Where neither party is nor true nor kind: They sought their shame that so their shame did find, Among the many that mine eyes have seen, Not one whose flame my heart so much as warmed, Or any of my leisures ever charmed: Harm have I done to them, but ne'er was harmed; Look here, what tributes wounded fancies sent me, In bloodless white, and the encrimson'd mood; Encamp'd in hearts, but fighting outwardly. And lo! behold these talents of their hair, The diamond; why, 'twas beautiful and hard, have been misprinted. Nevertheless, in "Hamlet," Vol. v. p. 542, we have enactures in a similar sense. 1- to the smallest TEEN,] "Teen" is sorrow, a word that has frequently occurred before: see Vol. iv. p. 308, Vol. v. p. 112, &c. 2 behold these TALENTS of their hair,] "Talents" seems employed here in reference to the supposed value of the golden gift. "Impleach'd," in the next line, means plaited or interwoven. 3 his INVIS'D properties] "Invis'd" is explained unseen or invisible. Malone considered it "a word of Shakespeare's coining," and we have no other example of its use. With objects manifold: each several stone, With wit well blazon'd, smil'd, or made some moan. Lo! all these trophies of affections hot, Of pensiv'd and subdued desires the tender, Oh! then, advance of your's that phraseless hand, Lo! this device was sent me from a nun, But oh, my sweet! what labour is't to leave made the BLOSSOMS dote:] The late Mr. Barron Field would read bosoms for "blossoms," and referred to a passage in "King Lear," Vol. v. p. 723, where, in one of the 4to. editions, "bosom " is misprinted blossom. This may certainly be so; but as the old text, taking "blossoms" as the flower of the nobility, the "spirits of richest coat," is intelligible, we refrain from making any change. For the same reason we do not alter "The thing we have not " to "The thing we love not," which Mr. Barron Field also recommended, and which would certainly make the sense of the poet more evident and forcible. PALING the place] The old copy has "Playing the place," the compositor having, probably, caught "Playing" from the next line. Malone substituted "Paling" with some plausibility, and no better suggestion has yet been offered: he understands "Paling the place" as fencing it; but if the compositor caught "Playing" from the next line, the word rejected might be one of a very different appearance and import, and "Paling the place" cannot be said to accord as well as could be wished with the rest of the line: "Planing the place" may possibly be the right word. Playing patient sports in unconstrained gyves? Oh, pardon me, in that my boast is true! How mighty then you are, oh, hear me tell! I strong o'er them, and you o'er me being strong, As compound love to physic your cold breast. My parts had power to charm a sacred sun", When thou impressest, what are precepts worth 6 She that her fame so to herself CONTRIVES,] In "The Taming of the Shrew," Vol. ii. p. 469, we meet with a somewhat similar use of the verb to "contrive." 7 Not to be tempted would she be IMMUR'D, And now, to tempt all, liberty PROCUR'D.] The passage is thus given in the 4to, 1609: "Not to be tempted would she be enur'd, There is little doubt that the lines have been properly amended by Malone. 8 to charm a sacred SUN,] Very possibly, as Malone proposes, we ought to read nun for "sun." 9 Who, disciplin'd, I DIETED in grace,] Our text is from the 4to, 1609, the property of the Earl of Ellesmere. Malone's copy at Oxford has " I died " for " and dieted," which he substituted at the suggestion of a correspondent. The meaning of the reading we have restored, and which must have been inserted while the sheet was in the press, is very distinct. How coldly those impediments stand forth Of wealth, of filial fear, law, kindred, fame? Love's arms are peace', 'gainst rule, 'gainst sense, 'gainst shame; And sweetens, in the suffering pangs it bears, The aloes of all forces, shocks, and fears. Now, all these hearts that do on mine depend, To leave the battery that you make 'gainst mine, This said, his watery eyes he did dismount, Oh father! what a hell of witchcraft lies For lo! his passion, but an art of craft, 1 Love's arms are PEACE,] We may suppose a misprint here, but still sense can be made out of the original text. Malone would read Love's arms are proof;" and Steevens, "Love aims at peace." If we made any change, we should prefer the recommendation of Malone, but even he did not think it expedient to insert it in the text. We must make " Love," understood, the nominative to "sweetens." 2 OH cleft effect!] The old copy has "Or cleft effect," doubtless an error, and properly corrected by Malone. All melting; though our drops this difference bore, In him a plenitude of subtle matter, To blush at speeches rank, to weep at woes, That not a heart, which in his level came, Thus, merely with the garment of a grace Oh, that infected moisture of his eye! Oh, that false fire, which in his cheek so glowed! 3 and swoon at tragic shows:] It is "sound at tragic shows" in the 4to, 1609 in "Romeo and Juliet," Vol. iv. p. 157, the 4to, 1597, has "swounded," and all later impressions sounded. The Rev. Mr. Dyce here properly prints "swoon:" "Shakespeare's Poems," 1832. Why he should afterwards have varied from this uniformity, excepting under the compulsion of the rhyme, we cannot imagine. 4 Oh, all that borrow'd motion, seeming OWED,] i. e. Seeming owned: Malone explains the passage thus,-that passion which he borrowed from others so naturally, that it seemed real, and his own. FINIS. |