him; but a man of armes of the
Gaules, or one of the Cimbres (for we find both the one and the other in
writing) that went thither with his sword drawn in his hand. Now that
place of the chamber where Marius lay was very dark, and, as it is
reported, the man of armes thought he saw two burning flames come out of
Marius's eyes, and heard a voice out of that dark corner, saying unto
him: O fellow, thou, darest thou come to kill Caius Marius? The
barbarous Gaule, hearing these words, ran out of the chamber presently."
--_North's Plutarch, "Life of Caius Marius_."

[124] "For when he was but very young, and dwelling in the country, he
gathered up in the lap of his gowne the ayrie of an eagle, in the which
were seven young eagles; whereat his father and mother much wondering,
asked the soothsayers what that meant? They answered that their sonne
should one day be one of the greatest men in the world, and that out of
doubt he should obtain seven times in his life the chiefest office of
dignity in his country."--_North's Plutarch, "Life of Caius Marius_."

[125] The old quarto divides the play very irregularly; for according to
it there are two Acts iii. and two Acts iv. One of the Acts iii. was
made to commence here.

[126] Necessarily or unavoidably.

[127] Old copy, _Picaeo_.

[128] Old copy, metals.

[129] An early instance of an echo of this kind upon the stage is to be
found in Peele's "Arraignment of Paris," 1584. Mr D'Israeli has an
entertaining essay upon them in his "Curiosities of Literature," second
series. They were carried to a most ridiculous excess afterwards.

[130] The old spelling of _than_ was _then_, and this must be observed
here. The echo is supposed to encourage Marius again to take up arms--

"Nought better fits old Marius' mind than war."

And the reply of the echo is, "Then war," or then go to war.

[131] This passage is quoted by Mr Steevens in a note on "Hamlet,"
act v. sc. 1, to show that "the winter's _flaw_" there spoken of means
"the winter's _blast_."

[132] Old copy, Distia.

[133] _Dreariment_ is not so frequently met in any of our old writers
as Spenser: I do not recollect it in any play before. It requires no
explanation.

[134] Old copy, _coffer_.

[135] Old copy, _Marius live_.

[136] _Lozel_ is always used as a term of contempt, and means a
worthless fellow.

[137] Old copy, _have_.

[138] Old copy, _And_.

[139] Old copy, _consist_.

[140] We have before ha