"Only for bearing burdens; and hard blows, "For sinking under them." 115. "Scaling his present bearing with his past." The sense, I believe is, as Dr. Johnson has given it, weighing his past and present behaviour; but it may be, "surveying from an advantageous eminence," overlooking the specious policy of his present humility, in allusion to a wall and scaling ladder. The same uncertainty of meaning attends this word in another place: "The corrupt deputy scal'd." Measure for Measure. Say, you ne'er had done't This is hypermetrical; "say" might be ejected, and the passage run thus: "Your sudden approbation: you'd (i. e. you had) ne'er done't, Let them Regard me as I do not flatter; and "Therein behold themselves." I believe Coriolanus only means to say, that the plebeians were as little inclined to flatter the nobility, as he was to flatter them. 124. "You are plebeians, If they be senators; and they are no less, "When both your voices blended, the great est taste "Most palates theirs." The greatest taste, I believe, is, the preponderancy of the public inclination or will, which, when plebeians are allowed to vote with their superiors, is sure to be on the side of the former.Taste, I suppose, we must interpret appetite. HH 2 135. "He would not flatter Neptune for his trident, “ Nor Jove for his poreer to thunder." This is a strong instance, indeed, of the noble pride of Marcius, not to abate his dignity even for the power to gratify his spleen towards the hated multitude. 139. " The service of the foot, "Being once gangren'd, is not then respected, “ For what before it reas.” This last line and half, I am persuaded, with Dr. Warburton, could not have proceeded from the apologist of Coriolanus, who was, probably, about to say something very different, when Cicinius interrupted him : Men. " ،، The service of the foot" Cic. Being once gangren'd," &c. One word more, one word." Brut. "Spread further: The measure wants a foot: we might read, One word more, one word, I say." 140. The end of it, "Unknown to the beginning." i. e. Popular outrages conclude, generally, in extremities which were never thought of, at the commencement. 141. -Ill bring him to you." A syllable is wanting : perhaps, I'll bring him to you, strait. SCENE II. 142. "I muse, my mother." There is disorder here in the metre, which might be repaired thus: You do the nobler." The words rejected may well be spared: again, "In congregations (to) yawn, be still, and wonder." The particle to should be withdrawn. A heart as little apt as yours. Apt," for pliant, practicable. 145. If it be honour, in your wars, to seem "The same you are not (which, for your best ends, "You adopt your policy) how is it less, or worse, "That it shall hold companionship in peace, "With honour, as in war." This is another of those passages which the commentators seem to have thought too plain to require any explanation, yet I find great difficulty in searching for the meaning and for the order of the construction: as the text stands, this is the argument, if it be honour, in war, to seem different from what you are, how is it less fitting that it should hold companionship with honour, in peace as well as in war? i. e. how is it that honour shall not hold companionship with honour? for "honour" is the only antecedent to "it." All that I can do to obtain sense or consistency is, by substituting policy for "honour," in the second instance: "If it be honour in your wars to seem, &c. how is it less fitting that it should hold, in peace, the same companionship with policy that it does in war?" "Nor by the matter (which) your heart prompts you to." "Which" should be withdrawn. 146. "But with such words that are but rooted in." The comparison requires the conjunction as instead of the pronoun "that." "Your tongue, though but bastards, and syllables." This is only a line in syllables; we might obtain metre by a slight change: "Your tongue, although but bastards, syllables "Of no allowance," &c. "Take in,". I believe, is not so much "to conquer," as "to bring into the circle or scope of dominion:" thus, in Anthony and Cleopatra: "Take in that province, and enfranchise this." I am, in this, 66 "Your wife, your son, these senators," &c. I am persuaded that Dr. Warburton's interpretation is right; in this advice which I give, I urge the wishes of all your other friends. 148. "Go to them, with this bonnet in thy hand, "And thus far having stretch'd it," &c. The action of Volumnia's taking hold of the bonnet, and instructing Coriolanus how to use it, would be extremely unbecoming; yet the words seem to imply all this. The passage, I fear, is incurably corrupt, and I am unable, with all the aid of the commentators, to find out either the construction or sense of what follows: 66 Waving thy head "Which, often thus correcting thy stout heart, That, humble as the ripest mulberry, "Now will not hold the handling." 151" -They have pardons, being ask'd, as free "As words to little purpose. They are as kindly forgiving as foolishly loquacious. This corruption has been remarked by Dr. Lowth, and proceeds, as he has justly observed, from mistaking the contraction of I would, thou wouldst; I'd, thou'dst, for I had, thou hadst, &c. 152. "This mould of Marcius." "Mould," here, I believe, is put equivocally for frame, and piece of earth. 153. " Such a part, which never." This inaccuracy occurred before; the pronoun instead of the comparative conjunction as. 154. My arm'd knees, "Who bow'd but in my stirrop," &c. The personification of "knees" is very violent; I should be inclined to insert "which.' 66 Let 'Thy mother rather feel thy pride, than fear "Thy dangerous stoutness." Dr. Johnson's explanation is right, and has support in a kindred sentiment in Macbeth: "Let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, "Ere we will eat our meal in fear," &c. 155. "Well, mildly be it then, mildly." This is defective: perhaps we might add, "Well mildly be it then, (as you say,) mildly!" Thus, in Othello: "And she's obedient, as you say, obedient!" |