So the passage should be pointed. The first 'done' in the first line is, finished, ended; from 'If' in the second line to 'life to come' in the seventh is one sentence, with the same idea repeated in three several forms, and not completed; common sense dictates the transposition of 'surcease' and 'success,' the latter signifying accomplishment; 'but' in lines four and six is, only; 'the life to come' is not the future state but the remaining years of his own life, as is manifest from what follows. In scene 5 we have had, "Which shall to all our nights and days to come." We also meet with, "True swains in love shall in the world to come" (Tr. and Cr. iii. 2). "Thus all his life to come is loss and shame." Cowley, Davideis, ii. 616.
Hanmer also supplied side, which metre and sense demand alike. He had completed what he intended to say, and was pausing when his wife entered.
A line or more must have been lost between these lines.
For 'do' in the second line, the correction of Southern and Rowe, generally adopted, the folio has no, which Mr. Hunter retains, giving the line to Lady Macbeth. But her reply, "What beast was it then?" shows that do was the poet's word.
The correction of Malone for 'offices' of the folio, which also makes good sense. In a following line 'shut up' seems to apply to Duncan, as denoting the pleasure he felt. The expression is similar to "I am wrapp'd in dismal thinkings." All's Well, v. 3.
I cannot make sense of 'consent.' I had thought of content, also the conjecture of Malone; but it does not quite content me.
Something is evidently lost here. Steevens and Collier's folio read 'sleeper.' (See on Temp. iii. 1.) The usual reading has been that of Davenant, 'now witchcraft.'
Here 'strides,' 'sure,' and 'way,' are corrections of sides, sowne, and may of the folio.
Here the addition is not absolutely necessary, but it makes the language more forcible and more idiomatic.
Theobald regarded 'Ring the bell' as a stage-direction; but a direction follows, and Macduff, in his anxiety and impatience, reiterates his order.
A very awkward way of expressing Let us make haste and put on our clothes (see Index v. Ready), for they must have been in their nightgowns. (Ham. iii. 4.) I greatly doubt if the editors have understood it; for they have no note on it; and Singer quotes it as a parallel to "Put on the dauntless spirit of resolution" (K. John, v. 1).
This insertion removes all difficulty very simply. Be is omitted constantly.
This line cannot be as the poet wrote it, for the metric accents fall on 'be' and 'you.' We might read good bye, but it would be somewhat too familiar. On the whole, I think that mean has been omitted before 'while.' By supplying it, the language becomes dignified and king-like. See Index s. v. While.
A syllable is wanting; we have "most worst" in Winter's Tale, iii. 2, and double comparatives and superlatives are common.
The first 'peace' was probably suggested, in the usual manner, by the second. We might read seat, or some such word (see Introd. p. 64). The 2nd folio has place.
We should read band, riming with 'hand.'
We might add, on earth below. We have, "In all designs begun on earth below" (Tr. and Cr. i. 3).
It might be better to read 'themselves strong.'
The 'he' had better probably be him.
Neither 'inhabit' nor Pope's 'inhibit' makes sense. I would read evitate it. "Since therein she doth evitate and shun" (Mer. Wives, v. 5; Introd. p. 67). The printer might easily make inhab of evitate badly written. We might also read evade or avoid it. 'Baby' is doll.
We should of course read 'heard.'
This is evident nonsense; "yet," says Mr. Dyce, "I believe the text is not corrupt. Shakespeare was sometimes incorrect in these minutiæ." Shakespeare, however, never wrote nonsense; and if we read We for 'Who,' we have the very word he wrote, and most excellent sense.
For 'their' we must of course read the.
A syllable is lost. Pope read 'the cold'; Steevens 'coldest.' I read 'underneath,' as in Jonson's line, "Underneath this stone doth lie."
This is Theobald's reading for dead of the folio. Hanmer reads 'Rebellions,' which may be right, but 'head,' often means insurrectionary forces.
Both Singer and Dyce read hair'd, and I think rightly. Hair was originally pronounced hear, under which form it occurs in two of Shakespeare's older plays; so shag-heared and 'shag-eared' would sound exactly alike.
A syllable has plainly been lost. For 'deserve,' the correction of Theobald, the folio has discern.
The foot which is wanting may be thus supplied.
For 'Convey,' which hardly makes sense, Singer reads Enjoy.
As it may be doubted if there is such a verb as 'Uproar,' and as it makes little sense, I would read Uproot or Uptear.
This is the reading of the folio; but editors read tune for 'time.' The terms were synonymous. See Gifford on Massinger's Roman Actor, ii. 1.
Mer. Wives, v. 5.
Editors read is for 'are,' but I rather think we should read 'senses.' Yet 'sense' may be a collective. Introd. p. 70.
Percy and Collier's folio read chair for 'cheer.' This may be right.
For 'way' Johnson proposed May, and this reading has been generally adopted; but there is no need of change.
The last her was supplied by 2nd folio. See Introd. p. 55.
In the usual way, 'stuff' seems to have arisen from 'stuff'd.' I read matter.
Ham. iii. 2.
For 'cymè,' an uncommon word, Rowe read senna, and he has been universally followed. Yet it may not be the right word.
The 'given' of the first line was produced, in the usual way, by that of the second. I read taken.
So I think we should punctuate. It was from the keep, not the walls, that the banner (as perhaps we should read) was hung. We have, no doubt, "Advance our waving colours on the walls" (1 Hen. VI. i. 6); but Orleans was a city, not a mere castle.
Collier's folio, which I follow, reads quail'd for 'cool'd.' "That so to see him made her heart to quail." F. Q. iv. 3, 46.
'I say' is needless, and spoils the measure. It arose from 'say' in the next line.
I may observe that 'pearl' is here a collective term—a singular, with a plural sense. This word was often so used.
With Singer, I read make for 'spend.'
This should be a single line, and is a sort of proof that the Prologue is by Shakespeare (see Introd. p. 82). N.B.—In the beginning of the Address prefixed to this play I read 'that brain' for "your brain." See Introd. p. 68.
Rowe's correction of scorn of the 4tos and folio.
Rowe's correction again, 'wit,' for will.
This is Rowe's correction of "So, traitor, then she comes, when she is thence?"
For 'gifts' the Var. edit. has griefs.
For 'lies' Mason read, and perhaps with reason, flies. We might, but less probably, conjecture dies.
Nothing can be more correct than this; yet some approve of Mr. Harness's correction, Achieved men. 'Ungain'd' sc. men, are those who have not gained, achieved. In Corneille's Polyeucte (i. 3), Pauline makes the very same remark.
For 'Then' of the 4tos the folio reads 'That,' another instance of the confusion of these words. (See note on Prol.) The folio also reads 'contents.'
The remainder of the line has evidently been omitted or effaced; for speeches never begin thus abruptly. We might read and leaders of the Grecian host.
We might add, and greater strength.
Here 'flies' is either a verb or a noun; if the former, we have the grotesque image of the wind running and hiding itself after doing mischief; if the latter, as in the folio, alluding to 'the brize,' we have a bathos unworthy of any poet. Something, then, must have been lost between 'flies' and 'fled.' I read thus:—
and I fancy I have made a near approach to what the poet wrote. As he was reading Chaucer at that time, he may have had in his mind:—
Knt's. Tale.
If nothing is lost, we should read 'have fled.'
For 'Retires' Pope, whom I have followed, read Returns, Hanmer Replies, Dyce Retorts. Yet the text may be right, and 'Retires' be the French retire, shoots again, returns the shot.
This is not sense. I read 'we it less.' The superfluous insertion of of was not infrequent (see on Meas. for Meas. iv. 4). Here, however, it was manifestly introduced to make some kind of sense. See Introd. p. 67.
We might add, which now I'll show you.
'Do' was evidently introduced to eke out the verse. We should perhaps read 'general's' sc. tent.
As what? A line seems to be lost.
Mr. Singer read ether for 'others.'
Hanmer read Then for 'the.' See Introd. p. 65.
I have added in my Edition of the common weal; but we might also read as his consequence, which I think better.
I would add on thee and all of us.
Perhaps we should read doubt for 'strain.'
We should read wins or gains for 'shares.' See Introd. p. 64. It is remarkable that for the 'share' of the second line the folio reads wear, thus correcting the error of the 4tos.
'Brach' is Rowe's correction; the originals have brooch, which—as being an ornament hung round the neck—may be right. See Win. Tale, i. 2.
So the folio reads, followed by Singer and Dyce; the 4tos read pale for 'stale'—a reading I incline to prefer.
Perhaps some word, such as thus or low, has been lost after 'rate,' or we should read 'underrate.'
As I have not met with the verb 'roist' anywhere else, I suspect that the poet may have written roistering, and the transcriber or printer have omitted a syllable, as in Meas. for Meas. iv. 2.
'Eld' is an excellent correction of Ritson's; the 4tos read elders; the folio old.
The metre requires this natural addition.
The 4tos read 'He sate'; Theobald, who is generally followed, reads 'He shent; but this verb is never active in Shakespeare. Collier reads 'We sent.'
Here 'lunes' is Hanmer's emendation of lines. See Mer. Wives, iv. 2.
We might perhaps add in his tent. See preceding speech.
Mr. Collier found this excellent reading in one of the 4tos, 1609. The reading of all the others and of the folio is reputed. Nothing is more common than the confusion of r and t.
The original editions put 'Lady' at the end of the line.
As far as I am aware, not a single critic has discerned the absolute necessity for the negative in this place. "The gods themselves cannot be wise and love" (Marston, Dutch Courtezan, ii. 1). Both dramatists were probably indebted to Spenser:—
Shep. Cal. March;
and he to Publius Syrus "Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur."
Sense and metre demand this addition of Hanmer's.
For 'to Jove' most critics follow Mason in reading to come. Collier hints at above. But the text is right; to occurs constantly in the sense of at, chez, apud: ex. gr. "Being a great favourite to Queen Elizabeth" (Ashmole, Hist. of Berkshire, i. 249). "My heart to her, but as guestwise sojourned" (M. N. D. iii. 2). "Lord Angelo having affairs to heaven" (Meas. for Meas. iii. 1).
Ant. and Cleop. iii. 6.
It is to be observed that the word in the originals is love, not 'Jove,' and the very same error occurs in i. 3.
For 'pain,' which makes little or no sense, Warburton, who is generally followed, read pay. I prefer payment, as effacement may have left only a part of the m.
I might incline to read trust for 'wrest.' "Their tribune and their trust" (Tit. Andron. i. 2). See also Ps. xl. 4, lxxi. 5. A wrest was what we now term a tuning-key. "This small instrument, the tongue being left in tune by the wrest of awe." King James's Edict, etc., quoted by Singer.
I see no reason for adopting, as some do, mirror'd of Collier's and Singer's folios. There was, I believe, no such verb at that time. I prefer arrived, which could easily have become married in a printer's mind.
Rowe read which and 'reverberates,' of which the first is needless, the second may be right.
This line would gain both in perspicuity and melody if we were to read 'but one.'