Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Baffanio's paffage to Belmont.

JOHNS.

P. 371. 1. 14. Yet do not fuddenly, for it may grieve him.] I am inclined to believe Shakespear wrote,

Yet do't not fuddenly.

REVIS.*

L. 22.- ・your mind of love.] There ought to have been a comma after the word, mind, for the fenfe is, Let me intreat you by our mutual love, that you take not the leaft thought of it. REVIS. & JOHN. embraced heaviness.] This unmeaning epithet would make me choose rather to read, emraced heaviness, from the Frencb enraciner, accrefcere, inveterafcere. So in Much ado about nothing."

L. 32.

I could not have owed her a more rooted love. And again in Othello,

With one of an ingraft infirmity.

WARB.

Ibid.] Of Dr. Warburton's correction it is only neceffary to obferve, that it has produced a new word whi h cannot be received without neceffity. When I thought the paffage corrupted, it seemed to me not improbable that ShakeIpear had written entranced heaviness, mufing, abft acted, moping melancholy. But I know not why any great efforts fhould be made to change a word which has no uncommodious or unusual fenfe. We fay of a man now, that be hugs bis forrows, and why might not Anthonio embrace heaviness. JOHNS. CAN. & REVIS. P. 372. 1. 20. And fo bave I addrefs'd me. Fortune now To my beart's bope! Read,

And fo have I. Addrefs me, Fortune now
OBS. & CONJ.

To my heart's hope!

P. 373, 1. 21. How much low pleafantry would then be glean'd From the true feed of bonour ?] The meaning is, How much meanness would be found among the great, and bow much greatnefs among the mean.

But fince men are al

ways faid to glean corn though they may pick chaff, the fentence had been more agreeable to the common manner of fpeech if it had been written thus,

How much low peafantry would then be pick'd

From the true feed of honour? how much honour
Glean'd from the chaff?

[blocks in formation]

Pickt from the chaff, and ruin of the times,

JOHNS.

To be new varnish'd? —] This confufion and mixture of the metaphors, makes me think that Shakespear wrote, To be new vanned.

i. e. winnow'd, purged: from the French word, vanner; which is derived from the Latin Vannus,' ventilabrum, the fann used for winnowing the chaff from the corn. This alteration reftores the metaphor to its integrity: and our poet frequently uses the fame thought. So in the 2d part of Hen. IV.

We fhall be cinnow'd with so rough a wind,

That even our corn full feem as light as cbaff.

WARB. Ibid.] The confufion of metaphors was introduced before, by adding the word, ruins, to the chaff, and it is to the former of thefe words that the epithet, new varnif'd,' is adapted. Mr. Warburton's word vanned, as explain'd by himself, is expreffed by the word picked in the former line.

CAN. & REVIS.*

Pe 374. 1. 15. Take what wife you will to bed.] Perhaps the poet had forgotten that he who miffed Portia was never to marry any woman. JOHNS.

Ibid. Baffanio Lord, love-] Mr. Pope, and all the preceding editors have followed this pointing; as imagining, I fuppofe, that Baffanio lord-means, Lord Baffanio; but Lord must be coupled to Love: as if the had faid, imperial love, if it be thy will, let it be Baffanio whom this meffenger fore-runs.' THEOB.

[ocr errors]

P. 376. 1. 9. left the Devil cross my Prayer.] But the Prayer was Salanio's. The other only, as Clerk, fays Amen to it. We must therefore read- -thy Prayer.

WARB.

Ibid.] It is fomewhat wonderful this reverend gentlemen fhould not have recollected, that the people pray as well as the priest, though the latter only pronounces the words. It is after this needlefs to add, that the Devil in the fhape of a Jew could not crofs Salanio's prayer, which, as far as it was fingly his, was already ended. REVIS. L. 28. -a bankrupt, a prodigal.] This is fpoke of Antonio. But why a prodigal ? his friend Baffanio indeed had been too liberal; and with this name the Jew honours him

when he is going to fup with him.

I'll go in hate to feed upon

The prodigal chriftian

But Antonio was a plain, referved, parfimonious merchant, be affured therefore we fhould read,-A bankrupt for a prodigal, i.e. he is become a bankrupt by supplying the extravagancies of his friend Baffadio.

WARB.

Ibid.] There is no need of alteration. There could be, in Shylock's opinion, no prodigality more culpable than fuch liberality as that by which a man expofes himself to ruin for his friend. JOHN. CAN. & REVIS. L. 377.1. 13. heal'd by the fame means.] I fhould believe, that Shakefpear wrote Medicines. WARB.* P. 380. 1. 6. And fo though yours, not yours. Prove it fo.] It may be more grammatically read,

And fo though yours I'm not yours. JOHNS. L. 7. Let fortune go to hell for it, not I.] This line is very obfcure. The form of the expreffion alludes to what the had faid of being forfworn. After fome Atruggle, the refolves to keep her oath: And then fays, Let fortune go to bell for it. For what! not for telling or favouring Baffanio, which was the temptation fhe then lay under: for fortune had taken no oath. And, furely, for the mere favouring a man of merit, fortune did not deferve (confidering how rarely fhe tranfgreffes this way) fo fevere a fentence. Much lefs could the fpeaker, who favour'd Baffanio, think fo. The meaning then muft be. Let fortune rather go to hell for not favouring Boffanio, than I for favouring him. So loosely does our author fometimes ufes his pronours.- not I does not fignify, Let not I go to hell; for then it fhould be Let not But it is a diftinct fentence of itfelf. And is a very common proverbial fpeech, fignifying, I will have nothing to do with it. Which if the Oxford Editor had confidered, he might have fpered his pains in changing I into me. WARE.

me.

Ibid.] Mr. Warburton by wrong pointing this paffage hath puzzled the fenfe of it; which is fufficiently clear if we follow Mr. Pope's edition.

And fo though yours, not yours; prove it fo,
Let fortune go to hell for it, not I.

The meaning is, "If the worst I fear should happen, and it fhould prove in the event, that I, who am juftly yours by the free donation I have made you of myself, fhould yet not be yours in confequence of an unlucky choice, let fortune go to hell for robbing you of your juft due, not I for violating my oath." The pronoun I, in the nominative case, fuppofes a different conftruction to have preceded; go fortune to hell for it." Nothing is more common in all languages, and with the best writers, than fuch a fudden variation of the conftruction, which creates little or no difficulty to the reader, and is frequently fcarce even perceived by him. REVIS.*

[ocr errors]

P. 381.1. 10. With no less prefence.] With the fame Dignity of Mein. JOHNS. L. 22. Reply.] Thefe words, reply, reply, were in all the late editions, except Sir T. Hanmer's, put as a verfe in the fong, but in all the old copies ftand as a marginal directi‹ n.

JOHNS. L. 28. So may the outward bows.] He begins abruptly, the first part of the argument has paffed in his mind. JOHNS. P. 382. 1. 3. gracious voice.] Pleafing; winning fa

vour.

JOHNS. HANMER.*

L. 14. That is, a beard.
L. 26. -Indian beauty.] Sir T. Hanmer reads,
Indian dowdy.

JOHNS.

P. 383. 1. 1. Thy palenes moves me more than eloquence.] Baffanio is difpleas'd at the golden casket for its gardiness, and the filver one for its palenefs; but what! is he charm'd with the leaden one for having the same quality that displeas'd him in the filver? The poet certainly wrote,

Thy Plainnefs moves me more than eloquence: This characterizes the lead from the filver, which paleness does not, they being both pale. Befides, there is a beauty in the antithefis between plainnefs and eloquence; between paleness and eloquence none. So it is faid of the leaden-casket.

This third dull lead, with warning all as blunt. WARE. L. 7. In measure rain thy joy.] I believe Shakespear wrote, In measure rein thy joy.

The words rain and rein were not in these times diftinguished by regular orthography. JOHN Spe

L. 21. Methinks it fbould have pow'r to feal both bis,

And leave itself unfurnish'd:-] I know not who unfinish'd has intruded without notice into the later editions, as old Copies have unfurnish'd, which Sir Tho. Hanmer has received. Perhaps it might be,

And leave him felf unfurnish'd. JOHNS. P. 384. 1. 22. Is fum of fomething.] We fhould read, fome of fomething, i. e. only a piece or part only of an imperfect account. Which the explains in the following line. WARB.

P. 385. 1. 23. That is none away from me; none that I fhall lofe, if you gain it. JOHNS. P. 385. 1. 31. You lov'd, I lov'd for intermiffion.] Thus this paffage has been nonfenfically pointed thro' all the editions. If loving for intermiffion can be expounded into any fenfe, I confess, I am as yet ignorant, and fhall be glad to be inftructed in it. But till then I muft beg leave to think, the fentence ought to be thus regulated;

You lov'd, I lov'd ;-For intermiffion

No more pertains to me, my lord than you. i. e. ftanding idle; a paufe, or difcontinuance of action. THEOB.*

P. 387. 1. 10. Neriffa, cheer yond franger:] The poet has fhewa a fingular art here, in his conduct with relation to Jeffica. As the audience were already appriz'd of her story, the opening it here to Portia would have been a fuperfluous repetition. Nor could it be done properly, while a letter of fuch hafte and confequence was to be deliver'd: and on which the main action of the play depended. Jeffica is therefore artfully, complimented in dumb fhew; and no fpeech made to her, because the fcene is drawn out to a great length by more important business. THEOB.*

P. 389. 1. 6. The beft condition'd and unweary'd fpirit

In doing courtefies;-] To be read and pointed thus, The best condition'd: an unweary'd fpirit. WARB. L. 26, 27 rejected by

HANMER.

P. 391. 1. 8. The duke cannot deny, &c.—] As the reafon here given feems a little perplexed, it may be proper to explain it. If, fays he, the duke ftop the courfe of law it will be attended with this inconvenience, that ftranger merchants,

« AnteriorContinuar »