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p. 147.

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p. 148.

p. 149.

p. 150.

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was Heaven ordinant" : — The folio, "ordinate;" perhaps correctly.

their defeat" :— The folio has the mere misprint,

"their debate.'

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Does it not, think'st thee": — So the folio; the 4tos., thinke thee." The reading of the folio is in accordance with the idiom of Shakespeare's time.

&c.

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I'll court his favours -The folio, "Ile count," an obvious misprint, which Rowe corrected.

if your lordship were at leisure : So the 4tos.; the folio, "if your friendship," &c., which I believe, with Mr. Dyce, to be a mere misprint, or rather a blunder on the part of transcriber or compositor.

and hot for my complexion": See the Note on "the o'ergrowth of some complexion," Act I. Sc. 4, of this play.

"I beseech you, remember":- Hamlet was probably about to add your courtesy.' See Supplementary Notes on remember thy courtesy,' Love's Labour's Lost, Act V. Sc. 1.

"[Sir, here is newly come to court":— All from these words to "Well, sir,' Well, sir," inclusive, in Hamlet's fifth speech below, is omitted in the folio.

and it but yaw neither": Thus the 4to. of 1604, with the exception of yet' for 'it;' the later 4tos., "but raw." The words quick sail,' showing that the movement of a ship is alluded to, leave no doubt that the earlier text is the right one. Mr. Dyce first read 'it.' There seems no doubt that 'yt' was mistaken for 'yet.' [Ham. I dare not confess" - This and the following speech are not found in the folio.

"The King, sir, hath waged" :— The 4tos., "wager'd;' but the reading of the folio is in perfect accordance with Shakespeare's usage, and that of his contemporaries. So in Cymbeline, Act I. Sc. 5, "I will wage against your gold gold to it." The folio has, "wag'd;" but that spelling now-a-days could not but cause the g to be pronounced hard.

against the which he has impon'd": Osric's affected pronunciation of 'impawn'd.'

This is See Ham

let's second speech below. By the uncontracted spelling usually given, imponed, the point is lost.

"I knew you must be edified by the margent":— i. e., receive an explanation like that furnished by a marginal

note.

p. 150.

he hath laid on twelve": tally omits laid.'

The folio acciden

p. 151.

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p. 152.

no tongues else for's turn” : 'tongue' in the place of turn.'

The folio repeats

"He did comply with his dug":- i. e., he exchanged compliments. See in this play, Act II. Sc. 2, "let me comply with you." Some doubt has been thrown upon this definition of 'comply;' but its correctness in this particular case would seem to be settled by the following passage in the Preface to Ulpian Fullwell's Arte of Flatterie, 4to., 1579, of which, indeed, Hamlet's speech is not improbably a reminiscence: "Flatterie hath taken such habit in man's affections, that it is in most men altera natura; yea the very sucking babes hath a kind of adulation towards their nurses for the dugge."

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and many more of the same bevy” :— - The 4tos., 'the same breed,' a less characteristic classification of Osric. The folio has, "mine" for many - - an obvious misprint.

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a kind of yesty collection, which carries them through and through the most fann'd and winnowed opinions : The folio has, "the most fond and winnowed." But 'fan' and 'winnow' are so often coupled in the writings of Shakespeare's day, and 'fond' [foolish] sorts so ill with winnowed' in its figurative sense, that I think, with Warburton and Mr. Dyce, that 'fond' in the folio is a misprint of 'fand.' But of the meaning of the passage in this form I am not quite sure, though it is probably to be found in Dr. Johnson's paraphrase - "these men have got the cant of the day, a superficial readiness of slight and cursory conversation, a kind of frothy collection of fashionable prattle, which yet carries them through the most select and approving judgments." The 4tos. read, “a kind of histy [or hesty] collection which carries them through and through the most prophane and trennowed [or trennowned] opinions."

"Enter a Lord": - From the entrance of this lord to his exit, the text is to be found only in the second and the later 4tos. But the 4to. of 1603 preserves fragments of Hamlet's and Horatio's conversation.

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how ill all's here about my heart”: Thus the 4tos.; the folio, by a mere misprint, "how all heere," &c. it is such a kind of gaingiving":-i. e., againstgiving, misgiving.

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If your mind dislike any thing, obey it" - The folio merely,

obey.”

p. 152. “Since no man has aught of what he leaves,” &c.: So the folio, except the omission of 'Let be,' at the end of the speech; the 4tos., "since no man of ought he leaves, knowes what ist to leaue betimes let be." The text of the folio is not very clear in its application, but that of the 4tos. is manifestly wrong.

P. 153.

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p. 155.

p. 157.

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"Enter King, Queen ... Attendants with foils": The folio has, "with Foyles, Gauntlets, a Table and Flagons of Wine on it."

"And hurt my brother": - So the 4tos. The'folio misprints, "mother."

"To keep my name ungor'd": - The folio only, “ungorg'd."

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an union shall he throw": So the folio; the 4to. of 1604, "an Vnice;" which in the next 4to. was changed to "an Onix." A union was a pearl of the highest value.

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He's fat, and scant of breath":— See the "Remarks on the Preliminary Matter," &c., Vol. II. p. xli. Here, Hamlet, take my napkin":- So the 4tos.; the folio, "Here's a napkin."

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you make a wanton of me”: : — i. e., a childish, effeminate person.

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shall leave behind me The folio, "shall live behind me." But as this reading infelicitously makes Things standing thus unknown" parenthetical, and as the 4to. of 1604 has "shall I leave behind me,” and that of 1603, "What a scandal wouldst thou leave behind,” I have no doubt that in the folio there is a slight misprint. The possible objection that Hamlet, and not the things unknown, would leave the name, is of a prosaic sort that need not be regarded.

"The rest is silence” : At the end of this line the folio has "O, o, o, o"the addition, doubtless, of some actor. p. 158. "This quarry cries on havoc":— i. e., this heap of dead proclaims an indiscriminate slaughter. See the Note on "I'll make a quarry," &c., Coriolanus, Act I. Sc. 1.

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p. 159.

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his commandment is fulfill'd": -Commandment' was spelled commandement, and when uncontracted, pronounced as a quadrisyllable.

"Which now to claim my vantage": The folio misprints, "Which are," &c.

whose voice will draw on more":- i. e., more voices; alluding to Hamlet's declaration, just above, that Fortinbras has his dying voice for the succession.

KING LEAR.

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"M. William Shak-speare: HIS True Chronicle Historie of the life and death of King LEAR and his three Daughters. With the unfortunate life of Edgar, sonne and heire to the Earle of Gloster, and his sullen and assumed humour of Toм of Bedlam : As it was played before the Kings Maiestie at Whitehall vpon S. Stephans night in Christmas Hollidayes. By his Maiesties seruants playing vsually at the Gloabe on the Bancke-side. LONDON, Printed for Nathaniel Butter, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard, at the signe of the Pide Bull neere St. Austins Gate. 1608." 4to. 41 leaves.

The Same, in two impressions. Butter.. 1608." 4to. 44 leaves.

"Printed for Nathaniel

King Lear occupies twenty-seven pages in the folio of 1623, viz., from p. 283 to p. 309, inclusive, in the division of Tragedies. The last page but one is erroneously numbered 38, instead of 308. The Acts and Scenes are all regularly marked, but the list of Dramatis Personæ was first given by Rowe.

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