P. 478. I pull in refolution.] Mr. Johnfan in the room of this would read, I pall in refolution; but there is no need of change; for Shakespeare, who made Trincalo in the Tempeft say, I will let Loofe my opinion, might have written, I pull in my refolution. He had permitted his courage (like a horse) to carry him to the brink of a precipice, where feeing his danger, he refolves to pull in that, to which he had given the rein before. Mr. STEEVENS. P. 519. I'll potch at him fome way.] The Revifal reads peach, but potch, to which the. objection is made, as no English word, is used in the midland counties for a rough violent push. P. when the great .553. eft tafte Moft palates theirs] There I think rightly. REVISAL. P. 562. Clean kam] The Welch word for crooked is kam. P. 578. My first fon.] The Revifal reads, my fierce fon; but furely firft may stand for first in excellence: Prima virorum. P. 601. As is the ofprey to the fifb.] We find in Mich. Drayton's Poly-Olbion, Song 25. a full account of the ofprey, which fhews the juftness, and the beauty of the fimile, and confirms Theobald's correction to be right: "The ofpray oft here feen, though feldom here it "breeds, "Which over them the fish no "fooner do efpy, "But, betwixt him and them, "by an antipathy, 66 66 Turning their bellies up, as though their death "they faw, "They at his pleasure lie to "Stuff his gluttonous "maw." Mr. LANGTON. NOTES to the SEVENTH VOLUME. P. 27. Brutus. The genius and the mortal inftruments, Are then in council, and the ftate of man, Like to a little king dom, Juffers then The nature of an infurrection.] Instead of inftruments, it should, I think, I think, be inftrument, and explained thus ; "the common oath of the Scy"thians was by the fword, and "by the wind; and that the "Irifh ufed commonly to fwear by their words: and that they "do at this day, when they go out to battle, say certain prayers, and charms to their "fwords, making a cross there"with on the earth, and thruft"ing the points of their blades "into the ground, thinking thereby to have better fuccefs in the fight." The genius, i, e. the foul, or fpirit, which fhould govern; and the mortal inftrument, i. e. the man, with all his bodily, that is, earthly paffions, fuch as, envy, pride, malice, and ambition, are then in council, i. e. debating upon the horrid action that is to be done, the foul and rational powers diffuading, and the mortal inftrument, man, with his bodily paffions, prompting and pushing" on to the horrid deed, whereby the state of man, like to a little kingdom, fuffers then the nature of an infurrection, the inferior powers rifing and rebelling against the fuperior. See this exemplified in Macbeth's foliloquy, and alfo by what King John fays, aft iv. p. 453. "Nay in the body of this "This kingdom, this confine 66 Mr. SMITH. P. 122. Ant. Now by my word.] An expreffion ufed by Shakespeare, Winter Night's Tale, act ii. fc. laft. Leontes to Anti To this cuftom Spencer alludes in other places. "So fuff'ring him to rife, he "made him fwear, "By his own fword, and the "crofs thereon, 66 "To take Briana for his loving Fere." Fairy Queen, book 6. canto 1-53. Dr. GRAY. This note, which is referred to this place by its authour, may deserve more confideration to the reader of Hamlet, where the friends of Hamlet are required to fwear upon his fword. P. 155. Cleo. Go to the fellow, good Alexas; bid them to report the feature of Octavia, her years, her inclination; let them not leave out the colour of her hair.] This is a manifeft allufion to thequeftion put by Queen Elizabeth to Sir James Melvil, concerning his mistress, the Queen of Scots." She de"fired to know of me what co"lour of hair was reputed best? "And whether my Queen's hair "or her's was beft? And which "of them two was faireft? I "anfwered, The fairness of them was not their worst faults. Dr. GRAY. 1 P. 172. Char. Three in Egypt Cannot make better note.] Alluding to the old catches, which were in three parts. Dr. GRAY. -When I P. 197. Ant. Start forth, and cry, Your will.] Mufs, a fcramble. So ufed by Ben Johnson. See the Magnetic Lady, act iv. fc. iii. p. 44. Bias. "I keep her portion fafe, that is not scatter'd, "The moneys rattle not; nor "are they thrown "To make a mufs, yet 'mong "the game fome fuitors." Dr. GRAY. P. 260. In the note, for Don Belliarus, read Don Bellianis. P. 286. What both you Spur and flop.] I think Imogen means to enquire what is that news, that intelligence, or information, you profefs to bring, and yet withhold: at least, I think, your explanation a mistaken one, for Imogen's request fuppofes Iachimo an agent, not a patient. Mr. HAWKINS. P. 347. Untwine his perishing rcot, &c.] The attribute of the elder in this place is perishing, that of the vine encreafing. Let therefore the flinking elder grief "fworn brothers in filching, and "in Calais they ftole a fire"shovel; I know by that piece "of service the men would carry " coals." So it is used by Skelton, in his poem, intitled, Whyby come ye not to Court? Works, P. 142. " Will you bear no coles ?" And by Ben Johnson, Every Man out of his Humour, a&t v. sc. i, Puntarvola to the groom. "See here comes one that coals; " will carry "Ergo, will hold my dog." And again, act v. sc. iii. "Take heed, Sir Puntarvolo, "what you do; "He'll bear no coals, I can "tell you, (o' my word.") Dr. GRAY. I therefore retract my note on this paffage. P. 7. Sam. I will bite my ́thumb at them, which is a difgrace to them, if they bear it.] So it fignifies in Randolph's Mufes Looking-Glofs, act iii. fc. ii. p. 43. Orgylus. "To bite his thumb engages with a fpider, will for tify herself with fome of the plant; and that if she comes off wounded, the cures herself afterwards with it. Dr. GRAY. P. 25. Merc. If thou art Dun, we'll draw thee from the mire.] A proverbial faying ufed by Mr. Thomas Heywood, in his play, intitled, The Dutchefs of Suffolk, act iii. "A rope for Bishop Bonner, "Call help, a rope, or we Dr. GRAY. P. 37. fon and beir, Young Adam Cupid, be that foot So true (Venus) purblind When King Cophetua lov'd the beggar-maid.] As the commentators are agreed that Cupid is here called Adam, in allufion to the famous archer Adam Bell, the hero of many an ancient ballad :- -So I believe, I can refer you to the ballad of King Cophetua, &c. In the first of the 3 vols. 12mo. p. 141. is an old fong of a king's falling in love with a beggar maid, which I take to be the very ballad in queftion, altho' the name of the king is no longer found in it, which will be no objection, to any one who has compared old copies of ballads with those now extant. The third ftanza begins thus: "The blinded boy that shoots "fo trim, "Did to his clofet windowfteal, "And drew a dart and fhot " at him, "And made him foon his power feel," &c. I fhould rather read as in Shakespeare, The purblind boy. If this is the fong alluded to by Shakespeare, thefe fhould feem to be the very lines he had in his eye; and therefore I should fuppofe the lines in Romeo and Juliet, , were originally. 66 -Her purblind fon and ❝ heir, "Young Adam Cupid, he that "fhot so trim, "When, &c." This word trim, the first editors, confulting the general fenfe of the paffage, and not perceiving the allufion, would naturally alter to true: yet the former feems the more humourous expreffion, and, on account of its quaintnefs, more likely to have been used by the droll Mercutio. Mr. PERCY. P. 50. Serv. Save me a piece of march-pane.] A confection made of Piftacho nuts, almonds, fugar, &c. and in high efteem in Shakespeare's time; as appears from the account of Queen Elizabeth's Entertainment in Cambridge. 'Tis faid that the University prefented Sir William Cecyl, their Chancellor, with two pair of gloves, a march-pane, and two fugar loaves. Peck's Defiderata Curiofa, vol. 2. p. 29. Dr. GRAY. VOL. VIII. P. 68. Spread thy clafe cur tain love performing night, That Run-aways eyes may wink.] I am no better fatisfied with Dr. Warburton's emendation than the prefent editor, but tho' I have none I have a good opinion of, to propofe in its room, will yet offer at an explanation. Juliet wishes the night may be fo dark, that none of thofe who are obliged to run away in it, on fome account or other, may meet with Romeo, and know his perfon, but that be may Leap to her arms untalk'd of and unfeen. The run-away in this place cannot be the fun, who must have been effectually gone before night could fpread its curtain, and fuch a wish must have taken place before the eyes of these run-aways could be fuppofed to wink. The Revifal reads, That Rumour's eyes may wink, and he might have fupported his conjecture from the figure of Fame, . . Rumour, as defcribed by Virgil. Tot vigiles oculi fubter, &c. And yet this is but a conjecture, though a very ingenious one. Mr. STEEVENS. P. 86. For I madam, read ay madam. P. 117. N. 6. I am forry to fay that the foregoing note is an inftance of difingenuity, as well as inattention, in Mr. Theobald, who, relying on the fcarcity of the old quartos, very frequently makes them anfwerable for any thing he thinks proper to affert. The quarto in 1599, was not the firft, it was preceded by one in 1597, and though Mr. T. deLI clares, |
