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Line 3151 - 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 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand

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

3151 A Challice for the nonce, whereon but sipping,	4.7.160

1668 Skinner

Skinner

3151 for the nonce] Skinner (1668, nonce): “Chaucero nones, for the Nonce significat quod Seriò, & de Industria agitur, fort. q.d. for the OWN, OWNS, (i.e.) pro proprio lucro, vel propria Volntate, seu Libidine, vel à Teut. NUTZ. “

1760 John2

John2

3151 for the nonce] Johnson (2nd ed. 1760, nonce): “s. [The original of this word is uncertain.’] Purpose, intent; design. Cleaveland.”

1774 capn

capn

3151 for the nonce] Capell (1774,:1:1:30): “a rustic Expression, meaning—for the Purpose, made on Purpose or purposely’

1791- rann

rann

3151 for the nonce] Rann (ed. 1791): “ A cup on purpose.”

1819 cald1

cald1

3151 for the nonce] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “ The present purpose. ‘Nenna, nenning Suio-Goth. a se impetrare posse. to prevail with oneself to do a thing, to have a mind to do it. Rich. of Gloster and Chaucer wrote nones . In the old romance of Ywaine and Gawin, it is nanes . Serenius.’ Todd’s Dict. See [1H4 1.2.? (0000)] Polns.”

1822 Nares

Nares : John2?

3151 nonce] Nares (1822, 1906): “s. or NONES. Purpose, or design; of doubtful etymology. Sufficiently illustrated by Dr. Johnson. Used several times by Shakespeare, and still provincially current. ‘I have cases of buckram for the nonce, to insconce our noted outward garments.’ IH4 1.2.?(0000)

“Sometimes written nones: ‘The maske of Monkes, devised for the nones.’ Mirr. Mag. p. 515 ‘And cunningly contrived them for the nones, In likely rings of excellent devise.’ Drayt. Moses, p. 1572. ‘There is a king in Christendome, and it is the king of Denmarke, that sitteth openly in justice, thrice in the weeke, and hath doores kept open for the nonce.’Latimer, Serm. fol. 116b.”

1832 cald2

cald2=cald1

3151 for the nonce]

1833 valpy

valpy ≈ standard

3151 Valpy (ed. 1833): “I will have presented to him a cup for the purpose.”

-1845 mHUNTER

mHUNTER : HUNTER

3150-3 A . . . death] Hunter (ms. notes, -1845): <p. 228> “There is nothing throughout our poets writings more painful than such a scene as this—the cool deliberation with which such a character as Laertes comes into such a plot is so inconsistent with the other principles exhibited in him—but the clumsiness of the whole contrivance, & the wretched bare-faced way in which the king is made to expose his villainy to one who is already more than half his enemy, & whom he must have mistrusted in a kind of rival for his throne, is so out of character that one wonders where the mighty mind is fled which dictated even portions of this most [illeg.: “unmagical”?; “imaginative”?] production—unless indeed he meant to mark how folly & wickedness are allied together.

“What a forgetfulness too of the great design of the tragedy as anounced in the first act—that [illeg: how?] a train should be laid that is to bring about the catastrophe, in which the principal action is passive not action—formed within him—& through [illeg: 4 words unclear] produces the death of the king by the hand of Hamlet, yet [illeg: an entire line unclear] dignity to the crowning event of this tragedy . An acquaintance with Grecian models, or even with the study [word unclear] of dramatic criticism would have taught him [illeg: master ?] spirit better.

“It was weaknesses such as this compared with the very high reputation which this play enjoyed that moved against it, it is probabley the indignation of the Play [illeg: critics?] of the time, several of whom have [illeg] in it. See Malone VII p. 460 & others. “</p. 228>

mHUNTER (Prolegomena and Notes on Shakespeare [BL ADD. MS. 24495 ] : pp. 219-46)

1845 Hunter

Hunter : see also 3124-29

3150-3 A . . . death] Hunter (1845, 2:260) : <p. 260> “There is little in our Poet’s writings more painful than such a scene as this; the cool deliberation with which Laertes comes into such a plot is so inconsistent with his character as exhibited in the other parts of the play: the clumsiness of the whole contrivance, and the barefaced manner in which the King is made to expose his villainous purpose to one who is already more than half his enemy, that one is tempted to ask where the mighty spirit is fled which dictated some portions of this most unequal performance.

“What an abandoment also of the great design of the tragedy, as announced in the first Act, that there should be a train laid which is to bring about the catastrophe while the principal actor is not cognizant of it, and has of course no part in it. The death of the King is in consequence brought about without that intention of the mind of Hamlet which was necessary to connect it with the early scenes of the play, and to give dignity to the great catastrophe.” </p. 260>

an early version of these remarks is found, I suspect in the -1855 mss. notes below as <<Notes and Prologomena>>.

1854 del2

del2

3151 sipping] Delius (ed. 1854): “zu sipping ist he zu suppliren, was aber fehlt, da die Construction nach demn Zwischensatze: if he etc. eine andere wird, als sie anfing.” [“For sipping he, which is absent, must be supplied. The if he of two sentences down provides the subject.”]

1857 elze1

elze1 : Nares : john1

3151 nonce] Elze (ed. 1857): "StR: for the once, mit der Var. nonce. Eine andere Form ist nach Nares s. Nonce: nones. Ueber Herkunft und Bedeutung dieses Wortes sind sehr verschiedene Ansichten aufgestellt worden. Nach Johnson, Nares und Halliwell heisst es so viel als: Absicht, Zweck (Gelegenheit)); nach Webster ist es so viel als ’for the present occasion’ ((=for this once)), in welchem Falle man ein vorgeschobene n annehmen müsste ((§87)); Price ((bei Halliwell dictg. S. Nonce)) leiteet es vom Ags. ’for than anes’ her; nach Holloway endlich bedutet es: fun, sport, amusement, und kommt von noyance=annoyance, weil die Belustigung des Einen sehr oft eine Belästigung eines Andern sei.—Die Lesart in StR spricht allerdings zu Gunsten der Webster’schen Etymologie, die sich auch durch ihre Einfachheit empfiehlt." ["StR[Steevens’ 1766 edition] : ’for the once, with the variant nonce. Another form is, according to Nares, nones. See Nonce. About the origin and meaning of these words many different opinions are listed. According to Johnson, Nares, and Halliwell it means so much as purpose, design ((occasion)); according to Webster it is so much as ’for the present occasion’ ((=for this once)), in which event, one must accept the advanced n [?] ((§87)); Price ((as Halliwell Dict. S. Nonce)) derives it from A.S. ’for than anes’; according to Holloway it signifies finally ’fun, sport, amusement,’ and comes from ’noyance’ = ’annoyance’, because the entertainment of one may be very often the trouble of another..—The reading in StR certainly speaks in favor of Webster’s etymology, which recommend itself through its simplicity."]

1858 col3

col3 : standard

3151 nonce] Collier (2nd ed. 1858, 6: Glossary): “for the occasion.”

1864 ktly

ktly

3151 nonce] Keightley (ed. 1864 [1866]: Glossary):”for the nonce, on purpose.”

1864-68 c&mc

c&mc ≈ standard

3151 nonce] Clarke (ed. 1864, Glossary)

3151 nonce] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1864-68, rpt. 1874-78): “For that occasion,’ ‘for the special purpose.’ See Note 47, Act I., ‘[1H4].”

1867 Ktly

Ktly

3151 nonce] Keightley (1867, p. 413): <p. 413> “([1H4 1.2.? (0000)]), or Nones, is simply ones, once, with the paragogic n, and signifying that one time.” </p. 413>

1869 Romdahl

Romdahl

3151 nonce] Romdahl (1869, p. 39):<p. 39>“for the purpose. This expression is originally a corruption of the A.S. for [th]â ânes=for that only ([th]ân instead of [th]âm, as sometimes occurred in adverbial expressions; -es being a usual adverbial termination). In Layamon occurs to than anes. In O.E. we often meet with for the nones (or nonys), the n then, as often happens (see above [2.3.355 (0000)], having been dropped at the end of a preceding word and added at the beginning of a following. Nones transformed to nonce is the same fact as we have observed with respect to sithenes, sithence (see above [2.2.12 (0000)].—The phrase is in modern English not quite </p. 39> <p. 40> obsolete; at least it is provincially current; but the origin not being reflected upon or generally known, nonce is considered as a noun meaning, purpose, design.

“Laymon has:’ --comen to than anes To feechen the stanes,’ which, translated into modern English is: ‘- - - - came for that only, to fetch the stones 1). A coke they hadden with hem for the nones, To boile the chickenes and the marie bones.’ Chaucer. Prologue to the Cant. Tales

“The phrase is by Sh. employed also [1H4 1.2.101 (0000)], [1H6 2.3.57 (0000)].” </p. 40>

<n> <p. 40>“1). See Wedgwood 2.p. 462” </p. 40> </n>

1869 tsch

tsch : Romdahl?

3151 nonce] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Die Entschung des Ausdrucks lässt Lagamon errathen; v. 21506. to [th]an âne icoren, zu dem Einen. Das adverbiale tritt dann häufig in die Genitivform ânes über. Brutus wolde comen to [th]an : nur dazu. In der Aussprache wird der einfache Consonant zu dem nächstvorhergehenden Vocale gezoen, und [th]an ânes wird [th]a nânes, [th]e nones. S. Koch II. p. 309. Maetzner über vorangestelltes n. I.p. 172.” [“The origin of this expression is left to Lagamon to guess; v. 21506, to [th]an âne icoren, for one. The adverbial âne changes frequently into the Genitive form ânes. Brutus wolde comen to [th]an ânes: to that purpose. In the expression the simple consonant will be drawn to the neighboring sound, and [th]an ânes will be [th]a nânes, [th]e nones. S. Koch II. p. 309. Maetzner above placed n. I. p. 172.”

Does Romdahl derive from Tschischwitz or the other way around?

tsch : Romdahl?

3151 whereon] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “and thereon. Die relat. Anknüpfung löst sich einfach auf: And if he, but sipping thereon, by chance escape.” [“and thereon. The relative starting point has decayed from the simple, And if he, but sipping thereon, by chance escape.”]

1872 del4

del4 = del2

3151 for the nonce]

1872 cln1

cln1

3151 nonce] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “For the special occasion. Compare [1H4 1.2.201 (0000)]: ‘I have cases of buckram for the nonce.’ The phrase was originally ‘for the once,’ the ‘n’ being added for euphony.”

1877 v1877

v1877 : ≈ cln1 (minus 1H4 //) +

3151 nonce] Clark & Wright (apud Furness, ed. 1877): “For the special occasion. The phrase was originally ‘for the once,’ the ‘n’ being added for euphony. [See MÄTZNER, vol. I. p. 181.]”

v1877 = Hunter

3151 nonce]

1881 hud2

hud2 ≈ v1877

3151 nonce] Hudson (ed. 1881): “‘For the nonce’ is for the occasion; literally, for the once.”

1883 wh2

wh2

3151for the nonce] White (ed. 1883): “for the occasion, the once.”

1885 macd

macd ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1889 Barnett

Barnett

3151for the nonce] Barnett (1889, p. 58): <p. 58>“for the nones, i.e. for the once, for the occasion. The older spelling is for then ones. Then is for [th]am [OE thorn here] the dative of the article, and ones=once.” </p. 58>

1905 rltr

Rltr

3151 Challice] Chambers (ed. 1905): “cup.”

1931 crg1

crg1 ≈ standard

3151 Challice]

3151for the nonce]

1934 cam3

cam3≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1939 kit2

Kit2 ≈ standard

3151 Challice] Kittredge (ed. 1939, Glossary):

Kit2 ≈ standard

3151 nonce] Kittredge (ed. 1939, Glossary):

1938 parc

parc ≈ standard

3151 nonce]

1942 N&H

N&H ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1947 cln2

Cln2 ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1951 alex

Alex ≈ standard

3151for the nonce] Alexander (ed. 1951, Glossary)

1951 crg2

crg2=crg1

3151 Challice]

1954 sis

Sis ≈ standard

3151for the nonce] Sisson (ed. 1954, Glossary):

1957 pel1

pel1 : standard

3151for the nonce]

1970 pel2

pel2=pel1

3151for the nonce]

1974 evns1

evns1 ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1980 pen2

pen2 ≈ standard

3151 Challice]

pen2 ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1984 chal

chal : standard

3151for the nonce]

1985 cam4

cam4 ≈ standard

3151for the nonce]

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

3151for the nonce]

1993 dent

dent ≈ standard

3151 Challice] Andrews (ed. 1989): “often carries religious connotations.”

3151for the nonce]