Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/171

 9'S.V11. MARCH 2, 1901.]' NOTES AND QUERIES.

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as I doubt not) given her a true character) more than the Pen gave Apollo's Mistress. Let this therefore suffice to give you both the Parabien or Iff/men's honours and felicities, and to let you know I shall both expect and be ambitious to wear a sprig in honour of her, nor will I fail heartily to commend you both to the great President of the wedding of Cana in Galilee, that he may turn the bitter Waters of your long expectation into the Wine of a happy and contented life, made up with the blessing of a good and pious posterity ; In which devotion I affectionately rest

Sir, Your humble Servant,

H. T.

The quotation is from lago's speech in the first scene of 'Othello.' The letter of H. T. and the speech of lago are alike conceived in a vein of humour that is somewhat discon- certing to the squeamish stomachs of more modern times.

lago's phrase is Rabelaisian, for in the third chapter of the ' Life of Gargantua ' we read that he

"en son eage virile espousa Gargamelle, fille du roy des Parpaillos, belle guouge, et de bonne troigne. Et faisoyent eulx deux souuent ensemble la beste a deux dos, ioyeusement se frottent leur lard, tant que elle engroissa dung beau filz, et le pourta iusques a lunzieme moys."

The words in Shakspere are a more literal rendering of the phrase of Rabelais than is the version of the prince of Rabelaisian trans- lators, Sir Thomas Urquhart. On turning to Dr. Howard Furness's excellent variorum edition of * Othello,' a reference to Gargantua will be found. Voltaire made it a reproach to Shakspere that he had employed so coarse an expression. It was not the indecency, but the coarseness that repelled him, we may pre- sume, and he was apparently unaware that the words were to be found also in a French classic. But let us be just to Voltaire. Whilst he criticizes Shakspere, he acknowledges his genius, and speaks of 'Othello' as a "belle tragedie." It is perhaps useless to speculate whether Shakspere had read Rabelais or had heard the phrase in conversation.

Meanwhile to the unknown H. T. belongs the distinction of being the only man who has spoken of the " knavish " Shakspere.

WILLIAM E. A. AXON.

SHAKESPEARE'S BOOKS. (Continued from 9 th S. vi. 466.) A FEW years ago I called the attention of the Manchester Shakspere Society to some passages in Florio's 'Montaigne' to which Shakespeare probably alludes, and which were not then noticed by the commen- tators. I quoted the passages in which " dis- course of reason" occurs, but I knew that the phrase appears in the works of old

authors published long before 1603. It would, in fact, be easy to fill many pages of ' N. &L Q.' with extracts from them containing this phrase, but a few examples may suffice. Hooker uses it several times in his 'Eccle- siastical Polity ' :

" Philosophy we are warranted to take heed of ; not that philosophy which is true and sound know- ledge attained by natural discourse of reason, but that philosophy which to bolster up heresey or error casteth a fraudulent shew of reason upon the simple, which are not able to withstand such cunning." Book iii. 8.

"We agree with those men, by whom human laws are defined to be ordinances, which such as have lawful authority given them for that purpose, do probably draw from the laws of nature and God, by discourse of reason aided with the influence of devine grace." Book iii. 8.

"Whatsoever the mean be they know it by, if the knowledge thereof were possible without dis- course of natural reason, why should none be found capable thereof but only men, nor men till such time as they come unto ripe and full ability to work by reasonable understanding? The whole drift of the scripture of God, what is it, but only to teach theology ? Theology, what is it, but the science of things devine ? What science can be attained unto, without the help of natural discourse of reason?" Book iii. 8.

"The mysteries of our religion are above the reach of our understanding, above the discourse of man's reason, above all that any creature can com- prehend." Book v. 63.

But these books of the ' Ecclesiastical Polity ' were published only a few years before 1603 : book iii. in 1595 and book v. in 1597, while books vi., vii., and viii., from which I have not quoted, were published after 1600 ; there- fore I will give a few extracts from an older book, ' The Academie of Philosophic,' written by Peter de la Primaudaye, in which the " Epistle dedicatorie to the King" (of France), not the translator T. B. C.'s " Epistle dedica- torie," concludes in these words :

"I beesech God to preserve your Majestie in great prosperitie, increase of honor, and continuance of a long and happy life. At Barre in the moneth of Februarie 1577."

Here are some instances of "discourse of reason " from Primaudaye :

"By the grace and help of God, the mind is able to confirme itselfe against any passion through discourse of reason before it be in force, and during the vehemencie thereof, to fortifie itselfe against it.

"He was endued with an excellent and quicke spirite, apt to conceive, and with a firme memorie, aole to retaine them altogether : and this may be seene in many. But the perfection of these two great gifts of nature, is a good and sound judge- ment, proceeding from pondering, and from a firme discourse of reason lightened by the spirit of God, and by the same spirit purged from error, illusion, and all vaine opinion, which are usual in man, and hinder him from judging aright of the truth."