P. 198. I can no other answer make, but thanks,

And thanks, and ever thanks; too oft good turns

Are shuffled off with such uncurrent pay. — In the original, the second line stands thus: "And thankes: and ever oft good turnes." A large number of readings has been made or proposed. That in the text is by Seymour.

ACT III., SCENE 4.

P. 200. I have sent after him: says he, he'll come,

How shall I feast him? The old text reads "he says hee'l come." But the concessive sense is evidently required, not the affirmative. Theobald saw this clearly, and so printed “say he will come." The simple transposition made in the text gets the same sense naturally enough; the subjunctive being often formed in that way.

P. 202. My yellow stockings! — The original has Thy instead of My. The correction is Lettsom's, and a very happy one it is too.

P. 202. Let thy tongue twang arguments of State. -The original has "let thy tongue langer with arguments." The second folio substitutes tang for langer; tang being merely an old form or spelling of twang. See the letter as given in full in ii. 5, page 185.

Here,

P. 202. But it is God's doing, and God make me thankful. again, as also later in the same speech, the original has Jove. See note on "God and my stars be praised," page 247.

- So Rowe and

P. 205. Very brief, and exceeding good sense-less. various others. The original has "and to exceeding." I cannot see what business to has there.

P. 207. I've said too much unto a heart of stone,

And laid mine honour too unchary out. So Theobald. The original has "too unchary on't"; which some editors still retain, and try to support with arguments more ingenious than sound.

P. 208. He is knight, dubb'd with unhack'd rapier and on carpet consideration. So Pope. The original has "with unhatch'd rapier." To hatch was used for to ornament; so that unhatch'd rapier would

hardly accord with the occasion. Of course an unhack'd rapier is a rapier that has done no service in fight. So in King John, ii. 1: "With unhack'd swords and helmets all unbruised."

ACT III., SCENE 5.

P. 210. SCENE V. The Street adjoining OLIVIA's Garden. - The original and most modern editions print this scene as a continuation of the preceding one. In the Poet's time, changes of scene were not unfrequently left to the imagination of the audience; the machinery and furniture not being so ample then as in later days. The course of the action and various particulars of the dialogue, as any one will see who notes them carefully, plainly require a change of scene in this place. Dyce arranges as in the text.

P. 213. Relieved him with all sanctity of love;

And to this image, which methought did promise

Most venerable worth, did I devotion.

But, O, how vile an idol proves this god!- The original has "with such sanctity," and "to his image." With the former, the text has so abrupt and misplaced a break in the sense, that Walker thought, as he well might, that a line had dropped out after love. The context, I think, fairly requires the sense of all instead of such. Much might more easily be misprinted such, but is not strong enough for the place. The common reading sets a dash after love, of course to indicate a break in the sense: the original has a (;) as if not aware of any break. “To this image” is proposed by Walker; and the occurrence of idol in the last line shows it to be right. Antonio does not mean that he has been worshipping an image of the supposed Sebastian, but that what he has taken for something divine turns out to be but a hollow image.

-

ACT IV., SCENE 1.

P. 215. I am afraid this great lubberly world will prove a cockney. - So Collier's second folio. The original has "this great lubber the World." Douce proposed to read “this great lubberly word,” taking word as referring to vent, and that reading is adopted by White, who explains great lubberly as meaning pretentious. Dyce says, “I can hardly believe that Shakespeare would have made the Clown speak of vent as a 'great lubberly word.'"

P. 215. Why, there's for thee, and there, and there, and there!

-

Are all the people mad? — The original lacks the last and there, which was added by Capell. Such omissions are apt to occur in case of such repetitions.

P. 217. Nay, come, I pray: would thou'dst be ruled by me.- - So Pope. The original has "Nay come I prethee." Walker says, "Read I pray; the other is too rugged for a rhyming couplet."

ACT IV., SCENE 2.

P. 218. Sir To. God bless thee, master parson. — Here also the old text has Jove; quite as much out of place as in the former instances.

P. 218. Say'st thou this house is dark? stead of this. Corrected by Rann.

The original has that in

P. 220. I cannot pursue with any safety this sport to the upshot. — The original omits to. Supplied by Rowe.

P. 221. Are you not mad indeed? or do you but counterfeit ?—This must mean "Are you really sane? or do you but pretend to be so?" Johnson proposed to strike out not, and, I suspect, rightly. That would give the meaning, "Are you really mad? or have you merely been shamming madness?" which seems more in keeping with the Clown's humour.

P. 222. Adieu, goodman Devil. - The original has "goodman divell"; thus making a rhyme by repeating the same word. Many recent editors change divell to drivel. Still I must think the change to be wrong: for such repetitions, instead of rhymes proper, are not unfrequent in old ballads; especially where the rhymes are not consecutive.

ACT V., SCENE 1.

P. 226. The triplex, sir, is a good tripping measure; as the bells of Saint Bennet, &c.—So Hanmer. The old text has or instead of as.

P. 231. A contract and eternal bond of love. — So Collier's second folio. Instead of and, the original repeats of by anticipation.

P. 232. Then he's a rogue and a passy-measures paynim. — The original has panyn, which Pope corrected to paynim, an old form of pagan. The second folio changes panyn to Pavin. See foot-note 14.

P. 233. You throw a strange regard on me; by that

I do perceive it hath offended you. The original reads "a strange regard upon me, and by that." The reading in the text is Lettsom's; who remarks, “and is wretchedly flat here; it probably crept in from the line above. Pope and others have on me, by which,' &c."

P. 234. I'll bring you to a captain's in this town,

-The old text has

Where lie my maid's weeds; by whose gentle help I was preferr'd to serve this noble Count. Captaine instead of captain's, maiden instead of maid's, and preserv' d instead of preferr'd. The first change is from Collier's second folio; the other two were made by Theobald, one for the metre, the other for the sense; as preserv'd gives an untrue meaning. A little further on, Viola speaks of " my maid's garments."

P. 236. A most distracting frenzy of mine own. - So Hanmer and Collier's second folio. The original has "most extracting frenzy." Here extracting has to be explained in the sense of distracting, while it does not appear that the word was ever used in that sense. And the preceding line has distract in the same sense.

P. 237. One day shall crown th' alliance on's, so please you. — The old text has "th' alliance on't"; the easiest of misprints. Of course on's is a contraction of on us. The Poet has many such.

P. 238.

It was she

First told me thou wast mad: thou camest in smiling. - So Collier's second folio, and with manifest propriety. The old text has then instead of the second thou.

P. 238. Upon some stubborn and uncourteous parts

We had conceived in him.—The original reads "conceiv'd against him," defeating both sense and verse. No doubt against crept in from the second line before. Corrected by Tyrwhitt.

P. 239. Alas, poor soul, how have they baffled thee! So Walker and Collier's second folio. The old text has fool instead of soul. It is true, as Dyce notes, that the Poet has poor fool repeatedly as a term of familiar endearment or of pitying fondness; but that seems to me too strong a sense for this place.

P. 240. 'Gainst knave and thief men shut their gate. So Farmer. The original has "Knaves and Theeves." Also, in the second stanza after, it has "unto my beds," and "drunken heades." See foot-note 33.