Tamburlaine the Great Volume Ii Part 19

[Footnote 216: in] So the 8vo.--The 4to "to."]

[Footnote 217: now, my lord; and, will you] So the 8vo.--The 4to "GOOD my Lord, IF YOU WILL."]

[Footnote 218: mouths] So the 4to.--The 8vo "mother."]

[Footnote 219: rebated] i.e. blunted.]

[Footnote 220: thereof] So the 8vo.--The 4to "heereof."]

[Footnote 221: and will] So the 4to.--The 8vo "and I wil."]

[Footnote 222: She anoints her throat] This incident, as Mr. Collier observes (HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET., iii. 119) is borrowed from Ariosto's ORLANDO FURIOSO, B. xxix, "where Isabella, to save herself from the lawless pa.s.sion of Rodomont, anoints her neck with a decoction of herbs, which she pretends will render it invulnerable: she then presents her throat to the Pagan, who, believing her a.s.sertion, aims a blow and strikes off her head."]

[Footnote 223: my] Altered by the modern editors to "thy,"--unnecessarily.]

[Footnote 224: Elysium] Old eds. "Elisian" and "Elizian."]

[Footnote 225: do borrow] So the 4to.--The 8vo "borow doo."]

[Footnote 226: my] So the 4to (Theridamas is King of Argier).--The 8vo "thy."]

[Footnote 227: Soria] See note ?, p. 44. [i.e. note 13.]]

[Footnote 228: his] So the 4to.--The 8vo "their."]

[Footnote 229: led by five] So the 4to.--The 8vo "led by WITH fiue."]

[Footnote 230: Holla, ye pamper'd jades of Asia, &c.] The ridicule showered on this pa.s.sage by a long series of poets, will be found noticed in the ACCOUNT OF MARLOWE AND HIS WRITINGS.

The "Account of Marlowe and His Writings," is the introduction to this book of "The Works of Christopher Marlowe." That is, the book from which this play has been transcribed. The following is a footnote from page xvii of that introduction.

"Tamb. Holla, ye pamper'd jades of Asia!" &c.

p. 64, sec. col.

This has been quoted or alluded to, generally with ridicule, by a whole host of writers. Pistol's "hollow pamper'd jades of Asia" in Shakespeare's HENRY IV. P. II. Act ii. sc. 4, is known to most readers: see also Beaumont and Fletcher's c.o.xCOMB, act ii. sc. 2; Fletcher's WOMEN PLEASED, act iv.

sc. 1; Chapman's, Jonson's, and Marston's EASTWARD HO, act ii. sig. B 3, ed. 1605; Brathwait's STRAPPADO FOR THE DIUELL, 1615, p. 159; Taylor the water-poet's THIEFE and his WORLD RUNNES ON WHEELES,--WORKES, pp. 111[121], 239, ed. 1630; A BROWN DOZEN OF DRUNKARDS, &c. 1648, sig. A 3; the Duke of Newcastle's VARIETIE, A COMEDY, 1649, p. 72; --but I cannot afford room for more references.--In 1566 a similar spectacle had been exhibited at Gray's Inn: there the Dumb Show before the first act of Gascoigne and Kinwelmersh's JOCASTA introduced "a king with an imperiall crowne vpon hys head," &c. "sitting in a chariote very richly furnished, drawen in by iiii kings in their dublets and hosen, with crownes also vpon theyr heads, representing vnto vs ambition by the historie of Sesostres," &c.]

[Footnote 231: And blow the morning from their nostrils] Here "nostrils"

is to be read as a trisyllable,--and indeed is spelt in the 4to "nosterils."--Mr. Collier (HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET., iii. 124) remarks that this has been borrowed from Marlowe by the anonymous author of the tragedy of CAESAR AND POMPEY, 1607 (and he might have compared also Chapman's HYMNUS IN CYNTHIAM,--THE SHADOW OF NIGHT, &c. 1594, sig. D 3): but, after all, it is only a translation;

"c.u.m primum alto se gurgite tollunt Solis equi, LUCEMQUE ELATIS NARIBUS EFFLANT."

AEN. xii. 114]

(Virgil being indebted to Ennius and Lucilius).]

[Footnote 232: in] So the 8vo.--The 4to "as."]

[Footnote 233: racking] i.e. moving like smoke or vapour: see Richardson's DICT. in v.]

[Footnote 234: have coach] So the 8vo.--The 4to "haue A coach."]

[Footnote 235: by] So the 4to.--The 8vo "with."]

[Footnote 236: garden-plot] So the 4to.--The 8vo "GARDED plot."]

[Footnote 237: colts] i.e. (with a quibble) colts'-teeth.]

[Footnote 238: same] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.]

[Footnote 239: match] So the 8vo.--The 4to "march."]

[Footnote 240: Above] So the 8vo.--The 4to "About."]

[Footnote 241: tall] i.e. bold, brave.]

[Footnote 242: their] So the 4to.--Omitted in the 8vo.]

[Footnote 243: continent] Old eds. "content."]

[Footnote 244: jest] A quibble--which will be understood by those readers who recollect the double sense of j.a.pE (jest) in our earliest writers.]

[Footnote 245: prest] i.e. ready.]

[Footnote 246: Terrene] i.e. Mediterranean.]

[Footnote 247: all] So the 8vo.--Omitted in the 4to.]

[Footnote 248: Jaertis'] See note **, p. 62. [i.e. note 198.] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Laertes."]

[Footnote 249: furthest] So the 4to.--The 8vo "furthiest."]

[Footnote 250: Thorough] So the 8vo.--The 4to "Through."]

[Footnote 251: Like to an almond-tree, &c.] This simile in borrowed from Spenser's FAERIE QUEENE, B. i. C. vii. st. 32;

"Upon the top of all his loftie crest, A bounch of heares discolourd diversly, With sprincled pearle and gold full richly drest, Did shake, and seemd to daunce for iollity; Like to an almond tree ymounted hye On top of greene Selinis all alone, With blossoms brave bedecked daintily; Whose tender locks do tremble every one At everie little breath that under heaven is blowne."

The first three books of THE FAERIE QUEENE were originally printed in 1590, the year in which the present play was first given to the press: but Spenser's poem, according to the fashion of the times, had doubtless been circulated in ma.n.u.script, and had obtained many readers, before its publication. In Abraham Fraunce's ARCADIAN RHETORIKE, 1588, some lines of the Second Book of THE FAERIE QUEENE are accurately cited. And see my Acc. of Peele and his Writings, p. x.x.xiv, WORKS, ed. 1829.]

[Footnote 252: y-mounted] So both the old eds.--The modern editors print "mounted"; and the Editor of 1826 even remarks in a note, that the dramatist, "finding in the fifth line of Spenser's stanza the word 'y-mounted,' and, probably considering it to be too obsolete for the stage, dropped the initial letter, leaving only nine syllables and an unrythmical line"! ! ! In the FIRST PART of this play (p. 23, first col.) we have,--

"Their limbs more large and of a bigger size Than all the brats Y-SPRUNG from Typhon's loins:"

but we need not wonder that the Editor just cited did not recollect the pa.s.sage, for he had printed, like his predecessor, "ERE sprung."]

[Footnote 253: ever-green Selinus] Old eds. "EUERY greene Selinus"

and "EUERIE greene," &c.--I may notice that one of the modern editors silently alters "Selinus" to (Spenser's) "Selinis;"

but, in fact, the former is the correct spelling.]