P. 101. To me she speaks; she means me for her theme. So Collier's second folio, followed by Singer; the old copies, "she moves me for her theme."

P. 101. Until I know this sure uncertainty,

I'll entertain the offer'd fallacy. - So Capell. The original has "the free'd fallacy," which is both nonsensical and unmetrical. Offer'd suits the context well, and implies an easier misprint than proffer'd, the reading of Collier's second folio. Mr. White prints "the forced fallacy," which seems to me a rather forced reading.

P. II. We talk with none but goblins, elves, and sprites.— The original here reads "We talke with Goblins, Owles, and Sprights"; the second folio, "We talke with Goblins, Owles, and Elves Sprights." I do not well see what owls should have to do in such company. Theobald, seeing the unfitness of that word, printed "with goblins, ouphs, and elvish sprites." Lettsom, who seems to have thought the same of owls, proposed, "We talk with ghosts and goblins, elves and sprites." Finally, Dyce, to complete the verse, which clearly ought not to be left incomplete, inserted none but, in consequence of what Antipholus of Syracuse says in iii. 1, "There's none but witches do inhabit here." Thus the reading in the text has grown into being.

In

P. 101. Dromio, thou drone, thou snail, thou slug, thou sot! stead of drone, the original repeats Dromio. Corrected by Theobald.

ACT III., SCENE 1.

P. 104. Thou wouldst have changed thy face for a name, or thy name for a face. - So Collier's second folio and White. The old copies have or thy name for an ass."

66

P. 105. You'll let us in, I know. - Instead of know, the original reads hope, which has led some editors to conjecture that a line must have dropped out in the printing. As a word rhyming with hope seemed to be wanting, the missing line was thought to have ended with rope. The present reading was proposed to me by Mr. Joseph Crosby. It explains the pun intended by no, in the next line.

P. 106. Your cake is warm within; you stand here in the cold.So Capell, with manifest propriety. The original reads "Your cake

here is warme within"; here having been repeated by mistake from the latter half of the line.

cuse.

P. 108. Enter, from the House, LUCIANA and ANTIPHOLUS of Syra- Here modern editions generally begin a new scene, though there is, confessedly, no change of place. The same thing occurs elsewhere.

P. 108. Shall love, in building, grow so ruinous?-The original has buildings and ruinate. The first is against the reason of the passage, the second against the rhyme. As the whole speech is in alternate rhyme, ruinate has been rightly changed to ruinous, for an ending consonous with Antipholus in the second line before. The corrections are Theobald's.

P. 109. Alas, poor women! make us but believe.—The original has "make us not believe." Hardly worth notice.

P. 110. Spread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs,

And as a bed I'll take them, and there lie. -The first folio has bud instead of bed, which is the reading of the second, while both have thee instead of them. The latter correction, proposed by Edwards, is adopted by Singer and Dyce. Staunton reads, "And as a bride I'll take thee."

P. 110. Let Love be light, being drowned if she sink. — The original transposes be and being, which makes the line unintelligible to me. The reading in the text was proposed by Dr. Badham in Cambridge Essays, 1856.

P. III. Call thyself sister, sweet, for I aim thee. - The original reads "I am thee." Corrected by Capell. See foot-note 29.

P. 113. In her forehead; arm'd and reverted, making war against her hair. So all the editions that I have consulted, except White's, which changes reverted to revolted. I am apt to think the change is right; for I can see the sense and application of revolted in reference to France and her heir, though not in reference to the woman and her hair; while reverted is unintelligible to me in either regard. Perhaps inverted might give a sense that would fit both sides of the quibble. See foot-note 34.

P. 114. I think, if my breast had not been made of flint, and my heart of steel, &c.—The old copies have faith instead of flint, which is Hanmer's reading, and which Dyce considers "a highly probable alteration." The old reading has been explained as alluding to the popular belief that a strong faith was a protection against witchcraft. But that explanation seems rather far-fetched: besides, it does not help the discord between faith and steel.

ACT IV., SCENE 1.

P. 117. You promised your presence and the chain. - So Dyce. The original has "I promised," &c. The correction was suggested by what the same person says. a little further on, "Your breach of promise to the Porpentine."

P. 118. Either send the chain, or send by me some token. — So Heath and Collier's second folio; the old copies, "send me by some token."

P. 119. And then she bears away. - So Capell. The original, "And then sir she bears away"; sir being palpably either a misprint or an interpolation.

-Here the orig

P. 119. You sent me, sir, for a rope's-end as soon. inal has the converse of that remarked in the preceding note: it omits sir, which was supplied by Steevens.

ACT IV., SCENE 2.

P. 120. Mightest thou perceive assuredly in his eye

That he did plead in earnest, yea or no? — So Heath. The old text has austerely instead of assuredly. Heath justly remarks that "the word austerly hath no meaning suited to this place."

P. 120. Look'd he or red or pale, or sad or merry.- So Walker and Collier's second folio; the original has merrily instead of merry. Merrily overfills the verse.

P 122. A fiend, a fury, pitiless and rough. — So Theobald and Collier's second folio, followed by Singer and Dyce. Instead of fury, the old copies have Fairie; a palpable error.

P. 122. But he's in a suit of buff which 'rested him. Instead of he's, the original has simply is, which is commonly retained on the ground that the Poet sometimes leaves the pronouns understood. But he seems specially needed here as the antecedent of which.

P. 123. If Time be in debt and theft. - The old copies read "If I be in debt," &c. Some editors, following Malone, read "If he be in debt," he referring to Time in the line before. Rowe printed Time, which Dyce adopts, noting, withal, that "the word was probably written here contractedly, T, which the compositor might easily mistake for I.

ACT IV., SCENE 3.

P. 124. The man, sir, that, when gentlemen are tired, gives them a bob, and 'rests them. So Hanmer, followed by Dyce. Instead of bob, the original has sob, which is commonly changed to fob. Staunton prints sop, and White stop. See foot-note 3.

P. 126. If you do, expect spoon-meat; so bespeak a long spoon. — The original has " or bespeak a long spoon." Capell changed or to so, and is followed by Dyce. White prints "expect spoon-meat, and bespeak."

P. 126. Avoid thee, fiend!-The original reads "Avoid then fiend." Then is commonly changed to thou; but, as Dyce remarks, the reading in the text was "the more usual expression" in such cases.

ACT IV., SCENE 4.

P. 128. Off. I'll serve you, sir, five hundred at the rate. -The original assigns this speech to Dromio of Ephesus, in whose mouth it is quite unintelligible. The Cambridge Editors proposed to transfer it to the Officer.

P. 129. Or rather, to prophesy like the parrot, &c.— The original reads "or rather the prophesie like the parrot." From this I can gather no meaning at all. The reading in the text is Dyce's. See foot-note 4.

P. 130. I dined at home! — Thou villain, what say'st thou? — I, at the beginning of this speech, and required by the metre, was inserted by Capell. I am surprised that Singer and White reject it.

P. 131. God and the rope-maker now bear me witness! - So Collier's second folio, followed by Dyce. The original lacks now, which Pope supplied the place of with do.

ACT V., SCENE 1.

P. 134. Good sir, draw near with me, I'll speak to him.- The old copies read "draw near to me.' The change is from Collier's second folio, and seems fairly needful to the sense.

P. 135. This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,

And too much different from the man he was.-The first folio reads "And much different," &c., which leaves an incredible gap in the verse. The hole was stopped in the second folio by repeating much; but I much prefer the reading in the text, which was proposed by Mr. Swynfen Jervis, and is supported by a line in Richard II., ii. 2: "Madam, your Majesty is too much sad."

P. 136. Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue

But moody, moping, and dull melancholy?—The original lacks moping, — another incredible gap in the verse. Hanmer supplied the word, which has also been proposed by Heath and Walker.

P. 138. The place of death and sorry execution.—The original has "The place of depth," which some would still retain! The correction was made by Rowe, and is also found in Collier's second folio.

P. 139. Anon, I wot not by what strange escape,
He broke from those that had the guard of him;
And then his mad attendant and himself,

Each one with ireful passion, with drawn swords,

Met us again, &c.· In the first of these lines, the original has "what strong escape," and in the third, "And with his mad attendant." Strange is found in Collier's second folio, and was also proposed by Walker, who points out other instances of that word thus misprinted. The correction of with to then is Ritson's, which I prefer to Capell's here. I cannot but wonder that Singer, White, and Dyce should still retain with; for, to speak of a man as breaking away from guard, and going with himself to do something, seems not far from absurd. Doubtless with crept in there by repetition from the next line.

P. 140. He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,

To scotch your face, and to disfigure you. — The old copies read “To scorch your face." Warburton made the correction, which, however, is rejected by many, Singer and White among them. It is remarkable that the old copies have the same misprint in Macbeth, iii. 2: "We have scorch'd the snake, not kill'd it."

P. 142. They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence,

And in a dark and dankish vault at home

They left me.-So Walker and Collier's second folio, followed

by Dyce. The original, "There left me."