And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian's nose looks red and raw, Tu-who; Tu-whit, tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. Arm. The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs of Apollo. You that way, we this way. [Exeunt. 85 The crab-apple, which used to be roasted, and put hissing-hot into a bowl of ale, previously enriched with toast and spice and sugar. How much this was relished in old times, may be guessed by those who appreciate the virtues of apple-toddy. CRITICAL NOTES. ACT I., SCENE I. Page 6. Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too. - The old copies have "deep oaths, and keep it too." It seems clear that oaths should be oath, or it should be them. Singulars and plurals are very often misprinted each for the other. Corrected by Steevens. P. 6. To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die; With all these living in philosophy.—Mr. P. A. Daniel would read "With all three living," &c.; three referring, of course, to love, wealth, and pomp. I suspect he is right. See, however, foot-note 3. P. 7. When I to feast expressly am forbid.- Fast instead of feast, in the old copies. Hardly worth notice. Corrected by Theobald. P. 8. If study's gain be this, and this be so.—' "Study's gain be thus," in the old copies. Corrected by Pope. P. 8. Small have continual plodders ever won, Save bare authority, from others' books.-The old copies, "Save base authority." Corrected by Walker. P. 9. Why should I joy in an abortive birth? At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled earth; But like of each thing that in season grows. In the first of these lines the old copies have "in any abortive birth," to the laming of the metre. Corrected by Pope. As any occurs just above in the preceding line, it was probably repeated here by mistake.. At the end of the third line, where a rhyme is obviously needed to birth, the old copies have shows. I agree with Dyce in adopting Theobald's reading, "new-fangled earth." Walker suggested mirth. See foot note 12. P. 10. A dangerous law,—against gentility.— Collier's and Singer's second folios substitute garrulity for gentility, and are followed by Dyce. The change was proposed by Theobald in a letter to Warburton. But, as Mr. A. E. Brae observes, "the law is not against speaking, but against coming within the precincts." The speaker means that such a law is opposed to good manners, or good-breeding, as it certainly is. P. II. But I believe, although I seem so loth, I am the one that last will keep his oath. — The old copies read "the last that will last keepe his oth." The substitution of one for last is Mr. P. A. Daniel's; who justly remarks that "Berowne is made to say exactly the contrary of that which he intends." The other change is Walker's; who says "Harmony seems to require 'that last will keep,' &c." P. 11. A man in all the world's new fashions planted. - The old text has " new fashion," P. 13. A high hope for a low having. The old editions read "a low heaven." Corrected by Theobald. So Capell. The old P. 13. To hear? or forbear laughing? copies, "forbear hearing"; which will nowise cohere with the reply, "To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both." Lettsom proposed, and rightly, I suspect, "To hear, and forbear laughing?" P. 14. If he say it is so, he is, in telling true, but so-so.—The old copies have "but so." Corrected by Hanmer. P. 14. King. [Reads.] that shallow vessel.-So Collier's second folio. The old text, "shallow vassal." P. 14, Sorted and consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, with- with, O, with, &c.— So Theobald. Instead of the first with, the old copies have which. ACT I., SCENE 2. P. 20. That country girl that I took in the park with the rational hind Costard. "Should perhaps be irrational hind,'" says Dyce. For perhaps I would substitute probably. Hanmer reads irrational. P. 21. Dull. Come, Jaquenetta, away! — The old copies assign this speech to Costard. Corrected by Theobald. P. 22. I am more bound to you than your followers. - So Capell. The old copies have fellowes instead of followers. P. 23. Assist me, some extemporal god of rhyme, for I am sure I shall turn sonnetist. The old text reads "shall turne sonnet." The correction is Dyce's; who quotes from Bishop Hall's Satires: “And is become a new-found sonnetist." ACT II., SCENE I. P. 24. In spending your wit in the praise of mine.—The second folio reads "spending thus your wit in praise of mine." Rightly, perhaps. P. 24. Therefore to us seems it a needful course.-The old copies read "Therefore to's seemeth it." Such contractions as to's for to us are indeed frequent in Shakespeare; but I submit that here it strains rather too hard against the idiomatic rights of the language. Some editors print "to us seem'th it." P. 25. Lord. Lord Longaville is one. So, says Dyce, "in all probability, it should be." The old copies omit the title, Lord. The metre fairly requires it; and in cases of the same word thus occurring twice in immediate succession, one is very apt to escape in the printing or transcribing. Capell supplied Lord. P. 25. Well fitted in the arts, glorious in arms.— - So the second folio; the other old copies, "fitted in arts," thus leaving a bad gap in the metre. P. 27. 'Tis deadly sin to keep that oath, my lord, Not sin to break it. - So Hanmer, with evident propriety; the old copies, "And sinne to breake it." P. 30. The heir of Alençon, Catharine her name.— - Here the old copies have Rosaline instead of Catharine; and, a little further on, in "Rosaline, by good hap," they have Catharine instead of Rosaline. As Dyce remarks, "from what has preceded and from what afterwards takes place, it is plain that in the present speech Catharine should be substituted for Rosaline, and in Boyet's speech Rosaline for Catharine." We are indebted to a correspondent of Notes and Queries for the latter correction: the other was proposed by Capell. ACT III., SCENE 1. P. 34. Humour it with turning up your eyes.—Instead of eyes, the quarto has eyelids, the folio, eie. People, I believe, are never said to turn up their eyelids; nor can they well turn up one eye without turning up both, provided they have two. Dyce reads eyes. do you note me ? - The old P. 35. And make them men of note copies read "do you note men?" Corrected by Hanmer. P. 37. No egma, no riddle, no l'envoy; no salve in thy mail, sir : &c. -The old text has "in thee male." Tyrwhitt proposed to read them all instead of thee male, and has been followed by several editors. But the change, I think, rather augments than relieves the obscurity of the passage. The reading in the text was proposed by Mr. A. E. Brae. See foot-note 13. P. 38. And stay'd the odds by making four. In this line, and also in the repetition of it a little after, the old copies have "by adding four"; which, it seems to me, is greater looseness of language than Moth could be guilty of. The correction is from Collier's second folio. P. 39. Marry, Costard, I will enfranchise thee. The old text reads "Sirrah Costard." This seems to take all the point and pertinency out of Costard's reply. The correction is made in Knight's Stratford Shakespeare. |