ANT. Thaliard, adieu! till Pericles be dead, My heart can lend no fuccour to my head. [Exit. SCENE II. Tyre. A Room in the Palace.. Enter PERICLES, HELICANUS, and other Lords. PER. Let none difturb us: Why this charge of thoughts?? My heart can lend no fuccour to my head.] So, the King in Hamlet: "How ere my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.” Should &c.] Why this charge of thoughts?\ MALONE. [Old copy why The quarto, 1609, reads-chage. The emendation was fuggefted by Mr. Steevens. fituted change. Change is printed for charge in ds you like it, 1623, A& I. fc. iii. and in Coriolanus, Ad V. fc. iii. Thought was formerly used in the fenfe of melancholy. Vol. XVIII. p. 334, n. 7. MALONE. See In what refpe& are the thoughts of Pericles changed? I would read 16-charge of thoughts," i. e. weight of them, burthen, preffure of thought. So afterwards in this play: Patience, good fir, even for this charge." The first copy reads chage. Although thought, in the fingular number, often means melancholy, in the plural, I believe, it is never employed with that gnification. STEEVENS. Change of thoughts, it feems was the old reading, which I think preferable to the amendment. By change of thoughts Pericles means, that change in the difpofition of his mind - that unufual propensity to melancholy and cares, which he afterwards defcribes, and which made his body pine, and his foul to languish. There appears, however, to be an error in the paffage; we fhould leave out the word should, which injures both the fense and the metre, and read Let none difurb us: why this change of thou oughts? M. MASON. The fad companion, dull-ey'd melancholy," In the day's glorious walk, or peaceful night, quiet! Here pleafures court mine eyes, and mine eyes fhun them, And danger, which I feared, is at Antioch, And what was first but fear what might be done," 6 The fad companion, dull-ey'd melancholy,] So, in The Comedy of Errors: "Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue "Kinfman to grim and comfortless despair?" MALONE. dull-eyd melancholy,] The fame compound epithet occurs in The Merchant of Venice: 3 happen. 4 "I'll not be made a foft and dull-ey'd fool." STEFVENS. but fear what might be done, j But fear of what might MALONE. and cares it be not done,] And makes provifion that it may not be done. MALONE. 5 Since he's fo great, Perhaps we should read Since he fo great, &c. otherwife the latter part of the line will be elliptical. STEEVENS If he fufpect I may difhonour him: And what may make him blush in being known, Who am no more but as the tops of trees, (Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend them,) 8 Makes both my body pine, and foul to languish, And punish that before, that he would punish. " And with the oftent &c.] Old copiesAnd with the tent of war will look so huge. Should not this be, And with th' oftent of war &c.? TYRWHITT. The emendation made by Mr. Tyrwhitt is confirmed by a paffage in The Merchant of Venice: "Like one well ftudied in a fad oftent, "To please his grandam,' Again, in King Richard II: " "With oftentation of despised arms.” MALONE, Which care of them, &c.] Old copy Which care of them, not pity of myself, (Who once no more but as the tops of trees. Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend them, } Pericles means to compare the bead of a kingdom to the upper branches of a tree. As it is the office of the latter to fcreen the Toots they grow by, fo it is the duty of the former to prote& his fubje&s, who are no less the supporters of his dignity. STEEVENS. Once more, muft have been a corruption. I formerly thought the poet might have written Who owe no more, but am now perfuaded that he wrote, however ungrammatically-Who wants nowhich felf wanis no more; has no other with or BOTE, i. 1. LORD. Joy and all comfort in your facred breait! 2. LORD. And keep your mind, till you return to us, Peaceful and comfortable! HEL. Peace, peace, my lords, and give experience They do abufe the king, that flatter him: 2 Whereas reproof, obedient, and in order, PER. All leave us elfe; but let your cares o'er look defire, but to proted its fubje&s. The tranfcriber's ear, I fuppofe, deceived him in this as in various other inftances. It should be remembered that felf was formerly used as a fubftantive, and is fo ufed at this day by perfons of an inferior rank, who frequently fay his felf. Hence, I fuppofe, the author wrote wants rather than want. MALONE. 9. To which that breath &c, ] i. e. the breath of flattery. The old copy reads that Spark; the word, (as Mr. Steevens has obferved,} being accidentally repeated by the compofitor. He would readthat wind. MALONE. This paffage feems to be corrupt, as it ftands, and the fenfe requires that we should read, To which that blaft gives heat and stronger glowing. Steevens agrees with me in the neceffity of fome amendment, but proposes to read wind, which I think not fo proper a word as blaf. M. MASON. When fignior Sooth 1 A near kinfman of this gentleman is mentioned in The Winter's Tale: and his pond filh'd by his next neighbour, by for Smile, his neighbour." What shipping, and what lading's in our haven, And then return to us. [Exeunt Lords.] Helicanus, thou Haft moved us: what feeft thou in our looks? HEL. An angry brow, dread lord. PER. If there be fuch a dart in princes' frowns, How durft thy tongue move anger to our face? HEL. How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence They have their nourishment?* PER. To take thy life." Thou know' I have power HEL. [Kneeling.] I have ground the axe myself; Do you but ftrike the blow. PER. Rife, pr'ythee rise; Sit down, fit down; thou art no flatterer: I thank thee for it; and high heaven forbid, That kings fhould let their cars hear their faults hid!4 How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence. They have their nourishment?] Thus the quarto 1609. Mr Rowe &c. read, How dare the planets look up unto heaven From whence they have their nourishment? It would puzzle a philofopher to afcertain the quality of planetary nourishment, or to discover how planets, which are already in heaven, can be faid to look up to it. STEEVENS. Heaven That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid!] forbid, that kings should flop their cars, and fo prevent them from bearing their fecret faults!-To let formerly fignified to hinder. So, in Hamlet: ་་ By heaven I'll make a gloft of him that lets me." Again, in Fancred and Gifmund, 1592: "Nor base fufpe& of aught to let his fuit." MALONE. I am not clear but that let is here ufed in its ordinary fenfe. "Forbid it, heaven (fays Pericles) that kings fhould fuffer their ars to hear their failings palliated!" HOLT WHITE. |