this sounds like an echo of ancient poetry. It seems just possible indeed that Shakespeare was thinking not of any Latin poet, but of Chapman's translation of Odyss. ii. 231, μή τις ἔτι πρόφρων ἀγανὸς καὶ ἤπιος ἔστω σκηπτοῦχος βασιλεὺς, μηδὲ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα εἰδὼς. But the word allusion, in its correct use, rather expresses the unconscious reproduction, in the poet's mind, of that which had impressed him in reading.) To the battle of the Lapitha and the Centaurs, Metam. xii., and the death of Orpheus, Metam. xi. M. N. D. v. 1,— "The battle with the Centaurs that have I told my love, In glory of my kinsman Hercules. Lys. The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals, Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage." To the story of Arachne and Minerva (with a variety), ib. iii. 2, "We, Hermia, like two artificial gods," &c. To that of Thisbe, and of Medea and Æson, Merchant of Venice, v. 1. (In M. N. D. v. 1,— he may re, "Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, "Quoque erat accinctus, demittit in ilia ferrum. To the cave of Envy, Metam. ii. 761, 2 K. H. VI. iii. 2,— lean-fac'd Envy in her loathsome cave." To Midas, Merchant of Venice, iii. 2,— To the description of the tt Sun's chariot in the story of (he) stakes this ring; And would so, had it heen a carbuncle Of Phoebus' wheel; and might so safely, had it Antony and Cleopatra, iv. 8,— An armour all of gold; it was a king's. Like holy Phoebus car. To the latter part of the story of Phaeton, Two Noble Kinsmen, i. 2, first speech of Valerius. T. G. of Verona, iii. 1,— "Why, Phaeton, (for thou art Merops' son,) Wilt thou aspire to guide the heavenly car, King Richard II. iii. 3,— "Down, down, I come; like glist'ring Phaeton, (Note by the way, in the play of the Battle of Alcazar, ii. Dyce's Peele, ed. 2, vol. ii. p. 102, Bassa, wear thou the gold of Barbary, In honour of the deed that thou hast done." Ib. i. ad fin., p. 98, there is an allusion to Envy's cave.) Simile of the river, Metam. iii. 568,-" Sic ego torrentem, qua nil obstabat eunti," &c. Is it fanciful to suppose that this simile caught Shakespeare's fancy, and recurred to him on many occasions? T. G. of Verona, ii. 7; K. John, ii. 2; M. for M. iii. 1, towards the end of the Duke's dialogue with Isabella; Venus and Adonis, lvi., and Tarquin and Lucrece, xciii. clx. I wish, however, to distinguish between this, which is perhaps only a chance coincidence, such as often misleads commentators by a delusive show of imitation, and the unequivocal allusions which are cited previously and subsequently in this article. K.John, v. 7,— "To set a form upon that indigest, Which he hath left so shapeless and so rude." An allusion to Ovid's "rudis indigestaque moles," Metam. i. 7. So too, I think, 2 K. H. VI. v. 1, where old Clifford says to Richard,— "Hence, heap of wrath, foul undigested lump!" Foul, i.e., ugly, ut passim; not filthy. And so King Henry calls him, 3 K. H. VI., v. 6, " an indigest deformed lump.' 6," The name of Shakespeare's Fairy Queen is borrowed from Ovid, Metam. iii. 173, "Dumque ibi perluitur solita Titania lympha." Or whilst I can vent clamour from my throat, I'll tell thee, thou dost evil." In many places it evidently signifies wailing. K. L. iv. 54 This beautiful scene is wanting in the folios and Rowe's edition; the quartos give it very corruptly. The speech before us was outrageously sophisticated by Pope; and his successors, though they properly removed his handiwork, still left the text There she shook The holy water from her heavenly eyes, And clamour-moisten'd." (so write; luctu madentes.) v. 3,— "While I was big in clamour, came there a man :" see context. Macbeth, ii. 3; compare the spirit of the whole context,— t the obscure [read obscene] bird Clamour'd the livelong night." And so Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 3,— and some keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots," &c. The old poetical fancy; Æn. iv. 462, 'Solaque culminibus ferali carmine bubo Sæpe queri, et longas in fletum ducere voces." "Now, sir, the sound, that tells what hour it is, Groans of lamentation. (Read, as I have noticed elsewhere.) p. 306, "Now, for the sound," &c., Chapman, Il. xxi. old ed. About both, the people prostrate lay, Held down with clamour; all the town veil'd with a cloud Orig. v. 408, of tears." ἀμφὶ δὲ λαόὶ Κωκυτῷ εἴχοντο καὶ οἰμωγῆ κατὰ ἄστυ. in a most unsatisfactory state. I must confess, I do not understand Walker's note; probably there is some mistake of the pen in it, which I cannot correct. The old copies read "moistened her;" the critics explain “clamour moisten'd” by "moisten'd clamour." I cannot agree with either.-Ed. Shrew in Shakespeare is to be pronounced shrow. Taming of a Shrew, iv. 1, ad fin., undoubtedly rhyme,"He that knows better how to tame a shrew, Now let him speak; 'tis charity to shew." v. 2 (see Steevens's note, Var. vol. v. p. 511),— "Your husband, being troubled with a shrew, Measures my husband's sorrow by his woe.' And so the concluding couplet of the play, shrew (folio, shrow)-80. Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2, "O that your face were not so full of O's! Katherine. A pox o' that jest, and beshrew all shrews!" (fol. Shrowes.) Heywood, Love's Mistress, iv. 1, ed. 1824, page 60, rhymes,― "Come, Cupid follow me. Vulcan cannot [can't] go. Pan. "How look I, Nano? like a man, or no? Nano. If not a man, yet like a manly shrow." passage |
