VOL. I. Ibid. That is; ye are powerful auxiliaries, but weak if left to your 102. E. boil'd within thy skull.] The old copy reads "To an unfettled fancy's cure!-Thy brains, The Strangeness] The fame phrafe is found in the Two Noble Kinsmen, by Shakspeare and Fletcher, 1634: "This her mind beats on." The Jailor's daughter, whofe mind was difordered, is the perfon spoken of. A kindred expreffion occurs in Hamlet : "Cudgel thy brains no more about it." MALONE, GENT. OF THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. 121. To follow Dr. Farmer's note.] Only the first part of VERONA. the Diana of Montemayor was tranflated by Thomas Wilfon, as I learn from a M. of Mr. Oldys. The ftory which is fuppofed to have been imitated by Shakspeare in this play, is in the fecond pait. MALONE 128. I a loft mution &c.] Add to my note.-This appellation feems to have been as old as the time of king Henry III." Item fequitur gravis poena corporalis, fed fine amiflione vitæ vel membrorum, fi raptus fit de concubina legitima, vel aliâ quæftum faciente, fine delectu perfonarum has quidem oves debet rex tueri pro pace fuâ." Bracton de Legibus, lib. ii. 135. You 135. You have a month's mind.] In my note, for remon- VOL. I. ftrance, read remembrance. JOHNSON. GENT. OF Ibid. To follow Johnson's note :] In Hampshire, and other VERONA. western countries, for "I can't remember it," they fay, "I can't mind it." E. 141. Val. Not mine, my gloves are on. Speed. Why then, this may be yours; for this is but one.] It appears from this paffage, that the word one was anciently pronounced as if it were written on. Hence, probably, the mistake in a paffage in K. John, where we meet in the old copy, "found on unto the drowfy" &c. inftead of, " ་་ -found one" &c. The quibble here is loft by the change of pronunciation; a lofs, however, which may be very patiently endured. 149. Line ult.] Print thus: MALONE. Now come I to my mother (oh, that she could speak now!) like a wood woman: Perhaps the humour would be heightened by reading : (oh, that the fhoe could peak now!) E. 154 For Valentine, I need not cite him to it.] It fhould be printed:- -'cite- i. e. incite. MALONE. 182. Trenched in ice.] Add to note.-Again, in Macbeth: "With twenty trenched gafhes on his head." MALONE. 183. Therefore as you unwind her love from him.] The fame phrafe occurs in Webster's Dutchess of Malfy, 1623: "You fhall fee me wind my tongue about his heart, "Like a fkeine of filk." MALONE. 184. That may discover such integrity.] Perhaps the author wrote: much integrity. MALONE. 185. Vifit by night your lady's chamber-window With fome fweet concert: to their inftruments, Tune a deploring dump ;] The old copy reads: With fome fweet confort I believe, rightly. The words immediately following, "to their inftruments," fhew, I think, that by confort was meant, a band or company of muficians. So, in Maffinger's Fatal Dowry, a tragedy, 1632: "Rom. By your leave, firs! "Aym. Are you a confort? "Rom. Do you take me for a fidler ?". G 4 Again, VOL. I. GENT. OF Again, in our author's Romeo and Juliet : Mer. Confort! what, doft thou make us minstrels ?" "To fort fome gentlemen well skill'd in musick.” MALONE. 188. awful men.] Surely, awful, in the paffage produced by Mr. Tyrwhitt, is an error of the prefs. I cannot help thinking the fame alfo of the word introduced into the text here. The old reading, however, may perhaps receive fome fupport from a paffage in Vittoria Corombona, a tragedy, by Webster, 1612: "It is a wonder to your noble friends should in your prime age "Neglect your awful throne." MALONE. Ibid. An heir and niece ally'd unto the duke.] Mr. Theobald is often unfaithful in his account of the old copies. The first folio does not read An heir &c. but exhibits the line thus ; And heir and neece alide unto the duke, I believe Shakspeare wrote: An heir, and near ally'd unto the duke. Near was anciently spelt neere; fo that there is only the vas riation of one letter. MALONE. 194. But, fince your falfehood, shall become you well-] I incline ftrongly to Dr. Johnfon's emendation. Falfhood and falle it, when indiftinctly pronounced, are fo like, that the tranfcriber's ear might easily have deceived him. MALONE. 199. It feems you lov'd not her to leave her token :] To leave, feems to be here ufed for, to part with. It is ufed with equal licence, in a former place in this play, for to ceafe ; 66 -I leave to be, "If I be not by her fair influence "Fofter'd.". The reading in the text is that of the fecond folio. MALONE. 210. O'tis the curse of love and still approv'd.] Approv'd is felt, experienced. MALONE. 211. Thou common friend that's without faith or love ;] That's, is here used for id eft, that is to fay. MALONE. 212. and 212. and that my love &c.] Transfer thefe two VOL. I. lines to the end of Thurio's fecond fpeech in page 214, GENT. OF and all is right. Why then fhould Julia faint? It is only VEROna. an artifice, feeing Silvia given up to Valentine, to difcover herself to Protheus, by a pretended mistake of the rings. One great fault of this play is the haftening too abruptly, and without due preparation, to the denouement, which fhews that, if it be Shakspeare's, (which I cannot doubt) it was one of his very early performances, -E. MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. 219. To follow Dr. Johnfon's note.] A paffage in the VOL. I. firft sketch of the Merry Wives of Windfor, fhews, I think, that M. W. OF it ought rather to be read between the Firft and the Second Part WINDSOR of King Henry IV. in the latter of which young Henry becomes king. In the last act, Falstaff says: "Herne the hunter, quoth you? am I a ghoft? "l'le lay my life the mad prince of Wales The Fifbwife's Tale of Brainford in Weftward for Smelts, a book which Shakspeare appears to have read, (having borrowed from it part of the fable of Cymbeline) probably led him to lay the fcene of Falstaff's love-adventures at Windfor. It begins thus: "In Windfor not long agoe dwelt a fumpterman, who had to wife a verie faire but wanton creature, over whom, not without caufe, he was fomething jealous; yet had he never any proof of her inconftancy." MALONE. 224. To follow Dr. Grey's note.] By the council is only meant the court of ftar-chamber, compofed chiefly of the king's council fitting in Camera ftellata, which took cognizance of atrocious riots. In the old 4to, "the council fhall know it," follows immediately after "I'll make a star-chamber matter of it." E. 225. Miftrefs Ann Page, she has brown hair, and speaks small like a woman.] Dr. Warburton has found more pleafantry here than I believe was intended. Small was, I think, not ufed VOL. I. ufed in an ambiguous fenfe, but fimply for weak, flender, M. W. of feminine, and the only pleafantry of the paffage feems to be, WINDSOR that poor Slender fhould characterize his mistress by a gene ral quality belonging to her whole fex. In The Midsummer Night's Dream, Quince tells Flute, who objects to playing a woman's part," You fhall play it in a mafk, and you may fpeak as fmall as you will." MALONE. 227. After Warton's note.] The Cotswold hills in Gloucefterfhire are a large tract of downs, famous for their fine turf, and therefore excellent for courfing. I believe there is no village of that name. E. 237. I have feen Sackerfon loofe.] Sacarfon was the name of a bear that was exhibited in our author's time at Paris Garden. See an old collection of Epigrams [by Sir John Davis] printed at Middlebourg (without date, but in or before 1598): "Publius a fludent of the common law, "To Paris garden doth himself withdraw MALONE. 240. Add to my note 3] Again, in News from Hell, brought by the Devil's Carrier, by Thomas Decker, 1606: -the leane-jaw'd Hungarian would not lay out a penny pot of fack for himself." 66 242. He hath fludy'd her will.] wrote: He hath studied her well. STEEVENS. Shakspeare, I believe, MALONE. Rightly, the reading of the quarto, appears to me much better. MALONE. 253. You fhall have ann-fool's head] Mrs. Quickly, I believe, intends a quibble between ann, founded broad, and one, which was formerly pronounced on. In the Scottish dialect one is written, and I fuppofe, pronounced, ane. In 1603, was publifhed Ane verie excellent and delectable Treatife intitulit Philotus &c. In act II. fc. i. of this play, an feems to have been mifprinted for one: "What an unweigh'd behaviour &c." The mistake there probably arose from the fimilarity of the founds. MALONE. Ibid. But I deteft, an honest maid, as ever broke bread.] Dame Quickly means to fay-I protest. 4 MALONE. 259. After |