(P. 226. n. 9.) "The mobbled queen." I meet with this word in Shirley's Gentleman of Venice, "The moon does mobble up herself." 66 (P. 236.) That undiscovered country, from whose bourne "No traveller returns." This has been cavilled at by lord Orrery and others, but, with out reason. The idea of a traveller in Shakespeare's time, was of a perfon who gave an account of his adventures. Every voyage was a Difcovery. John Taylor has A Difcovery by fea from London to Salisbury." (P. 239. n. 1.) This regulation is needlefs. So in Tarquin and Lucrece, "Princes are the glass, the school, the book, "Where fubjects eyes do learn, do read, "do look." and in Quintilian, Multum agit fexus, ætas, conditio; ut in feminis, fenibus, pupillis, liberos, parentes, conjuges, alligan tibus." (P. 242.) I would read thus, "There be players, that I have "feen play, and heard others praife, and that highly (not to fpeak profanely) that neither having the accent nor the gait of Chriftian, Pagan, nor Mujulman, have fo ftrutted and bel"lowed, that I thought fome of nature's journeymen had made "the men, and not made them well, &c. 66 (P. 246. n. 7.) Here again is an equivoque. In Maffinger's Old Lar, we have "A cunning grief, That's only faced with fables for a fhow, "But gawdy-hearted." (P. 254 n. 4.) So you miftake your husbands." I believe this to be right: the word is fometimes ufed in this lu dicrous manner. "Your true trick, rafcal (fays Urfula in Bar"tholomew Fair) must be to be ever bufie, and mistake away the "bottles and cans, before they be half drunk off." (P. 255. n. 8.) A peacock feems proverbial for a fool. Thus Gafcoigne in his weeds, "A theefe, a cowarde, and a peacocke foole." (P. 281. n. 5.) Surely this fhould be like an ape an apple.” (P.282. n. 7.) So in the Spanish tragedy, "In troth, my lord, it is a thing of nothing." and in one of Harvey's letters," a filly bug beare, a forry puffe of winde, a thing of nothing." (P. 290.) Without doubt, "Good morrow, 'tis Saint Valentine's day. (P. 312. n. 3.) My remark here, without Mr. Upton's, to which it is an anfwer, feems very infignificant. (P. 321. n. 5.) You forgot our author's 111th fonnet, "I will drinke "Potions of Eyfell." I believe it has not been obferved that many of thefe fonnets are eddreffed to his beloved nephew William Harte. P. 329.) Nay, in good faith-for mine cafe." This feems to have been the affected phrafe of the time. This in Marf ton's Malecontent, "I befeech you, Sir, be covered ”– "in good faith for my eafe." And in other places. O THE L. L.O. ' 66 No (P. 357. n. 1.) I have feen a French translation of Cynthio by Gabriel Chappuys, Par. 1584. This is not a faithful one; and I fufpect, thro' this medium the work came into English. (P. 437. n. 9.) In this place, and fome others, to mock feems the fame with to mammock. (P. 453.) If I am not deceived, this paffage has been entirely mistaken. I read "Let him command. "An' to obey fhall be in me remorse, "What bloody bufinefs ever And for if is fufficiently common: and Othello's impatience breaks off the fentence; I think, with additional beauty. "There (P. 466. n. 6.) Shakespeare had probably in view a very popular book of his time, The Beehive of the Roman Church. "was an old wife, called Julia, which would take the young men and maides, and lay them together in a bed. And for "that they should not one byte another, nor kicke backewardes "with their heeles, fhe did lay a crucifix betweene them." 66 (P. 500. n. 5.) This has been confidered as a very difficult line. Fielding makes Betterton and Booth difpute about it with the author himself in the other world. The punctuation recommended by Dr. Warburton, gives a fpirit to it which, I fear, was not intended. It feems to have been only a play upon words. To put the light out was a phrafe for to kill. In the Maid's tragedy, Melantius fays, 'Tis a juftice and a noble one, "To put the light out of fuch bafe offenders." (P. 510.) I question, whether Othello was written early enough to be ridiculed in the Poetafter. There were many other Moors on the ftage. It is certain at leaft, that the paffage, "Our new heraldry is hands, not hearts." could not be inferted before the middle of the year 1611. (P. 515.) I abide by the old text, "the bafe Indian." ShakeSpeare feems to allude to Herod in the play of Mariamne, 66 I had but one inestimable jewel "Yet I in fuddaine choler cast it downe, Thus Thus have I, my dear Sir, accomplished my promife, as well as the fhort notice you have given me, and my many avocations would permit me. I have no value for any of the corrections that I have attempted: but I flatter myself, that I have fometimes irrefragably fupported the old text against the attacks of former commentators, I am, dear Sir, Your very obedient fervant, RICHARD FARMER. THE END. |
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