"O, gracious duke! Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason Mr. Collier says that the original word inequality "could not be right. It is a mis-print that can only have arisen from the carelessness of the copyist or the printer." Incredulity" is the real word that ought to be put in its place: i. e. do not refuse to give your reason fair play, on account of the incredulity with which you listen to my complaint." COLLIER, MS. Corrector. The word inequality is a word pregnant with Shakspere's wonderful metaphysical subtlety. The meaning of the passage is ruined by the substitution of incredulity. Why should Isabella ask the Duke to put aside incredulity? She does not tell the Duke, as Mr. Collier says, to give his own reason fair play, that comes afterwards. But she asks him not to assume that she is wanting in reason-not to banish reason for inequality between what he considers an insane idea, supported by "the oddest frame of sense." Angelo has said that her wits are not firm; the Duke has said, "she speaks in the infirmity of sense." She conjures him, "That thou neglect me not, with that opinion That I am touch'd with madness; make not impossible That which but seems unlike." The exclamation, "Harp not on that: nor do not banish reason For inequality," is the final appeal which compels the Duke to hear her. It is the last link in the chain of that philosophical analysis of the conditions of madness, which Shakspere, in more places than one has worked out with an insight which physicians and lawyers have followed as their best authority. May the sins be added to my faults, and nothing of it be laid to your answer-for you to answer. APPROBATION. Act I., Sc. 3. "This day my sister should the cloister enter, And there receive her approbation." Probation, the period entered upon before profession as a nun. BELIEVE. Act II., Sc. 2. "Well believe this." Be well assured of this-depend upon this. BOOT. Act II., Sc. 4. "Could I, with boot, change for an idle plume." Profit, advantage. Bosoм. Act IV., Sc. 3. "And you shall have your bosom on this wretch." Bosom is here used for heart's desire, wish. CASE. Act II., Sc. 4. "O form! How often dost thou with thy case, thy habit." CENSURED. Act I., Sc. 5. "Hath censur'd him already." Hath sentenced-formed his decision-already. CHARACTS. "In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms." Characts are official designations, inscriptions. CIRCUMMURED. Act IV., Sc. 1. "He hath a garden circummur'd with brick." Circummured is walled round. COMBINED. Act IV., Sc. 3. "I am combined by a holy vow.” Bound. COMBINATE. Act III., Sc. 1. "Her combinate husband." Combinate is betrothed. COMPOSITION. Act V., Sc. 1. "Came short of composition." Short of the terms of agreement. COMMODITY. Act IV., Sc. 3. "He's in for a commodity of brown paper." The old usurers, like modern ones, were accustomed to make their advances partly in money and partly in goods, the latter of course being either worthless or extravagantly overcharged. The practice of the usurer was so notorious, that the old comedies applied to him the name of the brown paper merchant. COUNTENANCE. Act V., Sc. 1. "Unfold the evil which is here wrapp'd up In countenance." Generally explained as false appearance, mere countenance; but here it may mean favour or encouragement. Isabella will bide her time to unveil the evil now wrapped up by the duke's favour or encouragement. CREST. Act II., Sc. 4. "Let's write good angel on the devil's horn, "T is not the devil's crest." The crest originally was typical of some quality of the person bearing it. The "devil's horn" is the "devil's crest," but if we write "good angel" on it, the "false seeming" may cause the emblematical allusion to be overlooked. DOLLARS. Act I., Sc. 2. "To three thousand dollars a-year." There is here a quibble between the words dollars and dolours. DEATH'S FOOL. Act III., Sc. 1. "Merely, thou art death's fool." This is an allusion to certain ancient representations of Death and the Fool; probably suggested by some of the old engravings of the Dance of Death.' ELD. Act III., Sc. 1. "Of palsied eld.” Eld is old age, or aged people. FALL. Act II., Sc. 1. "Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall, and bruise to death." We still use the ex pression to fall a tree, and Shakspere had probably this image in his mind. FEAR Act II., Sc. 1. Setting it up to fear the birds of prey." The verb is here used in its active sense-to affright. FLOURISH. Act IV., Sc. 1. "Doth flourish the deceit." Doth ornament, give beauty to. We still use the word flourish for ornamental writing. FORFEIT. Act III., Sc. 2. "Still forfeit in the same kind." Transgress, incur the forfeiture by the same fault. FRIAR. Act III., Sc. 2. "Bless you, good father friar. DUKE. And you, good brother, father." Friar is a corruption of the French word frère-brother-and the Duke thus plays on the word. GENEROUS. Act IV., Sc. 6. "The generous and gravest citizens." Generous is here used in the sense of the Latin generosus, noble, excellent. GENERAL. Act II., Sc. 4. "The general, subject to a well-wish'd king." The general is the community, the people. GIGLOTS. Act V., Sc. 1. Wantons. GOOD TIME. Act III., Sc. 1. "In good time." Equivalent to "very well." It has the same meaning as the GRATULATE. Act V., Sc. 1. "There's more behind that is more gratulate." More to be congratulated on, more to be rejoiced in. HELMED. Act III., Sc. 2. 66 "The business he hath helmed." Conducted-steered through. IMPARTIAL. Act V., Sc. 1. "In this I'll be impartial; be you judge." The particle im was frequently used as an augmentative. In "Romeo and Juliet" we have "Cruel, unjust, impartial destinies." The meaning in both instances is clearly "very partial." INFORMAL. Act V., Sc. 1. "These poor informal women." Women without sense, ignorant. INVENTION. Act II., Sc. 4. "Whilst my invention, hearing not my tongue." Invention is imagination; the word is often used in this sense. INWARD. Act III., Sc. 2. "Sir, I was an inward of his." Inward is intimate. KEEP. Act III., Sc. 1. "That none but fools would keep." In Wiclif's Keep is here used in the sense of care for. care. KEEPS. Act I., Sc. 4. "Assemblies Where youth, and cost, and witless bravery keeps.” Dwells. LEIGER. Act III., Sc. 1. "Where you shall be an everlasting leiger." A leiger ambassador was one who was resident, not sent on a special mission. Lord Bacon has a passage which gives this meaning clearly. Leiger ambassadors, or agents, were sent to remain in or near the courts of those princes or states, to observe their motions, or to hold correspondence with them." LIKE. Act V., Sc. 1. "O that it were as like as it is true." Probable is the sense in which the word like is here used. LIKENESS. Act III., Sc. 2. "How may likeness, made in crimes." Likeliness, comeliness. LISTS. Act I., Sc. 1. "Your own science Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice." Lists are limits, boundaries, specially applied to the enclo sures within which tournaments were performed. |