SCENE II. Tyre. A Room in the Palace. Enter PERICLES, Helicanus, and other Lords. The sad companion, dull-ey'd melancholy 3, 2 "How ere my haps, my joys were ne'er begun." MALONE. - Why SHOULD this CHARGE of thoughts ?] The quarto 1609 reads-chage. The emendation was suggested by Mr. Steevens. The folio 1664, for chage substituted change. Change is substituted for charge in As You Like It, 1623, Act I. Sc. III. and in Coriolanus, Act V. Sc. III. : Thought was formerly used in the sense of melancholy. MALONE. In what respect are the thoughts of Pericles changed? I would read, "-charge of thoughts," i. e. weight of them, burthen, pressure of thought. So afterwards in this play: 66 Patience, good sir, even for this charge." The first copy reads chage. Although thought, in the singular number, often means melancholy, in the plural, I believe, it is never employed with that signification. STEEVENS. Change of thoughts, it seems, was the old reading, which I think preferable to the amendment. By change of thoughts, Pericles means, that change in the disposition of his mind-that unusual propensity to melancholy and cares, which he afterwards describes, and which made his body pine, and his soul to languish. There appears, however, to be an error in the passage; we should leave out the word should, which injures both the sense and the metre, and read: "Let none disturb us: why this change of thoughts?" M. MASON. 3 The sad companion, DULL-EY'D MELANCHOLY,] So, in The Comedy of Errors: 66 "Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue "Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair?" MALone. occurs in The Merchant of Venice: The same compound epithet "I'll not be made a soft and dull-ey'd fool." STEEvens. In the day's glorious walk, or peaceful night, (The tomb where grief should sleep,) can breed me quiet! Here pleasures court mine eyes, and mine eyes shun them, And danger, which I feared, is at Antioch, If he suspect I may dishonour him: And what may make him blush in being known, 8 4- but fear what might be done,] But fear of what might happen. MALONE. 5 and cares it be not done.] And makes provision that it may not be done. MALONE. Since HE's so great,] Perhaps we should read: "Since he, so great," &c. otherwise the latter part of the line will be elliptical. STEEVENS. 7 to say, I honour HIM,] Him was supplied by Mr. Rowe for the sake of the metre. MALONE. 8 And with the OSTENT, &c.] Old copies- Should not this be: 66 And with th' ostent of war," &c. ? STEEVENS. TYRWHITT. The emendation made by Mr. Tyrwhitt is confirmed by a pas sage in The Merchant of Venice: Amazement shall drive courage from the state; (Who wants no more but as the tops of trees, Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend them,) Makes both my body pine, and soul to languish, And punish that before, that he would punish. "Like one well studied in a sad ostent, "To please his grandam." Again, in King Richard II. : "With ostentation of despised arms." MALONE. Again, and more appositely, in Chapman's translation of Homer's Batrachomuomachia: "Both heralds bearing the ostents of war." Again, in Decker's Entertainment of James I. 1604: "And why you bear, alone, th' ostent of warre.' 9 Which care of them, &c.] Old copy"Which care of them, not pity of myself, "(Who once no more but as the tops of trees, STEEVENS. "Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend them,) I would read-Who am no more, &c. FARMER. Pericles means to compare the head of a kingdom to the upper branches of a tree. As it is the office of the latter to screen the roots they grow by, so it is the duty of the former to protect his subjects, who are no less the supporters of his dignity. So, in King Henry VI. Part III. : "Thus yields the cedar, &c. "Whose top branch over-peer'd Jove's spreading tree, "And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind." STEEVENS. "Once more" must have been a corruption. I formerly thought the poet might have written-“Who owe no more," but am now persuaded that he wrote, however ungrammatically,-Who wants no more, i. e. which self wants no more; has no other wish or desire, but to protect its subjects. The transcriber's ear, I suppose, deceived him in this as in various other instances. It should be remembered that self was formerly used as a substantive, and it is so used at this day by persons of an inferior rank, who frequently say his self. Hence, I suppose, the author wrote wants rather than want. MALONE. 1 LORD. Joy and all comfort in your sacred breast. 2 LORD. And keep your mind, till you return to us, Peaceful and comfortable! HEL. Peace, peace, my lords, and give experience tongue. They do abuse the king, that flatter him: For flattery is the bellows blows up sin; The thing the which is flatter'd, but a spark, To which that breath gives heat and stronger glowing 1; Whereas reproof, obedient, and in order, Fits kings, as they are men, for they may err. PER. All leave us else; but let your cares o'erlook What shipping, and what lading's in our haven, And then return to us. [Exeunt Lords.] Helicanus, thou Hast moved us: what seest thou in our looks? PER. If there be such a dart in prince's frowns, To which that BREATH, &c.] i. e. the breath of flattery. The old copy reads that spark; the word (as Mr. Steevens has observed,) being accidentally repeated by the compositor. He would read-that wind. MALONE. This passage seems to be corrupt, as it stands, and the sense requires that we should read: "To which that blast gives heat and stronger glowing." Steevens agrees with me in the necessity of some amendment, but proposes to read wind, which I think not so proper a word as blast. M. MASON. 2 When signior Sooth-] A near kinsman of this gentleman is mentioned in The Winter's Tale: " and his pond fish'd by his next neighbour, by sir Smile, his neighbour." MALONE. How durst thy tongue move anger to our face? HEL. How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence To take thy life. Thou know'st I have power HEL. [Kneeling.] I have ground the axe myself; Do you but strike the blow. PER. Rise, pr'ythee rise; Sit down, sit down; thou art no flatterer: I thank thee for it; and high heaven forbid, That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid! Fit counsellor, and servant for a prince, Who by thy wisdom mak'st a prince thy servant, What would'st thou have me do? HEL. With patience bear Such griefs as you do lay upon yourself. PER. Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus ; Who minister'st a potion unto me, That thou would'st tremble to receive thyself. 3 How dare the PLANTS look up to heaven, from whence They have their nourishment?] Thus the quarto 1609, Mr. Rowe, &c. read: "How dare the planets look up unto heaven "From whence they have their nourishment?" It would puzzle a philosopher to ascertain the quality of planetary nourishment, or to discover how planets, which are already in heaven, can be said to look up to it. STEEVENS. 4 That kings should LET their ears hear their faults hid!] Heaven forbid, that kings should stop their ears, and so prevent them from hearing their secret faults!-To let formerly signified to hinder. So, in Hamlet: 66 By heaven I'll make a ghost of him that lets me." Again, in Tancred and Gismund, 1592: "Nor base suspect of aught to let his suit." MALONE. I am not clear, but that let is here used in its ordinary sense: "Forbid it, heaven, (says Pericles,) that kings should suffer their ears to hear their failings palliated! HOLT WHITE. |