HISTORIES.

"Was duke of Millaine, and his only heirAnd princess, no worse issued."

"Was duke of Millaine, and his only heir

And princess, no worse issued."

Pope read, I think correctly, 'Aprincess.' We have, "Andmarriage" for "Amarriage" (Hen. VIII. ii. 4). See also on Jul. Cæs. v. 2.

"And to my state grew stranger."

We should perhaps read 'astranger.'

"I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicate[d]."

So also Ritson. See Rom. and Jul. i. 1.

"Was dukedom large enoughfor; of temporal royalties."

"Than other princess can, that have more timeFor vainer hours, and tutors not so careful."

"Than other princess can, that have more time

For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful."

As the plural of 'princess' does not occur in Shakespeare, and a plural seems required here, I suspect that 'princess' may be a collective. (See Introd. p.70.) For 'hours' we might readjoys, i.e. enjoyments. Still the passage may be as the poet wrote it.

"I find my zenith doth depend uponA most auspicious star."

"I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star."

I am not sufficiently versed in astrology to determine whether 'zenith' be right or not.

"Yea, his dread trident shake.—That'smy brave spirit!"

Like the subsequent "Why, that's my spirit!" and "That's my noble master!" So also Hanmer.

"Some trick of desperation. All butthemariners."

"Bound sadly home for Naples, supposing thatThey saw the king's ship wrack'd, and his great person perish."

"Bound sadly home for Naples, supposing that

They saw the king's ship wrack'd, and his great person perish."

This is undoubtedly the proper arrangement.

"Of the salt deep, to run upon the sharpWind of the north, to do me business inThe veins of the earth, when it is bak'd with frost.—I do not, sir.—Thou liest, malignant thing!Hast thou forgot the foul witch, Sycorax,Who with age and envy was grown into a hoop?Hast thou forgot her?—No, sir.—Thou hast. Where was she born?"

"Of the salt deep, to run upon the sharp

Wind of the north, to do me business in

The veins of the earth, when it is bak'd with frost.—

I do not, sir.—Thou liest, malignant thing!

Hast thou forgot the foul witch, Sycorax,

Who with age and envy was grown into a hoop?

Hast thou forgot her?—No, sir.—Thou hast. Where was she born?"

So we should arrange the whole passage.

"Comeforth, thou tortoise! When?"

Steevens made the same addition.

"Drop on you both! a south-westwindblow on ye!"

Asnorth,south, etc., were not used alone of the wind, I have addedwind, which also gives energy to the expression, which is tame and feeble, if the metric accent fall on 'ye.' See on Twelfth Night, i. 1.

"Oho! oho!Iwould it had been done!"

"The wild waves whist."

Steevens properly made this a parenthesis. 'Whist' is whisted, hushed. "The moisting air waswhist, no leaf ye could have moving seen." Golding, Ovid, p. 81.

"Of his bones are coralsmade."

"Make the prize light. One word more,sir. I charge thee."

"The wrack of all my friends, nor this man's threats,To whom I am subdued, are but light to me."

"The wrack of all my friends, nor this man's threats,

To whom I am subdued, are but light to me."

For 'nor' Steevens reador; we might also readandornay; but perhaps it is as it was written. For 'are,' too, the proper word would bewere.

"Beseech you, sir, be merry; you have causeOf joy:—so have we all; for our escape," etc.

"Beseech you, sir, be merry; you have cause

Of joy:—so have we all; for our escape," etc.

I make the transposition of "So have we all—of joy," in the second line boldly; for surely neither Shakespeare nor any other writer would put a parenthesis between a noun and its genitive. Gonzalo is speaking quite calmly, and without any perturbation. We have an exactly similar printer's error in

"Add more,From thine invention, offers."

"Add more,

From thine invention, offers."

Ant. and Cleop. iii. 10.

"One of these two must be necessities."

Wint. Tale, iv. 3.

See also Hen. VIII. iii. 1.

"Every day some sailor's wife,The master's of some merchant—and the merchantHave just our theme of woe."

"Every day some sailor's wife,

The master's of some merchant—and the merchant

Have just our theme of woe."

The word 'merchant' occurs here in two different senses; and when this play was written Shakespeare had long since abstained from such practices. One of them, therefore, must belong to the printer; if the first, then we might, and I think should, readvessel, if the second,owner. 'Merchant' certainly occurs in the sense of merchantman. See B. and F. Coxcomb, i. 3.

"Ant.Ha, ha, ha! So you're paid."

Theobald's arrangement; the folio gives 'So,' etc., toSeb.

"To the shore that o'er his wave-worn basis bow'd,As stooping to relieve him."

"To the shore that o'er his wave-worn basis bow'd,

As stooping to relieve him."

Possibly the poet wrotereceive, which seems more appropriate.

"Weigh'd, between loathness and obedience, atWhich end o' the beam should bow."

"Weigh'd, between loathness and obedience, at

Which end o' the beam should bow."

The editors in general read, with Malone,she'dfor 'should'; but surely she was not the balance. We get very good sense by omitting either 'at' or 'o'; in my Edition I have, as Pope had done, omitted the latter; foro', orof, was sometimes added by the printers. (See on M. for M. iv. 4.) 'Weigh'd' is pondered.

"Boürnorbound of land, tilth, vineyard, none."

Editors have taken strange liberties with the whole of this passage. Here they omit 'Bourne.'

"Will you laugh me asleep? for I am very heavy.—Go sleep, and hear usnot."

"Will you laugh me asleep? for I am very heavy.—

Go sleep, and hear usnot."

It is very strange that none of the editors should have seen that the negative had been effaced or omitted. Surely the very last thing that Antonio could have wished was that he should hear them; and how could he if he went to sleep?Not, we may also see, is required by the metre. The latter part may be a half-aside.

"I am more serious than my custom, youMust be so too; ifyouheed me; which to do."

"I am more serious than my custom, you

Must be so too; ifyouheed me; which to do."

"The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaims."

"Which throes thee much to yield.—Thus, sir."

Perhaps to complete the measure and improve the sense we should add,I say. The folio spells 'throes'throwes.

"Be rough and razorable; she that from whomWe all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again—And by that destiny—to perform an act."

"Be rough and razorable; she that from whom

We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again—

And by that destiny—to perform an act."

Though in my Edition I have not altered the text, I think we should read 'from whomcoming' with Singer; 'we were all,' and 'castup.' Musgrave proposed 'destin'd,' which is probably right. Rowe, followed by the other editors, omitted 'that' in the first line.

"Twenty consciencesThat stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be theyAnd melt ere they molest!"

"Twenty consciences

That stand 'twixt me and Milan, candied be they

And melt ere they molest!"

I must confess I do not clearly understand this passage. Surely as he was, as he had just said, in actual possession of Milan, his conscience could not 'stand' between him and it. Perhaps, however, we are to view 'stand' as in the conjunctive mood, and expressing a condition. Neither do I see clearly the meaning of 'candied' and 'melt' in this place.

"That's verily. 'Tis best we stand upon our guard."

Pope's reading,verity, is most certain. "'Tisverity, I assure you" (Mass. New Way, etc. i. 1).

"And another tempestabrewing."

"Young scamels from the rock."

Theobald, in my mind most properly, proposedsea-mells, of the existence of which term Malone and Reed have given abundant proofs; by the usual change ofltowwe havesea-mew, the term now in use. Yet some editors persist in retainingthe old printer's error, as limpets are in some places calledscamsorscammels, not reflecting that old limpets are to be preferred. Mr. Dyce readsstaniels, after another conjecture of Theobald's.

"Nor scrape trencher nor wash dish."

In the folio it is 'trenchering,' caused by the participles in the preceding line.

"Point to rich ends. This my mean taskWould be as heavy to me, as odious; but."

"Point to rich ends. This my mean task

Would be as heavy to me, as odious; but."

The first line here is short, which it should not be, as it does not begin or end a paragraph. (See Introd. p.82.) We should therefore arrange thus:

"Point to rich ends. This my mean task would beAs heavy to me as 'tisodious; but."

"Point to rich ends. This my mean task would be

As heavy to me as 'tisodious; but."

It is very remarkable that I never noticed this until after my Edition had been printed. However, I rectified it in the corrections.

"But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,Most busy, lest when I do it...."

"But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,

Most busy, lest when I do it...."

This punctuation removes all difficulty. The entrance of Miranda causes him to break off.

"So perfect and so peerless are created."

The folio readspeetiesse. It escaped the Camb. editors.

"And would no more endureThis wooden slavery, than to sufferThe flesh-fly blow my mouth."

"And would no more endure

This wooden slavery, than to suffer

The flesh-fly blow my mouth."

Though, as Malone has shown, this construction is quite correct, still, as Pope also saw, the metre demands 'thanI wouldsuffer.' In the Maid's Tragedy (iv. 2) we have

"'Tis fit an old man and a counsellorTo fight for what he says,"

"'Tis fit an old man and a counsellor

To fight for what he says,"

where we must either read 'fitfor,' or 'shouldfight,' to make any sense.

"Beyond all limit of what's else in the world."

"Much business appertainingto my project."

"Now doesmy projectgather to a head."—v. 1.

"As you like this give me the lie another time."

Perhaps for 'As' we should readAn.

"Trin.Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano."

The first sentence here belongs, I think, to Stephano's last speech. See on As You Like it, ii. 1.

"If I should say I saw such islanders."

The folio has 'islands.' So in the Queen of Corinth (iii. 1), "Our neighbour islands would make of us." In both places sense and metre alike requireislanders.

"I cannot too much muse ...Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing—Although they want the use of tongue—a kindOf excellent dumb discourse."

"I cannot too much muse ...

Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing—

Although they want the use of tongue—a kind

Of excellent dumb discourse."

"They vanished strangely.—'Tisno matter, since."

"Each putter out of five for one."

We should perhaps readonfor 'of'; or, with Thirlby and Malone, transpose 'five' and 'one,' of which both Gifford and Dyce approved. Yet it may be that no change is necessary, forofandonare constantly used interchangeably, ando' stands for both. The 'of' of the text may, however, have been caused by the initial letter of the following word.

"I will stand to and feed," etc.

Mason arranged thus:—

"I will stand to and feed, although my last.No matter, since I feel the best is past.Brother, my lord the duke, stand to and do as we."

"I will stand to and feed, although my last.

No matter, since I feel the best is past.

Brother, my lord the duke, stand to and do as we."

Mr. Dyce properly rejects this arrangement, but on the last line he observes "They cannot with any propriety be reduced to a single line." Was Mr. Dyce unaware of the existenceof six-foot lines in these plays? The true reason for rejecting this arrangement is, that in this play Shakespeare does not employ couplets.

"Hath caused to belch you up, and on this island."

The first folio has 'up you'; the necessary and obvious transposition was made in the fourth. Some editors, most unjustifiably, throw out 'you.'

"One dowle that's in my plume."

For 'dowle' I read with confidencedown, believing it to be a printer's error fordowlne, a mode of spellingdown:

"There lies adowlneyfeather, which stirs not.Did he suspire, that light and weightlessdowlnePerforce must move."

"There lies adowlneyfeather, which stirs not.

Did he suspire, that light and weightlessdowlne

Perforce must move."

2 Hen. IV. iv. 2,fol.

Singer refers to dictionaries, etc., of the 17th century for the use ofdowle; but they all probably found it only in this place.

"Have given you here a third of my own life."

For 'third,' which might easily have been a printer's error forthrid, i.e.thread, editors in general follow Theobald in reading this last word. It is easy to conceive how Miranda might be regarded as a thread or integral portion of her father's life, but not how she could be athirdof it.

"Do not smile at me that I boast her of."

Of course Shakespeare wrote 'of her.' The editors, without, I believe, an exception, have 'boast heroff'—a phrase unknown to the poet—introduced by the editor of the 2nd folio, who had little or no idea of emendation by transposition.

"The strongest suggestionOur worser Genius can, shall never meltMine honour into lust."

"The strongest suggestion

Our worser Genius can, shall never melt

Mine honour into lust."

As it is difficult to make any good sense here of 'can' alone, we should perhaps read 'canmake', or 'cangive,' making 'Genius' a trisyllable, and the line of six feet.

"Or night kept chain'd below.—'Tisfairly spoke."

"Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims."

'Banks' may be either the margins of streams or hillocks, or slight elevations of land; but 'brims,' which can only be the edges or margins of hollows, shows that it is the former that is meant. 'Pioned' seems to be a word of Shakespeare's own creation; for, finding the wordpioneerin common use, andpyonings—a word of Spenser's coinage—in the Faerie Queen (ii. 10. 63) signifying defences, the work of pioneers, he thought himself at liberty to form a verbpion. This is generally taken to meandig; and 'twilled' is supposed to be a term transferred from cloth, etc., and signifyingridged; and so the passage is made to mean dug, and laid out in ridges, which, however, hardly accords with the context. Steevens, on the other hand, read 'pioned andlilied'; but neither the piony nor the lily can properly be regarded as a wild flower (though the former is said to grow on the Severn), and such only could be meant here. Others again for 'twilled' readtilled, or give strange meanings to 'twilled.' My own opinion is, that the sense which Shakespeare gave to his 'pioned' was fenced, and that 'twilled' was a printer's error. We may observe that 'and twilled' is pronouncedan twilled, which differs very slightly in sound from 'and willow'd.' (See Introd. p.52.) By reading, then, "Thy banks with pioned and willow'd brims" we get most excellent sense, the idea in the poet's mind being the bank of a stream, fenced, as it were, and secured against overflow, with a range of willows along its edge, and 'betrimmed,'i.e.adorned, with primroses, violets, and other wild flowers; for "April showers bring forth May flowers." I have not hesitated to make this correction in my Edition.

"To make cold nymphs chaste crowns."

In my Edition I have here transposed the adjectives (See on i. 1). We are to take 'cold,' as so frequently, in the sense of cool, which agrees well with flowers growing on the edge of a stream, while it seems absurd to term them 'chaste.' 'Nymphs' is evidently maidens; for if the Naiades were meant there would be an article.

"Summon'd me hither to this short-grass'd green."

This must be the right reading, as the folio hasgras'd. Some would readgraz'd, which can hardly be right.

"And the broom grovesWhose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves."

"And the broom groves

Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves."

For 'broom' Hanmer readbrown, which I have adopted; though contrary to my rule (see Introd. p.51), as I have met no earlier authority for this use ofbrownthan Milton. The poet's word may have beenbroadortrim. The broom never attains a height to justify the terming it a 'grove.' Dyer, a good authority, has in his Fleece "low-tuftedbroom," and Bloomfield (Rural Tales) "tuftsof green broom," both using the proper term. I doubt if 'grove' is ever used of any but forest-trees.

"Spring come to you at the farthest,In the very end of harvest."

"Spring come to you at the farthest,

In the very end of harvest."

No one has ever made, or can make, sense of this. For 'Spring' Collier's folio readsRain—no great improvement. The fact is, as the context plainly shows, that the poet's word wasShall. With this simple change the whole passage becomes clear and grammatical, and forms a parallel to the fairy-blessing at the end of Mids. Night's Dream.

"So rare a wonder'd father and a wise."

Some copies of the folio read 'wife' for 'wise'; which has become the general reading, even that of the Cambridge Edition. I prefer, as more Shakespearian, the other reading, which is also that of all the succeeding folios.

"Makes this place paradise—Osweet, now silence."

"You nymphs, called Naiads of the winding brooks,With your sedg'd crowns and ever harmless looks."

"You nymphs, called Naiads of the winding brooks,

With your sedg'd crowns and ever harmless looks."

The word in the folio iswindring; so it is doubtful whether we should readwindingorwandering. 'Sedg'd' may have beensedge; for the sound is exactly the same in this place.

"You do look in a mov'd sort, my son."

The folio reads "my son, in a moved sort."

"Leave not a wrack behind."

This is undoubtedly the true reading. The folio hasracke, but instances of this error are common. See my note on Milton's Par. Reg. iv. 452. We havewrackforrackin

"Even like a man new-haled from thewrack."

1 Hen. VI. ii. 5.

"Humanly speaking all, all lost, quite lost."

With Malone, I readarefor the second 'all.' In the same way we have "sir, sir," in All's Well, v. 2.

"Ogood my lord, give me thy favour still."

"Let us alone,And do the murder first."

"Let us alone,

And do the murder first."

With Theobald I read 'Let us along,' which connects so well with what follows: we have this very expression in Wint. Tale, v. 2; and see on L. L. L. iv. 3. Hanmer read 'Letitalone.'

"Make us strange stuff ..."

"Hey, Fury, Fury! there, Tyrant, there! hark, hark!"

"Just as you left them. Allareprisoners, sir."

"A solemn air and the best comforterTo an unsettled fancy cure thy brains,that,Now useless, boil within thy skull."

"A solemn air and the best comforter

To an unsettled fancy cure thy brains,that,

Now useless, boil within thy skull."

It is better, I think, to correct thus than, with the editors, to read 'boil'd.'

"My true preserver, and a loyal sirTo him thou followest."

"My true preserver, and a loyal sir

To him thou followest."

"Thatsirthat serves and seeks for gain."

Lear, ii. 4.

"A lady to the worthiestsirthat everCountry call'd his."

"A lady to the worthiestsirthat ever

Country call'd his."

Cymb. i. 7.

Still I think that the final syllable ofservantmay have been effaced.

"You, brother mine that entertain ambition."

This is the reading of the folio, and I see no need of reading with editors 'entertain'd.'

"That yet looks on me, or would know me."

With Collier's folio I reade'erfor 'or.'

"How thou hast met us here, whom three hours sinceWere wrack'd upon this shore."

"How thou hast met us here, whom three hours since

Were wrack'd upon this shore."

This is a remarkable instance of the use ofwhomforwhoin the nominative. See W. Tale,ad fin.

"Where we in all our trim freshly beheldOur royal, good, and gallant ship."

"Where we in all our trim freshly beheld

Our royal, good, and gallant ship."

For 'our' in the first line we must of course readherwith Thirlby and Theobald. It was probably caused by the 'Our' of the next line; but from similarity of pronunciationouris sometimes confounded withheranda.

"Ever in a dream were we divided from them."

For 'them' we should perhaps readher.

"This is a strange thing as e'er I look'd on."

With Capell I read 'asstrange a.' We have just had

"This is as strange a maze as e'er men trod."

"That is thy charge; then to the elements."

I confidently read 'element,' that is air, his return to which had been already promised him.

"It would not be Sir Nob in any case."

The 2nd folio properly readIfor 'It.'

"Kneel thee down Philip, buttorise more great."

"'Tis too respective and too sociableFor your conversion."

"'Tis too respective and too sociable

For your conversion."

In the only other place where 'conversion' occurs in these plays it signifies change; but it may be conversation.

"As at his nextconversionwith your GraceHe will relate the circumstance at full."

"As at his nextconversionwith your Grace

He will relate the circumstance at full."

Ham. 1603.

"Sir Robert could do well; marry, to confessthe truth;Couldheget me? Sir Robert could not do it."

"Sir Robert could do well; marry, to confessthe truth;

Couldheget me? Sir Robert could not do it."

"It hangs as sightly on the back of himAs great Alcides' shoes upon an ass."

"It hangs as sightly on the back of him

As great Alcides' shoes upon an ass."

This, and all that has been written upon it, is sheer nonsense. As 'shoes' andshewsare alike in sound, Theobald proposed this last word; but as there was neither picture nor tale existing on the subject, I prefershew'din the conjunctive mood. We might also, and better perhaps, readshould. After 'Alcides'' 'lion's robe' is of course to be understood. The allusion to the ass in the lion's skin is manifest.

"King Lewis determine what we shall do straight."

By an ordinary error (Introd. p.66) 'Lewis' is substituted forPhilip, both here and in the heading of the next speech.

"Comfort your city's eyes, your winking gates."

Rowe readConfront, CapellConfronts, Collier's folioCome 'fore, which last is, I think, the best.

"In that behalfinwhich we have challeng'd it."

"And Victory, with little loss, doth playUpon the dancing banners of the French,Triumphantly displayed; who are at hand."

"And Victory, with little loss, doth play

Upon the dancing banners of the French,

Triumphantly displayed; who are at hand."

I have, it will be seen, made a necessary transposition in the last line. It is strange that no one seems to have observed the error.

"Say shall the current of our right roam on."

The 2nd folio for 'roam' readsrun, andronnemight easily becomerome. See on Ham. i. 3.

"Kings of our fear; until our fears resolved."

Tyrwhitt proposed 'King'd.' We should punctuate 'Kings of our fear!'i.e.Kings whom we fear.

"That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch,Is near to England."

"That daughter there of Spain, the Lady Blanch,

Is near to England."

Collier's folio readsniece. In the Two Gent. (iv. 1) we have, "An heir andnieceallied unto the Duke," where all the editors readnear.

"Left to be finished by such as she."

Thirlby proposedafor 'as.'

"Here's a stayThat shakes the rotten carcass of old Death."

"Here's a stay

That shakes the rotten carcass of old Death."

'Stay' is hindrance, impediment.

"What you in wisdom still vouchsafe to say."

Capell properly readshallfor 'still.'

"Her dowry shall weigh equal with a queen's."

"Hath drawn him from his own determin'd aid."

For 'aid' Mason and Collier's folio readaim.

"As true as I believe you think them false."

The poet probably wrote 'you'll' think.

"I will instruct my sorrows to be proud;For Grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop."

"I will instruct my sorrows to be proud;

For Grief is proud, and makes his owner stoop."

Hanmer readsstoutfor 'stoop,' but I see no need of change. We talk of a person being bowed to the earth with grief, and this is what the poet meant. 'Owner' was used of one who simply had, as "But like theownerof a foul disease" (Ham. iv. 1).

"But as we under Heaven are supreme head,So under Him that great supremacy."

"But as we under Heaven are supreme head,

So under Him that great supremacy."

Collier's folio readsHeavenfor 'Him,' which is very good.

"In likeness of a new, untrimmed bride."

This would seem intended to express the indecent haste of the wedding, the bride having, as it were, notrousseau, but being married in her ordinary clothes. In ii. 2 it was termed an "unlook'd-for, unprepared pomp." Theobald proposed 'andtrimm'd' and 'betrimm'd'; Dyce reads 'uptrimm'd.'

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