And winking Mary-buds begin Harke, how the cheerful birds do chaunt their layes, "And carol of love's praise. "The merry larke her mattins sings aloft, "Ah my deere love, why doe ye sleepe thus long Spenser's Epithalamium. Again, in our author's Venus and Adonis : "Lo here the gentle lark, weary of rest, "From his moist cabinet mounts up on high, "And wakes the morning, from whose silver breast "The sun ariseth in his majesty." am unable to decide whether the following lines in Du Bartas were written before Shakspeare's song, or not: La gentille alouette avec son tire-lire, Tire-lire, à lirè, et tire-lirant tire, Vers la voute du ciel, puis son vol vers ce lieu Vire, et desire dire adieu Dieu, adieu Dieu. Douce. These lines of Du Bartas were certainly written before Shakspeare's song. They are quoted in Elyot's Orthoepia Gallica, 4to. 1593, p. 146, with the following translation: "The pretie larke mans angrie mood doth charme with melodie "Her Tee-ree-lee-ree, Tee ree lee ree chirppring in the skie Up to the court of Jove, sweet bird mounting with flickering wings "And downe againe, my Jove adieu, sweet love adieu she sings." REED. 5 His steeds to water at those springs On chalic'd flowers that lies;] i. e. the morning sun dries up the dew which lies in the cups of flowers. WARBURTON. It may be noted that the cup of a flower is called calix, whence chalice. JOHNSON. 66 those springs "On chalic'd flowers that lies." It may be observed, with regard to this apparent false concord, that in very old English, the third person plural of the present tense endeth in eth, as well as the singular and often familiarly in es, as might be exemplified from Chaucer, &c. Nor was this antiquated idiom worn out in So, get you gone: If this penetrate, I will consider your musick the better if it do not, it is a vice 8 : our author's time, as appears from the following passage in Romeo and Juliet: “And bakes the elf-locks in foul sluttish hairs, "Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes." as well as from many others in the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. PERCY. Dr. Percy might have added, that the third person plural of the Anglo-Saxon present tense ended in eth, and of the DanoSaxon in es, which seems to be the original of such very ancient English idioms. TOLLET. Shakspeare frequently offends in this manner against the rules of grammar. So, in Venus and Adonis : "She lifts the coffer-lids that close his eyes, "Where lo, two lamps, burnt out, in darkness lies." STEEVENS. There is scarcely a page of our author's works in which similar false concords may not be found: nor is this inaccuracy peculiar to his works, being found in many other books of his time and of the preceding age. Following the example of all the former editors, I have silently corrected the error, in all places except where either the metre, or rhyme, rendered correction impossible. Whether it is to be attributed to the poet or his printer, it is such a gross offence against grammar, as no modern eye or ear could have endured, if from a wish to exhibit our author's writings with strict fidelity it had been preserved. The reformation therefore, it is hoped, will be pardoned, and considered in the same light as the substitution of modern for ancient orthography. MALONE. 6 And winking MARY-BUDS begin itself To ope their golden eyes;] The marigold is supposed to shut up at sun-set. So, in one of Browne's Pastorals: 66 the day is waxen olde, "And 'gins to shut up with the marigold.” A similar idea is expressed more at large in a very scarce book entitled, A Courtlie Controversie of Cupid's Cautels: conteyning fiue Tragicall Histories, &c. Translated from the French, by H. W. [Henry Wotton] 4to. 1578, p. 7: "floures which unfolding their tender leaues, at the breake of the gray morning, seemed to open their smiling eies, which were oppressed wyth the drowsinesse of the passed night." &c. STEEVENS. 7 -pretty BIN:] Is very properly restored by Sir Thomas Hanmer, for pretty is; but he too grammatically reads: "With all the things that pretty bin," JOHNSON. in her ears, which horse-hairs, and cats-guts, nor the voice of unpaved eunuch to boot, can never amend. [Exeunt Musicians. Enter CYMBELINE and Queen. 2 LORD. Here comes the king. CLO. I am glad, I was up so late; for that's the reason I was up so early: He cannot choose but take this service I have done, fatherly.-Good morrow to your majesty, and to my gracious mother. CYM. Attend you here the door of our stern daughter? Will she not forth? CLO. I have assailed her with musick, but she vouchsafes no notice. CYM. The exile of her minion is too new; She hath not yet forgot him: some more time Must wear the print of his remembrance out, And then she's yours. QUEEN. You are most bound to the king; So, in Spenser's Fairy Queen, b. i. c. i.: "That which of them to take, in diverse doubt they been.” Again, in The Arraignment of Paris, 1584: 66 Sir, you may boast your flockes and herdes, that bin both fresh and fair." Kirkman ascribes this piece to Shakspeare. The real author was George Peele. STEEVENS. pay 8 - I will CONSIDER your musick the better:] i. e. I will you more amply for it. So, in The Winter's Tale, Act IV.: "being something gently considered, I'll bring you," &c. STEEVENS. 9-CATS-guts,] The old copy reads-calves-guts. STEEVENS. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe. In the preceding line voice, which was printed instead of vice, was corrected by the same editor. MALONE. Who lets go by no vantages, that may CLO. Senseless? not so. Enter a Messenger. MESS. So like you, sir, ambassadors from Rome; The one is Caius Lucius. CYM. A worthy fellow, Albeit he comes on angry purpose now; But that's no fault of his : We must receive him According to the honour of his sender; And towards himself his goodness forespent on us We must extend our notice 3.-Our dear son, When you have given good morning to your mistress, To orderly SOLICITS;] i. e. regular courtship, courtship after the established fashion. STEEVENS. The oldest copy reads-solicity. The correction was made by the editor of the second folio. MALONE. and BE FRIENDED, &c.] We should read: "With aptness of the season." That is, "with solicitations not only proper but well timed." So Terence says: "In tempore ad eam veni, quod omnium rerum est primum." M. MASON. 3 And towards himself his goodness forespent on us We must extend our notice.] i. e. The good offices done by him to us heretofore. WARBURTON. That is, we must extend towards himself our notice of his goodness heretofore shown to us. Our author has many similar ellipses. So, in Julius Cæsar: "Thine honourable metal may be wrought See again, in this play, p. 83. MALONE. Attend the queen, and us; we shall have need To employ you towards this Roman.-Come, our queen. [Exeunt Crm. Queen, Lords, and Mess. CLO. If she be up, I'll speak with her; if not, Let her lie still, and dream.-By your leave ho!— I know her women are about her; What [Knocks. Which buys admittance; oft it doth; yea, and makes Diana's rangers false themselves, yield up Their deer to the stand of the stealer; and 'tis. gold Which makes the true man kill'd, and saves the thief; Nay, sometime, hangs both thief and true man: What Can it not do, and undo? I will make 4 Enter a Lady. LADY. Who's there, that knocks? CLO. LADY. [Knocks. A gentleman. No more? CLO. Yes, and a gentlewoman's son. That's more FALSE themselves,] Perhaps, in this instance false is not an adjective, but a verb; and as such is used in The Comedy of Errors: Nay, not sure, in a thing falsing." Act II. Sc. II. Spenser often has it: 66 "Thou falsed hast thy faith with perjury." STEEVENS. So, in Tamburlaine, Part I.: "And he that could with gifts and promises, 66 Inveigle him that had a thousand horse, "And make him false his faith unto the king." MALONE. |