letter. C is a letter unnecessary in our alphabet, one of its two sounds being represented by S, and one by K. But all the copies concur in the common reading. JOHN. "Thou whoreson zed! thou unnecessary letter !" Shakspeare might have had in his mind the poems of a certain Athenian in which the letter is not admitted. Such kind of works were known among the Greeks by the name, as we are told, of Lypogrammatic-properly Lypro (molestus-putidus Lat.) affected, fantastical, wrought with over-much care. S and Z were employed, indifferently, by this people. Z, it should be observed, found in no word originally Teutonic, and in strictness, belongs not to our language. Its sound is always that of a hard S. B. Kent. Smooth every passion That in the nature of their lords rebels. is Sooth every passion.] Sooth is the reading of neither the folio nor the quarto; in both of which we find smooth, which is, I think, the true reading. So, in Sir John Oldcastle, 1600: "Traitor unto his country! how he smooth'd,. "And scem'd as innocent as truth itself!" MAL. "Smooth every passion.' Smothe, i. e. " smother or cause the suppression of passion,"may perhaps be thought the preferable reading. B. ́ Kent. A plague upon your epileptic visage! Smile you my speeches, as I were a fool? Epileptic visage !] The frighted countenance of a man ready to fall in a fit. JOHN "Epileptic visage." Epileptic visage is not frighted countenance. Epileptic is used for convulsed. Kent means to insinuate that the steward is convulsed by an inclination to laughter, and not that he has any fear. He is now protected by Cornwall. B. Corn. This is some fellow, Who, having been prais'd for bluntness, doth affect A saucy roughness; and constrains the garb, Quite from his nature. Constrains the garb Quite from his nature. Forces his outside or his appearance to something totally different from his natural disposition. JOHN. "Constrains the garb "Quite from his nature." "Garb" has not, in this place, the signification of outside or appearance; it means sharp, piquant. "Constrains the garb quite from his nature," is,-"puts on or assumes the pert, and piquant humor, affects more of it than is really natural to him ;" and for the reasons given by Cornwall. Thus we say "wine of a good garb, i. e. wine that is pungent or racy. B. Corn. These kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness Harbour more craft, and more corrupter ends, That stretch their duties nicely. Than twenty silly ducking observants.] The epithet silly cannot be right. First, Because Cornwall, in this beautiful speech, is not talking of the different success of these two kinds of parasites, but of their different corruptions of heart. Second, because he says these ducking observants know how to stretch their duties nicely. I am persuaded we should read: Than twenty silky ducking observants, which not only alludes to the garb of a court sycophant, but admirably well denotes the smoothness of his character. But what is more, the poet generally gives them this epithet in other places. So, in Richard III. he calls them: "Silky, sly, insinuating Jacks." And, in Coriolanus: when steel grows "Soft as the parasite's silk." WARB. The alteration is more ingenious than the arguments by which it is supported. JOHN. Silly means only simple, or rustic. So, in Cymbeline, Act V. sc. iii.: "There was a fourth man in a silly habit," meaning Posthumus in the dress of a peasant. Nicely is foolishly. Niais. Fr. STEEV. The proper epithet, I think, will be silly, i. e. corrupt, depraved, (Syl, sax.) Grossness, feculency, corruption. "Stretch their duties," is, make show of their duties. Nicely," must mean to the extremest point. B. Kent. Under the allowance of your grand aspect, Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire On flickering Phæbus' front.] Dr. Johnson in his Dictionary says this word means to flutter. I meet with it in The History of Clyomon, Knight of the Golden Shield, 1599: "By flying force of flickering fame your grace shall under stand." STEEV. To "flicker" is likewise to fleer, to look proudly. Phoebus cannot well be said to flutter, but he certainly may be said to fleer. Kent is laughing at Cornwall, and compares his "grand aspect 'grand aspect" to the proud looks of Apollo. B. Kent. He that beguil'd you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave; which, for my part, I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to it. Though I should win your displeasure to intreat me to't.] Though I should win you, displeased as you now are, to like me so well as to intreat me to be a knave. Jonn. "Though I should win your displeasure, to intreat me to it." Rather: 66 I will not become a kuave were you to intreat me to it :-no, though I were even sure of incurring your displeasure by my refusal, by non-compliance with your request." B. Corn. Fetch forth the stocks, ho! You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart, We'll teach you. Ancient knave.] Two of the quartos read-miscreant knave, and one of them-unreverent, instead of reverend. STEEV. "Unreverent" is right. Unreverent is rude, disre spectful. Cornwall would say, "you old rogue, you irreverent braggart! B. Glo. Your purpos'd low correction Is such, as basest and the meanest wretches, The meanest.] This is a conjectural emendation by Mr. Pope. The quartos read-and temnest, perhaps, for contemned'st. STEEV. "The meanest." The reading of the quartos is nearly right. "Temnest," should be printed temenest, i. e. tamest, most abject. He calls them tame and abject wretches by reason of their servile state or condition in life. The word here used is the superlative of the verb tamen (Teut.) to tame. B. Kent. Approach, thou beacon to this under globe, [Looking up to the Moon. That by thy comfortable beams I may Peruse this letter!-Nothing almost sees miracles; But misery, I know, 'tis from Cordelia ;` [Reading the letter. Who hath most fortunately been inform'd Of my obscured course ;—and shall find time From this enormous state-seeking to give Losses their remedies. Nothing almost sees miracles.] Thus the folio. The quartos read-Nothing almost sees my wrack. STEEV. I know 'tis from Cordelia, &c.] This passage, which some of the editors have degraded as spurious, to the margin, and others have silently altered, I have faithfully printed according to the quarto, from which the folio differs only in punctuation. The passage is very obscure, if not corrupt. Perhaps it may be read thus : From this enormous state-seeking, to give Losses their remedies. Cordelia is informed of our affairs, and when the enormous care of seeking her fortune will allow her time, she will employ it in remedying losses. This is harsh; perhaps something better may be found. I have at least supplied the genuine reading of the old copies. Enormous is unwonted, out of rule, out of the ordinary course of things. JOHN. and shall find time From this enormous state, secking to give secking to I confess I do not understand this passage, unless it may be considered as divided parts of Cordelia's letter, which he is reading to himself by moonlight: it certainly conveys the sense of what she would have said. In reading a letter, it is natural enough to dwell on those circumstances in it that promise the change in our affairs which we most wish for; and Kent having read Cordelia's assurances that she will find a time to free the injured from the enormous misrule of Regan, is willing to go to sleep with that pleasing reflection uppermost in his mind. But this is mere conjecture. STEEV. Nothing almost sees miracles.'-'I know 'tis from Cordelia, &c.' Dr. Johnson has observed of this passage that it is very obscure, if not corrupt." " That it is corrupted is beyond a doubt, and of course must become obscure. Miracles' must be changed to my wrack,' the reading of the quartos obscured,' should, I think, be obstructed, and losses,' losers. The principal error, however, lies in the arrangement of the words. I regulate the whole as follows. "Approach, thou beacon to this under globe, Nothing but misery !—and shall find time to give "Losers their remedies." This may be paraphrastically interpreted thus:-an exposition which, whether it be deemed right or wrong, will be found to differ entirely from that of either of the preceding commentators. "This letter is from Cordelia, who bath happily been informed of the difficulties I have had to encounter in the service of the King; and which have nearly proved my SHAK. I. Ꮶ . |
