A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 02
General
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 02
English drama
[87] Abhominable. So the word is constantly spelt. It is worth
remarking, in order to fix the adjustment of a passage in Shakespeare's
"Love's Labour's Lost," A. 4, S. I: This is abhominable which he would
call abominable. Capell's edition, nearly agreeable to the quartos, or,
this is abominable which we would call abhominable. So Theobald and
Hanmer, according to the folios. The two great and learned editors,
Warburton and Johnson, read _vice versa_: This is abominable which he
would call abhominable, which destroys the poet's humour, such as it
is, who is laughing at such fanatical phantasms and rackers of
orthography as affect to speak fine.--_Hawkins_.
[88] Thus.
[89] _Called_, Copland's edition.
[90] _Here in this tide_ omitted, Copland's edition.
[91] _Some_, Copland's edition.
[92] _Canseth_, Copland's edition.
[93] Thus.
[94] _You_, omitted in Copland's edition.
[95] Greatly.
[96] _As for al those fylthe doinges_, Copland's edition.
[97] Shakespeare puts these words, with great humour, into the mouth of
Dogberry, in "Much Ado about Nothing," A. 3, S. 8. Though the quartos
and folios concur in this reading, the moderns uniformly read, _He's a
good man_. N.B.--The old reading is restored by Mr Capell.
The author seems here to ridicule the blasphemous questions discussed
by the schoolmen among the Papists in his time, as, Whether the Pope be
God or man, or a mean betwixt both? &c. See Archbishop Whitgift's
"Sermon before Queen Elizabeth." 1574. Sig. B 2.--_Hawkins_. [In
Germany they have a similar saying at present, and it seems to be used
in this sense: God is a good person, he lets things take their course.]
[98] Portous, the ancient name for a Breviary. _Blount_. Here it
signifies the Bible.--_Hawkins_.
[99] _You_ omitted, Copland's edition.
[100] _Thynge_, Copland's edition.
[101] _Thought_, Copland's edition.
[102] _Where_, Vele's edition.
[103] _Wil_, Copland's edition.
[104] _The foole presumptious_, Copland's edition.
[105] _I wote wote where_, Copland's edition.
[106] _Would_, Copland's edition.
[107] _Fare_, Copland's edition.
[108] _Beare_, Copland's edition.
[109] _Jybben_, Vele's edition.
[110] This passage will receive illustration from the following
quotation out of Bishop Latimer's Sermon, preached before King Edward
the Sixth, about the year 1550: "A good fellow on a tyme bad another of
hys frendes to a breakefast, and sayed, Yf you wyl come, you shal be
welcome; but I tell you afore hande, you shal haue but sclender fare,
one dysh and that is al. What is that, said he? A puddynge and nothynge
els. Mary, sayed he, you cannot please me better; of all meates that is
for myne owne toth: you may draw me round about the town with a
pudding." Sig. G. vii.--_Hawkins_.
[111] _Thys_, Copland's edition.
[112] _Wylt_, Vele's edition.
[113] _Dogs_, Copland's edition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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