At the skirt of that sheet in black work is wrought his name: BREAK not UP the WILD-FOWL till anon, and feed upon him in private. But, dear Sir, as the remainder on this Play will come into Saturday's packet, I will now conclude myself, your most affectionate and entirely obliged humble servant, LEW. THEOBALD. LETTER XXIII. To the Rev. Mr. WARBURTON. DEAR SIR, Wyan's Court, Dec. 13, 1729. This pursues, and I hope will conclude, my inquiries on Love's Labour Lost. P. 256. Then will she get the upshot by cleaving the pin. I easily see, obscenity is the drift here: but what does the phrase mean, or how hold up the allusion to archery? P. 257. He is only an animal, only sensible in the duller parts, &c. The latter parts of this period I can neither reconcile to sense, nor grammar. P. 258. The allusion holds in the Exchange. This puzzles me. P. 259. A good CLUSTER of conceit in a turf of earth. The first folio edition reads better in my opinion -a good LUSTER [or, lustre]; which sorts better with the metaphors that follow. P. 260. Or rather as Horace says in his: What! my soul! verses! Does this allude to the Nescio quid meditans nugarum, and, dulcissime rerum, in Horace's Serm. I. ix? Or is Holophernes going to quote Horace, and stops short on seeing the verses in Nathaniel's hand, thus? What! my Or rather as Horace says in his P. 260. P. 260. Let me supervise the CANGENET. I believe there is no such word. I read, CANZONET, from the Italian, canzonetto, a little song. Ibid. Ay, Sir, from one Monsieur Biron, one of the strange Queen's lords. When, in the name of exactness, did Biron com mence one of the Queen's train ? You will read with me, I doubt not: From one Monsieur Biron TO one of the STRANGERQueen's LADIES. This is the very fact; and is confirmed in words in the next page: And here he hath framed a letter to a SEQUENT of the STRANGER Queen's. P. 261. DULL. Sir Holophernes, this Biron, &c. Sure this speech is quite out of character for Dull. It is evident to me, that after Nathaniel has consulted the subscription of the letter, he goes on to tell Sir Holophernes who Biron is, and then delivers the paper to send to the King: or, perhaps, at "Trip and go my sweet," &c. Sir Holophernes is to speak and deliver the letter; else why does Sir Nathaniel say immediately, Sir, you have done this in the fear of God, &c. Ibid. Where if (being REPAST) it shall please you to gratify the table with a grace. But what? was Sir Nathaniel to go to a gentleman's house to dinner, and say grace only after meat? Our chaplains now-a-days crave a blessing, as well as return thanks. I have suspected a small transposition of letters here, and read, I do not know how rightly, Where if, being A PRIEST, it shall, &c. P. 263. Why he comes in like a PERJUR'D. like a PERJURE. And so in our Poet's old sketch of King John, in two parts, called his "Troublesome Reign": But now, black-spotted PERJURE as he is. P..... P. My true love's fasting pain. What, does he mean, wanting his mistress? Or, should it be, fest'ring pain. P........ To see a king transformed to a GNAT. With what sense ? There is, I think, I have suspected-to a QUAT. such an old word; though indeed, I know neither how to derive, nor explain it. But in Othello, p. 41. I've rub'd this GNAT almost to sense, &c. The old quarto reads QUAT. And in All's Well that Ends Well, p. 113, the Clown talks of a QUATCH-buttock. P. 267. Not you by me, but I betray'd To yon. P. 269. Is ebony like her? O WORD divine! Ibid. Black is the badge of hell: The hue of dungeons, and the SCHOOL of night. The badge, and hue, is to me plain sense; but for the school of night, I willingly give it up to the sagacious Editors. I make no scruple of reading, and the STOLE of night. i. e. the black mantle, as he in many other places expresses it. Ibid. For native blood is counted painting now. I suppose, dismounting the verse, his sentiment is-for painting is now counted native blood; otherwise I can make nothing of the context. P. 270. Have at you then affections. Men at arms. Have at you then. Affection's men at arms. i. e. Love's soldiers. As, p. 272: Saint Cupid then, and soldiers to the field. P. 271. Of beauty's tutors. Annon potiùs, beauteous tutors? Ibid. When the suspicious head of THEFT is stopt. I rather think, of THRIFT; i. e. of the thriving, watchful miser, whose care of his pelf will hardly let him venture to sleep. Y 2 P. 271. P.271. And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods, Make heaven drowsy, &c. I am satisfied these are very fine lines, but I do not full understand them. P. 273, 4. NAT. Laus Deo, BENE intelligo. Hol. BOME BOON for BOON PRESCIAN; a little scratch, 't will serve. very well remember, without present reference, your ingenious conjecture on this passage. I I will tell you how I had read it, with very slight variation of the text: Nat. Laus Deo, BONE intelligo. Hol. BONE.-BONE for BENE. scratcht. 'T will serve. PRISCIAN a little Alluding to, Diminuis Prisciani Caput. P. 274. The LAST of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or the fifth if I. But, if it be but for information sake, is not the last and the fifth the same vowel? I suspect that we should read, The THIRD of the five vowels. And Holophernes's reply seems a confirmation of this: I will repeat them, a, e, I. Ibid. The sheep; the other two concludes it OUT. concludes it O, U. Quasi, Oh! you;-i. e. you are the sheep either way; no matter which of us repeats them. P. 275. And I will whip about your infamy UNUM CITA. This Latin is out of my depth. I have imagined, CIRCUM CIRCA. Ibid. Do you not educate youth at the CHARGE-house on the top of the mountain? I do not at all know this term. Is a free-school, or one founded by public contribution, ever called so? If not, I suspect it should be, CHURCH-HOUSE. As our Poet says again in Twelfth Night, p. 222: Most villainously; like a pedant that keeps a school i' th' CHURCH. P. 276. P. 276. To be rendered by our ASSISTANTS at the king's command. I think it should be, by our ASSISTAnce. P. 277. Most DULL, honest DULL. I read, Most dull, honest DULL. P. 273. PRIN. Pox of that jest, and I beshrew all shrews; But, KATHERINE, what was sent to you I can never believe the Poet meant to make his Princess swear in this vulgar manner. Besides, the second verse halts. Rosaline and Katherine, you see, are rallying. I read the passage thus: KATH. Pox of that jest, &c. PRIN. But what was sent to you from fair Dumaine? P. 279. SO PERTAUNT like would I o'ersway his state. Is there any such word as pertaunt ? If not, I would read, So PEDANT like, &c. So above, p. 250: A domineering PEDANT o'er the boy, Than whom no mortal more MAGNIFICENT, Ibid. As GRAVITIES revolt. I read, AS GRAVITY'S revolt. P. 280. With such a zealous laughter, so profound, That in this spleen ridiculous appears, To check their folly, PASSIONS, solemn tears. Certainly by this pointing the Editor never under stood the meaning. It is clear to me that we should read: PASSION'S solemn tears: i. e. they cried as heartily with laughing, as if the deepest grief had been the motive. Something like this in Midsummer Night's Dream, p. 128: Made mine eyes water; but more merry tears the PASSION of loud laughter never shed. P. 283. |