268 ([return])
[ I thus conceiving, and subduing both, That which hath stoop'd the chiefest of the gods, Even from the fiery-spangled veil of heaven, To feel the lovely warmth of shepherds' flames, And mask in cottages of strowed reeds, &c.
i.e. I thus feeling, and also subduing, the power of Beauty, which has drawn down the chiefest of the gods even from, &c.
The 8vo has,
"I thus conceiuing and subduing both.
That which hath STOPT the TEMPEST of the Gods,
Euen from the fiery spangled vaile of heauen,
To feele the louely warmth of shepheards flames,
And MARTCH in cottages of strowed WEEDS," &c.
The 4to has,
"I thus concieuing and subduing both,
That which hath STOPT the TEMPEST of the Gods,
Euen from the SPANGLED FIRIE vaile of heauen,
To feele the louely warmth of Shepheardes flames,
And MARCH in COATCHES of strowed WEEDES," &c.
The alterations which I have made in this corrupted passage are supported by the following lines of the play;
"See now, ye slaves, my children STOOP YOUR PRIDE (i.e. make
your pride to stoop),
And lead your bodies sheep-like to the sword."
Part Second,—act iv. sc. 1.
"The chiefest god, FIRST MOVER OF THAT SPHERE", &c.
Part First,—act iv. sc. 2.
"Jove SOMETIME masked IN A SHEPHERD'S WEED", &c.
Part First,—act i. sc. 2.
Perhaps in the third line of the present passage "fiery-spangled" should be "FIRE-YSPANGLED.">[
269 ([return])
[ Attend.] Old eds. "An." (a misprint probably), which the modern editors understand as "Anippe" (the waiting-maid of Zenocrate).]