So sighs, and tears, and groans, "Show minutes, times, and hours: O but my time,' So again, in The Comedy of Errors: ,, &C. "I'll meet you in that place, some hour, sir, hence." instead of the original reading, “I'll meet you in that place some hour hence." Again, in The Winter's Tale, Act I. sc. ii: "Hours, minutes? the noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c. instead of the original reading, "Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c. Again, in All's well that ends well, Act II. sc. iii: • In Measure for Measure we find these lines: Merciful heaven! "Thou rather, with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt, 66 Split'st the unwedgeable and gnarled oak, "Than the soft mirtle;-But man, proud man," &c. There can be no doubt that a word was omitted in the last line; perhaps some epithet to mirtle. But the editor of the second folio, resorting to his usual expedient, absurdly reads: "Than the soft mirtle. O but man, proud man,So, in Titus Andronicus, Act III. sc. ii: complaynet being corruptly printed instead of complayner, "Speechless complaynet, I will learn thy thoughts,-" this editor, with equal absurdity, reads: "Speechless complaint, O, I will learn thy thoughts." I have again and again had occasion to mention in the notes on these plays, that omission is of all the errors of the press that which most frequently happens. On collating the fourth edition of King Richard III. printed in 1612, with the second printed in 1598, I found no less than twenty-six words omitted. "Which challenges itself as honours born, "And is not like the sire. Honours thrive," &c. This editor, not knowing that sire was used as a dissyllable, reads: "And is not like the sire. Honours best thrive,” &c. So, in King Henry VI. P. I: "Rescued is Orleans from the English.” Not knowing that English was used as a trisyllable, he has completed the line, which he supposed defective, according to his own fancy, and reads: "Rescu'd is Orleans from the English wolves." The same play furnishes us with various other proofs of his ignorance of our poet's metre. Thus, instead of "Orleans the bastard, Charles, Burgundy,-" he has printed (not knowing that Charles was used as a word of two syllables,) "Orleans the bastard, Charles, and Burgundy." So, instead of the original reading, "Divinest creature, Astræa's daughter, (Astræa being used as a word of three syllables,) he has printed "Divinest creature, bright Astræa's daughter." Again, ibidem: "Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss." 1 Not knowing that contrary was used as a word of four syllables, he reads: "Whereas the contrary bringeth forth bliss." So sure is used in the same play, as a dissyllable? "Gloster, we'll meet: to thy cost, be sure.” but this editor, not aware of this, reads: "Gloster, we'll meet; to thy dear cost, be sure." Again, in King Henry VI. P. II. "And so to arms, victorious father,—" arms being used as a dissyllable. But the second folio reads: "And so to arms, victorious noble father." Again, in Twelfth-Night, Act I. sc. i. we find when liver, brain, and heart, "These sovereign thrones, are all supply'd, and fill'd, "(Her sweet perfections) with one self-king." for which the editor, not knowing that perfections was used as a quadrisyllable, has substituted when liver, brain, and heart, "These sovereign thrones, are all supply'd, and fill'd, "(Her sweet perfections) with one self-same king." Again, in King Henry VI. P. II : "Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king." for which the editor of the second folio, not knowing Henry to be used as a trisyllable, gives us, "But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king." In like manner dazzled is used by Shakspeare as a trisyllable in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II. sc. iv: "And that hath dazzled my reason's light." instead of which, we find in the second folio, “And that hath dazzled so my reason's light." The words neither, rather, &c. are frequently used by Shakspeare as words of one syllable. So, in King Henry VI. P. III: "And neither by treason, nor hostility, "To seek to put me down—.” for which the editor of the second folio has given us, "Neither by treason, nor hostility," &c. In Timon of Athens, Act III. sc. v. Alcibiades asks, "Is this the balsam, that the usuring senate The editor of the second folio, not knowing that pours was used as a dissyllable, to complete the supposed defect in the metre, reads: "Is this the balsam, that the usuring senate Tickled is often used by Shakspeare and the contemporary poets, as a word of three syllables. So, in King Henry VI. P. II : "She's tickled now; her fume needs no spurs." instead of which, in the second folio we have, L "She's tickled now; her fume can need no spurs.' So, in Titus Andronicus, Act II. sc. i: "Better than he have worn Vulcan's badge." This editor, not knowing that worn was used as a dissyllable, reads: "Better than he have yet worn Vulcan's badge." Again, in Cymbeline, Act II. sc. v: "All faults that name, nay, that hell knows, why hers, "In part, or all; but rather all: for even to vice," &c. These lines being thus carelessly distributed in the original copy, "All faults that name, nay, that hell knows, Why hers, in part, or all; but rather all :" &c. the editor of the second folio, to supply the defect "All faults that may be named, nay, that hell knows, In King Henry IV. P. II. Act I. sc. iii. is this line: "And being now trimm'd in thine own desires,—.” instead of which the editor of the second folio, to remedy a supposed defect in the metre, has given us "And being now trimm'd up in thine own desires, Again, in As you like it, Act II. sc. i: " |