A Letter on Shakspere's Authorship of The Two Noble Kinsmen Part 5

[Sidenote: A Shakspere simile.]

_2 Queen._ Honoured Hippolita, ...

... dear _gla.s.s of la dies_!

Bid him, that we, whom flaming war hath scorch'd, Under the shadow of his sword may cool us.

Require him, he advance it o'er our heads; Speak it in a woman's key[30:2], like such a wom an As any of us three: weep ere you fail; Lend us a knee;-- But touch the ground for us no longer time _Than a dove's motion when the head's pluckt off_: Tell him, if he i' the blood-siz'd field lay swol len, Shewing the sun his teeth, grinning at the moon, What you would do!

_Emilia._ Pray stand up; Your grief is written on your cheek.

[Sidenote: Shakspere.]

_3 Queen._ Oh, woe!

You cannot read it there: there,[30:3] through my tears, Like wrinkled pebbles in a gla.s.sy stream, You may behold it. Lady, lady, alack!

He that will all the treasure know o' the earth, Must know the centre too: he that will fish For my least minnow, let him lead his line To catch one at my heart. Oh, pardon me!

Extremity, that sharpens sundry wits, Makes me a fool.

_Emilia._ Pray you, say nothing; pray you!

Who cannot feel nor see the rain, being in't, Knows neither wet nor dry. If that you were The ground-piece of some painter, I would buy you, To instruct me 'gainst a capital grief indeed; (Such heart-pierced demonstration;) but, alas!

Being a natural sister of our s.e.x, Your sorrow beats so ardently upon me, That it shall make a counter-reflect against My brother's heart, and warm it to some pit y, Though it were made of stone: Pray have good com fort!

[Sidenote: Shakspere simile,]

[31:1]_1 Queen._ (_To Theseus._) ... Remember that your fame Knolls in the ear o' the world: what you do quickl y, Is not done rashly; your first thought, is more Than others' labour'd meditance; your premed itating, More than their actions: but, (oh, Jove!) your ac tions, Soon as they move, _as ospreys do the fish_, Subdue before they touch. Think, dear duke, think What beds our slain kings have!

[Sidenote: metaphor.]

_2 Queen._ What griefs, our beds, That our slain kings have none.

Theseus is moved by their prayers, but, loth to leave the side of his newly wedded spouse, contents himself with directing his chief captain to lead the Athenian army against the tyrant. The queens redouble their entreaties for his personal aid.

[Sidenote: Shakspere personification.]

_2 Queen._ We come unseasonably; but when could Grief Cull out, as _unpang'd Judgment_ can, fitt'st time For best solicitation!

_Theseus._ Why, good la dies, This is a service whereto I am go ing, Greater than any war: it more imports me Than all the actions that I have foregone, Or futurely can cope.

[Sidenote: Shakspere metaphor, force.]

_1 Queen._ The more proclaim ing Our suit shall be neglected. When her arms, Able to lock Jove from a synod, shall By warranting moonlight _corslet_ thee,--oh, when Her twinning cherries shall their sweetness fall Upon thy tasteful lips,--what wilt thou think Of rotten kings or blubberd queens? what care, For what thou feel'st not; what thou feel'st, being a ble To make Mars spurn his drum?--Oh, if thou couch But one night with her, every hour in't will Take hostage of thee for a hundred, and Thou shall remember nothing more than what That banquet bids thee to.

_Theseus._ Pray stand up: I am entreating of myself to do That which you kneel to have me. Perithous!

Lead on the bride! Get you, and pray the G.o.ds For success and return; omit not any thing In the pretended celebration. Queens!

Follow your soldier....

... [32:1](_To Hippolita._) Since that our theme is haste, I stamp this kiss upon thy currant lip: Sweet, keep it as my token!...

[Sidenote: Shakspere metaphor.]

_1 Queen._ Thus dost thou still make good the tongue o' the world.

_2 Queen._ And earn'st a deity equal with Mars.

[Sidenote: Shakspere.]

_3 Queen._ If not above him; for Thou, being but mortal, mak'st affections bend To G.o.dlike honours; _they themselves, some say, Groan under such a mas tery_.

_Theseus._ As we are men, Thus should we do: being sensually subdued, We lose our human t.i.tle. Good cheer, la dies!

Now turn we towards your comforts. (_Exeunt._)

[Sidenote: Act I. scene ii.]

The second scene introduces the heroes of the piece, Palamon and Arcite.

They are two youths of the blood-royal of Thebes, who follow the banners of their sovereign with a sense that obedience is their duty, but under a sorrowful conviction that his cause is unjust, and their country rotten at the core. The scene is a dialogue between them, occupied in lamentations and repinings over the dissolute manners of their native Thebes. [Sidenote: has the characteristics of Shakspere.] Its broken versification points out Shakspeare; the quaintness of some conceits is his; and several of the phrases and images have much of his pointedness, brevity, or obscurity. The scene, though not lofty in tone, does not want interest, and contains some extremely original ill.u.s.trations. But quotations will be multiplied abundantly before we have done; and their number must not be increased by the admission of any which are not either unusually good or very distinctly characteristic of their author.

Some lines of the scene have been already given.

[Sidenote: Act I. scene iii.]

The third scene has the farewell commendations of the young Emilia and her sister to Perithous, when he sets out to join Theseus, then before the Theban walls, and a subsequent conversation of the two ladies.

[Sidenote: is probably all Shakspere's.] Much of this scene has Shakspeare's stamp deeply cut upon it: it is probably all his. [Sidenote: Act I. scene iii. has the characteristics of Shakspere.] It is identified, not only by several others of the qualities marking the first scene, but more particularly by the wealth of its allusion, and by a closeness, directness, and pertinency of reply which Fletcher's most spirited dialogues do not reach. It presents more than one exceed[33:1]ingly beautiful climax; a figure which repeatedly occurs in the play, and is always used with peculiar energy.

SCENE--_Before the Gates of Athens.--Enter Perithous, Hippolita, and Emilia._

_Perithous._ No further.

_Hippolita._ Sir, farewell. Repeat my wish es To our great lord, of whose success I dare not Make any timorous question; yet I wish him Excess and overflow of power, an't might be, To dure ill-dealing Fortune. Speed to him!

Store never hurts good governors.

[Sidenote: Shakspere metaphor,]

_Perithous._ Though I know His ocean needs not my poor drops, yet they Must yield their tribute there. (_To Emilia._) My precious maid, Those best affections that the heavens infuse In their _best-tempered pieces_, keep _enthroned_ In your dear heart!

_Emilia._ Thanks, sir! Remember me To our all royal brother, for whose speed The great Bellona I'll solicit; and, Since in our terrene state, pet.i.tions are not, Without gifts, understood, I'll offer to her What I shall be advised she likes. Our hearts Are in his army, in his tent.

[Sidenote: phrase.]

_Hippolita._ In's bos om!

We have been soldiers, and we cannot weep When our friends don their helms or put to sea, Or tell of babes broacht on the lance, or wom en That have sod their infants in (and after eat them) The brine they wept at killing them; then if You stay to see of us such spinsters, we Should hold you here for ever.

_Emilia._ How his long ing Follows his friend!...

Have you observed him Since our great lord departed?

_Hippolita._ With much la bour, And I did love him for't.[33:2]...