Revenges burn in them: for their dear causes Near Birnam wood Ang. And many unrough youths, that even now Ment. What does the tyrant? Cath. Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies: Some say, he's mad; others, that lesser hate him, Do call it valiant fury; but, for certain, He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Northumberland." See, however, a note on the Persona Dra Steevens. matis. 4 Excite the mortified man.] Mr. Theobald will needs explain this expression. "It means (says he) the man who has abandoned himself to despair, who has no spirit or resolution left." And, to support this sense of mortified man, he quotes mortified spirit in another place. But, if this was the meaning, Shak speare had not wrote the mortified man, but a mortified man. In a word, by the mortified man, is meant a religious; one who who has subdued his passions, is dead to the world, has aban doned it, and all the affairs of it: an Ascetic. Warburton. So, in Monsieur D'Olive, 1606: "He like a mortified hermit sits." Again, in Green's Never too late 1616: "I perceived in the words of the hermit the perfect idea of a mortified man.” Again, in Love's Labour's Lost, Act I, sc. i: "My loving lord, Dumain is mortified; "The grosser manner of this world's delights "He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves,” &c. Steevens, unrough youths,] An odd expression. It means smooth-faced, unbearded. Steevens. till new-born chins "Be rough and razorable." Again, in King John: "This unbair'd sauciness, and boyish troops, • He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule.] The same metaphor occurs in Ang. Now does he feel His secret murders sticking on his hands; Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach; Those he commands, move only in command, Nothing in love: now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe Upon a dwarfish thief. Ment. Who then shall blame His pester'd senses to recoil, and start, When all that is within him does condemn Cath. Well, march we on, To give obedience where 'tis truly ow'd: Meet we the medecin3 of the sickly weal; Len. Or so much as it needs, To dew the sovereign flower, and drown the weeds." SCENE III. [Exeunt, marching. Dunsinane. A Room in the Castle. Enter MACBETH, Doctor, and Attendants. Macb. Bring me no more reports; let them fly all Troilus and Cressida: "And buckle in a waist most fathomless." Steevens. 7 When all that is within him does condemn Itself, for being there?] That is, when all the faculties of the mind are employed in self-condemnation. Johnson 8 the medicin-] i. e. physician. Shakspeare uses this word in the feminine gender, where Lafeu speaks of Helen in All's Well that Ends Well; and Florizel, in The Winter's Tale, calls Camillo "the medecin of our house." Steevens. 9 To dew the sovereign flower, &c.] This uncommon verb occurs in Look about you, 1600: 66 Dewing your princely hand with pity's tears." Again, in Spencer's Fairy Queen, B. IV, c. viii: "Dew'd with her drops of bounty soveraigne." Steevens. 1 Bring me no more reports; &c.] Tell me not any more of desertions:-Let all my subjects leave me :-1 am safe till &c. Johnson h Revenges burn in them: for their dear Near Birna Ang. Ment. What does ** Cath. Great Dunsinane he strongly forti Some say, he 's mad; others, that lesser h.. Do call it valiant fury; but, for certain, He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule. Northumberland." See, however, a note on the P Steevens. matis. 4 Excite the mortified man.] Mr. Theobald will plain this expression. "It means (says he) the m abandoned himself to despair, who has no spirit or rese And, to support this sense of mortified man, he quote spirit in another place. But, if this was the mean speare had not wrote the mortified man, but a mor In a word, by the mortified man, is meant a religious; who has subdued his passions, is dead to the world, ! doned it, and all the affairs of it: an Ascetic. Warburt So, in Monsieur D'Olive, 1606: "He like a mortified hermit sits." Again, in Green's Never too late 1616: "I perceive words of the hermit the perfect idea of a mortified mu Again, in Love's Labour's Lost, Act I, sc. i: "My loving lord, Dumain is mortified; "The grosser manner of this world's delights "He throws upon the gross world's baser sla unrough youths,] An odd expression. smooth-faced, unbearded. Steevens. See The Tempest: 66 till new-born chins "Be rough and razorable." Again, in King John: "This unbair'd sauciness, and boyish troops. "The king doth smile at." Malone. • He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule.] The same metap! The W Neptance NI Hime Whe Itsel Le% To ge And wat of men, how have ye run es would beat?" Malone. apman thus translates a passage in made a vent for his white liver's ful effects The Second Part of King Henry IV: pale, which is the badge of pusilla lation of contempt, alluding to the d coats anciently worn by the foots Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane, I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Malcolm? 2 All mortal consequents, pronounc'd me thus:] The old copy reads All mortal consequences, have pronounc'd me thus. But the line must originally have ran as I have printed it :Currents, consequents, occurrents, ingredients, &c. are always spelt, in the ancient copies of our author's plays, currence, consequence, occurrence, ingredience," &c. Steevens. 3 on thee ] Old copy- upon. Steevens. 4 English epicures:] The reproach of epicurism, on which Mr. Theobald has bestowed a note, is nothing more than a natural invective uttered by an inhabitant of a barren country, against those who have more opportunities of luxury. Johnson. Of the ancient poverty of Scotland, the following mention is made by Froissart, Vol II, cap iii: "They be lyke wylde and savage people-they dought ever to lese that they have, for it is a poore country. And when the Englysshe men maketh any roode or voyage into the countrey, if they thynke to lyve, they must cause their provysion and vitayle to followe theym at their backe, for they shall fynde nothyng in that countrey," &c. Shakspeare, however, took the thought from Holinshed, p. 179 and 180, of his History of Scotland: " the Scotish people before had no knowledge nor understanding of fine fare or riotous surfet; yet after they had once tasted the sweet poisoned bait thereof &c.-those superfluities which came into the realme of Scotland with the Englishmen" &c. Again: "For manie of the people abhorring the riotous manners and superfluous gormandizing brought in among them by the Englishe men, were willing inough to receive this Donald for their king, trusting (because he had beene brought up in the Isles, with old customes and manners of their ancient nation, without tast of English likerous delicates), they should by his seuere order in gouernement recouer againe the former temperance of their old progenitors." The same historian informs us, that in those ages the Scots eat but once a day, and even then very sparingly. It appears from Dr. Johnson's Journey to the Western Island of Scotland, that the natives had neither kail nor brogues, till they were taught the art of planting the one, and making the other, by the soldiers of Cromwell; and yet king James VI, in his 7th parliament, thought it necessary to form an act "against superfluous banqueting." Steevens. |