i. e. whom do you design to affront? Mamillius's answer plainly proves it. Mam. No, my lord, I'l fight. SMITH. I meet with Shakspeare's expression in a comedy, call'd A match at Midnight, 1633.—“ I shall have eggs for my money; I must hang myself." STEEVENS. 13-whispering, rounding:] To round in the ear, is to whisper, or to tell secretly. The expression is very copiously explained by M. Casaubon, in his book de Ling. Sax. JOHNSON. 14 But with a ling'ring dram, that should not work, Maliciously, like poison.] The thought is here beautifully expressed. He could do it with a dram that should have none of those visible effects that detect the poisoner. These effects he finely calls the malicious workings of poison, as if done with design to betray the user. But the Oxford editor would mend Shakespeare's expression, and reads, So that Camillo's reason is lost in this happy emendation. 15 Swear his thought over WARBURTON. By each particular star in heaven, &c.] The transposition of a single letter reconciles this passage to good sense; Polixenes, in the preceding speech, had been laying the deepest imprecations on himself, if he had ever abus'd Leontes in any familiarity with his queen. To which Camillo very pertinently replies: Swear this though over, &c. THEOBALD. May however perhaps mean, overswear his present persuasion, that is, endeavour to overcome his opinion, by swearing oaths numerous as the stars. 16 Fear o'ershades me:· JOHNSON. -but nothing Of his ill-ta'en suspicion.] Jealousy is a passion compounded of love and suspicion, this passion is the theme or subject of the king's thoughts.Polixenes, perhaps, wishes the queen, for her comfort, so much of that theme or subject as is good, but deprecates that which causes misery. May part of the king's present sentiments comfort the queen, but away with his suspicion. This is such meaning as can be picked out. JOHNSON. 17 He who shall speak for her is far off guilty, But that he speaks.] This cannot be the speaker's meaning. Leontes would say, I shall hold the person, in a great measure guilty, who shall dare to intercede for her: and this, I believe, Shakespeare ventured to express thus: He, who shall speak for her, is far of guilty, &c. i. e. partakes far, deeply, of her guilt. THEOBALD. It is strange that Mr. Theobald could not find out that far off guilty, signifies, guilty in a remote degree. -this action- -] The word action is here taken in the lawyer's sense, for indictment, charge, or accusation. 18 JOHNSON. 20 19 I had rather glib myself.] To lib, and sometimes to glib, is to geld, in the dialect of the north. -lunes o'the king!] I have no where, but in our author, observed this word adopted in our tongue, to signify, frenzy, lunacy. But it is a mode of expression with the French.- -Il y a de la lune: (i.e. He has got the moon in his head; he is frantick.) Cotgrave. Lune. folie. Les femmes ont des lunes dans la tete. Richelet. 21 -out of the blank THEOBALD. And level of my brain;] Beyond the aim of any attempt that I can make against him. Blank and level are terms of archery. JOHNSON. 22 the worst about you.] The worst in this place means the least in consequence, the lowest. 23 thou art woman-tir'd;] Woman-tir'd, is peck'd by a woman. The phrase is taken from falconry, and is often employed by writers contemporary with Shakspeare. So in The Widow's Tears by Chapman, 1612: "He has given me a bone to tire on." STEEVENS. 24 Unvenerable by thy hands, if thou Tak'st up the princess by that forced baseness.] Leontes had ordered Antigonus to take up the bastard, Paulina forbids him to touch the princess under that appellation. Forced is false, uttered with violence to truth. JOHNSON. 25 No yellow in't.] Yellow is the colour of jealousy. 26 Fertile the isle,-] But the temple of Apollo at Delphi was not in an island, but in Phocis, on the continent. Either Shakspeare, or his editors, had their heads running on Delos, an island of the Cyclades. WARBURTON. 27 Even to the guilt, or the purgation.] Mr. Roderick observes, that the word even is not to be understood here as an adverb, but as an adjective, signifying equal or indifferent. STEEVENS. 28 Have strain'd to appear thus?] The sense seems to be this,-What sudden slip have I made, that I should catch a wrench in my character? a noble nature May catch a wrench. Timon. Mrs. Ford talks of some strain in her character, and in B. and Fletcher's Custom of the Country, the same expression occurs: "strain your loves "With any base, or hir'd persuasions." 29 —I ne'er heard yet, STEEVENS. That any of those bolder vices wanted Less impudence to gainsay what they did, Than to perform it first.] It is apparent that according to the proper, at least, according to the present, use of words, less should be more, or wanted should be had. But Shakspeare is very uncertain in his use of negatives. It may be necessary once to observe, that in our language two negatives did not originally affirm, but strengthen the negation. This mode of speech was in time changed, but as the change was made in opposition to long custom, it proceeded gradually, and uniformity was not obtained but through an intermediate confusion. JOHNSON. 30 My life stands in the level of your dreams,] To be in the level is by a metaphor from archery to be within the reach. JOHNSON. 31 -the queen's speed,] Of the event of the queen's trial: so we still say, he sped well or ill. JOHNSON. 32 Does my deeds make the blacker ] This vehement retraction of Leontes, accompanied with the confession of more crimes than he was suspected of, is agreeable to our daily experience of the vicissitudes of violent tempers, and the eruptions of minds oppressed with guilt. JOHNSON. Would have shed water out of fire, ere don't:] i. e. a devil would have shed tears of pity o'er the damn'd ere he would have committed such an action. STEEVENS. 34 I am sorry for't:] This is another instance of the sudden changes incident to vehement and ungovernable minds. JOHNSON. 35 Thou art perfect then,] Perfect is often used by Shakspeare for certain, well assured, or well informed. JOHNSON. 36 A savage clamour!] This clamour was the cry of the dogs and hunters; then seeing the bear, he cries, this is the chace, or, the animal pursued. JOHNSON. 37 to have help'd the old man.] Though all |