Of healths five fathom deep; and then anon That plats the manes of horses in the night; This, this is she Rom. Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace; Thou talk'st of nothing. Mer. True, I talk of dreams; Which are the children of an idle brain, Ben. This wind, you talk of, blows us from ourselves; Supper is done, and we shall come too late. Rom. I fear, too early: for my mind misgives, Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, Shall bitterly begin his fearful date 1 Of healths five fathom deep;] So, in Westward Hoe, by Decker and Webster, 1607: "troth, sir, my master and sir Goslin are guzzling; they are dabbling together fathom deep. The knight has drunk so much health to the gentleman yonder, on his knees, that he hath almost lost the use of his legs." Malone. 2 And bakes the elf-locks &c.] This was a common superstition; and seems to have had its rise from the horrid disease called the Plica Polonica. Warburton. So, in Heywood's Iron Age, 1632: 3 "And when I shook these locks, now knotted all, of good carriage.] So, in Love's Labour's Lost Act I: let them be men of good repute and carriage." "Moth. Sampson, master; he was a man of good carriage; great carriage; for he carried the town-gates," &c. Steevens. -from thence,] The quarto, 1597, reads-in haste. Steevens. his face ] So the quarto, 1597. The other ancient cópies have side. Malone. 5 -- With this night's revels; and expire the term 8 [Exeunt. SCENE V.9 A Hall in Capulet's House. Musicians waiting. Enter Servants. 1 Serv. Where 's Potpan, that he helps not to take away? he shift a trencher!1 he scrape a trencher! 2 Serv. When good manners shall lie all in one or two men's hands, and they unwashed too, 'tis a foul thing. 1 Serv. Away with the joint-stools, remove the court 6 and expire the term Of a despised life,] So, in The Rape of Lucrece: "An expir'd date, cancell'd ere well begun." Malone. ↑ Direct my sail!] I have restored this reading from the elder quarto, as being more congruous to the metaphor in the preceding line. Suit is the reading of the folio. Steevens. Suit is the corrupt reading of the quarto, 1599, from which it got into all the subsequent copies. Malone. Direct my suit!] Guide the sequel of the adventure. Johnson. 8 Strike, drum.] Here the folio adds: They march about the stage, and serving men come forth with their napkins. Steevens. 9 Scene V.] This scene is added since the first copy. Steevens. 1— he shift a trencher! &c.] Trenchers were still used by persons of good fashion in our author's time. In the Houshold Book of the Earls of Northumberland, compiled at the beginning of the same century, it appears that they were common to the tables of the first nobility. Percy. To shift a trencher was technical. So, in The Miseries of Enforst Marriage, 1608, Sig. E 3: "-learne more manners, stand at your brothers backe, as to shift a trencher neately" &c. Reed. They were common even in the time of Charles I. See Vol. II, p. 74, n. 4. Malone. They continued common much longer in many publick societies, particularly in colleges and inns of court; and are still retained at Lincoln's-Inn. Nichols. On the books of the Stationers' Company, in the year 1554, is the following entry: "Item, payd for x dosyn of trenchers, xxi d." Steevens. cupboard, look to the plate:-good thou, save me a piece of marchpane; 3 and, as thou lovest me, let the porter let in Susan Grindstone, and Nell.-Antony! and Potpan! 2 Serv. Ay, boy; ready. 1 Serv. You are looked for, and called for, asked for, and sought for, in the great chamber. 2 court-cupboard,] I am not very certain that I know the exact signification of court-cupboard. Perhaps it served the purpose of what we call at present the side-board. It is however frequently mentioned in the old plays. So, in A Humorous Day's Mirth, 1599: "— - shadow these tables with their white veils, and accomplish the court-cupboard" Again, in Monsieur D'Olive, 1606, by Chapman: "Here shall stand my court-cupboard, with its furniture of plate." Again, in The Roaring Girl, 1611: "Place that in the court-cupboard." Again, in Decker's Honest Whore, 1635: “ —— they are together on the cupboard of the court, or the court-cupboard." Again, in Chap. man's May-Day, 1611: " Court-cupboards planted with flaggons, cans, cups, beakers," &c. Two of these court-cupboards are still in Stationers' Hall. Steevens. The use which to this day is made of those cupboards is exactly described in the above-quoted line of Chapman; to display at publick festivals the flaggons, cans, cups, beakers, and other antique silver vessels of the company, some of which (with the names of the donors inscribed on them) are remarkably large. Nichols. By remove the court-cupboard," the speaker means, I think, remove the flaggons, cups, ewers, &c. contained in it. A courtcupboard was not strictly what we now call a side-board, but a recess fitted up with shelves to contain plate, &c. for the use of the table. It was afterwards called a buffet, and continued to be used to the time of Pope: "The rich buffet well colour'd serpents grace, "And gaping Tritons spew to wash your face." The side-board was, I apprehend, introduced in the present century. Malone. A court cupboard was a moveable; a beaufet, a fixture. The former was open, and made of plain oak; the latter had folding doors, and was both painted and gilded on the inside. Steevens. 3 save me a piece of marchpane;] Marchpane was a confection made of pistacho-nuts, almonds, and sugar, &c. and in high esteem in Shakspeare's time; as appears from the account of Queen Elizabeth's entertainment in Cambridge. It is said that the University presented Sir William Cecil, their chancellor, with two pair of gloves, a marchpane, and two sugar-loaves. Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, Vol. II, p. 29. Grey. 2 Serv. We cannot be here and there too.-Cheerly, boys; be brisk a while, and the longer liver take all. [They retire behind. Enter CAPULET, &c. with the Guests, and the Maskers. 1 Cap. Gentlemen, welcome! ladies, that have their toes* Unplagu'd with corns, will have a bout with you: Ah ha, my mistresses! which of you all Will now deny to dance? she that makes dainty, she, I'll swear, hath corns; Am I come near you now? You are welcome, gentlemen! I have seen the day, That I have worn a visor; and could tell A whispering tale in a fair lady's ear, Such as would please;-'tis gone, 'tis gone, 'tis gone: You are welcome, gentlemen!"-Come, musicians, play. A hall! a hall! give room, and foot it, girls. [Musick plays, and they dance. More light, ye knaves; and turn the tables up, 4 their toes] Thus all the ancient copies. The modera editors, following Mr. Pope, read, with more delicacy, their feet. -An editor by such capricious, alterations deprives the reader of the means of judging of the manners of different ages; for the word employed in the text undoubtedly did not appear indelicate to the audience of Shakspeare's time, though perhaps it would not be endured at this day. Malone. It was endured, at least, in the time of Milton. Thus, in Comus, 960: You are welcome, gentlemen! These two lines, omitted by the modern editors, I have replaced from the folio. Johnson. 6 A hall! a hall!] Such is the old reading, and the true one, though the modern editors read, A ball! a ball! The former ex. clamation occurs frequently in the old comedies, and signifies, make room. So, in the comedy of Doctor Dodypoll, 1600: "Room! room! a hall! a hall!" Again, in Ben Jonson's Tale of a Tub: 66 Then cry, a hall! a hall!" Again, in an Epithalamium, by Christopher Brooke, published at the end of England's Helicon, 1614: "Cry not, a hall, a hall; but chamber-roome; and numberless other passages. Steevens. 7- turn the tables up,] Before this phrase is generally intelligible, it should be observed that ancient tables were flat leaves, And quench the fire, the room is grown too hot.- For you and I are past our dancing days: 2 Cap. By'r lady, thirty years. 1 Cap. What, man! 'tis not so much, 'tis not so much : joined by hinges, and placed on tressels. When they were to be removed, they were therefore turned up So, in the ancient trans. lation of Marco Paolo's Voyages, 1579: "After dinner is done, and the tables taken uppe, everie man goeth aboute his busi nesse." Again, in The Seventh Mery Fest of the Widdow Edyth, 1573: "And when that taken up was the borde, 8 "And all payde for," &c. Steevens. good cousin Capulet; This cousin Capulet is uncle in the paper of invitation; but as Capulet is described as old, cousin is probably the right word in both places. I know not how Capulet and his lady might agree, their ages were very disproportionate; he has been past masking for thirty years, and her age, as she tells Juliet, is but eight-and-twenty. Johnson. Cousin was a common expression from one kinsman to another, out of the degree of parent and child, brother and sister. Thus in Hamlet, the king his uncle and step-father addresses him with: "But now my cousin Hamlet and my son.” And in this very play, Act III, lady Capulet says: "Tybalt my cousin!-O my brother's child." So, in As you Like it: "Ros. Me uncle? "Duke. You cousin!" And Olivia, in Twelfth Night, constantly calls her uncle Toby cousin. Ritson. Shakspeare and other contemporary writers use the word cousin to denote any collateral relation, of whatever degree, and sometimes even to denote those of lineal descent. Richard III, during a whole scene calls his nephew York, cousin; who in his answer constantly calls him uncle. And the old Duchess of York in the same play calls her grandson, cousin: "Why, my young cousin, it is good to grow. "York. Grandam, one night, as we did sit at supper," &c. And in Fletcher's Women Pleased, Sylvio styles Rhodope, at one time, his aunt-at others, his cousin-to the great annoyance of Mr. Sympson, the editor. M. Mason. 66 See also Vol. XI, p. 64, n. 6. Malone. 9our dancing days:] Thus the folio: the quarto reads our standing days." Steevens. |