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Line 2613 - 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.”

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

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

2613 Among a minerall of mettals base,	4.1.26

1747-53 mtby4

mtby4

2613 mettals] Thirlby (1747-53): “fsql matter fnm.”

1755 Johnson Dict.

Johnson Dict.

2613 minerall ] Johnson (1755): “fossil body; matter dug out of mines. All metals are minerals, but all minerals are not metals.”

1785 v1785

v1785: Golden Remaines analogue

2613 minerall of metalls] Steevens (ed. 1785): “Minerals are mines. So, in the Golden Remaines of Hales of Eton, 1673, p. 34. Controversies of the times like ‘Spirits in the minerals, with all their labour nothing is done.’ Steevens.”

1785 Mason

Mason

2613 mettals base] Mason (1785, p. 391): “The more mineral is used here in a very uncommon manner. I believe instead of mine; but what is a mineral of metals base? I suppose we should read, ‘of metal base,’ instead of metals, which much improves the construction of the passage.”

1790 mal

mal = v1785 +

2613 minerall] Malone (ed. 1790): “A mineral Minsheu defines in his Dictionary, 1617, ‘Any thing that grows in mines, and contains metals.’ Shakspeare seems to have used the word in this sense,—for a rude mass of metals. In Bullokar’s English Expositor, 8 vo, 1616, Mineral is defined, ‘mettall, or any thing digged out of the earth.’ Malone.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal +

2613 minerall] Steevens (ed. 1793): “Again, in Hall’s Virgidemiarum. Lib. VI: ‘Shall it not be a wild fig in a wall, Or fired brimstone in a minerall?’ Steevens.”

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

1819 cald1

cald1 = v1813 minus mal

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813 minus Bullokar

1826 sing1

sing1 ≈ v1785

2613 minerall] Singer (ed. 1826): “And the Cambridge Dictionary, 1594, under the Latin wood mineralia, will show how the English mineral came to be used for a mine. Thus also in The Golden Remaines of Hales of Eton, 1693:—’Controversies of the times, like spirits in the minerals, with all their labour nothing is done.’”

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1

1841 knt1 (nd)

knt1

2613 minerall] Knight (ed. [1841] nd): “mine—; a compound mass of metals.”

1856 hud1 (1851-6)

hud1 = sing1 without attribution

1856b sing2

sing2 = sing1

1857 fieb

fieb: contra Mason

2613 mettals base] Fiebig (ed. 1857): “Mason supposes we should read “of metal base” instead of metals, which would much improve the construction of the passage. We cannot see why. For a mineral, a fossil body of piece of it, may well be said to consist of different base metals.—Nor can we assent to English interpreters who explain mineral by mine. Mineral we call any thing that grows in mines, and contains metals,—a rude mass of metals.”

1860 stau

stau

2613 minerall] Staunton (ed. 1860): “A mine, or rather a metallic vein in a mine, we should now say a lode.”

1861 wh1

wh1

2613 minerall] White (ed. 1861): “Here ‘mineral’ is used to mean a heap of ore, while ‘ore’ itself, in the preceding line, has its radical meaning—gold.”

1865 hal

hal = v1793 minus Bullokar’s def. (as introd. in mal)

1868 c&mc

c&mc ≈ mal (Minsheu), sing (Golden Remaines and Cambridge Dict.)

2613 a minerall] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868, rpt. 1878): “Employed here for a ‘metallic vein,’ what is now called ‘a lode.’ Minsheu, in his Dictionary (1617), defines ‘a mineral’ to be anything that grows in mines, and contains metals.’ The word ‘minerals’ was formerly used for ‘mines’; thus, in ‘The Golden Remaines,’ Hales of Eton (1693), we find, ‘Controversies of the times, like spirits in the minerals, with all their labour, nothing is done.’ The ‘Cambridge Dictionary’ (1594), under the Latin word mineralia, shows how the English ‘mineral’ came to be used for a mine.”

1869 tsch

tsch: del

2613 minerall] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “mineral wie ital. minerale, die Stufe beim Bergbau. Man könnte denken: like or, wie G o l d in einer Stufe von geringeren Metallen. S. Del.; allein, warum setzt der Dichter dann nicht gold, was doch stehen könnte? Es ist hier auf die alte Bedeutung des ore, gen. oran f. (?) zurückzugehn, näml. metalli vena. S. Ettm. p. 69, so dass also der Sinn ist: Wie eine Ader in einer Stufe geringerer Metalle.” [mineral like Italian minerale, the level in mining. One could think like or. like gold in a level of lesser metals. See Del. But why doesn’t the poet then put gold, which would fit? Here we should go back to the old meaning of ore, gen. oran f. (?). that is, metalli vena. S. Ettm. p. 69, so that the meaning is therefore: Wie eine Ader in einer Stufe geringerer Metalle.”]

1872 hud2

hud2 = hud1, minus “Thus . . . done.” See note on 2612

1872 cln1

cln1: mal (Minsheu def.), v1793 (Hall analogue) + magenta underlined

2613 minerall] Clark and Wright (ed. 1872): “defined by Minsheu to be ‘anything that growes in Mines, and containes metals.’ We should now say a vein or lode. ‘Mineral’ is also used in the sense of ‘mine,’ as in Hall’s Satires, vi. 148: ‘Shall it not be a wild fig in a wall Or fixed brimstone in a minerall?’ And Browne, Britannia’s Pastorals, 1.2.631: ‘Some of the bloud by chance did downward fall, And by a veine got to a minerall.’”

1873 rug2

rug2

2613 minerall] Moberley (ed. 1873): “The word ‘minerals’ is used even now to express the rough ore of zinc or other metal, as it comes from the mine.”

rug2 = rug1 for a weepes (2614)

1877 v1877

v1877 ≈ v1793 (incl. mal), cald, stau

2613 minerall] Furness (ed. 1877): “Steevens: ‘Minerals’ are mines. Thus, Hall’s Satires, b. vi (p. 154, ed. Singer): ‘Shall it not be a wild-fig in a wall, Or fired brimstone in a mineral?’ Malone: Minsheu defines ‘mineral’ to be ‘anything that grows in Mines, and contains mettals.’ Caldecott: It is here used for a mass or compound mine of metals. Staunton: Rather, a metallic vein in a mine; we should now say a lode.”

v1877 ≈ Mason

2613 mettals] Furness (ed. 1877): “M. Mason suggests metal, as much improving the construction of tht passage.”

1878 rlf1

rlf1: v1785, Schmidt, stau; cln (for Hall anal.) + magenta underlined

2613 minerall] Rolfe (ed. 1878): “Mine (Steevens and Schmidt). Cf. Hall, Satires, vi. 148: “fired brimstone in a minerall.” St. says it is "rather a metallic vein in a mine." Elsewhere in S. it means a poisonous mineral. Oth. [1.2.74 (292)], . [2.1.297 (1080)]; and Cym. [5.5.50 (3310)].”

1881 hud2

hud2: Hooker analogue

2613 minerall] Hudson (ed. 1881): “Mineral for mine; in accordance with old usage. So Hooker, in Ecclesiastical Polity, 1.4, 3, speaks of the fallen Angels as ‘being dispersed, some on the earth, some in the water, some amongst the minerals, dens, and caves, that are under the earth.”

1885 macd

1889 Barnett

Barnett: Gower analogue

2613 minerall] Barnett (1889, p. 53): “what is dug out of a mine. Here it means a vein. Miniere was a mine of metals. In Gower’s Con. Aman. ii. 81, we find—‘The thridde stone in special By the name is cleped mineral, Whiche the metalles of every mine Attempereth, till that they been fine.’

“The root of mine is Lat. minare, to conduct, especially along a vein of metal; so also the E. lode, or vein of ore, is allied to the verb to lead.”

1890 irv2

irv2: standard

2613 minerall] Symons (in Irving & Marshall, ed. 1890): “lode.”

1899 ard1

ard1 = mal (Minsheu def. only), cln1 without attribution (for Hall)

2613 minerall] Dowden (ed. 1899): “Malone: ‘Minsheu defines “mineral” to be “anything that grows in mines and contains metals.”’ It is used in Hall’s Satires, b. vi. for mine.”

1903 rlf3

rlf3 = rlf1 minus Steevens, Schmidt attribution, stau

1906 nlsn

nlsn

2613 minerall] Neilson (ed. 1906, glossary): “a mine”

1931 crg1

crg1 = nlsn

2613 minerall] Craig (ed. 1931): “mine.”

1934 rid

rid = nlsn

1939 kit2

kit2 = crg1 + magenta underlined

2613 minerall] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “mine or metallic vein.”

1942 n&h

n&h = nlsn

1951 alex

alex: Oth. //

2613 minerall] Alexander (ed. 1951): “poison, Oth. [2.1.297 (1080)].”

1957 pel1

pel1 = n&h

1974 evns1

evns1 = pel1

1980 pen2

pen2

2613 minerall of mettals] Spencer (ed. 1980): “mine of non-precious metals.”

1982 ard2

ard2 = evns1

1984 chal

chal = ard2

1987 oxf4

oxf4 ≈ v1793 (Hall analogue); OED

2613 minerall] Hibbard (ed. 1987): “mine (OED sb. 3); not elsewhere, in this sense, in Shakespeare. Joseph Hall writes of ‘fired brimstone in a mineral’ (Virgidemiarium, vi. i. 148).”

1988 bev2

bev2 = chal

1993 dent

dent: xrefs.

2613 minerall] Andrews (ed. 1993): “Either (a) a piece of unrefined extract from a mine (ore in the more usual modern sense), or (b) a mine itself. Compare [3.4.148, 207-210 (2531, 2577+5-2577+8)].”

1997 evns2

evns2 = evns1

1998 ODE

OED

2613 minerall] OED (Sept. 15, 1998): “3. A mine. Obs. 1598 BP. HALL Sat. VI. i. 87 Shall it not be a wild-figg in a wall, Or fired Brimstone in a Minerall? 1602 SHAKS. Ham. IV. i. 26 O’re whom his very madnesse like some Oare Among a Minerall of Mettels base Shewes it selfe pure. 1602 Life T. Cromwell I. ii, My study, like a mineral of gold, Makes my heart proud wherein my hope’s enroll’d.”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2

2613 a mineral] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “a mine or the contents of a mine.”