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Line 2538 - Commentary Note (CN)

Commentary notes (CN):

1. SMALL CAPS Indicate editions. Notes for each commentator are divided into three parts:

In the 1st two lines of a record, when the name of the source text (the siglum) is printed in SMALL CAPS, the comment comes from an EDITION; when it is in normal font, it is derived from a book, article, ms. record or other source. We occasionally use small caps for ms. sources and for works related to editions. See bibliographies for complete information (in process).

2. How comments are related to predecessors' comments. In the second line of a record, a label "without attribution" indicates that a prior writer made the same or a similar point; such similarities do not usually indicate plagiarism because many writers do not, as a practice, indicate the sources of their glosses. We provide the designation ("standard") to indicate a gloss in common use. We use ≈ for "equivalent to" and = for "exactly alike."

3. Original comment. When the second line is blank after the writer's siglum, we are signaling that we have not seen that writer's gloss prior to that date. We welcome correction on this point.

4. Words from the play under discussion (lemmata). In the third line or lines of a record, the lemmata after the TLN (Through Line Number] are from Q2. When the difference between Q2 and the authors' lemma(ta) is significant, we include the writer's lemma(ta). When the gloss is for a whole line or lines, only the line number(s) appear. Through Line Numbers are numbers straight through a play and include stage directions. Most modern editions still use the system of starting line numbers afresh for every scene and do not assign line numbers to stage directions.

5. Bibliographic information. In the third line of the record, where we record the gloss, we provide concise bibliographic information, expanded in the bibliographies, several of which are in process.

6. References to other lines or other works. For a writer's reference to a passage elsewhere in Ham. we provide, in brackets, Through Line Numbers (TLN) from the Norton F1 (used by permission); we call these xref, i.e., cross references. We call references to Shakespearean plays other than Ham. “parallels” (//) and indicate Riverside act, scene and line number as well as TLN. We call references to non-Shakespearean works “analogues.”

7. Further information: See the Introduction for explanations of other abbreviations. Click here for more information about browsing the entries and here for more information about the special symbols used in Hamletworks. Click the question mark icon above to remove this help message.

Notes for lines 2023-2950 ed. Frank N. Clary

For explanation of sigla, such as jen, see the editions bib.

2538 Yea {curbe}<courb> and wooe for leaue to doe him good.	3.4.155

1728 pope2

pope2

2538 curbe] Pope (ed. 1728): “courb, to stoop or bend down.”

1744 han1

han1

2538 curbe] Hanmer (ed. 1744: glossary, courb): “(Vol. 6. 393) to bend. Fr. Courber.”

1745 han2

han2 = han1

1755 Johnson Dict.

Johnson Dict. ≈ han

2538 curbe] Johnson (1755): courb (courber Fr.] “To bend; to bow; to stoop in supplication.”

1765 john1/john2

john1

2538 curbe] Johnson (ed. 1765): That is, bend and truckle.”

1773 v1773

v1773 = john1, han (for Fr. etym.) without attribution

1774 capn

capn

2538 curbe] Capell (1774, 1:1: glossary, courb): “(H. 86, 14.) bend, crouch. Fre. courber.”

1778 v1778

v1778 = v1773 (without attribution to john1) +

2538 curbe] Steevens (ed. 1778): “So, in Pierce Plowman: ‘Then I courbid on my knees, &c.’ Steevens.”

1784 ays1

ays1 = john, han

2538 curbe] Ayscouth (ed. 1784): “That is, bend and truckle. Fr. courber.”

1785 v1785

v1785 = v1778

1790 mal

mal = v1785

1791- rann

rann ≈ john1, capn without attribution

2538 curbe] Rann (ed. 1791-): “truckle, bend, and crouch.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = v1785

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

1805 Seymour

Seymour ≈ v1778

2538 curbe] Seymour (1805, p. 189): “As to the sense of ‘curb,’ I cannot agree in Mr. Steevens’s interpretation; bend and truckle, the ordinary meaning of the word, I think, is more convenient; Virtue, in her zeal to do good, even to Vice, must sometimes pull in or restrain, and sometimes advance her kind offices, i.e. woo.”

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

1819 cald1

cald1 = v1813

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813

1822 Nares

Nares

2538 curbe] Nares (1822, glossary, courb): “To bend, stoop. Se courbe, Fr. [Hamlet line cited] The word is found in the older writers. The moderns editors of Shakespeare have absurdly printed curb.”

1826 sing1

sing1: v1778

2538 curbe] Singer (ed. 1826): “i.e. bow. ‘Courber, Fr. to bow, crook, or curb. Thus in Pierce Plowman:—‘Then I courbid on my knees.’”

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1 +

2538 curbe] Caldecott (ed. 1832): “i.e. ‘bend and truckle.’ In this its obsolete sense, and written, courbe, the reading of the Folios, this word seems to be the same source with couver, which we find derived from courrain, Welch, written curbe, as is the reading of the quartos, i.e. check, restrain, frenare, Lat. we find it derived from courber, Fr.”

1841 knt1 (nd)

knt1 ≈ hang

2538 curbe] Knight (ed. [1841] nd): “to bend—courber.”

1843 col1

col1: hang, john1

2538 curbe] Collier (ed. 1843): “i.e. bend and truckle, from the Fr. courber.”

1854 del2

del2

2538 curbe . . . him] Delius (ed. 1854): “for leave gehört, wie zu curb, = sich krümmen, und zu woo, = sich flehentlich bemühen, auch zu beg pardon, und him bezieht sich auf das personificirt gedachte vice.” [for leave belongs also to beg pardon as to curb (meaning to bend oneself) and woo (meaning to exert oneself imploringly); and him refers to the personified vice.]

1856 hud1 (1851-6)

hud1 = sing1 without attribution minus Piers Pl.//

2538 curbe] Hudson (ed. 1851-6): “That is, bow. ‘Courber, Fr., to bow, crook, or curb.’”

1856b sing2

sing2 = sing1

1857 fieb

fieb ≈ hud1

2538 curbe] Fiebig (ed. 1857): “Virtue must curb, that is, bend and truckle; the French courber.”

1858 col3

col3 = col1

1860 stau

stau: col1 without attribution

2538 curbe] Staunton (ed. 1860): “Bow, or truckle: from the French courber.”

1860 Walker

Walker: Cary analogue

2538 curbe] Walker (1860, 3:267): “It would be better, for distinctness’ sake, to write, with the folio, courb; as Cary does, Purg. x. l. 104, where he employs the word.”

1861 wh1

wh1 ≈ col1 without attribution

2538 curbe] White (ed. 1861): “i.e., curve, or bend, truckle.”

Walker: Daniel

2538 curbe] White (ms. notes in Walker, 1860, 3:267): “Cf. P.A.Daniel.”

1864a glo

glo ≈ wh1

2538 curbe] Clark and Wright (ed. 1864a [1865] 9: glossary, Curb): “v.t. to bend, truckle. Ham. 3.4.”

1866 ktlyn

ktlyn: standard

2538 curbe] Keightley (ed. 1866, glossary): “to bend and truckle, from courber.”

1870 Daniel

Daniel

2538 curbe] Daniel (1870, p. 75): “Note.—In last line, the word courb in modern editions is usually printed curb. Courb, to bend, seems to me a better reading here than curb, to restrain.”

1870 rug1

rug1 ≈ stau

2538 curbe and wooe] Moberly (ed. 1870): “Bow and entreat.”

1872 hud2

hud2

2538 curbe] Hudson (ed. 1881): “To curb is to curve, bend, or truckle; from the French courber.”

1872 del4

del4 = del2

1872 cln1

cln1 ≈ sing2 without attribution

2538 curbe and wooe] Clark and Wright (ed. 1872): “bow and beg. ‘Curb’ is from Fr. courber, to bow or bend. See the Vision of Piers Ploughman, l. 617 (ed. T. Wright): ‘Thanne I courbed on my knees, And cried hire of grace.’ And again l. 880.”

1873 rug2

rug2 = rug1

1877 v1877

v1877 ≈v1778, Walker, Daniel

2538 curbe] Furness (ed. 1877): “Steevens: Bend and truckle. From French courber. So, in Vision of Piers Ploughman, l. 617 (ed. T. Wright): ‘Thanne I courbed on my knees, And cried hire of grace.’ Clarendon adds line 880 also. Walker (Crit. iii, 267): It would be better, for distinctness’ sake, to write, with F1, courb; as Cary does, Purg. x, l. 104. Daniel (p. 75) to the same effect.”

1877 col4

col4 ≈ col3

2538 curbe] Collier (ed. 1877): “i.e., bend and bow, from the Fr. courber.”

1877 dyce3

dyce3 = dyce2

1878 rlf1

rlf1: v1773, cln1. theo, warb, v1778 (for Piers Plowman anal.) without attribution Schmidt

2538 curbe and wooe] Rolfe (ed. 1878): ““Bend and truckle”(Steevens); “bow and beg” (Wr.). Curb is the Fr. courber, and is printed courb in the folio. Perhaps it is as well to retain that spelling, as Theo., Warb., F., and some others do. Cf. Piers Plowman: ‘Thanne I courbed on my knees,/And I cried hire of grace.’ Schmidt makes curb here = keep back, refrain.’”

1881 hud3

hud3 ≈ hud2

2538 curbe] Hudson (ed. 1881): “To courb is to bend, curve, or truckle; from the French courber.”

1885 macd

macd: standard

2538 curbe] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “courb] bend, bow.”

1890 irv2

irv2 ≈ hud3 (Fr. etym.); v1778 (incl. Piers analogue)

2538 curbe] Symons (in Irving & Marshall, ed. 1890): “(Fr. courber), bow.”

2538 curbe] Symons (in Irving & Marshall, ed. 1890): “Curb (spelt courb in Ff, and by some later editors for distinctness’ sake) is from the French courber, to bend or bow. Steevens quotes the Vision of Piers Ploughman, l. 617 (ed. Wright): ‘Thanne I courbed on my knees, And cried hire of grace.’”

1891 dtn

dtn = v1778 for curbe

1899 ard1

ard1: Drummond analogue

2538 curbe] Dowden (ed. 1899): “The modern spelling of F courb, French courber, to bow or bend. Drummond of Hawthornden Cypress Grove: ‘bodies languishing and curbing.’”

1903 rlf3

rlf3 = macd

2538 curbe] rolfe (ed.1903): “Bend or bow.”

1905 rltr

rltr ≈ irv2

2538 curbe] Chambers (ed. 1905): “bow (Fr. courber).”

1931 crg1

crg1 ≈ rlf3

2538 curbe] Craig (ed. 1931): “bow, bend the knee.”

1934 cam3

cam3 = john for curbe and wooe

1942 n&h

n&h ≈ crg1

2538 curbe] Neilson & Hill (ed. 1942): “bow.”

1947 yal2

yal2 = rltr minus Fr. etym.

2538 him] Cross & Brooke (ed. 1947): “i.e., vice.”

1957 pel1

pel1 = n&h

1974 evns1

evns1 = rug1

2538 curbe and wooe] Evans (ed. 1974): “curb and woo] bow and entreat.”

1980 pen2

pen2 = n&h

pen2

2538 him] Spencer (ed. 1980): “(vice).”

1982 ard2

ard2 ≈ crg1 + xref.

2538 curb] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “(F courb < Fr.courber) bow, bend. Cf. [3.2.61 (1912)], crook the knee.”

1984 chal

chal ≈ crg1

2538 curbe] Wilkes (ed. 1984): “bow, bend.”

1988 bev2

bev2 = crg1

2538 curbe] Bevington (ed. 1988): “bow, bend the knee.”

bev2

2538 leaue] Bevington (ed. 1988): “permission.”

1997 evns2

evns2 = evns1

1998 OED

OED

2538 curbe] OED (Sept. 14, 1998): “courb] courbe, courb, v. Obs. Also 5 kourbe. [a. F. courber: – L. curvare to bend: see CURVE v. In modern Eng. the form is CURB, but the following senses are associated with the earlier form.] 1. intr. To curve, bend, bow. 1377 LANGL. P. Pl. B. II. 1, I courbed on my knees and cryed hir of grace. 1602 SHAKS. Ham. III. iv. 155 Vertue it selfe of Vice must pardon begge, Yea courb and woe, for leaue to do him good.”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2=n&h

2538 curb] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “bow.”