But such a day to-morrow as to day, And to be boy eternal. Her. Was not my lord the verier wag o'the two? Pol. We were as twinn'd lambs, that did frisk i'the sun, And bleat the one at the other: What we chang'd The doctrine of ill-doing, no, nor dream❜d+ And our weak spirits ne'er been higher rear'd Temptations have since then been born to us: for Her. Grace to boot! 3 Of this make no conclusion; lest you say, Leon. Is he won yet? Her. He'll stay, my lord. Leon. At my request, he would not. Hermione, my dearest, thou never spok❜st To better purpose. + "no, nor dream'd"- Mr. Malone omits no. Hereditary ours.] i. e. setting aside original sin; bating the imposition from the offence of our first parents, we might have boldly protested our innocence to Heaven. WARBURTON. 3 Grace to boot!] Grace, or Heaven help me! Her. Never? Never, but once. Leon. Her. What? have I twice said well? when was't be fore? I pr'ythee, tell me : Cram us with praise, and make us Our praises are our wages: You may ride us, With spur What was my first? it has an elder sister, Or I mistake you: O, would her name were Grace : Leon. Why, that was when Three crabbed months had sour'd themselves to death, And clap thyself my love1; then did'st thou utter, Her. It is Grace, indeed. Why, lo you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice: The one for ever earn'd a royal husband; The other, for some while a friend. Leon. [Giving her hand to POLIXENES. Too hot, too hot: [Aside. To mingle friendship far, is mingling bloods. I have tremor cordis on me: But not for joy, —not joy. my heart dances; -not joy. This entertainment May a free face put on; derive a liberty From heartiness, from bounty, fertile bosom, And well become the agent: it may, I grant: But to be paddling palms, and pinching fingers, And clap thyself my love;] She opened her hand, to clap the palm of it into his, as people do when they confirm a bargain. Hence the phrase to clap up a bargain, i. e. make one with no other ceremony than the junction of hands. As now they are; and making practis'd smiles, Mam. Leon. Ay, my good lord. I'fecks ?6 Why, that's my bawcock. What, has smutch'd thy They say, it's a copy out of mine. Come, captain, Are all call'd, neat. Still virginalling [Observing POLIXENES and HERmione. Upon his palm? - How now, you wanton calf, Mam. Yes, if you will, my lord. Leon. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots that I have,9 To be full like me: yet, they say we are Almost as like as eggs; women say so, That will say any thing: But were they false 5 The mort o'the deer;] A lesson upon the horn at the death of the deer. 6 I' feck's?] A supposed corruption of—in faith. Our present vulgar pronounce it-fegs. 7 Why, that's my bawcock.] Perhaps from beau and coq. It is still said in vulgar language that such a one is a jolly cock, a cock of the game. 8 Still virginalling-] Still playing with her fingers, as a girl playing on the virginals. A virginal is a very small kind of spinnet. Queen Elizabeth's virginal-book is yet in being, and many of the lessons in it have proved so difficult, as to baffle our most expert players on the harpsichord. STEEVENS. 9 Thou wanťst a rough pash, and the shoots that I have,] I have lately learned that pash in Scotland signifies a head. The meaning, therefore, I suppose, is this: You tell me, (says Leontes to his son,) that you are like me; that you are my calf. I am the horned bull: thou wantest the rough head and the horns of that animal, completely to resemble your father. MALONE. As o'er-died blacks1, as wind, as waters; false 2 No bourn 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true Το say this boy were like me. Come, sir page, Look on me with your welkin eye3: Sweet villain! Most dear'st my collop !+-Can thy dam? —may't be? Affection! thy intention stabs the center :5 Thou dost make possible, things not so held, -- Communicat'st with dreams; (How can this be?) — With what's unreal thou coactive art, And fellow'st nothing: Then, 'tis very credent, " Thou may'st co-join with something; and thou dost ; (And that beyond commission; and I find it,) And that to the infection of my brains, And hardening of my brows. Pol. What means Sicilia? How, my lord? Her. He something seems unsettled. What cheer? how is't with you, best brother? As if you held a brow of much distraction : Leon. You look, No, in good earnest, - 1 As o'er-died blacks,] Sir T. Hanmer understands blacks died too much, and therefore rotten. JOHNSON. 2 No bourn-] Bourn is boundary. 3 - welkin eye:] Blue eye; an eye of the same colour with the welkin, or sky. 4 my collop!] So, in The First Part of King Henry VI. "God knows, thou art a collop of my flesh." 5 Affection! thy intention stabs the center:] Affection means here imagination, or perhaps more accurately "the disposition of the mind when strongly affected or possessed by a particular idea.” 6 credent,] i. e. credible. In my green velvet coat; my dagger muzzled, As ornaments oft do, too dangerous. How like, methought, I then was to this kernel, This squash, this gentleman:- Mine honest friend, Will you take eggs for money?" Mam. No, my lord, I'll fight. -Leon. You will? why, happy man be his dole! — My brother, Are you so fond of your young prince, as we Do seem to be of ours? If at home, sir, Pol. Leon. And leave you to your graver steps. — Hermione, Next to thyself, and my young rover, he's 7 This squash,] A squash is a pea-pod, in that state when the young peas begin to swell in it. a Will you take eggs for money?] The meaning of this is, will you put up affronts? The French have a proverbial saying, A qui vendez vouz coquilles? i. e. whom do you design to affront? Mamillius's answer plainly proves it. Mam. No, my Lord, I'll fight. SMITH. 9 -happy may be his dole!] May his dole or share in life be to be a happy man. The expression is proverbial. Dole was the term for the allowance of provision given to the poor, in great families. The alms immemorially given to the poor by the Archbishops of Canterbury, is still called the dole. See The History of Lambeth Palace, p. 31, in Bibl. Top. Brit. NICHOLS. 1 Apparent] that is, heir apparent, or the next claimant. |