8 Or Cytherea's breath; pale primroses, That eye was Juno's, 9 "Thofe lips were hers that won the golden ball, Spenser, as well as our author, has attributed beauty to the eye-lid: Again, in his 40th Sonnet: 1 Faery Queen, B. II. c. iii. ft. 25. "When on each eye-lid fweetly do appear pale primroses, MALONE. That die unmarried, ere they can behold, &c.] So, in Pimlyco, or Runne Red-Cap, 1609: "The pretty Dazie (eye of day) "The Prime-Rofe which doth first display Again, in Milton's Lycidas: the rathe primrose that forfaken dies. Mr. Warton, in a note on my laft quotation, afks "But why does the Primrose die unmarried? Not because it blooms and decays before the appearance of other flowers; as in a ftate of folitude, and without fociety. Shakspeare's reafon, why it dies unmarried, is unintelligible, or rather is fuch as I do not wish to understand. The true reason is, becaufe is grows in the fhade, uncherished or unfeen by the fun, who was fuppofed to be in love with fome forts of flowers." STEEVFNS. -- bold oxlips, ] Gold is the reading of Sir T. Hanmer; the former editions have bold. JOHNSON. The old reading is certainly the true one. The oxlip has not a weak flexible stalk like the cowflip, but ereas itfelf boldly in the face of the fun. Wallis, in his Hift of Northumberland, fays, that the great oxlip grows a foot and a half high. It should be confeffed, however, that the colour of the oxlip is taken notice of by other writers. So, in The Arraignment of Paris, 1584: - yellow oxlips bright as burnish'd gold.” See Vol. VII. p. 61, n. 2. STEEVENS. The flower-de luce being one! O these, I lack, To make you garlands of; and, my sweet friend, To ftrew him o'er and o'er. FLO. What? like a corfe? PER. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on; Not like a corfe: or if, not to be buried, 2 But quick, and in mine arms. Come, take your flowers: Methinks, play as I have feen them do In Whitfun' paflorals: fure, this robe of mine FLO. What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I'd have you buy and fell fo; fo give alms; To fing them too: When you do dance, I wish you So fingular in each particular, Growns what you are doing in the prefent deeds; PER. not to be buried, O Doricles, But quick, and in mine arms. So, Marton's Infatiate Countess; 1613: "Ifab. Heigh ho, you,'ll bury me, I fee. Rob. In the fwan's down, and tomb thee in my arms. Again in Pericles, Prince of Tyre: 1609: 3 - Each your doing, &c.] That is, your manner in each a& crowns the act. JOHNSON. VOL. X. K. : Your praises are too large but that your youth, And the true blood, which fairly peeps through it,4 Do plainly give you out an unftain'd fhepherd; With wifdom I might fear, my Doricles, You woo'd me the false way. FLO. I think, you have As little skill to fear," as I have purpose To put you to't. But, come; our dance, I pray; Your hand, my Perdita: fo turtles pair, That never mean to part. 4 but that your youth. And the true blood which fairly peeps through it, ] So Marlowe, in his Hero and Leander : "Through whofe white skin, fofter than foundest fleep, "With damafke eyes the ruby blood doth peep." The part of the poem that was written by Marlowe, was pub lifhed, I believe in 1593, but certainly before 1598, a Second Part or Continuation of it by H. Petowe having been printed in that year. It was entered at Stationers' Hall in September 1593, and is often quoted in a Collection of verfes entitled England's Parnaffus, printed in 1600. From that colledion it appears; that Marlowe wrote only the firft two Seftiads, and about a hundred lines of the third, and that the remainder was written by Chapman. MALONE. 5 I think, you have As little hill to fear,] To have fkill to do a thing was a phrase then in ufe equivalent to our to have a reason to do a thing. The Oxford editor, ignorant of this, alters it to: As little kill in fear. which has no kin ofd fenfe in this place. WARBURTON. I cannot approve of Warburton's explanation of this paffage, or believe that to have a skill to do a thing, ever meant, to have reajon to do it; of which, when he afferted it, he ought to have produced one example at leaft. The fears of women, on fuch occafions, are generally owing to their experience. They fear, as they bluth, because they underftand. It is to this that Florizel alludes when he says, that Perdita had little kill to fear. So Juliet fays to Romeo : But truft me, gentleman, I'll prove more true "Than those who have more cunning to be ftrange.” M. MASON. You as little know how to fear that I am falfe, as, &c. MALONE. PER. I'll fwear for 'em." POL. This is the prettieft low-born lafs, that ever Ran on the green-fward; nothing fhe does, or feems, But fmacks of fomething greater than herself; Too noble for this place. CAM. He tells her fomething, 7 That makes her blood look out: Good footh, fhe is The queen of curds and cream. CLOWN. Come on, frike up. DOR. Mopfa must be your mistress; marry, garlick, To mend her kiffing with. MOP. Now in good time! CLOWN. Not a word, a word; we ftand upon our manners.. Come, ftrike up. [Mufick. 6 Per. I'll fwear for 'em] I fancy this half line is placed to a wrong perfon. And that the king begins his fpeech afide: Pol. I'll wear for'em, This is the prettieft, &c. JOHNSON. We fhould doubtlefs read thus: I'll fwear for one. i e. I will answer or engage for myfelf. Some alteration is abfolutely neceffary. This feems the easiest, and the reply will then be perfectly becoming her chara&er. Rirson. 7 He tells her fomething, That makes her blood look out: ] The meaning muft be this. The prince tells her fomething that calls the blood up into her cheeks, and makes her blush. She,, but a little before, ufes a like expreffion to defcribe the prince's fincerity: your youth And the true blood, which fairly peeps through it, The old copy reads look on't. STEEVENS. we ftand, &c.] That is, we are now on our behaviour. So, in Every Man in his Humour, Mafter Stephens fays-- STEEVENS. Here a dance of Shepherds and Shepherdeffes. POL. Pray, good fhepherd, what Fair fwain is this, which dances with your daughter? SHEP. They call him Doricles; and he boasts himfelf 9 2 To have a worthy feeding: but I have it 3 He looks like footh: He fays, he loves my daugh ter; I think fo too; for never gaz'd the moon As 'twere my daughter's eyes: and, to be plain, 9 and he boafts himfelf-] The old copy reads - and boafts himself; which cannot, I think, be right. The emendation was made by Mr. Rowe. Perhaps Shakspeare wrote a boafts himself. MALONE. 2 -a worthy feeding: ] I conceive feeding to be a pasture; and a worthy feeding to be a tract of pafturage not inconfiderable, not unworthy of my daughter's fortune. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon's explanation is juft. So, in Drayton's Moon-calf "Finding the feeding for which he had toil'd To have kept fafe, by thefe vile cattle fpoil'd." Again, in the fixth song of the Polyolbion: 6611 fo much that do rely "Upon their feedings, flocks, and their fertility. "A worthy feeding (lays Mr. M. Mafon) Is a valuable, a fubftantial one. Thus Antonio, in Twelfth Night : "But were my worth, as is my confcience, firm, ·་ Worth here means fortune or fubftance. STEEVENS. Obfolete. So, in Lyly's STEEVENS. "Then doft diffemble, but I mean good footh." 4 Who loves another beft.] Surely we should read - Who loves the other beft. M. MASON. |