"All the conspirators, save only he, Address'd is ready, prepared. So in 'Love's Labour's Lost'"He and his competitors in oath Were all address'd to meet you." ARE. Act V., Sc. 1. "The posture of your blows are yet unknown." When a plural noun in the genitive case immediately preceded the verb, the writers of Shakspere's time frequently disregarded the real singular nominative; and such a construction as the above must not be imputed to grammatical ignorance, but to a licence warranted by the best examples. ARRIVE. Act I., Sc. 2. "But ere we could arrive the point propos'd." Milton has a similar use of the verb arrive without the preposition at, in BROUGHT. Act I., Sc. 3. "Ere he arrive The happy isle." "Brought you Cæsar home?" Brought is here used for accompanied. To bring one on his way is to accompany him. BY HIM. Act II., Sc. 1. "Go along by him." By him is here used for by his house. CAUTELOUS. Act II., Sc. 1. "Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous." Cautelous men, are men who are circumspect, wary. DINT. Act III., Sc. 2. "The dint of pity." A dint is an impression; the same word here as dent. "Be factious for redress of all these griefs." To be factious, in its original Latin sense, is to be doing, and FAVOUR. Act II., Sc. 1. "By any mark of favour." Favour here, as in other passages, is countenance. FORMER Act V., Sc. 1. "On our former ensign Two mighty eagles fell." The former ensign is the foremost, the ensign in the van. GRIEFS. Act IV., Sc. 2. "Speak your griefs softly." Griefs are grievances. HAVOCK. Act III., Sc. 1. 66 'Cry 'Havock,' and let slip the dogs of war." Sir William Blackstone says that in ancient military operations, havock was the word by which declaration was made that no quarter would be given. HURTLED. Act II., Sc. 2. "The noise of battle hurtled in the air." This fine old word means to rush with a noise, and it is so used by Spenser. It is probably the same word as Hurled, which, according to Phillips (New World of Words,' 1696) is "to fling or cast; also, an old word, to make a noise." Shakspere, with the boldness of genius, makes the action' give the sound. Gray has used it more strictly in accord ance with the original meaning : "Iron-sleet of arrowy shower LETHE. Act III., Sc. 1. "Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe." Lethe is used in its Latin sense of murder. Lethal, in the sense of deadly, dangerous, was formerly in frequent use, and is still a term in Scottish law proceedings. PATH. Act II., Sc. 1. "For if thou path, thy native semblance on." Path is used as an active verb, to walk on a trodden way, to move forward amidst observation, in thy natural unobscured form. Shakspere here uses remorse, as in several other places, in the sense of pity or tenderness. Warn is used in the sense of summon. WHEN. Act II., Sc. 1. "When, Lucius, when!" This was a common expression of impatience. It is used in the same sense by John of Gaunt in Richard II.' |