The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare

Enter TAMORA.

"TAм. My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'st thou sad9

"When every thing doth make a gleeful boast?

Again, in Eliosto Libidinoso, an ancient novel, by John Hinde, 1606:

"For the ease of whose unrest,

"Thus his furie was exprest."

Again, in Chapman's translation of the ninth Iliad :

"Both goddesses let fall their chins upon their ivorie breasts, "Sat next to Jove, contriving still afflicted Troy's unrests." Again, in an excellent Pastoral Dittie, by Shep. Tonie; published in England's Helicon, 1600:

"With lute in hand did paint out her unrest."

STEEVENS.

8 That have their alms, &c.] This is obscure. It seems to mean only, that they who are to come at this gold of the empress are to suffer by it. JOHNSON.

9 My lovely Aaron, wherefore look'st thou sad,] In the course of the following notes several examples of the savage genius of Ravenscroft, who altered this play in the reign of King James II. are set down for the entertainment of the reader. The following is a specimen of his descriptive talents. Instead of this line with which this speech of Tamora begins, she is made to say:

"The emperor, with wine and luxury o'ercome,
"Is fallen asleep; in's pendant couch he's laid,
"That hangs in yonder grotto rock'd by winds,
"Which rais'd by art do give it gentle motion:
"And troops of slaves stand round with fans perfumd,
"Made of the feathers pluck'd from Indian birds,
"And cool him into golden slumbers:

"This time I chose to come to thee, my Moor.
"My lovely Aaron, wherefore," &c.-

An emperor who has had too large a dose of love and wine, and in consequence of satiety in both, falls asleep on a bed which partakes of the nature of a sailor's hammock, and a child's cradle, is a curiosity which only Ravenscroft could have ventured to describe on the stage. I hope I may be excused for transplanting a few of his flowers into the barren desart of our comments on this tragedy. STEEVENS.

'My lovely Aaron, &c." There is much poetical beauty in this speech of Tamora. It appears to me to be the only one in the play that is in the style of Shakspeare. M. MASON.

"The birds chaunt melody on every bush; "The snake lies rolled in the cheerful sun; "The green leaves quiver with the cooling wind, "And make a checquer'd shadow1 on the ground: "Under their sweet shade, Aaron, let us sit,

"And—whilst the babbling echo mocks the hounds, Replying shrilly to the well-tun'd horns,

"As if a double hunt were heard at once 2,

"Let us sit down, and mark their yelling noise: "And-after conflict, such as was suppos'd "The wandering prince of Dido once enjoy'd, "When with a happy storm they were surpriz'd, "And curtain'd with a counsel-keeping cave,"We may, each wreathed in the other's arms, "Our pastimes done, possess a golden slumber; "Whiles hounds, and horns, and sweet melodious birds,

"Be unto us, as is a nurse's song

"Of lullaby, to bring her babe asleep3.

sion:

a CHECQUER'D shadow] Milton has the same expres

many a maid

"Dancing in the checquer'd shade."

The same epithet occurs again in Locrine.

STEEVENS.

2 As if a double hunt were heard at once,] Hence, perhaps, a line in a well known song by Dryden :

"And echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry."

STEEVENS.

Of LULLABY, to bring her babe asleep.] Dr. Johnson, in his Dictionary, says, "it is observable that the nurses call sleep by, by; lullaby is therefore lull to sleep." But to lull originally signified to sleep. To compose to sleep by a pleasing sound' is a secondary sense retained after its primitive import became obsolete. The verbs to loll and lollop evidently spring from the same root. And by meant house; go to by is go to house or cradle. The common compliment at parting, good by is good house, may your house prosper; and Selby, the Archbishop of York's palace, is great house. So that lullaby implies literally sleep in house, i. e. the cradle. HOLT WHITE.

"AAR. Madam, though Venus govern your

desires,

"Saturn is dominator over mine *:
"What signifies my deadly-standing eye,
My silence, and my cloudy melancholy?

My fleece of woolly hair that now uncurls, "Even as an adder, when she doth unroll "To do some fatal execution?

"No, madam, these are no venereal signs;

Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand, "Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. "Hark, Tamora,-the empress of my soul,

"Which never hopes more heaven than rests in thee,

"This is the day of doom for Bassianus ;
"His Philomel must lose her tongue to-day:

Thy sons make pillage of her chastity,

"And wash their hands in Bassianus' blood. "Seest thou this letter? take it up I pray thee, "And give the king this fatal-plotted scroll :"Now question me no more, we are espied; "Here comes a parcel of our hopeful booty, "Which dreads not yet their lives' destruction. "TAM. Ah, my sweet Moor, sweeter to me than life!

-though VENUs govern your desires,

SATURN is dominator over mine:] The meaning of this passage may be illustrated by the astronomical description of Saturn, which Venus gives in Greene's Planetomachia, 1585: “The star of Saturn is especially cooling, and somewhat drie," &c. Again, in The Sea Voyage, by Beaumont and Fletcher : for your aspect

"You're much inclin❜d to melancholy, and that

"Tells me the sullen Saturn had predominance
"At your nativity, a malignant planet!

"And if not qualified by a sweet conjunction
"Of a soft ruddy wench, born under Venus,
"It may prove fatal." COLLINS.

Thus also, Propertius, 1. iv. i. 84:

Et grave Saturni sydus in omne caput. STEEVENS.

"AAR. No more, great empress, Bassianus

comes:

"Be cross with him; and I'll go fetch thy sons "To back thy quarrels, whatsoe'er they be. [Exit.

Enter BASSIANUS and LAVINIA.

BAS. Who have we here? Rome's royal emperess,
Unfurnish'd of her well-beseeming troop?
Or is it Dian, habited like her;

Who hath abandoned her holy groves,
To see the general hunting in this forest?
TAM. Saucy controller of our private steps?!
Had I the power, that, some say, Dian had,
Thy temples should be planted presently
With horns, as was Acteon's; and the hounds
Should drive upon thy new-transformed limbs,
Unmannerly intruder as thou art!

Lav. Under your patience, gentle emperess, 'Tis thought you have a goodly gift in horning; And to be doubted, that your Moor and you

6 of HER] Old copies of our. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

The edition 1600, reads exactly thus:

"Vnfurnisht of her well beseeming troop." TODD. OUR private steps !] Edition 1600:-my private steps. TODD.

8 Should DRIVE upon thy new-transformed limbs,] Mr. Heath suspects that the poet wrote:

"Should thrive upon thy new-transformed limbs—," as the former is an expression that suggests no image to the fancy. But drive, I think, may stand, with this meaning "the hounds should pass with impetuous haste," &c. So, in Hamlet: Pyrrhus at Priam drives," &c.

i. e. flies with impetuosity at him. STEEVENS.

It is said in a note by Mr. Malone, that the old copies read, upon his new-transformed limbs," and that Mr. Rowe made the emendation-thy. The edition of 1600 reads precisely thus: "Should drive vpon thy new-transformed limbes." TODD. It should be remembered that when Mr. Malone wrote the note referred to, the edition of 1600 had not been discovered.

BOSWELL.

Are singled forth to try experiments:

Jove shield your husband from his hounds to-day! 'Tis pity, they should take him for a stag.

BAS. Believe me, queen, your swarth Cimmerian 9
Doth make your honour of his body's hue,
Spotted, detested, and abominable.

Why are you sequester'd from all your train?
Dismounted from your snow-white goodly steed,
And wander'd hither to an obscure plot,
Accompanied but with a barbarous Moor1,
If foul desire had not conducted you?

LAV. And, being intercepted in your sport,
Great reason that my noble lord be rated
For sauciness.-I pray you, let us hence,
And let her 'joy her raven-colour'd love;
This valley fits the purpose passing well.

BAS. The king, my brother, shall have note of this 2.