To make thy riches pleafant. What's yet in this, Lie hid more thousand deaths: 9 yet death we fear, Claud. I humbly thank you. To This is to the purpofe; and proves youth is not enjoyed, by fhewing the Here again I think Dr. Warburton totally mistaken. Shakspeare declares that man has neither youth nor age; for in youth, which is the bappiest time, or which might be the happief, he commonly wants means to obtain what he could enjoy; he is dependent on palfied eld: must beg alms from the coffers of hoary avarice; and being very niggardly fapplied, becomes as aged, looks, like an old man, on happiness which is beyond his reach. And, when be is old and rich, when he has wealth enough for the purchase of all that formerly excited his defires, he has no longer the powers of enjoyment; -- bas neither beat, affection, climb, nor beauty, To make bis riches pleafant. I have explained this paffage according to the prefent reading, which may ftand without much inconvenience; yet I am willing to perfuade my reader, because I have almoft perfuaded myself, that our author wrote, - for all thy blafted youth' Becomes as aged- JOHNSON. The fentiment contained in thefe lines, which Dr. Johnfon has explained with his ufual precifion, occurs again in the forged letter that Ed-mund delivers to his father, as written by Edgar; K. Lear, A&t I, fc. ii. MALONE. 8 But how does beauty make riches pleasant? We fhould read bounty, which completes the fenfe, and is this; thou haft neither the pleasure of enjoying riches thyfelf, for thou wanteft vigour; nor of seeing it enjoyed by others, for thou wanteft bounty. Where the making the want of bounty as infeparable from old age as the want of health, is extremely fatirical, though not altogether juft. WARBURTON. I am inclined to believe, that neither man nor woman will have much difficulty to tell how beauty makes riches pleasant. Surely this emendation, though it is elegant and ingenious, is not fuch as that an opportunity of inferting it fhould be purchased by declaring ignorance of what every one: knows, by confeffing infenfibility of what every one feels. JOHNSON. By heat" and "affection" the poet meant to exprefs appetite, and limb" and "beauty" ftrength. EDWARDS. by 9 For this Sir T. Hanmer reads: a thousand deaths: The meaning is, not only a thousand deaths, but a thousand deaths befides what have been mentioned. JOHNSON.`) To fue to live, I find, I feek to die; And, feeking death, find life: Let it come on." Enter ISABELLA. Ifab. What, ho! Peace here; grace and good company! Prov. Who's there? come in the wifh deferves a wel come. Duke. Dear fir, ere long I'll vifit you again. Claud. Moft holy fir, I thank you. Ifab. My bufinefs is a word or two with Claudio. Prov. And very welcome, Look, fignior, here's your fifter. Duke. Provoft, a word with you. As many as you please. Prov. [Exeunt DUKE and Provost. Yet hear them. Intends 2 Had the Friar, in reconciling Claudio to death, urged to him the certainty of happinefs hereafter, this fpeech would have been introduced with more propriety; but the Friar fays nothing of that fubject, and argues more like a philofopher, than a Chriftian divine. M. MASON. Mr. M. Mafon feems to forget that no actual friar was the fpeaker, but the Duke, who might reasonably be fuppofed to have more of the Philofopher than the divine in his compofition. STEEVENS. 3 If this reading be right, Ifabella muft mean that she brings fomething better than words of comfort, fhe brings an affurance of deeds. This is harsh and constrained, but I know not what better to offer. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads: Why, As all comforts are: most good, most good indeede. I believe the prefent reading, as explained by Dr. Johnson, is the true So, in Macbeth: one. "We're yet but young in deed." STEEVENS. I would point the lines thus: "Clau. Now, fifter, what's the comfort? "Ifab. Why, as all, comforts are, maft goed. Indeed Lord Ange*10," &c. Indeed is the fame as in truth, or truly, the common beginning of peeches in Shakspeare's age. See Charles the Firft's Trial. The King and Bradshaw feldom fay any thing without this preface: "Truly, Sir BLACKSTONE. Intends you for his swift embassador, Where you fhall be an everlasting leiger Therefore your best appointment 4 make with speed; Claud. Is there no remedy? Ifab. None, but fuch remedy, as, to fave a head, To cleave a heart in twain. Claud. But is there any? Ifab. Yes, brother, you may live; If you'll implore it, that will free your life, Claud. Perpetual durance? Claud. But in what nature? Ifab. In fuch a one as (you confenting to't) Claud. Let me know the point. Ifab. O,Ido fear thee, Claudio; and I quake, Left thou a feverous life fhould'st entertain, And fix or feven winters more respect Than a perpetual honour. Dar'ft thou die? The 4 Leiger is the fame with refident. Appointment; preparation; act of fitting, or ftate of being fitted for any thing. So in old books, we have a knight well appointed; that is, well armed and mounted, or fitted at all points. JOHNSON. The word appointment, on this occafion, should seem to comprehend confeffion, communion, and abfolution. Let him (fays Efcalus) be furnished with divines, and have all charitable preparation." The King in Hamlet, who was cut off prematurely, and without fuch preparation, is faid to be dif-appointed. Appointment, however, may be more fimply explained by the following paffage in The Antipodes, 1638 : your lodging Is decently appointed." i. e. prepared, furnished. STEEVENS. 5 A confinement of your mind to one painful idea; to ignominy, of which the remembrance can neither be fuppreffed nor escaped. 6 A metaphor from ftripping trees of their bark. DOUCE. JCHNSON. The fenfe of death is moft in apprehenfion; Claud. Why give you me this shame ? Think you I can a refolution fetch From flowery tenderness? If I must die, I will encounter darkness as a bride, And hug it in mine arms. Ifab. There fpake my brother; there my father's grave 8 In base appliances. This outward-fainted deputy,- Claud. The princely Angelo? In princely guards!3 Doft thou think, Claudio, If 7. The reasoning is, that death is no more than every being must suffer, though the dread of it is peculiar to man; or perhaps, that we are inconfiftent with ourselves, when we fo much dread that which we carelessly inflict -on other creatures, that feel the pain as acutely as we. JOHNSON. The meaning is fear is the principal fenfation in death, which has no pain; and the giant when he dies feels no greater pain than the beetle.This paffage, however, from its arrangement, is liable to an oppofite conftruction, but which would totally destroy the illuftration of the fentiment. Douce. 8 Forces.follies to lie in cover, without daring to fhow themselves. JOHNSON. 9 In whofe prefence the follies of youth are afraid to show themselves, as the fowl is afraid to flutter while the falcon hovers over it. 2 To caft a pond is to empty it of mud. Mr. Upton reads: His pond within being caft, be roould appear STLEVENS. 3 The stupid editors, miftaking guards for fatellites (whereas it here fignifies If I would yield him my virginity, Claud. O, heavens! it cannot be. Ifab. Yes, he would give it thee, from this rank offence, So to offend him ftill: This night's the time That I fhould do what I abhor to name, Or elfe thou dieft to-morrow. Ifab. Be ready, Claudio, for your death to-morrow. That thus can make him bite the law by the nose, When fignifies lace,) altered priestly, in both places, to princely. Whereas Shakfpeare wrote it priestly, as appears from the words themfelves: 'Tis the cunning livery of bell, The damned' In the first place we fee that guards here fignifies lace, as referring to livery, and as having no fenfe in the fignification of fatellites. Now prieftly guards means fanctity, which is the fenfe required. But princely guards means nothing but rich lace, which is a sense the paffage will not bear. Angelo, indeed, as deputy, might be called the princely Angelo; but not in this place, where the immediately preceding words of, This out-ward-fainted deputy, demand the reading I have reftored. WARBURTON. The first folio has, in both places, prenzie, from which the other folios made princely, and every editor may make what he can. JOHNSON Princely is the judicious correction of the fecond folio. Princely guards mean no more than the badges of royalty, (laced or bordered robes,) which Angelo is fuppofed to affume during the abfence of the Duke. The ftupidity of the firft editors is fometimes not more injurious to Shakíspeare, than the ingenuity of those who fucceeded them. STEEVENS. A guard, in old language, meant a welt or border of a garment; becaufe (fays Minthieu) it gards and keeps the garment from tearing." Thefe borders were fometimes of lace. MALONE. 4 I believe means, from the time of my committing this offence, you might perfift in finning with fafety. The advantages you would derive from my having fuch a fecret of his in my keeping, would enfure you from further harm on account of the fame fault, however frequently repeated. STEEVENS. |