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THE COMEDY OF MUCEDORUS
REVISED AND EDITED
WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
BY
KAEL WARNKE, ni. d.
AND
LUDWia PROESCHOLDT, ph.d.
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1878.
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PROFESSOR KARL ELZE
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THIS EDITION OF ' MUCEDORUS '
IS INSCRIBED
IN TOKEN OF THEIR HIGH ESTEEM AND
\ SINCERE GRATITUDE
V BY
TlIK EDITORS.
420806
INTRODUCTION.
The earliest known edition of the comedy of Mucedorus was
published in i5q8, with the title: A Most pleasant Comedie of
Mucedorus the kings sonne of Valentia and Amadine the king's
daughter of Arragon, with the merie conceites of Mouse. Newly-
set foorth , as it hath bin sundrie times plaide in the honorable
Cittie of London. Very delectable and full of mirth. London
Printed for William Jones, dwelling at Holborne conduit, at the
signe of the Gunne. 1598. 4" (QA). As appears from the words
newly set foorth, the Editio Princeps of the pla)' has been
lost and we must now consider the edition of 1598 as such,
A second edition, mentioned by Dyce^), was issued in 1606
(QB); it bears the same title as QA, of which it seems to have
been a mere reprint. In the beginning of the reign of king James I,
several additions were made to the play, and it was published
again in 1609 (QC) and in 16 10 (QD), the latter edition being
entitled: A Most pleasant Comedie of Mucedorus the kings sonne
of Valentia, and Amadine the kings daughter of Aragon. With
the merr)' conceites of Mouse. Amplified with new additions, as
it was acted before the king's Maiestic at White -hall on .Shroue-
Sunday night. By his Ilighnes Seruants vsually playing at the
Globe. Very delectable, and full of conceited Mirth. Imprinted
at London for William Jones, dwelling neare Holborne Conduit,
at the signe of the Gunne. 1 6 10. 4*'.
The scenes added in these editions arc: i. The Prologue. —
2. The dialogue between Mucedorus and Anselmo (I, i). — 3. The
soliloquy of Mouse (I, 2). — 4. The scene in which Anselmo com-
') The Works of Beaumont and Fletcher , The Knight of the Burning
Pestle. Note to the Induction.
I*
4 INTRODUCTION.
municates to the distressed king of Valentia the reason of the
clandestine departure of his son (IV, i). — 5. The last scene of
the play was amplified in QC by the introduction of the king of
Valentia with his train just at the moment, when the king of
Arragon has bestowed the hand of his daughter Amadine on
Mucedorus. The introduction of the king of Valentia and of
Anselmo who do not appear in the two earliest editions, at the
same time made it necessary to raise the original number of eight
actors (in QA) to ten (in QC). — 6. The epilogue, from 1. 14,
has been altered.
From this altered form of the epilogue, we learn the occasion
on which the new scenes were added. 'A comedy', says the late
R. Simpson 2) , ' by some poet unaccustomed to write for the com-
pany, had been acted at the Globe, and afterwards at court before
the king himself. It was full of dark sentences for which the
actors were delated to the magistrate, to their great danger. And
on occasion of their being admitted to act again at court, they
presented the old, inoffensive Mucedorus as their peace-offering,
with an elaborate excuse for their error.' (Epilogue 11. 15 — 77.)
R. Simpson then goes on to enumerate several plays of a scandalous
character which were performed at the Globe between the publication
of Mucedorus in 1606 and the issue of the edition of 16 10; it is
however difficult to say which of them had given the oflfence
alluded to in the epilogue.
From the very beginning, the comedy of Mucedorus, probably
on account of 'the merry conceits of Mouse', seems to have been
highly popular. An allusion to this eifect is found in Beaumont
and Fletcher's drama: The Knight of the Burning Pestle, first acted
in 1 6 1 1 , in the Induction of which the wife of a citizen says with
regard to her husband's apprentice: 'Nay, gentlemen, he hath
play'd before, my husband says, ^Mucedorus, before the wardens
of our company '. — Another proof of the great popularity which,
for more than half a century, our play enjoyed, consists in the
great number of editions still extant. Not even the period during
which the theatres w-ere closed, and in which so many old plays
sank into oblivion, deprived the comedy of Mucedorus of the
esteem in which it was held by the play -going public: for in
^) Pseudo-Shaksperian Dramas. In: The Academy, Apr. 29, 1876, p. 401,
FNTRODUCTION. 5
1663, it was performed at Witney in Oxfordshire^); and what is
still more surprising, at a time when the French taste had already
completely taken hold of the English stage, in the same year in
which the first playwright of the Restoration — Sir William
Davenant — died, a new edition of our play was published (1668).
The editions issued between 16 10 and 1668 are the following:
1 613 (QE), 16 1 5 (QF), 16 19 (QG), 1 62 1 (QH), 1629 (QI), 1634
(QK), 1639 (QL), 1668 (QM). — Qq EFGIKLM are enumera-
ted by Halliwell '*) ; QH is contained in a miscellaneous volume
belonging to the Municipal Library of Dantzic and bearing the press-
mark: Comcediae Anglicanae XVII. F. 5. q. Professor Elze, who
thinks this copy to be unique, had a transcript made of it in 1859,
which has been mentioned by Professor Delius in the Introduction
to his edition of our play : and the only two English critics that
refer to the edition of 1 621 — R. Simpson and Professor Ward 5) —
probably owe their knowledge of it to that introduction.
Of these twelve old editions only QH has been accessible to
us in the original, whilst Qq .\CD]M have become known to us
either through reprints or collations.
QA forms the basis of the reprint of our play in Dodsley's
Select Collection of Old English Plays, cd. by W. Carew Ilazlitt
(vol. VII, London 1874). Throughout the play, Mr. Ilazlitt has
modernized the old spelling, now and then he has corrected an
evident blunder of QA, not however without regularl}- giving the
reading of the Ed. Pr. in a note, so that with the aid of his edition
the reader is able to reconstrue the text of QA. In the arrange-
ment of the lines, in particular, he has not deviated from QA,
giving as prose several passages which without doubt are to be
^) On that occasion , some persons lost their lives by an unfortunate
accident, a catastrophe which was made the subject of a pamphlet by
an Oxfordshire clergyman under the title: Trapi - Comcedia. Being a brieff
relation of the strange and wonderful hand of God, discovered at Witney in
the Comedy acted February the third, where there were some slaine, many
hurt, and several other remarkable passages. See Collier, Annals of the
Stage, II, 118 seq.
*) Dictionary of Old English Plays.
^) A History of English Dramatic Literature. London 1875. L 458 seq.
Professor Ward eiToneously slates that the ' new additions' only consisted of
the Prologue , and of the opening and concluding dialogue between Comedy
and Envy, and that these scenes were first published in ilie edition of 162 1.
6 INTRODUCTION.
read as verse, and not choosing, when printing verse, to restore
the regular blank verse in cases where it was easy to do so. Not
content, however, only to give the text of QA, he has taken the
pains to collate it with QD , from which he has derived the pas-
sages not contained in QA.
QC has lately been reprinted for subscribers by Mr. J. Payne
Collier, who has likewise modernized the old spelling, and, beside
a short introductory notice in which he claims one of the scenes
first printed in QC (IV, i) for Shakespeare, has added a few notes
and conjectures ; as for the rest, Mr. Collier has made no attempt
to restore that form of the old play which originally it must have
borne, even if penned by the humblest of all Elizabethan play-
wrights.
As to QH Professor Elze has not only with great liberality
lent us his transcript, but has also most kindly procured the ori-
ginal from Dantzic for our inspection. After having once more com-
pared the transcript with the original, we think we are allowed to
consider it to be as faithful as can be. The title of QH differs
from that of QD only in the imprint (London, Printed for John
Wright, and are to be sold at his shop without Newgate at the
signe of the Bible).
Professor Delius , to whom we owe the first German edition
of our play 6), has formed his text from QM, the title of which
agrees with that of QD except in the imprint, which runs as fol-
lows: London, Printed by C. O. for Francis Coles, and are to be
sold at his shop in Winestreet near Hatton - garden 1668. In his
introduction, Professor Delius discusses the hypothesis of Tieck on
the authorship of our play and gives a survey of the different
editions, as far as he knew them. As for the text of the play, he
has compared QM with the transcript of Professor Elze, giving
some of the variations as well as some conjectures of his own
and of Professor Elze's on pp. XII — XIV ; substantially , however,
his edition may be considered as a reprint of the last quarto
edition of 1668.
As there can be no doubt that QA is superior to all subse-
quent editions, we have followed it as closely as possible, adopting
*") Pseiido - Shaksperesdie Dramen. Herausgegeben von Nicolaus Delius.
Viertes Heft : Mucedorus. Elberfeld 1 874.
INTRODUCTION. 7
the reading of the other Qq only in cases where the text of QA
is obviously corrupt. For brevity's sake, we quote Mr. Hazlitt's
reprint as A, Mr. Collier's reprint as C, Professor Delius' edition
as M, and the Qq of 1610 and 1621 as D and H. In most cases
we have deemed it sufficient in the notes only to indicate the
readings of those Qq which differ from that to which we have
given the preference.
The corrupted text and the deficient versification of our play
have, in part, been restored by Professor Wagner") and Professor
Elze^). As a number of the emendations proposed by these
learned gentlemen seem to be incontestable, we have not hesitated to
prefer them to the readings of the Qq, particularly in cases in
which the latter are not in unison with one another; such con-
jectures, however , as seemed to be of a more doubtful character,
have been embodied in the notes. In the notes we have also
given some suggestions with which Professor Elze and some of
our friends have privately favoured us. I'or those emendations,
lastly , which have been given without an author's name , we are
answerable ourselves.
The question as to the author of our play has been repeatedly
discussed ; but as cogent arguments are absolutely wanting , it is
not likely ever to be brought to a satisfactory close. Among the
different hypotheses jjut forth both in England and Germany , we
are able to distinguish three principal groups. There are , or to
speak more correctly , there were some critics who attributed the
whole of the play to no meaner poet than to Shakespeare ; others,
particularly English scholars, think it not improbable that the scenes
added in the edition of l6og, were written by Shakespeare, whilst
a third group of critics hold that the great English poet had
nothing at all to do with our comedy, but that some other of the
Elizabethan dramatists — Lodge, Greene, or Peele — composed
it in the beginning of his dramatical career.
The principal advocate of the first hypothesis was the Ciennan
poet Tieck. Highly meritorious as his efforts were to make his
countrymen acquainted with the works of the great P'nglish bard,
') Shakespeare -Jahrl)uch XI, 59 — 70 : Ueber unci /u Mucedorus.
*) Shakespeare- Jahrbuch XIII, 45 — 91: Noten unci Conjecturen. We
have enjoyed the advantage of using a separate impression of these Notes;
the volume itself will only be published some weeks hence.
8 INTRODUCTION.
yet it is well known that, guided by nothing but his own individual
taste , he attributed to Shakespeare a number of plays which cer-
tainly were not written by him. To these plays belongs the co-
medy of Mucedorus. In the second part of Tieck's novel : Dichter-
leben , Shakespeare is made to confess to the Earl of Southampton
that, when still at Stratford, he wrote the singular play of Muce-
dorus , and that after the lapse of many years when he chanced
to be present at a performance of it, he was struck with astonish-
ment to see the long-forgotten comedy meet with great applause ^).
Setting aside the poetical frame of this passage , we may , with
Professor Delius, infer two facts from it, firstly that Tieck believed
Shakespeare to have been the author of the play , and then , that
he did not think it quite worthless. Turning to the external
evidence which may have led Tieck to that supposition, we know
that none of the old editions gives on its title Shakespeare as the
author of the play; nor is any allusion to that effect to be found
in contemporary writers. The only fact that speaks in favour of
Tieck's hypothesis, is the circumstance of a volume having existed
in the library of K. Charles II, containing Mucedorus together
with the comedies of The Merry Devil of Edmonton and Fair Em,
which was labelled Shakespeare, Vol. I. ^o). It is not likely that
the book - binder should have given the volume this inscription on
his own authority : on the contrary, we may suppose that he was
instructed to do so by the original owner of the book. But we
are entirely ignorant, who that owner was and whether he did
not attribute the three plays to Shakespeare merely on the same
ground on which many other plays have been ascribed to him,
viz. because they had been represented at the Globe. That,
moreover, Shakespeare was not generally considered as the author
of the three comedies , becomes evident from the fact that the
editors of the third Folio of Shakespeare's works, although ad-
'■') It forms a singular contrast to the intimate knowledge which Tieck
evidently possessed of our play, that Schlegel in his Lectures on Dramatic
Art (II, 2, 240, German edition of 1809) is obliged to own that he never
saw this comedy and therefore feels unable to pronounce an opinion of it.
'0) This volume afterwards passed to the British Museum, where it
has been broken up to allow the plays to be separately bound. Malone's
Shakspeare by Boswell (1821) II, 682. Simpson, School of Shakspere II, 339
and 404. According to Simpson, Transactions of the New Shakspere Society
1875 — 6, p. 157 the label was Shakespeare, Vol. II.
INTRODUCTION.
mitting seven plays not contained in Ff AB included in it neither
The- Merry Devil of Edmonton, nor Fair Em, nor lastly jMucedorus.
In short, the external evidence pointing to Shakespeare as the
author of our play, can hardly be turned to account.
Tieck has omitted to give some internal evidence speaking in
favour of Shakespeare ; and it seems in fact to be difficult to find
a single passage in the play that bears the stamp of Shakespeare's
genius. On the contrary, there is one criterion which, in our
opinion , is of sufficient moment to prove that our play was not '
written by Shakespeare, and this is the striking predilection which
the author of our play shows for alliteration. Some of the most
prominent alliterative passages are:
I, 3. Prying from place to place to find his prey.
Prolonging &c.
I, 4. But hard, yea hapless, is that wretch's chance,
Luckless his lot, and caitiff- like accurst,
At whose proceedings fortune ever frowns.
ib. A trusty friend is tried in time of need.
ib. In harmful heart to harbour hatred long.
ib. A merry man a merry master makes.
II, 2. Tremelio, ah, trusty Tremelio !
ib. Whose doom will be thy death as thou dcscrv'st.
n, 3. Who fights with me and doth not die the death?
III, I. Pour forth your plaints, and wail a while with me
And thou bright sun, my comfort in the cold.
ib. Ye wholesome herbs and, ye sweet- smelling savours.
Ill, 2. a fair broad - branched beach.
III, 3. Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain.
ib. My present promise to perform.
ib. Now glut thy greedy guts.
ib. Ay, woman, wilt thou live i 'th' woods with me?
IV, 3. In time of yore, when men like brutish beasts
Did lead their lives in loathsome cells and woods,
And wholly gave themselves to witless will,
.\ rude unruly rout, then man to man became
A present prey : then might prevailed.
The weakest went to wall &c.
IV, 5. In such a cruel cut- throat's company. •
ib. And will do still as long as life shall last.
10 INTRODUCTION.
These instances will be sufficient to show that in almost all
the scenes, at least in the original play before it was amplified,
alliterative lines are to be met with. Now, alliteration is a figure
of speech of which Shakespeare never made use, except once in
Love's Labour's Lost IV, 2 (in the well-known lines, beginning:
The preyful princess pierc'd and prick'd a pretty pleasing pricket)
in order to characterize and ridicule his Holofernes. If therefore
now- a -days there should be critics bold enough to assert Shake-
speare to have been the author of our play, this grammatical test
would of itself, we think, suffice to refute them.
The second of the above mentioned theories seems to boast
of more supporters than the one just discussed: two English
critics, at least, ascribe the scenes first published in QC to Shake-
speare. These critics are the late R. Simpson, who on different
occasions * 1) turned his attention to our play, and Mr. Collier who
takes IV, i to have been Shakespeare's contribution, i') Indeed every
reader, however cursorily examining our play, must be struck with
the different tone and style of these scenes. Professor Wagner ^^),
although not acquainted with the different editions, points out IV, i
as the only scene in which the diction rises above the usual
triviality and becomes somewhat more graceful and elegant. He
might have added that also the latter part of the Epilogue is
written in a more racy and vigorous style than the rest. Besides,
alliteration is very rarely, if at all, to be met with in the new
scenes.'*) If, on the other side, it is true that also in these scenes
the passages in which sense and metre are deficient, are by no
means wanting, we must bear in mind that, in all probability, this
is rather the fault of the old editors , than that of the author.
Mr. Hazlitt, therefore, is wrong when saying i^) : 'Whether the
•') School of Shakspere II, 404 seqq. — The Academy April 29,
1876, p. 401 seq. — Transactions of the New Shakspere Society 1875 — 6,
pp. 157—160.
'2) Mr. Collier is mistaken in stating in the Introductory Notice to his
edition of Mucedorus, that IV, i is the only scene not contained in QA.
•') Shakespeare - Jahrbuch XI, 61.
'■') The following passages in I, i : But faith plant firmer; ib. My
resolution brooks no battery ; ib. breed a blemish ; ib. lock thy lips — are
hardly to be considered as instances of alliteration.
'*) In a short note on the titles of the two old copies which he used
in preparing his edition.
ENTRODUCTION. 1 1
additions and corrections were the work of the original writer, or
of some one else is uncertain; but it does not appear improbable
that they were the author's.' On the contrary, it is certain that
the author of the original play did not add the scenes in question;
whether, however, we are entitled to consider them as Shake-
speare's is a question which is to be considered apart.
R. Simpson (School of Shaksperc II, 404) says: 'The old
play is too bad to be Shakespeare's, unless it was written in his
very earliest days, yet the additions in tlie edition of 1610 have
in them a ring quite consistent with Shakespeare's authorship, who,
too good an artist to patch cloth of frieze with cloth of gold, yet
could hardly help showing a fibre of his golden vein in anything
that he scribbled.' R. Simpson expresses himself in a similar way
in the Transactio i s of the New Shakspere Society and in the
Academy. Although he owns in the latter paper that the additions,
though far superior to the old play, yet 'bear no internal evidence
of being Shakespeare's', and that 'there might have been many
poets attached to the (ilobe in 1605 — 10 capable of this and
much better', yet on the same occasion he gives us the reasons
which seem to him to 'add some slight weight to the tradition
that Shakespeare was the author of those scenes.' He does not
think it impossible that Shakespeare was the head -manager of
the King's Company at the time when the offence alluded to was
given to the court, and that therefore it naturally devolved on him
to extricate the players from their difficulty. 'It must be confessed
that the molestation of the ashes in 1. 2 is like the tnolestation of the
tmcha fed flood in Othello II, i, and that the use of the word sight
has a Shakespearian twang.' To these arguments may be fitly
added the one brought forward by Mr. Collier. As has already
been mentioned, he supposes only IV, i to have been added to
the old play, which scene on account of its diction and more
particularly on account of the use of the word extohtmit (which
licsides the passage in question only occurs in Hamlet IV, 2) he
thinks to have been contributed by Shakespeare. Tiiese arguments
would, even if advanced in a greater number, be far from proving
Shakespeare's authorship; besides if we are not mistaken, there is
a difference to be recognised in the use of the word molestation
in Otliello and Mucedorus. The passages referred to are:
12 INTRODUCTION.
For do but stand upon the foaming shore
The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds,
The wind-shaked surge with high and monstrous mane
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,
And quench the guards of the ever- fixed pole:
I never did like molestation view-
On the enchafed flood.
OTHKLLO II, I.
Mirth to a soul disturbed is embers turned
Which sudden gleam with molestation.
MUCEDORUS IV, I.
The expression which to R. Simpson seemed to have a Shake-
spearian twang is contained in the following line:
But sooner lose their sight for it.
The earliest known edition (1609), however, that contains this line,
instead of sight reads light, which has also been independently
conjectured by Professor Elze. Both Mr. Simpson and INIr. Collier
confine their remarks to IV, i : but, if it be assumed that Shake-
speare added this scene, it must also be assumed that he wrote
I, I and 2, as well as the conclusions of the play and of the
epilogue. In these scenes, however, no critic has as yet discovered
a spark of Shakespeare's genius. On the contrar}- INIr. Collier
expressly says: 'All other portions of the drama [with the exception
of IV, i] are clearly by an inferior hand and in a much humbler
and comparatively barbarous style'; also ]\Ir. R. Simpson has not
been able to point out lines in I, i and 2 and in the conclusion
of the play as being not unworthy of the great poet. We have
remarked indeed that the diction in the latter part of the epilogue
is different from that of the rest of the play, but it rather calls
to mind the inflation of style so frequently to be met with in the
works of the precursors of Shakespeare. Moreover, there is one
point in the versification of our play which speaks against Shake-
speare's authorship. Both authors — he who composed the old
play, as well as he who added the new scenes — had a predilection
for rhyme. According to Abbott, Shakespearian Grammar § 515,
Shakespeare made use of rhyme only in two cases, viz. as an
effective termination at the end of the scene, and as a conven-
tional means to mark an aside. In our play, however, rhyme
frequently occurs, also in the middle of a scene, without any reason
for its use being discernible.
INTRODUCTION. 13
Considering all this, we must confess that there is just as
little evidence, either external or internal, for Shakespeare's
authorship of the scenes first added in QC, as for Tieck's
hypothesis that he composed the whole of the play.
The same must be said of the other suggestions as to the
author of our play. As all of them lack" evidence, and are nothing
but mere guesses, it will be sufficient briefly to enumerate them.
Malone thinks Robert Greene to have been the author of our
play. He says^s): 'Chettle, in a miscellaneous piece, consisting of
prose and verse, entitled England's Mourtmig Gar7netii &c. (1603)
shadows Marlowe the poet under the name of Musceus; because
he had translated the poem of Hero and Leander, attributed to
Musaius : and Robert Greene, under the name of iNIusidore, doubtless
from his having been the author of Mucedorus, a play, which has
been absurdly attributed to Shakspeare'. Al. Dyce, in his edition
of the works of Robert Greene, does not mention the passage just
quoted. Simpson (Transactions of the New Shakspere Society) says :
•The poet Mucidore addressed by Chettle in England's Mourning
Garment is either Thomas Lodge or Robert Greene.' Von Friesen'")
lastly, induced by the frequent use of alliteration, does not think
it unlikely that George Peele was the author of our play.
Quite as uncertain as the author of our play, is the date of
its composition. The only means by which we are enabled to
make a guess at this date consists in the examination both of the
verse and of the use which the author has made of the interspersed
prose. The clown, as might be exjjected, speaks in prose throughout
the play; and also the other characters when talking to him,
generally prefer prose to verse; verses addressed to the clown are
ver}' rare. Collen, the Councillor, converses with him in prose in
II, I ; in verse in V, i . The messenger that was to be represented
by the same actor as Collen, indiscriminately uses verse and prose
in his discourse with the clown (III, i). It may be added that in
the Qq passages which are to be read as prose, are repeatedly
printed as verse.
With the exception of the scenes in which the clown, Collen,
'«) Malone, Life of William Shakspeare in Malone's Shakspeare by
Boswell (1 82 1) II, 251 note.
'') Shakespeare - Jahrbuch X, 37 1.
14 INTRODUCTION.
and the messenger appear, our play has been written in blank-
verse. As the blank-verse is quite regular in a number of scenes,
particularly in the monologues, we may suppose that where the
metre is spoiled, it is not the fault of the author. In many passages,
therefore, in which QA prints prose or irregular verse, we have
after the example, and very often with the aid of the notes and
conjectures, published by Professors Wagner and Elze, tried to
restore the blank- verse; as, on the other side, however, the poet
apparently did not scruple frequently to admit lines of four or
six accents, we have as a rule not attempted to reduce such lines
to regular metre, although, as the notes will show, in many cases
it would have been easy to do so.
As has been mentioned, both authors agree in their predilection
for rhyme; in another point, however, their versification differs:
viz. in the admission of double endings which are much more
frequent in the additions than in the original play; the latter con-
tains only 2^ double endings, whereas in the additions their number
amounts to 17. If to this we add the frequent use made of
alliteration, we shall hardly be wrong in concluding that our play
had been in existence several years before the Ed. Pr. (1598)
was published.
The division of our play into acts and scenes which we have
introduced, is not to be found in either old or modem editions
and we must therefore ask the reader's indulgence if it should not
in all points find his approval. In the first act, Mucedorus, in
the disguise of a shepherd, leaves his father's court, and, on his
arrival in Arragon , saves Amadine by killing the bear. In the
second act he dispatches Tremelio who, instigated by Segasto,
tries to murder him; Segasto accuses him of murder, but the king
pardons that offence , and recompenses Mucedorus for having
saved the life of his daughter. On a sudden, however, he
changes his mind, and we learn in the third act that Mucedorus
is banished from the court. Amadine resolves to follow her lover,
but misses him at the appointed place and falls into the hands of
Bremo, a wild man. Mucedorus, in the new disguise of a hermit,
kills Bremo and sets her free, and immediately after both are
discovered by the clown and Segasto, to the latter of whom
Mucedorus reveals his princely birth. The fifth act contains the
reconciliation of all parties. Although it is true that the last act
INTRODUCTION. 15
is far shorter than the preceding ones, yet as the fourth act must
needs contain Bremo's death, and as Segasto meets Amadine and
Mucedorus at the same place where tlie latter has killed Bremo,
it seems impossible to begin the fifth act at an earlier scene.
Moreover, it should be observed that it seems to speak in favour of
our division, that, according to it, the fourth act, like all the
preceding ones , concludes with a scene in which the clown plays
a prominent part.
MUCEDORUS.
THE PROLOGUE.
Most sacred Majesty, whose great deserts
Thy subject England, nay, tlie world admires:
Which heaven grant still increase! O, may your praise
IVIultiplying with your hours, your fame still raise !
Embrace your council : love with faith them guide, 5
That both, as one, bench by each other's side.
So may your life pass on, and run so even.
That your firm zeal plant you a throne in heaven,
Where smiling angels sliall your guardians be
From blemish'd traitors, stain'd with perjury. 10
And as the night's inferior to the day.
So be all earthl}" regions to your sway!
Be as the sun to day, the day to night.
For from your beams Europe shall borrow light.
Mirth drown your bosom, fair delight your mind, 15
And may our pastime; your contentment find.
[Exit Prologue.
The Prologue. First in C. — i. The whole prologue being written
in verse, also the first two lines ought to form a couplet. Coll. proposes to
read either desires in 1. I, or asserts in 1. 2. • — 4. Multiplying, cp. Abbott,
Shakespearian Grammar s. 468. — 6. C both, as one, bench; D botli at one
bench; H as one bench, by; M both as one bench by. — CD each other^s;
HM the other's. — 8. CDH thro7ie ; M place.
DRAMATIS PERSONS.
Adrostus, king of A?-ragon."-^ The King of Valentia.
Segasto 1 Noblemen of '^lvCEDO^v?>, the Prince of Valentia.
RuMBELO*'' / Arragon. Anselmo, his friend.
CoLLEN, a Cotmcillor.'^> Roderigo i Nohlemen of
Tremelio, a Captain. BoRACmus'^-' j Valentia.
Mouse, the Clown. Bremo, a ivild Man.
Noblemen, Couticillors.
A Messenger, a Boy.
Amadine, the king of Arragon s daughter.
Ariena, her Maid.
An old Woman.
Comedy.
Envy.
Dramatis Person.^.. In A the number of performers is limited to
eight , among whom the parts are distributed in the following manner : The
King and RoMBELO; Mucedorus, t/w Prince of Valencia; Amadine, the
King's Daughter of Arragon ; Segasto, a Nobleman; Envy, Tremelio, a
Captain, Bremo, a wild man ; Comedy, a Boy, an Old Woman, Arlena,
Amadine' s Maid; Collen, a Councillor, A Messenger; Mouse, the Clown.
— The characters of the King of Valentia and Anselmo have been added in
CHM, where, accordingly, ten actors are required. — a. The name of Adrostus
occurs II, I ; AH Adrostus ; CM Adrastus. — b. A, p. 202 Rombelo, p. 244
Rumbelo ; C Rombolo ; H Ro?nelo, Rumbelo ; M, p. 2 Romelio, p. 42 Rumbelo.
■ — c. AC Collen; HM Collin. — d. The name of Boracliius is omitted in
the Dramatis Persona of the old copies ; but it occurs in the stage-directions
IV, I, where CD have Borachius , HM Barachiiis , and V, I, where C has
Boracliius, D Barciieus, H Baracheus, and M Brachius.
INDUCTION.
Enter CoMEDY, joy/idly, with a Garland of Bays on her head.
Why so ; thus do I hope to please :
Music revives, and mirth is tolerable;
Comedy, play thy part and please;
Make merry them that come to joy with thee.
Joy then, good gentles; I hope to make you laugh. 5
Sound forth Bellona's silver-tuned strings;
Time fits us well, the day and place is ours.
Enter Envy, his arms naked, bestneared with blood.
Envy. Nay, stay, you minion, stay; there lies a block!
What, all on mirth? I'll interrupt your tale.
And mix your miisic with a tragic end. 10
Co?n. What monstrous ugly hag is this.
That dares control the pleasures of our will?
Vaunt, churlish cur, besmear'd with gory blood.
That seemst to check the blossoms of delight,
And stifle the sound of sweet Bellona's breath ; 1 5
Blush, monster, blush, and post away with shame,
That seekest disturbance of a goddess' deeds.
Emy. Post hence thyself, thou counterchecking trull;
I will possess this habit, spite of thee.
And gain the glory of thy wished sport. 20
Induction. i. El., iliinking the Induction to have begun with a
regular blank verse, proposes: H'/iy, even so. — 3. Supposing Co»i^ to have
(hopped before Comedy, we should have a regular octosyllabic. — Coll.
conjectures: J>tay thy part with ease. — 6. B ell ana , cp. El.'s Notes. —
7. C arc ours. — 8. A Nay, stay, minion; tJiere ; C Stay, stay; minion
there ; HM Nay, stay minion, stay, there ; you added by El. — 14. A
blossoms; CUM blossom. — 15. AH stijte ; C stiffe ; M still. — 17. HM natnc ;
Wag. proposes fatne. — 20. HM ftiis ■wished. — Qq port ; El. sport.
22 MUCEDORUS. [Induction.
I'll thuuclcr music shall appal the nymphs,
And make them shiver their clattering strings,
Flying for succour to their dankish caves.
Sound Drums Tvithin, and ay, Stab, Stab
Hark, hearken, thou shalt hear a noise
25 Shall fill the air with shrilling sound.
And thunder music to the gods above:
Mars shall himself reach dov^^n
A peerless crown upon brave Envy's head.
And raise his rival with a lasting fame.
30 In this brave music Envy takes delight,
Where I may see them wallow in their blood,
And spurn at arms and legs quite shivered off.
And hear the cries of many thousands slain.
How lik'st thou this, my trull? 't is sport alone for me!
35 Com. Vaunt, bloody cur, nurs'd up with tiger's sap,
That so dost seek to quail a woman's mind!
Comedy's mild, gentle, willing for to please,
And seeks to gain the love of all estates.
Delights in mirth, mix'd all with lovely tales,
40 And bringeth things with treble joy to pass.
Thou bloody, envious 'sdainer of men's joys,
Whose name is fraught with bloody stratagems,
Delights in nothing but in spoil and death,
Where thou may'st trample in their lukewarm blood,
21. HM appale. — 22. Wag. shiver tit their. — 23. Qq Danish; El.
and Coll. dankish. — ■ 24. Hark added by Wag. -- HM hear noise. —
2^. AC with a shrilling. — 27. AC breathe; LM breath; Wag. reach. —
29. AHM chival; C cheval ; Wag. rival. 'Even Mars acknowledges the
merits of his rival Envy by presenting him with a crown.' Wag. — 31. Qq
the7n wallow. As there is no antecedent to which them might refer, it would
perhaps be better to read me7t; cp., however, 1. 65. — 32. Qq To spur ft. —
33. A cry. — A thousand. — 34. A this; CHM 'tis. — 35- A tigers'. —
36. C does; HM That\ so dost quail. — 37. Qq Comedy is mild. —
39- Q<1 d e light ifig ; Wag. delights. ■ — 41. Qq disdainer ; as to 'sdainer,
cp. Marlowe, King Edward II. p. 216 (ed. by Dyce, London 1870): Why,
youngling, 'sdain'st thou so of Mortimer 'r See Abbott s. 460. — El. thinks
bloody to have intruded by mistake from the following line. ■ — 43. AHM
delights ; C delightst. Cp. Abbott s. 340. — 44. C on their lukewarm,.
Induction.] MUCEDORUS. 23
And grasp their hearts within thy cursed paws. 45
Yet veil thy mind; revenge thou not on me;
A silly woman begs it at thy hands.
Give me the leave to utter out my play;
Forbear this place ; I humbly crave thee, hence !
And mix not death 'mongst pleasing comedies, 50
That treat nought else but pleasure and delight.
If any spark of human rests in thee,
Forbear ; begone ; tender the suit of me.
Envy. Why, so I will ; forbearance shall be such,
As treble death shall cross thee wdth despite, 55
And make thee mourn, where most thou joy'st.
Turning thy mirth into a deadly dole,
WTiirling thy measures with a peal of death.
And drench thv metres in a sea of blood.
This will I do ; thus shall 1 bear with thee ; 60
And more, to vex thee with a deeper spite,
I will with threats of blood begin thy play.
Favouring thee with envy and with hate.
Co7n. Then, ugly monster, do thy worst,
I will defend them in despite of thee: 65
And though thou think'st with tragic fumes
To brave my play unto my deep disgrace,
I force it not, I scorn what thou canst do ;
I'll grace it so, thyself shall it confess.
From tragic stuff to be a pleasant comedy. 70
Envy. Why then. Comedy, send now thy actors forth,
And I will cross the first steps of their tread,
Making them fear the very dart of death.
46. CHM thee not. — 48. M Give me leave ; Wag. give me hut leave.
— 49. HM thee hence. — 51. MM treats. — 52. H humafie. As to spark
of human cp. Shakespeare's Sonnets 68, 3: Before these bastard signs of fair
■were born. See Abbott s. 5. — AHM rests; C rest. — 58. Q(\ pleasures ;
El. measures. — 59. Qq methods; El. metres. — 60. M Thus will. —
61. A And, more to. — 62. HM the play. — 65. them has no antecedent
to which it refers; cp. 1. 31. — 66. Wag. supposes thy to have dropped
\>^{o\e. tragic ; the verse is, however, to be considered as an octosyllabic; cp.
11. 24, 25, 64. — 67. A brave ; C prave ; HM prove. — M great disgrace.
— 68. C I force thee not. — 71. Qq Why then, Comedy, send thy actors
forth; cp. 1. 77. — 72. HM step. — HM trade.
24 MUCEDORUS. [I, I.
Com. And I'll defend them maiigre all thy spite.
75 So, ugly fiend, farewell, till time shall serve,
That we may meet to parley for the best.
Envy. Content, Comedy, I will go spread my branch,
And scattered blossoms from mine envious tree
Shall prove two monsters, spoiling of thy joys.
[Exeunt.
ACT I.
SCENE I.
Sound. Enter Mucedorus atid Anselmo his friend..
Muce. Anselmo !
Ansel. My lord and friend.
Muce. True, my Anselmo, both thy lord aiid friend —
Ansel. Whose dear affections bosom with my heart,
5 And keep their domination in one orb,
Whence ne'er disloyalty shall root it forth.
But faith plant finner in your choice respect.
Muce. Much blame were mine, if I should other deem,
Nor can coy Fortune contrary allow.
lO But, my Anselmo, loth I am to say,
I must estrange that friendship ;
Misconstrue not, 't is from the realm, not thee:
Though lands part bodies, hearts keep comf)any.
Thou know'st that I imparted often have
15 Private relations with my royal sire.
Had as concerning beauteous Amadine,
Rich Arragon's bright jewel, whose face (some say)
That blooming lilies never shone so gay,
76. C parte. — 77. Qq /'//. — 78. M my. — 79. Qq their ; Del. thy.
— Qq Exit.
Scene i. Omitted in A. — 3. CD give 11. 3—5 to Mucedorus, 11. 6 — 7
to Anselmo. — In HM 1. 3 is omitted, 11. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are given to
Anselmo. — 9. C coy Fattcy. ^- 10. C am I. — 10 — il. Printed as one
line in HM. — II. H / m-ust enstrange that friendship ; M enlarge that
friendship; Wag. proposes estrange my friendship ; El. completes the verse
by adding ybr a -ivhile. — 12. C misconster. — 16. Wag. 's emendation Sucti
as for //ad as would require the change of concerning into concerned.
I, I.] MITCEDORUS. 25
Excelling, not excell'd; yet lest report
Does mangle verity, boasting of what is not, 20
Wing'd with desire, thither I'll straight repair.
And be my fortunes, as my thoughts are, fair!
Anse/. Will you forsake Valentia, leave the court.
Absent you from the eye of sovereignty?
Do not, sweet prince, adventure on that task, 25
Since danger lurks each where ; be won from it !
Mtice. Desist dissuasion.
My resolution brooks no battery.
Therefore, if thou retain thy wonted form,
Assist what I intend. 30
Ansel. Your miss will breed a blemish in the court,
And throw a frosty dew upon^that beard,
Whose front Valentia stoops to.
Muce. If thou my welfare tender, then no more;
Let love's strong magic charm tin- trivial phrase, 35
Wasted as vainly as to gripe the sun.
Augment not then more answers ; lock thy lips.
Unless thy wisdom suit me with disguise,
According to m\' purpose.
Ansel. That action craves no counsel, 40
Since what you rightly are, will more command.
Than best usurped sha])e.
Muce. Thou still art opposite in disposition;
A more obscure servile habiliment
Beseems this enterprise. 45
Ansel. Then like a Florentine or mountebank!
Muce. 'Tis much too tedious; I dislike thy judgment.
My mind is grafted on an humbler stock.
Ansel. Within my closet there does hang a cassock.
Though base the weed is, 'twas a shepherd's once, 50
19. M less. — 20. C mangle virtue. — The substitution of truth for
verity, suggested by El., would restore the metre. — 3f). to gripe the sun,
cp. Spenser, The Shepherd's Calendar, Eel. VII: to strive to touch <i star;
and Nares' G). s. To cast beyond the moon. - 47. C 'Tis too much
tedious. — 48. H a huml)h:r. — 49. Qq does there. — 50. C The weed is
covert, 'twas. — once addeil l)y Wag. — El. proi)oses : Though base the
weed is, for it was a shepherd's.
26 MUCEDORUS. [I, I.
Which I presented in Lord Julio's masque,
Mtice. That, my Anselmo, and none else but that,
Mask Mucedorus from the vulgar view.
That habit suits my mind; fetch me that weed.
[Exit Anselmo.
55 Better than kings have not disdain'd that state,
And much inferior, to obtain their mate.
Re -enter Anselmo with a Shepherd's coat, ivhieh he gives
to Mucedorus.
Muce. So !
Let our respect command thy secrecy,
And let us take at once a brief farewell;
60 Delay to Jovers is a second hell.
[Exit Mucedorus.
Ansel. Prosperity forerun thee; awkward chance
Never be neighbour to thy wishes' venture;
Content and Fame advance thee; ever thrive,
And glory thy mortality survive !
[Exit Anselmo.
SCENE n.
Enter Mouse with a bottle of hay.
Mouse. O, horrible, terrible ! Was ever poor gentleman so
scar'd out of his seven senses? A bear? Nay, sure it cannot
be a bear, but some devil in a bear's doublet; for a bear
could never have had that agility to have frighted me. Well,
5 I'll see my father hanged before I'll serve his horse any more.
Well, I'll carry home my bottle of hay, and for once make
my father's horse turn Puritan, and observe fasting -days, for
he gets not a bit. But soft! this way she followed me;
therefore I'll take the other path, and because I'll be sure to
56. HM Enter Anselfno with a sliephenV s coat. — 57 — 59. Thus altered
by El. Qq: So let our respect command tliy secrecy \ At once a brief fare
well. — 62. C wishes.
Scene n. Omitted in A.
I, 3.] MUCEDORUS. 27
have an eye on her, I will shake hands with some foolish 10
creditor, and make every step backward.
[As he goes backwards, the Bear comes in, and he tumbles
over her, atid runs away, and leaves his bottle of hay
behind hivi.J
SCENE m.
Enter Segasto running, and Amadine after him, being
pursued with a bear.
Seg. O, fly, madam, fly, or else we are but dead!
Ama. Help, sweet Segasto, help, or else I die!
Seg. Alas, madam! there is no way but flight;
Then haste, and save your self. [Segasto runs aiuay.
Ama. Why, then I die ; ah ! help me in distress ! 5
Enter Mucedorus, like a Shepherd, with a sword
drawn, and a Bears head in his hand.
Muce. Stay, lady, stay; and be no more dismay'd.
That cruel beast, most merciless and fell,
Which hath bereaved thousands of their lives,
Affrighted many with his hard pursuits,
Pr)ang from place to place to find his prey, 10
Prolonging thus his life by others' death.
His carcass now lies headless, void of breath.
Arna. That foul, deformed monster, is he dead?
Muce. Assure yourself thereof — behold his head;
Which, if it please you, lady, to accept, 15
10. C on her; D on him (1. 8 she followed ; in the stage - direction
over her); HM to her. — CDH take; M shake.
Scene mi. i. Madam, used as a monosyllable; it is differenl in 1. 3.
— El. proposes either to place O in a separate line, or to read: O, fly,
tnaddm . fly, else we are but dead .' — 2. Qq : Help. Segasto, help, help,
sweet Segasto, or else I die. El. suggests: Help, help! help, sweet Segasto,
or I die ; or Segasto, help! help, sweet Segasto, or I die. — 4. C haste to
save. — In AHM the stage-direction is placed after 1. 2. — 8. Omitted in
M. — II That has bereaved. — 9, Qq pursues.
28 MUCEDORUS. [I, 3.
With willing heart I yield it to your majesty.
Am(7, Thanks, worthy shepherd, thanks a thousand times;
This gift, assure thyself, contents me more
Than greatest bounty of a mighty prince,
20 Although he were the monarch of the world.
Miice. Most gracious goddess, more than mortal wight —
Your heavenly hue of right imports no less —
Most glad am I, in that it was my chance
To undertake this enterprise in hand,
25 Which doth so greatly glad your princely mind.
Ama. No goddess, shepherd, but a mortal wight,
A mortal wight distressed as thou seest:
My father here is King of Arragon,
I, Amadine, his only daughter am,
30 And after him sole heir unto the crown.
And now, whereas it is my father's will,
To marry me unto Segasto, one,
Whose wealth through's father's former usury
Is known to be no less than wonderful,
35 We both of custom oftentimes did use,
Leaving the court, to walk within the fields
For recreation, specially in spring.
In that it yields great store of rare delights ;
And, passing farther than our wonted walks,
40 Scarce ent'red were w-ithin these luckless woods,
But right before us down a steep-fall hill
A monstrous ugly bear did hie him fast
To meet us both — I faint to tell the rest.
Good shepherd, but suppose the ghastly looks,
16. Mucedorus, as Wag. observes, does not yet know that Amadine is
a king's daughter; Wag., therefore, proposes to your hands; it might,
perhaps, be simpler to read to your grace. — The tautological expression
which (1. 15) — it (1. 16) would be avoided by the change of it to into unto.
— 25. yi our princely. — 31. Qq : Now whereas it is my father'' s will; And
added by Wag. ; El. proposes either to pronounce tvhereas as a trisyllable, or
to read my dear father'' s. — 33. CHM begin the line with one, which in A
is the last word of 1. 32. Cp. IV, 2, 26. — Qq through father's ; El.
through' s. — 37. Qq: especially ; Wag. specially. — ACHM especially the
spring ; D especially in the spring ; El. (Del. p. XII) in spring. — ■ 39. CHM
further. — 40. HM omit were. — 41 -43. The same lines occur II, 4, 32-35.
I, 4.] IMUCEDORUS. 29
The hideous fears, the hundred thousand woes, 45
WTiich at this instant Amadine sustained.
Muce. Yet, worthy princess, let thy sorrow cease,
And let this sight your former joys revive.
Arfia. Believe me, shepherd, so it doth, no less.
Muce. Long may they last unto your heart's content. 50
But tell me, lady, what's become of him,
Segasto call'd, what is become of him?
Ama. I know not, I ; that know the powers divine ;
But God grant this, that sweet Segasto live !
Muce. Yet was hard-hearted he, in such a case, 55
So cowardly to save himself by flight.
And leave so brave a princess to the spoil.
Ama. Well, shepherd, for thy worthy valour tried.
Endangering thyself to set me free,
Unrecompensed, sure, thou shalt not be. 60
In court thy courage shall be plainly known;
Throughout the kingdom will I spread thy name.
To thy renown and never-dying fame;
And that thy courage ma}- be better known.
Bear thou the head of this most monstrous beast 65
In open sight to every courtier's view.
So will the king, my father, thee reward :
Come, let's away and guard me to the court.
Mucg. With all ra}- heart. [Extimt.
SCENE IV.
Etiter Segasto solus.
Seg. When heaps of harms do hover over head,
'Tis time as then, some say, to look about,
And of ensuing harms to choose the least.
But hard, yea hapless, is that wretch's chance,
45. AC the thousand hundred. — 49. Qq ^<' if doth no less. —
51. Qq what is. — 53. C That know not I. — 55. AHM Yet hard-hearted
he; C Yet hard, hard-hearted he ; was added by El. — 69. Omitted in A.
ScKNE IV. I. M arms. — 3- A And so ensuing; CHM And of
ensuing ; D Atid so of ensuing.
30 MUCEDORUS. [I, 4.
5 Luckless his lot, and caitifT-like accurst,
At whose proceedings fortune ever frowns:
Myself, I mean, most subject unto thrall;
For I, the more I seek to shun the worst,
The more by proof I find myself accurs'd.
10 Erewhiles assaulted with an ugly bear,
With Amadine in company all alone,
Forthwith by flight I thought to save myself,
Leaving my Amadine unto her shifts;
For death it was for to resist the bear,
15 And death no less of Amadine's harms to hear.
Accursed I, in ling'ring life thus long!
In living thus, each minute of an hour
Doth pierce my heart with darts of thousand deaths.
If she by flight her fury do escape,
20 What will she think?
Will she not say, yea, flatly to my face.
Accusing me of mere disloyalty:
A trusty friend is tried in time of need.
But I, when she in danger was of death,
25 And needed me, and cried, Segasto, help!
I turn'd my back, and quickly ran away.
Unworthy I to bear this vital breath!
But what, what needs these plaints?
If Amadine do live, then happy I:
30 She will in time forgive and so forget.
Amadine is merciful, not Juno-like,
In harmful heart to harbour hatred long.
Etiter Mouse the Clown, ru7tnmg, crying, Clubs!
Mouse. Clubs, prongs, pitchforks, bills! O help! A bear,
a bear, a bear!
7. thrall, cp. A. Ill, Sc. 3, 10. — 10. C Erewhile assaulted by. —
II. Qq Fair Amadine. — 15. Amadine is to be pronounced as a dissyllable,
cp. 1. 31. — 16. A lo7ig ; HM long,; the punctuation long! has been
suggested by "Wag. — 17. HM thus each. — - 19. C his fury. — HM doth.
28. CHM need; see Abbott s. 297. — 31. Cp. Marlowe, Elegies HI, lO
(The Works of Marlowe ed. Dyce, London 1870, p. 346): Why am I sad,
■when Proserpine is found, \ And, Ju7io-like, with Dis reigns under ground?
— 31. M hearts.
I, 4.] MUCEDORUS. 31
Seg. Still bears, and nothing else but bears? Tell me,
sirrah, where she is.
Mouse. O sir, she is run down the woods, I saw her 5
white head and her white belly.
Seg. Thou talkest of wonders to tell me of white bears;
but, sirrah, didst thou ever see any such?
Mouse. No, faith, I never saw any such; but I remember
my father's words, he bad me take heed I was not caught 10
with a white bear.
Seg. A lamentable tale, no doubt.
Mouse. I tell you what, sir; as I was going a-field to
serve my father's great horse, and carried a bottle of hay
upon my head — now, do you see, sir, I, fast hoodwinked, that 15
I could see nothing, perceiving the bear coming, I threw my
hay into the hedge and ran away.
Seg. What, from nothing?
Mouse. I warrant you, yes, 1 saw something; for there
was two load of thorns besides my bottle of hay, and that 20
made three.
Seg. But tell me, sirrah, the bear that thou didst see,
Did she not bear a bucket on her arm?
Moiise. Ha, ha, ha! I never saw a bear go a-milking in
all my life. But hark you, sir, I did not look so high as her 25
arm, I saw nothing but her white head and her white belly.
Seg. But tell me, sirrah, where dost thou dwell?
Mouse. \Miy, do you not know me?
Seg. Why, no ; how should I know thee ?
Mouse. Why, then you know nobody, an }ou know not 30
me. I tell you, sir, 1 am goodman Rat's son, of the next
parish over the hill.
Seg. Goodman Rat's son; wh)-, what's thy name?
Mouse. Why, I am very near kin unto liim.
Seg. 1 think so; but what's th}- name? 35
3. else om. HM. — 5. A / sec. — II. HM the white bear. — iT). M
should. — CHM I perceiving. — 20. C loads. — H beside. — 22. C the
bear thou. — 24. A saw bear. — 25. C mark you. — 30. Why, then you
know nobody d^V. is perhaps, as Wag. thinks, an allusion to Thoni. Hcywood's
play: If you know not me, you know nobody. — 31. AC am the goodman.
— 33. why omitted in HM. — 34. C akin to him.
32 MUCEDORUS. [I, 4.
Mouse. My name? I have a very pretty name; I'll tell
}ou what my name is, my name is Mouse.
Seg. What, plain Mouse?
Afouse. Ay, plain Mouse, without either welt or guard.
40 But do you hear, sir, I am but a very young Mouse, for my
tail is scarce grown out yet ; look you here else.
Seg. But I pray thee, who gave thee that name?
Mouse. Faith, sir, I know not that, but if you would
fain know, ask my father's great horse, for he hath been half
45 a year longer with my father than I have.
Seg. (aside) This seems to be a merry fellow;
I care not if I take him home with me.
Mirth is a comfort to a troubled mind,
A merry man a merry master makes. [To Mouse.
50 How say'st thou, sirrah? wilt thou dwell with me?
Motise. Nay, soft, sir; two words to a bargain;
pray you, what occupation are you ?
Seg. No occupation, I live upon my lands.
Mouse. Your lands? Away, you are no master for me.
55 Wh)', do you think that I am so mad to go seek my living
in the lands amongst the stones, briars, and bushes, and tear
my holiday-apparel? Not I, by your leave.
Seg. Why, I do not mean thou shalt.
Mouse. How then?
60 Seg. Why, thou shalt be my man, and wait on me
at the court.
Mouse. What's that?
Seg. Where the king lies.
Mouse. What's that same king, a man or a woman?
^5 ^^S- A vsxaiW as thou art.
36. a omitted in A. — H petty. — M / %vill. — 39. Cp. Robert
Greene, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay ed. by A, Dyce, London 1869, p. 177:
Mark you, masters , here^s a plain honest man without welt or guard. —
40. CHM am a very. — -41. HM look here. — 42. HM pray you and gave
you. — 45. HM have been. — 52. M pray what. — what occupation are
you':' Cp. Julius Csesar I, i: What trade are you P — 55. C think I am.
— M go to seek. — 56. M among. — 61. HM at court. — 63. Cp. Julius
Csesar III, i : He lies to-night within seven leagues. — 64. HM what is
that king.
n, I.] MUCEDORUS. 33
Mouse. As I am? Hark you, sir, pray you, what kin is
he to goodman ICing of our parish, the churchwarden?
Seg. No kin to him; he is the king of the whole land.
Mouse. King of the land ? I never saw him.
Seg. If thou wilt dwell with me, thou shalt see him 70
every da}'.
Mouse. Shall I go home again to be torn in pieces with
bears? No, not 1, I will go home and put on a clean shirt,
and then go drown myself.
Seg. Thou shalt not need, if thou wilt dwell with me, 75
thou shalt want iiothing.
Mouse. Shall I not? Then here's my hand, I'll dwell
with )OU. And hark you , sir ! now you have entertained
me, 1 will tell you what 1 can do. 1 can keep my tongue
from picking and stealing, and m} hands from lying and 80
slandering , I warrant you , as well as ever you had man in
all your life.
Seg. Now will I to court with sorrowful heart, rounded
with doubts.
If Amadine do live, then happy I: 85
Yea happ}" I, if Amadine do live.
[Exeunt.
ACT 1 1.
SCENE I.
Enter the King, ivith a young Prince prisoner, Amadine,
Tre.melio, 7vith CoLLEN and Councillors.
King. Now, brave lords, that our wars are brought to
Our foes to foil, and we in safety rest, [end,
66. C pray what kin. — 69. M of the whole land. — A see. — 73. C
by bears. — 79. M I'll tell. — Cp. Midsummer-Night's Dream IV, I. Bottom:
The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand
is not able to taste, his tongue to cottceive, nor his heart to report, vhat my
dream was. — 81. C you had a man ; M you had any num. — 82. HM in
your life.
SCKNE I. Prince om. HM. — Tremelio om. A. — 1. ///(// only in D.
— 2. ACHM Our foes the foil ; D Our foes have had the foil ; Wag. Our
foes to foil.
3
34 MUCEDORUS. [n, I.
It UK behoves to use such clemency
In peace, as valour in the wars. It is
5 As great an honour to be bountiful
At home, as to be conquerors in the field.
Therefore, my lords, the more to my content,
Your liking, and our country's safeguard,
We are dispos'd in marriage for to give
lo Our daughter unto Lord Segasto here.
Who shall succeed the diadem after me.
And reign hereafter, as tofore I've done,
Your sole and lawful King of Arragon.
How say you, lordings, like you of my advice?
15 Collen. An't please your majesty, we do not only allow
of your highness' pleasure, but also vow faithfully in what we
may to further it.
King. Thanks, good my lords, if long Adrostus live
He w'ill at full requite your courtesies.
20 Tremelio,
In recompense of thy late valour done,
Take unto thee the Catalonian prince.
Our prisoner, lately taken in the wars.
Be thou his keeper, his ransom shall be thine ;
25 We'll think of it, when leisure shall afford.
Meanwhile, do use him well; his father is a king.
Trem. Thanks to your majesty, his usage shall be such
As he thereat shall think no cause to grutch.
[Exeunt Tremelio ayid Prince.
King. Then march we on to court, and rest our wearied limbs !
30 But, Collen, I've a tale in secret kept for thee :
3 seqq. , in HM divided in the following manner : It us behoves to
use such clemency in peace, \ As valour in the wars; \ 'Tis as great
honour to be bountiful at home, \ As conquerors in the field. \ — 5. rt«
added by El. — 6. to be omitted in HM. — 8. A your country's. — As to
the pronunciation of safeguard, cp. Abbott ss. 487 and 488. — lO. A to
Lord; C to the Lord. — 12. Oq as I tofore have done ; the verse has been
restored by Wag.; see, however, the following note. — 14. As to the extra
syllable added before the pause, cp. 1. 24 and Abbott s. 454. — 18. CM
Adrastus. — 20. Tremelio placed in a separate line by Wag. — 22. Qq
Catalone a prince ; corrected by Haz. — 23. Qq Lately our prisoner taken
in the wars. ■ — ■ 28. M have no cause. — 30. Qq I have. — WiA ft for thee.
n, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 35
When thou shalt hear a watchword from tin king,
Thiiik then some weighty matter is at hand,
That highly shall concern our state,
Then, CoUen, look thou be not far from me,
And for thy service thou tofore hast done, 35
Thy truth and valour prov'd in every point,
I shall with bounties thee enlarge therefore.
So guard us to the court.
Collen. What so my sovereign doth command me do,
With willing mind I gladly yield consent. 40
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.
Enter Segasto and /he Clown, with iveapons about him.
Seg. Tell me, sirrah, how do }ou like your weapons?
Mouse. O , ver}- well , ver}' well , they keep my sides
warm.
Seg. They keep the dogs from your shins very well, do
they not? 5
Mouse. IIoAV, keep the dogs from my shins? I would
scorn but my shins could keep the dogs from them.
Seg. Well , sirrah , leaving" idle talk , tell me , dost thou
know Captain Tremelio's chamber?
Motise. Ay, very well, it hath a door. " 10
Seg, I think so ; for so hath every chamber. But dost
thou know the man?
Mouse. Ay forsooth, he hath a nose on his face.
Seg. Why, so hath every one.
Mouse. That's more than I know. 1 5
Seg. But dost thou remember the captain that was here with
the king even now, that brought the young prince prisoner?
Mouse. O, ver}' well.
Seg. Go unto him, and bid him come to me. Tell him
1 have a matter in secret to impart to him. 20
35. C for the service. — 39. AI »ic to do.
ScKNE 11. 4. H shins -n'ell, do; M sliitis, do. — 7. C would keep;
HM should keep. — 17. even now omitted in HM. — 19. C Go unto him,
and bid him comr unto me ; IIM Go to him, and bid him come unto me.
36 MUCEDORUS. [II, 2.
Mouse. I will, master; master, what's his name?
Seg. Why, Captain Tremelio, man.
Mouse. O, the meal-man; I know him very well; he
brings meal every Saturday; but hark you, master, must I bid
25 him come to you, or must you come to him?
Seg. No, sirrah, he must come to me.
Mouse. Hark you, master; how, if he be not at home?
What shall I do then?
Seg. Why, then leave word with some of his folks.
30 Mouse. O, master, if there be nobody within, I will leave
word with his dog.
^.S"^^. W'hy, can his dog speak?
Mouse. I cannot tell ; wherefore doth he keep his chamber
else?
35 ^^S' '^'^ keep out such knaves as thou art.
Mouse. Nay, by'r Lady, then go yourself.
Seg. You will go, sir; will you not?
Mouse. Yes, marry, w^ill I. O, 'tis come to my head, an
a be not within, I'll bring his chamber to you.
40 Seg. What, wilt thou pluck down the king's house?
Mouse. Nay, by'r Lady, I'll know the price of it first.
INIaster, it is such a hard name, I have forgotten it again. I
pray you, tell me his name.
Seg. I tell thee, Captain Tremelio, knave.
45 Mouse. O ! Captain Treble-knave, Captain Treble-knave.
[Calling.
Enter Tremelio.
Trem. How now, sirrah, dost thou call me?
Mouse. You must come to my master, Captain Treble-
knave.
Trem. Isly lord Segasto, did you send for me?
21. M / win, master ; ivhat's his name. — 22. El. has succeeded in
making intelligible the two puns, made by the clown on the name of Tremelio,
by adding man in the first case, and knave in the second; it is llie same
with buzzard III, 3, 32. — 27. how omitted in HM. — 30. Haz. writes How
for O, the reading of the Qq. — A within r I. — 36. CHM by Lady. —
37. A will ye not'- — 39. CHM lie be not. — Isl I will bring. — 40. HM
will you pluck. — 41. CHM by Lady. — 42. C 'tis a hard name. — 44. knave,
see note on 1. 22. — 45. The stage-direction Calling only in C.
n, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 37
Seg. I did, Tremolio. Sirrah, about your business! 50
Mouse. Ay, marr}-, what's that, can you tell?
Seg. No, not ■well.
Mouse. Marry, then, lean; straight to the kitcheu-dresser,
to John the cook, and get me a good piece of beef and
brewis; and then to the buttery-hatch, to Thomas the butler 55
for a jack of beer, and there for an hour I'll so belabour
myself; and therefore I pray you call me not till 3 ou think I
have done, I pray you, good master.
Seg. Well, sir, away. Tremelio this it is !
[Exit Mouse.
Thou know'st the valour of Segasto, spread 60
Through all the Idngdom of great Arragon,
Such as hath triumph found and favours, never
Daunted at any time, Init now a shepherd
Admired is in court for worthiness.
And lord Segasto's honour laid aside; 65
INIy will therefore is this, that thou dost find
Some means to work the shepherd's death : I know
Thy strength sufficient to perform my wish,
Thy love no other than to 'venge my injuries.
Trem. 'Tis not a shepherd's frowns Tremelio fears, 70
51. ^jc omitted in C. — 59 seqq. AC read: Well, sir, away. \ Tremelio,
this it is. Tliou Jsnowest the valour of Segasto, \ Spread tlirough all the
kingdom of Arragon, \ And such as hath found triumph and favours, \ Never
daunted at any timer But now a shepherd \ Admired at in Court for
worthiness, \ And Segasto's honour laid aside. \ My will therefore is this that
thou dost find | Sotne means to work the shepherd's death ; I know \ Thy
strength sufficient to perform my desire , and thy love no otherwise than to
revenge my injuries. D differs from AC by reading 1. 64 Is admired at,
and 1. 65 And Segasto's honour is laid. HM read 1. 62 And such as have
found triumph and favours, 1. 64 Admired in court, 1. 69 to love. We
have adopted El.'s corrections for 11. 59 — 61 and 11. 63 — 68; in 1. 62, where
ACD differ from Hil, we follow ACD, omitting, however, And, and writing
triumph found for found triumph ; thus we refer the sentence Such as
hath found as well as the participles spread and daunted to the substantive
valour in 1. 60. — In 1. 69 we read with Wag. other instead of otherwise,
and write 'venge, which occurs eight times in Shakespeare, for revenge ; Wag.
proposes wreak. Line 69 forms an apparent Alexamirinr, i. e. a verse whose
'last finl contains, instead of one extra syllable, two extra syllables, one of
which is slurred.' Abbott s. 494. — 70. Qq It is not the frowns of a
shepherd that Tremelio fears ; the blank verse has been restored by Wag.
38 MUCEDORUS. [II, 2.
Therefore 'count it accomplish'd what I take in hand.
Seg. Thanks, good Tremelio, and assure thyself,
What I do promise, that will I perform.
Trem. Thanks, my good lord, and in good time see where
75 He Cometh. Stand by awhile^ and you shall see
Me put in practice your intended drifts.
[Enter Mucedorus.
Have at thee, swain, if that I hit thee right!
Muce. Vile coward, so without cause to strike a man —
Turn, coward, turn ; now strike, and do thy worst !
[Mucedorus kills him.
8o Scg. Hold, shepherd, hold! O spare him, kill him not!
Accursed villain, tell me, what thou'st done ?
Tremelio, ah, trusty Tremelio !
I sorrow for thy death, and since that thou
Living didst faithful prove unto Segasto,
85 So now Segasto living with revenge
Will honour th' dead corpse of Tremelio:
Bloodthirsty villain, born and bred to merciless murther,
Tell me, how durst thou be so bold, as once
To lay thy hands upon the least of mine?
go Assure thee, thou'lt be used according to the law !
71. Qq Therefore account it accofnplished ; El. Therefore 'count it
accomplished ; Wag. omits Therefore and reads: 'Count it accomplished. —
73. Qq What I promise : Wag. What I do promise ; El. Whatever I promise.
— HM / will. — 74. HM good my lord. — In HM 11. 74 — 76 end time,
awhile, drift. — 76. HM drift. — 78. H vilde. — 80 seqq. A Hold,
shepherd, hold ; spare him, kill him not. j Accursed villain, tell ?ne , what
hast thou done r \ Ah, Tremelio, trusty Tremelio ! \ I sorrow for thy death,
and since that thou | Living didst prove faithful to Segasto, \ So Segasto
now living shall honour the dead corpse \ Of Tre77ielio with revenge. Blood-
thirsty villain, \ Born and bred to merciless murther , tell m.e \ How durst
thou be so bold, as 07ice to lay \ Thy hands upon the least of miner Assure
thyself I Thou shall be used according to the law. j — In CHM the lines
end him not, dojte, death, Segasto, dead, revenge, murder, bold, mine, law.
Besides , CHM differ from A in 1. 86, where they read : Will honour, and
in 1. 87, where they have in merciless 7nurder. — Tell me in 1. 88 omitted in
M. For 11. 80- — 89 we have adopted El.'s arrangement ; in 1. 90 El. proposes:
Assure thyself, thou shall be used accordirig | To th' law. Although it is true
that To th' law forms a blank verse with the following line, we prefer our
arrangement to the disjunction of the prepositional expression according to.
n, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 39
Muce. Segasto, cease ! these threats are needless.
Accuse me not of murther, that have done
Nothing but in mine own defence.
Seg. Nay, shepherd, reason not with me ;
I'll manifest the fact unto the King, 95
Whose doom will be thy death, as thou deserv'st.
What ho. Mouse, come away!
Enter Mouse.
Mouse. Why, how now, what's the matter? I thought
you would be calling before T had done.
Seg. Come, help, away with my friend. 100
Mouse. Why, is he drunk? cannot he stand on his
feet?
Seg. No, he is not drunk, he is slain.
Mouse. Plain! No, by'r Lady, he is not flain.
Seg. He is killed, I tell thee. 105
Mouse. What do you use to kill your friends? I will
serve you no longer.
Seg. I tell thcc, the shepherd killed him.
Mouse. O, did a so? But, master, I will have all his
apparel, if I carry him away. 1 10
Seg. Why, so thou slialt.
Mouse. Come, then, I will help; mass, master, I think
his mother sang looby to him, he is so heavy. [Exeunt.
Muce. Behold the fickle state of man.
That's always mutable, i^ever at one ! 115
Sometimes we feed our fancies with the sweet
Of our desires, sometimes again
We feel the heat of extreme miseries.
92 seq. A But in mine 07vn defence accuse not me \ Of murther that
have done nothing. — In ILM 1. 02 ends at nothing: El. corrects the verse
by beginning 1. 03 with Nothing. — 95. CHM thy fact. — lOl. HM can he
not. — 104. ACIIM by Lady; D bfr Lady. — 106. C friend. — 1 09. HM
did he. — 1 1 4 seqq. We have given the soliloquy of Muccdorus after El.'s
correction ; A reads : Betiold the fictile state of tnan, always mutable ; \ Never
at one. \ Sometimes we feed on fancies | With the sweet of our desires:
sometimes again \ We feel t/ie heat of extreme miseries d^Y■. In HM llic
first three lines end: at one, our desires, extrefnc miseries. — 116. AH we
feed on fancies.
40 MUCEDORUS. [n, 2.
Now I'm in favour 'bout the court and country;
1 20 To-morrow will those favours turn to frowns.
To - clay I live, revenged on my foe,
To-morrow I die, my foe reveng'd on me. [Exit.
SCENE m.
Enter Bremo, a wild man.
No passenger this morning? What, not one?
A chance that seldom doth befall.
What, not one? then lie thou there.
And rest thyself till I have further need.
[Lays doivn his club.
5 Now, Bremo, sit, thy leisure so affords,
A needless thing. [Sits doivn] Who knows not Bremo's strength.
That like a king commands within these woods?
The bear, the boar dare not abide my sight.
But haste away to save themselves by flight.
10 The crystal waters in the bubbling brooks,
When I come by, do swiftly slide away,
And clap themselves in closets under banks.
Afraid to look bold Bremo in the face.
The aged oaks at Bremo's breath do bow,
15 And all things else are still at my command.
Else what would I?
Rend them in pieces, pluck them from the earth.
And each way else I would revenge myself.
Why, who comes here with whom I dare not fight?
20 Who fights with me and cloth not die the death? Not one!
^^9- Qq Now am I in favour about.
Scene in. 4. The stage-direction is omitted in HM. — 5. Qq sith;
El. sit. — 6. Qq an endless; Wag. an aimless; El. a needless. — The
stage-direction has been added by El. — 8. A dares. — H his sight; M
his slight. Cp. Dryden, The Hind and the Panther I, 156: The Bear, the
Boar, and every savage name. Ibid. I, 293 : The Wolf, the Bear, the Boar
can there advance. — 9. A hastes. — 10. M babbling. — 11. A doth. —
12. AH:M daps. — 17. Qq pieces, and pluck. — 19. M dare f. — 20. Wag.
would like to strike out not one as an awkward tautological repetition which,
moreover, spoils the metre.
II, 4-] MUCEDORUS. 41
What favour shows this sturdy stick to those,
That here within these woods are combatants with me?
Why, death, and nothing else but present death.
With restless rage I wander through these woods,
No creature here, but feareth Bremo's force: 25
Man, woman, child, and beast, and bird.
And everything that doth approach my sight.
Are forc'd to fall if Eremo once do frown.
Q)me, cudgel, come, my partner in my spoils,
For here I see this day it will not be ; 30
But when it falls that I encounter any,
One pat sufficeth for to work my will.
What, comes not one? Then, let's be gone;
A time will serve, when we shall better speed. [Exit.
SCENE IV.
Enter the King, Segasto, the Shepherd, and the Cloivn,
with others.
King. Shepherd, thou hast heard thine accusers ; murther
Is laid unto thy charge; what canst thou say?
Thou hast deserved death.
Muce. Dread sovereign, I must needs confess,
I slew this captain in mine own defence, 5
Not out of any malice, but by chance;
But mine accuser hath a further meaning.
Seg. Words will not here prevail:
I seek for justice, and justice craves his death.
King. Shepherd, thine own confession hath condemned th(M\ t o
21. In A printed as an alexandrine, ending that here. — 22. In ortlcr lo
restore a regular blank verse. El. proposes to read That in these woods. Wag.
suggests either to omit vith me or to write icoods conibat with me. —
26. and before beast added by El. — 32. M sufjicetli to work. — 34. C A
time wilt come.
Scene IV. i seqq. A Shepfwrd | Thou hast heard thine accusers.
Murther \ Is laid to thy cliarge ^'c. In HjNI the lines end : accusers, charge,
death. We have given 11. I — 3 after El. — 6. Qq Not of. — out added by
El. ; Wag. proposes : Though not of any malice. — /• C farther. — 8 scq.
El. divides after for Justice ; Wag. adopts the division of Qq, but proposes
to read / secic for justice, justice <2^f.
42 MUCEDORUS. [n, 4.
Sirrah, take him away,
And do him straight to execution.
Mouse. So I shall, I warrant him. But do you hear,
' master king, he is kin to a monkey; his neck is bigger than
15 his head.
Seg. Sirrah, away with him, and hang him 'bout the middle.
Mouse. Yes, forsooth, I warrant you. Come on, sir; ah, so
like a sheepbiter a looks.
Enter Amadine, and a Boy ivith a Bears Head.
Ama. Dread sovereign and well beloved sire,
20 On benden knees I crave the life of this
Condemned shepherd, which tofore preserved
The life of thy sometime distressed daughter.
King. Preserved the life of my sometime distressed daughter?
How can that be? I never knew the time
25 Wherein thou wast distress'd: I never knew the day
But that I have maintained thy estate.
As best beseem'd the daughter of a king;
I never saw the shepherd until now.
How comes it then, that he preserv'd thy life?
30 Ama. Once walking with Segasto in the woods,
Further than our accustom'd manner was.
Aright before us down a steep-fall hill,
A monstrous ugly bear did hie him fast.
To meet us both: now whether this be true,
35 I refer it to the credit of Segasto.
Seg. Most true, an't like your majesty.
King. How then ?
Ama. The bear being eager to obtain his prey.
Made forward to us with an open mouth,
As if he meant to swallow us both at once ;
II seq. One line in Qq; Qq to execution straight. — 13. Qq he shall. —
1 6. CHM Come, sirrah. — Oq about. — 1 7. HM Come you, sirrah ; C Come
on sirrah. — 17 seq. AC a so lilte ; M a, so like. — Sheepbiter , cp.
Twelfth Night, II, 5: the niggardly, rascally sheep -biter (viz. Malvolio).
— 19. M sir. — 20. A on benden knees ; ^'HM. on bended knee. — 19 — 22
printed as prose in HM. — 21. Qq heretofore. — 31. C farther. — 32. Qq
Right before us down; Wag. Right before us adown. — Cp. I, 3, 41 seqq.
■ — 35- Wag. proposes to read : / do refer it to Segasto' s credit.
n, 4.] MUCEDORUS. 43
The sight whereof did make us both to dread, 40
But specially your daughter Amadine,
Who — for I saw no succour incident
But in Segasto's valour — desperate grew,
And he most coward-like began to flie,
Left me distress'd to be devour'd of him — 45
Segasto, how say you? Is it not true?
King. His silence verifies it to be true. What then?
Ama. Then I amaz'd, distressed, all alone,
Did hie me fast to 'scape that ugly bear.
But all in vain; for why, he reached after me, 50
And oft I hardly did escape his paws,
Till at the length this shepherd came and brought
To me his head. Come hither, boy; lo, here it is.
Which I present unto your majesty.
[The hearts head p7-escnted to the king.
King. The slaughter of this bear deserves great fame. 55
Seg. The slaughter of a man deserves great blame.
King. Indeed, occasion ofttimes so falls out.
Seg. Tremelio in the wars, O King, preserved thee.
Ama. The shepherd in the woods, O King, preserved me.
Seg. Tremelio fought, when many men did yield. 60
A??ia. So would the shepherd, had he been in field.
Mouse. So would my master, had he not run away.
[Aside.
Seg. Tremelio's force sav'd thousands from- the foe.
Ama. The shepherd's force hath saved thousands mo.
Mouse. Ay, shipsticks, nothing else. [Aside. 65
King. Segasto, cease the shep)herd to accuse,
His worthiness deserves a recompense.
All we are bound to do the shepherd good.
43- Q<1 I grew desperate. — 46. Oq How say you, Segasto. — El.
gives the words How say you lo the King. — 51. Qq Amt Itardly J did oft;
corrected by Haz. — 52. M at length; 11. 52 — 54 in A form four lines,
ending: shepherd came, his head, it is, majesty; in IIM three lines ending
shepherd came , his head, majesty. — 54. HM / do present. — 57. Qq
oftentitnes; Wag. often; El. ofttimes. — 58. M preserved mr. — 62. [Aside]
omitted in MM. — 64. C thousands, me ; HM fiaih many thousands vioc.
— 65. ACH shipsticlis; M sheepsticlis. — 66. Qq Segasto, cease to accuse
the slieptierd ; corrected by Wag.
44 AfUCEDORUS. pi, 4.
Slicphcrd,
70 Whereas it was my sentence thou shouldst die,
So shall my sentence stand, for thou shalt die.
Seg. Thanks to your majesty.
King. [To Seg.] But soft, Segasto, not for this offence.
[To Jlfiice.] Long may'st thou live; [0 Seg.] and when the Sisters
75 To cut in twain the twisted thread of life, [shall decree.
Then let him die: for this I set him free;
[To Muce.] And for thy valour I will honour thee.
Ama. Thanks to your majesty.
King. Come, daughter, let us now depart to honour
80 The worthy valour of the shepherd with rewards. [Exeunt.
Mouse. O master, hear you, you have made a fresh hand
now, I thought you would, beshrew you! Why, what will you
do now ? You have lost me a good occupation by this means.
Faith, master, now I cannot hang the shepherd, I pray you,
85 let me take the pains to hang you , it is but half an hour's
exercise.
Seg. You are still in your knavery, but sith
I cannot have his life, I will procure
His banishment for ever. Come on, sirrah,
go Mouse. Yes, forsooth, I come. [Asidcj Laugh at him, I pray
you. [Exeunt.
ACT IIL
SCENE I.
Enter MucEDORUS solus.
Muce. From Amadine, and from her father's court.
With gold and silver, and with rich rewards,
69. Shepherd placed in a separate line by Wag. — 74 seqq. As for
the change of persons, see El. — 78. AC give the words Thanks to your
tnajesty to Muce., H to Seg., M to Ama. — 79. A Come, daughter, let us
now depart | To honour the worthy valour of the shepherd \ With our
rewards. — In HM these lines are printed as prose. — Qq with our rewards-
— 82. A you would, be slow you ; C you would bestow you / H / thouglit
you would beshrew you; M I thought you would, beshrew you. — Why
omitted in CHM. — 83. C by the means. — 85. M talie pains. — 87 seqq.
In A the lines end life, ever, sirrah; in HM knavery, life, sirrah. —
Scene i. i — 5 seem to be hopelessly corrupt.
Ill, I.] MUCEDORUS. 45
Flowing from the banks of golden treasuries.
More may 1 boast, and say, but I,
Was never shepherd in such dignit}-. 5
Enter the Messenger and Mouse, the Cloivn.
Mes. All hail, worthy shepherd!
Mouse. All rain, lousy shepherd !
Muce. Welcome, my friends, from whence come you?
Ales. The King and Amadine do greet thee well.
And after greeting done, bid thee depart the court. 10
Shepherd, begone !
Mouse. Shepherd, take law-legs; fly away, shepherd.
Muce. Whose words are these? come these from Amadine?
Mes. Ay, from Amadine.
Mouse. Ay, from Amladine. 15
l\Iuce. Ah ! luckless fortune, worse than Phaeton's tale.
My former bliss is now become my bale.
Mouse. \\'hat, wilt thou poison thyself?
Muce. My former heaven is now become my hell.
JMouse. The worst alehouse that I ever came in in all 20
my life.
Muce. What shall 1 do?
Mouse. Even go hang thyself half an hour.
Muce. Can Amadine so churlishly command.
To banish th' shepherd from her father's court? 25
Mes. What should shepherds do in the court?
Mouse. What should shepherds do among us? Have
not we lords enough o'er us in the court?
Muce. Why, shepherds are men, and kings are no more.
Ales. Shepherds are men, and masters o'er their flock. 30
Mouse. That's a lie; who pays them their wages, then?
Ales. Well, you are always interrupting of me, but
3. C golden Ireasuits ; IIM go/J und treasures. — 9. Qq Amadine
greet. — lo. AC greetings. — AH bids. — 9 — II. El. supposes these lines
10 have originally formed a couplet: 'J'lie King and .Iniadine greet titee wet/,
and greeting done, \ Bid tliee depart the court: — slieplterd, begone! —
13. CUM came. — 15. CHM Amadine. — 20. HM ever I. — 23. JIM omit
lialf an hour. — 25. Qq the sheplierd. — 27. C amongst. — 28. A JJave
■u'e not. — Qq on us ; Haz. o'er us. — 30. Qq 07-er their. — M flocks.
46 MUCEDORUS. [m, I.
you are best look to him, lest you hang for him, when he
is gone. [Exit.
35 Mouse fsifjgsj. And you shall hang for compayiy,
For leaving me alone.
Shepherd , stand forth , and hear my sentence ! Shepherd,
begone within three days, on pain of my displeasure ; shepherd,
begone; shepherd, begone, begone, begone, begone; shepherd,
40 shepherd, shepherd. [Exit.
Muce. And must I go? and must I needs depart?
Ye goodly groves, partakers of my songs.
In time tofore, when fortune did not frown,
Pour forth your plaints, and wail a while with me.
45 And thou bright sun, my comfort in the cold.
Hide, hide thy face, and leave me comfortless;
Ye wholesome herbs, and ye sweet-smelling savours,
Yea, each thing else prolonging life of man.
Change, change your wonted course that I,
50 Wanting your aid, in woful sort may die.
SCENE II.
Enter Amadine atid Ariena, her maid.
Ama. Ariena,
If any body ask for me, make some excuse,
Till I return.
Ari. What, an Segasto call?
Ama. Do thou the like to him, I mean not to stay long.
[Exit Ariena.
33. HM j/ozi were best to look. — C least you hang-. — 34. Qq The
Clown sings. \ Mouse. And you shall hang for company. ■ — 37. CH hear
■my sentence; A hear thy sentence; M bear my sentence. — 38. AHM in
pain; C on pain. — 39. C prints the following lines as verse: Shepherd
begone, shepherd begone \ Begone, begone, begone, \ Begone, shepherd,
begone, begone, \ Shepherd, shepherd, shepherd. \ Cp. Love's Labour's Lost
IV, 1 : Rosa. Thou canst not hit it, hit it, hit it, \ Thou canst not hit it,
my good -man. \ Bo. An I cannot, can?iot, cannot, | A?t I cannot, another
can. I — 43. HM before. — 45. HM The comfort of my cold. — 47. Qq
atut sweet; Wag. and ye sweet. — 49. In HM this line ends at course.
Scene ii. I^ — 3 in the Qq end for me, return, call. We have given
the lines after El.'s arrangement. — 4. HM Do you.
Ill, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 47
Muce. This voice so sweet ni}- pining- sf)irits revives. 5
Ama. Shepherd, well met, pray, tell me how thou dost?
Muce. I linger life, yet wish for speedy death.
Ama. Shepherd !
Although thy baiiishment alread) be decreed,
And all against my will, yet Amadine — lo
Muce. Ah, Amadine, to hear of banishment is death.
Ay, double death to me, but since 1 must depart.
One thing I crave —
Ama. Say on, with all my heart.
Muce. That in ni}' absence, either far or near,
You honour me as servant to your name. 15
Ama. Not so.
Muce. And why?
Ama. I honour thee as sovereign of my heart.
Muce. A shepherd and a sovereign nothing like.
Ama. Yet like enough, where there is no dislike. 20
Muce. Yet great dislike, or else no banishment.
Ama. Shepherd, it only is
Segasto that procures thy banishment.
Muce. Unworthy wights are most in jealousy.
Aina. Would God, they would free thee from banishment, 25
Or likewise banish me.
Muce. Amen, 1 say, to have your company.
Ama. Well, shepherd, sith thou sufterest this for m}' sake,
With thee in exile also let me live.
On this condition, shepherd, thou canst love. 30
Muce. No longer love, no longer let me live.
6. pray atlded by El. — 8 — 12. In A these lines end banishntciit,
my 'win, Amadine, hear, lo me; I crave; in Jl already, Amadine, death,
I crave ; in M they are printed as prose. — We have adopted the arranjje-
ment given by El. — 9. y[. be already. — 13. El. proposes cither to read with
all thy heart , or to give the words vith all my heart to Mucedorus. —
15. A with your name. 22—23. In ll.\i jninlcd in one line; in A printed
in two lines, the second of which begins with Procures. — HM // is only.
— 24. CHM more in jealousy ; El. conjectures worst in jealousy. — 25 — 26.
In A these lines end at they 'would, and banish me. — 27. A say I. —
28. A Well, shepherd, sith thuii sufferest | This for my sake; IIM Well,
shepherd, sith thou sujferest thus for my sake. — 30. iM shepherd that thou.
48 MUCEDORUS. [Ill, 2.
Ama. Of late I loved one indeed, now love
1 none but only thee.
Muce. Thanks, worthy princess,
I burn likewise, yet smother up the blast,
35 I dare not promise what I mayn't {)erform.
Atna. Well, shepherd, hark what I shall say,
I will return unto my father's court,
For to provide me of such necessaries
As for my journey I shall think most fit.
40 This being done, I will return to thee;
Do thou therefore appoint the place, where we may meet.
Muce. Do\vn in the valley, where I slew the bear.
And there doth grow a fair broad-branched beech,
That overshades a well : so who comes first,
45 Let him abide the happy meeting of us both.
How like you this?
Ania. I like it very well.
Muce. Now, if you please, you may appoint the time.
Ama. Full three hours hence, God willing, I'll return.
Muce. The thanks that Paris gave the Grecian queen,
50 The like doth Mucedorus yield.
Ama. Then, Mucedorus, for three hours farewell. [Exit.
Muce. Your 'parture, lady, breeds a privy pain. [Exit.
SCENE m.
Enter Segasto solus.
Seg. 'Tis well, Segasto, that thou hast thy will :
Should such a shepherd, such a simple swain.
Eclipse thy credit famous through the court?
32. HM indeed, but now I love none. — 33 — 34. In HM these lines
end only thee, likewise, blast. El. proposes to read: Of late I loved
one indeed, but >io7v, \ I love no one but only thee. — 35. Qq may ; Wag.
maynH. — 38. A Therefore to ; CDHM There for to ; Haz. There to. —
40. In A tliis line ends at do thou. — 41. Two lines in HM: Do thou
therefore appoint the place, | Where me may meet. \ — 45. Qq thetn ; Wag.
him. — In A the line ends meeting of. — 46. HM / like it well. — 48.
AHM / will; C Til. — 52. Qq departure.
Scene in. 3. Qq As he eclipse. — famous omitted in M.
Ill, 3.] MUCEDORUS. 49
No, ply, Segasto, ply! .
And let it not be said in Arragon, 5
A shepherd hath Segasto's honour won.
Enler MouSE, the Chnvti, calling his master.
Mouse. What ho ! master, will you come away?
Seg. Will you come hither, I pray you, what is the
matter ?
Mouse. Why, is it not past eleven o'clock? 10
Seg. How then, sir?
Mouse. I pray you, come away to dinner.
Seg. I pray you, come hither.
Mouse. Here's such a -do with you, will you never
come? 15
^S"^^. I pray you, sir, what news of the message I sent
you about?
Mouse. I tell you, all the messes be on the table already.
There wants not so much as a mess of mustard half an hour
ago. 20
Seg. Come, sir, your mind is all upon your bell}-.
You have forgotten what I bid you do.
Mouse. Faith, I know nothing, but you bad me go to
breakfast.
Seg. Was that all? 25
Mouse. Faith, I have forgotteii it, the very scent of
the meat hath made me forget it quite.
^S"^^. You have forgotten the errand I bid you do?
Mouse. What arrant? an arrant knave, or an arrant
whore ? 30
Seg. Why, thou knave, did I not bid the(> banish the
shepherd, buzzard?
Mouse. Oh, the she])herd's bastard.
5. Qq Let it fiot in Arra_!,'-o>i be sniJ. — For 11. i — 6 we have adopted
the arrangement given by El.; in A the lines end: 7i'///, srvaiii, throui^r/i,
Segasto pJy, said, won ; in HM the last words of the lines are : iviU, as lie,
court, said, won. — 10. C // is not past. — HM of the clock. — 22. A /
did bid vou do. — 26. C have fori^otten, the very scent. — 27. AD hath
forget; C hath made me; Haz. meat made me forget. — 28. C bid you to
do. — 32. buzzard aildcd by El. Cp. notu on II, 2, 22.
•1
50 MUCEDORUS. [Ill, 3.
Seg. 1 tell ihee, the shepherd's banishment.
35 Mouse. I tell you , the shepherd's bastard shall be well
kept; I'll look to it myself. But I pray you, come away to
dinner.
Seg. Then you will not tell me whether you have banished
him, or no ?
40 Mouse. Why, I cannot say banishment, an )'ou would give
me a thousand pounds to say so.
Seg. Why, you whoreson slave, have you forgotten that
I sent you and another to drive away the shepherd?
Mouse. What an ass are you ; here's a stir indeed , here's
45 message, errand, banishment, and I cannot tell what.
Seg. I pray you, sir, shall I know whether you have drove
him away ?
Mouse. Faith, I think I have ; an you will not believe me,
ask my staff.
50 Seg. Why, can thy staff tell?
Mouse. Why, he was with me too.
^S"^^. Then happy I, that have obtain'd my will.
Mouse. And happier I, if you would go to dinner.
Seg. Come, sirrah, follow me.
55 Mouse. I warrant you, I will not lose an inch of you,
now you are going to dinner. [Aside] I promise you, I thought
it seven year, before I could get him away.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.
Enter A^iadine sola.
Ania. God grant my long delay procures no harm,
Nor this my tarrying frustrate my pretence.
My Mucedorus surely stays for me,
And thinks me over-long. At length I come,
5 ^ly present promise to perform.
35. M I tell thee. — 40. HM if you linndd. — 45- C errand; AHM
arratit. — 56. AC dinner, J pro?nise you. 1 thou gtit seven year ; HM
dinner: I promise you I ttiought seven years. — it first in D. — 57. Aside
omitted in CHM.
SCENK IV. 2. pretence = intention, cp. Ill, 5, 3.
m, 4.] MUCEDORUS. 51
Ah, what a thing is firm, unfeigned love!
What is it which true love dares not attemj^t?
My father, he may make, Init I must match ;
Segasto loves, but Amadine must like,
Where likes her best: compulsion is a thrall: 10
No, no, the hearty choice is all in all.
The shepherd's virtue Amadine esteems.
But what, methinks m}- shepherd is not come;
I muse at that, the hour is sure at hand.
Well, here I'll rest, till Mucedorus come. 15
[She sils (hnvn.
Enter BrEiMO, looking about ; hastily taketh hold of her.
Bremo. A happy prey! now, Bremo, feed on llesh:
Dainties, Bremo, dainties, thy hungry paunch to fill:
Now glut thy greedy guts with lukewarm blood.
Come, fight with me, I long to sec^ thee dead.
Ajna. How can she light, that weapons cannot wield? 20
Bremo. What, canst not fight? Then lie thou down
Ama. \Miat, must I die? [and die.
Bremo. What needs these words? I thirst to suck thy
Ama. Yet pity me, and let me live a while ! [blood.
Bremo. No pity, I will feed upon thy flesh, 25
And tear thy body })iecemeal joint from joint.
Ama. Ah, how I want my shepherd's company!
Bremo. I'll crush th}' bones betwixt two oaken trees.
Ama. Haste, shepherd, haste, or else thou com'st too late,
Bremo. I'll suck the sweetness from th} marrow-bones. 30
Ama. Ah spare, ah spare to shed my guiltless blood!
Bremo. With this my bat will I beat out thy brains;
Down, down, I say, prostrate thyself upon the ground.
Ama. Then, Mucedorus, farewell, my hoped joys, farewell!
7. ^\ihat true love. — \0. thrall, cp. I, 4, 7. — 13. HM the shepherd.
— 14. CHM omit sure; El. proposes near. — 15. (Stage-direction.) D hastily
he taketh; H lookin,if about hastily takes hold on her; M lookin^i^ about
hastily, takes hold on her. — 21. C lay thee down; HM lie thee. — 23. C
What need. — 25. Qq No pity /. 77/. — 26. A 77/ tear. — HM Joint by
joi?tt. — 27. HM Ah, now. — 28. HM between. — 32. HM 7 7.7//. —
11. 32 — 33 printed as three lines in A, ending respectively out, say, ground.
— 34. Assuming a different accent m farewell, we have a regular Alexandrine.
4*
52 MUCEDORUS. [HI, 4.
35 Yea, farewell life, and welcome present death ! [She kneels.
To thee, O God, I yield my dying ghost.
Bremo. Now, Bremo, play thy part.
How now, what sudden change is this?
My limbs do tremble, and my sinews shake,
40 My weak'ned anns have lost their former force.
Ah, Bremo, Bremo, what a foil hast thou,
That yet at no time ever wast afraid
To dare the greatest gods to fight with thee, [He strikes.
And now wants strength for one down-driving blow?
45 Ah, how my courage fails, when I should strike!
Some new-come spirit abiding in my breast,
Saith, Spare her, Bremo, spare her, do not kill.
Shall I spare her, which never spared any?
To it, Bremo, to it; essay again.
50 I cannot wield my weapon in my hand,
Methinks I should not strike so fair a one,
I think her beauty has bewitch'd my force,
Or else within me alter'd nature's course.
Ay, woman, wilt thou live i' th' woods with me?
55 Ama. Fain would I live, yet loth to live in woods.
Bremo. Thou shalt not choose, it shall be as I say,
And therefore follow me! [Exeuyit.
SCENE V.
Enter Mucedorus solus.
Muce. It was my will an hour ago and more,
As was my promise for to make return;
But other business hind'red my pretence:
38. Qq chance ; corrected by El. — 40. Qq unweakened ; El. and Coll,
weali'ned. — 41. HM haJst. — 42. CHM omit ever; El. would prefer: That
yet at tio time wast afraid before. — 44. A want ; CHM wants ; Wag. wantst.
Cp. Abbott s. 340. — 48. Qq transpose the two commencing words of this
line, and the first word of the preceding one in the following manner: Saith
spare her , -wtiicli ?iever spared any. | Shatt I spare tier, Bremo? Spare
tier, do fwt Idll. \ — HM that never. — 49. Qq say ; Haz. essay. — 50. AH
weapons. — 54. ACH in woods.
Scene v. 3. pretence, cp. Ill, 4, 2.
in, 6.] ]MUCEDORUS. 53
It is a world to see, when man appoints,
And purposely one certain thing decrees, 5
How many things may hinder his intent.
What one would wish, the same is farthest oft".
But yet th' appointed time cannot be past.
Nor hath her presence yet prevented me.
Well, here I will stay, and expect her coming. 10
[They cry tvithin. Hold him, stay him, hold!
Some one or other is pursued, no doubt,
Perhaps some search for me; 'tis good
To doubt the worst, therefore I will be gone. [Exit.
SCENE VI.
Cry within. Hold him, hold him! Enter IMouSE, the Cloivn,
with a pot.
Mouse. Hold him, hold him, hold him! here's a stir
indeed; here came hue after the crier, and I was set close at
mother Nip's house, and there 1 called for three pots of ale,
as 'tis the manner of us courtiers. Now, sirrah, 1 had taken
the maidenhead of two of them — now as I was lifting up 5
the third to my mouth , there came , Hold him , hold him !
Now I could not tell whom to catch hold on, but I am sure
I caught one, perchance a may be in this pot. Well, I'll see.
j\Iass, I cannot see him yet; well, I'll look a little further.
Mass, he is a little slave, if a be here; why, here's nobody. 10
All this goes well yet; but if the old trot should come for
her pot? — ay, marry, there's the matter, but I care not,
I'll face her out, and call her old rusty, dusty, musty, fusty,
4. It is a world to see. Cp. Taming of the Shrew II, i : 'Zi-f a world
to see I How tame, when men and women are alone, \ A meacocli wretch can
malie the curstest shrew. — 9. AC prevented we. — prevented, cp. Julius
Cjcsar V, I : So to prevetit the time of life. — 10. AHM /'//; C / will. —
A the coming. — (Sta^'C - direction) CHM They cry witliin. Hold liim, hold
him! — 13. CHM /'//. — In IIM 1. 13 begins at Therefore.
SCF.XE VI. I. M Hold him, hold him. — 3. Mother Nip (or Nips?)
brings to mind John Naps of Greece in the Induction to The Taming of the
Shrew. — 5. HM and as I was. — 10. M // he be there. — 11. IIM -.4//
this is well yet.
54 MUCEDORUS. pn, 6.
crusty firebrand, and worse than all that, and so face her out
15 of her pot. But soft! here she comes.
Enter the Old Woman.
O. Wo7najt. Come on, you knave; where's my pot, you
knave ?
Mouse. Go, look for your pot; come not to me for your
pot, 'twere good for you.
20 O. Woman. Thou liest, thou knave, thou hast my pot.
Mouse. You lie, an you say it. I — your pot? I know
what I'll say.
O. Woman. Why, what wilt thou say?
Mouse. But say I have him, an thou dar'st.
25 O. Womafi. Why, thou knave, thou hast not only my
pot, but my drink unpaid for.
Mouse. You lie like an old — I will not say whore.
O. Woman. Dost thou call me whore? I'll cap thee for
my pot.
30 Mouse. Cap me, an thou dar'st; search me, whether I
have it or no.
[She scarcheth him, and he drmketh over her head, and
casts doivn the pot ; she stumbleth at it, then they fall
together by the ears ; she takes her pot and goes out.
Enter Segasto.
Seg. How now, sirrah, what's the matter?
Mouse. Oh, flies, master, flies.
Seg. Flies? where are they?
35 Mouse. Oh, here, master, all about your face.
Seg. Why, thou liest; I think thou art mad.
Mouse. Why, master, I have kill'd a dungcartful at the
least.
-5"^^. Go to, sirrah; leaving this idle talk, give ear
40 to me.
16. CHM Come, you knave. — 18. Oq looli your pot. — for added by
"Wag. — 23. Why omitted in H. — 24. HjSI / have it. — 28. cap, see
Nares s. Cap. — (Stage-direction.) CHM casteth doimt. — C and they fall;
HM and then they fall. — C takes up the pot. — HM and runs out. — 39.
;M Go, go, sirrah. — C leaving thy ; HM leave this. — C ear unto me.
m, 6.] MUCEDORUS. 55
Mouse. How, give you one of my ears ? not, an you were
ten masters.
Seg. ^Vhy, sir, I bad you give ear to my words.
Mouse. I tell you, I will not be made a curtal for no
man's pleasure. 45
Seg. I tell thee, attend to what I say. Go thy ways
straight, and rear the whole town.
Mouse. How, rear the town? Even go yourself; it is more
than I can do. Why, do you think I can rear a town that
can scarce rear a pot of ale to my head ? T should rear a 50
town, should I not?
Seg. Go to the constable, and make a privy search ; for
the shepherd is run away with the King's daughter.
Mouse. How? is the shepherd run away with the King's
daughter, or is the King's daughter run away with the shepherd? 55
Seg. I cannot tell, but they are both gone together.
Mouse. What a fool she is to run away witli the shepherd!
Why, I think I am a little handsomer man than the shepherd,
myself; but tell me, master, must I make a privy search, or
search in the privy? 60
Seg. Why, dost thou think they will be there?
Mouse. I cannot tell.
Seg. Well, then search everywhere; leave no place
unscarched for them. [Exit.
Mouse. Oh, now am I in office, now will I to that old 65
firebrand's house , and will not leave one place unsearched.
Nay, I'll to her ale-stand, and drink as long as I can stand;
and when I have done, I'll let out all the rest, to see if he
be not hid in the barrel; an I find him not there, I'll to the
cupboard; I'll not leave one corner r)f her house unsearched. 70
r faith, ye old crust, I will be with ycni now. [Evil.
43. YiM J pray you give. — 44. Curtal, see Nares s. v. — 46. ADIIM
attend what; C attend to what. — 48. HM rear the whole town h — ^^ even
you go yourself. — 49. C / could do. — M think that I can. — 50. M /
should go rear a town. — 57. CHM is she. — H so to run. — 59. C or
search the privy. — 65. CHM now I am. — C in an office. — C no7v I
^ji,ai, _ 66. C and I will not leave. — 67. CHM to the ale-statui. — HM
so long. — 68. M // he 7iot hid (if it be not a misprint in Del.'s edition). —
69. C an if I find; HM and if I find. — /'// to the cupboard omitted in
M. — 71. C Faith, old crust. — M /'//.
56 MUCEDORUS. PV, i.
ACT IV.
SCENE L
Sound Music. Enter the Ki?ig of Valentia, Anselmo,
RoDERiGO, Lord Borachius, xvith others.
King. Enough of music, it but adds to torment,
Delights to vexed spirits are as dates
Set to a sickly man, which rather cloy than comfort;
Let me entreat you, to repeat no more.
5 Rode. Let your strings sleep, have done there.
[Music ceases.
King. Mirth to a soul disturb'd is embers turn'd
Which sudden gleam with molestation.
But sooner lose their light for it.
'Tis gold bestow'd upon a rioter,
lO Which not relieves but murders him; a drug
Given to the healthful, which infects, not cures.
How can a father that has lost his son,
A prince both virtuous, wise, and valiant.
Take pleasure in the idle acts of time ?
15 No, no; till Mucedorus I shall see again.
All joy is comfortless, all pleasure pain.
Ansel. Your son, my lord, is well.
Kitig. I prythee, speak that twice.
Anse/. The prince, your son, is safe.
20 King. Oh, where, Anselmo? surfeit me with that!
Ansel. In Arragon, my liege;
And at his 'parture bound my secrecy
Scene I. Sound Music omitted in D. — 3- H to the sicli man; M to
a sick man. A regular blank verse might be restored, if we were to read :
Set to sick men dr-V. — 4. DHM to entreat no tnore ; C to retreat no more ;
Coll. happily conj. repeat. — 5. D Let yon strings. — (Stage-direction.) D
Let the music cease. — 6. Qq are embers ; Haz. is embers. — 8. DHM sight ;
C light, as had independently been conj. by El. — HM /orV. — 10 — 11.
Printed as three lines in Qq, which besides read: 'tis a drug ; by omitting
'tis, El. has construed two regular blank verses. — 1 3. Qq A prince both wise,
-virtuous and valiant ; transposed by El. — 18, DHM thrice ; C twice. —
22. HM parting.
IV, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 57
By his affection's loss, not to disclose it.
But care of him, and pity of your age,
Makes my tongue blab what my breast vow'd — concealment. 25
King. Thou not deceivest me.
I ever thought thee what I find thee now,
An upright, loyal man.
But what desire or young-fed humour, nurs'd
Within his brain, drew him so privately 30
To Arragon?
Ansel. A forcing adamant:
Love, rmx'd with fear and doubtful jealousy,
Whether report gilded a worthless trunk,
Or Amadine deserved her high extolment.
Kitig. See, our provision be in readiness, 35
Collect us followers of the comeliest hue
For our chief guardians ; we will thither wend.
The crystal eye of heaven shall not thrice wink.
Nor the green flood six times his shoulders turn.
Till we salute the Arragonian king. 40
Music, speak loudly now, the season's apt,
For former dolours are in pleasures wrapt.
[Afusic. Exeimi omncs.
SCENE II.
Enter MuCEDORUS, to disguise himself.
illuce. Now, iMucedorus, whither wilt thou go?
Home to thv father, to thv native soil.
Or try some long abode within these woods?
Well, I will hence depart, and hie me home.
What, hie mc home, said I? that may not be; 5
In Amadine rests my felicity.
Then, ]Mucedorus, as thou didst decree,
21 — 23. D ends these lines: paritirc, love, disclose it: wc have adopted
El.'s arranjjemenl. -- 23. CDM affection's love; H affections love; El.
affection^ loss. — 26 — 28. Two lines in D, ending thought thee, loyal matt.
— 30. CD the brain. — 38. D eyes. — 41. D loudly; now. — 42. CD
pleasure.
SCENK n. 7. Qq Then, Mucedorus, do as thou.
58 MUCEDORUS. [TV, 2.
Attire thee hermit-like within these groves;
Walk often to the beech, and view the well;
lO ]Make settles there, and seat thyself thereon,
And when thou feel'st thyself to be athirst,
Then drink a hearty draught to Amadine.
No doubt, she thinks on thee.
And will one day come pledge thee at this well.
15 Come, habit, thou art fit for me. [He disguiseth himself.
No shepherd now, an hermit I must be.
Methinks this fits me very well;
Now must I learn to bear a walking staff,
And exercise some gravity withal.
Enter the Clown.
20 Mouse. Here's through the woods, and through the woods,
to look out a shepherd and a stray Idng's - daughter. But
soft ! Who have we here ? what art thou ?
Mitce. I am an hermit.
Mouse. An emmet, I never saw such a big emmet in all
25 my life before.
Muce. I tell you sir, I am an hermit: one
That leads a solitary life within these woods.
Mouse. Oh, I know thee now, thou art he that eats up
all the hips and haws; we could not have one piece of fat
30 bacon for thee all this year.
Muce. Thou dost mistake me, but I pray thee, tell me.
What dost thou seek for in these woods ?
Motise. What do I seek for? a stray king's - daughter
run away with a shepherd.
35 jSluce. A stray king's-daughter run away with a shepherd?
Wherefore ? canst thou tell ?
14. come omitted in M. — 16. AC a hermit. — CH^M must I. — 20.
To look out a shepherd ; cp. Whosoever has such treatment when he is a
man, wil/ look out other company, imth whom he can he at ease. Locke
(quoted by Latham, Diet.) — 21. A and stray. — 26 — 27. Qq end these
lines hermit, woods ; as to our arrangement cp. I, 3, 32. — 28. AD art her.
— 31 — 32. printed as prose in Oq. — 31. C pray tell. — 32. Qq seek in
these woods. — for added by El. — C Who dost thou seek; HM whom
dost thoti seek. — 33. Qq Do I seek'r for a stray. — C Who do I seek.
rV, 2.] MUCEDORUS. 59
Mouse. Yes, that I can ; 'tis this. My master and Araadine
walking one day abroad, nearer to these woods than they were
used, about what I cannot tell ; but toward them comes running
a great bear. Now, my master, he played the man and ran 40
away, and Amadine crying after him: now, sir, comes me a
shepherd, and he strikes off the bear's head. Now, whether
the bear were dead before or no , I cannot tell ; for bring
twenty bears before me, and bind their hands and feet, and
I'll kill them all. Now, ever since, Amadine hath been in 45
love with the shepherd, and for goodwill, she's even run away
with the shepherd.
Muce. What manner of man was he? canst thou describe
him unto me?
ATouse. Scribe him? a\", I warrant you, that I can; a was 50
a little, low, broad, tall, narrow, big, well-favoured fellow, a
jerkin of white cloth, and buttons of the same cloth.
Muce. Thou describest him well ; but if 1 chance to see
any such, pray you, where shall I find you, or what's your
name?
DO
Mouse. My name is called Master Mouse.
Muce. O IMaster Mouse, I pray you what office might
you bear in the court?
Mouse. Marry, sir, I am a rusher of the stable.
Muce. Oh, usher of the table. 60
Mouse. Nay, I say rusher, and I'll prove my office good ;
for look, sir, when any comes from under the sea or so, and
a dog chance to blow his nose backward, then with a whij) I
give him the good time of the day, and strow rushes presently.
Therefore I am a rusher, a high office, I promise ye. 65
Muce. liut where shall I find you in the court?
Mouse. Why, where it is best being, either in the kitchen
eating, or in the buttery drinking. Ikit if you come, I will
37. HM nearer these 'ajoods. — 38. HM towards. — 39. IIM master
played. — 46. M she is. — 48. A ma7i 'was a. — AHM canst describe; C
canst thou describe. — 54. C pray, ivherc shall. — 57. C Mister Mouse. —
59. M I am rusher. — (>\. HM mine office. — 62. HM look you, sir. —
El.'s conjecture seat for sea, allhouj^h very plausible, does not seem sufficient
to clear up the sense of the passa{(C. — O4. A straw; M strew. — C8. A
a eating'.
60 MUCEDORUS. PV, 2.
provide for thee a piece of beef and brewis knuckle-deep in
70 fat; pray you, take pains, remember Master Mouse. [Exit.
Muce. Ay, sir, I warrant I will not forget you.
Ah, Amadine! what should become of thee?
Whither shouldst thou go so long unknown?
With watch and ward each passage is beset,
75 So that she cannot long escape unknown.
Doubtless she's lost herself within these woods,
And wand'ring to and fro she seeks the well,
Which yet she cannot find; therefore I'll seek her out.
[Exit.
SCENE III.
E7iter Bremo and Amadine.
Br €7)10. Amadine, how^ like you Bremo and his woods?
Ajjia. As like the woods of Bremo's cruelty.
Though I were dumb, and could not answer him,
The beasts themselves would with relenting tears
5 Bewail thy savage and unhuman deeds.
Bremo. My love, why dost thou murmur to thyself?
Speak louder, for thy Bremo hears thee not.
Aina. My Bremo? no, the shepherd is my love.
Bremo. Have I not saved thee from sudden death,
10 Giving thee leave to live, that thou mightst love,
And dost thou whet me on to cruelty?
Come, kiss me, sweet, for all my favours past.
Ama. I may not, Bremo, therefore pardon me.
Bremo. See, how she flies away from me! I'll follow
15 And give attent to her. Deny my love! [Aside.
Ah, worm of beauty, I will chastise thee!
70. C Mister. — 72. HM of her. — 74. With -watch and ward, cp.
Spenser, F. Q., B. I, 3, 9. — 75. omitted in A. — 76. Qq she hath. — 78.
ACH will I seek ; M / will seek.
Scene in. 5. A imhuman ; C inhtwian ; HM inhumane; see Abbott
s. 442. — 8. CHM my Bremo, no. — 10. HM giveji. — 13. A Bremo and
therefore. — 14 — 18. Qq end these lines from me, to her, beauty, come,
block; we have adopted El.'s arrangement. — 14. AC she flings away. —
Qq I will. — 15. A rt rend; CDHM attend. — 16. CHM a worm.
IV, 3-] MUCEDORUS. 61
Come, come, prepare thy head upon the block.
Ama. Oh, spare me, Bremo, love should limit life,
Not to be made a murderer of himself.
If thou wilt glut thy loving heart with blood, 20
Encounter with the lion and the bear,
And like a wolf, prey not upon a lamb.
Bremo. Why, then, dost thou repine at me?
If thou wilt love me, thou shalt be my queen,
I'll crown thee with a chaplet made of ivy, 25
And make the rose and lily wait on thee.
I'll rend the burl}' branches from the oak,
To shadow thee from burning sun.
The trees shall spread themselves where thou dost go,
And as they spread, I'll trace along with thee. 30
Awa. You may, for who but you? [Aside.
Bremo. Thou shalt be fed with quails and partridges,
\\'itli blackbirds, thrushes, larks and nightingales.
Thy drink shall be goats' milk and crystal water,
Distiil'd from th' fountains and the clearest springs, 35
And all the dainties that the woods afford
I'll freely give thee to obtain tli\- love.
A?na. You may, for who but you? [Aside.
Bre?no. The da}' I'll spend to recreate ni} Une
With all the pleasures that I can devise, 40
And in the night I'll be thy bed-fellow
And lovingly embrace thee in mine arms.
Ama. One may, so may not you. [Aside.
Bremo. The sat}rs and the wood-nymphs shall attend
On thee and lull thee 'sleep with music's sound, 45
And in the morning, when thou dost awake,
The lark shall sing good morrow to my queen,
And whilst he sings, I'll kiss my Amadinc.
25. AC / laill. — AC cofttplet. — Qq ivory ; Del. ivy. — 2~. C 0/ the
oak; D oxd for oak. — 28. C burning of the sun. — 31. Aside only in A;
il is the same in 11. 37, 43, 49, 56. — 33. Qq larks, thrushes; the trans-
position has been suggested to us by Professor Elzc. — 35. A distiiru from
the fountains ; I IM distilling from the fountains. — 40. AC pleasure. —
41. H I'll by. — 45. Qq asleep; cp. Mitlsummer Night's Dream IV, i:
Half 'sleep, half waking, but as yet J swear. — HM music. — 48. 1I.\I
while. — HM mine Amadine.
62 MUCEDORUS. [IV, 3.
Arfia. You may, for who but you? [Aside.
50 Bremo. When thou art up, the wood-lanes shall be strew'd
With violets, cowslips, and sweet marigolds.
For thee to trample and to tread upon;
And I will teach thee how to kill the deer,
To chase the hart, and how to rouse the roe,
55 If thou wilt live to love and honour me.
Ama. You may, for who but you ? [Aside.
, Unfer Mucedorus.
Bremo. Welcome, sir !
An hour ago I look'd for such a guest.
Be merr}', wench, we'll have a frolic feast,
60 Here's flesh enough for to suffice us both.
Say, sirrah, wilt thou fight, or dost thou yield to die ?
Muce. I want a weapon, why, how can I fight?
Bremo. Thou want'st a weapon, then thou yield'st to die.
Muce. I say not so, I do not yield to die.
65 Bremo. Thou shalt not choose, I long to see thee dead.
Ama. Yet spare him, Bremo, spare him.
Bremo. Away, I say, I will not spare him.
Muce. Yet give me leave to speak.
Bremo. Thou shalt not speak.
Ama. Yet give him leave to speak for my sake.
70 Bremo. Speak on, but be not over-long.
Muce. In time of yore, when men like brutish beasts
Did lead their lives in loathsome cells and woods,
And wholly gave themselves to witless will,
A rude, unruly rout, then man to man
75 Became a present prey, then might prevailed,
50. A st rawed; CM strewed; H strowed. — 5^- -^^ mucigolds. — 52,
A to trace upon. — 57 — 58. printed as one line in Qq. — 61. CHM mean
to die. — 62 — 63. Qq read : Muce. I want a weapon, how can I fight? |
Bremo. Thou want'st a weapon, why, then thou yield'st to die. \ Wag.
proposes to transfer then from 1. 63 to 1. 62. The correction of the text, as
given above, is owing to Professor Elze. — 67. omitted in C. — 69. According
to a suggestion of Professor Elze a regular blank verse would be restored
by the addition of Bremo at the end of the line.
IV, 3-] ISIUCEDORUS. 63
The weakest went to wall.
Right was unknown, for wrong was all in all.
As men thus lived in their great outrage,
Behold, one Orpheus came, as poets tell.
And them from rudeness unto reason brought, 80
Who led by reason, soon forsook the woods ;
Instead of caves, they built them castles strong;
Cities and towns were founded b}- them then.
Glad were they, that they found such ease,
And in the end they grew to perfect amity. 85
Weighing their former wickedness,
They term'd the time wherein they lived then
A golden age, a goodly golden age.
Now, Bremo, for so do I hear thee called.
If men which lived tofore, as thou dost now, go
Wild ill the woods, addicted all to spoil.
Returned were by worthy Orpheus' means.
Let me, like Orpheus, cause thee to return
From murder, bloodshed, and like cruelty.
What, should we fight before we have a cause? 95
No, let us live, and love together faithfull}-,
I'll fight for thee —
Bremo. Or fight for me, or die: or fight or else thou diest!
Ama. Hold, Bremo, hold !
Bremo. Away, I say, thou troublest me. lOO
Ama. You promised me to make me your queen.
76. HM walls. Cp. Romeo and Juliet I, l : / -will fake the wall of
atjy 7nan or maid of Montagues ; cp. also the title of the old comedy: The
Weakest goeth to the Wall. — 78. A m his great ; Haz. conj. in this great.
— 81. A some forsook. — 84. ACHM were they they found ; D were they
that they found. — 86. El. suggests Laying for Weighing, spelled Waying
in H ; we might also think of Waving. Cp. however Whetstone, Promos
and Cassandra (Dedication) in Shakespeare's Library, ed. Hazlilt VI, 204:
Attd that (which is worst) their grottnd is not so imperfect , as their working
indiscreete : not waying, so the people laugh. — 88. HM good. — 89. HM
heard ; El. do J hear. — 91. A Wily in wood ; CDH wild in wood; M wild
in woods ; El. wild in the woods ; Haz. wildly in wood. — 94. M and such
like cruelties. — 96. CHM lefs. — 98. Qq Fight for me. — lOI. AC You
profnised me to make me your queen ; H You promised me to make me queen ;
M You promised to make me queen.
64 MUCEDORUS. [rv, 3.
Bremo. I did, I mean no less.
Ania. You promised that I should have my will.
Bremo. I did, I mean no less.
105 Ama. Then save this hermit's life, for he may save us both.
Bremo. At thy request I'll spare him,
But never any after him. Say, hermit,
What canst thou do ?
Muce. I'll wait on thee, sometime upon thy queen.
1 1 o [Aside.] Such service shalt thou shortly have, as Bremo never had.
[Exeunt.
SCENE IV.
Enter Segasto, the Cloivn, and RuMBELO.
Seg. Come, sirs; what, shall I never have you find out
Amadine and the shepherd?
Mouse. I have been through the woods and through the
- woods, and could see nothing but an emmet.
5 Rumb. Why, I see a thousand emmets.
Mouse. Thou meanest a little one ; nay, that emmet that
I saw \\as bigger than thou art.
Rtmih. Bigger than I? (To Segasto) What a fool have you
to your man! I pray you, master, turn him away.
10 Seg. But dost thou hear, was he not a man?
Mouse. I think he was, for he said he did lead a salt-
seller's life about the woods.
Seg. Thou wouldst say, a solitary life about the woods?
Mouse. I think it was so, indeed.
15 Rwnh. I thought what a fool thou art.
Motise. Thou art a wise man ! [To Segasto] Wh}", he did
nothing but sleep since he went.
105. HM the hermit'' s. — 106. HM F II save him. — 1 10. Aside
omitted in Qq.
Scene iv. (Stage-direction) : C Rombolo. — 3- A And I have been. —
5 seq. Qq Rumb. Why, I see a tiiousand emmets ; thou meanest a little
one} I Mouse. Nay, that emmet &-V. We have followed in our arrangement
a suggestion of Mr. F. Fritsche. — 11. / omitted in C. — 12. M life round
about. — 13. HM wood. — 14. H / think so it was, indeed; M / think it
was indeed. — 16. The stage-direction is omitted in Qq.
IV, 5-] MUCEDORUS. 65
Seg. But tell me, INIousc, how clid he go ?
Mouse. In a white gown, and a white hat on his head,
and a staff in his hand. 20
Stg. I thought so; it was a hennit that walked a solitary
life in the woods. Well, get you to dinner; and after never
leave seeking, till you bring some news of them, or I'll hang
you both. [Exit.
Mouse. How now, Rumbelo, what shall we do now? 25
Rumh. Faith, I'll home to dinner, and afterward to sleep.
Mouse. Why, then thou wilt be hanged.
Rumb. Faith, I care not, for I know I shall never find
them. Well, I'll once more abroad, and if I cannot-find tlu^m,
I'll never come home again. 30
Mouse. I tell thee what , Rumbelo ; thou shalt go in at
one end of the wood, and I at the other , and we will meet
both together in the midst.
Rumh. Content, let's away to dinner. [Exetmt.
SCENE V.
Elder IMucedorus solus.
Muce. Unknown to any here within these woods,
With blood}- Bremo do I lead my life.
The monster! he doth murther all he meets;
He spareth none, and none doth him escape.
Who would continue — who, but only I — 5
In such a cruel cut-throat's company?
Yet Amadine is there, how can I choose?
Ah, silly soul! how oftentimes she sits
And sighs, and calls, Co7ne, shepherd, cojiie,
Sweet Mucedorus, come and set me free, lO
21. H he li'as a hermit; M he ivas an hermit. — Wap. justly lakes
offence at the strange expression: to iva/k a solitary life; perliaps we should
read: that walked solitary-like in the ivoods , simihir combinations repeatedly
occurring in our play; cp. caitiff-like I, 4, 5 ; Juno-like I, 4, 31; coward-
like II, 4, 44; hermit-like IV, 2, 8. — 26. All afterward; CM afterwards.
— 32. M both meet.
SCKNK V. 3. AIIM the monster he: (' the monster, he. — 6. M such
cruel. — 8. C rt silly soul. — M oftentime. — 10. HM come set me.
5
6(3 MUCEDORUS. pV, 5.
When IVIucedorus present stands her by!
But here she comes.
E7iter Amadine.
What news, fair lady, as you walk these woods?
Ama. Ah, hermit! none but bad and such thou know'st.
15 Muce. How do you like your Bremo and his woods?
Ama. Oh, not my Bremo, nor my Bremo's woods.
Muce. And why not yours? methinks he loves you well.
Ama. 1 like him not, his love to me is nothing worth.
Muce. Lady, in this, methinks, you offer wrong,
20 To hate the man that ever loves you best.
Avia. Hermit, I take no pleasure in his love,
Neither doth Bremo love me best.
Muce. Pardon my boldness, lad}', sith we both
May safely talk now out of Bremo's sight,
25 Unfold to me, if so you please, the full discourse,
How, when, and why you came into these woods,
And fell into this bloody butcher's hands,
Afiia. Hermit, I will;
Of late a worthy shepherd I did love —
30 Muce. A shepherd, lady? Sure, a man unfit
To match with you !
A7na. Ay, hermit, this is true,
And when we had —
Muce. Stay there, the wild man comes;
Defer the rest until another time.
Ente7- Bremo.
Bremo. What secret tale is this? what whispering have we here?
35 Villain, I charge thee tell thy tale again.
Muce. If needs I must, lo ! here it is again :
II. CHM Mucedoriis (peasant). — 13- C walk in these woods. — I4.
Qq and such as thou knowest ; Mr. F. Fritsche proposes to omit and. —
16. Qq Not 77iy Bremo, nor his Bremo woods ; Haz. Not my Breitto, \ Nor
Bretno's woods. We have given the line after the correction of El. —
18. QHM Tiot Mtu. — 21. Qq Ah hertnit ; Haz. Her /nit. — 22. ACM like
Tue best; H love 7ne best. — 23. Q(\ fair lady; Haz. lady. — 25. C so if
you please. — 31. Qq Her/nit, this is true; Haz. in one line: Hermit, 'tis
true a7id when we had. — 33. Qq Refer; Wag. Defer.
TY, 5-] MUCEDORUS. 57
Whenas we both had lost the sight of thee,
It griev'd us both, but specially thy queen.
Who in thy absence ever fears the worst,
Lest some mischance befall your royal grace. 40
Shall my sweet Bremo wander through the woods,
Toil to and fro for to redress my wants.
Hazard his life and all to cherish me?
I like not this, quoth she.
And thereupon she crav'd to know of me, 45
If I could teach her handle weapons well.
My answer was, I had small skill therein,
But glad, most mighty king, to learn of thee.
And this was all.
Bremo. Was 't so? None can disHke of this. I'll teach 50
You both to fight ; but first, my queen, begin :
Here, take this weapon; see how thou canst use it.
Ama. This is too big, I cannot wield it in my arm.
Bremo. Is't so? We'll have a knotty crabtree-staff
For thee. [To Mucc] But, sirrah, tell me, what say'st thou? 55
Muce. With all my heart I willing am to learn.
Bremo. Then take my staff, and sec how thou canst wield it.
Muce. First teach me how to hold it in my hand.
[Taking the staff.
Bremo. Thou holdst it well.
[To Ainadine] Look how lie doth, thou mayst the sooner learn. 60
Muce. Next tell me how and when 'tis best to strike.
Bre7iio. [Aside] 'Tis best to strike when time doth serve,
'Tis best to lose no time.
Muce. Then now or never is my time to strike.
Bremo. And when thou strikest, be sure to hit tlie head. 65
Muce. The head?
Bremo. The very head?
Muce. Then have at thine.
[He strikes fmn down dead.
38. A the queen. — 41. IIM wood. — 42. CHM want. — 45. site,
omitted in ACHM, taken from D. — 48. CHM gladsome, mighty Icing. —
50. HM mislitie. — 53. HM 7nine arm. — 55. thou om. IIM. — 58. M in
mine hand. — The staKe-dircction has been taken from C. — 60. The stage-
direction is omitted in CHM. — 61. me om. HM. — 64. AC never is my
time ; HM never it is time. — 66. C lie strilies Bremo dead.
5*
68 MUCEDORUS. pV, 5.
So! lie thou there and die;
A death, no doubt, according to desert,
Or else a worse, as thou deservest a worse.
70 Ama. It glads my heart, this tyrant's death to see.
Muce. Now, lady, it remains in )'ou
To end the tale you lately had begun,
Being interrupted by this wicked wight —
You said you loved a shepherd?
75 Ama. Ay, so I do, and none but only him;
And will do still, as long as life shall last.
Muce. But tell me, lady, sith I set you free.
What course of life do you intend to take?
Atna. I will disguised wander through the world,
80 Till I have found him out.
Muce. How, if you find your shepherd in these woods?
Ama. Ah, none so happy then as Amadine.
Muce. In tract of time a man may alter much:
Say, lady, do you know your shepherd well?
[He discloseth himself.
85 Ama. My Mucedorus, hath he set me free?
Muce. He hath set thee free.
Aina. And lived so long unknown to Amadine?
Muce. Ay, that's a question whereof you mayn't be resolved.
You know that I am banish'd from the court,
90 I know likewise each passage is beset.
So that we cannot long escape unkno\\-n.
Therefore my will is this, that we return,
Right through the thickets, to the wild man's cave,
And there a while live on's provision,
95 Until the search and narrow watch be past:
This is my counsel, and I think it best,
Ama. I think the very same.
Muce. Come, let's be gone.
67. Qq So, lie there and die. Wag. proposes to read in one line : Then,
have at thine. So lie there and die. — 69. HM deservest 7vorse. — 76. M
doth last. — 81. M yoti should Jind. — 84. ACD He disguiseth himself;
HM He discloseth himself ; Haz. He discovers himself — 88. Qq may not.
— 94. Qq 071 his provision ; El. we live on his provision. We owe the
reading given above to a private suggestion of Professor Elze. — 96. HM
/ like it best. — 97. C The Clown enters and falls over the wild man.
IV, 5-] MUCEDORUS. 69
Enter the Clown, who searches, and falls over the wild
Man, and so carries him away.
Mouse. Nay, soft, sir, are you here ? a bots on }ou ! I
was like to be hanged for not finding you; we would borrow
a certain stray king's-daughter of }-ou ; a wench, a wench, sir, lOO
we would have.
Miicc. A wench of me? I'll make th'ee eat my sword.
Mouse. O Lord , nay , an you are so lusty , I'll call a
cooling card for you: ho, master, master, come away quickly!
Enter Segasto.
Seg. What's the matter? 105
Mouse. Look, master, Amadine and the shepherd! O brave!
Seg. What, minion, have I found you out?
Mouse. Nay, that's a lie, I found her out m}'self.
Seg. Thou gadding huswife,
What cause hadst thou to gad abroad, 1 10
Whenas thou knowcst our wedding-day so nigh?
Ama. Not so, Segasto ; no such thing in hand.
Show your assurance, then I'll answer )"ou.
Seg. Thy father's promise my assurance is.
Ama. But what he promised, he hath not perform'd. 115
Seg. It rests in thee for to perform the same.
A7na. Not I.
•9^^. And why?
A}}ia. So is my will, and therefore even so.
Mouse. Master, with a nonny, nonny, no! 120
.9^^. Ah, wicked villain! art thou here?
Muce. What needs these words? we weigh them not.
99. ILM not /htdiiiif of you. 104. cooling- card. Cp. Nares and
Dyce s. v., where the expression is said to have been lakcn fioni primero
and to have orifjinally signified a decisive card that cools the courage of the ad-
versary ; we prefer, however, the explanation given liy Delius i K. Henry VI.,
V, 3 (note 22): card (from Cakdci.s Bknkuici is, J/mc-A Ado III, 4;, a
plant used to cool the heat of the fever , hence anything calming and
assuaging. — CO master, come; II M master, master, come. — 106.
master om. MM. — 1 09. C liousewife. — III. C u<hen tliat. — liO. for
om. A. - 119. HM even no. — 120. AC none none no; HM none none so ;
llaz. nonny, nonny. no; cp. Much Ado II, 3; Lear III, 4; Hamlet IV, 5.
70 IMUCEDORUS. [IV, 5.
Seg. We weigh them not! proud shepherd, I scorn thy company.
J/ousc. We'll not have a corner of thy company.
125 Mtue. I scorn not thee, nor yet the least of thine.
Mouse. That's a lie, a would have killed me with his
pugsnando.
Seg. This stoutness, Amadine, contents me not.
Ama. Then seek another, that may you better please.
130 Muce. Well, Amadine, it only rests in thee
Without delay to make thy choice of three:
There stands Segasto, here a shepherd stands,
There stands the third : now make thy choice.
Mouse. A lord at the least I am.
135 A??ia. My choice is made, for I will none but thee.
Seg. A w^orthy mate, no doubt, for such a wife.
Muce. And, Amadine, why wilt thou none but me?
I cannot keep thee as thy father did;
I have no lands for to maintain thy state,
140 Moreover if thou mean to be my wife.
Commonly this must be thy use:
To bed at midnight, up at four;
Drudge all the day, and trudge from place to place, '
Whereby our daily victuals for to win:
145 And last of all, which is the worst of all,
No princess then, but a plain shepherd's wife.
Mouse. Then God gi' you good morrow, goody shepherd!
[Aside.
Ama. It shall not need; if Amadine do live,
Thou shalt be crowned king of Arragon.
1 50 Mouse. O master, laugh ; when he's Icing, then I'll be a queen.
Muce. Then know that which never tofore was known,
I am no shepherd, no Arragonian I,
123. CM need. — 127. KH'b'l pu^s - ?iando ; Q piigs-nardo ; probably a
corruption of poinado or poynado := a poniard ; cp. Strikes his poinado at
a button'' s breadth. Return from Parnassus I, 2 (quoted by Nares). — 132.
HM Segasto, a second here. — 137. M wilt none. — 143. Qq all day. —
144. HM victual. — 1 46. C but plain a. — 147. Aside om. CHM. — 150.
HM when he's a king. — 152. A never ; CHM ne'er; the verse would
become smoother by the transposition of never : That which tofore was
tiever known.
V, I.] MUCEDORUS. 71
But born of royal blood:
My father's of Valentia king, my mother queen;
Who for thy sacred sake took this hard task in hand. 155
Ama. Ah, how I joy my fortune is so good!
Scg. Well, now I see Segasto shall not speed.
But, Mucedorus, I as much do joy
To see thee here within our court of Arragon,
As if a kingdom had befallen me this time. 160
I with my heart surrender her to thee,
[He giveth her to him.
And lose what right to Amadine I have.
Mouse. What, a barn's door, and born where my father
was constable? a bots on thee, how dost thou? [Aside.
Miice. Thanks, good Segasto; but you levell'd at the crown. 165
Mouse. Master, bear this, and bear all.
Seg. WTiy so, sir?
Mouse. He says you take a goose by the crown.
Seg. Away, go to, sir; post you to the king,
Whose heart is fraught with careful doubts, 170
Gladden him u]), and tell him these good news,
And we will follow, as fast as we ma}'.
Blouse. I go, master ; I run, master. [Exctml severally.
A C T V.
SCENE I.
Enter the King of Arragon and Collen.
Kijtg. Break, heart, and end my pallid woes !
My Amadine, the comfort of my life.
How can I joy, except she were in sight?
Her absence breedeth sorrow to my soul
155. A secret sake. ■ 160. El. feels inclined to omit this time which
indeed is an absurd addition. — 162. Qq loot;; liaz. toose ; Del. supposes a
line to have been lost after to thee. — 163. ACHM -li'liat barn's door; D what,
a barn's door. — 164. K dost thee. — 165. AHM T/tantcs, Se^^asto. — Good
only in C. — A but yet you. — 167. M sir rati. — 168. A he sees. —
169. ACH Go to, sir, away; M Go to, sirrah, away. — C post to the kin^.
— 171. Qq Glad )iim up; AVag. ,i,^laddcn him up. — 173. CHM Exeunt.
ScENK I. I. AC paled; D pallade ; IIM pallid. — 2. M in my sight.
— 4. CM breeds great sorrow.
72 MUCEDORUS. [V, i.
5 And with a thunder breaks my heart in twain.
Collen. Forbear those passions, gentle king,
And you shall see, 'twill turn unto the best.
And bring your soul to quiet and to joy.
King. Such joy as death, I do assure me that,
lO And nought but death, unless of her I hear,
And that with speed; I cannot sigh thus long —
But what a tumult do I hear within?
[They cry within, Joy and happiness.
Collen. I hear a noise of overpassing joy
Within the court. My lord, be of good comfort,
15 And here comes one in haste.
Etiier the Clown running.
Mouse. A king, a king, a king !
Collen. Why, how now, sirrah? what's the matter?
Mouse. Oh, 'tis news for a king, 'tis worth money.
Collen. Why, sirrah, thou shalt have silver and gold, if it be
20 Mouse. Oh, 'tis good, 'tis good. Amadine — [good.
King. Oh, what of her? tell me, and I will make thee a knight.
Mouse. How, a sprite? no, by'r Lady, I will not be a sprite,
masters. Get ye away, if 1 be a sprite, I shall be so lean, 1
shall make you all afraid.
25 Collen. Thou sot, the King means to make thee a gentleman.
Mouse. Why, I shall want 'parel.
King. Thou shalt want for nothing.
Mouse. Then stand away, trick up thyself, here they come.
5. Coll., thinking this line to be obviously corrupt, proposes to read:
And when astinder breaks &'l: If, in so Ixiniliastic a play, we are justified in
taking offence at this phrase, it would, as Professor Elze suggests to us, be
preferable to write: And loill asunder break my heart in twain. — 10. HM
except of her. — 12. 'M tumult do hear I. ■ — C They cry, Joy and happiness.
— ]M T/iey cry within, Joy and gladness. — 16. M ^ King, a King! —
23. Qq by Lady. — HM a spright. Master. — 25. Hil Then sot. — H
make thee gentleman (make the gentleman , which Del. gives as the reading
of H, is a mistake made by the copyist of Professor Elze's transcript); M
make the a gentleman. — 26. A apparel ; C apparel ; HM parrel. — 28. A
trick up; CDHM strike up.
V, I.] ]VrUCEDORUS. 73
Enlcr Segasto, IMucedorus, and Amadine.
Ama. My gracious father, pardon thy disloyal daughter.
King. What, do mine eyes behold my daughter Amadine? 30
Rise up, dear daughter, and let these embracing arms
Show thee some token of thy father's jo}",
Which, e'er since thy departure, hath languished in sorrow.
Ama. Dear father,
Ne'er were your sorrows greater than my griefs, 35
Ne'er you so desolate, as I was comfortless :
Yet, ne'ertheless, acknowledging myself
To be the cause of both, on bended knees, [Kneeling.
I humbly crave your pardon.
King. I'll pardon thee, dear daughter; 40
But as for him —
Ama. All, father! what of him?
King. As sure as I am king, and wear the crown,
1 will revenge on that accursed wretch.
Mucc. Yet, worthy prince, work not thy will in wrath.
Show favour — . 45
Kilts. A^■, such favour thou deserv'st.
JSluce. I do deserve the daughter of a king.
King. Oh, impudent! a shepherd and so insolent!
Muce. No shepherd am I, but a worth}- prince.
King. Ill fair conceit, not princely born.
Muce. Yes, princelv born, my father is a king, 50
INIy mother queen, and of Valentia both.
[Thrmving off his disguise.
King. What, Mucedorus ? w elcome to our court !
What cause hadst thou to come to me disguis'd?
31. HM Rise up, daughter. — AC these my embracing. — 32. Oq Show
some. — II. Qq t'zr;-. — Tliis verse niifjht be improved, if read eilhor: Which,
since thy 'parture e'er has /anguished in sorrow, or: Jl'hich e'er since thy
departure's hinguished in sorrow. — 35, 36, 37. Qq never and nevertheless.
— 36. Qq as I comfortless. — 37. HM knowing myself. — 38. C knee. —
The stapje-direction Kneeling taken from C. — 41. WVl Ay father. — 43.
IBI /'// be revenged; cp. Induction 46, note. — 46. (}i\ favour as thou. -
48. AHM No shepherd I, but a worthy prince; C No shepherd I, but am
a worthy prince ; D No shepherd am I, but a worthy prince. — 51. HM
a queen. — The stage-direction taken from C.
74 MUCEDORUS. [V, I.
Muce. No cause to fear, I caused no offence, but this —
55 Desiring thy daughter's virtues for to see,
Disguis'd myself from out my father's court,
Unknown to any, in secret I did rest.
And passed many troubles near to death ;
So hath your daughter my partaker been,
60 As you shall know hereafter more at large,
Desiring you, you will give her to me.
E'en as mine own, and sovereign of my life,
Then shall I think my travels are well spent.
King. With all my heart, but this —
65 Segasto claims my promise made tofore,
That he should have her as his only wife.
Before my council, when we came from war.
Segasto, may I crave thee, let it pass.
And give Amadine as wife to Mucedorus.
70 Seg. With all my heart, were 't a far greater thing;
And what I may to furnish up their rites
With pleasing sports and pastimes, you shall see.
King. Thanks, good Segasto ; I will think of this.
Mucc. Thanks, good my lord; and while I live,
75 Account of me in what I can or may.
Ama. And, good Segasto, these great courtesies
Shan't be forgot.
Mouse. Why, hark you, master! bones, what have you
done ? What, given away the wench you made me take such
80 pains for? you are wise indeed; mass, an I had known of
that, I would have had her myself. Faith, master, now we
may go to breakfast with a woodcock-pie.
Seg. Go, sir, you were best leave this knavery.
King. Come on, my lords, let's now to court,
85 Where we may finish up the joyfuUest day
55- Qq begin this line with But this. — 63. Qq Even. — ■ 63. HIM
travels all well spent. — 66. her ova. C. — 67. HM he came. — 70. Qq
were it. — 71. Qq up their rites, \ With pleasing sports atui pastimes you
shall see. — 72. C pleasant. — 74. HM whilst. — 76. Atid, omitted in HM.
— 77. Qq shall not. — 83. M Go to, sirrah. — HM to leave.
V, I.] MUCEDORUS. 75
That ever happ'd to a distressed king i) ;
Were but thy father, the Valentia lord,
Present in view of this combining knot.
A shout within; enter a INIessenger.
What shout was that?
Mes. i\Iy lord, the great Valentia king, 90
Newly arrived, entreats your presence.
Muce. ]\Iy father?
King. Prepare a welcome; give him entertainment;
A happier planet never reign'd than that
Which governs at this hour. g5
Sound. Enter the KiNG OF Valentia, Anselmo,
RODERIGO, BoRAcmus, ivith others; the King runs and
embraces his son.
King Va. Rise honour of my age, food to my rest:
Condemn not, mighty king of Arragon,
My rude behaviour, so compell'd by nature.
That manners stood unacknowledged.
King Arra. What we have to recite would tedious prove 100
87. M Valentian. — 88. POI combined. — 90. great om. M. — 93. CD
Prepared -welcomes ; give ; HM Prepared •welcomes give; Ave have given the
nne after El.'s correction. ■ — 99. CD manner ; HM manners. — D unknow-
ledged, Mr. O. Werner proposes : stood so icnacknowledged.
') From this" line, 7C'e print the text as first given in C ; in A the
conclusion of the play runs thus:
With mirth and joy and great solemnity
We'll finish up these Hymen's rites most pleasantly.
Mouse. Ho lords ! at the first I am one too ; but hear, Master
King, by your leave, a cast. Now you have done with them, I pray you,
begin with me.
King. Wliy, what wouldst thou have ?
Mouse. Oh, you forgot now! a little apparel to make's hanilsome.
What, should lords go so beggarly as I do ?
King. What I did promise thee, I will perform.
Attend on me: come, let's depart.
[They all speak.] We'll wait on you with all our hearts [lieart?].
Mouse. And with a piece of my liver too. fExeunt omnes.
Collier states by mistake that in the Ed. of 1598 the drama ends with I, 86,
76 MUGEDORUS. [V, i.
T3y declaration ; therefore in and feast.
To-morrow the performance shall explain
What words conceal: till then, drums speak, bells ring,
Give plausive welcomes to our brother king.
[Sound drtuns and tnmipeis. Exeunt omnes.
Enter Comedy and Envy.
Com. How now. Envy? what, blushest thou already?
Peep forth, hide not thy head with shame.
But with a courage praise a woman's deeds.
Thy threats were vain, thou couldst do me no hurt,
5 Although thou seem'dst to cross me with despite,
I overwhelm'd and turned upside down thy block
And made thyself to stumble at the same.
Envy. Though stumbled, yet not overthrown,
Thou canst not draw my heart to mildness,
lO Yet must I needs confess, thou hast done well,
And play'd thy part with mirth and pleasant glee.
Say all this, yet canst thou not conquer me,
Although this time thou'st got — yet not the conquest neither,
A double revenge another time I'll have 2).
lOl. Tlierefore in and feast. Cp. The Merry Wives of Windsor (l602)
in Shakespeare's Library ed. Hazlitt VI, 200 : All parties pleased, now let us
in to feast. — 104. C pleasant welcomes.
5. ACH seeinst ; ]SI seem'dst. — 6. Qq turn\i upside down; Wag.
proposes: turned doivn. — CHM blocks. — 9. HM Jiead. — 13. Qq tliou
hast. — Divided into two lines in Qq.
^) In A tlie conclusion, from t/iis line, is as follows :
Com. Then, caitiif cursed, stoop upon tliy knee;
Yield to a woman, though not unto me*),
And pray we both together with our hearts,
That she thrice Nestor's years may with us rest,
And from her foes high God defend her still,
That they 'gainst her may never work their will.
Envy. Envy, were he never so stout,
Would beck and bow unto her majesty.
Indeed, Comedy, thou'st overrun me now**)
And forc'd me stoop unto a woman's sway.
*) A not to me.
**) A thou, hast overrun me now-
Epilogue.] MUCEDORUS. 77
Com. Envy, spit thy gall; * 15
Plot, work, contrive, create new fallacies.
Teem from thy womb each minute a black traitor,
\\Tiose blood and thoughts have twin conception;
Study to act deeds yet unchronicled.
Cast native monsters in the moulds of men ; 20
Case vicious devils under sainted rochets;
Unhasp the wicked where all perjuries roost.
And swarm this ball with treasons, do thy worst,
Thou canst not, hell-hound, cross my star to-night.
Nor blind that glory, where I wish delight. 25
Envy. I can, I will.
Com. Nefarious hag, begin;
And let us tug, till one the mastery win.
Envy. Comedy, thou art a shallow goose,
I'll overthrow thee in thine own intent,
And make thy fall my comic merriment. 30
Com. Thy policy wants gravity, thou art
Too weak. Speak, fiend, as how?
Envy. Why thus.
From my foul study will I lioist a wretch,
A lean and hungry meager cannibal,
Whose jaws swell to his eyes with chawing malice; 35
And him I'll make a poet.
Cotn. What is that to tlie purpose?
18. C tunti's; D tunn ; IIM twins. — 21. Oq sanded; Wag. sainted.
— HM robes. — 22. C Unclasp; II UnsJinpe. — D perfureds. — As to
the dissyllable perjuries, sec Abbott s. 468. — 24. KCDU. steare ; M slear;
Haz. star. — 32. IIM friend. — ■ 34. C nea^i^re ; Haz. negro; HM meager.
— 35. HM chewing. — 37. Qq whaVs. — CDH to th\
God grant her grace amongst us long may reign,
And those that would not have it so,
Would that by Envy soon their hearts they miglit longo.
Com. The council, nobles, and this reahn,
Lord, guide it still with ihy most lioly hami!
The Commons and the subjects, grant them grace,
Their prince to serve, her to obey, and treason In (lefacc:
Long may she reign in jf>y and great felicity,
Each Christian heart do say Amen with me. [E.xeunt.
78 MUCEDORUS. [Epilogue.
Envy. This 'scrambling raven with his needy beard,
Will I whet on to write a comedy;
40 Wherein shall be compos'd dark sentences,
Pleasing to factious brains:
And every otherwhere place me a jest.
Whose high abuse shall more torment than blows.
Then I myself, quicker than lightning,
45 Will fly me to a puissant magistrate.
And waiting with a trencher at his back.
In midst of jollity rehearse those galls.
With some additions, so lately vented in your theatre:
He upon this cannot but make complaint,
50 To your great danger, or at least restraint.
Com. Ha, ha, ha! I laugh to hear thy folly;
This is a trap for boys, not men, nor such.
Especially desertful in their doings,
Whose staid discretion rules their purposes.
55 I and my faction do eschew those vices.
But see, O see, the weary sun for rest
Hath lain his golden compass in the west,
Where he perpetual bide and ever shine,
As David's offspring in this happy clime.
60 Stoop, Envy, stoop, bow to the earth with me,
Let's beg our pardon on our bended knee. [They kneel.
Envy. My power has lost her might, and Envy's date's expired.
Yon splendent majesty has 'fell'd my sting,
And I amazed am, [Fall doivn and quake.
65 Com. Glorious and wise Arch-C^sar on this earth,
38. needy beard. Cp. The Taming of the Shrew III, 2, 177 seq. : his
heard grew thin and hungcrly \ And seetn'd to ask him sops as he was
drinking. — 44. lightning, pronounce light (e)ning ; see Abbott s. 477. Cp.
Lear IV, 7. — 47. Qq gaules ; Haz. galls. — 48. 'The words so lately
are a manifest ifiterpolation — perhaps put in by the printer to make the
readers of 1610 [1609] think that the lines alluded to a quite recent event.'
R. Simpson, The Academy, April 29, 1876, p. 401. — 49. D upon; CHM on.
— 50. CD your ; HM our. — 53. M deceitful. — 57. C in the west ; DHM
to the west. — 59. C this; DHM his. — 61. CHM. pardon ; D pardons. —
62. ajid om. Qq. — 63. Om. HM. — 'felled i. e. refelled, used in the sense
of repelled as in Measure for Measure V, \ : How I persuaded, how I
pray'd and kneel'd ; J How he refell'd me, atid how 1 replied.' Coll.
Epilogue.] MUCEDORUS. 79
At whose appearance Envy's stricken dumb,
And all bad things cease operation,
Vouchsafe to pardon our unwilling error.
So late presented to your gracious view,
And we'll endeavour with excess of pain, 70
To please your senses in a choicer strain.
Thus we commit you to the arras of night,
\Miose spangled darkness would, for your delight,
Strive to excel the day: be blessed then.
Who other wishes, let him never speak — 75
Envy. Amen !
To Fame and Honour we commend your rest.
Live still more happy, every hour more blest.
66. C stricken ; D strol'en ; HM striicken. — 69. H our gracious. —
73. C carcass; D carcase ; happily corrected by Coll.
E. Karras, Printer, Halle.
NOTES ON" ELIZABETHAN DRAMATISTS.
NOTES ON ELIZABETHAN DRAMATISTS
WITH
CONJECTURAL EMENDATIONS OF THE TEXT
BV
KARL ELZE.
HALLE:
Max Niemeyer.
1880.
PREFACE.
Part ot the following Notes and Emendations have al-
ready appeared in various Periodicals, both German and
English, and they ha^•e shared the fate incident to all ephem-
eral publications — they have been little heeded and soon
forgotten. I have therefore yielded to the temptation of
attempting to preserve in a more permanent shape, these
disiecti membra criiici, and of adding to them fresh matter
hitherto unpublished.
It is well known , that conjectural emendations are not
unfrequently written on the spur of the moment instead of
being as fully matured as other literary productions. At the
present day when scholars almost all over the world are busy
in translating, explaining, and revising the works of Shake-
speare and his contemporaries, critics are naturally apprehen-
sive lest they be anticipated in their emendations and tlnue-
fore hasten to avail themselves of some one or other of the
numerous opportunities offered to them for publication. Sober
second thoughts and better wisdom are wont to come after
the fait accompli, when the critic awakes to the knowledge
that Goethe's beautiful line, —
Es irrl dcr Mensch, so lang er slrebi,
is no less true of verbal criticism than of morals. Numerous
conjectures, therefore, have to be withdrawn, a penalty which
VI PREFACE,
all verbal critics, more or less, have had to pa)-, and always
will have; for verbal criticism neither can, nor will, be stop-
ped: it is essential to the advancement of learning. The
eminent philologist Gottfried Hermann, who stands in the
frontrank of verbal critics, in one of his lectures, delivered
it as his conviction that a verbal critic of the true stamp
should be willing like Saturn to devour his own offspring.
As one of his disciples, therefore, I cannot be blamed if,
following his precept and example, I hereby eat those conject-
ural emendations of Elizabethan dramatists which I have hither-
to published and which are not contained in my editions
of Elizabethan plays, in Messrs Warnke's and Proescholdt's
Edition of ' Mucedorus ', and in the present collection; at the
same time let me breathe the hope that the emendations
published in those editions and in this collection may not
need, at some future day, to be subjected to the same Satur-
nian process. My conjectural emendations in the text of
'Mucedorus', which appeared originally in the Shakespeare-
Jahrbuch XUI, 45 seqq., have been excluded from the present
collection merely on the ground that almost all of them —
and some fresh ones to boot — have been embodied in the
edition of that play by Messrs Warnke and Proescholdt. The
emendations of * Mucedorus ' contained in the present volume
have not been published before.
Halle, November 1879. K. E.
Arden of Feveisham, I ,
CONTENTS.
Anonymous Plays.
The Birth of Meiliu, n — VI ,
Edward III, VII— XI
Fair Em, XH— XXX .
Histrio-Mastix, XXXI ->0
The London Prodigal. XXXII XXXV 20
Mucedorus, XXXVI — XL 22
No -body and Some -body, XLI 26
The Play of Stucley, XLII .26
Chapman.
Alphonsus, XLIII 26
Greene.
Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, XLIV 27
Marlowe.
Tamburlaine, XLV — XLVII 2«
Edward II, XLVIII — XLIX 30
Shakespeare and Fletcher.
The Two Noble Kinsmen, L ji
Shakespeare.
The Tempest, LI — LVI 33
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, LVII 40
VIII CONTENTS.
Page
A Midsummer - Night's Dream, LVIII — LXI . . . -41
The Merchant of Venice, LXH— LXVI 44
As You Like It, LXVII 49
The Taming of the Shrew, LXVIH- LXXIIl .... 50
Twelfth Night, LXXIV 55
King John, LXXV—LXXXTT 36
Romeo and Juliet, LXXXIII 66
Timon of Athens, LXXXIV— LXXXV 76
Julius Ca;sar, LXXXVI — LXXXVII 79
Hamlet, LXXXVIII — XCIX 81
Othello, C 123
Addenda.
Fair Em, XX. XXIV. XXVI. XXX 125
ANONYMOUS PLAYS.
I.
Then is there Michael, and the painter too,
Chief actors to Arclen's overthrow.
ArDEX of FHVEK.SHAM, III, 5 (KD. DELIUS 45).
Is Chief to be taken as a so-called monosyllabic foot —
followed by a tro(;hee! — or are we to read: —
Chief actors (5tf/// to Arden's overthrow?
TocUo. ?^Ie, Madam! 's foot! I'd be loath that an)- man
should make a holy -day for me yet:
In brief, 'tis tlius: There's here arriv'd at court,
Sent by the Earl of Chester to the king,
A man of rare esteem for holiness,
A reverend hermit, that b}' miracle
Not onely sav'd our army,
But without aid of man o'erthrew
The pagan host, and with such wonder, sir,
As might confirm a kingdom to his faith.
TiU'; Birth ok Merlin, I, i (eu. Delus 5).*
* Both here, and in the passages taken from I'ldwanl III and
The London Trodifjal, 1 have not (|uoied the Tauchnil/- Kdilion of the
Donblfid ]^lays, since its text, as far as I have compared it, does not
differ from lliat of Delius.
2 THE BIRTH OF MERLIN.
These lines should be thus regulated: —
:i;Hj!,- Joclio. Me, madam! 'S foot! I'd be loth that any man
Should make a holiday for me yet.
In brief, 'tis thus: there's here arriv'd at court,
Sent by the Earl of Chester to the king,
A man of rare esteem for holiness,
A reverend hermit, that by miracle
Not only sav'd our army, but without
The aid of man o'erthrew the pagan host,
^•>ji;,, And with such wonder, sir, as might confirm
A kingdom to his faith.
The monosyllabic pronunciation of madam (in the first line)
is too frequent to call for any furtlier remark. In the second
line a syllable is. .wanting; the regular blank verse might be
restored, if we were to read: —
Should make a holiday for my sake yet.
III.
Prince. Nay, noble Edol, let us here take counsel.
It cannot hurt.
It is the surest garrison to safety.
The Birth of Merlin, IV, 2 (Del. 71).
Arrange and transpose: —
Prince. Nay, noble Edol,
Let us lake counsel here, it cannot hurt.
It is the surest garrison to safety.
Some twenty lines lower down we meet with a striking paral-
lel, as far as versification is concerned: —
^ixnA .'^^printe: ■ Hold, noble Edol,
Let's hear what articles he can enforce.
THE BIRTH OF MERLIX. 3
IV.
Pritice. Look, Edol : Still this fiery exhalation shoots
His frightful horrors on th' amazed world.
The Birth of Merlin, IV', 5 (Del. 74).
Arrange: —
Prince. Look, Kdol:
Still this fiery exhalation shoots &c.
Still to be considered as a so-called monosyllabic foot {cf.
Abbott, Shakespearian Grammar, 482), or if this should be
deemed insufficient to meet the requirements of the metre,
the imperative look to be repeated: —
Prince. Look, Edol:
Look, still this fiery exhalation shoots
His frightful horrors on th' amazed world.
V.
Nor shall his conquering foot be forc'd to stand.
Till Rome's imperial wreatli hath crown'd his fame
With monarch of the west, from whose seven hills
With conquest, and contributar}' kings,
He back returns —
The Birth of Merlin, IV, 5 (Del. 78).
Qy. read: —
With tJi (or Willi) monarchy of IK west, &c. ?
VL
Tenebrarura ])recis, divitiarum et inferorum dcus, hunc
Incubum in ignis x-terni abyssum accipitc —
The JiiKiii 1(1 Merlin, \', 1 (Ukl. 82).
I*
EDWARD III.
Qy. read, — Tenebrarum prtiiteps, divitiarum et inferorum
deus, &c.? Nash's Pierce Pennilesse is iiiscribed 'To the High
and IMightie Prince of Darknesse,' &c.
vn.
Edw. Whose lives, my lady?
Coun. My thrice loving liege,
Your queen, and Salisbury, my wedded husband.
Edward III, II, 2 (Del. 34 seq.).
The Countess of Salisbury has no occasion to lay stress on
the king's love for her ; on the contrary she thinks it incumbent
on her to assure him of her own love, which is indeed no
guilty, adulterous love, but that true and- noble affection
which every vassal and subject owes his liege. It seems,
therefore, that the poet wrote : — - AIy> thrice lovM liege, (Shake-
speare-Jahrbuch XIII, 78 seq.)
VIII.
Next, — insomuch thou hast infring'd th}' faith,
Broke league and solemn covenant made with nie, —
I hold thee for a false pernitious wretch.
_ Edward III, III, 3 (Del. 48).
This, I presume, is the reading of the quartos. Capell, how-
ever, (Prolusions ; or. Select Pieces of Antient Poetry, London,
1760) reads, a, viosi pe7-7iilioii^ voretch, and, in fact, it does seem
that the two adjectives false and perniiious do not well agree
with one another, although th'ey give an unexceptionable
sense. Qy. — a false perfidious wrelchl (Shakespeare -Jahr-
buch XIII, 80.)
EDWARD III. 5
IX. ■' '{(fju
And with a strumpet's artificial line
To paint thy vitious and deformed cause.
Edward III, III, 3 (Del. 49).
Read: — artificial lime. (Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XIII, 81.)
X.
Upon my soul, had Edward prince of Wales,
Engag'd his word, writ down his noble hand.
For all your knights to pass his father's land.
The royal king, to grace his warlike son,
Would not alone safe -conduct give to them,
But with all bounty feasted them and theirs.
Edward III, IV, 5 (Del. 75).
Grammar, 1 think, requires either: —
Had not alone safe -conduct giveii to them,
or: —
But with all bounty feast both them and theirs.
As, however, these alterations might be justly thought too
bold, a contraction may be suggested:, .tt-
But with all bounty d feasted thein and theirs,
i. e. of course, botmty had.
XI.
Sec. Cil. The sun, dread lord, that in the western fall
Beholds us now low brought through misery.
Did in the orient purple of the morn
Salute our coming forth, when we were known;
Or may our portion be with damned fiends.
EuwAKu III, V, I (Del. 82).
6 EDWARD III. FAIR EJSI.
One or two verses seem to !)c -wanting between the fourth
and fifth h'ne. The kmg thhiks himself cheated, as he has
required the foremost citizens of the town to be delivered
to him , whereas , he says, only servile grooms or felonious
robbers of the sea are forthcoming; consequently he declares
his promise null and void. The second citizen, however,
denies this charge and solemnly assures the king that up to
that very morning he and his fellow hostages had been in-
deed the chiefest citizens of their town. The missing verses,
thcrefbre, maj^ have been to the following effect: —
when we were known
To be the chiefest men of all our town;
Of this, my sovereign lord, be well assurd.
Or may our portion be Avith damned fiends.
(Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XIII, 83.)
XII.
Wm. Conq. Ah, Marques Lubeck, in thy power it lies
To rid my bosom of these thralled dumps.
i*'AiR Em ED. Delius, 2. — Simpson, The School of
Shakspere, II, 408.
William confesses to Marquess Lubeck that 'the strength of
private cares subdues him more than all the world' and that
he, 'a conqueror at arms', is now 'thrall'd to unarmed
thoughts'. We may, " therefore, well fepl tempted to identify
William's dumps with these unarmed thoughts and to read
these thralling dunips i.e. these " dumps ' that are enthralling
nie. BuV twelve lilies (i«/^ the^' Coil quero'r says that he turns
his conquering eyes to ' coward looks and beaten fantasies ',
whence it woulcl' seem' Evident that beaten fantasies and
thralled dumps are intended to denote one and the same
1/
FAIR EM. 7
thing; William's fantasies and dumps have been beaten and
enthralled by the power of beauty, or, as the author quaintly
expresses it, by the ilames of beauty blazing pn Lubeck'a
shield. Compare Shakespeare, Somiet CXXIV ; , 77^^,
It suifers not iu smiling pomp, nor. falls
Under the blow of thralled discontent, ^
^^, n, Whereto the inviting time our fasliion calls.
The Taming of the Shrew I, 1, 224: — -,. ,
And let me be a slave, to achieve that maid
Whose sudden sight hath thrall'd.my wounded eye.
Instead of rid Delius erroneously reads aid.
XIII.
Marq. That same is Blanch, daughter to the king,
The substance of the shadow that you saw.
Fair Em, 8. — Simpson, II, 416.
§.\yalker', Versification, 206 seqq., has endeavoured to show
that daughter is sometime^ used as a trisyllable , although in
5ome„pa^es b'e is doubtful, whether the passage ought not
rather to be amended. In the present line the trisyllabic pro-
nuncialion of the , word would imply the admission of a
trochee in the third foot, which would produce a hailing
and inharmonious, verse. Simpson has added the article
M.? before daughter. I should prcfe,r solf. daughter,)^ sole daughter,
sole, son, sole child, and sole heir being, ^ as it were, proverbial
j^^irases of almost d^ily occurrence. Lower down (Delius, 39. —
Simpson, II, 451) we an-, in fact, told that Blanch is the king's
'oi^ly .(;ij*..ughtcr',
•The, only stay and comfort of his life.'
(yproparp No. XXX.
8 E AIR, EM
,i.jf> }'•
XIV.
. . m fee^d, \v,QTS|e-fca,tvir!d, uncomely, nothing courtly,
Swart and ill-favour'd, a collier's sanguine skin.
Fair Km, 8. — Simpson, II, 416.
What docs /// head mean? We do not want a substahtive
here, but ;an adjective that will serve, as it were, ds a positive
to the comparative warse- featured. \^ a "iv-brd', I think we'
ought to reaid lU^shapcd. That the shape Gf the lady cannot
be passed over with silence -becomes evident from William the
Conqueror's eulogy on the beauty of Mariana twenty lines
below. There he says: —
A modest countenance; no heavy sullen look;
Not very fair, but richly deck'd with favour;
A sweet face; an exceeding dainty hand;
A body, were it framed all of wax
By all the cunning artists of the world,
It could not better be proportioned. '
By the way, 'it' may be remarked that instead oi framed all
0/''^!^ Delius erroneously reads formed &=€. The passage
from The Comedy of Errors, IV, 2, ig seqq. very aptly' quoted"
by Simpsori" speaks strongly in favour of my suggestion. It
is to the following effect:' —^
He is" 'deformed, 'cfooic^d, old and sere,
111 -faced, \\'orse-'bodie(^, shapeTess everywhere;
- Viciousy ungentle, foolish,' blunt, 'unkind,
Stigmatical in making, worse' "in mind.
.ya« 511
.nf ^^rif » . ,.X?i??l.^>'nf?f^tn?^^nl?tiCountQrfei1( indeed.
For ther? .is^fhe .sut).^.t^nce,,t^?^t ^t^^s^. contents. -jipe^r
Fair Em, 9. — Simpson, II, 417.
FAIR EM. 9
Simpson proposes to read, either: —
For there is the substance that doth best content me,
or: —
For there is the substance best contenteth me.
I should pref(.'r: —
For there the substance is that best coiitents me,
or (what would 'best content me'): —
For there s the substance that contents me best.
■ - --■ XVI.
Full ill this life becomes thy heavenly look,
Wherein sweet love and virtue sits enthroned.
Bad world, where riches is esteem'd above them both,
In whose base eyes nought else is bountiful !
Fair Em, io. ^- Simpson, II, 418 seq.
Is the third line perhaps to be classed with those Alexandrines
of which Abbott in his Shakespearian Grammar 499 gives
such curious instances? Or are we to admit an emendation
and read: —
_ Ba.d world, where riches is esteem'd 'bove both?
letwood, according to Simpson, reads; 1 —
Bad world! whei;e riches 'l;>oyp both ar^ esteemj^d jmost.
This would be getting out of the frying-pan into the tire.
According to Delius XI, however, the line, as altered by
Chetwood, seems to run thus : —
Bad world! where riches is esteemed most.
xvn.
'^''^^Mdtint Nature unjust, In utterance nj ihy an,
'\'i) grace a peasarit with a princess' fame!
Fair Em, 11. — Simpson, II, 419 sEy.
\0 FAIR EM.
For /a?«i? Chetwood writes frame; -neither can be right. Per-
haps \vc should read face which would agree much better
with Mountney's subsequent praise of 'her beauty's worthiness'.
Twelve Hnes below Simpson needlessly adds ojti —
And she thou seekest [out] in foreign regions.
Read sa-k'si (with Delius) and proh'ounce re-gt'-ons.
XVIII.
Va/. Love, my lord? of whom?
Motihi. Em, the miller's daughter of Manchester.
Fair Em, 12. — Simpson, II, 421.
Em may be considered as a monosyllabic foot; by the
repetition of oj, however, a regular blank verse might be
obtained : —
Of Em, the miller's daughter of Manchester.
Man. Ah, Em! were he the man that causeth this
mistrust,
1 I.should estem of thee , as at the first. ,,
!--U hji. ,.,;,;„, / • .niJoi4
Fair Em, 15. — biMPSON,...!!, 424.
If - yerses of six feet are not to be admitted, the words Ah,
Ev}!^ may be easily placed in what is called an interjectional
line. Thirty eight lines below, however, the case is more
difficult; there we read: — ■ ^ ^^ .-.■ i -
'■"^''''f' 'AH;' Em r' faithful love k full of jealotiSy. ■ .^ff^i brrr.
Simpson's proposal to expunge Em, ' in ' brdci- to" i'estbre the
metre, can hardly find favour, ,a.^, it js ,cu?tom^ry, with, oi^r
poet to add the name of the person addressed, especially
FAIR EM. n 1
after an interjection which begins the verse; Thus, e. g.
Deiius, 15. — Simpson, 11^ !y^4: — - ! < -r
Believe me, Em, it is not time to jest.
DeHiis, 16. — Simpson, II, 425: —
This, Em, is noted and too much talk'd on.*
Deiius, 16. — vSimpson, 11, 425: —
Ah, jNIanvile, little wettest thou.
Deiius, 17. — Simpson, II, 426: —
Nay, stJiy, fair V.m.
Deiius, 18. — Simpson, II, 427: —
Ah, Era, fair Em, if art can maki- thee whole.
It would, therefore, be in unison with this custom, if the
poet had written: —
Ah, Em!
AI/ faithful love is full of jealousy.
The original reading might be defended on the usual pica
that the first syllable of faithful is to be considered as a
so-called monosyllabic foot.
XX.
Two gentlemen attending on Duke William,
Mountney and Valingford, as I heard' theni hamed,
Ofttimes resort to see and to be seen.
'"""'» Fair Em, I'j. — 'Snn>soN, -II, 424.I
Those critics who require regular I)lank verse to' In- 'r(\stOT'ed
* I hus the line stands in Delius's c«lilioii. . Simiison ■\>\\v\\%^ tu.lkM
and rcpe.nls is l)cforc,^pA'; he evidently reads /^<p/«-(^ as j, n^oQo^yllaMe,
in accordance will? the rule explained by Abbott, Shakespearian
Gramijiar, 472. ' The repetition of is. However, seems needless, since
tne line mign't as well lie scanned iJnis : — -'
This, Em, is not'd and too mtich la1Ue»1 on.
12 FAIR EM.
everywhere may readily correct the second line by enclosing
it in a parenthesis and expunging as: —
(Mounhuy and Valingford J heard them nained).
The name of Valingford, however, here and elsewhere seems
to have been used as a dissyllable by the poet; thus, e. g. on
p. 23 (II, 433) and p. 28 (II, 439), if I am not mistaken in
the conviction that these . passages , now printed as prose,
were ojriginally written ia verse. The former passage, printed
a^.yefse.^^ -would run thus: -—
'Zounds! what a cross is this to my coneeit! , , q
But Valingford, search_the depth of this device.
Why may not this be some feign'd subtlety
By Mounteney's invention,, to th' intent
That I, seeing such occasion, should leave ^^pff 7
My suit, and not persist t' solicit her
Of love? I'll try th' event. If il perceive
By any means th' effejct 0/ this deceit ,
Procured by thy means, friend Movinteney, ,.
The one of us is like t'. repent our bargain., .
On p. 28 the following verses may be restorec^; -r-^, ,
MomiL Valingford, sq hardly I digest an injur}',
Thou'st proffer'd me, as, were 't not I detest
To do what stands not with the honour of ray liaiiie',''
Thy death should pay the' ransom of thy fault. ' '*^^
Injury, in the first line, is to be pronounced as a dissyllable.
The second line is printed from Simpson's text; Delius
reads — As were it not thai J detest. Which of the two
editions — if either .of them — may represent the reading
of the quartos, I do hot know! In regard tb th'^ third Kn6
cf. Abbott, Shakespearian Granaiiiar,. 499. It canAot be denied*,
however , that another , and ' perhaps a 'safer , arrangement
might be devised, viz. —
^Ap^,f:M, 13
Mouni. Valingford,
So hardly I digest an injury,
Thou'st proffer'd me, &c.
XXI.
' ' tAh me, whom chiefly and most of all it doth concernj
To spend my time in grief, and vek my S<Mil, h&c. ' '
Fair Em, i6. — Simpsox, II, 425.
Dele — chiefly and.
XXII.
I spfeak not, sweet, in person of my friend.
But for myself, whom, if that love deserve
To have regard, being honourable love;
Not base affects of loose lascivious love,
Whom youthful wantoiis play and dall}' with,
But that unites in honourable bands of holy rites.
And knits the sacred knot that God's —
Fair F:m, 17. — Simpson, II, 421. skq.
Instead of loose, lascivious /tfz<(? read loose lascivious lust. Com-
pare ante (Delias, 6. — Simpson, II, 413)- —
Let not vehement sighs,
,,,, jNor earnest you.-? iinportiug fervent love,
Render thee subject to the wrath of lust —
wWch Chetwood has wrongly altered to the ivnith 0/ love.—
Yof tint' faulty repetition of love cf. No. XXX and No. LXIX.
lij the last line but one omit honourahle before hands) Jt is
like^vise owing to faulty repetition.
.ij.
14 FAIR EM.
XXIII.
Em. Speak you to me, sir?
■ Motini. To thee, m\' only joy.
Em. I cannot hear you.
Mowit. O plague of fortune! O hell without compare!
What boots it us, to gaze and not enjoy!
Fair Em, i8. — Simpson, II, 427.
I cannot agree with Simpson, who remarks on the fourth
line — 'Dele oh' [before hcll\. — Instead of tmjoy in the
fifth line Simpson suggests hear, which, he adds, would rhyme
with compare. Apart from this somewhat questionable rhyme,
hear cannot be right, since it is applicable only to Em. Accor-
ding to my conviction a verb or phrase is wanted which
applies to both Em and Mountney, for Mountney asks. What
boots it US? Qy. and 7iot converse'^. Or a line to the following
effect may have dropped out: —
and not enjoy
The sweet converse of mutual love between us.
XXIV.
Val. But is it [Delius: it is] possible you should be
taken on such a sudden? In fortunate Valingford, to be thus
cross'd in thy love ! — Fair Em , I am not a little sorry to
see this thy hard hap. Yet nevertheless, I am acquainted
with a learned physician that will do anything for thee at
my request. To him will I resort and inquire his judgment,
as concerning the recovery of so excellent a sense.
Fair Em, 22. — Simpson, II, 432.
f^/.. No? Not the thing will do thee so rriuch good?
Sw>eet Emv^'hith'^ 1 (t^me to parley of -love; hopiilg t<i> haw.
FAIR EM. 15
found thee in thy wonted prosperity. And have the gods
so uninercifull)- thwarted my expectation, b} deahng so
sinisterly with thee, sweet Em? . ,■ . , . t
Fair E^f, 22. — Simpson, II, 433.
These passages I take to be two more instances of metrical
composition that have; degenerated into prose by tlie negU-
gence or ignorance of transcribers and compositors. With
the aid of a few alterations the first passage may be thus
restored: —
Infortunate Valingford, to be thus cross'd
Jn love! — Fair Km, I'm not a little sorry
To see this thy hard hap, yet ne'ertheless
I am acquainted with a learn'd physfcian
That will do any thing for thee
■ ' ■ ' .til!''
At my request; to him will I resort
And will inquire his judgment as concerning
Th' recovery of so excellent a sense.
After the third line a verse seems to be wanting. The
fifth line may be easily extended to a regular blank verse
by the addition of he can after mzj thing. The second passage
may have come from the poet's pen in the following shape : —
No? Not the thing will do thee so much good?
Swdet Em, T hither came to parlfe of love
ITopmg t' have found thee in thvAvontcd sll^te;
And have the Gods thwart'd so unmcrc'fully
IMy hope, by dealing so sinisterly
With thee?
Em. 'Good sir, no more. It fits not me
To have respect to !5uch vain phantasies &c.
Tlie words Siveet Em in the sixth line (after ihce) are an un-
questioioable interpoktion. Proiperily ajid expeclatwn, on the
otlier handy I cannot bet remoYCfl without iiomc vlohinot-; but
16 FAIR EM.
most of the so-called pseudo- Shakespearean plays have been
handed down to us in a state of such rank corruption, that
a critic who attempts to amend them, must be allowed to
walk 'with a larger tether' than is granted elsewhere.
XXV.
VaL Yet, sweet Em, accept this jewel at ni}' hand,
Which I bestow on thee in token of my love.
Fair Em, 23. — Simpson, II, 432.
The words of address should form an interjectional line and
the verses be regulated thus: —
Va/. Yet, sweet Em,
Accept this jewel at my hand, which I
Bestow on thee in token of my love.
Chetwood, who wants the words U/?i and on thee to be ex-
punged, is evidently wrong.
A similar instance occurs a few pages farther on (Delius,
}^2. — Simpson, II, 443): —
Em. Trotter, lend me thy hand; and as thou lovest
me, keep my counsel, and justify whatsoever I say, and I'll
largely requite thee.
By a few slight alterations the following verses may be
restored: —
Em. Trotter,
Lend me thy hand, and as thou lovest' me
Pray keep my counsel, and justify whalever
I say, and largely Fll requite thee.
Let me add a third passage (Delius, 33. — Simpson, IT, 444): —
Eiu. Good father, let me not stand as an open gazing-
stock to every one, but in a place alone, as fits a creature so
miserable.
FAIR EM. 17
Arrange and read: —
Evi. Good father,
Let me not stand an open gazing- stock
To every one, but in a place alone
That fits a creature that's so miserable.
XX\1.
Wm. Hence, villains, hence! How dare you lay
your hands
Upon your sovereign !
Sol. Well, sir; will deal for that.
But here comes one will remedy all this.
Fair E^f, 35 seq. — Simpsox, II, 447.
In the first Jine Simpson reads Dare you [to] lay, and in the
third line we will deal for Ikit. The reading of the quartos
is nowhere given. The second and third line, in my opinion,
should be 'join(>d and corrected thus: —
Upon )our sovereign !
^"^^f- Well, \ve'll deal for that.
XXVII.
Soldier. My lord, watching tiiis night in the camp
U'e took this man, and know not what he is.
, Fair Ew, 36. — Simpson, n, 447.
Is the first lint- to b. .^idnned as a verse of four feet: —
Aly loi;d, watching tljis night in th' camp?
A troc^iee i;i. tin; second place would be unusual, Itj say the
least. Pf , j.s lord to be pronounced as a diss}llable ? Cf.
Madow's Tragedy of Jduanl 11 .-.l. by the Rev. F. G. Fleay,
2
18 FAIR EM.
London, 1877, p. 117. Or are we to call in the aid of an
emendation aud read: —
My lord, m watching this night in the camp?
Compare sixteen lines lower down: —
In knowing this, I know thou art a traitor.
XXVIII.
Wm. Co7tq. In knowing this, 1 know thou art a traitor;
A rebel and mutinous conspirator.
Why, Demarch; know'st thou who I am?
Fair Em, 36. — Simpson, II, 448.
Simpson adds the indefinite article before mutinous and thus
produces a verse of six feet. The line is quite right as it
stands, since rebel is to be pronounced as a monosyllable.
In the third line' Simpson reads knowest^ a trochee that
restores the metre of the verse. Why is, of course, to be
considered as a so-called monosyllal)ic foot.
XXIX.
Wm. Conq. Where's Lord Dirot?
Dem. In arras, my gracious lord,
. Not past two miles from hence,
As credibly I am ascertained.
Fair Em, 37. — Simpson, II, 449,
Arrange and read: —
' M ' Deni.^ In arms, my gracious lord, not past two miles
From hfenae,"as ' cnsdilily I'm ' asGertaiii'd.
In the first line Simpson reads Wftere ts-^ against the metre.
FAIR EM. 19
XXX.
Ami. Marr}' thus: tlie king of Denmark and my
Sov'reign
Doth send to know of thee, what is the cause,
That, injuriously, against the law of amis
Thou hast stol'n away his only daughter Blanch,
The only stay and comfort of his life?
Therefore, by me
He willeth thee to send his daughter Blanch
Or else forthwith he will lev}- such an host.
As soon shall fetch her in despite of thee.
Fair Em, 39. — Simpson, II, 451.
Arrange; and read : —
AmL Marry thus:
The king of Denmark and my sovereign
Doth send to know of ihec, what is the cause,
That thou hast stol'n, against the law of arms,
Injuriously away his daughter Blanch,
The only stay and comfort of his life?
Therefore by me he willeth thee to send her,
Or else forthwith he'll levy such an host.
As soon shall fetch her in despite of thee.
The reiterations of on/)' in the fourth and tilth, anfi of /i/s
daughter Blanch in the fourth an<^l seventh lines are evident
'diplographies', if this technical term ofClemian critics may
be introduced into JMiglish; it might, I think', 'conveniently
supersede the somewhat heavy and vague (:ircumlocutif)n of
S. Walker, C'rit. Kxam., I, 276. A similar iniiilancd of diplo-
graphy has occurred already in No. XXIL Critics' of such
thorough -going cons<.'rvatism as to hIuoUI »:ven gluring rliplo-
graplu<;s, may perhaps preOjr to read llie third and loiitth
lines thus: —
2*
20 mSTRIO-MASTIX. THE LONDON PRODIGAL.
That, 'gainst the law of arms, injuriously
Thou 'st stol'n away his only daughter Blanch.
The sixth and seventh lines have been contracted by Chet-
wood into the following : —
Therefore by me he wills thee send her back.
Needlessly bold and needlessly harsh.
XXXI.
Are not you Merchants, that from East to West,
From the Antarcticke to the Arctick Poles,
Bringing all treasure that the earth can yeeld?
HiSxftio'-MAsTix, APUD Simpson, The School of
SHAKSPKRE, II, 44 SEQ.'
Read: — Bring in all treasure. — Qy. PoW^
XXXIl.
Flow. Sen. I' faith, sir, according to the old proverb:
The child was born, and cried.
Became a man, after fell sick, and (hed.
The London Prodigal, I, i . — Malone, Supplement,
n, 455^ e-,iHAZLi.XTv The;. Supplementary Works of
,, -f, ,, "^mj Shakspeare, 209.
After, in the last line, looks like an interpolation and should
be expunged. By the way, it may be remarked that in Mr
Caxew; Hazlitt's English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases this
'old proverb' is not to be found.
THE LONDON PRODIGAL. 21
XXXIU.
Sir Lane. Whero is this inn? We are past it, Daffodil.
D(f/. The good sign is here, sir, but the back gate
is before.
The London Prodigal, 1, 2. — Mal., H, 462. — Haz., 212.
Qy. read, — T/ie gale sign instead of T/ie good sign. —
According to Malone, the folios as well as the modern editions
read ihe black gate; instead of which INIalonc has restored Ihe
hack gate from the quarto.
XXXIV.
Alii. Why, there 'lis now: our year's wages and our
vails will scarce pay for broken swords and bucklers that w-e
use in our quarrels. But I'll jiot fight if Daffodil be o' t' other
side, that's flat.
The London X^rodigal, II, 4. — Mal., II, 480. — Haz., 222.
Read, — in jour <]uai rcis. The servants do not use their
swords and bucklers in their own quarrels , but in those of
their masters. 'Sir', says Artichoke to Sir Lancelot, his master,
towards the: close of the scene, 'we have been .scouring of
our swords and bucklf^.rs for your defence.'
XXXV.
M. Flow. Now, (iod thank you, swe(;t lady. If you
have any friend, or garden-house where you may employ a
poor gentleman as your friend , T am yours to command in
all secret service.
The London Pjk<jdigal, V, u— Maj.., JI.si/. — Haz., 241.
Read: if fort have any field or^^rdtn-housv. Friend crept
in, by anticipation, from the following line.
22 MUCEDORUS.
XXXVI.
Flying for succour to their dankish caves.
MucEDORUS En. Delius, 4. — Ed. Warnke and
PRffiSCHOLDT, 22. — HAZLITT's DODSI.EV, VII, 204.
My conjectural emendation dankish has been received into
the text by Messrs Wanike and Prtescholdt; the old editions
read Danish, a reading which cannot lay claim to a gentler
appellation than that of nonsense. Dankish occurs in the
Comedy of Errors, V, i, 247 : —
And in a dark and danldsh vault at home. .
Another emendation may, however, be offered, viz. dampish.
Cf. The Birth of Merlin, IV, i (ed. Delius 69) : —
Then know, m} lord, there is a dampish cave,
The nightly habitation of these dragons.
Vaulted beneath &c.
The Play of Stucley 668 (Simpson, The School of Shakspere,
I, 185): -
When we are lodged within tlie dampish field.
XXXVII.
Scg. \^Asidc\ This seems to be a merry fellow.
MucEDORUS, Del., 1 3. — W. and Pr., 32. — H's D., VII, 213.
A regular blarik ieirse would' ber restored by the insertion of
^very\iG,ioxQ meny. '' TKat j't;^^^ was' frequently interpolated has
been shown by S. Walker, Crit. Exalii., I, 268 seq. Cf. also
TSlo. ^XLI. Here we meet with an instance of its omission.
•'iT' .
XXXVIII.
Mouse. I think he was, for he said he did lead a salt-
seller's life about the woods.
>IUCEDORUS. 23
Seg. Thou wouldsl say, a solitary life about the woods.
MucEDORUs, Del., 42. — W. and Pr., 64. — H's D., VII, 245.
Read: — a xo/i/ary's life about the woods.
XXXIX.
God grant her grace amongst us long may reign,
And those that would iiot have it so,
Would that by Envy soon their hearts they might forego.
Cof/i. The council, and this realm,
Lord, guide it still with thy most holy hand !
The commons and the subjects, grant them grace,
Their prince to serve, her to obey, and treason to deface :
Long "may she reign in joy and great felicity.
Each Christian heart do say Amen with mc! [Exeunt.
MucEDORus, W. AND Pr., '77. — H's D., VII, 260.
Tiiebc verses, which conclude the play in the quarto of 1598,
have been transmitted to us in a state of such degeneracy
as cannot be laid to the author's door, however poor a ver-
sifier he may have been. The second line consists of four,
the third of six feet; the words Would that, which begin
the third line, have simply slipped down from the second to
the third line, or rather they were written in the margin and
inserted in the wrong place by the compositor. For realm
in the fourth line, however unexceptionable it may be per sc,
land should be substituted ^ i^s >ivith this single exception the
concluding speech of Conaedy is in rhyme. This altera-
tion is, moreover, supported by the concluding prayer in The
Three Lords and Thre(^ Ladies of London (Dodsley cd.
Ilazlitt, VI, 501 seq). There wc read: —
Her council wise and jiobles oC this land
Bless and preserve, O Lord I with tiiy right hand.
M MUCRDORUS.
Whethqfi.prf^r-not the line should be filled up, it is difficult to
decide, as it-, would, at .the same time, involve the question,
whether, instead ,ofrygm'deij'f in the following hne, we should
not read guide J/tem,-,.' Both may be easily done, if the
requisite boldness be conceded to the emendator. May not
the author have written, e. g. : ■^^
The council and the nobles of this land
Lord, guide them still with thy most holy hand?
Of the two clauses T/icir prince to serve and her to. obey in
the s(!vcnth line one -;— ;m,ost probably the second — is cer-
tainly a gloss and must be expunged; and the last line but
one niay be, easily reduced to five feet either by the omission
oi joy and ox of great before felicity, in which latter case
felicity h to be pronounced as a trisyllable (flicity).* The
corresponding line in the concludmg prayer of The Three
Lords and Three Ladies of London runs as follows: —
Lord! grant her health, heart's -ease, [and'] joy and
, ,.. . . ; r njirth.
The whole passage, therefore, would seem to have come
originally from the author's pen in about the following
shape: — ; , , ,
.. -..God. grant |iiej:j-.^a9e ^niongst us long may reign,
.\nd would, th^t those, that would not have , it so.
By Enyy iSooji . t|ieir heart? they, might forego
Coi}i. .The.qQuncil and the nobles of this land,
Lord, guidq them still with thy most holy hand!
* Felicity as a trisyllable occurs in Sir jTliQUias More's Utopia
ed. Arber 167: —
Wherfore not Utopie, but rather rightely
My name is Eutopie : A place of felicity.
See Abbott, Shakespearian Grammar, 468.
MUCEDORTTS. 25
The commons and the sttbjects, grant them grace,
Their prince to serve and treason to deface:
Long may she reign in joy and felicity,
Each Christian heart do say Amen with me !
XL.
My power has lost her might, and Envy's date's expired,
Yf)n splendent majesty has 'felled my sting,
And I amazed am.
MucEDORUs, Dei,., 55. — \V. and 1^., 78. — H's D.. Vll, 250.
Afi(/ before Envy's has been added by the editors. The
second line is wanting in the quartos of 1621 and 1668 and
consequently in Delius's edition also. In ni\- ojiinion, the three
lines should be thus arranged: —
My power has lost her might, and Envy's date
Expired is ; yon splendent majesty
Has 'fell'd my sting, and I amazed am.
r)r should we alter Eiivys to w/j'? A text so grossly cor-
rupted as that of Mucedorus cannot be healed without bold-
ness, although the less l)old an emendation is, the greater
claim it possesses on our approval. Now, if we read my, not
only the addition of and would be spari:d, but also the divi-
sion of the lines would remain untouched: —
My power has lost her might, ray date's expir'd.
Yon splendent majesty has 'felled my sting,
And I amazed am.
,26 NO-BODY AND SOME-BODY- ; THE PLAY OF STUCLEY.
XU.
I Ihankt him, and so came to see the Court,
Where I am very much beholding to your kindness.
NO'BoDY AND Some-body, apud Simpson, The School
, OF Shakspere, I, 322.
Dele vt'/y in the second line. Compare S. Walker, Crit. Exam.
1, 268 seqq. Sec also No. XXXVII,
XLII.
Ens. Lieutenant, he 's a gallant gentleman,
We know it well, and he that is not willing
To venture life with him, I would for my part
He might end his ,days \yorser tlian the pestilence.
, The Play of STqcLEy, apud Simpson, The School
' of"^hakspereV I, 185.
Dele ffc in the last line and write iK pestilence.
CHAPMAN.
XLIU.
Give me the master-key of all the doors.
Alphonsus ED. Er.zE, 43 and 133.
The old editions read : —
Boy, give me the master-key of all the doors.
Another instance to tlje same effect occurs oh p. 52 (cf. p. 135)
where the' old 6;dition5 read: **V/^ jaoi
INIadam, that we have suffer'd you to kneel so long.
In both cases I ; have thought myself justified by the metre
jn ^expunging the words of address ^(^ and Madam, as no
ALPHONSUS. FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGAY. 27
doubt such words may frequently have been interpolated by
the actors. In the edition of Chapman's Works (Inlays) by
Richard Heme Shepherd (London, 1874) wliere my text of
Alphoiisns has been followed remarkably closely, without the
least acknowledgment, Bov lias been omitted, whilst Madam
has been restored from the old .edition. There are,' however,
two other ways of satisfying £>ir requirements of the metre;
one is, to place the words Boy and Madam in interjec-
tional lines: —
Boy,
Give me the master-key &c.,
the other, to restore the metre by contractions: —
Boy, give | me th' raA | ster-key | of all { the doors,
and: —
Ma'am, that | we've suf | fer'd you | to kneel | so long.
I now fee) convinced that this last way was the poet's own
scansion. (Ans^lia, herausgegebtn von Wiilcker und Traut-
, ' . '• . ,'■'■■ :->i. -'A^'. a
mann, I, 344 seq.)
GREENE.
XLIV.
K. Hen. He shall, my lord; this motion likes mc well.
We'll progress straight to Oxford with our trains.
And see what taen our academy brings. —
And, wonder Vandermast, welcome to me:
In Oxford shalt thou find a jolly friar,
Call'd Friar Bacon, 1-^ngland's only flower.
Fktar BAfiON AND Friar Bi'xgay, Sc.4. — Tnr. DuAMAfir
AND Poetical Wf)RKs ok R. G^wkene and G. i-'iuii.K
- : . „,,! ,1 ED. DycK, 159.
D)-ce suggests wotidrous Vatidcrmast (he; might have compared
woitdrous M&lin^ The Birlh of iMerliu ed. Delius, 75), whero^
28 FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGAY. TAMBXJRLAINE.
as Prof.i.Ward (Marlowe's Tragical Historj- of Doctor Faustus
and Greene's Flonourable History of Friar Bacon and Friar
Bungay, Oxford, 1878, ,220) sees no reason to alter the text
and compares such compounds as A.-S. ivundor-rverc , or
wonder stone (in The Knight's Tale [line?]) and ivonder chance
(in The Man of Lawes Tale 5465) to which he might have
add-ed wonder tl^yng in The Towijieley Mysteries (Marriott, Col-
lQ^tfo^,.pf^^,E^g^sl^. Miracle Plays 138). Hut is the present
case, where we hayq to deal with a proper name, to be classed
unhesitatingly with such compounds? Are we' not reminded
involuntarily of Shakespeare's 'so rare a wonder'd father'
(The Tempest, IV, i, 122) "alTd tempted to write loonder'd
Vandermasil But our doubts are not even here at rest.
Ferdinand when speaking of Iiis rare -wondered father has
just witnessed Prospero's 'most Wiajestic and 'channing^ly har-
monious vision '1 "King Henry, however, has not yet seen the
slightest proof of Vandermasfs magic art; what reason has
hS$ to address him as a \vorfder,: or a wondered artist? The
Emperor, in presenting Vandermast to the king,- has indeed
praised his accomplishments, but he has been stilF more elo-
quent on the travels which the learned doctor has imd'ertaken.
Would it not, therefore), jbeiiauch mone to the purpose to read
ivanderd Veaidermastl Compa-te Henry VIII, I^ "J, 'i'^': —
The reformation lof bur travell'd gallant^; ■'-'!*
That filLi±LB:jcourt.with quarrels, talk, and tailbi-4.
irr-^, MARLOWE.
iifiijhjjcifltj. XLV. '
Myc. ' ■ We)I,i herfe"'!' '^\^ekr 'bf this i^f- roy^f seat/' ^
>^<^. •^¥b\jAiiiky"d'6"iwfyHto"fciss 'it then.' - .i '" ''
TAMBURLAINE. ' 2S
The second line, in my opinion, should be completed by
the addition of Myceies: —
You may do well to kiss it. then, Mycetes.
XL\1.
Tamb. Stay, Techclles; ask a parle first.
I Tamburlaine, T, 2 (Works iia).
The metre, I think, requires parley. The first foot of the
Xirie [Sfay) h monosyllabic. Compare No. IV.,
-/,p'r ■. I i.-iv . ... ^-,4 Aft''. '<
XLVll.
And made a voyage into J'lurupi-. . . ,,, jj ,,,■ ,1,;;^ .-.:,;
, , ,2 'i\(^MBURi^^E, I,,3 •{WoKJ^;49a).
'A -.vord', says Dyue/-^dropt out frorri this^line;' '!' think
not, but am persuaded, that Marlowe wrote En^yypa. ' Cf.
R. Cliester's Loves Martyr ed. (Irosart (for the New Shakspere
Society) 24: — ' i
Weleomt! immortal Bewtia, wewill ridt^
Ouer the Semi -circle (!)f ■Euro^)a;"
And beild 6ur course where vfc will see the* Tide,
That partem the Continent of Adrica,
Where the gteat ohajn gouerne.si Tartaria:
And when the starry Curtaine vales the nighl,
In Paphos sacred He wc meane to light.
The sli<>rh'iiing of the {Vjuult iiV Kihofhi will n<it .sct-ni
strange when wc compart- Kujfhmks (1 Tamburlaine \', 2;
Works 30 b) and Siirnuita (JNlarlpwe, :KiTStr'i^K»k\ of Lucan,
Works 377a), l)Gsid(! the , wellknov^.n Jlyp^riitii , 'Tilns Andid-
/i/ii/s and others. , FalsT quak,iAit)i''in classical proper names
30 EDWARD It.
seems to be privileged. Cf. Marlowe's Doctor Faustus &c.
ed. A. W. Ward p. 271 seq. S. Walker, Versification, 172 seq.
«
XLVIII.
My lord, here comes the king, and the nobles,
'"""From the parliament. I'll .stand aside.
Edward ll. — Works, 184 a. — Marlow's Edward II
'ed.'jPleay, 51.
Although this is the reading of all the four quartos (1594,
1598, 1612 and 1622),, tlie text must nevertheless be pro-
nouncecV corrupt; the vocative My lord has no antecedent to
which' it might refer, and the verse, moreover, consists only
of four feet. \Dyce, therefore, transposes the words and reads
Here comes' viy, lord the hng, an .^mendation which i.^ greatlj
prefefe-able to Cunningham's suggestion By*r. lord, here comes
the tiing; tor' Marlowe ^ as J\^r. rieay justly, remarks, , never
makes use of similar paths and protestations, and .if he,
did, we should be prepared rather for Byr lady than for
Byr lord. Mr Fleay himself tries to heal the corruption
by a different arrangement of the lines: —
Here comes my lord '-■-■■'■>'■-
The king and th' nobles from the parliament.
..,,,JL'iJ stand tiside., ;,',;;._,, .i. •.,,.:■ ■•:'. • .. 1
In my ppi4\io!i,^Lthi;s.L i^s; f^ffljfr.or.m/UeiBg an improvement. Dyce's
reading is no doubt vtfec imost' acceptable, and would meet
all , >visiie3, Jfj,jiti5i(.f|i<^ Gpf^pletg.,,|^e.-,H^rs^e,jj:iwhich might be
^%^te4 ^J ^ ra^t^U JPPj .osf ySc singly, imoWJSyl'abi*! : ir-- '.! -
- 1 u p^^FP <%^V^^ 1 piy, f ilor4 , |he king' -^w^. utl\ th& , -^icp-bl es
-7 ^w^^^'i*^, ;tJi; ,P§i|i9Went. , a'||,^sit3i><a vasi,d^,v,\,\i'v.-:\ tbi
( Angjljifi, ;i),er^,usgcgebep, ,yoi;i; , iWi^l,Gke,r , i^nd, .TJr^utmann , I, ; 348.)
'll0-?Tai b.
EDWARD II. TIIK TWO NOBLE KINSMEN. M
XLTX.
But tell me, Mortimer, what's thy device
Against the .stately triumph we decreed? ».\:c.
Edward II (Works 194 b). — Fv.eay, 69.
A very apt illustration of these and the following lines is
contained in the following passage from Neumayr von Ramssla,
Johann Ernsten des Jiingern, Hertzogen zu Sachsen, Reise &c.
(Leipzig, 1620) S. 179: 'Endlichen zeigete man I[hro] F[urst-
lichen] Ci[nadeu] eine kleine Galeria [viz. at Whitehall!, etwa
20 Schritt lang, so hinauss auflfm Fluss gebawet, daripn
hie'iigen 'auft bcyden Seiten etliche hundert Schild von' Pappen
gemacht, daran waren allerley emhkmata vnd Wort gemahlet
vnd geschriebcn. Wann Frewdenfest .sevnd, , ptle"cn die
Hoffischcn solche mventiones zu machen , vnd damit auiVzu-
Ziehen. \V'(;r nun wjas sonderlichs vnd denckwiirdigs crfunden,
dessen Schild wird zum Ciediichtuiis dahin gehengt. Ilinclen
am Ende dieses Gangs, ist der Gang etwas grosser, in sol-
chera liiengen auch dergleiclien schildc.'
SHAKESPEARE AND FLETCHER.
L.
Vou most coarse freeze capacities; ye)' jatie judgements.
Thk Two; 'Nkjbt^k K'rN.'*\fWN',' Tn,> ' 51' ifrJ! i Lf1*rm?riA.t.E',' '^2 ' ■
ANl>i*44i?(8Q.'.iiri
Mr 'Harold Littfcdalc, the latest' t^ditbi^' of"thi,s play, extends
his note on th<^ abf/vie' 'linc^' tii* a'n WpTanhtlft^n hf th'e tfill(*h"
discusserl phras(*' r*)!''-j'rt* Frei^te; 'i^/v-fSi^'lie think^' to He'cVjui-
valent with Frieshvid • B^er ^\\A lifi^sce 'fb 1*rtf^it ■^ni\ik:'fidf/sc\is-
ovkr. I : Tlhi.^ y-*!Cpiltinatioh , however ,''^h As ' long ' h'^»'"'ii 'ifti'i^i'-'rsfi'd'e'd'.'
After what has been said by_Nares s. v. and myself in my
32 THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN.
edition of Chapman's Alphonsus 138 seq. I should not revert
to the subject, if I were not able to bring forward some fresh
passages that go far to show that Cpsee Freeze or Upsee
Dutch means 'in the Frisian or Dutch manner.' The first of
these passages occurs in A Pleasant Comedie of Pasquil and
Katherine, A. II (Simpson, The School of Shakspere, II, 165): —
Pour wine, sound music, let our bloods not freeze.
Drink Dutch, like gallants, let's drink upsey freeze.
That is to say, the English gallants of the time used to drink
in the Dutch or Frisian fashion, i. e. with the German
drinking ceremonies , for Dutch , here as elsewhere , means
German, and it is a wellknown fact that the German drinking
ceremonies at that time had spread over Holland and even
reached England. John Taylor, the Waterpoet, in his account
of his journey to Hamburgh (Three Weeks, Three Daies &c..
Works, 1872, ,3) says: 'and having upse-freez'd four pots ot
boon beer as yellow as gold' &c., which words I take to mean,
having drunk four pots of beer after the Frisian manner.
That 'Upsee Frieze cross' means to drink with interlaced arms
{B?-uderschaff. trinkcii), as I have conjectured, is confinned
by Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament (apud Dodsley,
1825, IX, 49): 'A vous, monsieur Winter, a frolick upsy
freese: «;ross, ho! super nagulum.' That is, let us cross or
interlace our anns, as the (Germans do when drinking Bril-
(krschafl, and let us 'drench' our glasses 'to the bottom'
so that what is left may stand on the thumb-nail. This, in
German, is called to this day die Xagclprohe nuuhetu, and still
tonps part of the ceremony of drinking Brudersc/iafi. -4^>
A iouF^'r«Uusion to 'Upsy Freeze' is contained in a work of
much later time, viz. in Johann Georg Forster's Briefwechsel
herausgegelxm van Th[erese] H[uber], geb. H[eyne] (Leipzig,
182CJ) U, 671; it is iu an luiglish letter datcid Ovcrberg's
THE TEMPEST. .S3
Contrays, August 27, 1775, and addressed to George Forster
by the distinguished Swedish naturalist Andreas Sparrmann.
'Dear Sir', he writes, .'I'll have the iilaasiire by means of this
letter to shake hands with yon 'op mn goede Africanse Boers' ;
for, as I -have now for some time been in quarters by the
Owerbergse peasants, you must give me leave to follow the
customs of these good folks ^\ho, without any other rounda-
bout compliments, present their sharp hands, as the New
Zoalanders their airved noses, when a cordial salute is meant.'
— There can be no doubt that op mngoede Africmise Boers
means, 'in the true manner of the African Bot^rs.' (Anglia,
herausgegeben von \\'iilcker und Trautmann 1, 347 seq.)
SHAKESPEARE.
LI.
This widi.'-chapp'd rascal — would thou mightst lie
drowning
The washing of ten tides!
The Tkmpkst,. I, i, 60 seq.
1 ;do not recollect whetlier or not :diWy editor has already
nanarke/l tliat the^e- words- contfiin an alhision to the sii\gular
mode of «;XJecution to which pirates were condemned in }''ng-
laiKl. 'I'irats and robbers by sea', .says Hanison (Description
of England ed. Furni vail, London, 1877, 229) 'are condemned
in the court of adaaeraltie, and hanged on the shrrre at lowe
water marke, wh«>re thoy are left till threo tides liaue oiier-'
wawlifid lliem.' According to Holins^KKl 111, 1271, seven pirates
w6re hanged on ihi- riverside below London, on March 9,
i
34 THE TEMPEST.
1577 — 8. (Anglia, herausgegebew von Wxilcker und Traut-
mann I, 33S).
"■ Pfeif. John W. Hales (in The Academy of Sept. i, 1877,
2i(>)'" has corroborated the abdve remark by two passage*^
from Greene's Tii Quoque and from Stow, apud Dodsley
ed. Hazlitt XI, 188. He also refers to the description of the
Execution Dock at Wapping, in Murray's Handbook for Kent,
'Ten tides', he justly adds, 'are of course a comic exaggera-
tt^^f^fcVfe'e''^tides"'bMtig"no sufficiently seVere'^puhishment for
"tlirs^ wide- chapp'd rascal", the boatsman'.
niwaj. f/fgrr^j^g - eyed' ' W^^'^as ' hit!ieV-Hi^§tit^Wiai^bTi?fe '^^"^'^
'^"^^^d'^K^r^'S^aslef^ by sailors. ' ' '^ "'' J^aai-on^ >
■^iri/i' £ rti ^^■^n^^lzq nno the TEMP^s't,%%''J2Yo i^d.
^ao'i m .hall b^jnaJai. 'jcLjri-imJi I'.ii' // mra, -i^oa iu,jl'-:)isiA
Staunton and Mr P. A. Danifel (Notes and LonjecturaT Lm(
men-
dations g) ingeniously propose blear-eyed. In favour of this
suggestion it may be added that Reginald Scot, iii liis Dis-
coverie of 't^^itcticraft, B. I, Cliap. 3 (apud^Dralce, Slmlcspeare
and his Times 11, 478), writes indeed that witches 'are women
which be commonly old, lame, oleare-eiea, pale, lowle, aiid
full of wrinkles.' Mr Wright, on the other hand, "in his
annotated edition of this play, sustains the reading 01 the
folio; 'bhie-eyed\ he says, 'does not describe the coloiar of the
pupil of the eye, but the livid colour 01 the eye -lid, and a
blue eye m this sense was a sign pi pregnancy ;, m, proof 01
which Mr Wright quotes a passage from Webster'^s Duchess
r T»T w- XT , ■• i^.'i'J, -•£-.a> iyii ,<i, "13(1 ii'.>i\A v'-Jill J.
of Malh. Nowhere indeed, if^pt m the passage under dis-
^, , .•iinii lo bJi.'v '•J.i\UL':.y 1)!!/.., ,
cussion, does Shakespeare mean the colour of the pupil, when
speaking or blue eyes , but the , livid circles round the eyes
or the bluish eyelids; thus, e. g.,. itt As You Like it. 111,
THE TEMPEST. B5
2, 393 •■ 'a blue eye and sunken'. This, 1 tliink, admits of
no doubt, and i.s corroborated b) a passage in Spenser's
Faerie Queene I, 2, 45, where the poet ascribes 'bhie eye-
lids' to Duessa when she has swooned and lies seemingly
dead: —
Her eylids blew
And dimmed sight with pale and deadly h(^w
At last she gan up lift.
Here too the adjective 'blue' is to be taken in its old, .sense,
viz. 'livid'; see Mr Skeat's Etymological Dictionary s, y. Blue.
Il would be of no common interest to know exactly
what Shakespeare meant by 'grey eyes' and what colour of
the eyes stood highest in favour with Elizabethan England.
Until some ,such information , be exhumed a douht may remain
concerning the 'blue-eyed hag', as a very difiefent explana-
tion seems to be suggested by some passages in a living
AmeriYaii poet, froi^ which it, might be, inf^rrt^d that, in pop-
ular JDelief, blue, eyes may possibly have been thought char-
acteristic of witches. .Mr J. O. Whittier,. who is evidently
conversant wil;h |the particulars qf tho^e perseputions for
witchcraft that , so darkly fill the pages, of leariy Amjerican
history, ,sa>^s (The Vision of Echard and Other Poems, po^tou,
1878, 22):' — ' ' i. ' :.n,[.
,, ., A blue -eyed witch sits on the bank
I .. And weaves her net for thee;
'.fiMf. ■.[•'■!- • ■; - Wf5--,\\\«\' ;nil.)i
and again on p. 26: — , , ,. -> ,•
Her spectre walks the parsonage.
And haunts both hall and stair;
They know her by the great blue eyes , ^ ,,
And floating gold of hair.
I merely throw tliis out as a hint,, but, as it seems to, me,
tlje subject is deserving of further investigation.
3
.*
36 THE TEMPEST.
LIII.
Pro. Goe make thy selfe like a Nymph o' th' Sea,
Be subiect to no sight but thine, arid mine': inuisible
To eiiery eye -ball else: goe take this shape
And hither come in't: goe: hence
With diligence. [Fxit.
Pro. Awake, deere hart awake, thou hast slept well,
Avfrake.
The Tempest, I, 2, 301 seqq.
The above reading of the folio has been handled by the
editors in a somewhat strange and violent manner. In the
first line. Pope and almost all his followers have added to
before a Nymph; this preposition is indeed taken from the
later folios and, as will be shown, cannot be omitted, on ac-
count of the metre. Those editors who do not agree to
its insertion transpose the words Be subject from the begin-
ning of the second to the end of the first line. In the
second line most editors have struck out thine and, partly in
order to reduce the line to six feet, partly because they
thought the word 'an interpolation of ignorance', as Steevens
terms it. Dyce goes so far as to stigmatise the poor words,
although contained in all the folios,, , as, 'most ridiculous'.
Such high words, I regret to say, are no arguments; this
kind of criticism amounts to correcting the poet^ himself,
if correcting it be, instead of his copyists and prinfei;s, In
the fourth line Ritson and others have omitted poe before
>^^^,^.f, .aijid, 411 .qgnspquence, h^v^,,beeA,.oblige(l. tp/w^jLtp .,?■;)«,, ^'Z
instead of in't. After all these /alterations Jtj /-is jm,:^oncler
that modern texts read very differently from what has been
transmitted in the folio ; in Dyce's third edition the passage
stands thus: — "~ ~
THE TEMPEST. 37
Go make thyself like to a nymph o' th' sea,
Be subject to no sight but mine ; invisible
To every eyeball else. Go take this shape,
And hither come in't: hence with diligence.
The last line is not exempt from the faults of weakness and
lameness and it speaks greatly in favour of the old text that,
the less it is alterc-d, tlu' better verses are obtahied; there is
inde<^d no occasion whatever to depart from it, except in the
addition of the preposition tv in the first lint; and ni the
arrangement of the lines, which would appear originally to
have been this: — -
Go, make thyself like to a nymph o' th' sea:
Be subject to no sight but thine and mine,
Invisible to every eyeball else.
Go, take this shape and hither come in't : go hence
With diligence. [Exit Ariel.
Awake, dear heart, awake ! thou hast slept well ;
Awake !
I do not know whether this arrangement has been already
given in some one or other of the innumerable editions of
the' pidet of not; all 1 can say is that 1 have never met with
it. Whether or not the second go, in the fourth lint', is to
be divided from the following words liy a colon'' may* bo left
to the fcacitti'r's own judgment;' it does ilot affect the arrah-
gffemidlit pr6p(^sed. With the words Go, idkc this shape Prospero,
Of coiiVs^ , '^iv^s ArieT the garnu-nt which is to render him
invisible to " (i^blybody's eyes except his' (viz. Ariel's) own
and th8s6' of his tnastei^. (Robinson's Epitome of t.iteraturc,
PhiVddelphi'a, 'iSlarch 15^ 1879; Vol. lU, 48.)
38 THE TEMPEST.
LIV.
My primt; request,
Which I do la^t pronounge, is, O you wonder!
If you be maid or no?
The Tempest, I, 2, 426 seqq.
Made in. the, fourth folio is an evident gloss; the sense is,
'If you be an (unmarried) mortal woman or a goddess?'
Compare The Birth of Merlin, II, 2 (ed. Delius ^;^) : —
Aur. It is Artesia, the royal Saxon princess.
Prince. A woman and no deity? no feign'd shape,
To mock the reason of admiring sense,
1 1,. On whom a hope as low as mine may live,
Love, and enjoy, dear brother, may it not?
Compare also Odyss. VI, 149 where Ulysses addresses Nausicaa
in the following words : —
yovvox(iai Ob araOOa " d-iog vv rig ij ^qotoc tOOi x. x.X.
jfiT .fi
LV.
Be of comfort;
My father's oi- a ' better- Mature, sii^,
■mi /o Than he appears by spefech-: this is unwonted
Which now came from him.
. ..... ., The Tempest, I, 2, 495 seqq.
Th'is 'w^'tild"' iffipiy,^' th1a?t^Prospero generally made a less favour-
able impression by his speeches than by his actions, which,
of course,' i^ libt what jMiranda meanS to say. It is, oh the
contr^fy,' only this one sjieech just uttei'ed that shows him to
disadvantage, and this speecH as Miranda assures Ferdinand,
is unwonted. Read therefore:—
Than he appears bys speech : &c.
THE TEMPEST. 39
In order to 'make assurance double sure', it may be added
that by's occurs in John Taylor the Waterpoet's pamphlet entitled
The Water- Cormorant his Complaint &c. (Londop, .1622) at
the end of the 'Satire on A Figure flinger, or a couzning
cunning man': —
And though tlu; marke of truth he neuer hits,
Yet still this Cormorant doth liue by's wits &c.
(Shakespeare -Jahrbuch VIII, 376).
LVL
Gon. All three of them are desperate: their great guilt,
Tike jioison given to work a great ihne after.
Now 'gins to liite the spirits.
The Tempest, III, 3, 104 seqq.
Mr P. A. Daniel corrd'ci^^' tfkir sphitsi' cotnpare however
A Warning for Fair Womeu A- 11, 1. 138 1 (Simpson, The
School of Shakspere II, o--)'- —
The little babies in the mothers' arms
Have wept for those poor babies, seeing me,
That 1 l)y my murtJier have left fatherless,*; \r
In my humble opinion, this u.se of the article instead of the
possessive pronoun is no conuption of the text, l)ut a loose-
ness of speech on the part of the author, which it is not the
ofGce of the critic to correct; a) 1 critics, however, know from
their own experience how e,\treniely difQcult,,if is ,<i,l>vHys to
,^ep clear ; from errors and mist^es i^ dis;;inguishing be-
.L>vv,c^ the peguiiaritii:s. and ina.cgujficies of a writer and the
lapseii of his Iranscriberiii and pjintqis.
40 THE TWO CiENTLEMP:N of VERONA.
LVII.
Come, shadow, come, and take this shadow up,
For 'tis 'thy rivals O thou senseless form.
Thou shalt he[,worshipp'd, kiss'd, loved and adored!
And were there si-nse in his idolatry,
My substance should be statu,e in thy stead.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV, 4, 202 seqq.
The word jVa/?/^.j cajinot Joe _ right, and the attempts that have
been made fco , amend it , (lianmer conjectured sainted, and
Warburton, siqlued) are still less satisfactory. I think we
should re^d shfldomy on which wprd Julia is evidently playing.
Shadoiv, in .Shakespcarq, is usually, opppsed rto substancet
so that also in the above liiie it seems to be almost neces-
sitated by the preceding suhsiancc. This conviction is still
strengthened when we recall the verses in A. IV, Sc. 2,
where Proteus asks for Silvia's picture and Silvia promises to
send it: —
Proj • ]\Iadam, if your heart be so obdurate
Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love.
The picture that is hanging in your chamber;
To that I'll speak, to that I'll sigh and weep:
For since the substance of' your perfect self
Is ds(^'devotM, I am but a[ shadow;
Andi to. your shadow will 1 make true love. till
JuIy [^if|a'i?],oif/! 'twere a substance, you would, surd;
j(. mi/' H|r;n on xciintno-i ■ ■ '. — : ;•■.<,:., jieG^ve it, ;
v> -..And.iiaaJkQ-fiit :fertViiaIsha.dowvi'as,' L)am.!t' ' 'limri .
6"?/. .fir anai'Pery- loath to be, your idoV sir;ii d
But sii3c«iii-yoiUfl I [falsehood sliall becomefyowi iweU 1
To worship! shad,o\«& aftfiriidcste^ false shapea^n oYi
Send to me in the morning and ITl send- itj: 'jd t
And so, goodrresit-
A IVnOSUMlMER- NIGHT'S DREAM. 41
Compare also: —
Love like a shadow flies, when substance love pursues.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, II, 2.
He takes false shadows for tnic substances.
Titus Andronicus, III, 2.
That same is Blanch, [sole] daughter to the: king
The substance of the shadow that you saw.
Fair Em ed. Delius, 8.'— Simpson, The School
OF ShakSpere, II, 416.
It need scarcely i)c remarked that shadow, in the last-quoted
passage, stands for the picture of Lady Blanch. (Robinson's
Epitome of Literature, IMarch 15, 1879; Vol. Ill, 48.)
Lvm.
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable :
The human mortals want their winter cheer;
No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
Therefore the moon, &c.
A MiDsuMMF-R. Night's Dke.\m, II, i, 99 seqq.
There is not much less confusion in the ordt'r of thr-se lines
than in the altered seasons lliemselvt^s. Tht- arrangement,
proposed by Dr Johnson, however, contains no improv(>mcnt
commensurate with its violence. I think an -feasicr way of
healing the corniption may be found. Th« lilies: ^:—
The human mortals want their wint<'r cheery ""'
No night is now with hjiun or carol blest;
should be placed after: — ' "' ' ' "
Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose.
42 A MIDSUMMER -NIGHT'S DREAM.
Thcoliald's ingenious suggestion chedr instead of here, although
withdrawn by its author, has been rightly taken up by Dyce;
indeed, we cannot do :withQmt it. The sense is, 'we see the
seasons alter';:iwe;h9ye''*'snowrin the lap of June" and sum-
mer in winter, so that we can enjoy neither summer nor
winter; the mortals are deprived of their usual winter enjoy-
ments, and no night is blessed with Christmas hymns or
carols.' (The Athenaeum, Oct. 26, 1867, 537.)
LIX.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do.
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
A MrusuMMER - Night's Dream, III, 2, 149 seq.
The second'lme, although Dyce is silent about it, 'is'certairily
corrupt. Hanmer conjectured in flouts \ Mason, in soul;
Tyrwhitt, /// souls; Warburton, bni must join i?tsolents. Accor-
ding to my conviction Shakespeare wrote: —
But you must join in taunts to mock me too?
The usual abbreviation 'tatits', if the stroke wfere obliterated, or
altogether left but, could be easily misread for 'fouls'. (The
Atheuceum, Oct. 26, 1867, 537.)
LX.
Merry and tragical ! tedious and brief !
That is hot ice and wondrous strange snow.
Hanmer Tpropdsed^Unffzvdndyous's'cofrking smnv; Warburton,
a tvoruirous strange shew; Upton, and Capell, and wondrous
.strange blacit snow; jNlason, and wondcrms strong jwtJzf, Collier,
A MIDSUMMER -NIGHT'S DREAM. 43
and Grant White (Shakespeare's Scholar 220), and wondrous
seething suoiv; Staunton, and wondrous swarthy s^iow\ Nicholson,
and wondrous staining snotv. The Editors of the Globe Edi-
tion have prefixed their well-known obelus to the line. There
can be no doubt that the epithet must refer to the colour,
and not to the temperature, of the snow; for as ice is the
symbol and quintessence of coldness, so is snow of whiteness
and purity. Compare, e. g., Psalm 51, 7: Purge me with
hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow. Ilamlct, III, l, 140: be thou as chaste as ice,
as pure as snow. Hamlet, 111, 3, 46: —
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens
To wash it white as snow?
The incongruity, with the ice, therefore, lies in the tempera-
ture; with the snow, in the colour. In so far, Staunton's
conjecture swarthy highly recommends itself; it is, indeed, the
only one that is acceptable among those that have been published
hitherto. I imagine, however, that Shakespeare wrote: —
That is, hot ice and wondrous sable snow.
To a transcriber or compositor of Shakespeare's works, the
words wondrous strange, from their frequent occurrence, were
likely to present themselves even when uncalled for. (The
Athenoeum, Oct. 26, 1867, 537.)
LXI.
Tongue, lose thy light;
Moon, lake thy flight;
Now die, die, die, die, die. [Exit Moonshine.
A Mn)SUi\iMjBK-NiGHT'}i Drbaji. V, I, 309.
This nonsense can never have come from Shakespeare's
pen. The word tongue is entirely out of place here and
44 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.
has evidently crept in from Thisbe's next speech (the anti-
strophe): -— '. jVa i-
; Tongue, not a word:
Gome, trusty sword ;
Come, blade, my breast imbrue.
Mr Halliwell-Phillipps has conjectured suti for iongtce; but
Pyramus has nothing to do with the sun, and such an ad-
dress to sun and moon would be too truly pathetic in his
mouth. Besides, Pyramus does not address the moon, but
rather Moonshine and his Dog, and h>?igue, in my opinion,
is nothing but a mistake for dog. This granted, 'we have
only to transpose^ the words, Dog and Moon, and the natural
flow of thoughts and words seems fully restored: —
ui ij-jjjM,i'j -Dii Moon, \OBe thy light, ■'"'JA
-•jiifif '.-1^: 'M-^^b-f^^Jci^, take thy flight,
Now die, die, die, die, die. [Exit Moonshine.
(The Athenaeum, Oct. 26, 1867, 537).
Lxn.
idiitJ Id jioiJib-.* buiUoiMy wind cooling my broth
Would bloAK^fti^ to an' agu€i, when I thought
,j , .^yfejtjharm an wind too great at sea might do.
.-f^nr fiiiirn -yv)!/ j(i3fa,;TH?;JMp.RCM-'VXT of Venice, -li/Jty iZ'SEQQif
lator» J to tntiativ > bi^fefefH 'i ' ' The 'i-f^ikititi'on of' ffie <xkM, howeVf^'i^''^
firs'tl ki 'Dhis'Iuna§ua1"'-kM»Jii^iiitedM(ify ^■fer'iii"ft^''cu^t6iii'ai'y^
s*'iideiririust'f^e->iiW panst?',''^Sffi<54' Wd/'f)Aft f^iMt^Wded i' 'It kkM\
naturkU'^to')taki"tH6 We/Mf^K'b'cythl pl^te^'l'A the''SdteWiii^i'
Besides,.; nobbdy is- a«^'-fo"bWW'"liirii^intb' an ague by h^^
own ■ prbper 'breath 5' ^ oir-th^' ' ddfltt-ar/,' 'that ' ^hich produces ' 'a'ri '
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. 45
ague must come from somewhere else, it must be a wind,
in the ordinary sense of the word, and not a breath. The
pronoun 'my' does not subvert this explanation; it is used
colloquially and redundantly in the same . manner as 'uk;' or
'your'. Thns, v.. g., King jxj)hn,I, I, 189 seqq.: —
Now your travellervi 1 1 r 1
He and his tciothpick at. my wojjship^s mess; ■
And when ray knightly istomach is sufiic'd, m
Why then I suck iny teeth, and catechizei)i-.:)M
iMy picked man of countries. :•- • :;'fl;>r>'-.i'
Or Ben Jonson, Volpone, IV, i,;,!^^
Read , Contar^it;,, took inena 'ihou.se,
Dealt with, ^ny Jews to furnish it with moveables :&a/(5 1 ^
Abbott, ."Shakespearian (irammar 220 soq., has omitted to
mention this redundant use of 'm) '. (Shakespeare - Jahr-
ijuch XI, 275.)
LXIH.-
How like a fawning publican he looks.
The Mkrchant of Venice, I, 3, 42.
Messrs Clark and Wright in their ailnotated edition of this
1 !ay take exception to the above line. 't'A.i*i'fa\vtiing''pill-{lican",
they .say,. ,^KeQmS(,anroddr combination. The PublicAni' or far-
mers of taxes under' the Romain^^goveirnment were much more
likely to treat, the Jqws,, with , linsplence tl>an ..servilibjr. ^ Shakd-i
speare, perhaps, (^\y rcmemb£^?rcd< that in : the Gospels " public
cans aud, sinners" arc mentioned; togqthefa^ objects of the
h^.t^ed i^nd oonteipp.t of thv .Fharf^ees.' ttt; The Jt-ar nodi editors
havp oY^rJopkecl l^iat the poet' t^yidjm,\tly c^Hudpfe to iSt. Luko
1 9, IQ — -,14,, wh^re . tfee publican fawns,- -rr -JHot*, indeed on
men, but — in Shylock's ..opinion — on God. Such a
46 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.
prostration before God, proceeding from a humility which
is a characteristic of Christianity rather than of Judaism does
not enter inito.. Shylodc's ; soul. •! Shy lock lends a deaf ear to
Portia's glorious panegyric of mercy; he will neither .show,
nor accept mercy. He 'stays on his bond' not only in his
relations to his fellow-men^ but also in his relations to his
Creator. 'What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?'
and 'My deeds upon my head!' he exclaims, in the true
spirit of Judaism. Marlowe's Barabas (A. 1) speaks in the
very same key : —
The man that dealeth righteously shall live;
And which of you, can charge me otherwise?
T'.ut Shylock is not only incapable of sympathizing with the
publican that prostrates himself in the dust and cries for
mercy, he is even averse to what he deems an abject behaviour;
he hates such a man and brands his humility as fawning.
(Shakespeare-Jahrbuch XI, 276.)
y..)i[U()ii(jTi, uii ,k:n' f.6o.b
. . . >■ , '■''■ -_■'■ :UlO \-.
■ - ^ '-'-tv - ■LXIVl^- -' -
Shy. ^i^rii&i- Antonio, many^'^a'^l^the" and dift
In the tiialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances.
The Mekchatst of 'Ytait'k', ly 3;"i^f seqq.
Roger Wilbraham (An Attempt at a Glossary" of 'Some Words
used in Cheshire, London, 1836, under 'Many a time and oft')
says: 'A comrc^on expression and. means, frequently. — —
With which colloquial expression, though common through
air England, Mr. Keaii, the actor in the part of Shylock, being
unacquainted, always spoke the passage, by making a pause
in the middle of it, thus: "Maiiy a time — and oft on the
THE MERTHANT OF VENICE. 47
Rialto", without having any authority frora the text of Shake-
speare for so doing.' C'orapare also Fbrby,' Vocabulary of
East Anglia s. v. I\J;im--a-time-iand-ofteh3i *a ipdeonasni or
rather tautology, sufficiently ridiculous, but in verV familiar
use.'
t:xv;
The young gentleman, is indeed deceased, or, as
you would sa}' in plain terms, gone to heaven. ' ' '^"
The Merchant of Venice, lEf^'a^'fei seqq.
rr Vn-(i ■< 'jri'/ \r\ ff'j'fffv.' .';(fA
Launcelot Gobbo delights in saying things by CDntraries ; h«^.
advises his father tp 'turn down indirectly to the Je.w's house'
and assures Bassanio thai the suit is 'impertinent' to himself.
JV|ay he not be speaking here in the same style^ so much the
niqre so as the 'plain term' in question is io ^o to hell rather
than to go iu heaven t He does hot, however, pronounce the
ominous word, but after suiae__^hesitation corrects himself.
The actor therefore should make a significant pause before
'heaven', and we should write,, (^f, as you ivoidd say in plain
terms, g^ne /yji~,,/ff<'z^5«';,,^^ siixiil^r ■ hun><i>r9us in|iueado is
contained in the well -'^v^(^l^J>.pem^^^^f^Bl^r^,5;^J^u^^n, Gray ',
St. 3: —
^.^. SJmll^ 1,_ likc.u ,fopl, (iVi9,th, hr,
For a, haughty hij^zie die?
• n '.f(r 1^ Tm° fv;, .1, 1 . .,; I, irn :;]./. 1 1 r ,.
She may gae to — ^ Francd, for me! ,
Ha, ha, the woomg o't.
. l\\(VM\\\''-\\ .>iffO'i((: TiK.. ifof;-. >\ii7- ffOfrif!"!'
J, Quote from Allan Cunningham's edition (London* 1842,
m I vol., 450). . In the second line, I thmk, we .should wriU'
dee lor die. . (Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XL 27 7 seu.).
up
' It) 'tll»[)in7 -xlt /li
48 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.
LXVI.
How doth thai royal merchant, good Antonio?
The Merchant of Venjce, IH, 2, 242.
The distmguishing title here given to Antonio is repeated in
IV, I, 29: — Enow to press a royal merchant down. It is
by no means to be considered as a mere epitheton ornans, b}'
which the poet wishes to define the social position and
princely magnanimity oi Antonio , but it is also a genuine
terminus technicus for a wholesale merchant or rather for what
was formerly called a merchant adventurer. This is shown
by a passage in Thomas Powell's pamphlet Tom of all Trades;
or, The plaine Pathway to Preferment (163 i), which is reprin-
ted in Mr Furnivall's edition of Tell-TrotheS New-Yeares
Gift (Publications of the New Shakspere Society, Ser. VI, No. 2,
164 seq.). 'I admit', says Thomas Powell, 'the Merchant Royall
that comes to his Profession by travaile and Factory, fiill
fraught, and free adventure, to bt; a profession worthy the
seeking. But not the hedge -creeper, that goes to seeke
custome from shop to shop with a Cryll under his arme,
That Icapes from his Shop-boord to the Exchange, and after
he is fame-falne and credit crackt in two or three other
professions, shall wrigle into this arid that when he cotnes
upon the Elxchange , instead of enquiring after such a good
ship, spends the whole houre in disputing, whether is the
more profitable house-keeping, either with powder Beefe, and
brewes, or with fresh Beefe and Porridge; though (God wot)
the blacke Pot at home be guilty of neyther : And so he
departs when thi' Dell rings, an-d his guts rumble, both to
one tune and the same purpose. The Merchant Royall might
grow prosperous, were it not for such' poore pa'tching inter-
loping Lapwings that have an adventure of two Chaldron of
Cules at New -castle; .\s much oyle in the Greeneland fishing
AS YOU LIKE IT. 49
as will serve two Coblers for the whole yearc ensuing. And
an other at Rowsie [i. e. Russia], for as many Fox-skins
as wU furre his Long-lane gowne, when he is called to the
Livorie.' (Anglia, herausgcgeben von \\'ulcker und Traiit-
mann I, 340.)
LXVII.
Bear your body more seeming, Audrey.
As You Like It, V, 4, 72.
In support of I\Ir P. A. Daniel's admirable emendation 7nore
swimming, the following passages may be added to those
that have been quoted by ]\Ir Daniel liimself. Chapman,
The Ball, A. II (The Works of Geo. Chapman: Plays ed.
R. 11. Shepherd, 4.94) : Carry your body in the swimming
fashion. — Ben Joiison, Epigrams No. LXXXII (Works, in i
vol., London 1853, ^z^)- —
Surly's old whore in her new silks doth swim:
He cast, yet keeps her well! No; she keeps him.
From among modern writers the distinguished American poet
William CulUni Bryant may be cited as giving proof of the
seuse in which the phrase is understood. In his poem
'Spring in Town' he says: —
No swimming Juno gait, of languor born.
Is theirs, but a light step of freest grace,
Light as Camilla's o'er the unbent corn.
These quotations I think, are sufficient to. remove all doubts
and to clear tjie way for th^e admittances of Mr Daniel's in-
genious, corrcctiqn, ;p^to; the tex.t, so much the more a.s the
phra^ ' to bear oiuvself , or , one's ; bpdy, sccmi,ug,' . can 1 iar< 11}
be supported by a single parallel pas^sagc. (Shakespean'-Jalir-
N<?J» XI,,284.).,,.,.„|j ,, /, ..,jj,,
50 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.
LXVIII.
As Stephen Sly and old John Naps of Greece,'
The Taming of the Shjiew, Induction, II, o;.
For the private amusement of himself and friends the j)oet
has introduced in this Induction allusions to some well-known
inns and boon companions of his own county; recollections,
no doubt, of the haunts and acquaintances of his youth.
Such, probably, were old Sly and his son of Burton (or
Barton) -on -Heath, if they should not be meant for Edmund
Lambert and his son John (cf. Elze , William Shakespeare,
64 and 80); such also Marian Hacket, the fat ale-wife of
Wincot, i. e. Wilmecote, which,, according to Staunton's note
'I >i^ ,: o , ,ij,. . , f. . fji ; .lo-
ad loc, is to this day popularly, pronounced Wincolj.. With
these I do not hesitate to couple old, John Nap^s oj' Greece;
Greece being a palpable corruption, which is. neither remedied
by Blackstone and Hanmer's old John Naps o\jK Gi'een, nor by
Mr Halliwell-Phillipps's old John Naps of Grej/s ox of Greete,
which latter, Mr HalliwQll-PhiUipps says, \yas a place situated
between Stratford and Gloucester. On the map of Warwickshire
^ !■■!■.' , .;')IJ <■<:
I find a place called Clceve Prior3\ on the Avon, a, few
miles below Stratford. Shakespeareaijs whq dixp .acquainted
from personal knowledge with the topography of Warwickshire,
which I am sorry to say I am not, can decide whether this
be a place likely to have been the residence of old John
Naps ; if so, I should propose to read : —
As Stephen Sly and old John Naps of Cleeve.
This conjecture, I think, is strengthened by our poet's allusion
in Romeo and Juliet, II, 4, 83 seq.i'tb ' bitter- sweetings ',
a kind of apple which was, and is 'fe' this da,^, "* grown
especially at Cleeve and Littleton' and is still used as a
sauce, in complete accordance with Merciitio's woi^S ■ in
the passage cited. See John R. Wise, Shakspere : His Birth-
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. 51
place and its Neighbourhood (London, 1861) 97. (The Athe-
naeum, Jan. 18, 1868, 95. Reply by l\lr Halliwell-Phillipps
ih. Jan. 25, 1868, 133. — Shakespeare's dramatische Werke
nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel mid 'i'ie'ck, herausgege-
ben von der Deutschen Shakespeare -Geselischaft VII, 120.)
LXIX.
To suck the sweets of sweet philosophy.
The TAMiNfi of thf Shrf.w, I, ^, 28.
S. Walker (Crit. Exam. I, 289) has rightly classed this line
among that species of corruption which he calls 'substitution
of words', \\here a particular word is substituted for another
'which .stands near it iu the context, more especially if there
happens to be some resemblance between the two'; in fact,
it is what in Germany is called a cliplograph}-, i. e. a faulty
repetition of the same or a similar word (see Nos. XXII
and XXX). Walker, however, has left the verse without cor-
rection, whilst an anonymous conjecturer, according to the
Cambridge Edition, proposes /a/r philosophy. The context,
I think, clearly shows the true reading to be: —
To suck the sweets of Greek philosophy.
(The Athenx-um, Jan. 18, iSOS p. ()5).
LXX.
O yes, I saw sweet beauty in her face.
Such as the daughter of Agenor had.
Thk Taming of thk Shrew, I, i, 172 seq.
In order to restore the rhyme Mr Collier's so-called uianuscript-
corrector has substituted of Agenor s race for of Agenor had.
4*
52 T^t "fi^MINCT OF THE SIIREAV.
Dyce, however, both in his Strictures on Mr CoHier's New
Edition of Shakespeare, 72, and in his second edition of
Shakespeare's Works, has shown that by this alteration the
meaning is destroyed and the grammar violated. Should the
line have rhymed originally, — and I am inclined to this belief,
— another, though still bolder, conjecture might serve the
purpose: —
O yes, I saw her in sweet beauty clad,
Such as the daughter of Agenor had.
LXXI.
Luc. Fiddler, forbear; you grow too forward, sir:
Have you so soon forgot the entertainment
Her sister Katharine welcomed you withal?
Hor. But, wrangling pedant, this' is
The patroness of heavenly harmony: eStc.
The Taming of the Shrew, III, i, i seqq.
To complete the fourth line is ho very difficult task, and it
has been performed by almost all editors; their conjectures,
however, are mere guesses and do not give us the least
explanation as to how the mutilation may have originated.
Not to speak of Theobald's and Hanraer's conjectures, nothing
less can be said of Mr Collier's / avouch this is or of W. N.
Lettsom's This is a Cecilia. The poorest expedient seems
to me S. Walker's arrangement (Versification, 85), which proves
that in criticism, as well as in poetry, even Homer may some-
times take a nap. ' A'iy 'atteinpt t6 heal 'tWs gap which should
lay claim to sottiethihg blotter than an 'airy nothing' ought
of itself to indicate the Avay in which the beginning of the line
became lost; for, in my opinion, the loss took place at the
THE ta:*iing of the shrew. 53
beginning, and not in the body, or at the end, of the line.
I imagine that Shakespeare wrote: —
Her sister — tut! But, wrangling pedant, this is &c.
The copyist or compositor omitted the first two words because
hei had just written them or set them up in the same place in
the preceding line, and the third was overlooked through its
similarity to the following hui. The copyist or compositor
catching this bid, fancied that he had already written or set
up the three preceding words. (The Athenreum, Jan. i8, 1868,
P- 95)-
Pd. Come, where be these gallants? Who's at home?
Bap, You 're welcome, sir.
Pet. And yet I come not well.
Bap. And yet you hall; not.
Tra. Not so, well apparell'd
As 1 wish you were.
Pet. Were it better, I should rush in thus.
, , , , B,ut whei;e is K,ate ? , \yhere, is my lovely bride ?
Mow does my father^ ^- Gentles, methinks you frown.
The Taming of the Shrew, HI, 2, 89 seqq.
The arrangement and disposition of this passage is, no doubt,
corrupt. It is an unlit remark in Fetnichio's own mouth
that hedoeii not come well j nor does it harmonize with liis
subsequent (juestipn, ,— ^,.'.i^yi^ ,,WJi?XirQf9re gaz(? l^iis goodly
company?' On the contrary he would have the company
believe that he coBies quite well as, he comes, and that he
gives no occasion for staring at him. This difficulty is, indeed,
r-emoved by i the ingeniou.'j conjecture of C^pell; there are,
however, other.s still remaining. \ do not thipk it likely that
54 TELE TAMING OF THE SHREW.
Tranio should join in the conversation at its very beginning;
moreover, it is not his business to express a wish about
Petruchio's apparel. The words 'Not so well apparell'd as I
wish you were' evidently belong to Baptista; and in the old
piece, the corresponding words ('But say, why art thou thus
basely attired?') are in fact spoken by the father of the bride.
In so far I agree with W. N. Lettsom's arrangement, apud
Walker, Crit. Exam. Ill, 68. For the emendation of the
following verse, 'Were it better, I should rush in thus', a
number of conjectures have been offered. Its supposed cor-
ruption, however, merely arises from a misunderstanding, or
rather misconstruction. All the editors, whom I have been
able to collate, refer these words to the preceding lines;
their meaning, according to Dyce, being, 'Were my apparel
better than it is, I should yet rush in thus.' But the pointing
of the folio which has a colon after 'thus' shows that
the line is to be connected with the following verses; and
the position of 'thus' at the end of the line confirms this
construction. Petruchio, in answer to Baptista's feproaches,
here imitates an amorous coxcomb and asks if it were better
to have come in after fhis manner, and with these questions.
With the words, 'Gentles, methinks you frown', he resumes
his own manner and tone. Only on the stage can the truth
of this interpretation be made fully apparent. The passage
should accordingly be printed: —
Pei. Come, where be these gallants? Who 's at home?
Bap. You 're welcome, sir ; and yet you come not well.
Pei. And yet I halt not.
Bap. Not so apparell'd as I wish you were.
Pei. Were it better I should rush in thus? —
[Imitaiing a coxcomb.
But where is Kate? Where is my lovely bride?
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. 55
,, How docs my father? [Resuming his oivn maimer again.)
Gentles, methinks you frown.
In the lirst.iipe, S.Walker (Crit. Exam. II, 144) proposes to
read Come,; cpvui\ it may, however, as well begin with what is
called a monosyllabic foot. In the correction of the fourth line
W. N. Lettfipm , has led th(j way by expunging well before
apparell'd; hp also substitutes A^rr for Not, whereas in my
arrangement the original reading is retained. (The Athenceum,
Jan. 18, 1868, 95).
LXXHI.
Welcome; one mess is like to be your cheer.
Come, sir; we will better it in Pisa.
The TAT^nNG of thk Shrkw, IV, 4, 70 seq.
Capeil's ' alteration has been' conclusively refuted by Dyce.
T^he inetre of the second Tine might be thus restored: —
Come, sir; we soon will better it in Pisa.
Or, if a verse of four feet should be thought admissible, we
zfv// may b*e contracted: —
Come, sir; 7vell better it in i'isa.
(The Athenivum, Jan. t8, 1868, 95).
LXXIV.
.1 frown tht while, and perchance wind up my watch, or
play with ray some rich jewel.
Tavelfth Night, II, 5, 65 seq.
I regret ,lh«it , I ci^jinot, agree with Mr P. A. Daniel's inter-
pretation , of .this p^iisage- (Not^ij ajid Conjectural Emen-
dations, 43). Epr, if, in fact persons of rank, apart from collars
of knighthood, and si^uilar budgets of honour, wore jewels
56 TWELFTH NIGHT. KING JOHN.
suspended from the neck (of which I am not certain), yet
these jewels could hardly serve as playthings. In ray opinion
the poet rather has in view a jewel hanging I'rom the watch,
or, worn in a ring. Compare, e.g.. The Womanhater IV, 2
(Dodsley ed. Hazlitt IV, 358): —
i, ,Be full of bounty; velvets to furnish a gown, silks
For petticoats and foreparts, shag for lining;
Forget not some pretty jewel to fasten, after
Some little compliment.
Or Jeronimo, (Dodsley ed. Hazlitt IV, 358): —
Let his protestations be
Fashioned with rich jewels.
I should prefer therefore to read with some rich jezvel, al-
though the ingenious emendation proposed by Mr Daniel
might just' as well be understood in the sense indicated by
me. The' pointing by which the Cambridge Editors endeavour
to uphold the reading of the folio is too artificial to be taken
for Shakespeare's own punctuation.
LXXV. ,,
Here's a stay
That shakes the rotten, xarcass of old Death
Out of his rags. rr
King John II, i, 455 seq.
This is the reading, .of j^^thq.foJjq, of iwhich W.. N. Lettsom has
justly remarked,^.|J^a^,;^/0/,i,^ perhaps, the last word that could
have, co^^ frpm S^ake^p^^re.' Johnson has conjectured^aa:/
which S. Walker (Crit. Exam. II,, 294) thinks 'is .indisputably
right'; it bears, however, too little resemblance to the old
reading, and, besides, the idea of a gust of wind seems to be
KING JOHN. 57
foreign to the context. The same objections lie against
]\Ir Spedding's conjectures of stovjn and slory. Beckett and
Singer propose say which is far too weak in the mouth of
the Bastard. I tliink we should read, — Here's a bray. Thi-
Heralds both of the besiegers and the besieged play a con-
spicuous part in this scene and have just opened thi; parley
with the blowing of their trumpets; King Philip says (11, i,
204 seq.): —
You loving men of Augiers, Arthur's subjects,
Our trumpet call'd you to this gentle parle.
Under such circumstances the citizen of Anglers may be said
not inappropriately to 'bray out' his defiance to the kings
like a 'harsh -resounding' trumpet (sec K. Richard II, I, 3,
135: With harsh -resounding trumpets' dreadful bray) and,
in the Bastard's language, by such a clang to shake 'the
rotten carcass of old Death out of liis rags.' Compare
Hamlet, I, 4, 11 sccj. : —
The kettledrum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge —
and Edward 111, I, 2 (ed. Delius, 9) : —
How much they will deride us in the North;
And in their vile, uncivil, skipping jigs,
Bray forth their conquest and our overthrow,
Even in the barren, bleak, and fruitless air.
See also jNIil ton's English Poems, ed. K. C. Browne (London,
1873) I, 228 and 367. (The Ath6meiim, June Z2, 1867, 821.
— Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung
von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben von dor Dcutschen
Shakespeare -f'i.'-;rll<;r}iafl T, 235.) '
58 KING JOHN.
LXXVI.
The grappling vigour and rough frown of war
'■^■is' cold in amity and painted peace.
■ ■ KmG John, III, i, 104 seq.
Haiimer reads coo/^/; Ca^bll;'7:/^(-/; Staunton 'pfoposes coi'l'd,
and I\Ir Collier's cbrrected folio has /ami in peace. Mr Collier's
manuscript corrector, ' whoever lie'may have befen, has rightly
felt the want of symmetrical agreement between the two
cla:uses of the second line, but the remedy by which he has
meant to restciris'' it, seems to be wrong. 1 rather incline to
the behef that Shakespeare wrote: —
Is scolding amity and painted peace.
Constance reproaches King Philip with perjury, and denounces
his warlike preparations is'^'feham; they ai'e, ''^h© saysi "n!6t
more direadful than amity that' scolds a friignd or pSac6 whi(ih
is painted to look like war. The required harmony' of the
sentence is thus very naturally recovered; and I need not
dwell on the easy misapprehension by which the words Is
scolding, particularly when spoken, cari^'Be transmuted into
Is cold in. (The Athenaeum, June 22, 1867, 821. Shakespeare's
draraatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und
Tieick, herausge'gebeh Vbh def'Deutschen ShakeSpea:re-Gesell-
schaft I, 238).
LXXVII.
First Exec. I hope your warrant will bear out the deed.
Hub. Uncleanly scrupled I" fear not you; look to 't.
King J"hx, IV, x, 6 seq.
According to Schmidt, Shakesp£areTLe)^Jc»0)ftMS.,A('i, uncleanly is
used by Shakespeare not only in its literal, but also in a mor-
al sense =^ indecent, utabecoming; This moral sense Schmidt
KING JOHN. 59
ascribes to the word in the following three passages, viz.
-As You Like Jt, 111, 2, 49; Othello, 111, 3, 138 seqq.; and the
present line from King John. In the first-named passage
Corin and Touchstone are talking of 'good manners at the
court' as opposed to country manners. 'You told me', says
Corui, 'you salute not at the court, but you kiss your hands:
that courtesy would be uncleanly, if courtiers were shepherds.'
Being asked for his reason, he adds, 'We are still handling
our ewes, and their fells, \()u know, are greasy'. From the
context it is evidi^nt that uncleanly is here used in its literal,
not in its figurative, meaning; which latter is to be found only
in the other two j»assages. But this does not remove the
doubts that cling to tliose Uncleanly scruples, with which
Hubert reproaches the executioner, for the executioner's
scruples are cleanly and decent rather than otherwise; he
endeavours to keep clean from responsibility. (irey con-
jectured unmanly, Init I have little doubt that we should
read: —
Unseemly scruples! fear not you! look to 't.
These scruples, says Hubert, do not beseem a man ol so
low a station as you are. (The Athenieum, June 21, 1867,
821. — Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Ueber-
setzung von Schlegel und Tieck, herausgegeben von der Dcut-
schen Shakespeare -Gesellschaft I, 242).
Lxxvm.
When your head did but ache,
I knit my handkcrcher about your brows.
The best I had, a princess wrought it me,
And 1 did never ask it you again;
60 • KING JOHN.
And with my hand at midnight held your head,
And like the watchful minutes to the hour,
•' ' Stin and anon cheer d up the heavy time,
Saying, 'What lack you?' and 'Where lies your grief?'
Or 'What good love may 1 perform for you?'
King John, IV, i, 41 seqq.
Arthur clearly means to say, 'Just as the watchful minutes
cheer uj/'the' long, slow hour, so did I cheer up the heavy
time by my repeated, sympathizing questions,' It seems, there-
fbrci' that we should read: —
And, like the watchful minutes do the hour,
Still and anon cheered uj!) the heavy time.
That like ^v;a^ not unfrequentiy' used in the sense 'of aj, has
been shown by S. Walker, Crit. Exam. Il, 115 seqq. ' 'Tn
provincial English', says Mr Earle (The Philology of the
English Tongue, 214) ^Me is still now used as a conjunction:
he behaved like a scoundrel would.' Compare Forster's Life
of Dickens {I, 263, Tauchnitz Ed.): 'Nobody shall miss her
like I shall.' Abbott's Shakespearian Grammar is silent about
this use of the word,' althiough instances in point occur in The
Tempest, III, 3, 65 seq. : —
n^y fellpw-rninisters
Are like invulnerable —
and in A Midsummer -Night's Dr^am, IV, i, 170 seq. r —
Rut, like" (in- ■ sickness, dM L loathe this food;
But, as in health, conidnto Imy natural taste, i&c.
Thb old"editior\t?i'''it is \x^^ ■'^^ih^.d^'liW^ ^■•^KHtkness , but this
' e^'dfeht ' 'inistkk'e ''■^M^'cm^di^Q. %y ' 'Fkrmet* ' felndi Ml siibs^equeliit
{Editors ha^^e' ddbpteaf-hi^'"'Cofr^(Btitfej; - Gora|xai*e'' also the pas-
sage frOrti tlugh'tlolland quoted "farthiei" on (Nd.XCII): —
KING JOHN. . 61
though ui)' / braines Apollo waxmes;
Where, like in Jove's, Minerva keeps a coile.
(Notes and Queries, Feb. 7, 1874, 116. — Shakt^speare-Jahr-
buch XI, 284 seq.).
LXXIX.
If what in rest }OU have, in right you hold &c.
King John, IV, 2, 55.
Steevens conjectured in ivrest; lackson, mfrest\ an anoaymous
scholar, in rent; Staunton, If what iji 7'est you have, 7iot right
you hold. King John has nothing in rest, but, on the contrary,
every thing in unrc;st; he is full of fears and has to contend
with enemies both abroad and at home. Pandulph very just!}
says (III, 4, 131 seqq.): —
It cannot be
That, whiles warm life plays in that infant's veins,
The misplaced John should entertain an hour,
I
One minute, nay, one quiet breath of rest.
To tell the king, that he has the kingdom in ivrest would ill
become the speaker, even if such an abbreviation for in your
'wrest or in your grasp, were Shakespearean, of which I do
not feel sure. These difliculties, I think, might be avoided
by reading: —
If what in trust you have, by right you hold.
Government is entrusted US the king; he holds it ifor the
benefit of his conntr>- and subjects. This is by no means
a modrrn sentiment or foreign to Shake^pcaro'.s tinv".
IJulinshed puts almost the very saniie, words into , the mouth
of the Archbi.shop of Canterbury at th^ coronation, of l>fing
John; 'a man', he makew him s^y of,,the! Mng,,:*tl doubt not
62 • KING JOHK.
that for his owne part will apply his whole indevour, studie
and thought vnto that onelie end, which he shall perceiue
to be most profitable for the commonwealth, as knowing
himself to be borne not to serue his owne turne, but for to
profit his countrie and to seeke for the generall benefit of
us that are his subjects.' In Richard II, IV, i, 126, the king
is characterized by the Bishop of Carlisle as God's 'captain,
steward, deputy- elect' and in III, 3, 78, Richard himself
says: —
If we be not, show us the hand of God
That hath dismiss'd us from our stewardship.
(Shakespeare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von
Schlegel und Tieck, hcrausgegeben von der Deutschen Shake-
speare -Gesellschaft I, 243 seq. — Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XI,
285 seq.).
LXXX.
For I do see the cruel pangs of death
Right in thine e)'e.
King Johx, V, 4, 59 seq.
Right in thine eye certainly gives a sense, but so weak and
poor a sense that it is beneath Shakespeare. It can neither
be supported b}' Coriolanus, EI, 3, 70: —
Within thine eyes sat twenty thousand deaths,
nor by Byron, The Island, I, 4: —
Full in thine eyes is waved the glittering blade.
Right, in our passage, is merel}- an expletive. Hanmer and
Warburtoh therefore conjectured Pight in thine eye {eyes);
Capell, Fight in //«>/(? ^^5 "'Mr Collier's 1. so -called manuscript
corrector, Bright in thine eye; Brae, Rio/ m thine eye., This
last suggestion,! has.. been, cited by Dr Ingleby (Shakespeare
KIKG JOHN. . 63
Hermeneutics , or The Stiii Lion, London, 1875, 116) with
'unqualified satisfaction'. Mr Collier's conjectiu'e , although
approved by Singer and Knight, has been incontrovertibly
refuted by Dyce ad loc. I think the compositor ai^iticipated
right from tlu' following line {'that intends old right') and
am convinced that the true reading is: —
For I do see the cruel pangs of death
Writhing thine eye.
(The Athenx'um, June 22, 1867, 821. — Shakespeare's dra-
matische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und
Tieck, herausgegeben von der Deutschen Shakespeare-Gesell-
schaft, 2. AuiL, I, 247. The first edition I, 247, has the
misprint Whilhin for Writhing.)
LXXXl.
Ejiier Bastard and Hubert, seiierally.
Hub. Whose there? Spcake boa, speake quickely,
or I shoote.
Bast. A Friend. A\'hat art thou?
Hub. Of tilt.' part of Lngland.
liiisl. Whether doest -thou go?
Hub. What's that toitheo?
Why luay not I demaud pf thine aliaires,
As well as thou uf mini-?
Bast. IJubort, L thinke.
Unk- Tliou,|hasi,,j^ ptyif^t^t thought.
, :., v> A A ;...,,,..,, .King JvW^^iY, (i,,,^,,SE;99.,
TWiB is the? reading of tht; folio l^nd it need not ' be ' pointpd
out that, as far as the distribution of^ the speeches is con-
cerned, it I is a perfedt itdngle. ■ Attempts 1 at etnendatiou have
64 KING JOHN.
been made by W.W.Lloyd, Dyce (3d Ed. V, 98), and Mr
H. H. Vaughan (New Readings and New Renderings of
Shakespeare's Tragedies, London, 1878, 1, 84 seq.). Dyce
differs from the folio only in the following lines: —
Huh. What's theit to thee?
Bast. Why may not I demand
Of thine affairs, as well as thou of mine?
Hubert I think.
He adopts, he says, as absolutely .ne;cessary, this portion of
the new distribution of the speeches at the commencement of
this scene which was recommended to him by W. W. Lloytl.
Mr Vaughan proposes the following arrangement: —
Huh. Who's there? S})eak ho! speak quickly, or I
shoot.
Bast. A friend: what art thou?
Huh. Of the part of England.
Whither dost thou go?
Bast. Wliat is that to thee?
Hfub. , '\yhat's that to thee {'l.jjprj,,, Why may not ,1
demand
.Of thine affairs — ,.as well as thou of mine?
Bast. Hubert, I think.
Huh. Thou hast a perfect thought.
Thus, Mr Vaughan says, the metre becomes perfect, whereas,
according to him, the meMeaL''jdtefect is not remedied by
Dyce's arrangement;.,,, Iiij.fl^^y ,opinioji both .Dyce's and Mr
Vaughan's al,tp-r^tioi:\^ ai^j insuffici(f^nt aufili,|dOi,, not improve
the text; of Mr Lloy4'?[(,ari;augemeBt,j, jasnitjiis iuot contained
iu,;,j^i§ Qriticai' Esisays/^n, the Plays of Shakespeare (London
KING JOTIN. 65
Hubert is of a sedate temperament and generally stands on
his defence, it will seem quite natural that it is not the latter,
l)ut the former, who oj)ons the dialogue with the impetuous
question: Who's there? Speak, ho!, to which ho immediately
adds a threat. It speaks greatly in favour of this supposition
that in the stage-direction the name of the Bastard is i)laced
tirst. I feel therefore convinced that the verses should be
distributed as follows : —
Basf. Who's there? Speak, hoi speak quickly, or I
Hid). A friend. [shoot.
Bus/. What art thou?
Hub. Of the part of England. —
Wliither dost thou go?
Bas/. \Miat's that to thee?
Htili. Why may not I demand
Of thine affairs as well as thou of mine?
Basi. Hubert, I think.
Hu/>. Tliou hast a perfect thought.
(Shak(\speare's dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von
Sclilegel und Tieck, hcrausgegeben durch die Deutsche Shake-
speare-Geseiischaft, 1, 247. — The Athenx-um, June 22, 1867.)
LXXXII.
Let it bo .so: and you, ray noble prince,
With other princes that may best be spared,
Shall wait upon your father's funeral.
King John, V, 7, 96 seqq.
S. Walker (Crit. Exam. I, 293) believes \hfi'^'6rd princes id be
a corruption, the transcrilier's or compositor's (>ye having be(»n
caught by the word prince in the preceding line. Dyce and
5
66 ROMEO AND JULIET.
the Cambridge I'ditors concur irilhi^'C^pinion, without, however,
making any attempt iat restoring the passage. -The compositor,
in my opinibri',' 'fey mistake repeated a wrong woi'd from the
preceding'' vefsie;!' instead' oi' princes \iQ oug-ht to have repeated
?/eW^5',i'for Sbakespetire' in all probability wrote: —
;iir t With '-'other nobles t\\^X irLa.y best be spared.
.(¥'hlg 'MienEeum, Jtirie'-'iis',' i86'7, "821. -^ j Shakespeare's dra-
mal'ischie Werke Wach der Uebersetzung von Schlegd und
Tie'Ck,^"ihe!riaUsgegtiba'r'- vbn der Deutschen S^hiaketipeare-Gesell-
schbft?i''I, V^Sl)^;'! •:
-;(' '
')iU io ^q(i
Mifi lo rit oiijojii. am t).
'• ' EflierAWi^biQ^7jjp. ••• ■ .,.ri-
- Mff^iiiv- .'L. , .. . V, Rosf EG, Aiiip Jyi,iET,;JV, 5 (QB).
The account 'i(if Will sKenip's'^ life' and -df&ings aissi^'g iven ■ by
Dyee in the Introduction to 'Kemp's Nine Daies' Wonder'
(printed for the Camden Society , 1 840) , singular though it
be, has yet been far surpassed b\- the wild hypotheses con-
cerning it advanced by the late R. Simpson (The School of
Shakspere,'lI^-373 seq.). Simpson is the only 'critic, as i far
as"! 'am aware, who pretends' to a knoNi^ledge 6fj Kemp's
^'Horeabouts before 1587. This knowledge he-derivos from
the pseudb- Shakespearean " Comedy of 'Fair Em'^' td which
he imparts a symbolical meaning and which: h6 imagines to
refer to events ''in' the history of the .^jtage.' William the
Conqueror, the hero of that oomedy; according to Simpson, is
no othci-' than William Kemp^ vvhb; 'he.'^ fandes, went: to
Ij)iftnriiarib ill 1586', iat' (the head of ; a company of actors^ i 'in
order' t-b'matrj- the lipriiniC'ess"fI5lancli;'iithat 'i^ii/iiii order Ho
ttiake himself thie,' master ''Of the Danish sta{^e.' 'But on his
ROMEO AND JUUET. fi7
arrival there', continues Simpson, *he was mOTe stciiok with the
chances of another career, and very soon t eloped /to.- S^jfOny?
to turn his histrionic talents to morfi' account-, there.' This
fact, Simpson fancies, was shadowed forth by the chang;^
that takes place in the sentiments of William, thi0,>Cortqueror,
'Mounteney and Valingford', our critic goes-opt. toijsaty, 'are
two of his company whom he would -.h^Ve rt^ken' \f'ith him,
but who preferred to stay behind, and toojktendifot tlae pr4<je
of the Manchester stage , which Lord Strange's players wero.
then bringing into repute.' The second part of the: plot
carries on the history of this ^Manchester contention. 'The
windmill, with its clapper and its grist, is the type of the
theatre; the wind is either the encouraging breath of the
audience, or the voice of the actors, the clapper the applause,
and the grist the gains. The miller's daughter is< thd prize;
h^ who wins her bears -the bell as i)lay-wright.' — As this
sefcond part of Simpson's explanation has nothing to do with
Will Kemp, I dismiss it with the question, what the verdict
of Knglish critics might have' been, had a (German started
such a theory. ' ' i ■
Thiere is not a single argument to sup[)ort Kemp's supposed
journey to -Denmark alid Saxony; nay such a jomrney is, utttu'ly
improbable. Putting aside for the jnoiiient Kemp's, f Dutiful
hiuecfeivti' {1587) of which 1 shaH speak ^more at large,, htsreafter,
Ive-ifind KemplfiKSt tnentioned in 1589, if ,iivo.tjaJkte-itfojj granttid
that Nash's undated tract 'An Almond forr.sa^ fewjot'ii which
is' inscribed to William Kemp was published- in this year,
lin the dedi(ation Kemp is complimented as th^^'v^cft>-gurenlt
generall to tiieOhost of Dick<; ;'l'arlton '; and in. Heywood's
'Apulogie for Actors' (43) w-n, are Jikewise- told .tlijit Kemp
succc-edi^J Tarlton, who diml 'in September, i5{iy,;'a(^ wel in
thie favour of her majesty, , .as lin itWn opinion , and good
5*
68 iiQMKP AND JULIET.
s
thougilats.ofi4ie .generall audieiicjt^^'.v The question, therefore,
arisesiwhetheriitnis-ilikely tl^at Kemp, if he had really pro-
ceeded in i586,.J.o -Penmark and thence . to^^^axony, could
have been back again in England as eaf,ly ^s ,t^e,j,end pf
1588 or. the,, beginning of 1,589, nay, if, he .really were the
author of the 'Dutiful Inuective' which app^aiji^d in ,1587,. his
stay! I in foreign parts must dwindle dowi\(|,^<^ less than a
twelvemonth. ; But; travelling in those days wa? no such easy
pastime /fasrriita'4^i>ni©lwhaj-:d,^ys> and certainly; .wfj,, must allow
Jvjemp- some time both in Demnark and Germany for the
exercise, of his professioii., Besides, Kemp in 1588, in all
probability, ri.wasr .a very , young man, for he himself tells us
thatiin ir^igg-when! performing his famous morris-dance from
London to Norwich, he 'judged his heart: qork a^d his heels
feathers, so that he thought he could fly to Rome p,r a^ least
hop to. Rome, as the old .proverb is, >yith a mortar ,qn, his
head.' ,. We cannot /possibly believe him, to have bi^eii. a, W^n
advaaced linc.years.iin 1599, else he wp^lj4, ,certa,inly npt have
teen ). able I (t<));> undergo the .fatigues Mi^fifeft^.rSQiiUuhieard of
and never- surpassed. .(Supposing, then -that h^,,r/Yfft?( ^^PW*
thirty- five years old);\ybeni dancing tp-i Norwich, he would in
.1586 havi© viumbered ; (little , more , than twenty ye^T§? ■^}^r,^^^
atilwhidh iwe^ can, hardly .believe , hiijJii,, to have gone , abroad
afcithe.'head of a company of players.,, ;;MQreover it is highly
probable that from 1589 to 1593 Kemp belonged ;tc>Kd,\vai,-d
AlLe>yi's company.^,, for-; i his ■'Applauded J^IeijUppnteS; of-f,l)}2
Ment i of ; (Qutcham' -■ ara < contaiiiedi , . in J^^^ ytmosft ,• pie^s^i^);,^ ,^
merry Gonae<iy':)i>A Knacke j;p;,rk09V{P ami^nm^'f^r-y^U^^cV''^^
published;.in: ,115194 and acted, iij^.jt 5x53., ^,ff^Ueyw's//<?oippany;
;thi£[ii7/aSrirDy€fef[jU#ly^-BeHi&rk8 j'/; wQ^uld^.jScaW^ily . ,li'4>i€ , bqqu;^.,-^^?
hiiBself ^ w&jqned .a ; part. ;iUo l4^/AppJflrB4fr"4 1 ^il^|Vim,en|^e^, .-,11 hus
ROMEO AND JULIET. 69
far every otic will be glad to side with so distinguished a
critic as Dyce; but when directly afterwards he- ridicules Ritson
for having inserted in the catalogue of Kemp's 'Works'^ the
'Applauded Merrimentes ', nobody, it is true, T\>ill bei rea4y
to raise that fragment nf hufFooner}'v*-'— ^^ifeveil supposing it to
have been amphfied by improvisatiotlj-'-^' ^ •&(!)!' the dignity of a
'Work', but nobody, on the other hand, I think, will be
justified' in denying, with Dyce, that Kemp was its author.
On the cbntrar}', this fact is suj)ported by a testimony quoted
by' Dyce "himself (XXV) , irlij.^^ii passage in; Nash's 'Strange
New^s, Of' the intercepting' certaifle'^liettears'i^^ 592)1- where
Nash ' advises' ' Gabrifel Harvey > ttiJ ' 'be oit his -guard ' J^st * Will
Kemp shoulti' ' choose Mtu ion e: of 'thdse'j days' foritihe subject
of one of his ^MerrimenteS'*.**^ toVl o] nobxroJ
Beside ^"ftie- '-^Applauded Merrijtieiites'' -JSHjee- jigsiijare
yfitered 'iri-'ttie' Stationers'' Rcgiisters' (1^59-^ anid 1595) -as
'Kteip's Jf^' o^' 'Kemp's N^w Jigt-'r< "According '/to .Eh'ee
these jigs wefe ""ascribed 'to Kemp on. ho other;ground'than be-
cause, 'by his consummate skit), ■ he had succeeded in rendering
thehl populate -Wis reasons -for M 'this asserti'oni- arc /twofold.
Firfit,"h6 aMeges' that Kemp hiffik'lf speaks' of his Nivie-Daies'
Wond^ (r60o) a>5' th(!' first jjam^jhlet "pubHshedliy him, wiiieh,
aCto'rding- to Dyce, wouM' be- aiv untruthiiifube had published
nbl-'bniy 'tne^'A'pjfrlaud^d Merrimorvtesi' but also ;;three' jigs
b<L>fd^e ' that ' tim^j'-forift'^vl-oliW ' bet a"^pdidri' argument, '^Dyep
adds'; ' t()^^<dit,D?i^gilfsh ' \k\.^k^tJ- thci'ijigs' aiadith|Oi>Kdne "Daic/s'
Wond^t'.'^tyrt i the? "g^otiWd tha!t thte^Jfermef^Avcpefitiidtojiamphldli^.
I''do''ilHt"se<.V'W^(y>ltHis atgument is' tn"We ^c^jedtcdn'as^ a pocxr
oliH'jiyFgs wet^d a^f^pecics Of playsy 'and v^Titteniinivan^o,' asiD)icD
Mms'elf" "admitii, '\<?hyreasi th«t'^Nin<^'jDai(£s',' ^ Wander' lis^'^vrittbn
70 ROISTEO AND JULIET.
ill prose as other pamphlets an;, liesides, afe'\vo quite sures
that Kemp's ' jigs were given to the Avorld by the anth'or
himself, as wc Iciiow his Nine Daies Wonder was? May not
their publication have been effected in the same manner in
which so many Elizabethan plays were published, without the
consent, nay, even without the knowledge of the authors?
Granting this, it certainly would have been an unimpeachable
statement, for Kemp to style the Nine Daies Wonder 'the
first pamphlet that ever Will Kemp offred to the Presse'.
The second argument adduced by Dyce in support of
his opinion cannot lay claim to any greater cogency;'' Although
Keinp, he says, was not 'grossly illiterate', 3-S^ is' prbved by
his Nine Da.ies ' WondeY, ' yet he could not boasil! of a faciiTty
for poetry; for, 'if he had been a practised jig-maker', he
would not Tiave" needed the assistance of a friend for the
few verses inserted in the Nine Daies Wonder. If, however,
we'peruse uiis pamphlet without prejudice'"^We''(iannot dd'ubi
but that Kemp himself, and no other, wiis the author of the two
littt'e 'pieces" on p. lo and p. 13 seq. ; the good fellow, his
friend, 'to wiioiii he ascHbcs tHeiXi iS nothhig but a' pddtital
fiction, a mask, which is comTnon enough, the predecessor of
tlie 'jiidicious friend^ in Lord Macatrlay*^' Life'' 'iMiettets^
Both ill matter and' 'style ^tl'ie's'e 'Vdts'e's entirely "^iigr^is wi'tli
Kem])'s prose; in both w'fe''inee't' with the same kind of wit
{ M_){ J I
and bufibonery, both are dearly from the same peh
But Dyce goes' stiltfartner,' " Nbt 'only the Merrirtlfeiffds
and the Ji^s, btlf everything else that "bears Keihp's ftairie,
witli 'tie'sole^^xc^p^ri oftheNin^' Dates' ■'^ohdet;"'!!^'!'*^
Clares'' to ' lie "spuyioiis. '"^his'lfead^'^tiy'tiaek W%^'^a4^
mentioned iittle'Voliiine ''4' S^ Intiectilb .Srb!'' \vfim'x^^_
put»Jished in ' f '587 With William Kemp's hanie bVt ' tlife' 'tiflS-
page. This" poem, 'written in iambic lines of seveli feet, is
ROMEO AND JULIET. 71
lermt-d 'the lirsl fruites of bis labour' by tlic; antlior and in-
scribed to the Lord Mayor of London. It is directed against
the traitors Ballard and Babington, and expresses an ardent
enthusiasm for the Queen, hi this latter respect it is quite
of a piece wkh the Nine Daies Wonder, towards the end of
which the author assures us that ' al his mirths (raeane though
they be) liaue bin and euer. shal be imploi'd to the delight
of my royal Mistris; whose sacred name ought not to be
reracmbred among .such ribald rimes as these late thin-breecht
lying Ballet -singers haue proclaimed it.' This is the well-
knpwii langiuxge of all }»layers and ])lay-wrights of the time,
^^^bq,^v'.CJ:^. abundant!}' thankful for the favour and patronage
W'jaiclj the Queen extended to the stage. Although in 1587
Kemp had not yet succeeded to ; Tarl ton, he may even at
that time have attracted the notice of the (^ueen and received
marks of her favour. In spite of all this Dyce does not
hesitate to attribute the 'Dutiful luuective'^, to aiiother William
Kemp, who, as Dyce informs us, was a, schoolmaster at Ply-
mouth, and who in the. following year published a. treati.sc
ji^^e,r„,the |,tjtle 'The kxlucation of Children in Learning'.
^s^, however ^ qn the, title -pag(3 of thi.s, latter tract we read
only, the initials W. K.,, tljijgre is- nothing to assure _ us that
they are meant for William Kemp. May they jiot stand just
ftS ^VcU for Walter King, or Knight, or KeJly? But taking
it for proven that tliere was a, schoolmaster of^ the name of
William Kemp living at Plymouth and that he was ; the author
of tlie treatise in question, all that we in^iy infer from this
proposjilioiijis, that ^y^jhayp/to |(;letil with two William Kenips,
the .one living ^,.J^on|doii,, the ^q^^ier at P^^^^^^ one
^n c^(;tqjr, the otl^er ,^ ,sclj9Qlwa^ter;^^t,h^ pne^^th<^ aiithor of
the Nine Dales \V:ouder, (ht?, ptl^er t^e author 9( the Education
of Children, in Lcaxi^ns,^^-^}}^, o^e^p^jlhem^jhe author of the
72 ROMEO AND JULIET.
P"^^"',.''^^-^'^'^'^''^^^- ■ ■'^^^^' '^^'^^^ reason have wc to ascribe this
^AVj9h'^^^*^^^^^^ ^-^ ^^^ schoplniaster rather tlian to the actor?
is,, he 1;o,b,9 thought;, ,^;Qdp>^^ a larger measure of the
'faculty diviiie^,. thaji his namesake the actor? And living at
Plymouth, as he did, what reason had he to inscribe his
trptise to the Lord, Mayor of London? A London actor
^i?^,t;,^V|9!l,t{€;,., induced to Hatter His, , Lordship by the de-
dicatioA of so;pje. document of dutiful loyalty and well -spent
literary latiour,, a^. jthe grim City -potentate did not usually
look ;A'ith a benign eye. on theatres and theatrical amusements,
^?nPi\ Sff^)^^: fJ^o^ ^^^ clowns., Besides it sliould be remembered
%^fil'^!^^!l^ir??i^^i^^^ .y^W^M^fte^^^ Kemp danced his morris to
^9f,^(^J!^ ' 1^^ , y^S^}^ i<:\^t)esfore the Lord ^layor's . house. And
^r,J^^,.'^f^W^ :v?M^^^ ,%^n^^afti',o^t,^^,fPlymouth .school-
^^^Wf^^Wj ^ilf t^4' > '•'^Mn *^q I'^^We , 1 enthusiastic loyalty . : for
the Quee^i, as'^id that qf , thp London, acjpr? That William
Kemp, the a,ct^Qr,;;ca^e.,be£oie, the public more than once i -in
t*,^^ft^.lj^ M^ly^ %, bf,i Wferred from, the wellkn,<3wn .words which,
tht^ student Philomusus, addresses tOr ijim. ,in. The Return
fropV.l'^F^^ssus ,(ipp6): 'Iijidee^.M-, Kqmpe', he says, 'you, are
very^,famo,u^^,,^bi^tj|;jhat,is,^,s,j^v4^^ foif,.workes :in .prjnj^,;as your
P^ff/;riR -M"^.'' •T,M|f>Y^ k%ve,f?e^em«)l?y^^e not. only ridicules
^?, r^m-'^^^^}} !'i^^or/K98^j}v|iic]a-,iW}^^: indeed be ,. comically
e.^^ao-gerate^ , :l?^fj£|ie,,i«5i^l^]:gf^,j%e ,>\[hql^ s^^nient Ho ,b,e> in-
cc^rr^ct anc|j|ip.t,^es,ei|ying,o|-;h^ nnders^fUid^, ,hp,says,.,nhe
^''^,'}!pV.i9,'^"^BW^|?lr^§ij9" al|l^3ipf;^.,j;p }hs -,(yi^. „Kemp's) Nine
^m ^M^fin4?^y|-il% ili.^?4i.assure4.,that all the, other
Pie,(?ef, ^y^^,,b,^^n,,,,9rro}ieoj^Ly. attri^^(,€;d,tto ,lais i i)gBi^jn;This
assf;r/vi,m,, .ifl my, opiniQn,„ji§,.fe;>n^ jja^ans^.fj^osijie; )o«t .foy. ;the
fac|s,aji^d.^i^. VYii9llyi3gr,^^iitp^,,., ^ ^,, ^^jiogqH-, ^hi in ob bu
-■MiM rtBi5^*r:f P?"*- , '9^ . oyerstrained c?:itici.sm. Pyee discusses
'\9viH"5Bfiy%ri'^-^^fii^?!Si#i^<tp?^im9J^;(9|,4evgf^i^nte
RORfEO AND JULIET. 73
were undertaken by Kemp; if we are to believe him, all ol"
them, with the single exception of the morris to Norwich,
are entirely fictitious. Now Kemp himself towards the end
of the Nine Daies Wonder declares his intention of setting
out on some journey; though not yet certain as to its aim,
he mentions Rome, Jerusalem, and Venice as places where
he should be most inclhied to go. No accormt of such a
journey is extant, and this fact is thought by Dyce a sufficient
argument to deny its having been made at all. In the passage
just quoted from The Return from Parnassus, howeSVet,' Kernp
is welcomed as havhig just come back from abroad and
Philomusus and Studioso, the two Cambridge students, addreS^
him in the following words: — 'Phil. What, ^I. Kcmpc,
how doth the Eraperour of Germany? Stud. God save you,
M. Kerape; welcome, M. Kempe, from dancing the morrice
ouer the Alpes.' Kemp's reply is this: — 'Well, you merry
knaues, you may come to the honour of it one day: is it
not better to make a foole of the \vorld as 1 have doiie,
then to be fooled of the world afe )ou schoUers arc?' All
this Dyce declares to^ be ■ nothing but 'sportive allusions to
Kemp's joume} to Norwich ', an assertion which hardl^^ needs'
refutation. In what coiuiection do the Kmpcror of Gcrrtiaiiy''
and tlie Alps stand to Norwich, and how can a mention of
the former be taken for an allusion to the latter? According
to the simplest tules of interpretation the t|iie'stion 'Flow
doth the Kmperour bf Germany?' 'feug*estst!hi' fact that
Kemp saw the I'lmperor, or" at leaijt heard of him froin per-
sons attached to liis cOTift or train, asVellhe might if he' '
had been in Germany. But if Kemi) travelled at all he certainly
did so in his cai)acity as a clown ' and dancer and it was
no doubt the airri 6f his journey 'to turn his iii^trionic talbnts
to the Ix^st possible account. Why tlien may he nbt have
74 ROMEO AND JULIET.
acted, before' his, Imperial Majesty? We know that Johu
%en^^, : Nvho . :was ;at the head of a company of English
aotors/in 4;he:'sen-icfe;rl^r the Elector of Ikandenburg, travelled
\¥ith))ltisj company,: irirt the South of Gerreaii} and performed
^evferafl; timesffbeferoi the Emperor and the Diet at Ratisbon
in 1613,*,, ofJff Ken^pr'jCeally /,*>hould have done so before his
eoruntryman.'jfi h@i mayirveyj') likely i on' hi<s return have boasted
of;J-;ehe honour and this iboasting may have . occasioned the
CQnp(!>-. exaggerationso and , railleries with which his friends and
contemporaries, bantered him, — a supposition which mutatis
vnttandis may likewise- hold in regard to Kemp's so- calkd
.0* '(Dbrf^feM¥f^ft-i Kemp's journey to Italy is greatly streng-
thened by two additional testimonies. In the above-mentioned
dedication 'Of- the pamphlet 'An Almond for a Parrot' Nash
tells us that a:bout the year 1588 he was in Italy and that
at Bergamo' fthe Italian ^arlechini' inquired about' the i celebrated
Ml Kethp of w<hom they spoke in terms of highest eulogy.
This, I- think, could not but prove an inducement to Kemp
to' go t© -Jtaily liiraself and there to make the acquaintance
6(f''hi^'italiaii fellow -clowns and admirers. The international
iiitefcdtirise -between ' England and; Italy; especially Northern
Italy, was highly flourishing and a journey to Italy was easily
bnd cheaply to be accomplished, — according' to the notions
and customs of the time. Nevertheless', it must be owned
that Nash's' dedication is written in that styHe of bufibonery
Whifibn^^lfls t«Dfi bb '^separable from the dedicator and still
ifi©e^ so 'fpo'ro^'the dedicate<^( anid a^^nvspe arc notisure toiwlialt
i*#t^Ht^similar jokes nfay'have been thought allowable irii those
•Hfe^fy/ 'di^sifit';5i«y ibefii«lsmvell inofCodayiftooi great a (Stress
vd ijis thio^if g'boo//v£)II rignorillfi .a/odK byJonp 9i;goloqA
•'Aollo'f':^A'CHhn,.^Hak»^pe'aj:c iiK&eriiiaB,y iLjXXXIV a^qi^y gnH^m on
ROMEO AND JULIET. 75
on this dedication. ■ ll is dilierMU, 4l<wever-,:'-withf'ia.'0 second
testimony, also quoted by l>ycf' himsdf , viz. a' passagfi iai
John Day'rf ' Travaites of' the thfiee Kng^iish Brother '^ i&ea,ok«-
A/'s/ortca/ (l) play which was published in 1607, but, according
to Dyce, written before' that tijiafe', as it Hs Hot yet divided
into acts and scenes. H6re Will fKcirip is introduced, iu
propria persona, \\\ a sct-ne laid at Venice.' In this scone an
Englishman desires to be presented 'to Sir- Anthony ShirU-y
who is staying at Venice as' amibassador; from the .Sophy.
*An Englishman?' Sir Anthony ateks "his servant, 'what's his
name? '5i?/^i*." 'He' calls himselfe Kempe. Sir Mth. Kemp!
bid him comr^ in. [Exit Serraiit. Enta- Ke?npe.'\ Welcome,
honest Will; and how dotli all th} fellow^is in England?' &c.
Then an Italian clown and his. wife . jiiakiS : their appearance
and ask })enmssioii , to perform before, Sir Anthony , whc)
prevails upon Kemp to join in this performance of the two
Italians. Kemp, however, takes great oflfeiice at a woman
exhibiting before sjiectators, and therefore makes her and her
husband the butt of his jokes and satirical remarks. Now
this scene in my opinion would have been ;meaningless, and
insipid, and hardly tolerable on a London stage, if Kemp bad
not been really at Venice and had notibeen a partaker there in
some siich^exliibition- For this same reasonUve!iJigili$t conclude
that 'ThelTTavailcs of the three - English Brothers/lrpas acted
during Kemp's lifetime. ' rnoJ^rr
7VJ/ (The date of Kemp's death is quite ;uncej:taih>.i the' fespeotive
coDJtJctures of JMalone and Chalmi:rs not being supported by
po*.itivo twidencf;; according to .Malone he died before 1609,
according to Chalnoers as early as 16031 That fee. was dead
in i6ii2, liH'gcnerally inferrtxl from tliepassargo- in Hey wood's
Apologie quoted above, although Hey wood's words are by
no means explicit itfiiough to remove all doubts. If we follow
76 TTMON OF ATHENS.
Miilone, who is generally a safe guide, Kemp may very well
have witnestied. the. performance of the 'Travailes' and it is
evident, /provided he did not perform the part himself, that
^^^q(5'rfS:j9fiiA9:/JQ^*^ Xof the audience must have been in
!^^,9f^S,- Ae rec^^ ..I^eiup sitting- amongst them opposite his
G^unttp-(eit Qfti/th^ .^boards.
viinabiva gi ^-^vw^ bi
boniiifqfno'i tpr.r? •o.ntv.rirf ittf
•.$« > f LXXXIV.
^ Jtm. rhy bacKC, I prythee.
Ape. Liue, and loue thy misery. ,
Tm. Long liue so, and so dye. ,'1 am quit.
, Ape. Mo things like men,
Jbate Timon, and abhorre then. \Exii Apemanlus.
riMON OF Athens, IV, 3, 396 seqq.
This is the arrangement of 'the folio. The, last two, lines have
rightly been given to fimon by the editors and in order to
complete the metre Hanmer and Capell have added, so before
the words / cwi quit. In my opinion, however, this is. not
sufficient to restore the passage; the woirds Lotig I'/ve^\^o'!^]md
so die do not belong to Timon, but to Apemantus and the
true arrangement, therefore, seems to be the following: —
Tim. Thy back, I prythee. ' .- -ul i
,/l)odj(i Ap&rA iJO'{ , Off! Ion v/oiiEiivie' and love thy i misery -y II
,nj<'i Longiliy^'iSG)Li.^H-<il)jS0|^.cLiie.i:. ;jrlJ lu \Exil Apejnmitusi
bH£ {lou^iniv ' aiB I ^dion (Soyli ainijqAif-*«ti iu ,m^
,bn£ Moe thingsijlikQ !£Kien?Bt--li[Eati'-Tinnonv and abhor themi
(Shakespeare's : dramatischfi: Werlce-machiideci Uebe?st!>tiung:von
Schlegel undjTieckyiherausgegejbeni durch die Deutsche: 'Sha;ke-
sp^areAGese&chaftir.iX,'-i439i .tfftij^otes andi Queries, Juwei 25^
TJMON OF ATHE^Na 7-7
LXXX\. /iJKi')ny>> ^r ndv/ ,'»itoliilA
Vour greatest want is, you want much of meatli " ^"vud
TiNfON OM AxHESSjiitV, 3, i^iiq.
Various conjectures have been proposed to'fcure thiS''c6'rrupt^d
verse,' ' none of which, however, proves satisfactbi^. Dyce, and
the Cambridge Editors, therefore, Mi^fe-'left^^hfe ri^atJitig 6f
the folio untouched as above. The word ?nj(rh is evidently
owing to a diplograj)hy: the Banditti having just complained
that they ?mic/i do xvanf. Steevens conjectures much of in,-,
which would be most bald and trivial prose; he should
have altered one more letter, for there seems to be little
doubt that Shakespeare wrote vou want much of me, viz. gold,
in which seii.se this' word is frequently used. Compaii- tlie
Ballad of Cieniutus, the Jew of Venice, -St. 6 (Percy's Re-
liques): "— -
His heart doth thinke on man}' a wile,
I low to deceive the poore ;
Ilis mouth is almost ful of mucke,
Yet still \\v. gapes fur more.
Coriolanus II, 2, 128 seqq. : —
Our spoils he kick,',d; at,
AiuJ lopk'd upon things precious a,"? t thoy, .were
Tlie common muck of tl^e world.
Thomas Ileywood, If you know not me, you know nobody,
Pt. II (ed. CoUitpr for the Shakespeare -Socit;ty, 149): ' Hul,
madam, you are rich, and by my troth, I am very poor, and
I have been, as a man should say, stark naught; — -^ and,
though 1 have nbl the muck of the world, I have la great
deai i of good ' love , and L pTitliee!jacoef)ti of it' — Nash,
Summer's Last Will and Testament (Dodslev,, 1825, IX, 23):
'If then the best husband has been so liberal of hi.-, b»f6t
W TIMON OF ATHENS.
handy -work, to what end slioiild we make much of a glittering
excrement, or doubt to spend at a banquet as many pounds,
asiji^,,spends iiii,en, at, a battle?' — Ibid. IX, 25: ^Onmia mca
7neciwL,poriQ^, q^ioth Bias, ..when he had nothing but bread
aiwli cheese in .a leathern 'bag, and two or three books in
his bosoru. Saint Frajicis, a holy saint, and never had any
monjey. , It is, madness, to doat upon mucke.' , — Tell-Trothesi
New-yeares Gift (ed. Furnivall for the New Shakspere Society,
6q\: *.<^any look^ sQ^.Jong ^c>r aboundance of mucke, as J;hey
^all^ into, a quagmire of miseries, hauing .siluer , to^ looke pn^
though _ wanting. ipony^,^^^^ppl)|,m^iiy^,,^^ T^i^,?^^^' 75 1
'Indeede, what cannot money doo, that wUl ;buye any thing?
and yet honestie will pur;9has;e that which all the muck in
the -world cannot compasse, namely, a good report for euer.'
— Forby, Vocabulary , of East-Anglia s. v. Muckgrubber, *a
hunks; a sordid saver of money, who delves for it,., as ..it
were, in the mine.', 'Muckgrubbing, adj. sordidly avaricipus.' ,
. To reyeri, to the passage in Timoji. To the pretence
of the bandits that they are no thieves, 'hut men that mucji
do want',,, T]iiapn,.rejp\ie8. they could not, possibly., be in want,
sinp^e nature , the bounteous housewife, on each bush laid
her fuir mess ibef pre thein; . tjfieir-. pply wa^^t was for muck,
i. e. gold , : and tliat was no real want. The same re-
■tfir-;j, " "i-'.l! /. ,:,■■!-.'- ■,' ■.' ';'_ -' ■ .!U Ji. ,:<ll'T-)(.i -I'll' '
(V. ^ 115): .i;,,..n ,.h
Hence, pack! Here's gold; you came, for gold, ye slaves.
{Shakespeare's drainatische We^ke naqh der Uebersetzung von
1870,. 594. Cpmpare.j^^pj^^ver,-meii^orable,reij^^ b^..,A. H[all],
Notes and Qut^ries, July 16, 1370,, 43,-)r.mhfoT' [>.,, ,,;7/
JITLRTS (:MS,AK. 79
LXXXVIi bno iB&f/ oJ ,>ho7/ - vbrr fir i
Cces. Ha! who calls? J-^-'^'-'^l^ ^^^ ^^"^'^ ^<^ .^w'^i^-^ATi -^
C'/i-ra. Bid every noise' '-T'>ip''' still ':•■ liea'fefe ^j^r-''i^a{h! '
Ca's. Who is it in the press that calls on^'^i^e^?""^"*^^^
' ijULreitiJ€/EsAR, 'I, ■^»'->¥^' s^t^'/
According to the Cambridge Edition aa ' ^oc. Stauntoii sieems
to "have been the only editor who takes exception to these
lines as transmitted by the folio, 'iii his bpihion eitHer tlie
whole of the second line o'ugtit fo be added to Caesar^
previous question Who ca//s? or the last ' wofci '6f 'it shoulcl
be connected with the following speech of ' Ca?sar/ thus r —
Cas. Ha! who calls.-'
Casca. Bid every noise be still: — peace yetl
Cces. ' Again !
'' ■"wiio is 'it ill the pfess'thaf calls iiii^'^iife^^'
This IS evien "^wbrse than the arrangement' of* tV^' folio, "ancl
yet the true reading lies so near^^t hand^ that it will seem
aimosfAniracuious if 1 have nof ' liefen lorestaHeci In finding
li'W*S^.^^^^ead;- of course: ^^ '^''^ ^"'^ '^'^'^''^'^ ^'^' '''
*"^^ '^''"'^CM: 'l>cace"yet-^agaiivr"'- ''^' " '^"^'fBe still!
Jhuu io|^.^ ^,j^^ -i,.^ j,^.^|^^ j^^^i. tH^t'-cAll^'-M rtiliV "^'
Once 't'6foro'; at th'i^' beginiiing*"or'tl'ie 'f<^kJ.i\'ivheti''\AJbkar:
addresfies 'Csipurhi^;' lc:ai^(ia' xi'itfi '^Mk(^i ()ffi^iaT'iiii^^s!^ ' <^i\W8^'d
the crowd : — ' ^
'C^:'-Ca^piii-^i&f'^^ ''-''
^^;^ ' 'tecc5^'i%t' ote^r^p^^s. ■"^■'^'■•'^^
Notliing, 'tkoMi^c; (iail''bfe'iri(ire siliVi:,fe''kir(^'naturi^^^^
^x^sar'"(l»n^;(i" hiHre •siWlmoli/-tiro ' as^sistaft^e'A'f'cfe "ana" that
^aktU 4aln p.'oclaiiiik''^{li;l\ye.' ''(Aii^lia,''^ti^l^ausge^.^n von
Wulcker UMd Trautmailh,' I,"34l-V"' ''"' ' " "" '""■ '"'
80 JULIUS C.^SAR.
LXXXVII.
Casst. Am I not stay'd for? tell me:
Cinna. Yes, }'()U are. O Cassius,
If you could but winne the Noble Brutus
To our party —
Julius C.ksar, I, 3, 139 seqq.
The arrangement of these lines as given in the folio cannot
possibly have proceeded from the poet's pen, and thi- editors,
tlierefouevi bate taade A'arious attempts to heal the evident
corruption. Capell, 'ecg-jyiTfeadsi: —
Yes,
You are. O Cassius, if you could but wii\
The noble Brutus to our party.
The words Yes, you are, however, should not he severed, and
must no doubt be connected with the preceding speech of
Cassius in a line of verse. S.Walker (Versificationj 2qo). Craik
(The English' of Stialce'spearet'''' 5*^*^ 'KaT, iVo)',' and "Staunton
arrange 'as fSlIows : —
Cassi. Am I liot staid for? Tell me! ,,
Cinng.* Yes, you are.
O Cassius, if you could
But wifi'^e 'iiofele Brii^ put'p^yr'' -•'^': ^ ^^
But the mcomplete line ,,0, Cassms ,,1'/'.. you could, does not
harmonize with, the ntetrical character of this play, whi^fe, it
is well known, is of great regularity. Knight, ^afld Collier
introduce an alexandrite:,-— ,, .. .. ,.;/
; 1^, . . Yes, you are. .. ,„
O Cassms, if you eould bul^wii^t^ .i^.|r^|^ ,^^^
To our party. „„ , ' ,, ' .,
* Instead of Cinna Walker bj''ktf '^^S^iif' ^is'f'kke M's^'&a.
HAMLET. 81
In my opinion the difficulty might easily be removed, if we
were to add Cuius before Cassius, — he is elsewhere addressed
by both his names, just as we find Caius Ligarius (in Julius
Caisar), Caius Marcius (in Coriolanus) and Caius Lucius (in
Cymbeline). The lines then might be regulated thus : —
Cas. Am 1 not staid for? Tell me!
Citi. Yes, you are.
O Caius Cassius, if you could but win
The noble Brutus to our part}'.
Whether or not, we suppose the sentence to be broken oft'
here, does not matter, at least it does not afl'ect the alteration
proposed. (Anglia , hcrausgegeben von Wiilcker unci Traut-
mann, I, 341 folg.)
LXXXVIII.
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;
Tlie nights are wliolesomo; then no planets strike.
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm.
So hallow d and so gracious is the tune.
Hamlet, 1, i, 161 seqq.
I hope I ma}' be allowed to rtipe^t,i a ,cpi;jectural (?mendation
which, allljough inserted in the text of my edition of Hamlet,
has been left unnoticed by all subsequent editors — even
", • ,.J- •• ,■ - T;' I,"' : "•• ■ •;.':'. .II'-:'.
by Dr Furness. Tlie plural 'planets', which is the uniform
reading of (^B scqcj. and all the Folios, docs not harmonize
well with the singulars 'fairy' and 'witch. Moreover, in all
parallel j)assages we meet with thf singular, thus,
The Winter's 't'a'le, I,' 2,' 201 :
It is a bawdy jjlanet, that will strike
Wheri^, 't^ is,jj|jredyjmin^nt.
o-»
82 HAMLET.
Ibid, n, I, 105: —
.'jv!')?/} V x^bcf ' There's some ill planet reigns.
Titus Andronicus, II, 4, 14: —
If I do wake, some planet strike me down;
Ben Jonsoni^ EveryrMan in his Humour, IV, 5: Sure I was
struck with a ; planet thencei,; for I had no power to touch
W,>^'<?^P9J;iiio-yfriinc Birli 'to Jioqri:
i„i,^ yf)^];-? ^hgse, circumstances I have no doubt that, the texl;
o( QA *.i'\9 , iplfj^pt frikes' shows us the right way, and that we
.yjiitia-jil il< ' '' ' V-Hci
v/o/t et£ ijoiijsioiiqxo gnoixnij^ , ...: , ,
i.)'r ,b(uui h> 'x( fe.um Ir-Auli" irR-rjRoaaE ariJ tfjvsn lo
, Hor. Lideed? 1 heard it not; it then draws near
.■,oJib:^r .>.{j )u\^ J "^^^m^
Wherein the spirit held his ,wont to walk. . a^ \
Seymour (apud Furness) remarks. Qji this yerse-i ^J'h^,,||;^ip ^
oyqvloaded.,, "I li^^fd i% p,0|t",k implied '^ '*,ijideg^",.. , Kea<^
Indeed? wb|y then it doeis dra>y ntjar, , the . hour !.' ,.-7-^, ^t need-
hardly be ^d^ed,, that a., conjecture, (;i.f,i>uch;,4iii,warfjajited-.,y^c^T
lenc^ is^not.iix'; aqcprjCiajaiCf; with the, mles,,9^ipip^em crit^p^io
and cannot but be rejected. Nevertheless Seymour sc^gn^^^t^
havj been on the right scent, for a verse of six feet looks
suspicious and out of place here. This was evidently felt
also by Rowe, who (according to the Cambridge Edition)
expunged Indeed. In my opiiiit»n, the word Lideed does not
belong to Horatio,; but.. ^oul^j be given to Hamlet, so that
the passage wpul^.xiui^fhus; ^j:^^.^, ,...^.0.1 on; ii^ iiioa
Ha?}i. The air bites shre\ytil3:f^it'::J^v'.i¥erjhP<?|^-
Mor.AMij^Vd. nipping and an eager air.
HAMLET. 88
Ham. What hour now? "» . ,:i .luui
Hor^ .; 1 think it lacks of twelve.
Mar. No, it is struck. , ■ ., ,ii .riijuiaoil.xi/ .-m'!
Ham. Indeed? ■>•'• i'M\\\V\ 'irrion /rXn-a ob 1
8£w : Hor. I heard it not; it then draws' iibarliie'sfcasiaiili
dnr;r) I Wherein the spirit held lus wont towaflk^s i!ti// A-Mnx?.
Only on the stage the import of this an-angein^riti ' '&k\. 'lS(i
fully ^hoSvn. Hamlet has evidently •fdIId\vM^"H6rc(tio' and
Marcellii^'^^to<^the''' jil^tfdiln ^lii " d'^^stit^^'W ''idVednlities^;'- 'l^B
question What hour noiv? is uttered rathei^'^listless'iy' dnk'Hti'tlh
no deeper motive than to break the silence. On hearing,
however, from Marcellus that it has just struck midnight, he
is at once roused to the , most anxious expectation as now
or never the appearance of the Ghost must be at hand. To
this expectation he gives expression oy the exclamation
Indeed? ''— By the way, it may be added that the Editors
of the Globe" Edition, "anci 'Mr Kloberiy'ln^'meif'walce, give
the words I\o, it is struck, in opposition to the Quartos as well
fe Pdlidsi'to H^ml6tj='ti^ Si'h^'^ilhd§;''it'd5e^'Htit'aiiii'eki-'^
^H^ eveht^'thby 6tightf'iky''ht\-e' 'befei^ ^riiof^ i:elatiW^:'"^W^t
Hkeiy \i is only=^'ttiist^ke,'tH^Canittid^clEaitibiv^)din^ in'tietid^^
-danced' 4*itfi' th(^'bM"fcbpIbsV"'(Th^ Athen^ni', 'jkft. f '< , 'ifS^^i
'4b' se^.' ^ 'R(ifein^oiT^^-T.p'rf(Mn4-^<yf IM&ttUxe, Mkr."t'5^' I'S^i^i
Vor''Hi"'' 4!8.*y'^''--'^ ''''^'^''''"^*~^*'^''' •l->'j-'j'-'i.'''i '-''-' J'J'i Mii/d. \:'^.
^.AihA SrA /.iK \o :j<intf/ fi i o"l jn oo?i Jll^il Oil) <!■
Jbi (baobi/ti AiTu ^idl' .-nni ->jtiU\ Uj iuo h/ie ^i/obi<pu^.
(aortJLM ogbiidaiii'J oill oJ ^iiibior^ou) <Mfv/ ,07/o>l /d oi^li;
3on K3ob \i'»M>K\ bio// 'ifiJ ,/rX«i«|u vni r;:
iBiii o2 ,)-jlin£H oj «3/i^ '^'J'rti^ *^r^''bf eite"^^* ^" jjiiujjti
Doth all the noble substanC^^'Bf 'ttJ"kicrtflbt'^ y-^P-^ifiq ^iiU
•liii i:*^j iit- bii£ goiqqhr «'.ib<mIAjt, 1, v|, 30 skqq.
6*
84 HAMLET,
Among the numerous emendations of this notoriously cor-
rupt passage that which Dyce has inserted in his text ('the
dram of evil Doth all the noble substance oft debase'') de-
serves the highest praise for its clear and unconstrained
sense. It is , -, h(j)>yeyer , , so remote from the reading of the
old editions that, if it was what Shakespeare wrote, we can
hardlji ; >coiiqeixj3, hp>y §uch a corruption could have crept into
the text. I think we might obtain a very near approach
to the text, together with ,a.Ji,, jLuiexceptionable sense, by
reading: — ,- , ,
The dram of evil. ,-
Doth all the noble subs{;anqc, ^^;? rt'affiJf ,., . t
-To J ihis ; 9 wn . scandal,.j ■ ,^^ ■ , ;
Compare Rompo and Juliet, 111, 2,^55 ^ec^.,;^^ —
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaub' d in , blood.
All in gore -blood; I swounded at the sight. icneH
B. Jonson, E}k{e,ry:Man out of his Humour (Induction),;;;!— 5^^,^
. <u\ iaJli5 oiJisiiriJ -M a-'ii ii J-j ^^^ ^P"^
Was never ground intQ,,such oily colours
,,,. To .flatter vice, and daub iniquity. . , .
^^Wm»'^\imMA^\^y}^\p ,Xlfte,l>.niglit„of the Burning Pestle,
Y<; 3'' i"~^M7/ob bBsI 3jiir ')>IfTi« 5":ijiijj3ii: ^ jib
Hold open, whilst au,otl:j[,er,-,p«mp^„both leg^^,.o^,5 ^^
Nor daub a sattin gown >vith rotten, tegg^., rrn?)^
A,,i^^ning;for,, Fair. Women, A. II, ^11., 1^448, seqq. (Simpson,
';rihie.S,ch9o^,0f,5hal<spere, II, ,4^5) io— e^ob ^gs^gBq nBaiB^q,^
Vile world, how like a mobster, com^, I soil'dj,from thee!
lfiiul-j'MP>v l^avq.T \vallQ>yed iif. thy loath^9m^,-fjl;;hp|,,,^,^, j
i,,(j,rtKE)r|i}jak,,a©d |3esmear'd, with ,a|l ,thjfi ;bestial['|Six^,f-,j^j ., ,-.
S^tims.,.;,3eytjj5?Sf5ph Iiaj),,,,,ai"^er^^as^tei%hffg,,j9£, g^tgj: j^^
Norwich .&c. (C^iswick, ,,ii$24),_,J^i^. I>f©i§a,t,;:t?P,.78i;, --7,r-,.v
HAMLET. 85
The dose adultress, where her name is red,
Comes crawling from her husband's lulceAvartii bed,
Her carrion skin bcdanb'd with odours sweet
Groping the postern with her bared feet; — —
She ■ seeks her third roost on her silent toes.
Besmeared all with loathsome smoke of fost, ■
Like Acheron's steams, or smouldering sulphur dust.'
Milton^ Coraus, 916 seqq. : —
Next this marble venomed seat.
Smeared with gums of glutinous heat,
I touch with chaste palms moist and cold.
In regard to the sentiment expressed in Hamlet'.'!^ 'words
compare Nash, Pierce Pennilesse (ed. Coilier for the Shake-
speare Society, 53), a passage,' ' which, as far as IlmoW, has
never yet been brought into comparison with the' lihes in
Hamlet : ' Lr't him b6e iridutid with helieh^ sO' feaMe Vertues,
and haiilj' as"^tich ' goodly pfopbrtion and' faVdur', a^ Nature
can bestow vpon a man, 'yet if hee be thirstie after his owne
destruction, and hath no ioy nor comfort, but when he is
drowning his soule in a gallon pot, that one beastly ' imper-
fecfiOh ^Vir vtterly ' obscute' all that is commendable in him',
and all his goode qualities sinke like lead downe to the
bottorae of his Ci'rrowsiiig fe'iips', where they will lye, like lees
and dreggesv" dea'd aftd'H'TiTe^air'dfed bf"khyni'aii."'-L^ 'Pierce
Pennilesse, to add' this as a matter worthy of further con-
sideration, ^va^ published M ^59^ ,"H\'K{lst"t1ie aboMfe'Shzikd-
spearean passage does not appea'i' ifTi't\ie/^t\iiart6'df"i6o% bWt
i^'dViiy"fWuti(^"ih'' tWat'Of i6b4:' ^
Eleven' ' ybar^"^t(^t'''tiie' 'fest ' publication of ' this (Conjectural
cmendatiori (TI16 Athenxum,''Mgl'i't,"l866, 'tm) Mt Samuel
Neil, in Yiii e'ditiott' 'tjf H'cirnlet,' a^i^paT-'enyy Avithmit'iny ktldxV-
ledge of my siiggfegtiort,' pMpised the fdll6^i%^ : ^ "-" " ""^'
86^ HA]\iLET.
fu-. n-jfTor^.RT R. This dram of laic
Bil'jflqyQ^l^ij^ll ^j^g ^Q^jjg substance overdauie,
f??/fl 'iiv^HiclH,' Mr Neil say's, '\vas d wonderful cosmetic and
pre'servatiVe" 'of 'the complexion, much 'iil lise'in Shakespeare's
fii&!ife^?''^\i^oUltf^1J^''5tfst'*thfe'lfever^ bF'whkt Is required by the^
co-HMV; ^'fe6inB' Elizabethan authority for-the verb overdmib
wbuld havebe^'ri welcottie.
Youi/'kiiow, (Sometimes- he walks four hours together,
i.oloisOHffliieain itiie lobby. rjfig
Hamlet, II, 2, 160 seq.
Dr Jacob Heussi iu'^his edition of this tragedy (Parchira, 1868)
has iiiieifed''jManmer's conjecture 'for' into the text and
justifies 'tl4is-'^rt?adinig' by the following note: 'AUe alten Drueke
lesen freilich four statt for, und die Erkliirer behaupten, four
w6rde haufig als unbestimmte Zeit gebraucht, wieyr^MS nir-
g^eiidis Mdet' sich aber diese Behauptung durch ein wirkliches
Beispiel constatirt; dass _/(?«;- heut zu Tage nicht in dieseit
Wi^scr I gebi'aucht wirdj ist bekannt, ob es fyiihcT der Fall war^
iSt'noch abztiwarten. Ich setz© hiesr die ilPrapositonybr Statt
de^'yCT^'dey-'Ausgaben, da diese Praposition idie^ Zeitdauer
beiiieichneti' *-^fiBe6toio^''j'Tschischwitz (Shakspere'S' Hamtet T(§aci
IfAn'e,-*'i8'6i9) 'reads-/<!)*i:b*-i'f but sterns to take; this; number in
its literal meaning. ^ Four hours \ he says, 'ware cine. awif^
falten4lladgfe?i^eitJ,^rufli^«!Gh 2d etgdm-vliwetrm sie micht der
■0' iii>j 'irMlt -luoV i'j(Janj/[ od; i\o i.op-jf-, iis .T=;mijrijT-^jj[K
the Rev. Henry N.Hudson, also reads 'for , and does not even fninfe
HAMLET. 87
Prinz, der ganzlich ohne die noblen Passioncn eines Laertes
ist, mil Lcctiiri' uud Mt'dit3.tiouen ausfullte. Auch Ophelia
wird spater aufgefordert 'to walk' und dabei iu eiiiem Buche
zu lescn, es .nvig die9 also ^vohl eii:^er iZeitsitte entsprechen.'
Ml; Collier's; ^correctpd, FQlia,,cxljibit^,j,f|ie cqrrection,^^??; ,^i;id
even MaI,oiie pj;efQrr|e4 ,this qft-r^peaj^d conjectural epienda-
tion. tQ th^ readiBg of the qld , editi^ppsj although he adduces
the following passage from Web(s,t^r'^ , .Di^^hess, .jO|" j I\^a|ii
(IV, I, lo seq.), which is so much to the point that it ought
to have removed every doubt: —
She will muse four hours together; and her silence,
iNIethinks, expresseth more than if she spake.
Mal<5n(i' (Supplement I, 352) goes sO' far as to suppose the
same mistake to have taken place here ias well as in Hamlet
and Mr Collier iri hi^ Supplemental Notes I, 276 expresses the
same conviction; 'the same probable misprint', he says, 'ofybwr
far I yb>: is contained in Webster's Duchess of ]Malfi A. IV (ed.
DVce T^ 260), where Bosola as giving to Ferdinand a description
of the demcan<)ur of the heroine' &c.
"II The fact ' is i that yew;-, aJs well ,, las- /bri^' . ftud /orly ihou-
saiid'k' 'is most frequently used to denote an ; indefinite num-
ber and this use,, dating from a very, romott? period, ip by
no ihcdns confmed to the English language,; but is also
to be found in other laiiguagos. Ais aft indehnite number
g«5TiCTally supposes la large quantity it will not appear strange
that i_/bKr( ioccurs, much less frequi?iatly, in : this sense than
forty \ the instances', however, are numerous enough to con-
vii\ce I ci/en.1 rDr Heussi .
T ifj 'After the remarks made by J. Grimm (Deutsche Rechts-
alterthiimer, 211 seqq.) on the number 'four' there can be
little doutrt 'ik io jfts early' connection with' the four Cardinal
points and their influence on the construcUo^j^^cfj r^o^ds^,^thg
BS HAMIvEm
distribution of ly^cl a^d other matters of eu«tom.* But in
Germpt^^iap vfeW-^rm i^nglish^ t all, local .anid legal -as^cxdations
coIUlected^^:ithf,;t^is;l7u^^(be^ havta Jong ago vanSshed, ^ihd when
in the f:^ayr,y3f^,^^evNibelungen .(Lachmann^ 2014; Zarncke,
!jf\ '^tinsenti 'imdd ii\fiet-«y ildieJ !k6nieri i idar'^n,'
' tCmixt' 'itl^Wfy ifat^lis- 'iih'1Wdef!n5te 'quantity Uhd ^VMe^^^i'^Mr^
pltt'^f;iike^is^' ki^mnVteJ -'W^KyiW^ dramas '(ed. itellcr, IV,
• ''^•''EfiwtfM^^l viei-'itli(hl vmb-^ebratht, ' ' ' '
'"^^' fer-6Tli'' Jii^I' ■ drotl'^thef^e/waclien, ' '
and: —
Ach Ancilla, ich"f't)itl'''dftWh' Gyft "
Verlass miiiH ilicHt'in liieser Noth!
Vier Cronen geb' ich yTt"zu'"Loliii/-"
The earliest instance in English 1 have met with ' fs iri 'Kbbert '
INIannyng's translati^dil' fef ^^ MW'tangtoft's Chronicle 7apud
V\ ulcker, Altenglisches Ldsebuch I, 04 and 153): —
. - . ~y .-nil n l-"-^) m3 iiB'l
Sone in for vers perchance a werre shall rise. , ,
.t^Ko! ncU rr> ?./r:\: Tfjo! /.t.':: rrr.'ii wyy 'f -i 'I'/nfl 1
''^.y4"W ,f\^/&¥j]?„>yffh>fheir faq:|j^^rs,,fftpr.9^.l^ur,?^Hb3f,*Q.,
the Elizabethan dramatists, Shakespeare^ amongst the nvix^he^.,,,
ot 7ff;if'9?P>--!f^4^.(^ ^ittJ^>gPFl^er^,i#5t, yrfi lo noiJiJDibni/
blO 9flT m°®2B^*'vhE0 hA .noiiBiabianoD oJni na^lBJ sd oels
simaldIZahloi!ethxDfcle,'tolle, f«4l7^ S.-7*4'-^6q.) fo'iit-' i^ flie fSfJr^ary'iianil^'f ''
^"^ti&'tPe^^Jyliafeei^c^Komiilli^ fpiir/extreOTjitieS of the human body.
HAytE'T*; 89
S. Ro\vl(>yr When ybU'-Bee' 'Mej-yc^u ktt'owJ'rtite (^d. Elz^, ^2)t
'The lords has attended h\»nv:th1Si!fciti^ d'aV*.''^' EilV5''i?''Eil-'
diminn, IV, la ^((Dramatic Wotks; ''fed."tF.'i'W/^F4iA'6lt, 'I; '^3)':
'Snm. But how wilt thou live?' J^/V"6y 'toglfegj'-O 'tis a
stately occupation to stand foure houreii' iit"a ■-(:61'de''mdriling,
and to have his nosei.i bitten! i>vStbH frost 'ibefckTei his' baite be
raumbletl with a, fish.|',r7^|,Lord,,(4lj;p;f>T|w;f;l;l,^,|J,,;?< (Mal<Pn<^'sti3up-
plement, II, 391):,.*^,?, vyt^r^ ;9car,<fe fp,i?iq , [ipHf^ iiik itbe,ii§re<?w
water, but I, thinking to gq ,tjoiifl[iy aflLe^nQon's in.i«^ch«on,r\feR
a Idnd of rising iix my. guts-lrti— |iWpMfJr/» lX))ehWIlwtti iDcvil,
or Vittoria Corombona (The Woyki^iOffJo^nfWiebsiter,! )^ck jDyce,
1857, 47a): —
I made a vow to my deceased lord,
Neither yourself nor I should, [pijJ^iY^ hhUi-
The numbering of four, ho?(irs.; i • ■
And use, 't four years |together, 'twcr^p ^oo, littl'-.
Fair Km (ed, Delius, 17): —
I havcT not' seen liim this four dciys at the least.
Th^' Wirtt^r'^'^ale^'V^ 2,' ii|:6' sttqq.'r''l^«/i>/)'^/lj. "1 kfnow you
ar6 nt!Vw,-^i5H^ g<^ntlemart bOfrr; C/ottm. Ay, and nave been
so"kny''tim^"thes6''feuf hotift.' 2i-'fcfefy'#^H"i; P's^c^'^'
Tsav,' I \vill ma"ke Wm ^a't so^e^'j^att 'df •'iiiy'leekj' or I wiU
peat his pate fonf daj's. 1 ' ^
These- pdss^^es,'^IIthinl<, ai^e 'Mj^\^ 'siifl^&/''"for "llie"
vindication of the rciding'^dJii/^ /w/i>''>, ' bVr¥' iii' ordfer^ to
illustrate' tB6' ^Stibjfeift "the' 'liifrati^f^' J'o/W and '/or/v thousand must
also be taken into consideration. As early as^m tne Old
Testament ^ forty ' j^ , usqdi in 3);\| wd,efini;;(^.,,Si^tt^e;,,the;, J)eluge
las^t^ijjfppty.fC^y^ ^^d; fofty nights y- Moses vvith the Jews -lives
forty yearsiiin the wilderness' (Acts, XIII, 18) and stiiys fotty"
90; HAMLET.f
days and forty nights on Mcmnt Sinai (Exodus, XXIV, 1 8),
Accordj»gf; to (the Book:of Judges (III, ri'; , V, 31 yWlU, 28) the
land had repeatedly !resti for i forty - years and the children of
Israel were delivered irvto ^Ijhe, han|d5 of the (Philistines, for forty
years (Judge?,, XJJI, ,l\T .,aTief^ip^,(^te4^,foflty i4&y&,,and forty
nights in t)ier wilderness (Mattl?^IV,,.-^),;-; The same r use pre-
vails, in the. popular: poetry both of Germany and England.
Thus in tiie, ballad^ Das Sehloss in Oesterreic^. (apud; Scherer,
Tungbirunnen, 3d Ed., ,67) we read: — ,
riou8 '(iiol B^"P^^^ ^^^^^ P^^ junger Knab
r Wo\ vierzig Klafter tief unter der Erd' „,, r- rr
,81 OOSKJ 8tn f-rjnnJ- P"^ '^ Ti. : <; .- I. ,Jil .bidl
J?F/o!]r.fW hC%'^^T*?i|?.r'^Xpf?f^/ ^^'i J^eJler, y, ^213) s^ys:.-^
Moin>f ■..{TS^.tW^^^l.Sf^^^ ^iess Goliat,^ _ _^
Der deiner sterckh wol firtzigk ha.t.. tjt ., j, -.
In the English romance of Richard Coeur -de -Lion Richard
winds forty Jf'^t'jd^s of silk clqth .round his arm befpre putting
it into the lion's mouth and tearing out his heartj compare
Percy's Reliques, Essay oji the Ancient Metrical Romances. ,.
Instances of the^use of 'fprtt' in Elizabethan dramatists
are' exceedingly frequent. "Webster, The White Devil, or
Vittoria Corombona (Works, ed. Dyce 26b): — •-f - ^\
„ :!: ./ .^it ; '.>;:: './v-, M,; /- ,; juq \l'[
Wilt sell me forty ounces of her blood
— ^ , 1 -, .aciJoniin viioi ■
10 water a mandrake r
fif^vi^a,^ If 4^011 ^kndw' not nie, m'4now"n6b6c(j^ (ed. (Collier,
71 •■ W."'ib{(J'''f'i'^V^'"^~^'?^"°^ ^^ >food im bad i ^sgruiiifla {j-ioi
■ p.S ,1 ,VI ,8ion3 }o vbomoO sfiT
* Also tl^^. jj^mb©rs:/t7firin'^'^9^:i(*^^^^^fc^f f'^'^Jiini^'!^';^ ^'^<'
thousand, forty tho^sa,vd,AXl^ lour ^ hunzted, thoy'San(i..s&^'^;^ have
been used in an indefinite sense in the Old Testament as well as in
thP''Eli2Jifcetfiah''tdi-^iftatiytsV'cf/JiiHfei/^Xivi4tt: SOXf 2;'iV',I^.^6CMF§ii
XV, 20. XVI, 31. V, 8. "/XXji 2.- XX9ii7/6ib gTJiTOori^jninJ (nol
HAMLET. 9^'
^ ,s»;l>ozvi) laiM^ .. Bid him by that token .>nE z\bL>
Sort thee "Out 'forty |[i^unds' worth of isudiwauesbioDoA
As thou shalt think most, benefldal. /lb le-^citJi hfiri bnci
Ben Jonson, The Devil is an 'i«iss, 1fI,'^8V t-i'^'''^^b ^vyu 1^;^: T
O, sir! and dresses himself the tet!^^l!^'o^^''l}
Forty o' your ladies! Did yOu lid'er '^e'e' hitii?^' «Jrip,in
B. Jonson, Epiccene, IV, i : I have no? kissed my Tury these
forty weeks. — Ibid.: A most vile face! 'Aiid "yet she spehitis
me forty pound a year m mercury alid hogsbones. — Bar-
tholomew Fair, II, i: Like enough, sir; 'sfie^llao forty such
things in an hour (an you listen to lier) for her' recreation. —
Ibid. Ill, i: Put him a -top '6' 'the tabic, where kis place is,
and he'll do you forty fine things. -^ Marlowe, The Jew of
]\Ialta, IV, 4 (ed. Dyce, i68bj: Within forty foot of ffie gailows,
conning his neckverse. — Beaumont and Fletcner, The Knight
''■ '■ ■ -I r , ■ . : ii, I ,rri'.|-. V)! !
of Malta, III, 4: — , T ^-r . T
Oh, 't was royal music" -'
^ , \)'\ rti-i! - ;;' 1 I'cr.;, i'-^ ^ -,'- ^r, .(vu;,'- vtiol ?.bniv/
And to procure a sound sleep lor a soldier,
Worth forty of your fiddles.
Twelfth Night,, V„ 1.1,80 seq.: I had rather than forty pound
I were at home. —.-. A Midsummer -Nights Dream, 11, i,
175 seq.: — ,., j , ^ ;
I'll put a girdle' round about the earth
In forty minutes.
Thp JNtcrry \y,iv,(??„,Qf„W^n4fiQr,,J,, ^, ,^q5^;, J,,^^d,fa|^9i;^;^af[^
forty shillings, I had ray book of songs and-5cpn|(^f^ hqre.-pr
The Comedy of Errors, IV, 3, 84 : —
A ring he hath of luine worth forty ducats —
fd'i ' forty ducats is' t6o ' tnudh ' ' to ' \cii6.
Hen?}'-/Vyi,/y,,4jrft5 s<iq,i:vWhen.|I ,jnigbi,„S^!^!,fi;PW >r,!spme
forty truncheoners draw tocher sucDOurr .<
92B HAML.'ETt.^
(KimEven nG!\St-^i-<claW 'this use of 'forty -is' by no means
extinct. In Wordsworth's little poem 'Written in March'
(Poetical Works, Moxon, 1850, 6' vols,' II, no) we riead: —
'■^''-^Wtam^ aV^'-gfazin^,""^^ ^^'
Their helads fever 'Vaisiiig ;
There are forty feeding like one.
The V^Wi^b\v^%^AM'd ''B^rtj'ara Pfietchie' 'liy INlr J.' G. Whittier
(Coriipicbd'lPoe£iG#!iWorksi' Boston, 1879, 270) contairrs th&
following lines: —
•^'-'iF^rti-"'fl^gi'^Mth''th'eir"^^il'veV 's^M^ ^'
Forty flags witfi"tW^ir^'cnmsori^bar^, "^"^" '''''
-'-^Ftappe'd in the mofliiilg wind: the sun
Of noon looked down, and sa:w riof on6;
iBdJ ^B?tf ■thb^s^'rid^'<f^ccd'^"k' t Tarife'ur\aine,"l^,''F(ed.
Dyce^^'13b)y — ' '' '" ^'--'''''^-'I^ '-"^ ^ .:-.i;..yii ui ov/j^ I0
Our armv will be foriA- thousand strong.
^ --^ ■ 4 -UI -bid!
Edward III, IV, 6 (ed, Delius 78): — , . ' , V a
No less than forty thousand wicked elder§ ttt r ■ ,t
Have forty lean slaves this day ston'd to death. ^
ed. Dyce, 25^): j:(|^— — J^^^jjefl^^^ j^fo^^.j^ie .,li^t.,of,,Tt^
forty thousand pedlers in iPojaijicJ. p-rrr rj'hq [ Win^tefj'^ [T^ljq
IV, 4, 279 seqq-:^^ Here'^.^ a.p,otficr ballad of a fish, that ap-
peared ijpoa 1^e;jc^ast_^9n:i\y(^]^es.cl^' jt]^j.fqi^§<jprt^.,pf April,
forty thousand fathom abovg_^,|^r^^r/,jgyd^^^uj^g^jjt^|§/. ballad
against the hard hearts .of ip^c|^. ,,,^^^8 ^,{j i^ gnimfiT ariT
In La^amon, 25, 395 we have 'feouw^er hundred thusende'.
„i al^n}^i a,^ Ji9^e,>yort]fj^„ f^ tjiicit.f^fe^l h?tep^o9l8t7^Qf ^these
T^URib^nSjiiroia v/ilwjpii jiUp»5ard$v<iarfij iiaiedt inptiie^saiHtefii
sense, i"R?"IijbaP,^I,' 2,>"'p69"seqYi^''#<i^^i' ■Sp&ke^'^u"'(vi^ hftfl-?
HAMt/ETi., aa
Edg. Ay, two hours together. —n.ilThei.Qld Klay oflliimou
(eel, L)yce, 73):,,r-r/ ,i . 'riJiowfelnoV/ jiI .1 mui/'.
Ge/as. Pseudocheus, ■ rfoxolA :- hnV/ lji:.jjf)o4)
How many miles think ypUj that. \v,e^j^giu^]goe?
Pseud. Two thousande, forty four* ,; ,,n
Hamlet, IV, 4, 25 : —
Two thousand souls, ai^id l\y;ciity ^>.(j)i^aud duic;ats,T nil'
l^Q-bqdy aud Some -body 1. 127^ seqq-,(Simps:oi>v'irh©,Sjpho6;li
of Shakspere I, 327): — .-grjni! ?,aiv/r)I[ol
Two thousand Souldiers have 1 .brought frioix^ I .j^Y'f^lcs,
To wait upon the princely Periclure. , yj-,^-,'^
Malg. As many of m}' bold confederates
Have 1 drawn froju thg , South, to sweare allegiance
To young Vigenius.
The ^e of ^♦|tw^nty', as is ,to l^t^ expeqt^4,^ar, expt^^ds that
of 'two' in frequency. The Merchant of Venice, 11, 6, ,66.; ^^
I have sent twenty out to seek for |ypu..,„,^,, ,,,,
Ibid. Ill, 4, 74: , ^rr T.I ■ .1
And twenty oi lliese puny lies I'll fell. ,
^, . , ,,, xr.bJo i)-vi:ii// Diuiiiijon) yItoI fiBd) -
Ibid. Ill, 4, 84: — ^
■^a\U\A, ol J.'/i'.J--. Yi !' ..iiJl ^ ■> ; L Jif.ii J,;-'-'! -'--ll
ror we must measure twenty miles to-day,
wh^rcV lidwfcV^fr ''tVeni?t^ 'iii^' p'osslblj^ 'ha'v'^' 'been ^us6cl ' ni' its
literal "sdft^e;'"^e"iiij' 'Ab'hiWdluh^en' ziTSkake.sp^fe, '^04l —
The'Temtit4f7lI,'T, 278 s^(^q:t '—
-|. iiiii) ,i(.ii K io bhlli;«l -i^'i '' twenty c6nsciences
'I'"l^thaf^Mfj'<?r'\\^^t 'ife'^^m'd'Mii^h,''candie'<i' b'e the\
br,|[r.dAMf'merf''ere"lfhey ^ti1e.st. "'^ '^^•"'"^' ''"''"'"•■''•
The Taming of the Shrew, Irid;''!!, 3f^¥fe'4!:^-i^
.' 'if)n'j^fj(b f>--nbfrit(( Tv//ii...jt' •tivA ■.m c^c tO- ,nofxui5,r>T nl
■.;^',fb*8. WftiKci^^CWd E<d'ini.'Hfi', -tSgf fe&!^"'y^W4htfe(lV tWat'in in-
detnitt*:! .WJittbBr is/rbqiiireb hareV'fibuli' ill0**ibeiri'c"ti'wflH6' iftf •'the 1 Tfiit
M HAMLET.
.n;.;ffir?.^ .n^p. o??? .[ M ./-Apollo playsl loi ■^rt'jmsv','
And twenty caged nightingale^) do singii^iiiri'^
Richard II II '^-"¥¥t ilijyv/j jr/d Ja-g. uorii JeriBD .ispoH
EacH^'sAbr^antfe^'of^k' grfef 'hath' twettty sh!ado\vs.
Hey wood, IF )'ou 'know ndt-'me, you' know nobody (ecJ.
Collier i^sF^-^ ^" S^^SBJ^^ ^^^^ '^^'"^ ^^ ^^=^^^ =*"^^^^ '
. ' .•; .,il ..jjiiCTj / lo xiijarjjjiic,-i_/ 'uj. - •^juu//-i
Ibid. ed. Collier, 150: 7— , , , , -ttt
Now, for yotir pains, there is tw^ty pound in sQld. . .
Th^^fR,etu^n fi:,ooXj Parnassus, III, 2 (Hawjqus,, Qxi^in pi the
English Drama, III, 242): When he rpturjis> |']|jr,^^lli twenty
admirable lies 9|" his , h^)Y;^, rj— , ^]Did. (Hawldps, JII, ^5^9) : —
■dn97/P!s, hfingry/sir^^^will, §cr^p^ lyou. ..l^w^nty l^_g^nimiiT sxlT
From one good Christmias weajl.pn Christmas T-day^^jj^g^^j
S.Rowley, WhmiyyeiJ ^§§-njQii,yiftUJjkn9;Wj ^e]i(^:ij:iz$, 36):
King Harry loves a man and I , p|er(j:eive t^r^'-? sqni^ jm^Jtie
in thee, there's^^jyei^^^j a^eI^^.^/^1^^* r-T-i^Jn/g^^^^^
Alphonsus (ed. Elze, 49)" a ppj^©^^^..,f5^1e4^,fy^9a}»^/*^ —
it is twenty hours before it wqy}^ r m ,iji(il
whilst is^,rM^Iifl'^Ke}fi(JJgW/JQf3vMaMi lHi,j(ed[r®jfi2e,rf-3i6-^ it is
said of another poison that even forty^^Jioursjjpii^gl^i^^l^P^
before its^ffgq^^ b^.^pejrp.^ivedf.,^ j., .:o/o' onidJ rririJiV/
It is a precious powder that I bought . vr 1 I H
Of an Italian, in.Aiipona, pnce, , ^ . ■ .a>
Whose operation is to bind, infebt,
iJiv/ teom -rti. .1 , /i .if-.tniai'iT uiij to aoilfiioJiB a^nobyiCl xil
Ana poison deeply, yet not appear ^
T r _^ u . .^ . ^ , — ;'byibnml vJflav/J*
In forty hours after it is taen. ^
,118 jom iiuJ ioiuiBO liol
* A iWmi PA''^^ ]^lfar^i^¥f'o'ri^W tffi''p«Pcf^r^ 'forty
angels', to- ^'-dtita^-'lM' Itin^JHari-y's Wifl'ft';-'^ 'JTJ^i' i' 'f'^'^^^^ h
iln
HAMLET. 95
A Warning for Fair Women, A. II, 1. 820 seq. (Simpson, The
School of Shakspere, II, 300): -^.1 > .,1,;^: j -jiuv/; j .
Roger, canst thou get but twenty pound, yj ]t nni-nyi.
Of all the plate that, thou hadst from usjj^pt^. i
Ibid. A. II, 1. 1062 seqq. (Simpson, II, 310): — r^ tt
I have heard it told, that digging up a grave -^
Wherein a m^n had twenty years been buried, &c.
'Twenty -thousand' occurs hardly les^ frequently than
'twenty'. The Two Gentleman of Verona, 11, 6, i6: —
With twenty thousand soul -confirming oatI\s.
The 'IVIeriy Wives' of'^Windsori'lX^ 4, 96:—" ' ' ' '
"■^ ^'Thbd^h' t*<diit}' t^busanA'Svt^hifet'ecJiifg^l^ m^he)^f^^
EtIVfe'fe' likbour'ij Lbst, 'V, 2; 3^^:^'^ '-+-- '^i ,..•-' 1 d^ii-ii:i
— • i^' ain • tbrapai^d^' ti mtity thd\ffe^V>d-fkirs. -idiiiimbfi
The Tamir.^^ th6' SW-eV.';'in"ff7^t2'i''4rid'V;^^i,"4'i j^{Hwcnty
thoil^.rd^roxWr^'fe! >lRic^fefa 11[',''t'^^,"V,-5§'^ ^'' ^""'"'''^
'<^l ^Tid''larikfwer'Wv©Wtf 'tth<!>usand' stich feis'ydUi^ '-^ cdlv/ojl .?.
• ^'F^Ni'6uldr-^I>'''fe-'8l^afe'Wp4^fTi{)s^'^''^^^ .aorflm
- MtH^'lS^4n^^'te'tfs;fAd"M^^8s.^ (Q^ '^^^3 .b9) gOgfioriqlA
Ibid III 2 id©^'"— '^i*^'^^"' ^tuoil yJnov/J gi ii
Tiic'iigh Sutfol-ll' dairy Mili'^lii^vdnty'tljousaiKti'tl&efiSJ i^'iiiv/
Coriolanti^,'lII,^:^,"VoV"'^ "®^^ ^^'^^ ""''^^''•l I'-'^^f^"'
Within thine eyes sat twenty tHblisknd' dd^ifhfe.'^-^' ■''^'"'
., , ^ ITT- /I uiauod I iadi lybv/oq euoiojici £ ^i Jl
Hamlet, IV, 4, 60:^— / . \
Ihe imminent death of twenty thousana men.
.Jj'jiili .bnid •'! ^.i iIoijJjTHit^ ■ly.ndlJ
In Dryden's alteration of the Tempesi. IV, i, sve meet with
■' JGOiji^j; Itm ):){^ ,T\K\'y.Ay iiOc;ioij 77;i7-.
•twenty hundred': — .»..•«-» 4 ^ ♦ , t
You cannot tell me, sir,
(I mean if there so- wfti^j' ^Aiii^lt^ni)NPJ5l#in4i^CvJ .'ils^az
96 HAMLET.
The very acme of indefinite numbers is reached, curiousl}-
enough, by a rather sedate and cool-headed character, viz.
Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, III, 3, 153: —
and call thee back
With twenty hundred thousand times more jc)
Then thou went'st forth in lamentation.
Also 'four and twenty' and 'two and twenty' may be
mentioned as indefinite numl^ers; the former occurs in • The
Winter's Tale, IV, 3,43: She hath made me four and twenty
nosegays for the shearers; and in i K. Henry IV, III,- '3-, 85:
and money lent you, four and twenty pouild/ 'Two and
twenty' is found in i K. Henry IV, I, i, 58 scqq.: —
Ten thousatid bold Scots, two and twenty knights,
Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see
On Holmedon's plain.
Iliid. II, 2, 16 seq. : I have forsworn his -oomijany hourly any
time this two and twenty years, and yet 1 am bewitched
with the rogue's company. — Ibid. Ill, 3, 211: O for a fine
thief, of the age of two' and twenty or thereabouts:
iv- Even 'eighty' (^i= twice forty) occurs in an indefinite
sense; "See Hawkins, The Origin of the English Drama' (Ox-
ford^ 1773) III, 2;^;^: Hark thou sir; you sHiill hftve-eighly
thanks.
I am^ofeouTsb far'froM 'assiartitig that iiVo 'dther numbers
but those^'"h*i-e 'discussed dfe used tief'^^ndcnbte art' indefinite
quantity; 'on .thfe contrary several others ■ such as 'three',
'sev-en', 'three and 'twen-ty^ (TroilufS andGressidaj I,- 12, 255),
f.three rand twenty 'thousand^' (i K. Henry VIv ly-lr'i ^S')'
'five •a'^dftwenty^^ ■' five and twenty thowsawd ' < (3 K. 'Henry VI,
II, 'i,'ii'8i)y'iare used more or < less frequently in the same
manner. (Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XI- 288 folgg.) . '.oV~^^i
HAMLET. 97
xcn.
^\^len we have shuffJed off this mortal coil.
Hamlet, in, i, 67.
A lion -English critic may well j^ause before questioning- an
expression which for a couple of centuries has been, as it
were, a household word with all English -spealdng people.
1 am, however, unable to silence the critical doubts to which
the expression 'mortal coil' has given rise in me and which
are greatl) increased b) the disagreement that prevails even
among English editors about it. Warburton takes 'coil' in
the sens«?.,of,i turmoil, bustle', and Al. Schmidt (Shakespeare-
Lexicon^:. sy, v.) likewise deiines it by 'this turmoil of mortality,
of life'; Heath thinks 'mortal coil' means the 'incumbrance
of this mortal body'; and Caldecott does not ht'sitate to claim
twp (orn three) iflaeanings at one and the same time for the
word, viz. Uiat of 'turmoil' and that of 'ringlet' or 'slough'.
fJti ia here usedj', hp safSj.Sin: each ©f, its, senses: turmoil, or
bustle, ai^d that which (jntwuies, or wraps round. .Snakes
gunemliy lift.likiQ the coils of. 1 ropes; and it is •conceived that
an alluiiwii i« here: haid) to tjie, struggle wli^ch that animal is
obliged, .to: make in » casting ihi$ slough.' — This explanation,
tlunigh backed by no less an authority than Dr Furness,. in. my
opiniiin cam hardly iJ^e mainlaiijcd, .^ince th©. meanioag" of the
word , '(toil 1'; with) -lilizabethaw writers can be shown to have
been) quite 1 definite,. lond .unequivocal- Other tcriticsi think
'coil' iui pur .passage). t(;XHi>ei; eqvHiValeut wto what Eletcher
(Bonduc^i 1 IVf// 1 )i (fi^Us ^e 1 , f cabei , .of ..flesh ?«'. . 'rtlt whas been
:(ionle4)xied,'i'isjiys iDr,.i«,giljeljiy,,(Shakjet)tpcare Hermevwutiq:s, SS)
tiijat iiiiiUamletf,H i^pt-yjch, the "riKwrtal coiA'' i«i;lh<f coil, i.i^
the trouble Qr;,turnioil, ij>dclrei*ti(W.finaan-s.JQOirJlal. state: ..but
the analogies arc too stroiighi favour of l\u' "mortal coil"
7
98 HAMLET.
being what Fletcher calls the, "case of flesh".' — It is greatly
to be regretted that Dr Ingleby has not favoured his readers
with some oiie or; other , of / these strong analogies. In the
sarae, pr,at le^st, Jip ^similar, sense the wor4 seems to have
beeiiv, taken b^ R^ , Chambers 4p .his Traditions of ]|idinburgh,
1,^8 J se^.: 'Or does, the "mortal coil" in which the light of
mind is enveloped, become thinner,, -,pr ,mp^^, transparent by
lhe..\y^earJBg,9f c^c^dly sick^)<^ssi^ ' , The. .-explaiiation of the pass-
age given by James Henry Hackett (Notes and Comments up-
on C|>rtainij[^l^ijs. and Acitors ,p,i[;^liake;sj>^are,; I^ York, 1864,
21 and 25) comes nearly^jtp );^e.,^ai]^p;,, This supposed ^igni-
fication^9|& l^^,,\^pr(;i,,rho,\y^yer,^j^) iHQl; &uppp,rtpd, bjj tes^jnony ;
it..is,r3;|;her a signiiicatipn 'for, the . jioncf!\',i a petitio principii.
Still. J6§^ acceptable seems that which a late English friend
of mine imagined to be the paeaning of ' coil ' in the present
passage; he unde^rstopd it to denote a s^loiigh.^i .jgy^t/t,'* coil '
nowl^^re. occurs. ii>|thjs se.nse, and. i,f,4t -did, this ,seniSe|-VPOuld
not fit the present passage, inasmuch as the poet does by
no means speak of pui;; mortal, ppil ?^oi soojething which
like a slough has already,, be^p^;^aas|;j.j9|[; jjp]^, a^,pf.^{Pf thing
which we are still wearing,, .,,_+..,,.,,. .'..[(.-.jA R?>-)hcfiroa
Apart from the line ui^dpr,dj^9U3^o^,,f the,. '5v,9r4r)' coil'
occurs eleven times in Shakespe^i^^ - aj;i^ ;JP/;aU the^e passages
has thip sigjaificatiqi^ p|,^*|;u;i;ij(ipjil., jl^,ij§tl^,i,n(f^isep] dif^turbance '.
To^ ^j^an^injef^^^s^ ijfi6.t^T.ce?,j,w;hip^ j^e ei3LWiera,t^!4ifbpth in
Mrs Cowden Clarke's Concordance and in Al. Schrajdt^'f.
Shakespeare -Lexicpi).,, would ,^1^^,^^ labour thrown away, espe-
cially since all editpr^-^.agJC^e, iwith,, rjea|)jectt,tp ^t^ir /.inter-
pretation. As may be^^ex,pe,cted„.jJt'iefWQr4tis, upr,les^ ,frPfluent
with otlipr cijriyn^tists,.^^:^d .wriljer^j.^f, the,,J]llij^be^^^ and
in ordei^.^tp^.^^t, fi^n^.. g^o^,iai:,^,p,Yr „^urtl^^r.| ii^gjiiry^^^^ may,
perhaps, be as [f^il^j^gj^t^jl,^^^ig^j^J^t^9|ijglJ^tli9S5,^^rious
HAMLET. 99
passages which in the course of many 'j'ears' reading 1 have
been able to collect. - ' - " ■ ''- -"
1. Marlowe, 2 Tamburlaine, iV, i "(h'± Dyce,'"6ib): —
Ca/y. I would my father would let me be put in the
front of such a battle once, to try my valour ! [.4/an//s wMin.]
What a coil they keep! I believe there will be some hurt
done anon amongst them.
2. Marlowe, Faustus, V, r (ed. Dyce, 129a; ed. WV Wag-
ner, 94): —
Duke. What rude disturbers have wo at the'^-ate?
■Gb,' pacify their fury, set it ope,
And then demand of them what they would have.
[T/iey block agaiti, a?id call out to talk with
Faustus.
Serv. Why, how now, masters! what a coil is there!
What is the reason )ou disturb the Duke?
' '^. Marlowe, The Tragedy of Dido; A;' IV init. (ed. Dyce,
265 a): -
I think it was the devil's revelling night,
'There was such hudy-buriy in the heavens:
Doubtless Apollo's axle-tree is craclc'd,
'"-' ' Or'ag:ed Atlas' shoulder' but' of joint, '
' '-'Jl^hfe motion was so over -violent.
""" ' lar. In all this coil, Where have ye left^'t^ic queen?
"L-j. Marlowe, Heto arid Leander , Sixth Sestiad /ed. Dyce,
307ayi — ' '"' ■"' '■•" ■'■■ ' '• ■'^'"' ' '■''^'
As when yOu dekcry
'^J" A 'Ship, tvith all her sail contends to fly
Out of the narrHw Thames with winds unapt,
Now crosSeth here, then there, then thi.^"^^*y ta'l^t,
And thert hath one ^omtreach'd, then alters all,
And to another 'ctookM reach doth fall ,.'i,..,
7*
100 HAMLET.
Of half a bird -bolt's shoot, keepmg more coil
Than if she danc'd upon the ocean's toil.
5. Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, IV, i|i'^i— f
Heart of my body, here's a coil, indeed, with your jealous
humours.
6. Ben Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, I, i:i:—Arv
Do you hear! Jack Littlewit, what business does thy pretty
head think this fellow may have, that he keeps such a coil
with?
7. Ibid., 1, i: — .,nuu:
And then he, is such a ravener after fruit ! — ^ you, will not
believe what a qoil I had t' other day to compound a busi-
ness between Cather'ne pear woman and him, about snatch-
ing: 't is intolerable, gentlemen!
8. Ben Jonson, Volpone, II, i (Nano sings) : —
You that would last long, list to my song,
i\Iake no more coil, but buy of, tjiis oil. ^ r^.r^H
9. Edward III, IV, 6 (ed. Delius, 76)^ — .^_'^ ''^''"
What need we fight, and sweat, ,and keep, ^a ^coil,
,When railing crows outscold our adversaries. ....
JO.' The Spanish Tragedy, A. lU (Qu. 1618, '32a): —
How now, what noise? What coyleMs that 'you' keepe?
[A nqys'e witHik'J^ ' '_
IT. Lord Cromwell, I, i (Malone's Supplement,' 11,' '3 ^4)'!' —
He keeps such a coil in his study, wth th6 'fetin, and the
moon, and the seven stars, 'Ml^''l do 'i^ferily think he'H'l*¥a'd
out his wits. ' ■' '"'' '■ ^"Ji^^ 'rts^^^ ''^^'f'l
''''12. Middleton, The Mayor of Quinboroiigh, n'I,r'3c|Dodsley,
1780, XI, 127):" — i--Cf '0\fii (ilgiuamixi ,c;^.ui,iTfi5-iQ riaiirTcf
' ' ■ - ■' ^Here's tib ^'^^W'^olXi^^ 1 ^xtp ^lad'^ey^ ^tePsb yeasofaa[bft .
'(SbW^ ^^EriiBS' *a«/^ '^We ' haveiJ^ithe , ■stage^dir^etiaa:! oi^i'Vwflo?
wifhdut.)^''^'^'- ^b':>dTorflBol '.'lom .^Idso 'riom ' > ;>ooTa-nofrnB-j
HAMLET. 101
13. S. Rowley, When you see me, you know mc (ed.
Elze, 11): — ; fi iij;ili
Dost thou hear, Harry, what a coil they keep? 1 ■' ,
14. P'.astM'ard Ho! IV, i (The Works of George Chapman:
Plays. Ed. R. H. Shepherd, 470a): — ■ • "-I
'S light! I think the devil be abroad, in likeness of a storm,
to rob me of my horns! Havk, how he roars! Lord! what
a coil the Thames keeps!
15. Arden of Feversham, V, 6 (ed. Delius, 49): —
'Zounds! here's a coil;
ion 'l^oti' A^'ere beSt' swear me on the interrogatories,
' HoW'ftikny pistols you have took in hand,
Or'whetheir 1 love the sinell of gunpowder,
Or dare abide the noise the dag will make,
Or will not wink at flashing of the fire? '
1 6. Rob. Chester's Loves Martyr ed. (jrosaf t, 94 (for ihe
New Shakspere Society): —
Then Rage and Danger doth their senses 'naiilit,
And like mad Aiax they a coile do keepe,
Till leane-fac'd Death into their heart ' doth creepe.
17. Histri9-j\IastiXp,^A. Uh,]- 92 (Simpson, The School of
Shaksp.^l^e,. U, .47)^ —
What q,,cojyle,keep^s those fellqys there?
,(i,i^,,,A ?leasari|; C^flaedie, of Pasquil and Kath,eririq^,^ A,,,ll
,(3,iwpgoo, Thq^^'^P'^ippl of ^h^lfspert?, ,U, 162): ^yr ,,„,. ,f.,^,,,,
What harsh, vnciuill tongue keeps such a cqy|e?,,| ,,,,
/-ilfe0jcjOiIarst(Dh, Anloaio aad iMcllidai,' A,i II init.. (li(?|tic, The
British Dramatists, Edinburgh, 1870, 352): — • |/
■S.ilid..(cdjc>d Siginiov,iBulurdo)r,Pifo!T Dop. Basilisco's ajiipour in
thc.Mkror for'Kmghthood; what coil's here? O for, ^n arroo»U'
cannon-proof; () more cable, more featherbeds, more feather-
102 HAMLET.
beds, more cable, till he had as much as my cable hatl^and,
to fence him.
20. Hugh Holland, quoted in Malone's Shakespeare by
Boswell (1821), II, 221 {according to S.Walker, Crit. Exam,,
II, 116): —
Here no need is of my sorry charmes
To boast it, though my braines Apollo warmes;
. Where, like in Jove's, Minerva keeps a coile. '
21. Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament (Dodsley,
1825, IX, 26): —
Heigh ho ! Here is a coil indeed to bring beggars to stocks.
11^-22. Ibid. (Dodsley, 1825, IX, 40): — .: iifoami
Here is a coil about dogs without wit.
2^. Nash, Pierce Pennilesse, ed. Collier, 48 (for the Shake-
speare Society) : —
Lord! what a coyle have we, this course and that course,
removing this dish higher, setting another lower, and -taldng
away the third. A generall might in lesse space remove his
camp, than they stand disposing of their gluttony.
24. Nash, A Private Epistle of the Author to the Printer &c.
before the second edition of Pierce Pennilesse (ed. Collier,
XIV): — -^7
And, lastly, to the ghost of Robert Greene, telling him what
a coyle there is with pampheting [sic, read paniphlcimg\ on
him after his death.
25. Rob. Armin's Nest of Ninnies, ed; Collier, 28 (for lihe
Shakespeare Society): — 'i fun
Well, they fall out, they go together 'byj.the eares and such
a hurly-burly is in the roome that passes; At; last the stobles
they liy about, the pots they walke, the glasses 'they; go to-
gether; nay, the prayerbookes they flie into the fire, that
such a noise there was that the whole house wondered at
HAMLET. 108
this folly. Persuasions wer to no purpose; dores he would
open none, till they violent!}- brake them open, though they
were of gold ; and so they did and entered the parlour,
found all this leuell [Collier conjectures lewd or wicked'\ coyle,
and his pate broken, his face scratcht, and leg out of joynt.
26. Gascoigne's Princely Pleasures with the Masque intended
to have been presented before Qu. Elizabeth at Kenilworth
Castle 1575. With an Introductory Memoir and Notes. London,
What stir, what coil is here? come back, hold, whither now?
'.-. ....-Not one so stout to stir, what harrying have we here?
27. Beaumont and Fletcher, The Humorous Lieutenant,
V, 4: —
- i.^i.fiV, And such a coil there is
Such fending and such proving.
To these instances of the substantive ' coil ' 1 join three
4)assages in which the verb ' to coil ' occurs, once in the signi-
fication -'to wiiid, to form ringlets', twice in the signification
'to beat, to drub'. : They are: —
.r/.2f&.:) Beaumont and Fletcher, The Knight of Malta, II, i: —
'.Third Sol. We haVe seen the fight, sir.
Xoi-. Yes; coil'd up in a cable, like salt eels,
■ iiQi buried loww'bh' ballast: do you call that lighting?
29-. 'A- Comedy of K. Cambiscs (Hawkins, Origin of the
Knglish Drama, 1, 266) : —
Hleretdraw and fight. Hero'isfee raust'lay on and coyle them
both, the Vice must run his way for feare tSic.
30., The Wife Lapped in Morel's Skin (The Old Taming of
^a^'PhFewi; ed. Th. Amy oti for, itlieif Shakespeare Society, 79): —
tixcdpt shei-turoc and change -hor raindu,
.Vnd cake her 'Conditions oucrichone,
I , . ;?ho shali . fylnde me to hex so vnkindo.
104 HAMLET.
That I shall her coyle both backe and bone,
And make her blew and also blacke,
That she shall grone agayne for woe.
This is the whole number of instances of ' coil ' which I
have come across in Elizabethan literature; there may, no
doubt, be many more, but I have no knowledge of them.
I hardly need assure the reader that I do not withhold a
single instance, least of all one where 'coil' might be taken
in a different sense. As to the modern use of the word the
influence of the Hamlet -passage, in many cases, is distinctly
discernible, even where we have not to deal with a mere
quotation of, or an intentional aWusion to, it. I continue
my list, beginning this, its second series with the er'a of the
Restoration. -^'"i -' ' ^^T 4nuH rfigisJ -.tf.
31. Davenant, The Playhousdio be'fiet, 'A. V (Works, 1673,
jt TTg\. 'rtJ iuods amiiiqe Siiiiddnd 10
Widow, be friends, make no more such a hot coyle;.
We'll find out rich Husband to make the pot boyl. ;
i ■■: 1 ,; i';.ut.-Ji ' -- -J-^ n'i.Li\,H -Jill. _i-ju v/Oli n)/"
^^^.^Butler, Hudibi^s,,,?^^;!, .^^Jt^p-^^, A^^m^hmb smii.
v.hn^^ rag:d,,aud k^,^as.,I;i^^v)^^^a, C^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^, ^^^.^
Stout Hercule^^^r^ Lqsg^of Hyl^s;^^ .aonBJaie.s
■jdi pW>g tlje YalUes ^^ W^^mS'.qqB ii ban
The Accents of his sad Regret. ., ..^ lioo x^Banw
t\53- Scott, The, Lady of the LaJse, GantQi^,JJJj,7 24r;fiTDnA
The signal roused to martial coil bciaor
(.bd Xiie,:,§nlle^,j;^argin of Loch,,rVpr). noicil .
34. Ibid., Canto V, 16: — .^Q\ ,1
.'io-i Lilie adder darting from his QoilyirojL' 6&i- 'jybiiisra sriT
7qqi;Eike,i rwolf that dashes -through the t<!>il?vo! ov/ i6i) ^h}J
^^ijJi! Like- mountain -cat; "who guards her ybuTi^m has ,n£m
Full at Fitz - James's throgit he sprungo J h JJ5ffw •^iiiinirii
HAMLET. 105
35. Scott, Rokeby, Canto III, 6: —
Thus circled in his coil, the snake
When roving hunters beat the brake,
Watches with red and glistening eye.
Prepared, if heedless step draw nigh,
With forked tongue and venom'd fang
histant to dart the deadly pang;
But if the intruders turn aside,
Away his coils unfolded glide
And through the deep Savannah wind,
,,.^,, i.Some. undisturb'd retreat to fincL
3,6. Scott,, The Lord of the Isles, Canto I, Jntrod.: —
Where rest from mortal coil tlie mighty of, ithci Isles.
Sy. Leigh Hunt, The Story of Rimini, init.: —
.\nd when you listen you may hear a coil
Of bubbling springs about the grassier soil.
38. R. Chambers, Traditions of Edinburgh (New Edition)
p. r 1 1 : —
She now became alarmed, screamed for help, and waved her
arms distractedly; all of which signs brought a crowd to the
shore she had just left, who were uniible, however, to render
her any assistance, before she had landed on the other side
— fairly cured, it appeared, of all desire of quitting the
uneasy coil of mortal life. ^'^'' '"^'^ -' '■'"'
Another passage in the same book' has already 1^'en
mentioned on p. g8.
39. (arlyle. History of Ffiedrich II of Prussia (Tauchn. Ed.)
I, 192: —
The marriage was done 1 in tii* Church 1 of ilinnsj'iTuck,)/td Feb.
1342 (for we lovetto be particulate}* Kaiser T.ndwig, hapi)y
man, and many Princes of 1 the itinpire,! looking' on; little
thinking what a coil it' would proves; -/^fuiij -v\Ji I i^ wu 1
-106 HAMLET.
The verb *to eoil' has only thrice occurred to me in
modern writers, viz. :• sVs'i(>'i
40; Southey, The^Life of Nelson, Chap, I (London, Bell,
1876, p. 2i)tisitmji
iHe started' up y and found one of the deadliest serpents of
tfeiS "Country coiled Aip at his feet.
(iM<;' ' Gal t^'^Thei' Life; of Lord Byron (Paris, Baudry, 1835)
■ I'lfelt'lftid' many-* foot and 'beetie' creep;
- •iA'njd'on my breast the cold wonn coil and crawl,
(u 4i2UiJ}iG^ Whittier, Complete Poetical Works (Boston, 1879)
p,T3Sii y^lcttBH io Mfrii -y/ndp. '-*t ihw^nBioqLoaj'
i-Aui (Thftt^^liiOonlight through the open bough'>fli9ai '
li;J-joiii Of'the gnart'd ibeech, whose naked root tioa. iBi"'
Coil^ like a serpent at his foot, ■ j
Falls, checkered on the Indian's brow.
-/ifjaiJAfterdall these instances - tb^re can hardly remain a doubt
ak' to» the-' signification of the substantive 'coil' and it' is evi-
dSftt that' during the Elizabethan period it occurs exclusively
in the nieaiiing of 'turmoil, bustle, tumult, noise'; its. -second
m^eaning i (=t=t= ringlet-, ^ winding) ^^eing only to; be- met with in
modern -aul/hfors.' > The fabt < tils' jA'that we have ^'-distinguish
MtwieeW<iat«^i ^dJffeyent'.woydSs^'Ojfi' entirely dififetent origin,
IVIyskrs Wedgwood ^rnd Skesf are. agreed in deriving! f-EoiV N0.1
fip(f)in thoMCeRie;' 'Gaek"'^^//, boiling, flttne^ibattlfe, rage^ fury;
iO'M}mU^gM!,<'WA^\''^ght;i'M^ii>i^ot:fll>iU\kY, fight; 'Irish and
(^afeii^'^^i?fe<7OTj"^rfi!ttfe,'yain ■■Ifattiifej; >^eh'jcmMti',>jei /stir, raove-
■mmit^t:n^isiiini^i>-Gm{iv,and!^ilTjiig0tV-,niiai-\:im^^ mgssJ> nAs: to
^Bbil'j Nb, armheref^iii-^ai'fyecfwjiriproef '(tihat .d\irihg the -Eiiaa-
bfethafl) e'rfeilatrfwfaf; iimd ais*^^ substanSiv^yrj^'ith' thd^ wrirfjets-iof
thi^ fperi'od^itJ oniy<e)(icvn-s': as' a verbrrl^se© No. aB)' which
m^GOPding tot j\J*'Skeatioriginally meansf^Uoigatheri together';
HAMLET. 107
Mr Skeat and Mr Stratmann , (Old English Dictionary, 3'1 J*xl.,
128a) rightly derive it from O. F. coiUir, cuillir,[CueilHxyXaX.
colligere. Thus it appears that the,. substantive, fjeojl' in. the
sense of 'ringlet, winding' is a recent fonnation, derived
from the verb. Even 'coil' No. i does, by nou means seem
to be an old English word; it is- iiDt; contained in either Strat-
mann's Dictionary or in !Majtzner's .Sprachproben (Glossar)).
Now, if critics are justly required to be conservative, coounen-
tators, in my opinion, ought to be possessed of jbhesame qual-
ity, and ought by no means to ascribe any Q6h©ff,sig(nilication
to a word than that in which it is used, without exception, by
contemporary writers. In the above line of Hamlet, there-
fore, a methodical critic has no choice left but. to take
'mortal coil' simply, and unequivocally, in th,e seaise of 'mortal
tunnoil, bustle, noise', which we are required or expected
some day to shuffle off.
Under, these circumstances 1 cannot refjrain. from; think-
ing our passage to be corrupt. 3L 3IasQn, :wl\o was of the
same, opinion, proposed to read /fm. mortal spnih but neither
Shakespeare,, nor any other Elizabethan draraatis:t,fseeai^ to
have I used 'spoil'- in:. Ahcu. sense ^of 'slough V in which sense
Mason wi.shes it to be understood. An anonymous critic in
the Appendix to Shakespeare's Dramatic Works (Eeipsic, 1826)
p. 106 conjectures foil or c///!', 1 Avliilst 1, my self,/, in, my edition
of Hamlet (Leipzig, i857)<, have been. led to ; smuggest 'Mail*
instead lof 'coil'. .1 have, however, .withdrawn this suggestion
since 1 am convinced that ttei, passage maiy .^leocorrected in
a much ea.'jicr, and,' at. the samctime^ raDic. satisfactory manner.
SteeVend^ adulric., q^iiotes arisimilar 'passage, fc^m 'A/ dolfull
discouir»'o£(itw«DMStraunger3.»'i» Lady ^^wi: a-iKnighl>' (iui.U'hi^
firste Parte of-'Churehyardes Chippes, Tuondtm* 1575, f^b '32 ivi),
without, ho\ycver>vprofiting of llic lopportuniiy for correcting
108 HAMLETl
the Hamlet -passage, which to him seems to have presented
no difficulty whatever. Churchyard's verses are these: —
Yea, shaldng of this sinfull soyle aliJ£>oxfl boA
Me thincke in cloudes I see ^^sO aoiluf
Amon^^%hd' 'perfite chosen lambs,
A place~prepkrde for mee. ^^^'^^ ''
It is certainly not assuming' too "much that' Shakespeare had
read Churchyard's Chippes, which were published when he
was eleven jeaifs of age','' and that the'iiiies- may have flashed
tiii'iiigh' ' iiis ' mein'ory ' whe'n ' We 'Was writiii^ His inost* celebrated
monologue. At all events our passage does not offer the
least difficulty if we substitute 'soil' for 'coil'. The expression
'mortal soil' would" bn t1ie'c6ntrary^perfectiy*agree"''not only
with the 'poet's ^ own gentihietits , " but also' wim" those 'of his
contemporaries ^vri'O love to" represent' ihe human' Body as a
piece of earth or a heap of dirt or loam.^^ Wno'^does not
remifeiiaDer'Hatnlei;^' words m'the"cfiurchyar<i-scene {y, i| 231):
'Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexaihder returnetK
to dust; the dust is earth; of earth we' make' loam,'' aiid why
of that loam, wereto he w'^aS converted, might they not
stop a beer- barrel I* — Similar passages occur m Ine lerp-
pest, I, — , ^ I ii' • ""^
riaillarirriio JJad liu .v/ibjfio .oilomxi o ,bliJom O ,nBm O
,9bnqofi] .oi& .euiqqA d^bui aslfil O
Dns t oull 'batofqfftii lav/ rjiii I0 aonusidmaara^ a'anoiaiaxlW
.59 ,9n2ioDS£0 .0) 'oiiul^^^''^nWMB^^%io^O io .bna xlbog
Filth as thou art with human care. /.^ ladiA
Still raorjeiJiO, the pioti^il^is fei w^lp^jiowBiJi»e;,injS<>»nfeVrSXLVI,
which forms, as it were, a transitJQS ^{Siitiitht!>jiPj?]fiftt)l Dis-
iJ@H^.ltqjii!yar.jpEiS6a|e ifri HftTOktel-te^// auiisdlA .'jmorilqBlO
Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth, (o^ JI cSOiBid
HAMLET. 109
Compare also K. John, V, i, 57 seq.: —
And then, all this thou seest is but a clod ..v....
And module of confounded royalty, ,...:,,!^ b^/
Julius Caisar, HI, i, 254: — :,,, ■ ^ .; ,,;.u .T/'
pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth. ..r/
The Merchant of Venice, V, i, 63 seqq, : —
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we caimot hear it.
Among Shakespeare's contemporaries only the following ,i;iay
be quoted: Dekker, Old Fortunatus (Old English Plays, London,
1814, III, 112): —
■'■• i.-J'-i' 1 • ■ .^' '
1 set an idiot's cap on virtue's head,
' '■'■ ~ ^U<
. Turn learning out of doors, clothe wit m rags,
And, paint ten thousand images of loam
In, gaudy silken colours.
Th. Heywood's Love's Mistress I, 5 (The Old English jDrama,
London, i825,,'ll,ji% — ■/, bsJb /
, ,A piece . of moving earth ■ — ^r ,
S. Rowley,, I^Vhen you, see me, you l^no\y me,^ .ed..Elz^, .j^- --
T- The, child is fair, the mother earth and clay. ,
The New Tragicall Comedie of Apius and Virgmia (Dodsley^
1825, XII, 431 seq.) where Virginius exclaims: —
O man, O mould, o mucke, oh clay, oh hell, oh hellish
O false judge Appius, &c. [hounde,
Whetstone's Remembraunce of the wel imployed Life, and
godly End, of Georgci Gascoignd, Esquire (G. Ciascoigne, ed.
Arber, 24): - ''''''" ' ^'^
'"'' iXArtdr^whAt'is ttsafli^' Du^,' ftlime,' a itrtif of wiiidt*,
n if'
Glapthorne, Albertus Wallerl!?te?rt i ' Hi, ■'3^<The"01d-"EtrgH9h
Drama, II, 4o)k\nrr> iiiicU': nn 10 ajirjj 'iii .m' " '
no HAML1ET.
ui b-^infThey (viz. these desires) are all fleshly
-rnutSordid, -iaS'-Jiy-- the day this frame's compos'd of.
Sir Philip Sidney, -An' Apologie for Poctrie, ed.'Arber, 29: —
The final- 6rtd 'is, to lead and draw vs to as high a perfection,
as Our' degenerate soiales, made worse by theyr clayey lod-
gings, ca'n be Capable '©!> ''-■i- • •• iJjv'ujju
To these English- 'writ^l's'' 'a (rkvtiMi contemporary of
Shakespieal-ef-inay' be 'joined', who passed a great part of his
life in 'Londjoni'i Viz. thte' poet Rudolf Weckherlin. His poem
'iOlendi^de^^* mehsehl'ieheft'"lJebeHS''i (VV. Muiler'f^' Bibliothek
deu{gt;herDichteF 'deg'Si^bzehntenJahrhunderts, iV, 8 !-)■ begins
with the following lines: '-1^^^' i^^'
JiwaniigDus'twfenig 'Koth, du wenig Staub, '■■■
-^hq 'Jc-.-JHochmuthig ' durch ein wenig Leberi,^'M.-*«<^'^ ^'
Durch welches Leben, wife- ein- La'#B^i'"
iD-jb ::Du kariii§t-' eiri'iWM' >allhie'>utiischwebe»ri.^' -»''-- ("■'-■■ -^
All these %fe{arites'b^ 6f too 'striking a -ch^i-ac^^r iio't
to lend the strongest support to the emendation- 'mortal soil'.
But also in respect to the //wir/wiy ///e'rtj-r////^ the alteration is
most easy, for Quartos as W^ll' ay 'Folios-- Writfe' both 'foyle'
aiid' 'foi!e',^«c6yle^iaftci 'edile' indiffereiitlyV^ahd' an' 'f,'''riegli-
gently written, or damaged in printing, could"bfe--«dsily'' taken
for a c. At all events, thus much seeMa«? certaiti^^fhat it' the old
editions had read 'mortal soil''/ riObedf^^vOuM haVfe taken the
least exception to this reading, ' and' the- Jtnost iptesunlptuous of
emendators would never ha^^e 'Sd MnUch as dreattlt -of proposing
'mortal coil' for 'mortal soil'. (Shakesp'eare-Jahrt>uch'H, 362.)
i>.\ivssi i'Dsiari ,syf:i9
o
JJam. So long.'' Nay then, let tTie devil wear b(ack, for
1 11 have a suit of sables.
rtag-rom SAAk'ir.-'iSt, ^^136 seq.
HAMLET. Ill
In the Shakespeare -Jahrbuch XI, 294 seq., I have tried to
show that the contract between a suit of ,tiabies,*in.4 .a mourn-
ing garnaeut does not so much Ue in the color- as in the
costliness .and splendor of tlie material. In accordance iwith'
the immemorial Biblical usage of mouraiiug in sackcloth and
ashes, mourning garments to this day arismade of coarsi^j;
and dull -coloured material, where?is ,'foj],fl,Suit o/,>'?able$ the
most gorgeous and brilliant stulf was selected. .^Since J iW rote -
that, note I have, however, come across some • . passago?i iui
our Middle High -German poets, from Mhich it would appear,
that usuall)' garments of brightest colour, especiall} scarlet,
and green , were trimmed with sable , so that the contrast,
between a suit of sables and a black mourning < garment
would be complete even as to colour. I subjoin these pas-
sages in their original wording.
1. Seyfried Helbliug, XIII, 179 (Haupt, Zeitschrift fiir deut-
sches Alterthum, Leipzig, 1844, Vol. IV, p* i2.i.4) :-,/-7Ti3 liA
Wirt mir niht scharlack undo st»(^/.)pnoij2 -Ai 1
ez wirl, mir cins gebOren hobel
,,,, I MWjeim guoten Polthiga;Te. ., .uj:bijv> k-'^ " -■' ' '-'-
2. Maier, Helmbrecht 1343— -1352 (Haupt,: Zeitschrift fiir
deutsc^eflvJ^lterthum, Vol. IV, , p. 366): .—
Der dritte sac der ist vol, ,, „..,,-,,<...
Of UJid lU igeschoppet wol, : iioffi' I.I- .1 !^
fritsehal brOnat, vehe yeden .i ^.idJ .
dar under zwo, der ietweder ..nhfi).
mit sc^harldt ist bedeckPl, iBtiorr)
und da fiir gestreckeL
einez, heizet swarzer wbeL
die han ,ich, in .einem tobel ^
hie nahen bt verborgen;
die gij^e, \(^ ,^ raorgen.
112 HAMLET.
3. Parcival, herausgegeben von Lachmann, 63, 24: —
Griiene samtt was der mandel sin :
ein zobel dk vor gap swarzcn schm.
It seems that our ancestors — as far as they belonged to
the Upper Ten Thousand — delighted in these brilliant gar-
ments, particularly in the contrast between bright -coloured
materials and dark sable -trimmings.
XCIV.
For use almost can change the stamp of nature,
And either the devil, or throw him out
With wondrous potency.
Hamlet, HI, 4, 168 seqq.
This is the reading of the quarto of 1604. The later quar-
tos read: —
And master the devil, or throw him out,
whilst in the tirst quarto, as well as in the folios, the passage
is wanting. Whether we follow QB, or its successors, the se-
cond Une is incomplete and the editors therefore have properly
endeavoured to fill it up. Believing the copyist or compositor
of the second quarto to ha\e been deceived by the similarity
of the sound of two successive words 1 formerly suggested : —
And either usher the devil, or throw him out.
(The Athenaeum, Aug. 11, 1866, 180.) Although Messrs Clark
and Wright, in their annotated edition of the play, are likewise
of opinion ' that something is omitted which is contrasted with
throiv out', vet I have now come to the conviction that most
likely such an antithesis was not in the poet's mind, but that
his thoughts turned exclusively on the fact that by constant
habit the vicious stamp of nature may be reformed. The
HAMLET. 113
reading most likely to have come from the poet's pen seems
therefore to be: —
And either master the devil or throw him out.
It is true, there is some slight tautology in it, but a tautology
which is by no means foreign to Shakespeare. The com-
positor of the second quarto, I imagine, overlooked the second,
those of the later queutos overlooked the first word of the
two. As to the metre, I cannot agree with those critics who
think it necessary that a monosyllable should be added
after either, e. g. ctirb or ivean. S. Walker (Versification, 75)
is quite right in scanning: —
And either master th' devil [pronounce de'il], &c.
xcv.
They aim at it,
And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts.
Hamlet, IV, 5, 9 sf.q.
'The quartos', to use the words of Messrs Clark and Wright
in their annotated edition, '■\\^\fi yawne, doubtless a misprint
from ayme, as the word is spelt in the first and second folios.
Aim means here to guess, as in Romeo and Juliet, I, i , 121: —
I aim'd so near when I supposed you loved.'
It may be questioned, however, whether we have the right
word. May not yaivne in the quartos be a misprint from
gape just as well as from ayme? Compare K. John, II, i,
375 seq.: —
As in a theatre, whence they gape and point
At your industrious scenes and acts of death.
(The Athenx-um, Aug. 11, 1866, 186.)
114 HAMLET.
XCVI.
The rabble call him lord;
And, as the world were now but to beghi,
Antiquity forgot, custom not known,
The ratifiers and props of ever)^ word,
They cry, 'Choose we; Laertes shall be king!'
Hamlet, IV, 5, 102 seqq.
As no appropriate sense can be made out of 'the ratifiers
and props of every word', though this is the uniform
reading of the old editions, Warburton conjectured of every
ivard, Johnson, of every iveal , and Tyrwhitt, of every work.
None of these conjectures, however, is a real improvement
on the text. I have no doubt that we should read of every
ivorih, which would at once remove all difficulty. As far as
worth is concerned, Laertes would be a proper person indeed
to be elected king. But the king is not to be chosen , as
in primeval times, for his worthiness alone; antiquity and
custom come in for their share also ; they are ' the ratifiers
and props of every worth'. — Compare Thomson's Seasons,
III, 943 seq.: —
At home the friend
Of every worth and every splendid art,
and IV, 468: —
Thee, Forbes, too, whom every worth attends.
(Shakespeare's Hamlet, herausgegeben von Elze, Leipzig, 1857,
230. — The Athenaeum, Aug. 11, 1866, 186. — Shakespeare's
dramatische Werke nach der Uebersetzung von Schlegel und
Tieck, herausgegeben von der Deutschen Shakespeare -Ge-
sellschaft, VI, 177.)
HAMLET. 115
XCVII.
Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,
Would, like the spring that turneth wood to stone,
Convert his gyves to graces.
Hamlet, IV, 7, 19 seqq.
The corruption of this passage does not lie in gyvi's , as
Theobald and others have imagined, but in graces. How-
can gyves, a very material object, be converted into abstract
graces'? Not even the Knaresborough spring can effect such
an illogical conversion. The context, in a word, will not
bear an abstract noun in this place, which would entirely
spoil the metaphor. Logical symmetry indeed might be
restored, if gyves were replaced by an abstract noun, but the
comparison then would be deprived of all force, of all sen-
sible, not to say palpable, distinctness and Shakespeare would
certainly never have introduced the Knaresborough spring in
order to compare two abstract qualities. Gides which has been
proposed instead of gjves is fairly insufferable. 1 feel con-
vinced that we ought to correct graces to graves (according
to modern orthography greaves), which, at the same time,
would give the verse a regular flow. According to the Folio,
graves occurs in another passage of the poet, that, in some
respect, bears a surprising similarity to ours, viz. 2 Henry IV,
IV, I, 50: —
Turning your books to graves, your ink to blood.*
In both passages something feeble or despicable is to be
turned into graves, which not only form part of chivalric
* In this line graves has an obelus in the Globe Edition. War-
burton conjectured glaives which has been highly commended by Dr
Ingleby in the Shakespeare- Jahrbuch, II, 220, whereas in his Shake-
speare Hermeneutics, 61, he feels much less certain. Glaives is not a
Shakespearean word and gravex, in my ojMnion, is the true reading.
8*
116 HAMLET.
armour, but, at the same time, are emblems of knighthood.
Who does ]iot recollect Homer's tvxvrjfiid^Q 'Axaiot and
Chapman's /at'r greaves (Iliad XVIII, 415)? Gyves, in our
passage, stands of course metonymically for those crimes and
misdemeanours which ought to be punished by them, graves
metonymically for those merits and signal deeds, which ought
to be rewarded and distinguished by them, or, in a word,
which ought to be knighted. The simile of the spring be-
comes most appropriate if we remember that gyves were
originally made of wood. It is true, that in order to render
it perfect, graves should have been made of stone instead of
steel; but so far it may be conceded that omne simile claudicat.
Graces is, to all appearance, a so})histi cation of the com-
positor who hesitated at the unusual word graves, provided
it be not a simple mistake, which is still likelier. As to the
orthography, gra-jcs instead of greaves is quite analogous to
thraves (for iJu-eaves) and stale (for sieak or stele); compare
JMr Hooper's note on Chapman's Iliad XI, 477; Chapman's
Iliad IV, 173 and Nares s. Stele. On the other hand, ha?nes
in South Warwickshire becomes eames according to ]\Ir Flalli-
well-Phillipps, Diet. Arch, and Prov. Words, and Mrs Francis,
South Warwickshire Provincialisms (in Original Glossaries &c.
ed. by Walter \^'. Skeat for the English Dialect Society). (The
Athenaeum, Feb. 20, i86g, 284. — Shakespeare -Jahrbuch,
XI, 295 seq.)
XCVIII.
Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his cases, his
tenures, and his tricks?
Hamlet, V, i, 107 seqq.
HAMLET. 1 1 7
Tenures undoubtedly stands in the wrong place; it is by no
means synonymous with quiddities , cases and tricks , but
belongs to the law-terms relative to the acquisition and
transfer of property, and should accordingly be inserted four
lines infra, between recognisances and fines. This suspicion
is strongly confirmed by the Quarto of 1603, in however
crude a state the passage may be given there. That this
edition reads tenements instead of tenures is of no importance,
inasmuch as our concern lies only with the position of the
word, and in this respect it shows the right text. The pass-
age there runs thus: 'Where is your quirks and quillets now,
your vouchers and double vouchers, your leases and. freehold,
and tenements?' (The Athenaeum, Feb. 20, i86g, 284.)
XCK.
Woul't drink up esile? eat a crocodile?
Hami.rt, V, I, 209.
It is a matter of surprise to me that after all that has been
written on this line there should still be found so many de-
fenders of the old reading (QB Esill , FA Esik — not to
speak of vessels in QA). .Several critics have justly observed
that it would not only be 'tame and spiritless', but 'incon-
sistent and even ridiculous' (Nares s. v.) to make Hamlet
dare T,aertes l<i ihink 'large draughts of vinegar' in a scene
whose every lini^ is teeming with emphasis and hyperbole —
nay, even bombast; and it was reserved for Al. Schmidt
(Shakespeare; -Lexicon s. Eysell) to think such ludicrous rant
was to the purpose. 'Hamlet's questions', says Al. Schmidt,
'are apparently ludicrous, and drinking vinegar, in order to
exhibit deep grief by a wry face, seems much more to the
118 HAMLET.
purpose than drinking up rivers.' This is even less acceptable
than the explanation given by Theobald, that Hamlet means
to say, 'Wilt thou resolve to do things the most shocking
and distasteful? and behold, I am resolute.' The other
passages in which 'eysell' is mentioned do not bear in the
least on the line under discussion; 'eysell' being there only
spoken of as a medicine (thus e. g, in Sonnet CXI) or as
'an ingredient of the bitter potion given to our Saviour on
the Cross' (Hunter, Illustrations, II, 263); nowhere is drinking
eysell mentioned as a feat of courage and strength — as it
would seem to be in the present passage. Mr Moberly assures
his readers that *a large draught of vinegar would be very
dangerous to Hfe' — he might have added that roast croco-
dile would not be a very wholesome dish either. This is cer-
tainly so far-fetched and tame a thought, that Shakespeare
cannot have been guilty of it; it reminds the reader involun-
tarily of Capell's humorous remark that 'if Eisel be the right
reading, it must be because 't is wanted for sauce to the
crocodile.'
There are critics who would willingly give up the vine-
gar and side with those who are convinced that 'esile' is
meant for a river, if it were not that in their opinion a Danish
river must be referred to, or at least one that is not too
far removed from Denmark; in default of a Danish river
they are ready to put up with the Polish Weisel* or the
Dutch Yssel, but they strongly object to the Nile as being
at variance with the scenery of the play. This ill-founded
objection has been refuted by Dr Furness who justly observes
that Shakespeare 'who did not hesitate to make Hamlet swear
by St. Patrick, would have been just as likely to mention a
* Does this form of the name occur elsewhere or has it been
coined for the nonce.' I greatly suspect the latter.
HAMLET. 119
river in farthest Ind as in Denmark, if the name flashed into
his mind, and would have been intelligible to his audience.'
It may be added that the Nile is (and was) no less known
in Denmark than in any other European country; I cannot
conceive why the mention of so world -renowned a river
should be inappropriate in the mouth of a Danish prince;
but if so, the dramatic unity is just as much violated
by the crocodile ; in order to be consistent these critics
should substitute some Danish — or at least some Baltic —
beast for the crocodile. It may be safely asserted that Shake-
speare never cared for Danish, Polish, or Dutch rivers, and
that the name of a Danish river in this passage would in-
deed be the last that could have come from his pen.
It was certainly not only allowable to Shakespeare to in-
troduce the Nile without violating the locality of his play, but
it can be easily shown that he had the strongest motives for
so doing. The grief of Laertes at the untimely and tragical
death of his sister is uttered with such an emphasis that
Hamlet cannot refrain from objecting to such obstreperous
woe and from overawing him who utters it; he entirely gives
the rein to hyperbole and bombast; he challenges Laertes to
do whatever feat he may to express his sorrow and to be
assured that he, Hamlet, will do the same, nay, more. Nothing
can be more intelligible, more explicit: —
And, if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us; till our ground.
Singeing his pate against the burning zone.
Make Ossa like a wart! Nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.
One of the feats thus enumerated is drinking up the Nile, a
feat than which nothing can better befit the occasion, as
the Nile was considered in the days of Elizabeth not only
120 HAMLET.
as the home of wonders and monsters, but also as the
mightiest, nay, even as a measureless stream; our poet him-
self in Titus Andronicus, 111, i, 71, says: —
And now, like Nilus, it disdaineth bounds.
Besides, drinking up a river, or even the ocean, is an hyper-
bole very familiar to Elizabethan poets. Various passages
have been quoted in support of these facts, both by English
editors, and myself in my edition of this play; and I am
now able to increase their number. The vast extension of
the Nile is extolled by Marlowe in the first Part of Tambur-
laine, V, 2 (ed. Dyce, 36b): —
Which had ere this been bath'd in streams of blood.
As vast and deep as Euphrates or Nile.
In the same play. Part i, JI, 3 (ed. Dyce, 15a) the poet makes
Tamburlaine say: —
The host of Xerxes, which by fame is said
T' have drunk the mighty Parthian Araris,
Was but a handful to that we will have.
In the second part of Tamburlaine, III, i (ed. Dyce, 54a)
Orcanes even mentions Nilus itself: —
I have a hundred thousand men in arms :
Some, that in conquest of the perjur'd Christian,
Being a handful to a mighty host.
Think them in number yet sufficient
To drink the river Nile or Euphrates,
And for their power enow to win the world.
Can it be doubted that Shakespeare was acquainted with
these passages? He who is known to have inserted in the
second part of his K. Henr}' IV (II, 4) the famous lines from
the second part of Tamburlaine (IV, 3) : —
Holla, you pampered jades of Asia,
What, can you draw but twenty miles a -day?
HAMLET. 121
In Dawbridgecourt Belchier's Invisible Comedy of Hans Beer
Pot (London, 1618, £, 3c) we meet with these lines: —
Enough my ladde, wilt drink an Ocean?
Methinks a whirlpool cannot ore drinke me.
Edward lU, III, i (ed. Delius, 39): —
By land, with Xerxes we compare of strength,
Whose soldiers drank up rivers in their thirst.
Locrine, IV, 4 (Malone's Supplement, II, 246; Hazlitt. Sup-
plementary Works, 93; Doubtful Plays, Tauchn. Ed.. 179): —
O what Danubius now may quench my thirst?
What Euphrates, what light -foot Euripus
Ma}- now allay the fury of that heat.
Which raging in my entrails eats me up.-*
Chapman's Revenge for Honour, III, 2 (The Works of George
Chapman: Plays, edited, with Notes, by Richard Heme Shep-
herd, London, 1874, 433 b): —
Sol. Let go round:
I'd drink 't, were it an ocean of warm blood
Flowing from th' fncmy.
Delius, ad ioc, gives it as his opinion that all diflkulties
would be removed, if the reading of the old editions was: —
Woo't drink uj) Nilus? eat a crocodile?
but he finds it difficult to believe that so familiar a word
as Nilus could have been sophisticated into vessels, Esill, and
Esile. To me this seems to be a cura posterior; provided
we have got the right word, the word which is imperativeh-
required hv iIh' context, we xwcA i\ot iroulile ourselves with
the inquiry as to how the corrui)tion may have crept into
the text. It i>s certainly very gratifying and adds to the forcr
of an emendation if \se are able to show the origin of the
corrupted reading, but there are many passages in Shake-
speare and his contemporaries where such an endeavour is,
122 HAMLET.
and ever will be, vain, whereas the emendation itself cannot
be doubted. Let any one try to explain the printers' mistakes
that are committed even at this day! Many of them may
certainly be accounted for by a foul case and in other ways,
but no less a number will still baffle all explanation. Or
has a critic ever yet been able to explain how the famous
Vllorxa found its way into the text ? Yet who will defend it ?
There remain two points still to be mentioned. First
the words drink up. Notwithstanding what has been said to
the contrary by Dr Furness and others, I still believe that
this phrase means something more than simply 'to drink';
the preposition up, in my opinion, 'conveys the sense of
totality or completeness' to use Mr Grant White's words; tip,
says Al. Schmidt, s. v., 'imparts to verbs the sense of com-
pletion, by indicating that the action expressed by them is
fully accomplished.' I feel convinced that 'to drink up', to
say the least of it, is applied much more fitly to a river than
to vinegar. The parallel passages cited above are eloquent
on this head too ; I only refer to the lines in Edward III : —
Whose soldiers drank up rivers in their thirst;
and in The Jew of Malta, V, 4 (ed. Dyce, 178b): —
As sooner shall they drink the ocean dry.
'To drink up Nilus' is, in my opinion, equivalent to 'to
drink Nilus dry.'
My second, — and last, — remark is on the crocodile.
If drinking up Nilus (that 'disdaineth bounds') be conceded
to be an hyperbole of the first water as it expresses a pure
impossibility, it may be objected, that eating a crocodile
would be a rather weak anticlimax and could not be placed
on a level with the first -named feat of strength. I cannot
admit such an objection to be just. Eating a crocodile is
no less an impossibility on account of its impenetrable scales
OTHELLO. 123
which our poet's contemporaries imagined to be not only
spear -proof, but even cannon -proof.* In Locrine, A. Ill, init.
Ate says: — -
High on a bank, by Nilus' boisterous streams,
Fearfully sat the Egyptian crocodile,
Dreadfully grinding in her sharp long teeth
The broken bowels of a silly fish :
His back was arra'd against the dint of spear.
With shields of brass that shone like burnish'd gold.
Another passage brings us still nearer to Shakespeare, viz.
1 Tamburlaine, IV, i (ed. Dyce, 25a): —
While you, faint-hearted, base Egyptians,
Lie slumb'ring on the flow'ry banks of Nile,
As crocodiles that unaffrighted rest.
While thund'ring cannons rattle on their sldns.
Now let Laertes try his teeth on such a skin !
In short, ray conviction, that Shakespeare wrote: —
Woul't drink up AW«? eat a crocodile?
is more confirmed than ever it was before.
C.
That handkerchief
Did an Egyptian to m}' mother give;
* The source of these hyperbolical descriptions may be found in
the forty first chapter of Job, where we read: 'The sword of him that
layeth at him [viz. leviathan] cannot hold : the spear, the dart, nor the
habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
The arrow cannot make him flee : slingstones are turned with him into
stubble. Darts arc counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of
a spear.' — Compare also Job XL, 23: -Behold, he [viz. behemoth]
drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he irusteth that he can draw up
Jordan into his mouth,'
1 24 OTHELLO.
She was a charmer, and could almost read
The thoughts of people : • — —
'T is true: there's magic in the web of it:
A sibyl, that had number'd in the world
7"he sun to course two hundred compasses,
In her prophetic fury sew'd the work;
The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk;
And it was dyed in mummy which the skilful
Conserved of maidens' hearts.
Othello, III, 4, 55 seqq.
A parallel passage which as far as I know has never been
referred to occurs in Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd, 11, i : —
But, hear ye, Douce, because ye may meet me
In mony shapes to-day, where'er you spy
This browder'd belt with characters, 't is I.
A Gypsan lady, and a right beldame.
Wrought it by moonshine for me, and star-light,
Upon your grannam's grave, that very night
We earth'd her in the shades; when our dame Hecate
Made it her gaing night over the kirk -yard,
Witli all the barkand parish -tikes set at her,
While I sat whyrland of my brazen spindle :
At every twisted thrid my rock let fly
Unto the sewster, who did sit me nigh.
Under the town turnpike; which ran each spell
She stitched in the work, and knit it well.
See ye take tent to this, and ken your mother.
Can it bo doubted that this is an imitation, by which Jonson
intended, more or less, to ridicule Shakespeare? GifFord, of
course, would never have acknowledged it. (Shakespeare-Jahr-
buch, XI, 299 seq.)
ADDENDA.
XX.
There is, perhaps, a third way of scanning the Hne: —
]Mountney and Valingford, as I heard them named,
namely, by contracting 'Mountney and' and beginning the
verse with two trochees : —
Mountn' and | Valing | ford, as | 1 heard them nam'd.
Lines beginning with two trochees are by no means unusual ;
compare, e. g., ^Jarlowe, I Tamburlaine, 1, 2 (Works, ed.
Dyce, oa): —
Duke of Africa and Albania.
Marlowe, The Massacre at Paris (Works, ed. Dyer, 2.1.5 b): —
Tell me, surgeon, aiid Hatter not — ma) 1 live.-'
Anion of Feversham, III, 5 (ed. Delius, 45): —
How now, Alice? What, sad and jiassionate?
Ibid. Ill, 5 ^t-d. Delius, 49): —
Go in, IJradshaw, call for a cup of beer.
Milton, Samson Agonistes, 443 : —
]Jy tlr idolatrous rout amidst their wine.
As to the contraction 'Mountney and' it is much more
allowable than some readers would readily believe. Sucli
'swallowing or eating vp one letter by another when two
vowels meete, whereof th' ones sound goeth into other' is
reckoned among the 'auricular figures' by Puttenham, The
Arte of English Poesie, ed. Arber, 174. He gives two in-
stances, viz. /' atlaiuc for lo ollaiiii , and sor am/ small lor
126 FAIR EM.
sorrow and smart. Puttenham closely connects this figure
with what he calls the 'figures of rabbate' (p. 173), of which
he discerns three diflferent kinds, viz. 'from the beginning, as
to say twixt for betwixt, gainsay for againesay , ill for euill;
from the middle, as to say paraunter for parauenture, poorety
for potiertie, souraigne for soueraigne, tane for taken ; from the
end , as to say morne for mortiing , bet for better , and such
like.' All this 'swallowing' and 'rabbating', however harsh it
may sound in modern ears, is authorised as customary and
legitimate by Puttenham; in fact, similar contractions most
frequently occur in the works of Elizabethan dramatists and
even in Milton; thus, e. g., Fair Em, ed. Delius, 8 (Simpson,
II, 416): —
Maria | na, I have | this day | receiv | ed let | ters.
Ibid. Delius, 35 (Simpson, 11, 447) : —
Yea and Wil | Ham's too, | if he J deny | her me,
and: —
My sor | rows afflict | my soul | with e | qual pas ' sion.
Milton, Samson Agonistes, 362 : —
Ordain'd | thy nur | ture ho | ly, as of | a plant-
Ibid. 378: —
The mys | tery | of God | given me un | der pledge,
although a different scansion of this last line may be ad-
missible, viz. : —
The mys | fry of | God giv'n j me un | der pledge.
With respect to the line: —
But, Valingford, search the depth of this device,
we may, perhaps, remove the difficulty by expunging But, so
that there would be no occasion for supposing 'Valingford'
to have been sometimes pronounced as a dissyllable.
It is, of course, no very difficult task to find in 'Fair
Em ' man}" other passages which have been corrupted from
FAIR EM. 127
metre to prose. Let me notice only a few. First, the follow-
ing lines in A. Ill, Sc. i (Delius, 26; Simpson, II, 436 seq.) : —
Marq. Hard hap, to break us oft" our talk, so soon !
Sweet Mariana, do remember me! [Exit.
Mar. Mariana* cannot choose but remember thee,
y Enter Blanch.
Blanch. Mariana,
Well met. You 're very forward in your love.
Mar. jNIadam,
Be it in secret spoken to yourself:
If you'll but follow th' complot I 've in\ ented, ike.
The lines that follow I do not know how to set right and
therefore resume, some eight or nine lines lower down : —
The next time that Sir Robert shall come here**
In's wonted sort to solicit me with love
I'll seem t' agree and like of anything
That th' knight shall demand, so far forth as it be
No impeachment to my chastity; t' conclude,
I will appoint*** some place for t' meet the man,
For my conveyance from the Denmark court.
Another passage of the same kind occurs soon after
(Delius, 27; Simpson, II, 437), viz. the speech of William the
Conqueror beginning: 'Lady, this is well and happily met.'
Simpson most felicitously adds for before Forttinc and justly
remarks that sinister is to be pronounced as a dissyllable
(sinster). Thus metre is restored throughout, except in the
first line, and even here it may be easily recovered by the
addition oi sweet before lady. Compare Fair l-"m, ed. Delius, 19
* Both Delius and Simpson read 'Thy Mariana', in accordance,
I have no doubt, with the old editions. ** For ihe word hfie I
am answerable. *** Delius reads: 'and to conclude, appoint some
place,' &c.; Simpson: 'And, to conclude, point some place,' &c.
128 FAIR EM.
(Simpson, II, 428): Sweet lady, for thy sake. Ibid., ed. Delius, 25
(Simpson, II, 435) : Sweet lady, cease, &c. The passage, there-
fore, should be printed: —
Sweet lady, this is well and happily met;
For Fortune hitherto hath been my foe.
And though I 've often sought to speak with you.
Yet still I have been cross'd with sinister haps.
I cannot, madam, &c.
The most conspicuous instance, however, of verse turned
to prose, is A. II, Sc. 2 (according to Delius, 19 seqq. , or
A. II, Sc. 6 according to Simpson, II, 428 seqq.). I transcribe
the whole scene in metre, in which shape, in my conviction,
it came from the author's pen: —
Mar. Trust me, my Lord, I 'm sorry for your hurt.
Lub. Gramercy, madam; but it is not g^eat,
Only a thrust, prick'd with a rapier's point.
Mar. Flow grew the quarrel, my Lord?
Lub. Sweet,* for thy sake.
There Avas last night** two maskers*** in our com-
pany,****
Myself the foremost; the others strangers were
'Mongst which,! when tli' music 'ganff to sound the
measures,
Each masker made choice of his lady; and one.
More forward than the rest, stept f ff towards thee ;
* Both Delius and Simpson: 'Sweet lady'; according to the latter,
Chetwood proposed the omission of ' lady '. ** Simpson : ' this last
night'. *** Delius: 'masques'; Simpson: 'masks'. According to
Delius, XI, the correction 'maskers' is due to Chetwood. **** Delius
and Simpson : 'in one company'; the correction was made by Simpson
in a note. 'Company' is, of course, to be pronounced as a dissyllable,
t Delius and Simpson: 'amongst the which'. ff Delius and Simpson:
'began'. fff Delius: 'steps'.
FAIR EM. 129
Which I perceiving
Thrust him aside and took thee out* myself.
But this was taken in so ill a** part
Tliat at my coming out of*** the court -gate,
\\'ith justling together, it was my chance to be
Thrust into th' arm. The doer thereof, because
He was th' original cause of the disorder,
At th'**** inconvenient time, was presently
Committ'd, and is this morning sent for hither f
To answer th' matter; and here, I think, ff he comes.
Enter William the Conqueror ivith a Jailor.
What, Sir Robert of Windsor? How now!
Wm Cong. V faith, j-ff a prisoner; but what ails your
Lub. Hurt by mischance last night.ffff [arm?
Wm Conq. What? Not in the mask at the court-gate?
Lub. Yes, trust me, there.
Wm Conq. Why then, ray Lord, 1 tliank you for my
Ltib. And I you for my hurl, if it were so. [lodging."
Keeper, away!
I hereto discharge you of your prisoner. \Exit Keeper.
Wm Conq. Lord Marquess!
You offer'd me disgrace to shoulder me.
Lub. Sir !
I knew you not, and therefore pardon me, ^''•'
* For 'out' I am responsible. ** 'A' was first added by Chet-
wood. *** Delius: 'out at'. *** Delius and Simpson: 'At that
inconvenient.' f For 'hither' I am responsible. ff Delius and
Simpson : ' I thinlc here '. f f f Delius and Simpson : ' I' faith , my
Lord'; the latter, however, remarks in a foot-note: 'Dele my Lord'.
ffff Delius : 'Hurl last nij^'ht, by mischance'; Simpson: 'Hurl the last
night, by mischance.' " Delius and Simpson: 'my night's lodging.'
^ 'Here' added by the present writer. ww Delius and Simpson : 'you
must pardon me.'
9
130 FAIR EM.
And th' rather* as** it might be alleged to me
Of mere simplicity, to see another
Dance with my mistress, disguis'd, myself*** in presence.
But seeing it was our haps**** to damnify
Each other unwillingly, let's be content
With bothy our harms and lay the fault where 't was,
x\nd so be ft friends.
Wm Cong. V faith, I am content with my night's lodging.
If you beftt with your hurt.
Lud. Not tttt that I have 't,
But I 'm content to forget how I came by 't.
W/n Coiiq. My Lord,
Here comes the^^o lady Blanch, let us away.
Enter Blanch.
Lub. With right good will.ooo [To Martatia] Lady,
[will you stay?
Mar. Madam — \Exeu7it William the Conqueror and
Ltibeck.
Blajich. Mariana, as I'm grieved with thy presence,
So am I not offended for thy absence,
And, were it not a breach to modesty.
Thou shouldest know before I left thee. [madness!
Mar. [Asidel How near this humour is akint'ooo ^q
* Perhaps it may be thought preferable to expunge 'And' and
to write: 'The rather'. ** 'As', inserted by the present writer.
*** Delius and Simpson : ' and I myself.' **** Qy. read , ' hap ' ?
+ 'Both' added by the present writer. ff Delius and Simpson: 'be-
come', t+t Delius and Simpson: 'if you be content.' +tft Delius
and Simpson, 'Not content.' " 'I'm' added by the present writer.
^^ 'The' added by the present writer. "''o Delius and Simpson: 'With
good will.' Compare, Fair Em, ed. Delius, 30, 1. 9; Simpson, II, 441,
1. 7. "•'^x' Delius and Simpson: 'Is this humour to madness.' 'Akin'
has been added by the present writer.
FAIR EM. 131
If you hold on to talk* as you begin,
You 're in a pretty way to scolding.
Blanch. To scolding, huswife?
Mar. Madam, here comes one.
Enter a Messenger ivith a Letter.
Blanch. There does indeed. Fellow, wouldst thou
Have anything with anybody here?
Mess. I have a letter to deliver to the Lady Mariana.**
Blanch. Give it me.
Mess. There must none but she have it.
\Blanch snatcheth the Letter from him.
Blanch. Go to, foolish fellow. \E.xit Messenger.
And, therefore, to ease the anger 1 sustain,
I'll be so bold to open it. What's here?
' Sir Robert greets you well ! '
You, mistress, his love, his life? Oh, amorous*** man.
How**** he his new mistress entertains.
And on his old friend Lubeck doth bestow f
A horned ft nightcaj) to kee]) in his wit.
Mar. Madam,
Though you discourteously havefft read my letter,
Yet, pray you,tttt give it me.
Blanch. Then thake it, there, and there, and there.
\_She tears it. Exit Blanch.
* For 'to talk' I am responsible. ** The Messenger speaks in
prose. *** 'Amorous ' to be pronounced as a dissyllable. **** 'How'
is to be considered a monosyllabic foot. Or arc wc to read: 'How his
new mist(c)ress he entertains'? Or: 'How he his wfTWj/ mistress enter-
tains'? Delius and Simpson: 'entertains his new mistress.' + Delius
and Simpson: 'and bestows on Lubeck, his old friend.' t+ Delius
and Simpson: 'A horn nightcap.' ttt Delius and Simpson: 'have
discourteously.' +tt+ Delius and Simpson: 'I pray you'.
9*
182 FAIR EM.
Mar. How far doth this difter from modesty!
Yet I will gather up the pieces, which,
Haply, ma}- show to me th' intent thereof,
Though not the meaning.
\_She. gathers tfp the pieces and Joins them.
\I^cads^ 'Your servant and love, Sir Robert of Windsor, alias
William the Conqueror, wisheth long health and happiness.'
Is this then* William the Conqueror
Shrouded"*'* under th' name of Sir Robert of Windsor?
Were he the monarch of the world, he should
Not dispossess my*** Lubeck of his love.
Therefore I'll to the court, there,**** if I can.
Close to be friends with Lady Blanch, thereby!
To keep my love, my Lubeck, ff for myself.
And further the Lady Blanch in her ownfff suit,
As much as e'erffff I may.
XXIV.
After the third line of the passage beginning: —
Infortunate Valingford, &c.
there is no doubt a gap which should be stopped by some
such line as the following: —
yet ne'ertheless
I fairly hope, all will be well again;
I am acquainted &c.
* 'Then' added by the present writer. ** 'Shrouded' is to be
pronounced as a monosyllable; compare Abbott, Shakespearian Gram-
mar, 472. *** For 'my' the present writer is responsible. **** Delius
and Simpson: 'and there.' + Delius and Simpson: 'and thereby.'
+t Delius and Simpson: 'keep Lubeck, my love.' +++ 'Own' added
by the present writer. \\\\ For 'e'er' I am responsible.
FAIR EM. 133
In the next passage the \\'ords prosperity, expectation, and
Siveet Em, may be retained by the aid of contractions, and
by the introduction of a short line: —
Sweet Em, I hither came to parle of love,
Hoping- t' have found thee in thy wont'd prosper't}-;
And have the Gods
Thwart'd so unmerc'fuUy m} expectation.
By dealing so sinisterly with thee,
Sweet Em?
Et)i. Good sir, no more; 6cc.
These are certainly harsh verses and 'vile' contractions (to
borrow this epithet from Polonius), but we must take them
as we find them. Perhaps , however , these and all similar
lines should not be scanned in the ordinary way; and it may
be doubted whether they are not rather constructed after the
model of Early English verse, where only the accented syl-
lables are counted, whereas the number of the unaccented
ones is more or less indefinite.
XXVI.
There is another, and perhaps preferable, way of arranging the
lines in question, viz. thus: —
W7n Conq. Hence, villains, hence !
How dare you lay your hands upon your sovereign!*
Sol. Well, sir, we'll deal for that!
But here comes one will remedy all this.
* Or, according lo Simpson: —
Dare you to lay your hands upon your sovereign !
134 FAIR EM.
XXX.
I cannot dismiss the Comedy of 'Fair Em' without adding
a few more corrections. In the third scene (Delius, 8; Simp-
son, 11, 416) we read as follows: —
King Den. Mariana, I have this day received letters
From Swethia, that lets me miderstand
Your ransom is collecting there with speed,
And shortlv hither shall be sent to us.
Mar. Not that I find occasion to mislike
My entertainment in your Grace's court,
But that I long to see mv native home.
Evidently there is something wanting here; Mariana's speech
should begin with a line somewhat to the following effect: —
// glads my heart to hear these joyful tidings ;
Not that 1 find occasion to mislike, &c.
histcad of 'to mislike', which is an emendation by Simp-
son, the quarto of 1631 reads 'of mislike'; Delius, 'to mis-
liking '.
Farther on, (Delius, 36; Simpson, U, 448) we meet with
this passage: —
Dem. Pardon, my dread lord, the error of my sense,
And misdemeanour to your princely excellency.
Wtn Cong. Why, Demarch, what is the cause my sub-
jects are in arms?
Dem. Free are my thoughts, my dread and gra-
cious lord.
From treason to your state and common weal.
There are no differences in the readings, except that Delius
puts a semicolon after 'Demarch' and a comma after 'cause'.
The substitution of 'excellence' (pronounced as a dissyllable)
for 'excellency' in the second line seems to be indispensable
FAIR EM. 135
to the restoration of the metre. The words 'Why, Demarch'
form an interjectional line; and in the last line \ve should
insert the definite article before 'common weal.' The whole
passage, therefore, ought to be printed: —
Dem. Pardon, my dread lord, th' error of ui} sense,
And misdemeanour to your princely excellence.
Win Conq. Why, Demarch,
What is the cause my subjects are in anus?
De7n. Free are my thoughts, my dread and gra-
cious lord.
From treason to your state and th' common weal.
Another difficulty is raised by the line in A. V, Sc. 2 (De-
lius, 45; or A. Ill, Sc. 17 according to Simpson, 11,457): —
And think you I convey'd away your daughter Blanch?
which ma\- be reduced to a blankverse in three difierent
wa)s. The iirst expedient is to omit Aiid and to contract
you I: —
Think }ou l' j convey'd | away | your daiigh [ ter Blanch ?
Compare Addenda No. XX and No. XXIV. Secondly, away
might be expunged: —
And think you I convey'd your daughter Blanch?
In support of this alteration the following line from l''air \\\\\
(ed. Delius, 39; Simj)son, II, 451) may be ipoted: —
Saying, I conveyed her from the Danish court,
whilst, at the same time, it would correspond to the expres-
sion 'to steal' or 'to steal away' which is ust-d rej)eatedly in
this scene in respect to the elopement of Lady Blanch. The
third way is the omission of Blanch: —
And think you I conveyed away your daughter?
Your daughter Blanch occurs five lines lower down, and also
at the end of a verse; it seems, therefore, not unlikely that
136 FAIR EM.
these words have been inserted in the line under discussion
through faulty anticipation.
The last passage on which I wish to make a remark
occurs lin page 46 of Delius's edition (Simpson, II, 459): —
Dem. May it please your highness :
Here is the lady you sent me for.
The metre evidently requires the addition of whom: —
Here is tlu; lady whom you sent me for.
THE END.
E. Karras, Printer, Halle.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIi
AT
1877-8.
NOTICES OF MEETINGS.
THIRTY-THIRD MEETING, FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1877.
Professor Karl Elze of Halle, one of the Vice-Presidents of the
Society, on taking thecliau-, said : — 'Ladies and Gentlemen : — Before
entering on the business of the evening, I cannot but express my sense
of the flattering compliment that has been paid to me by the invitation
to take the chair on the present occasion ; for, to preside over a meeting
of an English Shakspere Society in Shakspcre's own comitry is an
honour of which a foreigner may well be proud. I do not, however,
presume to attribute this honour to myself and my own slight merit,
I rather attribute it to the German sister society, and to German
Shaksperc-learning, and German literature at large. I need not dwell
on the well-knowix fact, which has no parallel in the whole history
of literature, tliat Shakspere has found a second home in Germany,
and that he is admired and cherished by lis as much as any of our
own great poets. A German critic has said, that Shakspere cradled
our infant drama ; and there can bo no doubt whatever that within
ten years after his death German alterations of some of his plays
wore being acted in the principal courts and towns of Germany,
however rudo and repulsive those alterations may appear to the
more refined tasto of the present ago. Since that time Shakspere
has shared all tho vicissitudes, all the ups and downs of our litera-
X PROFESSOR ELZES ADDRESS.
ture, just like our own classic poets. All the foremost poets, critics,
and scliolars of Germany have done their test to bring him nearer,
not only to our understanding, but also to our hearts and sympathies.
It is hardly too much to say that the works and names of Lessing,
Goethe, Schlegel, Tieck, Gervinus, and numerous others will be
entwined for ever with the work and name of Shakspere. The
present generation follows in the wake of these great leaders ; and
in some ill-advised quarters it is even a matter of complaint, that
there is now no end in Germany of translations, of editions, of
criticisms and essays on Shakspere. The simple fact that in a few
days the tweKth volume of the German Shakspere Annual will be
ready for delivery, seems to me a sufficient proof, not only of the
earnestness and energy with which these studies are pursued, but
also of the immeasurable compass and the inexhaustible depth of
the subject.
* But it is by no means as an inexhaustible source of textual and
aesthetic criticism, of literary research and antiquarian lore, that we
pri2e Shakspere most. He would never have taken that prominent
and lasting hold of our stage, where he is a successful competitor
with Goethe and Schiller, if we did not take him for one of the
greatest dramatic poets — if not tlie greatest dramatic poet — that ever
lived ; for a poet of the liveliest and sweetest imagination, and of an
unparalleled creative power ; for a poet of the widest intellectual
grasp ; for a heart-searcher who never had his like ; and last, not
least, for a teacher of mankind who inculcates the noblest and most
elevated moral lessons, who fills our hearts with the love of wisdom,
truth, and vu'tue, with noble aspirations, with loving-kindness and
charity. He is indeed a Jacob's ladder to everything that is right,
and honest, and true, and beautiful all over the world ; and I am
happy to say, that the conviction of his moral purity and elevation,
in spite of some outward appearance to the contrary, is daily gaining
ground with all civilized nations, and is uniting them in bonds of
sympathy. Thus then Shakspere does not only prove a teacher of
mankind, but also a golden link of human brotherhood. In this
respect, as in many others, he is like nature, whose touch " makes
the whole world kin." And it is in this sense that I may be allowed
MR BAYNES PAPER ON THE CHARACTER OF BRUTUS. XI
to feel myself kin to you and to all Shakspere's countrymen ; and I
should be mucli afraid of wronging you, if I did not feel convinced
that you reciprocate this feeling.'
The new ]\Iemhers announced were ; Signor Pagliardini, Prof. J.
J. Lias, Prof. E. H. Smith, E. S. Cox, INIrs W. E. Bullock, Brad-
ford Literary Club, and J. Mackenzie Miall.
The Papers read were : —
I. On the Character of Brutus in the play of Julius Ccesar, by
Peter Bayne, Esq.
IL On the Division of the Acts in Lear, Much Ado, and Twelft](
Niglit, by James Spedding, Esq., M.A., Honorary Fellow of Trinity
College, Cambridge.
I. Setting out with the remark that the impartial dramatic sym-
pathy of Shakspere (which enabled him to enter the heart and speak
from the mouth alike of Cordelia and of lago) made it difficult to dis-
cern his personal sentiments, Mr Bayne suggested one or two criteria
by which his views as a man might be discovered in his works as an
artist. One of these was the general impression left on the mind by
a particular drama : we might generally be sure that what we felt
strongly was what Shakspere intended us to feel. Another was his
choice of subjects, and his mode of deciding between issues pre-
sented on the stage. "When, for example, Shakspere chose for treat-
ment " perhaps the most momentous issue ever fought out in this
world, that between Cajsar and Brutus," we may believe that his
adhesion to the cause of popular right, as opposed to unlimited per-
sonal sovereignty, was indicated by his decision that the action of
Brutus was heroic. Quoting, as applicable to the early Pomans as
well as to the Greek, these words of Grote — " The hatred of kings
.... was a pre-eminent virtue, flowing directly from the noblest and
wisest part of their nature," — Mr Bayne argued that Shakspere,
though no classical scholar, evinced a more accurate conception of
the moral and patriotic ideal of the ancients in making Brutus the
hero of his play, tlian those clerical scholars " who, influenced by
modern ideas, aifirmed that those who slew Cicsar were guilty of a
great crime." Even in his weaknesses, the Brutus of Shakspere was
represented as noble. He expected to find others as good as him-
self, a fatal mistake in practical affairs, and trusted for inlhience
upon masses of men to reason and logic rather than to rhetorical art.
Antony, therefore, who, as compared with him, was a political char-
latan, got the better of him. Mr Bayne illustrated at some length
the position that Shakspere always represented the multitude as
foolish and childish, but, at the same time, recognized the soundness
of their instincts, and the readiness with whicli they responded to
any appeal to theu" gratitude and courtesy. That Shakspere had an
exceptional and superlative regard for the character of Brutus, j\Ir
XU MR SPEDDINGS PAPER. PROPOSAL OP THANKS TO PROF. ELZE.
Bayno argued, from the careful elaboration of the scenes with Portia
and with the boy Lucius, — scenes to which there is nothing parallel in
Shakspere's treatment oi men, — and from the estimate of Brutus pnt
into the mouth of Antony, his enemy : —
"His life was gentle; and the elements
So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up.
And say to all the world. This teas a man!"
II. jMr Furnivall then read : 1, some notes by Prof. Dowden on
the opening bridal song in the Two Nolle Kinsmen, showing that
the flowers in it were emblems of wedded life ; 2, a paper, by Mr
James Spedding, " On the Division of the Acts in Lear, Much Ado,
and Twelfth Night." Mr Spedding insisted that in Lear time must
be given for the great battle in Act V. so. ii. to be fought, and that,
therefore, the end of Act IV. must be moved forward to the exit
Edgar in the present V. ii., while Act V. must begin with Edgar's
re-entrance. In Much Ado, Mr Spedding would end Act I. with its
first scene ; start Act II. with the present I. ii., and end it with II.
ii. ; open Act III. with Benedick in the garden, the present II. iii. ;
and begin Act IV. in Hero's dressing-room, the present III. iv. In
Twelfth Night, IMr Spedding proposed to end Act I. with the present
I. iv.; Act II. with the present II. ii. ; and Act III. with the present
III. i., the fourth and fifth Acts ending where they do now. In
Richard the Second, the first Act should end with its tliird scene
instead of its fourth. By these changes the present incongruities
would be removed.
The thanks of the Meeting were voted to the writers for their
Papers. In the discussion on the first Paper Messrs Furnivall,
Wedmore, Matthew, Hetherington, and PickersgiU took part.
After the other lousiness of the evening was ended, Mr Furnivall
rose and said : ' Altho' it is not customary to return a vote of thanks
to our Chairman when one of ourselves is in the Chair, yet on an
occasion like to-night's, when we are honoiird with the presence of
one of the most distinguisht Shakspere scholars of Germany, the editor
of their Shakspere Society's Year-book, the friend of our friend
Professor Delius — who has been twice among us and thrice sent us
Papers for our Transactions, — I feel that you will aU wish to return
to Professor Elze your thanks for presiding over us to-night, and
speaking to lis those generous words in praise of our great Poet
with which he opend our Meeting. It is a heart-felt pleasure to
every English Shakspere-student, to know that in Germany, the
poet he loves and honours has been made the nation's own, and that
every German scholar who visits our shores, brings with him reverence
and love for Shakspere. Our own Society owes Germany no common
debt. When we started, Germany had for eight years had her
Shakspere Society, which is now in its 12th year, v/hile we are in
MR FURNIVALL's PROPOSAL OP THANKS TO PROF. ELZB. xiii
our 4th. It was from German ground that our Society mainly
started : — the insisting that Shakspere be graspt and treated as a
whole, the workings of his mind followd from its rise to its fall, and
that, — as our member Miss Hickey puts it, — each Play be studied,
not only as one of Shakspere's works, but as part of his work. Our
Prospectus from the first has contained the paragraph —
' " The profound and generous ' Commentaries ' of Gervinus — an
honour to a German to have ^viitten, a pleasure to an Englishman to
read — is still the only book known to me that comes near the true
treatment and the dignity of its subject, or can be put into the hands
of the student who wants to know the mind of Shakspere."
'And though now we have works that can stand beside Ger-
vinus's, yet none the less do we still give him the post of honour
among us. Prof. Delius's text of our poet has also just been re-
printed in London. Our Chairman's Essays on Shakspere have been
englisht. And I am sure he knows that no insular narrowness mixes
with the feeKng with which we return thanks to him, the first
German scholar who has presidetl over us, the representative to u.s
of that nation, great in learning and great in Avar, our own kith and
kin, which has in our own time so splendidly asserted its love for
its fatherland, as well in the battle-field, as in the realms of literature
and science, the conquests of peace.'
The vote of thanks was carried with applause, and Professor
Elze bowd his acknowledgment.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFO^ ''A, LOS ANGELES
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