OFFENCE S. That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, That, neither service paft, nor present forrows, Can ranfom me into his love again, And fhut myself up in fome other course, Othello, A. 3, S. 4. Who is here fo bafe, that would be a bond-man? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Julius Cæfar, A. 3, S. 2. King of England fhalt thou be proclaim'd In every borough as we pafs along; And he, that cafts not up his cap for joy, Henry VI. P. 3, A. 2, S. 1. ▾ And Shoot myself up in fome other course.] The quarto 1630, and the folio read, "And fhut myself up.' I cannot help thinking this reading the true one. The idea feems taken from the confinement of a monaftic life. STEEVENS. I think the quarto right which reads shoot, instead of Jhut. To fay that a man will shut himself up in a course of life, is language fuch as Shakespeare would never make ufe of, even in his most whimsical or licentious moments. MONCK MASON. I think the poet may have written, "And shape myself upon fome other course.' To fhape one's courfe, is a very common expreffion, and is used by Shakespeare elsewhere. A. B. The The nature of his great offence is dead, All's well that ends well, A. 5, S. 3. My life, fir, in any cafe: not that I am afraid to die; but that, my offences being many, I would repent out the remainder of nature: let me live, fir, in a dungeon, i' the ftocks, or any where, so I may live. All's well that ends well, A. 4, S. 3. This is most strange! that she should in this time Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle So many folds of favour! fure, her offence Must be of fuch unnatural degree, That monsters it, or your fore-vouch'd affection Lear, A. 1, S. 1. I am * That monsters it.] This uncommon verb occurs again in Coriolanus. STEEVENS. "To hear my nothings monster'd," "Monsters it" fhould, I think, be mafters it; and I am the more inclined to this opinion, as monftrous occurs a line or twobefore. I read the paffage thus: "Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle "That mafters it." "That mafters it," i. e. that mafters your favour or kindness. If we do not admit this reading, where is the antecedent to it? 2 or your fore-vouch'd affection A. B. Fall into taint.] Such is the reading of the folio. The common books read,-"fall'n into taint." Or, fignifies before, and or ever, is, before ever; the meaning of the folio may therefore be, fure her crime must be monftrous before your affection can be affected with hatred. JOHNSON. I believe the reading of the first quarto, 66 or you for vouch'd affection “Fall'n into taint,' to be the true one. In fupport of the reading of the quarto, in preference to that of the folio, it should be obferved, that Lear had not vouch'd, had not made any particular declaration of his affection I am myself indifferent honeft; but yet I could accufe me of fuch things, that it were better, my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offences at my beck, than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. Hamlet, A. 3, S. 1. ORNA MEN T. In religion, What damned error, but fome fober brow Merchant of Venice, A. 3, S. 2, The world is ftill deceiv'd with ornament: Merchant of Venice, A. 3, S. 2. affection for Cordelia; while, on the other hand, Goneril and Regan have made, in this fcene, an oftentatious profeffion of their love for their father. MALONE. The reading of the folio is right. Taint, I think, is fufpicion. 66 or your fore-vouch'd affection "Fall into taint." That is, the affection which you had before expreffed will be queftioned or difbelieved its fincerity will be doubted. Mr. Malone is wrong, in saying that Lear had not made any declaration of his affection for Cordelia. He fays of her, in one place, "Now our joy, although the last, not least," and in another, "We lov'd her moft," &c. A. B. P. PASSION, PASSIONS. S this the noble Moor, whom our full fenate Call-all-in-all fufficient? This the noble nature Whom paffion could not shake? whofe folid virtue The shot of accident, nor dart of chance, Could neither graze, nor pierce? Othello. A. 4, S. 1. By heaven My blood begins my fafer guides to rule; And paffion having my beft judgment collied', Affays to lead the way. Othello, A. 2, S. 3. I will go to Benedick, Much ado about nothing, A. 3, S. 1. King John, A. 4, S. 2. And paffion having my best judgment collied.] Thus the folio reads, and I believe rightly. Othello means, that paffion has difcoloured his judgment. To colly, anciently, fignified to be Smut, to blacken as with coal. Hanmer reads, cholered. STEEVENS. I think we should read "colliding." To collide is to clash, to frike againft. The line may stand thus: "And paffion now colliding 'gainft my judgment." i. e. Paffion clashing or striking against my judgment, affays, &c. A. B. O, that O, that my tongue were in the thunders mouth! King John, A. 3, S. 4. Such fmiling rogues as thefe, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords in twain Lear, A. 2. S. 2. Now and then an ample tear trill'd down Lear, A. 4, S. 3. O, it offends me to the foul, to hear a robustious perriwig-pated fellow tear a paffion to tatters, to very rags, to fplit the ears of the groundlings; who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb fhews and noise: I would have fuch a fellow whipp'd for o'er-doing Termagant; it out-herods Herod pray you avoid it. Hamlet, A. 3, S. 2. For Hecuba! What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That I have? he would drown the stage with tears, Hamlet, A. 2, S. 2. That old and antique fong we heard last night; Y 2 More |