.Hay I. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



411 



■And finishes six lines lower down with : 

 " Take thy commission." 



And It is not a little singular, that this word 

 *'hold," having been at first similarly misinter- 

 preted, proved as great a stumbling-block to Tyr- 

 whitt and otliers, who seemed to grope about in 

 •sheer perverseness, catching at any meaning for 

 it rather than the right, and certainly the obvious 

 one. A.E.B. 



Leeds. 



PBESEKTIMENT. 



Seeing, in some of the fi)rmer ISTumbers of the 

 *'■ N". & Q.," a collection of instances of sudden 

 ^igh spb-its immediately preceding some great 

 ^calamity, it occurred to me that it would be not 

 uninteresting to throw together a few instances of 

 sudden low spirits, or illness, attended with a simi- 

 lar result. Here our only embarrassment is that 

 ■of riches. 



Tlie first example I have selected is taken from 

 the Relation de la Mort de MM. le Due et le Car- 

 dinal de Guisp, by the Sieur Miron, physician to 

 King Henry III. He first narrates the prepara- 

 tions for tlie Duke's assassination, and then pro- 

 ^3eds as follows : — 



" Et peu apres que le Due de Guise fut assis au 

 conseil, ' J'ai froid, dit-il, le coeur me fait mal : que Ton 

 fasse de feu,' et s'adressant au Sieur de Morfontaine, 

 •tresorier de I'epargne, * Monsieur de Morfontaine, je 

 vous prie de dire a M. de S' Prix, premier valet de 

 chambre de roy, que je le prie de me donner des raisins 

 ■de Darnas ou de la conserve de roses.' . . . . Le Due 

 ^e Guise met des prunes dans son drageoir, jette le de- 

 meurant sur le tapis. ' Messieurs, dit-il. qui en veut ?' 

 -^et se leve. Mais ainsi qu'il est a deux pas pres de 

 la porte de vieux cabinet, prend sa barbe avec la main 

 droite, et tourne le corps et le feu a demi pour regarder 

 -ceux qui le suivoieut, fut tout soudain saisi au bras par 

 le Sieur de Montsery I'aine, qui etoit ores de la che- 

 minee, sur I'opinion qu'il ait, que le due voulut se 

 teculer pour se mettre en defense." 



The Sieurs des Effranats, de Saint Malines, and 

 de Loignac hasten to take part in this goodly piece 

 of work, which the Sieur de Montsery the elder 

 has so gallantly begun. Having the Sieur des 

 Effranats hanging on his knees, the Sieur de Mont- 

 sery the elder clinging to his arm, the Sieur de 

 Saint j\Lalines' dagger sticking in his chest close to 

 his throat, and the Sieur de Loignac's sword run 

 Ihrough his reins, the Duke for some time drags 

 them all. four np and down the chamber; at last 

 lie MU exhausted on the King's bed. Upon this 

 the King — 



" Etant en son cabinet, leur ayant demande s'ils 

 avoient fait, en sortit et donna un coup de pied par le 

 visage a ce pauvre mort." 



Surely it was not without good cause that the 

 Duke, a few minutes before, felt " a chill at his 

 heart." — 



In the next instance I shall cite, the sudden 

 illness Ibrbodes, not any calamity to the person 

 affected by it, but to the companion of his journey. 

 It is taken from " Arden of Feversham, his true 

 and lamentable Tragedy," author unknown, 1592. 

 Arden and his friend Franklin are travelling by 

 night to Arden's house at Feversham. Franklin 

 is beguiling the tediousness of the way with a tale. 

 The rest the dramatist shall relate in his own 

 words : 



•' Arden. Come, Master Franklin, onward with your 

 tale, 



Frank. I'll assure you. Sir, you task me much : 

 A heavy blood is gatliered at my heart ; 

 And on the sudden is my wind so short, 

 As hindereth the passage of my speech : 

 So fierce a qualm ne'er yet assailed me, 



Arden. Come, Master Franklin, let us go on softly:' 

 The annoyance of the dust, or else some meat 

 You ate at dinner, cannot brook with you. 

 I have been often so, and soon amended. 



Frank. Do you remember where my tale did leave? 



Arden. Ay, where the gentleman did check his wife. ' 



Frank. She, being reprehended for the fact, 

 Witness produced, that took her with the deed. 

 Her glove brought in, which there she lefl behind. 

 And many other assured arguments, 

 Her husband asked her whether it were not so — 



Arden. Her answer then ? I wonder liow she looked, 

 Having foresworn it with such vehement oaths, 

 And at the instant so approved upon her. 



Frank. First she did cast her eyes down on the earth. 

 Watching the drops that fell amain from thence : 

 Then softly draws she out her handkercher. 

 And modestly she wipes her tear-slain'd face. 

 Then hemm'd she out, to clear her voice it should seem^ 

 And with a majesty addrest herself 

 To encounter all their accusations — 

 Pardon me. Master Arden, I can no more; 

 Tliis fighting at my heart makes short my wind. 



Arden. Come, we are almost now at Raynham Down J 

 Your pretty tale beguiles tiie weary way : 

 I would you were in ease to tell it out." 



Here they are set upon by ruffians, hired by 

 Arden's wife and her paramour. Arden is killed. — 



In the two preceding instances an affection of 

 the heart is the herald of misfortune. In Titus 

 Andronicus (Act II., Sc. 4.), Quintus and Martius 

 are afflicted with a sudden dulness of sight, which 

 seems at once to be an omen of impending danger, 

 and to facilitate their succumbing to it. 



"Scene. A desert part of the forest. Enter Aarojx thz 

 Moor, with Quintcs and Martius. 



Aaron. Come on, my lords, the better foot before : 

 Straight will I bring you to the loathsome pit. 

 Where I espied the panther fast asleep. 



Quin. My sight is very dull, whate'er it bodes. 



