Notes for lines 2023-2950 ed. Frank N. Clary
| 2948-9 {God a mercy} <Gramercy> on his soule, | and of all {Christians} <Christian> soules, <I pray God.> | |
|---|
1773+ mstv1
mstv1
2948 God a mercy . . . soules] Steevens (ms. notes in Steevens, ed. 1773): “This is the common conclusion to many of the ancient monumental inscriptions. Steevens.”
1774 capn
capn
2948 God a mercy] Capell (1774,1:1: glossary, grammercy): “well said, thank you; properly,—great Thanks. Fre. grand Merci.”
1778 v1778
v1778 = v1773 + magenta underlined
2948-9 God . . . soules] Steevens (ed. 1778): “This, and several circumstances in the character of Ophelia, seem to have been ridiculed in Eastward Hoe, a comedy written by Ben Jonson, Chapman, and Marston, printed in 1605. Act 3. ‘His head as white as milk, All flaxen was his chin; But now he’s dead, And laid in his bed, And never will come again.
”This is the common conclusion to many of the ancient monumental inscriptions. See Weever’s Funeral Monuments, p. 657, 658. Berthelette, the publisher of Gower’s Confessio Amantis, 1554, speaking first of the funeral of Chaucer, and then of Gower, says, ‘—he lieth buried in the monasterie of Seynt Peter’s at Westminster, &c. On whose soules and all christen, Jesu have mercie.’ Steevens.”
1854 del2
del2
2948-9 God . . . soules] Delius (ed. 1854): “Ophelia fügt zu diesem Schlusse des Liedes noch den dazu gehörigen Schluss mancher Grabinschriften: and of all christian souls, scil. God have mercy.” [Ophelia adds to the end of the song the concluding line found on many grave stones: and of all Christian souls, i. e., God have mercy.]
1857 fieb
fieb: Chaucer analogue
2948 God a mercy] Fiebig (ed. 1857): “Thus the folio. The quarto and its followers read – ‘God ‘a mercy,’ etc. Gramercy, many thanks, much obliged; a form returning thanks, contracted from the French grand merci. Chaucer has it in the original form, in the Clerke’ Tale: ‘Grand mercy, lord, God thank it you (quod she)/That ye han save me my children dere. The meaning of it in this instance is: Many thank for the salvation of his soul.”
fieb: v1778 (Berthelette analogue)
2949 and . . . soules] Fiebig (ed. 1857): “This is the common conclusion to many of the ancient monumental inscriptions. Berthelette, the publisher of Gower’s Confessio Amantis, 1554, speaking first of the funeral of Chaucer, and then of Gower, says: ‘—he lieth buried in the monasterie of Seynt Peter’s at Westminster, etc. On whose soules and all christen, Jesu have mercie.’ St.”
1866b cam1
cam1
2949-50 and . . . you] Clark and Wright (ed. 1866): “In the Folios Ophelia’s song is printed in Italics, and the words ‘And . . . you’ in Roman type, ‘God buy ye’ being in a separate line. In the second and third Quartos the whole is printed in Roman type, and ends thus: [Quotes Q2: “God a mercy . . . God buy you.”]. We have indicated in the foot-note how the later Quartos differ from the earlier.”
1866 ktlyn
ktlyn: standard
2948 God a mercy] Keightley (ed. 1866, glossary): “gramercy] grand merci, great thanks, Fr.”
1869 tsch
tsch ≈ v1778 (Berthelete on Gower)
2949 and . . . soules] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Eine übliche Formel, wenn man von Verstorbenen sprach. Nach Steevens erzählt Berthelette, der Herausgeber von Gower’s Confessio Amantis 1554, dass Gower in St. Peterskloster in Westminster begraben sei, und fügt hinzu: On whose soules and all christen Jesu have mercie.” [A common formula in speaking of persons who have died. According to Steevens, Berthelete, the editor of Gower’s Confessio Amantis 1554, says that Gower is buried in St. Peter’s cloister in Westminster and adds: On whose soules and all christen Jesu have mercie.]
1870 rug1
rug1
2949 and . . . soules] Moberly (ed. 1870): “So, with this most touching prayer, Ophelia goes to meet her death. It displays admirably her simple and loving spirit, and seems to be a protest beforehand against the hardhearted law which hinders her having the full Christian burial-rites.”
1870 Abbott
Abbott: Son. //; Stratmann
2948-9 on] Abbott (1870, §181): “is frequently used where we use ‘of’ in the sense of ‘about,’ &c. Thus above, ‘jealous on,’ and in Son. 84, ‘Fond on praise.’ In Early English (Stratmann) we have ‘On witchcraft I know nothing.’ ‘What shall become on me?’ ‘Denmark won nothing on him.’
“Note the indifferent use of on and ‘of’ in ‘God have mercy on his soul And of all Christian souls.’ – Ham. 4.5.200.”
1872 cln1
cln1: MV, 1H4 //s
2949 and . . . soules] Clark and Wright (ed. 1872): “and of all Christian souls, I pray God.] Many epitaphs closed with such a pious prayer as this. ‘Of’ is not strictly grammatical according to modern usage, but in Shakespeare’s time it was frequently used for ‘on.’ See MV [2.2.97-102 (660-04)] and 1H4 [2.4.114 (1077)].”
1877 v1877
v1877 ≈ v1788, mob
2948-9 Furness (ed. 1877): “
Steevens: This is the common conclusion to many of the ancient monumental inscriptions. Berthelette, the publisher of Gower’s
Confessio Amantis, 1554, speaking first of the funeral of Chaucer, and then of Gower, says: ‘—he lieth buried in the monasterie of Seynt Peter’s at Westminster, &c.
On whose soules and all christen, Jesu have mercie.’
Moberly: So, with this most touching prayer, Oph. goes to meet her death. It displays admirably her simple and loving spirit, and seems to be a protest beforehand against the hard-hearted law which hinders her having the full Christian burial-rites.”
v1877 Abbott
2949 of]
Furness (ed. 1877): “For instances of ‘of’ used for
on, see Abbott, §175 and §181.”
1878 rlf1
rlf1: xref.
2948 God a mercy] Rolfe (ed. 1878): “The folio has “Gramercy”; perhaps to avoid the introduction of the name of God. See on 2.1.76 [976] above.”
1879 Roberts
Roberts: More analogue
2948 Christian Souls]
Roberts (
New Shakespeare Society’sTransactions 1877-9, pp. 107-8): </p.107> “‘We see there (in purgatory) our chyldern too, whome we luued so well, pype, sing, & daunce, & no more thinke on their </p.107><p.108> fatherless souls, then on their olde shone, sauing yt sometime cometh out,
god haue mercy on al christen soules. But it cummeth out so coldly & with so dull affection, yt it lyeth but in the lippes, & never came nere the hert.’ —(died 1535)
Sit T. More’s
Workes (1557), p.337.” </p.108>
1881 Hud3
hud3: xref.
2949 of] Hudson (ed. 1881): “Of, again, for on. See page 202, note 37 [2.2.290 (1337)].”
1885 macd
macd: Skeat
2948 God a mercy] Mac Donald (ed. 1885): “Gamercy] Wherever else Shakspere uses the word, it is in the sense of grand merci—great thanks (Skeat’s Etym. Dict.); here it is surely a corruption, whether Ophelia’s or the printer’s, of the Q2 reading, ‘God a mercy,’ which, spoken quickly, sounds very near gramercy. Q1 also has ‘God a mercy.’”
1887 Mackay
Mackay
2948 God a mercy] Mackay (1887, glossary, gramercy): “This phrase is usually supposed to be a corruption and abbreviation of the French grand merci, ‘great thanks.’ Johnson derives it from the English ‘grant me mercy.’ Chaucer has ‘grandmerci’ in the Prologue to the ‘Canterbury Tales,’ but Shakspeare uses the abbreviation ‘gramercy:’—’God bless your worship—Gramercy! wouldst thou ought with me?’ Merchant of Venice. There is a long string of quotations in Nares, from all of which, from Chaucer downwards, it would appear that this word was understood by English writers as derived from the French. A very similar exclamation was common in Britain before Saxon, Dane, or Norman invaded the island—the same that may be heard to this day among the Gaelic-speaking people of Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, and used especially by women as a term of endearment—grandh mo cridhe—pronounced gramarchree, or gramochree, and meaning ‘love of my heart.’ There is a favourite Irish song of this name. At first glance, the phrase seems so evidently to be French, as to deter philologists from looking elsewhere than to the French for the meaning. But the phrase is not used by the French.”
1888 macl
macl: xref.
2948 God a mercy] Maclachlan (ed. 1888): “Q2, ‘Grammercy on his soul. ’This word is mediæval, and no doubt is the true reading. But modern editors adopt the reading of F1, as it stands in the text. See note [4.7.177 (3169)].”
1889 Barnett
Barnett
2949 of . . . soules] Barnett (1889, p. 57): “With this touching prayer the loving Ophelia goes to meet her doom; but the ‘Christian souls’ deny her poor body their full burial rites.”
1899 ard1
ard1: Roberts (More analogue) without attribution
2948-9 God . . . soules] Dowden (ed. 1899): “A common conclusion, says Steevens, to monumental inscriptions. Sir Thomas More’s Workes, 1557, p. 337: ‘We see there [in purgatory] our chyldren too, whom we loved so well, pipe, sing, and daunce, and no more thinke on their fathers soules than on their old shone, saving that sometime cometh out God have mercy on all christian soules.”
1891 dtn
dtn = cln; ≈ v1877 (Abbott)
2949 and . . . soules] Deighton (ed. 1891): “‘Many epitaphs closed with such a pious prayer as this’ (Cl. Pr. Edd.). For instances of of, used for on, see Abb. §§175, 181.”
1903 p&c
p&c
2948 God a mercy] Porter & clarke (ed. 1903): “‘Grand merci,’ the use of which, instead of ‘God ha’ mercy,’ is an inaccuracy that is suitable, and less likable when amended, as in the modernized texts.”
1904 ver
ver
2948-9 God . . . souls] Verity (ed. 1904): “Steevens says: “This is the common conclusion to many of the ancient monumental inscriptions. Berthelette, the publisher of Gower’s Confessio Amantis, 1554, speaking first of the funeral of Chaucer, and then of Gower, says: ‘ – he lieth buried in the monasterie of Seynt Peter’s at Westminster, &c. On whose soules and all Christen, Jesu have mercie.’” (F.).”
1934 cam3
cam3 = mstv1
2949 and of...souls] Wilson (ed. 1934): “’The common conclusion to many...monumental inscriptions’ (Steevens).”
1936 cam3b
cam3b: N&Q Rev.
2949 and of . . . soules] Wilson (ed. 1936): “A rev. in Notes and Queries, Dec. 22, 1934, suggests that Oph. Here refers to ‘the end of the Catholic formula,’ viz. ‘Of your charity pray for the repose . . . on whose soul on all Christian souls may the Lord have mercy.’”
1939 kit2
kit2
2949 and . . . soules] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “An old formula of prayer.”
kit2
2949 of] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “on.”
2006 ard3q2
ard3q2
2948 God a’mercy] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “God have mercy.”
ard3q2: Blake analogue
2948-9 on. . . of] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “ These words seem interchangeable here, perhaps because both were often abbreviated to o’ (see Blake, 5.4.2, Of).”
2948 2949
