So the life, that died with shame, Praising her when I am dumb. [Affixing it. Now, musick, sound, and sing your solemn hymn. SONG. Pardon, Goddess of the night, Those that slew thy virgin knight;& To do to death is merely an old translation of the French phrase -Faire mourir. Steevens. 5 See in guerdon-] Guerdon is reward, remuneration. Costard's use of this word in Love's Labour's Lost, Act III, sc. i, The verb, to guerdon, occurs both in King Henry VI, P. II, and in King Henry VIII. Steevens. 6 Those that slew thy virgin knight;] Knight, in its original signification, means follower, or pupil, and in this sense may be feminine. Helena, in All's well that ends well, uses knight in the same signification. Johnson. Hero Virgin knight is virgin hero. In the times of chivalry, a virgin knight was one who had as yet achieved no adventure. had as yet achieved no matrimonial one. It may be added, that a virgin knight wore no device on his shield, having no right to any till he had deserved it. So, in The History of Clyomon, Knight of the Golden Shield, &c. 1599: "Then as thou seem'st in thy attire a virgin knight to be, "Take thou this shield likewise of white," &c. It appears, however, from several passages in Spenser's Faery Queene, B. I, c. vii, that an ideal order of this name was supposed, as a compliment to Queen Elizabeth's virginity: "Of doughtie knights whom faery land did raise Again, B. II, c. ii: "Order of maidenhed the most renown'd." Again, B. II, c. ix: "And numbred be mongst knights of maidenhed." On the books of the Stationers' Company in the year 1594, is entered, " Pheander the mayden knight." Steevens. I do not believe that any allusion was here intended to Hero's having yet achieved "no matrimonial adventure." Diana's knight or Virgin knight, was the common poetical appellation of virgins, in Shakspeare's time. So, in The Two Noble Kinsmen, 1634: "O sacred, shadowy, cold and constant queen, "Allow'st no more blood than will make a blush, For the which, with songs of woe, Graves, yawn, and yield your dead, Heavily, heavily. Claud. Now, unto thy bones good night! D. Pedro. Good morrow, masters; put your torches out: The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day, Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey: Thanks to you all, and leave us; fare you well. Claud. Good morrow, masters; each his several way. D. Pedro. Come, let us hence, and put on other weeds; And then to Leonato's we will go. Claud. And, Hymen, now with luckier issue speed 's, Than this, for whom we render'd up this woe! [Exeunt. Malone. Again, more appositely in Spenser's Faery Queene, B. III, c. xii: "Soon as that virgin knight he saw in place, "His wicked bookes in hast he overthrew." This last instance will by no means apply; for the virgin knight is the maiden Britomart, who appeared in the accoutrements of a knight, and from that circumstance was so denominated. Steevens. 7 Till death be uttered,] I do not profess to understand this line, which to me appears both defective in sense and metre. I suppose two words have been omitted, which perhaps were — Till songs of death be uttered, &c. So, in King Richard III: "Out on you, owls! nothing but songs of death?" Steevens. 8 And, Hymen, now with luckier issue speed 's, Than this, for whom we render'd up this woe!] The old copy has-speeds. Steevens. Claudio could not know, without being a prophet, that this new proposed match should have any luckier event than that designed with Hero. Certainly, therefore, this should be a wish in Claudio; and to this end, the poet might have wrote, speed's; i. e. speed us and so it becomes a prayer to Hymen. Thirlby. The contraction introduced is so extremely harsh, that I doubt whether it was intended by the author. However I have followed former editors in adopting it. Malone. SCENE IV. A Room in LEONATO's House. Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, BEATRICE, Friar. Did I not tell you she was innocent? Ant. Well, I am glad that all things sort so well. Bene. And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. Leon. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all, And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd: Bene. To bind me, or undo me, one of them.— Your niece regards me with an eye of favour. Leon. That eye my daughter lent her; 'Tis most true. But, for my will, my will is, your good will In which, good friar, I shall desire your help. And my help. 9 In the state of honourable marriage ;] Marriage, in this instance, is used as a trisyllable. So, in The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, SC. ii: 3 ""Twere good, methinks, to steal our marriage." Steevens. Here comes the prince, and Claudio. Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attendants. D. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair assembly. Leon. Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio; We here attend you; Are you yet determin'd To-day to marry with my brother's daughter? Claud. I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiop. Leon. Call her forth, brother, here 's' the friar ready. [Exit ANT. D. Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick: Why, what's the matter, That you have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness? Claud. I think, he thinks upon the savage bull:1 Tush, fear not, man, we 'll tip thy horns with gold, And all Europa shall rejoice at thee;2 As once Europa did at lusty Jove, When he would play the noble beast in love. Bene. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow, Much like to you, for you have just his bleat. Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies mask'd. Claud. For this I owe you: here come other reckonings. Which is the lady I must seize upon? Ant. This same is she,3 and I do give you her. Claud. Why, then she's mine: Sweet, let me see your face. Leon. No, that you shall not, till you take her hand Before this friar, and swear to marry her. 1 the savage bull:] Still alluding to the passage quoted in a former scene from Kyd's Hieronymo. Steevens. 2 And all Europa shall &c.] I have no doubt but that our author wrote And all our Europe &c. So, in King Richard II: "As were our England in reversion his." Steevens. 3 Ant. This same &c.] This speech is in the old copies given to Leonato. Mr. Theobald first assigned it to the right owner. Leonato has in a former part of this scene told Antonio,—that he "must be father to his brother's daughter, and give her to young Claudio." Malone. Claud. Give me your hand before this holy friar; I am your husband, if you like of me. Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife: [Unmasking. And when you lov'd, you were my other husband. Claud. Another Hero? Hero. Nothing certainer: One Hero died defil'd; but I do live, And, surely as I live, I am a maid. D. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero that is dead! When, after that the holy rites are ended, And to the chapel let us presently. Bene. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Beatrice? Beat. I answer to that name; [unmasking] What is your will? Bene. Do not you love me? Beat. No, no more than reason.4 Bene. Why, then your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio, Have been deceived; for they swore you did.5 Beat. Do not you love me? Bene. No, no more than reason." Beat. Why, then my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula, Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear, you did. Bene. They swore that you were almost sick for me. Beat. They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me, Bene. 'Tis no such matter:-Then, you do not love me? Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompense. 4 No, no more than reason.] The old copies, injuriously to me. tre, read-Why, no, &c. It should seem that the compositor's eye had caught the here unnecessary adverb from the following speech. Steevens. 5 for they swore you did.] For, which both the sense and metre require, was inserted by Sir Thomas Hanmer. So, below: "Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear, you did." Malone. 6 No, no more than reason.] Here again the metre, in the old copies, is overloaded by reading-Troth, no, no more &c. Steevens. |