Unto our gentle fenfes. BAN. This gueft of fummer, The temple-haunting martlet, does approve, By his lov'd manfionry, that the heaven's breath, Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,' buttress, where the aire is unwholfome, but likewife where the aire is unequal; as you fhall fee many fine feats set upon a knap of ground invironed with higher hills round about it, whereby the heat of the funne is pent in, and the wind gathereth as in troughs; fo as you fhall have, and that fuddenly, as great diverfitie of heat and cold, as if you dwelt in feveral places." Effays, 2d edit. 4to. 1632, p. 257. REED. This caftle hath a pleafant feat.] This fhort dialogue between Duncan and Banquo, whilft they are approaching the gates of Macbeth's caftle, has always appeared to me a ftriking instance of what in painting is termed repofe. Their converfation very naturally turns upon the beauty of its fituation, and the pleasantnefs of the air; and Banquo, obferving the martlet's nefts in every recefs of the cornice, remarks, that where those birds moft breed and haunt, the air is delicate. The fubject of this quiet and eafy converfation gives that repofe fo neceffary to the mind after the tumultuous buftle of the preceding fcenes, and perfectly contrafts the scene of horror that immediately fucceeds. It feems as if Shakspeare asked himself, What is a prince likely to fay to his attendants on fuch an occafion. Whereas the modern writers feem, on the contrary, to be always fearching for new thoughts, fuch as would never occur to men in the fituation which is reprefented.--This alfo is frequently the practice of Homer, who, from the midst of battles and horrors, relieves and refreshes the mind of the reader, by introducing fome quiet rural image, or picture of familiar domeftick life. SIR J. REYNOLDS. 8 Unto our gentle fenfes.] Senfes are nothing more than each man's fenfe. Genile fenfe is very elegant, as it means placid, calm, compofed, and intimates the peaceable delight of a fine day. JOHNSON. martlet,] This bird is in the old edition called barlet. JOHNSON. 9 The correction was made by Mr. Rowe. MALONE. "Builds in the weather on the outward wall." no jutty, frieze,] A comma fhould be placed after jutty. Nor coigne of vantage, but this bird hath made His pendent bed, and procreant cradle: Where they + Most breed' and haunt, I have obferv'd, the air A jutty, or jetty, (for fo it ought rather to be written) is not here, as has been fuppofed, an epithet to frieze, but a fubftantive; fignifying that part of a building which fhoots forward beyond the reft. See Florio's Italian Dictionary, 1598: " Barbacane. An outnooke or corner standing out of a house; a jettie."—" Sporto. A porch, a portal, a bay window, or out-butting, or jettie, of a houfe, that jetties out farther than anie other part of the house."See alfo Surpendue in Cotgrave's French Diet. 1611: “A jettie; an out-jetting room." MALONE. Shakspeare uses the verb to jutty, in K. Henry V: as fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and juity his confounded bafe." STEEVENS. coigne of vantage,] Convenient corner. JOHNSON. So, in Pericles: 3 "By the four oppofing coignes, "Which the world together joins." STEEVENS. 4 His pendent bed, and procreant cradle: Where they-] Left the reader should think this verfe defective in harmony, he ought to be told, that as needle was once written and pronounced neele and neeld, fo cradle was contracted into crale, and confequently uttered as a monofyllable. Thus, in the fragment of an ancient Christmas carol now before me: In fome parts of Warwickshire (as I am informed) the word is drawlingly pronounced as if it had been written-craale. STEEVENS. 5 Moft breed] The folio,-muft breed. STEEVENS. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE. DUN. Enter Lady MACBETH. See, fee! our honour'd hoftefs! The love that follows us, fometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you, How you fhall bid God yield us for your pains, And thank us for your trouble." The love that follows us, fometime is our trouble, And thank us for your trouble.] The attention that is paid us (fays Duncan on feeing Lady Macbeth come to meet him,) fometimes gives us pain, when we reflect that we give trouble to others; yet ftill we cannot but be pleased with fuch attentions, because they are a proof of affection. So far is clear;-but of the following words, I confefs, I have no very diftinct conception, and fufpect them to be corrupt. Perhaps the meaning is,-By being the occafion of fo much trouble I furnish you with a motive to pray to heaven to reward me for the pain I give you, inafmuch as the having fuch an opportunity of showing your loyalty may hereafter prove beneficial to you; and herein aljo I afford you a motive to thank me for the trouble I give you, because by fhowing me fo much attention, (however painful it may be to me to be the caufe of it,) you have an opportunity of difplaying an amiable character, and of ingratiating yourself with your fovereign: which finally may bring you both profit and honour. MALONE. This paffage is undoubtedly obfcure, and the following is the beft explication of it I am able to offer. Marks of refpect importunately shown, are fometimes troublesome, though we are fill bound to be grateful for them as indications of fincere attachment. If you pray for us on account of the trouble we create in your house, and thank us for the moleftations we bring with us, it must be on fuch a principle. Herein I teach you, that the inconvenience you fuffer, is the refult of our affection; and that you are therefore to pray for us, or thank us, only as far as prayers and thanks can be deferved for kindneffes that fatigue, and honours that opprefs. You are, in short, to make your acknowledgments for intended refpect and love, however irk fome our prefent mode of expreffing them may have proved.-To bid is here used in the Saxon fenfe-to pray. STEEVENS. How you fall bid God-yield us-] To bid any one God-yeld him, i..e, God-yield him, was the fame as God reward him. LADY. M. All our fervice In every point twice done, and then done double, Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith DUN. Where's the thane of Cawdor? We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose To be his purveyor: but he rides well; I believe yield, or, as it is in the folio of 1623, eyld, is a corrupted contraction of field. The wifh implores not reward, but protection. JOHNSON. I rather believe it to be a corruption of God-yield, i. c. reward. In Antony and Cleopatra, we meet with it at length: "And the gods yield you for't." Again, in the interlude of Jacob and Efau, 1568: "God yelde you, Efau, with all my ftomach." Again, in the old metrical romance of Syr Guy of Warwick, bl. 1. no date: ་་ Syr, quoth Guy, God yield it you, "Of this great gift you give me now.' Again, in Chaucer's Sompnoure's Tale, v. 7759; Mr. Tyrwhitt's edit. "God yelde you adoun in your village." Again, one of the Pafton Letters, Vol. IV. p. 335, begins thus: "To begin, God yeld you for my hats. " God fhield means God forbid, and could never be used as a form of returning thanks. So, in Chaucer's Milleres Tale: God fbilde that he died fodenly." v. 3427; Mr. Tyr whitt's edit. STEEVENS. We reft your hermits.] Hermits, for beadfmen. WARBURTON. That is, we as hermits fhall always pray for you. So, in Arden of Feversham, 1592: I am your beadfman, bound to pray for you." 66 worshipful fir, "I shall be still your beadfman." This phrafe occurs frequently in The Pafton Letters. STEEVENS, 8 And his great love, fharp as his fpur, hath holp him To his home before us: Fair and noble hoftess, We are your guest to-night. LADY. M. Your fervants ever? Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, To make their audit at your highness' pleasure, Still to return your own. Give me your hand: DUN. [Exeunt. his great love, sharp as his jpur,] So, in Twelfth Night, A& III. fc. iii: my defire, "More fharp than filed fteel, did fpur me forth." STEEVENS. 9 Your fervants ever, &c.] The metaphor in this fpeech is taken from the Steward's compting houfe or audit-room. In compt, means, Subject to account. The fenfe of the whole is :-We, and all who belong to us, look upon our lives and fortunes not as our own properties, but as things we have received merely for your use, and for which we must be accountable whenever you please to call us to our audit; when, like faithful fterwards, we shall be ready to answer your fummons, by returning you what is your own. STEEVENS, |