Critical Notes.

BY ISRAEL GOLLANCZ.

I. i. 21. 'gum, which oozes'; Johnson's reading; Folios read gown, which uses'; Pope, 'gum which issues.'

I. i. 24-25. 'flies Each bound it chafes'; Folios, 'chases'; Becket conj. 'flies. Eche (bound) it chafes'; Schmidt, 'chafes with.'

I. i. 30-31. 'grace Speaks his own standing'; Johnson conj. 'standing graces or grace Speaks understanding'; Mason conj. 'Grace speaks its own standing'; Jackson conj. 'grace Speaks! 'tis on standing'; Orger conj. 'grace seeming.'

I. i. 40. happy man'; Theobald's emendation of Folios, 'happy men.'

I. i. 47. 'sea of wax'; Bailey conj. 'sweep of taxing'; Collier MS., sea of verse, etc.; but there is evidently a reference to writing-tablets covered with wax.

I. i. 87. 'slip'; Folios, 'sit'; Delius conj. 'sink.'

I. i. 129. The line is supposed by some to be corrupt, and many emendations have been proposed, but Coleridge's interpretation commends itself:- "The meaning of the first line the poet himself explains, or rather unfolds, in the second. 'The man is honest!' -True; and for that very cause, and with no additional or extrinsic motive, he will be so. No man can be justly called honest, who is not so for honesty's sake, itself including its reward."

I. i. 233. That I had no angry wit to be a lord'; Blackstone conj. 'Angry that I had no wit,-to be a lord'; Malone conj. That I had no angry wit.-To be a lord!'; Anon. conj., 'That I had no ampler wit than be a lord'; Warburton, 'That I had so hungry a wit to be a lord'; Heath conj. 'That so wrong'd my wit to be a lord,' etc., etc.

I. ii. 45. Alluding to the then custom of each guest bringing his own knife to a feast.

I. ii. 71. ́sin'; Farmer conj. ‘sing'; Singer conj. ́dine'; Kinnear conj. 'surfeit.'

I. ii. 122-127. The arrangement of these lines was first suggested by Rann, and followed by Steevens in his edition of 1793.

I. ii. 129. Music, make their welcome '; Pope reads ‘Let musick make their welcome'; Capell, 'Musick, make known their welcome!' I. ii. Direc. A mask of ladies as Amazons. (Cp. illustration.)

II. i. 10. 'And able horses'; so Folios 1, 2; Folios 3, 4, 'An able horse'; Theobald, 'ten able horse'; Jackson conj. 'Ay, able horses'; Collier MS., ' a stable o' horses'; Singer conj. 'Two able horses.'

II. i. 13. found his state in safety'; Hanmer's reading; Folios, 'sound '; Capell, 'found . . . on safety'; Capell conj. in safety.'

'find

.

II. ii. 6. Was to be'; Heath conj. 'Was made to be'; Long MS., 'Was'; Mason conj. Was formed'; Singer MS., 'Was truly'; Collier MS., ' Was surely.'

II. ii. 75. mistress' (so line 107).

II. ii. 149. 'loved lord'; Folios 2, 3, 4, 'dear lov'd lord'; S. Walker conj. 'belov'd.'

II. ii. 150. Folios read Though you heare now (too late) yet nowes a time, The '; Hanmer, 'Though a time'; Collier MS., 'Though

yet now's too late yet now's a time too late.

II. ii. 169. 'wasteful cock'; Pope reads 'lonely room'; Collier MS., 'wasteful nook'; Jackson conj. 'wakeful cock'; Jervis conj. 'wakeful couch'; Keightley, 'wasteful cock-loft'; Daniel conj. ‘wakeful cot'; Jackson's conjecture seems best, 'wakeful cock,' i.e. cock-loft,' unless' cock' = wine-tap.

III. i. 50. 'And we alive that lived'; i.e. in so short a time. III. i. 55. Let molten coin be thy damnation'; cp. the old ballad," The Dead Man's Song":

"And ladles full of melted gold

Were poured down their throats."

III. i. 59-60. 'slave, Unto his honour,' Steevens' reading; Folios, 'Slave unto his honour'; Pope, 'slave Unto this hour'; Collier MS., 'slave unto his humour'; Staunton,' slave Unto dishonour'; but the words are probably spoken ironically.

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III. ii. 13. so many'; changed by Theobald to 'fifty'; so, too, in line 41; but the figures are very doubtful, and 'fifty-five hundred talents,' in line 43, is obviously a mere exaggeration.

III. ii. 25. ' mistook him,' etc., i.e. ' made the mistake and applied to me'; Hanmer, ' o'erlooked'; Warburton, ' mislook'd'; Johnson conj. 'not mistook.'

III. ii. 50. 'for a little part'; Theobald, 'for a little dirt'; Hanmer, ‘a little dirt'; Heath conj. ‘for a little profit'; Johnson conj. for a little park'; Mason conj. ‘for a little port'; Jackson conj. 'for a little part'; Bailey conj. ‘for a little sport'; Kinnear conj. for a little pomp.' Steevens explains the passage thus:-" By purchasing what brought me little honour, I have lost the more honourable opportunity of supplying the wants of my friend."

III. ii. 70. 'spirit,' Theobald's correction of Folios, 'sport'; Collier MS.,'port.'

III. ii. 79. 'in respect of his'; Staunton conj. 'this.'

III. iii. 12. Thrive, give him over'; so Folio 1; Folios 2, 3, 4, 'That thriv'd, give him over'; Pope, 'Three give him over?'; Hanmer, 'Tried give him over'; Theobald, Thriv'd, give him over?'; Tyrwhitt conj. 'Shriv'd give him over: '; Johnson conj. 'Thrice give him over,' etc.

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III. iii. 14. sense'; Collier conj. ''scuse.'

III. iv. 112. Sempronius: all:', so Folios 3, 4; Folio 1. 'Sempronius Vllorra: All'; Folio 2, 'Semprovius: All'; Malone, 'Sempronius: Ullorxa, all'; Grant White suggested that 'Vllorxa' was a misprint for 'Ventidius.'

III. v. 22. ' behave his anger, ere 'twas spent'; Folios, 'behooue

his . . ; Johnson conj. 'behold his adversary shent'; Steevens conj. 'behave, ere was his anger spent'; Becket conj. 'behave; his anger was, 'ere spent'; Hanmer, 'behave in's '; Malone conj. ' behave his . ; Collier MS., 'reprove his ..,' etc.

III. v. 63. 'I say, my lords, has'; Pope reads 'I say my lords h'as'; Folio 1, 'Why say my Lords ha's'; Folios 2, 3, 'Why I say my lords ha's'; Folio 4, 'Why, I say my Lords h'as'; Capell, 'Why, I say, my lords, he has'; Dyce, 'Why, I say, my lords, has'; Globe edd., 'I say, my lords, he has.'

III. v. 102. 'And, not to swell our spirit, i.e. 'not to swell our spirit with anger, not to become exasperated'; Theobald, 'And note, to swell your spirit'; Capell, 'And, not to swell your spirit'; Singer,' quell'; Kinnear, 'quail.'

III. v. 105. Only in bone,' i.e. 'as a mere skeleton'; Staunton conj. Only at home,' or 'Only in doors'; Ingleby conj. only in bed'; Hudson conj. 'only alone.'

III. v. 116. ' most lands'; Warburton, 'most hands'; Malone conj. ' most lords'; Mason conj. ' my stains'; Becket conj. ' most brands'; Jackson conj. 'most bands.'

III. vi. 37. harshly o' the trumpet's'; Rowe, 'harshly as o' the Trumpets'; Steevens (1793), harshly on the trumpet's; Grant White conj. ' harshly. O, the trumpets,' etc.

III. vi. 95. 'you with flatteries'; so Folios; Warburton, 'with your flatteries'; Keightley, by you with flatteries'; Folio 2 reads 'flatreries'; S. Walker conj. 'flattery.'

pounds'; Watkiss Lloyd conj. 'whate'er state comprehends.' IV. iii. 9. deny 't'; Warburton, ' denude'; Hanmer, ' degrade'; Heath conj. 'deprive'; Steevens conj. 'devest'; Collier MS., decline'; etc.; the indefinite 'it' refers to the implied houn in 'raise,' i.e.' give elevation to.'

IV. iii. 12. pasture lards the rother's sides'; 'rother, Singer's emendations for Folios 'brothers.' Folio 1, 'Pastour'; Folios 2, 3, 4, 'pastor'; Farmer and Steevens conj. pasterer': 'lards'; Rowe's reading, Folio 1, 'Lards'; Folios 2, 3, 4, ‘Lords.'

IV. iii. 18. ́all is oblique'; Pope's emendation; Folio 1, 'All's obliquie'; Folios 2, 3, ‘Alls obliquy'; Folio 4, 'All's obliquy'; Rowe, 'all's obloquy'; Lettsom conj. ́all, all's oblique.'

IV. iii. 38. wappen'd'; so Folios 1, 2; Folios 3, 4, 'wapen'd'; Warburton, 'waped'; Johnson conj. 'wained'; Malone conj. 'wapper'd'; Anon. conj. 'Wapping'; Steevens conj. 'weeping'; Seymour conj. 'vapid'; Staunton conj. ' woe-pin'd'; Fleay, 'wopeyed'; i.e. having waterish eyes (vide Glossary).

IV. iii. 106. 'conquer my country'; Kinnear conj. ' confound my countrymen'; Hanmer, make conquest of my country'; Capell, 'conquer thy own country'; S. Walker conj. ' scourge thy country'; Hudson, scourge my country.'

IV. iii. 116. 'window-bars'; Johnson conj.; Folios, 'window Barn'; Pope, 'window-barn'; Warburton, window-lawn'; Tyrwhitt conj. 'widows's barb.'

IV. iii. 153. ‘spurring'; Hanmer, 'sparring'; Long MS., 'spurning'; Seymour conj. 'springing'; there is no need to emend the text.

IV. iii. 215. bade'; Folio 1, 'bad'; Folios, 2, 3, 4, 'bid.'
IV. iii. 225. 'when'; S. Walker conj. 'where!'

IV. iii. 243. 'Outlives incertain'; Rowe's emendation; Folio I reads 'Out-lives: incertaine'; Folios 2, 3, 4, 'Out-lives: in certaine'; Hanmer, 'Out-strips incertain'; Capell, 'Out-vies uncertain.'

IV. iii. 254.drugs'; Folios 1, 2, drugges'; Mason conj. 'drudges'; Collier MS., 'dugs'; Capell conj. MS. 'dregs'; ' drugs'=' drudges?'

IV. iii. 283. 'my'; Rowe's correction of Folios, 'thy.'

IV. iii. 312. ʻafter his means,' i.e. after his means were gone.' IV. iii. 421. meat'; Theobald, 'meet' (i.e. 'what you ought to be'); Hanmer, ' men'; Steevens conj. ' me,' etc.

IV. iii. 422-426. 'Behold, the earth hath roots,' etc.; cp. Hall's Satires, III. 1 (pub. 1598):

"Time was that, whiles the autumn full did last,

Our hungry sires gap'd for the falling mast," etc.

IV. iii. 439. 'villany'; Rowe's correction of Folios 1, 2, 'villaine.