LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST.

"If thou wilt go with me to the ale-house,so; if not."

The 2nd folio addedso, which is required both by sense and metre.

"And instances of infinite of love."

The 2nd folio reads 'asinfinite,' which may be right, but 'infinite' seems to be made a substantive here.

"There is a lady in Verona here."

Here again 'Verona,' the poet's word, has been altered by the editors. Pope, who is usually followed, read 'sir, inMilan,' and Mr. Dyce adopts the unheard-of termMilanoof Collier's folio! We have no right to make such changes.

"For 'get you gone,' she doth not mean 'away.'"

Perhaps the poet's word wasBynot 'For'; or there may be an omission ofbyafter 'For.'

"I fly not Death, to fly his deadly doom."

For 'his' Singer readis.

"As ending anthem of my endless dolour."

For 'anthem' Singer very plausibly readamen.

"Item, She is not to bekissedfasting on account of her breath."

Rowe addedkissed, which, though generally received, is not absolutely necessary.

"Nor does your nostrilTake in the scent of strong perfumes, to stifleThe sourness of our breaths as we are fasting."

"Nor does your nostril

Take in the scent of strong perfumes, to stifle

The sourness of our breaths as we are fasting."

Massinger, Very Woman, i. 1.

"Now will he be swinged for readingofmy letter."

"But say this weed her love from Valentine."

The context seems to requirewindfor 'weed,' and I have so given it.

"That may discover such integrity."

Though in my edition I have made here an aposiopesis, I think it more probable that a line has been lost.

"Osir, we are undone; these are the villains."

So Capell read also.

"An heir, and near-allied unto the Duke."

The folio has "And heir and niece." Theobald made the corrections.

"Come, go with us; we'll bring thee to our crews."

As in v.1 we have

"Come, I must bring thee to our captain's cave,"

we should probably read herecaveorcavesfor 'crews.'

"Vain Thurio whom my very soul abhorred."

'Abhorreth' is probably what the poet wrote.

"Madam, I pity much your grievances,Which since I know they virtuously are placed."

"Madam, I pity much your grievances,

Which since I know they virtuously are placed."

This is mere nonsense; 'grievance' never had any meaning but that which it has at present. A line has evidently been lost; something like this:—"And sympathize with your affections." The corrector of Collier's folio, who first saw the loss, added—"And the most true affections that you bear," which seems wanting in ease and simplicity.

"When will you go?—This evening comingon."

"It seems you loved not her, not leave her token."

For the second 'not' we should readto. See on All's Well, v. 3. For 'leave,' seeIndexs. v.

"Why dost thou cry Alas?—I cannot chooseBut pity her.—Wherefore should'st thou pity her?"

"Why dost thou cry Alas?—I cannot choose

But pity her.—Wherefore should'st thou pity her?"

This is the proper arrangement; that of the editions, my own included, is wrong.

"Well, givetoher that ring, and therewithal."

"From whom?—From Sir Proteus, my master, madam."

So I should have given it in my Edition.

"Aye, but her forehead's low, and mine's as high."

The sense might seem to require 'mineishigh,' as Pope also saw; but her meaning may be, so is mine also. A high forehead was, however, a part of beauty. See Fletcher, Woman-hater, iii. 1.

"She hath a freckled face,Alow forehead, and a lumpish eye."

"She hath a freckled face,

Alow forehead, and a lumpish eye."

Marston, Ant. and Mel. I. iv.

"Which of you sawsirEglamour of late?"

"And I minetoo.—A prize! a prize! a prize!"

"Come let us go. We will include all jarsWith triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity."

"Come let us go. We will include all jars

With triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity."

'Include' here evidently signifiesconclude; and as there is no instance of its use in that sense, it might be better to read the latter word with Hanmer.

"And then grace us in the disgrace of death."

The usual confusion ofthenandthere. We should read the latter. The contrary occurs in: "In summerwherethe ways are fair enough."—M. of Ven. v. 1.

"Why should I joy in any abortive birth?"

A line is certainly lost. It may have been like this:—"Among the offspring of the teeming earth."

"So you, to study now it is too late ...That were to climb o'er the house to unlock the gate."

"So you, to study now it is too late ...

That were to climb o'er the house to unlock the gate."

This, except the punctuation, is the reading of the folio; that of the 4to, 1598, is:

"So you, to study now it is too late,Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate."

"So you, to study now it is too late,

Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate."

To which editors have given the preference, not a little, I think, moved by what seemed to them the metric regularity of the last line. I prefer the reading of the folio, and explain it thus:—Berowne had just been showing how he liked everything in its due time and season; and youth being the proper time for instituting a course of study, it was, he thought, as absurd for them who were full-grown men to set about it, as it would be for a man who wanted to unlock the gate of his court-yard to climb over the house to get to it. A couplet, however, may have been lost; for 'So you,' &c., joins but awkwardly with what precedes; but I believe the true solution of the difficulty is that the poet wrote 'Foryou,' &c. We have instances of the confusion of these words in Com. of Err. i. 1, 1 Hen. IV. i. 3, Macb. i. 2, Son. xliv. 5. I have so given it in my Edition. There seems to be much more humour in the reading of the folio, caused by the aposiopesis, than in that of the 4to, where 'thelittlegate' makes a difficulty; but the meaning may be, they were giving themselves a deal of labour for a very trifling result. I think the reading of the 4to mayhave arisen thus. In the transcript from which it was printed "That were to" may have been effaced or omitted, and then 'little' was added to complete the metre.

"Yet confident I'll keep what I have sworn?"

As it rimes with 'more,' we must, with 2nd folio, readswore.

"A dangerous law against gentility."

The reading of Collier's folio,garrulity, would agree better with the context; but it is not a Shakespearian term.

"A high hope for a low heaven."

Theobald's readinghavinghas been generally, and I think rightly, adopted; but Mr. Dyce adheres to the text.

"To hear or forbear hearing."

Capell readlaughingfor 'hearing,' which correction the next speech shows to be right.

"And Don Armado,heshall be your keeper."

"For I am sure I shall turn sonnet."

Hanmer, who is generally followed, read 'sonneteer'; but it is doubtful if that term was then in use. In Hall's Satires we meet withsonnetist; he also hassonnet-wright; and in Marston's Fawne (iv.) and in the play of Lingua (ii. 2), we havesonnet-monger, which I have adopted, as we have 'fancy-monger' in As You Like It, iii. 2. Dr. Verplank, an American critic, proposed 'turnsonnets,' which Mr. Staunton has adopted.

"LordLongaville is one."

"Well-fitted in arts, glorious in arms."

I read 'In arts well-fitted'; so also Grant White. The 2nd folio has 'inthearts.'

"To the wide fieldsistoo base to be mine."

The metre requires a syllable.

"'Tis deadly sin to keep that oath, my lord,And sin to break it."

"'Tis deadly sin to keep that oath, my lord,

And sin to break it."

Perhaps something may have been lost. It might be ''tis nosin.'

"My lips are no common, though several they be."

'Several' is the very opposite of 'common.' "Truth liesopento all; it is no man'sseveral."—Jonson, Discoveries. We should therefore, I think, for 'though' readfor, which is proved by the following speeches. The printer might have takenforfortho', or have supposed that 'be' was the conjunctive mood.

"Who tendering their own worth, from where they were glass'd,Did point out to buy them, along as you pass'd."

"Who tendering their own worth, from where they were glass'd,

Did point out to buy them, along as you pass'd."

The 4to reads 'point you'; but neither reading makes sense. We might read 'promptyou,' or 'temptyou.' I have adopted the former.

"Come to our pavilion; Boyet is dispos'd."

By 'dispos'd' here we are to understand—likedisposFr.—cheerful, or rather gamesome; we haveundisposed in Com. of Err. i. 2. It would seem, however, to be simply inclined with an ellipsis of the object.

"And make them men of note?—Do you note men?—that most are affected to these."

I agree with the proposed reading ofmefor the second 'men.'

"No salve in the male, sir."

Tyrwhitt's most happy emendation 'in them all' gives in my opinion, the true reading.

"And stayed the odds by adding four."

Collier's folio, which Singer follows, readsmaking, which may be right, but is not necessary.

"Sirrah Costard,marry, I will enfranchise thee."

Costard's reply shows thatmarry, added by Collier's folio, had been omitted.

"I give thee thy liberty, set theefreefrom durance."

The same folio suppliesfree. Singer received both corrections.

"Than whom no mortal so magnificent."

'So' should bemore, or rathermoe; but it may be as the poet wrote it.

"This senior-junior, giant-dwarf, Dan Cupid."

The original editions have 'Thissignior Junio'sgiant-dwarf,' which possibly may be right, there being an allusion to some poem or tale now lost. The text is the correction of Hanmer.

"What,I! I love! I sue! I seek a wife!"

"A whitely wanton with a velvet brow."

Rosaline was dark, so Collier's folio readswittyfor 'whitely,' and the Cambridge editorswightly; yet the poet may have been merely oblivious.

"Well, I will love,willwrite, sigh, pray, sue, groan."

"That more for praise than purpose meant to kill."

The meaning of 'purpose' is not very clear; perhaps it should bepurchase.

"He came, saw ... saw two."

Both 4to and folio read 'see.' Rowe made the obvious correction.

"A mark marvellous well shot; for they both did hitit."

It was the 4th folio that suppliedit.

"An if my hand be out, then, belike, your hand is in.—Then will she get the upshot by cleaving the pin."

"An if my hand be out, then, belike, your hand is in.—

Then will she get the upshot by cleaving the pin."

'Pin' is the correction of the 2nd folio; both the 4to and 1st folio haveis in, as in preceding line, and possibly so the poet wrote it; for it makes a kind of sense, and he may have had his reasons for using it.

"Armado a' the tother side."

So I read, as the 4to hasath toother side, and the folioath to the side. The usual reading is "on the one side;" but we are not to look for rigid consistency in Costard's language.

"To see him kiss his hand! and how sweetly 'a will swear."

A line riming with this seems to be lost.

"So were there a patch set on learning to see him at school."

Misled by Singer, I gave in my Edition,set, the reading of Collier's folio, for 'see,' which may be right.

"And to humour the ignorant Ihavecall'd the deer," etc.

Rowe was right, I think, in supplyingI have. Singer readsI will call; Collier's folioI call; he Cambridge editorscall I.

"Makes fifty sores, O sore L!"

The reading of the Cambridge editors isone soul.

"Of piercing a hogshead!"

The poet, I suspect, wroteOh! not 'Of'; and so I have ventured to give it.

"Celestial, as thou art, oh! pardon Love this wrong,Thathesings heaven's praise with such an earthly tongue."

"Celestial, as thou art, oh! pardon Love this wrong,

Thathesings heaven's praise with such an earthly tongue."

We might also read, with S. Walker, 'theheaven's; but I prefer what is in the text. A syllable was undoubtedly omitted.

"Where if, before repast, it shall please you to gratify the table with a grace."

For 'beforerepast' of the 4to, the folio has 'beingrepast' in a parenthesis; and it may possibly be right, the school-master, in his pedantic way, using 'repast' as a participle. The grace, then, would be after dinner.

"The dew of night that on my cheeks down flows."

Both 4to and folio read 'The night of dew,' and so most editions; but the context requires the transposition. The same is the case in the last line but one of this sonnet, where 4to and folio read 'dost thou.'

"Thou makest the triumviry, the corner-cap of society,The shape of Love's Tyburn, that hangs up simplicity."

"Thou makest the triumviry, the corner-cap of society,

The shape of Love's Tyburn, that hangs up simplicity."

This is no rime; the poet must have writtensobrietyin the second line.

"Disfigure not his shop."

As 'hose' has just occurred, Theobald readslop, which both Singer and Dyce properly adopt. The usual reading isshape.

"Oh, most divine Kate!Oh, most prophane coxcomb!"

"Oh, most divine Kate!

Oh, most prophane coxcomb!"

Both rime and metre demandpatein the second line (see Introd. p.63). The whole dialogue, with this exception, is in rime.

"By earth, she is not. Corporal, there you lie."

Theobald, who is usually followed, reads "By earth she is but corporal; there you lie." I think, however, the text is right. In iii. 1 Berowne, styling Love a "great general," adds, "and I to be acorporalof his field!" so he may well apply that title to Dumain. SeeIndexs. v.

"That shall express my true love's fasting pain."

Capell readlasting.

"Offaith enfringed, which such zeal did swear?"

"To see a king transformed to a gnat."

For 'gnat,' of which it is not very easy to see the meaning, Mr. Staunton would readquat, the conjecture of Mr. Becket, and surely not better. We also meetsotandknot, equally bad. In Pericles (ii. 3), however, princes wanting in liberality are compared to gnats.

"Not you by me, but I betray'd to you."

Capell transposed 'by' and 'to'; which seems to be right. Yet 'to' may have been suggested forby, by the preceding line.

"With men like men of inconstancy."

As something is evidently wanted, the 2nd folio read 'ofstrange,' and that is the usual reading; Theobald 'moon-like men.' I have read, as I find S. Walker had done,

"With men likeyou, men of inconstancy."

"Is ebony like her? O wood divine!A wife of such wood were felicity."

"Is ebony like her? O wood divine!

A wife of such wood were felicity."

The 'wood' of the first line is Rowe's certain correction ofword.

"The hue of dungeons and the school of night."

It is most certain that 'school' cannot have been the poet's word. The usual reading is that of Warburton,scowl; but that substantive is not used by Shakespeare, and it gives but an indifferent sense. Theobald readstole, which also is not Shakespearian; I myselfcloak, as the "cloak of night" occurs in R. and J. ii. 2, Rich. II. iii. 2. But the Cambridge editors seem to have hit on the exact word,suitwritten, as pronounced,shoot. In the Puritan (ii. 1), we have a play onsuitorandarcher,i.e.shooter; we retain this sound insureandsugar. In Hamlet we have "suits of solemn black" and "suits of woe" (i. 2), and "suit of sables" (iii. 2) for mourning, and in Rom. and Jul. iii. 2,

"Come civil Night,Thou sober-suitedmatron all in black!"

"Come civil Night,

Thou sober-suitedmatron all in black!"

"Have at you then, Affection's men at arms."

Capell sagaciously saw that in this speech, from "For when would you" to "From whence doth spring," and from "For where is any" to "And in that vow," are passages which the poet had cancelled in the "corrected and augmented" play. The same occurs in Rich. III. v. 3, and on a much smaller scale, however, in Rom. and Jul. iii. 3, iv. 1.

"Why, universal plodding prisons up."

There can be no doubt of this, the reading of Theobald—prisons forpoisons.

"For where is any author in the worldTeaches such beauty as a woman's eye."

"For where is any author in the world

Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye."

As beauty is not taught, we should perhaps readwisdom. Perhaps, however, the error may be in 'Teaches.'

"And when Love speaks, the voice of all the godsMakes heaven drowsy with the harmony."

"And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods

Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony."

Though this passage be very obscure, I doubt if it be corrupt. By 'voice' may be meant the assenting voice, the voices all sounding in unison, which induces repose over heaven. Compare the opening of Gray's Progress of Poesy. The original editions commit the usual error of putting 'make' for 'makes.'

"And plant in tyrants mild humility."

The reading of Griffith and Collier's foliohumanityis, I think, right. I have adopted it in my Edition.

"Allons, allons!"

The correction of Theobald for 'Alone, alone!' of the originals. The poet, however, does not use French words in this play, and I think we should readAll on, all on!or ratherAlong, along!(See on Temp. v. 1.) "Alongmy lords! Well, Cromwell is half dead."—Thomas Cromwell, iv. 5.

"Or for love's sake, a word that loves all men."

As a word cannot love, Hanmer, for 'loves,' readmoves, Heathjoys, Masonleads. I read 'Love's' for 'love's' andgodfor 'word.'

"Witty without affection."

The 2nd folio reads, and, I think, most properly, 'affectation.' It is much more likely that a syllable should have been omitted by the printer, than that Nathaniel, who in general speaks correctly, should blunder. We have the very same error in v. 2, where the rime leaves no doubt on the subject.

"Laus Deo, bone intelligo—Bone!boneforbene;Priscian a little scratch'd. 'Twill serve." [Aside.

"Laus Deo, bone intelligo—Bone!boneforbene;

Priscian a little scratch'd. 'Twill serve." [Aside.

This is Theobald's correction ofbene intelligo.'—Boone, boon for boon prescian, &c.; which has been universally received. The Cambridge editors, however, partly anticipated by Capell, read 'Bon, bon fort bon.Priscian! a little scratcht, twill serve.' Ingenious as this is, I still adhere to Theobald; for, as I have just observed, French does not occur in this play; and when those critics say that "Sir Nathaniel is not represented as an ignoramus who would be likely to sayboneforbene," I may remind them that he adds, 'Videsnequisvenit,' which is nearly as bad. The printer, in fact, had spoiled the humour by hisbene, and Theobald restored it, as I think, most happily.

"I do beseech thee, remember thy courtesy. I beseech thee, apparel thy head."

Malone read 'remembernot' (see Ham. v. 2, M. N. D. iv. 1). Dyce quotes "Pray you remember your courtesy.... Nay, pray, be covered."—Every Man in his Humour, i. 1. But the negative may been omitted here also.

"Shall passforPompey the Great, the page for Hercules."

These additions, I find, were made by Capell also.

Allons!we will employ thee.

Here, again, the original reading is 'Alone!'

"Great reason; for past cure is still past care."

The old editions transpose 'cure' and 'care.' The correctionwas by Thirlby. The old reading is retained, I know not how, in my Edition.

"And shape his service wholly to my device."

The rime proves 'device' to be wrong. See Introd. p.63. The 2nd folio read 'allto mybehests.' I read, as S. Walker also had read, 'to myhests.'

"So portent-like would I o'ersway his state."

'Portent' is a correction ofpertaunt.

"As Gravity's revolt to wantonness."

So the 2nd folio for 'wantonbe.'

"Oh! I am stabb'd with laughter."

Perhaps it should bestuff'd, not 'stabb'd.' We have, however, "stabsthe centre."—W. T. i. 2.

"They do, they do, and are apparell'd thus."

A line has evidently been lost here.

"And every one his love-feat will advance."

For 'feat' Collier's folio, and S. Walker, followed by Singer and Dyce, readsuit, which I also have adopted.

"But while 'tis spoke each turn away her face."

Both 4to and folio readhisfor 'her.'

"Bero.Beauties no richer than rich taffeta."

It should evidently beBoyet, as in my Edition.

"Yet still she is the moon and I the man."

The line riming with this is lost, as Malone also saw.

"Oh!They were all in lamentable cases."

So also 2nd folio.

"Till this madman show'd thee? and what art thou now?"

The editors omit 'mad,' as it is what they deem a superfluous syllable. We should perhaps omit 'thou' and retain 'mad.'

"This jest is dry to me.Fair, gentle, sweet."

Fairis an addition of 2nd folio.

"Which of the visors was it that you wore?—Where? When? What visor? Why demand you this?"

"Which of the visors was it that you wore?—

Where? When? What visor? Why demand you this?"

As the whole scene is in rime, there should be a couplet here. We might then for 'this' readmore.

"As precious eye-sight and did value me."

A line riming with this, before, or after, seems lost.

"Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you now;That sport best pleases, that does least know how,Where zeal strives to content, and the contentsDies in the zeal of that which it presents."

"Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you now;

That sport best pleases, that does least know how,

Where zeal strives to content, and the contents

Dies in the zeal of that which it presents."

The whole difficulty of this place lies in the word 'dies,' which has two senses, now distinguished by the orthography, namely,dieanddye, but which in Shakespeare's time were spelt indifferently. In this place editors have invariably taken it in the former sense; and as they regard 'contents dies' as a false concord—which, by the way, it is not—they print 'Die,' and then change 'that' tothem, and alter the punctuation. The result, however, is anything but satisfactory. I, on the contrary—and I believe I have been the first to do so—take 'Dies' in its second sense of tinging, colouring, imbruing, making 'zeal' the subject and 'contents' the object, and regarding this last as being by metonymy—a figure Shakespeare uses so frequently—the persons contented, or to be contented, just as in Ant. and Cleop. i. 4. "The Discontents" are the discontented. All then becomes plain, and the passage is parallel to one in the speech of Theseus in M. N. D. v. 1. As to using 'Dyes' of mind, we may justify it by the employment oftingeandtincturein the same way in our ordinary language; and the following passages are very apposite:—

"When my new mind had no infusion known,Thou gav'st so deep a tincture of thine own,That ever since I vainly tryTo wash away the inherent dye."

"When my new mind had no infusion known,

Thou gav'st so deep a tincture of thine own,

That ever since I vainly try

To wash away the inherent dye."

Cowley, The Complaint, 122.

"Fordyea husband that has wit with an opinion thatthou art honest, and see who dares wash the colour out." (Killigrew, Parson's Wedding, ii. 3.) "Ma ben di rado avviene che le parole affermative e sicure d'una persona autorevole in qualsivoglia generenon tingano dal loro colore la mente di chi le ascolta." (Manzoni, Prom. Sposi, ch. xx.) The 'zeal' in the last line may have been produced in the usual way by that in the preceding line, and the poet's word have beenhue; but a change is not absolutely necessary.

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