"To carve," meaning "some form of action which indicated the desire that the person whom it addressed should be attentive and propitious," has several examples adduced by Mr. Hunter, whose definition just given we accept without hesitation. Mr. Dyce, has added several instances to those cited by Mr. Hunter. This substitution of craves for carves is a striking proof of the danger of attempting to put a familiar word in the place of an obsolete one. "She is a region in Guiana, all gold and beauty." The reading of all the printed authorities, as Mr. Collier truly points out, is bounty. But, he says, "Guiana was famous for its beauty as well as for its gold, and thus the parallel between it and Mrs. Page is more exact." (ACT. I. Sc. 3.) Falstaff never speaks of Mrs. Page as a beauty. He writes to her-" you are not young;" and she herself says, "What, have I scaped letters in the holiday-time of my beauty, and am I now a subject for them?" Falstaff is looking to her money, and her bounty in parting with it: "She has all the rule of her husband's purse." "Though love use reason for his physician, he admits him not for his counsellor." (ACT II. Sc. 1.) "Thy name shall be Bourn." The first quarto has Brooke; all the folios Broome; the MS. corrections Bourne; which Mr. Collier would adopt, as "Brook and bourn mean the same thing, viz, a small stream." "Will you go on, here?" The original has "will you go, An-heires?" Mr. Collier has no doubt about " on here," which he finds in his corrected folio, being the true reading. (ACT II. Sc. 1.) The folio of 1623, in a subsequent scene, has "such Brooks are welcome to me that overflow such liquors." Yet there is distinct evidence that for a century after Shakspere the stage name was Broom. It is impossible to alter Brook to Bourn; and, indeed, bourn more commonly meant a boundary than a stream. The "bosky bourn," of 'Comus,' as explained by Warton, is "a winding, deep, and narrow valley, with a rivulet at the bottom." We knew such a bourn in Windsor forest. Bourns "that overflow such liquors," would be scarcely understood by any audience. (ACT II. Sc. 1.) We corrected "An-heires in our Pictorial edition, to "Will you go on, heers?" adding, "we think that the host, who is fond of using foreign words which he has picked up from his guests, such as cavalero, Francisco, and varletto, em ploys the Dutch Heer or the German Herr, Sir, Master." Han mer proposed to read, "will you go, Mynheers?" and we agree with Mr. Dyce that this is the best reading. "Curds and cream-s This is Mr. Collier's reading, according to the folio corrector, instead of the original cried game, which new reading is thus explained:-"The Host, having said that Anne Page was feasting at a farm-house, mentioned the most ordinary objects of feasting at farm-houses at that time, viz. curds and cream. (ACT II. Sc. 3.) The We have adopted Mr. Dyce's suggestion-" Cried I aim?" i. e. did I give you encouragement? To cry aim was a common expression derived from archery. reading of curds and cream is, to our minds, a modern substitution, derived from "The Winter's Tale," IV. 3, where Perdita is termed "the Queen of curds and cream"--the queen of the dairy-where curds most ordinary objects of feasting "The pit-way, the park-way, Old Windsor way, and every way but the town-way." "The passage," says Mr. Collier, 66 'is not one of any great importance," but for "the pitty-ward, the park-ward, every way, Old Windsor way, and every way but the town-way," the corrected folio has the above reading. (ACT III. Sc. 1.) The passage is of importance, as showing Shakspere's local knowledge. The words "pitty-ward, and park-ward," were 66 not understood," as Mr. Collier truly says, by the Corrector. The Castle of Windsor is still divided into the upper-ward, and the lower-ward -equivalent to pitty-ward, or petty-ward; and no doubt the upper ward was called the parkward. "Give me thy hands, celestial and terrestrial: so." The folio has, "give me thy hand, celestial, so." The corrector of Mr. Collier's folio added, as above. (ACT III. Sc. 1.) The quarto has, "give me thy hand, terrestrial, so: give me thy hand, celestial so." Malone justly adopted this true dramatic reading "I may not reveal them, sir." The original has, "I may not conceal them." Farmer wished to substitute reveal. "Quickly. Fairies, black, It has been customary to assign these poetical speeches to Dame Quickly, although we have been distinctly told that Anne Page was to present the Fairy Queen. (ACT IV. Sc. 5.) It is clear that Simple is made to use the wrong word, purposely, and the Host to repeat the blunder. gray," &c. (ACT V. Sc. 5.) We gave these speeches, in our "Library edition," to Anne Page. In the original folio the first five lines bear the name of the speaker, Qui; but the next long speech, beginning" About, about," has the name of the speaker-Qu. The manuscript corrector of the folio preserves the arrangement of these lines to the Queen. Mr. Collier does not point out that we first made public this correction of all previous modern readings. But it is possible, as Pistol recites some lines, that the distinction of Qui might give the first five lines to Quickly, and Qu to the Queen. "Cricket, to Windsor chimneys shalt thou leap." "And this deceit loses the name of craft, Of disobedience, or unduteous guile. "Title" of the original, is a misprint, according to the corrector of Mr. Collier's folio, who has substituted "guile." (ACT V. Sc. 5.) Where is the difference between craft and guile? "Unduteous title" is to us clear enough. You cannot call, says Fenton, what we have done, by the name of craft, or disobedience, or any urteous appellation. GLOSSARY BANBURY CHEESE. Act I., Sc. 1. "You Banbury cheese." Thus in Jack Drum's Entertainment' (1601) we have, "You are like a Banbury cheese, nothing but paring." BATE. Act I., Sc. 4. 66 No tell-tale, nor no breed-bate." Bate is strife, debate. BILBO. Act I., Sc. 1. "I combat challenge of this latten bilbo." A sword, a latten bilbo, a sword made of a thin latten plate, a toy sword. BUCKLERSBURY IN SIMPLE TIME. Act III., Sc. 3. In Shakspere's time this street, in the heart of the city, was chiefly inhabited by druggists and herbalists, whose dried and drying herbs, in "simple time," filled the air with fragrance. BURN DAYLIGHT. Act II., Sc. 1. "We burn day-light." To burn day-light is to waste time, like those who use "lamps by day." BUTTONS. Act III., Sc. 2. ""Tis in his buttons;" it is in his power, he is able to do it. The buttons enclose the man. We have in vulgar use a somewhat similar phrase in "It is not in your breeches," said in answer to a threat of personal chastisement. CAREERS. Act. I., Sc. 1. "And so conclusions passed the careers.' " A term used in the riding school for galloping a horse violently backwards and forwards. CASTILIAN. Act II., Sc. 3. "Thou art a Castilian, King Urinal !" A term of reproach applied in reference to the Spaniards, objects of intense hatred in the time of Elizabeth. The Host plays upon the doctor's ignorance of English. CATAIAN. Act II., Sc. 1. "I will not believe such a Cataian." |