L. 26. I am content, &c.] The terms propofed have been mifunderstood. Antonio declares, that as the duke quits one half of the forfeiture, he is likewife content to abate his claim, and defires not the property but the use or produce only of the half, and that only for the Jew's life, unless we read, as perhaps is right, upon my death. JOHNS. P. 410. 1. 13. thou fouldft have had ten more.] i. e. a jury of twelve men, to condemn thee to be hang'd. ТНЕОВ. P. 414. 1. 20. None but a boly hermit.] I do not perceive the ufe of this hermit, of whom nothing is feen or heard afterwards. The poet had first planned his fable fome other way, and inadvertently, when he changed his scheme, retained fomething of the original defign. JOHNS. P. 415. 1. 16. with patterns of bright gold.] We fhould read patens: a round broad plate of gold borne in heraldry. WARB. Ibid.] Pattens is the reading of the firft folio, and pattents of the quarto. Patterns is printed first in the fol. 1632. JOHNS. L. 20. Such harmony is in immortal fouls.] But the harmony here defcribed is that of the fpheres, fo much celebrated by the antients. He fays, the fmalieft orb fings like an angel; and then fubjoins, fuch barmony is in immortal fouls: But the harmony of angels is not here meant, but of the orbs. Nor are we to think, that here the poet alludes to the notion, that each orb has its intelligence or angel to direct it; for then with no propriety could he fay, the orb fung like an angel: he fhould rather have faid, the angel in the orb fung. We muft therefore correct the lines thus: Such harmony is in immortal founds : i. e. in the mufic of the fpheres. WARB. Ibid.] This paffage is obfcure. Immortal founds is a harsh combination of words, yet Milton ufes a parallel expreffion. "Spiritus et rapidos qui circinat igneus orbes, "Nunc quoque fidereis infercinit ipfe choreis "Immortale melos, et inenarrabile carmen." It is proper to exhibit the lines as they ftand in the copies, I. II. III. IV. without any variation, for a change has been filently made by Rowe, and adopted by all the fucceeding editors. "Such harmony is in immortal fouls, That the third is corrupt must be allowed, but it gives reason to fufpect that the original was, Doth grofly close it in. Yet I know not whether from this any thing better can be produced than the received reading. Perhaps harmony is the power of perceiving barmony, as afterwards, Mufic in the foul is the quality of being moved with concord of fweet founds. This will fomewhat explain the old copies, but the fentence is ftill imperfect. JOHNS. L. 23. wake Diana with a hymn.] Diana is the Moon, who is in the next scene reprefented as fleeping. JOHNS. P. 416. 1. 9. The man that hath no mufic in himself, Nor is not mov'd with concord of fweet founds,] The thought here is extremely fine: as if the being affected with mufic was only the harmony between the internal [mufic in bimself] and the external mufic [concord of fweet founds;] which were mutually affected like unifon ftrings. This whole fpeech could not chufe but please an English audience, whose great paffion, as well then as now, was love of mufic." Jam verò video naturam (fays Erafmus in praise of folly) ut fingulis nationibus, ac pene civitatibus, communem quandam infevilfe Philautiam: Atque hinc fieri, ut Britanni præter alia, Formam, muficam, & lautas Menfas propriè fibi vindicent. WARB. L. 25. without refpect. Not abfolutely good, but relatively, good as it is modified by circumstances. JOHNS. & REV. P. 417. 1. 30. Let me give light.] There is fcarcely any word with which Shakespeare fo much delights to trifle as with light, in its various fignifications. JOHNS. P. 420. 1. 12. What man- -wanted the modefty To urge the thing held as a ceremony ] This is very licentioufly expreffed. The fenfe is, What man could bave fo little modify, or wanted modefty fo much as to urge the demand of a thing kept on an account in fome fort religious. JOHNS. P. 421. 1. 29. my body for his wealth.] I have ventured, against the copies, to fubftitute weal here; i. e. for his welfare, benefit. Wealth has a more confined fignification. Though I muft own, that weal and wealth in our author's time might in fome measure be fynonymous; as now in the words, common-seal and common-wealth. THEOB.* Ibid.] For his advantage; to obtain his happiness. Wealth was at that time, the term oppofite to adverfity, or calamity. JOHNS. P. 423. I. 12. -you drop manna in the way Of farv'd people.] Shakespeare is not more exact in any thing, than in adapting his images with propriety to his fpeakers; of which he has here given an instance in making the young Jewefs call good fortune, Manna. WARB. Shake Ibid.] The commentator fhould have remarked, that this fpeech is not, even in his own edition, the speech of the Jewels. CAN. & JOHNS. The Merchant of Venice.] The ancient Ballad on which the greater part of this play is probably founded, has been mentioned in Obfervations on the Fairy Queen, 1. 129. fpeare's track of reading may be traced in the common books from which he manifeftly derived moft of his plots. Hiftcrical fongs, then very fashionable, often fuggefted and recommended a subject. Many of his incidental allufions also relate to pieces of this kind; which are now grown valuable on this account only. A ballad is fill remaining on the subject of Romeo and Juliet, which, by the date appears to be much older than Shakespeare's time. It is remarkable, that all the particulars in which that play differs from the story in Bandello, are found in this bailad. But it may be faid, that he copied this story as it ftands in Painter's Palace of Pleasure, 1567, where there is the fame variation of circumftances. This, however, fhews us that Shakespeare did not first alter the original story for the worse, and is at least a prefumptive proof that he never faw the Italian. Shakespeare alludes to the tale of king Cophetua and the beggar, more than once. This was a ballad; the oldest copy of which, that I have feen, is in, "A crown garland of golden roses gathered out of England's royall garden, 1612." by one Richard Johnfon, who compiled, from various romances, the feven champions. This ftory of Cophetua was in high vogue, as appears from our author's manner of introducing it in Love's Labour loft, A&t iv. sc. i. As l'kewife from John Marston's Satires, called the Scourge of Villanie, printed 1598, viz. Go buy fome ballad of the fairy king, A prince that there did raine, The prince, or king, falls in love with a female beggar, whom he fees accidentally from the windows of his palace, and afterwards marries her. The fong, cited by Dr. Gray, on this subject, is much more modern than Shakespeare's time. The name Cophetua is not once mentioned in it. However, I fufpect, there is fome more genuine copy than that of 1612, which I before mentioned. I doubt not but he received the hint of writing on king Lear from a ballad of that fubject. But in moft of his hiftorical plays he copies from Hall, Hollinghead, and Stowe, the reigning hiftorians of that age. And although these chronicles were then univerfally known and read, he did not fcruple to tranfcribe their materials with the most circumftantial minutenefs. For this, he could not efcape an oblique ftroke of fatire from his envious friend, B. Jonfon, in the comedy called, The Devil's an Afs, Act ii. fc. iv. "Fitz-dot. Thomas of Woodstock, I'm fure, was duke: and he was made away at Calice, as duke Humfrey was at Bury. And Richard the Third, you know what end he came to. "Meer-er. By my faith, you're cunning in the Chronicle. "Fitz-dot. No, I confefs I ha't from the play-books, and think they're more authentic." In Antony Wood's collection of ballads, in the Ashmolean "The lamentMufeum, I find one with the following title. able and tragical hiftorie of Titus Andronicus, with the fall of his five and twentie fons in the wars with the Goths, with the murder of his daughter Lavinia, by the empreffes two fons, through the means of a bloody Moor taken by the fword of Titus in the war: his revenge upon their cruell and inhumane acte." "You noble minds, and famous martiall wights." The ufe which Shakespeare might make of this is obvious. WARTON. End of the Notes on the Merchant of Venice. ON AS YOU LIKE IT. N EITHER Mr. Langbaine nor Mr. Gildon acquaint us, to whom Shakespeare was indebted for any part of the fable of this play. But the characters of Oliver, Jaques, Orlando, and Adam, aud the episodes of the Wrestler and the banish'd Tram feem to me plainly to be borrow'd from CHAUCER'S Legend of Gamelyn in the Cook's tale. Tho' this Legend be found in many of the old MSS. of that poet, it was never printed till the last edition of his works, prepar'd by Mr. Urrey, came out. THEOR.* A Novel, or (rather) paftoral romance, intitl'd Eupheus' golden Legacy," written in a very fantastical ftyle by Dr. Thomas Lodge, and by him first publish'd in the year 1590, in quarto, is the foundation of "As you like it ?" Befides the fable, which is pretty exactly follow'd, the outlines of certain prin ipal haracters may be observ'd in the novel; and fome expreflions of the novelist (few, indeed, and of no great moment) feem to have taken polition of Shakespeare's memory, and from thence crept into his play. CAPELL.* P. 427. l. 1. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this faíhion bequeathed me by Will, but a poor thoufand crowns, &c.] The Grammar, as well as fenfe, fuffers cruelly by this reading. There are two nominatives to the verb lequeathed, and not fo much as one to the verb changed: and yet, to the nominative there wanted, (bis bleffing] refers. So that the whole fentence is confufed and obfcure. A very small alteration in the reading and pointing fets them all right.As I remember, Adam, it was upon this my father bequeathed me, &c. The Grammar is now reftified, and the fenfe alfo; which is this, Orlando and Adam were difcourfing together on the caufe why the younger brother had but a VOL. I. PART II A |
