His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant And then, the whining school-boy, with his satchel, Even in the cannon's mouth: And then, the justice, Is second childishness, and mere oblivion; Re-enter ORLANDO, with ADAM. Duke S. Welcome: Set down your venerable burden, And let him feed. His acts being seven ages.] This was not an unfrequent division of a play before our author's time. One of Chapman's plays (Two wise men and all the rest fools), is in seven acts. Steevens once possessed an old print, of which Henley remembers to have seen a copy, entitled "The Stage of Man's life, divided into Seven Ages." From this most probably Shakspeare took his hint. "I well remember," says Steevens, "that it exhibited the school-boy with his satchel hanging over his shoulder."-The division of man's life, into seven ages was not a modern invention, it was so divided by Proclus and Hippo crates. a b and bearded like the pard,] Beards of different cut were appropriated in our author's time to different characters and professions.-MALONE. sudden and quick-] Lest it should be supposed that these epithets are synonymous, it is necessary to be observed, that one of the ancient senses of sudden, is violent. STEEVENS. c d modern-] i. e. Trite, common. pantaloon;] One of the general characters of the Italian comedy, called il pantalone, is a thin emaciated old man in slippers; and is the only character so dressed.-WARBURTON. Orl. I thank you most for him. Adam. So had you need; I scarce can speak to thank you for myself. Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! unto the green holly : II. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, Though thou the waters warp, As friend remember'd' not. Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! &c. Duke S. If that you were the good sir Rowland's son,— As you have whisper'd faithfully, you were ; And as mine eye doth his effigies witness e Because thou are not seen.] Dr. Johnson supposes that the original line having been lost, the above was substituted to supply the deficiency; and it is confessed, on all hands, that this stanza can only be tortured into a meaning. Dr. Johnson's paraphrase is :-Thou winter wind, thy rudeness gives the less pain, because thou art an enemy that does not brave us with thy presence, and whose unkindness is therefore not aggravated by insult.-I never perceived any difficulty, till it was pointed out by the commentators, but supposed the words to mean, that the inclemency of the wind was not so severely felt as the ingratitude of man, because the foe is unseen, i. e. unknown, and the sense of injury is not heightened by the recollection of any former kindness. f · remember'd]—for remembering. Most truly limn'd, and living in your face,- Go to my cave and tell me. Thou art right welcome as thy master is: Support him by the arm.-Give me your hand, And let me all your fortunes understand. ACT III. SCENE I.-A Room in the Palace. [Exeunt. Enter Duke FREDERICK, OLIVER, Lords, and Duke F. Not see him since? Sir, sir, that cannot be : But were Of my revenge, thou present: But look to it; Seek him with candle; bring him dead or living, Thy lands, and all things that thou dost call thine, Oli. O, that your highness knew my heart in this! I never lov'd my brother in my life. Duke F. More villain thou.-Well, push him out of And let my officers of such a nature Make an extenth upon his house and lands: Do this expediently,' and turn him going. [doors; [Exeunt. an absent argument-] An argument is used for the contents of a book, thence Shakspeare considered it as meaning the subject, and then used it for subject in yet another sense.-JOHNSON.. Make an extent-] "To make an extent of lands," is a legal phrase, from the words of a writ, (extendi facias,) whereby the sheriff is directed to cause certain lands to be appraised to their full extended value, before he delivers them to the person entitled under a recognizance, &c. in order that it may be certainly known how soon the debt will be paid.-MALONE, i. expediently,] That is, expeditiously;-throughout our author's plays expedient is used in the sense of expeditious. STEEVENS. Orl. I thank you most for him. Adam. So had you need; I scarce can speak to thank you for myself. Duke S. Welcome, fall to; I will not trouble you AMIENS sings. SONG. I. Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen,o Although thy breath be rude. Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! unto the green holly: This life is most jolly. II. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky, Though thou the waters warp, As friend remember'd' not. Heigh, ho! sing, heigh, ho! &c. Duke S. If that you were the good sir Rowland's son,As you have whisper'd faithfully, you were; And as mine eye doth his effigies witness e Because thou are not seen.] Dr. Johnson supposes that the original line having been lost, the above was substituted to supply the deficiency; and it is confessed, on all hands, that this stanza can only be tortured into a meaning. Dr. Johnson's paraphrase is :—Thou winter wind, thy rudeness gives the less pain, because thou art an enemy that does not brave us with thy presence, and whose unkindness is therefore not aggravated by insult.-I never perceived any difficulty, till it was pointed out by the commentators, but supposed the words to mean, that the inclemency of the wind was not so severely felt as the ingratitude of man, because the foe is unseen, i. e. unknown, and the sense of injury is not heightened by the recollection of any former kindness. f remember'd]-for remembering. Most truly limn'd, and living in your face,- ACT III. SCENE I.-A Room in the Palace. [Exeunt. Enter Duke FREDERICK, OLIVER, Lords, and Duke F. Not see him since? Sir, sir, that cannot be But were I not the better part made mercy, I should not seek an absent arguments Of my revenge, thou present: But look to it; Seek him with candle; bring him dead or living, Thy lands, and all things that thou dost call thine, Till thou canst quit thee by thy brother's mouth, Oli. O, that your highness knew my heart in this! I never lov'd my brother in my life. Duke F. More villain thou.-Well, push him out of And let my officers of such a nature [doors; Make an extenth upon his house and lands: Do this expediently,' and turn him going. [Exeunt. an absent argument-] An argument is used for the contents of a book, thence Shakspeare considered it as meaning the subject, and then used it for subject in yet another sense.-JOHNSON.. h Make an extent-] "To make an extent of lands," is a legal phrase, from the words of a writ, (extendi facias,) whereby the sheriff is directed to cause certain lands to be appraised to their full extended value, before he delivers them to the person entitled under a recognizance, &c. in order that it may be certainly known how soon the debt will be paid.—MALONE. expediently,] That is, expeditiously;—throughout our author's playserpedient is used in the sense of expeditious.-STEEVENS. |