403. Glos Say that." Why should Gloster say that? the question, How fell ye out?" was enough for the sense as well as the metre. Why dost thou call him," &c. This will not form the measure: Kent. "Than I and such a knave.' Corn. " Why call'st him knave? "What's his offence?" Kent. "His countenance likes me not "Before me at this instant." 'Tis some fellow." "That stretch their manners with their duties nicely". Corn." 404. 405. Corn. " "But Ajax is their fool." Fetch forth the stocks, ho!" "Ho" is interpolated, or the ejaculation of some actor without an ear. Mr. Steevens's former explanation appears to be much nearer to the truth than that which he has adopted from Mr. M. Mason. If Kent's meaning had been according to the notion of the latter gentleman, he would have said at once, 66 Ajax is a fool to them.” The sense of which could never be mistaken; but there is a material difference between being their fool, and a fool to them, i. e. in comparison with them; and we cannot admit the latter interpretation either with a view to the character of Ajax, or the drift of the sentence: what Mr. Malone has adduced on the same side, is not, I think, quite in point. The meaning seems to be only this; any rogue or coward, like this fellow, can, by falsehood and cunning, overreach plain honesty, and outwit Ajax; or, as Kent expresses it, make Ajax appear a fool. 407. Reg." If I were your father's dog "You should not use me so." Sir, being his knave, I will.” The exuberance of this latter hemistic seems to suggest a more pointed and correct reading: "his knave" I take to be vocative,-thou, his knave. "If I were your father's dog "Our sister speaks of. Come, bring away the stocks." "Come" should be withdrawn. The king must take it ill, "That he's so slightly valued in his messenger, "Should have him thus restrained." We should read, dis What concord is this? missing the contracted “is:” "That he, so slightly valued in his messenger, "Should have him," &c. i. e. Should be obliged to endure the indignity of his man's restraint. 408. Put in his legs." This must have been a stage direction: it was useless to the servants, (who could not be ignorant how they were to use the stocks,) and is an awkward encumbrance to the verse. "For following her affairs.-Come, my good [Ex. Reg. &c. lord." "Give you good morrow-never heed for me." Some such supplement as this, I suppose, has been lost. 66 The common saw." Why should "the common saw,' "Out of God's blessing into the warm sun," be altered and extended to spoil a line and a half? 409. "Nothing almost sees miracles." sees The quarto, perhaps more intelligibly, my wreck," which, by dismissing a word that means nothing (almost) will afford both sense and metre: -I may "Peruse this letter !-nothing sees my wreck, "But misery." I may proceed in safety, for I am unobserved by all, except such wretches as are too much occupied by their own misery to regard me. 410. 66 And shall find time "From this enormous state," &c. The best interpretation that can be given of this obscure passage is, I believe, what Mr. Steevens has offered: "Approach, thou beacon," &c. may properly enough be addressed to the luminary present, and mean, only, "quickly impart thy light to the paper I want to read." 412. "This shameful lodging. Fortune, now good night; "Smile yet once more, and turn thy wheel around!" Words like these in Italics seem wanting. SCENE III. "I heard myself proclaim'd." Something seems to have been lost; perhaps, An outlaw'd traitor." No port is free; no place, "That guard, and most unusual vigilance, "Does not attend my taking." "That" for "where," or "in which" is not grammatical. Kent. "But I say, yea. Lear. " No, no, they would not do't." Kent. "Yes, yes, they have." Lear. " ay.” They durst not do't.” "My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post." "There" has no business here 420. "The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks." Perhaps transposition, here, would be proper: "Gave me cold looks, commanding me to follow, "And to attend the leisure of their answer." Having more man than wit about me, drew." The omission, in the old editions, of the necessary pronoun I, before "drew," which Mr. Steevens once properly restored, is not to be accounted for, as Mr. Malone contends, by any such mode of speech having been adopted or observed by Shakspeare or his contemporaries; but is rather to be ascribed to that carelessness or ignorance of the transcribers which, throughout these plays, is so fruitful a source of disorder. “The shame which here, my liege, you see, it suffers." The words in Italics ought, perhaps, to be added. 421. "As many dolours as thou canst tell." Anachronism is a feeble obstacle in the way of resolute quibble. 422. "Stay here." Had better begone. 424. "That, sir, which serves and seeks for gain." "Sir" should be ejected. "They have travell'd hard to-night! tush! fetches all." |