Like death, when he shuts up the day of life; "And drery dulnesse had bespred "The blood forsooke the wonted course, "And backward ganne retire; "And left the limmes as cold and swarfe "As coles that wastes with fire." STEEVENS. The To paly ashes;] These words are not in the original copy. The quarto, 1599, and the folio, read-To many ashes, for which the editor of the second folio substituted-mealy ashes. true reading is found in the undated quarto. This uncommon adjective occurs again in King Henry V: "and through their paly flames, "Each battle sees the other's umber'd face." We have had too already, in a former scene-" Pale, pale as ashes." MALONE. "thy eyes' windows fall,] See Vol. XVII. p. 295, n. 9. MALONE. 1 Then (as the manner of our country is,) In thy best robes uncover'd on the bier,] The Italian custom here alluded to, of carrying the dead body to the grave with the face uncovered, (which is not mentioned by Painter,) our author found particularly described in The Tragicall Hystory of Romeus and Juliet: "Another use there is, that whosoever dies, "Borne to their church with open face upon the bier he lies, "In wonted weed attir'd, not wrapt in winding-sheet-." MALONE. Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault, 2 Thus also Ophelia's Song in Hamlet: "They bore him bare-fac'd on the bier,-" STEEVens. In thy best robes uncover'd on the bier,] Between this line and the next, the quartos 1599, 1609, and the first folio, introduce the following verse, which the poet, very probably, had struck out, on his revisal, because it is quite unnecessary, as the sense of it is repeated, and as it will not connect with either: "Be borne to burial in thy kindred's grave." Had Virgil lived to have revised his Eneid, he would hardly have permitted both of the following lines to remain in his text: "At Venus obscuro gradientes aere sepsit ; "Et multo nebulæ circum dea fudit amictu." The aukward repetition of the nominative case in the second of them, seems to decide very strongly against it. Fletcher, in his Knight of Malta, has imitated the foregoing passage: 3 66 and thus thought dead, "In her best habit, as the custom is "You know, in Malta, with all ceremonies "She's buried in her family's monument," &c. -and he and I STEEVENS. Will watch thy waking,] These words are not in the folio. JOHNSON. If no unconstant toy, &c.] If no fickle freak, no light caprice, no change of fancy, hinder the performance. JOHNSON. If no unconstant toy, nor womanish fear, Abate thy valour in the acting it.] These expressions are borrowed from the poem: "Cast off from thee at once the weed of womanish dread, "With manly courage arm thyself from heel unto the head: Abate thy valour in the acting it. JUL. Give me, O give me! tell me not of fear.* In this resolve: I'll send a friar with speed. JUL. Love, give me strength! and strength shall help afford. Farewell, dear father! [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Room in Capulet's House. Enter CAPULET, Lady CAPULET, Nurse, and CAP. Só many guests invite as here are writ.[Exit Servant. Sirrah, go hire me twenty cunning cooks.5 2 SERV. You shall have none ill, sir; for I'll try if they can lick their fingers. CAP. How canst thou try them so? "God grant he so confirm in thee thy present will, * Give me, O give me! tell me not of fear.] The old copies unmetrically read: Give me, give me! O tell me not &c. STEEVENS. go hire me twenty cunning cooks.] Twenty cooks for half a dozen guests! Either Capulet has altered his mind strangely, or our author forgot what he had just made him tell us. p. 169. RITSON. See 2 SERV. Marry, sir, 'tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers: therefore he, that cannot lick his fingers, goes not with me. CAP. Go, begone. [Exit Servant. We shall be much unfurnish'd for this time.- CAP. Well, he may chance to do some good on her: A peevish self-will'd harlotry it is. Enter JULIET. NURSE. See, where she comes from shrift" with merry look. CAP. How now, my headstrong? where have you been gadding? JUL. Where I have learn'd me to repent the sin Of disobedient opposition To you, and your behests; and am enjoin'd 6 lick his own fingers:] I find this adage in Puttenham's Arte of English Poesie, 1589, p. 157: 7 "As the olde cocke crowes so doeth the chick: "A bad cooke that cannot his owne fingers lick." STEEVENS. -from shrift] i. e. from confession. So, in The Merry Devil of Edmonton, 1608: Ay, like a wench comes roundly to her shrift." In the old Morality of Every Man, bl. 1. no date, confession is personified: "Now I pray you, shrifte, mother of salvacyon.' STEEVENS. -gadding?] The primitive sense of this word was to straggle from house to house, and collect money under pretence of singing carols to the Blessed Virgin. See Mr. T. Warton's note on Milton's Lycidas, v. 40. STEEVENS. And beg your pardon :-Pardon, I beseech you! Henceforward I am ever rul'd by you. CAP. Send for the county; go tell him of this I'll have this knot knit up to-morrow morning. JUL. I met the youthful lord at Laurence' cell; And gave him what becomed love? I might, Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty. CAP. Why, I am glad on't; this is well,-stand up: This is as't should be.-Let me see the county; JUL. Nurse, will you go with me into my closet, To help me sort such needful ornaments As you think fit to furnish me to-morrow? LA. CAP. No, not till Thursday; there is time enough. CAP. Go, nurse, go with her :-we'll to church to-morrow. [Exeunt JULIET and Nurse. becomed love-] Becomed for becoming: one parti ciple for the other; a frequent practice with our author. this reverend holy friar, STEEVENS, All our whole city is much bound to him.] So, in Romeus and Juliet, 1562: this is not, wife, the friar's first desert; "In all our commonweal scarce one is to be found, Thus the folio, and the quartos 1599 and 1609. The oldest quarto reads, I think, more grammatically: All our whole city is much bound unto. STEEVENS, |