designed we should readpyramides, Lat. instead of pyramids, and so the folio reads. The verse will otherwise be defective. STEEVENS. P. 209, l. 10. 11. his rear'd arm A -- Crested the world:] Alluding to some of the old crests in heraldry, where a raised arm on adwreath was mounted on the helmet. PERCY. mean, P. 209, 1. 19-21. realms and islands were As plates dropp'd from his pocket.] Plates I believe, silver money. STEEVENS. Mr. Steevens justly interprets plates. It is a term in heraldry. The balls or roundels in an escutcheon of arms, according to their different colours, have different names. If gules, or red, they are called torteauxes, if or, or yellow, bezants; if argent or white, plates, which are buttons of silver without any impression, but only prepared for the stamp. WHALLEY. P209, 1. 29. 30. Nature wants stuff was a term at cards. STE P6209 1.30-32. to imagine An Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst brocha fancy, Condemning shadows quite. The word piece sais var term appropriated to works of art.: Here Nature and Faney produce each their piece, and the piece done by Nature had the preference. Antony was in reality past the size of dreaming; he was more by Nature than Fancy could pre-g sent in sleep. JOHNSON FL 醫 oP.3210521.330. I cannot project mine own -i8uga vabar elrow ad cause so well] Project signifies to invent a cause, not to plead it, which is the sense here required. It is plain that we should read:lig pas #32919] cannot proctor my own cause so well.ak The technical term, to plead by an advocate. 1 bledondo to dlaw and aduWARBURTON. -Sfr Ta Hanmer readsbo Mie sih bocoleby gyan STOU cannot parget my own cause divesw meaning, I cannot whitewash, varnishy or gloss I believe the present reading to be right. To project a causes is to represent a cause to project it well, is to plan or contrive a scheme of defence. JOHNSON Y qu sok Case I asw exwe GT Leeolą sie dwed & to 2919 The old reading may certainly be the true, que Sir John Harrington in his Metamorphosis of Ajax 1590, p. 79, says I have chosen Ajax for the project of this discourse. Yet Sir Thomas Haumer's conjecture may be likewise countenanced; for the word he wishes to bring in, is used in the 4th eclogue of Drayton: one. "Scorn'd paintings, pargit, and the borrow'd -zib Ton Isorog T hair. STREVENS. ९ Pand,l,16. You shall advise me in allfor .Moazaol 3.Cleopatra. ] Yon shall yourself be my counsellor, and, suggest whatever you wish to be done for your relief{[ MALONI{{s} poiler 1 20. Not petty things admitted] Sagacious s editors! Cleopatra gives in a list of her wealth', says, 'tis exactly valued, but that petty things are not admitted in this list and then she appeals to her treasurer, that she has reserved fothing to herself. And when her betrays her, she is reduced to the shift of exclaiming against the ingratitude of servants, and of making apologies for having secreted certain trifles. Who does not see, that we ought to readmbro zo nommo Not petty things omitted?-ere I For this declaration lays open her falshood; and makes her angry, when her treasurer detects her in a direct lied Tukpaal Paris; froiado91 9ÅT Notwithstanding the wrath of Mr. Theobald, I have restored the old readinger She is angry afterwards, that she is accused of having reserved more than peu things. Dr. Warburton and Sir T• Hanmer follows Theobalds JoHNSON !! 01 Per 6246,6 12 272 vqly had rather seel my lips,] Sew up my mouth. JoNON. I means, close up my lips as effectually as the eyes of a hawk are closed. To seel hawks was the technical terms STEVENS, beer blo sdT to p 328 rarely base!J1.e. base in an uncommon degree. STEEVENS. a Und soil. T. 212, 1. 15. Meek1suppose, meaus here, tame, subdued by adversity. MALONE २ * R#211. 13 15!—a that mine own servant nolysill to should die si ni baap i w Parcel the sum of my disgraces 90?" Addition of his envy!] To parcel her dis graces, might be expressed in_vidgår language, to bundle up her olamities. JOHNSON. 19 The meaning, I think (either is,fed that this fellow should add one more parcels dritém to the sumsefny disgraces, namely, his own malice; Ton, that this fellow should tot up the sum of my disgraces and add his own malice to the account. Parcel is here used technically agus boy1989% and 9da Jad 19102697 134 MALONE. Anvy is here, as almost always in these plays, malice. MALONE to ide s of browbar si ada -P12uile 484 modern friends Modern means here, as it generally does in these, plays, common or ordinary M. MASON 16d7 : 998 Jog P. 212, 1. 24-20ninga helices to bok shall show the cimler of my spirits Through the ashes of my chance:] Orfor tune. The meaning is, Begone, or I shall exert that royal spirit which I had in my prosperity, in pite of the imbecility of my present weak condition. This taught the Oxford editor to alter it to mischance. WARBURTON. P. 212, 1. 31-55. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought For things that others do: and, when we fall, We answer other's merits in our name, Are therefore to be pitied.] We suffer at our highest state of elevation in the thoughts of mankind for that which others do; and when we fall, those that contented themselves only to think ill before, call us to answer in our own names for the merits of others. We are therefore to be pitied. Merits is in this place taken in an ill sense for actions meriting censure. JOHNSON. The plain meaning is this. The greatest of us are aspersed for things which others do; and when, by the decline of our power, we become in a condition to be questioned, we are called to answer in our own names for the actions of other people. Merit is here used, as the word desert frequently is, to express a certain degree of merit or demerit. A man may merit punishment as well as reward. M. MASON. As demerits was often used in Shakspeare's time as synonymous to merit, so merit might have been used in the sense which we now affix to demerit; or the meaning may be only, we are called to account, and to answer in our own names for acts, with with which others rather than we, deserve to be charged. MALONE, " P. 213, 1. 8. Make not your thoughts your Do not destroy yourself by musing on your misfortune. Yet I would change nothing, as the old reading presents a very proper sense. Be not a prisoner in imagination, when in reality you are free. JOHNSON. P. 214, 1. 19. scald rhymers Scald was a word of contempt implying poverty, disease, and filth. JOHNSON. P. 214, I. 20. gay inventive players. the quick comedians] The JOHNson. Quick means here, rather ready than gay. M. MASON. The lively, inventive, quick-witted comedians. P. 214, 1. 23-25. and I shall see MALONE. Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness l' the posture of a whore.] The parts of women were acted on the stage by boys. HANMER. P. 214, 1. 32. Their most absurd intents.] Why should Cleopatra call Caesar's designs absurd? She could not think his intent of carrying her in triumph, such, with regard to his own glory and her finding an expedient to disappoint him, could not bring it under that predicament. I much rather think the poet wrote, VOL. XV, |