Hellespont to join Hero, but was drowned one night in a storm. Rosalind, of course, is making fun of the fate of these classical lovers.
IV. i. 109. chroniclers. Thus set down in the First Folio, although some editors have altered it to 'coroners.'
IV. i. 145. there's . . . goes. I.e., 'There's a girl who goes faster than the priest.'
IV. i. 161. Diana . . . fountain. Diana was a frequent subject for Renaissance fountains. It is not necessary to suppose that Shakespeare had any particular fountain in mind. The 'weeping' naturally refers to the water gushing from the fountain, and not to any sad story of Diana.
IV. i. 174. 'Wit . . . wilt.' A phrase of proverbial purport, whose meaning is now somewhat obscure. Perhaps it means, 'Whither away? Restrain your tendency to roam.' Or, 'Do not let your wit desert you.'
IV. i. 184. husband's occasion. I.e., 'occasioned by her husband,' or 'the woman who cannot make her offence against her husband seem a special service to him.'
IV. i. 216. bird . . . nest. A reference to the proverb, 'It is a foul bird that defiles its own nest.'
IV. i. 220. bay of Portugal. A portion of the sea, of great depth, from Oporto to the headland of Cintra (Wright).
IV. ii. 5. branch. A quibble on 'palm-branch,' an emblem of victory, and on the division of a deer's horn called a 'branch.'
IV. ii. 12 S. d. The . . . burden. This apparent stage direction is printed in the First Folio as a part of the song.
IV. iii. 18. phoenix. There was never but one phoenix in the world at one time. After several hun-
