Line 126. Yet that which seems the wound to kill,] The wound to kill may mean the wound that seems mortal. JOHNSON. ACT III. SCENE II. -you must be watch'd ere you be made tame,] Line 202. frayed-] i. e. terrified. 214. Hawks were tamed by being kept from sleep; and thus Pandarus means that Cressida should be țamed. MALONE. Line 216. -the fills.] That is, in the shafts. Fill is a provincial word used in some counties for thills, the shafts of a cart or waggon. MALONE. Line 221. - -a kiss in fee-farm!] Is a kiss of duration that has no bounds; a fee-farm being a grant of lands in fee, that is, for ever, reserving a certain rent. MALONE. Line 224. The falcon as the tercel, for all the ducks i'the river :] Pandarus means, that he'll match his niece against her lover for any bett. The tercel is the male hawk; by the faulcon we generally understand the female. THEOBALD. Line 269. –his addition shall be humble.] We will give him no high or pompous titles. JOHNSON. Or else you love not; For to be wise, and love, -but we're not wise, Or else we love not; to be wise, and love, Cressida, in return to the praise given by Troilus to her wisdom, replies, "That lovers are never wise; that it is beyond the power of man to bring love and wisdom to an union." JOHNSON. Line 341. swifter than blood decays!] Blood, in Shakspeare, frequently means desire, appetite. MALONE. Line 344. Might be affronted with the match-] I wish," my integrity might be met and matched with such equality and force of pure unmingled love." JOHNSON. Line 348. And simpler than the infancy of truth,] This is fine; and means, "Ere truth, to defend itself against deceit in the commerce of the world, had, out of necessity, learned worldly policy." WARBURTON. Line 354. 356. compare,] Compare for comparison. -as plantage to the moon,] Alluding to the common opinion of the influence the moon has over what is planted or sown, which was therefore done in the increase. WARBURTton. Plantage is not, I believe, a general term, but the herb which we now call plantain, in Latin, plantago, which was, I suppose, imagined to be under the peculiar influence of the moon. JOHNSON. Line 360. As truth's authentick author to be cited,] Troilus shall crown the verse, as a man to be cited as the authentic author of truth; as one whose protestations were true to a proverb. JOHNSON. ACT III. SCENE III. Line 426. In most accepted pain.] Her presence, says Calchas, shall strike off, or recompence the service I have done, even in these labours which were most accepted. Line 503. JOHNSON. -how dearly ever parted,] However excellently endowed, with however dear or precious parts enriched or adorned. Line 522. JOHNSON. -in his circumstance,] In the detail or circum JOHNSON. duction of his argument. Line 534. The unknown Ajax.] Ajax, who has abilities which were never brought into view or use. JOHNSON. Line 544. How some men creep in skittish Fortune's hall,] To creep is to keep out of sight from whatever motive. Some men keep out of notice in the hall of Fortune, while others, though they but play the idiot, are always in her eye, in the way of distinction. JOHNSON. Line 547. -fasting-] Quarto. The folio has feasting. JOHNSON. Either word may bear a good sense. -Line 555. Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back,] This speech is printed in all the modern editions with such deviations from the old copy, as exceed the lawful power of an editor. JOHNSON. Line 574. O'er-run, &c.] The quarto wholly omits the simile of the horse, and reads thus: And leave you hindmost, then what they do in present. JOHNSON. The folio seems to have some omission, for the simile begins, Line 591. And give to dust, that is a little gilt, More laud than gilt o'er dusted.] Dust a little gilt means ordinary performances ostentatiously displayed, and magnified by the favour of friends and that admiration of novelty which prefers "new-born gawds" to things past. Gilt o'er dusted means, splendid actions of preceding ages, the remembrance of which is weakened by time. MALONE. Line 602. Made emulous missions-] The meaning of mission seems to be dispatches of the gods from heaven about mortal business, such as often happened at the siege of Troy. JOHNSON. Line 616. Keeps place with thought,] i. e. there is in the providence of a state, as in the providence of the universe, a kind of ubiquity. The expression is exquisitely fine. Line 619. -(with whom relation WARBURTON. Durst never meddle)-] There is a secret administration of affairs, which no history was ever able to discover. JOHNSON. Line 652. Omission to do &c.] By neglecting our duty we commission or enable that danger of dishonour, which could not reach us before, to lay hold upon us. JOHNSON. Line 676. with a politick regard,] With a sly look. JOHNSON. ·727. to make catlings on.] A catling is catgut for fiddle-strings. ACT IV. SCENE I. Line 14. During all question of the gentle truce:] I once thought to read, During all quiet of the gentle truce. But I think question means intercourse, interchange of conversation. JOHNSON. Line 25. By Venus' hand I swear,] This oath was used to insinuate his resentment for Diomedes' wounding his mother in the hand. WARBURTON. I believe Shakspeare had no such allusion in his thoughts. He would hardly have made Æneas civil and uncivil in the same breath. STEEVENS. Line 41. His purpose mects you;] I bring you his meaning and his orders. JOHNSON. -a flat tamed piece;] i. e. a piece of wine out of WARBURTON. Line 72. which the spirit is all flown. Line 76. But he as he, the heavier for a whore.] The sense appears to be this: the merits of either are sunk in value, because the contest between them is only for a strumpet. STEEVENS. Line 89. We'll not commend what we intend to sell.] I believe the meaning is this: though you practise the buyer's art, we will not practise the seller's. We intend to sell Helen dear, yet will not commend her. Line 128. 134. ACT IV. SCENE II. JOHNSON. -to do ;] To do is used with a wanton meaning. -a poor capocchia!] Pandarus would say, I think, in English-Poor innocent! Poor fool! hast not slept to-night? These appellations are very well answered by the Italian word capocchio: for capocchio signifies the thick head of a club; and thence metaphorically, a head of not much brain, a sot, dullard, heavy gull. THEOBALD. —matter is so rash:] My business is so hasty, Line 168. and so abrupt. JOHNSON ACT IV. SCENE IV. Line 240. And violenteth in a sense as strong-] Violenteth is a word with which I am not acquainted, yet perhaps it may be right. JOHNSON. Line 284. With distinct breath and consign'd kisses to them,] Consign'd means sealed; from consigno, Lat. MALONE. Line 287. Distasted with the salt of broken tears.] i. e. of tears to which we are not permitted to give full vent, being interrupted and suddenly torn from each other. MALONE. Line 302. —what wicked deem is this?] i, e. surmise. 306. For I will throw my glove to death-] That is, I will challenge death himself in defence of thy fidelity. JOHNSON. the high lavolt,] An old dance called lavolta, in Line 334. which was much turning and capering. Line 355. catch mere simplicity;] The meaning, I think, is, while others, by their art, gain high estimation, I, by honesty, obtain a plain simple approbation. JOHNSON. Is-plain and true,] That is, the governing principle JOHNSON. of my understanding. Line 363. -possess thee what she is.] I will make thee fully understand. This sense of the word possess is frequent in our author. Line 385. JOHNSON. my lust:] List, I think, is right, though both the old copies read lust. JOHNSON. Lust was used formerly as synonimous to pleasure. MALONE. ACT IV. Scene V. Line 413. bias cheek-] Swelling out like the bias of a bowl. JOHNSON. Line 450. Patr. Both take and give.] This speech should rather be given to Menelaus. TYRWHITT. Line 451. I'll make my match to live,] I will make such bargains as I may live by, such as may bring me profit, therefore will not take a worse kiss than I give. JOHNSON. Line 468. Why, beg then.] For the sake of rhyme we should read, Why beg two. If you think kisses worth begging, beg more than one. JOHNS. Line 473. Never's my day, and then a kiss of you.] I once gave both these lines to Cressida. She bids Ulysses beg a kiss; he asks that he may have it, When Helen is a maid again She tells him that then he shall have it: VOL. X. When Helen is a maid again: Cres. I am your debtor, claim it when 'tis due, LL |