142. "Her motion and her station are as one." Mr. Steevens, I suspect, has not given a just definition of station, which he says is the act of standing. This, undoubtedly, is its literal and primitive sense; but here, I believe, it means attitude, position; and might as well be the act of sitting. The messenger says, that whether she is still or in motion, she is alike ungraceful. 143. Go, make thee ready." A particle is wanting to the measure: "Most fit for business: Go, and make thee ready." i. e. Says Mr. Henley, literally, to hunt, and hence the word harrier. But I believe this is not correct; harriers are only such hounds as pursue the hare; and dogs for the fox and stag hunt are not so called; nevertheless, the word harry, in its metaphorical sense, is taken from its hunting import. 143. By him," i. e. by his description. "Thing" often occurs, when either an object of superlative dignity or remarkable insignificance is to be expressed; thus Coriolanus, blazing in the splendour of his victory, is accosted, "Thou noble thing!" and thus, in the extremity of contempt, is Hostess Quickly saluted, "Thou thing!" Thing, at this day, is a colloquial term for excellence as well as worthlessness. SCENE IV. 144. "To public ear." Some words, perhaps like these, are lost: "To win the multitude." 145. " The gods will mock me presently, "When I shall pray, O, bless my lord and husband! "Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud, "O, bless my brother! husband win, win brother. "Prays, and destroys the prayer." The words " and then" are necessary to the sense, after lord and husband. Volumnia expostulates, in the same manner, to Coriolanus: 66 - Thou bar'st us "Our prayers to the gods; for how can we, "Alas! how can we for our country pray, "Whereto we are bound, together with thy vic tory, Whereto we are bound? alack! or we must lose "The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person, "Our comfort in the country; we must find "An evident calamity, though we had "Our wish which side should win." 146. " Awar "Shall stain your brother." Antony, I believe, only means, that whatever censure the war shall incur, will fall on Cæsar, who provoked it. The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak "Your reconciler." I believe we should read, Make me most weak, most strong, "Your reconciler." "Can equally move," &c. I would read, metrically, "Can equal, move with them: provide your go ing.' SCENE VI. He frets, "That Lepidus, of the triumvirate The prepositions are often abused and confounded by the early writers, but rarely, I believe, in so striking a manner as here," depos'd of the Triumvirate," and " being that we," &c. and being so deposed, that we detain his revenue: the elision is unwarrantable. Depos'd of the triumvirate.” This I take to be a Gallicism. 153. CAPEL LOFFT., And have prevented "The ostent of our love, which, left unshown, "Is often left unlov'd." This is perplexed; "which" must refer either to "love" or ostent;" if to love, what can be meant by "love left unlov'd?" (perhaps unvalued.) If to "ostent," besides the tautology of ostent or ostentation left unshewn, what is intended by its being also left unloved? (perhaps, as in the other case, unvalued.) I know not what to make of the passage. We may add, for the measure, he is in Athens. 86 He hath given his empire Up to a whore, who now are levying.” This cannot be reduced to concord, "who" must refer to Cleopatra; the sense requires a correction of the text: He hath given his empire Up to a whore; and they're now levying "The kings," &c. 155. "More larger list of sceptres." Oct. " Ah me! most wretched!” Ah should be ejected. 157. SCENE VII. But why, why, why?" Why should we have here three whys before one is answered? Rejecting this superfluity, and omitting also the unnecessary "but," we should obtain measure: Again, a warrantable contraction would give harmony to the following line: "And say'st it is not fit." 158. Well, is it, is't? "Is't not? denounce against us; why should not we "Be there in person ?” I think both the sense and metre require: "Is't not denounc'd 'gainst us? why should not we," &c. 159. "Your presence needs must puzzle Antony, "Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his time "What should not then be spar'd." This argument is used to Cora by Rolla, in Pizarro. 160. "To taunt at slackness.-Canidius, we "Will fight," &c. The metre demands a transposition: "To taunt at slackness; we, Canidius.' 161. "I have sixty sails, Cæsar, none better." It is monstrous to admit such an order of words as this into the text, as a verse: some change, at least is necessary: will this do? "I have full sixty sail; Cæsar none better." A word seems to have been lost; perhaps, More mutilation: "Casar has taken Toryne." I suppose, by Antony's speech, as well as from |