More guarded than his fellows: fee it done. 4 3 —more guarded] i. e. more ornamented. See vol. ii. p. 85. 278. STEEVENS. Well, if any man in Italy have a fairer table, which doth offer to fwear npon a book,] The pofition of the words make the fentence fomewhat obfcure: their natural order fhould be this: Well, if any man in Italy, which doth offer to fwear upon a book, have a fairer table, I shall have good luck. And the humour of the paffage feems this: Launcelot, a joker, and defignedly a blunderer, fays the reverfe of what he fhould do: which is, That if no man in Italy who would offer to take his oath_upon it, bath a fairer table than he, he shall have good fortune. The banter may, partly, be on chiromancy in general; but it is very much in character for Launcelot, who is a hungry ferving-man, to confider his table before his line of life, or any other points of fortune. THEOBALD. -fairer table,] The chiromantic term for the lines of the hand. So, Ben Jonfon in his Majk of Gipfies, to the lady Elizabeth Hatton : "Miftrefs of a fairer table, "Hath not hiftory nor fable." which doth offer to fewear upon a book, &c.] This nonfenfe feems to have taken its rife from the accident of a loft line in tranfcribing the play for the prefs; fo that the paffage, for the future, fhould be printed thus,-Well, if any man in Italy, have a fairer table, which doth ******* offer to fwear upon a book, I shall have good fortune. It is impoffible to find, again, the loft line: but the loft fenfe is eafy enough-If any man in Italy have a fairer table, which doth [promife luck, I am mistaken. I durft almoft] offer to fwear upon a book, I fhall have good fortune. WARBURTON. Mr. Theobald's note is as obfcure as the paffage. It may be read more than once before the complication of ignorance can be completely difentangled. Table is the palm expanded. What Mr. Theobald's conceives it to be, cannot eafily be difcovered, but he thinks it fomewhat that promifes a full belly. Dr. Warburton understood the word, but puzzles himself with no great fuccefs in the purfuit of the meaning. The whole matter is this: Launcelot congratulates himfelf upon his dexterity. and good fortune, and, in the height of his rapture, infpects his hand, and congratulates himself upon the felicities in his ta ble. The act of expanding his hand puts him in mind of the action in which the palm is fhewn, by raifing it to lay it on the book, in judicial atteftations. Well, fays he, if any man in Italy [Looking on his palm] if any man in Italy have a fairer table, which doth offer to fwear upon a book, I shall have good fortune.-Go to, here's a fimple line of life! here's a small trifle of wives: alas, fifteen wives is nothing; eleven widows, and nine maids, is a fimple coming-in for one man: and then, to 'fcape drowning thrice; and to be in peril of my life with have a fairer table, that doth offer to fwear upon a book-Here he stops with an abruptnefs very common, and proceeds to particulars. JOHNSON. Without examining the expofititions of this paffage given by the three learned annotators, I fhall briefly fet down, what appears to me to be the whole meaning of it. Launcelot, applauding himfelf for his fuccefs with Baffanio, and looking into the palm of his hand, which by fortune-tellers is called the table, breaks out in the following reflection: Well, if any man in Italy have a fairer table; which doth offer to favear upon a book, I shall have good fortune-i. e. a table, which doth (not only promife, but) offer to fwear (and to fwear upon a book too) THAT I Shall have good fortune- (He omits the conclufion of the fentence which might have been) I am much mistaken; or, I'll be hanged, &c. TYRWHITT. Dr. Johnson's explanation appears to me perfectly juft. In fupport of it, it should be remembered, that which is frequently ufed by our author, and his contemporaries, for the perfonal pronoun, who. It is still fo ufed in our Liturgy. The whole difficulty of this paffage, has, I believe, arifen from the omiffion of the particle no. The words, I hall have good fortune, are not, I believe, connected with what goes before, but with what follows; and begin a new fentence. The author, I think, meant that Launcelot, after this abrupt fpeech- Well if any man that offers to fwear upon a book, has a fairer table thaz mine-[I am much mistaken- fhould proceed in the fame manner in which he began :-" I fhall have no good fortune; go to; here's a fimple line of life, &c." So before : "I cannot get a service, no; "I have ne'er a tongue in my head And afterwards : "Alas! fifteen wives is nothing." The Nurfe, in Romeo and Juliet, expreffes herfelf exactly in the fame style: Well you have made a fimple choice; you know not how to choose a man; Romeo! no, not be;-he is not the flower of courtesy ;-go thy ways, wench, &c." MALONE. the the edge of a feather-bed ;-here are fimple 'fcapes! Well, if fortune be a woman, fhe's a good wench for this geer.-Father, come; I'll take my leave of the Jew in the twinkling of an eye. [Exeunt Launcelot and old Gobbo. Baff. I pray thee, good Leonardo, think on this; These things being bought, and orderly bestow'd, Return in hafte, for I do feaft to night My best-esteem'd acquaintance; hie thee, go. Enter Gratiano. Gra. Where is your master? Leon. Yonder, fir, he walks. Gra. Signior Baffanio, Ball. Gratiano! Gra. I have a fuit to you. Baff. You have obtain❜d it. [Exit Leonardo. Gra. You must not deny me; I must go with you to Belmont. Baff. Why, then you muft ;-But hear thee, Gra tiano; Thou art too wild, too rude, and bold of voice ;— Parts, that become thee happily enough, And in fuch eyes as ours appear not faults; Something too liberal ;-pray thee, take pain sin peril of my life with the edge of a feather-bed;] A cant phrafe to fignify the danger of marrying. A certain French writer ufes the fame kind of figure, “Omon Ami, j'aimerois mieux "étre tombée sur la point d'un Oreiller, 5 m' être rompú le Cou."— WARBURTON. Something too liberal;] Liberal I have already fhewn to be mean, grofs, coarfe, licentious. JOHNSON. Thy Thy kipping fpirit; left, through thy wild behaviour, I be misconftru'd in the place I go to, Gra. Signior Baffanio, hear me: If I do not put on a fober habit, Talk with refpect, and swear but now and then, Like one well studied in a fad oftent & Gra. Nay, but I bar to night; you fhall not By what we do to-night. Ball. No, that were pity; would entreat you rather to put on Your boldeft fuit of mirth, for we have friends Gra. And I must to Lorenzo, and the reft; [Exeunt. 7-hood mine eyes] Alluding to the manner of covering a hawk's eyes. So, in the Tragedy of Cræfus, 1604: 8. “And like a hooded hawk, &c. STEEVENS. -fad oftent] Grave appearance; fhew of staid and ferious behaviour. JOHNSON. Oftent is a word very commonly used for how among the old dramatic writers. So, in Heywood's Iron Age, 1632: you in thofe times "Did not affect oftent.' 66 Again, in Chapman's tranflation of Homer, edit. 1598, b. 6: did bloodie vapours raine "For fad oftent, &c." STEEVENS. t 2 SCENE SCENE ILL. Shylock's house. Enter Fefica and Launcelot. Jef. I am forry, thou wilt leave my father fo; And fo farewel; I would not have my father Laun. Adieu!-tears exhibit my tongue.Most beautiful pagan,-moft sweet Jew! if a Chrif tian do not play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceiv'd; but, adieu! these foolish drops do fomewhat drown my manly spirit; adieu! Jef. Farewel, good Launcelot.- [Exit. If thou keep promife, I fhall end this ftrife; [Exit. SCENE IV. The Street. Enter Gratiano, Lorenzo, Salarino, and Salanio. Lor. Nay, we will flink away in fupper-time; Disguise us at my lodging, and return All in an hour. Gra, We have not made good preparation. Sal. |