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Which the conceited painter drew so proud,
As heaven (it seem'd) to kiss the turrets bow'd.

A thousand lamentable objects there,

In scorn of nature, art gave lifeless life:
Many a dry drop seem'd a weeping tear7,
Shed for the slaughter'd husband by the wife:
The red blood reek'd, to show the painter's strife
And dying eyes gleam'd forth their ashy lights,
Like dying coals burnt out in tedious nights 9.

There might you see the labouring pioneer Begrim'd with sweat, and smeared all with dust; And from the towers of Troy there would appear

"Whose towers bore heads so high they kiss'd the clouds." Again, in Troilus and Cressida :

"Yon towers, whose wanton tops do buss the clouds." Again, in Hamlet:

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like the herald Mercury,

"New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill." MALONE.

6 Which the CONCEITED painter drew so proud,] Conceited, in old language, is fanciful, ingenious. MALONE.

7 Many a DRY drop seem'd a weeping tear,] Thus the quarto. The variation made in this line, in the edition of 1616, which is said in the title-page to be newly revised and corrected, would alone prove it not to have been prepared by our author. The editor, knowing that all drops are wet, and not observing that the poet is here speaking of a picture, discarded the old reading, and gave, instead of it,

"Many a dire drop seem'd a weeping tear; " Which has been followed in all the subsequent copies. Had he been at all acquainted with Shakspeare's manner, he never would have made this alteration, or have adopted it, if made before.

And dying eyes gleam'd forth their ASHY LIGHTS, Like DYING COALS BURNT OUT in tedious nights.] Milton had these lines in his thoughts when he wrote: "Where glowing embers through the room "Teach light to counterfeit a gloom."

It is probable he also remembered these of Spenser: his glistering armour made

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MALONE.

Perhaps

"A little glooming light much like a shade." MALONE.

The very eyes of men through loop-holes thrust,
Gazing upon the Greeks with little lust:

Such sweet observance in this work was had,
That one might see those far-off eyes look sad.

In great commanders grace and majesty
You might behold, triúmphing in their faces;
In youth, quick bearing and dexterity;
And here and there the painter interlaces
Pale cowards, marching on with trembling paces;
Which heartless peasants did so well resemble,
That one would swear he saw them quake and
tremble.

In Ajax and Ulysses, O, what art
Of physiognomy might one behold!
The face of either 'cipher'd either's heart;
Their face their manners most expressly told:
In Ajax' eyes blunt rage and rigour roll'd;
But the mild glance that sly Ulysses lent,
Show'd deep regard and smiling government'.

There pleading might you see grave Nestor stand,
As 'twere encouraging the Greeks to fight;
Making such sober action with his hand,
That it beguil'd attention, charm'd the sight:
In speech, it seem'd, his beard, all silver white,
Wagg'd up and down, and from his lips did fly
Thin winding breath, which purl'd up to the sky 2.

1 - deep regard and smiling government.] Profound wisdom, and the complacency arising from the passions being under the command of reason. The former word [regard] has already occurred more than once in the same sense. MALONE.

2 In speech, it seem'd, his BEARD, ALL SILVER WHITE, Wagg'd up and down, and from his lips did fly

Thin winding BREATH, which PURL'D up to the sky.] So, in Troilus and Cressida :

[blocks in formation]

About him were a press of gaping faces,
Which seem'd to swallow up his sound advice *
All jointly listening, but with several graces,
As if some mermaid 5 did their ears entice;
Some high, some low; the painter was so nice,
The scalps of many almost hid behind,

4 ;

To jump up higher seem'd, to mock the mind.

Here one man's hand lean'd on another's head,
His nose being shadow'd by his neighbour's ear;
Here one, being throng'd, bears back, all boll'n and

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red°;

"Should with a bond of air (strong as the axle-tree
"On which heaven rides) knit all the Greekish ears
"To his experienc'd tongue." MALONE.

I suppose we should read-curl'd. Thus, Pope:

"While curling smoaks from village tops are seen." Again, in Cymbeline:

"And let our crooked smoaks climb to their nostrils."

STEEVENS.

There is no need of change, for purling had formerly the same meaning, being sometimes used to denote the curling of water, without any reference to sound. So, in Drayton's Mortimeriados, 4to. 1596:

“Whose stream an easie breath doth seem to blow; "Which on the sparkling gravel runs in purles, "As though the waves had been of silver curles." This sense of the word is unnoticed in Dr. Johnson's Dictionary. MALONE.

3 About him were a press of gaping faces, &c.] Had any engraving, or account, of Raphael's celebrated picture of The School of Athens reached England in the time of our author, one might be tempted by this description to think that he had seen it.

MALONE. Which seem'd to SWALLOW up his sound advice:] So, in King John :

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"With open mouth, swallowing a taylor's news." STEEVENS. 5 As if some mermaid-] See p. 35, n. 4. MALONE. -all BOLL'N and red;] Thus the old copy. In the former edition, when I was less cautious than I am at present, I substituted blown for boll'n, which I conceived to be a misprint; but scarcely had the book issued from the press, when I discovered my mistake. The reader will, I trust, find no in

Another, smother'd, seems to pelt and swear" ;
And in their rage such signs of rage they bear,
As, but for loss of Nestor's golden words,

It seem'd they would debate with angry swords R.

For much imaginary work was there;
Conceit deceitful, so compact, so kind,
That for Achilles' image stood his spear,

stances of similar temerity in the present edition of our author's works.

Boll'n means swollen, and is used by Golding in his translation of Ovid's Metamorphosis, 1567:

"Her leannesse made her joynts bolne big, and knee-pannes, for to swell,"

Auxerat articulos macies, genuumque rigebat

Orbis-.

Again, (as an anonymous writer has observed,) in Phaer's translation of the tenth book of Virgil's Æneid:

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with what bravery bolne in pride

King Turnus prosperous rides."
-tumidusque secundo

Marte ruat.

Gawin Douglas translating the same passage uses the words orpit and proudly." See p. 92 of this volume.

Skinner supposes the word to be derived from bouillier, Fr. to bubble. But Mr. Tyrwhitt in his accurate Glossary to Chaucer, (as has likewise been observed by the same anonymous writer,) says, it is the part. pa, of bolge. v. Sax. MALONE.

So,

7 Another, smother'd, seems to PELT and swear;] To pelt meant, I think, to be clamorous, as men are in a passion. in an old collection of tales, entitled Wits, Fits, and Fancies, 1614: "The young man, all in a pelting chafe." MALONE. DEBATE with angry swords.] i. e. fall to contention. Bate is an ancient word signifying strife. So, in the old play of Acolastus, 1540 :

8

"We shall not fall to bate, or stryve for this matter." STEEVENS. Debate has here, I believe, its usual signification. They seemed ready to argue with their swords. So, in Julius Cæsar: " Speak

hands for me."

Again, in Hamlet :

"I will speak daggers to her, but use none."

Again, more appositely, in Troilus and Cressida:

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Speaking in deeds, and deedless in his tongue." MALone.

Grip'd in an armed hand; himself, behind,
Was left unseen, save to the eye of mind
A hand, a foot, a face, a leg, a head,
Stood for the whole to be imagined.

1

And from the walls of strong-besieged Troy When their brave hope, bold Hector, march'd to field,

Stood many Trojan mothers, sharing joy

To see their youthful sons bright weapons wield; And to their hope they such odd action yield,

That, through their light joy, seemed to appear (Like bright things stain'd) a kind of heavy fear.

And, from the strond of Dardan where they fought,
To Simois' reedy banks the red blood ran,
Whose waves to imitate the battle sought
With swelling ridges; and their ranks began
To break upon the galled shore, and than 2

An artful delinea

9 Conceit deceitful, so compact, so KIND,] tion, so nicely and naturally executed. Kind and nature, in old language, were synonymous. MALONE.

I Was left unseen, save to THE EYE OF MIND :] We meet with the same expression in Hamlet, and in one of our author's Sonnets. Again, in King Richard II. :

with the eyes of heavy mind

"I see thy glory." MALONE.

2 To break upon the galled shore, and THAN] Than for then. This licence of changing the termination of words is sometimes used by our ancient poets, in imitation of the Italian writers. Thus Daniel, in his Cleopatra, 1594:

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And now wilt yield thy streames

"A prey to other reames;

i. e. realms. Again, in his Complaint of Rosamond, 1592:

"When cleaner thoughts my weakness 'gan upbray,

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Against myself, and shame did force me say—.

Again, in Hall's Satires, 1599:

"As frozen dunghills in a winter's morne,
"That voyd of vapours seemed all beforne,
"Soone as the sun," &c.

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