The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays

As 'your' seems utterly unsuitable here, we might read our or yon.

Sc. 3.

Pope also saw that 'you' should be we.

Sc. 4.

Sc. 5.

For 'end' Rowe read make; Collier's folio ear; Singer, after a writer in Notes and Queries, reads ear for 'reap,' and reap for 'end.' I would read inn for 'end.' "Give me leave to inn the crop" (All's Well, i. 3). "All was inned at last into the King's barn" (Bacon).

I think Malone was right in reading Volsces, and I have followed him. Volscians is rarely a subst. in this play.

CYMBELINE.

Act I.

Sc. 1.

Tyrwhitt read 'king'; Coleridge countenances for 'courtiers.' It is better to suppose a word effaced at the end of the second line; so I add faces. A few lines lower they are said to 'wear their faces to the bent of the kings looks.'

Racine, Britan. v. 5.

Sc. 2.

I approve of Singer's seal; there is no agreement between 'sear,' i.e. burn, and 'bonds.'

I cannot avoid agreeing with those who read thee for 'it.'

Metre requires a foot in the first line. Capell added instead. I prefer many, which gives sense to 'A year's age.'

Sc. 3.

Sc. 4.

It is only thus that I can give sense to the second line.

I read the, which is so often confounded with 'his.' Warburton, who is generally followed, read this.

Sc. 5.

Rowe read more, which alone gives sense.

We should apparently read here and for 'or.'

All agree in adding not, which is not in the folio.

The folio has not for 'but'; the correction is Heath's.

I think the editors right in omitting the first 'or.'

Sc. 6.

Sc. 7.

Mr. Staunton arranges this passage thus, which is most certainly an improvement (See on Tr. and Cr. iii. 3):—

I regret that I did not recollect this correction when printing my Edition, as I should probably have adopted it.

This is the punctuation of the folio, which I have retained, with (;) for (:); the usual punctuation is (?) Imogen is agitated at the announcement, and to reassure her, Iachimo says—subjoining the reason—'Change you,' like look you, hark you, soft you. The interrogation, however, may be right.

Hanmer read truest. We might also read trusty.

Theobald, I think, was right in reading 'unnumber'd.'

Lear, iv. 6.

The joining it with 'beach' seems an instance of the figure called Hypallage. The stones are called 'twinn'd' from their resemblance to each other.

I think 'desire' should be enquire.

Some critics read 'by-peeping'; but then a verb is wanting. We might for 'by' read be, or, with Johnson, lie; but I rather suspect the poet's word was bide; for 'bide peeping' would be pronounced 'bi peeping,' and the printer went by his ear (see Introd. p. 52). A most unhappy conjecture, though adopted and greatly admired by Mr. Collier, is that of his folio 'bo-peeping'; for there is no such verb. 'Illustrous' may be the right word, but Rowe's 'unlustrous' has been generally adopted.

This supposes the diseases to be not in them, but in those who come to them, which seems contrary to the course of Iachimo's reasoning. Perhaps we should read pay for 'play.'

Per. iv. 6.

We might perhaps also make a transposition in the second line, and read "That play for gold," etc., i.e. stake their diseases against gold.

I should prefer to read 'value's.'

Act II.

Sc. 1.

Sc. 2.

This is the reading of the folio; but Theobald read bare, and he is generally followed. Collier's folio has blear which I have adopted; for nothing was more common than an omission, by the printer, of a letter or even a syllable in a word. By 'raven,' the poet probably meant the night-raven, of which he had already spoken in Much Ado, ii. 3, and for his knowledge of which he was probably indebted to Spenser, in "Here no night-ravens lodge, more black than pitch" (Shep. Cal. June, v. 23).

F. Q. ii. 12. 36.

Sc. 3.

As the riming line ends in 'begin,' and as 'every' is very generally plural in our poet, and he uses obsolete terms at the end, though not in the body, of lines for rime-sake, it is the merest printer-worship to reject bin for 'is,' the correction of Hanmer.

The folio for 'vice' has voice. 'Calves-guts' should be 'cats-guts.'

Sc. 4.

Tyrwhitt, whom some late critics follow, proposed sear'd for 'fear'd.' The text is, in my opinion, right, 'fear'd' being one of the numerous instances of the past part. for the present; 'fear'd hopes' are hopes that are mingled with fear. See on As You Like it, v. 4.

The 1st folio has 'wingled'; the correction was made in the 2nd.

The folio has have; but the correction is certain.

The correction was made in the 2nd folio.

Sc. 5.

We might add to which they are so prone.

Act III.

Sc. 2.

The metre would require 'O Leonatus!' but as "What false Italian" follows, it might be better to read 'monster's her accuser,' the r having been lost as in Macb. ii. 1. See on Ant. and Cleop. iv. 10.

Of this, as far as I can perceive, no sense has been or ever can be made. We should therefore read, with Pope, but for 'as,' which may have been suggested by the preceding 'so'; or 'would not even,' with Malone.

I think we should read there for the second 'here,' and perhaps they for 'but,' or 'they have.'

Sc. 3.

The folio has babe, which Rowe judiciously corrected as it is here given. In the MS. 'bauble' was probably spelt bable or, it may be, babel; and the latter part may have been effaced. Hanmer read bribe; Johnson and Singer brabe.

For ''em' the folio has him. If we retain the reading of the folio, we must read 'gains.' 'Cap' is salutation.

For 'her' we should read of course thy.

Sc. 4.

Posthumus is always to be accented on the first syllable. It is usual to read 'thou that'; but my reading I think more natural.

Hanmer read 'blind first'; I prefer make, with a (...); Collier's folio has crack.

We should perhaps, with Johnson, read Through.

A verb seems lost at the end of the first line. Its place may have been taken by 'even,' or we might simply add do.

Sc. 5.

I think Capell and Steevens were right in reading 'and yours.' The two last letters had probably been effaced.

I think we should insert on, at, or to after 'look.' The 2nd folio read 'as like.'

So I read, with preceding editors.

Sc. 6.

Singer quotes Bullokar's Expositor to show that 'resty' is idle, inert. Steevens proposed restive.

That is 'Since Leonatus is,' to avoid cacophony.

Act IV.

Sc. 2.

The folio reads patient. I incline to read 'from with,' and thy for 'the' in the last line.

For 'defect' Theobald read th' effect, while Hanmer read cure for 'cause.' I see no great need of change.

'How' is Capell's correction for thou of the folio.

I feel almost inclined to read 'leaping-pole,' which was of course in use then as now, as it was known to the ancients.

I agree with Steevens in reading him for 'thee.'

"To winter-ground a plant," says Steevens, "is to protect it from the inclemency of the winter-season by straw, dung, etc., laid over it." This seems decisive; otherwise the mention of 'furr'd moss' would lead me to read, with Warburton, 'winter-gown.'

A line riming with this is evidently lost.

For 'this' we should probably read thy or the.

I think we should read 'fasted.'

Some read 'and all good'; others 'serve them.'

Sc. 3.

Hanmer properly read have had for 'heard.'

Act V.

Sc. 1.

Pope omitted 'am,' and so his successors; but it must have been a mistake for 've; unless there be an error in 'wish'd.'

Possibly the poet wrote more correctly Had taken.

A line must have been lost between the two last. 'Elder' is later.

Sc. 3.

This would seem an instance of the usual change of or for and.

Sc. 4.

As 'fangled' never occurs without new, it is but reasonable to suppose it was omitted here; and 'is,' which is not wanted, was probably inserted for metre's sake.

Sc. 5.

The 2nd folio has 'yes, and in time.'

Nor is the necessary addition of Rowe.

This punctuation, I think, removes all difficulty. In the perturbation of astonishment he stops short, and then tells whom he meant.

For the first 'man' we had better read youth.

So Tyrwhitt; the folio reads neere.

It would seem that beating would be the proper word.

For 'may' the folio reads pray.

For 'fierce,' which yields no good sense, I read first. 'Abridgement' is summary: "This brief abridgement of my will I make" (Lucrece).

For 'this' we might read thy, or, as I have done, 'this thy.' Without the stage-direction the place has no sense.

For 'My' Capell read By; others This.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.

In English we have good and the good as nouns, but never a good. A monosyllabic noun may, then, have been lost, and the poet may have written 'a good flood,' as she "wept bitterly," and we have "flood of tears" (Com. of Err. iii. 2); or 'a good store' as we have "Sham'd their aspects with store of childish drops" (Rich. III. i. 2). Finally, it may have been 'a flood,' and the fl having been effaced, the word was supposed to have been 'good.'

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

The folio punctuates "Admiringly my liege, at first I stuck my choice upon her." The usual reading is "Admiringly, my liege, at first" etc. I would afterwards read

We should thus, I think, increase the effect of Bertram's regretful speech.

KING HENRY IV.—PART I.

There was no need of correction here; the folio has not 'and,' and reads 'so defend thyself.' The following has been omitted:—

EXPLANATORY INDEX

OF

ALLUSIONS, USAGES, WORDS, AND PHRASES.

A (printed 'a or a') is used instead of 'e for he when h is suppressed. Introd. p. 53.

Able (Lear, iv. 6), enable, back, maintain, support. "Admitted! aye into her heart. I'll able 'em" (Chapman, Widow's Tears, ii); "You might sit and sigh first till your heart-strings broke. I'll able it" (ib. iv.).

Absey (K. John i. 1), the a b c or alphabet. The a was perhaps pronounced as in continental languages.

Accommodate (2 H. IV. iii. 2), to be provided, to be off, like accommoder, Fr. "J'ai découvert qu'elles ne sont pas fort accommodées" (i.e. not in very good circumstances) (Molière, Avare, i. 2).

Affection (Mer. of Ven. iv. 1, v. 1, W. Tale, i. 2), conceit, imagination. "Lo, which a great thing is affectioun! A man may dye for ymaginacioun" (Chauc. Miller's Tale).

Ancient, ensign, ensign-bearer. It is the French enseigne with the usual paragogic t.

And if, an if, an. These are all used for if. The first is the original form, framed perhaps after etsi.

Anon. Probably a corruption of in one, sc. minute.

Aroint. This unusual word is generally regarded as an interjection equivalent to avaunt! but it may be an indicative, with an ellipsis of I, and so be a corruption of averrunco.

Arras (so called from the town of that name), tapestry for covering the walls of rooms. It was fixed on wooden frames a little distance from the wall; hence people could go behind it. (Much Ado, i. 3, M. Wives, iii. 3, 1 H. IV. ii. 4, et alib.)

Arthur's Show (2 H. IV. iii. 2), an exhibition of archery by a toxophile society, whose members, fifty-eight in number, appeared in the characters of the Knights of the Round Table. In it Sir Dagonet was the King's Fool.

Away i.e. on way. "She never could away with me" (2 Hen. IV. iii. 2) is, she could not go on the way (i.e. agree) with me.

Backarè (Tam. of Shr. ii. 1). The phrase to which it seems to belong is "Backarè, quoth Mortimer to his sow."

Ralph Roist. Doist, i. 2.

Heywood, Epig.

Id. ib.

"The masculine gender is more worthy than the feminine; therefore, Licio, backarè." (Lyly, Mydas, i. 2).

In all these places it is evidently assumed that the derivation is from back; but it may be that Bigarrée, Brindle, was the name Mortimer had given his sow.

Baffle (baffoler, bafouer, Fr.), a part of the ceremony of degrading a knight. It is described by Spenser, F. Q. vi. 7.27.

Banquet or Banket. This in general answered to the present dessert, and it was usually served in another room, or in an arbour (2 H. IV. v. 3). It consisted of fruits, sweetmeats, etc. It also answered to our supper after a ball (H. VIII. i. 4, R. and J. i. 5), and was used sometimes for a feast in general. By a "running banquet" (H. VIII. i. 4, v. 3) seems to have been meant a hasty meal, a snatch, as it were, of food.

Basilisco (K. John, i. 1), a character in the old play of Soliman and Persida.

Baked meat (Rom. and Jul. iv. 4), meat-pie. In Webster's White Devil we have