SCENE III.--1. _Grey-eyed._ Delius says that _grey_ here and in _Much

Ado_, v. 3. 27 is = "bright blue," and Dyce defines it as "blue, azure"; but there is no reason why the word should not have its ordinary meaning. The _grey_, as in _M.N.D._ iii. 2. 419, _J.C._ ii. 1. 103, and iii. 5. 19 below, is the familiar poetic grey of the early morning before sunrise. Whether ascribed, as here, to the eyes of the Morn, or, as in Milton's _Lycidas_, to her sandals, does not matter. See also on iii. 5. 8 below.

3. _Flecked._ Spotted, dappled; used by S. nowhere else.

4. _From forth._ Cf. _M.W._ iv. 4. 53: "Let them from forth a sawpit rush at once," etc. For _Titan_ as the sun-god, cf. _V. and A._ 177, _T. and C._ v. 10. 25, _Cymb._ iii. 4. 166, etc.

7. _Osier cage._ Basket. Dowden suggests that _of ours_ is "possibly not merely for the rhyme's sake, but because the Franciscan had no personal property."

8. _Precious-juiced flowers._ S. here prepares us for the part which the Friar is afterwards to sustain. Having thus early found him to be a chemist, we are not surprised at his furnishing the sleeping-draught for Juliet. Cf. Brooke's poem:--

"What force the stones, the plants, and metals haue to woorke, And diuers other thinges that in the bowels of earth do loorke, With care I haue sought out, with payne I did then proue; With them eke can I helpe my selfe at times of my behoue," etc.

9. _The earth_, etc. Cf. Milton, _P.L._ ii. 911: "The womb of nature, and perhaps her grave." See also _Per._ ii. 3. 45:--

"Whereby I see that Time's the king of men, He's both their parent, and he is their grave."

15. _Mickle._ Much, great; a word already half obsolete in the time of S. Cf. _C. of E._ iii. 1. 45: "The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame," etc. _Powerful grace_ = "efficacious virtue" (Johnson); or = gracious power.

19. _Strain'd._ Wrenched, forced. Cf. _M. of V._ iv. 1. 184: "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" (that is, excludes the idea of force or compulsion), etc.

23. _Weak._ So all the early eds. except 1st quarto, which has "small." _Weak_ seems the better word as opposed to the following _power_ (Daniel).

25. _With that part._ That is, with its odour. Malone and Clarke take _part_ to be = the sense of smell.

26. _Slays._ The 2d quarto has "staies" (= stops, paralyzes), which some editors prefer.

27. _Encamp them._ For the reflexive use, cf. _Hen. V._ iii. 6. 180: "we'll encamp ourselves." On the figurative _encamp_, cf. _L.C._ 203.

29. _Worser._ Cf. iii. 2. 108 below: "worser than Tybalt's death." _Predominant_ was originally an astrological term. See _A.W._ i. 1. 211, etc.

30. _Canker._ Canker-worm. Cf. _V. and A._ 656: "The canker that eats up Love's tender spring;" _T.G. of V._ i. 1. 43: "in the sweetest bud The eating canker dwells," etc.

34. _Good morrow._ Here = good-by.

37. _Unstuff'd._ "Not overcharged" (Schmidt); used by S. only here.

40. _With some._ The editors generally adopt "by some" from the 1st quarto; but _with = by_ is so common in S. that the reading of all the other early eds. may be accepted. See on i. 1. 148 and i. 2. 49 above. _Distemperature_ = disorder. Cf. _C. of E._ v. 1. 82: "Of pale distemperatures and foes to life."

41, 42. _Or if not so_, etc. Marshall doubts whether S. wrote these lines. Of course, they belong to the first draft of the play.

51. _Both our remedies._ The healing of both of us. Cf. _A.W._ i. 3. 169: "both our mothers" = the mother of both of us. See also _Ham._ iii. 1. 42, _Cymb._ ii. 4. 56, etc.

52. _Lies._ Cf. _V. and A._ 1128:--

"She lifts the coffer-lids that close his eyes, Where lo! two lamps burnt out in darkness lies."

See also _Rich. II_. iii. 3. 168 and _Cymb._ ii. 3. 24.

54. _Steads._ Benefits, helps. Cf. _Temp._ i. 2. 165: "Which since have steaded much;" _M. of V._ i. 3. 7: "May you stead me?" etc.

55. _Homely in thy drift._ Simple in what you have to say. Cf. iv. 1. 114 below.

56. _Riddling._ Cf. _M.N.D._ ii. 2. 53: "Lysander riddles very prettily;" and 1 _Hen. VI._ ii. 3. 57: "a riddling merchant."

61. _When and where and how_, etc. An instance of the so-called "chiastic" construction of which S. was fond. Cf. _M.N.D._ iii. 1. 113, 114, _Ham._ iii. 1. 158, 159, _A. and C._ iii. 2. 15-18, etc.

73. _Sighs._ Compared to vapours which the _sun_ dispels.

72. _To season love._ A favourite metaphor with S., though a homely one; taken from the use of salt in preserving meat. For the reference to salt tears, cf. _A.W._ i. 1. 55, _T.N._ i. 1. 30, _R. of L._ 796, _L.C._ 18, etc.

74. _Ancient._ Aged; as in ii. 4. 133 below. See also _Lear_, ii. 2. 67, _Cymb._ v. 3. 15, etc.

88. _Did read by rote_, etc. "Consisted of phrases learned by heart, but knew nothing of the true characters of love" (Schmidt).

93. _I stand on sudden haste._ I must be in haste. Cf. the impersonal use of _stand on_ or _upon_ = it concerns, it is important to; as in _C. of E._ iv. 1. 68: "Consider how it stands upon my credit;" _Rich._ _II._ ii. 3. 138: "It stands your grace upon to do him right" (that is, it is your duty), etc. Cf. ii. 4. 34 below.