And they did make no noise, in such a night Jess. Lor. In such a night 3 Stood Dido with a willow in her hand 3 Upon the wild sea-banks, and wav'd her love Jess. Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs That did renew old son.4 Lor. In such a night In such a night Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew, And with an únthrift love did run from Venice As far as Belmont. Jess. And in such a night Did young Lorenzo swear he lov'd her well, Lor. And in such a night Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew, Slander her love, and he forgave it her. Jess. I would out-night you, did nobody come: But, hark! I hear the footing of a man. Enter STEPHANO. Lor. Who comes so fast in silence of the night? Lor. A friend! what friend? your name, I pray you, friend? Steph. Stephano is my name; and I bring word 5 1 The story of Troilus and Cressida is set forth in Shakespeare's play of that name. 2 That is, ere she saw the lion himself. The story of "Pyramus and his love Thisbe" is burlesqued in the interlude of Bottom and company in A Midsummer-Night's Dream. 8 Spenser in like sort makes the willow a symbol of forsaken love. Thus, in The Faerie Queene, i. 1, 9: "The willow, worne of forlorne para mours." 4 Twice, already, in this play, we have had allusions to the story of Jason and his voyage to Colchos in quest of the golden fleece. Medea, also, stole her father's treasure, and ran away from Colchos with Jason after he had won the fleece. The Poet seems to have been fresh from the reading of that tale, when he wrote this play. Perhaps Medea had something to do in suggesting and shaping the part of Jessica. 5 In this play the name Stephano has the accent on the second syllable. My mistress will before the break of day Lor. Who comes with her? Lor. He is not, nor we have not heard from him. But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica, And ceremoniously let us prepare Some welcome for the mistress of the house. Enter LAUNCELOT Laun. Sola, sola! wo, ha, ho! sola, sola! Lor. Who calls? Laun. Sola! - did you see Master Lorenzo and Mistress Lorenzo? sola, sola! Lor. Leave hollaing, man;· - here. Laun. Sola!-- Where? where? Lor. Here. Laun. Tell him there's a post come from my master, with his horn full of good news :7 my master will be here ere morning. 8 [Exit STEPHANO. Sit, Jessica: Look, how the floor of Heaven In The Tempest, written some years later, the same name has it, rightly, on the first. 6 In old times crosses were set up at the intersection of roads, and in other places specially associated with saintly or heroic names, to invite the passers-by to devotion. And in those days Christians were much in the habit of remembering in their prayers whatever lay nearest their hearts. So in The Tempest, iii. 1, Ferdinand says to Miranda: "I do beseech you,chiefly that I might set it in my prayers, what is your name?" So, again, Hamlet to Ophelia: "In thy orisons be all my sins remember'd!" 7 The postman used to carry a horn, and blow it to give notice of his coming, on approaching a place where he had something to deliver. Launce lot has just been imitating the notes of the horn in his exclamations, Sola, &c. 8 A small plate, used in the administration of the Eucharist: it was commonly of gold, or silver-gilt. But in his motion like an angel sings, 10 But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay Enter Musicians. Come, ho, and wake Diana with a hymn! Jess. I'm never merry when I hear sweet music. If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound, You shall perceive them make a mutual stand, By the sweet power of music: Therefore the poet Let no such man be trusted. — Mark the music. Enter PORTIA and NERISSA at a distance. Por. That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. [Music. Ner. When the Moon shone we did not see the candle. -an 9 Of course everybody has heard of "the music of the spheres," ancient mystery which taught that the heavenly bodies in their revolutions sing together in a concert so loud, various, and sweet, as to exceed all proportion to the human ear. And the greatest souls, from Plato to Wordsworth, have been lifted above themselves, and have waxed greater than their wont, with an idea or intuition that the universe was knit together by a principle of which musical harmony is the aptest and clearest expression. 10 The soul of man was thought by some to be or to have something like the music of the spheres. Thus in Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, v. 38: "Touching musical harmony, such is the force thereof, and so pleasing effects it hath in that very part of man which is most divine, that some have thereby been induced to think that the soul itself by nature is or hath in it harmony." Por. So doth the greater glory dim the less: Ner. It is your music, Madam, of the house. Ner. Silence bestows that virtue on it, Madam. Lor. That is the voice, Or I am much deceiv'd, of Portia. [Music ceases. Por. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. Lor. Dear lady, welcome home. Por. We have been praying for our husbands' welfare, Which speed, we hope, the better for our words. Are they return'd? 11 Unless it be heeded, or attended to. Hence it sounds better when there is nothing to divert the attention. 12 Endymion was a very beautiful youth: Juno took a fancy to him, whereupon her old man, Jupiter, grew jealous of him, and cast him into a perpetual sleep on Mount Latmos. While he was there asleep, Madam Luna got so smitten with his beauty, that she used to come down and kiss him, and lie by his side. Some said, however, that Luna herself put him asleep, that she might have the pleasure of kissing him without his knowing it, the youth being somewhat shy when awake. The story was naturally a favourite with the poets. Fletcher, in The Faithful Shepherdess, tells the tale charmingly, "How the pale Phoebe, hunting in a grove, First saw the boy Endymion, from whose eyes How she convey'd him softly in a sleep, Head of old Latmus, where she stoops each night, No note at all of our being absent hence; Nor you, Lorenzo ;· Jessica, nor you. [A Tucket sounds.18 13 Lor. Your husband is at hand; I hear his trumpet. We are no tell-tales, Madam; fear you not. Por. This night, methinks, is but the daylight sick; It looks a little paler: 'tis a day, Such as a day is when the Sun is hid. Enter BASSANIO, ANTONIO, GRATIANO, and their Followers. Bass. We should hold day with the Antipodes, Por. Let me give light, but let me not be light; But God sort all! You're welcome home, my lord. To whom I am so infinitely bound. 14 my friend: Por. You should in all sense be much bound to him, For, as I hear, he was much bound for you. Ant. No more than I am well acquitted of. Por. Sir, you are very welcome to our house: It must appear in other ways than words, Therefore I scant this breathing courtesy.15 Gra. [To NER.] By yonder Moon I swear you do me wrong; In faith, I gave it to the judge's clerk. Por. A quarrel, ho, already! what's the matter? Gra. About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring That she did give to me; whose posy was Ner. What talk you of the posy or the value? 18 A tucket is a flourish of trumpets. The word is probably from the Italian toccata, which is said to mean a prelude to a sonata. 14 Twice before, in these scenes, we have had similar playings upon light: here it is especially graceful and happy. See page 139, note 13. 15 This complimentary form, made up only of breath. 16 Knives were formerly inscribed, by means of aqua fortis, with short sentences in distich. The posy of a ring was the motto. 17 Respective is considerate or regardful; in the same sense as respect is explained, page 101, note 16. The word is repeatedly used thus by Shakespeare; as in Romeo and Juliet, iii. 1: "Away to Heaven respective lenity, and tire-ey'd fury be my conduct now!" |