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Line 3536, etc. - Commentary Note (CN) More Information

Notes for lines 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand
For explanation of sigla, such as jen, see the editions bib.
3536 How to forget that learning, but sir now5.2.35
3537 It did me {yemans} <Yeomans> seruice, wilt thou know
1743 mF3
mF3
3537 yemans seruice] Anon. (ms. notes in F3, 1734) : “The service which it does a labouring man. Or rather, the service which a Yeoman or servant would do one who writes a fair hand.”
1755 John
John
3537 yemans] Johnson (1755, yeoman, 2): “n.s. [Of this word theoriginalis much doubted: the true etymology seems to be that of Junius, who derives it from geman, Frisick, a villager.]
2. It seems to have been anciently a kind of ceremonious title given to soldiers: whence we have still yeomen of the guard. ‘Tall yeomen seemed they, and of great might, And were enranged ready still for fight.’ FQ ‘You, good yeomen, Whose limbs were made in England, shew us here The metle of your pasture.’ H5 ‘He instituted, for the security of hi person, a band of fifty archers, under a captain, to attend him, by the name of yeomen of his guard.’ Bacon’s Henry VII. ‘The’appointment for th’ ensuig night he heard; And therefore in the cavern had prepar’d Two brawny eyomen of his trusty guard.’ Dryden. ‘At Windsor St. John whispers me I’ th’ ear; The waiters stand in ranks the yeomen cry Make way for the dean, a if a duke pass’d by.’ Swift.”
1773 v1773
v1773 :
3537 yemans seruice] Steevens (ed. 1773) : “In the times of vassalage, lands were held of the chief lord by paying rent and seruice. There was knight’s seruice, yeoman’s seruice, &c.”
1778 v1778
v1778 : v1773 +
3537 yemans seruice] Steevens (ed. 1778) : “The meaning, I believe, is, This yeomanly qualification was a most useful seruant, or yeoman, to me ; i.e. did me eminent service. The ancient yeomen were famous for their military valour. These were the good archers in times past (says Sir Thomas Smith), and the stable troop of footmen that affraide all France. STEEVENS”
1784 ays1
ays1 ≈ v1778 (only “did me eminent service”)
3537 yemans seruice]
1785 v1785
v1785 =v1778
3537 yemans seruice]
1790 mal
mal = v1785
3537 yemans seruice]
1791- rann
rann ≈ mal
3537 yemans seruice] Rann (ed. 1791-) : “this yeomanly qualification did me eminent service.”
1793 v1793
v1793 = v1785
3537 yemans seruice]
1803 v1803
v1803 = v1793
3537 yemans seruice]
1807 Pye
Pye : v1803 (minus The ancient yeomen . . . France.) +
3537 yemans seruice] Pye (1807, p. 328) : “Who ever heard or could suppose that writing a good hand was the particular qualification of a yeoman in the time of Shakespear. To do one knight’s or eyoman’s service is an expression by no means very uncommon at present, and is an allusion to the old feudal tenures.”
1813 v1813
v1813 = v1803
3537 yemans seruice]
1818 Todd
Todd = John +
3537 yemans] Todd (1818, yeoman, 2): “n.s. [Of this word the original is much doubted: the true etymology seems to be that of Junius, who derives it from geman, Frisick, a villager. From the Goth. guma, Sax. [guma], Theotisc. geomman, a man. Serenius. See also BRIDGEGROOM]] 2. It seems to have been anciently a kind of ceremonious title given to soldiers: whence we have still yeomen of the guard. ‘Tall yeomen seemed they, and of great might, And were enranged ready still for fight.’ FQ ‘You, good yeomen, Whose limbs were made in England, shew us here The metle of your pasture.’ H5 ‘He instituted, for the security of his person, a band of fifty archers, under a captain, to attend him, by the name of yeomen of his guard.’ Bacon’s Henry VII. ‘The’appointment for th’ ensuig night he heard; And therefore in the cavern had prepar’d Two brawny eyomen of his trusty guard.’ Dryden.’At Windsor St. John whispers me I’ th’ ear; The waiters stand in ranks the yeomen cry Make way for the dean, a if a duke pass’d by.’ Swift.”
1819 cald1
cald1
3537 yemans seruice] Caldecott (ed. 1819) :: “As good service as a yeoman performed for his feudal lord; in the sense in which we yet use knight’s service.”
1821 v1821
v1821 = v1813
3537 yemans seruice]
1826 sing1
Sing1 = v1821
3537 yemans seruice]
1832 cald2
cald2 = cald1
3537 yemans seruice]
1854 del2
del2
3537 yemans seruice] Delius (ed. 1854) : “diese Schönschreibekunst leistet ihm jetzt so gute Dienste, wie nur ein Trabant (yeoman) sie hätte leisten können. Yeoman ist gleichsam die Personiflerung männlicher und kreigerischer Tüchtigkeit in subalterner Stellung.” [“This article of penmanship performed for him such good service, as only a yeoman could have performed it. Yeoman is as it were the masculine personification and warlike fitness in inferior stations.”]
1856 sing2
sing2 = sing1
3537 yemans seruice]
1857 elze1
elze1
3537 yemans seruice] Elze (ed. 1857): "Nicht ’Ritterdienst’, wie Schlegel übersetze hat, sondern im Gegentheil Knappen-oder Bauerndienst. Ich hielt as, sagt hamlet, einst für bäuerisch, schön zu schreiben; hier aber that es mir, gleich einem Bauern, gute und treue Dienste." ["Not ’knightly service,’ as Schlegel translated it; on the contrary, in opposition to miners or farmers’ service. I hold it, Hamlet says, once for farmers to write beautifully, but here it is for me equal to a farmer, good and true service."]
1864-68 c&mc
c&mc ≈ v1821 (Steevens) w/o attribution
3537 yemans seruice] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1864-68, rpt. 1874-78): “A mode of saying ‘effectual service,’ ‘substantial service.’ The ancient yeomen were famous for their staunch valour in the field; and Sir Thomas Smith says of them, ‘These were the good archers in time past, and the stable troop of footmen that affraide all France.’”
1865 hal
hal = v1821 (STEEVEN’s v1778 note)
3537 yemans seruice]
1869 tsch
tsch
3536 How to forget that learning] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “how to forget drückt einen indirect fragenden Satz auf verkürzte Weise durch den präpositionalen Infinitiv aus, eine Form, die namentlich der jüngern Sprache geläufig ist. M. III. 48” [“how to forget expresses an indirect question by an abbreviated fashion through the prepositional infinitive, a form which is especially frequent in the more recent diction. M.III. 48.”]
tsch
3537 yemans] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Es leistete mir den Dienst eines Amtmanns oder Soldscreibers scil. den ich nicht bei mir hatte. Yeoman is nämlich nicht nur allgemein a servant of middling rank, sondern a bailif. Cf. Chaucer C.T. 6962. De per dieux quod this yeman, love brother, Thou art a bailif and I am another.” [“It occurred to me the use of a bailiff or a hand scrivener scil[[namely]] which I don’t have for myself. Yeoman is clearly not only or generally a servant of middling rank; to the contrary, a bailif. Cf. Chaucer C.T. 6962. De per dieux quod this yeman, love brother, Thou art a bailif and I am another.”]
1872 del4
del4 = del2
3537 yemans seruice]
1872 cln1
cln1
3537 yemans seruice] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “good and faithful service, such as formerly the yeomen, or small freeholders, rendered in war. They composed the mass of the infantry. Their formidable character is mentioned by Bacon in his Essay: Of the true greatnesse of Kingdomes and Estates, p. 122, ed. W.A. Wright. Compare [H5 3.1.25, &c. (1108)].”
1873 rug2
rug2 ≈ standard
3537 yemans seruice] Moberly (ed. 1873): “Good service in a low kind of way.”
1877 v1877
v1877 : ≈ v1778 (only The ancient yeomen . . . that affraide all France.) ; ≈ cln1 (only “They composed . . . W.A. Wright.”)
3537 yemans seruice]
1877 neil
neil ≈ Bacon
3537 yemans seruice] Neil (ed. 1877, Notes): “faithful and effective dutifulness. ‘In regard,’ as Lord Bacon says, ‘that the middle people of England make good soldiers’—On the Greatness of Kingdoms, etc.’”
1881 hud3
hud3
3537 yemans seruice] Hudson (ed. 1881): “In the days of archery, the English yeomary, with their huge bows and long arrows, were the most terrible fighters in Europe.”
1883 wh2
wh2
3537 yemans seruice] White (ed. 1883): “service like that which a yeoman owed to his lord.”
1885 macd
macd ≈ Chambers
3537 yemans] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “‘Yeomen of the guard of the king’s body were anciently two hundred and fifty men, of the best rank under gentry, and of larger stature than ordinary; every one being required to be six feet high.’—E. Chambers’ Cyclopaedia. Hence ‘yeoman’s service’ must mean the very best of service.”
1885 mull
mull
3537 yemans] Mull (ed. 1885): “efficient.”
1889 Barnett
Barnett
3537 yemans] Barnett (1889, p. 62): <p. 62>“a man of small estate. Most likely derived from A.S. ga, a district and man.” </p. 62>
1890 irv2
irv2 : standard
3537 yemans seruice] Symons (in Irving & Marshall, ed. 1890): “i.e. such good service as the yeomen, who composed the mass of the infantry and were famous for their bravery, rendered in war.”
1899 ard1
ard1 ≈ v1877 w/o attribution (Steevens’ v1778 note)
3537 yemans seruice]
1906 nlsn
nlsn
3537 yemans] Neilson (ed. 1906, Glossary): “bailiff’s assistant.”
1931 crg1
crg1
3537 yemans] Craig (ed. 1931): “i.e. faithful.”
1939 kit2
kit2 ≈ standard
3537 yemans seruice]
1951 alex
alex ≈ standard
3537 yemans seruice] Alexander (ed. 1951, Glossary)
1951 crg2
crg2=crg1
3537 yemans]
1957 pel1
pel1 : irv2
3537 yemans seruice]
1970 pel2
pel2=pel1
3537 yemans seruice]
1974 evns1
evns1 ≈ standard
3537 yemans
1980 pen2
pen2 ≈ standard
3537 yemans seruice]
1984 chal
chal : OED + standard
3537 yemans seruice]
1985 cam4
cam4 ≈ standard
3537 yemans seruice]
1987 oxf4
oxf4 : OED
3537 yemans seruice] Hibbard (ed. 1987): “earliest instance of the phrase cited by OED.
1988 bev2
bev2: standard +
3537 yemans] Bevington (ed. 1988): “. . . the ship’s yeoman is usually a scribe or clerk.)
1992 fol2
fol2≈ standard
3537 yemans]
1993 dent
dent ≈ standard
3537 yemans]
1998 OED
OED
3537 yemans] c. yeoman’s service (also yeoman service): good, efficient, or useful service, such as is rendered by a faithful servant of good standing.
a1500 Gest of Robyn Hode lxxx, It were greate shame sayd Robyn A knyght a lone to ryde, Without squyer yeman or page,..I shall the lene lytyll Johan my man,..In a yemans stede he may the stande, Yf thou grete nede haue.] 1602 SHAKE. Ham. V. ii. 36, I once did hold it..A basenesse to write faire;..but Sir now, It did me Yeomans seruice.
3536 3537