Notes. DRAMATIS PERSONE. The names of all the actors' are given at the end of the play in the Folios; the form 'Protheus' is invariably used for 'Proteus,' 'Athonio' for 'Antonio,' and 'Panthion' for 'Panthino.' I. i. 19. On a love-book pray for my success;'an allusion to the Roman Catholic custom of placing the beads on the prayer-book, and of counting the beads with the prayers. The love-book' is in this case to take the place of the prayer-book; some have supposed that Shakespeare is here referring to Marlowe's Hero and Leander,' which, however, though entered on the Stationers' Registers in 1593, was not printed till 1598, after which date many references occur to it in contemporary literature; Shakespeare directly quotes from it in As you Like It, IV. i. 100. I. ii. 53. What fool is she; the first three Folios read what 'fool is she,' indicating the omission of the indefinite article, a not uncommon Elizabethan idiom. a I. ii. 137. I see you have moneth's mind to them;' Schmidt in his Shakespeare Lexicon' explains the phrase 'month's mind' as 'a woman's longing,' as though the expression had its origin in the longing for particular articles of food shown by women, but this interpretation seems to have no authority. Johnson rightly remarks on this passage: - A month's mind, in the ritual sense, signifies not desire or inclination, but remembrance; yet I suppose this is the true original of expression.' The Cambridge ed. following Fol. reads 'month's mind, but the metre clearly requires the contemporary archaic form. I. iii. 27. Shakespeare has been guilty of no mistake in placing the emperor's court at Milan. Several of the first German Emperors held their courts there occasionally, it being at that time their immediate property, and the chief town of their Italian dominions.' - STEEVENS. II. i. 37. ' none else would;' i.e. 'no one else would perceive them." II. i. 78. 'to put on your hose; various suggestions have been made for the emendation of these words:-' to beyond your nose,' ' to put spectacles on your nose,' 'to put on your shoes,' 'to button your hose.' It is not certain that a rhyming couplet was intended. Probably unable to see to put on one's hose' was a proverbial expression meaning 'unable to tell which leg to put into one's hose first,' i.e. 'not to have one's wits about one.' One II. i. 166. 'for in print I found it.' Probably these lines are quoted from some old ballad or play, though their source has not yet been found. cannot help thinking that Shakespeare is quoting from some play of the Two Italian Gentleman' type; the reprinted extracts contain passages strongly reminding one of these lines. II. iii. 30. a wood woman; the Folios read a would-woman; ' Theobald first changed 'would' into 'wood' (i.e. mad); others an ould (i.e. old) woman.' II. iv. 116. The Folios give this line to 'Thurio'; if the reading be right, he must have quitted the stage during the scene, probably immediately before the entrance of Proteus, after line 99. II. iv. 130. Whose high imperious thoughts have punished me'; Johnson proposed to read those' for 'whose,' as if the 'imperious thoughts' are Valentine's and not 'Love's.' II. iv. 196. Is it mine eye or Valentinës praise; ' the Camb. ed., following the first Folio, reads, 'Is it mine, or Valentine's praise; ' the later Folios, ' Is it mine then, or Valentineans praise?' Theobald's suggestion, mine eye' has been generally adopted; if this were unsatisfactory,' the Camb. editors remark, 'another guess might be hazarded : Is it mine unstaid mind or Valentine's praise.' In the latter case Valentine's' must be read as a dissyllable; in the former as a quadrisyllable; it is not necessary to read, as has been proposed, Valentino's' or ' Valentinus'.' Two other ingenious emendations are noteworthy:-'her mien,' 'mine eyne,' ('thine eyne' occurs as a rhyme in Midsummer Night's Dream, III. ii. 138). II. v. 1; III. i. 81; V. iv. 129. The Cambridge editors have retained the reading of the Folios in these lines, 'Padua' in the first passage, and Verona' in the second and third, because it is impossible that the words can be a mere printer's or transcriber's error. These inaccuracies are interesting as showing that Shakespeare had written the whole of the play before he had finally determined where the scene was to be laid;' the scene is in each case undoubtedly Milan (perhaps Milano,' metri causa). III. i. 273. Condition;' so the first three Folios; the fourth Folio reads 'conditions,' adopted in many editions; 'condition' is generally used by Shakespeare in the sense of temper,' ' quality.' III. i 311. World on Wheels, a proverbial expression well illustrated by the accompanying drawing : III. ii. 77. Malone suggests that some such line as the following has been lost after 'integrity: '' as her obdurate heart may penetrate,' but the meaning is perhaps rightly explained by Steevens:-' such ardour and sincerity as would be manifested by practising the directions given in the four preceding lines.' IV. i. 36. Robin Hood's fat friar, i.e. Friar Tuck. This allusion to Robin Hood's friar' by the Italian outlaw is somewhat unexpected; in the later play of As You Like It there is also an allusion to Robin Hood,' but Shakespeare is careful to add 'of From Taylor the Water-Poet's tract 'The World runnes on Wheeles...' (1623). [The cut represents the 'chayn'd ensared world' (turned upside down) being drawn to destruction by the flesh and the devil.] England' ('they live like the old Robin Hood of England,' I. i. 122). IV. i. 49. An heir, and near allied;' the Folios read niece,' for which Theobald suggested near,' a reading generally accepted; possibly, but doubtfully, 'niece' may after all be correct, being used occasionally by Elizabethan writers to signify almost any relationship. IV. iv. 60. Hangman boys;' the Folios read hangmans boys; the reading in the text was given by Singer from a MS. note in a copy of the second Folio in his possession. IV. iv. 79. The first Folio misprints, 'not leave her token.' IV. iv. 157. 'But since she did neglect her looking-glass, And threw her sun-expelling mask away;' of. the accompanying illustration. V. iv. 2. Probably a better reading than the folio is that generally adopted, due to Collier's MS.: 'these shadowy, desert, unfrequented woods.' Looking-glass and Mask. V. iv. 47-50. Rend thy faith perjury, to love me. Thou...' The lines seem clear as they stand; a suggestion by Mr Daniel is perhaps worthy of mention :-' rain perjury. To love me Thou,' or 'hail Discandied into perjury. To love me Thou...' .. ... V. iv. 71. A difficult line to scan; Johnson proposed O time most curst; ' others omit most' or '0'; perhaps we have here an Alexandrine, 'O' counting as a monosyllabic foot; the second syllable of deepest' being an extra syllable before the pause : The private wou'nd] is de'epest; || O'-| time most accurst, Part of My Lady Carey's Dumpe,' circa 1600 (to illustrate III. ii. 85). # * Lord Hunsdon, Lord Chamberlain, with white wand. 4. George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland. 5. Henry Brooke, 6th Lord Cobham, Warden of the Cinque Ports, with Sword of State. 6. Roger Manners, Earl of Rutland. 7. Lord Herbert of Cardiffe. 8. Edward, 4th Earl of Worcester, father of the bridegroom. 9. Queen Elizabeth. ro. Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford; or the bridegroom's brother Thomas. 11. Lord Herbert, the Bride. groom. 12. Lucy Harrington, Countess of Bedford. 13. The Bride, Miss Anne Russell. 14. Lady Russell, mother of the Bride. (From Stubbes' Anatomy of Abuses, by permission of Dr FURNIVALL and Mr MURRAY.) |