CLEO. That time!-O times!I laugh'd him out of patience; and that night I laugh'd him into patience: and next morn, Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed; Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilft I wore his sword Philippan." O! from Italy;— Enter a Meffenger. 8 Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears, I wore his fword Philippan.] We are not to fuppofe, nor is there any warrant from hiftory, that Antony had any particular fword fo called. The dignifying weapons, in this fort, is a cuftom of much more recent date. This therefore feems a compliment à pofteriori. We find Antony, afterwards, in this play, boafting of his own prowefs at Philippi: "Ant. Yes, my lord, yes; he at Philippi kept "His fword e'en like a dancer; while I ftruck "The lean and wrinkled Caffius;" &c. That was the greatest action of Antony's life; and therefore this feems a fine piece of flattery, intimating, that this fword ought to be denominated from that illustrious battle, in the fame manner as modern heroes in romance are made to give their swords pompous names. THEOBALD.. Ram thou thy fruitful tidings-] Shakspeare probably wrote, (as Sir T. Hanmer obferves) Rain thou &c. Rain agrees better with the epithets fruitful and barren. So, in Timon : "Rain facrificial whifp'rings in his ear." Again, in The Tempeft: 66 Heavens rain grace!" STEEVENS. I fufpect no corruption. The term employed in the text is much in the ftyle of the fpeaker; and is fupported inconteftably by a paffage in Julius Cæfar: I go to meet "The noble Brutus, thrusting this report "Into his ears." Again, in Cymbeline: "fay, and speak thick, "(Love's counsellor fhould fill the bores of hearing, MES. Madam, madam,— CLEO. Antony's dead? If thou fay fo, villain, thou kill'st thy mistress: But well and free," If thou fo yield him, there is gold, and here MES. First, madam, he's well. CLEO. Why, there's more gold. But, firrah, mark; We use To fay, the dead are well: bring it to that, MES. Good madam, hear me. CLEO. Well, go to, I will; But there's no goodness in thy face: If Antony Be free, and healthful,-why fo tart a favour To trumpet fuch good tidings? If not well, Again, in The Tempest: "You cram thefe words into my ears, against "The ftomach of my fenfe." MALONE. Ram is a vulgar word, never used in our author's plays, but once by Falstaff, where he defcribes his fituation in the buck-basket. In the paffage before us, it is evidently a mifprint for rain.-The quotation from Julius Cæfar does not fupport the old reading at all, the idea being perfectly diftinct. RITSON. Ramm'd, however, occurs in King John: "Have we ramm'd up your gates against the world.” STEEVENS. 9 But well and free, &c.] This fpeech is but coldly imitated by Beaumont and Fletcher in The Falfe One: 2 Cleop. What of him? Speak: if ill, Apollodorus, "It is my happiness: and for thy news "Receive a favour kings have kneel'd in vain for, "And kifs my hand." STEEVENS. If Antony Be free, and healthful,-why fo tart a favour To trumpet fuch good tidings ?] The old copies have not the ad Thou should't come like a fury crown'd with fnakes, Not like a formal man.4 MES. Will't please you hear me? CLEO. I have a mind to ftrike thee, ere thou speak'ft: Yet, if thou fay, Antony lives, is well, Or friends with Cæfar, or not captive to him, verb-why; but, as Mr. M. Mafon obferves, fomewhat was wanting in the fecond of thefe lines, both to the sense and to the metre. He has, therefore, no doubt but the paffage ought to run thus: I have availed myself of this neceffary expletive, which I find alfo in Sir Thomas Hanmer's edition. STEEVENS. I fufpect a word was omitted at the prefs, and that Shakspeare wrote: If Antony Be free, and healthful, needs fo tart a favour, &c. MALONE. 4 Not like a formal man.] Decent, regular. JOHNSON. By a formal man, Shakspeare means, a man in his fenfes. Informal women, in Meafure for Meafure, is ufed for women befide themselves. STEEVENS. A formal man, I believe, only means a man in form, i. e. shape. You should come in the form of a fury, and not in the form of a man. So, in A mad World my Mafters, by Middleton, 1608: "The very devil affum'd thee formally." i. e. affumed thy form. MALONE. 5 Yet, if thou fay, Antony lives, is well, Or friends with Cæfar, &c.] The old copy reads 'tis well. MALONE. We furely fhould read is well. The meffenger is to have his reward, if he fays, that Antony is alive, in health, and either friends with Cæfar, or not captive to him. TYRWHITT. I'll fet thee in a shower of gold, and hail Rich pearls upon thee.] That is, I will give thee a kingdom: MES. Cæfar and he are greater friends than ever. MES. But yet, madam, CLEO. I do not like but yet, it does allay Some monstrous malefactor. Pr'ythee, friend, 8 The good and bad together: He's friends with Cæfar; In ftate of health, thou fay'ft; and, thou fay'ft, free. I made no fuch MES. Free, madam! no; He's bound unto Octavia. CLEO. report: For what good turn? MES. For the beft turn i' the bed. it being the eastern ceremony, at the coronation of their kings, to powder them with gold-duft and feed-pearl; fo Milton: the gorgeous eaft with liberal hand "Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold." In the Life of Timur-bec or Tamerlane, written by a Perfian contemporary author, are the following words, as tranflated by Monf. Petit de la Croix, in the account there given of his coronation, book ii. chap. i. "Les princes du fang royal & les emirs repandirent à pleines mains fur fa tête quantité d'or & de pierreries felon la coûtume." WARBURTON. 7 it does allay The good precedence;] i. e. abates the good quality of what is already reported. STEEVENS. 8- the pack-] A late editor [Mr. Capell] reads: thy pack. REED. I believe our author wrote-thy pack. The, thee, and thy, are frequently confounded in the old copy. MALONE. K k VOL. XII. CLEO. I am pale, Charmian. MES. Madam, he's married to Octavia. CLEO. The most infectious peftilence upon thee! MES. Good madam, patience. CLEO. [Strikes him down. What fay you?-Hence, [Strikes him again. Horrible villain! or I'll fpurn thine eyes [She bales him up and down. Thou shalt be whipp'd with wire, and stew'd in brine, Smarting in ling'ring pickle. MES. Gracious madam, I, that do bring the news, made not the match. CLEO. Say, 'tis not fo, a province I will give thee, And make thy fortunes proud: the blow thou hadst Shall make thy peace, for moving me to rage; And I will boot thee with what gift befide Thy modefty can beg. MES. CLEO. Rogue, thou haft liv'd too long. MES. He's married, madam. [draws a dagger." Nay, then I'll run : [Exit. What mean you, madam? I have made no fault. CHAR. Good madam, keep yourself within your felf; 8 The man is innocent. draws a dagger.] The old copy-Draw a knife. See Vol. VII. p. 376, n. 7. MALONE. 8 ŠTEEVENS. keep yourself within yourself;] i. e. contain yourself, reftrain your paffion within bounds. So, in The Taming of a Shrew: "Doubt not, my lord, we can contain ourselves." STEEVENS. |