the introduction of the fool into most of the old dances of death, one of which was the original source of the accompanying initial from Stowe's Survey of London (1618). III. i. 94, 97. Prenzie; the source of this strange word has baffled students; it seems identical with the Scottish primsie, 'demure, precise,' which in its turn is connected with prim (in Old French prin pren): under any circumstances there is no reason why the word should be changed, as has been proposed, to 'princely, the readers of the 2nd Folio, or priestly,' 'pensive,' &c. III. i. 123. "or to reside In thrilling region of thick-ribbed ice;" p. the following cut from Pynson's edition of the Kalender of Shepherdes (1506). III. ii. 9. "The passage seems to us to imply, furred (that is, lined with lamb-skin fur inside, and trimmed with fox-skin fur outside) with both kinds of fur, to show that craft (fox-skin), being richer than innocency (lamb-skin), is used for decoration" (Clarke). III. ii. 12-14. Good father friar' ...'good brother father; the joke, as Tyrwhitt pointed out, would be clearer in French, 'mon père frère' 'mon frère père.' III. ii. 41. Free from our faults, as faults from seeming free,' so F2 F3 (with comma after seeming); F1 'from our faults,' &c., retained by Camb. Ed., but the reading adopted commends itself from metrical and other considerations, i.e., "Would that we were as free from faults, as our faults are from seeming (hypocrisy)." Hanmer proposed, 'from our faults as from faults seeming free.' If any correction is really necessary, one feels inclined to hazard 'Free from our faults, as from false seeming, free.' (Cp. thy false seeming,' II. iv. 15.) III. ii. 242. Security enough to make fellowships accurst; cp. Prov. xi. 15. III. ii. 276-298. These lines are in all probability not Shakespeare's. III. ii. 280. Grace to stand, and virtue go; i.e. To have grace to stand firm, and virtue to go forward.' III. ii. 289-292. 'How may likeness made in crimes,' etc.; these lines do not readily admit of interpretation, and some corruption has probably crept into the text; Malone suggested wade for made, i.e. "How may hypocrisy wade in crimes;" Hanmer, that likeness shading crimes, etc. None of the suggestions seem very satisfactory. Perhaps to draw='todraw,' i.e. 'pull to pieces'(?) IV. i. 1. This song appears in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bloody Brother, with the addition of the following stanza, assuredly not Shakespeare's, though found in the spurious edition of his poems, (1640) "Hide, O hide those hills of snow IV. i. 13. "Though the music soothed my sorrows, it had no tendency to produce light merriment" (Johnson). IV. i. 76. tilth'; Theobald's emendation, for 'tithe,' the reading of Ff. retained by Camb. Ed. IV. ii. 45-49. If it be too little thief; the Folios give this to Clo. (Pompey); Capell first transferred it to Abhorson, and he has been followed by most editors. Cowden Clarke defends the Folio arrangement; among other arguments he maintains that "the speech is much more in character with the clown's snip-snap style of chop-logic than with Abhorson's manner, which is remarkably curt and bluff." IV. iv. 6. redeliver;' Folio 1, 're-liuer;' Folio 2, 'deliuer;' Capell first suggested ' redeliver.' IV. iv. 28. bears of a credent bulk ; 'so Folios 1, 2, 3; many emendations have been proposed; the reading of F1 seems the most plausible bears off a credent bulk ; ' ' credent bulk' = ' weight of credit.' V. i. 64. Do not banish reason, For inequality;' i.e. because of 'improbability,' 'incongruity, or, according to some, 'partiality.' V. I. 323. "These shops," according to Nares, "were places of great resort, for passing away time in an idle manner. By way of enforcing some kind of regularity, and perhaps at least as much to promote drinking, certain laws were usually hung up, the transgression of which was to be punished by specific forfeitures. It is not to be wondered, that laws of that nature were as often laughed at as obeyed." V. i. 359. be hanged an hour' seems to have been a cant phrase, meaning little more than be hanged!' V. i. 360. 'madest, monosyllabic; Ff. 'mad'st;' Capell 'made.' From 'The Life and Death of Griffin Hood...' (1623). |