Perhaps the first emotions of nature are nearly uniform, and one man differs from another in the power of endurance, as he is better regulated by precept and instruction. They bore as heroes, but they felt as men. 28. 'Tis fond] i. e. 'tis foolish. 35. -cautelous baits and practice.] false tricks, and treason. JOHNSON. STEEVENS. By artful and 36. My first son,] First, i. e. noblest, and most emi nent of men WARBURTON. The author of the Revisal would read: My fierce son. STEEVENS. 39. More than a wild exposture to each chance That starts i' the way before thee.] I know not whether the word exposture be found in any other author. If not, I should incline to read exposure. MALONE. 54. My friends of noble touch:- -]i. e. of true metal unallay'd. Metaphor taken from trying gold on the touchstone. 88. Sic. Are you mankind? WARBURTON. Vol. Ay, fool; Is that a shame ?—Note but this fool Was not a man my father?- -] The word mankind is used maliciously by the first speaker, and taken perversely by the second. A mankind woman, is a woman with the roughness of a man; and, in an aggravated sense, a woman ferocious, violent, and eager to shed blood. In this sense Sicinius asks Volumnia, if she she be mankind? She takes mankind for a human creature, So, Jonson, in the Silent Woman:. "O mankind generation!" Fairfax, in his translation of Tasso: "See, see this mankind strumpet; see, she cry'd, "This shameless whore." STEEVENS. 90. -Hadst thou foxship,] Hadst thou, fool as thou art, mean cunning enough to banish Coriolanus ? 143. JOHNSON. -but your favour is well appear'd by your tongue.] This is strange nonsense. We should read: -is well appeal'd. i.e. brought into remembrance. I should read: -is well affear'd. WARBURTON. i. e. strengthened, attested, a word used by our author. My title is affear'd." Macbeth. To repeal may be to bring to remembrance, but appeal has another meaning. I would read: JOHNSON. Your favour is well approv'd by your tongue. ż. e. your tongue strengthens the evidence of your face. So, in Hamlet, "That if again this apparition come, "He may approve our eyes, and speak to it.” STEEVENS. 178.—already in the entertainment,] i. e. though not actually encamped, yet already in pay. To entertain an army is to take them into pay. JOHNSON. 178. many an heir, &c.] Heir is, probably, here used in its obvious and ordinary sense, for presumptive successor; the younger part of the inhabitants of Antium being most likely to have been engaged in battle. However, the words many an heir, may signify the actual owners, or possessors; for to inherit, and to possess, are used by our author as synonymous terms. So, in Romeo and Juliet, 66 -such delight, "Among fresh female buds, shall you this night "Inherit at my house." Again, in Titus Andronicus, "To bury so much gold under a tree, "And never after to inherit it." MALONE. 201. O, world, thy slippery turns! &c.] This fine picture of common friendships, is an artful introduction to the sudden league, which the poet made him enter into with Aufidius, and no less artful apology for his commencing enemy to Rome. WARBURTON. 204. who twin, as 'twere, in love Unseparable -] The second folio readstwine, which might have been the author's word: at least he has the same thought more than once elsewhere. So, in K. Henry VIII. how they clung "In their embracements, as they grew together." Again, in All's Well that ends Well: “I grow to you, and our parting," &c. However, in Othello we have, -he that is approv'd in this offence, "Though he had twinn'd with me, both at a birth, "Should lose me." MALONE. 228. -that he gives entrance to such companions ?] Companion was formerly used in the same sense as we now use the word fellow. MALONE. 272. If Tullus, &c.] These speeches are taken from the following in sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch: "If thou knowest me not yet, Tullus, and seeing me, dost not perhappes beleeue me to be the man I am in dede, I must of necessitie bewraye my self to be that I am. I am Caius Martius, who hath done to thy self particularly, and to all the Volces generally, great hurte and mischief, which I cannot denie for my surname of Coriolanus that I beare. For I neuer had other benefit nor recompence, of all the true and paynefull seruice I have done, and the extreme daungers I haue bene in, but this only surname, a good memorie and witnes of the malice and displeasure thou shouldest beare me. In deede the name only remaineth with me: for the rest, the enuie and crueltie of the people of Rome haue taken from me, by the sufferance of the dastardly nobilitie and magistrates, who haue forsaken me, and let me be banished by the people. This extremitie hath now driuen me to come as a poore suter, to take thy chimney harthe, not of any hope I haue to saue saue my life thereby. For if I had feared death, I would not haue come hither to haue put my life in hazard : but prickt forward with spite and desire I haue to be reuenged of them that thus haue banished me, whom now I beginne to be auenged on, putting my persone betweene thy enemies. Wherefore if thou hast any harte to be wrecked of the injuries thy enemies haue done thee, spede thee now, and let my miserie serue thy turne, and so vse it, as my seruice maye be a benefit to the Volces: promising thee, that I will fight with better good will for all you, than euer I dyd when I was against you, knowing that they fight more valiantly, who knowe the force of their enemie, then such as haue neuer proued it. And if it be so that thou dare not, and that thou art wearye to proue fortune any more: then am I also wearye to liue any longer. And it were not wisdome in thee, to saue the life of him, who hath bene heretofore thy mortall enemie, and whose seruice now can nothing helpe nor pleasure thee." STEEVENS. -a good memory,] The Oxford editor, not knowing that memory was used at that time for memorial, alters it to memorial. 291. See As You Like it, act ii. line 96. Lear, act iv. line 656. 305. A heart of wreak in thee, sentment. -] A heart of re JOHNSON. Wreak is an ancient term for revenge. So, in Titus Andronicus, "Take wreak on Rome for this ingratitude." |