P. 191. Food took I none these two days; once, indeed,

I sipp'd some water; have not closed mine eyes, &c. - The words once, indeed, are not in the old copies. Dyce justly observes, “That some words have dropt out is quite evident." In the second line, also, the old copies read "Sipt some water. I have not closd mine eyes."

Here I evidently got shuffled out of its place.

ACT III., SCENE 4.

P. 196. Spoom her before the wind, you'll lose all, else, &c. - The old copies have Upon instead of Spoom. The correction is Weber's, who quotes from Fletcher's Double Marriage, ii. 1, “Down with the foresail too! we'll spoom before her." See foot-note 2.

ACT III., SCENE 5.

P. 197. You most coarse frize capacities, ye jane judgments, &c. The old copies have "ye jave Judgements"; which seems to have baffled all the editors till Dyce, who notes that "jave is undoubtedly a misprint for jane,- - a stuff well known in England long before the present play was written."

P. 199. An eel and woman,

A learned poet says, unless by th' tail

And with thy teeth thou hold, will either fail.—I suspect we ought to read "will ever fail.”—But the pedagogue rather affects a peculiar dialect.

P. 199. A fire-ill take her! does she flinch now? Editors have stumbled at fire-ill, and Dyce conjectures the right reading to be "A wildfire take her!" "That expression," he says, "is very common."

See foot-note 6.

P. 200. O, let me have your company

Till we come to the Sound-a!-So Weber. The old copies omit we. Seward inserted I.

P. 203.

Then mine Host

And his fat spouse, that welcome to his cost
The galled traveller, &c.

- The old copies read "to their cost."

But the context shows that the reference is to traveller, not to Host
and spouse. The old copies also have welcomes for welcome, and, a
little further on, Informes for Inform.

P. 203. Then the beast-eating Clown, &c.— Mason thinks it should
be "the beef-eating Clown." This conjecture certainly has some support
from Twelfth Night, i. 3, where Sir Andrew says, "I am a great eater
of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit." See, however, foot-
note 18.

P. 203. Ger. Intrate, filii; come forth, and foot it. The prefix to
this speech is wanting in the old copies.

P. 203. Ladies, if we have been merry,

-

And have pleased ye with a derry, &c. The old copies have
thee instead of ye.

For honour's sake and safety, presently

Into your bush again, &c.—So Theobald and Seward. The
old copies have safely.

P. 210.

And in this disguise,

Against thy own edict, follows thy sister, &c.—The old copies
read "Against this owne Edict."

P. 213. I tie you to your word now: if ye fail in't, &c. The old
copies have fall instead of fail.

P. 214. And all the longing maids that ever loved them, &c. The
old copies lack them. But this scene is Fletcher's; and, as Walker
says, both sense and the Fletcherian rhythm require it.

ACT IV., SCENE 1.

P. 218. Where did she sleep? — Dyce's conjecture. The old copies
have "When did she sleep?" But surely the context points out Where
as the right reading.

What you have told me: the gods comfort her!— The old copies

omit have.

P. 220.

Her careless tresses

A wreath of bulrush rounded.—The old copies have wreake and wreak.

P. 222. Do, very rearly; I must be abroad else, &c. The old copies have rarely for rearly. See foot-note 6.

So Sympson.

P. 223. By no means cross her; she is then distemper'd Far worse than now she is.—" By no meane," and "For worse," in the old copies.

ACT IV., SCENE 2.

P. 225. Just such another wanton Ganymede

Set Jove a-fire with, and enforced the god, &c.—The old copies have Love instead of Jove. See foot-note I.

P. 226.

And these thy eyes,

They're the bright lamps of beauty, - &c. So Mason. Instead of They're, the old copies repeat these.

Utterly lost; my virgin faith has fled me, &c. have virgins for virgin.

P. 227. Your two contending lovers are return'd,
And with them their six knights: now, my fair sister,

P. 228. The circles of his eyes show fire within him,

And as a heated lion so he looks. So Heath and Dyce independently. The old copies have faire and fair instead of fire.

P. 228.

His shoulders broad and strong;

Arms long and round; &c. - So Seward. "Arm'd long and round," in the old copies.

P. 229. And in his rolling eyes sits Victory,

As if she ever meant to crown his valour. — Instead of crown, the old copies have corect and correct. Corrected by Seward.

P. 230.

They would show bravely

Fighting about the titles of two kingdoms. -- So Seward. The old copies lack Fighting, which, it seems to me, both sense and metre imperatively demand.

ACT IV., SCENE 3.

P. 2 .232. Then, if it be your chance to come where the blessed spirits

are,

- there's a sight now! &c. - So Mason. The quarto reads "where the blessed spirits, as the'rs a sight now." The folio corrects the'rs to there's.

P. 233. One cries, O, this smoke! th' other, This fire! The old copies have another. See the context.

ACT V., SCENE 1.

P. 237. True worshippers of Mars, whose spirit in you
Expels the seeds of fear, and th' apprehension

Which still is father of it, &c.

So Theobald, Heath, and

that is, a

Mason. The old copies read "Which still is farther off it." As Mason observes, "we may fairly say that apprehension sensibility of danger- is the parent of fear."

P. 238.

Force and great feat

Must put my garland on, where she shall stick

The queen of flowers. - Instead of shall stick, the old copies have sticks, which satisfies neither verse nor sense. And where two or more consecutive words begin with the same or similar letters, one is very apt to drop out. Seward reads will stick; but shall and will were often used indiscriminately.

P. 238. Thou mighty one, that with thy power hast turn'd

Green Neptune into purple; whose approach

Comets prewarn.

So Seward. The old copies lack approach.

P. 238. With hand armipotent.—The old copies have armenypotent and armenipotent.

ACT v., SCENE 2.

P. 245. She comes: pray, humour her. The old copies have honour.

P. 248. Jailer. O, sir, you'd fain be nibbling. - So Seward and Weber. The old copies prefix "Daugh."

P. 250.

ACT V., SCENE 3.

Each stroke laments

The place whereon it falls, and sounds more like
A bell than blade. I will stay here:

It is enough, my hearing shall be punish'd

With what shall happen, 'gainst the which there is

No deafing; but I dare not taint mine eye

With dread sights it may shun. - In the third of these lines, I suspect we ought to read "A bell than like a blade." In the sixth, the old copies have to heare instead of I dare. With to hear, I can make no sense at all out of the passage; and that were an easy misprint for I dare.

P. 251. You are the victor's meed, the price and garland

To crown the questant's title. - Instead of questant's, the old

copies have Questions.

P. 252.

Those darker humours that

Stick misbecomingly on others, on him

Live in fair dwelling.-The old copies have them instead of him.

P. 253. Upon my right side still I wore thy picture,
Palamon's on the left: why so, I know not;

I had no end in't; chance would have it so. The old copies read "I had no end in't else." This is indeed a Fletcherian idiom; but the present scene clearly is not Fletcher's; and Melpomene, Thalia, and all the other Muses forbid that such a blot in rhythm and sense should be imputed to Shakespeare! Seward omits else.