Chapter III: Part 3

I rather think it should be,

--_the_ lives _of men_.

unless we read,

--these lymms _of men_;

That is, _these bloodhounds_ of men. The uncommonness of the word _lymm_ easily made the change.

III.i.273 (60,5) Cry _Havock_] A learned correspondent has informed me, that, in the military operations of old times, _havock_ was the word by which declaration was made, that no quarter should be given.

In a tract intitled, _The Office of the Conestable & Mareschall in the Tyme of Werre_, contained in the Black Book of the Admiralty, there is the following chapter:

"The peyne of hym that crieth _havock_ and of them that followeth hym. etit. v."

"Item Si quis inventus fuerit qui clamorem inceperit qui vecatur _Havok_."

"Also that no man be so hardy to crye _Havok_ upon peyne that he that is begynner shal be deede therefore: & the remanent that doo the same or folow shall lose their horse & harneis: and the persones of such as foloweth & escrien shal be under arrest of the Conestable & Mareschall warde unto tyme that they have made fyn; & founde suretie no morr to offende; & his body in prison at the Kyng wylle.--"

III.ii.116 (66,8) Caesar has had great wrong] [Pope has a rather ridiculous note on this] I have inserted this note, because it is Pope's, for it is otherwise of no value. It is strange that he should so much forget the date of the copy before him, as to think it not printed in Jonson's time. (see 1765, VII, 81, 1)

III.ii.126 (68,9) And none so poor] The meanest man is now too high to do reverence to Caesar.

III.ii.192 (68,2)

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statue,
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!]

[Warburton suggested transposing the second and third of these lines] The image seems to be, that the blood of Caesar flew upon the statue, and trickled down it. And the exclamation,

_O what a fall was there--_

follows better after

_-great Caesar fell,_

than with a line interposed, (see 1765, VII, 64, 3)

III.ii.226 (70,4) For I have neither writ] The old copy reads instead of _wit_,

_For I have neither_ writ, _nor words,--_

which may mean, I have no _penned_ and premeditated oration.

IV.ii.4 (77,1

Your master, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers,
Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done, undone]

[W: own charge] The arguments for the change proposed are insufficient. Brutus could not but know whether the wrongs committed were done by those who were immediately under the command of Cassius, or those under his officers. The answer of Brutus to the servant is only an act of artful civility; his question to Lucilius proves, that his suspicion still continued. Yet I cannot but suspect a corruption, and would read,

_In his own change, or by ill_ offices.

That is, either _changing_ his inclination _of himself_, or _by_ the _ill offices_ and bad influences of others. (see 1765, VII, 71, 8)

IV.iii.30 (80,4) To hedge me in] That is, to limit my authority by your direction or censure.

IV.iii.32 (80,5) To make conditions] That is, to know on what terms it is fit to confer the offices which are at my disposal.

IV.iii.86 (82,7)

A friend should bear a friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
_Bru._ I do not, till you practise them on me]

The meaning is this; I do not look for your faults, I only see them, and mention them with vehemence, when you force them into my notice, _by practising them on me._ (see 1765, VII, 77, 6)

IV.iii.100 (53,8)

There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth]

[W: thou needst a Roman's,] I am not satisfied with the change proposed, yet cannot deny, that the words, as they now stand, require some interpretation. I think he means only, that he is so far from Avarice, when the cause of his country requires liberality, that if any man should wish for his heart, he would not need enforce his desire any otherwise, than by showing that he was a Roman.

V.i.5 (92,5) They mean to warn as at Philippi here] To warn, seems to mean here the same as to alarm. Hanmer reads,

_They mean to_ wage _us_.

V.i.43 (93,6) While damned Casca, like a cur behind,/Struck Caesar on the neck] Casca struck Caesar on the neck, coming _like_ a degenerate _cur behind him._

V.i.100 (96,2)

Even by the rule of that philosophy,
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself; (I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life:) arming myself with patience]

Dr. Warburton thinks, that in this speech something is lost, but there needed only a parenthesis to clear it. The construction is this; I an determined to act according to that philosophy which directed me to blame the suicide of Cato, arming myself with patience.

V.iv.12 (102,6) _Luc._ Only I yield to die:/There is so much, that then wilt kill me straight] Dr. Warburton has been much inclined to find _lacunae_, or passages broken by omission, throughout this play. I think he has been always mistaken. The soldier here says, _Yield, or thou diest_. Lucilius replies, I yield only on this condition, that I may die; here is so much gold as thou seest in my hand, which I offer thee as a reward for speedy death. What now is there wanting?

(106) General Observation. Of this tragedy many particular passages deserve regard, and the contention and reconcilement of Brutus and Cassius is universally celebrated; but I have never been strongly agitated in perusing it, and think it somewhat cold and unaffecting, compared with some other of Shakespeare's plays; his adherence to the real story, and to Roman manners, seems to have impeded the natural vigour of his genius.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

I.i.9 (110,2) And is become the bellows, and the fan,/To cool a gypsy's lust] In this passage something seems to be wanting. The bellows and fan being commonly used for contrary purposes, were probably opposed by the author, who might perhaps have written,

_--is become the bellows, and the fan_,
To kindle and _to cool a gypsy's lust_.

I.i.10 (110,3) gypsy's lust] Gypsy is here used both in the original meaning for an _Egyptian_, and in its accidental sense for a _bad woman_.

1.i.17 (110,6) Then must thou needs find out new heaven] Thou must set the boundary of my love at a greater distance than the present visible universe affords.

1.i.18 (110,7) The sum] Be brief, _sum_ thy business in a few words.

I.i.33 (111,8) and the wide arch/Of the rang'd empire fall!] [Taken from the Roman custom of raising triumphal arches to perpetuate their victories. Extremely noble. WARBURTON.] I am in doubt whether Shakespeare had any idea but of a fabrick standing on pillars. The later editions have all printed the _raised_ empire, for the _ranged_ empire, as it was first given, (see 1765, VII, 107, 8)

I.i.42 (112,1)

Antony
Will be himself.
_Ant._ But stirr'd by Cleopatra]

_But_, in this passage, seems to have the old Saxon signification of _without, unless, except. Antony_, says the queen, _will recollect his thoughts_. Unless _kept_, he replies, _in commotion by Cleopatra_. (see 1765, VII, 108,1)

I.ii.5 (113,2) change his horns with garlands] [W: charge] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, not improbably, _change_ for _horns_ his _garlands_. I am in doubt, whether to _change_ is not merely to _dress_, or _to dress with changes of_ garlands.

I.ii.23 (114,3) I had rather heat my liver] To know why the lady is so averse from _heating_ her _liver_, it must be remembered, that a heated liver is supposed to make a pimpled face.

I.ii.35 (114,5) Then, belike, my children shall have no names] If I have already had the best of my fortune, then I suppose _I shall never name children_, that is, I am never to be married. However, tell me the truth, tell me, _how many boys and wenches_?

1.ii.38 (114,6) If every of your wishes had a womb, and foretel every wish, a million] [W: fertil ev'ry] For _foretel_, in ancient editions, the latter copies have _foretold_. _Foretel_ favours the emendation, which is made with great acuteness; yet the original reading may, I think, stand. _If you had as many wombs as you will have wishes; and_ I should _foretel all those wishes, I should foretel a million of children._ It is an ellipsis very frequent in conversation; _I should shame you, and tell all_; that is, _and if I should_ tell all. _And_ is for _and if_, which was anciently, and is still provincially, used for _if_.

I.ii.105 (117,8) extended Asia] To _extend_, is a term used for to _seize_; I know not whether that be not the sense here.

I.ii.113 (118,9) Oh, when we bring forth weeds,/When our quick winds lie still] The sense is, that man, not agitated by censure, like soil not ventilated by _quick winds_, produces more evil than good.

I.ii.128 (118,1)

the present pleasure,
By revolution lowring, does become
The opposite of itself]

[The allusion is to the sun's diurnal course; which rising in the _east_, and _by revolution lowering_, or setting in the _west_, becomes _the opposite of itself_. WARB.] This is an obscure passage. The explanation which Dr. Warburton has offered is such, that I can add nothing to it; yet perhaps Shakespeare, who was less learned than his commentator, meant only, that our pleasures, as they are _revolved_ in the mind, turn to pain.

I.ii.146 (119,3) upon far poorer moment] For less reason; upon meaner motives.

I.ii.169 (120,4) It shews to man the tailors of the earth; comforting therein] I have printed this after the original, which, though harsh and obscure, I know not how to amend. Sir Tho. Hanmer reads, They shew _to man the tailors of the earth comforting_ him therein. I think the passage, with somewhat less alteration, for alteration is always dangerous, may stand thus; _It shews to_ men _the tailors of the earth, comforting_ them, &c.

I.ii.187 (121,6) more urgent touches] Things that touch me more sensibly, more pressing motives.

I.ii.190 (121,7) Petition us at home] Wish us at home; call for us to reside at home.

I.ii.201 (121,9)

Say, our pleasure
To such whose places under us, requires
Our quick remove from hence]

This is hardly sense. I believe we should read,

Their _quick remove from hence_.

Tell our design of going away to those, who being by their places obliged to attend us, must remove in haste.

I.iii.3 (122,1) I did not send you] You must go as if you came without my order or knowledge.

I.iii.37 (123,2) a race of heaven] [i.e. had a smack or flavour of heaven. WARB.] This word is well explained by Dr. Warburton; the _race_ of wine is the taste of the woil. Sir T. Hanmer, not understanding the word, reads, _ray_.

I.iii.44 (124,3) Remains in use] The poet seems to allude to the legal distinction between the _use_ and _absolute possession_.

I.iii.54 (124,4) should safe my going] [T: salve] Mr. Upton reads, I think rightly,

--_safe_ my going.

I.iii.62 (125,5)

O most false love!
Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water?]

Alluding to the lachrymatory vials, or bottles of tears, which the Romans sometimes put into the urn of a friend.

I.iii.77 (125,6) the tears/Belong to Egypt] To me, the queen of Egypt.

I.iii.90 (126,7) Oh, ny oblivion is a very Antony,/And I am all forgotten] [The plain meaning is, _My forgetfulness makes me forget myself_. WARBURTON.] [Hanmer explained "all forgotten" as "apt to forget everything"] I cannot understand the learned critic's explanation. It appears to me, that she should rather have said,

_O my_ remembrance _is a very_ Antony,
_And I am all forgotten._

It was her memory, not her oblivion, that, like Antony, vas forgetting and deserting her. I think a slight change will restore the passage. The queen, having something to say, which she is not able, or would not seem able to recollect, cries out,

_O my oblivion_!--'Tis _a very Antony_.

The thought of which I was in quest is a very Antony, is treacherous and fugitive, and has irrevocably left me,

_And I am all forgotten._

If this reading stand, I think the explanation of Hanmer must be received, (see 1765, VII, 122, 6)

I.iv.3 (127,9) One great competitor] Perhaps, _Our_ great competitor.

I.iv.12 (128,1) as the spots of heaven,/More fiery by night's blackness] If by spots are meant stars, as night has no other fiery spots, the comparison is forced and harsh, stars having been always supposed to beautify the night; nor do I comprehend what there is in the counter-part of this simile, which answers to night's blackness. Hanmer reads,

--_spots_ on ermine
Or fires, _by night's blackness_.

I.iv.14 (128,2) purchas'd] Procured by his own fault or endeavour.

I.iv.21 (128,3) say, this becomes him, (As his composure must be rare, indeed, Whom these things cannot blemish] This seems inconsequent. I read

_And his composure_, &c.
_Grant that this becomes him_, and _if it can become him, he must
have in him something very uncommon_; yet, _&c._

I.iv.25 (128,4) So great weight in his lightness] The word _light_ it one of Shakespeare's favourite play-things. The sense is, His trifling levity throws so much burden upon us.

I.iv.25 (129,5)

If he fill'd
His vacancy with his voluptuousness,
Full surfeits, and the dryness of his bones,
Call on him for't]

_Call on him_, is, _visit him_. Says Caesar, _If Antony followed his debaucheries at a time of leisure, I should leave him to be punished by their natural consequences, by_ surfeits _and_ dry bones.

I.iv.31 (129,6) boys; who being mature in knowledge] For this Hanmer, who thought the _maturity_ of a _boy_ an inconsistent idea, has put,

--_who_, immature _in knowledge_,

but the words _experience_ and _judgment_ require that we read _mature_; though Dr. Warburton has received the emendation. By _boys mature in knowledge_, are meant, _boys old enough to know their duty_.

I.iv.38 (129,7) he is belov'd of these/That only have fear'd Caesar] Those whom not _love_ but _fear_ made adherents to Caesar, now shew their affection for Pompey.

I.iv.49 (130,2) which they ear] To _ear_, is to _plow_; a common metaphor.

I.iv.52 (130,3) Lack blood to think on't] Turn pale at the thought of it.

I.v.4 (132,5) mandragora] A plant of which the infusion was supposed to procure sleep. Shakespeare mentions it in _Othello_:

_Not poppy, nor_ mandragora,
_Can ever med'cine thee to that sweet sleep_.

I.v.38 (133,8) that great medicine hath/With his tinct gilded thee] Alluding to the philosopher's stone, which, by its touch, converts base metal into gold. The alchemists call the matter, whatever it be, by which they perform transmutation, a _medicine_.

I.v.48 (134,9) arm-gaunt steed] [i.e. his steed worn lean and thin by much service in war. So Fairfax, _His_ stall-worn _steed the champion stout bestrode_. WARB.] On this note Mr. Edwards has been very lavish of his pleasantry, and indeed has justly censured the misquotation of _stall-worn_, for _stall-worth_, which means _strong_, but makes no attempt to explain the word in the play. Mr. Seyward, in his preface to Beaumont, has very elaborately endeavoured to prove, that an _arm-gaunt_ steed is a steed with _lean shoulders_. _Arm_ is the Teutonick word for _want_, or _poverty_. _Arm-gaunt_ may be therefore an old word, signifying, _lean_ for _want_, ill fed. Edwards's observation, that a worn-out horse is not proper for Atlas to mount in battle, is impertinent; the horse here mentioned seems to be a post horse, rather than a war horse. Yet as _arm-gaunt_ seems not intended to imply any defect, it perhaps means, a horse so slender that a man might clasp him, and therefore formed for expedition. Hanmer reads,

--_arm-girt steed_.

I.v.50 (134,1) Was beastly dumb by him] Mr. Theobald reads _dumb'd_, put to silence. _Alexas means_, (says he) _the horse made such a neighing, that if he had spoke he could not have been heard_.

I.v.76 (136,3) Get me ink and paper: he shall have every day/ A several greeting, or I'll unpeople Aegypt] By sending out messengers.

II.i (136,4) _Enter Pompey_, _Menecrates_, _and Menas_] The persons are so named in the first edition; but I know not why Menecrates appears; Menas can do all without him.

II.i.4 (136,5) While we are suitors to their throne, decays/The thing we sue for] [W: delays] It is not always prudent to be too hasty in exclamation; the reading which Dr. Warburton rejects as _nonsense_, is in my opinion right; if _delay_ be what they sue for, they have it, and the consolation offered becomes superfluous. The meaning is, _While we are praying_, _the thing for which we pray_ is losing its value.

II.i.38 (138,8) The ne'er-lust-wearied Antony] [Theobald emended "near lust-wearied" to "ne'er-lust-wearied"] Could it be imagined, after this swelling exultation, that the first edition stands literally thus,

_The_ neere _lust wearied Antony_.

II.i.45 (139,9) square] That is, quarrel.

II.i.51 (139,1) Our lives upon] This play is not divided into acts by the authour or first editors, and therefore the present division may be altered at pleasure. I think the first act may be commodiously continued to this place, and the second act opened with the interview of the chief persons, and a change of the state of action. Yet it must be confessed, that it is of small importance, where these unconnected and desultory scenes are interrupted.

II.ii.7 (140,2) Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard,/I would not shav't to-day] I believe he means, _I would meet him undressed_, _without shew of respect_.

II.ii.25 (141,3) Nor curstness grow to the matter] Let not _ill-humour_ be added to the real _subject_ of our difference.

II.ii.28 (141,4) _Caes_. Sit./_Ant_. Sit, sir!] [Antony appears to be jealous of a circumstance which seemed to indicate a consciousness of superiority in his too successful partner in power; and accordingly resents the invitation of Caesar to be seated: Caesar answers, _Nay then_--i.e. _if you are so ready to resent what I meant an act of civility, there can be no reason to suppose you have temper enough for the business on which at present we are met_. STEEVENS.] The following circumstance may serve to strengthen Mr. Steevens's opinion: When the fictitious Sebastian made his appearance in Europe, he came to a conference with the Conde de Lemos; to whom, after the firat exchange of civilities, he said, _Conde de Lemos, be covered_. And being asked by that nobleman, by what pretences he laid claim to the superiority expressed by such permission, he replied, I do it by right of my birth; I am Sebastian. (1773)

II.ii.43 (142,5) their contestation/Was theam for you, you were the word of war] [W: theam'd] I am neither satisfied with the reading nor the emendation; _theam'd_ is, I think, a word unauthorised, and very harsh. Perhaps we may read,

--_their contestation_

Had _theme_ from _you_, _you were the word o' th' war_. _The dispute derived its subject from you_. It may be corrected by mere transposition,

--_their contestation_

You were theme for, _you were the word_.

II.ii.51 (143,8) Having alike your cause?] The meaning seems to be, _having the same cause as you to be offended with me_. But why, because he was offended with Antony, should he make war upon Caesar? May it not be read thus,

--_Did he not rather
Discredit my authority with yours,
And make the wars alike against my stomach_,
Hating _alike_ our _cause_?

II.ii.53 (143,9) As matter whole you have not to make it with] The original copy reads,

_As matter whole you_ have _to make it with_.

Without doubt erroneously; I therefore only observe it, that the reader may more readily admit the liberties which the editors of this authour's works have necessarily taken.

II.ii.61 (144,1) fronted] i.e. _opposed_.

II.ii.85 (145,4) The honour's sacred which he talks on now,/Supposing that I lack'd it] [_Sacred_, for unbroken, unviolated. WARB.] Dr. Warburton seems to understand this passage thus; _The honour which he_ talks _of me as_ lacking, _is_ unviolated, _I never lacked it_. This may perhaps be the true meaning, but before I read the note, I understood it thus: Lepidus interrupts Caesar, on the supposition that what he is about to say will be too harsh to be endured by Antony; to which Antony replies, _No, Lepidus, let him speak, the security of_ honour on which he now speaks, _on which this conference is held now_, is sacred, _even_ supposing that I lacked _honour_ before.

II.ii.112 (146,5) your considerate stone] This line is passed by all the editors, as if they understood it, and believed it universally, intelligible. I cannot find in it any very obvious, and hardly any possible meaning. I would therefore read,

_Go to then_, you _considerate_ ones.

You, who dislike my frankness and temerity of speech, and are so _considerate_ and discreet, _go to_, do your on business.

II.ii.113 (146,6) I do not much dislike the matter, but/The manner of his speech] I do not, says Caesar, think the man wrong, but too free of him interposition; _for't cannot be, we shall remain in friendship: yet if it were possible, I would endeavour it_.

II.ii.123 (147,7) your reproof/Were well deserv'd] In the old edition,

--_your_ proof
_Were well deserv'd_--

Which Mr. Theobald, with his usual triumph, changes to _approof_, which he explains, _allowance_. Dr. Warburton inserted _reproof_ very properly into Hanmer's edition, but forgot it in his own.

II.ii.159 (148,8) Lest my remembrance suffer ill report] Lest I be thought too willing to forget benefits, I must barely return him thanks, and then I will defy him.

II.ii.210 (150,1) And what they undid, did] It might be read less harshly,

_And what they did_, undid.

II.ii.212 (150,2) tended her i' the eyes] Perhaps _tended her_ by th' _eyes_, discovered her will by her eyes.

II.iii.21 (153,6) thy angel/Becomes a Fear] Mr.Uptan reads,

_Becomes_ afear'd,--

The common reading is more poetical.

II.iii.37 (154,7) his quails ever/Beat mine] The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks.

II.iii.38 (154,8) inhoop'd, at odds] Thus the old copy. _Inhoop'd_ is _inclosed, confined_, that they may fight. The modern editions read,

_Beat mine_, in whoop'd-_at odds_.--

II.v.1 (155,9) musick, moody food] [The _mood_ is the _mind_, or _mental disposition_. Van Haaren's panegyrick on the English begins, _Groot-moedig Volk, great-minded nation_.] Perhaps here is a poor jest intended between _mood_ the _mind_ and _moods_ of musick.

II.v.41 (l57,4) Not like a formal man] [_Formal_, for ordinary. WARB.] Rather decent, regular.

II.v.103 (161,8) Thou art not what thou'rt sure of!] For this, which is not easily understood, Sir Thomas Hanmer has given,

_That_ say'st but _what thou'rt sure of!_

I am not satisfied with the change, which, though it affords sense, exhibits little spirit. I fancy the line consists only of abrupt starts.

_Oh that his fault should make a knave of thee_,
That art--not what?--Thou'rt sure on't.--Get thee
hence.

_That his fault should make a knave of thee that art_--but what _shall I say thou art not_? Thou art then sure of _this marriage._--Get thee hence.

Dr. Warburton has received Sir T. Hanmer's emendation.

II.v.115 (161,9) Let him for ever go] She is now talking in broken sentences, not of the messenger, but Antony.

II.vi.24 (163,2) Thou canst not fear us] Thou canst not affright us with thy numerous navy.

II.vi.28 (163,3) But since the cuckow builds not for himself] Since, like the cuckow, that seizes the nests of other birds, you have invaded a house which you could not build, keep it while you can.

II.vii.1 (167,6) some o' their plants] _Plants_, besides its common meaning, is here used for the _foot_, from the Latin.

II.vii.14 (167,9) a partizan] A pike.

II.vii.16 (167,1) To be call'd into a huge sphere, and not to be seen to move in't, are the holes where eyes should be, which pitifully disaster the cheeks] This speech seems to be mutilated; to supply the deficiencies is impossible, but perhaps the sense was originally approaching to this.

_To be called into a huge sphere, and not to be seen to move in it_, is a very ignominious state; great offices _are the holes where eyes should be, which_, if eyes be wanting, _pitifully disaster the cheeks_.

II.vii.88 (170,2) thy pall'd fortunes] _Palled_, is vapid, past its time of excellence; _palled_ wine, is wine that has lost its original spriteliness.

II.vii.102 (171,3) Strike the vessels] Try whether the casks sound as empty.

II.vii.116 (171,4) The holding every man shall bear] Every man shall accompany the chorus by drumming on his sides, in token of concurrence and applause. [Theobald had emended "beat" to "bear"] (1773)

III.i.1 (173,6) Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck] _Struck_ alludes to darting. Thou whose darts have so often struck others, art struck now thyself. (1773)

III.ii.12 (175,8) Arabian bird!] The phoenix.

III.ii.16 (176,9)

Ho! hearts, tongues, figure, scribes, bards, poets, cannot
Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho!]

Not only the tautology of _bards_ and _poets_, but the want of a correspondent action for the _poet_, whose business in the next line is only to _number_, makes me suspect some fault in this passage, which I know not how to mend.

III.ii.26 (176,1) as my furthest bond] As I will venture the greatest pledge of security, on the trial of thy conduct.

III.ii.40 (177,1) The elements be kind to thee, and make/Thy spirits all of comfort!] This is obscure. It seems to mean, _May the different_ elements _of the body, or principles of life, maintain such proportion and harmony as may keep you cheerful_.

III.iv.26 (182,7) I'll raise the preparation of a war/Shall stain your brother] [T: strain] I do not see but _stain_ may be allowed to remain unaltered, meaning no more than _shame_ or _disgrace_.

III.iv.30 (182,8) Wars 'twixt you 'twain would be/As if the world should cleave] The sense is, that war between Caesar and Antony would engage the world between them, and that the slaughter would be great in so extensive a commotion.

III.v.8 (183,9) rivality] Equal rank.

III.v.11 (183,1) Upon his own appeal] To _appeal_, in Shakespeare, is to _accuse_; Caesar seized Lepidus without any other proof than Caesar's accusation.

III.v.21 (184,3) More, Domitius] I have something _more_ to tell you, which I might have told at first, and delayed my news. Antony requires your presence.

III.vi.9 (184,4) made her/Of Lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia./Absolute queen] For _Lydia_, Mr. Upton, from Plutarch, has restored _Lybia_.

III.vi.68-75 (187,6) Mr. Upton remarks, that there are some errours in this enumeration of the auxiliary kings; but it is probable that the authour did not much wish to be accurate.

III.vi.95 (188,7) And gives his potent regiment to a trull] _Regiment_, is _government, authority_; he puts his _power_ and his empire into the hands of a false woman.

It may be observed, that _trull_ was not, in our author's time, a term of mere infamy, but a word of slight contempt, as _wench_ is now.

III.vii.3 (188,8) forespoke my being] To _forespeak_, is to _contradict_, to _speak against_, as _forbid_ is to order negatively.

III.vii.68 (191,1)

By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right.
Can. Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows
Not in the power on't]

That is, his whole conduct becomes, ungoverned by the right, or by reason.

III.vii.77 (191,2) distractions] Detachments; separate bodies.

III.x.6 (193,4) The greater cantle] [A piece or lump. POPE.] _Cantle_ is rather a _corner_. Caesar in this play mentions the _three-nook'd world_. Of this triangular world every triumvir had a corner. (see 1765, VII, 185, 6)

III.x.9 (193,5) token'd pestilence] Spotted.

III.x.10 (193,6) Yon' ribauld nag of Aegypt] The word is in the old edition _ribaudred_, which I do not understand, but mention it, in hopes others may raise some happy conjecture. [Tyrwhitt: hag] The brieze, or oestrum, the fly that stings cattle, proves that _nag_ is the right word. (1773)

III.x.11 (193,7) Whom leprosy o'ertake!] _Leprosy_, an epidemical distemper of the Aegyptians; to which Horace probably alludes in the controverted line.

_Contaminato cum grege turpium
Morbo virorum._

III.x.36 (195,1) The wounded chance of Antony] I know not whether the author, who loves to draw his images from the sports of the field, might not have written,

_The wounded_ chase _of Antony_,--

The allusion is to a deer wounded and chased, whom all other deer avoid. _I will_, says Enobarbus, _follow Antony_, though _chased_ and _wounded_.

The common reading, however, may very well stand.

III.xi.3 (195,2) so lated in the world] Alluding to a benighted traveller.

III.xi.23 (196,3) I have lost command] I am not master of my own emotions.

III.xi.35 (196,4) He at Philippi kept/His sword e'en like a dancer] In the Moriaco, and perhaps anciently in the Pyrrhick dance, the dancers held swords in their hands with the points upward.

III.xi.39 (196,6) he alone/Dealt on lieutenantry] I know not whether the meaning is, that Caesar acted only as lieutenant at Philippi, or that he made his attempts only on lieutenants, and left the generals to Antony.

III.xi.47 (197,7) death will seize her; but/Your comfort] _But_ has here, as once before in this play, the force of _except_, or _unless_.

III.ii.52 (197,8) How I convey my shame] How, by looking another way, I withdraw my ignominy from your sight.

III.ii.57 (197,9) ty'd by the strings] That is by the _heart string_.

III.xii.18 (199,1) The circle of the Ptolemies] The diadem; the ensign of royalty.

III.xii.34 (199,2) how Antony becomes his flaw] That is, how Antony conforms himself to this breach of his fortune.

III.xiii.1 (200,3) Think, and die] [Hanmer: Drink] This reading, offered by sir T. Hanmer, is received by Dr. Warburton and Mr. Upton, but I have not advanced it into the page, not being convinced that it is necessary. _Think, and die_; that is, _Reflect on your folly, and leave the world_, is a natural answer.

III.xiii.9 (201,4) he being/The meered question] The _meered_ question is a term I do not understand. I know not what to offer, except,

_The_ mooted _question_.--

That is, the _disputed_ point, the subject of debate. _Mere_ is indeed a _boundary_, and the _meered question_, if it can mean any thing, may, with some violence of language, mean, the _disputed boundary_.

III.xiii.25 (202, 5)

I dare him therefore
To lay his gay comparisons apart
And answer me declin'd]

I require of Caesar not to depend on that superiority which the _comparison_ of our different fortunes may exhibit to him, but to answer me man to man, in this decline of my age or power.

III.xiii.42 (202,6) The loyalty, well held to fools, does make/Our faith meer folly] [T: Though loyalty, well held] I have preserved the old reading: Enobarbus is deliberating upon desertion, and finding it is more prudent to forsake a fool, and more reputable to be faithful to him, makes no positive conclusion. Sir T. Hanmer follows Theobald; Dr. Warburton retains the old reading.

III.xiii.77 (204,9) Tell him, from his all-obeying breath I hear/The doom of Aegypt] _Doom_ is declared rather by an _all-commanding_, than an _all-obeying breath_. I suppose we ought to read,

--_all_-obeyed breath.

III.xiii.81 (205,1) Give me grace] Grant me the favour.

III.xiii.109 (206,3) By one that looks on feeders?] One that waits at the table while others are eating.

III.xiii.128 (207,4) The horned herd] It is not without pity and indignation that the reader of this great poet meets so often with this low jest, which is too much a favourite to be left out of either mirth or fury.

III.xiii.151 (208,5) to quit me] To repay me this insult; to _requite_ me.

III.xiii.180 (209,9) Were nice and lucky] [_Nice_, for delicate, courtly, flowing in peace. WARBURTON.] _Nice_ rather seems to be, _just fit for my purpose, agreeable to my wish_. So we vulgarly say of any thing that is done better than was expected, it is _nice_.

IV.i.5 (210,1) I have many other ways to die] [Upton: He hath.../I laugh] I think this emendation deserves to be received. It had, before Mr. Upton's book appeared, been made by sir T. Hanmer.

IV.i.9 (211,2) Make boot of] Take advantage of.

IV.ii.8 (212,3) _take all_] Let the survivor take all. No composition, victory or death.

IV.ii.14 (212,4) one of those odd tricks] I know not what obscurity the editors find in this passage. _Trick_ is here used in the sense in which it is uttered every day by every mouth, elegant and vulgar: yet sir T. Hanmer changes it to _freaks_, and Dr. Warburton, in his rage of Gallicism, to _traits_.

IV.ii.26 (213,5) Haply, you shall not see me more; or if,/A mangled shadow] _Or if_ you see me more, you will see me _a mangled shadow_, only the external form of what I was.

IV.ii.35 (213,6) onion-ey'd] I have my eyes as full of tears as if they had been fretted by onions.

IV.iv.3 (215,8) Come, good fellow, put thine iron on] I think it should be rather,

--mine _iron_--

IV.iv.5 (215,9) Nay, I'll help too] These three little speeches, which in the other editions are only one, and given to Cleopatra, were happily disentangled by sir T. Hanmer.

IV.iv.10 (215,1) Briefly, sir] That is, _quickly_, sir.

IV.v.17 (218,3) Dispatch. Enobarbus!] Thus [_Dispatch, my Eros_] the modern editors. The old edition reads,

--_Dispatch Enobarbus_.

Perhaps, it should be,

--_Dispatch! To Enobarbus!_ (see 1765, VII, 208, 3)

IV.vi.12 (219,6) persuade] The old copy has _dissuade_, perhaps rightly.

IV.vi.34 (219,7) This blows my heart] All the latter editions have,

--_This_ bows _my heart_;

I have given the original word again the place from which I think it unjustly excluded. _This generosity_, (says Enobarbus) swells _my heart_, so that it will quickly break, _if thought break it not, a swifter mean_.

IV.vii.2 (220,8) and our oppression] Sir T. Hanmer has received _opposition_. Perhaps rightly.

IV.viii.1 (221,9) run one before,/And let the queen know of our guests] [W: gests] This passage needs neither correction nor explanation. Antony after his success intends to bring his officers to sup with Cleopatra, and orders notice to be given her of their _guests_.

IV.viii.12 (222,1) To this great fairy] Mr. Upton has well observed, that _fairy_; which Dr. Warburton and sir T. Hanmer explain by _Inchantress_, comprises the idea of power and beauty.

IV.viii.22 (222,2) get goal for goal of youth] At all plays of barriers, the boundary is called a _goal_; to _win a goal_, is to be superiour in a contest of activity.

IV.viii.31 (223,4) Bear our hack'd targets like the men that owe them] i.e. hack'd as much as the men are to whom they belong. WARB.] Why not rather, _Bear our hack'd targets_ with spirit and exaltation, such as becomes the brave warriors _that own them_?

IV.ix.15 (224,5)

Throw my heart
Against the flint and hardness of my fault;
Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder,
And finish all foul thoughts]

The pathetick of Shakespeare too often ends in the ridiculous. It is painful to find the gloomy dignity of this noble scene destroyed by the intrusion of a conceit so far-fetched and unaffecting.

IV.xii.13 (226,1) Triple turn'd whore!] She was first for Antony, then was supposed by him to have _turned_ to Caesar, when he found his messenger kissing her hand, then she _turned_ again to Antony, and now has _turned_ to Caesar. Shall I mention what has dropped into my imagination, that our author might perhaps have written _triple-tongued_? _Double-tongued_ is a common term of reproach, which rage might improve to _triple-tongued_. But the present reading may stand.

IV.xii.21 (227,2) That pannell'd me at heels] All the editions read,

_That_ pannell'd _me at heels_,--

Sir T. Hanmer substituted _spaniel'd_ by an emendation, with which it was reasonable to expect that even rival commentators would be satisfied; yet Dr. Warburton proposes _pantler'd_, in a note, of which he is not injur'd by the suppression; and Mr. Upton having in his first edition proposed plausibly enough,

_That_ paged _me at heels_,--

in the second edition retracts his alteration, and maintains _pannell'd_ to be the right reading, being a metaphor taken, he says, from a _pannel_ of wainscot.

IV.xii.25 (227,3) this grave charm] I know not by what authority, nor for what reason, _this_ grave _charm_, which the first, the only original copy exhibits, has been through all the modern editors changed to _this_ gay _charm_. By _this_ grave _charm_, is meant, _this sublime, this majestic beauty_.

IV.xii.29 (227,4) to the very heart of loss] To the utmost loss possible.

IV.xii.45 (228,7) Let me lodge, Lichas] Sir T. Hanmer reads thus,

--thy _rage_
Led thee _lodge Lichas_--and--
_Subdue_ thy _worthiest self_.--

This reading, harsh as it is, Dr. Warburton has received, after having rejected many better. The meaning is, Let me do something in my rage, becoming the successor of Hercules,

IV.xiv.19 (230,2) Pack'd cards with Caesar, and false play'd my glory/Unto an enemy's triumph] [Warburton had explained and praised Shakespeare's "metaphor"] This explanation is very just, the thought did not deserve so good an annotation.

IV.xiv.39 (231,3) The battery from my heart] I would read,

This _battery from my heart_.--

IV.xiv.49 (232,4) Seal then, and all is done] I believe the reading is,

--seel _then, and all is done_--

To _seel hawks_, is to close their eyes. The meaning will be,

--_since the torch is out,
Lie down, and stray no further. How all labour
Marrs what it does_.--Seel _then, and all is done_.

Close thine eyes _for ever, and be quiet_.

IV.xiv.73 (233,5) pleach'd arms] Arms folded in each other.

IV.xiv.77 (233,6) His baseness that ensued?] The poor conquered wretch that followed.

IV.xiv.86 (233,7) the worship of the whole world] The _worship_, is the _dignity_, the _authority_.

IV.xv.9 (237,9)

O sun,
Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in!--darkling stand
The varying shore o' the world]

She desires the sun, to _burn_ his own _orb_, the vehicle of light, and then the earth will be dark.

IV.xv.19-23 (237,1) I here importune death] [Theobald had regularized the versification and had added two words] Mr. Theobald's emendation is received by the succeeding editors; but it seems not necessary that a dialogue so distressful should be nicely regular. I have therefore preserved the original reading in the text, and the emendation below.

IV.xv.28 (238,2) still conclusion] Sedate determination; silent coolness of resolution.

IV.xv.32 (236,3) Here's sport, indeed!] I suppose the meaning of these strange words is, _here's_ trifling, _you_ do not work _in earnest_.

IV.xv.39 (239,4) Quicken with kissing] That is, _Revive by my kiss_.

IV.xv.44 (239,6) That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel] This despicable line has occurred before.

IV.xv.65 (240,8) The soldier's pole] He at whom the soldiers pointed, as at a pageant held high for observation.

IV.xv.72 (240,9)

_Char_. Peace, peace, Iras.
_Cleo_. No more--but e'en a woman]

[W: peace, Isis] Of this note it may be truly said, that it at least deserves to be right, nor can he, that shall question the justness of the emendation, refuse his esteem to the ingenuity and learning with which it is proposed.

Hanmer had proposed another emendation, not injudiciously. He reads thus,

Iras. _Royal Aegypt! empress!_
Cleo. _Peace, peace, Iras.
No more but a mere woman_, &c.

That is, _no more an empress, but a mere woman_.

It is somewhat unfortunate that the words, _mere woman_, which so much strengthen the opposition to either _empress_ or _Isis_, are not in the original edition, which stands thus,

_No more but_ in a _woman_.

_Mere woman_ was probably the arbitrary reading of Rowe. I suppose, however, that we muy justly change the ancient copy thus,

_No more, but_ e'en a _woman_.

which will enough accommodate either of the editors.

I am inclined to think that she speaks abruptly, not answering her woman, but discoursing with her own thoughts,

_No more--but_ e'en a _woman_.

_I have_ no more _of my wonted greatness_, but am even a woman, _on the level with other women; were I what I once was_.

--It were for me
To throw my scepter, _&c_.

If this simple explanation be admitted, how much labour has been thrown away. _Peace, peace, Iras_, is said by Charmian, when she sees the queen recovering, and thinks speech troublesome.

V.i.15 (244,4) The round world/Should have shook lions into civil streets] I think here is a line lost, after which it is in vain to go in quest. The sense seems to have been this: _The round world should have shook_, and this great alteration of the system of things should send _lions into streets, and citizens into dens_. There is sense still, but it is harsh and violent.

V.i.27 (244,5) but it is tidings/To wash the eyes of kings!] That is, May _the Gods rebuke me_, if this be not _tidings to make kings weep_.

_But_, again, for _if not_.

V.i.46 (245,7) that our stars,/Unreconciliable, should divide/Our equalness to this] That is, _should have made us_, in our equality of fortune, disagree _to_ a pitch like this, that one of us must die.

V.i.52 (246,8) A poor Aegyptian yet; the queen my mistress] If this punctuation be right, the man means to say, that he is _yet an Aegyptian_, that is, _yet a servant of the queen of Aegypt_, though soon to become, a subject of Rome.

V.i.65 (246,9) her life in Rome/Would be eternal in our triumph] Hanmer reads judiciously enough, but without necessity,

_Would be_ eternalling _our triumph_.

The sense is, _If she dies here, she will be forgotten, but if I send her_ in triumph at Rome, _her memory and my glory_ will be eternal.

V.ii.3 (247,1) fortune's knave] The _servant_ of fortune.

V.ii.4 (247,2)

it is great
To do that thing, that ends all other deeds;
Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change;
Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse, and Caesar's]

[Warburton added a whole line and emended "dung" to "dugg"] I cannot perceive the loss of a line, or the need of an emendation. The commentator seems to have entangled his own ideas; his supposition that _suicide_ is called _the beggar's nurse and Caesar's_, and his concession that the position is _intelligible_, show, I think, a mind not intent upon the business before it. The difficulty of the passage, if any difficulty there be, arises only from this, that the act of suicide, and the state which is the effect of suicide are confounded. Voluntary death, says she, is an act _which bolts up change_; it produces a state,

_Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse, and Caesar's_.

Which has no longer need of the gross and terrene sustenance, in the use of which Caesar and the beggar are on a level.

The speech is abrupt, but perturbation in such a state is surely natural.

V.ii.29 (249,4) I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him/The greatness he has got] I allow him to be my conqueror; I own his superiority with complete submission.

V.ii.34 (249,5) You see how easily she may be surpriz'd] This line in the first edition is given not to Charuian, but to Proculeius; and to him it certainly belongs, though perhaps misplaced. I would put it at the end of his foregoing speech,

_Where he for grace is kneel'd to._
[Aside to Gallus.] _You see, how easily she may be surpriz'd._

Then while Cleopatra makes a formal answer, Gallus, upon the hint given, seizes her, and Proculeius, interrupting the civility of his answer,

_--your plight is pity'd
Of him that caus'd it._

Cries out,

_Guard her till, Caesar come._

V.ii.40 (250,6) who are in this/Reliev'd, but not betray'd] [W: Bereav'd, but] I do not think the emendation necessary, since the sense is not made better by it, and the abruptness in Cleopatra's answer is more forcible in the old reading.

V.ii.42 (250,7) rids our dogs of languish] For _languish_, I think we may read, _anguish_.

V.ii.48 (251,8) Worth many babes and beggars] Why, death, wilt thou not rather seize a queen, than employ thy force upon _babes_ and _beggars_. (see 1765, VII, 238, 9)

V.ii.50 (251,9) If idle talk will once be necessary] [This nonsense should be reformed thus,

_If idle_ TIME _whill once be necessary._

i.e. if _repose_ be necessary to cherish life, I will not sleep. WARBURTON.] I do not see that the nonsense is made sense by the change. Sir T. Hanmer reads,

_If idle talk will once be_ accessary;

Neither is this better. I know not what to offer better than an easy explanation. That is, _I will not eat_, and _if it will be necessary now for once_ to waste a moment in _idle talk_ of my purpose, _I will not sleep neither_. In common conversation we often use _will be_, with as little relation to futurity. As, Now I am going, it _will be_ fit for me to dine first.

V.ii.98 (254,2)

yet to imagine
An Antony, were Nature's piece 'gainst Fancy,
Condemning shadows quite]

[W: Nature's prize] In this passage I cannot discover any temptation to critical experiments. The word _piece_, is a term appropriated to works of art. Here Nature and Fancy produce each their _piece_, and the _piece_ done by Nature had the preference. Antony was in reality _past the size of dreaming_; he was more by _Nature_ than _Fancy_ could present in sleep.

V.ii.121 (255,3) I cannot project mine own cause so well] [W: procter] Sir T. Hanmer reads,

_I cannot_ parget _my own cause---_

meaning, I cannot _whitewash, varnish_, or _gloss_ my cause. I believe the present reading to be right. To _project a cause_ is to _represent_ a cause; to _project_ it _well_, is to _plan_ or _contrive_ a scheme of defense.

V.ii.139 (256,4) "tis exactly valued, /Not petty things admitted] [T: omitted] Notwithstanding the wrath of Mr. Theobald, I have restored the old reading. She is angry afterwards, that she is accused of having reserved more than petty things. Dr. Warburton and sir T. Hanmer follow Theobald.

V.ii.146 (257,5) seel my lips] Sew up my mouth.

V.ii.163 (258,7) Parcel the sum of my disgraces by] _To parcel her disgraces_, might be expressed in vulgar language, _to bundle up her calamaties_. (see 1765, VII, 244, 8)

V.ii.176 (259,8)

_Cleo._ Be't known, that we, the greatest, are misthought
for things that others do; and, when we fall,
We answer others merits in our names;
Are therefore to be pitied]

I do not think that either of the criticks [Warburton and Hanmer] have reached the sense of the author, which may be very commodiously explained thus;

We suffer at our highest state of elevation in the _thoughts of mankind for that which others do, and when we fall_, those that contented themselves only to think ill before, call us to _answer in our own names for the merits of others. We are therefore to be pitied. Merits_ is in this place taken in an ill sense, for actions _meriting_ censure.

If any alteration be necessary, I should only propose, _Be 't known, that we_ at _greatest_, &c.

V.ii.185 (259,1) Make not your thoughts your prisons] I once wished to read,

_make not your thoughts your_ poison:--

Do not destroy yourself by musing on your misfortune. Yet I would change nothing, as the old reading presents a very proper sense. _Be not a prisoner in imagination, when in reality you are free._

V.ii.215 (261,2) scald rhimers] Sir T. Hanmer reads,

--stall 'd _rhimers.

Scald_ was a word of contempt, implying poverty, disease, and filth.

V.ii.216 (261,3) quick comedians] The gay inventive players.

V.ii.226 (261,5) Their most absurd intents] [T: assured] I have preserved the old reading. The design certainly appeared _absurd_ enough to Cleopatra, both as she thought it unreasonable in itself, and as she knew it would fail.

V.ii.243 (263,7) the pretty worm of Nilus] _Worm_ is the Teutonick word for _serpent_; we have the _blind-worm_ and _slow-worm_ still in our language, and the Norwegians call an enormous monster, seen sometimes in the northern ocean, the _sea-worm_.

V.ii.264 (263,9) the worm will do him kind] The serpent will act according to his nature.

V.ii.305 (205,2) He'll make demand of her, and spend that kiss,/ Which is my heaven to have] He will enquire of her concerning me, and kiss her for giving him intelligence.

V.ii.352 (267,5) something blown] The flesh is somewhat _puffed_ or _swoln_.

(268) General Observation. This play keeps curiosity always busy, and the passions always interested. The continual hurry of the action, the variety of incidents, and the quick succession of one personage to another, call the mind forward without intermission from the first act to the last. But the power of delighting is derived principally from the frequent changes of the scene; for, except the feminine arts, some of which are too low, which distinguish Cleopatra, no character is very strongly discriminated. Upton, who did not easily miss what he desired to find, has discovered that the language of Antony is, with great skill and learning, made pompous and superb, according to his real practice. But I think his diction not distinguishable from that of others: the most tumid speech in the play is that which Caesar makes to Octavia.

The events, of which the principal are described according to history, are produced without any art of connexion or care of disposition.

TIMON OF ATHENS

I.i.3 (271,3)

_Poet_. Ay, that's well known:
But what particular rarity! what strange,
Which manifold record not matches? See,
Magick of bounty!]

The learned commentator's [Warburton's] note must shift for itself. I cannot but think that this passage is at present in confusion. The poet asks a question, and stays not for an answer, nor has his question any apparent drift or consequence. I would range the passage thus:

Poet. _Ay, that's well known.
Bat what particular rarity? what so strange,
That manifold record not matches?_

Pain. _See!_

Poet. _Magick of--bounty, &c._

It may not be improperly observed here, that as there is only one copy of this play, no help can be had from collation, and more liberty must be allowed to conjecture.

I.i.10 (272,4) 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.

I.i.20 (273,8) _Poet_.

A thing slipt idly from me.
Our poesy is as a gum, which oozes
From whence 'tis nourished. The fire i' the flint
Shews not, 'till it be struck: our gentle flame
Provokes itself, and, like the current flies
Each bound it chafes. What have you there!]

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 comparison are so ill-sorted, and the effect so obscurely expressed, that I cannot but think something omitted that connected the last sentence with the former. It is well knovn that the players often shorten speeches to quicken the representation; and it may be suspected, that they sometimes performed their amputations with more haste than judgment, (see 1765, VI, 169, 6)

I.i.27 (274,9) _Poet_. Upon the heels of my presentment, sir.] As soon as my book has been presented to lord Timon.

I.i.29 (274,1) This comes off weil and excellent] [By this we are to understand what the painters call the _goings off_ of a picture, which requires the nicest execution. WARBURTON.] The note I understand less than the text. The meaning is, This figure rises weil from the canvas. _C'est bien releve._

I.i.37 (275,3) artificial strife] _Strife_ is either the contest or act with nature.

_Hic ille est_ Raphael, _timuit, quo aospite vinci
Rerum magna parens, & moriente, mori_.

Or it is the contrast of forms or opposition of colours.

I.i.43 (275,4) this confluence, this great flood of visitors] _Mane salutantum totis vomit aedibus undam_.

I.1.46 (275,5) Halts not particularly] My design does not stop at any single characters.

I.1.47 (276,7)

no levell'd malice
Infects one comma in the course I hold;
But flies an eagle-flight, bold, and forth on,
Leaving no tract behind]

To _level_ is to _aim_, to point the shot at a mark. Shakespeare's meaning is, my poem is not a satire written with any particular view, or _levelled_ at any single person; I fly like an eagle into the general expanse of life, and leave not, by any private mischief, the trace of my passage.

I.i.51 (276,8) I'll unbolt] I'll open, I'll explain.

I.i.53 (276,9) glib and slippery creatures] Hanmer, and Warburton after him, read, _natures_. _Slippery_ is _smooth_, unresisting.

I.i.58 (276,1) glass-fac'd flatterer] That shows in his own look, as by reflection, the looks of his patron.

I.i.65 (277,3) rank'd with all deserts] _Cover'd with ranks_ of all kinds of men.

I.i.67 (277,4) To propagate their states] To advance or improve their various conditions of life.

I.i.72 (277,5) conceiv'd to scope] Properly imagined, appositely, to the purpose.

I.i.82 (278,8) through him/Drink the free air] That is, catch his breath in affected fondness.

I.i.90 (278,9) A thousand moral paintings I can shew] Shakespeare seems to intend in this dialogue to express some competition between the two great arts of imitation. Whatever the poet declares himself to have shewn, the painter thinks he could have shewn better. (1773)