307/ ^93 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A COLLECTION MADE BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 -'' AND BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY DATE DUE GAYLORO NYSILC PRINT EOIN U.S.A. Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92401 31 64300 STUDIES ON THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE STUDIES ON THE TEXT OP SHAKESPEAEE WITH NUMEEOUS EMENDATIONS. AND APPENDICES. joHisT bullooh: What do you read, my lord ? "Words, words, words. Samlet, II. ii. 193. LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO.' • EDISTBUEGH : DAVID DOUGLAS. GLASGOW: JAMES MAGLEHOSE. ABERDEEN : ALEX. MURRAY. 18 78. ^^It^ex^v-y /\. G /=.? /( y; ALEXANDER SKENE, AND JOHN MORGAN, ■^hi© '^alnrnt is Insrribcli BY THEIR FELLOW-CITIZEN, THE AUTHOR October 35, 1878. PEEPAOE. Me. Booth's Eeprint of the ' Folio of 1623/ which was issued ia 1862, gave me the first impulse to a critical study of the text, and in the following year the first volume of the so-called ' Cambridge Shakespeare ' having made its appearance, I was gratified beyond measure with a presentation copy from the editors ; and the other eight volumes followed in course from publishers and editors till I was supplied with a gift I never ex- pected to possess, and an heirloom which I doubt not will be highly prized by my family. Mr. Booth, the publisher of the Eeprint, also gifted me the two divisions containing the Histories and Tragedies, and also for- warded the 'Pericles,' which is supplementary to the Famous First Folio. I have now for seventeen years been in possession of materials for study of a critical cast which cannot be surpassed, except it be in the sisantio undertaking of Mr. Horace Howard Fdrness, of Philadelphia, and his accomplished lady, the com- piler of the ' Concordance to the Sonnets and Poems of Shakespeare ' : works which are far beyond the means of a working mechanic now past his seventy-third, year. For the use of the valuable Concordance of Mrs. Mary Cowden Clarke, I am indebted to Dr. Eobert Eattray of the Eoyal Infirmary of Aberdeen, who told me at the PREFACE. ■time when he proffered me the loan of it, that it was of far more use to me than it was to himself. I have now had the benefit of it for nearly sixteen years. I visited Cambridge in August, 1862, and saw the editors at work on their first volume. A correspondence between Mr. Clark and myself continued for about eight years, and if ever such should be required for family or biographical purposes these letters wUl be at the service of those who have an undoubted right to them. The last time I saw Mr. Clark was in the Athenaeum Club in August, 1867, our correspondence, however, extended to 1871. Mr. W. Aldie Wright, Mr. Clark's co-adjutor in the ' Cambridge Shakespeare ' from the second volume till the end, and also of the 'Globe' and a portion of the 'Clarendon Press' editions, is aware of my acquaintance and interest in the matter, as a letter from his hand of date November, 1874, will testify. I shall now mention a few facts regarding a few of the plays which I have either passed over slightly or not touched on at aU. The three Parts of ' King Henry VI.' are scarcely mentioned. 'Bang Eichard III.' has never been grappled with for reasons drawn from the editors' remarks in their Preface to that play : " In con- clusion, we commend a study of Bichard III. to those, if such there be, who imagine that it is possible by the exercise of critical skill to restore with certainty what Shakespeare actually wrote ". In 'Titus Andronicus' I have given only one instance of emendation. In my Shakespearian Paper, No. XIX., printed in the Aberdeen Herald thirteen years ago, I wrote as follows : — I have PREFACE. perhaps said more than enough on this worthless piece, which I no more believe was written by Shakespeare than was the latest sensation novel, or any of the mons- trosities in ' Eeynold's Miscellany,' et hoc genus omne. ' Pericles ' suffers also under the same stigma, I have no emendation connected with it. To parody one word in Hamlet's speech to the players when the First Player tells the Prince, " I hope we have reformed that indif- rently with us, sir," Hamlet would answer, " 0, a7r„end it altogether ". That is to say, expunge it entirely. The two poems, ' The Venus,' and ' The' Lucrece,' I have not included ; the dramas and sonnets I have always considered the chief works of the author. Ocioier Z5, 1878. Since the above was put in type, and just before going to press, the intelligence reached me of the death of my esteemed friend, Mr. Clark. Peace be to his ashes. November 11, 1878. OONTEl^rTS. Inteoduction, Comedies. Emendations — ^The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Merry "Wives of Windsor, . Measure for Measure, Comedy of Errors, Much Ado about Nothing, Love's Labour's Lost, Midsummer Night's Dream, . Merchant of Venice, . Taming of the Shrew, . , As Tou Like It, . AU'sWeU that Ends Well, . Twelfth Night, . The Winter's Tale, HlSTOEIES. King John, Eichard the Second, Henry the Fourth. Part I., Henry the Fourth. Part II., Henry the Fifth, Henry the Sixth. Part III., . Henry the Eighth, Tragedies. Troilus and Cressida, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, . PAGE 1 17 25 27 35 47' 50 52 59 69 76 83 93 109 115 127 136 140 149 157 163 166 175 181 189 xii CONTENTS. PAGE Emendations — Romeo and Juliet, . . . ■ 190 , Timon of Athens, 201 , Julius Csssar 209 , Macbeth, ....•• 213 , Hamlet, 220 , King Lear, 241 OtheUo, 247 , Antony and Cleopatra, . . . • 253 , Cymbeline, 265 SONNEI s, &c., 279 Appeni )is — Dramatis Personse of Love's Labour's Lost, from the Folio, .... 301 5J Much Ado about Nothing, from the FoUo, 303 J» The Sonnets and Dedication by T.T., . 306 ,, Shakespeare iu Aberdeen, and Passage in Macbeth 311 )J Who Wrote Shakespeare ? . . . 317 )^ A Chapter of Comparative Chronology, . 323 List oe Stjbscribeks • 329 INTRODUCTIOl^J'. The expression on our title page " Text of Shakespeare " is at best a vague and often a very misleading one. Who can say truly where or what it is ? though the material now-a-days for such a purpose is more acces- sible than ever. The time may come when the English- speaking populations of the world will have in their hands such a text as will satisfy every reasonable de- mand, admitting pnly as curiosities some of the most glaring errors which the original copies present, and leaving to the intelligent reader the choice of pondering over these if he has a mind, or passing them by undisturbed. One expression in the Preface to the first volume of the Carribridge Shakespeare came home to me with a start, for which I was hardly prepared, when I read of the intention of the editors in their work " to give the reader in a compact form a complete view of the existing materials out of which the text has been constructed, or may be emended". And truly their labour has not been misapplied. Some ten years ago in noticing the conclusion of the Cambridge Shakespeare I wrote as follows : — " In these nine volumes, with their 5500 pages and 55,000 notes, are the labours of nearly six years embodied, and pre- senting a complete summary of the variations of aU the texts and the conjectural emendations of all the editors and critics of the last hundred and fifty years. If it cannot be said that we have yet got a perfect text we 1 INTBODUOTION. have all the materials from which a more perfect one may be elaborated. These six years' labours involved a thorough examination of 276 distract publications from Holinshed's Chromdes in 1577 to Mr. Gerald Massey's elaborate work on the Sonnets published in 1866." In taking leave of their work the learned editors after alluding to the ' textual imperfections and uncer- tainties which stUl exist, and to a conviction that ' pas- sages not generally suspected of corruption have not been printed as they were first written,' go on to say ' that these blemishes cannot be entirely removed even by the most brilliant conjectural criticism, because the materials are wanting '. This last statement has rather a disheartening tendency, but we suspect that it refers more to the second class, ' passages not generally sus- pected of corruption,' and this view of the case is sufficient warrant in still endeavouring to do something in the removal of acknowledged imperfections. With the exception of the two juvenile poems pub- lished in 1593-4, and which the author dedicated to the Earl of Southampton, all the rest of his works may be fairly designated in the quaint language of the time : A Collection of the Surreptitiously Printed Pieces, and of the Posthumous Works of William Shakespeare, formerly of the Blackfriars and' Globe Theatres in Lon- don, and late of Stratford in the County of Warwick, Gent. All this would have been to the point and no more, for in such guise have these writings come down to us, influencing English literature more than those of any other author, and whose words and thoughts are at this day permeating the literature of the civilized world. Never was such a precious legacy left to the mercy of IN.TRODUCTION. mere chance. In 1616, at the author's death, eighteen plays, and two-thirds of them masterpieces existed only in manuscript, and continued so for six years longer, tiU. Othello, one of the number, appeared in a separate quarto form, and the following year the whole of these match- less productions, with the exception of Pericles, were for the first time printed together in the " famous folio of 1623". Through what means Othello escaped the limbo of unprinted MS., whether by some extraordinary effort of ingenuity, or of treachery, it will be ever impossible to say. Probably it had passed through the ordeal as its nineteen fellows the quartos, being concocted for the press by shorthand, or memory, or the actors' separate parts, or a stolen sight of the author's manu- script, all of which have been supposed to have played a part in their first imprinting, but who can tell ? For we can scarcely believe that Shakespeare himself had any hand in the publication of these separate waifs — ■ the only form they appeared in in his lifetime. It was not a reading age, but a sight-seeing one ; and yet there was a deinand for these rudely executed productions of the early press. They do not seem to have ever been edited, in the ordinary acceptation of the term ; and the author would Certainly never have allowed them to go forth in the state they are known to be with his ex- press sanction. Besides, being himself a proprietor 'and manager, it was not for his interest that these produc- tions which made the fortune of his own ' house' should be open tq all and sundry of his rivals to perform. Heminge and Condell, his two fellow-players, under whose auspices the first folio appeared, plainly term INTRODUCTION. these early quartos as " stolen and surreptitious copies, maimed and deformed by tlie frauds and stealths of injurious impostors that exposed them " ; they then go on to say in favour of their own work which bears upon its title, " Published according to the True OriginaU Copies," the further remark, " even those are now offered to your view, cured and perfect of their limbs ; and all the rest absolute in their numbers as he conceived them ". But what say the Cambridge editors, who had every one of these twenty quartos extending over seventy editions through their hands ! " Had there been any ground for supposing that Shakespeare corrected his own works as they passed through the press," &c., " but in all probability not one of his works was thus cor- rected, nor," stni referring to the early quartos, " with few exceptions, were they printed from the author's manu- script." At the same time this is their deliberate opinion of these " stolen and surreptitious copies" when contrasted with the collected folio — " That volume is far from containing the complete works of Shakespeare,; and, in the great majority of cases, where a previous quarto exists, the quarto and not the folio is our best authority." The expression " complete works " in this instance, refers to the important omissions of the folio which have to be supplied from the others. So much for the comparative value of these two sources ; nevertheless to the folio we are indebted for seventeen pieces, which were in manuscript when the author had been seven years in his grave. Whether the death of the widow, or the surreptitious appearance of Othello caused the publication of the collected volume INTBOBUGTION. it is impossible to say. Probably both of tbese hastened the publication^ at all events no new quartos made their appearance, though occasional reprints of the older ones were made. The getting up of this famous first folio would seem to have been rather a strange affair ; for further than a general division into three parts, as Comedies, Histories,, and Tragedies, each with a separate pagination, there is no attempt at chronological order, uniformity of type, proper lists of dramatis personm, and in several of the plays of even a division of scenes. A writer in the North British Review a few years ago, said to be the late Professor Spalding of St. Andrews, a native of Aberdeen, ingeniously pointed out what appears to be the case, that the volume had been printed in six divisions of very unequal length ; the first part, the Comedies, forming one ; the second, the Histories, comprising two ; and the last, the Tragedies, having no fewer than three. An inspection of the type will fully bear out this were there no other evidence to substan- tiate it. The volume- would thus appear to have been printed in several offices, for different degrees of accu- racy, as well as different founts of ty^e, may be clearly noticed. The second part containing the Histories is the only one having a kind of natural sequence which could not well be avoided, seeing that the historical order of the kings' names would alone keep it right. In that same part, however, the paging, after going on pretty regular to page 100, begins again with page 69 and carries onto the end. At this 'first break, at the close of Henry the Fourth, Part II., a list of actors' names is given — the only list in the Histories, Three INTRODUCTION. of these have no division of scenes whatever. In the Tragedies we arrive at page 156 on the first sheet of Hamlet, and the next page on the new sheet begins with 257, and goes on regularly to the end of the volume, thus jumping over a whole hundred at a leap. The last page, however, instead of ending with 399 after absorb- ing the one hundred in Hamlet, becomes all at once 993. In the contents at the beginning of the volume the titles of thirty-five plays are given, while there are actually thirty-six in the book. Troilus anid Cressida, which is not in the table of contents, is stuck in at the beginning of the Tragedies, commencing on its second leaf with pages 79 and 80, and the remaining thirteen leaves are not paged at all. Occasional blank leaves occur, all marking the coincidence of the close of a play and the end of a sheet ; thus further indicating the piecemeal mode of proceeding in the process of printing. In addition to all this, the thousands of variations in spelling, the misprints, the worse than no punctuation, constitute a field of labour that has exercised the ingenuity of critics ever since the appearance of the volume. In default of the original manuscripts, the feeling of the student on first looking on the folio, the first collected edition of the works of the great dramatist, is that of reverence for the only substitute for veritable penmanship ; but a closer acquaintance with its multi- farious errors and shortcomings causes him to have less dread of tampering with its defects. ' And yet, lilse all other things in this world, Shakes- spearian criticism has its school of reformers and its school of conservatives. I know of those who follow almost in the wake of Home Tooke, who thus expresses introduction: himself — " The first folio, in my opinion, is the only- edition worth regarding. And it is much to be wished that an edition of Shakespeare were given literatim, according to the first folio, which is now become so scarce and dear that few persons can now obtain it. For by the presumptuous licence of the dwarfish com- mentators, who are for ever cutting him dpwn to their own size, we risque the loss of Shakespeare's genuine text, which that folio assuredly contains, notwithstand- ing some few slight errors of the press, which might be noted without altering." There is a modicum of truth in what our staunch grammarian indicates, but there is room enough for an essay on each clause of the three pithy sentences now quoted, which would overturn a great part of his cynical assertions. Enough has been said in, the previous part of this introduction to show the absolute necessity of something more being done to render the writings • of the great dramatist intelligible to our countrymen and the world at large, than the mere republication of the folio and its kindred allies the quartos could be expected to accomplish, and this has been done of late, and is still going on. The following remarks which I penned in May, 1862, announcing the appearance of Mr. Booth's reprint of the first division of the folio, the Comedies, will show what a humble student thought when possessing this inestimable treasure, and may be the means of stirring up others to do the same :— " Eeaders of Shakespeare have now an opportunity of studying the works of the great master in a way not hitherto acces- sible but to a select few whose means enable them to INTRODUCTION. possess that priceless volume — the old folio of 1623. Thanks to Mr. L. Booth, of London, a correct reprint of the first collected edition will shortly be in the power of every one for about one hundredth part of the price of the original in its present state of extreme rarity. When we know that the first folio is the only authority for nearly one-half of the plays, it is a matter of great moment for a due understanding of the author that, tlie original in all its integrity be readily consulted, so that every one may be in a manner his own commentator. Without disparaging the labours of the many editors, commentators, and critical expositors who have spent much time and thought in their endeavour to throw light on obscure passages, the opening of the original mine will enable fresh explorers to do some good ser- vice. The names of Eowe, Pope, Theobald, Warburton, Hanmer, Johnson, Steevens, Capell, Upton, Farmer, Reed, Malone, Boswell, Drake, Douce, Chalmers, Hazlitt, Coleridge, and Schlegel, testify to what has been done in bygone days ; and in our own times may be added those of Singer, Knight, Collier, Dyce, HaUiwell, Staunton, and Perkins, if the last be the real name of the old corrector in Mr. Collier's now notorious volume. Hardly a year passes without witnessing the annoimce- ment of editions to issue from the press of what the Saturday Review caUs the ' Englishman's Secular Bible'; and these in style, form, and price, genuine or Bowd- lerised to suit every taste, condition, or capacity. At the present moment [1862] there are three editions of the latter in the market. In our own day we can count up fourteen one-volume editions [1862] alone, the many volumed ones being, as they say, too numerous to men- INTRODUCTION. tion. We are promised — since completed — a new edition in nine volumes under the editorial care of three gentlemen of Trinity College, to be called the Cambridge Shakespeare, and a second edition of Mr. Dyce's, is shortly to come out." This edition of Mr. Dyce, since followed by a third, his last labour before he died, calls for a remark. When in Cambridge in August, 1862, and seeing the editors at work with their first volume, and an interleaved printed page before them, I naturally inquired whose text they were to print from, and the answer I got was " Mr Dyce's, the best that has yet appeared ". This was the edition of 1857 in six volumes, on very thick paper, and published at fourteen shillings the volume. At that time, Mr Dyce was very conservative in his text, and probably this had an influence with the editors in their selection. In his second edition, however, which was completed about the time the Cambridge editors were finishing their own, it was well known that Mr Dyce, though now a man of some ten years older, had departed from his original' conservatism and published a text with such emendations as in his earlier years he would scarcely have ventured on. His third, which I have only by chance seen, I daresay has been edited on the same principle of improvement. So much in the face of some critics who object to nearly aU emendations, but whose manner of pooh-poohing, I got answered lately by^ a well-known London critic, and editor of some of the New Shakspere Society's quarto texts, that thousands of errors, in the Shakespearian texts, still required emenda- tion. The Cambridge editors in the preface to their first 10 INTRODUCTION. volume, page xv., referring to orthograpliy write thus: — " It was not without much consideration that we deter- mined to adopt the spelling of the nineteenth century. If we had any evidence as to Shakespeare's own spelling, we should have been strongly inclined to adopt it, but to attempt to reproduce, by operating by rule upon the texts that have come down to us, would be subjecting Shakspeare's English to arbitrary laws, of which it never yet was conscious " . . . " But if we have not Shake- speare's own speUing to guide us, what other spelling shall we adopt ? " Eeferring to Bohn's edition of Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual of English Literature, we find 115 pages of double columns devoted to the Bibliography of Shakespeare alone ; including Music and Graphic Illustrations, the Ireland Forgeries, the CoUier Controversy, and Transla- tions in the German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Friesic, Danish, Swedish, Bohemian, Hungarian, Polish, Eussian, WaUachian, Modern Greek and Bengalee languages. With the exception of some half dozen of the more remote languages which have only had translations of two or three separate plays, aU the others have complete editions of the Dramatic "Works. The Germans alone have more literature on the subject than all the others put together. This was to be expected from the scholarly habits of our kindred on the continent, and who pride themselves on their knowing more of the art and'" philosophy of the great writer than his own countrymen do. One evidence of , the German appreciation of Shake- speare may be known from the fact that Professor DeHus of Bonn, in 1864, published his second edition of INTRODUCTION. 11 Shakespeare in the original English ; and in the present year 1877, the " Leopold Shakspere," so named after Her Majesty's youngest son, a volume of about twelve hundred pages, is printed from the text of Delius, which may be considered his third edition. It is a striking fact too that four editions of the Folio, named the First, Second, Third and Fourth from their order of publication — and each successive folio worse than its predecessor in so far as regards accuracy — served the , community from 1623 tiU the appearance of Eowe's first edition- in 1709 ; that during the whole of last century 63 edition^ answered the same purpose, but from 1801 till 1861, now sixteen years since, 196 editions have been required to satisfy the demand. The most costly of all these editions have been those of Alderman BoydeU, London, 1802, in nine volumes atlas foho, with one hundred engravings from original designs by eminent living artists. Two copies of Boydell's Shakespeare, bound in purple morocco, I have seen, one in Glasgow, 1828, and one in Aberdeen, 1831, or thereby ; and ' the prices were stated to be, if proof engravings £140, and if ordinary prints £70. Tiiis last was disposed of by a rafHe at five shillings the ticket, and a jeweller's wife here was said to be the successful winner. With regard to copies of the First Folio, so lauded by Home Tooke, the prices have risen to almost fabulous rates. The editor of the reprint in an advertisement to ftie part containing the tragedies, appearing November, 1864, mentions a " copy being lately sold for £716" ; and another very fine copy, a few years ago, is known to have fetched the sum of £840. Even single quarto copies of plays have gone at sums such as one could 12 INTRODUCTION. hardly conceive. The Nottinghamshire student's copy of the first Hamlet, which he sold while attending Trinity College in Dublin, 1856, was ultimately bought for £120, and is now in the British Museum. The highest price, however, ever realised for a separate play has been £240. This sum was paid a few years ago for a copy of Much ado ahout -Nothing, the only quarto of that comedy. N"owto the intelligent reader .what does all this point to ? Partly to an antiquarian taste generated of late for the possession of things rare and not easily obtained, relics of the past, the thoughts and works of our predecessors whose names are historical, and have shed a lustre on our country, and in, a greater measure, to the desire for secur- ing copies of what cannot be found in manuscript, and wni never be visible in that form notwithstanding all the researches of the most indefatigable investigators. "We all know the unlucky hap which befeU ten of Massinger's and two of Ford's dramas by the hand of Mr. Warburton's cookmaid, besides four others said to be lost ; and if there had been no folio of 1623, how would the world have fared for the nineteen dramas that were printed then for the first time? How do you account for the want of manuscripts ? I asked once from the original editor of the reprint in 1862, when I saw him at work in daylight with gas burning, and opera glass directed towards his proof, and comparing it with the original, detecting any dissimilarity with the sacred copy. " Why ! there are three reasons given for the want of these. One is, that they were lost in the lumber of the printing office ; another, that the family being puritan they were ashamed of their father being a player, and so they de- INTBODUGTION. 13 stroyed tliem ; and anotlier reason is, they were supposed to ha-\je perished in the great fire of London in 1666, when the Booksellers' stocks were in St. Frith's Chapel heneath St. Paul's." The spelling of our dramatist's name has also been a subject of controversy since the discovery of a copy of Florio's 'Montaigne,' with his name on it, and supposed to be in his own handwriting. Charles Knight in his ' Pictorial Shakspere ' was the the first, as far as I am aware, to use it. I confess that to ,me it looked oddlike. In the last century the name varied a little from what it originally appeared, or the common practice of to-day. Some wanted thee of the first syUable, and some wanted the final e of the name. In the newest mode the first e and the a of the second syllable are both awanting. I do not recoUect of seeing the adjective form of this mode at aU, for I am not well acquainted with Mr. Knight's usage in this matter. : Looking over the instances of the name in the titles of the quartos and first foho, with three exceptions the name is always spelled the long way, having eleven letters and about fifty examples in aU; a few are dis- tinguished by having a hyphen dividing the syUables. The exceptions are in the quarto of 1598 Love's Labour's Lost; and the Passionate Filgrm of 1612, which are both speUed Shakespere, wanting only the second a; the quarto King Lear of 1608, which speUs the name Shakspear, wanting the first e. and the final one Professor Carl Elze, in his late volume, notices the subject at considerable length, but it would appear that the name had hardly any settled form at the time, every one spelling it as it pleased him. Mr Knight m 14 INTRODUCTION. a note to a Paper of thirty-t^o pages, written by himself for ' Knight's Store of Knowledge,' published in 1841, and which exhibits a fac simile of the name from the ' Montaigne,' writes as follows. "A furious controversy has been going on for two years upon this subject, which much resembles that of the hig-endians, and'little-endians in 'GuUiver's Travels'. We choose to belong to the party who speU the name as the poet vjrote it ; but we shall not quarrel with those who speU it as • his con- temporaries printed it." This tells much in favour of Mr. Knight's moderation in the matter, but at the same time it means a great deal as to the poet's scholarship, or to his utter indifference how other people chose to print it. It certainly detracts from his literary talent. His name is printed at the dedications to his friend the Earl of Southampton in 1693 and 1694 in full, with eleven letters, one in small capitals and the other in ordiaary char- acters : arid the question is, did he know how to spell his name, or is this ' Montaigne ' signature a genuine one ? Other questions of a more delicate nature may crop up, the fact that such a man did once live is not denied, but that he wrote the works attributed to him has already been controverted. My own circular has been brought up against me as blundering in the spelling of the name by doing so in two different ways, tiU. I had to explain that one of them was the chosen spelling of the ' New Society ' which I had alluded to. I have even heard more than once a pronounciation given to the name which would lead me to suppose that the true spelling had been Shaxper. This at all events would justify the Shaxper&n form of the adjective. After all, I am half inclined to beheve that like some cases of heraldry as INTRODUCTION. 15 respects mottoes, the name had been treated in a punning sort of fashion, but I have no wish to see it altered, any- more than I would like to see Marjoribanks turned into Marchbanks if the owners choose to retain it. My first thought on preparing my emendations for the press was to print the passages brought forward for emendation in the type and spelling of the original. But this I could only do as from the folio. And know- ing that in some of the plays certain passages were only found in the quartos, to which I had no access, I con- sequently resolved to take the Cambridge text as my starting point. Then to give ready access to the passage, the symbols for act, scene and line are given in the following manner. Eoman capitals are used for the Act. I. II. III. IV. v.; for the Scene, smaU Eoman i. ii. iii. iv. V. vi. vii. viii. ix. x.; and for the lines Arabic numerals. The lines are taken from the Globe edition for a double reason. Though both the Cambridge and Glabe are from the same editors, yet the numbering of the lines in prose portions are not the same, these not being guided on the same principle as the verse lines, from the fact of the smaller work being in double columns, and not agreeing in compass of breadth. On the other hand the Cambridge larger work is out of print, and is in the hands of a comparative small number, while the Globe can be got for a few shillings. One speciahty of the Globe is also in its favour which I may quote from the Preface of the Editors. " In this volume, whenever the original text has been corrupted in such a way as to effect the sense, no admissible emendation hav- ing been proposed, or whenever a lacuna occur^ too oxeat.to be filled up with any approach to certainty 16 INTRODUCTION. by conjecture, we have marked the passage with an obelus f." Now a large number of these will be brought under consideration, if not the whole of them, and this volume wiR be able to point out aU the difficult passages with httle trouble; as whenever an obelus-marked passage comes under observation, it will invariably be men- tioned. The order to be adhered to is that of the foho, which although paying no attention to chronology either of country or of date of writing, is more in use than any other system"yet attempted. In fact, it has now become as congenial to the student mind as the order of the books of the Bible to the whole English People. An index of the plays is given to assist in getting them readily, and a running title to each ^age will still further assist in this matter. It would have been impossible to have indexed the cruces commented on ; readers if taken aback by any- thing they have fallen in with, will naturally turn to the indexed play to see if anything has been written on the subject. STUDIES ON THE TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE. THE TEMPEST. He being thus lorded, Not only with what my revenue yielded, But what my power might else exact, like one Who having into truth, by telling of it, Made such a sinner of his memory. To credit his own lie, he did believe He was indeed the duke ; I. a. 97-108. The difficulty in this passage is the word having in the middle line, which wbnld appear to be a portion of the verh made, but is only a nominative similar to the kindred word telling in the same line. Both of these have had an influence on the mind of the duke's brother in causing him to act as he had done ; and the subordinate position he had been caUed to fill, in time became to him a reality, and to all intents and purposes he seemed to be the real duke. Having is, therefore, a participial noun, and, the preceding relative pronoun should be in the possessive case, as also another possessive should precede telling, intimating the impression made by the speaker, and the passage should run thus — like one Whose having i/n the truth, by his telling of it, Made such a siuner of his memory, To credit his own lie, he did believe He was indeed the duke ; Unfortunately Mrs. Cowden Clarke's valuable concordance omits all reference to the word Having, from the laudable desire to keep her great work within reasonable bounds, as 2 18 THE TEMPEST. intimated ia the Preface; and consequently in the first impression of these papers some half dozen instances of the word in its peculiar sense of property, portion, share, or possession, could be met in with ; hut since the appearance of Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon, the matter of fourteen examples will he found, thus throwing more light upon the emendation now offered. Prospero addressing Miranda. Awake, dear heart, awake ! thou hast slept well ; Awake ! Miranda. The strangeness of your story put Heaviness in me. I. a. 305. The unrhythmical opening of the last line has caused the Cambridge Editors to suggest that the line might be read thus — ' Strange heaviness in me '. An emendation, no doubt is necessary, but another form occurring in ' As You Lite It,' V. a. 50, when Orlando speaks of his own love prospects for the time as at the ' height of heart-heaviness,' would seem to be as appropriate, and as likely to be a printer's omission from the similarity of the opening syllables ; and the emeadation would read thus — The strangeness of your story put Heart-heaviness in me. Miranda. dear father, Make not too rash a trial of him, for He's gentle, and not fearful. Prospero. What ! I say, My foot my tutor ? /. a. 469. The appellation ' foot ' given by Prospero to his daughter does not seem to be an appropriate one, and has been conjec- tured by Mr. Sidney Walker to be fool. In Dryden's version the word was altered to child, certainly a more kindly term THE TEMPEST. 19 but not a likely one for a misprint. The term tool comes nearer the mark, meaning the instrument employed hy Prospero in the furtherance of his designs to bring the two acquainted, but at the same time to see how they stood affected to each other. The expression tool though used now-a-days in a disparaging sense, would not seem to have been so formerly. In fact, it is a condensation of what we find in the prophecies of Isaiah x. 15. ' Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith ? or shall the saw magnify itseM against him. that shaketh it ? ' And Prospero's meaning is simply ' Shall my instrument pretend to instruct me?' What ! 1 say, My tool my tutor ? Beseech you, sir, he merry ; you have cause, So have we all, of joy ; for our escape Is much heyond our loss. Our hint of woe Is common ; every day, some sailor's wife, The masters of some merchant, and the merchant Have iust our theme of woe ; II. i. 1-6. So runs the consoling speech of good old Gonzalo who is throughout the dialogue with his graceless companions only met with banter. The meaning is transparent enough, still a word or two has been called in question. 'Hint' especially is hardly the right word in the circumstances. The parties believed themselves to b'e the only survivors of the shipwreck, and 'hint of woe' is a very indirect term. Warburton adopted stint which is in some measure a share or portion, however smaU. Dint would appear to be a better term, meaning the impression one feels from a stroke or blow, and such the suffering from shipwreck. Dint occurs only twice in Shakespeare ; in 'Henry IV.', part II., where it refers to the power of the. sword, as ' by dint of sword,' the other instance is in ' Julius Csesar ' when Mark Antony near the close of his 20 THE TEMPEST. famous oration, and seeing the effects of his eloquence, exclaims — O, now you weep ; and I perceire, yon feel The diat of pity : these are gracious drops. The phraseology of the fifth line of our passage especially that of 'masters' is somewhat doubtful. The expression ' merchant ' occurring twice may be held to signify two different meanings, the first that of merchantman or trading vessel, as distinguished from the king's ship or war vessel which had just been wrecked. The second instance at the end of the line, would refer to the owner of a ship who was generally a merchant, and had his property at the mercy of the waves. The expression ' masters ' is probably a misprint for mariners, and thus we have three classes interested in the fate of every' vessel, the families at home, the seamen on board, and the owner. Reading the second sentence thus — Our dint of woe Is common ; every day, some sailor's wife, The mariners of some merchant, and the merchant Have just our theme of woe ; I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow ; And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts ; Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how To snare the nimble marmoset ; I'll bring thee To clustering filberts, and sometimes I'll get thee Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me ? , ' . II. a. 171-176. This speech of Caliban's and the previous one, addressed to his drunken companions who had given him the ' celestial liquor,' are both printed in the original as prose, but since the time of Pope have appeared as verse. The only difficulty in the passage is the term ' scamels,' and what does it mean. There is no other instance of the word to be found, and Theobald, whose ingenuity has been pronounced to be truly marvellous, has nevertheless been constrained to suggest three TEE TEMPEST. 21 conjectuies, one of which he adopted, and a second has been generally preferred hy other editors, whilst the original scamels has heen more in use since Collier and Knight brought out their respective texts. Theobald's three conjectures were chamois, seamalls, and stannels. The first of these is the well-known animal of the Alpine regions ; the second has been generally printed sea- mells, and is considered to be the same as the Scotch sea- maws ; of the third, which has been printed both stannyel and staniel, the latter is the reading adopted by Hanmer and all subsequent editors in a passage of ' Twelfth Night,' act II. scene 5, which appears in all the folios as stallion, and in the Collier MS. as falcon. And with what wing the staniel checks at it. The term scamel is more likely to have been a coinage put into the mouth of Caliban, a generic term signifying different creatures, birds or quadrupeds, frequenters of rocky heights, and named by him as seambles, from the verb scamUe and scamhling, which is met with four times in Shakespeare 5 nearly all allied to scramble, but this last does not occur in his works. and sometimes I'll get thee Young scamhles from the rock. I must remove Some thousands of these logs, and pile them up, Upon a sore injunction : my sweet mistress Weeps when she sees me work, and says, such baseness Had never like executor. I forget : But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my lahours. Most busy lest, when I do it. •^ III. i. 9-15. In the opinion of the late Mr. Howard Staunton, the last line is the great crux of the play. Within the last twelve- month the subject has been ventilated in Notes and Queries, 22 THE TEMPEST. for a period of over six months, and has been finally closed by the dictum of a contributor hailing from the Athenseum Glub, that it was time to put an end to the question, as in his opinion " I had f uUy discovered its meaning ". This is certainly the highest honour that one could wish, coming from the quarter it did ; and considering that it was the ih'st em- endation I had attempted, as far back as 1862, and finding its way also in the ' conjectural notes ' of the Cambridge text. These conjectures deal with the second and third words of the line partly as two distinct words, and partly as one word of the superlative degree in an adjectival form, but leaving out of sight the initial letter of 'lest'. The conjecture hazarded at the time, and which I still adhere to, gave the united form as a superlative adverb, even retaining the double superlative — a mode of comparison quite allowable in Shakes- pearian grammar, and even in our English Bible j as when St. Paul defending himself before Agrippa, speaks of being a Pharisee of the most straitest sect. The emendation thus given and confined to the last clause of the passage is the following — I forget : But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my lahours, Most lusiliest when I do it. Now come, my Ariell, bring a Corolary, Rather than want a spirit ; appear, and pertly. No tongue : all eyes : be silent. ir. i. 57. I have been tempted to have this passage printed literatim from the folio text for the purpose of showing the spelling of the last word of the first line with its single 1, being fully convinced that the usual ' corollary ' of the ordinary texts cannot be the word intended when we take into considera- tion the scene, its intention and accompaniments. Prospero having now seen the strong attachment between THE TEMPEST. 23 his daughter and Ferdinand, proceeds to give the pair some counsel respecting their new relationship ; Ariel enters and receives instructions to prepare a specimen of his master's art; and on his re-entering, addresses him in the words of this passage. A masque now takes place, and the characters representing this are ' Iris, Ceres, Juno, Nyjnphs, and certain Eeapers (properly habited),' &c. It will be -remembered that the first line and half are addressed to Ariel, and the remainder partly to the masquers and the two lovers. Whatever may have been the derivation and meaning 6f the original Latin poroUarium from which the English aoroUary comes, it is certain that the latter is a partly logical term, and corollarium itself has been used in a philosophical sense since the time of Boethius in the fifth century. How it was possible for Ariel to bring an inference rather than want a spirit is the puzzle. The word occurs nowhere else in Shakespeare, and in this connection it appears to be a gross blunder. All the actors in the masque 'were spirits, and were melted into air, into thin air ' ; and this anomalous ex- pression seems to be a corruption for something of a like kind. What Prospero really says to Ariel, is to bring a clioir of Lares, the usual household deities, seeing that the vision was a preliminary to a marriage celebration ; and in addition the caveat in the succeeding half line is against bringing unsuitable characters for so solemn a ceremony. Bring a choir of la/res Eather than waiUon spirits. There were to be no satyrs, but modest nymphs and reapers, properly habited, to grace the solemnity. At last I left them I' the filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell, There dancing up to the chins, that the foul lake O'erstunk their feet. ir. i. 181. 24 THE TEMPEST. Tlie only emendation in the Cambridge notes to this passage is one hy Mr. Spedding on the last word ' feet,' which he conjectures should be fear, Ifo doubt, the varlets, as Prospero designates the unruly companions of Caliban, had passed through many ungainly troubles causing them to feel much terror, but the last clause of Ariel's speech has more reference to the purpose the scamps were engaged upon, than their own suffering, which had been detailed enough abeady. If we go back some ten lines we shall get the very word which is a counterpart of the one misprinted feet. The proper spelling of this should have been feat, having exactly the same sound, but a very different meaning, implying that the filth they had passed through had overstunk their nefarious project, bad indeed as it was — That the foul lake o'erstuok their feat. THE TWO GENTLEMEN" OF VEEONA. I have received my proportion, like the prodigious son, and am going with Sir Proteus to the Imperial's coxirt. 11. Hi. 2. So says Launce in the second sentence of his famous soli- loquy, and we all know that ' proportion and the prodigious son ' have a reference to the well-known parable, but it is not likely that ' prodigious ' is the word the author intended, however it may have been so printed. The speaker indeed is a wag, and also an illiterate one. He makes an error in his phrase- ology, but simply in the termination of the proper word. Now the printed word not only does this, but a great deal more. By the insertion of an unnecessary letter the special sound of the g is not what it is in prodigal, and the accent is removed from the iirst to the second syllable, so confound- ing aU likeness with the right word, that a great part of the intentional blunder is lost. What the author wrote must have been prodigous, really no word at all, and one easily suspected to be prodigious, but not so produced by' one not reading from a paper. The author simply ^xiis prodigous, instead oi prodigal in the mouth of an illiterate person, and writes it so. An error is supposed to have happened, the word is printed as we have it in the folio, and is not suspected to be wrong. ' Proportion ' is doubtless an intentional mistake for portion though used elsewhere in that particular sense. So is Imperial's court for Emperor's, the speaker merely confounding adjective and substantive, showing stiU further his little .acquaintance with letters and the niceties of speech. Come, go with us, we'll bring thee to our crews. And show thee all the treasure we have got ; "Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose. ir. i. 74. 26 THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VEBONA. The final word of the first line, 'crews,' spelt in the fitst three folios as erewes, is altered by Singer to caves, and in the CoUier MS. to cave. Mr. Staunton " has not ventured -to alter the original text, but can hardly believe crews to be what the poet wrote ". In this we have the idea of hiding- place where the outlaws stored their plunder, and the treasure they bad pUed up. The proper word would seem to be the weU-known north country word cruive, and in the plural. In English dialect it occurs as corf, with corves in the plural, a mode of transposition quite common in the various dialects of England and Scotland. The word has various significa^ tions, but all embodying the idea of a cavity, and sometimes one of shelter and secrecy. It means a receptacle, hiding- place, basket, crevice and even a chink. In ' Titus Andron- icus ' we have ' I pried me through the crevice of a wall,' which in the quarto copies of that play appears as crevie, showing the allied nature of the expression. .We'll bring thee to our cruives, And show thee all the treasure we have got ; THE MEEEY WIVES OF WINDSOR - And being fap, sir, was, as they say oasKiered ; and so conclusions passed tlie careires. I. i. 181. Tkis is the explanation given hj Bardolph to the charge of having picked Master Slender's purse, and is evidently in thieves' slang which Ealstaff understands well enough, for he concludes the investigation by saying, ' You hear all these matters denied, gentlemen, you hear it '. Slender's impres- sion, however, had been ' Ay, you spake in. Latin then too '. But the question arises, how much of Bardolph's language is slang, how much is blundering, and how much of it due to misprint? In fact these three elements may be all found in the passage. There are three words if not four, which require ex- amination, and the first of these is ' fap,' but whether this is the right expression may admit of a doubt. Two conjectures in the Cambridge notes make it, the one sap, and the other vap. The glossary of the Globe explains ' fap ' as meaning drunk ; but Bardolph in a previous speech had already stated that Slender at the time ' had drunk himself out of his five sentences '. It would rather seem that Bardolph had used a military term in this case, being the verb to sap, but in the past tense sapped, signifying that Slender had been undermined, and consequently cashiered, another cant term for being plundered. ' Conclusions ' is a blunder of his own making, like his expres- sion of the gentleman being out of his five sentences, which Hugh Evans so readily corrected into his five senses. Con- clusions is therefore collusion, showing that the parties were all cognisant of the tfick played on Slender, and passed the 28 THE MERBY WIVES OF WINDSOR. money from hand to hand, or conveyed it, as Pistol in a subsequent passage affirms to be the proper expression for stealing. ' Careires ' is a more problematical word, and is printed in all the folios and the only quarto which contains this . por- tion of the play, with a hyphen after the first three letters. In some editions it is simply given as careers, a quite common word. It is impossible to say whether this Car-eires is a word of two syllables or of three, or why the hyphen got inserted. The Globe glossary explains it as signifying ' the curvetting of a horse ' if so, it implies there must have been some rough usage at the time. The word appears rather to be a misprint for another which occurs six times in the singular form, and twice in the plural and with three diverse significations, the present instance making the fourth, and also in the plural. Four of these refer to the well-known word canary, meaning a particular kind of wine so called. Twice it is used as referring to a species of dance, twice it is used by Dame Quickly in this very play instead of quandary, and in the present passage it would seem to refer to pieces of coin, in the plural form, canaries. Thus — And being sapped, sir, was, as they say, cashiered ; and so conclusions passed the canaries. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife ; I spy entertainment in her, she discourses, she carves, she gives the leer of invitation. /. iii. 47-50. The word ' carves ' is in the folio printed carues which in general is of no great consequence, the u and v beinc inter- changeable, but in the third quarto it appears as craues or craves. Much discussion has taken place as to the exact meaning of these, whether carves or craves, and what qualifi- cation was implied, as being possessed by the lady. The THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 29 expression curves has been brought forward and explained as a significant motion made by the little finger, conveying in- telligence of some kind or other. There is only one other instance of carve being used in the same connection — viz., '.Love's Labour's Lost,' V. ii. 322. This gallant pins the wenches on his sleeve ; Had he been Adam, he had tempted Eve ; A' can carve too, and lisp : why, this is he That kiss'd away his hand in courtesy. There is 'little doubt that this refers to the same idea as in Falstaff's language, and also that the reading of the quarto craiies is a key to the true expression — cranes, indicating a particular motion of the head, as making a long neck Hke a crane, either showing curiosity or kindly courtesy. The idea occurs also in Milton's L'Allegi'o. Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles, Such as hang on Hebe's cheek. And love to Hve in dimples sleek. This pleasant manner, however, Falstaff, like a true libertine, interprets to his own advantage, and is not very select in his choice of language. East. My hand, bully ; thou shalt have egress and regress ;— said I well ? — and thy name shall be Brook. It is a merry knight. Will you go, An-heires ? II. i. 225. Mine Host of the Garter and Justice Shallow having joined the company in front of Page's house, and the Justice having announced that a fray was to be fought between the Welsh priest and the French doctor, some by-play takes place between Master Ford and Mine Host, which being settled, the latter turns round in his bluff manner with the quotation given, and with ' "Will you go, An-heires 1 ' It is to the last word which has puzzled the commentators 30 THE MEBBY WIVES OF WINDSOR. that attention will be directed. Besides the varieties in the folios, the Camhridge editors present eight other conjectures from various editors and critics ; such as ' mynheers ' ; ' on here,' ' on, heris,' ' on, hearts,' ' on, heroes,' ' and hear us,' ' cavalieres,' and — ' eh, sir '. Considering the character of the speaker, and of the person who replies, being the redoubtable Justice Shallow, who was always fuU of the exploits of his early days : it will be noticed that the greater part of Mine Host's speech is addressed to Master Ford who wishes to be introduced to Falstaff, and this the speaker undertakes to accomplish in his off-hand, free and easy style. He knows all about it, and all the characters of his guests. He conceives that Master Ford has been captivated with the report concerning the merry knight, and wishes merely to get acquainted with him, then, in his self-complacent and blustering manner to all and sundry who partake of his hospitality, he addresses the Justice, the oldest and most important personage of the group, with a slang phrase probably picked up at the playhouse ; not caring whether it be taken well or ill, but at the same time knowing his man as one who had a fancy for sport, ' WUI you go, Anchises 1 ' to which the Justice replies with all readiness, 'Have with you, miae host,' probably taking it as a compliment. There are three other references given to Anchises in the plays, one given by -^neas himself, in his welcome to Dio- medes, ' Troilus and Cressida,' IV. i. 21. In humane gentleness, Welcome to Troy ! now, by Anchises' life, Welcome, indeed ! The. other instances refer to old Anchises, having respect to his advanced years as a patriarch, ' Henry VI.! part second, V. a. 60, As did iEneas old Anchises bear. So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 31 And in the speecli of Cassius. 'Julius Csesar,' /. ii. 112, 115. I, as ^neas, our great ancestor, Did from the flames of Troy, upon his shoulder The old Anohises bear, so from the waves of Titer Did I the tired Caesar. There is little douht that the Justice would he highly gratified at the allusion made to the old classical Trojan, Anchises. CEIDE-GAME. In May, 1862, when Mr. Booth's Eeprint of the Folio of 1623, part first. Comedies, came to hand, my attention was turned to this peculiar expression through a note ia the late Mr. Staunton's edition of Shakespeare, and I came to the conclusion that the true reading might possibly he ' or die game,' quite a likely encouragement to the .valorous French- man to comhat the fiery Welshman, though it should cost him his Ufe. The publication of the Cambridge Shakes- peare, however, with its numerous conjectural notes, and its adoption of Mr. Dyce's reading, ' Cried I aim ?' first pro- posed by Mr. Douce, and which Mr. Staunton so carefully noted as " not iafelicitous," caused me for some years to keep it in abeyance. However, I have agaia turned to it, and my views will be given at length as I now propose to read the passage. "With this purpose, the speech of Miue Host will be printed in its integrity, the best way to lay it before my readers. Mine Host is the speaker, and his speech is as follows : — Let him die : sheath thy impatience; throw cold water on thy ChoUer ; goe about the fields with mee through Frogmore, I will bnng thee where Mistris Anne Page is, at a Farm-house a Feasting : and thou shalt wooe her : Cride-game, said I well ? _ ^^^^g 32 THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. In the last scene of the play, Cousin Slender, though, he followed his instructions ' and went to her in greene,' adds, ' and cried mum, and she cride hudget '. In Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, London, 1633, page 74, there is, 'How oft my dolefuU Sire cride to me '. These discrepancies of spelling need not astonish us, but what becomes of the hyphen ia the middle of this apparently compound word, as the first two quartos of 1602 and 1619 omit it, besides printing the clause in question in the following manner : — ' And thou shalt wear hir cried game : sed I wel bully '. After this, the difficulty of keeping by the text of Shakespeare may be no great wonder, nor the determination of some to scout at all efforts of emendation. Mr. Dyce's emendation is said to have some connection with archery, but this particular instance occurs nowhere else in Shakespeare, if this be really one. "Warburton's ' Cry aim ' is to be found twice, but the two readings differ, inas- much as the later critic puts the phrase interrogatively, while the earlier gives it in the imperative. But the question occurs again, what has become of the initial letter in ' game ' ? Other emendations and conjectures iu the Cambridge notes are to the following effect : — ' Try'd game,' by Theobald ; ' Cock of the game,' by Hanmer ; ' Dry'd game,' by Jackson; 'Cry ami'e,' by Becket ; 'Curds and cream' in the Collier MS.; and my own at the time was, 'Or die game'. My impression now is that Mine Host's phrase is a corruption of a French one which Doctor Caius was in the habit of using, but had been slightly misprinted ; and giving the concluding part of the speech, would appear thus— I wUl briug thee where Mrs. Anne Page is, at a farmhouse a-feasting ; and thou shalt woo her. Gxj tej'aime : said I well? THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 33 Page, Kay, do not fly ; 1 think we have wateh'd you now ■ Will none but Heme the hunter serve your turn ? Mrs. Page. I pray you, come, hold up the jest no higher. Now good Sir John, how like you Windsor wives ? See you these, husband ? do not these fair yokes Become the forest better than the town ? r. V. 107-112. Tlie Globe edition has tlie obelus at the fifth line, and I may mention that the comma between 'these' and 'husband' is not in any of the folios or the third quarto — the only per- fect one, and printed in 1630, seven years after the folio. From the Cambridge notes we learn that in the second, third, and fourth folios the substantive is in the plural, and so also is the reading of Hanmer, who seems to have inserted the comnia. This, in fact, makes husband or husbands in the vocative. Another note intimates that yoakes is the reading alone of the folio and quarto, the second and third folios reading okes, and the fourth folio has oaks, which is also adopted by Hanmer. Jackson gives a conjecture of fairy jolces. But this is not the worst, the last three lines attributed to_ Mrs. Page could not have been spoken by her. The first line would seem to have satisfied her, J I pray you, come, hold up the jest no higher. The comma and husband are essentially wrong, and the speaker is Page himself ; the first ' these ' should be this, and the whole is a piece of lively banter more suitable for the husband than the wife. He speaks little, and does not open his mouth till Ford, his wife, Falstaff, and Evans have, all had their say, and Mrs. Page speaks twice before her husband utters a word. He must have been laughing aU the time, having first set the baU going. "With these remarks the passage appears thus, italicising the amended words — 3 34 THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. Page. Nay, do not fly, I think we have watch'd you now Will none but Heme the hunter serve your turn ? Mrs. Page. I pray you, com^, hold up the jest no higher. Page. Now, good Sir John, how like you Windsor wives ! See you this husbomdry ? do not these feir yokes Become the forest better than the town ? MEASUEE FOR MEASURE. Therefore, indeed, my father, 1 have on Angelo imposed the office : "Who may, in the amhush of my name, strike home, And yet, my nature never in the fight To do in slander. /. Hi. 39-43. The last line and a half is treated in the Cambridge notes to ten dififerent emendations, of which four have found their ■way into particular texts. The following is submitted in tabular form, as under — mever in the sight to do in slander. — Pope. never in the fight so do in slander. — Theobald. never in the sight to do it slander. — Hammer. never in the sight so doing slander' d. — Johnsvfi. never in the sight to draw on slander. — Collier MS. never in the right to do him slander. — Singer. never in the light to do it slander. — Dyce. never in the fight to do me slander. — Halliimll. never win the fight to die in slander. — Siaimton. ever in the fight to dole in slander. — Jackson. An analysis of this list may not be amiss, and at least wiU. be curious. There are exactly eight words to deal with, and with the exception of the definite article which ranks third, every one undergoes a change -of some kind or other. Tor the first word there is one variation, ever ; for the second there is one, win ; toi the fourth there are four, sight, fight, right, light ; for the fifth, one, so ; for the sixth, five, do, doing, draw, die, dole ; for the seventh, five, in, it, on, him, me ; and for the last, one, slander' d. Now the great point has been missed all along, for it is not of himself that the Duke is speaking, but of Angelo. There 36 MEASURE FOB MEASURE. are three misprints to amend, and the first of these has never heen touched on. In the early part of the speech the Duke speaks of ' my tyranny,' ' my fault,' and ' my name,' but the . two words preceding the portion tabulated, ' my nature,' should be ' by nature,' meaning the nature or temperament of Angelo. A careful study of the context wiU make this clear. Again, for the word ' fight ' the proper rendering is plight, but the presence of 'ambush' and 'strike home ' has caused it to be supposed combative. Por the four last words the reading of the Collier MS. is the correct one, and the passage in its important part should read thus — Who may, in the ambush of my name, strike home, And yet by nature never in the plight To draw on slander. The Duke had always suspected the strictness of Angelo's demeanour, and determined to put him to the test. What's open made to justice. That justice seizes : what know the laws That thieves do pass on thieves ! //, i. 22. Well, heaven forgive him ! and forgive us aU ! Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall : Some run from brakes of ice, and answer none And some condemned for a fault alone. II. i. 39. These passages are portions of the dialogue between Angelo and Escalus on the guilt and fate of Claudio, and the lines indicated are both marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, as mentioned in the preface. The first is one not difficult to settle. The middle line is unrhythmical from the deficiency of a syllable and an error in pointing. The second clause of the line should read thus — MEASUR'E FOR MEASURE. 37 what ! know we the laws That thieves do pass on thieves ? The third line of the second portion is a much more diffi- cult matter, and has been a thorough crux all along. It is hy studying the original text, which can only be found in the folio, that its peculiarity can be clearly noticed and the reason given for the emendation that will follow. In the first place, the second line is printed in italics, and the third line appears as follows — ' ' Some run from brakes of Ice, and answer none. ' The chief emendations have been ' through .brakes of vico and '-by Eowe ; ' from brakes of vice, and ' by Malone ; ' from brakes of justice 'by CapeU; 'from breaks of ice, and' by CoUier; 'from brakes, off ice and' a conjecture by Knight. Ice, in the example given, is the only wOrd so circum- stanced having a capital initial, and there is a small sp^ce in the foUpwing conjunction tobe accounted for. Brakes I think is wrong, and answer is defective. Ice and and is a misprint for 'Iceland '. It occurs- only once in Shakespeare — Henry v., II. i. 44 — where Nym and Pistol are at daggers-drawing, and the latter denounces his chum contemptuously — 'Pish for thee, Iceland dog ! thou prickeared cur of Iceland ! ' It would thus seem there was something contemptible about the products of that particular spot, and the idea also is suggested that the brakes of the text is a misprint for pranks, and pro- bably some particular allusion may yet be discovered referring to this cant phrase, ' pranks of Iceland '. Answer may be- come answering, and the couplet will read thus — Some run from pranks of Iceland, answering none ; And some condemned for a fault alone. 38 . MEASURE FOB MEASURE. Admit no other way to save his life — — that you his sister ; Finding yourself desired of such a person, Whose credit with the judge, or own great place, Could fetch your brother from the manacles Of the all-building law ; //. iv. 90-94. The only difiference in the last plrrase of this quotation," from the reading of the folio is the printing of ' law ' with a capital, and connecting it with the preceding portion by another hyphen, which is nowise material. The expression ■ aU-building ' is in itself the point of dispute — what is meant hy aU-huilding ? "We learn that Kowe adopted all- holding and Johnson all-binding. A special Cambridge note mentions on the authority of Johnson that " Mr. Theobald has binding in one of his copies ". The objection to these is-, that the law cannot be said to hold aU or bind all in the sense of putting manacles on every one. Eowe is right in a portion of his conjecture, but the first half of the compound word should be thrall, making thrall-holding ; being the case of every person subjected to manacles, he is heldi in thraldom for the time, and is not at likerty. Thou hast nor youth nor age. But, as it were, an after-dinner's sleep. Dreaming on both ; for all thy blessed youth Becomes as aged, and doth beg the alms Of palsied eld ; and when thou art old and rich. Thou hast neither heat, affection, limb, nor beauty. To make thy riches pleasant. in. i. 32-38. This is the summing up of the Duke's address to Claudio in prison, moralising on life and death, youth and ao'e, and the littleness of each. The speaker alludes to poverty and riches when connected with the extremes of life, and in the MEASURE FOR MEASURE. 39 middle clause uses the expression ' as aged ' while referring to youth, and certain consequences likely to result even in that early stage. ' Blessed youth ' has heen called in question, and such substitutes as blazed, blasted, and boasted have been proposed, but the chief point of attack has been the two words 'as aged'. For this, Hanner adopts 'an ^digent ' ; and "Warbuiton ' assuaged ' ; other terms have been conjectured such as assieged, engaged, enaged, und one by the Cambridge editors, abased. There is considerable likeness in some of these to the questionable phrase of the speaker, but a more likely term would be found in the word assailed showing the effect of disease even in the youthful frame, which unfits one for an active prosperous career, and is contrasted with old age and wealth, showing how little there is to choose between them. for all thy Messed youth Becomes assailed, and doth beg the alms Of palsied eld ; Isabella. This outward-sainted deputy. Whose settled visage and deliberate word Nips youth i' the head and follies doth emmew As falcon doth the fowl, is yet a deyH ; His filth within.being cast, he would appear , A pond as deep as hell. Claudia. The prenzie Angelo ! Isabella. 0, 'tis the cunning livery of hell, The damned'st body to invest and cover In prenzie guards ! i-W"- *'• 89-97. The word ' prenzie ' twice used here, and nowhere else in Shakespeare, has caused a great deal of controversy, and its meaning has never yet been established. The Cambridge notes furnish about a dozen readings and conjectures which may be enumerated. The second, third and fourth folios road 'priacely'j Hanmer gives 'priestly'; Knight adopts 'precise' from a conjecture by Tieck ;' Staunton has 'rev'rend'; 40 MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Hickson conjectures "^aintiy'; Taylor ' printsy ' ; Delius ' pious ' ; an anonymous conjecture in Notes and Queries ' phrenzied,' and another in the same ' primsie ' ; an early one of my own in the Cambridge first volume, ' pensie ' meaning stuck np, pedantic. I learn, however, that Mr. Knight, has a conjecture that the word should be 'frenzy' in the first instance, and ' princely ' in the second. The great difficulty is to find a word that would be perfectly applicable in both cases, that is to Angelo as a man, and to Angelo in the position he held. This last is typified in the expression ' prenzie gardes ' now printed guards, and in the Collier MS. given as garb. There is hardly a conjecture that would fit without some drawback, and the word appearing identical, twice in the compass of three lines, would intimate it was the same word in both instances. Every reader of the play knows that Angelo was the substitute of the duke in his absence. Isabella, while leading on her brother by hints of the nature of the remedy by which his life might be spared, charges the foulness of the suggestion on Angelo by the expression ' this outward-sainted deputy,' and gives his character in no measured terms. Claudio catches at the expression but varies it by exclaiming ' The proxy ! Angelo ! ' He can scarcely credit it, but the sister confirms it as the work of Satanic influence that such vile- ness should be invested with delegated authority, and in jproxy trappings. Proxy is quoted in Johnson from a writer about forty years subsequent to the time of Shakespeare, and is said to be derived from ' procuracy ' a law term ; and of aU the plays this of 'Measure for Measure' is more connected with law, and has more law terms than any other. The proxy ! Angelo ! 0, 'tis the cunning livery of hell, The damned'st body to invest and cover In proxy guards. MEASURE FOR MEASURE. 41 Ay, but to die, and go we know not where ; To lie in cold obstruction and to rot ; TUs sensible warm motion to become A kneaded clod ; and the delighted spirit To bathe in fieiy floods, or to reside In thrilling region of thick-ribbed ice ; To be imprisdn'd in the viewless winds, And blown with restless violence round about The. pendent world ; ///. i. 118-126. To all appearance this reads well and clearly, yet tlie expression ' delighted spirit ' has been controverted by a few- critics as hardly in keeping with the anticipations of the separation of sonl and body. Claudio pictures the latter as becoming a piece of lifeless clay, but then it is a delighted spirit which has left it, and all at once there is nothing but a series of evils before the animating principle drawn in the most forcible language. In this frame of mind how could he predicate the spirit as delighted. The' same misgiving seems to have warranted the substitutions which havebeen offered. Hanmer adopts the reading of dilated spirit, exhibiting a neutral tint, and having the idea, of enlarged in the sense of increase, but hardly that of freedom, for Claudio clings tenaciously to life. Johnson presents an anonymous conjec- ture of benighted spirit which he says ^ is the most plausible,' though he does not adopt it : this has the idea of having •lost its way. But how could Claudio being a good catholic conclude so, even though Purgatory was awaiting him, and the idea of this doubtless suggested the tenour of his subse- quent language. On the other hand, Upton boldly suggested ddinquent spirit, but then, was Claudio speaking of himself alone as conscience-striken or of death in general The latter is the prevailing idea in his mind as may be seen towards the conclusion. One anonymous conjecture would make it to be the alighted spirit, indeed nearer the original 42 MEASURE FOB MEASURE, as regards the ipsissimae liter oe, but still losing sight of the main thought — the parting from the hody. Another m ' Fraser's Magazine ' would make it the delated spirit — the summoned — subject to the same drawback as the last though in a minor degree. For ' delighted ' I propose dislodged, a word which occurs only once elsewhere when the messenger arrives from the camp of Coriolanus with the tidings that the ' Volscians are dislodged '. In this instance dislodged is a word of two syllables, in the emendation it is pronounced as three. The habitation of the once living person is now empty, and the dislodged spirit is supposed now — To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside In thrilling region of tMck-ribbed ice ; To be imprison'd in the viewless winds, And blown with restless violence round about The pendent world. And the speaker concludes with the following strong ejaculation — The weariest and most loathed worldly life That age, ache, penury, and imprisonment Can lay on nature is a paradise To what we fear of death. In this we see the character of Claudio admirably con- trasted with that of Barnardine in the fourth act of the same play, who shows an utter indifference to life or, death, or as the Duke teUs him in the last scene — That apprehends no farther than this world, And squarest thy life according. He who the sword of heaven will bear Should be as holy as severe ; Pattern in himself to know, ■ Grace to stand, and virtue go ; MEASURE FOR MEA8VBE. 43 More nor less to others paying Than hy self-offences weighing. Shame to Mm whose cruel striking KiUs for faults of his own liking ! 8 Twice treble shame on Angelo, To weed my vice and let his grbw ! 0, what may man within him hide, Though angel on the outward side ! 12 How may likeness made in crimes,- Making practice on the times, To draw, with idle spiders' strings Most ponderous and substantial things ! 16 Craft against vice I must apply : "With Angelo to-night shall lie His old betrothed but despised ; So disguise shall, by the disguised, 20 Pay with falsehood false exacting. And perform an old contracting. III. a. last 2Z lilies. For the convenience of reference this soliloquy of the Duke has the lines numbered. There are three distinct passages which require elucidation, containing at the least nine errors, of which seven are misprints, and two are transpositions. Spelling apart, there is no difference between the folio and the transcript from the Cambridge text. The Globe edition, however, attaches the obelus to hnes 4, 13 and 20, indicative of being corrupt. Taking these last in their order, the couplet ending with 4, ' Pattern in himself to know, grace to stand and virtue go ' : an emendation from the Collier MS. on the last three words, is merely ' virtue to go ' to the manifest detriment of the measure, and seemingly adopted that the two supposed verbs should be both expressed in the strictly infinitive form. Becket has hit upon one emendation, which is the right one, but has not had the fortune to follow it up. For ' know ' he suggests show, but seeing an antithesis between grace and 44 MEASURE FOR MEASURE. virtue, supposes there was another in stand and go. His two liaes read thus — 'Pattern in'hiniself, to show Grace and virtue. Stand or go '. The chief characteristic in the thirteenth line is the emen- dations in the verh ' made ' such as shading, trade, wade, and mate. The word- ' likeness ' has also been a grteat puzzle, and has been emphasised by that and such ; ' making ' has also come in for its share, becoming in some mocking, make sin, and masking. The couplet ending with 20 is not noticed in the larger Cambridge text, stiU there is an important emenda- tion needed, and a transposition to be effected to bring the whole into form and propriety. A transcript in accordance with what has been said wOl leave the reader to judge of the value of the proposed emendations. Lines 4, 13, 20. He who the sword of heaven will bear Should be as holy as severe ; Pattern in himself to show Grace withstanding virtue's foe ; 4 More nor less to others paying Than by self-offences weighing. Shame to him whose cruel striking Kills for faults of his own liking ! Twice treble shame on Angelo, To weed my vice and let his grow ! 0, what may man within him hide, Though angel on the outward side ! To have my likeness trade in crimes 13 Making practice on the times, To draw with idle spiders' strings Most ponderous and substantial things ! Craft against vice I must apply : With Angelo to-night shall lie His old betrothed but despised ; So shall disguise buy the disguised, 20 Pay with falsehood false exacting, And perform an old contracting. MEASURE FOB MEASURE: 45 Act IF., Scene I., Lines 28-36. Isabella by appointment meets the Duke at Mariana's house, and proceeds to relate her interview with Angelo, by describing where the assignation was to take place ; the whole couched in the most methodical manner, and precise language In regular blank verse ; ending with two lines copied from the folio thus — Tkere haue I made my promise, vpon the Heauy midle of the night, to, call vpon him. In the first line we have the usual ten syllables, but certainly no line of verse. In the second line there are as surely twelve syllables, but not an Alexandrine. Of the attempts to bring this into shape the Cambridge notes provide four examples by Pope, Capell, Singer and Dyce. Pope alone makes anything approaching to verse. So prosaic indeed is the passage that Staunton and Delius make no ' alteration in the order of the words, and print as plain prose. The Cambridge text follows the order of the words likewise, but breaks the passage into three lines bounded by the punctuation of the folio ; but having no punctuation till the final period. This is from a conjecture by Mr. Sidney Walker. The final words of both lines seem to indicate something wrong, but the 'heavy middle of the night' confirms it. We have several instances of the ' heavy night ' and of the 'middle of the night' but this is the only heavy middle. This almost implies there are more middles than one, and suggests that these have got into wrong places, at least one of them. Moreover, it nowhere appears that Isabella felt any compunction in giving her promise, when she had no intention of keeping it. Doubtless, she had been fortified by the counsel of her spiritual adviser, but she might have been supposed to give expression to her feelings in having become an instrument of deception. By abstracting the 46 MEASURE FOB MEASURE. •word. ' heavy ' from its present connection, and attaching it to her promise, there is the requisite desideratum and with little transposition the two liaes may be as rhythmical as the others, thus — He hath a garden cironramured with hriok, Whose western side is with a vineyard hack'd^ And to that vineyard is a planohed gate, That makes his opening with this bigger key : This other doth command a little door Which from the vineyard to the garden leads : There I've my heavy promise made to call, Upon thfi middle of the night, on him. THE COMEDY OF EEROES. 1 see the Jewell best enamaled Will loose his beaiitie : yet the gold hides still That others touch, and often touching will, "Where gold and no man that hath a name, By falshood and corruption doth it shame : Since that my beautie cannot please his eie. He weep (what's left away) and weeping die. II. i. 108-115. The Cambridge editors in a special note on this passage plainly intimate their opinion — " The only correction of this passage which we helieve to be quite free from doubt is that in Hue 111, 'Wear' for 'Where'. Accordingly, with this exception, we have retained the precise words of the first Polio." It is therefore with a sense of the difficulties, that in addition I have retained the spelling of the foUo, and will simply intimate that the editors devote eight notes to regis- tering the various readings of these seven lines, but shaU content myself with merely referring to one. There are a few matters to notice before proceeding to the main subject. The last word of the first line is in modem spelling ' enamelled ' and is intended to be pronounced as four syllables to rhyme with the preceding line. ' Loose ' in the second line is a misprint for lose, and ' his ' is the old practice for its, which in Shakespeare's time was not fully established. ' Touch ' and ' touching ' were then used for the art of assaying the precious metals. Eor the word ' Where ' at the beginning of the fourth line, we are indebted to Theo- bald for the reading of Wear, hence all modem editions read the clause — ' often touching wiU wear gold '. For the three words at the beginning of the third line, one proposes ' The 48 THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. -tester's touch ' and Mr. Singer adopts ' The trier's touch '. These refer to the same thing, and have hit the true meaning but missed the right expression. ' That other's touch ' is just ' The , toucher's touch,' and there should be no comma after still, as used now. The fourth line is evidently short of a syllable, besides having a negative ' no man ' which appears to contradict whatever meaning may be extracted from the rest of the passage, as long as that is allowed to re- main. The Globe edition has at this portion the usual prefix implying something amiss, and the Cambridge notes give three attempts to amend the line by expletives. Of these, two get quit of the negative, but continue the application to ' man ' as the individual intended by the speaker. The proper expression in this case is woman, and the necessary expletive is too, as wUl be seen in the amended form — I see the jewel best enamelled Will lose his heauty ; yet the gold bides still The toucher's touch ; and often touching will Wear gold, and woman too that hath a name- By falsehood and corruption doth it shame. Since that my beauty cannot please his eye, I'll weep what's left, away ; and weeping die. The only remaining difficulty is to what does the neuter per- sonal pronoun in the fifth line refer. The misfortune of that word is to have no distinctive nominative and accusative, especially in verse which admits of so much transposition, as for instance in The Tempest "and all which it inherit," where it is an accusative. In our present instance it is a nominative referi?ing to touching as its antecedent. The following parar phrase of the passage will throw some light on the matter, and in so far wUl excuse its length. " I see. that the most richly ornamented jewel will in time lose its beauty ; never- theless the fine gold of which it is composed wiU stand the test of the assayer; at the same time, of ten repeated assayings THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. 49 will wear away the metal, and woman too, enjoying the reputation of virtue or beauty, if subjected to a like ordea at the instigation of falsehood and corruption, will, as a matter of course suffer wrong, and be so far the loser." The speaker ^evidently conceived herself passing through the furnace of affliction, and to be suffering beyond endurance, through the conduct of her husband, and in .despair closes with the couplet as quoted in addition. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. What need the hridge much broader than the flood ? The fairest grant is the necessity. Look, what -will serve is fit : 'tis once thou lovest, And I -will fit thee with the remedy. I- i- 318. The word 'grant' is the only difficulty if it be one. Taken in connection with the query concerning a bridge it seems to be a difficulty, but if the reader goes a little farther back he may be likely to suppose that the by-play between Claudio and Don Pedro may scarcely warrant much connec- tion with the bridge, but rather refer to the willingness of the father in gifting away his daughter to the young lover. Stni there is a bridge, and the bridge is for a purpose, and the purpose is to make little of a necessity, but what is ' the fairest grant ' to answer that end V The speUing of ' grant ' in the folio is graunt, no great matter it would seem, as many such instances are found in the original texts. To amend this Hanmer adopts plea, a most unhkely correction, savour- ing more of a translation from another tongue, than a mis- priuted English word being put right. The Collier MS. with more plausibility, gives the reading of ground equivalent to something like ' the reason why '. An anonymous conjecture in the Cambridge notes gives garant probably as being allied to guarantee, a word not in Sh^ikespeare, though the commoner ' English form warrant and its derivatives are abundantly met with. These substi- tutes, however, are all, equally with the original, tmable to explain the force of the closing expression ' the necessity '. The question is asked 'what need,' the speaker himself answers what the necessity is, and that is the fairest current. If the bridge is to be serviceable all obstacles must be got rid of. MUCH ABO ABOUT NOTHING. 51 The fairest current's the necessity. Look; what will serve is fit. If such a one will smile and stroke his beard, And sorrow, wag, cry hem, when he should groan, Patch grief with proveros, make misfortune drunk, "With candle wasters : bring him yet to me, And I of him wiU gather patience : F". i. 15-19. With tlie exception of a few speUings, and a difference of punctuations, this passage is the text of the folio, and is so done hecause I am not satisfied with the reading of Capell as given in the Cambridge text, or that of Johnson as adopted by Steevens, and therefore I appeal to the original as the basis on which I build my argument. The second line of the passage is the one in question, and the first three words is the immediate subject of dispute. The Cambridge notes present twenty different readings, eleven of which are in dif- ferent texts, and the others are in the condition of conjectures. The initial ' And ' has been changed into In and J.t. It has been transposed with ' Cry '. It has been altered iato Bid, Oall, and Say. In two of the folios 'sorrow' has become hallow and hollow. The same word has also become sorrowing, sorry, and sorrow's. The ' wagge ' of the first two folios has in its usual spelling of ' wag ' become also wage, waive, gagge, waggery, wag^d, joy, away, and wirik. The word I propose has no reference whatever to that painful feeling, and 'wag' is accepted as a verb, the conjunction stands as it is, and the passage as a whole reads as follows— If such a one will smile, and stroke his beard. And so forth ; wag, cry ' hem ! ' when he should groan. Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk With candle-wasters ; bring him yet to me. And I' of him wiU gather patience. This expression ' so forth ' is found three times elsewhere in Shakespeare, and is of rather a disparaging reputation, and of quite a neutral tint. LOVE'S LABOUE'S LOST. Birmi. [reads]. ' Item, That no woman shall come witliin a mile of my court,' — Hath this heen proclaimed ? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty, [reads] ' on pain of losing her tongue '. Who devised this penalty ? Long. Marry, that did I, Biron. Sweet lord, and why' ? ■ Lmig. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility. /. i. 119-127. In these lines we have Biron reading the terms of the enactment between the king and the three lords relating to their •period of exclusion for study ; and it is only the last word of the passage that is to be called in question. The loss of one's tongue would be a severe penalty to any condi- tion, and would not be more appropriate to gentUity than to its opposite. The only variation in the early copies is that of the first quarto which gives 'gentlety,' a matter of no moment in itself, and throwing no light whatever on the passage. Theobald threw out a conjecture that the word might be garrulity, and Mr. Staunton proposed scurrility. The same objection may be taken to these, as scarcely definite enough, and must fall back to the pedantic language of the play as a key to what the real word assuredly was. It must have been formed from the name of the great writer on rhetoric — the well-known QuintUian — ^for certainly the want of the chief organ of speech would put a stop to all eloquence, an act which . the sex are cynically said to be specially endowed with. In the play we have Holofernes remarking ' patronisingly ' as the Cambridge editors say, of Nathaniel when he calls him ' Priscian ' after the old gram- LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. 53 marian 'thougli lie will not admit of bis perfect accuracy bis language is a little scratched ! ' Hence Biron very justly says that the law announced would he A dangerous law against QuintOity. Princess. Are tliese tlie breed of wits so wonder'd at ? Boyet. Tapers they are, with, your sweet breaths pufifd out. Rosaline. Well-liking wits they have ; gross, gross ; fat, fat. Princess. poverty in wit, kiugly-poor flout ! V. ii. 266. The only emendations on this passage refer to. the expres- sion kingly-poor which in fact requires no mending, hut there is a serious mistake in the third line, ,and also of the appor- tioning of the'latter half to the same speaker. "WeU-liking is no ways derogatory to the parties reflected on, if it is possible for any one to say so of another ; unless spoken in irony, which would necessitate the strong language of the latter haM. In the earlier portion of the scene there is a pretty game of cross purposes, and how the ladies by changing their dis- tinguishing favour disconcerted aU the contrivances pre^ arranged to 'enable the gentlemen to converse with -their special favourites ; and so the royal suitor, instead of obtain- ing the ear of the princess, takes up with Eosaline who seems to he flattered by the attention paid her by Majesty. When Boyet compares the thwarted gallants to puffed out tapers, Bosaline excuses them by the true term of having Mngly wife, which immediately calls forth the sarcasm of the princess that their wit was ' gross, gross ; fat, fat '. In the emended form these two lines run thus — Eosaline. "Well, kingly wits they have. Princess. Gross, gross ; fat, fat ; poverty in wit, kiugly-poor ilout ! 54 LOVE'S LASOUR'S LOST. Fair ladies mask'd are roses in their bud ; Dismask'd, their damask sweet commixtare shown, Are angels vailing clouds, or roses blown. V. a. 297. These three lines spoken hy Boyet to the princess in explanation of her query referring to his statement ' Blow like sweet roses in this summer air '. ' How blow ^ how blow? speak to be understood.' The third line of his answer is noted in the Globe edition with the usual mark. The Cambridge notes, as usual, give a few conjectures, one adopted by Theobald, and another by Warburton, but both proceed from the mint of the latter — in which the chief feature is a transposition of the third line to follow the first, and the ladies in their masked state become either ' angel- vailing clouds ' or ' angels vailed in clouds,' to which latter idea a conjecture by Peck confines it solely to the last line, and applicable only to the fair ones when unmasked ; that is, they are angels veiled in clouds of blown roses, in which case they would be quite invisible. The fact is that angels have no business in the matter at all. I infer that critics hitherto have allowed angels to remain intact from a fear of losing a seemingly fine poetical image. Moreover, all the Folio texts, and the second Quarto give the reading exactly in our quotation, but the first Quarto gives a reading for ' vailing ' of such an uncommon kind and so non- sensical, yet of more value for our purpose than anything yet met with. In this there is an instance of the value of these old defective texts with all their errors. The reading of this first quarto is varling, which is no word at all, but it leaves the letter r which &hows that the true word is varying. There are other four words in the same line also wrong. The first two are misprints for ' A changeless' the other two should 'be, ' cloud of ' . The line falls into its natural state, is intelligible and no less poetical. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. 55 Fair ladies mask'd are roses in their bud ; Dismask'd— their damask sweet commixture shown^ A changeless varying cloud of roses blown. Fair ladies unmasked a galaxy of teauty, changeless in essence, varying in form, a cloud; or assemblage of full- blown roses, eacli with a beauty of its own. iJiTote the Scripture expression ' a cloud of witnesses,' an assemblage of units in a concrete form. Nay my good lord, let me o'errule you now : That sport best pleases that doth least know how ; "Where zeal strives to content, and the contents Dies in the zeal of that which it presents : Their form confounded makes most form in mirth. When great things labouring perish in their birth. r. u. 516-521. The drift of the speaker's meaning may be said to lie on the surface, but there is an obscurity in the middle couplet and an apparent solecism in the grammar that calls for remark. The Globe edition prefixes the usual niark to the third line, and the Cambridge notes present the readings and conjectures of nine different editors and critics which it would be too long to notice, and even confusing to distinguish. Of these, five retain the plural form at the end of the third line, while four adopt the singular, and one alters the word into discontent — the very opposite of the meaning intended. As may be supposed, those who retain the plural form in ' contents,' change the succeeding verb in accordance, and vice versa. The most likely conjectures are those of Mason and Mr. Staunton with the exception that the former reads Lies, and the latter adopts discontent. The gist of the passage is in the proper acceptation of the pronoun ' it ' which is really an accusative as already noticed in 'The Tempest,' IV. L 154. 56 LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. In addition the ' contents ' of the third line should he content meaning contentment, and the two lines forming the middle couplet should read thus — Where zeal strives to content, and the content Dies in the zeal of those which it present : The demonstrative pronoun has also been made plural referring to the persons so anxious to personate the Nine Worthies ; and the speaker would appear to have been one who could extract amusement, if well meant, out of the most ■untoward circumstances. If the performers succeeded she could he gratified, if they failed she would be equally well pleased. Kiiicf. Here is like to he a good presence of Worthies. He presents Hector of Troy ; the swain, Pompey the Great ; the parish curate, Alexander ; Armado's page, Hercules ; the pedant, Judas Maccahaeus : And if these four Worthies in their first show thrive, These four will change hahits, and present the other five. Biron. There is five in the first show. King. You are deceived ; 'tis not so. Biron. The pedant, the braggart, the hedge-priest, the fool and the boy. Abate throw at novum, and the whole world again Cannot pick out five such, take each one in his vein. F.ii. 536:548. It is evident that the King makes an error in his numbers, which Biron corrects, but the King 'persists in saying 'tis not so. Biron, however, more correctly adds by summing up the parties, and concludes with the couplet, the first line of which in its first clause is obelised in the Globe edition. The Cambridge notes only refer to the first and fourth words, from which we learn that ' Abate ' is the reading of the two Quartos and the first Folio, while the other three read ' A bare ' meaning a throw near the wind, or scarcely up to the mark. This is on the supposition that the phrase has a LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. 57 • reference to some game or other. A conjecture of Heath's is A fair, that is, a pretty tolerable one, and Malone adopts in his text. Abate a throw, that may mean, lessen it and you will be right. The conjecture of Jackson is A bait, probably aUuding to the vulgar saying—' a sprat to catch a whale '. The other Cambridge note is on the word ' novum ' the Latin oinew, but Hanmer adopts novem the Latin for nine, which has really some reference to the disputed point. In fact it is the word 'throw' the second of the disputed passage which has been the misleading cause of so little being done to elucidate it. ' Throw ' is a misprint for the number Four, the great point in dispute. The King evidently confounded the lesser and the greater half of nine, if such a term is allowable, taking these as units, and Biron in his apparently enigmatical answer, puts the King to school again, by telling him in the pedantic manner of the time elsewhere so keenly ridiculed in the play, 'Abate four ab novem' and five remains. The preposition at being transformed to the Latin ab which though governing the ablative, still agrees with novem which is indeclinable. In this little bit of by-play we have a glance into the mode of teaching arithmetic in those days. England though never famous in Parish Schools has been well supplied with Gram- mar Schools, and it would seem in these that Latin was used as the medium for teaching arithmetic. Here we have a Rim pip, lesson in subtraction which the King, no doubt, was the better of, though he diverges from the point by announc- ing all at once — The ship is under sail, and here she comes amain. Princess. Tarewell, worthy lord ! A heavy heart hears not a nimble tongue : Excuse me so, coming too short of thanks For my great suit so easily ohtain'd. 58 LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. King. The extreme parts of time" extremely forms All causes to the purpose of his speed, And often at his Tery loose decides That which long process could not arbitrate : r. U. 750. The princess having just heard tidings of the death of her father, is the signal for breaking up the entertaimnents, and her few sad words causes the King to condole in the language of his reply, the first line of which, however, offers a diffi- culty noted in the Globe edition in the usual manner. There is a seeming solecism in the noun and verb, one of which must be wrong, but in addition it will be found there is a greater error than appears at first sight. Eowe, our earliest critical editor, merely alters the number of the verb by expunging the s. Theobald attacks the first clause by reading ' the extreme past ' ; Singer changes it into ' the extreme haste ' ; Mr. Staunton conjectures it should be ' the extreme dart ' ; whUe the CoUier MS. makes the line to be ■ ' the extreme parting time expressly forms '. In all these there is a thorough misconception of the pass- age, arising mainly from entirely overlooking the preceding context. It is the 'heavy heart' painfully alluded to that furnishes the King with a text for his discourse, and the proper reading has been disguised by a palpable misprint affecting two words. The line should therefore read thus — The extreme heart ofttimes extremely forms All causes to the purpose of his speed ; And often at his very loose, decides That which long process could not arbitrate. The King it will be seen sympathises with the princess in the loss she has sustained, but he wishes to moderate her grief by accounting for it on the score of excessive sensibility; implying that excess of feeling endeavours to account for causes to an extent in accordance with its own intensity. A MID-SUMMER NIGHT'S DEEAM. 1 know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, "With sweet musk roses and with eglantine : There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight : And there the shake throws her enamell'd skin, Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in. II. i. 249-256. To tlie third line of this quotation the Globe edition has the usual mark prefixed, and the notes of the Cambridge text are chiefly taken up with the spellings of ox-lips, over- canopied, and luscious, which the various texts of the early- copies do not agree in. Pope joins a little in this, but the chief curiosity in his case is the leaving out the very word upon which an emendation to be given is largely built. The question arises, is it the bank that is said to be ' quite over-canopied,' and the whole bank too ! There is something however, in the initial phrase of the line which seems faulty by being excessively redundant. It is said to be over-cano- pied, which does not mean more than canopied as all other compounds of over do, but, merely canopied over, and this the verb itself implies with'out the prefix preposition. In addition to this is the adverb ' quite ' increasing the redun- dancy without improving the idea. The two words ' Quite over ' are misprints for "White clover which would appear to be the main product, and the flowers enumerated are accessories to the beauty of the scene. It was on this soft bed of white clover canopied with woodbine, musk roses, and eglantine that the fairy queen slept. There is only one other 60 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. instance of clover being mentioned in Shakespeare, viz., Henry Y., in wMch the speaker couples ' cowslip, burnet, and green clover '. Probably clover was a rare product in those days, and there is an impression that the artificial grasses were introduced about that time from the ^Netherlands, stiU famous for such products. I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows ; White clover canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine : There sleeps Titania sometim-e of the night, Liill'd in these flowers with dances and delight. Act third, Scene second, Lines 254-264. Dramatic dialogue in short passionate sentences seems to have been a difficult matter to represent on paper by the early typographers if we take the folio of 1623 as an example. The four Ordinary marks of punctuation are common enough with an occasional mark of interrogation, but all the other aids that modern printing so liberally supplies are almost awanting. The consequence is, a de-' tached passage is a very tame affair compared with the same read in connection with the context. It is then we begin to realize tones, but not always the proper one, tiU, after some study we learn to distinguish encouragement, mockery, condolence and irony. Add to these difficulties the numerous misprints, and the task of decyphering the meaning is increased. The following passage is the subject of these reflections ; particular attention being paid to the difierent speakers. Demetrius. I say I love thee more than he can do. Lysander. If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too. Demetrius. Quick, come ! Hermia. Lysander, whereto tends all this ? A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. 61 ■Zyscmder. Away, you Ethiope ! Demetrius. No, no ; he'lj . . . . Seem to break loose ; take on as you would follow But yet come riot : you are a tame man, go ! Lysander. Hang off thou cat, thou hurr ! vile thing let loose. Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent ! Hermia. Why are you grown so rude ? "What change is this ? Sweet love, — , Lysander. Thy love ! out tawny Tartar, out ! Out, loathed medicine ! hated potion, hence ! The last speech of, Demetrius in this passage, amounting to two lines and a half, has in the Globe edition the usual obelus prefixed, and also some asterisks indicating both a corruption and a lacuna, and the Cambridge editors make a special note of this to the following eflfect. " In this obscure passage we have thought i^; best to retain substantially the reading of the quartos. The folios, though they alter it, do not remove the difficulty, and we must conclude that some word, perhaps a whole line, have fallen out of the text." This is a very serious charge,, and it may be considered a daring attempt on our part to try to remove it. I can never forget, however, the opinion of Mr. Clark in reference to one of my. own readings, that he " had no objection to a very bold conjecture ". The reading of the folio thus alluded to is simply this — No, no, sir, seeme to hreak loose ; Take on as you would follow. But yet come not : you are a tame man, go. The Cambridge notes give the readings of Pope, Capell, Malone, and Steevens, besides a conjecture of Jackson's, but none of these throw the smallest light on the matter. This whole portion of the passage is of the obscurest, and requires several emendations to make it at all intelligible. From the language of Lysander we would gather that Hermia had clung to her lover to prevent him engaging in a duel, and his 62 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. forcibly casting her off. The utterances of Demetrius at ■what is passing are astonishment, interpretation of it, sarcastic advice, a summons to a challenge, and an ironical compliment ending with a contemptuous dismissal In giving an emended reading, the Sir of the Folio is retained and the alterations are indicated in Itahcs. Zys. Away, you Ethiope ! Bern. Now, now. Sir ! SelVs abyss Seems to treak loose ; take on as you would flow. But yet come on : you are a tame man, .go ! Lysander would apppear to be as Sebastian in ' The Tempest,' standing water ; and Demetrius as Antonio would excite him to action, and teach him how to flow. I haue a venturous Fairy, That shall seeke the Squirrels hoard, And fetch thee new Nuts. IF. i. 40. In the Cambridge notes there are numerous instances of supplying lines where the sense or rhythm appears defective, but the one before us has only been subjected to this ia a very minor degree, nevertheless there is something more awajiting than a mere syllable. The sense is quite apparent and in plain prose, though here it has all the appearance of verse, and in ordinary editions assumes the form of a couplet though not in rhyme, nor yet in legitimate verse. The speaker is Titania who with this exception presents us with four utterances aU in measured language, the first of which is a quatrain in rhyme, and this last must have been intended to appear in the same form. Hanmer's improvement con- sisted simply in reading' the last clause thus — ' and fetch thee thence new nuts '. The first quarto is the only text ihat prints the passage as two lines, but then it is the only one A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. 63 that omits the word ' hoard ' ; making matters worse by making the line still more defective. Both quartos were printed in the same year, hut the Cam- bridge editors have numbered them as first and second, and are of opinion that the second is a pirated copy of the other, " probably for the use of the players,'' as " the exits are more frequently marked," but not entered at Stationer's HalL It is admitted, however, that " the printers' errors of the first are corrected in the second," but the first " contaids on the whole the best readings ''. Notwithstanding these pros and cons, the three line usage appears to be the more correct one, and gives us nearly three- fourths of a defective verse. To complete this a rhyme is added to the third line, and a fourth line to measure with the ^econd and show the reason why. , I have a venturous Fairy That shall seek the ScLuirrel's hoard, And fetch thee new Nuts iiiai-y To furnish forth thy board. Bottom answers to Titania's weU-meant kindness in the homely, remark, 'I had rather have a handful or two of dried pease,' and immediately faUs asleep ; probably from the efifects of the music which may have accompanied the words. But my good lord, I wot not by what power — But by some power it is— my love to Hermia, Melted as the snow, seems to me now As the remembrance of an idle gaud, Which in my childhood I did dote upoi} ; And aU the faith, the virtue of my heart, The object and the pleasure of mine eye. Is only Helena. IF. i. 161-168. To all intents and purposes this passage may be said to be 64 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. the same as the folio, only, that the second, third and fourth lines end in ' love,' ' snow,' and ' gaud ' ; making the first two shorter than usual, and the other to extend to fourteen syllables. The third line as it is, with all its mending, is stiU imrhythmical and defective, and this has .been aipended by Pope into ' Is melted as the snow,' and by Capell into ' Melted as doth the snow ' : of these the latter is the more plausible, but certainly not the true reading. It is noticeable that the first half of the second line marked off by dashes, is in the folio within parentheses — the usage of the time — and that the first half of the third line is treated in the same manner, indicating that both clauses are parenthetical. Leave out these, still we have sense but not the full meaning. It is the word ' Melted ' that is alone in fault. As it stands it is impossible to say whether it is the past tense of the verb or the past participle, and the amendments given do not remove the jarring between it and the present seems. The speaker, in the next phrase ' seems to me now,' f uUy implies that his love to Hermia is gone, without expressing it in as many words. The true reading for Tnelted should be immaculate ; thus indicating the purity of his affection while it lasted, and also an honourable testimony to his own character. I wot not by what power — But by some power it is, — my love to Hermia Immaculate as tlie snow, seems to me now As the remembrance of an idle gaud "Which in my childhood I did dote upon ; At line 171, the speaker next acknowledges liis retumin" love to Helena in the following words To her my lord, Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia, But, like a sickness did I loathe this food ; But as in health, come to my natural taste, Now I do wish it, lovs it, long for it. And will for ever more be true to it A MID-SUMMES. NIGHT'S DREAM. 65 The four initial ' But's ' in the compass of ten lines of the same speech are somewhat remarkable. The first pair are allowable, but the second pair in the present passage are particularly awkward. I may just notice that the verb ' saw ' of the second line, occurs in all the texts as see, an emenda- tion by Steevens, who also changed the indefinite article of the third line to in which the Cambridge editors adopt. The speaker does not assert positively, it is only probability he brings forward as the cause of his loathing, for the first three words of the third line are in error, and the passage should read thu^ — Belike' as sickness did I loatlie this food ; But, as in health, come to my natural taste, Now I do srish It; love it, long for it. And will for evermore be true to it. A tedious hrief scene of young Pyramus And his love Thishe ; very' tragical mirth. Merry and tragical ! tedious and brief ! That is, hot ice and wondrous strange snow. How shall we find the concord of this discord ? r. i. 56-60. The Globe edition marks the fifty-ninth line with- an obelus, and the Cambridge notes point out six emendations of the adjective 'strange,' such as 'sorching,' 'black,' 'strong,' ' seething,' ' swarthy,' and ' staining ' ; three of these are in texts, and* three are merely conjectures. The reading of Warburton'is given to the last word of the line which he makes shew, the old spelling of sJww, and prefixes the inde- finite article to ' wondrous ' to give the line its due rhythm. The Une in question is evidently a syllable too short, but it wiU be found on examination that the defect does not occur in strange, but between that and snow. The reading proposed has reference to the ice which is said to be hot, and 5 66 A- MID-SUMMEB NIOHT'S DBS AM. consecLuently must have something strange about it to give the property of heat, and what more likely than colour which is implied in the following reading — That is hot ice, and wondrous strange m hue, How shall we find the concord of this discord. The kinder we to give thejn thanks for nothing. Our sport shall he to take what they mistake : ' And what poor duty cannot do, noble respect Takes it in might, not merit. r. i. 89-92. In the Globe edition the last line has the usual obelus, and at first sight this would appear to be on account of its short- ness, but there is nearly as much superfluity in the preced- ing line as would fill up the vacuum, there is more meant in the last line than an additional syllable or two, there is a play upon words which the second line has that the fourth line is short ofj and this must be supplied to keep up the humour of the passage. The Cambridge notes give some half dozen conjectural additions but all of imported words, and omitting what is implied in the second line. The speaker is a thorough gentleman, and he knows how to receive the honest endeavours of the humblest of his subjects. The third line is complete without the aid of the word 'noble,' and that expressive- term must be twice applied to the efforts ,of the would-be players, positively' and negatively. ' This will harmonise with the ' take ' and ' mistake ' of the second line. Thus — The kinder we to give them thanks for nothing. Our sport shall be to take what they mistake : And what poor duty cannot do, respect Takes it in noble might, not noble merit. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S BREAM. 67 Ad fifth, Scene first, lines 337-341. This is a pretty piece of nonsense characteristically put into the mouth of one of the ■well-meaning clowns who essayed to entertaia ' the duke and the duchess on his wedding day at night '. Thisbe eondoHng over the dead hody of Pyramus, and winding up the lamentable soliloquy in true tragic fashion. The first line of the second sextain is out of joint in as far as it has no rhyme, while all the others are perfect in this point, however they may lack the essentials of sense and reason. . These lily lips, This cherry nose, These yellow cowslip cheeks. Are gone, are gone : LoTers make moan : His eyes were green as leeks. Dr. Farmer's conjecture on this important matter is, that the first pair of lines should read — ' These lips lily. This nose cherry '. An objection might be made to the inversions and the want of true rhyme, while the rest of the elegy is perfec- tion itself. Mr. Collier adopts from his MS. ' This lUy lip. This cherry tip' — a much better rendering, but rather too free with the speaker's words. Mr. Grant Wliite's is liable to the same charge in his proposition of nip, yet these are perfect in rhyme. Mr. Theobald's reading for the first line is brows, keeping the plural correct with the original pronoun, but not a good rhyme for ' nose '. On this great tempest in a teapot the following is humbly submitted — These lUy toes. This cherry nose. These yellow cowslip cheeks. Are gone, are gone ; Lovers make moan : His eyes were green as leeks. Some may object that this would cause the speaker take 68 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. too wide a stride from tlie feet to the face ! But how much groTind, for aught we know, did not Master Flute the bellows mender go over in his lawful and industrious occupation? At all events the word put in his mouth is such as he would likely use when he woidd see poor Pyramus lying on his back ' dead ! dead ! ' THE MEBCHANT OF VEMCE. Lav/ncelot. Father, in. I cannot get a service, no ; I have ne'er a tongue in my head. Well, if any man in Italy have a fairer table which doth offer to swear upon a hook, I shall have good fortune. Go to, here's a simple line of life : II. a. 165-169. The Glote edition lias the ohelus prefixed to the phrase ' a fairer table,' which is thus noted in the Clarendon Press Series — " If the text be as Shakespeare wrote it, Launcelot Seems to leave the sentence imperfect at 'table,' with an ellipsis of rU be hanged, or some such phrase ''. Warburton also had the idea that a line had been lost. It is well-known that the matter refers to palmistry, or fortune telling by the lines of the hand, and I am of opinion that the difliculty has been caused by the comparative form of the adjective leading to some emendations of little moment, and curiously enough not once referring to the phrase a fairer table. I would suggest that as fortune telling was largely popu- larised by the incoming of the gipsy tribes, whose name is derived from their supposed immigration from Egypt, that the proper reading should be ; ' a Pharaoh's table which doth offer to swear upon a book,' and it wUl be seen that the Hnes in his hand are all in his favour. Salarino. I saw Bassanio and Antonio part : Bassanio told him he would make some speed Of his return : he answer'd, Do not so ; Slubber not business for my sake, Bassanio, But stay the very riping of the time ; And for the Jew's bond which he hath of me, Let it not entfer in your mind of love ; 70 TEE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Be merry ; and employ your chiefest thoughts To courtship, and such fair ostents of love As shall conveniently become you there ; And even there his eye being big with tears, Turning liis face, he put his hand behind him. And with afTection wondrous sensible He wrung Bassanio's hand, and so they parted. ■ Salanio. I think he only loves the world for him. I pray thee, let us go and find him out, And quicken his embraced heaviness "With some delight or other. II. mii. 36-53. The Globe edition has the usual prefix of an obelus at the seventh Kne of this passage, and the phrase which has been the great stumbling block is that of 'mind of love' which has had a few conjectures of no great moment, and we leam that ' Johnson marked the passage with an asterisk as probably corrupt '. The real crux of the line is the two last words of lovet which ought to be alone; and Bassanio is advised not to allow the debt he owes to Antonio to take possession of his thoughts to the exclusion of more cheerful matter. And for the Jew's bond which he hath of me. Let it not enter in your mind alone : Be merry ; and employ your chiefest thouglits To courtship, and such fair ostents of love As shall conveniently become you there : This is, to Belmont, whither he was about to go and try his fortune in the casket with which the fate of Portia was concerned. In the last two lines of the passage there is another expres- sion ' embraced heaviness ' which must be taken up. To some it may appear to be hypercritieism in attempting an emendation in this, but the preface to the ninth volume of the Cambridge Shakespeare fortifies us in the attempt. "For, besides the recognised difficulties, we are convinced THE MERCEANT OF VENICE. 71 that there are many passages, still easily scanned and construed, and therefore not generally suspected of corruption, which nevertheless have not heen printed exactly as they were first written. Some ruder hand had effaced the touch of the master." The Notes give a few conjectures, but none of these recommend themselves. The word to he proposed occurs only once in Shakespeare, and will be found in Henry VI., part second, and is uttered by the Kentish gentleman who kUls Jack Cade, and resolves to keep the bloody sword ' — ' To emblaze the honour that thy master got '. It is a curtailed form of emblazon, now generally adopted, whilst the root blazon and its derivatives, with this single exception, is the only form used by Shakespeare. Its signification in the passage before us is, to exhibit, display, picture or showforth, as was done by Antonio in his parting with Bassanio. He did not ' embrace ' heaviness, but he exhibited heaviness in his manner visible to the bystanders, and Salanio now proposes to ' quicken ' or enliven this, as follows — I pray thee, let us go and lind him out. And quicken this emblazed heaviness "With some delight or other. Thus ornament is hut the guiled shore To a most dangerous sea ; the heauteous scarf Veiling an Indian beauty : in a word, The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. III. a. 99. This also is marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, and it is the word beauty that is chiefly held in fault ; it being considered strange that an objection could be taken to ornament in veiling a beauty though an Indian one. The emendations proposed have all been of an opposite cast, such as dowdy, gipsy, favour, idol, visage, feature, and beldam ; 72 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. but none of these approaching to what may be considered a likely misprint. Two other conjectures have been put forth by closing the sense after the term Indian, and beginning the next clause with the detached word ' beauty '. In this there is a departure from the opening idea of mere ornament and classifying beauty as ' seeming truth '. The most likely word for the one misprinted is deity ; and the author must have had in his mind those grim ugly monstrosities still found in Hindoo temples, descriptions of which had already reached Europe from those early traffickers whom the adventurous spirit of the time had sent to the East in quest of its supposed abounding wealth. Thus ornament ia but the guilecl shore To a most dangerous sea ; the beauteous scarf Veiling an Indian deity : in a word The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. Portia. You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am : though for myself alone I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better ; yet for you I would be trebled twenty times myself ; A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times More rich ; That only to stand high in your account, I might in virtues, beauties, livings, friends, Exceed account ; but the full sum of me Is sum of something, which to term in gross Is an unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractised ; Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn ; happier than this She is not bred so dull but she can learn : Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit Commits herself to yours to be directed, As from her lord, her governor, her king III. a. 150467. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. 73 This long passage has two lines specially marked with an ohelus, the eleventh and the fourteenth, and it contains as much of Portia's mind as will throw a deal of light on her character, and aid in discovering the errors of the text whether as a corruption or a lacuna. The peculiaiities of the readings in the several texts are as follows — For the three words at the beginning of the eleventh line, the first, third, and fourth Quartos give ' summe of something,' and the second Quarto 'sume of something,' while aU the Folio copies read ' sum of nothing,' and "War- burton has it ' some of something,' thus giving a prenominal form to sum. These, to say the least, are contradictory in all conscience, but there is more amiss in the passage than either Quarto or Folio can account for. Warburton indeed has made a change from the substantive to the adjectival pronoun but notwithstanding the difference of spelling, they all refer to the same thing a sum. Unfortunately, however, the several texts have no distinguishing particle of limitation as much as a noun ought to have, and this gives some warrant for Warburton's reading, but not enough to give it effect. I incline to think that a kindre,d word, much, is the more appropriate term, and that the Folio reading ' nothing ' is the right one, though I am not aware that any of the ordinary copies adopt it. Portia's language is simply this. But the full sum of me Is much of nothing, which to term in gross, Is an unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractised. The fourteenth line is a much simpler one to manage, being only defective in two syllables to bring it up to the proper standard. And this is easily done by merely adding another kindred word, evidently implied in her modest unassuming language. Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn somewhat ; happier than this She is not bred so duU but she can learn. 74 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. , Lorenzo. How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio's wife ? Jessica. Past all expressing. It is very meet The Lord Bassauio live an upright life ; For, having such a hlessing in his lady, He finds the joys of heaven here on earth ; And if on earth he do not mean it, then In reason he should never come to heaven. III. V. 78-83. The sixth line is specially marked in the Glohe edition, and it is the verh that is chiefly in error, The Cambridge notes refer to some peculiarities of the different texts of no great moment, and the only emendations mentioned are those of Pope and Staunton, the former adopting the reading of merit it, and the latter gives the conjecture of moan. The speaker evidently refers to the early career of Bassanio as depicted in the first act, and which caused him to depend on the aid of his friend Antonio, and had brought that generous merchant into such difBcuIt circumstances. Jessica is afraid of Bassanio continuing in the same course and that his life be not improved — And if on earth he do not wean it, then In reason he should never come to heaven. Shylock, "What are you answer'd yet ? Some men there are love not a gaping pig ; Some, that are mad if they behold a cat ; And others, when the bagpipe sings i' the nose, Cannot contain their urine : for affection Masters oft passion, sways it to the mood Of what it likes or loathes. Now, for your answer. As there is no firm reason to be render'd, Why he cannot abide a gaping pig ; Why he, a harmless necessary cat ; "Why he, a woollen bag-pipe ; ir. i. 46-56. The fifth and sixth lines require particular notice for the following reason : " for affection Masters oft passion " is not THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. 75 the reading of the Cambridge texts, hut my own printed fourteen years ago, and I had no intention to controvert the opinion of the learned editors who differ from me chiefly in the word 'Masters' which I have made a verb, while Mistress is with them a noun ; and the Cambridge notes are the best authority for enlightenment on the subject. The last line is the one I intended to take up as it is obelized in the Globe edition, and is largely noticed in the larger work. Even yet it is before IsTotes and Queries in discussion as to • the meaning of the term woollen, as applied to a bagpipe. Proposed emendations are woollen, wooden, wawling, swollen, swelling^ mewling, and boUen. The one I propose is Walloon, meaning the people and country amongst whom the bagpipe was most used at the time, or where it was chiefly made. THE TAMIISrG OF THE SHEEW. In the Induction to this play there are two passages to notice, chiefly because of the transposition of a line iu each which requires to he set right ; and because in the first of these I would simply be quoting Mr. Staunton's words, were I to say anything in support of my own opinion. I therefore content myself with giving the various conjectures of others, as set forth in the Cambridge notes, which are in one sense common property, and do not commit the editors to one mind or another. Enter a Lord from hunting, loith his train. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds : Brach Merriman, the poor cur is emhoss'd ; And couple Clowder with the deep-mouth'd brach. Scene I. Line 17. The middle line is noticed in the Globe with the obelus. The fault would appear to be that the appellation of a female is given to a dog with a male name, and also that there are several emendations propounded to the following effect as far as regards the word ' Brach '. Hanmer adopts Leech, in. this case a verb. Johnson conjectures Bathe, Mitford Breathe, Becket Brace, and 'Singer Trash ; all more or less terms belonging to the veterinary art, or supposed to be so. The best conjecture is an anonymous one Bade, a verb in the imperative. But the reading is not complete without a transposition, making the second Une to take the place of the third, and punctuate anew. Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds, And couple Qlowder with the deep-mouth'd brach : Back ! Merriman ! The poor cur is emboss'd. THE TAMING OF TEE SHREW. 77 Another tell him of his hounds and horse, And that his lady mourns at his disease : Persuade him that he hath heen lunatic ; And when he says he is, say that he dreams For he is nothing but a mighty lord. Line 64. This line also has the obelus, and the passage refers to Sly the tinker while asleep in his state of drunkeness, and the instructions to the servants to mystify him on his awakiag. As the passage reads, it would appear that Sly's anticipated answer, which has all the appearance of assent, is really contradicted hy the line and half which follows. The readings and conjectures are as follows — And when he says he's poor. — Botoe. And when he says he is. — Theobald. And when he says he's Sly. — Johnson. And when he says what he is. — Long MS.' "When he says what he is. — Collier MS. And what he says he is. — Jackson. And when he says who he is. — Anon, HalUwell. A special Cambridge note approves of Mr. Lettsom's conjecture that a line has been lost preceding the one we are treating of, and seems the most probable solution of the difficulties, as things are. In this passage there is another transposition to be made of the third and fourth lines, and a very simple word has, been left out which should furnish a negative to the idea of disease, and more in keeping than the supplementary ones of Eowe and Johnson. Thus — Another tell him of his hounds and horse. And that his lady mourns of his disease : And when he says he's well, say that he dreams ; Persuade him that he hath heen lunatic ; For he is nothing hut a mighty lord. In this there is something of a gradation— a bint of 78' THE TAMING- OF THE SHREW. failing health, an assertion of the contrary met by another that he is dreaming, an attempt to fasten on him a direct charge of having suffered from lunacy, which the progress of events ultimately, brings the tinker fully to believe. In the second scene of the Induction, when the mystification has begun to take effect, one of the servants remonstrates with the puzzled tinker on his continuing to mention certain names of male and female acquaintances, the associates of his former life, and addresses the imaginary lord thus — Wliy, sir, you know no house nor no such maid, Nor no such men as you haTe reckon'd up, As Stephen Sly, and old John Naps of Greece, And Peter Turph, and Henry Pimpemell, And t#enty more such names and men as these Which never were, nor no man «ver saw. Scene II. Lines 93-98. It is to one of these appellations in the third line our at- tention wiU be directed, and certainly it is an extraordinary circumstance for an English tinker to have an acquaintance with such a patronymic as John Ifaps of Greece, that since ever we knew anything of the passage m question this has been a stumbling block we never expected to get over. On the appearance of the third volume of the Cambridge Shake- speare, I learned that Hanmer in his text had adopted the reading of ' John Naps of the Green ' a conjecture of Theobald's ; and that Mr. HalliweU had proposed ' of the Greys,' or ' of Greets,' whatever these may mean, but I am now satisfied that a very homely term derived from the probable occupation of the individual in question, is the most likely of any. To take the names of the other three worthies in their order, I assume that Stephen Sly was a kinsman, probably a cousin of the redoubtable Christopher — TEE TAMING OF TEE SEREW. 79 that Peter Turph must have been, a genuine clodhopper, most likely a ditcher — that Pimpernell was a gardener, so named from a -well-known flower — and the fourth worthy had heen a weaver, whose real name, or rather nickname was 'John Kaps o' Friese,' from the equally well-known woollen fabric with its very peculiar pile. In this case there is an instance of a neighbouring letter taking the place of the rightful one ; and transforming an intelligible designation into one that no mere vagrant such as Sly could know anything o£ I told you, I, he was a frantic fool, Hiding his titter jeSts in bllint behavioui ! And to be noted for a merry man, He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage Make friends, invite, and proclaim the baniis : Yet never means to wed where he hath wooed. ITT. U. 12-17. The Globe edition having adopted an anonymous conjec- ture from the notes of the larger Cambridge text, I have given this passage as it appears in the latter, and is the same as ia the Folio and Quarto. Katherine here breaks out against her wayward lover who makes no appearance to redeem his pledge of marrying her. The company have assembled, and the father had condoled with his shrewish daughter, still no Petruchio had come. It is the last line but one which, invites our attention, and a jar in the rhythm occurring at the beginning of the second ha;lf tells its tale too truly that a missing syllable occasions the defect. ITotwith- standing this, the meaning is apparent, but the line is so inartistic we cannot conceive it to have come from the author's hand in the state we have it. the play appeared for the first time in the' Folio of 1623, and the only Quarto appeared in 1631, and supposed from 80 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. internal evidence to have been printed from the folio. The reading of both is identical. The second Folio, printed in 1632, amends the line by inserting yes in the following manner — and so also do the other two folios. Make friends, invite, yes and proclaim the banns ; The reading of the Globe as abeady hinted at is thus — Make feasts, ioyite friends, and proclaim the hanns ; ' In both instances there is the requisite number of syllables the yes of the one is tame, and the reading of the Globe is unrhythmical Besides these the Cambridge notes furnish four others. Make friends, invite them. — Malone, Make friends invite, yes. — Singer. M.aka MeaAs invited. — Grant White. Make friends invite guests. — Dyce. In these there is little to be said, other than what has been said already. Except in the case of two — an attempt to shift the burden of invitation on the friends of the speaker, and very little on a matter of as much importance — the proclamation of the banns. It is the missing word for that necessary preliminary which causes the defect in the line. In the latter half of our quotation, the speaker in few' words sums up the prompt manner of her supposed faithless bridegroom in the following amended form. — He'll woo a thousand, 'point the day of marriage. Make friends, invite, and Ud proclaim the banns. Yet never means to wed where he hath woo'd. This use of the verb hid before another verb occurs several times in Shakespeare, thus — ' bid come before us Angelo ' ; •■ and duty bids defend ' ; 'the messenger who bids beware ' ; ' train'd and bid go forth ' ; • wisdom bids fear ' ; ' so was I bid report '. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. 81 Qrumio. Ay ; and that thou and the proudest of you all shall find when he comes home. But what talk I of this ? Call forth Nathaniel, Joseph, Nicholas, Philip, Walter, Sugarsop and the rest ; let their heads be sleekly combed, their blue coats brusheij, and their garters of ail indifferent knit : IV. i. 90. TMs may be considered as a trifling matter being the correcting of a mere nickname, but the emendation to be proposed puts it in a more likely form than in the ordiaary text. It is the last name in the group of domestics, that of Sugarsop, or as it is in the folio, Sugersop, a matter of no great moment our attention is directed to. In the Cambridge notes we learn that the late Mr. Sidney ,'Walker offered two conjectures, one that the two last names were Christian and surname, or that Sugarsop was a corruption for something else. I have no hesitation in. saying that the latter is the more correct idea, and that the word is a misprint for Signor Fop, probably a by-name well known in the house, or for one whose real name the speaker could not for the moment recall. The similarity also existing between the antique long s now disused, and the common / occasioned many misprints, and the exaraple given in the text as one word does not mOitate against the use of a ca,pital in the present emendation. Biondello. master, master, I have watch'd so long That I am dog-weary ^ but at last 1 spied An ancient angel coming down the hill, Will serve the turn. Tranio. What is he, Biondello ? Birni. Master, a mercatante, or a pedant, I know not what ; but formal in apparel, In gait and countenance surely like a father. ir. a. 59-65. At the third line the Globe edition has the usual obelus, referring to the expression ' angel ' or ' ancient angel ' which 6 82 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. Steevens conjectures might be angel-merchant, whatever that may be. " For ujDwards of a century," says Mr. Staunton, " the expression has been a puzzle to commentators,'' and accordingly in the Cambridge notes there are eight different substitutes for the supposed erroneous reading of the text, running through such conjectures as cngle, said to signify a gull ; ayeul, the French of grandfather ; gentleman, or gp.ntle, morsel, ambler, antick, and uncle. " But after all," adds Mr. Staunton, " as Mr. Singer observes, it is not necessary to depart from the reading of the old copy." " An ancient angel," he thinks, " may have meant only a good old simple soul." The expression is merely a piece of Puritanic phraseology. In its primary meaning it signifies a messenger, and one of a venerable or patriarchal look. ' Coming down the hill ' as if he had been purposely sent and just newly alighted. AS YOU LIKE IT. Orlando. As I rememter, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou sayest, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well ; and there begins my /. i. 1. It is evident from the tenor of the speech of which the passage quoted forms about ^ fifth part, that the pair are , conversing on the fortunes and prospects of Orlando, and the parties alluded to are Sir Eowland de Boys his late father, and Oliver his elder hrother. The old faithful servant, Adam, knows much of the case, but he does not know the whole circumstances. Orlando endeavours to make these plain, but there is evidently something amiss in the passage. The Globe edition has the obelus prefixed to the first line intimating a difficulty. I have no wish to quote anything from the excellent Clarendon Press texts of select play?, edited by the same scholars who brought out the Cambridge texts, and published by the same publisher, as the object in view was for the education of the young, and to explain much that was needful in Shakespearian grammar, while my labours were devoted to a critical study of the text before this last effort of theirs was in a measure thought of. These efforts of mine must stand or fall on their own merits, and I have material enough to answer the purpose in hand in the notes of the great Cambridge work,- otherwise I would have been labouring at what might have been Solved before I knew much of the matter. The whole passage is somewhat elliptical, and proceeding from the fact that we have only got the closing part of a dia- logue, but enough for dramatic purposes. Orlando and Adam 84 AS YOU LIKE IT. had been talking of the elder brother whose character was well known to both. The old servant did not need to be told that the young man had only got a thousand crowns for his portion, for he knew what the father had said to the elder son on his death-bed, and he must have known the fact of the will, but the why was only known to Orlando. It would appear that the elder brother had promised he would act as father to the younger members of the family, and the father believing this, and probably unwilling to curtail the income of the heir, leaves the younger only a thousand crowns. For ' fashion,' therefore, two words having only the same number of letters between them, the first embodying the rehance of the father upon the elder sou's veracity, and the second supplying the missing nominative to the two verbs beqiceath and charge, the passage would' read thus: — As I remember, Adam, it was upon this faith he bequeathed me, &c., and, as thou sayest, charged my brother on his blessing, to breed me well, &c. In modern phraseology the language would run thus : — ' upon the faith of this ' though the order of the text would still stand were helief substituted instead of the more antique faith, but then this would not be the proper emendation. Jaques. I'll give you a verse to this note that I made yesterday in despite of my invention. Amiens. And I'll sing it. Jaqiies. Thus it goes : — If it do come to pass That any man turn ass, -Leaving his wealth and ease A stubborn will to please, Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame : Here shall he see Gross fools as he, An if he will come to me. //. V. 50-60. AS YOU LIKE IT. 85 The last line of this proferred verse of Jaques' is not always read in the same rhythm, and that for several reasons. One of these is that the line is made up of monosyllables, a difficult matter to manage in English verse. Sometimes the accent is placed on come and me, while the proper place is on will and to. This also is caused by the pronunciation or rather mispronunciation of diicclame, which is sometimes treated as of two syllables, while it is a word of three. Another question starts up, is ivill and come the future of the same verb, or two distinct verbs. The Cambridge notes give two readings of the line so widely apart that there is some reason for entering so fully on the subject. • The reading of Steevens, from a conjecture of Dr. Farmer's, is to the following effect — 'And if he will come to Ami '. Being a side reflection of the philosophical wit on his musical companion. This reading, at all events, settles the question of pronunciation. The other conjecture, which is an anonymous one, gives the line thus — 'An if he'vyillcome to the same '. That is probably to fools like himself, viz., the person hinted at in the opening of the verse. This rhyme also has a bearing on the pronunciation, but of an opposite kind from that of the scholarly Dr. Farmer. For the word ' ducdame ' itself, it is a piece of nonsense, though Hanmer adopts three Latin monosyllabic words for it in his text. Steevens gives a variation in the first of these, but does not adopt it, and Caldecott, in a long note on the subject; 'As You Like It, London, 1819,' instances a countrywoman using it when calling her poultry around her. The reading proposed, bearing in mind that ducdame is a trisyllable with the accent on the second, is as follows — Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame : Here shall lie see Gross fools as he, An if he will, contemn me. AS YOU LIKE IT. Will here is tlie regular verb to will, or have a mind to ; and Jaques is so well pleased with his own peculiar tastep, he is quite willing that those who differ from him should despise him were they so inclined. The inserted comma fully distinguishes the two verbs, one being in the subjunc- tive and the other in the imperative. After all, may not ducdame'be a variation in the song Autolycus gives — 'My dainty duck, my dear,' and that of Pyramus— ' dainty duck ! dear ! ' Query, duck damie : little dame. "Why, who cries out on pride, That can therein taxe any priuate party Doth it not flow as hugely as the Sea Till that the wearie verie meanes do ebhe, II. vii. 70. These few lines are given literatim from the Eolio, the only authority in the matter. The speaker in this case is Jaques who thus replies to the remonstrance of the Duke, that if invested with the desired motley he would use his prerogative unworthily. The speech throughout is pithy and intelligible with the exception of the last line of the passage, and in the Globe edition this same has the usual mark prefixed. In the Cambridge notes we learn that the three words in antique spellings are printed in the fourth Folio as, ' weary very means ' ; and that the third Folio spells the third word the same as the first two folios, that is as ' meanes '. The collocation of ' weary very ' is evidently an error, for in this instance they are both adjectives, and the expression ' very means ' signifying the real, true or right means, precludes the presence of any other qualifying term such as ' weary ' is. If the order of the two words were reversed, very becomes an adverb and modifies ' weary ' considerably, as the thing spoken of becomes now very weary. Pope, in his edition reads very very means, thus emphasizing the noun in some AS YOU LIKE IT. 87 degree, and the ordinary texts would seem to have followed his example. Messrs. Collier and Knight have reverted to the early copies, and this has been continued by the Cam- bridge editors. There are, however, a few conjectures by other hands we may notice. Jackson proposes ' weary venom means ' ; Mr. Collier, ' very wealing means,' and the ' very means of toear ' from the old MS. Mr. Singer in his text has the 'wearers very means'; and the conjecture of Mr. Lloyd is, 'tributary streams.' Weary, I believe, is correct, but the Other two are wrong. The language of the third and fourth lines is nautical and all the terms should be in keeping with that idea. E"ow, the expression ' means,' and even ' very means, ' can be considered no other than commonplace in such circumstances. Verie would appear to be an adjective formed from the verb to veer, and should take the form of veery. Already we have the word veering, but there is no instance I know of, of this other. Veer and its derivatives do not occur in Shakespeare, though they are to be met with in Spenser and Ben Jonson, his contemporaries. Probably its strangeness caused it to be mistaken for the more common wotd,' nevertheless it is just such as he was in the habit of coining when it suited his purpose, and this should not deter us from proposing it. The word meanes is a misprint for waves, the initial letters of each being liable to be confounded, and the central consonant n for u is of very common occurrence in the old copies. The expression ' weary, veery waves ' would refer to the swelling billows in their onward flow, and anon as ready to change and turn back with the retiring ebb. The metaphor implies that pride has a tendency towards bigness and importance, yet there is a time when the swelling wave must change and retire to more moderate dimensions. Why, who cries out on pride, That can therein tax any private party ? 88 AS YOU LIKE IT. Doth it not flow as hugely as the sea, Till that the weary, veery waves do ebb ? There ■would even seem to be sin intentional alliteration in these three words which ia enhanced by the emendations given, and is at the same time quite in keeping with the character of the speaker. Silvius, Sweet Phebe, do not scorn me ; do not, Phebe ; Say that you love me not, but say not so In bitterness. The common executioner. Whose heart the accustom'd sight of death makes hard, Falls not the axe upon the humbled neck But first begs pardon : wiU you sterner be Than he that dies and lives by bloody drops ? III. v. 1-7. The three middle words of the last line have occasioned exception, the Globe edition prefixes the obelus, and the Cambridge notes furnish the following attempts at emenda- tion. Theobald adopts ' deals and lives,' a conjecture by Warburton ; Hanmer has ' lives and thrives ' ; Johnson pro- poses ' dies his lips ' ; Heath's conjecture is ' daily lives ' ; while ToUet's is ' lives and dies ' ; Mr. Collier's ' dines and lives ' ; and the old annotator of the MS. inserts on his margin ' kills and lives ' ; in addition, Capell adopts ' eyes, and lives ' ; while Steevens adopts ' dyes, and lives '. Per- haps a tabular form wiU. assist in making these more intelligible — dies and lives dies his lips deals and lives eyes, and lives daily lives dyes, and lives dines and lives lives and thrives kills and lives lives and dies ToUet's conjecture which merely reverses the order of th6 terms, does the least violence to the text, but leaves stiU the dif&cijlty of accounting how these can be applicable to the AS YOU LIKE IT. 89 same person. He who lives hj such means does not necessarily die by the same, and the text with its nominative and its two verbs deals only in the singular. The conjunc- tion and, which the majority pass by unchanged, is the chief offender, and another equally minute one assisted by a slight addition to the punctuation is all that is required to make clear and cogent. The speaker is an ordinary rustic, over head and ears in love, he gets confused between his two illustrations of executioner and victim, he begins his appli- cation with the latter, but suddenly checking himself, he takes up the other as being the more appropriate, 'and ends - his appeal thus — will you sterner lie Than he that dies — nay ! lives by bloody drops ? Phehe. Good Shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love. Silmus. It is to be all made of sighs and tears ; — It is to be all made of faith and service ; — It is to be all made of fantasy. All made of passion, and all made of wishes, All adoration, duty, and observance. All humbleness, all patience and impatience. All purity, all trial, all observance ; And so am I for Phebe. V. n. 89-105. In the course of this otherwise long passage' there is an omission of eight lines no ways material to the question, which is really how comes it that the word observance happens to terminate two lines, the sixth and the eighth ; thus causing the Globe edition to have the significant obelus to be attached to the latter of these duplications. For the first instance, at the sixth line, the second Folio has obserbance, a palpable misprint, and Mr. Dyce adopts obedience from the Collier MS. Por the second instance — eighth line, Eitson proposeso&emwce; Malone obedience; Heath 90 AS YOU LIKE IT. perseverance ; Harness endurance ; and Nicholson deservance. It will be seen that the bulk of opinion is in favour of alter- ing the second instance, and the conjectures of Mr. Dyce and Malone may be interchanged with equal result. Though a good deal might be said for some of these conjectures, there is not one that fuUy comes up to what might be the probable word. The one intended is an antiqjie form for obsequiousness, that is, obsequience ; having only one letter more than the repeated word, and having also a deeper signi- fication, and coming to a kind of anticlimax in the language of lovers who are prepared to go any lengths in securing the object of their attentions. Duke senior^ Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy Can do all this that he hath promised ? Orlando. I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not ; As those that fear they hope, and know they fear r. iv. 1-4. This last line has the usual obelus, and a tabular list of conjectures from the Cambridge notes will show what has been done for its elucidation. think they hope, and know they fear — Hanmer. fear their hap, and know their fear — Warhurton, fear with hope, and hope with fear — Johnson. fear, they hope, and now they fear — The same. fear their hope, and know their fear— Capell (Heath). feign they hope, and know they fear — Blackstone. fear, then hope, and know, then fear — Musgrave. fearing hope, and hoping fear — Mason. hope they fear, and know they fear — Beclcet. fear the hope, and know the fear — Jackson. fear may hope, and know they iea.x— Harness. fear ; they hope, and know they fear — Ddius (Henley). fear to hope, and know they teux— Collier MS. Tliis is certainly a formidable list to begin with, and the AS YOU LIKE IT. 91 analysing of it would almost take np a volume. I shall merely note a few things. Of the thirteen emendations, four only have found their way into the texts — Hanmer, Warburton, Heath, and Henley. Johnson has given two conjectures, hut adopted neit];ier. The remaining eight are not those of editors. Again, of the two clauses of the line, the first has found no place on the list, for of two having the same words, they are each differently pointed, which implies different readings. The second clause is found entire in five of the above examples, being little more than a third of the whole, thus showing in the opinion of the majority that the phraseology of the line could not he defended. Of aL. the emendations proposed, Johnson's second conjec- ture of the second' clause is the only one that deserves attention ; hut this need not be dwelt on till the reading of the first clause be settled. In this there is a great error lying hid that requires elucidation. As the line stands there are four words, fear, hope, Jcnoio, and fear which are^ all verbs. Five emendations dispense severally with two of these, but they are of the second and fourth, whereas it is the first and third that require to be changed, and Johnson's second conjecture furnishes one of the instances, and that a right one. There is an antithesis in the line between hope and the last fear. The first fear and following pronouji are misprints for the adverb scarcely, the initial letter being the antique long s, is in many instances mistaken for /, and vice versa. The true reading of the line is the following — I sometimes do telieve, and sometimes do not ; As those that scarcely hope, and now they fear. The first line has always been inteHigible, and the amended line simply shows the speaker in the condition of one who has no sooner got the length of hoping, than all at once was in a state of despondency. Chaucer's description of Arcite 92 AS YOU LIKE IT. < is exactly to the point, ' how he sung his roundel lustily and fell as suddenly into a study ' — As don these lovers in hir queiate geres Now in the crop, and now doim in the breres, Now up, now doun, as hoket en a well. Eight as the Friday, sothly for to teU, Now shineth it, and now it raineth fast. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. Helena [Aside.'] Who comes here ? One that goes with hiin ; I love him for his sake ; And yet I know him a notorious liar, Think him a great way fool, solely a coward ; Yet these fix'd evils sit so fit in him. That they take place, when virtue's steely hones Look bleak i' the cold wind : withal, full oft we see Cold wisdom waiting on superfluous folly. I. i. 109-116. The Globe edition has the usual obelus at the seventh line, but in fact the marked passage should include a portion, of the line above. In the folio thff ' Look ' at the beginning of the line is printed in the singular as Lookes, thus mak- -ing a solecism in grammar which is caused as much by the plural ' bones ' as by the verb. The word hone is a much better term for the quality of virtue than tones could possibly be, especially when the epithet ' steely ' is applied to it. It certainly means nerve rather than a skeleton frame work. By a reference to the Cambridge notes on the term ' Cold ' at the beginning of the last linfe, we learn that the late Mr. Sidney Walker conjectured ' that this is corrupt '. There is a corruption ia the passage, but not where it is specified. The ' cold ' of the seventh Hue is unnecessary, and causes a jar in the rhythm which Pope attempted to mend by omitting the adverb ' withal,'' but with no evident improvement. This portion of the passage should therefore read thus — when virtue's steely bone Looks bleak i' the wind : withal, full oft we see Cold wisdom waiting on superfluous folly. The language is highly figurative and may require a few words of explanation. By ' virtue's steely bone ' is meant 94 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. the firm resolution of virtue, and by cold wisdom we would, understand wisdom allied with poverty, not callous, cold- hearted, selfish wisdom ; and the f uU interpretation of the passage would show that those defects in the character of Parolles fit so admirably, that they enable him to take a position when the virtuous man is chiUed by the influence of adversity ; moreover, it is too often seen how the poor wise man is compelled to take service under a wealthy fooL In the middle of the same scene after the long prose dia- logue with ParoUes in which he talks in a rather free style on the disadvantages of single life, and at the close puts the question plainly — Will you anything with it? Helena replies in a dozen lines of verse, and the Globe edition prefixes an obelus to the half line spoken by Helena, which appears to be prose printed as a broken line, and is then followed by the verse referred to. There shall your master have a thousand loves, A mother and a mistress and a friend, A phoenix, captain and an enemy, A guide, a goddess, and a sovereign, A counsellor, a traitress, and a dear ; His humble ambition, proud humility, His jarring concord, and his discord dulcet. His faith, his sweet disaster ; with a world Of pretty, fond, adoptions Christendoms, That blinking Cupid gossips. Now shall he— I know not what he shall. God send him well I The couit's a learning place, and he is one — I. i. 180-191. In the passage quoted above and the connected prose dia- logue extending to nearly a hundred lines, there are two sets of opinion among critics, either there are some lost lines, or that the whole passage is by another hand, and as the Cam- ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 95 bridge editors say : — " If it were not for the — Pretty, fond, adoptions Christendoms, That blinking Cupid gossips. Indeed all the foregoing dialogue is a blot on the play." The question then arises is the passage de;fectiv6, is it spurious, and to ■whom do these characteristics in Helena's speech refer'! Por the first two it would be hazardous to pass an opinion, and for the last if referring to the speaker, there are several terms quite inconsistent with each other, and especially with her own character and temperament. The three qualifications ia the second liae, a mother, a mistress, and a friend may be held quite consistent with the sex of the speaker, but the next three are not so applicable, especially those of captain and enemy. The former is peculiarly a male appliance, and the latter is antagonistic to everything we could predicate of the speaker. It will be. noticed that eleven of the twelve characteristics have all the article pre- fixed, but there is none before captain, and this leads one to suspect that the preceding one phoenix is also wrong. This should rather be a kindred mythological word, sphinx, which permits the use of the article that the oiher does not. Besides, the phcEnix is essentially rare, existing only, as the fable says, as one ; having no mate, and by the necessity of its being having none. It is therefore not an apt figure for one in love. Sphiux is already used by Shakespeare as one of its characteristics. In 'Lov^e's Labour's Lost,' IV. Hi. 342, love is said to be ' Subtle as Sphinx,' and Helena would thus represent herself in her assumed character, as also an enigma — ' a sphinx, a captive, and an eremite ' ; three terms quite in keeping, and as consistent as those of the preceding line. The emendation given for ' captain,' an anonymous conjecture in the Cambridge notes would make out as captor, but captive is the more appropriate one and represents the submissive character of the speaker. Eremite, the emenda- 96 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. tion for ' enemy ' is the old poetical form of hermit, and may- be said to present the retiring disposition of Helena. The three characters of the next line are equally in keeping with the speaker, a guide, a goddess, and a sovereign ; but ■what shall we say of the traitor esse, as it is printed in the Folio, of the next line % The appellation is so abhorrent to everything we can conceive of Helena, that we set it dpwn at once as a gross misprint. Tutoress is the right word, though it does not appear anywhere else in Shakespeare ; the word also which it ought to displace is found only in this solitary instance. So the emendation may be fairly set off against the corruption, and is quite unexceptionable. In the sixth, seventh, and eighth lines the speaker varies her examples in a paradoxical way, and when the punctua- tion of the Folio is set right, these wiU be found chiefly as compound terms which explain themselves. The portion quoted by the Cambridge editors with approbation, may be illustrated by a quotation from Hallam : — "We learn Shakes- peare, in fact, as we learn a language, or as we read a diflacult passage in Greek, with the eye glancing on the commentary ; and it is only after much study that we come to forget a part — if it can be but a part — of the perplexities he has caused us." The phrase 'adoptions Christendoms' may be held to be quite Shakespearian, though there is only one other instance of the same meaning — viz., christening — ' King John,' IV. i. 16, when little Arthur so innocently asseverates — By my Christendom, So I were, out of prison and kept sheep, I should be as meixy as the day is long ; There is little else calling for remark, and shall simply quote the first; five lines containing the four proposed emen- dations, and draw attention to the closing line or two where Helena is at a loss what to say — thus showing the warmth of her attachment. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 97 There shall your master have a thousand loves, A mother, and a mistress, and a friend, A sphinx, a captive, and an eremite, A guide, a goddess, and. a sovereign, A counsellor, a tutoress, and a dear ; • Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven : the fated sky Gives us free scope, only doth backward pull Our slow designs when we ourselves are dull. What power is it which mounts my love so high, That makes me see, and cannot feed mine eye ? The mightiest space in fortune nature brings To join like likes and kiss like native things. /. i. 231-238. These rhyming lines are the first half of Helen's soliloquy at the end of the first scene of the play in whiph she moral- izes on the disparagment of circumstances between persons who otherwise might be equally yoked together in the closest connection. The last couplet is noticed in the Globe edition with the common obelus, as indicating a difficulty requiring a solution of some kind or other. Three lines further down another instance will be noticed having the same mark, and taken up "when the present is disposed of. Por the phrase ' The mightiest space in fortune,' the Cam- bridge notes present us with two conjectures, one by Mason ■who would read The mighty and base, and Mr. Staunton who proposed The wid'st apart. Another conjecture by Johnson is said to be ' Through mightiest space,' and the beginning of the next line to run Likes to join likes, actuated by the force of nature. These conjectures have not been successful in obtaining the proper expression, and thus have lost the idea running through the couplet. There is one word wrong, which, though a very simple one, has nevertheless thoroughly obscured the meaning, and until it be rectified all efforts at ex]3lanation are hopeless. 7 98 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. The two lines in fact are an allusion to fortune's wheel, as exemplifying the various conditions of humanity, and the word ' space ' is a misprint for spoke, and the full meaning of the passage is as follows : — 'The mightiest spoke of the wheel unites with the others as an equal to form the periphery, and lovingly osculates with them in the nave from whence they all radiate.' It is a curious circumstance that while there are numerous allusions in Shakespeare to cars, carts, carriages, coach, waggon and wheel, there are only three instances of ■ spoke, and two of nave, and this now given of the former will thus make a fourth. The next three lines contain another instance of a misprint Impossible te strange attempts to those , That weigh their pains in sense, and do suppose What hath been cannot be. line 2^1. On the last line we have the following — What hath not been can't be — Sanmer. What ha'nt been cannot be — Mason,. What n'ath been cannot be — Staunton. 'It is evident that these emendations are on the principle that the negative is wrong, and the endeavour is to counter- act it by supplying another. In all three this is effected by a contracted form either in the first or second instance of the verb, on account of the necessities of the verse. It is possible, however, to accomplish the intention of the speaker by supposing a positive form of the clause, and that the word ' cannot ' is a misprint for two monosyllables of .quite a dif- ferent meaning. The passage, in fact, has a reference to the indolent unimaginative manner of those who do not choose to trouble themselves with anything they have been unaccustomed to. All things of a novel aspect are to such mere impossibilities, and they lazily acquiesce in ordinary routine by what would appear to be the true reading of the line. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 99 What hath been can hut he ; who ever strove To show her merit that did miss her love ? The king's disease — my project may deceive me, But my intents are fixed and will not leave me. Helena is in possession of a remedy left by her father which will cure the king of his disease ; but she has another object in view which she is set upon to accomplish, however far removed from ordinary modes of action. In the second scsne of the same act there is a long speech of the king, in which he portrays the character qf Bertram's father from his early recollections of that estimable person. And in that portion there are likewise two passages requiring notice, and specially marked as the others. It much repairs me To talk of your good father. In his youth He had the wit which I can well ohserve To-day in our young lords ; hut they may jest Till their own scorn return to them unnoted Ere they can hide their levity in honour ; So like a courtier, contempt nor bitterness Were in his pride or sharpness ; if they were. His equal had awaked them ; and his honour, Clock to itself, knew the true minute when Exception hid him speak, and at this time His tongue obey'd his hand : who were below him He used as creatures of another place And bow'd his eminent top to their low ranks. Making them proud of his humility, In their poor praise he humbled. ♦ /. a. 30-45. Lines 36 and 45 are those marked with the obelus in the Globe edition and will be noticed in their turn. The only proposed emendation on the first clause ' So like a courtier ' requiring any notice is that of Mr. Lloyd who proposes to read 'No courtier-like contempt,' &c. 100 A'LL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. But this is on the supposition that courtier was here used in a bad sense which it certainly was not. Those beyond the pale of a court might indeed do so, but the king himself would not. The whole speech goes to prove the good qualities of one who was pre-eminently a courtier, not merely like one but so in reality. The two words ' So like ' are a misprint for solely, signifying wholly, truly, entirely, as exemplified by a line in the previous scene wherein Helena hits off the character of ParoUes by saying that she — ' Thinks him a great way fool, solely a coward. ' The next instance is when the king notices when the same person treated those of an inferior rank — ' In their poor praise he humbled. ' For the two last words of the line Mr. Staunton conjectures that the expression might be behumbled. This no doubt is quite a common prefix to verbs, but there happens to be no instance of this particular one anywhere else, and the simple verb itself is sufficient for all purposes. There is, neverthe- less, a misprint in the preceding noun and pronoun, which ought to be the plural form praises. The past tense of the active verb becomes now the past participle, and the line would read thus — In their poor praises humhled. Such a man Might he a copy to these younger times ; Which follow'd well, would demonstrate them now But goers backward. Notice how the accent on the trisyllable is now placed at the end of the word through the exigencies of the measure. I have omitted to notice that both Theobald and Capell read the accusative Mm for his in the previous instance, which will be given as follows — Solely a courtier, contempt nor bitterness "Were in Mm, pride or sharpness ; if they were, His equal had awaked them. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 101 Globe edition, Page S58, left hand column. Enter Helena. Countess soliloquizing. Even so it was with me when 1 was young : If ever we are nature's, these are ours ; this thorn Doth to our rose of youth rightly belong ; Our hlood to us, this to our blood is born ; It is the show and seal to nature's truth. Where love's strong passion is impress'd in youth : By our remembrances of days foregone, Su2h were our faults, or then we thought them none. /. Hi. 134-141. It is the last line that is specially marked in the Globe edi- tion and the larger text's notes intimate that Hanmer reads tho' instead of the conjunction 'or' in the middle of the line, and Johnson adopts a conjecture of Warhurton's hy giving the interjection !. Mr. Staunton on the other hand transposes the adverb and pronoun of the same clause by reading — ' them we thought then none.' The greatest change, however, is that of the CoUier MS. which reads in the following manner — Search we out faults, for then we thought them none. On carefully reading the whole passage it will be seen that the speaker does not blame youth for those feelings which are incident to that period of life. She had gone through the same ordeal herself; and knew well what it was to be in love. She feels rather kindly disposed towards Helena, and her previous language implies there is no fault attachable to the feeling. There is an error, however, in one word, which when corrected will be found to modify the language con- siderably, and render the line more in keeping with the general tenor of the speaker's meaning. With little hesitation I would propose instead of 'Such,' the analogous and more ap- propriate expression Few, thus reading the closing couplet— By our remembrances of days foregone. Few were our faults, or then we tHought them none. 102 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. King. Farewell, young lords ; "Whither 1 live or die be you the sons Of worthy Frenchmen : let higher Italy, — Those bated that inherit but the fall Of the last monarchy, — see that you come No to woo honour, but to wed it ; //. i. 10-15. The Globe edition prefixes an obelus to the fourth line, but there would seem to be an error in the short clause of the line above. It is not easy to say what is meant in the phrase 'higher Italy' whioh may. signify either the aristocracy or Upper Italy, the northern portion of that country. Neither of these is at all likely. From the Cambridge notes we learn that Coleridge conjectured that it might be hired Italy, but in this there is only a glimpse of the true meaning- That -country was not the hired one but the hii'er. TheSe young French lords were going to fight the battles of Italy on Italian soil, and the king moralises on the condition of that land ; as the next clause when rightly interpreted will prove. From the same notes we learn that for ' bated ' in the fourth line Hanmer gives in his text bastards ; and for the same word and succeeding pronoun, Capell proposed bated ones, having the sense of diminished, and leaving the clause as truly elliptical. For, ' last monarchy,' that refers to the old Eoman empire, the last of the four great monarchies, and the speech is a sarcasm on the Italians falling into the practice of hiring mercenaries which occasioned the over- throw of the former dpminion. The word ' bated ' is a mis- print for fated, as if Italy was doomed to inherit this most fatal of all warlike practices. The passage amended in accordance with these views will read as foUows — Let hirer Italy — Vmis fated to inherit but the fall Of the last monarchy see that you ooine Not to woo honour, but to wed it! ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 103 And is it I That drive thee from the sportive court, where thou Wast shot at with fair eyes, to he the mark Of smoky muskets ? you leaden messengers, That ride upon the violent speed of fire. Fly with false aim ; move the' still-peering air. That sings with piercing ; do not touch my lord. IIL a. 108-114. The last line but one has, in the Glohe edition, the usual mark prefixed. The speaker here is Helena the new made wife of Bertram, who has just learned that her husband has deserted her and gone to .the Italian wars. In her anxiety for his safety she thus gives vent to her feelings in this impassioned language, and forming a soliloquy of thirty lines at the close of the scene. From the Cambridge notes we subjoin the following read- ings and conjectures on the second clause of the line, the given text being that of the first Folio— move the still- peering — ■ move the still piercing — Folios 2, 3, If. pierce the still-moving — Hanmer ( Wariwrton). move the still-piecing — Steevens. rove the still piecing — Tyrvikitt. • move the still-pierced — Nares. mow the still pacing— Jacfoon. wound the still-piercing— CoZKe?" (Collier M.S.) move the still-closing — Bailey. move the still-recking — Jervis. With one exception— the fourth folio — there is a uni- formity in the use of the hyphen, thus making compound words with the sense of ewer'inthe first half. There is no necessity for the use of the hyphen, nor for altering the ' peering ' of the first Folio, and the disjoined terms would thus have the meanings of calm and transparent, the true sense of the passage. For the word 'move' the proper 104 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. term should be mount — the spsaker's wish being, that the balls should go in a direction contrary to their usual tendency, that is upwards instead of forward or earthward. The language no doubt is extravagant, but is directed by strong feeling which makes no account of impossibilites. As an instance of the later Folios' guess work, the ' sings ' of the last line becomes in these .'stings,' a manifest absurdity. Eead as follows — Fly with false aim ; mount the still peering air That sings with piercing ; do not touch my lord. BiaiM. I see that men make rope's in such a scarre That we'll forsake ourselves. Give me that ring. IV. a. 38. A difference exists between the Cambridge text and the Globe edition, in that the latter omits the apostrophe in the sixth word, and at the same time prefixes the obelus. In the Cambridge notes there are no fewer than sixteen different renderings of the first line by twelve different critics, besides the third and fourth Folios. A tabular form of these may not be amiss. Make ropes in such a scarre — Third Folio. Make ropes in such a scar — Fourth Folio. Make hopes in such aifairs — Rowe. Make hopes in such a scene — Malone. Make mopes in such a scar — Bucket. Make japes of such a scathe — Tlie same. Make hopes in such a scare — Henley. Make hopes in such a csMse—Mitford. Make hopes in such a war — Singer, first ed. Make hopes in such a scarre — Knight. Singer, second ed. Make slopes in such a scarre — Collier. Make ropes in such a staire — The same. Make ropes ia such a cane—Dyce. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 105 Mate hopes in such a snare — Staunton. Make hopes in such a suit — Collier MS. May cope's in such a sorte — Williams. There are here seven renderings of the second word, and thttteen of the last, while there is only one new reading of the first, and yet the true reading is as dependent on it as any other of the passage. As regards the last word, the modern- ised form scar is the hest of the whole, though the Cambridge editors did right in retaining the original form as long as they had nothing better to offer. As to the tone of Diana's short remark of a line and a half, it must have been an aside. She was evidently meditating on the consequence of Bertram's proposal, and knew that the result would be such as to cause the sex ' forsake themselves'. She .then seems to have made up her mind, and to test her admirer, suddenly exclaims aloud — ' Give me that ring,' which fully brings out the denoument. The passage in its integrity reads as follows, and though to the eye appearing very different from the original) has exactly the same sounds when read. Diama {aside.'] I see that men may crop 's in such a scar That we'll forsake ourselves. Give ! me ! that ! ring ! As to the elision in the original word causing it appear as the sign of the possessive, but which all critics but one have uniformly rejected, and consequently made plurals, a frequent use of the apostrophe indicates the omission of i in is and u in us, which latter is the case in point. It is largely used in this manner in the I^orth, as dinna strike 's for ' do not strike us'. And as to the meaning attached to the new reading, see 'Antony and Cleopatra,' 11. ii. 231. 106 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. Our rash faults Make trivial price of serious things we have, Not knowing them until we know their grave : Oft our displeasures, to ourselves unjust. Destroy our friends and after weep their dust : Our own love waking cries to see what's done, While shameful hate sleeps out the afternoou. V. Hi. 60-66. The most curious fact to notice in this passage is, that the Collier MS. omits the last couplet entirely. What the value of that may be is not easy to say, at all events the Globe edition attaches the obelus to the first line, and at the same time has adopted the reading of shame full late to the second line from an anonymous conjecture in 'Eraser's Magazine' with the initials W. G. C, which I may be allowed to guess are those of William George Clark the chief editor of the Cam- bridge Shakespeare, and probably inserted there before he commenced his arduous task in that great work. In the preface to the Globe edition, the editors take occasion to say — " In this edition, we have substituted in the text the emendation which seemed most probable, or in cases of absolute equality, the earliest suggested. But the whole number of such variations between the texts of the two editions is very small." I am exceedingly glad that now I have hit upon this, now thirteen years since I first possessed the welcome volume, the gift of a scholar and a gentleman to a humble mechanic, and I wish only that my small tribute of respect were more availing. I shall simply add the emenda- tion I now propose on this disputed passage by inserting the couplet with one italicised word — Our wan love waking cries to see what's done. While shame full late sleeps out the afternoou. I am now going to differ on an important point from an eminent Shakespearian scholar and critic, the late Sidney ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 107 Walker, whose emendation in the same scene has been hailed as a peculiarly happy one, and has had the fortune to be adopted by Mr! Singer in his second edition, and also by the Cambridge editors in their larger and smaller texts. The passage occurs in a speech of Bertram's, when the king taxes him with the fact that Diana was m. possession of his ring, which the other does not deny. He now attempts to explain in his own way how she obtained it, and thus expresses himself — I think she has : certain it is I Kked her, And boarded her i' the wanton way of youth : She knew her distance and did angle for me. Madding my eagerness with her restraint, As all impediments jn fancy's course Are motives of mere fancy ; and, in fine, Her insuite comming with her modern grace, Subdued me to her rate : she got the ring ; V. Hi. 210-217. The two words ' insuite comming ' the reading of the first folio, from which the later folios omitted the final e, and the fourth folio in addition dropped the duplicate m, but other- wise shedding no light on the expression. Sir Thomas Hanmer in his text separated the first word into two, in suit cominff, but making matters no better. The emendation of Mr. Walker is ' Her infinite cunning,' which is in part right, but it is possible to propose a more likely emendation for the term infinite. The Cambridge notes also mention other con- jectures as insuit cunning, and instant comity ; they likemse give a conjecture by Heath — Her own switjoimmg with her mother's, scarce Subdued meto her rate : Here there are five altered words, and with these a deeper stain oil the character of the parties than can well be ipade out. The emendation cunning is all that could be wished, but for insuite or insuit, Jesuit would appear to be the better 108 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. reading. It may be answered at once that Jesuit does not occur in Shakespeare, but this is nothing to the point, as those -who bore the name were too well known at the time, and bore sufficient odium to be overlooked. ' Modern grace ' likewise assists in fixing the meaning, as contrary to the prac- tice of other religious orders, polish and education were highly cultivated amongst them ; and so Bertram says — in fine, Her Jesuit cunning, with her modem grace Subdued me to her rate. TWELFTH NIGHT. Sir Toby. What a plague means my niece, to take the death of her ■brother thus ? I am sure care 's an enemy to life. Mana. By my troth, Sir Tohy, you must come in earlier o' nights: your cousin, my lady, takes great exceptions to your ill hours. Sir Toby. "Why, let her except, before excepted. /. in. 7. This last line is indeed very elliptical, and is quite in keeping with the speaker. He is curt enough in all con- science, still a single syllable of the smallest dimensions, not lengthening the final word one jot, scarcely a breathing, would have thrown all the light necessary for the due understanding the meaning of the witty knight. Hanmer in his text leaves out the second comma, for what reason it is difficult to say. On the other hand, Eann adopts a conjecture of Dr. Farmer's by inserting a conjunction thus — as before excepted, the meaning of which is equally difficult to guess at. An alteration of punctuation, and the addition of the definite article in an elided form wiU answer every purpose — Why, let her except — before th' excepted. Sir Toby wishes to speak his mind, but not so as to offend his niece ; he pauses, and then blurts out a cut at the position of his interlocutor, a servant ! In conformity with these remarks, the meaning of his answer will be — Why, let her say so — and to myself. Malvolio. (Solus. ) 'Tis but fortune ; all is fortune. Maria once told me she did affect me : and I have heard herself come thus near, t^at, should she fancy, it should be one of my complexion. Besides, she uses me with a more no TWELFTH NIGHT. exalted respect than any one else that follows her. What should I think on't ? To be count Malvolio ! TherS is example for't ; the lady of the Strachy manied the yeoman of the wardrobe. //. V. U. The word or name Strachy, has caused a good deal of dis- cussion as to its meaning, and what it refers to. This Cambridge notes supply eleven conjectures for the name, and . two readings which have been adopted by Hanmer and War- bnrton for the same. The former of these reads Stratarch, evidently a Greek title with the Ic sound of the final letters, such as Monarch, &c. The latter adopts Trachy which I do not pretend to know, or like its model, even to pronounce. The conjectures are as follows — Trachyne by Capell; Straacio by Smith ; Starchy by Steevens ; Stitcliery by Becket ; Stratico, by Eichard Payne Knight ; Astralchan by Charles Knight ; Strozzi by Collier ; Stracci by Lloyd ; Sophy or Saucery or Satrape by HaUiwell. Three of these appear to be Italian names ; Starchy, Stitcliery, and Saucery appear to be jocular title's ; Stratico comes near to Hanmer's Stratarch ; Astrakhan, Sophy, and Satrape with an unnecessary e, are of an Eastern origin ; and CapeU's Trachyne I have no know- ledge of. One difficulty is how the final syllable is pronounced. Has it the sound of the English touch and touchy, or the k sound or the Celtic guttural ? Does it refer to a fact, or a fiction, or a tragedy such as the ' Dutchesse of Malfy,' as Webster titles his celebrated drama \ She who married her secretary Antonio. My own impression is that the word should be Tragedy, a good negative term, and probably referring to some old Tale or Play which it matters not whether it be ever discovered or not. I have no faith in the origin of any of these things, they tell nothing, and one guess is as good as another, only it must be in keeping with the subject. A notice in ' Notes and Queries ' since the present year set TWELFTH NIGHT. Ill in, refers to the Greek word from which our word strategy is taken, and supposes it means the General. It may be so, but is of no consequence. Let it stand in its obscurity. All we need to care for is what Malvolio implies — The lady of the Tragedy wedded the yeoman of the wardrobe. Sebastian. My kind Antonio, I can no other answer make but thanks, And thanks ; and ever . . oft good turns Are shuffled off with such uncurrent pay : But, were my worth as is my conscience firm. You should find better dealing. ///. iii. 13-18. This is to all intents the reading of the folio with the exception of the blank in the third line which the Cambridge editors have specially marked in their texts, and in the Globe have added the obelus, thus signifying a lacuna. The Cambridge notes furnish a dozen of variations by critics and editors, but of these eight try to fill up the line, and chiefly by repeating the word ' thanks ' with an expletive, but in no case adding a new idea. Some of these vary the adverb in the following manner — often, very oft, too oft, though oft. It is evident that some such modification is necessary, for this explanatory clause is brought in somewhat abruptly. Still there is something more required to bring the speaker's grateful language to a proper conclusion before he ventures on his moral. The following is submitted as the^ most likely mode of supplying the deficiency, and meeting aU the exigencies of the case. I can no other answer make but thanks ; And thanks add every Iiour— though oft good turns Are shuffled off with such uncurrent pay : 112 ' TWELFTH NIGHT. Sebastian. 1 prithee, vent thy folly somewhere else : thou knowest not me. Clown. Vent my folly ! he has heard that word of some great man and now applies it to a fool. Vent my folly ! I am afraid this great lubber, the world, will prove a cockney. IV. i. 14. This fourteenth line of the Globe is marked with the obelus, and the Cambridge notes supply a few conjectures, and also a special note referring to the late Mr. Knight's opinion on the subject.. As the last clause stands in the folio wanting the two commas, it would alinost appear that the lubber, the world, and the cockney were all one, and the punctuation scarcely improves it. The Collier MS. gives 'great lubberly World '. Mr. Grant White of Boston adopts a conjecture by Douce, ' great lubberly word,' as if it was the expression ' vent ' that the Clown's observation referred to. Whatever that word may be, it certain cannot be called a great lubberly one. Mr. Staunton proposes to leave out great, stUl leaving it as a lubberly word, but this does not mend the matter. The other Cambridge note is thus — " Mr. Knight suggests that this may be intended to be spoke aside, as if the meaning were, ' I am afraid the world will prove this great lubber (Sebastian) a cockney.' There is no doubt that the offensive expression was intended for Sebastian, but what the world had to do in it, is the great desideratum. Mr. Knight's explanation, though containing the exact words of the text is arrived at by a transposition, and can hardly be made to bear the meaning evolved without some forced construction. I believe that two short words have been omitted which would have given another turn to the expression, and the phraseology intended occurs several times elsewhere in Shake- speare. Eead the clause thus — Veut my folly ! I am afraid this great lubber, for all the world, will prove a cockney. TWELFTH NIGHT. 113 The expression 'for aU the world ' is equivalent to a moral certainty, and this is in no way disproved by the preceding ' I am afraid,' >vhich itself is tantamount to ' I am sure,' though at first sight it would appear to be the opposite.^ A word to say on the expression ' Cockney ' which only occurs twice in Shakespeare. The modern use of it is well- known, but in former times it must have had another mean- ing than a mere native of London. There has been much discussion on its origin an.d signification, but the most likely interpretation is, that it signifies a milk sop, or a town-bred person. This would' appear to be its meaning in the passage before us. Sebastian in the presence of the Clown appears as one not to be pestered with the other's nonsense, and uses a pert ofF-hand expression, which the Clowu pretends not to understand, though he uses it himself afterwards in its true application — Tell me what I shall vent to my lady : shall I vent to her that thou art coming ? It is this which causes him to apply the epithet ' great lubber,' but he fears for all his new fangled boldness he is only a soft one. The other instance of Cockney is in 'King Lear,' II. iv. 123, which wlU be touched on in its proper place. Olima. How now ! art thou mad ? Clown. No, madam, I do but read madness ; an your ladyship will have it as it ought to be, you must allow. Vox, r. i. 300. The last word vox printed in Italics as in the Folio, and to all appearance may be taken for the Latin vox, voice, is treated in the Cambridge notes to two conjectures which ,may be worth notice. These are, one by Heath who proposes ' you must allow f or't ' ; and the other by Mason who gives. 114 TWELFTH NIGHT. ' oaths '. It will be noticed in a previous portion where the clown is interrupted while reading the letter of ' The Madly- used Malvolio ' that the first sentence opens with a pretty strong asseveration which calls forth the lady's ire, to which the Clown's reply is the subject of the present investigation. Hence Mason's conjecture, while Heath's refers more to the tone employed. The reading of the text is not at all likely, though coming from a privileged wit as the Clown shows himself to be. The word appears to be a misprint ior folks, and probably in the Somersetshire dialect, volJrs; as Shakespeare occasionally indulges in provincialisms to suit particular ' characters. At the same time, the Clown's speech would seem to be an inter- rupted one ; and intended to have said more when his mistress strikes in- with ' Prithee, read 'i thy right wits,' to which the Clown replies, but this not satisfying, she turns to her other attendant, Fabian, with a ' Eead it you, Sirrah '. The passage in accordance with this view is as follows — No, madam, I do but read madness ; an your ladyship will have it as it ought to be, you must allow volks — Olivia. Prithee, read i' thy right wits. Clown. So I do, madonna ; hut to read his right wits is to read thus ; therefore perpend, my princess, and give ear. Olivia. Eead it you, Sin-ah. THE WINTER'S TALE. We were as twinu'd lambs that did frisk i' the sun, And bleat the one at the other : what we changed Was innocence for innocence ; we knew not The doctrine of ill-doing, nor dream'd That any did. /. a. 67-71. The fourth line is a defective one, -wanting a syllable to complete the Terse. To remedy this, the second, third, and fourth Folios read the latter portion of the line thus — ' no, nor dream'd that any did '. Mr. Spedding accomplishes the same end by reading ' neither dream'd '. The defect, how- ever, lies in the word 'ill-doing,' which though to all appearance a complete wordj- does not seem to have been exactly what the author intended. The very uncommon phrase ' doctrine ' as applied to the conduct of boys, seems so scholastic that it would appear an equally scholastic term is required in the other. This is obtained by adding ness to - ill-doing ' and showing a contrast to the theological term righteousness. It may be said, there is no such word as ' ill-doingness, ' and is an unwarrantable assumption ; foisting a coinage of our own upon the great dramatist, and all for the purpose of mending a line. But what if we get a coinage of the same kind, and uttered by the same speaker at line 170 of the same scene? Speaking of his own young son, Polixenes uses the following kindly language — He makes a July's day short as December ; And with his vai7ing childness cures in me Thoughts that would thick my blood. This is the only instance of ' childness ' I am aware of in our literature. It is not in Johnson, and yet the meaning is 116 THE WINTER'S TALE. quite transparent. Pope, in his text, adopted the well-lcnown ■word ' childishness,' but this is quite opposed to the other. Shakespeare's term designates character in a good sense, while Pope's is invariahly used in a bad one. In fact, the proper word in this instance should have been childlikeness, and there is as much warrant for a noun coined from cMld- like as from childish ; but this is one of the anomalies of English. The exigencies of the verse, however, constrained the author to compress the word into ' childness,' and in the other to lengthen ' ill-doing,' though the printer would appear to have neglected it. The emendation of the passage will therefore read thus — ■what we changed "VVas innocence for innocence ; -we knew not The doctrine of ill-doingness, nor dream'd That any did. How like, methought, I then was to this kernel, This squash, this gentleman. Mine honest friend, "Will you take eggs for money ? Mamillms. No, my lord, I'll fight. I. ii. 160. The three last words of the question is all that requires notice. In the Folio these appear as ' Egges for Money,' a matter of little moment, but if such can be proved as prover- bial, or having a basis of fact, I would give it up ; otherwise, I would propose to read — "WUl you take aches from any? And the answer is apropos. No, my lord, I'll fight. Camillo. Sir, my lord, I could do this, and that with no rash potion, But with a lingering dram that should not work Maliciously like poison : but I cannot Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress, So sovereignly being honourable. I have loved thee, — TEE WINTER'S TALE. 117 Leontes. Make that thy question and go rot ! Dost think I am so muddy, so misettled, To appoint myself In this vexation ; Without ripe moving to 't ? Would I do this ? Could man so blench ? I. a. 318-333. In this passage there are a few things to notice. The sixth line of CamUlo's speech appears in the Folio inclosed with parentheses ; the asterisks signify a gap of five lines nowise material for the present subject ; and the Globe edition has the obelus prefixed to the first line of the king's answer, but this may be supposed to include the four last words of CamiUo, as the question has been started if these be not a portion of the king's speech, and attributed wrongly to •■ CamiUo. Por the line in question the Cambridge notes furnish six different readings from the other three Folios, from Theobald, Hanmer, Heath, Capell, and the Long MS., chiefly dealing in punctuations, with the exception of the three last who make the end of Camillo's speech the beginning of the king's reply, thus — I've lov'd thee. Mark this question and go do't. — Heath. Make that thy question and go rot 1 I have lov'd thee. — Gapell. Have I lov'd thee ? Make that thy question and go rot. —Long MS. In my opinion the lines as given belong to the speakers warranted by the text, but there are three errors in the two last lines of Camillo's speech, and in his only. The line with parentheses is unrhythmical, and the abruptness of the short closing line has a jarring effect, and is hardly in keeping with a courtier addressing his sovereign. The only note on this parenthetical line is a conjecture of Malone's, which restricts the parentheses to the two words ('being hdnourable'). The participle 'being' is a misprint for benign, and qualified by the peculiar adverb ' sovereignly '. This the speaker 118 THE WINTER'S TALE. brings in as anotlier feature in the character of his mistress whom he already refers to as ' dread,' hut also benignant ; and it is still the queen on whom his thoughts run when he is rudely interrupted by Leontes. This will be apparent by giving the emended portion in as short a compass as possible — but I cannot Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress, So sovereignly benign, and honourably To have loved thee ! Leonatiis. Make that thy question and go rot ! In addition to the chief correction there is supplied a con- nective for the two clauses, the succeeding term becomes an adverb, and the first person of the perfect tense becomes the perfect infinitive by substituting to for I. One word as to benign. It is not in the Folio. It occurs once in ' Pericles,' and printed for the first time in the collected works in 1665, when it appeared in the tliird Folio. Fear o'ershades me: Good expedition be my friend, and Comfort The gracious queen, part of his theme, but nothing Of his ill-ta'en suspicion ! Come, Camillo ; I will respect thee as a father if Thou bear'st my life off hence : let us avoid. 7. a. 457. These are the last words of Polixenes at the close of the first act, when resolved to flee from the wrath of the jealous Leontes. The third line is specially marked in the Globe edition with an obelus. The language of the speaker is somewhat confused, he mixes up his fear for himself, and anxiety for the queen, at the same time the punctuation is such that it is not easy to make out the connection. The Cambridge notes give a few emendations, and a conjecture or two, but none of them of mu.ch value as long as the present order of the lines are retained. Mr. Staunton is in despair T3E WINTER'S TALE. 119 after all he notes, by saying, " we are still wide — toto cmlo, tota regione — of the genuine text now, it may be feared, irrecoverable ". The matter may be explained by carrying the second line to below the fourth, and by adopting the conjecture of Jackson for the ' comfort ' of this second line, but in a different sense to what he intended ; this may be explained by the fact that Camillo accompanied the other in his flight as related in the thirty-third line of the next scene. The emendation proposed is as follows — Fear o'ershades me : The gracious queen ! part of his theme, but nothing Of his ill-ta'en suspicion. Come, Camillo, Good expedition — he my friend and consort ; I will respect thee as a father if Thou bear'st my life off hence : let us avoid. Camillo. It is in mine authority to command The keys of all the posterns : please your highness To take the urgent hour. Come, sir, away. Antigonus. If it prove She's otherwise, I'll keep my stables where I lodge my wife ; I'll go in couples with her ; Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her ; For every inch of woman in the world is false. If she be. //. i. 135. This line is marked in the Globe edition with the well- known obelus, referring more particularly to the term ' stables,' and the Cambridge notes supply the following attempts at emendation. A reading of Hanmer's is 'my stahle-stand ' ; that of Eann's is simply ' my stable ' ; while Mr. Collier adopts the reading of the MS., ' I'll keep me stables,' being the dative of the personal, instead of the possessive pronoun. The Cambridge Editors' own conjectures are 'my stabler,' or 'my stablers ' ; transferring the idea 120 TEE WINTER'S TALE. from a place to a person. The true meaning of the quotation may be obtained by attending to the next clause and follow- ing line, which is evidently referring to the practice of taking dogs to the field chained in pairs, and the proper word, for which ' stables ' is a misprint, should be shackles, and these the speaker would have always at hand to cbain his wife to himself when he had occasion to go from home. If it prove She's otherwise, I'll keep me shacMes where I lodge my wife ; I'll go in couples with her ; Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her : In continuation of this passage we have the following — Lecmtes. Hold your peaces. First Lord. Good my lord, — Antigontis. It is for you we speak, not for ouselves : You are almsed and by some putter-on That will he damn'd for't ; would I knew the villain, I would land-damn him. Lines 139-143. This last line is also marked with an obelus, and the compound word appears thus in the Folio — ' I would Land- damne him '. The initial capital and final e throw no light, however, on the meaning of the word, and we must content ourselves with what has been conjectured before. Hanmer adopts in his text land-damm, the secpnd syllable evidently the same as now spelled dam, meaning to confine, as water is by a bank of earth. Farmer proposes laudanum; Mr. Collier in his second edition adopted lamhaclc from the old MS. ; besides these there are half-damn by Heath ; live- damn by Sidney Walker ; and Lent-damn by Dr. Nicholson. It is possible to extract something froipi each of these, but they are too far off from the original to identify them. The word appears to be a coinage for the nonce but mis- printed in the second syllable from the circumstance that the same vocable occurs in the preceding line and at exactly THE WINTER'S TALE. 121 the same foot in the verse. The word land-drum referring to the mode in which a disreputable character was expelled from society. There are only two instances in which drum is used * as a verb in Shakespeare, still in defect of all positive proof, the expression is no more anomalous than many others scattered throughout the plays, and known to all students. Would I knew the villain, I would land-drum him. Camillo. Yea, say you so ? There shall not at your father's house these seven years Be bom another such. Florizel. My good Camillo ? She is as forward of her breeding as She is i' the rear our birth. IV. iv. 592. This last line is also marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, and the two lines themselves in the Folio bristle with elisions and commas, but in the text as quoted, a single elision is sufficient for aU purposes, still the language is quite unworthy the devoted attachment the Prince held toward his lady love. The Cambridge notes furnish some seven or eight attempts to construct the line in some better form, none are of any moment save one whi^h alters the last pronoun to her, and another which omits it altogether. The real blot in the passage is the word ' rear', and this has been passed by through an idea that it is a necessary antithesis to the ' forward ' of the preceding line. The antithesis, if any, is between ' breeding ' and ' birth ' and in a greater degree between ' her ' and ' our '. The passage in its proper form would read thus — She is as forward of ier breeding as She is, I fear, of our birth. The preceding part of the dialogue exhibits in a striking manner the devotion of the Prince to the beautiful and all accomplished Perdita, so suddenly encountered in a shep- 122 THE WINTER'S TALE. herd's cottage ; and whose rare qualities had even attracted his father, tOl he learns that his son and heir is likely to be entangled in a low-born match. Florizel, however, is in that mood that had he been told she was a goddess just dropt from the sky, he would not have been astonished. He rather feared she would turn out to be something more than human, and almost believes it. He takes up the compliment of Camillo, and amplifies it. The meaning of his words is to the following purport — My friend, CamiUo ! she is as far advanced in good breeding, as she has ' the advantage of us both, I fear, in the fortune of birth. Act IV., Scene iv., Line 760. Thinkest thou, for that I insinuate, or toaze from thee thy business, I am therefore no courtier ? I am courtier cap-a-pe. This expression toaze is obelised in the Globe ; in the larger work a special note runs thus — " That probably the speaker coined the word to puzzle his hearers, which word has ever since puzzled the printers ". All the editions from the second Folio downwards, have printed or before this peculiar word, but the first folio have it at toaze. These two are actually three of one syllable each, and should read thus — as to axe, a well-known vulgarism ; and the meaning of Autolycus in his high polite style would be — Do you think, because I demean myself to inquire into your errand, I am therefore no gentleman 1 This old expression axe occurs nowhere else in Shake- speare ; it had possibly become vulgar, but in Chaucer's time it was a very common word. In the Parson's Tale the following passage is found — " A man that hath trespassed to a lord, and cometh to axe mercie and maken his accoide ". In a succeeding paragraph — "Also the very shrift axeth certain conditions ". In the Knight's tale, the dying Arcite plaintively inquires — THE WINTER'S TALE. 123 What is this world ? what axen men to have Now with his love, now in his oolde grave Alone withouten any oompagnie. In these three examples we have the verh in different moods and numbers. A modern instance is in ' The Eejected Addresses,' the poet Crahbe, in his pecuUar mannerism — JeVs from St. Mary Axe, for johs so wary, That for old clothes they'd even axe St. Mary. Thus from Chaucer to the ' Addresses ' there is a period of 400 years, two centuries before Shakespeare, and two since, and exhibiting the change from the solemn and gravely serious to the burlesque. Leonies. Thou speakest truth. No more such wives ; therefore no wife : one worse And better used, would make her sainted spirit Again possess her corpse, and on this stage. Where we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd. And begin ' Why to me ? ' r. i. 56-60. Such is the king's bitter lamentation when he had come to a better state of mind as to his treatment of Hermione whom he still supposed to be dead. The Globe edition has the usual prefix to the last line, and it has also a slight variation from the Cambridge text by adopting an anonymous conjecture in the first haK of the fifth line — ' Where we're ofi'enders now,' and by so doing separates any connection of the two clauses as not fully distinguished in the text of the folios, by their grouping the verb ' appear ' in. the same parentheses. The difficulty in this portion of the passage is, how far does the parenthetical part extend? Some would include the first five words of the fifth line, some would add the compound word at the end, and Malone would go as far back as the second clause of the fourth line, 124 THE WINTER'S TALE. reading thus — ' (and on this stage where we offenders now appear soul vex'd), And begin, why to me ? ' This last half line, however, is the greatest difficulty, and the Cambridge editors in a special note are of opinion " there is probably a corruption which cannot be removed by simple transposition ''. There is a corruption indeed in the verb ' begin ' which ought to be beckon, and it is a moot question whether there ought to be a transposition of the two last words ' to me ' the speaker or the sainted spirit spoken of. I believe it is due to the former. In accordance with the views expressed, I shall give the following — one worse And better used, would make her sainted spirit Again possess her corpse, and on this stage Where we're offenders now, appear soul vex'd And beckon to me ' Why ? ' HISTORIES. KING JOHN. Salisbury. Pardon me, madam ; I may not go without you to the kings. Constance. Thou may'st, thou shalt ; I will not go with thee : I will instruct my sorrows to he proud j For grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop. To me and to the state of my great grief Let kings assemhle ; for my griefs so great That no supporter hut th^ huge firm earth Can hold it up : here I and sorrows sit ; Here is my throne, bid kings come how to it. l^Seats herself on the ground.] in. i. 65-74. It is the third line of the reply of Constance to the Earl of Salisbury that -will take up our attention, and mainly to the three last words of the line. Hanmer in his text has altered the final ' stoop ' to stout, for what reason I know hot, nor ' am I aware of any others who have adopted it, further than what Mr Staunton says, that " he has been generally, but not invariably, followed by the other editors". Mr Staunton, however, is far from being satisfied with the passage in its original form, both with the context and the language and demeanour of Constance before the royal summoners. In my opinion an error exists in the two words, ' his owner,' and not in the word ' stoop '. We see how greatly shocked Constance was at the tidings brought by Salisbury. She cannot credit them ; she causes him to repeat them to be certain that she heard them aright. "When undeceived, she launches her invective against the false King of France, who had deserted her cause and forsworn himself. She knew the treacherous disposition of the 'usurping John'. Fortune had become a ' strumpet, and adulterated with John,' and 128 KING JOHN. France had acted the bawd in bringing the twain together. There was neither faith nor honour among them, and she wishes to be left alone with her woes, and exclaims — I will not go with thee : 1 will instruct my sorrows to be proud ; For grief is proud, and makes dishonour stoop. To me and to the state of my great grief Let kings assemble ; > Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it. It is religion that doth make vows kept ; But thou hast sworn against religion. By what thou swear'st against the thing thou swear' st. And makest an oath the surety for thy truth Against an oath : the truth thou art unsure To swear, swears only not to be forsworn. IIT. i. 283. One great difficulty in this passage, when compared ' with the text of the folio, has been the punctuation, not as to the number of the points but their position. This has, however, been now pretty well settled ;. but stiU there is a difficulty in the fifth line, which has occasioned an obelus to be attached to it in the 'Globe,' and to this our attention is directed. The word ' unsure ' is the one in question — a legitimate enough word in its own place, but not at all applicable in the present instance. Hanmer is the only one who has ventured to change it by adopting the reading of untrue, but evidently making nothing of the original disordered punctuation. It will be noticed that Philip had at first sworn to be the champion of the Chuich, and then had sworn to John, in opposition to his former oath. The legate calls upon Philip to keep by what he had sworn to do, for a subsequent oath was of no avail, being against religion. He then instructs him in the nature of the oath he had taken, but his meaning is not quite clear owing' to this misprint unsure, which stands KING JOHN. 129 in the way, and requires emendation. The correct word is not found in Shakespeare hut was in common use in his day, occurring several times in the common English Bible. The last clause of the passage, with its closing line, runs as follows : — The truth, thou art adjured To swear, swears only not to be forsworn ; Else what a mockery should it be to swear ! ' Adjured ' would here seem to he an ecclesiastical term, hut its full force and applicability to the occasion will be best seen from a perusal of the legate's two speeches. France, I am bum'd up with inflaming wrath ; A rage whose heat hath this condition, That nothing can allay, nothing but blood. The blood, and dearest-valued blood, of France. III. i. 310. The repetition of blood in the last two lines, though it evidently shows the rage which possessed the King, yet it seems that something else was needed to express his full meaning other than the phrase ' dearest-valued,' especially when we are aware that the last spelling of blood in the Folio appears as ' bloud '. We learn that Mr. Sidney Walker conjectured that the last line should begin with^' The hest and dearest-valued blood'. There is, however, little re- semblance between ' best ' and ' blood ' other than the initial letter. I rather think that in the last instance there is a reference to the exclusiveness of royalty and aristocratic dignity embodied in the Sangre azul and Sang hleu of Spain and France, and now acclimatized in the form of Hue Hood as running in the veins of the Yere de Veres, &c. At the same time, I am not aware of any instance of the expression in our older literature, but certainly the idea was 9 130 KINa JOHN. not untnown when chivalry had far more influence than it has now. The passage thus amended reads as follows — That nothing can allay, nothing but blood, The blood, and dearest-valued bliK, of France. I had a thing to say, but let it go : The sun is in the heaven, and the proud day. Attended with the pleasures of the world, Is all too wanton and too full of gawds To give me audience : if the midnight bell Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth, Sound on into the drowsy race of night ; III. Hi. 33. These seven lines near the beginning of King John's long speech to Hubert will form the first portion of the passage, and two other portions will follow ; the whole mating several attempts at emendation. The seventh line is marked in the Globe with an obelus, referring more particularly to the second and sixth words of the line. For the first of these we learn from the Cambridge notes that Theobald adopted the reading of ' sound one ' ; and that Delius, the German editor, conjectured that these should read ' Sound : on !' The next word, ' into,' was changed by Theobald to unto ; and for ' race ' Mr Seymour conjectured it might be reign. Both Dyce and Staunton, however, adopted a conjecture of Sidney Walker's that it was ear, and Mr Staunton at one time had proposed car, but withdrew it. The emendation to be proposed is as foUows — if the midnight bell Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth, Sound dang into the drowsy /ace of night ; For the first of these there is an example in ' The Tempest,' /. n. 400, and another in ' The Merchant of Venice,' III. ii. 70. For face, the idea would be a sudden start from a peculiar and unexpected sound in the face of a sleepy person. KING JOHN. . 131 If this same were a chureliyard where we stand, And thou possessed with a thousand wrongs, Or if that surly spirit, melancholy, Had haked thy blood and made it heavy-thick. Which else runs tickling up and down the veins, Making that idiot, laughter, keep men's eyes And strain their cheeks to idle men-iment, A passion hateful to my purposes. Lines 40-47. The word ' keep ' in the sixth line seems to he a peculiar expression, hardly applicahle in its connection with laughter, which would rather imply a purpose the very opposite to what keeping is. A conjecture in the Long MS. already quoted would make it to be steep, and Mason proposes peep. The defect in this last is that peep is an intransitive verb, in the simple use of which we can only say that one peeps. The word for which 'keepe,' as it is in the Folio, is a misprint, should be peak, and occurs three times in Shake- speare. In ' The Merry Wives,' Falstaff speaks of Master Ford as ' the peaking cornuto,' and himself had declared ' he would search impossible places '. In ' Macbeth,' one of the witches announces that the sailor ' shall dwindle, peak, and pine '. In Hamlet's soliloc[uy, after his interview with the players, he complains of himself thus — ' Yet I, a dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak like John a-dreams '. The idea in all these is of some affection on the eyes, causing them to contract as if half-blind, or half-asleep, or narrowly scrutinizing some matter or other — Making that idiot, laughter, peak men's eyes. And strain their cheeks in idle merriment. Or if that thou couldst see me without eyes, Hear me without thine ears, and make reply Without a tongue, using conceit alone, Without eyes, ears and harmful sound of words ; 132 . KING JOHN. Then, in despite of brooded watchful day, 1 would into thy bosom pour my thoughts : But, ah, I wiU not ! yet 1 love thee well ; Lines 48-54. The chief note in the Cambridge text is on the word 'brooded,' concerning which we l^arn that Pope adopted 'broadey'd,' and a MS. conjecture in Halliwell gives 'broody'. There are other conjectures by Mitford and the Collier MS., in which broad in both cases is the main ingredient. Mr. Staunton quotes several passages from Massiuger and Milton, but they are all in the active sense of brooding, whereas the present instance deals entirely with the passive, and how that can be reconciled with the ' watchful ' is the great difficulty. Eeading the passage as a whole, we see John in a very serious rdood ; it was a matter of real business with him. He had something of great importance to say, but the circum- stances of the time were inimical to its disclosure. He then makes three suppositions : — if the time were midnight with its oppressive stillness ; if the place were a churchyard with its dread solemnity ; or if the surly spirit of melancholy possessed the hearer, who could have no affinity with that idiot, laughter : then rising to the full height of ■ argument, he launches forth into the superhuman arid last supposition — if his listener could see, hear, and answer without the intervention of bodUy organs, he would pour aU his thoughts into the other's bosom. And what were those hindrances to make known his wishes 1 Certainly not the vigilance and watchfulness of day, but the opposite. He had already stigmatised day as proud, pleasure-loving, wanton, ' and too full of gauds to -give him audience '. ' Day was a careless, reckless, unbusinesslike spendthrift. He himself was medi- tating a matter of life and death ; his own selfish life and stolen crown must be preserved, and his innocent nephew's KINO JOHN. 133 deatli accomplished. This was no trifling matter ; and thus he seems to cap the whole triumphantly with what I believe to be the true reading — Then, in despite oi proud and wasteful day, I would into thy bosom pour my thoughts. So, by a roaring tempest on the flood, A whole armado of convicted sail Is scatter'd and disjoin'd from fellowship. TIL iv. 1. This language of the French King has reference to the thwarting of the confederacy in favour of Constance and her son Arthur by the policy of John, and to the expression ' convicted ' I would draw attention. ' Convicted ' is uniformly held to be derived from the Latin convinco through its supine convictum, and so also is the English convinced, but their meanings are somewhat different. It turns out, however, that the Latin, convivo has the same supine convictum, and some have thought that the ' convicted ' of the text is from this last, having the meaning of living together. The Cambridge notes furnish the following readings : collected, by Pope ; convented, by Singer, from a conjecture by Mason ; connected, by Delius, from a con- jecture by Malone; convected, a conjecture by Dyce; consorted, another by Keightley; and combined, by Mr. Spedding. With the exception of Mr Dyce's conjecture, the others may be held as nearly synonymous, . and to be all embodied in the expression ' armado,' thus making a redundancy. Mr Dyce's convected may be. held as derived from conveho, and synonymous with conveyed, a term which everyone knows. ISons of these is the word intended, but rather one from the Latin convexus, in English convex, and referring to the 134 KING JOHN. form the sails of a vessel assume when going before the wind. Shakespeare has made an adjective, convexed, and though not elsewhere in his works, the opposite term, ' concave,' is met with twice, and ' concavities ' once. The idea of ' convexed sail ' is fully brought out in ' A Midsummer Mght's Dream,' //. i. lines 123-134, when Titania excuses herself from parting with the ' little chapgeling boy ' to her husband, Oberon — His mother was a votaress of my order. And in the spiced Indian air, by night, Full often hath she gossip'd by my side ; And sat with me by Neptune's yellow sands. Marking the embark'd traders on the flood : When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive, And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind ; Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait, rollowing — her womb then rich with my young squire — Would imitate, and sail upon the land. To fetch me trifles, and return again. As from a voyage, rich with merchandise. We may, therefore, conceive of ' a whole armado of ■ convexed sail' flying before the wind with distended canvas ; and the same disfigured and scattered hither and thither, with sails flapping, and the whole purpose of the voyage thoroughly lost sight of. Fly, noble English, you are bought and sold ; Unthread the rude eye of rebellion And welcome home again discarded faith. r. iv. 10. The speaker here is Melun, a French lord, in the service of the Dauphin, who has been mortally wounded, and gives this advice to the discontented party who had invited Louis to make war agaihst their own sovereign. For the word KING JOHN. 135 ' iLatliread. ' Theobald adopted untread, adding, in lieu of ' ruds eye ' the rude way ; Jackson proposes untread the rude cry ; Mr. Collier adopts from the old MS. untread the road way ; and the late Mr. Bubier proposed untread the red way. The only error in the passage is a deficiency in this second line of a syllable to complete the rhythm, and essential to its meaning. By reading the line thus every want is satisfied — Untliread the rude eye of rebellion's maw. There is here a reference to the Cretan labyrinth, when Theseus found his way out by the thread which he had un- winded to the farthest recesses, and thus retraced his steps. Both ' labyrinth ' and ' maze ' are found in Shakespeare — the former twice and the latter four times, but the neces- sities of the measure require the shorter of the two. The language of the speaker is—' since you English have entered into this maze of rebellion, your only safety is to retrace your way, and welcome your lawful King '. EICHAED II. Lascivious metres, to whose venom sound The open ear of youth doth always listen ; Report of fashions in proud Italy, "Whose manners still our tardy apish nation Limps after in base imitation.' //. i. 19-23. The last line wants a syllable to complete the measure, for it is certainly awkward to have the two lines ending with the same double rhyme, and rhyme not intended. To remedy the measure Pope inserted the adjective awkward before the last word. I would prefer- to add a syllable at the end in the following manner — Whose manners still our tardy apish nation Limps after in base imitation's track. The nation, in its servility to the manners of another country, imitates the mere imitations of another as at second hand, and in a very sorry fashion. The king is come : deal mildly with his youth ; For young hot colts being raged do rage the more. IT. i. 69-70. Before the word ' raged ' the Globe edition has the usual spedial mark. It may, however, be mentioned that the Folio prints the word ' rag'd,' which with the generality of readers may be considered identical in sound and meaning. It is true that the old copies are not very careful in this matter, for a like mode in the present day would imply that the root of this verb would be rag instead of rage, and yet neither of these is the proper word for the passage. It is a curious cir- cumstance that this word, and in the same form, occurs only RICHARD IT. 137 once more in Shakespeare, and in the same scene at line 173, where indeed it means ' raged,' when the same speaker refer- ring to the king's father, the celebrated Black Prince, says — In war was never lion raged more fierce. In the present passage, however, the word cannot be raged, a feeling brought out by some external cause, but this ■ very problematical expression is the' very cause why ' young hot colts do rage the more '. The Cambridge editors furnish several attempts to remedy the passage in such form as inrag'd by Pope, a slight difference from the modern enraged, but does not tnend the matter. Mr. Singer adopts a conjecture of Eitson's, being rein'd; Mr. Collier approves the reading of the old MS. being urged; Jervis proposes being chafed; and Mr Keightley being curh'd. These latter' readings are nearer the mark than that of Pope's, and that of Jervis' c/io/ec?, is the exact meaning, but not the word itself. The proper word occurs in three different forms in Shake- speare,- and of each there is only one instance. In 'Hamlet' III. ii. 252, ' let the galled jade wince, our withers are un- icrung ': in ' Henry IV.', Part I. II. i. 7, ' poor jade, is uyrung in the withers out of all cess ' : in ' Much Ado,' V. i. 28 — 'tis all men's office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow. As to the form the verb should assume in the present ■ instance, it should be that of wringed instead of wrung. I am not so sure of the preceding participle 'being'. It is nearer the text doubtless, but be-wringed is so much more like the manner of the author, I wbuld rather prefer it. There are about thirty words in Shakespeare with this peculiar prefix, and not found in any other author, and in these cases the majority never occur more than once. While such as be-gnaw, bemonster, beweep, besort, belocked, 138 RIGHARD II. bepaint, and bespice are current terms in Shakespearian phraseology, be-wring and be-wringed would be in perfect keeping. deal mildly with his youth ;' For young hot colts be-wring'd do rage the more. York. Why have those banish'd and forbidden legs Dared once to touch a dust of England's ground ? But then more ' why ? ' why have they dared to march So many miles upon her peaceful bosom, Frighting her pale-faced villages with war Aud ostentation of despised arms ? 11. in. 90-95. This passage forms part of the remonstrance of the Duke of York against his nephew BoUngbroke for appearing in arms against the king while yet a banished man. It is the last line of the quotation that has been called in question, especially the expression ' despised,' which is not considered a proper term for arms brought forward in ostentation to make war against the sovereign. A few emendations have been noted by the Cambridge editors as follows — ' despightful ' by Hanmer ; ' disposed ' by Warburton ; ' despoiling ' by Collier from the old MS. ; 'despited' a conjecture by Becket; and 'displayed' another by Singer. The phrase does not seem to be a happy one in the sense of denouncing an attempt at rebellion, unless the speaker was in some measure confused, and did not well know what he was saying. There appears on the face of this tirade some- thing akin to haste and trepidation. The speaker is one well up in years, not overburdened with wisdom, and the person addressed a comparative youth and yet he has dared to appear in arms, so some excuse might be made for the reading of the text. A much better rendering may be given as RICHARD II. 139 follows — by merely quoting the two last lines in an emended form, thus — Frighting lier pale-faced villages with war And ostentation's uvdisgmseoL arms. It may he ohjected that there is tautology in the language, hut the great dramatist portrayed all kinds of character, and here he has given us one who deals in reduplication and repeating himself ; sometimes using the same word in nearly different meanings, and varying the word with little difference. ' He puts a question on 'Why?' and shortly after — 'But then more ' why ',' and then another ' why % ' But the solution may he found a few lines farther on, where he threatens great things, were it not that his arm ' now prisoner to the palsy' prevented him from doing. In this we have the reason, and no doubt of it. HENEY IV. (Paht I.) So shaken as we are, so wan with care, Find we a time for frighted peace to paht, And breathe short-winded accents of new broils To be commenced in strands afar remote. No more the thirsty entrance of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood ; I. i. 1-6. In the Globe edition an obelus is prefixed to the fifth line, and, of course, including the sixth as being connected with the difficulty in which the passage is involved. Before the fourth volume of the Cambridge Shakespeare ha^ made its appearance the chief source of acquaintance with the conjectures of others was what Mr. Staunton- had! ^nyen in his notes on the play, and which I quote as follows : — " Long and fruitless has been the controversy upon the word entrance here. For a time indeed, the ingenious and classici'l Erinnys of Monclc Mason was permitted to supersede it in some editions ; and a few critics advocated the substitution of entrants recommended by Steevens, or the less elegant entrails proposed by Douce ; but these readings have had their day,, and the general feeling is now in favour of retaining the old expression. Thirsty entrance is certainly obscure, but it might be used metaphorically for the parched crevices of the earth after long drought, without any . serious impropriety." It will be seen from the examples produced in this quotation that it is the term ' entrance ' which is alone controverted by previous critics. The error lies as much in the term ' thirsty ' as in the noun ' ep trance '. There is also an error iii the last word of the line. The true reading has a sarcastic allusion to the civil broils which had been the EENBY IV. (Part I.) 141 occasion of so much bloodshed ; and the King, down to the eighteenth line, draws a picture of the past and proposes a new course of action more in keeping with the character of brothers than they had been lately engaged in. I shaU. only quote a couple of lines more to coniplete the picture. No more the thrifty tenants of ftis isU Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood : No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flowrets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces. When the Cambridge notes made their appearance I found that an anonymous conjecture had been made of ' thrifty earers,' an agricultural expression ; also a few others of no great moment, and that Johnson had supposed a line or two had been lost. Scene at the Innyard at Eochester. Chamberlain and Qadshill : The latter speaks. I am joined with no foot-land rakers, no long-staff sixpenny strikers, none of these mad mustachio purple-hued malt- worms ; but with nobility and ti^anquillity, burgomasters and great oneyers, such as can hold in, such as will strike sooner than speak, and speak sooner than drink, and di-ink sooner than pray ; II. i. 81-87. It is the word ' oneyers ' which has caused the most controversy, and on this I have something to say. In the first place, there is no such word found anywhere else, and it is not easy to say whether it is a word of two syllables or of three, for it can be pronounced either way. Pope gives it as one-eyers, probably referring to those who can take care of themselves. At the same time he offers the conjecture of oneraires, an expression having something of a French look about it. Theobald adopts moneyers from a conjecture by Hardinge, and also throws out a conjecture of his own that it might be saignors. Hanmer gives oioners ; Johnson's 142 HENRY IV. (Part I.) conjecture is oiie-eers, being nearly allied to tlie original if printed with a hyphen, or as we learn that Dickens uses one-ers, having something of the meaning of great ones. On the other hand, Capell's reading is mynheers, the well- known Dutch term, and quite in keeping with the foregoing ' burgomasters '. The conjecture of Malone is onyers, probably referring to such as can go forward without let or hindrance. The Collier MS. has the reading — I shall quote a word or two additional — ' great ones, yes, such as ' ; whUe the conjecture of Jackson is wan-dyer^, which the Cambridge editors in a special note treat as a ' curiosity '. Our own opinion is that the proper word is a well-known Shakespearian phrase put in the mouth of Pistol while discussing the merits of Bardolph with Nym, on the other's taking service as a tapster with ' Mine Host of the Garter '. Falstaff objects to his thefts and filching as being too open and iTUskUful ; and on Nym using the plain word ' steal,' Pistol strikes in with — ' Convey, the wise it call. Steal ! foh ! a fico for the phrase.' In this instance we have the verb, and in ' Eichard II.' the noun itself, thus misprinted in the passage before us. In the fourth act of the tragedy, i. 317, on Bolingbroke's order to convey Eichard to the Tower, the latter replies — 0, good ! convey ? conveyers are you all, That rise thus nimbly by a true king's fall. • It is evident from these two instances, the only ones in all Shakespeare, that the word had some inner meaning dififerent from its ordinary one, and that not of a reputable cast. The chamberlain knows Gadshill as a thief, and calls him such, but the scamp uses the slang term of the gang that his present associates are ' great conveyers,' leaving the other to guess what he may. His whole speech is a mystification, which the other tries to unravel, but it is beyond his power, as may be seen from the sequel. HENRY IV. (Part I.) 143 Besides this peculiar term, there are other two we shall notice, hut only one has hitherto been the suhject of contro- versy. Gadshill speaks of being connected with 'nobility and tranquillity,' both plain terms, but not such as they seem. In the first of these he evidently alludes to the prince, but the word he really uses is Noh-ility, the first syllable of which is stm in use as noh and nohbery, meaning uppish • folks, and it is so used in a passage in ' King John,' /. i. 1 47. The bastard Paulconbridge there congratulates himself that he has not the face and shape of his younger brother, who being legitimate had possession of the land, and he says — I would give it every foot to have this face ; I would not be sir Nob in any case. The other word, 'tranquillity,' I am equally sure should be quite a difierent one. This is the only instance of the word in Shakespeare, and it would be a curious fact if this were put in the mouth of such a character as Gadshill. ' Tranquil' itself occurs only once, and in the passage when Othello is convinced of Desdemona's guilt, and despairingly exclaims — now for ever Farewell the tranquil mind ! farewell content ! Tranquil and tranquillity would appear not to have been in common use at the time, and it is not likely that the speaker would have used such an expression under the circumstance. Eankility, a coinage of his own, having a jingle in its termination like its predecessor, and quite answering his purpose. I would read this portion of the passage thus : — I am joined with no foot-land rakers, &c., but with noh-ilitj and ranJfc-ility, burgomasters and great conveyers, such as can hold, &o., &c. In conclusion, Mr. Collier proposes to read sanguinity, and Mr. Keightley gentility — both evidently too fine, and open to the same objection as the original. 144 HENRY IV. (Part I.) Fal. Now, Hal, to the news at court : for the robbery, lad, how is that answered ? Prince. 0, my sweet beef, I must still be good angel to thee : the money is paid back asain. ■^ ^ ° III. Hi. 200. With great exactness the Cambridge editors note that the Princess reply appears " as three lines in the Eolios," which I shall extract for the curiosity of the thing ; premising that it does not matter much as to the elucidation of the term beef applied to Falstaff notwithstanding his corpulency — Prin. my sweet Beefe : I must still be good Angell to thee. The Monie is paid back againe. We learn also that the first four Quartos print the word ' beoffe ' ; which throws considerable light on the expression the Prince really used, though I cannot say whether it appears in these with a capital or not. At the close of the second scene, which is held at court, we see a great change in Prince Henry's character, consequent on the troublous times which had set in, and the long speech of thirty lines acquaints us with what is. about to take place. The present scene is at the Boar's Head in Cheapside where Falstaflf and his companions were. At line 110, the entrance of the Prince and Peto is thus announced, ' as marching, and Palstaff meets them playing on his truncheon like a fife '. In this we see a military appearance assumed for the first time, and Palstaff mimics it, exclaiming — ' How now, lad ! is the wind in that door, i' faith ? must we all march ? ' Some little badgering in the old style goes on for some eighty lines till Ealstaff puts the important questions of the court and the robbery. The Prince's reply is in his new vein — ' my sweet Be-off', I must still be good angel to thee : the money is paid back again '. And again, ' I ani good friends with my father, and may do anything '. Finally ; ' I have procured thee, Jack, a charge of foot '. HENRY IV. (Part I.) 145 Were it good To set the exact wealth of all our states All at one cast ? to set so rich a main On the nice hazard of one douhtful hour ? It were not good ; for therein should we read The very bottom and the soul of hope, The very list, the very utmost bound Of all our fortunes. IF. i. 45-52. The speaker is the well-known Hotspur, and we need not expect other than rash and inconsiderate language from him, very impulsive, and not all in perfect keeping. In the fifth and sixth lines of this quotation two words took our attention, which received the emendations still adhered to, but afterwards discovered that one had been forestalled by no less a person than Johnson, and the Cambridge notes furnish what has been done in the matter to the following effect. The- word ' read ' at the end of the fifth line I conjectured should have been rend, and the ' bottom ' of the next line should take the form of hlossom. The other emendations ■ appear as risque by Johnson ; tread by Malone ; reap by Jackson ; dare by Mitford ; and reach by Mr. Grant White. My own reading of the four consecutive words was rend the very blossom. I may just mention that the whole of these are only in the form of conjectures, though two of the proposers have themselves been editors of texts — Johnson and Mr. Grant "White. One other word, ' soul,' is also noticed as having a conjecture of Mr. Staunton's ; but it is not my part to controvert what others have done when I see no necessity for alteration. The portion mainly referred to would read thus — For therein should we retid The very blossom and the soul of hope, The very list, the very utmost bound Of all our fortunes. 10 146 HENRY IV. (Part I.) The speaker would seem to have stumbled on a double metaphor — one drawff from the domain of nature, and the other from the province of art. The former the early promise,' and the living principle of hope. The other referring to a web of cloth having the list or selvage torn, and the utmost bound or extent rent in tatters. Hotspur. Where is his son, The nimble-footed madcap Prince of Wales, And his comrades, that daff'd the world aside. And bid it pass ? Vernon. All fumish'd, all in arms ; All plumed like estridges that with the wind Baited Ulie eagles having lately bathed ; IV. i. 94-99. The middle line of Vernon's speech is specially marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, and this refers to the last four words, ' that with the wind '. For, though the Folio inserts a comma after estridges, and eagles, this is of little moment compared with the four words just quoted. From the Cambridge notes we learn that Eowe adopted the reading — ' that wing the wind ' ; and Hanmer adopted — ' and with the wind'; while Tyrwhitt conjectured— ' that whisk the wind '. Mr. Keightley proposed — ' that with the vnnd are fanned '; but lengthening the line two syllables. On the other hand, Steevens and Malone were of opinion that a line had been lost. It has been objected to Eowe's emendation that ' wing the wind ' is less applicable to ostriches them any other bird. The reading I have to propose is in the same direction as Eowe's and Tyrwhitt's, but much nearer the controverted word. It occurs too at the close of the same speech, being line 110, and though applied to a different subject, is quite HENRY IV. (Part I.) 147 in keeping mth its special object in either case. A quotation from both will suffice. All famisli'd, 'all in arms ; All plumed like estridges that ^llit<^ the wind ; Baited like eagles having lately bathed ; The other example is when young Harry's manner is so vividly portrayed — And vaulted with such eas^ into his seat, As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds, To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus And witch the world with noble horseman^ip. Then are we aU undone. It is not possible, it cannot be, The king should keep his word in loving us ; He will suspect us still, and find a time To punish this offence in other faults : Suspicion all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes ; r. a. 3-8. In this passage a restoration of a reading wiR be attempted which had been abandoned by Eowe in his second edition, and I suppose has been generally adopted since his 'day, but to our mind quite unnecessarily. We have here the Earl of Worcester deprecating the idea of making his nephew, the ■*ell-known Hotspur, acquainted with the liberal offer of the king, on the following grounds quoted from the ordinary texts, and which the Cambridge editors adopt in their larger and smaller editions. The last line is the one specially referred to, in which the word ' Suspicion ' is made to do duty for the ' Supposition ' of the eight Quartos and the four Folios, the precursors of Eowe, and all succeeding editors. We can conceive of two reasons which prompted the altera- tion ; the extreme length of the line, extending to thirteen 148 HrENEY IV. (Part I.) syllables, and the doubtful meaning of the original expression^ being so greatly different from its modern acceptation. Prom the Cambridge notes we learn that Eowe in his first edition adopted the reading — ' Suppose then all our lives &c.,' which materially alters the meaning, making ' our lives ' an agent while it simply means duration. We learn too Sidney "Walker conjectured that four syllables were lost before the word ' Suspicion '. I rather think that one word has been lost before supposition, and that the latter is the right word after all. This addition would make up the line to fourteen syllables, but instead of being printed as one line, it should be a whole line and a hemistich. The omitted word must have been Sure, used adverbially, and equivalent to a moral certainty ; and the portion before us should read thus — Sure, supposition all our lives shall be Stuck full of eyes. The monosyllables in this line and a half are nearly all emphatic, and the four last are specially so, enforcing the opinion of the speaker in a very decided tone. As evidence that supposition was used in the Sense of suspicion, see ' All's "Well that Ends Well,' IV. Hi. 331— Parolles. \_Aside\ I'll no more drumming ; a plague of all drums I Only to seem to deserve well, and to beguile the supposition of that lascivious young boy the count, have I run into this danger. Yet who would have suspected an ambush where I was taken ? HENEY IV. (Part II.) Bastings. But, by your leave, it never yet did hurt To lay down likelihoods and .forms of hope. Lord Bardolph. Yes, if this present quality of war, Indeed the instant action : a cause on foot Lives so in hope as in an early spring We see the appearing huds ; which to prove fruit, Hope gives not so much' warrant as despair That frosts wiU bite them. I. in. 34-41. From the Cambridge notes we learn that the first twenty- lines of Lord Bardolph's speech are omitted in the Quarto copy, the only one of this play, while the first part of ' Henry IV.' had five quartos before the author's death, a sixth before the printing of the Polio, and other two subsequent to that. Consequently there is no other text to refer to in defect of the Folio text; and the first line of the last speaker's opinion is specially marked in the Globe edition with an obelus. Mr. Staunton, ia noticing the first two lines of thi? last passage, writes thus — " In this opening clause something has apparently been lost or misprinted, and the omission or error it is to be feared is irremediable." I may just add that the Cambridge editors are of the same mind. In addition they give a special note on the subject in which the opinions of thirteen critics and editors are given, which I may shortly summarise. It will be noticed that the first clause ending with the colon has eleven words and no verb, and yet the conjunction ' if ' would almost imply ' there was a subjunctive. Hence the tendency to discover the verb in the guise of ' Indeed ' at 150 HENRY IV. (Part II.) the beginniiig of the second line, and consequently we -have Pope giving the reading of impede ; Monck Mason proposing induced ; Becket instance ; Steevens impel ; on the other hand four critics have suggested that ' if ' should be the preposition in. At one time I was inclined to adopt indued 'before I was aware of what others had done, but now I have settled in adopting o/for the 'if of the text, which would cause the passage to read thus — Yes, of this present quality of war, Indeed the instant action : Implying an assent to what Hastings had said but in an elliptical form, and laying stress upon ' the instant action ' ; these win do hurt, but at present all preparations are want- ing. The rest of the speech is an excellent illustration on counting the cost, and looking before you leap. Canst thou, partial sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-hoy in an hour so rude, And in the calmest and most stillest night. With all appliances and means to hoot, Deny it to a king ? Then happy low, lie down ! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. in. i. 26-3J. These are the last six lines of the famous soliloquy of King Henry IV., and forming a complete clause in them- selves, and as much to the purpose as if the whole speech were given. The five words at the end of the thirtieth line have long been a subject of debate, and the Cambridge notes furnish a number of conjectures on the same. Johnson adopts in his text a conjecture of "Warburton's — 'Then happy loioly clown,' probably referring to the wet *sea-boy, and the ship-boy of the nineteenth line ; the only person directly noticed throughout. Mr. Knight adopts a conjecture by Coleridge — HENRY IV. (Part II.) 151 — 'Then, happy low-lie-down' — in which the three last ■words are used as a triple compound personification of some one in humble circumstance. In a manuscript of the late Mr. Dent the following reading occurs — ' Then happy lowt, lie down,' still referring to the same person, but with a command in the last two words similar to the quotation of the passage. Mr. Keightley's conjecture is of the same oast, but altering the middle word thus— 'Then happy boy lie down ! ' A conjecture in Notes and Queries with the signature of ' Brae ' would read — ' Then happy the low lie down,' in which the insertion of the definite article gener- alises those in humble life j and the verb in the indicative is asserting a fact. The drift of all these conjectures is that the speaker refers to some one other than himself, and the changes have all been rung on the last three wor^s. The Folios give to all intents the reading of the quotation with the exception that the first two spell ' low ' and ' down ' with a final e, and the others do not. The Quarto copy of which there are some dignified with the name of quarto second, from the circum- stance of possessing the first scene of this act which others do not ; and has a variation in pointing, other than the Folios, sufficient to give a turn to the meaning of the clause by which the true reading may be discovered. In this instance, the word ' happy ' is printed between parentheses thus — ' then (happy) low lie downe,' and is supported by a manuscript copy discovered in 1844 called the Bering My., and supposed to be written in 1640. The signification of this is usually something explanatory, or may be omitted without detriment to the sense. The meaning is plain though perhaps not so full. Read without the bracketed word, and there remains ' then low lie down,' equivalent to ' then lie down low,' that is in a lowly posture ; an address of the speaker to himself, an apostrophe for his own guidance. 152 HENRY IV. (Part II.) The separate word, is a misprint for the speaker's name ' Harry,' a designation he receives from others and gives to himself twice, for once that the more regular form Henry appears throughout the three plays in which the soliloquist is named. It is likewise noticeable that the line extends to two syllables more than the regular standard. To remedy this the two clauses should be separated, and with the emen- dation the passage should read thus — And in the calmest and most stillest night, Deny it to a king ? Then Harry ! low lie down : Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. The speaker falls back on his simple humanity, and resolves to make the best of his condition, though at the cost of some suffering. Westmoreland. When ever yet was your appeal denied ? Wherein have you been galled by the King ? What peer hath been suhom'd to grate on you, That you should seal this lawless bloody book Of forged rebellion with a seal divine And consecrate commotion's bitter edge ? Archbishop. My brother general, the commonwealth. To brother bom an household cruelty, I make my quarrel in particular. IK i. 88-96. The first line, or I may say the Archbishop's entire speech, is marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, indicating from the opinions of all critics something very much amiss ; either through lost lines or transpositions affecting the sense of the passage. We must also bear in mind that the speakers were of different factions, as well as of different positions in the state. One is a great baron, and the other a high Church dignitary. We premise by stating that the last line of the Earl's speech, and the second line of the HENRY IV. (Part 1 1.) 153 Archbishop's are not in the Folios, hut supplemented from the Quarto, of which there is only one edition. The Cambridge editors, besides giving the opinions of several editors and critics in a large special note, conclude by saying — " On the whole, we are of opinion that several lines have been omitted, and those which remain displaced, and that this is one of the many passages in which the true text is irrecoverable." I am rather of opinion there are no lines omitted, but there is a displacement. Of the doubtful lines as they have been named by Mr. Julius Lloyd, it is true that one of them has got into the archbishop's reply, while it should have concluded the speech of "Westmoreland. It will be noticed that there are several antitheses, ' brother general ' and ' brother born,' ' commonwealth ' and ' household,' ' general ' and ' particular ; ' but there is also an error if not two to be amended, which when set down in fuU wiU be more apparent. West. That you should seal this lawless bloody book Of forged rebellion with a seal divine And consecrate commotion's bitter edge ? To brother bom, unhouseVd cruelty ! Arch. To brother general, the commonwealth, I make my quarrel in particular. ^ Of the italicised word unhouseVd there is only one other instance, ' Hamlet, ' I. v. 77, when the ghost of Hamlet's father makes the son acquainted with the facts of his death, "Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd, matters which the Earl would bring home to the conscience of the Priest iu aiding civil war to the destruction of life. In the reply of the latter, the pronoun is abandoned and the preposition used by the earl is made to do duty for the same word. * 154 HENRY IV. (Part II.) Then take, my Lord of Westmoreland, tMs schedule, For this contains our general grievances : Each several article herein redress'd, All members of our cause, both here and hence. That are insinew'd to this action, ir. i. 168-171. These few lines are a continuation of 'the Archbishop's controversy with Westmoreland, and the only notice it requires is the defective nature of the last line, being short of two Syllables. For the word ' insinewed ' or as it appears in the quarto, ensinewed, there is no other instance in Shakespeare, and it must have been a coinage for the occasion. The question is, what are the missing syllables to make up the measure ? Hanmer changed the preposition ' to ' and made it into, no improvement whatever. I propose simply to insert a third foot thus in italics. — That are in fine insinew'd to this action, It will be noticed that the supplied letters are exactly the sfime as the first six of the uncommon word ' insinewed ' taking into account the similarity between the / of the one and the long / of the other. What more natural for the pointer when he had got so far, than to suppose he had already reached the other, and 60 left out the phrase. This may appear a small matter, but it explains what otherwise presents the look of something more 'serious that what it really is. And possibly the more correct form of the verb should be the Quarto reading ' ensinew'd ' with the vowel elided, as being more iu consonance with general usage. There is one line in Ben Jonson's verses to the memory of Shakespeare prefixed to the folio of 1623, which has been often quoted and commented on, but I am not a,ware of any- HENRY IV. (Past II.) 155 thing being adduced from the works as illustrating Ms use of one of the languages in question : — 'And though thou hadst small Latine and lesse Greeke.' Jonson was a scholar, and he must have spoken from a perfect knowledge of the fact; and there happens to be a word in this play which has alL the appearance of being Greek, .though there are reasons given for its use in other dii'ections which may invalidate what I have to say on the matter. In act second, scene fourth, the locality happens to be the Boar's-head Tavern in Eastcheap, where two Drawers, or as ' we now say. Waiters, are engaged laying out some viands for an entertSlinment. The first Drawer checks the other for setting down a certain dish which would be displeasing to Falstaffi. The second Drawer recollects a circumstance corroborating his companion's opinion, who, however, gives permission to use it, and then acquaints his neighbour with a plot that the Prince and ' Poins had agreed to serve as attendants with jerkins and aprons, ' and Sir John must not know of it ; Bardolph hath brought word '. To this the first Drawer replies — Then, ' here will be old Vtis : it will be an excellent stratagem.' Lines 1-22. The only variation is that of the Quarto, which prints the word in Eoman characters and with a small initial. Utis is explained by Johnson iu his Dictionary as " A word which probably is corrupted ; at Ifeast it is not now understood. Utis was the octave of a saint's day, and- may, perhaps, be taken for any festivity." The Doctor then quotes the passage in illustration as given. The glossary of the Globe is much to the same efiect, being explained as " riotous merri- ment, which accompanied the eighth day of a festival ". In the first line of the sixth book of ' The Wallace ' by ' Henry 156 HENRY IV. (Part II.) the minstrel,' the word occurs as ' wtass ', and connected with the month of February, meaning the eighth or octave. At the same time I have reason to think that ' Utis ' was intended for the name assumed by Ulysses while in the hands of Polyphemus, and when asked by the monster what Ms name was, gave that of Outis, signifying Noman. In the Cyclops of Euripides we have the chorus instructing Ulysses how to be avenged on Polyphemus by extinguishing his great central eye which the wily Greek accomplishes by a red hot brand. Then the Cyclop grouping his way maintains that Outis had killed him, the chorus answering that " Then no one had hurt him ". The whole bearing upon the well- known phrase that Mr. i^obody is not easily found out though frequently charged with mischief, and no one is ever the wiser. As an example we have Trinculo giving his opinion on the mysterious piping of Ariel : — ' This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture of Nobody ' (' The Tempest,' ///. ii. 135) ; which was indeed a common tavern sign of the day. The ' old Utis ' of the Drawer is just a hint that some mischief would be done, and Mr. Nobody would be sure to be blamed for it. KING HENEY V. JEly. How' did this offer seem received, my lord ? Cant. With good acceptance of his majesty ; Save that there was not time enough to hear, As I perceived his grace would fain have done, The severals and unhidden passages Of his true titles to some certain dukedoms And generally to the crown and seat of France Derived from Edward, his great-grandfather. I. i. 82-89. The only note on the fifth line in the larger Camhridge text is the following — " Johnson suspects corruption here," which I suppose refers to the expression ' unhidden,' cer- tainly a rather strange one, as if there were hidden and unhidden matters in a state document kid hefore the sovereign. The meaning of the word is plain enough, hut why draw the king's attention to what was on the face of his claim, and what he must have known as well as the speaker. This is the only instance of the word in Shakespeare, ' hidden ' is common enough, and we will he obliged to draw upon another in the same predicament before it will he possible to get over the difficulty. In fact, these words with a negative signification are to be found in Shakespeare by the hundred, and many of these have never been used else- where.. If we make out the word to be uncMdden, we have all that is desired, and this would imply there were certain claims made which the king's counsellors had no objection to, but also that there were some that did not meet with their approbartiion. 158 HENRY V. The severals and unchidden passages Of Ms true titles to some certain dukedoms, And generally to the crown and seat of France Derived from Edward, his great-grandfather. For his nose was as sharp as a pen, and a' bal)bled of green fields. JZ in. 15. The expression ' tabbied ' is the well-known emendation by Theobald, which every one who has paid attention to Shakespearian criticism must have been aware of. At the same time, when I first saw the original ii\ Mr. Booth's Reprint of the Folio, in the winter of 1863 — the first passage I turned up was this, and I must say -I was not satisfied. I shall merely reproduce the reading of the Folio, for it alone is the text. for his Kose was as sharpe as a Pen, and a Table of greene fields. By the almost general consent of critics, this emendation of Theobald's has been accepted, and much fine writing has been expended in proving the beauty and truthfulness of the dying man's last moments ; how, notwithstanding the life he had led, he reverted to the early days spent in rural scenes, and though dying in a tavern in London, his thoughts were far away in the country, amidst green fields and flowers, and innocent sports of youth. The probalbility of ' a' babbled ' having been really mis- printed ' a Table,' — a word in Folio typography having all the characteristics of a noun with its initial capital — has hitherto been unsatisfactory, and the. allusion to green, fields in the mouth of Nell Quickly is scarcely appropriate, for we must know that it is her version of the story we have ado with. I have been fortified in this opinion in ' Some Notes on Shakespeare,' published 1867 ; the author who designates HENRY V. 159 himself ' A Student,' very properly refers to the further statements made in the after portion of the scene which the hostess and Falstaff's boy corroborate. • The Quarto texts of the 'Chronicle Historic of Henry the Fift' — three in number — make no reference to a Table of green fields. It is well known that Pope in his text omitted this clause, and gave as a reason, that the words were a stage direction to bring in a Table of Greenfield's, who was the property-man at the time, and furnished the implements. This opinion, however, has had no followers. The Cam- bridge notes furnish several conjectures, such as — ' and a' talked of green fields ' ; an anonymous MS. one in Theobald. A conjecture by "W. K in the Long MS. gives — 'and a' fabled of green fields ' ; Malone proposed ' in a table of green fields'; a conjecture by Smith is — 'upon a table of gce&a. fells' ; the Collier MS. reads—' on a table of green frieze ' ; and another anonymous conjecture in ' Eraser's Magazine ' reads — ' or as stubble on shorn fields '. Both clauses of the passage appear to be wrong, and at least there are four words misprinted. Observe what the Hostess says next, ' How now Sir John, quoth I, what man ! be o' good cheer '. He must evidently have been speaking feebly and incoherently, and this leads me to suspect that the passage is more corrupt than the simple words would convey. The Hostess, in her description, refers to the voice of the dying man, which she in true Quickly phraseology terms his noise, and was no longer manly, but "as feeble as that of a wren, amongst the smallest of birds ; and one too, chiming with a treble of ' Green sleeves '. Some may object to the unlikeliness of wren being pre- sented without its initial w ; yet one instance of this can be adduced in the second Quarto of ' The Merchant of Venice,' where it appears in the guise of renne. Again as to treble we have two instances in the description of the seven ages, 160 HENRY V. ' His big manly voice turning again to childisli treble ' ; and in Maobetli there is mention of a ' treble hautboy '. As to the tune of ' Green sleeves,' there are two allusions in the ' Merry Wives of Windsor,' and one is from Falstaff himself ; and the time and phrase must have been well-known in the Tavern of Eastcheap. With little hesitation I submit — For his noise was as sliarp as a wren in a treble of Green Sleeves. And what art thou, thou idol ceremony ? What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers ? What are thy rents ? what are thy comings in ? O ceremony, show me but thy worth ! What is thy soul of adoration ? Art thou aught else but place, degree and form, Creating awe and fear in other men ? - Wherein thou art less happy being fear'd Than they in fearing. IV. i. 256.66. In the Globe edition the sixth line is marked with the obelus indicating the usual difficulty ; the Cambridge notes furnish twelve readings besides that of the first Folio which is as follows — What ? is thy Soule of Odoration ? The chief amendments have been made on the middle word ' Soule,' which have assumed such forms as soul, toll, sliew, coyl, ' roul, soulless, and source : while with one other exception to the reading of the Folio, all the others have adopted that of the passage quoted, 'adoration,' and the exception is that of the Collier MS.— adulation. There are two critics, however, who substitute the interjection 0, for the preposition 'of — Theobald, .who adopts a reading by Warburton, and Johnson. Mr. Lettsom who proposes soulless, must necessarily discard the preposition. All the HENRY V. 161 editors too from Theobald have discarded the interrogation from the first word of the line, making a material change in the meaning. A tabular form of the more important of these ■would make the conjectures more tangible, beginning with Theobald— What is thy toll, adoration ? What is thy shew of adoration ? — Hanrner. What is thy soul, adoration ? — John^im. What is this coyl of adoration ? — Heath. What is thy roul of adoration ? — Capell. What is the soul of adoration ? — Malone. What is thy soulless adoration ? — Lettsom. What is thy soul hut adulation ? — Collier. What is thy source of adoration ? — KeighUey. The proper word for the ' Odoration ' of the first Folio in my opinion should be operation, and I think too, that the word ' soule ' is a misprint for rule; and the question put is— ^ What is thy rule of operation ? The speaker questions ceremony as to its revenue, and the value of its possessions; then abruptly inquires into its course of action, or if it is anything else than position, a mere point round which matters revolve. ceremony show me hut thy worth ? What is thy rule of operation ? Art thou aught else but place, degree and form. Creating awe and fear in other men ? Mark then abounding valour in our English, That being dead, like to the bullet's grazing, Break out into a second course of mischief, Killing in relapse of mortality. ^' IV. lyi. 104-7. This is a portion of a long speech of the king's in reply to the demand of the French herald for ransom, in the belief that the English army were about to be overwhelmed at Agincourt. The four lines quoted are a summing up of the preceding rant uttered by the king, but quite in keeping with 11 162 HENRY V. his character. In the Camhridge notes we- learn that Pope in his edition put the passage in the margin, signifying as much that it is not the production of Shakespeare, but foisted in by the players. The speech on the whole goes on well till it reaches this last line, enough to make one pause at the change or want of rhythm, but also at the meaning. It is possible, however, to improve the former by making ' relapse ' a plural, thus gaining another syllable, but add- ing nothing to the meaning. Johnson in his dictionary gives one special meaning " return to any state," and with this particular passage as example. The lexicographer, however, takes care to say that " the sense is somewhat obscure". Johnson himself proposed reliques in lieu of ' relapse ' which rather improves the meaning, but not the rhythm, unless under the form, " the reliques of mortality ". The same objections may be made to Jackson's relays, and the reflex of the Collier MS. In addition, we learn that Capell omitted "the last two words ' of mortality ' altogether. An error lies not only in the word 'relapse,' but also in the last word of the line, ' mortality,' which ought to be its opposite, immortality. It will be observed that those spoken of are supposed to have passed through the stage of mortality, and are now denizens of immortality, for their valour is still powerful. They are yet but newly entered into this higher stage, and little better than in the state of infancy. Immortality, is here personified, and the dead heroes are supposed to be in the lap of their new mother, and yet very potent for ' mischief,' as it is phrased in the preceding line. A slight emendation is also required in the first line, which with the others is in Italics — Mark then the abounding valonr in our English, That being dead like to the bullet's grazing, Break out into a second course of mischief, Killing in the lap of immortality. HENEY VI. Paet III. toy, thy father gave thee life too soon, And hath bereft thee of thy life too late ! II. V. 92-3. These two lines are the reading of the Folio ; the Quartos, however, reverse the closing phrases, having ' too late ' in the first Une, and ' too soon ' in' the last. In the Cambridge notes we learn that Hanmer adopted the reading of the Quartos and was followed by Capell, but the editors of the ' Cambridge ' explain their retention of the Folio text, " because the alteration merely transfers the difficulty of explanation from one line to another ". At first sight there is an antithesis between ' soon and late ' of a very important nature, but it vanishes when the two readings come into play, and it is impossible to determine which is the best or even which is the worst. "We can conceive of a parent thinking that he had given life to one either too soon or too late, but not of taking away that life in either the one case or the other. It is a curious circum- stance that the word soon is not in Mrs. Cowden Clarke's Concordance, but looking into Johnson's dictionary we find the sole example from Shakespeare to be this very passage. Surely the word must have been only coming into use, although we find the names of Bacon, Milton, Dryden, and the Bible furnishing examples. There are nevertheless two examples of a compound usage, ' soon-believing ' and ' soon- denying,' the former in ' Eichard II.,' and the latter in ' Eomeo and Juliet,' but on turning to the FoUo we find the hyphen omitted and the word in question appearing simply as soone. There is, however, an antithesis in the passage between 164 HENRY VI. (Part III.) ' thy father ' and another which has heen misprinted Mth, and the passage should run thus — boy, thy father gave thee life too soon, And death bereft thee of thy life too late. If the son had been horn some later he would have been too young for war, and if death had intervened earlier, the father would have been spared the pain of having killed him. These arms of mine .shall be thy winding-sheet ; My heart, sweet boy, shall be thy sepulchre, For from my heart thine image ne'er shall, go ; My sighing breast shall be thy funeral bell ; And so obsequious will thy father be. Even for the loss of thee, having no more, As Priam was for all his valiant sons. I'll bear thee hence : and let them fight that will, For I have murdered where I should not kill. 11. V. 114-122. The speaker is a father who discovers that he has killed his own son at the battle of Towton, and him an only one. I may here mention that the word ' obsequious ' in the fifth line has not the same meaning it has, in modern times, but is closely connected with obsequies, and signifies funereal. It is, however, to the sLsth line I would draw attention, and especially to the opening word ' Even ' a reading given by Capell which I knew nothing of tiU the appearance of the Cambridge fifth volume, but had been impressed through Mr. Staunton's notes that it had been first used by , Mr. Dyce. This matters nothing to the purpose, the Globe edition prefixes the usual obelus ; and my own conjecture at the time is mentioned in the notes of the larger text. The fact is that the reading of the initial word in the first three .Folios is Men, and that of the fourth, Man, — the only authorities for the text. The Cambridge notes show that HENRY VI. (Part III.) 165 Rowe adopted Sad; that a conjecture \>j Mitford was ■Mere ; that another conjecture by the same and adopted by Delius, is /Sow. An anonymous conjecture also, is Main, a shortened form for Mainly, or at all events used in an adverbial sense. Mr. Keightley conjectured ^Fore men, or To men ; and my own one is Mang'd. This latter is a word of Scotch origin and well known in the north. Jamieson in his Scottish Dictionary gives as its signification among others, " to stupify or confound," " to overpower," " to render or become frantic or delirious " ; and in addition to authorities from Gawain Douglas and the Bannatyne Poems, quotes the following from ' The Cherrie and the Slae ' first printed in 1597, stanza 67 — "With wringing and flinging. For madness like to mmvg. The English equivalent would appear to be, maddened : an expression suitable for the feeling of the father when he discovered whom h^ had unwittingly slain. He is wrung with anguish — Mang'd for the loss of thee, having no more, As Priam was for all his valiant sons. HENEY VIII. Norfolk. Surely, sir, There's in him stuff that puts hiiji to these ends ; For, heing not propp'd by ancestry, whose grace Chalks successors their way, nor call'd upon For high feats done to the crown ; neither allied To eminent assistants ; but, spider "like. Out of his self-drawing web, he gives us note, The force of his own merit makes his way ; A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys A place next to the king. /. i. 57-66. The seventli line of - the passage is marked in the Globe edition with an obelus, and also includes the remaining lines, for the Cambridge notes have many emendations and conjectures on the matter. The first of these is on the expression ' his self-drawing,' which by Eowe in his second edition, and also by Capell, has been made ' his self-drawn '. Theobald's conjecture is, ' himself drawing ' ; and two emenda- tions by Staunton, and Dyce in his second edition are much alike, one dropping the hyphen, and the other contracting the pronoun thus — ' Out of's self-drawing.' My own conjecture at the time was, ' his SB\i-wrapping '. The other portion of the passage requiring notice is the expression, ' gives for him, which buys '. Ifow, it is heaven which gives, as the text runs, and ^he emendations proposed are the following : — ' gives, which for him buys ' — by Han- mer ; ' gives ; which buys for him ' — by Warburton ; ''gives to him, which buys ' — a conjecture by Johnson ; ' has given him buys for him ' — a conjecture by Hunter ; ' gives him, and which buys ' — Collier MS. ; ' gives : for him which buys' — a conjecture by Jervis. The chief alteration in this last is HENRY VIII. 167 the removal of the comma, and the insertion of a colon after ' gives '. My reading at a subsequent time after the appear- ance of the Cambridge sixth volume will be shown in the amended passage — But, spider-like, Out of his seK-iorapping web, he gives us note, The force of his own merit makes his way ; A gift that heaven enjoins for him, which buys A place next to the king. It will be noticed that ' heaven ' is sometimes a mono- syllable and sometimes a dissyllable. In the original text it was the latter, now it is the other, and the cause of the misprint may be easily accounted for. Scene IV. A Hall in Torh Place. Anne Bullbn and various other Ladies aTid Gentlemen as Guests. Guildford. Ladies, a general welcome from his grace Salutes ye all ; this night he dedicates To fair content and you : none here, he hopes, In all this noble bevy, has brought with her One care abroad ; he would have all as merry As, first, good company, good wine, good welcome. Can make good people. /. iv. 1-7. To many this may seem a very trifling matter, for there is nothing appears in the front of it which requires emendation, and yet there have been a few eminent critics at work on the word 'first' in the sixth line, which I shall notice. The Polios 1, 2, and 3 all insert the comma between ^rsi and g'ooc? as in the passage. The fourth Folio, however, omits the comma, and Theobald couples the two words with a hyphen, equivalent to the modern ^reit-mfe. Mason proposes to read fairs, under the impression that the speaker was addressing the gentler sex. On the other hand, Mr. Staunton conjectures that it should he feast. Mr. Grant White thinks it should 168 ' HENRY VIII. be just, meaning, I suppose, ■ neither more nor less. Mr. Dyce in his second edition adopts a conjecture of Mr. Halliwell's, ' As far as good ' ; and an anonymous conjecture would have it to be thirst — certainly an unlikely one to apply to high bred people, unless the fashion of the time permitted it. We learn, too, that Steevens altered the term ' gentlemen ' in the stage direction to gentlewomen under the same impression as Mason that the company consisted entirely of ladies. But whether this was the case or not matters little, though the word I propose will at first sight seem inapplicable if even a fractional part were of the female sex. Nevertheless there is authority in Shakespearian and common usage for the application to all and sundry under certain conditions. He would haye all as merry As, sirs, good company, good ■wine, good welcome. Can make good people. Hanmer's manner of getting over the difficulty of the ordinal form gives the hne as follows : — As first, good company, then good wine, good welcome, Can make good people. In ' Antony and Cleopatra,' IV. xv. 84, the Egyptian Queen exclaims — My noble girls ! Ah, women, women, look. Our lamp is spent, it's out ! Good sirs, take teart : We'll bury bim ; The old Puritan preachers were much given to this, in their ' Ah, sirs,' and ' Oh, sirs,' when they wished to drive the application home with effect. At the present day such interjectional exclamations of joy, pain, or wonder, in ' Hech, Sirs ! ' ' Ifow, Sirs ! ' and ' "Wae, Sirs ! ' are by no means un- common, and amongst none more so than women in the company of their own sex, and more especially iu Scotland, where old modes of speech seem to linger longest. . HENRY VIII. 169 Wolsey. I do profess That for your tighness' good I ever labour'd More than mine own ; that am, have, and will he — Though all the world should crack their duty to you, And throw it from their soul ; though perils did Abound, as thick as thought could make 'em, and Appear in forms more horrid, — ^yet my duty, As doth a rock against the chiding flood. Should the approach of this wide river break, And stand unshaken yours. III. a. 190-9. The Globe edition prefixes an obelus in. the middle of the third line, intimating where the chief difl&culty is, and well did Mr. Staunton express himself when he named this " a crux of the first magnitude ". The Cambridge editors deTote a whole page of a special note to the opinions of seventeen critics and editors, but these are so lengthened and various, it would be a waste of time and space to enter upon them. The turning-point in the Cardinal's career has begun, and the preceding portion of the scene shows what the once powerful minister had had to encounter. In the first place, the punctuation at the beginning of the ' passage requires emendation. It would have been bad policy in Wolsey to' have made any comparison between the labours exerted in his sovereign's behalf and his own. Therefore some attention must be paid to the opening sentence. In the next place, it is natural to suppose that Wolsey would make some direct aUusion to the selfish, though forcible, claim of Henry to the Cardinal's powers of body and mind. Some of these were external and could be exhibited in action, others could only be known by past results or prospective professions. Accordingly, Wolsey begins by humble yet solemn asser- tions ; he stretches out his arm and extends his hand, he gradually rises as the possible falling away of others images itself, and closing with the undaunted figure of Duty as a 170 HENRY VIII. rock stemming a torrent ; he stands erect to his full height, unchanged and unshaken in his integrity. The passage, amended in conformity with these views, is as follows — I do profess That for your highness' good I ever labour" d. More than mine own, that arm and hand will he. Though all the world should crack their duty to you, And throw it from their soul ; though perils did Abound, as thick as thought could make 'em, and Appear in forms more horrid ; yet my duty — As doth a rock against the chiding flood, Should the approach of this wild river break — Stands, stands unshaken yours. A few words as to the emendation of the third line. There is no nominative, and there is no common verb for the three auxiliaries. Have and will are signs of different tenses to the verb he, but am stands alone, meaningless. Wolsey'a declaration is that his arm and hand are not his own but his master's ; and what more could the most exacting demand ? Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition : By that sin fell the angels ; how can man, then. The image of his Maker, hope to win by it ? Love thyself last : cherish those hearts that hate thee ; Corniption wins not more than honesty. in. a. 440. This is the last speech of the Cardinal to his servant, and within fifteen lines of the end of the Third Act ; and the particular line of the passage to be noticed is the latter half, ' cherish those hearts that hate thee,' and specially the word hate. The Cambridge notes give only one emendation, that of wait, a conjecture by Warburton, and supposed to refer to his dependents. ' Hate ' is a rather too strong exemplification of the Scrip- ture injunction to love our enemies, and not such an advice HENRY VIII. 171 as "Wolsey, the learned Ecclesiastic, would be likely to give, even when bidding farewell to the vanities of the world. There is a marked difference between loving, that is, feehng no animosity towards our enemies but even doing aU the good we can towards them, and cherishing, taking to our bosoms those who are actuated with feelings of malevolence. Such an effort would be sure to be repelled. Enemies generally keep at a distance, and ihe attempt to get near them would savour of some deep-laid scheme to do an injury. The most likely word, for that which is misprinted 'hate,' is hate, to lessen, and a passage in ' Timon of Athens,' III. Hi. 26, is quite to the purpose : 'Who bates mine honour shall not know my coin '. Wolsey's advice to Cromwell is to fling away ambition, to be humble, not to be self-seeking; to cherish those who deal honestly with him, who tell him the unvarnished truth. It is a commentary on the words of Solomon: "Eaithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful ". My good lord archbishop, I'm very sorry To sit here at this present, and heboid That chair stand empty ; hut we all are men, In our own natures frail, and capable Of our flesh ; few are angels : out of which frailty And want of wisdom, you, that best should teach us, Have misdemean'd yourself, and not a little, r. m. 8-14. In this scene, Cranmer appears at the Council table to be interrogated by the Lord Chancellor and the Council respecting his conduct in matters of religion. The fourth line is marked in the Globe with an obelus, and the passage implicated extends to the fifth line. The Cambridge notes furnish us with some half-dozen emendations and conjectures, which we may put in a tabular form, the editor's own text being that of CapeU's — 172 HENRY VIII. and capable Of our flesh, — Folios. and capable Of our flesh ; — Ga^ell. and capable Of.frailty, — Pope. and culpable ; Those frailty free are angels : — Theobald, conj. incapable ; Of our flesh, — Malone. and culpable ; Of our flesh, — Mason, conjecture. and culpable ; Of our flesh ; — Collier. (Collier M.S.) Of falling ; so are angels. — Anon, conjecture. The sentiment in this passage is taken from the Epistle of James, third chapter, fifteenth verse : " This wisdom de- scendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish ". The next speaker, Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, backs up the. Chancellor with an illustration taken from the third verse of the same chapter — For those that tame wild horses Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle. But stop their mouths with stubborn bits and spur 'em, Till they obey the manage. Or, as it is in the Epistle, " Behold we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us ; and we turn about their whole body ". The Bishop then goes on to describe the con- sequences that must follow from too much leniency in this case — Commotions, uproars, with a general taint Of the whole state : which in the sixteenth verse is : " There is confusion and every evU work ". The same passages from the Geneva Bible are of a more forcible cast than our common version, and the Geneva was the more favourite one at the time, and must have been diligently studied by the author. I premise by stating that I accept the reading of " culpable " as given by- Theobald, Mason, and Collier. The other emendation which follows I accept as my own — But we all are men, In our own natures frail and culpable. Oft devilish, few are angels. TRAGEDIES. TjRoilus and ceessida. Now, princes, for tlie service I have done you, The advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind That, through the sight I bear in things to love, 1 have abandou'd Troy, left my possession, Incurr'd a traitor's name ; exposed myself, From certain and possess'd conveniences, , To doubtful fortunes ; III. in. 1-8. The speaker Calchas, a Trojan priest and father of Cressida, is now a refugee in the Grecian camp, and addresses the assembled leaders to have his daughter exchanged for the Trojan prince Antenor, at that time a prisoner. The fourth line is marked in the Glohe edition with the obelus, and the Cambridge notes furnish some half dozen conjectures on the three last words of the line ' things to love '. We learn that the fourth Folio reads ' things to come ' ; Johnson adopts ' things, to Jove' ; implying that the speaker had abandoned Troy to the ruler of gods and men. Mr. Dyce's emendation, punctuating after ' Jove,' would imply that the speaker himself had simply abandon'd the city. Other two conjectures ' things above,' and 'things from Jove ' by CoUier and Staunton go on the principle of Calchas being a priest : he was also a prophet, and from his insight into futurity he had taken the step involving him in no very enviable circumstances. The conclusion of his speech, how- ever, militates against this high ideal, for it shows he had deliberately made a bargain ; he had been merely fed with promises, and he now asks that something shoidd be done for him. It is the word ' through ' at the begiiming of the line that 176 TBOILUS AND CRES8IDA. is alone in error, and is a misprint for a portion of the verb to throng. In Chaucer's poem of ' Troylus and Crysede ' from ■whicii the main incidents of the play are taken, hook fourth, and sixth stanza, is the very scene in question. Home Tooke quotes from Speght's Folio edition, published about 1603, but states it as from ' book 3 ' — When Caloas knew this tretise ahulde helde In consistorie among the Greekes sone He gang in Thringe forthe with lordea olde And set hym there as he wont to done. The difference between the narrative of Chaucer and the dramatic form of Shakespeare is, the one says Calchas has gan thringe or thronged into the presence of the Greek leaders ; in the other he is made to address those who thronged about him. ' Now, princes, for the service I have done you, The advantage of the time prompts me aloud To call for recompense. Appear it to your mind That throng, the sight I bear in things to love ; I have abandon'd Troy, left my possession, Incurr'd a traitor's name : exposed myself. From certain and possess'd conveniences. To doubtful fortunes. The providence that's in a watchful state Knows almost every grain of Plutus' gold. Finds bottom in the uncomprehensive deeps. Keeps place with thought and almost, like the gods. Does thoughts unveil in their dumb cradles. III. in. 196-200. The last word of this passage is the one chiefly reflected on, though the preceding one ' dumb ' has come in for its share, as in the ' dim crudities ' of Collier, and my own one is noticed in the Cambridge notes, and mentioned as with- drawn. I had proposed another emendation at the time, also mentioned, and which I still adhere to. I may just give the TKOILUS AND CRESSIDA. 177 conjectures of the notes in their order. Dumb crudities from the Collier MS., dumb oracles by Staunton, withdrawn ; dumb orafries by Mcholson ; dumb characters, Anonymous ; dim particles, withdrawn ; and dumb radicles, retained. The term ' radicles ' is not in Shakespeare, but is one of those Latinised expressions of a purely scientific cast, and likely to be used by Bacon. Johnson gives the word in his Dictionary as " that part of the seed of a plant, which, upon its vegetation, becomes its root," and the authority given by the Doctor is that of ' Quinoy '. I suspect that the printer not knowing what to make of it altered it to ' cradles,' which contaias all the letters of the scentifio term except the central i, the omission of which at the time was ruinous to the rhythm. WhUe the word ' cradles ' may be accepted as the second stage of life, the proposed term will be taken as equivalent to the germs, and that would appear to have been in the author's mind. The providence that's in a watchful state Knows almost every grain of Plutus' gold, Finds bottom in the uncomprehensive deeps, Keeps place with thought, and almost, like the gods. Does thoughts unveil in their dumb radicles. Sector. Be gone, I say : the gods have heard me swear. Cassandra. The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows : They are polluted offerings, most abhorr'd Than spotted livers in the sacrifice. Andromache. 0, be persuaded ! do not count it holy To hurt by being just : it is as lawful. For we would give much, to use violent thefts, And rob in the behalf of charity. V. III. 15-22. Cassandra the sister, and Andiomache the wife of Hector, are here endeavouring to persuade the hero from attending the fight, about to take place that day. The third line in 12 178 TR0ILU8 AND GBESSIDA. Andromache's speech is that which will take up our atten- tion. In the Folios this line reads as follows — ' For we would count give much to as violent thefts, In the ordinary editions, and also in the Gflobe and larger Cambridge text, the word ' count ' is omitted, an alteration we learn first made by Malone from a conjecture by Tyrwhitt. But the question naturally arises, how did this word find its way into the line if it really formed no pait of it I It is true that the same word occurs in the first line of the speech, but it could not have been accidentally repeated in the third, as there is nothing in either of the instances to cause an unnecessary repetition. In the Cambridge notes there are nineteen attempts to mend the matter, for as a whole it requires emendation, and with hardly an exception these are little to the purpose. It would be quite out of place to notice these several attempts, I would merely state that in nine cases of the nineteen the v^ord is retained by various critics, but not once in the position it occupies in the Folios. On the other hand it is scattered over the line wherever it was thought best to fit in, and it has even been transplanted to the line above, but all to little purpose. In three instances it has been changed to countenance, to commit, and to compass : the first of these being the only one retaining the position given in the text, but at the same time sacrificing the ' much ' which follows close upon it. In all this there is little else than the sheer anarchy of criticism, and fast approaching despotism which must be resisted. The passage is far from being correct. It has errors of punctuation, it has several misprints, and the true meaning of ' much ' has been entirely overlooked. Before we proceed to notice these we may state that the Quarto copy of the play printed in 1609, omits the second, third, and fourth lines entirely, and gives the whole of next speech, which is that of Cassandra's, to Andromache, tacking TROILUS AND OSESSIDA. 179 it to the line it retains. At the same time the Collier MS. erases from the text aU that portion beginning from the middle of the second lin^, and Delius the German editor is of opinion that a line has been lost between the second and the third. But such is not my opinion. There is no line lost and there should be no erasure, and the deficiency of the Quarto may be easily accounted for. Among the corrections may be noticed the omitting the comma' of the Folio from the end of the first line endin» O holy, and the alteration of as in the third line into use, both of which are right, but we can go no further in that direction and must explain ourself. The third line though it has a syllable too much, is never- theless imperfect. It is not a proper Hendecasyllable and must have been intended for an Alexandrine. The word ' count ' is a misprint for counsel, and should make every- thing correct. Andromache, the devoted wife, is making a playful allusion to the new character she assumes as an expounder of right and wrong. She has said above' ' it is as lawful' and then parenthetically adds 'For we would counsel give '. The next word ' much ' is in a peculiarly interjec- tional sense, of which we have only one other instance in Shakespeare, ' Henry IV.' Part II. II. iv. 142, when Mistress DoU, in her abuse of Pistol, closes one of her tirades thus — ' with two points on your shoulder ? much ! ' meaning a great deal or very little, as either of them are inclined to take it. "We do not mean to say that Andromache inferred any- thing of the contemptuous in her use of the word, but merely implied that the instances she was about to adduce were all of a piece ; they were equally lawful, as much as to say that neither was so. Hence t-wo critics have actually changed 'lawful' at the end of the second line to unlawful, but without mending the matter much, as that is not the point at issue. 180 TBOILUS AND CBESSIDA. The next to notice is the expression ' violent thefts ' at the end of the third line, which, to say the least, sounds oddly. If thefts are accompanied with violence, they hecome rohheries, and we have ' rob ' in the next line which seems tautological. One critic proposes to read ' violent threats,' an approach to something better, but not the right expression. Violent .shifts, and ' robbing in the behalf of charity,' are what the speaker denounces ' as equally hateful to the gods with injuring others in the guise of being just '. It is an exemplification of the Scripture axiom " I hate robbery for burni^offering," and also a protest against the practice of Eobin. Hood who robbed rich men and wealthy ecclesiastics to give to the poor, in the opinion of many, sanctifying .the deed. In accordance with these views the four lines of Andro- mache's discourse to Hector will read thtis — 0, be persuaded ! do not count it holy To hurt by being just : it is as lawful' — For we would counsel give — much, to use violent shifts And rob in the behalf of charity. . As a contrast to the amended passage, the text of the PoUo is added, the initial passage being from the Cambridge text. be perswaded, doe not count it holy, To hurt by being iust ; it is as lawfuU : For we would count give much to as violent thefts, And rob in the behalfe of charitie. COEIOLANTJS. Valeria. My ladies both., good day to you. Volvmnia. Sweet madam. Virgilia. I am glad to see your ladyship. Valeria. How do you both ? you are manifest hou?e-keepers. "What are you sewing here ? A fine spot, in good faith. 1. Hi. 51-56. The Globe edition has the ohelus on the word ' spot ' at the first line of page 658, and the Cambridge notes furnish several readings and two conjectures on the last line of the passage. The term ' sewing ' is from the fourth Folio, while the first three Folios spell sowing. Agaia all the FoHos omit the comma after spot and the first two spell the word as spotte. Jackson proposes sport, and the conjecture of Dr. Leo, BerHn, is pattern. This last is right as to the meaning, stiU, spot itself is the right word and weU. known in Scotland concerning calico printing and muslin embroidery. Johnson in his Dictionary gives six definitions as a noun, and three definitions as a verb. Of these nine there is only one approaching in meaning to that requited for the passage, and that only in an indirect way. The second definition is a verb thus given by the Doctor — " to patch by way of ornament," alluding to the practice of ladies in the time of Addison in the matter of patches on the face, by means of Court Plaster. ^}ots was a usual name given to small patterns as buds, seeds, sprigs, and small flowers.' That the ladies in the passage were engaged on such work we learn from lines 94, 95 — ' Come ; I would your cambric were sensible as your finger, that you might leave pricking it for pity '. Here, the word ' sensible ' is synonymous with sensitive of the present day, and aU implied in the passage is OOEIOLANUS. simply, that Valeria admires tlie ladies' work as a Tsry fine pattern. A kindred passage occurs in 'Antony and Cleopatra,' and quoted by Johnson as confirmatory of his opinion as to the derogatory meaning of spot which it frequently has, but in^ this instance the Doctor is wrong. Act IV., Seme 1^, lines 33-35. Let him take thee, And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians : Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot Of all thy sex ; On this, Johnson says " I know not well the meaning of spot in this place, imless it be a scandalous woman, a disgrace to her sex". The word here implies a great beauty, and is quite familiar in Scotland, and so also is its counterpart ; for one having little of the beautiful is often designated " as nae great spot ". Antony in his wrath goes on to wish the spoil- ing of her ' visage by Octavia's prepared nails '. A certain number, Though thanks to all, must I select from all : the rest Shall hear the business in some other fight, As cause wiU be obey'd. Please you to march ; And four shall quickly draw out my command, Which men are best inclined. I. vi. 80-85. The first opportunity I had of any difficulty in this passage was the, obelus of the Globe edition prefixed to line 84, and on the publication of the sixth volume of the Cambridge text I found the emendation I had proposed entered in the notes. The peculiarity which struck me at the time was the number ' four,' spelled in the Folio with a final e, and also the same word two lines above evidently the number four, and also in the Folio with a final e. Sinc§ COEIOLANUS. 183 then I have come to the conclusion that these two instances are not the number four at all. I may just , quote the Cambridge notes on the readings and conjectures of the line 84 ' And four shall quickly,' this last word being the only one connected with my own emendation. The first and second Folios read ' And f oure shall ' ; the third and fourth read as in the passage without the e ; CapeU conjectures ' And I shall ' ; Heath, ' And so I shall ; Jackson ' And foes shall ' ; Mitford, ' An hour shall ' ; ' And some shall,' adopted by Singer ; ' Before shall/ a conjecture by Leo ; 'And forth •shall'; adopted by Keightley; 'Ardour shall,' Anonymous conjecture. My own conjecture was ' And foregtal quickly ' ; A conjecture for the two last lines by Johnson is And fear shall quickly draw out my command, ' WMch. men are least inclined. The word/owre or four in the first instance, line 78, is akin to that of Doctor Leo's but in a contracted form, 'fore ; and shall quote the passage at greater length, thus — 0, me alone ! make you a sword of me ? If these shows be not outward, which of you But's 'fore the Volsces ? none of you but is Able to bear against the great Aufidius A shield as hard as his. A certain number, Though thanks to all, must I select from all : the rest Shall bear the business in some othet fight. As cause will be obey'd. Please you to march ; And. forestal quickly ; draw out my command, Which men are best inclined. Gominms. March on, my fellows : Make good this ostentation, and you shall Divide in aU with us. [Exeunt. 184 COBIOLANUS. Volwn^nia. Pray, be coimsell'd : I have a heart as little apt as yours, But yet a brain tbat leads my use of anger To better vantage. ///. a. 29. The Globe edition has the obelus prefixed to the second line, and my own emendation at the time is entered in the Cambridge notes. The word ' apt ' is that which the notes chieily refer to. Mr. Singer's conjecture is ' as little soft ' ; Mr. Staunton's conjecture reads ' of mettle apt ' ; Dr. Leo's ' as lightly rapt ' and my own ' as little warp'd '. It will be noticed that Mr. Singer like myself merely alters 'apt ^; into soft, and warp'd. Mr. Staunton and Dr. Leo both alter ' little ' into mettle, or lightly ; while the one retains apt and the other reads rapt. Warp'd occurs in Shakespeare as warped and warpt, the latter in 'All's Well' F. m. 49, spelling of the Polio, and warp'd of the modern style ; the .particular meaning turned aside, variable, hias'd. I have a heart as little warp'd as yours. But yet a brain that leads my use of anger To better vantage. Brutus to ^dile. Go about it. Put him to choler straight : he hath been used Ever to conquer, and to have his worth Of contradiction : being once chafed, he cannot Be rein'd again to temperance ; then he speaks AVTiat's in his heart ; and that is there which looks "With us to break his neck. Sidnius. Well, here he comes. III. in. 24-30. Li the Globe edition the obelus is prefixed to the third line, but according to the Cambridge notes my name occurs only in connection with the word 'conquer,' which I con- • jectured should be canker, a very expressive term for one so COBIOLANUS. 185 given as Coriolanus was to th.e various qualities of temper and conduct -wliich the speaker attributes to him. Canker and cankered occur in Shakespeare above a score of times as noun and adjective, in the passage before us it would seem to be a verb. At all events it appears a suitable expression for the tribunes to heap upon the man they hated. He hath, heen used Ever to canker ; and to have his worth Of contradiction : being once chafed, he cannot Be rein'd again to temperance. Coriolanus. Come, leave your tears ; a brief farewell : the beast With many heads butts me away. Nay, mother, "Where is your ancient courage ? you were used To say extremity was the trier of spirits ; That common Qhances common men could bear ; That when the sea was calm all boats alike Show'd mastership in floating ; fortune's blows, When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves A noble cunning : you were used to load me With precepts that would make invincible The heart that conn'd them. ir. i. 1-11. This passage is the amended form of the Cambridge and Globe texts, but very different from the original Folio in, punctuation, number of clauses, capitals, spelling and plurals. The portion I shall notice is part of the seventh, eighth, and ninth lines which X ventured on a dozen years ago, and was noticed at the time in the Cambridge sixth volume. The two conjectures I now recall, and shall treat the clause in a new aspect, beginning at the sixth line. Mr. Staunton's opinion of the portion referred to is to the following effect : — " Every endeavour to elicit sense from this perplexing sentence has faUed." I am sensible that I have done so too. 186 COEIOLANUS. The first half of the clause refers to the sea, its boats, and to mastership in floating. I am now convinced that the second half beginning with ' fortune's blows ' is a following out of the same idea. The passage with the necessary emendation is as- follows — Nay, mother. Where is your ancient courage ? you were used To say extremity was the trier of spirits ; That common chances common men could bear ; That when the sea was calm all boats alike , Show'd mastership in floating. Fortune blows — Then most strike home, being gentle, wounded, crave A noble cunning. The chief features ia this are punctuation, and the italicized words ; the whole referring to the great voyagers of the time and some of their compatriots. Aufidius. First he was A noble servant to them ; but he could not Carry his honours even : whether 'twas pride, "Which out of daily fortune ever taints The happy man ; whether defect of judgement, To fail in the disposing of those chances Which he was lord of ; or whether nature, Not to be other than one thing, not moving From the casque to the cushion, but commanding peace Even with the same austerity and garb As he controll'd the war ; but one of these — As he hath spices of them all, not all. For I dare so far free him — made him fear'd. So hated, and so banish 'd ; but he has a merit, To choke it in the utterance. So our virtues lie in the interpretation of the time ; And power, unto itself most commendable, Hath not a tomb so evident as" a chair To extol what it hath done. IV. vii. 35-53. 00BI0LANU8. 187 The last line but one is marked in the Globe edition with the obelus, and the Cambridge notes furnish a dozen of readings and conjectures which I shall particularize. From the word ' tomb ' to ' chair ' the first two Folios read ' Tombe ' a Chaire ' ; the last two ' Tomb ... a Chair ' ; Mr. Singer adopts ' tomb ... a hair ' ; Mr. Collier from the old MS. ' tomb ... a cheer ' ; Mitford's conjecture is ' tomb . . . care ' ; Mr. Grant White .proposed ' tomb so eloquent as a cheer ' (withdrawn) aad another ' tongue so eloquent as a chair ' ; Bailey proposed ' trump so evident as a child's ' ; Hudson's conjecture is ' tomb as eloquent as a tear ' ; Leo conjectured ' tomb so evident as a claim ' ; and Keightley adopts ' tongue so evident as a charmer's '. My own one also iu the Cambridge notes and taking in an additional word is as foUows — Hath lut a tomb /or envy as a sharer To extol what it hath done. Cominius. Yet one time he did call me hy my name : I urged our old acquaintance^ and the dDops That we have bled together. Coriolanus He -would notanswer to : forbad all names ; He was a, kind of nothing, titleless, Till he had forged himself a name o' the fire Of burning Eome. Menenius. Why, so : you have made good work ! A pair of tribunes that have rack'd for Rome, Tb make coals cheap ; a noble iliemory ! Com. I minded him how royal 'twas to pardon When it was less expected : he replied, It was a bare petition of a state To one whom they had punish' d. r. i. 9-21. The last line but one is the only line I shall touch upon. The Cambridge notes mention that for 'bare' Blaekstone 188 CORIOLANUS. and Mason propose base, and Williams rare. My own reading of the line is also noticed, and will be known from its Italics and quoting the last clause. lie replied, It was a rebaptizing of estate To one wliom they had punish'd. In Act I. Scene ix. the speech of Cominius beginning at line 53, gives the history of the hero being named Coriolanus. His after banishment and what followed explain the passage and emendation. Menenius. I tell thee, fellow. Thy general ia my lover : I have been The hook of his good acts, whence men have read His fame unparaUel'd, haply amplifled ; For I have ever verified my friends. Of whom he's chief, with all the size that verity "Wonld without lapsing suffer : V. U. 13-19. The word ' verified ' in the seventeenth line is marked with the obelus. The Cambridge notes furnish the following— Hanmer adopted magnified; and "Warburton narrifled ; probably a coinage from narrative. Edwards conjectures varnished; Staunton rarefied; Leo glorified; and Jervis ceHified ; my own conjecture also noticed is vivified — the nearest in spelling to the original, and showing the living TITUS ANDEOMCUS. Aaron. Kow to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies ; There to dispose this treasure in mine arms, And secretly to gre^t the empress' friends. Come on, you thick-lipp'd slaTe, I'll hear you hence ; For it is you that puts us to our shifts : I'll make you feed on herries and on roots. And feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat, And cahin in a cave, and bring you up To he a warrior, and command a camp. IV. a. 172-180. This is the only passage in 'Titus Andronicus' that will engage our attention, solely because the seventh line is specially marked in the Globe edition with the obelus. We learn likewise that Mr. CoUier's MS. for the ' feed ' of the sixth line reads thrive, and that Hanmer for the ' feed ' of the seventh line adopted feast. My own conjecture for this last instance is seize as being quite in keeping with the likely training the young thick-lipped slave would get among the barbarian Goths of the time. I'll make you feed on berries and on roots, And se,i%e on curds and whey, and suck the goat, And cabin in a cave, and bring you up To be a warrior and command a camp. ROMEO AND JULIET. Here were the servants of your adversary, And yours, close fighting ere I did approach ; I drew to part them : in the instant came The fiery Tyhalt, with his sword prepared, AVTiich, as he breathed defiance to my ears. He swung ahout his head and cut the winds, Who nothing hurt withal hiss'd him in scorn : While we were interchanging thrusts and blows. Came more and more and fought on part and part. Till the prince came, who parted either part. I. i. 113-122. It is tlie three last lines I wish to notice, chiefly for the phraseology at the close of the passage, with a rhyming couplet having the same words. There is also a tautology in the words so repeated, and something even of a quihble — ' part and part ' and ' parted either part '. The only notice of this portion in the Cambridge notes is that Pope omitted the last four words, ' who parted either part '. At line 110 we get the exact words of the Prince on quelling the tumult : ' Once more, on pain of death, all men depart'. But there is evidently something else amiss in the three words of the first rhyme, ' part and part,' which, I think, ought to be ' art and part,' an Anglicized form of the Scotch law phrase, airt and pairt ; and also in the closing rhyme, which I would read depart, a curtailed form of departure, and the couplet may be safely rendered thus — Came more and more, and fought on art and part, Till the prince came, who ordered their depart. HOMED AND JULIET. 191 Paris. But now, my lord, what say you to my suit ? Capulet. But saying o'er what I have said before : My child is yet a stranger in the world ; She hath not seen the change of fourteen years ; Let two more summers wither in their pride, Ere we may think her ripe to he a bride. Paris. Younger than she are happy mothers made. CapuM. And too soon maiT'd are those so early made. The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes hut she, She is the hopeful lady of my earth : , But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart, My will to her consent is but a part ; An she agree, within her scope of choice Lies my consent and fair according voice. /. U. 6-19. From line 10 to line 37, at the close of the dialogue, the whole is written in rhyme, with the exception of the second and third lines of Capulet's last speech, and there is also a false rhyme in the two preceding lines, ' made ' and ' made '. I shall take this latter instance first. The prevailing idea ui the father's mind is a caveat against premature forcing, endangering health ' and fertility. The verb coined for the occasion is from the first summer month, and the prosaic ' made ' becomes the poetical Mayed, having reached maturity in due course, and now ready for marriage. Capulet then backs his argument with the state of his family, and the next couplet ends with ' she ' and ' earth '. The Cambridge notes inention that Hahmer adopted her in lieu of 'she,' probably in accordance with grammar, bub Shakespearian grammar does not always agree with modern usage. The line itself is quite right ; it is the following one that is wrong. This latter is omitted by Pope from the text of the first Quarto, of date 1597. It will be noticed, that the first line ends with 'she' and the next begins with 'she'. The, first line begins with ' The earth ' and the second ends 192 BOMEO AND JULIET. with 'eartli'; tliis last word being an error. Johnson conjectured that the second line might be read : ' She. is the hope and stay of my full years ' ; doubtless the underlying idea, but introduciug some new words, and oyerlooking the defective rhyme. For 'earth' Keightley adopted fee, evidently referring to the feudal term for land or possessions. A perfect rhyme, but not a likely emendation for a word printed 'earth'. The proper word here is the numeral three, referring to the children whom the father has lost, leaving Juliet as the only survivor. All his hopes have gone, and she is the tender ' plant which engages aU his care. The four lines commented on may read thus — Paris. Younger than slie are happy mothers made. Capulei. And too soon marr'd are those so early May'd. The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she, She is the hopeful lady of my three. This night I hold an old accustom'd feast, "Whereto 1 have invited many a guest. Such as I love ; and you, amongst the store, One more, most welcome, makes my number more. At my poor house look to behold this night Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light : Such comfort as do lusty young men feel When well-apparell'd April on the heel Of limping winter treads, even such delight Among fresh female buds shall you this night Inherit at my house ; hear all, all see, And like her most whose merit most shall be : "Which on more view, of many mine being one May stand in number, but in reckoning none. /. ii. 20-33. To the first Hne of the last couplet the Globe edition has the obelus prefixed. There are two words in the first clause ROMEO -AND JULIET. 193 of the line on which the early texts differ, viz., on and view, and which the Cambridge notes particularise, besides giving the various conjectures of critics and editors. The fourth and fifth Quartos read 'on,' while the second and third Quartos and the four Eolios read ' one '. Again, the second, fourth and fifth Quartos, and the second, third and fourth Polios spell 'view,' while the third Quarto and the first Folio speU. ' veiw '. This last a matter of no great moment, but still showing the irregularity of the texts. It wiU be shown, too, that the Cambridge editors have followed two texts in ' on,' while six are on the other side. Ifow it is well-known that the second Qtiarto is the best of all the texts, while at the same time it reads ' one '. i The conjectures noticed by the Cambridge editors are the following : — ' Such amongst view,' adopted by Steevens from the first or early imperfect Quarto ; ' Within your view,' a conjecture by Johnson ; ' On which more view,' adopted by Capell ; ' WhUst on more view,' Dyce (2nd edition). Mason ; ' Which one, o'er view,' Jackson, conjecture j ' Such, amongst few ; of,' Badham, conjecture. My own conjectures at the time, and also noticed, were two : ' Which one may vie with many ' ; another (withdrawn), ' Which one more, few or many '. It wiU be noticed that in this last Dr. Badham and I were treading in the same path by conjecturing few. The two last couplets will suffice for the present purpose — Inherit at my house ; hear all, all see, And like her most whose merit most shall he : "Which one may vie with,. mine being one May stand ia number, though in reckoning none. MoTneo. What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand Of yonder knight ? Serv. I know not, sir. Borneo. 0, she doth teach the torches to burn bright ! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night 13 194 BOMEO AND JULIET. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear ; Beauty too ricli for use, for earth too dear 1 So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. I.v. 43-51. All the Quartos and the first Polio read the beginning of the middle line as it is in the passage before us, but the three other Folios read thus : ' Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night ' ; and this has been followed by aU the ordinary texts in use. A reaction, however, has set in, and the reading of the earlier copies has been restored, being of greater authority than the others. ' It seems ' has all the look of a bald prosaic expression, unlike the speaker's language. As not approving of the current emendation, I propose a word in the same play, //. ii. 20, and referring to the same idea — The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp ; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region strea/m so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. The two couplets of Romeo's speech in the passage com- mented on, with this emendation, is given thus — 0, she doth teach the torches to bum bright ! In streams she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear ; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear ! Mercutio. Nay, I'll conjure too. Romeo ! humours ! madman ! passion ! lover ! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh : Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied ; Cry but ' Ay me ! ' pronounce but ' love ' and ' dove ' Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, One nick-name for her purblind son and heir. Young Adam Cupid, he that shot so trim, When Kiijg Cophetua loved the beggar maid ! II. i. 6-14 ROMEO AND JULIET. 195 In the Cambridge notes we learn that Mr. Singer in his first edition reads the second line of Mercutio's speech referring to Eomeo ! thus — humour's-madman ! passion- lover ! My own opinioti is that the line should read — ' humorous madman ! passioning lover ! ' the word passioning being the participle of the verb to passion, as in ' The Two Gentlemen of Verona,' IV. iv. 170. For I did play a lamentatle part : Madame, 'twas Ariadne passioning For Theseus' perjury and unjust ilight. These readings would therefore indicate that Eomeo was merely acting a part ; no real lover. The name ' Young Adam Cupid ' also requires emendation. In the Cambridge notes we learn that the Adam was adopted by Steevens in his edition of 1778, just one hundred years ago, and from a conjecture by Upton. We learn, like- .wise, that the first, second, and third quartos read ' Abraham: Cupid ' ; and that the fourth and fifth quartos and all the folios read ' Abraham Cupid ' ; that is without the colon, and as christian and surname. Mr.- Dyce in his first edition adopted auburn Cupid ; from a conjecture by Theobald, and also gave a conjecture of Abram Cupid : one having reference to the colour of hair, and the other to roguish characters of the time who acted ' sham Abram '. The name Adam Cupid is said to be taken from the old ballad of " Adam BeU, Clym of the cleuch, and William of Cloudeslie"— three great archers of the Border. The name I propose is ' Auberon,' the original of the Oberon of the ' Midsummer Mght's Dream,' and the Cupid of the Eomance School as noticed in "Dunlop's History of Fiction ". ' The purblind son and heir ' figures in the old ballad of "King Cophetua" as 'The blinded boy that shot so trim ' j this last word being only found in the imperfect first Quarto and evidently taken from the ballad, aU the other 196 ROMEO AND JULIET. texts reading true. Mercutio thus gives a choice of nick- names for the son of Venus — ' Auheron,' ' Cupid,' and. the ' blinded boy '. The last four lines read thus — Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, One nickname for her purblind son and heir ; Young Auheron, Cupid, he that shot so trim AVhen King Cophetua loved the beggar maid. Juliet. Now is the sun upon the highmost hill Of this day's journey, and from nine till twelve Is three long hours, yet she is not come. Had she affections and warm youthful blood. She would be as swift in motion as a ball ; My words would bandy her to my sweet love, And his to me : But old folks, many feign as they were dead ; Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead. II. V. 9-17. In the Globe edition the obelus is prefixed to the last line but one, and the Cambridge notes furnish a few emenda- tions. Three of these alter the word ' many ' into marry, the well-known word used interjectionally, thus ' marry, feign,' by Johnson ; ' marry, seem,' by Keightley ; ' marry, fare,' by Grant White ; my own emendation is ' tarry, faith '; and Mr. Dyce conjectures ' move, i' faith '. Mr. Keightley also adopted dull for the ' pale ' of the last line from the Collier MS. The rhyming couplet reads thus — But old folks tarry, faith, as they were dead ; Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead. There is no necessity for the dull of the MS. Lead is also pale and quite applicable to old worn out folks. Juliet. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' lodging : such a waggoner As Phaethon would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spi^ead thy close curtain, love-performing night, ROMEO AND JULIET. 197 That runaway's eyes may wink, and Eomeo Leap to these arms, uutalk'd of and unseen. III. a. 1-7. It is tlie word runaway's in the sixth line that has caused the obelus to be prefixed. The Cambridge notes present above thirty conjectures and a few readings, which I shall put in tabular form — run-aways' Staunton. sunny day's Clarke. (sun away) unwary Taylor MS. runagate, run-astray Do. noonday's anon. yonder Leo. runabout's Keightl Titan's J.B. sun-awake's Brady. Wary one's anon. rihalds anon. Uranus' anon. roaming anon. runnawayes Q. 2, Q. 3. run-awayes Q. 4, F. 1, Q. 5. run-awaies F. 2, F. 3, F. i. th' Run-away's Theobald. rumour's Hudson. Renomy Mason. unawares Knight. Luna's Mitford. runagates Muirson. rumourer's Singer, ed. 2. rumourous Singer, withdrawn. Cynthia's S. Walker. enemies' Collier. rude-day's Dyce. soon day's Dyce, With wondrous potency. Once more, good night : And when you are desirous to be blest, I'll blessing bog of you. Come, Gertrude, we'U call up our wisest friends ; ( And let them know, both what we mean to do, And what's untimely done . . . Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter. As level as the cannon to his blank. Transports his poison'd shot, may miss our name And hitthe woundless air. 0, come away ! My soul isftiU of discord and dismay. IV. i. 38-45. The line with the hiatus is marked in the Globe with an obelus, and the Cambridge editors present a special note of thirty-three lines in which the differences between the Quarto _ 232 HAMLET. and Folio texts are .treated at length, and the editors who followed the one or the other are noted. The text given in the passage is that of the Quartos, only the marks of defi- ciency in these are not given. In the Folio texts three lines and a half are omitted, beginning with thfe fourth line, and ending with the middle of the seventh. The last line and a half are tacked to the third line and thus making a rhyming couplet as above. From the Cambridge note we learn that Theobald was the first that attempted filling the gap, and this has been followed more or less by subsequent editors as follows — ' For, haply, slander'; 'So, haply, slander'; 'So viperous slander,' 'Thus Calumny'; the opinion of the Cambridge editors being that ' malice ' or ' envy,' in th? sense in ■vChich it is often used by Shakespeare, would suit the passage as well as ' Slander '. As the most likely term for the purpose I adopt the following — That so s%ispidon, "Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter As level as the cannon to his blank, Transports his poison'd shot, may miss our name And hit the woundless air. 0, come away ! My soul is full of discord and dismay. The sibOation of the supplied words is more in keeping with whisper, and the king's purpose was to avert that by open dealing which a contrary course would generate and increase. First Clown. Cudgel thy brains no more about it, for your dull ass wiU not mend his pace with beating ; and, when you are asked this question next, say ' a grave-maker ' : the houses that he makes last till doomsday. Go, get thee to Yaughan ; fetch me a stoup of liquor. r. i. 63-68. The word Yaughan is marked in the Globe with an obelus, and the Cambridge notps supply a few conjectures and a HAMLET. 233 reading or two. The Eolios printthe word in italics, and the five later Quartos leave it out entirely, reading ' Go, get thee in, and fetch me a stoup of liquor'. The first or imperfect Quarto gives only a portion of the speech, and in the guise of verse thus — And if anyone ask thee hereafter, say, , A gravemaker, for the houses he buildes Last till Doomesday. Fetch me a stope of here, goe. Eowe in his second edition reads ' to Youghan ' ; Capell's conjecture is ' to Taughan's ' ; Singer in his first edition adopts ' to Vaughan ' ; Mr. Grant White's conjecture is ' to tavern'; an anonymous conjecture (TV. and Q.), is 'to Johan' and another anonymous one is ' to y° ale and ' ; Mr. Collier adopts the reading of the old MS. ' to yon '. The special note of the Cambridge editors mentions that " Mr. Collier in his first edition conjectured that ' Yaughan ' might be a mis-spelt stage direction to inform the player that he was to yawn at this point". Mr. Staunton says, " Whether by ' Yaughan ' a man or a place is meant, or whether the word is a ■ corruption, we are not qualified to determine ". Mr. Grant White says, ' " I suspect that 'Yaughan' is a misprint for 'Tavern'. But some local allusion understood at the day may lurk under it." There is plausibility in some of these conjectures, but the pronunciation of the middle letter g does not seem to have any effect. The word is a corruption for one not guessed, and with its root found only once in Shakespeare, and in equally strange company. In the original texts / and J are interchangeable, and so too, in many cases, are / and Y. In one instance icide is spelt ysicMe, and in this case we would seem to have a word beginning with F which in modem spelling would be /. At the outset the gravedigger insinuates that his com- panion is littk better than ' a dull ass who will not mend his 234 EAMLET. pace with beating ' ; and tlie emendation I propose refers to a mode more in keeping with his habits. He then sends him on an errand in the language of the emendation — ' Go, get thee a-jogging ; fetch me a stoup of liquor '. In the third line of Sonnet xix. there is an instance of y and / being interchangeable — 'Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws'. For the last word of the line the original of 1609 gives ' yawes,' the emendation being due to Malone who adopted it from the Capell MS. Samlet. Wilt thou know The effect of what I wrote ? Horatio. Ay, good my lord. Sam. An earnest conjuration from the king. As England was his faithful tributary, As love between them like the palm might flourish,. As peace should still her wheaten garland wear And stand a comma 'tween their amities. And many such like 'As'es of great charge, That, on the view and knowing of these contents,. Without debatement farther, more or less, He should the bearers put to sudden death, Not shriying-time allow'd. r. a. 36-48. It is to the expression 'a comma' I wish to draw attention, for certainly if it be the usual printer's comma, it does appear an insignificant symbol to express peace existing between two great countries. The Cambridge notes present the following — a commere adopted by Theobald (from "Warburton); no comma, a conjecture by Theobald (withdrawn) ; a cement, by Hanmer ; a co-mere, by Singer, ed. 2 ; « co-mate, conjecture by Bectet ; a column, conjecture by Jackson ; commercing, Anonymous conj. ; a cornane,- by Nicholson. A conjecture by Bailey for ' stand a comma ' is hold her olive ; and a con- HAMLET. 235 jecture by Cartwright for * a comma 'tween ' is as one atween. In addition for ' amities ' at the end of the line, Theobald conjectured enmities ; but withdrawn. In line 93 of the first scene of the play, the -word ' coven- ant,' from the FoUo text, appears in the Quartos as comart, co-mart and compact. In the passage before us we have Peace personified in Statuesque form looking complacently on the two countries, and interchanging acts of kindness. Her attitude is .specially expressed in the term I propose. We have no earlier authority that I know of for akimbo than Dryden, but probably it may have been used before his day. Much of Shakespearian phraseology was in advance of the time, and to the great dramatist we are indebted for many expressions he was the first to give currency. The two ILues specially bearing on the matter are thus — As. peace should still her wheaten garland wear And stand aJcimbo 'tween their amities. In I. V. 174, I have every reason to believe that the same word in a participial form appears as encumber'd, when Hamlet warns Horatio against betraying confidence in the matter of his future conduct. How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on, That you, at such times seeing me, neyer shall, "With arms abimbo'd thus, or this head-shake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtf^^l phrase, Or such ambiguous giving out, to note That you know aught of me : Osric. Sir, here is newly come to court Laertes ; believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences, of very soft society and great showing : indeed, to speak feelingly of him, he isthe ,card or calendar of gentry, for you shalf find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would see. 236 HAMLET. Samlet. Sir, his definement suffers no perdition in you ; though, I know, to divide him inyeutorially would dizzy the arithmetic of memory, and yet but yaw neither, in respect of his quick sail. r. a. 104-112. The Globe edition prefixes the otelus to the phrase ' and yet but yaw neither,' in the last line of the passage. The Cambridge notes present a few readings and conjectures, amongst which, four Quartos for ' yaw ' read raw, and in this scene about thirty lines are not in the Polios, but supple- mented fi'om the Quarto copies. The other readings are one by Warburton ' yet but slow ' ; and another by Singer in his second edition ' it but yaw ' ; Mr. Staunton's conjecture is 'wit but yaw'; and my own conjecture at the time also noticed was 'yaw mynheer' reading wit for 'yet' as Staun- ton. One meaning given to ' yaw ' is, that it is a nautical term ; which may be the case, but the phraseology is not very clear, . and the ' yet but yaw neither ' does not mend the matter, though ' in respect of his quick sail '. The whole language of the passage is of a very stilted kind. Osric begins it in keep- ing with his character, and Hamlet echoes it. However, he implies that ordinary wit would be no better than a heavy lumbering Dutchman in respect of Laertes' abihty. Hkmlet's opinion of Laertes is as follows — • Sir, his deiinement suffers no perdition in you ; though, I know, to divide him inventorially would dizzy the arithmetic of memory, and wit but ' Yaw Mynheer ' in respect of his quick sail. Horatio. This lapwing runs away with the shell on his head. Hamlet. He did comply with his dug, before he sucked it. r. a. 193-196. In the first Folio this problematical verb- ' comply ' is printed ' Compbe,' that is with a capital initial, and we learn from the, Cambridge notes that the second Quarto begins thus HAMLET. 237 — ' A did sir with,' and the other fout Quartos read ' A did so sir with ' leaving out the word entirely. A Quarto (of 1676), and Theobald both read 'He did so,' sir, with' ; and Eowe reads ' He did so with ' ; Hanmer reads ' He did complement with ' ; and Warburton 'He did compliment with ' — words of very different significations, though differing so slightly in spelling. There is no connection whatever with the verb to ' comply ' and if there had been so the proper form would have been ' he complied,' which still would have had no meaning in the case. Osric's whole deportment was ' that of a ceremonious courtier, and his talk is a mass of affectation. Hamlet ridicules this t"horough]y, and pictures him as practising the same in his infancy. Comply is used only three times in Shakespeare — twice in ' Hamlet,' and once in ' Othello ' ; this instance with a capital indicates a noun. The proper word should be compline, the very last act of devotion when the , religious service of the day was ended. In Jeremy Taylor's ' Holy Living,' chapter II., and section VI., of ' Contented- ness,' and paragraph ' Death unreasonable ' we have the following — "And if a man were but of a day's life, it is well if he lasts till evensong, and then says his compline an hour before the time". A further illustration of this may be given from Slawkenbergius' ' Tale in Tristram Shandy ' — " The compline bells were just ringing to call the Strasburghers to their devotions, and shut up the duties of the day in prayer"; and acain, " The compline bells were tinkling aU the time ". But Osric was so ceremonious that — He did compline with his dug, hefore he sucked it. 238 HAMLET. Thus has he — and many more of the same bevy that I know the drossy age dotes on — only got the tune of the time and outward habit of encounter ; a kind of yesty collection, which carries them through and through the most fond and "winnowed opinions ; and do but blow them to their trial, the bubbles are out. V. a. 195-202. The Globe edition prefixes the obelus to the word ' fond, ' and the reader must be aware that this passage is a continua- tion of Hamlet's opinion of Osric abeady commented on. The Cambridge editors make up their text partly from the Quarto and partly from the Folio readings. The ' fond and winnowed ' of the pass&ge is from the Folios, while the Quartos read ' prophane and trennowed,' ' prophane and trennowned,' 'profane and trennowned,' and' a Quarto (of 1676) reads 'prophane and renowned '. I have no doubt that these several lections of Quarto and Folio had each an independent origin, at the same time there are errors in both. At first sight trennowed and winnowed would seem to be identical, but the variation trennowned disabuses one of that idea. This is now a misprint for renowned, but what shall be made of the other member of the clause, prophane ? This looks like a misprint for proven, and ' proven and renowned ' opinions one cannot gainsay. But the author now seems to have changed his mind, and we have now ' fond and winnowed '. The Cambridge notes intimate that Hanmer adopted 'fann'd and winnowed' (by Warburton). Johnson conjee, tured ' sane and renowned '. A reading by Jennens is ' profane and ifres-renowned '. Mason's conjecture is ' sound and winnowed ' ; Nicholson presents two, ' fond and vinewed,' or ' fond and fennowed '. My own opinion as noticed by the Cambridge editors is 'proven and renowned'. Another conjecture furnished to the editors but withheld as bavin" been forestalled by Mason in the last century, and I merely conclude with what I wrote before the Cambridge Vol. VIII. E AM LET. 239 appeared — I leave the matter with my readers to decide for themselves — Quarto reading ' proven and renowned ' ; Polio reading, ' sound and winnowed '. P. S. Bailey's conjecture is ' profound and renowned '. Boratio. You will lose this wager, my lord. Samlet. I do not think so : since he went into France, I have heen in continual practice ; I shall win at the odds. But thou wouldst not think how ill all's here about my heart : hut it is no matter. Soratio. Nay, good my lord — Hamlet. It is hut foolery ; hut it is such a kind of gain-giving, as would perhaps trouble a woman. r. u. 219-226. It is the word gain-giving that will take up our attention. The Cambridge notes give several readings from the texts and two others. For the ' gain-giving ' of the Folios, two of the Quartos read gam-giving, and the later three read ' game- giuing,' while one (of 1676) gives boding. Pope ia his second edition adopted misgiving ; and Capell ' 'gaingiving '. My own impression is that the proper word should be imagining, which is only used twice elsewhere in Shake- speare, and in both cases connected- with dread. In the 'Midsummer Mght's Dream,' V. i. 21, we have — ' Or in the •night imagining some fear, how easy is a. bush supposed a bear 1 ' and in ' Macbeth,' /. Hi. 137 — ' Present fears are worse than horrible imaginings '. There was something painful brooding over Haralet's mind, though he affects to make light of it, and brushes it away contemptuously — ' But it is such a kind of imagining as would perhaps trouble a woman '. Hamlet. I'll play this bout first ; set it by awhile. Come. Another hit ; what say you ? Laertes. A touch, a touch, I do confess. King, Our son shaU win. 240 HAMLET. Queen. He's fat, and scant of breath. Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows : The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet. r. U. 294:300. The only conjectures in the Camhridge notes hearing on the first line, of the queen's speech, are faint by Wyeth, and hot by Brady. The former is plausible, but the most probable readiug for ' fat ' is fey, signifying possessed, under some fatal influence, and which the eye of the mother could at once detect. The idea that Hamlet, the young man, the avenger of his father's murder could have grown fat, is con- trary to all likelihood ; and though ' fey ' does not occur in Shakespeare, it was jtrobably picked up in Scotland, and misprinted fat. KING LEAE. 4 Lear. What says our second daughter, Our dearest Regan, wife to Cornwall ? Speak. Regan. I am made of the self metal that my sister is, And prize me at her worth. In my true heart I find she names my very deed of love ; Only she comes too short ; that I profess Myself an enemy to all other joys, Which the most precious square of sense possesses ; And find I am alone felicitate In your dear highness' love. ■ I. i. 68-78. The last word of the second line from the end, ' possesses,' is from the Quarto texts, while the Polios all read professes, a very different expression. The Camhridge notes in addition present a few readings and a conjecture on the phrase ' precious square of sense ' of the same line, as follows — For ' precious square ' Hanmer reads ' precious spirit ' ; Singer in his second edition reads ' spacioiLS sphere ' ; Mr. CoUier fronj. the old MS. reads ' precious sphere ' ; Mr. Keightley adopted a conjecture of Mr. Grant White's, afterwards withdrawn, of ' spacious square '. It is noticeahle that of these four editors, two reject ' precious ' for spacious, that three reject ' square ' for spirit and sphere, while the one who retains * square ' rejects ' precious '. My own opinion is that the three words ' square of sense ' are wrong, and one alone is required to supply the want. This is a word of three syUahles, and twice in Shakespeare. In ' As You Like It,' ///. ii. 147— Will I Rosalinda write. Teaching all that read to know The quintessence of every sprite Heaven would in little show. 16 242 KING LEAR. la ' Hamlet,' //. u. 320— And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust ? man delights not me ; no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say ■so. In the passage we have Regan professing herself— an enemy to all other joys, Which the most precious quintessence possesses ; And find I am alone felicitate In your dear highness' love. Quintessence is a relic of the Rosicrucians and Alchemists, and much of their jargon survives amon'gst apothecaries ; it was a favourite expression with our old authors in treating of things above all earthly qualities. It is usually pronounced with the first syllable accented ; Milton departs from this in relating the creation of light — And forthwith light ' , Ethereal, first of things, quintessence pure Sprang from the deep. Kent. Good king, that must approve the common saw, Thou out of heaven's benediction comest To the warm sun ! Approach, thou beacon to -this under globe,, That by thy comfortable beams I may Peruse this letter ! Nothing almost sees miracles But misery : I know 'tis from Cordelia, Who hath most fortunately been inform'd Of my obscured course ; and shall find time from this enormous state, seeking to give Losses their remedies. All weai-y and o'envatch'd. Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold This shameful lodging. Fortune, good night : smile once more ; turn thy wheel \ II. ii. 167-180. The Globe edition prefixes the obelus to the fifth line from the end, and the Cambridge editors furnish fifteen notes KING LEAR. 243 with numerous readings and conjectures on these fourteen lines, and also a special note occupying a whole page in connection with the obelised line referred to. It must be borne in mind that this speech is a soliloquy. Kent has been set in the stocks, has been moralising, and is ready to 'sleep. The obelus refers chiefly to the clause 'From this enormous state,' but the only conjectures on this parti- cular line is one by Johnson who proposes state-seeking, and oije by Jackson who proposes states sinking ; — the word ' enormous ' not once touched upon. It is that word -which always puzzled me. It is the only example of it in Shake- speare, and so also is enormity, this latter in 'Coriolanus'. A difference has existed on the reading of the first four words of the clause 'and shall find time,' whether these are applic- able to Kent or Cordelia — Mr. Daniel reading 'shell find time for,' and Mr. Staunton ' she'll find time from '. The proper word for enormous is a -eoLaage for the nonce which is no where else in English literature : as many of Shakespeare's coinages are in the same predicament. The root of the word is dormouse, and converted to a verb endormoused, the word itself being only in Shakespeare— ' Twelfth Night,' III. ii. 19-22— Pabian. She did show favour to the youth in your sight only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour, to put fire in your heart, and brimstone in your liver. , Kent considers his condition at the time as being in an endormoused state, and the portion of th« passage would read thus — I know 'tis from Cordejia, Who hath most fortunately been inform'd Of my obscured course ; and shall find time From tHis endor-moused state, seeking to give Losses their remedies. 244 KING LEAK. Lear. me, my heart, my rising heart ! but down ! Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels when she put 'em i' the paste alive ; she knapped 'em n' the coxcombs with a stick, and cried ' Down, wantons, down ! ' 'Twas her brother that, in pure kindness to his horse, buttered his hay. //. iv. 122.7. It is possible there may be an allusion to a real occurrence, but the memory of it would appear to have grown dim when the second Folio within nine years of the first altered the • she ' of the first clause to the masculine, but in the second and third instances made no changes, while the other two Pplios made all the pronouns of the masculine gender. It is true that the later Folios are of no special authority, neither is the question of sex in the appellation ' cockney ' of any consequence. Nevertheless,- a doubt arises in the view of a female being the real personage, if cockney be the word the author intended. The only conjecture in the Cambridge notes is that of Dr. Badham who proposes to read cooTc-maid, but from the read- ing of cokney and coknay in different copies of a Quarto, I am inclined to think that the French coquine, signifying jade, dut or hussy, is the more correct word. The idea of putting Hve eels into paste is more consonant with the character of a mischievous person, than of one bearing the designation of cockney i The genuine Cockney is held to be ignorant of . country matters, and in so far is a simpleton, but in cookery, and a relish for the table, he or she is an adept. The other instance of cockney in ' Twelfth Night,' IV. i. 15, has been already noticed and commented Albany. See thyself, devil ! Proper deformity seems not in the fiend So horrid as in woman. Qmieril. xsxa. fool ! KING LEAR. 245 Albany. Thou changed and self-oover'd thing, for shame, Be-monster not thy feature. IV. a. 62. Tor the expression ' self-cover'd ' the Camhridge notes present the following conjectures, and a reading by Theobald. This latter is ' seli-converted '. Becket's conjecture is ' self- convict ' ; CoUier's is ' s.^i-gmerrH d ' ; and Cartwright's is ' seili-discover'd '. In Keu of these I would propose ' self- cower^ ' / being a term in the marriage law of England, and taken from the old Norman French, as baron-covert, and f emme-covert ; but in this case the character of GoneriL warranted her husband to apply to her self-covert, as being the most appropriate. Kent. 0, then it moyed her. Gentleman. Not to a rage : patience and sorrow Strove Who should express her goodliest. You have seen Sunshine and rain at once : her smiles and tears "Were like a better way : those happy smilets That play'd on her ripe lip seem'd not to know What guests were in her eyes ; which parted thence As pearls from diamonds dropp'd. In brief, SoiTow would be a rarity most beloved. If all could so become it. IT. in. 17-26. The Globe edition prefixes the obelus to the first half of the fifth line, and the Cambridge, notes present the following readings and emendations ; at the same time I may intimate that the whole of the scene, amounting to fifty-five lines, is omitted in the Folios. a better way,— Q. 1-, Q- 3. a better way— 6. 2. a wetter 'Hl&j—Theoluld ( Warlnirtm). an April &&y—Seath conj. a better iay—Steevem. a better May -.—Malone. 246 KING LEAR. a cheqiier'd day — Dodd conj. the "better day — Becket conj. "Were like ; a better way — Singer (Boaden conj. J. a titter May — Lloyd conj. Were like 'em ;— a "better way — KeigMley. For ' like ' at the beginning of the line we leam that Jackson proposed linlc'd which with little hesitation I adopt, and to the other portion I adhibit a conjecture of my own. You have seen Sunshine and rain at once : her smiles and tears Were link'd in iright ar^ay. OTHELLO. logo. And, in conclusion, Nonsuits my mediators : for ' Certes,' says he, ' I have already chose my officer '. And what was he ? Forsooth, a great arithmetician. One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife : That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster : unless the hookish theoric, Whereiii the toged consuls can propose As masterly as he : mere prattle, without practice, Is all his soldiership. /. i. 15-27. The middle line of the passage is marked in the Globe with the obelus, and the Cambridge notes furnish a number of con- jectures on different portions of the line, and one on the preceding. For ' a fair wife,' Toilet suggests ' a false wife ' ; Jackson ' a /raj'Z wife ' ; Staunton ' z, fair-wife' ; Cartwiight ' otherwise ' ; an anonymous conjecture is ' wife affairs ' ; Hanmer adopts 'a iair phyz'; Capell 'a fair /ace'; Keightley ' a fair Z^/e,' from a conjecture byTyrwhitt; 'a fair guise,' a, conjecture by Petrie ; ' in a fair-wise,' by Grant White from a conjecture by Becket ; a conjecture in ' Notes and Queries would make it ' a fair strife '. The conjecture connected with the preceding line is one by Theobald of a general cast ' the Florentine's A fellow '. Warburton's is somewhat synonymous, reading 'a Floren- tine's, &c. ' ; and Jennens adopts one more general still, .' A fellow's almost damn'd in a fair wife'. A conjecture by Ma^inh for the ' damn'd in ' would read ' trimm'd a^ '. My 248 OTHELLO. own conjecture at the time, and inserted in the Cambridge notes is warfare life. My impression is that the line is a concentrated essence of lago's opinion of Cassio's soldiership. It is, as it were, spoken by the bye, and amplified in the speech, and the reading I propose — Forsooth, a great arithmetician, One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn'd in warfare life : That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster : lago, like other dashing paladins looked with contempt on pen and ink strategists, and in his estimation such could be no soldier, and knew little of a life of warfare. ' "Warfare ' does not occur in Shakespeare, though it does in our English Bible, which belongs to the same age. logo. But, I pray yon, sir. Are you fast manied ? Be assured of this, That the magnifioo is mnoh beloved, And hath in his etfect a voice potential As double as the duke's : he will divorce you ; Or put upon you what restraint and grievance The law, with all his might to force it on. Will give him cable. I. a. lo-ir. The word ' double ' in the fifth line is what I .object to, and the only conjecture in the Cambridge notes is that of Cartwright who proposes eapalle, a possible meaning but not a true reading for a misprint. There are about a hundred instances of double and the deri- vatives from it in Shakespeare, but with this single exception they are all quite intelligible. It is evident that lago is complimenting the father of Desdemona for his power and OTHELLO. 249 influence in tte senate, but lie could not have chosen a worse expression for his purpose. There are many instances of double power, double vigour, double strength, and double means, but no instance of doithle standing alone, but in a disparaging sense when applied to another. The word I propose is not in Shakespeare, though a kindred one is, and that only once. The word proposed is induhitahle, the kindred word induhitate. This latter i« in ' Love's Labour's Lost,' IV. i. 65, when Don Armado, writing to Jaquenetta, illustrates his passion" by (the example of King Cophetua who ' set eye upon the pernicious aad induhitate beggar Zenelophon ' — the undoubted beggar maid whom the ballad says he fell in love with. Be assured of this, That the magnifico is much beloved, And hath in his effect a voice potenlaal, IndubitaMe -as the duke's : logo. Do not rise yet. Witness, you ever-burning lights above, Yoii' elements that clip us round about, "Witness that here lago doth give up The execution of his wit, hands, heart, To wrong'd Othello's service ! Let him command, And to obey shall be in me remorse, "What bloody business ever. 2IL Hi. 462-9. The character of lago for cool villany being so well established, one is nafurally inclined to think that the lan- guage of the last sentence is inconsistent with what he is led to expect. This arises from a want of knowledge in the meaning our forefathers attachied to "the word remorse, con- trasted with modem usage. But even those who ought to have known better are at fault, for the whole drift of their attempts at emendation have been in the direction to negative 250 OTHELLO. what appears to be a' positive assertion. For instance, we learn from the Cambridge notes that Pope alters the first half of the seventh line thus — ' Not to obey ' ; Theobald adopted ' Nor, to obey ' ; Jennens in his edition of the play gives ' And not to obey ' ; Far;ner proposes ' An' to obey,' equivalent io if called to obey. Proceeding in the same strain, Capell adopts a reading of "Upton's for the latter half of the line, 'shall be in me no remorse ' ; an anonymous conjecture is ' bur'y my remorse,' or ' breed me remorse ' ; another from an early MS. of the 17th century is ' without remorse ' ; "Warburton's is — ' And to obey shall be in me. Semord What bloody business ever. For the last two words of the passage the Quartos read worJce so ever, which Mr. Collier adopts thus — work soe'er. On the principle that ' remorse ' was used in the sense of pity, of which numerous examples are in Shakespeare, my opinion is that me is a, misprint for mere the final letters of which are the same as the initials of remorse, and are hardly distinguishable when sounded together, and that the last word of the passage instead of ever should be the verb severs, coming under the same rule as the former instance, when pronounced with business; I would therefore read the closing lines thus — Let him command. And to obey shall be in inere remorse • What bloody business severs. That is the ordinary pity experienced at the separation of soul and body in others. Othello. Had it pleased heaven To try me with affliction ; had they rain'd All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head, Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips, Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes, OTHELLO. 251 I should have found in some place of my soul A drop of patience : hut, alas, to make me A fixed figure for the time of scorn To point his slow unmoving finger at ! Yet could I hear that too ; well, very well : IV. a. 47-56. The third line from the end is marked in the Globe edition ■with the obelus, and the Cambridge editors besides giving a number of readings and conjectures on the first seven liaes of the passage, devote nearly forty lines of a special note to the eighth and ninth lines, mentioned as being marked with the obelus, which I .shall summarise in as brief a manner as possible. There are ten different modes of reading these two lines, and divided amongst the several clauses ; such as ' A fixed figure,' ' time of scorn,' and ' slow unmoving finger '. Two readings change the indefinite article into the definite The. Two readings also add a comma after figure. The time of scorn has been made ' the hand of §corn,' 'the type of scorn,' ' the scorn of time,' ' in scorn, for time,' ' the time, for scorn,' and ' the time in scorn '. The last clause has been treated as ' his slow, and moving,' ' his slow and moving,' ' his slow- unmoving,' ' his low unmoving,' ' his cold unmoving,' and 'his sly and mocking'. It will be noticed that the conjunc- tion and, and the privative un fill up the room of each other, but with what difierent results —wionmg' and unmoving. The reading of the first Quarto is the one that has ' fingers ' for ' finder '. The three Quartos all read ' slow unmoving,' while the Polios read ' slow, and moving ', The only alteration in fixed is that of Jackson who was a printer, and prints ' fix'd ' a most unnecessary alteration, as it spoils the rhythm; and he also is the one who gives ' the type of scorn '. The Cam- brido-e editors in their preface to the first volume, say, " his judgment on the comparative likelihood of this and that 252 OTHELLO. typographical error is worthy of all consideration. But he sometimes wanders ultra crepidam'' My own emendations at the time, and entered in. the special note, are directed towards time and slow, hoth of which I considered irrelevant, and are as follows — A fixed figure for the rhymer's scorn, To point his/oiiZ UHmoving finger at. Othello would seem to have had in view the scurrilous writer of pithy lampoons, one of those vile scof&ng wits who ridiculed misfortune, and enjoyed the degradation of others. The sufferer in his agony could bear the iUs that an inscrutable providence could bring upon him, but to be the object of the ribald's jest was intolerable. Ehyme and Ehymers are in the Folio frequently spelled Eime and Eimers. Helena in • All's Well,' talks of being ' traduced by ballads ' ; Falstaff threatens to ' have ballads made and sung to filthy tunes ' ; Cleopatra predicts that ^ scald rhyimers will ballad us out of tune '. ANTONY AND CLEOPATEA, Alexas. ' Good friend,' quoth he, ' Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends This treasure of an oyster ; at whose foot. To mend the petty present, I will piece Her opulent throne with kingdoms ; all the east. Say thou, shall call her mistress.* So he nodded, And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed, Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke "Was beastly dumb'd by him. I. V. 43-51. The third line from the end is marked in the Glohe edition with the obelus ; and referring solely to the expression arm- gaunt, concerning which the Cambridge notes furnish several readings and conjectures. The Folios all spell thus — ' an Arme-gaunt ' ; Hanmer adopts ' an arm-girt ' ; Steevens' edition, 1793, adopts a conjecture of Mason — ' a termagant '. Becket conjectures ' an arm-gaud,' or ' an arm-vaunt ' ; Jackson conjectures • a war-gaunt ' ; Singer adopts a conjec- ture of Boaden's ' an arrogant ' ; and Lettsom in ' Notes and' Queries ' proposes ' a rampaunt,' or ' a ramping '. My impression is that the word is a misprint for ' mer- chant,' or as it is sometimes spelled ' marchant ' in early literature, and refers to a sumpter mule or other steed for baggage, &c. The term sumpter is only once used in Shakespeare — ' King Lear,' //. iv. 219 when Lear retorts to Regan concerning GonerU — Return with her ? Persuade me rather to he slave and sumpter To this detested groom. It will be observed that the speaker was only a higher sort of menial, and like others of his class uses a euphemistic 254 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. term for an ordinary one. In Ms eyes it might be unbecom- ing for the great Mark Antony to take any other than his fully capaiisoned war-horse. So he nodded, And soberly did mount a merchant-steed, Who neigh'd so high, that what I would 'have spoke "Was beastly dumb'd by him. Antony. Say to me. Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Csesar's or mine ? Soothsayer. Cassar's. Therefore, Antony, stay not by his side : Thy demon, that thy spirit which keeps thee, is Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable. Where Caesar's is not ; but, neai- him, thy angel Becomes a fear, as being o'erpower'd : therefore Make space enough between you. Antony. Speak this no more. II. Hi. 15-28. The two editions of Shakespeare on which I have based the selected passages for the purpose of this volume — the nine volume one commonly called the Cambridge Shakespeare, and the Globe Edition, both by the same editors — differ slightly in a few cases, and the.present passage is an instance in point, and in which my intention is to depart in one read- ing from both. The preface to the Globe explams the matter concisely in the third paragraph, and will be of Interest to those who notice any discrepancy. The clause in the third line of the Soothsayer's speech ' that thy spirit which keeps thee,' is in the Globe ' that's thy spirit,' being the reading of Folios 2, 3, and 4, while the other is from PoHo 1. Tliat's thy spirit, is on the principle that Antony required to have explained to him what the well-known Socratic term demon was. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 255 The proper reading for this short clause is ' tliat shy spirit,' explaining the one defect in the character of Antony ■when contrasted with that of his rival. Shy, though a common Enghsh word, occurs only twice in Shakespeare, and these in ' Measure for Measure,' which along with the •present play was printed for the first time in the Folio of 1623. The frequency and infrequency of certain words would he a curious suhject for investigation in the several dramas, and might possibly lead to results we are not aware of. I may just add, that demon, spirit, angel ani fear, are all of a class, but having different attributes, and ruled by cir- cumstances which may be avoided according to the doctrine of the Soothsayer. Therefore, Antony, stay not by his side : Thy demon, that shy spirit which keeps thee, is Nohle, conrageoiis, high, unmatchaMe, Where Csesar's is not ; hut, near him, thy angel Becomes a fear, as heing o'erpower'd : therefore Make space enough hetw^en you. Antony. Speak this no more. Cleopatra. 0, that his fault should make a knave of thee. That art not what thou'it sure of ! Get thee hence : The merchandise which thou has brought from Eome Are all too dear for me : lie they upon thy hand, And be undone by 'em. IL V. 102-106. The first clause of the second line seems somewhat misty, and there is no doubt that Cleopatra speaks unreasonably. The messenger had delivered tidings for which he was not responsible, and it was no fault of his that they were true, and also unwelcome. Cleopatra calls him a knave for his pains, but how she could infer ' thou art not what thou'rt sure of ' is the problem. •256 ANTONY AND OLEOPATRA. That critics are not satisfied with the language is apparent, the Cambridge notes having furnished ten emendations chiefly in the way of altering the punctuation, in three instances of altering ' art ' to a verb of a different cast, and two instances of using an assertion for the negative. I shall put these in tabular form — That art not what th'art sure of — F. 1. thou art sure of — F. 2. That say'st but what thou'rt sure of — Sanmer. That art — not what ? — Thou'rt sure on't — Johnson conj. That art not what thou'rt sore of — Malone conj. That art not ! — What thou'rt sure oft ! — Steevens {Mason). That thwart not oi—Becket conj. That art not ! What ! thou'rt sure of — Singer, ed. 1. That art not ! What ? thou'rt sure of ! — Collier, ed. 1. Thou art not ? What ? Thou'rt sure oft— Mitford conj. That art hut what thou'rt sure of — Grant White. That wot not what thou'rt sure of — Jervis conj. The simplest form of emendation treats ' art ' as a noun, referring to the occupation of the messenger as a dealer in disagreeable news, alluded to- in the next line as ' merchan- dise,' and is also declared ' too dear,' and a wish that the commodity may lie on hand, and him ruined by the venture. That art's not what thou'rt sure of ! Get thee hence The merchandise which thou hast brought from Rome Ave all too dear for me : lie they upon thy hand, And be undone by 'em. Fnobarizis. Would you praise Caesar, say 'Caesar' ; go no further. Agrippa. Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises. Fno. But he loves Caesar best ; yet he loves Antony : Ho ! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets, cannot Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number — ho 1 His love to Antony. But as for Caesar, Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder. ///. w. 13-19. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 257 The fourth and fifth lines are a specimen of poetical com- position in vogue at the time of Elizabeth, and in a portion of sonnet XCVIII another example will be found which will be made more apparent when we come to treat of a misprint which obscures the proper presentation of it. A noted example of the conceit occurs in Sir PhUip Sidney's ' Arcadia,' extending over fourteen lines : Third Book, page 381, ed. 1633. The peculiarity of this measure is that the nouns of one line should correspond with the verbs of the following line, and in some examples go even farther. Suffice it to say that the six nouns of the first line should match with the six verbs of the second line, but in this passage the sixth noun ' poets ' does not harmonise with the sixth verb ' number '. To construe the passage properly we must say, hearts cannot think, tongues cannot speak, figures cannot cast, scribes cannot write, bards cannot sing, and poets cannot number his love to Antony. There are two reasons for renoimcing the reading of the sixth pair, as we have an analogous instance in the third pair, figures cannot cast, that is sum up ; while it is not the province of the poet to number although he makes numbers or lines in due proportions. Hence Johnson very properly suspects a corruption in this particular verb, and Hanmer omits ' number.' and reading as one line from Think to Antony. In my- opinion the proper verb ' is thunder ; in the parti- cular use of this we have elsewhere in Shakespeare : ' Groans that thunder love'; 'If Talbot do but thunder, rain will follow ' ; ' That roars so loud and thunders in the index '. The emendation is more apparent when we conceive it was intended to rhyme with' wonder in the last line — Ho ! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets, cannot Think, speak, east, write, sing, thunder— ho ! His love to Antony. But as for Csesar, Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder. 17 258 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. Cleopatra. • Celerity is never more admired Than by the negligent. Antony. A good rebuke, Which might have well becomed the best of men, To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we Will fight with him by sea. ///. vii. 25-29. The only thing amiss here is the want of a syllable in the last line but one. To remedy this, Hanmer reads ' Come Canidius '. Capell reads ' My Canidius '. Seymour reads the name as of four syllables, thus — We, Canidius, will fight with him by sea. All this may be obviated by adding an s to the original which is spelt ' slacknesse,' making it slacknesses — A good rebuke. Which might have well becomed the best of men To taunt at slacknesses. Canidius, we WiU fight with them by sea. These matters may be held as trifles or finical niceties, still they are needful. Cleopatra. Is Antony or we in fault for this ? JEndbarhus. Antony only, tljat would make his will Lord of his reason. What though you fled From that great face of war, whose several ranges Frighted each other ? why should he follow ? The itch of his afifection should not then Have nick'd his captainship ; at sucK a point, When half to half the world opposed, he being . The mered question : 'twas a shame no less Than was his loss, to course your flying flags. And leave his navy gazing. Cleo. Prithee, peace. III. xiii. 3-12. The word ' mered ' in the third line from the end, is marked in the Globe with the obelus, and the Cambridge ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 259 notes have four conjectures besides the reading of the Folios. Where the reading of mered comes from I know not, in the Folios it is spelled meered ; Eowe reads meer ; Johnson's conjecture is mooted ; Jackson's meted ; and Mitford's admired. My own conjecture, now fourteen years ago, was empery, which occurs ia Shakespeare six times, and three of these in ' Titus Andronicus ' alone. In the Polio it is sometimes spelled emj)erie, the meaning, however, is simply empire or sovereignty. This, Antony lost at the naval battle of Actium, and the empire was secured by Octavius his great rival. The itch, of his affection should not then Have nick'd his captainship ; at such a point, When half to half the world opposed, he being The empery q^uestion : Thyreus. -Shall I say to Csesar What you require of him ? for he partly begs. To 'be desired to give. It much would please him, That of his fortunes you should make a staff To lean upon : but it would warm his spirits, To hear from me you had left Antony, And put yourself under his shrowd. The universal landlord. III. xiii. 65-72. The Globe edition has the obelus prefixed to the last line but one. Yet the Cambridge notes take little notice farther than giviag two emendations in lengthening the line to bring it up to the standard mark of five poetical feet. These readings are 'the great' by Hanmer; and 'who is' by Collier from the Collier MS. My impression is that the word ' shrowd,' whatever it may mean, is not the right word for the purpose. The word so spelled is also that of the Globe, and of the Folio, while in 260 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. the Concordance of Mrs. Cowden Clarke it is universally spelled shroud referring to passages, sometimes as' a noun, and as often a verb ; and in nearly every instance in connec- tion witli the dead. The word I propose is stewardship, which fills up the vacuum in the line and refers to the universal landlord, which Caesar had now become. It mxich would please him, That of his fortunes you should make a staff To lean upon : but it would warm his spirits To hear from me you had left Antony, And put yourself under his stewardship — The universal landlord. Antony. sun, thy uprise shall I see no more : Fortune and Antony part here, even here Do we shake hands. All come to this ? The hearts That spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets On blossoming Ciesar ; and this pine is bark'd, • That o'ertopped them all. Betray'd I am. this false soul of Egypt 1 this grave charm, — "Whose eye beck'd forth my wars, and call'd them home ; Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end, — Like a right gipsy, liath, at fast and loose, Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss. What, Eros, Eros ! IV. mi. 18-30. It is to the sixth line from the end our attention will be turned, ' this false soul of Egypt ! this grave charm '. In the Cambridge notes we learn that for ' soul ' Capell reads soil ; and Singer in his second edition adopts from the Collier MS. spell ; while Mr. Sidney Walker proposed snalce. Again, for ' grave ' Pope reads gay ; Collier adopted great, from the old MS. ; and Singer in his second edition, grand. There are other emendations in the passage, from the oS'otes ; ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 261 which are of no importance except a duplicate one by Keightley, which I shall notice immediately. Before the appearance of the Cambridge ninth volume, I had proposed in my Shakespearian paper, 'E6. XVII., the following reading in this special line — O this false /otoZ of Egypt ! haggard charmer, and in 1866 I learned that Mr. Keightley had adopted ' charmer ' as his reading for the ' charm ' of lines 1 6 and 25, the latter being the one I had previously proposed. The reason for adopting these was the opinion that the closing lines of the passage referred to hawking, so much followed after in the Elizabethan era. The last clause will therefore read thus — this false fowl of Egypt ! haggard charmer, Whose eye beck'd forth my wars and call'd them home, Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end, Like a right gipsy hath at fast and loose Beguiled me to the very heart of loss. Ccesar. What is't thou say'st ? Descartes. I say, Caesar, Antony' is dead. Ccesar. The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack : the round world Should have shook lions into civil streets. And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony Is not a single doom ; in the name lay A moiety of the world. r. i. 12-19. The Globe edition has the obelus prefixed to the latter clause of the fourth 'line, 'the round world,' for the line is short by three syllables. To remedy this, the Cambridge notes furnish the following conjectures, quoting in addition the preceding word ' crack ' thus — ' crack than this : the ruin'd world,' by Bteevens ; ' crack : the round world convul- sive ' by Singer ; ' crack : the round world in rending,' by Nicholson;- 'crack in the round world,' by P. A. Daniel. 262 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. Hanmer reads 'crack in nature:' ; Johnson is of opinion that after ' shook ' of the fifth line a line has heen lost. Malbne conjectures after '-shook ; Thrown hungry lions,' or ' shook ; Lions have hurtled,' ending the fourth line with shook. • My own opinion is that ' round ' should be rebounding ; the reading being ' and the rebounding world '. The first clause of Caesar's speech reading thus — The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack : and the rebounding world Should have shook lions into civil streets, And citizens to their dens. Cleopatra. I dream'd there was an Emperor Antony : 0, such another sleep, that I might see But such another man ! His face was as the heavens ; and therein stuck A sun and moon, which kept the course and lighted The little 0, the earth.- His legs bestrid the ocean : his rear'd arm Crested the world : his voice was propertied As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends ; But when he meant to quail and shake the orb He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty, There was no winter in't ; An Anthony it was That grew the more by reaping : V. ii. 76-88. In the last clause of this passage the word Anthony occurs, instead of the ' autumn ' in the Cambridge and Globe texts. The reading of all the Folios is exactly as I have given it, 'An Anthony it was,' while the discarded reading 'an autumn 'twas,' is a conjecture of Theobald and Thirlby, adopted by Theobald, and I suppose universally retained ever since by others. It is a curious circumstance that in the Folio the name of the great Eoman is always printed ' Antony ' in the ' Julius Caesar ' of 1623, whOe in the present tragedy of the ANTONY AND GLEOPATRA. 263 same date it is printed ' Anthony ' ; in the passage before us it is likewise in italics. My reading for the passage is the following — For his bounty, There was no winter in't ; an entity it was That grew the more by reaping. It is the bounty of Antony which is the subject of eulogy ; this bounty could not be Antony himself, neither could it be an autumn. This latter being only a portion of time, and is succeeded by a winter, as also preceded by a spring and summer. The mention of winter at the beginning of the line must have induced Theobald to adopt autumn, especially when connected with reaping ; but it would appear to have been a constant reaping. Entity is not found in Shakespeare, but its corresponding term quiddit and quiddity are both there. If Shakespeare knew the one he must have known the other. Cleopatra. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought For things-that others do ; and, when we fall, We answer others' merits in our name, Are therefore to be pitied. V. a. 175. The only difference between the Cambridge text and that of the Globe edition, is that the latter punctuates the first clause of the second line with a colon instead' of the comma of the former, but a defect occuj-s nevertheless. The question is what is the nominative to the ' Are ' at the beginning of the fourth line. The Cambridge notes present seven read- ings, including one conjecture. I may mention that the text' of the last two lines is 'that of Malone, while the only difference between that and the Polios, is these omit the apostrophe in ' others',' which is now a plural possessive. 2R4 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. The other readings are of little merit, hut it may be as well to put them' in tabular form for the curiosity of the thing. answer others merits, in our names Are — Rowe. answer others' merits in our name ; Are — Johnson. answer others merits in our, mames; Are — Heath conj. ' pander others merits loith our names, And — Sanmer. answer. Others' merits, in our names Are — Warburton. The only emendation required is a comma after ' We,' and making the rest of the line adverbial by printing answer in a participial form ' answenwg' ' which does not in the least , disturb the rhythm. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought For things that others do ; and when we fall. We, answering others' merits in our name, Are therefore to be pitied. CYMBELINE. ENTBE TWO GENTLEMEN. 1. Gent. YOU do not meet a man but Frownen. Our bloods no more obey the Heauens Then our Courtiers : Still seeme, as lio's the Kings. 2. Gent. But what's the matter ? 1. His daughter, andthe heire ofs kingdome (whom He purposed to his wiues sole Sonne, a Widdow That late he married) hath referr'd herselfe Vnto a poore, but worthy Gentleman. She's wedded, Her Husband banish'd ; she imprison'd, all 111 outward sorrow, though I thinke the King Be touch'd at very heart. /. i. 1-12. I have copied this passage from the original Folio as nearly verbatim and literatim as in my power, partly to show the appearance of the original text, and partly because I differ from the Cambridge editors in some minor points of the first four lines which are compressed into three lines by the learned editors of the larger Cambridge and Globe editions : and certainly in the transcript before us there is enough to excite our wonder what they really mean. The views I set before my readers were given in 1867 shortly after the appearance of the ninth and last volume of the Cambridge text, and three years after the publication of the Globe. This will be seen from the quotations of the Cambridge notes embodied in my remarks. My object was, to ascertain if the passage could be com- pressed into the four lines of the original with such emen- dations and addition as were necessary. By counting the words in the original, and in the Cambridge text, I find the . 266 GYMBELINE. numbers exactly the same, while in the amended form I shall give, four additional words have been added ; whether these are necessary or no will depend upon the opinions of others when they have heard my reasons! In the first place, the use of initial capitals is generally indicative of nouns. I am aware that the Cambridge editors in their text have been as conservative as they possibly could ; their notes supplying the materials from which " the text has been constructed or may be emended ". Critics in general are pretty well satisfied as to the drift of the first speaker's words, though at first sight one is nearly as much puzzled as the second speaker who would appear to have comprehended them, but only wished to know what they referred to. It will be seen at a glance that none of these four lines is a perfect one. The Cambridge editors present ten notes," a few of which I shall notice in course. The first of these is, that for ' bloods ' Hanmer reads loolis, and Warburton brows. For ' the heavens ' Hanmer reads 'the heart ev'n,' and Wellesley conjectures 'the queen's'. For 'than our courtiers' Theobald conjectured ' theij are courtiers' (withdrawn). For 'courtiers' Coleridge conjectured countenances. While three Folios read 'Then' the fourth ' Than ' , and a Mr. Bright, of which name there are two correspondents in the preface to the Cambridge first volume, conjectures ' then : our courtiers '. For ' still ' Eowe reads but. And Keightley reads 'courtiers' faces still!' A conjecture by Mr. Sidney Walker inserts after courtiers ' Mirror their master's looks : their countenances Still seem'. And for this last phrase Mr. Staunton adopted ' Still seemers' — do the king's '. The reading I propose is as follows — First Gent. You do not meet a ' Tnanly hail ! ' but frowns. Our bloods no more obey the heaven's call Than do our courtiers ; they Still seem as does the king's — Second Gent. But what's the matter ? CYMBELINE. 267 To paraphrase the passage would be thus. One does not meet with a frank, manly salutation, but a look of surly- frowns ; and our temperaments no more obey the call of the heavens to be joyful than our courtiers give heed to such ; they only look to the king's countenance as an index to settle their own, and he is very angry. Another subject conneot'ed with this scene I must notice. The twp speakers are called simply Two Gentlemen : the object of their conversation is to prepare the reader or spec- tator to learn the state of matters at the court of Cymbeline in much the same way as the Greek Chorus to inform the audience of the pre-existing facts, and render what was to come, intelligible. In the scene before us this is accomplished by question and answer, and one of the speakers must have been as ignorant of matters as if he had come from another country. The facts related must have been known to the poorest peasant in the kingdom, for they concerned the relationship of the King's own family, and noticed incidents that had lately taken place and with which people's ears were still tingling, In the play we have two Italians, a Eoman general and captain, a Frenchman, a Dutchman and a Spaniard. Wliy not have named' the speakers a British Gentleman and a Foreigner? One answer is the imperfect state of the texts, and " the author did not live to oversee and prosequuie his own workes ". lacUmo. This matter of marrying Hs king's daughter, wherein he must be weighed rather by her value than his own, words him, I doubt not, a great deal from the matter. Frenchman. And then his banishment. lachimo. Ay, and the approbation of those that weep this lament- able divorce under her colours are wonderfully to extend him ; be it but to fortify her judgement, which else an easy battery might lay flat, for takin<^ a beggar without less quality. " I. iv. 12-20. 268 CYMBELINE. A misprint ia a prose passage is a more difficult matter to remedy than in a line of verse. Verse having a certain number of syllables and accents, offers facilities for discover- ing the erring portion which prose cannot present. In both cases, indeed, sense and nonsense is an important element, but in pro^e we are left alone to that guidance, and it is not easy to say what is in fault. This is specially the case when every word is spelled aright, or to all appearance nothing indicating a misprint, and yet we feel there is something wrong. The language of the speakers in this scene is of the- stiffest, and having a good deal of the crabbedness of Eliza- bethan prose, contrasting unfavourably with the ease and freedom of a later day, but at the same time exhibiting a nervous energy when the meaning is fully comprehended. The difficulty is not so much from uncommon words, as using plain words in an uncommon sense. With the exception of Philario, all the speakers are of a cynical cast, and echoing the sentiments of one bearing the designation of a Frenchman. I have said ' all the speakers,' but in reality the persons referred to are only two, for though to the dramatis personce are added a Dutchman and a Spaniard, these latter never utter a syllable throughout the whole dialogue, and may as well have been absent, as they are in fact omitted altogether by Eowe. Did the author by giving seven speeches to the Frenchman, and none at all to the Dutchman and Spaniard, thereby indicate the garrulity of the former, and the phlegm and gravity of the others ! . It may be so, but the question is more curious than profitable. It is to the last clause of the passage quoted I shall direct attention — ' taking a beggar wiliiout less quality '. Evidently there is something wrong, for these six words do not enforce the speaker's reasoning. The drift of his remarks have all along been depreciatory. It is the alliance CYMBELINE. 269 with Eoyalty that has made anything of Posthumus, and his wife's judgment is even called in question ; she has married a beggar, but the sentence closes with a palpable anti-climax. From the Cambridge notes we learn the following — " Eowe in his text adopts the reading ' without more quality,' an evident improvement, but not' the proper correction of the misprint ". In the Long MS. there is the reading ' of worthlpss quality '- The conjecture of Jackson is ' vriih doughttcss quality,' that of Grant White ' with less quality,' or ' without this quality'; and a conjecture of Mr. Lloyd is ' without other quality '. The idea throughout these is nearly the same, and tolerably correct, but with the exception of Mr. Grant White's second conjecture, they are unlikely corrections of a misprint, and it too refers to nothing either before or after. It is the word ' less ' or as it is printed in the Folio ' lesse,' that is alone in error. The proper word is self in combina- tion with the noun quality, thus making self-quality. There are nearly forty of these compounds in Shakespeare, and more than thirty of these are only found once, and with the exception of self-same the others do not occur more than two or three times each. In the language of the speaker, Posthumus is characterised •as ' a beggar without self-quality ' — a person without patri- mony or natural endowments, or in the contemptuous dialect of modern days, one without means or ability. I may just add that the expression 'to extend him' is equivalent to magnify or make much of the individual.- The approbation of those that weep this lamentable divorce under her colours are wonderfully to extend him ; be it but to fortify her judgement, which else an easy battery might lay flat, for taking a beggar without self-quality. 270 GYMBELINE. lachimo. Thanks, fairest lady. What, are men mad ? Hath nature given them eyes To see this vaulted arch, and the rich crop Of sea and laud, which can distinguish 'twixt The fiery orbs above and the twinn'd stones Upon the number'd beach, and can we not Partition make with spectacles so precious 'Twixt fair and foul ? /. vi. 31-38.' The word ' twinn'd ' in the fifth line, and ' number'd ' in the sixth line will take up our attention. For the former of these the Cambridge notes present the following conjectures and a reading by Haiimer. This last is twin, a curtailed form of ' twinned ' ; Johnson conjectures twin'd that is twined, a very different word ; Heath's conjecture is spurn'd ; and Cole- ridge conjectures grimed. My own conjecture whiten'd ; in Shakespeare is expressed by ' bleach'd ' and ' blanch'd '. In our English Bible it appears as wMted as in the expression ' whited sepulchres '. It is a curious circumstance that such verbs as whiten, blacken, and redden, with their correspond- ing participles do not occur in Shakespeare, though crimsoned, purpled, and umbered, appear, but only one example, of each. ' Yellowed ' is in the ninth line of the seventeenth sonnet. We have ' purple-hued ' also, a solitary instance. The very unoommonness of these may have been the reason why whitened and umbered, may have been misprinted twinn'd and number'd as they are in our passage. Umber'd is a conjecture of Dr. Farmer's, and the Cambridge notes in addition present ' tK unnumher'd ' by Theobald ; ' the humbVd ' by "Warburton ; ' the memher'd ' a conjecture by Jackson ; ' the humble,' a conjecture by Sidney Walker ; and ' the cumber'd,' another by Staunton. Hath nature given them eyes To see this vaulted arch and the rich crop. Of sea and land, which can distinguish 'twixt The fiery orbs above and tto whiten'd stones CYMBELINE. 271 Upon the mriber'd beach, and can we not Partition make with spectacles so precious 'Twixt fair and fmil ? The speaker draws a contrast between the sparkling stars in the blue firmament, and the' lustreless bleached stones on the brown sand of the seashore. Coleridge's conjecture of ' grimed stones ' is not a happy one, as the contrast is not saificiently pointed, for he was probably acquainted with Parmer's correction — umher'd. In his own poem ' The Ancient Mariner,' the following lines occur : — I fear thee, ancient Mariner ! I fear thy skinny hand ! And thou art long, and lank, and brown, As is the ribbed sea-sand. Belariiis. 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 prpfit from all things we se^; And often, to our comfort, shall we find The sharded beetle in a safer hold Than is the fuU-wing'd eagle. 0, this life Is nobler than attending for a cheek. 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. HI. in. 10-27. It is that portion of the passage beginning at the sixth line from the end that I intend to take up, and premise that in the folio text there are five commas and five capitals which are awanting in the present passage ; that the three instances 272 GYMBELINE. of ' than ' in succession to tlie three comparative adjectives are printed then in the folio ; and that ' bauble ' at the end of the third line appears in the folio as Babe. The Cambridge editors supply a number of readings and conjectures ' cheek,' ' nothing,' and ' babe ' which I shall notice. J?or the first of these, Becket proposes chuck, Jackson cheek, and Bailey ' beck '. For ' nothing ' we learn the second Folio reads nnthig. For Babe the emendations are bauble by Eowe, bribe by Hanmer ; brabe by Singer (a conjecture by Johnson) ; pape a conjecture by. Becket ; 606 by Collier from the old MS. ; baubee a conjecture by Chalmers ; barb by Jackson ; and brave by Singer. The drift of the speech is an attack upon what, in modern phraseology, is called flunkeyism, — a contrast between the pure air qf freedom and the subserviency of courts. The proper word for check is ' Jack ' a term used a score of times in Shakespeare for a Servant, and always in a dis- paraging sense. The frequency of the name John is usually held as the cause of the appellation, and of this I have no doubt. As examples, I furnish the following — ' Little better than played the Jack with us,' The Tempest. ' Do you play the flouting Jack,' Much Ado.- 'Tricks of these bragging Jacks,' Merchant of Venice. ' Silken, si/, insinuating Jacks,' Richard III. In all these the idea of a knave is implied which originally meant a servant ; hence, the knave in cards, which iu Scotland is called the Jack. For ' nothing ' or nothig of the second Folio^ I would read homage ; and for babe, ' badge '. The remainder of the passage ihay refer to the livery provided for retainers, or may be a covert sarcasm at the proverbial extravagance and impecunious manners of courtiers in general, thus — 0, this life Is nobler than attending for a Jack, GYMBELINE. 273 Richer than doing homage for a badge, 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. Imogen. I false! Thy conscience witness : I achimo, Thou didst accuse him of incontinency ; Thou then look'dst like a villain ; now, methinks. Thy favour's good enough. Some jay of Italy, Whose mother was her painting, hath betrayed him : Poor I am stale, a garment out of fashion ; And, for 1 am richer than to hang by the walls, I jnust be ripp'd : — ^to pieces with me ! — 0, Men's vows are women's traitors ! All good seeming. By thy revolt, husband, shall be thought Put on for vUlany ; not bom where't grows, But worn a bait for ladies III. iv. 47-59. The fifth line of the passage is marked in the Glohe edition with the ohelus, and the Cambridge notes supply ten readings and conjectures on the first clause of the line, ' Whose mother was her painting,' besides noticing that the folio only omitted the comma. I shall put these in tabular form, thus — Whose Wotker was her painting, — Eowe (ed. 1). Whose mother was 'h&r planting,— Theobald conj. "Whose .feathers are her painting, — Hanmer. Whose meether was her painting, — Warburton. Whose feather was her painting,— C/apcW. Whose motheur was her painting, — Becket conj. Who smoother was : her painting — Jackson conj. Whose muffler was her painting, — Knight conj. Who smothers her with painting,— CoZZier- (Collier M.S.) Whose feathers was her painting, — Bailey conj. ' It is truly a study in themselves to go over these sixteen italicised words and notice carefully the punctuation, and the three nondescripts from Eowe, Warburton, and Becket. Mr. CoUier's reading from the Perkins' Folio as it was styled at 18 274 GYMBELINE. the time, and replied to by Mr. Halliwell in a pamphlet, published in 1852, added something to the controversy which is now forgotten. In my opinion the words painting, and betray'd, or as it is printed in the Folio, hetraid, are alone in error. I have been fortified in this by what the' Cambridge editors say in their special note, ISTo. V., and in which they also notice the three nondescripts, " Eowe's being a misprint ; Becket's an inven- tion ; and Warburton's ' a north-country word,' but' giving no authority for the statement ''. The middle sentence of the passage I would read thus, — Some jay of Italy, Whose mother was her parider, hath bedlaid him ; Bedlaid does not occur in Shakespeare or anywhere else I know of. It is, however, such a coinage as frequently occurs. ' Waylay ' and ' waylaid ' do each occur once in Shakespeare, and compound words from the same root are met with, such as bed-mate, bed-presser, bed-rite, bed-swerver, and bed-work. Gainsay, gainsaid, and gainsaying occur about seven times in all, the derivatives only once each. In the emendation pander, we have an echo of the closing sentence of the letter Pisanio had received from Posthumus, instructing him to take away the life of Imogen, in which this expression is applied to himself if he fail to do what his master enjoins on him ; ' thou art the pander to her dis- honour, and equally to me disloyal '. Imogen. What shall I do the while ? where bide ? how live ! Or in my life what comfort, when I am Bead to my husband ? Piswnio. If you'll back to the court — Imogen. Ko court, no father ; nor no more ado With that harsh, noble, simple nothing, That Cloteu, whose love-suit hath been to me As fearful as a siege. in. iv. 131-7. OYMBJELINE. 275 The Globe edition prefixes the ohelus to line 135, and the Cambridge notes present a few conjectures and two readings to supply a deficiency in the liue. What strikes one is the iacoherence of the word ' noble ' with the scope of the passage, and the well-known character of Cloten. It is possible by the elision of the comma to combiae 'harsh noble' into one phrass, but that is not severe enough for the man whom Imogen loathed with aU the intensity she was capable of. Dr. Nicholson conjectines that the word should be ignoble. Theobald reads the name with a reduplication, thus — 'sinlple nothing, Cloten : that Cloten,'- Mr. CoDier, from the MS., reads ' Simple empty nothing'. In a Shakesperian paper, No. XVIII. , some dozen years ago, I adopted the following reading — nor no more ado "With that harsh noodle simple- mouthing fool — That Cloten, whose love-suit hath been to me As fearful as a siege. Noodle is not in Shakespeare, neither is mouthing, though ' mouthed ' is and so is ' mousing,' fool is supplied ; the terms are aU, applicable and the measure is filled up. Pisanio. Now, if you could wear a mind Dark as your fortune is, and but disguise That which, to appear itself, must not yet be But by self-danger, you should tread a course Pretty and full of view ; yea, haply, near The residence of Posthumus ; so nigh at least That though his actions were not visible, yet Report should render him hourly to your ear As truly as he moves. ///. m 146-154. The Globe edition prefixes the obelus to line 150. There is only one emendation in the Cambridge notes, that of Mr. Collier (from the Collier MS.), which reads 'Privy, yet fuU of 276 CYMBELINE.- view ; ' an emendation I made at the same time as the pre- ceding passage at line 135, reads thus — you shall tread a course Beady, and full of vieW ; yea, haply, near The residence of Posthumus ; Posthumus. ' Gods ! if you Should have ta'en vengeance on my faults, I never Had lived to put on this : so had you saved The noble Imogen to repent, and struck Me, wretch more worth your vengenance. But, alack. You snatch some hence for little faults ; that's love, To have them fall no more : you some permit To second ills with ills, each elder worse, And make them dread it, to the doer's thrift. But Imogen is your own : do your best wills. And make me blest to obey ! r. i. 7-17. The Cambridge editors in a special K'ote, XII., mention " In the Globe edition we have put an obelus to this most difficult and probably corrupt passage " : referring more par- ticularly to line 15; they also, intimate that Mr. Keightley after ' Vvorse ' marks the omission of a line. The three lines ending ' thrift ' are the special subject of notice. , The Cambridge .notes present some conjectures and readings on 'elder worse ' and a portion of the next line, thus — Eowe reads 'worse than o^Aer';' Capell conjectures ' younger yroise' ; Mr. Collier from the MS. adopts ' later worse ' ; Mr. Singer in his second edition ' alder-worse ' ; Jackson conjectures ' ill the worse ' ; and an anonymous conjecture is ' elder's worse '. For 'dread it' Theobald reads dreaded; Johnson conjectures deed it, or, trade it; Becket's is spreaded. For 'thrift' Singer reads ' shrift ' in both editions, but has ' dread it ' in his first, and ' dreaded ' in his second one. I am inclined to alter the first 'ills' to ill, meaning thereby ' evil '. And I also am of opinion that the verb ' second ' is OYMBELINE. 'i.Tt a misprint for another verb to season. Another instance of this is in Sonnet CXXV, hut in this case seconds is a noun plural meaning ' seasoning '. Mr. Singer's reading of ' alder- worse ' is right heing an old English adjective chiefly in the superlative. Chaucer has alderhest. In Shakespeare there is ' alderliefest,' here it is alderworse, or alderworst ; that is badness in the highest degree. For ' dread ' I would read bread, and th« passage wiU. run thus — You some permit To season ill with ills, each alderworst, And make them bread o't to the doers' thrift. The f uU interpretation wiU be, you permit some to season their evil with evil deeds, each worse than another, making to themselves bread of it to their own profit. SONNETS, &e. SONNETS L. LI. These two sonnets are connected with a common imaginary circumstance, the poet referring to the effect produced while journeying homewards on horseback from his beloved friend. He supposes his faithful beast sympathises with the state of the writer's mind, ' he plods dully on ' as if by instinct, he does not answer the spur but ' with a groan '. For that same groan doth put this in my mind ; My grief lies onward, and my joy behind. In the other sonnet he still further apologises for his steed's unwillingness to bear him away from the object of his affec- tion; and then wonders what excuse the 'poor beast' will find when called on to return ; no conceiTable speed can be quick enough. 0, what excuse will my poor beast then find, When swift extremity can seem but slow ? Then should I spur, though mounted on the wind : In winged speed no motion shall I know : . Then can no horse with my desire keep pace ; Therefore desire, of perfect'st love being made. Shall neigh— no dull flesh — in his fiery race ^ But love, for lovS, thus shaU excuse my jade ; Since from thee going he went wilful-slow, Towards thee I'll run and give him leave to go. Lines 5-14. The first half of the eleventh line with the words ' neigh- no dull flesh ' — is in the Cambridge notes referred to thus — The original Quarto reads ' neigh noe duU flesh ' ; Malone adopted ' neigh (no duU flesh) ' ; the last three words being printed within parenthesis, which the Cambridge editors have altered to dashes in conformity to their usual practice. We learn too that Malone conjectured ' neigh to dull flesh ' ; aird SONNETS L. LI. 281 Mr. Staunton conjectured that ' neigh ' is corrUpt. My own opinion coincides with this, and in amending the word we get rid of the parentheses. The word naigh would seem to he a misprint for the verb wait, and in this connection the poet declares that he would dispense with all aid, which would be mere 'dull flesh,' and would excuse his poor steed for its inability to serve him. Then can no horse with my desire keep pace ; Therefore desire, of perfect'st love being made, Shall wait no dull flesh in his fiery race ; But love, for love, thus shall excuse my jade ; Since from thee going he went wilful-slow. Towards thee I'll run and give Mm leave to go. The language, no doubt, is highly extravagant, and is in- tended to be so. The poet's longing to see his friend being of the ' most perfect love,' no hinderance is too great to be overcome. SONNET LX. Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth And delves the parallels on beauty's brow, Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow: And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. Lines 9-14. The Globe edition has the ohelus prefixed to the thirteenth line. The Cambridge editors in their note to the expression 'times in hope' give the reading of the original Quarto 'times in hope,' and also the reading of SeweU's second edition ' Times, in hope,' and an anonymous conjecture 'times rebuke my,' &c. The subject treated of in the sonnet is the unwearied pro- gress of Time, making changes on aU things here below. Notwithstanding what the poet has said in the main body of the sonnet, the closing couplet does not fulfil what might have been expected. Fortunately there are other sonnets which give a clue to the true reading of the passage. In Sonnet XVIII. the idea of change ending in death occurs, but closes with the following couplet — So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. The subject is resumed in Sonnet XIX. and the closing couplet is as follows — Yet do thy worst, old Time : despite thy wrong, My love shall in my verse ever Uve young. In Sonnet LV. which is an evident copy from Horace, the conclusion is thus — beginning at the ninth line — 'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity Shall you pace forth ; your praise shall still find room Even in the eyes of all posterity SONNET LX. 283 That wear this world out to the ending doom. So, till the judgement that yourself arise, You live in this, and dweU in lovers' eyes. Sonnets LXIII. LXIV. and LXV., are in the same strain, and Sonnet LXXXI. promises immortal life in the epitaph which the poet would probahly compose ; though the verse itseK was sufficient for the purpose : — You stUl shall live — such virtue hath my pen — Where breath most breathes, even in the mouths of men. I have quoted enough to prove the very strong language the poet intended should be the conclusion of the sixtieth sonnet equally with the others. The anonymous conjecture of ' time's rebuke ' presents nothing like diictus literarum where- by the two words ' in hope ' could possibly be converted into rebuke. The eighth and ninth lines of the sonnet have both an allusion to Time personified — that is, printed with an initial capital ; and the error of the text, which is that of the original Quarto, is in making the word plural, which time in its ordi; nary sense could alone warrant. The fact is, the word is in the possessive case, and in accordance with instances in three following sonnets already noticed, should be Time's, and referring to something-^the property or attribute of Time. ' In hope ' are misprints for own hour — the last hour of time or consummation of all thiags; equivalent to a Shake- spearian phrase 'the crack of doom,' and the couplet in its integrity would read thus — And yet to Time's own hour my verse shall stand, Praising thy worth, de-spite his cruel hand. The third personal pronoun and the bodily attribute in the three last words shows Time as a personality, and ' Time's own hour ' points fprwaid to a period when Time shall be no more. SONNETS LXII. LXni. These two sonnets are intimately connected with each other. The Poet in the former of these acknowledges his self-love in thinking so much of his own good looks in face and shape, and also of his worth. He adds, however — But when my glass shows me myself indeed, Seated and chopp'd with tann'd antiquity, Mine own self-love quite contrary I read ; Self so self-loying were iniquity. In the other sonnet he now supposes a time when his friend would show in his countenance all the 'lines and wrinkles ' which age would be sure to bring with it, and begins in the following manner — Against my love shall he, as X am now, "With Time's injurious hand crush'd and o'erwom ; When hours have drain'd his blood and fiU'd his brow With lines and wrinkles ; when his youthful mom Hath travell'd on to age's steepy night, And all those beauties whereof now he's king Are vanishing or vanish'd out of sight Stealing away the treasure of his spring ; Lines 1-8. On these two sonnets the Cambridge editors present eleven notes with their special quantity of readings and conjectures, but not one on the first line of Sonnet LXIII., the first word of which I am inclined to think is an error for a different word altogether. Many things, no doubt, wUl be ' against ' the beauties of the friend in course of time, but what will the friend be like when these untoward matters arrive, seems to be the question. There is another ' Against ' at the beginning of the tenth line which is all right, and the transcriber had supposed these two SONNETS LXIL, LXIII. 285 initial words the same. The proper initial word — keeping in mind what was to happen — should read thus — Aghast, my love shall te as I am now With Time's injurious hand crush'd and o'erwom When hours have drain'd his blood and fill'd his brow With lines and wrintles ; Aghast does not 9ccur in Shakespeare, hut ghastly does so in five instances, and in five difierent plays. We have also ghosted and ghastness, one each. These latter are uncommon, indeed, but the other is not so. Prohahly it was only begin- ning to make its appearance. SONNET LXVIL The three preceding sonnets are taken up with moralising on the prohable death of the poet's friend, and the conse- quences that would follow. The present sonnet shows the poet reconciled to the dread reality, seeing that the beloved one, though possessed of all excellence of mind and body is surrounded with so much sin and falsehood, his presence here has the effect of sanctioning those evils by the mere fact of possessing qualifications which others are deficient in. Ah ! wherefore with infection should he live, And with his presence grace impiety, That sin by him advantage should achieve And lace itself with his society ? "Why should false painting imitate his cheek. And steal dead seeing of his living hue ? Why should pure beauty indirectly seek Eoses of shadow, since his rose is true ? Why should he live, now Kature bankrupt is, Beggar'd of blood to blush through lively veins ? For she hath no exchequer now but his. And, proud of many, lives upon his gains. 0, him she stores, to show what wealth she had In days long since, before these last so bad. The complete sonnet of fourteen lines is embodied in this passage as it could not well be treated otherwise. Not to say that critics have intermeddled much with the text, for the Cambridge editors have only presented two of these-^a read- ing of seeming for the ' seeing ' of the sixth line from the Capell MS., backed also by a conjecture of Farmer's to the same effect ; and a reading of prov'd for the ' proud ' of the twelfth line from the same Capell MS. I cannot think that the expression ' seeing ' can be really what the author wrote, it is not properly an attribute of the SONNETS LXVII. 287 person admired, but rather of the admirer : and such cannot he charged with guilt in looking upon a lovely ohject, neither can the mere act of beholding be called ' dead ' while it is really in active operation. If the art of painting was stig- matised, there might he some plausibility for the emendation seeming, as the term means only appearance which art- is able to give, but not the living person, and hence not blame- worthy. It is ' false painting,' that is, the cosmetic art that is taken to task, — the worthless imitation of beauty by those not possessed of that attraction. The proper reading should be essence, a term of the old scholastic philosophy, and used by the alchymists, signifying the ideals of things or the concen- trated principle of bodies. The word is three times in Shakespeare aU bearing a like meaning, but the most conclu- sive is in ' OtheHo,' IV. i. 16. Her honour is an essence that's not seen ; In the present passage it is a ' dead essence ' contrasted with a ' living hue,' and so far is a futile theft. Why should false painting imitate his cheek, Aud steal dead esseriee of his living hue ? Why should poor heauty indirectly seek Roses of shadow, since his rose is true ? SOITNET XCVIII. From you have I been absent in the spring, When proud-pied April dress'd in all his trim Hath put a spiiit of youth in every thing, That heavy Saturn laugh'd and leap'd with him Yet nor the lays of birds nor the sweet smell Of different flowers in odour and in hue, Could make me any summer's story tell, Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew : Nor did I wonder at the lily's white, Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose ; They were but sweet, but figures of delight, Drawn after you, you pattern of all those. Yet seem'd it winter still, and, you away. As with your shadow I with these did play : In this sonnet we have a difficulty in whicli the pronun- ciation of a word rules the spelling, and transforms one of French origin to a purely English oije as wide apart as a Knot is from a negative. The poet laments his ahsence from his friend in the time of spring, and pictures in glowing terms the beauties of the season, which, nevertheless, had not their wonted influence. The eleventh and twelfth lines are of a very strange construc- tion, similar to those in 'Antony and Cleopatra' III. ii. 15-19. The eleventh line hegins with — ' They were but sweet,' and the Cambridge note to this is a conjecture by Malone, ' They were, my sioeet,' but figures of delight. In this there is a considerable alteration, and would infer that the verb 'drawn' had the modern signification of the art of drawing, which it had not in the age of Shakespeare. The terms limn and limnfir were then used for that purpose. The proper express- SONNET XGVIII. 289 ion for ' sweet ' is suite, signifying a train of attendants who by the influence of the heloved friend were drawn, or caused to follow him ; they were but figures of delight, of which he was the true pattern. The two lines may be thus read — They were but suite, drawn after you But figures of delight, you pattern of all those. Or in their proper form thus — ■ They were but suite, but figures of delight. Drawn after you, you pattern of aU those. 19 SONNET CXXV. Have I not seen dwellers on fonn and favour Lose all, and more, by paying too rQuch rent, For compound sweet foregoing simple savour. Pitiful thrivers, in their gazing spent ? No, let me be obsequious in tby heart, And take thou my oblation, poor but free, "Which is not mix'd with seconds, knows no art But mutual render, only me for thee, Lines 5-12 The subject of this sonnet is the futility of mere outward sorrow as displayed in the supposed death of the friend, whose welfare forms the point of attraction in the poet's lines. In the last quatrain, ardent desire assorts itself as the proper attitude for such a solemn occasion. The only reference to this passage in the Cambridge ninth volume is in the larger notes, and to the following effect. " Mr. Pyce, in his edition of 1832, suggests that seconds is a misprint. " This refers to a volume of Shakespeare's Poeins, edited by Dyce, for the Aldine edition of the British Poets, and published by the late Mr. Pickering, famous for his taste in typography ; but I am not aware that the learned editor followed up the suggestion thrown out, now forty-six years ago. My opinion is, Mr. Dyce was right, and seconds is an error, as I will show. Oblation refers to the meat-offerings enjoined upon the poorer members of the Israelitish community, as described in the second chapter of Leviticus. These were all of fine flour, and were of two kinds. The first was a thank-offering and presented with oil and frankincense, and in all cases seasoned with salt. The other' partook of the nature of a sin-offering, SONNET CXXr. 291 as described in the fifth chapter at the eleventh verse. In this offering for the very poor it is said " that he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon : for it is a sin offering ". This offering, therefore, had no seasoning, for it indicated a trespass ; and the poet, in his sorrow for his supposed loss, proposes to come with an offer- ing to the manes of his friend ' poor but free,' ' not mix'd with seasoning ' which ' knows no art ' ; but is genuine and unsophisticated, coming from the heart to the heart in mutual and reciprocal affection. ' Seasoning ' and ' seasonings ' do not occur in Shakespeare though 'second' and 'seconds' do. The former are nouns singu- lar and plural, the latter are both nouns and verbs as the case may be. In ' Cymbeline ' V.i. 14, ' second ' occurs as a verb, and a misprint for ' season ' also a verb, see the passage in this volume under that quotation : To season ill ■with ills. And make tliem bread o't. In the sonnet seconds is a noun but misprinted for seasons, a curtailed form for seasonings as already explained. Never- • theless it is used in the mystery of flour-making, signifying a quality below the finest, the others being thirds and bran ; but except in this passage, which I believe is wrong, occurs nowhere else in Shakespeare. We are warned, however, by the poet that his offering 'knows no art,' implying no tampering with its purity, whereas the presence of 'seconds' indicates great carelessness in its preparation. The expression ' obsequious ' in the ninth line has reference to something funereal. In the present day it bears a very different meaning— a something approaching to meanness and servility. The last four lines may be read thus— No, let me he obsequious in thy heart, And take thou my oblation, poor but free, Which is not mix'd with seasonings, knows no art But mutual render, only me for thee. SONNET CXXVI. thou, my lovely boy, who in thy power Dost hold Time's fickle glass, his sickle, hour ; Who hast by waning grown, and therein show'st Thy lovers withering as thy sweet self grow'st ; Lines 1-4 This sonnet, if sonnet it may he called, extends only to twelve lines and is written in rhymed couplets. In the Glohe edition it is separated from the remaining twenty-eight sonnets of the original collection of 1609 hy a printer's dash-line, intimating a division in the poems. The Cambridge editors, in their larger work, take no notice of this. In their notes, however, they supply the reading of the original text for the word ' hour ' of the second Hne as being printed ' hower ' ; that Lintott in his collection of poems in 1.709 reads fickle hower ; and. Sidney "Walker's conjecture for the same is siclde hour. In a special note, No. V., they intimate that "Capell in his copy of Lintott's edition has corrected ^ hower' to 'hoar,' leaving 'fickle'. Doubtless he intended to read ' sickle hoai '." At first sight ' sickle ' would seem to be quite appropriate, implying the scythe with which Time is usually shown as armed ; but the word though found in our common English version of the Apocalypse does not once occur in the dramatic writings except in one instance, where it is a misprint. In 'Measure for Measure,' II. ii. 145-155, when Isabella explains the kind of bribe she intended to use with Angelo, thus — Isab. Hark, how I'll bribe you : good, my lord, turn back. Ang. How ! bribe me ? Isab. Ay, with such gifts that heaven shall share with you. Ludo. [Aside to Isab. ] You had niarr'd all else. Isab. Not with fond shekels of the tested gold, SONNET GXXVI. 293 Or stones whose rates are either rich or poor As fancy values them ; hut with true prayers That shall be up at heaven and enter there Ere sunrise,- prayers from preserved souls, From fasting maids whose minds are dedicate To nothing temporal. Now the -word ' shekles ' in the fifth line is printed in the Folios as sickles, and the emendation in the text is due to Pope. "Whether sicMes may have been a vulgarism of the time I know not, though I have a faint recollection of the matter being argued lately in print ; at all events Mr. CoUiei conjectured that the word was cycles, and the Collier MS reads circles, both which may allude to the rounded form of coined money. This episode, however, shows the state of the text, that we must take things for granted, or endeavoui to amend them. As I have never seen the original ' Shakespeare's Sonnets ' of 1609, or a reprint of them, I cannot say that the ' hower ' is printed with a capital or not. My impression is, that it might have appeared as ' Hower ' and that the word is a mis- print for Mower, a figure of speech by which the poet gives the appellation of him who used the implement to the imple- ment itself. In the saine way the player in the cricket field . is either a good or a bad hat as the case may be. My opinion regarding fickle or sickle, is that the former is the right word in both instances. Mower is the scythe of Time ■ ' glass ' is simply the hour glass.. Both are fickle in so far as they act indiscriminately with all ages and con. ditions, and often when least expected exemplifying the lines of Horace. Pallida mors sequo pede pnlsat Pauperum tahemas, regumque turres. thou, ray lovely boy, who in thy power Dost hold Time's fickle glass; his fickle mower ; ■WTio hast by waning grown, and therein show'st Thy lovers with*ing as thy sweet self grow'st. SONJSnET CXLVI. Poor sold, the centre of my sinful earth, . . . these rebel powers that thee array, Why dost thou pine within and suffer dearth Painting thy outward walls so costly gay ? Lines 1-4 The Globe edition prefixes the obelus to the second line, but it was not till two years after when the Cambridge ninth volume made its appearance, that I was aware of the hiatus which these two presented and the cause of it. The ordinary texts generally gave the line thus — Fool'd hy those rebel powers that thee array. The Cambridge notes showed that the original text pre- sented the line in the following form, ' My sinf ull earth these rebbell, &c.,' thereby making the line longer by two syllables, and repeating the close of the first line. The example line already given is that of Malone's, and Steevens' conjecture was 'Siarv'd by the rebel'. In the Capell MS., the beginning of the line was simply a repetition of the Quarto with its comma, and an omission of one letter in sinful. Mr. Dyce adopted the reading of Malone, but adhered to these instead of those. An anonymous conjecture is ' Tlirall to these,' &c. Mr. Massey, in his elaborate Work on the Sonnets, proposed 'My sinful earth these rebel powers array,' making a complete line, and omitting two words ' that thee '. In some of these con- jectures we lose sight of what these rebel powers are, and whence they come. On turning to the passage in its entire state as in the Quarto, we see that the beginning of the second line is a repetition of the close of the first, and the two unnecessary syllables are the latter half of the repeated words. The first half of sinful should be sins agreeing with the plural ' powers '. The passage reading thus — SONNET GXLVI. 295 Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth, — My sins, those rebel powers that thee array — "Why dost thoui pine within, and suffer dearth, Painting thy outward walls so costly gay ? In this we see the poet addressing his soul in the first line ; the second line is an explanation by way of parenthesis, how he had brought his earth, or body into such a state, and had arrayed it in a transitory glory — as commented on through- out the sonnet. The third line resumes the address to his soul and contrasts the worth of the one with the worthless- ness of the other ; having debased his better part and only for a brief term of enjoyment. The last three lines suggest the remedy — Within be fed, without be rich no more : So shalt thou feed on Death, that feeds on men, • And Death once dead, there's no more dying then. ' A LOVER'S COMPLAINT. But, my sweet, what labour is't to leave The thing we have not, mastering what not strives, Playing the place which did no form receive, Playing patient sports in unconstrained gyves ? Lines 239-242. This forms a portion of tlie deceitful language spoken by the faithless lover, and related by the distressed damsel to her aged listener. The language is evidently ironical, and spoken in ridicule of one who had become a nun, but was now as ready to renounce the habit for his sake as she was at one time to shun the allurements of love. The third and fourth lines of the stanza are those contro- verted, and chiefly the words ' Playing ' at the beginning of these lines. The Cambridge notes furnish the following readings and conjectures, taking the lines in their order. For the first example the Capell MS. gives ' Planing' ; Malone conjectures ' Paling '; Lettsom conjectures 'Salving'; Staunton conjectures, 'Pilling'; and an anonymous con- jecture is ' Painting '. Poir the second example Malone con- jectures ' Play ' and for the ' did no form ' of the first line, gave 'does no fawn' (withdrawn). In his edition of 1790 he adopted ' Man ' in the second example, retaining Paling in the first example, and the rest of the line intact. Boswell adopted ' Paling ' in the first and ' Playing ' in the second example. For the 'did no form' already mentioned, Lettsom conjectured ' did no harm '. The first example has had five emendations, and the second two, showing the majority being in favour of retaining the original of the text in the latter. My own opinion is against ' Playing ' in both instances. A LOVER'S COMPLAINT. 297 The first example should be Flying, running away from what was unaffected hy any impression as the nun would seem to have been when secluded in the cloister. In the next stanza, Line 249, is the verb proposed. — And now she would the caged cloister fly. The second instance should be Plying, engaged in little other than amusement under mere nominal restraint. Keep- ing in mind the cynical character of the assumed speaker, and pointing the lines differently, I would read thus — But, my sweet, what labour is't to leave The tiling we have not : mastering what not strives ! Flying the place which did no form receive ! ' Flying patient sports in unconstrained gyves ! She that her fame so to herself contrives, The soars of battle 'scapeth by the flight, And makes her absence valiant, not her might. Love's arms are peace, 'gainst rule, 'gainst sense, 'gainst shame ; And sweetens, in the snfiering pangs it bears. The aloes of all forces, shocks and fears. Lines 271-3 The apparent nominative to this lies in the compound term * Love's arms ' and is consequently connected veith the plural verb 'are,' but the other two verbs in the passage 'sweetens' and ' bears ' being singular, a solecism in grammar occurs which requires emendation. The nominative 'it' in the second line, and the rhymes of the closing couplet all tell against the plural form of the verb, and therefore the appa- rent nominative, must be wrong. To lines 241 and 271, the Globe edition prefixes the obelus, and the Cambridge notes present the following conjectures. For 'Love's arms are peace,' the Capell MS. has 'Love's arms are proof,' and Malone has the same conjecture. A con- lecture by Steevens is 'Love aims at peace'; a conjecture by 298 A LOVER'S COMPLAINT. Dyce is ' Love arms our peace ' ; and one- by Lettsom is ' Love charms our peace '. The distributing of these four words amongst nominatives, possessives, pronouns, verbs and prepositions is not a little- amusing, and by the time another emendation is proposed, it may be still more so. My own opinion is that the second, third and fourth words are in error and so also is the comma. I would therefore read thus — Love's ardour speaks 'gainst rule, 'gainst sense, 'gainst shame : And sweetens, in the sutfering pangs it bears, The aloes of aU forces, shocks and fears. In the small collection of fugitive pieces named 'The Passionate Pilgrim,' and which go to make up the Works of Shakespeare in addition to the Dramatic writings, a few sonnets are included of which four have already appeared, and one sonnet, No. IX-, has a blank line which the Cam- bridge editors apprise us, was first so marked by Malone. This is now indicated in the second line, and showing that the fourth line wants its corresponding rhyme. The ' Passionate Pilgrim ' was printed in 1599; and two years before 'the Tragedie of King Eichard the second ' appeared in quarto form. It is a striking circumstance that the ' eighth line of Act III., Scene ii., exactly fits in every way the blank thus indicated. The first quatrain of the sonnet is given with' the supplied line in Italics, a change of one preposition for another, being all the difference. Fair was the mom when the fair queen of love, As a long-parted mother from Aer child ; Paler for sorrow than her milk-white dove, ■ For Aden's sake, a youngster proud and wild ; APPENDICES. LOVE'S LABOUE'S LOST. • This play is one of the earliest of the poet's productions,' and puns, quirks, quibbles, and doggerel verse flash across the scene in such profusion, that though we are aware the author levels his shafts against the prevailing Euphuism of the day, he must, at the same time, have been acquainted with the writings of a greater than Lyly, for there is through- out the play a strong dash of rollicking Pantagruelism. This we trust to make apparent as we proceed, but in the meantime we would state that ' Love's Labour's Lost ' seems to be the worst printed, or worst edited piece in the folio of 1623. Eor a wonder the pagination is correct throughout, but Actus Secundus is given as Actus Seeunda ; and there are two Acts bearing the title of Actus Quartus — viz., the real QiUartus and its successor Quintus, thereby occasioning no little annoyance to discover where Act Fifth is to be found. "While, like many others in the early foho, there is neither enumeration of scenes nor list of persons of the drama, there is a more than ordinary irregularity in the designations of ' the various speakers that at times is excessively puzzling. To take these in their order, as given in the ordinary copies, "Ferdinand, King of J^avarre," is abbreviated as Fer., Ferd., Kin., King, and Nau. " Biron " of the common copies is known here as " Berowne," and is abbreviated as Ber., Bero., Berow, and once as Bro.' "Longaville" is shown as Lon., Long., and Longa. "Dumaine" becomes Du. Dum., and Duma. " Boyet " has but scant justice done to him, for his most usual designation is Boi/., one of the synonymes of " Moth," the page, and at other times is Boi. and in one scene is actually degraded to plain Bo. " Don Adriano De Armado " figures generally as Braggart, 302 LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. and is hence either Bra. or Brag., in one instance even Brad., and in others he is Ar., Arm., or Arma, from his su:^name. His page " Moth " is Boy, Pag., and Page. " Sir IvTathaniel," the curate, is Nat. and Nath., and also Cur. Cura., Curat, and Curat Nath. " Holofernes," the school- master is sometimes Hoi., but oftenest Fed., Peda., and Pe- dant, and on one occasion even Per. " Dull," the constable, is Anth., from his Christian name, and Dul. or Dull. " Cos- tard," the clown, is introduced as Clo., Clow., and Cost. The ladies fare no better, but are, if anything worse handled. The " Princess of France " is at times Pri., Prin., Princ, Q., Qu., Que., Quee., and even Queen. In Act II., one speech of her's is headed with the full title of Queen, and in the middle of the same speech the abbrevia- tion Prin. occurs, thus leading one to suppose that a new speaker had started, while in fact the larger part of her argument was yet to come. The " Lady Eosaline " comes before us as Rossa., as Rosa., as Ros., as La. Ro., as Lad. Ro., and as Lad: 2. "Maria" appears as Ma., as Mar., as Mari., as La., as La Ma., and as La. 1. "Ka- therine" is simply Kat., or Kath., and once as 2 Lad. " Jaquenetta" is either laq., or laqu., but in one scene sha is introduced as Wench, and figures as Maid, Mai., or Ma., which last we have seen appropriated by " Maria". "When such is the state of things in the simple matter of names, what may we not expect in the general body of the text ? Turning to Act IV., Scene ii., of the Play, we find, at the beginning, the following -announcement — "Enter Dull, Holofernes, the Pedant and Nathaniel ". Here there are four characters enumerated, while, in fact, the second and third are one and the same. The whole scene is redolent of pedantry and the false learning of the day; and to the scholar it is highly entertaining. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Besides exhibiting the carelessness with which that volume was edited, it will enahle us to establish the fact that the original manuscript had never been intended Jor the press, but was a mere player's manual for the purpose of representa- tion. Eor example, while Antonio the brother of Leondto is mentioned as Brother Anthony more than once, yet in the first Scene in which he makes his appearance, he is intro- duced as an old man, and, consequently, is designated by the prefix Old, and on otber occasions he comes before us as Bro., Brot., Broth., and Brother, but never once by his Christian name. Again his niece Hero, the daughter of Leonato, though she has usually her name at full length, yet in one short scene where she speaks seven difi'erent times and not exceeding seven lines in all, has yet three different pre- fixes, once as Her., three times' as Hero, and other three times as Bero. But the greatest discrepancies of all prevail in the designations and prefixes of our old acquaintances of laughable memory, Messieurs Doglerry and Verges, the worthy officers of the watch, and these are such as must bring conviction to the mind of every one of the correctness of our position. In the first scene in which these worthies make their appearance, there is little noticeable further than the announcement of " Enter Dogberry and his compartner with the watch," and the anticipated variations of their pre- fixes as Dog., and Dogh., and Ver. Verg. and Verges; but on their second apppearance they are introduced to us as the " Constable, and the Headhorough," and consequently their prefixes assume a new form. These are Const., Con. Do., Con. Dog., and Const. Dog., and before we have done with " His worship," we have a return to the older form of Dogh. 304 MUG3 ADO ABOUT NOTHING. His compartner, as the old folio styles him, becomes in this scene, Head, and Headh., from the special new title or office thus conferred upon him, and to his last sapient utterance on this occasion he stands before us in the never-to-be-forgotten name of Verges. On their third and last appearance at the end of Act. IV., they are introduced to us in the following fashion, "Enter the Constables, BoracMo, and the Towne Clerks in gownes." On reading this announcement we are led to suppose that BoracMo, one of the accused persons, was also habited in some official garb like the rest, but as there is no mention of the entrance of his fellow conspirator Conrade, though he speaks three times in the scene, and must have con- sequently been present, we set this supposition down as at least doubtful, though the reading goes far to imply it, and consider that we have got a pair of blunders, instead of one, to deal with. But to return to our two worthies, friend Dogherry assumes iive new disguises in addition to what we have already seen, for he is now Keeper, Andrew Kemp,, Kem., and Kee. Verges on this occasion twice becomes Cowley, and twice Const, although neighbour Dogherry is a Const., or Constable, as well as he. Just before the scene closes, neighbour Verges has even his new prefix of Cowley or rather Couley, as it now becomes, stolen from him by Conrade, who, in this instance at least, has committed "Flat Burglarie ". On considering the purport of these new designations to our old acquaintances, we find, on turning to " The Names of the Principall Actors in all these Playes,'' that William Kempt and Richard Cowley are in the list, and we conclude were the original personators of the two worthies. But the question arises, who then is meant by the Christian name of Andrew ? Was there an Andrew Kempt likewise ? or was our friend's fuU name Andrew Dogberry ? "We suspect the latter to be the true interpretation, and he must have been foreshadowed by some Warwickshire MUGS ADO ABOUT NOTHING. 305 official wliora Shakespeaxe had known in his youth, for we may safely aver that no " officer of the watch," in Messina, ever bore the identical patronymic. As a further instance of the same kind of nomenclature, Balthazar, the attendant on Dov, Pedro, is introduced to us in the third scene of Act. II. as " laclce Wilson," and it is he who sings to us the song, "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever". Wilson's name does not occur in the list of "Principall Actors," hut he must certainly have been a prime favourite, and the " John Wilson " of his day, to be so particularly brought forward as we find him on this occasion. Now, all thjs is proof positive to us that the manuscripts from which the plays were printed had never been intended' for the press, and this will account for many of the difficul- ties so frequently occurring in them. The Editors, indeed, in theu" address, " To the great Variety of Readers," say that " what the author thought he uttered with that easiness that we have scarce received from him a blot in his paper," and yet the errors of all kinds that nlay be found in the printed volume can he counted by the thousand. Our belief, then, is that what with the peculiarities which we have seen to be in a mere play-house manuscript, and the. innumerable errors of the press visible on the slightest inspection, the Editors, however conscientiously they may have given all that was in their possession of the works of Shakespeare, must, have been men with little literary culture, besides having their time very much engaged in a peculiarly harassing occupation, and consequently left their peculiar duties to the ordinary care of the printing office, such as it was at the time. ' 20 THE SONNETS AND DEDICATION, BY T. T. It is only witlim the last half century that any attempt, worthy of the name, has heen made to search into, and, if possible, to solve these enigmas, and the opinions arrived at have heen as contradictory as could well he imagined. George Steevens thought so little of them that he declared " it would take an Act of Parliament to compel any one to read them". Matters have now changed, however, and separate publications of them have been made in different collections of the British poets, besides the two special works of Mr. Charles Armitage Brown and of Mr. Gerald Massey. The former of these, in a work published in 1838, announces his opinion in the title as " Shakespeare's Auto- biographical Poems; being his Sonnets clearly developed, with his character drawn chiefly from his works ". Mr. Massey's volume, published in 1866, and entitled " Shakes- peare's Sonnets never before interpreted," &c., treats of these as recording incidents in the life of a person of rank, and bears reference to a real courtship and subsequent marriage, being chiefly an expansion of an article which appeared a year or two before in the pages of the ' Quarterly Eeview '. Another writer, in a long communication to the ' Examiner ' newspaper on the announcement of Mr. Massey's work, takes occasion, previous to the 'appearance of the latter, to intimate that the " male friend " personifies poetry in the manner of Spenser, to which Shakespeare's own inclination would lead him to pursue, and that " the worser spirit, my female evil" refers to dramatic writing which necessity compelled him to follow for the sake of a liveli- hood. SONNETS AND DEDIGATION. 307 In all these we think there is an over-refining and no warrant whatever ; at all events there is nothing that can be substantiated, and we m^y as well believe that the lyrical poetry of Horace and of Burns had, in every portion of their effusions, a real basis of fact ; or, that the Claribels, LUianS) Isabels, Madelines, Adelines, Eleanores, and Margarets, of Tennyson are real living personages. Leaning somewhat to the hypothesis that the sonnets bear some relation to facts in the poet's own life, Mr. HaUam expresses himself very strongly when he writes, "it is impossible not to wish that Shakespeare had never written them". But may we not take the words of Touchstone in 'As you like it' to be as correct a definition of poetry, and as exhibiting the author's view of the subject ia as true a light as any other to the contrary? When poor Audrey was puzzled at Touchstone's wish that "the gods had made her poeti- cal," and asks " what poetical is," and " is it a true thing 1 " the other replies, " ¥o, truly ; for the truest poetry is the most feigning". May not, therefore, the highly im- passioned language of the sonnets, and the concomitant circumstances hinted at in them be mere moods of the author's mind temporarily assumed for a series of " Poetical Essays on Love and Friendship, written in the manner of the sonnet ". We do not deny that the author of these sonnets ever felt what he has so vividly and feelingly expressed, for we cannot forget what Pope has said on a kindred subject— " He best can paint them who has felt them most ". We have said "Poetical Essays" advisedly, and believe that the sonnets were ■ prompted as much by the study of Montaigne as by any incident in the author's own life, or in that of any friend whatever of high or low degree, moral or immoraL It is a curious circumstance that the only book which can be connected directly with Shakespeare as having been once his own property is. a copy of "Montaigne's 308 SONNETS AND BEDIGATIUN. Essays," translated in 1603. The Tolume 'bears the signsr ture of its original possessor, and is now deposited in the British Museum where we have inspected it, and have often since turned over the leaves of a copy of the same we have had for the last twenty years. There is no denying that the subject matter of Montaigne, his mode of treatment, and the form in which these Essays of his appear, are different from the style and structure of the " sonnets," hut there is the inner life and mind of the author depicted in each, though with the difference of plain matter of fact written in prose of the one, and the assumed highly figurative, and richly poetical form of the other. In fact the title which Goethe gave to his autobiography of " Dichtung und Wah- rheit " may be fairly divided between the two, giving the fiction to Shakespeare, and the truth to Montaigne, or the poetical feigning and the prosaic verity. Moreover, it is a well-known fact .that Gonzalo's imaginary commonwealth in ' The Tempest ' is taken almost literally from a passage in one of the Frenchman's essays, showing that the poet had been a student and admirer of the same, and that to nearly the close of his life. The other subject, who was the Mr. "W. H. ? to whom the sonnets were dedicated, will now claim our attention. The , generally received opinion is, that these two letters are initials standing in the order given, and signifying some W H as William Harte the poet's nephew, but of late the idea has gained ground that these apply to William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, a young man at the time, of the age of twenty-nine; to whom and his brother Philip, Earl of Montgomery, the two player-editors dedicated the Folio of 1623. This surmise is due to Mr. Boaden and Mr. Armit- age Brown independantly of each other; but on the other hand, Mr. Drake, some years earlier, would have these to stand in reverse order, as« H W-^ signifying Henry SONNETS AND BEDICATIUN. 309 Wriothesly, Earl of Southampton, a much older man, to ■whom the author had himself dedicated his two early poems, the only productions of his avowedly published by his own sanction. The objections to Herbert are his youth and im- moral character, and to the Earl of Southamption his more advanced age. But these all go on the supposition that these are real incidents in the poet's life or in that of some friend shadowed forth in the sonnets. Another source of misapprehension lies in the unusual phrase, " only hegetter of these ensuing sonnets " which the publisher applies to this Mr. W. H., whoever he may be. While some interpret the phrase in the sense of eaicse why they were written, others would limit it to the simpler idea of getting or procuring, as if he was merely the collector who furnished the bookseller with the manuscript. The first of these suppositions militates against the idea that the sonnets were real incidents in the life of any one ; the latter, that they were incidents in the life of the author. "We cannot think of Shakespeare, the. man of sound practical wisdom, and the successful man of business, acting the part of a sentimentalist, pourtraying himself thus, and permitting these effusions to get into the hands of any one to give them to the world in his own lifetime : and the man must have been far lost to a sense of propriety who would deal thus with materials in his own private life which the affection of a poet had so embellished. An idea has struck us, were these two letters really initials f or were they terminals ? or did they partake of both qualities ? Might they not stand as well for W H., as for any other form proposed. There is one well-known personage to whom this form wUl apply, a better known character than any of the others, a man of action, an author, and himself a poet — we mean Sir Walter Ealeigh. At the date of the publication he had been for six years a prisoner 310 SONNETS AND DEDICATION. in the Tower, and spent other six years there before he was liberated. We must not think of him as confined in a dungeon and denied all solace, for 'while there, he wrote his "History of the "World," and must have had frequent literary intercourse. He was an older man than Skakespeare by a dozen of years, and probably had been of service to him ill more ways than one. It is true that we have no accounts of their intimacy, but neither have we much of any other's. Possible to beguile the knight's imprisonment, these elusions of the author's were duly forwarded, and hence how one person could be said to be the begetter or obtainer, which- ever we choose. But it may be said that a knight could not properly be designated as Mr., neither could an earl, and it was more than a mere tradesman could take upon him to dedicate a work to a state prisoner. Hence the double disguise, the prefix, and the reversed order j an initial and a terminal, instead of the customary form. "We confess we cannot prove those matters; but on the whole the conjec- tures thrown out are as plausible as any others, and may yet bear fruit. SHAKESPEAEE IN ABERDEEN. There has been some speculation of late years aihongst Shakespearian biographers and others, as to whether the great dramatist had ever been in Scotland, and even as to his having been at one time in Aberdeen. This journey is supposed to have taken place from certain allusions to scenery in the north, to be found in the Tragedy of ' Macbeth,' and is thought to be confirmed by the undoubted visit of a com- pany of English comedians delegated to the Scottish King by the courtesy of Queen Elizabeth, and not long before the accession of James to the Crown 6f England. Unf ortuhately, in the record of this theatrical tour, which the industry of antiquarians has succeeded in disinterring from existing documents, no mention of the name of Shakespeare is to be found ; but this is not sufficient to negative the impression that he might nevertheless have been one of that company which visited our northern clime, and actually, performed within the burgh of Aberdeen. Not having at hand the materials for laying this before our readers in a documentary form, we must draw on our memory, and be as brief as possible. We learn, then, that the English company were by the king's favour sent forward to Aberdeen, where they exhibited a specimen of their art before the authorities and the citizens, similar to what they had given in the metropolis. Now, it so happens, that there is an entry in the Council's books referring to this visit, and of the expenses incurred in entertaining the company, likewise of the granting the freedom of the burgh to Master Laurence Fletcher, who would appear to have been the head or chief man of the troop. In aU this there is no mention 312 SEAKEBPEABE IN ABERDEEN. of the name of William Shakespeare, nor indeed of the name of any others of the company. It is well-known, however, that Metoher was one of those to whom King James afterwards granted a license for performing at the theatre within the precincts of Blackfriars, in London, to which house the great author himself belonged. At that time Shakespeare ranked only as third, Fletcher being named first, and Jlichard Burbage second in the list. ' Pletcher died in 1609, and by-and-bye our dramatist himself came to be the chief. During the company's visit to the north, he was only a subordinate in so far as concerned the property and management. There is, therefore, nothing in. the omission of his name to prejudge against his being in this city at the time, though there is nothing positive in its favour either. With regard to the scenery in the neighbourhood of Porres or any other place, this weighs nothing in strengthening the evidence of a visit, though possibly it might have taken place. Scenery in itself is such a general subject that the poet's imagination might easily picture forth a desert, a heath, or any adjunct of the kind without much effort, and this would answer the purpose equally well without having seen the real place itself. There is, however, another matter that, as far as we are aware, has never been touched on be- fore when treating on this subject, and this we proceed to take up. If any striking peculiarity, which could only be known by actual observation, and such as in the days of Shakespeare had not found its way into literature or printed matter of any kind ; this indeed would, if even remotely alluded to, form an element in the evidence of a probable actual inspection, especially when taken in connexion with ■ circumstances which are known to have taken place. With- out farther preface, we would introduce to our readers a well known passage in 'Macbeth' at the' beginning of Scene VI. SHAKESPEARE IN ABERBEEN. 313 of the first Act, giving the quotation in the exact words of the Folio. Kiiig. This Castle hath a pleasant seat, The.ayre nimbly and sweetly recommends it selfe Vnto our gentle senoes Banqno. This Guest of Summer, The Temple-haunting Barlet does approue. By his loued Mansonry, that the Heauens breath Smells wooingly here : i)o lutty frieze, Buttrice, nor Coigne of Vantage, but this Bird , Hath made his pendant Bed, and procreant Cradle, Where they must breed, and haunt : I haue obseru'd The ayre is delicate. The first thing that strikes one on reading this is the extra- ordinary numher of capitals in the middle of lines indicat- ing nouns, which was a very common practice at the time, but here they amount to two-thirds of the whole number. But this is a matter of little moment compared to the num- ber of notes on this passage in the Cambridge edition, which furnished fifteen for less than ten complete lines. We shall, however, only notice one of these, merely remarking, by the way, a thing or two. The first 0/ these is, that the ordinary ttfxts give a very diiferent arrangement in the last five lines, besides another in the first which the Cambridge editors have adopted, but leaving the others ia the order given above. It will be noticed, likewise, that' the word printed ," Barlet," in the fourth line, occurs as martlet, an ancient term for the swallow, and adopted from Eowe, the first modern editor, who likewise changed " must " of the last line but one into Tnost, which is the proper expression. The " Man- sonry" of the fifth line has become mansionry ever since the time of Theobald j and Pope, in his second edition, thought proper to print masonry. We have, therefore, nothing to add on this part of the subject but merely to say that ' Macbeth ' was printed for the first. time in the " Foli 314 SHAKESPEARE IN ABERDEEN. of 1623," and to quote wHat the .Cambridge editors say in their preface—" Except that it is divided into scenes as well as acts, it is one of the worst printed of all the plays, especially as regards the metre, and not a few passages are hopelessly corrupt ". The only point we intend to take up is contained in that portion which enumerates several architectural terms, and especially the first line of that part of the passage — ' SmeUs wooingly here : — no lutty frieze '. It will be seen at a glance that the line is deficient, being short of two syllables to complete the measure. It is here that the altered arrangement of the ordinary text begins, as before mentioned. This is done by taking the necessary number of syllables from the beginnings of the following lines, and attaching these to the ends of the preceding ones — but not to the improving of the rhythm. To make up this acknowledged deficiency Hanmer reads thus — " Smells sweet and wooing here" — a very common-place alteration. Johnson conjectured that the latter half might read — " Here is no jutty, frieze,'' but he afterwards withdrew it. To Steevens we are indebted for the comma between the two last words, while Pope read these as jutting frieze, which property of jutting is not a very noticeable one in a frieze. The most likely conjecture of the state of the line is that of the late Sidney Walker, who thought there was a word omitted between these two terms, and this we shall attempt to supply. The four terms — jutty, frieze, buttress, and coigne of van- tage, may be held to express architectural peculiarities, and actual terms of the art. Frieze and buttress are well known, though the first is hardly consistent with the other, and is certainly intended for cornice. Jutty is rather a peculiar word, and occurs only twice in Shakespeare — here, where it is a noun and rightly so, and again, in ' Henry V.,' where SHAKESPEARE IN ABERDEEN. 315 it is a verb, and ought not ; but of this, inore hereafter. In the instance before us we take it to mean one of those pro- jecting pepper-box turrets, so common in Scottish baronial architecture, which is said to have been borrowed from the French, and is so unlike the manorial architecture of Eng- land. Jutty, therefore, implies that which projects out- wards and overhangs. The frieze implies a sheltering orna- ment; the buttress is a prop, often capped and presenting angles ; the coign of vantage is an elevation presenting a foothold, if we may say so, for a nest. Bat the missing word is the desideratum, and this we think must have been likewise an architectural term, and one presenting a varia- tion in its principles from the others. Now, though it would not be a difficult matter to fix on an architectural term that would fit in exactly, such as gable, chimney, window, there was yet one term that had for a long time suggested itself as the most likely of any, and that too before any idea of connecting the passage with this visit to the north. The termination of the preceding word " jutty " was what presented itself to our mind as the most likely way to account for the omission. That word was the well-known Scotch word timpany implying a species of attic combining in itself the gable, window, and clustered chimney. If the jutty projects outward or forward, the other projects upward, and is a common feature in our old architecture. We have mentioned that "jutty " only occurs in the present instance and so likewise does "frieze" and also "buttress". Might not therefore the author, or some observant eye for him, have seen this peculiarity in northern buildings, and noted the peculiar term. Possibly it may never be known, but it is not unlikely for all that. "We leave the matter in this stage, contenting ourself with giving that portion of the passage with the conjectured supple- mentary term. 316 SEAKESPEARE IN ABERDEEN. This guest of summer, The temple-haunting martlet, does approve, By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath Smells wooingly here ; no jutty, timpany, frieze, Buttress, nor coign of vantage but this bird Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle : We have mentioned already that the word jutty occurs elsewhere " as a verb, which it is not," and this we proceed to make good. In ' Henry V.,' Hi., 1, the king in his address to the army before Harfleur thus delivers himself— Then lend the eye a tenihle aspect ; ■ Let it pry through the portage of the hea(i Like the brass cannon ; let the brovir o'erwhelm it As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base SwiU'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. Johnson in his dictionary, gives the word only as a verb with this particular passage of 'authority, while modern dictionaries give in general only the noun, and Dr. Ogilvie gives both, noting, however, that to jutty is obsolete. In fact the proper verb is jui, or jet, which is used indis- criminately in Shakespeare, some copies, chiefly the Quartos reading jet, and the others jut. The line in the passage above should read — ' O'erhang and jut to his confounded base' — that is, hang over, and jut to, in this case down- wards, as the base is necessarily the lowest p^rt in every thing. WHO WEOTE SHAKESPEAKE? In the farce of ' Higli Life Below Stairs,' written about a century ago, Kitty and Lady Bab's servant are engaged in some literary conversation, originating in the late arrival of her Ladyship. " I'm afraid I have trespassed in point of time," says her Ladyship, looking on her watch ; " but I got into my favourite author." " Yes," says the upstart Duke, " I found her Ladyship at her studies this morning ; some wicked poem." " Oh ! you wretch ! " says Lady Bab, " I never read but one book." Kitty now puts the important question — " "What is your Ladyship so fond of ? " " Shik- spur ! Did you never read Shikspur'? " " Shikspur ! Shik- spur ! "Who wrote it? No, I never read Shikspur." "Then," says Lady Bab, "you have an immense pleasure to come." " "Well, then," says Kitty, " I'll read it over one afternoon or other." Some of this last-century-talk has come to the front in our own day. The spelling of the name — and I suppose the pronunciation of it too — the question of Who wrote it 1 and the immense pleasure of reading it ; though to read it over one afternoon or other would be a wonderful feat for the most highly educated lady in these days, even of School Boards. The question has now traversed a good part of two con- tinents, not confined even to the English-speaking popula- tions. Not long ago, the ' Athenaeum ' took the liberty of stylinc those who hold what is called the Baconian theory, maniacs ; and on September 28, page 405, the public were treated to the following :— " The weekly paper L' Instruction PuUique : Memie des Lettres Science, et Arts, Paris, in its issues of the 31st of 318 WEO WROTE SHAKESPEARE? August and the 7th of September, contains an article by M. J. Villemain, headed ' Un Proces Litteraire : Bacon contra Shakespeare '. M. B&ard-Varagnac, in an article contributed to the Journal des Debats of the 21st of June, after having stigmatised the school which attributes to Bacon some of the Shakespearian plays, concludes with the following words : — ' On nous permettre de penser que la th^orie Baconienne n'est autre chose qu'un humbug '. M. Villemaine takes up the defence of the Baconian school, and concludes with the following sentence : — ' En r&um^, on pourrait conclure ainsi : tout ce qu'il y a de bon dans les drames de Shakes- peare, est de Bacon ; tout ce qu'il y a de mauvais dans les drames de Bacon est de Shakespeare '." Ifow, this is an important matter. The French were long under the influence of Voltaire as to the value of the Elizabethan drama, and specially against Shakespeare, but this has been reversed within our own time, and now their critics are discussing whether the Baconian theory is a humbug, and whether aU that is good in the dramas of Shakespeare is of Bacon ; and all that is bad in the dramas of Bacon is of Shakespeare. To me it is all one who wrote it. We have the book, and we have also Deuteronomy, whatever Prof. Robertson Smith's opponents may say to its being a veritable work of Moses. I do not pretend to decide who wrote Shakespeare, but I have my doubts as to the real author of the wonderful works we have under his name. Hallam has written the following — " The name of Shakespeare is the greatest in our literature — it is the greatest in all literature ". The scholars of all nations are following in the same patL Dr. Ingleby lately published a ' Century of Praise ' ; it would be no difficult matter to treble this, but what about the man himself} The 'Edinburgh Eeview' in 1808 incidentally praises him. In 1811, Jeffrey, when treating of the Eliza- WHO WROTE SHAKESPEARE? 319 bethan age, says, " The era has always appeared to us by far the brightest in the history of English literature — or, indeed, of human intellect and capacity ". The names of a dozen are given with Shakespeare at the head, and though we all know something of " Bacon, and Spenser, and Sidney, — and Hooker, and Taylor, and Barrow, and Ealeigh, — and Napier, and Milton, and Cudworth, and Hobbes ; " yet we know nothing of the native of Stratford-on-Avon, neither, it would seem, did his contemporaries. Literature, ancient and modern, has already two Myths ; are we likely to have a third ? Shall Shakespeare follow in the wake of Homer and Junius 'i The New Shakspere Society has already introduced the phrase of the ' Shakes- pearian portion ' of certain plays. I have been a member of the Society since its formation, and I think the money well spent. We have got texts which the wealthy alone could ever possess. The chronology of the plays is of little moment, and the sources of their origin is of less. We were treated lately with the Swinbpume Debates of the Newest S. S., and Mr. Minto printed my Note as an ' out- come ' of the New Society. My book now discloses my name. There is no use of searching cellars and garrets in Strat- ford or wainscot pannels in the house where Shakespeare's grand-daughter once lived." The 'genii of the lamp' has these miraculous manuscripts in keeping, and when found, we shall know who wrote them. Four years ago I threw off a chapter of chronology which I reprint; and now conclude with the opinions of Jeffrey and Spalding, in 1817 and 1840, as a finale to this first attempt in Book-making. " More full of wisdom, and ridicule, and sagacity, than all the moralists and satirists in existence — Shakespeare is more wild airy, and inventive, and more pathetic and fantastic, than aU the poets of all regions and ages of the world ; and 320 WHO WROTE -SHAKESPEARE^ has all those elements so happily mixed up in him, and bears his high faculties so temperately, that the most severe reader cannot complain of him for want of strength or of reason — nor the most sensitive for defect of ornament or ingenuity. Everything in him is in unmeasured abundance and un- equalled perfection — but everything so balanced and kept in subordination, as not to jostle or disturb or take the place of another. The most exquisite poetical conceptions, images, and descriptions are given with such brevity, and introduced with such skill, as merely to adorn, without loading, the sense they accompany. Although his sails are purple and perfumed, and his prow of beaten gold, they waft him on his voyage not less, but more rapidly and directly than if they had been composed of baser materials. All his excel- lencies,, like those of Nature herself, are thrown out together; and, instead of interfering with, support and recommend each other. His flowers are not tied up in garlands, nor his fruits crushed into baskets — but spring living from the soil^ in all the dew and freshness of youth, while the graceful foliage in which they lurk, and the ample branches, the rough and vigorous stem, and the wide-spreading roots on which they depend, are present along with them, and share, ia their places, the equal care of their Creator." — Edinburgh Review, August, 1817, page 472. " The whole circle of literature, ancient or modem, possesses nothing comparable to that world of thought, feelings and images, which is displayed in the five great tragedies of Shakespeare. In these works, all the powers which his mind had already exhibited separately, act ia combination ; and some, not before perfectly developed, now exert overwhelming force. The variety of views under which human life is portrayed ; the variety of action through which these views are made perceptible; the variety of character, all true and vivid, yet all unlike, who figure in WHO WROTE SHAKESPEARE? 321 the shifting scene ; the variety of grouping with which these characters successively appear ; the variety and richness of poetical imagination which throw the features of external nature, like a translucent medium, around the whole compo- sition — all these are qualities which affect us unconsciously and irresistibly, while we study the masterpieces that possess them; hut qualities whose union is so extraordinary, that the mind feels it difficult to grasp them even in part." — Edinburgh Review, July, 18Jfi, -p-p. Jf8S-Ji.. As a variety, and from an ethical point of view, let us hear what Horace Bushnell, the American divine, says of one he has singled out in the Triad of Intellect — Bacon, • Napoleon, and Shakespeare. " Prohably no one of mankind has raised himself to a higher pitch of renown hy the super- lative attributes of genius displayed in his writings than, the great English Dramatist ; flowering out, nevertheless, into such eminence of glory on a compost of fustian, buffonery, and other vile stuff, which he so magnificently covers with splendour and irradiates with beauty, that disgust itself is lost in the vehemence of praise.'' Another American divine in a delightful treatise, 'The Young Christian,' portrays the fascinating effect these writings possessed on the mind of a student while listening to the prelections of the Professor, and hearing him quote the passage in the Gospel, "Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin, yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these ". The student, we are told, turned towards his fellow-student and asked where that beautiful passage was found, and on bein" told that it was in the Bible, he replied sadly, " Alas ! my Shakespeare is the only Bible I read". An eminent theologian, still living, while instructing his students, used to impress upon them the axiom, " next to the Bible, study Shakespeare ". Each of these is a mine of wealth as far as 21 ' 322 WHO WROTE SHAKESPEARE'? regards the philology of the English language. It has been ascertained, however, that while our Bible contains seven thousand distinct English words, the great Dramatic Works contain fifteen thousand. A sentence or two more to this volume of words, as Hamlet styled the, book' which the inquisitive Lord Chamberlain found him reading, may not be amiss. Two commodities from the far West, and introduced during the Elizabethan era, have had different fortunes attached to them. In ' The Merry Wives of Windsor,' V. v. 17, we have Ealstaff uttering ' Let the sky rain potatoes ' ; and in ' Troilus and Cressida,' V. ii. 55, Thersites denounces luxury ' with his fat rump and potato-finger,' evidently classing the useful edible as something noxious. On the other hand, tobacco, though frequently mentioned by the dramatists of the period, is not once noticed in the works of Shakespeare. How comes this about ? Had the writer of these plays any dis- taste of the fragrant weed ? or had ' King James's Counter- blast against Tobacco ' any influence in the matter 1 Who can tell 1 It wUl not do to say that the chronology of the plays did not permit the mention of tobacco, neither did it admit the mention of potatoes in the two quotations I have given. Can any one explain this ] or what does it prove 1- I leave it unsolved. A CHAPTER OF COMPAEATIVE CHEOKOLOGY. 1661—1626. FRANCIS BACON AND WILLIAM SHAKESPEAEB. 1561. Francis Bacon, youngest son of Sir Mcholas Bacon, Keeper of the Great Seal, 'born at York House in the Strand, London, January 22. 1564. "William Shakespeare, eldest son of John Shakes- peare, hnrgess of Stratford-upon-Avon, "Warwickshire ; born there and baptised April 26. 1573. Prancis Bacon, at the age of twelve years and three months, entered as a commoner at Trinity College, Cam- bridge. 1677. Francis Bacon withdrawn from his studies at Cam- bridge, and entered as a student of law at Gray's Inn. "William Shakespeare, in his 14th year, is supposed to have finished his education at the Free Grammar School of Stratford. 1579. Francis Bacon, after travelling on the Continent, during which he wrote 'Notes on the State of Europe,' begins, at the age of eighteen, to keep his terms at Gray's inn and shortly after loses his father, and is in comparative poverty. 1583. Francis Bacon is called to the bar, and thrown upon his own resources ; age, twenty-one years and a half. 324 COMPARATIVE CHRONOLOGY. William Shakespeare, at the age of eighteen years and a half, is a married man, and it is not known what profession he followed. 1584 Francis Bacon, in his twenty-fourth year, is mem- ber for Melcombe Eegis, in Dorsetshire. 1535. William Shakespeare, in his twenty-first year, is the father of three children — his entire family — a,nd is still living at Stratford. 1587. William Shakespeare is by this time in London, and supposed to be connected with the stage. Francis Bacon has become a bencher, and assists in getting up the tragedy of ' The Misfortunes of Arthur,' and cer- tala masques for the Christmas revels. He is now member for Taunton. 1588. Bacon, at the period of the Spanish Aimada, is member for Liverpool. 1589. He is now member for Middlesex, and the most eloquent speaker in the House. 1592. Bacon composes his first State Paper defending the Queen and Government. Is again chosen Member for Middlesex. 1593. Bacon is still struggling for employment, is of ex- pensive habits, gets into debt, pursues his studies neverthe- less. Presents sonnets to the Queen, complains to his rela- tion Burleigh of his difficulties, proposes to sell his inherit- ance and buy some office which could be done by deputy, and become some sorry book-maker. COMPARATIVE OHRONOLOQY. 325 William Shakespeare dedicates the poem of ' Venus and Adonis ' to the Earl of Southampton ; no author's name on the title. 1594. Shakespeare dedicates 'The Eape of Lucrece' to the Earl of Southampton ; no author's name on title. ' The First Part of the Contention betwixt the two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster ' appears ; no author's name, but supposed to be the work of Robert Greene, who died ia 1592. 1596. Bacon disappointed in . obtaining the office of Solicitor-General, struggles on at the Bar. Embarrassed by duns and Jews' bonds, poor and sickly, working for bread. ' The True Tragedie of Eichard, Duhe of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixt ' appears ; no author's name, supposed to be by Greene. Both works the prototypes of ' Henry VI., Parts Second and Third '. 1596. Earliest known edition of 'Greene's Groat's-worth of Wit bought with a Million of Eepentance,' in which the dying man refers to the player thus — " For there is an up- start crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tijijer's heart wrapt in a Player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you ; and being an absolute lohannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the onely Shake-Scene in a countrie ". 1597. Bacon publishes the first edition of his Essays — ten in number. The first quarto of ' Eichard II.,' without author's name. (The second quarto in the following year by William Shakespeare; also all subsequent ones.) Same year ' Eichard III,' no author's name ; (all subsequent ones by Wilhara Shakespeare). ' Eomeo and Juliet,' first quarto ; no author. 326 COMP'ARATIVE CHRONOLOGY. 1598. The first quarto of 'Love's Labour's Lost,' and of 'Henry IV., Part L' PubKcation ,of 'Wit's Treasury,' by Francis Meres, in wbicb there are six allusions to Shakespeare as Poet and Dramatist. Amongst the plays there is mention of twelve, but only three had hitherto been printed ; 'three appeared only in print in 1623, and one is not settled to which play it refers. 1599. 'Eomep and Juliet,' second quarto; no author's name, but newly corrected and improved ; (subsequent ones by William Shakespeare). 'The Passionate Pilgrim,' by W. Shakespeare. 1600. Six plays appear this year. 'Much Ado About Nothing ' ; ' Midsummer Night's Dream ' ; ' Merchant of Venice'; 'Henry TV., Part IL'; ' The Cronicle History of Henry the Pift,' this last imperfect and without author's name ; ' Titus Andronicus,' no author's name. 1602. 'Merry Wives of Windsor,' by William Shakes- peare, imperfect. 1603. Visit of the players to Scotland. Lawrence Pletcher made a burgess of Aberdeen. Accession of James I. to the throne of England. ' The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarh, by William Shakespeare, as it hath been diverse times acted by his Highnesse servants in the Cittie of London,' &c., &c. Q. 1. Very imperfect. Prancis Bacon knighted, member for Ipswich. 1604 'Hamlet,' by William Shakespeare, 'newly im- printed and enlarged to almost as much againe as it was, according to the true and perfect coppie '. Q. 2. COMPARATIVE CHRONOLOGY. 327 1606. 'The Advancement of Learning,' in two books by Sir Francis Bacon. 1606. Sir Francis Bacon marries Alice Barnham in his forty-fifth year. 1607. Sir Francis Bacon becomes Solicitor-General, a reversionary office ; no salary 1608. 'M. William Shakespeare, his true Chronicle History of the Life' and death of King Lear and his Three Daughters, &c., &c., as it was played before the King's Maiesty at White-Hall upon S. Stephen's Night, in Christmas Hollidaies, by his Maiesties servants playing usually at the Glole on the Banch side.' 1609. 'The Historie of Troylus and Cresseida,' &c., &c., written by "William Shakespeare. ' Pericles, Prince of Tyre, with the true relation of the whole historie, as also of his Daughter Mariana,' &c., &c., by "William Shakespeare. ' Shakespeare's Sonnets,' never before imprinted. ' 'A Lover's Complaint '. 1610. Sir Francis Bacon elected for Ipswich, St. Albans, and Cambridge; prefers to sit for the last Publishes treatise on ' The "Wisdom of the Ancients '. 1611. "William Shakespeare retires to Stratford-upon-Avon for the rest of his days, and commences farming, as it is supposed. 1612. Bacon appointed Attorney-General, and on the hioh road to wealth. A new edition of the Essays, greatly enlarged. 328 COMPARATIVE GHBONOLOGY. 1616. William Shakespeare dies at Stratford-upon-Avon, 23rd April, and leaves lands, houses, tithe rents, legacies of money, furniture, &c. ; but no library, book, copyright, manuscript, or share of theatre. Age, 52. Sir Francis Bacon sworn of the Privy CouncU. 1617. Bacon created Lord Verulam, and Keeper of the Great Seal. 1618. Created Lord Chancellor. 1620. Publishes his great work, ' Instauratio Magna '. 1621. Created Viscount St. Albans. Impeached by Par- liament. 1622. 'The Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice, Written by William Shakespeare ' — the last of the quartos, nineteen in all. 1623. 'Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, Published according to the True Originall Copies' — (the famous first folio), containing eighteen plays printed for the first time, and wanting ' Pericles '. — Bacon writes the 'History of King Henry the Seventh'; the missing reign between Eichard the Third and Henry the Eighth. 1624-5. Sends out other works, 'De Augmentis Scien- tiarum,' &g., &c, 1626. Makes his will; mentioning, amongst others, his books, writings, and political papers, concluding with " My name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations, and to the next age ". Dies, 9th April, and buried near St. Albans. Age, 65 years and 10 weeks. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. Adam Corbet Anderson, Crown Street, Aberdeen, Eobert Abemethy, Golden Square, Aberdeen, - William Alexander, Free Press, Aberdeen, Henry Alexander, Free Press, Aberdeen, Frederick Anger, London, Eev. David Arthm', Springbank Terrace, Aberdeen, William Craibe Angus, Queen Street, Glasgow, W. E. Allan, South Portland Street, Glasgow, ' William Brebner, Garden Place, Aberdeen, - William Brodie, Footdee Iron Works, Aberdeen, William E. Byres, Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen, Professor Bain, University, Aberdeen, ' Andrew F. Bowie, Pilrig Street, Edinburgb, WiUiam Brodie, R.S.A., Edinburgh, Key. Alexander Beverley, LL.D., Aberdeen, Lionel Booth, Duchess Street, Portland Place, London, B. Septimus Brigg, Burlington House, Keighley, - WiUiam Clark, Rosemount, Aberdeen, James Craig, India Civil Service, WiUiam Cadenhead, Skene Terrace, Aberdeen, - William Core, Weston, Biggar, John Cruikshank, Cults, Aberdeen, Alexander Copland, Commercial Company, Aberdeen, - Francis Craigmyle, Strawberry Bank, Aberdfeen, Joseph Crosby, ZainsviUe, Ohio, - ■William Cowan, Engineer, Aberdeen, - 3 Vfilliam Duthie, Ashley Lodge, Aberdeen, - 1 332 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. Charles Duncan, Advocate, _Aberdeen, - Eev. James Danson, St. Mary's Parsonage, Aberdeen, James Davidson, Co-operative Company, Aberdeen, Thomas Donaldson, Builder, Aberdeen, David Douglas, Princes Street, Edinburgh, - Charles Davidson, Forester Hill, Aberdeen, - • James D. Davis, London, William Duncan, Inchture, - J. T. Danson, T. & M. Insurance Company, Liverpool, - George Donald, St. Nicholas Street, Aberdeen, James A. B. Dunbar, Rosemount, Aberdeen, Alexander J. Ellis, Kensington, London, Peter Esslemont, North Silver Street, Aberdeen, - James Elmslie, Printer, Bank of England, London, William Eddie, George Street, Aberdeen, WiUiam Eraser, Surgeon, Aberdeen, Professor Fyfe, University, Aberdeen, - David Fiddes, M.D., Aberdeen, B. Flaxington, George Street, Aberdeen, Angus Eraser, M.D., Aberdeen, Professor Fuller, University, Aberdeen, John Ferguson, Clyde Street, Edinburgh, George Eraser, Middleton Road, Camden Road, London, Alexander Finlayson, Aberdeen, - William Gibson, St. Swithin Street, Aberdeen, - Rev. A. B.' Grosart, Blackburn, Alexander Green, Grammar School, Aberdeen, James Greenhalph, Solicitor, Bolton, - James Gall, Newcastle, James B. Gallie, Mayfield Terrace, Edinburgh, R. J. Garden, M.D., Aberdeen, Professor Geddes, University, Aberdeen, SUBi^GRIBEBS' NAMES. 333 William Gellaa, 62 Great Percy Street, London, Arthur Greer, Ormskirk, Liverpool, D. R. L. Grant, Kingsford, Aterdeen, - Archibald Gillies, Aberdeen Journal, Aberdeen, George Gruhb, LL.D., Advocates' Library, Aberdeen, Robert Gilbert, Chapel Street, Aberdeen, John Hunter, College Street, 'Aberdeen, ■William Harrison, Samlesbury Hall, H. B. Homer, The College, Marlborough, George Harvey, Lime Company, Aberdeen, Charles Hardwick, Manchester, - The Most Noble The Marquis of Huntly, John B. Innes, Strathdon, ... Andrew Jervise, Brechin, - John W. Jarvis, Charles Square, Hoxton, N., John W. Jarvis, Avon House, Manor Road, Halloway, - John Kirby, Organist, Aberdeen,- John Kesson, Aberdeen, William Keith, jun.. King Street, Aberdeen, Peter Keers, Newcastle, - - Jonas Levy, Verulam Buildings, Gray's Inn, London, William Liggins, Bread Street, London, John Leith, Islington, London, Alex. D. Milne, Albyn Place, Aberdeen, William Milne, Albyn Place, Aberdeen, Alexander Macdonald, Kepplestone, Aberdeen, John Miller, Sandilands, Aberdeen, James Matthews, Architect, Aberdeen, - John Morgan, Aberdeen, - - -, - ' John D. Milne, Advocate, Aberdeen, Alexander Macmillan, Cambridge and London, - 4 Alexander Marr, Free Press, Aberdeen,- - 1 334 SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES. James Mitchell, Free Press, Aberdeen, - Jolin Macintosh, 186 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, Professor Masson, University, Edinburgh, Colin M'Leod, Aberdeen, - Alexander Mackay, Free Press, Aberdeen, William Macintosh, Madras Academy, Cupar, . Robert Mustard, George Street, Aberdeen, Professor H. Morley, University College, London, David M. Main, Irelands, Cheshire, Patrick Morgan, Rosemoimt, Aberdeen, David Morton, Aberdeen, James Maclehose, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Thomas P. NicoU, Eosemount, Aberdeen, James Oorlofif, Student, Aberdeen, Sir Charles Metcalfe Ochterlony, St. Andrews, John Paterson, Surgeon, Aberdeen, Cornelius Paine, Lewes Crescent, Brighton, - James Rettie, Aberdeen, George Reid, R.S.A., Aberdeen, Caroline Robertson,- Shoreham, Sussex, Hugh Ross, Cults, Aberdeen, William Rennie, Broad Street, Aberdeen, Archibald Reid, Artist, Aberdeen, Robert Rattray, M.D., Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Alexander Rennie, Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen, John Roy, Rosemount, Aberdeen, John Rainforth, Stage Manager, Aberdeen, - Rev. Robert M. Spence, Manse of Arbuthnot, John Strath, Queen's Road, Aberdeen,- A. R. Smith, Soho Square, London, - James Smith, BannermiU, Aberdeen, - - . WiUiam Skea, Free Press, Aberdeen, - SUBUCBIBEBS' NAMES. 333 COPIES 1 . Rev. James Stark, Aberdeen, Alexander Sim| Carol Road, Highgate, London, - 2 John S. Sutherland, Watson Street, Aberdeen, Thomas Alfred Spalding, Pump Court, Temple, London, George H. Sumdells, Oakvilla, Stockport, - Alexander Stirling, Buckingham Buildings, Glasgow, Robert H. Sandeman, Forebank Terrace, Dundee, 2 Alexander Skene, Regent Quay, Aberdeen, - 3 Alexander Strahan, Esq., 34 Paternoster Eow, , 2 John Tevendale, Stcf&ehaven, James Thomson, Mount Place, Aberdeen, Samuel Timmins, Elvetham Lodge, Birmingham, Andrew Thomson, Fife-Keith, James Tester, Aberdeen, - - - '- James Tytler, Engineer, Hardgate, Aberdeen, Robert Urquhart, Golden Square, Aberdeen, J. E. Van Guyzel, Student, Aberdeen, - Patrick Watson, Cults, George Walker, Advocate, Aberdeen, John Webster, LL.D., Edgehill, Aberdeen, - ■ - Alex. P. Watt, Esq., Barrowhill Place, Regent's Park, London, Wmiam Watt, Free Press, Aberdeen, John Watt, sen.. Advocate, Aberdeen, - Charles Walton, Newington Butts, London, - WiUiam Webster, jun., Aberdeen, W. Williams, St. Mary's Place, Aberdeen, - James Winkley, Huntly Street, Aberdeen, Francis R. Warrax, Ardonel Terrace, Inverness, John F. White, Union Street, Aberdeen, Alexander Walker, Dean of Guild, Aberdeen, - - - 2 James Travis Whitaker, M.D., Glasgow, - - - 2 H. S. Wilcoke, Stoke, Devonport, .... 1 Cornell University Library PR 3071.B93 Studies on the text of Shakespeare:with 3 1924 013 164 300