The bound of honour; or, in act, or will, To strain, I believe, means to go awry. So, in the 6th Song of Drayton's Polyolbion : "As wantonly she strains in her lascivious course." Drayton is speaking of the irregular course of the river Wye. STEEVENS. The bounds of honour, which are mentioned immediately after, justify Mr. Steevens in supposing the imagery to have been taken from tilting. HENLEY. Johnson thinks it necessary for the sense, to transpose these words and read: "With what encounter so uncurrent have I strained to appear thus?" But he could not have proposed that alteration had he considered, with attention, the construction of the passage, which runs thus: "I appeal to your own conscience, with what encounter," &c. That is, I appeal to your own conscience, to declare with what encounter so uncurrent I have strained to appear thus." He was probably misled by the point of interrogation at the end of the sentence, which ought not to have been there. M. MASON. The precise meaning of the word encounter in this passage may be gathered from our author's use of it elsewhere: "Who hath "Confess'd the vile encounters they have had Much Ado about Nothing. Hero and Borachio are the persons spoken of. Again, in Measure for Measure: "We shall advise this wronged maid to stead up your appointment, go in your place: if the encounter acknowledge itself hereafter, it may compel him to her recompense." Again, in Cymbeline : found no opposition "But what he look'd for should oppose, and she As, to pass or utter money that is not current, is contrary to law, I believe our author in the present passage, with his accustomed licence, uses the word uncurrent as synonymous to unlawful. I have strain'd, may perhaps mean- I have swerved or deflected from the strict line of duty.' So, in Romeo and Juliet : "Nor aught so good, but strain'd from that fair use, "Revolts-." Again, in our author's 140th Sonnet : "Bear thine eyes straight, though thy proud heart go wide." Of all that hear me, and my near❜st of kin LEON. I ne'er heard yet, HER. Though 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me. That's true enough; More than mistress of, LEON. You will not own it. HER. Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not At all acknowledge. For Polixenes, (With whom I am accus'd,) I do confess, I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd'; A bed-swerver has already occurred in this play. "To appear thus," is to appear in such an assembly as this; to be put on my trial. MALONE. 6 I ne'er heard yet, That any of these bolder vices WANTED LESS impudence to gainsay what they did, Than to perform it first.] It is apparent that according to the proper, at least according to the present, use of words, less should be more, or wanted should be had. But Shakspeare is very uncertain in his use of negatives. It may be necessary once to observe, that in our language, two negatives did not originally affirm, but strengthen the negation. This mode of speech was in time changed, but, as the change was made in opposition to long custom, it proceeded gradually, and uniformity was not obtained but through an intermediate confusion. JOHNSON. Examples of the same phraseology (as Mr. Malone observes,) occur in this play, p. 260; in Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV. Sc. XII. and in King Lear, Act II. Sc. ÍV.; (and as Mr. Ritson adds,) in Macbeth, Act III. Sc. VI. STEEVENS. 7 For Polixenes, (With whom I am accus'd) I do confess I LOV'D him as in HONOUR he requir'd; &c.] So, in Dorastus and Faunia: "What hath passed between him and me, the Gods only know, and I hope will presently reveale. That I lov'd Egisthus, I cannot denie; that I honour'd him, I shame not to confess. But as touching lascivious lust, I say Egisthus is honest, and hope myself to be found without spot. For Franion, [Camillo,] I can neither accuse him nor excuse him. I was not With such a kind of love, as might become Which not to have done, I think, had been in me Both disobedience and ingratitude, To you, and toward your friend; whose love had spoke, Even since it could speak, from an infant, freely, I know not how it tastes; though it be dish'd Is, that Camillo was an honest man; And, why he left your court, the gods themselves, Wotting no more than I, are ignorant. LEON. You knew of his departure, as you know What you have underta'en to do in his absence. HER. Sir, You speak a language that I understand not: LEON. Your actions are my dreams; You had a bastard by Polixenes, And I but dream'd it :-As you were past all shame, (Those of your fact are so,) so past all truth": privie to his departure. And that this is true which 1, have here rehearsed, I refer myselfe to the divine oracle." MALONE. 8 My life STANDS IN THE LEVEL of your dreams.] To be in the level, is by a metaphor from archery, to be within the reach. JOHNSON. This metaphor, (as both Mr. Douce and Mr. Ritson have already observed,) is from gunnery. See p. 293, n. 4. So, in King Henry VIII.: "Of a full charg'd confederacy." STEEVENS. 9 As you were past all shame, (Those of your FACT are so,) so past all truth :] I do not remember that fact is used any where absolutely for guilt, which must be its sense in this place. Perhaps we should read "Those of your pack are so." : Which to deny, concerns more than avails': for as Shalt feel our justice; in whose easiest passage, HER. The crown and comfort of my life, your favour, But know not how it went: My second joy, Pack is a low coarse word well suited to the rest of this royal invective. JOHNSON. I should guess sect to be the right word. See King Henry IV. Part II. Act III. Sc. IV. : In Middleton's Mad World, my Masters, a Courtezan says: "It is the easiest art and cunning for our sect to counterfeit sick, that are always full of fits when we are well." FARMER. Thus, Falstaff, speaking of Doll Tearsheet: “So is all her sect: if they be once in a calm, they are sick." "Those of your fact may, however, mean-those who have done as you do.' STEEVENS. That fact is the true reading, is proved decisively from the words of the novel, which our author had in his mind, both here, and in a former passage: ["I ne'er heard yet, That any of these bolder vices," &c.] And as for her [said Pandosto] it was her part to deny such a monstrous crime, and to be impudent in forswearing the fact, since she had passed all shame in committing the fault." MALONE. Which to deny, CONCERNS more than AVAILS:] It is your business to deny this charge, but the mere denial will be useless ; will prove nothing. MALONE. 2 The CROWN and COMFORT of my life,] The supreme blessing of my life. So, in Cymbeline: "O that husband! 66 My supreme crown of grief." Malone. 3 Starr'd most unluckily,] i. e. born under an inauspicious plapet. So, in Romeo and Juliet : The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth, That I should fear to die? Therefore, proceed. Apollo be my judge. 1 LORD. This your request Is altogether just therefore, bring forth, [Exeunt certain Officers. "And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars I know not well how 4 I have got STRENGTH of LIMIT.] strength of limit can mean strength to pass the limits of the childbed chamber; which yet it must mean in this place, unless we read in a more easy phrase, "strength of limb. "And now," &c. JOHNSON. Mr. M. Mason judiciously conceives "strength of limit" to mean, the limited degree of strength which it is customary for women to acquire, before they are suffered to go abroad after child-bearing.' STEEVENS. 5 I tell you, "TIS RIGOUR, AND NOT LAW.] This also is from the novel : "Bellaria, no whit dismaid with this rough reply, told her husband Pandosto, that he spake upon choller, and not conscience; for her virtuous life had been such as no spot of suspicion could ever stayne. And if she had borne a friendly countenance to Egisthus, it was in respect he was his friend, and not for any lusting affection: therefore if she were condemned without any farther proofe, it was rigour and not law." MALONE. |