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QUOTES FROM THE BARD

Defect of judgment is oft the cause of fear

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 4.2
SPEAKER: Belarius
CONTEXT:
BELARIUS
I cannot tell. Long is it since I saw him,
But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favour
Which then he wore. The snatches in his voice
And burst of speaking were as his. I am absolute
’Twas very Cloten.
ARVIRAGUS
In this place we left them.
I wish my brother make good time with him,
You say he is so fell
BELARIUS
Being scarce made up,
I mean to man, he had not apprehension
Of roaring terrors; for defect of judgment
Is oft the cause of fear.
GUIDERIUS
This Cloten was a fool, an empty purse;
There was no money in ’t. Not Hercules
Could have knocked out his brains, for he had none.
Yet I not doing this, the fool had borne
My head as I do his.

DUTCH:
Nauw’lijks opgegroeid,
Ik meen, tot man, ontbrak hem elk begrip
Van iets gevaarlijks ; en gebrek aan oordeel
Wekt vaak vermetelheid. Daar is uw broeder.

MORE:
Scarce made up=Not fully developed, still and immature youth; or not ‘all there’
Lines of favour=Lines on the countenance
Snatches=Catches, seizures followed by a ‘burst of speaking’. (Irish ‘ganch’ meaning stammer)
Absolute=Positive, have no doubt
Roaring=Loud-tongued
Compleat:
Snatch=Een ruk, hap, beet
A snatch and away=Een mond vol en weg ‘er mee
To do a thing by girds and snatches=Ies met horten en stooten doen; met menigvuldige tusschenpoosingen verrigten
Absolute=Volslagen, volstrekt, volkomen, onafhangklyk, onverbonden
To roar=Uitbrullen

Burgersdijk notes:
Gebrek aan oordeel wekt vaak vermetelheid. Het oorspronkelijke is hier blijkbaar bedorven, de folio heeft: for defect of judgment is oft the cause of fear; Shakespeare moet ongeveer het tegendeel gezegd hebben, want de doldriestheid van Cloten wordt uit zijn gebrek aan oordeel verklaard.
Hanmer las daarom: is oft the arre of fear, en dienovereenkomstig is hier vertaald. Doch ook Theobald’s verbetering is zeer opmerkelijk: for the effect of judgment is oft the cause of fear; „want des oordeels werking is oorzaak vaak van vrees” ; de zin van beide verbeteringen is nagenoeg gelijk; de tegenstelling tusschen gevolg of werking en oorzaak pleit er misschien voor, dat Theobald de uitdrukking des dichters getroffen heeft.

Topics: language, memory, judgment, intellect, age/experience

Categories: age/experience, Cymbeline, intellect, judgment, language|

O, this life is nobler than attending for a check, richer than doing nothing for a bauble

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Belarius
CONTEXT:
BELARIUS
Now for our mountain sport: up to yond hill;
Your legs are young; I’ll tread these flats. Consider,
When you above perceive me like a crow,
That it is place which lessens and sets off;
And you may then revolve what tales I have told you
Of courts, of princes, of the tricks in war:
This service is not service, so being done,
But being so allow’d: to apprehend thus,
Draws us a profit from all things we see;
And often, to our comfort, shall we find
The sharded beetle in a safer hold
Than is the full-wing’d eagle. O, this life
Is nobler than attending for a cheque,
Richer than doing nothing for a bauble,
Prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk:
Such gain the cap of him that makes ’em fine,
Yet keeps his book uncross’d: no life to ours.
GUIDERIUS
Out of your proof you speak. We poor unfledged
Have never winged from view o’ th’ nest, nor know not
What air ’s from home. Haply this life is best
If quiet life be best, sweeter to you
That have a sharper known, well corresponding
With your stiff age; but unto us it is
A cell of ignorance, travelling a-bed,
A prison for a debtor that not dares
To stride a limit.

DUTCH:
O, dit leven
Is eed’ler dan als hoveling te dienen,
Waarvoor verwijten vaak het loon zijn;

MORE:
Attending=Dancing attendance
Check=Rebuke
Sharded=Having scaly wings
Gain the cap=Have someone (in this case, the tailor) doff their cap to them
Book uncrossed=Debts not struck out
Proof=Experience
Haply=Perhaps
Compleat:
Attendance=Opwachting, oppassing, behartiging; Een stoet van oppasssers, hofgezin, dienstbooden
To dance attendance=Lang te vergeefsch wagten
To cross out=Doorstreepen, doorhaalen
Proof (mark or testimony)=Getuigenis
Haply=Misschien

Topics: age/experience, life, evidence, debt/obligation, authority

Categories: age/experience, authority, Cymbeline, debt/obligation, evidence|

To apprehend thus, draws us a profit from all things we see

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Belarius
CONTEXT:
BELARIUS
Now for our mountain sport: up to yond hill;
Your legs are young; I’ll tread these flats. Consider,
When you above perceive me like a crow,
That it is place which lessens and sets off;
And you may then revolve what tales I have told you
Of courts, of princes, of the tricks in war:
This service is not service, so being done,
But being so allow’d: to apprehend thus,
Draws us a profit from all things we see;
And often, to our comfort, shall we find
The sharded beetle in a safer hold
Than is the full-wing’d eagle. O, this life
Is nobler than attending for a cheque,
Richer than doing nothing for a bauble,
Prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk:
Such gain the cap of him that makes ’em fine,
Yet keeps his book uncross’d: no life to ours.
GUIDERIUS
Out of your proof you speak. We poor unfledged
Have never winged from view o’ th’ nest, nor know not
What air ’s from home. Haply this life is best
If quiet life be best, sweeter to you
That have a sharper known, well corresponding
With your stiff age; but unto us it is
A cell of ignorance, traveling abed,
A prison for a debtor that not dares
To stride a limit.

DUTCH:
Daar is een dienst geen dienst, wijl hij gedaan,
Maar wijl hij zoo beschouwd wordt. Zoo te wikken,
Trekt ons gewin uit alles wat wij zien;

Topics: age/experience, life, evidence, debt/obligation, authority, perception

Categories: age/experience, authority, Cymbeline, debt/obligation, evidence|

Out of your proof you speak

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Guiderius
CONTEXT:
BELARIUS
Now for our mountain sport: up to yond hill;
Your legs are young; I’ll tread these flats. Consider,
When you above perceive me like a crow,
That it is place which lessens and sets off;
And you may then revolve what tales I have told you
Of courts, of princes, of the tricks in war:
This service is not service, so being done,
But being so allow’d: to apprehend thus,
Draws us a profit from all things we see;
And often, to our comfort, shall we find
The sharded beetle in a safer hold
Than is the full-wing’d eagle. O, this life
Is nobler than attending for a cheque,
Richer than doing nothing for a bauble,
Prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk:
Such gain the cap of him that makes ’em fine,
Yet keeps his book uncross’d: no life to ours.
GUIDERIUS
Out of your proof you speak: we, poor unfledged,
Have never wing’d from view o’ the nest, nor know not
What air’s from home. Haply this life is best,
If quiet life be best; sweeter to you
That have a sharper known; well corresponding
With your stiff age: but unto us it is
A cell of ignorance; travelling a-bed;
A prison for a debtor, that not dares
To stride a limit.

DUTCH:
Gij spreekt uit uw ervaring; maar wij, armen,
Wij vlogen nooit van ‘t nest nog weg, en weten
Volstrekt nog niet, hoe elders wel de lucht is.

Topics: age/experience, life, evidence, debt/obligation, authority, perception

Categories: age/experience, authority, Cymbeline, debt/obligation, evidence|

The art o’ the court as hard to leave as keep; whose top to climb is certain falling, or so slippery that the fear’s as bad as falling

PLAY: Cymbeline
ACT/SCENE: 3.3
SPEAKER: Belarius
CONTEXT:
BELARIUS
How you speak!
Did you but know the city’s usuries
And felt them knowingly; the art o’ the court
As hard to leave as keep; whose top to climb
Is certain falling, or so slippery that
The fear’s as bad as falling; the toil o’ the war,
A pain that only seems to seek out danger
I’ the name of fame and honour; which dies i’ the search,
And hath as oft a slanderous epitaph
As record of fair act; nay, many times,
Doth ill deserve by doing well; what’s worse,
Must court’sy at the censure:— O boys, this story
The world may read in me: my body’s mark’d
With Roman swords, and my report was once
First with the best of note: Cymbeline loved me,
And when a soldier was the theme, my name
Was not far off: then was I as a tree
Whose boughs did bend with fruit: but in one night,
A storm or robbery, call it what you will,
Shook down my mellow hangings, nay, my leaves,
And left me bare to weather.

DUTCH:
Welk een oordeel!
O, kendet gij der steden woekerzucht,
En voeldet gij die zelf; de kuiperijen
Van ‘t hof, zoo moeilijk na te laten en
Zoo moeilijk vol te houden, waar ‘t beklimmen
Des hoogsten tops een wisse val is, of
De weg daarheen zoo glibb’rig.

MORE:
Proverb: He that never climbed never fell

Pain=Labour (which perishes without achieving fame and honour)
Usury=The practice of taking interest for money
Compleat:
Usury=Woeker
To lend upon usury=Op rente leenen
I shall pay you with usury=Ik zal het met woeker betaalen
To take pains=Moeite doen, arbeid aanwenden
No pains, no gains=Geen winst zonder moeite

Topics: age/experience, proverbs and idioms, still in use

Categories: age/experience, Cymbeline, still in use|

12 Next

QUOTES FROM THE BARD

Defect of judgment is oft the cause of fear

O, this life is nobler than attending for a check, richer than doing nothing for a bauble

To apprehend thus, draws us a profit from all things we see

Out of your proof you speak

The art o’ the court as hard to leave as keep; whose top to climb is certain falling, or so slippery that the fear’s as bad as falling

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