ACT V. *SCENE I.* Belmont, A Grove, or Lawn, before Portia's H Enter Lorenzo and Jessica. Lor. The moon shines bright:-In night as this, When the sweet wind did gently kiss the And they did make no noise; in such a Troilus, methinks, mounted the Trojan And sigh'd his soul toward the Grecian Where Cressid lay that night. In such a Jes. Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew; And saw the lion's shadow ere himself, And ran dismay'd away. SCENE I.-The place assigned to this Sce Mr. Capell, and the editions of 1793 and 1803 "The Avenue to Portia's house." Time is the night, the first, probably, after the dete tion of Anthonio's cause. E. I And saw the lion's shadow ere himself For this notion Shakspeare is not indebted to who only says; "Quam procul, ad Lunæ radios, Babylonia "Vidit: et obscurum timido pede fugit in an Lor. In such a night, Stood Dido with a willow in her hand 2 Upon the wild sea-banks, and wav'd her love To come again to Carthage. Jes. Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs That did renew old son. In such a night, In such a night, Lor. And There is a deviation too from the Roman poet in respect to the sex of the object of Thisbe's terror. It is not unworthy of observation that the circumstance of her flight from the meer appearance of the shadow strongly marks her extreme alarm and timidity at the instant. E. Thisbe may have be supposed to have seen the lion's shadow by moonlight in the water of the fountain near the tomb of Ninus. Our poet probably had recently read in Chaucer's Legend of Good Women, Tisbe of Babylone. MALONE. 2 In such a night, stood Dido with a willow in her hand] This passage contains a small instance out of many that might be brought to prove that Shakspeare was no reader of the classics. STEEVENS. Mr. Warton suggests in his History of English, Poetry, that Shakspeare might have taken this image from some ballad on the subject. MALONE. The image designed to be represented here seems to be that of Dido, standing on the beach, and waving the willow which she held in her hand, and which served also to denote his desertion of her, as a signal for Eneas to return, after his embarkation, and while the vessel, which conveyed him away, was yet in view. E. VOL. I. Q And with an unthrift love 3 did run from Venice, As far as Belmont. Jes. And in such a night, Did young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well; Stealing her soul with many vows of faith, And ne'er a true one. Lor. And in such a night, Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her. Jes. I would out-night you, did no body come; But, hark, I hear the footing of a man. Enter a Servant. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the Ser. Stephano is my name; and I bring word, My mistress will before the break of day By 3 And with an unthrift love, &c.] This word unthrift, here used as an adjective for unthrifty, occurs again as a substantive in Richard 11. Act 2, Scene 3: -and given away To upstart unthrifts." E. By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays For happy wedlock hours. Lor. Who comes with her? Ser. None, but a holy hermit,4 and her maid. I pray you, is my master yet return'd? Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, Some welcome for the mistress of the house. 4 None, but a holy hermit, &c.] I do not perceive the use of this hermit, of whom nothing is seen or heard afterwards. The poet had first planned his fable some other way, and, inadvertently, when he changed his scheme, retained something of the original design. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnson's remark is answered by observing that this circumstance cannot be supposed to be the truth, but merely the feigned report of a confidential servant, to whom the secret of her expedition to Venice had been entrusted, and intended to deceive those, from whom, for a time, she wished to conceal the knowledge of it. E. 5 -nor we have not heard from him.] Some modern editors, as Theobald, Hanmer, Johnson, &c. to avoid the unpleasant effect of the double negative, read -nor have we yet heard from him." E. Enter Launcelot.6 Laun. Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola, s Laun. Sola! did you see master Lo Here. Lor. Laun. Tell him there's a post come my master, with, with his horn full of news; my master will be here ere morni Lor. Sweet soul, let's in, and there e their coming. And yet no matter;-Why should w in ? My friend Stephano,7 signify, I pray y Within the house, your mistress is at h And bring your music forth into the air. [Exit Se 6 Enter Launcelot.] The mode of his er properly performed, should be with a w his hand, with which he runs lashing about, c the two people he hollows for without once I on them; and having emptied his budget, go lashing as he came in. CAPELL. 7 My friend Stephano, &c.] dition which I have made 66 Without th My good Stephano," &c. Stephano must be ac Stephano, which was never done by an Englis C |