So fighs, and tears, and groans, "Show minutes, times, and hours: Obut my time,' So again, in The Comedy of Errors: "I'll meet you in that place, fome hour, fir, hence.” instead of the original reading, "I'll meet you in that place fome hour hence." Again, in The Winter's Tale, Act I. fc. ii: " wifhing clocks more fwift? "Hours, minutes? the noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c. instead of the original reading, "Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c. Again, in All's well that ends well, Act II. fc. iii: 5 In Meafure for Meafure we find thefe lines: - Merciful heaven! "Thou rather, with thy fharp and fulphurous bolt, "Than the foft mirtle ;-But man, proud man," &c. There can be no doubt that a word was omitted in the laft line; perhaps fome epithet to mirtle. But the editor of the fecond folio, reforting to his ufual expedient, abfurdly reads: "Than the foft mirtle. O but man, proud man,-." So, in Titus Andronicus, A&t III. fc. ii: complaynet being corruptly printed inftead of complayner, "Speechless complaynet, I will learn thy thoughts,—” this editor, with equal abfurdity, reads: Speechless complaint, O, I will learn thy thoughts." I have again and again had occafion to mention in the notes on these plays, that omiffion is of all the errors of the prefs that which most frequently happens. On collating the fourth edition of King Richard III. printed in 1612, with the fecond printed in 1598, I found no less than twenty-fix words omitted. 1 "Which challenges itself as honours born, "And is not like the fire. Honours thrive," &c. This editor, not knowing that fire was ufed as a diffyllable reads: "And is not like the fire. Honours beft thrive," &c. So, in King Henry VI. P. I: "Rescued is Orleans from the English." Not knowing that English was used as a trifyllable, he has completed the line, which he supposed defective, according to his own fancy, and reads: "Refcu'd is Orleans from the English wolves." The fame play furnishes us with various other proofs of his ignorance of our poet's metre. Thus, instead of "Orleans the baftard, Charles, Burgundy,-" he has printed (not knowing that Charles was used as a word of two fyllables,) "Orleans the baftard, Charles, and Burgundy." So, instead of the original reading, "Divineft creature, Aftræa's daughter,-" (Aftræa being ufed as a word of three fyllables,) he has printed "Divineft creature, bright Aftræa's daughter." Again, ibidem: "Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss." Not knowing that contrary was used as a word of four fyllables, he reads: "Whereas the contrary bringeth forth blifs." So fure is ufed in the fame play, as a diffyllable: "Glofter, we'll meet: to thy coft, be sure." but this editor, not aware of this, reads: "Glofter, we'll meet; to thy dear coft, be sure." Again, in King Henry VI. P. II. "And fo to arms, victorious father, arms being used as a diffyllable. But the fecond folio reads: "And fo to arms, victorious noble father." Again, in Twelfth-Night, A&t I. fc. i. we find— when liver, brain, and heart, "These fovereign thrones, are all fupply'd, and fill'd, (Her sweet perfections) with one felf-king." for which the editor, not knowing that perfections was used as a quadrifyllable, has fubftituted when liver, brain, and heart, "These sovereign thrones, are all fupply'd, and fill'd, (Her sweet perfections) with one felf-fame king.” Again, in King Henry VI. P. II : "Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king." for which the editor of the fecond folio, not knowing Henry to be used as a trifyllable, gives us, "But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.” In like manner dazzled is used by Shakspeare as a trifyllable in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II. fc. iv: "And that hath dazzled my reason's light.", instead of which, we find in the second folio, "And that hath dazzled so my reason's light." The words neither, rather, &c. are frequently used by Shakspeare as words of one fyllable. So, in King Henry VI. P. III : "And neither by treafon, nor hoftility, "To feek to put me down-." for which the editor of the fecond folio has given us, "Neither by treafon, nor hoftility," &c. In Timon of Athens, Act III. fc. v. Alcibiades asks, "Is this the balfam, that the usuring senate "Pours into captains' wounds? banishment?" The editor of the fecond folio, not knowing that pours was used as a diffyllable, to complete the fuppofed defect in the metre, reads : "Is this the balfam, that the ufuring fenate "Pours into captains' wounds! ha! banishment?" Tickled is often used by Shakspeare and the contemporary poets, as a word of three fyllables. So, in King Henry VI. P. II : "She's tickled now; her fume needs no fpurs." inftead of which, in the fecond folio we have, "She's tickled now; her fume can need no fpurs." So, in Titus Andronicus, Act II. fc. i: "Better than he have worn Vulcan's badge." This editor, not knowing that worn was used as a diffyllable, reads: "Better than he have yet worn Vulcan's badge." Again, in Cymbeline, Act II. fc. v: "All faults that name, nay, that hell knows, why hers, "In part, or all; but rather all: for even to vice," &c. Thefe lines being thus carelessly diftributed in the original copy, "All faults that name, nay, that hell knows, "Why hers, in part, or all; but rather all :" &c. the editor of the fecond folio, to fupply the defect of the first line, arbitrarily reads, with equal ignorance of his author's metre and phrafeology, "All faults that may be named, nay, that hell knows, Why hers," &c. In King Henry IV. P. II. A&t I. fc. iii. is this line: "And being now trimm'd in thine own defires,—.” instead of which the editor of the fecond folio, to remedy a fuppofed defect in the metre, has given us "And being now trimm'd up in thine own defires,—.” Again, in As you like it, Act II. fc. i: |