Cam. I should leave grazing, were I of your flock, And only live by gazing. Per. Out, alas! You'd be so lean, that blasts of January Would, blow you through and through.-Now, my fairest friend, yours; I would, I had some flowers o' the spring, that might That come before the swallow dares, and take or the whole passage as translated by Golding, and given in the Variorum Shakspeare. 15 Johnson had not sufficient imagination to comprehend this exquisite passage, he thought that the poet had mistaken Juno for Pallas, and says, that 'sweeter than an eyelid is an odd image!' But the eyes of Juno were as remarkable as those of Pallas, and of a beauty never yet Equalled in height of tincture.' The beauties of Greece and other Asiatic nations tinged their eyelids of an obscure violet colour by means of some unguent, which was doubtless perfumed like those for the hair, &c. mentioned by Athenaus. Hence Hesiod's βλεφάρων κυανεάων in a passage which has been rendered Her flowing hair and sable eyelids Breathed enamouring odour, like the breath Shakspeare may not have known this, yet of the beauty and propriety of the epithet violets dim, and the transition at once to the lids of Juno's eyes and Cytherea's breath, no reader of taste and feeling need be reminded. That die unmarried 16, ere they can behold The flower-de-luce being one! O, these I lack, Flo. What? like a corse? Per. No, like a bank, for love to lie and play on; Not like a corse: or if,-not to be buried, But quick, and in mine arms. flowers: Come, take your Methinks, I play as I have seen them do In Whitsun' pastorals: sure, this robe of mine Flo. What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I'd have you do it ever when you sing, I'd have you buy and sell so; so give alms; Pray so; and, for the ordering your affairs, To sing them too: When you do dance, I wish A wave o' the sea, that you might ever do Nothing but that; move still, still so, and own No other function: Each your doing, So singular in each particular, you Crowns what you are doing in the present deeds, That all your acts are queens. Per. O Doricles, 16 Perhaps the true explanation of this passage may be deduced from the subjoined verses in the original edition of Milton's Lycidas which he subsequently omitted, and altered the epithet unwedded to forsaken in the preceding line: Bring the rathe primrose that unwedded dies, Every reader will see that the texture and sentiments' are derived from Shakspeare; and it serves as a beautiful illustration of his meaning. Your praises are too large: but that your youth, And the true blood, which fairly peeps through it 17, Do plainly give you out an unstain'd shepherd; With wisdom I might fear, my Doricles, You woo'd me the false way. as I have purpose To put you to't.-But, come; our dance, I pray : Your hand, my Perdita: : so turtles pair, That never mean to part. Per. I'll swear for 'em 19. Pol. This is the prettiest low-born lass, that ever Ran on the green-sward: nothing she does, or seems, But smacks of something greater than herself; Too noble for this place. Cam. He tells her something, That makes her blood look out: Good sooth, she is of curds and cream. The queen Clo. Come on, strike up. Dor. Mopsa must be your mistress: marry, garlick, To mend her kissing with. Мор. Now, in good time! Clo. Not a word, a word; we stand upon our manners 20 Come, strike up. [Musick. Here a Dance of Shepherds and Shepherdesses. Pol. Pray, good shepherd, what Fair swain is this, which dances with your daughter? 17 Thus Marlow in his Hero and Leander : 'Through whose white skin softer than soundest sleep, 18 i. e. you as little know how to fear that I am false, as, &c. 19 Johnson would transfer this speech to the king, and Ritson would read 'swear for one.' Mr. Douce has justly observed that no change is necessary. It is no more than a common phrase of acquiescence, like I'll warrant you.' 20 i. e. we are now on our good behaviour. Shep. They call him Doricles, and he boasts himself To have a worthy feeding 21: but I have it Upon his own report, and I believe it; He looks like sooth 22: He says, he loves my daughter; I think so too; for never gaz'd the moon As 'twere, my daughter's eyes: and, to be plain, Who loves another best. Pol. She dances featly 23. Shep. So she does any thing; though I report it, That should be silent: if young Doricles Do light upon her, she shall bring him that Enter a Servant. Serv. O master, if you did but hear the pedler at the door, you would never dance again after a tabor and pipe; no, the bagpipe could not move you: he sings several tunes, faster than you'll tell money; he utters them as he had eaten ballads, and all men's ears grew to his tunes. Clo. He could never come better: he shall come in: I love a ballad but even too well; if it be doleful matter, merrily set down, or a very pleasant thing indeed, and sung lamentably. Serv. He hath songs, for man, or woman, of all sizes; no milliner can so fit his customers with gloves 24; he has the prettiest love-songs for maids; so without bawdry, which is strange; with such delicate burdens of dildos and fadings 25; jump her 21 A valuable tract of pasturage. 23 That is dexterously, nimbly. 22 Truth. 24 The trade of a milliner was formerly carried on by men exclusively. 25 With a hie dildo dill, and a dildo dee' is the burthen of an old ballad or two. Fading is also another burthen to a ballad and thump her; and where some stretch-mouth'd rascal would, as it were, mean mischief, and break a foul gap into the matter, he makes the maid to answer, Whoop, do me no harm, good man; puts him off, slights him, with Whoop, do me no harm, good man 26 Pol. This is a brave fellow. Clo. Believe me, thou talkest of an admirable conceited fellow. Has he any unbraided wares 27 ? Serv. He hath ribands of all the colours i'the rainbow; points 28, more than all the lawyers in found in Shirley's Bird in a Cage; and perhaps to others. It is also the name given to an Irish dance, probably from fædan, I whistle, as it was danced to the pipes. The Irish name rinca fada is the long dance, performed by country people on May day. The fading is mentioned by Ben Johnson, and distinguished from the fadow. A very interesting account of the rinca fada is given in Boswell's edition of Malone's Shakspeare at the end of vol. xiv. 26 This was also the burthen of an old ballad. 27 i. e. undamaged wares, true and good. This word has sadly perplexed the commentators, who have all left the reader in the dark as to the true meaning. The quotation by Steevens from 'Any Thing for a Quiet Life' ought to have led to a right explanation: She says that you sent ware which is not warrantable, braided ware, and that you give not London measure.' So Marston in his Scourge of Villanie, Sat. v.: 'Tuscus is trade-falne; yet great hopes he'le rise, And in the prologue to a very curious manuscript collection of satiric tales in verse, entitled' An Iliade of Metamorphosis,' 1600, now in the library of Richard Heber, Esq. M. P. and which are thought to be Marston's: 'Bookes of this nature being once perused Are then cast by, and as brayed ware refused.' Mr. Tollet had before remarked that braided is explained by Bailey faded, or having lost its colour. I am rather surprised that this should have escaped Mr. Nares, because he has quoted one of the passages from Marston, in illustration of another word. See note on All's Well that Ends Well, vol. iii. p. 290. 28 Points, upon which lies the quibble, were laces with tags. |