and you shall see in him
The triple8 pillar of the world transform' d
Into a wanton's fool: behold and see.
Enter Antony and Cleopatra, tvith their
trains ; Attendants fanning her.
Cleo. If it be love indeed, tell me how much.
Ant. There 's beggary in the love that can be
reckon'd.
Cleo. I'll set a bourn9 how far to be belov'd.
ment, and free to withhold esteem or sympathy. We admire,
but we never love ; we yield our imaginations, but not our hearts
Neither the hero nor the heroine excite one moment's attach-
ment ; but they exercise unfading sway upon our fancy, and
reign supreme over our sensuous perceptions.
2. Nay, but this dotage, &*c. One of Shakespeare's abrupt
commencements, as with a conversation already begun, giving
great ease and naturalness of effect. See Note 2, Act i., " As
You Like It."
3. Plated. 'Clad in plate armour.' See Note 94, Act iv.,
" King Lear."
4. Office. Here used to express ' dedicated service,' ' duteous
observance.' See Note 97, Act hi., " Othello.''
5. A tawny front. A poetical indication of Cleopatra's Eastern
complexion. All traditional records agree in stating that she
was not handsome, lineally handsome ; but all likewise agree in
mentioning that she possessed an inexpressible charm of face
and person, incomparable grace of manner and discourse, with
irresistibly engaging and inexhaustibly varied demeanour.
6. Reneges. Pronounced dissyllabically, as if written 're-
neagues,' or ' reneags ; * and signifying ' renounces,' ' disclaims,'
* denies.' See Note 45, Act ii., " King Lear."
7. Gipsy. An epithet here given to Cleopatra as a disparaging
term applied to a woman, and as appropriate to her from being
an Egyptian. See Note 4, Act v., " Midsummer Night's
Dream ;" and Note 47, Act »., " Romeo and Juliet."
8. Triple. Here used for ' third,' ' one of three.' See Note
32, Actii., "All's Well." Antony was one of Rome's trium-
virs ; sustaining strengths of the world.
9. Bourn. 'Bound,' 'limit.' See Note 78, Act iii., " King
Lear."
603
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Ant. Then must thou needs find out new
heaven, new earth.10
E'tter an Attendant.
Alt. News, my good lord, from Rome.
Ant. Grates me : — the sum.11
Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antony:
Fulvia perchance is angry ; or, who knows
If the scarce-bearded Ca-sar have not sent
His powerful mandate to you, " Do this, or this;
Take in1- that kingdom, and enfranchise that ;
Perform 't, or else we damn13 thee."
Ant. How, my love!
Cleo. Perchance, — nay, and most like, —
You must not stay here longer; your dismission
Is come from Ca?sar; therefore hear it, Antony ■
Where's Fulvia' s process?14 Caesar's I would
say ?— both ?—
Call in the messengers. — As I am Egypt's queen,
Thou blushest, Antony ; and that blood of thine
Is Ca?sar's homager : else so thy cheek pays shame
When shrill-tongu'd Fulvia scolds. — The mes-
sengers!
Ant. Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide
arch
Of the rang'd15 empire fall ! Here is my space.
Kingdoms are clay: our dungy earth16 alike
Feeds beast as man : the nobleness of life
Is to do thus [embracing] ; when such a mutual
pair
And such a twain can do't, in which I bind,
On pain of punishment, the world to weet,17
We stand up peerless.
Cleo. Excellent falsehood !
Whv did he marry Fulvia, and not love her ? —
10. Then must thou needs, <S*V. Implying, ' Then you must
discover a new universe wherein to appoint the boundary of my
love, for the present space sufficeth not.'
ii. Grates me: — the sum. Elliptically expressed ; signifying
'news that grates upon me; tell me at once its amount.'
"News" is here used as a collective noun and treated as a
singular : while in Cleopatra's rejoinder, " Nay, hear them," the
word is treated as a plural. See Note 86, Act iv., " Richard III."
12. Take in. 'Conquer,' 'subdue.' See Note 61, Act ill.,
" Coriolanus. "
13. Damn. Used in the sense of ' doom' or 'condemn.* See
Note 8, Act i., " Macbeth."
14. Process. Here employed for ' summons,' ' citation.'
Minshew, in his "Dictionary" (1617), says, "Lawyers sometimes
call that the processc, by which a man is called into the court
and no more."
15. Ratig'd. Like the French word range, this word here
bears the sense of ' well-ordered,' ' well-arranged.' " Ranges,"
in the speech referred to in Note 29, Act iii., "Coriolanus," is
used with similar signification.
16 Dungy earth. Shakespeare has used Ihis strong expres-
sion 1. ith h. re and elsewhere (see the speech subsequent to the
one referred to in Note 26, Act ii., " Winter's Tale") to express
the material and elemental globe on which we exist.
17. To weet. ' To know,' ' to be aware.'
IS But stirrd by Cleopatra. This is in rejoinder to what
she has said; and signifies. 'Ay. he will be himself; but he
will be so if inspired thereto by Cleopatra.'
I'll seem the fool I am not ; Antony
Will be himself.
Ant. But stirr'd by Cleopatra. ls—
Now, for the love of Love19 and her soft hours,
Let's not confound20 the time with conference
harsh :
There's not a minute of our lives should stretch
Without some pleasure now: — what sport to-night ?
Cleo. H ear the ambassadors.
Ant. Fie, wrangling queen !
Whom everything becomes, — to chide, to laugh,
To weep ; whose every passion fully strives
To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd !
No messenger ; but thine, and all alone,
To-night we'll wander through the streets, and note
The qualities of people. Come, my queen ;
Last night you did desire it: — speak not to us.
[Exeunt Ant. and Cleo. ixiith their train.
Dem. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight?
Phi. Sir, sometimes, when he is not Antony,
He comes too short of that great property
Which still should go with Antony.
Dem. I am full sorry
That he approves the common liar,21 who
Thus speaks of him at Rome: but I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Rest you happy !
[Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Alexandria. Another Room in the
Palace.
Enter Charmian, Iras, and Alexas.-2
Char. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any-
19. For the love 0/ Love. ' For the sake of Venus, queen of
love.' See Note 25, Act iii., " Comedy of Errors."
20. Confound. Here used for 'lose.' 'spend,' 'consume.*
See Note 74, Act i., "Coriolanus."
21. That he approves tlie common liar. " Approves " is used
in the sense of ' proves true,' 'confirms' (see Note 35, Act i.,
"King Lear'*); and "the common liar" means 'report,'
' rumour.'
22. Enter Charmian, &*c. The stage direction here in the
Folio gives the names of three additional personages, " Lini-
prius, Rannius, Lucilius ;" but as they take no part in the
dialogue, they were probably intended to be omitted, though by
chance retained in the copy from which the Folio was printed.
A similar circumstance is pointed out in Note 2, Act i., " Much
Ado." An interest attaches to the first of the above three
names ; as it may be an indication that Shakespeare originally
meant to have introduced into this play a character and direct
authority for certain of its details, thus mentioned by Plutarch :
" I have heard my Grandfather Lampryas report, that one
Philotas, a Physitian, borne in the city of Amphion, told him,
that he was at that present time in Alexandria, and studied
Phisicke : and thai having acquaintance with one of Antonius
cookes, he tooke him with him to Antonius house (being a yong
man desirous to see things! to shew him the wondcrfull sumptuous
charge and preparation of one only supper. When he was in
the kitrhin, and saw a world of diuersities of meets, and amongst
others, eight wild bores rosted whole, he began to wonder at
it," &c.
604
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Sootlisayer. In Nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.
Alexas. Show him your hand.
Act I. Scent II.
thing Alexas, almost most absolute Alexas, where's
the soothsayer that you praised so to the queen P
Oh, that I knew this husband, which, you say, must
charge his horns with garlands!23
Alex. Soothsayer !
Enter a Soothsayer.
Sooth. Your will ?
Char. Is this the man ? — Is 't you, sir, that
know things ?24
23. Must charge his horns with garlands. Wc have always
adopted the substitution proposed by Southern and Warburton,
and made by Theobald, of "charge" for 'change' here, as
being probably Shakespeare's word ; nevertheless, we think it
just pos-ible that the reading of the Folio maybe right, sig-
nifying ' this husband, who, you say, is to bring his future horns
in exchange for our present garlands.' It is certain that Shake-
speare elsewhere uses "change" for 'exchange' 'see Note 20,
Act ii.t " Othello ") ; still, as the typographical error of ' change'
for " charge" is an easy misprint, and is to be found in the Folio
Sooth. In Nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.
Alex. Show him your hand.
Enter Enobarbus.
Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly ; wine
enough
Cleopatra's health to drink.
Char. Good sir, give me good fortune.
Sooth. I make not, but foresee.
Char. Pray, then, foresee me one.
edition of Shakespeare elsewhere (see Note 49, Act v., " Corio-
lanus"), wc think it very likely that it was made in the present
passage.
24. Is't you, sir, that know things f Admirably contrasted
is the waiting-woman's obtuscness in this form of question, with
the simple loftiness of the soothsayer's reply ; the blundering
generalisation of common-place, with the large all-embracing
amplitude of research into Nature's wonders ; the prosaic vague-
ness, and the poetic vagueness.
605
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Sooth . You shall be yet tar fairer than you are.
Char. He means in flesh.
Iras. No, you shall paint when you are oKl.
Char. Wrinkles forbid !
Alex. Vex not his prescience ; be attentive.
Char. Hush!
Sooth. You shall be more beloving than belov'd.
Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking.85
Alex. Nay, hear him.
Char. Good now, some excellent fortune! Let
me be married to three kings in a forenoon, an I
widow them all : let me have a child at fifty, to
whom Herod of Jewry26 may do homage: find me
to marry me with Octavius Cassar, and companion
me with my mistress.
Sooth. You shall outlive the lady whom you serve.
Char. Oh, excellent ! I love long life better than
Sooth. You have seen and prov'd a fairer former
fortune
Than that which is to approach.
Char. Then belike my children shall have no
names.28 — Nav, come, tell Iras hers.
Alex. We'll know all our fortunes.
Erto. Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night,
shall be — drunk to bed.
Iras. There 's a palm presages chastity, if
nothing else.
Char. Even as the o'erflowing Nilus presageth
famine.
Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot
soothsay.
Char. Pr'ythee, tell her but a worky-day for-
tune.
Sooth. Your fortunes are alike.
Iras. But how, but how? give me particulars.
Sooth. I have said.
Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than
she?
Char. Our worser thoughts heavens mend ! —
Alexas, — come, his fortune, his fortune! — Oh, let
him marry a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I
beseech thee ! and let her die too, and give him a
worse! and let worse follow worse, till the worst of
all follow him laughing to his grave! Good Isis,
25. I had rathe*- heat my liver with drinking. The liver
was anciently supposed to be the seat of the passions. See Note
7, Act iv., " Tempest."
26. Herod of Jciury. Four times alluded to in the present
play, besides the reference in this passage. Being a contem-
porary monarch of the period, there is great propriety in his
introduction ; and, moreover, he was a personage well known to
Shakespeare's audiences, through the old mysteries, as a famous
tyrant of the most haughty and domineering character. See
Note 44, Act hi., " Hamlet ; " and Note 42, Act v., " Othello."
The under-lying stroke of humour in Charmian's desiring that
she should have a child to whom the future Massacrer of the
Innocents shall " do homage," is in keeping with the headlong
oddity of this imperial lady's-maid, as drawn throughout by the
dramatist's most characteristic pencil.
hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter
of more weight ; good Isis, I beseech thee !
Iras. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer
of the people ! for as it is a heart-breaking to see a
handsome man loose-wived, so it is a deadly sorrow
to behold a foul knave ungulled: therefore, dear
Isis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly !
Char. Amen.
Eno. Hush! here comes Antony.
Char. Not he ; the queen.
Enter Cleopatra.
Cleo. Saw you my lord ?
Eno. No, lady.
Cleo. Was he not here ?
Char. No, madam.
Cleo. He was dispos'd to mirth ; but on the
sudden
A Roman thought hath struck him. — Enobarbus, —
Eno. Madam ?
Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither. — Where *s
Alexas ?
Alex. Here, at your service. — My lord ap-
proaches.
Cleo. VVe will not look upon him : go with us.
[Exeunt Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian,
Iras, Alexas, and Soothsayer.
Enter Antonvtu/'/A a Messenger and Attendants.
Mess. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.
Ant. Against my brother Lucius?
Mess. Ay :
But soon that war had end, and the time's state
Made friends of them, jointing'-9 their force 'gainst
Cajsnr ;
Whose better issue in the war, from Italy,
Upon the first encounter, drave30 them.
Ant. Well, what worst ?
Mess. The nature of bad news infects the teller.
Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward.—;
On:—
Things that are past are done with me. — 'Tis
thus ;
Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death,
I hear him as he flatter'd.
27. / love long life better than fi.es. A proverbial saying,
but its special effect here is from its being said in reply to the
soothsayer's prognostic that Charmian shall "outlive" Cleo-
patra; a prognostic verified by her outliving her mistress for a
few minutes only.
28. Have no names. ' Be illegitimate.' In " Two Gentlemen
of Verona," Act in., sc. 1, Launce's comment upon the item in
the catalogue of his mistress's qualities, " She hath many name-
less virtues," affords illustration of this.
29. fointing. Here used for ' joining in confederacy,'
' combining conjointly.' By an error, this word is given
in "The Concordance to Shakespeare" as if it were 'join-
ing :' an error which we here take occasion to point out and
correct.
30. Drave. An antique form of ' drove.'
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Mess, Labienus
(This is stiff news) hath, with his Parthian force,
Extended31 Asia trom Euphrates;
His conquering banner shook, from Syria
To Lydia and to Ionia ; whilst —
Ant. Antony, thou wouldst say, —
Miss. Oh, my lord!
Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the general
tongue:
Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome ;
Rail thou in Fulvia' s phrase ; and taunt my faults
With such full licence as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. Oh, then we bring forth weeds,
When our quick winds lie still ;Mand our ills told us
Is as our earing.33 Fare thee well awhile.
Mess. At your noble pleasure. [Exii.
Ant. From Sicyon, ho, the news! Speak there!
First Alt. The man from Sicyon, — is there such
a one ?
Sec. Ait. He stays upon your will.
Ant. Let him appear. —
These strong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Or lose myself in dotage.
Enter another Messenger.
What are you ?
Sec. Mess. Fulvia thy wife is dead'.
Ant. . Where died she?
Sec. Mess. In Sicyon:
Her length of sickness, with what else more serious
Importeth thee to know, this bears.
[Giving a letter.
Ant. Forbear me.
[Exit Sec. Messenger.
There 's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it :
What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again ; the present pleasure,
By revolution lowering,34 does become
The opposite of itself : she 's good, being gone;
The hand could pluck her back36 that shov'd heron.
1 must from this enchanting queen break off:
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch. — Ho, Enobarbus!
31. Extended. A law term for 'seized.' See Note 9, Activ.,
"Twelfth Night.
32. When our quick winds lie still. Warburton changed
" winds " to ' minds ' here ; an alteration which has been adopted
by many editors since. It appears to us that Antony is meta-
phorising himself and men in general as land or soil : and he
employs "winds" as a figurative image for the brisk whole-
somely searching winds that make the earth duly fruitful instead
of letting it lie stagnant and overgrown with idle weeds ; as well
as for the wholesomely rough breath of public censure and
private candour which prevent the growth of moral weeds, and
allow good fruits to spring up into existence. "Our quick
winds," for ' the quick winds that stir and vivify us,' is a form
of phrase which Shakespeare often uses when employing the
possessive case. See Note 2, Act iii., "Hamlet."
33.^4 nd our ills told us is as our earing. The metaphor is
still maintained here ; Antony going on to say, ' And the errors
Re-enter Enobarbus.
Eno. What 's your pleasure, sir ?
Ant. I must with haste from hence.
Eno. Why, then, we kill all our women : we
see how mortal an unkindness is to them ; if they
suffer our departure, death 's the word.
Ant. I must be gone.
Eno. Under a compelling occasion, let women
die : it were pity to cast them away for nothing ;
though, between them and a great cause, they
should be esteemed nothing. Cleopatra, catching
but the least noise of this, dies instantly ; I have
seen her die twenty times upon far poorer
moment :3C I do think there is mettle in death,
which commits some loving act upon her, she hath
such a celerity in dying.
Ant. She is cunning past man's thought.
Eno. Alack, sir, no ; her passions are made of
nothing but the finest part of pure love : we cannot
call her winds and waters sighs and tears; they are
greater storms and tempests than almanacs can
report: this cannot be cunning in her; if it be,
she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove.
Ant. Would I had never seen her!
Eno. Oh, sir, you had then left unseen a
wonderful piece of work ; which not to have
been blessed withal would have discredited your
travel.
Ant. Fulvia is dead.
Eno. Sir ?
Ant. Fulvia is dead.
Eno, Fulvia!
Ant. Dead.
Eno. Why, sir, give the gods a thankful
sacrifice. When it pleaseth their deities to take
the wife of a man from him, it shows to man the
tailors of the earth ; comforting therein, that when
old robes are worn out, there are members to make
new. If there were no more women but Fulvia,
then had you indeed a cut, and the case to be
lamented : this grief is crowned with consolation;
your old smock brings forth a new petticoat : —
we commit bemg told us is as ploughing to our inert soil' [or
moral self1. That "earing" was an old word for 'ploughing'
has been shown in Note 30. Act iii., " Richard II."
34. The present pleasure, by revolution, 6fc. 'That wbiih is
to us at the time being a pleasure becomes, by the depreciating
effect of revolution in events, a positive pain.'
35. The hand could pluck her back. Here " could " is used
with optative, not potential, force, signifying inclination not
power. The phrase implies, 'That hand which repulsed her
would now willingly rescue her,' ' I could find it in my heart to
wish her back, I who wished her away.' The mode in which
"could," "should," "would," "shall," and "will" were
formerly used is matter of interesting philological study. See
Note 77, Act iv., "Timon of Athens;" and Note 128, Act iii.,
" Hamlet."
36. Upon far poorer moment. ' Upon occasion of far less
importance,' ' from a cause of much less consequence.'
607
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene III.
ami, indeed, the tears live in an onion that should
water this sorrow.
Ant. The business she hath broached in the
state •
Cannot endure my absence.
Eno. And the business you have broached here
cannot be without you; especially that of Cleo-
patra's, which wholly depends on your abode.
Ant. No more light answers. Let our officers
Have notice what we purpose. I shall break
The cause of our expedience3'" to the queen,
And get her love to part.3i For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,33
Do strongly speak to us ; but the letters too
Of many our contriving friends in Rome
Petition us at home :40 Sextus Poinpeius
Hath given the dare to Ciesar, and commands
The empire of the sea : our slippery people
(Whose love is never link'd to the deserver
Till his deserts are past) begin to throw
Pompey the Great, and all his dignities,
Upon his son ; who, high in name and power,
Higher than both in blood and life, stands up
For the main soldier: whose quality, going on,
The sides o' the world may danger : much is
breeding,
Which, like the courser's hair,41 hath yet but lite,
And not a serpent's poison. Say, our pleasure,
To such whose place is under us, requires4-
Our quick remove from hence.
Eno. I shall do 't. [Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Another Room in the Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas.
Cleo. Where is he ?«
Char. I did not see him since.
37. Expedience. 'Expedition.' See Note 7, Act i., "First
Part Henry IV."
3S. And get her love to part. Pope and others have changed
" luve " to ' leave' here ; but we understand the sentence ellip-
tically : 'And induce her love to part with us,' 'and win her
love to let us depart,' ' and prevail upon her love to endure
parting.'
30. With more urgent touclies. " With " has here the force
of ' together with ' or ' with other ;' and *' more urgent touches"
mean 'paints that touch me more sensibly,' 'more pressing
in itives.'
40. Petition us at home. ' Demand our presence at home.'
41. Like the courser s hair. In allusion to the ancient popular
belief that a horse's hair placed in corrupt water would become
a living worm, poisonous if swallowed. Dr. Lister, in the
*' Philosophical Transactions," demonstrated that what were vul-
garly believed to be animated horse-hairs were real thread-worms ;
and Coleridge says, " A horse-hair, laid in a pail of water, will
become the supporter of seemingly one worm, though probably
of an immense number of small shiny water-lice. The hair will
twirl round a finger, and sensibly compress it. It is a common
experiment with school-boys in Cumberland and Westmoreland."
Mi. 1 hid -nn, the Boston editor, adds, " We remember very well
when tlie same thing was believed by children in Vermont ; as
Cleo. See where he is, who's with him, what he
does : —
I did not send you :44— if you find him sad,
Say I am dancing ; if in mirth, report
That I am sudden sick: quick, and return.
[Exit Alexas.
Char. Madam, methinks, if you did love him
dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce
The like from him.
Cleo. What should I do, I do not f «
Char. In each thing give him way, cross him in
nothing.
Cleo. Thou teachest like a fool, — the way to
lose hiiri.
Char. Tempt him not so too far ; I wish, for-
bear:46
In time we hate that which ye often fear.
But here comes Antony.
Cleo. I am sick and sullen.
Enter Antony.
Ant. I am sorry to give breathing to my pur-
pose,—
Cleo. Help me away, dear Charmian ; I shall
fall:
It cannot be thus long, the sides of nature
Will not sustain it.
Ant. Now, my dearest queen, —
Cleo. Pray you, stand farther from me.
Ant. What's the matter?
Cleo. I know, by that same eye, there's some
good news.
What says the married woman ?4? — You may go:
Would she had never given you leave to come !
Let her not say 'tis I that keep you here, —
1 have no power upon ) ou ; hers you are.
it also was '^iat if one swallowed a hair, it would turn into a
snake in the stomach."
42. To such whose place is under us, requires. The first
Folio has — ' To such whose places vnder us, require." Corrected
in the second Folio.
43. Where is he ? One of Shakespeare's characteristically
abrupt commencements ; the pronoun 'he' without naming the
person intended, who is perfectly understood by speaker and
hearer. See Note 73, Act iii., " King Lear."
44. / did not send you. Cleopatra desires Alexas to go to
Antony as if unsent by her, and as if without her knowledge.
See Note 12, Act iv., " Troilus and Cressida," for a similar form
of suggestion and prompted conduct.
45. What should I do, I do not'. ' That' is el. iplically under-
stood before " I do not."
46. 1 wish, forbear. Here 'you would' is elliptically under-
stood before " forbear : " or if, as is probable, "wish" be used
in the sense it sometimes bore of 'recommend' (see Note 5,
Act iii., "Much Ado'), then 'you to' must be understood
before "forbear."
47. The married woman. A notable instance of Shakespeare's
power to convert a gracious term into a scoff, when put into the
mouth of a sarcastic speaker. See Note 14, Act iv. . "King
Lear." From Cleopatra this expression has the effect of a
sup.rb piece of contempt.
Antony. Most sweet queen, —
Cleopatra. Nay, pray you, seek no colour for your going,
But bid farewell, and go.
Act I. Sce>:e 111.
fflflfflUfllti '^:lp~EE5-
VQL. III.
%s
*43
ACT I.]
AXTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene III.
Ant. The gods best know, —
Cleo. Oh> never was there queen
So mightily betray'd ! yet at the first
I saw the treasons planted. ,
Anl, Cleopatra,—
Cleo. Why should I think you can be mine and
true,
Though you in swearing shake the throned gods,
Who have been false to Fulvia? Riotous madness,
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows,
Which break themselves in swearing !
Ant. Most sweet queen, —
Cleo. Nay, pray you, seek no colour tor your
going,
But bid farewell, and go: when you su'd staying,
1 hen was the time for words: no going then ;—
Eternity was in our lips and eyes,43
Bliss in our brows' bent ;49 none our parts so poor,
But was a race of heaven:50 they are so still,
Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world,
Art turn'd the greatest liar.
Ant. How now, lady !
Cleo. I would I had thy inches; thou shouldst
know
There were a heart in Egypt.
Ant. Hear me, queen :
The stro'ng necessity of time commands
Our services awhile ; but my full heart
Remains in use51 with you. Our Italy
Shines o'er with civil swords: Sextus Pompeius
Makes his approaches to the port52 of Rome:
Equality of two domestic powers
Breeds scrupulous faction: the hated, grown to
strength,
Are newly grown to love: the condemn'd Pompev,
Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace
Into the hearts of such as have not thriv'd
Upon the present state, whose numbers threaten ;
And quietness, grown sick of rest, would purge
By any desperate change: my more particular.
And that which most with you should safe my
going,53
Is Fulvia's death.
Cleo. Though age from folly could not give me
freedom,
It does from childishness: — can Fulvia die:31
Ant. She 's dead, my queen ;
Look here, and, at thy sovereign leisure, read
The garboils55 she awak'd ; at the last, — best, —
See when and where she died.56
Cleo. Oh, most false love !
Where be the sacred vials5' thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water ? Now I see, I see,
In Fulvia's death, how mine receiv'd shall be.
Ant. Quarrel no more, but be prepar'd to know
The purposes I bear; which are, or cease,
As you shall give the advice : by the fire
That quickens Nilus' slime, I go from hence
Thy soldier, servant ; making peace, or war,
As thou affect'st.
Cleo. Cut my lace, Charmian, come; — ■
But let it be: — I am quickly ill, and well ;
So Antony loves,08
Ant. My precious queen, forbear ;
And give true evidence to his love,59 which Stan Is
An honourable trial.
Cleo. So Fulvia told me.
I pr'ythee, turn aside, and weep for her ;
Then bid adieu to me, and say the tears
Belong to Egvpt:60 good now, play one scene
Of excellent dissembling ; and let it look
Like perfect honour.
Ant. You'll heat my blood : no more.
Cleo. You can do better yet ; but this is meet] v.
Ant. Now, by my sword, —
Cleo. And target. — Still he mends;
But this is not the best : — look, pr'ythee, Charmian,
How this Herculean Roman61 does become
48. Eternity was in our lips and eyes, bliss . . . . a
f heaven. Cleopatra tauntingly says this as if it were
a repetition of what Antony had formerly said of her. See
Note 64, Act i., "Henry V," for an instance of similar
phraseology.
49. Our brows' bent. This includes the combined senses of
■ the arched curve of our eye-brows,' ' the bending of our brows
in expressive mobility, ' and ' the half frown of our brows when
knit in sudden anger.' See Note 24, Act v., "Henry V."
Cleopatra, in this one phrase. " bliss in our brows' bent," recalls
to Antony the rapture he has felt at every varying turn of those
flexile and bewitching brows of hers.
50. // 'as .! race of heaven. ' Was framed of heavenly
materia!,' ' was derived from a divine source.'
si. /;/ use. ' In trust ' 'in pledge,' as guarantee for future
ion. The meaning of this phrase, as a legal technicality,
lained in Note 34, Act iv., " Men hant of V< nice
52. Port. 'Gate.' See' Note 10. Act ii., " Kin- Lear."
53. That which most with you sltonld safe iny going. 'That
which must ,m your account should render safe my going.'
54. Though age front felly could not. <eV-Y. 'Though age
C Mild not render me free from foolish fondness, it does prevent
my giving childish credence to whatever is told me— can it he
true that Fulvia is really dead?"
55. Garboils. ' Disturbances,' ' commotions,' ' turmoils.'
From the Italian, garbugliq.
56. At the last, — best, — see, &*c. This has been variously ex-
plained by the commentators ; we take it to mean, ' At the last
of what is here stated, read that which will best content you —
see when and where Fulvia died.'
57. The sacred vials. In allusion to the lachrymatory vials,
or small bottles filled with tears, w Inch the Romans placed in the
tomb of a departed friend.
58. / am quickly ill, and well ; so . I ntouy loves. " So " has
here the force of thus.' "in such manner ;' Geopatra meaning.
' My health is fluctuating and variable : thus fickly doth Antony
love.'
59. Give true evidence to his lore. It has been proposed to
change "evidence" to ' credence ' here ; but the phrase si
' bear true testimony to his love.'
60 Belong to Egypt. Cleopatra is here speaking of herself
by the title given to her as Queen of Egypt. See Note 33,
Act ii., " Hamlet."
61. This Herculean Roman. Antony traced his descent
r
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
LSCEXli IV.
1 he carriage of lii-, chafe.03
Ant. I'll leave you, lad v.
Cleo. Courteous lord, one woi I,
Sir, you and I must part, — but that 's nut it :
Sir, you and I have lov'd, — but there 's not it ;
That you know well : something it is I would,—
Oh, my oblivion63 is a very Antony,
An 1 I am all forgotten.61
Ant. But that your royalty
Holds idleness your subject,'5 I should take you
For idleness itself.
Cleo. 'Tis sweating labour
To bear such idleness SO near the heart
As Cleopatra this. But, sir, forgive me ;
Since my becomings kill me, when they do not
Eye well to you:OT your honour calls you hence ;
Therefore be deaf to my unpitied folly,
And all the gods go with you! upon your sword
Sit laurel'd victory '.'■• and smooth success
Be strew'd before your feet !
Ant. Let us go. Come ;
Our separation so abides, and flies,
That thou, residing here, go'st yet with me,
And I, hence fleeting, here remain with thee.
Away! [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Rome. An Apartment in Caesar's
House.
Enter Octavius Cesar, Lepidus,««</ Attendants.
Ccs. You may see, Lepidus, and henceforth
know,
from Anton, a son of Hercules ; and Cleopatra artfully throws
ill this little scrap of flattering allusion amid her shower of taunts.
62. Docs become the carriage of his cliafe. '.Makes his
chafed bearing become him.'
63. Oblivion. Here used for ' obliviousness,' ' defective
memory.'
64. / am all forgotten. Tin-, includes the double sense of
'I am entirely forgotten,' and of 'I am thoroughly forgetful,'
' 1 am wholly compounded of forgetfulness.'
65. But tluit your royalty h-\(< &*c. ' If it were not that I
know your sovereignty of bewitchment can make trifling sub-
servient to your purposes. [ should take you fur trifling itself
Cleopatra's reply shows that " idleness" bears this sense ; since
her answer signities, 'Ah ! it is hard work to sustain such trifling
so near the heart ^or with so much of earnest feeling beneath
it as Cleopatra has carried on this trifling of hers.' ' Trifling '
or ' idle discourse ' is here called " idleness," because that word
admits of the antithesis between itself and "labour." In like
manner, the words "royalty" aud "subject" are antithetically
employed in this passage.
66. My becomings kill me, when, &c. 'Those inoodswhich
you have said become me are offensive to myself, when they do
not find favour in your eyes.' She adroitly refers- to what
Antony himself has before said, " Fie. wrangling queen! whom
everything becomes."
67. Laurel' dvictory. The Folio has 'lawrell'for "laurel'd.1
Corrected in the second Folio.
68. Our great competitor. The Folio gives 'one' for1'
Heath's correction. "Competitor" signifies 'colleague,' ' con-
sulate.' See Xote 10, Act ii , " Love's Labour's Lost."
Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus were co-partners in ilie Roman
triumvirate,
It is not Cesar's natural vice to hate
Our great competitor :63 from Alexandria
This is the news : — he fishes, drinks, and wastes
The lamps of night in revel : is not more manlike
Than Cleopatra; nor the queen of Ptolemy 63
More womanly than he: hardly gave audience, or
Vouchsaf'd to think he had partners: you shall
find there
A man who is the abstract of all faults
That all men follow.
Lip. I must not think there are
Evils enow to darken all his goodness ;
His faults, in him, seem as the spots of heaven,"'
More fiery by night's blackness ; hereditai ) .
Rather than purchas'd ;"' what he cannot change,
Than what he chooses.
C.es. You are too indulgent. Let us grant, it
is not
Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy ;
To give a kingdom for a mirth ; to sit
And keep the turn of tippling with a slave ;
To reel the streets at noon, and stand the buft'el
With knaves that smell of sweat : say this be-
comes him, —
As his composure must be rare indeed"-'
Whom these things cannot blemish, — yet must
Antony
No way excuse his soils,'3 when we do beat-
So great weight in his lightness. If he fill'd
His vacancy with his voluptuousness,
Full surfeits and the dryness of his bones
Call on him for 'I :<* but to confound such time,
6q. The queen of Ptolemy. This title is given to Cleopatra,
whose father and whose brother were both called Ptolemy. It
was the name borne by a long line of Egyptian kings.
70. His faults, in him, seem, c>v. ' His faults, in him,
appear the more evident from contrast with his many excellent
qualities, as the bright specks of heaven the itars s-jem more
resplendent from contrast with night's darkness.' We have often
had occasion to point out the condensation of 'expression and
elliptical style that mark those of Shakespeare's similes written
at an advanced period of his comp isition ; and suet in tnes • >!
diction generally is very strongly traceable throughout the
present drama. See Xote ... Act i. , " Romeo and Juliet
71. Purc/ias\l. Here used in the sense of 'acquired, ' 'vuhm-
tarily procured.'
72. As his composure must be, &>c. In tiiis parent
sentence "his" is used not in reference to Anton)
seems to imagine, when he pronounces thi passage to be "in-
consequent," proposes altering "as" to 'and,' and gives his
paraphrase of the sentence; to represent 'that man's,' by way
of a general proposition. A similar use of "his" occurs in
"Macbeth," Activ., sc. 3, where Malcolm says, "Desire his
and this other's house." "Composure" is used in the
present passage to express 'composition,' 'native component
qualities.' See Note 88, Act ii., "Troilus and Cl
Here "as" is used with the effect of 'though;' in the same
way that " tli mgh " is sometimes used by Shakespeare with the
effect of 'as.' See Note 28, A' t in., " < 'thcllo :" and Xote 5 ;.
Activ., "All's Well."
73. Soils. The Folio has 'foyles;' and probably the simi-
larity between the letter f and the old-fashioned long ■
sioned a misprint here. Malone made the correction.
74. Call on him for'.'. An idiom equivalent to "call him 1
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene IV.
That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud
As his own state and ours, — 'tis to be chid'5
As we rate boys, who, being mature in know-
ledge,76
Pawn their experience to their present pleasure,
And so rebel to judgment.
Enter a Messenger.
Lep. Here's more news.
Mess. Thy biddings have been done; and every
hour,
Most noble Ca?sar, shalt thou have report
How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea ;
And it appears he is belov'd of those
That only have fear'd Cassar :'1 to the ports
The discontents71, repair, and men's reports
Give him much v rong'd.
Cits. I should have known no less :
It hath been taught us from the primal state,
That he which i . was wish'd until he were ;79
And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd till ne'er worth
love,™
Comes dear'd by being. lack'd.81 This common
body,
Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream,
Goes to and back, lackeying s: the varying tide,
To rot itself with motion.
Mess. Caesar, I bring thee word,
Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates,
Make the sea serve them, which they ear83 and
wound
With keels of every kind : many hot inroads
They make in Italy ; the borders maritime
Lack blood to think on 't, and flush youth
revolt :sl
No vessel can peep forth, but 'tis as soon
Taken as seen ; for Pompey's name strikes more
Than could his war resisted.
Cues. Antony,
Leave thy lascivious wassails.85 When thou once
Wast beaten from Modena, where thou slew'st
Hirtius and Pansa, consuls, at thy heel
Did famine follow ; whom thou fought'st against,
Though daintily brought up, with patience more
Than savages could suffer :8li thou didst drink
The stale of horses, and the gilded puddle
Which beasts would cough at: thy palate then did
deign
The roughest berry on the rudest hedge ;
Yea, like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets,
The barks of trees thou browsed'st ; on the
Alps
It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh, s?
Which some did die to look on : and all this
(It wounds thine honour that I speak it now)
\ Was borne so like a soldier, that thy check
So much as lank'd not.
Lep. 'Tis pity of him.
Cces. Let his shames quickly
Drive him to Rome : 'tis time we twain
Did show ourselves i' the field ; and to that end
Assemble me immediate council :es Pompey
account for it,' 'take him to task for it,' '. ill him to a reckoning
for it,' ' cite him to pay for it.' In the " First Part Henry IV.,"
Act v., sc. i, FalstafF uses " calls not on me " in precisely the
same sense of ' does not call me to a reckoning,' ' does not call
upon me to pay,' where he says, " 'Tis not due yet ; I would
be loath to pay him before his day. What need I be so for-
ward with him that calls not on me ?"
75. ' Tis to be chid. Here "to be" is used peculiarly and
elliptically, allowing the phrase to signify, ' it is to deserve to be
chidden ;' or "'tis" may be taken as the elliptical expression,
allowing the phrase to mean, 'it ought to be chidden,' or 'it
must be chidden.'
70. Mature in knowledge. Here used to express ' old enough
to know their duty.'
77. That only have fear'd Casar. ' That hitherto have really
fear'd Qesar while seeming attached to him.' One of the many
instances of phrases where Shakespeare allows 'seem' or
'seeming' to be elliptically understood. See Note 16, Ait i..
"Othello."
78. Discontents. Sometimes used for 'malcontents.' See hue
referred to in Note 10, Act v., " King John."
70. That he which is was wish' 'd until Ite were. In this line
" he " is used (like " his" in the passage explained in Note 72 of
this Act) to represent 'the man,' 'the person.' as a general pro-
position ; the present passage signifying, ' that the mm who is
in power was wished for until he came to be in power.'
80. Ne'er lov'd lilt ne'er worth love. 1 1 has been proposed to
change the second "ne'er" in this line to 'not ;' but "ne'er"
Inr 'never') was sometimes used by Shakespeare fir 'not.'
See the speech referred to in Note 49, Act'iii., " Richard III ,"
where Hastings says, " I think there's jiever a man m Christen
■ I nil i .111," &c. It appears to us that Shakespeare uses " ne'er"
instead of ' not ' for the sake of the repeated word — of which he
is so fond, and which often tends to give such emphatic effect—
in this passage. See Note 44, Act ii., "Othello."
81. Comes dear'd by being lack'd. Here "comes" 1- 1; ed
for ' becomes,' or ' comes to be.' The Folio gives ' fear .1 in-
stead of "dear'd ; " which is Warburton's correction, as sign!!)
ing ' endear'd.'
82. Lackeying The Folio has 'lacking' for "lackeying "
Theobald's correction.
S3. Ear. ' Plough.' See Note 33 of this Act.
84. Lackblocd to think on 't, and flush youth revolt Here
"lack blood" is used for 'turn pale,' and "flush" for'fresh-
complexioned,' 'red-cheeked,' high-coloured,' 'quick blooded .'
so that the expressions involve an antithesis.
85. Wassails. The Folio prints ' vassailes' here. Pope made
the correction, which seems shown to be right by the gi : I
the remainder of the speech ; that contrasts Antony's former
abstinence with his present extcss, his previous fortitude and
spare diet with his present riot and feasting. In proof that
"wassail" was used for revelry generally— eating ami drinking
111 particular — ee Note 88, Act v., "Love's Labour's Lost;''
Note 128, Act i., " Macbeth :" and Note 106, Act i., " Hamlet."
86. With patience more thai, savages could suffer. The
"with" before "patience" allows 'with' to be elliptically
understood as repeated after "suffer;" which latter word we
have frequently pointed out that Shakespeare uses elliptically.
See Note S7. tli." All's Well."
S7. Thmt didst eat strange flesh. In this account ol \ntony s
privations, ami the equanimity with which he endured them,
:,li dcespeare has followed Plutarch with minutest a- curacy, ev. 11
while investing the description with his own poetry ol da' -
See Note 66, Act i., "Julius Ca 0
8. As ,, mediate council. In some editions the
second Folio's alteration of "me" to 'we'has been adopted.
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene V.
Thrives in our idleness.
Lep. To-morrow, Cassar,
I shall be furnish' d to inform you rightly
Both what by sea and land I can be able
To front this present time.39
Cas. Till which encounter,
It is my business too. Farewell.
Lep. Farewell, my lord : what you shall know
meantime
Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,
To let me be partaker.
Cats. Duubt not, sir ;
knew it for my bond.90 [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and
Mardian.
Cleo. Charmian, —
Char. Madam ':
under the idea that Gctavius speaks to J.epidus as his equal in 89. To front this present time. ' With ' is elliplically under-
coinmand : but although it is true that in this very speech he stood after "time.*' For instances of similar ellipsis, see Note
uses "we." "ourselves," and " our," when alluding tq,vyhal is 68. Act i., "Othello," and Note 86 of the present Act and
their joint duty and condition, yet it is very like Octavius's play. One also occurs in l.cpidus's next speech; where either
treatment of Lepidus to use the more personal " mc" in issuing "of" is understood as repeated, or 'in' is understood after
a command. The tone of deference taken by the latter in reply " partaker."
to the dictatorial one of the former is very visible ; and tends to go. / kuc:u it fvr my timet. ' I knew it to be my bounden
confirm the probability that the reading of the first Folio is right. duty.'
613
Act I.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene Y.
Cleo. Ha, ha '.—
Give me to drink mandragora. "
Char. Why, madam ?
C/V-). That I might sleep out this great gap of
time
My Antony is away.
Char, You think of him too much.
Cleo. Oh, 'tis treason !
Char. Madam, I trust, not so.
Cleo. Thou, minstrel Mardian .'
Mar. What 's your highness' pleasure ':
Cleo. Not now to hear thee sing. — O Char-
mian,
Where think'st thou he is now:- Stands he, or
sits he ?
Or does he walk ? or i~ he on his horse ?
Oh, happy horse, to hear the weight of Antony '
Do bravely, horse ! for vvott'st thou whom thou
mov'st ?
The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm
Anil burgonet92 of men.— He 's speaking now,
Or murmuring, " Where 's my serpent of old
Nile?"
For so he calls me : — now I feed myself
With most delicious poison :— think on me,
That am with Phtebus' amorous pinches black, 'J:i
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted"1
Caesar,
When thou wast here above the ground, I was
A morsel fir a monarch : and great Pompcv
Would stand, and make his eyes grow in my
brow ;
There would he anchor hi-, aspect, and die
With looking on his life.
91. Mandragora. Used as a soporific. See Note 65, Act ui.,
"Othello." In Adlington's translation of the "Golden Ass of
Apuleius " is found : " I save him no poyson but a doling drink
of mandragoras, which is of such force, that it will cause any
man to sleepe as though he were dead." Gerard, in his Herbal,
says of this plant, " Dioscorides doth particularly set down
many faculties hereof, of which notwithstanding there be none
proper unto it, save those that depend upon the drowsie and
sleeping power thereof."
92 Burgonel. A helmet. .See N'otc 15, Act \ . "Second
Part Henry VI."
93. With Phatbns' amorous pinches black. A poetical mode
of expressing 'sun-burned,' 'dark-complexioned;' implying
'unattractive,' 'not fair.' See Note --. \. t i., "Troilus and
Cressida." This affected disparagement of her charms, this
mention of her Eastern darkness of skin as if it were .1 blemish,
thisexag r agi 1- in exquisite taste, as character-
ally Cleopatrau.
94. Broad-fronted, An epithet well devised foi bringing to
the imagination Julius Casar's bald e\panse of forehead.
95. With his tii.;l gilded thee. In allusion to the philo-
sopher's stone; whioh, by its touch, converts metal inl
The alchemists called the matter, whatever it be, by which they
perform transmutation, a " medicine ; " and also gave this name
to their elixir and solution of gold. See Note 97, Act iv..
"Second Part Henry IV. ;" and Note 37, Act v., "Tempest."
1 This orient /earl. " Orient " has double propriety when
applied to a "pearl ," the word signifying both ■eastern' and
' bright.*
Enter Alexas.
Alex. Sovereign of Egypt, hail !
Cleo, How much unlike art thou Mark Antony !
Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.95—
How goes it with my brave Mark Anton) i
Alex. Last thing he did, dear queen,
He kiss'd, — the last of many doubled kisses, — ■
This orient pearl ;'"'— his speech sticks in my heart.
Cleo. Mine ear must pluck it thence.
Alex. " Good friend," tjuoih he,
"Say, the firm Roman"'' to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms ; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress." So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt9s steed,
Who neigh'd so high, that what 1 would have spoke
Was beastly dumb'd by him.59
Cleo. What ! was he sad or men) :
.Ilex. Like to the time o' the year between the
extremes
Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor men) .
Cleo. Oh, well-divided disposition! — Note him,
Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man ; but note
him :
He was not sad, — for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his ; he was not merry, —
Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy ; but between both :
Oh, heavenly mingle '. — Be'st thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,
So does it no man else.1011 — Mett'st thou"" my
posts ':
97. The firm Roman. Shakespeare here uses "firm" foi
'constant,' as he elsewhere uses 'constant' for "firm." See
Note 6. Act in., "Julius Caesar."
oS. Arm-gaunt. This is the epithet given in the Folio ; and
as it may be taken to mean 'gaunt from long being clad in
armed caparisons, and from long bearing an armed rider,' it is
suffered to remain in our text. Hut we were struck, during the
preparation of our edition for America, published in i860, with
the idea that "arm-gaunt" was probably a misprint for 'ram-
pant' formerly spelt 'rampaunt' ; that the same
suggestion had already been made bj Mr. Grant White in his
" Shakespeare's Scholar," 1854.
09. Was beastly dumb'd by him. The Folio prints 'dunibe'
for "dumb'd." Theobald's correction. "Beastly" is an ad-
jective used adverbially, to express ' in a beast-like manner.'
100. So does it uo man else. 'So a- it does no man else '
There is an instance of somewhat similar phraseology, where
"so" implies 'as,' in " Macbeth," Act i., sc. 2: "So well thy
words become thee as thy wounds
101. .Vote him : In- was Hot sad .... his joy .... Be'st thou
sad .... thee becomes .... Mett'st thou. Observe how the
pronouns are used in this speech: the thjrd person, "him,"
"he," "his," changed for the second person, "thou," "thee,'
in reference to the same individual; and then "thou" appliefl
to the man addressed by the speaker : and how admirably
it all serves to denote the eagerness of the speaker. Sei
Act iv., "Xiinon of Athens;'1 and Note 19, 'Acl i.
"Othello."
Act
•]
ANTONY AM) CLEOPATRA.
[Scene I.
Alex. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers :
Why do you send so thick ; '"-
Cleo. Who's horn that day
When I forget to send to Antony,
Shall die a beggar.— Ink and paper, Charmian. —
Welcome, my good Alexas. — Did I, Charmian,
Ever love C:csar so ?
Char. Oh, that brave CaBSav !
Cleo. Be chok'd with such another emphasis !
Say, the brave Antony.
Char. The valiant Cssar !
Cleo. By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth,
If thou with Crcsur paragon again
My man of men.
Char. By your, most gracious pardon,
I sing but after you.
Cleo. My salad days,
When I was green in judgment : — cold in blood,
To say as I said then !103 — But, come, awav
Get me ink and paper :
He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I'll unpeople Egypt. [Exeunt.
ACT II.
SCENE L— Messina. A Room in Pompf.v's
Hon st.
Enter Pompev, Mexecratfs, and Mf.nas.
Pom. If the great gods be just, they .shall assi-L '
The deeds of justest men.
Mene. Know, worthy Pompev,
That what they do delay, they not deny.
Pom. Whiles we are suitors to their throne,
deca) s
The thing we sue for.
Mene. We, ignorant of ourselves
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good ; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers.
Pom. I shall do well :
The people love me, and the sea is mine ;
My power's a crescent,- and my auguring hope
102. So thick, 'In such quick succession.' See Note 4,3,
Act i., " Macbeth."
103. My salad days^ « green in judgment .' — cold
in blood, to say, »5-V. The phraseology is greatly elliptical here ;
the sentences meaning, 'That was in my unripe season, when
my judgment was crude and unformed — 'twas to be cold-
blooded, to say as I said then ! ' The condensed diction aids in
denoting Cleopatra's hurry of spirits and delighted excitement.
We cannot agree with Warburton and others who assert that
the words "cold in blood" are applied by Cleopatra to Char-
mian, as an upbraiding expostulation ; we think that they are a
following-up of Cleopatra's animadversion upon her own former
lack of discrimination.
i. Jf the greot gods be just, they shall assist. "Shall"
was often used by Shakespeare, and by other writers of his
time, where now ' will' is used. See Note 35, Act i.
2. My power 's a crescent. This is Theobald's correction of
the Folio reading, 'My powers arc cressent;* and we have
adopted the correction on the assumption that it was what
Shakespeare intended, while the Folio's version was a mi-print.
At the same time, we confess, that, calling to mind the passages
referred to in Note 73, Act iii,, "Timon of Athens," and Note 71.
Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony
In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make
No wars without doors: Caesar gets money where
He loses hearts: Lepidus Hatters both,
Of both is Hatter' d ; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.
Men, Cassar and Lepidus
Are in the field : a mighty strength they carry.
Pom. Where have you this ? 'tis false.
Men. From Silvias, sir.
Pom. He dreams: I know they are in Rome
together,
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love,'*
Salt4 Cleopatra, soften thy wan'd lip !■'
Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks*
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite ;
Act i., " Macbeth," we have grave doubts whether the original
phrase, ' my powers are crescent,' may not by possibility be
right. Still, the image of the moon suggested by the words
"crescent" and "full," make it more probable that the word
" power" was meant to be in the singular.
3. Bui all the charms of love. 'May' is elliptically under-
stood between "but" and "all."
4. Salt. 'Wanton,' 'impure,' 'licentious.' See N<iie 42,
V l v., " Measure for Measure."
5. Thy 7van*d lip. The Folio prints 'wand' for "wan'd."
Steevens's correction, suggested l>v Percy. "Wan'd," as an
epithet applied to lip, gives the effect of a lip declined in beauty,
a lip diminished in attraction, a lip that has lost somewhat of its
fulness and redness. The expression, 'her beauty is in its
wane,' is very usual; and Cleopatra herself (though with a
triumphant consciousness that her being no longer ygung is no
abatement of her power of alluring) has admitted that her fresh-
ness of youth is past. See Notes 93 and 103, Act i. 1 f -he
will allow this, Pompey, whose cue is to depreciate her attrac-
tions even while invoking their aid to retain Antony in Egypt,
is sure to fully grant it when speaking of her here.
6. Epicurean cooks. "Let" before "witchcraft" is Under-
Stood as repeated before " Epicurean."
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dulness!"—
Enter Varrius.
How now, Varrius !
Var. This is most certain that I shall de
liver: —
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected: since he went from Egypt, 'tis
A space for farther travel."
Pom. I could have given less matter
A better ear. — Menas, I did not think
This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his '
helm !
For such a petty war: his soldiership
Is twice the other twain : but let ns rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow 9 pluck
The ne'er lust-wearied Antony. j
Men. I cannot hope
Cxsar and Antony shall well greet together:10
His wife that 's dead did trespasses to Caesar ;
His brother warr'd upon him ; although, I
think,
Not mov'd by Antony.
Pom. I know not, Menas,
How lesser enmities may give way to greater.
Were 't not that we stand up against them all,
'Twere pregnant they should square between
themselves ; "
For they have entertained cause enough
To draw their swords: but how the fear of us
May cement their divisions, and bind up
The petty difference, we yet not know.
Be 't as our gods will have 't ! It only stands
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.12
Come, Menas. [Exeunt.
7. May prorogue liis tumour c:<eri till a Lethe'd dubtcss.
" Prorogue" is here used to convey the effect of 'linger on,'
'weary out,' ' dawdle away,' c gradually lull and subdue;' and
" till" was formerly sometimes used for 'to' or 'unto.' Here,
''even till a Lethe'd dulness " expresses 'even till it reach to
a Lethe'd dulness,' or ' even till it become a Lethe'd dul-
ness.' "Dulness." besides its meaning of 'sluggishness,' 'in-
aptness,' ' inertness,' includes that of ' drowsiness.' See Note
87, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
8. Since tu went from Egypt, 'tis a space for fartlier travet.
' Since he left Egypt, a space of time has elapsed in which a
I mget journey might have been performed than from Egypt to
Rome.'
9. Egypt's widow. Cleopatra's hand had been given in
marriage by her father's will to Ptolemy XIII.; and when
he was drowned in the Nile, flying from Julius Cajsar's vic-
• mous arms, the conqueror caused her to marry the next
Ptolomean king, then in the eleventh year of his age. See
Note 69, Act i.
10. I cannot hope Cesar and Antony shall, &>c. "Hope"
was sometimes formerly used in the sense of ' expect ;' as occa-
sionally 'expect' was used for 'await,' 'stand in hope of.'
that in Ireland 'expect' is still employed for "hope," there
exists testimony humorously turned to account in Mi-- Edge-
worth's pleasant story of "The Limerick Cloves." Chaucer
uses "hope" for 'expect' in his "Reeve's Tale," line 4027:
" Our manciple I hopt' he wol be dead."
SCENE II.— Rome. J Room in the House of
Lepidus.
Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus.
Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy dee.!,13
And shall become you well, to entreat your cap-
tain
To soft and gentle speech.
Eno. I shall entreat him
To answer like himself: if Caesar move him,
Let Antony look over Caesar's head,
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard,
I would not shave 't to-day.14
Lep. 'Tis not a time
For private stomaching.15
Eno. Every time
Serves tor the matter that is then born in 't.
Lep. But small to greater matters must give
way.
Eno. Not if the small come first.
Lep. Your speech is passion:
But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.
Enter Antony and Ventidius.
Eno. And yonder, Caesar.
Enter Cesar, Mecenas, and Acrippa.
Ant. If we compose well here, to Parthin :10
11. 'Twere pregnant tiny should square between themselves.
' It were full of probability that they would quarrel with each
other.' See Note 6, Act ii., "Measure for Measure;" and
Note 7, Act ii., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
12. It only stands our lives upon to use, &*c. 'It behoves
us as we value our lives to use, &c. : 'it is incumbent upon
us for the sake of our lives to use,' &c. The idiom "stands
mi" or "stands upin" is shown in Note to, Act v., "King
Lear."
13. 'Tis a worthy deed. Lepidus is here exercising 51 t
his diplomatic contrivance, of which he is evidently proud. See
Note 6, Act iv., "Julius 1,1 u
14. / would not shave V to-day. Implying, '1 would not
prepare myself with any extraordinary show of nicety and
deferential neatness.' The trimming and careful arrangement
of the beard was a token of solicitude to appear to advantage
>ee Note 34. Act ii., " King Lear " : and Enobarbus's words
also include reference to the expression, 'to beard a mm
niffing ' to defy him,' ' to dare him.' See context of pa-sage
explained in Note 93, Act ii., " Hamlet."
15. 'Stomaching. ' Quarrelling,' ' indulging wrath and choler,'
' giving way to mutual grudges.' See Note 32, Act i.,
" Tempest"
16. If we compose -.veil here, t,i Parthia. ' If we come to a
felicitous composition or agreement here, we will turn our
thoughts to Parthia ; we will undertake the expedition to
Parthia.'
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Hark you, Ventidius.
(.'us. I do not know,
Meeamas; ask Agrippa.l'
Let. Noble friends,
That which combin'd us was most great, and let
not
A leaner action rend us. What 's amiss,
May it be gently heard: when we debate
Our trivial difference loud, we do commit
Murder in healing wounds: then, noble partners, —
The rather, for I earnestly beseech, —
Touch you the sourest points with sweetest
terms,
Nor curstness grow to the matter.1'
Ant. Tis spoken well.
Were we before our armies, and to tight,
I should do thus.
C.is. Welcome to Rome.
A'U. Thank you.
( '. . Sit.
Ant. Sit, sir.
Cu-s. Nay, then —
Ant. I learn, you take things ill which are not
so,
Or, being, concern you not.
Cas. I must be laugh' d at,
If, or for nothing or a little, I
Should say myself offended, and with you
Chiefly i' the world; more laugh'd at, that I should
Once name you derogately, when to sound your
name
It not concern'd me.
Ant. My being in Egypt, Caesar,
What was 't to you ?
Cirs. No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question."
Ant. How intend you, practis'd :-"
17. / </(> not know. Mccamasl ask Agrippa. This by-
play of the two principals in the approaching interview,
each speaking apart with his respective adherent, and thus
deferring the moment of mutual salutation, is precisely con-
ceived in Shakespeare's characteristic style of conducting a
d ' -rue.
18. Nor curslness grow to the matter. 'And let not ill-
lemper and wrangling come near the subject of our discussion.'
See Note 13, Act ii., " King Lear. "
1 1. My question. 'My subject of discourse,' 'my theme of
animadversion.'
22-. How intend you, practis'd* ' In what sense do you mean,
practis'd?' The word was employed to express 'used un-
warrantable stratagems,' 'plotted,' 'schemed treacherously.'
See Note 101, Act iii., "Othello."
21. Their contestation was theme for you. ' Their 1
tion had you for its theme,' 'their contestation took you for its
pretexted subject.' The construction is peculiar here.
22. My brother never did urge me in his act. ' My brother
never put me forward as the motive of his act,' ' my brother
never instanced me as the causer of his deed.'
23. Reports. Here used for 'reporters.' One of Shake-
speare's boldly effective impersonations of things. See Note
Cat. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine
intent
By what did here befall me. Your wife and
brother
Made wars upon me ; and their contestation
Was theme for you,21 you were the word of war.
Ant. You do mistake your business; my brother
never
Did urge me in his act:-- I did enquire it ;
And have my learning from some true reports,"3
That drew their swords with you. Did he not
rather
Discredit my authority with yours ;
And make the wars alike against my stomach,
Having alike your cause ':"* Of this my letters
Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
As matter whole you have to make it with,20
It must not be with this.
Cas. You praise yourself
By laying defects of judgment to me ; but
You 1 atch'd up your excuses.
Ant. Not so, not so ;
I know you could not lack, I am certain on 't,
Very necessity of this thought, that I,
Your partner in the cause 'gainst which lie
fought,
Could not with graceful eyes attend-6 those wars
Which fronted-7 mine own peace. As for m\
wife,
I would you had her spirit in such another:
The third o' the world is yours ; which with a
snaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.
Eno. Would we had all such wives, that the
men might go to wars with the women !
Ant. So much uncurbable, her garboils,53
Caesar,
Made out of her impatience, — which not wanted
Shrewdness of policy too, — I grieving grant
79. Ait ii., "Richard II.," and Note 5, Act iii., "King
Lear."
24 Having alike your cause. ' I ' is here elliptically under-
stood before "having:" the sentence meaning, ' I being allied
with you in the cuise against which my brother fought.' An
instance of a similar ellipsis is pointed out in Note 55. A 1 ii ,
'■ King Lear."
25. As matter whole you have to make it with. Rowe and
many others insert 'not' between "have" and "to" here:
but we think that both sense and metre are injured by the inser-
tion. We take the sentence to mean, ' If you wish to botch up
a quarrel, as you have whole and sound matter to make it g 1 1
w ith, you must not use such flimsy stuff as this.' We think that
the phraseology is purposely equivocal here: Antony allowing
Caesar to understand either ' If you desire to pick a quarrel with
me, you could find stronger ground for basing it upon than these
frivolous causes of complaint,' or, ' If you wish to make up ihe
quarrel between us, you have belter means of doing so than by
ripping up these trivia] grievances.'
26. With graceful eyes attend. 'Look graciously upon,'
' look approvingly upon.'
27. Fronted. Here used for ' affronted, '* opposed.'
28. Carboils. See Note 55, Act i.
6.7
VOL. III.
244
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Diil you too much disquiet: for that you must
But say, I could not help it.
Cas. I wrote to you
When noting in Alexandria ; you
Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts
Did gibe my missive29 out of audience.
Ant. Sir,
He fell upon me ere admitted: then
Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want
Of what I was i' the morning: but next day
I told him of myself;311 which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife ; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.
■ You have broken
The article of your oath ; which you shall never
Have tongue to charge me with.
Lep. Soft, Caesar!
Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak.:
The honour 's sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it.31 — But, on, Caesar;
The article of my oath.
Cas. To lend me arms and aid when I requir'd
them ;
The which you both denied.
Ant. Neglected, rather ;
And then when poison'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I
may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor mv power
Work without it.3- Truth is, that Fulvki,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here ;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.
Lep. ' Tis nobly spoken.
Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no
farther
The griefs33 between ye: to forget them quite,
Were to remember that the present need
Speaks to .atone3' you.
Lep. Worthily spoken, Mecamas.
Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for
the instant, you may, when you hear no more
29. Missive. 'Messenger.' See 79, Act i., "Macbeth."
30. / tjld him of myself. ' 1 told him the condition I was in
when he previously came to me.'
31. The honour's sacred which In- talks on now. supposing,
&>c Implying, 'The honour involved in the keeping of an
-Mill, which is the honour he is now speaking of, is a sacred
even supposing that J had tailed in it ; therefore let him
procce I, that 1 may show how I have rather neglected to fid til
in;, 1 1. 1 ill, than foi IVited mv honour l,y 1 ,1 ,.il 1:1- mv o ilh."
32. Nor my power -.cork without it. ' Nor my greatness
work without mine honesty.'
33. To enforce no farther the griefs. " Enforce" is used in
the sense of 'urge' (see Note 83, Act iii., "Coriolanus"
"griefs" in the sense of 'grievances.' See Note 13, Act iv.,
" Second Tart Henry IV."
words of Pompey, return it again : you shall have
time to wrangle in when you have nothing else
to do.
An/. Thou art a soldier only : speak no
more.
Eno. That truth should be silent, I had almost
forgot.
Ant. You wrong this presence; therefore speak
no more.
E'io. Go to, then ; your considerate stone.35
Cas. I do not much di-like the matter, but
The manner of his speech ; for 't cannot be
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew
What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to
edge
O' the world36 I would pursue it.
Agr. Give me leave, Cajsar, —
Cas. Speak, Agrippa,
Agr. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side,
Admir'd Octavia : great Mark Antony
Is now a widotfer.
C.es. Say not so, Agrippa :
If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof
Were well deserv'd of rashness.3"
Ant. I am not married, Ctcsar: let me hear
Agrippa farther speak.
Agr. . To hold you in perpetual amity,
To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts
With an unsllpping knot, take Antony
Octavia to his wife ; whose beauty claims
No worse a husband than the best of men ;
Whose virtue and whose general graces speak
That which none else can utter. By this marriage,
All little jealousies, which now seem great,
And all great fears, which now import their
dangers,
Would then be nothing : truths would be but
tales,Sa
Where now half tales be truths : her love to
both
Would, each to other, and all loves to both,
Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke ;
For 'tis a studied, not a present thought,
By duty ruminated.
34. Atone. ' Reconcile.' See Note 27, Act iv., " Othello."
35. Goto, then ; your considerate stone. ' I am ' is elliptically
understood before "your considerate:" Enobarhus meaning to
say, ' Well, then, I will be discreetly silent, as mute as a stone.'
36. From edge to edge o' the world. This expression is here
well introduced to convey the impression of the idea anciently
conceived of the world, that it was a circular plane or disk, not
that it was a sphere or globe, as by more modern science it is
discovered to be.
3;. Your reproof were well deserv'd of rashness. The Folio
prints 'proofe ' for "reproof." Hanmer's correction; the sen-
tence meaning, ' The reproof you would receive from her would
be well deserved for your rashness.1
38. Truths would be lot tales. The Folio omits "but" in
this phrase. Hanmcr inserted the needed word.
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Ant. Will Caesar speak ?
Cats. Not till he hears how Antony is touch' d
With what is spoke already.
Ant. What power is in Agrippa,
It' 1 would say, "Agrippa, be it so,"
To make this good ?
Cos. The power of Cassar, and
His power unto Octavia,
Ant. May I never
To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,
Dream of impediment!-— Let me have thy hand:
Farther this act of grace; and from this hour
The heart of brothers govern in our loves,
And sway our great designs !
Cos. There is my hand.
A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother
Did ever love s J dearly : let her live-
To join our kingdoms and our hearts ; and
never
Fly off our loves again !
l.ep. Happily, Amen '.
Ant. I did not think to draw my sword gainst
Pompey ;
For he hath laid strange courtesies and great
Of late upon me: I must thank him only,
Lest my remembrance suffer ill report ;3'J
At heel of that, defy him.
Lep. Time calls upon us :
Of us must Pompey presently be sought,
Or else he seeks out us.
Ant. Where lies he ?
Cat. About the Mount Misenum.
Ant. What 's his strength
By land?
Ctcs. Great, and increasing : but by sea
He is an absolute master.
Ant. So is the fame.
Would we had spoke together ! Haste we
for it :
Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, despatch we
The business we have talk'd of.
39. I must thank him only, test my, &>e. ' I must just thank
him, lest I should be censured for being unmindful of these
courtesies : and after that, I will defy him.'
40. Wiikntoi Here " most " is used in the sense
of 'utmost,' 'greatest.' See Note 52. Act v., "King Lear;"
an I Note 14, Act i\\, " Second Part Henry IV." In the next
line ' I ' is eliipticaMy understood before, "do.' Sje Note 24 of
the present Act and play.
41. Eight wild boars. See Note 22, Act i., for the source
whence Shakespeare derived this particular.
42. 1/ report be Square to her. Herj "square" 1. Used ill
ise of 'jus!,' 'equitable,' 'according to due rule,' 'level.'
S^; Note 43, Act v., " Timon of Athens."
1 \''n the river of Cydwts. Some ofthe commentators have
arraigned this passage as " a strange instance of negligence and
inattention in Shakespeare:" because, they remark, " Enobar-
bus is made to say that Cleopatra gained Antony's heart on the
river Cydnus ; but it appears from the conclusion of his own
description that Antony had never seen her there ; that whilst
she was on the river Antony was sitting alone, enthroned in the
Ctcs. With most gladness, '
And do invite you tj my sister's view,
Whither straight I'll lead you.
Ant. Let us, Lej idus,
Not lack your company.
Lep. Noble Antony,
Not sickness should detain me.
[Flourish. Exeunt CAESAR, Antonv, and
LtriDUS.
Mec. Welcome from Egypt, sir.
Eno. Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Mecaj-
n:is : — My honourable friend, Agrippa !—
Agr. Good Enobarbtts!
Mec. We have cause to be glad that matters
are so well digested. You stayed well by 't in
Egypt.
Eno. Ay, sir ; we did sleep day out of counte-
nance, ami made the night light with drinking.
Mec. Eight wild boars" roasted whole at a
breakfast, and but twelve persons there ; is this
true ?
Eno. This was but as a fly by an eagle: we had
much more monstrous matter of feast, which
worthily deserved noting.
Mec. She "s a most triumphant lady, if report la-
square to her.'-'
Eno. When she first met Mark Antony, she
pursed up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus.-13
Agr. There she appeared indeed ; or my reporter
devised well for her.
Eno. I will tell you.
The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,
Burn'd on the water : the poop was beaten gold ;
; Purple the sails, and so perfume 1 that
The winds were love-sick with them; the oar;
were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water, which they beat, to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: .-she did lie
I In her pavilion (cloth-of-gold of tissue),41
market-place," ecc. But the "inattention" i> the commenta-
tors', not Shakespeare's ; for the expression, " upon the river <>t
Cydnus," is here used to signify 'the district on the shores of
the river Cydnus,' including the " city " which " cast her people
out upon her." and its " market-place " wherein "Antony"
sat "enthron'd." The idiom, 'upon the Seine,' or 'upon the
Thames,' is employed to express the adjacent shores of those
rivers, the country in their neighbourhood.
4.1. Cloth-of-gold of tissue. It has been proposed to change the
weal "of" to 'and' before " tissue ;" while Mr. Staunton, re-
taining "of," explains it to bear the sense of 'on' here. We
think it more probable that " cloth-of-gold of tissue" means
'cloth-of-gold in texture,' 'cloth-of-gold its texture;' "of"
being frequently employed in this sense by Shakespeare, and
"tissue" meaning 'texture,' 'woven fabric,' as well as 'stuff
interwoven with threads of gold or silver.' The mention of
" cloth-of-gold " seems to show that it cannot be upon " tissue,"
in the sense of stuff formed by glittering threads. Ear
" The chariot was covered with cloth of gold tissued upon
blue ;" which, by showing how the word " tissued " was used,
619
Act [[.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Cessar. There is my hand.
A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother
Did ever love so dearly.
Act II. Scene II,
O'er-picturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature: on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colour' d fans, whose wind did seem
To glow45 the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.
Agr. Oh, rare for Antony!
serves to indicate how Shakespeare probably used " tissue "'
here.
45. Glow. Misprinted in the Folio 'gloue.' Corrected by Rowe.
46. Tended her £* the eyes. ' Waited upon her looks,' ' at-
tended in her sight.' There has been difficulty found in this
phrase ; but Shakespeare has a similar expression in " Mid-
summer Night's Dream," Act iii., SC. z, where Titania bids her
elves attend upon the transformed Bottom, " and gambol in his
eyes."
47. Mtu/c then bends adornings. ' Made their graceful bow-
ing* additional ornaments to their own beauty and to that of
her whom they surrounded,' 'made their graceful movements
enhancements of the general beauty of the scene.'
48. The silken tackle smell with the touches. Here " tackle "
Eno. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereids,
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes/0
And made their bends adornings :47 at the helm
A seeming mermaid steers: the silken tackle
Swell with the touches48 of those flower-soft hands,
That yarely frame49 the office. From the barge
A strange invisible perfume hits the sense
is used to signify the general rigging of a vessel— sails as well
as ropes ; and therefore has the verb " swell " in the plural. The
word " swell " has been suspected of error ; but we think it is
intended to represent the appearance assumed by the appurte-
nances of a ship when the ropes are swung and the sails are set
by the hands of the mariners, and when the wind takes them
and roundly curves them. As a proof that " tackle " was some-
times used in this general sense, Todd's "Johnson's Dictionary"
has the following quotation from Heyhn : "As for tackle, the
Boeotians invented the oar, Diedalus and his son Icarus the
masts and sails."
Yarely frame. 'Alertly perform,' 'dexterously fulfil.'
49.
Sec Note 2, Act i., '
" Measure for Measure.'
Tempest ; " and Note 23, Act
ACT II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOl'ATRA.
[SCENE III.
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast
Her people out upon her ; and Antony,
Enthron'd i' the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,60
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in Nature.
Agr. Rare Egyptian !
Eno. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her,
Invited her to supper: she replied,
It should be better he became her guest ;
Which she entreated: our courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of "No" woman heard
speak,
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast,
Ami, for his ordinary, pays his heart
For what his eyes eat only.
Agr. Ro\al wench !
She made great Cxsar lay his sword to bed.
Eno. I saw her once
Hop forty paces through the public street ;
And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,
That she did make defect perfection,
And, breathless, power breathe forth.
Mec. Now Antony must leave her utterly.
Eno. Never; he will not:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety : other women cloy
The appetites they feed ; but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies : for vilest things
Become themselves51 in her; that the holy priests
Bless her when she is skittish.
Mec. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle
The heart of Antony, Octavia is
A blessed lottery52 to him.
Agr. Let us go. —
Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest
Whilst you abide here.
Eno. Humbly, sir, I thank you. [Exeunt.
50. Which, but /or vacancy. ' Which, excepting for the
vacuum that it would thus have left.'
51. Become themsch'es. Here used for 'appear becoming,'
or 'become becoming.' We have heretofore pointed out that
Shakespeare uses the verb "become" very peculiarly. See.
among others, Note 50, Act iii., " As You Like It ; " and Note
62, Act i. of the present play.
52. Lottery. Here used for ' allottery.' or ' allotment.'
53. Good night, sir. These words, in the first Folio, are
made to form the conclusion of Antony's speech; but he has
begun by bidding Cajsar good night, and it is not so likely that
he should repeat these words, as that they should be Octavia "s
reply to him. The second Folio assigned them, we think.
rightly to her.
54. Would I had never come from thence, nor yoit thither I
Mason proposed to change " thither" to 'hither,' asserting that
to come hither is English, but to come thither is not. But
Shakespeare has, "Till so much blood thither come again,"
''Richard II.," Act iii., sc. 2; "When thou com'st thither,''
"Richard III.," Act iv., sc. 4; "He not coming thither."
"Comedy of Errors," Act v*, sc. 1 : and "We are coming
thither" " Macbeth," Act iv., sc. 3.
55. / see it in my motion, have it not in my tongue.
"Motion" is here, and elsewhere by Shakespeare, used to
SCENE III.— Rome. A Room in Cesar's House.
Enter Cesar, Antony, Octavia between them :
and Attendants.
Ant. The world ami my great office will some-
times
Divide me from vour bosom.
Oct. All which time
Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers
To them for you.
Ant. Good night, sir.— My Octavia,
Read not my blemishes in the world's report :
I have not kept my square ; but that to come
Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear
lady.—
Oct. Good night, sir.53
Cats. Good night. [Exeunt CiESAR and
Octavia.
Enter Soothsayer.
Ant. Now, sirrah, — you do wish yourself in
Egypt?
Sooth. Would I had never come from thence,
1
nor you
Thither!"
Ant. If vou can, your reason ?
Sooth. 1 see it in
My motion, have it not in my tongue :55 but yet
Hie you to Egypt again.
Ant. Sav to me,
Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Caesar's or miner
Sooth. Cajsar's.
Therefore, O Antony, stay no', by his side :
Thy demon,— that thy spirit which keeps thee,56-
Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable,
Where Caesar's is not ; but, near him, thy angel
Becomes a Fear,5' as being o'erpower'd : therefore
Make space enough between you.
express 'secret impulse of conviction,' ' mental prompting '
Note 32, Act i., " King John ; " and Note 36. Act i., " Henry
VIII."); and "I" before "see" is elliptically understood
repeated before " have."
56. That thy spirit which keeps thee. This is the reading of
the first Folio; while the second Folio changed "that" to
'that's.' At one time we adopted the alteration of the second
Folio ; hut we have since perceived that the original leading is
right, inasmuch as it agrees with Shakespeare's construction in
other similar phrases. For instance, in " Macbeth," Act ii.,
sc. 2, we have, " This my hand will rather," &c. ; in " Mac-
beth," Act iii., sc. 6, " This our suffering country," &c. ; in
"Julius Csesar," Act v., sc. 5, " Tliat enr love of old ;" and
in the present play (see Note 32. Act iii. . " The throat ol that
his officer." It is, in fact, an adoption of an Italian idi
form of phraseology (see Note 29, Act v., " Tim
as questa mia mano, quel tuo spirito.
57. Thy angel becomes a Fear. " Thy angel " refers to the
special attendant spirit believed to preside over each human
being's conduct (see Note 15, Act hi., "Macbeth"' : and "a
Fear" alludes to the personage so denominated, who figured in
the ancient dramatic shows and moralities. See Note 24,
Act iii., "Troilus and Cressida."
Act II.]
Ant.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes IV., V.
Speak this no more.
Sooth. To none but thee ; no more, but when
to thee.
If thou dost play with him at any game,
Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck,
He beats thee 'gainst the odds : thy lustre thickens,
When he shines by : I say again, thy spirit
Is all afraid to govern thee near him ;
But, he away, 'tis noble.
Am. Get thee gone :
Say to Ventidius I would speak with him :—
[Exit Soothsayer.
He shall to Parthia. — Be it art or hap,
He hath spoken true : the very dice obey him ;
And, in our sports, my better cunning faints
Under his chance : if we draw lots, he speeds ;
His cocks do win the battle still of mine,
When it is all to naught ; and his quails58 ever
Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt :
And though I make this marriage for my peace,
I' the cast my pleasure lies.
Enter Ventidius.
Oh, coine, Ventidius,
You must to Parthia : your commission 's read) ;
Follow me, and receive 't. f Exeunt.
SCENE IV. — Rome. A Street.
Enter LEPIDUS, MAECENAS, and AgrifPA.
Lep. Trouble yourselves no farther: pray you,
hasten
Your generals after.
Agr. Sir, Mark Antony
Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow.
Lep. Till I shall sec you in your soldier's dress,
Which will become you both, farewell.
Mec. We shall,
As I conceive the journey, be at the Mount5''
Before you, Lepidus.
Lcp. Your way is shorter ;
My purposes do draw me much about :
You'll win two days upon me.
Mec, Agr. Sir, good success!
Lep. Farewell. [Exeunt.
58. Quails. It was customary, among ihc ancients, to match
I lei th m light : as in more modern limes, game cocks
Julius Pollux relates that a circle
was made, in which the birds were placed [or " inhoop'd"), and
h" who e quail was first driven out of this circle lost the stake.
The partii ulars in the present speech are derived from Plutarch.
.' the Mount. Meaning 'at Mount Misemun.' The
■ mils " the ;" added in the second Folio.
Here used in the sense of 'pensive,' 'melan-
choly,1 'sad,' 'mournful.' .See context of passage referred to
ill Note 5, Act v., " Comedy of Errors."
SCENE V. — Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and
Attendant.
Cleo. Give me some music, — music, moody c"
food
Of us that trade in love.
Alt, The music, ho!
Enter Mardian.
Cleo. Let it alone; let's to billiards: come,
Charmian.
Char. My arm is sore ; best play with Mardian.
Cleo. As well a woman with a minstrel play'd,
As with a woman. — Come, you'll play with me,
sir?
Mar. As well as I can, madam.
Cleo. And when good will is show'd, though 't
come tco short,
The actor may plead pardon. I'll none now: —
Give me mine angle, — -we'll to the river: there,
My music playing far off, I will betray
Tawny-tinn'd61 fishes; my bended hock shall
pierce
Their slimy jaws ; and, as I draw them up,
I'll think them every one an Antony,
And say, "Ah, ha! you're caught."
Char. 'Tuas merry when
You wager' d on your angling ; when your diver
Did hang a salt-fish on his hook,0'- which he
With fervency drew up.
Cleo. That time, — oh, times ! —
1 laugh' d him out of patience ; and that night
I laugh' d him into patience: and next morn,
Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed ;
Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst
I wore his sword Pliilippa!!.1"'3
Enter a Messenger.
Oh, from Italy!—
Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine cars,04
That long time have been barren.
Mess. Madam, madam, —
Cleo. Antony 's dead ! — if thou say so, villain,
Thou kill'st thy mistress: but well and free,
If thou so yield him, there is gold, and here
My bluest veins to kiss, — a hand that kings
Have lipp'd, and trembled kissing.
61. Tawny-Jinn* d. The Folio prints 'tawny line.' Theo-
ImM's correction.
62. Did hang a salt-fish on his hook. This practical jest of
the Egyptian queen's is recorded in " Plutarch."
63. His swiord Philippan. Antony's weapon, so nam
the famous battle of Philippi.
64. Ram thou tlty fruitful tidings. (sec. Ritson objected 1 1
" ram" here as " u Wllgar word" and proposed to substitute
'rain.' To our minds "ram" is a forcible word, most forcible ; and
therefore most appropriate in the mouth of Cleopatra, who — of all
Shakespeare's women — certainly does not mince her expressions.
Act ii.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
Scene V.
Mess. F.irst, madam, he is well.
Clt-o. Why, there \ more gold.
But, sirrah, mark, we use
To say the dead are well :m bring it to that,
The gold I give thee will I melt and pour
Down thy ill-uttering thro.it.
M is. Good madam, hear me.
C!f). Well, go to, I wiil ;
But there's no goodness in thy face : if Antony
Be free and healthful, — so tart a favour '''
To trumpet such good tidings ! If not well,
rhou shouldst come like a Fury crown' d with
snakes,
Not like a formal man.0?
Mess. Will 't please you hear me ?
Cleo. I have a mind to strike thee ere thou
speak'st :
Yet, if thou say Antony lives, is well,03
Or friends with Osar, or not captive to him,
I'll set thee in a shower of gold, and hail
Rich pearls upon thee.
Mess. Madam, he \s well.
Cleo. Well said.
Mess. And friends with Caesar.
Cleo. Thou'rt an honest man.
Mess. Cajsar and he are greater friends than
ever.
Cleo. Make thee a fortune from me.
Mess. But yet, madam, —
Cleo. I do not like " But yet," it does allay
The good precedence ; fie upon " But vet " !
" But yet " is as a gaoler to bring forth
Some monstrous malefactor. Pr'ythee, friend,
Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear,
The good and bad together: he's friends with
Ca;sar ;
In state of health thou say'st ; and thou sav'st
free.
Mess. Free, madam ! no ; I made no such re-
port :
He 's bound unto Octavia.
Cleo. For what good turn ■
Mess. Madam, he's married to Octavia.
Cleo. The most infectious pestilence upon thee !
[Strikes him dozvn.
Mess. Good madam, patience.
Cleo. What say you? — Hence,
["Strikes him again.
Horrible villain ! or I'll spurn thine eyes
Like balls before me; I'll unhair thy head :
[She hales him up and dozvn.
Thou shalt be whipp'd with wire, and stew'd in
bri n e,
Smarting in lingering pickle.
Mess. Gracious madam,
I that do bring the news made not the match.
Cleo. Say 'tis not so, a province I will give
thee,
And make thy fortunes proud: the blow thou
hadst.
Shall make thy peace for moving me to rage ;
And I will boot thee69 with what gift l<
Thy modesty can beg.
Mess. Lie 's married, madam.
Cleo. Rogue, thou hast liv'd too long.
[Drazvs a dagger.
Mess. Nay, then I'll run.—
What mean you, madam? I have made no fault.
[Exit.
Char. Good madam, keep yourself within vour-
self:
The man is innocent.
Cleo. Some innocents 'scape not the thunder-
bolt.—
Melt Egypt into Nile! and kindly creatures
Turn all to serpents ! — Call the slave again :—
Though I am mad, I will not bite him : — call.
Char. He is afeard to come.
Cleo. I will not hurt him.
[Exit Attendant.
These hands do lack nobility, that they strike
A meaner than myself; since I myself
Have given myself the cause. —
Re-enter Attendant and Messenger.
Come hither, sir.
Though it be honest, it is never good
To bring bad news: give to a gracious message
A host of tongues ; but let ill tidings tell
Themselves when they be felt.
Mess. I have done my duty.
Cleo. Is he married ?
I cannot hate thee worser than I do,
If thou again say '•' Yes."
Mess. He's married, madam.
Cleo. The gods confound thee ! dost thou hold
there still ?
Mess. Should I lie, madam ?
Cleo. Oh, I would thou didst,
So half my Egypt were submerg'd, and made
A cistern for scal'd snakes ! Go, get thee
hence :
65. We use to say Oe dead are well. See Note 17, Act v., composed, or staid man.' Sec Note -, Act v., "Comedy at
" Second Part Henry IV."
6°"- ^> «r. Roue ami other editors insert 'why'
before "so;" but probably the diction was intended to be
broken and interrupted here, "so tart a favour," Sec, forming
a separate exclamation.
67. A formal man. 'A man in his right senses,' 'a sedate,
Errors."
68. /swell. The Folio prints ''tis' for " i . " here. Capell's
correction.
69. I will boot thee. "Root" is here used for 'profit/ 'ad
vantage;' 'give something over and drove.1 See Note 48,
Act iv., "Richard III.''
623
■
■ I
- i ■ i
=SI i H I it h '
L 0 ,: w ■
-
w
If 'v
/
'ft
HE
, -: j ua
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VI.
Hadst thou Narcissus'" in thy face, to me
Thou wouldst appear most ugly. He is married ?
Mess. I crave your highness' pardon.
Cleo. He is married ?
Mess. Take no offence that I would not offend
you :
To punish me for what you make me do,
Seems much unequal : he 's married to Octavia.
Cleo. Oh, that his fault should make a knave of
thee,
That art not what thou'rt sure of!fl — Get thee
hence :
The merchandise''- which thou hast brought from
Rome
Are all too dear for me : lie they upon thy
hand,
And be undone by 'em! [Exit Messenger.
Char. Good your highness, patience.
Cleo. In praising Antony, I have disprais'd
Cssar.
Char. Many times, madam.
Cleo. I am paid for 't now.
Lead me from hence ;
I faint: — O Iras, Charmian ! — 'tis no matter. —
Go to the fellow, good Alexas; bid him
Report the feature Ti of Octavia, her years,
Her inclination, let him not leave out
The colour of her hair :'i — bring me word quickly.
[Exit Alexas.
Let him for ever go : — let him not — Charmian,
Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon,'5
The other way 's a Mars.?6— [To Mardian.] Bid
you Alexas
70. Narcissus. A Thespian youth, renowned for his beauty ;
which was so excessive, that its sight, reflected in a fountain,
caused his death from desperation.
71. That art not what thou 'rt sure of. This passage has
been variously altered ; to our thinking, it means, ' who art
not thyself that fault which thou art so sure has been com-
mitted.1 The messenger has before said, " I that do bring the
news made not the match,'" and " I have made no fault;" and
he has so often repeated his assertion that Antony is marriei,
that Cleopatra alludes to it as " what thou 'rt sure of."
72. Mercluindise. Here used as a synonyme for 'wares' or
'goods;' and accordingly treated as a plural, having the verb
" are " after it instead of ' is.'
73. The feature. 'The general personal appearance,' 'the
general aspect.' See Note 77, Act iii., " As You Like It."
74. T/ie colour 0/ Iter hair. That this was a point in woman's
beauty of peculiar importance to Shakespeare himself, we may
infer from the several passages where he introduces this par-
ticular. See the portion of Julia's soliloquy forming the con-
text to that observed upon in Note 36, Act iv., "Two Gentlemen
of Verona;" Benedick's affected indifference on the point (see
Note 54, Act ii., " Much Ado ") ; and the present touch of
Cleopatra's special anxiety on this score. Any indication of
Shakespeare's own tastes and individual predilections are in-
tensely interesting and valuable : since his very power of
dramatic impersonation renders all denotement of self ex-
tremely rare.
75. Though he be painted one way like. &c. In allusion to
the dual-imaged pictures formerly produced, thus described by
Burton : " Like those double or turning pictures ; stand before
Bring me word how tall she is.— Pity me, Char-
mian,
But do not speak to me. — Lead me to my
chamber. [Exeunt.
SCENE VT.-^AVar Misenum.
Hourish. Enter Pompey and Menas Jio/n one
side, with drum and trun.pet : from the other,
Caesar, Antony, Lepidus, Enobarbus,
Mecsnas, tuith Soldiers marching.
Pom. Your hostages I have, so have you
mine;
And we shall talk before we tight.
Cars. Most meet
That first we come to words ; and therefore
have we
Our written purposes before us sent;
Which, if thou hast consider'd, let us know
If 'twill tie up'? thy discontented sword,
And carry back to Sicily much tall'8 youth
That else must perish here.
Pom. To you all three,
The senators alone of this great world,'9
Chief factors for the gods, — I do not know
Wherefore my father should revengers want,™
Having a son and friends; since Julius Ca;sar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,sl
There saw you labouring for him. What was 'I
That mov'd pale Cassius to conspire; and what
Made the all-honour'd,s2 honest Roman, Brutus,
which you see a fair maid, on the one side an ape. on the other
an owl." And by Chapman in his "All Fools:" "But like a
couzening picture, which one way sliows like a crow, another
like a swan."
76. The otltcr way V a Mars. " He " before " be painted "
is elliptically understood as repeated between " way" and " 's."
77. Our written purposes .... which, if thou . ... let us
knoio if 'twill tie up. Here " which" and " *t," or ' it,' refer
to the 'intention' or 'determination,' or 'proposal,' implied
in " our written purposes ; " according to a mode of con-
struction occasionally used by Shakespeare in passages where
an implied particular is referred to. See Note go, Act iii.,
" Othello."
78. Tall. ' Stout,' ' brave,' ' courageous,' ' valiant.' See
Note 95, Act i., " Richard III."
79. To you all three, the senators, S*c. "To" is here used
elliptically, giving the effect of ' I say to,' as a kind of formal
address or salutation.
80. / do not knozo wherefore, &*c. ' I know no reason why
my father should be without revengers, having a son and
friends ; since Julius Ca;sar, whose spirit appeared to Brutus at
Philippi, there beheld you, his son and friends, fighting to
avenge him.' Pompey here, by implication, calls Octavius the
son of Julius Csesar , because he was adopted by him. See
Note 53, Act iii., "Julius Coesar."
81. Ghosted. This was a verb, formerly in use. Burton, in
his "Anatomy of .Melancholy" ' 1632 , has, "What madnessc
ghosts this old man ? But what madnesse ghosts us all ? "
82. Made the all-honour d. The first Folio omitted " the "
here ; added in the second Folio.
625
VOL. III.
»45
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VI.
With the arm'd rest, courtiers of beauteous
freedom,
To drench the Capitol; but that they would
Have one man but a man f And that is it
Hath made me rig my navy ; at whose burden
The anger' d ocean foams ; with which I meant
To scourge the ingratitude that despiteful Rome
Cast on my noble father. .
Cits. Take your time.
Ant. Thou canst not fear us,83 Pompey, with
thy sails ;
We'll speak with thee at sea: at land, thou
know'st
How much we do o'er-count thee.
Pom. At land, indeed,
Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house:84
But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself,85
Remain in 't as thou mayst.
Lep. Be pleas'd to tell us
(For this is from the present89) how you take
The offers we have sent you.
Cces. There's the point.
Ant. Which do not be entreated to, but weigh
What it is worth embrac'd.
Ctzs. And what may follow,
To try a larger fortune.
Pom. You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must
Rid all the sea of pirates ; then, to send
Measures of wheat to Roine ; this 'greed upon,
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back
Our targes87 undinted.
Crs., Ant., Lep. That 's our offer.
Pom. Know, then,
1 came before you here, a man prepar'd
To take this offer : but Mark Antony
Put me to some impatience : — though I lose
The praise of it by telling,88 you must know,
When Ca;sar and your brother were at blows,
83. Thou canst not fear us. "Fear" used actively in the
sense of 'affright.' See Note 1, Act ii., "Measure for
Measure."
84. Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's Jtouse. This is a
fleer at Antony's having gained possession of Pompey the
Great's house in Rome without due payment. Plutarch has
three allusions to the circumstance ; one of which states that
"when Pompey 's house was put to open sale, Antonius hought
it : but when they asked him money for it, he made it very
strange, and was offended with them." It is very probable
therefore that the word " o'er-count." in the text, is intended to
convey the effect of ' over-reach ' as well as ' out-number.5
85. Since the cuckoo builds not for himself. In allusion to
the cuckoo's possessing itself of the nests of other birds. See
Note 6, Act v., " First Part Henry IV."
86. For this is from the present. ' For this recrimination is
apart from the present consideration or point of discussion.1
The phrase is elliptically expressed: and 'from' is used in its
sense of ' away from,' ' apart from,' ' foreign In.'
87. Targes. Pronounced as a monosyllable ; with a hard c,
or as if written ' targues.' It is an abbreviated form of ' targets ;'
meaning bucklers or shields. See Note 129, Act v., "Love's
Labour's Lost."
Your mother came to Sicily, and did find
Her welcome friendly.
Ant. I have heard it, Pompev ;
And am well studied for a liberal thanks,
Which I do owe you.
Pom. Let me have your hand :
I did not think, sir, to have met you here.
Ant. The beds i' the east are soft; and thanks
to you,
That call'd me, timelier than my purpose, hither;
For I have gain'd by 't.
Ccrs. Since I saw you last,
There is a change upon you.
Pom. Well, I know not
What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face ;89
But in my bosom shall she never come,
To make my heart her vassal.
Lep. Well met here.
Pom. I hope so, Lepidus. — Thus we are
agreed :
I crave our composition90 may be written,
And seal'd between us.
Cces. That 's the next to do.
Pom. We'll feast each other ere we part; and
let's
Draw lots who shall begin.
Ant. That will I, Pompey.
Pom. No, Antony, take the lot: but, first
Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery
Shall have the fame. I have heard that Julius
Caesar
Grew fat with feasting there.
Ant. You have heard much.
Pom. I have fair meanings, sir.
Ant. And fair words to them.
Pom. Then so much have I heard:
And I have heard, Apollodorus carried —
Eno. No more of that: — he did so.
Pom. What, I pray you ?
83. Though I lose the p>aise of it by telling. The historical
lact of Sextus Pompey's having courteously received Antony's
mother in Sicily when she fled from Italy, is recorded by
Plutarch ; but the touch of delicacy in sentiment — declaring
that to remind or reproach another with a benefit conferred is to
forfeit the merit of it — is the dramatist's own exquisite addition.
Shakespeare has more than once taken occasion to enforce this
refinement in social morality : he has made that noble-minded,
warm-natured, delicate-souled being, Antonio, the sea-captain
in "Twelfth Night " (whom we can never help associating, in
strange closeness of analogy, with Shakespeare himself in
character and disposition — see Note 98, Act iii., "Twelfth
Night "), say,
" Do not tempt my misery.
Lest that it make me so unsound a man
As to upbraid you with those kindnesses
That I have done for you."
89. What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face. In
figurative allusion to making marks or lines when casting
accounts in arithmetic.
90. Composition. 'Compact,' 'agreement.' See Note -iG
of this Act.
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
Eno. A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress."
Pom. I know thee now: how far'st thou,
soldier ?
Eno. Well ;
And well am like to do; for, I perceive,
Four feasts are toward.
Pom. Let me shake thy hand ;
I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight,
When I have envied thy behaviour.
Eno. Sir,
I never lov'd you much ; but I have prais'd you,
When you have well deserv'd ten times as much
As I have said you did.
Pom. Enjoy thy plainness.
It nothing ill becomes thee. —
Aboard my galley 1 invite you all :
Will you lead, lords r
Cos., Ant., Lep. Show us the way, sir.
Pom. Come.
[Exeunt all except Menas and Enobarbus.
Men. [Aside. ~\ Thy father, Poinpcy, would ne'er
have made this treaty. — [7b Eno.] You and I
have known, sir.":
Eno. At sea, I think.
Men. We have, sir.
Eno. You have done well by water.
Men. And you by land.
Eno. I will praise any man that will praise me;
though it cannot be denied what I have done by
land.
Men. Nor what I have done by water.
Eno. Yes, something you can deny for your
own safety : you have been a great thief by sea.
Men. And you by land.
Eno. There I deny my land service. But give
me your hand, Menas: if our eyes had authority,
here they might take two thieves kissing.
Men. All men's faces are true, whatsoe'er their
hands are.
Eno. But there is never a fair woman has a true
face.
Men. No slander, — they steal hearts.
Eno. We came hither to fight with you.
Men. For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a
drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his
fortune.
91. A certain queen to Ccesar, &>c. The incident of Cleo-
patra's introduction to Julius Caesar is thus quaintly narrated by
Plutarch : — " She only taking Apollodorus Sicilian of all her
friends, tooke a little bote, and went away with him in it in the
night, and came and landed hard by the foot of the castell.
Then having no other meane to come iiuo the court without
being knowne, she laid herselfe downevpon a mattresse or flock
bed, which Apollodorus her friend tied and bound vp together
like a bundle with a great leather thong, and so tooke her vpon
his back, and brought her thus hampered in this fardle vnto
Caesar in at the castle gate. "
92. You and I have knmun. sir. ' Each other' is ellipticallv
understood after " known ; " and "known" is sometimes thus
used by Shakespeare for ' been acquainted,'
Eno. If he do, sure, he cannot » eep it back again.
Men. You have said, sir. We looked not for
Mark Antony here : pray you, is he married to
Cleopatra ?
Eno. Carat's sister is called Octavia.
Men. True, sir; she was the wife ot Caius
Marcellus.
Eno. But she is now the wife of Marcus
Antonius.
Men. Pray you, sir?
Eno. 'Tis true.
Men. Then is Caesar and he for ever knit
together.
Eno. If I were bound to divine of this unity, I
would not prophesy so.
Men. I think, the policy of that purpose made
more in the marriage, than the love of the parties.
Eno. I think so too. But you shall find, the
band that seems to tie their friendship together
will be the very strangler of their amity: Octavia
is of a holy, cold, and still conversation.'-13
Men. Who would not have his wife so ?
Eno. Not he that himself is not so ; which is
Mark Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish
again: then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the
fire up in Caesar; and, as I said before, that which
is the strength of their amity shall prove the im-
mediate author of their variance. Antony will
use his affection where it is : he married but his
occasion here.
Men. And thus it may be. Come, sir, will you
aboard ? I have a health for you.
Eno. I shall take it, sir: we have used our
throats in Egypt.
Men. Come, let's away. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— On board Pompey's Galley, lying
near Misenum.
Music. Enter fvuo or three Servants, •with a
banquet.
First Serv. Here they'll be, man. Some o'
their plants94 are ill-rooted already ; the least wind
i' the world will blow them down.
93. Conversation. * Conduct,' ' behaviour ; ' ' moral pro-
cedure.'
94. Plants. Here humorously and figuratively used for ' the
soles of the feet ;' from the Latin, planta. What drollery there
is in even this brief introductory dialogue to certainly the
richest scene of drunken riot ever penned ! How it prepares the
spectators for the condition of those who are to appear ; how
waggishly it denotes the merriment with which the sea-faring
attendants have perceived the unsteadiness of the grand guests'
steps — partly proceeding from overflow of bumpers, partly
from want of "sea-legs;'1 and how well it sketches that keen
insight into the peculiarities of their superiors in rank which is
frequently possessed by dependants !
627
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
Sec. Semi. Lepiilus is high-coloured.
First Ser'V. They have made him drink alms-
drink.95
See. Sew. As they pinch one another by the
disposition,96 he cries out, "No more;" re-
conciles them to his entreaty, and himself to
the drink.
First Ser'V. But it raises the greater war between
him and his discretion.
Sec. Ser'V. Why, this it is to have a name in
great men's fellowship: I had as lief have a reed
that will do me no service as a partisan97 I could
not heave.
First Ser'V. To be called into a huge sphere,
and not to be seen to move in 't, are the holes
where eyes should be, which pitifully disaster the
cheeks.93
A sennet sounded. Enter Cesar, Antony,
Lepidus, Pompey, Agrippa, Mecenas,
Enobarbus, Menas, ivitb other Captains.
Ant. [To Caesar.] Thus do they, sir: they take
the flow o' the Nile99
By certain scales i' the pyramid ; they know,
By the height, the lowness, or the mean, if
dearth
Or foison100 follow: the higher Nilus swells,
The more it promises: as it ebbs, the seedsman
Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain,
And shortly comes to harvest.
Lep. You've strange serpents101 there.
Ant. Ay, Lepidus.
lep. Your serpent of Egypt is bred, now, of
your mud by the operation of your sun : so is your
crocodile.
Ant. They are so.
95. Alms-drink. Warburton affirms that this is a phrase
signifying ' that liquor of another's share which his companion
drinks to ease him.'
96. 'As they pinch one another by the disposition. It has
been proposed to change "disposition" to 'disputation;' but
the phrase in the text signifies 'as they try each other's temper
by banter,' ' as they gall or plague each other's sensitiveness by
their mutual taunts.'
97. A partisan. A weapon between a pike and a halberd ;
and not being so long, it was used in mounting a breach. See
Note 8, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
98. A re the holes wliere eyes should be, which, cVt". ' Is as
sorry a blank as are the empty spaces where eyes ought to be,
which,' &c. We have frequently pointed out the elliptical style
in which many of Shakespeare's similes and comparisons are
couched. See Note 7, Act iv. , " Truilus and Cressida ;" and
Note 70, Act i. of the present play. Yet Dr. Johnson remarks
that " this speech seems to be mutilated, and to supply the de-
ficiencies is impossible : " while Mason observes that it is
"miserably expressed." (!)
99. T/tey take the Jloru d the Nile. Reed pointed out that
Shakespeare probably derived these particulars respecting the
measurement of the various heights to which the Nile rises,
from Philemon Holland's Translation of " Pliny ; " while Leo's
" History of Africa," translated by John Pory (i6oo\ has been
suggested as another book from which the dramatist obtained
his information on this subject.
Pom. Sit, — and some wine I — A health to
Lepidus !
Lep. I am not so well as I should be, but I'll
ne'er out.
Eno. Not till you have slept ; I fear me you'll
be in till then.
Lep. Nay, certainly, I have heard the Ptolemies'
pyramises m* are very goodly things; without con-
tradiction, I have heard that.
Men. [Aside to Pom.] Pompey, a word.
Pom. [Aside to Men.] Say in mine ear: what
is 't :-■
Men. [Aside to Pom] Forsake thy seat, I do
beseech thee, captain,
And hear me speak a word.
Pom. [Aside to Men.] Forbear me till anon. —
This wine for Lepidus !
Lep. What manner o' thing is your crocodile ?
Ant. It is shapetl, sir, like itself; and it is as
broad as it hath breadth: it is just so high as it is,
and moves with its own organs: it lives by that
which nourisheth it; and the elements103 once out
of it, it transmigrates.
Lep. What colour is it of?
Ant. Of its own colour too.
Lep. 'Tis a strange serpent.
Ant. 'Tis so. Anil the tears of it are wet.101
Cces. Will this description satisfy him ?
Ant. With the health that Pompey gives him,
else he is a very epicure.
Pom. [Aside to Men.] Go hang, sir, hang!
Tell me of that ? away '■
Do as I bid you. — Where's this cup I call'd
for ?
Men. [Aside to Pom.] If for the sake of merit
thou wilt hear me,
Rise from thy stool.
100. Foison. 'Plenty,' 'abundance.' See Note 63, Act iv.,
" Macbeth."
101. Strange serpents. Deliciously chosen words for a
drunken man to utter. See Note 62, Act ii., "Othello." That
Shakespeare himself relished it, we think is evident by his re-
peating it a little farther on — '"Tis a strange serpent." These
poets have perfect ears in such matters. See, for instance, the
delectable humour of Chaucer, in his "Pardoner's Tale," who
says of a drunkard,
" And thurgh thy dronken nose semeth ihe soun
As though thou saidest ay, Sampsoun ! Sampsoun !
102. Pyramises. The form of ' pyramis ' for ' pyramid ' was
in use among writers of Shakespeare's time (see context of
passage referred to in Note 84, Act i., " First Part Henry
VI."); but the plural "pyramises" instead of 'pyramids,' is
just one of Shakespeare's happy inventions, to put into the
mouth of the soaked Lepidus. His feeble attempt at scien-
tific inquiry, in the remark concerning " your serpent of
Egypt," &c, his flabbily persistent researches touching "your
crocodile," and his limp recurrence to his pet expression,
" strange serpent," are all conceived in the highest zest of
comic humour.
103. The elements. See Note 20, Act ii., " Twelfth Night."
104. The tears of it are wet. See Note 30, Act iv.,
"Othello."
Act II.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VI 1
Antony. Strike the vessels, ho ! —
Here is to Caesar !
Act II. Scene VII.
Pom. [Aside to Men.] I think thou'rt mad.
The matter ?
[Rises, and tualis aside T-citb Men AS.
Men. I have ever held my cap off105 to thy for-
tunes.
Pom. Thou hast serv'd me with much faith.
What 's else to say ? —
Be jolly, lords.
Ant. These quick-sands, Lepidus,
Keep off them, for jou sink.106
Men. Wilt thou be lord of all the world ?
Pom. What say'st thou ?
Men. Wilt thou be lord of the whole world ?
That 's twice.
Pom. How should that be ?
Men. But entertain it,
And, though thou think me poor, I am the man
Will give thee all the world.
Pom. Hast thou drunk well p
Men. No, Pompey, I have kept me from the
cup.
Thou art, if thou dar'st be, the earthly Jove:
Whate'er the ocean pales, or sky inclips,1"'
Is thine, if thou wilt have 't
105. Held viy cap off. Implying 'been deferential,' 'obse- parlance, "floored." We hear nothing more from him, or of
quious,' or * subservient.1 See Note 3, Act i., ''Othello." him, till Pompey exclaims, ''This health to Lepidus!" and
106. For you sink. The Folio word " for" has been strangely i Antony significantly replies, " Eear him ashore. — I'll pledge it
changed to ' fore ' and to 'or:' 1 ut surely the original is right, for him, Pompey."
since the phrase, as it stands, describes the sudden lurch and 107. Inclips. ' Embraces,' ' encloses,' See Note 45, Act iv.,
downward slide of Lepidus, who is now, in expressive vulgar " Coriolanus," and Note 77, Act iii., "Othello."
629
Act 1 I.J
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
Pom. Show me which way.
Men. These three world-sharers, these com-
petitors,103
Are in thy vessel : let me cut the cable ;
And, when we are put off, fall to their throats :
All there is thine.1119
Pom. Ah, this thou shouldst have done,
And not have spoke on 't! In me 'tis villany ;
In thee 't had been good service. Thou must
know,
'Tis not my profit that does lead mine honour ;
Mine honour, it. Repent that e'er thy tongue
Hath so betray'd thine act : being done unknown,
I should have found it afterwards well done ;
But must condemn it now. Desist, and drink.
[Returns to his guests.
Men. [Aside.'] For this,
I'll never follow thy pall'd110 fortunes more. —
Who seeks, and will not take when once 'tis offer'd,
Shall never hnd it more.
Pom . This health to Lepidus !
Ant. Bear him ashore. — I'll pledge it for him,
Pompey.
Eno. Here 's to thee, Menas !
Men. Enobarbus, welcome !
Pom. Fill till the cup be hid.
Eno. There 's a strong fellow, Menas.
[Pointing to the Attendant who carries
off Lepidus.
Men. Why ?
Eno. He bears the third part of the world,
man ; see'st not ?
Men. The third part, then, is drunk : would it
were all,
That it might go on wheels!
Eno. Drink thou; increase the reels.
Men. Come.
Pom. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast.
108. Competitors. ' Consociates,' ' colleagues.' See Note 63,
Act i.
109. All tkere is thine. " There " has been altered to ' then*
and to 'theirs;' but we have heretofore shown that Shake-
speare sometimes uses " there " where ' then ' is ordinarily used.
See Note 72, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet."
no. PalPd. 'Impaired,' 'deteriorated.' 'Palled wine' is
wine that has become vapid, flat, spiritless. See Note 52, Act
v., " Hamlet."
in. Strike lite vessels. This has been explained to mean
'tap the casks.' That "strike" was used in the sense of 'tap'
or ' broach ' is true ; but that it is here used in that sense we do
not believe. Antony would hardly bid them broach more wine
where Pompey is the entertainer; and. moreover, at this stage
of the entertainment there would be no question of any one
giving such an order. The exclamation of ' Strike the vessels,
ho ! " seems to us to mean, ' Strike your cups together in token of
good fellowship and high revelry ; ' as glasses are clinked and
struck against one another by animated and friendly carousers
when hobnobbing and joining in a toast.
112. Possess it. Some demur has been made to the word
" possess " here ; while those who retain it explain it to refer
to the health proposed. But we believe that "possess it" has
reference to " the time." Antony bids Octavius " be a child
Jnt. It ripens towards it. — Strike the vessels,111
hoi-
Here is to Cassar !
Ciss. I could well forbear 't.
It's monstrous labour, when I wash my brain.
And it grows fouler.
Ant. Be a child o' the time.
Cues. Possess it,113 I'll make answer:
But I had rather fast from all four days
Than drink so much in one.
Eno. [To Ant.] Ha, my brave emperor !
Shall we dance now the Egyptian Bacchanals,
And celebrate our drink ?
Pom. Let's ha 't, good soldier.
Ant. Come, let's all take hands,
Till that the conquering wine hath steep'd our
sense
In soft and delicate Lethe.
Eno. All take hands. —
Make battery to our ears with the loud music : —
The while I'll place you ; then the boy shall sing ;
The holding every man shall bear113 as loud
As his strong sides can volley.
[Music plays. Enobarbus places them
hand in hand.
SONG.
Come, thou monarch of the vine,
Plumpy Bacchus with pink eyne ! "4
In thy vats our cares be drown'd,"5
With thy grapes our hairs be crown'd
Cup us, till the world go round,
Cup us, till the world go round !
Cces. What would you more ? — Pompey, good
night. — Good brother,
Let me request you off: our graver business
Frowns at this levity. — Gentle lords, let's part ;
You see we have burnt our cheeks : strong
Enobarbe
o' the time," that is, 'give yourself up to the spirit of the
present hour,' ' be a mad reveller as the rest are upon this
occasion;' and Octavius replies, 'Well, occupy it, fill it un-
be master of it, in your own way: I 11 respond, I'll follow yoi ', ■
lead.' In confirmation of our view, see how the word "pr <
sess " is used in the sense of 'occupy,' 'take possession of,' in
the passages, " And this the regal seat : possess it, York,"
"Third Part Henry VI.," Act i., sc. 1 ; and "Things rank and
gross in nature possess it merely," " Hamlet," Act i., sc. 2.
113. The holding every man slutll bear. "Holding" was
an old term for what is now called the ' burden ' of a song ; and
" bear" is Theobald's correction of the Folio misprint, .' beate,'
here. In Ariel's first song, we have, "And sweet sprites the
burden bear" Moreover, "bear the burden" is still an ex-
pression used for taking part in the chorus of a song.
114. Pink eyne. "Pink" was a word that signified 'small,'
'little,' 'narrow,' applied to eyes and to ships, in the words
' pink-eyed ' and ' pink-sterned ; ' but by here using the term
"pink eyne" in reference to Bacchus, the poet combines
the effect of eyes not only half closed, but also reddened by
inebriation.
ris. In thy vats our cares be drozvn'd. The Folio prints
'fattes' for "vats," 'fats' being an old form of "vats;" but
we give the modern orthography in the text.
630
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene I.
Is weaker than the wine; ami mine own tongue
Splits what it speaks: the wild disguise hath
almost
Antick'd us all."6 What needs more words?
Good night. —
Good Antony, your hand.
Pom. I'll try you On the shore.
Ant. And shall, sir : give's your hand.
Pom. O Antony,
You have my father's house, — But, what ? we are
friends.
Come, down into the boat.
Eno. Take heed you fall not.
[Exeunt Pompey, Caesar, Antony, an d
Attendants.
Menas, I'll not on shore.
Men. No, to my cabin.11"—
These drums !— these trumpets, flutes ! what ! —
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell
To these great fellows : sound, and be hang'd
sound out ! [A flourish, tvith drums.
Eno. Hoo ! says 'a. — There 's my cap.
Men. Hoo !U3 — Noble captain, come.
[Exeunt.
ACT III.
SCENE I.— A Plain in Syria.
Enter Ventidius in triumph, tuith Silius, and
other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead
body of Pacorus borne be/ore him.
Ven. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck;1
and now
Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death
Make me revenger. — Bear the king's son's body
Before our army.— Thy Pacorus, Orodes,2
Pays this for Marcus Crassus.
SH. Noble Ventidius,
Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm,
The fugitive Parthians follow ; spur through
Media,
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither
The routed fly : so thy grand captain, Antony,
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots, and
put garlands on thy head.3
Ven. O Silius, Silius,
iiS. The will disguise hath almost antick'd us all. The
discriminative characterisation developed in each of the revel-
lers— Lepidus's fatuity and solemn dulness floundering beneath
the overpowering effect of the repeated healths, or toasts, with
which he is plied ; Octavius's reluctance at the subversion of
his cold equanimity by the riot of the carousal and the influence
of the wine : Enobarbus's mad spirits — yet even he at length
giving token of being "weaker than the wine;" Pompey's
capital bit of maudlin ("O Antony, you have my father's
house, — But, what ? we are friends"), half-lingering resentment,
half drunken magnanimity of forgiveness; the untouched strength
of the seasoned Mark Antony, able to bear any amount of
drained cups : together with the rich gusto and classical grape-
crowned animation of the whole scene, combine to render this
one of the most magnificently painted orgy-descriptions ever
set down upon paper. It glows before our eyes like a Rubens'
canvas.
"7- ^'o, to my cabin. The Folio makes these lines a con-
I have done enough : a lower place, note well,
May make too great an act ; for learn this,
Silius, —
Better to leave undone, than by our deed
Acquire too high a fame when him we serve 's
away.
Caesar and Antony have ever won
More in their officer than person : Sossius,
One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,
For quick accumulation of renown,
Which he achiev'd by the minute, lost his favour.
Who does i' the wars more than his captain can,
Becomes his captain's captain : and ambition,
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of
loss,
Than gain which darkens him.
I could do more to do Antonius good,
But 'twould offend him ; and in his offence
Should my performance perish.
Si/. Thou hast, Ventidius, that
tinuation of Enobarbus's speech, omitting the requisite prefix
of Menas.
irS. Hoo! says 'a. — There's my ca/>. Hoo! This finishing
the whole with a shout and a flinging-up of caps, puts the
finishing stroke of climax to this finely-conceived scene of wild
vivacity.
1. Struck. In reference to "darting;" implying, 'Thou
whose darts have often struck others, art struck now thyself.'
2. Thy Pacorus, Orodes. Pacorus was the son of Orodes,
King of Parthia.
3. Set thee on triumphant chariots, and put garlands on
thy head. It has been questioned whether "chariots" should
not be 'chariot' here; but it might as well he proposed that
" garlands" also should be in the singular. The fact is, a plural
form, used in this way. is not unfrequent among pnets and
poetic writers or speakers, to give the effect of amplitude and
generalisation. See Note 31, Act in"., " Winter's Tale."
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
You shall hear from me still ; the time shall not
Out-go my thinking on y ju.
Act 111. Scene II.
Without the which a soldier, and his sword,
Grants scarce distinction.* Thou wilt write to
Antony ?
Fen. I'll humbly signify what in his name,
That magical word of war, we have effected ;
How, with his banners and his well-paid ranks,
The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia
We have jaded* out o' the field.
*''■ Where is he now ?
Fen. He purposeth to Athens : whither, with
what haste
The weight we must convey with 's will permit,
We shall appear before him.— On, there ; pass
along ! 'Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Rome. An Ante-Chamber in
Ccsar's House.
Enter AciPPA and Es'OBARBLS.
meeting.
Agr. What ! are the brothers parted f
Eno. They have despatch'd with Pompey, he is
gone ;
The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps
To part from Rome ; Csesar is sad ; and Lepidus,
Since Pompey '5 feast, as Menas says, is troubled
With the green sickr.
Agr. Tii a noble Lepidus.
the soldier be wanting in, there is scarcely any distinction
1. Grants scarce distinction. " Grants" is here used in the afforded between himself a.-.,
sense of 'yields- or 'affords:' the sentence implying, "Thou 5. Horse of Partk.-a we hire jaded. "Horse" .
hast that sagacity without which -.. 'houemcu,- and "jaded" for *driren as jades.' See >■
guishable from his sword ; ' ' Thou hast that prudence which, if Act iv., " Julius Czsar ; " a- Henry VIII.'
■ .
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Eno. A very fine one : oh, how he loves Caesar !
Agr. Nay, hut how dearly he adores Mark
Antony !
Eno. Caesar? Why, he's the Jupiter of men.
Agr. What 's Antony ? The god of Jupiter.
Eno. Spake you of Caesar ? Hoo ! the non-
pareil !6
Agr. O Antony! oh, thou Arabian bird!7
Eno. Would you praise Caesar, say, " Caesar,"
— go no farther.
Agr. Indeed, he plied them both with excellent
praises.
Eno. But he loves Caesar best ; — yet he loves
Antony :
Hoo ! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets,
cannot
Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, — hoo! —
His love to Antony. But as for Caesar,
Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.
Agr. Both he loves.
Eno. They are his shards, and he their beetle.8
— [Trumpets vuitbia.'] So, —
This is to horse. — Adieu, noble Agrippa.
Agr. Good fortune, worthy soldier ; and farewell.
Enter C^sar, Antony, Lepidus, and Octavia.
Ant. No farther, sir.
Cas. You take from me a great part of
myself ;
Use me well in 't. — Sister, prove such a wife
As my thoughts make thee, and as my farthest
band
Shall pass on thy approof.9 — Most noble Antony,
Let not the piece of virtue, which is set
Betwixt us as the cement of our love, <
To keep it builded, be the ram to batter
The fortress of it ; for better might we
Have lov'd without this mean, if on both parts
This be not cherish'd.
6. Hoo ! tlte nonpareil! The Folio prints ' How' for " Hoo,"
here ; but " hoo ! " is such an evidently favourite and character-
istic exclamation of Enobarbus (see Note 118, Act ii.), that we
cannot doubt its being intended here. The breathless fun of
the present dialogue, its hurry of hyperbolical phrases heaped
one a-top of the other, as the speakers tumble them out in
emulation of each other, for representation of what Lepidus
says in exaggerated praise of both his objects of admiration,
make one feel that Shakespeare himself enjoyed writing it.
7. Arabian bird. The phecnix. See Note 78, Act iv.,
"Richard III."
8. They are his shards, and he their beetle. Implying,
' They are the wings that raise this lumpish insect from the
ground.' "Shards" are the ' scaly wings ' of the beetle. See
Note 46, Act iii., " Macbeth."
9. And as my farthest band shall pass on thy approof.
' And as my greatest pledge of security shall be staked on thy
proving what I think thee.' "Band" was sometimes used for
' bond.' See Note 40, Act v., " Tempest."
10. Curious. ' Scrupulous in inquiry,' 'particular in examina-
tion,' ' careful in making investigation or in searching into.' See
Note 80, Act iv., " Taming of the Shrew."
Ant. Make me not offended
In your distrust.
Cics. I have said.
Ant. You shall not find,
Though you be therein curious,10 the least cause
For what you seem to fear: so, the gods keep you,
And make the hearts of Romans serve your ends !
We will here part.
Cas. Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee
well :
The elements be kind to thee, and make
Thy spirits all of comfort!11 fare thee well.
Oct. My noble brother! —
Ant. The April's in her eyes: it is love's
spring,
And these the showers to bring it on. — Be cheerful.
Oct. Sir, look well to my husband's house ;
and —
Cies. What, Octavia?
Oct. I'll tell you in your ear.
Ant. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor
can
Her heart inform her tongue, — the swan's down
feather,
That stands upon the swell at full of tide,12
And neither way inclines.
Eno. [Aside to Agr.] Will Caesar weep?
Agr. [Aside to Eno.] He has a cloud in's face.13
Eno. [Aside to Agr.] He were the worse for
that, were he a horse ;
So is he, being a man.
Agr. [Aside to Eno.] Why, Enobarbus,
When Antony found Julius Caesar dead,
He cried almost to roaring ; and he wept,
When at Philippi he found Brutus slain.
Eno. [Aside to Agr.] That year, indeed, he was
troubled with a rheum ;
What willingly he did confound he wail'd :
Believe 't, till I weep too.14
11. Tlie elements be kind to tliee, and make thy spirits all qlr A ,
comfort ! This aspiration of her brother for Octavia includes a
wish that the elements may be gentle to her in the course of
the voyage she is about to make with her new-made husband,
Antony, from Rome to Athens, and also a desire that tho
elements of which human life was supposed to be compounded
may combine to sustain her in health and cheerfulness. See
Note 42, Act v., " Julius Csesar."
12. Stands upon the swell at full of tide. The first Folio
inserts ' the ' before " full ; " corrected in the second Folio.
13. A cloud in 's face. Said of a horse that has a dark-
coloured spot in its forehead between the eyes ; which, giving
the animal a scowling look, and being supposed to indicate a
vicious temper, is considered a great blemish. The phrase is
applied by Burton, in his "Anatomy of Melancholy" (1632), to
a lowering expression of the human countenance : " Every lover
admires his mistress, though she be very deformed of herself—
thin, leane, chitty-fice, have clouds in her face, be crooked," &c.
14. Believe't, till 1 wee p too. "Weep" has been changed
by Theobald and others to ' wept : ' but we take the passage
to mean, 'That which he willingly saw destroyed he cried over ;
believe it, till you see ine cry also in the same hypocritical way.*
634
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene III.
Cess. No, sweet Octavia,
You shall hear from me still ; the time shall
not
Out-go my thinking on you.
Ant. Come, sir, come ;
I'll wrestle with you in my strength of love :
Look, here I have you ; thus I let you go,
Ami give you to the gods.
des. Adieu ; be happy !
Lep. Let all the number of the stars give
light
To thy fair way !
Cos. Farewell, farewell !
[Kisses Octavia.
Ant. Farewell !
\_Trumpets sound ivithin. Exeunt.
SCENE III. — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas.
Cleo. Where is the fellow ?
Alex. Half afeard to come.
Cleo. Go to, go to. —
Enter a Messenger.
Come hither, sir.
Alex. Good majesty,
Herod of Jewry dare not look upon you,
But when you are well pleas'd.
Cleo. That Herod's head
I'll have: but how, when Antonv is gone,
Through whom I might command it ? — Come
thou near.
Mess. Most gracious majesty, —
Cleo. Didst thou behold
Octavia ?
Mtss. Ay, dread queen.
Cleo. Where ?
Mess. Madam, in Rome
I look'd her in the face, and saw her led
Between her brother and Mark Antony.
Cleo. Is she as tall as me ?15
Mess. She is not, madam.
15. Is she as tall as me ? " Me " for ' I ' and ' I ' for " me"
were frequently used, by a grammatical licence, the one for the
other, in Shakespeare's time. See Note 27, Act i., " As You
Like It."
16. That's not so good. Cleopatra, in her present mood,
would have made this reply to whichever description of tone
the messenger had assigned as that of Octavia's voice —
whether " shrill-tongu'd or low." The very wording of the
Egyptian queen's inquiry shows this : as also is evinced
by her immediately afterwards distorting " low-voic'd" into
dull of tongue." What was Shakespeare's own opinion
relative to the true loveliness in this respect is clearly de-
Cleo. Didst hear her speak ? is she shrill-tongu'd
or low ?
Mess. Madam, I heard her speak ; she is low-
voic'd.
Cleo. That's not so good:16 — he cannot like
her long.
Char. Like her ! O Isis ! 'tis impossible.
Cleo. I think so, Charmian : dull of tongue,
and dwarfish ! —
What majesty is in her gait ? Remember,
If e'er thou look'dst on majesty.
Mess. She creeps ;
Her motion and her station 17 are as one :
She shows a body rather than a life;
A statue, than a breather.
Cleo. Is this certain ?
Mess. Or I have no observance.
Char. Three in Egypt
Cannot make better note.
Cleo. He 's very knowing ;
I do perceive 't :— there's nothing in her yet: —
The fellow has good judgment.
Char. Excellent.
Cleo. Guess at her years, I pr'ythee.
Mess. Madam,
She was a widow, —
Cleo. Widow ! — Charmian, hark.
Mess. And I do think, she's thirty.
Cleo. Bear'st thou her face in mind ? is 't long
or round ?
Mess. Round even to faultiness.
Cleo. For the most part, too, they are foolish
that are so. —
Her hair, what colour?
Mess. Brown, madam: and her forehead
As low as she would wish it.13
Cleo. There 's gold for thee.
Thou must not take my former sharpness
ill:—
I will employ thee back again ; I find thee
Most fit for business : go make thee ready ;
Our letters are prepar'd. [Exit Messenger.
Char. A proper man.19
Cleo. Indeed, he is so : I repent me much
That so I harried-" him. Why, methinks, by
him,
noted by Lear's words, while hanging over his dead daughter
Cordelia :
" Her voice was ever soft,
GentJe, and low, — an excellent thing in woman."
17. Station. ' Attitude when standing,' ' remaining still.'
See Note 139, Act hi., " Hamlet."
18. As low as site would wish it. A cant phrase, implying
' lower than she could wish it to be.'
19. A proper man. ' A comely man,' ' a good-looking man.'
See Note 68, Act iv., " Othello.'*
20. Harried. ' Harassed,' ' worried,' ' molested,' ' used
roughly.'
<535
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes IV., V.
This creature 's no such thing.21
Char. Nothing, madam.
Cleo. The man hath seen some majesty, ami
should know.
Char. Hath he seen majesty ? Isis else defend,
And serving you so long !
Cleo. I have one thing more to ask him yet,
good Charmian :
But 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me
Where I will write. All may be well enough.
Char. I warrant you, madam. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Athens. A Room in Antony's
House.
Enter Antony and Octavia.
Jnt. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that, —
That were excusable, that, and thousands more
Of semblable import, — but he hath wag'd
New wars 'gainst Pompey ; made his will, and
read it
To public ear :
Spoke scantly of me : when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sicklv
He vented them ; most narrow measure lent me:
When the best hint was given him, he not took 't,
Or did it from his teeth.-2
Oct. Oh, my good lord,
Believe not all ; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all.23 A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between.
Praying tor both parts :
The good gods will mock me presently,
When I shall pray, "Oh, bless my lord and hus-
band ! "
Undo that prayer,'-1 by crying out as loud,
"Oh, bless my brother!" Husband win, win
brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer ; no midway
'Twixt these extremes at all.
21. No such thin*. Equivalent to the more modern idiomatic
phrase, ' no such great things.'
22. From his teeth. An idiom signifying ' superficially,'
* prctendedly,' ' without heartiness or sincerity.' Dryden, in
his "Wild Gallant," has, " I am confident she is only angry
from the teeth outward ; " and Burton, " Friendship from
teeth outward, counterfeit."
23. Stomach not all. ' Take not all resentfully or wrath-
ftllly.' See Note 15, Act ii. of this play.
24. When 1 shall /ear. "Oh, /'less . . . " I'mlo that prayer.
Elliptically expressed; 'and when I shall' being understood
before "undo." Shakespeare occasionally has this kind of
construction where a nominative does double duty in a
sentence (see Notes 20, Act i., and 20, Act ii., "Tempest ") :
and in the present passage it aids to denote the agitation of the
speaker.
25. Shall stain yoitr brother. The word "stain" has been
Ant. Gentle Octavia,
Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: if I lose mine honour,
1 lose myself: better I were not yours,
Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,
Yourself shall go between us: the meantime, lady,
I'll raise the preparation of a war
Shall stain your brother:25 make your soonest
haste :
So, your desires are yours.
Oct. Thanks to my lord.
The Jove of power make me, most weak, most
weak,
Your reconciler ! Wars 'twixt you twain would be
As if the world should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.
Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love
Can equally move with them. Provide your
going ;
Choose your own company, and command what
cost
Your heart has mind to. [Exeunt.
SCENE V. — Athens. Another Room in
Antony's House.
Enter Enobarbus and Eros, meeting.
Eno. How now, friend Eros!
Eros. There 's strange news come, sir.
Eno. What, man ?
Eros. Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon
Pompey.
Eno. This is old : what is the success r26
Eros. Caesar, having made use of him in the
wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him
rivality;8' would not let him partake in the
glory of the action : and not resting here, accuses'
him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey ;
altered to 'stay,' ' strain,' 'stun,' 'slack,' &c. : but it is possible
that the original is right, used in the sense of ' eclipse,' ' throw
into shade,' ' obscure.' This is rendered probable by the sub-
sequent enumeration of Antony's royal mustering of allies for
this war : "He hath assembled Bocchus, the king of Libya ;
Archelaus." &c. See Note 41 of this Act. The pomp of this
list of inonarchs may well cast into the shade other "levying."
Moreover, we think it likely that the sentence in the text in-
volves one of those constructional forms sometimes employed by
Shakespeare where ' that of is elliptically understood (see Note
42, Act iv., "Othello"): so that the sentence implies, 'I'll
raise the preparation of a war that shall eclipse that of your
brother.' or ' eclipse your brother's-'
26. What is the success? ' What is the issue ? ' 'What hath
ollowed thereon?' See Note 38, Act iii., "Othello."
27. Rivality. ' Equal rank in consociation.1 See Note 4,
Act i., " Hamlet."
636
pwiiijniro
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VI.
upon his own appeal,23 seizes him: so the poor
third is up,29 till death enlarge his confine.
Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps,
no more ; 30
And throw between them all the food thou hast,
They'll grind the one the other.31 Where 's
Antony ?
Eros. He's walking in. the garden— thus; and
spurns
The rush that lies before him ; cries, " Fool
Lepidus !"
And threats the throat of that his officer32
That murder' d Pompey.
Eno. Our great navy 's rigg'd.
Eios. For Italy and Caesar. More, Domitius;33
My lord desires you presently: my news
I might have told hereafter.
Eno. 'Twill be naught:
But let it be. — Bring me to Antony.
Et os. Come, sir. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI.
-Rome. A Room in Cesar's
House.
Enter Caesar, Agrippa, and Mec^enas.
Cies. Contemning Rome, he has done all this,
and more,
In Alexandria: here 's the manner of it : —
I' the market-place, on a tribunal silver'd,31
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthron'd : at the feet sat
Caesarion, whom they call my father's son,35
And all the unlawful issue that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt ; made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,
Absolute queen.
Mec. This In the public eye ?
28. Appeal. Here used in the sense which it bears in common
law — that of "accusation." But by the way in which Shake-
speare constructs his sentence here, it conveys the effect of 'on
his own responsibility,' as well as of ' on his own accusation
solely.'
29. So tlw poor third is up. From the manner in which the
little word "up" is here employed, the sentence doubly ex-
presses, ' so the poor triumvir is pent up in prison,' and ' so it's
all up with the poor triumvir.'
30. Then, world, thou hast a pair of cluips, no more. The
Folio prints this, ' Then would thou hadst a paire of chaps no
more.' Hanmcr's correction. "No more" is here us-d fur
' and no more,' not for ' no longer.'
31. The? U grind the one the other. The Folio omits "the
one" here. Inserted by Capell.
32. T/w throat 0/ that his officer. A form of construction
similar to the one pointed out and explained in Note 56.
Act ii.
U.'rr, Domitius. " More" is elliptically used for ' more-
over,' or ' I have this much more to tell you.' Eros addresses
Cces. V the common show-place, where they
exercise.
His sons he there proclatm'd the kings of kings :36
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,
He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia : she
In the habiliments of the goddess Isis
That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.
Mec. Let Rome be thus
Inform'd.
Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence37
Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cics. The people know it ; and have now
receiv'd
His accusations.
Agr. Whom does he accuse ?
Cces. Caesar: and that, having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated hiin
His part 0' the isle: then does he say, he lent ine
Some shipping unrestor'd : lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be depos'd ; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.
Agr. Sir, this should be answer' d.
Ci.cs. 'Tis done already, and the messenger
gone.
[ have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel ;
That he his high authority abus'd,
And did deserve his change : for what I have
conquer'd,
I grant him part ; but then, in his Armenia,
And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I
Demand the like.
Mec. He'll never yield to that.
Cies. Nor must not, then, be yielded to in
this.
Enter Octavia, ivitb her train.3*
Oct. Hail, Caesar, and my lord ! hail, most dear
Caesar !
Enobarbus by his pre-name of " Domitius " here, as Antony
does at the commencement of the second scene of Act iv.
34. On a tribunal silver'd. The details in this speech are
closely copied from Sir Thomas North's " Plutarch."
35. My fathers son. 4iere Octavius himself calls Julius
Caesar " my father." See Note 80, Act ii.
36. His sons he there proclaim d the kings of kings. The Folio
prints ' hither ' instead of " he there," and omits the s before the
first " kings." The former is Johnson's correction ; the latter
Rnwe's.
37. Who, queasy with, &c. Here "who" is made to lefer
to the Roman people, as implied in the word "Rome," used
just before. See Note 85, Act iv., " Coriolanus." " Queasy " is
here used for 'sickened,' 'revolted,' 'repugned,' 'made
squeamish.' See Note 2, Act ii., " King Lear."
38. Enter Octavia, ivith her train. This is the stage direc-
tion in the Folio: though some modern editions omit the words
" with her train," as being inconsistent with what Octavius
says of her coming so insufficiently attended. But though she
herself says, "To come thus was I not constraint, but did it on
638
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
C<t$. That ever I should call thee castaway!
Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you
cause.
Of. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You
come not
Like Cxsar's sister: the wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and
The neighs of horse to tell of her approach
Long ere she did appear ; the trees by the way
Should have borne men ; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not ; nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: but you are come
A market-maid to Rome ; and have prevented
The ostentation of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unlov'd : we should have met you
By sea and land ; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting. ,
Oct. Good my lord,
To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieve 1 ear withal ; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return.
Ctes, Which soon he granted,
Being an obstruct39 'tween his lust and him.
Oit. Do not say so, my lord.
Cas. I have eyes upon him,
And his affairs come to me on the wind.
Where is he now ?
Oct. My lord, in Athens.
Ctcs. No, my most wronged sister ; Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his
empire
Up to a quean ; who now are levying
The kings o' the earth40 for war: he-hath assembled
Bocchus, the king of Libya ; Archelaus,
Of Cappadocia ; Philadelphos, king
Of Paphlagonia ; the Thracian king, Adallas;
King Malchus of Arabia ; King of Pont ;
Herod of Jewry ; Mithridates, king
Of Comngene ; Polemon and Amyntas,
my free will," it merely implies that she comes with a small
retinue when compared with that which her brother would fain
have her attended by, not that she has no train whatever.
Antony's concluding words to her are, " Provide your going ;
choose your own company, and command what cost, " &c. ;
therefore it is to be supposed that her own moderation has
chosen to be escorted by what appears to her brother to be a
very inadequate train.
39. Obstruct. The Folio prints 'abstract' for "obstruct."
Theobald's correction, made at Warburton's suggestion. It is
probably the word intended by Shakespeare, as an abbreviated
form of ' obstruction.'
40. Who now are levying t/ie'fcings, &>c. "Who " is here
used in reference to Antony and Cleopatra ; signifying ' which
two persons.'
4r. Pelentan and Amyntas, the kings of Mede and Lycaouia
Upton proposed to alter this to ' Polemon and Amyntas, of
Lycaonia : and the king of Mede,' as being more accurate : but
as the words in the text are probably what Shakespeare wrote,
The kings of Mede and Lycaonia,41
With a more larger list of sceptres.
Oct. Ah '. me most wretched
That have my heart parted betwixt two friends
That do afflict each other !
Cos. Welcome hither :
Your letters did withhold our breaking forth ;
Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wrong
led,4-
And we in negligent danger.43 Cheer your
heart :
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities ;
But let determin'd things to destiny
Hold unbewail'd their way. Welcome to Rome ;
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd
Beyond the mark of thought : and the high
gods,
To do you justice, make their ministers44
Of us and those that love you. Best of comfort ;
And ever welcome to us.
Agr. Welcome, lady.
Mec. Welcome, dear madntn.
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you :
Only the adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off;
And gives his potent regiment45 to a trull,
That noises it against us.
Oct. Is it so, sir?
Cws. Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray
you,
Be ever known to patience: my dearest sister !
[Exeunt.
SCENE VII. — Antony's Camp, near the Pro-
montory of ACTIUM.
Enter Cleopatra and Enobarbus.
Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Eno. But why, why, why?
we leave them untouched. This is the catalogue of enlisted
kings to which we referred in Note 25 of the present Act as
affording support to the reading there discussed.
42. How you were wrong led. Capell and others change
"wrong led" to 'wrong'd;' but we think that "wrong led"
here means ' misled as to Antony's being in Athens,' and ' misled
into coming hither,' Octavia having said, " Whereon, I begg'd
his pardon for return."
43. And we in negligent danger. 'And we in danger of
being negligent ; ' ' and we in danger from negligence.' Shake-
speare's mode of using an elliptical epithet has frequently been
pointed out by us. See Note ir, Act iv., " King Lear ;" and
Note 7, Act iv. , "Othello."
44. Make their ministers. The first Folio prints ' makes
his' for "make their." Theobald's correction.
45. Regiment. 'Rule,' 'power,' 'command,' 'authority,'
'government.' Spenser, in his "Faery Queene. " B "ik II,
Canto X., uses the word in this sense :
" So when he had resign'd his regiment."
639
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
Cleo. Thou hast forspoke46 my being in these
wars,
And say'st it is not fit.
Eno. Well, is it, is it ?
Cleo. If not denounc'd against us,47 why should
not we
Be there in person ?
Eno. [Aside.'] Well, I could reply :—
Cleo. What is 't you say ?
Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony;
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from 's
time,
What should not then be spar'd. He is already
Traduc'd for levity; and 'tis said in Rome
That Photinus a minstrel and your maids
Manage this war.
Cleo. Sink Rome, and their tongues rot
That speak against us ! A charge we bear i' the
H ar,
And, as the president of my kingdom, will
Appear there for a man. Speak not against it ;
I will not stay behind.
Eno. Nay, I have done.
Here comes the emperor.
Enter Antony and Canidius.
Ant. Is it not strange, Canidius,
That from Tarentum and Brundusium
He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,
And take in4s Toryne ? — You have heard on 't,
sweet ?
Cleo. Celerity is never more admir'd
Than by the negligent.
Ant. A good rebuke,
Which might have well become the best of men,
To taunt at slackness. — Canidius, we .
Will fight with him by sea.
Cleo. By sea ! what else ?
Can. Why will my lord do so p
Ant. For that he dares us to't.
Eno. So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight.
Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Caesar fought with Pompey: but these
offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off;
And so should you.
Eno. Your ships are not well mann'd, —
Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people
Ingross'd by swift impress ; in Caesar's fleet
46 Forspoke. ' Spoken against,' ' gainsaid.'
47. //not denounc'd against us. ' If it be not interdicted,'
'if there be not absolute proclamation prohibiting us from doing
so.' Inasmuch as Shakespeare uses "denunciation" with the
sense it bears in the passage pointed out in Note 27, Act i.,
" Measure for Measure," we think it probable that he employs
" denounc'd " here to express the meaning we have given.
48. Take in. ' Vanquish,' ' subdue,' ' take by conquest.' See
Note 61, Act iii,. " Coriolanus."
Are those that often have 'gainst Pompey fought :
Their ships are yare ;4' yours, heavy : no disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepar'd for land.
Ant. By sea, by sea.
Eno. Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land ;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark'd footmen ; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge ; quite forego
The way which promises assurance ; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm security.
Ant. I'll fight at sea.
Cleo. I have sixty sails, Caesar none better.
Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn ;
And, with the rest fttll-mann'd, from the head of
Actium
Beat th' approaching Caesar. But if we tail,
We then can do 't at land.
Enter a Messenger.
Thy business?
Mess. The news is true, my lord ; he is
descried ;
Caesar has taken Toryne.
Ant. Can he be there in person ? 'tis impossible ;
Strange that his power should be. — Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse. — We'll to our
ship:
Away, my Thetis!50
Enter a Soldier.
How now, worthy soldier!
Sold. Oh, noble emperor, do not fight by sea ;
Trust not to rotten planks : do you misdoubt
This sword and these my wounds ? Let the
Egyptians
And the Phoenicians goa-ducking: we
Have us'd to conquer, standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.
Ant. Well, well : — away !
[Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra, and
Enobarbus.
Sold. Bv Hercules, I think I am i' the right.
Can. Soldier, thou art : but his whole action
grows
Not in the power on 't : 51 so our leader 's led,
49. Yare. 'Alertly ready,' ' well prepared,' 'nimble.' See
Note 49, Act ii.
50. My Thetis. Antony calls Cleopatra by the sea-nymph's
name, because she is about to become his goddess in this naval
expedition.
51. His whole action grows not in tlw power on V ' His
whole course of action proceeds not wherein its chief power
lies ; ' 'his entire action takes not the course where its best
strength is found.' Canidius is censuring Antony for refusing to
640
Act 1 1 I.J
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene viii.
And we are women's men.
So/<l. You keep by land
The legions and the horse whole, do you not ?
Can.i2 Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,
Publicola, and Caclius, are for sea:
But we keep _ whole by land. This speed of
Caesar's
Carries beyond belief.
Sold. While he was yet in Rome,
His power went out in such distractions63 as
Beguil'd all spies.
Can. Who 's his lieutenant, he.
Sold. They say, one Taurus.
Can. Well I know the man.
;ar you i
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. The emperor calls Canidius.
Can. With news the time's with labour; and
throes forth,
Each minute, some. [Exeunt.
SCENE VIII.- A Plain near Actium.
Enter Caesar, Taurus, Officers, and others.
Ces. Taurus, —
Taur. My lord ?
Cits. Strike not by land ; keep whole : provoke
not battle,
Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed
The prescript of this scroll : our fortune lies
Upon' this jump.51 [Exeunt.
Enter Anton'V an. I Enobarbus.
Ant. Set we our squadrons on yon side o' the
hill-
In eye of Caesar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,
And so proceed accordingly. [Exeunt.
fight by land, where his greatest power is, and for allowing
himself to be biased by a woman's will.
52. Can. This prefix is Pope's correction, and the speech
seems naturally to belong to Canidius. The Folio gives ' I'cn.,'
instead of "Can.;" but as neither Ventidius nor any other
character whose name begins thus figures in this scene, it is
probable that Mr. Collier is right when hi suggests that Veu.
was meant "perhaps for Vennard, an actor in the part of
Canidius.''
53. Distractions. ' Detachments,' 'separate bodies.'
54. 7 Ins jump. 'This chance,' 'this venture,' 'this risk.'
See Note 112, Act i., " Macbeth."
55. T/te Antaniad. Plutarch mentions this as the name of
Cleopatra's ship.
56. Cantle. 'Portion.' 'fragment,' 'corner.' See Note 18,
Act ill., " First Part Henry IV."
57. Tlie token'd pestilence. The propriety here of the
epithet " token'd " will be perceived on reference to Note 105,
Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost."
Enter Canidius, marching lutth his land army
one %uay ; and Taurus, the Lieutenant of
CjEsar, luitb his army, the other tuay. After
they are gone, the noise of a sea-fight is beard.
Alarum. Re-enter Enobarbus.
Eno. Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold
no longer :
The Antoniad,5' the Egyptian admiral,
With all their sixty, ny, and turn the rudder :
To see 't mine eyes are blasted.
Enter Scarus.
Sear. Gods and goddesses,
All the whole synod of them !
Eno. . What's thy passion ?
Scar. The greater cantle50 of the world is
lost
With very ignorance ; we have kiss'd away
Kingdoms and provinces.
Eno. How appears the fight ?
Sear. On our side like the token'd pestilence,5'*
Where death is sure. Yon ribald-rid53 nag of
Egypt.—
Whom leprosy o'ertake ! — i' the midst o' the
fight,
When vantage like a pair of twins appeir'd;
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder,59 —
The brizeGl) upon her, like a cow in June, —
Hoists sails and flies.
Eno. That I beheld :
Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not
Endure a farther view.
Scar. She once being loof'd,61
The noble ruin of her magic, Antonv,
Claps on his sea-wing, and, like a doting mallard, ":
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her :
I never saw an action of such shame;
Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before
Did violate so itself.
Eno. Alack, alack !
5S. Ribald-rid. The Folio prints this ' ribaudred.' Malone's
correction, suggested by Steevens.
59. Or rather ours t/ie elder. Here "elder" is used with
the same inclusive sense of ' better/ ' superior,' as well
as 'older,' which we pointed out in Note 81, Act ii.,
"Julius Cxsar ;" and the one passage affords illustration of
the other.
60. The brtzs. 'The gad-fly.' See Note 51, Act i., " Troilus
and Cressida."
61. Loofd. A sea term, modemly spelt and pronounced
'luffed.' It means 'brought close to the wind,* 'sailed before
the wind,' ' went to windward.'
62. Mallard, The drake of the wild duck. Falstaff has tun
allusions to the extreme timidity of the wild duck ; in the
"First Part Henry IV.." Act ti., sc. 2, he says, " There \
no more valour in that Poins than in a wild duck ; " and
in Act iv., sc. 2 of the same play, he says. "Such as fear
the report of a caliver worse than a struck fowl, or a hurt wild
duck."
24:
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
[Scene IX.
Enter Canidius.
Can. Our fortune on the sea is out of breath,
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well :
Oh, he has given example for our flight,
Most grossly, by his own !
Erio. Ay, are you thereabouts?6-'
Why, then, good night indeed.
Can. Toward Peloponnesus are they fled.
Scar. 'Tis easy to 't ; and there I will attend
What farther comes.
Can. To Ca;sar will I render
My legions and my horse: six kings already
Show me the way of yielding.
Eno. I'll yet follow
The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason
Sits in the wind against me. [Exeunt.
SCENE IX. — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Antony and Attendants.
Ant. Hark! the land bids me tread no more
upon 't.
It is asham'd to bear me ! — Friends, come hither :
I am so lated64 in the world, that I
Have lost my way for ever : — I have a ship
Laden with gold ; take that, divide it ; fly,
And make your peace with Cajsar.
Attendts. Fly ! not we.
Ant. I have fled myself; and have instructed
cowards
To run and show their shoulders. — Friends, be
gone ,
1 have myself resolv'd upon a course
Which has no need of you ; be gone
My treasure's in the harbour, take it. — Oh,
I follow'd that I blush to look upon :
My very hairs do mutiny ; for the white
Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
For fear and doting. — Friends, be gone : you shall
Have letters from me to some friends that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad,
Nor make replies of loathness: take the hint
Which my despair proclaims ; let that be left
Which leaves itself: 6» to the sea-side straightway :
I will possess you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little: 'pray you now : —
Nay, do so; for, indeed, I have lost command,66
Therefore I pray you : — I '11 see you by-apd-by.
[Sits doivn.
Enter Cleopatra, led by Charmian and Iras ;
63. Are you thereabouts ? An idiomatic phrase, equivalent to
' Is that your way of thinking ? ' ' Is that your opinion ? ' " Good
night" is another idiomatic phrase, explained in Note 78, Act i.,
" First Part Henry IV."
64. Lated. 'Belated,' 'benighted.' The word occurs in
" Macbeth," Act iii., sc. 3 : " Now spurs the lated traveller apace
to gain the timely inn."
65. Let that be left -which leaves itself. The Folio prints
■them' here instead of "that." Capell's correction.
66. Nay, do so ; for, indeed, I have lost command. ' Nay,
let me entreat you to leave me ; for it is true that I have lost all
power to command you to go.'
67. Sir, sir, — Yes, my lord, yes. One of those retorts which
we have pointed out as frequently used by Shakespeare ; ex-
pressing sometimes playfulness, sometimes petulance. See Note
104, Act i. . " King Lear." Antony replies curtly to Eros,
and immediately re-plunges into his reverie respecting Cresar's
previous inferiority to himself in military skill.
68. Kefit his sword e'eit like a da/her. Implying 'kept his
Ev.osfolloT.ving.
ifort
Cleo.
Ant.
Eros.
Ant.
Char.
Eros. Nay, gentle madam, to him,-
him.
Iras. Do, most dear queen.
Char. Do ! Why, what else ?
Let me sit down. O Juno!
No, no, no, no, no.
See you here, sir ?
Oh, fie, fie, fie!
Madam, —
Iras. Madam, oh, good empress, —
Eros. Sir, sir, —
Ant. Yes, my lord, yes;67 — he at Philippi kept
His sword e'en like a dancer ;63 while I struck
The lean and wrinkled Cassius ; and 'twas I
That the mad Brutus ended : he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry,69 and no practice had
In the brave squares of war: yet now — No matter.
Cleo. Ah ! stand by.
Eros. The queen, my lord, the queen.
Iras. Go to him, madam, speak to him :
He is unqualitied70 with very shame.
Cleo. Well then, — sustain me : — oh !
Eros. Most noble sir, arise; the queen ap-
proaches :
Her head 's declin'd, and death will seize her,'1 but
sword in its sheath more like one worn by a dancer than one
used by a warrior.' See Note 9, Act ii., "All's Well," where
the practice alluded to is explained.
69. He atone dealt on lieu tenantry. ' He dealt solely in
lieutenantry,' ' he acted merely through his lieutenants,' ' he
made war only by means of his lieutenants.' "Alone " is used
in the sense of ' solely,' ' only : ' " on " is employed for ' in ' s>.e
Note 28, Act v., " Henry V.") ; and "lieutenantry" is here
used for a body of lieutenants, as ' tenantry ' is for a body of
tenants, or ' infantry ' for a body of foot-soldiers. In North's
" Plutarch" the historian mentions that it was said of Antony and
Ca:sar, "They were alway more fortunate when they made
warre by their lieutenants than by themselves :" and in the
first scene of the present Act Ventidius says, " Cscsar and
Antony have ever won more in their officer than person."
70. Unqualitied. Here used to express 'deprived of his
natural faculties,' ' divested of his usual qualities of courage and
spirit.' See Note 97, Act i., " Othello."
71 Death will seize her. The first Folio has 'cease' for
642
Acr III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene X.
Your comfort makes the rescue.72
Ant, I have offended reputation, —
A most unnoble swerving.
Eros. Sir, the queen.
Ant. Oh, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See,
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes"
By looking back what I have left behind
'Stroy'd in dishonour.
Cleo. Oh, my lord, my lord,
Forgive my fearful sails ! I little thought
You would have follow'd.
Ant. Egypt, thou knew'st too well
My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings,
And thou shouldst tow"4 me after : o'er my spirit
Thy full supremacy7* thou knew'st, and that
Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods
Command me.
Cleo. Oh, my pardon !
Ant. Now I must
To the young man send humble treaties, dodge
And palter in the shifts of lowness ; who
With half the bulk o' the world play'd as I pleas'd,
Making and marring fortunes. You did know
How much you were my conqueror ; and that
My sword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all cause.
Cleo. Pardon, pardon !
Ant. Fall 76 not a tear, I say ; one of them rates Tl
All that is won and lost : give me a kiss ;
Even this repays me. — We sent our school-
master ; 7S
Is he come back ? — Love, I am full of lead. —
Some wine, within there, and our viands ! — Fortune
knows
We scorn her most when most she offers blows.
[Exeunt.
SCENE X.— Cesar's Camp in Ecypt.
Enter Cesar, Dolabella, Thyreus, and others.
Cces. Let himappear that's come from Antony. —
Know you him ?
"seize;" and although to 'cease' was sometimes used as an
active verb in Shakespeare's time (see Note 4, Act ii., " Timon of
Athens"), yet the word "rescue" in the present sentence makes
it probable that " seize " was the word here intended.
72. But your comfort, &>c. " But" is here used in the sense
of ' unless.' See Note 15, Act ii., " Romeo and Juliet."
73. How I convey my shame out of, &°c. ' How I take my
shame out of thy sight by letting my eyes, instead of meeting
thine, look back upon all that I have left behind me, lost in dis-
honour.' We have several times before pointed out how
peculiarly and elliptically Shakespeare uses the verb ' to look.'
See Note 11, Act iv., "Merry Wives of Windsor;' and
Note 146, Act iv., "Winter's Tale."
74. Tow. Misprinted ' stowe ' in the Folio. Rowe's correc-
tion.
75. O'er my spirit thy full supremacy. The Folio has 'the'
for " thy" here. Theobald's Correction.
Dot. Ca;sar, 'tis his schoolmaster:
An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He sends so poor a pinion of his wing,
Which had superfluous kings79 for messengers
Not many moons gone by.
Enter Euphronius.
Cttr. Approach, and speak.
Eupb. Such as I am, I come from Antony :
I was of late as petty to his ends
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf
To his grand sea.80
Cos. Be 't so : — declare thine otfice.
Eupb. Lord of his fortunes he 'salutes thee,
and
Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted,
He lessens his requests ; and to thee sues
To let him breathe between the heavens and
earth,
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness ;
Submits her to thy might ; and of thee craves
The circle81 of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.
Cies. For Antony,
1 have no ears to his request. The queen
Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend,85
Or take his life there : this if she perform,
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.
Eupb. Fortune pursue thee !
Cus. Bring him through the bands.
[Exit Euphronius.
[To Thyr.] To try thy eloquence, now 'tis time :
despatch ;
From Antony win Cleopatra: promise,
And in our name, what she requires.; add more,
From thine invention, offers : women are not
In their best fortunes strong ; but want will
perjure
The ne'er-touch'd vestal : try thy cunning,
Thyreus ; 83
76. Fall. ' Drop,' ' let fall.' See Note 30, Act iv.,
77. Rates. Here used for ' equals in value.'
78. Our schoolmaster. Meaning Euphronius,
" Othello."
who was
' used for
preceptor to Antony's children by Cleopatra.
79. Which had superfluous kings. "Which
' who.'
80. As is the morn-dew on tJie myrtle haf to his grand sea.
Here 'compared' is elliptically understood before "to," and
"his" is used for 'its.' Shakespeare's poetic philosophy treats
the sea as the source of atmospheric moisture generally — of dew
as well as of rain. See the context of passage referred to in Note
90, Act iv., " Timon of Athens :" "The sun 's a thief, and with
his great attraction robs the vast sea."
81. The circle. Here used for 'the crown,' ' the diadem.'
82. Friend. Sometimes used in Shakespeare's time for
'lover' (see Note 71, Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet") ; and here
disdainfully used for ' paramour/
83. Thyreus. The Folio gives this name thus, 'Thidias:'
<H3
Cleopatra. Oh, my lord, my lord,
Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought
You would have follow'd. Act III. Scene IX.
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XI.
Make thine own edict tor thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.
Thyr. C.-esar, I go.
Cces. Observe how Antony becomes his flaw,81
And what thou think'st his very action speaks
In every power that moves.
Thyr. C.-esar, I shall. [Exeunt.
SCENE XI. — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Enodarbus, Charmian, and
Iras.
Cleo. What shall we do, Enobarbus?
Eno. Think, and die.85
Cleo. Is Antony or we in fault for this ?
Eno. Antony only, that would make his will
Lord of his reason. What though you fled
From that great face of war, whose several ranges80
Frighted each other; why should he follow?
The itch of his affection should not then
Have nick'd87 his captainship ; at such a point,
When half to half the world oppos'd, he being
The mered question:88 'twas a shame no less
Than was his loss, to course your flying flags,
And leave his navy gazing.
Cleo. Pr'ythee, peace.
Enter Antony, •with Euphronius.
Ant. Is that his answer ?
Eupb. Ay, my lord.
Ant. The queen shall, then, have courtesy, so
she
Will yield us up.
Eupb. He says so.
probably by a misprint, as North's " Plutarch" has " Thyrcus."
Theobald made the correction.
84. Hinu Antony becomes his Jta-.u. "Becomes" is here
used to express ' makes becoming,' ' suffers to befit him,' or
' comforts himself beneath ' (see Note 51, Act ii.) ; and " flaw "
is employed with double force, to express ' breach of fortune,'
' cracked fortune,' and ' tempest of fortune, ' storm of fortune.'
See previous context of Note 102, Act v., " Love's Labour's
Lost;" and Note 39, Act v., " Coriolanus."
85. Think, and die. To " think " is here used with the same
sense that to " take thought " formerly bore — to ' take to heart,'
to 'grieve,' to 'give way to sorrowful pensiveness.' See Note
35, Act ii., " Julius Caesar."
86. That great face 0/ 7var, whose several ranges. It has
been proposed to alter " ranges " to ' rages,' here ; but we take
" face " to be used in the sense of ' front,' and " ranges " to
represent the several ranks of armed men and war-gallies drawn
up in formidable array during the late sea-fight.
87. Nick'd. Equivalent to ' befooled,* or ( set the mark of
folly upon;' in allusion to the practice explained in Note 17,
Act v., " Comedy of Errors."
88. The mered question. We think it probable that " mered
is a word framed by Shakespeare from "mere," in its sense of
Ant. Let her know it.
To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head,
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim
With principalities.
Cleo. That head, my lord ?
ArU. To him again: tell him he wears the rose
Of youth upon him ; from which the world should
note
Something particular: his coin, ships, legions
May be a coward's; whose ministers would prevail
Under the service of a child as soon
As i' the command of Csesar : I dare him there-
fore
To lay his gay comparisons89 apart,
And answer me declin'd,90 sword against sword,
Ourselves alone. I'll write it : follow me.
[Exeunt Antony and Euphronius.
Eno. [Aside.] Yes, like enough, high-battled
Caesar will
Unstate his happiness, and be stag'd to the show,'J1
Against a sworder! I see men's judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes ; and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them,
To suffer all alike.92 That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Caesar will
Answer his emptiness ! — Ca;sar, thou hast subdu'd
His judgment too.
Enter an Attendant.
Alt. A messenger from Caesar.
Cleo. What! no more ceremony? — See, ray
women ! —
Against the blown rose may they stop their nose
That kneel'd unto the buds. — Admit him, sir.
[Exit Attendant.
Eno. [Aside.] Mine honesty and I begin to
square.93
The loyalty well held to fools docs make
'absolute,' 'entire,' 'sole' fsee Note 49, Act ii., "Othello"),
and " mere " in the sense which it bore of ' boundary ' or ' limit ; '
so that the sentence here expresses ' he being the sole person in
question,' 'the question being limited entirely to himself and
his cause,' ' the question being confined absolutely to the settle-
ment of his interests.'
89. Comparisons. Here used to express the * comparative
advantages' which Octavius possesses, as just cited by Antony
— "the rose of youth," "his coin, ships, legions" — in all of
which the speaker is now deficient.
90. Declin'd. Elliptically employed to express 'declined in
age and power.' Shakespeare thus uses the same word in
" King Lear," Act i., sc. 2 : " Sons at perfect age, and fathers
declined."
91. Stag'd to the skew. ' Exhibited, like conflicting gla-
diators, to the public gaze.'
92. To suffer all alike. Here "suffer" appears to us to be
used elliptically ; signifying ' suffer abatement,' ' suffer diminu-
tion,' 'suffer deterioration,' 'suffer declension.' We have fre-
quently had occasion to point out the elliptical force willi
which Shakespeare uses the verb " suffer." See Note 86,
Act i.
93. Square. ' Quarrel,' ' differ.' See Note n, Act ii.
645
Act III.
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XI.
Our faith mere folly : yet he that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fall'n lord,
Does conquer him tliat did his master conquer,
And earns a place i' the story.94
Cleo.
Thyr.
Cleo.
Thyr.
Eno.
Enter Thyreus.
C Soar's will ?
Hear it apart.
None but friends : say boldly.
So, haplv, are they friends to Antony.
He needs as many, sir, as Caesar has ;
Or needs not us. If Caesar please, our master
Will leap to be his friend : for us, you know
Whose he is we are, and that is, Caesar's.
Thyr. So.—
Thus then, thou most renown'd : Caesar entreats,
Not to consider in what case thou stand'st,
Farther than he is Caesar.95
Cleo. Go on : right royal.
Thyr. He knows that you embrace not Antony
As you did love, but as you fear'd him.
Cleo. Oh !
Thyr. The scars upon your honour, therefore,
he-
Does pity, as constrained blemishes,
Not as deserv'd.
Cleo. He is a god, and knows
What is most right: mine honour was not yielded,
But conquer' d merely.
Eno. [Aside.] To be sure of that,
I will ask Antony. — Sir, sir, thou art so leaky,
That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for
Thy dearest quit thee. [Exit.
Thyr. Shall I say to Caesar
What you require of him? for he partly begs
To be desir'd to give. It much would please
him,
That of his fortunes you should make a staff
To lean upon: but it would warm his spirits,
To hear from me you had left Antony,
And put yourself under his shroud,
The universal landlord.
94. Earns a place V the story. Equivalent to 'is entitled to
be considered a hero.'
95. h'arllier than he is Ctesar. The first Folio adds an s
after Caesar. Corrected in the second Folio. The sentence, as
it stands, implies ' farther than that he is Cajsar — therefore
both able and willing to remedy thy present condition.*
96. In disputation I kiss his cougiiring hand. "Disputa-
tion " has been changed by Theobald and others to ' deputation '
here, while Mr. Staunton proposes 'disposition :' but we think,
judging by the way in which Shakespeare uses "disputation"
and "disputations" elsewhere (see "that's a feeling disputa-
tion" in " First Part Henry IV.," Act hi., sc. 1, and "a few
disputations .... in the way of argument" in " Henry V ,"
Act iii., sc. 2; also, "dispute" in the passage referred to in
Note 49, Act iii , " Rom;o and Juliet "), it is evident that " in
disputation I kiss his conqu'ring hand" means, ' I defer to him
in debating terms,' ' I do not attempt to parley with him.' It
appears to us that the whole context, not only of the pre
Cleo. What's your name ?
Thyr. My name is Thyreus.
Cleo. Most kind messenger,
Say to great Caesar this: — in disputation
1 kiss his conqu'ring hand;'6 tell him I'm
prompt
To lay my crown at 's feet, and there to kneel :
Tell him, from his all-obeying breath97 1 hear
The doom of Egypt.
Thyr. 'Tis your noblest course.
Wisdom and fortune combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it. Give me grace93 to lay
My duty on your hand.
Cleo. Your Caesar's father99 oft,
When he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in,100
Bestow'd his lips on that unworthy place,
As it rain'd kisses.
Re-enter Antony and Enobarbus.
Ant. Favours, by Jove that thunders ! —
What art thou, fellow?
Thyr. One that but performs
The bidding of the fullest man,101 and worthiest
To have command obey'd.
Eno. [Aside."] You will be whipp'd.
Ant. Approach, there ! — Ay, you kite ! — Now,
gods and devils !
Authority melts from me : of late, when I cried,
" Ho!"
Like boys unto a muss,1112 kings would start forth,
And cry, " Your will ?" — Have you no ears? I am
Antony yet.
Enter Attendants.
Take hence this Jack,103 and whip him.
Eno. [Aside.] j'Tis better playing with a lion's
whelp,
Than with an old one dying.
Ant. Moon and stars !—
Whip him. — Were 't twenty of the greatest
tributaries
sent speech, but of the entire dialogue, shows this to be the
interpretation, and that the original word "disputation" is
right.
97. His all-obeying breath. ' His breath obeyed by all.'
98. Give me grace. ' Grant me the favour.'
99. Your Caesar's father. Meaning Julius Caesar. See
Note 35 of this Act.
100. Taking kingdoms in. 'Conquering kingdoms.' See
Note 48 of the present Act.
101. The fullest man. 'The completest man,' 'the most
fully exalted man.' See Note 8, Act ii., "Othello."
102. A muss. ' A scramble.' Ben Jonson uses the word in
his "Bartholomew Fair'* and his " Magnctick Lady:" and
Dryden, in the Prologue to " Widow Ranter :"
" Bauble and cap no sooner are thrown down,
But there 's a muss of more than half the town."
103 This Jaik. See Note 14, Act. v., " Much Ado."
646
Act III.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XI.
That do acknowledge Caesar, should I find them
So saucy with the hand of — she here, what's her
name,
Since she was Cleopatra ?1M — Whip him, fellows,
Till, like a boy, you see him cringe his face,
And whine aloud for mercy, take him hence.
Thyr. Mark Antony, —
Ant. Tug him away: being whipp'd,
Bring him again :— this Jack of Caesar's shall
Bear us an errand to him.
[Exeunt Attendants 'with Thvreus.
You were half blasted ere I knew you: — ha !
Have I my pillow left unpress'd in Rome,
Forborne the getting of a lawful race,
And by a gem of women, to be abus'd
By one that looks on feeders ?103
Cleo. Good my lord, —
Ant. You have been a boggier ever: —
But when we in our viciousness grow hard
(Oh, misery on 't !), the wise gods seel '
■ eyes ;
In our own filth drop our clear judgments;
make us
Adore our errors ; laugh at 's, while we strut
To our confusion.
Cleo. Oh ! is 't come to this ?
Ant. I found you as a morsel cold upon
Dead Caesar's trencher; nay, you were a fragment
Of Cneius Pompey's ; besides what hotter hours,
Unregister'd in vulgar fame, you have
Luxuriously pick'd out : for, I am sure,
Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is.
Cleo. Wherefore is this ?
Ant. To let a fellow that will take rewards,
And say, " God quit you !" be familiar with
My playfellow, your hand ; this kingly seal
And plighter of high hearts! — Oh, that I were
Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar
The horned herd ! for I have savage cause ;
And to proclaim it civilly,10'' were like
A halter'd neck which does the hangman thank
For being yare103 about him.
Re-enter Attendants, taitb Thvreus.
Is he whipp'd ?
First Alt. Soundly, my lord.
104. Since she was Cleopatra. ' Since the time when she
was Cleopatra.'
105. One that looks on feeders. ' One that deigns to notice
menials.' "Feeders" and 'eaters' were nicknames for ' ser-
vants' formerly ; and were thus used by the elder dramatists.
106. Seel. 'Blind;' 'close,' 'fasten from the use of sight.*
See Note 35, Act iii., " Othello."
107. Civilly. 'Staidly,' ' soberly,' 'sedately.' See Note 52,
Act iii.. " Twelfth Night."
108. Yare. ' Nimble,' ' dextrous,' ' adroit,' ' ready,' ' prompt.'
Se^ Note 49 of this Act.
10a. Quit. Here used for ' requite,' ' retaliate upon*
no. One tliat tics his points. Implying 'one that performs
Ant. Cried he ? and begg'd he pardon ?
First Alt. He did ask favour.
Ant. If that thy father live, let him repent
Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou
sorry
To follow Caesar in his triumph, since
Thou hast been whipp'd for following him: hence-
forth
The white hand of a lady fever thee,
Shake thou to look on 't.— Get thee back to
Caesar,
Tell him thy entertainment : look, thou say-
He makes me angry with him ; for he seems
Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am,
Not what he knew I was : he makes me angry;
And at this time most easy 'tis to do 't,
When my good stars, that were my former
guides,
Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires
Into the abysm of hell. It he mislike
My speech and what is done, tell him he has
Hipparchus, my enfranchis'd bondman, whom
He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,
As he shall like, to quit1"9 me : urge it thou :
Hence with thy stripes, begone!
[Exit Thyreus.
Cleo. Have you done yet ?
Ant. Alack, our terrene moon
Is now eclips'd ; and it portends alone
The fall of Antony !
Cleo. I must stay his time.
Ant. To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes
With one that ties his points ?110
Cleo. Not know me yet ?
Ant. Cold-hearted toward me ?
Cleo. Ah ! dear, if I be so,
From my cold heart let Heaven engender hail,
And poison it in the source ; and the first stone
Drop in my neck : as it determines,111 so
Dissolve my life ! The next Caesarion112 smite !
Till, by degrees, the memory of my womb,
Together with my brave Egyptians all,
By the discandying113 of this pelleted storm,
Lie graveless, — till the flies and gnats of Nile
Have buried them for prey!
his meanest services,' 'his lackey.' The "points" were the
tagged strings or laces used in fastening the trunk-hose to the
upper portion of the dress. See Note 63, Act i., "Twelfth
Night."
in. Determines. Here used for 'melts away/ 'dissolves.'
See Note 94, Act iv., " Second Part Henry IV."
112. Ceesarion. Cleopatra's son by Julius Ca-sar.
113. Discandying. ' Melting,' ' liquefying.' See the manner
in which " candied " is used by Shakespeare in the passage
referred to in Note 27, Act ii , " Tempest," as an illustration of
the way in which "discandying" is here employed. See also
Note 44, Act iv. of the present play. The Folio prints 'dis-
candering' for "discandying;" which is Theobald's emenda-
tion, suggested by Thirlby.
647
Act 111.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
[Scene XI.
Thyreus,
My duty on your hand.
Give me grace to lay
Act III. Scene XI.
Ant. I am satisfied.
Caisar sits down in Alexandria; where
I will oppose his fate. Our force by land
Hath nobjy held ; our sever' d navy too
Have knit again, and fleet,114 threatening most sea-
like.
Where hast thou been, my heart ? — Dost thou hear,
lady?
If from the field I shall return once more
To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood ;
I and my sword will earn our chronicle :
There 's hope in 't yet.
C/t'O. That 's my brave lord !
114. Our sever'd navy too have knit again, and fleet.
" N.Tvy," which strictly means an assemblage of ships, is
here treated as a plural noun ; and " fleet " is an old form of
' float.
115. Nice. Here used for ' effeminately luxurious,1 'soft,
Ant. I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breath'd,
And fight maliciously: for when mine hours
Were nice115 and lucky, men did ransom lives
Of me for jests ; but now I'll set my teeth,
And send to darkness all that stop me. — Come,
Let 's have one other gaudy night : llr' call to me
All my sad captains, fill our bowls ; once more
Let's mock the midnight bell.
Cleo. It is my birth-day :
I had thought to have held it poor; but, since my
lord
Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.
Ant. We will yet do well.
'delicate,' 'full of ease and prosperity.' See Note 15, Act i. ,
" Second Part Henry IV."
116. Gaudy night. 'Festive night.' or 'festival night.' In
the colleges of both universities, ' gaudy days' is the term used
or feast days ; Latin, gaudiu>Ht joy, mirth, rejoicing.
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[SCENF.S I., II.
Cteo. Call all his noble captains to my lord.
/Int. Do so, we'll speak to them; ami to-night
I'll force
The wine peep through their scars. — Come on, my
queen ;
There 's sap in 't yet.1" The next time I do fight,
I'll make death love me; for I will contend
Even with his pestilent scythe.
[Exeunt all excep: Enobarbus.
Eno. Now he'll outstare the lightning. To be
furious,
Is to be frighted out of fear; and in that mood
The dove will peck the estridge ;"s and I see still,
A diminution in our captain's brain
Restores his heart:119 when valour preys on
reason, la0
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him. [Exit.
ACT IV.
SCENE I.— Cesar's Camp at Alexandria.
Enter C.SSAR, reading a Letter ; Agkippa,
Mecenas, anJ others.
Cos. He calls me boy ; and chides, as he had
power
To beat me out of Egypt ; my messenger
He hath whipp'd with rods; daies me to personal
combat,
Cassar to Antony : — let the old ruffian know
I have many other ways to die; 1 meantime
Laugh at his challenge.
Mee. Caesar must think,
When one so great begins to rage, he 's hunted
Evert to falling. Give him no breath, but now
Make boot- of his distraction : — never anger
Made good guard for itself.
Cas. Let our best heads
Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight : — within our files there aie,
Of those that serv'd Mai k Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it done :
117. There9 s sap in' t yet. "There's vitality in it still;' *our
cause is not yet wholly without hope.' See Note 104. Act iv.f
" King Lear."
nS. Theestridge. Shakespeare has used the word " cstridges"
in the passage adverted to in Note 24, Act iv. , " First Part
Henry IV.," there evidently meaning ' ostriches ;' but though
"estridge" might here signify 'ostrich,' as being the largest
of birds, yet it is possible that " estridge " here means the
'estridge falcon' or 'goshawk,' from the barbarous Latin,
estriciltm; there having been a practice formerly of flying
falcons at pigeons, to which this passage may have reference.
119. Heart. Here used for ' spirit,' ' valour.'
120. Wheil valour preys on reason. The Folio has ' prayes
in ' for " preys on." Rowe's correction.
r. / have many ot/ter ways to die. It has been proposed to
And feast the army ; we have store to do 't,
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony !
\_Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Char-
mian, Iras, Alexas, and others.
Ant. He will not fight with me, Domilius.
Eno. No.
Ant. Why should he not ?
Eno. He thinks, being twenty times of better
fortune,
He is twenty men to one.
Ant. To-morrosv, soldier,
By sea and land I'll fight : or I will live,
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well P3
Eno. I'll strike, and crv, " Take all." *
change " I have " to ' he hath ' here : and the following passage
has been quoted from North's " Plutarch," to show that its
ambiguous wording misled Shakespeare: — " Antonins sentagaine
to challenge Caesar to fight with him hande to hande. Caesar
answered him, that he had many other ways to die than so."
Hut it strikes us that the dramatist may have intended to make
Caesar say that he had other ways to die than by Antony's
hand, as a bitter scoff at the assumption that Antony was sure
to overcome him were they to meet in single fight.
2. Make boot. 'Take advantage.' See Note 59, Act ii.,
" Measure for Measure."
3. Woo't thou fight well'. See Note 43, Act v., " Hamlet."
4. Take all. Implying. 'Let the survivor take all.' It is
-in expression of desperate or despairing recklessness ; here used
in the former sense, and in " King Lear," Act iii., sc. 1, in the
latter sense : " Unbonneted he runs, and bids what will take
all."
649
l4S
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene III.
Ant. Well said ; coine on. —
Call forth my household servants : let's to-night
He bounteous at our meal.
Enter Servants.
Give me thy hand,
Thou hast been rightly honest ; — so hast thou ; —
Thou, — and thou, — and thou: — you have serv'd
me well,
And kings have been your fellows.
Cleo*. [Aside to Eno.] What means this?
Eno. [Aside to Cleo.] 'Tis one of those odd
tricks winch sorrow shoots
Out of the mind.
Ant. And thou art honest too.
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapp'd up together in '
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
Servants. The gods forbid !
Ant. Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-
night:
Scant not my cups ; and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too,
Ami suffer'd my command.
Cleo. [Asi</e to Eno.] What does he mean?
Eno. [Aside to Cleo.] To make his followers
weep.
Ant. Tend me to-night ;
May be it is the period of your duty :
Haply you shall not see me more ; or if,
A mangled shadow :s perchance to-morrow
You'll serve another master. I look on you
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away ; but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death :
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for 't ! 6
Eno. What mean you, sir,
To give tilem this discomfort ? Look, they weep ;
And I, an ass, am onion-ey'd : for shame,
Transform us not to women.
Ant. Ho, ho, ho!
Now the witch take me, if I meant it thus!
Grace grow where those drops fall ! My hearty
friends,
You take me in too dolorous a sense ;
1'or 1 spake to you for your comfort, — did desire
you
To burn this night with torches : know, my
hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow ; and will lead you
Where rather I'll expect victorious life
Than death and honour. Let's to supper, come,
And drown consideration. [Exeunt.
5. Or it, a mangled shadow. Elliptically expressed ; imply-
ing, * 1 >r H* you see me more, you will see me a mangled shadow
only tlie broken semblance "I what I was.'
6. The gods yield you for' t. 'The gods yield you your
reward lor it.' See Note 43, Act iv., " Hamlet."
SCENE III.— Alexandria. Before the Palace.
Enter fwo Soldiers to their guard.
First Sold. Brother, good night : to-morrow is
the day.
Sec. Sol I. It will determine one way : fare vou
well.
Heard you of nothing strange about the streets?
F, is! Sold. Nothing. What news?
Sec. Sold. Belike 'tis but a rumour. Goodnight
to you.
Fit st Sold. Well, sir, good night.
Enter 111:0 other Soldiers.
Sec. Sold. Soldiers, have careful watch.
Third Sold. And ) ox Good night, good night.
[The first and second go to their posts.
Fourth Sold. Here we: [the third and Jottrth
go to their posts'] and if to-inorrow
Our navy thrive, I have an absolute hope
Our landmen will stand up.
Third Sold. Tis a brave army,
And full of purpose.
[Music as of hautboys underground.1
Fourth Sold. Peace ! what noise ?
First Sold. List, list !
Sec. Sold. Hark!
First Sold. Music i' the air.
Third Sold. Under the earth.
Fourth Sold. It signs well," does it not ?
Third Sold. No.
First Sold. Peace, I say!
What should this mean ?
Sec. Sold. 'Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony
lov'd,
Now leaves him.
First Sold. Walk ; let's see if other watchmen
Do hear what we do ?
[They advance to another post.
Sec. Sold. How now, masters!
Soldiers. [Speaking together.'] How now!
How now ! do you hear this ?
First Sold. Ay ; is't not strange ?
Third Sold. Do you hear, masters? do \ou
hear ?
7. Music as 0/ hautboys underground. There is mention
of this supernatural music, thus heard at night, in North's
" Plutarch."
8. It signs well. ' It is a good sign,' ' it is an auspicious
omen,' ' it augurs or Lodes well.'
650
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes IV., V.
First Sold. Follow the noise so far as ue have
quarter ;
Let's see how it will give off.
Soldiers. [Speaking together.'] Content. 'Tis
strange. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV. — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Antony and Cleopatra, Charmian,
Iras, and others attending.
Ant. Eros \ mine armour, Eros !
C/eo. Sleep a little.
Ant. No, my chuck, — Eros, come; mine armour,
Eros!
Enter Eros, luith armour.
Come, good fellow, put mine iron on :9 — i
If fortune be not ours to-day, it is
Because we brave her: — come.
Cleo. Nay, I'll help too.
What 's this for ?
Ant. Ah ! let be, let be! 10 thou art
The armourer of my heart : — false, false; this, this.
Cleo. Sooth, la, I'll help : thus it must be.
Ant. Well, well;
We shall thrive now. — .Seest thou, my good fellow ?
Go put on thy defences.
Eros. Briefly, sir.
Cleo. Is not this buckled well ?
Ant. Rarely, rarely :
He that unbuckles this, till we do please
To doff 't" for our repose, shall hear a storm. —
Thou fumblest, Eios; and my queen 's a squire
More tight12 at this than thou: despatch. — Oh, love.
That thou couldst see my wars to-day, and knew'st
The royal occupation ! thou shouldst see
A workman in 't. —
En re>
Officer, armed.
Good morrow to thee ; welcome:
Thou look'st like him that knows 13 a warlike
charge :
To business that we love we rise betime,
And go to 't with delight.
9. Put mitte irou on. The Folio has 'thine' for "mine"
here Hanmcr's correction) ; but though 'thine iron' might be
taken to mean ' the iron that thou hast there and bring'st for
me,' in the same way that " thy glove" is used in the passage
explained in Note 128, Act iv. , " Henry V.," for the speaker's
glove, yet we think it more probable that here ' thine ' was a
misprint for " mine."
10. Ah! let be, let be1. In the Folio this is made part of
Cleopatra's speech. The arrangement here adopted in the
dialogue is Malone's, suggested by Capell.
11. To dojf't. 'To put it off.' See Note 24, Act iii.,
" King John,"
Off. A thousand, sir,
Early though 't be, have on their riveted trim,
And at the port expect you.
[Shout and flourish of trumpets ivithin
Enter Captains and Soldiers.
Capt. The morn is fair. — Good morrow, general.
All. Good morrow, general.
Ant. 'Tis well blown, lads:
This morning, like the spirit of a youth
That means to be of note, begins betimes. —
So, so; come, give me that: this way; well said.--
Fare thee well, dame, whate'er becomes of me :
This is a soldier's kiss [kisses her] : rebukable,
And worthy shameful check it were, to stand
On more mechanic compliment , I'll leave thee
Now, like a man of steel. — You that will fight,
Follow me close ; I'll bring you to 't. — Adieu.
[Exeunt Antony, Eros, Officers, and Soldiers.
Char. Please jou, retire to your chamber.
Cleo. Lead me.
He goes forth gallantly. That he and Cajsar might
Determine this great war in single fight !
Then, Antony, — but now— Well, on. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.— Antony's Camp near Alexandria.
Trumpets sound lutthin. Enter Antony and
Eros ; a Soldier meeting them.
Sold. The gods make this a happy day to
Antony ! »
Ant. Would thou and those thy scars had once
prevail' d
To make me fight at land !
Sold. Hadst thou done so,
The kings that have revolted, and the soldier
That has this morning left thee, would have still
Follow'd thy heels.
Ant. Who 's gone this morning ?
Sold. Who!
One ever near thee: call for Enobarbus,
He shall not hear thee ; or from Caesar's camp
Say, " I am none of thine."
12. Tight. 'Adroit,' 'dextrous,' 'handy.' See Note 48,
Act i., " Merry Wives."
13. Thou look' st like him that knows. Here "him" is used
as "his" and " he" are used in the passages explained in Notes
72 and 79 of Act i., to represent ' one,' ' a man,' or ' a person,'
by way of instancing a general proposition : the sentence sig-
nifying, ' Thou look'st like one who is accustomed to a warlike
charge.'
14. The gods, cVr. This speech and the two following from
the same speaker are given in the Folio to Eros : but it is clear
that they are uttered by the same soldier who, in Act iii., sc. 7,
conjured Antony not to fight by sea. Hanmer and Capell made
tliL- arrangement adopted in this scene.
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes VI., VII.
Whatsay'st thou?
Sir,
Ant.
Soil.
He is with Cxsar.
Eros. Sir, his chests and treasure
He has not with him.
Ant. Is he gone ?
SolJ. Most certain.
Ant. Go, Eros, send his treasure after ; do it ;
Detain no jot, I charge thee: write to him
(I will subscribe) gentle adieus and greetings;
Say that I wish he never find more cause
To change a master. — Oh, my fortunes have
Corrupted honest men! — Despatch. — Enoharbus!15
[ Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — C Cesar's Camp before Alexandria.
Flourish. Enter CAESAR 'with Agrippa,
Enobarbus, and others.
Ctes. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight :
Our will is, Antony be took alive ;
Make it so known.
Agr. Caesar, I shall. [Exit.
Cees. The time of universal peace is near:1.
Prove this a prosperous day,17 the three-nook'd
world 13
Shall bear the olive freely.19
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Antony
Is come into the field.
Cu~s. Go, charge Agrippa
Plant those that have revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself. [Exeunt all except ENOBARBUS.
Eno. Alexas did revolt ; and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony ; there did persuade -"
Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar,
15. Despatch. — Enobarbus I The second Folio here changed
"Enobarbus" to 'Eros;' thus changing into a common-place
order a characteristic expression of bitter renect'on and regret.
The mistake probably originated in the first Folio having
printed the words without proper punctuation, ' Dispatch Eno-
barbus.' 'Whereas it is evident that the dramatist intended
" Despatch " to be a command given to Eros, and " Enobarbus !"
to be Antony's exclamation of grief at his old adherent's
desertion.
16. The time 0/ universal peace is near. This is poetically
put into the mouth of Octavius, afterwards styled Augustus
Cassar, during whose reign the Messiah came upon earth ; at
which epoch historians and poets have combined to declare
that peace universally prevailed. See, for instance, Milton's
glorious " Ode on the Nativity."
17. Prove this a prosperous day. ' If this prove a prosperous
day,' 'should this prove a prosperous day.' See Nute 12,
Act iii,, " Merchant of Venice," for an example of similar con-
struct m.
18. The three-nook'd world. This expression, conveying the
idea of the world as-of triangular form, is possibly here used to
And leave his master Antony : for this pains
Csesar hath hang'd him. Caniditts, and the rest
That fell away, have entertainment, but
No honourable trust. 1 have done ill ;
Of which I do accuse myself so sorely,
That 1 will joy no more.
Enter a Soldier of Cesar's.
Sold. Enobarbus, Antony
Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with
His bounty overplus: the messenger
Came on my guard ; and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.
Eno. I give it you.
Sold. Mock not, Enobarbus.
I tell you true: best you saf'd21 the bringer
Out of the host; 1 must attend mine office,
Or would have done 't myself. Your emperor
Continues still a Jove. [Exit.
Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,
Thou mine 0! bounty, how wouldst thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude
Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my
heart : a
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean
Shall outstrike thought : but thought will do 't, I
feel.23
I fight against thee ! — No : I will go seek
Some ditch wherein to die ; the foul'st best fits
My latter part of life. [Exit.
SCENE VII. — Field of Battle between the
Camps.
A/arum. Drums and trumpets. Enter Agrippa
and others.
Agr. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far:
denote the antique notions which subsisted on this subject. See
Note 36, Act ii. of the present play. Shakespeare has another
passage implying the same idea of the earth's shape : in the
speech which concludes the drama of "King John" we find,
" Come ike three corners of the world in arms."
19. Shall bear the olive freely. A figurative mode of ex-
pressing ' shall flourish in peace.' In " Second Part Henry IV.,"
Act iv., sc. 4, Westmoreland says, " Peace puts forth her olive
everywhere."
20. Persuade. The Folio has 'dissuade' instead of "per-
suade." Rowe's correction ; shown to be right by the context
here, as well as by the passage in North's " Plutarch," whence
this is taken.
21. Safd. 'Safely conveyed,' 'rendered his going safe.'
See Note 53, Act i.
22. This blows1 my heart. Rowe changed "blows" to
' bows : ' but the original word is far more effective, combining,
as it does, the sense of ' swells' {see Note 92, Act ii., " Twelfth
Night "], and the effect of ' strikes.'
23. But thought -will do 7, 1 /eel. "Thought" is here used
for ' grieving reflection,' ' taking to heart.' See Note 85, Act iii.
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene VII.
IF.v.r ;iTwkth:~>,j.^
Antony. All is lost I
This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me.
Act If. Scene X.
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression -*
Exceeds what we expected. [Exeunt.
Alarum. Enter Antony, and Scarus wounded.
Scar. Oh, my brave emperor, this is fought indeed !
Had we done so at first, we had driven them home
With clouts about their heads."5
Ant. Thou bleed'st apace.
Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T,
But now 'tis made an H.
Ant. They do retire.
Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes: I have vet
Room for six scotches mote.
cloth or kerchief upon the head when sick or wounded (see
24. Our oppression. ' The oppression we are sustaining," ' the ; Note 67, Act ii., "Julius Cajsar;" and context of passage
Enter Eros.
Eros. They are beaten, sir; and our advantage
serves
Kor a fair victory.
Scar. Let us score their backs,
And snatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind :
'Tis sport to maul a runner.
Ant. I will reward thee
Once for thy sprightly comfort, and ten-fold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.
Scar. I'll halt after.
[Exeunt.
force by which we are oppressed or overpowered.' See Note 21
Act iii., " Coriolanus."
25. With clouts about tlieir heads. This phrase has double
force of scoffing allusion ; fir^t, to the practice of wearing a upon the head.'
653
referred to in Note 105. Act ii. , " Hainlet," "A clout upon that
head where late the diadem stood ") ; secondly, to the vulgar
phrase, ' a clout upon the head,' signifying ' a bang or hnock
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes VIII., IX.
SCENE VIII.— Under the Walls of
Alexandria.
dlai urn. Enter Antony, marching; Scarus,
and Forces.
Ant. We have beat him to his camp :— run one
before,
\n& let the queen know of our gests.26 — To-
morrow,
Before the sun shall see us, we'll spill the blood
That has to-day escap'd. I thank you all ;
For doughty-handed 27 are you, and have fought
Not as you serv'd the cause, but as 't had been
Each man 's like mine ; you have shown all
Hectors.23
Enter the city, clip23 your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats ; whilst they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss
The honour' (i gashes whole.— [To Scarus.] Give
me thy hand;
Enter Cleopatra, attended.
To this great fairy 30 I'll commend thy acts,
Make her thanks bless thee. — Oh, thou day o' the
world,
Chain mine arm' d neck; leap thou, attire and all,
Through proof of harness31 to my heart, and there
Ride on the pants triumphing !
C/eo. Lord of lords !
Oh, infinite virtue,32 com'st thou smiling from
The world's great snare uncaught ?
Ant. My nightingale,
We have beat them to their beds. What, girl !
though grey
Do something mingle with our younger brown,
yet have we
A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can
Get goal for goal of youth.33 Behold this man ;
Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand :--
Kiss it, my warrior : — he hath fought to-day
As if a god, in hate of mankind, had
Destroy'd in such a shape.
C/eo. I'll give thee, friend,
An armour all of gold ; it was a king's.
26. Gests. The Folio prints 'guests' for "gests." Theo-
bald's correction, suggested by Warburton. "Gests" signifies
'deeds,' 'exploits,' 'achievements ;' Latin, gcsta.
27. Doughty - handed, ' Valorous -handed,' 'conquering-
handed.'
28. You have shewn all Hectors. 'You have, all <>f you,
shown yourselves like Hectors ; ' ' you have shown yourselves
all to be, each man, as valorous as Hector.' For a similar con-
structional form, see Note 10, Act iv., "Timon of Athens."
29. Clip. 'Embrace.' See Note 45, Act iv., " Coriolanus."
30. Fairy. ' Enchantress.'
31. Proof of harness. 'Armour of proof See Note 39,
Act v., " Macbeth."
32. Oh, infinite virtue. " Virtue" is here used in the sense
Ant. He has deserv'd it, were it carbuncled
Like holy Phcebus' car. — Give me thy hand : —
Through Alexandria make a jolly march ;
Bear our hack'd targets like the men that owe
them : 34
Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together,
And drink carouses to the next day's fate,
Which promises royal peril. — Trumpeters,
With brazen din blast you the city's ear;
Make mingle with our rattling tahourines;35
That heaven and earth may strike their sounds
together,
Applauding our approach. \E.\eunt.
SCENE IX.— Cesar's Camp.
Sentinels at their post.
First Sold. If we be not reliev'd within this hour,
We must return to the court of guard :36 the night
Is shiny ; and they say we shall embattle
By the second hour i' the morn.
Sec. Sold. This last day was
A shrewd one to us.
Enter Enobaubus.
Eko. Oh, bear me witness, night, —
'Third Sold. What man is this ?
Sec. Sold. Stand close, and list him.
Eno. Be witness to me, oh, thou blessed moon,
When men revolted shall upon record
Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did
Before thy face repent ! —
First Sold, Enobarbus !
Third Sold. Peace !
Hark farther.
Eno. Oh, sovereign mistress of true melancholy
The poisonous damp of night dispuuge upon me,
That life, a very rebel to my will,
May hang no longer on me : throw my heart
Against the flint and hardness of my fault ;
Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder,
of ' courage,* ' valour ; ' as the Latin word virtus is employed.
See Note 37, Act v., " King Lear."
33. Can get goal for goal of youth. ' Can win goal for goal
from youth ; ' ' can gain the superiority in every contest waged
against those who are younger than I am.'
34. Like the men that owe litem. " Owe " is here used for
' own ; ' the whole sentence implying, ' Bear our hacked targets
like the brave men who own them, and have received the hacks
upon them, not like fellows to whom they do not belong, and
who have never been where blows are dealt.'
35. Tabourines. ' Small drums.' See Note 76, Act iv.,
"Troilus and Cressida."
36. The court of guard. 'The place where the guard
musters.' See Note 34, Act ii., "Othello."
654
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene X.
Ami finish all foul thoughts. O Antony,
Nobler than my revolt is infamous,
Forgive me in thine own particular ;
But let the world rank me in register
A master-leaver and a fugitive:
O Antony ! O Antony ! [Dies.
Sec. Sold. Let 's speak
To him.
First SolJ. Let 's hear hiin, for the things he
speaks
May concern Caesar.
Third Sold. Let 's do so. But he sleeps.
First Sold. Swoons rather ; for so bad a prayer
as his
Was never yet for sleep.
See. Sold. Go we to him.
Third Sold. Awake, sir, awake ; speak to us.
See. Sold. Hear you, sir?
First Sold. The hand of death hath Taught31,
him. [Drums ajar off.] Hark! the drums
Demurely wake the sleepers.33 Let us bear him
To the court of guard ; he is of note : our hour
Is fully out.
Third Sold. Come on, then ;
He may recover yet. [Exeunt luitb the body.
SCENE X. — Ground betzueen the tzuo Camps.
Enter Antony and Scarus, zvith Forces,
marching.
Ant. Their preparation is to-day by sea;
We please them not by land.
Scar. For both, my lord.
Ant. I would they'd fight i' the fire or i' the air,
We'd fight there too. But this it is j our foot
Upon the hills adjoining to the city
Shall stay with us : order for sea is given ;
They have put forth the haven : 3'J — farther on,
Where their appointment we may best discover,
And look on their endeavour. [Exeunt.
37. Ranght. This word, as here used, will bear the sense of
' reached,' and also of ' snatched,' ' seized,' ' taken away.' See
Note 30, Act ii., " Second Part Henry VI."
38. The drums demurely wake the sleepers. The word
" demurely " has been suspected of error, and various altera-
tions have been proposed ; but we think that " demurely "
serves not inaptly to express the solemnly measured beat, the
gravely regulated sound of drums that summon sleeping soldiers
to wake, and prepare themselves for a second day's fighting after
a first that has just been described by the listeners as "a shrewd
one to us." The circumstances under which his speakers use
certain descriptive epithets should be taken into consideration
when judging our dramatist's expressions.
39. They have put forth the haven. The Folio gives the
line thus incompletely ; something having been apparently
omitted. Various additions have b:en suggested ; the one
we adopt is Rowe's — " farther on."
Enter Cesar, ivith his Forces, marching.
Ctcs. But being charg'd,4" we will be still by
land,
Which, as I take 't, we shall; for his best force
Is forth to man his galleys. To the vales,
And hold our best advantage. [Exeunt.
Re-enter Antony and Scarus.
Ant. Yet they are not join'd : where yond' pine
does stand,
I shall discover all : I'll bring thee word
Straight, how 'tis like to go. [Exit.
Scar. Swallows have built
In Cleopatra's sails their nests: the augurers'11
Say they know not, — they cannot tell; look
grimly,
And dare not speak their knowledge. Antony
Is valiant, and dejected ; and, by starts,
His fretted fortunes give him hope, and tear,
Of what he has, and has not.
[Alarum afar off, as at a sea figlt.
Re-enter Antony.
Ant. All is lost !
This foul Egyptian hath betrayfed me :
My fleet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder
They cast their caps up, and carouse together
Like friends long lost. — Triple traitress! 'lis thou
Hast sold me to this novice ; and my heart
Makes only wars on thee. — Bid them all fly ;
For when I am reveng'd upon my charm,43
I have done all : — bid them all fly; begone.
[Exit Scarus.
Oh, sun, thy uprise shall I see no more :
Fortune and Antony part here; even here
Do we shake hands. — All come to this? — The
hearts
That spaniel'd me at heels,113 to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy,44 melt their sweets
On blossoming Caesar ; and this pine is bark'd
That overtopp'd them all. Betray'd I am :
Oh, this false soul of Egypt ! this grave charm,43 —
40. But being chtrg'd. " But" is here used in its exceptive
sense ; the phrase signifying ' unless, except, or without we be
charged.' See Note 72, Act iii.
41. Augurers. The Folio prints this 'auguries' here.
Capell's correction. See Note 78, Act ii., "Julius Caesar."
42. My charm. Here, and farther on in this speech, the
word "charm" is used for 'spell,' 'bewitchment,' 'sorceress,'
'enchantress.'
43. That spaniel'd me at heels. The Folio prints 'pan-
nelled ' for " spaniel'd." Hanmer's correction. " Spaniel " was
often corruptly pronounced ' spannel ; ' and the Folio primer
very frequently added or omitted s in printing a word.
44. Discandy. This word, as here used, serves to support
the reading discussed in. Note 113. Act iii.
45. This grave charm. The correctness of the word "grave"
has been disputed ; but we think the epithet is used in Ihe
sense of ' fatal,' ' deadly,' ' destructive,' ' noxious,' ' pernicious.'
«55
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scenes XI,, XII.
Whose eye beck'd forth my wars, and call'd thein
home ;
Whose bosom was my crownet,45 my chief end,—
Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose,47
Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss. — ■
What, Eros, Eros!
Enter Cleopatra.
Ah, thou spell ! A vaunt !
Cleo. Why is my lord enrag'd against his love ?
Ant. Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving,
And blemish Caesar's triumph. Let him take
thee,
And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians :
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot
Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown
For poor'st diminutives, for doits ; 4S and let
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up
With her prepare.! nails. [Exit CLEOPATRA.
'Tis well thou'rt gone,
If it be well to live ; but better 'twere
Thou fell'st into my fury, for one death
Might have prevented many.-— Eros, ho ! —
The shirt of Nessus is upon me : — teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage:
Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' the moon ; "
And with those hands, that grasp'd the heaviest
club,
Subdue my worthiest self.50 The witch shall die :
To the young Roman hoy she hath sold me, ami [
fill
Under this plot ; she dies for 't. — Eros, ho !
[Exit.
SCENE XL — Alexandria. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and
Mardian.
Cleo. Help me, my women ! oh, he is more
mad
The Latin word gravis, among the many varied senses which
it bears, includes those which make probable our interpretation
of the word " grave " as here used by Shakespeare.
46. My cro;vnet. ' That which crowned my wishes,' ' that
which formed the crown of all my endeavours.'
47. Fast and loose. An old cheating game, known also by
the name of ' pricking at the belt or girdle.' It was practised in
Shakespeare's time by the gipsies and wandering dealers in
fortune-telling and sleight of hand. The word "gipsy" in the
present passage has reference to this and to Cleopatra's being
an Egyptian. See Note 7, Act i.
48. Doits. The Folio prints 'Dolts' for "doits," here.
Warburton's correction at Thirlby's suggestion. See Note 71,
Act i., " Coriolanus."
49. Let me lodge Lichas on, cVf. Alluding to Hercules
having hurled Lichas to destruction when he brought the
poisonous garment of Nessus from Dejanira. Sec Note 10,
Act ii., " Merchant of Venice."
Than Telamon for his shield ; 51 the boar of
Thessaly 5S
Was never so emboss'd.53
Char. To the monument !
There lock yourself, and send him word you are
dead.
The soul and body rive not more in parting
Than greatness going off.
Cleo. To the monument ! —
Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself;
Say, that the last I spoke was " Antony,"
And word it, pr'ythee, piteous! v : hence, Mardian,
And bring me how he takes my death. — To the
monument! [Exeunt.
SCENE XII.— Another Room in the Palace.
Enter Antony and Eros.
Ant. Eros, thou yet behold'st me ?
Eros. Ay, noble lord.
Ant. Sometime we sec a cloud that's dragonish ;
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,
A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock,
A forked mountain, or blue promontory
\\ ith trees upon 't, that nod unto the world,
And mock our eyes with air: thou hast seen these
signs ;
They are black vesper's pageants.
Eros. Ay, my lord.
Ant. That which is now a horse, even with a
thought
The rack dislimns,54 and makes it indistinct,
As water is in water.
Eros. It does, my lord.
Ant. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is
Even such a body: here I am Antony;
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.55
I made these wars for Egypt ; and the queen, —
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had
mine ;
50. Subdue my worthiest self. Implying, ' after having per-
formed some fell deed of destruction, let me destroy myself,
who am worthiest of destruction.'
51. Telamon for his shield. In allusion to the rage of Ajax
Telamon, at having the arms (among which was the celebrated
" shield ") of Achilles assigned to Ulysses instead of to himself.
52. The hoar 0/ Thessaly. The boar killed by Meleager :
for an account of whom see Note 40, Act ii., "Second Part
Henry IV."
53. Emboss'd. Foaming at the mouth. See Note 12, Induc-
tion to "Taming of the Shrew."
54. The rack dislimns. The vaporous scud of upper air
defaces the image presented by the cloud a moment before.
See Note 19, Act iv., "Tempest;" and Note 102, Act ii.,
" Hamlet."
55. My good knave .... my knave. Here "knave" is
used for 'lad' or 'attendant.' Sec Note 46, Act iii., "Merry
Wives."
657
249
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XII.
Which, whilst it was mine, had annex'd unto't
A million more, now lost,— she, Eros, has
Pack'd cards with Cajsar,56 and false play'd my
glory
Unto an enemy's triumph. —
Nay, weep not, gentle Eros ; there is left us
Ourselves to end ourselves.
Enter Mardian.
Oh, thy vile lady !
She has robb'd me of my sword.
. Mar. No, Antony;
My mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled
.With thine entirely.
Ant. Hence, saucy varlet ; peace !
She hath betray'd me, and shall die the death.
Mar. Death of one person can be paid but
once,
And that she has discharg'd : what thou wouldst do
Is done unto thy hand : the last she spake
Was, " Antony ! most noble Antony !"
Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony ; it was divided
Between her heart and lips: she render' d life,
Thy name so buried in her.
Ant. Dead, then ?
Mar. Dead.
Ant. Unarm, Eros ; the long Hay's task is done,
And we must sleep. — That thou depart'st hence
safe,
Does pay thy labour richly ; go.
[Exit Mardian.
Off, pluck off:—
The seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot keep
The battery from my heart.*7 Oh, cleave, my
sides !
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent,58
Crack thy frail case! — Apace, Eros, apace. —
No more a soldier : — bruised pieces, go;
You have been nobly borne. — From me awhile.
[Exit Eros.
I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
56. Pack'd cards -.vith Casar. 'To pack cards' was a term
used for shuffling cards unfairly ; and the metaphor of playing
a game cheatingly is maintained by the word " triumph," in its
double sense of 'conquest' and 'trump-card.' The Italian
word for trump-card is ' trion/o,' and the French word is
' triom/he.' " Cscsar" is misprinted 'Caisars' in the Folio.
Rowe's correction.
57. Tlie battery from my heart. Here "from" has the
force of ' proceeding from ; ' the sentence signifying, ' Even
the seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot retain this battery that
tomes from my heart. Let it break through ; and oh, may my
sides cleave asunder ! '
58. Continent. Shakespeare uses this word to express that
which contains. See Note 33, Act iii. , " Merchant of Venice."
59. Ait length is torture. Steevens proposed to change
" length " to ' life ; ' but it appears to us that " length " is here
used to express ' lingering,' ' deferred conclusion,' ' length of
endurance and existence.'
60. Less noble 7111ml. 'And to be of is elliptically under-
Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
All length is torture:59 — since the torch is out,
Lie down, and stray no farther : now all labour
Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
Itself with strength : seal then, and all is done. —
Eros! — I come, my queen. — Eros !— Stay for me :
Where souls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in
hand,
And'with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze :
Dido and her ./Eneas shall want troops,
And all the haunt be ours. — Come, Eros ! Eros I
Re-enter Eros.
Ercs. What would my lord ?
Ant. Since Cbopatra died,
I have liv'd in such dishonour, that the gods
Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
Quarter' (1 the world, and o'er green Neptune's
back
With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack
The courage of a woman; less noble mind60
Than she which by her death our Caesar tells,
" I am conqueror of myself." Thou art sworn,
Eros,
That, when the exigent should come (which now
Is come indeed), when I should see behind me
The inevitable prosecution of
Disgrace and horror, that, on my command,
Thou then would'st kill me: do't; the time is
come :
Thou strik'st not me, 'tis Cassar thou defeat'st.
Put colour in thy cheek.
Eros. The gods withhold me !
Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,
Though enemy, lost aim, and could not ?
Ant. Eros,
Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome, and
see
Thy master thus with pleacli'd31 arms, bending
down
His corrigible62 neck, his face subdu'd
To penetrative63 shame, whilst the wheel'd seat
stood before " less ;" this clause of the sentence being a follow-
ing on of the previous clause, " condemn myself to lack," &c.
The original passage in North's " Plutarch " will serve to illus-
trate the present one in Shakespeare : — " O Cleopatra, it grieueth
me not that I haue lost thy company, for I will not be long fro
thee : but I am sorry, that hauing bene so great a Captaine
and Emperor, I am indeed condemned to be judged 0/ lesse
courage and noble mind then a woman.11 It appears to us
that the construction in the present sentence is somewhat
similar to that in the sentence explained in Note 48, Act i.,
"Henry VIII. ;" and we have thus thoroughly pointed this
out and discussed the reading here, because it has been sus-
pected of error and altered.
61. Pleach'd ' Intel twined,' ' folded together.' See Note 2,
Act iii., " Much Ado."
62. Corrigible. Here used for ' corrected.' See Note 60,
Act i., " Troilus and Cressida."
63. Penetrath'e. Employed here in the sense of ' penetrating.'
See Note 111, Act i., "Twelfth Night."
658
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XI)
Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded
His baseness that ensu'd r64
Eros. I would not see 't.
Ant. Come, then ; for with a wound I must be
cur'd.
Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast
worn
Most useful for thy country.
£10/. Oh, sir, pardon me !6i
Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou
not then
To do this when I bade thee ? Do it at once ;
Or thy precedent services are all
But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come.
Eros. Turn from me, then, that noble coun-
tenance,
Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.
Ant. Lothee! [Turning from him.
Eros. My sword is drawn.
Ant. Then let it do at once
The thing why thou hast drawn it.
Eros. My dear master,
My captain, and my emperor, let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.
Ant. 'Tis said, man ; — and farewell.
Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike
now ?
Ant. Now, Eros.
Eros. Why, there then [Falls on his sword] : — ■
thus I do escape the sorrow
Of Antony's death., [Dies.
Ant. Thrice nobler than myself!
Thou teachest irije, O. valiant Eros, what
1 should, and thou couldst not. My queen and
Eros
Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me66
A nobleness in record : but I will be
A bridegroom in, my death, and run into't
As to a lover's bed. Come, then ; and, Eros,
Thy master dies thy scholar : to do thus
[Falling on his sword.
I learnM of thee. How ! not dead ? not dead ? —
The guard, ho ! — oh, despatch me !
Enter Dercetas and Guard.
First Guard. What 's the noise ?
Ant. I have done my work ill, friends : oh,
make an end
Of what I have begun.
Sec. Guard. The star is fall'n.
First Guard. And time is at his period.
All. Alas, and woe, !
64. Branded his baseness tltat ensu'd. ' Branded with base-
ness him who followed.'
65. Pardon me. Here used in the sense of 'excuse me.'
See Note 39, Act v., " Richard II "
66. Get upon me. An idiomatip phrase, signifying ' fore-
Ant. Let him that loves me strike me dead.
First Guard. Not I.
Sec. Guard. Nor I.
Third Guard. Nor any one. [Exeunt Guard.
Der. Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers
fly.
This sword but shown to Cajsar, with this tidings,
Shall enter me with him.67
Enter Diomedes.
Dio. Where 's Antony ?
Der. There, Diomed, there.
Dio. Lives he 'i
Wilt thou not answer, man ? [Exit Dercetas.
Ant. Art thou there, Diomed 'i Draw thy
sword, and give me
Sufficing strokes for death.
Dio. Most absolute lord,
My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.
Ant. When did she send thee?
Dio. Now, my lord.
Ant. Where is she ?
Dio. Lock'd in her monument. She had a
prophesying fear
Of what hath come to pass : for when she saw
(Which never shall be found) you did suspect
She had dispos'd68 with Ca;sar, and that your
rage
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was
dead ;
But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth ; and I ain come,
I dread, too late.
Ant. Too late, good Diomed : — call my guard,
I pr'ythee.
Dio. What, ho, the emperor's guard ! The
guard, what, hoi
Come, your lord calls !■
Enter some of the Guard.
Ant. Bear me, good friends,, where C'eoPatra
bides ;
'Tis the last service that I shall command' you.
First Guard. Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not
live to wear
All your true followers out.
All. Most heavy day !
Ant. Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp
fate
To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome
Which comes to punish us, and we punish it
stalled me in winning or securing,' 'gained in advance of
me.'
67. Shall enter me with him. ' Will give me entrance into
his service,' ' will cause him to give me acceptance and entertain
me in his service '
68. Dispos'd. 'Arranged;' 'adjusted matters.'
659
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
[Scene XIII.
Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up :
1 have led jou ott : carry me now, good friends,
And have my thanks for all.
[Exeunt, bearing Antony.
SCENE XIII.— Alexandria. A Monument.
Enter, above, Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras.
Cleo. O Charmian, I will never go from hence.
Char. Be comforted, dear madam.
Cleo. No, I will not :
All strange and terrible events are welcome,
But comforts we despise ; our size of sorrow,
Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great
As that which makes it.
Enter, beloiv, Diomedes.
How now ! is he dead ?
Dio. His death 's upon him, but not dead.
Look out o' the other side your monument ;
His guard have brought him thither. 6S
Enter, below, Antony, borne by the Guard.
Cleo. O sun,
Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in!70 — darkling'1
stand
The varying shore"2 o' the world. — O Antony,
Antony, Antony ! — Help, Charmian, help, Iras,
help ;—
Help, friends below ; — let 's draw him hither.
Ant. Peace ! ,
Not Caesar's valour hath o'crthrown Antony,
But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.
Cleo. So it should be, that none but Antony
Should conquer Antony ; but woe 'tis so !
Ant. 1 am dying, Egypt, dying; only
69. Have brought him thither. Here " thither" is used for
'there,' as in the passage explained in Note 44, Act iii.,
" Romeo and Juliet." See also Note 54, Act ii., of the present
play.
70. Osun, burn the great sphere thou moz' st in ! According
to antique philosophy, the sun was a planet that was whirled
round the earth by the motion of a solid sphere in which it was
fixed. Were this sphere to be burned, the sun must necessarily
drop through and wander in endless space, thus leaving the
earth involved in eternal night. Here is another of those allu-
sions to ancient theories in astronomy which aid in giving the
effect of primitive period to the epoch of this noble drama. See
Note iS of the present Act.
71. Darkling. ' In darkness.' See Note 127, Act i., " King
Lear."
72. The varyitig shore. The epithet " varying " indicates
the variations and alternations of light and darkness upon the
earth.
73. / dure not. Meaning, ' I dare not come down out of the
monument.'
74. Brooch' d. ' Ornamented,' ' adorned,' ' decorated.' See
Note 80, Act iv., " Hamlet."
75. Stilt conclusion. * Quiet determination,' 'calm and final
I here importune death awhile, until
Of many thousand kisses the poor last
1 lay upon thy lips.
Cleo. I dare not, dear, —
Dear my lord, pardon, — I dare not,73
Lest I be taken : not the imperious show
Of the full-fortun'd Caesar ever shall
Be brooch'd 7i with me ; if knife, drugs, serpents,
have
Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe .
Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes
And still conclusion,75 shall acquire no honour
Demuring76upon me. — But come, come, Antony, —
Help me, my women, — we must draw thee up ; —
Assist, good friends.
Ant. Oh, quick, or I am gone.
Cleo. Here 's sport indeed !77 — How heavy weighs
my lord !
Our strength is all gone into heaviness,
That makes the weight : had I great Juno's power,
The strong-wing' d Mercury should fetch thee up,
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little, — .
Wishers were ever fools, — oh, come, come, come;
\Tbey draiv Antony up.
And welcome, welcome ! die where thou hast
liv'd : 78
Quicken with kissing : 79 had my lips that power,
Thus would I wear them out.
.111. A heavy sight!
Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying :
Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.
Cleo. No, let trie speak; and let me rail so high,
That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel,
Provok'd by my offence.
Ant. One word, sweet queen :
Of Cicsar seek your honour, with your safety. — Oh!
Cleo. They do not go together.
Ant. Gentle, hear me : 80
None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.
manner.' This picturing of Cleopatra's imagination, represent-
ing to her her rival's quietude in the tokens of disdain she will
doubtless overwhelm her with, is finely characteristic ; showing,
too, as it does, that the Egyptian queen has not forgotten the
sweet, " low-voiced" tone she once heard described, and which
she then could afford to disparage as "dull of tongue" (see
Note 16, Act iii.), though now she feels it to be an acute en-
hancement of the scorn she anticipates.
76. Dcmuring. A word felicitously coined by Shakespeare
to express the look from Octavia's " modest eyes" as conceived
by Cleopatra to be cast upon herself.
77. Here's sport indeed! Several felonious attempts have
been made to rob us of the word " sport " here, by those who
would substitute 'support,' or 'port;' but surely "sport" re-
presents precisely the bitter mood of Cleopatra's mind at this
I moment, turning cruel earnest into mocking pastime. The play
I upon words with which she follows up her ironical exclamation
might suffice to show that the original word must be right.
78. Die where thou hast liv'd. The Folio gives ' when ' for
"where." Pope's correction.
79. Quicken with kissing. ' Revive by my kisses,' ' live
again by my caresses.'
80. Gentle, hear me. See Note 67, Act iv., " Winter's Talc'
660
dm
Ch-ojxitia. Help mc, my women, — we must draw tlice v.j> ;—
Assist, good friends.
Act IV. Scene XI II.
m
Act IV.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene XIII.
Cleo. My resolution and my hands I'll trust;
None about Caesar.
Ant. The miserable change now at my end
Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts
In feeding them with those my former fortunes
Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world,
The noblest ; and do now not basely die,81
Not cowardly put off my helmet83 to
My countryman, — a Roman by a Roman
Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going ;
1 can no more.
Cleo. Noblest of men, woo't die ?
Hast thou no care of me?83 shall I abide
In this dull world, which in thy absence is
No better than a sty ? — Oh, see, my women,
[Antonv dies.
The crown o' the earth doth melt : — My lord ! —
Oh, wither' d is the garland of the war,
The soldier's pole84 is fall'n: young boys and git Is
Are level now with men ; the odds is gone,
And there is nothing left remarkable
Beneath the visiting moon. [Faints.
Char. Oh, quietness, lady !
Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign.
Char. Lady !—
Iras. Madam! —
Char. Oh, madam, madam, madam ! —
Iras. Royal Egypt !
Empress ! —
81. And do no?v not basely die. 'That I ' is elliptically under-
stood before "do." The construction in the present passage is
like that in the one discussed in Note 60 of this Act.
&2. Not cowardly put off my Itelmet. "Not" has been
changed by Rowe and others to ' nor' here : but Shakespeare
sometimes has this kind of repeated word in a sentence ; as for
instance, " Cymbeline," Act iv., sc. 2 — "Not frenzy, not absolute
madness could so far," &c. ; " Second Part Henry VI.," Act v.,
sc. 1 — "No, thou art not king; not fa to govern," &c. , and
" Othello," Act iii. , sc. 3 — " Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to
humble love." It has also been suggested that "put off" should
be changed to ' but doff,' altering the punctuation of the line.
This change, however, would reverse the meaning of the sen-
tence ; which we take to be — ' Solace your thoughts by dwelling
upon the prosperous fortunes wherein I formerly lived the
greatest and noblest prince of the world ; and by remembering
that I now do not basely die as a conquered man, coward-like
taking off my helmet to my countryman — but as a Roman by
a Roman valiantly vanquished in fair field, and dying by his own
hand.' See Note 25, Act v., "Julius Caesar," and Note 10S,
Act v., " Hamlet."
83. Hast tlion no care of me I It is worthy of observation
Char. Peace, peace, Iras 1
Cleo. No more, but e'en a woman,85 and com-
manded
By such poor passion as the maid that milks,
And does the meanest chares.86 — It were for me
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;
To tell them that this world did equal theirs
Till they had stol'n our jewel. All 's but
naught ;
Patience is sottish, and impatience does
Become a dog that 's mad : then is it sin
To rush into the secret house of death,
Ere death dare come to us? — How do you,
women ?
What, what! good cheer 1 Why, how now,
Charmian !
My noble girls! — Ah, women, women, look,
Our lamp is spent, it 's out ! — Good sirs,87 take
heart: —
We'll bury him; and then, what 's brave, what's
noble,
Let 's do it after the high Roman fashion,
And make death proud to take us. Come
away : —
This case of that huge spirit now is cold :
Ah, women, women! — come; we have no friend
But resolution, and the briefest end.
[Exeunt; those above bearing ojj
Antony's body.
how truly Shakespeare has preserved throughout this scene the
selfishness that characterises such a woman as Cleopatra, and
such love as hers. Contrast her egoistic wailings and selfish
calculations in the moment of Antony's death — though she loves
him as thoroughly as it is in the nature of women like her to
love — with the noble self-abnegation of such women as Imogen,
Hermione, Desdemona, Helena, Juliet, &c.
84. The soldier s pole. Their standard or rallying point.
85. No more, but e'en a woman. The Folio has ' in ' for
" e'en." Capell's correction. Cleopatra says this in reply to
Iras, who has addressed her as " Royal Egypt " and " Empress. "'
Shakespeare not unfrecniently has these crossing speeches. See
Note 87, Act i., "Julius Ca&sar."
86. Clutres. ' Transient services,' in opposition to permanent
service; and we still have the word 'char-woman' for a person
engaged by the day, to perform a single task or bout of work,
in contradistinction to a regular hired servant. See Note 50, Act v.
87. Good sirs. Malone added a stage-direction here [Tfl the
Guard below], thinking the words must be addressed to men ;
but " sirs" was formerly sometimes used in speaking to women
as well as to men. Several passages from our elder dramatists
testify this. See Note 49, Act v.
062
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene I.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— Cesar's Camp before Alexandria.
Enter Cesar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Mec.enas,
Gallus, Proculeius, and others.
Cars. Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield ;
Being so frustrate,1 tell him he mocks us by -
The pauses that he makes.
Dol. Ca;sar, t shall. [Exit.
Enter Dercetas, with the sivoni of Antony.
Cxs. Wherefore is that? and what art thou
that dar'st
Appear thus to us :3
Per. I am call'd Dercetas ;
Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy
Best to be serv'd : whilst he stood up and
spoke,
He was my master ; and I wore my life
To spend upon his haters. If thou please
To take me to thee, as I was to him
I'll be to Caesar; if thou pleasSst not,
I yield thee up my life.
Ges. What is 't thou say'st?
Der. I say, O Cajsar, Antony is dead.
Cos. The breaking of so great a thing shoul 1
make
A greater crack : the round world*
Should have shook lions into civil streets,
And citizens to their dens : — the death of Antony
Is not a single doom ; in the name lay
A moiety of the world.
Der. He is dead, Caesar;
Not by a public minister of justice,
Nor by a hired knife ; but that self hand,
Which writ his honour in the acts it did,
Hath, with the courage which the heart did
lend it,
i. Frustrate. An abbreviated form of 'frustrated;' as
"create" is of 'created' (see Note 45, Act ii., " Henry V."),
and "derogate" of 'derogated.' See Note 141, Act i., "King
Lear."
2. He mocks us by. The Folio omits ' us by.' Inserted by
Malone.
3. TJuit darst appear thus to its ? " Thus " implies ' with a
drawn and bloody sword in thy hand.'
4. The round world. It has been conjectured that something
has been omitted from this line, and various insertions have been
proposed, as, ' in rending,' or ' convulsive,' at its close ; but as
some such words may be elliptically understood after " the
round world," and the sense is conveyed that the earth, being
riven by so dread an event as the destruction of Antony, should
have shaken lions into men's streets, and men into lions' dens,
we leave the text as it stands in the Folio.
5. The gods rebjtke me, but it is tidings, 6^c. 'May the
gods rebuke me if t- is be not tidings to make kings weep.'
Splitted the heart. — This is his sword ;
I robb'd his wound of it ; behold it stain' d
With his most noble blood.
Cos. Look you sad, friends ?
The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings
To wash the eyes of kings.5
Agr* And strange it is,
That nature must compel us to lament
Our most persisted deeds.
Mec. His taints and honours
Wag'd' equal with him.
Agr. A rarer spirit never
Did steer humanity : but you, gods, will give us
Some faults to make us men. Caisar is touch'd.
Mec. When such a spacious mirror 's set before
him,
He needs must see himself.
Cats. O Antony !
I have follow'd thee to this ; — but we do lance'
Diseases in our bodies : I must perforce
Have shown to thee such a declining day,
Or look on thine ; we could not stall together
In the whole world : but yet let me lament,
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou, my brother, my competitor9
In top of all design, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart
Where mine his thoughts did kindle,10 — that our
stars,
Unreconcileable, should divide
Our equalness to this. — Hear me, good friends,—
But I will tell you at some meeter season :
Enter a Messenger.
The business of this man looks out of him ;
We'll hear him what he says. — Whence are you p
" But" is here used in the same manner that it is in the context
of the passage referred to in Note 152, Act i., " Hamlet" — " Oh,
day and night, but this is wondrous strange ! "
6. Agr. The Folio gives this and the next speech to Dola-
bella, who has left the scene to fulfil Caesar's behest, as Cassar
himself afterwards recollects when he says, " I r member now
how he's employed." Theobald made the correction.
7. IVag'd. We have more than once pointed out the peculiar
manner in which Shakespeare uses this word, and the elliptical
force with which he employs it. See passages referred to in
Note 60, Act i., "Othello." Here we take the sentence to
mean, ' His blemishes and honourable qualities maintained equal
strength of contending prevalence in him."
8. Lance. Printed in the Folio, ' launch ; ' which was an old
corrupt form of " lance."
9. Competitor. ' Associate.' See Note 108, Act ii.
10. The luart where mine his thoughts did kindle. " His"
used for 'its.'
f6,
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene I.
Ccesar. Wherefore is that? and wlrat art thou that dar'st
Appear thus to us ?
Act V. Scene I.
Mess. A poor Egyptian yet.11 The queen my
mistress,
Cpnfin'd in all she has, her monument,
Of thy intents desires instruction,
That she preparedly may frame herself
To the way site 's forc'd to.
Cass. Bid her have good heart:
She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,
How honourable and how kindly we
Determine for her ; for Cscsar cannot live
To be tin 'entle.1-
II. Wltencc are you ? A poor Egyptian yet. It has been
proposed to add. 'What?' after "you?" to complete the line,
and to introduce the reply more consistently : but Shakespeare
occasionally has these peculiar and apparently inexact re-
joinders. See Note 44, Act iv. , " Kin? Lear;" and Note 29,
Act iv., " Kin? John." The word "yet" here has the force
of 'as yet,' or 'til! now.' See Note 35, Act iii., "Second Part
Henry VI." The messenger means, I have been hitherto no
Mess. So the gods preserve thee !
{Exit,
Ca?s. Come hither, Prociileius, Go and say,
We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts
The quality of her passion shall require,
Lest, in Iter greatness, by some mortal stroke
She do defeat us ; for her life in Rome
Would be eternal in our triumph:1'1 go,
And with your speediest bring us what she says,
And how you find of her.
Pro. Cesar, I shall. [Exit.
more than a poor Egyptian ; but. at present— now that my queen
is bereft of all — I am messenger from Cleopatra to Octavius
Csesar.
12. Carsar cannot live to be ungentle. The Folio has ' leave*
for "live." Rowe's correction.
13. Her li/e in Rome would be eternal in our triumph.
' Her living presence in Rome would render our triumph
eternal.
664
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene ii.
Cleopatra. Hast thnu the pretty worm of Nilus there,
That kills and pains not?
Act V. Scene II.
Cces. Gallus, go you along. [Exit Gal.]
Where's Dolabella,
To secorul Proculeius?
Agr. Mec. Dolabella !
C<es. Let him alone, for I remember now
How he's employ'd : he shall in time be ready.
Go with tne to my tent ; where you shall see
How hardly I was drawn into this war;
How calm and gentle I proceeded still
In all my writings : go with me, and see
What I can show in this. [Exeunt.
14. Tile monument. In the present scene, as in scene 13 of
the previous Act, the inside as well as the outside of the monu-
ment are supposed to be visible to the spectators ; and we have
instances of this kind of scenic arrangement in more than one of
Shakespeare's plays. See Note 4, Act hi., "Julius Caesar."
15. Which shackles accidents, and bolts itp change; which
sleeps. Here " which," by a poetical and constructional licence,
is allowed to represent the act by which death is self-inflicted,
and then the condition of death thus caused.
SCENE I T. — Alexandria. The Monument. }*
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras.
Cleo. My desolation does begin to make
A better life. 'Tis paltry to be Czesar ;
Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave,
A minister of her will : and it is great
To do that thing that ends all other ileeds ;
Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change ;
Which sleeps,15 and never palates more the
dung,16
The beggar's nurse and Caesar's.
16. Tlie dung. This has been altered by Theobald and others
to ' the dug ;' but we take " the dung " here to mean the grossly
material products of the earth (see Note 16, Act i.), that afford
nutriment equally to the beggar and to Caesar. Shakespeare
more than once makes earth the general source of human food,
of that which sustains corporeal life. See, for instance, the
passage referred to in Note 45, Act iv., " Timon of Athens."
See also Note 57, Act v., of the present play.
665
tol. m.
250
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Enter, beloxu, to the gates of the Monument,
Proculeius, Gallus, and Soldiers.
Pro. Cassar sends greeting to tlie Queen of
Egypt ;
And bids thee study on what Fair demands
Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.
Cleo. What's thy name ?
Pro. My name is Proculeius.
Cleo. Antony
Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but
I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,
That have no use for trusting. If your master
Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him,
That majesty, to keep decorum, must
No less beg than a kingdom : if he please
To give me conquer' d Egypt tor my son,
He gives me so much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.1'
Pro. Be of good cheer ;
You're fall'n into a princely hand, fear nothing :
Make your full reference freely to my lord,
Who is so full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need : let me report to him
Your sweet dependancy ; and you shall find
A conqueror that will pray in aid13 for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.
Cleo. Pray you, tell him
I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him
The greatness he has got." I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience ; and would gladly
Look him i' the face.
Pro. This I'll report, dear lady.
Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied
Of him that caus'd it.
Gal. [Aside to Pro.] You see how easily she
may be surpris'd :
Proculeius and two of the Guard ascend
the Monument by a ladder, and come
behind Cleopatra. Some of the
Guard unbar and open the gates,
discovering the lower room of the
Monument.
[Aloud to Pro.] Guard her till Caesar come.
[Exit.
Iras. Royal queen !
Char. O Cleopatra ! thou art taken, queen !
17. As I will kneel to him with thinks. Here it has been
averred that "as" is used for ' that ;' but we think that this is
one of the sentences where Shakespeare allows a final word to
be elliptically understood— ' for' being here understood after
"thanks" See Note 27, Act i. , "Romeo and Juliet;" and
Note 89, Act i., of the present play. See also Note 23 of this Act.
18. Pray in aid. A law term ; 'praying in aid' being used
for a petition made in a court of justice for the calling in of help
from another that hath an interest in the cause in question.
19. / send him the greatness he has got. ' I deliver up to
him that power which he has already achieved.'
20. [If idle talk will once be necessary.) ' If it be needful to
prate of luy intentions.' " Idle" is here used in the sense of
Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.
[Dialling a dagger.
Pro. Hold, worthy lady, hold :
[Seizes and disarms her.
Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.
Cleo. What, of death too,
That rids our dogs of languish ?
Pro. Cleopatra,
Do not abuse my master's bounty by
The undoing of yourself: let the world see
His nobleness well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.
Cleo. Where art thou, death ?
Come hither, come ! come, come, and take a
queen
Worth many babes and beggars !
Pro. Oh, temperance, lady !
Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not diink, sir;
(If idle talk will once be necessary,)20
I'll not sleep neither : this mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Csesar what he can. Know, sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court ;
Nor once be chastis'd with the sober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of censuring Rome r Rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave to me ! rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me stark nak'd,21 and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring ! rather make
My country's high pyiamidts — my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains !
Pro. You do extend
These thoughts of horror farther than you shall
Find cause in C;esar.*3
Enter Dolabella, leloiv.
Dol. Proculeius,
What thou hast done thy master Csesar knows,
And he hath sent for thee : for the queen,
I'll take her to my guard.
Pro. So, Dolabella,
It shall content me best :
[Brings Cleopatra doivn into the lo~u.er
room of the Monument, and delivers
her to Dolabella.21
be gentle to her. —
' futile,' ' vain,' 'superfluous;' "will be" is sometimes used by
Shakespeare where there is no question of future time (see
Note 77, Act iii., " Cynibeline ") ; and " once," for 'at all,' 'at
any time,' ' some time,' ' at an indefinite time.' See Note 63,
Act i., " Henry VIII."
2t. Nak'd. Sometimes, as here, used monosyllabically, where
the rhythm of the line requires it, by writers contemporary with
Shakespeare.
22. Pyramides. A form of 'pyramids,' sometimes formerly
employed where a quadrisyllable was needed.
23. Farther titan you shall find cause in Cwsar. ' For
them' is elliptically understood after " cause."
24. [Brings Cleopatra down, &c. This stage direction lias
666
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
[7o Cleo.] To C:esar I will speak what you
shall please,
If you'll employ me to him.
Cleo. Say, I would die.
[Exeunt Proculeius and Soldiers.
Dol. Most noble empress, you have heard of
me ?
Cleo. I cannot tell.
Do/. Assuredly you know me.
Cleo. No matter, sir, what I have heard or
known.
You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams ;
Is't not your trick ?
Dol. I understand not, madam.
Cleo. I dream'd there was an emperor Antony: —
Oh, such another sleep, that I might see
But such another man !
Dol. If it might please you, —
Cleo. His face was as the heavens; and therein
stuck
A sun and moon, which kept their course, and
lighted -
The little O, the earth."5
Dol. Most sovereign creature, — ■
Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean : his rear'd
arm
Crested the world : 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. For his bountv,
There was no winter in 't ; an autumn 'twas26
That grew the more by reaping : his delights
Were dolphin-like ; they show'd his back above
The element they liv'd in : in his livery
Walk'd crowns and crownets ; realms and islands
were
As plates-'7 dropp'd from his pocket.
Dol. Cleopatra, —
Cleo. Think you there was, or might be, such
a man
As this I dream'd of?
Dol. Gentle madam, no.
Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods.
But, if there be, or ever were, one such,
It's past the size of dreaming : nature wants stuff
To vie39 strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine
been added by the editors, as affording an idea of the situation
in the present scene. They have had no scruple in doing this,
since the rest of the stage directions are modern additions
founded upon Plutarch's narration of the incidents here drama-
tised ; and there would be no means of accounting for what
subsequently takes place, were we not to imagine Cleopatra as
being still withinside her monument.
25. Ttie little O, Hie earth. Shakespeare uses "O" to ex.
press an orb, globe, or circular object. See Note 2, Act i.,
"Henry V."
26. An autumn 'twas. The Folio misprints 'Anthony1 for
" autumn." Theobald's correction, suggested by Thirlby.
27. Plates. Silver coin or pieces of money. Spanish, plata.
28. To vie. 'To produce competitively.' "Vie" is a term
An Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst fancy,
Condemning shadows quite.-9
Dol. Hear me, good madam.
Your loss is as yourself, great ; and you bear it
As answering to the weight : would I might never
O'ertake pursu'd success, but I do feel,
By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites30
My very heart at root.
Cleo. I thank you, sir.
Know you what Caesar means to do with me ?
Dol. I am loath to tell you what I would jou
knew.
Cleo. Nay, pray you, sir, —
Dol. Though he be honourable, —
Cleo. He'll lead me, then, in triumph ?
Dol. Madam, he will ; I know it.
[Flourish luithin.
Within. Make way there ! — Ccesar !
Enter C.tsar, Callus, Proculeius, Mecenas,
SELEUCUS, and Attendants.
Ges. Which is the Queen of Egypt ?
Dol. It is the emperor, madam.
[Cleopatra kneels.
Ctzs. Arise, you shall not kneel :
I pray you rise ; rise, Egypt.
Cleo. Sir, the gods
Will have it thus ; my master and my lord
I must obey.
Cos. Take to you no hard thoughts :
The record of what injuries you did us,
Though written in our flesh, we shall remember
As things but done by chance.
Cleo. Sole sir31 o' the world,
I cannot project32 mine own cause so well
To make it clear ; but do confess I have
Been laden with like frailties which before
Have often sham'd our sex.
Oes. Cleopatra, know,
We will extenuate rather than enforce :
If you apply yourself to our intents
(Which towards you are most gentle), you shall
find
A benefit in this change; but if you seek
To lay on me a cruelty, by taking
Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself
used at cards, and came to be more generally applied. See
Note 30, Act ii., " Taming of the Shrew."
X). Condemning shadows Quite. The diction is condensed
here ; but we take the sense of the passage to be — ' Nature is
deficient in material to compete with fancy in producing extra,
ordinary forms ; yet to conceive an Antony was a masterpiece
of nature produced against fancy, that cast into defeat all
imaginary shapes whatever.'
30. Smites. The Folio prints 'suites' for " smites." Capeli's
correction.
31. Sir. Here used substantively. See Note 27, Act ii.,
"Othello."
32. Project. 'Put forth,' 'set forth/ 'make out a state-
ment of.'
667
Act V.J
.ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Of my good purposes, and put your children
To that destruction which I'll guard them from,
If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.
Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis
yours ; and we,
Your scutcheons and your signs of conquest, shall
Hang in what place you please. Here, my good
lord.
Crr. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra.
Cleo. [Giving a scroll.'] This is the brief33 of
money, plate, and jewels,
I am possess'd of: 'tis exactly valu'd ;
Not petty things admitted.31 Where 's Seleucus ?
Set. Here, madam.
Cleo. This is my treasurer : let him speak, my
lord,
Upon his peril, that I have reserv'd
To myself nothing.^Speak the truth, Seleucus.
Sel. Madam,
I had rather seal my lips,35 than, to my peril,
Speak that which is not.
Cleo. What have I kept back ?
Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made
known.
Cos. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra ; I approve
Your wisdom in the deed.
Cleo. See, Caesar ! oh, behold,
How pomp is follow'd ! mine will now be yours;
And, should we shift estates, yours would be mine.
The ingratitude of this Seleucus does
Even make me wild : oh, slave, of no more trust
Than love that 's hir'd ! — What, goest thou back r
thou shalt
Go back, I warrant thee ; but I'll catch thine eyes,
Though they had wings : slave, soulless villain,
dog!
Oh, rarely base !
Cits. Good queen, let us entreat you.
Cleo, O Caesar, what a wounding shame is
this,—
That thou, vouchsafing here to visit me,
Doing the honour of thy lordliness
33. The brief. 'The short list,' 'the memorandum.' See
Note 16, Act ii., " King John."
34. Not petty things admitted. Theobald proposed to alter
"admitted" to 'omitted' here : but it appears to us that the
original word expresses precisely what Cleopatra wishes to
convey — that she has not entered in the list certain articles
which she afterwards designates as "lady trifles," " immoment
toys," and " things of such dignity as we greet modern friends
withal." Then, finding that her treasurer betrays her having
kept back enough to equal in value that which she has made
known, she vindicates this by speaking of it as " some nobler
token " that she has " kept apart for Livia and Octavia, to
induce their mediation."
35. / had rattier seal my lips. The Folio gives ' seele ' for
"seal," probably by a misprint; since Shakespeare uses ttie
ions "seal up your lips," and '"seal th' accuser's lips,"
re; whereas he employs 'seel' almost exclusively in
jeference 1 1 eyes oi sight.
36. Parcel the sum. ' Increase the amount of collective
To one so meek, that mine own servant should
Parcel the sum36 of my disgraces by
Addition of his envy !3? Say, good Ca;sar,
That I some lady trifles have reserv'd,
Immoment toys, things of such dignity
As we greet modern 38 friends withal ; and say,
Some nobler token I have kept apart
For Livia39 and Octavia, to induce
Their mediation ; must I be unfolded
With one that I have bred i *° The gods ! it
smites me
Beneath the fall I have.— [To Sel.] Pr'ythee, go
hence ;
Or I shall show the cinders of my spirits
Through the ashes of my chance : 4I — wert thou a
man,
Thou wouldst have mercy on me.
Cas. Forbear, Seleucus.
[Exit Seleucus.
Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are
misthought
For things that others do ; and, when we fall,
We answer others' merits 4J in our name,
Are therefore to be pitied 43
Cces. Cleopatra,
Not what you have reserv'd, nor what acknow-
ledge,
Put we i' the roll of conquest: still be 't yours,
Bestow it at your pleasure; and believe,
Caesar's no merchant, to make prize with you
Of things that merchants sold. Therefore be
cheer'd ;
Make not your thoughts your prisons : 44 no, dear
queen ;
For we intend so to dispose you, as
Yourself shall give us counsel. I'"eed, and sleep :
Our care and pity is so much upon you,
That we remain your friend ; and so, adieu.
Cleo. My master, and my lord !
Cits. Not so. Adieu.
[Floui ish. Exeunt C/ESAR and bis Train.
See Note 78, Act
" First Tart
items in the sum.'
Henry IV."
37. Eitz'y. ' Malice.'
38. Modern. 'Usual,' ' ordinary,'/ common.' See Note 71,
Act i., "Othello."
39. Livia. Tne wife of Octavius Oesar.
40. Unfolded with one that I, &*c. " With " used for ' by.'
4r. Chance. Here used for ' fortune,' ' lot ; ' the sentence
signifying, ' Or the last smouldering sparks of my fiery nature
will flam; forth through the ashes of my decayed fortune.'
42. Merits. This word, sometimes employed as ' deserts,' is
here used to express that which deserves reprobation, that
which merits punishment.
43. Are therefore to be pitied. 'And' is elliptically under-
stood before "are." Several instances of this construction are
to be found in " Henry VIII.," and one of them is pointed out
in Note 14, Act ii., uf that play.
44. Make not your thoughts your prisons. ' Do not envelop
yourself in gloomy reflections.' In the last scene of " All's
Well," the king says, " I am wrapp'd in dismal thinkings."
~Wl ^T ""'-': ',"7™ "'"*'! I' :S:)I':> t n''>;;,\l r~l — ■ — Tfil — ^WF
ir~~T^T_7TFV
Cleopatra. Come, thou mortal wretch
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie.
Act f. Scene II.
Act V.J
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
Cleo. He words me, girls, he words me, that I
should not
Be noble to myself: but, hark thee, Charmian.
[Whispers Charmian.
Iras. Finish, good lady; the bright day is done,
And we are for the dark.
Cleo. Hie thee again :
I have spoke already, and it is provided ;
Go put it to the haste.
Char. Madam, I will.
Dil.
Char
Cleo.
Dil.
Re-enter Dolabella.
Where is the queen ?
Behold, sir. [Exit.
Dolabella !
Madam, as thereto sworn by your
command,
Which my love makes religion to obey,
I tell you this: Caesar through Syria
Intends his journey ; and, within three days,
You with your children will he send before:
Make your best use of this: I have perfonn'd
Your pleasure, and my promise.
Cleo. Dolabella,
I shall remain your debtor.
Dot. I your servant.
Adieu, good queen ; I must attend on Ca?sar.
Cleo. Farewell, and thanks. [Exit DoLABEtl.A.
Now, Iras, what think'st thou?
Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shown
In Rome, as well as I: mechanic slaves
With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shall
Uplift us to the view ; in their thick breaths,
Rank of gross diet, shall we be enclouded,
And fore'd to drink their vapour.
Iras. The gods forbid !
Cleo. Nay, 'tis most certain, Iras: — saucy lictors
Will catch at us, like wantons ; and scald 45
rhymers
Ballad us out o' tune: the quick '"'•comedians
Extemporally will stage us, and present
Our Alexandrian revels ; Antony
Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness "*7
F the posture of a wench.
45. Scald. 'Sorry,' 'scurvy.' The word is thus used twice
in " Henry V.," Act v., sc. 1.
46. Quick. Here used for ' quick-witted,' 'inventive,' 'lively,'
' vivacious.' See Note 19, Act i., " Love's Labour's Lost."
47. Ray my greatness. The custom that prevailed in Shake-
speare's time of boys enacting the women characters in plays,
gives force to the expressive verb "boy" here, as formed by the
poet from the noun, and to the epithet " squeaking." See
Note 95, Act ii., " Hamlet."
48. Their most absurd intents. The word "absurd" here
has been objected to, and ' assur'd' proposed in its stead : but to
Cleopatra, Octavius's intention of carrying her to Rome in
triumph certainly seems "absurd," since she already beholds
it defeated by her own intention of destroying herself. She
Iras. Oh, the good gods !
Cleo. Nay, that is certain.
Iras. I'll never see it; for, I am sure, my nails
Are stronger than mine eyes.
Cleo. Why, that 's the way
To fool their preparation, and to conquer
Their most absurd intents.43
Re-enter Charmian.
Nov.', Charmian ! —
Show me, my women, like a queen : — go (etch
My best attires ; — I am again for Cydnus,
To meet Mark Antony : — sirrah Iras, go.49 —
Now, noble Charmian, we'll despatch indeed ;
And, when thou hast done this chare,50 I'll give
thee leave
To play till doomsday. — Bring our crown and all.
[Exit Iras. A noise ivithin.]
Wherefore 's this noise ?
Enter one of the Guard.
Guard. Here is a rural fellow
That will not be denied your highness' presence:
He brings you figs.
Cleo. Let him come in. [Exit Guard.
What poor an instrument 51
May do a noble deed! he brings me liberty.
My resolution's plac'd, and I have nothing
Of woman in me : now from head to foot
I am marble-constant; now the fleeting5- moon
No planet is of mine.
Re-enter Guard, nvith a Clown bringing in a
basket.
Guard. This is the man.
Cleo. Avoid, and leave him. [Exit Guard.
Hast thou the pretty worm 5:i of Nilus there,
That kills and pains not ?
Clown. Truly, I have him : but I would not
be the party that should desire you to touch him,
for his biting is immortal; those that do die of it
do seldom or never recover.
Cleo. Rememberest thou any that have died
on 't ?
Cloivn. Very many, men and women too. I
heard of one of them no longer than yesterday : a
afterwards exclaims, when the asp is aiding her to baffle, these
"most absurd intents," "Oh, couldst thou speak, that I might
hear thee call great Caesar ass unpbliciedl"
49. Sirrah Iras, go. " Sirrah " was formerly sometimes ap-
plied to a woman as well as to a man ; in the same way that
"sirs" was occasionally used. See Note 87, Act iv.
50. This chare. 'This task ;' familiarly, 'this job,' 'this
piece of work.' See Note 86, Act iv.
51. li'hat poor an instrument. A similar form of construc-
tion with the one pointed out in Note 3, Act i., "As You Like It."
52. Fleeting. ' Fluctuating,' ' flitting,' 'inconstant,' ' variable,'
'changeable.' Sec Note 89, Act L, "Richard III."
53. Warm. Anciently used for serpent or snake. See Note
4, Act iii., "Measure for Measure."
670
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
very honest woman, but something given to lie ;
as a woman should not do, but in the way of
honesty: how she died of the biting of it, what
pain she felt,— truly, she makes a very good report
o' the worm; but he that will believe all that they
say, shall never be saved by half that they do : but
this is most fallible,51 the worm 's an odd worm.
Cleo. Get thee hence; farewell.
Clown. I wish )ou all joy of the worm.
[Sets down basket.
Cleo. Farewell.
Clown. You must think this, look you, that
the worm will do his kind.65
Cleo. Ay, ay; farewell.
Clown. Look you, the worm is not to be trusted
but in the keeping of wise people ; for, indeed,
there is no goodness in the worm.
Cleo. Take thou no care ; it shall be heeded.
Clown. Very good. Give it nothing, I pray
you, for it is not worth the feeding.
Cleo. Will it eat me ?
Clown. You must not think I am so simple
but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman:
I know that a woman is a dish for the gods, if the
devil dress her not ; but, truly, these same devils
do the gods great harm in their women ; for in
every ten that they make, the devils mar five.
Cleo. Well, get thee gone ; farewell.
Clozvn. Yes, forsooth : I wish \ ou joy o' the
worm.56 [Exit.
Re-enter Iras, njuith a lobe, crown, &c.
Cleo. Give ine my robe, put on my crown ; I
have
Immortal longings in me: now no more
The juice of Egypt's, grape shall moist this lip :6? —
Yare, yare,5s good Iras; quick. — Methinks I hear
Antony call; I see him rouse himself
To praise my noble act ; I hear him mock
The luck of Cajsar, which the gods give men
54. Fallible. The Clown's blunder for ' infallible.'
55. Will do his kind. ' Will act according to his nature,"
'will do as those of his species do.' See Note 8, Actii., "Julius
Caesar. "
56. / wish you joy o' t/te worm. This short scene [of the
Clown's rustic obtuseness and grinning familiarity, serves won-
derfully to heighten the effect of Royal Egypt's coming death-
scene ; and its introduction at this juncture is completely con-
sistent with our dramatist's scheme of contrasted situations.
See Note 3, Act iii., "Othello."
57. .Vow no more tlie juice of Egypt's grape sluill moist this
lip. To our thinking, the present passage tends to support the
original reading as preserved in the text, and discussed in Note 16
of this Act. Cleopatra here, in her own gorgeously poetical
strain, takes leave of the material portion of existence, and pre-
pares to enter upon the spiritual portion ; she has previously
condensed the aggregate products of earth — corn, wine, oil,
fruits, and, indirectly, flesh-meat— into one superbly disdainful
word, " dung ; " and she now figuratively sums them up in one
draught of grape-juice, as the wine of life, the sustainer of
mortal being, to which she bids farewell.
To excuse their after wrath : — husband, I come :
Now to that name my courage prove my title !
I am fire and air; my other elements4"
I give to baser life. — So, — have you done ?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.
Farewell, kind Charmian ; — Iras, long farewell.
[Kisses item. Iras falls and 1/ies.'0
Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall ?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch,
Which hurts, and is desir'd. Dost thou lie still ?
It thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world
It is not worth leave-taking.
Char. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain ; that I
may say,
The gods themselves do weep !
Cleo. This proves me base :
If she first meet the curled Antony,
He'll make demand of her, and spend that ki-s
Which is my heaven to have. — Come, thou mortal
wretch, [To an asp, which she applies
to her breast.
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate6'
Ot lite at once untie : poor venomous fool,
Be angry, and despatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Cajsar ass
Unpolicied !
Char. Oh, eastern star !
Oleo. Peace, peace !
Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,
That sucks the nurse asleep ?
Char. Oh, break ! oh, break !
Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle, —
O Antony ! — Nay, 1 will take thee too : —
[Applying another asp to her arm.
What should I stay —
[Falls on a bed, and dies.
Char. In this wild world i6i — So, fare thee
well.—
Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies
58. Yare, yare. ' Nimbly,' ' alertly,' promptly.' Sec Note 2,
Act i., " Tempest ; " and Note 108, Act iii., of this play.
59. My otlter elements. Another allusion to the ancient
belief that human life was composed of a combination of the
four elements. See Note 20, Actii., "Twelfth Night;" and
Note 11, Act iii., of the present play.
60. Iras falls and dies. That Iras dies thus soon may be
accounted for by her having applied an asp to her arm when she
has brought her mistress's robes, and Cleopatra has bidden her
be " quick." Throughout this scene Iras has shown eagerness
for death ; witness her words — " Finish, good lady : the bright
day is done, and we are for the dark ; " and, " I'll never see it ;
for I am sure my nails are stronger than mine eyes."
61. Intrinsicate. Used as an equivalent for ' intricate.' See
Note 43. Act ii., " King Lear."
62. In this wild world. The Folio word "wild" has been
changed to 'vile' and 'wide;' but surely the original epithet
expressly denotes that which the world has now become to
Charmian, left in a desert of thorny desolation, by her mis-
tress's death, with whom she had dwelt in luxurious and even
pampered refinement.
671
Act V.]
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
[Scene II.
A lass unparallel'd. — Downy windows, close :63
And golden Fhcebus never be beheld
Of eyes again so royal ! — Your crown 's awry ; 6l
I'll mend it, and then play65 — •
Enter the Guard, rushing in.
First Guard. Where is the queen ?
Char.
First Guard.
Char.
Speak, softly, wake her not.
Cassar hath sent — ■
Too slow a messenger.
[Applies an asp.
Oh, come apace, despatch : I partly teel thee.
First Guard. Approach, ho! All 's not well :
Caesar's begiul'd.
See. Guard. There 's Dolabella sent from
Caesar; call him.
First Guard. What work is here! — Charmian,
is this well done?
Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess
Descended of so many royal kings.
Ah, soldier ! [Dies.
Re-enter Dolabella.
Do/. How goes it here ?
Sec. Guard. All dead.
Dol. Caesar, thy thoughts
Touch their effects in this: thyself art coming
To see perform'd the dreaded act which thou
So sought'st to hinder.
Within. A way there, a way for Csesar !
Re-enter CAESAR and bis Train.
Dot. O sir, you are too sure an augurer ;
That you did fear is done.
Oes. Bravest at the last,
She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal,
Took her own way. — The manner of their
deaths ?
I do not see them bleed.
63. Downy windows, dose. The dramatist's poetical indica-
tion that here Charmian renders her mistress the reverential
office first performed towards the dead, and that she closes
Cleopatra's eyes.
64. Your crown's awry. The Folio gives ' away ' for " awry."
Pope's correction.
65. I'll mend it, and then /•/ay— In the Folio a dash is
placed after "play," to mark the interruption of the speech by
the hurried entrance of the guards. Charmian is thinking of
Dal. Who was last with them ?
First Guard. A simple countryman, that brought
her figs:
This was his basket.
Cccs. Poison'd, then.
First Guard. O Ca»:;ar,
This Charmian liv'd but now; she stood and
spake :
I found her trimming up the diadem
On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood,
And on the sudden dropp'd.
Cms. Oh, noble weakness !-
If they had swallow' d poison, 'twould appear
By external swelling: but she looks like sleep,
As she would catch another Antony
In her strong toil of grace.
Dol. Here, on her breast,
There is a vent of blood, and something blown :6G
The like is on her arm.
First Guard. This is an aspic's trail : and these
fig-leaves
Have slime upon them, such as the aspic leaves
Upon the caves of Nile.
Cies. Most probable
That so she died ; for her physician tells me
She hath pursu'd conclusions67 infinite
Of easy ways to die. — Take up her bed ;
And bear her women from the monument : —
She shall be buried by her Antony:
No grave upon the earth shall clip 63 in it
A pair so famous. High events as these
Strike those that make them ; and their story is
No less in pity than his glory which
Brought them to be lamented. Our army
shall
In solemn show attend this funeral ;
And then to Rome. — Come, Dolabella, see
High order in this great solemnity. [Exeunt.
Cleopatra's words — "And when thou hast done this chare, I'll
give thee leave to play till doomsday ."
66. Something blown. * Somewhat swollen,' ' somewhat
puffed or tumid.' See Note 43, Act iv., " First Part Henry IV. ;"
Note 54, Act iv., " King Lear;" and Note 22, Act iv., of the,
present play.
67. Pursued conclusions. ' Tried experiments,' See Note
166, Act iii., " Hamlet.'1
68. Clip. ' Enclose,' ' enfold.' See Note 29, Act iv.
67a
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Cymbeline, King of Britain.
Cloten, Son to the Queen l>y a former husband.
Posthumus Leonatus, Husband to Imogen.
Belarius, a banished Lord, disguised under the name of Morgan.
Guiderius, ) Sons to Cymbeline, disguised under the names of Poly-
Arviragus, ) dore and Cadvval, supposed sons of Belarius.
Philario, Friend to Posthumus, )
, „ . , _, ., . > Italians.
Iachimo, Friend to Plulario, )
A French Gentleman, Friend to Philario.
Caius Lucius, General of the Roman Forces.
A Roman Captain.
Two British Captains.
Pisanio, Servant to Posthumus.
Cornelius, a Physician.
Two Lords of Cymbeline's Court.
Two Gentlemen of the same.
Two Gaolers.
Queen, Wife to Cymbeline.
Imogen, Daughter to Cymbeline by a former Queen.
Helen, Woman to Imogen.
Lords, Ladies, Roman Senators, Tribunes, a Soothsayer, a Dutch
Gentleman, a Spanish Gentleman, Musicians, Officers, Captains,
Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants.
Apparitions.
Scene Sometimes in Britain, sometimes in Italy.
C YM B ELI NE.1
ACT I.
SCENE I. — Britain. The Garden of Cymbe-
line's Palace.
Enter tuuo Gentlemen,
First Gent. You do not meet a man but frowns :
our bloods
No more obey the heavens than our courtiers
Still seem as does the king.2
See. Gent. But what's the matter?
First Gent. His daughter, and the heir of 's
kingdom, whom
He purpos'd to his wife's sole son (a widow
That late he married), hath referr'd herself
Unto a poor but worthy gentleman : she 's wedded ;
Her husband banish'd ; she imprison' d : all
I. The first known printed copy of Cymbeline is that in the
1623 Folio ; and the earliest known record of its performance is
one in Dr. Simon Forman's Diary, which record, although not
dated, is ascertained from dates ill other parts of his diary to
have been some time between the 20th of April, 1610, and the
15th of May, 1611. There is every reason to believe that when
Dr. Forman witnessed its performance, "Cymbeline" was a
recently written play : its internal structure testifies to its having
been composed at the same period as " The Winter's Tale,"
" Henry VIII," " Coriolanus," and " Timon of Athens." See
our opening Notes to those plays. There is the same signally
condensed construction, the same abundant imagery, the same
lofty and mature tone of morality, and the same peculiar elisional
contraction?; that are to be found in the above-named produc-
tions. For instance, we meet with the very unusual contraction
of "shall's" for 'shall us' — used where 'shall we' ought in
strictness to be employed— in " The Winter's Tale," in " Corio-
lanus," in "Timon of Athens," and in the present play of
"Cymbeline ;" if we are not mistaken, only in these four plays.
For the source of the plot Shakespeare was indebted to Boc-
caccio ; between whose story of " Bernabo da Genova," &c.
(related in the ninth novel of the second day of the "De-
camerone"*, and the portion of " Cymbeline" concerning Post-
humus, Imogen, and Iachimo, there is evident similarity.
There was a translation of the "Decamerone" published in
1620, the preface to which mentions that there had been other
previous English versions printed ; and one of these had pro-
bably been met with by Shakespeare. The historical particulars
in this play were in all likelihood derived by him from Hohn-
shed ; who gives the names of Cymbeline and his sons, Guiderius
and Arviragus, besides making mention of the tribute claimed
by the Roman emperor. But the ground-work of this most
Is outward sorrow ; though, I think, the king
Be touch'd at very heart.
Sec. Gent. None but the king ?
First Gent. He that hath lost her too : so is
the queen,
That most desir'd the match : but not a courtier,
Although they wear their faces to the bent
Of the king's looks,3 hath a heart that is not
Glad at the thing they scowl at.
Sec. Gent. And why so?
First Gent. He that hath miss'd the princess is
a thing
Too bad for bad report: and he that hath her
(I mean, that married her, — alack, good man ! —
And therefore banish'd) is a creature such
charming play, as above indicated, is the mere skeleton, taken
by the poet, and endued with vitality, vigour, beauty, grace,
perfection. The whole of the lovely episode of the stolen
princes, their mountain life in W;.!es, their brotherly instinct
of affectionate fondness for the seeming boy, their sister; the
masterly portrait of the Italian Iachimo ; the passionate nature
of Posthumus ; and, above all, the peerless womanhood of
Imogen, are all originated and consummated by Shakespeare's
own poetic brain and God-gifted soul. In no one of his plays
do we feel more truly to know the dramatist and man, Shake-
speare ; in no one of his plays do we more earnestly revere his
genius, more intensely love his spirit.
2. Still seem as does tlie king. This opening speech is but
the first of a long line of difficult passages occuiring in the
present play. We print it as given in the Folio, with the excep-
tion of the last word "king," which is there printed 'kings;'
an additional or omitted final s being a frequent typographical
error in that most precious, though, alas ! most errorful volume.
Tyrwhitt made the correction. We take the passage elliptically
to signify, ' Our temperaments are not more surely influenced
by every change of sky and weather, than are our courtiers'
aspects controlled by that of the king — still wearing the same
looks that he docs.' This passage is illustrated by one a
little farther on, which is adverted to in the next Note.
"Bloods" is here used as Shakespeare often uses "blood;"
in the sense of 'constitutional impression,' ' natural disposition,
'native impulse or temperament' See Note 81, Act it.,
"Othello."
3. To the bent 0/ the king's looks. 'According to the stern
glance of the king's countenance,' ' in accordance with the frown
of the king's looks.' See Note 49, Act i., " Antony and Cleo-
patra."
67s
Act I.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II.
As, to seek through the regions of the earth
For one his like, there would be something tailing
In him that should compare : — I do not think
So fair an outward, and such stuff within,
Endows a man but he.
Sec. Gent. You speak him far.4
First Gent. I do extend him, sir, within him-
self;5
Crush him together, rather than untold
His measure duly.
Sec. Gent. What 's his name and birth ?
First Gem. I cannot delve him to the root : his
father
Was call'd Sicilius, who did join his honour,6
Against the Romans, with Cassibelan ;
But had his titles by Tenantius, whom
He serv'd with glory and admir'd success, —
So gain'd the sur-addition Leonatus :
And had, besides this gentleman in question,
Two other sons, who, in the wars o' the time,
Died with their swords in hand ; for which their
father
(Then old and fond of issue) took such sorrow,
That he quit being;7 and his gentle lady,
Big of this gentleman, our theme, deceas'd
As he was born. The king he takes the babe
To his protection ; calls him Posthumus Leonatus;s
Breeds him, and makes him of his bed-chamber :
Puts to him all the learnings that his time
Could make him the receiver of; which he
took,
As we do air, fast as 'twas minister' (1 ;
Anil in's spring became a harvest : liv'd in court
(Which rare it is to do) most prais'd, most
lov'd :
A sample to the youngest ; to the more mature
A glass that feated 9 them ; and to the graver
A child that guided dotards : to his mistress,
For whom he now is banish'd, — her own price
4. Von speak him far. ' You speak of him in largely praising
terms,' 'You speak of him with wide latitude of praise.'
5. I do extend hint, sir, within himself. ' I stretch his praise
within the bounds of his own excellence,' ' I enlarge in his praise
less than his own ample scope of virtue allows me to do.'
6. Did join his honour. This phrase has been suspected of
trror, and various substitutions have been proposed for "join,"
as 'win,' 'gain,' and 'earn;' but we think "did join his
honour" is used to express 'gave his brave aid conjunctly,'
'fought honourably in consociation.' Shakespeare frequently
uses "honour" in the sense of ' noble valour,' 'military glory ;
and we think that it here conveys some such signification ; the
speaker meaning that Sicilius valiantly and honourably fought
under the standard of Cassibelan, who was a usurper, but
gained his titles under Tenantius, who was the rightful king.
Cassibelan was Lud's younger brother, while Tenantius was
Lud's son; and on Lud's death, the uncle took the throne to
which the nephew was direct heir. After Cassibelan's death
Tenantius reigned ; and he was father to Cymbelinc, who suc-
ceeded as king.
7. Quit being. * Quitted existence,' ' left life.' See Note 30,
Act i., "Tempest."
Proclaims now she esteem'd hiin and his virtue ;
By her election may be truly read
What kind of man he is.
Sec. Gent. I honour him
Even out of your report. But, pray you, tell me,
Is she sole child to the king f
First Gent. His only child.
He had two sons, — if this be worth your hearing,
Mark it,10— the eldest of them at three years old,
I' the swathing clothes the other, from their
nursery
Were stol'n ; and to this hour no guess in know-
ledge
Which way they went.
Sec. Gent. How long is this ago ?
First Gent. Some twenty years.
Sec. Gent. That a king's children should be
so convey'd !"
So slackly guarded ! and the search so slow,
That could not trace them !
First Gent. Howsoe'er 'tis strange,
Or that the negligence may well be laugh'd at,
Yet is it true, sir.
Sec. Gent. I do well believe you.
First Gent. We must forbear: here comes the
gentleman,
The queen, and princess. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— The Same.
Enter the Queen, Posthumus, ami Imogen.
^iteen. No, be assur'd you shall not find me,
daughter,
After the slander of most stepmothers,
Evil-ey'd unto you: you're my prisoner, but
S. Calls him Posthumus Leonatus. Pope and others omit
" Leonatus" here, as injurious to the measure of the line ; but
we have before pointed out that Shakespeare, in common with
many ancient verse-writers, did not regard accuracy of metre
in lines where proper names occur. See Note 19, Act iv. ,
" Julius Ccesar."
9. Feated. 'Shaped,' 'fashioned,' 'moulded;' set before
them a model whereby they formed themselves. Palsgrave
has — " I am well feted or shapen of my lymmes ; Je suis bien
aligne"." Shakespeare himself has phrases of similar significa-
tion, which aid in illustrating the present one. See passage
referred to in Note 36, Act iii., " Hamlet ; " and the passage in
"Second Part Henry IV.," Act ii., sc. 3 — "He was, indeed,
the glass wherein the noble youth did dress themselves."
10. Mark it. Shakespeare's dramatic art uses this expedient,
naturally introduced into the dialogue, to draw special attention
1 1 a circumstance that it is essential should be borne in mind,
and which otherwise might escape notice in the course of narra-
tion. He employs a similar means in the dialogue between
Prospero and Miranda, where the father recounts to his daughter
their antecedent history.
11. Conveyed. 'Stolen.' See Note 20. Act iv., " Richard II."
676
Act I.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene II.
Posthumus. For my sake, wear this ;
t is a manacle of love ; I'll place it
Upon this fairest prisoner.
Act I. Sane//.
Your gaoler shall deliver you the keys (Always reserv'd my holy duty)1'- what
That lock up your restraint. — For you, Posthumus, | His rage can do on me : you must be gone ;
So soon as I can win the offended king,
I will be known your advocate : marry, yet
The fire of rage is in him ; and 'twere good
You lean'd unto his sentence with what patience
Your wisdom may inform you.
Post. Please your highness,
[ will from hence to-day.
%''''"• You know the peril. —
I'll fetch a turn about the garden, pitying
The pangs of barr'd affections; though the king
Hath charg'd you should not speak together.
[£*.'/.
Into. Oh,
Dissembling courtesy! How fine this tyrant
Can tickle where she wounds! — Mv dearest hus-
band,
I something fear my father's wrath ; but nothing
677
And I shall here abide the hourly shot
Of angry eyes; not comforted to live,
But that there is this jewel in the world,
That I may see again.
Post. My queen! my mistress!
Oh, lady, weep no more, lest I give cause
To be suspected of more tenderness
Than doth become a man ! I will remain
The loyal'st husband that did e'er plight troth :
My residence in Rome at one Philario's ;
Who to my father was a friend, to me
Known but by letter: thither write, my queen,
And with mine eyes I'll drink the words you send,
Though ink be made of gall.
12. Always reserv'd my koly duty. 'Always excepting that
respect to his anger which is due from me as his daughter.
Act I.]
CY.MBEL1NE.
[Scene II.
Re-enter Queen.
0ueen. Be brief, I pray you :
If the king come, I shall incur I know not
How much of his displeasure.— [rfside.] Yet I'll
move him
To walk this way: I never do him wrong,
But he does buy my injuries, to be friends ;
Pavs dear for my offences. [txtt.
Post. Should we be taking leave
As long a term as yet we have to live,
The loathness to depart would grow. Adieu !
Imo. Nay, stay a little :
Were you but riding forth to air yourself,
Such parting were too petty. Look here, love ;
This diamond was my mother's : take it, heart;
But keep it till you woo another wife,
When Imogen is dead.
Post. How, how ! another ? — ■
You gentle gods, give me but this I have,
And sear13 up my embracements from a next
With bonds of death ! — Remain, remain thou here
[Putting on the ring.
While sense can keep it on!11 And, sweetest,
fairest,
As I my poor self did exchange for you,
To your so infinite loss ; so in our trifles
[ still win of you : for my sake, wear this,
It is a manacle of love ; I'll place it
Upon this fairest prisoner. [Putting a bracelet
upon her arm.
Imo. Oh, the gods !
When shall we see again ?15
Post. Alack, the king!
Cym.
Enter Cymbeune and Lords.
Thou basest thing, avoid! hence, from
my sight !
If after this command thou fraught the court
With thy unworthiness, thou diest : away!
Thou 'rt poison to my blood.
Post. The gods protect you!
And bless the good remainders of the court !
I am gone. [Exit.
13. Sear. This word has been believed to be mistakenly given
in the Folio, and that ' cere' or ' seal' may have been intended
in its stead ; but we think it probable that " sear" was here used
to express the dry withering of death, as well as the closing with
wax by those " bonds of death," cerecloths, sometimes written
searecloths. See Note 87, Act ii., "Merchant of Venice;"
and Note 21, Act v., " Macbeth."
14. Remain thou itere while sense can keef it ox! The
"thou" and "it" in this sentence afford another instance of
passa ;-.:s where Shakespeare has a sudden change of pronoun.
See Note 32, Act iii., "Richard II. ; " and Note 32, Act iv.,
"Julius Caesar." The sentence signifies, 'Ring, remain thou
here while I have sensation to retain thee upon this my
15. When shall we see again t See Note 24, Act iv., " Troilus
and Cressida."
Imo. There cannot be a pinch in death
More sharp than this is.
Cym. Oh, disloyal thing,
That shouldst repair16 my youth, thou heapest
A year's age on me ! 1?
Imo. I beseech you, sir,
Harm not yourself with vour vexation ;
I am senseless of your wrath; a touch18 more
rare
Subdues all pangs, all fears.
Cym. Past grace ? obedience ?
Imo. Past hope, and in despair ; that way, past
grace.
Cym. That mightst have had the sole son of my
queen !
Imo. Oh, bless'd, that I might not! I chose an
eagle,
And did avoid a puttock.19
Cym. Thou took'st a beggar; wouldst have
made my throne
A seat for baseness.
Imo. No ; I rather added
A lustre to it.
Cym. Oh, thou vile one !
Imo. Sir,
It is your fault that I have lov'd Posthumus :
You bred him as my playfellow; and he is
A man worth any woman ; overbuys me
Almost the sum he pays.20
Cym, What ! art thou mad ?
Imo. Almost, sir; Heaven restore me ! — Would
I were
A neat-herd's daughter, and my Leonatus
Our neighbour shepherd's son !
Cym. Thou foolish thing ! —
Re-enter Queen.
They were again together : you have done
Not after our command. Away with her,
And pen her up.
Queen. Beseech your patience. — Peace,
Dear lady daughter, peace ! — Sweet sovereign,
Leave us to ourselves ; and make yourself some
comfort
16. Repair. 'Renew,' 'revive,' 'renovate.' See Note 47,
Act i., "All's Well."
17. Thou heapest a year's age on me. There have been
various alterations proposed in this passage. We have ere now
pointed out that "a year," "a week," "an hour," &c . were
used as idioms of indefinite time. See Note 11S, Act i., " King
Lear:" Note 35, Act ii., "As You Like It;" and Note 36,
Act v., " Measure for Measure."
iS. A touch. Here used for 'a keen sense." * an acute
perception;' 'a pang,' 'a three.' See Note 5, Act v,
" Tempest."
19. A puttock. 'A kite:' an ' inferior species of hawk.' See
Note 9, Act v., " Troilus and Cressida."
20. Overbuys me almost the sum he pays. ' In making me
his wife, and exchanging himself for me, he gives a price that
outvalues almost entirely what he receives.'
678
Act I.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scenes 111., IV.
Out of your best advice.21
Cym. Nay, let her languish
A drop of blood a day : and, being aged,
Die of this folly. [Exeunt Cymbeline ami Lords.
Queen. Fie ! you must give way.
Enter Pisanio.
Here is your servant. — How now, sir! What
news ?
Pis. My lord your son drew on my master.
%«•«. ' Ha!
No harm, I trust, is done ?
Pis. There might have been,
But that my master rather play'd than fought,
And had no help of anger : they were parted
By gentlemen at hand.
Queen. I am very glad on 't.
lino. Your son 's my father's friend ; he takes
his part. —
To draw upon an exile ! — Oh, brave sir! —
I would they were in Afrie both together ;22
Myself by with a needle, that 1 might prick
The goer-back. — Why came you from your
masier ?
Pis. On his command : he would not suffer me
fo bring23 him to the haven : left these notes
Of what commands 1 should be subject to,
When 't pleas'd you to employ me.
Queen. This hath been
Your faithful servant : I dare lay mine honour
He will remain so.
Pis. I humbly thank your highness.
Queen. Pray, walk awhile.
Into. [To Pisanio.] About some half-hour
hence,
I pray you, speak with me: you shall at least
Go see my lord aboard : for this time leave me.
\_Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Britain. A Public Place.
Enter Cloten and tiuo Lords.
First Lord. Sir, I would advise you to shift a
shirt; the violence of action hath made you reek
as a sacrifice : where air comes out, air comes in :
there's none abroad so wholesome as that vouvent.
21. Advice. 'Reflection,' 'consideration,' 'self-counsel or
deliberation.' See Note 7, Act iii., " Two Gentlemen of
Verona."
22. / would they were in Afric both together. An allusion
to the form of defiance formerly in use when an opponent was
dared to meet the challenger in some wild and desert spot. See
Note 83, Act iii., " Macbeth."
23. Bring. 'Accompany.' See Note in, Act iii., " Othello."
24. Puppies ! This appears to us to be the exclamation of
the seconj lord ; in his distrust at the swagger of Cloten and
Clo. If my shirt were bloody, then to shift it —
Have I hurt him ?
See. Lord. [Aside.'] No, faith ; not so much as
his patience.
First Lord. Hurt him! his body's a passable
carcass, if he be not hurt : it is a throughfare for
steel, if it be not hurt.
See. Lord. [Aside.] His steel was in debt; it
went 0' the backside the town.
Clo. The villain would not stand me.
See. Lord. [Aside.] No ; but he fled forward
still, toward your face.
First Lord. Stand you ! You have land enough
of your own : but he added to your having; ga\e
you some ground.
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] As many inches as you
have oceans. — Puppies !24
Clo. I would they had not come between us.
Sec. Lord. [Aiide.] So would I, till you had
measured how long a fool you were upon the
ground.
Clo. And that she should love this fellow, and
refuse me !
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] If it be a sin to make a
true election, she is doomed.
First Lord. Sir, as I told you always, her
beauty and her brain go not together:25 she's a
good sign, but I26 have seen small reflection of her
wit.
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] She shines not upon fools,
lest the reflection should hurt her.
Clo. Come, I'll to my chamber. Would there
had been some hurt done !
See. Lord. [Aside.] I wish not so ; unless it
had been the fall of an ass, which is no great hurt.
Clo. You '11 go with us ?
First Lord. I'll attend your lordship.
Clo. Nay, come, let 's go together.
Sec. Lord. Well, my lord. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Britain. A Room in Cymbe-
line's Palace.
Enter Imogen and Pisanio.
Into. I would thou grew'st unto the shores o'
the haven,
the sycophancy of the first lord, who plies the swaggerer with
spaniel flattery and fawning. We state our view of the pas-
sage, because it has been doubted whether "Puppies !" refers
to Cloten and the first lord.
25. Go not together. ' Are not matched,' ' are . not on a
par.'
26. She V a good sign, but I, &>c. 'Her face and person are
good, but,' &c. It is possible that there may be some allusion
to the figures on sign-posts, which anciently used to have some
motto or attempted facetious sentence inscribed beneath.
679
Act I.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene V.
Anil question'dst every sail : if he should write,
And I not have it, 'twere a paper lost,
As offer'd mercy is.* What was the last
That he spake to thee?
Pis. It was, His queen, his queen !
Imo. Then wav'd his handkerchief?
Pis. And kiss'd it, madam.
Imo. Senseless linen ! happier therein than 1 !—
And that was all ?
Pis. No, madam ; for so long
As he could make me with this eye or ear23
Distinguish him from others, he did keep
The deck, with glove, or hat, or handkerchief,
Still waving, as the fits and stirs of 's mind
Could best express how slow his soul sail'd on,
How swift his ship.
Imo. Thou shouldst have made him
As little as a crow, or less, ere left
To after-eye him.
Pis. Madam, so I did.
Imo. I would have broke mine eye-strings ;
crack'd them, but
To look upon him ; till the diminution
Of space20 had pointed hiin sharp as my needle ;3U
Nay, follow'd him, till he had melted from
The small ness of a gnat to air ; and then
Have turn'd .mine eye, and wept. — But, goo 1
Pisanio,
When shall we hear from hiin ?
Pis. Be assur'd, madam,
With his next vantage.31
Imo. I did not take my leave of him, but had
Most pretty things to say : ere I could tell him
How I would think on him, at certain hours.
Such thoughts and such ; or I could make htm
swear
The shes32 of Italy should not betray
Mine interest and his honour ; or have charg'd
him,
At the sixth hour of morn, at noon, at mid-
night,
To encounter me with orisons, for then
I am in heaven for him ;33 or ere I could
Give him that parting kiss which I had set
Betwixt two charming words,34 comes in my
father,
And, like the tyrannous breathing of the north,
Shakes all our buds35 from growing.
Enter a La Ar.
Lady. The queen, madam,
Desires your highness' company.
Imo. Those things I bid you do, get them
despatch'd. —
I will attend the queen.
Pis. Madam, I shall. {Exeunt.
SCENE V.-
-Rome. An Apartment in Pm-
lario's House.
Enter Philario, Iachimo, a Frenchman, a
Dutchman, and a Spaniard.
Iacb. Believe it, sir, I have seen him in Britain :
he was then of a crescent note ; expected to prove
so worthy as since he hath been allowed the name
of: but I could then have looked on him without
the help of admiration ; though the catalogue ot
his endowments had been tabled by his side, and I
to peruse him by items.
Phi. You speak of him when he was less fur-
nished, than now he is, with that which makes36
him both without and within.
French. I have seen him in France : we had
very many there could behold the sun with as firm
eyes as he.
I. nb. This matter of marrying his king's
daughter, — wherein he must be weighed rather by
her value than his own, — words him, I doubt not,
a great deal from the matter.3?
French. And then his banishment,—-
27. ' Tzuere a paper lost, as offer'd mercy is. ' It would be to
me a paper lost as grievously as offer'd mercy lost would be,' or
' The loss of that paper would be to me as grievous as the loss of
offered mercy would be.' The present is one of the many ex
tremely elliptical passages that occur in this play.
28. With this eye or ear. The Folio gives ' his ' for "this."
I'd- ''I I. 1 LI - 1 >tie. ti'in, ,11 Warbur ton's sng^esl
29. T/te diminution of space. ' The diminution caused by
space. '
30. S/uirp as my needle. There is something in this reference
ot Imogen's to her "needle ' — both her* and in the context of
the previous passage discussed in Note 22 of the present Act —
that aids in characterising her to our imagination as a womanly
woman — one fond of feminine occupations, housewifely, domestic,
a home-treasure : a creature fascinating as a lady and princess,
and no less charming as a woman, a simple woman and wife
She is certainly the most consummately enchanting of all Shake-
speare's enchanting heroines.
31. Vantage. ' Favourable opportunity.'
32. Sites. Used substantively, to express ' women.' See
Note 32, Act ii., " Heury V."
33. To encounter me with orisons, for then ram in lieaven
for him. 'To meet me in spirit with mutual prayers, for at
those periods of time I intend to raise myself in thoughts and
solicitations to heaven on his behalf.' In the present passage
" I am " is used as it is in the passages observed upon in Note 6i,
Act ii., "Second Part Henry IV."
34. Two charming words. "Charming" is here used in the
double sense of 'enchanting' and 'enchanted;' words that
should act as a charm to preserve him from evil. See Note 5,
Act v., " First Part Henry VI."
35. Buds. Used elliptically and figuratively for ' buds of
affection,' ' flowers of love.'
36. Makes. ' Accomplishes,' ' completes.'
37. Words him .... a great dent from the matter. 'Causes
him to be described in terms that are far from being warranted
by the truth.' " From" is here used in its sense of ' away from,"
I apart from,' ' contrary to ' See Note 30, Act i., " Othello."
680
PosthrtmHS. I dare you to this match: here's nn
Act I. Scene V
lack. Ay, and the approbation of those that33
weep this lamentable divorce, under her colours,39
are wonderfully to extend him;'lu be it but to
fortify her judgment, which else an easy battery
might lay flat, for taking n beggar without less
quality.'" But how comes it, he is to sojourn with
you ? how creeps acquaintance ?
Phi. His father and I were soldiers together;
to whom I have been often bound for no less than
38. The approbation 0/ those that weep . ... are wonder-
fully. The construction here is in accordance with a gram-
matical licence which allows " the approbation of those " to be
treated plurally and followed by " are," as if it were the appro-
bations or commendations of those persons. The sentence also
conveys the effect of ' It is the cue of those persons who give
him their approbation, to wonderfully,' &c.
39. Those .... miller her colours. ' Those who are on ner
side,' ' those who are her partisans.'
.-.40. To extend him. 'To stretch his praise,' ' to enlarge in
praise of him.' See Note 5 of this Act.
my life. — Here comes the Briton : let him be so
entertained amongst you as suits, with gentlemen
of your knowing, to a stranger of his quality. —
Enter Posthumus.
t beseech you all, be better known to this gentle-
man ; whom I commend to you as a noble friend
oi mine : how worthy he is I will leave to appear
hereafter, rather than story him in his own hearing.
4t. A beggar wit/tout less quality. Rowe changed " less " to
'more' here: while Malone accuses Shakespeare of "gram-
matical inaccuracy," and of using " words that express the very
contrary of what he means." Eut this is one of the passages
where Shakespeare uses the word " less" very peculiarly. See
Note 61, Act i., " Coriolanus." We take the sense of the
present passage to be, ' a beggar without even less quality than
a beggar's,' ' a beggar possessing even k^ (|uahty than a beggar
possesses.' Posthumus was born an orphan, and owed all to
the king's bounty and compassion ; a condition which the speaker
chooses to treat as being less than that of a beggar.
081
ZS2
Aer I.J
CY.MBELlNE.
[Scene V.
French. Sir, we have known42 together in
Orleans.
Post. Since when I have been debtor to you for
courtesies, which I will be ever to pay, and yet pay
still.
French. Sir, you o'er-rate my poor kindness : I
was glad I did atone43 my countryman and you;
it had been pity you should have been put together
with so mortal a purpose as then each bore, upon
importance44 of so slight and trivial a nature.
Post. By your pardon, sir, I was then a young
traveller; rather shunned to go even with45 what I
heard, than in my every action to be guided by
others' experiences: but, upon my mended judg-
ment,—if I offend not to say it is mended,46 — my
quarrel was not altogether slight.
French. Faith, yes, to be put to the arbitrament
of swords ; and by such two that would, by all
likelihood, have confounded4' one the other, or
have fallen both.
Iach. Can we, with manners, ask what was the
difference ?
French. Safely, I think: 'twas a contention in
public, which may, without contradiction, suffer
the report. It was much like an argument that
fell out last night, where each of us fell in praise of
our country mistresses; this gentleman at that
time vouching (and upon warrant of bloody affir-
mation) his to be more fair, virtuous, wise, chaste,
constant-qualified, and less attemptable, than any
the rarest of our ladies in France.
Iach. That lady is not now living ; or this
gentleman's opinion, by this, worn out.
Post. She holds her virtue still, and I my mind.
Iach. You must not so tar prefer her 'tore ours
of Italy.
Post. Being so far provoked as I was in France,
I would abate her nothing ; though I profess
myself her adorer, not her triend.48
Iach. As fair and as good, — a kind of hand-
in-hand comparison, — had been something too fair
and too good for any lady in Britauy. If she went
42. Known. ' Been acquainted.' See Note 92, Act ii.,
" Antony and Cleopatra."
43. Atone. 'Reconcile.' See Note 34, Act ii., "Antony
and Cleopatra."
44. Importance. Here used for ' import,.' ' matter,' ' subject,'
' concern.' See Note 26, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
45. Rather shunned to go even with. 6r>c. ' Rather avoided
acting in accordance with what I heard from others, than chose
lu have my every act guided by their experience.'
46. if 1 offend not to soy :t a 11. ended. The Folio omits
"ii"t." Inserted by Rowe.
47. Confounded. ' Destroyed.' See Note 51, Act iii.,
" Merchant of Venice."
48. Not her friend. An ellipsis for ' not merely her friend.'
" Fiiend" Was sometimes used in the sense of lover' (see Note
82, Act iii., " Antony and Cleopatra " ) ; and Posthumus avers
that he professes himself to he her adorer rather than her lover.
The Lcculiar mode in which Shakespeare uses the word
before others I have seen, as that diamond of yours
outlustres many I have beheld, I could not but
believe49 she excelled many : but I have not seen
the most precious diamond that is, nor you the
lady.
Post. I praised her as I rated her : so do I my
stone.
Iach. What do you esteem it at ?
Post. More than the world enjoys.
Iach. Either your unparagoned mistress is dead,
Or she's outprized by a trifle.
Post. You are mistaken: the one may be sold,
or given, if there were wealth enough50 for the
purchase, or merit for the gift: the other is not a
thing for sale, and only the gift of the gods.
Iach. Which the gods have given you ?
Post. Which, by their graces, I will keep.
Iach. You may wear her in title yours : but,
you know, strange fowl light upon neighbouring
ponds. Your ring may be stolen too : so, your
brace of unpnzable estimations, the one is but
frail, and the other casual ; a cunning thief, or a
that-way-accomplished courtier, would hazard the
winning both of first and last.
Post. Your Italy contains none so accomplished
a courtier to convince 51 the honour of my mistress;
if, in the holding or loss of that, you term her frail.
I do nothing doubt you have store of thieves ; not-
withstanding, I fear not my ring.
Phi. Let us leave5-' here, gentlemen.
Post. Sir, with all my heart. This worthy
signior, I thank hiin, makes no stranger ot ine ;
we are familiar at first.
Iach. With five times so much conversation, I
should get ground of your fair mistress ; make her
go back, even to the yielding, had I admittance,
and opportunity to friend.53
Post. No, no.
Iach. 1 dare thereupon pawn the moiety of my
estate to your ring ; which, in my opinion, o'er-
values it something : but I make my wager rather
against your confidence than her reputation : and,
"though" should be borne in mind, when interpreting this
speech ; and it appears to us that here " though " in all pro-
bability bears the sense of ' inasmuch as,' ' since.' See Note 28,
Act iii.. " Othello."
49. I could not but believe. The Folio omits " but." Inserted
by Malone.
50. If there -were wealth enough. The Folio inserts 'or'
before " if" here ; and, inasmuch as Shakespeare sometimes
uses the double "or" in a sentence, it maybe right here; but we
think, from the immediately preceding "or" before "given,"
it was very likely repeated before " if" by a printer's mistake.
Rowe made the correction.
51. Convince. 'Overcome,' 'conquer,' 'defeat.' See Note
128, Act 1., "Macbeth."
52. Leave. Used here for ' leave off,' ' cense ; ' ' discontinue
this discourse.'
53. To friend. 'To be my friend,' 'to befriend ute,' 'for
friend.' See Note 27, Act iii., " Julius Caesar."
Act I.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene VI.
to liar your offence herein too, I durst attempt it ' Pest. I embrace these conditions ; let us have
against any lady in the world. [articles betwixt us. — Only, thus far you shall
Post. You are a great deal abused M in too bold . answer : if you make your voyage, and give me
a persuasion ; and I doubt not you sustain what ', directly to understand you have prevailed, I am no
you 're worthy of by your attempt.
lack. What's that ?
Post. A repulse : though your attempt, as vou
call it, deserve more, — a punishment too.
Phi. Gentlemen, enough of this : it came in
too suddenly ; let it die as it was born, and, I pray
you, be better acquainted.
lack. Would I had put my estate and my
neighbour's on the approbation" of what I have
spoke !
Post. What lady would you choose to assail ?
Iach. Yours ; whom in constancv vou think
stands so safe. I will lay you ten thousand ducats
to your ring, that, commend me to the court where
your lady is, with no more advantage than the let us follow '<
opportunity of a second conference, and I will
hring from thence that honour of hers which vou
imagine so reserved.
Post. I will wage against your gold, gold to it :
my ring I hold dear as my finger; 'tis part of it.
Iach. You are a friend, and therein the wiser. 5S
If you buy ladies' flesh at a million a. dram, you
cannot preserve it from tainting : but I see you
have some religion in you, that you fear.
Post. This is but a custom in your tongue ; vou
bear a graver purpose, I hope.
Iach. I am the master of my speeches; and
would undergo what 's spoken, I swear.
Post. Will you? — I shall but lend my diamond
till your return : — let there be covenants drawn
between us : my mistress exceeds in goodness the
hugeness of your unworthy thinking : I dare you
to this match : here 's my ring.
Phi. I will have it no lay.5?
Iach. By the gods, it is one. — If I hring vou no
sufficient testimony that I have won your mistress,
my ten thousand ducats are yours ; so is vour dia-
mond too: if I come off, and leave her58 in such
honour as you have trust in, she your jewel, this
your jewel, and my gold are yours ; — provided I
have your commendation, for my more free
entertainment.
farther your enemy ; she is not worth our debate :
if she remain unseduced, — you not making it
appear otherwise, — for your ill opinion, and the
assault you have made to _ her chastity, you shall
answer me with your sword.
Iach. Your hand, — a covenant : we will have
these things set down by lawful counsel, and
straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should
catch cold and starve:59 I will fetch my gold, and
have our two wagers recorded.
Post. Agreed.
[Exeunt Posthumus an i Iachimo.
French. Will this hold, think you?
Phi. Signior Iachimo will not from it. Prav,
[Exeunt.
54. Abused. ' Deceived.' See context of passage referred to
in Note 47, Act iv., "Othello," for "abused" employed in a
similar sense.
55. Approbation. Here used for ' proof.' See Note 22 Act i
" Henry V "
56. You are a friend, and therein tile wiser. "A friend "
has been changed by Theobald and others to ' afraid ; ' but we
think that Iachimo says " a friend " in sneering allusion to Post-
humus's having said, " I profess myself her adorer, not her
friend; " and means to imply, ' You are a friend or lover), not
an adorer, and therein the wiser, since women are not worthy
of adoration and worship, as immaculate beings.' It appears to
us that the word " religion," at the close of this speech, tends to
show that our conviction of the sense of the passage is right :
SCENE VI.— Britain. J Room in Cvmue-
line's Palace.
Enter Queen, Ladies, and Cornelius.
Slueen. Whiles yet the dew 's on ground, gather
those flowers ;
Make haste : who has the note of them ?
First Lady. I, madam.
Queen. Dispatch. — [Exeunt Ladies.
Now, master doctor, have you brought those
drugs ?
Cor. Pleaseth your highness, ny : nere thev are,
madam : [Presenting a small box.
But I beseech vour grace, without offence, —
My conscience bids ine ask, — wherefore you have
Commanded of me these most poisonous com-
pounds,
Which are the movers of a languishing death ;
But, though slow, deadly ?
Thou ask'st me
been
uch
I wonder, doctor,
a question. Have I
and if emphasis be placed on "some" before "religion." we
think the meaning of the whole passage, as we interpret it, will
be clear.
57. Lay. 'Wager,' 'bet.' See Note 17, Act v., "Second
Part Henry VI."
58. If I bring you no sufficient . . . . if I come off, and
leave cVf. This is put in the form of a converse proposition
(see Note 66, Act iv.. " 1'imon of Athens : " and Note 187, Act
iv., "Winter's Tale") : but it is in accordance with Iachimo's
designing manner. He affects to state the terms of the wager
on both sides ; but he. in fact, proposes them so that they shal'
suggest, either way. Posthumus's winning.
59. Starve. ' Die.' ' perish.' " Starve " was anciently thus
used ; though, modemly, it is almost exclusively used for ' die
of hunger,' and sometimes, as here, 'perish with cold.'
683
Act I.]
-CYMBELINE.
[Scene VI.
Thy pupil long? Hast thou not Iearn'd me
how
To make perfumes ? distil ? preserve ? yea, so
That our great king himself doth woo me oft
For my confections ? Having thus far pro-
ceeded,—
Unless thou think'st me devilish, — is 't not meet
That I did amplify my judgment in
Other conclusions?60 I will try the forces
Of these thy compounds on such creatures as
We count not worth the hanging, — but none
human, —
To try the vigour of them, and apply
Allay men Is to their act; and by them gather
Their several virtues and effects.
Cor. Your highness
Shall from this practice but make hard your
heart :
Besides, the seeing these effects will be
Both noisome and infectious.
Queen. Oh, content thee. —
[Aside.] Here comes a flattering rascal ; upon
him
Will I first work : he 's for his master,
And enemy to my son. — ■
Enter Pisanio.
How now, Pisanio ! — ■
Doctor, your service for this time is ended ;
Take your own way.
Cor. [Aside. ] I do suspect you, madam ;
But vou shall do no harm.
Queen. [To Pisanio.] Hark thee, a word.
Cor. [Aside.] I do not like her. She doth think
she has
Strange lingering poisons : I do know her spirit,
And will not trust one of her malice with
A drug of such fell nature. Those she has
Will stupify and dull the sense awhile j
Which first, perchance, she'll prove on cats and
dogs,
Then afterward up higher : but there is
No danger in what show of death it makes,
More than the locking up the spirits a time,
To be more fresh, reviving. She is fool'd
With a most false effect ; and I the truer,
So to be false with her.61
60. Conclusions. 'Experiments.' See Note 67, Act v.,
" Antony and Cleopatra."
61. So to be false with her. Far from agreeing with Dr.
Johnson — who pronounces this soliloquy to be " very inartificial."
and says that Cornelius " makes a long speech to tell himself
what himself knows " — we think that these lines, spoken apart,
are in strict accordance with Shakespeare's felicitous system of
dramatic art on such occasions. See Note 101, Act iii.,
rwolfth Night." The present soliloquy is characteristic,
inasmuch as it emanates from a reflective man, a student, one
accustomed to ponder upon his experiments, and to render him-
self an account of the effects they will produce ; in tin' next
place, it serves the purpose of info|ming the audience what is
Qiieen. No farther service, doctor,
Until I send for thee.
Cor. I humbly take my leave.
[Exit.
Queen. Weeps she still, sa\'st thou? Dost
thou think in time
She will not quench,6- and let instructions enter
Where folly now possesses ? TJo thou work :
When thou shalt bring me word she loves my
son,
I'll tell thee on the instant thou art then
As great as is thy master ; greater, — for
His fortunes all lie speechless, and his name
Is at last gasp : return he cannot, nor
Continue where he is : to shift his being,61
Is to exchange one misery with another ;
And every day that comes, comes to decay
A day's work in hiin. What shalt thou expect,
To be depender on a thing that leans/'4 —
Who cannot be new built, nor has no friends,
So much as but to prop him ? — [The Queen drops
the box; Pisanio takes it up.] — Thou tak'st
up
Thou know'st not what ; but take it for thy
labour :
It is a thing I made, which hath the king
Five times redeem'd from death : I do not know
What is more cordial : — nay, I pr'ythee, take it ;
It is an earnest of a farther good
That I mean to thee. Tell thy mistress how
The case stands with her ; do 't as from thyself.
Think what a chance thou changest on ; 63 but
think
Thou hast thy mistress still, — to boot, my son,
Who shall take notice of thee : I'll move the
king
To any shape of thy preferment, such
As thou'lt desire; and then myself, I chiefly,
That set thee on to this desert, am bound
To load thy merit richly. Call my women :
Think on my words. [Exit Pisanio.
A sly and constant knave ;
Not to be shak'd : the agent for his master ;
And the remembrancer of her, to hold
The handfast to her lord. — I have given him that,
Which, if he take, shall rjuite unpeople her
Of leigers for her sweet ; 6li and which she after,
the nature of the drugs thus entrusted to the queen's power, and
prepares for the incident of Imogen's return to life after having
swallowed them.
62. Quench. 'Abate her warmth,' 'grow cool,' 'become
subdued.'
63. To shift /lis being. ' To change his abode ; ' ' to change
his mode of existence.'
64. Leans, 'Droops,' ' is in a falling condition.'
65. Think what a chance thou changest on. This has been
variously altered; but we take the passage, as it stands, to
signify, ' Think what a prospect of fortune you change allegiance
for ' See Note 79, Act iv.
66. Leigers for her sweet. ' Resident embassadors for her
Act I.]
CVMBELINE.
[Scene VII.
Except she bend her humour, shall be assur'd
To taste of too.
Re-enter Pisanio and Ladies.
Sq} so; — well done, well done ;
The violets, cowslips, and the primroses,
Bear to my closet.07^ Fare thee well, Pisanio ;
Think on my words.
[Exeunt Queen and Ladies.
P'n. And shall do ;
But when to my good lord I prove untrue,
I'll chqke myself: there 's all I'll do for you.
[Exit.
SCENE V\\.-,Ano:her Room In the Palace.
Enter Imogen.
Fmo% A father cruel, and a step-dame false;
A foolish suitor to a wedded lady,
That hath her husband banish'd ;— Oh, that hus-
band !
My supreme crown of grief! and those repeated
Vexations of it ! Had I been thief-stol'n,
beloved husband,' 'those who are permanent promoters of
Posthumus's interests in, Britain during his absence abroad.'
See Note 12, Act iii., " Measure for Measure."
67. The violets, cowslips, and th- primroses, b-ar to 7iiy
closet. The art with which the poet and dramatist has placed
these words in the mouth of this queen, miscreant is worthy of
remark. He makes her use these beauteous and innocent
products of earth as mere cloaks to her wickedness; she con-
cocts " perfum.es " an i "confections" from them, as a veil to
the "drugs" and "poisonous compounds" which she collects
for the fellest purposes. It enhances the effect of her guilt, her
thus farcing these sweet blossom,* to beco:n,e accomplices in her
vile schemes ; and we loathe her the niore for her surrounding her
unhallowed self with their loveliness Moreover, she is un-
touched by their grace ; she has learned no lesson from their
exquisite structure, colour, fragrance ; she looks upon them, as
mere means to an end— and that end a bad one. Observe, too,
how skilfully Shakespeare has made this evil woman order her
ladies to "gather thqse flowers **' how she desires that they
shall be borne to her "closet" — her laboratory; not gathering
them or carrying them, herself ; not caring for the touch, and
scent, and sight of these gentle things — that all good people
instinctively love, and cherish, and caress. How different is the
poet's treatment of the subject, where he makes the virtuous
Friar Lawrence rise with the dawn, himself to gather the
"precious-juiced flowers," "ere the sun advance his burning
eye ;" and dilating with fond enthusiasm, on their " many virtues
excellent," and philosophising on their varied qualities and
pUfpOSes. Supplementary to this higher ethical teaching of the
great moralist, Shakespeare how truly we see the man of rural
natural knowledge, in his being aware of the fact that morning-
gathered flowers remain longest fresh and unwithered !
68. But most miserable is the ties ire that 's glorious. 'But
most doomed to disappointment is the exalted aspiration.* She
is thinking of her desire to have her ch'jsen noble-natured
husband by her side, instead of having the mean-souled Cloten
forced upon her notice.
69. Seasons. ' Gives zest or relish to ; ' ' renders more pleasant
and acceptable.' See Note 95. Acti., "Hamlet"
70 Change vou, vttdam ? How by these three little words
As my two brothers, happy ! but most miserable
Is the desire that's glorious ;fifi bless'd be those,
How mean soe'er, that have their honest wills,
Which seasons69 comfort.— Who iriay this be?
Fie!
Enter Pisanio and Iachimo.
Pis. Madam, a noble gentleman of Rome,
Comes from my lord with letters,
lach. Change you, madam ?"°
The worthy Leonatus is in safety,
And greets your highness dearly.
[Presents a letter.
Into. Thanks, good sir ;
You are kindly welcome.
Iach. [J side.] All of her, that is out of door,
most rich !
If she be furnish'd with a mind so rare,
She is alone the Arabian bird j?1 and 1
r^ave lost the wager. Boldness be my friend !
Arm me, audacity, from head to foot !
Or, like the Parthian, I shall flying tight j
Rather, directly fly,
ImO. [Reads.] rfe is one of the no' lest x note, tp whose
kindnesses I am most infinitely tied. Reflect upon him accord;
ingly, as you value yoiir trust"3 — Leonatus.
the dramatist lets us behold the sudden pallor and as sudden
flush of crimson that bespread the wife's face at this instant.
See Note 43, Act iii., " As You Like It."
71. The Arabian bird. "The phcenix." See Note 7, Act
iii., "Antony apd Cleopatra."
72. As y-ait value your trust — Leonatus. Hanmer and others
have changed "trust" to 'truest' here, making the word an
epithet to "Leonatus;" thus treating the sentence as a con-
cluding one, introductory of the signature. There is a plausi-
bility in the alteration : but \ye take the sentence, as it stands^
to be a fragmentary one ; one that occurs in the midst of the
letter, and selected by Imogen, as that which she will "read,
aloud," since it contains complimentary mention of the by-
stander and bearer of the letter, and serves for his credential of
introduction to her. There has probably been some previous
mention of Iachimo by name in the letter, since the sentence
commences with " He ;" and we think it more likely that " the
rest," which warms the very middle of the wife's heart, comes
between this sentence and the signature, than that this sentence
forms the plosing one of the letter. She hastily selects thp
words she will "read aloud," and then subjoins the name of
him who signs the letter, by way of giving force to his in-
junction ; but her eye glances at "the rest" that intervenes,
until she shall be left by herself to re read it fondly and enjoy It
fully. Mason objects to the word " trust," on the ground that
"were Leonatus writing to his steward, this style might be
proper ; but it is so strange a conclusion of a letter to a princess
and a beloved wife, that it cannot be right." ]\Jr Mason should
have borne in mind the peculiar mode in which Shakespeare
sometimes uses the possessive case (see, among many other
instances, "your injuries," "your displeasure," "your rich
opinion," "your reproof,'' &c, Note 6, Act iii., "Othello;"
Note 37, Act ii., "Antony and Cleopatra'' ; and that therefore
" your trust " is probably here intended to express ' the trust I
r^p^se in you." Towards the close of the present scene Iachimo;
exclaims —
" Oh, happy Leonatus ' I may say :
The credit that thy lady hath of thee
Deserves thy trust."
And not unfrequeiilly we may learn the sense in which a word
Act I.]
CYMBELINE.
[SCEUTE VII.
So t'.ir I read aloud :
But even the very middle of my heart
Is vvarm'd by the rest, and takes it thankfully. —
You are as welcome, worthy sir, as
Have words to bid you; and shall find it so,
In all that I can do.
lach. Thanks, fairest lady. —
What! are men mad? Hath nature given them
eyes ?3
To see this vaulted arch, and the rich crop'4
Or sea and land, which can distinguish 'twixt
The fiery orbs above, and the twinn'd stones"5
Upon the number' d beach ':•'' and can we not
Partition make with spectacles so precious
'Twixt fair and foul?
Imo. What makes your admiration f
lach. It cannot be i' the eye; for apes an.l
monkeys,
' Twixt two such sties,?? would chatter this way,
and
Contemn with mows the oilier: nor i' the ju la-
ment ;
For idiots, in this case of favour, would
Be wisely definite : nor i' the appetite ;
Sluttery, to such neat excellence oppos'd,
Should make desire vomit emptiness,
Not so allur'd to feed.
Imi. Wnat is the matter, trow ?73
Inch. The clove 1 will, —
That satiate yet unsatisfied desire, that tub
Both fill'd and running, — ravening first the lamb,
Longs after for the garbage.
Imi. What, dear sir,
Thus raps you ?"9 Are you well ?
lach. Thanks, madam; well. — [To Pisanio.]
Beseech you, sir, desire
Mv man's abode where I did leave him : he
Is strange and peevish.'"1
is used by our author, from observing how he employs it in a
pissage no: far removed from the one in question. Shakespeare,
in many passages, uses "trust" with the exalted and even
sacred meaning which this word, in its fullest sense, includes ;
and he m.iy mist assuredly have thus us-d it in a letter from
husband to wife.
73. Hath nature given thsm eyes to see .... an.i can
we not, Ore. "Them" and "we,'' in this sentence, present a
similar change of pron )un to thrt pointed out in Note 14 of this
Act ; yet the sticklers for consistency, who wish to make
Shakespeare's varied style accord with their conventional ideas
.of correctness, have not noticed this instance of his peculiar
construction, though they find fault with an attempt to al.er
the other one.
74. The rich crop. Warburton proposed to alter " crop" to
1 cope : ' but " crop " is here used to express ' produce.'
75. The twinn'd stones. ' The stones alike as twins,' ' the
stones as like one another as twins.'
. 76. The number' d beach. 'The beach composed of num-
bers,' ' the beach consisting of numbers.'
77. 'Twixt two suck shes. See Note 32 of this Act.
78. What is the matter trow? See Note 59, Act iii.,
" Much Ado about Nothing."
79. RaJ*s you. 'Transports you,' 'seizes your imagina-
Pis. 1 was going, sir,
To give him welcome. [Exit.
Imo. Continues well my lord: His health,
beseech you 'r
Inch. Well, madam.
Imo. Is he dispos'd to mirth r I hope he is.
Iach. Exceeding pleasant ; none a stranger there
So merry and so gamesome : he is call'd
The Briton reveller.
Imo. When he was here,
He did incline to sadness; and oft-times
Not knowing why.
lack. I never saw him sad.
There is a Frenchman his companion, one
An eminent monsieur, that, it seems, much loves
A Gallian girl at home : he furnaces sl
The thick sighs from him ; whiles the jolly
Briton, —
Your lord, 1 mean, — laughs from 's free lungs,
cries, " Oh,
Can mv sides hold, to think, that man, — who
knows
By history, report, or his own proof,
What woman is, yea, what she cannot choose
But must be, — will his free hours languish tor
Assured bondage ?"82
Imo. Will my lord say so ?
lach. Av, madam; with his eyes in flood with
laughter :
It is a recreation to be by,
And hear him mock the Frenchman. But, heavens
know,
Some men are much to blame:
Imo. Not he, I hope.
lach. Not he : but yet Heaven's bounty towards
him might
Be us'd more thankfully. In himself, 'tis much ;
In you, — which I 'count his, — beyond all talents.
tion,' 'carries you into this fit of wondering abstraction.' See
Nute 56, Act i., " Macbeth."
80. He is strange and peevish. ' He is a foreigner and a
simpleton.' See Note 9", Act iv., "Comedy of Errors," and
Note 100 of the present Act and play.
81. Furnaces. Shakespeare has evidently so well liked the
humorous simile used in the passage referred to in Note 84,
Act ii., "As You Like It," that he has here framed a forcible
verb from the noun there employed.
82. Will his free hours languish /or assured bondage.
Although the phrase, as it is, may be interpreted to mean, ' will
languish away his ftee hours for the sake of assured bondage,'
yet we think it not improbable that the Folio version of the
phrase, " will 's free houres languish : For assured bondage,"
may be a misprint for ' will in V free hours languish for assured
bondage.' ' In 's ' would be accordant with several similar
clisional contractions that occur in this play. Nevertheless, it
is true that "languish" was sometimes used in Shakespeare's
time as a verb active ; and therefore we leave the text undis-
turbed.
83. In you. — which I 'count his,— beyond alt talents. The
present passage is, we think, generally mispuuetuuted and mis-
interpreted ; probably owing to the Folio having put no stop
whatever after " his." We believe that the entire sentence
687
Act l.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene VII.
Whilst I am bound to wonder, I am bound
To pity too.
lino. What do you pity, sir ?
lach. Two creatures heartily.
Imo. Am I one, sir?
You look on me ; what wreck discern you in me
Deserves your p.ty ?
lach. Lamentable ! What,
To hide me from the radiant sun, and solace5'
1' the dungeon by a snuff?
Imo. I pray you, sir,
Deliver with more openness your answers
To my demands. Why do you pity me ?
lach. That others do,
I was about to say, enjoy your But
It is an office of the gods to venge it,
Not mine to speak on 't.
Imo. You do seem to know
Something of me, or what concerns me : pray vou
(Since doubting83 things go ill often hurts more
Than to be sure thev do ; tor certainties
Either are past remedies, or, timely knowing,
The remedy then born)86 discover to me
What both you spur and stop.8'"
lach. Had I this cheek
To bathe my lips upon ; this hand, whose touch,
Whose every touch, would force the feeler's soul
To the oath of loyalty ; this object, which
Takes prisoner the wild motion of mine eye,
Fixing it only here ; — should 1 (curs'd then)
Slaver with lips as common as the stairs
That mount the Capitol ; join gripes with hands
Made hard with hourlv falsehood (falsehood, as
With labour); then by-peeping88 in an eye
Base and unlustrous39 as the smoky light
That 's fed with stinking tallow, — it were fit
That all the plagues of hell should at one tune
Encounter such revolt.
Imo. My lord, [ fear,
Has forgot Britain.
lach. And himself. Not I,
Inclm'd to this intelligence, pronounce
The beggary of his change ; but 'tis your graces
That, from my mutest conscience, to my tongue,
Charms this report out.
Imo. Let me hear no more.
lach. Oh, dearest soul, your cause doth strike
my heart
With pity, that doth make me sick ! A lady
So fair, and fasten'd to an emperv,y"
Would make the great'st king double, — to be
partner'd
With tomboys,91 hir'd with that self-exhibition93
Which your own coffers yield! with diseas'd
ventures
That play with all infirmities for gold
Which rottenness can lend nature! such boil'd
stuff
As well might poison poison ! Be rcveng'd ;
Or she that bore you was no queen, and _\ou
Recoil from your great stock.
Imo. Reveng'd !
How should I be reveng'd ? If this lie true,—
As I have such a heart that both mine ears
Must not in haste abuse,93-^if it be true,
How should I be reveng'd ?
lach. Should he make me live like Diana's
priest,
Whiles he is vaulting variable ramps,
In your despite, upon your purse ? Revenge it.
I dedicate myself to \our sweet pleasure ;
More noble than that runagate to _\ our bed ;
Ami will continue fast to your affection,
Still close as sure.
Imo. What, ho, Pisanio!94
lach. Let me my service tender on your lips'.
Imo. Away ! — -I do condemn mine ears that
signifies, ' As regards himself and his own good qualities,
Heaven's bounty is much ; as regard's you, — whom I reckon
his by divine gift, — Heaven's bounty is beyond ail sums of
wealth.' The word " talents " was sometimes used to express
an indefinite amount, or article of great value (see Note 3^,
Act i., " Timon of Athens*'1; and Shakespeare, in stanza 30
of his poem called " A Lover's Complaint," employs it to de-
scribe rich masses of hair.
84. Solace. ' Take joy,' " take delight.' See Note 34, Act iv.,
" Romeo and Juliet."
85. Doubting. Here used in the sense of ' dreading,' ' having
a misgiving that.' See Note 42, Act ii., " Hamlet."
86. Or. timely knowing, the remedy then born. Elliptically
expressed; ' them ' being understood after "knowing," and
'is' after "remedy." The present passage affords an instance
of one of Shakespeare's forcible parentheses. See Note 10, Act
iii., " Winter's Tale." Put into the mouth of Imogen, it has
characteristic effect: aiding to show how admirably she coin-
bines reflection, good sense, moral courage, and a sedate strength
of mind, with her feminine sweetness, gentleness, tenderness,
and generosity of affection.
87. What botii you 'pur and stop. 'That information which
have
you urge forward as seeming eager to utter, yet which you
check as seeming unwilling to utter.' The sentence has figura-
tive allusion to horsemanship.
88. By-peeping. This lias been changed to 'lie peeping,'
'bide peeping,' and 'bo-peeping;' but the original word seems
to us to be equivalent to ' leering,' ' ogling,' 'casting side way
or stealthy glances.'
89. Unlustrous. The Folio misprints 'illustrious.' Rowe's
correction,
90. Entpery. ' Imperial sway,' ' supreme command,' ' sove-
reign dominion.' See Note 51, Act i., " Henry V."
91. Tomboys. ' Hoydens,' ' bold roystering wenches.'
92. T/uit self-exhibition. 'That selfsame stipend.' See
Note 42, Act iv., "Ring Lear," and Note 32, Act i., "Two
Gentlemen of Verona."
93. As I Slave such a tu\irt that both mine ears must not lit
luiste abuse. Noble Imogen! model to your sistei women, for
love with warmth of impulse in it, yet not such impulse as
curies temper and judgment away '
94. What, ho, Pisanio ! Observe how, upon the villain
revealing himself, she does not even answer him, but calls her
faithful servant to her side before replying.
683
Act I.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene VII.
So long attended thee It tliou wert honourable,
Thou wouldst have told this tale for virtue, not
For such an end thou seek'st, — as base as strange.
Thou wrong'st a gentleman, who is as far
From thy report as thou from honour; and
Solicit'st here a lady that disdains
Thee and the devil alike. — What ho, Pisanio!— •
The king my father shall be made acquainted
Of thy assault: if he shall think it tit,
A saucy stranger, in his court, to mart
As in a Romish1'5 stew, and to expound
His beastly mind to us, — he hath a court
He little cares for, and a daughter whom
He not respects at all. — What ho, Pisanio! —
lack. Oh, happy Leonatus! I may say :
The credit that thy lady hath of thee
Deserves thy trust ; and thy most perfect goodness
Her assur'd credit. — Blessed live you long!
A lady to the worthiest sir that ever
Country call'd his! and you his mistress, only
For the most worthiest fit! Give me your pardon.
I have spoke this, to know if your affiance36
Were deeply rooted ; and shall make your lord,
That which he is, new o'er: and he is one
The truest manner'd ; such a holy witch, ,J7
That he enchants societies into him ;9S
Half all men's hearts are his.
Imo. You make amends.
Inch. He sits 'mongst men like a descended
god:
He hath a kind of honour sets him off,
More than a mortal seeming. Be not angry,
Most mighty princess, that I have adventur'd
To try your taking of a false report ; which hath
Honour' d with confirmation your great judgment
In the election of a sir so rare,
Which you know cannot err: the love I bear him
Made me to fan you thus; hut the gods made you,
Unlike all others, chaffless. Pray, your pardon.
lino. All 's well, sir : take my power i' the
court for yours.
95. Romish. Formerly sometimes used for 'Roman;' now
generally used for ' Popish.'
96. Affiance. 'Reliance,' 'trust,' 'confidence.' See Note
70, Act it, " Henry V."
97. Such a Iwly witch. Like several other words that are
now only used in application to women, "witch" was formerly
used for a male practiser of the forbidden arts of magic and
sorcery, as well as for a female practiser of them.
98. tie enchants societies into hint. " Into"' is here used
where 'unto' is generally employed. Other writers besides
Shakespeare have so used the word ; and in the present passage
it has specially good effect, from its according with the image
presented of enchanting those around him into his magic circle.
lajj. My humble thanks. I had almost forgot
To entreat your grace but in a small request,
And yet of moment too, for it concerns
Your lord ; myself, and other noble friends,
Are partners in the business.98
Imo. Piav, what is 't ?
Inch. Some dozen Romans of us, and your
lord —
The best feather of our wing,— have mingled.
sums
To buy a present for the emperor;
Which I, the factor for the rest, have done
[n France: 'tis plate of rare device, and jewels
Officii and exquisite form ; their values great;
And I am something curious, being strange, lm
To have them in safe stowage : may it please you
To take them in protection ?
Imo. Willingly ;
And pawn mine honour for their safely : since
My lord hath interest in them, I will keep them
In my bedchamber.
Itch. They are in a trunk,
Attended by my men : I will make hold
To send them to you, only isur this night ;
I must aboard to-morrow.
Imo. Oh, no, no;
Inch. Yes, I beseech ; or I shall short my word.
By lengthening my return. From Gallia
I cross'd the seas on purpose ami on promise
To see your grace.
Imo. li thank you. for your pains s
But not away to-morrow !'
Inch. Oh, I must, madam :.
Therefore I shalbbeseech you, if you please
To greet your lord with writing, do 't to-night e
I have outstood'tny time ; which is material
To the tender of otar present.
Imo. I will write.
Send your trunk to me ; it shall safe be kept,
And truly yielded you. You're very welcome.
[Exeunt.
99. For it concerns your lordl myself, and other noble
friends, are partners in the business. ' With him' is ellipti-
cally understood after "partners." Some editors place a
comma after " lord," and understand ' who' before " are ; " but
we think that Iachimoconcludes the first clause of his sentence
with "your lord," and adds the partnership of himself and
friends as a concluding clause of comparatively slight im.
portance.
roo. / ant something curious, being strajige. " Something
curious" is used in the- sense of ' rather careful,' 'somewhat
anxious or solicitous' (see Note 46, Act i. , "All's Well that
Ends Well"); and '^strange" for 'foreign' or 'a foreigner.'
See Note 80 of this Act.
689
253
Act II.]
CYMBELINE.
["Scenes I., II.
ACT II.
SCENE I.— Britain. Court before Cymbelines
Palace.
Enter Cloten and nvo Lords.
CIo. Was there ever man had such luck! when
I kissed the jack,1 upon an up-cast to be hit away !
I had a hundred pound un't: and then a jack-
anapes must take me up- for swearing; as if I
borrowed mine oaths of him, and might not spend
them at my pleasure.
First Lord. What got he by that? You have
broke his pate with your bowl.
Sec. Lord. [Aside!] If his wit had been like him
that broke it, it would have run all out.
Clo. When a gentleman is disposed to swear, it
is not for any standers-by to curtail his oaths, ha ?
Sec. Lord. No, my lord ; [aside] nor crop the
ears ot them.
Clo. Dog ! — I give him satisfaction ?3 Would
he had been one of my rank ! 4
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] To have smelt like a fool.
Clo. I am not vexed more at anything in the
earth, — A plague on'l! I had rather not be so
noble as I am ; they dare not light with me,
because of the queen my mother : every Jack-
slave hath his bellyful of fighting, and I must go
up and down like a cock that nobody can match.
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] You are cock and capon
too; and you crow, cock, with your comb on.5
Clo. Sayest thou ?
Sec. Lord. It isnot fit6 your lordship should under-
take every companion? that you give offence to.
Clo. No, I know that: but it is tit I should
commit offence to my inferiors.
Sec. Lord. Ay, it is fit for your lordship only.
Clo. Why, so I say.
First Lord. Did you hear of a stranger that 's
come to court to-night ?
Clo. A stranger, and I not know on 't!
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] He 's a strange fellow him-
self, and knows it not.
First Lord. There 's an Italian come ; ami, 'tis
thought, one of Leonatus' friends.
Clo. Leonatus! a banished rascal; and he's
i. Kissed the jack. A term used in the game of bowls. See
Note 21, Act iii., " Troilus and Cressida." " Upon an up cast"
means ' by .' throw from another bowler directed straight up.'
2. Takemeup. Punningly used ; as in the passage explained
in Note ti7, Act ii., "All's Well," &c.
3 / give him satisfaction^ The first Folio has 'gave' for
" give ;" corrected in the second Folio.
4. Runic. Cloten says this in the sense of ' degree/ ' station ; '
the second lord replies to it quibblingly in the sense of 'rancid,'
'offensively scented.' Sec Note 36, Act i., "As You Like It,"
another, whatsoever he be. Who told you of this
stranger ?
First Lord. One of your lordship's pages.
Clo. Is it fit I went to look upon him ? is there
no derogation in 't ?
First Lord. You cannot derogate, my lord.
Clo. Not easily, I think.
Sec. Lord. [Aside.] You are a fool granted ;
therefore your issues,8 being foolish, do not
derogate.
Clo. Come, I II go see this Italian : what I
have lost to-day at bowls I'll win to-night of him.
Come, go.
Sec. Lord. I'll attend your lordship.
[Exeunt Cloten and First Lord.
That such a crafty devil as is his mother
Should yield the world this ass ! a woman that
Bears all down with her brain ; and this her son
Cannot take two from twenty, for his heart,
And leave eighteen. Alas! poor princess,
Thou divine Imogen, what thou endur'at! —
Betwixt a father by thy step-dame govern'd ;
A mother hourly coining plots ; a wooer
More hateful than the foul expulsion is
Of thy dear husband, than that horrid act
Of the divorce he 'd make ! The heavens hold firm
The walls of" thy dear honour ; keep unshak'd
That temple, thy fair mind ; that thou mayst stand,
To enjoy thy banish'd lord and this great land !
[Exit.
SCENE II. — Imogen's Bedchamber in Cymbe-
line's Palace : on one side, a trunk.
Imogen reading in her bed ; a Lady attending
Into. Who's there? my woman Helen ?
Lady. Please you, madam.
Into. What hour is it ?
Lady. Almost midnight, madam.
Imo. I have read three hours, then : mine eyes
are weak :
5. ]"('« craw, cock, with your comb on. Meaning, 'you are
a coxcomb.'
6. It is not Jit, cV<r. This speech has been assigned by
Johnson and others to the first lord ; but it appears to us to
be the ironical reply made by the second lord, in answer to
Cloten's asking him what he has muttered to himself.
7. Companion. Often, as here, used contemptuously, to
signify ' low fellow.' See Note 40, Act iv., "Julius Caesar."
8. Issues. 'Procedures,' 'acts.' See Note 56, Act iii.,
" Julius Caesar."
690
Act II.]
CYMDELINE.
[SCENE II.
Fold down the leaf where I have left : to bed :
Take not away the taper, leave it burning;
And if thou canst awake by four o' the clock,
I pr'ythee, call me.9 Sleep hath seiz'd me wholly.
[Exit Lady.
To your protection I commend me, gods!
From fairies, and the tempters of the night,
Guard me, beseech ye !
[Sleeps, Iachimo comes from the trunk,
lacb. The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd
sense
Repairs itself by rest. — Our Tarquin10 thus
Did softly press the rushes," ere he waken'd
The chastity he wounded. — Cytherea,12
How bravely thou becom'st thy bed .' fresh lily!
And whiter than the sheets! That I might
touch!
Hut kiss; one kiss! — Rubies unparagon'd,
How dearly they do 't: — 'Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper
Bows toward her ; and would under-peep her lids,
To see the enclosed lights, now canopied
Under these windows,13 white and azure, lae'd
With blue of heaven's own tinct. H — But my
design,
To note the chamber :15 I will write all down : —
g. Almost midnight .... if thou canst awake by four
o' the clock, I pr'ythee, call me. Shakespeare has been carerul
to mark the time at the commencement of this scene by the
words " almost midnight," and yet so to carry on the imagina-
tion by the mention of "fonro' the clock" next morning, as to
induce us to believe we witness the lapse of hours needful to
bring in naturally Iacliimo's counting the clock by the words,
" One, two, three," at the close of this same scene. Notwith-
standing, Malone has a note here complaining that "our author
is hardly ever e\-act in his computation of time." The poet's
system of dramatic time is so original, so ingenious, that it
beguiles our fancy into accepting that which we behold as a
perfect poetic representation of the period necessary to the
incidents and story. We feel as if we had actually seen this
night of innocence lying at the mercy of guilty calumny, as if
we had felt the long, lagging hours that press their weight upon
the calumniator, rendering him unable to breathe freely in the
pure atmosphere of beauty and virtue ; and this impression it
was the cue of the dramatist to produce.
10. Our Tarquin. The propriety of this pronoun "our" in
the mouth of Iachimo will be felt, when it is remembered that
he is an Italian.
11. The rushes. Alluding to the ancient custom of strewing
rushes on the floors of apartments. See Note 70, Act i.,
" Romeo and Juliet "
12. Cytherea. One of the many poetical names given to
Venus. See Note 79. Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
13. These windows. Her eyelids ; the casements to her eyes.
This same epithet, applied to eyelids, occurs in the speech re-
ferred to in Note 11, Act iv., " Romeo and Juliet:" "Thy eyes'
windows fall, like death, when he shuts up the day of life."
14. White and azure, lac' tt with blue of heaven's own Unci.
This phrase has been variously altered ; but we think, as it
stands, it may either be taken to designate the delicate tint of
blneish white, which is the hue of young eyelids, superlaced
with threading veins of a deeper blue, or it may describe the lids
of white and azure, the azure being the blue veins which inter-
lace the white skin.
15. But my design, to note the chamber. This is the reading
Co
Such and such pictures; — there the window; — such
I he adornment of her bed ; — the arras, figures,
Why, such and such ; — and the contents o' the
story, —
Ah ! but some natural notes about her body,
Above ten thousand meaner movables
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory: —
Oh, sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
.And be her sense but as a monument,10
Thus in a chapel lying ! — Come otF, come off; —
[Taking off her bracelet.
As slippery as the Gordian knot" was hard !—
'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within,
To the madding of her lord. — On her left breast
A mole cinque-spotted,18 like the crimson drops
1' the bottom of a cowslip : here's a voucher,
Stronger than ever law could make : this secret
Will force him think I have pick'd the lock, and
ta'en
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what
end ?
Why should I write this down, that 's riveted,
Screw'd to my memory? — She hath been reading
late
The tale of Tereus;13 here the leaf's turn'd down
of the first Folio, and accords with Shakespeare's frequent mode
of construction in similar passages ; although the third Folio
alters " design " to ' design 's.' The phrase is elliptical ; signi-
fying, ' Rut let me remember my design ; which is, to note the
chamber.'
16. Be her sense but as a monument. ' That of ' is elliptically
understood before "a monument.'' See Note 42, Act iv.,
"Othello,"
17. The Gordian knot. In allusion to the classical story of
Gordius, a Phrygian peasant ; who, in consequence of a sentence
from the oracle, was chosen for king by his countrymen as he
was going to the temple of Jupiter mounted on a chariot. In
the temple he preserved this chariot ; the traces of which
were tied in a knot so intricate that no one could unfasten it.
Hence arose a belief that the empire of Asia was destined to
become his who could untie the Gordian knot. Alexander the
Great, undertaking the conquest of Asia, and wishing to inspire
the idea that he was destined to succeed, cut with his sword the
knot he could not disentangle— a soldierly soluticn of a difficult
problem. From this circumstance " the Gordian knot " has
passed into an accepted expression for anything presenting
difficulty of disentanglement or solution ; and Shakespeare has
thus used it in " Henry V.," Act i., sc. 1 : — :
"Turn him to any cause of policy,
The Gordian knot of it he will unloose,
Familiar as his garter."
18. Cinque-spotted. "Cinque," a French word signifying
'five.' has been adopted into our language: generally in com
pound with other words, as " cinque-foiled," " cinque-pace," and
"cinque-ports." See Note 6, Act ii., "Much Ado about
Nothing," and Note 9, Act iv., " Henry VIII."
19. Tlie tale of Tereus. Told by Ovid in the sixth book of his
" Metamorphoses," by Gower in the fifth book of his "Confessio
Amantis," and forms the second story in "A Petite Palace of
Pettie his Pleasure" '1576. The piteous narrative of Philo-
mela's cruel wrong was an appropriate one for the perusal of
Imogen, herself destined soon to become the victim of atrocious
injury.
Act II.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene III.
that
Where Philomel gave up.— 1 have enough :
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night,2"
dawning
May bare the raven's eye !21 I lodge in fear;
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.
[Clock strikes.
One, two, three,— Time, time !
[Goes into the trunk. Scene
closes.
SCENE III.—.-/" Ante-chamber adjoining
Imogen's Apartment.
Enter Cloten and Lord=.
First Lord. Your lordship is the most patient
man in loss, the most coldest that ever turned
up ace.
Ch. It would make any man cold to lose.
First Lord. But not every man patient, after
the nohle temper of your lordship. You are most
hot and furious when you win.
Ch. Winning will put any mm into courage.-2
If I could get this foolish Imigen, I should have
gold enough. It 's almost morning, is 't not ?
First Lord. D.iy, my lord.
Clo. I would this music would come : I am
advised to give her music o' mornings; they say-
it will penetrate. —
Enter Musicians.
Come on ; tune : if you can penetrate her with
your fingering, so ; we'll try with tongue too : if
none will do, let her remain ; but I'll never give
o'er. First, a very excellent good-conceited thing;
20 Von drago'ts of the night- The dragons that were sup-
posed to draw til-: or of night. See Note 71, Act ui., " Mid-
summer Night's Dream."
21. That dawning may ba-'e the raven' s eye . The Folio gives
'beare1 instead of "bare;" which is Steevens's correction,
suggested by Theobald. ' Bare" is here used for 'uncover,'
' unclose,' 'open;' the raven being one of the earliest birds to
awake.
22. Courage Here used in the sense of 'spirit,' 'heart.'
lie - I, Act in . " Tiuion of Athens."
23. Hit ■■-iter at those springs on chalic'd /.*■:<< rs
.. A poetical way of saying that the mjnung sun dries
up the dew which lies in the cups of the II • n ji s "Chalices,"
li n used for 'cups' {see Note 44. Act in., " Merry Wives of
Wind, >r" ), has peculiar propriety, because the cup of a flower
1 botanically < tiled iis calix. The false concord between
"springs" and "lies" is one of those grammatical licences
which tt 1 permitted at the time when Shakespeare wrote.
See Note 55, A, t iii , " Coriolanus."
-is, Mary-buds. 'Marigolds;' which, like many other
tl A.i i, clo e >' inset and re-open at sunrise. See Note 76,
Act iv , " Wintet 's Tale
25. With everything that pretty is. Hanmer changed " is
1 1 ' I in ' I t i'i sake of rhyme. We have, howevei
several instances of iijii rhyming c luplets that occur in 1
after, a wonderful sweet air, with admirable rich
words to it, — and then let her consider.
SONG.
Hark, hark ! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs
On chalic'd flowers that lie^ , -3
And winking Mary-buds21 begin
To ope their golden eyes :
With every thing that pretty is :25
My lady sweet, arise ;
Arise, arise !
Clo. So, get you gone. If this penetrate, I
will consider your music the better:26 if it do
not, it is a vice in her ears,21, which horse-hairs
and calves' -guts,23 nor the voice of squeaking
minstrel to boot, can never amend.
[Exeunt Musicians.
See. Lord. Here comes the king.
Clo. I am glad I was up so late ; for that 's the
reason I was up so early :29 he cannot choose but
take this service I have done, fatherly. —
Enter Cymbeline and Queen.
Good morrow to your majesty and to my gracious
mother.
Cym. Attend you here the door of our stern
daughter ?
Will she not forth ?
Clo. I have assailed her with musicj but she
vouchsafes no notice.
Cym. The exile of her minion is too new;
She hath not yet forgot him : some more time
Must wear the print of his remembrance out,
And then she 's yours.
Queen. You are most bound to the king,
Who lets go by no vantages that may
where Shakespeare has the majority of the lines rhymed. See
Note 3S, Act v., " Richard II."
26. I will consider your mustc the better. Punningly used :
in the sense of ' I will believe your music to be the more
excellent,' and in the sense of ' I will remunerate your music
the more handsomely ' See Note 20S, Act iv., " Winter's Tale,"
far a passage in confirmation ,,f this
27. It is a vice i't her ears. The Folio has ' voyce ' for
" vice." Rowe's correction.
2S. Calves'-guts. R >we altered this to ' cats' -guts ;' but Sir
John Hawkins, in his ' History of Music," speaking of Mer-
sennus, observes: "In his book entitled ' De Instiunientis
Hirmon'cis,' Prop, ii., he takes occasion to speak of the chords
or musical instruments, and ot the substances of which they are
formed ; and these he says are metal and the intestines of
sheep ot any other annuals." It is probable that ' calves*-galsn
were selected by Shakespeare as consorting humorously with
"&ww-hairs" in Cloten's scoftingly jumbled mention of musical
instrument strings, together w.tli the filaments used for violin
bows.
29. / am gla t 1 was up so lite: far that 's the reason 1 wot
up so early. " Up," here, is first used in the idiomatic sense of
'sitting tip," or 'not gone to bed :' and. secondly, in the sense
of ' arisen,' or ' up from bed.' See Note 73, Act iii , " Romeo
and Juliet," for a similar phrase.
692
ACT ll.J
CYMBELINE.
[Scene III.
Prefer you to Ins daughter. Frame yourself
To orderly solicits,30 and lie friended
With aptness of the season ; make denials
I ncrease your services ; so seem as if
You were inspir'd to do those duties which
You tender to her ; that you in all obey her,31
Save when command to your dismission tends,
And therein _\ou are senseless.32
Clo. Senseless ! not so.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. So like you, sir, embassadors from Rome;
The one is Caius Lucius.
Cym. A worthy fellow,
Albeit he comes on angry purpose now ;
Hut that 's no fault of his : we must receive him
According to the honour of his sender ;
And towards himself, his goodness forespent
on us,33
We must extend our notice. — Our dear son,
When you have given good morning to your
mistress,
Attend the queen and us; we shall have need
To employ you towards this Roman. — Come, our
queen.
\E.\euni Cymbeline, Queen, Lords,
and Messenger.
Clo. If she be up, I'll speak with her; if not,
Let her lie still and dream. —By your leave, ho! —
[Knocks.
I know her women are about her: what
If I do line one of their hands? 'Tis gold
Which buys admittance; oft it doth; yea, and
makes
Diana's rangers34 false themselves,35 yield up
Their deer to the stand o' the stealer; and 'tis
gold
Which makes the true man kill'd, an. I saves the
thief;
Nay, sometime hangs both thief and true man ■
what
30. Frame yourself to orderly solicits. The first Folio
gives *so!icity' instead of "solicits." Corrected in the second
F.>!i>>.
31. That you in all obey her. "So seem" before "as if,"
allows ' make it seem' or ' let it appear' to be understood before
"that." Shake.peare frequently h.is this kind of condensed
and elliptical construction, where .1 word in one clause of a
sentence is allowed to he understood in another subsequent
clause ; and in the present play this condensed phraseology
abundantly occurs.
32. Senseless. The cunning queen uses this word with the
si 4111 in.: .a ion of ' unconscious,' ' purposely without perception . '
her obtuse son afTrontedly disclaim-, it, as signifying 'stupid,'
'devoid mi" sense.' The angry susceptibility and tetchiness of
ignorance, just sufficiently aware of its own incapacity to be
perpetually afraid that it is found out and insulted by others,
blended with the stolid conceit that invariably accompanies this
inadequati self-knowledge, are all admirably delineated in
' loten : he is a dolt striving to pass for an accomplished prim -,
a vulgar boor fancying himself, and desirous of being; taken for
Can it not do and undo ? I will make
One of her women lawyer to me ; for
I yet not understand the case myself. —
By your leave.
[Knocks.
Enter a Lad v.
Lady. Who's there that knocks ?
Clo. A gentleman.
Lady. No more ?
Clo. Ye?, and a gentlewoman's son.
Lady. That's more
Than some, whose tailors are as dear as yours,
Can justly boast of. What 's your lordship's
pleasure ?
Clo. Your lady's person : is she ready ?"r'
Lady. Ay,
To keep her chamber.
Clo. There is gold for you ;
Sell me your good report.
Lady. How! my good name? or to report of*
you
What I shall think is good ? — The princess !
Enter Imogen.
Clo. Good morrow, fairest : sister, your sweet
hand. [Exit Lady.
hno. Good morrow, sir. You lay out too much
pains
Tor purchasing but trouble: the thinks I give
Is telling you that I am poor of thanks,
And scarce can spare them.
Clo. Still, I swear I love you.
Into. If you but said so, 'twere as deep with me :
It you swear still, your recompense is still
That I regard it not.
Clo. This is no answer.
Into. But that you shall not .say I yield, leing
silent,
I would not speak. I pray you, spare me : faith,
I shall unfold equal discourtesy
To your best kindness : one of your great knowing
a thorough gentleir.au. He presumes upon his position ; be-
lieves that it constitutes him the exalted personage who ought
to command respect ; not perceiving that it renders the more
conspicuous those natural disqualifications which deprive bun of
all respect, even from those who flatter and humour him to his
iace and sneer at him behind his back.
33. His goodness forespent on us. " Forespent on" means
'formerly spent on,' ' heretofore shown to' (see Note 97, Act
ii., " Henry V."1 ; and " according to," before " the honour,"
allows 'according to' or 'for the sake of to be elliptical ly
understood before "his goodness."
34. Dianas rangers. A poetical name for 'virgin ladies,'
' maiden women.' See Note 7, Act in., " As You Like It."
35. False tliemselves. 'Be false to themselves,' ' play them-
selves false.' See Note 24, Act ii., " Comedy of Errors."
36. Is she ready t 'Is she dressed?' See Note 5, Act ii.,
"First Part Henry VI." "Ready" was an old term for
' dressed,' and Cloten uses it in that sens,e : but the lady chooses
to til. it in the sense of 'prepared to come forth,' 'ready tQ
appear,' and answers Contradictorily.
c"4
Act II.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
Should learn, being taught, forbearance.
Clo. To leave you in your madness, 'twere my
sin :
1 will not.
Imo. Fools are not mad lolks.
Clo. Do \ ou call me tool ':
lino. As I am mail, I do :
It you'll he patient, I'll no more be mad ;
That cures us both. I am much sorry, sir,
You put me to forget a lady's manners,
By being so verbal :3? and learn now, tor all,
That I, which know my heart, do here pronounce,
By the very truth of it, I care not for you ;
And am so near the lack of charity, —
To accuse myself, — I hate you ; which I had rather
You felt than make 't my boast.
Clo. You sin against
Obedience, which you owe your father, For
The contract you pretend with that base wretch, —
One bred of alms, and foster" d with cold dishes,
With scraps o' the court, — it is no contract, none:
And though it be allow' d in meaner parties, —
Yet who than he more mean ? — to knit their souls
(On whom there is no more dependency
Hut brats and beggary) in self-figur'd knol ; 33
Yet you are curb'd from that enlargement by
The consequence o' the crown ; and must not soil30
The precious note of it with a base slave,
A hilding40 for a livery, a squire's cloth,
A pantler,41 not so eminent.
Imo. Profane fellow!
Wert thou the son of Jupiter, and no more
But what thou art besides, thou wert too base
To be his groom : thou wert dignified enough,
Even to the point of envy, if 'twere made
Comparative for your virtues,4- to be styl'd
The under-hangman of his kingdom ; and hated
For being preferr'd so well.
Clo. The south-fog rot him !
Imo. He never can meet more mischance than
come
To be but nam'd of thee. His meanest garment,
That ever hath but clipp'd43 his body, is dearer
37. So verbal. 'So full of words;' implying, 'so explicit,'
' so expressing in speech that which I think uf you.'
38. Self-figur'd knot. 'A knot tied or formed by themselves.'
39. Soil. The Folio gives ' foyle ' instead of "soil." Han-
mer's correction.
40. Hilding. 'Hireling;' ' despicable wretch.' See Note
54, Act hi., "All's Well that Ends Well." " For" has here the
force of fit for.'
41. PantUr. See Note 109, Actii., " Second Part Henry IV."
42. If 'twere made comparative fo> your virtues. ' If the
nomination were made in comparative degree with your virtues,'
'if the designation were given in comparison with your virtues.'
43. Clipp'd. ' Embraced,' 'enclosed,' 'enfolded.' See Note
68, Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra."
44. Above. Mr. Singer changed this word to 'about;' but
"above" here has the sense of 'upon' or 'over.' Tooke, in
his "Diversions of Pur'.ey," shows 'above,' 'up,' 'upon,'
In my respect than all the hairs above44 thee,
Were they all made such men.
Enter Pisanio.
How now, Pisanio!45
Clo. His garment! Now, the devil —
Imo. To Dorothy my woman hie thee pre-
sently,—
Clo. His garment !
Imo. I am sprighted with a fool ;413
("righted, and anger'd worse :— go bid my woman
Search for a jewel, that too casually
Hath left mine arm : it was thy master's; 'shrew me,
If I would lose it for a revenue
Of any king's in Europe. I do think
I saw 't this morning ; confident I am
Last night 'twas on mine arm ; I kiss'd it :
I hope it be not gone to tell my lord
That I kiss aught but he.
Pis. 'Twill not be lost.
Imo. I hope so: go and search.
[Exit Pisanio.
Clo. You have abus'd ine : —
His meanest garment !
Imo. Ay, I said so, sir:
If you will make 't an action, call witness to 'I.
Clo. I will inform your father.
Imo. Your mother too :
She's my good lady ;47 and will conceive, I hope,
But the worst of me. So, I leave you, sir,'
To the worst of discontent. [Exit.
Clo. I'd be rcveng'd ; —
His meanest garment! — Well. [Exit.
SCENE IV. — Rome. An Apartment in
Philario's House.
Enter PoSTHUMUS and Philario.
Post. Fear it not, sir : I would I were so sure
To win the king, as I am bold her honour
Will remain hers.
'over,' to have all one common origin and signification, from the
Saxon, npau.
45. Hoiu 7unv, Pisanio ! This is generally printed previously
to the entrance of Pisanio, and has been variously altered, on
the assumption that it is said by Imogen to summon Pisanio.
We think it is her exclamation upon seeing him enter ; his
entrance affording her an opportunity of bidding him go tell her
woman to seek for the missing bracelet. " How now " is usually
the address put by Shakespeare into the mouths of those who
see others enter, or who are themselves entering. " How now,
Pisanio ! " occurs thus twice in the present play ; in Act i., sc.
6, and in Act hi., sc. 2.
46. I am sprighted v<ith a fool. ' I am haunted by a fool as by
a spright ; ' " spright " being an old spelling of ' sprite/or spirit.
47. Site 's my good lady. Used ironically, in its idiomatic
sense of 'she is my good friend,' 'she befriends me.1 See Note
60, Act iv., "Second Part Henry IV."
695
Act II.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
r |
Cloten.
His meanest garment !
Imogen, Ay, I said so, sir :
If you will make 't an action, call witness to *t. Act II. Scene III.
Phi. What means do you make to him ?
Post, Not any ; but abide the change of time ;
Quake in the present winter's state, and wish
That wanner days would come : in these sear'd
hopes,48
I barely gratify your love; they failing,
I must die much your debtor.
Phi. Your very goodness and your company
48. These sear'd hopes. The Folio has 'these fear'd hopes.'
Knight made the correclion of " sear'd" for ' fear'd,' which had
been previously suggested by Tyrrwhitt. A similar misprint is
pointed out in Note 58, Act ii., " Measure for Measure." With
the remembrance that the old-fashioned long / caused many
typographical mist. ikes between s and./ and with the belief that
"sear'd," in the sense of 'withered,' consisted better with
" winter's state," we have always adopted the present as the
right reading; nevertheless we avow a misgiving that perhaps
'fear'd hopes' may have been used by Shakespeare to express
* tremblingly entertained hopes," ' fearingly cherished hopes,'
O'erpays all I can do. By this, your king
[lath heard of great Augustus: Cains Lucius
Will do 's commission thoroughly: and I think
He'll grant the tribute, send the arrearages,
Or look upon our Romans,49 whose remembrance
Is yet fresh in their grief.
Post. I do believe, —
Statist60 though I am none, nor like to be, —
which assuredly would consist with " quake " in this sentence,
and would have some analogy with the phrase pointed nut zind
explained in Note 25, Act v., " As You Like It." Under the
uncertainty, we own our scruple, while abiding by the phrase u e
have hitherto adapted.
4«i. Or look upon our Romans. "Or" is here used in the
sense of ' ere.' See Note 52, Act iv. , " King John," " Look
Upon" is here employed for 'face,' 'confront,' ' meet face to
face. '
50. Statist. Formerly, as here, used for ' statesman.' See
Note 61, Act v , " Hamlet."
696
(|:;l.. |WJDJ|
Act II.]
CV.MBELINE.
[Scene IV.
That this will prove a war; and you shall hear
The legions,'
Gallia sooner landed
In our not-fearing Britain than have tidings
Of any penny tribute paid. Our countrymen
Are men more order' d than when Julius Csesar
Smil'd at their lack of skill, but found their courage
Worthy his frowning at : their discipline
(Now mingled with their courage)" wiil make
known
To their approvers63 they are people such
That mend upon the world.
Phi. See ! Iachimo !
Enter Iachimo.
Post. The swiftest harts have posted you by
land ;
And winds of all the corners kiss'd your sails,
To make your vessel nimble.
Phi. Welcome, sir.
Post. I hope the briefness of your answer made
The speediness of your return.
lack. Your lady
Is one of the fairest that I have look'd upon.
Post. And therewithal th» best; or let her
beauty
Look through a casement to allure false hearts,
And be false with them.
lacb. Here are letters for you.
Post. Their tenour good, I trust.
lacb. 'Tis very like.
Phi. Was Caius Lucius54 in the Britain court
When you were there ?
Lic'i. He was expected then,
But not approach'd.55
Post. All is well yet. —
Sparkles this stone as it was wont ? or is 't not
Too dull for your good wearing ?
lacb. If I had lost it,56
I should have lost the worth of it in gold.
I'll make a journey twice as far,57 to enjoy
51. Legions. The Folio here omits the final 's,' according to
its frequent practice. See Note 2, Act i., and Note 52 of the
present Act. Theobald made the correction. The construction
in this sentence is both transposed and elliptical ; its meaning
being. ' You shall sooner hear that the legions are landed in our
not-fearing Britain, than have tidings of any penny of tribute
having been paid.'
52. Now mingled with their courage. The Folio prints
'wing-led' for " mingled," and adds an s to "courage." The
second Folio made ihe correction of " mingled," which we think
is most likely to have been Shakespeare's word, because the
parenthesis is introduced to describe " discipline " as something
added to their original courage ; whereas ' wing-led ' would have
made " discipline " that which first subsisted, and " now " urged
on by " courage." Moreover, though the figure of courage
giving wings to discipline in leading men on, would not be un-
poetical or un-Shakespearian. yet inasmuch as wings are generally
associated with the image of flight in the sense of retirement, he
would hardly use it for eagerly flying forward.
53. Their approvers. 'Those who put them to the proof,'
' those who test or try them.'
A second night of such sweet shortness which
Was mine in Britain ; for the ring is won.
Post. The stone 's too bard to come by.
lacb. Not a whit,
Your lady being so easy.
Post. Make not, sir,
Your loss your sport : I hope you know that we
Must not continue friends.
ljch. Good sir, we must,
It you keep covenant. Had I not brought
The knowledge of your mistress home, I grant
We were to question farther: but I now
Profess myself the winner of her honour,
Together with your ring ; and not the wronger
Of her or you, having proceeded but
By both your wills.
Post. If you can make 't apparent,
My ring is yours : if not, the foul opinion
You had of her pure honour gains or loses
Your sword or mine, or masterless leaves both
To who shall find them.
lack. Sir, my circumstances,
Being so near the truth as I will make them,
Must first induce you to believe : whose strength
I will confirm with oath ; which, I doubt not,
You'll give me leave to spare, when you shall rind
You need it not.
Post. Proceed.
lacb. First, her bedchamber, —
Where, I confess, I slept not ; but profess
Had that was well worth watching,58 — it was hang'd
With tapestry of silk ami silver ; the story
Proud Cleopatra, when she met her Roman,
And Cydnus swell' d above the banks, or for
The press of boats or pride : a piece of woik
So bravely done, so rich, that it did strive
In workmanship and value ; which I wonder'd
Could be so rarely and exactly wrought,
Since the true life on 't was59 —
Post. This is true ;
54. Was Cains Lucius, eVr. The Folio erroneously assigns
this speech to Posthumus, who is engaged in reading his letters,
as is shown by his next remark, " All is well yet." Capell made
the correction.
55. But not approached. ' But had not yet approached, or
arrived.'
56. If 1 had lost it. The Folio misprints ' have ' for " had "
here. Singer's correction. See Note 82, Act iv., " Coriolanus,"
for an instance of a similar typographical error.
57. I'll make a journey twice as far. Shakespeare occa-
sionally, as here, uses " I'll" for 'I'd.' See Note 77, Act iv.,
" Timon of Athens."
58. Was well worth watching. " For " is elliptically under-
stood after "watching" (see Note 17. Act v., "Antony and
Cleopatra"); this latter word being here used in the sense
of ' keeping awake.' See Note 29, Act iv., " Romeo and
Juliet."
59. Since the true life on 't was. Various alterations have
been made here, with a view to complete the sense of the phrase :
hut it is evidently left uncompleted on purpose, to mark that the
speech is interrupted by Posthumus's impatience.
Act II.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
And this you might have heard of here, by me,
Or by some other.
lach. M^re particulars
Must justify my knowledge.
fast. So they must,
Or do your honour injury.
lacb. The chimney
Is south the chamber ; and the chimney-piece,
Chaste Dian bathing: never saw I figures
So likely to report themselves :60 the cutter
Was as another nature, dumb; outwent her,
Motion and breath left out."
Post. This is a thing
Which you might from relation likewise reap,
Being, as it is, much spoke of.
lach. The roof o' the chamber
With golden cherubins is fretted : her andirons,6'2 —
I had forgot them, — were two winking Cupids
Of silver, each on one foot standing, nicely
Depending on their brands.
Post. This is her honour ! —
Let it be granted you have seen all this, — and praise
Be given to your remembrance, — the description
Ot what is in her chamber nothing saves
The wager you have laid.
lacb. Then, if you can,
Be pale : C3 I beg but leave to air this jewel ; see ! —
[Producing the bracelet.
And now 'tis up again : it must be married
To that your diamond; I'll keep them.
Post. Jove ; —
Once more let me behold it ; is it that
Which I left with her?
lach. Sir, — I thank her, — that:
She stripp'd it from her arm ; I see her yet ;
Her pretty action did outsell her gift,
And yet enrich'd it too: she gave it me, and said
She priz'd it once.
Post. May be she pluck'd it off
To send it me.
lach. She writes so to you, doth she ?
Post. Oh, no, no, no I 'tis true. Here, take
this too; [Giving the ring.
It is a basilisk64 unto mine eye,
60. So likely to report themselves. ' So likely to bespeak their
own excellence,' ' so apparently gifted with speech.' A not un-
common expression is, ' a speaking likeness,' ' a speaking picture.'
61. Was as another nature, dumb ; outwent her, motion, cVtr.
* Was like another nature, but a nature dumb ; excelled her,
save that he omitted to give motion and breath ' — " breath "
including power of speech. See Note 57, Act iv., " Timon of
Athens."
62. Andirons. These were the front end portions of the irons
upon which logs of wood were burned on ancient hearths. They
often represented figures of much grace, and were sometimes of
great cost and magnificence in workmanship. It has been
affirmed that " brands," in this sentence, is an abbreviation of
' brandirons,' which is a north-country term for the horizontal
portion of the irons, or 'dogs,' on which the logs rest. But we
take "brands" to signify the torches held in the hands of the
Cupids, upon which they nicely lean or depend, balanced upon
Kills me to look on 't. — Let there be no honour
Where there is beauty; truth, where semblance;
love,
Where there's another man : the vows of women
Of no more bondage be, to where they are made,
Than they are to their virtues ; which is nothing.-
Oh, above measure false !
Phi. Have patience, sir,
And take your ring again ; 'tis not yet won :
It may be probable she lost it; or
Who knows if one of her women, being corrupted,
Hath stol'n it from her ?
Post. Very true ;
And so, I hope, he came by 't. — Back my ring:
Render to me some corporal sign about her.
More evident than this ; for this was stol'n.
lach. By Jupiter, I had it from her arm.
Post. Hark you, he swears; by Jupiter he
swears.
'Tis true, — nay, keep the ring, — 'tis true: I am
sure
She would not lose it : her attendants are
All sworn65 and honourable : — they indue'd to
steal it!
And by a stranger ! — No, he hath sedue'd her :
The cognisance66 of her incontinency
Is this, — she hath bought the name of false thus
dearly. —
There, take thy hire ; and all the fiends of hell
Divide themselves between you !
Phi. Sir, be patient :
This is not strong enough to be believ'd
Of one persuaded well of —
Post. Never talk on 't ;
She hath been sullied by him.
lacb. If you seek
For farther satisfying, — under her breast
(Worthy the pressing) lies a mole, right proud
Of that most delicate lodging: by my life,
I kiss'd it ; and it gave me present hunger
To feed again, though full. You do remember
This stain upon her ?
Post. Ay, and it doth confirm
Another stain, as big as hell can hold,
one foot ; and we the rather believe that this was the poet's in-
tention, because, the torch being Hymen's emblem, it is here
placed in the hand of the " winking Cupids " to present ttie
blended image of Love and Wedlock in Imogen's chamber.
"Winking" means 'with closed eyes,' 'blindfold.' See Note
37, Act ii., " King John."
63. T/ien, if you can, be pale : I beg, &*c. This passage has
been variously punctuated and variously explained ; we take it
to imply, 'You have hitherto been red with indignant incre-
dulity ; now, if you can, be pale with conviction of the truth.'
64. A basilisk. See Note 59, Act iii., " Second Part
Henry VI."
65. Sivorn. It was lormcrly the custom fbr attendants enter-
ing the servioe of high families as it is still for those entering
the royal household) to take an oath of fidelity.
66. Cognisance. ' Badge,' ' token,' ' visible proof.' See
Note 40, Act ii., " First Part Henry VI."
699
Act III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene I.
Were there no more but it.
l,ch. Will you hear more?
Post. Spare your arithmetic—
Iach. I'll ue sworn, —
post. No swearing.
IK you will swear you have not done 't, you lie ;
And I will kill thee, if thou dost deny—
Iach. I'M deny nothing.
Post. Oh, that I had her here, to tear her limb-
meal !6<"
I will go there and do 't; i' the court; before
Her father :— I'll do something — . [Exit.
Phi. Quite beside
The government of patience !— You have won :
Let's follow him, and pervert08 the present wrath
He hath against himself.
Iach. With all my heart.
[Exeunt.
SCENE V. — Rome. Another Room in Philario's
House.
Enter PosTHUMUS.
Dost. Is there no way for men to be, but
women
Must be half-workers ? We are all bastards;
We all are counterfeit : yet my mother seem'd
The Dian ot that time : so doth my wife
The nonpareil ot this. — Oh, vengeance ! 1 thought
1. ei-
As chaste as unsunn'd snow :— Oh, all the devils! —
This yellow Iachimo, in an hour, — was 't not ? —
Or less,— at first? — perchance. — Could I find
out
'I he woman's part in me ! For there 's no
motion
That tends to vice in man, but 1 affirm
It is the woman's part : be it lying, note it,
The woman's; flattering, hers ; deceiving, hers ;
Will and rank thoughts, hers, hers; revenges,
hers ;
Ambitions, covetings, change of prides, disdain,
Nice longing, slanders, mutability,
All faults that may be nam'd, nay, that hell
knows,
Why, hers, in part or all ; but rather, all ;
For even to vice
They are not constant, but are changing still
One vice, but of a minute old, for one
Not half so old as that. I'll write against them,6''
Detest them, curse them : — yet 'tis greater skill
In a true hate, to pray they have their will :
The very devils cannot plague them better.
[Exit.
ACT III.
SCENE I. — Britain. A Room of State in
Cymbeline's Palace.
Enter, from one side, Cymbeline, Queen, Cloten,
and Lords; y';o/« the other, Caius Lucius
and Attendants.
Cym. Now say, what would Augustus Carsar
with us?
Luc. When Julius Cresar, — whose remembrance
yet
Lives in men's eyes, and will to ears and tongues
Be theme and hearing ever, — was in this Britain,
67. Limb-meal. 'A limb at a time,' ' limb from limb.' See
Note 30, Act ii., "Tempest."
68. Pervert. Here used as we i.se ' divert,' in the sense of
turn fi . >■■] its course;' Shakespeare sometimes using the pre-
syllable per with its classically derived effect of intensive force.
See Note 23, Act iii , " Measure for Measure."
69. Fit write against th.-m. ' I'll denounce them,' ' I'll pro-
tect against them.1 Sec Note 3, Act iv., " Much Ado."
And conquer'd it, Cassibelan, thine uncle,1 — ■
Famous in Caesar's praises, no whit less
Than in his feats deserving it,2 — for him,
And his succession, granted Rome a tribute,
Yearly three thousand pounds; which by thee
lately
Is left untender'd.
Slueen. And, to kill the marvel
Shall be so ever.
Clo. There be ninny Caesars,
Ere such another Julius. Britain is
A world by itself; and we will nothing pay
For wearing our own noses.
g)ueen. That opportunity,
1. Cassibelan, Hilar unde. Cassibelan was great unit,- to
Cymbeline, who was son to Tenantius, the nephew of Cas-
..l.l.iii See Note 6, Act i.
2 ( ,, w'v praises ... deserving it. " Praises" is here
referred to by " it." as if the noun were in the singular — ' praise'
Sec Note 72, Act i., " Othello."
Act III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II.
Which then they had to take from us, to resume
We have again. — Remember, sir, my liege,
The kings your ancestors ; together with
The natural bravery of your isle, which stands
As Neptune's park, labile. I and paled in
With rocks unsellable3 and roaring waters;
With sands that will not bear your enemies' boats,
But suck them up to the topmast. A kinJ of
conquest
Caesar made here ; but made not here his brag
Of "Came," and "saw," and "overcame :" with
shame, —
The first that ever totich'd him, — he was carried
From otT our coast, twice beaten ; and his
shipping,—
Poor ignorant baubles ! — on our terrible seas,
Like egg-shells inov'd upon their surges, crack'd
As easily 'gainst our rocks: for joy whereof
The fam'd Cassibelan, who was once at point, —
Oil, giglot4 fortune! — to master Caesar's sword,5
Made Lud's town with rejoicing fires bright,
And Britons strut with courage.
Clo. Come, there's no more tribute to be paid :
our kingdom is stronger than it was at that time ;
and, as I said, there is no more such Caesars:
cither of them may have crooked noses; but to
owe6 such straight arms, none.
Cym. Son, let your mother end.
Clo. We have yet many among us can gripe as
hard as Cassibelan : I do not say 1 am one ; but I
have a hand. — -Why tribute ? why should we pay
tribute ? If Ca^ar can hide the sun from us with
a blanket, or put the moon in his pocket, we will
pay him tribute for light ; else, sir, no more
tribute, pray you now.
Cym. You must know,
Till the injurious Romans did extort
This tribute from us, we were free : Caesar's
ambition,—
Which swell'd so much, that it did almost stretch
The sides o' the world, — against all colour,7 here
Did put the yoke upon us ; which to shake off
Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon
Ourselves to be. We do say, then, to Cassar,8
Our ancestor was that Mulmutius which
Ordain'd our laws, — whose use the sword of Cassar
3. With rocks unscalable. The Folio prints 'oakes' for
rocks. Hanmer's correction.
4. Giglot. A light fickle wench. See Note 51, Act iv.,
" First Part Henry VI."
5. To master Ccesar's sword. Shakespeare has here assigned
an exploit to Cassibelan, which, according to the old chroniclers,
was achieved by his brother Nennius.
6. To owe. ' To own,' ' to have,' ' to possess.' See Note 34,
Act iv., "Antony and Cleopatra." The vulgar flippancy of
Cloten is admirably preserved ; and even the little word
"come," at the commencement of his speeches, is well em-
ployed to give additional effect of bullying pretension.
7. Against all colour. ' Contrary to all show of right.' ' with-
out any ostensible right.' See Note 43, Act i., " Henry VIII."
Hath too much mangled ; whose repair and fran-
chise
Shall, by the power we hold, be our good deed,
Though Rome be therefore angry ; Mulmutius
made our laws,
Who was the fir.it ot Britain which did put
His brows within a golden crown, and call'd
Himself a king.9
Luc. I am sorry, Cymbeline,
That I am to pronounce Augustus Cassar, —
C.-esar, that bath more kings his servants than
Thyself domestic officers, — thine enemy.
Receive it from me, then : — war and confusion
In Caesar's name pronounce I 'gainst thee: look
For fury not to be resisted. — Thus defied,
I thank thee for myself.
Cym. Thou art welcome, Cains.
Thy Caesar knighted me ; my youth I spent1"
Much under him; of him I gat her' d honour;
Which be to seek of me again, perforce,
Behoves me keep at utterance." I am perfect1-
That the Pannonians and Dalmatians, for
Their liberties, are now in arms, — a precedent
Which not to read would show the Britons cold:
So Caesar shall not find them.
Luc. Let proof speak.
Clo. His majesty bids you welcome. Make
pastime with us a day or two, or longer : if you
seek us afterwards in other terms, you shall find
us in our salt-water girdle : if you beat us out
of it, it is yours; if you fall in the adventure,
our crows shall fare the better for you; and
there 's an end.
Luc. So, sir.
Cym. I know your master's pleasure, and he
mine :
All the remain is, welcome. [Exeunt.
SCENE II.— Another Room in Cymbeline's
Palace.
Enter Pisanio, nvith a letter.
Pis. How ! of adultery ? Wherefore write you
not
8. Ourselves to be. We do say, then, to Ctesar. This line is
printed in the Folio, 'Our selucs to be, we do. Say then 10
Caesar;' which has been variously altered since. We adopt
Maione's arrangement.
9. The jirst of Britain .... call'd himself a king. This
is recorded by Holinshed ; whence Shakespeare probably de-
rived the particular.
10. Thy Ctesar knighted me ; my youth I spent, cb-'c. For
this also Holinshed is the authority.
n. Ai utterance. An English version of the French phrase,
a I'oulrancc; ' to the uttermost,' ' to extremity.' ' at the extreme
of defiance.' See Note iS, Act hi., " Macbeth."
12. Perfect. ' Well informed,' 'perfectly aware.' See Note
39, Act iii., "Winter's Talc."
Act HI.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene II.
What monster 's her accuser ?13 — Leonatus !
Oh, master ! what a strange infection
Is fall'n into thy ear ! What false Italian
(As poisonous tonguM as handed)14 hath prevail'd
On thy too ready hearing ? — Disloyal ! No :
She 's punish'd for her truth ; and undergoes,
More goddess-like than wife-like, such assaults
As would take in15 some virtue. — Oh, my master!
Thy mind to her is now as low as were
Thy fortunes.16— How ! that I should murder
her?
Upon the love, and truth, and vows, which I
Have made to thy command? — I, her? — her
blood ?
If it be so to do good service, never
Let me be counted serviceable. How look I,
That I should seem to lack humanity
So much as this fact comes to? [Reading.] "Do't:
the letter1?
That I have sent her, by her own command
Shall give thee opportunity:" — Oh, curs'd paper!
Black as the ink that's on thee ! Senseless bauble,
Art thou a fcodary13 for this act, and look'st
So virgin-like without? — Lo, here she comes. —
I am ignorant in what I am commanded.19
Enter Imogen.
Into. How now, Pisanio !
Pis. Madam, here is a letter from my lord.
lino. Who? thy lord? that is my lord, —
Leonatus ?
Oh, learn'd indeed were that astronomer
That knew the stars as I his characters ;
He'd lay the future open. — You good god.-,
Let what is here contain'd relish of love,
Of my lord's health, of his content, — yet not,
That we two are asunder, — let that grieve him, —
13. What monster's her accuser ? The Folio prints, 'What
monsters her accuse ?' Capell made the correction ; which is
shown to be right by the words, "What false Italian," that
immediately follow.
14. As poisonous tongitd its handed. The Italians were held
to be not only skilled in concocting poisons, but unscrupulous
in their use of them ; and Italian history affords but too fre-
quent testimony of the just ground there was for this opinion.
15. Take in. ' Subdue,' ' conquer,' ' defeat.' See Note 167,
Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
16. Thy mind to her is now as tow as were thy fortunes.
' Thy mind, compared to her fine nature, is as low as were thy
fortunes in comparison with her rank.' A similar ellipsis has
been frequently pointed out by us. See Note 12, Act iii.,
" Hamlet."
17. Do't: the letter, &>c. Here is one of the several in-
stances of variation in wording that we find given by Shake-
speare. See Note 67, Act v., " All's Well ; " Note 64, Act v.,
" Twelfth Night :" and Note :o, Act i., " Second Part Henry
VI." Here Pisanio is glancing at the cruel contents of the
letter which Imogen reads at full in the fourth scene of this
Act ; it is there given in prose ; here the sentence forms part of
Pisanio's speech ; the substance being the same, though slightly
varied in diction.
18. Fcodary. 'Confederate,' 'accomplice.' See Note 76.
(Some griefs are med'cinable ; that is one of them,
For it doth physic love) ; — of his content,
All but in that! — Good wax, thy leave: — bless'd be
You bees that make these locks of counsel !
Lovers,
And men in dangerous bonds, pray not alike:
Though forfeiters you cast in prison, )et
You clasp young Cupid's tables. — Good news,
gods ! [Reads.
Justice, and your father's wrath, should he take me in his
dominion, could not be so cruel to me, as you, oh, the dearest
of creatures, would even renew me with your eyes.20 Take
notice that I am in Cambria, at Milford Haven; what your own
love will, out of this, advise you, follow. So, he wishes you all
happiness, that remains loyal to his vow, and your, increasing
in love, Leonatus Posthumus.
Oh, for a horse with wings! — Hear'st thou,
Pisanio ?
He is at Milford Haven : read, and tell rr.e
How far 'tis thither. If one of mean affairs
May plod it in a week, why may not I
Glide thither in a day ? — Then, true Pisanio
(Who long'st, like me, to see thy lord ; who
long' st, —
Oh, let me 'bate, — but not like me ; — yet long'st, —
But in a fainter kind :— Oh, not like ine ;
For mine 's beyond beyond), say, and speak
thick,21—
Love's counsellor should fill the bores of hearing,
To the smothering of the sense, — how tar it is
To this same blessed Milford : and, by the way,
Tell me how Wales was made so happy as
To inherit such a haven : but, first ot all,
How we may steal from hence ; and tor the gap
That we shall make in time, from our hence-
going
And our return,22 to excuse : — but first, how get
hence :
Act ii. , "Measure for Measure;" and Note 13, Act ii,,
" Winter's Tale."
19. / am ignorant in what I am commanded. ' I will
appear not to know of this deed which I am commanded to
perform.'
20. Could not be so cruel to me, as you, oh, the dearest of
creatines, •would even renew me with your eyes. This has
been variously altered ; but, as it stands, we think the passage
conveys the sense of 'could not so cruelly wound but that the
sight of you could cure and revive me.' The phraseology is
purposely obscure and enigmatical, and conveys a double idea —
the above explained more obvious one ,to Imogen, who is ad-
dressed) : and a secondary one (perceptible to the reader of the
play), ' could not be so cruel to me as you' [in the supposed
wrong she has done him who writes to her]. Shakespeare else-
where has instances of this kind of intentionally enigmatic dic-
tion (see Notes 10, n, 24, Act i., "All's Well"); and also of
giving duplicate meaning to a sentence by peculiar or wrong
stopping. See passage referred to in Note 21, Act v., ".Mid-
summer Night's Dream."
21. Speak thick. 'Speak fast,' 'speak rapidly or quickly."
See Note 52, Act ii., " Second Part Henry IV."
22. From our hence-going and our return. ' From the period
of our hence-going until that of our return.' See Note 36, Act
ii., " Coriolanus," for an instance of similar construction. The
Act III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene III.
Why should excuse be born or e'er begot P23
We'll talk of that hereafter. Pr'ythee, speak,
How many score of miles may we well rule
' Twixt hour and hour ?
pjs One score 'twixt sun and sun,
Madam, *s enough for you, and too much too.
[mo. Why, one that rode to 's execution, man,
Could never' go so slow: I have heard of ruling
wagers,
Where horses have been nimbler than the sands
That run i' the clock's behalf :-*— but this is
foolery : —
Go bid my woman feign a sickness ; say
She'll home to her father : and provide me
presently
A riding-suit, no costlier than would fit
A franklin's housewife.-5
Pis. Madam, you're best consider.26
Imo. I see before me, man : nor here, nor
here,
Nor what ensues, but have2" a fog in them,
That I cannot look through. Away, 1 pr'ythee;
Do as I bid thee : there's no more to say;
Accessible is none but Milford way. [Exeunt.
SCENE III. — Wales: a Mountainous Country
•with a Came.
Enter Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus.
Bel. A goodly day not to keep house, with
such
elliptical style throughout this speech, the parenthetical breaks,
the fluttering fnim point to point in its varied clauses, all serve
admirably to express the happy hurry of spirits and joyous im-
patience of the excited speaker.
23 Why should excuse be born or e'er begot? Resides the
meaning which is usually assigned to this line, ' Why should
excuse be framed before the act is done for which excuse will
be necessary?' we think it also includes the meaning of ' Win-
should excuse be born or ever be begotten?' 'Why should
excuse be made or ever be conceived?' Imogen, true to her
own character, deplores the need for excuse— the next thing to
deception. That 'or ere' and "or e'er" were used for ' before'
we have already shown in Note 52, Activ., " King John," and
Note 77. Act iv., "Macbeth;" but we have likewise shown
that Shakespeare frequently combines more than one meaning
in his words or phrases, and that he is fond of putting this
inclusive style into the mouths of his noblest-charactered women.
See Note 13, Act iii., "Winter's Tale."
24. The sands that run i tile clock's behalf. ' The sands of
the houi -glass, that serve to measure time.'
25. A franklins housewife. ' A yeoman's thrifty wife.' See
Note 17. Act ii., '■ Fir-t Part Henry IV."
26. Madam, you're best consider. " You 're " for ' you were '
is one of the many elisional contractions to be found in this
play; and "were" for 'had' was not unfrequently used in
Shakespeare's time. In scene 6 of the present Act Imogen
says, " I were best not call."
27. Nor here, nor here, nor what ensues, but have. cVc.
' Nor this course, nor that course, nor what may ensue upon
any course which I might upon hcedfuller consideration puisue.
Stoop, boys :2S this
Whose roof's as low as ours
gate
Instructs you how to adore the heavens, and bows
you
To morning's holy office : *• Hie gates of
monarchs
Are arch'd so high, that giants may jet30 through
And keep their impious turbans31 on, without
Good morrow to the sun. — Hail, thou fair
heaven !
We house i' the rock, \et use thee not so
hardly
As prouder livers do.
Gui. Hail, heaven !
Ar<v. Hail, heaven :
Bel. Now for our mountain sport : up to yon
hill,
Your legs are young ; I'll tread these flats.
Consider,
When you above perceive me like a crow,
That it is place which lessens and sets off:
And you may then revolve what tales 1 have told
you
Of courts, of princes, of the tricks in war:
This service is not service, so being done,
But being so allow'd :32 to apprehend thus,
Draws us a profit from all things we see ;
And often, to our comfcrt, shall we find
The sharded beetle33 in a safer hold
Than is the full-wing'd eagle. Oh, this life
Is nobler than attending for a check,
Richer than doing nothing for a bribe ;3i
Prouder than rustling in unpaid-tor silk :
Such gain the cap of him that makes them fine,
but are clouded to my eye with impossibility : 1 can see and
take none other than the way to Milford.' We feel this to be
the interpretation of the passage, rather Chan the more literal
one which is generally given.
28. Stoop, boys. The Folio misprints ' sleepe ' for "stoop."
Hanmer's correction.
29. To morning's holy office. The Folio inserts 'a' before
" morning's." Pope made the correction.
30. Jet. 'Strut,' 'walk pompously.' See Note 89, Act it.,
'Twelfth Night."
31. Turbans. "Giants" were generally represented as
Saracens in the romances of Shakespeare's time.
32. But being so allcr.o'J. Here "allow'd" is used in the
sense of 'accepted approvingly,' 'considered,' or 'esteemed ;'
the sentence signifying, ' Military service consists not so much
in being done, as in being well received,' 'A service is not so
much itself from being effected as from being favourably ac-
cepted.' "Service" here applies both particularly, as regards
"war," and generally, as regards "courts" and "princes"
The word "this" is employed in Shakespeare's mode of making
it instance an object cited by way of general observation. Sec
Note 113, Act i., "Macbeth."
33. The sluirded beetle. 'The scaly-winged beetle.' See
Note 8, Act iii., "Antony and Cleopatra."
34. Richer than doing nothing for a bribe. The Folio thus
prints this line : ' Richer then doing no thing for a babe.' 'I he
concluding word has been variously altered, by various emenda-
tors, to ' bauble,' ' brabe," &c. We adopt Hanmer's correction,
" bribe," as that which, upon careful consideration, appears to
us the most likely to have been Shakespeare's word here.
Belarius. Hail, thou fair heaven !
We house i' the rock, yet use thee not so hardly
As prouder livers do. Act III. Scene III.
Yet keeps his bonk uncross' d :35 no life to ours.36
GuL Out of your proof you speak : we, poor
unfledg'd,
Have never wing'd from view o' the nest, nor
know not
What air's from home. Haply this life is best,
If quiet life be best ; sweeter to you
That have a sharper known ; well corresponding
With your stiff age; but unto us it is
35. Such gain thecap of him that wakes them fine^yet keeps
his book uncrossed, " Such " is here used for * such people,1 or
'such persons' (see Note 15, Act ii., "All's Well that Ends
Well"); "gain the cap" means 'obtain the salutation' (see
Note <;, Act ii., " Coriolanus " : "him" is used in reference to
ilir mercer or vendor of "unpaid-for silk ; " " them" is Rowe's
correction of the Folio misprint 'him; and "keeps his book
"11 'd" is equivalent to ' lias his account-book with the entry
of debt uneffaced,' ' has bis ledger without tin sc rati hing
through which marks the debt as settled by payment made.'
A cell of ignorance; travelling a-bed ;
A prison for a debtor, that not dares
To stride a limit.37
Ar<v. What should we speak of
When we are old as you ? when we shall hear
The rain and wind beat dark December, how,
In this our pinching cave, shall we discourse
The freezing hours away? We have seen nothing:
We are beastly;33 subtle as the fox for prey ;
36. No life to ours. ' There is no life comparable to ours ;*
' There is no life that can be compared with ours.' See Note 12,
Act iii., " Hamlet."
37. To stride a limit. 'To overpass a prescribed bound.*
Tli..- mode in which Shakespeare uses the word "stride" in this
passage lends to show that our interpretation of " bestride," in
Note 47, Act iv., " Coriolanus," is right. In the previous line
the Folio has 'or' instead of" for," which is Pope's correction.
iS. Beastly. * Beast-like/ Mike animals.' See Note 99, Act
i., "Antony and Cleopatra."
Acr III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
Like warlike as the wolf for what we eat:
Oar valour is to chase what flies ; our cage
We in ike a quire, as doth the prison'd bird,
An I sing our bondage freely.
Bel. How you speak !
Did you but know the city's usuries,39
And felt them knowingly . the art o' the court.
As hard to leave as keep ; whose top to climb
[s certain filling, or so slippery that
The fear 's as bad as falling : the toil of the war,
A pain that only seems to seek out danger
I' the name o. fame and honour; which dies i' the
search ;
And hath as oft a slanderous epitaph
As record of fair act ; nay, many times,
Doth ill deserve by doing well ; what 's worse,
Must court'sy at the censure :— Oh, bo\s, this story
The world may read in me ; my bo ly 's mark'd
With Roman swords; and my report was once
First with the best of note : Cymbeline lov'd me ;
And when a soldier was the theme, my name
Was not far off; then was I as a tree
Whose boughs did bend with fruit : but in one
night,
A storm or robbery, call it what you will,
Shook down my mellow hangings, nay, my leaves,
And left me bare to weather.
Gut. Uncertain favour !
Bel. My fault being nothing, — as I have told
you oft, —
But that two villains, whose false oaths prevail'd
Before my perfect honour, swore to Cymbeline
I was confederate with the Romans : so,
Follow'd my banishment; and, this twenty years,
This rock and these demesnes have been my world :
Where 1 have liv'd at honest freedom; paid
More pious debts to Heaven than in all
The fore-end of my time. — But, up to the moun-
tains!
This is not hunters' language : — he that strikes
The venison first shall be the lord o' the feast;
To him the other two shall minister ;
And we will fear no poison, which attends
In place of greater state. I'll meet vou in the
valle) s.
Exeunt Guiderius and Akviragus.
39. Usuries. Shakespeare seems to use this word not only in
its sense of investing money to procure large interest, but for
any pursuit or investment with view to consequent gain. See
spce:h referred to in Note 42, Act iii., " Measure for Measure."
In the present passage " usuries" seems almost to include the
meaning of 'impositions,' 'imposing practices,' 'extortionate
dealings.'
40. r the cave wherein t/uy bozo. The Folio prints ' whereon
thebowe' for "wherein they bow." At the commencement of
the scene Belarius has alluded to the lowness of the roof beneath
which they dwell, and says it " bozt'S you to morning's holy
office."
41. Euriphile, thou -.vast .... they took thee for . ... do
How hard it is to hide the sparks of nature !
These boys know little they are sons to the king ;
Nor Cymbeline dreams that they are alive.
They think they are mine ; and, though tram'd up
thus meanly
P the cave wherein they bow,-"1 their thoughts do
hit
The roofs of palaces ; and nature prompts them,
In simple and low things, to prince it much
Beyond the trick of others. This Polydore, —
The heir of Cymbeline and Britain, whom
The king his father call'd Guiderius, — Jove !
When on my three-foot stool I sit, and tell
The warlike feats I have done, his spirits fly out
Into ray story : say, " Thus mine enemy fell,
And thus I set my foot on 's neck ;" even then
The princely bloo 1 flows in bis cheek, he sweats,
Strains his young nerves, and puts himself in
posture
That acts my words. The younger brother,
Cadwal
(Once Arviragus), in as like a figure,
Strikes lite into my speech, and shows much more
His own conceiving. — Hark, the game is rous'd ! —
O Cymbeline ! Heaven and my conscience knows
Thou didst unjustly banish me: whereon,
At three and two years old, I stole these babes ;
Thinking to bar thee of succession, as
Thou reft'st me of my lands. Euriphile,
Thou wast their nurse; they took thee for their
mother,
And every day do honour to her grave .*"
Myself, Belarius, that am Morgan call'd,
Tl.ey take for natural father. — The game is up.
[Exit.
SCENE IV.— Wales. Near Milford Haven.
Enter Pisanio and Imogen.
Imo. Thou told'st me, when we came from
horse,42 the place
Was near at hand :— ne'er long'd my mother so
To see me first, as I have now:43— Pisanio ! man !
honour to her grave. The mode in which " thou," " thee," and
"her" succeed each other in this passage affords another in-
stance of Shakespeare's changing the person of a pronoun in a
sentence when referring to the same individual. See Note 32,
Act iv. , " Julius Ca;sar," and Note 73, Act i. of the present play.
42. When we came from horse. Serving to show that they
have performed the previous portion of their long journey by
riding, and have now alighted on account of the more rugged
and mountainous district through which their way lies. For a
similar touch of dramatic art-expedient, see Note 53, Act iii.,
" Macbeth."
43. AVer longed vty mother so to see vte first, as I have venv.
" Long'd" is elliptically understood as repeated after "now . "
255
Act III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
Where is Posthumus ? What is in thy mind,
That makes thee stare thus? Wherefore breaks
that sigh
From th' inward of thee? One, but painted thus,
Would be interpreted a thing perplex'd
Beyond self-explication : put thyself
Into a haviour of less fear, ere wildness
Vanquish my staider senses. What 's the matter ?
Why tendcr'st thou that paper to me, with
A look untender ? If 't be summer news,
Smile to't before ; if winterly, thou need'st
But keep that countenance still. — My husband's
hand !
That drug-damn'd Italy'14 hath out-craftied him,
And he's at some hard point.— Speak, man : thy
tongue
May take off some extremity, which to read
Would be even mortal to me.
Pis. Please you, read ;
And you shall find me, wretched man, a thing
The most disdain'd of fortune.
Into. [Reads^l Thy mistress, Pisanio, hath played the
wanton in my bed ; the testimonies whereof lie bleeding in me.
I speak not out of weak surmises ; but from proof as strong as
my grief, and as certain as I expect my revenge. That part
thou, Pisanio, must act for me, if thy faith be not tainted with
the breach of hers. Let thine own hands take away her life : I
shall give thee opportunity at Milford Haven : she hath my
letter for the purpose : where, if thou fear to strike, and to make
me certain it is done, thou art the pander to her dishonour, and
equally to me disloyal.
Pis. What shall I need to draw my sword ? the
paper
Hath cut her throat already. — No, 'tis slander;
Whose edge is sharper than the sword ; whose
tongue
Outvenoms all the worms45 of Nile ; whose breath
Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie
All corners of the world : kings, queens, and states,
Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grave
implying ' longed to arrive at the " place " where we were to find
Posthumus,' and ' longed to see him.'
44. That drug-damn'd Italy. Here again is allusion to the
notoriousness of Italian poisoning. See Note 14 of this Act.
45. The worms. ' The serpents,' ' the snakes.' Sec Note 53,
Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra."
46. Jay. An old term for .111 infani .us woman. See Note 19,
Act iii., " Merry Wives of Windsor." It is specially applicable
in the present passage, because the Italian coarse term for a bad
woman, and the Italian name for the bird called in English a jay,
is one and the same. This may have been the origin of the
term: and because the gay feathers of the jay— which have
been called by poets its painted feathers — may have suggested
the similitude between these and the painted faces and tawdry
clothes of hireling women.
47. Whose mother was her painting. This phrase appears
to US to be not only a figurative mode of saying 'the producer of
whose beauty was her rouged face,' 'whose sole origin of
comeliness was her painted complexion' (just as Kent figuratively
tells Oswald. "A tailor made thee;" see context of passage
referred to in Note 40, Act ii., " King Lear," and as understood in
the proverbial expression," Fine feathers make line birds") ; but
wc also believe lh.it it 111. hides s one Rcoflf, UllderStO id at the
This viperous slander enters. — What cheer,
madam ?
lmo. False to his bed ! What is it to be
false ?
To lie in watch there, and to think on him ?
To weep 'twixt clock and clock ? if sleep charge
nature,
To break it with a fearful dream of him,
And cry myself awake? that's false to his bed,
is it ?
Pis. Alas! good lady.
Into. I false! Thy conscience witness: —
Iachimo,
Thou didst accuse him of incontinency;
Thou then look'dst like a villain ; now, methinks,
Thy favour's good enough. — Some jay46 of Italy,
Whose mother was her painting,4' hath betray'd
him :
Poor I am stale, a garment out of fashion ;
Ami, for I am richer than to hang by the walls,48
I must be ripp'd : — to pieces with me ! — Oh,
Men's vows are women's traitors! All good
seeming,
By thy revolt, oh, husband, shall be thought
Put on for villany ; not born where 't grows,
But worn a bait for ladies.
Pis. Good madam, hear me.
Imo. True honest men being heard, like false
tineas,
Were, in his time, thought false; and Sinon's
weeping 49
Did scandal many a holy tear ; took pity
From most true wretchedness: so thou, Posthumus,
Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men ;50
Goodly and gallant, shall be false and perjui'd.
From thy great fail.5' — Come, fellow, be thou
honest :
Do thou thy master's bidding : when thou see'st
him,
time when Shakespeare wrote, implied in a reference to the
" mother" of a pretender to beauty. See Note in, Act iii ,
"As You Like It."
48. And, for I am richer than to hang by thewalls. " For"
is here used in the sense of 'because;' and "to hang " is
employed for 'to be hung.' It was formerly the custom to hang
up cast clothes in a room dedicated to their reception, and keep
them there collected, instead of giving them away ; only, when
consisting of some "richer" material than ordinary, they were
occasionally "ripped," and the pieces were converted to other
purposes, leaving no vestige of the form which they originally
bore.
49. Sino/t's weeping. See Note 26, Act iii., "Third Part
Henry VI."
50. Wilt lay tlw leaven on all proper men. " Leaven,"
being literally the sour dough which communicates fermentation
to the whole mass of dough prepared for making bread, is used
(figuratively) to express the evil principle which spreads cor-
ruption and depravity into moral natures.
51. Thy great fail. "Fail" is here used for 'failing,' in
the sense of 'fault,' 'error,' 'failing in virtue.' See Note 68,
Act i., "Henry VIII.," for an instance of "fail" used sub-
stantively.
706
Act III.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Sckne 1\'.
A little witness my obedience :iJ luok I
I draw the sword myself: take it, and hit
The innocent mansion of my love, my heart :
Fear not ; 'tis empty of all thing-, but gri'el :
Thy master is not there ; who was, indeed,
The riches of it : do his bidding ; strike.
Thou mayst be valiant in a better cause ;
But now thou seem'st a coward.
Pis. Hence, vile instrument!
Thou shalt not damn my hand.
Into. Why, I must die ;
And if I do not by thy hand, thou art
No servant of thy master's : against self-slaughter
There is a prohibition so divine
That cravens my weak hand. Come, here 's my
heart : —
Something 's afore 't: — soft, soft ! we'll no defence ;
Obedient as the scabbard. — [Takes pipers from her
bosow.~\ What is here ?
The scriptures53 of the loyal Leonatus,
All turn'd to heresy ? Away, away,
Corrupters of my faith ! you shall no more
Be stomachers to my heart. Thus may poor
fools
Believe false teachers : though those that are
betray'd
Do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor
Stands in worse case of woe,54
And thou, Posthunnis, that didst set up
My disobedience 'gainst the king my father,
And make me put into contempt the suits
Of princely fellows,55 shalt hereafter find
It is no act of common passage, but
A strain of rareness: and I grieve myself
To think, when thou shalt be disedg'd by her
That now thou tir'st on,5G how thy memory
Will then be pang'd by ine. — Pr'ythee, despatch :
The lamb entreats the butcher: where 's thy
knife ?
52. A little •witness my obedience. Shakespeare uses the
expression "a little " with much force of pathetic effect. Here,
for instance, how it serves to mark the sad resignation with
meek involuntary reproach contained in Imogen'.! submission to
her husband's cruel decree ; in Vohimnia's mouth, " I .1111
hush'd until our city be afire, and then I'll speak a little" how
it emphasises the concentrated threat and quiet sting of the
proud mother's words ; and in Mark Antony's dying mouth,
" Give me some wine, and let me speak a little" with
what vividness it paints his eagerness to utter the last few words
of tenderness and warning ere he shall expire.
53. The scriptures. Here used for 'the writings' or 'the
letters,' in order to form an antithesis with "heresy."
54. T (tough those that are betray d do feel the treason sharply,
yet the traitor stands in worse case ofivoe. Noble-hearted and
true-faithed woman and writer, Imogen and Shakespeare ! And
with what accurate knowledge uf her sex's purest feelings does
he make her here grieve over her husband's future pangs of
remorse, rather than over her own present affliction — deep as
that is.
55. Fellows. 'Equals;' those in fellowship of rank with
herself.
56. Disedg'd by her that nprn thou tir'st on. The mctaplmr
Thou art too slow to do tny master's bidding,
When I de^iie it too.
P(s. Oh, gracious lady,
Since I received command to do this business
I have not slept cne wink.
hno. Do 't, and to bed then.57
Pis. I'll wake mine eve-balls blind first. 5S
Imo. Wherefore, then,
Did^t undertake it P Why hast thou abus'd
So many miles with a pretence ? this place ?
Mine action, and thine own ? our horses1 labour?
The time inviting thee ? the perturb'd court,
For my being absent; whereunto [ never
Purpose return ? Why hast thou gone so far,
To be unbent59 when thou hast ta'en thy stand,
The elected deer before thee ?
Pis. But to win time
To lose so bad employment ; in the which
I have considered of a course. Good lady,
Hear me with patience.
Imo. Talk thy tongue weary ; speak :
I have heard I am a wanton ; and mine ear,
Therein false struck, can take no greater wound,
Nor tent™ to bottom that. But speak.
Pis, Then, madam,
I thought you would not back again,
Imo. Most like, —
Bringing me here to kill me.
Pis, Not so, neither:
But if I were as wise as honest, then
My purpose would prove well. It cannot be
But that my master is abus'd :61
Some villain, ay, and singular in his art,
Hath done you both this curst; i injury.
bno. S-ome Roman courtesan.
Pis. No, on my lite.
I'll give but notice you are dead, and send him
Some bloody sign of it ; for 'tis commanded
I should do so :G- you shall be miss'd at court,
is taken from falconry ; a hawk having the ed*c of its appetite
taken away when it has tired (pecked or fed) upon the food
provided for it. See Note bi, Act hi., " Tim >;i of Athens."
57. Do 't, and to bed then. Shakespeare's power of keen
sarcasm in simplest words is miraculous ; and it is intensified by
his occasionally putting it into the mouth of his very gentlest
women. See Note 16, Act v., " King Lear."
58. I'll wake mine eyeballs blind /irst. Hanmer inserted
the word " blind " h-re : the Folio printing the line thus: 'lie
wake mine eye-balles first.' Both sense and metre seem to
indicate that some monosyllable was omitted ; and the suggested
one, " blind," appears to us to be very probably that which was
left out.
59. To be unbent. ' To have thy bow unbent ; ' in allusion to
a hunter.
60. Tent. 'Curatively search,' ' probe."
61. Abus'd. J Deceived,' 'deluded,' 'beguiled.' See Nute
54, Act i.
62. For 'tis commanded f should do so. No portion of the
letter to Pisanio, which has been read aloud by Imogen, con-
tains the command here alluded to ; but it may be supposed to
have been added in a postscript. At any rate, the present
affords another instance o( tho^e purposed deviations from verbal
707
I \ /iA 111. W*'1 l^ V"^L$tll4J
Plsanio. What shall I need to draw my sword? the paper
Hath cut her throat already.
Act III. Scene II'.
Act III.]
CYM DELINK.
[Scene IV.
And that will well confirm it.
Imo. Why, good fellow,
Wh.it shall I do the while!' where hide? how
live?
Or in my life what comfort, when I am
Dead to my husband ?'
Pis. If you'll back to the court, — ■
Imo. No court, no father ; nor no more ado
With that harsh, noble, simple nothing,—
That Cloten, whose love-suit hath been to me
As fearful as a siege.
Pis. If not at court,
Then not in Britain must you hide.
Imo. Where then ?
Hath Britain all the sun that shines ? Day, night,
Are they not hut in Britain ? I' the world's
volume
Our Britain seems as of it, hut not in 't ;
In a great pool a swan's nest : ur'ythee, think
There 's livers out of Britain.63
Pis. 1 am most glad
You think of other place. Th' embassador,
Lucius the Roman, comes to Milford Haven
To-morrow: now, if you could wear a mind
Dark as your fortune is," and but disguise
That which, to appear itself, must not yet be
But by self-danger,05 you should tread a course
Pretty and full of view;66 yea, haply, near
The residence of Posthumus, — so nigh, at least,
That though his actions were not visible, yet
Report should render him hourly to your ear
As truly as he moves.
Imo. Oh, for such means !
Though peril to my modesty, not death on't,
I would adventure.
Pis. Well, then, here's the point:
exactness in allusion to letters or in repeated speeches which we
have several times pointed out as occurring in Shakespeare's
plays. See Note 17 of the present Act.
63. There 's lirers out of Britain, " There 's " affords an in-
stance of one of the numerous elisional contractions in this play,
and of the grammatical licence occasionally used by Shake-
speare of putting " there V before a plural noun.
64. If you could -wear a mind dark as your fortune is. 'If
you could keep your thoughts and purposes as much veiled by
secrecy as your fortune is obscured by present adversity.'
65. And but disguise that which, to appear itse'.f, must not.
&°c. "That'' here refers to Imogen's personal identity as
woman and princess.
66. Pretty and full of view. " Pretty" appears to us to bear
the sense of "fair,' 'prosperous,' 'propitious;' and "full of
view " to include the combined significations of ' full of pro-
mising aspect,' or 'full of auspisious prospect," also 'full of
means of observation,' and likewise ' full in view.' Pisanio
means that her assuming the garb of a boy will be propitious to
ber, in affording her prospect of better times, in giving her
means of observing Posthumus's procedure, and all the while
permitting her to be full in view of those around her, though
preserving the secret other identity.
67. Quarrelous as the weasel. See Note 53, Act. it., " First
Part Henry IV." " Quarrelous " is an old form of ' quarrel-
You must forget to be a woman ; change
Command into obedience ; fear and nicencss, —
The handmaids of all women, or, more truly,
Woman its pretty self, — into a waggish courage ;
Ready in gibes, quick-answered, saucy and
As quarrelous as the weasel ;6' nav, vou must
Forget that rarest treasure of your cheek,
Exposing it,— but, oh, the harder heart!
Alack, no remedy! — to the greedy touch
Of common-kissing Titan ;6S and forget
Your laboursoine and dainty trims, wherein
You made great Juno angry.
Imo. Nay, be brief:
I see into thy end, and am almost
A man already.
Pis. hirst, make yourself but like one.
Fore-thinking this, 1 have already fit
('Tis in my cloak-bag) doublet, hat, hose, all
That answer to them : would you, 111 their
serving,
And with what imitation you can borrow
From )outh of such a season, 'fore noble Lucius
Present yourself, desire his service, tell him
Wherein you're happy, m — which you'll make him
know,"0
[f that his head have ear in music, — doubtless
With joy he will embrace you; for he's honour-
able,
And, doubling that, most holy. Your means
abroad,71
You have me, rich ; and I will never fail
Beginning nor supplyment.
Imo. Thou art all the comfort
The gods will diet me with. Pr'ythee, away :
There 's more to be consider'd ; but we'll even
All that good time will give us :'2 this attempt
68. Common-kissing Titan. See Note 57, Act ii., " Hamlet."
This allusion to the loveliness of Imogen's complexion, while
bidding her suffer it to become tanned and sunburnt, this
reference to her graceful demeanour and attire, appear to us to
be thoroughly indicative of Shakespeare's perception respecting
the consolation of kindly and delicate compliment coming in
moments of bitter humiliation and distress. It insensibly soothes
and cheers : gives her spirit to respond with alacrity, and to
enter upon the proposed project with revived energy : inspired,
moreover, by the hope to rejoin her husband at any cost, at any
risk.
69. Happy. Here used for 'accomplished,' 'gifted.'
70. Which you'll make him know. The Folio prints ' will '
for "you'll." Hanmer's correction.
71. Your means abroad. This phrase is elliptical, and we
must either understand 'fur' before "your," in which case it
would signify ' for your means of subsistence while abroad,' or
we must understand 'being' before " abroad," in whith case it
would signify ' your own means being dispel sed, or scattered.
72. We'll even all l/uit good time will give us. This is
the third time that Shakespeare uses the word " even " as a
verb. See Note 69, Act i., "All's Well," and Note 143, Act
iv., " King Lear." The present passage will bear and in-
cludes several interpretations : it gives the effect of ' we'll make
our attempts keep pace with the time allowed us for endtavour,
' we'll accomplish, achieve, or compass all that time will give us
709
ACT III.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene V.
I am soldier to, and will abide it with
A prince's courage." Away, I pr'ythee.
Pis. Well, madam, we must take a short fare-
well,
Lest, being miss'd, 1 be suspected of
Your carnage from the court. My noble mistress,
Here is a box ; 1 had it from the queen :
What 's in 't is precious ; if you are sick at sea,
Or stomach-quahn'd at land, a drain of this
Will drive away distemper. — To some shade,
And tit you to your manhood :— may the gods
Direct you to the best !
Imo. Amen: I thank thee.
[Exeunt.
SCENE V.— A Room in Cymbeline's Palace.
Enter Cymbeline, Queen, Cloten, Lucius, and
Lords.
Cym. Thus far ; and so, farewell.
Luc. Thanks, royal sir.
My emperor hath wrote; I must from hence;
And am right sorry that 1 must report ye
My master's enemy.
Cym. Our subjects, sir,
Will not endure his yoke ; and for ourself
To show less sovereignty than they, must needs
Appear unkinglike.
Luc. So, sir, I desire of you
A conduct over-land to Milford Haven. —
Madam, all joy befal your grace, and you !74
Cym. My louls, you are appointed for that
office ;
The due of honour in no point omit. —
So, farewell, noble Lucius.
Luc. Your hand, my lord.
Clo. Receive it friendly; but from this time
forth
I wear it as ) our enemy.
Luc. Sir, the event
Is )et to name the winner : fare you well.
Cym. Leave not the woitlvy Lucius, good ray
lords,
leave to try for,' 'we'll do all that time enables us to do,' ' we'll
iuucl smoothly and with even temper all that time brings,' and
' we'll accept thankfully all that good time grants.' Be it more-
over observed that there is here the same trust in " time '' and
its beneficent dispensations which we have before pointed out as
put by Shakespeare into the mouth of his most exalted-souled
characters. See Note ig, Act ii., " Winter's Tale."
73. 1'kis attempt I am soldier to, and will, &c. 'I am pie-
pared to undertake this attempt with the active hardihood of a
soldier, and will sustain it with the fortitude of a prince.'
74 Madam, alt joy be/al yonr grace, and yon ! This line
has been variously altered ; but we think that, as it stands, it
conveys a parting s. dotation to the queen and to her son ; the
final "' and you " bein^ ad hesvjd to Cloten.
Till he have cross'd the Severn. — Happiness !
[Exeunt Lucius and Lords
Queen. He goes hence frowning : but it
honours us
That we have given him cause.
Clo. 'Tis all the better.
Your valiant Britons have their wishes in it.
Cym. Lucius hath wrote already to the em-
peror
How it goes here. It fits us therefore ripely
Our chariots and our horsemen be in readiness :
The powers that he already hath in Gallia
Will soon be drawn to head, from whence he
moves
His war for Britain.
Queen. ' Lis not sleepy business ;
But must be look'd to speedily and strong.}.
Cym. Our expectation that it would be thus
Hath made us forward. But, my gentle queen,
Where is our daughter ? She hath not appear' d
Before the Roman, nor to us hath tender'd
The duty of the day : she looks us like75
A thing more made of malice than of (hit) :
We have noted it. — Call her before us ; for
We have been too slight in sufferance.
[Exit an Attendant.
Queen, Royal sir,
Since the exile of Posthumus, most retii'd
Hath her life been; the cure whereof, my lord,
'Tis time must do. Beseech jour majesty,
Forbear sharp speeches to her: she 's a lady
So tender of rebukes, that words are strokes/6
And strokes death to her.
Re-enter Attendant.
How
Cym. Where is she, sir f
Can her contempt be answer'd ?
Alien. Please you, sir,
Her chambers are all lock d ; and there's no
answer
That will be given"7 to the luud'st of noise we
make.78
Queen. My lord, when last I went to visit her,
She pray'ci me to excuse her keeping close ;
Whereto constraint by her infirmity,
She should that duty leave unpaid to \ on,
75. Site looks us like. The Folio prints this, ' She looke vs
like.' Johnson corrected 'looke' to "looks." We have fre-
quently had occasion to notice the elliptical mode in which
Shakespeare uses the verb " to look" (see Note 73, Act iii.,
" Antony and Cleopatra " . and licic ' to ' is elliptically under-
stood after " looks."
76. )Fvrds are strokes. The first Folio gives 'stroke' for
'' strokes" here. Corrected in the second Folio.
77. Ttiere's no awnver that will be given, &c. Instance of
" will be " used without reference to the future time. See Note
20, Act v., "Antony and Cleopatra."
78. To the loud st 0/ noise we make. The Folio print;
' lowd ' for " loul'sl." Capell's correction.
Act III.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Which daily she was bound to proffer : this
She wish'd me to make known ; but our great
court
Made me to blame in memory.
Cym. Her doors lock'd ?
Not seen of late ? Grant, heavens, that which I
fear
Prove false ! [Exit.
Queen. Son, I say, follow the king.
Clo. That man ol hers, Pisanio, her old
servant,
I have not seen these two days.
Queen. Go, look after. —
[Exit Cloten.
Pisanio, thou that stand'st so for Posthumus! — ■
He hath a drug of mine ; I pray his absence
Proceed by swallowing that ; for he believes
It is a thing most precious. But for her,
Where is she gone f Hiply, despair hath seiz'd
her ;
Or. wing'd with fervour of her love, she's flown
To her desir'd Posthumus : gone she is
To death or to dishonour; and my end
Can make good use of either : she being down,
I have the placing of the British crown.
Re-enter Cloten.
How now, my son !
Clo. 'Tis certain she is fled.
Go in and cheer the king : he rages ; none
Dare come about him.
Queen. All the better: may
This night forestall him of the coining day !79
[Exit.
Clo. I love and hate her: for she's fair and
royal,*1
And that she hath all courtly parts more exquisite
Than lady, ladies, woman ;31 from every one
The best she hath, and she, of all compounded,
Outsells them all,92 — I love her therefore: but,
Disdaining me, and throwing favours on
The low Posthumus, slanders so her judgment,
That what 's else rare is chok'd ; and in that
point
I will conclude to hate her, nay, indeed,
To be reveng'd upon her. For, when fools
Shall—
79. May this night forestall him of the coming day '. ' May
his this night's rage and grief preclude his living to see another
day, by prematurely destroying him !'
80. For she 's fair and royal. " For" used in the sense of
' because.'
81. Than lady, ladies, woman. Eliiptically expressed ; signi-
fying ' than any lady, than all ladies, than all womankind.' A
similar phrase occurs in " All's Well," Act ii., sc. 3 : "To any
count, — to all counts. — to what is man."
82. Outsells them all. "Outsells" is here used for 'out-
vatues ; ' as in scene 4 of the previous Act, " outsell " is used for
' out value,' where Iachimo says, " Her pretty action did outsell
her gift."
Enter PlSANIO.
Who is here? What! are you packing,93 sirrah ?
Come hither : ah, you precious pander ! Villain,
Where is thy lady ? in a word ; or else
Thou art straightway with the fiends.
Pis. Oh, good my lord !
Clo. Where is thy lady ? or, by Jupiter —
I will not ask again. Close villain,
I'll have this secret from thy heart, or rip
Thy heart to find it. Is she with Posthumus ?
From whose so many weights of baseness cannot
A dram of worth be drawn.
Pis. Alas! my lord,
How can she be with him ? When was she
miss'd ?
He is in Rome.
Clo. Where is she, sir ? Come nearer ;
No farther halting : satisfy me home
What is become of her.
Pis. Oh, my all-worthy lord !
Clo. All-worthy villain !
Discover where thy mistress is at once,
At the next word, — no more of worthy lord, —
Speak, or thy silence on the instant is
Thy condemnation and thy death.
Pis. Then, sir,
This paper91 is the history of my knowledge
Touching her flight. [Presenting a litter.
Clo. Let 's see 't. — I will pursue her
Even to Augustus' throne.
Pis. [Aside.] Or this, or perish.85
She's far enough ; and what he learns by this
May prove his travel, not her danger.
Clo. H'm!
Pis. [Aside.] I'll write to my lord she 's dead.
O Imogen,
Safe mayst thou wander, safe return again !
Clo. Sirrah, is this letter true ?
Pis. Sir, as I think.
Clo. It is Posthumus' hand; I know't. — Sirrah,
if thou wouldst not be a villain, but do me true
service, undergo86 those employments wherein I
should have cause to use thee with a serious indus-
try,— that is, what villany soe'er I bid thee do, to
perform it directly and truly, — I would think thee
an honest man : thou shouldst neither want my
83. Pacttmg. 'Plotting,' 'contriving,' 'scheming,' 'con-
spiring.' See Note 7, Act iii., " King Lear "
84. This paper. The one subsequently alluded to by Pisanio.
where he says (Act v., sc. 5), " I had a feigned letter of my
master's then in my pocket ; which directed him," &c. We may
suppose it to have been one fabricated by Pisanio to plausibly
account for Imogen's having left the court of her own accord, in
case he should be charged with having been the adviser and
aider of her flight.
85. Or this, or perish. ' I must either practise this deceit
upon Cloten or perish by his fury.'
86. Undergo. 'Undertake.' See Note 85, Act i., "Julius
C;csar."
Act III.]
CYMEBL1NE.
[Scene V.
Pisattio. Then, sir,
This paper is the history of my knowledge
Touching her flight.
Act III. Scene V.
mentis for thy relief, nor my voice for thy prefer-
ment.
Pis. Well, my good lord.
Clo. Wilt thou serve me ?- for since patiently
and constantly thou hast stuck to the bare fortune
of that beggar Posthumus, thou canst not, in the
course of gratitude, hut he a diligent follower of
mine, — wilt thou serve me ?
Pis. Sir, I will.
Clo. Give me thy hand; here 's my purse.
Hast any ot thy late master's garments in thy
possession ?
Pis. 1 have, my lord, at my lodging, the same
suit he wore when he took leave of my lady and
mistress.
Clo. The first service thou dost me, fetch that
suit hither : let it he thy first service ; go.
Pis. I shall, my lord. [Exit.
Clo. Meet thee at Milford Haven !— I forgot t i
ask him one thing ; I'll remember 't anon : — even
there, thou villain Posthumus, will I kill thee. — 1
would these garments were come. She said upon
a time, — the bitterness of it I now cast from my
heart, — that she held the very garment of Pos-
thumus in more respect than my noble and natural
person, together with the adornment of my quali-
ties. With that suit upon my back, will I outrage
her: first kill him, and in her eyes ; there shall she
see my valour, which will then be a torment to her
contempt. He on the ground, my speech of
insultment ended on his dead body, — and when my
will hath dined (which, as I say, to vex her I will
execute in the clothes that she so praised), — to the
court I'll knock her back, foot her home again.
She hath despised me rejoicingly, and I'll be merry
in tin revenge.
Imogen. Ho! Who's heie?
If anything that's civil, speak; if savage,
Take or lend. Ho !--No answer? then I'll enter.
Act III. Scene II.
\^C
256
Act III.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene VI.
Re-enter Pisanio, 'with the clothes.
Be those the garments ?
Pis. Ay, my noble lord.
Clo. How long is 't since she went to Milford
Haven ?
Pis. Slie can scarce be there yet.
Clo. Bring this apparel to my chamber ; that is
the second thing that I have commanded thee : the
third is, that thou wilt be a voluntary mute to my
design. Be but duteous, and true preferment shall
tender itself to thee. — My revenge is now at Mil-
ford : would 1 had wings to follow it !— Come, and
be true. [Exit.
Pis. Thou bidd'st me to my loss : for, true to
thee
Were to prove false, which I will never be,
To him that is most true.8' — To Milford go,
And find not her whom thou pursu'st. — Flow,
flow,
You heavenly blessings, on her! — This fool's
speed
Be cross'd with slowness; labour be his meed !
[Exit.
SCENE VI Wales. Before the Ca-ve of
Belarius.
Enter Imogen, in boy's clothes,
Imo. I see a man's life is a tedious one :
I have tir'd myself; and for two nights together
Have made the ground my bed. I should be
sick,
But that my resolution helps me. — Milford,
When from the mountain-top Pisanio show'd
thee,
87. To him that is most trite. It is characteristic of the
faithful-hearted Pisanio that he never swerves from his convic-
tion that Posthumus is good and " true," notwithstanding the
cruel letter commanding Imogen's destruction. He believes
what he has told her ; that Posthtimus has been deceived by
"some villain," who has worked this " injury" to both.
88. Foundations. Used, in a general sense, for edifices or
dwelling-places ; in a particular sense, with reference to esta-
blishments (generally religious ones) where a revenue was settled
for charitable purposes, and where alms and relief were given.
See Note 49, Act v., " Much Ado."
89. Sorer. Here used for 'more criminal. ' 'more injurious.'
90 Plenty and fence breech cowardi. One of the gram-
m.nir.il li. '-11 ,-■> 1 1 -. r ! . 1 by Shakespeare ; 'the slate of being
understood before "plenty and peace." See Note 71, Act i.,
"Macbeth."
91. Civil. Here used for ' civilised.'
92. Take or lend. ' Take payment for what I need. 1 ir 1- ti 1
it me from kindliness.' " Lend " is often used for ' bestow,'
'confer ;' as in the familiar phrase. ' Lend me aid,' ' Lend me
■ 11 1 ' See passage referred to in Note 89, Art 111 . " Romeo
ami Juliet;" where, if "lent" be the right wind, it must be
used in the sense of ' bestowed upon,' or ' conferred open.'
Thou wast within a ken : O Jove! I think
I'oundationsss fly the wretched ; such, I mean,
Where they should be reliev'd. Two beggars told
me
I could not miss my way : will poor folks lie,
'I hat have afflictions on them, knowing 'lis
A punishment, or trial ? Yes ; no wonder,
When rich ones scarce tell true : to lapse in
fulness
Is sorer69 than to lie for need ; and falsehood
Is worse in kings than beggars. — My dear lord !
Thou art one o' the false ones : now I think on
thee,
My hunger's gone ; but even before, I was
At point to sink for food. — But what is this ?
Here is a path lo 't : 'tis some savage hold :
I were best not call ; I dare not call: yet famine,
Ere clean it o'erthrow nature, makes it valiant.
Plenty and peace breeds cowards ; 90 hardness ever
Of hardiness is mother. — Ho ! Who's here ?
If anything that 's civil,91 speak; if savage,
Take or lend.93 Ho! — No answer? then I'll
enter.
Best draw my sword ; and if mine enemy
But fear the sword like me, he'll scarcely look
on 't.
Such a foe, good heavens !93
[Goes into the Cave.
Enter Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus.
Bel. You, Polydore, have prov'd best wood-
man, 9i and
Are master of the feast : Cadwal and I
Will play the cook and servant ; 'tis our match : 9I>
The sweat of industry \\ ould dry and die,
But for the end it works to. Come ; our stomachs
Will make what's homely savoury : weariness
Can snore upon the flint, when resty9f sloth
93. Suck a Joe ', good heavens! Exquisitely feminine through-
out is this speech. Its confession of limb-weary fatigue, of
faiutness from exhaustion, its moral strength amid physical
weakness, its tender epithet for the husband whose cruel in-
justice is felt none the less deeply for the irremovable love she
still cherishes for him, its timid hesitation in calling for help, its
vague thought of defence, in " best draw my sword," its avowal
of greater dread at the very sight of the sword than the sword-
drawer can hope to inspire by use of the weapon, together with
the final softly smiling, half self-pitying exclamation, half aspira-
tion for divine aid, are all intensely true to the mingled mental
courage and bodily delicacy of such a woman as Imogen, who
is the very embodiment of supreme womanhood.
94 Woodman. 'Hunter.' See Note 7. Act v., "Merry
Wives," and Note 64, Act iv , " Measure for Measure."
95, Match. Here used for ' compact,' 'agreement.' In the
third scene of the present Act Belarius has promised, " He
thai strikes the venison first shall be the lord o' the feast; to
him the other two shall minister "
Reffy. 'Inert,' 'sluggish,' 'dull,' 'heavy,' 'idle:' too
full of rest. Shakespeare thus uses it in bis "Sonnet C ;"
and Mill, in in the same sense in his " Eiconoclastes," sec. 24:
"The master is too resty, or too rich, to say his own prayers,
Act III.]
CYMBEUNE.
[Scene VI.
Finds the down pillow -hard. — Now, peace lie here,
Poor house, that keep'st thyself!
Gui. I am thoroughly weary.
Arm. I am weak with toil, jet strong in
appetite.
Gui. There is cold meat i' the cave ; we'll
browse on that,
Whilst what we have kill'd be cook'd.
Bel. [Looking into the Cave.} Stay; come not
in.
But that it eats our victuals, I should think
Here were a fairy.
Gui. What's the matter, sir ?
Bel. By Jupiter, an angel ! or, if not,
An earthly paragon ! — Behold divineness
No elder than a boy ! '?
Re-enter Imogej*.
Imo. Good masters, harm me not :
Before 1 enter'd here, I call'd ; and thought
To have begg'd or bought what 1 have took: good
troth,
I have stol'n naught; nor would not, though I had
found
Gold strew'd i' the floor.93 Here 's money for my
meat :
I would have left it on the hoard, so soon
As I had made my meal ; and parted
With prayers for the provider.
Gui. Money, youth ?
Arm. All gold and silver rather turn to dirt !
As 'tis r.o better reckon'd, but of those
Who worship dirty gods.
In. o. I see you're angry :
Know, if you kill me for my fault, I should
Have died had I not made it.
Bel. Whither bound ?
Into. To Milford Haven.
Bel. What 's your name ?
Imo. Fidele, sir. I have a kinsman who
Is bound for Italy ; he embark'd at Miltord ;
or to bless his own table." " Reaty " has been otherwise inter-
preted, and has been altered to ' restive," the Folio having spelt
the word 'restie:' but we think that the previous expression, i
" weariness," signifying ' fatigue from due exertion,' ' tired out
after hearty toil,' as opposed to 'over-rested ease,' shows the
antithesis intended, and shows our interpretation to be right.
97. Behold divineness no elder than a boy! In the present
passage, as k seems to us, "elder" includes the same sense of
'superior,' 'more exalted,' that we have hitherto pointed out in
Shakes-peare's occasional use of this word i'see Note 59, Act iii.,
" Antony and Cleopatra ") ; since we think that this phrase
signifies, ' Behold divineness in a shape no older or more digni-
fied and reverend than that of a boy ! '
98. Strew'd i' the Jloor. Here " i' "or " in " is used for ' on.'
See Note 12. Act v., " Second Part Henry VI."
9). / bid for you as I do buy. This has been variously
changed ; but, as the phrase stands, it appears to us that the
meaning of the speech is, ' If you were a woman, youth, I would
woo hard to be your bridegroom : as it is, I honestly bid for
your affection as I do buy it with mine own to you ; ' or, ' In '
To whom being going, almost spent with hunger,
I am fall'ii in this offence.
Bel. Pr'ythee, fair youth,
Think us no churls, nor measure our good minds
By this rude place we live in. Well encounter'd !
'Tis almost night : you shall have better cheer
Ere you depart ; and thanks to stay and eat it. —
Boys, bid him welcome. .
Gui. Were you a woman, youth,
I should woo hard but be your groom:— in
honesty,
I bid for you as I do buy."
Arm. I'll make't my comfort
He is a man ; I'll love him as my brother: —
And such a welcome as I'd give to him
After long absence, such is yours : — most wel-
come !
Be sprightly, for you fall 'mongst friends.
Into. '.Mongst friends,
If brothers. — [Aside.'] Would it had been so, that
they
Had been my father's sons ! then had my prize
Been less;10" and so more equal ballasting
To thee, Posthumus.
Bel. He wrings101 at some distress.
Gui. Would I could free 't !
Arm. Or I ; whate'er it be,
What pain it cost, what danger ! Gods !
Bel. Hark, boss.
[Whispering.
Imo. Great men,
That had a court no bigger than this cave,
That did attend themselves, and had the virtue
Which their own conscience seal'd them, —
laying by
That nothing gift of differing multitudes,102 —
Could not out-peer these twain. Pardon me,
gods !
I'd change my sex to be companion with them,
Since Leonatus' false.1"3
Bel. It shall be so.
honesty, I bid for your affection by purchasing it with mine own
in return.' The phrase elliplically expresses, ' I bid honestly
for your liking — offering you mine in exchange for yours— as I
do buy, by exchanging money for what 1 purchase.' The
phraseology throughout this play is so very elliptical, as to be
perhaps the most so of all Shakespeare's ; and the present
sentence appears to us to be in accordance with this particular.
100. Tlien lutdnty prize been less. ' Then had my value been
less;' implying, 'Then would the prize which Leonatus gained
in winning the heiress to the crown have been lessened by my
being but sister to the royal heirs.'
101. Wrings. ' Feels acutely ; ' ' writhes in anguish.' See
Note 5, Act v., " Much Ado."
102. Laying by that nothing gift 0/ differing multitudes.
' Setting aside that worthless attribution of the varying-minded
populace.'
103. Since Leonatus* false. The Folio prints 'Leonatus'
here without the apostrophe : but we take it to be a similar
elisionally contracted form to the one we pointed out in Note 97,
Act iv., " King Lear," — " this' " for ' this is.'
Act IV.]
CYMBEL1NE."
[Scene I.
Boys, we'll go dress our hunt.104 — Fair youth,
come in :
Discourse is heavy, fasting ; when we have supp'd,
We'll mannerly demand thee of thy story,
So far as thou wilt speak it.
Giii. Pray, draw near.
Ain). The night to the owl, and morn to the
lark, less welcome.
Imo. Thanks, sir.
Aril. I pray, draw near. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII.— Rome. A Public Place.
Enter two Senators ant Tribunes.
First Sen. This is the tenour of the emperor's
writ, —
That since the common men are now in action
'Gainst the Pannonians and Dalmatians;
And that the legions now in Gallia are
Full weak to undertake our wars against
The fall'n-off Britons ; that we do incite
The gentry to this business. He creates
Lucius pro-consul : and to you, the tribunes,
For this immediate levy, he commands
His absolute commission.105 Long live Caesar!
First. Tri. Is Lucius general of the forces ?
Sec. Sen. Ay.
First Tii. Remaining now in Gallia?
First Sen. With those legions
Which I have spoke of, whereunto your levy
Must be suppl)ant: the words of your commission
Will tie you to the numbers, and the time
Of their despatch.
First Tri. We will discharge our duty.
[Exeunt.
ACT IV.
SCENE I. — Britain. Wales: the Forest near
the Cave of B elarius.
Enter Cloten.
CIo. I am near to the place where they should
meet, if Pisanio have mapped it truly. How fit
his garments serve me ! Why should his mistress,
who was made by him that made the tailor, not
be fit too? the rather, — saving reverence of the
word,— for 'tis said a woman's fitness comes by
104. We'll go dress our hunt. Here "hunt" is used Tor
that which has been obtained by hunting, as " chase " is used
for that which is being chased, in the passage explained in Note
47, Act iii., " Winter's Tale."
105. To you ... . lie commands his absolute commission.
Here Warburton and others alter " commands " to ' commends ; '
but we think that the phrase is elliptical, signifying, ' He com-
mands that his absolute commission shall be given to you.' Dr.
Johnson illustrates this interpretation by remarking, " So we
say, ' 1 ordered the materials to the workmen.' " Shakespeare
himself, in "Richard II.," Act iv., sc. 1, has a somewhat
siinil.tr elliptical sentence: "An if my word be sterling yet in
England, let it command a mirror hither straight;" mean-
ing, ' Let it command that a mirror shall be brought hither
immediately.
1. In single oppositions. 'In single encounters,' 'in single
combat,' ' in fighting man to man.1 An " opposite" was a term
formerly used for an ' adversary * or an ' antagonist.' See Note
38, Act iii., "Twelfth Night;" also, the context of passage
referred to in Note 70, Act i,, " First Part Henry IV."
2. Imperseverant * Undiscerning,' ' unperceiving.1 The
word was variously spelt ; and if ' impcrceyverauiit ' or ' imper-
ii tS. Therein I must play the workman. I dare
speak it to myself, — for it is not vain-glory for a
man and his glass to confer in his own chamber, —
I mean, the lines of my body are as well drawn as
his; no less young, more strong, not beneath hiin
in fortunes, beyond him in the advantage of the
time, above him in birth, alike conversant in
general services, and more remarkable in single
oppositions:1 yet this imperseverant8 thing loves
him in my despite. What mortality is ! Pos-
ceiverant' be adopted, the sense here explained would be more
obvious ; but we believe that by preserving the Folio spelling
(excepting that ' u' is put for " v " in the word), we allow it to
retain the combined sense of ' obstinately persevering,' or ' very
persevering,' which it may possibly have been intended to in-
clude. In the following passage, which Mr. Dyce quotes from
the old play of " The Widow" (as confirming his opinion that
here " imperseverant " signifies 'undiscerning,' and should be
spelt 'imperceiverant'), it appears to us that the word "per-
severance " is there employed in such a way as to include the
duplicate sense which we here assign to the word "imper-
severant : " —
" Methinks the words
Themselves should make him do 't, had he but the perseverance
Of a cock-sparrow, that will come at Philip,
And can nor write nor read, poor fool ! '
The writers of those days did ur,e words in this manner ; and
knowing, as we do, Shakespeare's largely comprehensive em-
ployment of expressive epithets, while considering the whole gist
of Cloten's sentence here, we are strongly of opinion that " im-
perseverant " is intended to convey the double effect of ' undis-
cerning' and * invelerately persevering.'
716
Act IV.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II.
thumus, thy liead, which now is growing upon thy
shoulders, shall within this hour be ott ; thy mis-
tress enforced ; thy garments cut to pieces before
thy face:3 and all this done, spurn her home to
her father; who may haply be a little angry for
my so rough usage; but my mother, having power
of his testiness, shall turn all into my commenda-
tions. My horse is tied up safe : out, sword, and to
a sore purpose ! Fortune, put them into my hand !
This is the very description of their meeting-place;
and the fellow dares not deceive ine. [Exi/.
SCENE 1 1._ Before the Cave of Belarius.
Enter, from the Caiie, Belarius, Guiderius,
Arviragus, and Imogen.
Bel. [To Imo.] You are not well: remain here
in the cave ;
We'll come to you after hunting.
Ari>. [To Imo.] Brother, stay here :
Are we not brothers P
Imo. So man and man should be;
But clay and clay differs in dignity,
Whose dust is both alike. I am very sick.
Cut. Go you to hunting ; I'll abide with him.
Imo. So sick I am not, — yet I am not well ;
But not so citizen a wanton, as
To seem to die ere sick : so please you, leave me ;
Stick to your journal4 course: the breach of
custom
Is breach of all. I am ill ; but your being by me
Cannot amend me : society is no comfort
3. Cut to pieces before thy face. Warburton and others change
"thy" to 'her' here; but Cloten is pouring out a torrent of
furious threats, expressed in his usual blundering, headlong
manner ; and the thought of cutting to pieces those " garments "
— the meanest of which Imogen has declared is dearer to her
than a thousand such men as Cloten — before the dead face of
the man whose head he had just cut off, would present no in-
congruous image to a mind like this speaker's, who has pre-
viously revelled in the idea of " He on the ground, my speech
of insultment ended on his dead body," &c. In this very idea,
be it observed, there is no clear indication of whether the
"speech of insultment" is to be made to Imogen or to the
"dead body;" in that passage he blends the thought of
both of them being included in the insult, as in this passage
he includes both Posthumus and Imogen in the outrage he
will commit in cutting to pieces these hated garments be-
fore the face of the murdered man and in sight of his hapless
wife.
4. Journal. ' Daily.' See Note 53, Act iv., " Measure for
Measure."
5. So please you, sir. It has been proposed to make these
words the commencement of Imogen's next speech ; but they
appear to us to be spoken by Arviragus, in reply to Belarius's
observation, " 'Tis the ninth hour o' the morn ;" and that they
imply, 'So please you, lead on, sir, we are ready.' In Act ii. ,
sc. 2, Imogen's lady answers, " Please you, madam," in reply
to her mistress's summons, to signify being ready in attendance.
To one not sociable : I am not very sick,
Since I can reason of it. Pray you, trust me
here :
I'll rob none but myself; and let ine die,
Stealing so poorly.
Gut. I love thee ; I have spoke it :
How much the quantity, the weight as much,
As I do love my father.
Bel. What ? how ! how !
Am). If it be sin to say so, sir, I yoke ine
In my good brother's fault : I know not why
I love this youth ; and I have heard you say,
Love's reason 's without reason : the bier at door,
And a demand who is 't shall die, I 'd say,
" My father, not this youth."
Bel. [Aside.'] Oh, noble strain !
Oh, worthiness of nature ! breed of greatness !
Cowards father cowards, and base things sire
base :
Nature hath meal and bran, contempt and grace.
I'm not their father ; yet who this should be,
Doth miracle itself, lov'd before me. —
[Aloud.] 'Tis the ninth hour 0' the morn.
Ari>. Brother, farewell.
Imo. I wish ye sport.
Ari>. You health. — So please you, sir.5
Imo. [Aside."] These are kind creatures. Gods,
what lies I have heard !
Our courtiers say all 's savage but at court :
Experience, oh, thou disprov'st report !
The imperious seas breed monsters; for the dish,
Poor tributary rivers as sweet fish.
I am sick still ; heart-sick : — Pisanio,
I'll now taste of thy drug.6 [Siia/loius some.
Gui.
I could not stir him : >
It is evident that here Belarius and the two young men go to
equip themselves and collect their implements of the chase,
while Imogen speaks to herself; and that the brothers talk
somewhat apart, respecting her ; because Guiderius, when he
resumes, shows this to be the case by his words, " I could not
stir him," &c- The youths linger, fascinated by the interest,
they feel in their unknown sister, though they profess their
readiness to attend their supposed father, who reiterates his
call to the hunting-field.
6. / '11 nozu taste of thy drug. These words are accompanied
by no stage direction in the Folio ; and at one time we believed
they were merely meant to indicate that Imogen intends taking
some of the drug when she returns into the cave and shall be
once more alone. But upon re-consideration of the stage
situation — the momentary withdrawal of Belarius and the
young men, which gives her the opportunity of speaking in
soliloquy and of remembering Pisanio's gift — we think it pro-
bable that the author intended this to be the juncture at which
she swallows some. Rowe first inserted a stage direction, " Drinks
out of the vial ;" but Mr. Dyce, remarking that the drug was a
solid, gave the stage direction which we adopt. We learn from
various passages in the play that this drug was contained in "a
box ; " and the fact that such receptacles were frequently used
for medicaments in Shakespeare's time may be gathered from
several indications in his works.
7. / could not stir hint. ' I could not move him to tell me of
himself,' ' I could not induce him to relate his story/
Act IV.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II.
He said he was gentle,8 but unfortunate ;
Dishonestly afflicted, but yet honest.
Arv. Thus did he answer ine : yet said, here-
after
I might know more.
Bel. To the field, to the fiehl !—
[To Imo.] We'll leave you tor this time: go in
and rest.
Aw. We'll not be long away.
Bel. Prav, be not sick,
For you must be our housewife.
Imo. Well or ill,
I am bound to you.9
Bel. And shalt be ever.
[Exit Imogen into the Cave.
This youth, howe'er distress'd, appears he hath
had
Good ancestors.10
Arai. How angel-like he sings !
Gut. But his neat cookery! he cut our roots in
characters ;u
And saue'd our broths, as Juno had been sick,
And he her dieter.
Ayv. Nobly he yokes
A smiling with a sigh, — .is if the sigh
Was that it was, for not being such a smile ;
The smile mocking the sigh, that it would fly
From so divine a temple, to commix
With winds that sailors rail at.
Gut. I do note
That grief and patience, rooted in him both,1-
Mingle their spurs13 together.
Aw. Grow, patience ! u
And let the stinking elder, griet, untwine
His perishing root with the increasing vine!15
Bel. It is great morning.10 Come, away! —
Who's there?
8. Gentle. ' Well born ; ' 'of superior race or rank.' See
Note 65, Act i., " Tempest."
g- / am bound to you. Imogen says this in the sense of 'I
am bound in obligation and gratitude to you;' while Belarius
replies to it in the sense of ' And shalt be bound to us evermore
b> ti'js of mutual affection and attachment.' We explain this,
because Mason proposed to alter " shalt " to ' shall,' and to give
lintli asseveration and response to Imogen as the conclusion of
her speech.
io. This youth, Itoweer distressed, appears he hath bad
good ancestors. Here " appears " is employed in the sense
of ' ih .us,' 'makes manifest.' See Note 21, Act iv., "Corio-
lanus."
n. But his neat cookery ! he cut our roots, £f>c. The Folio
erroneously inserts the prefix " Ami. " between " cookery " and
" he " here ; but the sentences evidently follow each other and
belong to the same speaker, because Arviragtis (so also in the
Folio begins his next speech with "Nobly he yokes," &c.
With exquisite propriety has Shakespeare given this accom-
plishment of culinary skill to Imogen : not only were the
princesses of old made mistresses of all womanly and domestic
occupations, but the special attribution of them 10 this partii ul.tr
heroine, and at this particular juncture, is what tends to exalt
her in our loving admiration as the most peerless uf feminine
creatures. See Note 30, Act i. of the present play.
Enter Cloten.
Clo. I cannot find those runagates; that villain
Hath mock'd me: — I am faint.
Bel. Those runagates!
Means he not us ? I partly know him ; 'tis
Cloten, the son o' the queen. J fear some
ambush.
I saw him not17 these many years, and yet
I know 'tis he. — We are held as outlaws :
hence ! ■
Gui. He is but one : you and my brother
search
What companies18 are near: pray you, away ;
Let me alone with him.
[Exeunt Belarius and Arviragus.
Clo. Soft '.—What are you
That fly me thus? some villain mountaineers ?
I have heard of such. — -What slave art thou ?
Gui. A thing
More slevish did I ne'er, than answering
A "slave" without a knock.19
Clo. Thou art a robber,
A law-breaker, a villain : yield thee, thief
Gui. To whom ? to t'hee ? What art thou ?
Have not I
An arm as big as thine ? a heart as big ?
Thy words, I grant, are bigger ; for I wear not
My dagger ill my mouth. Say what thou art,
Why I should \ ield to thee ?
Clo. Thou villain base,
Know'st me not by my clothes ?
Gui. No, nor thy tailor, rascal,
Who is thy grandfather : he made those clothes,
Which, as it seems, make thee.-0
Clo. Thou precious varlet,
My tailor made them not.21
12. Rooted in him both. The Folio has 'them' for "him."
Pope's correction.
13. Spurs. The largest and longest leading roots of trees.
See Note 9, Act v., " Tempest."
14. Grow, patience I The Folio gives ' Grow patient.' Rowe's
correction.
15. Untwine his perishing root ivith the increasing vine.
Here " with " is used for ' from ; ' or, rather, ' from growing ' is
elliptically understood before " with."
"16. It is great morning. See Note 14, Act iv., " Troilus and
Cressida."
17. / saiu him not. ' I have not seen him.' F01 an instance
of similar diction, see Note 2, Act ii. , " Second Part Henry VI. "
18. Companies. ' Companions,' ' associates.' See Note 16,
Act i., " Henry V."
19. Than anslueriug a " slave" without a knock. By the
construction of this sentence. Guiderius neatly contrives to call
Cloten "slave" in retort for his calling him one, while seeming
only to say, 'than answering that injurious term of "slave"
without a knock.'
20. Thy grandfather: )u made those clothes, which, &=c.
The present figurative phrase serves to illustrate the one ex-
plained and the one from " King Lear" alluded to in Note 47,
Act iii
21. My tailor made them not. It must be remembered that
718
Act IV.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene ii.
Gui. Hence, then, and thank
The man that gave them thee. Thou art some
fool;
I am loath to beat thee.
Clo. Thnu injurious thief,
Hear but my name, and tremble.
Gui. What '5 thy name?
C/o. Clote.i, thou villain.
Gui. Cloten, thou double villain, be thy name,
I cannot tremble at it: were it toad, or adder,
spider,
'Twould move me sooner.
C/o. To thy farther fear,
Nay, to thy mere22 confusion, thou shalt know
I am son to the queen.
Gui. I am sorry for 't ; not seeming
So worthy as thy birth.
C/o. Art not afeard ?
Gui. Those that I reverence, those I fear, — the
wise :
At fools I laugh, not fear them.
C/o. Die the death :
When I have slain thee with my proper hand,
I'll follow those that even now Red hence,
And on the gates of Lud's town set your heads :
Yield, rustic mountaineer. [Exeunt, fighting.
Re-enter BELARiusanrf Arviragus.
Bel. No company 's abroad.
Ar-v. None in the world : you did mistake him,
sure.
Be/. I cannot tell : — long is it since I saw him,
But time hath nothing blurr'd those lines of
favour23
Which then he wore ; the snatches in his voice,
And burst of speaking, were as his: I am abso-
lute24
'Twas verv Cloten.
Cloten has on the garments of Posthumus, which he obtained
from Pisanio.
22. Mere. ' Utter/ ' complete.' See Note 49, Act ii.,
"Othello."
23. Favour. 'Aspect,' 'appearance.' See Note 1 1 1", Act i. ,
"Othello.''
24. Absolute. Here used for ' certain,' 'positive, 'decided.'
25. Fell. ' Cruel," ' fierce,' ' inhuman.' See N'ote 66, Act iii.,
" King John."
26. Apprehension. Here used for ' intelligential perception,'
'sensible appreciation.' See Note 122, Act iii., " Henry V. ;"
where the passage referred to helps in elucidating the present
one.
27. For defect of judgment is oft the cause of fear. This is
the reading of the Folio ; and so contradictory does this second
clause of the sentence appear, in connection with the fir^t. that
we have hitherto in our previous editions considered it to be a
misprint, and accordingly adopted Theobald's alteration of ' tV
effect' for "defect," because we thought the antithetical
phraseology of ' th' effect' and '"the cause" was in Shake-
speare's style. But upon maturer consideration of his elliptical
diction generally, and of that which so remarkably characterises
the present play, we have come to the conviction that here "for"
is either intended to be equivalent to ' though it is true that," or
Arv. In this place we left them :
I wish my brother make good time with him,
You say he is so fell.25
Bel. Being scarce made up,
I mean, to man, fie had not apprehension20
Of roaring terrors ; for defect of judgment
Is oft the cause of fear." — But, see, thy brother.
Re-enter Guiderius ivitb Cloten's bead.
Gui. This Cloten was a fool, an empty
purse, —
There was no money in 't : not Hercules
Could have knock'd out his brains, for he had
none :
Yet I not doing this, the fool had borne
My head as I do his.
Bel. What hast thou done ?
Gui. I am perfect what:28 cut off one Cloten's
head,
Son to the queen, after his own report ;
Who cail'd me traitor, mountaineer ; and swore,
With his own single hand he'd take us in,29
Displace our heads where (thank the gods !) they
grow,30
Ami set them on Lud's town.
Bel. We are all undone.
Gui. Why, worthy father, what have we to
lose,
But that he swore to take, our lives? The law
Protects not us : then why should we be tender
To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us,
Play judge and executioner, all himself,
For we do fear the law ?31 What company
Discover you abroad ?
Bel. No single soul
Can we set eve on ; but in all safe reason32
He must have some attendants. Though his
humour
that it is possibly a misprint for ' though.' The point that most
weighs with us in believing that the present passage is right as
it stands is, that there occurs just such another instance of
apparently contradictional construction farther on in this very
play see Note 22, Act v.) : where, in like manner, 'though it is
true that' seems to be elliptical!)' understood. Moreover, it
may be that in the present passage " for" has the force of ' for
all ; ' which, idiomatically used, is employed to signify ' notwith-
standing that' or 'even allowing that.' In the present play,
Act v , sc. 4, we find, " There are verier knaves desire to live,
for till he be a Roman"
28. I am perfect what. 'I am perfectly aware what I have
done ' ' I know quite well what I have done.' See Note 12,
Act iii.
29. Take us in. 'Conquer us,' 'vanquish us,' ' subdue us.'
See X ite 15, Act iii.
30. Displace our heads where thank the gods /) they grew.
" Where" has here the force of ' from where.' The Folio gives
' thanks' for " thank ; " irre ted by Steevens.
31. For we do fear the law. " For " used as ' because.' See
Note So, Act iii.
32. In all sifc reason. "Safe" is here used in the sense
ound,' 'sure,' 'steady,' 'stable.' See Note 75, Act iv.,
" Kin:; Lear."
TO
Act IV.]
CYMBELINK.
[Scenk II.
Bclarius. What hast thou done >
Guiderius. I am perfect what : cut off one Cloten's head,
Son to the queen, after his own report. Act IV. Scene II.
Was nothing but mutation,33 — ay, and that-
From one bad thing to worse, — not frenzy, not
Absolute madness could so far have rav'd,
To bring him here alone : although, perhaps,
It may be heard at court, that such as we
Cave here, hunt here, are outlaws, and in time
May make some stronger head ; the which he
hearing,
(As it is like him) might break out, and swear
He'd fetch us ill ; yet is 't not probable
To come alone, either he so undertaking,
Or they so suffering : then on good ground we
fear,
If we do fear this body hath a tail
More perilous than the head.
Arv . Let ordinance
33. Though his humour was nothing but mutation.
Folio gives ' honor' for "humour." Theobald's correction.
The
Come as the gods foresay it : howsoe'er,34
My brother hath done well.
Bel. I had no mind
To hunt this day: the boy Fidele's sickness
Did make my way long forth.35
Gui. With his own sword,
Which he did wave against my throat, I have ta'en
His head from him : I'll throw 't into the creek
Behind our rock ; and let it to the sea,
And tell the fishes he 's the queen's son, Cloten :
That 's all I reck. [Exit.
Bel. I fear 'twill be reveng'd :
Would, Polydore, thou hadst not done 't! though
valour
Becomes thee well enough.
34. Howsoe'er. Elliptically used for ' howsoever this may he.'
35. Did make my way long forth. 'Did make my way in
going forth from tire cave seem tedious.'
Acr IV.]
CYMBEUNE.
[Scene II.
Art). Would I had done 't,
So the revenge alone pursu'd me ! — Polydore,
I love thee brotherly ; but envy much
Thou hast robb'd me of this deed: I would
revenges,
That possible strength might meet,36 would seek us
through,
Ami put us to our answer.
Bel. Well, 'tis done: —
We'll hunt no more to-day, nor seek for danger
Where there's no profit. I pr'ythee, to our
rock ;
You and Fidele play the cooks : I'll stay
Till hasty Polydore return, and bring him
To dinner presently.
Arty. Poor sick Fidele !
I'll willingly to him : to gain his colour3"
I'd let a parish of such Clotens blood,38
And praise myself tor charity. [E.xtt.
Bel. Oh, thou goddess,
Thou divine Nature, how thyself thou blazon'st39
In these two princely boys ! They are as gentle
As zephyrs, blowing below the violet.
Not wagging his sweet head ; and yet as rough,
Their royal blood enchaf'd, as the rud'st wind,
That by the top doth take the mountain pine,
And make him stoop to the vale. 'Tis wonder.
That40 an invisible instinct should frame them
To royalty unjearn'd ; honour untaught;
Civility not seen from other ; valour,
That wildly grows in them, but yields a crop
As if it had been sovv'd. — Yet still it 's strange
What Cloten's being here to us portends,
Or what his death will bring us.
Re-enter Guiderius.
Gui. Where 's my brother ?
I have sent Cloten's clotpoll41 down the stream,
36. / would revenges, that possible strength might meet, &>?.
' I would that deeds of just vengeance, such as might come
within the possibility of strength to achieve, would fall to our
share, and put us to the test.'
37. To gain his colour. Elliplically expressed; signifying
' to gain him his colour,' ' to restore colour to his cheeks.'
38. I'd let a parish of such Clolens blood. ' I would let
I'' I or Lite-] a whole parish of such fellows as Cloten.' "A
parish" was sometimes used, in Shakespeare's time, to express
' a great number.'
39. l/o'.u thyself thou blazon st. The Folio has ' thou '
instead il 'how" here. Pope's correction.
40. 'Tit wonder, that. firtr. Pope and others have changed
"wonder" t- . 'wonderful' here: but "'tis wonder" is an ellip-
t d phrase signifying ' 'tis a wonder,' or ' 'tis matter for
wonder;' and Shakespeare has used it elsewhere. See con-
text of passage referred to in Note 156, Act iv., " King Lear."
r ' ' Cloddish head,' ' lumpish head.' SeeNoteoo.,
■ '■ t i , ■• King Lear "
42, My ingenious instrument I The Folio misprints 'in-
genuous* for " ingenious" here Rowe's correction ; and
though the one ts sometimes used for the other in
. 1 aming of the Shrew,"
: . Vet it., " Timon of Athens"), we do not think he
In embassy to his mother : his body 's hostage
For his return. [Solemn music.
Bel. My ingenious instrument !'''-
Hark, Polydore, it sounds ! But what occasion
Hath Cadwal now to give it motion ? Hark !
Gui. Is he at home ?
Bel. He went hence even now.
Gui. What does he moan ? since death of my
dear' st mother
It did not speak before. All solemn things
Should answer solemn accidents. The matter f
Triumphs for nothing, and lamenting toys,43
Is jollity for apes, and grief for boys.
Is Cadwal mad :
Bel. Look, here he comes,
And brings the dire occasion in his arms
Of what we blame him for !
Re-enter Arviragus, bearing Imogen, as dead, in
bis arms.
Arv. The bird is dead
That we have made so much on. I had rather
Have skipp'd from sixteen years of age to
sixty,
To have turn'd my leaping-time into a crutch,
Than have seen this.
Gui. Oh, sweetest, fairest lily !
My brother wears thee not the one half so well
As when thou grew'st thyself.44
Bel. Oh, melancholy !
Who ever yet could sound thy bottom ? find
The ooze, to show what coast thy sluggish
crare45
Might easiliest harbour in ? — Thou blessed thing !
Jove knows what man thou mightst have made ;
but I,
Thou diedst,46 a most rare boy, of melancholy ! —
How found you him ?
wrote 'ingenuous' here, both because it would be incorrect and
because the word "ingenuous" never occurs elsewhere in his
writings. The "instrument" intended in the present passage
we take to be similar to the one meant by Shakespeare in the
passage referred to in Note 40, Act iii., " First Part Henry IV. ; "
and that the expression used by Eelarius, " give it motion," is
equivalent to 'set it playing.'
43. Toys. 'Trifles.' See Note 37. Act iv, " Hamlet."
44. My brother wears Hue not the one half so well as when
thou grew'st thyself. ' My brother holds thee thus drooping in
Ins arms not half so gracefully as thou, when alive, sustainedst
thyself.' We have heretofore remarked upon the excessive con-
densation of ellipsis to be observed in Shakespeare's similes.
See Notes 7 and 51, Act iv., " Troilus and Cressida."
45. Crare. The Folio prints 'care' for "crare :" which cor-
rection, first suggested by Sympson, was adopted by Steevens
and most editors since. A "crare," spelt variously ' craer,'
' crayer,' ' craye,' ' Cray,' and ' crea,' is a slow-sailing vessel
of small burthen. The word is found defined in Carpenter's
" Latin Supplement," and occurs in North's " Plutarch," in
Hackluyt's "Voyages," in England's "Helicon ;" also in the
Statute 2 Jac. L, c. 32, where it stands thus: " The owner of
every ship, vessel, or crayer."
46. Jove knows what man thou might' st hare made : but I,
Act IV.J
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II.
Ar-v. Stark,47 as you see ;
Thus smiling, as some fly had tickled slumber,
Not as death's dart, being laugh'd at; his right
cheek
Reposing on a cushion.
GuL W here ?
Ar<v. O* the floor ;
His arms thus leagu'd: I thought he slept; and
put
My clouted brogues48 from off my feet, whoie
rudeness
Answer* d my steps too loud.
Gui. Why, he but sleeps :
It he be gone, he'll make his grave a bed ;
With female fairies will his tomb be haunted,
And worms will not come to thee.49
Ar-v. With fairest flowers,
Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele,
I'll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack
The flower that 's like thy face, pale primrose ; nor
The azur'd harebell, like thy veins ; no, nor
The leaf of eglantine, whom notsu to slander,
Out-sweeten'd not thy breath; the ruddock31
would,
With charitable bill, — oh, bill, sore-shaming
Those rich-left heirs that let their fathers lie
Without a monument ! — bring thee all this ;
Yea, and furr'd moss besides, when flowers are
none,
To winter-ground52 thy corse.
thou diedst, &>c. It has been proposed to change " I " to 'ah !'
here ; but "knows" after "Jove" permits 'know' to be under-
stood after " I." We have ere now pointed out precisely
similar instances of elliptical construction in our author. See,
among a multitude of others, Note 4, Act i., " Richard III. ;"
Note 126, Act in., " Hamlet ;" also, Notes 27, Act i., and 62,
Act iv. of the present play.
47. Stark. 'Stiff.' That Shakespeare intended this effect
to be the one ensuing from such drugs as that which Imogen
has swallowed, is manifested by his making Friar Lawrence say
to Juliet, when describing the results of her drinking the potion
he gives her —
" Each part, depriv'd of supple government.
Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death."
In each instance, trance is produced; and the usual tokens of
death exhibit themselves.
48. Clouted brogues. Coarse shoes, with the soles strengthened
by clouts i or hob-nails. See Note 43, Act iv., " Second Part
Henry VI." " Brogues," as a name for shoes, is derived from
the Gaelic, bng.
49. Will Itis tomb be haunted, and worms will not come to
thee. "He" and "his" are used in this speech until the last
line, when "thee" is introduced; which is consistent with a
practice that we have several times pointed out in Shakespeare.
See Note 41, Act iii. The sudden change of pronoun in the
present instance has, to our thinking, the same passionate eflect
which we indicated in those referred to in Note 78, Act iv.,
" Timon of Athens," and Note 32, Act iv., "Julius Caesar."
Here Guiderius replies to his brother's remark upon Fidele's
looking but as if asleep, and continues speaking of the gentle
lad in the third person until, looking upon the beautiful form
that lies apparently dead before him, a sense of its loveliness
and his own impassioned regret at having to consign it to the
Gui. Pr'ythee, have dune;
And do not play in wench-like words with that
Which is so serious. Let us bury him,
And not protract with admiration what
Is now due debt. — To the grave!53
Ar<v, Say, where shall 's lay him ':
Gui. By good Euriphile, our mother.
Arnj. Be 't so :
And let us, Polydore, though now our voices
Have got the mannish crack, sing him to the
ground,
As once our mother;64 use like note and words,
Save that Euriphile must be Fidele,
Gui. Cadwal,
I cannot sing : I'll weep, and word it with
thee ;
For notes of sorrow out of tune are worse
Than priests and fanes that lie.
Ar-v. We'll speak it, then.
Bel. Great griefs, I see, medicine the less ; for
Cloten
Is quite forgot. He was a queen's son, boys :
And, though he came our enemy, remember
He was paid55 for that : though mean and mighty,
rotting
Together, have one dust, yet reverence
(That angel of the world) doth make distinction
Of place 'tween high and low. Our foe was
princely ;
grave, comes full upon him, and he ends with addressing it
rather than speaking of it.
50. Nor the leaf of eglantine, whom not, &>c. "Whom "is
here used for 'which.' See Note 52, Act ii., "Midsummer
Night's Dream ; " and Note 5S, Act iii , " Troilus and Cressida."
51. T/te ruddock. * The redbreast,' 'the robin.' This beautiful
antique creed, for it is almost more than a graceful popular super-
stition, has been alluded to by other poets than Shakespeare ;
Chapman, Webster, and Drayton have each some exquisite
lines hymning it, while the old tender ballad of " The Children
in the Wood" has immortalised it, rendering it at once revered
and familiar to every one from their very babyhood. Even
when told in simple prose the fancy takes kindly shape; as
when in "Cornucopia, or Divers Secrets," by Thomas Jackson,
1596, it is thus stated — " The robin redbreast, if he find a man
or woman dead, will cover all his face with mosse : and some
thinke that if the body should remain unburied that he would
cover the whole body also."
52. To winter-ground. This has been variously altered ; but
there is every probability that it was a technical term for pro-
tecting tender plants from frost and inclement weather by cover-
ing them with straw or other light material.
53. Is novo due debt. — To the gravel The Folio prints this
line thus: 'Is now due debt. To' th' graue.' We have an
impression that the line ought to be given as follows : ' Is now
due debt to the grave' — making but one sentence of ' and not
protract with admiration what is now due debt to the
But we content ourselves with stating this impression, and leave
the text as it is usually printed in this passage ; taking "To the
grave!" as a separate exclamation, equivalent to 'Go we at
once to the grave ! '
54. As once our mother. The Folio erroneously inserts 'to'
after "once." Pope made the corre tion
55. Paid. Here used in the sense of punished. See Note 41,
Act iv., " Merry Wives ; " and Note 29, Act iv., " Henry V."
Act IV.]
CV'MBELINE.
[Scene II.
And though you took his life, as being our toe,
Yet bury him as a prince.
quj Pray you, fetch him hither.
Thersites' body is as good as Ajax,56
When neither are alive.
jr.v If you'll go fetch him,
We'll say our song the whilst.— Brother, begin.
[Exit Belarius.
Gut. N ty, Cadwal, we must lay his head to the
east ;
My father hath a reason for 't.
Ai<v. 'Tis true.
Gut. Come on, then, and remove him.
Arv.
So. — Begin.
SONG.
Gui.
Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages ;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages :
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
All*. Fear no more the frown o' the great,
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke ;
Care no more to clothe and eat ;
To thee the reed is as the oak :
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.
Gui. Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Aril. Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;57
Gui. Fear not slander, censure rash ;
Arl). Thou hast finish'd joy and moan :
Botb. All lovers young, all lovers must.
Consign56 to thee, and coine to dust
56. T/wrsites' body is as good as Ajax. ' The body of Ther-
sites is as good as that of Ajax.' See, for an instance of similar
ellipsis, Note 55, Act hi., " Timon of Athens."
57. Thunder-stone. Here used for ' thunder-bolt.' See Note
73, Act i., " Julius Caesar," for a description of the " thunder-
stone."
5S. Consign. 'Yield,' 'subscribe.' See Note 42, Act v.,
" Henry V."
59. Exorciser. Shakespeare here uses this word, as he uses
"exorcist" elsewhere, to signify one who raises spirits, not one
who lays them. See Note 68, Act ii., " Julius Caesar."
60. Consummation. Shakespeare, in the present passage, and
in Himlet's celebrated soliloquy (see context of the sentence
referred to in Note 13, Act hi., " Hamlet"), uses the word
" consummation " to express ' termination of mortal existence,'
' final summing up of earthly existence.'
61. Upon their faces. Malone observed that "Shakespeare
did not recollect when he wrote these words, that there was
but one face on which the flowers could be strewed ; " and
another commentator remarks that " it is one of the poet's
lapses of thought " Now inasmuch as we do not find these
"lapses of thought" of which Shakespeare has been so often
accused, we are inclined to believe that here he has been (as
usual, when these accusations are brought against hiin) mis-
undi rstood in his meaning of the passage. It seems to us very
likely that " upon their faces " does not refer so much to the
faces of the two bodies now lying there apparently dt.i'i. as to
the faces of corses generally, when prepared for burial, and
[laving flowers strewn upon them, or when already in their
" graves," and having "strewings" scattered upon that portion
of the mound of earth beneath which the head and face lie.
It is njl likely that the circumstance of Cloten's face not
Gut. No exorciserS9 harm thee !
Al'V. Nor no witchcraft charm thee !
Gui. Ghost unlaid forbear thee !
Arv. Nothing ill come near thee !
lioib. Quiet consummation60 have;
And renowned be thy grave !
Re-enter Belarius tuilb tie body of Clot EN.
Gui. We have, done our obsequies ; come, lay
him down.
Bel. Here 's a few flowers; but 'bout midnight,
more :
The herbs that have on them cold dew o' the
night
Are strewings fitt'st for graves. — Upon their
faces.6,1 —
You were as flowers, now wither'd : even so
These herb'lets shall, which we upon you strow.6-—
Come on, away : apart upon our knees.
The ground that gave them first has them again :
Their pleasures here are past, so is their pain.63
[Exeunt Belarius, Guiderius, anil Arviragus.
Into. [Awaking.] Yes, sir, to Milford Haven ;
which is the way ? —
I thank you. — By yon bush?- Pray, how far
thither?
'Ods pittikins!64 can it be six miles yet?—
I have gone all night ;— faith, I'll lie down and
sleep. [Seeing the body o/Cloten.
But, soft ! no bedfellow :— Oh, gods and goddesses !
These flowers are like the pleasures of the world ;
This bloody man, the care on 't. — I hope I dream ;
For so I thought I was a cave-keeper,65
being there should escape the memory of the author, when, a
few lines farther on, he makes Imogen exclaim, " A headless
man ! " Shakespeare, to our thinking, so thoroughly betokens
that he has the situation and persons of his scenes and
people constantly present to his mind and imagination, that
we can rather believe a sentence of his is misapprehended
by its peruser, than that he himself wrote it with any "lapse
of thought."
62. You -were as flowers, now wither'd: even so these herli-^
'lets shall, which we, ire. Here "wither'd" after ''now"
allows ' wither ' to be elliptically understood afier " shall." See
Note 46 of the present Act.
63. So is their pain The Folio gives ' are ' for " is " here.
Pope made the correction.
64. 'Ods pittikins! One of the petty oaths formerly in use ;
as " Od's bodykins," "Od's lifelings," &c. Suffixed to a word,
" kin" is often used as a diminutive ; and '"Od's pittikins" is a
miniature form of ' God's pity.'
65. For so I thought I was, &°e. " So " has been changed
to ' sure,' and to ' lo,' here ; but it appears to us that " so " here
means 'with similar semblance of actuality,' 'with like appear-
ance of reality.' The words "but 'tis not so" (meaning, ' but
'tis not real'), which immediately ensue, seem to us to prove
this. Imogen is looking at the "flowers" and "bloody man"
close beside her ; and in the confusion of her first waking from
the drug-ptoduced sleep or trance, she can scarcely distinguish
dreams from realities, or find that the strange things around her
are more actual than her having been in the cave with Belarius
and the two youths. We have heretofore had occasion to point
out the elliptical use that Shakespeare makes of the word " so."
See Note 37, Act i., " King Lear," and Note 58, Act i., " Antony
and Cleopatra."
Act I V.J
GYMBliLlNE.
[Scene II.
Ami cook lo honest creatures: but 'tis not so;
'Twas but a bolt of nothing, shot at nothing,
Which the brain makes of fumes: our very eyes
Are sometimes like our judgments, blind. Good
faith,
I tremble still with fear: but if there be
Yet left in heaven as small a drop of pity
As a wren's eye, fear'd gods, a part ot it !
The dream 's here still : even when I wake,
it is
Without ine, as within me; not imagin'd, felt.
A headless man ! —The garments of Posthumus !
I know the shape of's leg: this is his hand ;
His foot Mercurial ; his Mtrtial thigh ;
The brawns of Hercules : but his Jovial u
face —
Murder in heaven ! — How ? — 'Tis gone. — Pisanio,
All curses madded Hecuba gave the Greeks,
And mine to boot, be darted on thee ! Thou,
Conspir'd with that irregulous6'" devil, Cloten,
Hast here cut off my lord. — To write and read
Be henceforth treacherous! — Curs'd Pisanio
Hath with his forged letters, — curs'd Pisanio —
From this most bravest vessel of the world
Struck the main-top ! — O Posthuinus ! alas,
Where is thy head? where 's that? Ah me!
where's that ?
Pisanio might have kill'd thee at the heart,
And left this head on.6s — How should this be ?
Pisanio ?
'Tis he and Cloten ; malice and lucre in them
Have laid this woe here. Oh, 'tis pregnant,
pregnant !69
The drug he gave me, which he said was precious
And cordial to me, have I not found it
Murderous to the senses? That confirms it
home :
This is Pisanio's deed, and Cloten's : oh ! —
Give colour to my pale cheek with thy blood,
That we the horrider may seem to those
Which chance to find us : oh, my lord, mv
lord!
66. Jovial. Here used for ' like Jove,' or ' like that which
belongs to Jove ; ' as " martial " is for ' like that of Mars,' and
"Mercurial" for 'like that belonging to Mercury.'
67. Irregulotts. This word has not been met with in any
other author ; and we take it to have been invented by Shake-
speare to combine the senses of ' irregular,' 'disorderly,' Maw-
less" ' licentious,' as well as of 'anomalous,' 'mongrel,' 'mon-
strous;' out of ordinary rule in every way.
68. And left this head on. "This" has been altered by
Hanmer and others to ' thy ' here ; but "this head' elliptically
signifies ' the head that belonged to this body.' To our think-
ing, whatever inaccuracy — according to strict construction —
there may be in the present diction, it most perfectly accords
with the dramatist's intention of marking perturbation ill the
speaker. Shakespeare frequently has these purposed inexact-
nesses in agitated soliloquies isee Note 50, Act iii., "Twelfth
Night;" Note 23, Act iv., " Troilus and Cressida," among
others' ; and even in characteristic dialogue. See Note 22, Act
iii., " King Lear," on " Where is this straw ': "
Enter Lucius, a Captain and other Officers, and a
Soothsayer.
Cap. To them the legions garrison d in Gallia,
Alter your will, have cross'd the sea ; attending
You here at Milford Haven with your ships;
They are in readiness.'""
•£"<"• But what from Rome ?
Cap. The senate hath stirr'd up the c6nfiners
And gentlemen of Italy ; most willing spirits,
That promise noble service: and they come
Under the conduct of bold lachimo,
Sienna's brother.'1
Luc. When expect you them ?
Cap. With the next benefit o' the wind.
Luc. . This forwardness
Makes our hopes fair. Command our present
numbers
Be muster'd ; bid the captains look to 't. — Now, sir,
What have you dream' d of late of this war's
purpose ?
Sooth. Last night the very gods'2 slioiv'd me a
vision,- -
I fast73 and pray'd for their intelligence, — thus: —
I saw Jove's bird, the Roman eagle, wing'd
From the spungy south to this part of the west,
There vanish'd in the sunbeams : which portends,—-
Unless my sins abuse my divination,—
Success to the Roman host.
Luc. Dream often so,
And never false — Soft, ho! what trunk is here.
Without his top ? The ruin speaks that sometime
It was a worthy building. — How ! a page !
Or dead, or sleeping on him ? But dead, rather ;
For nature doth abhor to make his bed
With the defunct, or sleep upon the dead.
Let's see the boy's face.
Cap. He 's alive, my lord.
Luc. He '11, then, instruct us of this body. —
Young one,
Inform us of thy fortunes ; for it seems
They crave to be demanded. Who is this
69. Pregnant. ' Full of probability,' ' full of ground for be-
lief.' See Note 36, Act ii., "Othello."
70. They are in readiness. The first Folio inserts ' here '
between "are" and "in;" but probably by a mistake of the
printer, whose eye may have caught the word "here" from the
previous line. Corrected in the second Folio.
71. Sienna's brother. ' Brother to the ruler of Sienna.'
Shakespeare often uses the name of the place as the title of its
ruler (see Note 6o, Act i., "Antony and Cleopatra"); and
Sienna, being in the time of Augustus Caesar a Roman colony
or dependency, had a governor or ruler, who is here supposed
to be brother to lachimo.
72. Tlte very gods. ' The gods themselves : ' implying that
the "vision" was no common dream, but one sent by divine
ordination for a special purpose.
73. Fast. An old form of ' farted ; ' as " waft " for ' wafted,'
"graft" for ' grafted,' " quit" for ' quitted,' &c. &c. See Note
2, Act v., " Merchant of Venice ; " Note 87, Act iii., " Richard
III. ;" and Note 7, Act i. of the present play.
Act IV.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene II]
Thou mak'st thy bloody pillow ? Or who was he
That, otherwise than noble nature did,
Hath alter'd that good picture i7i What 's thy
interest
In this sad wreck ? How came it ? Who is it ?
What art thou ?
lino. I am nothing : or if not,
Nothing to be were better. This was my master,
A very valiant Briton and a good,
That here by mountaineers lies slain : — alas!
There are no more such masters :75 I may wander
From east to Occident, cry out for service,
Try many, all good, serve truly, never70
Find such another master.
Luc. 'Lack, good youth !
Thou mov'st no less with thy complaining than
Thy master in bleeding : say his name, good
friend.
Imo. Richard du Champ. — [Aside.] If I do lie,
and do
No harm by it, though the gods hear, I hope
They '11 pardon it." — Say you, sir 'i
Luc. Thy name ?
I">o. Fidele, sir.
Luc. Thou dost approve73 thyself the very same:
Thy name well fits thy faith, thy faith thy name.
Wilt take thy chance with me?79 I will not say
Thou shalt be so well master'd ; but, be sure,
No less belov'd. The Roman emperor's letters,
Sent by a consul to me, should not sooner
Than thine own worth prefer thee: go with me.
74. Who zuas he that, otherwise than noble nature did, hath
alter'd that good picture ? ' Who was he that altered this good
picture, making it otherwise than nature did it?' 'To do a
picture or work of art well,' and 'a picture is well done' are
not only familiarly used phrases, but Shakespeare himself has
" Is 't not well done ? " in "Twelfth Night," Act i., sc. 5, where
Olivia is speaking of her face as a picture, and Viola answers,
" Excellently done, if God did all " In the " Merchant of
Venice," Act iii., sc. 2, Bassanio, contemplating Portia's like-
ness, exclaims, " But her eyes,— how could he see to do them!"
An 1 in the " Winter's Tale," Act v., sc. 2, the supposed statue
of Hermione is spoken of as "a piece many years in doing;"
while in the next scene Polixenes says it is " masterly done."
We may also observe that the word "picture" is here used in
the same large seiue of the word— signifying quite as much a
statue or image as a painted portrait— that it bears in the pas-
sage referred to in Note 47, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
75. There are no more such masters. The first Folio prints
'is ' fur " are " here ; corrected in the second Folio. It is true
that in a previous scene (see context to passage discussed in
Note 6, Act iii.) we find, " there :s no more such Casars ; " but
in that case the speaker is Cloten, and the grammatical inaccuracy
has characteristic effect.
76. Try many, all good, serve truly, never, &*c. This line
' ! :. variously altered, to make up its defective measure ;
but we confess that, to our car, its very halting, its too few feet,
Its limping, disjointed utterance, its very imperfection, serve to
make it express the panting, inarticulate phrases with which the
■ f r fe subs out her pathetic story. When it is remembered
now often Shakespeare has given imperfect lines, and— as we
have primed out sec Notes 40 and 50, Act iii., " Coriolanus ")—
":l" * Hent dramatic purpose and effect, we cannot but believe
thai 111 the present instance the faltering line was intentional.
lino. I'll follow, sir. But first, an 't please the
gods,
I'll hide my master from the flies, as deep
As these poor pickaxes80 can dig: and when
With wild wood-leaves and weeds I have strew' d
his grave,
And on it said a century8' of pravers,
Such as I can, twice o'er, I'll we p and sigh ;
And, leaving so his service, follow you,
So please you entertain me.
Luc. Ay, good youth ;
And rather father thee than master thee.—
My friends,
The boy hath taught us manly duties : let its
Find out the prettiest daisied plot we can,
And make him with our pikes and partisans s~
A grave : oome, arm him.83 — Boy, he is preferr'd
By thee to us ; and he shall be interr'd
As soldiers can. Be cheerful ; wipe thine eyes :
Some falls are means the hanpier to arise.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Britain. A Room in Cymbe-
line's Palace.
Enter Cymbeune, Lords, Pisanio, and
Attendants.
Cym. Again; and bring me word how 'tis with
her.
77. If I do lie, and do no harm by it, though the gods hear,
I hope they 'It pardon it. Into the mouth of the pure-souled
Imogen Shakespeare has characteristically put this shrinking
from the necessity for untruth, and the appeal to Heaven for
divine forgiveness of her reluctantly-committed error. See Note
23, Act iii. He has depicted the same instinctive aversion to
falsehood in the innocent and royal-natured Perdita (see Note
17, Act v., "Winter's Tale"); while he has made even the
princely Florizel condescend to misstatements for the sake of
needful concealment. Thus clearly does the man and poet
Shakespeare denote his genuine perception and appreciation of
the sacreduess of truth, at the very time that the dramatist
Shakespeare allows of equivocation as a necessary part of
dramatic disguise. We take this opportunity to point out also
the unaffected piety and holiness of trust with which he has
endowed his transcendent heroine, Imogen. So supreme in
her heart is a devout reliance, and an ever-present sense of
divine beneficence, that not only are her last words before sink-
ing to sleep a prayer to Heaven, but she prefaces the opening of
her husband's letter by a murmured aspiration : " Good news,
gods ! "
78. Approve. Here used for ' prove,' ' attest.' Sec Note 21,
Act i. , " Antony and Cleopatra."
79. IVilt take thy cltance with me ? ' Wilt thou take thy
chance of good fortune with me ? ' ' Wilt thou seek thy fortune
in my service?' The present passage serves to elucidate the
one explained in Note 65, Act i.
80. Tluse poor pickaxes. Meaning her fingers.
81. A century. Here aggregately used for 'a hundred ;' as
' a score ' is for ' twenty,' ' a dozen ' for twelve, ' a gross ' for
twelve dozen, &c.
82. Pikes and partisans. See Note 8, Act i., " Romeo and
Juliet."
S3. Arm him. ' Take him up in your arms.
726
ACT IV.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene iv.
A fever with the absence of her son ;
[Exit an Attendant.
A madness, of which her life's in danger.—
Heavens,
How deeply you at once do touch me ! Imogen,
The great part of my comfort, gone ; my queen
Upon a desperate bed, and in a time
When fearful wars point at me ; her son gone,
So needful fur this present : it strikes ine, past
The hope of comfort. — But for thee, fellow,
Who needs must know of her departure, ami
Dost seem so ignorant, we'll enforce it from thee
By a sharp torture.
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 Lort/. Good my liege,
The day that she was missing he was here :
I dare be bound he's true, and shall perform
All parts of his subjection loyally. For Cloten, —
There wants no diligence in seeking him,
And will, no doubt, be found.84
Cym. The time is troublesome
[To Pis.] We'll slip you for a season; but our
jealousy
Does yet depend.3*
First Lord. So please your majesty,
The Roman legions, all from Gallia drawn,
Are landed on your coast; with a supply
Of Roman gentlemen, by the senate sent.
Cym. Now for the counsel of my son and
queen ! —
1 am amaz'd with matter.96
First Lord. Good my liege,
Your preparation can affront no less
Than what you hear of:'7 come more, for more
you 're ready :
The want is, but to put those powers in motion
That long to move.
Cym. \ thank vou. Let V. with Ir.aw ;
84. Ant will, no doubt, be found. "He" is elliptically
understood before "will." See Note 55, Act ii., and Note 130,
Act iv., " King Lear."
85. Our jealousy doss yet depend. ' Oar suspicion of you still
hangs in suspense.'
86. / am amaz'd with matter. ' I am bewildered with
accumulation of affairs that demand attention '
87. Your preparation can affront no less than w'uit yon hear
of. ' The military force you hive in readiness is able to con-
front an army no less numerous than that which you hear is
coming to attack you.'
88 I heard ho Utter from my master. It has been proposed
t 1 change " I hen- 1 " to ' I've had.' ' I have had.' and ' I had : '
but "I heard" no letter" accords with 'Nor hear I from my
mistress,' and se*m> [ilsj a familiarism of soliloquy, or thinking
aloud ; as there is a familiar idiom, ' I heard no jot, syllable, or
And meet the time as il sevks us. We fear not
What can from Italy annoy us; but
We grieve at chances here Away !
[Exeunt all except Pisanio.
Pis. I heard no letter from mv master88 since
I wrote him Imogen was slain : 'tis strange:
Nor hear I from my mistress, who did promise
To yield me often tidings; neither know 1
What is betid to Cloten ; but remain
Perplex' d in all :— the heavens still must work.
Wherein I am false I am honest; not true, to be
true :
These present wars shall find I love mv country,
Even to the note 0' the king,89 or I'll fall in them.
All other doubts, by time let them be clear'd :
Fortune brings in some boats that are not steer' d.
[Exit.
SCENE I V.— Wales ; before the Cave of
Belarius.
Enter Belarius, Guiderius, and Arviragus.
Gui. The noise is round about us.
Bel. Let us from it.
Art: What pleasure, sir, find we in life,3" to
lock it
From action and adventure ?
Gui. Nay, what hope
Have we in hiding us? This way, the Romans
Must or for Britons slay us, or receive us
For barbarous and unnatural revolts"
During their use, and slay us after.
/>£■/. Sons,
We'll higher to the mountains ; there secure us.
To the king's party there 's no going : newness
Of Cloten's death, — we being not known, net
muster'd
Among the bands, — may drive us to a render
Where we have liv'd ;9- and so extort from 's that
Which we have done, whose answer would be
death 93
Drawn on with torture.
word from him,' when it is meant that no letter has been
received.
89. Even to the note o' the king-. ' Even until the proof 1
give of it shall attract the king's observation.'
90. Find ws in life. The first Folio gives 'we finde in life.'
Corrected in the second Folio.
91. Revolts. Here, and in " King John," Act v . sc. 4, used
for 'revolters,' or those who have rev .It 1
92 May d ive us to a reu ter 7t:'i v WS k ive ttv'd. ' May
compel us to render an account of where we have lived.' See
Note 18, Act v. , " Timon of Athens."
93. Whose ansiverwoutd be, &>c. ' Our having to answer for
which deed would be," Set. This is an ither instance n( Shake-
speare's peculiar use of the possessive case, which we have so
often piinted out. See Note 24. Act iv., "Antony and Cleo-
patra," anrl N ite loo, Act iii. of the presenl play Also, a little
farther on, he employs " our note " toevpress ' taking note il us.'
Act IV.]
CYMBELINE,
[Scene IV.
Pisanio, 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. Act IV. Scene III.
Gut. This is, sir, a doubt
In such a time nothing becoming you,
Nor satisfying us.
Aim. It is not likely
That when they hear the Roman horses neigh,94
Behohl their quarter'd tires,95 have both their
eves
Anil ears so cloy'd importantly as now,
That they will waste their time upon our note,
To know from whence we arc.
Brl. Oh, I am known
91. When they hear the Roman horses neigh. The Folio
prints 'their' for "the." Rowe's correction.
95. Their quarter'd fires. ' The fires where they are
quartered,1 'the fires in the several quarters of the Roman
army.'
96. The certainty 0/ this hard li'e. 'The certain con-
Of many in the army : many years,
Though Cloten then but young, you see, not wore
him
From my remembrance. And, besides, the
king
Hath not deserv'd my service nor your loves;
Who find in my exile the want of breeding,
The certainty of this hard life j96 aye hopeless
To have the courtesy your cradle promis'd,
But to be still hot summer's tanlings,'-1" and
The shrinking slaves of winter.
sequence of this hard life ' has been given as the interpre-
tation of this sentence ; but it may also mean, ' the actual
experience of this hard life.' The first Folio prints ' heard ' fur
" hard."
97. But to be still hot summer's tan'ings. Here some
such verb as'dooin'd,' ' condemn'd,' or deslin'd' is elliptically
Act IV'.]
CYMBELINE.
| Scene IV.
Posthnmns. Yea, bloody cloth, I'll keep thee; for I wish'd
Thou shouldst be colour'd thus.
Act V. Scent I.
Cut. Than be so,
Better to cease to be. Pray, sir, to the armv :
I and my brother are not known ; yourself
So out of thought, and thereto so o'ergrown,98
Cannot be question'd.
Art). By this sun that shines,
I'll thither : what thing is it" that I never
Did see man die! scarce ever look'd on blood,
But that of coward hares, hot goats, and veni-
son !
Never bestrid a horse, save one that had
understood before " to be." We have ere now pointed out
the very peculiar and elliptical mode in which Shakespeare
sometimes uses the expression "to be." See Note 14, Act
ii., "Timonof Athens," and Note 75, Act i., "Antony and
Cleopatra."
98. And tltereto so o'ergrown. " Thereto " has here the force
of 'in addition thereto ; ' as in the passage adverted to in Note
3, Act i.t "Troilus and Cressida," "to" is elliptically used for
A rider like myself, who ne'er wore rowel
Nor iron on his heel ! I am asham'd
To look upon the holy sun, to have
The benefit of his bless' d beams, remaining
So long a poor unknown.
Gut. B\ heavens, I'll go :
It you will bless me, sir, and give me leave,
I'll take the belter care j but if you will not,
The hazard therefore due fall on me by
The hands of Romans !
Ar<v. So say I, — Amen.
'in addition to.' "So o'ergrown" means having a beard and
hair so bushy and long ; since, in Act v., sc. 3, Posthumu
of Belarius. .. A„ anci<.ne soldier.—
An h >ne-t one, I warrant ; who di
So long a breeding as his -white beard came t . "
99. What thing is it. A form .if ' whit a thing is it,' or
'what a thing it is.' See Note 72, Act i., "Julius Caesar."
VOL. III.
*.S8
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene I.
Bel. No reason I, since of your lives von set
So slight a valuation, should reserve
My erack'd one to more care. Have with you,
bo\s !
If in your country wars you chance to die,
That is iny bed too, lads, and there I'll lie :100
Lead, lead.— \Asidt .] The time seems long ; their
bloud thinks scorn,
Till it rly out, and show them princes born.
[Exeunt.
ACT V.
SCENE I.— Britain. J Field between the
British and Roman Camps.
Enter Posthumus, ivitb a bloody handkerchief.
Post. Yea, bloody cloth,1 I'll keep thee ; for I
wish/d
Thuu shouldst be colourM thus.3 You (named
ones,
If each of you should take this course, how
many
Must murder wives much better than themselves
For wrying3 but a little ! — O Pisanio !
Every good servant does not all commands :
No bond but to do just ones. — Gods ! it _\uu
100. Thai is my bed to), tads, and there I'll lie. The
manner in which " that " and " there" occur in this line affords
an example of Shakespeare's mode of using pronouns in reference
to an implied particular; the particular in the present instance
being 'the battle-field/ as implied in the previous clause of the
Sentence.
i. Bloody cloth. The one alluded to by Pisanio, when he
says, in Act hi., sc, 4, " I'll give but notice you are dead, and
send him some bloody sign of it "
2. For 1 ivish'd thou shouldst, cVt\ The Folio inserts 'am*
between " I " and " wish'd." Pope made the correction.
3. U'ryiiig. Here U-scd tu express 'deviating from the path of
duty,' 'swerving from virtue.'
4. To put on this. 'To instigate this deed/ 'to prompt
this act.' See Note 101, Act u\, " Othello."
5. The noble Imogen. Hardly could there have been a higher
testimony to the native worth of Shakespeare's finest heroine
than this epithet put into the mouth of her husband, who has
had reason to believe himself injured by her. In spite of the
incontrovertible evidence which he thinks he has obtained
of her faithlessness, the original conviction of her worth
and purity whioh made him first love her now re-asserts Its
power upon his heart and reason, and he feels that she is in-
nately "noble,'' and true, and good, notwithstanding all he has
heard. Her supposed lapse from virtue seems to him but a
"little fault," when compared with what he himself knows of
her exalted nature, her generosity, her gentleness, her tender-
nesSj her prodigal love for him; and he owns her supremai y
with all the warmth of an irresistible affection and the anguish
of a too-late rem 11
6. More -worth your vengeance. ' More meriting your
vengeance/ 'more deserving your vengeance.'
7 You snatch some Hence .... you seme permit. "Some"
lb here used for ' some persons/ ' some human beings.'
Should have ta'en vengeance on my faults, I
never
Had liv'd to put on this:4 so had you sav'd
The noble Imogen5 to repent ; and struck
Me, wretch, more worth your vengeance. But,
alack,
You snatch some hence for little faults ; that 's
love,
To have them fall no more : you some permit7
To second ills with ills, each elder worse,8
And make them dread it, to the doers' thrift.9
But Imogen is your own : do your best wills,
And make me bless' d to obey ! — J am brought
hither
8. To second ills with His, each elder worse. This has been
variously altered; but we think that til all the comments hitherto
written upon this passage, sufficient regard has not been had
to Shakespeare's very peculiar use of the word " elder." See
Note 81, Act ii., "Julius Caesar;" Note 59, Act iii., "Antony
and Cleopatra ; " and Note 97, Act iii. of the present play. In
the present passage "elder" appears to us to convey the effect
of an ill deed which has been committed by one grown older in
a course of ill-doing, more experienced in evil, more hardened
in guilt, more confirmed in sin ; and that thus the epithet "elder,"
as meaning ' confirmed/ ' hardened/ is applied by a poetical
license to the deed itself rather than to its committer. Shake-
speare often uses epithets thus elliptically. See Note 24, Act
ii,, "Julius Ca:sar." Briefly, "elder" here expresses an ill of
larger growth, and not of earlier-dated growth ; as an older
child is larger than a younger one. "Elder" so used occurs
again in " Pericles," Act 1., sc 2. Shakespeare also employs
"elder" to include the sense of 'more advanced in time/ 'at a
later period/ as well as 'increased in age/ or ' older ' (see
" elder days" as used in Act ii., sc. 3, and Act v., sc 3, " Richard
II.") j so that " each elder " here comprises the sense of 'each
ill committed at a later period/ ' each ill done at an advanced
time.'
9. And make the in dread it, to the doers' thrift This has
been variously altered , but the line, as here given according to
the original text, affords an instance of Shakespeare's using " it"
in reference to an implied particular. " It" here refers either
to 'sudden punishment of crime,' as implied in "you snatch
some hence for little faults j " or " it " relates to ' long course ot
crime,' as implied in " to second ills with il's, each elder worse : "
in cither case, a salutary dread for the "doers" to entertain—
"to the doers' thrift" signifying 'to ; he advantage of the
committers/ 'to the benefit of those who commit such deeds.'
See Note 77, Act ii., "Antony and Cleopatra," and Note 33,
Act i., " Merchant of Venice."
Act V.]
CYMLSELINE.
[Scenes II., III.
Among the Italian gentry, and to tight
Against my lady's kingdom : 'tis enough
That, Britain, I ha\e kill'd thy mistress; peace!
I'll give no wound to thee. Therefore, good
heavens,
Hear patiently my purpose : — I'll disrobe me
Ot these Italian wee. Is, and suit myself
As does a Brtton peasant : so I'll tight
Against the part I come with ; so I'll die
For thee, O Imogen, even for whom my life
Is, every breath, a death : l0 and thus, unknown,
Pitied nor hated, to the face of peril
Myself I'll dedicate. Let me make men know
More valour in me man my habits show.
Gods, put the strength o' the Leonati in ine !
To shame the guise o' the world, I will begin
The fashion, — less without and more within.
[Exit.
SCENE II.— The Same.
Enter, from one side, Lucius, Imogen, Iaxhimo,
ami the Roman Army ; from the other side,
the British Army ; Leonatus Posthumus
fo! hiving, like a poor soldier. They march
over aid go out. Alarums. Then enter
again, in skirmish, Iachimo ««,/ Posthumus:
he •vanquishetb and disarmeih Iachimo, and
then lea ves him.
Iach. The heaviness and guilt within my
bosom
Takes off my manhood ; I have belied a ladv,
The princess of this country, and the air on 't
Revengingly enfeebles me ; or could this carl,"
A very drudge of nature's.'- have subdu'd me
In my profession 'i Knighthoods and honours,
borne
As I wear mine, are titles but of scorn.
It that thy gentry, Britain, go before
This lout as he exceeds our lords, the odds
ls,1J that we scarce are men, and you are gods.
[ Exit.
10. For whom my life is, every breath, a death. One of
Shakespeare's paradoxically and powerfully expressed sentences ;
the paradoxical phrase >logy aiding to make the powerful effect
the more striking. Intense is the impression thus produced
of the ever-living agony that pierces the husband's remorse-
stricken heart, and stabs him with perpetual regret for his loss
of her whose excellence he involuntarily recognises. This
survival of Posthumus's sense of Imogen's true worth over his
sense of her supposed fault, is precisely one of Shakespeare's
subtleties in indirect tribute to virtue and innocence. See
Note 36, Act iv. . " Othello "
11. Carl. ' Carlot,' 'churl.' meaning here a ' h or,' a 'low
fellow,' in contradistinction to a gentleman. See Note 122,
Act iii , " As Vou kike It "
12. A very drudge of nature's. An instance of that pleonastic
form of the possessive case, remarked upon in Note 31, Act i.,
" Thnon of Athens."
The Battle continues ; the Biitons_/?i/ ; Cymbeline
is taken: then enter, to his rescue, Belarius,
Guiuekius, and Arviragus.
Bd. Stand, standi We have the advantage of
the ground ;
The lane is guarded : nothing rouls us but
The villany of our fears.
Gui., Art; Stand, stand, and fight !
Re-enter Posthumus, and seconds the Britons:
they rescue Cymbeiine, ami exeunt. Then
re-enter Lucius, Imogen, and Iachimo.
Luc. Away, boy, from the troops, and sa\e
thyself,
l''u friends kill friends, and the disorder's such
As war were hoodwink'd.
Iach. 'Tis their fresh supplies.
Luc. It is a day turn'd strangely : or betimes
Let's re-enforce, or fly. [Exeunt.
SCENE III. -Another part of the Held.
Enter Posthumus and a British Lord.
Lord. Cam'st thou from where they made the
stand ?
Post. I did :
Though you, it seems, come from the fliers.
Lord. ' I did.
Post. No blame be to you, sir; for all was lost,
But that the heavens fought : the king himself
Of his wings destitute,14 the army broken,
And but the backs of Britons teen, all flying
Through a strait lane ; the enemy full-hearted,
Lolling the tongue with slaughtering, having work
More plentiful than tools to do 't, Mi tick down
Sour- mortally, some slightly touch'd, some falling
Merely through fear ; that the strait pass was
damui'd
With tlead men hurt behind, and cowards living
To die with lengthen'd shame.
Lord. Where was this lane ?
13. The odds is. The word "odds" is here treated as a
collective noun. See Note 15, Act ii., "Othello."
14. The king himself of his wings destitute. Shakespeare
found this incident, of the Roman army being stopped by three
persons, related in Holinshed's "History of Scotland;" ant
effectively introduced it into the present drama. The brave
fellows were the Hays, father and two sons ; a family whose
name deserves record, while their deed has received immortality
in Shakespeare's page. That the dramatist derived the cin in-
stance from this source is evidenced by the following passage
from the old chronicler: " Haie beholding the king, with the
most part of the nobles fighting with great valiancie in the
middle-ward, now destitute of th , ' &c. It seems tint
another great poet is asso iat -d wi'h this spirited exploit ; for it
is said that Milton intended to have written a play on this,
s.ibject.
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene III.
Post. Close by the battle, ditch'd, and wall'd
with turf;
Which gave advantage to an ancient soldier, — ■
An honest one, I warrant ; who deserv'd
So long a breeding as his white beard came to,
In doing this tor's country :— athwart the lane,
He, with two striplings (lads more like to run
The country base15 than to commit such slaughter;
With faces fit for masks, or rather filter
Than those for preservation cas'd, or shame).
Made good the passage : cried to those that
tied,
" Our Britain's harts die living, not our men :
To darkness fleet, souls that fly backwards!
Stand ;
Or we are Romans, and will give you that
Like beasts, which you shun beastly, and may-
save,
But to look back in frown:16 stand, stand!" —
These three,
Three thousand confident, in act as many,—
For three performers are the file when all
The rest do nothing, — with this word, " Stand,
stand,"
Accommodated by the place, more charming"
With their own nobleness (which could have
turn'd
A distaff to a lance), gilded pale looks,
Part shame, part spirit renew'd ; that some, turn'd
coward
But by example, — oh, a sin in war,
Curs'd in the first beginners! — 'gan to look
The way that they did, and to grin like lions
Upon the pikes o' the hunteis. Then began
A stop i' the chaser, a retire ; ar.on
A rout, confusion thick : forthwith thev fls 13
15. To run the country base. 'To play at the game called
'prison bars' or ' prisoners'-base '
16. Witt give you tltat tike beasts, which you shun beastly,
au.t jimy safe, but to look back in/town. ' Will give you that
death like beasts, which you slum 1 ike beasts, and which you
might save yourselves from, only by looking back with a bold
frown of defiance.' "Beastly" is here used in the manner
pointed out in Note 38, Act iii. ; " save "has elliptical force ; and
" to look " is employed (as Shakespeare often employs the in-
liniiive 111 joJ where, ordinarily, the form 'by looking ' would be
Used.
17. Charming. ' Influencing as by a spell,' 'actuating as by
enchantment.' It also, in a measure, includes the double sense
111 which the word is previously used In the present play. See
Note ; 1, Act i.
18. A stop ;" the chaser . , . .forthwith they fly, Here
" the chaser," being 1 mpl yed like ' the foe' or ' the enemy,' to
express a number of soldiers, has " they" as Us relative pronoun.
:g. Stoofi'd. Misprinted 'stopt' in the Folio. Rowe's
correction.
20. The strides they victors made In the Polio 'the' is
U veil insle.id of " the,' " here. Corrected by Theobald.
21. The mortal bites. 'The deadly terrors,' or 'bugbears.'
See N'oie 56, Act v., " Hamlet."
Vay, tio not wonder at it: you are ma.tr, &>c. The
second clause of this sentence is in apparent contradiction with
the fust ; but ' though,' or ' though it is true thai,' is elliptic. illy
Chickens, the way which they stoop'd ls eagles;
slaves,
The strides they victors made:-0 and now our
cowards
(Like fragments in hard voyages) became
The lite o' the need ; having found the back-door
open
Of the unguarded heart', heavens, how they
wound !
Some slain before ; some d)ing ; some their friends
U'er-borne i' the former wave : ten, chas'd by one,
Are now each one the slaughter-man of twenty:
Those that would die or e'er resist are grou n
The mortal bugs21 o' the field.
Lord. This was strange chance, —
A narrow lane, an old man, and two bo)s!
Post. Nay, do not wonder at it : you are niader*
Rather to wonder at the things you hear
Than to work any. Will you rhyme upon 't,
And vent it for a mockery ? Here is one :
" Two boys, an old man twice a boy, a lane,
Preserv'd the Britons, was the Romans' bane."-3
Lord. Nay, be not angry, sir.
Post. 'Lack, to what end ?
Who dares not stand his foe, I'll be his friend ;
For if he'll do as he is made to do,
I know he'll quickly fly my friendship too.
You have put me into rhyme.
Lord. Farewell; you're angry.
[Exit.
Post. Still going?-4 — This is a lord!'-5 Oh,
noble misery, —
To be i' the field, and ask, what news, of me !
To-day how many would have given their honours
To have sav'd their carcasses! took heel to do 't,
And yet died too ! I, in mine own woe charm'd,-6
understood before " you." See Note 27, Act iv. It is as if
Posthumus had said, ' Nay, do not prove yourself the fool you
are by wondering at it : for you are one of those who are made,'
&c. Posthumus's indignant petulance, excited by this lord s
vapid expression of wonder at the feat performed so bravely,
and related so enthusiastically, is of a piece with Hotspur* s
wrath at the "certain lord" (see passage referred to in Note
55, Act i., " First Part Henry IV.") who came to demand the
prisoners taken at Hobnedon. Shakespeare has more than once
introduced this kind uf impertinent rlutterer, whose insipid affec-
tations are so inexpressibly exasperating to persons engaged in
gravely momentous or even deeply affecting considerations.
See Note 34, Act i., " As You Like It ;" Notes 75 and 85. Act v.,
" Hamlet ; " and Notes 105 and 106, Act iv. , " King Lear."
23. Preserved the Britons, tiwj the Romans' banc. 'And'
is elliptical!/ understood before "was;" "was" being used 11
reference to ' the circumstance' of "two boys, anold'rnau,"&c
24. Still going? Said in contemptuous allusion to his having
" come from the /tiers,'' and to his being one that will " quickly
Jly" a poor-looking man's " friendship."
25. This is a lord.' A form of the scoffing exclamation, ' This
a lord ! ' or, 'And this is a lord ! ' or, ' This is a lord, forsooth ! '
26. /, in mine own woe charm'd. Posthumus speaks of his
woe as one of those charmi that were sometimes superstitiously
worn for preservatives against mischance in battle. Macbeth
(sec context of Note 45, Act v., " Macbeth") says, " I bear a
charmed life ;" and Macduff replies, " Despair thy charm."
Act V.]
CYMBEL1NE.
CouKi not fiinf death where
groan,
I
did hear hiin
being an ugly
cups, soft
Nor feel hiin where he struck
monster,
'Tis strange he hides him in fresh
beds,
Sweet words; or hath more ministers than we
That draw his knives i' the war. — Well, 1 will find
hiin
For being now a favourer to the Briton,
No more a Briton,1' I have resum'd again
The part I came in : light I will no more,
But yield me to the veriest hind that shall
Once touch my shoulder. Great the slaughter is
Here made by the Roman ; great the answer2'1 be
Britons must take: for ine, my ransom's death ;
On either side I come to spend my breath ;
Which neither here I'll keep nor bear again,
But end it by some means for Imogen.
Enter nvo British Captains and Soldiers.
First Cap. Great Jupiter be prais'd ! Lucius is
taken :
'Tis thought the old man and his sons were
angels.
Sec. Cap. There was a fourth man, in a silly-''
habit,
That gave the affront30 with them.
First &i/>. So 'tis reported :
But none of 'em can be found. — Stand! who's
there ?
Post. A Roman ;
Who had not now been drooping here, if seconds
Had answer' d him.
Sec. Cap. Lay hands on him ; a dog ! —
A leg of Rome shall not return to tell
27. For being now a favourer to the Briton, no more a
Briton. Hanmer changed the first " Briton " here to ' Roman ;'
while Capell and others, who retain the passage as it is, explain
" a favourer" to refer to " death." We are strongly of opinion
that Posthiunus is speaking of himself, and that he uses the
word *' now" as it is used by Cassio when he says, "To be now
a sensible man, by-and-by a fool, and presently a beast!" (see
context of passage referred tu in Note 92, Act ii., "Othello")
and as Corninuis uses it where he says, " Now all 's his : when,
by .in 1 by, the din of war," &c. See context uf Note 69, Act ii. ,
' Coriolanus." Shakespeare, in several instances, employs " now"
with reference to .1 past time ; as. in " Coriolanus." Act i., sc. 3,
Volumnia says, 'I sprang not more in joy at first hearing he
Iras a man-child, than now in first seeing he had proved himself
a nun" See also the passage referred to in Note 3, Act i.,
'Hamlet/' where "1101" means 'just now,' 'a short time
since.' Consequently, we believe that the present passage sig-
nifies 'For being now [just now'] a favourer of the Briton.
ml now I ' subsequently,' 'by-and-by'] no more a Briton,' or
' For having been shortly since a favourer to the Briton, but at
present no longer a Briton.' If the previous passage, where
I'ostliiinius says,
" I'll disrobe me
Of these Italian weeds, and suit myself
As does a Briton peasant : so I'll fight
Against the part I come with,"
[Scene IV.
: : — he brags his
What crows have peck'd them he
service
As if he were of note: bring him to the king.
Enter Cymbeune, attended ; Belarius, Gui-
derius, Arviragus, Pisanio, and Roman
Captives. The Captains present Posthumus
to Cymbeiine, nvhi. delivers him over to a
Gaoler: after luh'nh, all go out."
SCENE IV. -Britain. A Prison.
Enter Posthumus and nvo Gaolers.
First Gaol. You shall not now be stol'n, you
have locks upon \ou ;:t-
So, graze as you find pasture.
Sec. Gaol. Ay, or a s'omach.
[Eacu.ii Gno'ers.
Post. Most welcome, bondage ! for thou art a
way,
I think, to liberty : \et am I better
Than one that's sick o' the gout; since he had
rather
Groan so in perpetuity than be cur'd
By the sure physician, death ; who is the key
To unbar these locks. My cons:ience, thou art
fcttcr'd
More than my shanks and wrists : you good gods,
give me
The penitent instrument to pick that bolt,
Then, tree tor ever ! Is 't enough I am S01*r\ ?
So children temporal fathers do appease ;
Gods are more full of mercy. Must I repent ?
I cannot do it better than in gyves,
Desir'd more than constrain'd :3* to salisfv,
be read carefully in conjunction with the present passage, we
think it will be evident that here Posthumus is intended to imply,
' Having, as I said I would, fcught on the side of the Britons,
I'll be no longer a Briton, but resume again,' &C.
28. Answer. Here used for 'reprisal,' 'retaliation.' See
Note 74, Act ii., " Henry V."
29. Silly. Here used for ' simple,' in the sense of ' rustic,'
'plain,' 'homely.' See Note 71, Act ii., "Twelfth Night."
30. Affront. Here used for ' encounter,' 'confronting,' 'meet-
ing in attack.' See Note 37, Act iv.
31. After which, all eo out. This is a stage-direction in-
dicating one of those " dumb shows" that were introduced by
many of Shakespeare's contemporaries, and of which he has
given us instances in his drama of " Pericles." They generally
occurred at the commencement of a scene ; and rarely, as here,
at the close of a scene. It is to be observed, also, that the
stage directions in the present Act of this play are unusually
detailed and numerous, when compared with Shakespeare's
ordinary practice in this particular.
32. Yon have locks upon you. In jocose allus'on to the
custom of putting a lock on a horse's leg when he is turned out
to pasture.
33. I cannot do it better thin in gyves, desired more than
constrained. ' I cannot repent better than in gyves, desiring to
do so more than constrained to do so.'
Acr V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
It of my freedom 'tis the main part, tal e
No stricter render of me than my all.34
I know you are more clement than vile men,
Who of their broken debtors take a third,
A sixth, a tenth, letting them thrive again
On their abatement : that 's not my desire ;
For Imogen's dear life take mine; and though
' lis not so dear, yet 'tis a life ; you coin'd it :
'Tween man and man they weigh not every stamp;
Though light, take nieces for the figure's sake :
You rather mine, being yours : and so, great
powers,
If you will take this audit, take this life,
And cancel these cold bonds.3' — O Imogen !
I'll speak to thee in silence.36 [Sleeps.
Solemn music. Enter, as in an apparition, Sicilius
Lzoa.\rvs,_/aiher to Posthumus, an old man,
attired like a ivarrior; leading in his hand
an ancient matron, his tfife, and mother to
Posthumus, ivith music before them: then,
after other music, follow the txvo young
Leonati, brothers to Posthumus, ivith
•wounds as they died in the -wars. They circle
Posthumus round, as he lies sleeping.
Sici. No more, thou thunder-master, show
Thy spite on mortal Hies :
With Mars fall out, with Juno chide,
That thy adulteries
Rates and revenges.
Hath my poor boy done aught but well,
Whose face I never saw?
I died whilst in the womb he stay'd
Attending nature's law:
Whose father then (as men report,
Thou orphan's father art)
Thou shouldst have been, and shielded him
From this earth-vexing smart.
34. To satisfy, if of my freedom 'tis tile main pari, take no
stricter render, &c. Elliptically expressed ; signifying, ' To
satisfy your just wrath, if my life be the main part of my
freedom, take no less surrender from me than my life, which is
my all.' In explaining this condensed and difficult passage, its
interpreters have generally assigned the sense of ' no more
severe,' ' no more rigorous or rigid,' to the words " no stricter; '
but we believe that here they include the contrary effect of ' no
more restricted,' ' no more limited,' ' no straiter,' ' no narrower,
'no less.' Hooker, a contemporary writer with Shakespeare,
thus uses the word, where he says, " As they took the compass
of their commission stricter or la-.ger, so their dealings were
more or less moderate." If the \»hole gist of Posthumus's
appeal to the gods be taken into careful consideration, we think
it will be perceived that our view of this passage is the true
one ; for he says, " That 's not my desire " He does not wish
the gods to be even as lenient as those " vile men " who take
" but a third, a sixth, a tenth," from their " broken debtors ; "
he is willing that they should take the whole, his " all," his
*' life." At the same time, when taken in connection with what
the speaker says of "'tis not so dear" and " though light," the
words "no stricter" will bear the sense of 'no more strictly
equivalent ;' and therefore they are used in that largely com*
Moth. Lucina lent not me her aid,
But took ine in my throes ;
That from me was Posthumus ripu'd,
Came crying 'mong-t his toes,
A thing of pit) !
Sici. Great nature, like his ancestry,
Moulded the stuff so fair,
That he deserv'd the praise o' the world,
As great Sicilius' heir.
tint Bio. When once he was mature for man,
In Britain where was he
That could stand up his parallel ?
Or fruitful object be
In eye of Imogen, that best
Could deem his dignity?
Moth. With marriage wherefore was he mock'd,
To be exil'd, and thrown
From Leonati' seat, and cast
From her his dearest one,
Sweet Imogen ?
Sici. Why did you suffer Iachimo,
Slight thing of Italy,
To taint his nobler heart and brain
With needless jealousy ?
And to become the geck and scorn3"
O' the other's villain ?
Sec. Bro. For this, from stiller seats we came,
Our parents, and us twain,
That, striking in our country's cause,
Fell bravely, and were slam ;
Our fealty and Tenantius' right
With honour to maintain.
First Bro. Like hardiment38 Posthumus hath
To Cyinbeline perform'd;
Then, Jupiter, thou king of go Is,
prehensive and inclusive manner which is a peculiarity of
Shakespeare's in his employment of words, and which makes
his style require very attentive examination ere the full meaning
of his condensed passages can be perceived.
35. And cancel tlicse cold bonds. Here "bonds" is used
with triple play on the word ; in reference to the legal instru-
ment so called, to the iron shackles on the speaker's limbs, and
to the sense in which the poet uses " bond " as that whereon
the term of " life " is held. See Note 48, Act iii., " Macbeth."
36. I'll speak to thee in silence Another of those paradoxical
sentences by which: to our taste, Shakespeare so intensifies the
impassioned effect of certain of his emotional speeches. See
Note 10 of this Act. Who has not felt the inadequacy of
waking speech for intercommunion with the beloved lost
and dead ? and the thirst of the soul for the more spiritual
utterance of converse in dreams, which is sometimes vouch-
safed during sleep and " silence " to those who deeply mourn :
37. And to become the geck and scorn. ' Suffer Posthumus'
is elliptically understood before "to become;" and "geck"
means 'dupe.' one who is befooled. See Note 53, Act v.,
"Twelfth Night."
38. Hardiment. 'Valorous service,' 'hard fighting.' See
Note 71, Act i., " First Part Henry IV."
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene IV.
Why hast thou thus adjourn'd
The graces for his merits due,
Being all to dolours turn'd ?
Sici. Thy crystal window ope ; look out ;
No longer exercise
Upon a valiant race thy harsh
And potent injuries.
Mob. Since, Jupiter, our son is good,
Take off his miseries.
Sici. Peep through thy marble mansion ; help ;
Or we poor ghosts will cry
To the shining synod of the rest
Against thy deity.
Sec. Bro. Help, Jupiter; or we appeal,
And from thy justice fly.
Jupiter descends in thunder and lightning, sitting
upon an eagle: he throws a thunderbolt. The
Ghosts/a// on their knres.
Jup. No more, you petty spirits of region low,
Offend our hearing; hush! How dare you
ghosts
Accuse the thunderer, whose bolt, you know,
Sky-planted, batters all rebelling coasts?
Poor shadows of Elysium, hence ; and rest
Upon your never-withering banks of flowers:
Be not with mortal accidents opprest;
No care of yours it is ; you know 'tis ours.
Whom best I love I cross ; to make my gift,
The more delay'd, delighted.39 Be content;
Your low-laid son our godhead will uplift :
His comforts thrive, his trials well are spent.
Our Jovial 4" star reign'd at his birth, and in
Our temple was he married. — Rise, and fade ! —
He shall be lord ot lady Imogen,
And happier much by his affliction made.
This tablet lay upon his breast ; wherein
Our pleasure his full fortune doth co.ifine :
And so, away : no farther with your din
Express impatience, lest you stir up mine. —
Mount, eagle, to my palace crystalline.
[Ascends.
Sici. He came in thunder; his celestial breath
Was sulphurous to smell : the holy eagle
Stoop'd, as to foot us:41 his ascension is
More sweet than our bless'd fields: his royal bird
Prunes42 the immortal wing, and cloys43 his beak,
As when his god is pleas'd.
39. Th< metre delay'd, deligkted. 'The more delay'd. the
more delighted iti ' The word " delighted " is here used, as in
tlie passage adverted to in Note 105, Act i., " Othello," for
'delighting,' ' delightful,' or 'delighted in.'
40. Jovial. See Note 66, Act iv.
41. As to foot us. ' As if to clutch us in his talons.'
42. Prunes. The action of a bird when setting its feithers
in order. See Note 19, Act i , " First Part Henry IV."
43. Cloys. 'Claws ;' the 'cleys' or 'clees' of a bird being an
All. Thanks, Jupiter !
Sici. The marble pavement closes, he is enter'd
His radiant roof. — Away! and, to be blest,
Let us with care perform his great behest.
[Ghosts vanish.
Post. [Waking.'] Sleep, thou hast been a grand-
sire, and begot
A father to me ; and thou hast created
A mother and two brothers: but (oh, scorn!)
Gone ! they went hence so soon as they were born :
And so I am awake.— Poor wretches that depend
On greatness' favour dream as I have done;
Wake, and find nothing. — But, alas! I swerve:
Many dream not to find, neither deserve,
And yet are steep'd in favours ; so am I,
That have this golden chance, and know not why.
What fairies haunt this ground ? A book r Oh,
rare one !
Be not, as is our tangled 44 world, a garment
Nobler than that it covers : let thy effects
So follow, to be most unlike our courtiers,
As good as promise. [Reads.
Whenas*1 a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown, without
seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender air ; and
when from a stately cedar shall be lopped branches, which,
being dead many years, shall after revive, be jointed to the
old stock, and freshly grow ; then shall Posthumus end his
miseries, Britain be fortunate, and flourish in peace and plenty.
'Tis still a dream ; or else such stuff as madmen
Tongue, and brain not : either both, or nothing:
Or senseless speaking, or a speaking such
As sense cannot untie. Be what it is,40
The action of my life is like it, which
I'll keep, if but for sympathy.
Re-enter First Gaoler.
First Gaol. Come, sir, are you ready for death ?
Post. Over-roasted rather ; ready long ago.
First Gaol. Hanging is the word, sir: if you be
ready for that, you are well cooked.
Post. So, if 1 prove a good repast to the spec-
tators, the dish pays the shot.
First Gaol. A heavy reckoning for you, sir.
But the comfort is, you shall be called to no more
payments, fear no more tavern- bills; which are
often the sadness of parting, as the procuring of
mirth]:4'" you come in faint tor want of meat, depart
reeling with too much drink ; sorry that you have
paid too much, and sorry that you are paid too
old term fcr its claws. To claw their beaks is an accustomed
action with eagles and hawks.
44. Fangied. 'Decked out;' ' frivolously decorated,' ( fan-
tasticallyfashioned.' SeeNute 12, Acti.," Love's Labour's Lost."
45. Whenas. An antique form of 'when.' See Note 57,
Act iv. , " Comedy of Errors."
46. Be wliat it is. An ellipsis for ( be it \rhat it may.'
47. Wliich are often tke sadness of parting, as the. eVr.
' As' is elliptically understood before ''often."
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
I ' ENE V.
s y<
mucli ;u purse ami brain both empty, — the brain
the heavier for being too light, the purse too light,
being drawn of heaviness:43 oh, of this contradic-
tion you shall now be quit. — Oh, the charity of a
penny cord! it sums up thousands in a trice: you
ha.e no true debitor-and-creditor50 but it; of
what 's past, is, and to come, the discharge : — your
neck, sir, is pen, book, and counters ; so the
acquittance follows.
Post. I am merrier to die than thou art to
live.
First Gaol. Indeed, sir, he that sleeps feels not
the toothache : but a man that were to sleep your
sleep, and a hangman to help him to bed, I think
he would change places with his officer; for, look
you, sir, you know not which wav you shall go.
Post. Yes, indeed do I, fellow.
First Gaol. Your death has eves in 's head,
then ; I have not seen him so pictured • you must
either be directed by some that take upon them to
know; or take upon yourself51 that which I am
sure you do not know ; or jump5- the after-inquiry
on your own peril : and how you shall speed in your
journey's end, I think you'll never return to tell
one.
Post. I tell thee, fellow, there are none want
eyes to direct them the way I am going,53 but such
as wink54 and will not use them.
First Gaol. What an infinite mock is this, that
a man should have the best use of eyes to see the
way of blindness ! I am sure hanging's the wav of
winking.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. Knock off his manacles; brin
prisoner to the king.
Post. Thou bringest good news,— ! am called
to be made free.
First Gaol. I'll be hanged, then.
Post. Thou shalt be then freer than a gaoler ;
no bolts for the dead.
[Exeunt Posthumus ana" Messenger.
4S. Sorry that yon are paid too muck. " Paid" is here used
in the sense of 'punished,' 'paid out,' 'settled with' ;;see Note
55. Act iy.) ; having received or imbibed " too much drink."
49. Being drawn 0/ heaviness. ' Having had its weight of
cash extracted ; ' as a fowl is said to be " drawn," when its
entrails are taken out.
50. Vebitor-and-credttor. ' Treatise upon account keeping,'
' dissertation upon book-keeping.' See Note to. Act i.,
"Othello." The expression here includes the meaning of a
kind of ' Ready Reckoner,' and of a ledger or account-book.
51. Or take upon yourself. The Folio inserts 'to 'between
"or" and "take" here. Capell made the correction: which
was suggested by Heath. The gaoler, as it appears to us.
is propounding a series of optional courses, indicated by the
repetition of the word "' or : " though some editors have changed
the second " or " into ' for,' taking a slight mark (which in the
Fjlio precedes the second "or") to be an imperfectly printed
"f."
52. Jump. 'Risk,1 'hazard.' See Note 112, Act i,
" -Macbeth."
First Gaol. Unless
man would marry a
gallows, and beget young gibbets, I never sau one
so prone.55 Yet, on my conscience, there are verier
knaves desire to live, for all he be a Roman: and
there be some of them too, that tlie against their
wills; so should I, if I were one. I would we
were all of one mind, and one mind good ; oh,
there were desolation of gaolers and gallowses!5'
I speak against my present profit; but my u Mi
hath a preferment in 't. [Exeunt.
SCENE V. — Britain. Cymbeltne's Tent.
Enter Cymbeline, Belarius, Guidfrius, Arvira-
gus, Pisanio, Lords, Officers, and Attendants.
Cym. Stand by my side, you whom the gods
have made
Preservers of my throne. Woe is mv heart,
That the poor soldier, that so richly fought,
Whose rags sham'd gilded arms, whose naked
breast
Slepp'd before targes57 of proof, cannot be
found :
He shall be happy that can find him, if
Our grace can make him so.
Bel. I never saw
Such noble fury in so poor a thing ;
Such precious deeds in one that promis'd
naught
But beggary and poor looks.
Cym. No tidings of him ?
Pis. He hath been scarch'd among the dead
and living,
But no trace of him.
Cym. To my grief, I am
The heir of his reward : which I will add
[To Bel., Gui., and Arv.] To you, the liver,
heart, and brain of Britain,
53. There are none want eyes to direr.' them the 'Tray T am
going, but such as, &>c. This is completely one of our poet's
sublimely simple declarations of faith ; earnest, trustful, true-
souled. See Note 22, Act v., " Timon of Athens."
54. Wink. Shakespeare very frequently uses this word to
express firm closing of the eyes. See Note 27, Act i , I
Gentlemen of Verona."
55. /'rone. 'Prompt,' 'ready, 'forward,' 'willing,' 'alertly
disposed.'
56. I would we were ah of one mind, and one mind good ;
oh, there were desolation of gaolers and gallowses .' I
form of a jesting sentence, Shakespeare has here, accord-
ing to an ingenious mode of his, put forth a noble and
profound truth. See Note q^, Act i\- . "Timon "f Athens."
But the first gaoler in " Cymbeline," during the <ln>rt time he
is on the scene, utters some really glorious things in humorous
guise.
57. Targes. An old form of 'targets.' It i- proi
monosyllabically, with a hard "g."as if spelt ' targues.' See
Note 87, Act ii., " Antony and Cleopatra.''
2.S9
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
By whom I grant she lives. 'Tis now the time
To ask of whence you are : — report it.
Bel. Sir,
In Cambria are we born, and gentlemen :
Farther to boast were neither true nor modest,
Unless I add we are honest.
Cym. Bow your knees.
Arise my knights o' the battle : I create you
Companions to our person, and will fit you
With dignities becoming your estates.
Enter Cornelius and Ladies.
There 's business in these faces. — Why so sadly
Greet you our victory ? you look like Romans,
And not o' the court of Britain.
Cor. Hail, great king !
To sour your happiness, I must report
The queen is dead.
Cym. Whom worse than a physician
Would this report become ? But I consider,
By medicine life may be prolong'd, yet death
Will seize the doctor too. — How ended she ?
Cor. With horror, madly dying, like her
life;
Which, being cruel to the world, concluded
Most cruel to herself. What she confess'd
I will report, so please you : these her women
Can trip me, if I err ; who with wet cheeks
Were present when she finish'd.
Cym. Pr'ythee, say.
Cor. First, she confess'd she never lov'd you ;
only
Affected greatness got by you, not you :
Married your royalty, was wife to your place ;
Abhorr'd your person.
Cym. She alone knew this ;
And, but she spoke it dying, I would not
Believe her lips in opening it. Proceed.
Cor. Your daughter, whom she bore in hand to
love53
With such integrity, she did confess
Was as a scorpion to her sight ; whose life,
But that her flight prevented it, she had
Ta'en off by poison.
Cym. Oh, most delicate fiend !
Who is't can read a woman ? — Is there more?
Cor. More, sir, and worse. She did confess
she had
For you a mortal mineral ; which, being took,
Should by the minute feed on life, and, lingering,
By inches waste you : in which time she
purpos'd,
58. Whom she bore in hand to love. ' Whom she affected or
pretended to love ; ' ' whom she deluded or beguiled with an
appearance of love.' See Note 35, Act it, " Hamlet."
59. Yes, and in time. This "yes" is wanting in the first
Folio, and supplied in the second Folio.
60. That htard kerjlattery. The first Folio gives ' hcare '
By watching, weeping, tendance, kissing, to
O'ercome you with her show ; yes, and in
time,59
When she had fitted you with her craft, to
work
Her son into the adoption of the crown :
But, failing of her end by his strange absence,
Grew shameless-desperate ; open'd, in despite
Of Heaven and men, her purposes ; repented
The evils she hatch'd were not effected ; so,
Despairing, died.
Cym. Heard you all this, her women ?
First Lady. We did, so please your highness.
Cym. Mine eyes
Were not in fault, for she was beautiful ;
Mine ears, that heard her flattery;60 nor my
heart,
That thought her like her seeming ; it had been
vicious
To have mistrusted her : yet, oh, my daughter !
That it was folly in me, thou mayst say,
And prove it in thy feeling. Heaven mend all !
Enter Lucius, Imogen, Iachimo, the Soothsayer,
and other Roman Prisoners, guarded; Post-
humus behind.
Thou com'st not, Caius, now for tribute ; that
The Britons have raz'd out, though with the
loss
Of many a bold one ; whose kinsmen have made
suit
That their good souls may be appeas'd with
slaughter
Of you their captives, which ourseif have granted :
So, think of your estate.
Luc. Consider, sir, the chance of war : the
day
Was yours by accident ; had it gone with us,
We should not, when the blood was cool, have
threaten'd
Our prisoners with the sword. But since the
gods
Will have it thus, that nothing but our lives
May be call'd ransom, let it come : sufneeth,
A Roman with a Roman's heart can suffer:
Augustus lives to think on 't : and so much
For my peculiar care. This one thing only
I will entreat ; my boy, a Briton born,
Let him be ransom'd : never master had
A page so kind, so duteous, diligent,
So tender over his occasions, true,
So feat, so nurse-like :61 let his virtue join
for "heard;" corrected in the third Folio. Printing a final
"e" instead of "d" is not an unfrequent typographical error
in the first Folio. See Note 28, Act ii., " Timon of Athens ;"
and Notes 99, Act i., and 61, Act ii.. "Antony and Cleopatra."
61. So feat, so nurse-like. "Feat "means 'dextrous,' 'deft.'
'adroit,' 'prompt.' This gentle adaptation of herself and her
733
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
With my request, which I'll make bold your
highness
Cannot deny ; he hath done no Briton harm,
Though he have serv'd a Roman : save him,
sir,
And spare no blood beside.
Cym. I have surely seen him :
His favour63 is familiar to me. — Boy,
Thou hast look'd thyself into my grace,
And art mine own. — 1 know not why, nor where-
fore,63
To say, live, boy :f4 ne'er thank thy master;
live :
And ask of Cymbeline what boon thou wilt,
Fitting my bounty and thy state, I'll give it ;
Yea, though thou do demand a prisoner,
The noblest ta'en.
Imo. I humbly thank your highness.
Luc. I do not bid thee beg my life, good lad ;
And yet I know thou wilt.
Imo. No, no ; alack,
There's other work in hand : I see a thing
Bitter to me as death : your life, good master,
Must shuffle for itself.
Luc. The boy disdains me,
He leaves me, scorns me : briefly die their joys
That place them on the truth of girls and boys. — .
Why stands he so perplex'd ?
Cym. What wouldst thou, bov ?
I love thee more and more : think more and
more
What's best to ask. Know'st him thou look'st
on ? speak,
Wilt have him live ? Is he thy kin ? thy friend ?
Imo. He is a Roman ; no more kin to me
womanly accomplishments to her assumed office of page, crowns
the perfection of Imogen's character. Her power, too, of at-
tracting and attaching all who come near her — her father, who
loves her in spite of the harshness he has shown her under the
influence of his fiendish queen ; her husband, who has been her
"play-fellow" when a boy, and her lover in manhood, even
after her supposed death ; her faithful sen-ant, Pisanio ; her
brothers, who know her but as a poor, homeless boy ; Belarius,
whose sympathy for the sick youth makes the way forth seem
tedious ; and Lucius, who pleads for the gentle lad's life with
so earnest a warmth, while bearing so affectionate a testimony
to his qualities as a page — this power of hers speaks indirectly,
but indisputably, in testimony of her bewitching nature.
62. Favour. ' Aspect,' ' countenance.'
63. / know not why, nor -wherefore. The Folio omits " nor ; "
inserted by Rowe.
64. To say. live, boy. ' I should be induced,' or ' I feel
impelled,' is elliptically understood before "to say."
65. One sand another not more resembles that srveet rosy
/ad who died. This has been variously altered ; but we take
it to be one of the many extremely elliptically expressed sen-
tences in the present play, and that 'than he does' must be
understood after "resembles" We have heretofore had occa-
sion to point out the elliptical style which specially marks
Shakespeare's passages of simile or comparison. See, among
a multitude of others, the notes referred to in Note 44, Act iv.
66. But -we saw him dead. The Folio misprints ' see ' for
" saw." Rowe's correction.
Than I to your highness; who, being born your
vassal,
Am something nearer.
Cym. Wherefore ey'st him so ?
Imo. I'll tell you, sir, in private, if you please
To give me hearing.
Cym. Ay, with all my heart,
And lend my best attention. What 's thy name ?
Imo. Fidele, sir.
Cym. Thou'rt my good youth, my page ;
I'll be thy master: walk with me; speak freely.
[Cymbeline and Imogen converse apart.
Bel. Is not this boy reviv'd from death ?
Arnj. One sand another
Not more resembles that sweet rosy lad
Who died,65 and was Fidele. What think you ?
Gut. The same dead thing alive.
Bel. Peace, peace ! see farther ; he eyes us not ;
forbear ;
Creatures may be alike : were 't he, I am sure
He would have spoke to us.
Gui. But we saw him dead.65
Bel. Be silent ; let 's see farther.
Pis. [Aside.~\ It is my mistress :
Since she is living, let the time run on
To good or bad.
[Cymbeline and Imogen come foriuard.
Cym. Come, stand thou by our side ;
Make thy demand aloud. — [To Iach.] Sir, step
you forth ;
Give answer to this boy, and do it freely;
Or, by our greatness, and the grace of it,
Which is our honour, bitter torture shall
Winnow the truth from falsehood. — [To Imo ] On,
speak to him.67
67. On, speak to him. The Folio gives ' one ' for " on " here :
but 'one' and "on" were frequently spoken, written, and
printed, the one word for the other formerly. See Note r.
Act ii. , "Two Gentlemen of Verona." It is evident that
Cymbeline addresses these words to Imogen, as a following
up of his saying to her, "Make thy demand aloud." He
encourages her to stand by his side, and bids her speak directly
to Iachimo ; but though royally encouraged, and bidden by a
king, observe how the pure-minded woman and most noble-
spirited princess chooses to avoid even speaking to the man
whom she knows to have once insulted her, and now suspects
to be a scoundrel traitor. Thoroughly characteristic of Imogen
is her conduct throughout this scene; very subtly indicated arc
her awakened suspicion and steadfast watching of Iachimo by
Lucius's words, "Why stands he so perplex'd?" and by
Cymbeline's " Know'st him thou look'st on ?' and " Wherefore
ey'st him so?' very clearly are her disgust and repugnance at
the thought of ag.iin coming into communion with the villain
denoted by her offering to tell Cymbeline "in private" of her
desire that Iachimo should be questioned ; and equally obvious
is her determination that she will not question him herself, but
actually addresses her "demand" through the king, and thus
induces him to conduct the examination for her. The feminine
dignity blended with feminine modesty, the feminine spirit and
good sense combined with the utmost gentleness and tenderness
of character that distinguish all Shakespeare's most charming
women, shine in none more conspicuously than in matchless
Imogen.
ACT V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Imo. My boon is, that this gentleman may
render
Or whom he had this ring.09
Post. [Aside.] What's that to him ?
Cym. That diamond upon your finger, say,
Hon- came it yours ?
lack. Thou'lt torture rac" to leave unspoken
that
Which, to be spoke, would torture thee.
Cym. How ! me ?
/.;./'. I am glad to be constrain'd to utter
that
Which torments me to conceal. By villany
I got this ring : 'twas Leonatus' jewel ;70
Whom thou didst banish ; and, — which more may
grieve thee,
As it doth me, — a nobler sir ne'er liv'd"1
'Twixt sky and ground. Wilt thou hear more,
my lord ?
Cym. All that belongs to this.
lat b. That paragon, thy daughter,—
For whom my heart drops blood, and my false
spirits
Quail to remember, — Give me leave ; I faint.
Cym. My daughter! what of her p Renew thy
■ trength :
I had rather thou shouldst live while nature will,
Than die ere I hear more : strive, man, and
speak.
lacb. Upon a time, — unhappy was the clock
That struck the hour! — it was in Rome, — accurs'ti
The mansion where ! — 'twas at a feast, — oh, would
Our viands had been poison'd, or at least
Those which I heav'd to head ! — the good Post-
humus, —
68. This ring. Imogen points to the ring worn by Iachimo ;
which she recognises for the one (her " mother's") that she gave
to her husband at parting, and which he then promised to keep
upon his finger " while sense can keep it on." See Note 67,
Act in . " Coriolanus," for an example of "this'' so used
69. Thou'lt torture me, &c. Implying, ' If thou knew'st all,
thou wouldst torture mc.' &c. We hive before now observed
1 ikespeare sometimes uses " I'll " for ' I'd ' (see Note 77,
Act tv., "Timon of Athens"); as here "thou It" is used for
' thou'dst.'
70. "Tzaas Leonatus' jewel. See Note 72, Act hi., " Twelfth
-1 A nailer sir ne'er livd. This is the third time that
1 used as a noun in the present play ; Iachimo has pre-
> ■■' i-, ■> 7 , "the worthiest sir," and "a sir SO
rare ; " where he is also speaking of Posthumus.
72. Sitting sadly, luariilg . prau . Z-*c. The description
ll " ' " ■■■ " '< precisely consist with the circumstances of the
incident as it actually occurred see the fifth scene of the first
lit Shakespeare sometimes has these variations in par-
tialis. See Note 62, A t iii. In the present case, he
may cither have made it to give the effect of that inaccuracy of
li often marts the narration of a past occurrence
even in persons habitually truthful, or in order to denote
1 i's innate untruthfulness and unscrupulousness, whii ll
m to falsify in minor matters as in those of greater
I rmerly used for 'general personal appear-
What should I say ? he was too good to be
Where ill men were ; and was the best of all
Amongst the rar'st of good ones, — sitting sadly,
Hearing us praise our loves of Italy 72
For beauty that made barren the swell' d boast
Of him that best could speak; for feature?3
laming
The shrine of Venus,'4 or straight-pight"6 Minerva,
Postures beyond brief nature ; 76 for condition,
A shop of all the qualities that man
Loves woman for ; besides, that hook of wiving,
Fairness, which strikes the eye, —
Cym. I stand on fire :
Come to the matter.
l<acb. All too soon I shall,
Unless thou wouldst grieve quickly. — This Post-,
humus, —
Most like a noble lord in love, and one
That had a royal lover," — took his hint ;
And, not dispraising whom we prais'd, — therein
He was as calm as virtue, — he began
His mistress' picture ; which by his tongue being
made,
And then a mind put in 't, either our brags
Were crack'd of kitchen trulls, or his description
Prov'd us unspeaking sots.
Cym. Nay, nay, to the purpose.
lacb. Your daughter's chastity — there it begins.
He spake of her, as Dian had hot dreams,'9
And she alone were cold : whereat I, wretch,
Made scruple of his praise ; and wager'd with
him
Pieces of gold 'gainst this which then he wore
Upon his honour'd finger, to attain
In suit the place of his bed, and win this ring
ance' (see Note 73, Act ii., "Antony and Cleopatra"); here
more especially referring to proportion and moulding of the
limbs, general shapeliness.
74. Laming the shrine 0/ Venus. " Laming" is here used
to express 'making seem lame or deformed in comparison;' as
sometimes ' dwarfing ' is used to express ' making seem com-
paratively short.' "The shrine of Venus" is employed by a
poetic licence of ellipsis for ' the statue of the goddess con-
tained in the shrine of Venus.'
75. Straight-fiight. ' Erectly-standing, ' ' firmly-poised ; '
"pight" being an old word for 'pitched' or 'fixed.' See
Note 80, Act v., " Troilus and Cressida."
76. Postures beyond brie/ nature. ' Whose attitudes surpass
the transient attitudes of nature.' This phrase has been dif-
ferently interpreted ; it being stated that " brief nature " means
' hasty and unelaborate nature.' But we think the author's
intention was not so much to undervalue Nature's work in
comparison with the sculptor's, as to state that the attitudes
of these celebrated statues exceeded in permanent grace and
dignity the transient grace and dignity of "attitudes seen in
nature.
77. Lover. Sometimes used in Shakespeare's time as a term
for a woman as well as for a man. See Note 47, Act i.,
" Measure for Measure."
78. As Dian had hot dreams. ' If is elliptically understood
after"as." See Note 4. Act i., " Henry VIII." "As"for'as
if occurs several times in the present play; and Shakespeare
frequently thus uses "as" elsewhere.
Act v.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Imogen. My boon is, that this gentleman may render
Of whom he had this ring. Act V, Scene V.
By hers and mine adultery: he, true knight,
No lesser of her honour confident
Than I did truly find her, stakes this ring;
And would so, had it been a carbuncle
Of Phcebus' wheel ; and might so safely, had it
Been all the worth of his car. Away to Britain
Post I in this design : — well may you, sir,
Remember me at court ; where I was taught
Of your chaste daughter the wide difference
'Tuixt amorous and villanous.'9 Being thus
quench'd
Ol hope, not longing, mine Italian brain
79. The wide difference 'twixt timorous and villanous.
It well becomes the greatest poet-moralist that ever wrote thus
to vindicate a truth too little understood and believed. Love —
true love, pure love, love itself — is as widely different from vile-
ncss as heaven from earth. Love, in its unselfishness, ungross-
ncss, unmeanness, is as opposite to base and evil propensities
as light and dark. Love, in its divine essence, is as contrary to
coarseness as spirituality to materialism. It is only because
'Gan in your duller Britain operate
Most vilely ; for my vantage, excellent ;
And, to be brief, my practice so prevail'd,
That 1 return'd with simular proof enough
To make the noble Leonatus mad,
By wounding his belief in her renown
With tokens thus, and thus; averring notes'"
Of chamber-hanging, pictures, this her bracelet, —
Oh, cunning, how I got it!81 — nay, some marks
Of secret on her person, that he could not
But think her bond of chastity quite crack'd,
I having ta'en the forfeit. Whereupon, —
interested hypocrites and sensualists have sought to confound
love with vice, and '"amorous" with "villanous," that the
truth which the great dramatic teacher here promulgates has
ever been misconceived.
80. Averrine notes. "Averring" is here used adjectively
to signify ' confirmatory,' ' evidential.'
81. Oh, cunning, how I got it ! The first Folio omits "it;"
supplied in the second Folio.
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Methinks, I see him now, —
Post. [Coming forward.] Ay, so thou dost,
Italian fiend ! — Ah me, most credulous fool.
Egregious murderer, thief, anything
That's due to all the villains past, in being,
To come !— Oh, give me cord, or knife, or poison,
Some upright justicer!8- Thou, king, send out
For torturers ingenious : it is I
That all the abliorrei things o' the earth amend,
By being worse than they. I am Posthumus,
That kill'd thy daughter :— villain-like, 1 lie;
That caus'd a lesser villain than myself,
A sacrilegious thief, to do 't : — the temple
Of virtue was she ; yea, and she herself.85
Spit, and throw stones, cast mire upon me, set
1 he dogs o' the street to bay me :34 every villain
Be call'd Posthninui Leonatus; and
Be villany less than 'twas! — O Imogen !
My queen, my life, my wife ! O Imogen,
Imogen, Imogen !
Imo. Peace, my lord ; hear, hear —
Post. Shall 's have a play of this ? Thou scorn-
ful page,
There lie thy part. [Striking her : she falls.
Pis. Oh, gentlemen, help !
Mine and your mistress ! — Oh, my lord Posthumus !
You ne'er kill'd Imogen till now. — Help, help ' —
Mine honour'd lady !
Cym. Does the world go round ?
Post. How come these staggers ^ on me ?
Pis. Wake, my mistress !
Cym. If this be so, the gods do mean to strike me
To death with mortal joy.
Pis. How fares my mistress?
Imo. Oh, get thee from my sight ;
Thou gav'st me poison : dangerous tellow, hence !
Breathe not where princes are.
82. Justicer. An old form of 'justice.' Shakespeare uses
the word more than once in "King Lear;" and ancient law
books have frequently 'justicers of the peace' for 'justices of
the peace.'
83. Yea, atid she herself. ' Ay, and even virtue herself.'
84. To bay me. 'To denouncingly hark at me.' See Note 22,
Act iv., "Julius Caesar."
85. These staggers. Here used to express ' these reelings of
the brain,' and ' totterings of the frame." Shakespeare else-
where uses the word for ' unsteadinesses,' ' swervings.' See
Note 102, Act ii., "All's Well." It also includes the effect of
'confusing or bewildering shock;' since in "Richard II.,"
Act v., sc. 5, the king, beneath the shock of Exton's assault,
says, "That hand shall burn in never-quenching fire that stag-
gers thus my person."
86. Approve. ' Prove,' 'attest.' See Note 78, Act iv.
87. To temper. ' To mix,' ' to compound,' ' to prepare.' See
Note 78, Act iii., " Romeo and Juliet."
88. IVhy did you throw, &*c. Various proposals have been
made for the alteration of this speech ; Johnson pronouncing
that " there is little meaning" in it, " or in the answer : " while
a more modern critic asserts that it is " a passage of im-
penetrable obscurity." To our thinking it is, on the contrary,
full of meaning ; meaning that is only so fur obscure, as to be
veiled by that imperfect expression through which Shakespeare
The tune of Imogen !
Cym.
Pis. Lady,
The gods throw stones of sulphur on me, if
That box I gave you was not thought by me
A precious thing : I had it from the queen.
Cym. New matter still ?
Imo. It poison'd me.
Cor. Oh, gods ! —
I left out one thing which the queen confess'd,
Wrich must approve36 thee hoaest : " If Pisanio
Have," said she, " given his mistress that confection
Which I gave him for cordial, she is serv'd
As I would serve a rat."
Cym. What 's this, Cornelius ?
Cor. The queen, sir, very oft importun'd me
To temper87 poisons for her; still pretending
The satisfaction of her knowledge only
In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs,
Of no esteem : I, dreading that her purpose
Was of more danger, did compound for her
A certain stuff, which, being ta'en, would cease
The present power of life ; but in short time
All offices of nature should again
Do their due functions. — Have you ta'en of it ?
Imo. Most like I did, for I was dead.
Bel. My bojs,
There was our error.
Gui. This t% sure, Fidele.
Imo. Why did you throw your wedded lady
from you?88
Think that ycu are upon a rock ; and now
Throw me again. [Embracing bint.
Post. Hang there like fruit, my soul,
Till the tree die !
Cym. How now, my flesh, my child !
What, mak'st thou me a dullard in this act ?89
Wilt thou not speak to me ?
so often conveys perfect impression in passionate speeches. See
Note 76, Act iv. The repetition of the word " throw " in
Imogen's speech here, seems to us to afford the clue to all that
she implies by her loving and confiding sally — half acted, half
uttered : ' Why did you throw your wedded lady from you,
when she stood beside you unknown? Now that she throws
herself upon your breast, known to you for your own, imagine
yourself upon some high rock ; and throw me from you again —
if you've the heart ! ' We think that her husband's words,
"Hang there like fruit, my soul, till the tree dio ! " give
evidence that 'throws herself upon your breast' is implied in
the wife's speech ; because we bear well in mind the significant
and largely comprehensive mode in which our poet uses the
w.ird "there" (see speech referred to in Note 40, Act iv.,
"Othello"): and because we think that by "there" Post-
humus means his breast, which he metaphorises as the trunk
of a tree whereon his wife shall hang like fruit till it die.
Observe, moreover, how completely in Shakespeare's style is
the construction of Imogen's speech, commencing by speaking
of herself in the second person, and concluded by the more
home-appealing first person " me." See Note 49, Act iv. of
the present play.
89. Male st thou me a dullard in this act > ' Dost thou treat
me as one insensible and unconcerned in this act of making
thyself known? '
Act V.]
CYMBEL1NE.
[Scene V.
Imo. [Knreling.] Your blessing, sir.
Bel. [To Gui. aid AR.V.] Though you did love
this youth, I blame ye not ;
You had a motive for't.
Cym. My tears that fall
Prove holy water on thee! Imogen,
1 hy mother's dead.
Imo. I am sorry for 't, my lord.
Cym. Oh, she was naught ; and 'long of her it
was
That we meet here so strangely : but her son
Is gone, we know not how nor where.
Pis. My lord,
Now fear rs from me, I'll speak troth. Lord
Cloten,
Upon my lady's missing, came to me
With his sword drawn ; foam'd at the mouth, and
swore,
If I discover'd not which way she was gone,
It was my instant death. By accident,
1 had a feigned letter of my master's
Then in my pocket; which directed him
To seek her on the mountains near to Milford ;
Where, in a frenzy, in my master's garments,
Which he enfore'd from me, away he posts90
With unchaste purpose, and with oath to violate
My lady's honour: what became of him
I farther know not.
Gui. Let me end the story :
I s ew him there.
Cym. Marry, the gods forfend !
I would not thy good deeds should from my lips
Pluck a hard sentence: pr'ythee, valiant youth,
Deny 't again.
Gui. I have spoke it, and I did it.
90. Wltere .... away he posts. " Where " is here used for
'whereto,' or 'whither' It has been pointed out that in the
dialogue with Pisanio (Act iii., sc. 5) Cloten said nothing of his
intention as here stated : and it is asked whether Pisanio learned
this intention from a subsequent conversation with the queen's
son in his apartments. The dramatist leaves to be inferred the
mode by which Pisanio obtained his information ; deeming it
sufficient that the readers or spectators have been made aware,
through Cloten's soliloquy towards the close of that scene, that
Pisanio is here relating the fact with regard to the brutal prince's
intention. Moreover, Cloten's saying to Pisanio, when he re-
turns with Posthumus's clothes, " The third is, that thou wilt
be a voluntary mute to my design," conveys the effect of
Pisanio's knowing what the "design" is. We have often
had occasion to show that Shakespeare sometimes allows
certain particulars to be inferred, instead of stating them cir-
cumstantially (see Note 167, Act iii., "Hamlet"): and more
especially when, as in the present case, the scene where the
passage of incomplete detail occurs forms the concluding scene
in the play. See Note 55, Act v., "All's Well."
or. Hath more of t/iee merited than a band of Clotens had
ever scar for. The word " scar" has been suspected of error,
and various substitutions have been proposed ; but the expres-
sion appears to us to be a very characteristic one for a veteran
soldier to use, who can conceive no better claim of merit than
having plenteous scars to show. The phraseology here is in
accordance with the excessively condensed and elliptical style
Cym. He was a prince.
Gui. A most incivil one: the wrongs he did me
Were nothing prince-like; for he did provoke me
With language that would make me spurn the sea,
If it could so roar to me: I cut off 's head ;
And am right glad he is not standing here
To tell this tale of mine.
Cym. I am sorry for thee:
By thine own tongue thou art condemn'd, and
must
Endure our law: thou'rt dead.
Imo. That headless man
I thought had been my lord.
Cym. Bind the offender,
And take him from our presence.
Bel. Stay, sir king :
This man is better than the man he slew,
As well descended as thyself; and hath
More of thee merited than a band of Clotens
Had ever scar for.91 — [To the Guard.] Let his
arms alone ;
They were not born for bondage.
Cym. Why, old soldier,
Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for,
By tasting of our wrath ?92 How of descent
As good as we ?
Ar*v. In that he spake too far.
Cym. 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.93 — My sons, I inust,
For mine own part, unfold a dangerous speech,
Though, haply, well for you.
Arm. Your danger 's ours.
Gui. And our good his.94
that is to be traced throughout the present drama : the sentence
signifying, ' has merited more of thee than a whole band of
such fellows as Cloten ever received a single scar to entitle them
to claim.' Be it observed, that "a band of Clotens " is here
used much in the same way that "a parish of Clotens" is pre-
viously used. See Note 38, Act iv.
92. By tasting of onr wrath? Johnson explains this to mean,
' by forcing us to make thee taste of our wrath,' saying that the
consequence is taken for the whole action. Inasmuch as Shake-
speare does occasionally thus use verbs, it may be that this
interpretation is right : but we agree with Mr. Staunton in
thinking that here "tasting" may be used in the sense of
' testing,' ' trying,' as " taste " is used in the passages adverted
to in Note 29, Act iv. , " First Part Henry IV." "Tasting" is
used in " Much Ado," Act v., sc. 1, to express 'experiencing ;'
which blends the sense of the word involved in Dr. Johnson's
explanation with that involved in Mr Staunton's suggestion.
93. We will die all three, but I will prove that, &>c. In
most modern editions, a colon is put after " three." We follow
the Folio in putting merely a comma there ; as we take the
passage to be similar in construction to the one explained in
Note 5, Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra." Pclarius is not
asserting the simple fact that he and his supposed sons are
willing to die; he is saying that he and they will be ready to
die if he be not able to prove that two out of the three are as
well-born as he has declared Guiderius to be.
94. i'our dinger's ortrs. And our good his. Well might
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Postkuinus. Kneel not to me :
The power that I have on you is to spare you.
Act r. Scene V.
Bel.
Have at it, then ! —
By leave, — thou h.itUt, great king, a subject who
Was call'd Belanus.
Cvn. What of him ? he is
A banishM traitor.
Bel. He it is that hath
AssumM this age :96 indeed, a banish'd man
I know not how a traitor.
Cym. Take him hence .
The whole woild shall not save him.
First pay me for the nursing of thy sons ;
And let it be confiscate all, so soon
As I have receiv'd it.
Cym. Nursing of my son* !
Bel. I am too blunt and saucy: here's my
knee :
Ere I arise, I will prefer96 my sons ;
Then spare not the old father. Mighty sir,
These two young gentlemen, that call me
father,
Bel.
Not too hot : And think they are my sons, are none of mine ;
Belarius exclaim Act iv., sc. 2), " Thou divine Nature, how ! its sense of ' put on,' ' taken the appearance of ; ' but it is used
thyself thou blazon'st in these two princely boys!'* The ex- . to express 'acquired,' 'attained,' 'summed up unto.' " Phis
altedness of moral courage, no less than that nobility of per- age " is said in reference to the speaker's overgrowth of hair
sonal courage which so wins the enthusiastic admiration of the i and beard see Note 98, Act iv. ; which makes him look so
veteran warrior, shines out of these two youths with all the much older than when Cymbeline last snw him, and which bears
effulgence of their illustrious origin. 1 token of the time that has since then elapsed.
05. Assum'd this age. "Assumed" does not here include 96. Pre/er. ' Advance,' ' promote.'
745
260
Act V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
They are the issue of your loins, my liege,
And blood of your begetting.
Cym. How ! my issue !
Bel. So sure as you your father's. I, old
Morgan,
Am that Belarius whom you sometime banish'd :
Your pleasure was my mere offence,9' my punish-
ment
Itself, and all my treason ; that I sufFer'd
Was all the harm I did. These gentle princes,—
For such and so they are,— these twenty years
Have I train'd up : those arts they have as I
Could put into them:93 my breeding was, sir, as
Your highness knows. Their nurse, Euriphile,
Whom for the theft I wedded, stole these children
Upon my banishment: I mov'd her to 't ;
Having receiv'd the punishment before,
For that which I did then : beaten for loyalty,
Excited me to treason : their dear loss,99
The more of you 'twas felt, the more it shap'd
Unto my end of stealing them. But, gracious sir,
Here are your sons again ; and I must lose
Two of the sweet'st companions in the world : —
The benediction of these covering heavens
Fall on their heads like dew! for they are worthy
To inlay heaven with stars.
Cym. Thou weep'st, and speak'st,
The service that you three have done is more
Unlike10" than this thou tell'st. I lost my children :
If these be they, I know not how to wish
A pair of worthier sons.
Btl. Be pleas'd awhile. —
97. Your pleasure v.<as my mere offence, my, cVf. * My
offence, my punishment, and all my treason, originated solely in
its b:ing your pleasure to consider me guilty and to punish me.'
The Folio gives ' neere ' for "mere." Rann's correction, sug-
gested by Tyrruhilt
98. Those arts they have as I could put into them. "Those"
is here used, where, in ordinary construction, ' such ' would be
employed.
99. Their dear loss. 'Their intensely-felt loss.' Here the
word " dear" is used precisely as in the passage pointed out in
Note 98, Act i., "Othello."
100. Unlike. Here used for 'unlikely:' the king arguing
that the exploits performed by the " three " are even more im-
probable than the story now related ; therefore there may well
be in the latter that truth to which the relater's tears and
agitated speech bear witness.
rot. A mole, a sanguine star. Most poetically, as well as
with most subtle philosophical knowledge of Nature's workings
in the matter of kindred and inherited distinctive marks, has
Shakespeare in this play given to the prince brother an almost
precisely similar personal badge-spot with the one which lies
up in the snow of the princess sister's breast Imogen's " mole
cinque spotted, like the crimson drops i' the bottom of a cow-
slip," and Guidcrius's "mole, a sanguine star," are twinned in
beauty with a poet's imagination and a naturalist's truth
102. Bless'd pray you be. Rowe and others alter "pray" to
'may' here: but the sentence is elliptically constructed, sig-
nifying, ' I pray that you may be bless'd.' There are other
instances in Shakespeare of "prey" being thus used with the
usually preceding ' I ' being elliptically understood : as. in
" Winter's Tale," Act iv., sc. 3, " Pray heartily he be at
'palace;" in "Richard II.," Act i., sc. 4, "Pray God, we
This gentleman, whom I call Polydore,
Most worthy prince, as yours, is true Guiderius :
This gentleman, my Cadwal, Arviragus,
Your younger princely son ; he, sir, was lapp'd
In a most curious mantle, wrought by the hand
Of his queen mother, which, for more probation,
I can with ease produce.
Cym. Guiderius had
Upon his neck a mole, a sanguine star;101
It was a mark of wonder.
Bel. This is he;
Who hath upon him still that natural stamp :
It was wise nature's end in the donation,
To be his evidence now.
Cym. Oh ! what, am I
A mother to the birth of three ? Ne'er mother
Rejoic'd deliverance more. — Bless'd pray you be,102
That, after this strange starting from your orbs,
You may reign in them now! — O Imogen,
Thou hast lost by this a kingdom.
Imo. No, my lord ;
I have got two worlds by't.103 — O my gentle
brothers,
Have we thus met? Oh, never say hereafter
But I am truest speaker:104 you call'd me brother,
When I was but your sister ; I you brothers,
When you were so indeed.
Cym. Did you e'er meet ?
Arti. Ay, my good lord.
Gut. And at first meeting lov'd ;
Continu'd so, until we thought he died.105
Cor. By the queen's dram she swallow'd.105
may make haste, and come too late ! " and in " Othello," Act ii.,
sc. 1, " Pray Heaven he be."
103. I have got two worlds by't. True and generous-hearted
Imogen !
104. Oh, never say hereafter but I am truest speaker.
Imogen's playfulness, when she is happy, is as enchantingly
full of true womanhood as her deep and earnest pathos when
she is afflicted. See, too, how her large heart has room for
fond and warm affection towards her brothers, whom she from
the first instinctively loves, as well as for the abounding passion
that it cherishes towards her husband ; and note, moreover, how
sincere, how simply pure and true are her demonstrations of
attachment : she lets the whole force of her passionate love
show itself to her chosen wedded lord, she allows the whole
warmth of her impulsive affection to manifest itself towards her
noble young brothers ; but she confines herself to dutiful ex-
pressions and respectful observance in her words to her father,
and limits her reception of the news that her step-mother is
dead to " I am sorry for 't, my lord " Such a woman as
Imogen is to be trusted and beloved through life, and held in
ever affectionate memory even after death. Happy those who
have and have had such a woman to trust and love when alive,
and to treasure in memory when dead.
105. At first meeting lov'd: continued so, until, &°c. Here
is an instance of Shakespeare's elliptical use of the word " so."
The previous word "lov'd" allows "so" to imply 'so loving
him.'
106. Until we thought he died. By the queen's dram site
swallow'd. In the respective use of the two pronouns, "he"
and "she," by these two speakers, wc trace Shakespeare's
miraculous skill in appropriate and subtly significant diction.
The youth Guiderius is reverting to the time when, irresistibly
Act v.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Cym. Oh, rare instinct !
When shall I hear all through ? This fierce
abridgment '""
Hath to it circumstantial branches, which
Distinction should be rich in.'0" — Where ? how
liv'd you ?
And when came you to serve our Roman captive ?
How parted with your brothers ? how first met
them ?
Why fled you from the court ? and whither ? These,
And your three motives103 to the battle, with
I know not how much more, should be demanded ;
And all the other by-dependencies,
From chance to chance : but nor the time nor
place
Will serve our long inter'gatories.110 See,
Posthumus anchors upon Imogen;
And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye
On him, her brothers, me, her master; hitting
Each object with a joy: the counterchange
Is severally in all. — Let's quit this ground,
And smoke the temple with our sacrifices. —
[To Bel.] Thou art my brother; so we'll hold
thee ever.
Into. You are my father too ; and did relieve me,
To see this gracious season.
Cvm. All o'erjoy'd,
Save these in bonds: let them be joyful too,
For they shall taste our comfort.
Into. My good master,
I will yet do you service.
Luc. Happy be you !
Cym. The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought,
He would have well become this place, and grac'd
The thankings of a king.
Post. I am, sir,
The soldier that did company these three
In poor beseeming ; 'twas a fitment for
The purpose I then follow'd. — That I was he,
Speak, Iachimo : I had you down, and might
attracted to the gentle lad Fidele. he offers his own affectionate
friendship in return for that of the sweet boy [see Note 99,
Act in.,' and the impression of his image as he was then,
seconded by the still-worn boy-attire, is so strong that Guiderius
uses the masculine pronoun "he" in speaking of his newly-
discovered sister. On the contrary, the physician Cornelius,
whose thoughts have been wholly occupied with the incident of
the discovery of the king's daughter, and who has known
Princess Imogen in her own person and garments, and in her
own station at court, naturally speaks of her as a woman,
employing the feminine pronoun "she."
107. This fierce abridgment. Shakespeare here, as else-
where, uses "fierce" to express 'hasty,' 'rapid,' 'brief See
Note 62, Act iii., " King John."
108. Which distinction should be rich in. 'Which a more
distinct and amplified relation ought abundantly to possess and
yield.'
lop. Your three mothes. Here used to express ' the motives
of you three.' For instances of a similar constructional form,
see Note 10. Act iv., "Timon of Athens;" also context of
passage explained in Note 29, Act ii , "Romeo and Juliet,"
Have made you finish.
lach. [Kneeling.] I am down again :
But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee,
As then your force did. Take that life, beseech
you,
Which I so often owe : but your ring first ;
And here the bracelet of the truest princess
That ever swore her faith.
Post. Kneel not to me:
The power that I have on you is to spare you ;
The malice towards you to forgive you : live,
And deal with others better.
Cym. Nobly doom'd I
We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law :
Pardon 's the word to all.
Arv. You holp us, sir.
As you did mean indeed to be our brother;
Joy'd are we that you are.
Post. Your servant, princes. — Good my lord of
Rome,
Call forth your soothsayer: as I slept, methought
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back'd,
Appear'd to me, with other sprite!)' shows'"
Of mine own kindred : when I wak'd, I found
This label on my bosom ; whose containing
Is so from sense in hardness,112 that I can
Make no collection of it:113 let him show
His skill in the construction.
Luc. Philarmonus, —
Sooth. Here, my good lord.
Luc. Read, and declare the meaning.
Sooth. [Reach.] Whenas a lion's whelp shall, to himself
unknown, without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of
tender air : and when from a stately cedar shall be lopped
branches, which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be
jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow ; then shall Posthumus
end his miseries, Britain be fortunate, and flourish in peace and
plenty.
Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp ;
The fit and apt construction of thy name,
where "both our remedies" means 'the remedies of us both,'
or ' the remedy for us both. '
no. Inter gatories. Though the Folio here prints 'inter-
rogatories,' it is probable that the old elisional form of " in-
ter'gatories " was intended by the author ; because he has used
it twice elsewhere (see Note 52, Act iv., "All's Well" . and
because it here suits the measure. Malone made the correc-
tion ; which was suggested by Tyrrwhitt, and has since been
adopted by all editors.
in. Spritely shows. 'Ghostly apparitions,' 'troops of
sprites."
112. ll'liose containing is so front sense in hardness. 'That
which is contained therein is so faV removed from sense in its
difficulty of solution.'
113. That I can make no collection of it. "Collection" is
here used for 'collective deduction,' 'conclusion drawn from
aggregate premises ;' the word being also thus employed in the
speech referred to in Notes 34 and 35, Act iv., " Hamlet," where
Horatio says,
" Her speech is nothing,
Yet the unshaped use of it doth move
The hearers to eolle tion."
Aer V.]
CYMBELINE.
[Scene V.
Being Leo-natus, doth import so much :
[To Cym.] The piece of tender air, thy virtuous
daughter,
Which we call mollis aer ; and mollis aer
We term it mulier : which mulier, I divine,
Is this most constant wife ; [to Post.] who, even
now,114
Answering the letter of the oracle,
Unknown to you, unsought, were clipp'd about
With this most tender air.
Cym. This hath some seeming.
Sooth. The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline,
Personates thee: and thy lopp'd branches point
Thy two sons forth ; who, by Belarius stol'n,
For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd,
To the majestic cedar join'd ; whose issue
Promises Britain peace and plenty.
Cym. Well,
My peace we will begin :115 — and, Caius Lucius,
Although the victor, we submit to Caesar,
And to the Roman empire; promising
To pay our wonted tribute, from the which
We were dissuaded by our wicked queen ;
Whom heavens, in justice, both on her and hers,
Have laid most heavy hand.116
114. Wko, even now, &*c. The present passage is very in-
volved in construction, from the circumstance that "who" is
made to do double duty in the sentence, that word being used
in reference to Imogen, and used in addressing Posthumus.
Throughout the very condensed and elliptical diction of this
play, there is scarcely a more remarkable instance of it than
the one now commented upon. Capell, perceiving the difficulty
in the passage, changed " this " to ' thy j ' but that change does
not meet the really perplexing point of the peculiar construction
here, which we think lies in the duplex use of the word
"who." It may be proper to state that we asserted this
in the preface to our edition which was published in New
York, 1S60. Shakespeare not unfrequently makes a verb do
double duty in a sentence (see Note 23, Act iv. , " Timon
of Athens"); but, to the best of our remembrance, this is the
Sooib. The fingers of the powers above do
tune
The harmony of this peace. The vision
Which 1 made known to Lucius, ere the stroke
Of this yet scarce-cold battle,11? at this instant
Is full accomplish'd ; for the Roman eagle,
From south to west on wing soaring aloft,
Lessen'd herself, and in the beams 0' the sun
So vanish'd : which foreshow'd our princely
eagle,
The imperial Cassar, should again unite
His favour with the radiant Cymbeline,
Which shines here in the west.
Cym. Laud we the gods ;
And let our crooked smokes climb to their
nostrils
From our bless'd altars. Publish we this peace
To all our subjects. Set we forward : let
A Roman and a British ensign wave
Friendly together : so through Lud's town march :
And in the temple of great Jupiter
Our peace we'll ratify ; seal it with feasts. —
Set on there ! — Never was a war did cease,
Ere bloody hands were wash'd, with such a peace.
[Exeunt.
only instance where he makes a pronoun peiform similar twofold
office.
115. My fence we will begin. Hanmer changed "my" to
' by ' here ; but we think that Cymbeline uses " my " to denote
the "peace" that he himself will at once inaugurate, in con-
tradi-.tinction to the future "peace" predicted to Britain as
resulting from the reign of his sons after him.
116. Whom heavens, in justice, both on her and hers, luiz'c
laid most heaz'y hand. Here "on" after " both " allows ' on '
to be understood either before " whom" or after " hand." See,
for an instance of similar construction, Note 71, Act iv., " King
John."
117. Of this yet scarce-cold battle. The first Folio gives
'yet this' transposedly for "this yet." Corrected in the third
Folio.
74*
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Antiochus, King of Antioch.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Hei.icanus, )
., ? Two Lords of Tyre.
liSCANES, )
Simonides, King of Pentapolis.
Cleon, Governor of Tharsus.
Lysimachlfs, Governor of Mytilene.
Cerimon, a Lord of Ephesus.
Thaliard, a Lord of Antioch.
Philemon, Servant to Cerimon.
Leonine, Servant to Dionyza.
Marshal.
A Keeper of a House of [11 Fame.
Boult, his Servant.
The Daughter of Antiochus.
Dionyza, Wife to Cleon.
Thaisa, Daughter to Simonides.
Marina, Daughter to Pericles and Thaisa.
Lychorida, Nurse to Marina.
The Wife to the Keeper of the House of III Fame.
Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, Sailors, Pirates, Fishermen, and Messengers
Diana.
Cower, as Chorus.
Scene — Dispersed/)* in various Countries*
* To show in how many regions the scene is dispersed, it may be remarked that Antioch
was the metropolis of Syria ; Tyre, a city of Phcenicia, in Asia; Tkarsus, the metropolis of
Cilicia, a country of Asia Minor ; Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos, an island in the ^Egean
Sea ; Ephesus, the capital of Ionia, a country of the Lesser Asia.
PERICLES.1
ACT I.
Enter Gower.3
Before the Palace of AntioCH.
To sing a song that olda was sung,
From ashes ancient Gower is come ;4
Assuming man's infirmities,
To glad your ear, and please your eyes.
It hath been sung at festivals,
On ember-eves and holy-ales ;a
i. Although ihis play is not given in the first Folio, we think
there is no doubt th.it it was Shakespeare's production. In-
ternal evidence as well as external evidence show it to have
been his; the poetry of imagination and poetic diction, in
certain scenes especially, appear to us to be essentially his.
For instance, the whole of the first scene of the third Act and
first scene of the fifth Act seem to us to be written as but one
dramatic hand ever wrote. Fervour of expression in the most
n.it nil language, and passion welling up from the very depths of
the human heart, are here to be found as only one writer with
whom we are acquainted ever presented them to mortal sight
by pen and ink. The tokens we perceive of our poet's author-
ship in particular passages will be pointed out in our notes ap-
pended thereto as we proceed through the play. The first
known Quarto edition was published in 1609, and bore William
Shakespeare's name on the title as its author. Other Quarto
editions followed, published successively in 1611, 1619, 1630,
1635, 1639; and it was inserted in the Folios of 1664 and 1685
It had been entered in the registers of the stationers' books on
the 20th of May, 1608, by Edward Blount (one of the publishers
of the first Foho ; but the 1609 Quarto edition was published by
Henry Gosson, not by Edward Blount. The period when this
play was first performed upon the stage seems to have been
somewhere about 1607 or 1608 , for in the title-page to the
earliest known Quarto .^1609) it is called "The late and much
admired Play, called Pericles';" while the title of a prose tract,
written by George Wilkins, published in 1608, and founded upon
this popular drama, runs thus: "The Painfull Adventures of
Pericles Prince of Tyre. Being the true History of the Play
of Pericles as it was lately presented by the worthy and ancient
Poet John Gower." With regard to the date of its composition,
it may have been originally written by Shakespeare when first
trying his hand upon a tragic subject ; and that he re-touched
and revised it for bringing out upon the stage in 1607 or 160S.
Dryden. in hi* Prologue to Charles Davenant's " Circe," written
in 1675, has a line which testifies to this effect :
" Shakespeare's own Muse his Pericles first bore."
The ^tory on which the plot of this drama is based is found in
And lords aad ladies in their lives
Have read it tor resturatives :
The purchase6 is to make men glorious;
Et bonum quo antiquius, eo melius ~*
If you, boru in these latter times,
When wit 's more ripe, accept my rhymes,
And that to hear an old man sing
May to )our wishes pleasure bring,
I Jite would wish, and that I might
the ancient romance of " King Apollonius of Tyre," and also in
Gower's " Confessio Amantis," where King Appolin of Tyre is
treated of; while the more immediate source whence the in-
cidents were derived is probably a prose translation of the
" Gesta Romanorum," by Lawrence Twine, first printed in
1576, which gives a novel, entitled, "The Palterne of paine-
full Aduentures ; containing the most excellent, pleasant, and
variable Historie of the strange accidents that befell vuto Prince
Apollonius," &c.
2. Coiver. An ancient English poet, a contemporary with
Chaucer. It was because he relates in his " Confessio Amantis"
the story on which this play is founded, that the chorus here
introduced is represented in his character.
3. Old. Here used fur ' of old' or ' anciently.*
4. Is come. The imperfect rhyme of "sung" and "coine"
in this couplet is not more licentious than several that occur in
these chorus-speeches of Gower ; and we have heretofore pointed
out instances of occasional imperfect rhyme and even of non-
rhyme in Shakespeare's rhymed passages. See Note 38, Act \.,
" Richard II. ;" and Note 25, Act ii., " Cymbeline."
5. Holy-ales. The old copies give 'holy dayes' here; but
Malone's correction, suggested by Dr. Farmer, is probably
right, " holy-ales " being synonymous with ' church-ales,' which
were certain ecclesiastic holidays. See Note 34, Act ii., "Two
Gentlemen of Verona." It is evident that these chorus-speeches
were intended to be in rhyming form, however imperfect the
rhymes occasionally are. The old printed text of the present
play is so corrupt, that it is difficult to decide where, and where
not, emendation is needed ; all a conscientious editor can do is
to examine carefully and exercise the power of decision to the
best of his judgment.
6. Purcliase. Here used for 'advantage,' 'gain,' 'profit.'
Bacon, in his " Advancement of Learning," thus uses the
word: "Some fall in love with accesse to princes, others with
popular fame and applause, supposinge they are things of greate
purchase, when in many cases they are but matters of envy,
perill. and impediment."
7. Et bonum quo antiquius, eo melius. Latin ; ' And a good
thing the more ancient it is, the better it is.'
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Waste it for you, like taper-light.—
Tliis Antioch, then, Antiochus the Great
Built up, this city, for his chijfest seat;
The fairest in all Syria,—
I tell you what mine authors say :
This king unto him took a pheere,s
Who died and left a female heir,
So buxom, blithe, and fall of face,9
As heaven had lent her al his grace ;
With whom the father lilting took,
And her to incest did provoke: —
Bad child ; worse father! to entice his own
To evil should be done by none:
By cu=tomw what they did begin
Was with long use account11 no sin.
The beauty of this sinful dame
Made many princes thither frame,12
To seek her as a bed-fellow,
In marriage-pleasures play-fellow :
Which to prevent he made a law, —
To keep her still, and men in awe, —
That whoso ask'd her for his wife,
His riddle told not, lost his life :
So for her many a wight13 did die,
As yon grim looks do testify.14
What now ensues, to the judgment of your eye
I give, my cause who15 best can justify. [Exit.
SCENE I.— Antioch. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Antiochus, Pericles, and Attendants.
Ant. Young prince of Tyre,16 you have at
large receiv'd
8. Pheere. The old copies misprint 'peere' for "pheere."
Malone's correction. This antique term for a ' mate ' or ' com-
panion' was variously spelt, but most frequently 'fere.'
9. So buxom, bliliw, and full 0/ /ace. "Buxom" means
'fresh,' 'lively' (see Note 85, Act iii , "Henry V."); and
" full " is used to express ' fully beautiful,' 'plenarily attractive.'
See Note 17, Act i., " Othello."
10. By custom. The old copies have 'but' for "by."
Malone's correction.
11. Account. An abbreviated form of ' accounted ; ' probably
intended here, though the old copies give 'account'd,' 'ac-
counted,' and 'counted.' Malone made the correction.
12. Thither frame. 'Thither shape their course,' 'bend
their course thither."
13. Wight. An old word for 'person,' 'individual.' See
Note 21, Act ii., "Othello."
14. As yon grim looks do testify. In reference to the heads
of those who had failed to guess the riddle, which were placed
over the palace gate, and supposed to be in sight of the
audience.
15. Who. Here used for 'which.' in relation to " the judg-
ment of your eye."
16. ] oung prince of Tyre. "Prince," as applied to Pericles
in this play, means prince regnant: since we find him monarch
of Tyre, and his father being spoken of by him in Act ii , sc. 1.
as "dead." In the "Gesta Romanorum " Apullonius is A'n/?
"t Tyre ; but in Twine's translation he is repeatedly called
prince of Tyrus, as he is in * tower's " Confessio Ainautis."
The danger c-f the task you undertake.
Per. I have, Antiochus, and, with a soul
Embolden'd with the glory of her praise,
Think death no hazard in this enterprise.
Ant. Bring in our daughter, clothed like a
bride.
For the einnracements17 even of Jove himself ;
At whose conception (till Lucina reign VI)
Nature this dowry gave, to glad her presence,18
The senate-house of planets all did sit,ls
To knit in her their best pel lections.
Music. Enter the Daughter of Antiochus.
Per. See where she comes, apparell'd like the
spring,
Graces her subjects, and her thoughts the king20
Of every virtue gives.renown to men !
Her face the book of praises,21 where is read
Nothing but curious pleasures, as from thence
Sorrow were ever raz'd, and testy wrath
Could never be her mild companion.22
You gods that made me man, and sway in love,
That have inflam'd desire in my breast
To taste the fruit of yon celestial tree,
Or die in the adventure, be my helps,
As I am son and servant to your will,
To compass such a boundless happiness!
Ant. Prince Pericles, —
Per. That would be son to gi'eat Antiochus.
Ant. Before thee stands this fair Hesperidrs,25
With golden fruit, but dangerous to be touch'd ;
For death-like dragons here affright thee hard :
Her face, like heaven, enticeth thee to view
Her countless glory, which desert must gain ;
And which, without desert, because thine e_\ e
Presumes to reach, all thy whole heap must die.'-4
17. For the embracemeuts. " For" has here the force of ' fit
for.' See Note 40, Act ii., " Cymbeline." The old copies omit
" the," which was added by Malone.
18. At whose conception . ... to glad her presence.
" Whose" and " her" relate to the daughter of Antiochus.
19. The senate-house of planets all, cVr. In Sidney's
"Arcadia" there occurs almost this identical phrase and
I idea : " The senate-house of the planets was at no time to
set for the decreeing of perfection in a man;" and in Milton
a very similar passage :
" All heaven,
And happy constellations, on that hour
Shed their selectest influence."
20. Graces her subjects, and her thoughts, &>c. Elliptically
constructed ; the sentence signifying, ' The Graces are her
subjects, and her thoughts are the sovereign of every virtue
that gives renown to men ! '
21. Her face the book of praises. 'Her face is as a book
containing all that is praiseworthy,' or ' that may elicit praises."
22. Her mild companion. ' The companion of her mildness.
Shakespeare often has these elliptically employed epithets. See
Note 59, Act ii., " Julius Csesar."
23. This fait Hespcriaes. Antiochus calls his daughter by
the name poetically used for the garden where the renowned
golden apples were kept- See Note 113. Act iv. , " Love's
Labour's Lost."
24. All thy whole heap must die. ' Thy entire mass must be
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Yon sometime famous princes, like thyself,
Drawn by report, adventurous by desire,
Tell thee, with speechless tongues and semblance
pale,
That, without covering, save yon field of stars,
Here they stand martyrs, slain in Cupid's wars ;
And with dead cheeks advise thee to desist
For going on death's net,25 whom none resist.
Per. Antiochus, [ thank thee, who hath taught
My frail mortality to know itself,
And by those fearful objects to prepare
This body, like to them, to what I must ;26
For death remember' d should be like a mirror,
Who tells us life 's but breath, to trust it error.
I'll make my will, then ; and, as sick men do,
Who know the world, see heaven,27 but, feeling
woe,
Gripe not at earthly joys, as erst28 they did ;
So I bequeath a happy peace to you
And all good men, as every prince should do;
My riches to the earth from whence they came; —
[To the Daughter of Antiochus.] But my un-
spotted fire of love to you.
Thus ready for the way of life or death,
I wait the sharpest blow.
Ant. Scorning advice, — read the conclusion,
then :
Which read and not expounded, 'tis decreed,
As these before thee, thou thyself shalt bleed.
Daugh. Of all 'say'd )et,29 mayst thou prove
prosperous !
Of all 'say'd yet, I wish thee happiness!
Per. Like a bold champion, I assume the
lists,
Nor ask advice of any other thought
But faithfulness and courage.30
[Reads the riddle.
destroyed ; ' implying, thy whole body must pay the penalty for
the offence of a portion of it — " thine eye."
25. To desist /or going on death's net. " For" is here used
either with the effect of 'for fear of (see Note 25, Act i., "Two
Gentlemen of Verona*') or with the effect of ' from' (see Note 6S,
Act iv., " Second Part Henry VI.") ; and "on" is used where
' in' is ordinarily employed (see Note 52, Act ii.. " Richard II."),
because driving headlong on to the net as well as entering head-
long into the net is thus implied.
26. To what I must. 'Come to' or 'become' is elliptically
understood after " must."
27. See heaven. This passage has been variously altered ;
but we think that "see heaven" is intended to convey the
double effect of ' see a heaven of delight in their mundane
pleasures,' and ' see heaven itself only as a distant goal to be
attained.' The entire sentence is condensedly expressed ; but
we take it to signify, ' As sick men do, who know the world,
seeing a heaven of delight in its pleasures while they lasted,
and seeing heaven itself only as a distant object of attainment ;
but, feeling illness and sorrow, care no longer for carthlyjoys as
once they did.'
28. Erst. ' Formerly,' ' previously,' ' unce,' ' at first.' See
Note 32, Act v., " Henry V."
29. Of all 'say'd yet. ' Of all who have yet essayed.'
30. Nor ask advice of any other thought but faithfulness and
I am no viper, yet I feed
On mother's flesh which did me breed.
I sought a husband, in which labour
I found that kindness in a father :
He 's father, son, and husband mild;
I mother, wife, and yet his child.
How they may be, and yet in two,
As you will live, resolve it you.
Sharp physic is the last:31 but, oh, you powers!
That give heaven countless eyes to view men's
acts,
Why cloud they not their sights perpetually,
If this be true, which makes me pale to read
it?
[Takes hold 0/ the band 0/ the Princess.] Fair glass
of light, I lov'd you, and could still,
Were not this glorious casket stor'd with ill ;
But I must tell you, — now my thoughts revolt ;
For he 's no man on whom perfections wait32
That, knowing sin within, will touch the gate.
You are a fair viol, and your sense the strings ;
Who, tinger'd to make man his lawful music,
Would draw heaven down, and all the gods, to
hearken ;
But being play'd upo'i before your time,
Hell only danceth at so harsh a chime.
Good sooth, I care not for you.
Ant. Prince Pericles, touch not, upon thy life,
For that 's an article within our law,
As dangerous as the rest. Your time 's expir'd :
Either expound now, or receive your sentence.
Per. Great king,
Few love to hear the sins they love to act;
'Twould 'braid yourself too near for me to tell it.
Who has a book of all that monarchs do,
He 's more secure to keep it shut than shown :
For vice repeated is like the wandering wind,
Blows dust in others' eyes,33 to spread itself;
courage. Again there is similarity between this passage and
one in Sir Philip Sidney's " Arcadia :" — "Whereupon asking
advice of no other thought but faithfulness and courage, he
presently lighted from his own horse," &c. See Note 19 of the
present Act. It is pleasant to meet with these vestiges of
Shakespeare's acquaintance with his contemporary writers ; to
fancy him as having lately hung over Sir Philip's pages replete
with graceful fancies, and so haunted by some of them that their
trace lingers in his own pen, and transfers itself to his own page.
See Note 20, Act iii., "Merry Wives;" and Note 3, Act i.,
"Twelfth Night."
31. Sharp physic is tlte last. Referring to the intimation in
the concluding line of the riddle, that his life depends upon its
solution.
32. He's no man en whom perfections wait. ' He's no man
possessed of righteous qualities,' ' he's no perfect, true, or honest
man.'
33. Blows dust, &°c. 'That' or 'which' is elliptically under-
stood before "blows;" the entire sentence signifying, 'Whoever
is acquainted with the ill deeds of monarchs is more safe in
concealing than in revealing his knowledge ; for the repeater of
vicious practices is like the wind, which blows dust in others'
eyes, while pursuing its way : yet I uys its freedom thus dearly —
the blast once gone, the eyes made sore by the passing dust see
clearly enough to stop the air that effectually hurts them.'
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
And yet the end of all is bought thus dear,
The breath is gone, and the sore eves see
clear
To stop the air would hurt thein. The blind
mole casts
Copp'd34 hills towards heaven, to tell the earth is
throng'd35
By man's oppression ; and the poor worm36 doth
die for 't.
Kings are earth's gods ; in vice their law 's their
will ;
And if Jove stray, who dares say Jove doth ill ?
It is enough you know ; and it is tit,
What being more known grows worse, to smother
it.
All love the womb that their first being bred,
Then give my tongue like leave to love my
head.
Ant. [Aside.] Heaven, that I had thy head ! he
has found the meaning :
But I will gloze37 with him. — Young Prince of
Tyre,
Though by the tenour of our strict edict,
Your exposition misinterpreting,
We might proceed to cancel33 of your days;
Yet hope, succeeding from so fair a tree
As your fair self, doth tune us otherwise :
Forty days longer we do respite you ;
If by which time our secret be undone,
This mercy shows we'll joy in such a son :
And until then your entertain shall be
As doth befit our honour and your worth.
[Exeunt all except Pericles.
Per. How courtesy would seem to cover sin,
When what is done is like a hvpocrite,
The which is good in nothing but in sight 1
Antioch, farewell ! for wisdom sees, those men
Blush not39 in actions blacker than the night,
Will shun no course40 to keep them from the
light.
One sin, I know, another doth provoke ;
Murder's as near to lust as flame to smoke :
Poison and treason are the hands of sin,
Ay, and the targets, to put off the shame:
34. Copp'd. Conically shaped ; in form like a sugar-loaf. In
Herman's "Vulgaria" (1519), we find, "Sometime men wear
copped caps like a sugar-loaf ; " and in Baret, " To make copped,
or sharpe at top ; cacumino." See Note 4, Act v., " Taming of
the Shrew;" where " copatain hat" and its derivation are
explained.
35. Throned. Steevens changed "throng'd" to ' wrong'd ;'
but " throng'd " means ' crowded,' ' surcharged.'
36. Tlu poor worm. A term of commiseration applied to
the mole. Prospero thus uses it, where, in " Tempest," Act iii.,
sc. 1, he exclaims, observing his daughter Miranda's affection
engaged, " Poor ■worm ! thou art infected." Pericles is pur-
suing his illustrations of the danger there is in divulging the
offences committed by princes ; and as he implies by the simile
of the wind, dust, and eyes, so does he by that of the mole and
mole-hills, that destruction follows those who discover or corn-
Then, lest my life be cropp'd to keep you clear,41
By flight I'll shun the danger which I fear.
[Exit,
Re-enter Antiochus.
Ant. He hath found the meaning, for the
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;
And therefore instantly this prince must die
For by his fall my honour must keep high. —
Who attends us there p
Enter Thaliard.
Thai. Doth your highness call p
Ant. Thaliard,
You are of our chamber, and our mind partakes42
Her private actions to your secrecy:
And for your faithfulness we will advance you.
Thaliard, behold, here 's poison, and here 's gold ;
We hate the Prince of Tyre, and thou must kill
him :
It fits thee not to ask the reason why,
Because we bid it. Say, is it done?
Thai. My lord,
'Tis done.
Ant. Enough. —
Enter a Messenger.
Let your breath cool yourself, telling your haste.
Mess. My lord, Prince Pericles is fled. [Exit.
Ant. As thou
Wilt live, fly after: and, as an arrow shot
From a well-experienc'd archer, hits the mark
His eye doth level at, so thou ne'er return
Unless thou say, " Prince Pericles is dead."
Thai. My lord,
If I can get hiin within my pistol's length,
I'll make him sure: so, farewell to your highness.
Ant. Thaliard, adieu! [Exit Thal.] Till
Pericles be dead,
My heart can lend no succour to my head. [Exit.
plain of these wrongs : the mole remaining secure till it casts up
those small mounds which betray its course to the mole-catcher.
37. Gloze. 'Talk speciously,' ' beguilingly, insinuatingly,'
' conciliatingly.' See Note 24, Act i., " Henry V."
38. Cancel. Here used as an abbreviated form of ' cancel-
ment :' as, six lines farther on, " entertain" is used for 'enter-
tainment.'
39. T/iose men blush not. " Who" is elliptically understood
before " blush."
40. Will shun no course. The old copies give 'shew' for
" shun." Malone's correction.
41. Clear. 'Clear from suspicion,' 'free from chance of
detection.' See Note 36, Act iii., " Macbeth."
42. Partakes. Here used for 'imparts' We have "par-
take " employed thus, as an active verb, elsewhere. See Note
62, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
755
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II
es^kU/fr/-/ i>
Antiochus. Thaliard, behold, here's poison, and here's gold:
We hate the Prince of Tyre, and thou must kill him.
Act I. Scene I.
SCENE II.— Tyre. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Pericles, Helicanus, and other Lords.43
Per. Let none disturb us. — [Helicanus and
Lords stand aloof.'] Why should this change
of thought-,44
The sad companion, dull-ey'd melancholy,
Be my so us'd a guest45 as not an hour,
In the day's glorious walk, or peaceful night
(The tomb where grief should sleep), can breed
me quiet ?
43. Enter Pericles, Helicanus, &>c. The old copies have
this stage direction at the commencement of the scene ; but as
i t is evident that Pericles utters his speech in soliloquy, after the
words, " Let none disturb us," we add the second stage direc-
tion : " I Helicanus and Lords stand aloof.}"
44 11 'hy should this change 0/ tltoughts. Steevens and others
alter "change" to 'charge' here; but it seems to us that
"change of thoughts" may be taken to mean 'conflicting in-
Here pleasures court mine eyes, and mine eyes
shun them,
And danger, which I fear'd, is at Antioch,
Whose arm seems far too short to hit me here :
Yet neither pleasure's art can joy my spirits,
Nor yet the other's distance comfort me.
Then it is thus : the passions of the mind,
That have their first conception by mis-dread,
Have after-nourishment and life by care ;
And what was first but fear what might be
done,
terchange of thoughts,' ' revolving and intervolving current of
thoughts,' ' disturbing mutation of thoughts ; ' or it may be taken
to signify, ' this alteration of my thoughts from their previous
cheerfuller course.'
45. Be my so usd a guest. The old copies give 'by me '
instead of "be my ;" the original transcriber or printer evidently
having transposed the final letters of the two words. Mr. Dycc's
correction.
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
Grows elder now,'"' and cares it be not done.
And so with me :— the great Antiochus, —
'Gainst whom I am too little to contend,
Since he's so great can make his will his act,—
Will think me speaking, though I swear to silence ;
Net boots it me to say I honour him,47
If he suspect I may dishonour hun :
And what may make him blush in being known,
He'l1 stop the course by which it might be known ;
With hostile forces he'll o'erspread the land,
And with the ostent of war48 will look so huge,
Amazement shall drive courage from the state ;
Our men be vanquish'd ere they do resist,
And subjects punish'd that ne'er thought offence :
Which care of them, not pity of myself, —
Who am no more49 but as the tops of trees,
Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend
them, —
Makes both my body pine and soul to languish,
And punish that before that he would punish.
Helicanus and Lords drazu near.
First Lord. Joy and all comfort in your sacred
breast !
Sec. Lord. And keep your mind, till you return
to us,
Peaceful and comfortable !
He/. Peace, peace, and give experience tongue.
Thev do abuse the king that flatter him :
For flattery is the bellows blows up sin ;
The thing the which is flatter'd, but a spark,
To which that blast gives heat60 and stronger
glowing ;
Whereas reproof, obedient, and in order,
Fits kings, as they are men, for they may err.
When Signior Sooth here51 does proclaim a
peace,
He flatters you, makes war upon your life.
Prince, pardon me, or strike me, if you please.
[Kneeling.] I cannot be much lower than my
knees.
Per. All leave us else ; but let your cares o'er-
look
What shipping and what lading's in our haven,
46. Grows elder now. "Elder" is here used in the peculiar
manner in which Shakespeare sometimes employs this word.
See Note 8, Act v., " Cymbeline." In the present passage it
includes the senses of ' larger,' ' stronger,' ' more confirmed,'
'more established,' and 'more advanced in time,' 'having at-
tained to a later period.'
47. To say I honour kirn. The old copies omit "him."
Added by Rowe.
48. 77k- ostent 0/ war. The old copies give ' the stint ' instead
of " the ostent." Tyrrwbitt suggested the correction.
49. IVho am no more. The old copies have ' once ' for " am."
Dr. Farmer's suggested correction.
50. To which t/uil blast gives heat. Here, instead of " blast"
.Mason's proposed emendation' the old copies give ' spark ; ' the
first printer or transcriber having by mistake repeated that word
from the previous line.
And then return to us. [Exeunt Lords.] Heli-
canus, thou
Hast moved us : what seest thou in our looks ?
He/. An angry brow, dread lord.
Per. If there be such a dart in princes' frowns,
How durst thy tongue move anger to our face ?
He/. How dare the plants look up to heaven,
from whence
They have their nourishment ?
Per. Thou know'st I have power
To take thy life from thee.
He/. I have ground the axe myself;
Do you but strike the blow.
Per. Rise, pr'ythee, rise.
Sit down : thou art no flatterer :
I thank thee for it ; and heaven forbid
That kings should let their ears hear their faults
hid :-'2
Fit counsellor and servant for a prince,
Who by thy wisdom mak'st a prince thy servant,
What wouldst thou have me do ?
He/. To bear with patience
Such griefs as you yourself do lay upon yourself.
Per. Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus,
That minister'st a potion unto me
That thou wouldst tremble to receive thyself.
Attend me, then : I went to Antioch,
Where, as thou know'st, against the face of death,
I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,
From whence an issue I might propagate,
Are arms to princes,53 and bring joys to subjects.
Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder;
The rest (hark in thine ear) as black as incest :
Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father
Seem'd not to strike, but smooth:54 but thou
know'st this,
'Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.
Which fear so grew in me, I hither fled,
Under the covering of a careful night,
Who seem'd my good protector; and, being here,
Bethought me what55 was past, what might
succeed.
I knew him tyrannous ; and tyrants' fears
Decrease not, but grow faster than the years:
51. Signior Sooth here. 'Sir Flatterer here. ' See Note 40,
Actiii., " Richard II." Helicanus is here instancing an imaginary
personage : just as Leontes does in the " Winter's Tale," Acti. ,
sc. 2, when he speaks of " Sir Smile, his neighbour."
52. That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid!
This has been variously altered ; but we take its meaning to be
that which Holt White gave— 'That kings should suffer their
ears to hear their failings pa'liated !'
53. An issue I might propagate, are arms, &>c. 'That' is
elliptically understood before "are:" and "issue" is treated
as a noun of number, being followed by the plural form, "are"
and " bring."
54. Smooth. 'Flatter,' 'cajole.' See the line referred to in
Note 52, Act i., " Richard III "
55. Bethought me what. The old copies omit "me." Added
by Rowe.
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene III.
And should he doubt it,66 — as no doubt he doth,—
That I should open to the listening air
How many worthy princes' bloods were shed,
To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,—
To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with arms,
And make pretence of wrong that I have done
him ;
When all, for mine, if I may call 't, offence,5?
Must feel war's blow, who spares not innocence :
Which love to all,— of which thyself art one,
Who now reprov'st me for it, —
Hel. Alas, sir!
Per. Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from
my cheeks,
Musings into my mind, with thousand doubts
How I might stop this tempest, ere it came ;
And finding little comfort to relieve them,
I thought it princely charity to grieve them.
Hel. Well, my lord, since you have given me
leave to speak,
Freely will I speak. Antiochus you fear,
And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by public war or private treason
Will take away your life.
Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while,
Till that his rage and anger be forgot,
Or till the Destinies do cut his thread of life.
Your rule direct to any ; if to me,
Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be.
Per. I do not doubt thy faith ;
But should he wrong my liberties in my absence?
Hel. We'll mingle our bloods together in the
earth,
Prom whence we had our being and our birth.
Per. Tyre, I now look from thee, then, and to
Tharsus
Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee;
And by whose letters I'll dispose myself.
The care I had, and have, of subjects' good,
On thee I lay, whose wisdom's strength can bear it.
I'll take thy word tor faith, not ask thine oath :
Who shuns not to break one will sure crack both :
But in our orbs we'll live69 so round and safe,
56. And should he doitbt it. Some of the Quartos give ' doot,'
others ' thinke,' instead of "doubt it.'' Steevens proposed the
correction ; which seems warranted by the subsequent words,
" to lop that doubt."
57. If 1 may call 't offence. The old copies have 'call' in-
stead of " call 't." Malone's correction.
58. In our orbs we'll live. "Orbs" is here used for
'orbits' or 'spheres.' In one of the old copies 'will,' in the
rest ' we,' is given instead of " we'll " here. Malone made the
correction.
59. Convince. 'Overcome;' ' confute,' 'refute.' SceNotest,
Act i., " Cymbeline."
60. He was a wise fellow. We quote Steevens's note upon
this sentence : — " Who this wise fellcv was may be known from
tli<- following passage in Barnabie Riche's ' Souldier's Wishe to
Briton's Welfare, or Captaine Skill ani Captaine Pill,' 1OJ4,
p. 27 : ' I will therefore commende the poet Phillipides, who
That time of both this truth sha
vince,69
Thou show'dst a subject's shine,
ne er con-
crue prince.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.— Tyre. An Ante-chamber in the
Palace.
Enter Thaliard.
Thai. So, this is Tyre, and this the court.
Here must I kill King Pericles ; and if I do it not,
I am sure to be hanged at home: 'tis dangerous. —
Well, I perceive he was a wise fellow,60 and had
good discretion, that, being bid to ask what he would
of the king, desired he might know none of his
secrets: now do I see he had some reason for't;
for if a king bid a man be a villain, he 's bound by
the indenture of his oath to be one. — Hush ! here
come the lords of Tyre.
Enter Helicanus, Escanes, and other Lords.
Hel. You shall not need, my fellow peers of
Tyre,
Farther to question me of your king's departure :
His seal'd commission, left in trust with me,
Doth speak sufficiently he's gone to travel.
Thai. [Aside.'] How ! the king gone !
Hel. If farther yet you will be satisfied,
Why, as it were unlicens'd of your loves,
He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.
Being at Antioch —
Thai. [Aside.] What from Antioch ?
Hel. Royal Antiochus, — on what cause I know
not, —
Took some displeasure at him ; at least he judg'd
so :
And doubting lest that he had err'd or sinn'd,
To show his sorrow, he'd correct himself;
So puts himself unto the shipman's toil,
With whom each minute threatens life or death.
Thai. [Aside.] Well, I perceive
I shall not be hang'd now, although I would ;
But since he 's gone, the king's seas must please :61
being demanded by King Lisimachus what favour hee might
doe unto him for that he loved him, made this answere to the
king ; that your maiestie would never impart unto me any of
your secrets''
61. The king's seas must please. This is the reading of the
old copies ; which Malone explains by, " i.e., must do their
pleasure ; must treat him as they will." It may, by a forced
interpretation, be taken to mean, 'the king's seas must do as
they please,' or 'must please themselves:' but the passage has
decidedly the air of being corrupt. Various emendations have
been proposed ; but none appear to us satisfactory. Possibly,
the phrase may have originally been written thus : " The king
the seas must please ; ' signifying, ' the seas must now please
the king.' Shakespeare has occasionally such involutions of
phraseology. See Note 99, Act i., " Coriolanus : " Note 45,
Act v., "Timon of Athens ;" Note 51, Act ii., and Note 46,
Act iii. of the present play.
758
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
He scap'd the land, to perish at the sea. —
I'll present myself. — Peace to the lords of Tyre J
Hel. Lord Thaliard from Autiochus is
welcome.
Thai. From him I come
With message unto princely Pericles ;
But since my landing6-1 I have understood
Your lord has betook himself to unknown travels,
My message must return from whence it came.
Hel. We have no reason to desire it,
Commended to our master,83 not to us:
Yet, ere you shall depart, this we desire, — ■
As friends to Antioch we may feast in Tyre.
[Ex emit.
SCENE IV.— Tharsus. A Room in the
Governor's House.
Enter Cleon, Dionyza, and Attendants
Cle. My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,
And by relating tales of others' griefs,
See if 'twill teach us to forget our own ?
Dio. That were to blow at fire in hope to
quench it ;
For who digs hills because they do aspire,
Throws down one mountain to cast up a higher.
Oh, my distressed lord, even such our griefs ;|
Here they're but felt, and seen with mischief's
eyes,64
But like to groves, being topp'd, they higher rise.
Cle. O Dionyza,
Who wanteth food, and will not say he wants it,
Or can conceal his hunger till he famish ?
62. But since my landing, ' As ' is elliptically understood
before " since."
63. Commended to our master. ' Being' is elliptically under-
stood before " commended."
64. Seen wich mischief's eyes. The word "mischief's" has
been variously altered ; but it seems to us to be here used to
express 'calamity's,' 'disaster's.' Shakespeare frequently uses
" mischief" in the sense of ' harm,' ' disastrous occurrence,' ' ill
event,' ' mischance,' 'evil.'
65. Our tongues and sorrows do sound .... our eyes do
weep, till tongues fetch breath. Some of the old copies mis-
print 'to' for "do" here, in both instances. The second
"tongues" has been suspected of error; M alone and others
changing it to 'lungs.' But Shakespeare frequently has these
closely repeated words (see instances cited in Note 44, Act ii.,
'"Othello" ; and in " Richard II.," Act L, sc. 3, we find the
expressions, "Which robs my tongue from breathing native
breath," and, ' The tongue's office should be prodigal to breathe
th" abundant dolour of the heart/'
66. If Heaven slumber while their \ &>c. Instances of "their"
used in reference to "Heaven" have been pointed out by us
elsewhere. See Nots 159, Act iii., "Hamlet."
67. Helps. Printed ' helpers' in the old copies. Malone's
correction.
63. /'//, then, discourse our woes, felt several years. The
word " several" is here used to express ' more than one.'
Shakespeare thus uses the word in "Richard III.," Act iii.,
Our tongues and sorrows do sound deep
Our woes into the air ; our eyes do weep,
Till tongues fetch breath155 that may proclaim
them louder ;
That, if Heaven slumber while their creatures
want,66
They may awake their helps6" to comfort them.
I'll, then, discourse our woes, felt several years,69
And, wanting breath to speak, help me with
tears.
Dio. I'll do my best, sir.
Cle. This Tharsus, o'er which I have the
government,
A city on whom plenty held full hand,
For riches strew'd herself69 even in the streets ;
Whose towers bore heads so high they kiss'd the
clouds,
And strangers ne'er beheld but wonder* d at ;
Whose men and dames so jetted70 and adorn' d,
Like one another's glass to trim them by :71
Their tables were stor'd full, to glad the sight,
And not so much to feed on as delight ;
All poverty was scorn' d, and pride so great,
The name of help grew odious to repeat.
Dio. Oh, 'tis too true.
Cle, But see what Heaven can do ! By this our
change,
These mouths, whom but of late, earth, sea, and
air,
Were all too little to content and please,
Although they gave their creatures in abundance,
As houses are dehl'd for want of use,
They are now starv'd for want of exercise :
Those palates, who, not yet two summers
younger. 7a
sc. 2, where Stanley says, " I do not like these several coun-
cils," there having been " two councils" spoken of in the same
scene. He not only means 'separate' [as the word "several!"
is used in the passage from Holinshed as quoted in Note 23,
Act iii., " Richard III.") but ' more than one.' See also
Note 20, Act ii., "Love's Labour's Lost." That "several"
here bears this limited sense (instead of the usual one uf
' many , is shown by the words farther on: "These mouths,
whom but of late, earth, sea, and air," &c, and " Those palates,
who, not yet two summers younger."
69. For riches strew'd Iters elf. " Riches " here, as elsewhere,
is used as a collective noun (see Note 15, Act ii , "Othello");
and is referred to as if of feminine gender like the French
word richesse), by the pronoun "herself."
70. felted. ' Strutted.' Sec Note 30, Act iii., " Cymbeline."
71. L ike one ano titer's glass to trim them by. Compare the
present passage with the one referred to in Note 9, Act i.,
"Cymbeline," as being illustrative the one of the other.
72. Not yet two summers younger. The old copies have
' too sauers' and ' to savers' instead of " two summers." Mason
originally propose! this correction ; which was subsequently
shown to be right, by the discovery of the prose narrative
published in 1608 mentioned in our opening note to the present
play . where, describing the famine at Tharsus thii very phrase
occurs : "The ground of which forced lamentation was to see
the poVer of change, that this their city, wha not two summers
youftger, did so excell in pompe," &C.
Act I.]
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
Must have inventions to delight the taste,
Would now be glad of bread, and beg for it :
Those mothers who, to nousle73 up their babes,
Thought naught too curious, are ready now
To eat those little darlings whom they lov'd.
So sharp are hunger's teeth, that man and wite
Draw lots who first shall die to lengthen life.
Here stands a lord, and there a lady weeping ;
Here many sink, yet those which see them fall
Have scarce strength left to give them burial.
Is not this true ?
Dio. Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it.
Cle. Oh, let those cities that of Plenty's cup
And her prosperities so largely taste,
With their superfluous riots, hear these tears !
The misery of Tharsus may be theirs.
Enter a Lord.
Lord. Where 's the lord governor ?
Cle. Here.
Speak out thy sorrows, which thou bring'st, in
haste ;
For comfort is too far for us to expect.
Lord. We have descried, upon our neighbour-
ing shore,
A portly sail ot ships make hitherward.
Cle. I thought as much.
One sorrow never comes but brings an heir,
That may succeed as his inheritor ;
And so in ours: some neighbouring nation,
Taking advantage of our misery,
Hath stuffd71 these hollow vessels with their
power,
To beat us down, the which are down already ;
And make a conquest of unhappy me,
Whereas''5 no glory 's got to overcome.
Lord. That 's the least fear ; for, by the
semblance
Of their white flags display'd, they bring us peace,
Ai.'u come to us as favourers, not as foes.
Cle, Thou speak'st like him 's untutor'd to
repeat :
Who makef the fairest show means most deceit.
73. To nousle. Th.s expressive verb, synonymous with ' to
foster,' ' to cherish,' ' to .train up,' ' to nurse,' was used by many
of our ancient writers.
74. Hath stuff'd. The c^d copies give 'that' for "hath."
Rowe's correction.
75. Whereas. Here used for * where.' See Note 29, Act i.,
"Second Part Henry VI."
76. Consist. ' Stand,' ' rest ;' used in the sense of the word
as derived from the Latin. See Note 35, Act iv., " Second Part
Henry IV."
77. you happily way think. ' Which ' is elliptically under-
stood before " you " and "happily" is used Vr 'haply.' See
Note 33, Act i , " Hamlet."
But bring they what they will and what they can,
What need we fear?
The ground 's the lowest, and we are half way
there.
Go tell their general we attend him here,
To know for what he comes, and whence he
comes,
And what he craves.
Lord. I go, my lord.
Cle. Welcome is peace, if he on
consist ; 76
If wars, we are unable to resist.
[Exit.
peace
Per.
Enter Pericles nvith Attendants.
Lord governor, for so we hear you are,
Let not our ships and number of our men
Be, like a beacon fir'd, to amaze your eyes.
We have heard your miseries as far as Tyre,
And seen the desolation of your streets :
Nor come we to add sorrow to your tears,
But to relieve them of their heavy load ;
And these our ships, you happily may think77
Are, like the Trojan horse, war-stuff'd within78
With bloody veins, expecting overthrow,
Are stor'd with corn to make your needy bread,79
And give them life whom hunger starv'd half
dead.
All. [Kneeling.'] The gods of Greece protect you !
And we'll pray for you.
Per. Rise, I pray you, rise :
We do not look for reverence, but for love,
And harbourage for ourself, our ships, and men.
Cle. The which when any shall not gratify,
Or pay you with unthankfulness in thought,
Be it our wives, our children, or ourselves,
The curse of Heaven and men succeed their evils !
Till when, — the which I hope shall ne'er be
seen, —
Your grace is welcome to our town and us.
Per. Which welcome we'll accept ; feast here
awhile,
Until our stars that frown lend us a smile.
[Exeunt.
78. Like the Trojan horse, war-stuff 'd within. The old
copies have 'was stuff 'd' instead of " war-stufFd ; " which is
Steevens's suggested correction. It is worthy of remark that
Chapman, in his translation of Homer's " Odyssey," uses the
same word " stuff' d," when speaking of the contents of the
famous wooden horse brought into Troy : —
" Which, by force of sleight,
Ulysses brought into the city's height,
When he had stuff' d it with as many men
As levell'd lofty Ilion with the plain."
79. To make your needy bread. ' To make bread for your
needy people.' "Your needy" is here used in the same way
that ' th : poor ' is sometimes used for ' poor people.1
760
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Chorus.
ACT II.
Enter Gower.
Gozu. Here have you seen a mighty king
His child, I wis,1 to incest bring ;
A better prince, and benign lord,
That will prove awful2 both in deed and word.
Be quiet, then, as men should be,
Till he hath pass'd necessity.
I'll show you those in troubles reign,
Losing a mite, a mountain gain.
The good in conversation,3 —
To whom I give my benison,4 —
Is still at Tharsus, where each man
Thinks all is writ he spoken can ;5
And, to remember what he does,
Build his statue to make him glorious :6
But tidings to the contrary
Are brought your eyes ; what need speak I ?
Dumb Show.
Enter, from one side, Pericles, talking ivitb
Cleon ; their trains ivith them. Enter, from
the other side, a Gentleman, 'with a letter to
Pericles; 'who sho-ws the letter to Cleon ;
then gives the Messenger a reward, and
i. I zuis. ' I know,' *l am aware.' See Note 63, Act i.,
"Richard III."
2. A wful. ' Worthy of respect,' and ' lawful in conduct.*
See Note 5, Act iv., " Two Gentlemen of Verona." The con-
struction here allows "here have you seen" to be understood as
repeated before " a better prince."
3. The good in conversation. Alluding to Pericles. "Con-
versation" is here used for ' moral conduct' or ' behaviour.' See
Note 93, Act ii., "Antony and Cleopatra."
4. Benison. 'Blessing.' See Note 108, Act iv., " King Lear."
5. Thinks all is ivrit he spoken can. .This is generally inter-
preted to mean, ' pays as much respect to whatever Pericles
says, as if it were Italy writ? But we believe it may mean,
' thinks all that he can speak is equal to written wisdom.' See
Note 42, Act iv., " Measure for Measure.**
6. Build his statue to make him glorious. This circumstance
is recorded in the " Confessio Amantis" as well as in the ancient
romance of " King Apollonius of Tyre." See the first note upon
the present play.
7 For though he strive, &°c. "For though" has been
variously changed ; and certainly, if " though be taken in its
ordinary acceptation, the passage, as it stands, is inaccurate and
inconclusive. But we think that the word " though" may here
be used in some peculiar sense now no longer pertaining to it :
according to Shakespeare's occasional treatment of this word,
as several times pointed out by us see Note 48, Act i., " Cym-
beline"!; and if this be so, "for though he strive" might be
equivalent to 'for this did he strive,' 'since he did strive,' or
'accordingly did h» strive.' "Though" has been asserted by
some etymologists to be the imperative of the Saxon verb
thaian, to 'allow,' ' permit,' 'grant,' 'yield,' ' assent ;' or of the
Saxon verb thiegean, to 'accept;' and it is therefore very pro-
bable that some more confirmative sense than that in which the
word "though" is now accepted may anciently have been
knights him. Exeunt severally Pericles ami
Cleon, with their trains.
Good Helicane, that stay'd at home,
Not to eat honey like a drone
From others' labours ; for though he strive7
To killen bad, keep good alive ;
And to fulfil his prince' desire,8
Sends word of all that haps in Tyre :9
How Thaliard came full bent with sin
And hid intent to murder him ;
And that in Tharsus was not best
Longer for him to make his rest.
He, knowing so,10 put forth to seas,
Where when men been, there 's seldom ease ;
For now the wind begins to blow ;
Thunder above, and deeps below,
Make such unquiet, that the ship
Should house him safe is wreck'd and split ;u
And he, good prince, having all lost,
By waves from coast to coast is tost :
All perishen of man, of pelf,
Ne12 aught escapen13 but himself;
Till fortune, tir'd with doing bad,
Threw him ashore, to give him glad :
And here he comes. What shall be next,
Pardon old Gower, — this 'longs the text.14 [Exit.
attached to it. The diction of Gower throughout these chorus-
speeches is so purposely made antiquated by the author, that
there is large scope for surmising antique meanings in the words
put into his mouth ; while at the same time, the text of the
present play has been in many passages so ruthlessly and ob-
viously corrupted by the transcriber or printer, that its decipher-
ing becomes inevitably guess-work.
8. His prince" desire. " Prince' " is an abbreviated form of
'prince's,' as "horse'" of 'horse's.' See Note 46, Act iv.,
"Second Part Henry VI."
9. Sends ivord of all that haps, &*c. The old copies give
' sav'd one ' instead of " sends word " here. Malone and Steevens
(at Theobald's suggestion) made the correction ; which is shown
to be right by the parallel passage in Wilkins's narrative: —
" Good Helicanus, as prouideut at home, as his prince was
prosperous abroade, let no occasion slip wherein hec might
send ivord to Tharsus of what occurrents soeuer had happened
in his absence," &c.
10. He, knowing so. The old copies have 'doing' for "know-
ing." Steevens's correction.
11. That t/ie ship sltould house him safe is wreck'd and split.
'Which' is here elliptically understood before "should." The
license in the rhyme between "ship "and "split" is not more
than that between " home" and " drone," or " sin" and " him,"
in this same chorus-speech, See Note 4, Act i. of the present
play.
12. Ne. An old negative form ; sometimes, as here, used for
'not,' and sometimes for ' nor.'
13. Escapen. Printed ' escapend' and ' escapen'd ' in the old
copies : but " escapen " is probably what Shakespeare here wrote,
as we have "killen" and "perishen" previously in this same
chorus-speech.
14. What shall be next, pardon old Gower, — this 'longs the
761
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[SCENE 1.
SCENE I. — Pentapolis.15 An open Place by the
Seaside.
E':ter Pericles, ivet.
Per. Yet cense your ire, you angry stars of
heaven !
Wind, rain, and thunder, remember, earthly man
Is hut a substance that must yield to you ;
And I. as fits my nature, do obey you :
Alas ! the sea hath cast me on the rocks,
Wash'd me from shore to shore, and left me
breath10
Nothing to think on but ensuing death :
Let it suffice the greatness of your powers
To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes;
And having thrown him from your watery grave,
Here to have death in peace is all he'll crave.
Enter three Fishermen,
First Fish. What, ho, Pilch ! ^
Se~. F-sb. Ho, come and bring away the nets !
First Fish. What, Patch-breech, I say !
Third Fish. What say you, master?
First Fish. Look how thou stirrest now! come
away, or I'll fetch thee with a wannion.18
Third F/sh. Faith, master, I am thinking ot
the poor men that were cast away before us even
now.
First Fish. Alas! poor souls, it grieved mv
heart to hear what pitiful cries they made to us to
help them, when, well-a-day, we could scarce help
ourselves.
Third F/sh. Nay, master, said not I as much
when I saw the porpus, how he bounced and
text. Very elliptically expressed ; signifying, ' What shall occur
next, excuse old Gowcr from telling you,— it belongs to the text,
and not to his province as chorus.' " Pardon" is here used in
its sense of 'excuse.' See Note 65, Act iv., "Antony and
Cleopatra."
15. Pentapolis. This i)ame is found in all the old sources
whence Shakespeare directly and indirectly derived the story
of the present play ; and its site is marked in an ancient MS.
map of the world, preserved in the Cotton Library, British
Museum. Pcntapolitana regin is mentioned in history as a
country in Africa, consisting of Jive cities, as indicated by its
name ; Penta being the Greek word for ' live,' and polis for
' city.'
16 !>tf left me breath The old copies have 'my' in te il
of " me." Malone's correction.
17. What, h<\ Pilch t In the old copies this is given thus:
'What, topelch?' Tyrwhitt made the emendation, remarking
that "pilch" means a leather coat. See Note 12, Acl iii .,
" Romeo and Juliet." The word is here used in. calling to the
Second Fisherman; either as being his name, or as a nickname
given him by Ins master.
t With <i wannion. This expression, which is equivalent
to ' with a vengeance ' or ' with a witness,' is frequently used by
the •>] 1 dramatic writers ; but the exact meaning of "wannion"
has never been ascertained. We think it may have been derived
from the Saxon waniatt, to ' wane,' ' fall away,' ' want,' ' be de*
li i' nt in;' and that "a wannion" may have been used in
imprecation, to signify 'a falling away,' 'a decline,' 'a decrease,'
tumbled ? they say they're half fish, half flesh : a
plague on them, they ne'er come but I look to be
washed.19 Master, I marvel how the fishes live in
the sea.
First Fish. Why, as men do a-land, — the great
ones eat up the little ones: I can compare our
rich misers to nothing so fitly as to a whale; 'a
plays and tumbles, driving the poor fry before him,
and at last devours them all at a mouthful ; such
whales have I heard on o' the land, who never
leave gaping til! they've swallowed the whole
parish, church, steeple, bells, and all.
Per. [Aside.'] A pretty moral.
Third Fish. But, master, if I had been the
sexton, I would have been that day in the belfry.
Sec. Fish. Why, man?
Third Fish. Because he should have swallowed
me too : and when I had been in his belly, I
would have kept such a jangling of the bells, that
he should never have left, till he cast bells, steeple,
church, and parish, up again. But if the good
King Simonides were of my mind, —
Per. [Aside.] Simonides!
Third Fish. We would purge the land of these
drones, that rob the bee of her honey.
Per. [Aside.] How from the finny subject of
the sea30
These fishers tell the infirmities of men ;
And from their watery empire recollect
All that may men approve or men detect ! —
[Aloud.'] Peace be at your labour, honest fisher-
men.
Sec. Fish. Honest! good fellow, what's that?
If it be a day fits you, search out of the calendar,
and nobody look after it.21
or 'a famine,' a 'dearth,' just as 'a plague,' 'a pestilence,' 'a
murrain,' &C, were used.
19. They ne'er come but I look to be ivashed. It is a com-
mon observation with mariners, and those dwelling near the sea-
shore, that the appearance of porpoises playing on the surface
of the water is indicative of foul weather approaching.
20. Hozv front the Jinny subject oj tlte sea, &*c. The old
enpies give 'fenny' for "finny." Malone made the cor-
rection ; which is shown to be right by the corresponding
passage from Wilkins's narrative, or novel, founded on this
play: — " Pi-ince Pericles wondering that from the Jinny subjects
of the sea these poor country people learned the infirmities of
men."
21. IJ it be a day fits you, search out oj tht calendar, and
nobody look after it. This has been variously altered ; but, as
the passage stands, it may be taken to mean, * If it be a day that
suits you, search it out in the calendar, and nobody will look
after it.* The fisherman facetiously implies by "search out"
seeking with intention to take ; and 'will' or "11' is elliptically
understood befor- "look " There i^ great probability in Dr.
Farmer's suggestion, that by the word " honest " there may be
an allusion to the dies honcstissimus of Cicero ; and we think
it is possible that snme trace of this term may have lurked in the
old almanacks, which put down lucky and unlucky days, auspi.
cious and ill omened days, festival days and fast-days, &c. &c.
See Note 56, Act v., " Love's Labour's Lost ;" also Macbeth's ex-
clamation. "Let this pernicious hour stand aye accurssrl i:i
iar.',>
762
Act I I.J
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Per. You may see, the sea hath cast upon your
coast-- —
Sec. Fish. What a drunken knave was the sea
to cast thee in our way !
Per. A man whom both the waters and the
wind,
In that vast tennis-court, have made the ball
For them to play upon, entreats you pity him ;
He asks of you, that never us'd to beg.
First Fish. No, friend, cannot you beg?
Here's them in our country of Greece gets more
with begging than we can do with working.
Sec. Fish. Canst thou catch any fishes, then ?
Per. I never practis'd it.
Sec. Fish. Nay, then thou wilt starve, sure ; for
here's nothing to be got now-a-days, unless thou
canst fish for 't.
Per. What 1 have been I have forgot to
know ;
But what I am, want teaches me to think on :
A man throng'd up with cold :-•> my veins are
chill,
And have no more of life than may suffice
To give my tongue that neat to ask your help ;
Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead,
For that 1 am a man, pray see me buried.
First Fish. Die quoth-a ? Now gods forbid it I
1 have a gown here ; come, put it on ; keep thee
warm. Now, afore me, a handsome fellow !
Come, thou shalt go home, and we'll have flesh
for holidays,-1 fish for fasting-days, and moreo'er
puddings and flap-jacks ;-' and thou shalt be
welcome.
Per. I thank you, sir.
Sec. Fish. Hark you, my friend, — you said you
could not beg.
Per. I did but crave.
Sec. Fish. But crave! Then I'll turn craver too,
and so I shall 'scape whipping.-'6
Per. Why, are all your beggars whipped, then?
22. You may see the sea, &*c. The Quarto editions omit
''you," while the two Folios (1664 and 1685) give 'Y' may see
the sea,' &c.
23. A man throng' d ufi with cold. "Throng'd up" here in-
cludes the meanings of ' hard press'd,' ' beset,' and ' piere'd.'
That the ancient writers used the word in this latter sense is evi-
dent from the following passage quoted by Tooke from Gower : —
"A naked swerde the whiche she bare
Within hir mantell priuely,
Betwene hir hondes sodeinly
She toke, and through hir herte it thronge."
24. Flesh for holidays. The old copies g'ive ' all day ' instead
of " holidays." Malone's correction.
25. Flap-jacks. An old name for ' pancakes.' Thus in
Taylor's "Jack a Lent : " " Until at last, by the skill of the cooke,
it is transformed into the form of a /lap-jack, which, in our
translation, is cald a pancake." Mr. Hudson, the Eoston
editor, adds that "the word is still used continually in New
England."
26. But crave! T:ien V 11 turn craver too, and so, Grc. A
Sec. Fish. Oh, not all, my friend, not all; for if
all your beggars were whipped, I would wish no
better office than to be beadle. — But, master, I'll
go draw up the net.
[Exit with Third Fisherman.
Per. [Aside.] How well this honest mirth
becomes their labour !
First Fish. Hark you, sir, — do vou know where
you are?
Per. Not well.
First Fish. Why, I'll tell you : this is called
Pentapohs; and our king, the good Simonides.
Per. The good King Simonides, do you call
him ?
First Fish. Ay, sir; and he deserves so to be
called tor his peaceable reign, and good govern-
ment.
Per. He is a happy king, since he gains from
his subjects the name of good by his government.
How far is his court distant from this shore ?
First Fish. Many, sir, half a day's journey :
and I'll tell you, he hath a fair daughter, and to-
morrow is her birth-day ; and there are princes
and knights come from all parts of the world to
just and tourney for her love.
Per. Were my fortunes equal to my desires, I
could wish to make one there.
First Fish. Oh, sir, things must be as they may ;
and what a man cannot get, he may lawfully deal
for— his wife's soul.-''
Re-enter Second and Third Fishermen, drawing
up a net.
Sec. Fish. Help, master, help! here's a fish
hangs in the net, like a poor man's right in the
law; 'twill hardly come out. Ha! hots on 't,-3 'lis
come at last, and 'tis turned to a rusty armour.
Per. An armour, friends! I pray you, let me
see it. —
Thanks, fortune, vet, that, after all my crosses,29
pleasant bit of satire upon the world-wide and ever-prevailing
fashion of dressing-up shabby practices in genteel phrases.
27. And vi/tat a man cannot get, he may lawfully deal foi —
his wife's soul. This sentence has been pronounced to be
"mutilated," to be "not very intelligible." and to have "hitherto
successfully resisted exposition." We trust we have discovered
the solution of the enigma ; for we take the passage to imply
that "a man, who has not much chance of getting his wife's
soul out of purgatory, may nevertheless pay for masses with
that view." The fisherman is jocosely advising Pericles to
remain contented with his poor "fortunes," which prevent his
appearing at the tournament ; yet that lie may, if he please, in-
dulge the extravagant " wish to make one there."
28. Bolsou't. A vulgar execration, formerly in use : "bots"
being the name of a disease to which horses are subject ; so
called from the worms generated by the malady. See Note 9,
Act ii., " Second Part Henry IV."
29. After alt my crosses. The old copies omit " my ;" added
by M alone. In the parallel passage in Wilkins's novel ' thy ' is
the word employed ; which may possibly be what was originally
written heie.
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Pericles. Alas ! the sea hath cast me on the jocks,
Wash'd me from shore to shore.
Act II. Seme {.
Thou giv'st me somewhat to repair myself;
And though it was mine own,30 part of my heritage,
Which my dead father did bequeath to me,
With this strict charge, even as he left his life,
" Keep it, my Pericles ; it hath been a shield
' Twixt ine and death;" — and pointed to this
brace;31 —
" For that it sav'd me, keep it ; in like necessity
(The which the gods protect thee from !) it may
defend thee."32
It kept where I kept, I so dearly lov'd it;
Till the rough seas, that spare not any man,
Took it in rage, though calm'd, have given 't again :
I thank thee for't : my shipwreck now's no ill,
Since I have here my father's gift in 's will.
30. And though it was mine own. "Thanks, fortune," in
the penultimate line, allows ' I thank you* to be elliptically
tin lerstood bc.'ore " though " in the present line.
First Fish. What mean you, sir ?
Per. To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of
worth,
For it was sometime target to a king ;
I know it by this mark. He lov'd me dearly,
And for his sake I wish the having of it ;
And that you'd guide me to your sovereign's court,
Where with it I may appear a gentleman ;
And if that ever my low fortunes better,
I'll pay your bounties; till then rest your debtor.
First Fish. Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady ?
Per. I'll show the virtue I have borne in arms.
First Fish. Why, do ye take it, and the gods
give thee good on 't !
3:. Brace. Armour for the arm ; so named from the French
word, hras. arm. See Note 90, Act i, " Troilus and Cressida "
32. It may defend thee. The old copies give ' Fame ' instead
of " it." Steevens's correction.
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
Sec. fish. Ay, but hark you, my friend; 'twas
we that made up this garment through the rough
seams of the waters : there are certain condole-
ments, certain vails. I hope, sir, if you thrive,
you'll remember from whence you had it.33
Per. Believe 't, I will.
By your fartherance I ain cloth'd in steel ;
And, spite of all the rapture of the sea,31
This jewel holds his building on my arm:35
Unto thy value36 will I mount myself
Upon a courser, whose delightful steps
Shall make the gazer joy to see him tread. —
Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided
Of a pair of bases.37
Sec. Fish. We'll sure provide : thou shalt have
inv best gown to make thee a pair; and I'll bring
thee to the court myself.
Per. Then honour be but a goal to my will,
This day I'll rise, or else add ill to ill. [Exeunt.
SCENE II. — Pentapolis. A Platform leading
to the Lists. A Pavilion by the side of it
for the reception of the King, Princess, Lords,
&c.
Enter Simonides, Thaisa, Lords, and Attendants.
Sim. Are the knights ready to begin the
triumph ?33
First Lord. They are, my liege ;
And stay your coming to present themselves.
Sim. Return them,39 we are ready ; and our
daughter,
In honour of whose birth tfiese triumphs are,
33. From •whence you had it. ' Them ' is the word given in
the old copies instead of " it " here.
34- S/>ite of alt the rupture of the sea. The old copies have
'rupture' for "rapture;" which has been shown to be the
right word, by the parallel passage in Wilkins's novel : — " Which
horse he provided with a jewel, whom all the raptures of the
sea could not bereave from his arme." " Rapture " here
means ' seizure,' ' violent snatching away.'
35. Holds his building on my arm. "His" is here used for
'its;' and "building" means 'firm placing," 'strong and solid
position," ' fixture."
36. Unto thy value. It has been proposed to change " thy"
to ' the ' here : but we have frequent instances of a change of
pronoun applied to one subject in the course of the same speech
(see Note 78, Act iv., " Timon of Alliens," and Note 88, Act v.,
" Cymbeline"), and we think that in the present case Pericles,
partly speaking to the fishermen, partly to himself, is made first
to allude to the "jewel" in the third person, and then in the
second person, as a token of his half-soliloquising frame of mind.
Mr. Sydney Walker, who proposes to alter "thy" to 'the.' asks,
Why should he apostrophise the jewel ? We believe that he does
so in the sudden ^!.i In - . ,1 J -, .verm.; that he still 11
this resource wherewith to purchase the horse he needs for the
tournament.
37- e\ pair- of bases. A kind of lower garment worn by
Knights on horseback "Bases" are several times mentioned in
Sir Philip Sidney* " Arcadia ;" as ; — "About his middle he had.
Sits here, like beauty's child, whom Nature gat
For men to see, and seeing wonder at.
[Exit a Lord.
Thai. It pleaseth you, my royal father, to express
My commendations great, whose merit 's less.
Sim. It 's fit it should be so ; ;or princes are
A model, which Heaven makes like to itselt:
As jewels lose their glory if neglected,
So princes their renown if not respected.
' lis now your honour, daughter,4^ to explain 4l
The labour of each knight in his device.
'Thai. Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll
perform.
Enter a Knight; he passes over, and his Squire
presents his shield to the Princess.
Sim. Who is the first that doth prefer himself?
Thai. A knight of Sparta, my renowned father ;
And the device he bears upon his shield
Is a black j^ithiop reaching at the sun;
The word,42 Lux tua vita n:ihi.a
Sim. He loves you well that holds his life of
you. [The Second Knight passes over.
Who is the second that piesents himself?
Thai. A prince of Macedon, my royal father ;
And the device he bears upon his shield
Is an ariti'd knight that 's conquered by a lady;
The motto thus, in Spanish, Piu por dulzuia que
porfuerza.u
[The Third Knight passes over.
Sim. And what's the third?
'Thai. The third of Antioch;
And his device, a wreath of chivalry ;
The ivord, Me pomfne provexit ape.x.ib
[The Fourth Knight passes over.
Sim. What is the fourth ?
instead of bases, a long cloake of silke," &c. ; and " His bases
(which he ware so long, as they came almost to his ankle . were
embroidered," &c. Also in Massinger's " Picture ;" " It appears
your petticoat serves for bases to this warrior."
38. Triumpk. 'A pageant celebration,' ' a processional show.'
See Note 19, Act v., " Richard 11."
39. Return them. ' Return them word,' 'give them notice in
return.'
40. 'Tis now your honour, daughter, to, cVf. "Honour"
has been suspected of being a misprint, and various alterations
have been made; but we take it that here "honour" is u-ed
for ' honourable duty' or 'honourable task,' that which it is a
privilege to perform : and we think that Thaisa's reply demon-
strates this.
41. To explain. The old copies have. ' entertaine ' instead of
" explain" here. Stcevens's correction.
42. The -.void. 'The motto.' See Note 64, Act i.,
" Richard II.," and Note 144, Act i. , " Hamlet."
43. Lux tua vita mihi. Latin ; 'Thy light is life to me.'
44. Pitt por dulzura que par fuerza. ' More by sweetness
than by force.' The Italian word " piu" is here used instead of
the Spanish word ' mas ' for ' more : ' but formerly these two
I 1:1 ;es were much confused, the one for the other, in quota-
tions made by English writers.
is .lie pompa provexit apex. Latin; 'The summit of
gl iry has carried me forward.'
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene III.
Thai. A burning torch that's turned upside down ;
The word, Quod me alii, me extinguit.*'
Sim. Which shows that beauty hath his power
and will,
Which can as well inriame as it can kill.
[The fifth Knight passes ever.
Thai. The fifth, a hand environed with clouds,
Holding out gold that's by the touchstone tried;
The motto thus, Sic spectanda fides ft
[The Sixth Knight (Pericles) basses over
Sirr. And what 's
The sixth and last, the which the knight himself
With such a graceful courtesy delivered ?
Thai. He seems to be a stranger; but his
present is"18
A wither'd branch, that 's only green at top;
The motto, In hie spe i>ii>o."
Sim. A pretty moral ;
From the dejected state wherein he is,
He nopes by you his fortunes yet may flourish.
First Lord. He had need mean better than his
outward show
Can any way speak in his just commend ;
For, by his rusty outside, he appears
To have practis'd more the whipstock5" than the
lance.
See. Lord. He well may be a stranger, for he
comes
To an honour'd triumph strangely furnished.
Third Lord. And on set purpose let his armour
rust
Until this day, to scour it in the dust.
Sim. Opinion 's but a fool, that makes us scan
The outward habit by the inward man.51
But stay, the knights arc coming: we'll withdraw
Into the gallery. [Exeunt.
[Great shouts, and all cry, " The mean knight ! "
SCENE III.— Pextapolis. J Hall of State: a
Bat: quel prepared.
Enter Simonides, Thaisa, Marshal, Ladies,
Lords, Knights, and Attendants.
Sim. Knights,
To say you're welcome were superfluous.
46. Quod me adit, me extinguit. Latin ; ( That which feeds
me, extinguishes m?.'
47. Sic spectanda fides. Latin; ( So faith is to be proved.'
48. But his present is, &C. Mr. Singer altered "present"
to ' impress ; ' but here " present " is used to express that which
is presented.
49. In lute sp: vivo. Latin ; ' In this hope I live.
50. Tlte tukipstock. 'The handle of a whip.' See Note 29,
Act ii., " Twelfth Night." The First Lord implies that, judging
from Pericles' shabby appearance, his hand has been more
familiar with a carter's whip than with a knightly lance.
5t. That mikes us scan the outward habit by the inward
matt. ' That makes us scan the inward man by the outward
habit.' Such inversions of phraseology are occasionally found
To place" upon the volume ot your deeds,
As in a title-page, your worth in arms,
Were more than you expect, or more than 's fit,
Since every worth in show commends itself.
Prepare for mirth, for mirth becomes a feast :
You are princes and my guests.
Thai. But you, my knight and guest ;
To whom this wreath of victory I give,
And crown you king of this day's happiness.
Per. 'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit.
Sim. Call it by what you will, the day is yours ;
And here, I hope, is none that envies it.
In framing an artist, art hath thus decreed,
To make some good, but others to exceed ;
And you're her labour' d scholar. — Come, queen
o' the feast, —
For, daughter, so you are, — here take your place :
Marshal the rest, as they deserve their grace.
Knights. We are honour'd much by good
Simonides.
Sim. Your presence glads our days: honour
we love ;
For who hates honour hates the gods above.
Marshal. Sir, yond 's your place.
Per. Some other is more fit.
First ^Knight. Contend not, sir; for we are
gentlemen
That neither in our hearts nor outward eyes
Envy the great nor do the low despise.
Per. You are right courteous knights.
Sim. Sit, sir, sit. —
[Aside."] 3y Jove, I wonder, that is king of
thoughts,53
These cates5"1 resist me, he but thought upon.
Thai. [Aside."] By Juno, that is queen
Of marriage, all the viands that I eat
Do seem unsavoury, wishing him my meat.
Sure, he's a gallant gentleman.
Sim. [Aside."] He 's but a country gentleman ;
He has done no more than other knights have done ;
He has broken a staff or so ; so let it pass.
Thai. [Aside.] To me he seems like diamond
to glass.
Per. [Aside.] Yon king 's to me like to m)
father's picture,
Which tells me in that glory once he was ;
in Shakespeare. See Note 13. Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra : "
Note 4S, Act hi., " Othello ; " and those cited in Note 61, Act i.
of the present play.
52. To place. The earlier copies give ' I ' for " to ;" corrected
in the fourth Folio.
53- By Jove, I "wonder, &c. These two lines were assigned
to Pericles by Malone, Stecvens, and others; changing "he"
in.the second line to 'she.' From comparison with the parallel
passage in Wilkins's novel, it has since been ascertained that
they rightly (as in the old copies) belong to Simonides ; and
thus we gave them, preceding them by " [Aside"]'" in our New
York Edition, published in 1S60.
54. Cates. 'Choice viands.' 'dainties,' 'delicacies.' See
Note 27, Act hi., " First Part Henry IV."
7C7
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene III.
Had princes sit, like stars, about his throne,
And he the sun, for them to reverence ;
None that beheld him, but, like lesser lights,
Did vail55 their crowns to his supremacy :
Where now his son 's like a glow-worm in the
night,66
The which hath fire in darkness, none in light:
Whereby I see that Time 's the king of men,
For he 's their parent, and he is their grave,
And gives them what he will, not what they
crave.
Sim. What! are you merry, knights?
First Knight. Who can be other in this royal
presence ?
Sim. Here, with a cup that 's stor'd unto the
brim,57 —
As you do love, fill to your mistress' lips, —
We drink this health to you.
Knights. We thank your grace.
Sim. Yet pause awhile :
Yon knight doth sit too melancholy,
As if the entertainment in our court
Had not a show might countervail his worth.
Note it not you, Thaisa ?
Thai. What is it
To me, my father?
Sim. Oh, attend, my daughter:
Princes, in this, should live like gods above,
Who freely give to every one that comes
To honour them :
And princes not doing so are like to gnats,
Which make a sound, but kill'd are wonder'd
at.69
Therefore to make his entrance59 more sweet,
Here, say we drink this standing-bowl60 of wine to
him.
Thai. Alas ! my father, it befits not me
Unto a stranger knight to be so bold :
He may my proffer take for an offence,
Since men take women's gifts for impudence.
55. Vail. 'Lower,' 'stojp.' See Note 17, Act iii., " Corio-
lanus."
56. Where now his son 's like a glow-worm in the night.
The old copies give ' Sonne ' instead of " son 's." Steevens's
correction. We think it probable that the old copies also mis-
took in putting the "a" before "glow-worm;" as the rhythm
of the line is thereby injured. " Where " is here used with the
force of 'whereas.' See Note 75, Act i.
57. With a cup t/utt 's stor'd unto tlie brim. The old copies
have ' stur'd,' 'sturd,' and ' stirr'd,' instead of " stor'd ; " which
is Steevens's correction.
58. But kill'd are vumder'd at. The passage implies,
' Princes, not living beneficently, are like insignificant insects :
they make some noise in the world : but, once dead, excite only
wonder at their idle buzzing with so little result.'
59. Entrance. This is problbly an abbreviated form of
1 enhancement,' or an amplified form of 'trance,' signifying
'reverie,' 'musing.' The line gives evidence of mutilation,
and various changes have been proposed. At one time we
thought that " entrance " might have been a misprint for
' countenance ; ' but wc now incline to believe that " entrance "
is the right word, and that it very likely was accented on the
Sim. How!
Do as I bid you, or you'll move me else.
Thai. \_Aside.~\ Now, by the gods, he could not
please me better.
Sim. And farther tell him, we desire to
know,61
Of whence he is, his name and parentage.
Thai. The king my father, sir, has drunk to
you.
Per. I thank him.
Thai. Wishing it so much blood unto your
life.
Per. I thank both him and you, and pledge hiin
freely.
Thai. And farther he desires to know of you,
Of whence you are, your name and parentage.
Per. A gentleman of Tyre, — my name, Pericles;
My education been in arts and arms ;62 —
Who, looking for adventures in the world,
Was by the rough seas reft of ships and men,
And, after shipwreck, driven upon this shore.
Thai. He thanks your grace; names himself
Pericles,
A gentleman of Tyre,
Who only by misfortune of the seas
Bereft of ships and men, cast on this shore.63
Sim. Now, by the gods, I pity his misfortune,
And will awake him from his melancholy. —
Come, gentlemen, we sit too long on trifles,
And waste the time, which looks for other revels.
Even in your armours, as you are address'd,64
Will very well become a soldier's dance.
I will not have excuse, with saying this
Loud music 6i is too harsh for ladies' heads,
Since they love men in arms.
[The Knights dance.
So, this was well ask'd, 'twas so well performed. —
Come, sir ;
Here is a lady that wants breathing66 too:
And I have often heard67 you knights of Tyre
second syllable, while some such word as ' sad ' (which perhaps
originally preceded it) may have been omitted in the old copies.
60. Standing-bond. An old name for a drinking-vessel that
was supported by a foot.
61. And farther tell him, 7t<e desire to know. The old copies
have 'furthermore* instead of "farther," and 'of him' after
"know." Malone's correction.
62. My education been in arts and arms. ' Has ' is ellipti-
cally understood before "been:" as, in the previous line, 'I
am' is understood before "a gentleman," and 'is' before
" Pericles."
63. Berc/t of skips and men. cast on this shore. Here again
the construction is elliptical : ' has been ' or ' was ' being under-
stood before " bereft," and 'and' before "cast."
64. Address'd. 'Accoutred;' 'ready for the previous i"iist-
ing,' 'prepared for combat.' See Note 7, Act iii., "Julius
Caesar."
65. This loud music. In reference to the clashing of their
"armours."
66. Breathing. 'Exercise.' See Note 85, Act v., " Hamlet "
67. And I have often heard. "Often" is not in the old
copies ; it was added bv Malone.
7t8
^^
titlicanus. When he was seated, and his daughter with him,
In a chariot of inestimable value,
A fire from heaven came, and shrivell'd up
Their bodies, even to loathing. Act II. Scene IV.
26;
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
Are excellent in making ladies trip ;
And that their measures are as excellent.
Per. In those that practise them they are, my
lord.
Sim. Oh, that 's as much as you would be
denied
Of your fair courtesy.
[The Knights and Ladies dance.
Unclasp, unclasp :
Thanks, gentlemen, to all; all have done well,
[To Per.] But you the best. — Pages and lights,
to conduct
These knights unto their several lodgings! —
Yours, sir,
We have given order to be next our own.
Per. I am at your grace's pleasure.
Sim. Princes, it is too late to talk of love ;
And that's the mark I know you level at :
Therefore each one betake him to his rest ;
To-morrow all for speeding68 do their best.
[Exeunt.
68. Speeding. 'Obtaining success,' ' achieving success.' See
Note 25, Act iii., " Winter's Tale."
69. Wtien he was seated, &*c. We give these two lines as
arranged by Steevcns ; the old copies here, and in so very
many passages of the present play, being so manifestly mis-
printed as to leave it matter of mere conjecture how they were
originally written.
70. Their bodies. The old copies give 'those' instead of
" their." Steevens's correction ; shown to be right by the
parallel sentence in Wilkins's novel.
71. All those eyes ador'd tJtem. ' Which ' is elliptically under-
stood before "ador'd;" as 'that' is understood before " their
hand" in the next line.
72. Not a man, &*c. Steevens has the following note upon
the present speech :— " To what this charge of partiality was
designed to conduct, we do not learn : for it appears to have no
influence over the rest of the dialogue." We think it is designed
to show the impatience felt by these lords at having no oppor-
tunity of stating their anxiety respecting Pericles to Helicane :
since he accords to no one the facilities of " private conference
or council " which he accords to Escanes. They are jealous of
the greater confidence reposed in Escanes. and the greater
SCENE IV.— Tyre. A Room in the Governor's
House.
Enter Helicanus and Escanes.
He I. No, Escanes ; know this of me, —
Antiochus from incest liv'd not free:
For which, the most high gods not minding longer
To withhold the vengeance that they had in store,
Due to this heinous capital offence,
Even in the height and pride of all his glory,
When he was seated,69 and his daughter with him,
In a chariot of inestimable value,
A fire from heaven came, and shrivell'd up
Their bodies,70 even to loathing; for they so
stunk,
That all those eyes ador'd them'1 ere their fall,
Scorn now their hand should give them burial.
Esca. 'Twas very strange.
Hel. And yet but just ; for though
This king were great, his greatness was no
guard
To bar Heaven's shaft, but sin had his reward.
Esca. 'Tis very true.
Enter three Lords.
First Lord. See, not a man in private con-
ference"2
Or council has respect with him but he.
Sec. Lord. It shall no longer grieve without
reproof.
Third Lord. And curs'd be he that will not
second it.73
First Lord. Follow me, then. — Lord Helicane,
a word.
Hel. With me ? and welcome : — happy day,
my lords.
First Lord. Know that our griefs are risen to
the top,
And now at length they overflow their banks.
He I. Your griefs ! for what ? wrong not your
prince you love.74
First Lord. Wrong not yourself, then, noble
Helicane ;
But if the prince do live, let us salute him,
Or know what ground 's made happy by his
breath.
If in the world he live, we'll seek him out ;
If in his grave he rest, we'll find him there ;
And be resolv'd75 he lives to govern us,
Or dead, gives cause to mourn his funeral,
And leaves us to our free election.
Sec. Lord. Whose death's, indeed, the strongest
in our censure :76
And knowing this kingdom is without a head,77—
preference shown by Helicane ; and they not only demonstrate
their solicitude respecting the absent prince, but they seek to
curry favour with his representative by electing him at once to
sovereign power.
73. 1 1 sliall no longer grieve that will not second it.
" It " is here, in both instances, used in reference to an implied
particular ; the first " it " meaning ' this sense of our being
treated by Helicanus with less confidence than Escanes,' and
the second "it" signifying 'this intended remonstrance (or
" reproof") which we intend to make.'
74. Wrong not your prince yon love. "Your" was altered
by Steevens to 'the;' but ' whom' may be elliptically under-
stood before " you."
75. Resolv'd. 'Satisfied.' 'fully informed.' See Note 74,
Act i., " King Lear."
76. If/iose death 's, indeed, the strongest in our censure.
"Death's" is printed ' death ' in the old copies: as "leaves,"
in the previous line, has the final s omitted. Malone's correc-
tion. "The strongest" implies 'the strongest probability,' or
' the most probable : ' and " censure" is used for ' opinion."
77. And knowing this kingdom is. &*c. ' Thus,' or ' in that
case,' is elliptically understood before "knowing."
Act 1 1. 1
PERICLES.
[Scene V.
Like goodly buildings left without a roof,
Soon fall to ruin, — your noble self,
That best knovv'st how to rule and how to
reign,
We thus submit unto,— our sovereign.
All. Live, noble Helicane !
Hel. For honour's cause," forbear your
suffrages :
If that you love Prince Pericles, forbear.
Take I your wish, I leap into the seas,79
Where's hourly trouble for a minute's ease.
A twelvemonth longer, let me entreat you
To forbear the absence of your king;80
If in which time expir'd, he not return,
I shall with aged patience bear your yoke.
But if I cannot win you to this love,
Go search like nobles, like noble subjects,
And in your search spend your adventurous
worth ;
Whom if you find, and win unto return,
You shall like diamonds sit about his crown.
First Lord. To wisdom he 's a fool that will
not yield ;
And since Lord Helicane enjoineth us,
We with our travels will endeavour it.81
Hel. Then you love us, we you, and we'll
clasp hands :
When peers thus knit, a kingdom ever stands.
[Exeunt.
SCENE V. — Pentapolis. A Room in the
Palace.
Enter Simonides, reading a letter: the Knights
meet him.
First Knight. Good morrow to the good
Simonides.
Sim. Knights, from my daughter this I let you
know,
That for this twelvemonth she'll not undertake
A married life.8-
78. For Iiottours cause. The old copies give ' try ' instead of
" for." Mr. Dyce's correction.
79. Take 1 your wish, I leap into the seas. ' Were I to
accept what you wish, I should plunge into a sea of difficulty.' ■
80. To forbear tlie absence of your king. This line is defec-
tive, and various attempts have been made to piece it out. If it
be accepted as it stands, " forbear " must be taken in the sense
of ' bear with,' ' tolerate,' ' bear patiently,' ' endure.' Shake-
speare uses the word thus in " Second Part Henry IV.," Act iv_,
sc. 4, where the king says to his son. Prince Henry, " What !
canst thou not forbear me half an hour?"
81. Will endeavour it. The old copies omit the final word
"it." Steevens's addition.
82. For this tzvelvemonth slte'll not undertake a married
life. The expedient here devised by Simonides for having the
suitors "well despatch'd" is, indeed, not very consonant with
the dignity of tiuth ; but it is quite characteristic of the waggish
tendency to stratagem shown by the royal old gentleman, in
Her reason to herself is only known,
Which yet from her by no means can I get.
Sec. Knight. May we not get access to her, my
lord?
Sim. . Faith, by no means ; she hath so strictly
tied her
To her chamber, that it is impossible.
One twelve moons more she'll wear Diana's
livery ;
This by the eye of Cynthia hath she vow'd,
And on her virgin honour will not break it.
Third Knight. Though loath to bid farewell, we
take our leaver83 [Exeunt Knights.
Sim. So,
They are well despatch'd ; now to my daughter's
letter :84
She tells me here, she'll wed the stranger knight,
Or never more to view nor day nor light.
'Tis well, mistress; your choice agrees with mine ;
I like that well : — nay, how absolute she 's in 't,
Not minding whether I dislike or no !
Well, I commend her choice ;
And will no longer have it be delay'd.85 —
Soft! here he comes : I must dissemble it.
Enter Pericles.
Per. All fortune to the good Simonides !
Sim. To you as much, sir! I am beholden to
you
For your sweet music this last night : I do
Protest my ears were never better fed
With such delightful pleasing harmony.
Per. It is your grace's pleasure to commend ;
Not my desert.
Sim. Sir, you are music's master.
Per. The worst of all her scholars, my good
lord.
Sim. Let me ask you one thing :
What do you think of my daughter, sir ?
Per. As of a most virtuous princess.68
Sim. And she is fair too, is she not f
Per. As a fair day in summer, — wondrous fair.
proceeding to "dissemble" his satisfaction at his daughter's
choice, and to play off a pretended anger at the lovers' mutual
affection, that he may keep them in a flutter of suspense until he
choose to join their hands and bid them wed at once as the
penalty of their transgression, in daring to fall in love with
each other without his leave. Steevens solemnly demurs to this
conduct of Simonides ; yet, though it may not be " ingenuous,"
it is perfectly in character — diplomatically as well as drama-
tically.
83. Though loath to bid farfnuell, we take our leaves. The
old copies omit " though." Steevens's addition.
84. Now to my daughter's letter. The princess's revelation
of her love for the Knight of Tyre in a letter to her father, occurs
in the Confessio Amantis.
85. Have it be delay'd. " \l " refers to the marriage implied
in the previous word "choice." See Note 73, of the present
Act.
86. As of a most virtuous princess. The old copies omit 'as
of a.' Steevens's addition.
Act II.]
PERICLES.
[Scene V.
Simonides. What ! are you both agreed ?
Both, Yes, if 't please your majesty.
Act II. Scene V.
Sim. Sir, my daughter thinks very well of you;
Ay, so well, that you must be her master,
And she will be your scholar : therefore look to it.
Per. I am unworthy for her schoolmaster.
Sim. She thinks not so ; peruse this writing
else.
Per. [Aside.] What 's here ?
A letter, that she loves the knight of Tyre !
'Tis the king's subtilty to have my life.--
[AlouJ.] Oh, seek not to entrap me, gracious lord,
A stranger and distressed gentleman,
That never aim'd so high to love your daughter,
But bent all offices to honour her.
Sim. Thou hast bewitch'd my daughter, and
thou art
A villain.
Per. By the gods, I have not :
Never did thought of mine levy offence;
Nor never did my actions yet commence
A deed might gain her love or your displeasure.
Sim. Traitor, thou liest.
Per. Traitor !
Sim. Ay, traitor.
Per. Even in his throat, — unless it be the
king,—
That calls me traitor, I return the lie.
Sim. {Aside.'] Now, by the gods, I do applaud his
courage.
Per. My actions are as noble as my thoughts,
That never relish'd of a base descent.
I came unto your court for honour's cause,
A nd not to be a rebel to her state ;
And he that otherwise accounts of me,
This sword shall prove he 's honour's enemy.
Sim. No ?
Here comes my daughter, she can witness it.
Act III.] PERICLES. [Chorus.
Enter Thaisa.
Per. Then, as you are as virtuous as lair,
Resolve your angry father,87 if my tongue
Did e'er solicit, or my hand subscribe
To any syllable that made love to you.
Thai. Why, sir, say if you had,
Who takes offence at that would make me
glad ?
Sim. Yea, mistress, are you so peremptory ? —
[/hide.] I am glad on 't with all my heart. —
[To her.] I'll tame you ; I'll bring you in sub-
jection.
Will you, not having my consent,
Bestow your love and your affections
Upon a stranger? — [aside] who, for aught I
know,
May be (nor can I think the contrary)
As great in blood as I myself. —
[Aloud.] Therefore hear you, mistress; either
frame
Your will to mine, — and you, sir, hear you,
Either be rul'd by me, or I will make you
Man and wife : —
Nay, come, your hands and lips must seal it too:
And being join'd, I'll thus your hopes destroy; —
And for a farther grief, — God give you joy ! —
What ! are you both pleas'd ?
Thai. Yes, if you love me, sir.
Per. Even as my life, or blood that fosters it.
Sim. What ! are you both agreed ?
Both. Yes, if 't please your majesty.
Sim. It pleaseth me so well, that I will see you
wed. [Exeunt.
ACT
Enter Gower.
Goto. Now sleep yslaked ' hath the rout ;2
No din but snores the house about,3
Made louder by the o'er-fed breast
Of this most pompous marriage-feast.
The cat, with eyne4 of burning coal,
Now couches 'fore the mouse's hole;5
And crickets sing at the oven's mouth,
Are the blither for their drouth.6
Hymen hath brought the bride to bed ;
And time that is so briefly sped
With your fine fancies quaintly eche:7
What 's dumb in show I'll plain3 with speech.
III.
Dumb Show.
Enter, from one side, Pericles and Simonides
"with Attendants; a Messenger meets them,
kneels, and gives Pericles a letter: be shows
it to Simonides; the Lords kneel to Pericles.9
Then enter Thaisa 'with childt and Lycho-
rida. Simonides shouos his daughter the
letter; she rejoices: she and Pericles take
leave of her father, and depart <with Lycho-
RlDA and their Attendants. Then exeunt
Simonides and the rest.
By many a dearn10 and painful perch11
Of Pericles the careful search,
87. Resolve your angry father. "Resolve" is here used in
the sense of ' satisfy,' ' inform,' ' telL' See Note 75 of this
Act.
altered ; but we think that probably ' and ' is elliptically under-
stood before "are." We have several instances of similar
elliptical construction in Shakespeare see Note 63, Act il ; as
also of close repetition of the word " and " in a single sentence.
For example, in the present play, we have "And for his sake
I wish the having of It ; and that you'd guide me," &c. ;
likewise, " He's their parent, and he is their grave and gives
them," &c.
7. Quaintly ecke. ' Skilfully eke out' See Xote 12, Act iii.,
" Two Gentlemen of Verona."
8. Plain. Here used for ' make plain.*
9. The lords kneel to Pericles. Because they now, through
this letter, learn for the first time that he is King of Tyre.
ia Dearn. Sometimes spelt * dern,' or ' dcrne.' The word
is by some old writers used to express ' dismal,' ' direful/ * sad,*
Monely,' 'solitary.* 'dreary;' by others, 'secret;' by others,
'earnest,' eager.' Here it maybe intended to combine some-
thing of each of these senses.
11. Perch. A measure of five yards and a half.
1. Yslaked. Y is an ancient prefix to participles pa-t >ee
Note 9. Act i.. " Second Part Henry VI.") ; and * slaked ' here
means ' relaxed in repose,' ' subdued in slumber.'
2. Rout. An old word for 'company,' 'assemblage.' Until
as late as the commencement of the present nineteenth) century,
the word survived in use applied to a fashionable party of a
particular kind.
3. The house about. The old copies give ' about the house.'
Malone made the requisite transposition.
4. Eyne. Antique plural form of ' eyes.' See Note 38, Act i.,
' Midsummer Night's Dream ;" and Note 114, Act ii., "Antony
and Cleopatra.'"
5. Xo-jj couches Yore the mouse's hole. The old copies give
'from' for " Tore." Malone's suggested correction.
6. Are tkeblither for their drouth. "Are" has been variously
T
Act III.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
By the tour opposing coignes12
Which the world together joins,
Is made with all due diligence
That horse and sail and high expense
Can stead the quest.13 At last from Tyre-
Fame answering the most strange enquire,14—
To the court of King Simonides
Are letters brought, the tenour these:—
Antiochus and his daughter dead ;
The men of Tyrus on the head
Of Helicanus would set on
The crown of Tyre,15 but he will none :
The mutiny he there hastes t' oppress;15
Says to them, if King Pericles
Ccme not home in twice six moons,
He, obedient to their dooms,
Will take the crown. The sum of this,
Brought hither to Pentapolis,
Y-ravished17 the regions round,
And every one with claps can sound,13
"Our heir-apparent is a king !
Who dream'd, who thought of such a thing?"
Brief, he must hence depart to Tyre:
His queen with child makes her desire
(Which who shall cross?) along to go: — ■
Omit we all their dole and woe: —
Lychorida, her nurse, she takes,
And so to sea. Their vessel shakes
On Neptune's billow; half the flood
Hath their keel cut: but fortune's mood19
Varies again ; the grisly north20
12. Coignes. The old copies misprint this ' crignes.' Rowe's
correction. See Note gp, Act i., " Macbeth ; " and Note 18, Act
iv., "Antony and Cleopatra."
13. Can stead tlis quest. 'Can aid the search.' See Note
36, Act i., " King Lear."
14. The most strange enqnhe. "Strange" has been altered
by Malone and others to ' strong ; ' but we think that here
"strange" is used to express 'unusual,* 'uncommon,' 'extra-
ordinary.' See Note 14, Act v., " Midsummer Night's Dream ''
15. On the head of Helicanus 'would stt on tlte crown, .fr^c
Similar pleonasms of expression are occasionally found in Shake-
speare. See Note 106, Act i., " Romeo and Juliet."
16. T* oppress. 'To suppress.' The Latin word opprimere
bears this sense as one of its meanings.
17. Y-ravislied. See Note 1 of the present Act for another
instance of the antique prefix, y. "Ravished" is here used in
the sense of ' delighted,' 'rejoiced.'
18. With claps can sound. The word " can " was often used
by ancient writers instead of * 'gan.' Here we retain the original
word; because the author's aim was evidently to give as anti-
quated an air as possible to Gower's diction in these chorus-
speeches.
19. But fortune's moo I. The old copies give 'mou'd,' or
' moou'd,' for " mood." Steevens's correction.
20. The grisly north. In the old copies "grisly " is variously
spelt 'grisled,' 'grislee,' 'grieslec,' and "grisly." Some modern
editions give 'grizzled;' but the word "grisly," signifying
'terrible,' 'hideous,' is used by Shakespeare elsewhere (in
" Midsummer Night's Dream," Act v, sc. 1) ; and we think
precisely suits for the requisite epithet here.
21. Well-a-ncar. An exclamation equivalent to ' wcll-a-day ; '
of which it is a provincially used form. See Note 14, Act ii.,
" Henry V "
Disgorges such a tempest forth,
That, as a duck for lite that dives,
So up and down the poor ship drives :
The lady shrieks, and, well-a-near,21
Does fall in travail with her fear:
And what ensues in this fell storm
Shall for itself itself perform.
I nill relate,2- action may
Conveniently the rest convey ;
Which might not what by me is told.23
In your imagination hold
This stage the ship, upon whose deck
The sea-tost Pericles24 appears to speak.
[Exit-
SCENE I.— On a Ship at Sea.
Enter Pericles.
Per. Thou25 god of this great vast,26 rebuke
these surges,
Which wash both heaven and hell ; and thou, that
hast
Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,
Having call'd them from the deep! Oh, still
Thy deafening, dreadful thunders; gently quench
Thy nimble, sulphurous flashes! — Oh, how, Lycho-
rida,
How does my queen ? — Thou storm, venomously
Wilt thou spit all thyself?2" — The seaman's
whistle
22. / nill relate. "Nill" is an ancient negative; framed
from ' ne will,' and signifying ' will not.' See Note 27, Act ii.,
" Taming of the Shrew."
23. Which might not what by me is told. ' Which (" action "}
might not so conveniently have represented to you what is re-
lated by me.*
24. Tlte sea-tost Pericles. " Sea-tost," in the old copies, is
given ' seas tost.' Rowe made the correction.
25. Tlwu god of this great vast. The old copies give 'the'
for "thou" here. Rowe's correction. The diction throughout
the present scene is veritably Shakespearian. It has that
majesty of unstrained force which distinguishes his finest
descriptive passages, and that dignity of expression, combined
with the most simple and natural pathos, which characterises
his passages of deepest passion. After the comparative stiffness
traceable in the phraseology of the previous scenes, and after
the cramped and antiquated chorus-speeches of Gower, this
opening of the third Act always comes upon us with the effect
of a grand strain of music — the music of the great master him-
self—with its rightly touched discords, and its nobly exalted
soul -sufficing harmonies.
26. This great vast. 'This wide expanse of sky and sea.*
At once, by these words, the poet shows us Pericles on the deck,
face to face with Nature in her terrible aspect, exposed to the
full sweep of the tempest, out amid the din and clamour of the
elements ; vainly striving to make his voice heard in calling to
Lychorida, who is within the cabin, attending upon his queen.
The stage appointments of the time permitted no efficient repre-
sentation of shipboard ; but the dramatist's words are of suffi-
cient force to place before us the absolute particulars of the
situation.
27. Thou storm, venomously wilt thou spit all thyself? The
old copies give 'Then storme venomously, wilt thouspet all thy-
Act III.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Is as a whisper in the ears of death,
Unheard. — Lychorida ! — Lucina, oh,
Dninest patroness, and midwife23 gentle
To those that cry by night, convey thy deity
Aboard our dancing boat ; make swift the pangs
Of my queen's travails!29 —
Enter Lychorida, luirb an Infant.
Now, Lychorida !
Lye. Here is a thing too young for such a place,
Who, if it had conceit,30 would die, as I
Am like to do: take in your arms this piece
Of your dead queen.
Per. How, how, Lychorida!
Lye. Patience, good sir ; do not assist the storm.
Here 's all that is left living of your queen, —
A little daughter: for the sake of it,
Be manly, and take comfort.
Per. Oh, you gods \
Why do you make us love your goodly gifts,
And snatch them straight away ? We here below
Recall not what we give, and therein may
Vie honour with you.31
Lye. Patience, good sir,
Even for this charge.
Per. Now, mild may be thy life !
For a more blust'rous birth had never babe :
Quiet and gentle thy conditions ! 32
For thou art the ruddiest welcome to this world33
self?' Malone altered 'then' to " thou," which alteration we
adopt, because it seems evident to us that the " storm" is here
addressed ; just as, before, the speaker has been intended to use
" thou " when invoking the " god of this great vast ; " but we
cannot agree with the Cambridge Editors, in accepting Mr.
Dyce's change of "storm" to ' stormest ;' which destroys the
address to the storm itself that we believe was here intended by
the author. " Venomously " is here used to express ' maliciously,'
'spitefully,' 'virulently;' and "Wilt thou spit all thyself?" is
equivalent to 'Wilt thou spend thyself entirely?' 'Wilt thou-
exhaust thyself utterly?' See, for an employment of "all," in
a similar sense, Note 136, Act iv., " King Lear ; " and Note 641
Act i., " Antony and Cleopatra." " Wilt thou spit all thyself?"
also includes the meaning of ' Wilt thou foam thus loudly to the
exclusion of all other sounds ?' because Pericles goes on to say
that, owing to the noise of the storm, the boatswain's whistle
cannot be heard ; then how can he himself hope to make
Lychorida hear his call? And yet, desperately, he again repeats
his summons ; then lapses into agonising prayer for Thaisa.
28. Midwife. The old copies give ' my wife.' Steevens's
correction.
29. My queen's travails. "Travails" is one of the words
formerly used in the plural as well as the singular, though now
only in the latter. Sec Note 2, Act iv., "Richard III."
30. Conceit. Here used for ' power of conceiving thought.'
31. May vie honour -with you. The old copies have ' vse '
instead of " vie." Mason's and Steevens's correction. See
Note 13, Act iv.
32. Quiet and gentle thy conditions'! ' May thy qualities and
disposition be quiet and gentle ! * " May be " before " thy
life" allows 'maybe' to be elliptically understood as repeated
in the present phrase. "Conditions" are 'qualities of cha-
racter,' ' dispositions of mind.' See Note 38, Act ii., " Othello."
33. The ruddiest welcome to this world. Malone altered
"welcome" to ' welcom'd ; ' but Wilkins's novel shows "wel-
come * to be the right word here.
That e'er was prince's child. Happy what follows !
Thou hast as chiding a nativity
As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,34
To herald thee from the womb : even at the first,
Thy loss is more than can thy portage quit,83
With all thou canst find here. — Now, the good gods
Throw their best eyes upon 't I36
Enter t-ivo Sailors.
First Sail. What courage, sir? God save you!
Per. Courage enough : I do not fear the flaw ;3'"
It hath done to me the worst. Yet, for the love
Of this poor infant, this fresh new sea-farer,
I would it would be quiet.
First Sail. Slack the bolins33 there! — Thou
wilt not, wilt thou ? Blow, and split thyself.
Sec, Sail. But sea-room, an the brine and
cloudy billow kiss the moon, I care not.
First Sail. Sir, your queen must overboard :
the sea works high, the wind is loud, and will not
lie till the ship be cleared of the dead.
Per. That's your superstition.
First Sail. Pardon us, sir ; with us at sea it
hath been still observed ; and we are strong in
custom.-39 Therefore briefly yield her ; for she
must overboard straight.40
Per. As you think meet. — Most wretched
queen !
Lye. Here she lies, sir.41
34. As chiding a nativity as fire, air, &>c. Here, besides
the direct allusion to the rough concomitants of Nature's stormy
condition by which his child's birth into the world is ushered,
Pericles refers indirectly to the influence which it was believed
the due admixture of the elements in human composition
exercised upon its future being. See Note n, Actiii., "Antony
and Cleopatra."
35. Thy loss is more than can thy portage quit. 'Thy loss
[in losing thy mother] is more than can be counterbalanced by
thy safe conveyance into life.'
36. With all thou canst find here. — Nffzu, tlie good gods
throw their best eyes upon 't ! The present passage affords an
instance of a peculiarity in Shakespeare's style, which we have
frequently pointed out ; a sudden change of personal pronoun,
applied to the same object. Throughout the speech, Pericles
has used " thou" in apostrophising his new-born child ; but. in-
voking the gods' best blessings, he abruptly concludes with
' it,' or *' upon V." See Note 36, Act ii.
37. Flaw. ' Stormy blast,' 'tempestuous gust of wind.' See
Note 35, Act v., " Hamlet "
3S. Bolins. A sailorly pronunciation of 'bow-lines.' The
ropes by which the sails of a ship are governed when the wind is
unfavourable : they are slackened when it is high,
39. And we are strong in custom. The old copies print
' easterne ' as the final word here. Mason proposed ' earnest ; '
Steevens, 'credence;' Jackson, 'astern;' and Boswell, 'cus-
tom ;' which latter we adopt, as being probably the right one.
40. For she must overboard straight. As an example of the
excessive corruption in the printing of the old copies, these
words were there shuffled into the next speech of Pciiclc-. ;
whereas they evidently belong to the first sailor, and form the
conclusion of his present speech. Malone made the requisite
transposition.
41. Here she lies, sir. At these words we must suppose that
Lychorida puts by a curtain and discovers an inner cabin with
Thaisa lying apparently dead ; the old.stage appurtenance of a
Act III.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
Per. A terrible child-bed hast thou had, my
dear ;
No light, no fire : the unfriendly elements
Forgot thee utterly ; nor have I time
To give thee hallow' d to thy grave, but straight
Must cast thee, scarcely coffin'd, in the ooze;4-
Where, for a monument43 upon thy bones,
And aye-remaining44 lamps, the belching whale
And humming water must o'erwhelm thy
corpse,
Lying with simple shells. — O Lychorida,
Bid Nestor bring me spices, ink and paper,
My casket and my jewels; and bid Nicander
Bring me the satin coffer:45 lay the babe
Upon the pillow: hie thee, whiles I say
A priestly farewell to her: suddenly, woman.
[Exit Lychorida.
Sec. Sail. Sir, we have a chest beneath the
hatches, caulked and bitumed ready.
Per. I thank thee. — Mariner, say what coast is
this?
Sec. Sail. We are near Tharsus.
Per. Thither, gentle mariner,
Alter thy course for Tyre.46 When canst thou
reach it ?
Sec. Sail. By break of day, if the wind cease.
Per. Oh, make for Tharsus 1—
There will I visit Cleon, for fhe babe
Cannot hold out to Tyrus : there I'll leave it
At careful nursing. — Go thy ways, good mariner :
I'll bring the body presently.4^ [Exeunt.
raised portion at the back, provided with curtains, allowing of
inner rooms, upper rooms, or even lower rooms to be supposed
to be made visible to the audience. See Note 34, Act v.,
" Henry VIII.;" and Notes 14 and 24, Act v., "Antony and
Cleopatra." In the present instance, the interior of the cabin
beneath is supposed to be revealed to view : so much had the
words of the poet-dramatist to do in appealing to the imaginations
of his hearers.
42. In t/ie ooze, for this the old copies give 'in oare.'
Steevens's correction.
43. IV fie re, for a monument. Here "for" has the force of
' instead of.' See Note 38, Act v., " Hamlet."
44. Aye- remaining;. The old copies misprint ' ayre remayn-
ing' here. Steevens, at the suggestion of Malone, made the
correction ; the propriety of which is evident when it is borne
in' mind that the poet here refers to those ever-lighted lamps
kept perpetually burning in ancient shrines and sepulchres.
45. The satin coffer. The old copies give 'coffin' instead of
" coffer " here. Malone's correction; which we take to be
right, because subsequently (in the fourth scene of the present
Act) Cerimon says, " Madam, this letter, and some certain
jewels, lay with you in your coffer" It has been opined that by
" the satin coffer " Pericles means a trunk in which satins and
rich stuffs are kept, and that he here calls for it with the intention
of taking thence the " cloth of state," in which Cerimon finds her
" shrouded ; " but we think it possible that the prince, by " the
satin coffer," may mean one of those antique trunks lined with
thickly-quilted satin formerly in use, wherein he meant to deposit
h - dead queen; and that the " chest," offered by the sailor as
'■ caulked and bitumed ready," is accepted and used as an outer
- coffin.
46. Thither, gentle mariner, alter thy course for Tyre.
' Alter thy course, which is now for Tyre, to go thither [to
SCENE II. — Ephesus. A Room in Cerimon's
House.
Enter Cepimon, a Servant, and some Persons ivho
have been shipwrecked.
Cer. Philemon, ho !
Enter Philemon.
Phil. Doth my lord call ?
Cer. Get fire and meat for these poor men :
It has been a turbulent and stormy night.
Serif. I have been in many ; but such a night
as this,
Till now, I ne'er endur'd.
Cer. Your master will be dead ere you return ;
There's nothing can be minister'd to nature
That can recover him. — [To Phil.] Give this to
the 'pothecary,
And tell me how it works.43
[Exeunt all except Cerimon.
Enter til 0 Gentlemen.
First Gent. Good morrow, sir.
Sec. Gent. Good morrow to your lordship.
Cer. Gentlemen,
Why do you stir so early ?
First Gent. Sir,
Our lodgings, standing bleak upon the sea,
Shook as the earth did quake ;
The very principals49 did seem to rend,
Tharsus].' This is one of those passages of involved construc-
tion which we have occasionally pointed out in Shakespeare.
See Note st, Act ii.
47. Go thy ivays, good mariner : I'll bring the body pre-
sently. Perfect Shakespeare is visible in every line of this
short scene. The poetical appeal to Nature in her storm-throes
of the husband anxiously thinking of his wife's travail-throes ;
the burst of agony with which he hears of her sudden death ; the
suppression of his lament for the sake of the child put into his
arms, and exchanging exclamations of regret for those of
aspiration that he may invoke blessings upon the head of his
new-born daughter ; the mildness of his attempted remonstrance
with the sailors, and almost immediate acquiescence with their
demand ; the pathetic address to his dead wife, with its tender
committal of her to the bosom of the ocean, there to lie " with
simple shells;" his accumulating around her all embalming
spices and rich envelopments ; his gentle patience and courtesy
towards the mariners; his thought for his infant's due bestowal ;
and his final desiring that he may be left alone with his beloved
dead, that he may take his last " priestly farewell " of it, and
that he may bring it in his own arms for consignment to the
sea, are all conceived and expressed with a passionate force that
but one writer we know ever possessed.
48. Give this to the 'pothecary, and tell me koto it works.
These words indicate that Cerimon gives the servant some
recipe, which is to be made up by the apothecary. It is evident
that it cannot be intended for the servant's master, who is pro-
nounced to be beyond medical help : but it is probably intended
for the servant himself, who may be supposed to have received
some bruise or injury requiring a healing application, the effect
of which Cerimon desires to know.
49. The very principals. The " principals " are the strongest
rnfters in the roof of a building.
776
InSR .
:t>4
act in.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
And all to topple :60 pure surprise and fear
Made me to quit the house.
Sec. Gent. That is the cause we trouble you so
early ;
'Tis not our husbandry.61
Cer. Oh, you say well.
First Gent. But I much marvel that your lord-
ship, having53
Rich tire about you, should at these early hours
Shake off the golden slumber of repose.
'Tis most strange,
Nature should be so conversant with pain,
Being thereto not compell'd.
Cer. I held it ever,83
Virtue and cunning54 were endowments greater
Than nobleness and riches : careless heirs
May the two latter darken and expend ;
But immortality attends the former,
Making a man a god. 'Tis known, I ever
Have studied physic, through which secret art,
By turning o'er authorities, I have
(Together with my practice) made familiar
To me and to my aid the blest infusions
That dwell in vegetives, in metals, stones;
And can speak of the disturbances that nature
Works, and of her cures; which doth give me
A more content55 in course of true delight
Than to be thirsty after tottering honour,
Or tie my treasure56 up in silken bags,
To please the fool and death.57
Sec. Gent. Your honour has through Ephesus
pour'd forth55
Your charity, and hundreds call themselves
Your creatures, who by you have been restor'd :
50. To rend, and all to topple. "All" was often formerly
used as an augmentative particle before " to."
51. Husbandry. 'Diligence,' 'assiduity,' 'economical pru-
dence.' See Note 94, Act i., " Hamlet."
52. / much marvel that your lordship, having, cW. In
Twine's translation of the " Gesta Romanorum," Cerimon is a
physician ; but Shakespeare — by making him a man of title,
wealth, and retired leisure, who voluntarily devotes himself to
the study of physic, and dedicates himself to the service of his
uffering fellow-creatures — takes advantage, as usual, of his
dramatist power, to read a lesson of benevolent opulence pre-
ferring a life of active utility to one of self-indulgence and ease.
Shakespeare, in his manifold homilies — acted rather than
preached ; inculcated rather than delivered — shows indeed ho.v
dramatic art, duly exercised, becomes a divine art.
53. / held it ever. The old copies give 'hold' instead of
" held " here (Malone's correction1 ; and though we are aware
that Shakespeare occasionally uses a verb in the present tense
while referring to a past occurrence, yet we think that the word
"were" in this phrase suffices to show that he most probably
wrote "held" and not ' hold.' Had he written ' hold,' we think
he would have considered that the construction of the phrase
required 'are' after it instead of "were;" whereas all the
original editions coincide in giving "were" before "endow-
ments."
54. Cunning. Here used for ' knowledge,' ' wisdom.' See
Note 2, Act iv., " Coriolanus."
55. A more content. "More" is here used for 'greater,'
'anpler.' See Note 7, Act ii., " King John."
And not your knowledge, your personal pain,59
but eve.
Your purse, still opt:;, hath built Lord Cerimon
Such strong renown as lime shall never60 —
Enter tzuo Servants, ivi.a a Chest.
First Serv. So ; lift there.
Cer. What is that ?
First Ser<v. Sir, even now
Did the sea toss upon our shore thij chest :
'Tis of some wreck.
Cer. Set it down, let 's look upon 't.
Sec. Gent. 'Tis like a coffin, sir.
Cer. Whate'er it be,
'Tis wondrous heavy. Wrench it open straight:
If the sea's stomach be o'ercharg'd with gold,
'Tis a good constraint of fortune it belches upon
us.
Sec. Gent. 'Tis so, my lord.
Cer. How close 'tis caulk'd and bitum'd !61 — ■
Did the sea cast it up ?
First Sei'V. I never saw so huge a billow,
sir,
As toss'd it upon shore.
Cer. Wrench it open ;
Soft! — it smells most sweetly in my sense.
Sec. Gent. A delicate odour.
Cer. As ever hit my nostril. — So, up with
it.—
Oh, you most potent gods ! what 's here ? a corse !
First Gent. Most strange !
Cer. Shrouded in cloth of state ; balm'd and
entreasur'd
5b. Treasure. The old copies give ' pleasure ' and ' pleasures*
instead of " treasure." Steevens's correction.
57. To please the fool and death. An allusion to two of
the personages in the old moralities or dramatic shows. See
Note 2, Act hi., " Measure for Measure," and Note 23, Act iii.,
" Romeo and Juliet." Steevens records that he once saw an old
Flemish print in which Death was represented as plundering a
miser of his bags, while the fool stood behind, grinning at the
process.
58. Your honour has through Ephesus pour'd forth, cV<\
" Your honour " is here, as elsewhere, used for ' your lordship.'
See Note 30, Act ii., " Measure for Measure."
59. Pain. Here used for ' trouble,' 'exertion.' See Note 4r,
Act iii., " Henry VIII. ; " while ' only ' is clliptically understood
before "your knowledge," and 'and' before "your personal
pain."
60. As time shall never--- The earliest Quartos give this
passage thus, excepting that they put a full stop after "never."
The latter Quartos and Folios give 'never shall decay ;' from
which Mr. Staunton formed the reading 'shall ne'er decay."
We adhere to the reading of the original copies : merely adopt-
in,' Malone's addition ofa dash, to mark that the speech is
interrupted in its completion by the entrance of the servants,
because Shakespeare has several examples of this kind of in-
tercepted conclusion. See Note 65, Act v., "Antony and
Cleopatra."
6r. How close ' 'tis caulk'd ami bitum'd ! The old copies give
' bottom'd ' instead of " bitum'd " here : but the word* of the
Second Sailor in the previous scene, as well as the parallel
passage in Wilkins's novel, show " bitum'd " to be correct.
ACT III.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
W Ith full bags of spices! A passport too! —
[Unfolds a scroll.
Apollo, perfect ir.e in the characters!63 {Reads.
Here I give to understand,—
If e'er this coffin drive a-land,63—
I, King Pericles, have lost
This queen, worth all our mundane cost.w
Who find'; her, give her burying ;
She was the daughter of a king :
Besides this treasure for a fee,
The gods requite his charity !
If thou liv'st, Pericles, thou hast a heart
That even cracks for woe ! — This chanc'd to-
night.
See. Gent. Most likely, sir.
Cer. Nay, certainly to-night ;
For look how fresh she looks ! — They were too
rough
That threw her in the sea.— Make fire within :
Fetch hither all the boxes in lny closet.
{Exit Sec. Servant.
Death may usurp on nature many hours,
And yet the fire of life kindle again
The o'erpress'd spirits. I heard of an Egyptian65
That had nine hours lien66 dead,
Who was by good appliance recoveie \.
Re-enter Second Servant, with boxes, napkins,
and fire.
Well said,6" well said ; the fire and cloths.—
The rough and woful music that we have,
Cause it to sound, beseech you.
62. Apollo, perfect vie in the characters I These words may
be intended merely to convey the speaker's trust that he shall
be able to peruse the scroll should it be written in a foreign
language ; but it is likely that there is also an included refer-
ence to the possibility of its being inscribed (according to the
ancient custom of graving funereal inscriptions) in strange
and even various characters. See Note 33, Act v., " Timon of
Athens."
63. A-land. This word, which Shakespeare has used twice
in the present play (here, and in Act ii., sc. 1), occurs several
times in Twine's translation of the story of " ApoIIonius of Tyre "
from the " Gesta Romanorum."
64. Mundane cost. 'Worldly possessions.' Shakespeare
occasionally uses "cost" in the sense of 'wealth,* 'riches,'
' costly goods ; ' for instance, in "As You Like It," Act ii.,
sc. 7 : — " The city-woman bears the cost of princes on unworthy
shoulders."
65. / heard 0/ an Egyptian, <5rv. This sentence has been
variously altered. We give it according to the earliest Quartos.
' Have ' is elliptically understood before " heard ; " and we have
often pointed out instances of similar construction in Shake-
speare. See Note 4, Act iii., " King Lear."
66. Lien. An old form of 'Iain.'
67. Well said. Sometimes, as here, used for 'well done.'
See Note 42, Act v., " First Part Henry IV."
68. T/te vial once more. In the three earlier Quartos " vial '
is printed ' violl ; ' in the three latter, ' viall.' It has therefore
been questioned whether Cerimon is here meant to call for a
small bottle or for a musical instrument. To us it is very evident
that the former is intended : because it is more likely that he
should be eager to have some pungent essence for Thaisa to
inhale, than that he should name some special instrument when
desiring that "music" shall play. It appears to us that the
The vial once more :63 — how thou stirr'st, thou
block !—
The music there! — [ piay you, give her air.
Gentlemen,
This queen will live : nature awakes; a warmth
Breathes out of her : 69 she hath not been entranced
Above five hours : see how she 'gins to blow
Into life's flower again !
First Gent. The heavens,
Through you, increase our wonder, and set up
Your fame for ever.
Cer. She is alive ; behold,
i Her eyelids, cases to those heavenly jewels
! Which Pericles hath lost,'0
' Begin to part their fringes of bright gold ;
The diamonds of a most praised water
Do appear, to make the world twice rich. — .Live,
And make us weep to hear your fate, fair creature,
Rare as you seem to be. [She moves.
Thai. Oh, dear Diana,
Where am I ? Where 's my lord ? What world is
this P^1
See. Gent. Is not this strange ?
First Gent. Most rare.
Cer. Hush, gentle neighbours !
Lend me your hands; to the next chamber bear
her.
Get linen : now this matter must be look'd to,
For her relapse is mortal. Come, come ;
And ^sculapius guide us !72
[Exeunt, carrying out Thaisa.
call for music is made and renewed ; while the demand for
" the vial " containing a volatile spirit is parenthetical.
69. Nature awakes; a warmth breathes out 0/ her. The
old copies print this, ' Nature awakes a warmth breath out of
her,* and ' Nature awakes a warme breath out of her.' Steevens
suggested the reading adopted by us and by most modern
editors.
70. Those hcavch'y jewels which Pericles hath lost. Who,
if not Shakespeare, wrote this? We recognise his poetry, his
rhythmical music, his sentiment, his intensity of expression in
this passage. And there is also the strength of individual
realisation so specially his ; since, later on in the play, there is
another similarly-worded allusion to the peculiar beauty and
brilliancy of Thaisa's eyes, which suggests the brightness of
"jewels." See Note 29, Act v. Moreover, the expression,
" their fringes of bright gold," is akin to the same epithet
applied to eye-lashes in his play of the " Tempest," where, in
Act 1., sc. 2, Prospero says, "The fringed curtains of thine
eye advance."
71. Oh, dear Diana, where am I ? Where's my lord ? What
world is this ? The three questions here uttered by Thaisa, on
her return to life, are taken verbatim from the parallel passage
in the "Confessio Amantis:" but the invocation "Oh, dear
Diana") by which they are preceded is just one of Shake-
speare's felicitous additions when adopting some point from an
original source. Thaisa's calling upon the virgin goddess's name
subtly serves to suggest the young princess, so few months a
wife, that her maiden appeals to divine succour come most
naturally to her lips on first recovering her senses; and also
serve to appropriately usher in the subsequent dedication of
herself as a votaress in Diana's !empl« Thus judiciously and
artistically does our dramatist work !
73. And sEscidapius guide usl Cerimon here appropriately
779
Act III.]
PERICLES.
[Scenes III., IV.
SCENE III.— Tharsus. A Room in Cleon's
House.
Enter Pericles, Cleon, Dionyza, and Lycho-
rida iviib Marina in her aims.
Per. Most honour' d Cleon, I must needs be
gone ;
My twelve months are expir'd, and Tyrus stands
I n a litigious peace. You, and your lady,
Take from my heart all thankfulness ! The gods
Make up the rest upon you !
Cle. Your shafts of fortune, though they hurt
you mortally,73
Yet glance full wanderingly on us.
Dion. Oh, your sweet queen !
That the strict fates had pleas'd you had brought
her hither,
To have bless'd mine eyes !
per We cannot but obey
The powers above us-. Could I rage and roar
As doth the sea she lies in, yet the end
Must be as 'tis. My gentle babe Marina, — whom,
For she was born at sea,'1 I have nam'd so, — here
1 charge your charity withal, and leave her
The infant of your care; beseeching you
To give her princely training, that she may be
Manner* d as she is born.
Qle_ Fear not, my lord, but think
Your grace, that fed my country with your corn, —
For which the people's prayers still fall upon
you, —
Must in your child be thought on. If neglection
Should therein make me vile, the common body,
By you reliev'd, would force me to my duty :
But if to that my nature need a spur,
The gods revenge it upon me and mine,
To the end of generation !
invokes the aid of iEsculapius, god of medicine, as previously,
when unfolding the scroll, he addresses an imploration to
Apollo, god of letters and learning.
73. Your skafts of fortune, though tkey, &C. In this
speech the old copies give ' shakes ' for " shafts," ' hant ' for
"hurt," and ' wondringly ' for "wanderingly." Steevens made
the needful corrections. Shakespeare elsewhere uses similar
figurative expressions to the " shafts of fortune " (see Note 33,
Act ii., " Henry VIII.'*] ; and the gist of the present speech
appears to be, ' Those misfortunes which pierce you with such
deadly aim, include ourselves in their effect, since we deeply
sympathise with the grief they cause you, and since they compel
you to leave us so soon for Tyre.'
74- Whom, for she was born at sea. "For "is here used in
the sense of ' because.' See Note 80, Act iii., " Cymbeline."
75. Utiscissar'd shill this hair. The old copies print 'un-
sisterd shall this heyre.' Steevens's correction; shown to be
right by the parallel passage in Wilkins's novel.
76. Though I sho-.u ill in 7. The old copies give ' will ' for
"ill" Malone suggested the emendation; which has been
proved to be correct by the following passage [which applies to
the contents of the preceding Note as well as to those of the
present one) from Wilkins's novel: — "Vowing solemnely by
othe to himself, his head should grow vnscisierd, his beard
per\ I believe you ;
Your honour and your goodness teach me to 't,
Without your vows. Till she be marriet',
madam,
Bv bright Diana, whom we honour, all
Unscissar'd shall this hair75 of mine remain,
Though I show ill in't.76 So I take my leave.
Good madam, make me ble>s£d in your care
In bringing up my child.
Dion. I have one myself,
Who shall not be more dear to my respect
Than yours, my lord.
Per. Madam, my thanks and prayers.
Cle. We'll bring your grace e'en to the edge o'
the shore,
Then give you up to the mask'd Neptune77 and
The gentlest winds of heaven.
per- I will embrace
Your offer. Come, dearest madam.— Oh, no
tears,
Lvchorida, no tears :
Look to your little mistress, on whose grace
You may depend hereafter. — Come, my lord.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.— Ephesus. A Room in Cerimons
House.
Enter CeRIMON and Thaisa.
Cer. Madam, this letter, and some certain
jewels,
Lay with you in your coffer : which are
At your command. Know you the character P
'Thai. It is my lord's.
That I was shipp'd at sea, I well remember,
Even on my yearning rs time ; but whether there
vntrimmed, himself in all vncomefy, since he had lost his
Queene," &c.
77. The mask'd Neptune. The epithet " mask'd " has been
suspected of error, and has been variously altered: but we
think the phrase means, ' Neptune wearing his serene aspect,'
' Neptune veiling his terrible visage,' ' Neptune having a smooth
surface ; ' which accords well with " the gentlest winds of
heaven."
73. Yearning. The Quarto copies give 'learning,' and the
Folio copies ' eaning,' instead of " yearning " here. Steevens
suggested the correction ; pointing out that a common expression
for the period of a woman's labour is her ' groaning time.'
Shakespeare himself has a passage that confirms this, in
" Measure for Measure," Act ii., sc. 2, where the Provost
says, " What shall be done, sir, with the groaning Juliet 1
She's very near her hour." And elsewhere the poet uses the
wcrd "yearn" to express 'grieve,' 'lament,' 'sufTer;' and
"yearned" to express 'grieved' or 'pained.' See Note 65,
Act iv., " Henry V. ; " and Note 64, Act v. , " Richard II." The
word in the Quarto copies differs but one letter from the word
proposed by Steevens and adopted by ourselves : and we cannot
but think that it is more likely Shakespeare would put into the
j mouth of Thaisa an expression (" yearning time ") which is akin
I to one ordinarily used for a woutarl in labour, than that he would
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Chorus.
Deliver'd, by the holy gods,
I cannot rightly say. But since King Pericles,
My wedded lord, I ne'er shall see again,
A vestal livery will I take me to,
And never more have joy.
Cer. Madam, if this you purpose as you
speak,
Diana's temple is not distant tar,
Where you may 'bide until your date ex|»ire."9
Moreover, it you please, a niece of mine
Shall there at' end you.
Thai. My recompense is thanks, that 's all ;
Yet my good will is great, though the gift small.
[Exeunt.
ACT IV.
Enter GoWER.
Goto. Imagine Pericles arriv'd at Tyre,
WelcomM and settled to his own desire.
His woful queen we leave at Ephesus,
Unto Diana there a votaress.
Now to Marina bend your mind,
Whom our fast-growing scene must find
At Tharsus, and by Cleon train'd
In music, letters ; who hath gain'd
Of education all the grace,
Which makes her both the heart and place
Of general wonder.1 But, alack,
That monster envy, oft the wrack
Of earn fed praise, Marina's life
Seeks to take off by treason's knife.
And in this kind hath our Cleon
One daughter, and a wench full grown,2
cause her to use a term '"eaning time") which he has himself
shown to be strictly applied to an animal bringing forth its
young. See passage referred to in Note 67, Act i., " Merchant
of Venice."
79. Where you may* bide until your date expire. 'Where
you may remain until your appointed term of life is concluded.'
The old copies give ' abide till ' instead of " 'bide until." Malone's
correction.
1. Makes her both the heart and place 0/ general wonder.
' Makes her both the central point and rest ng-spot of general
admiration.' The old copies give ' hie ' and ' high ' for " her,"
and 'art1 for "heart." Steevens made the correction. Shake-
speare frequently uses "heart" for 'central point;' as "the
heart of falsehood" (" Troilus and Cressida," Act iii., sc. 2 ; I
" their very heart of hope" (" Coriolanus," Act i., sc. 6) ; and
"the very heart of loss" ("Antony and Cleopatra," Act iv.,
sc. 10) ; and " place " is here used in the sense which it formerly
bore of ' residence,' ' mansion,' ' dwelling-place.' See Note 27,
Act ii., " As You Like It."
2. (And in this hind Jiaih our Cleon
t One daughter, and a -wench full gro*.vn.
This couplet is misprinted thus in'the old copies :—
' And in this kinde, our Cleon hath
One daughter and a full growne wench."
Steevens made the transposition required by the rhyme, and
most likely originally written by the author.
Even ripe for marriage rite ;3 this maid
Hight4 Philoten : and it is said
For certain in our story, she
Would ever with Marina be :
Be't when she weav'd6 the sleided silk0
With fingers long, small, white as milk ;
Or when she would with sharp neeld7 wound
The cambric, which she made more sound
By hurting it ; or when to the lute
She sung, and made the night-bird8 mute,
That still records9 with moan ; or when
She would with rich and constant pen
Vail10 to her mistress Dian ; still
This Philoten contends in skill
With absolute11 Marina: so
With the dove of Paphos might the crow 12
3 Marriage rite. The old copies give 'sight' for "rite."
Singer's correction.
4. Hight. An antique word for 'named,' 'called.' See
Note 21, Act i., " Love's Labour's Lost."
5. Be 't -when she weav*d. The old copies have ' they ' instead
of " she." Malone's correction ; which the context shows to be
right.
6. Sleided silk. ' LTnwrought silk,' prepared for weaving by
passing it through the weaves s sley or reed-comb. See Note 19,
Act ii., " Macbeth."
7. Neeld. An ancient abbreviated form of ' needle,' probably
written here by the author, though printed in the old copies
' needle' in this passage as well as in those pointed out in Note
28, Act v., " King John." Malone's emendation.
8. Tit* night-bird. In the old copies "bird" is misprinted
'bed.' Malone made the correction, which is an obvious one,
the nightingale being here evidently meant.
9. Records. ' Sings.' The verb, thus applied, is a bird-
fancier's technicality. See Note 5, Act v., "Two Gentlemen
of Verona."
10. Vail. It has been proposed to change this word to
'hail' or 'wail;' but Shakespeare uses "vail" in this very play
for Mower,' 'stoop' 'see Note 55, Act ii. ; also Note 9, Act i.,
"Merchant of Venice"), and we think that in the present
passage he employs it to express 'pay homage," 'deferentially
honour,' ' bendingly present written hymns or odes.'
11. Absolute. 'Fully accomplished,' 'completely excellent.'
See Note 2, Act v.. " Measure for Measure."
12. With tlte dove sf Paphos might the crow. The old copies
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Vie feathers white." Marina gets
All praises, which are paid as debts,
And not as given - "-arks
In Philoten all graceful in
That Cleon's wire, with envy rare,
A present murderer does prepare
For good Marina, tha . hter
' ! . t sta I peerless by this slaughter.
The sooner her v ghts to
I chorida, our - •
D
The pregnant14 instrument of wrath
Prest" for this blow. The unborn ever.t
I do commend to your content :"
Only I carry1-* wi .
Post on the lame feet of my rhyme :
b never could I so convey.
Unless your thoughts went on my
Leonine, a mar
:s*
SCENE L— Tharsus Ah spin Place near the
Emter Dioxyza and Leonine,
D::r. Thv oath remember ; thou hast sworn
: Ioft :
Sue thus : " The Doue of Paphos might with the crow/
Mas"-' ;_^;-5:* .; :-...- req tis te tnwsfi " Boon
'.'U Je*£hers w&ttr. S
Note 31, Act ixi.
:j. PrtgmamL "Apt," *promr; - N
.
:hant of
Venire."
zS. Tie mmh*nt rsvmi I d* c#mm*nf r> ymr arkttni, * The
-.erne I trust will prove to
y h satisfaction.'
: ijf. The old copies gire " earned. ' Steevens made
:J-; ; irectiom.
iS. Lit w* cmtsdemoty ve&x$ a £mt cwtd. 'Let not your
conscience, which is hot cold at its best, and which has but just
been made colder by my arguments.* She is asserting the
coldness of Leonme's individual conscience, and not that of
conscience in general ; thus trying to urge Jura to sufier his
: osoence to „= dead, and not to let -..-_? mto sparks ;:"
19. ImJUmimg i*z* U ikr &»*>£. The old copies print this
-. ; • •
30. tfiafy. Here used for ' scrupulously.' 'coosir?
''<-*-|imp,*g«-riw'IW>W>llr' '
■■ ttUitr U tir fxrj**. • Keep bravely to ihy
purpose.* There is a similar form of expression explained in
Cymbehne.""
--r i\t ama zerrfi*g fur krr tmfy miasms' JtrnA.
■ -his according to the text in the oM copies, as none of
a rmmrtarion are satisfactory. I
observe 1 had been trained in mosack, lett-
and bad gained all the graces of education. Lycborica could not
have been her .-*.> mx:rrss_ I wou*d therefore read. ' Here
comes she weening for ber tii *»rsrV death." Bat we think
'Tis but a blow, which never shall be known.
Thou canst not do a thing i* the world so soon,
To yield thee so much pront. Let not conscience.
Which :- but c l,B inflaming love in thy bosom,**
Inflame too nicely j31 nor let pitv, which
Even women h t thee, but be
As to 1 pose.3
Lear. I will do't; but ve: she is a goodly
creature.
D.::. The I I gods should
her. — Here
She come! : (or her only mistress' death.- —
Th :_ art res ...'::
I am resolv'J.
Enter Marina, a :sker off*-.
N . I will rob Tellus3 of her weej.
To strew thy green:4 with flowers: the yellows,
blu
The purr . ; ' "5.
Shall, as a carpet, hang upon thy gr.i\ r.
While summer days do last. — Ah me! poor
mai
B^rn in a tempest, when my mother died,
This world to me is like a lasting storm,
rring me from my friends.
D::-.. How now. Marina! why do you keep
ale
How chance my daughter is not with you ? D
not
Consume your blood with sorrowing :a yon
that there are two points of consideration which make for the
procv. only mistress* may be right. In dx
- v ~-;:: T >-f-- :-:.::— \.;' '^r> -:' — -s ; ;v ".: v:-.
md embroidering well upon "cambric" tas describee in
Gower s chorus-speech to the present Act), besides being versei
in other renoements pertaining to a court education : and these
z::- — 7 - : .. .--:< .-.- -- " : : :. . .: ~ '.:...;-. :
. the young p:
in the next place, the " formerly often bore — and
indeedsuu occasionally bears — the sense 'chief,1 'principal,1
* one above all other.* Dr. Johnson points out that Spenser thus
-
•i mJj joy was to relieve the needs of wretched souls ;"
and observes : r. the familiar phrase,
... - - - - . • ---■.-■
elsewhere nses the word "only" in precisely this sense : — "He
is the <*rvr man in Italy. '
the cxi? wear," "As You I :
sc - '-.-.' : me T^ce-maker,** " A? Y-- l:^r
1 " Oh, heaven, your mmfy jig-maker,"
■"Hamlet" A •: - - - ■
Part Hem
- 'logical name for the earth as a goddess.
"Weed" is A peculiar appi opt lateness for *gar-
r~ ■ z ~ ■ ; ? ■ ~
. A p-^tira' term for the mrf or sc.£ ^h;:h
: -..-.;.-.---; :-;-:; .... - ;". "_\ ;-.rr. 1 . ri
': .- ed
ACT IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene II.
A nurse of me. Lord, how your favour 's chang'd :6
With this unprofitable woe ! Come,
Give me your flowers, ere the sea mar them.-7
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 ;
I'll not bereave you ol your servant.
Dion. Come, come ;
I love the king your father, and yourself,
With more than foreign heart.23 We every day
Expect him here : when he shall come, and rind
Our paragon to all reports29 thus blasted,
He will repent the breadth of his great voyage ;
Blame both my lord and me, that we have taken
No care to your best courses. Go, I pray you,
Walk, and be cheerful once again ; reserve30
That excellent complexion, which did steal
The eyes of young and old. Care not for me ;
I can go home alone.
Mar. Well, I will go ;
But yet I have no desire to it.
Dion. Come, ccme, I know 'tis good for you. —
Walk half an hour, Leonine, at the least :
Remember what I have said.
Leon. I warrant you, madam.
Dion. I'll leave you, my sweet lady, for a
while :
Fray, walk softly, do not heat your blood :
What ! I must have a care of you.
Mar. My thanks, sweet madam. — ■
[Exit Dioxyza.
Is this wind westerly that blows ?
Leon. South-west.
Mar. When I was born, the wind was north.
Leon. Was 't so ?
Mar. My father, as nurse said, did never fear,
But cried, "Good seamen !" to the sailors, galling
His kingly hands, hauling ropes ;
And, clasping to the mast, endur'd a sea
That almost burst the deck.
Leon. When was this ?
Mar. When I was born :
Never were waves nor wind more violent ;
And from the ladder-tackle washes off
A canvas-climber.31 "Ha!" says one, "wilt out:'"
And with a dropping industry they skip
42, Act iii., "Midsummer Night's Dream;'' and Note 6o,
Act iii., " Second Part Henry VI."
26. Hozu your favour s chang'd. "Favour" is here, as else-
where, used for ' aspect,' ' look,' ' appearance,' ' countenance.'
27. Give me your flowers, ere the sea mar them. The old
copies print ' it' for "them." Mr. Knight's correction; which
we adopt, on the assumption that in the present instance there
is one of those typographical errors which so abound in this
play. Otherwise, we might believe that ' it ' was used in refer-
ence to "flowers" fas "it" in reference to " flatteries," see
Note 73, Act iii., "Timon of Athens ; " and " it" in reference to
"praises," see Note 2, Act iii., " Cymbeline"), implying ' the
colour or freshness of the flower,,'
From stem to stern:33 the boatswain whistles, ami
The master calls, and trebles their confusion.
Leon. Come, say your prayers.
Mar- What mean you ?
Leon. It you require a little space for prayer,
I grant it: pray ; but be not tedious,
For the gods are quick of ear, and I am sworn
To do my work with haste.
Mar- Why will you kill me ?
Leon. To satisfy my lady.
Mar. Why would she have me kill'd ?
Now, as I can remember, by my troth,
I never did her hurt in all my life :
I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn
To any living creature : believe me, la,
I never kill'd a mouse, nor hurt a fly :
I trod upon a worm against my will,
But I wept for it. How have I offended,
Wherein my death might yield her profit, or
My life imply her any danger ?
Leon. My commission
Is not to reason of the deed, but do it.
Mar. You will not do 't for all the world, 1 hope.
You are well favour' d, and your looks foreshow
You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately,
When you caught hurt in parting two that fought :
Good sooth, it show'd well in you : do so now :
Your lady seeks my life ; come you between,
And save poor me, the weaker.
Leon. I am sworn,
Ami will despatch.
Enter Pirates, 'whilst MARINA is struggling.
First Pirate. Hold, villain !
[Leonine runs away.
See. Pirate. A prize 1 a prize !
'Third Pirate. Half-part, mates, half-part.
Come, let's have her aboard suddenly.
[Exeunt Pirates -with MARINA.
SCENE II.— The Same.
Enter Leonine.
Leon. These roguing thieves serve the great
pirate Valdes ;33
28. With more than foreign heart. Implying, 'with more
than the affection of one who is not his own countrywoman.'
29. Our paragon to all reports. ' Our fair charge, whoso
beauty equalled all that report described it to be.'
30. Reserve. Here used for 'keep carefully,' 'preserve,
1 guard from injury.'
31. A canvas-climbe;: A sailor ; one who climbs the mast to
furl or unfurl the canvas or sails.
32. From stem to stem. The old copies have ' from stcrne t j
sterne.' Malone's correction.
33. The great pirate Valdes. It has been pointed out by
Malone that Shakespeare probably had this name stlggl to
him by the fact that Don Pedro dc Valdes was an admiral in
783
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene III.
Third Pirate. Half-part, mates, half-part. Come, let 's have her aboard suddenly.
Act IV. Sctne I.
And they have seiz'd Marina. Let her go :
There's no hope she '11 return. I'll swear she's
dead,
And thrown into the sea. — But I'll see
farther :
Perhaps they will but please themselves upoD
her,
Not carry her aboard. If she remain,
Whom they have outrag'd must by me be slain.
[Exit.
tl.c fleet of the Spanish Armada, having the command of the
great galleon of Andalusia. His ship being disabled, he was
taken by Sir Francis Drake, on the 22nd of July, 1588, and sent name was originally zecehini, from zecca. a mint. A tecckino
to Dartmouth. That the name of this commander should bo was a gold coin of Venice, worth about seven or eight
assigned to a "pirate," was likely to prove a popular point with shillings,
an Elizabethan audience. In Robert Greene's "Spanish Mas- 35 Were as pretty a proportion to live quietly, and so give
querado" 1.1580), there is a particular account of Admiral Valdes, ' over. Elliptically expressed ; the sentence signifying, 'would
who was then prisoner in England be as pretty a competence as need he to li\e quietly with, and
34. Chequins. A coin of Italy, and also of Baibary. The ' so give over our present occupation.'
784
SCENE III.— Mvtilene. A Room in a House
oj Ill-fame.
Enter its Keeper, his Wife, and Boult, their
Servant,
Keep. Boult,—
Boult. Sir ?
Keep. Search the market narrowly ; Mylilene
is full of gallants.
Boult. I'll go seatch the market. [Exit.
Keep. Three or four thousand chequins34 were as
pretty a proportion to live quietly, and so give ever.-''5
Wife. You are lit into my hands, where you are like to live.
Marina. The more my fault,
To 'scape his hands where I uas like to die.
Art ir. Sane III.
263
Act I V.J
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
Wife. Why to give over, I pray you ? is it a
shame to get when we are old ?
Keep. Oh, our credit comes not in like the
commodity, nor the commodity wages not with
the danger :30 therefore, if in our youths we could
pick up some pretty estate, 'twere not amiss to keep
our door hatched.37 Besides, the sore terms we
stand upon with the gods will be strong with us
for giving over.
Wife. Come, other sorts offend as well as we.
Keep. As well as we! ay, and better too; we
offend worse. Neither is our profession any trade ;
it's no calling. — But here comes Boult.
Re-enter Boult, ivitb the Pirates, bringing
Marina.
Boult. [To Mar.] Come your ways. — My
masters, you say she's a virgin ?
First Pirate. Oh, sir, we doubt it not.
Boult. Master, I have gone thorough33 for this
piece, you see : if you like her, so; if not, I have
lost my earnest.39
Wife. Boult, has she any qualities ?
Boult. She has a good face, speaks well, and
has excellent good clothes : there 's no farther
necessity of qualities can make her be refused.
Wife. What 's her price, Boult?
Boult. I cannot be bated one doit of a thousand
pieces.40
Keep, Well, follow me, my masters, you shall
have your money presently. — Wife, take her in.
[Exeunt Keeper, Pirates, and Boult.
Mar. Alack that Leonine was so slack, so
slow ! —
He should have struck, not spoke ; — or that these
pirates
(Not enough barbarous) had not o'erboard thrown
me
For to seek my mother !
Wife. Why lament you, pretty one ?
That I am pretty.
Come, the gods have done their part in
Mar.
Wife.
you.
Mar.
I accuse them not.
36. Wages not •with the danger. ' Does not equal the
danger.' See Note 7, Acl v., "Antony and Cleopatra."
37. To keep our door hatched. Implying, ' to keep our door
closed against customers.' That a spiked half-door or " hatch "
was a usual distinctive appendage to low haunts of profligacy
and theft we have before stated. See Note ^, Act ii., " Merry
Wives."
38. I have gone thorough. An idiomatic phrase; here im-
plying, ' I have bid high,' ' I have gone thoroughly to work in
the price I have offered.' The old copies print ' through1 for
"thorough ; " the one word having been formerly often used for
the other. See Note 84, Act ii., " Troilus and Crcssida."
39. Earnest. Money given in token of ratifying a bargain :
Sum deposited as a pledge of intention to purchase. See Note
181, Act iv., " Winter's Tale."
40. I eannet be bated on '1 cannot get them to
Wife. You are lit into my hands, where you
are like to live.
Mar. The more my fault,
To 'scape his hands where I was like to die.41
Wife. Ay, and you shall live in pleasure.
Mar. No.
Wife. Yes, indeed shall you : you shall fare
well. What ! do jcou stop your ears ?
Mar. Are you a woman ?
Wife. What would you have me be, an I be
not a woman ?
Mar. An honest woman, or not a woman.
Wife. Marry, whip thee, gosling : I think I
shall have something to do with you. Come,
you're a young foolish sapling, and must be bowed
as I would have you.
Mar. The gods defend me ! [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.-
■Tharsus. A Room in Cleon's
House.
Enter
Dio
Cleon an I Dionyza.
are you foolish ? Ca
it be
Why
undone ?
Cle. O Dionyza, such a piece of slaughter
The sun and moon ne'er look'd upon !
Dion. I think
You'll turn a child again.
Cle. Were I chief lord of all this spacious
world,
I'd give it to undo the deed. — Oh, lady,
Much less in blood than virtue, yet a princess
To equal any single crown o' the earth
I' the justice of compare !— Oh, villain Leonine !
Whom thou hast poison'd too :
If thou hadst drunk to him,4'- it had been a
kindness
Becoming well thy fact :43 what canst thou say
When noble Pericles shall demand his child ?
Dion. That she is dead. Nurses are not the
fates,
To foster it, nor ever to preserve.44
bate me one doit,' &c. For an explanation of " doit," See Note
37, Act ii., " Tempest,"
41. The more my fault, to 'scape, &c. Shakespeare some-
times, as here, uses "fault" for 'mischance.' 'misfortune,'
'mishap.' Sec Note 34, Act iii., " Merry Wives." The Italians
use their word disgrazia in the sense of ' misfortune.'
42. 1/ thou hadst drunk to him. Implying, ' If thou hadst
destroyed thyself in tasting the contents of the poisoned cup ere
thou presented it to him.' See Note 51, Act v , " King John."
43. Becoming welt thy /act. The old copies give ' face for
"fact." Mr. Dyce's correction : "fact" meaning 'deed,' 'crime.'
See Note 18, Act iii., " Winter's Tale."
44. To /osier it, nor ever to firesenrc. 'To foster life, nor to
preserve it for ever.' "It" is here used in reference to 'life.'
as implied in the previous words, "That she is dead." The
7R6
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
She died at night; I'll say so. Who can cross45 it ?
Unless you play the pious innocent,46
And for an honest attribute cry out,
"She died by foul play."
de. Oh, go to. Weil, well,
Of all the faults beneath the heavens, the gods
Do like this worst.
Dion. Be one of those that think
The petty wrens of Tharsus will fly hence,*?
And open this to Pericles. I do shame
To think of what a noble strain you are,
And of how coward a spirit.
Cle. To such proceeding
Who ever but his approbation added,
Though not his pre-consent,43 he did not flow
From honourable courses.
Dion. Be it so, then :
Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead,
Nor none can know, Leonine being gone.
She did disdain my child,49 and stood between
Her and her fortunes : none would look on her,
But cast their gazes on Marina's face ;
Whilst ours was blurted at,50 and held a malkin,51
Not worth the time of day.52 It pierc'd me
thorough ;
present passage affords a notable example of Shakespeare's em-
ployment of " it" in relation to an implied particular.
45. Cross. Here used for 'contradict,' 'controvert,' 'dispute,'
' refute.'
46. The pious innocent. In the first three Quarto copies
' impious' is given instead of "pious ;" while the rest omit the
epithet altogether. Mason conjectured " pious," which is proved
to be right by the parallel passage from Wilkins's novel. " In-
nocent" was a term anciently applied to an idiot. See Note 76,
Act Hi., " King Lear."
47. Be one of those that think, &*c. It appears to us that
this speech is thoroughly worthy of the hand that afterwards
depicted Lady Macbeth's character and penned her diction.
There is the same cutting sarcasm clothed in vigorous yet refined
phraseology ; the same well-directed encouragement conveyed
through a stinging fleer; the same subtle compliment to the
husband's nobility of nature beneath the apparent scoff at his
cowardice. There is much evidence, to our minds, throughout
the present play, that it was here Shakespeare made his first
attempt at original tragic writing, at producing the true high
pitch of tragedy thought and expression.
48. Though not his pre-consent. The old copies give ' prince
consent' and 'whole consent' instead of "pre-consent." Stee-
vens's correction.
49. She did disdain my child. Steevens suggested (and snnic
other editors since his time have adopted) the alteration of "dis-
dain'' to 'distain ;' while he added the remark that Marina was
not of a disdainful temper. We think that the original word
" disdain " has been rejected from the text by those who do not
sufficiently bear in mind a peculiar ellipsis occasionally used by
Shakespeare ; and we believe that here he did not intend
Diony/a to say that Marina disdained Philoten, but that
Marina, by her superior grace, caused Philoten to be di.sdained
in comparison with herself. The whole context of this speech
appears to us to support our view of the sentence ; which is,
that "she did disdain my child" signifies 'she did cause my
child to be disdained.' For a similar instance of elliptical con-
struction, see Note 20, Act iv., "Second Part Henry IV.,"
where " think " is used for ' cause you to be thought.' Also, in
" Cymbelinc," Act iv., ^c. 2, the soothsayer says, " Unless my
And though you call my course unnatural,
You not your child well loving, yet I find
It greets me53 as an enterprise of kindness
PerfornVd to your sole daughter.
Cle. Heavens forgive it \
Dion. And as for Pericles,
What should he say? We wept after her hearse,
And even yet we mourn : her monument
Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs54
In glittering golden characters express
A general praise to her, and care in us
At whose expense 'tis done.
Cle. Thou art like the harpy,55
Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel's face,
Seize with thine eagle's talons.56
Dion. You are like one that superstitiously
Doth swear to the gods that winter kills the
flies:"
But yet I know you'll do as I advise. [Exeunt.
Enter Gower, before the Monument of Marina
at Tharsus.
Gotc. Thus time we waste
le igues make short ;
and longest
sins abuse my divination ; " meaning ' unless my sins cause me
to be deceived in my divination,' or, 'unless my sins cause my
divination to be fallacious.' See likewise Note 1, Act v. of the
present play.
50. Blurted at. 'Held in contempt,' 'treated scornfully.'
The expression frequently occurs in our ancient dramas ; as, for
instance, in " King Edward III." (1596) : —
" This day hath set derision on the French,
And all the world will blurt and scorn at us."
The word "blurt" was also used as a disdainful exclamation;
thus — "Blurt, pish!" as quoted by Dr. Johnson from Sher-
wood. The derivation of this expression is unascertained.
51. A malkin. A coarse wench. See Note 29, Act iL,
" Coriolanus."
52. Not worth the time of day. ' Not worth bidding good
day to;' ' not worthy of receiving the most ordinary salutation.'
53- -It greets we, ' It comes before me/ ' it presents itself to
my mind,' * it appears to me.'
54. Her epitaphs. In the three first Quartos "epitaphs"
stands thus, in the plural ; in the latter old copies it is given in
the singular, ' epitaph.' We think the word was probably
intended by the author to be in the plural ; partly because of
the custom explained in Note 44, Act v., "Much Ado," and
partly for the sake of the effect of amplitude and generalisation
indicated in Note 3, Act iii., "Antony and Cleopatra."
55. The harpy. For a description of this fabulous creature
see Note 35, Act iL, " Much Ado."
56. Talons. Spelt in the old copies ' talents ; * which was an
old form of " talons." Sec Note 44, Act iv., l< Love's Labour's
Lost."
57. You are like one that superstitiously, d-Y. ' You are
like one that with over-scrupulous and superfluous explicitness
assures the gods that winter kills the flies.' Dionyza is twitting
Cleon with his needless anxiety to inform Pericles of the par-
ticulars of Marina's death, when it might easily pass for having
occurred in the natural course of events. We give our explana-
tion of the passage — which seems to us simply and sufficiently
obvious — because other interpretations, m<>re far-fetched, have
been given by Malone. Mi B IL ; the latter of which
has been repeated by some more recent editors.
7»7
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene IV.
Cleon. What canst thou say
When noble Pericles shall demand his child ?
Dionyza. That she is dead.
Act IV. Scene IV.
Sail seas in cockles,58 have an wish but for't ;59
Making,60 — to take61 your imagination, —
From bourn to bourn, region to region.
By you being pardon'd, we commit no crime
To use one language in each several clime
Where ourscenesseem to live. I do beseech you
To learn of me, who stand i' the gaps to
teach you,
The stages of our story. Pericles
58. Sail seas in cockles. Alluding to the belief that witches
could sail in egg-shells, cockle-shells, &c. See Note 23, Act i.,
" Macbeth."
59. Have an wish but /or 't. Elliptically and transposedly
constructed ; the phrase signifying, ' Have, an we but wish for
it 1' ' We have but to wish for it to have it.' "An" is used for
'if;' and 'V or 'it' here implies an extensive change of
place.
60. Making. Here used for ' proceeding,' 'travelling.' See
Note 80, Act iv., " Richard III."
Is now again thwarting the wayward seas,
Attended on by many a lord and knight,
To see his daughter, all his life's delight.
Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late62
Advanc'd in time to great and high estate,
Is left to govern. Bear you it in mind,
Old Helicanus goes along behind.
Well-sailing ships and bounteous winds have
brought
61. Take. ' Engage,' ' take possession of,' ' enlist,' ' cap-
tivate.
62. Old Escanes, whom Helicanus, &°c. This, and the three
following lines appear in the old copies thus misplaced!) : — *
' Old Helicanus goes along behind,
Is left to gouerne it, you beare in mind.
Old Escenes, whom Hellicanus late
Aduancde in time to great and hie estate.'
The arrangement adopted in our text is Steevens's.
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scenes V., VI.
This king to Tharsus, — think this pilot
thought;63
So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow
on,—61
To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone.65
Like motes and shadows see them move awhile ;
Your ears unto your eyes I'll reconcile.
Dumb Show.
Enter, from one side, Pericles ivith his train ;
from the other, Cleon and Dionyza. Cleon
shoxus Pericles the tomb of Marina, 'whereat
Pericles makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth,
and in a mighty passion66 departs. Then
exeunt Cleon and Dionyza.
See how belief may suffer by foul show !
This borrow'd passion stands for true old6' woe ;
And Pericles, in sorrow all devour'd,
With sighs shot through, and biggest tears
o'ershowVd,
Leaves Tharsus, and again embarks. He
swears
Never to wash his face, nor cut his hairs :
He puts on sackcloth, and to sea.63 He bears
A tempest, which his mortal vessel69 tears,
And yet he rides it out. Now please you wit'0
The epitaph is for Marina writ
By wicked Dionyza.
[Heads the inscription on Marina's Monument.
The fairest, sweet'st, and best lies here,
Who wither'd in her spring of year.
She was of Tyrus the king's daughter,
On whom foul death hath made this slaughter;
Marina was she call'd : and at her birth,
Thetis, being proud, swallow' d some part o' the earth :"'
Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd,
Hath Thetis' birth-child on the heavens bestow'd :
Wherefore she does (and swears she'll never stint)"2
Make raging battery upon shores of flint.
No visor does become black villany
So well as soft and tender flattery.
63. Think this pilot thought. Malone and others change
"this" to 'his;' but "think this pilot thought" means 'let
your imagination conceive this thought that I suggest to you ;
and which, like a pilot, shall conduct and accompany Pericles
on his sea-voyage.' Here "pilot" is one of those nouns used
adjectively which we sometimes find in Shakespeare's writings.
See Note 38, Act iii., " King Lear."
64. Grow on. The old copies give ' grone ' instead of "grow
on." Malone's correction.
65. Who first is gone. ' Who has left Tharsus before he
arrives there.'
66. Ptission. "Passion" is here, and in the second line of
Gower's resumed speech, used for ' emotional grief,' ' passionate
sorrow.' See Note 38, Act v., " Midsummer Night's Dream."
67. Old. Probably here intended to include the duplicate
sense of 'belonging to a period of primitive simplicity,' and
'excessive' or 'abundant.' See Note 27, Act ii., " Macbeth."
68. He puts on sackcloth, and to sea. Here "puts on"
before "sackcloth" allows 'puts' to be elliptically understood
before " to sea."
69. His mortal vessel. 'His body.' The Egyptian queen
Let Pericles believe his daughter's dead,
And bear his courses to be ordered
By Lady Fortune; while our scene must play'3
His daughter's woe and heavy well-a-day
In her unholy service. Patience, then,
And think you now are all in Mytilen. [Exit.
SCENE V.— MyTILene. A Street before the
House of Ill-fame.
Enter, from the house, fwo Gentlemen.
First Gent, Did you ever hear the like ?
Sec. Gent. No, nor never shall do in such a
place as this, She being once gone.
First Gent. But to have divinity preached
there! did you ever dream of such a thing ?
Sec. Gent. No, no. Come, I am for no more
bad houses : — shall we go hear the vestals sing ?
First Gent. I'll, do anything now that is vir-
tuous. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI. — The Same. A Room in the House
of II I -fa me.
Enter Keeper, Wife, and Boult.
Keep. Well, I had rather than twice the worth
of her she had ne'er come here.
Wife. Fie, fie upon her! she has me her quirks,
her reasons, her master reasons, her prayers, her
knees ; that she would make a puritan of the devil,
if he should cheapen a kiss of her. Here comes
the Lord Lysimachus disguised.
Enter Lysimachus.
Lyt. How now !
Wife. Now, the gods to-bless"4 your honour !
uses a similar term, " this mortal house," in the speech referred
to in Note 20, Act v., " Antony and Cleopatra."
70. Now please you wit. ' Now be pleased to know or under-
stand.' See Note 3, Act v., " As You Like It."
71. Thetis, being proud, swallow'd, &*c. Thetis, one of the
sea-goddesses, is here poetically made an impersonation of the
sea (see Note 49, Act i., "Troilus and Cressida") ; and the
passage may be thus interpreted : — ' The sea-goddess, exulting
at the birth of Marina in her domain, proudly swelled and
whelmed some portion of the earth ; therefore the earth, fearing
to be o'erflowed, has sent the birth-child of Thetis to heaven,
which causes Thetis, in angry vengeance, evermore to beat
against the shores of earth.'
72. Stint. ' Cease,' ' stop.' See Note 53, Act v., " Timon
of Athens."
73. While our scene must play. The old copies give ' stcare '
for "scene." Malone's correction.
74. To-bless. The use of " to" in composition with verbs is
very common in Gowcr and Chaucer ; while we have a few
instances of it in Shakespeare. See Note 26, Act iv., "Merry
Wives ;" and Note 14, Act v., " King John."
789
Act IV.]
PERICLES.
[Scene VI.
Boult. I am glad to see your honour in good
health.
Lys. You may so ; 'tis the better for you.
How now, wholesome iniquity ! Have you that a
man may deal withal?
Wife. We have here one, sir, there never
came her like in Mytilene.
Lys. Well, call forth, call forth.
Boult. For flesh and blood, sir, white and red,
you shall see a rose. [Exit BOULT.
Wife. Here comes that which grows to the
stalk.
Re-enter Boult iiith Marina.
Is she not a fair creature ?
Lys. Well, there's for you : — leave us.
Wife. I beseech your honour, give me leave :
a word, and I'll have done presently.
Lys. I beseech you, do.
Wife. [To Mar.] First, I would have you note,
this is an honourable man.
Mar. I desire to find him so, that I may
worthily note him.
Wife. Next, he 's the governor of this country,
and a man whom I am bound to.
Mar. If he govern the country, you are bound
to him indeed ; but how honourable he is in that, I
know not.
Wife. Pray you, will you use him kindly ?
He will line your apron with gold.
Mar. What he will do graciously, I will
thankfully receive.—
[Exeunt Wife, Keeper, and Boult.
If you were born to honour, show it now;
If put upon you, make the judgment good
That thought you worthy of it.
Lys. How 's this ? how 's this ? — Some more ;—
be sage.
Mar. For me,
That am a maid, though most ungentle fortune
Have plac'd me in this sty,
Oh, that the gods
Would set me free from this unhallow'd place,
Though they did change me to the meanest bird
That flies i' the purer air !
Lys. I did not think
Thou couldst have spoke so well; ne'er dream'd
thou couldst.
Had I brought hither a corrupted mind,
Thy speech had alter' d it. Hold, here's gold
for thee :
Persever in that clear"5 way thou goest,
And the gods strengthen thee !
Mar. The good gods preserve you !
Lys. For me, be' you thoughten
75. Clear. Sometimes, as here, used by Shakespeare to
' pure.' ' immaculate/ ' innocent.' See Note 22, Act iv.,
" Timon of Athens."
That I came with no ill intent; for to me
The very doors and windows savour vilely.
Fare thee well. Thou art a piece of virtue, and
I doubt not but thy training hath been noble.—
Hold, here 's more gold for thee. —
A curse upon him, die he like a thief,
That robs thee of thy goodness ! If thou dost
Hear from me, it shall be for thy good. [Exit,
Re-enter Boult.
Boult. Come, mistress ; come your ways with me.
Mar. Pr'ythee, tell me one thing first.
Boult. Come now, your one thing.
Mar. What canst thou wish thine enemy to
be?
Boult. Why, I could wish him to be my
master; or rather, my mistress.
Mar. Neither of these are so bad as thou art,
Since they do better thee in their command.
Thou hold'st a place, for which the pained'st fiend
Of hell would not in reputation change.
Boult. What would you have me do ? go to
the wars, would you ? where a man may serve seven
years for the loss of a leg,76 and have not money
enough in the end to buy him a wooden one ?
Mar. Do anything but this thou doest.
Empty
Old receptacles, or common sewers, of filth ;
Serve by indenture to the common hangman :
Any of these ways are yet better than this ;
For what thou professest, a baboon, could he
speak,
Would own a name too dear.— Oh, that the gods
Would safely deliver me from this place ! —
Here, here's gold for thee.
If that thy master would'gain by me,
Proclaim that I can sing, weave, sew, and dance,
Willi other virtues, which I'll keep from boast ;
And I will undertake all these to teach.
I doubt not but this populous city will
Yield many scholars.
Boult. But can you teach all this you speak of?
Mar. Prove that I cannot, take me home
again.
Boult. Well, I will see what I can do for thee :
if I can place thee, I will.
Mar. But amongst honest women.
Boult. Faith, my acquaintance lies little
amongst them. But since my master and mistress
have bought ycu, there's 110 going but by their
consent : therefore I will make them acquainted
with your purpose, and I doubt not but I shall find
them tractable enough. Come, I'll do for thee
what 1 can; come your ways. [Exeunt.
76. Go to the wars, would you ? where a man may serve,
&c. The pungent morsel of satire contained in this speech
smacks genuinely of Shakespeare's spicery.
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
ACT V.
Enter Gower.
Gow. Marina thus the brothel 'scapes, and
chances
Into an honest house, our story says.
She sings like one immortal, and she dances
As goddess-like to her admirfed lays ;
Deep clerks she dumbs;1 and with her neeld
composes2
Nature's own shape, of bud, bird, branch, or
berry,
That even her art sisters the natural roses ;
Her inkle,3 silk, twin with the rubied cherry :4
That pupils lacks she none of noble race,
Who pour their bounty on her; and her
gain
She gives the curse 1 bawd. Here we her
place ;
And to her father turn our thoughts again,
Where we left him, on the sea. We there him
lost;
Whence, driven before the winds,5 he is arriv'd
Here where his daughter dwells; and on this
coast
Suppose him now at anchor. The city striv'd
God Neptune's annual feast to keep: from
whence
Lysimachus our Tyrian ship espies,
His banners sable,6 trimm'd with rich ex-
pense ;
And to him in his barge with fervour hies.
In your supposing once more put your sight
Of heavy Pericles ;7 think this his barque :
Where what is done in action, more, if might,
Shall be discover'd ;3 please you, sit, and hark.
[Exit.
i. Deep clerks she dumbs. This phrase serves to elucidate the
one referred to in Note 49, Act iv., as explained by us ; since
" deep clerks she dumbs " signifies ' profoundly learned men she
causes to seem dumb in comparison with her fluent proficiency,'
or ' well-read persons she causes to remain contentedly silent
when she speaks.' "Dumbs" is an expressive verb framed
from an adjective, and here used for * silences,' or ' causes to be
silent,' as " dumb'd " is used for ' silenced ' or ' rendei ed
inaudible' in the passage referred to in Note 99, Act i.,
" Antony and Cleopatra."
2. With her neeld composes. The first three Quartos print
' neele ' here ; the rest ' needle.' See Note 7, Act iv.
3. Inkle. This was a name for ' tape ' (see Note q3, Act iv. ,
" Winter's Tale ") ; but it also meant a narrow flexible fabric of
silk or worsted, like what is modernly called ' braid.' This kind
of " inkle " was anciently used in embroidery ; as braid is some-
times introduced now-a-days into particular kinds of embroidered
works. We have been thus minute in explaining this point,
because Steevens remarks, " It will not easily be discovered how
Marina could work such resemblances of nature with tape."
4. Twin with the rubied cherry. The old copies give ' twine '
instead of " twin." Malone's correction ; shown to be right by
the context of the word "sisters " in the previous line.
5. We there him lost ; whence, driven, cVt*. This is Malone's
alteration of the first Quarto reading, which gives 'left' for
SCENE I.— Onboard Pericles' ship, off Myti-
lene. A pauilion on deck, with a curtain
before it; Pericles within it, reclined on a
couch. A barge lying beside the Tyrian -vessel.
Enter two Sailors, one belonging to the Tyrian
"vessel, the other to the barge.
lyr.Sail. [To My t. Sail.] Where's the Lord
Helicanus ? he can resolve you.
Oh, here he is. —
Enter Helicanus.
Sir, there 's a barge put off from Mytilene,
And in it is Lysimachus the governor,
Who craves to come aboard. What is your will ?
He I. That he have his. Call up swine
gentlemen.
Tyr. Sail. Ho, gentlemen ! my lord calls.
Enter tzuo or three Gentlemen.
First Gent. Doth your lordship call ?
Ilel. Gentlemen,
There is some of worth would come aboard ;
[ pray,
Greet him fairly.9
[The Gentlemen and the tzuo Sailors
descend, and go on board the barge.
"lost," and 'where' for "whence;" while the rest of the old
copies give these two lines as- follow : —
' Where we left him at sea, tumbled and tost,
And driuen before the winde, he is arriude.'
6. His banners sable. It has been proposed to change " his "
to ' her,' or to accept " his " as used for * its ; ' but it may be
that " his banners " means "Pericles' banners,"
7. In your supposing once more Put your sight of
Pericles. ' Once more place what you behold of the melancholy
Pericles under the influence of your imagin
8. W/iere wfiat is done in action, more, if might, shall be
discover'd. 'Where all that maybe displayed in action
m re, if it were possible, should be shown1 shall be exhibited.'
This is one of the many apologies for the then inadequacy of
stage representation which occur in Shakespeare's chorus-
speeches. See Note 71, Act v., " Henry V.," and Note 5,
Prologue, " Henry VIII." He at once confesses his conscious-
ness of defective theatrical means, and appeals to the p
and intellectual faculties of his audience as the best mode of
supplying the acknowledged defect.
9. There is some 0/ worth greet hint fairly. This
is the reading of the three first Quartos ; while the rest of the
old copies give 'them' instead of "him." It seems probable
three earlier Quartos are right : because Helicanus has
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Enter, from thence, Lysimachus and Lords; ivitb
the Gentlemen and the two Sailors.
Tyr. Sail. Sir,
This is the man that can, in aught you would,
Resolve you.10
Lys. Hail, reverend sir! the gods preserve
you !
Hel. And you, sir, to outlive" the age I am,
And die as I would do.
Lys. You wish me well.
Being on shore, honouring of Neptune's triumphs,
Seeing this goodly vessel ride before us,
I made to it, to know of whence you are.
Hel. First, what is your place ?
Lys. I am the governor
Of this place you lie before.
Hel. Sir,
Our vessel is of Tyre, in it the king;
A man who for this three months hath not spoken
To any one, nor taken sustenance
But to prorogue1- his grief.
Lys. Upon what ground is his distemperature ?
Hel. 'T would be too tedious to repeat ;
But the main grief springs from the loss
Of a beloved daughter and a wife.
Lys. May we not see him ?
Hel. You may ;
But bootless is your sight,- he will not speak
To any.
Lvs. Yet let me obtain my wish.
Hel. Behold him. [Pericles discovered.] 13
This was a goodly person,
Till the disaster that, one mortal night,11
Drove him to this.
Lys. Sir king, all hail ! the gods preserve you'
Hail, royal sir!
Hel. It is in vain ; he will not speak to you.
First Lord. Sir,
We have a maid in Mytilen, I durst wager,
Would win some words of him.
Lys. 'Tis well bethought.
She, questionless, with her sweet harmony
And other choice attractions, would allure,
And make a battery through his deafen'd15 parts,
Which now are midway stopp'd :
She is all happy as the fair'st of all,16
And, with her fellow maids, is now1' upon
The leafy shelter13 that abuts against
The island's side.
[Whispers First Lord ; ivbo goes off in the
barge of Lysimachus.
Hel. Sure, all's effectless;19 yet nothing we'll
omit
That bears recovery's name. But, since your
kindness
We have stretch'd thus far, let us beseech you
That fcr our gold we may provision have,
Wherein we are not destitute for want,
But weary for the staleness.
Lys. Oh, sir, a courtesy,
Which if we should deny, the most just gods
For every graff would send a caterpillar,
And so afflict our province.20 — Yet once more
Let me entreat to know at large the cause
Of your king's sorrow.
Hel. Sit, sir, I will recount it to you :-
But, see, I am prevented.
Re-enter, from the barge, First Lord, ivitb
Marina, and a young Lady.
Lys. Oh, here is
The lady that I sent for. — Welcome, fair one ! —
Is't not a goodly presence fsl
Hel. 'She 's a gallant lady.
Lys. She 's such a one, that, were I well
assur'd
Came of a gentle kind and noble stock,
I'd wish no better choice, and think me rarely
wed. —
Fair one, all goodness that consists in bounty22
heard but of one person, " Lysimachus the governor, who
craves to come aboard ; " and because " some " was occasionally
used formerly to express 'some one' or 'some person.' In
Heywood's " Fortune by Land and Sea," there occurs a passage
exemplifying this : —
" Besides a sudden noise
Of some that swiftly ran towards your fields :
Make haste ; 'twas now ; he cannot be far off."
10. Resolve you. ' Satisfy you,' ' give you the information
you seek.' See Note 87, Act ii.
n. And yon, sir, to outlive. The old copies omit "sir."
Inserted by Malone.
12. Prorogue. ' Linger out the period of,' ' protract the
wearisome duration of.' See Note 7, Act ii., " Antony and
Cleopatra."
13. [Pericles discovered.] There is no stage-direction here in
the old copies ; but the words " Eehold him " denote that we
must imagine the withdrawal of a curtain or some such expe-
dient as the one adopted at the words, " Here she lies," accord-
ing 10 the explanation we have given in Note 41, Act iii. The
ancient narratives describe him as remaining in the cabin of his
ship.
14. One mortal night. The old copies misprint ' wight ' for
"night." Malone's correction. "Mortal" here has the sense
of ' deadly,' ' fatal.' See Note 68, Act ii., " Coriolanus."
15. Deafen'd. The old copies give ' defend ' and ' defended '
instead of " deafen'd." Malone's correction.
16. S/ie is all Itappy as the /air' st 0/ all. ' She is as entirely
and happily graced as the fairest of all women.'
17. And, with her fellozu maids, is ncnu. The old copies
omit "with" and "is" in this line. Malone supplied these
two words.
18. Upon the leafy shelter. 'Upon the leafy and sheltered spot.
19. Sure, all's effectless. Here the old copies give 'all'
instead of " all's." Malone's correction.
20. And so afflict our province. The old copies have ' inflict '
for "afflict." Malone's suggested correction.
21. Presence. The old copies misprint ' present ' for " pre-
sence." Malone's emendation.
22. Bounty. This is Steevens's suggested substitution for the
word in the old copies — ' beauty.'
Lysimackus. See, she will speak to him.
Act V. Scene I.
Expect even here, where is a kingly patient :
If that thy prosperous and artificial feat23
Can draw him but to answer thee in aught,
Thy sacred physic shall receive such pay
As thy desires can wish.
Mar. Sir, I will use
My utmost skill in his recovery,
23. Feat. The old copies print ' fate ' instead of " feat ; " an
emendation proposed by Dr. Percy. In Gower's penultimate
chorus-speech the word "feats" is used to express 'enacted
revels,' ' graceful performances ; ' so that " prosperous and
artificial feat" is probably here employed to signify 'felicitous
accomplishment,' 'gracefully and skilfully performed deed.*
24. Marina, sings. The stage direction in the old copies is,
" The song;" and, as often was the case in the old dramas, the
indication as to what was the special song introduced is left thus
vaguely stated. So, in the "First Part Henry IV.," Act iii.,
sc. 1, where Lady Mortimer sings, the Folio gives a stage
direction thus : " Heere the Lady sings a Welsh song ; " and in
" Julius Caesar," Act iv., sc. 3, where Lucius touches his
instrument at his master's bidding, the stage direction in the
Provided
That none but I and my companion maid
Be suffer'd to come near him.
Lys, Come, let us leave her ;
And the gods make her prosperous !
[Marina sings.2*
Lys. Mark'd he your music P
Folio is, " Musicke, and a song." This gave the performer an
opportunity of introducing whatever favourite air and words
might be best suited either to his own powers or to the taste of
his audience : and it may have been that in the present instance
the song was left to the choice of the st3ge Marina. Neverthe-
less, it is probable that she was intended to sing a set of verses
that appear in Wilkins's novel founded on this play, and which
verses differ little from those given in Twine's translation from
the " Gesta Roinanorum." They describe the singer's having
fallen into evil hands, but as having preserved her innocence
intact ; her desiring to find her parents, who are of kingly
race ; her determination to bear cheerfully her present low
estate, and her confidence in Divine power to send her a happier
future.
266
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Mar. No, nor look'd on us.
Lys. See, she will speak to him.
Mar. Hail, sir ! my lord, lend ear.
Per. H'm? ha?
Mar. I am a maid,
My lord, that ne'er before invited eyes,
But have been gaz'd on like a comet : she speaks,
My lord, that, may be, hath endur'd a grief
Might equal yours, if both were justly weigh'd.
Though wayward fortune did malign my state,
My derivation was from ancestors
Who stood equivalent with mighty kings :
But time hath rooted out my parentage,
And to the world and awkward25 casualties
Bound me in servitude. — [Aside.] I will desist;
But there is something glows upon my cheek,
And whispers in mine ear, "Go not till he
speak."
Per. My fortunes — parentage — good parent-
age—
To equal mine! — was it not thus? what say you ?
Mar. I said, my lord, if you did know my
parentage,
You would not do me violence.-6
Per. I do think so. — Pray you, turn your eyes
upon me.
You are like something that27 — What country-
woman ?
Here of these shores ?
Mar. No, nor of any shores :28
Yet I was mortally brought forth, and am
No other than I appear.
25. Awkivard. 'Adverse,' ' unpropitious,' ' calamitous.' See
Note 64, Act iii., " Second Part Henry VI."
26. You would not do me violence. Marina refers to the
repulse with which Pericles has met her first approaches, and to
which he himself afterwards alludes : — " Didst thou not say,
when I did push thee back (which was when I first perceiv'd
thee), that thou," &c. There is here an example of one of thi ise
judicious modifications of points derived by Shakespeare from
original sources which we indicated in Notes 52 and 71, Act iii.
of the present play. Both in the " Confessio Aniantis," and in
Twine's translation of the Latin story, the disconsolate prince is
represented as striking the unknown maiden when she first
accosts him ; but our poet, with his usual discriminative sense
of what is dramatically befitting, qualifies this extreme pro-
ceeding by making Pericles put Marina aside with a gesture of
impatient rejection.
27. 1 'ou are like something that — Here we have indubitable
and unmistakable Shakespeare. The half unconscious few first
muttered words, in vacant reply, " I do think so " (reminding
us of Lear himself in the very words he utters before his last
and death speech] ; the instinctive yearning to have his
daughter's look meet his, and to feel her eyes resting upon his
face, " Pray you turn your eyes upon me;" the imperfectly-
uttered broken sentence, "You are like something that — "
telling how the stricken thoughts revert to the countenance of
his dead wife, all irresistibly come home to our heart as indis-
putably Shakespeare's, and Shakespeare's only. See, in con-
firmation, the passage referred to in Note 25, Act v., " Winter's
Tale."
28. Here of these shores? Not nor of any shores. The
honour of this unquestionably true correction the ill copies
mi 1'imting 'shewes' for "shores" here) belongs to the Earl of
Per. I am great with woe, and shall deliver
weeping.
My dearest wife was like this maid, and such a one
My daughter might have been : my queen's square
brows ;
Her stature to an inch ; as wand-like straight ;
As silver-voie'd ; her eyes as jewel-like,
And cas'd as richly ;29 in pace another Juno ;
Who starves the ears she feeds, and makes them
hungry,
The more she gives them speech. — Where do you
live ?
Mar. Where I am but a stranger : from the
deck
You may discern the place.
Per. Where were you bred ?
And how achiev'd you these endowments, which
You make more rich to owe ?30
Mar. Should I tell my history, 'twould seem
Like lies disdain'd in the reporting.
Per. Pr'ythee, speak :
Falseness cannot come from thee: for thou look'st
Modest as Justice, and thou seem'st a palace
For the crown'd Truth to dwell in : I will believe
thee,
And make my senses credit thy relation
To points that seem impossible ; for thou look'st
Like one 1 lov'd indeed.31 What were thy
friends
Didst thou not say, when I did push thee back
(Which, was when I perceiv'd thee), that thou
cam'st
Charlemont, who suggested it to Malone. There is gratification
in the thought that to discover a right reading of a passage in
our prince of poets adds a gem to an earl's coronet, and that
noblemen have felt the reflected lustre cast upon themselves by
throwing light upon a sentence in his pages. Peers as well as
private gentlemen, lords as well as commoners, have enrolled
themselves among the band of his annotators, proud of the dis-
tinction acquired, and eager to secure it to themselves ; while
even royalty itself has deemed it a privilege to contribute
towards Shakespearian commentary. See Note 47, Act v.,
"Third Part Henry VI."
29. Her eyes as jewel-like, and cas'd us richly. This touch
of inherited resemblance, the daughter possessing her mother's
gem-bright eyes and golden eyelashes, is thoroughly in accord-
ance with Shakespeare's dramatic art. See Note lor, Act v. ,
" Cymbeline ; " and Note 70, Act iii. of the present play.
30. These endowments, which you make more rich to owe.
'These endowments, which you render more valuable by your
pi issessing/ or ' to which you give additional value by their being
in your possession.' The present sentence is but another form of
the elegantly complimentary phraseology explained in Note 86,
Act i., " Timon of Athens."
31. For thou look'st like one I lov'd indeed. The beauty of
the poetical imagery in this fervent address, together with the
simply yet intensely worded effusion at its close ; the conviction
of pure virgin truth in the unrecognised daughter that stands
before him, inspired by her own transparent looks, which are
but a reflex of those which belonged to her mother and his lost
wife : the blended present impression and past memory struggling
in the father and husband's heart, producing this passionate out-
burst of spontaneous credence, are all conceived and expressed
in Shakespeare's own transcendant style.
Act V.]
PERICLESi
[Scene I.
From good descending ?
Mar. So indeed I did.
Per. Report thy parentage. I think thou
saiu'st
Tliou hadst been toss'd from wrong to injury,
And that thou thought'st thy griefs might equal
mine,
If both were open'd.
Mar. Some such thing
I said, and said no more but what my thoughts
Did warrant me was likely.
Per. Tell thy story ;
If thine consider' d prove the thousandth part
Of mv endurance, thou art a man, and I
Have suffer' d like a girl : yet thou dost look
Like Patience gazing on kings' graves, and
smiling
Extremity out of act.32 What were thy friends?
How lost thou them ? Thy name,33 my most kind
virgin ?
Recount, I do beseech thee : come, sit by me.
Mar. My name is Marina.
Per. Oh, I am mock'd,
And thou by some incens&d 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.
Thou little know'st how thou dost startle me,
To call thyself Marina.
Mar. The name
Was given me by one that had some power, —
My father, and a king.
Per. How! a king's daughter?
And call'd Marina ?
Mar. You said you would believe me ;
32. Smiling extremity out of act. ' Disarming calamity
by meek and smiling gentleness.' " Extremity " is here per-
sonified ; but it is used in the present passage, as in the one
explained in Note 53, Act v., "King Lear," to express the
extreme of calamitous infliction and suffering.
33. /fow tost thou theut f Thy name. The old copies print
' How lost thou thy name V Malone inserted " them," dividing
the sentence as given in our text, and as evidently intended by
the author.
34. A nd are no fairy ? Motion * This passage has been
variously punctuated and variously interpreted by different
editors. We adopt the punctuation of the earty Folio copies,
and believe "no" before "fairy" to be elliptically understood
as repeated before "Motion;'' thus taking "motion" to be
used in its sense of 'puppet,' 'doll-like representative of woman-
hood,' ' daintily-made image of humanity.' See Note 10, Actii.,
" Two Gentlemen of Verona."
35. Caltd Marina for I was born at sea. "For" is here
used in the sense of ' because.' See Note 74, Act iii.
36. My mother was the daughter of a king ; 70/10 dit\t. &v.
The manner in which " who" is here used affords an instance
of Shakespeare's occasional mode of employing a relative
pronoun in reference to a not immediately preceding ante-
cedent : since here "who" relates to "my mother" and "the
daughter," not to "king." Seo Note 107, Act ii., "All's
Well."
37. My daughter's buried. Here the old copies print
But, not to be a troubler of your peace,
I will end here.
Per. But are you flesh and blood ?
Have you a working pulse ? and are no fairy ?
Motion r34 — Well ; speak on. Where were you
born ?
And wherefore call'd Marina?
Mar. Call'd Marina
For I was born at sea.35
Per. At sea! what mother ?
Mar. My mother was the daughter of a king;
Who died the minute I was born,36
As my good nurse Lychorida hath oft
Deliver'd weeping.
Per. Oh, stop there a little ! —
[Aside.'] This is the rarest dream that e'er dull
sleep
Did mock sad fools withal : this cannot be :
My daughter's buried.3'' — [Aloud.] Well : — where
were you bred ?
I'll hear you more, to the bottom of your story,
And never interrupt you.
Mar. You scorn to believe me,38 'twere best I
did give o'er.
Per. I will believe you by the syllable
Of what you shall deliver.39 Yet, give me
leave : —
How came you in these parts ? where were you
bred ?
Mar. The king my father did in Tharsus leave
me ;
Till cruel Cleon, with his wicked wife,
Did seek to murder me: and having woo'd
A villain to attempt it, who having drawn to
do't,«>
A crew of pirates came and rescu'd me ;
'daughter,' instead of "daughter's." Steevens's correction.
See Note 19 of the present Act, in which a similar typographical
error is pointed out.
38. You scorn to believe me. The old copies give ' You
scorn, beleeue me.' Malone altered to 'You'll scarce believe
me,' observing that Pericles had expressed no scorn in the pre-
ceding speech ; but to Marina his pausing and muttering to
himself, and then bidding her resume, and he will hear her
without interruption, may seem to imply a scornful toleration of
her story, as listening to it yet doubting it. When we prepared
our edition for New York we believed that the old text might
stand, if a colon were placed after "scorn :" but since then,
on re-considering the words in connection with those used by
Pericles in reply, we have adopted Mr. Staunton's correction,
" You scorn to believe me."
39. / will believe you by the syllable of what you shall
deliver. ' I will believe every syllable of what you may tell
me.'
40. A villain to attempt it, :vho having drawn to do 't.
This line is so defective in metre, and the construction of the
whole passage is so awkward, that we think it very likely this
is one of tho many, many instances of erroneous printing in the
old copies of the present play. It seems to us probable that
originally the line was written thus—' A villain to attempt it,
he being drawn.' since the expression 'being drawn' would
accord well with a phrase elsewhere used by Shakespeare. See
Nate 29, Act ii., " Tempest."
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene I.
Brought me to Mytilene. But, good sir,
Whither will you have me p Why do you weep ?
It may be,
You think me an impostor : no, good faith ;
I am the daughter to King Pericles,
If good King Pericles be.
Per. Ho, Helicanus !
Hel. Calls my lord ?
Per. Thou art a grave and noble counsellor,
Most wise in general : tell me, if thou canst,
What this maid is, or what is like to be,
That thus hath made me weep ?
Hel. I know not ; but
Here is the regent, sir, of Mytilene
Speaks nobly of her.
Lys. She would never tell41
Her parentage; being demanded that,
She would sit still and weep.
Per. O Helicanus, strike me, honour'd sir;
Give me a gash, put me to present pain ;
Lest this great sea of joys rushing upon me
O'erbear the shores of my mortality,
And drown me with their sweetness. — Oh, come
hither,
Thou that begett'st him that did thee beget ;
Thou that wast born at sea, buried at Tharsus,
And found at sea again ! — O Helicanus,
Down on thy knees, thank the holy gods as
loud
As thunder threatens us : this is Marina. — •
What was thy mother's name ? tell me but
that,
For truth can never be confirm'd enough,
Though doubts did ever sleep.42
Mar. First, sir, I pray,
What is your title ?
Per. I am Pericles of Tyre : but tell me now
My drown'd queen's name, — as in the rest you
said
41. She would never tell. The old copies give ' She never
would tell.' Steevens made the required transposition.
42. Though doubts did ever sleep. ' Though nothing occurred
to awaken doubts.'
43. And another life to Pericles thy father. The old copies
here give ' like ' instead of " life " (Mason's proposed correction),
as they do in another passage a little farther on in the present
play. See Note 46 of this Act. The line in Pericles' previous
speech, "Thou that begett'st him that did thee beget'," serves
to show that "life" is in every probability the true reading
here; and also "thou that begett'st" and "thou that wast
born" give token that 'thou' is clliptically understood before
" the heir of kingdoms."
44. Music? My lord, I hear— In some modern editions the
word " music " has been removed from the text and put into
the margin as a stage direction ; but, to our thinking, this is
literalising a poetical passage. It appears to us that Shake-
speare intended the "music" to which Pericles so repeatedly
1 1 1 ; 10 be a purely visionary music, the spiritual echo of his
own harmonious condition of soul, which is tuned to rapture by
the recent recovery of his supposed dead child. Lysimachus,
fulfilling his own injunction to "give him way" by humouring
Thou hast been godlike perfect, — the heir of
kingdoms,
And another life to Pericles thy father.43
Mar. Is it no more to be your daughter than
To say my mother's name was Thaisa p
Thaisa was my mother, who did end
The minute I began.
[Throws herself at his feet.
Per. Now, blessing on thee! rise ; thou art my
child. —
Give ine fresh garments. — Mine own, Helicanus, —
She is not dead at Tharsus, as she should have
been,
By savage Cleon : she shall tell thee all ;
When thou shalt kneel, and justify in knowledge
She is thy very princess. — Who is this ?
Hel. Sir, 'tis the governor of Mytilene,
Who, hearing of your melancholy state,
Did come to see you.
Per. I embrace you. —
Give me my robes. — I am wild in my beholding. —
Oh, heavens bless my girl ! — But, hark, what
music ? —
Tell Helicanus, my Marina, tell him
O'er, point by point, for yet he seems to doubt,
How sure you are my daughter. — But, what
music ?
Hel. My lord, I hear none.
Per. None?
The music of the spheres ! — List, my Marina.
Lys. It is not good to cross him ; give him
way.
Per. Rarest sounds! Do ye not hear?
Lys. Music ? My lord, I hear44—
Per. Most heavenly music!
It nips me unto listening, and thick slumber
Hangs upon mine eyes: let me rest. [S/teps.
Lys. A pillow for his head :45 —
So, leave him all. — Well, my companion friends,
this fancied hearing of "rarest sounds," repeats the word
"music?" questioningly ; adding words that shall calm the
prince by letting him suppose that others besides himself hear
the divine strains which fill his senses thus lullingly. A sig-
nificant confirmation of our opinion that Shakespeare intended
no stage introduction of music here, is contained in the fact
that there is no mention whatever of music at this juncture in
Wilkins's novel founded upon the present play.
45. A pillow for his head. It was suggested by Malone that
this speech belongs to Marina ; and he points out that the ex-
pression " companion friends" (which he suggests should be
altered to 'companion friend') tallies with Marina's having
spoken of the young lady who accompanies her on board
Pericles' ship as " my companion maid." But though there is
plausibility in the suggestion, we think the whole tone of the
speech shows it rather to pertain to Lysimachus. There is the
tone of command and direction more suitable to the Governor
of Mitylene than to the young girl Marina, princess though she
be ; and there is the unassured conviction implied in the line,
" /'/ this but answer to my just belief," which rather befits the
admirer of Marina than Marina herself, who is thoroughly aware
that she is none other than Pericles' own daughter.
796
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scf.ne II.
If this but answer to my just belief,
I'll well remember you.
[Exeunt all except Pericles.
SCENE II.— The Same.
Pericles on the deck, asleep; Diana appearing to
him in a 'vision.
Dia. My temple stands in Ephesus : hie thee
thither,
And do upon mine altar sacrifice.
There, when my maiden priests are met together,
Before the people all,
Reveal how thou at sea didst lose thy wife :
To mourn thy crosses, with thy daughter's, call,
And give them repetition to the life.'16
Or perform my bidding, or thou liv'st in woe;
Do it, and happy ;4? by my silver bow!
Awake, and tell thy dream.
[Diana disappears.
Per. Celestial Dian, goddess argentine,48
I will obey thee. — Hehcanus!
Enter Helicanus, Lysimachus, and Marina,
Hel. Sir ?
Per. My purpose was for Tharsus, there to
strike
The inhospitable Cleon ; but I am
For other service first : toward Ephesus
46. Give them repetition to tlte life. The old copies mis-
print ' like ' for " life." Malone's correction ; which is not only
shown to he right by the rhyme, but by the sense of the pas-
sage. " To the life " (an idiomatic expression, signifying ' with
life-like precision of truth,' 'with vitality of perfect resemblance '
— as we say, 'that portrait is done to the tiff,' or 'that cha-
racter is acted to the ii/e ') is used by Shakespeare in another
passage, which tends to prove that he employed it here. In
" Coriolanus," Act iii., sc. 2, the son of Volumnia says to her,
" You have put me now to such a part, which never I shall dis-
charge to tkt life."
47. Do it, and happy. " Thou liv'st " before " in woe "
allows 'thou liv'st' to be elliptically understood as repeated
before "happy." For instances of similar construction, see
Note 68, Act iv. of tins play.
48. Goddess argentine. ' Deity of the silver moon.' Lord
Charlemont pointed out to Malone that in the language of
alchemy, which was well understood when the present play
was written, Luna or Diana means silver or argent, as sol
me&nsgvldor or.
49. E/tsoons. Another of the man)' antique words used in
this play. "Eftsoous" is an old expression, signifying 'very
snun," 'forthwith,' 'immediately.'
50. Shall we refresh us, sir. Such a point of nature as the
su ddenly awakened desire for food upon the revival of joy in a
bosom previously given up to affliction, was not likely to escape
the notice or omit being notified by our supreme dramatist.
It has been remarked by observers of humanity from time im-
memorial ; and there is a striking instance recorded by Leigh
1 1 11m. in his beautifully told verse-story of " Mnhmoud," where
the Sultan-father's heart, relieved from the intolerable burden
Turn our blown sails; eftsoons49 I'll tell thee
why. —
[To Lys.] Shall we refresh us, sir,50 upon 5011
shore,
And give you gold for such provision
As our intents will need ?
Lys. Sir,
With all my heart ; and, when you come ashore,
I have another suit.51
Per. You shall prevail,
Were it to woo my daughter ; for it seems
You have been noble towards her.53
Lys. Sir, lend me your arm.
Per. Come, my Marina. [Exeunt.
Enter Gower, before the Temple of Diana at
Ephesus.
Goiu. Now our sands are almost run ;
More a little, and then dumb.53
This, as my last boon,54 give me, —
For such kindness must relieve me, —
That you aptly will suppose
What pageantry, what feats, what shows
What minstrelsy, and pretty din,
The regent made in Mitylin,
To greet the king. So he thriv'd,
That he is promis'd to be wiv'd
To fair Marina ; but in no wise
Till he had done his sacrifice,55
As Dian bade : whereto being bound,
The interim, pray you, all confound.56
In feather'd briefness sails are fill'd,
of fear that it was his own son who had committed the deed of
wrong which he had come to avenge, calls for wine and meat :
" And when he had refresh? dixis. noble heart,
He bade his host be blest, and rose up to depart."
51. / have another suit. The old copies give ' sleight ' for
" suit." Malone made the emendation.
52. For it seems you have been noble towards her. Here is
one of those passages, instances of which we have pointed out
(see Note 90, Act v., " Cymbeline "), where our dramatist judi-
I ciously allows certain particulars to be taken for granted. There
■ has been nothing in the dialogue during this last scene on board
Pericles' ship to inform the king that Lysimachus had behaved
nobly towards Marina ; nevertheless, since the readers or spec-
tators know it to have been the case, Shakespeare allows it to
be thus alluded to as an assumed circumstance.
53. And then dumb. 'And then I shall be silent' The old
copies print ' dum ' for " dumb," and for which Rowe substituted
'done;' but the rhyme of "run" and "dumb" is not worse
than many that occur in these chorus-speeches. See Note 11,
Act ii.
54. This, as my last boon. "As" was omitted in the old
copies, and supplied by Steevens.
55. So he thrivd. that he .... fill he had done his sacrifice.
The mode in which "he" is first applied to Lysimachus and
afterwards to Pericles in this passage accords with Shakespeare's
occasional practice when employing similar pronouns in refer-
ence to different persons in the same sentence. See Note 101,
Act i., "Antony and Cleopatra."
56. Confound. ' Consume,' ' lose,' or ' spend,' by process of
imagination. .See Note 20, Act i., "Antony and Cleopatra."
98
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene hi.
And wishes fall out as they're will'd.
At Ephesus, the temple see,
Our king, and all his company.
That he can hither come so soon,
Is by your fancy's thankful boon.5'
[Exit.
SCENE III.— The Temple of Diana at Ephesus;
Thaisa standing near the altar, as high
priestess; a number of Virgins on each sid';
Cerimon and other Inhabitants of Ephesus
attending.
Enter Pericles, ivith his train; Lvsimachus,
Helicanus, Marina, and a Lady.
Per. Hail, Dian! to perform thy just command,
I here confess myself the king of Tyre ;
Who, frighted from my country, did wed
At Pentapolis the fair Thaisa.
At sea in childbed died she, but brought forth
A maid-child call'd Marina ; who, oh, goddess,53
Wears yet thy silver livery.59 She at Tharsus
Was nurs'd with Cleon ; whom at fourteen years
He sought to murder : but her better stars
Brought her to Mitylene ; 'gainst whose shore
Riding,60 her fortunes brought the maid aboard us,
Where, by her own most clear remembrance, she
Made known herself my daughter.
Thai. Voice and favour !61 —
You are, you are — Oh, royal Pericles !—
[She faints.
Per. What means the woman ?62 she dies !
help, gentlemen !
57. Is by your fancy's thankful boon. The old copies print
'Is by your fancies thankful doom;' Rowe giving "fancy's"
instead of 'fancies,' and Steevens giving "boon" for 'doom.'
Although we adopt these corrections on the supposition that the
old copies are here typographically corrupt, as in so very many
passages of the present play, we are by no means convinced
that this is the case ; since "soon" and 'doom' would be no
faultier rhyme than others we have pointed out. See Note 53
of the present Act. " Thankful " is here used to express ' thank-
fully received.'
58. U'lto, oh, goddess .... whom at fourteen years. The old
copies transpose "who" and "whom" in the present passage.
Malone made the correction.
59. Wears yet thy silver livery. 'Still wears the pure white
robes of an unmarried maiden ; ' Diana being the protecting
goddess of virgins.
60. 'Gainst whose s/tore tiding. ' Against whose shore we
riding at anchor.' One of the passages where Shakespeare
allows a nominative to be elliptically understood. See Note 20,
Act i., " Tempest."
61. Favour. ' Aspect,' ' countenance.' The present speech
is one of Shakespeare's excellently written pieces of perfect im-
pression in imperfect expression. How well it conveys the
effect of the panting eagerness, the interrupted breath, the fail-
ing utterance, of one who swoons from emotion on hearing an
unexpected revelation of happiness ! See Note 16, Act hi.,
" Romeo and Juliet."
62. IVliat means the woman ? This is the reading of the
Cer. Noble sir,
If you have told Diana's altar true,
This is your wife.
Per. Reverend appearer, no ;
I threw her o'erboard with these very arms.
Cer. Upon this coast, I warrant vou.
Per. 'Tis most certain.
Cer. Look to the lady; — oh, she's but o'er-
joy'd.—
Early one blustering morn63 this lady was
Thrown upon this shore. I op'd the coffin,
Found there rich jewels ; recover'd her, and plac'd
her
Here in Diana's temple.
Per. May we see them ?
Cer. Great sir, they shall be brought you to my
house,
Whither I invite you. — Look, Thaisa is
Recover'd.
Thai. Oh, let me look !
If he be none of mine, my sanctity
Will to my sense bend no licentious ear,
But curb it, spite of seeing. — Oh, my lord,
Are you not Pericles ?64 Like him you speak,
Like him you are : did you not name a tempest,
A birth, and death ?
Per. The voice of dead Thaisa !
Thai. That Thaisa am I, supposed dead
And drown'd.65
Per. Immortal Dian !
Thai. Now I know you better. —
When we with tears parted Pentapolis,
The king my father gave you such a ring.
[Points to his ring.r'b
fatter old copies, while the three first Quartos give ' mum ' in-
stead of " woman." Mr. Collier made the plausible conjecture
that ' mum ' may have been a misprint for ' nun ; ' but as some
of the old copies give the word "woman," we retain it as pos-
sibly that which was written by Shakespeare.
63. Early one blustering morn. The old copies give ' in ' for
" one." Malone's suggested correction.
64. Oh, my lord, are you not Pericles ? Malone observes,
"The similitude between this scene and the discovery in the
last act of ' The Winter's Tale ' will, I suppose, strike every
reader." There is similitude, it is true, because a mutual re-
cognition between wife, husband, and daughter is, in both
cases, the subject ; but mark with what strikingly characteristic
difference our dramatist has depicted the scene : here, Thaisa
is full of eager rapturous warmth and voluntarily proffered
tokens of identification ; while Hermione is reticent, self-con-
tained, testifying in act only her return to her husband's affec-
tion. See Note 59, Act v., " Winter's Tale."
65. Drown'd. Formerly this word was sometimes, as here,
used to express not destroyed by water, but submerged 1I1 n ill
Knolles, in his " History of the Turk-," says "Galleys inula
be drowned in the harbour ivith the great ordnance, before they
Could be rigged."
66. [Points to his ring.'] There is no stage direction hi re
given in the old copies, Malone inserted ' shows a ring,' which
has been usually adopted ; but the one which we give demon-
strates better that which we think the context shows— that it is
a ring worn by Pericles which Thai 1 alludt to, and which
causes her to say, " Now I know you better."
Act V.]
PERICLES.
[Scene III.
per. This, this : no more, you gods 1 your
present kindness
Makes my past miseries sport : you shall do well,
That on the touching of her lips I may
Melt, and no more be seen. — Oh, come, be buried
A second time within these arms.
Mar. My heart
.Leaps to be gone into my mother's bosom.
[Kneels to Thaisa.
Per. Look, who kneels here ! Flesh of thy
flesh, Thaisa ;
Thy burden at the sea, and call'd Marina
For she was yielded there.
Thai. Bless'd, and mine own !
He/. Hail, madam, and my queen !
Thai. I know you not.
Per. You have heard me say, when I did fly
from Tyre,
I left behind an ancient substitute :
Can you remember what I call'd the man ?
I have nam'd him oft.
Thai. 'Tivas Helicanus then.
Per. Still confirmation :
Embrace him, dear Thaisa ; this is he.
Now do I long to hear how you were found ;
How possibly preserv'd ; and who to thank,
Besides the gods, for this great miracle.
Thai. Lord Cerimon, my lord ; this man,
Through whom the gods have shown their power;
that can
From first to last resolve you.67
Per. Reverend sir,
The gods can have no mortal officer
More like a god than you. Will you deliver
How this dead queen re-lives?
Cer. 1 will, my lord.
Beseech you, first go with me to my house,
Where shall be shown you all was found with her ;
How she came placed here in the temple ;
No needful thing omitted.
Per. Pure Dian, bless thee for thy vision ! I
67. Resolve you. ' Satisfy you,' 'give you full information.'
See Note 10 of this Act.
68. This ornament makes me look dismal. ' Which' is ellip-
tically understood before " makes."
69. In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen. "You have"
before "heard " allows ' you have ' to be elliptically understood
as repeated before " seen." For an instance of similar construc-
tion, sec Note 47 of this Act.
70. Virtue preserv'd /torn /ell destruction's blast. The old
Will offer night oblations to thee. — Thaisa,
This prince, the fair-betrothed of your daughter,
Shall marry her at Pentapolis. — And now,
This ornament
Makes me look dismal68 will I clip to form ;
And what this fourteen years no razor touch'd,
To grace thy marriage-day, I'll beautify.
Thai. Lord Cerimon hath letters of good credit,
sir,
My father's dead.
Per. Heavens make a star of him ! Yet there,
my queen,
We'll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves
Will in that kingdom spend our following days:
Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus reign. —
Lord Cerimon, we do our longing stay
To hear the rest untold : sir, lead the way.
[Exeunt.
Enter Gower.
Gouj. In Antiochus and his daughter you
have heard
Of monstrous lust the due and just reward :
In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen69
(Although assail'd with fortune fierce and keen)
Virtue preserv'd from fell destruction's blast,70
Led on by heaven, and crown'd with joy at last :
In Helicanus may you well descry
A figure of truth, of faith, of loyalty :
In reverend Cerimon there well appears
The worth that learned charity aye wears :
For wicked Cleon and his wife, when fame
Had spread their cursed deed, and honour'd
name
Of Pericles, to rage the city turn,
That him and his they in his palace burn ;71
The gods for murder seemed so content
To punish them,"2 — although not done, but
meant.
So, on your patience evermore attending,
New joy wait on you! Here our play has ending.
[Exit.
copies give 'preferd' and 'preferred' instead of "preserv'd."
Malone's correction.
71. To rage t/ie city iur?i, tlutt him a?td his they in
his palace burn. "The city" is here used as a collective
noun, to express the united body of the citizens ; and is
therefore followed by the verb "turn" and the pronoun
*' they."
72. To punish them. The old copies omit " them." Malone
made the correction.
CAKSHLI., PETTER, AND GALPIN, UELLE SAUVAGE WOKKS, LONDON, E.C.
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