But he's a tried and valiant soldier. ANT. So is my horse, Octavius; and, for that, It is a creature that I teach to fight, He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth: one that feeds On OBJECTS, ARTS, and imitations; &c.] 'Tis hard to conceive why he should be called a barren-spirited fellow that could feed either on objects or arts: that is, as I presume, form his ideas and judgment upon them: stale and obsolete imitation, indeed, fixes such a character. I am persuaded, to make the poet consonant to himself, we must read, as I have restored the text: “On abject orts—.” i. e. on the scraps and fragments of things rejected and despised by others. THEOBALD. Sure, it is easy enough to find a reason why that devotee to pleasure and ambition, Antony, should call him barren-spirited who could be content to feed his mind with objects, i. e. speculative knowledge, or arts, i. e. mechanick operations. I have therefore brought back the old reading, though Mr. Theobald's emendation is still left before the reader. Lepidus, in the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, is represented as inquisitive about the structures of Egypt, and that too when he is almost in a state of intoxication. Antony, as at present, makes a jest of him, and returns him unintelligible answers to very reasonable questions. Objects, however, may mean things objected or thrown out to him. In this sense Shakspeare uses the verb to object, in King Henry V. Part II. where I have given an instance of its being employed by Chapman on the same occasion. It is also used by him, in his version of the seventh Iliad : "At Jove's broad beech these godheads met; and first Jove's son objects "Why, burning in contention thus," &c. A man who can avail himself of neglected hints thrown out by others, though without original ideas of his own, is no uncommon character. STEEVENS. Objects means, in Shakspeare's language, whatever is presented to the eye. So, in Timon of Athens-" Swear against objects,” Which, out of use, and stal'd by other men, Our best friends made, our means stretch'd to the utmost 3; which Mr. Steevens has well illustrated by a line in our poet's 152d Sonnet: 66 And made them swear against the thing they see." 1- and stal'd by other men, MALONE. Begin his fashion:] Shakspeare has already woven this circumstance into the character of Justice Shallow: "He came ever in the rearward of the fashion; and sung those tunes that he heard the carmen whistle." STEEVENS. 2 — a PROPERTY.] i. e. as a thing quite at our disposal, and to be treated as we please. So, in Twelfth-Night: "They have here propertied me, kept me in darkness," &c. STEEVENS. 3 Our best friends made, our means stretch'd TO THE UTMOST ;] In the old copy, by the carelessness of the transcriber or printer, this line is thus imperfectly exhibited: "Our best friends made, our means stretch'd;" The editor of the second folio supplied the line by reading "Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd out." This emendation, which all the modern editors have adopted, was, like almost all the other corrections of the second folio, as ill conceived as possible. For what is best means? Means, or abilities, if stretched out, receive no additional strength from the word best, nor does means, when considered without reference to others, as the power of an individual, or the aggregated abilities of a body of men, seem to admit of a degree of comparison. However that may be, it is highly improbable that a transcriber or compositor should be guilty of three errors in the same line; that he should omit the word and in the middle of it, then the word best after our, and lastly the concluding word. It is much more probable that the omission was only at the end of the line, (an error which is found in other places in these plays,) and that the author wrote, as I have printed : "Our best friends made, our means stretch'd to the utmost." So, in a former scene: And let us presently go sit in council, OCT. Let us do so: for we are at the stake*, And some, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mischiefs. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Before BRUTUS' Tent, in the Camp near Sardis. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers: TITINIUS and PINDARUS meeting them. BRU. Stand, ho! Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand. BRU. What now, Lucilius? is Cassius near? Luc. He is at hand; and Pindarus is come To do you salutation from his master. [PINDARUS gives a Letter to BRUtus. BRU. He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus, and, you know, his means, "If he improve them, may well stretch so far—." Again, in the following passage in Coriolanus, which, I trust, will justify the emendation now made; for thy revenge "Wrench up your power to the highest." MALONE. I am satisfied with the reading of the second folio, in which I perceive neither aukwardness nor want of perspicuity. Best is a word of mere enforcement, and is frequently introduced by Shakspeare. Thus, in King Henry VIII. : "My life itself and the best heart of it." Why does best, in this instance, seem more significant than when it is applied to means? STEEVENS. 4 at the STAKE,] An allusion to bear-bating. So, in Macbeth, Act V. Sc. VII. vol. xi. p. 268: "They have chain'd me to a stake, I cannot fly, "But bear-like I must fight the course." STEEVENS. In his own change, or by ill officers, But that my noble master will appear BRU. He is not doubted.-A word, Lucilius; How he receiv'd you, let me be resolv❜d. Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough; But not with such familiar instances, 5 In his own CHANGE, or by ill officers,] The sense of which is this Either your master, by the change of his virtuous nature, or by his officers abusing the power he had intrusted to them, hath done some things I could wish undone. This implies a doubt which of the two was the case. Yet, immediately after, on Pindarus's saying, "His master was full of regard and honour," he replies, "He is not doubted." To reconcile this we should read: "In his own charge, or by ill officers." i. e. Either by those under his immediate command, or under the command of his lieutenants, who had abused their trust. Charge is so usual a word in Shakspeare, to signify the forces committed to the trust of a commander, that I think it needless to give any instances. WARBURTON. The arguments for the change proposed are insufficient. Brutus could not but know whether the wrongs committed were done by those who were immediately under the command of Cassius, or those under his officers. The answer of Brutus to the Servant is only an act of artful civility; his question to Lucilius proves, that his suspicion still continued. Yet I cannot but suspect a corruption, and would read: "In his own change, or by ill offices-." That is, either changing his inclination of himself, or by the ill offices and bad influences of others. JOHNSON. Surely alteration is unnecessary. In the subsequent conference Brutus charges both Cassius and his officer, Lucius Pella, with corruption. STEEVENS. Brutus immediately after says to Lucilius, when he hears his account of the manner in which he had been received by Cassius: "Thou hast describ'd "A hot friend cooling." That is the change which Brutus complains of. M. MASON. Nor with such free and friendly conference, BRU Thou hast describ'd A hot friend cooling: Ever note, Lucilius, When love begins to sicken and decay, It useth an enforced ceremony. There are no tricks in plain and simple faith : Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quar ter'd; The greater part, the horse in general, Are come with Cassius. BRU. March gently on to meet him. [March within. Hark, he is arriv'd: Enter CASSIUS and Soldiers. CAS. Stand, ho! BRU. Stand, ho! Speak the word along. WITHIN. Stand. WITHIN. Stand. WITHIN. Stand. CAS. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. BRU. Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother? CAS. Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs; And when you do them- BRU. Cassius, be content, Speak your griefs softly,-I do know you well : 6 your GRIEFS-] i. e. your grievances. See Henry IV. Part I. Act IV. Sc. III.: |