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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE.

Page 188 (Act I. Scene i.)

"O, my Antonio, I do know of these,

That therefore only are reputed wise

For saying nothing; when, I am very sure,

If they should speak, would almost damn those ears," &c. So all the old copies, according to which, however, there is no nominative to would. In the text, a nominative is supplied by changing when into who. In the Perkins folio, the grammar is saved with a smaller change:

"When, I am very sure,

If they should speak, 'twould almost damn," &c.

Page 203 (Act II. Scene ii.)

"O Heavens, this is my true-begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not: I will try conclusions with him."-So in one of the quartos. But in the other, and in the folio, we find the infinitely more piquant " confusions." Immediately, Launcelot proceeds to confuse the old man, and therein lies the propriety of the phrase; while its exquisite drollery is derived from the confusion that Launcelot himself displays. Fancy a fellow who says, "This is my true-begotten father," immediately resolving, "I will try confusions with him."

Page 204 (Act II. Scene ii.)

"By God's sonties."-Sonties, a corruption of sanctities.

Page 228 (Act III. Scene ii.)

"Whose hearts are all as false

As stayers of sand."

So in the original, but it is only one of the ancient modes of spelling stairs-which is undoubtedly the true reading.

Page 228 (Act III. Scene ii.)

"Thus ornament is but the guiled shore

To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf
Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word,

The seeming truth which cunning times put on
To entrap the wisest."

This passage has excited a good deal of discussion. Sir

Thomas Hanmer proposed to read "an Indian dowdy;" Mr Singer, "an Indian gipsy." In the Perkins folio, a far

simpler change is proposed:

"Thus ornament is but the guiled shore

To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf
Veiling an Indian: beauty, in a word,

The seeming truth," &c.

This is the best reading we have, but it must be confessed that the construction is not Shaksperean.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

Page 278 (Act I. Scene i.)

"Challenged Cupid at the flight."-Flight, a kind of arrow, long and light feathered, that went level to the mark.

Page 293 (Act II. Scene i.)

Bene. "Well, I would you did like me.
Marg. So would not I," &c.

Tieck suggested that this conversation with Margaret is wrongly attributed to Benedick; it belongs to Balthazar, who, in fact, ends it. Mr Dyce agrees; and it is probable that, considering the nature of the scene, Shakspere would not have scattered Benedick, as in the text, by giving his conversation to any other than Beatrice.

Page 306 (Act II. Scene iii.)

"Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses-'O sweet Benedick! God give me patience!""-Strange to hear of Beatrice cursing. The Perkins folio, with evident propriety, proposes “eries.” She cries: "O sweet Benedick!"

Page 312 (Act III. Scene ii.)

"If low, an agate very vilely cut."

"If low, an aglet very vilely cut," has been suggested by Warburton. Aglets were tags of those points or ties formerly used in dress, and were often little images of gold, silver, or brass, according to the means of the wearer. Compare the speech of Grumio in the "Taming of the Shrew"

(Act I. Scene ii., page 110): "Give him gold enough and marry him to a puppet, or an aglet-baby."

Page 313 (Act III. Scene i.)

"Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!
No glory lives behind the back of such."

In the Perkins folio, we read, with doubtful advantage, "but in the lack of such." Mr Singer suggests, as the probable meaning of the author-"Behind the back of such as are condemned for pride, scorn, and contempt, their reputation suffers, their glory dies."

Page 314 (Act III. Scene ii.)

"He hath twice or thrice cut Cupid's bowstring, and the little hangman dare not shoot at him."-That is to say, the little rascal. Compare the speech of Launce in the "Two Gentlemen of Verona " (Act IV. Scene iv., page 66), as corrected in the Perkins folio: "Ay, sir, the other squirrel was stolen from me by a hangman boy in the market-place."

Page 329 (Act IV. Scene i.)

"Out on the seeming!"-Both the quarto and the folio read, "Out on thee, seeming!"

Page 332 (Act IV. Scene i.)

"O, she is fallen

Into a pit of ink! that the wide sea

Hath drops too few to wash her clean again;
And salt too little, which may season give

To her foul tainted flesh!"

"To her soul-tainted flesh," we find in the Perkins folioMr Collier defending the emendation by saying that it means 66 flesh tainted to the soul!" Putting aside Mr Collier's ludicrous interpretation, it is a reading worthy of consideration, although there is no necessity to adopt it. "Her foul, tainted flesh," is the antithesis in its doubled epithet of the words of Laertes ("Hamlet," Act V. Scene i., page 338):

"Lay her i' th' earth;

And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring!"

Page 341 (Act V. Scene i.)

"And, sorrow wag' cry; hem, when he should groan." "And, sorrow wag!-cry hem, when he should groan,' " is better. "And-away with sorrow!-cry hem." Etymologically, wag is identified with way through the German weg.

Page 342 (Act V. Scene i.)

"There was never yet philosopher

That could endure the tooth-ach patiently; However they have writ the style of gods, And made a push at chance and sufferance." Push is the old spelling of the interjection Pish!

End of Vol. XX.

Edinburgh:

Printed by W. and R. Chambers

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