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6075
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*
ARTES
LIBRARY
1837
VERITAS
SCIENTIA
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PLURIBUS UNJM
TUEBUR
SI QUAERIS PENINSULAM AMOENAMU
CIRCUMSPICE
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¦
:
I
A
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
1
..

}
A
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
AN ATTEMPT TO ILLUSTRATE SOME OF
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELIZABETHAN
AND MODERN ENGLISH
For the Use of Schools
E
B
BY
ABBOTT, D.D.
HEAD MASTER OF THE CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL
London
MACMILLAN AND CO.
AND NEW
YORK
The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved
1894
:
RICHARD CLAY AND SONS LIMITED
BUNGAY.
LONDON AND BUNG
First Edition printed July, 1869.
February and June (Second Edition), 1870
Reprinted October, 1869.
Reprinted 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874,
1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1881, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1888, 1891, 1894.
03 HID
16-11-11
CONTENTS.
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
INTRODUCTION
GRAMMAR.
PAGB
xxi
I
ADJECTIVES used as adverbs
compounded
•
in -ful, -less, -ble, and -ive, both actively and passively used
signifying effect used to signify cause
singular used as nouns
•
5
1
PAR.
I
2
3
4
5
6
comparative, -er, more .
in -er, after -ing, -ed, -id, -ain, -st, -ect
superlative, -est used for very
•
in -est after -ent, -ing, -ed, -ect.
t. 00
8
ら
​""
used incorrectly for the comparative
IC
comparative and superlative, pleonastically used.
All, both, each, every, other
possessive transposed
Just; mere; proper, very; influenced by their Latin
meaning.
More, most, used for greater, greatest
f I
•
12
13
14-16
17
One.
18
Right used for true
19
Self.
20
Some.
21
formed from nouns, adverbs, &c., without change
22
vi
CONTENTS.
ALVERBS with and without -ly.
PAP
23
with prefix a-
•
24
derived from the possessive inflection
25
After; again; all; almost
26-29
Along; anon; anything; away; back.
30-33
Besides; briefly; by; chance; even; ever.
34-39
Far; forth; hence; hither.
40-41
Happily; here; hitherto; home; how; howsoever
42-47
Last; moreabove; moreover
48-50
Much; never; none; not
51-54
Nothing; off; once; only; over
55-58
Presently; round; severally; since.
59-62
So inserted
;
omitted;
=
"also ;"
"then
""
63-66
"So for such a".
67
Something; sometimes; still; than; then.
68-71
To-fore; too; what, when; whilst; why; yet
72-76
used as nouns and adjectives.
77
after the verb is
ARTICLE.
An and one, pronunciation of.
A used for "one," "any"
A and the omitted in archaic poetry
78
An connected with one
200
80
79
81
$2
after "as," "like,
" "than"
•
83
"
""
A omitted before nouns signifying a class or a multitude
A inserted after adjectives used as adverbs
84
85
•
A omitted after "what," "such," &c.
•
A inserted before numeral adjectives and many
An-other
The omitted before nouns defined by other nouns
">
after prepositions
The inserted in "at the first," &c.
86
87
SS
•
89
90
91
The used to denote notoriety, &c.
The before verbals
92
•
93
CONTENTS.
vii
The with comparatives.
CONJUNCTIONS. And emphatic with participies.
And emphatic in other cases
"
in answers
after exclamations
in questions
And used for "also " by Wickliffe.
And or an apparently used for if
And if
•
An't were
with the subjunctive .
•
And if used for "even if" and "if indeed"
As contracted for "all-so "
CC
As apparently for as if"
As that for as
•
As used for "that" after ""
As parenthetical
= "for so
SO
از
PAR.
S+
95
96
97
.
98
99
100
ΙΟΙ
102
103
104
·
105
106
127
108
•
109
IIO
•
""
as regards which," &c.
III
•
As for "which"
II3
As, meaning “namely”
113
As with definitions of time
114
As with "seem," participles, &c.
115
As a conjunctional suffix
116
Because.
117
But, meaning and derivation of .
118
But in Early English
119
But meaning prevention
But with the subjunctive and indicative
But, transition of meaning
But taking the place of the subject.
But with contingency expressed or implied
But sometimes ambiguous
But after an execration expressed or implied.
I 20
121
•
I22
•
•
123
•
124
125
126
•
CONTENTS.
But for "than" after negative comparatives.
But passes from "except " to "only" when the negative
PAR
127
is omitted
But varies in its position
But only; merely but, &c.
Or; or ever
•
128
•
129
•
130
•
131
""
Since for "when, ago
So =
Where for "whereas
Whereas for "where"
Whether:
""
•
132
'provided that ;" so with the optative
•
133
•
134
•
135
or whether
136
While
•
137
. 138.
PREPOSITIONS. Local and metaphorical meaning
more restricted in meaning now than in Elizabethan authors 139
A-; after; against .
At used for a-; rejects a following adjective
By, original and derived meanings
1
By
as a consequence of"
=
For instead of,"
as being "
For, original meaning of
140-142
•
143, 144
145
146
147
148
1
For="as regards ;" "because of," referring to the past 149, 150
For, transition into a conjunction
For to, origin of
•
For, variable use of .
"to prevent
For
For after
am
•
"
•
151
·
152
•
153
·
154.
• 155
Forth a preposition
From out
•
From without a verb of motion
In with verbs of motion
In for on "
•
during ".
"in the case of," "about"
. 156
157
158
159
160
161
163
CONTENTS.
ix
In where we use
at
In with the verbal
Of, original meaning
Of with verbs of ablation.
Of applied to past time
-
"" from "
3
Of=
as a consequence of" where we use "by,'
"at," &c. .
Of in adjurations, &c.
•
+
PAR
. 163
164
165
166
167
""
tr
on,"
168
169
•
170
Of preceding the agent.
Of with verbs of construction, &c.; sometimes means
"instead of ".
Of for "in;" appositional genitive .
Of
66
Of
as regards".
"
concerning; "about
of used locally for on
•
Of used temporally for "during "
Of after partitive, French-derived, and formerly impersonal
verbs
•
Of after verbals
•
ΙΤΙ
172
173
174
175
176
•
177
178
Of redundant.
179
•
On metaphorically used
On for "of" in the sense of "about," &c.
possessively
Out a preposition
180
181
182
183
Till for "to"
•
·
184
To, radical meaning "motion to;" hence "in addition to
To
Το
with a view to "
motion to the side of," "against,'
comparison with," "up to"
To with verbs of rest =
To ==
near
•
adjectives of obedience, &c.
"equivalent to," """ for "
To; "I would to God;" "to-night "
185
186.
•
>> "
towards," "in
187
188
ISSa
. 189
190
X
CONTENTS.
:
PAR
Upon used metaphorically; adverbially
191, 192
''
With for "by;" for other prepositions
"like;" withal .
Without for "outside of "
Preposition omitted after verbs of motion; worth; and
after other verbs; before indirect
193, 194
195, 196
•
197
hearing
198, 198a, 199
""
Prepositions transposed.
Upon. "It stands me upon
PRONOUNS, PERSONAL. Anomalies, explanation of.
He for him.
Him for he; I for me
object
in adverbial phrases
200, 201
202
203
204
205
206, 207
208, 209
Me for I; she for her
Thee for thou; after "to be".
210, 211
212, 213
•
214, 215
Them for they; us for we.
anomalies of, between a conjunction and an infinitive, or
where the pronouns are separated froin the words on
which they depend
His for 's
His, her, your, &c., antecedents of relatives
Our, your, &c., used for "of us,”
"of you'
دو
216
217
. 218
Me, thee, him, &c., used as datives
Your, colloquial use of .
Our used with vocatives
Him, her, &c., for "himself,"
>>
He and she for "" man and "woman".
Pronoun for pronominal adjective
•
219
220'
221
222
""herself"
•
223
224
225
226
227
. 228
+
229
It quasi-redundant with verbs.
It emphatic as antecedent .
Its post-Shakespearian.
Her for its in Shakespeare and Milton.
CONTENTS.
X1
"Me rather had "I were better;
;
IAR.
I am sorrow
"J
•
230
Thou between intimate friends, but not from son to father. 231
Thou from master to servant, you a mark of anger
Thou an insult, except to friends and inferiors
Thou in direct appeals, you in dependent clauses
Thou, apparent exceptions.
Ye and you; difference between .
My, mine; thy, thine; difference between
Mine, hers, used for my, her
Yours; "this of yours
transposed.
Thou omitted.
Pronoun redundant after a conjunctional clause
in other cases . .
PRONOUNS, RELATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE.
Relative omitted
•
•
•
232
•
233
•
234
235
236
237
238
239
•
240
241
242
243
,,
>>
"They in France "
and attracted.
244
245
246
Relative with plural antecedent often takes singular verb;
and with antecedent in the second person, takes verb
in the third
Relative with supplementary pronoun; origin of
Supplementary pronoun; when used
Which that
Who; transition from interrogative to relative meaning
What; semi-transition, how checked
>>
•
247
248
249
250
251
252
What for " why; "whatever;" "who;" "any" 253-255
What for " of what a nature?
as who should say
Who, "as
>>
>>
Who, that, and which, difference between.
. 256
257
258
Shakespearian use of
259
260
That after nouns used vocatively. .
261
> "
That refers to an essential characteristic
xii
CONTENTS.
•
That, when separated from antecedent.
Who, for "and he, " "for he," &c.
Who personifies irrational antecedents
Which interchanged with who and that.
Which less definite than who
The--that; that which
Which more definite than that
·
Which with repeated antecedent.
The which.
Which parenthetically for "which thing
Which for "as to which"
Which, anomalies of.
.
ค
PAR.
262
263
264
265
•
. 266
267
268
•
•
269
270
""
•
271
272
273
274.
• • •
"So--as: " "as-as"
(as) to;
275, 276
"such—which" 277, 278
•
279
Who for whom.
"That-that;
•
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
""" that
"Such-that; "'"" such—where"
so... (as)
"That--as ; ''
That for "because,"
So-(that);""(so)—that
""
"
when," &c.
•
That omitted, then inserted.
That,
"whatsoever that
That, a conjunctional affix .
That in 287, origin of
As, a conjunctional affix
VERBS, FORMS OF :-
280, 281
282, 283
•
284.
285
286
. 287
TRANSITIVE, mostly formed from adjectives and nouns
formed from intransitive verbs.
Advantages of this licence.
Transitive verbs rarely used intransitively .
PASSIVE, formation of
Passive, use of, with verbs of motion, &c.
Reflexive
Impersonal
288.
•
•
289
290.
291
292
293
·
294
•
295.
•
296.
297
CONTENTS.
xiii
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
Be, subjunctive and quasi-subjunctive
Be in questions and dependent sentences
Be in the plural and for euphony.
Were, subjunctive use of
เ
•
Were after while" and "until
Do, did, original use of
Do, did, Shakespearian use of
Do omitted before not
and inserted
•
>>
•
May, can; original and subsequent meaning
May, antiquity of.
May in doubtful statements
May with a negative
May for the subjunctive in the sense of purpose
Might "could"
=
May, might, used optatively
•
PAR.
•
298
299
300
301
302
303
•
304
• 305
• 306
307
308
309
• 310
311
· 312
313
Must =
"is to;" original use of
314
Shall, original meaning.
315
Will assumed the meaning of futurity with the second and
third persons
•
316
and third persons
•
Shall assumed the meaning of compulsion with the second
Shall, "I shall" from inferiors
Will, “I will" not used by Shakespeare for "I shall
Will, with second person ironical or imperative
Will with third person, difficult passages
317
· 318
>>
319
320
321
Should denotes contingent futurity
Should "ought; was to
322
>>
323, 324
present
Should in questions and dependent sentences.
Shouid after a past tense where shall would follow a
Should, "should have," Shakespearian use of
Should denoting the statement of another than the speaker 328
325
326
327
xiv
CONTENTS.
Would for "will," "wish," "require
Would CC was wont to
Would not used for "should"
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF :---
Indicative, third person plural in -en
Third person plural present in -es
in -th
•
Inflection in -s preceding a plural subject
""
•
with two singular nouns as subject
Apparent cases of the inflection in -s
· final misprinted
Past indicative forms in -2.
Second person singular in -ts
Past indicative -t for -ted
•
PAR.
•
329
330
►
331
• 332
• 333
•
334
335
336
337
•
338
339
340
341
Participles.
Ed omitted after d and t, &c.
-en dropped.
342
343
Irregular formations
•
344
Participial prefix y-
345.
VERBS, MOODS OF :—
INDICATIVE: Simple present for complete present with ad-
verbs meaning “as yet," &c.
346
simple past for complete present with
"since," &c..
347
future for subjunctive and infinitive
·
348
INFINITIVE: to omitted, inserted
•
C
349
"
to omitted and inserted after the same verb. 350.
"It were best (to) :" I were best (to)" 351, 352
tc omitted after conjunctions
Noun and infinitive used as subject or object.
infinitive used as a noun
• 353
354
• 355
21
""
indefinitely.
· 356
at the beginning of a sentence.
•
357
For to
358
CONTENTS.
XV
infinitive active where we use passive
complete present after verbs of intending, &c.
PAR.
359
SUBJUNCTIVE: simple form
*
>>
""
""
auxiliary forms
•
•
replaced by indicative after "if," &c., where
no doubt is expressed
•
used optatively or imperatively.
optative use, advantage of
complete past
•
used indefinitely after relative
in a subordinate sentence
after verbs of command
360
•
351
•
362
•
363
364
365
· 366
•
•
irregular sequence of tenses
•
- 367
368
369
· 370
Conditional sentences, irregularities.
371
PARTICIPLES AND VERBALS :
Participles active, confusion in
Participial verbal.
Participles passive, confusion in
""
>"
-ed for -able
Participles with nominative absolute
expressing a condition
""
""
without noun or pronoun
· 372
373.
374
375
· 376
· 377
· 378
• 380
381
• 382
383
384-387
388-391
pronoun implied from pronominal adjective. 379
adjective instead of participle
Participle implied
•
ELLIPSES. Where the ellipsis can be easily supplied from the
context
•
in conjunctional sentences: after and
after as, but, ere, ij
•
after like, or, since, than, though .
after till, too
in relative sentences.
in antithetical sentences
392-393
394
· 395
KVI
CONTENTS.
Ellipses of neither before nor
of adverbial and possessive inflection in conjunctional
sentences
of superlative inflection in conjunctional sentences
of nominative
رو
with "has, is, was
in the first or second person
PAR
396
>>
explained
•
of it is, there is, is
•
of it, there
after will, is, &c.
IRREGULARITIES. Double negative .
Double preposition
•
Neither, nor, used like both, and .
Confusion of two constructions with superlative
>>
>>
with whom
Other confusions of two constructions
Confusion of proximity.
Nominative implied from participial phrases
Redundant object
Construction changed by change of thought
""
Noun absolute
Foreign idioms
""
adjectives
•
for clearness
•
Transpositions of adjectival phrases .
>>
of adverbs
Adverbs at the beginning of the sentence
Transposition of article.
A
•
397
▼
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
•
410
•
4II
•
412
413
414
•
415
•
416
417
418
•
419
419a
420
•
421
422
>>
in noun clauses.
423
of prepositions
•
424
after an emphatic word or expression.
425
after relative
426
CONTENTS.
xvii
Other transpositions .
COMPOUND WORDS. Hybrids
Adverbial compounds
Noun compounds
Preposition compounds
PAR.
•
427
·
428
429
•
•
430
431
Verb compounds
Participial nouns
432
433
Phrase compounds
Anomalous compounds
PREFIXES. A-; all-to-; at- ; be- ; dis-
En-; for- ; in- and un-
SUFFIXES. -er; -en; -ive; -ble; -less
-ly; -ment: -ness ; ·y
General licence of
·
434
·
435
•
436--439
•
440-442
443-446
447-450
•
45I
The ordinary verse
PROSODY.
452
The "
pause-accent
·
453
Emphatic accents
453a
The "pause-extra-syllable "
•
454
rarely a monosyllable except in
Henry VIII
455
Unaccented monosyllables
456
Accented monosyllables .
457
monosyllabic prepositions.
457a
Two ""
pause-extra-syllables"
458
WRITTEN CONTRACTIONS:—
Prefixes dropped
Elizabethan spelling, contractions in
Other written contractions
CONTRACTIONS in pronunciation not expressed in writing
R softens or destroys a following vowel
b
•
459
460
·
461
•
462
•
463
xviij
CONTENTS.
R softens or destroys a preceding vowel
Er, el, le final dropped.
Th and v dropped between two vowels.
I unaccented in a polysyllable dropped
PAR
464
•
465
466
•
467
Any vowel unaccented in a polysyllable may be dropped. 468
Polysyllabic names with but one accent.
Power, prowess, being, knowing, monosyllables
469
470
-es or -s dropped after s, se, ce, ge
471
-ed dropped after d and t
472
-est dropped in superlatives after dentals and liquids
473
VARIABLE SYLLABLES.
Ed final, mute and sonant in the
same line.
474
Words prolonged by emphasis
•
475
shortened by want of emphasis .
476
LENGTHENING OF WORDS. R and after a consonant intro-
duce an additional syllable, e.g. "Eng(e)land
A preceded by a vowel lengthens pronunciation .
I and e pronounced before vowels
Monosyllabic feet in Chaucer.
•
477
478
• 479
•
479a
ending in or re
•
480
Monosyllables, when prolonged
481
""
exclamations
482
""
""
prolonged by emphasis or antithesis
483
•
•
-
diphthongs and long vowels
•
containing a vowel followed by r
other instances of prolongation
E final pronounced
E of French origin, pronounced
E final in French names pronounced
Words in which the accent is nearer the end than with us
Iséd final in polysyllables
484
485
•
486
•
487
•
488
489
490
•
491
Words in which the accent is nearer the beginning than
with us
492
CONTENTS.
X1X
Alexandrines, very rare.
•
PAR.
493
Apparent Alexandrines, two final extra syllables.
""
•
494
two syllables in the middle of a verse 495
explained by contractions
unemphatic syllables dropped
doubtful.
the detached foot
Trimeter couplet in dialogue
•
496
• 497
498
499
""
in other cases
the comic
""
""
apparent.
""
Verses with four accents assigned to witches, fairies, &c.
otherwise rare
•
where there is a break in the line.
change of thought.
>>
change of construction
""
>>
a number of clauses
apparent.
Short lines, why introduced.
Interjectional lines.
The amphibious section
A verse continued, spite of interruptions.
Rhyme, when used
Prose, when used
·
•
• 500
501
502
•
503
504
• 505
506
507.
508
•
509
•
510
•
511
•
512
·
513
•
514
• 515
•
515a
SIMILE AND METAPHOR
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
INDEX TO THE QUOTATIONS.
VERBAL INDEX
•
PAGR
430
440
· 453
}
501
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
The success which has attended the First and Second
Editions of the “SHAKESPERIAN GRAMMAR," and the
demand for a Third Edition within a year of the publica-
tion of the First, has encouraged the Author to endeavour to
make the work somewhat more useful, and to render it, as
far as possible, a complete book of reference for all difficulties
of Shakesperian syntax or prosody. For this purpose the
whole of Shakespeare has been re-read, and an attempt has
been made to include within this Edition the explanation of
every idiomatic difficulty (where the text is not confessedly
corrupt) that comes within the province of a grammar as
distinct from a glossary.
The great object being to make a useful book of reference
for students, and especially for classes in schools, several
Plays have been indexed so fully that with the aid of a
glossary and historical notes the references will serve for a
complete commentary. These Plays are, As you Like It,
Coriolanus, Hamlet, Henry V., Julius Cæsar, Lear, Macbeth,
Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard II.,
Richard III., Tempest, Twelfth Night. It is hoped that
these copious indexes will meet a want, by giving some
definite work to be prepared by the class, whether as a
holiday task or in the work of the term. The want of some
such distinct work, to give thoroughness and definiteness
xxii
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
to an English lesson, has been felt by many teachers of
experience. A complete table of the contents of each
paragraph has been prefixed, together with a Verbal Index
at the end. The indexes may be of use to students of a
more advanced stage, and perhaps may occasionally be
found useful to the general reader of Shakespeare.
A second perusal of Shakespeare, with a special reference to
idiom and prosody, has brought to light several laws which
regulate many apparent irregularities. The interesting
distinction between thou and you (Pars. 231-235), for ex-
ample, has not hitherto attracted the attention of readers,
or, as far as I am aware, of commentators on Shakespeare.
The use of the relative with plural antecedent and singular
verb (Par. 2.46); the prevalence of the third person plural in
-s (Par. 333), which does not appear in modern editions of
Shakespeare; the "confusion of proximity" (Par. 412); the
distinction between an adjective before and after a noun;
these and many other points which were at first either briefly
or not at all discussed, have increased the present to more
than thrice the size of the original book. I propose now to
stereotype this edition, so that no further changes need be
anticipated.
It may be thought that the amplification of the Prosody is
unnecessary, at all events, for the purpose of a school-book.
My own experience, however, leads me to think that the
Prosody of Shakespeare has peculiar interest for boys, and
that some training in it is absolutely necessary if they are
to read Shakespeare critically. The additions which have
been made to this part of the book have sprung naturally
out of the lessons in English which I have been in the
habit of giving; and as they are the results of practical ex-
perience, I am confident they will be found useful for school
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
xxiii
purposes.* A conjectural character, more apparent however
than real, has perhaps been given to this part of the book
from the necessity that I felt of setting down every difficult
verse of Shakespeare where the text was not acknowledged
as corrupt, or where the difficulty was more than slight. Prac-
tically, I think, it will be found that the rules of the Prosody
will be found to solve most of the difficulties that will
present themselves to boys-at least, in the thirteen Plays
above mentioned.
Besides obligations mentioned in the First Edition, I must
acknowledge the great assistance I have received from
MÄTZNER'S Englische Grammatik (3 vols., Berlin, 1865),
whose enormous collection of examples deserves notice.
I am indebted to the same author for some points illustrating
the connection between Early and Elizabethan English.
Here, however, I have received ample assistance from
Mr. F. J. Furnivall, Mr. R. Morris, and others, whose kind-
ness I am glad to have an opportunity of mentioning. In par-
ticular, 1 must here acknowledge my very great obligation to
the Rev. W. W. Skeat, late Fellow of Christ's College, Cam-
bridge, whose excellent edition of William of Palerne (Early
English Text Society, 1867), and whose Maso-Gothic Dic-
tionary (Asher, London, 1866), have been of great service to
me. Mr. Skeat also revised the whole of the proof-sheets, and
many of his suggestions are incorporated in the present
work. I may add here, that in discussing the difference
between "thou" and "you" (231-5), and the "monosyllabic
foct" (480-6), I was not aware that I had been anticipated
by Mr. Skeat, who has illustrated the former point (with
reference to Early English) in William of Palerne, p. xlii.,
*The somewhat grotesque name of "amphibious verse" (Par. 513) sprang in
this way from class-teaching. I have retained it, as answering its purpose, by
communicating its meaning readily and impressively.
xxiv
PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION.
and the latter in his Essay on the Metres of Chaucer (vol. i.,
Aldine Edition, London, 1866). The copious Index to
Layamon, edited by Sir Frederick Madden, has also been of
great service. I trust that, though care has been taken to
avoid any unnecessary parade of Anglo-Saxon, or Early
English, that might interfere with the distinct object of the
work, the information on these points will be found trust-
worthy and useful. The Prosody has been revised throughout
by Mr. A. J. Ellis, whose work on Early English Pronun-
ciation is well known. Mr. Ellis's method of scansion and
notation is not in all respects the same as my own, but I
have made several modifications in consequence of his
suggestive criticisms.
I have now only to express my hope that this little book
may do something to forward the development of English
instruction in English schools. Taking the very lowest
ground, I believe that an intelligent study of English is the
shortest and safest way to attain to an intelligent and suc-
cessful study of Latin and Greek, and that it is idle to expect
a boy to grapple with a sentence of Plato or Thucydides if
he cannot master a passage of Shakespeare or a couplet of
Pope. Looking, therefore, at the study of English from the
old point of view adopted by those who advocate a purely
classical instruction, I am emphatically of opinion that it is
a positive gain to classical studies to deduct from them an
hour or two every week for the study of English. But I
need scarcely say that the time seems not far off when every
English boy who continues his studies to the age of fifteen
will study English for the sake of English; and where English
is studied Shakespeare is not likely to be forgotten.
30th May, 1870.
E. A. A.
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
THE object of this work is to furnish students of Shakespeare
and Bacon with a short systematic account of some points of
difference between Elizabethan syntax and our own.
The
words of these authors present but little difficulty. They can
be understood from glossaries, and, even without such aid,
a little reflection and attention to the context will generally
enable us to hit the meaning. But the differences of idiom
are more perplexing. They are more frequent than mere
verbal difficulties, and they are less obvious and noticeable.
But it need hardly be said, that if we allow ourselves to fancy
we are studying Shakespeare critically, when we have not
noticed and cannot explain the simplest Shakespearian
idiom, we are in danger of seriously lowering our standard
of accurate study, and so far from training we are untraining
our understanding. Nor is it enough to enumerate unusual
idioms without explaining them. Such is not the course we
pursue in Latin and Greek, and our native tongue should
either not be studied critically at all, or be studied as
thoroughly as the languages of antiquity.*
The difficulty which the author has experienced in teach-
ing pupils to read Shakespearian verse correctly, and to
analyse a metaphorical expression, has induced him to
add a few pages on Shakespeare's prosody and on the use of
simile and metaphor.
* Of course it is possible to study Shakespeare with great advantage, and yet
without any reference to textual criticism. Only, it should be distinctly under
stood in such cases that textual criticism is not attempted.
B
2
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
A very important question in the study of English is, what
should be the amount and nature of the assistance given to
students in the shape of notes. It is clear that the mere
getting up and reproducing a commentator's opinions, though
the process may fill a boy with useful information, can in no
sense be called a training. In the Notes and Questions at
the end of this volume I have tried to give no more help
than is absolutely necessary. The questions may be of use
as a holiday-task, or in showing the student how to work
the Grammar. They have been for the most part answered
by a class of boys from fourteen to sixteen years old, and
some by boys much younger.
In some of the sections of the Prosody I must acknow.
ledge my obligations to Mr. W. S. Walker's work on Shake-
speare's Versification.* Other obligations are acknowledged
in the course of the work; but the great mass of the exam-
ples have been collected in the course of several years' close
study of Shakespeare and contemporaneous authors. I am
aware that there will be found both inaccuracies and incom-
pleteness in this attempt to apply the rules of classical
scholarship to the criticism of Elizabethan English, but it is
perhaps from a number of such imperfect contributions that
there will at last arise a perfect English Grammar.
REFERENCES.
The following works are referred to by the pages :--
Ascham's Scholemaster . (Mayor). London, 1863.
The Advancement of Learning Oxford, 1640.
Bacon's Essays
(Wright). London, 1868.
(Gifford). London, 1838.
Ben Jonson's Works.
North's Plutarch
Florio's Montaigne
•
London, 1656.
•
London, 1603.
In correcting the proof-sheets I have gained much from consulting Mr
Walker's Criticisms on Shakespeare."
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
3
Wager, Heywood, Ingelend, &c., and sometimes Beaumont
and Fletcher, are quoted from "The Songs of the Dra-
matists," J. W. Parker, 1855.
WORKS REFERRED TO BY ABBREVIATIONS.
Some of the plays of Shakespeare are indicated by the
trials of the titles, as follow:
A. W..
A. and C.
A. Y. L. .
C. of E.
J. C.
L. L. L.
M. for M.
•
•
All's Well that Ends Well.
Antony and Cleopatra.
As You Like It.
Comedy of Errors.
Julius Cæsar.
•
•
Love's Labour Lost.
M. of V.
M. W. of W.
M. N. D..
M. Ado
P. of T
•
R. and J.
T. of Sh..
T. of A.
T. A.
·
•
•
·
•
•
Tr. and Cr.
T. N.
T. G. of V.
W. T..
•
·
Measure for Measure.
Merchant of Venice.
Merry Wives of Windsor.
Midsummer Night's Dream.
Much Ado about Nothing.
Pericles of Tyre.
•
·
Romeo and Juliet.
Taming of the Shrew.
Timon of Athens.
Titus Andronicus.
Troilus and Cressida.
Twelfth Night.
Two Gentlemen of Verona,
Winter's Tale.
"The quotations are from the Globe edition unless other
wise specified.)
Asch.
B. E.
•
B. and F.
B. J.
Ascham's Scholemaster.
Bacon's Essays.
Beaumont and Fletcher
Ben Jonson
B 2
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
B. J E. in &c.
"
E. out &c. .
Cy's Rev.
Sil. Wom.
Sejan.
Sad Sh.
L. C..
•
•
Every Man in his Humour.
Every Man out of his Humour
Cynthia's Revels.
Silent Woman.
Sejanus.
Sad Shepherd.
Lover's Complaint.
North's Plutarch.
Passionate Pilgrim.
N. P.
P. P.
R. of L..
Sonn.
Rape of Lucrece.
V. and A.
Shakespeare's Sonnets.
Venus and Adonis.
Numbers in parentheses thus (81) refer to the paragraphs
of the Grammar.
INTRODUCTION
ELIZABETHAN English, on a superficial view, appears to
present this great point of difference from the English of
modern times, that in the former any irregularities whatever,
whether in the formation of words or in the combination of
words into sentences, are allowable. In the first place, almost
any part of speech can be used as any other part of speech.
An adverb can be used as a verb, " They askance their eyes"
(R. of L.); as a noun, "the backward and abysm of time"
(Sonn.); or as an adjective, "a seldom pleasure" (Sonn.). Any
noun, adjective, or neuter verb can be used as an active
verb. You can "happy" your friend, "malice" or "foot"
your enemy, or “fall” an axe on his neck. An adjective can
be used as an adverb; and you can speak and act "easy,"
free," "excellent :" or as a noun, and you can talk of
"fair" instead of "beauty," and " a pale" instead of " a
paleness." Even the pronouns are not exempt from these
metamorphoses. A "he" is used for a man, and a lady is
described by a gentleman as "the fairest she he has yet
beheld." Spenser asks us to
(C
"Come down and learne the little what
That Thomalin can sayne."-Calend. Jul. v. 31 (Nares).
And Heywood, after dividing human dicers into three
classes thus-
"Some with small fare they be not pleased,
Some with much fare they be diseased,
Seme with mean fare be scant appeased."
INTRODUCTION.
adds with truly Elizabethan freedom-
"But of all somes none is displeased
To be welcome." *
In the second place, every variety of apparent grammatical
inaccuracy meets us. He for him, him for he; spoke and
took, for spoken and taken; plural nominatives with singular
verbs; relatives omitted where they are now considered
necessary; unnecessary antecedents inserted; shall for will,
should for would, would for wish; to omitted after "I
ought," inserted after "I durst," double negatives; double
comparatives ("more better," &c.) and superlatives; such
followed by which, that by as, as used for as if; that for so
that; and lastly, some verbs apparently with two nomina-
tives, and others without any nominative at all. To this
long list of irregularities it may be added that many words,
and particularly prepositions and the infinitives of verbs,
are used in a different scnse from the modern. Thus--
"To fright you thus methinks I am too savage,
Macb. iv. 2. 70.
"Re-
does not mean "I am too savage to fright you."
ceived of the most pious Edward" (170) does not mean
'from Edward," but "by Edward;" and when Shakespeare
says that "the rich" will not every hour survey his treasure,
'for blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure," he does
not mean "for the sake of," but "for fear of" blunting
pleasure.
((
On a more careful examination, however, these apparently
disorderly and inexplicable anomalies will arrange themselves
under certain heads. It must be remembered that the Eliza-
bethan was a transitional period in the history of the English
language. On the one hand, there was the influx of new dis-
coveries and new thoughts requiring as their equivalent the
coinage of new words (especially words expressive of abstract
ideas); on the other hand, the revival of classical studies and
the popularity of translations from Latin and Greek authors
* Compare "More by all mores."-T. N. v. 1. 139.
INTRODUCTION.
7
suggested Latin and Greek words (but principally Latin) as
the readiest and most malleable metal, or rather as so many
ready-made coins requiring only a slight national stamp to
prepare them for the proposed augmentation of the currency
of the language. Moreover, the long and rounded periods
of the ancients commended themselves to the ear of the
Elizabethan authors. In the attempt to conform English
to the Latin frame, the constructive power of the former
language was severely strained.
The necessity of avoiding ambiguity and the difficulty of
connecting the end of a long sentence with the beginning,
gave rise to some irregularities, to the redundant pronoun
(242), the redundant 'that' (285), and the irregular 'to' (416).
But, for the most part, the influence of the classical lan-
guages was confined to single words, and to the rhythm of
the sentence. The syntax was mostly English both in its
origin and its development, and several constructions that
are now called anomalous (such as the double negative [405]
and the double comparative [409]) have, and had from the
earliest period, an independent existence in English, and
are merely the natural results of a spirit which preferred
clearness and vigour of expression to logical symmetry.
Many of the anomalies above mentioned may be traced
back to some peculiarities of Early English, modified by
the transitional Elizabethan period. Above all, it must be
remembered that Early English was far richer than Eliza-
bethan English in inflections. As far as English inflections
are concerned the Elizabethan period was destructive rather
than constructive. Naturally, therefore, while inflections
were being discarded, all sorts of tentative experiments were
made: some inflections were discarded that we have restored,
others retained that we have discarded. Again, sometimes
where inflections were retained the sense of their meaning
and power had been lost, and at other times the memory
of inflections that were no longer visibly expressed in writing
still influenced the manner of expression. Thus Ben Jonson
vrites :-
8
INTRODUCTION.
"The persons plural keep the termination of the first per-
son singular. In former times, till about the reign of King
Henry VIII. they were wont to be formed by adding en
thus:- Loven, sayen, complainen. But now (whatsoever is
the cause) it is quite grown out of use, and that other so
generally prevailed that I dare not presume to set this on
foot again."
He appears to be aware of the Midland plural in en (332)
which is found only very rarely in Spenser and in Pericles of
Tyre, but not of the Northern plural in es (333), which is very
frequently found in Shakespeare, and which presents the
apparent anomaly of a plural noun combined with a singular
verb. And the same author does not seem to be aware of
the existence of the subjunctive mood in English. He
ignores it in his "Etymology of a Verb," and, in the chapter
on "Syntax of a Verb with a Noun," writes as follows:-
"Nouns signifying a multitude, though they be of the
singular number, require a verb plural :
"And wise men rehearsen in sentence,
Where folk be drunken there is no resistance.""-LYDGATE, lib. ii.
And he continues thus: - "This exception is in other
nouns also very common, especially when the verb is joined
to an adverb or conjunction: 'It is preposterous to execute
a man before he have been condemned."" It would appear
hence that the dramatist was ignorant of the force of the
inflection of the subjunctive, though he frequently uses it.
Among the results of inflectional changes we may set down
the following anomalies:—
"*
I. Inflections discarded but their power retained. Hence
(a) “spoke” (343) for "spoken," "rid" for "ridden."
(b) "You ought not walk" for "You ought not walken"
(the old infinitive). (c) The new infinitive (357) “to walk "
used in its new meaning and also sometimes retaining its old
gerundive signification.† (d) To "glad" (act.), to "mad"
*It should, however, he stated that the n is often dropped in Early English
+ Morris, Specimens of Early English," p. xxxiii. Inf. "loven." Gerund.
"to lovene."
INTRODUCTION.
9
(act.), &c. (290) for to “gladden,” “madden," &c. (e) The
adverbial e (1) being discarded, an adjective appears to
be used as an adverb: "He raged more fierce," &c.
"Other" is used for "other(e)," pl. "other men," &c.
(g) The ellipsis of the pronoun (399) as a nominative may
also be in part thus explained.
II. Inflections retained with their old power.
(a) The subjunctive inflection frequently used to express a
condition-" Go not my horse," for "If my horse go not."
Hence (b) as with the subj. appears to be used for as if, and
for and if, but (in the sense of except) for except if, &c.
(c) The plural in en; very rarely. (d) The plural in es or
s; far more commonly. (e) His used as the old genitive of
he for of him. Me, him, &c. used to represent other cases
beside the objective and the modern dative: "I am ap-
pointed him to murder you."
III. Inflections retained but their power diminished
or lost.
(a) Thus 'he' for 'him,' 'him' for 'he;' 'I' for 'me,'
'me' for 'I,' &c. (b) In the same way the s which was the
sign of the possessive case had so far lost its meaning that,
though frequently retained, it was sometimes replaced (in
mistake) by his and her.
IV. Other anomalies may be explained by reference to the
derivations of words and the idioms of Early English.
Hence can be explained (a) so followed by as; (b) such
followed by which (found in E. E. sometimes in the form
whuch or wuch); (c) that followed by as; (d) who followed
by he; (e) the which put for which; (f) shall for will, should
for would, and would for wish.
The four above-mentioned causes are not sufficient to
explain all the anomalies of Elizabethan style. There are
several redundancies, and still more ellipses, which can only
be explained as follows.
V. (a) Clearness was preferred to grammatical correct
ness, and (b) brevity both to correctness and clearness.
Hence it was common to place words in the order in which
IO
INTRODUCTION.
they came uppermost in the mind without much regard to
syntax, and the result was a forcible and perfectly unambi-
guous but ungrammatical sentence, such as :
(a) "The prince that feeds great natures they will sway him."
B. J. Sejanus
(b) As instances of brevity:
"Be guilty of my death since of my crime."—R. of L.
"It cost more to get than to lose in a day.”—B. J. Poetaster.
VI. One great cause of the difference between Elizabethan
and Victorian English is, that the latter has introduced or
developed what may be called the division of labour. A few
examples will illustrate this.
(6
The Elizabethan subjunctive (see VERBS, SUBJUNCTIVE)
could be used (1) optatively, or (2) to express a condition or (3)
a consequence of a condition, (4) or to signify purpose after
that." Now, all these different meanings are expressed by
different auxiliaries-" would that !" "should he come," "he
would find," "that he may sce,”—and the subjunctive inflec-
tion is restricted to a few phrases with "if." "To walk" is
now either (1) a noun, or (2) denotes a purpose, “in order to
walk." In Elizabethan English, "to walk" might also denote
"by walking," "as regards walking," "for walking;" a licence
now discarded, except in one or two common phrases, such.
as "I am happy to say," &c. Similarly, Shakespeare could
write "of vantage" for "from vantage-ground," " of charity"
for "for charity's sake," "of mine honour" for on my
honour," "of purpose " for " on purpose," "of the city's cost"
for "at the city's cost," "of his body" for " as regards his
life," "made peace of enmity" for "peace instead of enmity,"
"
we shall find a shrewd contriver of him" for "in him,"
"did I never speak of all that time" for "during all that
time." Similarly "by" has been despoiled of many of its
powers, which have been divided among "near," "in accord-
ance with," "by reason of," "owing to." "But" has been
forced to cede some of its provinces to "unless" and "ex-
cept." Lastly, "that," in Early English the only relative,
INTRODUCTION.
II
had been already, before the Elizabethan times, supplanted in
many idioms by "who" and "which ;" but it still retained
its meanings of "because," "inasmuch as," and "when;"
sometimes under the forms "for that," "in that;" sometimes
without the prepositions. These it has now lost, except in
a few colloquial phrases.
As a rule, then, the tendency of the English language has
been to divide the labour of expression as far as possible by
diminishing the task assigned to overburdened words and
imposing it upon others. There are, of course, exceptions to
this rule-notably "who" and "which ;" but this has been
the general tendency. And in most cases it will be found
that the Victorian idiom is clearer but less terse than the
corresponding Elizabethan idiom which it has supplanted.
VII. The character of Elizabethan English is impressed
upon its pronunciation, as well as upon its idioms and words.
As a rule their pronunciation seems to have been more rapid
than ours. Probably the greater influence of spoken as
compared with written English, sanctioned many contractions
which would now be judged intolerable if for the first time
introduced. (See 461.) This, however, does not explain the
singular variation of accent upon the same words in the
same author. Why should "exile," "aspect," "confessor,"
and many other words, be accented now on the first, now
on the second syllable? The answer is, that during the
unsettled Elizabethan period the foreign influence was
contending with varying success against the native rules of
English pronunciation. The English rule, as given by Ben
Jonson, is definite enough. "In dissyllabic simple nouns
(by which it is to be supposed he means un-compounded),
"the accent is on the first, as 'bélief,' 'hónour,' &c." But he
goes on to say, that "all verbs coming from the Latin, either
of the supine or otherwise, hold the accent as it is found in
the first person present of those Latin verbs." Hence a
continual strife over every noun derived from Latin parti-
ciples the English language claiming the new comer as her
naturalized subject, bound by English laws; the Latin, on the
:
12
INTRODUCTION
other hand, asserting a partial jurisdiction over her emigrants.
Hence accéss and áccess, precépt and précept, contract (noun)
and contract, instinct and instinct, relápse and rélapse. The
same battle raged over other Latin words not derived from
participles: commérce and cómmerce, obdúrate and óbdurate,
sepulchre and sépulchre, contráry and cóntrary, authorize
and authorize, perséver and persevére, cónfessor and confessor.
The battle terminated in a thoroughly English manner. An
arbitrary compromise has been effected between the com-
batants. Respéct, relápse, succéss, succéssor, were ceded to the
Latin: aspect, cóllapse,* áccess, sépulchre, were appropriated
by the English. But while the contest was pending, and pri-
soners being taken and retaken on either side, we must
not be surprised at finding the same word ranged now under
native, now under foreign colours.
VIII. Words then used literally are now used metaphori-
cally, and vice versâ.
The effect of this is most apparent in the altered use of
prepositions. For instance, “by,” originally meaning “near,”
has supplanted "of" in the metaphorical sense of agency, as
it may in its turn be supplanted by "with" or some other
preposition. This is discussed more fully under the head of
prepositions (138). Here a few illustrations will be given from
other words. It is not easy to discover a defined law
regulating changes of metaphor. There is no reason why
we should not, with Beaumont and Fletcher, talk of living
at a deep late" as well as a "high rate." But it will
be found with respect to many words derived from Latin and
Greek, that the Elizabethans used them literally and gene-
rally; we, metaphorically and particularly. Thus " meta-
physical" was used by Shakespeare in the broader meaning
of "supernatural ;" and "fantastical" could be applied even
to a murder, in the wide sense of "imagined." So "exor-
bitant" was "out of the path," uncommon," now only
* Collapse is accented on the last syllable in most dictionaries.
+
"How brave lives he that keeps a fool, although the rate be deeper,
But he that is his own fool, sir, does live a great deal cheaper."
INTRODUCTION.
13
te
applied to that which is uncommonly "expensive." So
extravagant ("The extravagant and erring spirit," Hamlet,
i. 1) has been restricted to "wandering beyond the bounds
of economy." "To aggravate" now means, except when
applied to disease, "to add to the mental burdens of any
one," hence "to vex;" but in Sonn. 146 we find," to aggra-
vate thy store" in the literal sense of "to add to the
weight of" or "increase."
"increase.” So “journall” meant “diurnal”
or "daily;" now it is restricted to a "daily" newspaper or
memoir. The fact is that, in the influx of Greek and Latin
words into the English language, many were introduced to
express ideas that either could be, or were already, expressed
in the existing vocabulary. Thus we do not require "meta-
physical" to express that which is supernatural, nor “fantas-
tical" to express that which is imagined; "exorbitant” is
unnecessary in the sense of uncommon;""extravagant"
(though it has a special force in “the extravagant and erring
spirit," Hamlet, i. 1) is not in most cases so obvious as
"wandering;" "increase" is simpler than "aggravate,” and
daily" more English than "diurnal." Similarly “specula-
tion" is unnecessary to express the power of seeing, "adver
tised" useless in the sense of "warned" or "informed” (Lear,
iv. 6. 214), “vulgar" in the sense of common. Such words,
once introduced into the language, finding the broader room
which they had been intended to fill already occupied, were
forced to take narrower meanings. They did this, for the
most part, by confining themselves to one out of many
meanings which they had formerly represented, or by adopt-
ing metaphorical and philosophical instead of literal and
material significations; and as the sense of their derivation
and original meaning became weaker, the transition became
easier. This is not merely true of words derived from Latin
and Greek. “Travail,” for example, finding itself supplanted
in its original sense by "work" or "labour," has narrowed
itself to a special meaning: the same is true of "beef,”
"pork," &c.
On the other hand, some Latin and Greek words tha.
14
INTRODUCTION.
19.66
express technicalities have, as the sense of their exact
meaning was weakened, gradually become more loosely and
generally used. Thus, "influence" means now more than
the mere influence of the stars on men; (6
triumph," "pre-
posterous," "pomp," "civil," "ovation," and "decimate," have
lost much of their technical meaning. Of these words it
may be said, that Shakespeare uses them more literally and
particularly than we do. Thus, "triumph" is used for a
show at a festival; "civil" is used for peaceful; “pre-
posterous ass" (T. of Sh. iii. 1. 9) is applied to a man who
put music before philosophy; "decimation " (T. of A. v. 1. 31)
is used in its technical sense for "a tithed death."
One cause that has affected the meaning of Latin-derived
words has been the preference with which they have been
selected in order to express depreciation. This has narrowed
some words to an unfavourable signification which they did
not originally possess. Thus, "impertinent " in Elizabethan
authors meant (C
not to the point;" "officious" could then
mean “obliging,” and a clever person could be described as
an admirable conceited fellow" (W. T. iv. 4. 203).
A classical termination (446) may sometimes be treated
as active or as passive. Hence “plausibly” is used for “with
applause" actively.
>>
"The Romans plausibly did give consent."-R. of L.
"A very inconsiderate (inconsiderable) handful of English.
N. P. Appendix 31.
Thus, on the one hand, we have "fluxive eyes" (eyes flowing
with tears: L. C. 8), and on the other the more common
passive sense, as "the inexpressive she" (the woman whose
praises cannot be expressed).
With respect to words of English or French origin, it is
more difficult to establish any rule. All that can be said is
that the Elizabethan, as well as the Victorian meaning, may
be traced to the derivation of the word. Why, for instance,
should not Ben Jonson write—
"Frost fearing myrtle shall impale my head."-Poetast. i. I.
INTRODUCTION.
15
(C
With prepositions the
"Take out"=" copy ;"
"-"borrow; " "take in with "
ie. "take in within its pale, surround," as justifiably as we
use the word in its modern sense of "transfixing?" Why
should not sirens "train" (draw or decoy-trahere) their
victims to destruction, as well as educators "train" their pupils
onward on the path of knowledge? We talk of “a world of
trouble" to signify an infinity; why should not Bacon (E. 38)
talk of "
a globe of precepts?" Owing to the deficiency of
their vocabulary, and their habit of combining prepositions
with verbs, to make distinct words almost like the Germans,
the Elizabethans used to employ many common English
words, such as 'pass," "hold," "take," in many various
significations. Thus we find "take" in the sense of (1)
"bewitch;" (2) "interrupt" ("You take him too quickly,
Marcius," B. J. Poetast.); (3) "consider" (" The whole court
shall take itself abused," B. J. Cy.'s Rev. v. 1); (4) “under-
stand” (“You'll take him presently," E. out &c. i. 1); and
(5) "resort to" ("He was driven by foule weather to take
a poor man's cottage," N. P. 597).
word has many more meanings.
"take in" subdue ;" "take up
(Bacon)="side with ;" “take up”=“pull up" of a horse.
And these meanings are additional to the many other
meanings which the word still retains. To enter further into
the subject of the formation and meaning of words is not the
purpose of this treatise. The glossaries of Nares and Halli-
well supply the materials for a detailed study of the subject.
One remark may be of use to the student before referring him
to the following pages. The enumeration of the points of
difference between Shakespearian and modern English may
seem to have been a mere list of irregularities and proofs of
the inferiority of the former to the latter. And it is true that
the former period presents the English language in a tran-
sitional and undeveloped condition, rejecting and inventing
much that the verdict of posterity has retained and discarded.
It was an age of experiments, and the experiments were not
always successful. While we have accepted copious, inge-
nious, disloyal, we have rejected as useless copy (in the sense
(C
16
INTRODUCTION.
of "plenty"), ingin, and disnoble. But for freedom, for brevity
and for vigour, Elizabethan is superior to modern English.
Many of the words employed by Shakespeare and his con-
temporaries were the recent inventions of the age ; hence they
were used with a freshness and exactness to which we are
strangers.* Again, the spoken English so far predominated
over the grammatical English that it materially influenced
the rhythm of the verse (see Prosody), the construction of
the sentence, and even sometimes (460) the spelling of words.
Hence sprung an artless and unlaboured harmony which
seems the natural heritage of Elizabethan poets, whereas
such harmony as is attained by modern authors frequently
betrays a painful excess of art. Lastly, the use of some few
still remaining inflections (the subjunctive in particular), the
lingering sense of many other inflections that had passed
away leaving behind something of the old versatility and
audacity in the arrangement of the sentence, the stern sub-
ordination of grammar to terseness and clearness, and the
consequent directness and naturalness of expression, all con-
spire to give a liveliness and wakefulness to Shakespearian
English which are wanting in the grammatical monotony of
the present day. We may perhaps claim some superiority
in completeness and perspicuity for modern English, but if
we were to appeal on this ground to the shade of Shake-
speare in the words of Antonio in the Tempest,—
Do you
not hear us speak?"
we might fairly be crushed with the reply of Sebastian-
"I do; and surely
It is a sleepy language.
* Exceptions are "eternal" used for "infernal" (O. iv. 2, 130; 7. C. i. 2.
160; Hamlet, i. 5. 21); "triple" for "third" (A. W. ii. 1. 111); "temporary"
for "temporal" (M. for M. v. 1. 145); "important" for "importunate" (Lear,
iv. 4. 26); "expiate" for "expired" (Rich. III. iii. 3. 23); “colleagued" (Hamlet,
i. 2. 21) for "co-leagued;" "importing" (b. 23) for "importuning." The Folio
has "Pluto's" for "Plutus" (F. C. iv. 3. 102).
GRAMM A R.
MAR.
ADJECTIVES.
1. Adjectives are freely used as Adverbs.
In Early English, many adverbs were formed from adjectives by
adding e (dative) to the positive degree: as bright, adj.; brighte, adv.
In time the e was dropped, but the adverbial use was kept. Hence,
from a false analogy, many adjectives (such as excellent) which could
never form adverbs in e, were used as adverbs. We still say col
loquially, "come quick;' "the moon shines bright," &c. But
Shakespeare could say:
So
"Which the false man does easy.”—Macb. ii. 3. 143.
"Some will dear abide it."-7. C. iii. 2. 119.
"Thou didst it excellent."-T. of Sh. i. 1. 89.
"Which else should free have wrought.”—Macb. ii. 1. 19.
"Raged more fierce." —Rich. II. ii. 1. 173.
"Grow not instant old.”—Ham. i. 5. 94.
"'Tis noble spoken.”—A. and C. ii. 2. 99.
“Tis
"Did I expose myself pure for his love."-T. N. v. 1. 86.
Equal ravenous as he is subtle."—Hen. VIII. i. 1. 159.
We find the two forms of the adverb side by side in:
"She was new lodged and newly deified."-L. C. 84.
The position of the article shows that mere is an adverb in :
Ay, surely, mere the truth."-A. W. iii. 5. 58.
"It shall safe be kept."-Cymb. i. 6. 209.
"Heaven and our Lady gracious has it pleas'd.
1 Hen. VI. i. 2 74
"(I know) when the blood burns how prodigal the soul
Lends the tongue vows."Hamlet, i. 3. 116.
C
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Such transpositions as our lady gracious," (auj.) where
"gracious" is a mere epithet, are not common in Shakespeare.
(See 419.) In
ઃઃ
"My lady sweet, arise,”-Cymb. ii. 3. 29.
"My-lady" is more like one word than "our lady," and is also
an appellative. In appellations such transpositions are allowed.
(See 13.)
Sometimes the two forms occur together:
"And she will speak most bitterly and strange."
M. for M. v. I. 36.
2. Adjectives compounded. Hence two adjectives were freely
combined together, the first being a kind of adverb qualifying the
second. Thus :
"I am too sudden-bold."-L. L. L. ii. r. 107.
"Fertile-fresh."-M. W. of W. v. 5. 72.
"More active-valiant or more valiant-young.
I Hen. IV. v. I. 90.
'Daring-hardy.”—Rich. II. i. 3. 43.
Honourable-dangerous." -J. C. i. 3. 124.
'He lies crafty-sick."-2 Hen. IV. Prol. 37.
See ib. v. 1. 60.
"I am too childish-foolish for this world."-R. III. i. 3. 142.
“I
"You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord."-R. III. iii. 1. 44.
'That fools should be so deep-contemplative."-A. Y. ii. 7. 31.
"Glouc. Methinks the ground is even.
Edg.
Horrible-steep."-Lear, iv. 6. 3.
In the last example it is hard to decide whether the two adjec
tives are compounded, or (which is much more probable) “horrible”
is a separate word used as in (1) for "horribly," as in T. N. iii.
4. 196.
In the West of England "terrible" is still used in this
adverbial sense.
There are some passages which are only fully intelligible when
this combination is remembered :
A strange tongue makes my cause more strange-suspicious.”
Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 45.
Erase the usual comma after "strange.
"Here is a silly-stately style indeed.". -1 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 72.
Perhaps "He only in a general-honest thought.”—J. C v. 5. 71.
ADJECTIVES.
19
3. Adjectives, especially those ending in ful, les:, ble, and ive,
have both an active and a passive meaning; just as we still say,
સ્થ
a fearful (pass.) coward,” and “a fearful (act.) danger."
"To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle."-Macbeth, i. 4. 11.
"Such helpless harmes yt's better hidden keep.”—SPEN. F. Q. i. 5. 42.
"Even as poor birds deceived with painted grapes,
Like those poor birds that helpless berries saw.”
V. and A. 604; Rich. III. i. 2. 13.
Upon the sightless couriers of the air.”—Macbeth, i. 7. 23.
"How dare thy joints forget
66
5c72-
""
To pay their awful duty to our presence?”—Rich. II. iii. 3. 76.
"Terrible" is "frightened" in Lear, i. 2. 32; “dreadful,”
"awe-struck,” Hamlet, i. 2. 207; “thankful" is "thankworthy,"
P. of T. v. 1. 285. So "unmeritable" (act. Rich. III. iii. 7. 155;
7. C. iv. 1. 12); "medicinable" (act. Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 44);
sible" (pass. Macb. ii. 1. 36; Hamlet, i. 1. 57); insuppressive'
(pass. 7. C. ii. 1. 134); “plausive” (pass. Hamlet, i. 4. 30); “uncom·
prehensive” (pass. Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 198); “respective” (act. R. and
7. iii. 1. 128; pass. T. G. of V. iv. 4. 200); unexpressive" (pass.
A. Y. L. iii. 2. 10); "comfortable" (act. Lear, i. 4. 328); “deceiv
able" (act. R. II. ii. 3. 84; T. N. iv. 3. 21).
"Probable," "contemptible," and "artificial," are active in-
"The least of all these signs were probable.”—2 Ilen. VI. iii. 2. 178.
"Tis very probable that the man will scorn it, for he hath
a very contemptible spirit.”—M. Ado, ii. 3. 188.
"We, Hermia, like two artificial gods
Have with our needles created both one flower."
M. N. D. iii. 2. 204.
Hence even The intrenchant air."-Macbeth, v. 8. 9.
"Unprizable" (T. N. v. 1. 58) means
(T. N. v. 1. 58) means "not able to be made a
prize of, captured."
"Effect" (Rich. III. i. 2. 120) seems used for "effecter" or
"agent" if the text is correct.
4. Adjectives signifying effect were often used to signify the
This is a difference of thought. We still say "pale death,"
gaunt famine," where the personification is obvious; but we do not
cause.
66
say--
C 2
20
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Oppress'd with two weak evils, age and hunger."
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 132
"Like as a sort of hungry dogs ymet
Doe fall together, stryving each to get
The greatest portion of the greedie pray."
SPENS. F. Q. vi. 11. 17.
“And barren rage of death's eternal cold.”—Senn. 13.
Nor should we say of the Caduceus-
"His sleepy yerde in hond he bare upright."-CHAUC. C. T. 1390.
"Sixth part of each!
Compare also
A trembling contribution !"-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 95.
Here "trembling" is used for "fear-inspiring."
So other Elizabethan authors (Walker): "idle agues," rotten
showers," "barren curses.
>>
5. Adjectives are frequently used for Nouns, even in the
singular.
"A sudden pale usurps her cheek.”—V. and A.
'Every Roman's private (privacy or private interest)."
B. J. Sejan. iii. 1.
"'Twas caviare to the general."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 458.
"Truth lies open to all. It is no man's several."-B. J. Disc. 742 b.
"Before these bastard signs of fair (beauty) were born."-Sonn. 68.
So "fair befal," Rick. II. ii. 1. 129; Rich. III. i. 3. 282. But
see 297.
"Till fortune, tired with doing bad,
Threw him ashore to give him glad."-P. of T. ii. Gower, 37.
"That termless (indescribable) hand
Whose bare outbragg'd the web it seem'd to wear."-L. C. 95.
"In few"
"in short."- Hamlet, i. 3. 126; Temp. i. 2. 144
"Small (little) have continual plodders ever won.
=
L. L. L. i. 1. 86.
By small and small."-Rich. II. iii. 7. 198; Rich. III. i. 3.111.
Say what you can, my false o'erweighs your true.
M. for M. ii. 4. 170.
"I'll make division of my present (money) with you.'
>>
T. N. iii. 4. 380.
If the text were correct, the following would be an instance of
an adjective inflected like a noun :
"Have added feathers to the learned's wing."-Sont. 78.
But probably the right reading is "learned'st."
ADJECTIVES.
21
46
Wont," the noun (Hamlet, i. 4. 6), is a corruption from
"woned," from the verb "wonye" E. E., "wunian " A.-S., "to
dwell." Compare 100s.
6. Adjectives comparative. The inflection er instead of more
is found before "than.'
>>
>>
"Sir, your company is fairer than honest."-M. for M. iv. 3. 185.
The comparative more wonderful seems to be used, as in
Latin, for "more wonderful than usual," if the following line is to
be attributed to Cicero as in the editions:
Why, saw you anything more wonderful?"—F. C. i. 3. 14.
In Hamlet iv. 7. 49, "my sudden and more strange return," means
sudden, and even more strange than sudden.
>>
7. The comparative inflection- was sometimes used even
when the positive ended in-ing,-ed,-id,-ain,-st,-ect.
These termina-
tions (perhaps because they assimilate the adjective to a participle by
their sound) generally now take “ more."
"Horrider," Cymb. iv. 2. 331; "curster," T. of Sh. iii. 2. 156 ;
'perfecter," Coriol. ii. 1. 91; "certainer," M. Ado, v. 3. 62.
8. Superlative. The superlative inflection est, like the Latin
superlative, is sometimes used to signify "very," with little or no
idea of excess.
"A little ere the mightiest Julius fell.”—Hamlet, i. 1. 114.
"My mutest conscience (Cymb. i. 6. 116) may perhaps mean
"the mutest part or corner of my conscience," like summus
mons."
9. The superlative inflection est is found after-ent,-ing,-ed,
-ect. Thus, "violentest" (Coriol. iv. 6. 73);
(Coriol. iv. 6. 73); “cursedst" (M. of V. ii.
1. 46); “lyingest" (T. of Sh. i. 2. 25); “perfectest,” (Macb. i. 5. 2).
This use of -est and -er (see 7) is a remnant of the indiscriminate
application of these inflections to all adjectives which is found
in Early English. Thus, in Piers Plowman, we have " avarousere"
(B. i. 189), “merveillousest" (B. viii. 68).
10. The superlative was sometimes used (as it is still, but
with recognized incorrectness) where only two objects are compared.
23
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"
'Between two dogs which hath the deeper mouth,
Between two blades which bears the better temper,
Between two horses which doth bear him best,
Between two girls which has the merriest eye.
I Hen. VI. ii. 4. 15.
"Not to bestow my youngest daughter
Before I have a husband for the elder."-T. of Sh. i. 1. 50.
"Of two usuries, the merriest was put down, and the worser
allowed."-M. for M. iii. 2. 7.
Here it seems used for variety to avoid the repetition of the com-
parative.
11. Comparative and superlative doubled.-The inflections
er and -est, which represent the comparative and superlative degrees
of adjectives, though retained, yet lost some of their force, and
sometimes received the addition of more, most, for the purpose of
greater emphasis.
"A more larger list of sceptres."-A. and C. iii. 6. 76.
"More elder."-M. of V. iv. 1. 251.
"More better."-Temp. i. 2. 19.
"More nearer."-Hamlet, ii. 1. 11.
Thy most worst."-W. T. iii. 2. 180.
"More braver."-Temp. i. 2. 439.
"With the most boldest."-F. C. iii. 1. 121.
"Most unkindest.”—J. C. iii. 2. 187.
"To some more fitter place."-M. for M. ii. 2. 16.
"I would have been much more a fresher man.
Tr. and Cr. v. 6. 21.
Ben Jonson speaks of this as a certain kind of English atticism,
imitating the manner of the most ancientest and finest Grecians."—
B. J. 786. But there is no ground for thinking that this idiom was
the result of imitating Greek. We find Bottom saying:
"The more better assurance."-M. N. D. iii. 1. 4.
Note the anomaly : "Less happier lands.”—R. II. ii. 1. 49.
12. The Adjectives all, each, both, every, other, are some
times interchanged and used as Pronouns in a manner different
from modern usage.
All for any:
They were slaine without all mercie."-HOLINSHED,
"Without all bail."-Sonn. 74.
ADJECTIVES.
23
'Without all reason."-AsCH. 48.
"with-
(Comp. in Latin "sine omni, &c.") Heb. vii. 7: Wickliffe,
outen ony agenseiyinge;" Rheims, Geneva, and A. V. "without all
contradiction."
This construction, which is common in Ascham and Andrewes, is
probably a Latinism in those authors. It may be, however, that in
things without all remedy," Macb. iii. 2. 11, "without" is used in
the sense of "" outside," "beyond." See Without (197).
ઃઃ
All for every :
"Good order in all thyng.”—ASCH. 62.
"And all thing unbecoming."-Macb. iii. 1. 14.
We still use "all" for "all men." But Ascham (p. 54) wrote:
"Ill commonlie have over much wit," and (p. 65) “Infinite shall
be made cold by your example, that were never hurt by reading of
bookes." This is perhaps an attempt to introduce a Latin idiom.
Shakespeare, however, writes:
"What ever have been thought on."-Coriol. i. 2. 4.
Each for "all" or "each one of :"
"At each his needless heavings."- W. T. ii. 3. 35.
So every (i.e. "ever-ich," "ever-each"):
"Of every these happen'd accidents.”—Temp. v. 1. 249.
And "none" "None our parts.”—A. and C. i. 3. 36.
Each for "both :"
"And each though enemies to either's reign
Do in consent shake hands to torture me. "Sonn. 28.
"Each in her sleep themselves so beautify.”—R. of L. 404.
"Tell me
In peace what each of them by the other lose."-Coriol. iii. 2. 44
This confusion is even now a common mistake.
Compare
"How pale each worshipful and rev'rend guest
Rise from a Clergy or a City feast."-POPE, Imit. Hor. ii. 75
Each for "each other:
>>
"But being both from me, both to each friend.”—Sonn. 144.
(i.e. both friends each to the other.)
Both seems put for "each," or either used for "each other," 10
'They are both in either's powers.” — Temp. i. 2. 450.
་་
24
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
There may, however, be an ellipsis of each after both :
Compare
They are both (each) in either's powers.'
"A thousand groans.
""
Cane (one) on another's neck."—Sonn. 131.
It is natural to conjecture that this is a misprint for "one or
other's." But compare
I think there is not half a kiss to choose
Who loves another best. -W. T. iv. 4. 176. (See 88)
Every one, Other, Neither, are used as plural pronouns :
"And every one to rest themselves betake."—R. of L.
Every one of these considerations, syr, move me."-ASCH. Dedic
"Everything
In readiness for Hymenæus stand."-T. A. i. 1. 325.
"Smooth every passion
That in the nature of their lord rebel."—Lear, ii. 2. 82.
"Every" is a pronoun in
"If every of your wishes had a womb.”
A. and C. i. 2. 38; A. Y. L. v. 4. 178.
"Thersites' body is as good as Ajax'
When neither are alive.”—Cymb. iv. 2. 252.
"Other have authoritie."-Asch. 46.
"And therefore is the glorious planet Sol
In noble eminence enthron'd and spher'd
Amidst the other.”—Tr. and C. i. 3. 89.
Other is also used as a singular pronoun (even when not preceded
by "each"):*
Every time gentler than other."-F. C. i. 2. 231.
"With greedy force each other doth assail."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 5. 6.
i. "each doth assail the other."- Rich. II. i. 1. 22.
I.
"We learn no other but the confident tyrant
Keeps still in Dunsinane."-Macb. v. 4. 8.
He hopes it is no other
But, for your health and your digestion's sake,
An after-dinner's breath."-Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 120.
'If you think other."-Othello, iv. 2. 13.
Sose no other.”—A. W. iii. 6. 27.
• It is used as a singular adjective, without the article, in Cymb. iii. 4 144:
"You think of other place."
ADJECTIVES.
25
In the two last passages "other" may be used adverbially for
otherwise," as in Macbeth, i. 7. 77, which may explain
"They can be meek that have no other cause."-C. of E. ii. 1. 33.
1.e. "no cause otherwise than for meekness."
'
>>
The use of all(e) and other(e) as plural pronouns is consistent with
ancient usage.
It was as correct as "omnes and "alii" in Latin,
as "alle" and "andere" in German. Our modern "others said"
is only justified by a custom which might have compelled us to say
'manys" or "alls said," and which has induced us to say our
betters," though not (with Heywood) "our biggers." The plural
use of neither, "not both," depends on the plural use of either for
"both," which is still retained in " on either side," used for "on both
sides," This is justified by the original meaning of either, i.e.
"every one of two," just as whe-ther means "which of two.'
"Either" in O.E. is found for "both." Similarly we say none
were taken" instead of "none (no one) was taken." We still retain
the use of other as a pronoun without the in such phrases as "they
saw each other," for "they saw each the other." Many is also used
as a noun. (See 5.) Hence we have :
"In many's looks.”—Sonn. 93.
'
"
Beside the adjective "mani," "moni" (many), there was also in
Early English the noun "manie" or "mcine" (multitude, from Fr.
"maisgnée," Lat. "minores natu "). But it is doubtful whether
this influenced the use just mentioned.
13. The possessive Adjectives, when unemphatic, are some-
times transposed, being really combined with nouns (like the French
monsieur, milord).
"Dear my lord."-7. C. ii. 1. 255.
"Good my brother."—Hamlet, i. 3. 46.
"Sweet my mother."—R. and J. iii. 5. 200.
"Oh! poor our sex."-Tr. and Cr. v. 2. 109.
"Art thou that my lord Elijah?"- 1 Kings xviii. 7.
Come, our queen.”—Cymb. ii. 3. 68.
So probably, vocatively:
"Tongue-tied our queen speak thou."-II. T. i, 2. 27.
Compare "Come on, our queen."-Rich. II. i. 2. 222.
“Good my knave.”
my knave."-L. L. L. iii. 1. 153
26
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Good my friends."—Coriol. v. 2. 8.
“Good your highness, patience."—A. and C. ii. 5. 106.
"Good my girl.”—1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 25.
Hence, by analogy, even
"Good my mouse of virtue.”—T. N. i. 5. 69.
The emphatic nature of this appellative "good" is illustrated by
"Good now, sit down."—Hamlet, i. 1. 70:
where the noun is omitted. So W. T. v. I. 19; Tempest, i. 1. 16.
"Gunnow" (good now) is still an appellative in Dorsetshire.
Sometimes, but very rarely, the possessive adjective used voca
tively is allowed to stand first in the sentence:
"Our very loving sister, well be met."-Lear, v. 1. 20.
It is possible that this use of "my," "our," &c. may be in part
explained from their derivation, since they were originally not
adjectives, but the possessive cases of pronouns. Thus,
Thus, "sweet my
mother," "sweet mother of me," or "sweet mother mine."
Similar vocatives are
"The last of all the Romans, fare thee well."-F. C. v. 3. 99.
"The jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes,
Cordelia leaves you."-Lear, i. 1. 271.
So Folio, "Take that, the likeness of this railer here."
3 Hen. VI. v. 5. 38 (Globe "thou").
14. The Adjectives just, mere, proper, and very were
sometimes used as in Latin.
Just = exact.
'A just seven-night."-M. Ado, ii. 1. 375.
'A jus! pound.”—M. of V. iv. 1. 327.
Whereas we retain this sense only in the adverbial use, “just a
week." Compare "justum iter."
15. Mere = "unmixed with anything else:" hence, by inference,
» "complete."
"intact,
"The mere perdition of the Turkish fleet."-0. ii. 2. 3.
i.e. the "complete destruction.”
"Strangely-visited people,
The mere despair of surgery."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 132.
i.e. "the utter despair. So Rich. III. iii. 7. 263.
The word now means
"unmixed," and therefore, by inference,
ADJECTIVES.
27
"nothing but," 'bare," "insignificant.
"insignificant." But, in accordance with
its original meaning, "not merely," in Bacon, is used for "not
entirely." So Hamlet, i. 2. 137.
16. Proper
-
"peculiar,'
""own."
"Their proper selves."-Temp. iii. 3. 60.
"With my proper hand."— Cymb. iv. 2. 97; T. N. v. 1. 327.
.e."with my own hand," as in French. So F. C. i. 2. 41, v. 3. 96.
"My very friends.”—M. of V. iii. 2. 226.
Very "true."
17. More (mo-re) and most (mo-st) (comp. E. E. ma or mo;
mar or mor; maest, mast, or most) are frequently used as the com-
parative and superlative of the adjective "great.' [Moe, or mo, as
a comparative (Rich. II. ii. 1. 239; Rich. III. iv. 4. 199), is con-
tracted from more or mo-er. Compare "bet" for "bett-er," "leng"
for "leng-er," and "streng" for "streng-er," in O. E. See also
"sith," 62.]
"At our more leisure."-M. for M. i. 3. 49.
"A more requital."-K. 7. ii. 1. 34.
"With most gladness."-A. and C. ii. 2. 169.
"Our most quiet" (our very great quiet).
(our very great quiet).—2 Hen. IV. iv. 1.71,
"So grace and mercy at your most need help you."
Hence we understand :
"Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress,
>>
Hamlet, i. 5. 180.
But always resolute in most extremes. -1 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 38.
i.e. not "in the majority of extremities," as it would mean with us,
but "in the greatest extremes."
Hence :
66
' More (instead of greater) and less came in with cap and knee."
1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 68.
"And more and less do flock to follow him.
""
2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 209.
“Both more and less have given him the revolt."
Macbeth, v. 4. 12.
That "less" refers here to rank, and not to number, is illustrated by
"What great ones do the less will prattle of."-7. N. i. 2. 33.
So Chaucer :
"The grete giftes to the most and leste."-C. T. 2227.
28
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
18. One is used for "above all," or alone," i.e. “all-one,” in
Elizabethan English with superlatives.
"He is one the truest manner'd.”—Cymb. i. 6. 164.
"One the wisest prince."-Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 49.
"Have I spake one the least word."-7b. 153.
But in Early English one is thus used without a superlative:
"He one is to be praised."
"I had no brother but him one.”
"He was king one.
"}
(Here Mr. Morris conjectures that the O. E. "ane" stands for
A.-S. dative " an-um.")
So in Latin "justissimus unus;" and in Greek μóvos is similarly
So "alone" = "above all things."
used.
"That must needs be sport alone."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 119.
"I am alone the villain of the earth."-A. and C. iv. 6. 30.
"So full of shapes is fancy
That it alone is high fantastical."-7. N. i. I. 15.
None. See 53.
19. Right (which is now seldom used as an adjective, except
with the definite article, as the opposite of "the wrong," e.g. "the
right way," not "a right way"), was used by Shakespeare, with
the indefinite article, to mean real," down-right."
2) 66
"I am a right maid for my cowardice."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 302.
Compare A. and C. iv. 12. 28, "a right gipsy." It means "true" in
"A right description of our sport, my lord."-L. L. L. v. 2. 522.
20. Self (se = swa [so]; -lf. = Germ. leib, "body:" Wedge-
wood, however, suggests the reciprocal pronoun, Lat. se, Germ.
sich, and he quotes, "Et il ses cors ira," i.e. "and he him self
will go," Old French, and still retained in Creole patois) was still
used in its old adjectival meaning "same," especially in one self,"
i.c. one and the same," and "that self." Compare the German
"selbe."
"That self chain."-C. of E. v. 1. 10.
"That self mould."-Rich. II. i. 2. 23.
"One self king."-T. N. i. 1. 39.
ADJECTIVES.
29
Compare 3 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 11; A. and C. v. 1. 21; M. of V. i.
I. 148.
Hence we can trace the use of himself, &c. The early English did
not always use "self," except for emphasis; their use was often the
same as our modern poetic use :
"They sat them down upon the yellow sand."-TENNYSON.
In order to define the him, and to identify it with the previous he,
the word self (meaning "the same," "the aforesaid ") was added :
"He bends himself." Thyself and myself are for thee-self, me-self.
"One self king" may be illustrated by "one same house."-MON-
TAIGNE, 228. We also find the adjectival use of "self" retained in
"The territories of Attica selfe." -N. P. 175.
"The city selfe of Athens."-N. P. 183.
"Itself" is generally, if not always, written in the Folio "it selfe."
There is a difficulty, however, in such a phrase as "I myself saw
it." Why do we not find "I-self," "he-self," in such cases?
Why, even in A.-S., do we find the rule that, when self agrees with
the subject of the sentence, the pronoun has to be repeated in the
dative before self: "he (him) self did it," but when the noun is in
an oblique case self is declined like any other adjective, and agrees
with its noun: "he hine seolfne band," i.e. "he bound himself?"
The fact is, that in the second case "self" is an ordinary adjective
used as an adjective: "he bound the same or aforesaid him.'
But in the former case "himself" is often an abridgment of a pre-
positional expression used as an adverb: “he did it by himself,"
"of himself," "for himself," and, being a quasi-adverb, does not
receive the adjectival inflection.* It follows that "my," "thy,"
in "myself" and "thyself," are not pronominal adjectives, but
represent inflected cases of the pronouns. Thus "ourself" for
selves" is strictly in accordance with the A.-S. usage in
our-
"We will ourself in person to this war,"-Rich. II. i. 4. 42.
though of course Shakespeare only uses it for "myself" in the mouth
of a dignified personage. Similarly in Piers Plowman (B. viii. 62)
myn one "(= "of me one," i.e. “
one"
of me alone" [see One])
used for "by myself," and him one (William of Palerne, 17) for
"by himself;" and here "myn
myn" is the genitive of "I," and "him"
we have "
>>
*Myself seems used for our "by myself" in
"I had as lief have been mysely alone."-A. Y. L. iii. 2. 269.
30
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
the dative of "he,” and “one” is an adjective. This is also illus.
trated by the Scottish "my lane," i.e. "my, or by me, alone."
Hence, instead of "ourselves" we have in Wickliffe, 2 Cor. x. 2,
"but we mesuren us in us silf and comparisownen us silf to us,'
and, a line above, "hem silf" for "themselves.”
""
""
Very early, however, the notion became prevalent that the in-
flected pronoun was a pronominal adjective, and that “self” was a
noun. Hence we find in Chaucer, "myself hath been the whip,'
"and to prove their selfes" in Berners' Froissart; and in Shake-
speare, Temp. i. 2. 132, "thy crying self." Hence the modern
"ourselves," yourselves."
"Tar-
Hence
The use of "self" as a noun is common in Shakespeare:
quin's self," Coriol. ii. 2. 98; "my woeful self,” L. C. 143.
the reading of the Folio may be correct in the first of the follow-
ing lines:
"Even so myself bewails good Gloucester's case,
With sad unhelpful tears and with dimm'd eyes
Look after him.". -2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 217.
But the change to the first person is more in accordance with Shake-
speare's usage, as:
'This love of theirs myself have often seen.
So T. G. iii. 1. 147; ib. iv. 2. 110.
"
T. G. of V. iii. 1. 23.
So "himself" is used as a pronoun, without "he,” in
"Direct not him whose way himself will choose.'
"Self-born arms
"}
Rich. II. ii. 1. 29.
(Rich. II. ii. 3. 80) seems to mean "divided
against themselves," ""civil war.
21. Some, being frequently used with numeral adjectives quali-
fying nouns of time, as some sixteen months" (T. G. of V. iv. 1.
21), is also found, by association, with a singular noun of time.
"Some hour before you took me."-T. N. ii. 1. 22.
"I would detain you here some month or two."--M. of V. iii. 2. 9.
"Some day or two."-R. III. iii. 1. 64.
"Five
It would seem that in such expressions "some" has acquired an
adverbial usage, as in the provincialisms, "It is some late,'
mile or some" (MÄTZNER, ii. 253). Compare
"I think 'tis now some seven o'clock."- T. of Sh. iv. 3 188,
ADJECTIVES.
31
""
"Sum" is, however, found in Early English and Anglo-Saxon in
the sense of "a certain.' Compare A.-S. "Sum jungling hym
fyligde," Mark xiv. 51. So Wickliffe, where A. V. has "A certain
young man followed him." "Other-some" (M.N.D. i. 1. 226), see
P. 6.
22. The licence of converting one part of speech into another
may be illustrated by the following words used as adjectives:
"The fine point of seldom (rare) pleasure.”—Sonn. 52.
"Each under (inferior) eye."-Sonn. 7.
"This beneath (lower) world.”—T. of A. i. I. 44.
'The orb below
As hush (silent) as death."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 508.
See also still, below (22).
"Most felt (palpable) and open this.”—B. J. Sejan. i. 2.
"Most laid (plotted) impudence."-B. J. Fox.
As still with us, any noun could be prefixed to another with the
force of an adjective: water-drops,"
" "water-thieves," "water-fly,"
&c.
"}
This licence, however, was sometimes used where we should
prefer the genitive or an adjective. Thus, "the region kites
(Hamlet, ii. 2. 607,) for "the kites of the region ;" and "the region
cloud," Sonn. 33. So perhaps, a moment leisure," Hamlet, i. 3.
We say
"heart's ease," but Shakespeare, Hen. V. ii. 2. 27,
says “heart-grief;" "heart-blood," Rich. II. i. 1. 172, &c.; “fac
tion-traitors,” ib. ii. 2. 57. Again, a word like music" is not
commonly used by us as a prefix unless the suffix is habitually
connected with "music :" thus "music-book, " "music-master," &c.,
133.
but not "music" for "musical
as in
C6
"The honey of his music vows."—Hamlet, iii. 1. 164.
Compare venom mud," R. of L. 561;
venom clamours," C. of
E. v. i. 69, for " venomous;" venom sound," Rich. II. ii. 1. 19;
36
venom tooth," Rich. III. i. 3. 291.
This licence is very frequent with proper names.
"Here in Philippi fields."-7. C. v. 5. 19.
"Draw them to Tiber banks."-7. C. i. 1. 63.
"There is no world without Verona walls. >>
"Within rich Pisa walls.'
>>
-R. and J. iii. 3. 17.
—T. of Sh. ii. 1. 369.
To the Cyprus wars."—O. i. 1. 151.
"Turkey cushions."-T. of Sh. ii. 1. 355, as we still say.
32
SIIAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
>>
"From Leonati seat."-Cymb. v. 4. 60.
"Venice gold."-T. of Sh. ii. 1. 366.
The reason for this licence is to be found in an increasing
dislike and disuse of the inflection in 's. Thus we find, “sake
frequently preceded in 1 Hen. IV. by an uninflected noun:
recreation sake," 1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 174; ib. ii. 1. 80; ib. v. 1. 65; "for
fashion sake,” A. Y. L. iii. 2. 271.
"for
ADVERBS.
23. It is characteristic of the unsettled nature of the Elizabethan
language that, while (see 1) adjectives were freely used as adverbs
without the termination ly, on the other hand ly was occasionally
added to words from which we have rejected it.
Thus "fastly'
(L. C. 9); “youngly" (Coriol. ii. 3. 244).
:
24. Adverbs with prefix a-: (1) Before nouns. In these adverbs
the a- represents some preposition, as "in," " on," "of," &c. con-
tracted by rapidity of pronunciation. As might be expected, the
contraction is mostly found in the prepositional phrases that are in
most common use, and therefore most likely to be rapidly pro-
nounced. Thus (Coriol. iii. 1. 261-2) Menenius says: "I would
they were in Tiber," while the Patrician, "I would they were a-bed.”
Here a- means "in," as in the following:
"3d Fisherman. Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea.
Ist Fisherman. Why, as men do a-land.”—P. of T. ü. 1. 31.
A- is also used where we should now use "at."
ever, O. E. " 012 work."
Compare, how-
"Sets him new a-work."-Hamlet, ii. 2.510; Lear iii. 5. 8.
So R. of L. 1496. And compare Hamlet, ii. 1. 58, "There (he)
was a' gaming," with
"When he is drunk, asleep, or in his rage
At gaming."—Hamlet, iii. 3. 91.
Sometimes
of" and "a- are interchanged. Compare "a-kin"
and “of kind," "of burst" and "a-thirst," "of buve" and "a-
bove." Most frequently, however, "a-" represents our modern "on"
or "'in."
Compare "a-live and on live.'
ADVERBS.
33
"Bite the holy cords a-twain."—Lear, ii. 2. 80 ; L. C. 6.
Compare "That his spere brast a-five," i.e. "burst in five pieces."
(HALLIWELL.) So
‘A-front.”—1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 222. "A-fire."-Temp. i. 2. 212.
"Look up a-height" (perhaps).—Lear, iv. 6. 58.
"Beaten the maids a-row."--C. of E. v. I. 170.
And keep in a-door.”—Lear, i. 4. 138.
Thus, probably, we must explain
"Thy angel becomes a fear."-A. and C. ii. 3. 22.
"What a
i.e. “a-fear." The word " a-fere" is found in A.-S. in the sense
of "fearful" (Mätzner, i. 394). And in the expressions
plague?" (1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 51,) "What a devil?" (1 Hen. IV.
ii. 2. 39.) "A God's name
A God's name" (Rich. II. ii. 1. 251,) and the like, we
must suppose a to mean "in," "on," or "of." There is some
difficulty in
“I love a ballad in print a life" (so Folio, Globe, “o' life”).
W. T. iv. 4. 264.
on my life." Nares
It might be considered as a kind of oath,
explains it "as my life," but the passages which he quotes could be
equally well explained on the supposition that a is a preposition.
The expression "all amort" in I Hen. VI. iii. 2. 124, and T. of Sh.
iv. 3. 36, is said to be an English corruption of “à la mort.”
"To heal the sick, to cheer the alamort."-Nares.
The a (E. E. an or on) in these adverbial words sometimes for
euphony retains the :
an
"And each particular hair to stand an end."-Ham. i. 4. 19.*
So Hamlet, iii. 4. 122, Rich. III. i. 3. 304; and compare
hungry,' an hungered" below, where the an is shown not to be
the article.
So
A slave that still an end turns me to shame,”—T. G. of V. iv. 4. 67.
where te
an end" (like "run on head" (Homilies), i.e. run a-head")
signifies motion on to the end."
""
These adverbial forms were extremely common in earlier English,
even where the nouns were of French origin. Thus we find: “a
grief," "a-fyn" for en-fin," 'a-bone" excellently, "a-cas by
Indeed the corruption of en- into a- in Old French itself
Compare "Shall stand a tip-toe."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 42.
cliance.
D
34
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
is very common, and we still retain from this source "a-round" for
en rond" and "a-front" for "
en front."
(2) Before adjectives and participles, used as nouns.
When an adjective may easily be used as a noun, it is intelligible
that it may be preceded by a-. Compare "a-height," quoted above,
with our modern " on high," and with
"One heaved a-high to be hurled down below."
Rich. III. iv. 4. 86.
It is easy also to understand a- before verbal nouns and before adjec
tives used as nouns, where it represents on:
i.e.
"I would have him nine years a-killing."-O. iv. I. 188.
on, or in the act of killing." So
"Whither were you a-going ?"—Hen. VIII. i. 3. 50.
i.e."in the act of going."
"The slave that was a-hanging there.”—Lear, v. 3. 274.
"Tom's a-cold."-Lear, iii. 4. 59.
i.e. "a-kale," E. E. "in a chill."
Some remarkable instances of this form are subjoined, in which
nouns are probably concealed.
"I made her weep a-good."-T. G. of V. iv. 4. 170.
i.e. "in good earnest;" but "good" may be a noun. Compare
"a-bone" above.
"The secret mischiefs that I set abroach.”—R. III. i. 3. 326 ;
R. and J. i. I. 111.
where a is prefixed to "broach," now used only as a verb.
broach and "abroach are found in E. E. Compare
"O'er which his melancholy sits on brood."
"")
". On
Hamlet, iii. 1. 173
66
gape."
Compare "That sets them all agape."-MILTON, P. L. v.;
which is to be explained by the existence of an old noun,
(3) As the prefix of participles and adjectives.
In this case a represents a corruption of the A.-S. intensive of.
Thus from E. E. offeren, we have "afered" or "afeared;"
from A.-S. " of gán, ""a-gone."
The of before a vowel or h is
sometimes changed into on or an. See On, 182. And indeed the
prefixes an-, on-, of-, a-, were all nearly convertible. Hence "of-
hungred" appears not only as afingred," but also "an-hungered,"
as in St. Matthew xxv. 44, A. V.: "When saw we thee an hungered
ADVERBS.
35
or athirst ?" It would be a natural mistake to treat an here as the
article but compare
They were an hungry,"-Coriol. i. 1. 209.
where the plural "they" renders it impossible to suppose that an is
the article.
Perhaps, by analogy, a- is also sometimes placed before adjectives
that are formed from verbs. It can scarcely be said that weary is
a noun in
'For Cassius is a-weary of the world."
J. C. iv. 3. 95; 1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 88.
of-walked," means "of-weary," i.e.
Rather "a-weary," like "of-walked," means
"tired out."
25. Adverbs ending in "s" formed from the possessive
inflection of Nouns. Some adverbs thus formed are still in
common use, such as "needs" = "of necessity."
' Needs must I like it well."—Rich. II. iii. 2. 4.
"There must be needs a like proportion."-M. of V. iii.
But we find also in Shakespeare:
4. 14.
"He would have tickled you other gates than he did."
T. N. v. 1. 198.
i.e. "in another gate or fashion."
I.
In this way (compare "sideways," "lengthways," &c.) we must
probably explain
And
"Come a little nearer this ways.”—M. W. of IV. ii. 2. 50.
"Come thy ways.”—T. N. ii. 5. 1.
Compare also the expression in our Prayer-book :
"Any ways afflicted, or distressed.'
Others explain this as a corruption of
'Days" is similarly used :
፡፡ wise."
"Tis but early days."-Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 12.
i.e. "in the day," as the Germans use morgens." Compare
now-a-days,” and N. P. 179, at noondaies."
A similar explanation might suggest itself for
"Is Warwick friends with Margaret?"
3 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 115; A. and C. ii. 5. 44.
But "I am friends" is not found in E. E., and therefore pro-
bably it is simply a confusion of two constructions, "I am friend to
him" and " we are friends."
D 2
36
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
26. After was used adrbially of time
"" If
tr you know
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after scandal them.”—7. C. i. 2. 76.
Now we use afterwards in this sense, using after rarely as an adverb
and only with verbs of motion, to signify an interval of space, as "he
followed after."
27. The use of the following adverbs should be noted:
",
Again (radical meaning "opposite") is now only used in the
local sense of returning, as in "He came back again, home again,
&c.; and metaphorically only in the sense of repeating, as in “Again
we find many other instances," &c. It is used by Shakespeare
metaphorically in the sense of "on the other hand." Thus-
"Have you
Ere now denied the asker, and now again (on the other hand)
Of him that did not ask but mock, bestow
Your sued-for tongues?"-Coriol. ii. 3. 214.
"Where (whereas) Nicias did turne the Athenians from their
purpose, Alcibiades againe (on the other hand) had a further reach,”
&c.-N. /. 172. So Rich. II. ii. 9. 27.
It is also used literally for “back again." "Haste you again,”
A. IV. ii. 2. 73, does not mean "haste a second time," but "hasten
back."
Again is used for “again and again," i.e. repeatedly (a previous
action being naturally implied by again), and hence intensively
almost like "amain."
For wooing here until I sweat(ed) again.”—M. of V. iii. 2. 205.
Weeping again the king my father's wreck.
Tempest, i. 2. 390.
For omission of -ed in "sweat" (common in E. E.), see 341.
28. All (altogether) used adverbially :
"I will dispossess her all.”—T. of A. 1. 1. 139.
"For us to levy power is all unpossible."--Rich. II. ii. 2. 126.
In compounds all is freely thus used, "All-worthy lord;" "all-
watched night;" "her all-disgraced friend," A. and C. iii. 12. 22.
Sometimes it seems to mean "by all persons," as in "all-shunned."
So, this all-hating world," Rich. II. v. 5. 66, does not mean
"Eating all," but "hating (me) universally."
ADVERBS.
37
All used intensively was frequently p efixed to other adverbs of
degree, as So.
"
"What occasion of import
Hath all so long detain'd you from your wife?"
T. of Sh. iii. 1. 105.
"too."
The connection of all and "so" is perpetuated in the modern
"also.' Still more commonly is all prefixed to
"In thy heart-blood, though being all too base
To stain the temper of my knightly sword."
"Our argument
Rich. II. iv. I. 28.
Is all too heavy to admit much talk.". -2 Hen. IV. v. 2. 24.
So Cymb. v. 5. 169; T. G. of V. iii. 1. 162; Sonn. 18, 61, 86;
R. of L. 44, 1686.
There are two passages in Shakespeare where all-to requires
explanation :
"It was not she that called him all to nought."-V. and A. 993.
"The very principals (principal posts of the house) did seem to rend
And all to topple."-P. of T. iii. 2. 17.
(1) In the first passage all-to is probably an intensive form of
"to," which in Early English (see Too, below) had of itself an
intensive meaning. Originally "to" belonged to the verb. Thus
"to-breke" meant "break in pieces.”
When "all" was added, as
in "all to-breke," it at first had no connection with "to," but
intensified "to-breke." But "to" and "too" are written in-
differently for one another by Elizabethan and earlier writers, and
hence sprang a corrupt use of "all-to," caused probably by the
frequent connection of all and too illustrated above. It means here
"altogether.
(2) In the second passage some (a) connect “to-topple," believing
that here and in M. W. of W. iv. 4. 57, "to-pinch,'
"to" is an
intensive prefix, as in Early English. But neither of the two passages
necessitates the supposition that Shakespeare used this archaism.
(See M. W. of W. iv. 4. 5 below, To omitted and inserted, 350.)
We can, therefore, either (¿) write "all-to" (as in the Globe), and
treat it as meaning "altogether," or (c) suppose that "all" means
quite," and that "to topple," like "to rend," depends upon
This last is the more obvious and probable construction.*
เ
seem."
* Or, adopting this construction. we may take all to mean "the whole house.'
'The principals did seem to rend, and the whole house to topple."
38
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
all-to-
From this use of "all too" or "all to," closely connected in
the sense of "altogether," it was corruptly employed as an intensive
prefix, more especially before verbs beginning with be- :
bequalify," B. J.; "all-to-bekist," ib.; and later, "he all-to be-
Gullivers me," SWIFT; all-to-be-traytor'd," NARES.
29. Almost, used for mostly, generally:
"Neither is it almost seen that very beautiful persons are of
great virtue."—B. E. 163.
Our modern meaning nearly is traceable to the fact that anything
is nearly done when the most of it is done.
Almost (see also Transpositions) frequently follows the word
which it qualifies.
""
"I swoon almost with lear. -M. N. D. ii. 3. 154.
"As like almost to Claudio as himself."-M. for M. v. 1. 494.
Hence in negative sentences we find 'not-almost where we
should use
"}
"almost not," or, in one word, "scarcely," "hardly."
"You cannot reason (almost) with a man."-Rich. III. ii. 2. 39.
The Globe omits the parenthesis of the Folio.
"And yet his trespass, in our common reason,
• •
Is not almost a fault to incur a private check."—O. iii. 3. 66.
i.e. "is not (I may almost say) fault enough to," &c. or "is scarcely
fault enough to," &c.
So
"9 66
I have not breath'd almost since I did see it."-C. of E. v. 1. 181.
It was natural for the Elizabethans to dislike putting the qualify-
ing
"almost" before the word qualified by it. But there was an
ambiguity in their idiom. 'Not almost-a-fault" would mean not
approaching to a fault ;" "not-almost a fault, very nearly not a
fault." We have, therefore, done well in avoiding the ambiguity
'by disusing "almost" in negative sentences. The same ambiguity
and peculiarity attaches to interrogative, comparative, and other
conjunctional sentences.
"Would you imagine or almost believe ?"—Rich. III. iii. 5. 35.
1.e. "Would you suppose without evidence, or (I may almost say)
believe upon evidence?" &c.
"Our aim, which was
To take in many towns ere almost Rome
Should know we were afoot."-Coriol. i. 2. 24.
ADVERBS.
39
Alone, see One, 18.
30. Along is frequently joined to "with" and transposed, as:
"With him is Gratiano gone along."—M. of V. ii. 8. 2.
Hence the "with me being omitted, "along" is often used fo
"along with me.
""
"Demetrius and Egeus, go along,
I must employ you in some business."-M. N. D. i. 1. 123.
Note, that here, as in T. of Sh. iv. 5. 9; 2 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 191;
O. i. I. 180; “go
go" is used where we should say
"come.' The
word is used simply to express the motion of walking by WICKLIFFE :
Acts xiv. 8. MONTAIGNE, Florio, 230.
Sometimes the verb of motion is omitted, as in
"Will you along (with us)?"-Coriol. ii. 3. 157.
"Let's along" is still a common Americanism.
Sometimes the ellipsis refers to the third person.
"Go you along (with him)."-A. and C. v. I. 69.
Perhaps we ought (to the advantage of the rhythm) to place a
comma after along, in
"Therefore have I entreated him along,
With us to watch the minutes of this night."-Ham. i. 1. 26.
30 a. Anon. The derivative meaning of anon (an-ane) is at
one instant," or "in an instant," and this is its ordinary use. But in
"Still and anon.”—K. J. iv. 1. 47.
Which ever and anon he gave his nose."
1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 38.
anon seems to mean "the moment after," a previous moment being
implied by "still," "ever." Compare our now and then.'
31. Anything, like Any ways, is adverbially used:
'Do you think they can take any pleasure in it, or be anything
delighted?"—MONTAIGNE, 31.
Any ways afflicted, or distressed."-Prayer-book.
"Ways" is, perhaps, genitive. See 25.
32. Away.
"
'She could never away with me. -2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 213.
ic "she could not endure me." A verb of motion is probably
40
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
omitted.
Compare our I cannot get on with him," "put up with
him," and the provincial "I cannot do with him.'
"I could not do withal."-M. of V. iii. 2. 72.
So "she could never away with me"
way," i.e. "get on with me.
of motion compare
=
"she could not go on her
For the omission of the verb
"Will you along !"-Coriol. ii. 3. 157.
33. Back, for "backward.”
"Goes to and back lackeying the varying tide."
Where we should say
"to and fro."
A. and C. i. 4. 48.
34. Besides "by the side of the main question," i.e. "in
other respects,"
""for the rest.'
"This Timæus was a man not so well knowne as he, but besides
(for the rest) a wise man and very hardy."-N. P. 174.
Similarly besides is used as a preposition in the sense
out of."
"How fell you besides your five wits?"-T. N. iv. 2. 92.
=
35. Briefly
short space of time."
a short time ago," instead of (as with us) "in a
Briefly we heard their drums.
How couldst thou. bring thy news so late?"
Coriol. i. 6. 16.
Similarly we use the Saxon equivalent "shortly" to signify futurity.
36. By (original meaning near the side." Hence "by and by"
"very near," which can be used either of time or, as in Early
English, also of place) is used for "aside, on one side," "away,"
in the phrase
)) ((
"Stand by, or I shall gall you."-K. J. iv. 3. 94.
Whereas, on the other hand, "to stand by a person" means "to
stand near any one.
"
37. Chance appears to be used as an adverb:
"How chance thou art returned so soon?"-C. of E. i. 2. 42
But the order of the words "thou art," indicates that Shake-
speare treated chance as a verb. "How may it chance or chances
ADVERBS.
41
that," as Hamlet, ii. 2. 343, "How chances it they travel?" Com
pare-
"How chance the roses there do fade so fast?"
M. N. D. i. 1. 129.
So Tr. and Cr. iii. 1. 151; 2 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 20; Rich. III. iv. 2.
103; M. W. of W. v. 5. 231; P. of T. iv. 1. 23.
Compare, however, also—
"
"If case some one of you would fly from us. 3 Hen. VI. v. 4. 34.
where "case" is for the Old French "per-case."
This use of chance as an apparent adverb is illustrated by
"Perchance his boast of Lucrece' sovereignty
Suggested this proud issue of a king:
Perchance that envy of so rich a thing
Braving compare, disdainfully did sting."-R. of L. 39.
Here "perchance" seems used first as an adverb, then as a verb,
"it may chance that." So Shakespeare, perhaps, used chance as
an adverb, but unconsciously retained the order of words which
shows that, strictly speaking, it is to be considered as a verb.
>>
38. Even. Even now" with us is applied to an action that
has been going on for some long time and still continues, the
emphasis being laid on now. In Shakespeare the emphasis is
often to be laid on even," and " even now means 'exactly or
only now," i.e. "scarcely longer ago than the present:
"but now.
t
>>
There was an old fat woman even now with me.
**
""
hence
M. W. of W. iv. 5. 26.
Often "but even now" is used in this sense: M. of V. i. 1. 35.
On the other hand, both
"just at this moment," as in
" and "but now
even now
"
can signify
"But now I was the lord
Of this fair mansion ; . . . and even now,
and even now, but now,
This house, these servants, and this same myself
Are yours."-M. of V. iii. 2. 171.
We use "just now" for the Shakespearian
even now,"
laying
the emphasis on "just." Even is used for "even now," in the sense
of " at this moment," in
• A certain convocation of politic worms are even at him."
Hamlet, iv. 3. 22
42
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So " even when" means "just when" in
(Roses) die, even when they to perfection grow."
39. Ever (at every time) freq.:
T. N. ii, 4. 42.
"For slander's mark was ever yet the fair."-Sonn. 70.
The latter use is still retained in poetry. But in prose we confine
"ever" (like the Latin " unquam”) to negative, comparative, aud
interrogative sentences.
แ
Ever seems contrary to modern usage in
"Would I might
""
But ever see that man. -Temp. i. 2. 168.
But," however, implies a kind of negative, and ever means
at any time."
40. Far, used metaphorically for "very."
"But far unfit to be a sovereign.”—3 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 92.
So 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 286.
41. Forth, hence, and hither are used without verbs of motion
(motion being implied) :
“I have no mind of feasting forth to-night.”—M. of V. ii. 2.37.
"Her husband will be forth."-M. W. of W. ii. 2. 278.
(
'By praising him here who doth hence remain."—Sonn. 39.
"From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony.”—Macb. iii. 4. 36.
"Methinks I hear hither your husband's drum.”—Coriol. i. 3. 32.
Prepare thee hence for France."-Rich. II. v. I. 31.
Forth, "to the end:"
"To hear this matter forth.”—M. for M. v. 1. 255.
Forth, as a preposition: see Prepositions.
42. Happily, which now means "by good hap," was sometimes
used for "haply," i.e. "by hap," just as
good," at other times "ill."
""
success was sometimes
"Hamlet. That great baby you see there is not yet out of his
swaddling-clouts.
Ros. Happily he's the second timc come to them."—Hamlet, ii.
2. 402.
"And these our ships, you happily may think,
Are like the Trojan horse (which) was stuffed within
With bloody veins."-P. of T. i. 4. 29.
ADVERBS.
43
Though I may fear
Her will recoiling to her better judgment
May fall to match you with her country forrs,
And happily repent."—Othello, iii. 3. 238.
It means "
gladly" in Macbeth, i. 3. 89.
43. Here is used very freely in compounds: "they here ap
proach" (Macb. iv. 3. 133); "here-remain" (ib. 148). Perhaps
here may be considered as much an adjective, when thus used, as
"then" in "our then dictator" (Coriol. ii. 2. 93). So in Greek.
44. Hitherto, which is now used of time, is used by Shake-
speare of space:
England from Trent and Severn hitherto."
I Hen. IV. iii. 1. 74.
45. Home. We still say "to come home," to strike home,"
using the word adverbially with verbs of motion, but not
"I cannot speak him home," i.e. completely.
Satisfy me home.”—Cymb. iii. 5. 83.
Coriol. ii. 2. 107.
(Your son) lack'd the sense to know her estimation home."
That trusted home
A. W. v. 3. 4.
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown."-Macbeth, i. 3. 121.
46. How (adverbial derivative from wa hwu, O. E.) used for
"however:"
"I never yet saw man
How wise, how noble, young, how rarely featured,
But she would spell him backward.”—M. Ado, iii. 1. 60.
"Or whether his fall enraged him or how 'twas.
How is perhaps used for " as in V. and A. S15:
>>
Coriol. i. 3. 69.
Look, how a bright star shooteth from the sky,
So glides he in the night from Venus' eye.
This, which is the punctuation of the Globe, is perhaps conect,
and illustrated by
'Look, as the fair and fiery-pointed sun
Rushing from forth a cloud bereaves our sight,
Even so," &c.—R. of L. 372.
So V. and A. 67; M. of V. iii. 2. 127.
Similarly, GASCOIGNE (Mätzner) has :
“How many men, so many minds."
14
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
47. Howsoe'er for "howsoe'er it be," "in any case
"}
'Howsoe'er, my brother hath done well."-Cymb. iv. 2. 116
So However. See 403.
48. Last. Such phrases as
Such phrases as "at the last,"
at the last," "at the first," are
common, but not
"The last (time) that e'er I took her leave at court."
A. W. v. 3. 79.
Merely, completely. See Adjectives, Mere, 15.
More, Most. See Adjectives, 18.
::
49. Moreabove moreover."Hamlet, ii. 2. 126.
50. Moreover precedes "that,” like our "beside that.
"Moreover that we much did long to see you."
""
Hamlet, i. 2. 2.
51. Much, More, is frequently used as an ordinary adjective,
after a pronominal adjective, like the Scotch mickle, and the E. E
muchel.* (So in A.-S.)
"Thy much goodness."-M. for M. v. 1. 534.
'Yet so much (great) is my poverty of spirit.
""
Rich. III. iii. 7. 159.
Much was frequently used as an adverb even with positive adjectives
>>
"I am much ill. -2 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 111.
So Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 115; F. C. iv. 3. 255.
"Our too much memorable shame."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 53.
So Rich. II. ii. 2. 1.
More is frequently used as a noun and adverb in juxtaposition.
"The slave's report is seconded and more
More fearful is deliver'd."-Coriol. iv. 6. 63. Comp. K. 7. iv. 2. 42.
"More than that tongue that more hath more express'd."-Sonn. 23.
"If there be more, more woeful, hold it in."—Lear, v. 3. 202.
We sometimes say "the many" (see 12), but not
the sense of " most men.
Heywood, however, writes-
.
"the most," i
"Yes, since the most censures, believes and saith
By an implicit faith."-Commendatory Verses on B. J.
* Compare "A noble peer of mickle trust and power. "-MILTON, Comus
ADVERBS.
45
Needs. See 25.
52. Never is used where we now more commonly use
in phrases as :
"And creep time ne'er so slow,
"ever'
Yet it shall come for me to do thee good."-K. J. ii. 3. 31.
So 1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 98; Rich. II. v. 1. 64.
I.
There is probably here a confusion of two constructions, (1)
"And though time creep so slow as it never crept before," and (2)
"And though time never crept so slow as in the case I am sup-
posing. These two are combined into, "And though time creep-
(how shall I describe it? though it crept) never so slow." Con-
struction (2) is illustrated by
>>
"Never so weary, never so in woe,
I can no further crawl, no further go."--M. N. D. iii. 2. 442.
Here, strictly speaking, the ellipsis is "I have been," or "having
been;
“I have never been so weary." But it is easy to see that
never so weary" being habitually used in this sense, Hermia might
say, “I am never-so-weary," or still more easily, "though I were
never-so-wcary."
In such phrases as never the nearer," never seems to mean
'nought." So Wickliffe, John xix. 21 :
'But how he now seeth we wite nere," i.e.
53. None seems to be the emphatic form of
of "my" in the modern idiom:
we know not,'
no," like "mine"
""
Satisfaction (there) can be none but by pangs of death.'
7. M. iii. 4. 261.
For we could not say "there can be none satisfaction." This
emphatic use of the pronoun at the end of a sentence is found very
early. None seems loosely used for "not at all," like "nothing'
(55), “no-whit," i.e. "not." And this may, perhaps, explain :
"None a stranger there
So merry and so gamesome."-Cymb. i. 6. 59.
}}
Here either none means "not," "ne'er," or a comma must he
placed after none: none, being a stranger," which is a very harsh
construction.
The adverbial use of "
none"
may be traced to Early English and
Anglo-Saxon. Under the form "
nan,"
i.e. ne-an" (compare
46
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
none longer,"
Nan" was
even in A.-S.
German "nein"), we find "nan more," and also “
"whether he wolde or noon" (CHAUCER, Mätzner).
used as an adverbial accusative for "by no means
(Mätzner, iii. 131.) In Rich. II. v. 2. 99, "He shall be none," the
meaning is, "he shall not be one of their number."
"None" is
still used by us for "nothing," followed by a partitive genitive,
“I had none of it;" and this explains the Elizabethan phrase
"She will none of me.”—T. N. i. 3. 113.
i.e. "She desires to have (321) nothing from, as regards to do with,
ne."
So
"You can say none of this."-P. N. v. I. 342.
54. Not is apparently put for "not only" in the two following
passages:
i.?.
"Speak fair; you may salve so
Not what is dangerous present, but the loss
Of what is past."-Coriol. iii. 2. 71.
"For what he has
Given hostile strokes, and that not in the presence
Of dreaded justice, but on the ministers.
That do distribute it."-Coriol. iii. 3. 97.
55. Nothing, like "no-way," "naught,"
'naught," "not,” (A.-S. náht.
"no whit,") is often used adverbially.
'And that would set my teeth nothing on edge."
I llen. IV. iii. 1. 133.
"I fear nothing, what can be said against me.”
where "what" is not put for "which."
56. Off (away from the point):
Hen. VIII. v. 1. 126.
"That's off: that's off. I would you had rather been silent."
"I boast her off."-Temp. iv. I. 9.
To be off to take off one's hat:
Coriol. ii. 2. (4.
"I will practise the insinuating nod and be off to them most
counterfeitly."-Coriol. ii. 3. 107.*
57. Once ("once for all," ""above all"):
Once, if he require cur voices, we ought not to deny him."
Coriol. ii. 3. 1.
Stands of" is used for stands out, i.c. in relief."-Hen. V. ii. 2. 103.
ADVERBS.
47
'Tis once thou lovest,
And I will fit thee with the remedy."-M. Ado, i. 1. 320.
Hence "positively."
Nay, an you be a cursing hypocrite, once you must be looked
to."-M. Ado, v. i. 212.
Nay, an you begin to rail on society, once I am sworn not to
give regard to you.' ·Timon, i. 2. 251.
The Folio and Globe place the comma after once
Once is sometimes omitted:
"This is (once) for all."--Hamlet, i. 3. 131.
Once sometimes "in a word:"
"Once this-your long experience of her wisdom,
Her sober virtue, years, and modesty,
Plead on her part some cause to you unknown."
At once is found in this or a similar sense :
C. of E. iii. 1. 90,
"My lords, at once; the cause why we are met
Is to determine of the coronation."-Rich. III. iii. 4 1
"My lords, at once; the care you have of us
Is worthy praise. -2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 66.
Once seems to mean at some time (future)” in
"I thank thee, and I pray thee, once to-night
Give my sweet Nan this ring."—M. W. of W. iii. 4. 103.
But the word may be taken as above.
58. Only, i.e. on(e)ly, is used as an adjective. See But (130),
and Transpositions (420).
"The only (mere) breath."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 7. 13.
"It was for her love and only pleasure."-INGELEND.
By her only aspect she turned men into stones."-BACON,
Adv. of L. 274.
We have lost this adjectival use of only, except in the sense of
single," in such phrases as an only child.”
Only, like "alone" (18), is used nearly in the sense of "above
all," "surpassing."
Oph. You are merry, my lord.
Ham. Who? I?
Oph. Ay, my lord.
Ham. O God, your only jig-maker."-Hamlet, iii. 2. 131.
Your worm is your only emperor for diet."-Ib, iv 3. 22.
48
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAF.
58 a. Over means
over again” in
"Trebles thee o'er."-Tempest, ii. 1. 221.
i.e. "repeats thy former self thrice." Compare
"I would be trebled twenty times myself."--M. of V. iii. 2. 154.
59. Presently "at the present time," "at once," instead of,
as now, “soon, but not at once.”
"Desil. Yes, but not yet to die.
Othello.
O yes, presently."-Othello, v. 2. 52.
So Rich. II. iii. 1. 3; 2. 179.
60. Round, used adverbially in the sense of "straightforwardly."
"Round," like "square" with us, from its connection with "regular,"
"symmetrical," and "complete," was used to signify "plain and
honest." Hence
"I went round to work."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 139.
means just the opposite of " circuitously.'
So
61. Severally ("sever," Lat. separo), used for "separately.”
"When severally we hear them rendered."-7. C. iii. 2. 10.
Contemplation doth withdraw our soule from us, and
severally employ it from the body."-MONTAIGNE, 30.
And
Thus, "a several plot" (Sonn. 137) is a "separate" or private
plot" opposed to a common."
t
t :
=
62. Since (A.-S. sith time," also adv. late,' "later"
"sith-than" "after that") adverbially for “ ago."
"I told your lordship a year since."-M. Ado, ii. 2. 13.
This must be explained by an ellipsis :
"I told your lordship (it is) a year since (I told you)."
Compare a transitional use of "since" between an adverb and
conjunction in "Waverley; or, 'tis Sixty Years since." Omit "'tis,"
and since becomes an adverb.
So since is used for "since then," like our ever since" in
And since, methinks, I would not (do not wish to) grow so
fast."-Rich. III. ii. 4. 14.
Since, when used adverbially as well as conjunctionally, fre-
* Sith for sither, like "mo" for "mo-er." (See 17.)
ADVERBS.
49
quently takes the verb in the simple past where we use the
complete present:
"I did not see him since."—A. and C. i. 3. 1.
This is in accordance with an original meaning of the word, "later,'
("sith.") We should still say, "I never saw him after that;"
and since has the meaning of after."
We also find the present after "since," to denote an action that
is and has been going on since a certain time. (So in Latin with
"jampridem.")
"My desires e'er since pursue me."-T. N. i. 1. 23.
See Conjunctions, 132.
63. So (original meaning “in that way”) is frequently inserted
in replies where we should omit it:
"Trib. Repair to the Capitol.
Peop. We will so."—Coriol. ii. 3. 62.
"T. Fortitude doth consist, &c.
D. It doth so indeed, sir."-B. J. Sil. Wom. iv. 2.
Here so means as you direct, assert."
only an emphatic form of so. See 106.
"As" is, by derivation,
64. So is sometimes omitted after "I think," "if," &c.
"G. What, in metre?
Luc. In any proportion or language.
G. I think, or in any religion." -M. for M. i. 2. 24.
"Will the time serve to tell? I do not think (so).'
Haply you shall not see me more; or if,
A mangled shadow."-A. and C. iv. 2. 27.
Coriol. i. 6. 46
"Not like a corse; or if, not to be buried.”—W. T. iv. 4. 131.
"Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, lest thou hasten thy
trial, which if, Lord have mercy on thee for a hen."—A. W. ii.
3. 223.
Compare
"What though; yet I live like a poor gentleman
"
M. W. of W. i. 1. 287; Hen. V. ii. 1. 9; A. Y. . iii. 3. 51.
"O, if it prove,
Tempests are kind and salt waves fresh in love.”
B
T. N. iii. 4. 418.
50
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
65. So is put for the more emphatic form, al-so.
Demetrius, thou dost over-ween in all,
And so in this, to bear me down with braves."
"It is a cold and heat that does outgo
T. A. ii. 1. 30.
All sense of winters and of summers so."-B. J. Sad Sh. ii. 1.
"Mad in pursuit, and in possession so."-Sonn. 129.
"Good morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to most noble Cæsar.”—7. C. ii. 2. 117.
So approaches "also" in
Cousin, farewell; and, uncle, bid him so.”
Rich. II. i. 3. 247.
So that; so as. (See Pronouns, Relative, 275, 276.)
66. So (like the Greek oтw dń) is often used where we should
"In this way" naturally leads to "thus,"
use
"then."
'
thereupon,"
""" then."
"And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt
So he dissolved.”—M. N. D. i. 1. 245.
on this,'
So is, therefore, sometimes more emphatic than with us, as in
(arrange thus, not as Globe)—
Olivia. To one of your receiving enough is shown;
A cypress, not a bosom, hides (Fol.) my heart- (pauses)
So (ie. after this confession) let me hear you speak.
Vio.
I pity you."
T. N. iii. 1. 133.
So in conditional clauses. See Conjunctions, 133.
""
'
67. So was often, and correctly, used (where we use the adverbial
"such" or "so" with "a") before an adjective, c.g.
so great faith"
where we say
"such great faith, so long time" where we say 50
long a time." We seem to feel that "so" (being an adverb, and there-
fore more liable to transposition than the adjective "such") requires
to be attached to the word which it qualifies, either (1) by introducing
the article which necessarily links together the words thus: "so-
great a-loss;" or else (2) by placing so" in a position where its
effect is equally unmistakeable: "a-loss so-great.
When the noun is in the plural we cannot use the former method;
we are, therefore, driven to the latter, and instead of saying
"So hard termes."-N. P. 176.
'
we say
terms so hard."
ADVERBS.
"
'In so profound abysm I throw all care.”—Sonn. 112.
"My particular grief
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature."—O. i. 3. 55.
"And I will call him to so strict account."-1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 149.
"With so full soul."-Temp. iii. 1. 44.
"Of so quick condition."-M. for M. i. 1. 54.
But note that in these instances the "so" follows a preposition.
After prepositions the article (see Article, 90) is frequently omitted.
Shakespeare could have written
My grief is of nature so floodgate," &c.
"I will call him to account so strict that," &c.
Our modern usage was already introduced side by side with the
other as early as Wickliffe. Compare
"So long time."-St. John xiv. 9.
with "So long a time."-Hebrews iv. 7.
68. Something used adverbially, like "somewhat."
"A white head and something a round belly."
.
2 Hon. IV. i. 2. 212.
We should say
a somewhat round," placing the adverb between
the article and the adjective so as to show unmistakeably that the
adverb qualifies the adjective. Something" may possibly be so
taken (though "somehow" would make better sense) in
"This something-settled matter in his breast.”—Ham. iii. 1. 181
68 a. Sometimes, like "sometime," is used by Shakespeare for
"formerly" in
"Thy sometimes brother's wife.”—Rich. II. i. 2. 54.
So probably
"Sometimes from her eyes
I did receive fair speechless messages."-M. of V. i. 1. 163.
Compare
"olim" in Latin.
69. Still used for constantly, in accordance with the derivation
of the word, "quiet,
""unmoved." It is now used only in the sense
even now," even then.
of "
C
all time up to the present" and
The connection between "during
even at the present " is natural,
and both meanings are easily derived from the radical meaning,
"without moving from its place." Comp. the different meanings
of dum, donec, ews, &c.
E 2
52
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Thou still hast been the author of good tidings."
Hamlet, ii. 2. 42.
"But this thy countenance still lock'd in steel
I never saw till now."-T. and C. iv. 5. 195.
i.e. "because it was constantly lock'd in steel."
And this is the best, though not the most obvious, interpretation of
"But still the house affairs would draw her hence."
Othello, i. 3. 147.
It is used as an adjective for constant (though some suggest
silent") in
(6
'But I of thee will wrest an alphabet,
And by still practice learn to know the meaning."
This interpretation is corroborated by
T. A. iii. 2. 44.
"But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame,
My tongue should to thy ears not name my boys."
Rich. III. iv. 3. 229.
70. Than is used for then:
"And their ranks began
To break upon the galled shore and than
Retire again."—R. of L. 456.
= then ;
"then"
Then for than, freq. in North's Plutarch, Ascham, &c.
In O. E. the commonest forms are "thanne" =
= than.
Then and than (like tum and tam, quum and quam in Latin) are
closely connected, and, indeed, mere varieties of the same word.
They were originally inflections of the demonstrative, and meant “at
that (time)," "in that (way)." As "that" is used as a relative,
"than" has the signification of "in the way in which" (quam),
just as then (71) is used for "at the time at which" (quum). It is
usual to explain "He is taller than I" thus: "He is taller; then
I am tall.' This explanation does not so well explain "He is
not taller than I." On the whole, it is more in analogy with the
German als, Latin quam, Greek, to explain it thus:
In the way
""
"
in which I am tall he is taller.' The close connection between
in that way," ""at that time," "in that place," &c., is illustrated
by the use of there for thereupon, or then.
"Even there resolved my reason into tears. "—L. C. 42.
ADVERBS.
53
71. Then apparently used for "when." So in E. E.
That, 284.
"And more more strong, then lesser is my fear,
I shall endue you with; meantime but ask," &c.
See
K. J. iv. 2. 42.
72. T'o-fore, which was as common in E. E. as "be-fore" and
"a-fore," is found in
O would thou wert as thou to-fore hast been."
T. A. iii. 2. 294.
73. Too, which is only an emphatic form of "to
to" (compare
Яpós in Greek, used adverbially), is often spelt "to" by Elizabethan
■pós
writers (Sonn. 38, 86); and conversely, "too" is found for "to"
(Sonn. 56, 135).
Too seems used, like the E. E. "to," for "excessively" in
Spenser, Shepheard's Calendar, May:
"Thilke same kidde (as I can well devise)
Was too very foolish and unwise."
Perhaps, also, in
"Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate.”—C. of E. i. 2. 2.
though the meaning may be "the goods of you also.”
"Tempt him not so too far."-A. and C. i. 3. 11.
And there is, perhaps, an allusion to the E. E. meaning in "too-too,"
which is often found in Elizabethan English.
Too is often used in the phrase, "I am too blame" (Folio)
"I am much too blame."
O. iii. 3. 211, 282; M. of V. v. I. 166; Rich. III. ii. 2. 13.
This is so common in other Elizabethan authors, that it seems to
require more explanation than the confusion between "to" and
"too" mentioned above.
blame" was considered an
adjective, as in
Perhaps
"In faith, my lord, you are too wilful-blame."
I Hen. IV. iii. 1. 177.
and "too" may have been, as in E. E., used for "excessively."
Too seems used for "very much," or "too much,” in
"Tell him that gave me this (wound), who lov'd him too,
le struck my soul and not my body through.
""
B. and F. F. Sh. iii. 1.
54
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
The context will hardly admit of the interpretation, "Me who also
lov'd him."
The transition from the meaning of progressive motion to that of
"increasingly" or excessively," and from “ excessively" to the
modern "to excess," is too natural to require more than mention.
73 a. What, when. What and when are often used as ex-
clamations of impatience :
What, Lucius, ho!"-J. C. ii. 1. 1.
“When, Lucius, when ?"—Ib. 5,
Some ellipsis is to be supplied, "What (is the matter)?" "When
(are you coming)?" So in
"Gaunt. Throw down, my son, the duke of Norfolk's gage.
K. Rich. And, Norfolk, throw down his.
Gaunt. When, Harry, when ?"-Rich. II. i. I. 162.
See also What, 253.
74. Whilst. "The while" is often used in accordance with the
derivation of the word for "(in) the (mean) time."
The inflected
forms whiles and whilest are generally used as conjunctions. But we
have
"If you'll go fetch him
We'll say our song the whilst."—Cymb. iv. 2. 254.
E.E.
75. Why (instrumental case of E. E. hwa, "who"), used after
"for," instead of "wherefore." Like the Latin “quid enim?" it
came after a time to mean "for indeed," as
"And send the hearers weeping to their beds ;
For why, the senseless brands will sympathise."
Rich. II. v. I. 40.
i.e. "wherefore? (because) the senseless," &c. The provincialism
whyfore" still exists. "For" does not correspond to “enim,'
but is a preposition by derivation. Later writers, however, and
possibly Shakespeare, may have used "for" in "for why" as a
conjunction. Some, however, maintain that the comma should be
removed after “for why," and that "for why" (like ȧvė ☎v) means
"for this that," "because," the relative containing an implied
antecedent.
A distinction seems drawn between "why" and "for what" in
"Why, or for what these nobles were committed
Is all unknown to me, my gracious lady."—Rich, III. ii. 4.
48.
ADVERBS.
55
Why, perhaps, refers to the past cause, for what to the future
object.
"Ant. S. Shall I tell you why?
Drom. S. Ay, sir, and wherefore; for they say every why hath a
wherefore."-C. of E. ii. 2. 43-45.
f.e. "
every deed said to be done owing to a certain cause is really
done for a certain object."
Compare
"Say, why is this? Wherefore? What shall we do?"
Hamlet, i. 4. 57.
"Why" and "how" are both derivatives of the relative, and are
sometimes interchanged in A.-S. "Why" seems to have been
the ablative of instrument, and "how" the adverbial derivative of
manner, from "who."
76. Yet (up to this time) is only used now after a negative, "not
yet,” “never yet,” &c. Then it was also used before a negative.
"For (as) yet his honour never heard a play."-T. of Sh. Ind. 1. 96.
Yet I have not seen
So likely an ambassador of love."-M. of V. ii. 9. 92.
"Yet (up to this time) they are not joined.” A. and C. iv. 12. 1.
"I will make one of her women lawyer to me, for I yet not under-
stand the case myself."-Cymb. ii. 3. 80.
The following is a remarkable passage :
Hel.
You, Diana,
Under my poor instructions yet (still) must suffer
Something in my behalf.
Diana.
Let death and honesty
Go with your impositions, I am yours
Upon your will to suffer.
Hel.
Yet (i.e. for the present) I pray you ;
But with the word the time will bring on summer," &c.
A. II. iv. 4. 30.
i.e. "a little longer I entreat your patience, but," &c.
Yet is also used in this sense without a distinct negative:
"Solan. What news on the Rialto?
Salar. Why yet it lives there uncheck'd that Antonio," &c.
M. of V. iii. I. 1.
77. The adverbs backward and inward are used as nouns.
"In the dark backward and abysm of time."- Temp. i. 2. 50.
"I was an inward of his."-M. for M. iii. 2. 138
56
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So "Thou losest here a better where to find."—Lear, i. 1. 264. .
"Nor can there be that deity in my nature
Of here-and-everywhere."-T. N. v. 1. 235.
i.e. "the divine attribute of ubiquity."
So
Then, as with us, was used as an adjective.
"Our then dictator." Coriol. ii. 2. 93.
"Good sometime queen."-Rich. II. v. 1. 37.
"Our here approach.”—Macb. iv. 3. 133. See Compounds.
78. Adverbs after "is." We still say "that is well;" but,
perhaps, no other adverb (except "soon") is now thus used. Shake-
speare, however, has
"That's verily."--Tempest, ii. 1. 321.
-T. A. iv. 4. 16.
"That's worthily."*-Coriol. iv. 1. 53.
Lucius' banishment was wrongfully.”—T. A. iv.
Some verb, as "said" or "done," is easily understood.
harbour" has the force of a verb in
Safely in harbour
Is the king's ship."-Tempest, i. 2. 226.
ARTICLES.
"In
79. An, A, (Early Eng. An, Ane, On, One, a, o,) our indefinite
Article, is now distinguished from our Numeral " one. In Early
English, as in modern French and German, there was no such dis-
tinction. Hence, even in Elizabethan English, a (since it still repre-
sented, or had only recently ceased to represent, one") was more
emphatic than with us, a fact which will explain its omission where
we insert it, and its insertion where we should use some more
emphatic word, "some," "any," "one," &c.
80. An and one, pronunciation of. The connection between
an " and "one" appears more obvious when it is remembered
that "one" was probably pronounced by Shakespeare, not as now
won," but
This is made probable by the constant elision
of "the" before "one" in "th' one" as in "th' other:" compare
"th' one" in
un.
"Th' one sweetly flatters, t' other feareth harm.”—R. of L. 172.
* The verb "hear" may be supplied from the context.
ARTICLES.
57
So Rich. II. v. 2. 18.
""
Ben Jonson (783) mentions as authorized
contractions, "y'once
for "ye once" along with "y'utter." Com-
pare also the pun in T. G. of V. ii. 1. 3:1
Speed. Sir, your glove.
Val. Not mine; my gloves are on.
Speed. Why, then, this may be yours, for this is but one."
This will explain the rhyme :
"So thanks to all at once and to each one
Whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone."
Macbeth, v. 8. 74-5.
In the dialect of the North of England and of Scotland, the
W is still not sounded.
""
An
was always used in A.-S. and mostly in E. E. before con-
sonants as well as vowels: "ane kinges. . . dohter" (STRATMANN).
I have not found an instance in Shakespeare of "an" before an
ordinary consonant, but it occurs before "w":
"Have an wish but for 't."-P. of T. iv. 4. 2.
81. A was used for one in such expressions as "He came with
never a friend," &c.
So
"He and his physicians are of a mind."-A. W. i. 3. 244.
"'Fore God, they are both in a tale."-M. Ado, iv. 2. 33.
"An two men ride of a horse one must ride behind."
Ib. iii. 5. 44.
"For in a night the best part of my power
Were in the Washes . . devoured."-K. J. v. 7. 64.
"The Images were found in a night all hacked and hewed."
N. P. 172.
"We still have slept together,
Rose at an instant, learn'd, play'd, eat together."
A. Y. L. i. 3. 76.
Myself and a sister both born in an hour."-T.M. ii. 1. 20.
"You, or any living man, may be drunk at a time, man.
""
1.6.
"at one time,'
"for once."
We find "
one " and "
a" interchanged in
Othello, ii. 3. 319.
"These foils have all a length."- Hamlet, v. 2. 277.
"Hear me one word :
Beseech you, tribunes, hear me but a word."
Coriol. iii. I. 216
"But shall we wear these honours for a day?
Or shall they last ?"—Rich. III. iv. 2. 5.
58
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
We never use the possessive inflection of the unemphatic one
as an antecedent; but Shakespeare writes:
"For taking one's part that is out of favour."-Lear, i. 4. 111.
We also find in Early English :
"Thre persones in a Godhede."-HALLIWEll.
where a is for one. Compare Scotch "ae" for "
one."
It seems used for "any," i.e. ane-y, or one-y, in
"There's not a one of them."-Macb. iii. 4. 131.
"Ne'er a one to be found."-B. J. E. in &c. iii. 2.
So Cymb. i. 1. 24.
And emphatically for "some, a certain," in
There is a thing within my bosom tells me.
"
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 183.
'I should impart a thing to you from his majesty."
Hamlet, v. 2. 92.
Shall I tell you a thing?"-L. L. L. v. 1. 152.
“I told you a thing yesterday.”—Tr. and Cr. i. 2. 185.
"And I came to acquaint you with a matter."
A. Y. L. i. 1. 129
82. A and The omitted in archaic poetry. In the infancy
of thought nouns are regarded as names, denoting not classes but
individuals. Hence the absence of any article before nouns.
Besides, as the articles interfere with the metre, and often supply
what may be well left to the imagination, there was additional
reason for omitting them. Hence Spenser, the archaic poet, writes
"Fayre Una-whom salvage nation does adore."
F. Q. i. 6. Title.
"And seizing cruell clawes on trembling brest.' Ib. i. 3. 19.
Faire virgin, to redeem her deare, brings Arthure to the
fight.”—Ib. i. 8. Title.
"From raging spoil of lawlesse victors will."—Ib. i. 3. 43.
"With thrilling point of deadly yron brand."-Ib. i. 3. 42.
Shakespeare rarely indulges in this archaism except to ridicule it:
"Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast;
And Thisby, tarrying in mulberry shade,
His dagger drew and died."-M. N. D. v. 1. 147.
Somewhat similar is
"In glorious Christian field."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 93.
ARTICLES.
59
"When lion rough in wildest rage doth roar.
M. N. D. v. I. 224.
"Ah! Richard with the eyes of (my or the) heavy mind.”
Rich. II. ii. 4. 18.
"So, longest way shall have the longest moans.
In antitheses, as
Ib. v. I. 90.
"And with no less nobility of love
Than that which dearest father bears his son,"
Hamlet, i. 2. 111.
the omission of the is intelligible, since the whole class is expressed.
But it appears not uncommon to omit the article before superlatives:
Best safety lies in fear."—Hamlet, i. 3. 41.
This is, perhaps, explained by the double meaning of the super-
lative, which means not only "the best of the class," but also "very
good." See 8.
83. A and The are also sometimes omitted after as, like, and
than in comparative sentences:
"As falcon to the lure away she flies.”—17. and A. 1027.
The why is plain as way to parish church."
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 52.
"More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear.
M. N. D. i. I. 184.
On
This is, however, common both in early and modern English.
In such sentences the whole class is expressed, and therefore the
article omitted. It might be asked, however, why the lure
this hypothesis? The is put for its. So in E. E. (MÄTZNER, iii. 195)
ase hound doth (chase) the hare," i.z. "its prey the hare."
A is still omitted by us in adverbial compounds, such as
"snail-like,
""clerk-like," &c. Then it was omitted as being un-
necessarily emphatic in such expressions as :
Creeping like snail.”—A. Y. L. i. 7. 146.
Sighing like furnace.”—Ib. 148.
"And like unletter'd clerk."-Sonn. 85.
"Like snail" is an adverb in process of formation. It is inter-
mediate between "like a snail" and "snail-like."
84. A being more emphatic than with us, was sometimes omitted
where the noun stands for the class, and might almost be replaced by
the corresponding adjective. "If ever I were traitor,” Rich. II. i. 3
201 traitorous. Similarly.
-
бс
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"And having now shown himself open enemy to Alcibiades."
N. P. 176.
""
""
So, though we find " never a master in the sense of "not on:
master," yet where the " never is emphasized and has its proper
meaning, at no time," the a is omitted:
Those eyes which never shed remorseful tear.
""
Rich. III. i. 2. 156.
"In war was never lion rag'd so fierce."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 173.
"Never master had a page so kind."-Cymb. v. 5. 85.
"Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne."
2 Hen. VI. iv. 9. 1.
"Twas never merry world since," &c.-T. N. iii. 1, 109.
On the other hand, in contrast to the example first quoted, when the
"never" is omitted and an is emphatic, almost like one, it is in-
serted :
"My manly eyes did scorn an humble tear."
Rich. III. i. 2. 165.
A is also omitted before collective nouns, such as "plenty,"
abundance," &c., and therefore before "great number" in
"Belike you slew great number of his people."-T. N. iii. 3. 29.
85. A inserted after some adjectives used as adverbs:
It was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a
thousand pounds."—A. Y. L. i. 1. 2.
This usage is found in the earlier text of LAYAMON (A.D. 1200):
Long a time (longe ane stunde)," ii. 290, &c., where the adjective
appears merely to be emphasized, and not used adverbially. In the
later text the adjective is placed, here and in other passages, in its
ordinary position. The adjectives each," "such," which,"
(used for "of what kind,") and "many" were especially often thus
used. "At ich a mel"="at each meal," Piers Plough. Crede.
"Whiche a wife was Alceste,"
109. (So in Scotch "ilka.")
CHAUCER, C. T. 11754 = "what a wife." "On moni are (later
text, mani ane) wisen," LAYAMON, i. 24; “monianes cunnes," ib. 39 ;
“of many a kind (1. t. of manian erthe),” ""of many an earth.
The last-quoted passages render untenable the theory (Arch-
bishop Trench, English Pass and Present) which explains "many
a man" as a corruption of "many of men.
In these passages,
.g. "moni anes cunnes" (" of many a race "), the article or numeral
>>
ARTICLES.
61
ein mann,
adjective “an” is declined like an adjective, while "moni" is not.
The inference is, that "moni" is used adverbially. In the same
way the Germans say ❝mancher (adj.) mann," but "manch (adv.)
""ein solcher (adj.) mann,” but “solch (adv.) ein mann.
In A.-S. the idiom was many man," not many a man." The
termination in y, causing "many" to be considered as adverbially
used, may not perhaps account for the introduction of the a into
E. E., but it may account for its retention in Elizabethan and
modern English. Nor can it escape notice that most of the
adjectives which take a after them end in ch, or lic ("like"), an
adverbial termination. So beside the adjectives enumerated above,
"thellich" (modern Dorsetshire, "thilk" or "thick"), "the like,"
answering to "whilk" ("which"), is followed by a.
lowing example is a preposition meaning on or in:
"Ful ofte [a day he swelde and seyde alas!”
A in the fol-
CHAUCER, Knightes Tale, 498.)
It is perhaps some such feeling, that "many" means "often," which
justifies the separation of many" and
" and "a" in the following:
"I have in vain said many
A prayer upon her grave."-W. T. v. 3. 144.
Perhaps in this way (as an adjective used adverbially) we must
explain (compare " none (adj.) inheritance," Acts vii. 5):
'Exceeding pleasant; none (adv.) a stranger there
So merry and so gamesome."-Cymb. i. 6. 59.
like "ne'er a stranger," unless after "none" we supply
was."
A is pleonastically used in
"who
"what"
"I would not spend another such a night."-R. III. i. 4. 5.
In "What poor an instrument" (A. and C. v. 2. 236),
is used for "how."
86. A was sometimes omitted after "what," in the sense of
"what kind of."
..
Cassius, what night is this?"-7. C. i. 3. 42.
{A has been unnecessarily inserted by some commentators.)
"I'll tell the world
Aloud what man thou art."-M. for M. ii. 4. 153.
"jove knows what man thou mightst have made."
Cymb. iv. 2. 207
62
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"What dreadful noise of waters in mine ears.
"
Rich. III. i. 4. 22.
"What case stand I in?" (W. T. i. 2. 352)
position am I?
"What thing it is that I never
Did see man die !”—Cymb. iv. 4. 35.
=
In what a
We omit the article after "what" before nouns signifying a col-
lective class, saying "what wickedness!" but "what a crime !"
“what fruit !" but "what an apple!" Hence the distinction in the
following: "What a merit were it in death to take this poor maid
from the world! What corruption in this life that it will let this
man live !"-M. for M. iii. 1. 240.
A is omitted after "such :"
"Showers of blood,
The which, how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke
It is such crimson tempest should bedrench," &c.
Rich. II. iii. 3. 46.
Here "such" probably means "the aforesaid," referring to the
"showers of blood."
After "such" in this sense the indefinite article is still omitted;
naturally, since "such" is used in a defining sense.
I.
¢¢
ઃઃ
>>
A is omitted after "many" in "Many time and oft" (2 Hen. VI.
ii. 1. 93). Here "many-time," like " some-time," often-times,
'many-times" (MONTAIGNE, Introduction), seems used as one word
adverbially.
A is omitted before "little," where we commonly place it in the
sense of "some:"
"O, do not swear;
Hold (a) little faith, though thou hast too much fear."
T. N. v. 1. 174.
It is perhaps caused by the antithesis which assimilates the use of
"little
to the use of "much." "In (a) little time" (V. and A.
132) is to be explained as a prepositional phrase approximating to
an adverb: see 89.
87. A was frequently inserted before a numeral adjective, for the
purpose of indicating that the objects enumerated are regarded
collectively as one. We still say "a score,' a fo(u)rt(een)-night."
But we also find :
"An eight days after these sayings."-Luke ix. 28
ARTICLES.
63
"A two shilling or so."-B. J. E. in &c. i. 4 ad fin.
"'Tis now a nineteen years agone at least.”—B. J. Case is altered.
Also in E. E. :
"An five mile."-HALLIWELL.
This usage is not common in Shakespeare, except after " one.
"But one seven years."—Coriol. iv. 1. 55.
The a is omitted in
"But this our purpose now is twelve-month old."
1 Hen. IV. i. 1. 28.
Compare "This three mile."-Macbeth, v. 5. 37.
The a in "a many men, ""a few men," is perhaps thus to be
explained. Compare "This nineteen years" (M. for M. i. 3. 21),
with "This many summers" (Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 360). So
"A many merry men."-A. Y. L. i. I. 121.
“A many thousand warlike French."-K. F. iv. 2. 199.
So Hen. V. iv. I. 127; iv.
iv. 3. 95. And still more curiously:
“But many a many foot of land the worse."-K. J. i. 1. 183.
tr
>>
many,"
Some explain “a many by reference to the old noun
"a many men," for a many (of) men." And the word is thus used:
CC
“A many of our bodies.”—Hen. V. iv. 3. 95.
"O thou fond many, with what loud applause
Didst thou beat heaven."-2 Hen. IV. i. 3. 91.
"In many's looks.”—Sonn. 93.
So perhaps A. IV. iv. 5. 55. Add
Add
their meiny," Lear, ii. 4 35.
t
Nor can it be denied that in E. E. "of" is often omitted in such
phrases as
ઃઃ
many manner (of) men, a pair (of) gloves," &c. just
as in German we have "diese Art Mensch." But we also say
few men" (an expression that occurs as early as Robert of Brunne),
and "few seems to have been an adjective.
ઃઃ
a
It is probable that both the constructions above-mentioned are
required to explain this use of a.
Thus " a hundred men" is for
a hundred (of) men," but in a twelvemonth," " a fortnight,"
"twelve" and "fourteen" are not regarded as simple nouns, but as
compound nouns used adjectively. Compare the double use of
"le," "millia,” in Latin.
64
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
88. An-other. A is apparently put for the in
"There is not half a kiss to choose who loves an other best."
W. T. iv. 4. 176.
This is, however, in accordance with our common idiom: "they
love one an other," which ought strictly to be either "they love, the
one the other," or they love, one other." The latter form is still
retained in they love each other;" but as in "one other" there
is great ambiguity, it was avoided by the insertion of a second "
one"
or "an," thus, "they love one an-other." This is illustrated by
Matt. xxiv. 10 (TYNDALE): "And shall betraye one another and
shall hate one the other;" whereas WICKLIFFE has, "ech other."
So I Cor. xii. 25: WICKLIFFE, "ech for other;" the rest "for one
another." 'One another" is now treated almost like a single
noun in prepositional phrases, such as, "We speak to one another."
But Shakespeare retains a trace of the original idiom in
"What we speak one to an other."-A. W. iv. 1. 20.
89. The was frequently omitted before a noun already defined
by another noun, especially in prepositional phrases.
“In number of our friends."-7. C. iii. 1. 216.
"Since death of my dearest mother."-Cymb. iv. 2. 190.
"At heel of that defy him."-A. and C. ii. 2. 160.
"In absence of thy friend."-T. G. of V. i. 1. 59.
"To sternage of their navy."-Hen. V. iii. Prol. 18.
"To relief of lazars."-Ib. i. I. 15.
"For honour of our land."—Ib. iii. 5. 22.
"Thy beauty's form in table of my heart."-Sonn. 24.
"Some beauty peep'd through lattice of sear'd age.
L. C. st. ii.
Forage in blood of French nobility."-Hen. V. i. 2. 110.
"In cradle of the rude imperious surge."-2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 20.
Proving from world's minority their right."-R. of L.
"On most part of their fleet." -Othello, ii. 1. 24.
So 1 Hen. VI. i. 2. 79; 2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 36, 79; Rich. II. i. 3. 136.
We could say "in season," but not
"We at (the right) time of (the) year
Do wound the bark."-Rich. II. iii. 4. 57.
So even in Pope:
'Alas, young man, your days can ne'er be long;
In flower of age you perish for a song."
POPE, Imit. Hor. i. 102.
ARTICLES.
65
90. The is also omitted after prepositions in adverbial phrases.
"At door."-W. T. iv. 4. 352; T. of Sh. iv. ▾ 125
"At palace."-W. T. iv. 4. 731.
"At height."—Hamlet, i. 4. 21.
"Ere I went to wars."-M. Ado, i. 1. 307.
"To cabin."-Tempest, i. 1. 18.
"The grace 'fore meat and the thanks at end.
Coriol. iv. 7. 4.
"You were in presence then."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 62.
i.e. "in the presence-chamber."
"And milk comes frozen home in pail."-L. L. L. v. 2. 925.
"With spectacles on nose and pouch on side.
>>
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 159.
"This day was viewed in open as his queen.'
""
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 495.
"He foam'd at mouth."-F. C. i. 2. 256.
"Sticks me at heart."-A. Y. L. i. 2. 254.
"Exeunt in manner as they entered."- Hen. VIII. ii.'4. 24
"Than pard or cat-o'-mountain."—Tempest, iv. 1. 262.
And with adjectives:
"In humblest manner."-Tempest. ii. 4. 144.
"In first rank.”—Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 161.
"In pail" is as justifiable as "in bed," except that the former,
not being so common as the latter, has not the same claim to the
adverbial brevity which dispensed with the article. Both are adver-
bial phrases, one of which has been accepted, the other rejected.
Thus in
'Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace."-Sonn. 33.
"to-west" is as much an adverb as
" west-ward."
Sometimes a possessive adjective is thus omitted:
"Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees."-Tr. and Cr. v. 3. 53.
So in E. E. "a-knee."
Compare our "I have at hand.”
Perhaps this may explain the omission of "the" after "at" in
"We are familiar at first."-Cymb. i. 4. 112.
where
at first" is not opposed to "afterwards" (as it is with us),
but means at the first," or rather "from the first," "at once.
F
66
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
The omission of "the" in
"On one and other side Trojan and Greek
Sets all on hazard."-Tr. and Cr. i. 1. 21.
is in accordance with our idiom, "one another" and "each other."
On the other hand, where "the" is emphatic, meaning "that" of
"the right," it is sometimes inserted before "
Portia.
one."
"Morocco. How shall I know if I do choose the right ?"
The one of them contains my picture, prince."
M. of V. ii. 7. 11.
91. The was inserted in a few phrases which had not, though
they now have, become adverbial. "At the length" (N. P. 592),
At the first," "At the last," &c.
"There in the full convive we."-Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 272.
"In the favour of the Athenians."—N. P. 177.
""
92. The used to denote notoriety, &c. Any word when referred
to as being defined and well known may of course be preceded by
the article. Thus we frequently speak of “the air.
Bacon (E. 231)
however wrote, "The matter (the substance called matter) is in a
perpetual flux.”
The is sometimes used (compare Latin "ille") for "the celebrated,"
"the one above all others," occasionally with " “alone,” as
"I am alone the villain of the earth."-A. and C. iv. 6. 30,
Or with a superlative :
"He was the wretched'st thing when he was young.'
Rich. III. ii. 4. 18.
"The last (prayer) is for my men: they are the poorest;
But poverty could never draw 'em from me.
But also without these :
Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 148.
"Am I the man yet?"—A. Y. L. iii. 3. 3.
"Smacks it not something of the policy ?"-K. J. ii. 1. 396.
"For their dear causes
Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm
Excite the mortified man."-Macbeth, v. 2. 4.
The ellipsis to be supplied is added in
"Are you the courtiers and the travell'd gallants?
The spritely fellows that the people talk of ?”
B. and F. Elder Broth, . L.
ι
ARTICLES.
67
.
The seems to mean " the same as ever in
"Live you the marble-breasted tyrant still.”—T. N. v. 1. 127.
It is not often that "the" is used in this sense before English
proper names. In
"The Douglas and the Percy both together.
""
1 Hen. IV. v. 1. 116.
the second the may be caused by the first, which, of course, is still
used, "the Bruce, " "the Douglas," being frequent, and explicable
as referring to the chief of the Douglases and Bruces. But we also
have
"To leave the Talbot and to follow us.
""
-1 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 20, 31.
"the Brute," "the Herod."
and so in Early English "the Brute,
The is seldom used, like the article in French, for the possessive
adjective:
'The king is angry: see, he bites the lip."
Rich. III. iv. 2. 27.
The word "better" is used as a noun, and opposed to "the
worse," (compare the French proverb, "le mieux est l'ennemi
du bien,") in
"Bad news, by'r lady; seldom comes the better."
Rich. III. ii. 3. 4.
Death," the ender of life, seems more liable to retain the mark
of notoriety than "life." Hence
So
i,e.
"Where they feared the death, they have borne life away.'
Hen. V. iv. 1. 81; Rich. III. i. 2. 179; ii. 3. 55
"Dar'd to the combat."-Iamlet, i. 1. 84.
the combat that ends all dispute." French influence is per.
ceptible in these two last instances, and in
"To shake the head."-M. of V. iii. 2. 15.
The which (see Relative), 270.
93. The frequently precedes a verbal that is followed by an
object :
"Whose state so many had the managing."-Hen. V. Epilog.
"You need not fear the having any of these lords.
M. of V. i. 2. 109.
"The seeing these effects will be
Both noisome and infecticus.”—Cymh. i. 5. 25.
F 2
મી
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
*
P. Pray, sir, in what?
D. In the delaying death."-M. for M. iv. 2. 172.
"Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it.”—Macb. i. 4. 8.
"The locking up the spirits."-Cymb. i. 5. 41.
So Lear, iv. 4. 9; Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 347; M. for M. iii. 2. 126:
M. of V. iv. 1. 309; M. Ado, ii. 2. 53; O. iii. 4. 22; T. N. i. 5. 84.
The question naturally arises, are these verbals, "locking," &c.
"the
nouns? and, if so, why are they not followed by "of,"-e.§.
locking of the spirits"? Or are they parts of verbs? and in that
case, why are they preceded by the article? The fact that a verb in
E. E. had an abstract noun in -ing (A.-S. -ung)—e.g. "slaeten,” to
hunt; "slaeting," hunting-renders it a priori probable that these
words in -ing are nouns. Very early, however, the termination -ng
was confused with, and finally supplanted, the present participle
termination in -nde. Thus in the earlier text of Layamon (iii. 72)
we have "heo riden singinge," i.e. "they rode singing;" and in the
later text the proper participial form " singende." An additional
element of confusion was introduced by the gerundial inflection enne,
c.g. singenne," used after the preposition "to." As early as the
twelfth century "to singenne" (Morris, E. E. Specimens, p. 53)
became "to singende," and hence (by the corruption above men-
tioned) "to singinge." Hence, when Layamon writes that the
king went out "an-slaeting" (ii. 88), or "a-slatinge" (iii. 168), it is
not easy to prove that the verbal noun is here used for the form
may represent the corruption of the gerund used with the preposition
"an" instead of with "to." And as early as Layamon we find the
infinitive "to kumen" side by side with the present participle "to
comende" (i. 49); and the gerund cumene "side by side with the
verbal "coming" (iii. 231); and the noun "tiding(s)" spelt in the
earlier text "tidind" or "tidinde," the present participle (i. 59).
The conclusion is, that although "locking" is a noun, and therefore
preceded by "the," yet it is so far confused with the gerund as to
be allowed the privilege of governing a direct object. The "of"
was omitted partly for shortness, as well as owing to the confusion
above mentioned.
It is easy to trace a process of abridgment from
:
"For the repealing of my banish'd brother,"-7. C. iii. 1. 51.
ARTICLES.
69
to (2' "Punish my life for (89) tainting of my love,"
T. N. v. 1. 141.
I.
down to our modern (3)" for tainting my love." And hence the E. E.
(William of Palerne, edit. Skeat), "for drede of descuverynge of
that was do," 1. 1024, "of kastyng of lokes," 1. 942, are abbreviated
in modern English into "disclosing that which was done" and
"casting looks."
This abbreviation is also remarkably illustrated
by Bacon in his third Essay. He first uses the abbreviated form,
and then, with a verbal noun that could not so easily have a verbal
force, he adopts the full form: "Concerning the Means of procuring
Unity. Men must beware that in the Procuring or Muniting of
Religious Unity, they do not dissolve and deface the Laws of
Charity." It is perhaps this feeling that the verbal was an ordinary
noun, which allows Shakespeare to make an adjective qualify it
even though of is omitted after it.
"He shall have old turning the key.”—Macbeth, ii. 3. 2.
The substantival use of the verbal with "the" before it and
"of" after it seems to have been regarded as colloquial.
speare puts into the mouth of Touchstone:
•
•
Shake-
I.
"I ren.ember the kissing of her batlet and the wooing of
a peascod instead of her."-A. Y. L. ii. 4. 49-51.
"Did these bones cost no more (in) the breeding ?”
Hamlet, v. 1. 100.
94. The (in Early Eng. thi, thy) is used as the ablative of the
demonstrative and relative, with comparatives to signify the ineasure
of excess or defect.
This use is still retained. "The sooner the better," i.c. "By how
much the sooner by so much the better." (Lat. "quo citius, co melius."}
It is sometimes stated that "the better" is used by Shakespeare
for "better," &c.: but it will often, perhaps always, be found that
the has a certain force.
The good conceit I hold of thee
Makes me the better to confer with thee."-T. G. of V. iii. 2. 19.
"The rather
For that I saw.
In both passages
-Macb. iv. 3. 184.
"the" means on that account." In
"Go not my horse the better
I must become a borrower of the night,"-Macb. i. 1. 25.
Banquo is perhaps regarding his horse as racing against night, and
70
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
the better" means "the better of the two." The following pas◄
sage has been quoted by commentators on the passage just quoted,
to show that "the" is redundant. "And hee that hit it (the
quintain) full, if he rid not the faster, had a sound blow in his
neck, with a bag full of sand hanged on the other end."-STOWE'S
Survey of London, 1603. But the rider is perhaps here described
as endeavouring to anticipate the blow of the quintain by being
"the faster " of the two. Or more probably,
the faster" may
mean the faster because he had struck the quintain, which, if struck,
used to swing round and strike the striker on the back, unless he
rode the ("on that account") faster. In either case it is unscholar-
like to say that the is redundant.
CONJUNCTIONS.
"and
95. And (in old Swedish an [Wedgewood] is used for "and,"
"if," and "even") emphatically used for "also," "even,'
that too." We still use "and that" to give emphasis and call
attention to an additional circumstance, e.g. "He was condemned,
and that unheard." This construction is most common in parti-
cipial phrases. The "that" is logically unnecessary, and is omitted
sometimes by Shakespeare.
"Suffer us to famish and their storehouses crammed with grain.
--Coriol. i. 1. 82.
"And shall the figure of God's majesty
Be judged by subject and inferior breath,
And he himself not present?"—Rich. II. iv. I. 129.
"When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most assured that he is a friend,
Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile
Be he unto me."-Rich. III. ii. 1. 37.
"}
In the last two passages an ellipsis of "be" or "to be" might be
understood, but scarcely in the following:
"So may he ever do and ever flourish
When I shall dwell with worms, and my poor name
Banish'd the kingdom."-Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 126.
"The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to the soul with hoops of steel.”
Hamlet. i. 3. 62.
Compare 3 Hen. VI. i. 2. 47; Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 51.
CONJUNCTIONS.
71
So perhaps Hamlet, iii. 3. 62; T. N. i. 1. 38; and in the following
irregular sentence:
"But a man that were to sleep your sleep, and a hangman to help
him to bed, I think he (redundant pronoun: see 243) would change
places with his officer."-Cymb. v. 4. 179.
i.e."and that too a hangman being ready to help him to bed."
96. And. This use, though most frequent with participles, ✩
also found without them:
i.e."
Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me."
Temp. ii. 2. 15.
“He that has and a little tiny wit."-Lear, iii. 2. 71.
a little and that a very little." So
"When that I was and a little tiny boy."-T. N. v. 1. 398.
97. And is frequently found in answers in the sense of “
"you
are right and" or "yes and," the "yes" being implied.* Hence
the
and," introducing a statement in exact conformity with a
previous statement, comes almost to mean exactly." It is fre.
quently found before "so."
Hamlet. Will the king hear this piece of work ?
Pol. (Yes) And the queen too."—Hamlet, iii. 2. 53.
Cass. This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit.
Brut. And so it is."-F. C. i. 2. 307.
}}
1.2. “you are right, and so it is;" or "just so, even so."
Pompey. I'll try you on the shore.
Antony. And shall, sir."-A. and C. ii. 7. 134.
i.e. “You say well, and you shall," or "So you shall," "that you
shall," emphatically.
+
"Sir M. And there's . . a head of noble gentlemen.
Archbishop. And so there is. -1 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 27.
"Parolles. After them, and take a more dilated farewell.
Bertram. And I will do so."-A. W. ii. 1. 60.
i.."that is just what I will do."
Mayor. But I'll acquaint our duteous citizens
With all your just proceedlings in this cause.
Glouc. And to that end we wish'd your lordship here."
i.. "To that very end,"
even to that end."
* So yảo in Greek.
Rich. III. iii. 4. 67.
72
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
98. And is often found in this emphatic sense after statements
implied by ejaculations, such as faith," "sooth," "alas," &c.
Thus
"Catesby. Your friends at Pomfret, they do need the priest.
Hastings. Good faith (it is so), and when I met this holy man
Those men you talk of came into my mind."
66
Rich. III. iii. 2. 117.
Faith, and so we should."--1 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 52.
This use is found in A.-S.
99.
And" emphatic in questions. When a question is being
asked, "and," thus used, does not express emphatic assent, but
emphatic interrogation :
"Alas! and would you take the letter of her ?"-A. W. iii. 4. 1.
i.e. "is it so indeed, and further would you actually &c.?" So
"And wilt thou learn of me?"-Rich. III. iv. 4. 269.
i.e. "do you indeed wish to learn of me?"
Hence Ben Jonson, who quotes Chaucer :
"What, quoth she, and be ye wood?"
adds that
And, in the beginning of a sentence, serveth for admiration.".
B. J. 789.
It is common in ballads, and very nearly redundant : *
"The Perse owt of Northumberlande,
And a vow to God made he."-Percy (MÄTZNER),
(Mr. Furnivall suggests an avow," the original form of the word
"vow.")
100. "And" for "also" in Early English. We find "and"
often used for "also," "both," &c., and standing at the beginning
of a sentence in earlier English. Wickliffe has, 2 Cor. xi. 21, 22 :
"In what thing ony man dare, and I dare. Thei ben ebreus,
and I,"
"And" is used for "even" ΟΙ also" in Acts xiv. 15:
"And we ben deedli men like you."
In "I almost die for food, and let me have it," A. Y. L. ii. 7. 104.
"I pray you" may perhaps be understood after and, implied in the
imperative "let."
• These instances are said by Mr. Skeat to be corrupt.
CONJUNCTIONS.
73
101 And or an (= if). (The modern and is often spelt an in
E. E.) This particle has been derived from an, the imperative of
unnan, to grant. This plausible but false derivation was originated
by Horne Tooke, and has been adopted by the editor of the
Cambridge Shakespeare. But the word is often written and in
Early English (Stratmann), as well as in Elizabethan authors *
“For and I shulde rekene every vice
Which that she hath ywiss, I were to nice."-CHAUC. Squire's Prol.
"Alcibiades bade the carter drive over, and he durst."-N.P. 166.
They will set an house on fire and it were but to roast their
eggs."—B. E. 89.
"What knowledge should we have of ancient things past and
history were not ?"-Lord BERNERS, quoted by B. J. 789.
102. "And" with the subjunctive. The true explanation
appears to be that the hypothesis, the if, is expressed not by the
and, but by the subjunctive, and that and merely means with the
addition of, plus, just as but means leaving out, or minus.
The hypothesis is expressed by the simple subjunctive thus:
"Go not my horse the better
I must become a borrower of the night."-Macb. iii. 1. 25.
This sentence with and would become, "I must become a bor-
rower of the night and my horse go not the better," i.c. "with, or
on, the supposition that my horse go not the better." Similarly in the
contrary sense, but my horse go the better," would mean "without
or excepting the supposition that my horse, &c." Thus Chaucer, Par-
donere's Tale, 275:
"It is no curtesye
To speke unto an old man vilonye
But he trespas.”
So also Mandeville (Prologue) :
Such fruyt, thorgh the which every man is saved, but it be his
owne defaute.
103. And if. Latterly the subjunctive, falling into disuse, was
felt to be too weak unaided to express the hypothesis; and the same
tendency which introduced "more better," "most unkindest," &c.,
superseded and by and if, an if, and if. There is nothing remark-
able in the change of and into an. And, even in its ordinary sense,
is often written an in Early English. (See Halliwell.)
* So almost always in the Folio. See Index to Plays.
74
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
}
Ana or an is generally found before a personal pronoun, or "if,"
or "though;" rarely thus:
"And * should the empress know."-T. A. ii. 1. 69.
In the Elizabethan times the indicative is often used for the
subjunctive.
The following is a curious passage :—
"O. Will it please you to enter the house, gentlemen?
D. And your favour, lady." -B. J. Sil. Wom. iii. 2. med.
Apparently, "And your favour (be with us)," i.e. "if you please."
104. An't were was wrongly said by Horne Tooke to be put
as if it were."
for ""
"Cress. O! he smiles valiantly.
Pand.
Does he not?
Cress. O yes; and * 'twere a cloud in autumn.”
Tr. and Cr. i. 2. 139.
"He will weep you an't were a man born in April."
*
Ib. i. 2. 189.
“I will roar you and * 'twere any nightingale.”—M. N. D. i. 2. 86.
"'A made a fairer end and went away, and it had been a Chris-
tom child."-Hen. V. ii. 3. 10.
Some ellipsis is probably to be understood. "I will roar you, and
if it were a nightingale (I would still roar better).”
The same construction is found in E. E.
Ye answer and ye were twenty yere olde."
Cov. Myst. p. 80 (MÄTZNER).
It is illustrated by the use of "ac," "atque," after "similis,”
"pariter," &c. thus:
''
(Homo) qui prosperis rebus æque ac tu ipse (gauderes) gaud-
eret."-CIC. De Amicitia, vi. I.
i.e. "a man who would rejoice at your prosperity, and you yourself
(would rejoice as much and no more)." "You answer in such and
such a way, and were you twenty years old you would answer
similarly."
(L.
105. And if represents both " even if" and "if indeed" (¿½ko
both καὶ εἰ and εἰ καί).
And if is used emphatically for “ even if" in
"It dies and * if it had a thousand lives."-1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 75
So Hen. IV. i. 3. 125.
1
* So Folio.
CONJUNCTIONS.
75
rr
"What and *.2f
His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits."-Tit. And. iv. 4. 10
He seems to be of great authority, give him gold. And though
authority be a stubborn bear, yet he is oft led by the nose with
gold."-W. T. iv. 4. 831.
On the other hand, and if seems to mean "if indeed" in the
following passages:—
CC
Percy. Seize it if thou darest.
*
Aum. And if I do not, may my hands rot off!"
"Oh father!
And if you be my father, think upon
Rich. II. iv. I. 49.
Don John my husband."-MIDDLETON and ROWLEY (Walker).
"Prince. I fear no uncles dead (419).
Nor none that live, I hope.
Glou.
Prince. And if they live, I hope I need not fear,
*
Rich. III. iii. 2. 148,
where the Prince is referring to his maternal uncles who have been
imprisoned by Richard, and he says, "if indeed they live I need
not fear."
Thus probably we must explain :
"O full of danger is the duke of Gloucester!
And the queen's sons and brothers haught and proud ;
And were they to be ruled, and not to rule,
This sickly land might solace as before."—Rich. III. ii. 3. 29.
Here, at first sight, "but " seems required instead of "and." But
"and were they" means "if indeed they were."
It is not easy to determine whether and though is used for "
though" or for "though indeed" in the following—
"I have now
(And though perhaps it may appear a trifle)
>>
Serious employment for thee. -MASSINGER (Walker).
even
In all these passages an or and may be resolved into its proper
meaning by supplying an ellipsis. Thus in the passage from
Rich. II. iv. I. 49, “And if I do not," &c. means, "I will seize it,
and, if I do not seize it, may my hands rot off.'
"}
106. Ast (A.-S. "eall-swa," with the sense "just as") is a con-
traction of al(l)-so. In Early English we find "so soon so he
came."
The al() emphasized the so, "al(l)-so soon_al(l)-so he
So Folio.
† Comp. ws, NOTE, for the various meanings
76
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
came." Hence through different contractions, alse, ais, ase, we get
our modern as. (Comp. the German als.) The dropping of the
7 is very natural if alse was pronounced like "half." The broad
pronunciation of as may throw light upon
the pun in
"Sir And. And your horse now would make him an ass.
Mar. Ass I doubt not."-T. N. ii. 3. 185.
It follows that as originally meant both our modern so, "in that
way," and our modern as, "in which way." The meaning of so
is still retained in the phrases as soon as" and "I thought as
much," &c., but generally as has its second meaning, viz. "in
which way.'
107. As, like "an” (102), appears to be (though it is not) used
by Shakespeare for as if. As above (102), the "if" is implied in
the subjunctive.
"To throw away the dearest thing he owed
As 'twere a careless trifle."-Macb. i. 4. 11.
-Macb. i. 4. 11. So v. 5. 13.
i.e. "in the way in which (he would throw it away) were it a
careless trifle." Often the subjunctive is not represented by any
inflection:
"One cried, "God bless us,' and 'Amen' the other,
As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.
Macbeth, ii. 2. 28; Rich. III. iii. 5. 63.
Sometimes the as is not followed by a finite verb:
"As gentle and as jocund as (if I were going) to jest,
Go I to fight."-Rich. II. i. 3. 95.
108. As, like "who," "whom," "which" (see below, Relative),
is occasionally followed by the supplementary "that."
"Who fair him 'quited as that courteous was.
>>
SPENS. F. Q. i. 1. 30.
109. As for "that" after " So. ("In which way;" "As the
result of which.") This is a consequence of the original connection
of as with "so."
"You shall be so received
As you shall deem yourself lodged in my heart.”
L. L. L. ii. 1. 174.
“Catesby . . . finds the testy gentleman so hot
As he will lose his head ere give consent.
Rich. III 4. 41.
CONJUNCTIONS,
77
After "such:
i
A
'Yet such deceit as thou that dost beguile
Art juster far."-Sonn.
This occurs less commonly without the antecedent so:
"My lord, I warrant you we'll play our part
As he shall think by our true diligence
He is no less than what we say he is."-T. of Sh. Ind. i. 68.
This points out an important difference between the Elizabethan
and modern uses of as. We almost always apply it, like "because
(117), to the past and the present; Shakespeare often uses it of the
future, in the sense of “according as.”
And, sister, as the winds give benefit
And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you."—Hamlet, i. 3. 2.
Here a modern reader would at first naturally suppose as to mean
since" or "because;
"because;" but the context shows that it means
'according as."
110. As, in its demonstrative meaning of So, is occasionally found
parenthetically
"C
i.c
"for so."
"This Jacob from our holy Abraham was
(As* his wise mother wrought in his behalf)
The third possessor."-M. of V. i. 3. 73.
"Who dares receive it other-
As we shall make our griefs and clamours roar
Upon his death?"-Macb. i. 7. 78.
CC
so did his mother work;" so will we make our griefs roar.
"The fixure of her eye has motion in 't,
As we are mock'd with art.”—W. T. v. 3. 68.
There seems some confusion in the difficult passage
"Speak truly, on thy knighthood and thy oath,
As so defend thee heaven and thy valour."
Rich. II. i. 3. 15.
In the similar line 34 as is omitted. This would lead us to con-
jecture "and." But perhaps the marshal was beginning to say
"speak truly as may heaven defend thee," but diverged into the
more ordinary "so," which was the customary mode of invocation.
In that case the meaning will be "as thou wouldst desire the
fulfilment of thy prayer, 'so help me heaven.'
* Comp. olov aρтieтa: Yáµov qaµɛîv.—ESCH. Prom. Vinct. 09.
78
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So in
"Duke. If this be so (as, yet, the glass seems true)
I shall have share in this most happy wreck."
T. N. v. 1. 272.
a natural per-
The Duke has called the appearance of the twins"
spective that is and is not" (ib. 224), i.e. a glass that produces an
optical delusion of two persons instead of one. He now says: "it
they are two, brother and sister (and indeed, spite of my incredulity,
the perspective or glass seems to be no delusion), then I shall," &c.
The curious introduction of the "wreck " suggests that the glass
called up the thought of the "pilot's glass." (M. for M. ii. 1. 168.)
An ellipsis must be supplied in
111.
"Had I but time (which I have not)-as this fell sergeant,
Death,
Is strict in his arrest."-Hamlet, v. 2. 347.
99 66
As as regards which," though," for," was some-
times used parenthetically in a sense oscillating between the relative
""
which,' "as regards which," and the conjunction "for,"
"though, ""since." It is used as a relative in
("
"But say or he or we, (as neither have [pl. see 12, Neither],)
Received that sum."- -L. L. L. ii. 1. 133.
As is used in a transitional manner for "as regards which" or
"for indeed," in
"Though I die for it, as no less is threatened me."
(
When I was young, as, yet, I am not old.
Lear, iii. 3. 19.
I Hen. VI. 3. 4. 17.
"If you will patch a quarrel
As matter whole you've not to make it with."
A. and C. ii. ii. 53.
Here in the second example, "When I was young as I yet, or
still, am," would have retained the relatival signification of as, but
the addition of "not old" obliges us to give to as the meaning not
of "which," but "as regards which" or "for." So in
"She dying, as it must be so maintained."
M. Ado, iv. I. 216.
112. As, owing to its relatival signification, is sometimes loosely
used for "which." This is still usual with us, but rarely except
when preceded by "such" or
"the same.
CONJUNCTIONS.
79
"That gentleness as I was wont to have."- C. i 2. 33.
"Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us."-7. C. i. 2. 174.
This is still common in provincial language. See 280.
As is used for "where" in
"Here as I point my sword the sun arises."-7. C. ii. 1. 106
113. As is frequently used (without such) to signify "namely:"
'And that which should accompany old age,
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends."
Macb. v. 3. 25.
Tired with all these for restful death I cry,
As to behold desert a beggar born
And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity
And, &c."-Sonn. 66.
So C. of E. i. 2. 98; Hen. VIII. iv. 1. 88; M. of V. iii. 2. 109.
"Two Cliffords, as the father and the son.
3 Hen. VI. v. 7. 7.
So A. Y. L. ii. 1. 6; Rich. II. ii. 1. 18; and Hamlet, i. 1. 117,
where however a line has probably dropped out between 116
and 117.
114. As is apparently used redundantly with definitions of time
(as is is used in Greek with respect to motion). It is said by
Halliwell to be an Eastern Counties' phrase:
"This is my birth-day, as this very day
Was Cassius born."-7. C. v. 1. 72.
"One Lucio as then the messenger."—M. for M. v. 1. 74.
The as in the first example may be intended to qualify the state-
ment that Cassius was born on "this very day," which is not
literally true, as meaning as I may say." Here, and in our Collect
for Christmas Day, as at this time to be born," as seems appro-
priate to an anniversary. In the second example the meaning of
as then" is not so clear; perhaps it means "as far as regards that
occasion." Compare
"Yet God at last
To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied,
Though in mysterious terms, judg'd as then best.'
MILTON, P. L. x. 173.
where "as then" seems to mean "for the present." So as yet
as far as regards time up to the present time." So in
means
80
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
German "uls dann
uls dann" means "then," and "als" is applied to other
temporal adverbs.
As in E. E. was often prefixed to dates:
"As in the year of grace," &c.
As now
""
is often used in Chaucer and earlier writers for "
regards now," "for the present:"
In
"But al that thing I must as now forbere."
"Meantime I writ to Romeo
CHAUC. Knighte's Tale, 27.
R. and J. v. 3. 247.
That he should hither come as this dire night,'
as perhaps means as (he did come)."
115. As was used almost but not quite redundantly after " seem
(as it is still, after "regard, represent"):
"" ઃઃ
To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead."
and even after "am:"
A. Y. L. iv. 3. 119.
I am but as a guiltless messenger.”—A. Y. L. iv. 3. 12.
"I am here in the character of," &c.
As is also used nearly redundantly before participles to denote
a cause, "inasmuch as:
"If he be now return'd
As checking at his voyage."-Hamlet, iv. 7. 63.
"}
116. As, like "that" (see 287), is used as a conjunctional suffix:
sometimes being superfluously added to words that are already con-
junctions. In the case of "when as, "where as," it may be
explained from a desire to give a relative meaning to words interro-
gative by nature :
So
(I am) one that was a woeful looker-on
When as the noble duke of York was slain.'
3 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 46; i. 2. 75.
"Whereas.' -2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 58, for "where."
117. Because ("for this reason that") refers to the future instead
of, as with us, to the past, in
"The splitting rocks cower'd in the sinking sands
And would not dash me with their rugged sides,
Because thy flinty heart, more hard than they,
Might in thy palace perish (act. 291), Margaret.
""
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 100,
CONJUNCTIONS.
81
i.c. "in order that thy flinty heart might have the privilege of
destroying me."
118. But (E. E. and modern northern English "bout") is in
Old Saxon "bi-utan," where "bi" is our modern "by," and
"utan" means "without." Thus but is a contraction for "by-out,"
and is formed exactly like "with-out." Hence but means excepted
or excepting. This use of out in compounds may be illustrated by
outstep (except) the king be miserable.” *
66
"It was full of scorpyones and cocadrilles out-takene in the fore-
said monethes."*
"Alle that y have y grant the, out-take my wyfe.
"
The two latter passages illustrate the difficulty of determining
whether but is used as a passive participle with nominative absolute,
or as an active participle with the objective case.
In the same way
we find "excepted" and "except "placed (a) after a noun or pronoun,
apparently as passive participles, and (b) before, as prepositions
Thus-
(a) "Only you excepted.”—M. Ado, i. 1. 126.
"Richard except.
"-Rich. III. v. 3. 242.
Then, on the other hand,-
66
(6)
Always excepted my dear Claudio."-M. Ado, iii. 1. 93.
Except immortal Cæsar."-7. C. i. 2. 60.
(For the confusion between "except" and "excepted" compare
deject" for "dejected," &c. See below, 342.)
The absence of inflections, however, in the above instances leaves
us uncertain whether "except" is a preposition or participle. But
""
""
"save seems to be used for "saved and "he" to be the
nominative absolute in
So
"All the conspirators save only he." +-7. C. v. 5. 69.
"Save thou."-Sonn. 109.
"Nor never none
Shall mistress be of it save I alone.". T. N. iii. I. 172.
"What stays had I but they."-Rich. III. ii. 2. 76, iv. 4. 34;
Cymb. ii. 3. 153; Macbeth, iii. 1. 54; R. and F. i. 2. 14.
On the other hand, Shakespeare does not agree with modern usage
in the inflections of the pronouns (see 206—216),
* Halliwell's Dictionary.
↑ Similarly "sauf" was used in French in agreement with a noun placed in
the nominative absolute.
82
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"}
unless or
119. But is almost always used in Layamon for
"without" (prep.), or without" (adv.) in the sense of "outside."
Thus (i. 159): "that a queen should be king in this land and
their sons be buten," (1. t. boute), i.e. "without (the land)."
So (i. 215) “buten laeve," i.e. “without leave." It occurs adversa-
tively in (i. 353) a passage which illustrates the transition, "If thou
wilt receive his reconciliation, it will be well; but, he will never
deliver Evelin to thee." Here but is the preposition "without,"
used adverbially as "otherwise."
120. But, in all its uses, may be explained from the meaning of
"out-take" or except. It is sometimes used (like and, see above) to
except or out-take" a whole clause, the verb being occasionally in
the subjunctive.
(6
'And, but thou love me, let them find me here."
i.e. "except or without thou love me."
R. and F. ii. 2. 76.
'And, but I be deceived, Signior Baptista may remember
me. "-T. of Sh. iv. 2. 2.
Compare I Hen. VI. iii. 1. 34: " Except I be provoked.
So
""
"Not without the prince be willing."-M. Ado, iii. 3. 86.
We now use "unless" in this sense, and by a comparison of
Wickliffe with Tyndale and Cranmer it will be seen that but was
already often superseded by "except.'
But with the subjunctive is, however, more common in Early than
in Elizabethan English. Sometimes without the subjunctive—-
"And, but she spoke it dying, I would not
Believe her lips."-Cymb. v. 5. 41.
And, but he's something stain'd
With grief that's beauty's canker, thou might'st call him
A goodly person."-Tempest, i. 2. 414.
"The common executioner
Falls not the axe upon the humbled neck
But first begs pardon."-A. Y. L. iii. 5. 6.
And, but infirmity hath something seized
His wish'd ability, he had himself
The lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his
Measured, to look upon you."—W. T. v. 1. 141.
121. But. Transition of meaning. These last passages
lustrate the transition of but from except to "on the contrary,'
CONFUNCTIONS.
83
"by way of prevention."
The transition is natural, inasmuch as
The first
an exception may well be called contrary to the rule.
passage is a blending of two constructions: "if she had not spoken
it dying I would not believe," and "I would not believe, but she
spoke it dying." Similarly: "Except infirmity had seized-he had
(would have) measured," and "He had (would have) measured,
but (by way of prevention) infirmity hath seized."
"
The different usages of but arise, (1) from its variations between
the meaning of " except," unless," and the adversative meaning
on the other hand;" (2) from the fact that the negative before but,
in the sense of " except," is sometimes omitted and at other times
inserted. Thus "but ten came may mean ten however came,
or "(none) but ten, i.e. only ten, came." But is now much more
confined than it was, to its adversative meaning. We still say "it
never rains but it pours" (where the subject is the same before and
after but); and, even where a new subject is introduced, we might
say, "I did not know but you had come,'
” “You shall not persuade
me but you knew," &c.; but this use is colloquial, and limited to a
few common verbs. We should scarcely write
"I never saw but Humphrey duke of Gloucester
Did bear him like a noble gentleman." -2 Hen. VI. i. 1.183.
122. "But" signifying prevention. The following passages
illustrate the "preventive" meaning of but:
"Have you no countermand for Claudio yet
But he must die to-morrow?"—M. for M. iv. 2. 95.
i.e. "to prevent that he must die.' If "but" were the ordinary
adversative, it would be "but must he die?"
"That song to-night
Will not go from my mind: I have much to do
But (to prevent myself) to go hang my head all at one side
And sing it, like poor Barbara."-Othello, iv. 3. 32.
"Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty but to gabble like
tinkers at this time of night?"-T. N. ii. 3. 95.
i.e. "to prevent you from gabbling," or, as Shakespeare could
write, "to gabble." See 349.
After verbs of "denying and
doubting" which convey a
notion of hindrance, but is often thus used:
"I doubt not but to ride as fast as York."-Rich. II. ii. 5. 2.
“I have no doubt (¿.e. fear) about being prevented from riding '
G 2
&4
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So 1 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 14:
"It must not be denied but I am a plain dealing villain."
M. Ado, i. 3. 32.
"There must be no denial to prevent my being supposed a plain-
dealing villain." In the last passage, however, but is used transi-
tionally, almost as an adversative. Compare
“It cannot be but I am pigeon-livered,"Hamlet, ii. 2. 605.
which approximates to "It cannot be (that I am otherwise than a
coward)," i.e. "it cannot be that I am courageous; on the contrary
(but adversative), I am pigeon-liver'd.”
The variable nature of but is illustrated by the fact that "believe
not but," and " doubt not but," are used in the same signification :
"We doubt not but every rub is smoothed."-Hen. V. ii. 2. 187.
i.e."
we have no doubt of a nature to prevent our believing that,'
&c. So Rich. II. v. 2. 115. But, on the other hand,
"I'll not believe but they ascend the sky."-Rich. III. i. 3. 287.
i.e. "I'll not believe anything except (or 'otherwise than ') that they
ascend."
1.e.
In the first of these passages but is semi-adversative.
"She is not so divine
But with as humble lowliness of mind
She is content to be at your command.". -1 Hen. VI. v. 5. 18.
not so divine as to prevent that she should be content.
"But" and "but that" are still thus used.
123. But (in phrases like "there is no man but hates me," where
a subject immediately precedes but) often expels the subject from
the following relative clause. This perhaps arose in part from a
reluctance to repeat a subject which was already emphatically ex-
pressed. See 244. For the same reason the relative is omitted in
such expressions as
"There is no creature loves me."-Rich. III. v. 3. 200.
In such cases we still sometimes omit the subject, but perhaps not
often where but is separated from the preceding subject, as in
"There is no vice so simple but assumes
Some mark of virtue in its outward parts."
M. of V. iii. 2. E1.
On the other hand, this omission is not found in the earliest stages
CONJUNCTIONS.
85
of the language (Mätzner, iii. p. 469), and thus we find the subject
frequently retained in Shakespeare:
"I found no man but he was true to me."-F. C. v. 5. 35.
"There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark
But he's an arrant knave."—Hamlet, i. 5. 124.
Less frequently but expels the object in the relative clause :
'No jocund health that Denmark drinks to-day
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell.
Hamlet, i. 2. 126.
124. But meaning except may apply to an expressed contingency,
as (1)
"God defend but I should still be so."-1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 38.
i.e. "God forbid everything except (I should, &c.)"
"But being charged we will be still by land."
A. and C. iv. II. 1.
i.e. "
Excepting the supposition of our being charged."
(2) Sometimes the contingency is merely implied.
I should sin
To think but (except I should think) nobly of my grandmother."
Temp. i. 2. 119.
"Her head's declined and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes her rescue."-A. and C. iii. 11. 48.
i.e. "only your comfort."
The last passage illustrates the connection between but meaning
only, and but used adversatively.
125. But thus varying between an adversative and an exceptional
force causes many ambiguities.
Thus:
'Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate
On you and yours, but with all duteous love
Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me.
""
Rich. III. ii. 1. 33.
Here but means without," or "instead of, cherishing you.
'You salute not at the court but you kiss your hands."
A. Y. Z. iii. 2. 50.
i.e."without kissing your hands."
126. But is not adversative, but means "if not," after "beshrew
me," &c.:
86
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Beshrew my soul but I do love," &c.-K. J. v. 4. 50.
So 3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 150.
"The Gods rebuke me but it is tidings
To wash the eyes of kings."-A. and C. v. I. 27; ib. v. ii, 103.
Thus we explain :
"I'll plead for you myself but you shall have him."
T. of Sh. ii. 1. 15.
i.e. “I'll plead for you myself if you shall not have him otherwise;
but it must be admitted that the above construction may be confused
with " I may have to plead for you myself, but (adversative) in any
case you shall have him." So
"I should woo hard but be your groom,”—Cymb. iii. 6. 70.
is, perhaps, a confusion between " if I could not be your groom
otherwise" and "but in any case I would be your groom." In the
last example, however, it is possible that there is an additional con-
tusion arising from the phrase: "It would go hard with me but."
127. But in the sense of except frequently follows negative
comparatives, where we should use than.
"No more but instruments."-M. for M. v. I. 237.
Here two constructions are blended, "Nothing except instruments"
only instruments; no more." So-
and "
"No more dreadfully but as a drunken sleep.'
M. for M. iv. 2. 150.
"The which no sooner had his prowess confirm'd,
But like a man he died."-Macbeth, v. 8. 42.
"I think it be no other but even so."-Hamlet, i. 1. 108.
"No more but that."-A. W. iii. 7. 30.
"With no worse nor better guard but with a knave."
Othello, i. I. 126.
"Thou knowest no less but all."-T. N. i. 4. 13.
Sometimes but follows an adjective qualified by the negative
with "so."
"Not so dull but she can learn."-M. of V. iii. 2. 164.
So Chaucer :
"I nam but dede,"-Knighte's Tale.
where, omitting the negative n, we should say "I am but dead."
CONJUNCTIONS.
87
128. But passes naturally from "except " to " only," when the
negative is omitted. ("No-but" or "nobbut" is still used pro-
vincially for "only.") Thus :
"No more but that,"-A. W. iii. 7. 30.
becomes" but that."
cr
i.e. "
i.z.
6.
"Glouc. What, and wouldst climb a tree?
Simple. But that in all my life."-2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 99.
tr
no more but that one tree," or only that one tree."
"Cleo. Antony will be himself.
Ant. But stirr'd by Cleopatra.”—A. and C. i. 1. 43.
not except stirr'd," "only if stirr'd."
"But sea-room, and (if Fol.) the brine and billow kiss the
moon, 1 care not."-P. of T. iii. 1. 45.
"Where Brutus may but find it.”—J. C. i. 3. 144.
i.e. "Where Brutus can (do nothing) but find it," i.e., as we say,
cannot but find it." Possibly, however, but (see 129) may be
transposed, and the meaning may be "Brutus only," i.e.
alone may find it."
"He that shall speak for her is afar off guilty
But that he speaks."-W. T. ii. 1. 105.
i.c. "simply in that he speaks," "merely for speaking."
The effect of the negative on but is illustrated by
"Brutus
"But on this day let seamen fear no wreck."-K. J. iii. 1. 92.
Hcre, at first, but might seem to mean "only," but the subsequent
negative gives it the force of " except."
But perhaps means only" in
'He boasts himself
To have a worthy feeding: but I have it
Upon his own report, and I believe it."—W. T. iv. 4. 169.
i.c. "I have it merely on his own report, and I believe it too.”
There is, perhaps, a studied ambiguity in the reply of Hamlet:
"Guild. What should we say, my lord?
Hamlet. Anything but to the purpose.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 287.
The ellipsis of the negative explains "neither" in the following
difficult passage:
"To divide him inventorily would dizzy the arithmetic of memory
and yet but yaw neither (i.e. do nothing but lag clumsily behind
neither) in respect of his quick sail."—Hamlet, v. 2. 120.
88
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Neither" for our "either" is in Shakespeare's manner, after
a negative expressed or implied.
But means "setting aside" in
"What would my lord, but that (which) he may not have,
Wherein Olivia may seem serviceable."-T. N. v. 1. 104.
Such instances as this, where but follows not a negative but a
superlative, are rare :
"Pistol. Sweet knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in
this realm.
Silent. By're lady, I think 'a be, but goodman Puff of Barson.'
2 Hen. IV. v. 3. 93.
But seems used for "but now" in
"No wink, sir, all this night,
Nor yesterday: but (but now) slumbers."-B. J. Fox, i. I.
129. But (like excepted and except) varies in its position. Simi-
larly "only" varies with us : we can say either "one only" or
only one.
i.e. «
tr
"This very morning but."-B. J. Sad Sh. ii. 2.
only this morning."
"Where one but goes abreast.
for "but one" or one only."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 155.
"But in these fields of late.”—Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 188.
for "but of late."
"A summer's day will seem an hour but short.”—V. and A.
"Betwixt them both but was a little stride.'
SPENS. F. Q. ii. 7. 24.
"And when you saw his chariot but appear."-J. C. i. t. 48.
.e. "his chariot merely" or "but his chariot."
"Your oaths are words and poor conditions but unseal'd."
A. W. iv. 2. 30.
¿... "merely unsealed agreements."
130. The same forgetfulness of the original meaning of words
which led to "more better," &c., led also to the redundant use of
merely but," "but even," &c.
but in "but only," "merely but,”
"Merely but art."--L. C. 25.
"He only lived but till he was a man.”—Macbeth, v. 8. 40.
CONJUNCTIONS.
89
"My lord, your son had only but the corpse.'
"Even but now " for "but now.
""
""
2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 192.
M. of V. v. 1. 272; A. Y. L. ii. 7. 3.
“But a very prey to woe."-Rich. III. iv. 4. 106.
CC
Augustus,
In the bestowing of his daughter, thought
But even of gentlemen of Rome."-B. J. Scjan. iii. 2
Probably like "merely but."
So
"Even just."-Hen. V. ii. 3. 12.
>>
"But now," like “even now (38), is capable of different mean.
a moment ago" and "at the present moment.
ings:
"But now I was the lord
Of this fair mansion, and even now, but now
This house, these servants, and this same myself
Are yours.
"—M. of V. iii. 2. 171.
For. See 151.
131. Or (before). Or in this sense is a corruption of A.-S. ær
(Eng. ere), which is found in Early English in the forms er, air,
ar, ear, or, eror.
"Or (before) he have construed.”—ASCH. 95.
As this meaning of or died out, it seems to have been combined
with ere for the sake of emphasis. Thus:
"Dying or ere they sicken."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 173;
K. J. v. 6. 44; Temp. v. 1. 103.
""before or" (Mätzner,
We find in E. E. "erst er," "bifore er,'
iii. 451).
Another explanation might be given. Ere has been conjectured
to be a corruption of e'er, ever, and "or ever" an emphatic form
like "
whenever," "wherever." "Ever" is written "ere" in
Sonn. 93, 133. And compare "Or ever your pots be made hot with
thorns."-Ps. lviii.
Against the latter explanation is the fact that "ever" is much
more common than "ere." It is much more likely that "ever"
should be substituted for "ere" than "ere" for "ever." For
Or... or, see 136.
90
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
132. Since* seems used for when in—
"Beseech you, sir,
Remember since you owed no more to time
Than I do now. -W. T. v. I. 219.
"Remember the time past when you," &c.
"We know the time since he was mild and affable."
"Thou rememberest
2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 9.
Since once I sat upon a promontory."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 149.
"This fellow I remember
Since once he play'd a farmer's eldest son.
So 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 206.
T. of Sh. Ind. i. 84.
::
t
ago," "in
This meaning of since arises from the omission of it is" in such
phrases as it is long since I saw you," when condensed into "long
since, I saw you." Thus since acquires the meaning of “
past time," adverbially, and hence is used conjunctively for "when,
long ago."
Since (like the adverb) is found connected with a simple present
where we use the complete present (so in Latin) :
CC
Since the youth of the count was to-day with my lady, she is
much out of quiet.”—T. N. ii.
-T. N. ii. 3. 144.
More remarkable is the use of the simple past for the complete
present :
Note
tr
I was not angry since I came to France
Until this instant."-Hen. V. iv. 7. 58.
"Whip him
•
So saucy with the hand of she here,-what's her name?
Since she was Cleopatra.”—A. and C. iii. 13. 99.
""
Perhaps the meaning is "Whip him for being saucy with this
woman, since (though she is not now worthy of the name) she
once was (emphatical) Cleopatra. Else "What is her new name
since she ceased to be Cleopatra ?" If since, in the sense of "ago,"
could be used absolutely for " once," a third interpretation would
be possible : What's her name? Once she was Cleopatra."
"
* The old form sith occurs several times in Shakespeare, and mostly in the
metaphorical meaning "because. Sith in Hamlet, ii. 2. 12, is an exception
Sith in A.-S. meant "late," "later; sith-than, 'after that." Sithenc
(Chaucer, "sethens," "sins") is found twice in Shakespeare.
CONJUNCTIONS.
91
133. So is used with the future and the subjunctive to denote
provided that.”
"I am content so thou wilt have it so."-R. and J. iii. 5. 18.
""
'So it be new, there's no respect how vile."—Rich. II. ii. 1. 25.
"in this way,"
27
re
So seems to mean
construction is "be it (if it be) so that."
on these terms," and the full
"Be it" is inserted in
"Be it so (that) she will not.-M. N. D. i. 1. 39.
"That" is inserted in Chaucer, Piers Ploughman, &c.
'(Be it) So that ye be not wrath."-CHAUCER, C. T. 7830.
means provided you will not be angry." So
፡፡
Poor queen! So that thy state might be no worse
I would my skill were subject to thy curse.
'
>>
Rich. II. iii. 4. 102..
So, thus meaning on condition that," is sometimes used where
the context implies the addition of "even."
Messenger. Should I lie, madam?
Cleopatra.
O, I would thou didst
So (even if) half my Egypt were submerged."—A. and C. ii. 5. 94
Sometimes the subjunctive inflection is neglected and so as
used for "so that."
“So as thou livest in peace, die free from strife.”
as" is
Rich. II. v. 5. 27.
We must distinguish the conditional "so heaven help me" from
the optative so defend thee heaven" (Rich. II. i. 3. 34), where the
order of the words indicates that "be it. . . that" cannot be under-
stood. Here so means "on the condition of my speaking the truth,”
and is not connected with defend. Compare Rich. III. ii. 1. 11, 16.
See also 275-283.
That. See Relative.
That omitted before the subjunctive. See 311.
134. Where is frequently used metaphorically as we now us!
whereas.
"It (the belly) did remain
I' the midst o' the body idle and unactive
where the other instruments
Did see and hear, devise," &c.-Coriol. i. 1. 102.
for "whereas the other instruments did," &c. Comp. Ceriol. i. 10. 13
So Lear, i. 2. 89; Rich. II. iii. 2. 185.
93
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So
135. Whereas, on the other hand, is used for where in
"Unto St. Alban's
Whereas the king and queen do mean to hawk.'
2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 58.
They back returned to the princely place;
•
•
Whereas . a knight... they new arrived find.”
SPENS. F. Q. i. 4. 38.
where-that."-Hen. V. v. Prologue, 17. Probably both "as"
that" were added to give a relative meaning to the (originally)
interrogative adverb where.
See 287.
and "
136. Whether is sometimes used after "or" where we should
omit one of the two:
"Or whether doth my mind, being crown'd with you,
Drink up the monarch's plague, this flattery?
Or whether shall I say mine eye saith true," &c.-Sonn. 114.
"Move those eyes?
Or whether riding on the balls of mine
Seem they in motion ?"-M. of V. iii. 2. 18.
"Or whether his fall enraged him, or how it was."
Coriol. i. 3. 69.
The first example is perhaps analogous to the use of "or . . . or,"
as in
Why the law Salique which they have in France
Or should or should not bar us in our claim.
Hen. V. i. 2. 12; T. N. iv. 1. 65.
There is, perhaps, a disposition to revert to the old idiom in
which the two particles were similar: "other . . . other." (The
contraction of "other" into "or" is illustrated by "whe'r" for
"whether" in O. E. and the Elizabethan dramatists.) Perhaps, also,
additional emphasis is sought by combining two particles. We
find "whether . . . or whether?" to express direct questions in
Anglo-Saxon. In the second example a previous "whether" is
implied in the words " move those eyes?"
"
""
137. While (originally a noun meaning "time"). Hence
a-while,” “(for) a time;' the while," "(in) the (mean) time;'
whil-om" ("om " being a dative plural inflexion used adverbially),
"at a (former) time;" "while-ere" (Temp. iii. 2. 127), "a time
before," i.e." formerly.'
So whiles (genitive of while) means "of, or during, the time."
FREPOSITIONS.
93
The earliest use of while is still retained in the modern phrase "all
the while that he was speaking." "The while that," from a very
early period, is used in the condensed form "the while," or "while
that" or while; and whiles was similarly used as a conjunc-
tion.
While now means only "during the time when," but in Eliza -
bethan English both while and whiles meant also "up to the time
when." (Compare a similar use of "dum" in Latin and ews in
Greek.)
"We will keep ourself
Till supper-time alone. While (till) then, God be with you."
"I'll trust you while your father's dead."
"He shall conceal it
Macbeth, iii. I. 43,
MASSINGER (Nares).
Whiles you are willing it shall come to note."-T. N. iv. 3. 28.
"Let the trumpets sound
While we return these dukes what we decree.
Draw near, &c.”—Rich. II. i. 3. 122.
A long flourish.
PREPOSITIONS.
138. Prepositions primarily represent local relations; secondarily
and metaphorically, agency, cause, &c. A preposition (as after, see
below) may be used metaphorically in one age and literally in the
next, or vice versa. This gives rise to many changes in the meaning
of prepositions.
The shades of different meaning which suggest the use of different
prepositions are sometimes almost indistinguishable.
We say, "a canal is full of water. There is no reason why we
should not also say "full with water," as a garden is "fair with
flowers." Again, a canal is filled with water," the verb in modern
English preferring with to signify instrumentality, but "filled of
water " is conceivable; and, as a matter of fact, Shakespeare does
write "furnished of, provided of, supplied of," for with. Lastly the
water may be regarded as an agent, and then we say, "the canal is
filled by the water." But an action may be regarded as "of" the
agent, as well as by" the agent, and "of" is frequently thus used
in the A. V. of the Bible and in Elizabethan authors, as well as
94
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
in E. E. For these reasons the use of prepositions, depending
upon the fashion of metaphor in different ages, is very variable.
It would be hard to explain why we still say, "I live on bread,”
but not "Or have we eaten on the insane root?" (Macb. i. 3. 84);
as hard as to explain why we talk of a "high" price or rate,
while Beaumont and Fletcher speak of
deeper rate."
63
139. Prepositions: modern tendency to restrict their
meaning,
One general rule may be laid down, that the meanings of the pre-
positions are more restricted now than in the Elizabethan authors :
partly because some of the prepositions have been pressed into the
ranks of the conjunctions, e.g. for," "but," "after;" partly
because, as the language has developed, new prepositional ideas having
sprung up and requiring new prepositional words to express them,
the number of prepositions has increased, while the scope of each has
decreased. Thus many of the meanings of "by" have been divided
among “near,
"near," "in accordance with," "by reason of," "owing
to;" "but" has divided some of its provinces among
"unless,
except;" "for" has been in many cases supplanted by "because
of," as regards ;" "in" by "during.'
""
,,
140. A. Ben Jonson in his Grammar, p. 785, writes thus :-
"A hath also the force of governing before a noun-‘And the Pro-
tector had layd to her for manner's sake that she was a council
with the Lord Hastings to destroy him.'-Sir T. MORE."
"Forty and six years was this temple a building."
C6
CC
>>
66
St. John ii. 20.
The present text is in, but Cranmer and Tyndale had "a."
This a, which still exists in alive, afoot, asleep, &c. is a contrac-
tion of A.-S. on or the less common form an. We find in Early
English on live," on foot," on hunting, on sleep ;" "16
morrow and eke an eve," for "by morning and also by evening;
a land and a water," Piers Pl. (where some MSS. have ?),
a (for in) God's name, an end" for on the (at the) end."
In the Folio we sometimes find a where we write o':
(C
66
CC
"What is 't a clocke ?"-Rich. III. v. 3. 47.
See Adverbs, 24
"1
PREPOSITIONS.
95
141. After ("following," Latin "secundum," hence "according
to").
'Say, you chose him,
More after our commandment than as guided
By your own true affections."-Coriol. ii. 3. 238.
'After my seeming."-2 Hen. IV. v. 2. 128.
Compare "Neither reward us after our iniquities," in our Prayer-
book.
After is now used only of space or time, except in "after the pattern,
example, &c.," where the sense requires the metaphorical meaning.
This is now
142. Against used metaphorically to express time.
restricted to colloquial language:
"I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.”—M.N.D. iii. 2. 99.
i.e. against the time that she do appear." Any preposition, as
"for," "in," can thus be converted into a conjunction by affixing
'that," and the "that" is frequently omitted.
i.c.
Against (the time that) my love shall be as I am now."-Sonn. 63.
""'Gainst that season comes. "Hamlet, i. 1. 158.
As against the doom.”—Ib. iii. 4. 50.
as though expecting doom's-day."
143. At. The use of a mentioned in 140 was becoming unin-
telligible and vulgar in Shakespeare's time, and he generally uses at
instead. The article is generally omitted in the following and
similar adverbial forms.
All greeting that a king at friend can send his brother."
W. Z. v. 1. 140.
"The wind at help.”—Hamlet, iv. 3. 46.
At shore."-MONTAIGNE. "At door."-IV. T. iv. 4. 352.
"(A ship) that lay at rode."-N. P. 177.
"As true a dog as ever fought at head.”—T. A. v. 1. 102.
Bring me but out at gale."-Coriol. iv. 1. 47.
“At point.”—Coriol. v. 4. 64; Cymb. iii. 6. 17.
But "When they were fallen at a point for rendering up the hold."
HOLINSHED, Duncane.
The at of price generally requires an adjective or article, as wel
as a noun, after it, except in "at all." We have, however,
"If my love thou hold'st at aught,"-Hamlet, iv. 3. 60
i.e. "at a whit
"
96
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
In Early English at does not seem to have been thus extensively
used. It then was mostly used (Stratmann) in the sense of "at the
hands of" (pós with gen.): "I ask at, take leave at, learn at a
person," &c.
At is used like "near" with a verb of motion where we should
use "up to:"
In
'I will delve one yard below their mines,
And blow them at the moon."-Hamlet, iii. 4. 209.
"Follow him at foot, "—Ib. iv. 3. 56.
"
at is not "on" but "near," as in at his heels.'
""
144. At, when thus used in adverbial expressions, now rejects
adjectives and genitives as interfering with adverbial brevity.
CC
we can say at freedom," but not
"At honest freedom.”—Cymb. iii. 3. 71.
At ample view."-T. N. i. 1. 27.
"At a mournful war."-Sonn. 46.
"At heart's ease."-7. C. i. 2. 207.
at loose," but not
We say
"Time
•
•
•
often at his very loose decides
Thus
That which long process could not arbitrate,”—L. L. L. v. 2. 752.
where "loose" means "loosing" or
So we say "aside," but not
parting."
"To hang my head all at one side."-Othello, iv. 3. 22.
We say
"at the word," but, with the indefinite article, "in a
word," not
“No, at a word, madam."-Coriol. i. 3. 122.
It is, perhaps, on account of this frequent use of at in terse
adverbial phrases that it prefers monosyllables to dissyllables. Thus
we have "at night" and "at noon," and sometimes " at eve" and
"at morn," but rarely "at evening" or at morning," except
where at morning" is conjoined with "at night," as in
"At morning and at night."-M. of V. iii. 2. 279.
London was not so large as it now is when Shakespeare wrote
'Inquire at London."-Rich. II. v. 3. 51.
66
145. By (original meaning "near"). Hence our “to come by
a thing," i.e. "to come near" or "attain."
"(How) cam'st thou by this ill tidings ?"—Rich. II. iii. 4. 8Q.
"I'll come by li.e. acquire) Naples."-Temp. ii. 1. 292.
PREPOSITIONS.
97
By is used in a manner approaching its original meaning in
"Fed his flocks
By (on) the fat plains of fruitful Thessaly.
B. and F. Fair Sh. i. 1.
"At a fair vestal throned by the west."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 58.
So Wickliffe: "By (on) everi Saboth,” Acts xiii. 27. Somewhat
similar is our present colloquial "by this" of time; an expression
which is found in
"Of the poor suppliant who by this I know
Is here attending."-A. IV. v. 3. 134; Lear, iv. 6. 45.
This is illustrated by the play on by your favour," where favour
means also "complexion," "face," in
Duke.
Thine eye
Hath stay'd upon some favour that it loves,
Hath it not, boy?
Viola.
A little, by your favour."-T. N. ii. 4. 26.
Compare also the puns in T. N. iii. 1. 2-10.
Hence "about," "concerning."
"How say you by the French lord?”—M. of V. 1. 2. 60.
"Tell me, sirrah, but tell me true, I charge you,
By him and by this woman here what know you?"
A. W. v. 3. 237.
"I would not have him know so much by me.
"
L. L. L. iv. 3. 150.
"I know nothing by myself," 1 Cor. iv. 4 (no harm about myself).
Many may be meant by (to refer to) the fool multitude.”
M. of V. ii. 9. 25.
Compare B. J. Poetast. v. 1:
"
Lupus. Is not that eagle meant by Cæsar, ha?..
Cæsar. Who was it, Lupus, that inform'd you first
This should be meant by us ?"
Hence from near came the meaning like, according to.
"It lies you on to speak
Not by your cwn instruction, nor by the matter
Which your own heart prompts you.”—Coriol. iii. 2. 53.
"And him by oath they duly honoured."-R. of L. 410.
1.e. "according to their oath."
"Not friended by his wish, to your high person
His will is most malignant."-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 140
1.e. "in accordance with his wish," "to his heart's content
H
98
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"If my brother wrought by my pity it should not be so.
M. for M. iii. 2. 224
"I will believe you by the syllable
Of what you shall deliver."-P. of T. v. 1. 170.
So, where we say to the sound of:'
66
""
Sound all the lofty instruments of war,
And by that music let us all embrace.
By seems to mean "near," hence "with," in
"(My daughter) hath his solicitings,
As they fell out by time, by means and place,
All given to mine ear."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 127.
Perhaps we may thus explain :
"I'll trust by leisure him that mocks me once."—7. A. i. 1. 301
i.e. “in accordance with, to suit, my leisure."
The use of by in
"The people . . . by numbers swarm to us,"
is the same as in
3 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 2.
By ones, by twos, by threes."-Coriol. ii. 3. 47.
By, in the sense of "near," like our "about" (Acts xiii. 21,
Wick. "by fourti yeeris," the rest "about"), Greek naтá, was used
from the first in rough distributive measurements in E. E.: "He
smote to the ground by three, by four," "by nine and ten,
one and one." So
"I play the torturer by small and small
To lengthen out the worst that must be said."
" by
Rich. II. iii. 2. 189.
""
i.e. in lengthening out by little and little." Hence, perhaps, from
"by one by one sprang our shorter form, "one by one,' little by
little;" though it is possible that one by one
or after one.
""
By is used as a noun in the expression
passes by).-B. J. 746.
means one next to
on the by" (as one
We still use by as an adverb after "close," "hard," &c., but
we should scarcely say,
"I stole into a neighbour thicket by."—L. L. L. v. 2. 94.
146. By ("near," "following close after," hence as a con·
sequence of ").
PREPOSITIONS.
99
"The bishop of York,
Fell Warwick's brother, and, by that, our foe."
3 Hen. VI. iv. 4. 12.
"Lest, by a multitude
The new-heal'd wound of malice should break out."
Rich. III. ii. 2. 124.
"So the remembrance of my former love
Is by a newer object quite forgotten."-R. and J. ii. 4. 194.
"Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth.”
Rich. II. ii. 1. 52.
Hence sometimes it seems to be (but is not) used instrumentally
with adjectives which appear to be (but are not) used as passive verbs.
By does not mean "by means of," but "as a consequence of,” in
"An eagle sharp by fast.”—V. and A. 55.
"Oh how much more does beauty beauteous seem
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give.”—Sonn.
"Laer. Where is my father?
King.
Queen.
Dead!
But not by him."
Hamlet, iv. 5. 128.
147. For (original meaning "before," "in front of"). A man
who stands in front of another in battle may either stand as his friend
for him or as his foe against him. Hence two meanings of for,
the former the more common.
*
148. (I.) For, meaning "in front of," is connected with "instead
""in the place of," as being."
of,"
Or for the lawrell he may gain a scorne.
i.e."instead of the laurel.
"See what now thou art,
,,
B. J. on Shakespeare
For happy wife, a most distressed widow,
For joyful mother, one that wails the name,
For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care.
>>
Rich. III. iv. 4. 98.
"Thyself a queen, for me that was a queen.”—Ib. i. 3. 202.
Between this and the following meanings we may place
"Learn now, for all."-Cymb. ii. 3. 111.
"This is for all."—Hamlet, i. 3. 131.
2.6. once instead of, or in the place of, all."
* Comp. avri, which in composition denotes against, and at other times instega
af, for.
H2
Uorm
100
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"I abjure
The taints and blames I laid upon myself
For (as being) strangers to my nature."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 125
"Conscience is turned out of all towns and cities for a
dangerous thing."-Rich. III. i. 4. 146.
"How often have I sat crown'd with fresh flowers
For summer's queen !"-B. and F. Fair Sh. i. I.
Hence for is nearly redundant in
"Let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound."-M. of V. i. 3. 15C.
There is a play on the word in
"On went he for a search, and away went I for (packed up in a
basket and treated like) old clothes."-M. W. of W. iii. 5. 100.
"Three dukes of Somerset three-fold renown'd
"
For hardy and undoubted champions."-3 Hen. VI. v. 7. 6.
(Where probably hardy means Fr. hardi, bold;" and ull-
doubted" means "not frightened," "doubt" like "
used for "frighten.")
Perhaps for comes under this head in
'fear"
being
""
What is he for a fool that betroths himself to unquietness.
M. Ado, i. 3. 49
i.e. “What is he, as being a fool." It is more intelligible when the
order is changed: "For a fool, what is he," i.e. "considered as a
fool-it being granted that he is a fool—what kind of fool is he?"
So "What is he for a vicar ?"-B. J. Sil. Wom. iii. 1. med.
So in German " was für ein ?”
149. For is hence loosely used in the sense as regards."
It was young counsel for the persons and violent counsel for
the matter."-B. E. 75.
Very commonly this for stands first, before an emphatic subject or
object, which is intended to stand in a prominent and emphatic
position :
"
For your desire to know what is between us,
O'er-master it as you may."-Hamlet,
-Hamlet, i. 5.139; 2. 112.
Now, for the taking of Sicily, the Athenians did marvellously
covet it."-N. P. 171.
"For your intent,
It is most retrograde to our desires."
Hamlet, i. 2. 112; Rich. II. v. 3. 137.
PREPOSITIONS.
ICI
"For a certain term," "for seven days, a day¨ (or even "for the
day" where one day is meant), is still customary, but not
"Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires."Hamlet, i. 4. 11.
150. For, from meaning "in front of," came naturally to mean
"in behalf of," "for the sake of," "because of."
"Yet I must not (kill Banquo openly),
For certain friends that are both his and mine."
i.e. "because of certain friends."
Macbeth, iii. I. 120.
This use was much more common than with us.
When we refer
to the past we generally use "because of," reserving for for the
future. Compare, on the other hand :
"O be not proud, nor brag not of thy might,
For mastering her that foil'd the God of fight."
V. and A. 114.
>>
"He gave it out that he must depart for certain news.
N. P. 179.
"No way to that, for weakness, which she enter'd."
1 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 25.
1.e. no way can be compared for weakness with that," &c.
Of divers humours one must be chiefly predominant, but it is
not with so full an advantage but, for the volubilitie and supplenes
of the mind, the weaker may by occasion reobtaine the place again.
-MONTAIGNE, 116.
For is similarly used with an ellipse of "I lay a wager" in
'
"Now, for my life, she's wandering to the Tower."
Rich. III. iv. 1. 3.
151. For, in the sense of "because of," is found not only
governing a noun, but also governing a clause:
i.e.
"You may not so extenuate his offence.
For I have had such faults.”—M. for M. ii. 1. 28.
"because I have had such faults."
"
('Tis ungrateful) to be thus opposite with heaven,
For (because) it requires the royal debt it lent you.
Rich. III. ii. 2. 95.
So Othello, i. 3. 269; Cymb. iv. 2. 129. And parenthetically ver
frequently:
102
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"The canker-blossoms have as deep a dye
As the perfumed tincture of the roses,
But for their virtue only is their shew,
They live unwoo'd, and unrespected fade."-Sonn. 54
Oh, it is as lawful,
For we would give much, to use violent thefts."
Tr. and Cr. v. 1. 21
2.e. to rob, "because we wish to be generous."
With the future, for meant "in order that.
"And, for the time shall not seem tedious,
I'll tell thee what befel me. "" -3 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 10
The desire of clearness and emphasis led to the addition of because.
"But for because it liketh well our eyes."-N. P. Pref.
"And for because the world is populous."-Rich. II. v. 5. 3.
Comp. " but only," more better," &c.
For, when thus followed by a verb, like after, before; &c. (“after
he came," "before he went"), is called a conjunction. It is often,
like other prepositions (287) thus used, followed by "that."
Coriol. iii. 3. 93, &c. The two uses occur together in the following
passage, which well illustrates the transition of for:
"I hate him for he is a Christian,
But more for that . . . he lends," &c.—M. of V. i. 3. 43.
152. For to, which is now never joined with the infinitive except
by a vulgarism, was very common in E. E. and A.-S., and is not
uncommon in the Elizabethar. writers. It probably owes its origin
to the fact that the prepositional meaning of "to" was gradually
weakened as it came to be considered nothing but the sign of the
infinitive. Hence for was added to give the notion of motion or
purpose. Similarly in Danish and Swedish (Mätzner, ii. p. 54) "for
at" is used. Both in E. E. and in Elizabethan writers the for is
sometimes added to the latter of two infinitives as being, by a longer
interval, disconnected from the finite verb, and therefore requiring
an additional connecting particle :
tr
First, honour'd Virgin, to behold thy face
Where all good dwells that is; next for to try," &c.
B. and F. Fair Sh. v. 1.
For the same reason:
"Let your highness
Lay a more noble thought upon mine honour
Than for to think that I would sink it here."—A. W. v. 3. 181
I.
PREPOSITIONS.
103
From the earliest period "for to," like "to," is found used
without any notion of purpose, simply as the sign of the infinitive.
So in Shakespeare:
"Forbid the sea for to obey the moon."-W. T. i. 2. 427.
153. For, variable.
variableness of for:
The following passage illustrates the
"Princes have but their titles for (to represent) their glories,
An outward honour for (as the reward of) an inward toil,
And for (for the sake of gaining) unfelt (unsubstantial) imagi-
nation
They often feel a world of restless cares."- Rich. III. i. 4. 78-80.
154. (II.) For (in opposition to): hence "to prevent."
"And over that an habergeon for percing of his herte."
CHAUCER, Sire Thopas, 13790.
Love. Is there an officer there?
Off. Yes, two or three for failing.”—B. J. Alch. v. 3.
"The which he will not every hour survey
For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure.”—Sonn. 52.
"We'll have a bib for spoiling of thy doublet.”
B. and F. (Nares).
So it is said of Procrustes, that if his victim was too long for the
bed, "he cut off his legs for catching cold."—Euphues (Malone).
It can be proved that Sir T. North regarded for as meaning “in
spite of," since he translates "Mais, nonobstant toutes ces raisons,"
by "But, for all these reasons,” (N. P. 172); where the context
also shows beyond dispute that for has this meaning. On the other
hand, in
::
"All out of work and cold for action,"-Hen. V. i. 2. 114.
for seems to mean "for want of," unless "out of work and cold"
can be treated as equivalent to eager," which would naturally be
followed by for.
For is found in E. E. in this sense, but perhaps always with the
emphatic "all."
For in this sense is sometimes used as a conjunction:
"For all he be a Roman."-Cymb. v. 4. 209.
i.e. "Despite that he be a Roman."
For may either mean "against
or (149) "for what concerns 10
"I warrant him for drowning."-Temp. i. 1. 49.
104
SHAKESPearian GRAMMAR
64
We still retain the use of for in the sense of in spite of, as in
for all your plots I will succeed." Such phrases, however, fre-
quently contain a negative, in which case it is difficult to ascertain
whether for means because of or in spite of.
"My father is not dead for all your saying.
"(The stars) will not take their flight
""
Macbeth, iv. 2. 36.
For all the morning light.”—MILTON, Hymn on the Nativity.
It is a question how to punctuate
"To fall off
From their Creator and transgress his will
For one restraint lords of the world besides."
MILTON, P. L. i. 32.
If a comma be placed after "will," and not after "restraint," then
besides" should be treated as though it were "except" or "but:"
"Lords of the world but for one restraint."
155. For is sometimes ready for, fit for. (See 405.)
"He is for no gallants' company without them."
B. J. E. in &c. i. I.
"Your store is not for idle markets."-T. N. iii. 3. 46.
Compare our "I am for (going to) Paris."
Some ellipsis, as "I pray," must be understood in
"(I pray) God for his mercy."—Rich. II. ii. 2. 98; v. 2. 75.
156. Forth is used as a preposition (from):
"Steal forth thy father's house.”—M. N. D. i. 1. 164.
"Loosed them forth their brazen caves."
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 89, and 1 Hen. VI. i. 2. 54
Sometimes with "of" or "from :"
'That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France.'
So Rich. II. iii. 2. 204-5; Temp. v. 1. 160.
implies motion from. (See 165.)
3 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 157.
The "of" in itself
"From forth the streets of Pomfret."-K. J. iv. 2. 148.
So Rich. II. ìi. 1. 106.
Forth, being thus joined with prepositions less emphatic than
itself, gradually assumed a prepositional ineaning, displacing the
prepositions. Forth is not found as a preposition in E. E. See
also Prepositions omitted.
PREPOSITIONS.
105
157. From is sometimes joined with out, to signify outward
motion, where we use out of.
"In purchasing the semblance of my soul
From out the state of hellish cruelty."-M. of V. iii. 4. 20.
From out the fiery portal of the East."-Rich. II. iii. 3 64.
158. From is frequently used in the sense of "apart from,"
"away from," without a verb of motion.
"From thence (i.e. away from home) the sauce to meat is
ceremony."-Macbeth, iii. 4. 36.
"I am best pleased to be from such a deed."-K. J. iv. 1. 86.
"Which is from (out of) my remembrance."—Temp. i. 1. 65.
"They run themselves from breath."-B. J. Cy.'s Rev. i. 1.
"Clean from the purpose."-7. C. i. 3. 35.
"This discourse is from the subject."-B. and F. Eld. B. v. I.
"This is from my commission."-T. N. i. 5. 208.
'Anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 22.
"This is from the present."-A. and C. ii. 6. 30.
Hence "differently from: "
'Words him a great deal from the matter."-Cymb. i. 4. 16.
i.e. “describes him in a manner departing from the truth.”
'
"This label on my bosom whose containing
Is so from sense in hardness."-Cymb. v. 5. 431.
"Write from it, if you can, in hand and phrase."
"For he is superstitious grown of late
T. N. v. 1. 340.
Quite from the main opinion he held once."-J. C. ii. 1. 196.
"So from himself impiety hath wrought."-R. of L.
"To be so odd and from all fashions."-M. Ado, iii. 1. 72.
"Particular addition from the bill
That writes them all alike."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 100.
This explains the play on the word in
''
Queen. That thou dost love thy daughter from thy soul."
Rich. III. iv. 4. 258.
"I wish you all the joy that you can wish,
For I am sure you can wish none from me.
2.2. none differently from me,"
M. of V. iii. 2. 192.
none which I do not wish you.
}}
This is probably the correct interpretation of the last passage. So
Othello, i. I. 132.
106
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"If aught possess thee from me."-C. of E. ii. 2. 180.
Also "apart from :
"Nay, that's my own from any nymph in the court."
B. J. Cy.'s Rev. ii. 1
" From thee to die were torture more than death."
I.
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 401.
"in a hill"
159. In, like the kindred preposition on (Chaucer uses
for "
on a hill"), was used with verbs of motion as well as rest
We still say he fell in love," "his conduct came in question.
"He fell in a kind of familiar friendship with Socrates."
N. P. 192.
"Duncane fell in fained communion with Sueno."
HOLINSHED.
"In so profound abysm I throw all care."-Sonn. 112.
"Cast yourself in wonder."-7. C. i. 3. 60.
"Sounds of music creep in our ears."-M. of V. v. 1. 56.
"They who brought me in my master's hate."
Rich. III. iii. 2. 56.
"But first I'll turn yon fellow in his grave."
Ib. i. 2. 262; 3. 88.
'And throw them in the entrails of a wolf.”—Ib. iv. 3. 23.
"If ever ye came in hell.”—UDALL.
In (for "into") with "enter," Rich. II. ii. 3. 160; Rich. III. v.
3. 227.
Into is conversely sometimes found with verbs of rest implying
motion. "Is all my armour laid into my tent ?"-Rich. III. v. 5. 51.
"Confin'd into this rock."-Tempest, i. 2. 361.
"To appear into the world.”—MONTAIGNE, 224.
And earlier "Hid into three measures of meal."-WICKLIFFE,
Luke xiii. 21.
160, In for on:
"What in your own part (side) can you say to this?"
Othello, i. 3. 74.
So in the phrase "in the neck," where we should say
neck or on the heels.”
"Soon after that depriv'd him of his life.
""
on the
And, in the neck of that, task'd the whole state.
1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 92.
PREPOSITIONS.
107
The same phrase occurs Sonn. 131; MONTAIGNE, 17; N. P. 172.
"
"In pain of your dislike.' -2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 257.
cr
161. In for "
during or
"at." In has now almost lost its
metaphorical use applied to time. As early as the sixteenth century
“In the day of Sabbath" (WICKLIFFE, Acts xiii. 14) was replaced
by "on." It is still retained where the proper meaning of “in,”
in the limits of," is implied, as with plurals, "Once in ten days"
or "for once in my life," or "he does more in one day than others
in two." Thus A. V. Gen. viii. 4, "In the seventh month, on the
eighteenth day." We also find frequently in the A. V. "In the
day of the Lord, in the day when," &c. "in the day of judgment."
This may in part be due to a desire to retain the more archaic
idiom, as being more solemn and appropriate; but perhaps the
local meaning of in may be here recognized. We still say "in
this calamity, crisis," &c. where we mean “entangled in, sur.
rounded by the perils of this calamity ;" and some such meaning
may attach to "in when we say
"In the day of tribulation,
vengeance," &c. Occasionally, however, we find "at the day of
judgment" (Matt. xi. 22), as also in Shakespeare in the only passage
where this phrase occurs. Shakespeare frequently uses in for "at"
during."
or
"How the duke in council
In this time of the night."-Othello, i. 2. 93.
"In night."-V. and A. 720.
"In all which time."-Rich. III. i. 3. 127.
"In such a night as this."-M. of V. v. 1. 1, 6, 9.
"This is, sir, a doubt
In such a time as this, nothing becoming you."
Cymb. iv. 4. 15.
"Nay, we will slink away in supper-time."-M. of V. ii. 4. 1.
162. In metaphorically used for "in the case of," "about," &c.
Triumph in so false a foe."-R. of L.
"In second voice we'll not be satisfied."
"Almost all
Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 149.
Repent in their election."-Coriol. ii. 3. 263.
"Our fears in Banquo stick deep."-Macb. iii. 1. 49.
"(We) wear our health but sickly in his life
Which in his death were perfect."-b. iii. 1. 107.
108
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
We say
So
or “by myself,” not
in my own person
Which in myself I boldly will defend."-Rich. II. i. 1. 145
"But I bethink me what a weary way
In Ross and Willoughby... will be found."—Ib. ii. 3. 10.
i.e. “in the case of Ross," equivalent to "by Ross.”
In is used metaphorically where we should say "in the though!
of " in
"
Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech."
Hamlet, v. 1. 317.
163. In. We still say "it lies in your power." But we find also-
"And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only,"-M. of V. iv. 1. 355.
where we now should use at. This example illustrates the appa-
rently capricious change in the use of prepositions.
We should now use at instead of in and of, in
and
In night and on the court and guard of safety."
"What! in a town of war. ››*_-[b. 213.
Othello, ii. 3. 216.
"In-round" (O. Fr. "en rond") is used for the more modern
"a-round" in
"They compassed him in round among themselves."—N. P. 192.
But probably "round is for "around." Compare "compassed
him in."-A. V. 2 Chron. xxi. 9.
164. In is used with a verbal to signify "in the act of" or
"while."
"He raves in saying nothing.”—Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 247.
"When you cast
Your stinking greasy caps in hooting at
Coriolanus' exile."-Coriol. iv. 6. 131.
"Mine eyes, the outward watch
Whereto my finger like a dial's point
Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears."—Rich. II. v. 5. 54.
The fire that mounts the liquor till't run o'er,
In seeming to augment it, wastes it."--Hen. VIII. i. 1. 145.
"And may ye both be suddenly surprised
By bloody hands in sleeping on your beds."
-1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 41.
"
* But "towns of war," Hen. V. ii. 4. 7, means garrisoned towns," and so
probably here, like our man of war
>
•
PREPOSITIONS,
109
"As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault."-K. 7. iv. 2. 32.
J.
It is probable, as the last example suggests, that these verbals are
nouns after which "of" is sometimes expressed. Hence "in sleep-
ing" may simply be another form of "a-sleeping." But the in
brings out, more strongly than the a-, the time in which, or while,
the action is being performed. It is also probable that the influence
of the French idiom, "en disant ces mots," tended to mislead
Erglish authors into the belief that in was superfluous, and that the
verbals thus used were present participles. (See also 93.) In is used
thus with a noun:
"Wept like two children in (during) their deaths' sad stories."
Rich. III. iv. 3. 8.
(These blazes) giving more light than heat, extinct in both,
Even in their promise, while it is a-making."
""
Hamlet, i. 3. 119.
165. Of (original meaning "off' or "from").
"ab," Moeso-Gothic "af."
>>
Comp. dτó;
In Early English of is used for "from,' ""out of," "off," as in
"He lighted of his steed, arose of the dead," "The leaves fall of
the tree. This strong meaning of motion was afterwards assigned
to "off" (which is merely an emphatic form of of), and hence of
retained only a slight meaning of motion, which frequently merged
into causality, neighbourhood, possession, &c.
Off is, perhaps, simply of in
"Over-done or come tardy off.”*—Hamlet, iii. 2. 28.
.e."fallen short of." Compare vσTEρev. Otherwise
a passive participle, 295.
Of retains its original meaning in
"Overhear this speech
Of vantage."-Hamlet, iii. 3. 33.
e. "from the vantage-ground of concealment."
'Therefore of all hands must we be forsworn."
come off" is
L. L. L. iv. 3. 219.
i.e. "from all sides," "to which ever side one looks;" hence "in
any case."
"Being regarded of all hands by the Grecians."—N. P. 176
Compare "Too late of our intents.”—Rich. III. iii. 5. 69.
110
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So our modern "off hand," applied to a deed coming from the
hand, and not from the head. Hence "of hand" is used where we
use "on" (175) in
"Turn of no hand."—M. of V. ii. 2. 45.
wc
Of also retains this meaning with some local adjectives and ad-
verbs, such as "north of," "south of," "within fifteen hundred paces
of" (Hen. V. iii. 7. 136). We could say "the advantage of," but
not
'You should not have the eminence of him."
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 266.
'There is a testril of (from) me too."-T. N. ii. 3. 34.
166. Of used for "out of," "from," with verbs that signify, either
literally or metaphorically, depriving, delivering, &c.
'We'll deliver you of your great danger."- Coriol. v. 6. 15.
"I may be delivered of these woes."-K. F. iii. 4. 55.
This use of of is still retained in the phrase "to be delivered of a
child."
"Heaven make thee free of it."—Hamlet, v. 2. 342.
"To help him of his blindness."-T. G. of V. iv. 2. 45.
"Unfurnish me of reason."-W. T. v. 1. 123.
"Take of me my daughter,'
”—M. Ado, ii. 1. 311.
"Rid the house of her."-T. Sh. i. 1. 150.
"Scour me this famous realm of enemies."-B. and F.
"That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be deposed."-A. and C. iii. 6. 28.
"His cocks do win the battle still of mine."-A. and C. ii. 3.36.
"Get goal for goal of youth."-A. and C. iv. 8. 22.
"I discharge thee of thy prisoner."-M. Ado, v. 1. 327.
In virtue of this meaning, of is frequently placed after forth and
out, to signify motion.
Hence, metaphorically,
"He could not justify himself of the unjust accusations."-N. P. 173.
Of is also used with verbs and adjectives implying motion from,
such as "fail," "want," &c.
Hence-
"But since you come too late of our intents."-Rich. III. iii. 5. 69.
I.
167. Of thus applied to time means "from." So still "of late."
"I took him of a child up."-B. J. E. in &c. ii. 1.
i.e. "from a child, when a mere child." So in E. E. "of youth."
PREPOSITIONS.
111
"Of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries."
Being of so young days brought up with him.”
Acts viii. 11.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 11.
168. Of, meaning "from," passes naturally into the meaning
resulting from," as a consequence of."
66
Of force."-M. of V. iv. 1. 421; 1 Hen. IV. iii 2. 120,
Of no right." -1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 100.
"Bold of your worthiness."-L. L. L. ii. 1. 28.
"We were dead of sleep."-Temp. v. 1. 230.
"And of that natural luck
He beats thee 'gainst the odds.”—A. and C. ii. 3. 26.
Hence "What shall become of this?" M. Ado, iv. 1. 211; T. N
ii. I. 37, means "what will be the consequence of this?"
So "by means of:
"}
"And thus do we of wisdom and of reach
By indirection find direction out."-Hamlet, ii. 1. 64.
While by is used of external agencies, of is used of internal
motives, thus:
"Comest thou hither by chance, or of devotion ?"
2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 88.
"The king of his own royal disposition."-Rich. III. i. 3. 63.
Of purpose to obscure my noble birth."-1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 22.
“Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?"
Sometimes "out of" is thus used:
2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 16.
"But thou hast forced me,
Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman.
>>
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 431.
Of, as a result of," is used as a result for "with the aid of,”
with," or "at.”
"
"That... she be sent over of the King of England's cost.
2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 61.
"Of the city's cost, the conduit shall run nothing but claret wine.'
Ib. iv. 6. 3.
Hence the modern phrase "To die of hunger."
169. Of hence is used in appeals and adjurations to signify
out of."
66
Of charity, what kin are you to me?”—T. N. v. 1. 237.
[12
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Hence, the sense of "out of" being lost,
of," "by."
= "for the sake
Speak of all loves.”—M. N. D. ii. 2. 154.
This explains
"Let it not enter in your mind, of love."-M. of V. ii. 9. 42.
Similar is the use of of in protestations:
"Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards.
Ben. First, of my word."-T. N. v. 4. 123.
"A proper man, of mine honour."-2 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 103.
170. Of meaning "from" is placed before an agent (from whom
the action is regarded as proceeding) where we use "by."
"Received of (welcomed by) the most pious Edward."
Macb. iii. 6. 27.
"Like stars ashamed of day."-V. and A.
i.e. "shamed by day.”
22
Of is frequently thus used with " long, 'long," or "along."
"from alongside of" ("apá
-LAYAMON.
with gen.).
'Along of"
"The good old man would fain that all were well
So 'twere not 'long of him."-3 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 32.
"Long all of Somerset."-1 Hen. VI. iv. 3. 46, 33.
(παρά
"I am so wrapt and throwly lapt of jolly good ale and
old."-STILL.
171. Of is hence used not merely of the agent but also of the
instrument. This is most common with verbs of construction, and
of filling; because in construction and filling the result is not merely
effected with the instrument, but proceeds out of it. We still retain
of with verbs of construction and adjectives of fulness; but the Eliza-
bethans retained of with verbs of fulness also.
Hence
'Supplied of kernes and gallow-glasses.”—Macb. i. 2. 13.
"I am provided of a torch-bearer."-M. of V. ii. 2. 24.
"You are not satisfied of these events."—Ib. v. I. 297.
“Mettle—whereof thy proud child arrogant man is puffed."
T. of A. iv. 3. 180.
"Mixt partly of Mischief and partly of Reinedy."-B. E. 114
"Flies
Whose woven wings the summer dyes
Of many colours."-B. and F. Fair Sh. v. 1,
PREPOSITIONS.
113
Of with verbs of construction from "out of" sometimes assumes
the meaning of "instead of."
“Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate.”— Rich. III. ii. 1. 50,
And with "become:
"
"(Henry) is of a king become a banish'd man."—3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 25.
172. Of is hence used metaphorically with verbs of construction,
as in the modern
'They make an ass of me."-T. N. v. 1. 19.
But of is also thus found without verbs of construction, as.
Timon.
Apem. Or thou shalt find—
A fool of thee. Depart."
T. of A. iv. 3. 232.
"E'en such a husband
"
Hast thou of me as she is for a wife.”—M. of V. iii. 5. 89.
"We should have found a bloody day of this. 1 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 34.
"We shall find of him
A shrewd contriver."-7. C. ii. 1. 157.
"We lost a jewel of her."-A. W. v. 3. 1.
'You have a nurse of me.”—P. of T. iv. 1. 25.
'You shall find of the king, sir, a father.”—A. W. i. 1. 7.
i.e. "in the king."
173. Of is hence applied not merely to the agent and the instru-
ment, but to any influencing circumstance, in the sense of as
regards,"
""what comes from."
"Fantasy,
Which is as thin of substance as the air."-R. and J. i. 4. 99.
"Roses are fast flowers of their smells."-B. E. 188.
"A valiant man of his hands.”—N. P. 614.
"But of his cheere did seem too solemn-sad."—SPEN. F. Q. i. 1.
Under this head perhaps come :
"Niggard of question; but of our demands
Most free in his reply."—Hamlet, iii. 1. 13.
"Of his own body he was ill, and gave
>>
The clergy ill example. -Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 43.
"That did but show thee, of a fool, inconstant
And damnable ungrateful."-W. T. iii. 2. 187.
ie. "as
as regards a fool," "in the matter of folly.”
This may almost be called a locative case, and may illustrate the
1
114
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Latin idiom " versus aními." It is common in E. E. We still say,
in accordance with this idiom, "swift of foot, ""ready of wit," &c.
174. Of passes easily from meaning as regards" to
ing," "about."
"Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope
The like of him.”—T. N. i. 2. 21.
"You make me study of that.”—Temp. ii. 1. 81.
፡፡
concern.
"Tis pity of him."-M. for M. ii. 3. 42; A. and C. i. 4. 71.
"Twere pity of my life."-M. N. D. iii. 1. 44.
I.
"I wonder of there being together."-Ib. iv. 1. 128.
"Wise of (informed of) the payment day."-B. E.
"He shall never more
Be fear'd of doing harm."-Lear, ii. 2. 113.
"The same will, I hope, happen to me, of death."
i.e. "with respect to death."
"I humbly do desire your grace of pardon.
cr
""
MONTAIGNE, 36.
M. of V. iv. 1. 402.
"I shall desire you of more acquaintance."
M. N. D. iii. 1. 183; A. Y. L. v. 4. 56.
""
((
For this use of "desire" compare A. V. St. John xii. 21, they
desired him saying," where Wickliffe has "preieden, prayed."
"I humbly do beseech you of your pardon. -O. iii. 3. 212.
"The dauphin whom of succours we entreated."
Hen Viii. 3. 45.
"Yet of your royal presence I'll adventure
The borrow of a week."-W. T. i. 2. 38.
"We'll mannerly demand thee of thy story."--Cymb, iii. 6.92.
tr
Enquire of him."-Rich. II. iii. 2. 186.
i.e. "about him."
In
"Discern of the coming on of years.”—B. E. 105.
"Having determined of the Volsces and," &c.-Coriol. ii. 2. 41.
"I'll venture so much of my hawk or hound."
'Since of your lives you set
So slight a valuation."-Cymb. iv. 4. 48.
"No more can you distinguish of a man
T. of Sh. v. 2. 72,
Than of his outward show,"-Rich. III. iii. 1. 9, 10.
the meaning seems to be, "you can make no distinctions about men
more than," i.e. "except, about their appearances." So
PREPOSITIONS.
115
"Since my soul could of men distinguish."--Hamlet, iii. 2. 69.
""
In the following passages we should now use "for:
"France whereof England hath been an overmatch.”—B. E. 113.
"I have no mind of feasting."-M. of V. ii. 5. 37.
"In change of him.”—Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 27.
"Of this my privacy I have strong reasons.
""
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 190.
"In haste whereof, most heartily I pray
Your highness to assign our trial day."-Rich. II. i. 1. 150.
"what will become of (about) me!" so
As we say
"What will betide of me."-Rich. III. i. 3. 6.
We say "power over us," not
"The sovereign power you have of us."- Hamlet, ii. 2. 27.
"I have an eye on him," not
Nay, then, I have an eye of you.”—Ib. 301.
175. Of signifying proximity of any kind is sometimes used locally
in the sense of " on. "The connection between of and on is illustrated
by M. of V. ii. 2, where old Gobbo says: Thou hast got more
haire on thy chin than Dobbin my philhorse has on his taile ;" and
young Gobbo retorts, "I am sure he had more haire of his taile than
I have of my face."
"Gra. My master riding behind my mistress-
Cart. Both of one horse."-T. of Sh. iv. 1. 71.
""
Of is sometimes used metaphorically for “on.
Compare "A plague of all cowards !"—1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 127.
with “A plague upon this howling."—Temp. i. 1. 39.
"Who but to-day hammer'd of this design."—W. T. ii. 2. 49.
'I go of message.'
-2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 113.
A message may be regarded as a motive from which, or as an
object towards which, an action proceeds, and hence either of or
may be used.
❝on
16011
Compare "He came of an errand.”—M. IV. of IV. i. 4. 80.
with
"I will go on the slightest errand." -M. Ade, ii. 1. 272.
"Sweet mistress, what your name is else I know not,
Nor by what wonder you do hit of mine."-C.of E. iii. 2. 30.
"And now again
Add also-
Of him that did not ask, but mock, bestow
Your sued-for tongues."-Coriol. ii. 3. 215.
A
I 2
713
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"I will bestow some precepts of this virgin."
A. W. iii. 5. 103; T. N. iii. 4. 2
"Trustyng of (comp. "depending on ") the continuance.'
ASCH. Ded.
176. Of, signifying "coming from," "belonging to," when used
with time, signifies "during."
i.e.
"These fifteen years: by my fay a goodly nap!
But did I never speak of all that time?"-T. of Sh. Ind. 2. 84.
"There sleeps Titania sometime of the night."—M. N. D. ii. 1. 253.
sometimes during the night."
"My custom always of the afternoon."-Hamlet, i. 5. 60.
"And not be seen to wink of all the day."-L. L. L. i, 1. 43.
Of the present."-Tempest, i. 1. 24.
So often "
CC
Of a sudden."
"" (C
ઃઃ
177. Of is sometimes used to separate an object from the direct
action of a verb: (a) when the verb is used partitively, as eat of,"
taste of," &c. ; (b) when the verb is of French origin, used with
"de," as doubt," "despair," "accuse, 'repent," "arrest,'
"appeal," "accept," allow;" (c) when the verb is not always
or often used as a transitive verb, as "hope" or “like,
"hope" or "like," especially
in the case of verbs once used impersonally.
tr
(a) "King. How fares our cousin Hamlet?
I.
Hamlet. Excellent, i' faith: of the chameleon's dish."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 98.
(b) "To appeal each other of high treason."-Rich. II. i. 1. 27.
'Of capital treason we arrest you here."-Ib. iv. 1. 151.
(c) "So then you hope of pardon from Lord Angelo?"
M. for M. iii. 1. 1.
"I will hope of better deeds to-morrow."-A. and C. i. 1. 62.
The of after "to like" is perhaps a result of the old impersonal
use of the verb, "me liketh,' "him liketh," which might seem to
disqualify the verb from taking a direct object. Similarly "it
repents me of" becomes "I repent of;" "I complain myself of"
becomes "I complain of." So in E. E. "it marvels me of" becomes
"I marvel of." Hence-
"It was a lordling's daughter that liked of her master."
P. P. 212.
"Thou dislikest of virtue for the name.”—A. W. ii. 3. 131
PREPOSITIONS.
(17
"I am a husband if you like of me."-M. Ado, v. 4 59.
So L. L. L. i, 1. 107; iv. 3. 158; Rich. III. iv. 4. 354.
"To like of nought that would be understood."
BEAUMONT on B. J.
178. Of naturally followed a verbal noun. In many cases we
should call the verbal noun a participle, and the of has become
unintelligible to us. Thus we cannot now easily see why Shake-
speare should write-
"Dick the shepherd blows his nail."-L. L. L. v. 2. 923.
and on the other hand-
"The shepherd blowing of his nails."-3 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 3.
But in the latter sentence blowing was regarded as a noun, the
prepositional "a," "in," or "on" being omitted.
"The shepherd was a-blowing of his nails."
In the following instances we should now be inclined to treat the
verbal as a present participle because there is no preposition before it :
"Here stood he (a-)mumbling of wicked charms."-Lear, ii. 1. 41.
"We took him (a-)setting of boys' copies."-2 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 96.
"And then I swore thee, (a-)saving of thy life."-7. C. v. 3. 38.
"Here was he merry (a-)hearing of a song."—A. Y. L. ii. 7. 4.
where "hear of" does not mean, as with us, "hear about." So
Lear, v. 3. 204. In all the above cases the verbal means "in the
act of."
In most cases, however, a preposition is inserted, and thus the
substantival use of the verbal is made evident. Thus :
"So find we profit by losing of our prayers."-A. and C. ii. 1. 8.
"Your voice for crowning of the king.
,,
Rich. III. iii. 4. 29; Hamlet, i. 5. 175; Lear, i. 3. 1.
"With halloing and singing of anthems. 2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 213.
What, threat you me with telling of the king?"
Rich. III. i. 3. 113.
"About relieving of the sentinels.". -1 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 70; iii. 4. 29.
If it be asked why "the" is not inserted before the verbal,-
1.g. "about the relieving of the sentinels," the answer is that
relieving is already defined, and in such cases the article is generally
omitted by Shakespeare. (See 89.)
118
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
When the object comes before the verbal, of must be omitted:
Ophelia. Hamlet... shaking of mine arm
And thrice his head thus waving."Hamlet, ii. 1. 92.
We can say "in shaking of mine
The reason is obvious. We can say
but not "in his head thus waving.
""
arm,"
Compare C. of E.v. 1. 153; A. Y. L. ii. 4. 44, iv. 3. 10; W. T. iii.
3. 69; 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 166; R. and J. v. I. 40.
"Yet the mother, if the house hold of our lady."-ASCH. 40.
Hold," by itself, would mean "actually hold" (capiat). "Hold
of" means "be of such a nature as to hold" (capax sit), "hold-
ing of."
179. Of is sometimes redundant before relatives and relatival
words in dependent sentences, mostly after verbs intransitive.
"Make choice of which your highness will see first."
M. N. D. v. I. 43.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 10.
"What it should be . . . I cannot dream of."
Making just report
Of how unnatural and bemadding sorrow
The king hath cause to plain."-Lear, iii. 2. 38.
"He desires to know of you of whence you are,"
P. of T. ii. 3. 80.
where, however, "whence" is, perhaps, loosely used for "what
place," and of strictly used for from.'
66
The redundant and appositional of, which we still use after
town," "city," "valley," &c., is used after "river" (as sometimes
by Chaucer and Mandeville) in
"The river of Cydnus."-A. and C. ii. 2. 192.
180. On, upon (interchanged in E. E. with "an"), represents
juxtaposition of any kind, metaphorical or otherwise. It was in
Early English a form of the preposition "an" which is used as an
adverbial prefix (see 141); and as late as Ascham we find—
16
'I fall on weeping."—ASCH. iii. 4.
"For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell
Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes."-R.of L. 1494
Compare also our a-head with
Hereupon the people ran on-head in tumult together."—N. P. 191
"Why runnest thou thus on head?"—Homily on Matrimony.
PREPOSITIONS.
119
The metaphorical uses of this preposition have now been mostly
divided among of, in, and at, &c. We still, however, retain the
phrase, on this," "on hearing this," &c. where on is "at the
time of," or "immediately after.” But we could not say--
"Here comes (333) the townsmen on (in) procession,'
2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 68.
"Read on (in) this book."-Hamlet, iii. 1. 44. So MON-
TAIGNE, 227: "To read on some book,’
"Blushing on (at) her."-R. of L. st. 453.
"On (at) a moderate pace."-T. N. ii. 2. 3.
>>
"The common people being set on a broile."-N. P. 190.
(Comp. our set on fire.")
"Horses on (in' or 'of') a white foam."-N. P. 186.
'On (of) the sudden."-Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 96.
"And live to be revenged on ('for' or 'about') her death.'
"Be not jealous on (of) me."-7. C. i. 2. 71.
66 'Fond on her."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 266.
"Nod on (at) him."-F. C. i. 2. 118.
"Command upon me.”—Macbeth, iii. 1. 17.
"}
R. of L. 1778.
On, like "upon," is used metaphorically for "in consequence
of" in
"Lest more mischance
On plots and errors happen."-Hamlet, v. 2. 406;
for "u dependence on” in
in
"I stay here on my bond."-M. of V. iv. 1. 242.
"She's wandering to the tower
On pure heart's love to greet the tender princes,"
Rich. III. iv. I. 4.
there is a confusion between " on an errand of love" and "out of
heart's love."
181. On is frequently used where we use of" in the sense of
'about," &c. Thus above, "jealous on," and in Sonn. 84, "Fond
on praise." In Early English (Stratmann) we have "On witch-
craft I know nothing.
"What shall become on me?" "Denmark
Compare-
won nothing on him."
"Enamour'd on his follies."-1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 71.
"His lands which he stood seized on.
>> *
—Hamlet, i. 1. 88.
Globe, "of."
120
SHAKESPEarian graMMAR.
"Or have we eaten on the insane root?"-Macbeth, i. 3. 84
"He is so much made on here."-Coriol. iv. 5. 203.
"What think you on't."—Hamlet, i. 1. 55,
Note the indifferent use of on and "of" in
"God have mercy on his soul
And of all Christian souls."-Hamlet, iv. 5. 200.
The use of on in
"Intended or committed was this fault?
If on the first,—I pardon thee,”—Rich. II. v. 3. 84.
is illustrated by
"My gracious uncle, let me know my fault,
On what condition stands it."—. ii. 3. 107.
182. On, being thus closely connected with "of," was frequently
used even for the possessive "of," particularly in rapid speech
before a contracted pronoun.
"One on's ears."-Coriol. ii. 2. 85. So Coriol. i. 3. 72; il
I. 202.
"The middle on's face."-Lear, iv. 5. 20.
"Two on's daughters.”—Ib. i. 4. 114.
"Two on's."-Cymb. v. 5. 311.
My profit on't." —Temp. i. 2. 365, 456.
"You lie out on't, sir."-Hamlet, v. 1. 132; Lear, iv. 1. 52.
He shall hear on't.”—B. J. E. in &c.
"I am glad on't.”—J. C. i. 3. 137.
In the two last examples on inay perhaps be explained as meaning
"concerning," without reference to "of."
66 011
>>
The explanation of this change of “of" to
appears to be as
follows. “Of” when rapidly pronounced before a consonant became
"O'."
"Body o' me."-Hen. VIII. v. 2. 22.
"O' nights."-T. N. i. 3. 5.
Hence the o' became the habitual representative of "of" in collo-
quial language, just as a- "became the representative of "on" or
"an."
But when o' came before a vowel, what was to be done?
" before
""
Just as the ".
'a- was obliged to recur to its old form "an
a vowel or mute h (compare Hamlet, i. 4. 19, "to stand an-end,”
and see 24), so before a vowel o' was forced to assume a euphonic
n.
(Compare the Greek custom.)
PREPOSITIONS.
121
And even when the pronoun is not contracted, we find in Coriol.
iv. 5. 174, the modern vulgarism—
"Worth six on him."
"To break the pate on thee."—1 Hen. IV. ii. 1, 34.
183. Out (out from) is used as a preposition like forth.
'You have push'd out your gates the very defender of them.
Coriol. v. 2. 41.
(Early Eng.
(6
"Come out Ireland," Out this land.")
"
"Out three years old.”—Temp. i. 2. 41, “beyond three years.”
Explained by Nares, "completely."
From out. See 157.
184. Till is used for to:
"From the first corse till he that died to-day,"
Hamlet, i. 2. 105.
where probably till is a preposition, and "he" for "him." See He.
"Lean'd her breast up till a thorn."-P. P. st. 21.
Early Eng. "He said thus til (to) him," and, on the other hand,
"To (till) we be gone." So "unto" in Chaucer for "until."
"I need not sing this them until (for unto them')."
HEYWOOD.
“We know whereuntil (whereto) it doth amount.”
L. L. L. v. 2. 494.
"And hath shipped me intil (into) the land.”—Hamlet, v. 1. 81.
185. To* (see also Verbs, Infin.). Radical meaning motion
towards. Hence addition. This meaning is now only retained with
verbs implying motion, and only the strong form "too" (comp. of
and off) retains independently the meaning of addition. But in
Elizabethan authors too is written to, and the prepositional meaning
"in addition to" is found, without a verb of motion, and sometimes
Pithout any verb.
But he could read and had your languages
And to't as sound a noddle," &c.-B. J. Fox, ii. 1.
"If he . . . to his shape, were heir of all this iand."
K. J. i. 1 144
• Cump. xoos throughout
[22
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR,
"And to that dauntless temper of his mind
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour."
l.e. “in addition to that dauntless temper."
been supplanted by "beside." Compare also
Macbeth, iii. 1. 52.
To, in this sense, has
"Nineteen more, to myself."-B. J. E. in &c. iv. 5.
To is used still adverbially in "to and fro," and nautical expres-
sions such as "heave to," "come to." This use explains "Go to,"
M. of V. ii. 2. 169. "Go" did not in Elizabethan or E. E. neces-
sarily imply motion from, but motion generally. Hence "
Hence "go to"
meant little more than our stimulative "
come, come."
186. To hence means motion, "with a view to," "for an end," &c.
This is of course still common before verbs, but the Elizabethans
used to in this sense before nouns.
"He which hath no stomach to this fight."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 35.
"For to that (to that end)
The multiplying villanies of Nature
Do swarm upon him."-Macbeth, i. 2. 10.
"Prepare yourself to death."-W. T. iii. 1. 167.
Arm you to the sudden time."-K. J. v. 6. 26.
“The impression of keen whips I 'ld wear as rubies
And strip myself to (for) death as to a bed.”
M. for M. ii. 4. 102.
"Giving to you no further personal power
To (for the purpose of) business with the king.'
>>
Hamlet, i. 2. 37.
"Pawn me to this your honour."—T. A. i. 1. 147.
"Few words, but, to effect, more than all yet.
He is frank'd up to fatting for his pains."
Hence it seems used for for in
Lear, iii. 1. 52.
Rich. III. i, 3. 314.
'Ere I had made a prologue to my brains
They had begun the play."-Hamlet, v. 2. 30
And perhaps in
"This is a dear manakin to you, Sir Toby."—T. N. iii. 2. 57.
But see 419a, for this last example.
187. To hence, even without a verb of motion, means "motion
to the side of." Hence "motion to and consequent rest near," as in
FREPOSITIONS.
123
Like yourself
Who ever yet have stood to charity."-Hen. VIII. ii. 4 86.
"To this point I stand."-Hamlet, iv. 5. 187.
"I beseech you, stand to me."—2 Hen. IV, 1i. 1. 70.
i.e. "Come and stand by me, help me.
Motion against in :
"The lady Beatrice hath a quarrel to you."-M. Ado, ii. 1. 243
So T. N. iii. 4. 248; Coriol. iv. 5. 133.
Motion to meet:
"To her doom she dares not stand."-B. and F. Fair Sh. v. I.
Motion toward:
"What wouldst thou have to Athens ?"-T. of A. iv. 3. 287.
"To Milan let me hear from thee by letters.'
T. G. of V. i. I. 57.
Hence "by the side of," "in comparison with."
"Impostors to true fear."-Macb. iii. 4. 64.
i.e. "Impostors when brought to the side of, and compared with,
true fear."
In
"There is no woe to his correction,
Nor to his service no such joy on earth.'
T. G. of V. ii. 4. 138, 139.
"The harlot's cheek, beautied with plastering art,
Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it
Than is my deed to my most painted word."
Hamlet, iii. 1. 51-53.
"Treason can but peep to what it would,
Acts little of his will,"-Ib. iv. 5. 125.
"}
either to means "towards," an unusual construction with " peep,'
or the meaning is "treason can do nothing more than peep in
comparison with what it wishes to do."
Undervalued to tried gold.”—Mï. of V. ii. 7. 53.
Hence "up to," "in proportion to," "according to."
"The Greeks are strong and skilful to their strength.'
Tr. and Cr. i. 1. 7.
"That which we have we prize not to the worth."
M. Ado, iv. 1. 220.
"To's power he would
Have made them mules."-Coriol. ii. 1. 262.
124
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee.
"
Temp. i. 2. 194.
'He needs not our mistrust, since he delivers
Our offices and what we have to do
To the direction just."-Macb. iii. 3. 4.
Hence like."
"My lady, to the manner of the days,
In courtesy gives undeserving praise."-L. L. L. v. 2. 365.
"Looked it of the hue
To such as live in great men's bosoms?"-B. J. Sejan. v. 1.
"This is right to (exactly like) that (saying) of Horace."
B. J. E. out &c. ii. 1.
To seems to mean
even up to" in
"And make my senses credit thy relation
To points that seem unpossible."-P. of T. v. 2. 125.
188. To is sometimes used without any sense of motion for
42
near.'
""
"It would unclog my heart
Of what lies heavy to 't."-Coriol. iv. 2. 48.
"Sits smiling to my heart."Hamlet, i. 2. 124.
for "by" in
"Where . . . the best of all her sex
Doth only to her worthy self abide."-B. and F. F. Sh. ii. 1.
In the difficult passage (W. T. iv. 4. 550):
"But, as the unthought on accident is guilty
To what we wildly do.'
Guilty" seems used for "responsible," and chance is said to be
"responsible to" rashness (personified). (Or is to "as to," i.e. as
regards ?)
In N. P. 175 there is "to the contrary," (but this is a translation
of "au contraire,") for " on the contrary."
""
To is inserted after "trust" (whereas we have rejected it in
parenthetical phrases, probably for euphony's sake).
And, trust to me, Ulysses,
>>
Our imputation will be oddly poised. -Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 339.
To seems "up to," " as much as," in
"I'll part sooner with my soul of reason than yield to one foot
of land."-B. and F. Elder Brother, iii. 5.
PREPOSITIONS.
125
188a. "To," with Adjectives signifying obedience, &c.
To is still used in the sense of "towards" after some adjectives, such
as (1) "gentle,” (2)
'gentle," (2) "disobedient," (3) open." But we could
not say
(1) "If thou dost find him tractable to us.”—Rich. III. iii. 1. 174.
"A will most incorrect (unsubmissive) to heaven."
(2)
(3)
i.e."
r
Hamlet, i. 2. 95.
"The queen is stubborn to justice.”—Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 122.
"Penetrable to your kind entreats."—Rich. III. iii. 7. 225.
"Vulgar to sense. -Hamlet, i. 2. 99.
i.e. "open to ordinary observation.”
Similarly to is used after nouns where we should use "against,”
"in the sight of :"
"Fie! 'tis a fault to heaven,
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reason most absurd."—Hamlet, i. 2. 103.
""
189. To, from meaning "like," came into the meaning of
representation,' 'equivalence," "apposition. (Comp. Latin
Habemus Deum amico.")
"I have a king here to my flatterer."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 306.
"To crave the French king's sister
To wife for Edward."-3 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 31.
"Now therefore would I have thee to my tutor."
T. G. of V. iii. 1. 84.
"Destiny... that hath to instrument this lower world."
Temp. iii. 2. 54.
"And with her to dowry some petty dukedoms.
Hen. V. iii. Prol. 31.
"Lay their swords to pawn.”—M. W. of W. iii. 1. 113.
"Had I admittance and opportunity to friend."-Cymb. i. 4. 118.
"Tunis was never graced before with
Such a paragon to their queen."-Temp. ii. 1. 75.
Compare also Macb. iv. 3. 10; 7. C. iii. 1. 143.
"The king had no port to friend."-CLARENDON, Hist. 7.
"A fond woman to my mother (i.e. who was my mother)
taught me so."—
"_WAGER.
Thus to boot" means
means by way of, or for, addition." So in E. E
"to sooth" is used for "forsooth."
* So "retentive to,” J. C. i 3. 95.
126
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
་
190. To, in the phrase "I would to God," may mean “near,” “in
the sight of;" or there may be a meaning of motion: "I should
desire (even carrying my desire) to God." In the phrase "He that
is cruel to halves" (B. J. Disc. 759), to means, perhaps, "up to the
limit of." Possibly, however, this phrase may be nothing but a
corruption of the more correct idiom "Would God that," which is
more common in our version of the Bible than "I would." The to
may be a remnant and corruption of the inflection of "would,"
wolde;" and the I may have been added for the supposed neces-
sity of a nominative. Thus
"Now wolde God that I might sleepen ever."
CHAUCER, Monke's Tale, 14746.
So "thou wert best" is a corruption of "it were best for thee."
This theory is rendered the more probable because, as a rule, in
Wickliffe's version of the Old Testament, "Wolde God" is found
in the older MSS., and is altered into "we wolden" in the later.
Thus Genesis xvi. 3; Numbers xx. 3; Joshua vii. 7; Judges ix. 29;
2 Kings v. 3 (Forshall and Madden, 1850). However, Chaucer
has "I hoped to God" repeatedly.
To was used, however, without any notion of "motion toward
the future" in to-night (last night).
"I did dream to-night."-M. of V. ii. 5. 18; 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 31.
So in E. E. "to year" for "this year, to summer," &c. Perhaps
the provincial "I will come the night, the morn," &c. is a corruption
of this "to." It is, indeed, suggested by Mr. Morris that to is
a corruption of the demonstrative. On the other hand, to in E. E.
"often used with a noun to form adverbs."-LAYAMON
(Glossary).
was
"He aras to ban mid-nihte,”—LAYAmon, i. 324.
is used for "he arose in the midnight."
Unto, like To, 185, is used for "in addition to :"
"Unto my mother's prayers I bend my knee."
Rich. II. v. 3. 97
191. Upon ("for the purpose of") is still used in "upon an
errand," but not, as in
Upon malicious bravery dost thou come ?"-Othello, i. 1. 100,
PREPOSITIONS.
127
We should use "over" in
"I have no power upon you,"—A. and C. i. 3. 23.
and we should not use upon in
"And would usurp upon my watery eyes."-T. A. iii. 1. 269.
"Let your highness
Command upon me.”—Macbeth, iii. 1. 17.
though after "claim" and "demand" upon is still used. So
attack upon" is still English, but not
nor
• •
"}
tr
an
“I have o’erheard a plot of death upon him.”—Lear, iii. 6. 96.
"I am yours.
upon your will to suffer."-A. W. iv. 4. 30.
i.e. "in dependence on. It would seem that the metaphorical use
of upon is now felt to be too bold unless suggested by some strong
word implying an actual, and not a possible influence. Thus
"claim" and "demand" are actual, while "power" may, perhaps,
not be put in action. So "attack" and "assault" are the actual
results of "plot." Yet the variable use of prepositions, and their
close connection with particular words, is illustrated by the fact that
we can say, "I will wait upon him," but not
"I thank you and will stay upon your leisure.”—A. W. iii. 5. 48.
Even here, however, our "wait upon" means, like "call upon," an
actual interview, and does not, like "stay upon," signify the "staying
in hope of, or on the chance of, audience."
Upon also means "in consequence of."
"When he shall hear she died upon (i.e. not 'after,' but 'in
consequence of") his words. M. Ado, iv. I. 225.
""
"And fled is he upon this villany."-Ib. v. I. 258.
"Break faith upon commodity."—K. J. ii. 1. 597.
Thy son is banish'd upon good advice.”—Rich. II. i. 3. 233.
In "You have too much respect upon the world,"
M. of V. i. 1. 74.
there is an allusion to the literal meaning of "respect.' "You
look too much upon the world." The upon is connected with
"respect," and is not used like our "for" in "I have no respect
for him."
2)
immediately after is
The use of "upon" to denote "at" or
retained in "upon this ;" but we could not say
"You come most carefully upon your hour."—Hamlet, i. 1. 8.
5
128
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
192. Upon is often used like on adverbially after the verb "look."
"
'Nay, all of you that stand and look upon."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 237.
"Why stand we like soft-hearted women here
And look upon, as if," &c.—3 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 27.
"Strike all that look upon with marvel, come."—W. T. v. 3. 100.
"Near upon" is adverbial in
"And very near upon
The duke is entering."-M. for M. iv. 6. 14.
"Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon."—Hamlet, i. 2. 179.
Upon, from meaning superposition, comes to mean "in accord-
ance with " (like "after"):
"
Upon my power I may dismiss this court."
M. of V. iv. I. 104.
193. With (which, like "by," signifies juxtaposition) is often
used to express the juxtaposition of cause and effect.
"I live with (on) bread like you."-Rich. II. iii. 2. 175.
We could say
"he trembles with fear," "fear" being regarded
as connected with the trembler, but not
My inward soul
With nothing trembles: at something it grieves
More than with parting from my lord the king."
Rich. II. ii. 2. 12, 13.
"As an unperfect actor on the stage
Who with his fear is put besides his part."-Sonn. 23.
""
We should say in his fear (or "by his fear," personifying
Fear); or append the clause to the verb, "put beside his part with
fear."
"It were a better death than die with mocks,
Which is as bad as die with tickling."-M. Ado, iii. 1. 79, 80.
"Another choaked with the kernell of a grape, and an emperour
die by the scratch of a combe, and Aufidius with stumbling against
the doore, and Lepidus with hitting his foot."-MONTAIGNE, 32.
Here the use of "by" seems intended to distinguish an external
from an internal cause.
"so far gone in fear," but not
We say "so far
"Thus both are gone with conscience ard remorse.
Rich. III. iv. 3. 20.
"This comes with seeking you."-T. N. 111. 4. 366.
PREPOSITIONS.
124
""
"I feel remorse in myself with his words. -2 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 111.
More rarely, with is used with an agent :
"Rounded in the ear
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil.”—K. 7. ii. 1. 587.
"We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two
old men without teeth."-M. Ado, v. I. 116.
"Boarded with a pirate."—2 Hen. VI. iv. 9. 33.
'He was torn to pieces with a bear."-W. T. v. 2. 66.
"Assisted with your honoured friends."-Ib. v. 1. 13.
This explains
"6
Since I am crept in favour with myself
I will maintain it with some little cost."-Rich. III. i. 2. 260.
The obvious interpretation is, "since I have crept into the good
graces of myself;" but the second line shows the "I" to be superior
myself," which is to be maintained by the "I." The true
explanation is, "since I have crept into (Lady Anne's) favour with
the aid of my personal appearance, I will pay some attention to my
person." Add, probably, Hamlet, iii. 2. 207.
to
This meaning is common in E. E.:
"He was slayn wyb (by) Ercules."
R. OF BRUNNE, Chron. i. 12. 340.
With
"by means of.
"He went about to make amends with committing a worse fault.
-N. P. 176, where the French is "par une autre. So N. P. 176.
"in addition to," even when there are not two nouns to
be connected together:
With =
"Very wise and with his wisdome very valiant."-N. P. 664.
With is, perhaps, used for "as regards," "in relation to," as in
our modern "this has not much weight with me," in
"Is Cæsar with Antonius priz'd so slight?"—A. and C. i. 1. 56.
though here, perhaps, as above, with may mean "by." At all
"with" and
events the passage illustrates the connection between
"by." Compare
"His taints and honours
Wag'd equal with (i.e. in) him."-A. and C. v. I. 31.
"So fond with gain."—R. of L. 134.
194. With is hence loosely used to signify any connection with
an action, as in "to change with" (MONTAIGNE, 233), where we
should say "to exchange for." So, though we still say "I parted
K
130
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
with a house," or "with a servant (considered as a chattel)," we
could not say
"When you parted with the king."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 2.
"As a long-parted mother with her child."
Ib. iii. 2. 8; Rich. III. i. 4. 251
where with is connected with parting. See 419a. So
"I rather will suspect the sun with cold
Than thee with wantonness."-M. W. of W. iv. 4. 5.
as we say "I charge him with."
"Next them, with some small distance, follows a gentleman bear-
ing the purpose.”—Hen. VIII. ii. 4, stage direction.
Equal with," 3 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 137, is like our "level with." In
"The violence of either grief or joy
Their own enactures with themselves destroy,"
Hamlet, iii. 2. 207.
"with themselves" seems to mean "by or of themselves."
Note "They have all persuaded with him."--M. of V. iii. 2. 283.
argued with." So "flatter" is used for "deal flatteringly "
in T. N. i. 5. 322, and in the first of the following lines
i.e. "
"K. Rich. Should dying men flatter with those that live?
Gaunt. No, no, men living flatter those that die."
Rich. II. ii. 1. 88, 89.
"(She) married with my uncle."—Hamlet, i. 2. 151.
"I will break with her."-M. Ado, i. 1. 311.
i.e. open the matter in conversation with."
"
195. With is used by Ben Jonson for like.
"Not above a two shilling.
B. 'Tis somewhat with the least.”—B. J. E. in &c. i. 4
Something like, very near the least.”
"He is not with himself."-T. A. i. 1. 368. i.e. "in his senses.
Ben Jonson also uses without in the sense of "unlike," "beyond."
An act without your sex, it is so rare."-B. J. Sejan. ii. 1.
196. Withal, the emphatic form of "with" (see "all"), is used
for with after the object at the end of a sentence. Mostly, the
object is a relative.
"These banish'd men that I have kept withal:
T. G. of V. v. 4. 152.
i.e. "With whom I have lived."—K. F. iii. 1. 327.
PREPOSITIONS.
13 B
"And this is false you burden me withal."-C. of E. v. 1. 288.
i.e. "this with which you burden me.
""
"Such a fellow is not to be talk'd withal."-M. for M. v. 1. 347
Sometimes "this" is understood after withal, so that it means
"with all this," and is used adverbially :
"So glad of this as they I cannot be
Who are surprised withal."—Temp. iv. 1. 217.
i.e. "surprised with, or at, this." Here however, perhaps, and
elsewhere certainly, with means "in addition to," and "with-all
(this)" means "besides.
"
"I must have liberty withal."-A. Y. L. ii. 7. 48.
"Adding withal."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 18, &c.
But in "I came hither to acquaint you withal,”—A. Y. L. i. I. 139.
there is no meaning of "besides," and withal means
with,
""" with it."
"there-
Withal follows its object, but is (on account of the "all" at the
end of the previous verse) not placed at the end of the sentence, in
"Even all I have, yea, and myself and all
Will I withal endow a child of thine."—Rich. III. iv. 4.249.
197. Without (used locally for "outside").
"What seal is that that hangs without thy bosom ?"
Rich. II. v. I. 56.
"Without the peril of the Athenian law."-M. N. D. iv. 1. 150.
'A mile without the town."—Ib. i. 1. 104.
This explains the pun:
"Val. Are all these things perceived in me?
Speed. They are all perceived without ye."-T. G. of V. ii. 1. 35.
Reversely, "out of" is used metaphorically for "without."
Neither can anything please God that we do if it be done out
of charity."-HALLIWELL.
198. Prepositions are frequently omitted after verbs of
motion. Motion in:
"To reel the streets at noon."*-A. and C. i. 4. 20.
"She wander'd many a wood."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 7. 28.
CC
"To creep the ground." Tower the sky."-MILTON, P. L. vii. 441
"To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome."-7. C. i. 1. 47.
* C
K 2
132
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Motion to or from:
"That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds.
R. and F. iii. 1. 122
"Ere we could arrive the point proposed."-J. C. i. 2. 110.
"Arrived our coast."-3 Hen. VI. v. 3. 8.
"Some sailors that escaped the wreck."-M. of V. iii. 1. 110.
"When we with tears parted Pentapolis."-P. of T. v. 3. 38.
"Depart the chamber and leave us."-2 Hen. IV. iv. 5, 91..
"To depart the city."-N. P. 190.
Since presently your souls must part your bodies."
Rich. II. iii. 1. 3.
We can still say "to descend the hill," but not "to descend the
summit," nor
"Some (of her hair) descended her sheav'd hat."-L. C. 31.
These omissions may perhaps illustrate the idiom in Latin, and
in Greek poetry.
Verbs of ablation, such as "bar," "banish,' forbid," often
omit the preposition before the place or inanimate object. Thus
"We'll bar thee from succession."-W. T. iv. 4. 440.
Of succession."-Cymb. iii. 3. 102.
Or
becomes
"Bars me the right."
M. of V. ii. 1. 16; Rich. III. iv. 4. 400 ; A. Y. L. i. 1. 20.
Where a verb can take either the person or thing as an object, it
naturally takes an indirect object without a preposition. Compare
"Therefore we banish you our territories."-Rich. II. i. 3. 139.
198 a. The preposition is omitted after some verbs and
adjectives that imply "value," " 'worth," &c.
"The queen is valued thirty thousand strong."
3 Hen. VI. v. 3. 14.
"Some precepts worthy the note.”—A. W. iii. 5. 104.
An imitation of this construction is, perhaps, to be traced in
Guilty so great a crime."-B. and F. F. Sh. iv. 1.
The omission of a preposition before "good cheap" (A.-S. ceáp,
"price," "bargain"), 1 Hen. IV. iii. 3. 50, may perhaps be thus
explained without reference to the French "bon marché." And
thus, without any verb or adjective of worth,
He has disgraced me and hindered me half a million."
M. of V. iii. 1. 57
Į
PREPOSITIONS.
133
"Semblative" (unless adverbial [1]) is used with the same con-
struction as "like" in
"And all is semblative a woman's part."-T. N. i. 4. 34.
199. The preposition is also sometimes omitted before the thing
heard after verbs of hearing:
"To listen our purpose.”—M. Ado, iii. 1. 12.
"List a brief tale."-Lear, v. 3. 181.
So F. C. v. 5. 15; Hamlet, i. 3. 30; 7. C. iv. 1. 41.
'Listening their fear.”—Macbeth, ii. 2. 28.
Hence in the passive,
He that no more must say is lister'd more.
">
Rich. II. ii. 1. 9.
"Hearken* the end.". —2 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 305; Temp. i. 2. 122,
200. The preposition is omitted after some verbs which can
Thus if we can say "plot my
easily be regarded as transitive.
death," there is little difficulty in the licence.
"That do conspire (for) my death."-Rich. III. iii. 4. 62.
(In) Which from the womb I did participate."-T.N. v. 1. 245.
She complain'd (about) her wrongs."—R. of L. 1839.
"And his physicians fear (for) him mightily.'
>>
Rich. III. i. I. 137.
So 1 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 24; T. of A. ii. 2. 12; T. A. ii. 3. 305;
M. of V. iii. 2. 29.
This explains
'O, fear me not."—Hamlet, i. 3. 52; iii. 4. 7.
“O,
"That he would labour (for) my delivery."-Rich. III. i. 1. 253.
"To look (for) our dead. "-Hen. V. iv. 7. 76.
"I must go look (for) my twigs."—A. W. iii. 6. 115.
"He hath been all this day to look (for) you."—A. Y. L. ii. 5. 34.
And in the difficult passage-
See
"O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt?
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes
By looking back what I have left behind
'Stroy'd in dishonour."-A. and C. iii. 11. 53.
While turning away from Cleopatra, Antony appears to say, that
he is looking back (for) the fleet that he has left dishonoured and
destroyed.
* The Globe inserts "at.”
""
£34
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So
Scoffing (at) his state."-Rich. II. iii. 2. 163.
"Smile you (at) my speeches as I were a fool!"-Lear,
"Thou swear'st (by) thy gods in vain."-Ib. i. 1. 163.
'Yet thus far, Griffith, give me leave to speak (of) him.”
Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 32.
Both here and in L. L. L. v. 2. 349; Macbeth, iv. 3. 159; T. N.
i. 4. 20, "speak" is used for describe.
spoken" is used for "'tis said."
"called" in
In Macbeth, iv. 3. 154, "'tis
Again, "said" is used for
“To be said an honest man and a good housekeeper."
T. N. iv. 2. 10; so Macbeth, iv. 3. 210.
Talking that" is used like "saying that" in Tempest, ii. 1. 96.
"Speak," however, in R. and F. iii. 1. 158,
J.
Spake him fair"
means speak to: but in the same expression M. of V. iv. 1. 271
it means 66
speak of." Similarly, "whisper" is often used without
a preposition before a personal object.
""
“He came to whisper Wolsey.”—Hen. VIII. i. 1. 179.
'They whisper one another in the ear."—K. 7. iv. 2. 189.
"Your followers I will whisper to the business.'
Rarely, "whisper her ear.”—M. Ado, iii. 1. 4.
In some cases, as in
"She will attend it better,'
""
W. T. i. 2. 437.
T. N. i. 3. 27, 2. 453; M. of V. v. 4. 103.
the derivation may explain the transitive use.

(C
Despair thy charm,"-Macbeth, v. 8. 13.
is, perhaps, a Latinism. So "sympathise," meaning "suffer with,”
is used thus:
"The senseless brands will sympathise
The heavy accent of thy moving tongue.
Rich. II. v. I. 47.
"Deprive," meaning "take away a thing from a person," like
rid," can dispense with "of" before the impersonal object.
“'Tis honour to deprive dishonour'd life.”—R. of L. 1186.
This explains how we should understand—
"}
"Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason.
Hamlet, i. 4. 73.
j.l. which might take away your controlling principle of reason.
So, perhaps, "Frees all faults."- Tempest, Epilogue, 18.
PREPOSITIONS.
135
This seen:s to nave arisen from the desire of brevity. Compare
the tendency to convert nouns, adjectives, and neuter verbs into
active verbs (290).
"
201. The preposition was also omitted before the indirect
object of some verbs, such as say', "question," just as we still
omit it after the corresponding verbs, "tell" and "ask.
Sayest (to) me so, friend?"-T. of Sh. i. 2. 190.
>>
"You will say (to) a beggar, nay.' Rich. III. iii. 1. 119.
"Still question'd (of) me the story of my life."-Othello, i. 3. 129,
"Hear me a word,"-Rich. III. iv. 4. 180.
In
it must be a question whether me or word is the direct object.
"I cry thee mercy,"-Rich. III. iv. 4. 515.
In
mercy" is the direct object. This is evident from the shorter
form
"(I) Cry mercy."-Rich. III. v. 3. 224.
After "give," we generally omit "to," when the object of ""
is a personal noun or pronoun. But we could not write-
"A bed-swerver, even as bad as these
That (to whom) vulgars (the vulgar) give bold'st titles."
"Unto his lordship, (to) whose unwished yoke
>>
to
W. T. ii. 1. 94.
My soul consents not to give sovereignty."-M. N. D. i. 1. 81.
Somewhat similar is
"This 'longs the text."-P. of T. ii. Gower, 40.
for "belongs (to) the text."
202. Preposition omitted in adverbial expressions of time,
manner, &c.
"Forbear to sleep the nights, and fast the days."
This is illustrated by our modern
Rich. III. iv. 4. 118.
"(Of) What kind of man is he ?"-T. N. i. 5. 159.
"But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, time?"—Sonn. 16.
"My poor country
(Shall) More suffer, and more sundry ways, than ever."
Macbeth, iv. 3. 48; so Ib. i. 3. 154
"Revel the night, rob, murder, and commit
The newest sins the newest kind of ways."—2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 126
136
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"And ye sad hours that move a sullen pace."
B. and F. F. Sh. iv. 1.
"I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of life; what drugs, what charms,
What conjuration, and what mighty magic
(For such proceeding I am charg'd withal)
I won his daughter."-Othello, i. 3. 91.
"How many would the peaceful city quit
To welcome him! Much more, and much more cause,
Did they this Harry."-Hen. V. v. Prol. 34.
"To keep Prince Harry in continual laughter the wearing out of
six fashions, which is four terms."-2 Hen. IV. v. 1. 84.
""
"Why hast thou not served thyself into my table so many meals?”
-Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 45: i.e. " during so many meals.'
"To meet his grace just distance 'tween our armies."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 225.
"That I did suit me all points like a man."-A. Y. L. i. 3. 118.
"But were I not the better part made mercy."—Ib. iii. 1. 2.
"And when such time they have begun to cry."-Coriol. iii. 3. 19.
"Where and what time your majesty shall please.'
>>
Rich. III. iv. 4 450.
"What time we will our celebration keep."-T. N. iv. 3. 30.
'Awhile they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes. "-Ham. iv. 7. 178.
In the following cases it would seem that a prepositional phrase is
condensed into a preposition, just as "by the side of" (Chaucer,
"byside Bathe") becomes be-side," and governs an object.
"On this side Tiber."-7. C. iii. 2. 254.
"Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast."-C. of E. i. 1. 86.
"A
A sheet of paper writ o' both sides the leaf."-L. L. L. v. 2. 8.
'On each side her the Bishops of London and Winchester.
Hen. VIII. iv. I (order of coronation).
"She is as forward of our breeding as
She is in the rear our birth.”—W. T. iv. 4. 522.
"Our purpose" seems to mean "for our purpose," in
"Not to know what we speak to one another, so we seem to
know, is to know straight, our purpose: chough's language, gabble
enough and good enough."-A. W. iv. 1. 21.
This seems the best punctuation. "Provided we seem to know
what we say to one another, ignorance is exactly as good as know-
ledge, for our purpose.'
* But "and (there was) much more cause
may be a parenthesis.
PREPOSITIONS.
137
Hence the use of this for "in this way" or "thus" is not so bold
as it seems :
"What am I that thou shouldst contemn me this?
What were thy lips the worse for one poor kiss?"
Perhaps, however,
V. and A. 203.
contemn" is confused with "refuse." But this
is used for "thus" in E. E.
All constantly repeated adverbial expressions have a tendency to
abbreviate or lose their prepositions. Compare "alive " for "on-
live," "around" for "in round," "chance" for "perchance,
"like" for "belike," &c. In some adverbial expressions the pre-
position can be omitted when the noun is qualified by an adjective,
but not otherwise. Thus we can use yester-day, ""last night,”
"this week," adverbially, but not day," "night," "week,"
because in the latter words there is nothing to indicate how time
is regarded. In O. E. the inflections were sufficient to justify an
adverbial use, "dayes," "nightes." (Compare VUKTÓг.) But the
inflections being lost, the adverbial use was lost with them.
203. Prepositions: transposed. (See also Upon.) In A.-S.
and E. E. prepositions are often placed after their objects. In some
cases the preposition may be considered as a separable part of a
compound transitive verb. Thus in
"Ne how the Grekes with a huge route
Three times riden all the fire aboute,"-CHAUC. C. T. 2954.
"ride about" may be considered a transitive verb, having as its
object "fire." Naturally, emphatic forms of prepositions were
best suited for this emphatic place at the end of the sentence ; and
therefore, though “to,” “tyll," "fro," "with," "by," "fore," were
thus transposed, yet the longer forms, "untylle," "before," "be-
hind," "upon," "again," were preferred. Hence in the Elizabethan
period, when the transposition of the weaker prepositions was not
allowed, except in the compound words " whereto," "herewith,"
&c. (compare "se-cum, quo-cum") the longer forms are still, though
rarely, transposed.
For this reason, with," when transposed, is emphasized into
"withal." The prepositions "after," "before," and "upon," are
thus transposed by Shakespeare:
"God before.”—Hen. V. i. 2. 307; iii. 6. 165, for "fore God."
“Hasten your generals after."—A. and C. ii. 4. 2.
638
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So
"I need not sing this them until (unto).”—HEYWOOD.
"For fear lest day should look their shames upon.”
M. N. D. iii. 2, 385
""
"That bare-foot plod I the cold ground upon. -A. W. iii. 4. 6.
For my good will is to't,
And yours it is against."-Tempest, iii. 1. 31.
The use of prepositions after the relative, which is now somewhat
avoided, but is very common in E. E., is also common in Shake-
speare, and is evidently better adapted to the metre than the modern
idiom, as far as regards the longer forms.
so easily metricized as
"Upon which" is not
"Ten thousand men that fishes gnawed upon.”—Rich. III. i. 4. 25.
"The pleasure that some fathers feed upon."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 79.
This
204. Prepositions transposed. "It stands me upon.
phrase cannot be explained, though it is influenced, by the custom of
transposition. Almost inextricable confusion seems to have been
made by the Elizabethan authors between two distinct idioms: (1)
>>
>>
"it stands on (adv.), or at hand," or "upon (comp. "instat,"
πрoσńкeι), i.e. “it is of importance, " "it concerns," "it is a matter
of duty;" and (2) "I stand upon" (adj.), i.e. "I in-sist upon."
In (1) the full phrase would be, "it stands on, upon, to me,"
but, owing to the fact that " to me" or me" (the dative inflection) is
unemphatic, and “upon” is emphatic and often used at the end of the
sentence, the words were transposed into "it stands me upon."
"Me" was thus naturally mistaken for the object of upon.
Hence we have not only the correct form-
"It stands me (dative) much upon (adverb)
To stop all hopes."-Rich. III. iv. 2. 59.
(Sc Hamlet, v. 2. 63, where it means "it is imperative on me.")
But also the incorrect-
"It stands your grace upon to do him right.'
"It only stands
Rich. II. ii. 3. 138.
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands."-4. and C. ii. 1. 51.
where "grace" and "lives" are evidently intended to be the objects
of "upon," whereas the Shakespearian use of "me" (220) renders
it possible, though by no means probable, that "me," in the first of
the above examples, was used as a kind of dative.
PRONOUNS.
139
Hence by analogy-
"It lies you on to speak."- Coriol. iii. 2. 52.
The fact that this use of upon in "stand upon" is not a mere
poetical transposition, but a remnant of an old idiom imperfectly
understood, may be inferred from the transposition occurring in
Elizabethan prose:
("
Sigismund sought now by all means (as it stood him upon) to
make himself as strong as he could."-NARes.
""
Perhaps this confusion has somewhat confused the meaning of the
personal verb “I stand on. It means "I trust in " (M. W. of W.
ii. 1. 242), “insist on (Hen. V. v. 2. 93), and "I depend on
(R. and F. ii. 2. 93), and in
"The moist star
Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands."
"}
Hamlet, i. 1. 110.
PRONOUNS.
For
205. Personal, Irregularities of (omission of, insertion of,
see Relative and Ellipses). The inflections of Personal Pro-
nouns are frequently neglected or misused. It is perhaps impossible
to trace a law in these irregularities. Sometimes, however, euphony
and emphasis may have successfully contended against grammar.
This may explain I in "and I," "but I,” frequently used for me.
"Tween you and I" seems to have been a regular Elizabethan
idiom. The sound of d and t before me was avoided.
reasons of euphony also the ponderous thou is often ungrammatically
replaced by thee, or inconsistently by you. This is particularly the
case in questions and requests, where, the pronoun being especially
unemphatic, thou is especially objectionable. To this day many of the
Friends use thee invariably for thou, and in the Midland and North
of England we have "wilta?" for "wilt thou?" Compare E. F.
"wiltow?" for "wilt thou?" "pinkestow?" for "thinkest thou ?”
and similarly, in Shakespeare, thou is often omitted after a ques-
tioning verb. Again, since he and she could be used (see below)
for ""
man and "woman," there was the less harshness in using
he for him and she for her. Where an objective pronoun is immedi-
ately followed by a finite verb, it is sometimes treated as the subject,
as below, no man like he doth grieve."
140
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
200. He for him:
Which of he or Adrian, for a good wager, begins to crow ?"
Tempest, ii. 1. 28.
Some commentators insert "them" after "which of." (See 408.)
"I would wish me only he."-Coriol. i. 1. 236.
"And yet no man like he doth grieve my heart.
R. and F. iii. 5. 84.
"From the first corse till he that died to-day."-Ham. i. 2. 104.
where "till" is a preposition. See Prepositions, Till, 184.
207. He for him precedes its governing verb in the following
examples:
"Thus he that over-ruled I over-sway'd."-V. and A. 109.
"And he my husband best of all affects."-M. W. of W. iv. 4. 87.
So probably he depends upon "within" in
"'Tis better thee without than he within."-Macbeth, iii. 3. 14.
208. Him for he.
Him is often put for "he," by attraction to "whom " understood,
for "he whom."
"Him (he whom) I accuse
""
By this the city ports hath enter'd. -Coriol. v. 6. 5.
Ay, better than him (he whom) I am before knows me."
A. Y. L. i. 1. 46.
"When him (whom) we serve's away."-A. and C. iii. 1. 15.
"Your party in converse, him (whom) you would sound,
He closes with you," &c.-Hamlet, ii. 1. 42.
Sometimes the relative is expressed :
"His brother and yours abide distracted-but chiefly him that
you term'd Gonzalo "-Temp. v. i. 14.
Sometimes he is omitted:
In
"Whom I serve above is my master."-A. W. ii. 3. 261.
"To (him to) whom it must be done."-7. C. ii. 1. 331.
"Damn'd be him,”—Macbeth, v. 8. 34.
perhaps let, or some such word, was implied.
209. I for me (for euphony: see 205):
"Here's none but thee and I". -2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 69
'All debts are cleared between you and I."-M. of V. iii. 2. 321.
PRONOUNS.
141
"You know my father hath no child but I."--A. Y. L. i. 2. 18.
"Unless you would devise some virtuous lie
And hang some praise upon deceased I."-Sonn. 72.
The rhyme is an obvious explanation of the last example. But,
in all four, I is preceded by a dental.
So
"Which may make this island
Thine own for ever, and I, thy Caliban,
For aye thy foot-licker."-Temp. iv. 1. 217.
210. Me for I:
"No mightier than thyself or me.”—J. C. i. 3. 76.
"Is she as tall as me?"-A. and C. iii. 3. 14.
Probably than and as were used with a quasi-prepositional force.
211. She for her:
"Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.”—O. iv. 2. 3.
"So saucy with the hand of she here-what's her name?"
A. and C. iii. 13. 98.
She was more often used for woman than "he" for " man.
Hence, perhaps, she seemed more like an uninflected noun than
"he" and we may thus extenuate the remarkable anomaly
"Praise him that got thee, she that gave thee suck."
"
Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 252.
212. Thee for thou. Verbs followed by thee instead of thou
have been called reflexive. But though "haste thee," and some
other phrases with verbs of motion, may be thus explained, and
verbs were often thus used in E. E., it is probable that "look thee,"
"hark thee," are to be explained by euphonic reasons. Thee, thus
used, follows imperatives which, being themselves emphatic, require
an unemphatic pronoun. The Elizabethans reduced thou to thee.
We have gone further, and rejected it altogether. (See 205.)
Blossom, speed thee well."-W. T. iii. 3. 46.
"Look thee here, boy."-b. 116.
"Run thee to the parlour."-M. Ado, iii. 1. 1.
"Haste thee."-Lear, v. 3. 251.
"Stand thee by, friar."-M. Ado, iv. 1. 24.
"Hark thee a word."-Cymb. i. 5. 32.
"Look thee, 'tis so."-T. of A. iv. 3. 539.
Come thee on.”~A. and C. iv. 7. 16.
142
SIIAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Now, fellow, fare thee well.”—Lear, iv. 6. 41.
'Hoid thee, there's my purse."-A. W. iv. 5. 46; F. C. v.3. 85.
"Take thee that too."-Macbeth, ii. 1. 5.
In the two latter instances thee is the dative.
Thee is probably the dative in
"Thinkst thee ?"-Hamlet, v. 2. 63.
or, at all events, there is, perhaps, confusion between "Thinks it
thee?" i.e. "does it (E. E.) seem to thee?" and "thinkst thou?" Very
likely "thinkst" is an abbreviation of "thinks it." (See 297.)
Compare the confusion in
"Where it thinkst best unto your royal selfe."
Rich. III. iii. 1. 63 (Folio).
213. Thee for thou is also found after the verb to be, not
merely in the Fool's mouth :
"I would not be thee, nuncle."-Lear, i. 4. 204.
but also Timon:
"I am not thee."-T. of A. iv. 3. 277.
and Suffolk :
>>
"It is thee I fear. -2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 117.
where thee is, perhaps, influenced by the verb, "I fear," so that
there is a confusion between "It is thou whom I fear" and "Thee
I fear."
In these cases thee represents a person not regarded as
acting, but about whom something is predicated. Hence thou was,
perhaps, changed to thee according to the analogy of the sound of
he and she, which are used for " man and "
214. Them for they:
""
woman.
"Your safety, for the which myself and them
Bend their best studies."-K. F. iv. 2. 50.
Perhaps them is attracted by "myself"; but more probably it is
a kind of quotation of "myself and them" from the previous line.
215. Us for we in "shall's." "Shall" (315), originally mean-
ing necessity or obligation, and therefore not denoting an action on
the part of the subject, was used in the South of England as an
impersonal verb. (Compare Latin and Greek.) So Chaucer,
oughte," and we also find "as us wol," i.e. "as it is pleasing to us."
Hence in Shakespeare
215
PRONOUNS.
[43
"Say, where shall's lay him?"—Cymb. iv. 2. 233.
Shall's have a play of this?"-Ib. v. 5. 228.
"Shall's attend you there?"-W. T. i. 2. 178.
"Shall's to the Capitol?"-Coriol. iv. 6. 148.
216. After a conjunction and before an infinitive we often find
I, thou, &c., where in Latin we should have "me," "te,"
&c. The conjunction seems to be regarded as introducing a new
sentence, instead of connecting one clause with another. Hence the
pronoun is put in the nominative, and a verb is, perhaps, to be
supplied from the context.
C "What he is indeed
More suits you to conceive than I (find it suitable) to speak of."
A. Y. L. i. 2. 279.
i.e. "than that I should speak of it.
""
"A heavier grief could not have been imposed
Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable.”—C. of E. i. 1. 33.
"The soft way which thou dost confess
Were fit for thee to use as they to claim."- Coriol. iii. 2. 83.
Making night hideous, and we fools of nature
So horridly to shake our disposition.”—Hamlet, i. 4. 54.
"Heaven would that she these gifts should have,
And I to live and die her slave."-4. Y. L. iii. 2. 162.
Sometimes the infinitive is implied, but not expressed:
"To beg of thee it is my more dishonour
Than thou of them."-Coriol. iii. 2. 125.
I, thou, and he, are also used for me, thee, and him, when they
stand quasi-independently at some distance from the governing verb
or preposition.
"But what o' that? Your majesty and we that have free souls,
it touches us not."—Hamlet, iii. 2. 252.
"I shall think the better of myself and thee during my life; 1
for a valiant cha.npion, and thou for a true prince.". -1 Hen. IV.
ii. 4. 300.
"(God) make me that nothing have with nothing griev'd,
And thou with all pleas'd that hast all achieved.
Rich. II. iv. I. 217
With that same purpose-changer, that sly devil,
That daily break-vow, he that wins of all."-K. J. ii. 1. 568
144
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
"Now let me see the proudest,
He that dares most, but wag his finger at thee.
""
Hen. VIII. v. 3. 131.
(To punctuate, as in the Globe, "the proudest he," is intolerably
harsh.)
Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there,
She whom thou gavest to me to be my wife,
That hath abused and dishonour'd me."-C. of E. v. I. 198.
Why, Harry, do I tell thee of my foes
Which art my near'st and dearest enemy,
Thou that art like enough," &c. ?—1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 123.
217. His was sometimes used, by mistake, for 's, the sign of the
possessive case, particularly after a proper name, and with especial
frequency when the name ends in s. This mistake arose in very
early times. The possessive inflection 's (like the dative plural
inflection um) was separated by scribes from its noun. Hence after
the feminine name 66 Guinivere," we have in the later text of LAYA-
MON, ii. 511, "for Gwenayfer his love." The h is no more a
necessary part of this separate inflection than it is of "his," the
third pers. sing. indic. pres. of "beon" ("be").
"His" is con-
stantly found for "is" in Layamon. No doubt the coincidence in
sound between the inflection 's and the possessive "his" made the
separation seem more natural, and eventually confused 's with his.
"Mars his sword
Also, by analogy,
•
•
nor Neptune's trident nor Apollo's bow."
B. J. Cy.'s Rev. i. I.
"Pallas her glass."-BACON, Adv. of L. 278.
This is more common with monosyllables than with dissyllables,
as the 's in a dissyllable is necessarily almost mute.
The count his gallies."-T. N. iii. 3. 26.
"Mars his true moving."-1 Hen. VI. i. 2. 1.
So Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 176, 255, &c.
"Charles his gleeks." -1 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 123.
but never, or very rarely, "Phoebus his."
Thus
The possessive inflection in dissyllables ending in a sibilant sound
is often expressed neither in writing nor in pronunciation.
"Marry, my uncle Clarence (Folio) angry ghost."
Rich. III. iii, I. 144; ii. 1. 137.
PRONOUNS
145
For justice sake."-7. C. iv. 3. 19.
"At every sentence end."
sentence end.”—A. Y. Z. iii. 2. 144.
"Lewis" is a monosyllable in
•
"King Lewis his satisfaction all appear."-Hen. V. 2. 88.
His is used like "hic" (in the antithesis between "hic . . ille ").
"Desire his (this one's) jewels and this other's house."*
Macb. iv. 3. 80; M. of V. iii. 2. 54-5; Sonn. xxix. 5, 6.
This explains
And, at our stamp, here o'er and o'er one falls :
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls."
M. N. D. iii. 1. 25.
His, being the old genitive of it, is almost always used for its.
218. His, her, &c. being the genitives of he, she (she in E. E.
had, as one form of the nom., "heo," gen. "hire"), &c. may stand
as the antecedent of a relative. Thus :
In his way that comes in triumph over Pompey's blood."
F. C. i. 1. 55,
>>
i.e. "in the way of him that comes.
"Love make his heart of flint that you shall love."-T. N. i. 5. 305.
"Unless her prayers whom heaven delights to hear."-A. W.iii. 4. 27.
"If you had known. . . her worthiness that gave the ring.
M. of V. v. 1. 200.
"Armies of pestilence, and they shall strike
Your children yet unborn and unbegot
That lift your vassal hands against my head."
Rich. II. iii. 2. 89.
So Lear, v. 3. 2.
i.e. "the children of you who lift your hands."
"Upon their woes whom fortune captivates."
3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 115.
"And turn our impress'd lances in our eyes
Which do command them."--Lear, v. 3. 50.
Alas, their love may be call'd appetite,
No motion of the liver, but the palate,
In
That suffer surfeit, cloyment and revolt,”—T. N. ii. 4. 100-2.
it seems better to take that as the relative to "them," implied in
their (of them)," rather than to suppose "suffer" to be the sub-
junctive singular (367), or that to be the relative to "liver" and
"palate" by confusion. It is true that is not often so far from its
antecedent, but the second line may be treated as parenthetical.
* "Condemning some to death, and some to exile;
Ransoming him or pitying, threatening the other."- Coriol. 1. 6. 3ở
L
8 45
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
This is perhaps not common in modern poetry, but it sometimes
Occurs:
Poor is our sacrifice whose eyes
Are lighted from above."-Newman.
219. Your, our, their, &c., are often used in their old sign-
fication, as genitives, where we should use "of you," &c.
"We render you (Coriolanus) the tenth to be ta'en forth
At... your only choice."-Coriol. i. 9. 36.
i.e."at the choice of you alone."
"To all our lamentation."-Coriol. iv. 6. 34.
i.e. to the lamentation of us all.'
"Have I not all their letters to meet me in arms?"
i.e."letters from them all."
I Hen. IV. ii. 3. 28.
220. Me, thee, him, &c. are often used, in virtue of their
representing the old dative, where we should use for me, by me, &c.
Thus (but? does "him to mean the man to"?):
"I am appointed (by) him to murder you."-W. T. i. 2. 412.
"John lays you plots."-K. F. iii. 4. 145.
This is especially common with me.
Me is indirect object in
"But hear me this.”—T. N. v. 1. 123.
"What thou hast promis'd-which is not yet perform'd me."
Tempest, i. 2. 244.
We say "do me a favour," but not "to do me business."-
Tempest, i. 2. 255.
"Give me your present to one Master Bassanio.
M. of V. ii. 2. 115.
"Who does me this?"-Hamlet, ii. 2. 601.
Sayest thou me so ?"-2 Hen. VI. ii. I. 109.
Me seems to mean "from me" in
"You'll bear me a bang for that."-7. C. iii. 2. 20.
"with me" in
JI
""
"And hold me pace in deep experiment. - Hen. IV. iii. 1 (8
Mc means to my injury" in
"See how this river comes me cranking in,
And cuts me, from the best of all my land,
A huge half-moon."-1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 100.
at my cost" and "for my benefit" in
"The sack that thou hast drunk me could have bought me lights
PRONOUNS.
147
as good cheap at the dearest chandler's in Europe.' -1 Hen. IV.
iii. 3. 50.
Me in narrative stands on a somewhat different footing:
"He pluck'd me ope his doublet."-F. C. i. 2. 270.
"He steps me to her trencher."—T. G. of V. iv. 4. 9.
The skilful shepherd peel'd me certain wands.
"He presently, as greatness knows itself,
""
M. of V. i. 3. 85.
Steps me a little higher than his vow."-1 Hen. IV. v. 3. 75.
Falstaff, when particularly desirous of securing the attention of
the Prince ("Dost thou hear me, Hal?"), indulges twice in this
use of me.
"I made me no more ado, . . . I followed me close."
1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 233, 241.
Here, however, the verbs are perhaps used reflexively, though
this would seem to be caused by the speaker's intense desire to call
attention to himself. So in
"Observe me judicially, sweet sir; they had planted me three
demi-culverins,"-B. J. E. in &c. iii. 2.
the me seems to appropriate the narrative of the action to the
speaker, and to be equivalent to
mark me," "I tell you."
such phrases as
"Knock me here,"-T. of Sh. i. 2. 8.
Is
the action, and not merely the narrative of the action, is appro-
priated.
You is similarly used for "look you :"
"And 'a would manage you his piece thus, and come you in
and come you out."-2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 304.
In
Study me how to please the eye indeed
By fixing it upon a fairer eye,”—L. L. L. i. 1. 80.
me probably means
"for me,
""
by my advice," i.e. "I would have
you study thus." Less probably, study" may be an active vert.
of which the passive is found in Macb. i. 4. 9.
There is a redundant him in
"The king, by this, is set him down to sleep."–3 Hen. VI. iv. 3. 2.
where there is, perhaps, a confusion between "has set him(selfi
down" and "is set down."
Her seems used for "of her, "" at her hands," in
"I took her leave at court."-A. IV v 3 79.
2. e. "I bade her farewell.”
1
L 2
148
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
Us probably is used for "to us" in
"She looks us like
A thing made more of malice than of duty."-Cymb. iii. 5. 32.
But possibly as "look" in Hen. V. iv. 7. 76, A. and C. iii. 10. 53,
is used for "look for," so it may mean look at." So
"Twa brooks in which I look myself."-B. J. Sad Sh. ii. 1.
i.e. "I view myself."
Us seems equivalent to "for us" in
"We have not spoke us yet of torch-bearers."
z.e. "spoken for ourselves about torch-bearers.”
M. of V. ii. 4. 5.
221. Your, like "me" above (Latin, iste), is used to appropriate
an object to a person addressed. Lepidus says to Antony:
((
'Your serpent of Egypt is lord now of your mud by the operation
of your sun: so is your crocodile."-A. and C. ii. 7. 29.
Though in this instance the your may seem literally justified, the
repetition of it indicates a colloquial vulgarity which suits the
character of Lepidus. So Hamlet, affecting madness:
"Your worm is your only emperor for diet; your fat king and
your lean beggar is but variable service."-Hamlet, iv. 3. 24.
Compare
"But he could read and had your languages.”—B. J. Fox, ii. 1.
i.e. "the languages which you know are considered important."
So: "I would teach these nineteen the special rules, as your
punto, your reverso, your stoccata, your imbroccato, your passada,
your montanto."-Bobadil, in B. J. E. in &c. iv. 5.
Hence the apparent rudeness of Hamlet is explained when he
says to the player :
"But if you mouth it as many of your players do."-Ham. iii. 2. 3.
i.e. 'the players whom you and everybody know."
222. Our is used, like "my," vocatively:
I.
"Our very loving sister, well be-met."- Lear, v. 1. 20.
Tongue-tied our queen, speak thou."-W. T. i. 2. 27.
"Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you.
M. for M. v. 1. 2.
In all these cases our is used in the royal style, for "my," by a
single speaker referring merely to himself.
PRONOUNS.
149
223. Him, her, me, them, &c. are often used in Elizabethan,
and still more often in Early English, for himself, herself, &c.
How she opposes her (sets herself) against my will.”
T. G. of V. iii. 2. 26.
My heart hath one poor string to stay it by."-K. J. v. 7. 55.
"And so I say I'll cut the causes off
Flattering me with impossibilities."—3 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 143.
224. He and she are used for " man " and " woman.
"And that he
Who casts to write a living line must sweat.
""
B. J. on Shakespeare.
'I'll bring mine action on the proudest he
That stops my way in Padua. -T. of Sh. iii. 2. 236.
Lady, you are the cruellest she alive."-T. N. i. 5. 259.
"I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare."-Sonn. 130.
“That she belov'd knows nought that knows not this."
Tr. and Cr. i. 2. 314.
"With his princess, she
The fairest I have yet beheld."-IV. T. v. 1. 86.
Betwixt two such shes."—Cymb. i. 6. 40; ib. i. 3. 29.*
This makes more natural the use of "he that," with the third
person of the verb, in
"Are not you he
That frights the maidens?"-M. N. D. ii. 1. 34.
So A. Y. L. iii. 2. 411.
225. Pronoun for pronominal adjective. The pronominal
adjectives his, their, being originally possessive inflections of he,
they, &c., were generally used in E. E. possessively or subjectively,
i.e. "his wrongs" would naturally mean then "the wrongs done by
him," not "to him." Hence, for objective genitives, "of" was
frequently introduced, a usage which sometimes extended to sub-
jective genitives. Hence
"The kindred of him hath been flesh'd upon us."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 50.
"Tell thou the lamentable tale of me."-Rich. II. v. I. 44.
"The native mightiness and fate of him."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 64
Against the face of them."-Psalm xxi. 12.
Hence a "lady-she," W. T, i. 2. 44, means
>>
a well-born woman.”
150
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
It is used, perhaps, for antithesis in
"Let her be made
As miserable by the death of him
As I am made by my poor lord and thee."
Rich. III. i. 2. 21
"O world, thou wast the forest to this heart,
And this indeed, O world, the heart of thee."
F. C. iii. 1. 208.
I.
226. It is sometimes used indefinitely, as the object of a verb,
without referring to anything previously mentioned, and seems to
indicate a pre-existing object in the mind of the person spoken of.
Courage, father, fight it out."-3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 10.
i.e. "the battle."
"Ber. She never saw it.
King.
i.e." what thou sayest.
Thou speak'st it falsely."-A. W. v. 3. 113.
Dangerous peer,
That smooth'st it so with king and commonweal."
where it =
matters.
2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 22.
"To revel it with him and his new bride." (So C. of E. iv. 4. 66.)
-3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 225.
i.e. "to take part in the intended bridal revels."
i.e.
"I cannot daub it further."-Lear, iv. 1. 54.
continue my former dissembling."
But it is often added to nouns or words that are not generally
used as verbs, in order to give them the force of verbs.
CC
"Foot it."-Tempest, i. 2. 380.
"To queen it.”—Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 37.
"To prince it."-Cymb. iii. 3. 85.
"Lord Angelo dukes it well."-M. for M. iii. 2. 100.
And, later,
Whether the clariner sinner it or saint it,
If folly grow romantic, I must paint it.
POPE, Moral Essays, ii. 15.
The use of it with verbs is now only found in slang phrases.
PRONOUNS.
15D
We
227. It is sometimes more emphatically used than with us.
have come to use it so often superfluously before verbs that the
emphatic use of it for " that" before "which" is lost.
There was it
For which my sinews shall be stretched upon him.'
Coriol. v. 6. 41.
>>
"That's it that always makes a good voyage of nothing.
T. N. ii. 4. 80.
"An if it please me which thou speak'st."-T. A. v. 1. 59.
"It holds current that I told you of."-1 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 59.
So Isaiah (A. V.) li. 9: "Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab?"
Perhaps we must explain it as the antecedent of "what" (and not ·
as in 226) in
"Deign it, Goddess, from my hand
To receive whate'er this land
From her fertile womb doth send."-B. and F. Fair Sh. i. I.
228. Its was not used originally in the Authorized Version of the
Bible, and is said to have been rarely used in Shakespeare's time.
It is, however, very common in Florio's Montaigne. His still
represented the genitive of It as well as of He. Its is found, how-
ever, in M. for M. i. 2. 4, where it is emphatic; in W. T. i. 2 (three-
times, 151, 152, 266); Hen. VIII. i. 1. 18; Lear, iv. 2. 32, and else--
where. Occasionally it, an early provincial form of the old genitive,
is found for its, especially when a child is mentioned, or when any
one is contemptuously spoken of as a child. Ben Jonson (Sil. Wem:
ii. 3) uses both forms-
"Your knighthood shall come on its knees."
And then, a few lines lower down-
It knighthood shall fight all it friends."
Comp. W. T. iii. 2. 109:
"The innocent milk in it most innocent mouth."
"The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long,
That it's had it head bit off by it young."- Lear, i. 4 235
But also of an unknown person :
I.
"The corse they follow did with desperate hand
Fordo it own life."-(Folio.) Hamlet, v. 1. 245.
"Woman it pretty self." -(Folio.) Cymb. iii. 4. 160
152
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
And of the ghost:
It lifted up it head."-(Folio.) Hamlet, i. 2. 216.
Perhaps the dislike of its, even in the eighteenth century, aided
the adoption of the French idiom "lever la tête."
"Where London's column, pointing at the skies,
Like a tall bully lifts the head and lies."
It-selfe" is found referring to
POPE, Moral Essays, iii. 340.
who."
(See 264.)
"The world who of it-selfe is peised well."-K. 7. ii. 1. 575.
229. Her is very often applied by Shakespeare to the mind and
soul.
"Whose soul is that which takes her heavy leave?"
3 Hen. VI. ii. 6. 42.
"Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 68.
So Rich. III. iii. 5. 28; Hamlet, ii. 2. 580.
"Our mind partakes
Her private actions to your secrecy."-P. of T. i. 1. 153.
So Montaigne, 117.
The former passage from Hamlet shows the reason of this. The
soul, when personified, is regarded as feminine, like Psyche. The
body of a woman is also thus personified in
"And made thy body bare
Of her two branches, those sweet ornaments."-T. A. ii. 4. 18.
Milton occasionally uses its; often her for its; seldom, if ever,
his for its.
"His form had not yet lost
All her original brightness."-MILTON, P. L. i. 592.
In this, and some other passages, but not in all, Milton may have
been influenced by the Latin use of the feminine gender. "Form"
represents "forma," a feminine Latin noun.
Personification will explain
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks."
J. C. i. I. 50.
230. Ungrammatical remnants of ancient usage. In
Chaucer and earlier writers, preference is expressed, not by our
modern "I had, or would, rather (i.e. sooner)," but by "(To) me
PRONOUNS.
153
(it) were lever (German lieber),” z.e. more pleasant." These two
idioms are confused in the following example :
"Me rather had my heart might feel your love.
Rich. II. iii. 3. 192.
woe is (to) me."
In the earliest writers "woe !" is found joined with the dative
inflection of the pronoun, woe is (to) us,
"Wa worthe (betide) than monne (the man, dat.)."
LAYAMON, i. 142.
am woe,
""
we are woe,
CC
"
As early as Chaucer, and probably earlier, the sense of the
inflection was weakened, and "woe" was used as a predicate: "I
" &c.
Hence Shakespeare uses sorrow
thus. Similarly our "I am well" is, perhaps, an ungrammatical
modification of "well is me," Ps. cxxviii. 2 (Prayer-book).
Early English both constructions are found.
In
In Anglo-Saxon,
Mätzner "has only met with the dative construction."
"I am sorrow for thee."-Cymb. v. 5. 297.
I am woe for't, sir."-Temp. v. 1. 139.
heart.”—Cymb. v. 5. 2.
"Woe is my heart.
Woe, woe are we, sir."—A. and C. iv. 14. 133.
On the other hand,
"Woe is me."—Hamlet, iii. 1. 168.
"Woe me.”—M. for M. 1. 4. 26.
Similarly, the old "(to) me (it) were better," being misunderstood,
was sometimes replaced by "I were better."
I were better to be eaten to death."-2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 245.
"I
I were best to leave him."-1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 82.
'Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
"Thou'rt best.”—Tempest, i. 2. 366.
-T. N. i. 2. 27.
And when the old idiom is retained, it is generally in instances like
the following:
"Answer truly, you were best."—F. C. iii. 3. 15.
“Madam, you're best consider.”—Cymb. iii. 2. 79.
where you may represent either nominative or dative, but was
almost certainly used by Shakespeare as nominative.
231. Thou and You.* Thou in Shakespeare's time was, very
much like "du" now among the Germans, the pronoun of (1)
The Elizabethan distinction between thou and you is remarkably illustrated
by the usage in E. E., as detailed by Mr. Skeat in William of Palerne. Preface.
P. xli.
154
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
affection towards friends (2) good-humoured superiority to servants,
and (3) contempt or anger to strangers. It had, however, already
fallen somewhat into disuse, and, being regarded as archaic, was
naturally adopted (4) in the higher poetic style and in the language
of solemn prayer.
(1) This is so common as to need no examples. It should be
remarked, however, that this use is modified sometimes by euphony
(the ponderous thou, art, and terminations in est being avoided) and
sometimes by fluctuations of feeling. Thus in the T. G. of V.
Valentine and Proteus in the first twenty lines of earnest dialogue
use nothing but thou. But as soon as they begin to jest, "thou
art" is found too seriously ponderous, and we have (i. 1. 25) “you
are over boots in love," while the lighter thee is not discarded
in (i. 1. 28) "it boots thee not. So in the word-fencing of lines
36-40, you and your are preferred, but an affectionate farewell brings
them back again to thou. The last line presents an apparent
difficulty:
"Proteus. All happiness bechance to thee in Milan !
Valentine. As much to you at home, and so farewell."
T. G. of V. i. I. 61-2.
But while thee applies to the single traveller, you is better suited
to Proteus and his friends at home. It may be added, that when the
friends meet after their long parting, there is a certain coldness in
the frequent you. (T. G. of V. ii. 5. 120.)
Fathers almost always address their sons with thou; sons their
fathers with you. Thus in the dialogue between Henry IV. and the
Prince (1 Hen. IV. iii. 2), line 118, "What say you?" is perhaps
the only exception to the rule. So in the dialogue between
Talbot and his son (1 Hen. VI. iv. 5) before the battle.
In the ex-
citement of the battle (1 Hen. VI. iv. 6. 6-9) the son addresses his
father as thou: but such instances are very rare. (A. Y. L. ii. 3. 69
is a rhyming passage, and impassioned also.) A wife may vary
between thou and you when addressing her husband. Lady Percy
addresses Hotspur almost always in dialogue with you: but in the
higher style of earnest appeal in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 3. 43-67, and in the
familiar "I'll break thy little finger, Harry," ib. 90, she uses thou
throughout.
In the high Koman style, Brutus and Portia use you.
Hotspur generally uses thou to his wife, but, when he becomes
serious, rises to you, dropping again to thou.
PRONOUNS.
155
Hotspur. Come, wilt thou see me ride?
And when I am o' horse-back, I will swear
I love thee infinitely- But hark you, Kate;
I must not have you henceforth question me :
This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.
I know you wise; but yet no further wise
Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are,
But yet a woman: and for secrecy
No lady closer—— For I well believe
Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know,
And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate."
1 Hen. IV. ii. 3. 103-115.
Mark the change of pronoun as Bassanio assumes the part of a
friendly lecturer :
Gra. I have a suit to you.
Bass.
You have obtain❜d it.
Gra. You must not deny me; I must go with you to Belmont.
Bass. Why, then you must.-But hear thee, Gratiano;
Thou art too wild, too rude and bold of voice," &c.
M. of V. ii. 2. 187–90.
232. Thou is generally used by a master to a servant, but not
always. Being the appropriate address to a servant, it is used in
confidential and good-humoured utterances, but a master finding
fault often resorts to the unfamiliar you (much as Cæsar cut his
soldiers to the heart by giving them the respectful title of Quirites).
Thus Valentine uses you to Speed in T. G. of V. ii. 1. 1–17, and
thou, Ib. 47-69. Compare
with
"Val. Go to, sir: tell me, do you know madam Silvia ?”—Ib. 14.
"Val. But tell me: dost thou know my lady Silvia?"—Ib. 44.
Similarly to the newly-engaged servant Julia, who says "I'll do
what I can," Proteus blandly replies:
"I hope thou wilt. [To Launce.] How now, you whore-
son peasant,
Where have you been these two days loitering?"
T. G. of V. iv. 4. 48.
When the appellative "sir" is used, even
is used, even in anger, thou generally
gives place to you.
"And what wilt thou do? Beg, when that is spent?
Well, sir, get you in."—A. Y. L. i. 1. 79, 80.
150
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
'Ay, ay, thou wouldst begone to join with Richmond :
I will not trust you, sir."-Rich. III. iv. 4. 492.
Compare "Speak, what trade art thou?"-7. C. i. 1. 5.
with
"You, sir, what trade are you?"—Ib. 9.
This explains the change from thou to you in Tempest, i. 2. 443.
Throughout the scene Prospero, addressing Ferdinand as an im-
postor, "speaks ungently" with thou. In Tempest, v. I. 75-79,
Prospero, who has addressed the worthy Gonzalo in the friendly
thou, and the repentant Alonso in the impassioned thou, turning to
his unnatural brother says,
You brother mine,"
'Flesh and blood
but, on pronouncing his forgiveness immediately afterwards, he says,
"I do forgive thee,
So
Unnatural though thou art.
"For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault."-Tempest, v. I. 230-2.
Worthy sir, thou bleed'st."—Coriol. i. 5. 15.
is easily explained by the admiring epithet "worthy." Compare
Ib. 24: "Bold gentleman, prosperity be thy page.
""
The difference between thou and you is well illustrated by the
farewell addressed by Brutus to his schoolfellow Volumnius, and his
servant Strato :
"Farewell to you; and you; and you, Volumnius;
Farewell to thee, too, Strato."-7. C. v. 5. 33.
Compare also the farewell between the noble Gloucester and Edgar
"dressed like a peasant :"
Edg. Now fare you well, good sir."--Lear, iv. 6. 32.
"Glouc. Now, fellow, fare thee well."-Ib. 41.
It may seem an exception that in sc. iv. I, Edgar uses thou to
Gloucester, but this is only because he is in the height of his assumed
madness, and cannot be supposed to distinguish persons. After-
wards, in sc. vi., he invariably uses you—a change which, together
with other changes in his language, makes Gloucester say:
"Thou speak'st
In better phrase and manner than thou didst."-Lear, iv. 6. &.
It may be partly this increased respect for Edgar, and partly
euphony, which makes Gloucester use you in l. 10 and 24.
PRONOUNS.
157
Thus Clarence to the Second Murderer:
"Clar. Where art thou, keeper? Give me a cup of wine.
Sec. Murd. You shall have wine enough, my lord, anon.
Clar. In God's name, what art thou?
Sec. Murd.
A man, as you are.
Clar. How darkly and how deadly dost thou speak!
Your eyes do menace me : why look you pale?
why look
Who sent you hither?
hither? Wherefore do
Wherefore do you come?"
Rich. III. i. 4. 167-176.
The last two lines seem discrepant: but they are not.
is addressing both murderers, and both reply:
Clarence
"Both. To, to, to
To murder me?
Ay, ay."
Clar.
Both.
Afterwards, when the murderers reproach Clarence with his faults,
they address him as thou.
233. Thou towards strangers who were not inferiors was an
insult. "If thou thouest him some thrice, it shall not be amiss,"
(T. N. iii. 2. 48,) is the advice given to Sir Andrew Aguecheek
when on the point of writing a challenge.
In addressing Angelo, whose seat he occupies, the Duke in the
following passage begins with ironical politeness, but passes into
open contempt :
Duke (to Escalus). What you have spoke I pardon; sit you down;
We'll borrow place of him. (To Angelo.) Sir, by your leave,
Hast thou or word or wit or impudence,
That now can do thee office?"—M. for M. v. 1. 368.
Thou is also used in a contemptuous
"aside."
Hastings. 'Tis like enough for I stay dinner there.
Buckingham (aside). And supper too, although thou know'st
it not.
Come, will you go?"-Rich. III. iii. 2. 122.
And, where there is no contempt, Cassius passes into thou when he
addresses Brutus absent, whereas in his presence he restricts him-
self to you (F. C. i. 2. 312). The former is the rhetorical, the
latter the conversational pronoun. So
"Be thou my witness,
You know that I held Epicurus strong."-J. C. v. 1. 74–7.
This explains the apparent liberty in
"O wise young judge, how I do honour thee!”
M. of F. iv. 1. 22.
158
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
234. Thou is often used in statements and requests, while you
is used in conditional and other sentences where there is no direct
appeal to the person addressed. Similarly the somewhat archaic
ye is distinguished by Shakespeare from you by being used in
rhetorical appeals. (See Ye, 236.)
Come thou on my side, and entreat for me
As you would beg, were you in my distress."
"But tell me now
Rich. III. i. 4. 273.
My drown'd queen's name, as in the rest
you said
Thou hast been god-like perfect."-P. of T. v. I. 208.
"I go, and if you plead as well to them
As I can say nay to thee for myself."-Rich. III. iii. 7. 52.
Give me thy hand, Messala;
Be thou my witness that against my will, &c.
You know that I held Epicurus strong."-7. C. v. 1. 74-7.
235. Thou. Apparent exceptions.
"If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling,
Be thou so too, and so break off your talk.”
I.
Rich. III. iii. 1. 177.
Here "
your talk" means the talk between "thee and him."
In Hamlet, i. 2. 41-49, the King, as he rises in his profession of
affection to Laertes, passes from you to thou, subsequently returning
to you.
In the following instance a kiss induces the speaker to pass from
your to thou:
Goneril. Decline your head. (Kisses Edmund.) This kiss,
if it durst speak,
Would raise thy spirits up into the air.”—Lear, iv. 2. 23.
The most difficult passage is :
"If thou beest not immortal, look about you."-J. C. ii. 3. 8, 9.
In this short scene Cæsar is six times addressed by the soothsayer
in the solemn and prophetic thou and thee, but once, as above, j'ou.
I can only suggest that "look about you" may mean "look about
you and your friends."
In almost all cases where thou and you appear at first sight
indiscriminately used, further considerations show some change
of thought, or some influence of euphony sufficient to account for
the change of pronoun.
PRONOUNS.
159
The French Herald addresses Henry V. as thou, not for dis-
courtesy (Hen. V. iv. 7. 74), but in the "high style" appropriate
between heralds and monarchs. Few subjects would address their
lords as thou. Only a Caliban addressing his Stephano would in
the ordinary language say :
"Good my lord, give me thy favour still."— Temp. iv. 1. 204.
Caliban almost always thou's unless he is cursing (Temp. i. 2. 363),
or when he is addressing more than one person.
236. Ye. In the original form of the language ye is nominative,
you accusative. This distinction, however, though observed in our
version of the Bible, was disregarded by Elizabethan authors, and
ye seems to be generally used in questions, entreaties, and rhetorical
appeals. Ben Jonson says: The second person plural is for reve-
rence sake to some singular thing." He quotes-
CC
O good father dear,
Why make ye this heavy cheer?"-GOWER.
Compare:
"I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard."-7. C. iii. 1. 157.
"You taught me how to know the face of right,
And come j'e now to tell me John hath made
His peace with Rome ?"-K. J. v. 2. 91.
The more shame for ye; holy men I thought ye."
Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 102.
Therein, ye gods, you make the weak most strong.
"I' the name of truth,
Are J'e fantastical? . . . My noble partner
"
7. C. i. 3. 91.
You greet with present grace."-Macbeth, i. 3. 53–55.
Ye and your seem used indiscriminately in Temp. v. 1. 33-8, "Ye
elves. . . and ye that . . you demi-puppets. and you whose
pastime is, &c."
•
•
The confusion between you and ye is illustrated by the irregularity
of the following:
•
"What mean you.
do ye not know?. . . If, therefore, at the
first sight ye doe give them to understand that you are come hither
do you not think? Therefore, if you looke. . ."-N. P. 170.
Sometimes je seems put for you when an unaccented syllable is
wanted:
"I never loved you much; but I ha' prais'd ye."
A. and C. i 6 78.
:
160
SHAKESPEARJAN GRAMMAR.
and perhaps in
"Ye shall, my lord,"-Rich. III. iv. 2. 86.
the "shall" being emphatic, and ye unemphatic, but the Folio
varies here, as frequently in this play.
237. Mine, my. Thine, thy. The two forms, which are inter
changeable in E. E. both before vowels and consonants, are both
used by Shakespeare with little distinction before vowels.
Though there are probably many exceptions, yet the rule appears
to be that mine and thine are used where the possessive adjective is
to be unemphatic, my and thy in other cases.
Mine is thus used before words to which it is so frequently pre-
fixed as to become almost a part of them, as mine host" (M. W.
of W. i. 3. 1), but my in the less common
"Unto my hostess of the tavern." -1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 53.
So we have almost always "mine honour," the emphatic
"By my honour
He shall depart untouched,"-7. C. iii. 1. 141.
being an exception. Mine is almost always found before "eye,”
"ear," &c. where no emphasis is intended.
antithesis we have my, thy:
But where there is
My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye."
and also in the emphatic
M. N. D. i. I. 188.
"To follow me and praise my eyes and face.”—M. N. D. iii. 2. 223.
Euphony would dictate this distinction. The pause which we are
obliged to make between my, thy, and a following vowel, serves for
a kind of emphasis. On the other hand, mine, pronounced "min,”
glides easily and unemphatically on to the following vowel.
238. Mine, hers, theirs, are used as pronominal adjectives
before their nouns. That mine should be thus used is not remarkable,
as in E. E. it was interchangeable with my, and is often used by
Shakespeare where we should use my.
"Mine and my father's death come not upon thee."
Hamlet, v. 2. 341.
"The body is dead upon mine and my master's false accusation."
So P. of T. i. 2. 92; Cymb. v. 5. 230.
-M. Ado, v. I. 249.
PRONOUNS.
161
In the following, mine is only separated by an adjective from its
"And his and mine lov'd darling."-Tempest, iii. 3. 93.
noun:
More remarkable are
"What to come is yours and my discharge.”—Temp. ii. 1. 253.
"By hers and mine adultery."-Cymb. v. 5. 186.
• Even in theirs and in the commons' ears."—Coriol. v. 6. 4.
It is felt that the ear cannot wait till the end of the sentence
while so slight a word as her or their remains with nothing to depend
on. The same explanation applies to mine, which, though unem-
phatic immediately before its noun, is emphatic when separated
from its noun.
239. This of yours is now, as in E. E., generally applied to
one out of a class, whether the class exist or be imaginary. We
could say "this coat of yours," but not (except colloquially) "this
head of yours." It is, however, commonly used by Shakespeare
where even the conception of a class is impossible.
'Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow."-Othello, v. 2. 4.
"Will not a calf-skin stop that mouth of thine?"-K. F. iii. 1. 299.
"This of hers, thine," &c. seem used as an adjective, like the
Latin "iste." This mouth of you" was felt to be harsh, the
"you" being too weak to stand in such a position.
"This your
mouth" requiring a forced and unnatural pause after "this," was
somewhat more objectionable to Shakespeare,* than to the Latin
style of Milton and Addison. Hence this of you" was used but
modified. It is rare that we find such a transposition as
'O then advance of yours that phraseless hand."-L. C. 225.
240. Pronouns transposed. A feeling of the unemphatic
nature of the nominatives we and they prevents us from saying
"all we. ""
"Into the madness wherein now he raves
And all we mourn for."-Hamlet, ii. 2. 151.
So "all we" in the A. V. of the Bible, and "all they," Mark xii. 44.
"Find out" is treated as a single word in
"Cass. Cinna, where haste you so?
Cinna.
See, however-
To find-out you."-7. C. i. 3. 134.
"How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over !"—7. C. ii. 1. 112.
M
102
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So
"To belch-up you."-Tempest, iii. 3. 56.
""
"And leave-out thee. -Rich. III. i. 3. 216.
"Both they (i.e. both of them)
Match not the high perfection of my loss."-♫b. iv. 4. 05.
No modern poet would be allowed to write, for the sake of rhyme,
"All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me."
Sonn. 43.
We could only say "give him me," when we meant "give him,
not to so-and-so, but to me," emphatically, which is not the meaning
here.
241. Omission of Thou. (See also 399, 402.) After a verb
ending with the second person singular inflection, the thou is some-
times omitted in questions, as:
"Didst not mark that?"-Othello, ii. 1. 260.
"How dost that pleasant plague infest?"-DANIEL.
"Wilt dine with me, Apemantus ?"—T. of A. i. 1. 206.
Thou is often omitted after "wouldst," or perhaps merged, in the
form "woo't," as wilt thou" becomes "wilta."
"Noblest of men, woo't die?"-A. and C. iv. 15. 59.
"Woo't weep? Woo't fight?... I'll do it."—Hamlet, v. 1. 299.
Sometimes thou is inserted:
"Woo't thou fight well?"-A. and C. iv. 2. 7.
242. Insertion of Pronoun. When a proper name is sepa-
rated by an intervening clause from its verb, then for clearness (see
248) the redundant pronoun is often inserted.
(C
Sueno, albeit he was of nature verie cruell, yet qualified he his
displeasure."-HOLINSHED, Duncane.
"Demeratus-when on the bench he was long silent
asking him . . . he answered."-B. J. Disc. 744.
•
•
•
one
"For the nobility, though they continued loyal unto him, yet
did they not co-operate with him.”—B. É.
E.
243. Insertion of Pronoun. Even where there is no inter-
vening conjunctional clause, the pronoun is frequently inserted after a
proper name as the subject. More rarely, the subject is a common
qoun. Still more rarely, the pronoun is inserted after the object,
PRONOUNS.
163
The subject or object stands first, like the title of a book, to call
the attention of the reader to what may be said about it.
In some
passages the transition may be perceived from the exclamatory use
"O thy vile lady!
She has robbed me of my sword,”—A. and C. iv. 14. 22.
to the semi-exclamation :
"For God he knows."-Rich. III. iii. 7. 236; I. 10; I. 26.
"Where Heaven he knows how we shall answer him.
(So T. G. of V. iv. 4. 112, and
God, I pray him.”—Rich. III. i. 3. 212.
The object (as in the last example) precedes in
""
K. F. v. 7. 59.
My sons, God knows what has bechanced them.”
3 Hen. VI. i. 4. €
"Senseless trees they cannot hear thee,
Ruthless beasts they will not cheer thee."-P. P. 393.)
and hence to passages of simple statement :
"The skipping king he ambled up and down."
"Of six preceding ancestors that gem
I Hen. IV. iii. 2. 60
Conferr'd by testament to the sequent issue
Hath it been owed and worn."-A. W. v. 3. 198.
"But this same Cassio, though he speak of comfort
Touching the Turkish loss, yet he looks sadly.
Othello, ii. 1. 31.
But many such passages of simple statement may be regarded as
abridgments of the construction with "for," "of," or some other
preposition :
"For your intent . . . it is most retrograde to our desires."
Hamlet, i. 2. 112.
"For my voice, I have lost it with halloing and singing of
anthems."-2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 213.
So "For (as regards) your brother, he shall go with me,"
become
"Your brother he shall go along with me.
me," might
A. W. iii. 6. 117; Rich. II. ii. 2. 80; 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 442.
So "Of Salisbury, who can report of him?"-2 Hen. VI. v. 3. 1.
M 2
164
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
244. Omission of the Relative. The relative is frequently
omitted, especially where the antecedent clause is emphatic and
evidently incomplete. This omission of the relative may in part
have been suggested by the identity of the demonstrative that and
the relative that:-
"We speak that (dem.) that (rel.) we do know,”
may naturally be contracted into-
Thus-
"We speak that we do know."
"And that (that) most deeply to consider is
The beauty of his daughter."-Temp. iii. 2. 106.
'Thy honourable metal may be wrought
From that (to which) it is disposed."-F. C. i. 2. 314.
"Now follows that (that) you know, young Fortinbras," &c.
Hamlet, i. 2. 17.
"And that (that) is worse-the Lords of Ross are fled.
""
}}
Rich. II. ii. 2. 52.
i.e. "which is worse. So often in the A. V. of the Bible, "that
is, being interpreted," means "which is" (as the Greek shows),
though a modern reader would suppose that to be the demonstrative.
In many cases the antecedent immediately precedes the verb to
which the relative would be the subject.
tr
I have a brother (who) is condeinned to die.
""
M. for M. ii. 2. 33; C. of E. v. 1. 283.
"I have a mind (which) presages."-M. of V. i. 1. 175.
"The hate of those (who) love not the king."
Rich. II. ii. 2. 128.
"In war was never lion (that) raged more fierce."
Ib. ii. 1. 173.
"And sue a friend (who) 'came debtor for my sake."
Sonn. 139.
"What wreck discern you in me (that)
Deserves your pity ?"—Cymb. i. 6. 84 ; W. T. iv. 4. 378, 512.
"You are one of those (who)
63
Would have him wed again."-W. T. v. I. 23.
I'll show you those (who) in troubles reign,
Losing a mite, a mountain gain."-P. of T. ii. Gower, 8.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
165
"Of all (who have) 'say'd (tried) yet, may'st thou prove pros-
perous."-P. of T. i. 1. 59.
"And they are envious (that) term thee parasite."-B. J. Fox, i. 1.
For once (when) we stood up about the corn, he himself stuck
not to call us the many-headed multitude."
Coriol. ii. 3. 16.
Compare-
¡ c. “On one occasion (on which) we stood up," &c.
Was it not yesterday (on which) we spoke together?"
"Off with his head,
Macbeth, iii. 1. 74.
I.
And rear it in the place (in which) your father's stands."
3 Hen. VI. ii. 6. 86.
"Declare the cause
(for which) My father, Earl of Cambridge, lost his head."
1 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 55.
"O that forc'd thunder (that) from his breath did fly
O that sad breath (that) his spongy lungs bestow'd!
L. C. 46.
Sonn. 4.
"And being frank she lends to these (who) are free.”
So explain :
“To me (whom) you cannot reach you play the spaniel."
Hen. VIII. v. 2. 126.
"That's to you sworn (that) to none was ever said.
}}
L. C. 25. So M. for M. iii. 2. 165.
Most of these examples (except those in which when and why are
omitted) omit the nominative. Modern usage confines the omission
mostly to the objective. "A man (whom) I saw yesterday told
me," &c.
We must either explain thus:
"Myself and Toby
Set this device against Malvolio here (which device),
Upon some stubborn and discourteous parts,
We had conceiv'd against him,”—T. Ñ. v. I. 370.
o suppose (more probably), that there is some confusion between
conceiving enmity" and "disliking parts."
In
"To her own worth
She shall be prized: but that you say 'Be 't so,'
I'll speak it in my spirit and honour 'No.'"
that probably means as to that which."
Other instances are:
Tr. and Cr. iv. 4. 136.
"My sister... a lady, sir (who), though it was said she much
resembled me, was yet of many accounted beautiful."-T. N. ii. 1. 27.
166
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
'What should I do (that) I do not?"-A. and C. i. 3. 8.
"Of every virtue (that) gives renown to men."-P. of T. i. 1. 13
Either a relative or a nominative (see 399) is omitted in
"These are my mates that make their wills their law
(Who) have some unhappy passenger in chace."
T. G. of V. v. 4. 15.
"And curse that justice did it,"-Coriol. i. 1. 179.
either the relative is omitted after "justice," or "that" is used for
"because" (284).
In
So, after disobeying King Cymbeline by allowing Posthumus to
speak to the King's daughter, the Queen, while purposing to betray
Posthumus, says aside :
"Yet I'll move him (the king)
To walk this way: I never do him (the king) wrong
But he (who, like Posthumus) does buy my injuries to be friends,
Pays dear for my offences."-Cymb. i. 1. 105.
The relative adverb where is omitted in
From that place (where) the morn is broke
To that place (where) day doth unyoke."-B. and F. F. Sh. i. 1.
That, meaning "when," is omitted after "now." (See 284.)
245. The Relative is omitted (as well as the verb "is," "are,"
&c.) between a pronominal antecedent and a prepositional phrase,
especially when locality is predicated.
"And they in France of the best rank and station."
Hamlet, i. 3. 73.
"He made them of Greece (i.e. the Grecians) to begin warre.”
-N. P. 175.
So
"What is he at the gate?"-T. N. i. 5. 125.
So in Early English and Anglo-Saxon. We make the same
omission, but only after nouns: "The babes in the wood."
246. The Relative is omitted in the following example, and the
antecedent is attracted into the case which the relative, if present,
would have:
"Him (he whom) I accuse,
By this, the city ports hath enter'd."-Coriol. v. 6. 6.
Apparently there is an ellipsis of "that (relative) is" before participles
in the following:
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
167
"Not that devour'd, but that which doth devour,
Is worthy blame,"-R. of L. 451.
where "that devour'd" seems used for "that that is devour'd."
And in
Why have you not proclaim'd Northumberland,
And all the rest (that are) revolted, faction-traitors ?"
Rich. II. ii. 2. 57.
"I hate the murderer, love him murdered,"
Rich. II. v. 5. 40.
the meaning seems to be, not "I love the fact that he is murdered,"
but "I love him (who is) murdered." Compare the harsh con-
struction in
"But you must know your father lost a father,
That father (who was) lost, lost his."-Hamlet, i. 2. 90.
A little riper and more lusty red
Than that (which is) mixed in his cheek."
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 222.
The relative is attracted to a subsequent implied object in the
following:
"Thou shalt not lack
The leaf of eglantine, whom not to slander,
Outsweetened not thy breath.”—Cymb. iv. 2. 223.
i.e. "the leaf which, not to slander it, would not outsweeten," &c.
247. The Relative (perhaps because it does not signify by
inflection any agreement in number or person with its antecedent)
frequently (1) takes a singular verb, though the antecedent be
plural, and (2) the verb is often in the third person, though the
antecedent be in the second or first.
(1) “All things that belongs" (so Folio; Globe, belong).—T. of Sh.
ii. 1. 357.
"Whose wraths to guard you from,
Which here in this most desolate isle else falls
Upon your bead."-Temp. iii. 2. 80.
Contagious fogs which falling on our land
Hath every pelting river made so proud."- N. D. ii, 1. 91.
This, however, might be explained by 337.
""Tis not the many oaths that makes the truth."
A. W. iv. 2. 21; K. F. ii. 1. 216.
"With sighs of love that costs the fresh blood dear."
M. N. D. ii. 2. 87
168
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"My observations
Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenour of my book."-M. Ado, iv. 1. 168.
"'Tis your graces that charms.”—Cymb. i. 6. 117.
So, so, so they laugh that wins" (Globe, win).
Othello, iv. I. 125.
"So are those crisped snaky golden locks
Which makes."-M. of V. iii. 2. 92.
"Those springs
In chalic'd flowers that lies."-Cymb. ii. 3. 24.
"Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows
Which shows like grief itself."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 15.
"It is not words, that shakes me thus."-Othello, iv. 1. 43.
"But most miserable
Is the desires that's glorious." (Globe, "desire.")
"'Tis such fools as you
Cymb. i. 6. 6.
That makes the world full of ill-favour'd children.
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 53.
"(The swords) That makes such waste in brief mortality.
>>
Hen. V. i. 2. 28
"There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper
That steals the colour from your cheeks.”—M. of V. iii. 2. 246.
"Is kindling coals that fires all my breast."-3 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 83.
"With such things else of quality and respect
As doth import you."-Othello, i. 3. 283.
"Such commendations as becomes a maid."-1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 177.
"Such thanks as fits a king's remembrance."-Hamlet, ii. 2. 26.
"Like monarch's hands that lets not bounty fall."
L. C. 41 (Globe, let).
"If it be you (you gods) that stirs these daughters' hearts."
Lear, ii. 4. 275 (Globe, stir).
"To be forbod the sweets that seems so good."
L. C. 164 (Globe, seem).
The distance of the relative from the antecedent sometimes makes
a difference, as in
"I that please some, try all, both joy and terror
Of good and bad, that makes and unfolds error.
This construction is found as late as 1671 :
"If it be true that monstrous births presage
The following mischiefs that afflicts the age."
W. T. iv. I. 2.
The Rehearsal, Epilogue.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
169
"
4
(2) Antiochus, I thank thee who hath taught."-P. of 7. i. 1.
Casca, you are the first that rears your hand."-7. C. iii. 1. 30
"Rears his" or rear your" would be right.
'To make me proud that jests."-L. L. L. v. 2. 66.
'For it is you that puts us to our shifts."-T. A. iv. 2. 176.
So Temp. v. 1. 79.
"O Lord, that lends me life !"-2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 19.
They do but greatly chide thee who confounds.”—Sonn. S.
The last two examples may also be explained (see 340) by the
northern inflection of s for st: and the examples in (1) might come
under the cases of plural nominative with apparently singular in-
flection considered in 333. But taking all the examples of (1) and
(2) we are, I think, justified in saying that the relative was often
regarded like a noun by nature third person singular, and, therefore,
uninfluenced by the antecedent.
On the other hand, the verb is irregularly attracted into the
second person in
"That would I learn of you
"
As one that are best acquainted with her person.'
Rich. III. iv. 4. 268.
248. Relative with Supplementary Pronoun. With the
Germans it is still customary, when the antecedent is a pronoun of
the first or second person, to repeat the pronoun for the sake of
defining the person, because the relative is regarded as being in the
third person.
Thus "Thou who thou hearest," &c. The same
repetition was cominon in Anglo-Saxon (and in Hebrew) for all
persons. "That (rel.) through him "through whom,”
that they can produce" "a tribe who can produce," &c.
Hence in Chaucer, Prol. 43-45:
=
"A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,
That, from the tyme that he first began
To ryden out, he lovede chyvalrye ;
and in the same author "that his".
&c.
a tribe
whose," "that him" "whoni,"
In the same way in Elizabethan authors, when the interrogative
who (251) had partially supplanted that as a relative, we find who
his for whose, whom him for whom, which it for which, &c.
The following is probably not a case of the supplementary
pronoun:
170
SHAKESPEAKIAN GRAMMAR.
"Bardolph and Nym had ten times more valour than this roaring
devil i' the old play, that every one may pare his nails with a wooden
dagger."-Henry V. iv. 4. 76.
That ..
his is not elsewhere used in Shakespeare, that I know
of. The above probably means "than this (fellow, who is a mere
devil-in-the-play, so that every one may beat him.
"
249. The Supplementary Pronoun is generally connned to
cases (as above, 242) where the relative is separated from its verb by
an intervening clause, and where on this account clearness requires
the supplementary pronoun.
•
"Who, when he lived, his breath and beauty set
Gloss on the rose, smell on the violet."—V. and A.
Which, though it alter not love's sole effect,
Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight."
"And who, though all were wanting to reward,
Sonn. 36.
Yet to himself he would not wanting be."-B. J. Cy.'s Rev.
“Whom,
Though bearing misery, I desire my life
Once more to look on him."-W. T. v. I. 138.
(The queen) whom Heavens in justice both on her and hers
Have laid most heavy hand."-Cymb. v. 5. 464.
Here the construction is further changed by the addition of "both
and hers."
"You are three men of sin whom Destiny
(That hath to instrument this lower world,
And what is in't) the never-surfeited sea
Hath caused to belch up you."-Temp. iii. 2. 53.
In the following passage the which may almost with better right
be regarded as supplementary than the noun which follows:
"Our natural goodness
Imparts this; which if you or stupified
Or seeming so in skill, cannot or will not
Relish a truth like us, inform yourselves
We need no more of your advice."-W. T. ii. 1. 165.
Here which means as regards which," and in this and in other
places it approximates to that vulgar idiom which is well known to
readers of "Martin Chuzzlewit." (See 272.)
The following seems at first as though it could be explained thus,
but "who" is put for "whom " (see 274), and "exact the penal'y
regarded as a transitive verb:
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
171
Who, if he break, thou may'st with better face
Exact the penalty."-M. of V. i. 3. 137.
Or this may be an imitation of the Latin idiom which puts the
relative before the conjunction, thus:
"Who, when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,
I thought upon one pair of English legs
Did walk three Frenchmen."-Hen. V. iii. 6. 157.
250. Which that.
"Spite of his spite which that in vain
Doth seek to force my fantasy."-INGELEND (A.D. 1560).
This use of which that consecutively is common in Chaucer, but
not in Elizabethan authors. When it is remembered that which
was originally an interrogative, it is easier to understand how thai
may have been added to give a relative force to which.
251. Who and what, In Early English who was the masc. or
fem. and what the neut. interrogative (or used as the indefinite
relative who-so, what-so), that being both the demonstrative and
relative, except in the oblique cases.
The transition of the interrogative to the relative can easily be
explained. Thus, the sentence
"O now who will behold
The royal captain of this ruin'd band?
Let him cry Praise and glory on his head,
Hen. V. iv. Prologue.
may easily become "now let him who will behold," &c.
We can now only use who-ever in this sense, but the Germans
stili use their interrogative (wer) thus. In such cases the who mostly
retains a trace of its interrogative meaning by preceding the ante-
cedent clause :
"Who steals my purse (he) steals trash,"-Othello, iii. 3. 157.
and hence referring to a definite past :
"Who was the thane (he) lives yet.”—Macbeth, i. 3. 109.
in this and other examples (as in Greek) the antecedent prouour
is often omitted owing to the emphatic position of the relative.
"Whom we raise we will make fast."-2 Hen. VI. i. 4 25.
"Is proclamation made that who finds Edward
Shall have a high reward ?”—3 Hen. VI. v. 5. 9.
172
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixed."
C. of E. i. 1. 85.
"We are going to whom it must be done." -J. C. ii. 1. 331.
252. What, being simply the neuter of the interrogative who,
ought consistently to be similarly used. As, therefore, who is used
relatively, we may expect what to be used so likewise. And so it
is; but, inasmuch as the adjective which very early took the force
of the relative pronoun, what was supplanted by which, and is
rarely used relatively. Even when it is thus used, it generally stands
before its antecedent (like the transitional use of who above), thereby
indicating its interrogative force, though the position of the verb is
altered to suit a statement instead of a question.
"What cur contempt doth often hurl from us
We wish it ours again."-A.and C. i. 2. 127. So Rich. II. i. 1. 87.
"What you have spoke it may be so perchance."
Macbeth, iv. 3. 11.
"Look, what I speak, my life shall prove it true.
Rich. II. i. I. 87.
"It is true that what is settled by custom, though it be not
good, yet at least it is fit."-B. E. 99
An unemphatic antecedent precedes what in
"And I do fearfully believe 'tis done
What we so feared he had a charge to do."-K. J. iv. 2. 75.
I cannot remember any instance where what has for its antecedent
a noun, as in the modern vulgarism, "The man what said." In
"And let us once again assail your ears,
""
That are so fortified against our story,
What we have two nights seen."—Hamlet, i. I. 33.
What depends on a verb of speech, implied either in "assail your
ears or in "story," i.e. "let us tell you what we have seen," or
our story describing what we have seen."
The antecedent was mostly omitted:
"What is done (that) cannot be undone."-Macb. v. 1. 74.
This use is common now, but we could not say
"To have his pomp and all what (that which) state compounds."
T. of A. iv. 2. 35.
The following is a curious use of what:
"That Julius Cæsar was a famous man:
With what his valour did enrich his wit
He did set down to make his valour live."
Rich. III. iii. 1. 85: i.e." (that) with which."
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
173
253. What is used for "for what," " why" (quid), as in
"What (why) shall I don this robe and trouble you?"
Cymb. iii. 4. 34
"What need we any spur but our own cause?"
7. C. ii. 1. 123.
I.
"What shall I need to draw my sword?"-T. A. i. 1. 189.
"What should I stay ?"—A. and C. v. 2. 317.
and in some other passages where the context shows this to be
the meaning:
"Falstaff. This apoplexy is, as I take it, a kind of lethargy.
Justice. What tell you me of it? be it as it is.'
""
2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 130.
The following use of what for "in what state," i.e. "how far
advanced," should be noticed:
"M.
What is the night?
Lady M. Almost at odds with morning, which is which."
Macbeth, iii. 4. 126.
These adverbial uses of what are illustrated by
"His equal mind I copy what I can
And, as I love, would imitate the man.
254. What
"whatever."
POPE, Imit. Hor. ii. 131.
"What will hap more to-night, safe scape the king,"
Lear, iii. 6. 121.
where the construction may be " Happen what will," a comma
being placed after " will," or Whatever is about to happen."
Probably the former is correct and "will" is emphatic, "hap"
being optative.
What
((
=
whoever.
>>
"There's my exchange.
What in the world he is
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies."-Lear, v. 3. 97.
What is often used apparently with little sense of "of what kind
or quality" where we should use who, especially in the phrase
"what is he?"
Chief Justice. What's he that goes there?
Servant. Falstaff, an't please your lordship."
2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 66.
Hen. V. iv. 3. 18,
"What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland?"
174
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Ros. What is he that shall buy his flock and pasture?
Cor. That young swain."-A. Y. L. ii. 4. 88-9.
Captain. He did see the love of fair Olivia!
Vio. What's she?
""
Captain. A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count.
T. N. i. 2. 35; ib. i. 5. 124.
So Lear, v. 3. 125; Macbeth, v. 7. 2; Rich. II. v. 5. 69.
may have
"of what
But in the Elizabethan and earlier periods, when the distinction
between ranks was much more marked than now, it
seemed natural to ask, as the first question about anyone,
condition or rank is he?" In that case the difference is one of
thought, not of grammar.
255. What hence in elliptical expressions assumes the meaning
"any."
"I love thee not a jar of the clock behind
What lady-she (224) her lord."-W. T. i. 2. 44.
1.e. "less than any lady whatsoever loves her lord.”
"With promise of his sister and what else."
So
3 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 51; Tempest, iii. 1. 72.
i.e. "whatever else may be conceived,” or
may be conceived," or "everything else.
"What not is still used in this sense, as
"He that dares approach
On him, on you, who not? I will maintain
"}
Mine honour firmly."—Lear, v. 3. 100: i.e. "on everybody."
Like the Latin " 'qua-qua," so 'what-what" is used for
"partly-partly," mostly joined to "with." In this collocation
perhaps the alliteration of the two w's has had some influence: for
what is not thus used except before "with."
"And such a flood of greatness fell on you
What with our help, what with the absent king,
What with the injuries of a wanton time."
So Tr. and Cr. v. 1. 103.
1 Hen. IV. v. 1. 50.
Criginally this may have been "considering what accrued from
our help, what from the king's absence," &c. but "what" is used
by Spenser in the sense of "part,' "her little what." (See p. 5.)
256. What is sometimes used before a noun without the ap-
pended indefinite article in exclamations. (See Article, 86.) It is
also used without a noun in this sense;
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
175
O father Abram, what these Christians are!"
M. of V. 1. 3. 162
"What mortality is !"-Cymb. iv. 1. 16.
..what a thing mortality is !"
257. Who for any one:
"The cloudy messenger turns me his back
And hums as who should say, 'You'll rue the time
That clogs me with this answer. -Macbeth, iii. 6. 42.
"He doth nothing but frown, as we should say, 'If you will
not have me, choose.' -M. of V. i. 2. 45.
wi o
Comp. M. of V. i. 1. 93, Rich. II. v. 4. 8.
In these passages it is
possible to understand an antecedent to 'who,' “ as, or like (one!
who should say." But in the passages
"Timon surnamed Misantropos (as who should say Loup
garou, or the man-hater).”—N. P. 171.
She hath been in such wise daunted
That they were, as who saith, enchanted."
GOWER, C. A. 1. (quoted by Clarke and Wright).
it is impossible to give this explanation. And in Early Eng.
(Morris, Specimens, p. xxxii.) "als wha say" was used for "as any
one may say." Comp. the Latin quis after si, num, &c. Possibiy
an if is implied after the as by the use of the subjunctive. (See 107.,
Littré explains comme qui dirait" by supplying "celui." "Il
portait sur sa teste comme qui dirait un turban; c'est-à-dire, il portait,
comme dirait celui qui dirait un turban." But this explanation
seems unsatisfactory, in making a likeness to exist between
ing" and "
saying. But whatever may be the true explanation of
the original idiom, Shakespeare seems to have understood who as
the relative, for the antecedent can be supplied in all passages where
he uses it, as J. C. i. 2. 120, "As who goes farthest."
carry-
258. That, which, who, difference between. Whatever rule
may be laid down for the Elizabethan use of the three relative forms
will be found to have many exceptions. Originally that was the
only relative; and if Wickliffe's version of the New Testament he
compared with the versions of the sixteenth century and with that
of 1611, that will be found in the former replaced by which and
who in the latter, who being especially common in the latest, our
Authorized Version. Even in Shakespeare's time, however, the.e
is great diversity of usage. Fletcher, in the Faithful Shepherdess

176
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
(with the exception of a few lines containing the plot, and probably
written by Beaumont), scarcely uses any relative but the smooth
that throughout the play (in the first act which is only used once);
and during the latter half of the seventeenth century, when the lan-
guage threw off much of its old roughness and vigour, the fashion
of Wickliffe was revived. That came into favour not because, as
in Wickliffe's time, it was the old-established relative, but because
it was the smoothest form: the convenience of three relative forms,
and the distinctions between their different shades of meaning, were
ignored, and that was re-established in its ancient supremacy.
Addison, in his "Humble Petition of Who and Which," allows the
petitioners to say: "We are descended of ancient families, and
kept up our dignity and honour many years, till the jack-sprat
That supplanted us. But the supplanting was a restoration of an
incapable but legitimate monarch, rather than a usurpation. Since
the time of Addison a reaction has taken place; the convenience of
the three distinct forms has been recognized, and we have returned
somewhat to the Elizabethan usage.
""
259. As regards the Shakespearian use, the following rules will
generally hold good:-
(1) That is used as a relative (a) after a noun preceded by the
article, (b) after nouns used vocatively, in order to complete the
description of the antecedent by adding some essential characteristic
of it.
(2) Who is used (a) as the relative to introduce a fact about the
antecedent. It may often be replaced by "and he," "for he,"
"though he," &c. (b) It is especially used after antecedents that
are lifeless or irrational, when personification is employed, but not
necessarily after personal pronouns.
(3) Which is used (a) in cases where the relative clause varies
between an essential characteristic and an accidental fact, especially
where the antecedent is preceded by that; (b) where the antecedent
is repeated in the relative clause; (c) in the form "the which,"
where the antecedent is repeated, or where attention is expressly
called to the antecedent, mostly in cases where there is more than
one possible antecedent and care is required to distinguish the real
one; (d) where "which" means "a circumstance which," the cir-
cumstance being gathered from the previous sentence.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
177
260. That. (a) Since that introduces an essential characteristic
without which the description is not complete, it follows that, even
where this distinction is not marked, that comes generally nearer to
the antecedent than who or which.
"To think of the teen that I have turn'd you to
Which is from my remembrance!"-Temp. i. 2. 65.
I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who falling there to seek his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself."-C. of E. i. 2. 37.
“You have oft enquired
After the shepherd that complain'd of love,
Who you saw sitting by me on the turf."-A. Y. L. iii. 4. 52.
"And here's a prophet that I brought with me
From forth the streets of Pomfret, whom I found
With many hundreds treading on his heels.". K.F. iv. 2. 148.
The same order is preserved in A. Y. L. iii. 5. 13; 2 Hen. IV.
1. 3. 59; Lear, iii. 4. 134-139; 2 Hen. VI. iv. I. 3; Lear, iv. 2.
51-53 (where we find that, who, that, consecutively); Lear, iii. 7.
89, 90; 1 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 80 (that, the which, that); Tempest, iv. 1. 76
The distinction between that and which is preserved in
"It is an heretic that (by nature, of necessity) makes the fire,
Not she which (as an accidental fact) burns in it."
IV. T. ii. 3. 115.
"And he doth sin that doth belie the dead,
Not he which (as you do) says the dead is not alive.'
2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 99.
In the latter passage "he that" "who-so," and refers to a class,
"he which to the single person addressed. Thus Wickliffe
(Matt. xxiii. 21) has "he that sweareth," whereas the other versions
have "whoso " or whosoever sweareth."
""
That is generally used after he, all, aught, &c. where a class is
denoted. This is so common as not to require examples, and it is
found even where that is objective.
In
'He that a fool doth very wisely hit."-4. Y. L. ii. 7. 53.
"The great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit,"-Temp. iv. 1.
euphony perhaps will not allow "that it.
The following is not an exception :
154.
(See Which, 265.)
"It was the swift celerity of his death,
Which I did think with slower foot came on,
That brain'd my purpose."-M. for M. v. t. 400.
N
178
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
for here which is used parenthetically (see 271). So Rich. II. iii,
4. 50.
In 'He that no more must say is listen'd more
"
Than they whom youth and ease have taught to glose.'
Rich. II. ii. 1. 9, 10.
a distinction appears to be drawn between the singular nominative
represented by the uninflected that, and the objective plural repre-
sented by the inflected whom.
261, That. (6) After nouns used vocatively.
"Hail, many-coloured messenger! that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter :
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers."
Temp. iv. 1. 76–79.
"Hast thou conspired with thy brother, too,
That for thine own gain shouldst defend mine honour?"
K. F. i. 1. 242.
"You brother mine, that entertain'd ambition,
Expell'd remorse and nature; who with Sebastian
Would here have kill'd your king.'
Tempest, v. 1. 79; 33-9.
This close dependence of that on the antecedent, wherein it differs
from who and which, is a natural result of its being less emphatic, and
therefore less independent, than the two other forms. When the
relative is necessarily emphatic, as at the end of a verse, we may
sometimes expect that to be replaced by which, for that and no
other reason.
"Sometimes like apes that mow and chatter at me,
And after bite me; then like hedgehogs which
Lie tumbling in my bare-foot way."-Temp. ii. 2. 10.
262. That is sometimes, but seldom, separated from the antece-
dent, like who. (See 263.)
"As if it were Cain's jawbone that did the first murder."
Hamlet, v. 1. 85.
It is perhaps not uncommon after the possessive case of nouns and
pronouns. (See 218.) The antecedent pronoun is probably to be
repeated immediately before the relative.
"Cain's jawbone, (him) that did," &c.
RELATIVe pronoUNS.
179
+
Less commonly as in
'They know the corn
Was not our recompense, resting well assured
That ne'er did service for it.". -Coriol. iii. I. 122.
The use of that for who = "and they" is archaic. Acts xiii. 43'
"They sueden Paul and Barnabas that spakun and counceileden
hym." Tyndale, Cranmer, and Geneva have which; Rheims and
A. V. who.
263. Who (a) for "and he," "for he," &c.
"Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their disguising and pretended flight;
Who (and he), all enraged, will banish Valentine."
T. G. of V. ii. 6. 38.
'My name is Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk,
Who (and I) hither come engaged by my oath
Against the duke of Hereford that (because he) appeals
Rich. II. i. 3. 17.
me.
"Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard
Who (since he) rated him for speaking well of Pompey."
7. C. ii. 1. 216.
Hence who is often at some distance from the antecedent.
Archbishop. It was young Hotspur's case at Shrewsbury.
Lord Bardolph. It was, my lord: who (for he) lined himself
with hope. 2 Hen. IV. i. 3. 27.
"To send the old and miserable king
To some retention and appointed guard,
Whose (for his) age has charms in it."-Lear, v. 3. 48.
"I leave him to your gracious acceptance; whose (for his) tria'
shall better publish his commendation."-M. of V. iv. 1. 165.
"In Ephesus I am but two hours old,
As strange unto your town as to your talk,
Who (and 1), every word by all:
wit being scann'd,
Want wit, in all, one word to understand."
C. of E. ii. 2. 153.
So Temp. iii. 1. 93; A. and C. i. 3. 29; Hen. V. i. Prologue, 33.
264. Who personifies irrational antecedents. (b) Who
is often used of animals, particularly in similes where they arc
compared to men.
"I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan,
Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death."-K. J. v. 7.22.
"Or as a bear encompass'd round with dogs,
Who having pinch'd a few and made them cry."
3 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 16.
N 2
180
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
z.
So 1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 10; 2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 254, v. I. 153;
but also in other cases where action is attributed to them, e.g.
"A lion who glared."-7. C. i. 3. 21.
A lioness who quickly fell before him.”—A. Y. L. iv. 2. 13.
Who is also used of inanimate objects regarded as persons.
"The winds
Who take the ruffian billows by the tops."-2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 22.
So R. and F. i. I. 119; i. 4. 100: "The winds. . . who."
'Rotten opinion, who hath writ me down.
""
After my seeming.' -2 Hen. IV. v. 2. 128.
"Night. . . who." -Hen. V. iv. Prol. 21.
"Your anchors, who
Do their best office if they can but stay you."-W. T. iv. 4. 581.
"A queen
Over her passion, who most rebel-like
Sought to be queen o'er her."-Lear, iv. 2. 16.
So probably in
Your eye
Who hath cause to wet the grief on 't."-Tempest, ii. 1. 127.
i.e. "your eye which has
sorrow for your folly."
cause to give tearful expression to the
"My arm'd knee
Who bow'd but in my stirrups."-Coriol. iii. 2. 119.
But is who the antecedent here to "me" implied in "my?" (See
218.)
"The heart
Who great and puff'd up with this retinue.
"}
2 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 120.
•
So V. and A. 191 and 1043, "her heart. who;" T. A. iii
2. 9, "my breast. . . who.
The slightest active force, or personal feeling, attributed to the
antecedent, suffices to justify who. Thus :
"The dispers'd air who answer'd."-R. of L. 1805.
CC
Applause
""
Who like an arch reverberates. Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 120.
"Therefore I tell my sorrows to the stones
Who though they cannot answer," " &c.-T. A. iii. 1 38.
"Bushes,
As fearful of him, part, through whom he rushes.”
V. and A. 630.
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
181
So "her body. . . who," K. of L. 1740; "the hairs who wave,'
V. and A. 306; "lips who... still blush," R. and J. iii. 3. 38;
"sighs who," R. and J. iii. 5. 136; "mouths who," P. of T. i. 4.
33; "palates who," P. of T. i. 4. 39; "her eyelids who like sluices
stopped," V. and A. Sometimes who is used where there is no
notion of personality :
"The world, who of itself is peised well,"-K. J. ii. 1. 575.
where perhaps who is used because of the pause after "world," in
the sense "though it." (See 263.) If there had been no comma be-
tween "world" and the relative, we should have had that or which.
Perhaps in this way we may distinguish in
"The first, of gold, who this inscription bears;
The second, silver, which this promise carries.
""
M. of V. ii. 7. 4.
i.e. the first of gold, and it bears this inscription; the second,
(silver,) which carries," &c. In the first the material, in the second
the promise, is regarded as the essential quality. [Or does euphony
prefer which in the accented, who in the unaccented syllables ?]
In almost all cases where who is thus used, an action is implied,
so that who is the subject.
Whom is rare.
"The elements
Of whom your swords are temper'd."-Temp. iii. 2. 62.
265. Which (E. E. adj. hw-ilc, "wh(a)-like") is used inter-
changeably with Who and That. It is interchanged with who
in
"Then Warwick disannuls great John of Gaunt,
Which did subdue the greatest part of Spain;
And, after that wise prince, Henry the Fifth,
Who by his power conquered all France."
Like who (263), which implies a cause in
3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 87.
"Deposing thee before thou wert possess'd,
Which (for thou) art possess'd now to depose thyself."
Rich. II. ii. 1. 108.
It is often used for that (see 261), where the personal antecedent
is vocatively used or preceded by the article :
"The mistress which I serve."— Temp. iii. 1. O.
So M. for M. v. 1. 305; W. T. i. 2. 455, v. 2. 60.
182
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK
"Abhorred slave,
Which any point of goodness will not take."-Temp. i 2. 35%
"And thou, great goddess Nature, which hast made it."
W. T. ii. 3. 104.
So in our version of the Lord's Prayer.
266. Which, like that, is less definite than who.
an individual, which a "kind of person ;" who is
qualis.
Who indicates
qui," which
"I have known those which (qualis) have walked in their sleep
who (and yet they, 263), have died holily in their beds.”—Macb.
V. I. 66.
"For then I pity those I do not know
Which (unknown persons) a dismiss'd offence would after gall."
M. for M. ii. 2. 102.
"They have-as who have not, that their great stars
Throned and set high ?-servants, who seem no less,
Which are to France the spies and speculations
Intelligent of our state."-Lear, iii. 1. 24.
Here "who seem no less" is parenthetical, and for who might be
written "they." Which means "of such a kind that." Where
so dear," ""such," &c. is implied in the antecedent, we may ex-
pect the corresponding which (278) in the relative :
Antonio, I am married to a wife
Which is as dear to me as life itself."-M. of V. iv. 1. 283.
When the antecedent is personal and plural, which is generally
preferred to who. Which, like that (260), often precedes who.
"I am Prospero, and that very duke
Which was thrust from Milan, who," &c.-Tempest, v. 1. 160.
267. The... that; that... which. In A.-S. "be" (the)
was the relative and "se" the article. When the form "be" (the)
became the article, "that" became the relative. In the same way it
perhaps arises that when that was applied to the antecedent, the
"The man that
relative form preferred by Shakespeare was which.
says "
"whoever says," and the indefinite that is sufficient; but
"that man," being more definite, requires a more definite relative.
After a proper name, who would answer the purpose; but after
"that man," that being an adjective, “which man was the natural
expression, which being originally also an adjective. Hence the
marked change in
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
183
"If he sees aught in you that makes him like
That anything he sees which moves his liking.”—K. J. ii. 1. 512
"When living blood doth in these temples beat
Which owe the crown that thou o'er-masterest."-Ib. ii. 1. 109.
Possibly "that" is a demonstrative, and "he" is used for "man
in the following, which will account for the use of which; but more
probably which is here used for that, and there is a confusion of
constructions.
"Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through our host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 34.*
268. Which more definite than That. Generally it will be
found that which is more definite than that. Which follows a name,
that a pronoun:
"Here's the Lord Say which sold the towns in France; he that
made us pay one-and-twenty fifteens."-2 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 23.
Sometimes which is used in this sense to denote an individual
or a defined class, while that denotes a hypothetical person or an
indefinite class. Hence
"And such other gambol faculties a' has, that show a weak mind
and an able body, for the which the Prince admits him."-2 Hen.
IV. ii. 4. 74.
And compare
with
"She that was ever fair and never proud, &c.
She was a wight, if ever such wight were."-Othello, ii. 1. 149.
"I find that she which late
Was in my nobler thoughts most base, is now
The praised of the king: who (263), so ennobled,
Is as 'twere born so."-A. IV. ii. 3. 179.
"It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows
That I have ever felt.”—Lear, v. 3. 266.
Which states a fact, that a probability, in
Why, Harry, do I tell thee of my foes,
Which art my near'st and dearest enemy?
Thou that art like enough."-1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 124.
In "Cut off the heads of too fast growing sprays
That look too lofty in our commonwealth :
You thus employ'd, I will go root away
The noisome weeds which, without profit, suck
The soil's fertility from wholesome flowers."-Rich. II. iii 4.37.
* See 415 and compare T. A. iii. 1. 151; Lear, ii. 1. 68.
184
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
We must explain "all the heads that may happen to look too lofty,
and the weeds which, as a fact, suck the fertility," &c.
So that introduces an essential, and which an accidental, or at all
events a less essential quality, in the two following passages :—
(Thou) commit'st thy anointed body to the cure
Of those physicians that first wounded thee."
"
Rich. II. . I. 99.
"Now for our Irish wars.
We must supplant those rough, rug-headed kerns,
Which live like venom where no venom else,
But only they, have privilege to live.” — Ib. 157.
That may state a fact with a notion of purpose:
"Now, sir, the sound that tells (i.e. to tell) what hour it is
Are clamorous groans which strike upon my heart,
Which is the bell."-Rich. II. v. 5. 57.
269. Which with repeated antecedent. Which being an
adjective frequently accompanies the repeated antecedent, where
definiteness is desired, or where care must be taken to select the
right antecedent.
Salisbury. What other harm have I, good lady, done
But spoke the harm that is by others done?
Constance. Which harm within itself so heinous is-"
K. J. iii. 1. 39.
And, if she did play false, the fault was hers,
Which fault lies,” &c.—K. J. i. 1. 119; Rich. II. i. 1. 104.
This may sometimes explain why which is used instead of that,
and why that is preferred after pronouns :
"Let my revenge on her that injured thee
Make less a fault which I intended not."-F. Sh. v. I.
An antecedent noun ("fault") can be repeated, and therefore
can be represented by the relative which; an antecedent pronoun
"her" cannot.
Sometimes a noun of similar meaning supplants the antecedent:
Might'st bespice a cup
To give mine enemy a lasting wink,
Which draught to me were cordial."-W. T. i. 2. 318
270. The which. The above repetition is,
The above repetition is, perhaps, more
common with the definite "the which":
"The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part
I have saved my life.". —1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 125.
-1
RELATIVE PRONOUNS.
185
Sometimes the noun qualified by which is not repeated, and only
slightly implied in the previous sentence :
"Under an oak. to the which place."-A. Y. L. ii. 1. 33.
"Let gentleness my strong enforcement be,
In the which hope I blush.”—Ib. ii. 7. 119.
The question may arise why "the" is attached to which and not
to who. (The instance
"Your mistress from the whom I see
There's no disjunction,"—W. T. iv. 4. 539.
is, perhaps, unique in Shakespeare.) The answer is, that who is
considered definite already, and stands for a noun, while which
is considered as an indefinite adjective; just as in French we have
"lequel," but not “lequi.” "The which" is generally used either
as above, where the antecedent, or some word like the antecedent,
is repeated, or else where such a repetition could be made if
desired. In almost all cases there are two or more possible antece-
dents from which selection must be made. (The use of
(The use of "lequel"
is similar.)
"To make a monster of the multitude, of the which (multitude)
we being members should bring ourselves to be monstrous members."
Coriol. ii. 3. 10.
"Lest your justice
Prove violence, in the which (violence) three great ones suffer."
W. T. ii. 1. 128.
'Eight hundred nobles
In name of lendings for your highness' soldiers,
The which (nobles) he hath detain❜d for lewd employments.'
"}
Rich. II. i. 1. 90.
"The which" is also naturally used after a previous "which."
"The present business
Which now's upon us without the which this story
Were most impertinent."-Temp. i. 1. 138.
"The chain
Which God he knows I saw not, for the which
He did arrest me."-C. of E. v. I. 230.
271. Which for "which thing," often parenthetically.
"Camillo,
As you are certainly a gentleman, thereto
Clerk-like experienced, which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents' noble names."-W. T. i. 2 392
186
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
Very often the "thing" must be gathered not from what precedes
but from what follows, as in
And, which became him like a prince indeed,
He made a blushing 'cital of himself."-1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 62.
And, which was strange, the one so like the other
As could not be distinguished."-C. of E. i. 1. 53.
That is rarely thus used by Shakespeare :
((
And, that is worse,
The Lord Northumberland, his son young Henry Percy,
With all their powerful friends, are fled to him."
Rich. II. ii. 2. 55.
Often, however, in our A. V. that in “that is, being interpreted,"
is the relative, though a modern reader would not perceive it.
"I was never so berhymed since Pythagoras' time that (when) I
was an Irish cat, which I can hardly remember."-A. Y. L. iii. 2.188.
"I'll resolve you,
Which to you shall seem probable, of every
These happen'd accidents."-Temp. v. 1. 249.
.e. "I will explain to you (and the explanation shall seem probable)
every one of these accidents.'
""
"My honour's at the stake, which (danger) to defeat
I must produce my power."-A. W. ii. 3. 156.
"Even as I have tried in many other occurrences, which Cæsar
affirmed (ce que dit César), that often," &c.-MONTAIGNE, 36.
272. Which for "as to which."
as to which." Hence which and
which" are loosely used adverbially for "as to which."
Latin, "quod” in “quod si.
""
"Showers of blood,
The which how far off from the mind of Bolingbroke
It is such crimson tempest should bedew," &c.
"the
So in
Rich. II. iii. 3. 45.
"With unrestrained loose companions-
Even such, they say, as stand in narrow lanes,
And beat our watch, and rob our passengers;
Which he, young, wanton, and effeminate boy,
Takes on the point of honour, to support
So dissolute a crew."-Rich. II. v. 3. 10.
"But God be thanked for prevention :
Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoice."
Hen. V. i. 2. 159
RELA TIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
187
273. Which. It is hard to explain the following:
"A mote will turn the balance which Pyramus which Thisbe is
the better."-M. Ñ. D. v. I. 325.
unless which is used for the kindred "whether.'
In "My virtue or my plague, be it either which,"
Hamlet, iv. 7. 13.
there is perhaps a confusion between "be it either" and "be it
whichever of the two." Perhaps, however, "either" may be taken
in its original sense of "one of the two," so that "either which" is
"which-one-so-ever of the two."
274. Who for whom. The inflection of who is frequently neg-
lected.
"Who I myself struck down."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 123.
"Who does the wolf love? The lamb."-Coriol. ii. 1. 8.
Compare IV. T. iv. 4. 636, v. 1. 109.
Apparently it is not so common to omit them when the whom
is governed by a preposition whose contiguity demands the inflection:
"There is a inystery with whom relation
Durst never meddle."-Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 201.
Compare especially,
"Consider who the king your father sends,
To whom he sends."-L. L. L. ii. I. 2.
The interrogative is found without the inflection even after a pre
position:
"C. Yield thee, thief.
Gui.
To who?"-Cymb. iv. 2. 75; Othello, i. 2. 52
"With who?"-Othello, iv. 2. 99.
And in a dependent question:
"The dead man's knell
Is there scarce asked for who."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 171.
In the following, who is not the object of the preposition :
"This is a creature . . . might make proselytes
Of who she but bid follow."-W. T. v. I. 109.
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
275.-So as. Bearing in mind that as is simply a contraction
for "all-so" ("alse," "als," "as"), we shall not be surprised at
some interchanging of so and as.
188
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
We still retain "
but seldom use
as
•
•
so": "As I had expected so it happened,"
50 as," preferring "as as;" except where so
•
•
• • •
(as in the above phrase) requires special emphasis. The Elizabethans
frequently used so before as.
"So well thy words become thee as thy wounds."
Macbeth, i. 2. 43.
"Look I so pale, Lord Dorset, as the rest?"
Rich. III. ii. 1. 83.
"And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell."-Hamlet, ii. 1. 82.
"Thou art so full of fear
As one with treasure laden."—V. and A.
"Fair and fair and twice so fair
As any shepherd may be."-PEELE.
"All so soon as."—R. and F. i. I. 140.
This is not very common in Shakespeare. Nor is it common to
find so for as where the clause containing the second as is implied
but not expressed.
"Make us partakers of a little gain,
That now our loss might be ten times so much."
I Hen. VI. ii. 1. 53.
!
If the relatival as precedes, so, not as, must follow as the demon-
strative. The exception below is explicable as being a repetition of
a previous as used demonstratively:
"As little joy, my lord, as you suppose
You should enjoy, were you this country's king,
As little joy may you suppose in me
That I enjoy."—Rich. III. i. 3. 153.
"That" is the relative.
Ben Jonson (p. 789) writes as follows on so and as : "When the
comparison is in quantity, then so goeth before and as followetn.
Men wist in thilk time none
So fair a wight as she was one.'-GOWER, lib. 1.
But if the comparison be in quality, then it is contrary.
'For, as the fish, if it be dry,
Mote, in default of water dye :
Right so without air or live,
No man ne beast might thrive.'-GOWER."
So as is frequently used for so that. (See 109.)
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
189
so that
This construction is generally found with the past and future
indicative, but we sometimes find "so as he may see," for "
he may see." 'So as " is followed by the subjunctive in
"And lead these testy rivals so astray
As one come not within another's way."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 359.
Compare the use of us with the subjunctive in Greek. There
is no more reason for saying, "I come so that (i.e. in which way)
I may see, "than for saying, "I come so as (i.e. in which way) I
may see.
We sometimes find so as that for so as in this sense.
The so is omitted after as in the adjurations
'As ever thou wilt deserve well at my hands, (so) help me to a
candle,"-T. N. iv. 2. 86.
where as means "in which degree," and so "in that degree." Hence
as approximates to "if."
It would seem that "
previous verse in
as.
•
so" are both to be implied from the
"Had you been as wise as bold,
(As) young in limbs, (so) in judgment old.”
M. of V. ii. 7. 71.
276. As... as. The first As is sometimes omitted:
"A mighty and a fearful head they are
As ever offered foul play in a state."-1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 168.
"He pants and looks (as) pale as if a bear were at his heels.”
7. N. iii. 4. 323; Tempest, v. I. 289.
In the expression "old as I am," &c. we almost always omit the
Shakespeare often inserts it:
first as.
"As near the dawning, provost, as it is."—M. for M. iv. 2. 97.
"But I believe, as cold a night as 'tis, he could wish himself in
Thames up to the neck."-Hen. V. iv. 1. 118.
The expression is elliptical: "(be it) as cold as it is.
"}
277. That... that, that... (as) to. That is still used
provincially for such and so: e. g.
"He is that foolish that he
understands nothing.
>> So
"From me whose love was of that dignity
That it went hand in hand even with the vow
I made to her in marriage."—Hamlet, i. 5. 48.
That is more precise than "of that kind" or "such."
That, meaning "such," is used before the infinitive where we use
the less emphatic "the."
190
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Had you that craft to reave her
Of what should stead her most?"-A. W. v. 3. 86.
So T. N. i. I. 33; Rich. III. i. 4. 257; and Macbeth, iv. 3. 74:
"There cannot be
That vulture in you to devour so many.'
""
This omission of "as" after that meaning "so," is illustrated by
the omission of "as" after "so (281).
278. Such which. Such (in Early English, "swulc," "suilc,"
suilch," "sich") was by derivation the natural antecedent to
which; such meaning* "so-like, "so-in-kind;" which meaning
what-like," "
""what-in-kind?" Hence-
("
"
"Such sin
For which the pardoner himself is in."-M. for M. iv. 2. 111.
"There rooted between them such an affection which cannot
choose but branch now."— W. T. i. I. 26.
So W. T. iv. 4. 783; Coriol. iii. 2. 105.
Compare
Duty so great which wit so poor as mine
May make seem bare."-Sonn. 26.
Similarly which is irregularly used after "too :"
"And salt too little which may season give
To her foul-tainted flesh."-M. Ado, iv. 1. 144.
Whom follows such in
>>
Such I will have whom I am sure he knows not.
A. W. iii. 6. 24.
279. Such that; so
so ... that (rel.); such
Hence such is used with other relatival words :
"Such allowed infirmities that honesty
Is never free of."-W. T. i. 2. 263.
"To such a man
That is no fleering tell-tale."-J. C. i. 3. 116.
•
•
where.
"For who so firm that cannot be seduced."-7. C. i. 2. 316
"His mother was a witch, and one so strong
That could control the moon."-Temp v. 1. 270; ib. 315
"But no perfection is so absolute
That some impunity doth not pollute.”—R. of L.
"Who's so gross
That seeth not this palpable device?"-Rich. III. iii. 6. 11
"Such things were
That were most precious to me.”—Macbeth, iv. 3. 222.
• Hence "such-like" (Temp. in. 3. 59) is a pleonasm.
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
191
"For no man well of such a salve can speak
That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace."
Sonn. 34.
Coriol. iii. 2. 55; T. G. of V. iv. 4. 70; A. W. i. 3. 221; Lear,
ii. 2. 127; Othello, iii. 3. 417.
Hence it seems probable that that is the relative, having for its
antecedent the previous sentence, in the following passages from
Spenser :-
"Whose loftie trees yclad with summer's pride
Did spred so broad that heaven's light did hide."—F. Q. i. 1. 7.
"(He) Shook him so hard that forced him to speak."-7b. 42.
"And the search so slow
Similarly
Which could not trace them."—Cymb. i. 1. 65.
The licence in the use of these words is illustrated by-
"In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As, after sunset, fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie
As on the death-bed."-Sonn. 73.
In the first case such as is used, because which follows; in the
second, such that, because as follows.
So Hamlet, iii. 4. 41-46:
"Such an act that . . . . such a deed as.'
Such, so, where:
"Soch a schoole where the Latin tonge were properly and
perfitlie spoken."-ASCH. 45.
In no place so unsanctified
Where such as thou mayest find him.”—Macbeth, iv. 2. 81
"So narrow where one but goes abreast."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 155.
280. That as. We now use only such with as, and only that
with which. Since, however, such was frequently used with which,
naturally that was also used with as (in which way) used for which.
Thus as approaches the meaning of a relative pronɔun.
"I have not from your eyes that gentleness
As I was wont to have."-F. C. i. 2. 33.
"Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us."—Ib. 174.
[92
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Those arts they have as I could put into them."
Cymb. v. 5. 338
"Methinks the realms of England, France, and Ireland
Bear that proportion to my flesh and blood
As did the fatal brand Althea burned
Unto the prince's heart at Calydon.'
"With that ceremonious affection as you were wont."
So after this :
"} -2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 233.
Lear, i. 4. 63.
"I beseech you do me this courteous office as to know what my
offence is."-T. N. iii. 4. 278.
Similarly
"With hate in those where I expect most love."
Rich. III. ii. 1. 33.
Either (1) the nominative is omitted (see 399), or (2) as is put for
who, the relative to an implied antecedent, in :
"Two goodly sons,
And, which was strange, the one so like the other
As could not be distinguish'd but by names.
C. of E. i. 1. 52,
i.e. (1)
so like that (they) could not be," as being used for that
(see 109); or (2) "the one so like the other," &c. is loosely used for
"the two so like each other as could not be distinguished."
Similarly as is used as a relative after an antecedent implied, but
not expressed, by so with an adjective:
"I cannot but be sad, so heavy-sad
As
•
makes me faint."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 31.
i.e. "I feel such sadness as.
281 So (as). Under the Relative we have seen that sometimes
the antecedent, sometimes the relative, is omitted, without injury to
the sense. Similarly in relatival constructions, e.g. so... as,
so . . . that, &c. one of the two can be omitted.
The as is sometimes omitted:
"I wonder he is so fond
(as) To trust the mockery of unjust slumbers."
Rich. III. ii. 3. 26.
M. of V. iii. 3. 10.
"So fond [i.e. foolish] (as) to come abroad."
"No woman's heart
So big (as) to hold so much.”—T. N. ii. 4. 99.
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
193
"Shall I so much dishonour my fair stars
(as) On equal terms to give him chastisement?”
Rich. II. iv. I. 21.
R. and F. ii. 3. 91; Macbeth, ii. 3. 55; Rich. II. iii. 3. 12.
As or who is omitted in :
“And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
say "as
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it."-T. of Sh. v. 2. 144.
i.e. "None is so thirsty (who) will deign" where we should say
to deign." Less probably, "none (be he how) so (ever) dry."
So and as are both omitted in:
"Be not (so) fond
(As) To think that Cæsar bears such rebel blood."-7. C. iii. 1. 40.
282. So (that). The that is sometimes omitted.
"I am so much a fool (that) it would be my disgrace.”
Macb. iv. 2. 27
283. (So) that. So before that is very frequently omitted:
"Ross. The victory fell on us. Dunc. Great happiness!
Ross. (So) that now Sueno, the Norway's king, craves composi-
tion."—Macbeth, i. 2. 59.
Compare Macb. i. 7. 8, ii. 2. 7, ii. 2. 24; J. C. i. 1. 50.
In all these omissions the missing word can be so easily supplied
from its correspondent that the desire of brevity is a sufficient
explanation of the omission.
"A sheet of paper
Writ o' both sides the leaf, margent and all,
That he was fain to seal on Cupid's name."-L. L. L. v. 2. 9.
284. That, for because, when. Since that represents different
cases of the relative, it may mean "in that," "for that," "because'
(“quod"), "or at which time
or at which time" ("quum ").
In, or for that.
"Unsafe the while that we must lave our honours," &c.
"O, spirit of love!
Macbeth, iii. 2. 39.
That (in that), .
•
•
How quick and fresh art thou
nought enters there but," &c.
T. N. i. I. 10.
"Like silly beggars
Who sitting in the stocks refuge their shame,
That (because) many have and others must sit there,
And in this thought they find a kind of ease.
O
""
Rich. II. v. 5. 27.
191
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR..
At which time; when :
"In the day that thou eatest thereof."—Gen. ii. 17.
"Now it is the time of night
That the graves all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite.”—M. N. D. v. I. 387.
"So wept Duessa until eventyde,
That shynyng lamps in Jove's high course were lit.”
SPENS. F. Q. i. 5. 19.
"Is not this the day
That Hermia should give answer of her choice?
M. N. D. iv. I. 133.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this and dwell in lovers' eyes."—Sonn. 55.
Compare "Then that," apparently "then when." (2 Hen. IV. iv.
1. 117.)
These uses of that are now superseded by the old interrogatives
why and when, just as, even in Shakespeare's time, many of the uses
of that had been transferred to the interrogatives who and which.
"Albeit I will confess thy father's wealth
Was the first motive that I wooed thee, Anne.”
i.e. "for which, or why, I wooed thee."
M. W. of W. iii. 4. 14.
The use of that for when is still not uncommon, especially in the
now that I know," &c. It is omitted after "now" in
phrase
"But now (that) I am return'd, and that war thoughts
Have left their places vacant, in their rooms
Come thronging soft and delicate desires."-M. Ado, i. 1. 303.
So Rich. III. i. 2. 170; M. N. D. iv. 1. 67, 109.
That = "in which" in
"Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear
In the sweet semblance that I loved it first.”—M. Ado, v. 1. 260.
285. That omitted and then inserted. The purely conjunctional
use of that is illustrated by the Elizabethan habit of omitting it at the
beginning of a sentence, where the construction is obvious, and then
inserting it to connect a more distant clause with the conjunction on
which the clause depends. In most cases the subjects of the clauses
are different.
"Though my soul be guilty and that I think," &c.
B. J. Cy.'s Rev. iii. 2.
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
195
"Were it not thy sour leisure gave sweet leave,
And that thou teachest."-Sonn. 39.
"If this law
Of nature be corrupted through affection,
And that great minds, of partial indulgence
To their benumbed wills, resist the same."
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 179.
This may explain (without reference to "but that," 122):
"If frosts and fasts, hard lodging and thin weeds
Nip not the gaudy blossoms of your love,
But that it bear this trial."—L. L. L. v. 2. 813.
For "if that," see 287.
"Think I am dead, and that even here thou takest,
As from my death-bed,,my last living leave.
Rich. II. v. I. 38
So T. N. v. I. 125; W. T. i. 2. 84; A. and C. iii. 4. 31; P.
of T. i. Gower, 11.
"I love and hate her, for she's fair and royal,
And that she hath all worthy parts more exquisite."
i.e. "for that" or "because."
Cymb. iii. 5. 71.
"She says I am not fair, that I lack manners;
She calls me proud, and that she could not love me.
"
A. Y. L. iv. 2. 16.
In the above example the that depends upon a verb of speech
implied in calls." This construction is still more remarkable in-
"But here's a villain that would face me down
He met me on the mart, and that I beat him."-C. of E. iii. 1. 7.
Compare the French use of "que" instead of repeating "si,”
quand," &c.
286. Whatsoever that. In the following there is probably an
ellipsis :
"This and what needful else (there be)
That calls upon us.”—Macbeth, v. S. 72.
"Till whatsoever star (it be) that guides my moving
Points on me graciously with fair aspect."-Sonn. 26.
"As if that whatsoever god (it be) who leads him
Were slily crept into his human powers."-Coriol. ii. 1. 235.
In the latter, that is probably the demonstrative. It might, how.
ever, be the conjunctional that.

See "if that," 287.
U 2
196
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
287. That as a conjunctional affix. Just as so and as are affixed
to who (whoso), when (whenso), where (whereas, whereso), in order
to give a relative meaning to words that were originally interrogative,
in the same way that was frequently affixed.
"When that the poor have cried."
*
F. C. iii. 2. 96; T. N. v. 1. 398.
Why that."-Hen. V. v. 2. 34.
You may imagine him upon Blackheath,
Where that his lords desire him to have borne
His bruised helmet and his bended sword
Before him through the city."-Hen. V. v. Prologue, 17.
So A. Y. L. ii. 7. 75; ii. 3. 117.
This, with the above, explains
"Edmund. When by no means he could.
Gloucester. Pursue him, ho! go after. By no means what?
Edmund. Persuade me to the murder of your lordship,
But that I told him," &c.—Lear, ii. 1. 47.
so" had
Gradually, as the interrogatives were recognized as relatives, the
force of that, so, as, in "when that," "when so," "when as,"
seems to have tended to make the relative more general and in-
definite; "who so" being now nearly (and once quite) as indefi-
whosoever." The "ever" was added when the "
begun to lose its force. In this sense, by analogy, that was attached
to other words, such as "if," "though," "why," &c.
If that the youth of my new interest here
Have power to bid you welcome."—M. of V. iii. 2. 224.
nite as
Compare
If that rebellion
Came like itself, in base and abject routs."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 32; T. N. i. 5. 324, v. 1. 375.
So Lear, v. 3. 262; Rich. III. ii. 2. 7.
The fuller form is found, CHAUC. Pard. Tale, 375: "If so were
that I might;" and Lodge writes, "If so I mourn." Similarly, "If
so be thou darest."-Coriol. v. 14. 98.
Compare:
"While that."—Hen. V. v. 2. 46.
Though that."
Coriol. i. 1. 144; Lear, iv. 6. 219; T. N. i. 3. 48.
"Lest that.”—Hen. V. ii. 4. 142; T. N. iii. 4. 384.
"Whether that."- -1 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 28.
St. Mark iii. 35. Where our Version has "Whosoever shall do the will of my
Father," Wickliffe has "Who that doth."
RELATIVAL CONSTRUCTIONS.
197
"So as that," frequently found.
“Since that.”—Macb. iv. 3. 106; Rich. III. v. 3. 202
"How that" is also frequent. We also find that frequently affixed to
prepositions for the purpose of giving them a conjunctival meaning:
"For that" (Macb. iv. 3. 185); “in that;" "after that," &c.
The Folio has
"Your vertue is my priuiledge: for that
It is not night when I doe see your face.
Therefore I thinke I am not in the night."
M. N. D. iì. 1. 220.
The Globe omits the full stop after "face," making
for that "
(because) answer to "therefore.” Others remove the stop after
"privilege" and place it after "for that."
Hence we find "but that" where we should certainly omit that
"The breath no sooner left his father's body
But that his wildness, mortified in him,
Seem'd to die too."-Hen. V. i. 1. 26.
288. That, origin of. Is that, when used as above, demonstrative
or relative? The passage quoted above from Chaucer,* "If so were
that," renders it probable that a similar ellipsis must be supplied
with the other conjunctions: "Though (it be) that,” “Since (it is)
that," &c. With prepositions the case is different, e.g.
"for that,"
>>
"in that," ""after that." For this use of that can be traced to A.-S.,
where we find "for bam be," i.e. "for this purpose that, after
þam be," &c. Here "bam" is more emphatic than "be," and
evidently gave rise to the English that. But "ham" was the A.-S.
demonstrative. It follows that the that is (by derivative use, at all
events) demonstrative in "for that," or, perhaps we should say,
stands as an abridgment for " that (demonst.) that (rel.).” In fact,
we can trace the A.-S. "after þam þe" to the E. E. "after that
that," and so to the later "after that." Hence we must explain
"The rather
For that I saw the tyrant's power afoot."-Mach. iv. 3. 185.
as for that (that), i.e. for that, because, I saw." It would be wrong,
however, to say that that in “since that" is, by derivative use, demon-
strative. On the contrary, “since
"since" in itself (sib-ban) contains the
demonstrative, and "since that" corresponds to "sib-ban bat" where
that (bat) is relative. And similarly "though that" corresponds to
the A.-S. "beah be," where that (pe) is the relative. The that in
Compare "If so be that."
198
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
""
ઃઃ
""
"
"after that," before that," invites comparison with the " quam
in " postquam" and " antequam," though in the Latin it is the
antecedent, not the relative, that is suppressed. The tendency of
the relative to assume a conjunctional meaning is illustrated by the
post-classical phrase, “dico quod (or quia) verum est," in the place
of the classical "dico id verum esse. Many of the above Eliza-
bethan phrases, which are now disused, may be illustrated from
French: Since that, puisque ; though that," "
quoi que;
"before that,'
," "avant que," &c. Instead of "for that," we find in
French the full form, "par ce que," i.e. "by that (dem.) that (rel.).”
It is probable that Chaucer and Mandeville, if not earlier writers,
were influenced in their use of the conjunctional that by French
usage. Even in the phrase "I say that it is true," that may be ex-
plained as having a relatival force (like ori, "quod," and the French
que "), meaning, "I say in what way, how that, it is true." In the
phrase, “I come that (in the way in which; 'ut,' &s, 'afin que')
I may see," the relatival force of that is still more evident.
(6
289. As is used in the same way as a conjunctional affix. Thus
"while as:
"Pirates
•
•
still revelling like lords till all be gone
While as the silly owner of the goods
Weeps over them."-2 Hen VI. i. 1. 225.
"When as:
""
"When as the enemy hath been ten to one."-3 Hen VI. i. 2. 75.
"When as the noble Duke of York was slain."-Ib. ii. 1. 46.
So Ib. v. 7. 34.
"Where as
So
I.
" is used by us metaphorically. But Shakespeare has
"Unto St. Alban's,
Where as the king and queen do mean to hawk.”
2 Hen VI. i. 2. 57.
'They back retourned to the princely Place,
Whereas an errant knight . . . they new arrived find."
SPENS. F. Q. i. 4. 38.
there as" is used in carlier English. "There that" is also
found in Chaucer in a local sense.
Of course the " SO in whenso, ""whereso" &c., is nearly the
same in meaning, just as it is the same in derivation, with the as
in "
whenas," &c.
VERBS, FORMS OF.
199
VERBS, FORMS OF.
290. Verbs, Transitive (formation of).
The termination en
(the infinitive inflection) is sufficient to change an English monosyl-
labic noun or adjective into a verb. Thus "heart" becomes "hearten;"
"light," "lighten," "glad," 'gladden," &c. The licence with
which adjectives could be converted into verbs is illustrated by
"Eche that enhauncith hym schal be lowid, and he that mekith
hymself shall be highid."-WICKLIFFE, St. Luke xiv. II.
""
In the general destruction of inflections which prevailed during
the Elizabethan period, en was particularly discarded.
It was
therefore dropped in the conversion of nouns and adjectives into
verbs, except in some cases where it was peculiarly necessary to
distinguish a noun or adjective from a verb. (So strong was the
discarding tendency that even the e in "owen," "to possess, was
dropped, and Shakespeare continually uses. "owe" for " owen
or own (T. N. i. 5. 329; Rich. II. iv. 1. 185). Then has now
been restored.) But though the infinitive inflection was generally
dropped, the converting power was retained, undiminished by the
absence of the condition. Hence it may be said that any noun
or adjective could be converted into a verb by the Elizabethan
authors, generally in an active signification, as—
"> *
"Which happies (makes happy) those that pay the willing lover."
Sonn. II.
"Time will unfair (deface) that (which) fairly doth excel."—Ib. 5.
So:
Balm'd (healed).-Lear, iii. 6. 105.
Barn.- ‘Barns a harvest.”—R. of L.
Bench (sit).-Lear, iii. 6. 40.
Bold (embolden).—" Not bolds the king."—Lear, v. 1. 26.
Brain.
"Such stuff as madmen
Tongue and brain not.”— Cymb. v. 4. 147.
i.e. "such stuff as madmen use their tongues in, but not their
brains."
Child.-"Childing autumn."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 112: i.e. “ autumn
producing fruits as it were children."
Climate. "Climates (neut.) [lives] here."-W. T. v. 1. 170.
Cowardel.
"That hath so cowarded and chased your blood.”— Hen.
P. ii. 2. 75.
* Compare The gates are ope," Coriol. i. 4. 43.
200
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Coy (to be cov).-"Nay, if he coy'd."-Coriol. v. I. 6.
Disaster (make disastrous-looking). -"The holes where eyes should
be which pitifully disaster the cheeks."-A. and C. ii. 7. 18.
False.
Has falsed his faith."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 19. 46.
Fame.-"Fames his wit."-Sonn. 84.
Fault. -"Cannot fault (neut.) twice."-N. P. Pref.; B. J. Alch. iii. I
Feeble." And feebling such as stand not in their liking."
Coriol. i. I. 199.
Fever (give a fever to).-"The white hand of a lady fever thee,
Shake thou to look on't."-A. and C. iii. 13. 138.
Fond.
"My master loves her truly,
And I, poor monster, fond as much on him."-T. N. ii. 2. 35.
Fool (stultify).
Why, that's the way
To fool their preparations."-A. and C. v. 2. 225.
This explains
Foot.
""
Why old men fool and children calculate. -F. C. i. 3. 65.
"Foots" (kicks).—Cymb. iii. 5. 148. On the other hand, in
"A power already footed" (Lear, iii. 2. 14), it means set on
foot ;" and in "the traitors late footed in the kingdom” (Ib.
iii. 7. 45), it means that have obtained a footing."
Force (to urge forcibly).—"Why force you this?"—Coriol. iii. 2. 51.
Also (to attach force to, regard) :
i.l.
"But ah! who ever shunn'd by precedent
The destin'd ills she must herself assay,
Or forced examples 'gainst her own content,
To put the by-past perils in her way?"-L. C. 157.
whoever regarded examples." So L. L. L. v. 2. 440.
Furnace." Furnaces sighs."-—Cymb. i. 6. 66.
Gentle." This day shall gentle his condition."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 63.
God."He godded me. Coriol. v. 3. 11.
""
Honest.-"Honests (honours) a lodging."-B. J. Sil. Wom. i. I.
Inherit (make an inheritor).
"That can inherit us
So much as of a thought of ill in him."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 85.
Knee (kneel).—"Knee the way."-Coriol. v. 1. 5.
Lesson (teach).—“Lesson me.”—T. G. of V.ii. 7. 5; Rich, III. i. 4. 216.
Linger (make to linger).
"Life
Which false hope lingers in extremity.'
Rich. II. ii. 2. 72 · M. N. D. i. 1 4.
VERBS, FORMS OF.
201
Mad." Mads" (makes angry).—Rich. II. v. 5. 61.
Mellow (ripen, trans.).-T. N. i. 3. 43.
Mist (cover with mist).-"If that her breath will mist or stain the
stone."-Lear, v. 3. 262.
Malice. -"Malices" (bears malice to).-N. P.
Pale (make pale).—" And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire."
Panging (paining).
Hamlet, i. 5. 90.
""Tis a sufferance panging
As soul and body's severing."-Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 15.
Path (walk).- -"For if thou path (neuter), thy native semblance
on."-J. C. ii. 1. 83.
Plain (make plain).—“What's dumb in show I'll plain in speech."
P. of T. iii. Gower, 14.
>>
Property (treat as a tool)." They have here propertied me.
T. N. iv. 2. 100; K. J. v. 2. 79.
Rag'd (enraged).—There is no corruption (though the passage is
marked as corrupt in the Globe) in
"For young colts being rag'd do rage the more.
"}
Rich. II. ii. 1. 70.
Safe." And that which most with you should safe my going,
Fulvia is dead.”—A. and C. i. 3. 55.
i.e. "make my departure unsuspected by you of dangerous con-
sequences."
Scale (weigh, put in the scale).—“Scaling his present bearing with
his past.
">
Coriol. ii. 3. 257.
Stage (exhibit).-"I do not like to stage me to their eyes."
M. for M. i. I. 69.
Stock (put in the stocks).—“ Stocking his messenger.
"
Lear, ii. 2. 139
Stream (unfurl).—" Streaming the ensign."-Rich, II. iv. 1. 94.
Toil (give labour to).-Probably in
Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land.”—Ham' t, i. 1. 72.
So "toil'd," passive.—Rich. II. iv. 1. 96.
Tongue.-"How might she tongue me?"-M. for M. iv. 4. 28.
i.e. "speak of, or accuse, me.
Tongue" means “speak" in
"Such stuff as madmen
Tongue, and brain not.”—Cymb. v. 4. 14
202
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Trifle.-
The Candy J
"Trifles (renders trifling) former knowing."-Macb. ii. 4. 4.
Undeaf." My death's sad tale may yet undeaf his ear.
""
Rich. II. ii. 1. 6.
Verse (expressing in verse).- Versing love."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 67,
Violent (act violently).—" And violenteth in a sense as strong.
Tr. and Cr. iv. 4. 4.
"
Wage (pay: so E. E.).—“He waged me."—Coriol. v. 6. 40.
Womb (enclose). -"The close earth wombs or the profound sea liides."
W. T. iv. 4. 501,
-"That worthied him."-Lear, ii. 2. 128.
Worthied (ennobled).—“That worthied him.
The dropping of the prefix be was also a common licence. We
have recurred to "bewitch" and "belate," but Shakespeare wrote-
"And witch the world with noble horsemanship."
I Hen. IV. iv. 1. 110
"Now spurs the lated traveller apace."-Macbeth, iii. 3. 6.
"Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now."
Hen. V. iv. 5. 17.
291. Sometimes an intransitive verb is converted into
a transitive verb.
Cease." Heaven cease this idle humour in your honour !"
T. of Sh. Ind. 2. 13. So Cymb. v. 5. 255.
Expire.-Time "expires a term."-R. and J. i. 4. 109.
Fall.-An executioner "falls an axe."-A. Y. L. ii 5.5 and pro.
bably (though fall may be the subjunctive) in
"Think on me, and fall thy edgeless axe."-Rich. III. v. 3. 135.
Peer." Peers (causes to peer) his chin."-R. of L.
Perish.-"Thy flinty heart. . . might perish (destroy) Margaret.
Quail (make to quail).
>>
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 100.
But when he meant to quail and shake
the orb."-A. and C. v. ii. 85.
Relish. "Relishes (makes acceptable) his nimble notes to pleasing
ears."—R. of L.
Remember (remind: so Fr.).—"Every stride I take
Will but remember me what," &c.-Rich. II. i. 3. 269.
Retire (so Fr.)." That he might have retired his power
>>
Rich. II. ii. 2. 46.
Shine. "God doth not shine honour upon all men equally."-B.E.45.
Squint.—“ Squints the eye and makes the harelip."-Lear, iii. 4. 122.
i.e. "makes the eye squint."
VERBS, FORMS OF.
203
Fear. This word is not in point. It had the signification of
frighten" in A.-S. and E. E. Hence,
"Thou seest what's past: go fear thy king withal."
3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 226.
"This aspect of mine hath fear'd the valiant."
So in Spenser, "Words fearen babes."
M. of V. ii. I. 9.
The same remark applies to "learn," which meant "teach."
"The red plague rid you
For learning me your language."
Tempest, i. 2. 365.
292. The licence in the formation of verbs arose partly
from the unfixed nature of the language, partly from the desire of
brevity and force. Had it continued, it would have added many
useful and expressive words to the language. In vigorous colloquy
we still occasionally use such expressions as—
""
"Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncles."-Rich. II. ii. 3. 87.
"Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds.
R. and F. iii. 5. 153.
As it is, we can occasionally use the termination -ƒy, as in
"stultify," and sometimes the suffix -en or the prefix be-. But for
the most part we are driven to a periphrasis.
293. Transitive verbs are rarely used intransitively.
Eye (appear).
"But, sir, forgive me
Since my becomings kill me, when they do not
Eye well to you. A. and C. i. 3. 97.
Lack (to be needed).—" And what so poor a man as Hamlet is
May do to express his love and friending to you,
God willing, shall not lack."—Hamlet, i. 5. 186.
Need (to be needed).—"These ceremonies need not.
>>
So E. E.
B. J. E. in &c. iii. 2.
This is perhaps a remnant of the ancient love for impersonal
verbs. Such verbs would be appropriate to express "need." Hence
in Matt. xix. 20, Mark x. 21, Wickliffe has "faileth to me" and "to
thee," where the A. V. has "what do I lack" and "thou lackest."
Similarly, Milton (Areopagitiu) uses "what wants there?" for
"what is needed?" and this use still exists in conversation. So
often Shakespeare, e.g.
"There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here."
Rich, III. ii. r. 13.
204
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
!
Show (like our "look: "
compare German "schauen ").
"Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows
Which show's like grief itself."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 15.
294. Verbs Passive (formation of). Hence arose a curious
use of passive verbs, mostly found in the participle. Thus
"famous'd for fights" (Sonn. 25) means "made famous ;” but in
"Who, young and simple, would not be so lover'd?"—L. C.
lover'd means " gifted with a lover." And this is the general rule.
A participle formed from an adjective means "made (the adjective),"
and derived from a noun means "endowed with (the noun)." On
the other hand, stranger'd below means, not "gifted with a stranger,"
but "made a stranger." This use will be best illustrated by the
following examples
Childed (provided with children).—" He childed as I father'd."
Lear, iii. 6. 117
Faith'd (believed).—"Make thy words faith'd.”—Ib. ii. 1. 72.
Father'd (provided with a father). See above, Lear, iii. 6. 117.
Feebled (enfeebled).-K. F. v. 2. 146.
Fielded (encamped in the field)." Our fielded friends."
Coriol. i. 4. 12.
Grav'd (entomb'd).—“ Grav'd in the hollow ground.”
Rich. II. iii. 2. 140.
Guiled (deceitful).—“A guiled shore."-M. of V. iii. 2. 97.
Compare
Beguiled (i.e. made plausible)
With outward honesty, but yet defiled
With inward vice."—R. of L.
Inhabited (made to inhabit).-"O, knowledge ill-inhabited, worse
than Jove in a thatch'd house."-A. Y. L. iii. 3. 10.
King'd (ruled).—" King'd of our fears, until our fears, resolv'd,
Be by some certain king purged and deposed."-K. J. ii. 1. 371.
i.e. "ruled by our fears."
Look'd (looking).-"Lean-look'd prophets."-Rich. II. ii. 4. 11.
Lorded (made a lord).—“ He being thus lorded."— Tempest, i. 2. 97.
Contrast this with "king'd" above, which means not "made a
king," but "ruled as by a king."
Mcered.
"When half to half the world opposed,
He being the meered question.”—A. and C. iii. 13.10
Verbs, forms of.
205
The word "meered" is marked as corrupt by the Globe: but
perhaps it is the verb from the adj. meere or "mere," which in
Elizabethan English means "entire." IIence, "he being the entire
question," i.e."
Antony, being the sole cause of the battle, ought
not to have fled."
Million'd.-"The million'd accidents of time."-Sonn. 115.
Mouthed." Mouthed graves."—Ib. 77.
Necessited.-"I bade her, if her fortunes ever stood
Necessited to help, that by this token
I would relieve her."-A. W. v. 3. 85.
i.e. "made necessitous."
Nighted (benighted). "His nighted life."-Lear, iv. 5. 13; “Thy
nighted colour."—Hamlet, i. 2. 68: i.e. "thy night-like colour.
Paled.-"Paled cheeks."-L. C. 28.
Pensived.-Ib. 31.
Pined.
"His pined cheek."—Ib. 5.
Practised (plotted against).—“The death-practised duke."
Servanted (made subservient).-Coriol. v. 2. 89.
Lear, iv. 6. 284.
Slow'd (retarded). -"I would I knew not why it should be slow'd."
R. and J. iv. I. 16.
Stranger'd (made a stranger).
"Dower'd with our curse, and
stranger'd with our oath."-Lear, i. 1. 207.
Toil'd.-"I have been so toil'd."-B. J. E. out &c. iii. 1.
Traded." Traded pilots."-Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 64.
Unlook'd (unlooked for).—Rich. III. i. 3. 214: compare look (seek).
Hen. V. iv. 7. 76.
Unsured (unassured). -"Thy now unsured assurance to the crown."
K. 7. ii. 1. 471.
Vouchsafed (?).-" To your most pregnant and vouchsafed ear.'
>>
T. N. iii. I. 190.
i. e. capable of conceiving and graciously bestowed.
Window'd (placed in a window).
"Wouldest thou be window'd in great Rome."
Woman'd (accompanied by a woman).
A. and C. iv. 14. 72.
"To have him see me woman'd."—Othello, iii 4. 195.
Year'd.-" Year'd but to thirty."-B. J. Sejan. i. I.
206
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
In many cases a participle seems preferred where an adjective
would be admissible, as "million'd." So in Tempest, v. L. 43, "the
azured vault."
"
295. Verbs Passive. With some few intransitive verbs, mostly
of motion, both be and have are still used. "He is gone," "he
has gone."
The is expresses the present state, the has the activity
necessary to cause the present state. The is is evidently quite as
justifiable as has (perhaps more so), but it has been found more con-
venient to make a division of labour, and assign distinct tasks to
is and has. Consequently is has been almost superseded by has in
all but the passive forms of transitive verbs. In Shakespearian
English, however, there is a much more common use of is with
intransitive verbs.
"My life is run his compass."—J. C. v. 3. 25.
"Whether he be scaped."—3 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 2.
""
Being sat."-L. C. st. x.
"Being deep stept in age."-ASCH. 189.
"An enter'd tide."-Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 159.
“I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy."-T. of Sh. i. I. 3.
"Pucelle is entered into Orleans.
1 Hen. VI. i. 5. 36; Cymb. v. 4. 120.
"Five hundred horse. . are marched up."
•
2 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 186.
"The king himself is rode to view their battle."
Hen. V. iv. 3. 1.
"His lordship is walk'd forth.”—2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 3.
"The noble Brutus is ascended."—7. C. iii. 2. 11.
"You now are mounted
Where powers are your retainers."-Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 112.
"I am descended of a gentler blood.”—1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 8.
66
Through his lips do throng
Weak words, so thick come (particip.) in his poor heart's aid."
R. of L. 1784
Compare our "welcome."
"How now, Sir Proteus, are you crept before us ?"
So Rich. III. i. 2. 259.
T. G. of V. iv. 1. 18.
"Prince John is this morning secretly stolen away."
M. Ado, iv. 2. 63.
VERBS, FOrms of.
207
This idion is common with words of "happening :"
And bring us word. . . how everything is chanced."
F. C. v. 4. 32; 2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 87.
"Things since then befallen.”—3 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 106.
"Of every one these happen'd accidents."-Temp. v. 1. 249.
"Sad stories chanced in the days of old."-T. A. iii. 2. 3.
Hence a participial use like "departed" in
The treachery of the two fled hence."-W. T. ii. 1. 195.
In some verbs that are both transitive and intransitive this idiom
is natural :
"You were used to say."-Coriol. iv. 1. 3.
Perhaps this is sometimes a French idiom. Thus, "I am not
purposed" (MONTAIGNE, 38), is a translation of "je ne suis pas
délibéré."
This constant use of "be" with participles of verbs of motion
may perhaps explain, by analogy, the curious use of "
the present participle in
"To whom being going."-Cymb. iii. 6. 63.
being" with
As above mentioned, the tendency to invent new active verbs
increased the number of passive to the diminution of neuter verbs:
"Poor knave, thou art o'erwatched."-F. C. iv. 3. 241.
"Be wreak'd (i.e. avenged) on him."-V. and A. So, N. P. 194.
Possess was sometimes used for to "put in possession," as in
"Possess us, possess us (T. N. ii. 3. 149) : i.e. "inform us.' So
M. of V. iv. 1. 35. Hence the play on the word.
<<
""
Deposing thee before thou wert possess'd (of the throne),
Which art possessed (with a spirit of infatuation) to destroy
thyself."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 107-8; M. of V. i. 3. 65.
We still say a man "is well read." But in Macb. i. 4. 9, there is-
"As one that had been studied in his death."
"For Clarence is well-spoken."-Rich. III. i. 3. 348.
"I am declined into the vale of years."-Othello, iii. 3. 265.
"How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot?"
i.e."you have forgotten yourself."
Ib. ii. 3. 188.
"If I had been remembered."-Rich. III. ii. 4. 22.
We still say "well-behaved," but not
"How have I been behaved."-Othello, iv 2. 108.
208
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR,
It was perhaps already considered a vulgarity, for Dogberry says
(M. Ado, iv. 2. 1):
"Is our whole dissembly appear'd?”
and in a prose scene (Coriol. iv. 3. 9)—
"Your favour is well appear'd (fol.) by your tongue.'
Perhaps, however, appear was sometimes used as an active verb.
See Cymb. iv. 2. 47, iii. 4. 148, quoted in 296.
296. Verbs Reflexive. The predilection for transitive verbs
was perhaps one among other causes why many verbs which are
now used intransitively, were used by Shakespeare reflexively.
Many of these were derived from the French.
"Advise you."-T. N. iv. 2. 102.
"Where then, alas! may I complain myself?"—Rich. II. i. 2. 42.
"Endeavour thyself to sleep."-T. N. iv. 2. 104.
"I do repent me."-Rich. II. v. 3. 52.
ઃઃ
Repose you."-16. ii. 3. 161.
"He... retired himself."—Rich. II. iv. 1. 96; Coriol. i. 3. 30,
which is in accordance with the original meaning of the word.
It has been shown above that "fear" is used transitively for
"frighten." Hence, perhaps, as in Greek poßoûμai,
"I I fear me."-2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 150.
Appear is perhaps used reflexively in
"No, no; we will hold it as a dream till it appear itself.”
"If you could wear a mind
Dark as your fortune is, and but disguise
M. Ado, i. 2. 22.
That which to appear itself must not yet be."-Cymb. iii. 4. 148.
i.e. "that which, as regards showing itself, must not yet have any
existence." Though these passages might be perhaps explained
without the reflexive use of appear, yet this interpretation is made
more probable by
"Your favour is well appear'd.”—Coriol. iv. 3. 9.
297. Verbs Impersonal. An abundance of Impersonal verbs
is a mark of an early stage in a language, denoting that a speaker has
not yet arrived so far in development as to trace his own actions and
feelings to his own agency. There are many more impersonal verbs
in Early English than in Elizabethan, and many more in Elizabethan
than in modern English. Thus-
VERBS, FORMS OF
209
It yearns me not."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 26.
"It would pity any living eye."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 6. 43.
Comp. 2 Maccabees iii. 21: It would have pitied a man.
(C
It dislikes me."-Othello, ii. 3. 49.
So "it likes me,
)) (( meseems, methinks," &c.
"Which likes me."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 77.
And therefore like is probably (not merely by derivation, but con-
sciously used as) impersonal in
"So like you, sir."—Cymb. ii. 3. 59.
Want is probably not impersonal but intransitive, "is wanting," in
"There wants no diligence in seeking him?"*-Cymb. iv. 3.20.
The singular verb is quite Shakespearian in
So in "
Though bride and bridegroom wants (are wanting)
For to supply the places at the table."-T. of Sh. iii. 2. 248.
Sufficeth my reasons are both good and weighty."-Ib. i. 1. 252.
Sufficeth I am come to keep my word."-Ib. iii. 2. 108.
the comma after "sufficeth" is superfluous;
is superfluous; "that I am come to
keep my word sufficeth."
In
"And so betide to me
As well I tender you and all of yours,"-Rich. III. ii. 4. 71.
betide may be used impersonally. But perhaps so is loosely used
as a demonstrative for "such fortune," in the same way in which as
(280) assumes the force of a relative. If betide be treated as im-
personal, befal in "fair befal you may be similarly treated, and in
that case "fair" is an adverb. But see (5). The supposition that
"betide" is impersonal and "fair" an adverb is confirmed by "Well
be (it) with you, gentlemen."-Hamlet, ii. 2. 398.
The impersonal needs (which must be distinguished from the
adverbial genitive needs) often drops the s; partly, perhaps, because
of the constant use of the noun need. It is often found with "what,"
where it is sometimes hard to say whether "what" is an adverb and
need a verb, or (" what an adjective and need a noun.
"What need the bridge much broader than the flood?"
M. Ado, i. I. 318.
"what need is there
either "why need the bridge (be) broader?" or
(that) the bridge (be) broader ?”
Sec 193.
P
210
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Comp. the old use of "thinketh" (seemeth):
Where it thinks best unto your royal self."-Rich. III. iii. 1. 63.
The Folio has thinkst: and perhaps this is the true reading, there
being a confusion between "it thinks" and "thinkest thou."
pare
thinkst thee" in
Com-
"Doth it not, thinkst thee, stand me now upon ?"-IIamlet, v. 2. 63.
The impersonal and personal uses of think were often confused.
Chapman (Walker) has "methink." S seems to have been added
to assimilate the termination to that of "methinks" in " methoughts"
(W. T. i. 2. 154; Rich. III. i. 4. 9).
It is not easy, perhaps not possible, to determine whether, in the
phrase so please your highness," please is used impersonally or
not; for on the one hand we find, “So please him come,
and on the other,
"If they please.”—W. T. ii. 3. 142.
""
(F. C. iii. 1. 140);
"I do repent: but Heaven hath pleased it so."-Ham. iii. 4. 173.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
298. Be, Beest, &c., was used in A.-S. (beon) generally in a
future sense. Hence, since the future and subjunctive are closely
connected in meaning, be assumed an exclusively subjunctive use; and
this was so common, that we not merely find "if it be" (which
might represent the proper inflected subjunctive of be), but also "if
thou beest," where the indicative is used subjunctively.
"If, after three days' space, thou here beest found."
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 295.
(( Beest thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes."—A. and C. i. 5. 59.
And (Mätzner, vol. i. p. 367), bee, beest, bec, pl. bee, is stated by
Wallis to be the regular form of the subjunctive. Hence, from the
mere force of association, be is often used (after though, if, and other
words that often take the subjunctive) without having the full force
of the subjunctive. Indeed any other verb placed in the same
context would be used in the indicative.
Thus :
66
Though Page be a secure (careless) fool, and stands so firmly on
his wife's frailty."-M. W. of W. ii. 1. 242.
"If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away
And, when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes."—Ham.v.2.245,
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
211
"If he be a whoremonger and comes before him,
He were as good go a mile on his errand."-M. for M. iii. 2. 38.
299. Be in questions and dependent sentences.
So, as a rule, it will be found that be is used with some notion of
doubt, question, thought, &c.; for instance, (a) in questions, and
(6) after verbs of thinking.
(a) "Be my horses ready?”—Lear, i. 5. 36.
"Be the players ready?"—Hamlet, iii. 2. 111.
This is especially frequent in questions of appeal:
"Where be his quiddities?"—Hamlet, v. 1. 107.
"Where be thy brothers ?"-Rich. III. iv. 4. 92.
"Where be the bending knees that flatter'd thee?
Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee?"
Ib. iv. 4. 95-6.
And in questions implying doubt, e.g. "where can they be?"
"Where be these bloody thieves?"-Othello, v. 1. 64.
Partly, perhaps, by attraction to the previous be, partly owing to
the preceding where, though not used interrogatively, we have
"Truths would be tales,
Where now half-tales be truths."-A. and C. ii. 2. 137.
(b) "I think it be, sir; I deny it not."-C. of E. v. 1. 379.
"I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell. —1 Hen. VI. ii, 1. 46.
"I think he be transformed into a beast."-A. Y. L. ii. 7. 1.
"I think it be no other but even so."-Hamlet, i. 1. 108.
So I Hen. IV. ii. 1. 12; T. G. of V. ii. 3. 6.
Be expresses more doubt than is after a verb of thinking. In the
following, the Prince thinks it certain that it is past midnight, the
Sheriff thinks it may possibly be two o'clock:
"Prince. I think it is good morrow, is it not?
Sheriff. Indeed, my lord, I think it be two o'clock.”
I Hen. IV. ii. 4. 573.
Very significant is this difference in the speech of the doubtful
Othello-
'I think my wife be honest, and think she is not,"
Othello, iii. 3. 384.
where the is is emphatic and the line contains the extra dramatic
syllable. Be is similarly used by a jealous husband after "hope:"
"Ford. Well, I hope it be not so."-M. W. of W. ii. 1. 113,
where the hope is mixed with a great deal of doubt.
Р 3
212
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"I kissed it (the bracelet):
I hope it be not gone to tell my lord
That I kiss aught but he,"-Cymb. ii. 3. 153.
where, though the latter part is of course fanciful, there is a real
fear that the bracelet may be lost.
Also, in a dependent sentence like the following:
"Prove true
That I, dear brother, be now ta'en for you."-T. N. iii. 4. 410.
Be follows "when," as "where" above, especially where when
alludes to a future possibility.
In
Haply a woman's voice may do some good
When articles too nicely urged be stood on."-Hen. V.v. 2.93.
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we,
For such as we are made, of such we be,"-T. N. ii. 2. 33.
it can scarcely be asserted that "for" is "for that" or "because."
It is more probable that the scene originally ended there, and that
Shakespeare used be in order to get the rhyme, which so often termi-
nates a scene.
300. Be is much more common with the plural than the singular.
Probably only this fact, and euphony, can account for
"When blood is nipp'd and ways be foul."-L. L. L. v. 2. 926.
In "When he sees reason of fears, as we do, his fears out of
doubt be of the same relish as ours,”—Hen. V. iv. 1. 113.
the be may partly be explained as not stating an independent fact,
but a future event, dependent on the clause "when," &c. Partly,
perhaps, "out of doubt" is treated like "there is no doubt that,"
and he follows in a kind of dependent clause.
Be is also used to refer to a number of persons, considered not
individually, but as a kind or class.
"O, there be players that I have seen play, and heard others
praise, and that highly, that," &c.-Hamlet, iii. 2. 32; ib. 44.
"There be some sports are painful."-Tempest, iii. 1. 1.
But it cannot be denied that the desire of euphony or variety
Jeems sometimes the only reason for the use of be or are.
Where is thy husband now? Where be thy brothers?
Where are thy children ?"-Rich. III. iv. 4. 92.
301. Were. What has been said above of be applies to were,
that it is often used as the subjunctive where any other verb would
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
213
not be so used, and indeed where the subjunctive is unnecessary
or wrong, after "if," "though," &c., and in dependent sentences.
In early authors there seems to have been a tendency to use
should for shall, and were for be after "that" in subordinate sen-
tences : "Go we fast that we were there." "Let us pray that he
would." "My will is that it were so. In these sentences a wish
is implied, and were, perhaps, indicates the desire that the wish
should be fulfilled, not hereafter, but at once, as a thing of the past.
“I am a rogue, if I were not at half-sword with a dozen of them
two hours together." -1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 182.
"If there were anything in thy pocket but tavern reckonings,
I am a villain.”—1 Hen. IV. iii. 3. 180.
What if we do omit
This reprobate till he were well inclined?”—M. for M. iv. 3. 78.
In some of these passages there may be traced, perhaps, a change
of thought: "I am a rogue (that is, I should be), if it were true
that I was not," &c. "What if we omit (what if we were to omit)
this reprobate till he were well inclined ?"
"Duchess. I pray thee, pretty York, who told thee this?
York. Grandam, his nurse.
Duchess. His nurse! Why, she was dead ere thou wert born.
York. If 'twere not she, I cannot tell who told me.
"If ever Bassianus, Cæsar's son,
"}
Rich. III. ii. 4. 34.
Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome,
Keep then this passage to the Capitol."-T. A. i. 1. 11.
Comp. 2 Hen. IV. v. 2. 85; A. and C. i. 3. 41.
"No marvel, then, though he were.ill-affected."—Lear, ii. 1. 100.
where the meaning is: "It is no wonder, then, that he was a traitor,"
and no doubt or future meaning is implied.
Somewhat similar is an idiom common in good authors even
now: "It is not strange that he should have succeeded," for the
shorter and simpler, "It is not strange that he succeeded."
•
'Lamachus, .. whom they sent hither, though he were waxen
now somewhat old."-N. P. 172.
So, but with a notion of concession,
"And though (granting that) he were unsatisfied in getting,
Which was a sin, yet in bestowing, madam,
He was most princely."—Hen. VIII. iv. 2. 55.
214
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"If it were so it was a grievous fault."-F. C. iii. 2. 84.
So, beginning with certainty :
'She that was ever fair and never proud."-Othello, ii. 1. 149
and ending with doubt :
think :"
"She was a wight, if ever such wight were."--Ib. ii. 1. 159.
In dependent sentences even after "know," as well as
I would I had thy inches: thou shouldst know
There were a heart in Egypt.”—A. and C. i. 3. 41.
"Which of your friends have I not strove to love,
("
Although I knew he were mine enemy."-Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 31.
‘Imagine 'twere the right Vincentio."-T. of Sh. iv. 4. 12.
"As who should say in Rome no justice were."—T. A. iv. 3. 20.
"But that it eats our victuals, I should think
Here were a fairy."-Cymb. iii. 6. 42.
"He will lie, sir, with such volubility that you would think truth
were a fool."-A. W. iv. 3. 285.*
*
302. Were is used after "while" in
"If they would yield us but the superfluity while it were whole-
some."-Coriol. i. 1. 18.
and, still more remarkably, after "until," referring to the past, in
"It hath been taught us from the primal state
That he which is, was wish'd until he were.
The following is contrary to
attraction:
A. and C. i. 4. 42.
our usage, though a natural
"And they it were that ravished our sister."-T. A. v. 3. 99.
for "it was they." See 425 at end.
Can. See May, 307.
303. Do, Did: original use.
In Early as in modern English,
the present and past indefinite of the indicative were generally repre-
sented by inflected forms, as “He comes,""He came," without the aid
of do or did. Do was then used only in the sense of "to cause,"
"to
to make," &c.
" &c.; and in this sense was followed by an infinitive.
* In this and many other instances the verb in the second clause may be at-
tracted into the subjunctive by the subjunctive in the first clause.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
215
"They have done her understonde."-GOWER.*
i.e. "they have caused her to understand."
Similarly it is used like the French "faire" or "laisser" with the
ellipsis of the person who is "caused" to do the action, thus-
i e.
"Do stripen me and put me in a sakke,
And in the nexte river do me drenche."
CHAUCER, Marchante's Tale, 10,074
me."
cause (some one) to strip me to drench me.
In the same way "let" is repeatedly used in Early English :
"He let make Sir Kay seneschal of England.”—Morte d'Arthur.
where a later author might have written "he did make."
Gradually the force of the infinitive inflection en was weakened
and forgotten; thus "do stripen" became "do strip," and do was
used without any notion of causation.†
Sometimes do is reduplicated, as :
And thus he did do slen hem alle three."-CHAUCER, C. T. 7624.
or used with "let,” as in
"He let the feste of his nativitee
Don crien."-Chaucer, C. T. 10,360.
The verb was sometimes used transitively with an objective
noun, as:
"He did thankingys."—WICKLIFFE, St. Matt. xv. 36.
and so in Shakespeare in
"Do me some charity."—Lear, iii. 4. 61.
"This fellow did the third (daughter) a blessing."
Lear, i. 4. 115.
"Do my good-morrow to them."-Hen. V. iv. 1. 26.
"To do you salutation from his master."
J. C. iv. 2. 5; Rich. III. v. 3. 210.
"After the last enchantment you did here.”—T. N. iii. 1. 123.
and in the words "to don," i.c. "put on," and " dout," 1.2.
“put out.”
But as a rule do had become a mere auxiliary, so that we even
find it an auxiliary to itself, as in
"Who does do you wrong?"-T. N. v. 1. 143.
* Quoted from Richardson's Dictionary.
+ The question may arise why do was preterred to let as an auxiliary verb.
Probably the ambiguity of let, which meant both "suffer" and "hinder," was
an obstacle to its general use.
216
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
304. Do, did. How used by Shakespeare
In St. Matt.
xv. 37, Wickliffe has "and alle eten;" Tyndal, &c., "all dia
eat." It is probable that one reason for inserting the did here was
the similarity between the present and past of "eat," and the desire
to avoid ambiguity. In the following verse, however, Wickliffe has
'etun," Tyndal "ate," and the rest "did eat." This shows how
variable was the use of did in the sixteenth century, and what slight
causes determined its use or non-use. The following passage in
connection with the above would seem to show that did was joined
to eat to avoid ambiguity, and when it was not joined to other
verbs:
"And the Peloponnesians did eat it up while the Byzantines
died."-N. P. 180.
It can hardly be denied that in such lines as
It lifted up it (so Folio) head, and did address
Itself to motion,"—Hamlet, i. 2. 216.
the did is omitted in the first verb and inserted in the second simply
for the sake of the metre. Did is commonly used in excited
narrative:
"Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets."
F. C. ii. 2. 23.
"The sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets.
Hamlet, i. 1. 116.
But in both the above passages the inflection in -ed is also used.
305. Verbs: "Do" omitted before
" Not." In Early
English the tenses were represented by their inflections, and there
was no need of the auxiliary "do."
"do." As the inflections were dis-
used, “do” came into use, and was frequently employed by Eliza-
bethan authors. They, however, did not always observe the modern
rule of using the auxiliary whenever not precedes the verb.
"I not doubt."-Temp. ii. 1. 121.
"Whereof the ewe not bites."—Ib. v. I. 38.
"It not belongs to you."-2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 98.
"It not appears to me."-Ib. 107.
"Ilear you bad writers and though you not sec."
Thus-
BEAUMONT on B. J
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
217
"On me whose all not equals Edward's moiety."
Rich. III. i. 2. 259.
"Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not please."
Less commonly in a subordinate sentence
B. J. on Shakespeare.
“I beseech you . . . that you not delay."-Coriol. i. 6. 60.
Later, a rule was adopted that either the verb, or the auxiliary part
of it, must precede the negative: "I doubt not," or "I do not
doubt." Perhaps this may be explained as follows. The old
English negative was "ne." It came before the verb, and was
often supplemented by a negative adverb "nawicht," nawt,"
"noht" (which are all different forms of "no whit" or "naught"),
coming after the verb.
"His hors was good, but he ne was not gaie.
CHAUCER, C. T. 74.
(Compare in French "ne... pas," in Latin, "non (nenu)," i. e. "ne...
unum.") In the fifteenth century (Mätzner) this reduplication began
to pass out of fashion. In Shakespeare's time it had been forgotten;
but, perhaps, we may trace its influence in the double negative
"nor will not," &c., which is common in his works.
"Vex not yourself, nor strive not with your breath."
Rich. II. ii. 1. 3.
Possibly the idiom now under consideration is also a result of the
Early English idiom. The not, which had ousted the old dual nega-
tive "ne" .."not," may have been thought entitled to a place
either before or after the verb. Latin, moreover, would tend in the
same direction. It must further be remembered that not is now less
emphatic than it was, when it retained the meaning of "naught” or
"no-whit." We can say, "I in-no-way trust you, or, perhaps,
even "I no-whit trust you," but not is too unemphatic to allow us to
Say "I not trust you." Hence the "do" is now necessary to
receive a part of the emphasis.
Not is sometimes found in E. E. and A.-S. between the subject
and the verb, especially in subordinate sentences where the not,
"no-whit," is emphatic.
306. Do, Did, omitted and inserted. In modern English
prose there is now an established rule for the insertion and omission
of do and did. They are inserted in negative and interrogative
sentences, for the purpose of including the " not" or the subject of
218
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
the interrogation between the two parts of the verb, so as to avoid
ambiguity. Thus: "Do our subjects revolt?" "Do not forbid him."
They are not inserted except for the purpose of unusual emphasis in
indicative sentences such as "I remember." In Elizabethan English
no such rule had yet been established, and we find
"Revolt our subjects?"-Rich. II. iii. 2. 100.
"Forbid him not."-Mark ix. 39. E. V.
On the other hand-
"I do remember."-T. N. iii. 3. 48.
This licence of omission sometimes adds much to the beauty and
vigour of expression.
"Gives not the hawthorn-bush a sweeter shade?"
is far more natural and vigorous than
3 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 42.
Does not the hawthorn-bush give sweeter shade ?"
307. Can, May, Might. May originally meant “to be able ”
(E. E. "mag;" A.-S. magan ;" German " mögen "). A trace
of this meaning exists in the noun "might," which still means
"ability." Thus we find
"I am so hungry that I may (can) not slepe."
CHAUCER, Monke's Tale, 14, 744
"Now help me, lady, sith ye may and can.
Knighte's Tale, 2,314.
""
In the last passage may means
"can," and " ye can means "ye
have knowledge or skill." This, the original meaning of "can," is
found, though very rarely, in Shakespeare:
"I've seen myself and served against the French,
And they can well on horseback."-Hamlet, iv. 7. 85.
i.e. they are well skilled."
"And the priest in surplice white
That defunctive music can."-Phenix and Turtle, 14.
And perhaps in
"The sum of all I can, I have disclosed;
Why or for what these nobles were committed
Is all unknown to me, my gracious lady."
"The strong'st suggestion
Rich. III. ii. 4. 16.
Our worser genius can."-Tempest, iv 1 27.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
219
A trace of this emphatic use of can is found in
"What can man's wisdom
In the restoring his bereaved sense?"-Lear, iv. 4. 8.
But, as "can" (which even in A.-S. meant "I know how to" and
therefore "I am able ") gradually began to encroach on may, and to
assume the meaning "to be able," may was compelled to migrate
from "ability" to "possibility" and "lawfulness." Thus "mögen"
signifies moral, "können" physical, possibility. In the following
passage:
"From hence it comes that this babe's bloody hand
"}
can or
May not be cleansed with water of this well,"-F. Q. ii. 10.
it is not easy at once to determine whether may means
"is destined," "must," "ought." Hence we are prepared for the
transition which is illustrated thus by Bacon :*
"For what he may do is of two kinds, what he may do as just
and what he may do as possible.'
308. May in "I may come " is therefore ambiguous, since it
may signify either "lawfulness," as in "I may come if I like," or
possibility," as in "I may come, but don't wait for me." In the
latter sentence the "possibility" is transposed so as to include the
whole sentence "it is possible that I may come,” just as—
'He needs not our mistrust,"-Macb. iii. 3. 2.
means "it is not necessary that we should mistrust him."
309. May is used with various shades of the meaning of "per-
mission," "possibility," &c. :
"He shall know you better, sir, if I may live to report you."
M. for M. iii. 2. 172.
i.e. "if I am permitted by heaven to live long enough."
It is a modest way of stating what ought to be well known, in
"If you may please to think I love the king."—W. T. iv. 4. 532.
"A score of ewes may be worth ten pounds. -2 Hen. IV. iii. 2.57.
2.e. is possibly worth ten pounds.” May be" is often thus used
almost adverbially for possibly.
In
"Season your admiration for awhile
Till I may deliver,"-Hamlet, i. 2. 193.
Play means
can,
"have time to."
"May (can) it be possible?"-Hen. V. ii. 2. 100.
*
Quoted from Todd's "Johnson.”
220
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
310. May with a Negative. Thus far Elizabethan and
modern English agree; but when a negative is introduced, a diver-
gence appears.
In "I may not-come" may would with us mean "possibility," and
the "not" would be connected with "come" instead of may; "my
not-coming is a possibility." On the other hand, the Elizabethans
frequently connect the "not" with may," and thus with them "I
may-not come" might mean "I can-not or must-not come." Thus
may is parallel to " must" in the following passage :—
"Yet I must not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop."-Macb. iii. 1. 122.
Probably this disuse of may in " 'may not" (in the sense of
must not ") may be explained by the fact that "
may not "
implies compulsion, and may has therefore been supplanted in this
sense by the more compulsory must."
311. May used for the old subjunctive in the sense of
purpose.
If we compare Wickliffe's with the sixteenth-century Versions
of the New Testament, it appears that, in the interval, the sub-
junctive had lost much of its force, and consequently the use of
auxiliary verbs to supply the place of the subjunctive had largely
increased.
In 1 Cor. iv. 8, Wickliffe has, "And I wold that ye regne,
that also we regnen with you," where the later Versions, "And
I would to God that ye did reign, that we also might reign." So
also Cel. i. 28: "Techynge eche man in al wisdom; that we
offre eche man perfight," where the rest have "that we may offer”
or to offer." So ib. 25, "that I fille the word of God” for “that I
may fulfil.”
But may is found very early used with its modal force
The subjunctive of purpose is found in—
፡፡
"Go bid thy mistress . . . she strike upon the bell.”—Macb. ii. I. 31.
'Sir, give me this water that I thirst not.”—St. John iv. 15.
"He wills you, in the name of God Almighty,
That you divest yourself."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 78.
But it was not easy to distinguish the subjunctive representing an
* So in ante-Elizabethan English, and in Spenser, we find "nill," "not," for
"will not, 9) 66 wot not, nam for "am not," &c. Cannot" is also a trace
of the close connection between the verb and the accompanying negative.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
221
"
object, from the indicative representing a fact, since both were used
after that," and there was nothing but their inflections (which
are similar in the plural) to distinguish the two. The following is
an instance of the indicative following "that :"
"But freshly looks and over-bears attaint
With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty,
That every wretch pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks."
Hen. V. iv. Prologue, 39.
"
Hence arose the necessity, as the subjunctive inflections lost their
force, of inserting some word denoting "possibility" or "futurity
to mark the subjunctive of purpose. "Will" is apparently used in
this sense as follows:-
"Therefore in fierce tempest is he coming,
In thunder and in earthquake like a Jove,
That, if requiring fail, he will compel."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 101.
But, as a rule, may was used for the present subjunctive and might
for the past, according to present usage.
"That" is omitted in
"Direct mine arms I may embrace his neck."-1 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 37.
i.e. "that I
may embrace."
In "Lord marshal, command our officers at arms
Be ready to direct these home alarms,"—Rich. II. i. 1. 204–5.
it is doubtful whether "be" is the subjunctive or the infinitive with
"to" omitted (349). I prefer the former hypothesis, supplying
"that" after "command." Compare
"Some one take order Buckingham be brought
To Salisbury."-Rich. III. iv. 4. 539.
So "that" is omitted before "shall :"
"The queen hath heartily consented he shall espouse Elizabeth."
Rich. III. iv. 5. 18.
312. Might, the past tense of may, was originally used in the
sense of was able
"could."
or
"He was of grete elde and might not travaile."-R. BRUNNE.
So "That mought not be distinguish'd."-3 Hen. VI. v. 2. 45.
"So loving to my mother,
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly."-Hamlet, i. 2. 141.
ie. "could not bring himself to allow the winds," &c.
222
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
It answers to "can" in the following
"
Ang. Look, what I will not that I cannot do.
Isah. But might you do't, and do the world no wrong?
M. for M. ii. 2. 52.
"Might you not know she would do as she has done ?"
A. W. iii. 4. 2.
i.e. "Could you not know."
"I might not this believe
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes."-Hamlet, i. 1. 56.
"But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft quench'd in the chaste
beams of the wat'ry moon."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 161.
In that day's feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He proved best man i' the field.”—Coriol. ii. 2. 100.
i.e. "when he was young enough to be able to play the part of a
woman on the stage."
Might naturally followed may through the above-mentioned
changes. Care must be taken to distinguish between the indicative
and the conditional use of might. "How might that be?" (indica-
tive) would mean "How was it possible for that to take place?"
On the other hand, "How might that be?" (subjunctive) would mean
"How would it be possible hereafter that this should take place?
The same ambiguity still attends "could.” Thus "How could
I thus forget myself yesterday!" but "How could I atone to-morrow
for my forgetfulness yesterday?”
313. May, Might, like other verbs in Elizabethan English, are
frequently used optatively. We still use may thus, as in "May he
prosper!" but seldom or never might. But it is clear that—
"Would I might
But ever see that man,"-Temp. i. 2. 168.
naturally passes into " Might I but see that man," Thus we have-
"Lord worshipped might he be.”—M. of V. ii. 2. 98.
314. Must (E. E. moste) is the past tense of the E. E. present
tense mot, which means "he is able,"
"he is able," "he is obliged." From
meaning "he had power to do it," or "might have done it," the
word came to mean "ought," and it is by us generally used with
a notion of compulsion. But it is sometimes used by Shakespeare to
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
223
mean no more than definite futurity, like our "is to" in “He
is to be here to-morrow."
"He must fight singly to-morrow with Hector, and is so pro-
phetically proud of an heroical cudgelling that he raves in saying
nothing."-Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 247.
So, or nearly so, probably in
"Descend, for you must be my sword-bearer."
M. of V. ii. 6. 40.
And somewhat similar, without the notion of compulsion, is the use
in M. of V. iv. 1. 182; M. N. D. ii. 1. 72.
So
It seems to mean "is, or was, destined" in
"And I must be from thence."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 212.
"A life which must not yield
To one of woman born."—Ib. v. 8. 12.
315, Shall. Shall for will. Shall meaning "to owe" is con-
nected with "ought,"
"*"it is destined."
Thus,
""" must,
"If then we shall shake off our slavish yoke,
Imp out our drooping country's broken wing,
Away with me. "-Rich. II. ii. 2. 291.
i.e. "if we are to, ought to."
"Fair Jessica shall be my torch-bearer."-M. of V. ii. 4. 40.
i.e. "is to be.
"}
Hence shall was used by the Elizabethan authors with all three
persons to denote inevitable futurity without reference to "will"
(desire).
If much you note him,
You shall offend him and extend his passion."—Macb. iii. 4. 57.
i.e. "you are sure to offend him.”
So probably,
"Nay, it will please him well, Kate, it shall (is sure to) please him."
"My country
Hen. V. v. 2. 369.
Shall have more vices than it had before."--Macb. iv. 3. 47.
"And, if I die, no man shall pity me."-Rich. III. v. 3. 201.
ie. "it is certain that no man will pity me.
* “Thou shalt not,” &c
"
224
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
There is no notion of compulsion on the part of the person
speaking in
"They shall (are sure to) be apprehended by and by."
Hen. V. ii. 2. 2
"If they do this (conquer),
As, if please God, they shall (are destined to do).”
Hen. V. iv. 3. 120.
The notion of necessity, must, seems to be conveyed in
"He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven,
And fire us hence like foxes."-Lear, v. 3. 22.
"He shall wear his crown,"-J. C. i. 3. 87.
shall means "is to." So in
In
"Your grace shall understand.”—M. of V. iv. 1. 149.
"What is he that shall (is to) buy?"—A. Y. L. ii. 4. 88.
"Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes.
i.e. "men cannot help making r.istakes.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 292.
"He that escapes me without some broken limb shall (must, will
have to), acquit him well."-A. Y. L. i. 1. 134.
"K. Desire them all to my pavilion.
Glost. We shall, my lord."-Hen. V. iv. 1. 27.
In the last passage, “I shall" has a trace of its old meaning, “I
ought:" or perhaps there is a mixture of "I am bound to " and
"I am sure to." Hence it is often used in the replies of inferiors to
superiors.
King Henry. Collect them all together at my tent :
I'll be before thee.
Erpingham. I shall do't, my lord."-Hen. V. iv. 1. 305.
"Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do so."
M. N. D. ii. 1. 268.
So A. W. v. 3. 27; A. and C. iii. 12. 36, iv. 6. 3, v. I. 3;
Hen. V. iv. 3. 126; M. for M. iv. 4. 21; A. and C. v. I. 68.
"" ""
"You shall see, find," &c., was especially common in the mean-
ing "you may,' 'you will," applied to that which is of common
occurrence, or so evident that it cannot but be seen.
"You shall mark
Many a duteous and knee-crooking slave,
That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
Wears out his time. Whip me such honest knaves."
Othello, i. I. 440.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
225
Shall is sometimes colloquially or provincially abbreviated into
se, s:
"Thou's hear our counsel."-R. and J. i. 3. 9.
"I'se try."-Lear, iv. 6. 246. (See 461.)
316. Will. You will. He will. Later, a reluctance to apply
a word meaning necessity and implying compulsion* to a person
addressed (second person), or spoken of (third person), caused post-
Elizabethan writers to substitute will for shall with respect to the
second and third persons, even where no will at all, i.e. no purpose,
is expressed, but only futurity. Thus will has to do duty both as
will proper, implying purpose, and also as will improper, implying
merely futurity. Owing to this unfortunate imposition of double
work upon will, it is sometimes impossible to determine, except
from emphasis or from the context, whether will signifies purpose
or mere futurity. Thus (1) "He will come, I cannot prevent
him," means He wills (or is determined) to come;" but (2) "He
will come, though unwillingly," means "His coming is certain."
Will is seldom used without another verb:
"I will no reconcilement."-Hamlet, v. 2. 258.
So in "I will none of it." - (See 321.)
317. Shall. You shall. He shall. On the other hand shall,
being deprived by will of its meaning of futurity, gradually took up
the meaning of compulsory necessity imposed by the first person on
the second or third. Thus: "You shall not go,
go," or even You
shall find I am truly grateful." (Not "you will find," but "I
will so act that you shall perforce find," &c.)
The prophetic shall (“it shall come to pass ") which is so common
in the Authorized Version of the Bible, probably conveyed to the ori-
ginal translators little or nothing more than the meaning of futurity.
But now with us the prophetic shall implies that the prophet iden-
tifies himself with the necessity which he enunciates. Thus the
Druid prophesying the fall of Rome to Boadicea says—
"Rome shall perish."-COWPER.
* Coriol. iii. 1. 90, "Mark you his absolute shall." A similar feeling sug.
gested the different methods of expressing an imperative in Latin and Greek
and the substitution of the optative with av for the future in Greek.
Q
226
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
--
318. Shall. I shall. When a person speaks of his own future
actions as inevitable, he often regards them as inevitable only
because fixed by himself. Hence "I shall not forgive you means
simply, "I have fixed not to forgive you ;" but "I shall be
drowned," "My drowning is fixed." (See 315.)
319. Will. "I will." Some passages which are quoted to prove
that Shakespeare used will with the first person without implying
wish, desire, &c., do not warrant such an inference.
In Hamlet, v. 2. 183, "I will win for him, if I can; if not, I will
gain nothing but my shame and the odd hits," the will is probably
used by attraction with a jesting reference to the previous "will :”
"My purpose is to win if I can, or, if not, to gain shame and the
odd hits."
1.e.
"
There is no hope that ever I will stay
""
If the first hour I shrink and run away. -1 Hen. VI. iv. 5. 30.
"There is no hope of my ever being willing to stay.”
"I'll do well yet."-Coriol. iv. 1. 21.
i.e. "I intend to do well yet.'
"
"I will not reason what is meant hereby,
Because I will (desire to) be guiltless of the meaning."
Rich. III. i. 4. 95.
In "I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand
than he shall get one on his cheek," -2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 23.
there is a slight meaning of purpose, as though it were, "I will
sooner make a beard grow," derived from the similarity in sound
of the common phrase "I will sooner die, starve, than, &c."
In "Good argument, I hope, we will not fly,"-Hen. V. iv. 3. 113.
the meaning appears to be "good argument, I hope, that we have
no intention of flying."
There is a difficulty in the expression "perchance I will;" but,
from its constant recurrence, it would seem to be a regular idiom.
Compare the following passages :—
Perchance, Iago, I will ne'er go home."-Othello, v. 2. 197.
"Perchance I will be there as soon as you."-C. of E. iv. 1. 39.
Perhaps I will return immediately.”—M. of V. ii. 5. 52.
In all these passages "perchance" precedes, and the meaning seems
to be in the last example, for instance: "My purpose may, perhaps,
be fulfilled," and "my purpose is to return immediately," or, in
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
227
other words, "If possible, I intend to return immediately." In
all these cases, the "perhaps" stands by itself. It does not qualify
"will," but the whole of the following sentence.
In "I will live to be thankful to thee for't,”—T. N. iv. 2. 88.
the will refers, not to live, but to "live-to-be-thankful," and the
sentence means "I purpose in my future life to prove my thank-
fulness.'
320. Will is sometimes used with the second person (like the
Greek optative with av) to signify an imperative. It is somewhat
ironical, like our "You will be kind enough to be quiet." Perhaps
originally an ellipsis, as in Greek, was consciously understood,
"You will be quiet (if you are wise),” &c.
In
"You'll leave your noise anon, ye rascals."-Hen. VIII. v. 4. 1.
"Gloucester, thou wilt answer this before the pope,"
I Hen. VI. i. 3. 52.
there is no imperative, but there is irony.
On the other hand, "you will," perhaps, means "you are willing
and prepared" in:
"Portia. You know I say nothing to him : he hath neither Latin,
French, nor Italian, and you will come into court and swear that
I have a poor pennyworth in the English."-M. of V. i. 2. 75.
321. Will, with the third person.
Difficult passages.
The following is a perplexing passage :—
'If it will not be (i.e. if you will not leave me) I'll leave you."
M. Ado, ii. 1. 208.
Here the meaning seems to be "if it is not to be otherwise," and
in Elizabethan English we might expect shall. But probably "it"
represents fate, and, as in the phrase, come what will," the future
is personified: "If fate will not be as I would have it." And this
explains
"What shall become of (as the result of) this? What will this
do?"-M. Ado, iv. I. 211.
The indefinite unknown consequence is not personified, the
definite project is personified. "What is destined to result from this
project? What does this project intend to do for us?"
"My eye will scarcely see it,"—Hen. V. ii. 2. 104.
means can scarcely be induced to see it."
""
Q 2
228
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
He will" means "he will have it that," "he pretends,” in
"This is a riddling merchant for the nonce;
He will be here, and yet he is not here."- -1 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 58.
"She'll none of me,”—T. N. i. 3. 113.
In
"
"will" means "desires," cc none'
regards" (173), "to do with."
'nothing," and
of "
"ag
322. Should. Should is the past tense of shall, and underwent
the same modifications of meaning as shall. Hence should is not
now used with the second person to denote mere futurity, since it
suggests a notion, if not of compulsion, at least of bounden duty.
But in a conditional phrase, "If you should refuse," there can
be no suspicion of compulsion. We therefore retain this use of
should in the conditional clause, but use would in the consequent
clause :
"If you should refuse, you would do wrong."
On the other hand, Shakespeare used should in both clauses:
"You should refuse to perform your father's will if you should
refuse to accept him."-M. of V. i. 2. 100.
And should is frequently thus used to denote contingent futurity.
They told me here, at dead time of the night,
Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins,
Would make such fearful and confused cries,
As any mortal body hearing it
-
Should straight fall mad."-7. A. ii. 3. 102, 104.
Would " were in the habit." Comp. épíλovr.
ἐφίλους.
"(In that case) Strength should be lord of imbecility,
And the rude son should strike the father dead;
Force should be right.”—Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 114.
323. Should for ought. Should, the past tense, not being so
imperious as shall, the present, is still retained in the sense of ought,
applying to all three persons. In the Elizabethan authors, however,
it was more commonly thus used, often where we should use ought:
"You should be women;
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so."—Macbeth, i. 3. 45.
"So should he look that seems to speak things strange,"
"I should report that which I say I saw,
But know not how to do it."-Ib. v. 5. 31.
ſb. i. 2. 46.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
229
Why 'tis an office of discovery, love,
And I should be obscured."-M. of V. ii. 6. 44.
i.e. "A torch-bearer's office reveals (439) the face, and mine ought to
be hidden."
324. Should is sometimes used as though it were the past tense
of a verb "shall," meaning "is to," not quite "ought." Compare
the German "sollen."
About his son that should (was to) have married a shepherd's
daughter."- W. T. iv. 4. 795.
"The Senate heard them and received them curteously, and the
people the next day should (were to) assemble in counsell to give
them audience."-N. P. Alcibiades, 170.
In the following, should is half-way between the meaning of
ought" and "
was to." The present, shall, or "am to," might
be expected; but there is perhaps an implied past tense, "I (you
said) was to knock you."
Petruchio. And rap me well, or I'll knock your knave's pate.
Grumio. My master is grown quarrelsome: I should knock you,
And then I know after who comes by the worse.
""
T. of Sh. i. 1. 131.
325. Should was hence used in direct questions about the past,
where shall was used about the future. Thus, "How shall the
enemy break in ?" i.e. "How is the enemy to break in?" became,
when referred to the past, "How was the enemy to break in ?”
"I was employ'd in passing to and fro
About relieving of the sentinels.
Then how or which way should they first break in ?"
1 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 71.
"What should this mean?"—Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 160.
i.e. “what was this (destined, likely) to mean?" It seems to in-
crease the emphasis of the interrogation, since a doubt about the
past (time having been given for investigation) implies more per-
plexity than a doubt about the future. So we still say, "Who could
it be?" "How old might you be?"
"What should be in that Cæsar?"-7. C. i. 2. 142.
i.e. “what could there be," "what might there be. "Shall," "may,"
and the modern "can," are closely connected in meaning.
"Where should he have this gold ?”—T. of A. iv. 3. 395.
230
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
In the following instance, should depends upon a verb in the
present; but the verb follows the dependent clause, which may,
therefore, be regarded as practically an independent question.
"What it should be... I cannot dream of."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 7.
But also
"Put not yourself into amazement how should these things be."
M. for M. iv. 2. 220.
326. Should was used in a subordinate sentence after a simple
past tense, where shall was used in the subordinate sentence
after a simple present, a complete present, or a future. Hence
we may expect to find should more common in Elizabethan
writers than with us, in proportion as shall was also more common.
We say "I will wait till he comes," and very often, also, "I in-
tended to wait till he came." The Elizabethans more correctly, "I
will wait till he shall come ;" and therefore, also, "I intended to
wait till he should come. Thus, since it was possible to say "I
ask that I shall slay him," Wickliffe could write "They axeden of
Pilate that thei schulden sle hym" (Acts xiii. 28); “They aspiden
hym that thei schulden fynde cause (Luke vi. 7). In both cases
we should now say "might."
So
""
""
"She replied,
It should be better he became her guest."-A. and C. ii. 2. 226.
"Thou knew'st too well
My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings,
And thou shouldst tow me after."—Ib. iii. 11. 58.
The verb need not be expressed, as in
"A lioness lay crouching. with cat-like watch,
•
•
When that the sleeping man should stir."—A. Y. L. iv. 2. 117.
'She has a poison which shall kill you," becomes
"She did confess she had
For you a mortal mineral, which being took
Should by the minute feed on life."-Cymb. v. 5. 51.
This perhaps explains
Why, 'tis well known that whiles I was protector,
Pity was all the fault that was in me,
For I should melt at an offender's tears,
And lowly words were ransom for their fault."
2 Ilen. VI. iii. . 126,
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
231
"All my fault is that I shall melt (am sure to melt)," would be-
my fault was that I should melt
come
all
66
that or because."
for" meaning "for
"And (Fol.) if an angel should have come to me,
And told me Hubert should put out mine eyes,
I would not have believed him."-K. J. iv. I. 68-70.
Here, since the Elizabethans could say "Hubert shall," they can
say "he told me Hubert should.”
also say
So since the Elizabethans could say "To think that deceit shall
steal such gentle shapes," they could also say, regarding the subor.
dinate clause as referring to the past,
"Oh, that deceit should steal such gentle shapes!"
Rich. III. ii. 2. 27.
"Good God, (to think that) these nobles should such stomachs
bear!" —1 Hen. VI. i. 3. 90.
327. "Should have" with the second and third persons.
The use of "should have "with the second and third persons is to be
noted. It there refers to the past, and the should simply gives a
conditional force to "have." It is incongruous to use should in con-
nection with the past, and hence we now say "If an angel had come"
in this sense. When we use "should have," it refers to a question
about the past which is to be answered in the future. "If he should
have forgotten the key, how should we get out," ie "if, when he
comes, it should turn out that he had forgotten." Compare, on the
other hand, the Shakespearian usage.
"Gods, if you
Should have ta'en vengeance on my faults, I never
Had lived to put on this."-Cymb. v. 1. 8.
In M. Ado, ii. 3. 81, the "should have" is inserted, not in the
conditional clause, but in a dependent relative clause. "If it had
been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have killed
him."
328. "Should," denoting a statement not made by the
speaker. (Compare "sollen" in German.) There is no other
reason for the use of should in
"But didst thou hear without wondering how thy name should be
so hanged and carved about these trees."—. Y. L. iii. 2. 182.
232
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Should seems to indicate a false story in George Fox's Journal:
"From this man's words was a slander raised upon us that the
Quakers should deny Christ," p. 43 (Edition 1765).
"The priest
of that church raised many wicked slanders upon me: 'That I rode
upon a great black horse, and that I should give a fellow money to
follow me when I was on my black horse.""
scorn?"
'Why should you think that I should woo in scorn
*
""
""
M. N. D. iii. 2. 122.
329. Would for will, wish, require. Would, like should,
could, ought, (Latin "potui, "debui,") is frequently used con-
ditionally. Hence "I would be great comes to mean, not I
wished to be great," but "I wished (subjunctive)," i.e. "I should
wish."
There is, however, very little difference between “thou
wouldest wish" and "thou wishest," as is seen in the following
passage :-
"Thou wouldst (wishest to) be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should (that ought to) attend it: what thou
wouldst highly
That thou wouldst holily, wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win."—Macbeth, i. 5. 20.
"}
As will is used for "will have it, pretends," so would means
"pretended," "wished to prove.”
i.c.
"She that would be your wife.”. C. of E. iv. 4. 152.
She that wished to make out that she was your wife."
"One that would circumvent God."—Hamlet, v. 1. 87.
Applied to inanimate objects, a "wish" becomes a “requirement :”
"I have brought
So
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would (require to) be worn now in their newest gloss."
Macbeth, i. 7. 32.
"Words
Which would (require to) be howled out in the desert air."
Ib. iv. 3. 194.
"And so he goes to heaven,
And so am I revenged. That would (requires to) be scann'd."
Hamlet, iii. 3. 75.
"This would (requires to) be done with a demure abasing of
your eye sometimes.”—B. E. 92.
Madvig, 348. I.
VERBS, AUXILIARY.
233
It is a natural and common mistake to say, “Would is used for
should, by Elizabethan writers."
Would is not often used for "desire" with a noun as its object :
"If, duke of Burgundy, you would the peace."
330. Would often means "liked,"
Pare ἐφίλει.
Hen. V. v. 2. 68.
was accustomed." Com-
"A little quiver fellow, and a' would manage his piece thus:
and a' would about and about, and come you in and come you out;
rah-tah-tah would a' say, bounce would a' say and away again
would a' go, and again would a' come."-2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 200.
"It (conscience) was wont to hold me only while one would tell
twenty."-Rich. III. i. 4. 122.
But still the house affairs would draw her hence."
Othello, i. 3. 147.
So, though more rarely, will is used for "is accustomed."
"Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears."-Tempest, iii. 2. 147.
331. "Would" not used for "should." Would seems on a
superficial view to be used for should, in
You amaze me; I would have thought her spirit had been
invincible against all assaults of affection."-M. Ado, ii. 3. 119.
But it is explained by the following reply: "I would have sworn it
had," i.e. "I was ready and willing to swear. So, "I was willing
and prepared to think her spirit invincible.'
So in
""
"What power is in Agrippa,
If I would say, 'Agrippa, be it so,'
To make this good?"-A. and C. ii. 2. 144.
'If I would say" means "If I wished, were disposed, to say."
"Alas, and would you take the letter of her ?"-A. W. iii. 4. 1.
i.e. "Were you willing,' "Could you bring yourself to."
To take would for should would take from the sense of the
following passage:
"For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane
If I would time expend with such a snipe,
But for my sport and profit."-Othello, i. 3. 390.
2.e. "If I were willing to expend."
234
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Would probably means
""wish to or "should like to," in
"You could, for a need, study a speech which I would set down
and insert in't, could you not ?"-Hamlet, ii. 2. 567.
In "Prince. What wouldest thou think of me, if I should weep?
Poins. I would think thee a most princely hypocrite."
2 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 59.
the second would is attracted to the first, and there is also a
notion of determination, and voluntary "making up one's mind” in
the reply of Poins.
So "be triumphant" is equivalent to "triumph," in which willing-
ness is expressed, in
i.l.
In
"Think you, but that I know our state secure,
I would be so triumphant as I am?"-Rich. III. iii. 2. 84.
"think you I would triumph as I do?"
I would be sorry, sir, but the fool should be as oft with your
master as with my mistress,"—T. N. 111. 1. 44.
it must be confessed there seems little reason for would. Inasmuch,
however, as the fool is speaking of something that depends upon
himself, i.e. his presence at the Count's court, it may perhaps be
explained as “I would not willingly do anything to prevent," &c.,
just as we can say "I would be loth to offend him," in confusion
between "I should be loth to offend him" and "I would not
willingly, or I would rather not, offend him.”
In
"And how unwillingly I left the ring,
When nought would be accepted but the ring,'
""
M. of V. v. I. 197.
there seems, as in our modern "nothing would content him but,”
some confusion between "he would accept nothing" and "nothing
could make itself acceptable."
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF.
""
332. Verbs: Indicative Present, old forms of the Third
Person Plural. There were three forms of the plural in Early
English-the Northern in es, the Midland in en, the Southern in eth :
"they hop-es," "they hop-en,' they hop-eth." The two former
forms (the last in the verbs "doth," "hath," and possibly in others)
are found in Shakespeare. Sometimes they are used for the sake
of the rhyme; sometimes that explanation is insufficient:
1
verbs, inFLECTIONS OF
235
En.—“Where, when men be-en, there's seldom ease.
"
Pericles, ii. Gower, 28.
"O friar, these are faults that are not seen,
Ours open and of worst example be-en.”—B. J. S. Sh. i. 2.
'All perishen of men of pelf,
Ne aught escapen but himself."-Pericles, ii. Gower, 36.
"As fresh as bin the flowers in May.”—PEELE.
"Words fearen (terrify) babes.”—SPENS. F. Q.
"And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
And waxen in their mirth."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 56.
This form is rarely used by Shakespeare, and only archaically.
As an archaic form it is selected for constant use by Spenser.
333. Third person plural in -s. This form is extremely
common in the Folio. It is generally altered by modern editors, so
that its commonness has not been duly recognized. Fortunately,
there are some passages where the rhyme or metre has made altera-
tion impossible. In some cases the subject-noun may be con-
sidered as singular in thought, e.g. "manners," &c. In other cases
the quasi-singular verb precedes the plural object; and again, in
others the verb has for its nominative two singular nouns or an
antecedent to a plural noun (see 247). But though such instances
are not of equal value with an instance like "his tears runs down,"
yet they indicate a general predilection for the inflection in -s which
may well have arisen from the northern E. E. third person plural
in -s.
"The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poisons more deadly than a mad dog's tooth.
C. of E. v. 1. 69.
"The great man down, you mark his favourites flies,
The poor advanced makes friends of enemies."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 214-5.
Here the Globe reads "favourite;" completely missing, as it seems
to me, the intention to describe the crowd of favourites scattering in
light from the fallen patron.
So
"The extreme parts of time extremely forms
All causes to the purpose of his will."-L. L. L. v. 2. 750.
"Manners" is, perhaps, used as a singula. in
"What manners is in this ?"-R. and J. v. 3. 214.
"Which very manners urges."-Lear, v. 3. 234.
"Whose church-like humours fits not for a crown."
2 Hen. VI. i. I 247.
236
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Riches" may, perhaps, be considered a singular noun (as it is by
¿erivation, "richesse ") in
"The riches of the ship is come ashore.”—Othello, ii. 1. 83.
But not
"My old bones aches" (Globe, ache).—Tempest, iii. 2. 2.
“His tears runs down his beard like winter-drops" (Globe, run).
"We poor unfledg'd
Ib. v. 1. 16.
Have never wing'd from view o' the nest, nor knows not
What air's from home" (Globe, know).—Cymb. iii. 3. 27.
"And worthier than himself
Here tends (Globe and Quarto, tend) the savage strangeness be
puts on,
Disguise the holy strength of their command," &c.
Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 135.
"These naughty times
M. of V. iii. 2. 19.
Puts (Globe, put) bars between the owners and their rights."
"These high wild hills and rough uneven ways
Draws out our miles, and makes them wearisome."
Rich. II. ii. 3. 5.
"Not for all the sun sees, or
The close earth wombs, or the profound seas hides."
(Globe, sea.)—W. T. iv. 4. 501.
"The imperious seas breeds monsters" (Globe, breed).
Cymb. iv. 2. 35.
"Untimely storms makes men expect a dearth" (Globe, make).
Rich. III. ii. 3. 33.
Numbers, perhaps, sometimes stand on a different footing :
"Eight yards of uneven ground is three score and ten miles
afoot with me. -1 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 28.
i.e."
A distance of eight yards;" and compare
"Three parts of him is ours already."-F. C. i. 3. 154.
"Two of both kinds makes up four."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 438.
But no such explanation avails in
"She lifts the coffer-lids that close his eyes,
Where, lo! two lamps burnt out in darkness lies.”
V. and A. 1128.
"Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect
The deeds of others."-M. of V. i. 3. 163.
"Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits
Thy beauty and thy years full well befits."-Sonn. 41.
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF
237
There is some confusion in
"Fortune's blows
When most struck home, being gentle wounded craves
A noble cunning.”—Coriol. iv. 4. 8.
On the whole, it is probable that though Shakespeare intended to
make "blows" the subject of “ craves," he afterwards introduced a
new subject, "being gentle," and therefore "blows" must be con-
sidered nominative absolute and "when" redundant: "Fortune's blows
(being) struck home, to be gentle then requires a noble wisdom.”
"Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives,"
in a rhyming passage.
Macbeth, ii. 1. 61.
It is perhaps intended to be a sign of low breeding and harsh
writing in the play of Pyramus and Thisbe.
"Thisbe, the flowers of odours savours sweet.
334. Third person plural in -th.
M. N. D. iii. 1. 84.
"Those that through renowne hath ennobled their life.”
MONTAIGNE, 32.
See, however, Relative, 247.
"Their encounters, though not personal, hath been royally
encountered" (Globe, have).-W. T. i. 1. 29.
"Where men enforced doth speak anything."—M. of V. iii. 2. 33.
"Hath all his ventures fail'd?" (Globe, have.)—Ib. iii. 2. 270.
This, however, is a case when the verb precedes the subject. (See
below, 335.)
335. Inflection in -s preceding a plural subject. Passages
in which the quasi-singular verb precedes the plural subject stand
on a somewhat different footing. When the subject is as yet future
and, as it were, unsettled, the third person singular might be regarded
as the normal inflection. Such passages are very common, parti-
cularly in the case of "There is," as-
"There is no more such masters."-Cymb. iv. 2. 371.
“There was at the beginning certaine light suspitions and accu
sations put up against him."—Ñ. P. 173.
"Of enjoin'd penitents there's four or five."—A. IV. iii. 5. 98.
"The spirit upon whose weal depends and rests
The lives of many."—Hamlet, iii. 3. 14.
238
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?"
2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 60.
"There is no woman's sides can," &c.-T. N. ii. 4. 96.
"Is there not charms ?"-Othello, i. 1. 172.
"Is all things well?"-2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 11.
"Is there not wars? Is there not employment ?"
2 Hen. IV. i. 2. 85.
So I Hen. VI. iii. 2. 123; R. and J. i. 1. 48; 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2.
199; 1 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 9; Hen. v. 2. 4. 1.
"Here comes the townsmen."-2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 68.
"Here comes the gardeners" (Globe, come).-Rich. II. iii. 4. 24.
"There comes no swaggerers here."-2 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 83.
This, it is true, comes from Mrs. Quickly, but the following are
from Posthumus and Valentine:
"How comes these staggers on me?"-Cymb. v. 5. 233.
"Far behind his worth
Comes all the praises that I now bestow."-T. G. of V. ii. 4. 72.
And in the Lover's Complaint, where the rhyme makes alteration
impossible:
"And to their audit comes
Their distract parcels in combined sums."—L. C. 230.
"What cares these roarers for the name of king?"—Temp. i. I. 17.
"There grows all herbs fit to cool looser flames.'
B. and F. F. Sh. i. 1.
There was the first gentlemanlike tears that ever we shed."
W. T. v. 2. 155.
"Has his daughters brought him to this pass?" (Globe, have.)
Lear, iii. 4. 65.
"What means your graces?" (Globe, mean.)—Ib. iii. 7. 30.
"But most miserable
Is the desires that's (247) glorious" (Globe, desire).—Cymb. i. 6. 6.
("Few" and "more" might, perhaps, be considered nouns in
"Here's a few flowers."-Cymb. iv. 2. 283.
"There is no more such masters."-Ib. iv. 2. 371.
A sum of money also can be considered as a singular noun:
"For thy three thousand ducats here is six."-M. of V. iv. 1. 84.)
"There lies
Two kinsmen (who) digged their graves with weeping eyes."
Rich. II. iii. 3. 168.
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF.
239
"Sir, there lies such secrets in this fardell and box."
"At this hour
W. T. iv. 4. 783.
Lies at my mercy all mine enemies" (Globe, lie).
Tempest, iv. 1. 264.
336. Inflection in "s" with two singular nouns as
subject.
The inflection in s is of frequent occurrence also when two or
more singular nouns precede the verb :
"The heaviness and guilt within my bosom
Takes off my manhood."-Cymb. v. 2. 2.
"Faith and troth bids them."-Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 170.
"Plenty and peace breeds cowards.”—Cymb. iii. 6. 21.
"For women's fear and love holds quantity."—Hamlet, iii. 2. 177.
"Where death and danger dogs the heels of worth."
A. IV. iii. 4. 15.
"Scorn and derision never comes (Globe and Quarto, come) in
tears."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 123.
"Thy weal and woe are both of them extremes,
Despair and hope makes thee ridiculous."-V. and A. 988.
My hand and ring is yours."-Cymb. ii. 4. 57.
"O, Cymbeline, heaven and my conscience knows.”
Ib. iii. 3. 99.
Hanging and wiving goes by destiny."-M. of V. ii. 9. 83.
"The which my love and some necessity
Now lays upon you."-. of V. iii. 4. 34.
337. Apparent cases of the inflection in “s.”
Often, however, a verb preceded by a plural noun (the apparent
nominative) has for its real nominative, not the noun, but the noun
clause.
"The combatants being kin
Half stints their strife before they do begin."-Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 93.
i.e. "The fact that the combatants are kin."
"Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus
From fashion of himself."—Hamlet, iii. 1. 182.
i.e. "The beating of his brains on this."
"And our ills told us
Is as our earing.”—A. and C. i. 2. 115.
i.e. "The telling us of our faults is like ploughing us.
240
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So in
"And great affections wrestling in thy bosom
Doth make an earthquake of nobility."-K. J. v. 2. 42,
"To know our enemies' minds we 'ld rip their hearts :
(To rip) Their papers is more lawful."—Lear, iv. 6. 266.
"Blest be those,
How mean soe'er, that have their honest wills,
Which seasons comfort,"-Cymb. i. 6. 8.
"which" has for its antecedent "having one's honest will."
Conversely, a plural is implied, and hence the verb is in the
plural, in
"Men's flesh preserv'd so whole do seldom win.
2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 301.
1.e. "when men are too careful about their safety they seldom win.
"Smile heaven (the gods, or the stars) upon this fair conjunction,
That long have frowned upon their enmity."-Rich. III. v. 5. 21.
It may be conjectured that this licence, as well as the licence
of using the -s inflection where the verb precedes, or where the
noun clause may be considered the nominative, would in all proba-
bility not have been tolerated but for the fact that -s was still
recognized as a provincial plural inflection.
The following is simply a case of transposition:
"Now, sir, the sound that tells what hour it is
Are clamorous groans."-Rich. II. v. 5. 56.
338. S final misprinted. Though the rhyme and metre
establish the fact that Shakespeare used the plural verbal inflection
in s, yet it ought to be stated that -s final in the Folio is often a
misprint. Being indicated by a mere line at the end of a word in
MS., it was often confused with the comma, full stop, dash or hyphen,
“Comes (,) shall we in ?"—T. of A. i. 1. 284.
"At that that I have kil'd my lord, a Flys."-T. A. iii. 2. 53.
“Good man, these joyful tears show thy true hearts.”
Hen. VIII. v. 3. 175.
Conversely, in one or two places the dash or hyphen has usurped the
place of the s.
"Unkle, what newe-?"—1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 30.
"With gobbets of thy Mother-bleeding heart."
2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 85.
Sometimes (even without the possibility of mistake for a comma)
the-s is inserted;
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF.
241
"Sir Protheus, your Fathers call's for you."-T. G. of V. i. 3.88.
"Sawcie Lictors
Will catch at us like Strumpets, and scald Rimers
Ballads us out of tune."-A. and C. v. 2. 216.
Yet in many passages the -s is probably correct, though we should
now omit it, especially at the end of nouns. As we still use
"riches,' gains," almost as singular nouns, so Shakespeare seems
to have used "lands, wars, ""stones,
stones," "
29 66
33.66
"purposes, "virtues,
"}
tempts,"
duties,
(C
graces,'
">
>>
sorrows,"
"flatteries,"
""at-
glories, fortunes," things,"
treasons," succours, "behaviours,
CC
funerals," "proceedings," &c. as collective nouns.
>>
The -s
In other cases there seems at least a method in the error.
is added to plural adjectives and to adjectives or nouns dependent
upon nouns inflected in "s," as
"The letters patents."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 202 (Folio).
It is common in E. E. for plural adjectives of Romance origin
to take the plural inflection.
<<
‘patents" in Rich. II. ii. 3. 130.
But see 430.
The Globe reads
The following are selected, without verification, from Walker :
Kings Richards throne."-Rich. II. i. 3.
"Smooth and welcomes newes."-1 Hen. IV. i. I.
"Lords Staffords death."-Ib. v. 3.
"The Thicks-lips."—Othello, i. 1.
A word already plural sometimes receives an additional plural
inflection:
"Your teethes."-7. C. v. 1.
"Others faults. — Hen. IV. v. 2.
"Men look'd . . . each at others."-Coriol. v. 5.
"Boths."-T. A. ii. 4.
"On others grounds."—Othello, i. 1.
339. Past indicative forms in u are very common in Shake-
speare. Thus, "sang" does not occur, while "sung" is common
as a past indicative. Sprang" is less common as a past tense than
“sprung” (2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 111) "Begun" (Hamlet, ii. 2. 220)
is not uncommon for "began," which is also used. We also find
"I drunk him to his bed."—. and C. ii. 5. 21.
Past indicative tenses in z were common in the seventeenth
century, but the irregularity dates from the regular Early Fnglish
idiɔm.
R
=
242
SHAKESPEARJAN GRAMMAR.
*
In A.-S. the second person singular, and the three plural persons
ɔf some verbs, e.g. “singan,'
singan," had the same vowel u, while the first
and third persons singular had a. Hence, though the distinction
was observed pretty regularly in E. E., yet gradually the u and a
were used indiscriminately in the past tense without distinction of
person.
340. Second Person Singular in -ts. In verbs ending with
»t, -test final in the second person sing. often becomes -ts for euphony.
Thus : Thou torments," Rich. II. iv. 1. 270 (Folio);
"Thou
requests," Rich. III. ii. 1. 98 (Folio); "revisits," Hamlet, i. 4. 53;
splits," M. for M. ii. 2. 115; ' exists," Ib. iii. 1. 20 (Folio);
"solicites," Cymb. i. 6. 147 (Folio); "refts," Cymb. iii 3. 103
(Folio). "Thou fleets," Sonn. 19; this is marked in
"What art thou call'st . . . and affrights?"
B. and F. F. Sh. iv. 1.
This termination in -s contains perhaps a trace of the influence of
the northern inflection in -s for the second pers. sing.
341, Past Indicative: -t for ted. In verbs in which the
infinitive ends in -t, -ed is often omitted in the past indicative for
euphony.
I fast and prayed for their intelligence."-Cymb. iv. 2. 347
"There they hoist us."-Tempest, i. 2. 147.
Plunged in the foaming brine and quit the vessel.”—Ib. 211,
"When service sweat for duty, not for meed."-A. Y.L. ii. 3.58.
"Stood Dido . . . and waft her love
To come again to Carthage."-M..of V. v. 1. 10.
Compare Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 33; M. of V. iii. 2. 205.
We find "bid" for "bided," i.e. "endured," in
"Endured of (by) her for whom you bid like sorrow.
tr
"}
Rich. III. iv. 4. 304.
rid," &c., which are
This is, of course, as natural as chid,"
recognized forms. On the other hand, the termination in -ed is some
times used for a stronger form:
“I shaked.”—Tempest, ii. 1. 319.
342. Participle: -ed omitted after d and t. Some verbs
ending in -te, -1, and -d, on account of their already resembling parti-
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF.
243
ciples in their terminations, do not add -eď in the participle. The
same rule, naturally dictated by euphony, is found in E. E. "If the
root of a verb end in -d or -t doubled or preceded by another con-
sonant, the -de or -te of the past tense, and -d or -t of the past par
ticiple, are omitted.”* Thus-
Acquit. "Well hast thou acquit thee.”—Rich. III. v. 5. 3.
Addict.—Mirror for Magistrates (NARES).
Articulate." These things indeed you have articulate."
Betid.-Tempest, i. 2. 31.
I Hen. IV. v. I. 72.
Bloat(ed).—“Let the bloat king tempt you."—Hamlet, iii. 4. 182.
Contract. “He was contract to lady Lucy."—Rich. III. iii. 7. 179.
Degenerate." They have degenerate."-B. E. 38.
Deject." And I of ladies most deject and wretched."
Devote.-T. of Sh. i. 1. 32.
Disjoint for disjointed.—Hamlet, i. 2. 20.
Hamlet, iii. 1. 163.
Enshield." An enshield beauty."-M. for M. ii. 4. 80.
Exhaust. "Their means are less exhaust.”—B. E. 16.
Graft." Her noble stock graft with ignoble plants.
>>
Rich. III. iii. 7. 127.
Compare "An ingraft infirmity.”—Othello, ii. 3. 144.
Heat.—“The iron of itself, though heat red-hot.”—K. J. iv. 1. 61.
"For 'tis the sport to have the enginer
Hoist.
Infect.
Hoist with his own petard."-Hamlet, iii. 4. 207.
Many are infect.”—Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 188.
Quit.—“The very rats instinctively have quit it.”—Temp. i. 2. 147.
Suffocate.—“Degree is suffocate.”—Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 125.
Taint."Unspotted heart never yet taint with love."
Wed.-Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 141.
Waft.
1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 183.
"A braver choice of dauntless spirits
Than now the English bottoms have waft o'er." -K. 7. ii. 1. 73.
Wet.- Rich. III. i. 2. 216.
Whist (for "whisted," which is used by Surrey in the indicative).
"The wild waves whist."-Tempest, i. 2. 379.
*Morris, Specimens of Early English, xxxv
R 2
244
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
i.e. "being whisted or made silent." So, in imitation,
"The winds, with wonder whist,
Smoothly the waters kist."-MILTON, Hymn on the Nativity.
Words like "miscreate," Hen. V. i. 2. 16; "create," M. N. D.
v. I. 412, "consecrate," Ib. 422, being directly derived from Latin
participles, stand on a different footing, and may themselves be
regarded as participial adjectives, without the addition of d.
343. Participles, Formation of. Owing to the tendency to
drop the inflection en, the Elizabethan authors frequently used the
curtailed forms of past participles which are common in Early
English: "I have spoke, forgot, writ, chid," &c.
“Have you chose this man?"—Coriol. i. 3. 163.
Where, however, the form thus curtailed was in danger of being
confused with the infinitive, as in "taken," they used the past tense
for the participle :
Arose.
"And thereupon these errors are arose."-C. of E. v. 1. 388.
Drove for driven. -2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 84.
Eat.-"Thou . . . hast eat thy bearer up."-2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 165;
M. Ado, iv. I. 196.
Froze for frozen.-C. of E. v. I. 313; 2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 199.
Holp.-"We were . . . holp hither."-Temp. i. 2. 63.
(In this case, however, the en is merely dropped.)
Took.-"Where I have took them up."-7. C. ii. 1. 50.
Mistook." Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion.
Rode for ridden.-2 Hen. IV. v. 3. 98; Hen. V. iv. 3. 2.
Smit for smitten.-T. of A. ii. 1. 123.
Smote for smitten.-Coriol. iii. 1. 319.
Strove for striven.-Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 30.
Writ.-Rich. II. ii. 1. 14.
Wrote for written.- Lear, i. 2. 93; Cymb. iii. 5. 21.
Or sometimes the form in ed:
"O, when degree is shaked."
Ib. i. 2. 48.
Tr. and Cr. i 3. 101.
So Hen. V. ii. 1. 124; Temp. ii. 1. 39; 1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 17. But
shook for shaken is also common.
"The wind-shaked surge."--Othello, ii. 1. 13.
VERBS, INFLECTIONS OF
245
66
"Ope" in "The gates are ope," Coriol. i. 4. 43, seems to be the
adjective "open" without the -7, and not a verb.
344. Irregular participial formations. The following are
irregular :-
"You have swam."—A. Y. L. iv. 1. 38.
"I have spake."—Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 153.
"Misbecomed."-L. L. L. v. 2. 778.
"Becomed."-Cymb. v. 5. 406.
"Which thou hast perpendicularly fell."-Lear, iv. 6. 54.
"We had droven them home."-A. and C. iv. 7. 5.
""
"Sawn" for " seen is found as a rhyme to drawn," L. C. 91.
"Strucken."-C. of E. i. 11. 46; L. L. L. iv. 3. 224; J. C.
iii. I. 209.
'When they are fretten with the gusts of heaven."
M. of V. iv. I. 77.
"Sweaten."— Macbeth, iv. 1. 65. (So Quartos.)
Caught seems to be distinguished as an adjective from the participle
catch'd in
None are so surely caught when they are catch'd
As wit turned fool."—L. L. L. v. 2. 69.
The following are unusual :--
Splitted.”—C. of È. i. 1. 105, v. 1. 308 ; A. and C. v. 1. 24.
"Beated."-Sonn. 62.
The following are archaic :-
Marcus, unknit that sorrow-wreathen knot.”—T. A. iii. 2. 4.
Foughten."-Hen. V. iv. 6. 18.
345. The participial prefix y- is only two or three times used
in Shakespeare's plays: "y-clept,' "y-clad," "y-slaked." In
E. E. y- is prefixed to other forms of speech beside participles, like
the German ge-.
But in Elizabethan English the y- was wholly
disused except as a participial prefix, and even the latter was
archaic. Hence we must explain as follows:
"The sum of this
Brought hither to Pentapolis
Yravished the regions round."-P. of T. iii. Gower, 35.
Shakespeare was probably going to write (as in the same speech,
line 1, "yslaked hath") "yravished the regions hath," but the
necessity of the rhyme, and the diminished sense of the grammatical
force of the participial prefix, made him alter the construction.
246
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
The y- is used by Sackville before a present participle, "y-causing."
In M. of V. ii. 9. 68, and elsewhere, we find "I wiss" apparently
for the old "y-wiss.
""
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
346. Indicative simple present for complete present
with adverbs signifying "as yet," &c.
This is in accordance with the Latin idiom, "jampridem opto,"
&c., and it is explicable on the ground that, when an action con-
tinued up to the present time is still continuing, the speaker may
prefer the verb to dwell simply on the fact that the action is present,
allowing the adverb to express the past continuousness :
"That's the worst tidings that I hear of yet.”
1 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 127.
"How does your honour for this many a day?"—Hamlet, iii. 1. 91.
347. Simple past for complete present with "since," &c.
This is in accordance with the Greek use of the aorist, and it is
as logical as our more modern use. The difference depends upon
a difference of thought, the action being regarded simply as past
without reference to the present or to completion.
"I saw him not these many years, and yet
I know 'tis he."—Cymb. iv. 2. 66.
"I saw not better sport these seven years' day."-2 Hen. VI.
ii. I. 3.
"Since death of my dear'st mother
It did not speak before."-Cymb. iv. 2. 190.
I did not see him since."—A. and C. i.
"I was not angry since I came to France
Until this instant."-Hen. V. iv. 7. 58.
3. J.
"I can tell you strange news that you yet dreamed not of."-
M. Ado, i. 2. 4.
It will be noticed that the above examples all contain a negative.
The indefinite tense seems to have peculiar propriety when we are
denying that an action was performed at any time whatever. Hence
the contrast:
"Judges and senates have been bought with gold,
Esteem and love were never to be sold.”
POPE, Essay on Man, iv. 187.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
247
But we have also, without a negative,
"And since I saw thee,
The affliction of my mind amends."-Tempest, v. 1. 114.
The simple present is in the following example incorrectly com-
bined with the complete present. But the two verbs are so far
apart that they may almost be regarded as belonging to different
sentences, especially as "but" may be regarded as semi-adversative.
"And never since the middle summer's spring
Met we... but . . . thou hast disturbed our sport.'
M. N. D. ii. 1. 83-7.
On the other hand, the complete present is used remarkably in-
'D. Pedro. Runs not this speech like iron through your blood?
Claud. I have drunk poison whiles he utter'd it.
M. Ado, v. I. 253.
This can only be explained by a slight change of thought: "I
have drunk poison (and drunk [339] poison all the) while he spoke.'
""
348. Future for Subjunctive and Infinitive. The future is
often used where we should use the infinitive or subjunctive.
A comparison of Wickliffe with the versions of the sixteenth cen-
tury would show that in many cases the Early English subjunctive
had been replaced by the Elizabethan "shall.”
"And I will sing that they shall hear I am not afraid.
M. N. D. iii. 1. 126.
"That you shall surely find him
Lead to the Sagittary the raised search."-Othello, i. 1. 158.
"That thou shalt see the difference of our spirits,
I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it."—M. of V. iv. 1. 368.
"Therefore in fierce tempest is he coming
That, if requiring fail, he will compel."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 101.
Here, however (283), "so" may be omitted before "that," i.e. "
that he purposes compulsion if fair means fail.”
"Reason with the fellow,
Lest you shall chance to whip your information."
“so
Coriol. iv. 6. 53.
"If thou refuse and wilt encounter with my wrath.'
>>
WV. T. ii. 3. 138.
"The constable desires thee thou wilt mind
Thy followers of repentance."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 84.
Will you permit that I shall stand condemn'd ?”
Rek. II. ii. 3. 119.
248
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So with "for" used for "because" (117) in the sense of "in
order that."
"And, for the time shall not seem tedious,
I'll tell thee what befel me."-3 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 10.
As in Latin, the future is sometimes correctly and logically used
with reference to future occurrences; but we find it side by side with
the incorrect and modern idiom.
"Farewell till we shall meet again."-M. of V. iii. 4. 40.
"He that outlives this day and comes safe home,
He that shall live this day and see old age.
Hen. V. iv. 3. 44
""
"All France will be replete with mirth and joy,
When they shall hear how we have play'd the men.
1 Hen. VI. i. 6. 16.
"When they shall know."-Rich. II. i. 4. 49.
'If you shall see Cordelia."-Lear, iii. 1. 46.
"Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength."
K. J. ii. 1. 33.
The future seems used (perhaps with reference to the original
meaning of "shall") to signify necessary and habitual recurrence in
So
"Good Lord, what madness rules in brain-sick men
When for so slight and frivolous a cause
Such factious emulations shall arise."-1 Hen. VI. iv. I. 113.
"Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes."
Rich. III. iv. 4. 293.
349. Infinitive. "To" omitted
"To" omitted and inserted. In Early
English the present infinitive was represented by -en (A.-S. -an), so
that "to speak was "speken," and "he is able to speak" was
"he can speken," which, though very rare, is found in Pericles, ii.
Prologue, 12. The -en in time became -e, and the -e in time became
mute; thus reducing “sing-en" to "sing." When the en dropped
into disuse, and to was substituted for it, several verbs which we
call auxiliary, and which are closely and commonly connected with
other verbs, retained the old licence of omitting to, though the
infinitival inflection was lost. But naturally, in the Elizabethan
period, while this distinction between auxiliary and non-auxiliary
verbs was gradually gaining force, there was some difference of
opinion as to which verbs did, and which did not, require the
"to," and in Early English there is much inconsistency in this
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
249
respect. Thus in consecutive lines "ought" is used without, and
"let" with, "to."
And though we owe the fall of Troy requite,
Yet let revenge thereof from gods to light."
Mirror for Magistrates (quoted by Dr. GUEST).
"You ought not walk."-7. C. i. 1. 3.
""
"Suffer him speak no more. -B. J. Sejan. iii. 1.
"If the Senate still command me serve."—Ib. iii. I.
"The rest I wish thee gather."-1 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 96.
"You were wont be civil."-Othello, ii. 3. 190.
"I list not prophesy."-W. T. iv. 1. 26.
"He thought have slaine her."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 1. 50.
"It forst him slacke."-Ib. 19.
Stay" is probably a verb in
"How long within this wood intend you (to) stay?"
M. N. D. ii. I. 138.
"Desire her (to) call her wisdom to her."-Lear, iv. 5. 35.
"As one near death to those that wish him (to) live."
A. W. ii. 1. 134.
"What might'st thou do that honour would (wished) thee (to)
do?"-Hen. V. Prologue, 18.
""
"That wish'd him in the barren mountains (to) starve.
1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 159.
So M. for M. iv. 3. 138; M. Ado, iii. 1. 42. Hence "overlook" is
probably not the subjunctive (see however 369) but the infinitive in
Willing you (to) overlook this pedigree."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 90.
So after "have need :"
Thou hadst need send for more money."-T. N. ii. 3. 99.
"Vouchsafe me speak a word.”—C. of E. v. 1. 282.
"To come view fair Portia.”—M. of V. ii. 7. 43.
"We'll come dress you straight."—M. IV. of IV. iv. 2. 80.
"I will go seek the king."-Hamlet, ii. 1. 101.
We still retain a dislike to use the formal to after "go" and "cone,"
which may almost be called auxiliaries, and we therefore say, "I
།
will come and see you.
>>
We cannot reject now the to after "know" (though after this
word we seldom use the infinitive at all, and prefer to use the
conjunction "that"), but Shakespeare has
"Knowing thy heart (to) torment me with disdain.”—Sonn. 132
250
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
A similar omission is found in
So
"That they would suffer these abominations
By our strong arms from forth her fair streets (to be) chased."
R. of L. 1634.
"Because, my lord, we would have had you (to have) heard
The traitor speak."-Rich. III. iii. 5. 56.
To is inserted after "let" both in the sense of "suffer" and in
that of "hinder."
"And let (suffer) no quarrel nor no brawl to come."
T. N. v. I. 364.
"If nothing lets (prevents) to make us happy both."-Ib. 256.
On the other hand, to is omitted after "beteem" in the sense of
"suffer:"
"He might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly."—Hamlet, i. 2. 142.
After "durst:'
""
"I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest."-Othello, iv. 2. 11.
The to is often inserted after verbs of perceiving,-" feel," "see,"
"hear," &c.
"Who heard me to deny it ?"-C. of E. v. I. 25.
"Myself have heard a voice to call him so.
""
2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 94.
"Whom when on ground she grovelling saw to roll."
SPENS. F. Q. v. 7. 32.
"Methinks I feel this youth's perfections
To creep in at mine eyes."-T. N. i. 5. 317.
"I had rather hear you to solicit that."-Ib. iii. 1. 120.
"To see great Hercules whipping a gig,
And profound Solomon to tune a jig,
And Nestor play at push-pin with the boys."
L. L. L. iv. 3. 167-9.
This quotation shows that, after "see," the infinitive, whether
with or without "to," is equivalent to the participle. "Whipping,"
"to
to tune," and "play," are all co-ordinate. The participial form is
the most correct: as in Latin, "Audivi illam canentem;" modern
English, "I heard her sing;" Elizabethan English, "I heard her
to sing. The infinitive with to after verbs of perception occurs
rarely, if ever, in Early English (Mätzner quotes Wickliffe, St. John
xii. 18, but ?). It seems to have been on the increase towards
""
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
251
A
the end of the sixteenth century, for whereas Wickliffe (St. Matt.
xv. 31) has "The puple wondride seynge dumb men spekynge
and crokid men goynge, blynde men seyinge," Tyndale (1534) has
"The people wondred to se the domme speak, the maymed
whole, the halt to go, and the blynde to se;" and the A. V.
(1611) has to throughout.
This idiom is also very common in
North, and Florio's "Montaigne." We have recurred to the idiom
of Early English.
Compare William of Palerne, 1. 871: “and whan he seiț
þat semly sitte him bi-fore," i.e. "and when he saw her in her
beauty sit before him." In this quotation we might render "sitte"
by the participle "sitting," as the girl is regarded as “in the
state of sitting.” This opens the question of the origin of the phrase
to see great Hercules whipping." Is "whipping," by derivation,
a verbal abbreviated for "a-whipping," as in 93, or a present
participle? The common construction after "see" and "hear" in
Layamon and William of Palerne seems to be neither the participle
nor the verbal, but the infinitive in -e or -en. Probably, when the
infinitive inflection died out, it was felt that the short uninflected
form was not weighty enough to express the emphatic infinitive, and
recourse was had to the present participle, a substitution which
was aided by the similarity of the terminations -en and -ing.
This is one of the many cases in which the terminations of the
infinitive and present participle have been confused together (93),
and the -ing in this construction represents the old infinitive in-
flection -en.
This may explain :
"I my brother know
Yet living (to live) in my glass.”—T. N. iii. 4. 415.
i.e. "that my brother lives."
Hence, perhaps, also -ing was added as a reminiscence of the old
gerundive termination -ene, in such expressions as
"Put the liveries to making."-M. of V. ii. 2. 124.
Similarly we find, side by side, in Selden's "Table Talk," "He
fell to eating" and he "fell to eat.”
350. "To" omitted and inserted in the same sentence.
The to is often omitted in the former of two clauses and inserted in
the latter, particularly when the finite principal verb is an auxiliary,
or like an auxiliary.
252
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Whether hadst thou rather be a Faulconbridge
And, like thy brother, to enjoy thy land."-K. J. i. 1. 134
I would no more
Endure this wooden slavery than to suffer
The flesh-fly blow my mouth."-Tempest, iii. 1. 62.
"Who would be so mock'd with glory, or to live
But in a dream of friendship?"-T. of A. iv. 2. 33.
So K. J. v. 2. 138-9; J. C. iv. 3. 73; T. N. v. 1. 346.
"Sir, I desire you (to) do me right and justice,
And to bestow your pity on me."-Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 14.
"Bids you
Deliver up the crown and to take pity."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 104.
"Makes both my body pine and soul to languish.'
19
P. of T. i. I. 31.
"Make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres,
Thy knotted and combined locks to part."-Hamlet, i. 4. 18.
"Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome."-7. C. i. 2. 173.
"She tells me she'll wed the stranger knight,
Or never more to view nor day nor night."-P. of T. ii. 5. 17.
"Some pagan shore,
Where these two Christian armies might combine
The blood of malice in a vein of league,
And not to spend it so unneighbourly."-K. J. v. 2. 39.
Thus probably we must explain :
"And let them all encircle him about,
And fairy-like to pinch the unclean knight."
M. W. of W. iv. 4. 57.
The common explanation "to-pinch," attributes to Shakespeare
an archaism which is probably nowhere found in his works (not
even in P. of T. iii. 2. 17). See All to, 28.
It is a question how to explain
"She is abus'd, stol'n from me and corrupted
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks :
For nature so preposterously to err,
Being not deficient, blind or lame of sense,
Sans witchcraft could not."-Othello, i. 3. 62.
IIere, either as above, (1) "to err" depends on "could," i.e.
"Nature was not able to err;" or (2) "could not " might perhaps
stand for "could not be," "was impossible," having for its subject
"Nature to err." (See 354.) In (2) "for" may be either (a) a con.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
253
junction, or (b) a preposition: "It was not possible for Nature
thus to err. I prefer (1).
In
"For little office
The hateful commons will perform for us
Except, like curs, to tear us all to pieces," Rich. II. ii. 2. 139.
to tear" may be considered as a noun, the object of "except."
351. It were best (to). To is often omitted after "best" in
such phrases as "it were best," thou wert best," &c. Perhaps
there is in some of these cases an unconscious blending of two con-
structions, the infinitive and imperative, exactly corresponding to
the Greek οἶσθ᾽ οὖν ὃ δρᾶσον.
"'Tis best put finger in the eye. ·T. of Sh. i. 1. 78.
"I were best not call."-Cymb. iii. 6. 19.
"'Twere best not know myself."—Macbeth, i. 2. 73.
"Best draw my sword."-Cymb. iii. 6. 25.
In most of these cases the speaker is speaking of himself: but
often it is impossible, without the context, to tell whether the verb is
in the infinitive or imperative. Thus in
"Better be with the dead,"-Macbeth, iii. 2. 20.
it is only the following line,
"Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,"
that shows that be is infinitive. When we now use this idiom, we
generally intend the verb to be used imperatively.
352. I were best (to). The construction
"Thou wert better gall the devil."-K. J. iv. 3. 95.
"I were best leave him.". -1 Hen. VI. v. 3. 82.
"Madam, you're best consider."-Cymb. iii. 2. 79.
like the modern construction "if you please," (in which we should
now say, and be correct in saying, that "you" is the subject, though
it was originally the object, of "please,") represents an old imper-
sonal idiom: "Me were liefer," i.e. "it would be more pleasant to
me;" "Me were loth;" "Him were better." Very early, however,
the personal construction is found side by side with the impersonal.
The change seems to have arisen from an erroneous feeling that "Me
were better" was ungrammatical. Sometimes the to is inserted :
"You were best to go to bed."-2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 196.
"You were best to tell Antonio what he said."-M. of V. ii. 8. 33
254
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
353. "To" omitted after Conjunctions.
Where two infinitives are coupled together by a conjunction, the
to is still omitted in the former, where the tatter happens to be nearer
to the principal verb, e.g. after "rather than." "Rather than see
himself disgraced, he preferred to die." But we could not say
"Will you be so good, scauld knave, as eat it ?”—Hen. V. v. 1. 31.
This is probably to be explained, like the above, as a blending
of two constructions-the infinitive, "Will you be so good as to
eat it?" and the imperative, "Eat it, will you be so good?”
"Under the which he shall not choose but fall."
In
Hamlet, v. 7. 66.
"Nay then, indeed she cannot choose but hate thee.'
Rich. III. iv. 4. 289.
"Thou shalt not choose but go."-T. N. iv. 1. 61.
the obvious and grammatical construction is "he shall not choose
anything except (to) fall;" "she cannot choose anything except (to)
hate thee;" but probably (contrary to Mätzner's view, iii. 18) the
explanation of the omission is, that Shakespeare mentally supplies
shall," "can," &c. "He shall not choose anything else, but
(shall) fall." This is supported by
'Who . . . cannot choose but they must blab."-Othello, iv. I. 28.
354. Noun and infinitive used as subject or object.
It might be thought that this was a Latinism. But a somewhat
similar use of the infinitive with a noun in impersonal sentences is
often found in E. E. and, though rarely, in A.-S.
"No wondur is a lewid man to ruste. -CHAUCER, C. T. 504.
"It is ful fair a man to bear him even."-lb. 1525.
"It spedith one man for to die for he puple."-WICKLIFFE, St,
John xviiii. 14.
(So Mätzner, but Bagster has "that o man,") i.e. "that one man
should die."
"It is the lesser fault, modesty finds,
Women to change their shapes than men their minds.”
T. G. of V. v. 4. 109.
"As in an early spring
We see the appearing buds which to prove fruit
Hope gives not so much warrant as despair
That frosts will bite them."-2 Hen. IV. i. 3. 39.
"This to be true
I do engage my life."-A. Y. L. v. 4. 171.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
255
"Be then desir'd
A little to disquantity your train,
And the remainder that shall still depend
To be such men that shall besort your age."-Leur, i. 4. 272.
In the following instance "brags of" is used like "boasts :"
"Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-govern'd youth."-R. and J. i. 5. 70.
"I have deserv'd
All tongues to talk their bitterest."-W. T. iii. 2. 217.
(This) is all as monstrous to our human reason
As my Antigonus to break his grave."-Ib. v. I. 42.
"O that self-chain about his neck
Which he foreswore most monstrously to have."
Add perhaps
C. of E. v. 1. 11; Rich. III. iv. 4. 337.
"The duke
Will never grant this forfeiture to hold,”—M. of V. iii. 3. 25.
though "forfeiture" may be personified, and “ grant" used like
allow." We retain this use, but transpose "for" in “for to" (see
the example from Wickliffe above) and place it before the noun or
pronoun:
"For me to put him to his purgation would perhaps plunge him
into far more choler."-Hamlet, iii. 2. 317.
355. The Infinitive used as a Noun. This use is still re-
tained when the Infinitive is the subject of a verb, as "To walk is
pleasant;" but we should not now say—
"What's sweet to do to do will aptly find."-L. C. 13.
"My operant powers their functions leave to do."
(C
Hamlet, iii. 2. 184; żỏ. iii. 4. 56.
Have not to do with him."-Rich. III. i. 3. 292,
So 3 Hen. VI. iv. 5. 2.
"Metaphors far-fet hinder to be understood."-B. J. Disc. 757-
Apparently to is omitted in the following curious passage :-
"For to (to) have this absolute power of Dictator they added
never to be afraid to be deposed."-N. P. 611.
It is doubtful whether the infinitive is a noun in the objective in
"Nor has he with him to supply his life.”—T. of A. iv. 1. 46.
Le.“the power of supplying;” or whether "anything" is under-
stood: "He has not anything to supply his livelihood."
256
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
We can say
I was denied my rights," but not
"I am denied to sue my livery here."-Rich. III. ii. 3. 129.
356. Infinitive, indefinitely used. To was originally used not
with the infinitive but with the gerund in -e, and, like the Latin “ad"
with the gerund, denoted a purpose. Thus "to love" was originally
“to lovene,” i.e. "to (or toward) loving" (ad amandum). Gradually,
as to superseded the proper infinitival inflection, to was used in
other and more indefinite senses, "for," "about," "in," "as
regards," and, in a word, for any form of the gerund as well as for
the infinitive.
"To fright you thus methinks I am too savage.”—Macb. iv. 2. 70.
Not "too savage to fright you," but "in or for frighting you.”
"I was too strict to make mine own away."-Rich. II. i. 3. 243.
i.e. "I was too severe to myself in sacrificing my son.
son."
"Too proud to be (of being) so valiant."-Coriol. i. 1. 263.
"I will not shame myself to give you (by giving you) this."
M. of V. iv. I. 431.
"Make moan to be abridged."
”—Ib. i. I.
-Ib. i. 1. 126.
Not, "in order to be," but, "about being abridged."
"Who then shall blame
His pester'd senses to recoil and start."-Macb. v. 2. 22.
i.c. "for recoiling." Comp. T. of Sh. iii. 2. 27; A. Y. L. v. 2. 110.
"O, who shall hinder me to wail and weep?"
i.e.
as regards, or from, wailing."
Rich. III. ii. 2. 27.
"But I shall grieve you to report (by reporting) the rest."
Rich. 11. ii. 2. 95.
"You might have saved me my pains to have taken away the ring."
T. N. ii. 2. 6.
i.e. "by having taken away.
i.e.
"I the truer, so to be (for being) false with you.'
Cymb. i. 5. 44.
"Lest the State shut itself out to take any penalty for the
same."-B. E. 158.
as regards taking any penalty." We still say, "I fear to do it,"
where "to" has no meaning of purpose; but Bacon wrote-
"Young men care not to innovate."-B. E. 161.
are not cautious about innovating." So Tr. and Cr. v. 1. 71.
"are
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
257
This gerundive use of the infinitive is common after the verb "to
mean:"
"What mean these masterless and gory swords
To lie discolour'd by this place of peace?"-R. and J. v. 3. 143.
"What mean you, sir,
To give them this discomfort ?"—A. and C. iv. 1. 34.
So Tr. and Cr. v. I. 30.
"To weep to have that which it fears to lose."—Sonn. 64.
i.e. “to weep because of having, because-it has.
"
We say, "I took eleven hours to write it," or "I spent eleven
hours in writing," not
"Eleven hours I spent to write it over.
Rich. III. iii. 6. 5; M. of V. i. 1. 154.
"But thou strik'st me
Sorely, to say (in saying) I did.”—W. T. v. 1. 18.
'You scarce can right me throughly then to say
You did mistake."-Ib. ii. 1. 99.
i.c. "by saying."
"I know not what I shall incur to pass it."—Ib. ii. 2. 57.
ie. “I know not what penalty I shall incur as the consequence of,
or for, letting it pass."
"You're well to live."-W. T. iii. 3. 121.
i.e. "You are well off as regards living," resembles our modern,
"You are well to do." The infinitive thus used is seldom preceded
by an object :
"So that, conclusions to be as kisses, if your (221) four negatives
Make your two affirmatives, why then," &c.-T. N. v. 1. 22.
"What! I, that kill'd her husband and his father,
To take her in her heart's extremest hate !"
Rich. III. i. 2. 231-2.
From 216 it will be seen that the English pronoun, when it repre-
sents the Latin accusative before the infinitive, is often found in the
nominative. The following is a curious instance of the ambiguity
attending this idiom :—
"I do beseech your grace
To have some conference with your grace alone.
}}
Rich. II. v. 3. 27.
1.e. "about having some conference," and here, as the context
shows, "that I may have some conference."
8
258
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Equally ambiguous, with a precisely opposite interpretation, Ls
"Sir, the queen
Desires your visitation, and to be
Acquainted with this stranger."-Hen. VIII. v. I. 169.
z.e."and that you will become acquainted."
''
"Of him I gather'd honour
Which he to seek (seeking) of me again perforce
Behoves me keep at utterance."—Cymb, iii. i. 72.
Probably we must thus explain :
"Thou❜lt torture me to leave unspoken that
Which, to be spoke, would torture thee."-Ib. v. 5. 139.
¿.c. "You wish to torture me for leaving unspoken that which, by
being spoken, would torture you."
"Foul is most foul being foul to be a scoffer,"
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 62.
seems to mean "foulness is most foul when its foulness consists in
being scornful."
357. "To" frequently stands at the beginning of a
sentence in the above indefinite signification.
70, quoted above, and—
Thus Macb. iv. 2.
"To do this deed,
4
Promotion follows."-W. T. i. 2. 356.
*
"To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself.
""
Macbeth, ii. 2. 73.
"To say to go with you, I cannot."-B. J. E. out &c. iv. 6.
"To belie him I will not."-A. W. iv. 3. 299.
"Other of them may have crooked noses, but to owe (as regards
owning) such straight arms, none.”—Cymb. iii. 1. 38.
"For of one grief grafted alone,
To graft another thereupon,
A surer crab we can have none."-HEYWOOD.
"To lack or lose that we would win
So that our fault is not therein,
What woe or want end or begin?"—Ib.
"To sue to live, I find I seek to die,
And seeking death find life,"-M. for M. i. 1. 43.
where "to sue to live" means as regards suing to live," and
corresponds to "seeking death."
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
259
L
This indefinite use of the infinitive in a gerundive sense seems to
be a continuation of the old idiom which combined to with the
gerund.
Less frequently the clause depends on that :"
But that I'll give my voice on Richard's side,
God knows I will not do it."—Rich. III. iii. 1. 53.
358. For to. When the notion of purpose is to be brought out,
for to is often used instead of to, and in other cases also. Similarly
the Danish and Swedish languages (Mätzner) have "for at," and
the old French has "por (pour) à," with the infinitive. For to is
still more common in Early English than in Elizabethan.
359. Infinitive active is often found where we use the passive,
as in
"Yet, if men moved him, was he such a storm
As oft 'twixt May and April is to see.”—L. C. 102.
This is especially common in "what's to do" (T. N. iii. 3. 18;
&c.) for "what's to be done." See Ellipses, 405, and compare
"Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust."—Sonn. 129.
i.e."not to be trusted."
360. Infinitive, complete Present. It is now commonly
asserted that such expressions as "I hoped to have seen him yester-
day" are ungrammatical. But in the Elizabethan as in Early
English authors, after verbs of hoping, intending, or verbs signifying
that something ought to have been done but was not, the Complete
Present Infinitive is used. We still retain this idiom in the expression,
I would (i.e. wished to) have done it." "I ought (i.e. was bound)
to have done it." But we find in Shakespeare-
In
"I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife;
I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid."
Hamlet, v. 1. 268.
"Thought to have begg'd."-Cymb. iii. 6. 48.
"Levied an army weening to redeem,
I.
And have install'd me in the diadem," —1 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 89,
it is difficult to explain the juxtaposition of the simple present with
an apparently complete present infinitive. Probably have is here
used in the sense of " cause," i.e. "thinking to redeem me and
to have me install'd," "to cause me to be install'd." So in
S 2
260
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Ambitious love hath so in me offended
That barefoot plod I the cold ground upon
With sainted vow my faults to have amended,"
A. W. iii. 4. 7.
"to have amended" seems to mean "to cause to be amended."
But possibly there is no need for this supposition of transposition.
The thought of unfulfilment and disappointment growing on the
speaker might induce her to put the latter verb in the complete
present infinitive.
"Pharnabazus came thither thinking to have raised the siege."-
N. P. 179.
Sometimes the infinitive is used without a verb of "thinking," to
imply an unfulfilled action.
"I told him of myself, which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon."-A. and C. ii. 2. 79.
But often it seems used by attraction to "have," expressed or
implied in a previous verb.
""
"She would have made Hercules to have turned spit.
M. Ado, ii. 1. 261.
I had not (i.e. should not have) been persuaded to have hurled
These few ill-spoken lines into the world."
BEAUMONT on Faithful Shepherdess.
So Milton: "He trusted to have equall'd the Most High."
The same idiom is found in Latin poetry (Madvig, 407. Obs. 2)
after verbs of wishing and intending. The reason of the idiom
seems to be a desire to express that the object wished or intended is
a completed fact, that has happened contrary to the wish and cannot
now be altered.
361. Subjunctive, simple form. See also Be, Were, An,
But, If, &c. The subjunctive (a consequence of the old inflectional
form) was frequently used, not as now with would, should, &c., but
in a form identical with the indicative, where nothing but the
context (in the case of past tenses) shows that it is the subjunctive,
as :
2
'But, if my father had not scanted me,
Yourself, renowned prince, then stood as fair.'
""
I
M. of V. ii. 1 17.
"Preferment goes by letter and affection,
And not by old gradation where each second
Stood heir to the first."--Othello, i. 1. 38.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
261
If it be asked what is the difference between "stood " here and
"would have stood," I should say that the simple form of the
subjunctive, coinciding in sound with the indicative, implied to an
Elizabethan more of inevitability (subject, of course, to a condition
which is not fulfilled). "Stood" means 'would certainly have
stood." The possibility is regarded as an unfulfilled fact, to speak
paradoxically. Compare the Greek idiom of lva with the indicative.
"If he did not care whether he had their love or no, he waived
indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor harın; but he seeks
their hate with greater devotion than they can render it him."-
Coriol. ii. 2. 17.
"If they
Should say, 'Be good to Rome,' they charged him even
As those should do," &c.-Coriol. iv. 6. 112.
(If I rebuked you) then I check'd my friends."
Rich. III. iii. 7. 150.
'Till" is used varyingly with the indicative present, future, and
the subjunctive.
The subjunctive is found after "so" in the sense of "so (that),”
¿.e. “(if it be) so (that).”
"I will . . . endow a child of thine,
So in the Lethe of thy angry soul
Thou drown the sad remembrance of these wrongs."
Rich. III. iv. 4. 251.
Sometimes the presence of the subjunctive, used conditionally
(where, as in the case of did, the subjunctive and indicative are
identical in inflections), is indicated by placing the verb before the
subject:
'Did I tell this . . . who would believe me?"
"Live Roderigo,
M. for M. ii. 4. 171.
He calls me to a restitution."—Othello, v. 1. 14.
"Live a thousand years,
I.
I shall not find myself so fit to die.”—7. C. iii. 1. 159.
"Live thou, I live.”—M. of V. iii. 2. 61.
Where we should say, "Should I tell, live," &c.
The indicative is sometimes found where the subjunctive might
be expected:
"Pleaseth you walk with me down to his house,
I will discharge my bond,"-C. of E. iv. 1. 12.
where the first clause might be taken interrogatively, "Is it your
262
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
pleasure to walk with me? In that case I will," &c. So 2 Hen. IV.
iv. 1. 225. Perhaps we may thus explain the so-called imperative
in the first person plural:
Well, sit we down,
And let us hear Bernardo speak of this."-Hamlet, i. 1. 33.
i.e. "
'suppose we sit down?" "what if we sit down?" Compare
Ib. 168.
So "Alcib. I'll take the gold thou giv'st me, not all thy counsel.
Timon. Dost thou, or dost thou not, Heaven's curse upon
thee!"-T. of A. iv. 3. 131.
So "willy-nilly" and
"He left this ring behind him, would I or not.”—T. N. i. 5. 321.
"Please" is, however, often found in the subjunctive, even
interrogatively.
"Please it you that I call?"-T. of Sh. iv. 4 1.
It then represents our modern "may it please?" and expresses
a modest doubt.
The subjunctive is also found, more frequently than now, with if,
though, &c. The subjunctive "he dare" is more common than
"he dares" in the historical plays, but far less common in the
others. The only difference between the two is a difference of
thought, the same as between "he can jump six feet" and "he
could jump six feet," i.e. if he liked.
Compare "For I know thou darest,
But this thing dare not." *—Tempest, iii. 2. 62–3.
i.e. "would not dare on any consideration :" stronger than "dares."
The indiscriminate use of "dare" and "dares" (regulated,
perhaps, by some regard to euphony) is illustrated by
'Here boldly spread thy hands, no venom'd weed
Dares blister them, no slimy snail dare creep."
B. and F. F. Sh. iii. 1.
362. Subjunctive auxiliary forms. The simple form of the
subjunctive is sometimes interchanged and co-ordinate with the
auxiliary form.
"If thou wert the ass, thy dulness would torment thee, and
still thou livedst but as a breakfast to the wolf; if thou wert the
wolf, thy greediness would afflict thee, and oft thou shouldst hazard
thy life for a dinner; wert thou a horse, thou wouldest be seized by
* "This thing" means "this creature Trinculo," and is antithetical to “thou."
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
263
the leopard; wert thou a leopard, thou wert german to the lion."-
T. of A. iv. 3. 385-94.
ور
Note here that "livedst" and "shouldst" imply inevitability and
compulsion. "Wouldest" is used in the passive because the passive
in itself implies compulsion. Would" is used after " dulness
and "greediness" because they are quasi-personified as voluntary
persecutors. Why not "hazardedst" as well as "livedst?" Perhaps
to avoid the double d.
"Do," "did," are often used with verbs in the subjunctive:
'Better far, I guess,
>>
That we do make our entrance several ways. 1 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 30.
"Lest your retirement do amaze your friends. '—1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 5.
363. The Subjunctive is replaced by the Indicative after
"if," where there is no reference to futurity, and no doubt is
expressed, as in "if thou lovest me."
"O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy lord,
Banish the carkers of ambitious thoughts."
2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 17.
An thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou'lt catch cold
shortly."-Lear, i. 4. 112.
“Ah, no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me.”—1 Hen. IV.
ii. 4. 312.
In the last example Falstaff is assuming the Prince's love as a
present fact in order to procure the immediate cessation of ridicule.
But in the following he asks the Prince to do him a favour regarded
as future, and as somewhat more doubtful :-
"If thou love me, practise an answer."-1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 411.
Incredulity is expressed in
"If thou have power to raise him, bring him hither."
Ib. iii. 1. 60.
In 'If thou dost nod thou break'st thy instrument,"
F. C. iv. 3. 271.
the meaning is "you are sure to break," and the present indicative
being used in the consequent, is also used in the antecedent. So in
"I am quickly ill and well
In
So (almost since') Antony loves.”—À. and C. i. 3. 73.
"It (my purpose) is no more
But that your daughter, ere she seems as won,
Desires this ring,"-A. W. iii 7. 32.
264
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
the purpose is regarded graphically as a fact in the act of being
completed. However, the indiscriminate use of the indicative and
subjunctive at the beginning of the seventeenth century is illustrated
by the A. V. St. Matt. v. 23:
"Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberesi.”
364. Subjunctive used optatively or imperatively. This
was more common then than in modern poetry.
'Who's first in worth, the same be first in place."
B. J. Cy.'s Rev. v. I.
(May) Your own good thoughts excuse me, and farewell."
L. L. L. ii. 1. 177
"O heavens, that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! (provided) that they were, I wish
Myself were mudded in the oozy bed."-Tempest, v. 1. 150.
"No man inveigh against the wither'd flower,
But chide rough winter that the flower hath kill'd."
"In thy fats our cares be drowned,
R. of L.
With thy grapes our hairs be crowned."-A. and C. ii. 7. 122
The juxtaposition of an imperative sometimes indicates the im-
perative use.
"Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms,
Nor (let) curstness grow to the matter."-A. and C. ii. 2. 25.
"Good now, sit down, and tell me he that knows," &c.
Hamlet, i. 1. 70.
"Take Antony Octavia to his wife."A. and C. ii. 2. 129.
"Run one before, and let the queen know."-Ib. iv. 8. 1.
"Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make short;
Sail seas in cockles, have an wish but for 't."
F. of T. iv. 4. Gower, 2.
ie. "Let any one but wish it, and we will sail seas in cockles."
Sometimes only the context shows the imperative use :
The
"
"For his passage,
(See that) The soldiers' music and the rites of war
Speak loudly for him."-Hamlet, v. 2. 411.
' and” is superfluous, or else “question" is imperative, in
Question, your grace, the late ambassadors,
And you shall find."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 51.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
265
So in
"Hold out my horse and I will first be there."
in
Rich. II. ii. 1. 300.
"Then (see that) every soldier kill his prisoners.
">
Hen. V. iv. 6. 37.
On the other hand, "prove" is conditional (or “and” is omitted)
"O my father!
Prove you that any man with me conversed,
Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death."
M. Ado, iv. I. 182–6.
Often it is impossible to tell whether we have an imperative with
a vocative, or a subjunctive used optatively or conditionally.
"Melt Egypt into Nile, and kindly creatures
Turn all to serpents."-A. and C. ii. 5. 78.
"That I shall clear myself,
Lay all the weight ye can upon my patience,
I make as little doubt as," &c.-Hen. VIII. v. 1. 66.
"Now to that name my courage prove my title."
A. and C. v. 2. 291.
'Sport and repose turn from me day and night."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 218.
365. This optative use of the subjunctive dispensing with
"let," "may," &c. gives great vigour to the Shakespearian line:
"Judge me the world."-Othello, i. 2. 72.
i.e. "let the world judge for me."
“Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now.
Hen. V. iv. 5. 17.
"Long die thy happy days before thy death."
Rich. III. i. 3. 207.
"The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul."—Ib. 222.
The reader of Shakespeare should always be ready to recognize
the subjunctive, even where the identity of the subjunctive with the
indicative inflection renders distinction between two moods impos-
sible, except from the context. Thus :
"Therefore take with thee my most heavy curse,
Which in the day of battle tire thee more
Than all the complete armour that thou wear'st!
My prayers on the adverse party fight,
And there the little souls of Edward's children
Whisper the spirits of thine enemies,
And promise them success and victory."-Rich. III, iv. 4. 190,
266
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Here, in the second line, "tire," necessarily subjunctive, im-
presses upon the reader that the co-ordinate verbs, "fight," &c., are
also subjunctive. But else, it would be possible for a careless
reader to take "fight," &c. as indicative, and ruin the passage.
This optative or imperative use of the subjunctive, though
common in Elizabethan writers, had already begun to be supplanted
by auxiliaries. Thus Wickliffe has (Coloss. ii. 16) "No man juge
you," while all the other versions have "Let no man judge you."
366. Subjunctive, complete present. (See Should for “if
he should have.") The subjunctive with "have" is not very
frequent. It is used where a past event is not indeed denied, but
qualified conditionally, in an argumentative manner :
"If, sir, perchance
She have restrain'd the riots of your followers,
'Tis on such ground.
... as clears her from all blame."
Lear, ii. 4. 145
i.e. “If it should hereafter be proved that she have," "if so be tha.
she have."
So
"If this young gentleman have done offence."
T. N. iii. 4. 344.
'Though it have" is somewhat similarly used to express a conces
sion for the sake of argument, not a fact.
"For though it have holp madmen to their wits."
Rich. II. v. 5. 62.
367. Subjunctive used indefinitely after the Relative.
In her youth
There is a prone and speechless dialect
Such as move men."-M. for M. i. 2. 189
"And the stars whose feeble light
Give a pale shadow."-B. and F.
"But they whose guilt within their bosom lie
Imagine every eye beholds their blame."-R. of L. ii. 1344.
"Thou canst not die, whilst any zeal abound."
DANIEL (quoted by Walker).
"I charge you to like as much of this play as please you."
A. Y. L. Epilogue.
"And may direct his course as please himself."
Rich. III. i 2. 129.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
257
Perhaps (but see 218)
Alas, their love may be called appetite,
No motion of the liver, but the palate
That suffer surfeit.”—T. N. ii. 4. 102.
In the subordinate clauses of a conditional sentence, the relative
is often followed by the subjunctive :
""
“A man that were to sleep your sleep.”—Cymb. v. 4. 179.
i.e. "If there were a man who was destined to sleep your sleep.'
"If they would yield us but the superfluity while it were whole-
some."-Coriol. i. I. 18.
368. Subjunctive in a subordinate sentence. The sub-
junctive is often used with or without "that," to denote a purpose
(see above, That). But it is also used after "that," who," &c. in
dependent sentences where no purpose is implied, but only futurity.*
Be it of less expect
}
That matter needless of importless burden
Divide thy lips."-Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 71.
No "purpose" can be said to be implied in "please," in the fol-
lowing:
CC
May it please you, madam,
That he bid Helen come to you."—A. W. i. 3. 71.
"Yet were it true
W. T. i. 2. 135.
To say this boy were like me."-W. T.
"Thou for whom Jove would swear
Juno but an Æthiop were."-L. L. L. iv. 3. 118.
"Would you not swear that she were a maid?”
M. Ado, iv. 1. 40.
"One would think his mother's milk were scarce out of him."
T. N. i. 5. 171.
In the last four passages the second verb is perhaps attracted to
the mood of the first.
"Proteus. But she is dead.
Silv.
Say that she be: yet," &c.
T. G. of V. iv. 2. 109.
"With no show of fear,
No, with no more than if we heard that England
Were busied with a Whitsun Morris-dance.
Hen. V. ii. 4. 25.
I have found no instance in Shakespeare like the following, quoted by
Walker from Sidney's Arcadia:
"And I think there she do dwell."
268
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"I pray (hope) his absence proceed by swallowing that.'
"If it be proved against an alien
That by direct or indirect attempt
Cymb. iii. 5. 58
He seek the life of any citizen."-M. of V. iv. 1. 351.
"One thing more rests that thyself execute. T. of Sh. i. 1. 251.
where, however, "that" may be the relative, and execute" an
imperative.
I know of no other instance in Shakespeare but the following,
where the subjunctive is used after "that" used for "so that,"
of a fact:
"Through the velvet leaves the wind
All unseen can passage find,
That the lover sick to death
Wish himself the heaven's breath."-L. L. L. iv. 3. 108.
The metre evidently may have suggested this licence: or -es or -d
may have easily dropped out of "wishes or wish'd."
""
The subjunctive is used where we should use the future in
"I doubt not you (will) sustain what you're worthy of by your
attempt."—Cymb. i. 4. 125.
"Think" seems used subjunctively, and "that" as a conjunction in
"And heaven defend (prevent) your good souls that you
(should) think
I will your serious and great business scant
For (because) she is with me."-Othello, i. 3. 267.
The "that" is sometimes omitted:
"It is impossible they bear it out."-Ib. ii. 1. 19.
Here "bear" is probably the subjunctive. The subjunctive is by
no means always used in such sentences. We may contrast
with
"No matter then who see it.”—Rich. II. v. 2. 59.
"I care not who know it."-Hen. V. iv. 7. 118.
"I care not who knows so much.”—T. N. iii. 4. 300.
369. The Subjunctive after verbs of command and
entreaty is especially common; naturally, since command implies
a purpose.
"We enjoin thee that thou carry."-W. T. ii. 3. 174.
"I conjure thee that thou declare."—Ib. i. 2. 402.
So M. for M. v. 1. 50.
VERBS, MOODS AND TENSES.
2:53
"Tell him from me
He bear himself with honourable action.”
T. of Sh. Ind. i. I. 119.
"Thy dukedom I resign, and do entreat
Thou pardon me my wrongs."-Temp. v. I. 119.
So after "forbid."
"Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her.
Sometimes an auxiliary is used:
""
T. N. ii. 2. 19.
"I do beseech your majesty may salve.”—ı Hen. IV. iii. 2. 155.
Hence in such passages as
"Go charge my goblins that they grind their joints,"
the verb is to be considered as in the subjunctive.
After a past tense "should" is used:
"She bade me ...
Temp. iv. 1. 259.
I should teach him."-Othello, i. 3. 165.
370. Irregular sequence of tenses. Sometimes the sequence
of tenses is not observed in these dependent sentences:
"Therefore they thought it good you hear a play."
T. of Sh. Ind. 2. 136.
"Twere good you do so much for charity."-M. of V. iv. 1. 261.
In both cases a present is implied in the preceding verb: "They
thought and think, ""It were and is good."
Reversely in
'But do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise
To think that or our cause or our performance
Did need an oath."-7. C. ii. 1. 136.
"Did need" means
"need" or can need."
ever could need," and is stronger than
In
"Is it not meet that I did amplify my judgment?"-Cymb. i. 5. 17.
as in "It is time he came," the action is regarded as one
time past, as well as in the future.
"It hath been taught us from the primal state
"meet" in
That he which is is wished until he were.”—A. and C. i. 3. 42.
Here "were" is used partly for euphony and alliteration, partly
because the speaker is speaking of the past, "is and was always
wished until he were."
270
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
371. Conditional sentences. The consequent does not always
answer to the antecedent in mood or tense. Frequently the irregu
larity can be readily explained by a change of thought.
"And that I'll prove on better men than Somerset,
(Or rather, I would) Were growing time once ripen'd to
my will.”—1 Hen. VI. ii. 4. 98.
So 3 Hen. VI. v. 7. 21.
"If we shall stand still
(Or rather, if we should, for we shall not) We should take root."
Hen. VIII. i. 2. 86.
"I will find
Where truth is hid, (and I would find it) though it were hid
indeed
Within the centre."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 157–8.
Compare Ezek. xiv. 14, A. V. :
"Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they
should deliver but their own souls.
with ib. 20, "they shall deliver."
"But if the gods themselves did see her then
*
*
*
*
*
*
(If they had seen her) The instant burst of clamour that she
made
Would have made milch the burning eyes of heaven."
Hamlet, ii. 2. 535-40.
"Till I know 'tis done,
Howe'er my hopes (might be), my joys were ne'er begun."
Ib. iv. 3. 70.
Sometimes the consequent is put graphically in the present merely
for vividness:
"If he should do so,
He leaves his back unarm'd; . . . never fear that."
2 Hen. IV. i. 3. 80.
Or else the speaker rises in the tone of confidence:
"I am assured, if I be measured rightly,
Your majesty hath no just cause to hate me.”—Ib. v. 2. 66,
PARTICIPLES.
372. Participles, Active. Our termination -ing does duty for
(1) the old infinitive in -an; (2) the old imperfect participle in end,
ende, ande; and (3) a verbal noun in -ung. Hence arises great con-
PARTICIPLES.
271
fusion. It would sometimes appear that Shakespeare fancied that
-ing was equivalent to -en, the old affix of the Passive Participle.
Thus-
"From his all-obeying breath
I hear the doom of Egypt."-A. and C. iii. 13. 77.
¿e. "obeyed by all.”
Many a dry drop seemed a weeping tear.”—R. of L. i. 1375.
So "His unrecalling crime" (R. of L.) for "unrecalled."
(In "Many excesses which are owing a man till his age,”—B. E. 122
i.e. " own, or, belonging to a man," owing is not a participle at all,
but an adjective, "agen," "âwen," "ôwen," owenne, owing;"
which was mistaken for a participle.
CC
rr
"There is more owing her than is paid."—A. W. i. 3. 107.
Wanting, "as in Coriol. ii. 1. 217, "One thing is wanting," can be
explained from the use of the verb wanteth in the following passage:
"There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here
To make the period of this perfect peace."-R. III. ii. 1. 43. )
The same explanation may apply to "I am much beholding to
you," which is sometimes found for "beholden," Rich. III. ii. 1. 129,
7. C. iii. 2. 70-3, and even to
Relish your
nimble notes to pleasing ears."--R. of L.
In the following, -ing might be supplanted, without altering the
sense, by the infinitive or the verbal preceded by a- :
1.6.
"Women are angels, wooing:
""
*
Things won are done. Tr. and Cr. i. 2. 312.
women are considered angels to woo, or a-wooing," where
wooing, if treated as an ordinary present participle, would give the
opposite to the intended meaning. Probably in the above, as in
the following, a- is omitted.
"Be brief, lest that the process of thy kindness
Last longer (a-, or in) telling than thy kindness date."
The "in" is inserted in
Before you
<<
Pause a day or two
Rich. III. iv. 4. 254.
hazard; for in choosing wrong I lose your com.
pany.' "—M. of V. iii. 2. 2.
* Comp. Returning were as tedious as (to) go o'er,"-Mach. iii. 4. 138.
io which the ing perhaps qualifies "go" as well as
"
planted by 10.
}}
return," and might be sup
272
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
i.e. "in the event of your choosing wrong, I lose your company,'
The two constructions occur together in
""
"Come, come, in wooing sorrow let's be brief,
Since, (a-)wedding it, there is such length in grief.
Rich. II. v. I. 92.
It is perhaps a result of this confusion between the verbal and the
infinitive that, just as the infinitive with "to" is used independently
at the beginning of a sentence (357) in a gerundive signification, so
is the infinitive represented by -ing:
'Why, were thy education ne'er so mean,
Having thy limbs, a thousand fairer courses
Offer themselves to thy election.”—B. J. E. in &c. ii. 1.
i.c.“since thou hast thy limbs." This explains the many instances
in which present participles appear to be found agreeing with no
noun or pronoun.
"
Part of this confusion may arise from the use of the verbal in -ing
as a noun in compounds. We understand at once that a "knedyng
trowh" (CHAUCER, C. T. 3548) means a trough for kneading;'
but "spending silver" (b. 12946) is not quite so obviously
"money for spending." Still less could we say
"Sixth part of each! A trembling contribution."
Hen. VIII. i. 2. 95
Somewhat different is
"Known and feeling sorrows,"—Lear, iv. 6. 226.
where "feeling" seems to be used like "known," passively, "known
and realized sorrows.
""
So "loading" is used for "laden," BACON, Essays, p. 49
(Wright).
"Your discontenting father,"—W. T. iv. 4. 543.
may perhaps be explained by the use of the verb "content you ;"
"I discontent (me)" meaning “I am discontented.”
373. The Verbal differs in Elizabethan usage from its modern
use. (a) We do not employ the verbal as a noun followed by "of,”
unless the verbal be preceded by "the," or some other defining
adjective. But such phrases as the following are of constant
occurrence in Elizabethan English :
"To disswade the people from making of league."-N. P. 170.
"He was the onely cause of murdering of the poor Melians."
Ib. 171.
PARTICIPLES.
273
i
By winning only of Sicilia."-N. P. 171.
"Enter Clorin the Shepherdess, sorting of herbs.
i.c. "a-sorting, or in sorting of herbs."
B. and F. F. Sh. ii. 1.
For instances from Shakespeare, see 178 and 93.
(6) On the other hand, when the verbal is constituted a noun by
the dependence of "the," or any other adjective (except a possessive
adjective) upon it, we cannot omit the of. The Elizabethans can.
"To plague thee for thy foul misleading me.
3 Hen. VI. v. I. 97.
We should prefer now to omit the "thy" as well as "foul,"
though we have not rejected such phrases as
"Upon his leaving our house."—Goldsmith.
For instances of "of" omitted when "the" precedes the verbal,
see Article, 93. In this matter modern usage has recurred to E. E
374. Participles, Passive. It has been shown (294) that, from
the licence of converting nouns, adjectives, and neuter verbs into
active verbs, there arose an indefinite and apparently not passive
use of Passive Participles. Such instances as
"Of all he dies possess'd of,"-M. of V. v. 1. 293.
(possess being frequently used as an active verb,) may thus be ex-
plained.
Perhaps,
"And, gladly quaked (mnade to quake), hear more,"
may be similarly explained. Compare also:
"All the whole army stood agazed on him.
Coriol. i. 9. 6.
1 Hen. VI. i. 1. 126.
But, in the following, we can only say that, in the excessive use
of this licence, -ed is loosely employed for -ful, -ing, or some other
affix expressing connection.
Revenge the jeering and disdain'd contempt."
I Hen. IV. i. 3. 183.
"Brooded-watchful day."-K. 7. iii. 3. 52.
As we talk of "watching (during) the night," this may explain
"The weary and all-watched night."-Hen. V. iv. Prologue, 38.
T
274
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
But more probably “all-watched" (like “o'er-watched,” J. C. it. 3
241) resembles "weary," and means "tired with watching." For
this use of adjectives see 4.
"Grim-look'd night."-M. N. D. v. 1. 171.
"The ebbed man."-A. and C. i. 4. 43.
It is perhaps still not unusual to say "the tide is ebbed.”
"A moulten raven.". 1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 152.
With sainted vow."-A. W. iii. 4. 7. (= saintly).
"And at our more considered time we'll read."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 81.
"Unconstrained gyves."-L. C. 242.
Sometimes passive participles are used as epithets to describe the
state which would be the result of the active verb. Thus
i.e. "
Why are you drawn?”—Temp. ii. 1. 308; M. N.D. iii. 2. 402.
Why do I find you with your swords drawn ?"
"Under the blow of thralled discontent."-Sonn. 124.
"The valued file" (Macb. iii. 1. 95) perhaps means "the file or
catalogue to which values are attached."
375. The Passive Participle is often used to signify, not that
which was and is, but that which was, and therefore can be hereafter.
In other words, -ed is used for -able.
"Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels."—Rich. III. i. 4. 27.
i.e. "invaluable."
"All unavoided is the doom of destiny."-Ib. iv. 4. 217.
i.e. "inevitable."
So
"We see the very wreck that we must suffer,
And unavoided is the danger now."—Rich. II. ii. 2. 268.
"With all imagined (imaginable) speed.”—M. of V. iii. 4. 52.
"The murmuring surge
That on the unnum. 'er'd idle pebbles chafes.”—Lear,iv.6.21.
So, probably, Theobald is right in reading
"The twinn'd stone upon th' unnumber'd beach,”
though the Globe retains "number'd."
Unprized" in
Cymb i. 6. 3ð
"This unprized precious maid, "--Lear, i. 1. 262.
may mean "unprized by others, but precious to me."
!
FARTICIPLES.
275
“There's no hoped for mercy with the brothers."
i.e. "to be hoped for."
3 Hen. VI. v. 4. 35.
(C
It has been conjectured that delighted" means capable of
being delighted" in
"This sensible warm motion to become
A kneaded clod, and the delighted spirit
To bathe in fiery floods."-M. for M. iii. 1. 121.
More probably, "delighted" here means the spirit "that once took
its delight in this world;" but "kneaded" seems used for "kneadable."
Hence, even
376. Participle used with a Nominative Absolute. In
Anglo-Saxon a dative absolute was a common idiom.
when inflections were discarded, the idiom was retained; and indeed,
in the case of pronouns, the nominative, as being the normal state of
the pronoun, was preferred to its other inflections. The nominative
absolute is much less common with us than in Elizabethan authors.
It is often used to call attention to the object which is superfluously
repeated. Thus in
The master and the boatswain,
Being awake, enforce them to this place,”—Temp. v. 1. 100.
there is no need of "them." So "he" is superfluous in
"Why should he then protect our sovereign,
He being of age to govern of himself?"—2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 166.
It is common with the relative and relative adverbs.
"Then Deputy of Ireland; who remov'd,
Earl Surrey was sent thither.”—Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 42.
"My heart,
Where the impression of mine eye infixing,
Contempt his scornful perspective did lend me."
،،
'Thy curris' spirit
A. W. v. 3. 47.
Govren'd a wolf, who hang d for human slaughter,
Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet."
'Emblems
M. of V. iv. 1. 134,
Laid nobly on her; which perform'd, the choir
Together sung 'Te Deum.""-Hen. VIII. iv. I. 91.
The participle with a nominative originally intended to be
absolute seems diverted into a subject in
Dor M
T 2
276
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
“The king... aiming at your interior hatred
Makes him send."-Rich. III. i. 3. 65–8.
¿.e. "the fact that the king guesses at your hatred makes him send."
377. The Participle is often used to express a condition
where, for perspicuity, we should now mostly insert "if."
"
Requires to live in Egypt, which not granted,
He lessens his requests."-A. and C. iii. 12. 12.
"That whoso ask'd her for his wife,
His riddle told not, lost his life."-P. of T. i. Gower, 38.
"For I do know Fluellen valiant,
And, touch'd with choler, hot as gunpowder."
Hen. V. iv. 7. 188.
"Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,
I am friend to them and you.
"Admitted" is probably a participle in
i.e. "
·W. T. v. I. 230.
"This is the brief of money, plate and jewels
I am possess'd of: 'tis exactly valued,
Not petty things admitted."-A. and C. v. I. 146.
exactly, if petty things be excepted."
The participle is sometimes so separated from the verb that it
seems to be used absolutely.
"Resolve me with all modest haste which way
Thou might'st deserve, or they impose this usage,
Coming from us."—Lear, ii. 4. 27.
i.e. "since thou comest.
"But being moody give him line and scope.'
2 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 39.
"And" is sometimes joined to a participle or adjective thus used.
See And, 95.
"What remains
But that I seek occasion how to rise,
And yet the king not privy to my drift."—3 Hen. VI. i. 2. 47.
"But when the splitting wind
Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks,
And flies (being) fled under shade."-Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 51.
i.e. the flies also being (295) filed.”
378. Participle without Noun. This construction is rare in
earlier English.
MoU
PARTICIPLES.
277
"My name is gret and merveylous, treuly you telland."-Cov.
Myst. (Mätzner).
Here again, as in 93, we must bear in mind the constant con.
fusion between the infinitive, the present participle, and the verbal.
In the above example we should expect the infinitive, "to tell you
the truth," and perhaps "telland" is not exactly used for, but
confused with, "tellen."*
>>
It is still a usual idiom with a few participles which are employed
almost as prepositions, e.g. "touching, concerning, "respect.
ing," "seeing." "Judging" is also often thus incorrectly used,
and sometimes " considering;" but we could scarcely say—
"Or in the night imagining (if one imagines) some fear,
How easy is a bush suppos'd a bear."-M. N. D. v. 1. 21.
Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises,
Which is a great way growing on the south,
Weighing the youthful season of the year."-7. C. ii. 1. 108.
Note especially—
CC
"I may not be too forward,
Lest (1) being seen thy brother, tender George,
Be executed."-Rich. III. v. 3. 95.
(It must be done) something from the palace, always thought
That I require a clearness.”—Macbeth, iii. 1. 132.
"it being always borne in mind.”
'(Death sits) infusing him (man) with self and vain conceit,
And, (man having been) humour'd thus,
(Death) comes at the last."-Rich. II. iii. 2. 168.
This use is common in prose.
((
He was presently suspected, judging (since men judged) the ill
success not in that he could not, but . . . for that he would not.
N. P. 182.
So "being," i.e. "it being the fact," is often used where we use
"seeing."
"You loiter here too long, being you are to take soldiers up in
counties as you go. -2 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 200; M. Ado, iv. 1. 251.
Though I with death and with
Reward did threaten and encourage him,
Not doing 't and (it) being done.”—W. T. iii. 2. 166.
*It would be interesting to trace the corresponding process in French by which
the gerund "dicendo" and the participle "dicens" were blended in "disant.
It was not till the beginning of the eighteenth century that the Academy definitely
pronounced "La règle est faite. On ne fera plus accorder les participes présents
Put from the earliest times the d of the gerund became t.
278
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
i.e. "I threatened him, not doing it, with death, and encouraged
him with reward, (it) being done;" a specimen of irregular terseness
only to be found in Elizabethan authors and in Mr. Browning's
poems.
The context often suggests a noun or pronoun:
"If not that, I being queen, you bow like subjects,
Yet that, (I being) by you deposed, you quake like rebels.
Rich. III. i. 3. 162.
But her eyes--
How could he see to do them?
Methinks it should have power to
i.e."when he had made one.
Having made one,
steal both his."
M. of V. iii. 2. 125.
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme."-Sonn. 129.
i.e. "when an object is had, possessed," unless it is still more irre-
gularly used for "having had."
This irregularity is perhaps in some cases explained by 372.
379. Participle with Pronoun implied. Sometimes a pro-
noun on which a participle depends can be easily understood from
a pronominal adjective. Compare
So
"Nostros vidisti flentis ocellos."
"Not helping, death's my fee."—A. W. ii. I. 192.
….. “death is the fee of me not helping."
"Men
Can counsel speak and comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion.”—M. Ado, v. I. 22.
"She dares not look, yet, winking, there appears
"C
Quick-shifting antics ugly in her eye.”—R. of L. 458.
Coming (as we came) from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell."-7. C. v. 1. 80.
380. Instead of the Participle an Adjective is sometimes
found.
"I would not seek an absent argument
Of my revenge, thou present."-A. Y. L. iii. 1. 4.
"And (she), her attendants absent, swallowed fire."-F. C. iv. 3. 156.
'
Joy absent, grief is present for that time."-Rich. II. i. 3. 259.
ELLIPSES.
279
Sometimes the adjective depends on an implied pronoun :
Thy word is current with him for my death,
But dead, thy kingdom cannot buy my breath.
i.e."the breath of me when dead."
Rich. II. i. 3. 232.
"It is an obvious conjecture from this use of "absent," "present,"
"dead," that their quasi-participial terminations favoured this par-
ticipial use. But add
"Thence,
A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd."
W. T. v. I. 161.
381. The Participle is sometimes implied in the case of
a simple word, such as "being."
"I have heard him oft maintain it to be fit that sons (being) at
perfect age and fathers declining, the father should be as ward to the
son."--Lear, i. 2. 77.
And be well contented
To make your house our tower. You (being) a brother of us,
It fits we thus proceed, or else no witness
Would come against you."-Hen. VIII. v. 1. 106.
i.. "Since you are our brother." (Or (?) "though you were our
brother, it [would be and] is fit to proceed thus.")
"(Those locks are) often known
To be the dowry of a second head,
The skull that bred them (being) in the sepulchre."
M. of V. iii. 2. 96.
We retain this use in antithetical phrases, such as "face to face,'
"sword against sword," but we should rarely introduce an adjective
into such an antithetical compound. Shakespeare, however, has
And answer me declined sword 'gainst sword."
CC
A. and C. iii. 13. 27.
ELLIPSES.
382. Several peculiarities of Elizabethan language have already
been explained by the desire of brevity which characterised the
authors of the age. Hence arose so many elliptical expressions that
they deserve a separate treatment. The Elizabethan authors ob-
jected to scarcely any ellipsis, provided the deficiency could be easily
supplied from the context.
280
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Vouchsafe (to receive) good-morrow from a feeble tongue."
7. C. ii. 1. 313.
"When shall we see (one another) again?"
Cymb. i. I. 124; Tr. and Cr. iv. 4. 59.
Just so we still use "meet."
"You and I have known (one another), sir."
A. and C. ii. 6. 86; Cymb. i. 4. 36.
'On their sustaining garments (there is) not a blemish,
But (the garments are) fresher than before.'
Tempest, i. 2. 219.
Thus also, as in Latin, a verb of speaking can be omitted where
it is implied either by some other word, as in
'She calls me proud, and (says) that
She could not love me."-A. Y. L. iv. 3. 16.
"But here's a villain that would face me down
He met me on the mart."-C. of E. iii. 1. 7.
i.e. “maintain to my face that he met me;" or by a question as in
"What are you?
(I ask) Your name and quality; and why you answer
This present summons."-Lear, v. 3. 120.
(The Globe inserts a note of interrogation after quality.)
'Enforce him with his envy to the people,
And (say) that the spoil got on the Antiates
Was ne'er distributed." Coriol. iii. 3. 4.
Thus, by implying from "forbid
forbid" a word of speaking, "bid," and
not by a double negative, we should perhaps explain
Thus
"You may as well forbid the mountain pines
To wag their high tops and (bid them) to make no noise.'
M. cf V. iv. I. 76.
I know not whether to depart in silence
Or bitterly to speak in your reproof
Best fitteth my degree or your condition.
If (I thought it fittest) not to answer, you might haply
think," &c.-Rich. III. iii. 7. 144.
After "O!" "alas!" and other exclamations, a verb of surprise
or regret is sometimes omitted.
"O (it is pitiful) that deceit should steal such gentle shapes."
Rich. III. ii. 2. 27.
"Good God! (I marvel that) these nobles should such
stomachs bear:
1
I myself fight not once in forty year.". — Hen. VI. i. 3. 90.
ELLIPSES.
281
Sometimes no exclamation is inserted :
Ask what thou wilt. (I would) That I had said and done."
2 Hen. VI. i. 4. 31.
Ellipses in Conjunctional Sentences. The Elizabethans
seem to have especially disliked the repetition which is now con-
sidered necessary, in the latter of two clauses connected by a relative
or a conjunction.
383. And:
'Have you
Ere now denied the asker, and now again
Of him that did not ask but mock (do you) bestow
Your sued-for tongues?"-Coriol. ii. 3. 213.
Here in strictness we ought to have "bestowed," or
bestow."
An ellipse must be supplied proleptically in
'(Beggars) Sitting in the stocks refuge their shame,
do vou
That (i.e. because) many have (sat), and many must sit
there."-Rich. II. v. 5. 27.
"Of (such) dainty and such picking grievances."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 198.
It (i.e. love) shall be (too) sparing and too full of riot.”
V. and A. 1147.
"It shall be (too) merciful and too severe.”—Ib. 1155.
384. As:
"His ascent is not so easy as (the ascent of) those who," &c.
Coriol. ii. 2. 30.
Returning were as tedious as (to) go o'er.”—Mach. iii. 4. 138.
They boldly press so far as (modern Eng. that) further none
(press).'
"-B. J. Cy.'s Rev. v. 3.
"O, 'tis sweating labour
To bear such idleness so near the heart
As Cleopatra (bears) this.”—A. and C. i. 3. 95.
"And I, that haply take them from him now,
May yet ere night yield both my life and them
To some man else, as this dead man doth (to) me.
3 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 60.
"Return those duties back as (they) are most fit (to be returned)."
Lear, i. 1. 99.
As can scarcely, in the above, be taken for "which"
282
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"This is a strange thing (as strange) as e'er I look'd on.
""
Temp. v. 1. 289.
385. But (after but the finite verb is to be supplied without the
negative) :
"The tender nibbler would not take the bait
But (would) smile and jest."-P. P. 4.
"To be thus is nothing,
But to be safely thus (is something)."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 47.
"And though I could
With barefaced power sweep him from my sight
And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,
(For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop,) but (I must) wail his fall
Who I myself struck down."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 119.
Sometimes but itself is omitted:
"'Tis not my profit that doth lead mine honour,
(But it is) Mine honour (that doth lead) it (i.e. profit)."
A. and C. ii. 7. 83.
Sometimes the repeated varies slightly from the original propo-
sition :
"'Tis not enough to help the feeble up,
But (it is necessary) to support him after."-T. of A. i. 1. 107.
In the following, the negative is implied in the first verb through
the question, "Why need we?" i.e. "We need not.” The second
verb must not be taken interrogatively, and thus it omits the negative.
Why, what need we
(C
Commune with you of this, but rather follow
Our forceful indignation?"-W. T. ii. 1. 162.
"" but "
i.e. "Why need we commune with you? we need rather follow our
own impulse." Else, if both verbs be taken interrogatively,
must be taken as "and not :" " Why need we commune with you,
and not follow our own impulse ?”
Where the negative is part of the subject, as in "none," a new
subject must be supplied :
"God, I pray him
That none of you may live your natural age
But (each of you) by some unlook'd accident cut off."
386. Ere:
Rich. III. i. 3. 214.
The rabble should have first unroof'd the city
Ere (they should have) so prevail'd with me.
"Coriol. i. 1. 222.
ELLIPSES.
283
"I'll lean upon one crutch and fight with the other
Ere (I will) stay behind this business."-Coriol. i. 1. 246.
387. If:
"I am more serious than my custom; you
Must be so too, if (you must or intend to) heed me.
See "must," 314.
"I yet beseech your majesty
Temp. ii. 1. 220.
If (it is) for (i.e. because) I want that glib and oily art
That you make known," &c.-Lear, i. 1. 227.
“O, if (you be) a virgin
And your affection (be) not gone forth, I'll make you
The queen of Naples."-Tempest, i. 2. 447-8.
“Haply you shall not see me more, or if (you see me),
(You will see me) A mangled shadow."-A. and C. iv. ii. 27.
So
This is a good Greek idiom.
"Not like a corse: or if, not to be buried,
But quick, and in mine arms.”—W. T. iv. 4. 131.
In the following hypothetical sentence there is a curious ellipsis :
"Love, loving not itself, none other can."-Rich. II. v. 2. 88.
i.e. "if a man does not love his own flesh and blood he cannot (love)
a stranger."
388. Like (1.e. resenibling):
"But you like none, none (like) you, for constant heart."-Sonn.
388a, Or:
"For women's fear and love holds quantity;
In neither (is) aught, or (it is) in extremity."
Hamlet, iii. 2. 178.
ie. "women's fear and love vary together, are proportionable: they
either contain nothing, or what they contain is in extremes."
389. Since:
"Be guilty of my death since (thou art guilty) of my crime."
R. of L.
390. Than:
"To see sad sights moves more than (to) hear them told.”
R. of L. 451.
284
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"It cost more to get than (was fit) to lose in a day."
B. J. Poetaster
Since I suppose we are made to be no stronger
Than (that) faults may shake our frames."
M. for M. ii. 4. 133.
"But I am wiser than (I should be were I) to serve their
precepts."-B. J. E. out &c. i. 1.
"My form
Is yet the cover of a fairer mind
Than (that which is fit) to be butcher of an innocent child."
K. J. iv. 2. 258.
This must be known; which being kept close might move
More grief to hide, than hate to utter (would move) love."
Hamlet, i. 1. 108-9.
i.e. "this ought to be revealed, for it (273), by being suppressed,
might excite more grief in the king and queen by the hiding (356)
of the news, than our unwillingness to tell bad news would excite
love."
"What need we any spur but our own cause
To prick us to redress? What other bond
Than (that of) secret Romans?"-7. C. ii. 1. 125.
As in the case of “but” (385), so in the following, the verb must
be repeated without its negative force :
"I heard you say that you had rather refuse
The offer of an hundred thousand crowns
Than (have) Bolingbroke's return to England."
Rich. II. iv. 1. 17.
Here, perhaps, the old use of the subjunctive "had" for "would
have" exerts some influence.
The word "rather" must be supplied from the termination er in
"The rarer action is
In virtue (rather) than in vengeance.”—Temp. v. I. 28.
"You are well understood to be a perfecter giber for the talle
than a necessary bencher in the Capitol."-Coriol. ii. 1. 91.
391. Though:
"Saints do not more, though (saints) grant for prayers' sake.”
R. and J. i. 5. 107.
"I keep but two men and a boy (as) yet, till my mother be dead.
But what though? Yet I live like a poor gentleman born."
M. W. of W. i. 1. 287.
* Compare the Greek idiom.—Jelf, ii. 863. 2. 2.
ELLIPSES.
235
392. Till:
"He will not hear till (he) feel."-T. of A. ii. 2. 7.
393. Too.... to:
"His worth is too well known (for him) to be forth-coming.
B. J. E. out &c. v. I.
394. Relative. (In relative sentences the preposition is often
not repeated.)
"Most ignorant of what he's most assured (ot).”
M. for M. ii. 2. 119.
"A gift of all (of which) he dies possess'd."-M. of V. iv. 1. 389.
Err'd in this point (in) which now you censure him."
M. for M. ii. 1. 15.
For that (for) which, if myself might be his judge,
He should receive his punishment in thanks.”—Ib. 4 28.
"I do pronounce him in that very shape
(In which) He shall appear in proof."-Hen. VIII.i. 1. 196
"As well appeareth by the cause (for which) you come."
Rich. 11. i. I. 26.
"In this (in or of) which you accuse her."—W. T. ii. 1. 133.
"In that behalf (in) which we have challenged it."
K. 7. ii. 1. 264.
"To die upon the bed (upon which) my father died.”
W. T. iv. 4. 466.
"In such a cause as fills mine eyes with tears,
And stops my tongue while (my) heart is drown'd in cares."
3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 14.
There is a proleptic omission in
"Or (upon) whom frown'st thou that I do fawn upon."
Sonn. 149.
395. Antithetical sentences frequently do not repeat pro-
nouns, verbs, &c.
"What most he should dislike seems pleasant to him,
What (he should) like, (seems) offensive."-Lear, iv. 2. 10.
Sometimes the verb has to be repeated in a different tense.
"To know our enemies' minds we'ld rip their hearts:
(To rip) Their papers is more lawful."-Lear, iv. 6. 266.
To be acknowledg'd, madam, is (to be) overpaid."
28. iv. 7. 4
66
286
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
The antithesis often consists in the opposition between past and
present time.
"I meant to rectify my conscience, which
I then did feel full sick, and yet (do feel) not well.”
Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 204.
"And may that soldier a mere recreant prove
That means not (to be), hath not (been), or is not in love."
Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 288.
"She was beloved, she loved; she is (beloved) and doth (love).'
Ib. iv. 5. 292.
""
396. Ellipsis of Neither before Nor, One before Other.
(Neither) He nor that affable familiar ghost."-Sonn. 86.
"But (neither) my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from seeing thee."—Ib. 141.
"A thousand groans
•
•
Came (one) on another's neck."—Ib. 131.
Pomp. You will not bail me then, sir.
Lucio. (Neither) Then, Pompey, nor now.
""
M. for M. iii. 2. 86.
397. Ellipsis of Adverbial and other Inflections.
"The duke of Norfolk sprightfully and bold(ly)."
Rich. II. i. 3. 3.
"Good gentlemen, look fresh(ly) and merrily."-F. C. ii. 1. 224.
Apt(ly) and willingly."-T. N. v. 1. 135.
""
"With sleided silk, feat(ly) and affectedly."-L. C. 48.
"His grace looks cheerfully and smooth(ly) this morning."
Rich. III. iii. 4. 50.
"And she will speak most bitterly and strange(ly).”
M. for M. v. I. 36.
"How honourable(y) and how kindly we
Determine."—A. and C. v. 1. 58.
"And that so lamely and unfashionable(y)."-Rich. III. i. 1. 22.
It will not escape notice (1) that in all but two of these instances
the -ly is omitted after monosyllabic adjectives, which can be more
readily used as adverbs without change; (2) that "honourable,"
unfashionable," &c., in their old pronunciation would approximate
to "honourably," "unfashionably," and the former is itself used as
an adverb. (See 1.) Nevertheless it seems probable that this, like
the following idiom, and like many others, arises partly from the
readiness with which a compound phrase connected by a conjunction
is regarded as one and inseparable. Compare
cr
ELLIPSES.
287
“Until her husband('s) and my lord's return."-M. of V. iii. 4. 30.
"As soul('s) and body's severing."—Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 16
where “soui-and-body" is a quasi-noun.
"Shall be your love('s) and labour's recompense."
Rich. II. ii. 3. 62.
398. Ellipsis of Superlative Inflection.
66
The generous and gravest citizens."-M. for M. iv. 6. 13.
Only the grave and wisest of the land."-HEYWOOD (Walker).
"The soft and sweetest music.”—B. J. (16.).
"The vain and haughtiest minds the sun e'er saw.
GOFFE (Ib.).
“To mark the full-fraught man and best endued.”
Hen. V. ii. 2. 139.
“The humble as the proudest sail doth bear."-Sonn. 80.
The est of the second adjective modifies the first.
Reversely we have-
"The best condition'd and unwearied spirit,"-M. of V. iii. 2. 295.
where "best" modifies the second adjective.
In
"Call me the horrid' st and unhallow'd thing
That life and nature tremble at."-MIDDLETON (Walker).
"I took him for the plainest harmless creature,"
Rich. III. iii. 4. 25.
though the meaning may be "the plainest, (the most) harmless.
creature," it is more likely a compound word, "plainest-harmless"
(see 2).
399. Ellipsis of Nominative. Where there can be no doubt
what is the nominative, it is sometimes omitted.
It was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will, but poor a
thousand crowns, and as thou sayest charged my brother, on his
blessing, to breed me well."-A. Y. L. i. 1. 3.
They call him Doricles: and boasts himself
To have a worthy feeding."-W. T. iv. 4. 168.
"Who loved her so, that speaking of her foulness
(He) Washed it with tears. »*—M. Ado, iv. 1. 156.
(It) shall not be long but I'll be here again."
Macbeth, iv. 2. 23.
"Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof."—Hamlet, ii. 1. 8.
• "That” might (but for, 260) be treated as a relative prono¨ın.
288
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
This explains K. J. ii. 1. 571, and
When I am very sure, if they should speak,
(They) Would almost damn those ears which," &c.
M. of V. i. I. 97.
Compare
"Come, fortune's a jade, I care not who tell her,
(Who, i.e. since she) Would offer to strangle a page of the
cellar."-B. and F.
"The king must take it ill
That he's so slightly valued in his messenger,
(That he or? you) Should have him thus restrained."
So Hen. VIII. i. 2. 197.
Lear, ii. 2. 154.
The following might be explained by transposition, "may all" for
"all may :" but more probably "they" is implied :
"That he awaking when the other do,
May all to Athens back again repair.”
M. N. D. iv. 1. 72. See also Ib. v. i. 98.
400. The omission of the Nominative is most common
with "has," "is," "was," &c.
"He has" is frequently pronounced and sometimes written "has,"
and "he" easily coalesces with "was, "*"will," &c. Hence these
cases should be distinguished from those in the preceding paragraph.
"And to the skirts of this wild wood he came,
Where, meeting with an old religious man,
After some question with him was converted."
A. Y. L. v. 4. 167.
"This young gentlewoman had a father whose skill was almost as
great as his honesty: had it stretch'd so far, would have made nature
immortal."-A. W. i. 1. 20.
"Hero. I'll wear this.
Marg. By my troth, 's not so good."-M. Ado, iii. 4. 9 and 18.
•
"For Cloten
There wants no diligence in seeking him,
And (he) will no doubt be found."-Cymb. iv. 3. 21.
"For I do know Fluellen valiant.
And, touch'd with choler, hot as gunpowder;
And quickly will return an injury."-Hen. V. iv. 7. 188.
This is that banish'd haughty Montague,
And here is come."-R. and JF. v. 3. 5â
* See ¿61,
ELLIPSES.
289
"
"As for Cromwell,
Beside that of the jewel-house, (he) is made master
O' the rolls."-Hen. VIII. v. i. 34; 50.
'I know the gentleman; and, as you say,
There (he) was a' gaming."-Hamlet, ii. 1. 58.
Bring him forth; has sat in the stocks all night," &c.
So Ib. 114, 298; T. N. i. 5. 156.
A. W. N. 3. 116.
""Tis his own blame: hath put himself from rest.
"}
Lear, ii. 4. 293.
b. iii. 1. 5; Othello, iii. 1. 67; T. of A. iii. 2. 39, iii. 3. 23, iv.
3. 463.
This omission is frequent after appellatives or oaths.
"Poor jade, is wrung in the withers out of all 'cess."
I Hen. IV. ii. 1. 6.
"Poor fellow, never joyed since the price of oats rose.”—1b. 11.
"Richard.
Send for some of them.
Ely. Marry, and will, my lord, with all my heart."
Rich. III. iii. 4. 36.
In
"And the fair soul herself,
Weigh'd between loathness and obedience, at
Which end o' the beam should bow,"-Tempest, ii. 1. 131.
either "she" is omitted, or "should" is for "she would," or "o'”
has been inserted by mistake.
Ο
401. A Nominative in the second person plural or first person
is less commonly omitted.
'They all rush by
And leave you hindermost;
Or like a gallant horse, fall'n in first rank,
(You) Lie there for pavement to the abject rear.
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 162
They... gave me cold looks,
And, meeting here the other messenger,
Having more man than wit about me, (I) drew."
Lear, ii. 4. 12.
The I before "pray thee," "beseech thee," is constantly omitted.
(Tempest, ii. 1. 1.)
Good-morrow, fair ones;
(I) pray you if you know."-4. Y. L. iv. 3. 76.
i.e. "I ask you whether you know.”
The inflection of the second person singular allows the nominative
to be readily understood, and therefore justifies its omission.
U
290
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Art any more than a steward?"—T. N. ii. 3. 122.
"It was she
First told me thou wast mad; then (thou) cam'st in smiling.'
Ib. v. I. 357.
""
402. Ellipsis of Nominative explained. This ellipsis of
the nominative may perhaps be explained partly (1) by the lingering
sense of inflections, which of themselves are sometimes sufficient to
indicate the person of the pronoun understood, as in Milton-
'Thou art my son beloved: in him am pleased;"
partly (2) by the influence of Latin; partly (3) by the rapidity of
the Elizabethan pronunciation, which frequently changed "he" into
"'a" (a change also common in E. E.),
in
"'a must needs," -2 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 59.
and prepared the way for dropping "he" altogether. Thus perhaps
"Who if alive and ever dare to challenge this glove, I have
sworn to take him a box o' th' ear,"-Hen. V. iv. 7. 132.
we should read "'a live and ever dare." In the French of Rabelais
the pronouns are continually dropped: but the fuller inflections in
French render the omission less inconvenient than in English. In
the following instance there is an ambiguity which is only removed
by the context :-
"We two saw you four set on four; and (you) bound them
and were masters of their wealth."-1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 278.
403. Ellipsis of It is, There is, Is.
"So beauty blemish'd once (is) for ever lost.”—P. P. 13.
"I cannot give guess how near (it is) to day.”—F. C. ii. 1. 2.
"Seldom (is it) when
The steeled gaoler is the friend of men.
"}
M. for M. iv. 2. 90,
"And (it is) wisdom
To offer up a weak poor innocent lamb."-Macb. iv. 3. 16.
"Since [there is neither (163)] brass nor stone nor earth nor
boundless sea,
But sad mortality o'ersways their power. -Sonn. 64.
"Tis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill (is) upon his
own head."-Hen. V. iv. I. 197.
८८
Many years,
Though Cloten (was) then but young, you see, not wore him
From my remembrance."-Cymb. iv. 4. 23.
ELLIPSES.
291
So Hen. V. iv. 7. 132 (quoted in 402), if the text be retained.
It is a question whether "are" is omitted, or whether (less pro-
bably) (And, 95) "and" is used for "also" with a nom. absolute, in
"But 'tis not so above;
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In his true nature and we ourselves (? are) compelled
To give in evidence."—Hamlet, iii. 3. 62; T. N. i. 1. 38;
Hen. V. i. I. 57.
"Which I did store to be my foster-nurse,
When service should in my old limbs lie lame,
And unregarded age (? should be) in corners thrown.'
A. Y. L. ii. 3. 42.
">
As the verb is omitted by us constantly after "whatever," e.g.
"anything whatever," so Shakespeare could write,
"Beyond all limit of what else (is) in the world.”
Temp. iii. 1. 172.
Thus also "however" is for "however it may be," i.e. "in any
case :"
"If haply won perhaps a hapless gain ;
If lost, why then a grievous labour won;
However (it be), but a folly bought with wit."
T. G. of V. i. I. 34.
We have passed in the use of "however" from the meaning "in
spite of what may happen in the future," to "in spite of what
happened in the past," i.e. "nevertheless."
"There is" is often omitted with "no one but," as
"(There is) no one in this presence
But his red colour hath forsook his cheeks.
"Who is" (244) is omitted in
>>
Rich. III. ii. 1. 84.
"Here's a young maid (who is) with travel much oppressed,
And faints for succour."-A. Y. L. ii. 4. 75.
Otherwise the nominative (399) is omitted before "faints."
404. Ellipsis of It and There.
"Whose wraths to guard you from,
Which here in this most desolate isle else falls
Upon your head, (there) is nothing but heart-sorrow,
And a clear life ensuing."-Temp. iii. 2. 82.
"Satisfaction (there) can be none but by pangs of death."
T. N. ii. 4. 261.
U 2
292
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"D. Pedro. What! sigh for the toothache?
Leon. Where (there) is but a humour or a worm."
M. Ado, iii. 2. 27 ; Ib. ii. 2. 20.
"At the Elephant (it) is best to lodge.”—T. N. iii. 3. 40.
"Be (it) what it is."-Cymb. v. 4. 149.
"The less you meddle with them the more (it) is for your
honesty.”—M. Ado, iii. 3. 56.
The omission is common before "please."
"So please (it) him (to) come unto this place."-J. C. iii. 1. 140.
"Is (it) then unjust to each his due to give?"
(It) remains
SPENS. F. Q. i. 9. 38.
That in the official marks invested you
Anon do meet the Senate."-Coriol. ii. 3. 147.
This construction is quite as correct as our modern form with
"it." The sentence "That in . . . . Senate," is the subject to
"remains." So-
in....
"And that in Tarsus (it) was not best
Longer for him to make his rest.”—Pericl. ii. Gower, 25.
'Happiest of all is (it or this), that her gentle spirit
Commits itself to you to be directed."—M. of V. iii. 2. 166.
We see how unnecessary and redundant our modern "it" is from
the following passage :—
'Unless self-charity be sometimes a vice,
And to defend ourselves it be a sin."-Othello, ii. 3. 203.
This is (if the order of the words be disregarded) as good English as
our modern "
Unless it be a sin to defend ourselves." The fact is,
this use of the modern "it" is an irregularity only justified by the
clearness which it promotes. "It" at the beginning of a sentence
"It is a sin,
calls attention to the real subject which is to follow.
viz. to defend oneself."
The sentence is sometimes placed as the object, "it" being
omitted.
"But long she thinks (it) till he return again.”—R. of L. 454.
"Being" is often used for "it being," or "being sc," very much
like v and its compounds in Greek.
"That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be deposed; and, (it) being (so), that we detain
All his revenue. "-A. and C. ii. 6. 30.
ELLIPSES.
293
•
I learn you take things ill which are not so
Or, being (so), concern you not."-A. and C. ii. 2. 30.
405. Ellipses after will and is.
"I will," i.e. "I purpose," when followed by a preposition of
motion, might naturally be supposed to mean "I purpose motion."
Hence, as we have
SO
30
He purposeth to Athens,”—A. and C. iii. 1. 35.
"I'll to him."-R. and 7. iii. 2. 141.
J.
"Will you along?"-Coriol. ii. 3. 157.
"Now we'll together.”—Macbeth, iv. 3. 136.
"I will to-morrow,
And betimes I will, to the weird sisters."—Ib. iii. 4. 133.
"Strange things I have in head that will to hand.”
Compare
Ib. iii. 4. 139.
"Give these fellows some means (of access) to the king."
Hamlet, iv. 6. 13.
Similarly, as we have
"I must (go) to Coventry."-Rich. II. i. 2. 56.
“I must (go) a dozen mile to-night.”—2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 310.
"And he to England shall along with you.”—Hamlet, iii. 3. 4.
We still say, "He is (journeying) for Paris," but not
"He is (ready) for no gallants' company without them.”
B. J. E. out &c. i. 1.
'Any ordinary groom is (fit) for such payment.'
So T. N. iii. 3. 46; A. W. iii. 6. 109.
>>
Hen. VIII. v. 1. 174.
"I am (bound) to thank you for it.”—T. of A. i. 2. 111.
Such an ellipsis explains
"Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou, (a thing fit) to fear (act.), not to
delight."-Othello, i. 2. 71.
Again, we might perhaps say, "This is not a sky (fit) to walk
under," but not
"This sky is not (fit) to walk in."-7. C. i. 3. 39.
The modern distinction in such phrases appears to be this: when
the noun follows is, there is an ellipse of "fit," "worthy:" when
the noun precedes is, there is an ellipse of "intended,”
"made. '
294
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
66
"this
Thus :
this is a book to read" means "this is a book worthy to
read;" but, this book is to read and not to tear," means
book is intended or made for the purpose of reading.'
"" This dis-
tinction was not recognized by the Elizabethans. When we wish to
express worthy" elliptically, we insert a: He is a man to re-
spect," or we use the passive, and say, "He is to be respected.”
Shakespeare could have written "He is to respect" in this sense.
The Elizabethans used the active in many cases where we should
use the passive.
Thus-
"Little is to do."-Macbeth, v. 7. 28.
"What's more to do."-Ib. v. 8. 64; A. and C. ii. 6. 60;
7. C. iii. 1. 26; 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 3.
Hence "This food is not to eat" might in Shakespeare's time have
meant "This food is not fit to eat;" now, it could only mean "in-
tended to eat." Similarly "videndus " in Cicero meant t
worthy to be seen;" but in poetry and
one who may be seen,
" "visible."
who ought to be seen,
in later prose it meant
((
one
The following passages illustrate the variable nature of this
"I have been a debtor to you
ellipsis :
For curtesies which I will be ever to pay you,
And yet pay still.”—Cymb. i. 4. 39.
i.e. "kindnesses which I intend to be always ready to pay you, and
yet to go on paying."
We still retain an ellipsis of "under necessity" in the phrase
"I am (yet) to learn."-M. of V. i. 1. 5.
But we should not say :
"That ancient Painter who being (under necessity) to represent
the griefe of the bystanders," &c.—MONTAIGNE, 3.
We should rather translate literally from Montaigne: "Ayant
à représenter."
In "I am to break with thee of some affairs,
وو
T. G. of V. iii. 1. 59.
the meaning is partly of desire and partly of necessity: "I want.
So Bottom says to his fellows :
"O, masters, I am (ready) to discourse wonders.'
The ellipsis is "sufficient" in
"Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected; since he went from Egypt 'tis
""
M. N. D. iv.
29.
A space (sufficient) for further travel."-A. and C. ii. 1. 31.
IRREGULARITIES.
295
IRREGULARITIES.
406. Double Negative.—Many irregularities may be explained
by the desire of emphasis which suggests repetition, even where
repetition, as in the case of a negative, neutralizes the original
phrase:
'First he denied you had in him no right.
""
C. of E. iv. 2. 7.
"You may deny that you were not the cause.
Rich. III. i. 3. 90.
"Forbade the boy he should not pass these bounds." P. P. 124
'No sonne, were he* never so old of yeares, might not
marry.”—ASCH. 37.
This idiom is a very natural one, and quite common in E. E.
II.
Double Comparative and Superlative. See Adjectives, 11.
407. Double Preposition. Where the verb is at some dis-
tance from the preposition with which it is connected, the preposi-
tion is frequently repeated for the sake of clearness.
"And generally in all shapes that man goes up and down in,
from fourscore to thirteen, this spirit walks in.”
T. of A. ii. 2. 119.
"For in what case shall wretched I be in."-DANIEL.
"But on us both did haggish age steal on.”—A. W. i. 2. 29.
"The scene wherein we play in.”—A. Y. L. ii. 7. 139.
"In what enormity is Marcius poor in ?"-Coriol. ii. 1. 18.
To what form but that he is, should wit larded with malice, and
malice forced with wit, turn him to?”—Tr. and Cr. v. 1. 63.
408. "Neither
lowed by "not."
*
• • •
nor," used like "Both ... and,” fol-
"Not the king's crown nor the deputed sword,
The marshal's truncheon nor the judge's robe,
Become them," &c.—M. for M. ii. 2. 60,
""
'The use of "never so is to be explained (as in Greek, Javμasтòr doc)
by an ellipsis. Thus-
"-E. out &c. iii. 1.
"Though ne'er so richly parted (endowed).".
means-" Though he were endowed richly-though never a man were endowed
so richly."
296
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
This very natural irregularity (natural, since the unbecomingness
may be regarded as predicated both of the "king's crown," the
deputed sword," and the "marshal's truncheon") is very
common.
He nor that affable familiar ghost
That nightly gulls him with intelligence
As victors of my silence cannot (406) boast."-Sonn. 86.
The following passage may perhaps be similarly explained:
"He* waived indifferently 'twixt doing them neither good nor
harm."-Coriol. ii. 2. 19, 20.
But it is perhaps more correct to say that there is here a
confusion of two constructions, 'He waived 'twixt good and
harm, doing them neither good nor harm." The same con-
fusion of two constructions is exemplified below in the use of the
superlative.
409. Confusion of two Constructions in Superlatives.
"This is the greatest error of all the rest.”—M. N. D. v. 1. 252.
Of all other affections it is the most importune."-B. E. Envy,
"York is most unmeet of
""
any man. —2 Hen. VI. i. 3. 167.
'Of all men else I have avoided thee.”—Macbeth, v. 8. 4.
"He hath simply the best wit of any handicraft-man in Athens.”
M. N. D. iv. 2. 9.
"To try whose right,
Of thine or mine,* is most in Helena."—Ib. iii. 2. 337.
"I do not like the tower of any place."—Rich. III. iii. 1. 68.
This (which is a thoroughly Greek idiom, though independent in
English) is illustrated by Milton's famous line—
The fairest of her daughters Eve.”
""
The line is a confusion of two constructions, "Eve fairer than
all her daughters," and Eve fairest of all women. So "I dislike
the tower more than any place," and "most of all places," becomes
of any place."
seems
It may,
Our modern "He is the best man that I have ever seen,
itself to be incorrect, if "that" be the relative to "man."
perhaps, be an abbreviation of "He is the best man of the men
that I have ever seen."
* Comp. if the reading be retained—
"Which, of he or Adrian, begins to crow?"-Temp. i. 1. 29.
IRREGULARITIES.
297
410. Confusion of two constructions with "whom."
"Young Ferdinand whom they suppose is drown'd."
•
Temp. iii. 3. 92.
"Of Arthur whom they say is killed to-night."—-K. J. iv. 2. 165.
'The nobility. whom we see have sided."-Coriol. iv. 2. 2.
So in St. Matt. xvi. 13, all the versions except Wickliffe's have
"Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?" Wickliffe has
"Whom seien men to be mannes sone?"
The last passage explains the idiom.
It is a confusion of two
constructions, e.g. "Ferdinand who, they suppose, is drowned,”
and "whom they suppose to be drowned."
411. Other confusions of two constructions.
"Why I do trifle thus with his despair
Is done to cure it,"-Lear, iv. 6. 33.
combines " Why I trifle is to cure" and "My trifling is done to
cure." In itself it is illogical.
"The battle done, and they within our power
Shall never see his pardon,"-Lear, v. 1. €7.
is a confusion of "let the battle be done, and they" and "the battle
(being) done, they."
"I saw not better sport these seven years day."-2 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 3.
A combination of "since this day seven years” and
seven years."
"Out of all 'cess (excess)," -1 Hen. IV. ii. 1. 6.
during these
is a confusion of "to excess," or "in excess," and "out of all
bounds." "So late ago," T. N. v. I. 22, seems a combination
of "so lately" and "so short a time ago,"
Marry that, I think, be young Petruchio,"-R. and F. i. 5. 133.
is a confusion of "That, I think, is" and "I think that that be."
For the subjunctive after think," see Subjunctive, 368 and 299.
So, perhaps,
"This youth, howe'er distressed, appears he hath had
Good ancestors,”—Cymb. iv. 2. 47.
is a confusion of "He hath had, (it) appears, good ancestors," and
'He appears to have had." This is, perhaps, better than to take
"appears" as an active verb. See 295. Precisely similar is :
"Let what is meet be said, it must be meet."—Coriol. iii. 1. 178.
298
SHAKESPEARIAN. GRAMMAR.
combining "Let what is meet be said to be" and "Let it be said
(that) what is meet must be meet.
>>
Compare 353, and add, as a confusion of the infinitive and
imperative,
In
"There is no more but (to) say so."-Rich. III. iv. 2. 81.
"We would have had you heard," Ib. III. iii. 5. 56, there
may be some confusion between "you should have heard" and " we
would have had you hear;" but more probably the full construction
is "We would have had you (to have) heard (360)," and "to have " is
omitted through dislike of repetition. So Coriol. iv. 6. 35 (415):
"We should...
. found it so."
Compare also
"
"He would have had me (to have) gone into the steeple-house.'
Fox's Journal (ed. 1765), p. 57.
"He would have had me (to have) had a meeting."—Ib. p. 60.
412. Confusion of proximity. The following (though a not
uncommon Shakespearian idiom) would be called an unpardonable
mistake in modern authors :—
"The posture of your blows are yet unknown."-F. C. v. 1. 33.
"Whose loss of his most precious queen and children
Are even now to be afresh lamented."-W. T. iv. 2. 26.
"Which now the loving haste of these dear friends
Somewhat against our meaning have prevented."
Rich. III. iii. 5. 56.
The venom of such looks, we fairly hope,
Have lost their quality."-Hen. V. v. 2. 19.
"But yet the state of things require."-DANIEL, Ulysses and Sirene
"The approbation of those are," &c.-Cymb. i. 4. 17.
•
•
"How the sight
Of those smooth rising cheeks renew the story
Of young Adonis.”—B. F. F. Sh. i. 1.
Equality of two domestic powers
Breed scrupulous faction."-A. and C. i. 3. 48.
"The voice of all the gods
Make heaven drowsy."-L. L. L. iv. 3. 345.
Here, however, "voice" may be (471) for "voices."
"Then know
J.
The peril of our curses light on thee."-K. F. ii. 1. 295.
IRREGULARITIES.
299
"The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoil upon myself."-W. T. ii. 3. 20.
"More than the scope
Of these delated articles allow."—Hamlet, i. 2. 38.
The subjunctive is not required, and therefore "have "is probably
plural, in
"If the scorn of your bright eyne
Have power to raise such love in mine."-A. Y. L. iv. 3. 51.
In these cases the proximity of a plural noun seems to have caused
the plural verb, contrary to the rules of grammar. The two nouns
together connected by “of” seem regarded as a compound noun
with plural termination.
So
"These kind-of-knaves."—Lear, ii. 2. 107.
"Those blest-pair-of-fixed-stars."-B. and F. F. Sh. ii. 1.
"These happy-pair of lovers meet straightway."—Ib.
Similarly-
"Where such as thou mayest find him."-Macbeth, iv. 2. 81.
In the following instance the plural nominative is implied from
the previous singular noun—
In
"As every alien pen hath got my use,
And under thee their poesy disperse.”—Sonn. 78.
"And the stars whose feeble light
Give a pale shadow to the night,"-B. and F. F. Sh. iii. 1.
perhaps "give" may be subjunctive after the relative. (See 367.)
413. Implied nominative from participial phrases. Some-
times a nominative has to be extracted ungrammatically from the
meaning of a sentence. This is often the case in participial phrases:
"Beaten for loyalty
Excited me to treason."-Cymb. v. 5. 343.
2.e. "my having been beaten."
1.e.
"The king of his own virtuous disposition,
Aiming belike at your interior hatred,
Which in your outward actions shews itself,
Makes him to send."-Rich. III. i. 2. 63.
'the fact that the king aims makes him to send."
414. The redundant Object. Instead of saying "I know
what you are," in which the object of the verb "I know" is the
clause "what you are," Shakespeare frequently introduces before
300
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
the dependent clause another object, so as to make the depen lent
clause a mere explanation of the object.
"I know you what you are."-Lear, i. 1. 272.
"I see you what you are."-T. N. i. 5. 269.
"Conceal me what I am."—Ib. i. 2. 53.
"You hear the learn'd Bellario what he writes."
M. of V. iv. I. 167.
"We'll hear him what he says."—A. and C. v. 1. 51.
"To give me hearing what I shall reply."
1 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 28.
"But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed?"
Hamlet, v. 2. 27.
"March on and mark King Richard how he looks."
Rich. II. iii. 3. 61; Ib. v. 4 1.
Sorry I am my noble cousin should
Suspect me that I mean no good to him."
"See the dew-drops, how they kiss
Rich. III. iii. 7. 89.
Every little flower that is."-B. and F. F. Sh. ii. 1.
Hence in the passive :
"The queen's in labour,
(They say in great extremity) and fear'd
She'll with the labour end,"-Hen. VIII. v. 1. 19.
where the active would have been "they fear the queen that she will
die." For "fear" thus used, see Prepositions, 200.
So "no one asks about the dead man's knell for whom it is
becomes in the passive
"The dead man's knell
""
Is there scarce asked, for who,”—Macbeth, iv. 3. 171.
and "about which it is a wonder how his grace should glean it "
becomes
• Which is a wonder how his grace should glean it."
Hen. V. i. I. 53.
This idiom is of constant occurrence in Greek, but it is very
natural after a verb of observation to put, first the primary object of
observation, e.g. "King Richard," and then the secondary object,
viz. "King Richard's looks." There is, therefore, no reason what-
ever for supposing that this idiom is borrowed from the Greek. After
a verb of com.manding the object cannot always be called redundant,
as in
IRREGULARITIES.
301
"(She) bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story.
Othello, i. 3. 165.
e. "she commanded me (that) I should," &c. But it is redundant in
"The constable desires thee thou wilt mind
Thy followers of repentance."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 84.
He wills you . . . that you divest yourself."-Ib. ii. 4. 77–8.
Compare
Belike they had some notice of (about) the people
How I had moved them."-7. C. iii. 2. 275.
A somewhat different case of the redundant object is found in
"Know you not, master, to some kind of men
Their graces serve them but as enemies?
No more do yours,"-A. Y. L. ii. 3. 10.
where the last line means, "your graces are not more serviceable
to you."
415. Construction changed by change of thought.
"One of the prettiest touches was when, at the relation of the
queen's death,. how attentiveness wounded his daughter."-
W. T. v. 2. 94.
The narrator first intends to narrate the point of time, then
diverges into the manner, of the action.
'Purpose is but the slave to memory,
Which now, like fruit unripe, sticks on the tree,
But fall unshaken when they mellow be."-Hamlet, iii. 2. 201.
The subject, which is singular, is here confused with, and lost in,
that to which it is compared, which is plural. Perhaps this ex-
planation also suits :
"And then our arms, like to a muzzled bear,
Save in aspect hath all offence sealed up,"-K. J. ii. 1. 250.
though this may be a case of plural nominative with singular verb.
(See 334.)
In the following, Henry V. begins by dictating a proclamation,
but under the influence of indignation passes into the imperative of
the proclamation itself :
"Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through our host
That he which hath no stomach to this fight
Let him depart."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 35-6.
302
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
man.
n
This is more probable than that "he" (224) is used for "
"Should" is treated as though it were "should have " (owing to
the introduction of the conditional sentence with "had") in the
following anomalous passage :
"We should by this to all our lamentation,
If he had gone forth consul, found it so."-Coriol. iv. 6. 35.
So Rich. III. iii. 5. 56 (411).
The way in which a divergence can be made from the subject to
the thing compared with the subject is illustrated by
So the proportions of defence are filled :
Which, of a weak and niggardly projection,
Doth, like a miser, spoil his coat with scanting
A little cloth."-Hen. V. ii. 4. 46.
"Whose veins, like a dull river far from spring
Is still the same, slow, heavy, and unfit
For stream and motion, though the strong winds hit
With their continual power upon his sides."
"But, good my brother,
B. and F. F. Sh. i. 1.
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads."
instead of "whiles you tread." But in
"Those sleeping stones
That, as a waist, doth girdle you about,
Had been dishabited,”—K. J. ii. 1. 216.
Hamlet, i. 3. 50.
"doth," probably, has "that" for its subject. See Relative, 247.
In
'Are not you he
That frights the maidens of the villagery,
Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn?”
M. N. D. ii. 1. 35–9.
the transition is natural from "Are not you the person who?" to
Do not you?"
416. Construction changed for clearness. (See also 285.)
Just as (285) that is sometimes omitted and then inserted to connect
a distant clause with a first part of a sentence, so sometimes "to"
is inserted apparently for the same reason-
IRREGULARITIES.
303
"That God forbid, that made me first your slave,
I should in thought control your times of pleasure,
Or at your hand the account of hours to crave.”—Sonn. 58.
Here "to" might be omitted, or "should" might be inserted
instead, but the omission would create ambiguity, and the insertion
would be a tedious repetition.
"Heaven would that she these gifts should have,
And I to live and die her slave."-A, Y. L. iii. 2. 162.
'Keep your word, Phoebe, that you'll marry me,
Or else, refusing me, to wed this shepherd.'
>>
Ib. v. 4. 21-2.
"But on this condition, that she should follow him, and he not
to follow her."-BACON, Adv. of L. 284.
"The punishment was, that they should be put out of commons
and not to be admitted to the table of the gods."-Ib. 260.
"That we make a stand upon the ancient way, and look about
us and discover what is the straight and right way, and so
to walk in it."-B. E. 100.
In the following, the infinitive is used in both clauses, but the "to"
only in the latter :--
"In a word, a man were better relate himself to a Statue or
Picture, than to suffer his thoughts to pass in smother.
B. E. 103.
417. Noun Absolute. See also Redundant Pronoun, 243.
Sometimes a noun occurs in a prominent position at the beginning
of a sentence, to express the subject of the thought, without the
usual grammatical connection with a verb or preposition. In some
cases it might almost be called a vocative, only that the third person
instead of the second is used, and then the pronoun is not redundant.
Sometimes the noun seems the real subject or object of the verb,
and the pronoun seems redundant. When the noun is the object, it
probably governed by some preposition understood, "as for,"
"as to."
'My life's foul deed, my life's fair end shall free it.”—R. of L、
"The prince that feeds great natures, they will slay him.'
B. J. Sejanus, iii. 3.
But virtue, as it never will be moved,
So lust," &c.-Hamlet, i. 5. 53.
304
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Look when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
In their nativity all truth appears."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 124.
But this may be explained by 376.
“Tis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill upon his own head.”
-Hen. V. iv. I. 197.
"But if I thrive, the gain of my attempt
The least of you shall share his part thereof."
Rich. III. v. 3. 267.
"That thing you speak of I took it for a man."—Lcar, iv. 6. 77.
The following may be thus explained :—
"Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through our host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart." Hen. V. iv. 3. 34.
"That can we not but he that proves the king
•
To him will we prove loyal."-K. J. ii. 1. 271.
'He" being regarded as the normal form of the pronoun,
priate for this independent position. So
"But I shall laugh at this a twelve-month hence,
That they who brought me in my master's hate
is appro-
I live to look upon their tragedy."-Rich. III. iii. 2. 57.
These three examples might, however, come under the head of
Construction changed, 415, as the following (which closely
resembles the first) certainly does :
My lord the emperor,
Sends thee this word that, if thou love thy son,
Let Marcius, Lucius, or thyself, old Titus,
Or any one of you, chop off your hand."-T. A. iii. 1. 151
In this, and perhaps in the first example, the "that," like őrɩ in
Greek, is equivalent to inverted commas.
"May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,
Whom I made lord of me, this ill day
•
A most outrageous fit of madness took him."
C. of E. v. I. 138.
'The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither."-Temp. iv. 1. 186.
It is, of course, possible to have an infinitive instead of a noun :
"To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin."-R. and J. i. 4. 61.
For the noun absolute with the participle, see Participle, 376.
418. Foreign Idioms. Several constructions in Bacon, Ascham,
and Ben Jonson, such as "ill," for "ill men (Latin 'mali'),
"without all question" ('sine omni dubitatione '), seem to have been
IRREGULARITIES.
305
borrowed from Latin. It is questionable, however, whether there
are many Latinisms in construction (Latinisms in the formation of
words are of constant occurrence) in Shakespeare.
perhaps quote-
"Those dispositions that of late transform you
From what you rightly are."-Lear, i. 4. 242.
Compare
We may
"He is ready to cry all this day,"-B. J. Sil. Wom. 4.
as an imitation of the Latin use of "jampridem" with the present
in the sense of the perfect. But it is quite possible that the same
thought of continuance may have prompted the use of the present,
both in English and Latin. "He is and has been ready to cry," &c.
The use of "more better," &c., the double negative, and the infinitive
after 'than," are certainly of English origin. The following-
"Whispering fame
Knowledge and proof doth to the jealous give,
Who than to fail would their own thought believe,"
B. J. Sejan. 2.
in the omission of "rather" after "would," reminds us of the omis
sion of "potius" after "malo." Perhaps also
"Let that be mine,"-M. for M. ii. 2. 12.
is an imitation of "meum est," ""It is my business.
The following resembles the Latin idiom, "post urbem conditam,"
except that there is also an ellipsis of a pronoun :
"'Tis our hope, sir,
After (our being) well enter'd (as) soldiers, to return
And find your grace in health."-A. W. ii. 1. 6.
I cannot recall another such an instance, and it is doubtful whe-
ther "after" does not here mean "hereafter:" "It is our hope
to return hereafter well-apprenticed soldiers." But such participial
phrases preceded by prepositions seem to be of classical origin, as
iu Milton:
"Nor delay'd
The winged saint after his charge received."
MILTON, P. L. v. 248.
"He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk
Into the wood fast by."-b. 332.
and even, contrary to the particular Latin idiom :
"'I'hey set him free without his ransom paid.”—1 Hen. VI.iii, 3.72.
X
336
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR,
The following resembles the Latin use of "qui si," for the English
"and if he."
"Which parti-coated presence of loose love
Put on by us, if in your heavenly eyes
Have misbecomed our oaths and gravities."-L. L. L. v. 2. 778,
419. Transposition of Adjectives.
The adjective is placed after the noun :
(1) In legal expressions in which French influence can be traced:
"Heir apparent."--1 Hen. IV. i. 2. 65.
"Heir general."-Hen. V. i. 2. 66.
"Thou cam'st not of the blood-royal." 1. Hen. IV. i. 2. 157.
"In the seat royal."-Rich. III. iii. 1. 164.
Sport royal.' T. N. ii. 3. 187.
"Or whether that the body public be a horse.”
M. for M. i. 2. 163.
"My letters patents (Fol.) give me leave.”—Rich. II. ii. 3. 130.
(2) Where a relative clause, or some conjunctional clause, is
understood between the noun and adjective:
"Duncan's horses,
(Though) Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turned wild in nature."-Macbeth, ii. 4. 15.
"Filling the whole realm. . . with new opinions
(That are) Divers and dangerous."-Hen. VIII. v. 3. 18.
Hence, where the noun is unemphatic, as "thing," "creature,"
this transposition may be expected:
"In killing creatures (that were) vile."-Cymb. v. 5. 252.
"He look'd upon things (that are) precious as they were
The common muck of the world."-Coriol. ii. 2. 129.
Hence, after the name of a class, the adjective is more likely to be
transposed than in the case of a proper name. Thus
"Celestial Dian, goddess argentine."-P. of T. v. 2. 251.
i.e. "goddess (that bearest) the silver bow." The difference between
a mere epithet before the noun, and an additional statement conveyed
by an adjective after the noun, is illustrated by
"If yet your gentle souls fly in the air
And be not fix'd in (a) doom (that is) perpetual.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 11, 12.
Similarly in
"With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut."-A. Y. L. ii. 7. 155.
TRANSPOSITIONS.
307
"My presence like a robe pontifical.”—i Hen. IV. ìii. 2. 56.
"eyes" and "a robe" are unemphatic, their existence being taken
for granted, and the essence of the expression is in the transposed
adjective.
The "three" is emphatic, and the divorcing of some "souls and
bodies" is taken as a matter of course, in
Souls and bodies hath he divorced three."-T. N. iii. 4. 260
Somewhat similar-
Satisfaction there can be none."—Ib. 262.
This relative force is well illustrated by
"Prince. I fear no uncles dead.
Glou.
Nor none that live, I hope."
Rich. III. iii. 1. 146.
(3) Hence participles (since they imply a relative), and any
adjectives that from their terminations resemble participles, are
peculiarly liable to be thus transposed.
""
Similarly adjectives that end in -ble, -ite, and -t, -ive, -al, are often
found after their nouns, e.g. "unspeakable,' unscaleable," "im-
pregnable;" "absolute," "devout," "remote," "infinite" (often),
"past," "inveterate;" "compulsative,
” “invasive,' ""defective;'
capital,” “tyrannical,” “virginal,” “angelical,” “unnatural.”
(4) Though it may be generally said that when the noun is un-
emphatic, and the adjective is not a mere epithet but essential to
the sense, the transposition may be expected, yet it is probable that
the influence of the French idiom made this transposition especially
common in the case of some words derived from French. Hence,
perhaps, the transposition in
"Of antres vast and deserts idle."-Othello, i. 2. 140.
And, besides "apparent" in the legal sense above, we have
"As well the fear of harm as harm apparent."
Rich. III. ii. 2. 130.
Hence, perhaps, the frequent transposition of divine," as
"By Providence divine."-Tempest, i. 2. 158.
"Ful wel sche sang the service devyne.
So
"Men devout."-Hen. V. i. 1. 9.
CHAUCER, C. T. 122.
"Unto the appetite and affection common."-Coriol. i. 1. 108
X 2
308
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Latin usage may account for some expressions, as
"A sectary astronomical."—Lear, i. 2. 164.
419 a. Transposition of adjectival phrases.
It has been shown above (419), that when an adjective is not a
mere epithet, but expresses something essential, and implies a rela-
tive, it is often placed after the noun. When, however, connected
with the adjective, e.g. "whiter," there is some adverbial phrase,
e.g. "than snow," it was felt that to place the adjective after the
noun might sometimes destroy the connection between the noun and
adjective, since the adjective was, as it were, drawn forward to the
modifying adverb. Hence the Elizabethans sometimes preferred to
place the adjectival part of the adjective before, and the adverbial
part after, the noun. The noun generally being unemphatic caused
but slight separation between the two parts of the adjectival
phrase. Thus "whiter than snow," being an adjectival phrase,
"whiter" is inserted before, and "than snow" after, the noun.

So
"Nor scar that [whiter] skin-of-hers [than snow]."
Othello, v. 2. 4.
So much I hate a [breaking] cause to be
[Of heavenly oaths].”—L. L. L. v. 2. 355.
'A [promising] face [of manly princely virtues]."
"As common
B. and F. (Walker).
As any [the most vulgar] thing [to sense]."-Ham. i. 2. 99.
ɩ.e.“anything the most commonly perceived."
"I shall unfold [equal] discourtesy
[To your best kindness]."-Cymb. ii. 3. 101.
"The [farthest] earth [removed from thee]."-Sonn. 44.
"Bid these [unknown] friends [to us], welcome."
W. T. iv. 3. 65.
"Thou [bloodier] villain [than terms can give thee out]."
Macbeth, v. 8. 7.
"A [happy] gentleman [in blood and lineaments].”
Rich. II. iii. 1. 9.
"As a [long-parted] mother [with her child]."
Ib. iii. 2. 8. (See 194)
"Thou [little better] thing [than earth].”—Ib. iii. 4. 77.
'You have won a [happy] victory [to Rome]."
Coriol. v. 3. 186.
TRANSPOSITIONS.
309
Hence, even where the adjective cannot immediately precede the
noun, yet the adjective comes first, and the adverb afterwards.
"That were to enlard his fat-already-pride."
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 205.
"May soon return to this our [suffering] country
[Under a hand accurst].”—Macbeth, iii. 6. 48.
"The [appertaining] rage
[To such a greeting]."-R. and J. iii. 1. 66.
"With [declining] head [into his bosom]."-T. of Sh. Ind. 1. 119.
So probably
"Bear our [hack’d] targets [like the men that owe them].”
A. and C. iv. 8. 31.
This is very common in other Elizabethan authors:
"The [stricken] hind [with Shaft].”—LORD SURREY (Walker).
'And [worthie] work [of infinite reward]."
SPENSER, F. Q. iii. 2. 21.
"Of that [too wicked] woman [yet to die]."
B. and F. (Walker).
"Some sad [malignant] angel [to mine honour].”—Ib.
which perhaps explains
So
'Bring forth that [fatal] screech-owl [to our house]."
3 Hen. VI. ii. 6. 56.
"Thou [barren] thing [of honesty] and honour !"-B. and F.
perhaps explains
"Thou perjur'd and thou [simular] man [of virtue]."
Lear, iii. 2. 54.
"Bring me a [constant] woman [to her husband].
Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 134.
"O, for my sake do you with fortune chide,
The [guilty] goddess [of my harmful deeds].”—Sonn. 111.
"To this [unworthy] husband [of his wife].”—A. W. iii. 4. 30.
A [dedicated] beggar [to the air].”—T. of A. iv. 2. 13.
This transposition extends to an adverb in
i.e. "as
“And thou shalt live [as freely] as thy lord
[To call his fortunes thine]."-T. N. i. 4. 39, 40.
as free to use my fortune as I am."
Unless "to" is used loosely like "for," the following is a case of
transposition:
"This is a [dear] manakin [to you], Sir Toby."
T. N. iii. 2. 57.
310
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.,
420. Transposition of Adverbs. The Elizabethan authors
allowed themselves great licence in this respect.
We place adverbial expressions that measure excess or defect
before the adjective which they modify, "twenty times better," &c.
This is not always the case in Shakespeare :
"Being twenty times of better fortune."-A. and C. iv. 2. 3,
"Our spoils (that) we have brought home
Do more than counterpoise, a full third part,
The charges of the action."-Coriol. v. 6. 78.
"I am solicited not by a few,
And those of true condition."-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 18.
For not transposed, see also 305.
"Like to a harvest man that's task'd to mow
Or all, or lose his hire."-Coriol. i. 3. 40.
In "All good things vanish less than in a day" (Nash), there is,
perhaps, a confusion between "less long-lived than a day" and
more quickly than in a day." At all events the emphatic use of
"less" accounts for the transposition.
Such transpositions are most natural and frequent in the case of
adverbs of limitation, as but (see But,129), only, even, &c.
"Only I say,”—Macbeth, iii. 6. 2.
for "I only say.”
Only I yield to die."-7. C. v. 4. 12.
for "I yield only in order to die,"
"And I assure you
Even that your pity is enough to cure me,"-B. J.
for "that even your pity."
He did it to please his mother and to be partly proud,
""
Coriol. i. 1. 40.
for "and partly to be proud.”
Somewhat similar is
"Your single bond,"-M. of V. i. 3. 146.
for "the bond of you alone."
421. Transposition of Adverbs. When an adverb is trans-
posed to the beginning for emphasis, it generally transposes the
subject after the verb, but adverbs are sometimes put at the be-
ginning of a sentence without influencing the order of the other
words.
TRANSPOSITIONS.
31L
"Seldom he smiles."-F. C. i. 2. 205.
"For always I am Cæsar."-♫b. i. 2. 212.
"No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive.'
Macbeth, i. 2. 63.
"Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.
M. N. D. 1. I. 126.
422. Transposition of Article. In Early English we some-
times find "a so new robe." The Elizabethan authors, like our-
selves, transposed the a and placed it after the adjective: "so
new a robe."
But when a participle is added as an epithet of the
noun, e.g. "fashioned," and the participle itself is qualified by an
adjective used as an adverb, e.g. "new," we treat the whole as
one adjective, thus, "so new-fashioned a robe." Shakespeare on
the contrary writes-
"So new a fashion'd robe."—K. 7. iv. 2. 27.
"So fair an offer'd chain."-C. of E. iii. 2. 186.
'Or having sworn too hard a keeping oath."
'So rare a wonder'd father and a wife."
L. L. L. i. 1. 65.
Temp. iv. 1. 123.
"I would have been much more a fresher man.
""
Tr. and Cr. v. 6. 20.
We still say, "too great a wit," but not with Chaucer, C. T.:
"For when a man hath overgret a wit,"
possibly because we regard "overgreat" as an adjective, and "too
great” as a quasi-adverb. Somewhat similar is :
On once-a-flock-bed, but repair'd with straw,
With tape-ty'd curtains never meant to draw."
POPE, Moral E. iii. 301.
So we can say "how poor an instrument," regarding "how" as
an adverb, and "how poor" as an adverbialized expression, but not
"What poor an instrument,”—A. and C. v. 2. 236.
because "what" has almost lost with us its adverbial force.
"So brave(ly) a mingled temper saw I never."
B. and F. (Walker).
"Chaucer, who was so great(ly) a learned scholar."
KINASTON (Walker).
313
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
The a is used even after the comparative adjective in
"If you should need a pin,
You could not with more tame a tongue desire it.'
M. for M. ii. 2. 46.
423. Transpositions in Noun-clauses containing two
nouns connected by "of." It has been observed in 412 that
two nouns connected by "of" are often regarded as one. Hence
sometimes pronominal and other adjectives are placed before the
whole compound noun instead of, as they strictly should be, before
the second of the two nouns.
"Yet that thy brazen gates of heaven may ope."
3 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 40.
"My pith of business.”—M. for M. i. 4. 70.
"The tribunes have pronounced
My everlasting doom of banishment.' -T. A. iii. I. 51.
"Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth."
Lear, i. 4. 306.
My latter part of life."-A. and C. iv. 6. 39.
My whole course of life."—Othello, i. 3. 91.
"I will presently go learn their day of marriage."
"
M. Ado, ii. 2. 57
Thy bruising irons of wrath."-Rich. III. v. 3. 110.
Thy ministers of chastisement."—Ib. 113.
"In my prime of youth."-Ib. 119.
"Thy heat of lust."—R. of L. 1473.
My home of love."—Sonn. 109.
"And punish them to your height of pleasure."
M. for M. v. I. 240.
"His means of death, his obscure funeral."
i.."the means of his death.
Hamlet, iv. 5. 213.
"What is your cause of distemper ?"-Hamlet, iii. 2. 350.
"Your sovereignty of reason. Ib. i. 4. 73. (See 200.)
My better part of man."-Macbeth, v. 7. 18.
"His chains of bondage."-Rich. II. i. 3. 89.
Your state of fortune and your due of birth."

This is perhaps illustrated by
for ".
Rich. III. iii. 7. 127.
"What country-man ?"-T. N. v. 1. 238; T. of Sh. i. 2. 190.
a man of what country?"
TRANSPOSITIONS.
313
The possessive adjective is twice repeated in
"Her attendants of her chamber."-A. Y. L. ii. 2. 5.
So "This cause of Rome,"-T. A. i. I. 32.
does not mean "this cause as distinguished from other caused
of Rome," but "this, the Roman cause. Somewhat similar is
"}
"Your reproof
Were well deserv'd of rashness,"-A. and C. ii. 2. 124.
where we should say "the reproof of your rashness" (unless "of"
here means about," "for").
"
"The idea of her life shall sweetly creep
Into his study of imagination."-M. Ado, iv. 1. 227.
i.e. "the study of his imagination."
"Our raiment and state of bodies."—Coriol. v. 3. 95.
"More than ten criers, and six noise of trumpets."
B. J. Sejan. v. 7.
The compound nature of these phrases explains, perhaps, the
omission of the article in
"Hath now himself met with the fall-of-leaf."
Rich. II. iii. 4. 49.
424. Transposition of Prepositions in Relative and other
clauses. We now dislike using such transpositions as
"The late demand that you did sound me in."--Rich. III. iv. 2. 87.
"Betwixt that smile we would aspire to."—Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 368.
'A thousand men that fishes gnawed upon.”—Rich. III. i. 4. 25.
"Found thee a way out of his wreck to rise in."
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 438.
But it may be traced to E. E. (203), and is very common in
Shakespeare, particularly in Hen. VIII., where we even find
"Where no mention
Of me must more be heard of."—Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 435.
It has been said above (203) that the dissyllabic forms of prepo-
sitions are peculiarly liable to these transpositions. Add to the
above examples:
"Like a falcon towering in the skies,
Coucheth the fowl below."—R. of L. 506.
425. Transposition after Emphatic Words. The influence
of an emphatic word at the beginning of a sentence is shown in the
314
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
transposition of the verb and subject. In such cases the last as well
as the first word is often emphatic.
"In dreadful secrecy impart they did."—Hamlet, i. 2. 207.
"And so have I a noble father lost,
A sister driven into desperate terms."—Ib. iv. 7. 25.
Here note, that though the first line could be re-transposed and
Laertes could naturally say "I have lost a father," on the other hand
he could not say "I have driven a sister" without completely
changing the sense.
"Have" is here used in its original sense, and
is equivalent to "I find." When "have" is thus used without any
notion of action, it is separated from the participle passive.
"But answer made it none."—–Hamlet, i. 2. 216.
Pray can I not.”—Ib. iii. 3. 38.
Supportable
To make the dear loss have I means much weaker."
Temp. v. I. 146.
The influence of an emphatic adverbial expression preceding is
shown in the difference between the order in the second and the first
of the two following lines :-
"As every alien pen hath got my use,
""
And under thee their poetry disperse."-Sonn. 78.
I did, my lord,
A. W. v. 3. 201.
But loath am to produce so bad an instrument.
Before the time I did Lysander see,
Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me.”—M. N. D. i. 1. 205.
When the adverbs "never," "ever," are emphatic and placed
near the beginning of a sentence, the subject often follows the verb,
almost always when the verb is "was," &c. We generally write
now never was," but Shakespeare often wrote (there) was
never."
"Was never widow had so dear a loss.”—Rich. III. ii. 2. 77.
Sometimes a word is made emphatic by repetition :
"Sec. O. Peace! We'll hear him.
I.
Third O. Ay, by my beard will we."—T. G. of V. iv. 1. 10.
"Hamlet. Look you, these are the stops.
Guild. But these cannot I command."—Hamlet, iii. 3. 377.
Or partly by antithesis, as well as by its natural importance :
TRANSPOSITIONS.
315
r
"I your commission will forthwith despatch,
And he to England shall along with you.
"
Hamlet, iii. 3. 3, 4.
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven."
Hen. V. iv. 6. 16.
The following is explained by the omission of "there :"
• ·
"I am question'd by my fears that (there) may blow
No sneaping winds at home."-W. T. i. 2. 13.
There seems a disposition to place participles, as though used
absolutely, before the words which they qualify.
"And these news,
Having been well, that would have made me sick,
Being sick, have in some measure made me well."
It is rare to find such transpositions as
2 Hen. IV. i. 1. 138.
"Then the rich jewell'd coffer of Darius,
Transported shall be at high festivals." -1 Hen. VI. i. 6. 26.
Transpositions are common in prose, especially when an adverb
precedes the sentence.
"Yet hath Leonora, my onely daughter, escaped."
MONTAIGNE (Florio), 225.
And, therefore, should not we marry so young.”—Ib.
Now, sir, the sound that tells what hour it is
Are clamorous groans,"-Rich. II. v. 5. 56.
is rather a case of "confusion of proximity" ("are" being changed
to "is") than transposition. (See 302.)
426. Transposition after Relative. The relative subject,
possibly as being somewhat unemphatic itself, brings forward the
object into a prominent and emphatic position, and consequently
throws a part of the verb to the end, not however (as in German)
the auxiliary.
By Richard that dead is.” —1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 146.
"But chide rough winter that the flower hath killed."—R. of L.
"That heaven's light did hide."-SPENS. F. Q. i. 1. 7.
427. Other Transpositions. In the second of two passive
clauses when the verb "is" is omitted, the subject is sometimes
transposed, perhaps for variety.
316
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
'When liver, heart, and brain,
These sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and filled
(Are) Her sweet perfections with one self king."
"Since his addiction was to courses vain,
T. N. i. 1. 39.
And never (was) noted in him any study."-Hen. V. i. 1.57.
It is not probable that "perfections" and "study" are here ab◄
solutely used with the participle. See, however, And, 95.
In "By such two that would by all likelihood have confounded
each other" (Cymb. i. 4. 53), "two" is emphatic, like "a pair."
So "
we" is emphatic in, "all we like sheep have gone astray," and
in Hamlet, ii. 2. 151, in both cases, because of antithesis.
"Into the madness wherein now he raves
And all we mourn for."-Hamlet, ii. 2. 151. (See 240.)
COMPOUND WORDS.
428. Hybrids. The Elizabethans did not bind themselves
by the stricter rules of modern times in this respect. They
did not mind adding a Latin termination to a Teutonic root,
and vice verså. Thus Shakespeare has "increaseful," "bode-
ment," &c. Holland uses the suffix -fy after the word "fool" (which
at all events does not come to us direct from the Latin), "foolify,'
where we use "stultify." The following words illustrate the Eliza-
bethan licence :-
"
'Bi-fold."-Tr. and Cr. v. 2. 144.
Out-cept."--B. J. (Nares).
'Exteriorly."-K. J. iv. 2. 257.
""
"Sham'st thou not, knowing whence thou art extraught?"
3 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 142.
where there is a confusion between the Latin "extracted" and the
English "raught," past part. of "reach." Compare Pistol's " ex-
hale,” Hen. V. ii. 1. 66, i.c. “ex-haul,"
""draw out," applied to a
sword.
There was also great licence in using the foreign words which
were pouring into the language.
"And quench the stelled fires."—Lear, iii. 7. 61.
"Be aidant and remediate."—Ib. iv. 4. 17.
"Antres vast and deserts idle."-Othello, i. 3. 140.
:
COMPOUND WORDS.
317
429. Adverbial Compounds.
"
"Till Harry's back-return."—Hen. V. v. Prologue, 41.
“Thy here-approach,” Macb. iv. 3. 133, 148; “Our hence-going,
Cymb. iii. 2. 65; "Here-hence," B. J. Poetast. v. I; "So that men
are punish'd for before-breach of the king's laws in now-the-king's-
quarrel," Hon. V. iv. I. 179, i.e. "the king's now (present) quarrel."
This last extraordinary compound is a mere construction for the
occasion, to correspond antithetically to "before-breach," but it
well illustrates the Elizabethan licence.
“The
'The steep-up heavenly hill."-Sonn. 7.
"I must up-fill this osier cage of ours.”—R. and F. ii. 3. 7.
Up-hoarded."—Hamlet, i. 1. 136.
"With hair up-staring.”—Tempest, i. 2. 213.
430. Noun-Compounds. Sometimes the first noun may be
treated as a genitive used adjectively. (See 22.) Thus, "thy heart-
blood" (Rich. II. iv. 1. 38) is the same as "thy heart's blood;"
"brother-love" (Hen. VIII. v. 3. 73), i.e. brother's love.
""
So Any-moment-leisure.”—Hamlet, i. 3. 133.
"This childhood-proof.”—M. of V. i. 1. 144.
"Childhood-innocence."-M. N. D. iii. 2. 202.
"All the region-kites.”—Hamlet, ii. 2. 607.
CC
"A lion-fell.”—M. N. D. v. 1. 227, i.e. a lion's skin.”
So probably
"Faction-traitors."—Rich. II. ii. 2. 57.
"Self" is used as a compound noun in "self-conceit," and this
explains
“Infusing him with self-and-vain-conceit.”—Rich. II.iii. 2.166.
"Every minute-while," 1 Hen. VI. i. 4. 54.
where "while" has its original force as a noun = "time."
But often when a noun is compounded with a participle, some
preposition or other ellipse must be supplied, as "like" in our
stone-still," &c., and the exact meaning of the compound can only
be ascertained by the context.
Wind-changing Warwick."-3 Hen. VI. v. 1. 57.
My furnace-burning heart.”—Ib. ii. 1. 80.
i.e. "burning like a furnace."
Giant-rude," A. Y. L. iv. 3. 34; "marble-constant," A. and C.
v. 2. 240; “honey-heavy-dew,” J. C. iì. 1. 230; so "flower"
318
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"" ((
soft hands," A. and C. ii. 2. 215; "maid-pale peace," Rich. II.
iti. 3. 98; "al
an orphan's water-standing eye," 3 Hen. VI. v. 6. 40,
i.e. standing with water;" "weeping-ripe," L. L. L. v. 2. 274,
"ripe for weeping; thought-sick," Hamlet, iii. 4. 51, i.e. “ as
i.e. the result of thought;" so "lion-sick," Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 13, is
explained lower down, "sick of proud heart;" "pity-pleading
eyes," R. of L. 561, i.e. "pleading for pity;" "peace-parted souls,'
Hamlet, v. i. 261, i.e. "souls that have departed in peace;"
fancy-free," M. N. D. ii. 1. 164, i.e. "free from fancy (love);"
child-changed father," Lear. iv. 7. 17, i.e., "changed to a child.”
Or the noun is put for a passive participle or an adjective.
Upon your sword sit laurel(led) victory."-A. and C. i. 3. 100.
"The honey of his music(al) vows."-Hamlet, iii. 1. 164.
"The venom(ous) clamours of a jealous woman.
""
C. of E. v. 1. 69; so R. of L. 850.
"The Carthage queen.”—M. N. D. i. 1. 173.
"Your Corioli walls."-Coriol. i. 8. 8; ii. 1. 180.
"Our Rome gates.”—b. iii. 3. 104: Ib. iv. 5. 214.
For similar examples, see 22.
Sometimes the genitive is used:
"I'll knock your knave's pate."
T. of Sh. i. 2. 12; C. of E. iii. 1. 74.
431. Preposition-Compounds.
“An after-dinner's (comp. 'afternoon's ') breath.”
"At after-supper.”—Rich. III. iv. 3.
“At over-night.”—A. W. iii. 4. 23.
Tr. and Cr. ii. 3. 120.
31; M. N. D. v. i. 34.
"The falling-from of his friends.”—T. of A. iv. 3. 400.
The preposition usually attached to a certain verb is sometimes
appended to the participle of the verb in order to make an adjective.
"There is no hoped-for mercy."—3 Hen. VI. v. 4. 35.
“Some never-heard-of torturing pain,”—T. A. ii. 3. 285.
for "unheard-of."
"Your sued-for tongues.".
Coriol. ii. 3. 216.
"Bemock'd-at stabs."— ·Temp. iii. 3. 63.
"The unthought-on accident."-W. T. iv. 4. 549.
"Your unthought-of Harry."-
- Hen. IV. iii. 2. 141.
COMPOUND WORDS.
319
432. Verb-Compounds. Verbs were compounded with their
objects more commonly than with us.
"Some carry-tale, some please-man, some slight zany,
Some mumble-news."-L. L. L. v. 2. 463-4.
"All find-faults.”—Hen. V. v. 2. 298.
We still use "mar-plot" and "spoil-sport." Such compounds
seem generally depreciatory. "Weather-fend" in
"In the lime grove which weather-fends your cell,"
Temp. v. 1. 10.
means "defend from the weather," and stands on a somewhat
different footing.
One is disposed to treat "wilful-blame" as an anomalous com-
pound in
like
"In faith, my lord, you are too wilful-blame.'
""
I Hen. IV. iii. 1. 177.
'A false-heart traitor."-2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 143.
But "heart" is very probably a euphonious abbreviation of
"hearted." The explanation of “too wilful-blame” is to be sought
in the common expression "I am too blame," Othello, iii. 3. 211,
282; M. of V. v. 1. 166. "I am too too blame," is also found in
Elizabethan authors. It would seem that, the "to" in "I am tc
blame" being misunderstood, “blame” came to be regarded as an
adjective, and "to" (which is often interchanged in spelling with
"too") as an adverb. Hence "blame," being regarded as an
adjective, was considered compoundable with another adjective.
433. Participial Nouns. A participle or adjective, when
used as a noun, often receives the inflection of the possessive case
or the plural.
His chosen's merit."-B. and F. F. Sh. iii. 1.
"All cruels else subscribed."-Lear, iii. 7. 65.
21
i.e. "All cruel acts to the contrary being yielded up, forgiven."
Compare for the meaning Lear, iv. 7. 36, and for “ subscribe,'
Tr. and Cr. iv. 5. 105. Another explanation is, "all other cruel
animals being allowed entrance."
So
V.
Vulgars," W. T. ii. 1. 94; "Severals," Hen. 1. i. 1. 86, i.c.
"details."
"Yon equal potents."—K. 7. ii. 1. 357.
"To the ports
The discontents repair."-A. and C. i. 4. 39.
320
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
1
"Lead me to the revolts (revolters) of England here."
K. J. v. 4. 7: 60 Cymb. iv. 4. 6
Add, if the text be correct :
"The Norways' king."-Macbeth, i. 2. 59.
2.c. "the king of the Norwegians."
It would appear as though an adjective in agreement with a plural
noun received a plural inflection in
Letters-patents."-Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 249; Rich. II. ii. 1.
202 (Folio), 3. 130.
More probably the word was treated by Shakespeare as though
it were a compound noun. But in E. E. adjectives of Romance
origin often take the plural inflection.
"Lawless resolutes."—Hamlet, i. 1. 98.
Mighty opposites.”—Ib. v. ii. 62.
434. Phrase-Compounds. Short phrases, mostly containing
participles, are often compounded into epithets.
"The always-wind-obeying deep."-C. of E. i. 1. 64.
My too-much-changed son."—Hamlet, ii. 2. 36.
"The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia."-A. and C. iii. 1. 38.
"Our past-cure malady."-A. W. ii. 1. 124.
"A past-saving slave."—Ib. iv. 3. 158.
"The none-sparing war."—Ib. iii. 2. 108.
"A jewel in a ten-times-barred-up chest."-Rich. II. i. 1. 180.
"A too-long-wither'd flower."-Ib. ii. 1. 134.
Tempt him not so too-far."-A. and C. i. 3. 11.
"The to-and-fro-conflicting wind."Lear, iii. I. 11.
"You that have turn'd off a first-so noble wiſe."
A. W. v. 3. 220.
"Of this yet-scarce-cold battle."-Cymb. v. 5. 469.
"A cunning thief, or a-that-way-accomplished courtier."
Ib. 1. 4. 101.
"In this so-never-needed help."-Coriol. v. 1. 34.
"A world-without-end bargain."-L. L. L. v. 2. 799.
See Sonn. 5.
"Our not-fearing Britain."-Cymb. ii 4. 19.
“The ne'er-lust-wearied Antony."-A. and C. ii. 1. 88.
“A twenty-years-removed thing .”—T. Ñ. v. i. 92
PREFIXES.
321
435. Anomalous Compounds. We still, though rarely, abbre
viate "the other" into "t'other," but we could not say
"The t'other."-B. J. Cy's. Rev. iv. I; v. I (a corruption
of E. E. bet oþer).
"Yea, and furr'd moss when winter flowers are none,
To winter-ground thy corpse.”—Cymb. iv. 2. 229.
i.e. perhaps "to inter during winter." So "to winter-rig
(Halliwell) to mean "to fallow land during winter."
"And" is omitted in
"At this odd-even and dull watch of the night."
is said
Othello, i. I. 124
Cicero says, that the extreme test of a man's honesty is that you
can play at odd and even with him in the dark. And perhaps
odd-(and-)even" here means, a time when there is no distinguish
ing between odd and even.
As there is a noun false-play," there is nothing very remarkable
in its being converted thus into a verb:
"Pack'd cards with Cæsar and false-played my glory."
A. and C. iv. 14. 19.
A terse compound is often invented for special use, made inteli
gible by the context. Thus, the profit of excess is called
"Poor-rich gain."-R. of L. 140.
"Where shall I live now Lucrece is unlived."-Ib. 1754.
PREFIXES.
A-. See 24.
436. All-to (see 28) is used in the sense of "completely
asunder" as a prefix in
“And all-to-brake his skull."-Judges ix. 53.
'Asunder" was an ordinary meaning of the prefix "to" E. E
It must be borne in mind that all had no necessary connect with
to, till by constant association the two syllables were corrupted into
a prefix, all-to, which was mistaken for altogether and so used.
Hence, by corruption, in many passages, where all-to or all-too is
said to have the meaning of "asunder," it had come to mean
"altogether," as in
" 'Mercutio's ycy hand had al-to frozen mine."-HALLIWELL
Y
322
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
It has been shown (73) that too and to are constantly interchanged
in Elizabethan authors. Hence the constant use of all too for "quite,"
decidedly too," as in Rich. II. iv. I.
as in Rich. II. iv. 1. 28, "all too base," may have
been encouraged by the similar sound of all-to. Shakespeare does
not use the archaic all-to in the sense of "asunder," nor does
Milton probably in
She plumes her feathers and lets grow her wings,
That in the various bustle of resort
Were all too ruffled."-MILTON, Comus, 376.
437. At- in "attask'd," Lear, i. 4. 366 (“task'd,” “blamed”),
perhaps represents the O.E. intensive prefix "of," which is some-
times changed into "an-," "on-," or "a-." But the word is more
probably a sort of mitation of the similar words "attach” and
"attack.”
438. Be. The prefix be is used, not merely with verbs of colour-
ing, "smear," "splash," &c., to localize and sometimes to intensify
action, but also with nouns and adjectives to convert the nouns into
verbs:
"Bemonster."—Lear, iv. 2. 63.
"Be-sort."-Ib. i. 4. 272.
"All good be-fortune you."-T. G. of V. iv. 3. 41.
Bemadding."-Lear, iii. 1. 38.
It is also used seemingly to give a transitive signification to verbs
that, without this prefix, mostly require prepositions :
"
Begnaw."-Rich. III. i. 3. 221.
"Behowls the moon. "-M. N. D. v. 1. 379.
Bespeak
""
I.
"address" in Hamlet, ii. 2. 140.
Beweep."-Rich. III. ii. 2. 49; Lear, i. 4. 324.
In participles, like other prefixes, it is often redundant, and
seems to indicate an unconscious want of some substitute for the old
participial prefix.
"Well be-met."-Lear, v. 1. 20.
But the theory that be- in "become," "believe,
represents the old ge-, does not seem to be sound.
belove," &c.,
439. Dis- was sometimes used in the sense of un-, to mean
"without," as
Discompanied," Cy.'s Rev. iii. 3, for "unaccompanied,”
2.2.
"without company.
""
PREFIXES.
323
"A little to disquantity your train."—Lear, i. 4. 270.
Dishabited," K. 7. ii. 1. 220, "Caused to migrate."
"Dislived," CHAPMAN,
"Deprived of life.”
=
"Disnatured," Lear, i. 4. 305, for "Unnatural."
""
Disnoble," HOLLAND ; "Distemperate, RALEIGH.
for "ignoble" and "intemperate.
>>
"Being full of supper and distempering draughts."
Othello, i. I. S.
'Discovery" is often used for "uncovering, "i.e. "unfoid,*
whether literally or metaphorically. "So shall my anticipation
prevent your discovery," Hamlet, ii. 2. 305, i.c. "render your dis-
closure needless by anticipation." So Rich. III. iv. 4. 240.
'
""
>>
en-
440. En- was frequently used, sometimes in its proper sense of
enclosing, as enclosed," "enguard," Lear, i. 4. 349; "encave,
Othello, iv. 1. 82; "How dread an army hath enrounded him,
Hen. V. iv. Prol. 36; "enwheel thee round," Othello, ii. 1. 87;
“enfetter'd,” ib. ii. 3. 351; “enmesh," ib. 368; "enrank," 1 Hen.
VI. i. 1. 115; “enshelter'd and embay'd," Othello, ii. 1. 18;
steep'd," ib. 70; engaol'd," Rich. II. i. 3. 166; “enscheduled,
Hen. V. v. 2. 73; enshelled," Coriol. iv. 6. 45. So “em-
bound,"
""envassell'd," DANIEL on Florio; "embattle" (to put in
battle array); "enfree" (to place in a state of freedom); en-
tame," A. Y. L. iii. 5. 48 (to bring into a state of tameness).
But the last instances show that the locative sense
can be
metaphorical instead of literal, and scarcely perceptible. There
is little or no difference between "free" and
"enfree." So
'the enridged sea," Lear, iv. 6. 71; "the enchafed flood," Othello,
ii. 1. 17, are, perhaps, preferred by Shakespeare merely because
in participles he likes some kind of prefix as a substitute for the
old participial prefix. In some cases the en- or in- seems to take a
person as its object, "endart," R. and F. i. 3. 98 ("to set darts in,
not "in darts"). So "
So enpierced," R. and 7. i. 4. 19; and so,
perhaps, empoison," Coriol. v. 6. 11. The word "impale ” is
used by Shakespeare preferably in the sense of "s surrounding."
'Impale him with your weapons round about,"
(6
means "hedge him round with your weapons."
Tr. and Cr. v. 7. 5.
So
"Did I impale him with the regal crown."-3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 189.
Y 2
324
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
441. For is used in two words now disused :
"Forslow no longer."-3 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 56.
"She fordid herself.”—Lear, v. 3. 255; M. N. D. v. 1. 381.
In both words the prefix has its proper sense of "injury."
442. Un- for modern in-; in- for un-. (Non- only occurs twice
in all the plays of Shakespeare, and in V. and A. 521.)
CC
Incharitable, infortunate, incertain, ingrateful, incivil, in-
substantial.
Unpossible, unperfect, unprovident, unactive, unexpressive,
unproper, unrespective, unviolable, unpartial, unfallible,
undividable, unconstant, uncurable, uneffectual, unmeasur-
able, undisposed, unvincible (N. P. 181), unreconciliable
(A. and C. v. I. 47).
We appear to have no definite rule of distinction even now, since
we use ungrateful, ingratitude; unequal, inequality.* Un- seems to
have been preferred by Shakespeare before p and r, which do not
allow in- to precede except in the form im-. In- also seems to have
been in many cases retained from the Latin, as in the case of
'ingratus," 'infortunium," &c. As a general rule, we now use
in- where we desire to make the negative a part of the word,
and un- where the separation is maintained-"untrue," "infirm."
Hence un- is always used with participles-" untamed," &c.
Perhaps also un- is stronger than in-. Unholy" means more
than "not
not holy," almost "the reverse of holy." But in "in-
attentive," 'intemperate," in- has nearly the same meaning, "the
reverse of."
"You wrong the reputation of your name
In so unseeming to confess receipt."-L. L. L. ii. 1. 156.
IIere "unseeming" means "the reverse of seeming" more than
"not seeming" (like où onμ): "in thus making us as though you
would not confess."
SUFFIXES.
443. -Er is sometimes appended to a noun for the purpose of
signifying an agent.
"
Thus-
"" A Roman sworder.". -2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 135.
• This however is perhaps explained below. In is a part of the nou
ingratitude; un- in the adjective" ungrateful" means
"
"not."
SUFFIXES.
325
"O most gentle pulpiter."-A. Y. L. iii. 2. 163.
"A moraler.”—Othello, ii. 3. 301.
Homager."-A. and C. i. 1. 31.
-A. and C. i. 1. 31. (O. Fr. "homagier.")
(Late Lat. "justitiarius.")
"Justicers.”—Lear, iv. 2. 79.
In the last two instances the -er is of French origin, and in many
cases, as in "enchanter," it may seem to be English, while really it
represents the French -eur.
“Joinder,” T. N. v. 1. 160, perhaps comes from the French
"joindre."
The er is often added to show a masculine agent where a noun
and verb are identical :
"Truster."-Hamlet, i. 2. 172.
“The pauser reason.”—Macbeth, ii. 3. 117.
"Causer."-Rich. III. iv. 4. 122.
"To you, my origin and ender.”—L. C. ii. 22.
Note the irregular, "Precurrer" (for "precursor”).—P. P.
We have "windring" from "winder," Tempest, iv. 1. 128, formed
after the analogy of "wander," "clamber," "waver," the er having
apparently a frequentative force.
444. -En, made of (still used in golden, &c.), is found in—
("
"Her threaden fillet."-L. C. 5: Hen. v. iii. Prol. 444.
'A twiggen bottle."—Othello, iii. 3. 152.
445. -Ive, -ble. (See 3.) Ive is sometimes used in a passive
instead of, as now, in an active signification. Thus: "Incompre-
hensive depths;" "plausive," "worthy to be applauded;"
"direc-
tive," capable of being directed;" "insuppressive metal "the
fair, the inexpressive she" (similarly used by Milton in the Hymn
on the Nativity). On the other hand, -ble is sometimes used actively,
as in "medicinable (which is also used passively), and in "un-
meritable."
This is a slight unmeritable man."-7. C. iv. 1. 12.
>>
So "defensible," "deceivable,' disputable," and "tenable."
In "Intenible sieve," A. IV. i. 3. 208, not only does -ble convey
an active meaning, but Shakespeare uses the Latin instead of the
English form of the termination, just as we still write "terrible,"
not "terrable." I imagine we have been influenced in our -able by
the accidental coincidence of meaning between the word “ 'able"
326
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
and the termination -ble. But French influence must have had some
weight.
46
446. -Less. Sometimes found with adjectives, as "busyless,"
sickless," "modestless."
-Less used for "not able to be.”
"That phraseless hand."-L. C. 225; i.e.“ in-describable."
"That termless skin."-Ib. 94.
'Sumless treasuries."-Hen. V. i. 2. 165.
"My careless crime."-R. of L. 771.
"Your great opposeless wills."—Lear, iv. 6. 38.
It is commonly used with words of Latin or Greek origin, as above
Add "
reasonless," Hen. V. v. 4. 137; "crimeless, 2 Hen. VI.
ii. 4. 63.
>>
447. -Ly found with a noun, and yet not appearing to convey
an adjectival meaning. "Anger-ly,” Macb. iii. 5. 1; T. G. of V.
i. 2. 62. Compare "wonder-ly" in the Morte d'Arthur, and
cheer-ly," Tempest, i. 1. 6. This is common in E. E.
The -ly represents "like," of which it is a corruption. Compare :
"Villain-like he lies."-Lear, v. 3. 97.
So "masterly," adv., W. T. v. 3. 65; Othello, i. 1. 26; "hungerly,"
adv., żỏ. iii. 4. 105; "exteriorly," adv., K. J. iv. 2. 257; "silverly,"
adv., ib. v. 2. 46. "Fellowly," Temp. v. 1. 64, and “ traitorly,"
W. T. iv. 4. 822, are used as adjectives. Perhaps a vowel is to be
supplied in sound, though omitted, in "unwield(i)ly," Rich. II.
iv. 1. 205; “need(i)ly,
need(i)ly," R. and F. iii. 2. 117; and they may be
derived from "unwieldy" and "needy." Add "orderly," Rich. II.
i. 3. 9; "manly," Macbeth, iv. 3. 235.
448. -Ment. We seldom use this suffix except where we find it
already existing in Latin and French words adopted by us. Shake-
speare, however, has "intendment," "supplyment," "designment,"
"denotement," and "bodement."
449. -Ness is added to a word not of Teutonic origin :
"Equalness."-A. and C. v. I. 48.
450. Y is found appended to a noun to form an adjective.
"Slumbery agitation."-Macbeth, v. 1. 12.
"Unheedy haste."-M. N. D. i. 1. 237

SUFFIXES.
327
In "Batty wings," M. N. D. iii. 2. 365, “batty" seems to mean
"like those of bats." "Wormy beds,” ib. iii. 2. 384, is "worm-filled.”
"
Vasty," in "the vasty fields of France," Hen. V. Prologue, 12;
.
1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 52, is perhaps derived from the noun
Tempest, i. 2. 327; Hamlet, i. 2. 198.
Henry V. ii. 4. 124: i.e. "womb-like."
vast,'
"Womby vaultages,"
Y appended to adjectives of colour has a modifying force like -ish :
"Their paly flames."-Hen. V. iv. Prol. 8.
"His browny locks."-L. C. 85.
"}
451. Suffixes were sometimes influenced by the Elizabethan
licence of converting one part of speech into another. We should
append -ation or -ition, -ure or -ing, to the following words used by
Shakespeare as nouns : "solicit," "consult," " expect," &c.; "my
depart," 2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 2; 3 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 92, ii. 1. 110; un
curable discomfort," 2 Hen. VI. v. 2. 86; "make prepare for war,
3 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 131; "a smooth dispose,” Othello, i. 3. 403; “his
repair,” 3 Hen. VI. v. 1. 20; "deep exclaims," Rich. III. i. 2. 52,
iv. 4. 135; "his brow's repine," V. and A. 490; a sweet retire,"
Hen. V. iv. 3. 86; "false accuse," 2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 160; your
ladyship's impose," T. G. of V. iv. 3. 8 ; "the sun's appear," B. and
F. F. Sh. v. I; "from suspect," 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 139; “
manage,"
M. of V. iii. 4. 25; "commends," ib. ii. 1. 90; "the boar's annoy,
Rich. III. v. 3. 156; "the disclose," Hamlet, iii. 1. 174; com-
mends," Rich. II. iii. 3. 126.
Almost all of these words come to us through the French.
Note "O heavenly mingle."-A. and C. i. 5. 59.
"Immoment toys."-Ib. v. ii. 166.
PROSODY
452. The ordinary line in blank verse consists of five feet of
two syllables each, the second syllable in each foot being accented.
"We both have féd | as well, | and wé | can bóth
Endúre | the wint | er's cóld | as wéll | as hé."
F. C. i. 2. 98-9.
This line is too monotonous and formal for frequent use.
The
metre is therefore varied, sometimes (1) by changing the position of
the accent, sometimes (2) by introducing trisyllabic and monosyllabic
feet. These licences are, however, subject to certain laws. It would
be a mistake to suppose that Shakespeare in his tragic metre
introduces the trisyllabic or monosyllabic foot at random. Some
sounds and collections of sounds are peculiarly adapted for mono-
syllabic and trisyllabic feet. It is part of the purpose of the
following paragraphs to indicate the laws which regulate these
licences. In many cases it is impossible to tell whether in a tri-
syllabic foot an unemphatic syllable is merely slurred or wholly
suppressed, as for instance the first e in "different." Such a foot
may be called either dissyllabic or quasi-trisyllabic.
453. The accent after a pause is frequently on the first
syllable. The pause is generally at the end of the line, and hence
it is on the first foot of the following line that this, which may be
called the "pause-accent," is mostly found. The first syllable of
initial lines also can, of course, be thus accented. It will be
seen that in the middle of the line these pause-accents generally
follow emphasized monosyllables. (See 480-6.)
"
Comfort, my liége! | why looks | your gráce | so pále ?"
Rich. II. iii. 2. 75.
Examples of the "pause-accent" not at the beginning.
(1) Feed and | regárd | him not. | Are you | a mán ?”
Macbeth, iii. 4 58
PROSODY.
329
Sometimes the pause is slight, little more than the time necessary
for recovery after an emphatic monosyllable.
(2) "Be ín | their flów | ing cúps | freshly | remember'd.
So arrange
Hen. V. iv. 7. 55.
"In thése | flutter | ing streams, | and máke | cur fáces.'
Macbeth, iii. 2. 33.
"These " may be emphasized. (See 484.)
(3) "Who would | beliéve | me. O'! | péril | ous mouths."
M. for M. ii. 4. 172.
(4) "Afféction, poóh! | You speak |—like a green girl."
Hamlet, i. 3. 101.
|
"We shall be cáll'd | — púrgers, | not múr | derérs."
F. C. ii. 1. 180.
7.
(5) "The life of cóm | fort. Bút | for thée, | fellow."
Cymb. iv. 3. 9.
The old pronunciation "fellów" is probably not Shakespearian.
In (3) (4) and (5) "O," speak," call'd," and "thee" may,
perhaps, be regarded as dissyllables (see 482-4), and the following
foot a quasi-trisyllabic one. There is little practical difference
between the two methods of scansion.
|
(6) "Sénseless | linen! | Happier | therein | than I.”
Cymb. i. 3. 7.
Here either there is a pause between the epithet and noun, or
else "senseless" may possibly be pronounced as a trisyllable,
"Sense (486) | less linen." The line is difficult.
Therefore, | merchant, | I'll lím | it thée | this dáy,"
C. of E. i. I. 151.
seems to begin with two trochees, like Milton's famous line :
'U'ni | vérsal | reproách | far worse | to béar."-P. L. vi. 34
But "therefore" may have its accent, as marked, on the last
syllable.
The old pronunciation "merchant" is not probable. Or "there"
may be one foot (see 480): "Thére | fore mérchant | ."
(7) "Ant. Obéy it ón | all cáuse. |
Cleop.
Párdon,-párdon.
A. and C. iii. II. 68.
is, perhaps, an instance of two consecutive trochees. (There seems
no ground for supposing that "pardon " is to be pronounced as ir
330
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
French.) But if the diphthong " cause" be pronounced as a dis-
syllable (see 484), the difficulty will be avoided.
We find, however, a double trochee (unless "my" has dropped
out) in
Sec. Cit. Cæsar | has hád | great wrong,
Third Cit.
Hás he, másters ?"
F. C. iii. 2. 115.
Even here, however, " wrong" may be a quasi-dissyllable (486).
(8) Between noun and participle a pause seems natural. Often
the pause represents "in" or "a-" (178).
|
|
"Thy knée | bússing the stones."—Coriol. iii. 2. 75.
"The smile | mócking | the sígh."-Cymb. iv. 2. 54.
"My wind | cooling | my broth."-M. of V. i. I. 22.
In these lines the foot following the emphasized monosyllable may
(as an alternative to the "pause-accent ") be regarded as quasi-trisyl-
labic.
453 a. Emphatic Accents, The syllable that receives an
accent is by no means necessarily emphatic. It must be emphatic
relatively to the unaccented syllable or syllables in the same foot, but it
may be much less emphatic than other accented syllables in the
same verse. Thus the last syllable of "injuries," though accented,
is unemphatic in
"The ín | juries | that they | themselves | procúre."
Lear, ii. 4. 303.
Mr. Ellis (Early English Pronunciation, part i. p. 334) says that
"it is a mistake to suppose that there are commonly or regularly
five stresses, one to each measure." From an analysis of severa.
tragic lines of Shakespeare, taken from different plays, I should say
that rather less than one of three has the full number of five emphatic
accents. About two out of three have four, and one out of fifteen
has three. But as different readers will emphasize differently, not
much importance can be attached to such results. It is of more
importance to remember, (1) that the first foot almost always has an
emphatic accent; (2) that two unemphatic accents rarely, if ever,
come together (“for
("for" may perhaps be emphatic in
"Hear it not, Dún | can; fór | it ís | a knéll,'
Macbeth, i. I. 63);
and (3) that there is generally an emphatic accent on the third or
fourth foot.
PROSODY
331
The five emphatic accents are common in verses that have a pause-
accent at the beginning or in the middle of the line.
“Náture | seems déad, | and wick | ed dreams | abuse."
Macbeth, ii. I. 50.
"The handle tóward | my hand. | Cóme, let me clútch
thee."—Ib. ii. 1. 34.
And in antithetical lines:
"I have thee nót, | and yét | I sée | thee stíll."
Macbeth, ii. 1. 35.
"Bring with thee airs | from heaven | or blásts | from hell.”
Hamlet, i. 4. 41.
454. An extra syllable is frequently added before a pause,
especially at the end of a line:
(a) "Tis nót | alóne | my ínk | y clóak, | good móther."
but also at the end of the second foot:
Hamlet, i. 2. 77,
(b) "For míne | own safeties; | you máy | be ríght | ly júst."
Macbeth, iv. 3. 30.
and, less frequently, at the end of the third foot:
(c) "For goodness dáres not check thee; | wear thoú | thy
wrongs."-Macbeth, iv. 3. 33.
and, rarely, at the end of the fourth foot :
(d) "With all my hón | ours ón | my brother: | whereón.'
| | |
But see 466.
Temp. i. 2. 127.
"So déar | the love | my peó | ple bóre me : | nor sét."
Ib. i. 2. 141.
455. The extra syllable is very rarely a monosyllable,
still more rarely an emphatic monosyllable. The reason is obvious.
Since in English we have no enclitics, the least emphatic mono-
syllables will generally be prepositions and conjunctions. These
carry the attention forward instead of backward, and are therefore
inconsistent with a pause, and besides to some extent emphatic.
The fact that in Henry VIII., and in no other play of Shake-
speare's, constant exceptions are found to this rule, seems to me a
sufficient proof that Shakespeare did not write that play.
"Go give 'em wél | come; you can speak | the French
tongue."-Hen. VIII.A. 4. 57.
"Féll by our sérv | ants, by | those mén | we lóv’d most.”
Ib. ii. 1. 122.
ކ
332
SHAKESPEARian Grammak.
"Be sure you bé not loose; for those you mák
friends."-Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 127.
"To sílence én | vious tongues. | Be júst | and feár not."
Ib. iii. 2. 447.
So Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 67, 78, 97; and seven times in iii. 2. 442-451;
eight times in iv. 2. 51–80.
Even where the extra syllable is not a monosyllable it occurs
so regularly, and in verses of such a measured cadence, as almost
to give the effect of a trochaic* line with an extra syllable at the
beginning, thus :
"In | áll my | míser | íes; but thou hast | fórced me
1
Out || óf (457 a) thy | honest | trúth to | play the | woman.
Let's dry our | éyes: and thús far | héar me, | Cromwell:
And when 1 | ám for- | gótten, ás I | sháll be,
And I sleep in | dúll cold márble | whére no | méntion
Of mé must | móre be | héard of, sáy I taught thee.
ways of glóry
shoals of honour,
|
Say, Wolsey, thát once | tród the
|| |
And I sounded áll the | dépths and
Found thée a wáy, out of (457 a) his | wréck, to | rise in
A || súre and | sáfe one, | though thy | máster | míssed it."
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 430–9.
It may be safely said that this is not Shakespearian.
'Boy" is unaccented and almost redundant in
"I párt | ly knów | the mán: go cáll | him hither, boy.'
(Folio) Rich. III. iv. 2. 41.
(Hither, a monosyllable, see 189.) And even here the Globe is,
perhaps, right in taking "Boy exit" to be a stage direction.
In "Bid him make háste | and meét | me át | the Nórth
gate,"-T. G. of V. iii. 1. 258.
"gate” is an unemphatic syllable in "Nórthgate," like our "Néw-
gate." So
"My mén | should cáll | me lórd : | 1 ám | yoúr good-man.
T. of Sh. Ind. 2. 107.
"A hált | er grát | is: nó | thing élse, for God's-sake."
M. of V. iv. 1. 379.
"Parts," like "sides," is unemphatic, and "both is strongly
einphasized, in
"Ráther | to shów | a nób | le gráce | to both parts.
•
"
Coriol. v. 3. 121.
• The words trochaic" and "iambic are of course used, when applied?
Saglish poetry, to denote accent, not quantity.
PROSODY.
333
So "out is emphatic in
"We'll háve | a swásh | ing ánd | a márt | ial outside."
The 's for "is" is found at the end of a line in
serve
A. Y. L. i. 3. 122.
"Perceive I speak sincerely, and high note 's
as
Ta'en of your many virtues."-Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 59.
""it is over
'
"
as
"'tis o'er."
we will
456. Unaccented Monosyllables. Provided there be only
one accented syllable, there may be more than two syllables in
"It is he" is as much a foot as "'tis he
any foot.
"we'll serve ;"
Naturally it is among pronouns and the auxiliary verbs that we
must look for unemphatic syllables in the Shakespearian verse.
Sometimes the unemphatic nature of the syllable is indicated by a
contraction in the spelling. (See 460.) Often, however, syllables
must be dropped or slurred in sound, although they are expressed to
the sight. Thus in
""
"Provide thee | two próp | er pál | freys, bláck | as jet,
T. A. v. 2. 50
'thee" is nearly redundant, and therefore unemphatic.
"If" and "the" are scarcely pronounced in
!
"And in it are the lórds | of Vórk, | Bérkeley, | and Séy-
mour."-Rich. II. ii. 3. 55.
Mir. I év | er sáw | so nóble. |
Prosp.
It goes on,
"Bút that the séa, | moúnting
I sée.”—Temp. i. 2. 419.
to the wél | kin's chéek."
Ib. i. 2. 4.
("The" need not be part of a quadrisyllabic foot, nor be sup-
pressed in pronouncing
" The cúr | iósi | ty of ná | tions tó | deprive me.
Compare, possibly,
Lear, i. 2. 4.
"But I have ever had that curiós(i)ty.”—B. and F. (Nares). )
So "to," the sign of the infinitive, is almost always unemphatic,
and is therefore slurred, especially where it precedes a vowel. Thus:
"In séeming | to augmént | it wástes | it. Bé | advís’d.”
Hen. VIII. i. 1. 145.
where "in" before the participle is redundant and unemphatic.
“For trúth | to (ť) over(o'er)péer. | Ráther | than fóol | it só,'
Coriol. ii. 3. 128.
394
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
|
So the "I" before "beseech" (which is often omitted, as Temp..
ti. I. 1), even when inserted, is often redundant as far as sound goes.
"(7) beseech your májes | ty, give me léave | to go."
2 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 20.
"(7) beseech your grác | es bóth | to pár | don mé."
Rich. III. i. I. 84. So Ib. 103.
Perhaps
“(1) pray thee (prithee) stáy | with ús, | go nót | to Witt | enbérg,"
Hamlet, i. 2. 119.
though this verse may be better scanned
"I pray thee stáy | with us, | go nót | to Wittenberg." See 469.
“Let me sée, | let me sée; | ís not | the leaf | turn'd dówn ?”
7. C. iv. 3. 273.
So (if not 501)
"And I' | will kiss | thy fóot: | (7) prithee bé | my gód.”
Temp. ii. 2. 152.
With you" is "wi' you" (as in "good-bye" for "God be
with you"); "the" is th', and "of" is slurred in
"Two nó | ble párt |ners with you; | the old dúch | ess
of Norfolk.". -Hen. VIII. v. 3. 168.
To write these lines in prose, as in the Folio and Globe, makes
an extraordinary and inexplicable break in a scene which is wholly
verse.
For the quasi-suppression of of see
"The bás tard of O'r | leáns | with hím | is joín'd,
The duke of Alén | çon flí
eth tó | his síde."
I Hen. VI. i. 1. 92, 93.
In the Tempest this use of unaccented monosyllables in trisyllabic
feet is very common.
Go máke | thyself | like a nýmph | o' the séa; | be súbject
To no sight but thíne | and míne.”—Temp. i. 2. 301.
Even in the more regular lines of the Sonnets these superfluous
syllables are allowed in the foot. Thus:
"Excúse | not sí | lence só; | for 't lies | in thée.”—Sonn. 101.
And even in rhyming lines of the plays :
“Cáll them | again, | sweet prince, |
I'f you deny them, áll | the land
This sometimes modifies the scansion.
and 't is absorbed, in
accépt | their suít
will rúe 't."
Rich. III. iii. 7. 221.
"Hour" is a dissyllable,

PROSODY.
335
"You knów I gáve't | you hálf | an hoúr sínce.”
C. of E. iv. I. 65.
Almost any syllables, however lengthy in pronunciation, can be
used as the unaccented syllables in a trisyllabic foot, provided they
are unemphatic. It is not usual, however, to find two such unaccented
syllables as
"Which most gíb | inglý, | ungráve | ly hé | did fáshion."
Coriol. ii. 3. 233.
457. Accented monosyllables. On the other hand, some-
times an unemphatic monosyllable is allowed to stand in an em-
phatic place, and to receive an accent. This is particularly the case
with conjunctions and prepositions at the end of the line. We stir
in conversation emphasize the conjunctions "but," anā,¨ “for,'
&c. before a pause, and the end of the line (which rarely allowe
a final monosyllable to be light, unless it be an extra-syllable)
necessitates some kind of pause.
Hence
"This my mean task
Would be as heavy to me as odious, but
The mistress which I serve quickens what's dead."
"Or ere
Temp. iii. 1. 5.
It should the good ship so have swallow'd and
The fraughting souls within her."—Ib. i. 2. 12.
"Freed and enfranchised, not a party to
The anger of the king, nor guilty of
(If any be) the trespass of the queen.”—W. T. ii. 2. 62, 63.
So Temp. iii. . 33, iv. 1. 149; W. T. i. 2. 372, 420, 425, 432,
449, 461, &c.
The seems to have been regarded as capable of more emphasis
han with us:
"Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves."—Temp. iv. 1. 67.
“With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning."
Hen. V. iii. Prol. 6.
"And your great uncle's, Edward the Black Prince."
Ib. i. 1. 105, 112.
"And Prosp'ro (469) the prime duke, being (470) so re-
puted."-Temp. i. 2. 72.
46 Your breath first kindled the dead coal of war."-K. J. v. 2. S3
"Omitting the sweet benefit of time.". T. G. of V. ii. 4. 65.
M

336
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle.'
"
M. N. D. iv. 1. 47.
"Then, my queen, in silence sad,
Trip we after the night's shade."—b. iv. 1. 101.
"His brother's death at Bristol the Lord Scroop.
1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 271.
"So please you something touching the Lord Hamlet.
Hamlet, i. 3. 89.
"Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour.'
"
Coriol. v. 3. 149, 151.
In most of these cases the precedes a monosyllable which may
be lengthened, thus:
"Your breath | first kindled | the déa | d(484) cóal | of wár.”
I
So Temp. i. 2. 196, 204; ii. 2. 164; iv. 1. 153.
Compare
'Oh, weep for Adonais.
The quick dreams."
SHELLEY, Adonais, 82.
But this explanation does not avail for the first example, nor for
"That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace."-Sonn. 34.
"More needs she the divine than the physician.”—Macb. v. 1. 82.
(Unless, as in Rich. II. i. 1. 154, "physician" has two accents :
"More néeds she | the divíne | thán the | physí | cián.”)
On the whole there seems no doubt that "the" is sometimes
allowed to have an accent, though not (457 a) an emphatic accent.
Scan thus:
“A dévil (466), | a bór | n (485) dév | il (475), ón | whose
náture."- Tempest, iv. 1. 188.
avoiding the accent on a.
The in
"Then meet and joín. Jove's light | nings, the precursors,"
| |
Tempest, i. 2. 201.
seems to require the accent.
But "light(e)nings" is a trisyllable
before a pause in Lear, iv. 7. 35 (see 477), and perhaps even the
light pause here may justify us in scanning—
Jove's light | (e)níngs, | the precursors.”
457 a. Accented Monosyllabic Prepositions. Walker
Crit. on Shakespeare, ii. 173-5) proves conclusively that "of" in
out of" frequently has the accent.
Thus :
PROSODY
337
The fount out of which with their holy hands.”—B. and F.
Into a relapse; or but suppose out of."-MASSINGER.
"Still walking like a ragged colt,
And oft out of a bush doth bolt."-DRAYTON.
Many other passages quoted by Walker are doubtful, but he
brings forward a statement of Daniel, who, remarking that a trochee
is inadmissible at the beginning of an iambic verse of four feet,
instances:
"Yearly out of his wat'ry cell,"
which shows that he regarded "out of" as an iambus. Walker
conjectures "that the pronunciation (of monosyllabic prepositions)
was in James the First's time beginning to fluctuate, and that Mas-
singer was a partisan of the old mode. Hence, probably, the
prepositions received the accent in
>>
"Such mén | as hé | be né | ver át | heart's éase.”
F. C. i. I. 208.
“Therefóre (490), | out óf | thy lóng | expérienc'd time.”
R. and F. iv. 1. 60; Coriol. i. 10. 19.
Vaunt cóur | iers tó | oak-cléav | ing thún | der-bólts."
So Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 431, 438.
Lear, iii. 2. 5.
"To bring | but five | and twén | ty; tó | no móre.”
Lear, ii. 4. 251.
“Lor. Whọ únd | ertákes | you té | your end. |
Prepare there. Hen. VIII. ii. 2. 97.
Vaux.
For this reason I think it probable that "to" in "in-to," "un-te,”
tometimes receives the accent, thus:
"That év | er lóve | did máke | thee rúa | intó.”
4. Y. L. ii. 4. 35.
Came thén | inté | my mind, | and yét | my mind.”
Lear, iv. 1. 36.
“Fán you | intó | despáir. | Have the pów | er still."
Coriol. iii. 3. 127.
1
“I had thought, | by mák | ing this well known unto you.”
Lear, i. 4. 224; M. of I. v. I. 169.
"By this | vile cón | quest shall | attain | untó.”
"Discuss untó | me.
7. C. v. 5. 38; Rich. III. iii. 5. 109.
A'rt | thon off ¦ icér?”
Hen. 1. iv. 1. 38. (But this is l'istol.)
z
338
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
With in "without seems accented in
"That won | you with | out blóws."—Coriol. iii. 3. 133.
458. Two extra syllables are sometimes allowed, if un
emphatic, before a pause, especially at the end of the line. For
the details connected with this licence see 467-9, and 494, where
it will be seen that verses with six accents are very rare in Shake-
speare, and that therefore the following lines are to be scanned with
five accents.
'Perúse | this létter. | Nóthing | almóst | sees miracles.”
Lear, ii. 2. 172.
"Múst be a fáith | that réa | son with out miracle.”
Ib. i. 1. 225.
"Like one that méans | his pró | per hárm | in_mánacles.”
Coriol. i. 9. 57.
"Was dúke | dom large enough: | of témp(o) | ral
royalties. -Tempest, i. 2. 110.
دو
"I dáre | avóuch | it, sír. | What, fif | ty followers!"
Lear, ii. 4. 240.
"You foolish shép | herd, where | fore dó | you fóllow
her?"-A. Y. Z. iii. 5. 49.
1
"Of whom he's chief, | with áll the size | that vérity.”
66
Ely. Incline to it, or nó. |
Cant.
Coriol. v. 2. 18.
He seems indifferent."-Hen. V. i. 1. 72.
"As íf | I lóv'd | my lítt | le should be dleted."
(6
Coriol. i. 9. 52.
Why, só | didst thou. | Come théy | of nó | ble fámily?
Hen. V. ii. 2. 129.
"That né | ver máy | ill óff | ice ór | fell jealousy."
Compare
Ib. v. 2. 491.
That hé | suspécts | none; ón | whose fóol | ish honesty."
Lear, i. 2. 197.
F. C. v. 5. 79.
Within my tént | his bónes | to-night | sha!' lie
Most like a sóld | ier, órd | er'd hón | (ou)rablý.
"Young mán, | thou could'st | notdie | more hón | (ou)rable."
Ib. v. 1. 60.
If "ily" were fully pronounced in both cases, the repetition woul 1
be intolerable in the following:-
!
PROSODY.
339
"Cor. But whát | is líke | me fór | merlý. |
Men.
That's worthily."-Coriol. iv. I. 53,
"The région óf | my heart : | be Ként | unmánnerly.”
Lear, i. 1. 147.
"Look, where he cómes! | Not póp | py nór | man-
drágora."-Othello, iii. 3. 330.
"A's you are old | and réverend, | you should | be wise.
Lear, i. 4. 261.
"To cáll for récompense: | appeár | it tó | your mind."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 8.
"Is nót | so ést | imable, próf | itáb | le neíther.
M. of V. i. 3. 167.
'Agé is | un-nécessary; ón | my knées | I bég."
Lear, ii. 4. 157.
""
"Our múst | y sú | perflúity. | Sée our | best élders.
Coriol. i. I. 230.
459. The spelling (which in Elizabethan writers was more
influenced by the pronunciation, and less by the original form and
derivation of the word, than is now the case) frequently indicates
that many syllables which we now pronounce were then omitted in
pronunciation.
460. Prefixes are dropped in the following words :—
'bolden'd for "embolden'd.”—Hen. VIII. i. 2. 55.
'bove for "above."-Macbeth, iii. 5. 31.
'bout for "about.".
about."-Temp. i. 2. 220.
'braid for "upbraid."—P. of T. i. 1. 93.
'call for "recall."-B. and F.
'came for "became."-Sonn. 139.
'cause for "because."-Macbeth, iii. 6. 21.
'cerns for "
concerns.'
"What 'cerns it you."-T. of Sh. v. 1. 77.
'cide for "decide."-Sonn. 46.
'cital for "recital."
"He made a blushing 'cital of himself."- —1 Hen.IV.v. 3.62.
'collect for "recollect."-B. J. Alch. i. 1.
'come for "become."
"Will you not dance?
How 'come you thus estranged ?"-L. L. L. v. 2. 213.
'coraging for "encouraging."—ASCH. 17.
22
340
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
'count for "account.
""
""
Why to a public 'count I might not go.'
"
Hamic, iv. 7. 17
'dear'd for "endear'd."—A. and C. i. 4. 44.
'fall for "befall.”—Ih. iii. 7. 40. So in O. E.
'friend for "befriend."-Hen. V. iv. 5. 17.
'gain-giving for "against-giving," like our "misgiving."
Hamlet, v. 2. 226.
'gave for "misgave."-Coriol. iv. 5. 157 (perhaps).
'Gave" would
So "My minde 'gives me that all is not well" (Nares). But the
dropping of this essential prefix seems doubtful.
make sense, though not such good sense. In
"Then say | if they | be true. | This (mis-)shá | pen knáve,"
Temp. v. 1. 263.
Walker with great probability conjectures "mis-shap'd." In
"Told thee no lies, made thee no mistakings, serv'd,"
Temp. i. 2. 248.
it is more probable that the second "thee," not mis-, is slurred.
'get for "beget.”—Othello, i. 3. 191.
gree for "agree.”—M. of V. ii. 2. 108; T. G. of V. ii. 4
183; A. and C. ii. 6. 38.
'haviour for "behaviour."-Hamlet, i. 2. 81.
'joy for "enjoy."-2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 365.
'larum for "6 alarum."
"Then shall we hear their 'larum and they ours.
Folio, "their Larum.”
'las for "alas."-Othello, v. 1. 111.
'lated for "belated."-A. and C. iii. 11. 3.
'less for "unless."-B. J. Sad Sh. iii. 1.
Coriol. i. 4. 9
longs for "belongs.”—Per. ii. Gow. 40: Coriol. v. 3. 170.
longing for "belonging."-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 32; W. T.
iii. 2. 104; Hen. V. ii. 4. 80.
miss for "amiss."- V. and A.
'mong (pronounced) for "among."
| |
"Be bright and jóv | ial amóng | your guests | to-night. '
"Cel. That lived | amongst mén. |
Civ
Macbeth, iii. 2. 28.
And well
he might | do só. '
A.
. . iv. 3. 124.
ނ
PROSODY.
341
'nighted for
benighted."-Lear, iv. 5. 13.
'nointed for "anointed."-IV. T. iv. 4. 813.
*noyance for "annoyance."--Hamlet, iii. 3. 13.
'pairs for "impairs."-B. E. 91. So in O. E.
'pale* for "impale,' " "surround."
"And will you 'pale your head in Henry's glory,
And rob his temples of the diadem."-3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 103
'parel for "apparel.”—Lear, iv. 1. 51.
'plain for "complain." (Fr. plaindre.)
"The king hath cause to plain.”
Lear, iii. 1. 39; Rich. II. i. 3. 175.
'rag'd for "enraged."-Rich. II. ii. 1. 70.
'ray for "array.”—B. J. Sad Sh. ii. “Battel ray.”
N. P. 180. O. E.
'rested for "arrested."-C. of E. iv. 2. 42. Dromio uses which-
ever form suits the metre best.
"I knów not át | whose súit | he is | arrés | ted well;
But he's in a suit | of búff | which résted | him, thát can |
I téll."
-C. of E. iv. 2. 43.
So should be read
“King. Or yield up Aquitaine.
Princess.
We (ar)rest your word."
L. L. L. ii. I. 160.
It has been objected that 'rested is a vulgarism only fit for a Dromio.
But this is not the case. It is used by the master Antipholus E. (C.
of E. iv. 4. 3).
'say'd for "assay'd."-Per. i. 1. 59. Comp. B. J. Cy.'s Rev. iv. 1.
'scape for "escape" freq.
'scuse for " excuse."— Othello, iv. 1. 80; M. of V. iv. 1. 444.
'stall'd apparently for "forestalled." -B. J. Sejan. iii. I; for
"install'd."-Rich. III. i. 3. 206.
'stonish'd for "astonish'd."
Or'stonish'd as night-wanderers often are."-F.andA.825
'stroy'd for "destroy'd.
'Stroy'd in dishonour."-A. and C. iii. 11. 54.
'tend for "attend."-Hamlet, iv. 3. 47.
'turn for "return;" 'lotted for "allotted."
unsisting for “unresisting" (explained in the Globe Glossary
unresting").
as
• "Did I impale him with the regal crown?"-3 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 189.
342
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"That wounds the unsisting postern with these blows."
M. for M. iv. 2. 92.
This explains how we must scan
"Prevént | it, resíst ('sist) | it, lét | it nót | be só.”
Rich. III. iv. 1. 148.
"A soothsayer bids | you beware ('ware) | the ídes | of
Márch."-J. C. i. 2. 19.
"Environ'd ('viron'd) | me about | and hów | led ín | mine
éars."—Rich. III. i. 4. 59.
|
"At any time have recóurse ('course) | untó | the
prínces."—. iii. 5. 109.
Lest I' revenge ('venge)—whát? | Myself | upón | my-
sélf?”—Ib. v. 3. 185.
The apostrophe, which has been inserted above in all cases, is
only occasionally, and perhaps somewhat at random, inserted in the
Folio. It is therefore not always possible to tell when a verb is
shortened, as "comes" for "becomes," or when a verb may,
perhaps, be invented. For instance, "dear'd" may be a verbal form
of the adjective "dear," or a contraction of the verb "endear'd."
"Comes (becomes) dear'd (endear'd) by being lack'd.”
A. and C. i. 4. 44.
Sometimes, perhaps, the prefix, though written, ought scarcely to
be pronounced :
"How fares the king | and 's fóllow | ers? (Con) | fíned |
together."-Temp. v. 1. 7.
"O (de)spiteful love! unconstant womankind,"
T. of Sh. iv. 2. 14.
unless the "O" stands by itself. (See 512.)
"(Be)lónging | to a mán. | O bé | some óth | er mán."
R. and J. ii. 2. 42.
461. Other Contractions are:
Barthol mew (T. of Sh. Ind. i. 105); Harford for "Haverford "
(Rich. III. iv. 5. 7); disple for disciple" (B. J. Fox, iv. 1; so
Spenser, F. Q. i. 10. 27); ignomy for "ignominy" (M. for M. ii.
4. 111, I Hen. IV. v. 4. 100 [Fol.]; genman (UDALL); gentl’man
(Ham. [1603] i. 5); gent (SPENSER) freq. for "gentle" (so in O. E.);
ea:ly (CHAPMAN, Odyss.) for "easily;" parlous for "perilous"
(Rich. III. ii. 4. 35); inter gatories for "interrogatories” (M. of V.
v. I. 298); canstick for "candlestick, "-
PROSODY.
343
11
"I had rather hear a brazen canstick turned."
I Hen. IV. iii. 1. 131.
Mar le (B. J. E. out &c. v. 4) for "marvel;" whe'er for "whether "
(O. E.); and the familiar contraction good-bye,
"God be with you,"
which enables us to scan Macbeth, iii. 1. 44.
""
We also find in's for
""
in his;" th'wert for "thou wert ;" you're for "you were; h' were
for "he were. So "she were" is contracted in pronunciation :
"Twere good she were spó ken with: | for shé | may
stréw."-Hamlet, iv. 5. 14.
Y'are for "you are;" this' for "this is :"
"O this* the poison of deep grief; it springs
All from her father's death."—Hamlet, iv. 5. 76.
"This' a good block."—Lear, iv. 6. 187.
|
So we ought to scan
"Lear. This is a | dull sight. | Aré you not Ként? |
Kent.
The same."-Lear, v. 3. 282.
Sir, this is the gént | lemán | I tóld | you óf.”
Sir, this is the house. |
T. of Sh. iv. 4. 20.
Pléase it | you thát | I cáll?”
Ib. 1.
This, for "this is," is also found in M. for M. v. 1. 131 (Fol. this 'a);
Temp. iv. 1. 143; T. of Sh. i. 2. 45. Many other passages, such as
T. G. of V. v. 4. 93, M. for M. iv. 2. 103, T. of Sh. iii. 2. 1, re-
quire is to be dropped in reading. This contraction in reading is
common in other Elizabethan authors; it is at all events as early
as Chaucer, Knighte's Tale, 233.
Shall is abbreviated into 'se and 's in Lear, iv. 6. 246; R. and J.
i. 3. 9.
In the first of these cases it is a provincialism, in the
second a colloquialism. A similar abbreviation "I'st," for "I
will," "thou'st" for "thou wilt," "thou shalt," &c., seems to
have been common in the early Lincolnshire dialect (Gill, quoted by
Mr. Ellis). Even where not abbreviated visibly, it seems to have
been sometimes audibly, as,
"If thát be trúe | I shall sée | my boy | agáin."
|
K. 7. iii. 4. 78.
·T. N. iv. 1. 21.
"I shall give | worse páy | ment."-T. N. iv.
"He ís, Sir Jóhn: | I féar | we shall stay | too lóng."
1 Hen. IV. iv. 2. 8?
* Globe, "this is"
344
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
With seems often to have been pronounced wi', and hence
combined with other words. We have "w'us," (B. and F.
Elder Brother, v. I) for "with us," and "take me w' ye" (ib.) for
"with ye."
>> 66
Beside the well-known "doff" " do-off," and don do-on,"
we also find "dout" for "do-out" (Hamlet, iv. 7. 192); "probal"
for "probable" (Othello, ii. 3. 344).
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION.
462. Sometimes the spelling does not indicate the contracted
pronunciation. For instance, we spell nation as though it had three
syllables, but pronounce it as though it had two. In such cases it
is impossible to determine whether two syllables coalesce or are
rapidly pronounced together. But the metre indicates that one of
these two processes takes place.
Syllables ending in vowels are also frequently elided before vowels
in reading, though not in writing. Thus :
Prosp. Against | what should | ensúe. |
Mir.
How cáme
we ashore?"
Temp. i. 2. 158.
You give your wife | too unkind | a cáuse | of grief."
M. of V. v. I. 175.
"No (i)mpéd | imént | betwéen, | bút that | you múst."
Coriol. ii. 3. 236.
'There wás | a yield | ing; thís | admíts | no (e)xcúse."
lb. v. 6. 69.
Here even the Folio reads "
excuse."
"It is too hárd | a knót | for mé | to untíe.”
T. N. ii. 2. 42.
The is often elided before a vowel, and therefore we may either
pronounce this is, this' (461), or write th' for the, in
O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil."-T. A. v. 1. 40.
Remembering that " one was pronounced without its present
initial sound of w, we shall easily scan (though "the" is not elided
in many modern texts)—
"Th' one sweet | ly flátt | ers, th' óth | er féar | eth hárm."
Τ
R. of L. 172.
M. of V. iii. 2. 16.
· One hálf | of mé | is yours, | th' bther | half yóurs.”
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 345
|
"Ransom ing him (217) or pity | ing, threate | ning
|
th' other. "Coriol. i. 6. 36.
And this explains
“ And óf | his óld | expér(i) (467) | ence th(e) ón | ly dárling.”
A. W. ii. I. 110.
"Has shook and trém | bled át | the ill néigh | bourhood."
Hen. V. i. 2. 154.
Where should | this mú | sic bé? | P' the air, | or the earth?”'
Temp. i. 2. 387, 389.
(Folio "i' th' air, or th' earth.")
463. R frequently softens or destroys a following
vowel (the vowel being nearly lost in the burr which follows the
effort to pronounce the r).
"When the|alárum | were strúck | than í | dly sít."
"Ham. Perchánce | t'will walk | agáin.
Hor. I warrant | it will."-Hamlet, i. 2. 3.
Cor. ii. 2. 80.
"I' have cast óff | for éver; | thou shált, | I warrant thee."
Lear, i. 4. 332.
"I bét ter broók | than flourish | ing péo | pled towns."
T. G. of V. v. 4. 3.
"Whiles I in Ire | land nourish* | a míght | y bánd.
2 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 348.
>>
"Place bárrels | of pitch | upón | the fát | al stáke.
I Hen. VI. v. 4. 57.
"'Tis márle | he stább' | d
you nót.”
B. J. E. out &c. v. 4; Rich. III. i. 4. 64.
"A bárren | detést | ed vále | you sée | it is."
T. A. ii. 3. 92; 2 Hen. VI. ii. 4. 3.
So "quarrel," Rich. III. i. 4. 209.
This is very common with "spirit," which softens the following
i, or sometimes the preceding i, in either case becoming a mono-
syllable.
'And then, they sáy, | no spirit | dares stír | abroad."
Hamlet, i. 1. 161.
So scan
"Hów now, spirit, whither | wánder | you?"--M. N. D. ii. 1 1
("Whither" is a monosyllable. See 466.)
• Compare nourrice, nurse.
346
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
This curtailment is expressed in the modern "sprite.”
Lancashire, "brid" for "bird." Hence we can scan
"In aid | whereóf, | wé of | the spirit | ualty."
Instances might be multiplied.
So in
Hen. V. i. 2. 132.
464. R often softens a preceding unaccented vowel.
This explains the apparent Alexandrine
"He thinks | me nów | incáp | ablé ; | conféd(e)rates.”
Temp. i. 2. 111, iv. 1. 140.
465. Er, el, and le final dropped or softened, especially before
vowels and silent h.* The syllable er, as in letter, is easily inter-
changeable with re, as lettre. In O. E. "bettre" is found for
"better." Thus words frequently drop or soften -er; and in like
manner -el and -le, especially before a vowel or in the next word :
(1) Repórt | should rénd | er him hoúr | ly tó | your eár."
Cymb. iii. 4. 153.
"Intó a good | ly búlk. | Good tíme | encounter her."
W. T. ii. 1. 20.
"This létt er he eár | ly báde | me gíve | his father."
R. and F. v. 3. 275.
"You'll be good cómpany, | my síst | er and you."
MIDDLETON, Witch, ii. 2.
"Than e'er the mást | er of árts | or giver of wit."
B. J. Poetast.
(2) "Trável you | far ón, | or áre | you át | the farthest?"
(3)
T. of Sh. iv. 2. 73.
"That máde | great Jóve | to húmb | le him tó | her hand.”
b. i. I. 174.
"Gentlemen and friends, | I thánk | you fór | your páins."
Ib. iii. 2. 186.
"I' am a géntie | man óf | a cóm | paný.
""
Hen. V iv. 1. 39, 42.
"Needle," which in Gammer Gurton rhymes with "feele," is
often pronounced as a monosyllable.
Deep clerks she dumbs, and with her needle (Folio) composes."
P. of T. v. Gower, 5; Cymb. i. I. 168.
* The same tendency is still more noticeable in E. E. See Essay on the
Metres of Chaucer, by the Rev W. W. Skeat (Aldine Series).
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 347
"Or when she would with sharp needle (Folio) wound
The cambric which she made more sound
By hurting it."—P. of T. iv. Gower, 23.
In the latter passage
"needle wound" is certainly harsh, though
Gower does bespeak allowance for his verse. Mr. A. J. Ellis
suggests "'ld" for "would," which removes the harshness.
“And gríp | ing ít | the needle | his finger pricks.
R. of L. 319.
1
"Their needles | to lán | ces, ánd | their gént | le héarts.”
K. J. v. 2. 157.
"To thread | the póst | ern óf | a smáll | needle's éye.”
Rich. II. v. 5. 17.
|
"Needle's" seems harsh, and it would be more pleasing to modern
ears to scan "the póstern óf a small née | dle's éye." But this
verse in conjunction with P. of T. iv. Gower, 23, may indicate that
"needle" was pronounced as it was sometimes written, very much
like "neeld," and the d in "neeld" as in "vild" (vile) may have
been scarcely perceptible.
"A sámple | to the young | est, tó | the móre | matúre."
Cymb. i. I. 48.
"The cómm | on people | by númb | ers swárm | to ús."
3 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 2; T. A. i. 1. 20
And, even in the Sonnets:
1
"And trouble | deaf heáv | en with | my boot | less críes
|
Sonn. 29.
"Uncle Már | cus, since | it ís | my fá | ther's mind."
"Duke F. And gét | you fróm | our court. |
Ros.
Duke F.
T. A. v. 3. 1
Me, uncle? |
You, cousin?'
"}
1
A. Y. L. i. 3. 44.
466. Whether and ever are frequently written or pronounced
whe'r or where and e'er. The th is also softened in either,
hither, other, father, &c., and the v in having, evil, &c.
It is impossible to tell in many of these cases what degree of
"softening" takes place. In "other," for instance, the th is so
completely dropped that it has become our ordinary "or," which
we use without thought of contraction. So whether" is often
written "wh'er" in Shakespeare. Some, but it is impossible to say
what, degree of "softening," though not expressed in writing,
seems to have affected th in the following words :--
348
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
}
Brother.
"But fór | our trúst | y brother | -in-law, | the ábbot."
Rich. II. v. 3. 137.
Either.
"Either léd or driv | en ás | we point | the way."
7. C. iv. I. 23; Rich. III. i. 2. 64, iv. 4. 82.
"Are híred to béar | their stáves; | either thóu, | Macbéth.'
Macbeth, v. 7. 18; M. N. D. ii. 1. 32.
Further.
"As if | thou never (né'er) | walk'dst further | than Fins | bury."
1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 257.
Hither.
"'Tis hé that sent us ('s) | hither nów | to slaúght | er thée."
Rich. III. i. 4. 250.
So the Quartos. The Folio, which I have usually followed in
other plays, differs greatly from the Quartos in Rich. III. Its
alterations generally tend to the removal of seeming difficulties.
Neither.
"Neither háve | I món | ey nór | commód | itý.”
Rather.
I
M. of V. i. I. 178.
"Rather than | have máde | that sáv | age dúke | thine héir."
3 Hen. VI. i. 1. 224. So Othello, iii. 4. 25; Rich. II. iv. 1. 16.
"Thither gó | these néws | as fást | as hórse | can cárry 'em."
2 Hen. VI. i. 4. 78.
Thither.
Whether.
Good sír, say whether you'll áns | wer mé | or nó.”
C. of E. iv. 1. 60.
'Which he desérves | to lose. Whether he was
(h' was: 461) | combined."-Macbeth, i. 3. 111.
|
Perhaps
"But sée, | whether Brút | us bé | alive | or dead.'
7. C. v. 4. 30; Rich. III. iv. 2. 120.
A héarty wélcome. | Whether thou | beest hé | or nó.”
Tempest, v. 1. 111.
Whither,
"What means | he nów? | Go ásk | him whither | he goes."
1 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 28.
"Glouc. The kíng | is ín | high ráge.
"Corn.
So scan
Whither is he going?"—Lear, ii. 4. 299.
"Hów now, spirit! whither wánder | you?"
4
M. N. D. ii. 1. 1.
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 345
This perhaps explains:
"To find the (462) other fórth, | and bý | advént | uring
bóth."-M. of V. i. I. 143.
But see 501.
Having.
1.
"Hów could | he sée | to dó | them? Having | made óne.”
M. of V. iii. 2. 124.
Having lost the faír | discóv | ery óf | her way.”
V. and A. 828
“Our grán | dam éarth | having this | distémp | eratúre."
1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 34.
So Rich. III. i. 2. 235; T. of A. v. 1. 61 ; A. IV. v. 3. 123;
Cymb. v. 3. 45.
In all of these verses it may seem difficult for modern readers to
understand how the v could be dropped. But it presents no more
lifficulty than the v in "ever, over.
Evil.
"
It is also dropped in "evil" and "devil" (Scotch "de'il ").
"The évils she hátch'd | were nót | efféct | ed, só."
|
Cymb. v. 5. 60
“Of hórr | id héll | can cóme | a dévil | more dámn'd.”
Macbeth, iv. 3. 56.
“Evil-éyed | untó | you; y' áre (461) | my príson | er, bút."
Cymb. i. 1. 72.
So Rich. III. i. 2. 76. Of course, therefore, the following is not
an Alexandrine :
Reproach | and díss | olú | tion háng | eth over him.”
Rich. II. ii. 1. 258.
Similarly the d is dropped in "madam," which is often pro-
nounced "ma'am," a monosyllable.
The is of course still dropped in hast for havest, has for haveth
or haves.
In the Folio, has is often written ha's, and an onission
in other verbs is similarly expressed, as "sit's" for "sitteth"
K. 7. ii. 1. 289).
467. I in the middle of a trisyllable, if unaccented, is
frequently dropped, or so nearly dropped as to make it a favourite
syllable in trisyllabic feet.
(x) Tudí | cious púnish | ment! "Twás | this flesh | begót."
Lear, iii. 4. 76; M. for M. i. 3. 39
350
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Our rév | (e)rend cárdi | nal cárried. | Líke it, | your
gráce."-Hen. VIII. i. 1. 100, 102, 105, &c.
"With whóm | the Ként | ishmén | will will | ingly ríse.”
3 Hen. VI. i. 2. 41.
"Which are the móv | ers óf | a lánguish | ing death."
|
Cymb. i. 5. 9.
"My thought | whose múr | der yét | is bút | fantástical."
Macbeth, i. 3. 139.
That lov'd | your fáther: | the rési | due of your fórtune."
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 196.
Promising to bring | it tó | the Pór | pentíne.'
So I Hen. VI. iv. 1. 166.
(2) Very frequently before ly:
""
C. of E. v. 1. 222.
"The measure thén | of óne | is easily tóld."
L. L. L. v. 2. 190.
"His short thick néck | cannót | be eás | ily hármed."
V. and A. 627.
· Préttily | methought | did pláy | the ór | atór."
(3) And before ty:
I Hen. VI. iv. 1. 175.
"Such bóld | hostili | ty, téach | ing his ('s) dú | teous lánd."
I Hen. IV. iv. 3. 44.
"Of gód- | like ámi | ty, whích | appears | most strongly."
M. of V. iii. 4. 3.
"Prosp.
Hást thou, spírit ?"--Tempest, i. 2. 193.
"Of smooth | civili | ty yét | am I ín | land bréd."
"A'riel | and áll | his quáli | ty.
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 96.
Compare BUTLER, Hudibras, part ii. cant. 3. 945:
"Which in their dárk | fatál | 'ties lúrk | ing
At dés | tin'd pér | iods fáll | a-wórk | ing.
This explains the apparent Alexandrines:
>>
"Thou wilt prove his. | Táke him | to prí | son, officer."
M. for M. iii. 2. 32.
"Some tricks | of dés | perát | ion, áll | but máriners.”
Temp. i. 1. 211.
'One dówle that's ín | my plúme, | my féll | ow ministers."
Temp. iii. 2. 65, v. 1. 28; M. for M.
This is the gént | lemán | I told
iv. 5. 6; Macb. i. 5. 49.
your ladyship."
T. G. of V. ii. 4. 87.

WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 351
"A vírt | uous gént | lewóm | an, mild | and beautiful.”
T. G. of V. iv. 4. 184.
"And té | diousness | the limbs | and oút | ward flourishes.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 91.
""
Sometimes these contractions are expressed in writing, as
"par❜lous," Rich. III. ii. 4. 35. This is always a colloquial form.
468. Any unaccented syllable of a polysyllable (whether
containing or any other vowel) may sometimes be softened and
almost ignored. Thus-
a
(C
Hóld thee, from this, | for ever. | The bárbarous
Scythian."-Lear, i. 1. 118.
Sáy by this tó | ken I' | desire | his cómpany."
ed "With them they think | on.
rémedy."-Macbeth, iii. 2. 11.
M. for M. iv. 3. 144.
Things without all
There's no rémedy."
"Men. You must return | and ménd | it.
Sen.
Coriol. iii. 2. 26; T. M. iii. 4. 367.
em "All bró | ken implements óf | a rú | ined house.
en
Ey
T. of A. iv. 2. 16.
"Join'd with an énemy | procláim'd; ¦ and fróm | his cóffers."
|
Hen. V. ii. 2. 168; M. for M. ii. 2. 180; Macb. iii. 1. 105.
"The méssengers fróm | our sís | ter and
"Tis dóne | alréa | dy, and the méss |
A. and C. iii. 6. 31;
Passenger is similarly used.
|
the king."
Lear, ii. 2. 54.
uger góne."
4. IV. iii. 2. 111
"In our last cónference, | páss'd in | probá | tion with
you."--Macbeth, iii. 1. 80.
SO.
es
"This is his majesty, sáy | your mind
ess
to him."
A. W. ii. 1. 98.
“I thát | am rúde | ly stámped, | and want | love’s majsty.”
Rich. III. i. 1. 16.
Majesty is a quasi-dissyllable in Rich. III. i. 3. 1, 19, ii. 1. 75;
Rich. II. ii. I. 141, 147, iii. 2. 113, v. 2. 97, 3. 35; Macbeth,
iii. 4. 2, 121.
"Our púrpose nécessary and not én | vious."
7. C. ii. 1. 178.
I.
"Lét us be sacrificers and not bút | chers, Caius."
Io. ii. 1. 166.

352
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
in
"The innocent milk | in ít | most innocent moúth."
W. T. iii. 2. 101.
"There take an in | ventorý | of áll | I háve."
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 452.
"Go thou | to sánctuary [sanctu'ry or sanct'ry], ánd | good
thoughts posséss thee."-Rich. III. iv. 1. 94.
|
"Shall flý | out óf (457 a) | itsélf; | nor sléep | nor sánctuary."
Coriol. i. 10. 19.
Some réad | Alvár | ez' Hélps | to Gráce,
Some Sánctua | ry óf | a tróub | led soul."
|
COLVIL'S Whig Supplication, i. 1186 (Walker).
"When lív | ing light | should kiss | it; 'tis | unnatural."
Macbeth, ii. 4. 10; Hen. V. iv. 2. 13.
"Thoughts spécu | latíve | their ún | sure hopes | reláte."
Macbeth, v. 4. 19.
"And né | ver líve | to shów | the incrédulous world."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 153.
"Hów you were bórne | in hánd, | how cróss'd, | the in-
struments."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 81, iv. 3. 239.
169. Hence polysyllabic names often receive but one
accent at the end of the line in pronunciation,
Proper names, not conveying, as other nouns do, the origin and
reason of their formation, are of course peculiarly liable to be
modified; and this modification will generally shorten rather than
lengthen the name.
"To your own cón | science, sír, | befóre | Polixenes."
W. T. iii. 2. 47.
"That ére the sún | shone bright | on. O'f Hermione,"
Ib. v. I. 95.
"The rár est óf | all wó | men. Gó, | Clebmenes.'
Ib. 112.
"To oúr | most fáir | and prínce | ly cóus | in Katharine.”
Hen. V. v. 2. 4.
'My bróth | er ánd | thy ún | cle, cálled | António.”
Temp. i. 2. 66.
"My lord | Bassán | io, sínce | you have found | António.
M. of V. i. 1. 59: so often in this play.
Then all a-fire | with mé ; the king's | son Ferdinand."
Temp. i. 2. 212.
་ ་
I rát | ifý | thís my | rich gíft. | O Férdinand.”. -.iv.1.8.
Then pár don mé my wrongs. | But hów | should
Próspero?"-Ib. v. 1. 119.
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 353
"I'll áfter, móre | to bé | revenged | on Eglamour."
T. G. of V. v. 2. 51.
"What it contains. | I'f you shall sée | Cordélia."
"Upón | such sácr | ifíc | es, mý | Cordélia."
So throughout the play.
|
Lear, iii. 1. 46.
Ib. v. 3. 20, 215.
"When thou | liest how | ling. Whát! | the faír | Ophélia.
"At Gré | cian swórd | contémn | ing.
Here, if it like | your hón | our.
"}
Hamlet, v. 1. 265.
Tell | Valéria."
Coriol. i. 3. 46.
Sée that Cláudio.”
M. for M. ii. 1. 33, iii. 1. 48.
"So then you hópe of pár | don fróm | lord Angelo ?”
Ib. iii. 1. 1, iv. 3. 147, i. 4. 79.
"I sée my són | Antíph | olús | and Drómio."
C. of E. v. 1. 196.
"The form of death. | Meantime | I writ | to Rómeo."
R. and F. v. 3. 246.
"Looks it not like the king? | Márk it, | Horátio.'
Hamlet, i. 1. 43.
They love and dóte¦ on; cáll | him boúnt | (e)ous Búck-
ingham."-Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 52; Rich. III. iv. 4. 508,
ii. 2. 123.
"Vaux. The greát | ness óf | his pér | son.
Buck.
Náy, | Sir Nicolas.”
Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 100.
"But I'❘ beseech | you, what's | become | of Kátharine?”
Ib. iv. 1. 22.
"Sáw'st thou | the mél | anchól | y Lórd | Northúmber-
land?"-Rich. III. v. 3. 68.
"Therefore presént | to hér, | as sóme | time Márgaret.”
Ib. iv. 4. 274.
"And you our nó | less lóv | ing són | of Albany.'
Lear, i. 1. 43.
Exásperátes, | makes mád | her sis | ter Góneril.”
As fit the bríd | al.
Ib. v. 1. 60.
Beshrew me múch, | Emília."
Othello, iii. 4. 150.
"Is cóme from Cæ's | ar; there | fore héar | it, A'ntony."
A. and C. i. 1. 27, i. 5. 21. &c.
"Than Clé opátr | a, nór | the queen of Ptólémy."
Ib i. 4. 6.
A A
354
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"With them, | the twó | brave bears, | Warwick | and
Montague."—3 Hen. VI. v. 7. 10.
Less frequently in the middle of the line:
"My lord | of Buckingham, | if mý | weak ór | atóry.”
Rich. III. iii. 1. 37.
"Cóusin of Buckingham ánd | you ságe, | grave mén."
Ib. iii. 7. 217.
Looking for A'ntony. | But áll | the chárins | of lóve.”
A. and C. ii. 1. 20.
"Did slay this Fortinbras; | who, bý | a seál❜d | compáct
(490)."—Hamlet, i. 1. 86.
Thrift, thrift, | Horátio, | the fú | nerál | bak'd méats.”
Ib. i. 2. 180.
"He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy hé | assigned."
Ib. iii. 6. 15.
"Thou art | Hermione; | or ráth | er, thoú | art shé."
W. T. v. 3. 25.
"To sóft en A'ngelo, | and that's my píth | of business."
M. for M. i. 4. 70.
Enobárbus in A. and C. has but one accent, wherever it stands
in the verse :
'Bear háte | ful mémo | ry, póor | Enobár | bus did."
A. and C. iv. 9. 9, &c.
"Of your great pré | decéssor, | King Edward | the Third."
Hen. V. i. 2. 248.
It may here be remarked that great licence is taken with the
metre wherever a list of names occurs:
"That Harry duke of Hereford, Rainold lord Cobham,
Sir Thomas Erpingham, Sir John Ramston,
Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and Francis Quoint."
Rich. II. ii. 1. 279, 283, 284.
"The spirits
""
Of valiant Shirley, Stafford, Blunt, are in my arms.
I Hen. IV. v. 4. 41
"Whither away, Sir John Falstaffe, in such haste ?”
1 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 104.
"John duke of Norfolk, Walter Lord Ferrers.”
Rich. III. v. 5. 13.
"Lord Cromwell of Wingfield, Lord Furnival of Sheffield."
Ib. iv. 7. 166.
Sir Gilbert Talbot, Sir William Stanley."-Ib. iv. 5. 10.
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 355
In the last examples, and in some others, the pause between two
names seems to license either the insertion or omission of a syllable.
470. Words in which a light vowel is preceded by a
heavy vowel or diphthong are frequently contracted, as power,
jewel, lower, doing, going, dying, playing, prowess, &c.
"The whích | no sóon | er hád | his prowess | confírm'd."
Macbeth, v. 8. 41.
Comp. "And he that routs most pigs and cows,
The fórm | idáb | lest mán | of prowess."
Perhaps
Hudib. iii. 3. 357.
"Which bóth | thy dú | ty ówes | and óur | power claims."
A. W. ii. 3. 168.
(This supposes
"our" emphasized by antithesis, but "and our
pów | er cláims" (ELLIS) may be the correct scanning.)
Being.—“That with | his pér | emptór | y "sháll" | being pút.”
Coriol. iii. 1. 94, 2. 81.
|
"The sovereigntý | of eí | ther being | so great.
This explains the apparent Alexandrines :
R. of L. 69.
“And being | but a tóy | that is | no grief | to give."
Rich. III. ii. 1. 114.
"Without a párall | el, thése | being áll | my stúdy."
Tempest, i. 2. 74.
Doing.—"Can láy | to béd | for éver: | whiles yóu, ! doing thús.”
Ib. ii. 1. 284.
I.
Seeing.—“Or seeing | it óf | such child | ish friend | linéss.
رو
Coriol. ii. 3. 183.
"I'll in myself | to sée, and in thée | seeing ill."
Rich. II. ii. 1. 94.
"That you at súch | times séeing | me né | ver sháll."
Hamlet, i. 5. 173.
•ying.—“ And próph | esjing | with ác | cents tér | rible.'
This may explain
""
Macbeth, ii. 3 62
Lóck'd in her món(u) [468] | ment. She'd | a proph(e)- |
sying fear."-A. and C. iv. 14. 120.
So with other participles, as
They, knowing | dame E'l | eanór's | aspir | ing húmour.'
2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 97.
AA 2
356
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
The rhythm seems to demand that "coward" should be a quasi
monosyllable in
Wrong right, base nóble, | old young, | coward vál | iánt.”
T. A. iv. i. 29.
"Noble" a monosyllable. (See 465.)
"Yét are | they páss | ing cowardly. | But I' | beseech you.”
Coriol. i. I. 207.
471. The plural and possessive cases of nouns in which
the singular ends in s, se, ss, ce, and ge, are frequently
written, and still more frequently pronounced, without the additional
syllable :
"A's the dead cár | casses óf | unbúr | ied mén."
Coriol. iii. 3. 122.
Thinking | upón | his sér | vices tóok | from you.”
Ib. ii. 2. 231.
"Their sénse are [Fol. sic] shút."-Macbeth, v. 1. 29.
|
"My sénse | are stopped.”—Sonn. 112.
'These verse."-DANIEL.
"I'll tó | him; hé | is híd | at Láwr | ence' céll.
R. and J. iii. 2. 141.
"Great kings of France and England! That I have laboured,
Your might inéss | on bóth | parts bést | can witness."
Hen. V. v. 2. 28.
'Place" is probably used for "places" in
!
"The fresh springs, bríne- | pits, bár | ren_pláce | and
fértile."-Tempest, i. 2. 338.
"These twó| Antiph | olús [Folio], | these two | so like."
"Are there balance?"-M. of V. iv. 1. 255.
C. of E. v. 1. 357.
"(Here) have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit
Than other princess [Folio] cán | that have more
tíme."-Temp. i. 2. 173.
"Sits on his horse back at mine hostess door."
K. F. ii. 1. 289 (Folia).
"Looked pále | when they did héar of Clár | ence (Folio)
déath."-Rich. III. ii. 1. 137, iii. 1. 144.
Probably the s is not sounded (horse is the old plural) in
"And Duncan's horses (a thing most strange and certain)."
Macbeth, ii. 4. 14.
"Lies in their purses, and whoso empties them.
""
Rich. II. ii. 2. 130.
WORDS CONTRACTED IN PRONUNCIATION. 351
Even after ge the s was often suppressed, even where printed.
Thus :
(or
"How many ways
shall Carthage's glory grow!"
SURREY'S Eneid IV. (Walker).
So
But often the s was not written.
"In violating marriage sacred law.”
Edward III. (1597 A.D.) (LAMB.)
The s is perhaps not pronounced in
'Conjéct | (u)ral márr | iage(s); mák | ing párt | ies strong."
Coriol. i. I. 198.
"Are brá | zen im | ages óf | canón (491) | iz'd sáints."
2 Hen. VI. i. 3. 63.
"The images óf | revólt | and flý | ing óff!”
Lear, ii. 4. 91.
"O'ff with his són | George's head."-Rich. III. v. 3. 344.
|
"Létters | should nót | be known, | riches póv | ertý.”
Tempest, ii. 1. 150.
This may perhaps explain the apparent Alexandrines :
“I próm | is'd yóu | redréss | of thése | same grievances."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 2. 113.
"This déi | ty in | my bós | om twén | ty cónsciences.”
Temp. ii. 1. 278.
"And stráight | discláim | their tongues? | What are your
(4
offices?"-Coriol. iii. 1. 35.
Popíl | ius Lé na spéaks | not óf | our púr | poses."
F. C. iii. 1. 23.
I.
“She lév | ell❜d át | our púr | poses, ánd | being (470) róyal,”
A. and C. v. 2. 339.
| our púrpose(s), | and bé | ing royal.")
"A thing | most brú | tish, I' | endówed | thy púrposes.”
Tempest, i. 2. 357.
"Nor when she purposes | return. | Beséech | your highness."
Cymb. iv. 3. 15.
"As blánks, | benévo | lences and | I wót | not whát.
>>
Rich. II. ii. 1. 250.
"My sérv | ices whích | I have ('ve) dóne | the Sign | iorý."
Othello, i. 2. 18.
"These pipes and thése | convéy | ances óf | our blood."
Coriol. v. I. 54.
Professes to persuade | the king | his son's | alíve.'
Temp. ii. 1. 236.
358
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Either "whom I" is a detached foot (499) or s is mute in
"Whom I', with this | obéd | ient stéel, | three inches of it
(inch of 't)."-Tempest, ii. 1. 285.
472. Ed following d or t is often not written (this
elision is very old: see 341, 342), and, when written,
often not pronounced.
"I hád not quoted him. | I féar'd | he did | but trifle."
Hamlet, ii. 1. 112.
"Reg. That ténded (Globe, 'tend') | upón | my fáther.
Glou. I knów | not, mádam."-Lear, ii. 1. 97.
"Since nót | to bé | avóided | it falls | on mé."
1 Hen. IV. v. 5. 13.
""
"But júst | ly ás | you háve | excéeded | all prómise.'
A. Y. L. i. 2. 156.
"For tréas | on éxe | cuted ín | our láte | king's days.'
I Hen. VI. ii. 4. 91.
"And só, riveted | with faith | untó (457) | your flésh."
M. of V. v. I. 169.
"Be sóon | colléct | ed and áll | things thought | upón."
Hen. V. 1. 2. 305.
ín | that mood."
A. and C. iii. 13. 196.
"I's to be frighted | out of féar : | and
"Was áptly fitted | and nát | (u)rally | perfórm'd."
T. of Sh. Ind. 1. 87.
"Is nów convérted: | but nów | I wás | the lórd."
M. of V. iii. 2. 169.
"Which I' mistrusted | not: fáre | well thére | fore, Héro."
M. Ado, ii. I. 189.
"All ún | avóided | is the dóom | of dést | iný.
Rich. III. iv. 4. 217.
but here "destiny" (467) may be a dissyllable, and -ed sonant.
This explains the apparent Alexandrine :
"I thús negléct | ing wórld | ly énds | all dedicated."
Temp. i. 2. 89.
Shouting their ém | ulá | tion. Whát | is granted them?”
Coriol. i. I. 218.
So strong was the dislike to pronouncing two dental syllables
together, that "it" seems nearly or quite lost after "set" and
"let" in the following:
“I húmb | ly sét it at your will; | but fór | my mistress.'
Cymb. iv. 3. 13.
VARIABLE SYLLABLES.
359
To his expérienced tóngue ; | yet let it | please bóth."
Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 68.
"You are a young húnt | sman, Már | cus: let it alone.”
T. A. iv. 2. 101.
"You sée is kíll'd | in hím : | and yet it | is dánger.
Lear, iv. 7. 79.
So perhaps "Of éx | cellént | dissémb | ling; ánd | let it look.”
I
A. and C. i. 3. 79.
But more probably, "dissémbling; | and lét | it look."
473. Est in superlatives is often pronounced st after
dentals and liquids. A similar euphonic contraction with respect
to est in verbs is found in E. E. Thus bindest " becomes "binst,
"eatest" becomes "est." Our "best" is a contraction for "bet-est."
"Two of the sweet'st | compán | ions ín | the world."
Cymb. v. 5. 349.
"At your kind'st léisure.”—Macbeth, ii. 1. 24.
"The stern'st | good night."-Ib. ii. 2. 4.
|
"Secret'st."—b. iii. 4. 126.
"This is thy éld'st | son's són."-K. J. ii. 1. 177.
So Temp. v. I. 186.
"Since death of mý | dear'st móth | er."-Cymb. iv. 2. 190.
|
"The loyal'st hús | band thát | did é'er | plight tróth."
A. W. ii. 1. 163,
great st." "The sweet'st,
iii. 2. 202. "Near' st.”—Macb. iii. I. 118.
M. of V. iii. 2. 254.
-Ib. v. I. 30.
T. N. v. I. 117.
Ib. i. 1. 96.
dear'st."-W. T.
Unpleasant'st."
Faithfull st."
Strong'st. "—Rich. II. iii. 3. 201. "Short'st.
"Common'st."—Ib. v. 3. 17.
This lasted past the Elizabethan period.
"Know there are rhymes which fresh and fresh apply'd
Will cure the arrant'st puppy of his pride.'
""
POPE, Imit. Hor. Epist. i. 60.
The Folio reads "stroakst," and "made" in
“Thou stróakedst | me and | madest múch | of mé, | would'st
give me."-Tempest, i. 2. 333.
But the accent on "and
"and" is harsh. Perhaps "and má | dest.
VARIABLE SYLLABLES.
474. Ed final is often mute and sonant in the same
line. Just as one superlative inflection -est does duty for two closely
connected adjectives (398) :
360
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"The generous and gravest citizens.”—M. for M. iv, 6. 13,
and the adverbial inflection ly does duty for two adverbs (397) :
And she will speak most bitterly and strange.'
""
M. for M. v. I. 36.
so, when two participles ending in -ed are closely connected by
'and," the ed in one is often omitted in pronunciation.
"Despls'd, distréss | ed, hát | ed, márt | yr'd, killed.”
R. and F. iv. 5. 59.
"We have with | a léav | en'd ánd | prepár | ed chóice.”
M. for M. i. 1. 52.
"To this | unlóok'd | for, ún | prepár | eď pómp.”
K. 7. ii. 1. 560.
In the following the -ed sonant precedes :
"That wére | embátt | ailéd | and ránk'd | in Ként."
K. J. iv. 2. 200.
"We áre | impréss | ed ánd | engág'd | to fight."
I Hen. IV. i. 1. 21.
"For this they háve | engróss | ed ánd | pil'd úp."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 71.
"Thou cháng | ed ánd | self-cov | er'd thing, | for sháme."
Lear, iv. 2. 62.
At the end of a line ed is often sounded after er:
"Which his hell-góv | ern'd árm | hath bútc | hered."
Rich. III 2. 74
See 7. C. ii. 1. 208; iii. 1. 17; iii. 2. 7, 10; iv. I. 47; v. 1. 1.
So Rich. III. iii. 7. 136; iv. 3. 17; v. 3. 292; M. N. D. iii. 2. 18,
&c. This perhaps arises in part from the fact that
" final in
er
itself (478) has a lengthened sound approaching to a dissyllable.
Ed is very frequently pronounced in the participles of words
ending in fy, "glorify," &c.
"Most pút | rift | ed córe, | so fáir | without."
Tr. and Cr. v. 9. 1.
"My mortified spírit. | Now bíd | me rún."
7. C. ii. 1. 324.
Rich. III. v. I. 5.
"Vaughan | and áll | that háve | miscárr | iéd."
"The French and English thére | miscár | riéd.”
M. of V. ii. 8. 29.
"That came too lág | to sée | him bú | riéd.”—Ib. ii. 1. 90.
Also when preceded
So frequently in other Elizabethan authors.
by rn, rm, “turned," "confirmed," &c., and in "fcllowed: "
VARIABLE SYLLABLES.
361
"As they us tó | our trénch | es fóllowed."
❘
On the other hand, -ed is mute in
In
Coriol. i. 4. 42.
"By whát | by-váths | and ín | direct | crook'd ways."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 185.
"Warder. We dó | no óth | erwise | than wé | are will'd.
Glou. Who willed you? | Or whose | will stands |
but mine,”-i Hen. VI. i. 3. 11.
it would seem that the latter "willed" is the more emphatic of the
two, and it will probably be found that in many cases where two
participles are connected, the more emphatic has ed sonant.
the former "banished" is the more emphatic of the two in
Thus
Hence bán | ishéd | is bánish'd fróm | the world."
R. and F. iii. 3. 19.
475. A word repeated twice in a verse often receives
two accents the first time, and one accent the second,
when it is less emphatic the second time than the first.
Or the word may occupy the whole of a foot the first
time, and only part of a foot the second. Thus in
"Fáre (480) | well, gen | tle mís | tress: fáre | well, Nán."
M. W. of W. iii. 4. 97.
"Fáre (480) | well, gén | tle cóus | in.
|
Cóz, | farewell."
K. 7. iii. 3. 17.
J.
"Of gréat | est júst | ice. Write (484), write, | Rináldo."
A. IV. iii. 4. 29.
"These violént | desires | have vio | lent énds."
R. and J. ii. 6. 9.
"With her that hát | eth thee | and hátes | us
1
Here the emphasis is on
ends" and
us all.'
áll.'
2 Hen. VI. ii. 4. 52.
>>
Duke. Still (486) | so crú | el?
Still so
so cón
Oliv.
cón /
stant, lórd."-T. N. v. 1. 113.
"Com. Knów (484), | I pray | you.
Coriol. I'|'ll knów | no further."-Coriol. iii. 3. 87.
"Déso late, dés | olate, will | I hénce | and die."
The former "
Antony" is the more emphatic in
Rich. II. i. 2. 73.
But wére I Brútus
And Brú | tus A'n | toný, | there were an Antony."
7. C. iii. 2. 231.
362
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
1
So, perhaps, the more emphatic verb has the longer form in
"He róuseth úp | himself | and mákes | a pause."
R. of L. 541.
This is often the case with diphthongic monosyllables. See 484.
Compare
"Nów | it schéy | neth, nów | it réyn | eth fáste."
CHAUCER, C. T. 1537.
476. On the other hand, when the word increases in
emphasis, the converse takes place.
"And lét | thy blóws, | doubly | redbub | (e)léd."
Virg. O, heavens, | O, héav | ens.
Coriol.
Rich. II. i. 3. 80.
Náy, | I prí | thee, woman.”
Coriol. iv. I. 12.
"Was it his spirit | by spir | its taught | to write?"
Sonn. 86.
"And with her pérson | age, hér | tall pér | sonáge."
M. N. D. iii. 2. 292.
"Március | would háve | all fróm | you-Már | ciús,
Whom láte | you have námed | for cónsul.'
">
Coriol. iii. I.'195
Even at the end of the verse Marcius has but one accent, as a rule.
But here it is unusually emphasized.
"And whe'r | he rún | or flý | they knów not whether."
V. and A. 304.
King. Be patient, gént | le quéen, | and I'❘ will stáy.
Queen. Who can | be pát | iént | in thése | extrémes.”
3 Hen. VI. i. I. 215–6.
“Yield, my lórd | protéct | or, y{ | eld, Winch | estér.”
I Hen. VI. iii. 1. 112.
"Citizens. Yield, Már | cius, yi | eld.
Men.
He | ar (480) mé, | one wórd."
Coriol. iii. I. 215.
“A dévil (466), | a bór | n (485) dé | vil, ín | whose náture.'
Tempest, iv. 1. 188.
Lear, ii. 4. 274.
So arrange
"You heavens (512), |
Give me that pát | ience, pát | iénce | I néed."
("Patient" was treated as a trisyllable by the orthoepists of the
time. )
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
363
Being hád, to trí | umph bé ing (on the other hand)
láck'd, to hópe. Sonn. 52.
Similarly "Which árt | my néar'st | and déar | est én | emý."
I Hen. IV. iii. 2. 123.
On the other hand, perhaps, "sire," and not "cówards,” is a
dissyllable in
"Cowards fá | ther cówards, | and báse | things sí | re base."
Cymb. iv. 2. 26.
I
¡
So, perhaps, "Pánting | he lies and breath | eth in her fáce."
V. and A. 62.
Here "lies" is unemphatic, "breatheth" emphatic.
For diphthongic monosyllables see 484.
The same variation is found in modern poetry. In the following
line there is, as it were, an antithetical proportion in which the two
middle terms are emphatic, while the extremes are unemphatic :
"Tower beyond tów | er, spí | re bé | yond spire."-TENNYSON.
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
477. R, and liquids in dissyllables, are frequently pro-
nounced as though an extra vowel were introduced between them
and the preceding consonant:
"The párts | and grá | ces óf | the wrés | t(e)lér."
A. Y. L. ii. 2. 13
In sécond ácc | ent óf | his órd | (2)nánce."
Hen. V. ii. 4. 126.
The Folio inserts i here, and e, Ib. iii. Prologue, 26. In the
latter passage the word is a dissyllable.
|
"If you will tár | ry, hó | ly pílg | (e)rím.”—A. W. iii. 5. 43.
"While she did cáll | me rás | cal fíd | d(e)lér.
T. of Sh. ii. 1. 158.
"The life of hím. | Knów'st thou this cóun | t(e)rý ?"
T. N. i. 2. 21. So Coriol. i. 9. 17; 2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 206
"And these two Dróm | ios, óne | in sémb | (e)lánce."
C. of E. v. 1. 358; T. G. of V. i. 3. 84.
"You, the | great tóe | of this | assémb | 1(e)ý.”
1
"Cor. Be thús | to them. |
Patr.
Coriol. i. I. 159
You do the nó | b(e)lér.”—Ib. iii. 2. 6.
speak nó | b(e)lý. Į
"Edm. Sír, you
Reg.
Why is this reason'd?"-Lear, v. 1. 98
304
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
I
(?) "Go search like nó | b(e)lés, | like nó | ble súbjects."
P. of T. ii. 4. 50.
Thee is actually inserted in the Folio of Titus Andronicus in
"brethren :"
"Give Múcius búr | ial with his breth | erén."
T. A. i. 1. 347.
childeren."
And this is by derivation the correct form, as also is
"These are the pár | ents of | these chíl | d(e)rén."
C. of E. v. 1. 360.
"I gó. | Write to | me vér | y shórt | (e)lý.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 428.
"A rót | ten cáse | abides | no hánd | (e)líng."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 161.
"The friends of Fránce | our shrouds | and táck | (e)língs."
1
3 Hen. VI. v. 4. 18.
"Than Ból | ingbróke's | retúrn | to E'ng | (e)lánd.
Rich. II. iv. 1. 17.
"And méan | to máke | her queen | of E'ng | (e)lánd."
Rich. III. iv. 4. 263.
So in E. E.
Engeland.'
""
"To bé | in án | ger ís | impí | etý ;
But whó | is mán | that is not án | g(e)rý?"
T. of A. iii. 5. 56.
in which last passage the rhyme indicates that angry must be pro-
nounced as a trisyllable.
"And strength | by límp | ing swáy | disá | b(e)léd.”—Sonn. 66.
So also in the middle of lines-
"Is Cáde the són | of Hén | (e)rý | the Fifth ?"
2 Hen. VI. iv. 8. 36.
This is common in Hen. VI., but not I think in the other plays-
not for instance in Rich. II.
"That cróaks | the fá | tal én | t(e)ránce | of Dúncan."
Macbeth, i. 5. 40.
"Cárries | no fá | vour ín't | but Bért | (c)rám's."
A. W. i. 1. 94.
I.
"O mé! | you júgg | (e)lér! | you cán | ker blossom."
M. N. D. iii. 2. 282.
"Tis mónst | (e)róus. | Iá | go, whó | begán it?"
Othello, ii. 3. 217.
"And that hath dázz | (e)léd my réa | son's light."
|
T. G. of V. ii. 4. 210.
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
365
Béing | so frús | t(e)ráte. | Tell him | he mócks.
A. and C. v. 1. 2.
"Lord Doug | (e)lás, | go yóu | and téll | him só.”
I Hen. IV. v. 2. 33.
"Gráce and reniém | b(e)ránce | be tó | you both."
W. T. iv. 4. 76.
"Of quick | cross líght | (e)ning? | To watch, | poor pérdu."
Lear, iv. 7. 35
"Thou kill'st | thy míst | (e)réss: | but well and frée."
A. and C. ii. 5. 27.
"To taunt at sláck | (e)néss. Į Caníd | ius wẻ.”
Ib. iii. 7. 28.
So also probably "sec(e)ret," "monst(e)rous" (Macbeth, iii. 6. 8),
"nob(e)ly," "wit(e)ness," T. G. of V. iv. 2. 110, and even "cap(2)tains"
(French " capitaine :" Macbeth, i. 2. 34, 3 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 30, and
perhaps Othello, i. 2. 53).
Spenser inserts the e in some of these words, as "handeling,"
F. Q. i. 8. 28; enterance," ib. 34.
478. Er final seems to have been sometimes pronounced with a
kind of "burr," which produced the effect of an additional syllable;
just as "Sirrah" is another and more vehement form of "Sir."
Perhaps this may explain the following lines, some of which may be
explained by 505-10, but not all :
"Corn. We'll téach you-
Kent.
(But? "I' am.")
Sir, | 'I'm too óld | to learn.
Lear, ii. 2. 135.
"Lénds the tongue vóws; | these blá | zes dáugh | tér.”
Hamlet, i. 3. 117
"And thére | upón, | give me | your diugh | tér."
'Bru. Spread fúr | thér. |
Menen.
Hen. V. v. 2. 475.
One wó | rd (485) móre, | one word.'
Coriol. iii. I. 311.
"Líke a | ripe sís | tér: | the wóm | an lów."
A. Y. L. iv. 3. 88.
"Of our dear sóuls. | Meantime, | sweet sis | tér."
T. N. v. 1. 395.
>>
"I pray | you, úncle (465), | give me | this dág | gér.
Rich. III. iii. 1. 110.
"A brother's múr | dér. | Práy can | I nót."
Hamlet, ii. 3. 38
356
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Fríghted | each óth | ér. | Whý should | he follow ?"
A. and C. iii. 13. 6.
And só❘ to árms, | victór | ious få | thér."
2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 211.
"To céase. Wast thou | ordáin'd, | dear fá | thér?"
Ib. v. 2. 45.
"Corn. Whére hast thou sént | the king? |
Glouc.
To Dó vér."-Lear, iii. 7. 51.
|
Will I' | first wórk. | Hé's for | his más | tér."—Cymb. i. 5. 28.
"Lear. Thán the | sea-móns | tér. |
Alb.
|
Práy, sir, be patient."-Lear, i. 4. 283.
}}
ter
But perhaps "patient" may have two accents.
is a pause-extra syllable.
In that case
In the two following lines s follows the r:
"To speak of hór | rórs, | he cómes | before me."
Hamlet, ii. 1. 84.
"Públius, how nów? How nów, my más | térs?"
T. A. iv. 3. 35; and perhaps Macbeth, iii. 4. 133.
"And give him hálf: and fór | thy víg | bur.
""
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 272.
"Tell me, how fáres | our lóv | ing móth | ér?”
Rich. III. v. 3. 82.
Good night,
"Cass. Good night, | my lórd. |
Brut.
"He whóm my fáth | er námed? | Your
(? "ná(484) | med? Your (480) E'dgar.")
good bróth ¦ ér."
F. C. iv. 3. 237.
E'd | gár.'
Lear, ii. 1. 94.
"I'll fól | low yóu | and téll | what án | swér.”
3 Hen. VI. iv. 3. 55.
"I have sixty sáil | Cæ'sar | none bét | tér:"
A. and C. iii. 7. 50
"This woód en slá | very, thán | to súff | ér.”
Temp. iii. 1. 62.
Sometimes this natural burr on influences the spelling. In
Genesis and Exodus (Early English Text Society, Ed. Morris) we
have coren for "corn,
""boren" for "born." Thus the E. E.
"thurh" is spelt thorugh" by early writers, and hence even by
""
Shakespeare in
(C
"The false revólt | ing Nór | mans tho | rough thée."
2 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 87.
So M. N. D. ii. 1. 3, 5; Coriol. v. 3. 115.
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
367
In the following difficult lines it may be that introduces an
extra syllable:
I'gnomy in rán | som ánd | free pá | rdón
A're of two hóu | ses, láw
ful "mé | rcý.”
M. for M. ii. 4. 111, 112.
It would of course save trouble to read "ignominy," against the
Folio.
But compare
"Thy ig | nomý (Fol.) | sleep with
"Hence, brók | er láck | ey! I'g
|
thee ín | thy gráve.'
1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 100
|
nomý | and sháme."
Tr. and Cr. v. 10. 33.
and in T. A. iv. 2. 115 (where the Folio reads "ignominy") the i
is slurred.
"No mán | knows whither. I crý | thee mé | rcý.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 515.
ور
"It is my són, | young Hár | ry Pé | rcý.”
Rich. II. ii. 3. 21,
"Thou, Rích | ard, shált | to the dúke | of Nór | fólk.
3 Hen. VI. i. 2. 38.
So we sometimes find the old comparative "near" for the modern
nearer."
"Bétter | far óff | than néar | be né'er | the néar.”
"The near in blood |
Rich. II. v. I. 88.
The néar er blóody."-Macbeth, ii. 3. 146.
"Nor near nor farther off. . . than this weak arm."
And "far" for "farther," the old "ferror."
Rich. II. iii. 2. 64.
"Fár than | Deucá | lion óff.”—W. T. iv. 4. 442.
479. The termination "ion" is frequently pronounced as twc
syllables at the end of a line. The i is also sometimes pronounced
as a distinct syllable in soldier, courtier, marriage, conscience, partiaï,
&c.; less frequently the e in surgeon, vengeance, pageant, creature,
pleasure, and treasure.
The cases in which ion is pronounced in the middle of a line are
I have only been able to collect the following:
rare.
"With observá | tión | the whích | he vénts."
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 41.
368
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Of Hám | let's tráns | formá | tión: | so cáll it.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 5.
"Be chósen | with pró | clamá | tións | to-dáy."
T. A. i. 1. 190.
Gill, 1621, always writes "ti-on" as two syllables. But there is
some danger in taking the books of orthoepists as criteria of popular
pronunciation. They are too apt to set down, not what is, but
what ought to be. The Shakespearian usage will perhaps be
found a better guide.
Tión, when preceded by c, is more frequently prolonged, perhaps
because the more readily attracts the t to itself, and leaves ion
uninfluenced by the t.
In
"It wére an hón | est áct | ión | to say so.
""
Othello, ii. 3. 145; Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 340.
"Her sweet perféct | ións | with óne | self kíng.'
""
T. N. i. I. 39.
"Yet háve I fiérce | afféct | ións | and thínk.”
A. and C. i. 5. 17.
"With sore distract | ión | what I' | have dóne.”
Hamlet, v. 2. 241,
"To ús | in oúr | eléct | ión | this dáy.”—T. A. i. 1. 235.
"That shall make áns wer tó | such quést | ións.
It is enough. | I'll think | upón | the quest | ións,
2 Hen. VI. i. 2. 80, 82.
it seems unlikely that "questions" is to be differently scanned in
two lines so close together. And possibly, "it is (it's) enough,” is
one foot. Still, if "questions" in the second verse be regarded as
an unemphatic (475) repetition, it might be scanned:
"It ís | enough. | I'll think | upón | the questions."
The Globe has
"Jóin'd in | commission with him; | but éither (466) |
Had bórne || the action of yourself, or else
To him || had left it solely."-Coriol. iv. 6. 14.
But better arrange as marked above, avoiding the necessity of laying
two accents on commission." So Folio-which, however, is not of
much weight as regards arrangement.
I is pronounced in "business" in
"To see this bús | inéss. | To-mór | row next.”
Rich. II. fi. 1. 217; Rich. III. ii. 2. 144; M. oj V. iv.
1. 127; Coriol. v. 3. 4.
7
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
369
"Divín est créatúre, | Astræ' | a's daughter."
So probably
So
1 Hen. VI. i. 6. 4.
"Than these two créatures. | Which is | Sebastian?
T. N. v. I. 231
"But he's a tried | and vál | iant sóld | iér.”—J. C, iv. 1. 28
"Your sister is the bét | ter sól | diér."-Lear, iv. 5. 3.
|
"Máking them wóm | en óf | good cárr | iáge."
R. and 7. i. 4. 94.
Márri | age is | a mát | ter óf | more wór | th.”
I Hen. VI. v. 5. 55, v. 1. 21.
"To wóo a máid | in wáy | of márr | iáge.”
M. of V. ii. 9. 13.
"While I' thy ám | iá | ble chéeks | do cóy."
M. N. D. iv. 1. 2.
"Young, vál | iánt, | wíse, and, | no doubt, | right royal."
Rich. III. i. 1. 245; Tempest, iii. 2. 27.
"With th' án | cient | of wár | on our | proceedings.
""
Lear, v. 1. 32.
'You have dóne | our plé | asúres | much gráce, | fair
ládies.". T. of A. i. 2. 151.
"Táke her and úse | her át | your plé | asure.'
1
B. and F. (Walker).
"We'll leave and think | it ís | her plé | asúre.”—Ib.
"But 'tís my lord | th' Assíst | ant's plé | asúre.”—Ib.
"He dáre not sée | you. A't | his plé | asúre.”—Ib.
"You shall have ránsom. | Lét me | have súr | geóns:
1
Lear, iv. 6. 196.
"If only to gó | '(484) wárm | were gorg | ebus.”
"Your mind | is tóss | ing ón | the ó | ceán.”
Ib. ii. 4. 271.
M. of V. i. I. 8; Hen. V. iii. 1. 14.
"The newest státe. | This is | the sergeant.
""
Macbeth, i. 2. 3.
Similarly "But they did say | their pray | ers ánd | addréss'd
them."-Ib. ii. 2. 25; Coriol. v. 3. 105.
"Hath túrn'd | my féign | ed práy | er ón | my héad.”
Rich. III. v. 1. 21, ii. 2. 14.
Even where "prayer" presents the appearance of a monosyllable,
the second syllable was probably slightly sounded.
For i ande sonant in "-ied," see 474.
B B
370
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
479 a. Monosyllabic feet in Chaucer. Mr. Skeat (Essay on
Metres of Chaucer, Aldine Edition, 1866) has shown that Chaucer
often uses a monosyllabic foot, but the instances that have been
pointed out are restricted to the first foot.
'May, with all thyn floures and thy greene."-C. T. 1512.
"Til that deeth departe schal us twayne."—Ib. 1137.
"Ther by aventure this Palamon."-Ib. 1518.
"Now it schyneth, now it reyneth fast."-Ib. 1537.
"Alby-smoterud with his haburgeon."-Ib. 77.
It will be shown in paragraphs 480-6 that Shakespeare uses this
licence more freely, but not without the restrictions of certain natural
laws.
480. Fear, dear, fire, hour, your, four, and other mono-
syllables ending in r or re, preceded by a long vowel or
diphthong, are frequently pronounced as dissyllables. Thus
"fire" was often spelt and is still vulgarly pronounced "fier." So
"fare" seems to have been pronounced "fa-er;" "ere," "e-er;"
"there," "the-er," &c.
It is often emphasis, and the absence of emphasis, that cause this
licence of prolongation to be adopted and rejected in the same line:
Fair. "Ferd. Or night | kept cháin'd | belów.
Prosp.
Fáir | ly spóke."
Tempest, iv. 1. 31.
(or perhaps (484) "belów. | Fáir | ly spóke.")
Fare.-"Poison'd, | ill fá | re, déad, | forsóok, | cast óff."
K. J. v. 7. 35.
'Lóath to bid fá | rewell, | we take | our leaves."
P. of T. ii. 5. 13.
Lúcius, | my gówn. | Fáre | well, góod | Méssala.”
F. C. iv. 3. 231.
"Died every dáy | she lív'd (Fol.). | Fáre | thee well."
Macbeth, iv. 3. 111.
"Farewell, kíns | man! I' will talk with you."
"For worms, | brave Pér | cy.
great heart."-Ib. v. 4. 87.
I Hen. IV. i. 3. 234.
Farewell (so Folio), |
Why then | I wí | 17 (483). Farewell,
old Gant."
Rich. II. i 2. 44.
So F. C. iv. 3. 231; 1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 111 (Folio); M. W. of W
?
ii. 4. 97; K. J. iii. 2. 17. (See 475.)
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
371
Ere. "For I' inténd | to háve | it ér | e (é-er) lóng.”
I Hen. VI. i. 3. 87.
our,"
in
I should prefer to prolong the emphatic here, rather than "
"What should be spók | en hé | re (hé-er) whére | our fáte."
Macbeth, ii. 3. 128.
Mere. The pause after "night" enables us to scan thus :
They have tráv | ell'd áll | the night (484). |`Mé | re
fétches."—Lear, ii. 4. 90.
There.-"Hath death | lain with thy wife. | Thére | she lies."
R. and F. iv. 5. 36
'Towards Cálais; | now gránt | him thé | re, thé | re seen."
Hen. V. v. Prol. 7.
(I have not found a Shakespearian instance of "Caláis."
wise at first sight it is natural to scan "Towards | Caláis.")
"Exe. Like mú | sic.
Cant.
Other.
Therefore | doth heav'n | divíde.
Hen. V. i. 2. 183.
Where.-"I knów | a bánk, | where | the wild | thyme blóws."
"Hor. Whére, | my lórd? |
Ham.
M. N. D. ii. 1. 249.
I'n my mind's eye, | Horátio."
Hamlet, i. 2. 185.
(But Folio inserts "Oh" before "where.")
Rarely.-"I's not | this búck | led wéll? | Ráre | ly, rárely."
A. and C. iv. 4. 11.
(The first "rarely" is the more emphatic: or? (483), “well.”)
Dear.—“As dóne : | persév | eránce, | déar | my lórd.”
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 150.
“Déar | my lórd, | íf you, | in your own próof."
"The king would speak with
fáther."-Lear, ii. 4. 102.
M. Ado, iv. I. 46.
Cornwall: | the dé | ar
"Oliv. Than mú | sic fróm | the sphé | res.
Viol.
Dé | ar lády."
T. N. iii. I. 121.
Fear. "Féar | me nót, | withdraw, | I hear | him cóming."
Hear.-"Hear, Ná | ture, hé | ar, dé|ar Gód
(The emphasis increases as the verse proceeds.)
Near.—“ Néar, | why then | anóth | er tíme | I'll
Hamlet, iii. 4. 7.
| dess, héar.
Lear, i. 4. 297
T.
hear it."
of A. 2. 184.
ܥ
BB 2
372
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Tears. "Auf. Náme not | the Gód, | thou boy | of té | ars.
Coriol.
Há !"
Coriol. v. 6. 101.
"Téar | for téar, | and lóv | ing kiss | for kiss."
T. A. v. 3. 156.
Year.-"Twelve yé | ar since, | Mirán | da, twélve | year since."
Tempest, i. 2. 53.
The repeated "year" is less emphatic than the former.)
And, perhaps, if the line be pronounced deliberately,
"Mány years | of háp | py dáys | befál."-Rich.II. i. 1. 21.
It might be possible to scan as follows:
"Well struck | in yé | ars, fá | ir ánd | not jéalous.
Rich. III. i. I. 92.
But the Folio has "jealious," and the word is often thus written
(Walker) and pronounced by Elizabethan authors.
Their (?).—If the text be correct, in
"The commons hath he pill'd with grievous taxes,
And quite lost their hearts. The nó | bles háth | he fín'd
For ancient quarrels (463), | and quite | lost the | ir
hearts,"-Rich. II. ii. 1. 247-8.
See
it is almost necessary to suppose that the second their is more
emphatic than the first. Else the repetition is intolerable.
475, 476. But even with this scansion the harshness is so great as
to render it probable that the text is corrupt.
Hire.-"A ship | you sént | me fór | to hire wáftage."
C. of E. iv. I. 95.
Sire." And ís | not like | the sí | re: hón | ours thrive."
A. W. ii. 3. 142.
Door. "And with my swórd | I'll keep | this dó | or sáfe."
T. A. i. 1. 288.
More.-"If móre, | the more hást | thou wróng'd | (èd) mé."
(The second "more" is the more emphatic.)
"As máy | compáct | it mó | re.
Lear, v. 3. 168.
Ib. i. 4. 362.
Gét | you gone."
"Who hadst | desérv | ed mó | re thán | a príson."
Dur (perhaps) "To líst | en óu | r púr | pose.
office."-M. Ado, iii. 1. 12.
Temp. i. 2. 362.
This is (461) | thy
("This is" is a quasi-monosyllable
See 461.)
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
373
“And bý | me, hád | not bu | 7 háp | been bád."
C. of E. i. 1. 39.
"First Sen. Which wé | devise | him.
Corn.
Our spóils | he kick'd at."
Coriol. ii. 2. 128.
“First” requires emphasis in
I'll bring him to you.
Ib. iii. 1. 334.
"Sic. In our first | way.
Men.
Hour (often).-"A't the sixth hóu | r, át | which tíme | my lórd."
Tempest, v. 1. 4.
Your.-"And só, | though you | rs, nót | yours*-próve | it só.'
"
M. of V. iii. 2. 20.
"Lart. My horse | to you | rs, nó! |
Mart.
'Tis done! |
Lart.
Agréed."
Coriol. i. 4. 2.
""
And pún | ish thém | to you | r height | of pleasure.
M. for M. v. i. 240.
Unless "pleasure" is a trisyllable. (See 479.)
"Is he párd | on'd ánd | for you | r lóve | ly sáke.”—b. 496.
There is an emphatic antithesis in
"Whó is lost tóo. | Take your pá | tience to you,
And I'll say nothing."-W. T. iii. 2. 232.
"And sháll | have your will, | because | our king."
3 Hen. VI. iv. I. 17.
481. Monosyllables which are emphatic either (1) from their
meaning, as in the case of exclamations, or (2) from their use in
antithetical sentences, or (3) which contain diphthongs, or (4) vowels
preceding r, often take the place of a whole foot. This is less
frequent in dissyllabic words. In (1) and (2) as well as (3) the mono.
syllables often contain diphthongs, or else long vowels.
In many cases it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to determine
whether a monosyllable should be prolonged or not.
Thus, in
"On this unworth | y scáff | old tó | bring forth,"
Hen. V. Prologue, 10.
many may prefer to scan "|-old to brí | ng forth," and to prolong
the following monosyllable rather than to accent "to;" and in
"Came pouring like | the tide | intó | a bréach,"
Hen. V. i. 2. 149.
* It is a matter of taste which yours should receive the emphasis.
374
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
""
it is possible to prolong the preceding monosyllable, "the tí | de
in | to a bréach." Such cases may often be left to the taste of the
reader (but for the accent of "into see 457a). All that can safely
be said is, that when a very unemphatic monosyllable, as "at,"
and," "a," "the," &c. has the accent, it is generally preceded or
followed by a very strongly accented monosyllable, as
"
""
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels.'
Hen. V. Prologue, 6.
It is equally a matter of taste whether part of the prolonged
monosyllable should be considered to run on into the following foot
or whether a pause be supposed after the monosyllable, as
Gírding with gríev | ous siege | castles | and towns.”
Hen. V. i. 2. 152.
"As knots by the | conflúx | of méet | ing sáp.'
482. Monosyllabic exclamations.
,,
Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 7
Ay.-" Polon. Whérefore | should you | do this? |
Reg.
King. Will you | be rúled | by mé? |
Laert.
A'y, my lord ?”
Hamlet, ii. 1. 36.
A'y, | my lórd.”
Ib. iv. 7. 60.
A'y, what else? | And bút | I bé | deceiv'd.”
T. of Sh. iv. 4. 2.
"Vol. That brought | thee tó | this wórld. |
Vir.
A'y, and mine."
Coriol. v. 3. 125.
A'y, mý | good lord."
(?)" Corn. I's he | pursú | ed (474)?
Glou.
Lear, ii. 1. 111.
Nay." What says | he? Ná | y, nó | thing; áll | is sáid.”
« Cor. How, trái | tor !
Com.
Rich. II. ii. 1. 148.
'Ná | y, tém | p(e)ratelý; | your promise."
Coriol. vi. 3. 67.
Stay.—“ Stáy, 】 the king | hath thrówn | his wárd | er dówn.”
Ib. i. 3. 118.
Yea." Yéa, my Lord | How brooks | your gráce | the aír?"
Ib. iii. 2. 2.
Hail.-"'Gainst mý | captív | itý. | Háil, | brave friend."
Macbeth, i. 2. E.
LENGTHEning of WORDS.
375
0.—“ Cass. O', 'tis true. |
Hert.
Ho! bíd my trúm | pet sóund."
Tr. and Cr. v. 3. 13.
Cleo.
Charm.
O', 'tis tréa son.
Mádam, I trúst | not só."
A. and C. i. 5. 7.
Hamlet, iv. 4. 65.
I pray | thee, márk me.
Tempest, i. 2. 80.
""
"To hide the sláin. | O, | from thís | time fórth.'
"Mir. O, good sír, | I dó. |
Prosp.
Perhaps "Pol. The dévil | himself. |
King.
O', 'tis (it ís) | too trúe."
"Sélf against sélf. | O", | prepós | teróus."
Ib. iii. 1. 49.
I.
Rich. III. ii. 4. 63.
"Their clearer réa | son. Oʻ, |`góod | Gonzálo.”
reason"
Temp. v. I. 68
a trisyllable in Shakespeare.
I have not found "
"O", my fóllies! | Then E'd | gar wás | abúsed."
Lear, iii. 7. 9L
7.9L
O, the differénce | of mán | and mán."
Ib. iv. 2. 26.
?" The heart of wó | man ís. | O,❘ (453) Brútus."
F. C. ii. 4. 40.
"Struck Cæsar ón | the néck. | σ, | you flátterers."
Soft." But só | ft cóm | paný | is cóm | ing hére.”
b. v. I. 44.
T. of Sh. iv. 5. 26.
Come." Cóme, | good féll | ow, pút | mine ír | on ón."
What." Where be | these knáves? | Whát,
Whát, | unjúst !| Bé not | so
Well.—“Well, I give her | that ring,
A. and C. iv. 4. 3.
| no mán | at door!"
T. of Sh. iv. I. 125.
hót ; | the dúke.”
M. for M. v. I. 315.
and thére | withál.'
"Gon. Rémember whát | I tell you.
Osw.
T. G. of V. iv. 4. 89.
Well, mádam."
Lear, i. 3. 21.
483. Monosyllables emphasized by position or anti-
thesis. A conjunction like " yet" or "but," implying hesitation,
376
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
may naturally require a pause immediately after it; and this pause
may excuse the absence of an unaccented syllable, additional stress
being laid on the monosyllable.
But." Of good | ly thous | ands.
Bút, fór all this."
“ The Góds | rebuke | me bú | t ít | is
Yet." Though I | condémn | not, yé | t, ún
"Yét (as yet), | I think, | we áre | not
"Brut. When Cee's | ar's héad | is óff.
Cass.
|
Macbeth, iv. 3. 44.
""
""
tidings.’
A. and C. v. I. 27.
der párdon.'
Lear, i. 4. 365.
brought | so lów."
T. A. iii. 2. 76.
|
Yét I féar him."
7. C. ii. 1. 183.
Pronouns emphasized by antithesis or otherwise, sometimes dis-
pense with the unaccented syllable.
"Shów | men dú | tifúl?
Why, só | didst thé | u. Séem | they gráve | and léarned?
Why, só❘ didst thou."-Hen. V. ii. 2. 128.
(Possibly, however, "seem" may be prolonged instead of "thou.")
"When you shall please | to play | the thieves | for wives.
I'll watch as lóng | for you thén. | Approach.'
M. of V. ii. 6. 24.
"Were yó | u ín | my stéad, | would you | have héard ?”
You is emphatic from Desdemona to Othello in
Coriol. v. 3. 192
Othello.
A fránk❘ one.
Desd.
'Tís a good hánd,
Y% | u máy | indéed | say só.”
Othello, iii. 4. 44.
Lear, ii. 1. 114.
So in "Hów in | my strength | you pléase. | For yó | u, E'dmund."
and in the retort of Brutus on Cassius,
"Lét me tell yó | u, Cáss | ius, you | yourself
Are múch | condémn'd | to háve | an itch | ing pálm."
7. C. iv. 3. 9.
Perhaps aware of Ferdinand's comment on his emotion, "your
father's in some passion," Prospero turns to Ferdinand and says,
"it is you who are moved" in
"You do look, | my зón, | ín a | mov´d sórt.”
Temp. iv. 1. 146.
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
377
Otherwise the reading of the line so as to avoid accenting "my"
seems difficult.
There is no prolongation, though there is antithetical emphasis, in
"Look up on him, | love him, | he wór | ships you."
A. Y. L. v. 2. 88.
The repeated "thence" seems to require a pause in
"Thénce to a watch, | thénce | intó (457a) | a weakness."
Hamlet, ii. 1. 148.
But possibly, like
ord(i)nance," "light(e)ning" (see 477), so
"weakness" may be pronounced a trisyllable.
484. Monosyllables containing diphthongs and long
vowels, since they naturally allow the voice to rest upon them, are
often so emphasized as to dispense with an unaccented syllable.
When the monosyllables are imperatives of verbs, as "speak," or
nouns used imperatively, like "peace," the pause which they require
after them renders them peculiarly liable to be thus emphasized.
Whether the word is dissyllabized, or merely requires a pause after it,
cannot in all cases be determined. In the following examples the
scansion is marked throughout on the former supposition, but it is
not intended to be represented as necessary.
A (long). "Júst as | you left | them, á | prís | 'ners, sír."
Temp. v. I. 8
"Try mán | y, á | ll good, | serve trú | ly néver."
I
Cymb. iv. 2. 373.
"Yea, look'st thou pá | le? Lét | me sée | the writing."
"Duke. Like the | old á | ge.
Clown.
Rich. II. v. 2. 57.
A're
you réad | y, sír?"
T. N. ii. 4. 50.
My
“Yéa, his | dread tri | dent sháke. |
brá | ve spírit."
Temp. i. 2. 206.
Ai. "'Gainst mý captív | itý. | Háil, | brave friend."
"I'll be with (wi') you strái | ght. Gó
Macbeth, i. 2. 5.
a líttle | before."
Hamlet, iv. 4. 31.
I should prefer to avoid laying an accent on "the" in
"To fá | il in the disposing of these chances."
Coriol. iv. 7. 40.
"Which is most fá | int. Nów 'tis trúe
I múst | be here confín'd | by you."-Temp. Epilogue, 3
378
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Ay.
Sáy | agáin, where didst | thou léave | these várlets ?”
Temp. iv. 1. 170.
So in the dissyllable "payment.”
"He húmbly prays | you spéed | y páy | mént.”
Perhaps
T. of A. ii. 2. 28.
"What say you, | my lórd? | Aré you contént."
Perhaps
E. "Senators. We'll súre | ty him.
Ea.
Com.
"Men. The cón | sul Córi |
Bru.
"Péace, I sáy. | Good é
I Hen. VI. iv. 1. 70.
Aged sír, | hands off."
Coriol. iii. I. 178.
olán | us▬▬
Hé |` cónsul !”—Ib. iii. 1. 280.
| ven tó | you, friend."
A. Y. L. ii. 4. 70.
"Antón | ius dé ad! I'f thou sáy | so, villain."
"Doct. But, though | slow, dé | adlý. |
Queen.
“Whý dost | not speak? | What, dé
A. and C. ii. 5. 26.
1 wón | der, dóctor.”
Cymb. i. 5. 10.
af: nót | a wórd?”
T. A. v. 1. 46.
Spéak, | Lavín | ia, whát | accúrs | ed
"Which wás | to plé | ase. Nów | I wánt
Spírits to enforce, | nót to | enchant.'
"Earth's incréase, | fóison | plénty,
hánd?"
Ib. iii. 1. 66.
I.
Temp. Epilogue, 13.
Bárns and gárners | néver |émpty."—Ib. iv. I. 110.
Perhaps "Glou. Aláck, | the night | comes ón, | and the (457)
blé ak winds."-Lear, ii. 4. 303.
|
Perhaps "Trúly | to spé | ak, ánd | with nó | addítion,”
Hamlet, iv. 4. 17.
or "Trúly to speak, and with nó | addít | ión."
"Be frée and hé | althful. | So tárt | a fávour."
A. and C. ii. 5. 38.
"The safety and health of this whole state,”
Hamlet, i. 3. 21.
could not be scanned without prolonging both "health" and
"whole." Such a double prolongation is extremely improbable,
considering the moderate emphasis required. More probably
LENGTHENing of worDS.
379
"sanity" should be read, as has been suggested, for "sanctity,"
the reading of the Folio.
Ee.
"Fórward, not pér | manént, | sweet, not lásting."
Hamlet, i. 3. 8.
"Séek | me out, | and thát | way I'| am wife in."
Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 38.
"The cúrt ain'd slé | ep witch | craft cél | ebrátes.'
Macbeth, ii. I. 51.
"Doth comfort thée in thy slé | ep; líve, and flourish."
Rich. III. v. 3. 130.
"This ignorant prés | ent ánd | I fé | el nów.”
Macbeth, i. 5. 58.
Enough to fétch | him ín. | Sée | it done."
"Yét but thrée. | Cóme one | móre,
Twó of both kinds | máke up | fóur."
A. and C. iv. I. 14.
M. N. D. iii. 2. 437.
“When sté | el gróws | sóft as | the pára | site's sílk.'
Coriol. i. 9. 45.
"Soft" is emphasized as an exclamation (see 481), but perhaps
on the whole it is better to emphasize "steel" here.
"Ferd. Makes this place Pár | adíse.
Prosp.
Sweet now, silence.”
Temp. iv. 1. 124.
Eo. The co in the foreign-derived word "leopard" stands on a
different footing:
I.
"Or horse or óx | en fróm | the lé | opárd."
So, often, in Elizabethan authors.
I Hen. VI. i. 5. 31.
"Mén for their wives: wives fór | their húsbands."
3 Hen. VI. v. 6. 41.
"Of greatest júst | ice. Iri | te, write, | Rináldo.”
A. W. iii. 4. 29.
"Hórri | ble sight! Nów | I sée | 'tis true."
Macbeth, iv. I. 122.
"Full fifteen hundred, | best | des cóm | mon mén.
Hen. V. iv. S. 84.
Henry
I know of no instance where "hundred," like (477)
receives two accents. Else the "be" in "besides " might (460) be
dropped, and the verse might be differently scannel.

380
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
0.
Va.
Oi.
(19.
་་
Each mán's | like mí | ne: yóu | have shéwn | all Héctors."
A. and C. iv. 8. 7.
"At a poor man's house: | he ús'd | me kí | ndlý.”
Coriol. i. 9. 83. But see 477.
Possibly "friends may require to be emphasized, as its
position is certainly emphatic, in
"Till death | unloads | thee.
Friends hást | thou nóne."
M. for M. iii. 1. 28.
“No, sáy’st | me so, \ friend ? | What cóun | trymán ?”
T. of Sh. i. 2. 190.
“Yield, my lórd, | protéct | or yí | eld, Wín | chestér.”
I Hen. VI. iii. 1. 112
("My" is dropped, 497.)
“Mórt de | ma vi | e! I'f | they ríde
"Drive him to Ró | me: 'tís (ít | is)
"Card. Róme | shall réme | dy this.
Glou.
|
|
alóng.
""
Hen. V. iii. 5. 11.
tíme | we twain."
A. and C. i. 4. 73
Roam thither, thén."
1 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 51.
3 Hen. VI. iv.
3. 14
"While he himself | kéeps in | the có | ld field."
"Toad that |únder | cóld | stóne
Dáys and nights has | thírty | óne.”—Macbeth, iv. 1. 6.
"Go to the creáting | a whó | le tribe | of fóps."
So scan
1
Lear, i. 2. 14.
“Is gó | ads, thó | rns (485), nét | tles, táils | of wasps.”
""
W. T. i. 2. 329.
Joint | by jóint, | but wé | will knów | his púrpose.'
"
M. for M. v. I. 314.
“What whéels, | racks, fíres? | What fláy | ing, bó | iling?"
W. T. iii. 2. 177.
"God save you, sír. | Where have you | been bró | iling?"
|
Hen. VIII. iv. 1. 56.
"Of their | cwn chó | ice: óne | is Jún | ius Brútus."
Coriol. i. I. 220.
"What say you, bó | ys? Will you bide | with him ?"
sáy |
\
T. A. v. 2. 13.
"Than in | my thought | it líes. | Good | my lórd.”
A. W. v. 3. 184.
It might be thought that in the above the prolongation rests on
lies (lieth), but that we have also

LENGTHENING OF WORDS
381
"Good | my lord, | give me | thy fav | our sull.”
Temp. iv. 1. 204
"The good góds | will móck | me prés | entlý."
A. and C. iii. 4. 15.
"He straight | declín | ed, dró | op'd, tóok | it déeply."
W. T. ii. 3. 14.
"Tó it, boy! Már | cus, ló | ose when | I bíd.”
❘
T. A. iv. 3. 58.
"Hours, mín | utes, nó | on, míd | night, ánd | all eyes.
W. T. i. 2. 290.
"But ró om, fái | ry, hére | comes O'b | erón."
M. N. D. ii. 1. 58.
"Bóot | less hóme | and wéath | er-béat | en báck."
1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 67.
"Pull off my bó | ot: hárd | er, hárd | er, só.'
|
"But moody and dú | Il mél | anchóly.”
"
Lear, iv. 6. 177.
C. of E. v. 1. 79.
Some may prefer to read "dull" as a monosyllable; but I can
find no instance of "meláncholý" to justify such a scansion.
In
"Lear. To this | detést | ed gró | om.
Gon.
A't
your choice, sir,'
Lear, ii. 4. 220.
either "groom" or "your" should be dissyllabized.
Ou.
"I' do wánder | évery | whére
| |
Swifter than the moon's sphére."-M. N. D. ii. 1. 7.
"Which élse would frée | have wró | ught. A'll is well."
| |
Macbeth, ii. 1. 19.
In "Should drink | his blood- | móunts | up tó | the áir."
MARLOW, Edw. II.
Collier (Hist. of British Stage, vol. iii.) thinks mounts the
emphatic word to be dwelt on for the length of a dissyllable.
Ow.
"Own" is perhaps emphasized by repetition (or "Are" is a
dissyllable, as "fare," "ere," "where," 480) in
Oy.
"Hel. Mine ówn | and nót | mine ó | wn.
Dem.
A're you sure?
M. N. D. iv. 1. 189.
The last syllable of "destroy" seems prolonged in
"To fright them ére | destró | y. Bút | come in.”
Coriol. iv 5. 149
382
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
U. It may be that "fume" is emphasized in
'She's tickled nów. | Her fú | me néeds | no spúrs."
2 Hen. VI. i 3. 153.
(Unless "needs" is prolonged either by reason of the double vowel
or because "needs" is to be pronounced "needeth.")
"Trúe nobility ís | exémpt | from féar."
2 Hen. VI. iv. I. 129.
Titania speaks in verse throughout, and therefore either "and"
must be accented and "hoard" prolonged, or we must scan as
follows:
"The squír | rel's hóard, | and fétch | thee new |`núts.”
M. N. D. iv. 1. 40.
"Cord. That wants | the méans | to léad it. |
Mess.
News, | mádam.”
Lear, iv. 4. 20.
485. Monosyllables containing a vowel followed by “r”
are often prolonged.
A.
Ei.
Thyr. Héar it | apár | t.
Cleo.
Nóne but friends: | say bóldly."
A. and C. iii. 13. 47.
Hó | ly séems | the quarrel
Upón | his grá ce's párt; bláck | and féarful
O'n the oppó ser.”—A. W. iii. 1. 5.
|
"Well fítt(ed) | in á | rts, gló | rióus | in árms."
L. L. L. ii. 1. 45.
"Strikes his breast há | rd, ánd | anón | he casts."
Į
|
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 117.
"But could be willing | to má | rch ón | to Cálais."
Hen. V. iii. 6. 150.
"Hárk | ye, lórds, | ye sée | I have given | her physic."
T. A. iv. 2. 162.
"Look how he mákes | to Cæ's | ar, már | k hím.”
7. C. iii. 2. 18.
"I dreamt | last night | óf the three wé | ird sisters."
Macbeth, ii. 1. 20 (Folio, "weyard").
"A'nd be times I'❘ will tó | the wé | ird sisters."
Ib. iii. 4. 133, iv. 1. 136.
Or "will" is perhaps emphasized and the prefix in "betimes
ignored. In either case "weird" is a dissyllable.
"The weird sís | ters hánd | in hand."--Macbeth, i. 3. 32.
"
LENGTHENING of words.
383
1.
0.
"A third thinks | without | expénse | at áll.'
1 Hen. VI. i. 1. 76.
"Of Líon | el dúke | of Clárence, | the thi | rd són.
Ib. ii. 5. 75.
"To king | Edward | the thi | rd, whére | as hé.”—Ib. 76.
"Bru. Spread fúr | thér (478).
Men.
One word móre, one word.”
Coriol. iii. 1. 311.
I.
"Máke the prize light. One wór | d móre, | I charge
thee."-Temp. i. 2. 452.
Ham. One wór | d móre, | good lády.
Queen.
|
What shall | I dó ?”
Hamlet, iii. 4. 180.
"Do more than thís | in spó | rt; fá | ther, father!"
"Worse and worse! | She will not
"Nót in the wó | rst ránk | of mán
"Why só, brave ló | rds, whén | we
|
Lear, ii. 1. 37.
cóme! | O, víle!"
T. of Sh. v. 2. 93.
hood, sáyt.”
Macbeth, iii. I. 103.
joín | in léague."
T. A. iv. 2. 136.
"My lord, will | it pléase | you páss | alóng.
Rich. III. iï г. 110.
"Of good | old A′| brahám. | Lórds | appellants.
("A'ppellants" is not Shakespearian.)
"}
Rich. II. iv. I. 104.
“But téll | me, ís | young George Stán | ley líving?"
or, possibly,
Ou.
• But téll me, I
Is young George Stán | ley líving?"
Ib. v. 5. 9.
Henry doth claim the crown from John of Gaunt,
The fourth són: | York cláims | it fróm | the third."
2 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 55.
So, perhaps,
And lóng live Hén | ry fourth of that náme."
"Four" was often spelt "fower."
"Hén(e)rý” in Richard II.)
Rich. II. iv. I. 112.
Henry" is not pronounced
"Heart," not "you," ought to be emphatic in
"Nót by the mát | ter whích | your héar | t prompts you."
Coriol. iii. 2. 54.
384
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Probably we ought to arrange the difficult line, Macbeth, iv. I.
105, thus:
"A'nd an | etérn | al cú | rse fáll | on yóu.
Let me knów.
Why sinks," &c. ?
486. Monosyllables are rarely prolonged except as in the
above instances, In some cases, however, as in "bath,
" "dance,"
a vowel varies very much in its pronunciation, and is often pro-
nounced (though the incorrectness of the pronunciation would now
be generally recognized) in such a way as to give a quasi-dissyllabic
sound.
"You and your crá | fts, you | have cráft | ed fáir."
Coriol. iv. 6. 118.
"I'f that you will | Fránce | win,
|
Thén with Scotland | first be | gín."-Hen. V. i. 2. 167.
In a few other cases monosyllables are, perhaps, prolonged :
"You shall read ús | the will.
"Cas. Cícero bn | e?
Mes.
|
Cæ's | ar's will!"
7. C. iii. 2. 153
Cíceró is déad.”—Ib. iv. 3. 179.
"I' will | éver | bé your | héad,
|
Só be gone; you are | spéd."—M. of V. ii. 9. 72.
"Then shall the realm | of A'lb | ión
|
Cóme to great | confús | ión."-Lear, iii. 2. 92.
¡
"For our best áct. | I'f we shall stá | nd still."
(Can "all" have dropped out after
Hen. VIII. i. 2. 85
shall ?")
"The thánkings óf | a kí | ng.
I
am, sír."
Cymb. v. 5. 407.
"Hére she comes, | cúrst and | sád :
Cúpid | ís a | knávish | lád.”—M. N. D. iii. 2. 439.
"Well" (481) is prolonged as an exclamation, and perhaps
there is a prolongation of the same sound in
So, in
"Mélted ás | the snów | séems to
|
me nów."
M. N. D. iv. 1. 163.
Coriol. i. I. 75.
"The gó | ds, nót | the patríc | ians, máke | it, ánd,”
"gods" is probably prolonged by emphasis, and the second "the"
is not accented. So "most" in
lengthening OF WORDS.
385
"With Tí | tus Lárcius, | a mó | st vál | iant Róman.”
"Larcius" has probably but one accent.
sometimes to have the accent.
So, perhaps,
Ang. Where práy | ers cró | ss.
Isab.
Coriol. i. 2. 14.
However, "a" appears
A't
what hour | to-morrow?”
M. for M. ii. 2. 159.
"Drachm" (Folio "Drachme") is a dissyllable in
"A't a crack'd drách | m! Cásh | ions, léad | en spóons."
Coriol. i. 5. 6.
487. E mute pronounced. This is a trace of the Early English
pronunciation.
Es, s.
"Your gráce | misták | es: ón | ly tó | be brief.”
Rich. II. iii. 3. 9.
"Who's thére, that knóck | (e)s só | impér | iously?"
1 Hen. VI. i. 3. 5.
"Well, let them rést: | come híth | er, Cát | esbý.
Rich. III. iii. 1. 157.
"Here cómes | his sérv | ant. Hów | now, Cát | esbý ?”
Ib. 7. 58.
"Till áll thy bónes | with ách | es máke | thee róar.'
|
"}
Temp. i. 2. 370.
"A'ches contract, and stárve | your súp | ple joints."
T. of A. i. 1. 257, v. I. 202.
But this word seems to have been pronounced, when a noun,
"aatch." At least it is made by Spenser, Sh. Cal. Aug. 4, to
thyme with "matche."
So
"Send Có levile | with his | conféd | erátes."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 79.
Worcester, gét | thee gone! | For I' | do sée."
1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 15, iii. 1. 5, v. 5. 14 (Fol. omits "thee").
"We have; whereupón (497) | the earl of Wórc | estér."
Rich. II. ii. 2. 58.
So
t
Gloucester," 1 Hen. VI. i. 3. 4, 6, 62, and
"O lóving uncle (465), | kind dúke | of Glóu | cestér.”
"This is the flower that smiles on
To show his teeth as white
C C
1 Hen. VI. iii. r. 142.
every one
as whá | le's bóne."
L. L. L v. 2. 332.
386
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
So, in a rhyming passage,
"Whose shád | ow thé | dismiss | ed báche | lor loves
Béing | lass-lórn; | thy póle | -clipt vín | e-yárd
And thý | sea-márge, | stérile | and rock | y-hárd.”
Temp. iv. 1. 68.
"Ŝhe név | er hád | so swéet | a cháng | clíng.'
Perhaps "Fran. They ván | ish'd stráng | ely.
Seb.
M. N. D. ii. 1. 23.
No mát | ter, since.”
Temp. iii. 3. 40. But see 506.
Possibly "cradles" may approximate to a trisyllable, "crad(e)les
(so "jugg(e)ler," &c. 477), in
""
"Does thoughts | unvéil | in théir | dumb crá dlés."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 200.
Thee is probably not of French but of Latin origin in
"statue :
""
"She dreamt to-night | she saw | my stát | ué."
F. C. ii. 2. 76.
J.
"Even at the Láse of Póm | pey's stát | ué.”
Globe "statua."
So in the plural :
(Folio) Ib. iii. 2. 192.
'But like | dumb stát | ués | of breath | ing stónes.'
Globe, "statuas."
"No marble statua nor high
Rich. III. iii. 7. 25
Aspiring pyramid be raised."-HABINGTON (Walker).
488. The "e" in commandment, entertainment, &c., which
originally preceded the final syllable, is sometimes retained, and,
even where not retained, sometimes pronounced.
'Be vál | ued 'gáinst | your wife's | commánd | (e)mént."
* M. of V. iv. 1. 451.
"From hím | I háve | expréss | commánd | (e)mént.
* 1 Hen. VI. i. 3. 20.
The e is inserted in
"If to women he be bent
They have at commandement."-P. P. 418.
"Good sír, you'll give | them én | tertáin | (e)mént.”
B. J. Fox, iii. 2,
To beth cases the first folio inserts. In the former the folic reads against.
LENGTHENING OF WORDS.
337
Perhaps an e is to be sounded between d and v in
"Antony Wood | (e)ville, | her brother thére.
Rich. III. i. 1. 67.
489. E final in French names is often retained in sound
as well as spelling :
“The mel | anchól | y gáq | ues grieves | at thát”
A. Y. L. ii, 1. 26.
“O mý | Parbll | es, théy | have márr | ied mé.”
A. W. ii. 3. 289.
""
"His gráce | is át | Marséill | es, tó | which pláce.”
Ib. iv. 3. 9; T. of Sh. ii. 1. 377.
"Daughter | to Chár | lemáin, | who wás | the són."
Hen. V. i. 2. 75.
"Guiénne, | Champág | ne, Rhé | ims, O'r | leáns.
""
I Hen. VI. i. 1. 60.
"This prínce | Montáig | ne, if | he bé | no more.
“He cán | not sáy | but thát | Montáig | ne yét.
"Now E'speránc | e, Pér | cy, and |
"Cáll'd the brave lórd | Pónton | de
DANIEL (on Florio).
set ón.”
1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 97.
Sáu | traillés.”
1 Hen. VI. i. 4. 28.
"Díeu de battái | lles! Whére | have théy | this méttle?”
Hen. V: iii. 5. 15.
So in "Vive :"
>>
"Vive | le roi,' | as I' | have bánk'd their tówns.
K. J. v. 2. 104.
Thus, perhaps, we may explain the apparent trisyllabic "marshal”
by a reference to "mareschal :"
"Great már | (e)shál | to Hén | (e)rý (477) | the Sixth."
1 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 70.
With winged háste | to the | lord már | (e)shál."
On the other hand, the influence of the
"marshall" a quasi-monosyllable in
1 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 2.
(see 463) seems to make
"Lord márshal, | commánd | our óff | icérs at árms."
Rich. II. i. 1. 204.
The i in the French "capitaine" is invisibly active in
t
A wise | stout cáp | (1)táin, | and sóon | persuaded."
3 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 30; Macbeth, i. 2. 34
CC 2
388
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
ACCENT.
49C, Words in which the accent is nearer the end than
with us.
"" ((
Many words, such as "edict," "outrage," contract," &c., are
accented in a varying manner. The key to this inconsistency is,
perhaps, to be found in Ben Jonson's remark that all dissyllabic
nouns, if they be simple, are accented on the first. Hence "edict"
and "outrage" would generally be accented on the first, but, when
they were regarded as derived from verbs, they would be accented
on the second. And so, perhaps, when "exile" is regarded as a
person, and therefore a simple" noun, the accent is on the first,
but when as "the state of being exiled," it is on the last. But
naturally, where the difference is so slight, much variety may be
expected. Ben Jonson adds that "all verbs coming from the Latin,
either of the supine or otherwise, hold the accent as it is found
in the first person present of those Latin verbs; as from célebrs,
célebrate." Without entering into the details of this rule, it seerns
probable that "edíct, "precépt," betray Latin influence. The
same fluctuation between the English and French accent is found in
CHAUCER (Prof. Child, quoted by Ellis, E. E. Pronunc. i. 369),
who uses "batáille, C. T. 990, and "bátail," ib. 2099: "For-
túne," ib. 917, and "fórtune," ib. 927; "daungér," and "dáunger."
Abjéct (Latin). —“Wé are | the queen's | abjects, | and múst | obéy.”
Rich. III. i. 1. 106.
But if the monosyllable "queen" be emphasized, we may scan
"We are the qué | en's ábjects, | and múst | obéy."
Accéss (Latin).-W. T. v. 1. 87.
Aspéct (Latin).—A. and C. i. 5. 33; T. N. i. 4. 28.
Charácters.—“I sáy | withóut | charác | ters fáme | lives lóng.”
Rich. III. iii. 1. 81; Hamlet, i. 3. 59.
Comméndable.
"Thanks fáith, | for silence | is only | commend | ablé
In a néat's tongue dried and a máid | not vénd | iblé."
M. of V. i. I. 111.
This shows how we must scan
“’Tis swéet and (497) | comménd | able ín | your ná | ture,
Hámlet.Hamlet, i. 2. 87.
ACCENT.
389
But, on the other hand,
"And power, | untó | itsélf | most com | mendáble.'
Commerce (Latin).—So arrange
Coriol. iv. 7. 51.
"Péaceful | commerce | from dí | vidá- | ble shores."
Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 105.
Confiscate (Latin).—C. of E. i. I. 21 ; but "cónfiscáte," ib. i. 2. 2.
Consort (Latin).- -"What say'st | thou? Wilt thou bé | of our |
consort?"-T. G. of V. iv. 1. 64.
Edmund.
He was of thát | consórt.
Reg.
Yes, madam,
No már | vel, then."
Lear, ii. 1. 99.
Contráry (Latin)." Our wills | and' fátes | do só | contrá | ry rún.”
Hamlet, iii. 2. 221.
Contract (Latin).
“Márk our | contract. | Márk your | divórce, | young sir."
W. T. iv. 4. 428; A. IV. ii. 3. 185; 1 Hen. VI. iii.
I. 143, v. 4. 156; Rich. III. iii. 7. 5, 6; Temp.
ii. I. 151.
Compact (Latin, noun).-Rich. III. ii. 2. 133; 7. C. iii. 1. 215.
Différent (Latin). — "And múch différ | ent fróm | the mán | he
wás.”—C. of E. v. 1. 46.
Here, however, by emphasizing the monosyllable "much," the
word "different" may be pronounced in the usual way.
Edict (Latin).—2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 258, and
1
"It stands | as án | edict | in dés | tiný.”
Effigies (Latin unaltered).
M. N. D. i. 1. 151.
"And ás | mine éye | doth his | effi | gies witness."
Envý (verb; noun, énvy).
A. Y. L. ii. 7. 193.
"I's it for him | you dó | envý | me só?"-T. of Sh. ii. 1. 18.
Executors.-Hen. V. i. 2. 203 is not an instance, for it means
"executioners." In its legal sense, Ib. iv. 2. 51, it is accented as
with us.
Exile (Latin).—R. and J. v. 3. 211 (frequent).
Instinct (noun, Latin).
“Háth, by | instinct, | knówledge | from óth | ers' éyes."
2 Hen, IV, i 188
390
SHAKESPEARÍAN GRAMMAR.
"Bý a | divíne | instinct | men's minds | mistrúst.
Rich. III. ii. 3. 42; Coriol. v. 3. 35.
Intó.---See 457 a.
Miséry. Some commentators lay the accent on the penultimate in
"Of súch | misér | y dóth | she cút | me off,"
M. of V. iv. I. 272.
but much more probably a " has dropped out after "such."
The passage
'And búss thee ás | thy wife. | Miser | y's love,"
K. 7. iii. 4. 35.
proves nothing. The pause-accent is sufficient to justify "mísery."
Nothing.-See Something, below.
Obdúrate (Latin).-3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 142; M. of V. iv. 1. 8; T. A.
ii. 3. 160; R. of L. 429.
"A'rt thou obdú | rate, flín | ty, hárd | as stéel?"
1
V. and A. 198.
Opportune (Latin).-"And móst | oppórt | une tó | our néed |
I háve."-W. T. iv. 4. 511.
"The most oppórt | une pláce, | the strong'st | suggestion."
Temp. iv. 1. 26.
Outrage.- -1 Hen. VI. iv. 1. 126.
Peremptory (perhaps).
"Yea, mistress, áre | you só | perémp | tóry?"
¡P. of T. ii. 5. 73.
This accentuation is not found elsewhere in Shakespeare: but the
author of Pericles of Tyre may have used it. It is possible, however,
to scan
'Yea, mís | t(e)réss (477), | are you | so pé | rempt(o)rý ?”
Porténts. "Thése are portents: | but yét | I hópe, | I hópe."
Othello, v. 2. 45.
So 1 Hen. IV. ii. 3. 65; Tr. and Cr. i. 3. 96.
Hence "fear" is not a dissyllable in
"A pród | igý | of féar, | ánd a | portént.”
1 Hen. IV. v. i. 20.
If "and" is correct, we must probably scan as follows:
"And these doth she applý | for wárn | ings and | portents.'
J. C. ii. 2. 80.
Precepts (Latin).-Hen. V. iii. 3. 26; but "précepts," Hamld,
ii. 2. 142.
ACCENT.
391
Préscience retains the accent of science, indicating that the word
was not familiar enough as yet to be regarded as other than a
compound :
"Forestáll | presch | ence and | estéem | no áct."
1'r. and Cr. i: 3. 199.
Record (noun, Latin).-Rich. III. iii. 1. 72, iv. 4. 28; T. N. v. 1. 253.
Sepúlchre (Latin). -"Bánish'd | this
"Bánish'd | this fráil | sepúl | chre óf | our
flésh.' Rich II. i. 3. 194.
"Or, át | the léast, | in hérs | sepúl | chre thine."
T. G. of V. iv. 2. 118.
May likewise bé | sepúl | chred in thy sháde."
R. of L. 805; and, perhaps, Lear, ii. 4. 134.
Sinister (Latin). -"'Tis nó | sinís | ter nór | no áwk | ward cláim."
Hen. V. ii. 4. 85.
So, but comically, in
"And this the crán | ny ís, | right and | sinister,
Through which | the féar | ful lóvers áre | to whisper.
M. N. D. v. I. 164.
Sojourn'd (perhaps) in
My heart | to hér | but ás | guest-wise | sojóurn'd.”
But (?) emphasize "her," and scan
Ib. iii. 2. 171.
"My heart | to hér | bút | as guest- | wise sójourn'd.'
Something (sometimes perhaps). "My inward | sóul
At nó | thing trémb | les: át | something | it grieves."
Rich. II. ii, 2. 12.
Compare perhaps
"And I'| nothing | to báck | my súit | at áll."
Rich. III. i. 1. 236.
I.
But, if "I" be emphasized, "nothing" may be pronounced as usual,
“I féar | nothing | what máy | be sáid | agáinst me.
Hen. VIII. i. 2. 212.
But "fear"
may be a dissyllable, 480.
Sweetheart.—Hen. VIII. i. 4. 94: heart being regarded as a noun
instead of the suffix -ard.
Triumphing (Latin) sometimes.
"As 'twére | triúmph | ing át | mine én | emíes.'
Untó.-See 457 a.
Rich. III. iii. 4. 91.
Welcome.—“Nor friends, | nor fóes, | to mé | welcome | you áre,"
Rich. II. ii. 3. 170.
392
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
This particular passage may be explained by a pause, but “wel-
cóme" is common in other authors.
Wherefore (in some cases), though it can often be taken as "thére-
fore," and explained by a preceding pause.
Perhaps
"O'ft have | you (óft | en have | you thanks | therefore)."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 20.
"And wé | must yéarn | therefore.”—Hen. V. ii. 3. 6.
"Hate mé! | Wherefore? | O mé! | what news, | my love."
M. N. D. iii. 2. 272.
"For the sound mán. | Déath on | my státe, | wherefore?"
Lear, ii. 4. 113.
But better
"Death on my state! (512)
Wherefore should hé | sit hére? | This áct | persuades
me.
491. Ised, when ending polysyllables, generally has now a
certain emphasis. This is necessary, owing to the present broad
pronunciation of i. Such polysyllables generally have now two
accents, the principal accent coming first. But in Shakespeare's
time it would seem that the i approximated in some of these words
to the French i, and, the -ed being pronounced, the i in -ised was
unemphatic. Hence the Elizabethan accent of some of these words.
differs from the modern accent.
Advertised." As I' | by friends | am wéll | advért | iséd.
>>
Rich. III. iv. 4. 501.
Wherein he might | the king | his lórd | advertise."
Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 178.
"I wás | advért | ised théir | great gén | eral slépt."
So M. for M. i. 1. 42.
Chástised." And whén | this árm | of míne
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 111.
| hath chás | tiséd.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 331.
"This cause of Róme, | and chás | tiséd | with arms."
This explains:
Canonized.
T. A. i. 1. 32.
"Canón | izéd, and wór | shipp'd ás | a sáint.”
A. F. iii. 1. 177.
"Whý thy | canón | iz'd bónes, | hearsed in death."
Hamlet, i. 4. 47
ACCENT.
393
"Are brá | zen im | age(s) [471] óf | canón | iz'd sáints."
Authorized.
2 Hen. VI. i. 3. 63.
"Authoriz'd bý | her grán dam.
Sháme itself.”
Macbeth, iii. 4. 66.
"Authorizing | thy trés | pass with | compáre.”—Sonn. 35.
"His rúde | ness só | with his | author | iz'd youth.”
L. C. 104.
So once :
Solémnised.—“Of Já | ques Fál | conbridge | solém | niséd."
L. L. L. ii. 1. 42.
But in M. of V. "sólemnised."
492. Words in which the accent was nearer the begin-
ning than with us. Ben Jonson (p. 777) says all nouns, both
dissyllabic (if they be "simple") and trisyllabic, are accented on the
first syllable. Perhaps this accounts for the accent on confessor, &c.
The accent on the first syllable was the proper noun accent; the
accent on the second (which in the particular instance of conféssor
ultimately prevailed) was derived from the verb.
1
Archbishop.-"The már | shal ánd | the árch | bishóp | are strong."
2 Hen. IV. ii. 3. 42, 65.
Cément (noun).
"Your témples búrn | ed ín | their cé | ment ánd.”
So the verb, A. and C. ii. 1. 48; iii. 2. 29.
Cómpell'd (when used as an adjective).
Coriol. iv. 6. 85.
"This compell'd fór | tune, háve | your mouth | fill'd úp."
Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 87.
"I talk not of | your sóul: | our cóm | pell'd síns."
M. for M. ii. 4. 57.
Cómplete.-"A máid | of gráce | and cóm | plete máj | estý.”
L. L. L. i. I. 137
So Hamlet, i. 4. 52; Hen. VIII. i. 2. 118; Rich. III. iii. 1. 189,
Conceal'd.- My conceal'd lá | dy tó | her cán | cell'd love.”
R. and F. iii. 3. 98
Conduct.--The verb follows the noun "safe-cónduct" in
“Safe-cón | ducting | the réb | els fróm | their ships."
Rich. III. iv. 4 483.
But the noun is conduct in T. A. iv. 3. 65.
394
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Confessor.-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 149; R. and J. ii. 6. 21, iii. 3. 49.
Į.
'O'ne of | our có (sic) | vent ánd | his cón | fessor."
M. for M. iv. 3. 133
Congeal'd.—" O'pen their congeal'd mouths | and bléed |
afrésh."-Rich, IÏÏ, i. 2. 56.
III.
Conjure (in the sense of "entreat").-T. G. of V. ii. 7. 2; frequent.
Consign'd." With distinct breath, and cón | sign'd kiss | es
to them."-Tr. and Cr. iv. 4. 47.
See "distinct" below.
Córrosive." Cáre is | no cúre, | but rá | ther cór | rosive."
1 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 3; 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 403.
Délectable.—“ Máking | the hárd | way sóft | and dé | lectable."
Rich. II. ii. 3. 7.
Détestable." And I' will kiss | thy dé testá | ble bónes."
K. 7. iii. 4. 29; T. of A. iv. I. 33.
M. of V. ii. 9. 61.
Distinct. -"To offénd | and júdge | are distinct óff | icés."
See "consign'd" above.
Enginer. See Pioner below.
Forlorn.-"Now fór | the hón | our óf | the fór | lorn Frénch."
1 Hen. VI. i. 2. 19.
Húmane.—“ It is | the húm | ane way, | the other course."
Coriol. iii. 1. 327.
Maintain." That hére | you máin | tain sév | eral fác | tións."
1 Hen. VI. i. I. 71.
Máture. So apparently in
"Of múrder | ous léchers: |ánd in | the má | ture tíme.”
Lear, iv. 6. 228.
This is like "náture," but I know no other instance of "máture."
Méthinks (sometimes).
"So your sweet húe | which mé | thinks stíll | doth stand."
Sonn. 104.
I cannot find a conclusive instance in Shakespeare, but this word
is often (Walker) thus accented in Elizabethan writers.
Mútiners.-Coriol. i. 1. 255. See Ploners below.
Myself (perhaps, but by no means certainly, in)
"I myself fight | not ónce | in fór | ty yéar.”
i Hen. VI. 1. 3. 91.
But certainly himself, myself, &c. are often found in Elizabethan
authors, especially in Spenser :
ACCENT
395
"Mourns inwardly and makes to himselfe mone.
SPENS. F. Q. ii. 1. 42.
The reason for this is that self, being an adjective and not a noun,
is not entitled to, and had not yet invariably received, the emphasis
which it has acquired in modern times.
And so, perhaps :
"And banding them | selves ín | contra (490) | ry párts."
I Hen. VI. iii. I. 81.
Northampton.-"Last night | I hear they lay at North- |
ampton."-Rich. III. ii. 4. 1.
Obscure (adj.; as a verb, obscúre).
"To ríb | her cére | cloth ín | the ób | scure gráve.
M. of V. ii. 7. 51.
'His méans of death, his 66 | scure fú | nerál."
Hamlet, iv. 5. 213.
Observant. "Than twenty síll | y dúcking 6b | servánts.”
“Than |
Lear, ii. 2. 109.
Perséver-"Ay, dó, | perséver, counterféit | sad looks."
M. N. D. iii. 2. 236; d. IV. iii. 7. 31; K. 7. ii. 1. 421;
Hamlet, i. 2. 92.
This is the Latin accent in accordance with Ben Jonson's rule.
Bóunty, | persév | (e)rance, mér | cy, lów | linėss.”
Macbeth, v. 3. 93.
Perspective.A. W. v. 3. 48; Rich. II. ii. 2. 18.
The double accent seems to have been disliked by the Eliza-
bethans. They wrote and pronounced "muleters" for "muleteers,"
enginer" (Hamlet, iii. 4. 206) for " engineer," "pioners" for
pioneers." This explains:
Pioners.-"A worth | y pioner. | Once more | remóve, | good
friends."Hamlet,
-Hamlet, i. 5. 162.
Plebeians (almost always).
"The pléb | eiáns | have gót | your fél | low-tribune."
Coriol. v. 4. 39; i. 9. 7, &c.
This explains
"Let them have cúsh | ions bý you. | You're pléb | ciáns.”
Ib. iii. 1. 101.
Exceptions: Hen. V. v. Chorus, 27; T. . i. 1. 231.
So "Epicurean" in Elizabethan authors and A. and C. ii. 1. 21
The Elizabethans generally did not accent the e in such words.
396
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Pursuit.
--
"In púr suit óf | the thing | she would have stáy."
Sonn. 143
"We trí | fle tíme. | I prí | thee púr | sue sentence.
"}
M. of V. iv. 1. 298.
Purveyor.-"To bé | his púr | veyór: | but hé | rides wéll."
Macbeth, i. 6. 22.
Quintessence. Téaching áll that | réad to | knów
The quint | essence of év | ery spríte."-A. Y. L. iii. 2. 147.
| |
"To bé | spoke tó | but by | the ré | cordér."
Rich. III. iii. 7. 30.
Récordér (?).
So also Walker, who quotes from DONNE's Satires, v. 248, Ed.
1633:
"Recorder to Destiny on earth, and she."
But this line might be scanned otherwise.
Rélapse:—“Kílling | in ré | lapse óf | mortál | itý."
Hen. V. iv. 3. 107.
Rhéumatic.—“ O'erwórn, | despís | ed, rhéu | matic, | and óld.”
V. and A. 135; M. N. D. ii. 1. 105.
"These prág | matic | young mén | at théir | own weapons,
B. J.
So
"}
Sécure.-"Upón | my sé | cure hóur | thy ún | cle stóle."
Hamlet, i. 5. 61; Othello, iv. 1. 72.
Séquester'd." Why are you sé | questér'd | from áll | your tráin ?"
T. A ii. 3. 75.
Successor (rare).
"For being not própp'd by án | cestrý | whose gráce
Chalks successors their way, nor cáll'd | upón," &c.
Hen. VIII. i. 1. 60.
Successive (rare).- -"Are nów | to have no succ | essive | degrées."
Towards (sometimes).
M. for M. ii. 2. 98.
"And shall contín | ue our grác | es tó | wards him.”
Macbeth, i. 6. 30.
“I gó, | and tó | wards thrée | or fóur | o'clock."
Rich. III. iii. 5. 101.
Compare "Should, like | a swáll | ow préy | ing tó | wards stórms."
B. J. Poetast. iv. 7.
“O'the plague, | he's safe | from think | ing tó | ward Lóndon.”
B. J. Alchemist, i. 1.
VERSES.
397
So, perhaps,
"I ám infórmed that hé | comes tó | wards London."
| |
3 Hen. VI. iv. 4. 26.
"And tó | ward Lón | don they | do bénd | their course."
Rich. III. iv. 5. 14.
U'tensils (perhaps).
"He has brave utensils; for so he calls them."
Without.-See 457a.
Temp. iii. 2. 104.
The English tendency, as opposed to the Latin, is illustrated by
the accentuation of the first syllable of "ígnominy," and its con-
sequent contraction into "ignomy" (1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 100, &c.).
VERSES.
493. A proper Alexandrine with six accents, such as-
"And now | by winds | and wáves | my life | less límbs | are
tóssed, DRYDEN.
Į
is seldom found in Shakespeare.
494. Apparent Alexandrines. The following are Alexan-
drines only in appearance. The last foot contains, instead of one
extra syllable, two extra syllables, one of which is slurred (see
467-9):-
"The numbers of our hóst | and máke | discovery (dis-
cov'ry)."—Macbeth, v. 4. 6.
"He thinks me nów | incáp | ablé; | confederates.”
Tempest, i. 2. 111.
"In vír | tue thán | in vén | geance: they | being pénitent.”
Ib. v. 1. 28.
"And more | divérs | itý | of sounds | all horrible.”—Ib. 235.
'In bítt | ernéss. | The cómm | on éx | ecutioner."
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 3.
"I see no more | in yóu | than in | the ordinary."—Ib. 42.
|
"Were rich and hón | ourable; | besides | the gentlemen."
T. G. of V. iii. 1. 64.
"Which since I have steád | ed múch; | so, óf | his gentle-
ness. -Temp. i. 2. 165; Rich. III. v. 3. 245; Hen. V.
ii. 2. 71.
"}
For the contraction of "gentleman" to gentl'man," or even
"genman," see 461.
398
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Are you not grieved that A'r thur is his prisoner
(468)?"—K. 7. iii. 4. 123.
"And I'must frée | ly háve | the hálf | of anything."
M. of V. iii. 2. 251.
"To másk❘ thy mónst | rous vísage. | Seek nóne | con
spiracy.”—J. C. ii. 1. 81.
"Had he been váng | u(i)sher, ás, | bý the same cove
nant."―Hamlet, i. 1. 93.
"My lord, I cáme | to sée | your fá | ther's funeral."
Ib. i. 2. 176.
"Untáint | ed, ún | exám | in'd, frée, | at liberty."
Rich. III. iii. 6. 9.
"And só | doth mine. | I múse | why she's | at liberty."
So, perhaps,
Ib. i. 3. 305.
From tóo | much lí | bertý, | my Lú | cio, liberty."
2. 129.
وو
M. for M.
"A'bsolute Mí | lan. Mé, | poor mán, | my library.
Tempest, i. 2. 109.
"Shall sée | advánt | ageá | ble fór | our dignity."
unless "advántage | able fór | .”
Hen. V. v. 2. 88.
495. Sometimes the two syllables are inserted at the end of the
third or fourth foot--
"The flúx of cómpany. | Anón | a cáre | less hérd."
A. Y. L. ii. I. 52.
"To cáll for récompense; | appéar | it tó | your mind."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 3.
"Is not so éstima | ble, pró | fitá | ble néither.
"O'erbéars your ófficers; the ráb |
M. of V. i. 3. 167.
ble cáll | him lórd.”
Hamlet, iv. 5. 102.
"To mé invéterate, | héarkens | my brother's súit."
Temp. i. 2. 122.
"With áll | prerógative. | Hénce his | ambít | ion grówing.
Ib. i. 2. 105.
"
"In báse | appliance(s) (471). | This out | ward sáint | ed
députy (468)."-M. for M. iii. 1. 89.
"Than wé | bring mén | to comfort them ('em). | The fault's Į
your own."--Tempest, ii. 1. 134-5.
VERSES.
399
496. In other cases the appearance of an Alexandrine arises from
the non-observance of contractions-
"I dáre | abíde | no lónger (454). | Whither (466) should |
I flý?"—Macbeth, iv. 2. 73.
"She lé | vell'd át | our púr | pose(s) (471), £nd, | being (470)
royal."-A. and C. v. 2. 339.
"All mortal cónse | quence(s) (471) háve | pronounced | me
thús.”—Macbeth, v. 3. 5.
"As mísers dó | by béggars (454); | neither (466) gáve |
to mé."-Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 142.
497. Apparent Alexandrines. The following can be ex-
plained by the omission of unemphatic syllables :-
Hor. Háil to your lordship. |
Ham.
|
I am (I'm) glád | to sée | you wéll."
Hamlet, i. 2. 160.
'Whereóf he is the (he's th') héad; | then if he says he
loves you."-Ib. i. 3. 24.
"Thou art swórn | as déeply | to (t') efféct | what wé |
inténd."-Rich. III. iii. I. 158.
"I had thought, | my lórd, | to have learn'd | his health |
of you."-Rich. II. ii. 3. 24.
"That trace him | in his (in's) líne. | No boast | ing like
| a fool."-Macbeth, iv. 1. 153.
"In séeming to augmént | it wástes | it. Bé | advís'd."
Hen. VIII. i. 1. 145.
"When mír(a) | cles háve | by the great | est béen | denied."
A. W. ii. 1. 144.
"Persuades me it is (t's) otherwise; | howe'er it bé."
Rich. III. ii. 2. 29.
"A worthy off (i)cer | i' the war, | but in | solént."
Coriol. iv. 6. 30.
"I promise you I' am ('m) | afráid | to héar | you tell it.
Tb. i. 4. 65.
"Come, sister, cóusin | I would ('ld) sáy,
mé."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 105.
|
pray pár | don
“That_máde | them dó it ('t). | They are (re) wise | ana
hón (ou)ráble."-7. C. iii. 2. 218.
"With all preróg(a)tive; ¦ hénce his | ambít | ion grów.
ing."-Tempest, i. 2. 105.
"Mine éyes even sóc | iablé | to the show | of thíne."
Ib. v. 1. 63.
I.
400
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"As great | to mé | as láte ; | and suppórt | ablé.”
Temp. v. I. 146
unless "supportable" can be accented on the first.
"Ostentation" is perhaps for "ostention" (Walker), and "the "
is "th'," in
"The ostentation of our love which, left unshown."
A. and C. iii. 6. 52.
"Is" ought probably to be omitted in
"With gól | den chéru | bims (is) frétted; | her án | diróns."
Cymb. ii. 4. 88.
| here—what's | her
"So saucy with the hand | of shé
náme?”—A. and C. iii. 13. 98.
"Come Lám | mas éve | at night | shall she bé | fourtéen.'
R. and F. i. 3. 17.
J.
“Of óffic(467) | er, (465) and óff | ice sét | all hearts | in the
(i' th') státe.' Tempest, i. 2. 84.
"Uncouple (465) in the (i' th') wést | ern váll | ey, lét | them
gó. "-M. N. D. iv. J. 112.
"Cóme to one márk; as mány | ways méet in | one
town."-Hen. V. i. 2. 208.
"Verbátim to rehearse | the méth | od óf | my pén.
1 Hen. VI. iii. 1. 13.
"
The following is intended to be somewhat irregular :
“Now bý | mine hón | our, bý | my life, | by my tróth.
Rich. II. v. 2. 78.
We must probably scan as an ordinary line,
"That seeming | to be most which wé | indéed | least áre,"
T. of Sh. v. 2. 175.
since it rhymes with an ordinary line,
“Our strength | as weak, | our weakness pást | compáre."
The following can be explained by the quasi-omission of unem-
phatic syllables:
Awáy though párt | ing bé | a dréad | ful córr(o)sive."
2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 403.
'Córrosive," as in 1 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 3, is accented on the first,
and here pronounced "corsive."
"Bút with a knáve of cómm | on híre, | a gónd(o)lier.'
Othello, i. I. 126.
"Our" is not a dissyllable, but "ag'd" is a monosyllable in
"But love, dear lóve, | and óur | ag'd fá | ther's right.
Lear, iv. 4. 28
VERSES,
401
So perhaps
"An ág'd | intér | pretér | though young | in years."
T. of A. v. 3. 6
498. Alexandrines doubtful. There are several apparent
Alexandrines, in which a shortening of a preposition would reduce
the line to an ordinary line. "Upon," for instance, might lose its
prefix, like "gainst" for "against."
To look | upon my sóme | time más | ter's róy | al fáce."
Rich. II. ii. 5. 75.
"Forbids to dwell upon; yét | remé.n | ber this."
1
Rich. III. v. 3. 239.
whiles a more fróst | y
M. for M. i. 4. 5.
Upon our house('s) (471) thátch,
people.”—Hen. V. iii. 5. 24.
Upon the sisterhood, | the vó | tarists óf | St. Cláre."
"Brut. "Is like | to lay upon us (on's).
Cass.
|
I'm glad that mý | weak words."
F. C. i. 2. 176.
"Is góne | to práy | the hó | ly kíng | upon his (on's) áid."
Macbeth, iii. 6. 30.
So "to" (or "in," 457a) in "into may be dropped in
"Fall into the cóm | pass óf | 2 præ' | muníre."
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 340.
"The watches | on únto | mine éyes | the óut | ward wátch."
Rich. II. v. 4. 52.
"Ráther a ditch | in Egypt
(?)
Be gentle grave unto me. Ráther on Ni | lus' múd."
A. and C. v. 2. 58.
Gentle" is a quasi-monosyllable, see 465; "rather," see 466.
So Walker reads "to" for "unto" in
"Unto a poor, but worth y gént | lemán. | She's
wédded, "-Cymb. i. 1. 7.
and observes, "Unto and into have elsewhere, I think, taken the
place of to."
Perhaps the second line of the rhyming couplet is purposely
lengthened in
In
"I'am for the air; this night | I'll spend
Un'to | a dís | mal ánd | a fát | al énd."-Macb. iii. v. 21.
"Better to leave undone, than by our deed
Acquire too high a fame when him we serve's away,"
D D
A. and C iii. 1. 15
402
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
we might arrange
"Better léave | undóne, | than bý | our déed | acquire."
Or the latter line might be (but there is not pause enough to
make it probable) a trimeter couplet. (See 501.)
"At Má | rián | a's house | to-night. | Her cáuse | and yours,"
M. for M. iv. 3. 145.
must be an Alexandrine, unless in the middle of the line "Mariana"
can be shortened like "Marian," as "Helena" becomes "Helen "
(M. N. D. i. 1. 208). Compare
“For Már | iana's sáke: | but ás | he adjúdg'd | your brother.”
M. for M. v. I. 408.
The following seem pure Alexandrines, or nearly so, if the text
be correct :-
"How dares (499) | thy hársh | rude tóngue | sound this |
unpléasing news."-Rich. II. iii. 4. 74.
Suspicion, áll | our lives, | shall bé | stuck full of eyes.
1 Hen. IV. v. 2. 8.
"A chér | ry líp, | a bón | ny éye, | a páss | ing pléas | ing
tongue. "Rich. III. i. 1. 94.
"To the young Ró | man bóy | she hath sóld | me ánd |
I fáll.”—A. and C. iv. 12. 48.
"And thése | does shé | applý | for wárn | ings ánd | por-
ténts.". C. iii. 1. 23.
This is the Shakespearian accent of "portent" (490), but perhaps
ઃઃ and" should be omitted.
"Out of a great | deal óf | old ír | on I' | chose fórth."
I Hen. VI. i. 2. 101.
It is needless to say that Shakespeare did not write this line,
whether it be read thus or
Out of a great déal | of old | iron I' | chose forth."
In ""Tis hé that sént | us híth | er nów | to slaugh | ter thée,"
Rich. III. i. 4. 250.
"hither" (466) may be a monosyllable, and then we can read
“"Tis hé | that sént us | .'
""
The latter line in the following couplet seems to be an Alex-
andrine :
"Of what it is not: thén, | thrice-grác | ious quéen,
More than your lord's | depárt | ure wéep | not: móre's
not séen."-Rich. II. ii. 2. 25, v. 4. 110.
VERSES.
403
Sometimes apparent Alexandries will be reduced to ordinary
lines, if exclamations such as "O," "Well," &c. be considered
(512) as detached syllables.
"Vol. That they | combine | not thére. |
Cor.
Men.
(Tush, tush!)
A good demánd.”
Coriol. iii. 2. 45.
(Well,) | O'n to
the márk | et pláce."
"Coriol. The óne | by the other. |
Com.
Ib. iii. 1. 112.
"Sic. 'Tis hé, | 'tis hé: |(0,) he's grówn | most kind | of
láte."-Ib. iv. 6. 11.
Upón | the Brit | ish párty. | (0,) untíme | ly death."
Lear, iv. 6. 25.
In the last two examples "O" might coalesce with the following
vowel. But see also 503 and 512.
499. Apparent Alexandrines are sometimes regular verses of
hve accents preceded or followed by a foot, more or less isolated,
containing one accent.
“¡Shall I) With bated breath and whispering humbleness
||
Say this. Fair sír, | you spít | on mé | on Wéd | nesday
lást."—M. of V. i. 3. 126.
"Have I || No friend | will rid | me óf | this lív | ing féar?"
Rich. II. v. 4. 2.
The "No" is emphatic, and there is a slight pause after "I.”
Whip him, || Were't twén | ty óf | the great | est tríb | u-
táries."—A. and C. iii. 13. 96.
"Come, cóme, || No more | of thís | unpróf | itá | ble chát.'
x Hen. IV. iii. 1. 63.
"There cannot be those numberless offences
'Gáinst me, || that I'| cannót | take péace | with: nó |
black énvy."-Hen. VIII. ii. 1. 85.
"A's you are cért | ainlý | a gén | tlemán, || thereto,
Clerk-like | expéri | énced."—W. T. i. 2. 391.
'Besides, || I like | you nót. | I'f you | will knów | my house."
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 74.
"Which to dený | concerns | móre than | aváils,
For as thy brát | hath béen | cast out | like to | itself."
W. T. iii. 2. 87.
Wére there
'Twere néed
"Só it should nów,
necéss | itý | in your requést, || although
ful I' denied it.”—75. i. 2. 22.
|
DD 2
404
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
"Máking | práctis'd smiles
I
A's in a look | ing gláss, | and then | to sigh, || as 'twére
The mort o' the déer."-W. T. i. 2. 117.
The context might perhaps justify a pause after "well" in
"Flor. To háve | them ré | compénsed | as thought | on.
Cam.
||
Well, my lord.'
W. T. iv. 4. 532.
But better "To have them (ť have 'em) ré | compénsed."
"His training such
|
That he may fúrnish and instruct | great teachers,
And név er séek | for áid | óut of | hinsélf.
Yet see," &c. -Hen. VIII. i. 2. 114.
||
Do something míng | le with our younger brown,
Whát, girl! | though gréy
|| yet há' we
A bráin," &c.-A. and C. iv. 8. 21.
"A cértain number,
Though thanks | to áll, | múst I select | from áll. The
rést
Shall béar," | &c. -Coriol. i. 6. 81; i. 7. 2.
"And the buildings of my fancy.
Only-
There's one thing wanting which I doubt not but."
Ib. ii. 1. 216.
Collier transposes "only" and "but " to the respectively follow-
ing lines.
The line
"So to esteem of us and on our knees we beg,"
ought probably to be arranged thus:
So
"Só to estéem of ús, and ón | our knées
|
We bég as ré | compénse | of our | dear sérvices (471).”
W. T. ii. 3. 150.
"Whom I' with thís | obé | dient stéel, | three inches (471)
of it."-Temp. ii. 1. 283; i.e. "three ínch of't."
So transpose "tis,” i. e. "it is," to the preceding line in
“York. I féar, | I féar,— |
Duch
What should you féar? |
('Tis) Nothing bút | some bónd that hé is
|
into."-Rich. II. v. 2. 65.
"I do" must be omitted (456) before "beseech you" in
It is
ént | er'd
énter'd
"(I do) beseech | you, pár | don mé, | I máy | not show it.
Go Cymb. 1. 6. 48.
lb. 70.
VERSES.
405
500. Trimeter Couplet. Apparent Alexandrines are often
couplets of two verses of three accents each. They are often thus
printed as two separate short verses in the Folio. But the degree
of separateness between the two verses varies greatly. Thus
perhaps―
"Whére it | may sée | itsélf; || this is not stránge | at áll."
Tr. and Cr. iii. 3. 111.
"That has he knows | not whát. || Náture, | what things |
there áre."—Ib. iii. 3. 127.
And certainly in the following:
"Anne. I would | I knew | thy heart. || Glou. 'Tis fíg | ured ín |
my tongue.
Anne. I féar me bóth | are false. || Glou. Then név | er mán¦
was true.
Anne. Well, wéll, | put úp | your swórd. || Glou. Say then |
my péace is made."-Rich. III. i. 2. 193.
"Ful. I would | I knew | his mind. || Luc. Perúse | this pá | per,
mádam.
Jul. ‘To Jú | lia.’ Sáy, | from whóm? | Luc. Thát the |
conténts will shéw.
Jul. Say, sáy, | who gave | it thée ?"-T. G. of V. i. 2. 33-7.
"Luc. Go tó; 'tis well; | away! || Isab. Heaven keep your
hón our safe. M. for M. ii. 2. 156.
"Isab. Shall I attend | your lordship? || A. At án | y tíme |
'fore noon."-Ib. 160-9; ii. 4. 104, 141.
"Ros. The hour | that fools | should ásk. || B. Now fáir | befáll |
your másk.
Ros. Fair fall | the fáce | it covers. || B. And sénd | you má | ny
lóvers."-L. L. L. ii. I. 123.
"Ang. Why dóst | thou ásk | again? | Prov. Lést I might
bé too rásh.
Prov. Repént | ed ó’er | his dóom. || Ang. Go tó, | let thát
be mine!
Ang. And you | shall well be spáred. || Prov. I cráve | your
honour's párdon.”—M. for M. ii. 2. 9-12; Othello, iii. 3.
28-31; Temp. iii. 1. 31, 59.
Shakespeare seems to have used this metre mostly for rapid
dialogue and retort. But in the ghost scene in Hamlet:
"Ghost. To whát | I shall | unfold. ||
Ham.
Speak; I'am bound to béar."
Hamlet C. 8.
406
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
501. The trimeter couplet, beside being frequent in dialogue,
is often used by one and the same speaker, but most frequently in
comic, and the lighter kind of serious, poetry. It is appropriate
for Thisbe:
"Most rád | iant Pý | ramús, || most lil | y-white | of húe."
M. N. D. iii. 1. 94, 97.
And for Pistol, when he rants:
"An oath of mick | le míght; || and fú | ry sháll | abáte.”
Hen. V. ii. 1. 70, 44; ii. 3. 4, 64; v. I. 93.
"He is not vẻ | ry táll : || yet fór | his years | he's táll."
A. Y. L. iii. 5. 118.
|| trávell | ers ne'er | did
"And 'I'll be swórn | 'tis trúe:
lie."-Temp. iii. 2. 26.
1
Coy looks with heart- | sore síghs; || one fád | ing mó-
ment's mirth."-T. G. of V. i. 1. 30.
í.
"He would have giv'n | it you,|| but I' | being in | the way
Did in your name | receive it: párdon | the fault, | I
pray."-Ib. 39, 40.
"A frée- | stone cól | our'd hánd; || I vér | ilý | did think.
"Then let's make háste | away,
máin.". -2 Hen. VI. i. 1. 208.
A. Y. L. iv. 3. 25.
and look | untó | the
"Am I not witch'd like hér? | Or thóu | not fálse |
like him?"—Ib. iii. 2. 119.
Why ring not out the bélls || aloud | throughout | the
town?"-1 Hen. VI. i. 6. 12.
"As 'th ióp | ian's tooth, || ór the | fann'd snów | that's
bólted." W. T. iv. 4. 375.
"This páus inglý | ensued. || Néither the king | nor's
páusinglý
heirs."-Hen. VIII. i. 2. 168.
"The mónk might bé | deceiv'd; || and thát | 'twas
dáng(e) | rous fór him."—Ib. 179.
"Anón expéct him
| |
hére; || but if she bé | obdú-
rate (490)."-Rich. III. iii. 1. 39.
This metre is often used by the Elizabethan writers in the transla-
tion of quotations, inscriptions, &c. It is used for the inscriptions
the caskets:
"Who chóos | eth mé | shall gáin || what mán |y mén |
desire.
Who chóoseth mé | must give and ház | ard áll | he
háth."--M. of V. ii. 7. 5. 9.
VERSES.
407
In the pause between a comparison and the fact such a couplet
may be expected.
"A's | Ené as díd
The old | Anchí | ses béar, || so fróm | the waves of Tiber
Did I' the tír | ed Cæ'sar."-7. C. i. 2. 114.
"To have what wé | would have, 1, we speak | not whát | we
méan."-M. for M. ii. 4. 118.
Sometimes the first trimeter has an extra syllable, which takes the
place of the first syllable of the second trim eter.
"Shall there by bé | the swéeter. | Reá | son thús | with
life."-M. for M. iii. 1. 5.
"Envél | ope yóu, | good Próvost! | Whó | call'd hére | of
láte?"-Ib. iv. 2. 78.
"Mátters of néed | ful value. | Wé | shall write to you."
Ib. i. 1. 56.
Sometimes the first trimeter, like the ordinary five-accent verse,
has an extra syllable. In the following examples the two verses are
clearly distinct. They might almost be regarded as separate lines of
three accents rather than as a couplet :
"Hypér | ion tó | a sátyr. | So lóv | ing tó | my mother."
Hamlet, i. 2. 140.
"For énding thée | no sóoner. Thou hást | nor youth |
nor áge."-M. for M. iii. 1. 32.
"That I'am touch'd with mádness. Make nót | im-
póssiblé."-Ib. v. I. 51. (But? 494.)
"Ariel. And dó | my spírit | ing gently.
Prosp.
Do so, and áfter | two days."
Tempest, i. 2. 298.
"Belów | their cób | bled shoes. ||
They say
there's gráin | enough.'
Coriol. i. 1. 200.
502. The comic trimeter, In the rhyming parts of the
Comedy of Errors and Love's Labour Lost, there is often great irre-
gularity in the trimeter couplet. Many of the feet are trisyllabic,
and one-half of the verse aiffers from the other. Often the first half
is trochaic and the second iambic.
“Ant. E. Wherefore? | fór my | dinner : || I have | not dín'd
to-day."-C. of E. iii. 1. 40.
"Ant. E. Do you | héar, you | mínion? || You'll let us in, '
I hópe.”Ib. 54.
408
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
In the following, the former half is iambic and the latter
anapastic:
"Thou wouldst have chang'd | thy fáce | for a náme, or
thy náme for an áss."-C. of E. iii. 1. 47.
And conversely :
"It would máke | a man mád | as a buck || to bé | so bought |
and sóld."—Ib. 72.
There are often only five accents.
"Bal. Good méat, sir, | is cómmon: | that é | very chúrl |
affórds.
Ant. E. And welcome | möre cómměn ; | for thát | is nó
thing but words.”—Ib. iii. 1. 24, 25.
Sometimes it is hard to tell whether the verse is trisyllabic with
four accents, or dissyllabic with five.
"Have át | you with | a próverb- | Shall I' | set ín | my staff?”
Ib. 51.
may be scanned with six accents, but the line to which it rhymes
seems to have four:
"And só tell your máster. | O Lórd, | I must laugh,"
|
and the following line also:
Ib. 50.
"Have at you | with another; that's whén | can you téll,"
and it is therefore possible that we ought to accent thus:
Ib. 52.
“ Have at yoú | with a próverb- | Shall I sét | in my stáff?”
503. Apparent trimeter couplets. Some apparent trimeter
couplets are really ordinary dramatic lines.
For example, in the last line but two of 501 (M. for M. v. i. 51),
"impossible" may easily be one foot with two superfluous syllables.
It is often a matter of taste which way to scan a line, but it must
be borne in mind, that the trimeter couplet is rarely used to ex-
press intense emotion. Hence in an impassioned address like that
of Henry V. at Harfleur, we should probably read
"
Defý us to our worst: | for ás | I ám | a sóldier,'
Hen. V. iii. 3. 5.
or, better (479), "for as 'I'm | a sól | diér.”
So “And wél | come, Somerset; | I hóld | it ców | ardíce.”
3 Hen. VI. iv. 2. 7
VERSES,
409
Or, less probably. "Sómersét
"cówardice" (470) one.
་་
may have two accents and
As children from a béar, | the Vóls | ces shúnning him."
Coriol. i. 3. 34.
"So tédiously | away. | The póor | condém | ned E'nglish.'
Hen. V. iv. Prol. 221; but ib. 28 is a trimeter couplet.
"And húgg'd me | in his árm | and kind | ly kiss'd my
chéek."-Rich. III. ii. 2. 24.
"Than thát | míx'd in | his cheek. 'Twas júst | the díf
f(e)rence."-A. Y. L. iii. 5. 122.
"He is ('s) my broth | er tóo. | But fitt | er tíme | for thát."
M. for M. v. I. 498.
"And not the pún(i)sh. | ment; therefore, | indéed | my
father."-M. for M. i. 3. 39.
The following are doubtful, but probably ordinary lines:
"I knów him as myself, | fór from | our in | fancy."
T. G. of V. ii. 3. 62.
Or "infancy" may have only one accent (467).
Máy a | free fáce, | put ón, | derive | a liberty.”
'Either" may be a monosyllable (see 466) in
In
"" on
W. T. i. 2. 112.
"Your sénse | pursúes | not mine: | either you | are ignorant.
""
M. for M. ii. 4. 74.
"For ín | equál(i)ty: | but lét | your réa | son sérve."
"Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony,"-A. and C. iv. 6. 12.
Ib. v. 1. 65.
may be transposed to the second line; or, considering the
licence attending the use of names and the constant dropping of
prefixes, we might perhaps read "Aléxas | did (re)vólt | .”
In “Cálls her | a nón | paréil; | I né | ver sáw | a woman,"
|
Temp. iii. 2. 108.
though it is against Shakespearian usage to pronounce "non-pareil'
a dissyllable, as in Dorsetshire, "a núnprel apple," yet Caliban
here may be allowed to use this form. I believe " nonp❜rel type "
is still a common expression.
Sometimes an exclamation, as "O," gives the appearance of a
trimeter couplet :
"For the best hópe | I have. | (0,) do not wish | one
móre."-Hen. V. iv. 3. 33.
See also 498 ad fin.
410
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
504. The verse with four accents is rarely used by Shake.
speare, except when witches or other extraordinary beings are intro-
duced as speaking. Then he often uses a verse of four accents
with rhyme.
"Double, double, | tóil and | trouble,
Fire | búrn and cauldron | búbble."-Macbeth, iv. 1. 20.
The iambic metre in such lines is often interchanged with the
trochaic :
Iambic
*
Trochaic
'He who the sword of heav'n will béar
Should be as hó | ly ás | sevére:
Páttern in him | sélf to | knów,
Gráce to stánd and | virtue | gó."
M. for M. iii. 2. 274–8.
(The last line means "he ought to have grace for the purpose of
standing upright, and virtue [for the purpose of] walking in the
straight path." "Go" is often used for "walk." "To" is omitted
before "go.")
Sometimes in the same couplet we find one line iambic and the
other trochaic:
“ And hére | the mái| den sléep | ing sound
O'n the dánk and dirty | ground."-M. N. D. ii. 2. 74-5.
| |
It would be, perhaps, more correct to say that both lines are
trochaic, but in one there is an extra syllable at the beginning, as
well as at the end. So apparently
This is hé my | máster | sáid,
I
|
(De)spised thé A | thénian | máid.”—M. N. D. 72-3 :
but the prefix "de-" might (460) be dropped.
So
'(De)spísed | ín na | tív | i | tý
Shall up on their children | bé."-Ib. v. i. 420.
There is difficulty in scanning
Prétty soul, she | dúrst not | lie
Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy."-Ib. 76-7.
:
It is of course possible that "kill-curt'sy" may have the accent
on the first but thus we shall have to accent the first "this" and
"love" with undue emphasis. It is also more in Shakespeare's
manner to give "courtesy" its three syllables at the end of a
line. I therefore scan
(Near this) láck-love, this kill | cóurte | sý."
*The words "iambic " and "trochaic" here and elsewhere refer to accent
cot quantity.
VERSES.
411
Perhaps, however, as in Macbeth, iii. 5. 34, 35, and ? 21, a verse
of five accents is purposely introduced.
505. Lines with four accents are, unless there is a pause in
the middle of the line, very rare. The following, however, seem to
have no more than four accents:
|
"Let's éach one sénd | únto | his wife."-T. of Sh. v. 2. 66.
"No worse than I' | upon sóme | agreément."—Ib. iv. 4. 83.
"He shall you find | réady and willing.”—Ib. 34.
"The match is máde, | and áll | is dóne."—Ib. 46.
"Go fool, and whóm | thou kéep'st | commánd.”
Ib. ii. 1. 259.
The frequent recurrence of these lines in the Taming of the Shrew
will not escape notice.
"And put yourself | únder | his shrówd." (? corrupt.)
A. and C. iii. 13. 71.
"A lád | of life, | an ímp | of fáme.”
Hen V. iv. 1. 45 (Pistol).
"We knew not
The doctrine óf | ill-dóing, | nor dréam'd
That any did."-W. T. i. 2. 70
"Go tell your cousin | and bring
me word."
1 Hen. IV. v. I. 109.
"For áught I knów, | my lord, | they dó."
But perhaps the lines may be arranged :
Aum.
Rich. II. v. I. 53.
For áught I knów,
You will be thére, I knów.
My lord, they dó. |
York.
Aum. If Gód | prevént | (it) nét, | I púrpose | só.”
"With "
may be, perhaps (457), transposed to the former of the
following verses, thus:
"With ád | orá | tions, fér | tile té | ars, (480) with
Gróans (484) that thún der love,
| | |
with sighs | of fire."
7. N. i. 5. 274.
But the enumerative character of the verse (509) may justify it as
it stands.
It is difficult to scan
"Lock'd in her monument. She had a prophesying fear,"
A. and C. iv. 14. 120
without making the latter portion a verse of four accents.
412
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
(Perhaps
Į
"Lóck'd in her món(u) | ment. She'd | a próphe | sying féar,'
making "sying" a monosyllable like "being," "doing." See 470.)
'Should fróm | yond cloúd | spéak di | vine things.
Coriol. iv. 5. 110.
But I should prefer
"If Jupiter
""
Should, from yond cloud, | speak di | vine things | and say
"'Tis trúe,'-| (507) I'd nót | believe them móre
|
Than thée, | all-nó | ble Március.
>>
Shakespeare would have written "things divine," not "divine
things" at the end of a verse. (See 419, at end.)
"Is not much míss'd | bút with | his friends."-Coriol. iv. 6. 13.
"Befóre | the kings | and quéens | of Fránce."
1 Hen. VI. i. 6. 27.
"And éven | these thrée | days háve | I watch'd.
""
Ib. i. 4. 16.
"Here through this gáte | I cóunt | each óne.”—Jb. 60.
"Think not the king | did bán | ish thée,"
Rich. II. i. 3. 279.
is not found in the Folio, which also varies, ib. i. 3. 323; iii. 7. 70.
Perhaps
"They thús diréct | ed, wé | will follow
I'n the main battle | whose púissance | on éi | ther
síde."-Rich. III. v. 3. 298.
(But the second line is harsh, and perhaps part of it ought to
be combined with the first in some way. "Puissance" is a dis-
syllable generally in Shakespeare, except at the end of the line.
I know no instance in Shakespeare where, as in Chaucer,
"battle" is accented on the last. Remembering that ed is often
not pronounced after t and d, we might scan the first line thus, with
three accents:
"They thús | diréct(ed), | we'll follow.")
If "ed" is not pronounced (472) in “divided," that may explain
"The archdea | con háth | divided it."-1 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 72.
The following may seem a verse of four accents:
"Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss. -1 Hen. VI. v. 5. 64.
But contráry" is found in Hamlet, iii. 2. 221. And as "country"
(see 477) is three syllables, so, perhaps, "contrary" is four:
VERSES.
413
"Whereas the cónt | (e)rár | y bring | eth bliss."
A verse of four accents is exceedingly discordant in the formal and
artificial speech of Suffolk, in which this line occurs.
Somewhat similarly, Shakespeare has "cursoráry" for "cursory :"
"I have but with a cursorary eye."-Hen. V. v. 2. 77.
In "Anthony Woodville, her brother there,"-Rich. III. i. 1. 67.
"Woodville" is probably to be pronounced a trisyllable, a semi-
vowel inserting itself between the d and v "Wood-e-ville." The
e final (see 488) wou.d not be sounded before "her."
"Valiant" is a trisyllable in
"Young, váliánt, | wíse, and no doubt | right_royal."
Rich. III. i. 2. 245.
506. Lines with four accents, where there is an inter-
ruption in the line, are not uncommon. It is obvious that
a syllable or foot may be supplied by a gesture, as beckoning, a
movement of the head to listen, ur of the hand to demand attention,
as in
J.
"He's tá'en. | [Shout.]| And hárk, | they shout | for jóy.”
F. C. v. 3. 32.
"Knéel thou | down, Philip. | (Dubs him knight.) | But
ríse more great."-K. 7. i. 1. 161.
Márry to- (Enier O'thello.) | Come, cáp | tain, will |
you gó?”—Othello, i. 2. 53.
Here, however, as in
"A wise | stout cáp | (i)táin, | and sóon | persuaded.”
3 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 30.
“Our cáp | (i)táins, | Macbéth | and Bán | quo? Yés.”
Macbeth, i. 2. 34.
we may scan
"Márry to -Cóme, | cáp(i) | tain, will you go,”
but very harshly and improbably.
"Cass. Flátter | ers!" (Turns tó Brutus.) | Now, Brú | tus,
thánk | yourself."-7. C. v. 1. 45.
An interruption may supply the place of the accent :
"And falls on th' óth | er- -(Enter Lády Macbeth.)|
How nów, what news?"-Macbeth, i. 7. 28.
The interval between two speakers sometimes justifies the
ɔmission of an accent, even in a rhyming passage of regular lines :
414
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
·
Fairy. Aré not | you hé? | Puck. Thou speak'st | aright,
I am that mér ry wán derer of the night.'
M. N. D. ii. 1. 42
"Mal. As thou | didst léave | it. 'Serg. | Doubtful | it stood."
Macbeth, i. 2. 7.
"Cass. Messá | la! Mess. What says | my gén | erál ?"
"Dun. Who cómes | here?
I.
7. C. v. 1. 70.
Mal. The wórth | y tháne | of
Róss."-M eth i. 2. 45.
"Sic. Without | assistance. | | Men. I think | not só."
Coriol. iv. 6. 33.
The break caused by the arrival of a new-comer often gives rise
to a verse with four accents.
"Than your good words. || But whó | comes hére?"
Rich. II. ii. 3. 20.
'Stands for my bounty. || But whó | comes hére?"
'Agáinst their will. || But whó | comes | hére?"
So, perhaps, arrange
High be our thoughts!
I know my uncle York hath power enough
To sérve our túrn. || But whó | comes
Ib. 67.
16. iii. 3. 19.
here?"
Ib. iii. 2. 90.
It is possible that in some of these lines " comes" should be
pronounced "cometh." "Words," "turn," and "will" might be
prolonged by 485, 486.
507. Lines with four accents where there is a change
of thought are not uncommon. In some cases the line is divided
into two of two accents each, or into one line of three accents, and
another of one.
(1) Change of thought from the present to the future:
Háply you shall not sée | me móre; | or íf,
1
A máng | led shadow. | Perchánce | to-morrow
You'll serve another | máster.”—A. and C. iv. ii. 27.
"I'll send | her straight | away. |'| To-mórrow
I'll' to the wárs: shé to her síng | le sorrow."
A. W. ii. 3. 313.
"Fresh kings are cóme | to Troy. |'| To-mórrow
We múst with áll | our main of power | stand fást."
|
Tr. and Cr. ii. 2. 272.
VERSES.
445
(2) From a statement to an appeal, or vice versa.
"You have not sought it. |'| How cómes | it then?"
I Hen. IV. v. I. 27.
Unless "comes" is "cometh."
See 506 at end.
"Lórd of his reason. |'| Whát though you fléd?"
1
A. and C. iii. 13. 4.
(I do not remember an instance of "ré | asón." See, however, 479.)
"Come híth | er, cóunt. |'| Do you (d you) knów |
these women?"-A. W. v. 3. 165.
Perhaps
But possibly :
women ?"
"Come hither, cóu | nt (486).
Dó | you knów | these
Rich. II. iii. 4. 24.
"But stay. Here cómes (Fol.) | the gár | denérs."
("gårdeners" may have but one accent.)
"Never | believe | me. ' | Bóth are | my kinsmen."
The pause may account for
Ib. ii. 2. 111.
"As he would draw it. |'| Long stáy'd | he só."
Hamlet, ii. 1. 91.
(As ed is pronounced after i and u, so it might be after y in
stayed," but the effect would be painful.)
"Which has no need of you.
Begone,
>>
!
is the best way of arranging A. and C. iii. 11. 10.
"And léave eighteen. |'| Alás, poor | princess."
Cymbeline. ii. I. 61.
"A prince's courage. |'| Away, | I prithee.'
>>
Cymb. iii. 4. 187.
“Lét us | withdraw. |' | 'Twill bé | a stórm."
(3) Hence after vocatives:
“ Titus, |'|I (am)'m cóme | to talk
| |
Lear, ii. 4. 290.
with thée.”
T. A. v. 2. 16.
“Géntle | men, '| impórt | une mé | no fúrther."
T. of Sh. i. 1. 48.
“ Géntle | men,' | that I' | may sóon | make good."—Ib. 74.
“Gentle | men, '| contént | ye, 'I'm | resolved."—Ib. 90.
“Gentle | men, will you go mús | ter mén ?"
Rich. II. ii. 2. 108.
410
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
RAMMAR
"Gentle | men, go mús | ter úp | your mén."
Rich. II. ii. 2. 118
"Good Már | garét. | Rún | thee to the párlour.'
Either a pause may explain
M. Ado, iii. 1. 1.
But téll | me, ' | is young | Géorge Stán | ley living?”
Rich. III. v. 5. 9
or George" (485) may be a quasi-dissyllable.
508. A foot or syllable can be omitted where there is any
marked pause, whether arising from (1) emotion, (2) antithesis, oi
(3) parenthesis, or (4) merely from the introduction of a relative
clause, or even a new statement.
(1)
"Wére't my fitness
To let these hands | obéy | my blood, |-|
They're apt | enough | to dís | locáte and téar
Thy flesh and bones."-Lear, iv. 2. 64.
"O' | dislóy | al thing
[
That should'st repáir | my youth,
A year's | age on me."-Cymb. i. 1. 132.
thou héap'st
There is an intended solemnity in the utterances of the ghosts in
"Let fáll | thy lánce. |'| Despáir | and díe."
Rich. III. v. 3. 143.
and "Think on | lord Hástings. |'| Despáir | and díe.”—Ib. 148.
(2)
(3)
(4)
"Scarce án y jóy
Did év | er só | long live. | 'No sórrow
But kill'd itself | much sóon | er."-W. T. v. 3. 53.
"He quit his fortunes hére
(Which you | knew great)
"Mark what I sáy, |'| which you | shall find."
ánd to the házard."
Ib. iii. 2. 169.
|
M. for M. iv. 3. 130.
Rich. II. ii. 2. 114.
Perhaps "Is my kíns | man, '| whóm | the king | hath wrong'd,"
in a very irregular passage, part of which is nearly prose.
"I'nto his title | which | the | we find."
1 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 104.
"That shé | did give me, |'| whose pó | sy was.”
·
M. of V. v. I. 148.
"Call our cares féars, which will in time.”
Coriol. iii. 1. 137
VERSES.
417
A
"'Tis súre | enough | —án you | knew how."
T. A. N. I. 95.
pause may, perhaps, be expected before an oath, as in
As yoú | shall give | th' advice. | Bý | the fire
That quickens Egypt's slíme.”—A. and C. i. 3. 68.
(But "vice" or "by" may be prolonged.)
"That mý most jéal | ous ánd | too doubt | ful heart
May live at peace. |'| He shall | concéal it."
1
T. N. iv. 3. 28; Macbeth, i. 5 6.
"To wátch, | poor pérdu!
With this thin hélm. |'| Mine éne | my's dóg,
Though he had bít | me, should have stood | that night
1
A gáinst my fíre."—Lear, iv. 7. 36.
"Last night | 'twas ón | mine árm. |'| I kíss'd it."
(Certainly not "I kiss | ed it.")
Cymb. ii. 3. 151,
"Would then be nothing. |'| Trúths would | be táles."
1
A. and C. ii. 2. 137.
"Póint to rich énds. || This my mean tásk.”
Temp. iii. 1. 4.
"Must give us páuse (484). |'| Thére's the | respect.
>>
Hamlet, iii. 1. 68.
509. Lines with four accents are found where a number
of short clauses or epithets are connected together in one line, and
must be pronounced slowly :
Earth gapes, hell burns, fiends roar, saints pray."
Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit.
Rich. III. iv. 4. 75
>>
3 Hen. VI. i. 2. 43.
The last line is very difficult. And," or a pause equal to
'and," after "witty," would remove the difficulty.
It is remarkable that Shakespeare ventures to introduce such
a line even in a rhyming passage :
Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, all
That happiness and prime can happy call."
A. W. ii. 1. 184.
"Ho! hearts, | tongues, figures, | scribes, bárds, | poéts
cannót
Think, speak, | cast, write, | sing núm | ber, ho!
His love to Antony."--A. and C. iii. 2. 17.
"Is goads, thorns, nettles, tails of wasps."-W. T. i. 2
E E
418
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
(Here, however, "goads" and "thorns" may be prolonged. Sea
484, 485.)
"With that harsh, nó | ble, sím | ple- | nóthing."
| | |
The following occurs amid regular verse:
Cymb. iii. 4. 135.
"These drums! these trumpets! flutes! what."
A. and C. ii. 7. 138.
"When you do dance, I wish you
A wave of the sea, that you might ever do
Nóthing | but thát; | move stíll, | still só."
W. T. iv. 4. 142.
Here still, which means "always," is remarkably emphatic, and
So "til" is a
may, perhaps, be pronounced as a quasi-dissyllable.
monosyllabic foot in CHAUCER, C. 7. 1137.
510. Apparent lines of four accents can sometimes be
explained by giving the full pronunciation to contractions, such as
s for eth, 'd for ed, 'll for will, 've for have, 't for it, &c. ; or they are
lines of three accents with a detached foot.
"Silv. Whát's (is) | your will? |
Prot.
"And wére | the king | on't (of it), |
That I'may cóm | pass yours."
T. G. of V. iv. 2. 92.
what would | I dó?”
Temp. ii. i. 145.
whát | I cán.”
Ib. iv. 4. 47.
"In whát | you pléase. | 'T' (will) | do
1.
"You've ádd | ed wvó | rth (485) ún | to ít | and lústre."
T. of A. i. 2. 154.
"Drive him | to Rö | me; 't (it) | is tíme | we twáin.
""
A. and C. i. 4. 73.
"Whence cóm | est thou? | What would | est thou? | Thy
náme?"-Coriol. iv. 5. 58.
But the pauses between the abrupt questions may be a sufficient
explanation.
"And ne'er (név | er) á | true óne. | In súch | a night."
M. of V. v. 1. 148.
Else 508.
The first "a" may be emphatic, meaning "one."
"Our thighs | páck'd (ed) | with wáx, | our mouths | with
honey.' -2 Hen. IV. iv. 5. 77.
"So múch as lán | k'd (ed) nót. ! 'Tis pít | y of him."
A. and C. i. 4 71.
VERSES.
419
In
"his" in
"Vincént | ió |'s (his) són | brought úp | in Flórence."
"Sal. My lord, I long to hear it at full,”
T. of Sh. i. I. 14.
2 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 6.
""
"at. Com-
"hear" is a dissyllable (485), or "the" omitted after "
pare "atte" in E. E. for "at the."
I feel confident that "but would" must be supplied in
"And what poor duty cannot do, noble respect
Takes it in might, not merit,"—M. N. D. v. 1. 91.
and we must read :
'And what poor duty cannot do, but would,
Noble respect takes not in might but merit.
"And, ere our coming, see thou shake the bags
Of hoarding abbots; imprisoned angels
Set at liberty. The fat ribs of peace
Must by the hungry now be fed upon,”—K. 7. iii. 3. 8.
ought probably to be arranged:
"Of hoarding abbots;
Imprisoned angels set at liberty.
The fat ribs of peace
Must," &c.
Or (Walker) invert "imprisoned angels" and
Arrange thus:
Is not much miss'd,
angels" and "set at liberty.”
"Your Coriolanus
But with his friends. | The cóm | monwealth | doth stánd,
And só would dó, | were hé | more áng | ry át it.”
Similarly
Most certain.
Sist | er, welcome.
:
Pray you | (see 512)
Coriol. iv. 6. 13.
Be év er known | to pát ience, mý | dear'st síster."
So arrange
"That won you without blows.
without
Despising (499),
A. and C. iii. 6. 97.
For you, the city, thus I turn my back."
1
Corto. iii. 3. 133.
I think I have met with this conjecture in some commentator.
EE 2
420
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Cel. Look, whó | comes hére? |
Silv.
My érr | and is | to you:
A. Y. L. iv. 3. 6.
Fair youth (512), j
My gént le Phoe' | be bid | me give | you this."
"Got 'tween | asleep | and wake.
Well, then (512),
Legít(i) | mate E'd | gar, I' | must have | your land.”
“As pearls | from día | monds drópp'd.
In brief (511).”—Lear, iv. 3. 24.
Hen. V. ii. Prologue, 32, is corrupt.
"I live with bread like you :
Lear, i. 2. 15.
Feel want, taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,
How can you say to me I am a king?"-Rich. II. iii. 2. 175.
511. Single lines with two or three accents are fre-
quently interspersed amid the ordinary verses of five accents.
They are, naturally, most frequent at the beginning and end of
a speech.
These lines are often found in passages of soliloquy where passion
is at its height. Thus in the madness of Lear, iv. 6. 112-29, there
are eight lines of three accents, and one of two; and the passage
terminates in prose. And so perhaps we should arrange
"Would use his heav'n for thunder; nothing but thunder!
Merciful heaven (512),
Thou rather with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt
Split'st the unwedgeable and gnarled oak
Than the soft myrtle.
But man, proud man,
Drest in a little brief authority," &c.
M. for M. ii. 2. 110-19.
So in the impassioned speech of Silvius :
"If thou remember'st not the slightest folly.
That ever love did make thee run into,
Thou hast not loved," A. Y. Z. ii. 5. 36.
which is repeated in 1. 39 and 42.
The highest passion of all expresses itself in prose, as in the
fearful frenzy of Othello, iv. 1. 34-44, and Lear, iv. 6. 130.
Rarely we have a short line to introduce the subject.
66 York. Then thus :
Edward the third, my lords, had seven sons.
2 Hen. VI. ii. 2. 9, 10,
VERSES.
421
"Into his ruin'd ears, and thus deliver:
'Henry Bolingbroke,
On both his knees,
"'" &c.-Rich. II. iii. 3. 32.
Ross. (So) That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition.'
"For Cloten .
59
Macbeth, i. 2. 59.
There wants no diligence in seeking him.'-Cymb. iv. 3. 19.
Sometimes the verse (which is often written as prose in the Folio)
closely resembles prose. It is probable that the letter J. C. ii. 3.
1-10 is verse, the last two words, "thy lover, Artemidorus,” being
irregular. So A. Y. L. iii. 2. 268-74.
The irregular lines uttered by Cassius, when he is cautiously
revealing the conspiracy to Casca, looking about to see that he is
not overheard, and also pausing to watch the effect of his words on
Casca, are very natural.
"Unto some monstrous state.
Now could I, Casca, name to thee a man
Most like this dreadful night,
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars.
""
F. C. i. 3. 71-74.
It will also not escape notice that " now could I, Casca," and
“that thunders, lightens," are amphibious sections.
See 513.
The following pause may be explained by the indignation of
Macduff, which Malcolm observes and digresses to appease :
Why in that rawness left you wife and child
Without leave-taking?
I
pray you (512)
Let not my jealousies be your dishonours."
Macbeth, iv. 3. 28.
A pause is extremely natural before Lear's semi-confession of
infirmity of mind :
And, to deal plainly,
I fear I am not in my pérf | ect mind."
Lear, iv. 7. 62.
A stage direction will sometimes explain the introduction of a
short line. The action takes up the space of words, and necessitates
a broken line, thus:
"Mach. This is a sorry sight. [Looking on his hands.]
Lady M. A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight."
Macbeth, ii. 2. 21
422
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Macbeth may be supposed to draw his dagger after the short line:
"As this which nów | I dráw."-Macbeth, ii. 1. 41.
So after Lady Macbeth has openly proposed the murder of
Duncan in the words-
"Oh, never
Shall sun that morrow see,”—Macbeth, i. 5. 62.
she pauses to watch the effect of her words till she continues :
"Your face, my thane, is as a book where men," &c.
The irregular lines in the excited narrative of the battle-
"Like valour's minion, carv'd out his passage
Till he faced the slave," -Macbeth, i. 2. 20 (so ib. 51).
are perhaps explained by the haste and excitement of the speaker.
This is illustrated by
In
Except they ineant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorize another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my wounds cry out for help."
Macbeth, i. 2. 41.
"As cannons overcharged with double cracks; || so they ||
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe,"-Ib. i. 2. 37.
there may be an instance of a short line.
must scan As cánnons | o'ercharged | ."
Such a short line as
Only to herald thee into his sight,
Not pay thee,"-Macbeth, i. 3. 103.
But more probably we
is very doubtful. Read (though somewhat harshly) :
Only to hér(a)ld (463) | thee ín | to's sight, I not pay thee."
So "Lét's (us) | away; | our téars | are not yet bréw'd,”
Macbeth, ii. 3. 129, 130.
and the following lines must be arranged so as to make 1. 132 an
interjectional line.
There is a pause after "but let " in
"But let-
The frame of things | disjoint, | bóth the worlds suffer."
Macbeth, iii. 2. 16; iv. 3. 97.
and in the solemn narrative preparatory to the entrance of the Ghost:
"Last night of all,
When yond same star that's westward from the pole."
Hamlet, i. 1. 35.
VERSES.
423
In
So
"And are upon the Mediterranean flote
Bound sadly home for Naples,
Supposing that they saw the king's ship wreck d
So M. N. D. iii. 2. 49.
Lastly,
If I do fail in fortune of my choice
Temp. i. 2 235.
Immediately to leave you and be gone."-M. of V. ii. 9. 14.
"Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak."
"I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven."—Ib. iii. 3. 78.
"Dost thou hear?"-Temp. i. 2. 106.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 593
"thou" is unemphatic, and scarcely pronounced.
words must be combined with the previous, thus:
Or else these
"Hénce his | ambít | ion grów | -ing-Dóst | thou héar?"
512. Interjectional lines. Some irregularities may be ex-
plained by the custom of placing ejaculations, appellations, &c
out of the regular verse (as in Greek peû, &c.).
"Yes. I
Has he affections in him?"-M. for M. iii. 1. 107.
“Alack
I love myself. Wherefore? for any good?"
"What,
Rich. III. v. 3. 187.
Rich. II. ii. 2. 103.
Are there no posts despatch'd for (480) Ireland ?"
So arrange
North. Why?
I's he not with | the queen? |
Percy.
"Fie,
Nó, my good lórd.”
b. ii. 3. 512
Othello, iv. 2. 134.
There's no such man; it is impossible.”
"And such a one do I profess myself,
For, sir,
It is as sure as you are Roderigo."
Othello, i. 1. 55; Lear, i. 1. 56
424
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Perhaps we ought thus to arrange
O, sir.
Your presence is too bold and péremptory.'
This is Shakespeare's accentuation of "
"Farewell. [Exit Banquo.]
1 Hen. IV. i. 3. 17.
peremptory."
Let every man be master of his time."-Macbeth, iii. 1. 40.
"Sir,
I have upon a high and pleasant hill."-T. of A. i. 1. 63.
Sirrah,
Get thee to Plashy, to my sister Gloucester."
So Rich. III. i. 2. 226; i. 4. 218.
"Great king,
Rich. II. ii. 2. 90.
Few love to hear the sin they love to act."-P. of T. i. 1. 91.
My dismal scene I needs must act alone.
Come, vial."-R. and J. iv. 3. 20.
"Come, Hastings, help me to my lodging. O!
Poor Clarence.". -Rich. III. ii. 1. 133.
"For Hecuba!
What's Héc | ubá | to hím, | or he | to Hécuba (469)?”
"If thou hast any sound or use of voice,
Speak to me."-Ib. i. 1. 129.
Hamlet, ii. 2. 584.
O vengeance," ib. 610; "A scullion!" ib.
So ib. 132, 135: and “O vengeance," ib.
616.
So we should read
"I'll wait upon you instantly. (Exeunt.) [To FLAV.] Come hither.
Pray you,
How goes," &c.-T. of A. ii. 1. 36.
Similarly
149;
Nay, more," C. of E. i. 1.
"Who's there?" Hamlet, i. 1. 1;
"
16; "Stay," T. N. iii. 1.
I.
Begone," J. C. i. I. 57;
209;
O, Cæsar," J. C. iii. 1. 281;
F. C. iii. 1. 281; “Let me work,” J. C. ii. 1.
Here, cousin," Rich. II. iv. I. 182; "What's she?" T. N. i. 2. 35;
"Draw," Lear, ii. 1. 32; "Think," Coriol. iii. 3. 49.
So arrange
"Viol. Hold, there's hálf | my cóffer. |
Anton.
Will you dený | me now?"
|
T. N. iii. 4. 38.
"So, || I am sát | isfíed, | gíve me | a bówl | of wine."
Rich. III. v. 3. 72.
VERSES
425
Ratcliffe, || about | the mid of night | cóme to | my tént."
Rich. III. 77, 209.
The excitement of Richard gives rise to several interjectional lines
of this kind in this scene.
A short line sometimes introduces a quotation :
"If Cæsar hide himself, shall they not whisper,
Lo, Cæsar is afraid?"—J. C. ii. 2. 101.
"Did scowl on gentle Richard. No man cried
God save him."-Rich. II. v. 2. 28.
Perhaps we should arrange as follows :
"He'll spend that kiss
Which is my heaven to have.
Come [applying the asp to her bosom]
Thou mortal wretch,
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie."—A. and C. v. 2. 306.
This seems better than scanning the words from "which" to
"' wretch as one line, either (1) as an ordinary line, with “ come,
thou mór tal wretch," or (2) as a trimeter couplet, making
"come" a dissyllable.
|
So it is better to arrange :
Buckingham,
I prithee pardon me
That I have giv'n no answer all this while."
2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 32
Merely with a special view to mark a solemn pause Shakespeare
writes:
"So, as a painted tyrant Pyrrhus stood,
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
But, as we often see," &c.-Hamlet, ii. 2. 504.
Such irregularities are very rare.
Sirrah,
A word with you.
Attend those men our pleasure ?"
is the right way to arrange Mach. iii. 1. 45, 46. Shakespeare could
not possibly (as Globe) make "our pleasure" a detached foot.
The ejaculation seems not a part of the verse in
"Hath séiz'd | the waste | ful king. | [O,] what pít | y is it."
Rich. II. iii. 4. 55.
426
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
“And hé | himself | not présent. | [0,] forefénd | it, Gód!"
Rich. II. iv. I. 129.
See also 498, at end; 503.
513. The Amphibious Section. When a verse consists
of two parts uttered by two speakers, the latter part is
frequently the former part of the following verse, being,
as it were, amphibious—thus :
"S. The English fórce, | so please you. ||
M. Take thy face hence. || Séyton, | I'm sick | at heart."
Macbeth, v. 3. 19.
"M. Néws, my | good lórd, | from Róme.||
Ant.
Grátes me: the súm.||
Cleo. Nay, héar | them, A'n | toný."-A. and C. i. 1. 19.
"B. Who's there? |
M. A friend. ||
B. What, sir,
not yet | at rést? | The king's | abéd."
"Kent. This óff | ice to you.||
Gent.
Kent.
"Gent. Which twáin | have brought | her tó.||
Edg.
Macbeth, ii. 1. 10.
I' will talk fúr | ther with || you. ||
Nó, do not."-Lear, iii. 1. 42.
Hail, gént le sir. |
your will?
Lear, iv. 6. 212.
How cáme we ashore? ||
By Pró | vidénce | divíne.
Temp. i. 2. 158.
Gent. Sir, spéed | you, what's
"Prosp. Agáinst | what should | ensue. ||
Mir.
Prosp.
"Claud. And hug | it ín | my arms. Il
Is. There spake | my brother, there my fá | ther's gráve."
M. for M. iii. 1. 86.
How fares the prince? ||
"E.
Mess. Well, mád | am, ánd | in health. || Duch. Whát is |
thy néws, then?”—Rich. III. ii. 4. 40.
"Brut. That óth | er mén | begin. ||
Cas. Then leave him but. || Casca. Indéed | he is not fit.'
7. C. ii. 1. 153.
Probably
"Macb. And break it to our hópe. || I will not fight | with thee."
Macd. Then yield | thee, cóward."-Macbeth, v. 8. 22.
VERSES.
427
Compare also Macbeth, i. 4. 43, 44; it. 3. 75, 101-2; iii. 1. 18 19, 2.
12-13, 4. 12, 15, 20, 151; 7. C. 11. 4. 16, 17; Coriol. iii. 2. 6;
Othello, iii. 3. 282, &c.
In the following instance the first "still" is emphatic :
"Oliv. As hówl | ing áft | er músic.||
Duke.
Oliv.
Still so crú el!
Still so cón | stant, lórd."
7. N. v. I. 113.
Sometimes a section will, on the one side, form part of a regular
line, and, on the other, part of a trimeter couplet.
"Hor. Of mine | own eyes. | Mar. I's it | not like | the king ||
Hor. As thou art tó | thyself.”—Hamlet, 1. I. 58, 59.
،،
Ophel. In hón | ourá | ble fashion. | Pol. Ay, fásh | ion yóu |¦
may call it. || Go to, go to."-Ib. i. 3. 112.
Ham. Nó, it is struck. Hor. Indeed, I heard | it nốt; !]
then it draws near the séason.-Ib. i. 4. 4.
|
In the last example, "indeed," when combined with what follows
is a detached interjection (512).
514. Interruptions are sometimes not allowed to inter-
fere with the completeness of the speaker's verse.
This is natural in dialogue, when the interruption comes from a
third person:
"Polon. Pray you be round with him.
(Ham. [Within] Mother, mother, mother!)
I'll warrant you."
Hamlet, iii. 4. 5, 6.
Queen.
Or, when a man is bent on continuing what he has to say:
Ham. Rashly-and that should teach us
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will—
(Hor. That's certain.)
Ham.
Up from my cabin," &c.
Hamlet, v. 2. 11, 12
This kindness will I shów.
M. of V. i. 3. 143.
Shy. This is (461) kind | I óffer-
(Bass. This were kindness.)
Shy.
"King R. Rátcliffe- |
(Rat. My lord.)
King R.
The sun will not be seen | to-day.'
Rich. III. v. 3. 281.
428
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
Brutus. Awáy, | slight mán. |
(Cassius. Is't possible?)
Brutus.
Héar me,
for I' | will speak.”
7. C. iv. 3. 37, 38.
Or, when a speaker is pouring forth his words, endeavouring to
break through the obstacle of unintelligence, as Kent trying to make
himself intelligible to the mad Lear:
"Kent. Nó, my good lórd; | I ám | the vér | y mán-
(Lear. I'll see that straight.)
Kent. Thát from your first | of díf | ference and decáy
Have fóll | ow'd your | sad steps, |
Kent.
(Lear. You're welcome hither.)
Nor nó man élse."
i.e. "I and no one else." Then, in despair of making himself
understood, Kent continues:
"All's cheerless, dark, and deadly."
Sometimes the interlocutor's words, or the speaker's continuation,
will complete the line :
"Cæsar. So múch as lánk | ed nót. | (Folio has lank'd.)
Lep.
'Tis pít | y óf him.
Cæsar. Lét his | shames quickly."-A. and C. i. 4. 71.
If there are two interlocutors, sometimes either interlocution will
complete the line :
"Gent. Than ís | his úse. |
Widow.
Helena.
Lord, hów we lose | our páins!
All's well that ends well yét."
A. W. v. 1. 24, 25.
"Bru. Good Március | home | again. |
Sic.
Men.
The very trick on't.
This is unlikely.'
Coriol. iv. 6. 71.
515. Rhyme. Rhyme was often used as an effective termina
tion at the end of the scene. When the scenery was not changed,
or the arrangements were so defective that the change was not
easily perceptible, it was, perhaps, additionally desirable to mark
that a scene was finished. The rhyme in 7. N. ii. 2. 32 is perhaps
a token that the scene once concluded with these lines, and that the
nine lines that follow are a later addition.
Rhyme was also sometimes used in the same conventional way,
to mark an aside, which otherwise the audience might have great
VERSES.
429
difficulty in knowing to be an aside. Thus, in a scene where there
are no other rhyming lines, Queen Margaret is evidently intended
to utter Rich. III. iv. 4. 16, 17; 20, 21, as asides, though there is
no notice of it. One of the lines even rhymes with the line of
another speaker:
"Q. Eliz. When didst thou sleep, when such a deed was
done?
Q. Marg. When holy Harry died, and my sweet son.”
Rich. III. iv. 4. 24, 25.
Queen Margaret does not show herself till line 35, as also in
Rich. III. i. 3. till line 157, though in the latter scene the asides do
not rhyme.
515 a. Prose. Prose is not only used in comic scenes; it is
adopted for letters (M. of V. iv. 1. 149–66), and on other occasions
where it is desirable to lower the dramatic pitch : for instance, in the
more colloquial parts of the household scene between Volumnia and
Virgilia, Coriol. i. 3, where the scene begins with prose, then passes
into verse, and returns finally to prose. It is also used to express
frenzy, Othello, iv. 1. 34-44; and madness, Lear, iv. 6. 130; and
the higher flights of the imagination, Hamlet, ii. 2. 310–20.
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
516. Similarity.-In order to describe an object that has
not been seen we use the description of some object or objects
that have been seen. Thus, to describe a lion to a person who
had never seen one, we should say that it had something
like a horse's mane, the claws of a cat, &c. We might say,
(6 A lion is like a monstrous cat with a horse's mane." This
sentence expresses a likeness of things, or a similarity.
517. Simile.-In order to describe some relation that can-
not be seen, e.g. the relation between a ship and the water,
as regards the action of the former upon the latter, to a
landsman who had never seen the sea or a ship, we might
say, "The ship acts upon the water as a plough turns up the
land." In other words, "The relation between the ship and
the sea is similar to the relation between the plough and the
land." This sentence expresses a similarity of relations,
and is called a simile. It is frequently expressed thus :
"As the plough turns up the land, so the ship acts on the
sea."
Def. A Simile is a sentence expressing a similarity of
relations.
Consequently a simile is a kind of rhetorical proportion,
and must, when fully expressed, contain four terms:
A : B :: C : D.
518. Compression of Simile into Metaphor.-A simile is
cumbrous, and better suited for poetry than for prose. More-
over, when a simile has been long in use, there is a tendency
to consider the assimilated relations not merely as similar
but as identical. The simile modestly asserts that the re-
!
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
431
lation between the ship and the sea is like ploughing. The
compressed simile goes further, and asserts that the relation
between the ship and the sea is ploughing. It is expressed
thus. "The ship ploughs the sea.”
Thus the relation between the plough and the land is
transferred to the ship and the sea. A simile thus com-
pressed is called a Metaphor, i.e. transference.
Def. A Metaphor is a transference of the relation be-
tween one set of objects to another, for the purpose of
brief explanation.
66
519. Metaphor fully stated or implied.-A metaphor may
be either fully stated, as The ship ploughs (or is the plough
of) the sea," or implied, as "The winds are the horses that
draw the plough of the sea." In the former case it is dis-
tinctly stated, in the latter implied, that the "plough of the
sea" represents a ship.
520. Implied Metaphor the basis of language.-A great
part of our ordinary language, all that relates to the relations
of invisible things, necessarily consists of implied metaphors;
for we can only describe invisible relations by means of
visible ones. We are in the habit of assuming the existence
of a certain proportion or analogy between the relations of
the mind and those of the body. This analogy is the
foundation of all words that express mental and moral
qualities. For example, we do not know how a thought
suggests itself suddenly to the mind, but we do know how
an external object makes itself felt by the body. Experience
teaches us that anything which strikes the body makes itself
suddenly felt. Analogy suggests that whatever is suddenly
perceived comes in the same way into contact with the mind,
Hence the simile-"As a stone strikes the body, so a thought
makes itself perceptible to the mind." This simile may be
compressed into the full metaphor thus, "The thought struck
my mind," or into the implied metaphor thus, "This is a
432
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
striking thought." In many words that express immaterial
objects the implied metaphor can easily be traced through
the derivation, as in "excellence,” “tribulation,” “integrity,”
'spotlessness," &c.
66
N.B. The use of metaphor is well illustrated in words
that describe the effects of sound. Since the sense of hear-
ing (probably in all nations and certainly among the English)
is less powerful and less suggestive of words than the senses
of sight, taste, and touch, the poorer sense is compelled to
borrow a part of its vocabulary from the richer senses.
Thus we talk of "
((
a sweet voice," a soft whisper," "a sharp
scream," a piercing shriek," and the Romans used the
expression "a dark-coloured voice," where we should say
a rough voice."
66
521. Metaphor expanded.-As every simile can be com-
pressed into a metaphor, so, conversely, every metaphor can
be expanded into its simile. The following is the rule for
expansion. It has been seen above that the simile consists
of four terms. In the third term of the simile stands the sub-
ject ("ship," for instance) whose unknown predicated rela-
tion ("action of ship on water") is to be explained. In
the first term stands the corresponding subject (“ plough”)
whose predicated relation (“action on land") is known.
the second term is the known relation. The fourth term is
the unknown predicated relation which requires explanation.
Thus-
In
the plough turns up the land, SO
Known subject. Known predicate.
the ship
Subject whose
predicate is
unknown.
acts on the sea.
Unknown
predicate.
"In my
Sometimes the fourth term or unknown predicate may re-
present something that has received no name in the lan-
guage. Thus, if we take the words of Hamlet,
mind's eye," the metaphor when expanded would become--
* "Vox fuica."
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
433
As
the body
is enlightened by the
eye,
So
the mind is enlightened by
a certain percep-
tive faculty
Subject
Known subject.
Known predicate.
whose
predicate
is un-
known.
Unknown predi-
cate.
For several centuries there was no word in the Latin
language to describe this "perceptive faculty of the mind."
At last they coined the word "imaginatio," which appears
in English as “imagination.” This word is found as early
as Chaucer; but it is quite conceivable that the English lan
guage should, like the Latin, have passed through its best
period without any single word to describe the "mind's eye.”
522. The details of the expansion will vary according to
the point and purpose of the metaphor. Thus, when Mac-
beth (act iii. sc. 1) says that he has "given his eternal
jewel to the common enemy of man," the point of the
metaphor is apparently the pricelessness of a pure soul or
good conscience, and the metaphor might be expanded
thus-
'As a jewel is precious to the man who wears it, so is
a good conscience precious to the man who possesses it."
But in Rich. II. i. 1. 180, the same metaphor is expanded
with reference to the necessity for its safe preservation :—
A jewel in a ten-times barr'd-up chest
Is a bolà spirit in a loyal breast.
men.
523. Personal Metaphor.-There is a universal desire
among men that visible nature, e.g. mountains, winds, trees,
rivers and the like, should have a power of sympathising with
This desire begets a kind of poetical belief that such
a sympathy actually exists. Further, the vocabulary express-
ing the variable moods of man is so much richer than that
which expresses the changes of nature that the latter bor
rows from the former. Hence the morn is said to laugh,
mountains to frown, winds to whisper, rivulets to prattle
F F
434
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
vaks to sigh. Hence arises what may be called Personal
Metaphor.
Def. A Personal Metaphor is a transference of personal
relations to an impersonal object for the purpose of brief
explanation.
(6
524. Personal Metaphors expanded. The first term will
always be a person;" the second, the predicated relation
properly belonging to the person and improperly trans-
ferred to the impersonal object; the third, the impersonal
object. Thus—
"As a person frowns, so an overhanging mountain (looks
gloomy).
"As a child prattles, so a brook (makes a ceaseless cheerful
clatter)."
") 66
In
525. Personifications.-Men are liable to certain feelings,
such as shame, fear, repentance and the like, which seem
not to be originated by the person, but to come upon him
from without. For this reason such impersonal feelings are
in some languages represented by impersonal verbs.
Latin these verbs are numerous, "pudet," piget," "tædet,"
"pœnitet,” “libet," &c. In Early English they were still
more numerous, and even now we retain not only "it
snows," "it rains," but also (though more rarely) me-
thinks,"
""meseems," "it shames me," "it repents me." Men
are, however, not contented with separating their feelings
from their own person; they also feel a desire to account
for them. For this purpose they have often imagined as the
causes of their feelings, Personal Beings, such as Hope, Fear,
Faith, &c. Hence arose what may be called Personification.
66
In later times men have ceased to believe in the personal
existence of Hope and Fear, Graces and nymphs, Flora
and Boreas; but poets still use Personification, for the pur-
pose of setting before us with greater vividness the invisible
operations of the human mind and the slow and impercep-
tible processes of inanimate nature.
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
435
Def. Personification is the creation of a fictitious
Person in order to account for unaccountable results, or
for the purpose of vivid illustration.
526. Personifications cannot be expanded.—The pro-
cess of expansion into simile can be performed in the case
of a Personal Metaphor, because there is implied a com-
parison between a Person and an impersonal object. But
the process cannot be performed where (as in Personifi-
cations) the impersonal object has no material existence, but
is the mere creation of the fancy, and presents no point
of comparison. "A frowning mountain" can be expanded,
because there is implied a comparison between a moun-
tain and a person, a gloom and a frown. But "frowning
Wrath" cannot be expanded, because there is no
parison.
com-
It is the essence of a metaphor that it should be literally
false, as in "a frowning mountain." It is the essence of a
personification that, though founded on imagination, it is
conceived to be literally true, as in “pale fear,” ""dark dis-
honour." A painter would represent “death” as
pale," and
"dishonour" as "dark," though he would not represent a
mountain" with a " frown,” or a ship" like a "plough."
((
(C
527. Apparent Exception.--The only case where a simile
is involved and an expansion is possible is where a person,
as for instance Mars, the God of War, is represented as
doing something which he is not imagined to do literally.
Thus the phrase "Mars mows down his foes " is not literally
true. No painter would represent Mars (though he would
Time) with a scythe. It is therefore a metaphor and, as
such, capable of expansion thus :-
"As easily as a haymaker mows down the grass, so easily
does Mars cut down his foes with his sword."
But the phrase "Mars slays his foes" is, from a poet's or
painter's point of view, literally true. It is therefore no
metaphor, and cannot be expanded.
FF 2
436
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
528. Personification analysed.-Though we cannot ex-
pand a Personification into a simile, we can explain the
details of it. The same analogy which leads men to find a
correspondence between visible and invisible objects leads
them also to find a similarity between cause and effect.
This belief, which is embodied in the line—
"Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat,"
is the basis of all Personification. Since fear makes mer
look pale, and dishonour gives a dark and scowling expres-
sion to the face, it is inferred that Fear is "pale," and Dis-
honour "dark." And in the same way Famine is "gaunt ;"
Jealousy "green-eyed;" Faith "pure-eyed;" Hope "white-
handed."
529. Good and bad Metaphors.-There are certain laws
regulating the formation and employment of metaphors
which should be borne in mind.
(1.) A metaphor must not be used unless it is needed for
explanation or vividness, or to throw light upon the thought
of the speaker. Thus the speech of the Gardener, Rich. II.
iii. 4. 33,-
"Go then, and like an executioner
Cut off the heads of our fast-growing sprays," &c.
is inappropriate to the character of the speaker, and conveys
an allusion instead of an explanation. It illustrates what is
familiar by what is unfamiliar, and can only be justified by
the fact that the gardener is thinking of the disordered con-
dition of the kingdom of England and the necessity of a
powerful king to repress unruly subjects.
(2.) A metaphor must not enter too much into detail: for
every additional detail increases the improbability that the
correspondence of the whole comparison can be sustained.
Thus, if King Richard (Rich. II. v. 5. 50) had been content,
while musing on the manner in which he could count time
by his sighs, to say—
"For now hath Time made me his numbering clock,"
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
437
there would have been little or no offence against taste.
But when he continues-
"My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,
Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,
Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears.
Now, sir, the sound that tells what hour it is
Are clamorous groans which strike upon my heart,
Which is the bell,'
we have an excess of detail which is only justified because it
illustrates the character of one who is always "studying to
compare, "* and "hammering out" unnatural comparisons.
(3.) A metaphor must not be far-fetched nor dwell upon
the details of a disgusting picture :
"Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin laced with his golden blood;
there the murderers
Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers
Unmannerly breech'd with gore.”—Macbeth, ii. 3. 117.
There is but little, and that far-fetched, similarity between
gold lace and blood, or between bloody daggers and breech'd
legs. The slightness of the similarity, recalling the greatness
of the dissimilarity, disgusts us with the attempted compari-
son. Language so forced is only appropriate in the mouth of
a conscious murderer dissembling guilt.
(4.) Two metaphors must not be confused together, par
ticularly if the action of the one is inconsistent with the
action of the other.
It may be pardonable to surround, as it were, one meta-
phor with another. Thus, fear may be compared to an ague-
fit, and an ague-fit passing away may be compared to the
overblowing of a storm. Hence, “This ague-fit of fear is
overblown" (Rich. II. iii. 2. 190) is justifiable.
"Was the hope drunk
But
Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since ?"
+
Macbeth, i. 7. 36.
"I have been studying how I may compare
This prison where I live unto the world;
*
1 cannot do it; yet I'll hemmer it out."-Rich. 11. v. 5. 1
938
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAK.
}
is, apart from the context, objectionable; for it makes Hope
a person and a dress in the same breath. It may, however,
probably be justified on the supposition that Lady Macbeth
is playing on her husband's previous expression—
I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
""
(5.) A metaphor must be wholly false, and must not com-
bine truth with falsehood.
"A king is the pilot of the state," is a good metaphor.
"A careful captain is the pilot of his ship," is a bad one. So
"Ere my tongue
Shall wound mine honour with such feeble wrong,
Or sound so base a parle,”-Rich. II. i. 1. 190.
66
is objectionable. The tongue, though it cannot wound,"
can touch. It would have been better that "honour's" enemy
should be intangible, that thereby the proportion and the per-
fection of the falsehood might be sustained. Honour can be
wounded intangibly by "slander's venom'd spear” (Rich. II.
i. 1. 171); but, in a metaphor, not so well by the tangible
tongue. The same objection applies to
"Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' sons
Shall ill-become the flower of England's face,
Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace
To scarlet indignation, and bedew
Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood."
Rich. II. iii. 3. 96.
If England is to be personified, it is England's blood, not
the blood of ten thousand mothers, which will stain her face.
There is also a confusion between the blood which mantles
in a blush and which is shed; and, in the last line, instead
of "
England's face," we come down to the literal “pas-
tures' grass."
(6.) Personifications must be regulated by the laws of
personality. No other rule can be laid down.
aggerations like the following must be avoided :-
But ex-
SIMILE AND METAPHOR.
439
Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars.”
1 Hen. VI: i. 1. 2.
The Furies may be supposed to scourge their prostrate
victims with their snaky hair, and comets have been
before now regarded as scourges in the hand of God.
But the liveliest fancy would be tasked to imagine the
stars in revolt, and scourged back into obedience by the
crystal hair of comets.
(INE
3.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.*
MACBETH, ACT III.
SCENE I
"Thou play'dst most foully for't." Expand the metaphor into
its simile. (Grammar, 521.)
14. "And all-thing unbecoming." See "All" (Grammar). What
is there remarkable in this use of all? Comp. iii. 2. 11-
"Things without all remedy.
15.
"A solemn supper."
Modernize.
from the derivation. Compare
Trace the present meaning
"A solemn hunting is in hand.”—T. A. ii. 1. 112.
17. "To the which." What is the antecedent to the which? Why
do we say the which, but never the who? (Grammar,
"Which," 270.)
25.
44.
The better." When do we add the to a comparative? (Gram-
mar, 94.) Can the be explained here?
'While then." (See 137.) Compare
"He shall conceal it
Whiles you are willing it shall come to note.
Illustrate from Greek and Latin.
T. N. iv. 3. 29.
49. "To be thus thus is nothing but to be safely thus." Explain the
grammatical construction of the last clause. (See 385.)
51. "Which would be feared." Modernize would. Explain (Gram-
mar, 329) the Elizabethan usage.
"Tis much he dares." Is there any object to "he dares "? (241)
• The numbers refer to the paragraphs of the Grammar.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
441
#
'LINE
52. "And to that dauntless temper of his mind." Meaning of?
(See Grammar, "To.")
Illustrate this construction by Shakespeare's
". . . And, under him,
54. "None but he.
use of except.
(See Grammar, "But.")
56.
See A. and C. ii. 3. 20-30.
My genius is rebuked; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Cesar."
genius from its derivation.
Trace the meaning of
65. "For Banquo's issue have I filed my spirit." Meaning of?
Give similar instances of the dropping of the prefix. (See
Prosody, 460.)
72.
75.
Champion me to the utterance." Meaning of? Trace the
meaning of champion and utterance from the derivation.
What historical inference may be drawn from the fact that
both these words are derived from the French? Mention a
similar inference contained in the dialogue between Gurth
and Wamba in "Ivanhoe."
>>
"So please your highness." Parse please. (See 297.)
81. "How you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments.
Is this an Alexandrine? (See Prosody, 468; and compare
"My books and instruments shall be my company."
T. of Sh. i. 1. 82.)
"Like labour with the rest, where the other instruments.
"I. But now thou seem'st a coward.
P.
"}
Coriol. i. 1. 104.
Hence, vile instrument."-Cymb. iii. 4. 75.
"Borne in hand." Meaning?
"The Duke
Bore many gentlemen, myself being one,
In hand and hope of action."—M. for M. i. 4. 52.
We do not now say "to bear in hope," but "to keep a
person in hope, suspense, &c. So a rich hypocrite,
pretending illness to squeeze presents out of his expectant
legatees, is said to—
"Look upon their kindness, and take more
And look on that, still bearing them in hand,
Letting the cherry knock against their lips."
B. J. Fox, i. 1. init.
442
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
LINE
We still say, to "bear in mind," but we generally use
hand" in this sense.
"
a
83. "To half a soul and to a notion crazed." Meaning of notion
here? Compare
84.
"His notion weakens, his discernings
Are lethargied."—Lear, i. 4. 248.
Trace the double meaning of the word from the derivation.
"M. Say 'Thus did Banquo.' Murd. You made it known
to us. Scan. (See 454.)
87. "Your patience so predominant in your nature."
Scan.
88. "Are you so gospell'd to pray for this good man." Modernize.
91.
(See 282.)
"M. And beggar'd yours for ever.
liege. Scan.
Murd. We are men, my
95. "The valued file." Trace this and other meanings of file
from the derivation. Explain the meaning and use of
valued (374). Could we say a valued catalogue?"
99.
100.
The gift which bounteous nature hath in him closed.”
(See 460.) Compare
closed.
Dance, sing, and in a well-mixed border
Parse
Close this new brother of our order."-ROWLEY.
What is now the difference between "I have him caught,"
and "I have caught him"? Compare
"And when they had this done."—St. Luke v. 6.
"Particular addition from the bill that writes them all alike."
Meaning of from? (See Prepositions.)
103. "Not in the worst rank of manhood, say't." Scan. (See 485 )
108. "Who wear our health but sickly in his lite
Which in his death were perfect. Murd. I am one, my
liege."
What is the antecedent to which?
Scan the second line.
""
112. "So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune.' Parse and
explain tugg'd. How does the meaning differ from the
modern meaning? Compare
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
443
LINE
113.
116.
120.
[21.
[22.
123.
127.
"Both tugging to be victors, breast to breast."
and, for the construction :
3 Hen. VI. ii. 5. 12.
'And, toil'd with works of war, retired himself
To Italy."-Rich. II. iv. 1. 96.
"That I would set my life on any chance." Expand the
metaphor. Compare
"Who sets me else? By heaven I'll throw at all."
Rich. II. iv. 1. 57.
And in such bloody distance,
That every minute of his being thrus!
Against my near'st of life."
Expand the metaphor.
What is meant by "my nearʼst of
life?" Illustrate by "home-thrust," and oikeîos.
"And bid my will avouch it." Trace the meaning from the
derivation.
"For certain friends." Meaning of for here? How did for
become a conjunction ?
"Whose loves I may not drop." What is the meaning of
may? Derive the modern from the original meaning.
"But wail his fall
Who I myself struck down.”
What is the antecedent to who? What is there remarkable in
the sentence? (Gram. 274.)
'Perform what you command us.
lives-"
First Murd. Though our
What do you suppose the First Murderer intended to say?
Why did Macbeth interrupt him?
128. "Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most.”
Scan.
130 "The perfect spy of the time." Apparently in this difficult pas-
sage spy is put for "that which is spied," "knowledge."
132. "Always thought." Parse thought. Illustrate the construc-
tion from Greek.*
"From the palace." From, how used?
Liddell and Scott: dox@, ii. 4.
444
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
LINE
138 "I'll come to you anon.
3.
We are resolved, my lord.".
Perhaps "t' you anón" is to be considered as one foot.
If not, how can this verse be scanned? (See 500.) What
is the emphatic word in the Murderer's reply?
SCENE 2.
Say to the king, I would attend his leisure." Modernize the
latter words. Trace the different meanings of attend from
the derivation.
9.
"C
II.
What is the exact meaning of would?
Lady M. 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
Enter MACBETH.
How now, my lord! Why do you keep alone?"
Illustrate the character of Lady Macbeth from her words
before and after the entrance of her husband. Why and
when, for the most part, does Shakespeare use rhyme?
"With them they think on. Things without all remedy."
Scan. What is the object of on? (See 242.) How is ali
used?
16. "But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer."
Perhaps a pause is intended after "let :" "But let—yes,
even the frame," &c. In that case "But let " is an un-
finished verse, and the rest is a complete verse. In the
Fol. 1623 the first line ends with "disjoint," containing
four accents. When does Shakespeare use verses with four
accents (505-9)?
19.
21.
"That shake us nightly; better be with the dead." Scan.
How can you justify an accent on the first syllable in the
foot "bétter ?"
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave.”
What suggested the expression to lie on the torture of the
mind "? Trace this, as well as the modern, meaning of
ecstasy from the derivation. Compare
"Where violent sorrow seems
A modern ecstasy."—Macbeth, iv. 3. 170.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
445
LINE
27.
29.
Give instances of classical words restricted in meaning by
modern, compared with Elizabethan, usage. (See Introduc.
tion.) Scan the latter line.
"Gentle my lord." Explain and illustrate the position of my.
(See 13.)
"Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night. "Trace the
meaning from the derivation. Give words similarly derived.
Scan.
30. "Let your remembrance apply to Banquo." Scan. (See Pro-
+
sody, 477.)
38. "Nature's copy." Meaning of? Comp. T. N. i. 5. 257 .
40.
42.
"Tis beauty truly blent whose red and white
Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on.”
Ere the bat hath flown
His cloister'd flight."
What is alluded to?
""
“The shard-borne beetle." Shard is scale. Ben Jonson talks of
scaly beetles with their habergeons. And in Cymb. iii.
2. 20, "The sharded beetle " is opposed to
winged eagle."
46.
'
48.
'the full-
Seeling night." To seel was to close the eyelids of hawks
partially or entirely by passing a fine thread through them;
siller, Fr. This was done to hawks till they became
tractable."-NARES.
"Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond." Comp. Rich. III.
iv. 4. 77: "Cancel his bond of life." Macbeth iv. I. 99:
"Shall live the lease of nature." And-
Through her wounds doth fly
Life's lasting date from cancell'd destiny."—R. of L
Explain the meaning of the expression here, and trace the
meaning of cancel from the derivation.
54.
Hold thee still." Modernize.
(See 20.)
SCENE 3.
3, 4.
5.
"To the direction just." Meaning of to? (See 187.)
Now spurs
the lated traveller apace." Modernize. Illustrate
by similar instances the shortening of the word.
446
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
LINE
10.
I.
5.
"Within the note of expectation." This may perhaps mean,
"the memorandum or list of expected guests." Compare
"I come by note."-M. of V. iii. 2. 140.
"That's out of my note.". -W. T. iv. 3. 49.
Otherwise it may mean "the boundary,'
Compare
"limit."
"Within the prospect of belief.”—Macbeth, i. 3. 74.
SCENE 4.
"Sit down at first
And last the hearty welcome."
Compare I Hen. VI. v. 5. 102 :
"Ay grief I fear me both at first and last.”
Meaning of? What distinction is now made between first
and at first, last and at last?
"Our hostess keeps her state, but in best time
We will require her welcome.'
Show, from the antithesis implied in but, what is meant by
keeping her state. Compare
"The king caused the queene to keepe the estate, and
then sate the ambassadors and ladies, as they were
marshalled by the king, who would not sit, but walked
from place to place making cheare."-HOLINSHED,
quoted by CLARK and WRIGHT.
The " state was used technically to mean a canopy."
"Be large in mirth." Modernize. Illustrate from largess.
12. "The table round.
11.
Banquo's then.
There's blood upon thy face. M. 'Tis
What name has been given, and why, to
this arrangement of the parts of verses? Compare lines 15,
20, 51, 69, which are similarly arranged. (See Prosody,
513.)
13. "Tis better thee without than he within." Meaning? Com.
ment on the syntax. (See 206, 212.)
23, "As broad and general as the casing air." Compare 2 Hen. VI.
v. 2. 43:
"Now let the general trumpet blow his blast."
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
447
LINE
34.
Meaning of general? Modernize. What is the difference
between "general," universal," and
" and "common"?
"The feast is sold
That is not often vouch'd, while 'tis a-making,
'Tis given with welcome: to feed were best at home."
Analyse the sentence, and show the confusion of two con-
structions. Whence arose the use of a, as in a-making?
(See 140.) Scan the last line.
36.
"From thence.
""
42.
Meaning of? (See 158.)
"Who may I rather challenge for unkindness."
always used for whom?
Is who
Whence arises the difference
between may, in "
in “may
may I challenge," as here, and "I may
challenge"?
57. "You shall offend him." Modernize. What is the present
rule for the use of shall with respect to the second and
third persons? How did the rule arise? (See 317.)
61. "This is the very painting of your fear." Modernize. Trace
from the derivation the Elizabethan meaning, and hence
the modern meaning, as in "His very dog deserted him."
64. "Impostors to true fear." Meaning of to? (See 187.)
66. "Authorized by her grandam." Compare for the accent-
"His madness so with his authorized youth."-L. C. 15.
Authorizing thy trespass with compare.'
-Sonn. 35.*
"Ere human statutes purged the gentle weal." How is gentle
used? If the weal was already gentle, how did it require
to be purged?
75.
79.
>>
"The times have been
*
That, when the brains were out, the man would die."
Modernize that. Illustrate this use. (See 284.)
81. "With twenty mortal murders on their crowns." Why twenty?
(See above, line 27.)
87. "To those that know me. Come, love and health to all." Scan
this and the previous line.
* Neither of these passages is conclusive, as authorize coming at the beginning
of the verse may have the accent on the first syllable. Add therefore:
'His rudeness so with his authorized youth.”—L. C. 15.
148
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR.
LINE
91. 'We thirst." Thirst is not used elsewhere by Shakespeare in
the sense of " drinking a health." [?"first."]
95. "Thou hast no speculation in those eyes." Illustrate from
this use of speculation the general difference between the
Elizabethan and the modern use of classical words.
(See Introduction.)
98. "Only." Probably transposed.
(See Grammar, 420.)
99 “What man dare." Why not dares? Compare
Let him that is no coward
But dare maintain.".
'—1 Hen. VI. ii. 4. 32.
(Dare occurs thus three times in the unhistorical plays, dares
thirty times. In the historical plays dare eight, dares seven
times.)
105. "If trembling I inhabit, then protest me." No other instance
has been given where inhabit means "linger at home."
Shakespeare may, however, have derived this use of the
word from oikovρeîv (“to be a stay-at-home" as opposed
to "going out to war") through NORTH'S Plutarch, 190 :—
"The home-tarriers and house-doves," &c.
Trace this and the modern meaning of protest from the
derivation. Comp. M. Ado, v. 1. 149 :
"I will protest your cowardice."
106. "The baby of a girl." Baby was sometimes used for "doll:"
"And now you cry for't
As children do for babies back again.
B. and F. (HALLIWELL).
109. "You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting."
[12.
What is here contrary to common usage?
(See 343.)
"You make me strange
Even to the disposition that I orve.
Comp. C. of E. ii. 2. 151 :
"As strange unto your town as to your talk."
Owe is frequently used for ow(e)n, as ope for open. Comp.
debeo from de and habeo.
122. Why does not Lady Macbeth continue her expostulations when
she is alone with her husband?
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
449
LINE
66
124. 'Augurs and understood relations." Comp. below, iv. 3. 173:
"O, relation
Too nice, and yet too true."
The utterances of birds are apparently called relations.
126. "What is the night?" Illustrate this use of what. (See 252.)
129. "Did you send to him, sir?" Why does Shakespeare here
make Lady Macbeth thus address her husband?
133.
"And betimes I will to the weird sisters." This line must pro-
bably be scanned by pronouncing weird as two syllables.
(See Prosody.) In the Folio weird is spelt weyard. Comp.
ii. 1. 20:
"I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters.
138. "Returning were as tedious as go o'er." Parse returning and
go.
141. "You lack the season of all natures, sleep." Illustrate from this
and other passages the practical and unimaginative cha-
racter of Lady Macbeth, as contrasted with her husband.
Compare with this v. I. Compare also ii. 2. 67: “A little
>>
I. 35: “Yet
water clears us of this deed
and v.
;
here's a spot," and, in the same scene, 'What, will these
hands ne'er be clean?" In what sense may such lines as
ii. 2. 67, iii. 4. 141, be called specimens of "irony"?
Compare also Duncan speaking of the first (not of the
second) Thane of Cawdor:
"There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face.
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust."-i. 4. 11.
In the same scene, 1. 58, Duncan says of Macbeth, "It is
a peerless kinsman.”
Other instances of Shakespearian "irony" may be found
in Rich. III. iii. 2. 67; Coriol. iii. 1. 19; 1 Hen. IV.
I.
ii. 4. 528, compared with 2 Hen. IV. v. 5. 51; A. and C.
i. 2. 32, compared with Ib. v. 2. 330, T. of A. i. 2. 92,
Rich. III. i. 2. 112, and b. iv. 1. 82; Macbeth, ii 3.
97-100, and Пb. v. 2. 22; Rich. III. iii. I. 110.
G G
450
SHAKESPEARIAN GRAMMAR
SCENE 5.
LINR
I. Why does Shakespeare make the witches speak in a different
metre from the rest of the play? Illustrate from the Mid-
summer Night's Dream and the Tempest.
7.
"Close contrivor of all harms." Meaning of close? Comp.
Cymb. iii. 5. 85: "Close villain, I'll have thy secret."
"All you
have done
Hath been but for a wayward son.
""
Illustrate this from Lady Macbeth's description of her
husband, i. 5. Contrast the character of Macbeth with
that of Richard III.
24. "There hangs a vaporous drop profound." Perhaps mysterious.
"And you all know security
32.
Is mortals' chiefest enemy."
Trace the modern meaning of security from the derivation.
What does it mean here? Illustrate from Milton's Allegro.
2.
SCENE 6.
Only I say." Probably transposed as above.
"Was pitied of Macbeth." Modernize. Account for this use
of of.
8. "Who cannot want the thought how monstrous." Scan. (Sec
Prosody, 477.) Compare, for the meaning of want,
W. T. iii. 2. 55.
19. "I think . . . they should find." Modernize. Explain the
difference between the Elizabethan and the modern should.
(See 326.)
21.
"An't please heaven." Explain an't. (See 101.)
'He fail'd his presence." Comp. Lear, ii. 4. 143 :
"I cannot think my sister in the least
Would fail her obligation.
How is fail now used when it takes an object after it?
27. "Received of the most pious Edward." (See line 4)
NOTES AND QUESTIONS.
451
LINE.
30. "Is gone to pray the holy king upon his aid.”
Unless it can
be shown that upon is sometimes used for on, this line, as
it stands, is an Alexandrine.
35. "Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives." Comp.
Timon of A. v. I. :
"Rid me these villains from your companies."
Also perhaps Tempest, Epilogue: "Prayer which frees all
faults."
36. "Do faithful homage." Trace the modern and ancient mean-
ing from the derivation.
38.
40.
42.
"Hath so exasperate the king." Why is the d omitted? (See
343.)
"And with an absolute 'Sir, not I."
'shall.'"-Coriol. iii. 1.
horse."-Hen. V. iii.
Cloten."-Cymb. iv. 2.
the derivation.
Also, "
Compare "an absolute
an absolute and excellent
7; "I am absolute 'twas very
Trace the different meanings frow
"As who should say." Sex 257.)
GG 2
INDEX TO THE QUOTATIONS
FROM SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS.
The references are to the numbered paragraphs, and to the scenes and lines of the
"Globe" edition.
References marked thus (+) will not be found quoted in the paragraph referred
to, but similar references will be found explaining the difficulty of the reference in
question.
References in parentheses thus (6) refer to the explanatory notes at the end of
the play.
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.
ACT I.
Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
i.
192
•
•
379
i.
7.
•
172
ii.
iv.
73
•
27
Sc. Line Par.
1360
7. 1374
ACT IV.
Sc. Line
Par.
1.
20.
88
•
i.
94. 477
iii.
•
131.
. 177
iv.
15
•
•
336
i.
21
202
•
•
ii.
29. 407
iii.
•
142. 480
iv.
·
27. 218
ii.
21
•
•
247
iii. 71. 368
•
iii.
156.
271
iv.
29.
·
484
ii.
30.
129
iii. 107
•
372
iii.
168
•
•
470
iv.
30.
4197
iii.
9.
•
489
iii.
iii.
üii.
208.
221
224
·
445
iii.
179.
. 268
V.
43
·
•
477
iii.
114
•
•
400
279
iii. 185
•
490
V.
48.
•
191
iii.
116.
•
400
81
•
•
iii.
223.
•
64
V.
58.
·
I
iii.
158.
•
·
434
iii. 261. 208
•
V. 98
·
•
335
iii.
285.
•
301
ACT II.
iii. 289
•
•
489
V.
103.
175
iii. 298
•
i.
6.
•
i.
60.
•
418
97
ill.
313. 507
V.
104.
•
19Sa
iii.
299 .
·
400
357
vi.
24
•
·
278
iv.
i.
98.
468
ACT III.
vi.
27
.
•
i.
IIO.
462
i.
5
•
•
485
vi. 109.
·
•
i.
III.
P. 15
vi. 115.
V.
ii.
108
12
405
200
4.
30.
46.
55.
§ 76
191
212
. 87
༨
•
•
434
i. 124
i. 134.
i. 144.
i. 163.
i. 184
•
vi.
434
ii.
III
468
117.
•
243
vii.
•
349
30
128
•
iv.
497
•
473
•
509
<་ རྔ་ རྡ་
99
I
ACT V.
331
vii.
31.
•
492
iv.
2
•
312
Vil.
32.
363
i.
24 -
•
514
6.
203 vii.
70.
•
127
i.
25 .
514
454
INDEX
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc Line
Par.
iii.
I.
•
172
iii.
ill.
1 48
Sc. Line
iii. 123
Par.
•
•
466
Sc. Line
iii. 198
Pai
•
·
243
79.
•
4.
45
220
iii. 134.
•
145
iii.
201 •
•
425
iii.
27.
315
iii.
85
•
•
294
iii. 165
507
47
48
•
·
376
iii.
86
•
•
277
iii. 181.
. 152
iii. 220.
iii. 237 ·
434
•
143
►
492
iii.
113
•
•
226
iii.
184
484
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
ACT I.
iv.
42
•
•
302
ii.
129
364
vii. 134
•
. 97
iv.
43 ·
•
374
i.
19.
513
iv.
44.
•
460
ii. 137.
£299
vii. 138.
•
509
1508
i.
27
•
469
iv.
45.
•
33
ii. 144.
331
ACT III.
31.
•
443
174
ii. 160
•
89
i.
43
128
iv.
•
71.
510
ii.
169
•
·
17
i.
15.
(208
i.
56.
514
1498
•
193
i.
62.
•
177
iv.
1484
ii.
192.
•
179
i.
33.
•
434
73.
1510
ii.
215.
·
430
i.
ii.
38
35.
•
405
•
•
12
V.
7
•
•
482
ii.
226.
•
326
ii.
17
•
•
ii.
509
115
•
•
337
V.
17
•
479
iii.
22.
•
24
ii.
29.
•
492
ii.
127 .
•
252
V.
21
•
•
469
iii.
26.
·
168
iii
14.
•
210
62
iii.
I
V.
•
33.
490
iii.
36.
146
iv.
15.
484
iii.
8.
(298
iv.
2 •
203
•
244
V.
59.
iv.
1451
31.
•
285
V.
21
Hi.
339
vi.
II
•
•
434
28.
1
166
V.
iii.
26.
•
484
23
•
•
191
vi.
30.
•
•
404
iii.
29.
263
ACT II.
V.
27
•
477
vi.
31 .
•
468
V.
iii. 36.
12
38.
484
vi.
52.
•
497
i.
8. 178
·
V.
44
25
üii.
301
vi.
76.
·
II
41
1368
i.
20.
•
469
V.
•
78 364
·
vi.
97.
•
510
iii.
48
•
412
i.
24
492
V.
94.
133
vii.
iii.
55
•
·
290
i.
31
•
•
405
V.
106.
·
13 vii.
iii.
68.
•
508
i.
iii.
73
•
363
i.
38.
48
•
434
vi.
30. 158
•
vii.
•
•
492
vi.
38. . 460
iii.
79. 472
i.
•
SI .
·
204
vi.
60.
•
405
iii.
95 .
•
384
ii.
25
364
vi.
78
·
•
236
iii.
97 ·
•
293
ii
30
•
·
404
vi.
86.
•
382
iii. 100
iv.
iv.
W.
20
39.
·
•
430
ii
53
•
•
111
vii.
18.
•
290
6.
•
469
ii.
79. 360
vii.
•
29
•
221
•
198
ii.
98.
• I
vii.
83
•
•
433
ii. 124
423
vii.
122
385
364.
X. X. X. X. X. X. X. E: E: S:
28.
xi.
3
40
50
•
•
477
460
· 478
•
400
•
xi.
ΙΟ
507
xi.
48
•
7.24
xi.
53
(200
1220
54.
460
58
•
•
68.
•
326
453
INDEX.
455
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
xii.
12
•
•
· 377
ü.
3
420
ix.
9.
•
469
i.
47
•
•
442
xii.
36.
•
315
ii.
7
•
-
241
xi.
I
•
•
124
i.
48
•
449
xiii.
4
507
ii.
27
•
Kiii.
6.
•
478
64
*1387
xii.
H
76
i.
SI
·
414
xii.
48
•
•
498
i.
58
•
xiii.
IO
•
·
294
ii.
28.
•
507
xiv.
19.
435
i.
68.
• 397
• 315
xiii.
•
·
27 381
iv.
3
•
482
xiv.
22
•
243
i.
69.
•
•
30
xiii.
·
47 485
iv.
II
·
480
xiv.
72.
•
494
ii.
58
•
. 498
XIII.
71
•
•
505
vi.
3
•
• 315
xiv.
120.
$470
ii.
85
•
291
xiii.
77
372
vi.
•1505
12
·
•
503
ii.
103
•
•
126
xiii.
96
•
499
vi.
30
•
{
18
xiv. 133
·
•
230
ii.
140.
·
377
92
XV.
59
•
•
241
211
ii.
166.
xiii.
98
451
·
497
vi.
39.
•
423
ii.
216
·
•
338
xiii.
99.
xiii. 138.
·
132
vii.
5
4.
•
344
ACT V.
ü.
•
•
290
vii.
16.
212
xiii. 196
•
•
472
viii.
I
364
i.
2
•
•
viii.
7
•
484
i.
3
•
ACT IV.
viii. 21
•
499
i.
21
ii.
i.
•
14 484
viii.
22
•
166
i.
27
•
126
ii.
i.
34. 356
•
viii.
31
•
419a
i.
31.
193
ii.
477
• 315
20
ü.
290
85
ii. 236. 1422
ii. 240.
·
291 364
306.
•
339 · 1496.
$473
225.
430
512
AS YOU LIKE IT.
i.
i.
i
ACT I.
2
3
20
•
•
•
•
ii. 121. .†359
iii.
(66
ii.
•
·
85
167)
.†281
13
• 477
ii.
134. .1269
iii.
7
•
iii.
•
399
198
ii. (149)
75 +69
iii.
8.
.t244
iii.
76. 81
·
1.
46.
208
ii. 165
•
†295
iii.
117
•
•
287
iii.
IO
•
(12)
•
.+281
(2)
454
i.
1.
i.
i.
1.
i.
$79)
1801
115.
121
129.
134.
i. 139 ·
.+356
•
•
ii.
196. .t223
iii.
118
•
.-202
iii.
• 232
27
a
.t494
ii.
220
•
·
(1)
iii.
122
. 455
ii. 240.
iii.
.1322
124
.t226
iii.
1291
(30)
.t232
•
87
ii. 254.
go
ACT II.
iii.
42
•
•
403
81
ii. 260
i.
Σ
I. †490
·
iii.
315
(270)
.t494
50. .+406
i.
6.
•
113
iii.
58
•
343
196
ii. 272.
.t136
i.
8.
.t272 iii.
69.
i. 154
·
.1230
ii. 278
(2)
i.
33
•
•
270
iv.
10.
•
231
.+406
i
172.
.†206
ii. 279.
216
·
i.
49.
.+501
iv.
35 .
4570
i 6. .†291
iii.
35
•
•
(3)
i.
52.
•
495
ii 30. .†196
iii.
44
465
i.
ü.
1941
โas) t347
iii.
145)
1681
1691 +500
(36)
iv.
39
STI
43.
โรม
.t287
ii.
5. 423
iv.
40
•
$343
456
INDEX.
Sc. Line
iv.
44.
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
Line Par.
•
178
vii. 172
.+356
iii.
51.
•
64
iii.
53. .+490
iv.
49)
vii. 193
•
•
490
151)
iv.
69.
·
iv.
75.
•
iv.
88.
J254
93
484
493
vii. 196
vii. (1981
(199)
ACT III.
iv.
51
467
152).
260
•
iii.
76.
{401
V.
3
•
494
iii.
88
•
•
.+233
V.
5
•
291
iii.
IIO.
4.56
478
.+264
v. 6.
120
iii. 117.
•
326
1315
i.
2.
• 202
V.
V.
5.
.t364
(12) (260
(13)· ·1264
iii. 119
•
•
115
i.
·
4 · 380
iii. 123
•
.+494
V.
16. †103
V.
26. .†244
i.
18.
•
(5)
iii. 124
•
•
460
V.
V.
33 ·
.t137
42. 494
iii. 132.
•
264
ii.
ΙΟ
•
V.
34 ·
200
- {(2224
V.
48
440
iii.
150.
.†161
Y.
vi.
36.
II
•
+3
V.
(22)
49
•
•
458
ii.
•
·
+59
1345
+401
iii.
(161)
V.
53.
•
247
(162)*
+513
ii.
vii.
33.
•
(6)
v. 60.
.†405
I
•
•
299
ii.
ACT V.
vii.
3
•
•
+38
50.
•
125
V.
61.
•
†201
ii.
vii.
4
•
•
178
54.
•
+69
V.
62.
· 356
ii.
3
•
.+378
ii.
62.
+II
ii.
V.
vii.
31.
•
2
74 ·
·
499
7
ii.
vii.
48. . 196
100.
•
+5
V.
94 ·
.+287
ii.
vii.
52
•
83
ii.
127.
•
+19
V.
τι8 .
501
88.
.+225
ii. 91-94. t500
•
483
vii.
68. +89
ii.
144 ·
•
2)-
122. .1494
ii.
110. 35€
vii.
73
•
•
(4)
ii.
147
.
•
492
ii. 115.
.†274
ACT IV.
vii.
•
.+287
75
ii. 162.
(216
1416
iii.
15.
• 181
i.
•
7 (9)
•
iv.
5
.+490
vii.
83. .t456
ii. 163.
•
443
(31)
vii.
88
•
S+343
1+500
i.
40
•
ii.
182.
•
328
(1)
iv. (21)
1225
416
51)
ii.
187. .t284
iv.
i.
52.
.t170
56.
174
vii.
96. . 467
ii.
188. 271
i.
vii.
99.
.+474
60. .+372
iv.
63.
.t221
ii. 196. .†193
iv.
i.
100
vii.
IOI .
•
(1)
.+243
72. t113
•
ii. 236. .t194
iv. 108. +92
•
iii.
6.
vii.
104.
•
100
ii. 261. .†329
iii.
IO.
vii. 119
•
•
270
ii. 268-74
·
511
iii.
vii.
132.
•
4
vii. 139.
407
vii.
143
·
•†471
ii. 330
ii. 269. 20, n.
ii. 320-2.
.t274
iii.
•
(7)
iii
ii. 362.
•
vii. (149).
•
83
90
ii. 411.
(169) •1513 iii.
vii
159.
vii.
j1681
83
Folio, "and."
(2) Compare iv. 1. 20.
"Wearer's" for "weary."
(7) Rich. II. v. 5. 55
(3) Hamlet, i. 2. 182
(5) Rich. III. i. 2. 217. (6) See i. 2. 52
(8) Ib. v. 1. 28.
(a) Macbeth, iv. 3. 17″
iv. 140.
•
.t189
•
1474
iv.
167.
•
400
iv.
25.
•
•
501
(8)
iii.
iv. 171.
•
34 ·
430
224
iii. 36.
.1468
iv. 178
12
iii.
3
•
•
92
IO
•
294
iii. (50)
1515
iv. 201.
1513
412
iv. 218. 361
•
iii.
12.
16.
21
•
•
510
.+178
•
·
115
382
.+457
iv. 125. .†469
iv. 150.
170. .t403
354
INDEX.
457
COMEDY OF ERRORS.
ACT I
Sc.
Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
ii.
180.
•
Sc. Line
Pur.
158
i.
39.
•
· 319
i.
Line
79.
•
Par
484
i.
16.
•
i
33
•
512
• 216
i.
60.
·
466
i. 138
·
•
417
ACT III.
i.
65
•
•
456
i. 153.
178
i
39.
•
480
i.
•
7 · 382
i.
95.
480
i. 170
•
24
1.
52.
280
•
i. (24)
·
502
ii.
7.
·
406
i.
181.
•
29
i.
53.
. 271
i.
40
•
502
ii.
(42)
i.
143)*
→
460
196.
•
•
469
i.
i.
64
•
434
i.
198 . 216
•
47
•
•
502
iv.
3
460
i.
222
i.
85
467
•
•
251
i.
50.
·
·
502
iv.
66.
226
·
i.
i.
86.
202
i.
230.
270
SI
•
•
502
iv. 152.
329
i
268.
. 196
i.
105.
·
•
344
i.
52.
• 502
i. 282.
•
349
i. 151.
•
453
i.
54
502
ii.
2 • 49c
i.
72.
•
•
502
ACT V.
i.
283
•
•
244
ii.
37
20
i.
•
i.
308.
·
344
74.
•
430
i.
10.
20
•
i.
ii.
42.
47
313.
•
343
i.
go.
•
57
i.
II .
•
354
i.
ii.
46
•
• 344
357
•
•
471
ii.
30
175
i.
25. · 349
•
i.
358.
•
477
ACT II.
ii. 186. 422
i.
45.
•
490
i.
360.
•
477
i.
33.
12
22
ACT IV.
i.
379 ·
299
ii. 43-45.
75
i.
69
333
ii. 153 ·
•
263❘
i. 12.
•
361
1430
i.
388
•
343
CORIOLANUS.
.+252
i. 118. .t512
123. .†287
.+460
.+467
470
+p.
24
251 +198a
i. 255.
i. 256.
ACT I.
i. 108.
•
419
i.
200
•
•
501
i.
i.
18.
(302
•1367
i. 115.
.t-497
i.
201
·
i. 207.
·
•
i.
1.
37
i. 209
•
i.
i.
40
•
·
i.
i.
i.
•
1.
i. 158.
•
i.
74
•
75 ·
82,
98
¹. 101.
i. 102
i. 105
L 107.
·
•
420
.1467
•
486
95
stior
(1)
.+420
124
•
126. .†264
i. 144.
i. 159.
i. 179.
.t171
i. 215 . { + p. 13
.t107
·
•
472
484
386 !
. 492
(+482
+484
ΟΙ
+512
i. 263. . 356
i.
272 .{†p.
13
(3)
†p. 3
1. 276 - {tp
· 130
•
287
i. 217
.†202
i.
218.
•
477
i.
220.
•
244
i. 223.
•
·
1. 283.
i. 230
ii.
2.
.t321
i. 231
S+15·2
1+295
i. 197
·
.+501
i. 236.
206
ii.
4
•
•
i. 198
386
ii.
14.
•
J†467
+494
i. 199
290!
i. 248 . .7468
ii.
22
•
442
(134
1+494
i. 193
i. 195.
·
471
•
i. 247 ·
458
.t244
•
12
486
.1494
458
INDEX
Sc Linc Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par
i
24.
29
vi.
55. .†423
i.
188 .
.†458
iii.
IIO.
.1401
ii.
ii.
ill.
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
22
•
Å ☆ ☆ ☆ w w w ☺ w w
•
.+513
vi.
60.
31. .†512
{+3057
i.
2c2.
182
iii.
128.
• 456
+457
i. 216.
499
iii. 131
•
•†462
vi.
70
.†200
i.
.+322
222.
.t221
iii.
147.
•
404
vi.
•
72 .t285
30.
32
•
•
296
i. 235
286
•
•
iii. 157
{30
1405
vi.
81
•
499
·
41
i. 244
.†414
iii. 163
· 343
vii.
2
•
499
34
•
40.
•
503
i. 257 .
.+350
vii.
6
.†512
iii. 167
.†494
i. 262
187
•
420
viii.
7
•
.+500
iii. 183
•
470
44
46
·
•
65.
.†494
i. 269.
†497
iii. 184.
.t281
viii.
8
•
430
•
469
i. 284. .†469
ix.
6.
•
374
ii. 16.
iii. 190.
.†198
.t399
•
400
ix.
iii. 192
•
•†492
7
•
•
492
iii.
69
46
ii.
(19)
•
136
ix.
1205•
{
361
408
iii.
214
•
•
27
17
•
477
iii.
72.
.†182
ix.
36.
ii.
•
219
29. 384
•
iii.
92
.t329
ix.
43.
.+497
ii.
30.
118)
ix.
45
·
•
484
ii.
35.
•
iii.
(120)
.t231
ix.
50. .t511
ii.
41.
•
iii.
122.
•
144
ix.
52.
•
458
ii.
44
•
iy.
2
•
480
ix.
•
55 (5)
•
ii.
80
iv.
6'.
•
•
.†497
ix.
57. 458
·
ii.
iv.
8. .+500
85
•
ix.
58. .†497
iv.
9. 460
•
ix.
78. .+315
ii.
93.
{
{ 4
43
77
iv.
12.
•
294
ix.
83.
·
484
ii.
98
•
•
20
(8)
.1442
•
174
t218
(9)
463
182
iii. 215.
iii. (214)
(215)
iii. 216.
iii. (233).
iii. 238.
iii. 242.
iii. 244.
iii.
• 456
W
141
.+349
•
175
·
383
431
iii. 231.
471
23
7.57 .
•
290
iv.
23.
†156
X.
13.
•
134
ii.
100
·
312
iii.
259.
.+500
iv.
42
•
•
474
X.
•
19 468
•
ii. 107
•
45
iii. 262
•
63
iv.
iv. 43 ·
iv.
4.
V.
57.
58
•
6.
124)
.+457
•
·
343
X.
30.
†512
†187
X.
•
486
232
i.
8.
•
274
•
•
vi.
3.
.+451
(11)
i.
ACT III.
ΙΟ .
.tisi
i.
18.
•
vi.
16.
35
•
57
i.
•
II. .1295
+513
i.
25.
270
i.
23
•
vi.
19.
.+283
i. 51
P. 13
iii.
16.
i.
244
33 ·
•
.t223
.t159
vi.
22.
+107
vi. 36.
S21711
•1462
i.
91
•
$
1390
iii.
7
47
•
•
145
i.
35 . < 471
C
iii.
(63)
i.
70
•
.1497
i. 105. .t379
1645°
. (12)
vi.
42. .t494
vi. 46.
vi. (50)
i. 143.
·
(1)
iii.
•
89 (1)
i. (90)
1945.
•
· 316
•
64
i. 152
•
.t343
iii.
107
•
•
56
j.
94
•
.+573
i.
& 180.
•
430
109.
470
+159
33. .t315
ACT II.
407
(6)
•{1p. (?)
(112)
ii. 117.
ii. 128
ii. 129.
ii. 136
iii.
iii.
I
12.
•
•
.1243
. (10)
480
419
ii.
Si
iii. 263.
162
iii. 266.
.t159
iii. 268.
•
512
INDEX.
459
ཝཾ
sc. Line
i.
Par
Sc.
Line
Par.
ACT IV.
Sc. Line
Par.
vi.
ΙΟΙ .
•
492
ii.
44.
12
13 ·
505
•
Sc.
Line
Par.
L 103.
.+376
ii.
50
•
.+287
vi.
30.
•
497
i.
3.
. 295
vi.
i.
112.
•
1.
122.
•
498
262
五五
​ii.
33 .
•
506
51.
•
290
ii.
52.
•
204
i. {3}
• 333
vi.
34
•
•
219
i. 137.
508
ii.
{53).
i.
12.
•
476
vi.
35
•
•
411
•
145
+12
i.
14.
.†494
VI.
39.
.t244
i. 144.
+501
ii.
54.
•
485
i.
21
•
319
i. 146. .+243
ii.
55.
279
i.
27
·
.†495
i. 161. .†150
ii.
71
•
•
54
i.
47
•
•
143
i. (1611
162).
.+400
ii.
75.
•
•
453
i.
53
·
78
vi.
S. S. S. S.
74159
40
•
+295
45
• 440
53
•
•
348
63
·
ii.
76
•
.1494
i.
55.
87
vi.
68.
•
51
†473
i. 170.
•
4II
ii.
81. 470
ii.
•
2.
•
410
vi.
1702
i.
195.
·
476
ii.
•
83 216
GIS
514
ii.
5.
.t140
i. 202.
.+513
vi.
73. · 9
ii.
•
91. .+159 ii.
i. 206. (13)
13.
.+287
vi.
79. .†513
•
ii.
105
•
·
278
ii.
31.
•†342
i. 208. .t136
vi.
85 • 492
ii.
116.
.t365 ii.
36.
.+513
i. 215. 476
·
ii.
•
119 264
ii.
•
48.
. 188
vi. 103 .+251
·
i. (215).
vi. 104
•
.$505
81
•
ii.
125
. 216
i.
221. .†494
ii.
iii.
•
138.
•
.+512
i. 235
•
.+500
ii. 142.
.+513
iii.
13.
.t335
((14)
295
(296
vi. (112).
vi. 118.
•
361
•
486
i. 251
•
.t466
iii.
2
.+467
iii.
48.
. (13)
vi. 131
•
164
iùi.
i.
259
•
.t399
4
•
382
V.
14.
·(15)
vi. 139
.+513
i.
(261)
iii.
6.
(+494
V.
58.
•
. 510
vi. 148
•
(215
1262)*
•
24
1+5:3
1+469
V.
63
•
.+349
i. 280. 484
iii.
8. .†494
vii.
4
·
•
90
•
V.
98.
•
287
iii.
vii.
8
•
. til
i. 298.
t118a
19.
•
. 202
V.
99.
.t285
vii.
i.
·
.†242
301
ill.
49
·
•
512
14
•
•
• 479
V.
110.
•
505
1478
iii.
62.
•
63
V.
113.
.t203
vii.
ĺ+356
40
•
i. 311.
1484
•
1485
iii.
67
•
•
482
V.
133.
. 187
vii.
4I.
.t136
i.
319.
•
343
iii.
87
·
•
475
V. 149. 484
•
vii.
SI.
•
490
i.
327 ·
i. 329. .†469
•
492
iii.
93 · 151
V. 156.
.t344
vii.
57. .t473
iii.
96. .t113
V. 157
460
i. 334. 480
·
iii.
97.
•
54
ACT V.
V.
•
ii. 6
1477
iii.
104.
•
430
i 513
iii.
V.
122.
471
174
(P. 13
197 · (6)
182
i.
3. .†468
ii. 12 .t129
•
iii,
124
·
.+442
V.
203
ISI
{}.
·
•
ii.
26.
•
468
ill.
V.
127
•
•457″
205.
•
+90
i.
34
+
C
• 290
434
$500
V.
ii.
39
or
•
iii.
•
(1494
133 · 1510
$457a
214. †430
i.
•
39.
+506
vi. II. 498
i
46.
$286
400
INDEX.
Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Pal
54.
471
ii.
CPB -
62.
. (17)
iii.
5
•
.†494
1321
35
iii. 21 .†161
•
iii. (143)
(144) .+278
vi. {22).
(23)
+249
•
490
iii. (149).
•
• 457
vi.
ii 8
ül.
ii.
•
13
¡ll.
1735°
18
• 458
{5}
.+442
iii. 154
•
.+497
vi.
iii. 170 460
vi.
•
22.
•
+92
iii.
67.
•
469
iii.
186.
.419a
vi.
ii.
41
183
iii.
82 .
†p.13
iii.
189.
ti
vi.
S. S. S. s. S.
23. .†494
35 •
.t448
40
29c
•
ii.
65
•
. (15)
iii.
95.
•·
423
iii. 192
•
483
vi.
44
•
4I. .†495
43. .+285
•
227
ii.
77
.t212
iii.
96.
•†490
•
ii.
89
294
iii.
100.
.t349
ü.
90
. +16
•
iii.
105
•
•
479
ii.
95
•
.15
iii.
108.
.t494
ཙཱ ང་ ང་ ང་
iv.
39
• 492
vi.
61. .1513
55
•
.+469
vi.
•
69 462
•
iv.
64
•
•
143
vi.
71.
.†479
vi.
4
•
238
vi.
78.
•
420
iii.
4
•
• 479
iii.
115
•
•
478
vi.
5
. 208
vi.
ΙΟΙ
•
•
480
iii.
iii.
121. 455
•
•
•
290
iii. 125
•
•
482
{3}. . +279
111. II
(1) Folio, "and."
(4) Othello, i. 2. 22.
(7) See A. Y. L. ii. 2. 8.
(10) Hamlet, i. 1. 162.
(12) M. of V. i. 1. 98.
(14) Folio, "appeared."
(16) F. C. iii. 3. 22
(2) M. for M. iv. 6. 13.
(5) A. and C. i. 4. 40.
(8) Hamlet, v. 2. 95.
vi. 138. .†457
(3) F. C. iii. 2. 16.
(6) See above, i. 1. 272.
(9) M. of V. iv. 1. 406.
(11) Conversely, 1 Hen. VI. v. 4. 7.
(13) Tempest, i. 2. 200.
(15) F. C. iv. 3. 138.
(17) 3 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 46
Ref.
vi.
II
•
.t440
vi.
128. tp.13
vi.
15.
•
166
CYMBELINE.
ACT 1.
iv.
w
36. . 382
V.
44
·
356
i.
24
81
iv.
•
39
•
•
405
vi.
6.
3.4
vi. 209.
•
ACT II.
i,
48
•
465
iv.
53 •
•
427
vi.
8.
•
337
i.
61.
•
507
i.
65
•
•
279
iv.
ΙΟΙ .
434
vi.
36.
375
iii.
24
•
. 247
i.
72.
•
466
iv.
112
•
•
90
vi.
40.
•
224
iii.
29
I
•
i.
96
•
•
473
iv. 118.
•
189
vi.
48.
•
499
iii.
59
•
•
297
i. 105
•
244
iv.
125.
•
368
vi.
59 .
j. 124
•
•
382
v. 9.
467
* }
iii.
68.
•
•
13
85
iii.
80.
•
76
i. 132
•
508
V.
10.
•
484
vi.
66.
•
290
iii.
ΙΟΙ .
i. 168.
465
V.
17
•
•
370
vi.
84
•
244
iii.
III
•
•
.4194
148
iii.
ji.
7
•
•
453
V.
29
•
•
224
V.
25
28.
•
93
vi.
116.
8
•
iii
ISI.
·
478
vi.
117
·
•
247
IV.
16.
•
158
V.
32
212
•
•
vi.(Fol.)147. 340
iii. 153
•
508
(118
*1299
iv..
17. 412
V.
41.
•
95
vi. 165.
18
iv.
434
•
•
INDEX.
461
Sc. Line
iv. 57. · 336
Par.
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
V.
148.
•
290
ii. 229.
•
· 435
iv. 149.
404
iv. 88.
497
vi.
17
•
•
143
ii. 233
·
•
215
iv.
179.
$95
ACT III.
vi.
19
•
·
35I
ii. 252
367
•
12
iv.
vi.
21
•
i.
38. 357
336
ii.
209
• 154
254
74
vi.
i.
73
•
•
356
25
•
•
351
ii.
V.
2.
·
283.
230
•
335
v.
41.
vi.
ii.
ii.
65
42
•
301
ii.
331
•
•
· 7
•
• 429
V.
S230
vi.
48. . 360
ii.
51
•
120
. 326
347.
•
341
V.
60.
•
79
•1352
vi.
63
•
295
ii.
466
371 .
335
V.
ul.
28.
•
333
vi.
70
126
ii.
•
•
373
•
•
484
85
•
•
iii.
iii
71.
•
144
vi.
9.
453
V.
139.
84
• 356
92. 174
•
iii.
iii.
99
•
• 336
ACT IV.
13
•
472
v. 169.
28
•
iii.
iii.
102
198
i.
16. 256
15
·
•
471
V.
186.
·
238
•
iii. (Fol.) 103. 340
iii.
ii.
26.
476
19.
5II
V.
228.
•
215
iii.
20
•
iii.
85.
226
297
V.
230.
. 238
•
ii.
35 ·
•
333
iii.
21
•
•
400
V.
233
·
•
• 335
iv.
iv.
135.
·
509
295
143.
•
.+335
ii.
47 ·
296
iv.
6.
·
433
V.
252.
• 419
4II
iv.
15.
•
161
255.
•
291
IV.
1.44
12
·
·
ii.
55 •
•
453
iv.
148.
(295
23.
•
403
V.
297
•
230
1296
ii.
67
•
•
347
iv.
35
•
86
V.
311.
182
•
iv.
153 ·
• 465
ii.
71.
•
274
iv.
48
•
•
174
V.
338.
280
iv.
160.
228
ii.
97
16
•
•
ACT V.
V.
343
•
•
413
•
સ સ સ સ ૨
iv. 187
ii.
•
507
129.
ISI
i..
8.
•
327
Y.
349 .
·
473
ii.
y.
21
•
•
343
146.
•
47
ii.
22
•
•
336
V.
406.
·
344
89
V.
V.
32.
58.
V. 71.
V. 83
·
•
• 220
iii.
ii. 190.
45
•
·
466
V.
407.
•
• 486
347
368
473
iv.
285
ii. 207.
86
iv.
5 8
60.
120.
•
22
V.
431.
•
158
·
295
V.
464.
•
249
45
ii. 223.
•
246
iv.
147.
•
290
V.
469.. 434
HAMLET,
i.
i.
i.
ACT I.
I
6
•
1. 45. +329
i.
77
•
512
i.
53
•
.+458
i.
+312
81. t130
i. 108
.
299
i.
114.
8
•
•
191
i.
55
181
i.
•
•
84
92
i. 115.
.1468
26.
•
30
i.
56.
312
i.
(+382
i.
86.
1469
'.
i. 116.
·
304
31-33
i.
252
57
+
3
1490
i.
117
•
113
i.
33 ·
•
►
361
i.
1.
35.
40 .1513
•
511
1581
1591.
•
• 513
i.
93.
{+453
i.
119.
•
204
494
i.
122.
•
+69
i.
13
i.
98.
•
433
70.
•1364
1. (43)
42 469
•
i.
i.
72.
290
(102)
1108)
1.
•
127
120
132
J35)
•
519
162
INDEX.
Sc.
Line
་
Par.
Sc.
Line
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
i. 136.
i. 143
i. 154
i, 158.
i. 161.
•
429
ii. 140.
•
501
iii. 63 .+242
V.
66
•
•
176
•
.1470
ii.
Ι4Ι
•
•
312
iii.
66. .†470
V.
61.
S492
•
P. 13
ii.
142
•
• 349
iii.
70.
.†276
(6)
V.
65.
·
+89
•
142
ii.
151.
•
194
iii.
73
•
•
245
290
463
ii.
159
•
.+364
111.
74.
•
(5)
V.
go
+442
1.
168
•
.+364
ii. 160
•
• 497
iii.
85. .†501
V. 120.
.+512
ii. II
(1)
ii. 171.
+277
iii.
89
•
.
· 457
ii.
14
•
.+189
ii.
172
•
•
443
iii.
95.
ii.
ii.
il.
ii.
17
20
21
·
•
244
ii.
176
•
·
494
iii.
IOI
•
•
342
ii.
179.
•
192
•
+89
S+513
453
V. 139
V. 163
Y.
173.
•
•
149
•
•
492
•
470
V.
•
175 178
·
iii.
p.16
ii.
II2
180.
•
469
·
513
iii.
22.
•+242
ii. 183
.+131
117.
►
iii.
i.
23
•
.p.16
ii.
184
•
.+506
119.
·
V.
ii.
27
†343
ii. 185
iii.
126.
•
•
•
• 480
478
164
5
v. 178. .+350
V.
180.
•
St50x
1+297
17
186.
ii.
35
•
·
148
ii. 193
193.
.†307
iii.
131.
•
57
ACT II.
ü.
ii.
ii.
37
•
186
ii. 198
iii. 133
22
•
•
•
450
iv.
38
•
D
412
ii.
3. †297
i.
II.
• II
207.
•
3
i.
42-9. 235
ii.
216.
·
304
iv.
โ
л-
•
5:3
36.
·
482
i.
42.
208
•
ii. 68.
•
294
ii.
217.
•
+107.
iv.
6.
5
il.
78
•
Stp.12
(2)
ii.
•
218 +38
iv.
18.
†170
i.
58.
24
400
ii. 219
.+339
iv. 21
90
i.
64
168
ii. 81.
460
ii.
•
222 .+343
iv.
30
•
3
i.
ii.
87
.
490
ii.
90
•
246
ii.
J2281
1230)
iv.
35
.+315
.+513
i.
84
•
iv.
47
•
•
491
ii.
(3)
i.
91.
92.
1492
ii. 232
468
iv.
51. .†307
i.
1921
ii.
95. .188a
iii.
2
•
109
iv.
52. 492
+
1935
82.
•
•
• 275
478
507
178
.
ii.
99
.419a
iii.
8.
•
484
iv.
•
54 . 216
i.
95 .
.1109
ii.
981
.+252
iii.
17
•
.+376
iv.
57.
75
i.
112
472
(484
ii.
(103)
188a
iii.
iv.
21
73.
•
(4)
V.
il. 105
206
iii.
24
·
·
497
V.
ii.
III
82
iii.
•
6.
(200
•1423
•
500
II . 149
i. (118)
(119).
i. 114.
t16
•
390
ii.
2.
•
50
30. 199
•
V.
13
•
.+343
ii.
ii.
112.
·
149
111.
43.
82
5. . 479
•
V.
18.
350
ii.
ii.
119
•
{
$.456
•2+469
iii.
45 ·
·t315
7.
325
V.
19.
24
ii.
10
179
iii. 47-51
415
ii. 120.
•
+315
V.
21
•
P. 16
ii.
II
•
167
iii.
57.
200
ii.
124
188
V.
iii.
59
•
ii. 126.
•
123
{ ++30698
(499
32. .1322
ii.
12
ر
•
132
V.
48.
277
ii.
26.
ii. 137.
•
15
iii.
62.
95
V.
53. 417
S247
11468
INDEX.
463
Sc. Line
Par.
!
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
27.
•
174
ii. 584.
✔
512
ii. 28.
·
165
iii.
62.
95
ii.
36.
•
434
ii. 590
•
ii.
42
•
69
il.
593 ·
.
511
.(6a)
ii. ₤321
2445⋅
il.
75.
•
329
300
iii.
78
511
ii.
ii.
67. .†399
ii.
бот.
53
•
•
97
. 220
iii.
91
•
•
24
ii.
68.
•
229
ii
•
71. .†468
ii.
605
•
. 122
iv.
3
.+285
1.
69.
•
174
ii.
80.
.+297
ii.
607
•
•
22
iv.
•
5. .+513
ii.
ii. 81.
· 374
ii.
610.
71
•
.†164
•
512
iv.
7
200
•
ii.
ii.
83
.+343
ii. 622.
.+366
73. (9)
·
iv.
25.
.+513
ii.
ii.
91.
467
93.
.†137
ACT III.
ii.
98
•
177
iv. (40).
·
279
ii.
100.
.+404
i. 8. 399
ü.
III.
•
229
iv.
50.
142
.t159
·
•
145
11.
•
240
•
•
371
ii. 113.
ii. 127
ii. 139.
ii.
ii.
T40.
148
151
•
•
ii. 154
ii. (157)
(158)°
•
60
438
483
ii. 176. .+275
i. (23)
i. (10:
S+513
ii.
1+468
131.
•
58
iv.
51
•
❤
430
ü.
176
•
•
+55
iv.
65.
•
355
i.
13
•
•
173
ii.
177
•
· 336
iv.
94
·
.$498
124)*
.+513
ii.
178.
.388a
iv.
95.
t159
i.
29
•
•
(7)
ii.
184
•
•
· 355
iv.
98.
. (13)
i.
+284
33 .+470
i. (29).
•
ii. 190
.t364
iv.
122
•
24
£281
.+315
ii.
(200)
(2015
415
iv.
131
(133)
•
500
i.
•
38 .+368
ii. 207.
•
194
iv. 144.
•
+80
ii. 196 .t274
ii. 206. .†276
i.
44 • 180
ii.
214
1333
((10)
iv. 173
·
·
297
i. 49
482
iv.
180. 485
•
ii.
220.
·
339
ii. 287
128
•
•
i.
1521
iv.
195
·
.t150
187
ii.
153
221.
• 490
iv.
202
•
-1325
ii. 301.
ii. 305.
ii. 343.
•
174
i.
68.
508
ii.
227
+364
iv. 206.
•
492
439
i.
89. .+469
ii. 252
37
i.
91.
346
ii. 398
•
297
i.
119. .tizi
. 216
ii. 268. St165
(11)
•
iv. 207.
·
342
iv. 209
•
•
143
•
42
•
• 33x
229
ii. 402.
ii. 483
ii. 504.
ii. 508
ii. 510.
•
ii. (535)
1540)•
•
•
t472
512
22
24
371
.t164
ii. 537
549. .†230
ii. 549
ii. 567.
ii. 578 .t129
•
ii. 580.
i. 102-58 .515a
i. 164
ii. 312
•
.+439
i.
124. †223
•
ii. 317.
•
354
ACT IV.
ii.
350.
•
i. 163
423
•
•
342
i.
ii. 377.
IO. $399
•
425
i.
168.
22
(8)
ii. 394
·
•
· 189
ii.
j+356
12.
17170
ii.
408. .+501
i. 173.
•
24
iii.
7
ii.
3.
•
425
S+466
497
i. 174.
•
451
i. 175.
1153
iii.
(12)
14.
iii.
22
1335
38
221
i.
181
68
iii.
•
20 .t272
ii.
46.
•
143
i. 182.
•
337
iii.
33.
•
ii.
3
221
▸
iii.
ü.
ii. 581..1490
ii.
22.
•
158
38
•
165
1425
•178
iii. 50
160*
•
143
iii.
70,
+371
464
INDEX
Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ACT V.
Sc.
Line
Par
iv. 9-12. .+500
vi. II.
.t349
Sc.
Line Par.
ii.
92.
Si
•
131)
iv. (17). . 484
vi.
13.
•
405
i.
81. 184
ii.
108
•
•
•
(15)
vi.
25. .†244
i.
85.
262
•
iv.
39. .+466
vii.
13
•
•
• 273
i.
87
·
•
329
iv.
44 .+359
vii.
16 .
.†145
i.
100
·
•
iv.
65
•
482
vii. 17.
•
460
i.
V.
•
3
5
·
•
+319
.+335
vii. (25).
·
·
7.
76.
461
vii. 28.
•
i.
·
252 .+322
v.
83. .+501
vii.
48.
6
•
i.
253
253. .†148
425
+89
{197)}. .+299
J228
i. 244. •(14)
ii. 206.
128
.t314
•
319
.t285
ii. 226. 460
ii. (245)
1246)•
•
ii.
120
•
•
ii. 162.
93
ii. 183
•
•
ii. 241
• 479
84
St469
vii.
50.
.+325
i.
258.
258 .
.+513
+497
ii. 258.
ii. 266.
•
298
316
vii.
1971
55 ·
.t513
i.
261
•
•
430
V.
1985
.+513
ii. 270.
vii.
59.
.tiii
i.
•
265 469
ii. 276.
.†494
.+513
.1297
V.
99. .t178
vii.
60.
•
482
i.
268
V.
102. 495
vii.
61.
†133
•
i.
281. .t513
V.
125
•
187
vii.
63
S 115
i.
•
296 +89
•
·
4.
128.
146
+285
i.
298
241
vii.
85
•
• 307
V.
129.
.+513
i.
317.
. 162
268. • 360
·
ii. 277.
ii. 307
13231
·324°
ii. 337
•
81
·
•
.1479
ii.
· 513
•
. (16)
v.
133
. 187
vii.
S+323
120.
+329
II)
ii. 341.
•
238
ii.
(12)
•
514
ii.
342.
•
V. 141 .1501
•
vii. 132. .t244
ii.
27.
•
414
ii.
V.
152-3)
v. {199).
V. 213.
•
[143-4)
3-4 } +513
343 ·
166
.+513
vii. (152)
160
.+285
ii.
28. .t511
ii.
347 ·
•
. 181
vii. 159.
.tI10
ii.
29.
.t438
ii.
373
·
.+513
ii.
1423
•1492
vii. 178.
51.
•
+89
202
ii. 406. 180
•
•
vii. 179.
+p. 13
ii.
63.
(204
•1297
ii. 409
•
.+360
V. 217. 283
vii
181 . .†495
ii.
64.
.t216
ii. 411.
•
•
364
·
•
(1) W. T. v. 2. 82.
(2) Macbeth, iii. 1. 15.
(4) Folio, "sanctify:" probably "sanity."
(3) Rich. III. i. 2. 3.
(5) Perhaps a corruption arising from a repetition of "oft" misspelt "oft,"
most."
(6) Macbeth, iii. 5. 32.
(7) Macbeth, iii. 5. 7.
(ro) Folio, "favourites."
(6a) Compare "free," Hamlet, iii. 2. 252.
(8) Macbeth, iv. 3. 170.
(12) Folio, "depends and rests."
(14) Folio, "," not "its."
(16) Above, 283--Macbeth, ii. 2. 56-7.
(11) Hamlet, iv. 7. 145.
(13) Rich. III. iii. x. 82.
(15) L. L. L. v. 1. 143–4
«
ost
И
(c) Folio, "hat)."
INDEX.
465
:
1 HENRY IV.
Бс
Act 1.
Line
ား
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
i.
21
•
•
474
iii. 65.
iii. (103-1
1115S
•
490
i. 177.
73
111.
92.
•
•1432
•
231
i.
257 ·
• 466
i.
28
•
87
iv. 127.
175
ü.
56.
H.
53.
·
237
iv. 166.
178
ii.
ii.
65
·
419
iv.
182
•
,༢༠༔
ii.
888
60.
•
•
419
243
104
iii. {(Fol.))
ΤΙΙ
iv. 2
iii.
•
•
Par.
лбо
• 508
480
489
88.
•
24
iv.
27
•
•
07
ii.
157
•
419
iv.
222
•
·
24
ii.
100
168
·
•
ii. 174
22
iv.
233 ·
•
220
ii. 118.
•
231
ACT V
iii.
15
【དྷྭ་
•
487
iv.
247.
220
ii.
120
168
i.
20
•
· 490
iii.
17
•
512
iv.
278
402
ii.
123.
ill.
125.
•
105
iv. 300.
216
•1476
₤216
i.
27.
•
507
•
i.
iii. 146.
•
426
ii.
iv.
312.
•
363
•
124 . 268
i
iii. 159.
• 349
iv.
411
•
•
363
ii.
65
141
•
•
431
i.
iii. 183.
374
iv.
442.
·
243
ii. 149
•
•
67
i.
iii. 234.
480
ii.
168.
•
iv. 573.
276
8 5 5 5
50
•
•
255
•
•
22
72.
•
342
2
•
•
20)
iii.
271
•
457
iii.
50.
{1984
i.
220
i.
109.
116.
·
505
·
92
ACT II.
i.
6.
$400
i.
5
•
ACT III.
. 487
iii.
180. · 301
ii.
8
·
•
ii.
30.
ii.
(411
i.
33
•
•
17
·
•
343
i.
II
•
•
400
i.
34
•
•
466
ACT IV.
ü.
62.
•
498
338
477
(271
1460
i.
12
•
•
299
i.
48.
•
220
i.
24.
•
200
ii.
71. . 181
•
i.
34
182
•
.
i.
60. . 363
i.
52.
98
ii.
97.
489
i.
59. 227
•
i.
63
•
►
499
i.
110.
290
iv.
5.
•
362
22
i.
80.
67.
484
i.
127
•
346
1260
iv.
•
4I 469
•
i.
72.
505
ii.
56.
•
24
iv.
ii.
87
•
·
480
14
122
i. 74
44
ii.
·
·
83 461
333
ii.
ii.
iii
28
༢༠
28.
•
•
་
24
219
i. 131
i. 133.
i.
100
220
iii.
38.
•
124
•
461
iii.
44
•
•
467
(Fol.) 461
100
iv.{(Fol.)}
iv. 125.
1492
55
111.
68.
•
17
V.
13.
•
·
iii.
143-2
167
•
231
i. 152.
•
374
iii.
75.
•
. 220
V.
14
270
472
467
2 HENRY IV.
ACT 1.
i.
99.
260
i. 209.
•
17
ii.
212
•
68
Ind.
37
·
•
2
i.
III.
•
339
ii.
23
·
319
L.
د. ن. ـــ
i.
3
86.
87
•
•
•
295
295
490
i. 199.
i.
138
•
425
ii.
ii. 213.
66.
•
254
(178
•1243
i.
192
•
• 130
ii.
85
•
•
335
ii. 245.
230
·
343
ü. 130.
253
iii
27. 263
HH
466
INDEX.
Sc.
Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par
iii.
39.
•
354
iv. 305.
•
199
i.
98
•
• 305
V.
77 ·
•
510
iii.
59
260
i.
•
ACT III.
107 ·
305
V. 91
•
198
iii.
80.
i.
•
371
i.
20.
89
117
•
•
284,
V.
126.
·
202
iii.
91
•
•
87
i.
161.
• 477
V.
153
•
•
468
i.
ACT II.
ii.
225223
22.
•
264
i.
183
81
•
57
•
· 309
i.
i.
70. 187
ii.
198
•
383
199
•
· 335
v. 165.
ACT V.
343
ii.
206.
•
132
i. 225.
(202
i.
186.
•
295
•1361
i.
84
•
►
202
ii.
i.
213
•
•
32
191
30
ii.
113.
•
471
ii.
24
28
•
ii.
i.
200.
•
378
300
•
•
330
iii.
79
•
•
487
ii.
66.
ii.
304.
. 220
ii.
59
•
•
331
iii.
120.
·
264
ii.
85
•
•
371
301
ü.
iii.
310
•
• 405
iv.
42
•
492
20 •
37
ii. 128.
iii.
65
•
•
492
ACT IV.
iv.
39
•
377
(141
1264
iv.
83
•
335
i.
32.
•
287
iv.
III.
•
51
iii.
93.
. 128
iv. 174
268
i.
•
•
71.
•
17
y.
71.
•
474
iii.
98.
•
343
ACT 1.
ii.
21
ii.
Prol.
•
•
481
58
•
ii.
66.
•
i.
i.
9.
""
12.
16.
18.
I.
•
•
•
+20
419
450
ii.
+90
165)
1691
.+265
HENRY V.
.t440
•
+89
419
ü.
ii. 172
ii. 183
ii. 165.
ii. 167
•
446
ii. 2.
486
ii.
23
·
+89
ii.
•
•
480
ii.
43 ·
315
.+406
31 .t342
+17
·
•
ii. 199
·
•†467
ii
44
•
•
(5)
+3
ii.
75.
• 489
ii. 203
•
·
490
ii.
70
•
.t469
ü.
$791
1961
.+479
ii. 208.
497
fi.
•
71 .+468
•
ii. 248.
•
469
i.
15.
89
ü.
88.
•
217
i.
•
35 .1406
ii.
i.
43. .†199
ii.
94.
•
93. †223
†440
ii. 256.
ii. 263.
263. .†244
ti
ii. 98. .+343
ii. 270
·
•
(2)
ii.
i.
47
•
+283
i.
i.
53.
57
•
•
•
403
414
ii. (105)
(112)
ii. 108.
ii. 292
·
.1460
St349
172)
ii.
173)
ii.
+369
ii. 95. .†442
ii.
100
102
.t236
91.
.t270
309
•
•
· 457
ii.
305
•
•
472
ii. 103
•
•
(6)
56n
.†137
ii.
307.
•
203
ii. 104
•
•
321
i.
72.
•
458
ii.
IIO
•
89
ACT II.
ii. 116.
.t470
i.
75.
.t468
ii.
114
•
·
154
Prol. 18
ii
349
123. •+450
i.
81. .†196
ii. 132.
•
463
26.
"}
(3)
1.
ii.
ii.
16.
น.
28
†193
342
§ (1)
·
86. 433
136
12.
ii. 145.
ii. J149)
(152)
ii. 153. .t283
+69
"}
32
•
•
481
i.
9
•
•
64
i.
ii. 154
S 462
·
(247
•+343
i
107 . (4)
(5a)
66. 428
i. 104.
•
.t216
il 128
ii. 129.
ii. 132.
ii. 139
ii. 151.
•
483
458
.t136
· 398
•
.t439
159 · 277
ii.
INDEX.
467
Sc
Line
Par.
ii.
159.
.†467
པཾ
Sc. Line Par.
i.
14
•
479
Sc. Line Par.
(190)
ི
ii. 168
•
468
iii.
5.
503
iii.
་་ བ་
iv.
iv.
ii. 181.
iii.
iii.
iv.
iv.
iv.
iv.
6.
II
12
I
·
.
20.
25
·
31.
5457
1475
50.
.+107
.+301
•
(7)
iii.
9
•
•
490
iii.
12.
(4)
iii.
26.
•
(104
.t474
•
+89
490
i. 191. .t378
(193
i. 197.
i. (250
1257)
•
417
.t469
S. S. S. §. 5.9
Sc. Line
Par.
vi.
3.
.+468
9. (9)
12.
.†440
18
•
•
344
24
·
. †66
ii.
J281
i. 305.
•
315
vi.
37
•
364
38
145)
174
i.
319.
•
+69
vii.
58
•
•
347
•
335
iii.
46.
•
176
ii.
13.
.†468
vii.
76
•
•
200
V.
II
•
484
ii.
23. .†501
vii.
81. +89
•
v.
12.
.+126
ii.
32. .+359
vii.
•
88 +87
•
•
364
V.
22.
•
89
ii.
62. t150
vii.
121.
V.
24
•
•
498
•
415
iii.
2 •
· 343
V.
35. .t285
iii.
•
225
9. •†469
V.
60. .†148
iv.
53
·
•
51
iii.
18.
vi.
157
•
•
249
(+254
1+500
vii. (127)
1130
vii. 131.
.t364
•
(4)
{+1023
11249
iv.
64
•
•
225
139)
vi. 165
203
iii.
26.
•
297
iv.
$77)
vii.
165
•
(4)
1785.
•
414
vi. 179
179.
.†492
iii.
33.
•
503
171
iv.
80. .†460
vii. 9. t171
174)
iii. (35)
{3}}.
•
415
vii. 142. .t158
iv.
85
•
·
490
iii.
vii.
42
•
•
24
184.
.tIII
iv.
90.
•
349
ACT IV.
iii.
44
•
•
348
vii. 188.
. 377
iv.
iv.
120.
·
iv.
122.
ΙΟΙ .
iv. 103.
iv. 105.
S311
1348
·
•
+95
(4)
.+468
Prol. 8.
•
450
iii.
55
·
453
vii.
189. .t399
350
"
21.
•
264
iii.
59 ·
·†474
viii.
44
•
·
(4)
28.
>>
•
251
iii.
63
vili.
•
• 290
""
36.
•
440
iii.
""
38
•
•
374
iv. 124.
iv. 126.
•
450
"
48. . +66
iii.
77
•
i.
•
477
16. .†297
iii.
84
•
i.
26.
·
303
*
.
444
*
.t.466
·
.+189
Prol.
"
"
ACT III.
6. 457
IO
11
·
18.
21.
30
.t193
i.
29
i. 38
i. (39)
iii.
•
.+513
86.
iii.
95.
·
.457@
(8)
{+p. 13
70. (tp.13
• 297
•
1348
1414
45I
87
ACT V.
Prol.{2}. .+462
viii.
viii.
84.. (10)
116. .†462
122.
•
(4)
3
•
>>
7 480
•
iii.
107.
492
1425°
•
465
·
""
17 287
•
iii. 113.
• 319
34.
202
•
i.
45.
.+505
iii.
120.
• 315
"
41
•
•
429
89
i.
•
89 .t299
iii.
131
•
·
†513
"}
45
•
.t141
i. 113.
•
300
iii. 132.
•
+46
i.
31
•
•
353
i. 118.
•
276
iv.
23.
.t201
i.
93
•
501
"
32.
.te97
i. 126.
•
+87
iv.
76
•
•
248
ii.
•
4 469
·
i, 9. •†490
i. 128.
.†281
iv.
81. .+172
13.
.t228
i. 181
ii.
(+285
19
•
429
V.
17
290
HH 2
412
468
INDEX.
Sc, Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line Par.
ii.
28.
471
ii.
73
440
ii. 138. .†361
ii.
ii. (34)
78.
.t361
·
287
ii.
88.
•
494
ii. (368)
13695°
Sc. Line
ii. 475 ·
ii. 482. .†368
Par
•
478
•
315
ii. 491
•
458
ii.
68.
•
329
ii.
92. +13
·
ii. 398.
•
432
Epil. 11
93
(1) Folio, "makes."
(3) Macbeth, ii. 2. 56-7.
(2) Perhaps, "hence," from home.-Macbeth, iii. 3. 38
(4) Folio, "and."
(5a) Malone, "while we force." Perhaps, more probably,
(6) F. C. i. 3. 22.
(5) Macbeth, iii. 5. 32
"we'll" is to be repeated
(8) A. Y. L. iii. 1. 18
(7) Hamlet, i. 2. 182.
(9) A. W. v. 3. 297.
(10) Perhaps "sides" (486) is prolonged.
I HENRY VI.
ACT I.
V.
31.
•
484
i.
28.
414
i. 175.
•
467
V.
36.
•
295
i.
34.
•
120
111.
33.
•
170
i.
2.
•
529
vi.
4
•
•
479
i.
51.
·
484
iii.
46.
•
170
i.
i.
60.
71
•
489
vi.
12.
•
501
i.
81.
•
492
V. I, SI
·
•
231
•
•
492
vi.
16.
•
348
i.
112
•
484
V. 30
•
•
319
i.
76
485
vi.
26.
•
425
i.
142
•
487
vi.
6-9.
231
i. (92)
ادور
193)
456
vi.
27
•
•
505
i.
143.
490
vii.
34
•
•
172
i.
115
•
440
ACT II.
ii.
9
•
• 335
vii.
70.
•
489
i. 126. tp. 34
i.
30. . 362
ii.
25.
•
• 150
vii.
72.
ii.
•
ii.
I
•
217
i.
46.
104 469
•
299
ii.
19
•
·
492
i.
53.
·
275
ii. 123.
S217
1335
ACT V.
i.
21.
•
479
ii.
54
•
•
156
i.
•
•
70 178
ii.
124
•
•
24
iii.
41
•
·
ii.
74
I
•
i.
71
•
325
iii.
3
•
•
492
iii.
11.
77
•
•
89
82.
iii.
28.
·
466
iii.
20
•
•
92
ii.
ΙΟΙ
•
·
498
iii.
58.
iii.
•
321
98
·
•
iii.
31.
•
92
iii.
5
487
iv.
15
•
10
iii.
72
•
•
418
iii. 177
•
•
164
1230
1352
52
247
iii.
11
474
iv.
iii.
91
•
•
472
iv.
183
•
•
342
17
•
III
iii.
20.
488
iv.
98.
iv.
•
371
iv.
29
•
178
iii.
iv.
52
•
•
320
22
V.
37
·
•
311
iii.
87
·
•
480
ACT. IV.
iv.
V.
55
25.
•
244
8.
•
•
4.
• 295
. 168
13
iii.
90.
•
382
V.
iii.
91
•
•
492
1751
1765.
i.
28.
287
iv.
57 ·
463
485
i.
38.
•
17
iv.
75
•
•
105
iv.
iv.
iv.
54
•
iv.
ΙΟ
16.
28
•
•
•
505
489
430
45
V.
89
• 360
i.
70.
•
484
iv. 156.
•
490
V.
96.
•
349
ACT III.
i.
13.
• 497
i. 113.
i. 126.
i. 166.
•
348
V.
18
•
•
122
490
V.
55.
•
479
•
467
ν
•
505
INDEX.
469
2 HENRY V1.
Par. Sc. Line
Act 1.
Sc. Line
Par.
iv.
25.
•
251
i. 217.
20
•
Sc. Line Par.
iv.
31
•
•
382
i. 254
•
•
264
i.
Sc. Line
i. 113.
113.
117
Par.
. 175
·
•
213
i
2 •
• 451
iv.
•
78 466
i.
•
301.
•
• 337
i.
129
•
•
484
i.
་་་
i.
i.
19
61.
i. 150.
i. 166.
i. 183.
i. 206
208.
i. 225
•
•
•
247
ACT II.
i.
348.
•
463
i. 135
·
•
443
·
168
i.
296
3. {3
1411
1347
ii.
3
•
•
405
ii.
59.
402
411
ii.
II
•
•
376
i.
22.
226
335
ii.
96.
•
178
•
•
•
121
i.
68.
.(180
ii.
31.
•
190
ii. 103
•
•
169
335
ii.
84
343
vi.
3.
x68
•
• 477
i.
88 . . 168
ii.
89
156
vi.
23
268
·
501
i.
93 ·
86
•
•
ii.
100.
·
289
i.
94.
•
349
•1291
(117
vii.
III
•
193
viii.
i. 233 . 280
ii.
36.
•
477
•
i.
99
128
119.
· 501
•
•
ix.
I
•
84
ii.
i.
247 . • 333
i.
139
·
•
451
109.
•
. 220
ix.
ii.
17
•
363
ii.
6.
ii.
178
33.
•
193
•
•
3
510
ii.
36.
•
89
ii. {3}.
ii.
257.
160
•
• 511
ii.
•
57 289
•
ii.
258.
·
490
i.
16.
ACT V.
168
ii.
55.
•
485
ii
58.
f116
ii.
286 .
•
40
i.
iii.
•
135
20.
•
456
32
•
•
512
ii. 295
•
·
298
i.
60.
•
· 335
iv.
11.
69.
3.
•
463
•
209
ii.
365.
•
460
ii.
79. 89
iv.
i. 143
•
•
432
52.
• 475
•
ii.
401. 158
•
ii. 80-2.
iv.
·
479
63. 446
i.
153
•
264
·
ii.
ACT III.
ii. 403 ·
403 ·
1497
(492
i.
196
•
•
352
97.
•
470
i.
9. 132
ACT IV.
i.
211.
•
iii.
63
•
$491
(471
i.
66.
•
57
i.
3.
260
ü.
•
45
•
•
478
478
iii.
·
153 484
i.
126
•
326
i.
85
•
338
ii.
86.
•
<5x
ii. 167. 409
•
i. 160.
•
451
i.
87
•
•
478
iii.
I.
243
3 HENRY VI.
ACT I.
i. 215.
•
476
466
i. 224
ii. 38. . 478
iv.
IO . 226
i.
80.
•
430
V.
42.
•
•
306
iv.
103.
460
i.
83
·
247
V.
60.
•
iv. 115
218
•
i. 106.
295
vi.
42
•
iv.
142.
•
490
i.
110.
•
451
vi.
56.
38 $
229
.419a
ii.
•
4I 467
•
iv. 150.
126
•
•
ii.
43.
•
509
ACT II.
ii. 142.
ii. 157 ·
• 156
•
428
vi.
86.
·
244
ii.
$ 95
iii.
27
•
192
ACT III.
47
i.
2
•
•
• 295
377
iii.
40
•
•
ji.
75
(116
1289
i.
16.
•
263
423
i.
IO.
iii.
i.
46.
f116
56.
44T
(151
1348
iv.
6
•
243
•1289
3. 178
•
i. II.
20
470
INDEX.
Sc.
Line
Par.
ACT IV.
i.
31. . 189
iv.
Sc. Line
26.
Par.
•
492
Sc.
Line
Par.
51
•
•
255
V.
2.
•
i.
17
•
480
355
ii.
92.
·
40
i.
92
451
vii.
5477
ཙྭ་བ་༴་་
Sc. Line
18.
30.
489
35
34
•
•
Par.
477
37
1375
143T
•
ii.
137
•
·
194
i.
115
•
•
25
1506
V.
9.
•
. 251
ii.
143.
·
•
223
vii.
i.
32.
•
•
170
131
•
•
451
V.
38
•
13
ii.
14
•
·
394
ii.
2
(145
ACT V.
vi.
40
•
430
iii.
•
25
•
•
171
1465
i.
20.
•
451
vi.
•
41 484
•
iti.
87.
265
ii.
7
·
• 503
i.
57
•
430
vii.
6. 148
•
iii. 189
1440
iii.
2
•
220
i.
97
•
• 373
vii.
7
•
·
113
•
1460
iii.
•
14 484
ii.
45
•
•
312
vii.
IO .
•
469
iii. 225
•
•
226
iii.
55
·
478
iii.
8.
198
vii.
21.
•
371
iii. 226. 291
•
iv.
12.
•
146
iii.
14
•
.198a
vii.
34.
•
289
HENRY VIII.
ACT I.
i.
126.
•
55
iv.
49.
•
•
18
ii.
405 ·
•
•
90
iii.
1.
18.
228
50.
•
24
iv.
86.
•
187
ii.
431.
168
•
iv.
i.
60.
57.
•
455
iv.
I12.
•
402
iv.
144
•
•
i. 100-5
•
•
467
ACT II.
(164
i.
iv. 153.
i. 145 ·
164
33.
•
341
497
i.
42.
·
376
iv. 178.
•
i. 159
I
i.
52.
•
469
iv. 204.
• 395
295
90
f 18
1344
491
ii. 438
(442)}.
451
ii. (442)
ii. 447
ii. 452.
ii. 435.
•
424
•
424
•
455
•
•
455
•
468
i. 179
1. 196.
•
•
200
i.
67
•
455
iv.
242 . •
90
·
394
i.
85
•
•
499
ii.
18.
420
i.
97
•
•
455
ACT III.
ii.
32
•
•
460
i.
100.
469
i.
ii.
55
•
•
460
i.
38.
•
122.
455
i.
ii.
85
•
486
i.
45.
•
•
2
i.
127
•
455
i.
102.
•
236
i.
484
ACT IV.
i. {Order of
Coron.
22.
56.
·
469
202
484
ii.
86.
•
371
111.
15
•
• 290
ii.
95 .
.{37 1.
iii.
16.
i. 134.
.419a
i.
88.
113
•
397
i.
iii.
37
226
141
•
342
i.
•
91 376
•
•
ü.
ii. 114
ii. 112.
ii. 140.
ii.
•
·
• 499
117
*
•
485
ii.
32.
•
200
iii.
59
·
•
455
ii.
160.
•
•
492
325
ii.
43.
•
173
iii.
87
•
•
492
•
145
ii.
149
•
•
• 492
ii. 168,
•
501
iv.
14
ii.
179
•
501
iv.
30.
ii.
197.
• 399
iv.
༢་ .
Stage
iv. {Dirctn.
350
· 343
301
ii. 249.
•
433
ii. 51-80.
•
· 455
194
ii. 340
•
498
ii.
55.
•
301
•
•
ii. 347
•
•
93
ii.
96. 180
•
ii.
360.
•
•
ii.
126.
87
•
95
•
ii. 368.
•
424
ii. 148
•
•
QF
INDEX
471
Par,
ACT V.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
i.
Sc.
Line
106.
•
Par.
381
ili. 18
•
• 419
i.
19.
•
414
i.
169. . 356
iii.
66.
·
364
iii.
iii. 175.
173.
•
• 430
•
338
1.
34
•
400
i.
774
•
405
iii.
131.
216
iv.
•
I.
320
L
50. 400
ii.
•
126.
•
244
iii. 168.
•
456
KING JOHN.
ACT 1.
i.
371.
294
iv. 29.
492
ii.
258.
•
390
i.
i.
119.
•
269
396
•
·
92
iv.
35 ·
·
490
ui.
94
•
•
36
i.
1. 134.
i. 144
i. 161
42i
•
•
492
iv
55.
•
166
iii.
95.
• 352
350
i.
•
185
471.
•
294
iv.
78.
•
461
L
506
i.
512.
•
267
iv.
123.
·
494
Аст У.
i.
183.
•
87
i.
560
•
•
474
iv.
145.
. 220
ii.
39
·
•
350
i. 242. 261
i.
567
193
ii.
·
42.
•
· 337
i.
568
216
•
ACT IV.
ii.
46
447
L
571. • 399
ii.
83
•
457
1.
ACT II.
33 .
i. 575. 228
i.
61
•
·
342
•
ii.
91.
•
236
•
348
i.
34
•
•
17
i. 597 . . IQI
ACT III.
i. 68-70.
•
326
i.
86.
158
ii. 104.
•
489
ii.
138
• 350
ii.
27
•
•
422
i.
73.
•
342
ii.
146
•
• 294
i.
i.
109
•
•
267
39
·
269
ii.
32
•
•
178
i.
i. 177
i. 216.
i.
i.
250.
i. 264
1. 271
92. 128
ii.
•
33.
·
•
164
ii. 157.
·
465
•
·
473
$247
·1415
i. 177.
• 491
ii.
50.
214
i. 295
•
•
412
ii.
75.
252
220
•
439
i. 299
•
239
ii. 148.
(156
1260
•
415
i. 327.
· 196
•
•
394
iii.
8.
ii. 165.
410
vii.
E: s. S. 33
7
•
433
50
126
vi.
26.
•
186
vi.
44
•
131
22
·
•
264
•
510
ii.
189
200
vii.
35
·
480
•
•
417
iii.
17
•
i. 289.
•1471
₤466
$475
1480
ii. 199
•
•
87 vii.
55
•
•
226
iii.
31
•
•
52
ii. 200
·
•
474
vii.
бо
▸
· 243
i.
358. 433
iii.
·
52.
•
374
ii. 257
•
•
447
vii.
61.
81
·
JULIUS CÆSAR.
ACT I.
15
1.
3
1.
زوا
i.
L
I.
42.
48
•
•
• 349
232
i. {55}.
(55)
+85
i.
•
•
129
i.
50
•
•
283
57
63
65
•
i. {59).
i.
79
•
.t263
ii.
4I.
•
16
•
229
ii.
I
•†469
ii.
48
•
343
218
ii.
9
•
.+315
ii.
71. 180
•
•
ii.
19
•
460
ii.
76. 20
•
•
512
ii.
28.
.1513
ii.
IỚI.
229
·
22
•
•+466
ii. (32)
{33}
1༢༣༼
ii.
110.
•
198
280
•
ii.
114
·
•
501
472
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
124 ·
.t228
iii. 120.
•
257
i.
313. · 382
•
Sc. Line
i. 159.
Par
. (6)
ii. 142
325
iii. 124
2
•
•
i.
326.
.t359
i.
171
•
.*475
ii. 160.
p. 16
iii.
134
•
•
240
i. 331.
. 208
i. 173.
.+469
ii. 162.
155
iii.
138.
.†335
ii.
37
•
.+494
i. 196
(7)
ii.
173.
•
350
iii. 144.
128
ii.
38.
+349
i. 208.
•
225
•
ii. 174
280
•
·
iii.
148. .t335
ii.
42.
.+322
i. 209.
•
344
ii. 193
ii. 181. t198a
.t176
111.
154
·
•
333
ii.
76.
487
i.
215.
•
ii.
490
i.
231.
490
.+469
80.
+497
i. 197.
ii. 205.
ii. 208
•
(1)
ACT II.
i. 268
•
.t193
ii.
IOI
•
•
511
i. 274.
•+283
•
421
i.
•
·73a
ii. 114 .+344
•
i.
281
·
•
512
•
·
144
i.
ii.
50.
·
343
117. 65
•
i.
289.
•
ii.
212
•
·
421
i.
75
•
.+307
ii.
119.
ii. 231.
•
12
i.
81
ii.
•
•
494
129
•
.+356
.+203
i. 295.
(8)
.t270
ii. 256
•
•
90
i.
83
• 290
iii.
480
ii. {3}.
༢༠
7
· 474
•
235
102
fi. 284.
ii.
(2)
i.
91.
.†123
29.
.+335
iv.
3
(5)
ii.
(306)
i.
106.
•
112
(307)
.+513
i.
108
•
•
378
iv.
I-
•
{33} .+233
ii. (70)
1735
• 372
ii.
84
•
•
301
ii. 312.
233
i.
123
•
. 253
•
· 244
279
iii.
iii.
14
•
•
iii.
21
·
•
iii.
22
•
iii.
39
•
•
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
iii.
65
ii. 314.
ii. 316.
4
42.
47
•
60.
64.
.†442
•
6
264
(3)
405
86
.†223
. 159
.+158
290
i. (153).
i. 157.
i. 160.
i. (168)
i. 194
i. 208
•
•
.+466
iv. (15)
513
ii.
96.
. 287
i.
125 ·
•
i.
135.
390
.+356
ii.
115.
• 453
ii.
121.
•+469
i. 136.
ACT III.
•
·
370
i.
17
•
·
.1513
i.
18.
•
172
i.
23
•
•
(3)
i.
30.
468
i. ₤391
i.
i. (40)
474
485
471
247
{39}. 281
ii. 125
ii. 187
ii. 231
ii.
ii. 266.
ii. 275
•
. 202
.†453
· 414
·
.t281
·
•
II
ii. 192
·
·
487
•
·
475
254
•
196.
•
•
158
(41)
.t279
iit.
13
.t230
i.
•
474
92. .†287
iii.
20.
220
i.
i.
209.
•
512
95. .t118
iii.
(71
i.
173)
SII
i. 216.
100.
.t204
•
263
ACT IV.
i.
121
•
•
II
iii
77
•
†p. I3
i. 224
•
•
397
i.
i
iii.
•
82 t137
i.
137
•
.1469
2. 1469
230.
•
· 430
i.
12
iii.
87
· 315
i. 238
•
343
i
140 +349
St133
i.
23
·
iii.
iii.
f91)
1921
του
(102)
iii. 117
236
(†497
i.
•
i. 285.
143 . 189
i.
28.
3
466
· 479
or
(4)
i. 291.
+501
.+513
i.
344
•
·
+69
i.
41 . 199
i.
•
155 .+280
i.
47
•
·
474
•
279
i. 309
+244
i. 157 ·
236
ii.
S
•
303
INDEX.
473
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
ii.
26. .†291
iii.
201
•
.+470
ii.
51
•
.+494
ii. 231
•
•
480
i. (35)
iii.
•
32 506
•
•
.+513
iii.
38.
. 178
i.
44.
·
482
iii.
9.
•
483
iii.
237.
•
478
461
lil.
i.
45.
506
1475
.+513
iii.
IO.
.+356
iii.
241
•
•
295
iii.
•
85 . 212
iii.
19.
•
•
217
iii.
255
•
5I
i.
$47
1485.
.+513
ill.
96
St159
iii.
1371
ii. 261. .t323
116
i.
60.
2
·
1385.
•
514
iii.
1641
1651
.+244
iii. 1263)
12545.
iii.
•
513
i.
70. 506
97. .1466
•
iii.
99 .
•
13
i.
iii. 270. .t281
72
·
•
114
iv.
12
•
·
420
iii.
73
·
• 350
iii. 271.
• 363
i.
174)
1775
•
234
iv.
30.
466
iii.
95.
iii. 102 (9)
.
S+263
iii. (111) { +264
•
24
iii.
273.
•
456
i.
80.
•
379
iv.
32.
.t295
iii.
280. . (10)
i.
83
•
.†263 V.
•
3 .t136
i.
·
87 .t107
V.
14. .†283
ii. 142
•
.†497
ACT V.
i.
96. .+442
V.
22
•
.1414
iii. 153.
.1469
i. 108.
.+500
V.
·
33. . 232
i.
I •
►
474
iii. 156
•
• 380
i.
III
.+513
V.
35. . 123
i.
iii. 157
•
iii. 179
•
.+466
486
{29}
.+513
iii.
7. .t495
V.
38. .457a
i.
33. 412
·
iii. 25
•
295
V.
69.
118
•
(1) 1 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 16.
(4) Play on
(5) Rich. III. iv. 4. 444.
(8) Perhaps i. 2. 156.
338
(2) Folio, “and.”
(3) Rich. III. v. 156
bond."-Macbeth ii1. 2. 49 ; Rich. III. iv. 4. 77.
(6) M. ọf V. iii. 2. 61.
(9) Folio, "Pluto's."
(10) Tempest, i. 2. 213.
3.
(7) A. Y. L. i.
3.
35
See Introduction, p. 16, note.
i. 213.
•
294
.t401
LEAR.
ACT 1.
871
i. 150
i.
94
.†468
i.
1. 36. .+315
(126
.+501
153 · .+364
1.
205. (1)
•
i. 207
i. (43)
i.
1675
•
469
99 ·
384
.+458
(106)
i.
46
.+501
i 108 .+500
i.
50. .+319
(109)
i.
54.
•+469
i. 56. .+512
•
(118)
i. 134
(151)
i. 137
•
•
.+468
(†497
or
+501
i. {150}.
(158)•
i. 162. .†513
i. 163. . 200
i. 178 .+382
•
i. 181. .†469
i. 183
•
.t212
j.
74. †284
i.
i.
•
77 .t342
(193).
(194)
.t247
i.
78. .1469
i. 139.
L
80. . tıx
i.
147 ·
.t497
458
i.
198. .+469
i
203 +297
•
i. (214). tII
i. 217. +38
i. 223.
i. 225
•
i. 226.
•
St279
+290
· 458
$+5:30
I†168
i. 227. 387
•
i. 228. .1501
474
INDEX.
Sc. Line Par,
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line Par.
i. (228)
1229)• •+252
iv.
194.
194 • •†203
i.
63. 267n
iii.
•
21 +55
iv.
197.
(4)
i.
68. .+439
iv.
2.
.1468
i. 239. .t343
i. (240).
1250 •†469
i. 251
•
i. 262.
i. 264
i. 271
i. 272
i. 304
iv. 204.
•
213
i.
iv.
72
•
·
• 294
27
·
iv. 223
St434
i.
172)
·
+512
1745
.+251
iv.
35
·
iv.
42.
•
377
87
401
.t287
i.
iv. 224.
77
•
.†306
457a
iv.
64
•
+37
•
· 375
i.
•
iv. 225.
91 .+401
.†360
iv.
•
65 (4)
•
77
i.
iv.
236.
228
94. 478
•
iv.
68.
.1188
•
•
13
iv. 242.
•
418
i.
97
(473)
iv.
•
90 480
•
•
•
414
iv.
261.
458
•+442
iv.
265
•
.+501
i.
(97)
1995
iv.
91
•
·
471
·
490
iv.
ΙΟΙ
•
.+513
ii.
4
•
•
456
iv.
270.
•
439
i.
100.
301
iv.
•
102 480
·
ii.
14.
₤484
1+93
iv. 272.
$354
i.
III
·
·
482
iv. 107
•
•
69
•1438
i.
113.
.t174
iv.
ii.
15. {+
510
†512
III.
+11
•·
iv. 282.
.†223
i.
114
•
483
28
iv. 283
£ 478
·
ii.
30. 1232
1+513
[25)
iv. 297.
480
ii.
·
J.(2)
44 773
iv. 299
299 .
.t511
iv. 305.
• 439
ii.
77
381
iv. 306.
▸
423
ii.
87
iv. 324.
•
438
89
•
iv.
328.
3
93
•
•
•
463
ii.
ii.
•
ii. 106.
.t348
134
343
.+220
ii. 161 . {tp. 13
tối .
ii. 164
ii. 197
iii.
iii.
•
•
I .
21.
·
•
•
3333
419
458
482
iv. 332.
iv. 347. .t501
iv. 349.
iv. 362.
iv. 365.
•
440
480
483
ii. (127)
128)
468
24
200
(4)
412
492
.+490
•+378
290
478
290
+9
.1494
399
• 490
490
366
148. .†513
iv. 157.
iv. (1799).
iv.
•
458
.+513
210. . tos
iv. 215. .†417
iv. 220. 484
iv. (240)
iv. 251.
•
458
457a
iv. 253. .t513
iv. 254 .t494
iv. 255
iv.
•
·
.t128
271.
•
479
iv. 274.
•
•
476
(275) fcl. 247
iv. {275)
178
iv. 366
•
•
437
ii. 128.
•
V. 14
•
.t401
ii. 135.
•
iii.
23
•
.+501
V.
35.
•
iv.
26. .t274
V.
36.
•
.+319
299
ii. 139.
•
•
ii. 150
•
•
iv.
40. .†281
V.
51. .†329
ii. 153.
iv.
(63)
164)
280
ii. 154.
•
ACT II.
ii. 155.
·
iv. III.
•
81
i.
28. .1469
ii.
172.
•
(4)
i.
32
•
•
512
iv.
tior
ii. 177
363
i.
37
•
•
485
iii.
iv.
114
▸
•
182
i.
4I
•
178
iii.
7
•
II
iv. 303.
+457
iv. 115.
iv. 138
•
303
i.
•
47 287
484
•
iii.
J19
24
i.
57.
·
•†136
1201*
.+468
iv. 300.
.†479
112.
5.
tII
458
.1468
.+307
iv. 279
iv. 290.
iv. 293.
·
.t281
• 507
§ 400
2+513
i.
126.
i.
129.
.†468
.†479
iv. (113).
iv. 134.
•
ii.
54
•
iv. 145
•
ii.
80
iv.
•
•
ii.
82.
12
•
ii.
86.
.t511
ii.
88.
ii.
106.
•
ii. 107
•
ii. 109
•
•
ii.
112.
1245
INDEX.
475
ACT III.
Sc. Line
L
2.
Sc. Line
iv. 1341
(139)
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
62.
474
vi. 196.
•
479
260
+
Par.
11.
63.
*
438
vi. 212.
.ts13
.†494
v. 8. 24
ii.
64
•
·
508
vi. 214
P. 13
5
·
.†399
V.
23. .†423
ii.
79
•
•
L
II
·
•
434
V. 40
•
290
ii.
1921
i
(22)
(24)*
vi.
266
S. §.
96.
191
1931
.+513
443
vi. (224)
vi. 122
(225)*
vi. 219
•
237
+513
1.
vi. 105
94 .+494
290
vi. 226.
372
L 33 tgo
vi.
8
11.
•
.+274
117
•
·
294
vi. 229. .†189
1.
£351
iii.
.t281
vi. 121.
16.
+
264
·
254
vi. 246.
iii.
vii.
i.
38
+
438
vii.
i
·
•
460
vii.
i.
42.
513
1.
46
1348
•1469
vii.
i.
52
186
vii.
i.
£53)
(55)
•
(6)
ii.
5. .457a
•
ii.
8
54.
+
· (7)
419a
2. 2. §. 2. §. 3. §. 2. 3. 2:
17
•
·
+90
24
510
(315
1461
iii.
30.
.fol. 335
41
•
+68a
vi. 253.
.†319
iii.
44.
.+458
vi. 256
45.
•
290
vii. (50)
iv.
8.
•
307
+
478
iv.
9.
+
93
vi. 266.
54
→
•
(8)
iv.
17
•
61
•
•
428
iv.
20.
•
vii.
65
·
433
iv.
26
•
{P.
vii.
69
+
.+319
•
428
484
Sp. 16
(9)
vi. 259.
*
498
.t513
(337
395
•
vi. 282.
• 492
vi. 284
. 294
vi. 288.
.+342
iv.
28.
•
497
vii.
vii. (89)
4
· 395
260
رموا
·
V.
3.
+
479
vii.
9
•
+
176
vii.
ii.
59. .†201
91
•
•
482
V.
$460
13.
vii.
1294
17
ii. 61.
•
+13
vii. 103. †457
vii.
V.
24.
•†470
35
ii.
64
ACT IV.
vi.
3
ii.
ii.
ii.
ti.
iii.
iii.
iv.
19
22
12
BEF ON A
65
·
74.
+38
1+378
vi.
8.
232
i.
36. 4570
vi.
·
14 .t275
430
477
vii. 36. ·₤508
(508
1433
vii. 52. .†480
·
+
+
vii.
+
196
i.
47. .t274
62.
511
vi.
92
+
•
486
i.
$460
51
•
+457
vi.
14
·
*
290
i.
52
►
·
182
*
•
III
i.
+343
54
+
226
i.
•
.†468
73.
.+322
i.
iv.
15
•
.t107
78
·
.t129
4. §. §. §. §. 4.
21
•
375
vii.
65. .t468
₤32)
141)
·
232
vii.
67. +406
vii.
vi.
78. .†457
33
+
►
4II
vi.
38
·
446
vii.
79.
₤176
1472
vi.
4I
+
. 212
vii.
83. .tg-3
vi.
45.
•
145
ii.
iv.
25.
.+244
2.
•
305
vi.
54
+
•
344
ACT V
iv.
11.
6.
·
59
•
.
24
•†494
vi.
58
+
•
24
ii.
iv.
61.
10.
395
·
303
S.
i.
20.
13
222
vi.
61. .†200
iv.
65 .fol. 335
ii. (22).
iv.
76. 467
•
ii. 26.
iv.
123/ 235
482
vi.
68 . .†468
i.
26.
vi.
71
•
•
440
28
J
438
290
• 477
92.
·
+93
iv.
iv. 105. -+230
[12. .†127
11. 32. 228
vi.
77.
417
i.
32
•
•
479
·
ii.
51
vi. 112-31
SII
i.
·
260
153)*
vi.
177. 484
r
i.
iv.
T24
•
297
60. +16
vi. 187.
461
67
98
60
•
45 .+173
469
417
476
INDEX.
Sc. Line Par.
iii. 2 .t218
Sc. Line Par,
iii. 102. .1513
Sc. Line
hi. 181.
Par.
Sc. Line Par.
111. 247.
.†274
•
199
ii.
20
469
iii. 120.
382
iii.
202. +
51
iii. 251.
. 212
üi.
22
315
iii. 125
254
iii. 204
•
178
iii. 255.
• 441
48.
•
263
iii. 138.
.t361
iii. 208.
.t499
iii. 262.
(218
iii
iii.
50
143
*
.t285
iii. 213
†223
J287
•1290
·
17159
iii.
iii.
144. .†397
iii.
222.
.+513
iii. 266
268
97
·
+
254
iii.
98. 447
iii.
(148) t242 or
234
·
+
333
iii. 274
24
►
11491 1272
iii.
iii. 100. 255
iii. 168.. 480
iii.
•
239. .†513
245. 469
iii. 282.
461
*
(7) Macbeth, iv. 1. 59.
(1) A. W. v. 3. 297.
(4) Folio, "and" (&) for "an." (5) Folio,
(2) Folio, "too blame.'
(8) Ib. v. 7. 1, 2.
(3) 1 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 10.
tended." (6) Hen. V. iv. 3. 35-6.
(9) But Folio, “importuned.
LOVE'S LABOUR LOST.
ACT I.
1.
123
500
iii.
219.
•
ii. 365
165
•
•
187
1.
43.
176
i.
133.
. III
·
344
i.
65
.
422
i.
156.
•
442
ii.
i.
80.
220
i.
160.
•
460
•
i.
86.
·
5
i. 174
4
109
1
·
í,
107
•
177
i. 177
•
•
364
ii.
8
·
•
202
i.
137
492
ACT II.
ACT III.
i. 153. 13d
ii.
9
•
ii.
69.
•
4
i.
ii.
190
•
+
iii. 224.
345. 412
ACT V.
152. 81
283
344
467
ii. (463)
1464) *
ii. 494.
ii. 522.
ii. 750
ii. 752.
ii. 778.
ii. 440
*
200
·
435
·
184
19
+
*
333
*
144
$344
1418
2
册
​+
274
ACT IV.
i.
ii.
18
*
•
51
iii.
108.
·
368
213.
460
ii. 799.
• 434
i.
28.
168
•
iii
118.
368
ii. 274.
*
ii. 813
430
285
i.
i.
42
45
i. 107
•
491
ii. 332.
487
ii. 923.
178
iii. 150.
4
145
*
485
曲
​iii. {167).
349
ü. 349.
200
ii. 355. .419a
ii. 925.
ii. 926
+ • 300
90
•
MACBETH.
ACT I.
=
IO.
186
ii.
43
+
275
ii.
59
i.
I.
.t504
ii.
13
•
+
171
ii.
45.
506
11.
64
433
.+501
i.
12.
.†466
ii.
20.
·
511
ii.
46
iii.
-
323
32.
•
*
485
ii.
3.
479
ii.
34.
·
477
ii.
SI
SII
iii.
45
+
*
323
ii.
5. 484 ii.
37.
·
511
ii.
53 .
.†460
iii.
(53)
155)
236
ii.
7.
•$506
ii.
41.
SII
üi.
í 283
58. 17511
57. .t283
INDEX.
477
Sc. Line
P₁.
Sc.
Line Par.
Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
iii.
84.
1138
vii.
8.. 283
iii.
62.
470
i.
100.
•
158
*181
vii.
23.
·
3
111.
64
.†492
iii.
94. .†164
i. 103.
C
485
vii.
25.
.t283
iii.
75.
"
513
(102)
i. 105.
•
468
iii. (103)
•
511
vii.
iii.
127).
iii. 107
iii. 109
iii.
III.
120.
üi. (326).
•
466
.1466
vii.
•
•
251
vii.
45
$: E: £: E: S:
26.
.†130
(IOT)
iii.
i.
107
. 162
vii.
28.
34
50.
• 506
(102)
513
i. 108.
+497
■
·
329
iii. 109.
.tsii
i.
I12.
.†193
vii.
77
·
(+468
+454
ACT 11.
ii. 129.
+513
S+461
i.
5
•
•
1+468
i. ftol
iii. 139 467
i.
iii. 144. .t295
17
·
(12)*
.+356
·
12
212
· 573
.†470
iii. (117)
121)
127.
iii. (129)
(130)
111. 143.
146. {†3
iii. 146
• 529
i. 118
·
· 473
iii.
·
480
i.
121
150
·
511
i.
122
(310
1385
I
i.
274
123.
†218
+335
478
i.
(+68
132
•
1378
iii. 147
.1236
i.
19.
1484
iv.
I
4
·
4
290
iv.
IO . 458
i. 139
.+497
12
iii. 154.
202
i.
20
485
iv.
14
+
47I
ii.
II
-
†197
iv.
·
3 $343
i.
24
+
+
473
iv.
•
17 .t107
458
iv.
8
•
·
93
i.
1302
1513
V.
32. †513
ii.
13.
•
513
iv.
*
295
ii.
28.
1
460
iv.
II
iv. {+3}
V.
(44)
- {103
i.
32
311
11369
ACT III.
ii.
30
►
†477
i.
i.
36.
14
12
ii.
.
3
32
+
513
2
+
. 284
i.
41
·
•
511
i.
17
+
{
191
ii.
11270
33
·
453
19
+
·
329
i.
51.
494
ìi.
49
·
(2)
V.
21.
.t244
i.
i.
57
t414
25
+
{
94
ii.
102
5I
•
.1511
V.
26. .ta12
i.
61.
333
i.
ii.
10
2
·
·
40.
512
308
V.
28. .t491
V.
30
f†336
4
•
473
i.
S137
iii.
चं
4
+
+
44
•
p. 12
ii.
7
•
.+283
·1461
iii.
6.
187
290
ศ
3. 6. 2. 4. c * * * * * <
40.
·
477
ii.
21.
*
511
i. 1451
iv.
2.
·
458
►
512
45 ·
49
.1490
ii.
24
•
283
i.
49.
+
385 iv.
IS
513
·
+
467
ii.
25
•
·
479
i.
51.
.1329
(20)
50
•
·
t3
ii.
28.
107
i.
52
·
+
185
t24
52
·
$20
ii.
iv.
34 ·
{$140
29
•
199
i
54
118
·
(+414
58.
62.
484
ii.
30. $500
i.
65
460
•
SII
ii.
40. .†467
iv.
36
·
i.
74
·
·
244
vi.
3
·
.1471
ii.
57(pun) (1)
iv.
i.
17
•
+419
ii.
63. .+511
i.
1801
37
•
41
58
.†494
181*
468
iv.
42. .t274
vi.
19
+
+185
=
73
· 357
i.
89.
+
†281
iv.
57
·
30
• 492
ü.
·
93
i.
95.
•
374
iv.
53.
· 315
453
478
INDEX.

Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
Line
Par.
iv. 61
•
•
. †16
i. 153.
•
•
497
iii. 152.
•
15
iv.
6.
494
iv.
64.
187
ii.
23.
399
iii.
iv.
66. 491
ii.
27
•
282
(154)
1159)*
iv.
8.
12
. 200
iv.
12
iv.
121. 468
iv. 126.
$473
H. (35)
(36
iii. 171.
274
iv.
.1513
(414
19.
•
17
468
iii. 173
•
•
131
V.
1252
ii.
37
•
•
IV. 131.
iv. 133
iv. 138.
iv. 139.
V.
V.
V.
21
81
ii.
•
64
£478
ii.
70.
•
•
154
.+513
• 357
iii. 177.
iii. 184
(7). +343
.1477
V.
13.
. 107
•
94
•
1485
iii. 185
J287
V.
30. .1512
•
ii.
73 ·
•+466
1288
V.
31. 323
•
384
ii.
81.
•
405
$279
•1412
iii. 191.
•†403
V.
49.
124
iii. 194.
• 329
vi.
5
•
+359
I.
•
447
iii.
10.
•
189
iii.
210.
.†200
vi.
•
7 .1364
IO
•
.1271
iii.
11
•
•
252
·
•
498
iii.
16
•
•
V.
31.
460
iii.
(17)
.1513
403
iii. 212
iii. (215)
1219)
•
•
314 vii.
2.
6254
(4)
.1513
vii.
4.
•†513
S.
vi.
vi.
8.
iii.
222.
2
420
279
vii.
18.
466
iii.
28.
•
SII
•
477
iii. 235.
·
447
vii.
22
.+506
vi.
19
•
.1322
vi.
21
·
•
460
iii.
iii. {30}.
47.
•
454
iii.
239.
•
468
vii.
28.
•
405
viii.
4
•
•
409
•
315
ACT V.
Vill.
vi.
27
•
170
111.
48
7
•
419a
•
• 202
i.
12
•
450
viii.
vi.
30.
•†498
iii.
7325
9
3
49.
i.
vi.
38.
.+342
te54
29 foi. 471
viii.
13.
•
200
i.
vi.
4I.
.†220
iii.
74.
•
•
277
66. 266
•
viii.
-18~
423
iii.
vi.
42.
. 257
80 •
i.
75
•
•
252
217
22
•
•
513
ii.
vi.
48. 419a
iii.
82. .†283
4
•
92
уш.
34
208
•
•
ii.
iii.
•
91. •†513
20.
+55
viii.
40.
•
•
130
ii.
22
•
•
iii.
• 356
ACT IV.
93.
•
• 492
127
iii.
iii.
i.
6..
484
97
•
.1498
5
496
viii.
41
†270
iii.
•
iii.
106.
•
i.
287
7 .t191
470
20
·
504
iii.
i.
59
•
•
(3)
iii.
ΙΙΙ
III .fol.480
13. .†335
viii.
•
48 (5)
Vill.
64.
•
iii.
405
485
i.
i.
65
89
i. (105)
(136)
•
•
344
•†468
i. 145. .t343
iii. 137. .1463
(1) Compare Macbeth, v. 8. 48.
Mace
(3) Lear, iii. 2. 8.
(4) Ib. iü. 7. 54.
iii. 125
19.
•
•
148
• 513
viii.
iii.
65. .t329
iii. 133.
25
•
•
113
•
429
VIN
66 . .t:13
iii.
(37)
40
iii. 139
•
•+513
57.
ودى
•†231
viii.
72. 286
iii. 148.
•
429
iv.
2
.1284
viii.
74
1755°
80
(2) Rich. III. iv. 4. 17.
(5) Compare ii. 2. 57.
INDEX
479
ACT I.
Sc. Line
MEASURE FOR MEASURE.
Par. Sc. Line
Par
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
Sc. Line
Par.
102.
• 266
i.
86.
•
513
iii.
•
147 469
•
L
42. 491
•
ii. {1}
i.
52
•
•
474
(110)
-19)*
i.
89
·
•
495
iii. 185
6
•
•
•
511
i.
107
•
•
512
iv.
21
•
375
ii.
i.
54
•
•
67
115.
·
340
i.
121
•
·
375
iv.
28
ii.
i.
56.
119.
•
394
501
i.
240
86
V.
6.
•
-290-
467
i.
69.
ii.
156.
•
500
ii.
•
290
32.
• 467
vi.
ii.
ii.
4
228
159.
486
13
ii.
38.
1398
1474
•
298
ii.
160.
ii.
24
64
500
vi.
14
•
•
192
ii.
86.
396
iii.
ü.
129
ii. 163.
ii. 189
ii.
iii.
21.
39
49
•
$467
1503
. 17
ii.
180.
•
468
•
494
ii.
100
•
•
226
ACT V.
iii.
42
•
174
•
419
ii.
126
·
•
93
i.
2
222
iv.
•
•
367
57 •
•
492
ii.
138
•
77
I
87
iv.
74.
·
503
ii.
165
.
•
244
i.
36.
iv.
80.
•
342
ii.
172.
•
309
397
474-

•
iv. 102.
186
•
•
iv. 104
•
•
iv.
5
•
•
498
iv.
III.
iv.
26.
•
230
iv.
iv.
28.
·
394
iv.
J423
•1469
70・ ・√469
iv.
<་ཛ་ཙྭ་
[112]
•
500
461
478
ii. 224.
ii. (274-)
278 S
i.
50.
·
145
i.
51.
•
504
369
(501
• 503
i.
65.
•
503
ACT IV.
i.
74.
•
114
118
•
•
501
i.
131
•
ii.
iv. 133
78. . 501
.
•
• 390
i.
145
•
iv.
79.
•
469
ii.
iv.
90.
•
• 403
141
•
•
500
i. 237
.
•
ii.
92
•
•
iv.
153
86
•
ii.
ACT II.
iv. 170
95.
·
•
•
5
ii.
i.
15.
•
394
iv. 171.
•
361
97.
•
276
i.
28.
•
151
iv. 172.
ii. 103
•
*
•
453
ii. 111.
•
i.
33.
•
469
400
122
461
278
i. 240.
i. 255
i.
·
305.
i. 314.
•
P. 16
127
1423
1480
·
265
•
484
ii.
ACT III.
ii. 150.
·
127
i. 315
•
•
482
9. 500
•
ii. 172.
•
93
ii.
.1418
12.
i.
177
i. 347.
•
196
I.
500
•1469
ii.
220.
•
325
i.
ii.
IÓ.
II
i. 5
•
•
501
iii.
78
·
•
301
ii. 33.
•
244
i. (Fol.) 20. 340
iii. 130.
•
ii.
46.
422
i.
28.
484
瓜
​133
•
·
ii. 52
•
•
312
32
•
•
501
ii. 138
•
•
i.
ii.
60. 408
i.
43.
•
357
iii.
144
•
·
468
•
ii.
98.
•
492
i.
48.
469
iii. 145.
•
498
508
492
349
i.
368 .
400.
. 260
i. 408 498
i. 494 ·
496.
. 480
i. 498.
·
i. 534.
233
·
•
•
29
•
503
►
51
480
INDEX.
MERCHANT OF VENICE
ACT I.
Sc.
Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line Par.
ii.
109.
•
93
i.
19.
.t218
vi.
Sc. Line Par.
iii.
4.
•+270
i.
42.
•
+89
vii.
I
•
52. .t126
.t439
405
1.
5
•
iii.
7
i. 8.
•
(4307
(4)
i.
43
•
.+406
vii.
16)
•
264
•
479
iii.
12.
(5)
ii. (23)
{23}. .+356
i.
17
•
+69
vii.
7
501
iii.
22.
·
(6)
ii.
i.
45 . . 165
22
•
453
vii.
i.
26.
.t118
iii. 43.
43
•
•
349
144)
•
ISI
ii.
1975.
.t231
vii.
53
•
187
i.
35 •
38
i.
38 . .†295
iii. (54)
{54}.
ii.
104
•
•
175
vii.
71.
•
275
t174
ii.
108. • 460
•
viii.
25
·
.+368
i.
50. .+500
111.
63. †178
ii.
115
•
•
220
viii.
29
.
•
474
i.
54. .†490
iii.
65.
•
295
ii.
124
•
349 viii.
33. .t230
i.
55.
+89
iii.
74 ·
. IIO
ii.
161.
†226
viii.
42.
i.
69. . 469
iii.
85
220
ii. 169.
•
17159
1169
·
185
i.
74 ·
•
• 191
iii.
89. .t291
ii. (189)
ix.
(13)
1155.
189
+479
p.13
iii.
i.
82.
98. .†469
(190).
231
ix.
[4
·
511
(1)
iii.
•
107 .+372
ii. 189. .t212
ix.
26.
•
145
i.
93
·
257
iii.
IIO. +69
•
ii. 194. .†401
ix.
28. .1495
i.
98
•
•
399
iii.
119.
.t290
iv.
I.
бл
ix.
51.
.1501
i.
1 1 1
•
490
iii.
220
126.
499
iv.
4.
•
i. 126.
•
356
t174
ix.
61.
•
492
iii.
137.
249
iv.
•
(2)
5 .+307
ix.
68.
•
345
iii.
i.
466
140.
•
†426
iv.
6. .†343
ix.
90.
·
451
143.
or
iii. 143.
•
514
+500
iv.
J (7)
ix.
10.
91.
•
76
iii.
146. .t219
ΙΟΙ
i.
144
•
•
430
iii.
150. 148
iv.
24
•
•
171
·
i.
i. 148. 20
iv.
•
iii. 162.
•
256
40. • 315
i.
ACT III.
2.
•
8. .t173
76
i.
150
st110
1+136
V. 17
•
.†140
iii. 163.
333
i.
57
•
.1984
+349
(7)
i.
54
•
i. 160.
356
(3)
iii. 167.
•
iii. 176. 13
•
Y.
22
i.
•
IIO
•
198
ΙΟΙ
495
ii.
2
•
74
V.
37.
41
ii.
16.
i.
163.
. 68a
V.
47
•+430
i. 166.
.+187
ii.
J18
ACT II.
V.
52
•
• 319
i. 175 .+244
•
i.
3.
.†264
vi.
2. .1500
ii.
19.
• 372
462
(20) { + 480
J(7a)
•
•
†476
i. 178. . 466
i.
•
7 . tio
1333
vi.
23.
.+297
i. 185. .168
ii.
21.
i.
8.
8. .t490
i.
7-9.
.1232
i.
9
291
i. 66. .†140
i.
i.
75 ·
320
1145°
+89
i. 100.
322
i.
16.
. 198
S. §. S. S.
vi. 24
•
•
• 483
ii.
29
•
vi. 30.
.†274
ii.
61.
•
40.
•
314
ii.
63
.t215
•
200
361
(8)
vi 44
323
64.
.+136
INDEX.
481
Sc. Line
ii. (76)
ü.
ii,
1815
93 ·
•
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
279.
•
•
144
i.
57
.$399
Sc. Line
i. 431
Par.
•
•
356
123
{
1 (9)
ii.
283
•
•
194
i.
76
•
• 382
i.
444 ·
•
· 460
247
ii.
295 ·
•
•
398
i.
77
•
•
344
i.
445.
.(12)
ii.
96.
•
381
ii.
310.
t30
i.
90.
•
+87
i. 451
•
❤
488
ii.
97.
•
•
294
ii.
321.
•
209
i. 104
•
192
ii.
15
ii.
109.
·
113
iii.
ii.
III.
•
511
ili.
15.
. 281
92
i. (109)
110s
S1307
((13)
.+513
ii. 115
•
.†506
iii.
i. 127.
•
25
·
•
354
i.
ii. 117
•
·
136
iii.
30.
†287
ii.
·
•†323
120
i.
iv.
3. 467
134.
•
•
376
·
ii.
ii.
ii. 124
ii. 127.
11551
46
(150). •+501
ü. 164
ii. 165.
ii. 169
f169
(171)
ii. 178.
ii. 180.
ii. 193
ii. 205
•
466
i.
479
128. .(11)
ACT V.
i. {} &c.) . 161
II •
i.
·
341
iv.
•
127
iv.
•
404
•
472
•
38
+420
+343
£ £ £ £ £ ££££
149.
315
14
•
•
25
i.
20.
•
i.
164.
.1263
iv.
iv.
21.
22
25
30.
•
157
i.
i.
166.
25
•
510
.189
•
414
•
+93
i.
56.
•
159
i.
182
•
314
•
•
451
•
397
iv.
40
·
·
348
iv.
iv.
52
iv.
·
158
V.
3
iv.
46.
72.
S 375
(+251
75. .†283
.+200
•
+2
•
•
32
·
341
ii.
211.
V. 73
•
187
ü 221.
i. 226.
•†133
•†494
•
12281 +513
(229)
V. 89. 172
ACT IV.
•
i. 275. .t200
•
266
492
· 193
i. 309.
i. 312-4 t513
i. 327.
•
.+342
148.
•
i. 166.
•
i. 169.
i. 175.
St349
(14)
•
.t276
200
• 508
·
(12)
{+73
•
(15)
462
i. 176. .(12)
i. 177. .t230
i.
224
•
•
233
i.
77
i.
242.
180
•
i.
94
i.
255.
•
471
i.
103
i.
261.
370
i.
i. 272.
•
490
i.
159.
i. 283
•
·
i. 298
472
224.
•
287
14
16
i.
I.
•$500
i.
332.
i.
•
200. 218
ti.
i.
5. +442
i. 351
•
368
i.
•
. 230 •+360
i.
8. 490
•
i.
9.
.t285
i. 355 ·
i. 368
163
►
•
ů. 233.
.t30
i. 22.
•
ii.
(234)
1242
.t469
i.
35 ·
134
. 295
i. 379.
i. 382.
•
•
494
i.
47 ·
.t244
•
•
473
i.
SI
•
. (10)
i.
(54)
1555.
•
. 217
ii. 252.
ii.
254
ii. 275 . .†322
(1) Macbeth, v. 2. 5.
(4) R. and J. ii. 3. 54.
(7) Folio, "and."
i. 402.
(2) C. of E. i. 2. 38.
"}
(3) P. of T. iv. Prologue, 45.
(6) A. Y. L. ii. 7. 57.
(8) M. Ado, iii. 2. 31.
Tempest, i. 1. 5. Compare
her."-B. and F. Coxcomb,
(12) Folio, "and.
(15) Folio, "too blame,”
(5) Coriol. i. 1. 16.
(7a) Folio, "puts."
(10) Folio, "masters. So
man? I would speak with
(11) Compare “invaluable.'
Folio, "makes.”
Where be thy mastres,
2. 3 ad fin.
(13) Macbeth, ii. 3. 2.
(14) T. A. v. 3. 70.
i.
387.
. +59
i.
i. 389
·
•
394
348
455
t133
per-
201 hapst350
i. 203. t51
i. 204
•
St297
14360
i. 205.
205. .†494
272. +38
i. 297
•
171
•
174
i. 298.
•
461
I A
482
INDEX.
ACT I.
MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
Sc. Line Par. Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
i.
Sc. Lite
Par.
242.
J204
1298
iv.
97
$475
•1480
iv.
(28
57. 1350
i. 287
S 64
ii.
50.
25
iv. 103
iv.
•
•
57
87
•
•
207
391
ii. 278.
•
4I
V.
100.
•
148
V.
26.
38
iv
Ι
•
80.
ACT II.
•
237
·
175
ACT III.
i. 113. 189
Act IV.
ACT V.
ii.
80.
•
349
V.
72.
•
ง
i. 113
•
•
299
iv.
14
•
•
284
iv.
5.
194
V.
231.
37
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.
ACT I.
i.
182
·
+5
ACT II.
i. 83.
1.
4.
•
•
290
i.
184
•
·
83
i.
1.
39
•
•
• 133
i.
188.
· 237
i.
1478
91.
•
347
{(3)
1466
i.
i.
45.
fp.r3
i. 205
92 . †p. 13
•
•
425
i
69
.t466
i.
i.
212.
• 169
7.
•
484
i.
•
95 .t228
i 71 190
•
i.
225.
.t365
i.
9.
.1356
i. 105.
•
492
4. 74)
1755.
i.
.1281
i. 226.
21
14 ·
.1349
i. 106. .t478
i.
76. ti
i. 229
.†118
i.
19
•
.t369
i.
I12.
•
i.
81.
•
201
i. 231
·
.t178
i.
i.
100.
.t295
i.
232.
·
(1)
i.
23
•
i.
103 ·
.t271
i. 237
i.
་
450
24
•
•†329
21 .†287
•
487
i. 127
i. 138.
i. 146.
t405
290
.+462
349
i.
104.
.†170
i. 245.
66
st121
i. 149
• 132
i.
30.
1+283
i.
III.
.t275
i. 251.
.t356
i.
32
466
1. 117. .t149
i. 123.
i. 126.
i. 141
i. 151
•
i 156. .†469
ii.
21
1935
•†230
i.
34
•
•
•
30
ii.
25
ti
i.
35.
•
421
ii.
27
•
+93
•
.†301
ii.
52
(2)
i.
•
490
42
·
ii.
{73}
·
.$283
i.
48.
•
+16
i. 160. tp. 13
ii.
86.
i.
104
56.
•
332
i. {35-}
224
.†468
•
415
506
i. 158
i. 160
i. 161.
i. 164
i. 171.
i. 179.
i. 191
145
.t107
430
.t136
Stage
t244
.t295
i. 201. .1406
•
312
•
i. 164. 156
•
ii.
go.
+25
i.
•
58 484
•
i. 202.
.1466
i. 173.
i. ༼r7ང༽
11761
430
ü.
95.
.+221
i.
.
67
་
•
290
1.
220 287
.+343
ii. 105.
.1492
i.
72.
•
314
i
227
+223
INDEX.
483
Sc. Line Par.
i. 232. .†457
Sc Line Par.
ü. 26.
217
Sc. Lin
ii. 351.
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
460
i. 189.
i.
237.
.†122
i. 244
•
.+355
45
ii. {43-} .†233
ii. ₤3581
1359f
(8)
1484
A
275
ii.
9.
j 249. 480
ii. 360.
•
+69
ii.
• 409
16. $335
•
íi.
45
•+323
i. 253
J†68a
ii. 365.
•
· 450
ii.
21
•
•
(2)
ü.
49 .
.t511
•
·
176
ii.
78.
(2)
ii.
368.
.†228
ii.
29.
•
405
i. 266 . 180
•
ii.
81. .†466
ii. 373.
·
+90
i. 267. .+369
ii.
90.
.t168
ii. 377
.
•
+89
i. 268
•
• 315
ii.
384
•
•
450
i.
ACT V.
I . .†244
ii.
97
•
•
247
ii.
•
35 •†193
ii.
385
•
•
203
i.
2
•
.+307
ii.
99
·
•
142
ii.
36. .t343
ii.
ii.
104
•
+89
386
•
.+490
i.
5
•
.t279
ii.
44. . t76
ii.
ii.
£19.
18
402
•
•
374
i.
21.
•
378
ii.
65. .t365
ii.
ii.
122.
•
328
437.
•
484
i.
27
•
·
†47
ii.
173-1
177 S
•
•
504
ii.
79
•
ii.
ü.
118.
•
(4)
.+470
ii. 123.
J (6)
ii.
438.
•
333
i.
34.
•
431
1336
ii.
439.
486
i.
43
•
179
ii.
124.
·
417
ii.
442.
•
52
i.
•
ii.
•
153 356
i.
•
ii. 153
J (2)
ii.
tx05
169.
•
+53
i.
ACT IV.
ii. 154.
i.
2
i.
14
i.
i.
i.
i.
84
•
i.
195-1
197
•
ii. 156.
J169
129
•†466
ACT III.
·
21.
33.
44
ti
.1461
•
•
tII
221
174
· 333
№0% 29
ii.
ii.
171
236
420
i.
•
59 .†477
76 . 197
91.
•
98 • 399
•
5IC
•
492
i.
2
• 479
i.
143
t291
ii.
202.
•
430
i.
21
(7)
(144)
ii.
204. .†465
i.
147
82
i.
40
·
484
ii. 206.
.t178
(149)
i.
47
•
•
457
i. 164.
490
ii. 225.
•
•
+38
i.
57
•
+89
i.
168.
•
•
374
ii. 237.
•
492
i.
67. 284
•
i.
195.
•
(2)
ii. 272.
•
490
i.
71. . t12
i.
225.
82
•
ii. 279
279. .†456
i.
72
•
• 399
i.
227
•
•
430
ii. 282.
477
i.
74
•
.t127
•
i. 252.
•
409
ii.
290.
•
451
i.
IÇI
•
•
457
i. 255
·
†24
ii. 292.
•
476
i.
•
109. 284
L 318. 137
·
.
501
ii. 302.
•
19
i.
128
•
174
i. 325 ·
•
273
i. 126.
1185)
(193)
•
3. · (5)
•
348
ii.
314.
.t133
i.
133
•
•
284
i.
379 .
•
· 438
ii.
321.
.1469
i. 137
.t129
i.
381
•
·
441
174
ii.
331 . .t218
i.
(141)
ii. 334.
•
+52
(142)
.t281
i. 387
•
284
i. 403
•
.t226
ii. 15 .t159
ii.
•
ü.
337 .
•
ii.
18. 474
ii.
339.
409
.t168
i. 150?
197
i.
i. 163.
•
486
(1) Hamlet, iii. 2. 177.
(4) A. W. v. 3. 297.
(7) L. L. L. v. 1. 103-4
(2) Folio, "and.”
(5) Hamlet, iii. 2. 188.
(8) Folio varies.
(412)
1422)• 342
·
(3) Folio, "hath."
(6) Folio, "comes.
I 12
484
INDEX
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
ACT I.
Sc. Line
i. 375.
Par.
Sc.
Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
•
14
ii.
27
•
404
i.
220.
•
187
Sc. Line Par.
i
126.
. 118
i.
13
62
iii.
56.
404
i. 225.
191
•
•
ii.
20
•
i.
303
•
•
284
404
iii.
86
•
120
i.
227.
•
423
ii.
i.
53
•
•
93
iv.
9
·
400
i.
251.
·
378
307
•
90
ii.
i. 311
57 ·
•
423
iv.
18
•
400
ii.
I
•
•
295
•
·
194
i.
318.
iii.
81.
327
iv.
44
81
ii.
33.
81
•
•
297
iii.
88.
ii.
•
3
53.
795
i, 320.
li.
ii.
ம்.
22
32
49
ACT II.
·
•
57
ill.
119.
·
331
+
4
•
•
347
ACT IV.
•
·
296
ACT V.
i.
24
212
•
•
·
•
122
ACT III.
i.
40.
368
i.
22. •
379
•
•
148
i.
I.
•1507
√212
i.
46.
•
480
i. 116.
193
i.
4.
200
i.
144 ·
•
278
i.
212
•
57
i.
J199
i.
156.
•
399
i.
249.
•
238
12.
i. 189
•1480
•
472
i.
168.
•
247
i.
253.
•
347
i.
42
•
•
349
i. 208.
(182-
321
i.
i.
60.
•
46
186
. 364
i.
258
•
191
L 244
i. 261
•
·
187
i.
260.
•
284
i.
72.
•
158
i. 196
•
•
343
·
360
I.
i.
1791
i.
211
(168
i.
327
272.
·
175
1801•
•
193
•
1321
iv.
i.
311
- 166
i.
93.
118
i. 216.
11 I
•
iv.
•
5559
62
•
59.
•
166
7
177
OTHELLO.
ས་
i.
نـ نـ .
i.
i.
i.
i.
ACT I.
26.
38.
44
•
55.
99 .
100.
ii.
18.
•
471
iii. 165.
$369
i.
67
•
•
400
1414
ii.
52.
•
•
447
ii.
•
361
53.
274
$477
1506
i.
70.
•
•
440
191.
•
460
i.
83.
•
•
333
iii.
267
•
•
368
i.
87.
•
440
ii.
•
315
71
•
•
405
iii.
269
•
•
151
ii.
•
512
72.
•
365
i. 149
•
iii.
283
•
• 247
(268
•1301
ii.
• 439
93 ·
161
•
iii.
i. 159
•
•
301
390.
•
331
•
191
ů.
140.
•
419
i. 260.
•
241
iii.
403 ·
·
45I
i.
iii.
124
•
435
55.
•
67
ii.
3
•
·
15
i. 151
•
i. 158.
i. 126.
i. 132.
•
127
1497
158
22
iii. 62.
ii. 129.
iii.
350
ACT II.
49
•
·
297
iii.
iii.
160
74.
J202
91. 1423
11.
144.
·
342
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440
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368
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·
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243
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INDEX.
485
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iii. 213. 163
iii. 216. 163
iii. 217.
•
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iii. 301. 443
iii 319.
Par.
Sc. Lice
iii. 211
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295
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279
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nii, 368.
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480
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380
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2. 194
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iii. 233
•
191
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243.
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i. (107)
(108)
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9.
27
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295
i. 108.
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54
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265
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9.
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iii.
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iii.
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(b) Read "from off a 'nointed;" or, as Folio,
(c) Folio, “and if.”
"From an anointed."
188
INDEX.
Act V.
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line
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RICHARD III.
ACT I.
ii.
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INDEX.
489
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Par.
Sc. Line
iii. 65-8. 376
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25.
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.†405
iii.
i. 57.
•
(8)
iii.
iii.
212 •
•
243
iii. 214.
J294
iv.
ΙΟΙ
(150)
•
(7)
16.
.t477
17 .†129
29.
•
•
35 Fol. 333
105
i.
•
59 .t223
iii.
39
•
•
29
1385
i.
83
·
·
275
iv.
122.
• 330
iii.
4I
•
+69
iii. 216.
240
i.
iii.
St69
iv. 134.
.†335
90
·
.t474
iii.
42.
490
222. 1365
i.
116.
iv. 146. 148
.t454
iii.
·
55.
•
92
iii. 246 .t349
iv.
152. .1329
i.
120.
.t281
iv.
I
•
492
iii.
£266-1
1267 *
(5)
iv. (167)
i.
129.
•
372
iv.
14
62
·
•
iii. 282..
iii. 287
iii. 291.
176)
232
i. 134
•
•
512
iv.
18.
92
5
iv. 186
.t157
•
122
i. 137.
iv. 187. .t468
√217
1471
iv.
22
•
iv. 205.
.t219
ii.
7
•
iii. 292
·
•
355
iii. 304 (6) 24
•
iv. 206.
•
232
ii.
iv. 209.
•
462
ii.
305.
•
494
iii.
314.
186
iv. 218-
218 Fol
var. (512
15
•
287
(Fol.)
131'too' 73
too'}73
479
iv.
22
34
295
•
301
•
iv. 139)
·
513
iv.
46.
•
307
•
ii.
iv.
47
24
·
•
503
iii. 323. .t507
ii.
27
•
•
326
iv.
iii.
325.
•
2.4
iv. 219 'you' †236
f Fol.
•
(Fol.
75
63 var. (48.2
ii.
34
•
iii.
•
·
295
iv.
•
•
297
328. .†438
iii. 328
347. †490
•
iii. 348
354. .†364
üi. 354
iv.
iv.
5. 85
12
1191
•
.t259
iv. 248 {Fol. )+512
var.
iv. 251.
•
iv. 254.
254. †284
iv. 241.
•
287
ii.
iv. 246.
•
290
ii.
356
42. .†470
47 .t275
•
•
V.
71
·
•
297
ACT III.
ii.
49.
•
438
i.
Isl
ii.
1651
iv. 250
Fol.
var.
(68)
.t365
i.
IO.
$66
ii.
76. 118
i.
•
•
174
1243
12 .t267
194
ii.
•
77 404
i.
26.
243
ii.
92. .†467
i.
༣༣
.1467
490
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line Par. Sc. Line Par.
i.
37.
469
ii.
58.
i.
1391 St490
St243
159
V
ΙΟΙ
492
Sc. Line
vii. 184
Par.
·
+87
V.
109
460
vii. 197
.†196
140) +501
ii.
63. 176
•
vi.
5
• 356
vii. 210
.t110
i.
44
2
ii.
•
67. P. 449
vi.
i.
63
S(11)
ii.
76. 487
7.
t140
vii
227 .
• 469
•
1297
vi.
9
•
494
vii. 229
•
.1466
ii.
115.
.†243
i.
64
21
vi.
vä.
IO .
•
137
233
•
•
15
•
•
ii. 117
98
i
68
·
•
409
vii.
ii.
(123)
3
(15)
vii.
235
•
•
243
i.
71
D
.†494
[124]
233
vii. {5}
Uડો
•
490
i.
1721
181).
iii.
23
•
P. 16
•
490
vii. 240
ACT IV.
•
. (16)
vii.
iv.
9
•
.+494
I
•
57
i.
85
•
•
252
vii.
20
.†468
i.
3
•
•
150
iv.
2
•
492
i.
ΙΙΟ
{
P. 449
vii.
25.
•
487
i.
4
180
•
•
478
iv.
29.
·
178
vii.
26.
+88
i.
•
7
·
.+466
iv.
470
36.
.†401
i.
114
+497
vii.
30.
•
492
i.
43
•
.+158
iv.
40.
109
vii.
i. 119.
201
•
iv.
4I
ti
50. .†467
i.
8
60.
.1405
•
i. 126.
S+319
1769
iv.
50.
• 397
vii.
1521
i.
70
•
.†267
153) 234
i.
76. .t225
iv.
51.
.t297
i. 136 485
vii. 57. .t343
i.
•
•
iv.
62.
94. .468
200
•
i. 144.
S217
vii.
58. 487
1471
iv.
67
•
•
97
vii.
i. 146.
iv.
•
419
91.
•
490
70 { Fol: +510
ii.
•
2 .1513
i.
£146)
(147)•
.1500
iv.
100
•
·
189
vii.
81. .t201
105
• 497
V.
•
i.
i. 148. ((12)
i. 157. 487
i. 158.
i. 164
•
· 419
169. .†127
iv. 106. .†473
vii.
89.
414
ii.
II
12
V.
7
•
•
189
vii.
112
439
ü.
5.
{11}. . 45x3
81
ii.
27
•
·
92
V.
13.
•
.†513
vii.
·
113 .†494
ii.
(398
35. . (17)
vii.
120.
•
423
ii.
4.
i.
177
•
•
235
V.
25.
28.
•
or
t2
229
29 (14)
•
36.
vii. 127
•
•
342
ii.
55
•
.t494
.t217
vii. 139
.†468
ii.
59. 204
•
vii.
J1441
(148)•
382
ii.
71. .†512
i. 189
i. 191.
•
•
492
V.
32
.t158
vii. 150.
·
361
ii.
81.
.†497
V.
33.
t2
vii.
ii.
155
•
•
3
85
411
236
i. 198 .t467
V.
35.
•
29
•
ii.
10, Fol. var.
V.
47
•
ii.
†349
St5or
+297
vii. 157.
St285
17287
ii.
87
•
•
424
ii.
98
•
vii.
159.
•
SI
ii.
14
•
462
V.
55.
412
ii.
26.
281
V.
56
•
•
411
li.
29.
497
V.
63.
•
•
107
ii.
53
+357
V.
拉​法
​ii.
55
•
92
ง.
657
69.
•
97
vii. 161
trog
vii. 165 'there is'
(Fol.)
165{{{
vii. 175. tp. 12
ii.
103 .
104
11.
**
ii. 124
120.
•
•
•
.†477
37
.†470
466
497
or
. 166
vii. 176
•
474
(18)
•
56. 150
V.
76. .†494 vi.
179.
342
iil 8. 164
·
INDEX.
491
Se. Line
iii.
iii.
20
27.
31
53
•
•
iii. 229.
•
•
•
Par.
Sc. Line
193
iv. 209.
Par. Sc. Line
.t133 iv.
417.
•
(19)
iv. 217.
·
375
iv.
431
iv.
221
•
.t287
iv.
428
•
•
477
.t494
iv. 229. 69
•
iv.
458.
.t513
69
iv.
J231
iv.
iv.
(II)
[12].
1234)
.+370
483.
•
492
iv. 490.
202
·
•
419
iv. 235.
.†133
iv.
492.
•
232
•
Par.
t2
426. .†349
Sc. Line Par
(TIO)
(1195
•
iii. 130. 484
ü.
135
(143)
(148) •
iii. 156. . (451)
ii.
·
423
•
iii.
•
•
291
508
iv.
EEEEE
15
iv.
240.
•
439
iv.
[16].
•
515
501.
•
49I
iii. 185
•
1460
iv.
249
•
•
196
iv.
•
504 +17
•
iv.
iii.
187
•
·
512
23
•
•
159
iv. 250
•
.t133
iv.
508.
•
469
iii.
201
iv. 28.
•
•
315
•
490
iv.
34
118
•
•
iv.
53
•
iv.
65.
•
•
f89
240
£ £
iv. 254.
372
iv.
(255)
12605°
iv. 515.
•
iv. 263.
·
•
158
477
iv. 539.
1478
•1201
iii.
202.
•
287
iii. 209.
512
•
311
iii.
V.
7
•
•
466
210.
•
303
iv.
75 ·
509
iv. 268.
•
247
V.
IO.
•
469
iii.
224
201
•
•
iv.
77
•
(20) iv.
269.
•
+99
iii.
228
•
•
159
V.
14.
•
492
iv.
86.
•
24
iv.
274.
.†494
iii.
V.
18.
230
•
.t219
•
311
IV.
92
991
104°
iv. {199
iv. 118.
iv.
•
122. •
300
iv. 289
•
•
353
iii.
239.
• 498
iv.
•
148
292.
•
315
ACT V.
iii.
243.
118
iv.
304.
·
341
i.
5. .+474
iii.
245. .t468
202
iv.
326. .t494
i.
21.
•
479
iii.
267
·
• 417
443
iv. 331. 491
ii.
19.
.t122
iii.
281
•
514
•
iv. 135. • 45I
iv. 337. .t230
iii.
47
•
•
· 140
iii.
292.
►
474
iv.
141. .t287
iv. 338. .t329
iii.
48. .t513
iii.
298
•
•
505
iv.
142..(21)
iv.
177
iv.
.+439
£3531
iii.
SI
•
159
iv.
II
•
.t299
1354*
.t336
iii.
52. .+494
V.
3
•
342
iv.
180. 201
iv. 354.
•
177
üi.
68. 469
•
V.
9
•
•
507
iv. 183. .†466
iv. 188 365
iv. 358
•
.†470
iii.
1721
512
V.
•
•
iv.
iv. 189
190
1369-1
1371
[14)°
•
469
.†228
Fi.
V.
21
•
337
17
iv. 385. .†266
iii.
V.
iv. 199.
(1) Hamlet, i. 2. 92.
(77)
82.
•
478
95 . 378
(1a) A. F. L. iii. 1. 18.
•
(3) "Majesty" when a dissyllable will henceforth
(3a)? Pun on “noble.” (4) Folio, "Ay, madam."
(6) Folio, "an end." (7) Compare Hamlet, v. 1. 1-235.
(9) M. of V. v. 1. 77. (10) Folio omits "weighty."
(12) Folio, "and." (13) Folio, "worshipfully."
(15) Folio omits "and." (16) Folio, King Richard."
(18) Folio omits "deep." (19) Folio omits "my lord."
(21) A. W. v. 3. 297.
C
36. p. 12
(2) Cymb. iv. 4. 132.
not be noticed.
(5) Macbeth, v. 8. 48.
(8) F. C. i. 2. 317.
(11) Folio, "thinks't."
(14) Lear, iv. 1. 54.
(17) Rich. III, i. 1. 158.
(20) Macbeth, iii, 2. 49.
(22) F. C. i. 3. 22.
492
INDEX.
ROMEO AND JULIET.
Sc.
ACT 1.
Line
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Lire
Par.
ACT IV.
Par,
V.
107.
•
• 391
i. 128.
•
3
Sc.
Line Par.
i.
38.
• 335
V
*33.
•
411
i.
i.
158.
16.
. 294
200
•
i.
III
•
24
ii.
117.
60.
•
447
.457a
i.
119.
264
iii.
ACT II.
ii. 141.
•
i.
140.
•
275
ii.
42
460
ii. 14
118
•
ii.
76.
iii.
V.
120
17
22
•
•
•
iii. 9
(315
•
1461
iii.
iii.
7
•
•
429
19
•
•
474
$405
•1471
V.
36. 480
•
59. 474
ACT V.
20.
512
•
iii.
17
•
•
497
iii.
91.
281
iii.
38.
•
264
i.
40.
•
178
•
iii.
98
•
•
440
iii.
93 .
•
204
iii.
49
•
492
iii.
52.
•
400
iv.
19.
•
440
vi.
9.
•
· 475
iii.
98.
•
492
iii.
143
•
356
iv.
94
·
479
vi.
21
•
•
492
V.
18.
•
133
iii.
211
•
•
490
iv.
V.
84.
206
·
iii.
99
•
•
173
iv.
109.
•
+
291
ACT III.
v. 136.
•
264
214
• 333
iii. 246 469
•
•
V.
61.
•
417
i.
66. .419a
V.
153.
292
iii. 247.
114
V.
70
•
354
i.
122.
•
198
V. 200
•
13
iii. 275.
•
465
TAMING OF THE SHREW.
ACT I.
i.
50.
ΙΟ
i.
356 . 22
iii.
·
Induction.
i.
74
•
•
507
i.
357
•
•
247
i.
68.
•
109
i.
78
•
•
351
i.
369.
22
•
iv.
I.
i.
84
132
i.
i.
90. 507
377 .
•
489
•
i.
87
•
•
472
i.
150
166
iv.
36.
iii. 189.
•
24
21
J461
*1361
(482
2
•
•
•
120
ACT III.
i.
89
I
i.
•
174.
• 465
iv.
4
120
•
•
i.
96.
•
76
i.
251.
•
• 368
i.
9. P. 14
iv.
12
•
•
301
ii.
I
i. 105.
461
•
461
i. 252.
. 297
iv.
20.
•
461
ii.
i.
IIO.
369
ii.
8.
27
·
•
220
i. 119
•
419a
(12
ii.
1324
ii.
105
·
•
· 356
28
iv.
(33)
[34]°
505
ii.
ii.
ii.
13
25.
ii. 107
ii. 136.
113]
$430
ii.
108.
·
297
iv.
46.
•
503
•
291
ii.
46. . 461
ii.
156.
·
7
V.
9
30
9
84
•
176
ii. 190
J201
ii.
186.
·
465
V.
26.
482
·
1484
ii.
236.
•
•
455
ii.
248.
224
297
ACT V.
•
370
ACT II.
i.
•
77 460
ACT IV.
Аст І.
i.
15.
126
ii.
66.
•
504
i.
3. . 295
i.
18.
•
4.90
i.
71.
•
175
ii.
72
•
174
i.
14
•
•
510
i.
158.
•
477
i.
125.
•
482
ii.
93 .
485
1.
32
•
•
342
i. 259.
505
ii.
14
•
460
ii. 144.
281
i.
48.
•
507
i. (Fol.)355
22
ii.
73.
465
ii.
175. 497
1
INDEX.
493
Аст 1.
Sc.
Line
TEMPEST,
Par. Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ii.
109
·
•
494
ii.
220.
460
Sc. Line Par.
ii.
110
•
·
458
ii.
222
•
.t178
ii. (387)
13895
ii. 390.
·
· 462
27
i.
(29)
•
447
ii.
III
•
•
494
ii. 226.
•
78
ii.
407.
·
(4)
ii. 118.
.†312
i.
16.
•
13
ii. 231
14274
it193
ii. 414.
•
120
ii.
119
•
•
124
i.
17
•
•
335
ii.
232
·
.t149
ii.
419.
•
456
i.
18.
90
ii.
J199
122
•
1495
ii.
235 ·
·
511
ii.
424.
.1285
i.
•
24 176
ii.
ii.
127.
•
454
243.
.t291
ii.
435.
.†466
i.
49.
•
154
ii.
ii.
137.
•
270
244 ·
•
220
ii.
439 ·
•
tII
ii.
4
•
•
456
ii.
II
ii.
12
•
•
ii.
ii.
31.
•
ii.
41
ii.
•
19.
50.
.tizi
457
St179
•
•
II
342
183
77
ii. 142
•
134T
ii. 148. 1342
ii. 157
ii. 138
J (2)
11467
ii.
248. .t456
ii.
442.
• 232
ii. 249 .t136
•
ii. 446.
.†364
ii. 141
·
.t454
ii. 255. 220
ii.
1447
.t457
ii.
12571
1448)*
•
· 38,
ii.
144
•
•
5
1259)
.†343
ii.
450.
12
•
ii. 264. t494
ii.
452. 485
ii. 297 · fp.13
•
ii.
453.
•
. 462
ii. 298
St200
+369
501
ii.
53
•
480
+475
ii.
J157)
1158)*
513
ti.
(54)
ii. 165.
•
•
156).
.†457
ii.
168.
•
39
ii.
63.
ii. 333
·
343
ii. 173.
•
471
t330
494
ii. (301)
(302)*
ii. 327 ·
456
450
1 473
ii. 456. 182
ii. 457 ·
•
457 · †244
ii. 478. .t335
ACT II.
ii. 65
66.
•
·
•
ii.
ii.
72
•
•
457
ii.
•
74 • 470
ii.
84. • 497
ii.
ii.
ii.
ii.
ii.
97 ·
•
294
ii.
•
158
†469
ii.
(188)
(189)
ii. 338.
•
471
i.
I.
.+513
ii.
348.
t494
i.
I
467
•
•
187
·
•
457
·
85. .†283
482
88.
89 472
•
ii. 100. .†178
ii. 102 .t281
ii. 103.
103. .†501
†462
(1)
ii. 104.
ii. 105.
li. 106.
·
497
St231
511
ii. 193.
ii. 194
(196)
201
204)
ii. (197)
(197). • +330
200
fp.13
iì. 206. 484
•
ii. 209. .t123
•
•
ii. 210 467
ii. 211
ii.
212
•
341
24
•1469
ii. 213. {(2)
429
ii. 370.
ii. 371.
ii. 379
ii. 389.
•
230
(3)
487
17283
+401
·
•
342
4.
121
127.
i. 131.
i. (134)
135
•
400
· 475
i. 145.
510
•
226
i.
150. 271
ii.
352 .
265
i.
•
ii. 353 ·
.t468
i.
ii.
357.
•
471
i.
28.
ii. 361.
•
159
i.
75.
·
401
456
5 (5)
6. .†494
1
206
189
ii.
362.
St263
1480
i.
96.
200
ii. 363.
i.
182
IIO
†263
•
ii. 365.
i.
•
127 .t228
291
i.
ii. 366.
305
•
•
ii.
369.
264
•
•
494
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
i. 151. • 490
i.
•
31
203
Sc. Line
iii. 100.
Par.
ACT V.
.†457
Sc.
i. 160.
.†494
i.
i. 163. (6)
•
i.
42
i.
168. .†281
32. .†494
S +467
(p.13
•
iii.
102. •$500
1.
Line
4.
Par.
480
i.
7
•
•
460
ACT IV.
i.
9.
•
484
i.
45.
(4)
i.
•
4 .1274
i.
IO.
•
432
i. 181.
((7)
(7)
i.
·
57 .†177
i.
8
•
•
469
i.
15
208
•
•
i.
i. 185. .140
59
·
.1500
i.
12
.+513
i.
i.
202
•$500
i.
62.
{+359
350
16.
•
+478
i.
26 {+
(†473
JFol
1333
i. 207
•†323
490
i.
i.
72
•
· 255
i.
215. .†469
i.
27
•
•
• 307
i.
187)
i. 217.
(8)
188]*
1513
i.
•
31 480
•
i.
220.
387
i.
(263
i.
68.
•
487
i.
93 .
1196
39
i.
221.
·
58a
i.
(72)
ii.
27
•
•
• 479
1745°
•$350
i.
i. 236.
•
471
ii.
i.
{275). +513
i. $2781
1283)
i. 284
i. 287
i. 292.
i. 296 .t291
1522
163ĺ
•
361
i.
1761
1260
i.
42
i.
28. 390
{28-}·494
30
√33-
} . 261
}
38. 395
.†467
•
178)
1261
i.
43
•
294
ii.
i.
104
•
▸
492
•
94 .1360
i.
•
• 471
ii.
106.
•
244
i.
98. .t295
i.
63
·
•
470
ii.
108
.
·
503
i.
ΙΟΥ
·
.†473
i.
·
.+322
ii.
127
•
•
137
i.
IIO
•
484
64
145
ii.
147.
▸
330
i.
123.
•
422
i.
68.
53 .t218
•
•
·497
(+291
447
482
•
ii.
149
•
.†161
i.
124.
•
•
³. 308.
•
374
iii.
2
•
·
· 333
i. 140.
484
.†494
i.
$75-
179
•
232
i.
i. 319.
i. 311.
i. 317. .t500
.†343
†494
iii.
26.
•
501
i.
143.
461
75 ·
261
•
•
i.
iii.
40.
487
i. 145.
97 .
.t467
• 439
i.
100
•
iii.
i. 321.
S 78
461
47)*
i. 146.
483
· 376
•†278
467
iii. (53)
ii. {9}.
261
156ĥ
iii. 56.
•
249
•
240
ii.
15
•
•
96
iii.
59
•
278 n.
ii.
121.
•
(7)
iii.
60.
16
•
ii. 137.
.†401
iii.
62
•
•
ü. 152.
ii. 164.
456
iii.
63
•
•
•
457
iii. 64
iii.
65
264
· 431
i. 168. .†360
i. 170. 484
i. 186
iii. {1}
1891
.1342
247
404
i. 231*. .+356
i
ACT III.
I .
(†244
1300
iii.
80.
•
i.
i.
4
6.
•
•
508
iii.
81
•
•
265
iii.
92
•
·
410
i. 15.
(၄)
iii.
93.
238
i. 113
i. 114.
i.
117
i. 119
•
130-1
132
i. 135.
i. 139.
146.
i. 149
i. 264. St335
• Read either "let it aloue" (472, end) or "let's along" (30)
•
•
466
.t305
• 347
•
(7)
469
232
.1467
•
•
230
497
425
364
266
. tóg
i.
[149]
(153
i.
103
·
.tizi
· 457
i.
III
•
·
i. 154.
i. 155.
260
•†442
•
•
i. 204.
•
•
417
i.
i.
188.
457
•
169
467
•
484
i. 217.
•
209
i.
145
•
i. 259.
369
i.
i. 262.
1783
90
i. {150}.
(10)
i. 214
INDEX.
495
i. 215.
Sc. Line Par.
.t218
Sc. Line
Par. Sc. Line Par.
i.
235.
235 ·
t494
i. 270.
•
279
i.
Sc. Line
315.
•
Par
. 279
i.
216. .t335
S271
i.
289
•
•
276
i.
JEpil. 3
i. 249.
13
3. } 484
12
i.
i. 230
168
·
•
i. 232 tp. 13
:{
+38
i. 250. 295
•
i.
303
310.
•
.†305
.t296
i. 18.
200
i. 268. p. 340
(1) Folio, "th' outward."
(2) "Impertinent.”—Lear, iv. 6. 178.
(2a) F. C. iv. 3. 280. (3) “Old.”—Macbeth, ii. 3. 2. (4) “Owes.”—A.W. v. iii. 97.
(5) "Masters."—M. of V. iv. 1. 51.
and F. Coxcomb, ii. 3.
"Mastres" is written for "mistress" in B.
(6) "Against course and kind."-Munday.
(8) See Tempest, i. 2. 200.
(7) Folio, "and."
(9) Theobald, "busy less:" (?)
most busy least."
(10) Folio, "lies "
TIMON OF ATHENS.
ACT I.
ACT II.
ACT IV.
iii.
1334-
1344
34-}
•
36:
i.
44
22
•
•
i.
23.
•
343
i.
63
i.
iii.
33.
492
401
•
•
325
•
•
512
ii.
7
•
•
392
i.
i.
154
107
139.
•
i. 147
i. 206.
i. 257.
i. 284
•
ii. 151.
ii.
ii. 156
ii. 184
•
•
ii. 251.
·
•
338
479
• 510
•
•
385
i.
46
•
• 355
iii.
403.
•
431
ii.
12
200
•
28
ii.
iii.
13
•
.419a
454.
400
•
ii.
28.
484
•
•
. 186
ii.
16.
468
iii.
530 .
212
·
ii.
36
•
•
512
ii.
33 .
350
•
241
ii.
119
•
•
407
487
ii.
35.
•
252
ACT V.
iii.
29
•
·
470
iii.
131
•
•
361
i.
31.
P. 14
ACT III.
iii.
180.
•
171
i.
61.
•
466
• 405
480
ii.
39.
•
400
iii.
232.
172
i.
202
•
•
487
ill.
23
·
400
iii. 277
•
•
213
iii.
8
•
497
57
V.
56.
•
477
iii. 287
•
·
187
TITUS ANDRONICUS.
i. 231. 492
ACT II.
•
253
i.
i.
ACT I.
II.
20.
i. 32.
i. 189.
•
•
301
465
1423
1491
i. 235.
i. 288.
i. 325.
479
iii. 285.
iii. 305
·
431
200
i.
30.
65
iv.
18.
480
•
229
i.
69.
•
103
i. 301
•
•
145
iii.
75
•
•
492
12
iii.
92.
•
463
i.
ACT III.
38. 264
•
i. 347 ·
•
477
iii.
102
•
•
322
i.
51
•
•
i. 190
•
479
i.
368.
•
195
iii. 160.
490
i.
66.
423
484
496
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
ACT IV.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc.
i.
151.
·
417
iv.
Sc.
Line
Par.
ΙΟ .
•
105
i.
i.
269.
•
191
i.
95 ·
•
508
iv.
20
•
300
ii.
Line
102
•
16.
Par.
4
143
•
50%
ü.
ii.
4
•
•
344
i.
ΙΟΙ
472
iv.
65
•
•
492
ii.
50.
•
456
9
•
•
264
ii.
136
•
485
iv.
76
•
•
78
ii.
137
.
484
ii.
44
•
69
ii.
162
•
•
485
iii.
I
465
ii.
53 ·
338
ii.
176.
•
247
ACT V.
iii.
99.
•
302
ii.
76
·
483
iii.
35.
•
478
i.
40.
•
462
iii.
156.
•
48.
ii.
83
•
•
295
iii.
58
•
484
i.
46.
•
484
ACT 1.
TROILUS AND CRESSIDA.
ACT II.
iii. 44
•
•
3
V.
12
•
·
25
ii.
Prol. 21.
64.
ill.
III.
•
500
V.
93.
•
337
·
294
90
iii.
120.
•
ii.
i.
7
·
187
179
•
·
285
264
V.
105.
•
433
iii.
ᎥᎥ
.
ii.
127
500
V.
170.
•
236
211
+
•
491
T39
·
104
iii.
iii.
142.
•
496
V.
176.
217
ii.
185
81
45.
•
202
•
iii.
150.
•
480
V.
195.
•
Ey
111.
ii.
189
94.
•
430
•
•
104
iii.
ii.
115.
51
iii.
J129
V.
255.
•
217
155 .
•
312.
372
279
V.
272
•
• 91
ii.
314
·
224
iii.
12
120
iii.
•
1431
159.
•
295
V.
292
•
395
iii.
7
•
·
481
iii.
iii.
161.
90
135
•
•
333
iii.
51
•
•
iii.
•
111.
ni.
•
490
•
•
343
iii.
68.
71
•
•
89
96.
iii. 101
f 95
· 1377
•
472
368
12
iii. 266.
iii.
162.
•
401
iii.
149
162
•
iii.
188
•
•
iii.
129
205.
419a
iii.
iii. 252
190.
•
174
211
•
iii.
•
165
198
•
•
3
i.
iii.
272
•
1478
1507
iii.
200.
•
487
i.
iii.
201
·
•
274
iii.
105
·
•
490
ACT IJI.
iii. 114
iii. 125.
•
•
322
i.
71
·
•
•
342
368
iii. 247.
J164
ü.
1314
ii.
iii.
13.
ACT IV.
iii.
21
ACT V.
30.
63
i.. 71.
ii. 109.
144
•
•
•
13
428
482
151
356
•
407
356
•
·
i.
iii. 187
151
•
·
37
•
•
342
iii.
54
•
·
90
iii.
199.
•
•
490
iii.
$495
3
iv.
1458
4
•
•
290
iii.
103.
•
255
iii. 288.
iii.
339 .
395
188
iv
47
•
402
iii.
20
430
vi.
iv.
·
ia.
2
iü.
340. 479
•
{
59
•
382
20.
६०
474 iv. 136.
·
2.14
vii.
5.
•
II
440
INDEX.
497
}
TWELFTH NIGHT.
ACT I.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
V.
3.
+307
i. {32
Sc. Line
Par.
{"Beem"} (2)
iv.
99.
281
•
i.
ΙΟ . 284
ง.
·
i
15.
18
V.
69
84
•
•
13
iv.
ii.
3
180
•
•
•
•
93
iv.
·
i.
16.
.†349
V.
108.
.t244
ii.
6.
• 356
4.
i.
23
62
V.
120.
.t343
ii.
8.
.+323
V.
•
•
ii.
19.
.+368
i.
24.
.t312
V. 124
•
254
V.
102
•
¡IO.
I.
6.
25
.t145
23. (3)
·
218
.t244
ii.
21
·
i.
v.
156.
.t297
400
27.
144
i.
32
•
.t477
v.
158.
.t121
ii.
ii.
v.
159. 202
•
1.
33.
·
277
i,
38.
(403
V.
171.
· 368
ii.
V.
196. .†244
ii.
495
ii.
V.
201
•
•
158
w w w w Ⓡ
27
•
·
230
30.
33.
•
•
+2
299
ACT III.
i. {2}.
2-
•
145
35.
•
290
i.
37
168
44
•
331
•
•
i.
20
i.
39.
V.
224
•
.†420
ii.
42
•
462
45 .
t118
1479
i.
iii.
34
•
•
165
109
84
•
ii.
J17
ง.
259.
224
i.
18
.+513
v.
265.
ti
iii. 89"natural."(a)
114
.t149
i.
120.
•
349
174
ů.
v.
269.
iii.
95.
122
•
•
414
i.
21.
121
•
480
1477
iii.
99. • 349
V.
274
·
505
ii. {29}.
1301
.+513
V.
281.
•
(1)
iii.
107 Fol. 103
i.
123.
·
303
i.
128. .†312
V.
282.
.t343
iii.
J107-1
ii.
33 .
17
|108
+371
i. 133.
66
•
ii.
J254
V.
35.
15:2
287 +223
(t220
iii.
122
•
V.
ii.
295
.tı21
iii.
143
·
43.
•
290
ii.
48.
287
(296)
iii.
149.
·
V.
2971*
+513
iii.
185
•
•
ii.
53.
I
•
414
V.
305.
218
iii.
187
•
2 2 2
iii.
iii.
iii. 30 (Glossary)
iii.
112.
321
iii. 113
iv. 6. .t284
iv. 13.
16.
iv.
IV.
iv.
20
27
•
iv. 28.
•
127
.1490
$200
•
1343
•
+24
V.
315. †479
iii.
199.
·
349
5 . . 182
401
.+346
295
тоб
419
133{"
Fol.
i. 133 hides."
i. 146. .+513
i. 166.
i. 172. 118
i.
149
•
512
St151
11288
V. 317 · 349
·
iv.
23
.+447
ii.
9. †137
V. 321.
.+396
iv.
26. 145
ii.
.+321
38.
+315
ง.
322.
194
iv.
1291
53
V.
324.
287
1301
.+513
ii.
48.
233
V.
329
owe"
iv.
38
ii.
57 ·
.4190
42
+466
29L
ii.
72.
.t310
iv.
50 8
484
iii.
•
13 .1469
iv. 80.
•
227
i.
I
•
200
ACT II.
S1316
+406
iv. 89.
•
.t244
iii.
iv.
•
90 .+505
Supply
15 "thanks.
How "
iii.
18. 359
•
iv.
91.
.†497
S+490
17467
i.
20
81
iii.
26.
iv.
St458
•
217
94
·
i.
22
21
1+469
iii.
29
84
•
iv.
1391
140)
4190
i.
27
•
་
244
iv
95.
335
iii.
40.
404
(a) A pun.
КК
198
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
iii.
42
•
·
193
iv. 415.
• 349
i.
37.
.†281
Sc. Line
i. 228.
Par
,†469
lii.
46.
•
155
iv. 418.
64
i.
58.
•
3
i.
231.
•
479
i.
iv.
2
•
175
73
.t219
i. 235.
་
77
iv.
85
.t141
ACT IV.
i.
79
•
.1468
i. 237.
.
169
iv.
196.
$2
•
i.
57. p. 12(4)
i.
81.
•
450
i.
238
•
423
iv.
201 .t149
i.
61.
i.
86
I
i.
•
·
353
245.
200
•
iv. (238) tp.164
1239Лtp.156
i.
63
•
•
(5)
i.
89 .
.†379
i.
253 ·
•
• 490
i.
65
•
•
136
i.
92.
•
434
i.
256.
•
•
349
iv. 248. 187
•
ii.
IO
200
•
i.
1961
i.
266.
iv. 255. .t196
1975
.1513
.+343
ii.
37
•
.t319
i.
272
110
•
•
iv.
S2601
(262)*
i. 104
128
•
•
•
419
•
73 11370
St307
i.
i.
iv. 262.
•
53
SI13)
[114].
•
513
i.
289
ii.
86.
• 275
iv. 278 280
i.
117.
•
473
•
•
ii.
88.
·
319
i. 293.
278. tp. 12
S(b)
()
.†400
iv.
J2901
1291)
i.
125.
•
285
. 280
ii.
i.
92
•
34
324.
.t376
j
127
•
•
92
iv. 300.
•
368
ii.
99. 290 (6)
i.
327. • 16
•
i.. 130.
.1243
iv. 323.
•
276
ii.
J102l
i.
340.
•
158
296
11045°
•
i. 135.
•
· 397
i.
346.
•
350
iv. 344.
•
366
iii.
6.
p 12
i.
Ι4Ι
•
•
• 93
i.
357
•
401
iv.
13621
1363)
.+513
iii.
•
17 •†494
i.
143
•
•
303
i. 358. .t278
iv. 366.
iv. 380.
iii.
•
193
iii.
21
•
28.
•
3
i. 144
144 ·
.†343
•
508
i.
150. tp. 12
i.
(360) (Glos-
1371) sary)
•
5
i.
iii.
160.
iv. 381
29.
•
137
•
443
i.
·
•
512
iii.
iv. 383.
iv. 384 287
•
.†494
30.
202
i.
174.
86
•
i.
i.
198.
•
25
i.
•
i.
201.
iv.
13921
13931*
ACT V.
.1513
i.
222
•
i.
22
iv. 410.
368
$ 356
t221
i. 224
·
.†400
411
492
244
368 .
375 . 287
391.
•
†p. Iz
i. 393 · 478
•
i. 398. √287
196
(1) See K. 7. iii. 4. 81.
(2) See Macbeth,
(3) See below, line 35; A. Y. L. ii. 7. 31.
(5) 7. C. iii. 1. 207-8.
(6) K. J. v. 2. 79.
•
5. 30.
(4) A. Y. L. iii. 1. 17.
(7) K. J. v. 5. 7.
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.
i.
40. 501
iii. 84.
•
477
•
i.
147-
ACT I.
i.
57
. 187
iii.
88.
•
338
169 1
•
232
iii.
6.
1.
25
•
·
231
i. 59
•
89
ACT II.
299
iv.
62.
•
i.
28.
•
231
~
61.
•
231
i.
•
232
iv.
65.
•
i.
30.
•
501
ii.
133-
i
34. 403
}
•
500
•
i.
39.
501
ii.
·
447
37
62.
(b) Compare "I have fairly forgotten it."
i.
3
80
iv.
72.
503
• 45?
335
•
i.
35
•
•
197
iv.
·
87 467
•
INDEX.
499
Sc. Line
iv. 120
iv. $138)
(139)
iv. 183.
iv. 194.
iv. 210.
38.
S.
vii.
vii.
2 •
ACT III.
Par.
Sc.
Line
Par. Sc. Line
•
231
i.
64.
•
494
ii.
45
• 166
Par. Sc. Line
iv.
Par
184.
•
467
i.
187
84
•
•
189
ii.
92.
•
510
iv.
200
•
3
i. 162..
28
ii.
109.
368
ACT V.
•
460
i.
258.
455
ii.
118
•
·
490
ii.
38.
174
•
146
ii.
19
•
•
94
iii.
8.
•
451
ii.
51.
.469
477
ii.
26.
•
223
iii.
41
•
•
438
ii.
84. 285
•
•
263
iv.
9
·
220
•
ü.
178.
• 215
•
492
ACT IV.
iv.
48.
•
232
iv.
3
•
463
5.
•
290
i.
IO .
•
425
iv.
67
•
24
iv.
15
•
244
i.
21.
21
•
iv.
70.
•
279
iv.
93.
•
46I
i.
23.
20
i.
•
64
490
iv.
89
•
482
iv.
109.
•
354
i.
59
•
•
405
ii.
18.
•
295
iv. 170.
•
24
iv.
152.
•
196
WINTER'S TALE.
ACT I.
ii.
391.
•
499
i.
195.
•
295
ii.
169.
•
i.
26.
•
278
ii.
392.
•
271
ii.
49.
175
ii.
177.
508
484
ii.
i.
29. 334
402.
•
369 ii.
57
•
·
• 356
ii.
180.
·
II
ii.
ii.
13
• 425
412.
220
ii.
ii.
162)
1631°
ii.
187
·
•
173
•
457
ii.
420
·
457
ii.
202
•
•
473
22.
499
ul.
ii.
14
•
484
ii.
13
425
•
•
457
ii.
217
•
•
354
ii.
27
44
•
1222
iii.
20 •
•
412
ii.
427.
•
152
ii. 232.
•
480
iii.
•
•
255
ii.
432.
35
12
•
•
•
457
iii.
46.
212
•
iii.
ii.
70.
•
505
ii.
104
•
•
265
437
•
• 200
iii.
69.
•
•
178.
ii.
112.
•
503
ii.
117
•
•
499
368
ii. 135.
ii 151
[152].
ii. 154.
•
228
297
ii. 449
ii. 455 · • 265
ii. 461.
iii.
115.
260
•
•
•
457
iii.
116.
212
·
iii.
133
•
• 348
iii
121
·
•
356
iii. 142.
•
297
.
457
iii.
150
•
499
ACT IV.
11.
·
174 • 369
ACT II.
i.
2 •
•
247
ii. 263
•
• 279
i.
•
ii. 266.
ii. 290
ii. 318.
•
ii. 329.
ii. 352. 86
228
i.
484
20 465
•
(201
94 · 1433
ACT III.
i. 167.
i.
26.
·
349
ii.
26.
186
iv.
65.
•
•
412
419 a
i.
•
269
99
•
•
356
ii.
47.
•
469
iv.
76.
•
477
1484
•1509
i. 105
i. 128.
128
•
•
ü.
87
499
iv. 131.
164
•
270
ii.
. 356.
ü. 372.
• 357
• 457
i. 133
i. 162.
•
394
(228
1468
•1387
•
385
ii.
104.
IOI .
. 460
iv. 168.
iv. 142.
• 509
i. 165.
•
249
ii. 166.
•
378
iv.
169.
КК 2
399
· ISS
500
INDEX.
Sc. Line
Par.
Sc. Line
Par.
ACT V.
Sc. Line
Pat.
iv. 176.
J12
•
•
188
iv. 532.
309
i.
141.
120
1499
Sc.
iv. 203.
iv. 264
iv.
P. 14
539 .
•
270
i.
Line
18.
Par.
i. 161.
·
380
•
356
i.
170
•
·
290
iv.
•
24
543.
•
372
i.
19
•
•
13
i. 219.
132
iv.
iv. 352.
90
549.
•
431
i.
23
•
244
i.
230
·
•
377
143
iv.
550.
188
i.
42.
•
354
ii.
60.
•
265
iv. 375.
•
SOI
iv.
581
•
·
264
i.
86.
224
ii.
66.
•
193
iv. 378.
•
244
iv.
592.
202
•
i.
87
•
• 400
ii.
94
•
•
415
iv. 428.
490
iv.
636-
271
i.
$5.
•
459
ii.
155
•
•
335
iv. 440.
iv. 442.
iv. 466.
iv. For
iv. 541
iv. $12
·
+
•
198
iv.
731
•
•
ус
i.
•
478
iv. 783
J278
109
474
iii.
25
•
·
469
•
1335
i.
112.
•
469
iii.
53.
•
508
•
394
J290
•1333
iv.
795 .
· 324
i.
113
·
193
iii.
65
· 447
iv.
813
•
460
i.
123
166
ii.
68.
. IIO
•
•
•
490
iv.
822
•
↓
447
i.
138.
249
iii.
100.
192
•
241
iv.
831.
•
105
i.
140.
•
143
iii.
146
65
VERBAL INDEX.
A
A- abbreviated preposition
adverbial prefix
A, an, (article)
•
omitted after "like,"
"what"
>>
>>
>>
"
CC so "
•
variable, why?.
Acoents, five
six apparently
four apparently
emphatic.
Acc'ess.
Accuse (noun)
•
•
Active participles, confusion in.
Addict (participle)
Adjectival phrases transposed
Adjectives.
both active and passive.
combined together
anomalously formed
•
•
Adverbs, formation of
transposed
•
adverbial compounds.
After (adv.)
="according to
"
on the other hand"
Against, used of time
•
Alexandrines, very rare
PAR.
•
•
140
•
24
"
79
as
83
Again
=
86
·
86
Alar(2)m
82
87
81
Alive
85
•
422
402
453
in archaic poetry
"
"A many men, an eight
days"
used for "one
"Many a man
transposed
'A for "he
"
•
"
Accent, pause accent
on monosyllabic prepositions 457a
other monosyllables,
apparent
All for "any"
•
for "every
used adverbially
"Without all question"
Almost="mostly," "generally"
All-obeying
=
all-obeyed
All-to
on
especially "the"
457
emphatic accent, or
"stress"
4530
Alone =
above all
Elizabethan, on some words
Along
thrown forward.
490
Amphibious section, the
thrown back.
•
492
•
•
490
PAR.
23-5
420-21
•
429
26
•
141
27
142
463
493
495-9
140
12
12
28
418
372
S 23
1430
29
18
30
513
=
transposed
•
An, one, pronunciation of
<< And if" if indeed.
=
"
"And though
452
494-503
504-510
4532
490
•
45T
372
342
•
4192
•
1-22
3 2
3
2
•
•
•
22
419
And "and that too
in answers
•
too
used for "also" by Wickliffe
with the subjunctive.
"even"
= "if"
Ang(e)ry
Anon.
"
Another.
•
Ever and anon"
Antecedent, plural with singular
An't were
80
IOS
105
95
97
100
102
(104
•
1105
•
ΙΟΙ
477
300
88
verb
•
.
247
as adverbs
•
transposition of
used for nouns
104
I
Anything, (adv.).
31
$419
1419a
Archbishop
492
Arose for
arisen
"
343
•
5
Arrived. "Arrived our cast"
198
502
VERBAL INDEX.
PAR.
PAR
Arrived. "I am arrived"
Article. See "a," "the."
indefinite, transposition of .
Artificial, adj. active
As
•
a contraction of "al(1)so”
= "as if"
= "namely"
So as "
"As that
That as
"As then
"which,"
"for so"
though'
"when as"
r
""
as-as
"
Best. "I were test'
239, 352
175
Bestow. "I bestow this of you
Better. "I were better"
Bin, plural of "be"
Blame. "Too blame”
. 230, 352
=
Bloat "bloated"
Bodement.
•
•
332
73
3, 445
•
342
448
•
295
422
•
3
106-13
тоб
•
-Ble, suffix active
a
107
113
•
·
109, 275, 281
Both.
12
"
108
for each'
280
114
Briefly
I 12
But
Brain (verb) recently
12
290
"
•
35
118-30
•
•
•
IIO
•
•
·
III
meaning and derivation of 118
transition of.
.
•
121
·
116
122
•
122
•
127
•
•
128
where
rr so...as," omitted in
rr
""
•
•
276
281
that...(as) to," omitted in 277
Asp'ect.
At. "At friend"
"At the first"
"at the first
-Ation, -ition, suffix omitted.
At first"
Auth'orize.
Auxiliary verbs
A-weary.
•
signifying prevention
"I doubt not but"
"No more but"
= only
"But only"
transposed
with subjunctive
But-en, E. E.
130
129, 420
120
="unless'
"without"
•
490
·
143
91
90
•
45%
By, adv.
•
491
prep.
298-331
"to come by"
"
32
prep. =
"about"
D
•
24 (3)
3
Away. 'I cannot away with
Awful "awe-struck"
=
•
119
36
145, 146
145
•
145
C.
B.
33
•
77
5
198
"
•
198
290
•
463
Back. "To and back”
Backward (noun).
Bad (noun)
Banish. "I banish you the land
Bar. "I bar you your rights
Barn (verb)
Barr(e)ls
Barr(e)n
•
•
Be (verb), how used
Be-, prefix
dropped
•
·
•
463
298-300
438
Call for "recal".
'Came for "became
Can. "And they can well on
horseback"
Can'onized
Canstick "candlestick "
Care. "I care not who know it"
Careless (passive)
·
"uncared for "
Catch'd and "caught
-Ce' final for -ce's
""
•
491
451
368
88 2558
460
460
307
3
3
•
344
471
291
37
•
295
490
419
•
•
198a
•
343
477
•
290
Cease = cause to cease
Chance. "How chance?"
Chanced (partic. -pass.)
Chaucer, varies in accentuation
uses French transpositions
Cheap. "Good cheap"
290, 460
Beated
·
•
Because "in order that
"for because"
344
""
•
•
117
151
Be-en, plural of "be
332
Befal "Fair befal"
Chid (participle).
297
Child(e)ren
Behaved. "Have I been be-
kaved"
295
Chose for " chosen
"
·
Beholding.
372
'Cide for decide
Being used like "seeing
378
Climate"live"
Beshrew. 66 Beshrew my soul
(verb)
but"
126
Come. "To come view fair Por-
=
Besides "For the rest
34
tia"
•
•
·
•
460
•
290
290
349
Childing. " Childing autumn
343
VERBAL INDEX.
503
PAR.
*
·
Commaud(e)ment
Comm'erce
Comp'act (noun)
Comparative in er after dentals
and liquids
doubled
488
Do
•
•
490
490
7
II
Com'pell'd.
492
Complain. "Complain myself'
296
Com'plete.
492
Dreadful = "awe-struck
'Little is to do
'What's more to do'
“I (do) not know"
"To do salutations
omitted and inserted
""dout" from "do
"Don,"
Door (dissyllable)
"
PAR.
303-306
359, 405
359, 405
•
305
303
306
303
·
480
"
3
Compound words
428-35
Drove for " driven
342
phrase compounds
434
Droven for "driven "
344
anomalous
435
ciple
377
E.
371
409-13
•
•
•
409
E final pronounced.
•
•
410
Condition, expressed by parti-
Conditional sentences, irregular-
ities of .
•
Confusion of constructions
in superlatives
with "whom
Conjunctions.
""
95-137
"that" a conjunctional affix 287
conjunctional sentences, el-
lipses in
Construction, irregularities of 406-27
Consult (noun)
Contemptible="contemptuous"
Contract, for "contracted"
of French origin pronounced (488
Each for "both"
487
1489
12
for "each other'
"
•
12
383-93
Eas(ly
467
Eat for
>>
eaten
343
374
342
466
512
462
•
. 382-405
·
382
405
451
3
t," "te," &c.
•
342
Either (monosyllable)
Contraction or slurring of sylla-
bles in pronunciation. 462-73
Couplets, trimeter
•
D.
500-3
-Ed final for -ful, -ing
in participles dropped after
Ejaculation, not reckoned in the
verse
Elision of "the," "to," &c.
before vowels
Ellipses
of a verb of speech
after "will" and "is'
in conjunctional sentences 383-93
Dare. "He dare," "he dares"
Dazz(e)led.
Dear (dissyllable)
Declined. "I am declined"
Degenerate (participle)
Deject (participle)
for "dejected"
•
Denied. "First he denied you
had in him no right”
361
of "it"
•
404
·
477
of "it is"
403
480
of "there is"
403
•
295
of "is"
403
•
342
of "neither" before
"nor".
390
•
342
of nominative
399-402
•
342
of "
406
Desire. "I desire you of pardon'
""
174
Devote for "devoted
342
Dialogue in verses of three ac-
cents
Dipthongs dissyllabled
Dis-, prefix
Disdained = disdainful
•
500
480, 184
439
374
Disnatured
Disnoble
Dishabited.
Disjoint (participle)
Dislikes. "It dislikes me"
Dispose (noun)
Divine, adj. transposed
Chaucer and Shakespeare
439
•
342
prefix.
suffix
་
•
297 ·
termination
•
•
439
one" before "other"
of superlative inflection.
of a verb of motion
in Antithetical sentences
in Relative sentences
Emphasis, different in different
accented syllables
prolongs words.
prolongs monosyllables 479a-486
En (third person plural inflection) 332
Endeavour. "Endeavour thyself" 296
•
396
•
398
•
405
·
395
394
•
4530
•
475
•
440
•
444
290
•
439
Eng(e)land
45I
Enshield for "enshielded'
by
41.
(participle)
Entertainment
477
342
342
88
504
VERBAL INDEX
For. "For all this"
PAR.
PAR.
Env'y (verb)
-Er, -el, and -le final dropped
final, a dissyllable
490
•
465
Folio writes "it" for "its"
misprints in
·
228
338
.
478
Fool. "Why old men fool (verb) 200
suffix
•
443
Foot (verb)
290
-Es.
Final es dropped after ss,
144
<<
ce, ge
•
471
=
14y
•
151
333
•
•
•
150
295
•
151
·
155
•
148
•
287
•
·
754
third person plural inflec-
tion if pres. indic.
Escaped. "Was escaped"
-Est, dropped in superlatives
after dentals and liquids. 473
-Eth (third person plural inflec-
tion)
Even, transposed
Ever.
Every
But even now
,,
Every, one, other, neither (plu-
ral nouns).
Evil (monosyllable).
Eye =
"
appear
Except, excepted
Expect (noun)
Ex'ile
334
420
ww w tw
""
as regards
because
"because of"
'for because"
"I am for"
=
"C
•
instead of "
< For that"
"to prevent
=
prep.
For-, prefix
"For to
Force (verb)
"You are forgot" =
forgotten yourself"
Forth, without verb of motion
=
"
"from
Foreign idioms
12
Forgot (participle)
466
293
118
490
451
•
•
291
428
•
454
Frighten
458
From. ""From out"
•
•
Expire (verb transitive,
Exteriorly
Extra syllable before a pause
two pause-extra syllables
F.
147, 155
441
French, transposition of adjec-
tives.
Fretten.
·
•
•
152
•
290
418
"have
343
•
295
•
41
•
156
4.19
344
344
157
•
158
343
3
•
•
290
without verb of motion
Froze for "frozen"
-Ful, suffix active and passive
Furnace (verb)
Future for subjunctive.
subjunctive.
348
Fair. "Fair befal".
(noun)
Fairies speak in verses of four
accents.
•
Fall (verb transitive)
False (verb)
Fame (verb)
Famous'd (participle)
Far "very"
for "farther'
Fastly
Fault (verb)
Fear (dissyllable)
'fear me not
not for me'
(Verb act.)
"
•
•
Fell. "Thou hast fell"
Felt (adjective)
•
Gave for "misgave"
General (noun)
297
5
504
291
290
•
290
Glad (noun)
294
along
=
"fear
40
478
23
290
480
200
291
"
Go. Go along"
Good.
<<
tr
G.
460
55
5
5
come
•
30
·
30
•
185
13
13
1980
·
342
entomb'd
•
294
"Guiled shore'
294
"walk" in Wickliffe
go to"
"Good my lord".
"
good now
good cheap
Graft (participle).
Gray'd=
Guiled.
Fidd(e)ler
•
Flour(2)sh.
•
344
•
22
477
463
an
H.
IOI
333
Hand(e)ling
Happen'd (partic. pass.)
477
295
Folio reads and" for
(see Index to Plays)
has the 3rd pers. pl. indic.
pres. in -s.
VERBAL INDEX.
505
349
•
342
206, 207
"man"
•
224
Hence, without verb of motion
•
41
Happily "haply"
Happy (verb).
Hardy =
Have.
•
"bold"
"Should have
to have"
Ignomy.
Impersonal verbs
Importless.
PAR.
42
290
•
148
327
In.
411
omitted after
"would have"
·
"Thought to have begged" 360
Hear. "Who heard me to deny
it?".
Heat (participle)
He for "him'
"
-In for "-un," prefix
66
'He fell in love"
"in the case of"
"In round”
PAR.
478
297
•
446
•
·
442
•
159
152
163
•
•
during "in night" 161
with the verbal, "in sleep-
ing".
·
564
346-348
Simple Present for Complete 346
Simple Past for Complete
Indicative
Hen(e)ry
477
=
"he whom"
"S"
Henry VIII not written by
Shakespeare.
Her, antecedent of relative
for "herself"
"its'
""'s"
"}
•
tete. "Thy here-approach'
Hers, used for "her" adj.
Him, dative
for "he'
"himself"
Hinder. "Who shall hinder me
to weep?"
His, antecedent of a relative
for "its"
Hither, without verb of motion
monosyllable
Hitherto, used of space
Hoist (participle)
Holp for "holpen "
Homager
<<
Home. Speak him home".
Honest (verb)
Hour (dissyllable)
How
"How chance?"
for "however," for
However (it be)
Hybrid compounds
•
ច
•
455
218
Past in
·
223
•
229
217
43
•
238
•
220
208
•
•
223
•
246
349
21
"
·
228
217
4I
466
44
-Ing, termination
•
342
•
343
Inhabited =
443
•
45
290
480
37
46
403
428
in -es, th
Second Per. Sing. in -ts
Future for Subjunctive
"And thou lovest me
Infect (participle)
Infinitive
active for passive
indefinitely used
155, 342
349-360
•
perfect, "He thought to have
done it
used as a noun
"To" omitted; inserted
359
356
omitted and inserted
after the same verb
with noun, used as
subject or object. 354
Inflections.
confused with the old inflec-
tion "en"
In's for "in his"
Interjectional lines.
Interrogative Pronouns, transi-
tion from to Relative 251, 252
Into, with verbs of rest
accent of
•
•
•
Inward (noun)
•
159
•
4570
77
Irregularities of construction 406-27
Is, ellipses after.
ellipse of .
-Iséd final in polysyllables
Present
347
Present, Third Pers. Pl.in -en
Pl.in-ez
332
335, 336
339
·
340
·
348
"
•
363
•
·
·
•
•
•
D
360
355
•
349
•
350
332-345
372
•
93, 372
"housed
"
•
•
294
461
512
I.
I for "
me"
unaccented dropped
"(I) beseech you"
slurred in "minister," &c.
If. "If that"
209
461
•
456, 401
•
467
287
It.
ellipse of
for "its"
405
·
403
491
226-29
404
•
228
•
166
,,
·
226
•
227
•
451
•
•
228
228, 229
"it is," ellipse of .
"To voice it with claims
emphatic as antecedent
-Ition, -ation, suffix omitted.
Its, post-Shakespearian
substitutes for
-Ive, suthx passive
•
3, 445
506
VERBAL INDEX.
Jugg(eller
Just, adj.
Justicers
Mean.
J.
"What mean ye to
PAR
PAR.
weep?".
•
477
"exact".
Meered (particip.)
356
•
•
·
294
14
Meiny -
train
443
derivation of
-Ment, suffix
87
12
448
=
K.
Know. "I know you what you
are"
L.
•
414
293
22
290
418
cent of .
291
477-86
Moods
Moraler
More,
•
3, 445
303
177
·
297
<<
most
greatest"
"More better'
"More fearful"
"No more but
""
Most = < (
"
greatest
477
"Most best"
199
•
460
Much =
>>
200
•
294
•
447
Mouthed (participle passive)
great
Must, original use of
=
"is to
"}
My, how differs from "mine
"Good my lord
Myself (derivation of).
Mere, adj. "complete"
Mered (particip.)
Might
= could"
Million'd (participle passive)
Mine, how differs from "my"
used for "my"
misbecame
Misbecomed for "misbecame
Mistook (participle)
Monosyllables accented
unaccented
•
•
prolonged so as to make up
a foot
Monosyllabic prepositions, ac-
•
15
294
307-13
•
312
294
·
237
238
"
•
344
343
•
457
•
456
479a-486
457a
346-70
443
tr
greater"
17
II
51
127
•
17
II
294
SI
314
•
314
•
237
• 13
20
Lack="to be wanting"
Laid (adjective)
Lated (verb)
'Latinisms
•
•
Learn (verb act.)
•
•
Lengthening of words in pro-
nunciation
Less, suffix
Let "did"
=
•
D
•
•
Like. "If you like of me”
Likes. "It likes me"
Lines, see Verses.
•
Liquids introduce a semi-vowel.
List. "List a brief tale"
'Longs for "belongs".
Look. "To look your dead
Lover'd.
-Ly, suffix.
Mad (verb)
M.
Maj(es)ty, (dissyllable)
Malice (verb).
Many. Many a man
"A many men
a noun
"
•
•
•
an adjective adverbially used
"Mark King Richard
Mark.
how he looks"
Marle for "marvel"
8085555
290
468
290
N.
Necessited.
Neck.
•
414
Need (verb intr.)
•
461
"What need?
May
•
•
307-313
May not
"
'must not'
13
310
used for the subjunctive in
the sense of purpose.
Me for "I"
=
"for me,
">
= "myself"
Of me" for
" for "my"
"Me rather had'
"
•
•
.138(ƒ)
210
"by me"
220
•
223
•
225
230
Names, used as adjectives. 22, 430
polysyllabic, receive but one
accent.
•
Near for "nearer"
"In the neck of that
·
469
•
478
295
"}
•
160
293
297
25
405
396
465
408
Needs (adverb)
Negative, double
Neither, ellipse of, before "nor"
a monosyllable
used for "both"
-Ness, suffix
Never. "Never so
No. "No more but".
Nominative absolute
•
•
•
•
•
449
52, 406
127
176-381
VERBAL INDEX.
507
PAR.
399-402
Our, antecedent of relative
Nominative, ellipsis of
implied from participial
phrases.
·
of it "
•
None. "I will none of it
Nor, used for "and"
tr
Not not only"
"I not doubt”
Nothing (adv.)
(perhaps).
Noun absolute
•
•
noun-compounds
•
of French origin formed from
verbs without change.
413
53
408
54
t
Come, our queen
"of us
""
Ourselves, derivation of
Out (preposition)
<<
Over = over again"
Overwatched = fatigued.
Owe for " own
""
Owing (adjective)
•
305
55
490
417
430
•
451
·
463
Pale (noun)
•
P.
·
•
•
•
PAR.
218
13, 222
219
•
•
•
183
58a
295
·
•
290
372
Nour(i)sh
O.
Object, redundant
Objective following intransitive
verbs
Ob'scure
Of..
Off
On
ودرة
accented in out of"
= about
•
= as a consequence of
= as regards
Blowing of his nails"
"
= by
= from
= on
·
•
•
•
original meaning "from"
"To admit of".
with verbs of filling
connected with " of”
= about
"I fall on weeping"
"One on's ears
'On sleep"
Once = "above all;"
165
180-2
ISI
·
5
414
•
198-201
492
imply a condition
Paled (passive)
Parted. "Parted with "
parted from "
Participles.
-ed omitted after d and t
-en dropped
irregular formations of
prefix j'-
•
294
for
•
•
104
372-381
342
343
344
•
345
377
165-79
used absolutely
without
•
4570
Noun or Pronoun
378
•
174
Passive with some verbs of mo-
168
•
•
tion.
295
•
•
173
•
·
178
Path (verb)
•
•
•
170
166
•
175
•
169
179
171
56
Past for Present tense
Pause, effect of an accent
the pause-extra-syllable 454, 455
two pause-extra-syllables
frequently prolongs a mono-
syllable
in verses of four accents 506-509
<<
Peer = cause to peer
Peers (verb transitive)
Pensived (passive)
"
Perchance." Perchance I will
•
347
290
+
453
·
458
•
481-486
291
201
204
319
180
•
Perfect infinitive
•
360
182
Perish = "destroy"
201
140
=
Perishen they perish
332
once
Pers'ever
492
for all"
CC
At once"
One, ellipse of, before "other"
CC above all'
how pronounced
(adjective)
Only transposed
One for
Or,
.
or.
<<
mere
•
open" (adj.)
'before,'
ever
Other for "others
(singular pronoun)
57
once for all"
Pined (passive)
291
57
396
a man
18
So
•
130, 58, 420
420
or
136
or ere,
or
131
12
monosyllable
466
12
Ought.
"You ought not walk”
240
58
343, 290
Pitied. "It would have pitied
""
Plain = "make plain"
Pleaseth. "Pleaseth it
Pleasure, has two accents
Possess = "inform
=
,,
Practised plotted against
Prefixes
dropped
CC
en-
""
"in-" for
"un-" for "in- "
Prepositional compounds
Prepositions
doubled
•
·
297
•
200
"
361
•
·
479
295
294
436-442
460
-
440
"
un-
442
431
•
138-204
407
508
VERBAL INDEX.
•
138
139
287, 151
346
59
5
3
205-243
242, 243
relative
•
•
. 244-274
Prepositions omitted before in-
direct object
PAR.
•
201
omitted after verbs of motion,
worth, hearing, and other
verbs
•
omitted in adverbial phrases 202
transposed
accent of
·
198-200
203, 424
local and metaphorical mean-
ing
•
restricted in meaning
transition of into conjunc-
tions
Present, Simple for Complete
Presently at once
Private (noun)
Probable (adj.), active
Pronoun, personal
redundant
•
"
•
•
•
457a
•
"
•
Relish (verb transitive)
Remains for "it remains
Remember = "remind
Rememb(e)rance
Retire (verb act.)
Rhyme, when used.
Right used for "true
Rode for "ridden"
Round="straightforwardly
Royal, why transposed
"Is run"
"
19
343
60
•
•
419
•
295
-S final dropped after se, ce
S misprinted in Folio
25
•
471
•
338
Sanctuary pronounced "sanct'ry" 458
•
PAR.
291
•
404
291
•
477
. 291, 296
515
Run.
S.
S, adverbial suffix
•
omitted
•
anomalies of.
between conjunction and in-
244
•
205
finitive.
transposed
Proper
= own
Prose, when used
Prosody
"
•
•
Prowess, (quasi-monosyllable)
216
•
•
240
16
5150
452-515
•
470
Q.
-
Quit (participle).
Quail "make to quail"
Severally
•
291
342
Shaked for
Shall
R
with supplementary pronoun (249
See who," which,""that."
•
295
118
·
344
•
200
460
290
461
492
22
20
•
•
223
•
477
471
5
61
•
343
315-318
315
•
315
""
317
316
•
211
•
224
•
291
291
322-8
323, 324
327
328
•
326
293
•
3
132
1347
denotes contingent futurity 322
"ought, was to
"should have
"}
R softens or destroys a following
or preceding vowel
prolongs -er.
•
when following a vowel pro-
longs a monosyllable
- andre final dissyllabize
monosyllables
quasi-vowel
-
Recall. "Unrecalling" for
recalled"
Relatival constructions
Relative
with plural antecedent and
shall"
463, 464
478
She for "her"
"woman
Shine (verb act.)
485
(verb transitive)
•
Should
•
480
after dentals introduces a
•
477
un
372
•
275-289
244-274
•
singular verb
•
omitted
•
•
247
•
244
J248
like German "sollen
after past, corresponds to
"shall" after present.
Show = appear
Sightless (passive)
Since, difference of tenses with .
"A year since
"Since that"
="when"
""
62
287
132
Sat.
Save.
Being sat"
"Save he"
•
•
Sawn for "6 seen
Scaling
"C
Se'cure
·
"
Say used for "call"
'Say'd for "assayed"
=
weighing
'Se for "shall"
Seldom (adjective)
Self (adjective)
omitted
Semb(e)lance
•
Sense for "senses'
Several (noun)
>>
·
separately
shaken"
"I shall, my lord "
is sure to
>>
"
"It shall come to pass
"Mark you his absolute
•
VERBAL INDEX.
509
Sir, a mark of anger
Sith.
Smit for "
smitten
Smote for "smitten "
So inserted
omitted
for "also
C
for then"
So long time
provided that'
"So that,'
"
vided that"
so as
•
"So defend thee heaven
"So (as)" omitted
'So as "
+
"So that:" that omitted
so omitted
"So... where"
Solicit (noun).
Some
Something, adv.
tr
Sometimes = formerly
Sorrow. "I am sorrow”
Spake for "spoken
Speak, Speak him fair
Splitted
Spoke (participle)
Squint (verb act.)
+
•
Stand. "It stands me upon
"Stand on tip-toe"
Stept. Being deep stept"
Still for "constantly"
Streaming 'unfurling
PAR.
1
4
232
+
+
132
343
343
63
64
65
Suffix, "-"
Suffocate (participle)
for "suffocated
Superlative in -est for
after dentals and liquids
confusion in.
"‹ very'
PAR,
450
342
•
342
H
8
9
409
double
II
+
66
inflection, ellipse of
393
67
Swam for
"J
swum
344
+
133
Sweaten
344
pro-
Sworder
443
133
Syllables dropped in writing
460, 461
133
dropped or slurred in pro-
281
nunciation
+
►
467-473
109, 275
282
•
283
279
T.
69
290
Strove for
striven"
343
Strucken
344
Studied. "As one that had been
studied"
295
Subjunctive
361-70
in a dependent sentence
368
of purpose
3II
relative
used indefinitely after the
used optatively or impera-
367
+
451
21
63
Taint (participle)
68a
Tear (dissyllable)
342
480
230
Tenses, irregularities of
344
346, 348, 360, 370, 371
*
200
Terrible = frightened
CC
3
344
+
343
+
291
204
·
24
295
"that which "
•
Than, with comparative, ex-
plained.
for "then"
Thankful thank-worthy"
That, demonstrative," that as"
difference between "that,
"who," and "which" 258-259
relative
less definite than "which"
"whatsoever that"
a conjunctional affix
= "because,
»"when
in "after that," &c. like
"quam" in
postquam
omitted and then inserted .
omitted after “so"
70
70
3
1277
1280
267
260-262
268
·
286
•
.
+
287
284
288
285
282
tively
I
364
"So that:" "so" omitted.
283
with "an
or
and "
102
Such
that "
·
+
·
1
279
•
279
·
278
443–50
14
·
•
•
Such. "Such as"
"Such that
"Such where"
"Suck which"
Suffixes.
"-ation," "-ition," omitted 451
"-ble" (active).
"
-en'
-tve" (passive)
"-less"
C
·ly'
-ment
** „ness
"
447
448
449
The omitted in archaic poetry
apparently accented
"Lifts the head"
"The Talbot;" "the death'
for "thou"
Their the genitive of "they"
Them for "they"
109
"Such that”
= that which
before a verbal
"The better"
279
244
93
►
94
omitted
•
"
The which"
89, 90
270. 2
82
·
"the... that "
267
3, 445
4
444
3. 445
446
Thee, dative
457
228
92
220
312
+
219
214
!

510
VERBAL INDEX.
Then for "
then"
70
CC
for (?) "when"
There, for "thereupon," "
*C
There is," ellipse of
They. "They in France
Thinks (verb impersonal).
Where it thinkst best"
"Methoughts,"" methink'
71
then'
"
70
403
245
297
212
Undoubted =
PAR.
U.
Un- for "in-," prefix
Unaccented syllable of
syllable softened
Under (adjective)
<
1
PAR.
442
tri-
468
a tri-
undaunted"
22
148
297
Unfair (verb)
"I think it be
299
This for "this is"
401
Thorough for "through"
478
for "
·
Unsisting for "unresisting
Until with subjunctive
290
·
•
460
unto"
302
184
Thou
231,235
Upon
191, 192
omitted
+
241
"It stands me upon”
J
204
between equals.
·
231
Us for "we
"
•
+
215
rhetorical
to servants
as an insult
apparent exceptions
C
Though. Though that"
■
232
Utensils
492
233
234
235
287
.
Thought. Thought to have
begged"
збо
Thyself, derivation of
Till to
Verbal preceded by
"the
the" and
20
184
preceded by "in
To
·
1
185-90
not followed by "of"
followed by "of" and not
93
164
used after see, feel
349
preceded by "the
*
►
178
according to.
"To be abridged "“about
187
Verb-compounds.
·
432
Verbs, auxiliary.
298, 331
being abridged".
357
"To give you"
"To be" for being"
357
impersonal
="by giv-
intransitive used transitively 291
inflection of third for second
297
ing you
356
·
و ایریا نے
•
185
+2
=
187
416
349
187
4.30
r56
189
L
72
+
+
290
294
290
190
73
+
73
343
492
294
422-27
31
"I would to God”
"in addition to "
in comparison with
inserted for connection
inserted, omitted.
="like"
prefix
+
"with a view to"
'With God to friend"
"To-fore"
+
'Toil (verb act.)
Toil'd (passive)
Tongue (verb)
"To-night
Too = "very
"Too blame
Took (participle)
Towards, sometimes
Traded (passive)
Transpositions
►
of adjectives and participles 419
of indefinite article
of adverbs
•
of possessive adjectives
of prepositions
Trifle (verb transitive)
Trimeter Couplets .
Tenses 346-348, 370, 361, 132
Verses of five accents
of six accents apparently [467
1493-499
of four accents apparently 504-51U
of three and two accents 511, 512
the Amphibious verse
fairies, witches, &c.
•
422
513
+
420
in four accents spoken by
•
13
504
424
Versing (writing in verse)
290
136
16
J-503
П
204
·
+
Very = true
Vouchsafed
person.
340
intransitive followed by the
objective.
198-200
of filling with " of "
171
passive, formation of.
294
ral subject
+
reflexive
•
jectives
singular inflection with plu-
formed from nouns and ad-
transitive used intransitively 293
passive to express motion
Indicative mood
333-9
296
290
Infinitive
Subjunctive.
Participles
295
►
346-348
349-36c
+
361-369
372, 381
·
•
452, 453a
£467-469

VERBAL INDEX.
511
PAR.
PAR.
Vowels, when unaccented in a
polysyllable, slurred
affected by r. 463, 464, 478, 480
Who for "whom
"
274
468
more definite than "which
265
Why.
"Why that "
287
CC
For why?
""
75
<<
Why and for what
75
CC
Why and wherefore"
75
W.
Waft (participle)
=
Waged paid
Wanteth (impersonal verb)
Warr(a)nt.
Were, subjunctive use of.
What, exclamation of impatience
semi-transition to relative,
how checked.
342
substituted for
•
290
·
297
463
•
301, 302
Wilful blame.
Will, ellipses after
r
"That... he will"
"I will not"="I shall
in Shakespeare
difficult passages
432
"chall"
405
·
316
311
•
•
319
•
321
732
Wish. "The rest I wish thee
gather"
349
252
Witch (verb)
290
<< any
"whatever,
<<
why"
255
Witches speak in verses of four
who
•
254
accents.
•
·
504
•
253
With
193-5
followed by antecedent
"of what a nature?".
Whatsoever, "whatsoever that"
Whe'er for whether"
When.
"When that"
exclamation of impatience
Where. "So...where"
"Such...where"
=
"whereas "
<<
Whereas = where"
Whether. "Or whether"
Which, anomalies of
"Such which"
which that'
""
difference between "which,"
"who," and "that"
•
•
252
*
"like
•
195
256
286
= "by"
•
193
"I I live with (on) bread"
194
466
Withal
•
196
287
Without = "unlike
"
outside
730
•
•
*
279
·
134
Would =
•
•
135
•
136
•
273
278
250
interchanged with "
who "
358
and "that"
less definite than
who"
265
266
more definite than "that'
268
with repeated antecedent
269
"The which"
270
"which thing," paren
thetical
•
271
as to which"
272
While, whiles
137
"While that"
287
"a-while," whilom
99 66
•
137
= till
•
137
with subjunctive
302
Whilst. "The whilst"
74
Whist for "whisted"
•
342
Who, transition from relative to
interrogative.
"As who should say "
•
251
257
difference between who,'
<<
which," and "that"
258
= "and he," "for he"
263
personifies irrational ante-
Yours.
cedents
264
Y-, (participial prefix)
Y-ravished.
-Y, suffix
•
Ye, differs from
« you
•
•
344
•
344
450
236
·
•
294
Year'd (passive participle)
•
Yearns. “It yearns me not" 297
Yet "as yet" before a nega-
tive.
76
You, differs from "thou" . 231-235
a mark of anger to servants,
you, sir"
differs from "ye'
Youngly (adverb)
"
Your, antecedent of relative
= "of
of you
colloquial use of
dissyllable
•
"This of yours".
Yourselves, derivation of .
•
232
236
23
218
219
1
221
480
•
239
20
of"
Woe. "I am woe
279
Wont, derivation of
was wont to
not used for "should"
for "wish, require'
"I would to God"
in the consequent clause
Wreathen (participle)
Wrest(e)ler
Writ (participle).
Wrote for "written
197
""
230
5
330
•
331
"
•
329
•
190
2
322
•
344
477
343
►
343
Y.
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LONDON AND BUNGAY.

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