where the construction is altogether different.—In the third line the old copies have "complements," which was formerly the orthography of the word, in whatever sense it might be used; and, by retaining that spelling here, the modern editors fall into inconsistency elsewhere, such as printing in Romeo and Juliet, act ii. sc. 4, "the courageous captain of compliments," &c. &c. I have thought it better to follow the example of Gifford, who adopts the latter spelling in his edition of Jonson; where we find, vol. i. p. 30, “all the rare qualities, humours, and compliments [i. e. accomplishments] of a gentleman;" p. 336, "the most skilful and cunning complimentaries [i. e. masters of defence, who wrote on the compliments and ceremonies of duelling];" vol. v. p. 91, “But you must furnish me with compliments [i. e. whatever is necessary to the completion of the business in hand]." (Though our dictionaries have both “compliment” and “complement,” Minshew and Lye are probably right in considering them to be same word.) Theobald printed "a low having," &c.-Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector substitutes "a low hearing," &c., which alteration he probably made in consequence of finding (the misprint) “hearing" in the next speech. Capell's correction.-The old copies "forbeare hearing." P. 88. (9) as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness." Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector reads ". to chime in in the merriness,"—to the destruction of the quibble which was evidently intended here on the word "style." P. 95. (12) "rust, rapier! be still, drum! for your manager is in love," &c. Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector substitutes " - for your armiger is in love," &c.; and Mr. Collier says that here "manager" is "an uncouth word." But since the "managing" of various sorts of weapons, &c., is frequently spoken of by our early writers (e. g. by our author in Richard II. act iii. sc. 2, "Yea, distaff-women manage rusty bills," &c. and in the Sec. Part of Henry IV. act iii. sc. 2, “Come, manage me your caliver"), I see no reason to doubt that "manager" is the genuine reading. Both the 4to and the folio have "sonnet."-I give, with Capell, "sonneter" (the Ms. perhaps having had "sonnet"); which Todd (Johnson's Dict, sub 'Sonneteer") believes to be "Shakespeare's true word." (So our author always writes "pioner,”—not "pioneer.")—Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector substitutes "sonnet-maker;" and a recent American editor "sonnets." P. 96. (1) “In spending your wit in the praise of mine." This line is not metrical unless a strong emphasis be laid on “your:" and it was altered by the editor of the second folio to “ In spending thus your wit in praise of mine." P. 96. (15) 66 Therefore to 's seemeth it a needful course," &c. I may notice that both the 4to and the folio have the contraction "to's.” P. 101. (1) "The heir of Alençon, Katharine her name.” Here the old eds. have " Rosaline her name;" and a little further on they make Boyet reply to Biron's inquiry about the lady in the cap, "Katherine by good hap."-Steevens remarks, "It is odd that Shakespeare should make Dumain inquire after Rosaline, who was the mistress of Biron, and neglect Katharine, who was his own. Biron behaves in the same manner. Perhaps all the ladies wore masks except the princess." To which remark Malone subjoins; "They certainly did. See p. 99, where Biron says to Rosaline, 'Now fair befall your mask!"-I quite agree with a writer in Notes and Queries, iii. 163, that the “masks" have nothing to do with the matter, and that, from what has preceded and from what afterwards takes place, it is plain that in the present speech “Katharine” should be substituted for "Rosaline," and in Boyet's speech “Rosaline" for "Katharine." (Earlier in this scene, p. 99, the dialogue, “Did not I dance with you in Brabant once ?" &c., is assigned by the 4to to Biron and Katharine, while the folio gives it to Biron and Rosaline.) P. 101. (1) See the preceding note. P. 103. (19) "Rosaline, by good hap." "I'll give you Aquitain, and all that is his, Here the modern editors, in opposition to the old copies, wrongly put a comma after "dispos'd," as if the sentence were incomplete. The Princess uses "dispos'd" in the sense of "inclined to rather loose mirth, somewhat wantonly merry,"-thinking, as she well might, that Boyet was talking a little too freely. Boyet, choosing to understand the word simply in the sense of "inclined," immediately adds "But to speak," &c. (See this established by various passages from early writers in my Remarks on Mr. Collier's and Mr. Knight's eds. of Shakespeare, pp. 37, 8, 9.) See note (6).-I may just observe, that, in the preceding sentence, “thin belly's doublet" is the reading of the 4to: that of the folio is “thinbellie doublet.” "Moth. A message well sympathized; a horse to be ambassador for an ass.” Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector reads "A messenger well-sympathized," &c. The 4to and the folio have "in thee male," &c.-The second folio alters "thee” to “the.”—The present reading means "in the budget,” &c.,—“ mail” (formerly spelt "male") being a word which was in very common use when Shakespeare wrote.-Tyrwhitt proposed "in them all," &c.; and so Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector. P. 105. (24) "And stay'd the odds by adding four." Here, and in the repetition, Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector, bent on precision of language, alters “adding" to "making." P. 106. (25) "Arm. Sirrah Costard, I will enfranchise thee. "Sirrah Costard, marry, Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector makes Armado say, will enfranchise thee;" and Mr. Knight, in his Stratford Shakespeare prints, Marry, Costard, I will enfranchise thee." But, surely, the word “enfranchise" is quite enough to suggest the answer of Costard, without the "marry," -which, by the by, is a term of asseveration much too common for the mouth of Armado. Theobald's correction.-The old eds. have " This signior Iunios," &c. P. 108. (7) "What! I love! I sue! I seek a wife!" 66 What? I! I love!" &c., till Mr. Here the usual modern reading was, serving that "these correctors cannot conceive of a pause in dramatic metre -the retardation of a verse." I am aware, therefore, what Mr. Knight will think of me, when I say, that I more than doubt if the line now stands as Shakespeare wrote it; and that, in six cases out of ten, I feel disposed to attribute the "retardation of a verse" rather to some careless transcriber or compositor than to the poet. If I had ventured to insert any thing, I should have preferred another modern emendation,-"What, what! I love!" &c.: compare, at p. 135, “But what, but what, come they to visit us ?" P. 108. (2) "A whitely wanton with a velvet brow," &c. Here “whitely” (in the old eds. “whitly") is a questionable reading, Rosaline being, as we learn from several places of the play, dark-complexioned.—Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector substitutes "A witty wanton," &c. P. 108. (29) "Well, I will love, write, sigh, pray, sue, groan: 66 To assist the metre, the editor of the second folio gave pray, sue and grone." (Mr. W. N. Lettsom suggests to me that the word which has dropt out was perhaps "watch:" see what precedes,-" And I to sigh for her! to watch for her!") P. 109. (30) "O heresy in fuir, fit for these days!” Altered very improperly to "O heresy in faith," &c, by Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector, who perhaps did not know that here "fair" is a substantive and means beauty. In the ballad of King Cophetua and the Beggar-maid, as given in Percy's Rel. of Anc. Engl. Poetry, vol. i. 202, ed. 1812, the fortunate beggar is called "Penelophon ;" which, according to Percy, "sounds more like the name of a woman" than "Zenelophon." Perhaps so: yet both names sound oddly enough. The 4to and the folio have "annothanize," &c.,-which, says Mr. Knight, "is evidently a pedantic form of annotate; and we willingly restore the coined word.” But Mr. Knight may rest assured that he is mistaken, and that “annothanize" is merely a misprint for “annothamize” or “anotamize,” an old incorrect spelling of "anatomize:" compare The Tragedie of Claudius Tiberius Nero, 1607; “Anotamize this sepulchre of shame." Sig. N 2. (In As you like it, act i. sc. 1, the folio has, "but should I anathomize him to thee," &c.; and in All's well that ends well, act iv. sc. 3, "I would gladly have him see his company anathomiz'd," &c.) P. 112. (33) 66 'Boyet. Who is the suitor? who is the suitor ?" .... The old copies have "Who is the shooter . . . . shooter ?"-It appears that, in Shakespeare's days, suitor was generally (if not always) pronounced shooter: hence the quibbling in this dialogue. So the second folio.-The earlier eds. "the is in" (a repetition from the preceding line). The 4to has" Armatho," &c. (and so the modern editors, with the exception of Mr. Collier, who prints " Armado"); the folio "Armathor." Now, as Costard elsewhere is troubled with the infirmity of either forgetting or blundering in the Spaniard's name (at p. 88, he stammers out "Signior Arm—Arm— commends you;" and again, at p. 123, he says, "Of Dun Adramadio, Dun Adramadio"), we may conclude that it was intended he should blunder here: but (as will be seen) he does not blunder, if we read, with the 4to," Armatho;" he does, if we adopt the reading of the folio, “Armathor,”—which, however, in a modern text must be "Armador." According to the old copies, at p. 111, Armado's letter is signed “Don Adriano de Armatho,"-at p. 116, Jaquenetta speaks of "Don Armatho,”at p. 128, Sir Nathaniel mentions him as "intituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Armatho,”—and, at p. 141, the King terms Moth "Armathoes page." Hence it is evident, either that Shakespeare hesitated between “ Armado" and "Armatho," or (what is most probable) that he had originally written "Armatho,”—that he afterwards preferred "Armado,”—and that by an oversight the former spelling was retained in some places of the Ms. of the "newly corrected and augmented" play (see the title-page of the 4to, 1598). Throughout a modern edition, therefore, the name must be invariably given with that spelling which occurs most frequently in the old copies. What Costard here says of Armado seems strangely out of place: and a line which rhymed to the seventh line of this speech is evidently wanting. Mr. Collier's Ms. Corrector reads "to set him," &c. Here the old copies have "Dictisima,” &c., and in the next speech "Dictima,” &c. P. 114. (40) "to humour the ignorant, I have called," &c. The words "I have" were inserted by Rowe. Here the old copies have "Nath."; and repeatedly afterwards in this scene they make a strange confusion of names. |