Why he, a harmless necessary cat; 8 Why he, a woollen bag-pipe; but of force affected therewith that they cannot retain their urine. For those things which are masters over passion, make it like or loath whatever they will. RITSON. After all that has been said about this contested passage, I am convinced we are indebted for the true reading of it to Mr. Waldron, the ingenious editor and continuator of Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd. In his Appendix, p. 212, he observes that "Mistress was formerly spelt Maistresse or Maistres. In Upton's and Church's Spenser, we have: 66 young birds, which he had taught to sing "His maistresse praises." B. iii. c. vii. st. 17. This, I presume, is the reading of the first edition of the three first books of The Fairy Queen, 1590, which I have not; in the second edition, 1596, and the folios 1609 and 1611, it is spelt mistresse. In Bulleyn's Dialogue we have "my maister, and my maistress." See p. 219 of this Appendix. Perhaps Maistres (easily corrupted, by the transposition of the r and e, into Maisters, which is the reading of the second folio of Shakspeare) might have been the poet's word. Mr. Steevens, in his note on this difficult passage, gives a quotation from Othello, which countenances this supposed difference of gender in the noun :-" And though we have here a substitute of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safe voice on you." Admitting maistres to have been Shakspeare's word, we may, according to modern orthography, read the passage thus: 66 for affection "Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood "Of what it likes, or loaths." In the Latin, it is to be observed, Affectio and Passio are feminine. To the foregoing amendment, so well supported, and so modestly offered, I cannot refuse a place in the text of our author. This emendation may also receive countenance from the following passage in the fourth book of Sidney's Arcadia: " She saw in him how much fancy doth not only darken reason, but beguile sense; she found opinion mistresse of the Lover's judgment." So, likewise, in the Prol. to a MS. entitled, The Boke of Huntyng, that is cleped Mayster of Game :-" ymaginacion maistresse of alle workes," &c. STEEVENS. 8 Why he, a swollen BAG-PIPE ;] This incident Shakspeare seems to have taken from J. C. Scaliger's Exot. Exercit. against VOL. V. I Must yield to such inevitable shame, Cardan. A book that our author was well read in, and much indebted to for a great deal of his physics: it being then much in vogue, and indeed is excellent, though now long since forgot. In his 344 Exercit. Sect. vi. he has these words: "Narrabo nunc tibi jocosam Sympathiam Reguli Vasconis equitis. Is dum viveret, audito phormingis sono, urinam illico facere cogebatur."-And to make this jocular story still more ridiculous, Shakspeare, I suppose, translated phorminx by bag-pipes. But what I would chiefly observe from hence is this, that as Scaliger uses the word Sympathiam, which signifies, and so he interprets it, communem affectionem duabus rebus, so Shakspeare translates it by affection: "Cannot contain their urine for affection." Which shows the truth of the preceding emendation of the text according to the old copies; which have a full stop at affection, and read Masters of passion. WARBURton. In an old translation from the French of Peter de Loier, intitled A Treatise of Spectres, or strange Sights, Visions, &c. we have this identical story from Scaliger; and what is still more, a marginal note gives us in all probability the very fact alluded to, as well as the word of Shakspeare. "Another gentleman of this quality lived of late in Devon, neere Excester, who could not endure the playing on a bag-pipe." We may justly add, as some observation has been made upon it, that affection in the sense of sympathy, was formerly technical; and so used by Lord Bacon, Sir K. Digby, and many other writers. FARMER. The story of the Devonshire gentlemen, I believe, first appeared in the margin of De Loier's book in 1605, some years after this play was printed; but it might have been current in conversation before, or it may have found its way into some other book of that age. MALONE. As all the editors agree with complete uniformity in reading woollen bag-pipe, I can hardly forbear to imagine that they understood it. But I never saw a woollen bag-pipe, nor can well conceive it. I suppose the author wrote wooden bag-pipe, meaning that the bag was of leather, and the pipe of wood. JOHNSON. This passage is clear from all difficulty, if we read swelling or swollen bag-pipe, which, that we should, I have not the least doubt. SIR JOHN HAWKINS. A passage in Turbervile's Epitaphes, p. 13, supports the emendation proposed by Sir John Hawkins: "First came the rustick forth "With pipe and puffed bag." This instance was pointed out to me by Dr. Farmer. STEEVENS. So can I give no reason, nor I will not, More than a lodg'd hate, and a certain loathing, I bear Antonio, that I follow thus A losing suit against him. Are you answer'd? BASS. This is no answer, thou unfeeling man, To excuse the current of thy cruelty. SHY. I am not bound to please thee with my an swer. BASS. Do all men kill the things they do not love? ANT. I pray you, think you question with the You may as well go stand upon the beach, * First folio omits why he hath made. Perhaps Shakspeare calls the bagpipe woollen, from the bag being generally covered with woollen cloth. I have seen one at Alnwick, belonging to one of the pipers in the Percy family, covered with black velvet, and guarded with silver fringe. R. G. ROBINSON. As the aversion was not caused by the outward appearance of the bag-pipe, but merely by the sound arising from its inflation, I have placed the conjectural reading-swollen, in the text. STEEVENS. 9-you QUESTION] To question is to converse. Measure for Measure: -- So, in "— in the loss of question nothing. To reason had anciently the same meaning. "i. e. conversation that leads to - the mountain pines To wag their high tops, and to make no noise, STEEVENS. When they are fretted with the gusts of heaven:] This You may as well do any thing most hard, As seek to soften that (than which what's harder?) SHY. What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong? You have among you many a purchas'd slave,2 Because you bought them :-Shall I say to you, 3 image seems to have been caught from Golding's version of Ovid, 1587, book xv. p. 196 : "Such noise as pine-trees make, what time the headdy east erne wind "Doth whizz amongst them." STEEVENS. - many a purchas'd slave,] This argument, considered as used to the particular persons, seems conclusive. I see not how Venetians or Englishmen, while they practise the purchase and sale of slaves, can much enforce or demand the law of doing to others as we would that they should do to us. JOHNSON. 3 'TIS mine,] The first quarto [quarto H.] reads—as mine, evidently a misprint for is. The other quarto and the folio-'tis mine. MALOne. There is no force in the decrees of Venice : I stand for judgment: answer; shall I have it? DUKE. Upon my power I may dismiss this court, Unless Bellario, a learned doctor, 4 Whom I have sent for to determine this, Come here to-day. SALAR. My lord, here stays without A messenger with letters from the doctor, New come from Padua. DUKE. Bring us the letters; Call the messenger. BASS. Good cheer, Antonio! What, man? cou rage yet! The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all, Ere thou shalt lose for me one drop of blood. ANT. I am a tainted wether of the flock, Meetest for death; the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground, and so let me : You cannot better be employ'd, Bassanio, Than to live still, and write mine epitaph. Enter NER.SSA, dressed like a lawyer's clerk. DUKE. Came you from Padua, from Bellario? NER. From both my lord: Bellario greets your [Presents a letter. grace. 5 BASS. Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly? SHY. To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there. Bellario, a learned doctor, Whom I have sent for -] The doctor and the court are here somewhat unskilfully brought together. That the duke would, on such an occasion, consult a doctor of great reputation, is not unlikely; but how should this be foreknown by Portia? JOHNSON. I do not see any necessity for supposing that this was foreknown by Portia. She consults Bellario as an eminent lawyer, and her relation. If the Duke had not consulted him, the only difference would have been, that she would have come into court, as an advocate perhaps, instead of a judge. TYRWHITT. 5the FORFEITURE] Read-forfeit. It occurs repeatedly in the present scene for for eiture. RITSON. |