P. 50. And must not soil The precious note of it with a base slave, &c. -The original has foyle instead of soil. Corrected by Hanmer. Note seems a rather strange word for the place. Perhaps it should be worth. P. 51. In my respect than all the hairs above thee, The Were they all made such men. - Ho, now, Pisanio! original has "How now Pisanio?" But Imogen is evidently calling Pisanio from another room, who accordingly enters directly upon the call; and how now was never used in that way. On the other hand, we have many instances of ho misprinted how. In a previous scene, Imogen repeatedly calls her man with "What, ho, Pisanio! and so perhaps it should be here. In the first line, Singer reads "all the hairs about thee." Literally, this seems an improvement; but the old reading means, of course, "all the hairs on thy head." P. 51. His garment! Now, the Devil-. -The original has “gar ments" here, but "garment" rightly in the next speech but one. Corrected in the second folio. ACT II., SCENE 4. P. 52. Quake in the present Winter's state, and wish I barely gratify your love; &c. In the first of these lines, Walker is confident that we ought to read flaw instead of state, which he calls an 66 unmeaning word." But why not understand state as equivalent to time?—In the second line, the original reads "these fear'd hope." The second folio corrects hope to hopes. But what can fear'd hopes be? The word sere was often written seare, and is sometimes printed so in the originals of Shakespeare. See note on "Grown sere and tedious," vol. vi. page 254. P. 53. And you shall hear The legions now in Gallia sooner landed, &c.—So Theobald. The original has Legion. In a later scene, however, iii. 7, it has "the Legions now in Gallia." P. 53. Their discipline Now mingled with their courage will make known, &c. - The original reads "Now wing-led with their courages." The latter cor rection is Dyce's, and has both sense and prosody in its favour. The second folio makes the other correction. It agrees well with the context, as it gives the idea that the Britons had courage before, and discipline has now been added to courage. But for this latter consideration I should certainly read winged; as it seems to me nothing could well be more in the Poet's style than the figure of courage adding wings to discipline. P. 54. Phi. Was Caius Lucius in the Britain Court When you were there?—This speech is given to Posthumus in the old copy; but Posthumus was employed in reading his letters, and was too much interested in them to put a question of this nature. Corrected by Capell. P. 54. If I had lost it, I should have lost the worth of it in gold.—The original reads "If I have lost it." A certain and obvious error. P. 55. Which I wonder'd Could be so rarely and exactly wrought, Since the true life on't was—.— - Capell reads "Since the true life was in it." And Mason proposed "Such the true life on't was." The latter is exceedingly plausible, as Such might easily be misprinted Since ; but the original has a long dash after was, showing the speech to be interrupted. P. 57. Who knows if one o' her women, being corrupted, Hath stol'n it from her ?—The original has "one her women"; the second folio, "one of her women." P. 58. Under her breast Worthy the pressing-lies a mole, &c.—The original has "Worthy her pressing." Corrected by Rowe. ACT II., SCENE 5. P. 59. Is there no way for men to be, but women Must be half-workers? We are bastards all. So Pope. The original reads "We are all bastards." Walker approves of Capell's reading: "We are all bastards, all." P. 59. Like a full-acorn'd boar, a German one. --- So Rowe. The original has "a Farmen on." We have many instances of on printed for one, the two words being formerly pronounced alike. See vol. i. page 176, note 1.—The misprint of Jarman for German occurs in The Second Part of King Henry IV., ii. I, quarto of 1600: "The Jarman hunting in waterworke." Some have wondered why Shakespeare should have specified a German boar. But it well appears that in some of the German forests the wild boars were specially noted for their size and rankness. P. 60. All faults that may be named, nay, that Hell knows. — So the second folio. The first reads "All Faults that name." Dyce proposes "All faults that have a name"; Walker, "All faults that man can name." ACT III., SCENE 1. P. 61. With rocks unscaleable and roaring waters. The original has Oakes instead of rocks. Corrected by Hanmer. P. 62. Cæsar's ambition, that it did almost stretch Which swell'd so much, To th' sides o' the world." Rightly, I suspect. P. 62. Which to shake off Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon Clo. We do. "stretch Say, then, to Cæsar, &c.. So Collier's second folio, and Dyce. The original prints We do as a part of Cymbeline's speech, giving the whole line thus: "Ourselves to be, we do. Say then to Cæsar." Modern editions detach we do from the first part of the line, and transfer it to the second, thus: "We do say, then, to Cæsar." The arrangement here adopted gives us a most characteristic piece of impertinent pertinence from Cloten, whose rickety mind keeps shaking out pithy comments on what the others say, throughout this scene. P. 63. I know your master's pleasure, and he mine: All that remains is ACT III., SCENE 2. P. 64. How! of adultery? Wherefore write you not What monster's her accuser? Leonatus!-So Capell, and rightly, beyond question. The original reads "What monsters her accuse?" P. 65. For it doth physic love,—of his content that." In all but that! So Hanmer. The original reads "All but in P. 65. “Justice, and your father's wrath, should he take me in his dominion, could not be so cruel to me, but you, O the dearest of creatures would even renew me with your eyes."- So Pope. The original reads as instead of but; which, it seems to me, quite defeats the passage of sense. Various other changes have been made or proposed; but Pope's is the simplest and best. That we shall make in time, from our hence-going Till our return, t excuse: but first, how to get hence: &c.—The original reads "how get hence." But, as hence is emphatic here, to seems fairly required; and get is evidently in the same construction with excuse. To be sure, the insertion of to makes the verse an Alexandrine; but the omission does not make it a pentameter. The omission was doubtless accidental. — The original also has And instead of Till. The correction is Pope's. And makes from equivalent to between; a sense, surely, which the word cannot bear. See note on "He cannot temperately transport his honours," &c., in Coriolanus, ii. I. P. 66. How many score of miles may we well ride 'Twixt hour and hour?—So the second folio. The first has store and rid for score and ride. P. 67. Pis. Madam, you're best consider. Imo. I see before me, man : nor here, nor here, &c. — Heath would read, and point, "I see before me, man? Nor here, nor there,” &c. And his explanation is as follows: "Wouldst thou, man, have me consider, and distract myself in the search of the consequences which may possibly attend the step I am about to take? that would be to very little purpose indeed. For, whatever step I should take, whether I stay here, or go thither, the consequences which may attend either are all equally covered with such a thick mist of obscurity as it is impossible for me to penetrate; and, this being so, it would be folly in me to deliberate further on this subject."-I am not sure but Heath is right. See, however, foot-note 17. P. 67. ACT III., SCENE 3. Stoop, boys this gate Instructs you how t' adore the Heavens, and bows you The original has sleepe instead of stoop. Corrected by Hanmer. The original also reads "To a mornings holy office." Corrected by Walker. We have many instances of the same vile interpolation, equally against grammar, prosody, and sense. P. 68. That service is not service, so being done, &c.—So Pope and Collier's second folio. The original has This instead of That. P. 68. Richer than doing nothing for a bribe.—So Hanmer. The original has “nothing for a Babe." Various other changes have been made or proposed, such as bauble, brabe, and bob; but surely bribe is much the best, and is unreservedly approved by Walker. note 4. P. 69. Such gain the cap of him that makes 'em fine, See foot Yet keep his book uncross'd.—The original has him instead of 'em; but the use of gain shows that the pronoun should be plural. The original has keepes also instead of keep. But the sense clearly requires this word to be in the same construction with gain. P. 69. A prison for a debtor that not dares, &c.—The original has or instead of for. Corrected by Pope. P. 71. And, though train'd up thus meanly, I' the cave wherein they bow, &c.—The original has "whereon the Bowe." Corrected by Warburton. |