SCENE V. Rome. An Apartment in Philario's Houfe. Enter PHILARIO, ÍACHIMO,5 a Frenchman, a Dutchman, and a Spaniard." IACH. Believe it, fir: I have feen him in Britain: he was then of a crefcent note; expected to prove fo worthy, as fince he hath been allowed the name of: but I could then have look'd on him without the help of admiration; though the catalogue of his endowments had been tabled by his side, and I to perufe him by items. PHI. You speak of him when he was lefs furnifh'd, than now he is, with that which makes him? both without and within. FRENCH. I have seen him in France: we had very many there, could behold the fun with as firm eyes as he. IACH. This matter of marrying his king's daughter, (wherein he must be weigh'd rather by her 6 Iachimo,] The name of Giacomo occurs in The Two Gentlewomen of Venice, a novel which immediately follows that of Rhomeo and Julietta in the fecond tome of Painter's Palace of Pleafure. MALONE. 6 a Dutchman, and a Spaniard. ] Thus the old copy; but Mynheer, and the Don, are mute characters. STEEVENS. makes him] In the fenfe in which we fay, This will make or mar you. JOHNSON. "That either makes me, or fordoes me quite." Makes him, in the text, means forms him. M. MASON. STEEVENS, value, than his own,) words him, I doubt not, a great deal from the matter." FRENCH. And then his banishment:- 2 IACH. Ay, and the approbation of those, that weep this lamentable divorce, under her colours, are wonderfully to extend him; be it but to for tify her judgement, which elfe an easy battery might lay flat, for taking a beggar without more quality. But how comes it, he is to fojourn with you? How creeps acquaintance? words him,- --a great deal from the matter.] Makes the defcription of him very diftant from the truth. JOHNSON. under her colours, ] Under her banner; by her influence. JOHNSON. and the approbation of thofe,- are wonderfully to extend This grammatical inaccuracy is common in Shakspeare's plays. So, in Julius Cæfar : "The posture of your blows are yet unknown." [See Vol. XVIII. p. 138, n. 5. ] The modern editors, however, read-approbations. Extend has here the fame meaning as in a former scene. See p. 8, n. 5. MALONE. เ I perceive no inaccuracy on the prefent occafion, "This matter of his marrying his king's daughter," and then his banishment;"" and the approbation of thofe," &c. " are (i. e. all these circumftances united) wonderfully to extend him." 3 STEEVENS. without more quality. ] The folio reads les quality. Mr. Rowe firft made the alteration. STEEVENS. Whenever less or more is to be joined with a verb denoting want, or a prepofition of a fimilar import, Shakspeare never fails to be entangled in a grammatical inaccuracy, or rather, to use words that exprefs the very contrary of what he means. In a note on Antony and Cleopatra, I have proved this incontestably, by comparing a paffage fimilar to that in the text with the words of Plutarch on which it is formed. The paffage is: PHI. His father and I were foldiers together; to whom I have been often bound for no lefs than my life: Enter POSTHUMUS. Here comes the Briton: Let him be fo entertained amongst you, as fuits, with gentlemen of your knowing, to a ftranger of his quality.-I befeech you all, be better known to this gentleman; whom I commend to you, as a noble friend of mine: How worthy he is, I will leave to appear hereafter, rather than ftory him in his own hearing. FRENCH. Sir, we have known together in Orleans. POST. Since when I have been debtor to you for courtefies, which I will be ever to pay, and yet pay ftill. 4 "You lefs know how to value her deferts See note on Antony and Cleopatra, A& IV. fc. xii. Mr. Rowe 44 and all the fubfequent editors read-without more quality, and fo undoubtedly Shakspeare ought to have written, On the ftage, an ador may rectify fuch petty errors; but it is the duty of an editor to exhibit what his author wrote. MALONE. As on this occafion, and feveral others, we can only tell what Hemings and Condel printed, inftead of knowing, with any degree of certainty, what Shakspeare wrote, I have not difturbed Mr. Rowe's emendation, which leaves a clear paffage to the reader, if he happens to prefer an obvious fenfe to no fenfe at all. STEEVENS. which I will be ever to pay, and jet pay ftill.] So, in All's well that ends well: 1 5 FRENCH. Sir, you o'er-rate my poor kindness: I was glad I did atone my countryman and you; it ́ had been pity, you fhould have been put together with fo mortal a purpose, as then each bore, upon importance of fo flight and trivial a nature. 6 POST. By your pardon, fir, I was then a young traveller; rather fhunn'd to go even with what I heard, than in my every action to be guided by others', experiences: but, upon my mended judgement, (if I offend not to fay it is mended,) my quarrel was not altogether flight. FRENCH. 'Faith, yes, to be put to the arbitre "Which I will ever pay, and pay again, "When I have found it." Again, in our author's 30th Sonnet: "Which I new pay, as if not pay'd before." MALONĖ. 5 - I did atone &c.] To atone fignifies in this place to reconcile. So, Ben Jonfon, in The Silent Woman: "There had been fome hope to atone you." Again, in Heywood's English Traveller, 1633: "The conflable is call'd to atone the broil." See Vol. XVH. p. 391, n. 6. STEEVENS. 6 upon importance of fo flight and trivial a nature. ] İm= portance is here as elfewhere in Shakspeare, importunity, inftigation. See Vol. V. p. 386, u. 5. MALONE. So, in Twelfth Night: Maria wrote the letter at Sir Toby's great importance." Again, in King John: At our importance hither is he come." MALONE. rather funn'd to go even with what I heard, &c.] This is expreffed with a kind of fantastical perplexity. 1 was He means, then willing to take for my direction the experience of others, more than fuch intelligence as I had gathered myself. JOHNSON. This paffage cannot bear the meaning that Johnfon contends for Pofthumus is defcribing a prefumptuous young man, as he acknow. Jedges himself to have been at that time; and means to fay, that he rather fludied to avoid conducting himself by the opinions of other people, than to be guided by their experience. To take for direcion the experience of others, would be a proof of wisdom, not of prefumption. M. MASON. 8 ment of swords; and by fuch two, that would, by all likelihood, have confounded one the other, or have fallen both. IACH. Can we, with manners, afk what was the difference? FRENCH, Safely, I think: 'twas a contention in publick, which may, without contradiction, fuffer the report. It was much like an argument that fell out last night, where each of us fell in praise of our country miftreffes: This gentleman at that time vouching, (and upon warrant of bloody affirmation,) his to be more fair, virtuous, wife, chaste, conftant-qualified, and lefs attemptible, than any thẹ rareft of our ladies in France. IACH. That lady is not now living; or this gentleman's opinion, by this, worn out. POST. She holds her virtue ftill, and I my mind. IACH. You must not so far prefer her 'fore ours of Italy. POST. Being fo far provoked as I was in France, I would abate her nothing; though I profefs myfelf her adorer, not her friend.* confounded one the other, ] To confound, in our author's time, fignified-to deftroy. See Vol. XIII. p. 351, n. 8. MALONE. which may, without contradiЯion, ] Which, undoubtedly, may be publickly told. JOHNSON. 9 though I profefs &c.] Though I bave not the common obligations of a lover to his miftrefs, and regard her not with the fondness of a friend, but the reverence of an adorer. JOHNSON. The fenfe feems to require a tranfpofition of these words, and that we should read: Though I profefs my felf her friend, not her adorer. meaning thereby the praises he bestowed on her arose from his knowledge of her virtues, not from a fuperftitious reverence only. If Pofthumus wished to be believed, as he furely did, the declaring that his praifes proceeded from adoration, would leffen the credit of them, and countera& his purpose. In confirmation of this cone |