1726 theon

theon

1633-1638 For...course.] Theobald (1726, pp. 75-81): “This is palpable Nonsense, from an Error in the Compositor to the Press; occasion’d by his throwing his Eye two Lines lower than he should have done, and so printing the same Hemistich twice over. This Error could not be repeated by an Editor in revising, his Eye and Attention going together in that Task: This, therefore, must be one of those Sheets, which, as I before hinted, were never sent to Mr. Pope for his Revisal. Restore it, as the meaning of the Place requires, and as all the former Editions have it; ‘For Murther, tho’ it have no Tongue, will speak With most miraculous Organ. I’ll HAVE THESE PLAYERS Play something like the Murther of my Father Before mine Uncle. I’ll observe his Looks; I’ll tent him to the Quick; if he look pale, I know my course.’ But because it may seem a little too hard, upon a single Instance of this kind, to suspect that the Sheets might not be all revised by the Editor, as I just now hinted; I’ll subjoin another flagrant Testimony of the same Sort of Negligence: And I shall do it the more willingly, because I would embrace an Opportunity of clearing Brutus from the Imputation of a Murther, which Shakespeare is made to throw upon him, tho’ he never had it in his Head to think him guilty of it. William de la Poole, the wicked Duke of Suffolk, being banished out of England by King Henry the Sixth, as he is making off in Disguise, is upon the Coast of Kent taken by Pirates: And behaving himself to them in a Manner they did not care to brook, was ordered to the long Boat’s Side, there to have his Head strook off. As he is dragging away, he comforts himself that his Death will be memorable, from the Circumstance of his being murther’d by such mean and vile Fellows; as it had happen’d to many Great Men before him. Second Part of Henry VI. pag. 173. That this my death may never be forgot. Great men oft die by vile Bezonians. A Roman sworder and Bandetto slav Murther’d sweet Tully. Brutus’ bastard hand Pompey the Great; and Suffolk dies by pirates. Tully indeed was kill’d by Herennius a Centurion, whom the Poet here calls, by way of Ignominy, a Roman Sworder; and by Popilius a Tribune, who is likewise here call’d a Bandetto Slave, probably, because he had formerly murthered his Father, and was defended, upon his Tryal for that Fact, by Tully. But would not any Body now, taking Mr. Pope’s for a correct and infallible Edition, begin to wonder how Shakespeare could be so precise in Roman History as to the Death of Cicero; and so ignorant, as to lay the Murther of Pompey upon Brutus? If we were to take this Fact for granted, we should find our Poet guilty of a strange Self-Contradiction, or Pompey the Father of a very degenerate Son. For Sextus Pompeius, in another of our Author’s Plays, gives Brutus such a Character and Commendations, as no Man certainly would bestow on his Father’s Murtherer. See Anthony and Cleopatra, pag. 345 ‘— I do not know, Wherefore my Father should Revengers want, Having a Son and Friends; since Julius Cæsar, (Who at Philippi the GOOD Brutus ghosted,) There saw you lab’ring for him. What was it That mov’d pale Cassius to conspire? And what Made thee ALL-HONOUR’D, HONEST Roman Brutus, With the arm’d rest, Courtiers of beauteous Freedom, To drench the Capitol, but that they would Have but one man, a man? And that is it Hath made me rig my Navy: At whose Burthen The anger’d Ocean foams, with which I meantTo scourge th’Ingratitude that despiteful Rome Cast on my noble Father. The Sentiments of filial Piety, and Resolutions of avenging his Father’s Murther, are too strongly express’d, to suppose he would in the same Breath bestow an Encomium on the Man who kill’d him. But when I first quoted this Passage, I little suspected it would have furnished fresh Work for Correction. What! were the Conspirators presumed to have kill’d Cæsar, because they would have but one Man, a Man? What Mock-reasoning is this? If they would have but one man, a man, (i. e. a Man ca exochu a Man eminent above, and over-topping, all others;) it was the Height of Cæsar’s Ambition to be such a One, and therefore they should rather have let him live. If I understand the Meaning of the Poet, he would infer, that the noble Conspirators stabb’d Cæsar, because they would have, or suffer, any one Man to be but a Man; i. e. they would have no one aim at arbitrary Power, and a Degree of Preheminence above the rest. Restore the Place therefore with the second Folio Edition; ‘ — but that they would Have One Man, but a Man?’ But to return again to the Question of Pompey being kill’d by Brutus. I have before hinted, that our Poet never design’d a Charge of this sort against poor Brutus; and in short, Shakespeare will presently stand acquitted of this Blunder; and the Fault appear to have arisen from a Negligence of Revisal, or rather from the Want of revising at all. But that this Suspicion of mine may not appear a meer gratis dictum, I’ll now give the Reason that induced me to it; and from which, I think, the Source of the Error may be fairly accounted for. The Case is, a Material Line is left out, in this Passage, by Mr. Pope’s Impression; which very Line is left out of another Edition, in Duodecimo, likewise publish’d by Mr. Tonson about ten Years ago; so that it seems most probable, that the Press was set to Work and corrected by this Duodecimo Edition; without any Collation with the old Editions mentioned in Mr. Pope’s Table of Editions at the End of his Sixth Volume. This Deduction, I am sure, is fair and natural: for the second folio Edition (one of the Editions there mentioned,) exhibits the Passage entire, and as the Poet wrote it: and even the fourth Edition in folio (which, indeed, is but a faulty one;) printed no longer ago than the Year 1685, likewise has it as it should be. Restore it therefore with them, and we come back both to the Truth of the History, and the Poet’s Text into the Bargain. ‘That This my Death may never be forgot. Great Men oft die by vile Bezonians. A Roman Sworder, and Bandetto Slave Murther’d sweet Tully. Brutus’ bastard Hand STAB’D Julius Cæsar. SAVAGE ISLANDERS Pompey the Great: And Suffolk dies by Pirates.’ I cannot help, tho’ this Passage has already taken up some Length, throwing in an Explication upon it, which will be new to some Readers, at least, of Shakespeare: and, consequently, I shall not lose all my Labour in it. I had once a Suspicion that the Poet intended to make Suffolk reproach Brutus with Cowardice, for dishonourably stabing Cæsar; and that the Text, to support this Meaning, should have been alter’d to ‘ — Brutus’ DASTARD Hand Stab’d Julius Cæsar: A Mistake of the like kind has happen’d upon the very same Words in another of our Author’s Plays. In King Richard II. Bolingbroke being required to throw down the Duke of Norfolk’s Gage, and withdraw his own Challenge, refuses at first upon a point of Honour, and throws out this contemptuous Reflexion against the Duke. ‘Shall I seem crest-fall’n in my Father’s Sight? Or with pale beggar-fear impeach my Height, Before this out-dared DASTARD?’ — Where some of the Editions erroneously express it, ‘Before this out-dared BASTARD?’ — But I have since found Reasons to retract this Opinion, and to be convinced that the Poet, in calling Brutus BASTARD, designed a much deeper Contumely than That of Cowardice; viz. the blackest Ingratitude and most detestable Parricide Shakespeare has elsewhere taken Notice of Cæsar’s excessive Love to Brutus, and of the Ingratitude of the latter for being concern’d in his Murther. Julius Cæsar, pag. 271.‘Thro’ This, the well-beloved BRUTUS stabb’d, And, as he pluck’d his cursed Steel away, Mark how the Blood of Cæsar follow’d it! As rushing out of Doors to be resolv’d, If Brutus so unkindly knock’d, or no: For BRUTUS, as you know, was Cæsar’s ANGEL. Judge, oh, you Gods, how dearly CÆSAR lov’d him! This, This, was the unkindest Cut of all; For when the noble Cæsar saw Him stab, INGRATITUDE, more strong than Traytors Arms, Quite vanquish’d him,” — But this amounts to no more than a positive Accusation against Brutus of Ingratitude, because Cæsar lov’d him to that Degree. We know Nothing from hence of the Spring of Cæsar’s Affection, or why Brutus, even for assisting in his Murther, should be stigmatiz’d with Bastardy. As this Piece of secret History is no where else so much as hinted at, that I know of, or can recollect, throughout all our Author’s Works, I shall give it from Plutarch in the Life of Marcus Brutus. Cæsar, before the great Battle of Pharsalia, had order’d his Commanders to spare Brutus, and bring him safe to him, if he would willingly surrender himself: But if he made any Resistance, to suffer him to escape, rather than to kill him. ‘And this he is believed to have done (says the Historian,) out of a Tenderness to Servilia, the Mother of Brutus: For Cæsar had it seems, in his Youth, been very intimate with her, and she passionately in Love with him. And considering that Brutus was born about that Time, in which their Loves were at the highest, Cæsar had some Reason to believe that he was begot by him.’ — This Shakespeare knew, and therefore reviles Brutus with being the Bastard Issue of the Man whom he so ungratefully kill’d.’”