in the ditty, yet the note was very untunable.] Though it is thus in all the printed copies, it is evident from the sequel of the dialogue, that the poet wrote as I have reformed the text, uniimable.-Time, and Tune, are frequently mifprinted for one another in the old editions of Shakespeare. THEOB. Ibid.] This emendation is received, I think, very undefervedly, by Dr. Warburton. JOHNS. P. 509. 1.9. As thofe that fear they hope, and know they fear. This frange nonfenfe thould be read thus, As thofe that fear their hap, and know their fear. i. e. As those who fear the iflue of a thing when they know their fear to be well grounded. WARB. Ibid.] The depravation of this line is evident, but I do not think the learned commentator's emendation very happy. 1 read thus, As thofe that fear with hope, and hope with fear. Or thus, with lefs alteration, As thofe that fear, they hope, and now they fear. JOHNS. Ibid.] As thofe that fear their hope, and know their fear.. CAPELL.* P. 510. 1. 20. Here come a pair of very strange beafis, &c.] What! frange beafts? and yet fuch as have a name in all languages? Noah's ark is here alluded to; into which the clean beafts entered by fevens, and the unclean by two, male and female. It is plain then that Shakespeare wrote, here come a pair of unclean beafts, which is highly humorous. HANM. & WARB. Ibid.] Strange beafts are only what we call odd animals. There is no need of any alte ation. JOHNS. P. 511. 1. 2. We found the quarrel was upon the feventh caufe.] So all the copies: but it is apparent from the fequel that we must read, the quarrel was not upon the feventh caufe. JOHNS.. - I defire you of the like.] We should read, I de fire of you the like. On the duke's faying, I like him very vell, he replies, I defire you will give me cause that I may like you too. L. 7. WARB. L. 9. According as marriage binds and blood breaks. The conftruction is, to fewear as marriage binds. Which I think is not English. I fufpect Shakespear wrote it thus, "to fwear aud to forfwear, according as marriage bids, and blood VOL. I. PART II. bids break. WARB. Ibid.] I cannot discover what has here puzzled the Commentator: to fwear according as marriage binds, is to take the oath enjoin'd in the ceremonial of marriage. JOHNS.. L. 15. Dulcet difeafes.] This I do not understand. For difeafes it is eafy to read discourses: but, perhaps the fault may lie deeper. JOHNS. Ibid.] Meaning Love, as what is apt to make folks fententious. HANMER.* L. 20. As thus, Sir, I did diflike the cut of a courtier's beard.] This folly is touched upon with high humour by Fletcher in his Queen of Corinth. WARB. P. 512. 1. 8. O Sir, ce quarrel in print, by the book.] The Poet has, in this fcene, rallied the mode of formal duelling, then fo prevalent. The particular book here alluded to is a very ridiculous treatife of one Vincentio Saviolo, intitled, "Of honour and honourable quarrels," in quarto, printed by Wolf, 1594. The firft part of this tract he intitles "A difcourfe moft neceffary for all gentiemen that have in regard their honors, touching the giving and receiving the lye, whereupon the Duello and the Combat in divers forms doth enfue; and many other inconveniences, for lack only of true knowledge of honor, and the right underfianding of words, which here is fet down." The contents of the fecond chapter are as follow. I. What the reason is that the party unto whom the lye is given ought to become challenger, and of the nature of lies. II. Of the manner and diversity of lies. III. Of the lye certain, or direct. IV. Of conditional lies, or the lye circumftantial. V. Of the lye in general. VI. Of the lye in particular. VII. Of foolish lyes. VIII. A conclufion touching the wresting or returning back of the lye, or the countercheck quarrelsome. In the chapter of conditional lies speaking of the particle if, he fays-Conditional lies be fuch as are given conditionally thus-if thou haft said so or so, then thou lieft. Of thefe kind of lies, given in this manner, often arife much contention, whereof no fure conclufion can arise. By which he means, they cannot proceed to cut one another's throats, while there is an if between them. Which is the reason of Shakespeare's making the Clown fay, I know when feven juftices could not make up a quarrel: but when the parties were met themselves, one of them thought but of an if, as if you faid fo, then I faid fo, and they shook hands, and fwore brothers. Your if is the only peace-maker; much virtue tn if. Caranza was another of these authentic authors upon the Duello. Fletcher in his laft Act of Love's Pilgrimage, ridicules him with much humour. THEOB. & WARB. L. 25. Enter Hymen.] Rofalind is imagined by the reft of the company to be brought by enchantment, and is therefore introduced as an aerial being in the character of HyJOHNS. men. P. 513. 1. 8. If there be truth in fight.] The anfwer of Phebe makes it probable that Orlando says, if there be truth in fhape: that is, if a form may be trufted; if one cannot ufurp the form of another. JOHNS. L. 19. If truth holds true contents.] That is, if there be truth in truth, unless truth fails of veracity. JOHNS. P. 516. 1. 6. What a cafe am I in then, &c.] Here feems to be a chasm, or fome other depravation, which deftroys the fentiment here intended. The reafoning probably stood thus, "good wine needs no bufh, good plays need no epilogue," but bad wine requires a good bufh, and a bad play a good epilogue. What cafe am I in then? To restore the words is impoffible; all that can be done without copies is, to note the fault. L. 8. L. II. JOHNS. JOHNS. -furnish'd like a beggar;] That is, dreffed: fo before, he was furnifbed like a huntsman. I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as pleafes you and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, - that between you and the women, &c.] This paffage should be read thus, "I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as pleases them: and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, - to like as much as pleafes them, that between you and the women, &c" Without the alteration of you into them the invocation is nonfenfe; and without the addition of the words, to like as much as pleafes them, the inference of, that between you and the women the play may pafs, would be unfupported by any precedent premifes. The words feem to have been struck out by fome fenfelefs player, as a vicious redundancy. WARB. Ibid] Dr Warburton by his own interpolation makes that an inference, which originally was only a charge, and then alledges the neceffity of fupporting the inference of his own making, in order to juftify, the interpolation which created that inference. But, as he hath managed his cards, the poet is just between two ftools. The men are to like only juft as much as pleafed the women; and the women only just as much as pleafed the men; neither are to like any thing from their own tafte; and if both of them disliked the whole, they would each of them equally fulfil what the poet defires of them. So that upon a thorough examination of the matter, Mr. Warburton's inference is not fupported by his premifes, notwithstanding the liberty he hath taken with the text in order to adjust them together; But Shakespeare did not write fo non enfic lly; he defires the women to like as much as pleased the men, and the men to fet the ladies a good example, which exhortation to the men is evidently enough implied in these words, that between you and the women, the play may pleafe.' REVIS.* Ibid.] The words you and ym written as was the cuftom in that time, were in manufcript fcarcely diftinguishable. Dr. W's emendation is very judicious and probable. JOHNS. L. 16. If I were a svoman] Note that in this author's time the parts of women were always performed by men or boys. HANM. Το Of this play the fable is wild and pleafing. I know not how the ladies will approve the facility with which both Rofalind and Celia give away their hearts. Celia much may be forgiven for the heroifm of her friendship. The character of Jaques is natural and well preferved. The comick dialogue is very fprightly, with lefs mixture of low buffoonery than in fome other plays; and the graver part is elegant and harmonious. By haftening to the end of his work Shakespear fuppreffed the dialogue between the ufurper and the hermit, and loft an opportunity of exhibiting a moral leffon in which he might have found matter worthy of his highest powers. END of the NOTES on AS YOU LIKE IT. |
