432. -She is young, wise, fair, In these, by nature she's immediate heir; -] The objection was, that Helen had neither riches nor title: to this the king replies, she's the immediate heir of nature, from whom she inherits youth, wisdom, and beauty. The thought is fine. For by the immediate heir to nature, we must understand one who inherits wisdom and beauty in a supreme degree. WARBURTON. The attractions of which (Dr. Warburton might have added) her youth contributed to enhance. HENLEY. -that is honour's scorn 434. Which challenges itself as honour's born,] i. e. the child of honour. Born is here used, as bairne still is in the north. HENLEY. 436. And is not like the sire. Honours best thrive,] Best is an interpolation made by the ignorant editor of the second folio; who did not know that the word sire was here used by Shakspere like fire, hour, &c. as a dissyllable. It certainly ought therefore to be rejected. MALONE. 464. Into the staggers, -] One species of the staggers, or the horses' apoplexy, is a raging impatience, which makes the animal dash himself with destructive violence against posts or walls. To this the allusion, suppose, is made. JOHNSON. Shakspere has the same expression in Cymbeline, where Posthumus says, "Whence come these staggers on me?" STEEVENS. Shall seem expedient on the new-born brief, be at all intelligible, is at least obscure and inaccurate. Perhaps it was written thus: -what ceremony Shall seem expedient on the new-born brief, Shall be perform'd to-night; the solemn feast Shall more attend -] The brief is the con tract of espousal, or the licence of the church. The king means, What ceremony is necessary to make this 'contract a marriage, shall be immediately performed; the rest may be delayed. JOHNSON. The only authentick ancient copy reads-now-born. I do not perceive that any change is necessary. MALONE. Now-born, the epithet in the old copy, prefixed to brief, unquestionably ought to be restored. The NOWborn brief, is the breve originale of the feudal times, which, in this instance, formally notified the king's consent to the marriage of Bertram, his ward. HENLEY. 487. The old copy has this singular stage direction: Parolles and Lafeu stay behind, commenting of this wedding. STEEVENS, To comment means here, I believe, to assume the appearance of persons discoursing, observing, &c. 511. taking up ;· -] To take up, is to contradict, to cast up account; as well as to pick off the ground. JOHNSON. 533. -in the default,- -] That is, at a need." JOHNSON.' 538. --for doing, I am past; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave.] The conceit, which is so thin that it might well escape a hasty reader is in the word past, I am past, as I will be past by thee. Doing is here used obscenely. JOHNSON. 541. Well, thou hast a son shall take this disgrace off me:] This the poet makes Parolles speak alone; and this is nature. A coward should try to hide his poltroonery even from himself.-An ordinary writer would have been glad of such an opportunity to bring him to confession. WARBURTON. 567. In former copies : -than the commission of your birth and virtue gives you heraldry,] Sir Thomas Hanmer restored it. JOHNSON. 586. That hugs his kicksy-wicksy, &c.] Sir T. Hanmer, in his Glossary, observes, that kicksy-wicksy is a made word in ridicule and disdain of a wife. Taylor, the water-poet, has a poem in disdain of his debtors, entitled, a kicksy-winsy, or a Lerry-come-twang. GREY. 598. To the dark-house,―] The dark-house is a house made gloomy by discontent. Milton says of death and the king of hell preparing to combat: " So "So frown'd the mighty combatants, that hell "Grew darker at their frown." JOHNSON. Perhaps this is the same thought we meet with in K. Henry IV. only more slovenly express'd: "As is a tired horse, a railing wife, The old copy reads-detested wife. Mr. Rowe made the correction. STEEVENS. The emendation is fully supported by a subsequent passage. "'Tis a hard bondage to become the wife MALONE. 649. But puts it off by a compell'd restraint ;] The original and only authentick ancient copy of this play reads to a compell'd restraint. The reading of the text is that of the third folio. I am not sure that alteration is necessary. Our poet might have meant, in his usual licentious manner, that Bertram puts off the completion of his wishes to a future day, till which he is compelled to restrain his desires. But this, it must be confessed, is very harsh. MALONE. 650. Whose want, and whose delay, &c.] The sweets with which this want is strewed, I suppose, are compliments and professions of kindness. JOHNSON. I rather conceive, that the sweets which are distilled by the restraint said to be imposed on Bertram, are the sweets of expectation; which are more likely ❝to make the coming hour overflow with joy, and pleasure drown the brim, than any professions of kindness." Parolles is, I think, speaking of Bertram's feelings during this "curbed time," not of Helena's. The following line in Troilus and Cressida may prove the best comment on the present passage: "I am giddy; expectation whirls me round. "That it enchants my sense. What will it be, "When that the watry palate tastes indeed "Love's thrice-reputed nectar. Death, I fear me; "Swooning destruction," &c. 658. necessity. MALONE. probable need.] A specious appearance of JOHNSON. 671. -a bunting.] This bird is mentioned in Lylly's Love's Metamorphosis, 1601: "but foresters think all birds to be buntings." Barrett's Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionary, 1580, gives this account of it: "Terraneola et rubetra, avis alaudæ similis, &c. Dicta terraneola quod non in arboribus, sed in terra versetur et nidificet." STEEVENS. 701. You have made shift to run into't, boots and spurs and all, like him that leapt into the custard ;] This odd allusion is not introduced without a view to satire. It was a foolery practised at city entertainments, whilst the jester or zany was in vogue, for him to jump into a large deep custard, set for the purpose, to set on a quantity of barren spectators to laugh, as our poet says in his Hamlet. I do not ad |