The Plays of William Shakespeare; In Twenty-One Volumes, with the Corrections and Illustrations of Various Commentators, to Which Are Added Notes Volume 15 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1813 edition. Excerpt: ...cousin Cressid: What do you talk of?--Good morrow, Alexander.--How do you, cousin? Good morrow, Alexander, is added, in all the editions, (says Mr. Pope, ) very absurdly, Paris not being on the stage. Wonderful acuteness J Cres. This morning, uncle. Pan. What were you talking of, when I came? Was Hector armed, and gone, ere ye came to Ilium? Helen was not up, was she? Cres. Hector was gone; but Helen was not up. Pan. E'en so; Hector was stirring early. Cres. That were we talking of, and of his anger. Pan. Was he angry? Cres. So he says here. Pan. True, he was so; I know the cause too; he'll lay about him to-day, I can tell them that: and there is Troilus will not come far behind him; let them take heed of Troilus; I can tell them that too. But, with submission, this gentleman's note is much more absurd; for it falls out very unluckily for his remark, that though Paris is, for the generality, in Homer called Alexander; yet, in this play, by any oneof the characters introduced, he is called nothmg but Paris. The truth of the fact is this: Pandarus is of a busy, impertinent, insinuating character; and it is natural for him, so soon as he has given his cousin the good-morrow, to pay his civilities too to her attendant. This is purely Iv yQsi, as the grammarians call it; and gives us an admirable touch of Pan-darus's character. And why might not Alexander be the name of Cressida's man? Paris had no patent, I suppose, for engrossing it to himself. But the late editor, perhaps, because we have had Alexander the Great, Pope Alexander, and Alexander Pope, would not have so eminent a name prostituted to a common varlet. Theobald. This note is not preserved on account of any intelligence it brings, but as a curious specimen of Mr. Theobald's mode of...