P. 224. 1. 10. To carry that which I would have refus'd.] The fenfe is, to go and present that which I wish to be not accepted, to praise him whom I wish to be dispraised. JOHNS. P. 226. 1. 2. But fince fhe did neglect her looking-glass, That now fhe is become as black as I.] To ftarve the roses is certainly a very proper expreffion: but what is pinching a tincture? However, ftarved, in the third line, made the blundering editors write pinch'd in the fourth: though they might have seen that it was a tanning fcorching, nor a freezing air that was spoken of. For how could this latter quality in the air fo affect the whiteness of the fkin as to turn it black. We should read, And pitch'd the lilly tincture of her face. i. e. turned the white tincture black, as the following line has it, By the That now fhe is become as black as I. and we fay, in common speech, as black as pitch. rufes being ftarved, is only meant their being withered, and lofing their colour. WARB. Ibid.] this is no emendation,-none ever heard of a face being pitched by the weather. The colour of a part pincked, is livid, as it is commonly termed, black and blue. The weather may therefore be juftly faid to pinch when it produces the fame vifible effect. I believe this is the reason why the cold is faid to pinch. JOHNS. & REV. L. 19. If I in thought felt not her very forrow.] Whoever fully catches the tender melancholy of thefe lines, will know that Julia, under fuch diftruft, could not feign a cafe so exactly the parallel of her own, without fuch emotions as would fpeak themselves in every feature, and flow in tears from her eyes. She adds the laft line therefore to take off the fufpicion of her being the real Julia; but would the only fay, that she felt Julia's forrow formerly, when the faw her weep? No! she must excufe the prefent perturbation of her countenance, and the true reading probably is, And would I might be dead If I in thought feel not her prefent forrow. This better agrees with the double meaning intended, and with Silvia's reply, who says, She is beholden to thee gentle youth; SEWARD & REVISAL.* P. 227. 1. 8. Her forebead's low.] A high forehead was in our author's time, accounted a feature eminently beautiful. So in the history of Guy of Warwick, Felice his lady is faid to have the fame high forehead as Venus. JOHNS. L. 16. My fubfiance fhould be ftatue in thy ftead.] It is evident this noun fhould be a participle ftatued, i. e. placed on a pedestal, or fixed in a fhrine to be adored. WARB. Ibid.] Statued is, I am afraid, a new word, and that it fhould be received, is not quite evident. The meaning is plain enough," He should have my fubftance as a statue, instead of thee [the picture] who art a senseless form. JOHNS. & CAN. P. 233. 1. 17. The private wound, &c.] I have a little mended the measure. The old edition, and all but Sir T. Hanmer, read, The private wound is deepest, oh time most accurft. JOHNS. L. 30.] It is (I think) very odd to give up his mistress thus at once, without any reafon alledged. But our author probably followed the ftories juft as he found them in his novels as well as hiftories. РОРЕ. Ibid.] This paffage either hath been much fophisticated, or is one great proof that the main parts of this play did not proceed from Shakespeare; for it is impoffible he could make Valentine act and fpeak fo much out of character, or give to Silvia fo unnatural a behaviour as to take no notice of this ftrange conceffion if it had been made. HANMER. P. 234. 1. 18. How oft haft thou with perjury cleft the root.] Sir T. Hanmer reads, cleft the root on't. JOHNS. L. 21.] if fhame live in a difguife of love.] That is, if it be any fhame to wear a difguife for the purposes of love. JOHNS. JOHNS. P. 235. 1. 12. The meafure,] the length of my fword, the reach of my anger. L. 14. All the editions, Verona fhall not hold thec.] But, whether through the mistake of the firft editors, or the poet's own careleffness the reading is abfurdly faulty. For the threat here is to Thurio, who is a Milanese; and has no concern, as it appears, with Verona. Befides, the fcene is betwixt the confines of Milan, and Mantua, to which Silvia follows Valentine, having heard that he had retreated thither. And, upon these circumstances, I ventured to adjust the text, as, I imagine, the poet must have intended : i. e. "Milan, thy country fhall never fee thee again: thou fhall never live to go back thither." THEOB. P. 236. 1. 16. Include all jars.] Read conclude. HANMER.* In this play there is a great mixture of knowledge and ignorance, of care and negligence. The verfification is often excellent, the allufions are learned and juft; but the author conveys his heroes by fea from one inland town to another in the fame country; he places the Emperor at Milan and fends his young men to attend him, but never mentions him more; he makes Protheus, after an interview with Silvia, fay he has only feen her picture, and, if we may credit the old copies, he has by mistaking places, left his fcenery inextricable. The reafon of all this confufion feems to be, that he took his story from a novel which he fometimes followed, and fometimes forfook, fometimes remembered, and sometimes forgot. JOHNS. O N MEASURE FOR MEASURE. this play the light or comic part is very natural and cepted have more labour than elegance. The plot is rather intricate than artful. The time of the action is indefinite; fome time, we know not how much, must have elapfed between the recefs of the Duke and the imprisonment of Claudio; for he must have learned the story of Mariana in his disguise, or he delegated his power to a man already known to be corrupted. The unities of action and place are fufficiently preferved. There is perhaps not one of Shakefpear's plays more darkened by the peculiarities of its Author, and the unfkilfulness of its Editors; by diftortions of phrafe, or negligence of tranf ription. JOHNSON. In the year 1578, was publish'd in a black-letter quarto a miferable dramatick performance, in two parts, intitl'd- "Promos and Caffandra;" written by one George Whetstone, author likewife of the "Heptameron," and much other poetry of the fame ftamp, printed about that time. These plays their author, perhaps, might form upon a novel of Cinthio's; (v. Dec. 8. Nov. 5.) which Shakefpeare went not to, but took up with Whetstone's fable, as is evident from the argument of it; which, though it be fomewhat of the longeft, yet take it in his own words, "The Argument of the whole Hiftorye. In the Cyttie of Julio (fometime under the dominion of Corvinus Kinge of Hungarie, and Boemia) there was a law, that what man fo ever committed Adultery, should lose his head, & the woman offender, should wear fome disguised apparel, during her life, to make her infamouslye noted. VOL. I. PART. II. A This fevere lawe, by the favour of fome mercifull magistrate, became little regarded, untill the time of Promos auctority: who convicting a young Gentleman named Andrugio of incontinency, condemned, both him, and his minion to the execution of this ftatute. Andrugio had a very vertuous, and beawtiful Gentlewoman to his fifter, named Caffandra: Caffandra to enlarge her brothers life, fubmitted an humble petition to the Lord Promos: Promos regarding her good behaviours, and fantafying her great beautie, was much delighted with the sweete order of her talke: and doyng good, that evill might come thereof, for a time, he repryv'd her brother: but wicked man, tourning his liking unto unlawfull luft, he fet downe the spoile of her honour, raunfome for her brothers life: Chafte Caffandra, abhorring both him and his fute, by no perfwafion would yield to this raunfome. But in fine, wonne with the importunitye of her brother(pleading for life:) upon thefe conditions, she agreed to Promos. First, that he should pardon her brother, and after marry her. Promos, as feareles in promife, as careleffe in performance, with folemne vowe, fygned her conditions: but worse than any Infydel, his will fatisfyed, he performed neither the one nor the other for to keepe his authoritye, unspotted with favour, and to prevent Caflandra's clamors, he commaunded the Gayler fecretly, to prefent Caffandra with her brothers head. The Gayler, with the outcryes of Andrugio, (abhorryng Promos' lewdenes, by the providence of God, provided thus for his fafety. He prefented Caffandra with a Felons head newlie executed, who, (being mangled, knew it not from her brothers, who was fet at libertie by the Gayler,) was fo agreeved at this trecherye, that at the pointe to kyl herselfe, she fpared that ftroke, to be avenged of Promos. And devyfing a way, she concluded, to make her fortunes knowne unto the kinge. She (executing this refolution) was fo highly favoured of the King, that forthwith he hafted to do Juftice on Promos: whofe judgment was, to marrye Caffandra, to repaire her crafed Honour: which done, for his hainous offence he should lofe his head. This maryage folemnifed, Caffandra tyed in the greateft bondes of af : |