To-morrow in the battle think on me, They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades.-Jul. C., iv. 2. A lip of much contempt, speeds from me.-W. T., i. 2. Falls not the axe upon the humbled neck.-As You L., iii. 5. We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey.-M. for M., ii. 1. Thou seest what's past,-go fear thy king withal.—3 H. VI., iii. 3. There will she hide her to listen our propose.-M. Ado, iii. 1. And now, Octavius, listen great things.-Jul. C., iv. 1. I pray thee, moralise them.-Tam. of S., iv. 4. I moralise two meanings in one word.-R. III., iii. 1. Your exultation partake to every one.—W. T., v. 3. Our mind partakes her private actions to your secrecy.—Per., i. 1. Might in thy palace perish Margaret.—2 H. VI., iii. 2. Hadst thou, like us, from our first swath, proceeded The sweet degrees that this brief world affords.-Timon, iv. 3. Relish your nimble notes to pleasing* ears.—Lucrece, Stanza 161. Aches contract and starve your supple joints.-Timon, i. 1. He occasionally uses an active verb as a neuter verb:— This sickly land might solace as before.-R. III., ii. 3. But one thing to rejoice and solace in.—R. & Jul., iv. 5. To hide me from the radiant sun, and solace I' the dungeon by a snuff?-Cym., i. 7. That, in this case of justice, my accusers, Be what they will, may stand forth face to face, In the following passages, the verb "inform" is used variously an with some peculiarity: Haply thou mayst inform something to save thy life.-All's W., iv. : He will betray us all unto ourselves : Inform on that.-Ibid., iv. 1. Let him alone; he did inform the truth.—Coriol., i. 4. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes.-Macb., ii. 1. Shakespeare so frequentiy uses "inhabit" as an intransitive vë that it confirms our belief in its being the correct word in the last the following passages [See TERMS OF DEFIANCE OR CHALLENGE our remarks on the passage in question] :— On this island, where man doth not inhabit.-Temp., iii. 3. Oh, thou that dost inhabit in my breast.-Two G. of V., V. There's none but witches do inhabit here.-Com. of E., iii. 2. A fearful eye thou hast: where is that blood That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks?-John, iv. 2. Disorder, horror, fear, and mutiny, Shall here inhabit.-R. II., iv. 1. And, in those holes Where eyes did once inhabit, there were crept.-R. III., i. 4. If trembling I inhabit then, protest me.-Macb., iii. 4. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. There are a few of these mentioned by Shakespeare, which thus obtain a certain interest in recordation : How much your chain weighs to the utmost carrat.-Com. of E., iv. 1. Other, less fine in carat, is more precious.-2 H. IV., iv. 4. This word, which was spelt variously, carat, carrat, caract, charact, and charect, signifies a weight of four grains, by which gold and gems are weighed; and has been derived either from carat, a bean, used by Orientals for weighing gold, or from the Arabian, kirat, a weight. Every tithe soul, 'mongst many thousand dismes [tenths] Hath been as dear as Helen.-Tr. & Cr., ii. 2. For, like an ass, whose back with ingots [lumps of gold, masses of precious metal] bows.-M. for M., iii. 1. Realms and islands were As plates [silver coin or pieces of money: Spanish, plata] dropp'd from his pocket.-Ant. & C., v. 2. ii. 2. Not with fond shekels of the tested gold.-M. for M., "Shekels" is printed in the Folio and in ancient versions of the Bible' sickles.' It signified both a Jewish coin and a Jewish weight; and our word scale,' to weigh, is indirectly derived from the Hebrew word "shekel." As employed here by Shakespeare, "shekels" conveys the idea of minted gold and heavy amount of gold. Ay, my good lord, five talents is his debt. . . . Three talents on the present; in future, all. Timon, i. 1. I do return those talents, doubled with thanks.-Ibid., i. 2. Let the request be fifty talents. . . bid them send o' the instant a thousand talents to me. . . . I clear'd him with five talents . . . to be remember'd with those five talents.-Ibid., ii. 2. Having great and instant occasion to use fifty talents.—Ibid., iii. 1. To borrow so many talents. . . to supply his instant use with so many talents . . . he cannot want fifty-five hundred talents.-Ibid., iii. 2. Mine, fifty talents.—Ibid., iii. 4. In all the above passages, Shakespeare by "talents" refers to the Attic talent, which has been calculated to amount in worth to rather more than fifty-six pounds of silver, or to be equivalent to about £243 15s. of modern English money. A "talent"--being a term originally applied to a large weight of gold or silver, then to a large sum in gold or silver coin-became subsequently used to express a thing of indefinite but great value; and Shakespeare thus uses the word in the following two passages : Not he but yet Heaven's bounty towards him might Be us'd more thankfully. In himself 'tis much; In you,-which I 'count his,-beyond all talents.—Cym., i. 7. With twisted metal amorously impleach'd, I have receiv'd from many a several fair.-Lover's Comp., Stanza 30. I have a great desire to a bottle [bundle: French, botte] of hay.—Mid. N. D., iv. 1. Give me thy mete-yard [yard-measure, yard-wand], and spare not me.-Tan. of S., iv. 3. By many a dearn and painful perch [a measure of five yards and a half] Is made.-Per., iii. (Gower). ... Go brew me a pottle of sack finely.-Merry W., iii. 5. Ere the next pottle can be filled.—Oth., ii. 3. By the mass, you'll crack a quart together,-ha! Will you not, Master Bardolph ?— Yea, sir, in a pottle-pot.-2 H. IV., v. 3. "Pottle," from the old French, potel, was originally a measure containing two quarts; but was familiarly used for a tankard or pot, from which wine or beer was drunk. Master Bardolph's reply shows that it was certainly of capacious dimensions. Marian, I say, a stoop of wine!-Tw. N., ii. 3. Fetch me a stoop of liquor.-Hamlet, v. 1. Set me the stoops of wine upon that table.-Ibid., v. 2. The "stoop" was a measure containing about half a gallon (Dutch, stoope), and came to be used for a flagon, bowl, or vessel for holding drinking liquor. Shakespeare uses two idiomatic terms of quantity, familiarly employed : Three veneys for a dish of stewed prunes.—Merry W., i. 1. I have here a dish of doves that I would bestow upon your worship.-Mer. of V., ii. 2. It is observable that in the two latter passages "dish" is used for a vessel that contains liquid; as in our grandmothers' days it was the custom to say a dish of tea' for 'a cup of tea.' I had as lief you would tell me of a mess of porridge.—Merry W., iñi, 1. WOMEN'S PARTS PLAYED BY BOYS. There are several passages in Shakespeare's dramas that refer to the custom which existed in his time of boys or very young men (sometimes masked) enacting the women's parts in stage plays; a custom that it is requisite to bear in mind for the due comprehension of these passages: - Francis Flute the bellows-mender. . . . You must take Thisby on you. . . . Nay, 'faith; let not me play a woman; I have a beard coming.-That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will.-Mid. N. D., i. 2. About my stature: for, at Pentecost, When all our pageants of delight were play'd, Our youth got me to play the woman's part, And I was trimm'd in Madam Julia's gown.-Two G. of V., iv. 4. This is said by Julia herself, disguised as the page, Sebastian. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandsome than to see the lord the prologue. . . . If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me.-As You L. (Epilogue). This epilogue is spoken by Rosalind. What! my young lady and mistress! By'r lady, your ladyship is nearer heaven, than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring.-Hamlet, ii. 2. Hamlet is here addressing the growing youth who enacts the stage heroines, and who has reached the age when the boyish treble voice is changing to the manly tenor or bass, which will soon unfit him for any longer playing the lady characters. Cleopatra.... The quick comedians Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see WORDS LIKE "BLAME," &c. Shakespeare occasionally uses some words for the causes of that which they directly signify; and he does this consistently with a familiar usage in English diction. By way of illustration-we remember that droll effect was obtained from this in one of the elder Mathews's Entertainments, where an old lady aboard a vessel while the sea is running high, asks in great trepidation, "There's no fear, is there, captain? To which he replies, "Oh, dear, yes, ma'am ! plenty of fear, but no danger": And shall my youth be guilty of such blame? [fault, error]. .—1 H. VI., iv. 5. 'Tis his own blame: h'ath put himself from rest.-Lear, ii. 4. My high-repented blames [errors], dear sovereign, pardon to me.-All's W., v. 3. Danger [dread of danger] deviseth shifts; wit waits on fear.-V. & Adon., Stanza 115. And send discoverers [scouts, investigators] forth to know the numbers of our enemies.-2 H. IV., iv. 1. Here is the guess of their true strength and forces By diligent discovery [search, exploring, investigation].-Lear, v. 1. Or in the night, imagining some fear [danger], How easy is a bush suppos'd a bear!-Mid. Ñ. D., v. 1. That shows the ignorant a kind of fear Before not dreamt of.-1 H. IV., iv. 1. Thou shak'st thy head, and hold'st it fear, or sin, To speak a truth.-2 H. IV., i. 1. There is no fear in him; let him not die.-Jul. C., ii. 1. Present fears [dangers, objects of fear] are less than horrible imaginings. — Macb., i. 3. No meed [desert, merit], but he repays sevenfold above itself.-Timon, i. 1. In his meed, he 's unfellowed.-Hamlet, v. 2. Each one already blazing by our meeds [meritorious deeds, acts deserving meed or reward].-3 H. VI., ii. I. And, by the merit [guerdon, reward, recompense] of vile gold, dross, dust, A dearer merit, not so deep a maim As to be cast forth in the common air.-R. II., i. 3. We answer others' merits [deeds which merit or deserve punishment] in our name Ant. & C., v. 2. The greatest obloquy [disgrace] i' the world in me to lose... the greatest obloquy i' the world in me.-All's W., iv. 2. May one be pardon'd and retain the offence [gain for which the offence was committed]?-Hamlet, iii. 3. My noble master will appear such as he is, full of regard [that which is worthy of regard] and honour.-Jul. C., iv. 2. My young master doth expect your reproach [this is said as a blunder for 'approach `; but it is replied to in the sense of discredit,' 'defeat,' 'disgrace,' that which incurs reproach]. So do I his.-Mer. of V., ii. 5. In whose comparison all whites are ink, Writing their own reproach.-Tr. & Cr., i. 1. To do upon respect [that which should cause or command respect, that which is entitled to respect] such violent outrage.-Lear, ii. 4. There is no terror [peril, that which inspires terror], Cassius, in your threats.Jul. C., iv. 3. You have brought a trembling [that which may well cause trembling, a calamity to tremble at upon Rome, such as was never so incapable of help.-Coriol., iv. 6. See PECULIAR USE OF WORDS for "chase" and "hunt" used in a similar manner. NOVELLO, EWER AND CO., PRINTERS, 69 & 70, DEAN STREET, SOHO, LONDON, W. |