Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/324

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io. s. v. APRIL 7,

been informed very fully of Macbeth'? ** per ^onal venture in the rebels' fight," so ther was practically nothing left for inference, believe we should understand "reads" a meaning explains" read me my dream, "an similar cases. It was when Duncan tried t< -explain or account for Macbeth's achieve merits in battle that his wonders and hi praises contended for the mastery.

E. MERTON DEY. ..St. Louis.

1 THE WINTER'S TALE/ V. i. 12 : Leon. Bred his hopes out of, true. Paul. Too true (my Lord :)

Theobald gave the closing word of the king'.< -speech, "true," to Paulina, in which he is followed by nearly all the modern editors I think the change is uncalled for. The olc dictatorial spirit of Leontes is gone, the Folio reading of this line giving us an insight into his changed character. Cleomenes, whose speech opens the scene, makes an assertion, beginning with

Sir, you have done enough, and have perforni'd

A Saint-like sorrow :

which Leontes does not feel to be merited. In contrite refutation, the king speaks of the excellent qualities of his lost queen, and at the close turns to Paulina for sympathetic confirmation. Paulina's " Too true, my lord," is the proper reply (by intensified repetition) to the king's question "True?" The only correction necessary in the Folio reading is to show "true," the closing words of the king's speech, as an interrogation.

E. MERTON DEY.

' LOVE'S LABOUR 's LOST,' II. i. 45. The Folio reads :

Well fitted in Arts, glorious in Armes. The attempts to cure the defective rhythm of this line overlook the many proofs that the text was set up by hearing and not by seeing. I believe it is plain that " as " has keen lost after " Arts " :

A man of souveraigne parts he is esteem'd ;

Well fitted in Arts, as glorious in Armes ;

meaning, of course, "as (he is) glorious in Armes." E. MERTON DEY.


 * As You LIKE IT,' II. i. 50 :

Left and abandon'd of his velvet friend. The generally accepted emendation "friends," for the singular form of the Folio, seems an unfortunate alteration of the old text. While the indifference of a passing herd to the sufferings of one of their kind is touched upon later, the present passage is distinct from the later one, and has an entirely different bearing. A severed relation of a

closer nature is indicated in this line. Recollecting the well-known habit of deer to go in couples, it is strange that

Left and abandon'd of his velvet friend has never been taken as referring to the desertion, through fright, of her unfortunate companion by the doe. " Velvet," as descriptive of the soft coat of the female, and " friend," as indicating the attachment of the mate, are highly significant.

E. MERTON DEY. ' OTHELLO,' III. iv. 38-9 : This argues fruitfulness, and liberal heart : Hot, hot and moist.

The discussion which has waged about this passage having been inconclusive, I submit the following from the First Song of Dray ton's ' Poly-Olbion' :

Whose pregnant wombe prepared by liis all-powerful

fire, Being purelie hot and moist, projects that fruit full

seed Which strongly doth beget, &c.

CIIAS. A. HERPICII. New York.

"HlS CLASSY ESSENCE," * MEASURE FOR

MEASURE,' II. ii. 120. What does this mean? [ had formerly supposed, without reflection,
 * hat the allusion was to the brittle or easily

Broken nature of glass ; but it has recently occurred to me that the transparency may be "ntended. LuciS.

'As You LIKE IT,' I. i. In this scene Oliver is made to say, " Wilt thou lay hands n me, villain ? " Orlando replies, " I am no illain ; I am the youngest son of Sir llow- and de Boys ; he was my father, and he is hrice a villain that says such a father begot illains. Wert thou not my brother, I would lot take this hand from thy throat till this >ther had pulled out thy tongue for ay ing so : thou hast railed on thyself." I lave often looked at this passage, and it Iways seems an anomaly for Orlando to escribe Oliver as a villain. Do any com- nentators take note of the passage ?

A. J. CASH.

'HAMLET,' I. iv. 36: "DRAM OF BALE" 10 th S. iv. 285). DR. FURNIVALL'S contention hat eale is a variant of evilou the ground hat the form deale = devil also appears in he Second Quarto, and that there exists a I.E. form ele has been to some extent antici- ated by Morsbach, ' Mittelenglische Gram-

matik,' p. 108: "el fur euel bei Mire,

. 365 (fil ; del [i.e., devil]) ; vgl. auch eale in ihaks.," ifec. There are objections, however, nd a much simpler explanation is possible.