ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES. Abbott (or Gr.), Abbott's Shakespearian Grammar (third edition). A. S., Anglo-Saxon. A. V., Authorized Version of the Bible (1611). B. and F., Beaumont and Fletcher. B. J., Ben Jonson. Camb. ed., "Cambridge edition" of Shakespeare, edited by Clark and Wright. Cf. (confer), compare. Clarke, "Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare," edited by Charles and Mary CowdenClarke (London, n. d.). Coll., Collier (second edition). Coll. MS., Manuscript Corrections of Second Folio, edited by Collier. Nares, Glossary, edited by Halliwell and Wright (London, 1859). S., Shakespeare. Schmidt, A. Schmidt's Shakespeare-Lexicon (Berlin, 1874). Sr., Singer. St., Staunton. Theo., Theobald. V., Verplanck. W., R. Grant White. Walker, Wm. Sidney Walker's Critical Examination of the Text of Shakespeare (London, 1860). Warb., Warburton. Wb., Webster's Dictionary (revised quarto edition of 1879). Worc., Worcester's Dictionary (quarto edition). The abbreviations of the names of Shakespeare's Plays will be readily understood; as T. N. for Twelfth Night, Cor. for Coriolanus, 3 Hen. VI. for The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth, etc. P. P. refers to The Passionate Pilgrim; V. and A. to Venus and Adonis; L. C. to Lover's Complaint; and Sonn. to the Sonnets. When the abbreviation of the name of a play is followed by a reference to page, Rolfe's edition of the play is meant. The numbers of the lines (except for the present play) are those of the "Globe" ed. THE PREFACE TO THE QUARTO OF 1609.-The full text of this preface (see p. 10 above) is as follows: A neuer writer to an euer reader. Newes. Eternall reader, you haue heere a new play, neuer stal'd with the Stage, neuer clapper-clawd with the palmes of the vulger, and yet passing full of the palme comicall; for it is a birth of your braine, that neuer under-tooke any thing commicall vainely and were but the vaine names of commedies changde for the titles of commodities, or of playes for pleas, you should see all those grand censors, that now stile them such vanities, flock to them for the maine grace of their grauities; especially this authors commedies, that are so fram'd to the life, that they serue for the most common commentaries of all the actions of our liues, showing such a dexteritie, and power of witte, that the most displeased with playes are pleasd with L his commedies. And all such dull and heauy-witted worldlings, as were neuer capable of the witte of a commedie, comming by report of them to his representations, haue found that witte there that they neuer found in themselues, and haue parted better-wittied then they came; feeling an edge of witte set vpon them, more than euer they dreamd they had braine to grinde it on. So much and such sauord salt of witte is in his commedies, that they seeme (for their height of pleasure) to be borne in that sea that brought forth Venus. Amongst all there is none more witty then this; and had I time I would comment vpon it, though I know it needs not (for so much as will make you thinke your testern well bestowd), but for so much worth, as euen poore I know to be stuft in it. It deserues such a labour, as well as the best commedy in Terence or Plautus: and beleeue this, that when hee is gone, and his commedies out of sale, you will scramble for them, and set vp a new English inquisition. Take this for a warning, and at the perill of your pleasures losse, and iudgments, refuse not, nor like this the lesse for not being sullied, with the smoaky breath of the multitude; but thanke fortune for the scape it hath made amongst you. Since by the grand possessors wills, I belieue, you should haue prayd for them, rather then beene prayd. And so I leaue all such to bee prayd for (for the states of their wits healths) that will not praise it.—Vale. DRAMATIS PERSONA.-These were first given, imperfectly, by Rowe. Theo. supplied the deficiencies. PROLOGUE. The Prologue is not found in the quarto. Ritson and Steevens (1793) were the first to suggest that it is not Shakespeare's-an opinion in which the modern critics generally concur. W. remarks: "Its style is not unlike Chapman's; and he was just the man to be called upon (perhaps by S. himself) to write it. May it not be his?" 2. Orgulous. Proud, haughty (Fr. orgueilleux); "orgillous" in the folios. The word is found in Froissart and other old writers. 6. Crownets. Coronets; used by S. in A. and C. iv. 2. 27 and v. 2. 91. 8. Immures. Walls, fortifications. The 1st folio has " emures.' 12. Barks. The 1st folio has "barke." 13. Fraughtage. Freight; used by S. in C. of E. iv. 1. 87. 15. Brave. Fine, handsome; as in i. 2. 191 below. Cf. Ham. p. 205. Six-gated city. Theo. reads "six gates i' th' city." The names of the gates are those given by Caxton. Theo. modifies four of them into ‘Thymbria, Ilia, Scœa, Troian;” and Capell has “Thymbria, Ilias, Chetas, Troyan." 17. Antenorides. Misprinted "Antenonidus" in the folios; corrected by Theo. 18. Fulfilling. Theo. prints "full-filling," which is what the word means filling full their sockets. Wiclif has, in Matt. v. 6: "Blessid be thei that hungren and thirsten rigtwisnesse: for thei schal be fulfillid;" and in Luke xvi. 21: "to be fulfillid of the crummys that fellen down fro the riche mannes boord." Blackstone cites the Prayer-Book: "fulfilled with grace and benediction." 19. Sperr. An old word shut, bar; the emendation of Theo. for the "Stirre" of the folio. It is used by Spenser, Warner, and others. K. quotes Chaucer, Tr. and Cr.: "For when he saw her dores sperred all." 23. A prologue arm'd, etc. "I come here to speak the prologue, and come in armour; not defying the audience, in confidence of either the author's or actor's abilities, but merely in a character suited to the subject-in a dress of war, before a warlike play (Johnson). The speaker of the prologue usually wore a black cloak. 27. Vaunt. Beginning, first part; from the Fr. avant. "vant." 28. Beginning in the. Theo. reads "'Ginning i' th'.” W. prints ACT I. SCENE I. Neither the quarto nor the folio text is divided into acts and scenes. 1. Varlet. Servant, footman; as in Hen. V. iv. 2. 2: "My horse! varlet! laquais! ha!" Cf. the original use of knave = boy, servant. 6. Gear. Business, matter. See R. and J. p. 174. 7. To. In addition to. Cf. Macb. iii. 1. 52: "And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour." See also Gr. 186; though Abbott puts the present passage under to= "in proportion to, according to" (Gr. 187). 10. Sleep. Rann reads " sheep." Fonder. More foolish; the usual meaning of fond in S. 27. Blench at sufferance. Flinch at suffering. Blench), and Much Ado, p. 162 (on Sufferance). Cf. Ham. p. 215 (on 30. So, traitor! etc. The quarto reads: "So traitor then she comes when she is thence ;" and the folio: "So (Traitor) then she comes, when she is thence." The correction is due to Rowe. 36. Storm. The early eds. have "scorne;" corrected by Rowe. 43. Praise her. The quarto reading; the folio has "praise it." 51. Pour'st in the open ulcer, etc. H. adopts the conjecture of Barry and Lettsom that this line should be put after 59, changing Pour'st to "Pour'd." This seems plausible at first thought, but it makes a confusion of metaphor in the latter part of the passage; the ideas of an ulcer and a gash made by a knife being mixed. Besides this change necessitates others quite as bold, but hardly to be justified when the original text gives a consistent meaning. The whole passage reads thus in H.: "I tell thee, I am mad In Cressid's love: thou answer'st, She is fair; Writing their own reproach; to whose soft seizure As the hard hand of ploughman !)--this thou tell'st me, And true thou tell'st me, when I say I love her: Pour'd in the open ulcer of my heart, Thou lay'st in every gash that love hath given me This may serve as a summary of the changes that have been proposed by the editors and commentators, for it combines nearly all of them. 53. O, that her hand. Rowe reads "discourse-O that! her hand!" Theo. "discourse-how white her hand!" and Capell "discourse-O that her hand!" St. conjectures "discourse her hand-O that," etc., or with "her hand" repeated after "that." In his text he makes "O, that .. ploughman" a quotation. ... 55. To whose soft seizure, etc. read: W. thinks it possible that we should 66 to whose soft seizure And spirit of sense the cygnet's down is harsh;" but adds: "But I am quite sure that rather than make so violent a change we must accept the following construction: 'to whose soft seizure the cygnet's down and spirit of sense is harsh,' etc." Schmidt well defines spirit of sense as "sense or sensibility itself;" which seems to be its meaning in iii. 3. 106 below, where it is applied to the Hanmer eye. reads "harsh, to th' spirit of sense," Warb. "harsh (and spite of sense)," and Capell "harsh, in spirit of sense." For to compared to, see Gr. 187, or Ham. p. 183. 65. She has the mends in her own hands. This seems to have been a proverbial expression. Steevens quotes, among other instances of it, B. and F., The Wild Goose Chase: “The mends are in my own hands, or the surgeon's ;" and Burton, Anat. of Melancholy: "if men will be jealous in such cases, the mends is in their own hands, they must thank themselves." The meaning seems generally to be that one "must make the best of it ;" and that is probably the sense here. There can be no reason for printing "mends," as some editors do. 74. As fair on Friday as Helen is on Sunday. As fair in her plainest dress as Helen in her best; apparently alluding, as Clarke remarks, to the Roman Catholic idea of making Friday a day of abstinence and Sunday a day of festivity. 79. To stay behind her father. According to Caxton, as quoted by Steevens, Calchas was "a great learned bishop of Troy," who was sent by Priam to consult the Oracle at Delphi concerning the result of the war threatened by Agamemnon. As soon as he had made "his oblations and demands for them of Troy, Apollo answered unto him saying: Calchas, Calchas, beware that thou returne not back again to Troy; but goe thou with Achylles, unto the Greekes, and depart never from them, for the Greekes shall have victorie of the Troyans by the agreement of the Gods." Chaucer tells the story in much the same way. 94. Tetchy. Touchy; spelt "teachy” in the early eds. Cf. Rich III. p. 231. 95. Stubborn-chaste. The hyphen was inserted by Theo. The early eds. have a comma instead. |