صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

P. 305. From flowery tenderness?] Dele the mark of interrogation after these words: it is found in all the folios, but it is probably wrong.

P. 325.-This is his lordship's man.] We are disposed to think Tyrwhitt right in giving these words to the Provost, and the next speech to the Duke; but, in the uncertainty, we have adhered to the distribution of all the folios.

P. 329.—and are now in for the Lord's sake.] The reference in this note ought to have been, not to Nash's "Pierce Pennilesse,” 1592, but to his "Apologie for Pierce Pennilesse” of the same date, first published under the less attractive title of "Strange Newes."

P. 349.-Hark how the villain would GLOZE now,] The identical mistake of close for "gloze " presents itself in Warner's “Albion's England," edit. 1602, which however is one of the best printed books of that day: the line is this:— "Thus cunningly she gloz'd with him, and he conceaves her thought.”

Here "gloz'd" is clos'd in the old impression to which I refer.

P. 400.-A fiend, a FURY,] The same blunder, at a considerably earlier date, was made in "A Poore Knight his Palace of Private Pleasure," 1579, 4to, Sign. H ij b, where the author, in an epitaph upon M. Sharpe of Trinity College, Cambridge, speaks of “the fairies three" instead of "the furies three."

P. 404.-Avoid, THOU fiend!] "Thou" is misprinted then in Webster's "Cure for a Cuckold" 1661: "If then beest manly."

P. 407.—the RIGOUR of his rage.] In Puttenham's "Art of English Poesie," 1589, p. 41, we have “rigorous young man," meaning a bridegroom, misprinted for "vigorous young man."

P. 416.-TO SCORCH your face,] We have made no change here, because "scorch" may be right, and there is no emendation of it in the corr. fo. 1632 : nevertheless scotch, suggested by Warburton, might be substituted. As the old text is quite intelligible, it is inexpedient to abandon it; besides, we meet with the very same expression in "The Paradise of Dainty Devices," edit. 1578, Sign. Hib:

"His shape intending to disgrace,

With many wounds he scorch'd his face."

It may however be a misprint in both places; and errors of the press must not be quoted as authority, justifying one mistake by another. The Rev. Mr. Dyce fell into this error in his "Beaumont and Fletcher," viii. p. 23, where, because he found "injure" misprinted envie in two separate plays, he would give to the latter verb a meaning it never bore. See the Preface to Coleridge's "Seven Lectures," p..xciv, where the error is pointed out. Instead of thinking for himself, Mr. Dyce unluckily took M. Mason's word in the matter.

VOL. II.

P. 27.-with such IMPORTABLE Conveyance,] Old John Heywood also uses the word "importable" in his "Spider and Fly," 1556, Sign. A a iiij :

"Small was the marvaill, though thant were much abasht

To se this sore sooden importable chaunce."

P. 33. We'll fit the HID fox] It is marvellous how perseveringly the corruption of "kid fox" has been adhered to. Hamlet, A. iv. sc. 2, mentions the game of "hide fox and all after," which is another name for "hide and seek," and that is what is here alluded to. Benedick was the "hid fox" (not the kid fox) who was to be detected in his lurking place.

P. 50.-I know him, a' wears a lock.] B. Rich in his "Greene's Newes both from Heaven and Hell," 4to, 1593, tells us that this ornament was of French origin, for he describes a courtier, in the French fashion, "with a goodly locke hanging downe his left cheeke." Sign. B.

P. 115.-Boyet is DISPOS'D.] In R. Wilson's "Cobbler's Prophesy," 1594 (Sign. B 4), the hero, Ralph, says,

"Stand aside, stand aside, for I am disposed-to spit."

Perhaps the Rev. Mr. Dyce might here argue that "dispos'd" is to be taken in the same way, as when the Princess says "Boyet is dispos'd."

P. 120.-my INCONY Jew!] The word "incony," spelt as two words, occurs thus in Dekker and Wilson's "Shoemaker's Holiday," 1600, Sign. H 2 b: the hero is speaking of Lacy and Rose, who are about to be married at St. Faith's Church under St. Paul's,-"There they shall be knit, like a paire of stockings, in matrimonie; there theile be in conie."

P. 166.-I remit both TWAIN.] "Both two" was a common emphatic expression; and now and then, although much more rarely, we find "all both :" see Fortescue's "Forest of Histories," 1571, fo. 129, where the translator says, 66 yet would he retain with hym still Silan and Sasilas, all both Lacedemonians." P. 180.-While greasy Joan doth KEEL the pot.] It may be disputed which sense the word "keel" bears when, in Marston's "Antonio and Mellida,” A. v., Balurdo says to his page, "Boy, keel your mouth, it runs over." Probably "cool your mouth" is intended.

P. 202.-The CHILDING autumn,] So Robert Greene talks of "the childing cold" of winter, in reference to the consequent fruitfulness of summer :-" for the childing colde of winter, makes the summer's sun more pleasant."—"Orpharion," 1599, p. 20.

P. 227.--What MEANS my love?] See Nash and Marlowe's "Dido, Queen of Carthage" (edit. Dyce, ii. 398), where the heroine is made to say that Achates shall be "meanly clad," instead of “newly clad," which unquestionably is the true lection, although the editor did not know how to remedy a corruption which he could not but admit.

P. 262.-the original popularity of the story,] There is a remarkable proof of its popularity in the work of a rival dramatist, Webster: it is in his "White Devil" (printed in 1612, but when first acted is uncertain), where Vittoria, on her trial, makes a reference to the heroine of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice," and complains that she is

"So intangled in a cursed accusation,

That my defence, of force, like Portia's,
Must personate masculine virtue."

In the original editions "Portia's" is misprinted Perseus, but the Rev. Mr. Mitford suggested the excellent emendation, which the Rev. Mr. Dyce (i. p. 65) was too timid to adopt, though he had the courage to print nonsense.

P. 282-The shadow'd livery of the BURNISH'D sun,] We meet with the same epithet applied to the sun in Part II. of Richard Johnson's "Seven Champions of Christendom," edit. 1608, Sign. F 2:-" For no sooner had the silver moone forsooke the azure firmament, and had committed her charge to the golden burnish't sun, but Saint Patricke approached."

P. 328.-And earthly power doth then show likest God's.] In "The Blind Beggar of Alexandria," 1598, by Chapman (Sign. F 2 b), we find this corresponding line :— "Kings in their mercy come most near the gods."

So also in "Edward III." 1596, A. v.

"And kings approach the nearest unto God," &c.

P. 366.-No, some of it is for my father's cHILD.] It is a mistake in the note, where it is said that Rowe made the change from "my child's father" to "my father's child:" Pope was the author of the emendation.

P. 370.-with forked heads,] Jasper Heywood, in a poem in the "Paradise of Dainty Devices," edit. 1578, Sign. A iij b, thus mentions them :—

"Of all the beard the huntman seekes, by proofe as doth appere,
With double forked arrow head to wound the greatest deere."

P. 402.-Something BROWNER than Judas's.] The odium in which red hair was formerly held is strongly illustrated in Silvayn's "Orator" (translated by A. Munday), 1596, p. 317, where are inserted a couple of Declamations “Of a Turke, who bought a child with a red head to make poyson of him." It begins, "A poore woman having but one sonne, which was of a red coloured haire, which the Frenchmen doe in mockerie call the dissembling haire," &c. In the Declamations the charge is treated as very possible, and it is added that red-haired children are produced by the fault of the mother-" for such children are begotten by unlawful conjunction, when the woman is in her wicked disposition."

P. 406.-"Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight?"] Chapman in his "Blind Beggar of Alexandria," 1598, Sign. F 3, has this line,

"None ever lov'd but at first sight they lov'd."

This is spoken by King Babritia, and it is in answer to what King Porus has just before said,

"As suddenly as lightning beauty wounds."

P. 415.-To sleep. Look, who comes here.] Was this a proverbial expression? In R. Greene's "Menaphon," 1587, we read,-"So that amongst these swaines there was such melodie, that Menaphon tooke his bow and arrowes, and went to bed." Sign. D 3 b.

P. 468.-for his own good, and our's.] When the note on this passage was written, I was not aware that Theobald had proposed the same change. Possibly, therefore, Mr. Singer derived it from Theobald, but he does not say so.

P. 469.-Please ye we may CONTRIVE this afternoon,] So again in Painter's "Palace of Pleasure," edit. Marsh, i. fo. 211 b:-" This poore Nodgecock, contriving the time in sweete and pleasaunt wordes with his dareling Simphorosia," &c.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

P. 479. She is not hot, but temperate as the MORN;] Here, according to the corr. fo. 1632, morn is a misprint for moon; and the opposite error is found in Dekker and Webster's "Sir Thomas Wyatt," 1607, where the line

"Their eyes do seem as dropping as the moon

"

is allowed to remain in one of Guildford's speeches, which refers to the rainy morning when the Earl of Northumberland was executed. (Dyce's Webster, ii. 289.) We ought inevitably to read,

"Their eyes do seem as dropping as the morn,

As if prepared for a tragedy."

“As dropping as the moon" at least verges on nonsense.

P. 479.-good night our FACT.] The word "pact" is misprinted part, as here, in T. Heywood's "Four Prentices of London," where the Sophy ought to say,

"I say, the Persian scorns to be colleague,

Or to have pact with them of Christendom."

P. 526.-thou hast tam'd a curst SHREW.] T. Bastard in his "Chrestoleros," 1598, in order to make sure that “shrew” should be properly pronounced for his rhyme, prints it shroe :

"What, is this true? can such a wife doe so?

Then, how must he be tam'd which hath a shroe ?”

But very often "shrew" was pronounced as if it rhymed to shoe, as in the following couplet from Puttenham's "Art of English Poesie," 1589, p. 180:"I must needs say that my wife is a shrewe,

But such a huswife as I know but a fewe."

P. 556.-Inspir'd merit so by breath is barr'd.] The line ought to have been thus printed :

"Inspired merit so by breath is barr'd."

The versification, in fact, detects the error.

P. 570.-That hugs his KICKY-WICKY here at home,] Modern editors usually print it kicksie-wicksie; and, if that be right, may not the first part of the word have some connexion with gixie? Cotgrave has “a minx, gigle, flirt, callet, or gixie." P. 599.-Since Frenchmen are so BRAID,] Warner employs the same word, but as a noun substantive, and rather tautologously ("Albion's England," edit. 1602, p. 184):

"Thus many honest servants, in their master's hastie brayd,

Are dog-like handled."

Here "hasty braid" is much the same as hasty haste.

P. 609.—and time REVILES US:] In "Hamlet," A. i. sc. 3, we have the very expression, where Polonius says to Laertes,

“The time invites you: go; your servants tend;"

and there "invites" is misprinted, not, as here, revives, but invests.

P. 623.-Her infinite CUNNING] So in J. Heywood's "Spider and Fly," 1556, Sign. L ij, we have “cunning" misprinted cumming,

"Geve verdite with cumming againste my will."

P. 647.-ACCOST, sir Andrew, accost.] This word occurs in W. Heminge's "Jew's Tragedy," 1662, p. 44, in the form of accoast, which seems more etymological, in the sense of approach: Zarack there says,

"I was commanded to accoast thy greatness."

P. 648. —it will not cURL by nature.] Just the same misprint occurs in Beaumont and Fletcher's "Coxcomb" (edit. Dyce, iii. 138), but the editor has not detected it, even with the help of this passage from Shakespeare. In the "Coxcomb" one of the characters ought to say,

"That it is gentler than the cooling west,"

but the Rev. Mr. Dyce allows it to remain "the curling west," as if the west were a peculiarly curling wind.

P. 668.-SNICK up."] For "sneak-up," in the second line of the note applicable to this word, read sneak-cup.

P. 675.-bide no DENAY.] Thomas Newton in his translation of Seneca's "Octavia," 1581, fo. 174, uses "denay " as a substantive, where Nero says,

"Our power permittes us all without denay."

We have it again as a noun, for denial, in "The Gorgeous Gallery of Gallant Inventions," 1578, Sign. H 2 :

"Whose glory resteth chiefly on denaye."

P. 709.-I am shent, &c.] Dele the last part of this note, where reference is made by mistake to "Troilus and Cressida," A. ii. sc. 3.

VOL. III.

P. 5.-As early as 1588, Robert Greene printed a tract called "Pandosto:"] There was an impression of it, under the title of "Dorastus and Fawnia,” as recently as the beginning of the present century, judging from the type and other circumstances. The imprint has great particularity, viz. “Printed by W. Smith, No. 49, King Street, Seven Dials, for J. Mackenzie, No. 16, White Horse Yard, Drury Lane: and sold by W. Harris, No. 96, High Street, Shadwell. Price Sixpence." It was also recommended to purchasers by an engraved frontispiece.

P. 7. In representing Bohemia to be a maritime country,] Richard Johnson in his "Seven Champions" did the same thing: there (chap. xvii. p. 195, edit. 1608) the King of Bohemia, providing for the three sons of St. George, conducted them himself, together with his Queen and her ladies, on ship-board at a port of his own dominions.

P. 76.—and break a foul JAPE into the matter,] Puttenham in his "Art of English Poesie,” 1589, p. 212, says,-" When we use such wordes as may be drawen to a foule and unshamefast sense, as one would say to a young woman, I pray let me jape with you, which is indeed no more but let me sport with you." P. 131.—like an ABSEY book:] T. Nash does much the same in prose, showing that it was usual to pronounce it absey: it is where, near the end of his Epistle to R. Greene's "Menaphon," 1587, he speaks of "those pamphleters and poets that make a patrimonie of In speech, and more than a younger brother's inheritance of their Abcie."

P. 136.-90 INDISCREETLY shed.] That "indiscreetly," and not indirectly, is the word, may be gathered from the same misprint in Beaumont and Fletcher's "Noble Gentleman,” A. i. sc. 2 (edit. Dyce, x. 121), where Beaufort tells Longueville, in confidence, that he is fond of illicit intercourse with women, though he conceals it :

"Believe it, sir (in private be it spoken),

I love a whore discreetly."

Here "discreetly" has been misprinted directly in all editions, but that is exactly what the poet does not intend. The Rev. Mr. Dyce, and his predecessors, can hardly have understood the meaning of the passage.

P. 146.-Do like the mutines of Jerusalem,] This incident forms part of Act iv. of W. Heminge's "Jew's Tragedy," 1662, p. 48, where Eleazar, Jehochanan, and Skimeon (so there called) join against Titus, when he is laying siege to Jerusalem. There was an old play, according to "Henslowe's Diary," called "Titus and Vespatian” (pp. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, the earliest entry being 11th April, 1591), and I have little doubt that Heminge largely availed himself of it in the tragedy printed long afterwards with his name: he perhaps obtained the old MS. from the theatre, and used it, making such alterations and additions as he pleased. He was the son of the player-editor of the folio, 1623.

P. 198.-Their NEEDL's to lances,] Sometimes, even in prose, the word was spelt, and no doubt pronounced as one syllable. In Fortescue's "Forest of Histories," 1571, fo. 107 b, we have a passage thus printed :-"Which finely taken, or drawen out, with the poincte of an neelde, trimde afterwarde with a certaine glue," &c.

P. 200.-Untread the ROAD-way of rebellion,] When I said that the emendation in the corr. fo. 1632 was "in entire accordance with what Theobald proposed," I took Mr. Singer's representation on the point for granted; but on

« السابقةمتابعة »