She laughed, but meerly from her lips. And Fuller, in his "Holie Warre," (book iv. chap. 17:)"This bad breath, though it came but from the teeth of some, yet proceeded from the corrupt lungs of others."

"I'll raise the preparation of a war
Shall STAIN your brother."

This seems so obscure, in the ordinary sense of "stain," that Theobald changed it to strain, and Boswell suggested stay; either of which may have been the author's word. Yet, as we find in some of the poets of the time, "stain," used in the sense of to eclipse, to throw in the shade, it may have been the word, and is therefore retained. Thus, among several examples quoted by the commentators, we have, in Churchyard's poem of "Charitie," (1595)—

Whose beauty stains the fair Helene of Greece.
SCENE V.

"- denied him RIVALITY"-i. e. Equal rank. In HAMLET, Horatio and Marcellus are styled by Bernardo "the rivals" of his watch.

"Being an OBSTRUCT"-The original has abstract, which the edition of Knight retains, and several editors defend, as meaning a separation. It seems clearly a misprint for "obstruct," which is generally adopted.

"-his potent REGIMENT"-i. e. Government, authority; the ordinary sense of the word in Shakespeare's day. Thus, in the "Faerie Queene," we have, "When he had resigned his regiment;" and Lyly, (in 1597)"Hecate in Philo's regiment."

MERELY lose"-i. e. Entirely.

TAKE IN Toryne"-i. e. Gain by conquest.

"O noble emperor, do not fight by sea," etc. So when Antonius had determined to fight by sea, he set all the other ships on fire but threescore ships of Egypt, and reserved only the best and greatest galleys, from three banks unto ten banks of oars. Into them he put two-and-twenty thousand fighting men, with two thousand darters and slingers. Now, as he was setting his men in order of battle, there was a captain, a valiant man, that had served Antonius in many battles and conflicts, and had all his body hacked and cut, who, as Antonius passed by him, cried unto him, and said, O noble emperor, how cometh it to pass that you trust to these vile brittle ships? What, do you mistrust these wounds of mine, and this sword? Let the Egyptians and Phenicians fight by sea, and set us on the main land, where we use to conquer, or to be slain on our feet. Antonius passed by him and said never a word, but only beckoned to him with his hand and head, as though he willed him to be of good courage, although, indeed, he had no great courage himself.-NORTH'S Plutarch.

- CANTLE of the world"-i. e. Portion.

"-the TOKEN'D pestilence"-i. e. The pestilen which is mortal, when those spots appear on the which were called God's tokens.

"

- Yon' RIBALD NAG of Egypt"-i. e. That obarre jade-a natural burst of indignation. The old fous print it "ribaudred nag." which Stevens has changed ribald-rid; but the ancient form of " ribald" was ritenui or ribauld, or ribaudrous, as ribaldry was spelled rib rie. Ribaudred, then, seems to have been a mere print for one of the older forms of "ribald." Thus, in TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, we have, in the folios, "ridow's crows." "Hag of Egypt" is also the reading of my of the modern editions; but the allusion to the "brise," or gad-fly, the summer torment of horses and cattle. indicates "nag" to be the word intended.

"The BRIZE upon her"-i. e. The gad-fly, so trouble some to cattle in summer.

SCENE IX.

"-He, at Philippi, kept

His sword even like a DANCER," etc.

That is-Cresar never offered to draw his sword, but kept it in the scabbard, like one who dances with a sword on, which was formerly the custom in England. A passage in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL explains this allusion:

Till honour be bought up, and no sword worn,
But one to dance with.

So, in TITUS ANDRONICUS, we have, "a dancing rapier by your side." The Poet ascribes the customs of his own age to that of Antony.

"-the MAD Brutus"-"Nothing can be more in character than for an infamous debauched tyrant to call the heroic love of one's country and public liberty, madness."-WARBURTON.

"Dealt on LIEUTENANTRY"-Stevens has well explained this passage, which Johnson and others misunderstood. He says, "Dealt on lieutenantry" means fought by prozy, made war by his lieutenants, or on the strength of his lieutenants. In a former scene Ven tidius says:

Cæsar and Antony have ever won
More in their officer, than person.

To "deal on" anything is an expression often used by old writers. In Plutarch's "Life of Antony," Shakespeare found the following words:-" They were always more fortunate when they made warre by their lieutenants than by themselves."

SCENE X.

"As is the morn-dew on the myrtle-leaf
To nis grand sca."

Capell explains this passage thus:-"The sea, that he (the dew-drop) arose from." "His" for its is often found in old English, even where no figurative change of gender was intended.

"The circle of the Ptolemies"-i. e. The crown of diadem of the Egyptian kings, which is "now hazarded to thy grace"-i. e. now placed within the chance of thy favour and pardon, or the reverse.

Therewithal he sent Thyreus, one of his men, unto her, a very wise and discreet mau, who, bringing letters of credit from a young lord unto a noble lady, and that, besides, greatly liked her beauty, might easily by his eloquence have persuaded her. He was longer in talk with her than any man else was, and the queen herself also did him great honour, insomuch as he made Antonius jealous of him. Whereupon Antonius caused him to be taken and well favouredly whipped, and so sent him unto Cæsar, and bade him tell him that he made him angry with him, because he showed himself proud and disdainful towards him; and now, specially, when he was easy to be angered by reason of his present misery. To be short, if this mislike thee, (said he,) thou hast Hipparchus, one of my enfranchised bondmen, with thee; hang him if thou wilt, or whip him at thy pleasure, that we may cry quittance. From henceforth, Cleopatra, to clear herself of the suspicion he had of her, made more of him than ever she did. For, first of all, where she did solemnize the day of her birth very meanly and sparingly, fit for her present misfortune, she now in contrary manner did keep it with such solemnity that she exceeded all measure of sumptuousness and magnificence, so that the guests that were bidden to the feasts, and came poor, went away rich.-NORTH's Plu

tarch.

"-begin to SQUARE"-i. e. Begin to Quarrel.

"Say to great Cæsar this in DISPUTATION," etc. So the old text, and the sense is good. Say to him in discussion, nothing but my submission. Yet there is probability in Warburton's amendment, "in deputation"-i. e. say you, as my deputy, this to him.

"Like boys unto a muss"-i. e. A scramble-a word now considered only as childish or vulgar, but used by the best authors as late as Dryden, who speaks of "a muss of more than half the town."

"By the DISCANDERING of this pelleted storm," etc. This is the word of the original, but the invariable modern reading is discandying; and Malone explains that "discandy is used in the next act." But how is it used?

The hearts
That spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets,
On blossoming Cæsar.

The expletive melt their sweets gives us the peculiar and more forcible meaning in which the word is here used. But the pelleted storm, which makes Cleopatra's brave Egyptians lie graveless, is utterly opposed to the melting into sweetness of the word discandying. To squander is to scatter, and so Dryden uses the word:

They drive, they squander, the huge Belgian fleet.

To dis-cander, we believe then, is to dis-squander. The particle dis is, as Mr. Richardson has stated, "frequently prefixed to words themselves meaning separation, or partition, and augmenting the force of those words." We therefore, without hesitation, restore the original "discandering," in the sense of dis-squandering.

KNIGHT.

"-and FLEET"-The old word for float, which words were used indiscriminately.

"-one other GAUDY night"-i. e. A night of rejoicing-from the Latin gaudium. A "gaudy" day, in the Universities and Inns of Court, is a feast day. Nares, in explanation of the term, quotes from an old play :

A foolish utensil of state,

Which, like old plate upon a gandy day's Brought forth to make a show, and that is all.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

"I have many other ways to die; mean time Laugh at his challenge."

"Call forth my household servants; let's to-night," etc. Then Antonius seeing there was no way more honourable for him to die than fighting valiantly, he determined to set up his rest both by sea and land. So, being at supper, (as it is reported,) he commanded his officers and household servants that waited on him at his board that they should fill his cup full, and make as much of him as they could, for, said he, You know not whether you shall do so much for me to-morrow or not, or whether you shall serve another master; it may be you shall see me no more, but a dead body. This notwithstanding, perceiving that his friends and men fell a weeping to hear him say so, to salve that he had spoken he added this more unto it, that he would not lead them to battle where he thought not rather safely to return with victory than valiantly to die with honour.-NORTH'S

Plutarch.

"-the gods YIELD you for 't"-In As You LIKE IT we have the familiar expression, "God 'ild you," whicht is equivalent to God yield you, or God reward you.

"Ho, ho, ho!"-Boswell suggests that these interjections were intended to express an hysterical laugh; but the old usage of "ho" was to express stop, desist-being but another form of whoe, still used to horses. Thus Lord Berner, in his "Froissart"-" There was no ho between them;" and Burton ("Anatomy of Melancholy") has, "He is mad, mad, no whoe with him."

SCENE III.

"Peace, what noise?

Furthermore, the self-same night, within a little of midnight, when all the city was quiet, full of fear and sorrow, thinking what would be the issue and end of this war, it is said that suddenly they heard a marvellous sweet harmony of sundry sorts of instruments of music, with the cry of a multitude of people, as they had been dancing, and had sung as they used in Bacchus' feasts, with movings and turnings after the manner of the Satyrs; and it seemed that this dance went through the city unto the gate that opened to the enemies, and that all the troop that made this noise they heard went out of the city at that gate. Now, such as in reason sought the depth of the interpretation of this wonder, thought that it was the god unto whom Antonius bare singular devotion to counterfeit and resemble him that did forsake them.-NORTH'S Plutarch.

SCENE VI.

the THREE-NOOK'D world"-i. e. The three-cornered world. It is not easy to explain why three corners, and no more, were allowed the world; but such was the language of the times. Thus in KING JOHN:

Come the three corners of the world in arms,
And we will shock them.

"-SAF'D the bringer"-i. e. Made safe. This is one of the only two instances of this use of the word, in any author, the other being in Chapman's "Odyssey."

They have put forth the haven,") etc. This passage is parenthetical. Omit it, and Antony says, that the foot soldiers shall stay with him, upon the hills adjoining to the city

Where their appointment we may best discover. There is, therefore, no need or propriety of Malone's insertion of "Let's seek a spot," or Rowe's "Further on," before " Where their appointment," etc.

"But being charg'd, we will be still by land," etc. That is-Unless a charge is made upon us, we will remain quiet on land. "But," in this sense of unless, or without, is often found in old English, as well as in later Scotch. Stevens quotes two lines from a version of an old French romance

"Like

a

right gipsy, hath, at FAST AND LOOSE," etc. The allusion is to the game of "fast and loose," pricking at the bell or girdle still practised by juggling cheats, and which was practised by the gipsies in Shake speare's time, as appears in an epigram of Thomas Free man's, in his collection, called "Run and a Great Cast, (1614,) which is printed in the Variorum Shakespean, together with Sir John Hawkins's description of the game.

"For poor'st diminutives, for DOLTS"-We retain the original. The ordinary reading is

For poor'st diminutives to dolts;

and it is explained that the poorest diminutives are the smallest pieces of money. Others read for doits"diminutives and doits each meaning small moneys "Poor'st diminutives" are the children of the humbest condition, and classed with "dolts"-the silly and igno rant of a larger growth; the whole forming what Clee patra, in the last scene of the play, calls the "shouting varletry" of Rome. We must, therefore, understand "for" to mean for the gratification of, or adopt a sug gestion by Malone, "be shown fore," etc.

We have, with Knight, preferred this old reading to the later reading and explanation, because the context does not lead to the idea of Cleopatra's being made show for money, but represents her as made a public show in Cæsar's triumph.

SCENE XI.

"Was never so EMBOSS'D"-This word is used in the old hunting sense, for foaming at the mouth.

SCENE XII.

"They are black vesper's PAGEANTS"-T. Warton rightly reminds us, that the beauty both of the expres sion and the allusion is lost, unless we recollect the fre quency and the nature of these shows in Shakespeare's age. The following apposite passage from a sermon, by Bishop Hall, is cited by Boswell:-" I feare some of you are like the pageants of your great solemnities, wherein there is a show of a solid body, whether of a lion, or elephant, or unicorne; but if they be curiously look'd into, there is nothing but cloth, and sticks, and ayre."

"This is, without doubt, one of the finest pieces of poetry in SHAKESPEARE. The splendour of the imagery, the semblance of reality, the lofty range of picturesque objects hanging over the world, their evanescent nature, the total uncertainty of what is left behind, are just like the mouldering schemes of human greatness."

HAZLITT.

" The rack dislimns"-i. e. The fleeting away of the clouds destroys the picture.

“My mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled With thine entirely."

Then she, being afraid of his fury, fled into the tomb which she had caused to be made, and there locked the doors unto her, and shut all the springs of the locks with great bolts, and in the mean time sent unto Antonius to tell him that she was dead. Antonius, believing it, said unto himself, What dost thou look for further, Antonius, sith spiteful fortune hath taken from thee the only joy thou haddest, for whom thou yet reservedst thy life! When he had said these words, he went into a chamber and unarmed himself, and, being naked, said thus:-0. Cleopatra, it grieveth me not that I have lost thy com pany, for I will not be long from thee; but I am sorry that, having been so great a captain and emperor, I ans indeed condemned to be judged of less courage and noble mind than a woman. Now he had a man of his called Eros, whom he loved and trusted much, and whom he had long before caused to swear unto him that he should kill him when he did command him, and ther ing his sword, lift it up as though he had meant to have

stricken his master; but, turning his head at one side, be thrust his sword into himself, and fell down dead at his master's foot. Then said Antonius, O noble Eros, I thank thee for this, and it is valiantly done of thee, to show me what I should do to myself, which thou couldst not do for me. Therewithal he took his sword, and thrust it into his belly, and so fell down upon a little bed. The wound he had killed him not presently, for the blood stinted a little when he was laid; and when he came somewhat to himself again, he prayed them that were about him to despatch him; but they all fled out of the chamber, and left him crying and tormenting himself, until at last there came a secretary unto him called Diomedes, who was commanded to bring him into the tomb or monument where Cleopatra was. When he heard that she was alive, he very earnestly prayed his men to carry his body thither, and so he was carried in his men's arms into the entry of the monument.NORTH'S Plutarch.

“O Charmian, I will never go from hence." Notwithstanding, Cleopatra would not open the gates, but came to the high windows, and cast out certain chains and ropes, in the which Antonius was trussed; and Cleopatra her own self, with two women only which she had suffered to come with her into these monuments, "trised" Antonius up. They that were present to behold it said they never saw so pitiful a sight; for they plucked up poor Antonius, all bloody as he was, and drawing on with pangs of death, who, holding up his hands to Cleopatra, raised up himself as well as he could. It was a hard thing for the women to do, to lift him up; but Cleopatra, stooping down with her head, putting to all her strength to her uttermost power, did lift him up with much ado, and never let go her hold, with the help of the women beneath that bade her be of good courage, and were as sorry to see her labour as she herself. So when she had gotten him in after that sort, and laid him on a bed, she rent her garments upon him, clapping her breast, and scratching her face and stomach. Then she dried up his blood that had berayed his face, and called him her lord, her husband, and emperor, forgetting her own misery and calamity for the pity and compassion she took of him. Antonius made her cease her lamenting, and called for wine, either because he was athirst, or else for that he thought thereby to hasten his death. When he had drunk he earnestly prayed her and persuaded her that she would seek to save her life, if she could possible, without reproach and dishonour, and that chiefly she should trust Proculeius above any man else about Cæsar; and, as for himself, that she should not lament nor sorrow for the miserable change of his fortune at the end of his days, but rather that she should think him the more fortunate for the former triumphs and honours he had received, considering that while he lived he was the noblest and greatest prince of the world, and that now he was overcome, not cowardly, but valiantly, a Roman by another Roman.-NORTH'S

Plutarch.

"QUICKEN with kissing"-i. e. Revive by my kiss, To "quicken," according to Baret, is "to make livelie and lustie; to make strong and sound; to refresh."

"- the meanest CHARES"-A "chare," or char, is a single act, or piece of work; a turn, or bout of work, (from the Anglo-Saxon, cyran, to turn.) Hence, a charwoman. The word, now quite obsolete in England, is still retained in the United States, in the form of chores; signifying any of the smaller work about a farm or house, in the sense here used.

Should have shook lions into civil streets,
And citizens to their dens."

The Johnson and Stevens editors and commentators agree in pronouncing that some words or lines have been lost here, and amend in several ways; but we retain the old lines as first printed, and agree with Knight, that nothing can more forcibly express the idea of a general convulsion than that the wild beasts of the forest should have been hurled into the streets where men abide, and the inhabitants of cities as forcibly thrown into the lions' dens. Of the proposed amendments the best is that of Malone, thus:

"Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras." Malone says, "Our author here, (as in KING HENRY VIII., act v. scene 1.) has attempted to exhibit at once the outside and inside of a building. It would be impossible to represent this scene in any way on the stage, but by making Cleopatra and her attendants speak all their speeches, till the queen is seized, within the monument." The higher interior elevation of the old English stage has already been noticed, and by its aid Cleopatra and her two attendants were exhibited in the monument above, in the rear of the stage; while the Romans appear in front below.

“ — and never palates more the dung

The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's." Voluntary death (says Cleopatra) is an act which bolts up change; it produces a state

Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's;-

which has no longer need of the gross and terrene sustenance, in the use of which Cæsar and the beggar are on a level. It has been already said in this play, that

Feeds man as beast,

our dungy earth

"The Æthiopian king, (in Herodotus, book iii.,) upon hearing a description of the nature of wheat, replied, that he was not at all surprised if men, who eat nothing but dung, did not attain a longer life."

Such is the comment of Johnson and of Stevens, which gives the sense of the anthor, if the punctuation be as above, and as it is in the folio of 1623, referring the "nurse" to "dung." But if we read with another pointing

"-pray in aid for kindness"-A phrase drawn from the technical language of the English common law :"In real actions the tenant may pray in aid, or call for the assistance of another to help him plead. Thus a tenant for life may pray in aid of him that hath the reversion; that is, that he be joined in the action, and help defend," etc. (III. Blackstone's Commentaries, 300.)

"Proculcius and two of the Guard," etc. The stage-direction is wanting in the older editions. This is added in the modern editions, from the account thus given in North's "Plutarch:"

"But Cleopatra would never put herself into Proculeius' hands, although they spoke together. For Proculeius came to the gates, that were very thick and strong, and surely barred; but yet there were some crannies through the which her voice might be heard, and so they without understood that Cleopatra demanded the kingdom of Egypt for her sons; and that Proculeius answered her that she should be of good cheer, and not be afraid to refer all unto Cæsar. After he had viewed the place very well, he came and reported her answer unto Cæsar, who immediately sent Gallus to speak once again with her, and bade him purposely hold her with talk whilst Proculeius did set up a ladder against that high window by the which Antonius was 'trised' up, and came down into the monument with two of his men, hard by the gate where Cleopatra stood to hear what Gallus said unto her. One of her women which was shut in the monument with her saw Proculeius by chance as he came down, and shrieked out, O, poor Cleopatra, thou art taken! Then when she saw Proculeius behind her as she came from the gate, she thought to have stabbed herself with a short dagger she wore of purpose by her side. But Proculeius came suddenly upon her, and, taking her by both the hands, said unto her, Cleopatra, first thou shalt do thyself great wrong, and secondly unto Cæsar, to deprive him of the occasion and opportunity openly to show his bounty and mercy, and to give his enemies cause to accuse the most courteous and noble prince that ever was, and to * appeache' him as though he were a cruel and merciless inan that were not to be trusted. So, even as he spake the word, he took her dagger from her, and shook her clothes for fear of any poison hidden about her."

"- I will eat no meat, I'll not drink"-i. e. I will not eat, and, if it will be necessary now for once to waste a moment in idle talk of my purpose, I will not sleep neither.-JOHNSON.

"My country's high PYRAMIDES"-The Latin plural of pyramid; used as a word of four syllables here, as it is by Sandys, Drayton, and other contemporary poets.

morial of all the ready money and treasure she had. la by chance there stood Seleucus by, one of her tras rers, who, to seem a good servant, came straight to s sar to disprove Cleopatra, that she had not set in ac kept many things back of purpose. Cleopatra we such a rage with him, that she flew upon him, and d him by the hair of the head, and boxed him wellise edly. Cæsar fell a-laughing, and parted the fray. Al said she, O Cæsar! is not this a great shame and repre that thou having vouchsafed to take the pains to tr unto me. and hast done me this honour, poor we and caitiff creature, brought unto this pitiful and r able estate and that mine own servants should n come to accuse me, though it may be I have reservel some jewels and trifles meet for women, but not for (poor soul) to set out myself withal, but meaning to ge some pretty presents and gifts unto Octavia and Li that, they making means and intercession for me to the thou mightest yet extend thy favour and mercy me? Cæsar was glad to hear her say so, persuading himself thereby that she had yet a desire to save her So he made her answer, that he did not only give her that to dispose of at her pleasure which she had kept back, but further promised to use her more honourably and bountifully than she would think for: and so took his leave of her, supposing he had deceived be but indeed he was deceived himself. - NORTH's Pisla

"I cannot PROJECT minc own cause"-To "project" is to delineate, to shape, to form. So in "Look About You," a comedy, (1600:)

Intends his journey," etc.

Dolabella sent her word secretly, that Cæsar deter mined to take his journey through Syria, and that with in three days he would send her away before with her children. When this was told Cleopatra, she commanded they should prepare her bath, and when she had bathed and washed herself she fell to her meat, and was sumptuously served. Now, whilst she was at dinner, there came a countryman, and brought her a basket. The soldiers that warded at the gates asked him straight what he had in his basket. He opened the basket, and took out the leaves that covered the figs, and showed them that they were figs he brought. They all of them marvelled to see such goodly figs. The countryman laughed to hear them, and bade them take some if they would. They believed he told them truly, and so bade him carry them in. After Cleopatra had dined, she sent a certain table, written and sealed, unto Cæsar, and commanded them all to go out of the tombs where she was but the two women; then she shut the doors to her. Cæsar, when he received this table, and began to read her lamentation and petition, requesting him that he would let her be buried with Antonius, found straight what she meant, and thought to have gone thither him self: howbeit he sent one before him in all haste that might be to see what it was. Her death was very sud den; for those whom Cæsar sent unto her ran thither in all haste possible, and found the soldiers standing at the gate, mistrusting nothing, nor understanding of her death. But when they had opened the doors they found Cleo patra stark dead, laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and one of her two women, which was called Iras, dead at her feet; and her other woman, called Charmian, half dead, and trembling, trimming the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head. One of the soldiers, seeing her, angrily said unto her, Is that well done, Charmian? Very well, said she