I.iii.37 (123,2) a race of heaven] [i.e. had a smack or flavour of
heaven. WARB.] This word is well explained by Dr. Warburton; the _race_
of wine is the taste of the woil. Sir T. Hanmer, not understanding the
word, reads, _ray_.
I.iii.44 (124,3) Remains in use] The poet seems to allude to the legal
distinction between the _use_ and _absolute possession_.
I.iii.54 (124,4) should safe my going] [T: salve] Mr. Upton reads, I
think rightly,
--_safe_ my going.
I.iii.62 (125,5)
O most false love!
Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water?]
Alluding to the lachrymatory vials, or bottles of tears, which the
Romans sometimes put into the urn of a friend.
I.iii.77 (125,6) the tears/Belong to Egypt] To me, the queen of Egypt.
I.iii.90 (126,7) Oh, ny oblivion is a very Antony,/And I am all
forgotten] [The plain meaning is, _My forgetfulness makes me forget
myself_. WARBURTON.] [Hanmer explained "all forgotten" as "apt to forget
everything"] I cannot understand the learned critic's explanation. It
appears to me, that she should rather have said,
_O my_ remembrance _is a very_ Antony,
_And I am all forgotten._
It was her memory, not her oblivion, that, like Antony, vas forgetting
and deserting her. I think a slight change will restore the passage. The
queen, having something to say, which she is not able, or would not seem
able to recollect, cries out,
_O my oblivion_!--'Tis _a very Antony_.
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