weaker sex, thus assailed, will abandon themselves 'in such a suit,' and submit to importunity :

I see, that men make hopes in such a suit,

That we'll forsake ourselves.

"Thus we find that hopes (as Rowe supposed) had been misprinted ropes,' and that suit (often spelt suite of old) had been misprinted 'scarre.' With these two errors set right, the meaning of the poet seems ascertained."

The correction of hopes for ropes by Rowe is legitimate, because an easy typographical error; but so large a departure from the form of the old word as suit for scarre is inadmissible, without much better reasons than are here given for its adoption. But it is not necessary to change the word scarre at all; it here signifies any surprise or alarm, and what we should now write a scare. Shakespeare has used the same orthography of the participle scarr❜d for scar'd in Coriolanus, and in The Winter's Tale. In Palsgrave, both the noun and verb are written Scarre, and Minsheu has it "to scarre, G. Ahurir." There can be no doubt that the word had then the broad sound it still retains in the north. Jamieson tells us that it was so pronounced, and used to signify "whatever causes alarm."

A wife of me, although my hope be done. The corrector erases "done" and inserts none.

Mr. Collier's observation is singular. "We may take it for granted, perhaps, that the original word was none; but here, as in some former cases, it. may be thought, on any other account, a matter of indifference"!

It is not "a matter of indifference" thus wantonly to tamper with the poet's language.

SCENE III.

P. 165. "Is it not meant damnable in us to be trumpeters of our unlawful intents." The corrector reads "most damnable." A reading which Malone says he also once thought of adopting; but that he was afterwards convinced that no change was necessary. Adjectives are often used as adverbs

by Shakespeare and his cotemporaries. Malone also shows that "company," which the corrector would change for companion, is right: we have companies for companion in K. Henry V.

These are more coincidences.

P. 166.

We must away;

Our waggon is prepar'd, and time revives us.

"Johnson (says Mr. Collier) suggests invites as the proper word; but the corrector informs us that 'revives' is an error for reviles; the time found fault with Helena and her companions for delay."

It is disingenuous in Mr. Collier not to tell us that Steevens also suggests" time reviles us," i. e. reproaches us for wasting · it, "might be Shakespeare's word." But the corrector must be made to appear the originator of the correction he adopts.

I incline to think that Warburton was right, and that we should read "time revies us," that is, challenges us. To vie and to revie were terms used at various games, and became familiar words for any other species of challenge. Shakespeare has used to vie several times in this sense. The reader may consult with advantage a note in Gifford's Ben Jonson, vol. i. p. 106; "time reviles us," does not seem to be so pertinent a phrase, and revies might easily be mistaken for revives.

But with the word the time will bring on Summer.

Here the corrector would substitute world for word, a change that does not at all improve the sense of the passage, which is undoubtedly corrupt; and has been most admirably corrected by Sir W. Blackstone. He would read

The sense will then be, "I only frighten you by mentioning the word suffer; for a short time will bring on the season of happiness and delight.”

SCENE V.

P. 166. How the corrector could think of reading "potherbs" one is at a loss to imagine; for what the Clown has said naturally leads to Rowe's correction " salad herbs.” The correction of maine to name is also Rowe's.

The substitution of place for pace in the Countess's description of the Clown was suggested by Tyrwhitt, but would be a very doubtful improvement. Pace is perfectly intelligible. I pass over adoptions of readings already received, which forms so large a portion of the corrector's labours, as to throw a doubt over the possibility of such numerous reiterated coincidences. I shall only contrast Mr. Collier with himself in

the next note.

ACT V. SCENE III.

P. 167. "The alteration of blaze for 'blade' in the line,

Natural rebellion, done in the blade of youth,

of the old copies, is confirmed by a manuscript marginal note in the folio, 1632. Theobald was the first judiciously to substitute blaze."

In Mr. Collier's edition of Shakespeare we have these words -“done i' the BLADE of youth," i. e. as Johnson says, “the spring of early life;" and since the sense is very intelligible, we adhere to the old text, as it stands in all editions anterior to that of Theobald. Malone and Steevens adopted the corrupted reading" blaze," which could hardly have been an error of the press"!

Was the corrector judicious in following the "corrupted reading" of Theobald? which Mr. Collier thinks injudicious in others; and restores "blade" in his own edition !

P. 168. "The conclusion of the speech as it stands in the old impressions,—

Such a ring as this,

The last that ere I took her leave at court,
I saw upon her finger.

runs much more intelligibly as follows,—

Such a ring as this,

The last time ere she took her leave at court,
I saw upon her finger.

"Rowe proposed she," says Mr. Collier.

Rowe did more, he read, "The last that e'er she,”—leaving time to be understood; which now, with wonderful coincidence to Mr. Collier's suggestion, is given at full by the corrector. P. 169. "The line in Bertram's explanation how Diana obtained the ring from him,

"Her insuit coming with her modern grace,

has been supposed to refer to her solicitation for the ring; but the words 'insuite comming' as they are spelt in the folio, 1623, (the folio, 1632, omits the final e) are merely misprinted; and on the evidence of the manuscript corrector, as well as common-sense, we must print the passage hereafter,

"Her infinite cunning with her modern grace,
Subdued me to her rate.

This appears to be one of the instances in which a gross blunder was occasioned, in part by the mishearing of the old scribe, and in part by the carelessness of the old printer. The sagacity of the late Mr. Sidney Walker hit upon this most excellent emendation. See Athenæum, 17th April, 1852."

It

This is indeed a wonderful instance of coincidence! was well for Mr. Walker's memory that his claim to be the originator of this acute rectification of a typographical error, preceded the publication of Mr. Collier's volume. Why "the evidence of the manuscript-corrector" should be necessary to the admission of this self-evident correction I cannot imagine. Common sense would at once decide in its favour, and for my own part I should sooner rely on the " sagacity" of Mr. Walker than on that of one who has blundered egregiously, if all that we find in Mr. Collier's volume is to be considered the work of one hand or head. But this I think improbable if not impossible.

"A (in preference to "sound" of all editions until Pope's

N AUTHORITY has been long wanted for the word south

time) in the passage:

O! it came o'er my ear like the sweet south,

That breathes upon a bank of violets.

The corrector supplies that authority.”

I hold Pope in matters of tasteful emendation a much better authority than the corrector has manifested himself to be, although Pope also sometimes indulged too much licence. This is another coincidence.

SCENE III. IV. V.

P. 172. There are here again several minute corrections, some of which have long since been made in the text, and none of them require notice.

P. 173. "The expression, 'Such a one I was this present' has excited much comment, editors not exactly knowing what to make of it. The manuscript corrector says that we ought to read,' Such a one I am at this present,' which, bearing in mind that Olivia unveils at the instant, is reasonable."

The substitution of I am at for “ I was is a violent innovation, and very unsatisfactory. Mr. Collier has wisely doubted whether the old reading might not stand, notwithstanding the authority of the corrector. The passage might be made more intelligible by a very slight addition: I think we should read, "Such a one I was as this presents."

ACT II. SCENE I.

"Sebastian is speaking of his reputed likeness to his sister: "A lady, sir, though it was said she much resembled me, was yet of many accounted beautiful: but, though I could not, with such estimable wonder, overfar believe that, yet thus far I will boldly publish her, &c. "It is not surprising that the commentators should have been