Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses, The crown-imperial; lilies of all kinds, So, in Marstou's Insatiate Countess, 1613: 66 That eye was Juno's, " Those lips were hers that won the golden ball, Spenser, as well as our author, has attributed beauty to the eye-lid: "Upon her eye-lids many graces fate, "Under the shadow of her even brows." Again, in his 40th Sonnet: 1 8 Faery Queen, B. II. c. iii. ft. 25. " When on each eye-lid sweetly do appear "An hundred graces, as in shade they fit." MALONE. pale primroses, That die unmarried, ere they can behold, &c.] So, in Pimlyco, or Runne Red-Cap, 1609: "The pretty Dazie (eye of day) "The Prime-Rose which doth first display "Her youthful colours, and first dies : "Beauty and Death are enemies." the rathe primrose that forsaken dies. " Mr. Warton, in a note on my last quotation, asks " But why does the Primrose die unmarried? Not because it blooms and decays before the appearance of other flowers; as in a state of folitude, and without society. Shakspeare's reason, why it dies unmarried, is unintelligible, or rather is such as I do not wish to understand. The true reason is, because is grows in the shade, uncherished or unseen by the fun, who was supposed to be in love with fome forts of flowers." STEEVENS. 9 bold oxlips, Gold is the reading of Sir T. Hanmer; the former editions have bold. JOHNSON. The old reading is certainly the true one. The oxlip has not a weak flexible stalk like the cowflip, but ereas itself boldly in the face of the fun. Wallis, in his Hift of Northumbertand, fays, that the great oxlip grows a foot and a half high. It should be confeffed, however, that the colour of the oxlip is taken notice of by other writers. So, in The Arraignment of Paris, 1584: yellow oxlips bright as burnish'd gold," See Vol. VII. p. 61, n. 2. STEEVENS. The flower-de luce being one! O these, I lack, To make you garlands of; and, my sweet friend, To ftrew him o'er and o'er. FLO. What? like a corse? PER. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on; Not like a corfe: or if, not to be buried, 2 But quick, and in mine arms. Come, take your flowers: Methinks, I play as I have seen them do In Whitfun' pastorals: fure, this robe of mine Does change my disposition. FLO. What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I'd have you buy and fell fo; so give alms; So fingular in each particular, Crowns what you are doing in the present deeds; That all your acts are queens. PER. *not to be buried, O Doricles, But quick, and in mine arms. ] So, Marston's Insatiate Countess; 1613: "Ifab. Heigh ho, you'll bury me, I fee. Again in Pericles, Prince of Tyre : 1609: "Asecond time within these arms." MALONE. 3 a crowns the act. JOHNSON. " Each your doing, &c.] That is, your manner in each تحدد VOL. X. K Your praises are too large: but that your youth, And the true blood, which fairly peeps through it,4 Do plainly give you out an unstain'd shepherd; With wisdom I might fear, my Doricles, You woo'd me the false way. FLO. 5 I think, you have As little skill to fear, as I have purpose To put you to't. - But, come; our dance, I pray ; Your hand, my Perdita: so turtles pair, That never mean to part. And the true blood which fairly peeps through it, ] So Marlowe, in his Hero and Leander: "Through whose white skin, softer than foundest sleep, "With damaske eyes the ruby blood doth peep." The part of the poem that was written by Marlowe, was pub lished, I believe in 1593, but certainly before 1598, a Second Part or Continuation of it by H. Petowe having been printed in that year. It was entered at Stationers' Hall in September 1593, and is often quoted in a Collection of verses entitled England's Parnaffus, printed in 1600. From that colletion it appears; that Marlowe wrote only the first two Sestiads, and about a hundred lines of the third, and that the remainder was written by Chapman. 5 I think, you have MALONE. As little shill to fear, To have skill to do a thing was a phrafe then in use equivalent to our to have a reason to do a thing. The Oxford editor, ignorant of this, alters it to: As little skill in fear. which has no kin ofd sense in this place. WARBURTON. I cannot approve of Warburton's explanation of this passage, or believe that to have a skill to do a thing, ever meant, to have reafon to do it; of which, when he afferted it, he ought to have produced one example at leaft. The fears of women, on such occafions, are generally owing to their experience. They fear, as they blush, because they understand. It is to this that Florizel alludes when he says, that Perdita had little skill to fear. - So Juliet says to Romeo : "But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true M. MASON. You as little know how to fear that I am false, as, &c. MALONE. PER. I'll swear for 'em. 6 POL. This is the prettiest low-born lass, that ever Ran on the green-fward; nothing she does, or feems, But fmacks of something greater than herself; Too noble for this place. CAM. He tells her fomething, That makes her blood look out: "Good footh, she is The queen of curds and cream. CLOWN. Come on, strike up. Dor. Mopsa must be your mistress ; marry, garlick, To mend her kiffing with. MOP. Now in good time! 8 CLOWN. Not a word, a word; we stand upon our manners. Come, strike up. [Musick. 6 Per. I'll swear for 'em] I fancy this half line is placed to a wrong perfon. And that the king begins his speech afide: Pol. I'll swear for'em, This is the prettieft, &c. JOHNSON. We should doubtless read thus: i. e. I will answer or engage for myself. Some alteration is absolutely neceffary. This seems the eafieft, and the reply will then be perfealy becoming her character. RITSON. 7 He tells her Something, That makes her blood look out: ) The meaning must be this. The prince tells her something that calls the blood up into her cheeks, and makes her blush. She, but a little before, uses a like expreffion to describe the prince's fincerity: --your youth And the true blood, which fairly peeps through it, The old copy reads look on't. STEEVENS. 8 we stand, &c.] That is, we are now on our behaviour. JOHNSON. So, in Every Man in his Humour, Master Stephens says "Nay, we do not stand much on our gentility, friend." STEEVENS. Here a dance of Shepherds and Shepherdeffes. POL. Pray, good shepherd, what Fair swainis this, which dances with your daughter? SHEP. They call him Doricles; and he boasts himfelf 9 To have a worthy feeding: * but I have it He looks like footh: * He says, he loves my daugh ter; I think so too; for never gaz'd the moon 9--and he boasts himself - ) The old copy reads and boasts himself; which cannot, I think, be right. The emendation was made by Mr. Rowe. Perhaps Shakspeare wrote a boafts himself. MALONE. 2 - a worthy feeding: ) I conceive feeding to be a pasture, and a worthy feeding to be a tract of pafturage not inconfiderablé, not unworthy of my daughter's fortune. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon's explanation is juft. So, in Drayton's Moon-calfs Finding the feeding for which he had toil'd To have kept fafe, by these vile cattle spoil'd." Again, in the fixth song of the Polyolbion : " 66 fo much that do rely Upon their feedings, flocks, and their fertility. "A worthy feeding (tays Mr. M. Mason ) Is a valuable, a fubs flantial one. Thus Antonio, in Twelfth Night : "But were my worth, as is my confcience, firm, "You should find better dealing." Worth here means fortune or fubftance. STEEVENS. 3 He looks like footh: ] Sooth is truth. Obsolete. So, in Lyly's Woman in the Moon, 1597: " Then dost diffemble, but I mean good footh." STEEVENS. 4 Who loves another beft.) Surely we should read Who loves the other best. M. MASON. |