Copp'd hills towards heaven,] i. e. rising to a top or head. Copped Hall, in Essex, was so >named from the lofty pavilion on the roof of the old house, which has been since pulled down. The upper tire of masonry that covers a wall is still aculled the copping or coping. High-crowned bats were anciently called copatain hats. STEEVENS. ~P. 8, 1.6–16. the earth is wrong'd By man's oppression ;] Old copies - throng'd. For this change I am answerable. STEEVENS. 3. P. 8, 1. 10. 11. the poor worm doth die for't.] I suppose he means to call the mole, (which suffers in its attempts to complain of man's injustice) a poor worm, as a term of commiseration. The mole remains as secure till he has thrown up those hillocks, which, by pointing out the course he is pursuing, enable the vermin-hunter to catch him.

STEEVENS,

P. 8, 1. 19. Heaven, that I had thy head!] The speaker may either mean to say, 0, that I had thy ingenuity! or, O, that I had thy head, sever'd from thy body! The latter, I believe, is the meaning. MALONE.

P. 8, 1. 24. Your exposition misinterpreting,} Your exposition of the riddle being a mistaken oue; not interpreting it rightly. MALONE.

P. 10, 1. 11. 12. Enough odt

Lest your breath cool yourself, telling your ungahsivo haste.] Old copy Let your breath cool yourself, telling on arealary or to Most your haste. wody This passage is little better thau nonsense, as it stands, and evidently requires amendment. The words are addressed, not to the Messenger, but to Thaliard, who has told the King that he may con

JABE

sider Pericles as already dead; to which the King

replies,

Enough;

4661

Lest your breath cool yourself, tillings * your haste, ha a

"" That is, Say no more of it, lest your breath,p in describing your alacrity, should cool your arsi dour." The words let and lest might easily have been confounded. M. MASON, TO 64 Dp T P. 10, 1. 29. 30. Let none disturb us. Why this charge of thoughts? Thought was formerly used in the sense of me lancholy. MALONE.

10

The folio 1654, reads change.

In what respect are the thoughts of Pericles changed? I would read charge of thoughts,' ** i. e. weight of them, burthen, pressure of thought. The first copy reads chage. STEEVENS.

in

Change of thoughts, it seems was the old reading, which I think preferable to the amendment. By change of thoughts Pericles means, that change the disposition of his mind—that unusual propensity to melancholy and cares, which he afterwards describes and which made his body pine, and his soul to languish. There appears, however, to be an error in the passage; we should leave out the word should, which injures both the sense and the metre, and read;

42

Let none disturb us why this change
of thoughts? M. MASON.

p. 11, 13.- but fear what might be done,]

But fear of what might happen. MALONE.

P. 11, 1. 14. and cares it be not done. ] And makes provision that it may not be doue..

MALONE.

P. 11, 1. 24. And with the ostent of war will look so huge,] Old

And with the stent of war will look so huge. STEEVEns.

copies

Should not this be,

firmed by

And with th'ostent of war, &c. ?!)

TYRWHITT.

The emendation made by Mr. Tyrwhitt is conPassage in The Merchant of Venice: Like one well studied in a sad ostent, "To please his grandam." MALONE. P. 11, l. 28-23. Which care of them, not pity of myself,

(Who am no more but as the tops of trees, Which fence the roots they grow by, and

defend them,)

Makes both my body pine, and soul to

And punish that

languish,

before, that he would punish. Old copy

Which care of them, not pity of my

self

(Who once no more but as the tops of trees,

Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend them,

Makes &c.

I would read Who am no more, &c. FARMER.

Pericles means to compare the head of a kingdom to the upper branches of a tree. As it is the office of the latter to screen the roots they grow by, so it is the duty of the former to protect his subjects, who are no less the supporters of his dignity.

STEEVENS.

P. 12,1. 6. To which that breath gives heat and stronger glowing;]

i. e. the breath of flattery. The old copy reads spark; the word, (as Mr. Steevens has observed, ) being accidentally repeated by the compositor. He would read that wind. MALONE.

This passage seems to be corrupt, as is and the sense requires that we should read,

stands,

To which that blast gives heat and stronger glowing,

1

Steevens agrees with me in the necessity of some amendment, but proposes to read wind, which I think not so proper a word as blast. M. MASON. P. 12, 1. 32. 33. heaven forbid,'

That Kings should let their ears hear their

faults hid!]

Heaven forbid, that Kings should stop their ears, and so prevent them from hearing their secret faults! To let formerly signified to hinder. MALONE,

I am not clear but that let is here used in its ordinary sense. "Forbid it, heaven (says Pericles) that Kings should suffer their ears to hear their failings palliated!" HOLT WHITE.

P. 13, 1. 6-8.

I went to Antioch, Where, as thou know'st, against the face of death,

I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,] Malone observes that whereas is frequently used by the old dramatick writers, instead of where, and he is certainly right; but the observation is not to the purpose on the present occasion; for the word whereas does not really occur in this passage, which should be printed and pointed as it stands.

Where is more frequently used for whereas, but not in this place. M. MASON.

1

f

P. 13, † 1. 9. 10. From whence an issue I
De might propagate,

•** ́Bring" arms to Princes, and to subjects
Sujoys.] The meaning of
this passage' is clearly this "From whence I might
propagate such issue as bring additional strength
to Princes, and joy to their subjects." The expies-
sion is certainly faulty; but it seems to be the fault
of the author, not the printer. I believe it was
written as it stands. M. MASON.

P. 13, L. 15, 14. the sinful father

Seem'd not to strike, but smooth:] To smooth formerly signified to flatter. MALONE.

To smooth in this place meaus to stroke. They say in some counties smooth instead of stroke,

the cat. HOLT WHITE.

P. 13, 1. 21. 22. tyrants' fears

Decrease not, but grow faster than their years:] Old copy the years. Their suspicions outgrow their years; a circumstance sufficiently natural to veteran tyrants. The correction is mine. STEEVENS.

P. 13, 1. 23 - 28. And should he doubt it, (as no doubt he doth,) ཏིནཾ ནོ That I should open to the listening air, How many worthy Princes bloods were shed,

To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,
To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with

arms,

-२

And make pretence of wrong that I have done him: The quarto And should he doo't, &c.

160g, reads

This is an apparent corruption. I should not hesitate to read doubt on't or", — doubt it. To doubt is to remain in suspense or uncertainty.