Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 11.djvu/211

 9*" 8. XL MARCH 14, 1903.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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" fons et origo mali," partly from a very easily made blunder in the endeavour to find in Marston's * Scourge of Villainy ' a pretext for Jonson's anger, all the critics have identified Torquatus of 'The Scourge' with Ben. I believe I can show that this character is aimed at Gabriel Harvey, and has nothing whatever to do with Jonson ; and further, that Jonson himself holds up Harvey to ridicule, since he had aroused the wrath of all the dramatic writers, in 'The Case is Altered' (1598). As a fitting preliminary I will quote one early passage of Gabriel Harvey's ('Letters to Spenser, 1573-83,' Grosart's ' Harvey,' i. 125). Harvey pro- fesses to be vastly indignant because some of his sonnets have been printed :

"And canst thou tell me nowe, or doist thou at the last begin to imagin with thy selfe what a wonderful! and exceeding displeasure thou and thy prynter have wroughte me, and how peremptorily ye have preiudist'd my good name for ever in ithrustinge me thus on the stage to make tryall of my exiemporall faculty, and to play Wylsons or Tarletons parte. I suppose thou wilt goe nighe hande shortely to sende my lorde of Lycsters, or my lorde of Warwick, Vawsis [sic, ? Vaux's], or my lorde Ritches players, or some other freshestarte up comedantes unto me for some new devised inter- lude or some male-conceived comedye fitt for the theater, or sum other painted stage."

After this and this being Harvey's de- meanour it was natural that any dramatist should take up the cudgels against one who by his Italianate affectation and other traits already mentioned had set all literati against him. 'Harvey had, at any rate, the courage of his opinions, based on inordinate self- conceit.

In my next article I hope to quote Marston's "Torquatus" passages. H. C. HART.

Carrablagh, co. Donegal.

( To be continued.)

SHAKESPEARE'S BOOKS. (See 9 th S. viii. 321; xi. 64.)

Cominius. You shall not be

The grave of your deserving ; Rome must know The value of her own : 'twere a concealment Worse than a theft, no less than a traducement, To hide your doings ; and to silence that, Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd, Would seem but modest : therefore, I beseech you (In sign of what you are, not to reward What you have done), before our army hear me. ' Coriolanus,' I. ix.

" The spire and top of praises " has not, I think, received much notice from the com- mentators, but Dr. Aldis Wright, in his edition of the '' Shakespeare Select Plays ' (Clarendon Press), makes the following note :

" To the spire and top of praises vouched, if pro- claimed in the very highest terms of praise. Com- iare ' The Tempest,' HI. i. 38 :

Admired Miranda ! Indeed the top of admiration.

Hamlet,' III. ii. 401 : ' They fool me to the top of my bent.'"

And Delius says :

"Das mit Stillschweigen zu iibergehen, was, bis ur Spitze und zum Gipfel des Lobens ausgesprochen, doch nur als bescheiden erscheinen wiirde.

For many years I have thought that Shakespeare in this passage alludes to a figure in the ' Arte of English Poesie ' which Puttenham thus describes :

"Of the Spire or Taper called Pyranris. The Taper is the longest and sharpest triangle that is, while he mounts upward he waxeth continually more slender, taking both his figure and name of the fire, whose flame, if ye marke it, is always pointed and naturally by his forme covets to clymbe : the Greekes call him Pyramis of irvp. The Latines in use of architecture called him Obeliscus, it holdeth the altitude of six ordinary triangles, and in metrifying his base can not well be larger than a meetre of six, therefore in his altitude he will require divers rubates to hold so many sizes of meetres as shall serve for his com- position, for neare the toppe there will be roome little inough for a meetre of two sillables, and sometimes of one to finish the point. 1 have set you doune one or two examples to try how ye can digest the maner of the devise. Her Maiestie, for many parts in her most noble and yertuous naturr to be found, resembled to the spire. Ye muse begin beneath according to the nature of the devicet Skie Azurd in the assurde, And better, And richer, Much greter, Crown and empir After an heir For to aspire Like flame of fire In forme of Spire To mount on hie, Con ti nu al Jy With travel and teen Most gratious queen Ye have made a vow Shews us plainly how Not fained but true, To every mans vew, Shining cleere in you Of so bright an hewe, Even thus vertewe Vanish out of our sight Till his fine top be quite To Taper in the ay re Ende vprs soft and faire By his kindly nature Of tall comely stature Like as this faire figure."

Before giving this example of the figure Puttenham, as shown above, says : " Her