Joy. Act II., Sc. 3. "And hope to joy." Hope is here used as a verb. KISS. Act V., Sc. 1. "And yet not so, for with a kiss 't was made." The kiss was part of the ancient ceremony of affiancing. See 'Two Gentlemen of Verona,' Act II., Sc. 2. KNOTS. Act III., Sc. 4. "Her knots disorder'd." The symmetrical beds of a garden were the knots. In 'Love's Labour's Lost' (Act I., Sc. 1), we have in Armado's letter, thy curious knotted garden." 66 LEWD. Act I., Sc. 1. "The which he hath detain'd for lewd employments." Lewd, from the Anglo-Saxon lawed, in its original signification, means misled, led astray, betrayed into error, and is almost equivalent to wicked. LIONS. Act I., Sc. 1. "Lions make leopards tame." Norfolk's crest was a golden lion. LIVERY. Act II., Sc. 1. "To sue his livery." This is a term in feudal law, by which an heir succeeded to the estates of his ancestor. MERIT. Act I., Sc. 3. "A dearer merit, .... have I deserved." Johnson says to deserve a merit is a phrase of which he knows not any example. It is another proof of Shakspere's attention to the etymology of words, as merit, from the Latin merito, is literally a reward, something earned or gained. Prior has used it in the same sense. "And that small model of the barren earth." Douce considers model to mean a measure, portion, or quantity, a modicum. It more probably means something formed or fashioned. body which it covers. The earth assumes the form of the NE'ER THE NEAR'. Act V., Sc. 1. "Better far off than near, be ne'er the near'." The phrase seems to us to mean here, ". 'never the nearer," though some have taken it for a proverbial expression, meaning not nearer to good. NONE FOR ME. Act I., Sc. 4. "Faith, none for me." None by me, none on my part. PELTING. Act II., Sc. 1. "Like to a tenement, or pelting farm.” See 'Measure for Measure.' POSSESS'D. Act II., Sc. 1. "Deposing thee before thou wert possess'd, Which art possess'd now to depose thyself." The second possess'd is here used in the sense of possessed by some infatuation, insane. See 'Twelfth Night." RAPIER. Act IV., Sc. 1. "With my rapier's point." The rapier was not in use in the time of Richard II. It is an anachronism certainly, but one justified upon the principle of employing terms which were familiar to an audience. SAD. Act V., Sc. 5. "Where no man ever comes, but that sad dog." Sad in the sense of serious; a common meaning of the word in Shakspere's time. SEAL. Act V., Sc. 2. "What seal is that that hangs without thy bosom?" Formerly the seal was not impressed upon the instrument, but attached to it by a slip of parchment, as is the case still in applying the great seal. SHEER. Act V., Sc. 3. "Thou sheer, immaculate, and silver fountain." Sheer is from the Anglo-Saxon sciran, and means separated, SOOTH. Act III., Sc. 3. "With words of sooth." Sooth in its primitive meaning is true or truth; to soothe is to receive as true, and thence to propitiate. Words of sooth are soothing words, words of consolation. SORT. Act IV., Sc. 1. "But they can see a sort of traitors here." STRIKE. Act II., Sc. 1. "And yet we strike not." To strike is to lower, as in to strike sail, and to strike colours. SUGGEST. Act I., Sc. 1. "Suggest his soon-believing adversaries." Suggest is to prompt. SWORN BROTHER. Act V., Sc. 1. "I am sworn brother, sweet." This is an allusion to the custom among military adventurers, who were sometimes leagued to share each other's fortunes, to divide their plunder, and even their honours. They were then fratres jurati, sworn brothers. SYMPATHIES. Act IV., Sc. 1. "If that thy valour stand on sympathies." Sympathy is passion with, mutual passion. Aumerle thinks TIMELESS. Act IV., Sc. 1. "The bloody office of his timeless end." Timeless is untimely. TRADE. Act III., Sc. 3. "Some way of common trade." Trade, in its original meaning, is a course, a path traded or trodden continuously. The modern use of the word as intercourse for buying and selling, is a secondary meaning, engrafted upon the original meaning of habitual course or practice. The trade winds are winds blowing in a regular course, not merely winds favourable to commerce. UNFURNISH'D WALLS. Act I., Sc. 2. "But empty lodgings and unfurnish'd walls." In old mansions the naked stone walls were only covered with tapestry or arras, hung upon tenter-hooks, whence they were easily removed, and the walls left unfurnished. See Percy's 'Northumberland Household Book,' in the preface. VADED. Act I., Sc. 2. "His summer leaves all vaded." Vaded was formerly used much in the sense of faded, but with sometimes a rather stronger meaning. In Spenser we have"However gay their blossoms, or their blade Do flourish now, they into dust shall vade;" where the sense is, clearly, to pass away, to vanish; but in modern editions faded has been usually substituted in this passage. WARDER. Act I., Sc. 3. "The king hath thrown his warder down." Ward is from the Anglo-Saxon ward, to guard, or defend. The warder is here the truncheon, or staff of command, which the king throws down before the combatants to stop their proceedings. WAXEN. Act I., Sc. 3. "That it may enter Mowbray's waxen coat." The noun wax originally meant something soft, yielding. WISTLY. Act V., Sc. 4. "He wistly look'd on me." Wistly is knowingly, earnestly. Most modern editions read wistfully, the same word, but its ancient form was used by Shakspere's contemporaries. WHEN. Act I., Sc. 1. "When, Harry? when?" When was an expression of impatience. In 'The Taming of the Shrew,' Act IV., Sc. 1., it is used in a similar manner by Petruchio. "As well appeareth by the cause you come.' The preposition on is understood: the omission in such cases was not unusual formerly. |