posed to be bitter;" but Steevens reminds him that the vegetable gall is also bitter. Cf. T. N. iii. 2. 52: "Let there be gall enough in thy ink." 105. He does buy my injuries to be friends. "He gives me a valuable consideration in new kindness (purchasing, as it were, the wrong I have done him), in order to renew our amity and make us friends again (Malone). 113. Till you woo another wife. Mrs. Jameson says on this and what follows: " Imogen, in whose tenderness there is nothing jealous or fantastic, does not seriously apprehend that her husband will woo another wife when she is dead. It is one of those fond fancies which women are apt to express in moments of feeling, merely for the pleasure of hearing a protestation to the contrary. When Posthumus leaves her, she does not burst forth in eloquent lamentation; but that silent, stunning, overwhelming sorrow, which renders the mind insensible to all things else, is represented with equal force and simplicity." 116. Sear. "Cere" and "seal" have been suggested, but we think it probable, with Clarke, that “sear is here used to express the dry withering of death, as well as the closing with wax by those bonds of death, cerecloths [cf. M. of V. ii. 7. 51], sometimes written seare-cloths." 118. While sense can keep it on. Steevens took this to be=" While sense can maintain its operations, or continues to have its usual power;" but it probably refers to the ring, as others have explained it. For the change of person, Malone compares iii. 3. 103 below: Thou wast their nurse; they took thee for their mother, (cf. W. T. p. "Since last we 124. When shall we see again? Cf. Hen. VIII. i. 1. 2 : saw in France." See also T. and C. iv. 4. 59. Gr. 382. 125. Avoid! Begone! Cf. C. of E. iv. 3. 48: “Satan, avoid!" See also Temp. p. 137. 126. Fraught. Burden. Cf. Temp. i. 2. 13: "The fraughting souls within her " (that is, the ship). See also M. of V. p. 145. Freight is not used by S. or Milton, either as verb or noun. 129. The good remainders, etc. "That is, the court which now gets rid of my unworthiness (Schmidt). "Whose inward pinches 130. A pinch. A pang. Cf. Temp. v. 1. 77: [the pangs of remorse] therefore are most strong." 133. A year's age. As the passage stands this seems an impotent conclusion, and the defective measure of the preceding line suggests that something may have been lost. Hanmer gave 66 'heapest many," and Capell “heap'st instead." Theo. changed year's to " yare" (=speedy), and Johnson conjectured "Years, ages. Schmidt would read "a years' age "="an age advanced in years, old age." V. accepts the old reading, and says: "The aged king, to whom every added year is a serious burden, tells his daughter that in her present act of fond sorrow she takes away a year of his life." 135. Senseless of. Insensible to. Cf. A. Y. L. ii. 7. 55: "to seem senseless of the bob" (that is, seem not to feel the blow), etc. A touch more rare. A more exquisite sensibility. Malone quotes Lear, iii. 4. 8: "But where the greater malady is fix'd, 140. A puttock. iii. 2. 191: The lesser is scarce felt." A kite, or a worthless species of hawk. Cf. 2 Hen. VI. "Who finds the partridge in the puttock's nest and T. and C. v. 1. 68: “a toad, a lizard, an owl, a puttock," etc. 146. Overbuys me, etc. Pays a price that exceeds by almost the full amount what he gets in return; that is, he gives himself worth any woman, even the best of her sex, and gets only my almost worthless self in return. 153. Beseech your patience. That is, I beseech it; a common ellipsis. Cf. prithee I pray thee. See Gr. 401. 156. Your best advice. Your most careful consideration. Cf. Rich. II. i. 3. 233: "Thy son is banish'd upon good advice" (that is, after due deliberation); M. of V. iv. 2. 6: "upon more advice" (upon reflection), etc. 157. A drop of blood a day. Steevens compares Oth. v. 2. 155: 'may his pernicious soul Rot half a grain a day!" Cf. v. 5. 311 below: "two on 's," etc. Gr. 182. That is, where no one would be at hand to part them. 164. On't. Of it. 167. In Afric. Cf. Cor. iv. 2. 23: Macb. iii. 4. 104: "I would my son Were in Arabia, and thy tribe before him, His good sword in his hand!" "And dare me to the desert with thy sword ;" and Rich. II. iv. 1. 74: "I dare meet Surrey in a wilderness" (see our ed. p. 202). On Afric, cf. Cor. p. 211. 171. Bring. Accompany. Cf. W. T. iv. 3. 122: "Shall I bring thee on the way?" See also Gen. xviii. 16, Acts, xxi. 5, 2 Cor. i. 16, etc. 176. Walk. Retire, withdraw. See Lear, p. 222. SCENE II.-5. Then to shift it. Then I would shift it. Some follow Rowe in pointing "then to shift it-" 8. Passable. Affording free passage; no more to be wounded than "the still-closing waters" in Temp. iii. 3. 64. 9. Throughfare. Thoroughfare; as in M. of V. ii. 7. 42. Thoroughfare does not occur in the folio, though many of the modern eds. follow Pope in reading it here. Cf. Gr. 478. 14. He fled forward. Steevens compares T. and C. iv. 1. 20: "And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly With his face backward." 17. Having. Possession, property. Cf. 7. N. iii. 4. 379: “My having is not much." See also A. Y. L. p. 178. The quibble in gave you some ground is obvious. 19. Puppies. Referring to "his disgust at the swagger of Cloten and the sycophancy of the first lord, who plies the swaggerer with spaniel flattery and fawning" (Clarke). 25. A true election. A right choice. W. thinks there is an allusion to the Calvinistic doctrine of election. 27. Her beauty and her brain, etc. Johnson conjectured "beauty and brain;" but the meaning is simply that her beauty and wit are not equal. 28. She's a good sign, etc. "She has a fair outside, a specious appearance, but no wit" (Edwards). Cf. Much Ado, iv. I. 34: "She's but the sign and semblance of her honour." Malone cites what Iachimo says of Imogen in i. 6. 15: "All of her that is out of door, most rich! If she be furnish'd with a mind so rare, SCENE III.-4. As offer'd mercy is. "As a pardon that has miscarried, or arrived too late to stay the execution of a prisoner" (J. H.). St. would read "deferr'd." or." 9. This. The folios have "his;" corrected by Theo. (the conjecture of Warb.). Coleridge suggests "the," and W. ́“ Hanmer reads "mark me with his eye, or I," etc. 12. Of 's. See on i. 1. 4 above. 16. After-eye. Look after; used by S. only here. 17. Crack'd. Not a weaker word than broke, as S. uses it. Cf. Cor. i. 1. 72: "Cracking ten thousand curbs Of more strong link asunder than can ever and see our ed. p. 196. 18. The diminution of space. The diminution due to space, or dis tance. 24. Vantage. Opportunity. Cf. ii. 3. 43 below. 29. Shes. Cf. i. 6. 39 below: "two such shes." See also A. Y. L. p. 170. Gr. 224. 32. To encounter. To meet, or join with. 33. I am in heaven. My prayers will be rising to heaven. 35. Two charming words. Imogen does not tell us these words, but Warb. informs, us that they were Adieu, Posthumus!" Charming = 66 that should be as a charm to preserve him from evil. 36. The north. Cf. Oth. v. 2. 220: "No, I will speak as liberal as the north;" that is, as freely as the north wind blows. us. 37. Our buds. "Our buds of love," as Malone is kind enough to tell Warb. wanted to read "blowing" for growing; which drew forth this ponderous comment from Johnson: "A bud without any distinct. idea, whether of flower or fruit, is a natural representation of any thing incipient or immature; and the buds of flowers, if flowers are meant, grow to flowers, as the buds of fruits grow to fruits." Cf. R. and J. ii. 2. 121: "This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet." SCENE IV." It has been observed that the behaviour of the Spaniard and the Dutchman, who are stated to be present during this animated scene, is in humorous accordance with the apathy and taciturnity usually attributed to their countrymen. Neither the Don nor Mynheer utters a syllable. 'What was Imogen to them, or they to Imogen,' that they should speak of her?" (V.). W. remarks that "their mere presence has a dramatic value, as indicating the mixed company of travellers in which this scene takes place." 2. A crescent note. A growing reputation. For crescent, cf. Ham. i. 3. II and A. and C. ii. 1. 10; and for note (=distinction), i. 6. 22 below: "of the noblest note," etc. The 3d and 4th folios have " none for note; and Pope (ed. 2) reads: "then but crescent, none expected him," etc. 4. Admiration. Wonder, astonishment; as in i. 6. 37 below. 8. Makes him. "In the sense in which we say, This will make or mar you" (Johnson). 14. Words him . . . a great deal from the matter. "Makes the description of him very distant from the truth" (Johnson). For from= away from, see Rich. III. p. 233, or T. N. p. 130. Gr. 158. 18. Under her colours. "Under her banner; by her influence" (Johnson). Are wonderfully to extend him. Tend greatly to increase his reputation. Cf. the use of extend in i. 1. 25 above. Are is probably an instance of "confusion of proximity" (Gr. 412), as Malone explains it; but Steevens includes the preceding matter (in 12) and banishment in the subject. The Coll. MS. has "are wont." 20. Without less. Changed by Rowe to "without more." W. conjectures "with less "" or "without this," and Lloyd " without other." It is probably one of the peculiar "double negatives" of which so many examples are to be found in S. See Lear, p. 210 (note on You less know how, etc.), or A. Y. L. p. 156 (on No more do yours). Cf. Schmidt, p. 1420. 26. Knowing. Knowledge, experience; as in ii. 3. 95 below. 30. Story. Cf. V. and A. 1013: “and stories His victories ;" and R. of L. 106: "He stories to her ears her husband's fame." S. uses the verb only three times. 32. Have known together. Have been acquainted. Cf. A. and C. ii. 6. 86: "You and I have known, sir." Pope thought it necessary to read "been known." 34. Which I will be ever to pay, etc. Malone misquotes A. W. iii. 7. 16: "Which I will overpay ["ever pay," he gives it] and pay again." 36. Atone. Make at one, reconcile; as in Rich. II. i. 1. 202: "Since we cannot atone you," etc. See our ed. p. 156. For other meanings of atone, see A. Y. L. p. 199. 37. Mortal. Deadly; as in iii. 4. 18, v. 3. 51, v. 5. 50, 235 below. 38. Importance. Import, matter, subject. Malone and Steevens make it importunity; as in T. N. v. I. 371 and K. John, ii. 1. 7. 41. Go even. Agree, act in accordance. It is used without with (=agree, coincide) in T. N. v. 1. 246: "Were you a woman as the rest goes even," etc. 43. Offend not. The not is omitted in the folios; inserted by Rowe. The Coll. MS. has "not offend" (cf. Gr. 305). 46. Such ... that. Cf. W. T. i. 2. 263 : "these, my lord, Are such allow'd infirmities that honesty See also i. 6. 129, etc., below. Gr. 279. 47. Confounded. Destroyed; as often. See Macb. p. 189. Cf. confusion in iii. 1. 64 and iv. 2. 93 below. 51. Which may without contradiction, etc. be publicly told" (Johnson). 66 'Which, undoubtedly, may 54. Upon warrant of bloody affirmation. That is, pledging himself to seal the truth of it with his blood. S. uses affirmation nowhere else. 55. Constant-qualified. Faithful. The folios have "Constant, Quali fied." 56. Attemptable. Liable to be attempted, or seduced; the only instance of the word in S. 63. Though I profess myself her adorer, not her friend. This may be though I profess to be only her disinterested admirer, not her personal friend. Johnson explained it thus: "Though I have not the common obligations of a lover to his mistress, and regard her not with the fondness of a friend, but with the reverence of an adorer." Mason suggested transposing adorer and friend. Steevens took friend to be lover (as in A. and C. iii. 12. 22, etc.), and Schmidt gives the same explanation. W. reads "adorer and her friend;" making friend="accepted lover.' Clarke takes not her friend to be="not merely her friend," and though "inasmuch as, since." St. says: Posthumus, we apprehend, does not mean,—I avow myself, not simply her admirer, but her worshipper; but, stung by the scornful tone of Iachimo's remark, he answers,-Provoked as I was in France, I would abate her nothing, though the declaration of my opinion proclaimed me her idolater rather than her lover." 66 69. Could not but. The folios omit but, which Malone supplied. 77. If there were, etc. The folios have "or if," etc. If it were not for the or immediately preceding, which probably led to the accidental repetition of the word, we might take "or if" to be="either if," as J. H. does. 89. To convince. As to overcome. For the ellipsis of as, see Gr. 281; and for convince, cf. Macb. i. 7. 64: "his two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail so convince That memory, the warder of the brain, 90. Nothing. For the adverbial use, see on i. 1. 86 above. |