The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe (read e books online free TXT) đ
- Author: Christopher Marlowe
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<75> Katharine] Old ed. âMATER.ââThe name of Mathiasâs mother was, as we afterwards learn, Katharine.
<76> stay] i.e. forbear, break off our conversation.
<77> was] Qy. âwas BUTâ?
<78> O, brave, master] The modern editors strike out the comma after âBRAVEâ, understanding that word as an epithet to âMASTERâ: but compare what Ithamore says to Barabas in act iv.: âThatâs BRAVE, MASTER,â p. 165, first col.
<79> your nose] An allusion to the large artificial nose, with which Barabas was represented on the stage. See the passage cited from W. Rowleyâs SEARCH FOR MONEY, 1609, in the ACCOUNT OF MARLOWE AND HIS WRITINGS.
<80> Ure] i.e. use, practice.
<81> a-good] âi.e. in good earnest. Tout de bon.â REED (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.).
<82> Enter LODOWICK] A change of scene supposed here,âto the outside of Barabasâs house.
<83> vow love to him] Old ed. âvow TO LOUE himâ: but compare, in Barabasâs next speech but one, âAnd she VOWS LOVE TO HIM,â &c.
<84> made sure] i.e. affianced.
<85> Ludovico] Old ed. âLodowicke.ââIn act iii. we have, âI fear she knowsââtis soâof my device In Don Mathiasâ and LODOVICOâS deaths.â p. 162, sec. col.
<86> happily] i.e. haply.
<87> unsoilâd] âPerhaps we ought to read âunfoilâdâ, consistently with what Barabas said of her before under the figure of a jewelâ âThe diamond that I talk of NEâER WAS FOILâDâ.â COLLIER (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.). But see that passage, p. 155, sec. col., and note ïżœ.<i.e. note 70.>
<88> cross] i.e. piece of money (many coins being marked with a cross on one side).
<89> thou] Old ed. âthee.â
<90> resolvâd] âi.e. satisfied.â GILCHRIST (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.).
<91> Enter BELLAMIRA] She appears, we may suppose, in a veranda or open portico of her house (that the scene is not the interior of the house, is proved by what follows).
<92> Enter MATHIAS. MATHIAS. This is the place, &c.] The scene is some pert of the town, as Barabas appears âABOVE,ââin the balcony of a house. (He stood, of course, on what was termed the upper-stage.)
Old ed. thus;
âEnter MATHIAS. Math. This is the place, now Abigail shall see Whether Mathias holds her deare or no. Enter Lodow. reading. Math. What, dares the villain write in such base terms?
Lod. I did it, and reuenge it if thou darâst.â
<93> Lodovico] Old ed. âLodowicke.ââSee note *, p. 158.<i.e. note 85.>
<94> tall] i.e. bold, brave.
<95> What sight is this!] i.e. What A sight is this! Our early writers often omit the article in such exclamations: compare Shakespeareâs JULIUS CAESAR, act i. sc. 3, where Casca says,
âCassius, WHAT NIGHT IS THIS!â
(after which words the modern editors improperly retain the interrogation-point of the first folio).
<96> Lodovico] Old ed. âLodowicke.â
<97> These arms of mine shall be thy sepulchre] So in Shakespeareâs THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI., act ii. sc. 5, the Father says to the dead Son whom he has killed in battle,
âTHESE ARMS OF MINE shall be thy winding-sheet; My heart, sweet boy, SHALL BE THY SEPULCHRE,ââ
lines, let me add, not to be found in THE TRUE TRAGEDIE OF RICHARD DUKE OF YORKE, on which Shakespeare formed that play.
<98> Katharine] Old ed. âKatherina.â
<99> Enter ITHAMORE] The scene a room in the house of Barabas.
<100> held in hand] i.e. kept in expectation, having their hopes flattered.
<101> bottle-nosed] See note ïżœ, p. 157.<i.e. note 79.>
<102> Jaques] Old ed. âIaynes.â
<103> sire] Old ed. âsinneâ (which, modernised to âsinâ, the editors retain, among many other equally obvious errors of the old copy).
<104> As] Old ed. âAnd.â
<105> Enter BARABAS] The scene is still within the house of Barabas; but some time is supposed to have elapsed since the preceding conference between Abigail and Friar Jacomo.
<106> pretendeth] Equivalent to PORTENDETH; as in our authorâs FIRST BOOK OF LUCAN, âAnd which (ay me) ever PRETENDETH ill,â &c.
<107> self] Old ed. âlifeâ (the compositorâs eye having caught âlifeâ in the preceding line).
<108> âless] Old ed. âleast.â
<109> Well said] See note *, p. 69.
<note *, p. 69, The Second Part of Tamburlaine the Great:
â* Well said] Equivalent toâWell done! as appears from innumerable passages of our early writers: see, for instances, my ed. of Beaumont and Fletcherâs WORKS, vol. i. 328, vol. ii. 445, vol. viii. 254.â>
<110> the proverb says, &c.] A proverb as old as Chaucerâs time: see the SQUIERES TALE, v. 10916, ed. Tyrwhitt.
<111> batten] i.e. fatten.
<112> pot] Old ed. âplot.â
<113> thou shalt have broth by the eye] âPerhaps he meansâthou shalt SEE how the broth that is designed for thee is made, that no mischievous ingredients enter its composition. The passage is, however, obscure.â STEEVENS (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.).ââBY THE EYEâ seems to be equivalent toâin abundance. Compare THE CREED of Piers Ploughman: âGrey grete-heded quenes With gold BY THE EIGHEN.â v. 167, ed. Wright (who has no note on the expression): and Beaumont and Fletcherâs KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE, act ii. sc. 2; âhereâs money and gold BY THâ EYE, my boy.â In Fletcherâs BEGGARSâ BUSH, act iii. sc. 1, we find, âCome, English beer, hostess, English beer BY THE BELLY!â
<114> In few] i.e. in a few words, in short.
<115> hebon] i.e. ebony, which was formerly supposed to be a deadly poison.
<116> Enter FERNEZE, &c.] The scene is the interior of the Council-house.
<117> basso] Old ed. âBashawsâ (the printer having added an S by mistake), and in the preceding stage-direction, and in the fifth speech of this scene, âBashawâ: but in an earlier scene (see p. 148, first col.) we have âbassoesâ (and see our authorâs TAMBURLAINE, PASSIM).
<From p. 148, this play:
âEnter FERNEZE governor of Malta, KNIGHTS, and OFFICERS; met by CALYMATH, and BASSOES of the TURK.â> <118> the resistless banks] i.e. the banks not able to resist.
<119> basilisks] See note ïżœ, p. 25.
<note ïżœ, p. 25, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great:
âbasilisks] Pieces of ordnance so called. They were of immense size; see Douceâs ILLUST. OF SHAKESPEARE, i. 425.â>
<120> Enter FRIAR JACOMO, &c.] Scene, the interior of the Nunnery.
<121> conversâd with me] She alludes to her conversation with Jacomo, p. 162, sec. col.
<p. 162, second column, this play:
âABIGAIL. Welcome, grave friar.âIthamore, be gone. [Exit ITHAMORE.] Know, holy sir, I am bold to solicit thee. FRIAR JACOMO. Wherein?â>
<122> envied] i.e. hated.
<123> practice] i.e. artful contrivance, stratagem.
<124> crucified a child] A crime with which the Jews were often charged. âTovey, in his ANGLIA JUDAICA, has given the several instances which are upon record of these charges against the Jews; which he observes they were never accused of, but at such times as the king was manifestly in great want of money.â REED (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.).
<125> Enter BARABAS, &c.] Scene a street.
<126> to] Which the Editor of 1826 deliberately altered to âlike,â meansâcompared to, in comparison of.
<127> Cazzo] Old ed. âcatho.ââSee Florioâs WORLDE OF WORDES (Ital. and Engl. Dict.) ed. 1598, in v.ââA petty oath, a cant exclamation, generally expressive, among the Italian populace, who have it constantly in their mouth, of defiance or contempt.â Giffordâs note on Jonsonâs WORKS, ii. 48.
<128> nose] See note ïżœ, p. 157.<i.e. note 79.>
<129> inmate] Old ed. âinmates.â
<130> the burden of my sins Lie heavy, &c.] One of the modern editors altered âLIEâ to âLiesâ: but examples of similar phraseology,âof a nominative singular followed by a plural verb when a plural genitive intervenes,âare common in our early writers; see notes on Beaumont and Fletcherâs WORKS, vol. v. 7, 94, vol. ix. 185, ed. Dyce.
<131> sollars] âi.e. lofts, garrets.â STEEVENS (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.).
<132> untold] i.e. uncounted.âOld ed. âvnsold.â
<133> BARABAS. This is mere frailty: brethren, be content.â Friar Barnardine, go you with Ithamore: You know my mind; let me alone with him.
FRIAR JACOMO. Why does he go to thy house? let him be gone]
Old ed. thus; âBAR. This is meere frailty, brethren, be content. Fryar Barnardine goe you with Ithimore. ITH. You know my mind, let me alone with him; Why does he goe to thy house, let him begone.â
<134> the Turk] âMeaning Ithamore.â COLLIER (apud Dodsleyâs O. P.). Compare the last line but one of Barabasâs next speech.
<135> covent] i.e. convent.
<136> Therefore âtis not requisite he should live] Lest the reader should suspect that the author wrote, âTherefore âtis requisite he should not live,â I may observe that we have had before (p. 152, first col.) a similar form of expression,â âIt is not necessary I be seen.â
<137> fair] See note ïżœ, p. 15.<â15â sic.>
<note ïżœ, p. 13, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great:
âIn fair, &c.] Here âFAIRâ is to be considered as a dissyllable: compare, in the Fourth act of our authorâs JEW OF MALTA, âIâll feast you, lodge you, give you FAIR words, And, after that,â &c.â>
<138> shall be done] Here a change of scene is supposed, to the interior of Barabasâs house.
<139> Friar, awake] Here, most probably, Barabas drew a curtain, and discovered the sleeping Friar.
<140> have] Old ed. âsaue.â
<141> What time oâ night isât now, sweet Ithamore? ITHAMORE. Towards one] Might be adduced, among other passages, to shew that the modern editors are right when they print in Shakespeareâs KING JOHN. act iii. sc. 3, âIf the midnight bell Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth, Sound ONE into the drowsy ear of NIGHT,â &c.
<142> Enter FRIAR JACOMO] The scene is now before Barabasâs house,âthe audience having had to SUPPOSE that the body of Barnardine, which Ithamore had set upright, was standing outside the door.
<143> proceed] Seems to be used here as equivalent toâsucceed.
<144> onâs] i.e. of his.
<145> Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.] The scene, as in p. 160, a veranda or open portico of Bellamiraâs house.
<p. 160, this play:
â Enter BELLAMIRA.<91> BELLAMIRA. Since this town was besiegâd,â etc.>
<146> tall] Which our early dramatists generally use in the sense ofâbold, brave (see note ïżœ, p. 161),<i.e. note 94> is here perhaps equivalent toâhandsome. (âTall or SEMELY.â PROMPT. PARV. ed. 1499.)
<147> neck-verse] i.e. the verse (generally the beginning of the 51st Psalm, MISERERE MEI, &c.) read by a criminal to entitle him to benefit of clergy.
<148> of] i.e. on.
<149> exercise] i.e. sermon, preaching.
<150> with a muschatoes] i.e. with a pair of mustachios. The modern editors print âwith MUSTACHIOS,â and âwith a MUSTACHIOSâ: but compare,â
âMy Tuskes more stiffe than are a Cats MUSCHATOES.â S. Rowleyâs NOBLE SPANISH SOLDIER, 1634, Sig. C.
âHis crow-black MUCHATOES.â THE BLACK BOOK,âMiddletonâs WORKS, v. 516, ed. Dyce.
<151> Turk of tenpence] An expression not unfrequently used by our early writers. So Taylor in some verses on Coriat; âThat if he had A TURKE OF TENPENCE bin,â &c. WORKES, p. 82, ed. 1630. And see note on Middletonâs WORKS, iii. 489, ed. Dyce.
<152> you know] Qy. âyou know, SIR,â?
<153> Iâll make him, &c.] Old ed. thus: âIâle make him send me half he has, & glad he scapes so too. PEN AND INKE: Iâll write vnto him, weâle haue mony strait.â There can be no doubt that the words âPen and inkeâ were a direction to the property-man to have those articles on the stage.
<154> cunning] i.e. skilfully prepared.âOld ed. ârunning.â (The MAIDS are supposed to hear their mistressâ orders WITHIN.)
<155> Shalt live with me, and be my love] A line, slightly varied, of Marloweâs well-known song. In the preceding line, the absurdity of âby Dis ABOVEâ is, of course, intentional.
<156> beard] Old ed. âsterd.â
<157> give me a ream of paper: weâll have a kingdom of gold forât]
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