Page 241 (Act I. Scene ii.) (bestilled "Whilst they distilled Almost to jelly with the act of fear." The Perkins folio suggests bechilled, which is rather happy in its etymological relation to jelly—that is, gelu, ice. Sanity seems to have been the word which the editors of the folio intended-there, however, printed as above. Page 244 (Act I. Scene iii.) "As he in his peculiar sect and force. particular act and place." Page 246 (Act I. Scene iii.) "And they in France of the best rank and station Choice, in the Perkins folio. Page 247 (Act I. Scene iii.) "Not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, Roaming it thus." Wronging) Page 247 (Act I. Scene iii.) "With all the vows of heaven."-So the folio, which, however, reads poorly beside the archness of the line as given in the quarto: "With almost all the holy vows of heaven." Page 247 (Act I. Scene iii.) "Gives Lends the tongue vows." Page 247 (Act I. Scene iii.) "Not of the eye that dyes which their investments shew." Page 248 (Act I. Scene iii.) "Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds." What is the meaning of this?-a bond breathing? Theobald proposed bawds. Confirmed by the Perkins folio. Porcupine. The word is always spelt Porpentine by Shakspere. Mr Knight has adopted this form of the word five times in the "Comedy of Errors," and why not also here? "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, "So shall my anticipation prevent your discovery of your secrecy to the king and queen. Moult no feather."-The reading of the quarto is infinitely superior: "So shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather." Page 275 (Act II. Scene ii.) "Thy face is (valiant since I saw thee last." Valanced-that is, fringed with a beard. Nay, then let the devil wear black, for I'll have a suit of sables." This sentence has much puzzled the editors, and Warburton proposed to read-"'fore I'll have a suit of sables." It has been very happily conjectured, however, that sables is a mere misprint for sabell, an old synonym for flan colour, derived from the name of one of the French queens, Isabelle. This renders the proposal of Hamlet quite intelligible. Page 295 (Act III. Scene ii.) "A very, very Paiocke."-Pope proposed to read peacock, and every edition of Shakspere, but Mr Knight's, so gives the word. Page 298 (Act III. Scene ii.) "There is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ; yet cannot you make it [speak]."-Speak is wrongly omitted in the folio and the present edition. Page 299 (Act III. Scene iii.) "That spirit, upon whose Sspirit) weal depend and rest The lives of many." Page 301 (Act III. Scene iii.) "With all his crimes broad blown, as ffresh Aush Page 302 (Act III. Scene iv.) as May." "I'll silence me e'en here."-'Sconce, in the Perkins folio. Page 302 (Act III. Scene iv.) "Go, go, you question with Jan idle tongue." Mr Knight insists that "wicked" cannot be the word, as Hamlet never forgets that Gertrude is his mother, and always addresses her respectfully. What, then, is the meaning of the queen's immediate retort: "Have you forgot me?" Page 307 (Act III. Scene iv.) "And do not spread the compost o'er the weeds, To make them (rank. Page 326 (Act IV. Scene vii.) "Ay, my lord: So you will not o'errule me to a peace."-So the quarto. Page 330 (Act IV. Scene vii.) "She chanted snatches of old The folio is very incorrectly printed here. (tunes. lauds." The quarto reading here seems preferable, as agreeing with the old ballad. Page 333 (Act V. Scene i.) "For-and a shrouding sheet."-Wrongly punctuated. Many examples might be quoted to shew that For-and is not a grammatical blunder, but an obsolete equivalent of and -the prefix for intensifying the conjunction, as we now say and also. Read, therefore, as in the original: "For and a shrouding sheet." If a parallel example be required, take the following, from the old ballad of "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury:" "For and if thou canst answer my questions three, Thy land and thy living both saved shall bee." "Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is 't to leave betimes?"-Folio. "Since no man, of aught he leaves knows, what is 't to leave betimes? Let be."-Quarto. End of Vol. VXX. Edinburgh: |