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rhyme nor meaning. I cannot but suspect that the fool translates Malvolio's name, and says,

Adieu, goodman mean-evil.

JOHNSON,

Dr. Farmer supposes that this line was part of an old catch.

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Line 209. Yet there he was; and there I found this credit,
That he did range, &c.] i. e. I found it justified,

credibly vouched. Whether the word credit will easily carry this meaning, I am doubtful. The expression seems obscure; and though I have not disturbed the text, I very much suspect that the poet wrote;

-and there I found this credent. Credit, for account, information.

Line 215.

discourse for reason.

THEOBALD. WARBURTON.

all instance, all discourse ;] Instance, for sense;

Instance is example.

WARBURTON.

JOHNSON.

Line 218. To any other trust,] To any other belief, or confidence, to any other fixed opinion.

Line 229.

-chantry—] i. e. Chupel.

JOHNSON.

234. Whiles- -] Is until. This word is still so used in the northern counties. It is, I think, used in this sense in the preface to the Accidence.

JOHNSON.

Almost throughout the old copies of Shakspeare, whiles is given us instead of while. Mr. Rowe, the first reformer of his orthography, made the change. STEEVENS.

Line 238.

Line 21.

-truth,] Truth here means, fidelity.

ACT V. SCENE I.

conclusions to be as kisses, if your four negatives make your two affirmatives,] Though I do not discover much ratiocination in the Clown's discourse, yet, methinks, I can find some glimpse of a meaning in his observation, that the conclusion is as kisses. For, says he, if four negatives make two affirmatives, the conclusion is as kisses: that is, the conclusion follows by the conjunction of two negatives, which, by kissing and embracing, coalesce into one, and make an affirmative. What the four

negatives are I do not know. I read, So that conclusions be as kisses.

JOHNSON.

Line 38. or the bells of St. Bennet, Sir, may put you in mind;] When in this play he mentioned the bed of Ware, he recollected that the scene was in Illyria, and added in England; but his sense of the same impropriety could not restrain him from the bells of St. Bennet. JOHNSON.

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63.

-] i. e. Mischievous.

desperate of shame, and state,] Inattentive to his JOHNSON.

character or his condition, like a desperate man.

Line 113. -as fat and fulsome-] We should read, as flat.

WARBURTON.

Fat means dull; so we say a fatheaded fellow; fat likewise means gross, and is sometimes used for obscene.

Line 123. Why should I not, had I the heart to do it,

JOHNSON.

Like to the Egyptian thief, at point of death

Kill what I love:] In this simile, a particular story is presupposed; which ought to be known to shew the justness and propriety of the comparison. It is taken from Heliodorus's Ethiopics, to which our author was indebted for the allusion. This Egyptian thief was Thyamis, who was a native of Memphis, and at the head of a band of robbers. Theagenes and Chariclea falling into their hands, Thyamis fell desperately in love with the lady, and would have married her. Soon after, a stronger body of robbers coming down upon Thyamis's party, he was in such fears for his mistress, that he had her shut into a cave with his treasure. It was customary with those barbarians, when they despaired of their own safety, first to make away with those whom they held dear, and desired for companions in the next life. Thyamis, therefore, benetted round with his enemies, raging with love, jealousy, and anger, went to his cave; and calling aloud in the Egyptian tongue, so soon as he heard himself answered towards the cave's mouth by a Grecian, making to the person by the direction of her voice, he caught her by the hair with his left hand, and (supposing her to be Chariclea) with his right hand plunged his sword into her breast. THEOBALD. Line 178. for skin.

-case?] Case is a word used contemptuously JOHNSON.

Line 215. Then he's a rogue, after a passy-measure, or a pavin, &c.] A passy-measure pavin may perhaps mean a pavin danced out of time. Sir Toby might call him by this title, because he was drunk at a time when he should have been sober, and in a condition to attend on the wounded knight.

This dance is mentioned in Stephen Gosson's Schoole of Abuse, containing a pleasaunt Invective against Poets, Pipers, &c. 1579. It is enumerated as follows, among other dances:

"Dumps, pavins, galliardes, measures, fancyes, or newe "streynes." I do not, at last, see how the sense will completely quadrate on the present occasion. STEEVENS.

Line 234. A natural perspective,] A perspective seems to be taken for shows exhibited through a glass with such lights as make the pictures appear really protuberant. The Duke therefore says, that nature has here exhibited such a show, where shadows seem realities; where that which is not appears like that which is.

JOHNSON. Line 302. A most extracting frenzy-] i. c. A frenzy that drew me away from every thing but its own object.

Line 316.

WARBURTON.

-you must allow vox.] The Clown begins reading the letter in some fantastical manner, on which Olivia asks him, if he is mad. No, madam, says he, I do but barely deliver the sense of this madman's epistle; if you would have it read as it ought to be, that is, with such a frantic accent and gesture as a madman would read it, you must allow vor, i. e. you must furnish the reader with a voice, or, in other words, read it yourself.

Line 319.

STEEVENS.

JOHNSON.

-but to read his right wits,] To represent his present state of mind, is to read a madman's letter, as I now do, like a madman. Line 339. One day shall crown the alliance on't, so please you,] The word on't, in this place, is mere nonsense. I doubt not the poet wrote,-an't so please you. HEATH.

This is well conjectured; but on't may relate to the double character of sister and wife.

JOHNSON.

Line 346. —against the metal of your sex,] Metal here means delicacy and softness.

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Presuppos'd rather seems to mean previously pointed out for thy

imitation.

Line 395. importance,] i. e. Importunity.

STEEVENS.

END OF THE ANNOTATIONS ON TWELFTH-NIGHT.

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VOL. X.

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