They are infected, in their hearts it lies; For the Lord's tokens on you do I fee. PRIN. No, they are free, that gave these tokens to us. BIRON. Our flates are forfeit, feek not to undo us. Ros. It is not fo; For how can this be true, That you fland forfeit, being thofe that fue?? BIRON. Peace; for I will not have to do with you. Ros. Nor fhall not, if I do as I intend. BIRON. Speak for yourselves, my wit is at an end. the metaphor finds the tokens likewife on the ladies. The tokens of the plague are the firft fpots or difcolorations, by which the infection is known to be received. JOHNSON. So, in Hiftriomastix, 1610: "It is as dangerous to read his name on a play-door, as a printed bill on a plague-door. Again, in The Whore of Babylon, 1607: "Have tokens ftamp'd on them to make them known, More dreadful than the bills that preach the plague." Again, in More Fools Yet, a collection of Epigrams by R. S. 1610: "To declare the infection for his fin, "A croffe is fet without, there's none within. Again, ibid: But by the way he faw and much refpected "Whereon was plac'd (as 'tis the custom ftill) STEEVENS. So, in Sir Thomas Overbury's Characters, 1632: Lord have mercy on us may well fland over their doors, for debt is a moft dangerous city peftilence." MALONE. 9 how can this be true, That you stand forfeit, being thofe that fue; ] That is, how can those be liable to forfeiture that begin the process. The jeft lies in the ambiguity of fue, which fignifies to profecute by law, or to offer a petition. JOHNSON. KING. Teach us, fweet madam, for our rude tranfgreffion Some fair excufe. PRIN. The fairest is confeffion. Were you not here, but even now, disguis'd? PRIN. And were you well advis'd? When you then were here, KING. I was, fair madam. PRIN. What did you whifper in your lady's ear? KING. That more than all the world I did refpect her. PRIN. When she fhall challenge this, you will reject her. KING. Upon mine honour, no. PRIN. Peace, peace, forbear; Your oath once broke, you force not to forfwear.3 KING. Defpife me, when I break this oath of mine. PRIN. I will; and therefore keep it:-Rofaline, What did the Ruffian whifper in your ear? Ros. Madam, he fwore, that he did hold me dear As precious eye-fight; and did value me Above this world: adding thereto, moreover, That he would wed me, or elfe die my lover. PRIN. God give thee joy of him! the noble lord Moft honourably doth uphold his word, 4 well advis'd?] i. e. acting with fufficient deliberation. So, in The Comedy of Errors: 3 My liege I am advis'd in what I fay." STEEVENS. you force not to forfwear.] You force not is the fame with you make no difficulty. This is a very juft obfervation. The crime which has been once committed, is committed again with lefs reluctance. JOHNSON. So, in Warner's Albion's England, B. X. ch. 59: 66 he forced not to hide how he did err. STEEVENS. KING. What mean you madam? by my life, my troth, I never swore this lady fuch an oath. Ros. By heaven, you did; and to confirm it plain, You gave me this: but take it, fir, again. KING. My faith, and this, the princess I did give; I knew her by this jewel on her fleeve. PRIN. Pardon, me, fir, this jewel did she wear; And lord Birón, I thank him, is my dear:What; will you have me, or your pearl again? 4 BIRON. Neither of either;' I remit both twain.I fee the trick on't;-Here was a confent, * (Knowing aforehand of our merriment,) To dafh it like a Christmas comedy: Some carry-tale, fome please-man, some slight 6 Some mumble-news, fome trencher-knight, fome Dick, That fmiles his cheek in years; and knows the trick 3 Neither of either; ] This feems to have been a common expreffion in our author's time. It occurs in The London Prodigal, 1605, and other comedies. MALONE. 4 Part I: a confent, i. e. a conspiracy. So, in King Henry VI, the flars "That have confented to king Henry's death." STEEVENS. zany, A zany is a buffoon, a merry Andrew, a gross mimic. So, in Marton's Infatiate Countefs, 1613: fung "To every feuerall zanie's inftrument." Again, in Antonio's Revenge, 1602: Laughs them to fcorn, as man doth bufy apes, -Some trencher-knight,] See the following page &c. MALONE. To make my lady laugh, when she's difpos'd,— 7 -Jome Dick, That fmiles his cheek in years;] Mr. Theobald fays, he cannot for his heart, comprehend the meaning of this phrafe. It was not his heart but his head that ftood in his way. In years, fignifies, into wrinkles. So, in The Merchant of Venice: "With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come. See the note on that line. But the Oxford editor was in the fame cafe, and fo alters it to fleers. Webfter, in his Dutchess of Malfy, makes Caftruchio declare of his lady: She cannot endure merry company, for the fays much laughing fills her too full of the wrinkle." FARMER. Again, in Lingua, or the Combat of the Tongue, &c. 1607: "That light and quick, with wrinkled laughter painted. Again, in Twelfth Night: he doth fmile his cheek into more lines than is in the new map," &c. 66 STEEVENS. The old copies read-in yeeres, Jeers, the prefent emendation, which I proposed fome time ago, I have fince obferved, was made by Mr. Theobald. Dr. Warburton endeavours to fupport the old reading, by explaining years to mean wrinkles, which belong alike to laughter and old age. But allowing the word to be used in that licentious fenfe, furely our author would have written, not in, but into, years-i. e. into wrinkles, as in a paffage quoted by Mr. Steevens from Twelfth-Night: - he does fmile his cheek into more lines than is in the new map, &c. The change being only that of a fingle letter for another nearly refembling it, I have placed jeers (formerly fpelt jeeres) in my text. The words-jeer, flout, and mock, were much more in ufe in our author's time than at present. In Othello, 1622, the former word is ufed exaâly as here: "And mark the jeers, the gibes, and notable scorns, Out-roaring DICK was a celebrated finger, who, with William Wimbars, is faid by Henry Chettle, in his KIND HARTS DREAME, to have got twenty fhillings a day by finging at Braintree fair, in Effex. Perhaps this itinerant droll was here in our author's thoughts. This circumstance adds fome support to the emendation now made. From the following paffage in Sir John Oldcastle, 1600, it seems to have been a common term for a noisy swaggerer: "O he, fir, he's a defperate Dick indeed; "Bar him your house.' Again, in Kemp's Nine daies Wonder, &c. 4to. 1600: "A boy arm'd with a poking stick Will dare to challenge cutting Dick." The ladies did change favours; and then we, 8 Foreftal our fport, to make us thus untrue? Again, in The Epifle Dedicatorie to Nabe's Have with you to Saffron Walden, 1596: "nor Dick Swafh, or Defperate Dick, that's fuch a terrible cutter at a chine of beef, and devoures more meat at ordinaries in difcourfing of his fraies, and deep acting of his flashing and hewing, than would ferve half a dozen brewers draymen. MALONE. As the aptitude of my quotation from Twelfth Night is queftioned, I fhall defend it, and without much effort; for Mr. Malone himself muft, on recollection, allow that in, throughout the plays of Shakspeare, is often used for into. Thus, in K. Richard 11: But firft, I'll turn yon fellow in his grave." I really conceived this ufage of the prepofition in, to have been too frequent to need exemplification. STEEVENs. Much upon this it is: -. - And might not you, ] I believe this paffage fhould be read thus: 9 in will and error. Boyet. Much upon this it is. Biron. And might not you, &c. JOHNSON. In will, and error. i. e. firft in will, and afterwards in error. by the fquire,] From efquierre, French, a rule, or Square. The fenfe is nearly the fame as that of the proverbial expreffion in our own language, he hath got the length of her foot; i. e. he hath humoured her fo long that he can perfuade her to what he pleases. HEATH. Squire in our author's time was the common term for a rule. See Minfheu's Did. in v. The word occurs again in The Winter's Tale. MALONE. |