Act 5 — FOOTNOTES:

[1] He is mentioned by Webbe, in his "Discourse of English Poetrie," 1586, Sign. C 4, with other poets of that time, as Whetstone, Munday, Grange, Knight, Wilmot, Darrell, F.C. F.K., G.B., and others, whose names he could not remember.

[2] Robert Wilmot, A.M., was presented to the rectory of North Okenham, in Essex, the 28th of November 1582, by Gabriel Poyntz: and to the vicarage of Horndon on the Hill, in the same county, the 2d December 1585, by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's.—Newcourt's "Repertorium." —Steevens.

[3] The same person, who was the author of "A Discourse of English Poetrie: together with the Authors judgment, touching the reformation of our English Verse." B.L. 4to, 1586. [This "Discourse" is reprinted in Haslewood'a "Ancient Critical Essays," 1811-15.]

[4] [An English translation was published in 1577.]

[5] These three sonnets following occur both in Lansdowne MS. (786) and Hargrave MS. (205), but the first was not included in the printed copy of 1591.

[6] Pheer signifies a husband, a friend, or a companion, and in all these senses it is used in our ancient writers. It here means a husband. So in Lyly's "Euphues," 1581, p. 29: "If he be young, he is the more fitter to be thy pheere. If he bee olde, the lyker to thine aged father." It occurs again in act ii. sc. 3, and act iv. sc. 3.

[7] Prevent, or forbid. So in "Euphues and his England," 1582, p. 40: "For never shall it be said that Iffida was false to Thirsus, though Thirsus be faithlesse (which the gods forefend) unto Iffida."

[8] Command. So in Lyly's "Euphues and his England," p. 78: "For this I sweare by her whose lightes canne never die, Vesta, and by her whose heasts are not to be broken, Diana," &c.

Again, in Shakespeare's "Tempest," act iii. sc. 1—

"O my father, I have broke your hest to say so!"

And in the prologue to [Peele's] "Araygnement of Paris," 1584—

"Done by the pleasure of the powers above, Whose hestes men must obey."

The word occurs again in act iv. sc. 2, act iv. sc. 4, and act v. sc. 1.

[9] The second and third sonnets are now given (verbatim et literatim) in a note, as they stand in Lansdowne MS. 786. They will serve to show how slight were Wilmot's improvements, and will leave it perhaps open to doubt whether the changes made in 1591 were always changes for the better.

An other to the same.

Flowers of prime, pearles couched in gold, sonne of our day that gladdeneth the hart of them that shall yo'r shining beames behold, salue of eche sore, recure of euery smart, in whome vertue and beautie striueth soe that neither yeldes: loe here for you againe Gismondes vnlucky loue, her fault, her woe, and death at last, here fére and father slayen through her missehap. And though ye could not see, yet rede and rue their woefull destinie. So Joue, as your hye vertues doen deserue, geue you such féres as may yo'r vertues serue w'th like vertues: and blissfull Venus send Vnto your happy loue an happy end.

An other to the same.

Gismond, that whilom liued her fathers ioy, and dyed his death, now dead doeth (as she may) by vs pray you to pitie her anoye; and, to reacquite the same, doeth humbly pray Joue shield yo'r vertuous loues from like decay. The faithfull earle, byside the like request, doeth wish those wealfull wightes, whom ye embrace. the constant truthe that liued within his brest; his hearty loue, not his unhappy case to fall to such as standen in your grace. The king, prayes pardon of his cruel hest: and for amendes desireth it may suffise, that w'th his blood he teacheth now the rest of fond fathers, that they in kinder wise entreat the iewelles where their comfort lyes. And we their messagers beseche ye all on their behalfes, to pitie all their smartes: and on our own, although the worth be small, we pray ye to accept our simple hartes auowed to serue, w'th prayer and w'th praise your honors, as vnable otherwayes.

[10] The play, as written in 1568, and as altered by Wilmot in 1591, differs so much throughout, that it has been found impracticable, without giving the earlier production entire, to notice all the changes. Certain of the variations, however, and specialities in the Lansdowne MS., as far as the first and second scenes of the first act, will be printed (as a specimen) in the notes.

[11] In the Lansdowne MS. another person of the drama is mentioned: "Claudia, a woman of Gismunda's privie chamber;" and for Choruses we have: "Chorus, four gentlewomen of Salerne."

[12] Not in the MSS.

[13] The County Palurin, a few lines lower, is called Earl. Mr Tyrwhitt says that County signified noblemen in general; and the examples which might be quoted from this play would sufficiently prove the truth of the observation. See "Shakespeare," vol. x., p. 39. [County for Count is not very unusual; but it may be doubted if, as Tyrwhitt thought, County signified noblemen in general.]

[14] This is in the two MSS., but varies in many verbal particulars.

[15] Not in the copy of 1591.

[16] Presented to Gismond. She filled up the cup wherein the heart was brought with her tears and with certain poisonous water, by her distilled for that purpose, and drank out this deadly drink. —Copy of 1568.

[17] The story of this tragedy is taken from Boccaccio's "Decameron," day 4th, novel first. [It was turned into verse] by William Walter, a retainer to Sir Henry Marney, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, [and printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1532. A different version appeared in] 1597, under the title of "The Statly Tragedy of Guistard and Sismond, in two Bookes," in a volume entitled, "Certaine Worthye Manuscript Poems of great Antiquitie, reserved long in the Studie of a Northfolke Gent., and now first published by J.S." Mr Dryden also versified it a second time. See his works, vol. iii., 8vo edition, p. 245. Oldys, in his MSS. Notes on Langbaine, says the same story is in Painter's Palace of Pleasure, vol. i., and a French novel called "Guiscard et Sigismonde fille de Tancredus Prince de Salerne mis en Latin. Par Leon Arretin, et traduit in vers François, par Jean Fleury." [See Brunet, dern. edit. v. Aretinus, Hazlitt's edit. of Warton, 1871, and "Popular Poetry," ii. 66.]

[18] [This line is not in the MSS.]

[19] [Lo I in shape that seem unto your sight.—Lansdowme MS.]

[20] [Do rule the world, and every living thing.—Ibid.]

[21] This word seems anciently to have been pronounced as two syllables. See "Cornelia," act iv., Chorus.

[22] [And eat the living heart.—Lansdowne MS.]

[23] An epithet adopted from Virgil's "Aeneid," lib. vi, line 729—

"Et quae marmoreo fert monstra sub aequore pontus."

Ibid. lib. vii. v. 28—

"Lento luctantur marmore tonsae."

Again, "Georg. I.," v. 254—

"Infidum remis impellere marmor."

—Steevens.

[24] [What secret hollow doth the huge seas hide, When blasting fame mine acts hath not forth blown.] —Lansdowne MS.

[25] Io.

[26] [Grazing in.—Lansdowne MS.]

[27] Like to Amphitrio [when he presented himself] to Alcmena.

[28] [Me.—Lansdowne MS.]

[29] [The bloody Mars hath felt my.—Do.]

[30] [Evened.—Do.]

[31] Hercules.

[32] Alexander.

[33] [Won the famous golden fleece.—M.S.]

[34] [What nature's bond or law's restraint avails, To conquer and deface me every hour.—MS.]

[35] Myrrha.

[36] i.e., For pity. So, act ii. sc. 2—

"As easily befalls that age which asketh ruth."