KEEP. Madam, if't please the queen to send the babe, I know not what I shall incur, to pass it, PAUL. KEEP. I do believe it. PAUL. Do not you fear: upon Mine honour, I will stand 'twixt you and danger. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The same. A Room in the Palace, Enter LEONTES, ANTIGONUS, Lords, and other Attendants. LEON. Nor night, nor day, no rest: It is but weakness To bear the matter thus; mere weakness, if Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank out of the blank And level of my brain,] Beyond the aim of any attempt that I can make against him. Blank and level are terms of archery. JOHNSON. VOL. IX. T I can hook to me: Say, that she were go 1 ATTEN. Who's there? My lord? [Advancing. His nobleness! Conceiving the dishonour of his mother, go, See how he fares. [Exit Attend.]-Fye, fye! no thought of him ; The very thought of my revenges that way Blank and level, mean mark and aim; but they are terms of gunnery, not of archery. Douce. So, in King Henry VIII: 5. I stood i'th' level. "Of a full-charg'd conspiracy." RITSON. Leave me solely:] That is, leave me alone. "The very thought of my revenges that way Recoil upon me: in himself too mighty; M. MASON. And in his parties, his alliance,] So, in Dorastus and Fawnia : "Pandosto, although he felt that revenge was a spur to warre, and that envy alwayes proffereth steele, yet he saw Egisthus was not only of great puissance and prowesse to withstand him, but also had many kings of his alliance to ayd him, if need should serve; for he married the Emperor of Russia's daughter." Our author, it is observable, whether from forgetfulness or design, Until a time may serve for present vengeance, Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes Laugh at me; make their pastime at my sorrow : They should not laugh, if I could reach them; nor Shall she, within my power.alel kaos Libe 1 1 LORD. Enter PAULINA, with a Child. You must not enter. PAUL. Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me: Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas, Than the queen's life? a gracious innocent soul; More free, than he is jealous. ANT. That's enough. 1 ATTEN. Madam, he hath not slept to-night; commanded None should come at him. PAUL. Not so hot, good sir; I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,That creep like shadows by him, and do sigh At each his needless heavings, such as you Nourish the cause of his awaking: I Do come with words as med'cinal as true; Honest, as either; to purge him of that humour, That presses him from sleep. LEON. What noise there, ho? PAUL. Nonoise, my lord; but needful conference, About some gossips for your highness. LEON. How? Away with that audacious lady: Antigonus, has made this lady the wife (not of Egisthus, the Polixenes of this play, but) of Leontes. MALONE. I charg'd thee, that she should not come about me; I knew, she would. WANT. ouis I told her so, my lord, On your displeasure's peril, and on mine, LEON. What, canst not rule her? PAUL. From all dishonesty, he can: in this, (Unless he take the course that you have done, Commit me, for committing honour,) trust it, He shall not rule me. ANT. Lo you now; you hear! When she will take the rein, I let her run; But she'll not stumble.. PAUL. Good my liege, I come, 7 And, I beseech you, hear me, who profess LEON. Good queen! 8 PAUL. Good queen, my lord, good queen: I say, good queen; And would by combat make her good, so were I A man, the worst about you." 8 9 who profess] Old copy-professes. STEEVENS. in comforting your evils,] Comforting is here used in the legal sense of comforting and abetting in a criminal action. M. MASON. To comfort, in old language, is to aid and encourage. Evils here mean wicked courses. MALONE. • And would by combat make her good, so were I A man, the worst about you.] The worst means only the lowest. Were I the meanest of your servants, I would yet claim the combat against any accuser. JOHNSON. LEON. Force her hence. PAUL. Let him, that makes but trifles of his eyes, First hand me: on mine own accord, I'll off; me But, first, I'll do my errand.-The good queen, For she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter; Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing. LEON. [Laying down the Child. Out! A mankind witch!' Hence with her, out o' door: The worst, (as Mr. M. Mason and Mr. Henley observe,) rather means the weakest, or the least expert in the use of arms. STEEVENS, Mr. Edwards observes, that "The worst about you," may mean the weakest, or least warlike. So, r a better man, the best man in company, frequently refer to skill in fighting, not to moral goodness." I think he is right. MALONE. 1 A mankind witch!] A mankind woman is yet used in the midland counties, for a woman violent, ferocious, and mischievous. It has the same sense in this passage. Witches are supposed to be mankind, to put off the softness and delicacy of women; therefore Sir Hugh, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, says of a woman suspected to be a witch, "that he does not like when a woman has a beard." meaning Mr. Theobald has given examples. JOHNSON. So, in The Two angry Women of Abington, 1599: "That e'er I should be seen to strike a woman. Of this "Why she is mankind, therefore thou may'st strike her." Again, as Dr. Farmer observes to me, in A. Fraunce's Iviechurch: He is speaking of the Golden Age: "Noe man murdring man with teare-flesh pyke or a poll ax; Tygers were then tame, sharpe tusked boare was obeissant ; Stoordy lyons lowted, noe wolf was knowne to be mankinde." So, in M. Frobisher's first Voyage for the Discoverie of Cataya, 4to. bl. 1. 1578, p. 48: "He saw mightie deere, that seemed to be mankind, which ranne at him, and hardly he escaped with his life," &c. STEEVENS. I shall offer an etymology of the adjective mankind, which. |