The Jew of Malta, Christopher Marlowe [best classic books to read TXT] 📗

A quibble. REALM was frequently written ream; and frequently (as the following passages shew), even when the former spelling was given, the L was not sounded;

“Vpon the siluer bosome of the STREAME First gan faire Themis shake her amber locks, Whom all the Nimphs that waight on Neptunes REALME Attended from the hollowe of the rocks.” Lodge’s SCILLAES METAMORPHOSIS, &c. 1589, Sig. A 2.

“How he may surest stablish his new conquerd REALME, How of his glorie fardest to deriue the STREAME.” A HERINGS TAYLE, &c. 1598, Sig. D 3.

“Learchus slew his brother for the crowne; So did Cambyses fearing much the DREAME; Antiochus, of infamous renowne, His brother slew, to rule alone the REALME.” MIROUR FOR MAGISTRATES, p. 78, ed. 1610.

<158> runs division] “A musical term [of very common occurrence].” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).

<159> Enter BARABAS] The scene certainly seems to be now the interior of Barabas’s house, notwithstanding what he presently says to Pilia-Borza (p. 171, sec. col.), “Pray, when, sir, shall I see you at my house?”

<160> tatter’d] Old ed. “totter’d”: but in a passage of our author’s EDWARD THE SECOND the two earliest 4tos have “TATTER’D robes”:—and yet Reed in a note on that passage (apud Dodsley’s OLD PLAYS, where the reading of the third 4to, “tottered robes”, is followed) boldly declares that “in every writer of this period the word was spelt TOTTERED”! The truth is, it was spelt sometimes one way, sometimes the other.

<161> catzery] i.e. cheating, roguery. It is formed from CATSO (CAZZO, see note *, p. 166 <i.e. note 127>), which our early writers used, not only as an exclamation, but as an opprobrious term.

<162> cross-biting] i.e. swindling (a cant term).—Something has dropt out here.

<163> tale] i.e. reckoning.

<164> what he writes for you] i.e. the hundred crowns to be given to the bearer: see p. 170, sec. col.

<p. 170, second column, this play:

“ITHAMORE. [writing] SIRRAH JEW, AS YOU LOVE YOUR LIFE, SEND ME FIVE HUNDRED CROWNS, AND GIVE THE BEARER A HUNDRED. —Tell him I must have’t.”>

<165> I should part] Qy. “I E’ER should part”?

<166> rid] i.e. despatch, destroy.

<167> Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.] They are supposed to be sitting in a veranda or open portico of Bellamira’s house: see note *, p. 168.<i.e. note 145.>

<168> Of] i.e. on.

<169> BELLAMIRA.] Old ed. “Pil.”

<170> Rivo Castiliano] The origin of this Bacchanalian exclamation has not been discovered. RIVO generally is used alone; but, among passages parallel to that of our text, is the following one (which has been often cited),— “And RYUO will he cry and CASTILE too.” LOOKE ABOUT YOU, 1600, Sig. L. 4. A writer in THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW, vol. xliii. 53, thinks that it “is a misprint for RICO-CASTELLANO, meaning a Spaniard belonging to the class of RICOS HOMBRES, and the phrase therefore is— ‘Hey, NOBLE CASTILIAN, a man’s a man!’ ‘I can pledge like a man and drink like a man, MY WORTHY TROJAN;’ as some of our farce-writers would say.” But the frequent occurrence of RIVO in various authors proves that it is NOT a misprint.

<171> he] Old ed. “you”.

<172> and he and I, snicle hand too fast, strangled a friar] There is surely some corruption here. Steevens (apud Dodsley’s O. P.) proposes to read “hand TO FIST”. Gilchrist (ibid.) observes, “a snicle is a north-country word for a noose, and when a person is hanged, they say he is snicled.” See too, in V. SNICKLE, Forby’s VOC. OF EAST ANGLIA, and the CRAVEN DIALECT.—The Rev. J. Mitford proposes the following (very violent) alteration of this passage; “Itha. I carried the broth that poisoned the nuns; and he and I— Pilia. Two hands snickle-fast— Itha. Strangled a friar.”

<173> incony] i.e. fine, pretty, delicate.—Old ed. “incoomy.”

<174> they stink like a hollyhock] “This flower, however, has no offensive smell. STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). Its odour resembles that of the poppy.

<175> mushrooms] For this word (as, indeed, for most words) our early writers had no fixed spelling. Here the old ed. has “Mushrumbs”: and in our author’s EDWARD THE SECOND, the 4tos have “mushrump.”

<176> under the elder when he hanged himself] That Judas hanged himself on an elder-tree, was a popular legend. Nay, the very tree was exhibited to the curious in Sir John Mandeville’s days: “And faste by, is zit the Tree of Eldre, that Judas henge him self upon, for despeyt that he hadde, whan he solde and betrayed oure Lorde.” VOIAGE AND TRAVAILE, &c. p. 112. ed. 1725. But, according to Pulci, Judas had recourse to a carob-tree: “Era di sopra a la fonte UN CARRUBBIO, L’ARBOR, SI DICE, OVE S’IMPICCO GIUDA,” &c. MORGANTE MAG. C. xxv. st. 77.

<177> nasty] Old ed. “masty.”

<178> me] Old ed. “we”.

<179> Enter Ferneze, &c.] Scene, the interior of the Council-house.

<180> him] Qy. “‘em”?

<181> Exeunt all, leaving Barabas on the floor] Here the audience were to suppose that Barabas had been thrown over the walls, and that the stage now represented the outside of the city.

<182> Bassoes] Here old ed. “Bashawes.” See note �, p. 164. <i.e. note 117.>

<183> trench] A doubtful reading.—Old ed. “Truce.”—“Query ‘sluice’? ‘TRUCE’ seems unintelligible.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).—The Rev. J. Mitford proposes “turret” or “tower.”

<184> channels] i.e. kennels.

<185> Enter CALYMATH, &c.] Scene, an open place in the city.

<186> vail] i.e. lower, stoop.

<187> To kept] i.e. To have kept.

<188> Entreat] i.e. Treat.

<189> Bassoes] Here old ed. “Bashawes.” See note �, p. 164. <i.e. note 117.>

<190> Thus hast thou gotten, &c.] A change of scene is supposed here—to the Citadel, the residence of Barabas as governor.

<191> Whenas] i.e. When. <192> Within here] The usual exclamation is “Within THERE!” but compare THE HOGGE HATH LOST HIS PEARLE (by R. Tailor), 1614; “What, ho! within HERE!” Sig. E 2.

<193> sith] i.e. since.

<194> cast] i.e. plot, contrive.

<195> Bassoes] Here and afterwards old ed. “Bashawes.” See note �, p. 164.<i.e. note 117.>—Scene, outside the walls of the city.

<196> basilisk[s] See note �, p. 25.

<note �, p. 25, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great: “� basilisks] Pieces of ordnance so called. They were of immense size; see Douce’s ILLUST. OF SHAKESPEARE, i. 425.”>

<197> And, toward Calabria, &c.] So the Editor of 1826.—Old ed. thus: “And toward Calabria back’d by Sicily, Two lofty Turrets that command the Towne. WHEN Siracusian Dionisius reign’d; I wonder how it could be conquer’d thus?”

<198> Enter FERNEZE, &c.] Scene, a street.

<199> linstock] “i.e. the long match with which cannon are fired.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).

<200> Enter, above, &c.] Scene, a hall in the Citadel, with a gallery.

<201> FIRST CARPENTER.] Old ed. here “Serv.”; but it gives “CARP.” as the prefix to the second speech after this.

<202> off] An interpolation perhaps.

<203> sun] Old ed. “summe.”

<204> ascend] Old ed. “attend.”

<205> A charge sounded within: FERNEZE cuts the cord; the floor of the gallery gives way, and BARABAS falls into a caldron placed in a pit. Enter KNIGHTS and MARTIN DEL BOSCO]

Old ed. has merely “A charge, the cable cut, A Caldron discouered.”

<206> Christian] Old ed. “Christians.”

<207> train] i.e. stratagem.

<208> pretended] i.e. intended.

<209> mediate] Old ed. “meditate.”

<210> all] Old ed. “call.”

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ANGLE BRACKETS:

Any place where angle brackets are used, i.e. < >, it is a change made during the preparation of this E-Text. The original printed book did not use this character at all.

 

SQUARE BRACKETS:

The square brackets, i.e. [ ] are copied from the printed book, without change, except that the stage directions usually do not have closing brackets. These have been added.

 

FOOTNOTES:

For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been consolidated at the end of the play.

Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote is given a unique identity in the form <XXX>.

 

CHANGES TO THE TEXT:

Character names were expanded. For Example, BARABAS was BARA., FERNEZE was FERN., etc.

 

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