Drawn by report, advent'rous by desire, Tell thee with speechless tongues, and semblance pale, 6 That, without covering, save yon field of stars And by those fearful objects to prepare the gate, to terrifie others that should come, who beholding there the present image of death, might aduise them from assaying any such danger. These outrages practised Antiochus, to the end he might continue in filthy incest with his daughter." STEEVENS. Thus, Lucan, 6 — without covering, save yon field of stars,] lib. vii. : cœlo tegitur qui non habet urnam. STEEVENS. 7 And with dead cheeks advise thee to desist,] Thus, in Romeo and Juliet: think upon these gone: "Let them affright thee." STEEVENS. FOR going on death's net,] Thus the old copies, and rightly. For going means the same as for fear of going. So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Lucetta says of the fragments of a letter: "Yet here they shall not lie for catching cold." i. e. for fear of it. See vol. iv. p. 26, n. 3. It were easy to subjoin a croud of instances in support of the original reading. STEEVENS. PERCY. I would read-in death's net. 9-like to them, to what I must:] That is,-to prepare this body for that state to which I must come. MALONE. Who know the world, see heaven, but feeling woe, &c.] The meaning may be " I will act as sick men do; who having had experience of the pleasures of the world, and only a visionary and distant prospect of heaven, have neglected the latter for the former; but at length feeling themselves decaying, grasp no longer at temporal pleasures, bnt prepare calmly for futurity. MALONE. Gripe not at earthly joys, as erst they did; And all good men, as every prince should do; [To the Daughter of ANTIOCHUS. Thus ready for the way of life or death, I wait the sharpest blow. ANT. Scorning advice.-Read the conclusion then 2: Which read and not expounded, 'tis decreed, In all, save that, I wish thee happiness 3 ! Malone has justly explained the meaning of this passage, but he has not shown how the words, as they stand, will bear that meaning: Some amendment appears to me absolutely necessary, and that which I should propose is to read "Who now in the world see heaven," &c. That is, who at one time of their lives find heaven in the pleasures of the world, but after having tasted of misfortune, begin to be weaned from the joys of it. Were we to make a further alteration, and read—“ seek heaven," instead of "see heaven,” the expression would be stronger; but that is not necessary. M. MASON. 2 Read the conclusion then ;] This and the two following lines are given in the first quarto to Pericles; and the word Antiochus, which is now placed in the margin, makes part of his speech. There can be no doubt that they belong to Antiochus. MALONE. These lines in the old copies stand as follows: "Thus ready for the way of life or death "I wayte the sharpest blow (Antiochus) Scorning aduice; read the conclusion then : "Which read," &c. Unbroken measure, as well as the spirit of this passage, perhaps decide in favour of its present arrangement. STEEVENS. Mr. Steevens reads: "I wait the sharpest blow, Antiochus, "Ant. Read the conclusion then :" BOSWELL. 3 In ALL, save that, &c.] Old copy: PER. Like a bold champion, I assume the lists, Nor ask advice of any other thought But faithfulness, and courage *. [He reads the Riddle.] I am no viper, yet I feed On mother's flesh, which did me breed: Of all said yet, may'st thou prove prosperous! Of all said yet, I wish thee happiness!" 'Said is here apparently contracted for assay'd, i. e. tried, attempted. PERCY. She cannot wish him more prosperous, with respect to the exposition of the riddle, than the other persons who had attempted it before; for as the necessary consequence of his expounding it would be the publication of her own shame, we cannot suppose that she should wish him to succeed in that. The passage is evidently corrupt, and should probably be corrected by reading the lines thus: “In all, save that, may'st thou prove prosperous ! Her father had just said to Pericles, that his life depended on his expounding the riddle; and the daughter, who feels a regard for the Prince, expresses it by deprecating his fate, and wishing him success in every thing except that. She wishes that he may not expound the riddle, but that his failing to do so may be attended with prosperous consequences. When we consider how licentious Shakspeare frequently is in the use of his particles, it may not perhaps be thought necessary to change the word of, in the beginning of these lines, for the word in. There is no great difference in the traces of the letters between said and save; and the words that and yet have one common abbreviation, viz. y'. M. MASON. I have inserted Mr. M. Mason's conjecture in the text, as it gives a more reasonable turn to the speech than has hitherto been supplied; and because it is natural to wish that the only words assigned to this lady, might have some apt and determinate meaning. STEEVENS. 4 Nor ask advice of any other thought But faithfulness, and courage.] This is from the third book of Sidney's Arcadia: "Whereupon asking advice of no other thought but faithfulnesse and courage, he presently lighted from his own horse," &c. edit. 1633, p. 253. STEEVENS. 5 He reads the Riddle.] The riddle is thus described in I sought a husband, in which labour, 8 Sharp physick is the last : but O you powers! That give heaven countless eyes to view men's acts, Why cloud they not1 their sights perpetually, Gower: "Questio regis Antiochi.-Scelere vehor, maternâ carne vescor, quero patrem meum, matris meæ virum, uxoris meæ filium." "With felonie I am upbore, "I ete, and have it not forlore, My moders fleshe whose husbonde My fader for to seche I fonde, "Which is the sonne eke of my wife, "And who that can my tale save, "All quite he shall my doughter have. "Of his answere and if he faile, "He shall be dead withouten faile." MALONE. 6 I sought a husband, in which LABOUR, I FOUND that kindness IN a father,] The defective rhyme which labour affords to father, and the obscurity indeed of the whole couplet, induce me to suppose it might originally have stood thus: "I sought a husband; in which rather "I found the kindness of a father." In which (i. e. in whom, for this pronoun anciently related to persons as well as things) I rather found parental than marital love. STEEVENS. 7 As you will live, resolve it you.] This duplication is common enough to ancient writers. So, in King Henry IV. Part I. "I'll drink no more; for no man's pleasure I." MALONE. 8 SHARP physick is the last :] i. e. the intimation in the last line of the riddle that his life depends on resolving it; which he properly enough calls sharp physick, or a bitter potion. PERCY. 9 That give heaven countless EYES to view men's acts,] So, in A Midsummer-Night's Dream : who more engilds the night, "Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light." MALONE. - countless eyes Why CLOUD they not-] So, in Macbeth : If this be true, which makes me pale to read it? [Takes hold of the hand of the Princess. But, being play'd upon before your time, ANT. Prince Pericles, touch not, upon thy life", For that's an article within our law, As dangerous as the rest. Your time's expir'd; 66 stars, hide your fires, "Let not light see," &c. STEEVENS. For he's no man on whom perfections wait,] Means no more than he's no honest man, that knowing, &c. MALONE. 3 — to make man—] i. e. to produce for man, &c. MALONE. 4 But, &c. Hell only danceth at so HARSH а CHIME:] Somewhat like this occurs in Milton's Ode at a Solemn Musick : 66 disproportion'd sin "Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din 5 Prince Pericles, TOUCH NOT, upon thy life.] This is a stroke of nature. The incestuous king cannot bear to see a rival touch the hand of the woman he loves. His jealousy resembles that of Antony: 66 to let him be familiar with "My play-fellow, your hand; this kingly seal, "And plighter of high hearts." STEEVENS. Malefort, in Massinger's Unnatural Combat, expresses the like impatient jealousy, when Beaufort touches his daughter Theocrine, to whom he was betrothed. M. MASON. |