Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy, And made a gap in nature. AGR. Rare Egyptian! ENO. Upon her landing, Antony fent to her, It should be better, he became her gueft; Again, in Cymbeline: Although they wear their faces to the bent "Of the king's looks." Again, more appofitely in Julius Cæfar: "And that fame eye, whofe bend doth awe the world." Mr. Mafon, remarking on this interpretation, acknowledges that "their bends may refer to Cleopatra's eyes, but the word made muft refer to her gentlewomen, and it would be abfurd to fay that they made the bends of her eyes adornings." Affertion is much easier than proof. In what does the abfurdity confift? They thus ftanding near Cleopatra, and difcovering her will by the eyes, were the caufe of her appearing more beautiful, in confequence of the frequent motion of her eyes; i. e. (in Shakspeare's language,) this their fituation and office was the caufe, &c. We have in every page of this author fuch diction.-But I fhall not detain the reader any longer on fo clear a point; efpecially as I now think that the interpretation of thefe words given originally by Dr. Warburton is the true one. Bend being formerly fometimes used for a band or troop, Mr. Tollet very idly fuppofes that the word has that meaning here. MALONE. 3 That yarely frame the office.] i. e. readily and dexterously perform the task they undertake. See Vol. III. p. 5, n. 3. STEEVENS. which, but for vacancy, Had gone] Alluding to an axiom in the peripatetic philofophy then in vogue, that Nature abhors a vacuum. But for vacancy, means, for fear of a vacuum. WARBURTON. AGR. Royal wench! She made great Cæfar lay his fword to bed; He plough'd her, and the cropp'd. I faw her once ENO. And having loft her breath, fhe fpoke, and panted, And, breathlefs, power breathe forth. MEC. Now Antony must leave her utterly. ENO. Never; he will not; Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety: Other women Cloy th' appetites they feed; but the makes hun gry, Where most the fatisfies. For vileft things 5 Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety:] Such is the praife beftowed by Shakspeare on his heroine; a praise that well deferves the confideration of our female readers. Cleopatra, as appears from the tetradrachms of Antony, was no Venus; and indeed the majority of ladies who moft fuccessfully enflaved the hearts of princes, are known to have been lefs remarkable for perfonal than mental attractions. The reign of infipid beauty is feldom lafting; but permanent must be the rule of a woman who can diverfify the fameness of life by an inexhausted variety of accomplishments. To fale is a verb employed by Heywood in The Iron Age, 1632: 6 "One that hath fal'd his courtly tricks at home." Other women Clay th' appetites they feed; but he makes hungry, STELVENS. Where most he jatisfies.] Almoft the fame thought, clothed nearly in the fame expreffions, is found in the old play of Pericles: "Who itarves the ears the feeds, and makes them hungry, "The more fhe gives them fpeech." Again, in our author's Venus and Adonis : "And yet not cloy thy lips with loath'd fatiety, "But rather famifh them amid their plenty." MALONE. Become themselves in her; that the holy priests* Bless her, when she is riggish." MEC. If beauty, wifdom, modefty, can settle The heart of Antony, Octavia is A bleffed lottery to him." 8 For vileft things Become themselves in her;] So, in our author's 150th fonnet : MALONE. the holy priefts &c.] In this, and the foregoing defcription. of Cleopatra's paffage down the Cydnus, Dryden feems to have emulated Shakspeare, and not without fuccefs: fhe's dangerous: Her eyes have power beyond Theffalian charms, "To draw the moon from heaven. For eloquence, "The fea-green firens taught her voice their flattery; "And, while the fpeaks, night fteals upon the day, "Unmark'd of thofe that hear: Then, fhe's fo charming, Age buds at fight of her, and fwells to youth: "The holy pricfts gaze on her when she fmiles; "And with heav'd hands, forgetting gravity, 66 They blefs her wanton eyes." Be it remembered, however, that, in both inftances, without a fpark from Shakspeare, the blaze of Dryden might not have been enkindled. REED. 9 when he is riggifh.] Rigg is an ancient word meaning a ftrumpet. So, in Whetstone's Caftle of Delight, 1576: Then loath they will both luft and wanton love, "Or elfe be fure fuch ryggs my care shall prove.” Again: "Immode rigg, I Ovid's counfel usde.” Again, in Churchyard's Dolorous Gentlewoman, 1593: "About the streets was gadding, gentle rigge, "With clothes tuckt up to fet bad ware to fale, "For youth good ftuffe, and for olde age a ftale." STEEVENS. Again, in J. Davies's Scourge of Folly, printed about the year 1611: 2 "When wanton rig, or lecher diffolute, "Do ftand at Paules Crofs in a-fuite." MALONE. Octavia is A bleffed lottery to him.] Dr. Warburton fays, the poet wrote AGR. Let us go. Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest, ENO. Humbly, fir, I thank you. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The fame. A Room in Cæfar's Houfe. Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them; Attendants, and a Soothsayer. ANT. The world, and my great office, will fome times Divide me from your bofom. Оста. All which time, Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers' allottery: but there is no reafon for this affertion. The ghoft of Andrea in The Spanish Tragedy, fays: "Minos in graven leaves of lottery "Drew forth the manner of my life and death." So, in Stanyhurft's tranflation of Virgil, 1582: FARMER. By this hap efcaping the filth of lottarye carnal." Again, in The Honeft Man's Fortune, by Beaumont and Fletcher: 66 fainting under "Fortune's falfe lottery." STEEVENS. Lottery for allotment. HENLEY. 3 -hall bow my prayers] The fame construction is found in Coriolanus, Act I. fc. i: Shouting their emulation." Again, in King Lear, A&t II. fc. ii : Smile you my fpeeches?" Modern editors have licentiously read : boru in prayers. STEEVENS. ANT. Good night, fir.-My Octavia, Read not my blemishes in the world's report: I have not kept my fquare; but that to come Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady. OCTA. Good night, fir.4 CES. Good night. [Exeunt CESAR and OCTAVIA. ANT. Now, firrah! you do wish yourself in Egypt? SOOTH. 'Would I had never come from thence, Thither! 5 nor you ANT. If you can, your reason? SOOTH. I fee't in My motion, have it not in my tongue: But yet 4 Ant. Good night, dear lady. Octa. Good night, fir.] Thefe laft words, which in the only authentick copy of this play are given to Antony, the modern editors have affigned to Octavia. I fee no need of change. He addresses himself to Cæfar, who immediately replies, Good night. MALONE. I have followed the fecond folio, which puts thefe words (with fufficient propriety) into the mouth of Octavia. STEEVENS. Antony has already faid "Good night, fir," to Cæfar, in the three first words of his fpeech: the repetition would be abfurd. The editor of the fecond folio appears, from this and numberlefs other inftances, to have had a copy of the firft folio corrected by the players, or fome other well-informed perfon. RITSON. 5 'Would I had never come from thence, nor you Thither!] Both the fenfe and grammar require that we should read hither, inftead of thither. To come hither is English, but to come thither is not. The Soothfayer advises Antony to hie back to Egypt, and for the fame reafon wishes he had never come to Rome; because when they were together, Cæfar's genius had the afcendant over his. M. MASON. 6 I fee't in My motion, have it not in my tongue :] i. e. the divinitory agitation. WARBURTON. |