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• Introduction
• The Life of Marcus Antonius
• The Life of Caius Martius Coriolanus
• Notes
• The Life of Marcus Antonius
• The Life of Martius Coriolanus

THE LIFE OF MARCUS ANTONIUS

P. I, 11. 4–9. marginal note. This note is borrowed from Amyot, who writes: ‘Pourautâá qu'il acheua & ter-mina par sa mort la guerre qu'il auoit peu heureusement conduicte cōtre ceux de Crete, 'est à dire, Candie. Florus en l’ épitome du liure 97. ‘Amyot's reference, omitted by North, is to the work of a Latin historian of the age of Trajan,L. Atnnæi Flori Rerum Romanarum Epitome. The passage alluded to is probably the seventh chapter of the third book (ed. 1827, Paris, pp. 230, 231), which is headed ‘Bellum Creticum,’ and mentions with dispraise the father of Antony: ‘Primus invasit insulam Marcus Antonius, cum ingenti quidem victoriæ spe atque fiducia, adeo ut plures catenas in navibus quam arma portaret, etc.’

1. 16. errand. The early editions have the old spelling ‘arrant,’ which survives in pronunciation in many dialects.

P. 3, 1. 22. and was. The subject of the verb is, of course, ‘Antonius.’

1. 24. a castle of his. Not a very exact rendering of the French, ‘la plus forte place qu'ilz eussent.’ The passage, from ‘and was’ in 1. 22, runs in the Greek: αντòς μÈν ÈπÉβη τοŨ μεγíσυ τòν Τςυμἄτων ππῶτος.

P. 4, 1. 9. made it dainty: ‘hesitated,’ a not uncommon idiom; cf. N.E.D. s. v. Dainty, sb. 7. The French has ‘faisoit quelque difficulté.’

1. 18. deep sands. Amyot has ‘des profondes sablonnieres,’ but adds the marginal note, ‘Autres lisent ωδοὺς βαθέιας, qui seroit à dire, chemin creux: mais le premier est meilleur.’ The accepted Greek reading, ψάμμου βαθείας, bears out his statement.

1. 20. Serbonides. This is the form of the adjective in the old editions, and in the French. Several modern editors substitute ‘Serbonian,’ doubtless with Miltonic reminiscence; cf. Paradise Lost, II. 593. The Greek uses the genitive of the noun,τῆς Σερβωνίδος.

1. 25. the sea on this side is, of course, the Mediterranean, as the Latin version explicitly states.

P. 5, II. 10, 11. and were many in number. A parenthetical clause referring to ‘battles and skirmishes.’ Amyot's wording is ‘battailies … grosses & en grand nombre.’ The 1603 version of North substituted ‘being’ for ‘and were.

P. 7,1. 18. that had changed his garments: i.e. ‘who had changed sides.’ An overliteral translation of ‘qui auoit tourné sa robbe.’ The Greek has merely Éκ μεταβολῆς.

P. 9, 1. 14. Philippics: i.e. the fourteen orations against Antony delivered after Caesar's assassination, so called from their analogy to Demosthenes's speeches against Philip of Macedon. The passage to which Plutarch alludes occurs in the second Philippic, chapter 22 (Delphin ed., London, 1830, Orationes, Vol. V. p. 2679) ‘Ut Helena Trojanis, sic iste huic reipublicae causa belli, causa pestis atque exitii fuit.’ The old editions of North print ‘Philippides,’ though Amyot has correctly ‘Phllippiques.’

P. 10, 1. 20. injuried. This is the spelling of the early editions of North. The verbs ‘injure’ and ‘injury’ were used quite interchangeably by Elizabethan writers.

P. 13,1. 3. before. An adverb.

P. 14, I. 27. Cytheris. North, following Amyot, spells ‘Cytheride.’

P. 15, I. 15. gillots. Probably the same word as ‘jilt.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Gillot, fillet, and filt.

11. 22, 23. laid the reins of the bridle upon the soldiers' necks. A heightening of Amyot's ‘lascha la bride aux gens de guerre.’

P. 16, 1. 9. faults. The first and second editions of North have ‘fault,’ but this is a misprint. Amyot uses the plural, which is required by the sense, and is supplied in the editions of 1603, etc.

P. 17, I. 6. ‘for being known.’ The preposition is used in the very common Middle English sense of ‘for fear of,’ ‘to avoid.‘ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. 23, c, d.

11. 9, 10. ramped of her neck, and kissed her: περιβαλν κατεφὶλκσε. ‘Ramped of’ means ‘leaped on.’ Ed. 1603 substitutes ‘on’ for ‘of,’ which in this sense was then rather archaic.

1. 21. fift. So the old editions, preserving the etymologically correct form (O.E. ‘fifth’). The modern ‘fifth’ follows the analogy of ‘fourth’ (O.E. ‘féorða’). So modern ‘sixth’ from O.E. ‘sixta.’

P. 18,Il. 11, 12. menning by: ‘entendant de.’

P. 20, I. 6. consort. Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Consort sb², 1.

P. 28, 1. 17. Island. The first two editions preserve the etymological spelling ‘Iland’ (O.E. iglond). These editions generally omit the ‘ς’ in ‘Isle’ also, where, however, it is etymologically correct as the latter word is derived through the French from Latin insulam.

P. 29, 11. 18, 19. three hundred. ‘Two hundred’ in the Life of Brutus (cf. Vol. I. p. 149,1. 12). The inconsistency is Plutarch's. Shakespeare (fulius Caesar, IV. iii. 174–6) makes the number slain one hundred.

1. 24.. Philippides. Here again the early editions write ‘Philippides.’ Cf. note to p. 9, 1. 14. Amyot calls the orations ‘Antoniennes.’ The Greek uses no adjective, Plutarch's phrase being simply τοτ᾽ς κοὐαι'αὐιοῦ(i. e. Antonius) λόγους.

P. 31, 1. 7. policy: ‘trickery.’ For Shakespearean instances of the use of the word in this sense cf. Schmidt, Sh.-Lex. s.v. 4.

P. 34,11. 18, 19. These are the fourth and fifth lines of Oedipus Tyrannus. The Greek is:

• πόλις δ' όμοῦ μὲν θυμιαμάτων γέμει
• ὁμοῦ δε παιάνωγ τε ὰαὶ στεναγμὰτων,

which Amyot translated,

• ‘Pleine de chants, perfums, encensemens,
• De pleurs aussi & de gemissemens.’

Plutarch quotes only the last verse; the other is added by Amyot.

P. 35, 1. 6. A citizen's house of Magnesia: a frequent construction in early writers. Cf. Kellner, Historical Outlines of English Syntax, § 469.

P. 36,1. 20. bourding: ‘jesting.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v.

P. 39, 1. 12. post alone: ‘entirely alone.’ For a number of instances of this formerly not uncommon phrase, number cf. N.K.D. s.v. Post alone.

P. 40,1. 8. slents: ‘jokes.’ Nares appears to be the first lexicographer to notice this word. He quotes the present passage and another in North where ‘slent’ is used as a verb. Cf. also Century Dictionarys.v.

P. 44, 11. 11–13. Antonius shewed them a comical face … a grim look. The Greek has: τῷ|τραγικῷ πρὸτοῶς 'Ρωμαῦους χρῆται προσῷπῶ, τῷ δÈ κωμικῷ πρὸς αὺτοὑς.

P. 47, 1. 9. Accia. The received spelling is ‘Atia.’

P. 48, 1. 13. Misenum. North writes ‘Misena,’ here and elsewhere.

1. 21. a certain. The word ‘quantity,’ found in Amyot, is omitted, perhaps by mistake, but ‘certain’ is not infrequently used as a noun by old writers. Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Certain B. II. 4, and the instances there quoted.

P. 49, 1. 13. gables. An alternative form of ‘cables.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Gable sb.²

II. 23, 24. to keep them they should come no further. The conjunction ‘that’ is, of course, to be supplied before ‘they.’

P. 51, 1. 20. stickler: a referee or judge. This is the original meaning of the word. It is spelled ‘stiteler’ in M.E. and seems certainly to be derived from M.E. stightlen, ‘to arrange.’ Cf. Nares' Glossary, Skeat's Etymological Dictionary, etc.

P. 52 1. l, Orodes' son king of Parthia: i.e. ‘son of Orodes king of Parthia.’ Cf. note to p. 35, 1. 6, and reference there cited.

11. 22–24. that they should not think he did anything but by his Lieutenant Ventidius. A mistranslation; ‘that they should not think he did everything by means of his lieutenant V.’ would be nearer the sense. The Greek is: Βουλόμενος ἔ ρν γε τοῦτο τῶν ἔργων ἐπώνυμον αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι κγί μὴ πάντα διά Οὐεντιδίου κατορθοῦσθαι.

P. 57, 1. 9. Phraates. Amyot and North adhere throughout to the incorrect spelling ‘Phraortes.’

1. 12, marginal note. Orodes, king of Parthia. Instead of ‘Parthia,’ the old editions have ‘Persia.’ The marginal notes, first found in North's translation, were obviously compiled very carelessly, but Parthia and Persia were not infrequently confused by Latin writers.

P. 59 1. 26. carriage. Cf. note to Vol. 1. p. 55, 1.2, and p. 62, 11. 3, 4 of this volume.

P. 60, 1. 23. fardels: ‘bundles,’ cf. N.E.D. s.v. Fardel sb.¹ 1.

P. 61, 11. 6, 7. they appeared to be soldiers indeed, to see them march in so good array as was possible. The meaning is clear enough, but the syntax of the sentence defies explanation. North has translated a little too closely Amyot's ‘leur semblolent bien gens de guerre à les ueoir marcher en si bonne ordonnance qu'il n'estoit pas possible de mieulx.’ The editor of 1631, troubled by the grammatical difficulty, changed the words above to ‘took them for soldiers indeed, for that they marched in as good array as was possible.’

P. 64, 11. 6–9. to the end it should not appear … danger he was in. A very involved way of expressing Plutarch's idea, ὡς δὴ μὴ παντάπασιν ὺγαπᾶν τὸ σωθῆναι καὶ διαφυγεῖν νομισθείη.

P. 65, 1. 13. fetch: ‘trick.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Fetch sb.¹ 2.

P. 71, 1. 13. javelins. The spelling of the original edition is ‘javelings,’ as very commonly in early English.

P. 72, 1. 22. eight. The ordinal. Cf. Vol. 1. p. 106, 1. 17, and note.

P. 73, 1. 19. Cyrus. The second edition prints by mistake ‘Cyprus’ in the text, though the marginal note has ‘Cyrus’ correctly.

I. 20. farther. Ed. 1579 prints ‘farder.’

P. 75, 1. 4. champaign. The old editions use the common Elizabethan form of the word, ‘champion.’

11. 10, 11. the same fortune that Marcus Crassus did. The standard account of the destruction of Crassus and his army by the Parthians (b.c. 53) is found in Plutarch's Life of Crassus.

1.25. sallets: ‘light helmets.’ Cf. Vol. 1. p. 188, 1. 10.

P. 79, 1. 1. defended: ‘warded off.’ The primary sense of the word.

11. 2, 3. hand strokes: ‘handy strokes’ in ed. 1595, etc.

1. 15. sixt. The etymological form, answering to O.E. ‘sixta.‘ Cf. note on ‘rift,’ p. 17, 1. 21.

P. 80, 1. 17. Artabazus. The proper spelling is ‘Artavasdes.’

11. 17, 18. had reserved Antonius to end this war: mistranslated. The correct rendering would be, ‘had prevented A. from ending.’ Amyot has ‘auoit gardé Antonius de mener a chef ceste guerre,’ where ‘gardé’ means ‘hindered.’ Plutarch's words are: κατάδκλος ην Ἀρταουάσδκςὁ ἈρμÉνιος Ἀντώνμον τσ τÈλος ἀφελὸμενος.

P. 81, 1. 3 egg: ‘urge.’

1. 20. mew. Cf. Vol. I. p. 145, 1. 22, and note.

1. 22. Blancbourg. Αευκὴ κὼμκ in Plutarch. ‘Blancbourg’ is Amyot's translation, which North accepted apparently as a Greek proper name.

P. 83, il. 24, 25. knowing that Octavia would have Antonius from her. ‘Would’ means ‘wished to’; French ‘uouloit.’

P. 84, 11. 2–13. The means by which Cleopatra retains Antony's affection are quite different in Shakespeare. Cf. Antony and Cleopatra, I. iii. 2–5.

• ‘See where he i’s, who's with him, what he does;
• I did not send you: if you find him sad,
• Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report
• That I am sudden sick.’

P. 85, 1. 7. made peace with him. ‘Formed a league with him’ would be a better translation of εἴςφιλίαν προσκγἀγειο: ‘him’ refers to the king of the Medes.

P. 87, 11. 2, 3. a high copped-tank hat on his head, narrow in the top. Amyot has ‘un hault chappeau pointu sur la teste, dont la pointe estoit droitte,’ translating Plutarch's κίταριν ὀρθὴν (c Liddell and Scott, s.v. κίδαρις). ‘Copped-tank’ is a word of very uncertain etymology; the little that is known of it will be found in N.E.D.s.v. Copin-tank.

1. 26. triumvirate. Used apparently in the sense of ‘fellow-triumvir.’ The Greek phrase is τὸν συνὰρχοντα ΑÉπιδον

P. 91, 1. 2. hits father. The 1579 edition reads ‘her father,’ an evident mistake, which ed. 1595 corrects. The French is ambiguous, ‘excepté I'aisné de ceulx de Fuluia, qui estoit auec son pere.’

P. 92, 1. 7. perfectly. The first two editions spell ‘perfidy,’ which is historically preferable to the newer Latinized form of the word. Cf. the Chaucerian ‘parfit.’ modern French ‘parfait.’

I1. 26, 27. in the which she had above two hundred thousand books. Ed. 1595 adds ‘several’ before ‘books,’ possibly as a translation of the adjective in Amyot's ‘esquelles il y auoit deux cῦts mille volumes simples.’ Neither in the French nor in the Greek is there anything corresponding to North's ‘above.’

P. 93, 1. 13, was pleading: ‘was a-pleading,’ ed. 1595, etc.

1. 27. made him be set: ‘made him to be set,’ ed. 1595, etc.

P. 94, 1. 22. Falernus. ‘Falerna’ in the old editions.

I. 25. jays. A translation of Amyot's ‘delices.’ The word is, of course, the well-known Latin ‘deliciae,’ which Plutarch takes over as διλιíια.

P. 96, 1. 6. they did hurt. The number is wrong, as the ‘blustering storm‘ is the subject of the verb. Amyot has the singular.

1. 23. Adallas. The Greek form of the name is Σαδáλας.

1. 26. Malchus. I have adopted this the correct form (Gk. Máλχος), but North wrote ‘Manchus’ and was followed by Shakespeare. The ‘Manchus’ of the 1623 folio has been changed to ‘Malchus’ by all modern editors of Shakespeare.

P. 97, 11 12, 3. Mare Siculum. Plutarch has, τò Tυῤῥκνικὸν καὶ Σικεὸν πέλαγος. The Sicilian Sea is, of course, the Mediterranean.

I. 20. Press. The 1595 edition prints ‘prest,’ an alternative form. Cf. p. 158, 1. 19. ‘Prest,’ from Old French brest, ‘ready,’ is etymologically the preferable form.

P. 98, 1. 3. light of yarage: ‘easily propelled and managed.’ Cf. ‘heavy of yarage,’ p. 104, 1. 4. ‘Yarage’ is formed from the adjective ‘yare’ (cf Antony and Cleopatra, III. vii. 38), which represents O.E. genru, ‘ready.’

P. 99, ll. 2–18. marginal note. Translated from Amyot.

1. 7. element. Cf. Vol. I. p. 67, 1. 17, and note.

P. 100, 1. 13. Getae: ‘Getes’ old editions and Amyot.

P.101, 1. 6. often used: ‘used often’ ed. 1595, etc.

I. 8. an: ed. 1595 substitutes ‘if.’

P. 105, 1. 25. had already begun. For ‘had’ ed. 1595 substitutes ‘was.’

P. 106, 1. 2. this galley: ‘his galley’ ed. 1595.

P. 107, 1. 13. carracks: ‘carects,’ old editions.

P. 108, 1. 11. hardly: ‘very hardly,’ ed. 1595.

P. 109, 1. 26, 27. because Brutus in the meantime might have liberty to save himself. ‘Because’ is here a conjunction of purpose = ‘in order that.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. B, 2.

P. 110, 1. 15. where the two seas are narrowest. ‘Narrowest’ must be taken in the sense of ‘closest together.’ Plutarch wrote π σφíγγεται μάλιστα τοῖς πελάγεσι καὶ βραχύτερος εύρός Èστι, the subject being the isthmus.

P. 111,11. 13, 14. as appeareth by Plato and Aristophanes' comedies. ‘Plato’ is in the possessive case as well as ‘Aristophanes,’ as the Greek shows: ἐκ τῶν Ἀριστοφάνους καὶ πλάάτωνος δραμάτων. This Plato, so-called the Comic, was a younger contemporary of Aristophanes. He appears to have been the last writer of the ‘old comedy.’ Aristophanes himself mentions Timon in The Birds, 1. 1549, and again at greater length in Lysistrata, 809–15.

11. 25, 26. like to his nature and conditions. So the first edition; the second edition substitutes ‘of’ for ‘to’ Amyot's reading is, ‘semblable de nature & de meurs à luy.’

P. 112, 1. 19. Halae: ‘Hales’ in the old editions and in Amyot.

11. 24, 25. Shakespeare incorporates this epitaph with the single change of ‘wicked wretches’ in the second line to ‘wicked caitiffs.’ North has departed considerably from Amyot's version, which runs:

• ‘Aiant finy ma uie malheureuse
• En ce lieu cy, on m'y a inhumé:
• Mourez, meschans, de mort malencontreuse,
• Sans demander comme ie fus nommé.’

P. 113, 11. 4, 5. Shakespeare appends this second epitaph to the first, without making any change in the wording. It is thus given by Amyot:

• ‘Ici ie fais pour tousiours ma demeure
• Timon encor les hommes haïssant,
• Passe, lecteur, en me dormant male heure,
• Seulement passe, & me ua maudissant.’

1. 18. in the sea. So the first edition, translating Amyot's ‘dedans la mer.’ The second edition reads ‘by the sea.’ Plutarch uses the adjective ἔναλον.

1. 21. of rioting and banfueting. Ed. 1595 changes ‘of’ to ‘on.’

P. 114, 11. 19–21. For when she saw the poisons that were sudden and vehement, and brought speedy death. This is inaccurate and hardly grammatical. To get Plutarch's idea we should insert the conjunction ‘that’ after ‘saw,’ and delete ‘and’ before ‘brought.’ The Greek runs, Ἐπεὶ δÈ ἑώρα τὰς μèν ὠκνμόμους τὴν ὀξύτκτῦ τοῦ θανάτον δι' ὀδύνκς ἐπιφερούσας.

P. 115, 1. 2. all them: ‘them all,’ ed. 1595.

1. 3, 4, only causeth: ‘causeth only,’ ed. 1595.

1. 14. for her children. So ed. 1579: the later editions print ‘for their children.’ There is no doubt that the former is correct, though without the context both Amyot's ‘pour ses enfans’ and Plutarch's τοῖς παισὶν would be ambiguous.

P. 116, 1. 16. Thyreus. So North, followed by Shakespeare, but the name in Plutarch is Θύρσος.

11. 18, 19. unto a noble Lady, and that besides greatly liked her beauty. Very clumsily translated; it would seem that North understood the relative to refer to the ‘young Lord,’ but Amyot's language is quite clear: ‘à une femme haultaine, & qui se contentoit grandemῦt & se fioit de sa beauté’ — where ‘qui,’ of course, means Cleopatra.

P. 117, 11. 11, 12. she now in contrary manner did keep it with such solemnity. This is an incorrect translation of Amyot's ‘au contraire elle celebroit le iour de la siene de telle sorte,’ where ‘la siene’ refers to Antony, not Cleopatra. Plutarch has τὴν ἐκείνου(γενέθλιον.

P. 119,11. 2, 3. Caesar answered him, that he had many other ways to die than so. The antecedent of ‘he’ is doubtful in North as in Amyot. Shakespeare takes it as referring to Caesar and so North probably intended; but from the Greek it is evident that it should allude to Antony:πολλὰς ὁδοὺς Ἀντωνίῳ παρεῖναι θανάτων.

1. 5. to set up his rest: ‘to put everything at stake.’ A common Elizabethan idiom; cf. p. 139, l. 24, and Nares' Glossary, s.v. ‘Rest, to set up.’

P. 123, l. 7. berayed: ‘soiled.’ Cf. N.E.D. s.v. Beray.

P. 126, 1. 23. for the founder's sake of the same city. Cf. p. 35, 1. 6, and note.

P. 127, 11. II, 12.

• A wise man, if that he be wise indeed,
• May by a wise man have the better speed.

North has missed the point of the epigram and with it the reason why it affected Caesar. The clause ‘if that he be wise indeed’ should apply to Arrius, not to Philostratus himself. Plutarch wrote: ΣοΦοὶ σοΦοὺς σώξουσιν, άν ὠσιν σοφοί, which Amyot translates freely but accurately enough:

• ‘Gens de sçauoir les sçauans uont sauuans,
• Ou ilz ne sont eulx mesmes pas sçauans.’

The anecdote is used by Samuel Daniel in his Tragedie of Cleopatra (III. i.).

P. 128, l. 7. Too many Caesars is not good: οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκαισαρίη.

ll. 8, 9. Alluding unto a certain verse of Homer that saith: Too many Lords doth not well. This explanation is not found in Plutarch; it was added by Amyot. The verse of Homer to which he refers is Iliad, II. 204, which begins: οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη. P. 129, l. 18, 19. torn in sunder. Rather strong for Amyot's ‘deschiré & meurtry,’ which in its turn heightens the Greek: δÈ πολλὰ καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ στέριον αίκίας καταΦανῆ.

ll. 22, 23. yet she showed herself within by her outward looksand countenance: ‘elle apparoissoit du dedans, & se demonstroit aux mouuemens de son uisage.’

P. 133, l. 21. trimming: ‘adjusting,’ the original sense of the word. Greek, κατεκύσμει.

P. 134, l. 14. razor. The correct translation is probably ‘pin.’ Amyot and North have apparently blundered in mistaking Plutarch's κνηστίδι from the rare κνηστίς, translated in the Latin version by ‘fistula,’ for a form of the commoner κνῆστις, which means ‘knife.’

P. 135, l. 12. a thousand talents. In Plutarch δισΧίλισ τάλαντα.

l. 18. yuba. ‘King Juba,’ ed. 1595, etc.

P. 136, l. 17. the one whose name was Caius: the Emperor Caligula, A.D. 12–41.