year a virgin of Troy to be devoured by the fea monster. The lot fell at laft upon Hefione the King's daughter. Hercules undertook to deliver her by fighting with the fea monster, if Laomedon would give him as a reward, the horses. faid to be begot of a divine feed, then in his ftables at Troy. The promise was made, and Hefione fet at liberty, by the deftruction of the fea monster. But Laomedon did not perform his promise, which incensed Hercules fo much, that he laid fiege to, took, and facked the city of Troy; killed Laomedon, and carried his fon into captivity, who was afterwards redeem'd by the Trojans, and took the furname of Priam from his redemption. Which is derived from a greek verb, which fignifies redeem. See Univerfal History, vol. 4. 8vo. p. 490. To this Chaucer alludes, Troilus and Crefeide, book 4. 120, &c. "For certaine Phabus and Neptunus both "That makidin the wallis of the toun "Ben with the folke of Troje alwaie fo wroth "That thei wol bring it to confufion. Right in despite of King Laomedoun “Because he n'olde paying them their hire "The toune of Troie fhall be fet on fire." Id, ib. p. 143. Mufick within.] mufick." Folio 1632. Id. ib. 144. "Here The skull, that bred them, in the fepulchre. Thus ornament, is but the guilty fhore.] Guilded fhore. Folio 1632, Sir Thomas Hanmer. Guiled bore. Mr. Theobald, 2d edit. guilded, or gilded feems to be the true reading from the fubfequent lines. Id. ib. p. 146. is fome of fomething.] But the full fum of me "But the full fum of me is fum of nothing. Folio 1632, and Sir Tho. Hanmer. Sum of fomething. Mr. Theobald. Sc. 5. p. 153. Por. I never did repent of doing good, And shall not now; for in companions That do converfe, and waste the time together Whofe fouls do bear an equal yoke of love.] "An egal yoke of love." Folio. 1632. Egal I believe in Shakespeare's time was commonly ufed for equal. So it was in Chaucer's. "Aye to compare unto thyne excellence, "I will prefume hym fo to dignifie, "Ye be not egall Prologue to the Remedie of Love, 92, &c. and in the Gloffary, egallity for equality. So in Gorbodac, a tragedy, act 1. fc. 2. "Sith all as one do bear you egall faith,” and in feveral other places. Sc. 6. p. 158. Lor. How far thou, Jeffica.] "How cheer'ft thou, Jeffica?" Folio 1632. A& Act 4. fc. 1. p. 159. Enter the Duke, the Senators.] "The Duke "the Magnificoes." Folio 1632. The noblemen of Venice fo call'd, and Clariffimoes, by T. Coryat, Crudities, p. 277. Id. ib. Id. ib. p. 162. Ant. You may as well go ftand upon the beach, And bid the main flood bate bis ufual height, You may as well use question with the wolf.] "Or even as well ufe queftion with the wolf.” Folio 1632. Act. 4. fc. 2. p. 167. Shylock upon his refufing mercy to Antonio. Shy. My deeds upon my head. As Shylock was a Jew, Shakespeare may probably allude to that paffage in Matt. xxvii. 24, 25. when Pilate had condemn'd Jefus at the earnest request of the Jews, he faid, “I am innocent of the blood of this "just person, see ye to it." Then answered the people, and faid, His blood be on us and our children. Id. ib. p. 168. Por. Are there fcales to weigh the flesh?] "Are there ballance heere to weigh the flefh? Folio 1632. A& Act 5. fc. 1. p. 175. Lorenzo In fuch a night, Troylus methinks, mounted the Trojan Wall, And figh'd his foul toward the Grecian tent Where Creffid lay that Night.] Alluding to Chaucer's Troylus and Crefeide, fifth book 1142, &c. "The daie goth faft, and after that came eve "And yet came not to Troilus Crefeide, "He lokith forth, by hedge, by tre, by greve, "And ferre his heade ovir the walle he leide, "And at the laft he tournid him, and feide, By God I wot her mening now Pandare. "Almoft iwis all newe was all my care," &c. And again, 1182, &c. "But natheless he gladdid him in this, "He thought he mifacomptid had his daie, "And faied, I understande have all amis, "For thilke night I laft Crefeide faie "She faied I fhall bin here, if that I maie, "Ere that the mone, o my dere hertè swete "The lion paffe out of this Ariete. "For which fhe maie yet hold all her beheft, "And on the morrowe to the yate he went, "And up and doune by weft and eke by eft, "Upon the wallis made he many a went: Id. ib. p. 178. Lorenzo. Therefore the Poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, ftones, and floods, From these fine images, Mr. Congreve probably borrowed these lines in his Mourning Bride, act 1. fc. I. Almeria. "Mufick has charms to footh a "favage breast, "To foften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. "I've read, that, things inanimate have mov'd "And as with living fouls have been inform'd "By magick numbers, and perfuafive found. "What then am I, am I more fenfelefs "Than trees, or flint?" grown Dr. Dr. Mead (in his book intit'led, A mechanical account of poifons, effay 2d of the bite of the Tarantula, p. 77. 2d edit.) has given the following remarkable account of the effect of mufick, in the cure of diftempers. "Nor are we to wonder at the oddness of "this method and practice; for mufick, altho' "it be now a-days applied to quite different "purposes, was antiently made ufe of for the "removing of many; and those too, fome of "the most difficult and obftinate diseases. "For this, we have a famous teftimony in «Galen himself, who tells us, that Æfculapius " used to recover those, in whom violent mo❝tions of the mind, had induced a hot tempe"rament of body, by melody, and fongs: Pindar " mentions the fame thing; and indeed from "hence not only the notion, but the very name " of charming feems to have taken it's origin. "Athenæus relates, that Theophraftus in his book "of Enthusiasm, fays, ifchiadic pains are cured by the Phrygian harmony, this fort of mufick 66 was upon a pipe, and the most vehement, " and brisk, of all the antients knew; fo that "indeed, it was used to raise those that heard it to downright fury and madness; and fuch "we have observed to be required to the ve"nom of the Tarantula." |