so may be considered as having relation to the watermen's plying passengers at the Ferry. 50 It is much that the Moor should be more, &c.] This brings to mind the quibbling epigram of Milton, which has no higher degree of humour to boast of. Galli ex concubitu gravidam te Pontia Mori Quis bene moratam morigeramque negat? STEEVENS. 51 Enough to press a royal merchant down,] We are not to imagine the word royal to be only a ranting sounding epithet. It is used with great propriety, and shews the poet well acquainted with the history of the people whom he here brings upon the stage. For when the French and the Venetians, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, had won Constantinople, the French, under the emperor Henry, endeavoured to extend their conquests into the provinces of the Grecian empire on the terra firma; while the Venetians, who were masters of the sea, gave liberty to any subject of the republic, who would fit out vessels, to make themselves masters of the isles of the Archipelago, and other maritime places; and to enjoy their conquests in sovereignty; only doing homage to the republic for their several principalities. By virtue of this licence, the Sanudo's, the Justiniani, the Grimaldi, the Summaripo's, and others, all Venetian merchants, erected principalities in several places of the Archipelago, (which their descendants enjoyed for many generations) and thereby became truly and properly royal merchants. Which indeed was the title generally given them all over Europe. Hence, the most eminent of our own merchants (while public spirit resided amongst them, and before it was aped by faction) were called royal merchants. WARBURTON. This epithet was in our poet's time more striking and better understood, because Gresham was then commonly dignified with the title of the royal merchant. JOHNSON. This Jew is the strangest fellow. He is asked a question; says he will not answer it; in the very next line says, he has answered it, and then spends the ten following lines to jutify and explain his answer. Who can doubt then, but we should read, I'll Now answer that, BY SAYING, 'tis my humour. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton has mistaken the sense. The Jew being asked a question which the law does not require him to answer, stands upon his right, and refuses; but afterwards gratifies his own malignity by such answers as he knows will aggravate the pain of the enquirer. I will not answer, says he, as to a legal or serious question, but since you want an answer, will this serve you? JOHNSON. 53 —a gaping pig;] So in Webster's Duchess of Malfy, 1623; "He could not abide to see a pig's head gaping; "I thought your grace would find him out a Jew." STEEVENS. 54 Why he a swollen bag pipe;] This incident Shakspeare seems to have taken from J. C. Scaliger's Exot. Exercit. against 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. 6. 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. WARBURTON. In an old translation from the French of Peter de Loier, intitled, A Treatise of Spectres, or straunge 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 gentle"man of this quality lived of late in Devon, neere "Excester, who could not endure the playing on a ແ bag-pipe." We may just 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. 55 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. 56 Not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh Jew.] This lost jingle Mr. Theobald found again; but knew not what to make of it when he had it, as appears by his paraphrase. Though thou thinkest that thou art whetting thy knife on the soal of thy shoe, yet it is upon thy soul, thy immortal part. Absurd! the conceit is, that his soul was so hard that it had given an edge to his knife. WARBURTON. 57 Malice bears down the truth.] Malice oppresses honesty, a true man in old language is an honest man. We now call the jury good men and true. JOHNSON. 58-thou should'st have had ten more,] i. e. a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to be hanged. "But there are Crosses, wife; here's one in Waltham, "Another at the Abbey, and the third "At Ceston, and 'tis ominous to pass rr Any of these without a Pater-noster." and this is a reason assigned for the delay of a wedding. STEEVENS. 60 The man that hath no musick in himself, &c.] The thought here is extremely fine: as if the being affected with musick was only the harmony between the internal [musick in himself] and the external musick [concord of sweet sounds;] which were mutually affected like unison strings. This whole speech could not chuse but please an English audience, whose great passion, as well then as now, was love of musick. Jam verò video naturam (says Erasmus in praise of folly) ut singulis nationibus, ac pene civitatibus, communem quandam insevisse Philautiam: atque hinc fieri, ut BRITANNI præter alia Formam, MUSICAM, & lautas Mensas propriè sibi vindicent. WARBURTON. This passage, which is neither pregnant with physical or moral truth, nor poetically beautiful, in an eminent degree, has constantly enjoyed the good fortune to be repeated by those whose inhospitable memories would have refused to admit or retain any other sentiment or description of the same author, however exalted or just. The truth is, that it furnishes the vacant fidler with something to say in defence of his profession, and supplies the coxcomb in 1 |