46 "father compounded with my mother under the Dragon's tail, and my nativity was under Urfa major ; "fo that it follows, I am rough and lecherous. I "fhould have been what I am, had the maidenlieft "ftar in the firmament twinkled on my bastardizing. SCENE IX. To him, enter Edgar. Pat!" he comes like the Catastrophe of the old comedy;" my cue is villainous Melancholy, with a "figh 2 He comes like the Cataftrophe of the old comedy;] This we are to understand as a compliment, intended by the Author, in the natural winding up of the plot in the comedy of the ancients; which as it was owing to the artful and yet natural introduction of the perfons of the Drama into the scene, juft in the nick of time, or pat, as our author fiys, makes the fimilitude very proper. This, without doubt, is the fupreme beauty of Comedy, confidered as an action. And as it depends folely on a ftrict obfervance of the Unities, it fhews that these Unities are in nature, and in the reafon of things, and not in a mere arbitrary invention of the Greeks, as fome of our own country critics, of a low mechanick genius, have, by their works, perfuaded our wits to believe. For common fenfe requiring that the fubject of one comedy should be one action, and that that action should be contained nearly within the period of time which the representation of it takes up; hence we have the unities of Time and Aim; and, from thefe, unavoidably arifes the third, which is that of Place. For when the whole of one action is included within a proportionable fmall space of time, there is no room to change the fcene, but all must be done upon one spot of ground. Now, from this laft unity (the neceffary iffue of the two other, which derive immediately from nature) proceeds all that beauty of the catastrophe, or the winding up the plot, in the ancient comedy. For all the perfons of the Drama being to appear and act on one limited spot, and being by their feveral interefts to embarrass, and at length to conduct the action to its deftin'd period, there is need of confummate skill to bring them on, and take them off, naturally and neceffarily for the grace of action requires the one, and the perfection of it the other. Which conduct of the action must needs produce a beauty that will give a judicious mind the highest pleafure. On the other hand, when a comic writer has a whole country to range in, nothing is easier than to find the perfons of the Drama, juft where he would have them; and this requiring no art, the beauty we fpeak of is not to be found. Confequently, a violation of the unities deprives the Drama of one of its greatest beauties; which proves what I afferted, that the three unities are no arbitrary mechanick figh like Tom o Bedlam- O, thefe eclipfes portend thefe divifions! fa, fol, la, me Edg. How now, brother Edmund, what serious contemplation are you in ? Edm. I am thinking, brother, of a prediction I read this other day, what should follow thefe eclipfes. Edg. Do you bufie yourself with that? Edm. I promise you, the effects, he writes of, fucceed unhappily. When faw you my father laft? Edg. The night gone by. Edm. Spake you with him? Edg. Ay, two hours together. Edm. Parted you in good terms, found pleasure in him, by word or countenance ? Edg. None at all. you no dif Edm. Bethink yourself, wherein you have offended him; and at my intreaty, forbear his prefence, until fome little time hath qualified the heat of his difpleafure; which at this inftant so rageth in him, that with the mischief of your perfon it would fcarcely allay. Edg. Some villain hath done me wrong. Edm. That's my fear; I pray you, have a continent forbearance 'till the speed of his rage goes flower: and, as I fay, retire with me to my lodging, from whence I will fitly bring you to hear my lord fpeak : pray you, go, there's my key: if you do ftir abroad, go arm'd. Edg. Arm'd, brother! Edm. Brother, I advise you to the best; I am no honeft man, if there be any good meaning toward you: I have told you what I have seen and heard, but faintly; nothing like the image and horror of it: pray you away. Edg. Shall I hear from you anon? [Exit. mechanick invention, but founded in reafon and the nature of things. The Tempeft of Shakespear fufficiently proves him to be well acquainted with these unities; and the paffage in queftion fhews him to have been ftruck with the beauty that results from them. SCENE SCENE X. Edm. I do ferve you in this business: [Exit. SCENE XI. The Duke of Albany's Palace. Enter Gonerill and Steward. Gon.DID my father ftrike my gentleman for chid ing of his fool? Stew. Ay, madam. Gon. By day and night, he wrongs me; every hour He flashes into one grofs crime or other, That fets us all at odds; I'll not endure it : His Knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us You fhall do well; the fault of it I'll answer. Gon. Put on what weary negligence you please, You and your fellows: I'd have it come to question. If he diftafte it, let him to my fifter, Whofe mind and mine, I know, in that are one, That ftill would manage those Authorities, That he hath giv'n away! Now, by my Life, 3 Old Folks are Babes again; and must be used With 3 Old FooLs are babes again; and must be used With Checks LIKE Flatt'ries when they're feen abus' d.] Thus the old Quarto reads thefe lines. It is plain they are corrupt. But they have been made worse by a fruitless attempt to correct them.. And firft, for Old FooLs are babes again; A proverbial expreffion is here plainly alluded to; but it is a strange proverb, With Checks, not Flatt'ries when they're feen abus'd. Remember, what I have faid. Stew. Very well, Madam. Gon. And let his Knights have colder looks among you what grows of it, no matter; advise your fellows fo: I'll write ftrait to my fifter to hold my courfe : prepare for dinner. [Exeunt. SCENE XII. Changes to an open Place before the Palace. Enter Kent, difguis'd. F but as well I other accents borrow, Kent. And can my speech diffufe, my good intent May carry thro' itself to that full iffue, For which I raz'd my likeness. Now, banish'd Kent, proverb, which only informs us that fools are innocents. We should read Old FOLKS are Babes again; Thus fpeaks the proverb, and with the ufual good sense of one. The next line is jumbled out of all meaning. With Checks LIKE Flatt'ries when they're seen abus'd. Mr. Theobald reftores it thus, With Checks like Flatt'rers, when they're seen to abuse us. Let us confider the fenfe a little. Old Folks, fays the speaker, are Babes again; well, and what then; Why then they must be used like Flatterers. But when Shakespear quoted the Proverb, we may be affured his purpose was to draw fome inference from it, and not run rambling after a fimilitude. And that inference was not difficult to find, had common fenfe been attended to, which tells us Shakespear must have wrote, Old Folks are Babes again, and must be used With Checks, NOT FLATT'RIES when they're seen abus’d. i. e. Old Folks being grown children again, they should be used as we ufe children, with Checks, when we find that the little Flatt' ries we employed to quiet them are abus'd, by their becoming more peevish and perverfe by indulgence. When they're feen abus'd. i. e. when we find that those Flatt'ries are abused. Horns Horns within. Enter Lear, Knights and Attendants. Lear. Let me not stay a jot for dinner, go, get it ready: How now, what art thou? Kent. A man, Sir. [To Kent. Lear. What doft thou profefs? what would't thou with us? Kent. I do profefs to be no less than I seem; to ferve him truly, that will put me in truft; to love him that is honeft; to converfe with 4 him that is wife; to fay little; to fear judgment; to fight when I cannot chufe, 5 and to eat no fish. Lear. What art thou? Kent. A very honeft-hearted fellow, and as poor as the King. Lear. If thou beeft as poor for a fubject, as he is for a King, thou art poor enough. What would' thou? Kent. Service. Lear. Whom would't thou ferve? Kent. You. 4 him that is wife AND SAYS little ;] Tho' faying little may be the character of wisdom, it was not a quality to chuse a companion by for his converfation. We fhould read, TO SAY little z which was prudent when he chofe a wife companion to profit by. So that it was as much as to fay, I profefs to talk little myself, that I may profit the more by the converfation of the wife. 5 and to eat no fifo.] In Queen Elizabeth's time the Papifts were efteemed, and with good reafon, enemies to the government. Hence the proverbial phrafe of, He's an honest man and eats no fish; to fignify he's a friend to the Government and a Proteftant. The eating fish, on a religious account, being then efteem'd fuch a badge of popery, that when it was enjoined for a feafon by act of parliament, for the encouragement of the fish-towns, it was thought neceffary to declare the reafon; hence it was called Cecil's Faft. To this difgraceful badge of popery Fletcher alludes in his Womanbater, who makes the courtezan fay, when Lazarillo, in fearch of the Umbrano's head, was feized at her house by the Intelligencers, for a traytor; Gentlemen, I am glad you bave difcovered him. He fould not have eaten under my roof for twenty pounds. And fure I did not like him when he called for fifb. And Marston's Dutch Courtezan. I truft I am none of the wicked that eat fifh a Friday. |