Saying, “What lack you?” and “Where lies your grief ?” Or “What good love may I perform for you?” Many a poor man's son would have lien still 50 And ne'er have spoke a loving word to you; But you at your sick service had a prince. Nay, you may think my love was crafty love, And call it cunning: do, an if you will: If heaven be pleased that you must use me ill, 55 Why then you must. Will you put out mine eyes ? These eyes that never did nor never shall So much as frown on you. Hub. I have sworn to do it; The iron of itself, though heat red-hot, 63. his] Capell; this Ff. ... stood ... neere unto Vertue, "lien" ("I heard of an Egyptian but making a shew of fearfulnesse to That had nine hours lien dead"). approach her and the light: yet still 52. at your sick service] An abbreand anon casting her eyes sometimes viation for “at your service when to the one side beneath." Perhaps you were sick." Compare "true this phrase has some connection with defence" in iv. iii. 84 infra. Perhaps the curious “still-an-end” of Two we ought to read “ sick-service" Gentlemen of Verona, iv. iv. 67. (service to a sick man in his bedSchmidt calls this latter a corruption chamber). of “still and anon." 57. nor] Pope reads "and," for, by 50. lien] A form of the participle his time, the double negative had of “lie,” which survived right into become incorrect. the nineteenth century (see New Eng. 61. heat] heated. Shakespeare Dict.); now superseded by the form often used abbreviated past participles “ lain.” The first three Folios have in “t" in this way. “ lyen," the fourth “lain.” In 64. the matter of mine innocence] Pericles, III. ii. 85, we again read Let us hope that Shakespeare here Nay, after that, consume away in rust, 70 Hub. Come forth. [Stamps. Re-enter Executioners, with a cord, irons, etc. Do as I bid you do. Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men. I will not struggle, I will stand stone-still. And I will sit as quiet as a lamb; 67. stubborn-hard] first hyphened by Theobald (1740) (ed. 2). 71. Stamps] omitted Ff. 76. boisterous-rough) hyphened by Theobald. meant “the substance which be- attempt to regularise this line is to tokens my innocence (the water of my spoil it. tears)" (Moore-Smith), rather than 77. stone-still] Common in the "secretion,” “exudation," of Elizabethan English, and found more Schmidt. But compare iv. ii. 79-81 than once in Chaucer. Compare supra. Florio's Montaigne (ed. Waller, p. 70. I would ... Hubert's] This 12): "She stood afraid, stonestili at line, with the exception of the sub- the strange sight”; and Lucrece, stitution of a comma and a dash for 1730: “Stone still, astonished with the colon after "him" is the reading this deadly deed.” of the Folios, and gives excellent 78. heaven sake] Another instance sense if we will only be good enough of the omission of the mark of the to allow Shakespeare to use an possessive when clashing with ellipsis. “I would not have believed another sibilant. Compare" Alcides him,-(I will believe) no tongue but shows," 11. i. 144 supra. Hubert's." There are many emenda- 80. quiet as a lamb] Proverbial; tions. found in Heywood's Pericles (1546). 73. O, save me, Hubert, etc.] To I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word, Whatever torment you do put me to. [Exeunt Executioners, Arth. Alas, I then have chid away my friend ! He hath a stern look, but a gentle heart: Give life to yours. Come, boy, prepare yourself. 90 Arth. Is there no remedy? Hub. None, but to lose your eyes. Arth. O heaven, that there were but a mote in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandering hair, Your vile intent must needs seem horrible. 81. wince] The first Folio reads 91. None, but to lose your eyes] This winch, evidently a form of “wince." answer seems to imply that losing All the Quartos and Folios of Hamthe eyes was a remedy. We may let, except the 1603 Quarto, print construe “remedy" as alternative, 111. ii. 252 as “Let the galled jade and then we have to ask alternative winch." to what? Vaughan omits “to," and 85. let me alone with him] trust explains “None, but lose your eyes " me to deal with him. So Twelfth as “no remedy against losing your Night, 11. iii. 145: "For Monsieur eyes.” Perhaps Hubert is thinking Malvolio, let me alone with him." of John's command to put Arthur to Compare also Twelfth Night, 11. iv. death, and this putting out of the 201: “Let me alone for swearing"; eyes is a remedy against that. and Middleton, A Trick, i. 1 (Mer- 92. mote] So Steevens (1793), after maid ed. p. 8): “if his nephew be Long MS. and a conjecture of Upton's. poor indeed he lets God alone with The Folios have moth, and mote and him," moth are the same words, Arth. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Must needs want pleading for a pair of eyes : And would not harm me. I can heat it, boy. 105 Arth. No, in good sooth; the fire is dead with grief, Being create for comfort, to be used And strew'd repentant ashes on his head. And glow with shame of your proceedings, Hubert: 101. will, cut] Rowe; will cut Ff. 98, 99. the utterance of a brace of our comfort) at being wrongly used tongues, etc.] Two tongues would be for cruel purposes. Create = created. unable to plead sufficiently for two Compare heat = heated, line 61 supra. eyes. Vaughan's inversion of 1og. in this burning coal] Hudson, " the pleading for a pair of eyes upon a conjecture of Grey's, prints Must needs want utterance of a -"burning in this coal," a most logical brace of tongues" and practical emendation, for there is unnecessary if we give “want” its would be malice in a burning coal. proper force of “fall short in," as in The next few lines however rather iv. iii. 138 infra : “Let hell want take away the point of the new readpains enough to torture me.” ing, for it becomes evident that the 106-108. No, in good sooth ... coal was still alight although covered extremes] no, in truth; the fire is with ashes, and could be revived by dead with grief (for it was created for blowing upon it. Snatch at his master that doth tarre him on. Creatures of note for mercy-lacking uses. For all the treasure that thine uncle owes : With this same very iron to burn them out. 125 Arth. O, now you look like Hubert ! all this while You were disguised. Peace; no more. Adieu. I'll fill these dogged spies with false reports: " live and see.” Roderick conjectures 117. tarre] urge. Mid. Eng. terren, “see and live." The meaning is or terien, to incite. Compare Hamlet, evidently “ live and keep thy sight”; 11. ii. 370: “The nation holds it no but I cannot help thinking that here sin to tarre them to controversy." we have another clue to the thoughts The word still exists in dialect (see of Hubert as in line 91 note, supra. Eng. Dialect Dict.). Halliwell's He has promised John that Arthur Dict. quotes Wilbraham (p. 112) shall not“ live," and continually has under Tarr-on: “ To excite to anger the death of Arthur in his mind. In or violence; is still used in Cheshire. putting out Arthur's eyes it seems It is a good old word, used by Wicliffe to me that he originally intended to in his Path Waye to Perfect Know- kill the prince, and that in the phrase ledg; and also in a MS. translation "see to live" we have an admission of the Psalms by Wicliffe, penes me : of that. What would make Hubert • They have terrid thee to ire.'” choose the peculiar punishment of 119-121. only you do lack ... putting out Arthur's eyes when he mercy-lacking uses] you alone lack had promised the king' to kill him, that mercy which even fire and iron unless, in so doing, he meant to exhibit,-fire and iron, things notably kill ? used in affairs where no mercy is 122. touch] injure. Connected required. The number of the verb with Scan. tac, a wound [?] (Skeat). “extends” may be explained by Compare Cymbeline, v. iii. 10 : supposing that fire and iron really “Some mortally, some slightly conveyed but one idea to the mind. touched”; also the modern“ touchy." 122. see to live] Elze (Athen. 1867) 123. owes] See 11. i. 109, 248 supra, conjectures either “live to see" or and iv. ii. 99 infra. |