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Line 3536, etc. - 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.

3536 How to forget that learning, but sir now	5.2.35

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.