Imatges de pàgina
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The elephant hath joints, but none for courtesy;
His legs are for neceffity, not for flexure.

Troilus and Creffida, A. S. 3.

This is he,

That kifs'd away his hand in courtesy;

This is the ape of form, Monfieur the nice,
That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice
In honourable terms. Love's Labour Loft, A. 5, S. 2.
Thou haft never in thy life

Shew'd thy dear mother any courtesy;

When the (poor hen) fond of no fecond brood,
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and fafely home,
Loaden with honour.

Coriolanus, A. 5, S. 3.

The courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the first-born; but the fame tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us. As you like it, A. 1, S. 1.

Pluck commiferation of his ftate From braffy bofoms, and rough hearts of flint, From stubborn Turks, and Tartars, never train'd To offices of tender courtefy.

Merchant of Venice, A. 4, S. 1. Is it poffible, difdain fhould die, while fhe hath fuch meet food to feed it, as Signior Benedick? Courtefy itself must convert to difdain, if you come in her presence. Much ado about nothing, A. 1, S, 1. Thefe couchings and thefe lowly courtefies, Might fire the blood of ordinary men ;

And turn pre-ordinance, and firft decree,
Into the lane of children.'

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Julius Cæfar, A. 3, S. 1.
COW-

Into the lane of children.] I do not well understand what is meant by the lane of children. I should read, the law of children. That is, change pre-ordinance and decree into the law of children; into fuch flight determinations as every fart of will would alter. Lane and law, in fome manufcripts, are not eafily distinguished. JOHNSON.

COWARDICE.

I do defy him,

Call him-a flanderous coward, and a villain
Which to maintain, I would allow him odds;
And meet him, were I ty'd to run a-foot,
Even to the frozen ridges of the Alps.

Richard II. A. 1, S. 17

Young as I am, I have obferv'd these three swafhers. I am boy to them all three : but all they three, though they would ferve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three fuch anticks do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-liver'd, and red-faced; by the means whereof, a' faces it out; but fights not. For Piftol-he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet fword; by the means whereof a' breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best of men; and therefore he fcorns to fay his prayers, left a fhould be thought a coward. Henry V. A. 3, S. 2.

The fecond property of your excellent therris isthe warming of the blood; which, before cold and fettled, left the liver white and pale, which is the badge of pufillanimity and cowardice; but the fherris warms it, and makes it courfe from the inwards to the parts extreme. It illumineth the face;

If the lane of children be the true reading, it may poffibly receive illuftration from the following paffage in Ben Jonson's Staple of News:

“A narrow minded man! my thoughts do dwell all in a lane." The lane of children will then mean the narrow conceits of children, which must change as their minds grow more enlarged. STEEVENS.

I believe we should read bane-Bane in its ordinary accepta tion is burt, injury; and by a licence common with our author, it may poffibly be used for punishment. "You behave, by these low courtefies, and crouchings, like children, and many men might be "tempted to punish you as fuch.” A. B.

which,

which, as a beacon, gives warning to all the reft of this little kingdom, man, to arm. A. 4, S. 3.

Henry IV. P. 2,

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never tafte of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It seems to me most strange that men fhould fear,
Seeing that death a neceffary end,

Will come, when it will come.

Julius Cafar, A. 2, S. 2. How many cowards, whofe hearts are all as falfe as ftairs of fand, wear yet upon their chins the beards of Hercules, and frowning Mars; who, inward fearch'd, have livers white as milk?

Merchant of Venice, A. 3, S. 2.

Thou flave, thou wretch, thou coward;

Thou little valiant, great in villainy!
Thou ever ftrong upon the stronger fide!

Thou fortune's champion, that doft never fight,
But when her humorous ladyfhip is by

To teach thee fafety!

I.

King John, A. 3, S. 1.

(In my heart

Lie there what hidden woman's fear there will)
We'll have a swashing and a martial outside ;
As many other mannish cowards have,

That do outface it with their femblances.

As you like it, A. 1, S. 3. He's a coward, and a coystril,' and will not drink to my niece, till his brains turn o'the toe like a parish-top. Twelfth Night, A. 1, S. 3.

A coyftril.]. i. e. a coward cock. It may, however, be a keftril, or bastard hawk. STEEVENS.

A "coiftril," is likewise a lad, a ftripling. It feems here to be used for a milk-fop. "A coward and a coyftril an he will ❝ not drink.".. A coward and a milk-fop if he will not drink, &c.

A. B.

-He

He ftopt the fliers;

And, by his rare example, made the coward
Turn terror into fport: as waves before
A veffel under fail, fo men obey'd,
And fell below his ftern.*

Coriolanus, A. 2, S. 2.

He excels his brother for a coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the best that is: In a retreat he outruns any lacquey.

All's well that ends well, A. 4, S. 3.

I know him a notorious liar,

Think him a great way fool, folely a coward;
Yet these fix'd evils fit fo fit in him,

That they take place, when virtue's steelly bones
Look bleak in the cold wind.

All's well that ends well, A. 1, S. 1.

I never dealt better fince I was a man; all would not do. A plague of all cowards!-Let them speak : if they speak more or less than truth, they are villains, and the fons of darkness.

Henry IV. P. 1, A. 2, S. 4. A plague of all cowards, I fay, and a vengeance too! marry, and amen!-Give me a cup of fack, boy. A plague of all cowards!-Is there no virtue extant? Henry IV. P, 1, A. 2, S. 4.

I was never curst;

I have no gift at all in shrewishness ;
I am a right maid for my cowardice.

Midfummer Night's Dream, A. 3, S. 2.
I hold it cowardice,

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To rest mistrustful where a noble heart

Hath pawn'd an open hand in fign of love.

сору,

Henry VI. P. 3, A. 4, S. 2.

CREA

And fell below his ftern.] We fhould read, according to the old

bis fem

The ftem is that end of the fhip which leads.

STEEVENS.

We

CREATURE.

This is a creature,

Would the begin a fect, might quench the zeal
Of all profeffors elfe; make profelytes

Of who the but bid follow.

Winter's Tale, A. 5, S. 1. O thou thing,

Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,
Left barbarism, making me the precedent,
Should a like language ufe to all degrees,
And mannerly diftinguishment leave out
Betwixt the prince and beggar !-

Winter's Tale, A. 2, S. 1.

Call the creatures—

Whose naked natures live in all the spight

Of wreakful heaven; whofe bare unhoufed trunks To the conflicting elements expofed,

Answer mere nature-bid them flatter thee;

Timon of Athens, A. 4, S. 3.

Divineft creature, bright Aftræa's daughter,
How fhall I honour thee for this fuccefs?

Thy promifes are like Adonis' gardens,

That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next,

Henry VI. P. 1. A. 1, S. 6.

CRIM E.

If little faults, proceeding on diftemper,

Shall not be wink'd at, how fhall we ftretch our eye When capital crimes, chew'd, fwallow'd, and digefted, Appear before us?

We fhould read

Fell before his ftem.

Henry V. A. 2, S. 2.

Stem does not here mean any part of a fhip.-Stem is used for prowess, valour. "Fell before his ftem," yielded to his prowess.

A. B.

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