G. 142. W. 125.-That pays some shares. In all, a younger brother, May spend what his friend left in expectation, Of being turn'd out of service for attendance. What strange pointing! Read That pays some shares in all. A younger brother May spend what his friend left, in expectation Of being turn'd out of service, for attendance! i. e. as the sole reward of his pains. G. 143. W. 126. Read: I must speak a word For my old bachelor?-Lord, so? Is't not so? To thy own fate. stand ingenious Ingenious and ingenuous were constantly confounded in old writers,—but the exact meaning of neither the one nor the other strictly applies in the text." This is an excellent mode of explaining an author! In conclusion, Mr. Weber thinks that the "word stands for faithful." It stands, however, for ingenious, and means exactly what it stands for. G. 145. W. 128.-Thou'rt a prick-ear'd foist.] "Prick-eared means with ears erect,"-thank you, Mr. Weber-" and the application of the term to a fool" (what fool? where is he?) "is explained by the following passage in Painter-There were newly come to the citie two young men that were Romans, which ranged up and down the streetes with their ears upright.' But these young men were listening to every passing re port. As Mr. Weber proceeds in his explanation, he forgets what he set out with, and, with the assistance of Steevens, ends by proving the fool to be a pickpocket! G. 145. W. 129.—A copper bason. Read: A copper-bason'd suds-monger. G. 146. W. 129.-Mother of the Fancies.] "i. e. Mother of loves." And then we have a note and a song from the Variorum Shakspeare to prove that fancy is sometimes used for love. This unfortunate blunderer could not see that the allusion was to the title of the play, and that the mother of the Fancies was the "guardianess of the young Ladies," the Beauties, as the speaker just after calls them. In what sense could Morosa be called a mother of loves? Had Mr. Weber ever read more of the Variorum than the index, he might have seen that fancy is used by our great poet for a lady-much as it is by Ford. a man that grazed his cattle nigh, And, privileged by age, desires to know G. 146. W. 130.-Enjoy the sweets of our years. G. 147. W. 131.—'Tis a gallant life to be an old lord's pimp whiskin. "I do not perfectly understand the particular meaning of the last word"—and then we are informed that Cotgrave " explains singlement, a sayling, or cutting the sea by sayling, also a whisking," &c. This is merely ridiculous. Whiskin (a diminutive of whiske, a hand broom) was used by our old dramatists, as a contemptuous term for a low menial of either sex. By the usual progress of such language, the poor harmless word came at length to denote a ready implement of cor ruption, and to be coupled with the most odious and repulsive epithets. This is the simple history of the expression; which, it should be noted, is commonly applied, as here, to a domestic or dependent. Thus Brome, in The Novella: Again. "This is the proud brache's whiske.” "I collect as much by your young whiskin that brought me hither."-City Wit. Again. Stay, stay! here she comes, and the pimp whiskin with her." In all these instances, and in several others, which I at first thought of giving from Shirley, the person spoken of is a servant, and is supposed by the speaker to be a pandar. To such worthless details can the garrulous folly of the commentators compel those to descend who would gladly leave the ribaldry which they cannot suppress, to neglect. G. 150. W. 133.-Sure some dotage lend a cunning, &c. Read: G. 151. W. 134. lends a cunning. I now appear in fashion Unto men, am received. "The old copy reads and; but as very little sense can be extracted from it, the alteration seems to be absolutely indispensable." The old reading certainly contains quite as much sense as the new; and, what is more to the purpose, it is the author's, and was the genuine language of his age. G. 155. W. 137.-Yet if, as it may chance, a neat cloth'd merri ment Pass without blush in tatling to the words, Fall not too broad, &c. Could the editor comprehend one syllable of what is here given to the public? Read: Yet if, as it may chance, a neat cloath'd merriment Pass without blush, in tattling, so the words Fall not too broad, 'tis but a pastime smiled at Amongst yourselves in counsel: but beware G. 157. W. 138.-Whether-but he's my brother. Read: Whither? But he's my brother. G. 157. W. 139.-" Exeunt omnes." One however remains. After a speech of several lines, he also withdraws, and Mr. Weber carefully repeats the "Exeunt." G. 158. W. 141.-You two shall wait upon us. This spoils the verse. Read: You two shall wait on us-with best observance. G. 161. W. 142.-Of what your scrivener, [by] which in effect. "The word in brackets is omitted in the original." And had it also been left out of the copy, no injury would be done either to the sense or the metre. G. 163. W. 144.-Carriage, i. e. behaviour! G. 164. W. 145.-Companion, i. e. fellow! G. 165. W. 146.-Such sights are excellent. Read: Such sights were (would be) excellent. Flavia is pleased to be satirical on the influence supposed G. 167. W. 147.-For it 'twere. Read: For 'twere, &c. G. 172. W. 151.-'Twould wind-break a moil.] "i. e. a mule." Very well; but why, after freely modernizing the orthography everywhere else, turn squeamish here? I am not, however, displeased to see it, because it gives me an opportunity of correcting a mistake in the Glossary of Archdeacon Nares. "Mooles," he says, " perhaps for mules. I confess I do not understand the line in which this word occurs. "Content thee, Daphles, mooles take mads, but men know mooles to catch."-Warner's Alb. England, p. 41. "that is, perhaps, Mules take mad fits, but yet men know how to catch them."" My ingenious friend has fallen into two pleasant errors. Mooles are not mules, but moles; and mads are not fits of any kind, but earth-worms, the food of moles. The meaning of the proverb is clear enough, Harm watch, harm catch. G. 174. W. 154.-" Suddenly, i. e. quickly." It is, indeed. I am furnish'd In mine own hopes, by her unlucky fortunes. Just the reverse of the speaker's meaning. Read: I am punish'd G. 180. W. 159. Thou hast done all cunning. Read: Thou hast out-done all cunning. G. 184. W. 162.-Exit Troylo and Nitido ! G. 185. W. 163.-Thou reply'st. Read: Thou replied'st; which is far more to the purpose. G. 188. W. 166. Struck in mine eyes. Read: in mine eye. The sense of what follows depends upon it. G. 189. W. 166.-" Exit Camillo and Vespucci." The old copy has Er. In the next page we have, "Exit Julio and Flavia." Three times in the course of two pages! This is really inexcusable. G. 191. W. 168.—O my hope of posterity! I could be in love with him. Read: On my hope of posterity, I could, &c. G. 191. W. 168.-He towzes the ladies' sisters. He towzes the Lady-sisters. i. e. the Fancies. |
