Page images
PDF
EPUB

2, 176). All the compared eds. place a semicolon after "pedler."

[blocks in formation]

"I am courted now with a double occasion,-gold, and a means to do the prince my master good; which, who knows how, but may turn back to my advancement."

The folio has "that may." Dyce, Staunton, and the Camb. eds. omit the comma of the folio after "which". All the compared eds. retain "that" and, with the folio, have a mark of interrogation after "advancement."

:

Note (19.) Act V. Scene 1, Line 59,

"Leon. No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse, And better us'd, would make her sainted spirit Again possess her corpse, and on this stageWhere we offenders move-appear soul-vex'd, And bellow Why to me?'

Paul.

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

Had she such power,

She had; and would incense me

To murder her I married."

The folio has,

66 (Where we Offendors now appeare) Soule-vext,
And begin, why to me?"

The misplacing the brackets of a parenthesis is not unfrequent in the folio. "now" is a pretty evident misprint for move. Compare V. and A. 368,—

66

"O fairest mover on this mortal round."

we offenders" is opposed to "her sainted spirit." “And bellow 'Why to me?'"

"begin" of the folio is evidently wrong; bellow might

without difficulty have been mistaken for it: a strong word is required to accord with

"would incense me

To murder her I married."

Compare Lear, v. 3, 212,

"with his strong arms

He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out

As he'd burst heaven; threw him on my father;
Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd."

"bellow" has reference to the loud pitch of the voice; so Ham. iii. 2, 264,

"The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge."

The folio has,—

“She had just such cause."

"such" being caught and interpolated from the line above; it is omitted by all the compared eds. Dyce, after Theobald, prints "Where we offend her nowappear," &c. The Camb. eds. "Where we're offenders now," Staunton and Delius, " (Where we offenders now) appear," Singer, after Steevens, "(Where we offenders now appear), soul-vex'd, Begin, 'And'," &c. The Camb. eds. mark the text as corrupt. Paulina continues in reply to Leontes'

"and would incense me

To murder her I married.
Paul.

I should so.

Were I the ghost that walk'd, I'd bid you mark

Her eye, and tell me for what dull part in't

You chose her; then I'd shriek, that even your ears
Should rift to hear me."

Note (20.) Act V. Scene 3, Line 68,-,

"The fixure of her eye has motion in't,

As we are mock'd with art."

"As we are," &c. i.e. so are we mocked. Compare Macb. i. 7, 78,

[blocks in formation]

When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers,
That they have done 't?

Lady M.

Who dares receive it other,

As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death ?"

[blocks in formation]

Note (1.) Act II. Scene 1, Line 144,—

"Bast. One that will play the devil, sir, with you,
An a' may catch your hide and you alone :—
I'll smoke your skin-coat, an I catch you right.-
Blanch. O well did he become that lion's robe
That did disrobe the lion of that robe!

Bast. It lies as sightly on the back of him
As great Alcides' spoil upon an ass.”

Act iii. 1, 115, 128,

"Con.

O Austria! thou dost shame

That bloody spoil.”—

"Thou wear a lion's hide! doff it for shame."

Old Play, K. John,—

[ocr errors]

"How do my sinews shake! My father's foe clad in my father's spoil!"

The folio has "Alcides shooes."

66

Theobald corrected shows," which the compared eds. print, except Singer, who retains "shoes." Shows is not used by Shakespeare in a sense applicable here: all evidence

indicates that spoil is the true reading. The Bastard had already said,

"You are the hare of whom the proverb goes,

Whose valour plucks dead lions by the beard."

He now gives another proverb-the ass in the lion's hide.

Note (2.) Act II. Scene 1, Line 149,

"Aust. What cracker is this same that deafs our ears
With this abundance of superfluous breath ?-
King Philip, determine what we shall do straight.

K. Phil. Women and fools, break off your conference." The transcriber of this scene appears to have thought the name of the King of France to be Lewis. The opening speech, evidently the king's, is given to Lewis, and so the second speech; afterwards the speeches are given to the King until the entry of John, when they are given to France, with the exception of the present passage, which the folio gives,

"Aust. King Lewis, determine what we shall do straight.
Lew. Women & fooles, breake off your conference."

By substituting Philip for Lewis, this passage is made clear, and the same change rectifies the two earlier errors. The Old Play bears out this change as to the opening speech. The alteration is by Theobald, and is adopted by Dyce and Staunton. Delius has "Aust. King,-Lewis, determine "the Camb. eds. have "K. Phil. Lewis, determine "—both giving the next speech to Lewis. Singer has "Aust. Lewis, determine"-and the next speech to K. Phil. The speeches of Lewis, the Dauphin, have the prefix throughout of Dolphin.

Note (3.) Ib. Line 358,

66

"When the rich blood of kings is set on fire!—

And now he [Death] feasts, mousing the flesh of men,
In undetermin'd differences of kings.—

Why stand these royal fronts amazed thus ?

Cry 'havoc,' kings! back to the stained field,
You equal potent, fiery-kindled spirits!

Then let confusion of one part confirm
The other's peace."

equal" = equally,—equally potent is explained by "undetermined differences."

VIII. i. 1, 159,

66

equal" is so used, Hy.

"for he is equal ravenous

As he is subtle."

equally potent = equally prevailing in this undecided action; so the citizen's speech (line 327),—

[ocr errors]

'Heralds, from off our towers we might behold,

From first to last, the onset and retire

Of both your armies; whose equality
By our best eyes cannot be censur'd:-

:

Strength match'd with strength, and power confronted power: Both are alike: "--" while they weigh so even,

We hold our town for neither, yet for both."

"equal potent" has no reference to the relative general potency of the two kings. The folio has "equall Potents"-an instance of the misprint of adding a final "s". Dyce prints "equal-potent." Delius and Staunton have "equal-potents." Singer and the Camb. eds. "equal potents."

Note (4.) Ib. Line 434,-

"Such as she is, in beauty, virtue, birth,
Is the young Dauphin every way complete,-
If not complete so, say he is not she."

« PreviousContinue »