Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

"The

with all the coolness and judgment of a skilful casuist. essence of a lawful vow, is a lawful purpose, and the vow of which the end is wrong must not be regarded as cogent."

Line 395. editions read,

JOHNSON.

dear man] Valuable man. The modern

-brave man.

The repetition of the word is in our author's manner. JOHNSON.

Line 408. Which better fits a lion,] The traditions and stories of the darker ages abounded with examples of the lion's generosity. Upon the supposition that these acts of clemency were true, Troilus reasons not improperly, that to spare against reason, by mere instinct of pity, became rather a generous beast than a wise man. JOHNSON.

Line 431. —with recourse of tears;] i. e. tears that continue to course one another down the face. WARBURTON.

ACT V. SCENE IV.

Line 515.

-to proclaim barbarism,] To set up the au

JOHNSON.

thority of ignorance to declare that they will be governed by policy no longer. Line 528. Art thou of blood, and honour ?] This is an idea taken from the ancient books of romantic chivalry, as is the following one in the speech of Diomed:

And am her knight by proof.

STEEVENS.

ACT V. SCENE V.

[ocr errors]

Line 547.

bastard Margarelon-] The introduction of a bastard son of Priam, under the name of Margarelon, is one of the circumstances taken from the story book of The Three Destructions of Troy. THEOBALD.

Line 554. the dreadful Sagittary

Appals our numbers;] "Beyonde the royalme of "Amasonne came an auncyent kynge, wyse and dyscreete, "named Epystrophus, and brought a M. knyghtes, and a mervayllouse beste that was called sagittayre, that behynde the myddes was an horse, and to fore, a man: this beste was heery

[ocr errors]

“like an horse, and had his eyen rede as a cole, and shotte well " with a bowe: this beste made the Grekes sore aferde, and slewe "many of them with his bowe." The Three Destructions of Troy, printed by Caxton. THEOBALD.

Line 562. - scaled sculls-] Sculls are great numbers of fishes swimming together. The modern editors, not being ac quainted with the term, changed it into shoals.

Scaled means here dispersed, put to flight.

Line 565.

STEEVENS.

MALONE.

the mower's swath :] The swath is the lane of

grass cut down by the mower.

Line 606.

ACT V. SCENE VI.

-you cogging Greeks;] This epithet has no particular propriety in this place, but the author had heard of Græcia Mendax.

JOHNSON.

Surely the epithet had propriety in respect of Diomed at least, who had defrauded him of his mistress. Troilus bestows it on both, unius ob culpam. STEEVENS. Line 629. I'll frush it,] The word frush I never found elsewhere, nor understand it. Hanmer explains it, to break or bruise. JOHNSON.

ACT V. SCENE IX.

Line 662. Even with the vail-] The vail is, I think, the sinking of the sun; not veil or cover. JOHNSON.

Line 664. I am unarm'd; forego this vantage, Greek.] Hector, in Lydgate's poem, falls by the hand of Achilles; but it is Troilus who, having been inclosed round by the Myrmidons, is killed after his armour had been hewn from his body, which was afterwards drawn through the field at the horse's tail. STEEVENS.

Line 676. And, stickler-like,] A stickler was one who stood by to part the combatants when victory could be deter mined without bloodshed. They are often mentioned by Sidney. Anthony (says sir Tho. North in his translation of Plutarch) "was himself in person a stickler to part the young men when

"

"they had fought enough." They were called sticklers, from carrying sticks or staves in their hands, with which they interposed between the combatants. We now call them sidesmen. STEEVENS.

Line 718.

ACT V. SCENE XI. -pight-] i. e. pitched, fixed.

-728. Hence, broker lackey!] Broker, in our author's time, signified a bawd of either sex.

Line 728.

ignominy.

MALONE.

ignomy-] Ignomy was formerly used for MALONE.

Line 750. Some galled goose of Winchester-] The public stews were anciently under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester.

РОРЕ. A particular symptom in the lues venerea was called a Winchester goose. STEEVENS.

Cole, in his Latin Dict. 1669, renders a Winchester goose by pudendagra.

MALONE.

END OF THE ANNOTATIONS ON TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.

ANNOTATIONS

ON

TIMON OF ATHENS.

ACT I. SCENE I,

LINE 14. breath'd, as it were,

To an untirable and continuate goodness:] Breathed is inured by constant practice: so trained as not to be wearied. To breathe a horse, is to exercise him for the course.

Line 21.

JOHNSON.

-touch the estimate:] Come up to the price.

JOHNSON.

23. When we for recompense &c.] We must here suppose the poet busy in reading in his own work; and that these three lines are the introduction of the poem addressed to Timon, which he afterwards gives the Painter an account of. WARB. Line 35. and, like a current, flies

rightly..

Each bound it chafes.] Thus the folio reads, and
WARBURTON.

This speech of the Poet is very obscure. He seems to boast the copiousness and facility of his vein, by declaring that verses drop from a poet as gums from odoriferous trees, and that his flame kindles itself without the violence necessary to elicit sparkles from the flint. What follows next? that it, like a current, flies each bound it chafes. This may mean, that it expands itself notwithstanding all obstructions; but the images in the com

« ÎnapoiContinuă »