source, than the misplaced ingenuity of the corrector, this perversion of the clear and intelligible text of the poet could have had, unless it was suggested by Mr. Knight, who, with similar misplaced ingenuity, substitutes : Which scorns a mother's invocation, Upon this rash interference with the old text, Mr. Dyce has thus expressed himself," Mr. Knight's alteration is one of the rashest ever attempted by an editor. He had apparently forgotten the following passage in Romeo and Juliet: Why follow'd not, when she said-Tybalt's dead Which modern lamentation might have mov'd? Act iii. Sc. 2." : P. 206. I pass over the unnecessary interpolation of the word that, and the introduction of the word not, from the fourth folio, as of no importance. ACT IV. SCENE II. P. 207. "John has been assigning some reasons to Salisbury, Pembroke, &c. for the repetition of his coronation, principally founded upon apprehensions arising out of his defective title at length he tells them, as the folio, 1623, represents his language : Some reasons for this double coronation I have possessed you with, and think them strong. "The folio, 1632, prints. then less is my fear.' Theobald read the lesser is my fear;' Steevens and Malone, [following Tyrwhitt's suggestion,] 'when lesser is my fear.' But," says Mr. Collier, "they omitted to show why John should defer the statement of his stronger reasons till his fear was less, or why he should fancy that his fear would be less at any time, than just after his coronation, which was to confirm him on the throne. The corrector makes it clear that the king referred to his strong reasons as having diminished his own apprehensions, which reasons he was ready hereafter to communicate to his peers. He puts it thus: And more, more strong, thus lessening my fear, I shall indue you with. "The strength of his reasons had lessened his own fear, and he imagined that, when stated, they would produce a good effect upon others. The misprint was, then lesser is,' for thus lessening, not a very violent change, and rendering the meaning apparent." If we were to admit that "lesser is" was misprinted for lessening we should read : -- And more, more strong,-than lessening my fear I shall indue you with. But this involves an ellipsis. King John would say:-I have given you some reasons for this double coronation, and I shall furnish you with more, stronger than that of lessening my fear. In his edition of Shakespeare, vol. iv. p. 68, Mr. Collier has the following note:-" The first folio has then for 'than,' the commonest mode of printing the word in the time of Shakespeare; but the commentators, not adverting to this circumstance, do not seem to have understood the passage, and printed' when lesser is my fear,' putting it in parenthesis: the meaning, however, seems to be, that the king will hereafter give his lords reasons 'stronger than his fear was lesser :' the comparative lesser' is put for the positive little, because the poet had used more strong' in the preceding line." Upon this Mr. Dyce observes, " Such a portentous reading, and such a super-astute explanation, were perhaps never before exhibited in any critical edition of any author, either ancient or modern :—and all because Mr. Collier would not alter then' to when,' the latter word being as certainly the right lection here, as it is in a passage at p. 412 of the same volume (Vol. iv. Collier's Shakespeare), where he has not scrupled to substitute it for that' of the old copy."-Remarks on Mr. Collier's and Mr. Knight's editions, p. 95. P. 207. The transposition of then and should, would certainly be an advantage to the lucidus ordo. As it is, we must un derstand "why then is it." The same may be said of reading ill deeds, for deeds ill. The transposition was made by Mr. Knight, in his edition, and suggested to Mr. Collier, but rejected by him! P. 208. But thou did'st understand me by my signs, And did'st in signs again parley with sin. "The last word is spelt sinne in the old copies, and ought undoubtedly, as we are instructed in manuscript, to be sign, formerly signe." Although this is specious, the reading of the old copy is perfectly intelligible, and in some respects preferable, and must not be disturbed for a fanciful conjecture. SCENE III. "We here meet with an error of the press, which shows how the letters m and w were again mistaken by the old printer. Pembroke asks, Who brought that letter from the cardinal? "and Salisbury's answer relates to a private communication he had received at the same time. The words of the folios have always been taken as the true text, viz. The count Melun, a noble lord of France, Whose private with me of the Dauphin's love, Is much more general than these lines import. "The notes upon this passage have all referred to the word 'private,' when the blunder lies in with me :' Whose private missive of the Dauphin's love. "is the way in which the corrector says that the line should have been printed: The Count of Melun had, at the same time that he conveyed the Cardinal's letter, brought to Salisbury a private missive,' or communication, containing assurances of the Dauphin's regards. This correction seems to imply resort to some original, such as that which the printer of the folio, 1623, had misread." It is very improbable that the words "with me" should have been a misprint for missive! Every one familiar with the diplomatic correspondence of the reign of Elizabeth would at once recognise this as a common form of expression for the oral communication confided to a trust-worthy messenger who carried despatches; and some of the numerous volumes of State Papers of that time would no doubt furnish the express words of the poet. Allusions to this private oral communication are perpetual. "Haynes' Burleigh Papers" afford many examples. Thus in minutes of Queen Elizabeth's letters to Lord Scrope and others: “Of which matters we have somewhat more largely imparted our mind to this bearer," p. 571. "As for all other things, we remit you to the declarations of our mind by Sir P. Carew," &c. "The present time giveth us occasion to send unto you our trusty servant Thomas Warcop, this Bearer, to th' intent that you may be at good length better informed by him,— then conveniently is to be now don by writing," p. 555. The words of the folio must still, therefore, continue to “be taken as the true text," until we have better " authority" than that of the corrector for interference. P. 208. The king hath dispossessed himself of us : The corrector reads "sin-bestained," which is, doubtless, a good and probable conjectural emendation. P. 209. The reading,— "Till I have set a glory to this head," was long since suggested by Pope, and Dr. Farmer tells us that Gray was much pleased with it; yet, from the perversity of Malone, it did not find a place in the variorum text. I adopted it in my edition, in 1826, but it was rejected by Mr. Collier, as well as Mr. Knight. ACT V. SCENE I. Ib. The wanton arbitrary changes of "sad distrust" to "blank distrust," and meet for be, are, as Mr. Collier feels constrained to acknowledge," not forced upon our adoption by anything like necessity." " P. 210. The two readings proposed of "courage and run, instead of "forage and run," and "send fair-play offers,” instead of “orders,” have both some show of plausibility, but the first is by no means a necessary correction. Ib. The same may be said of the correction in Salisbury's speech, I must withdraw, and weep The corrector would substitute thought for "spot;" but the latter may be right, and signify stain or disgrace. In a former passage we have : "To look into the spots and stains of right." P. 211. The corrector would change, To thrill, and shake, Even at the crying of your nation's crow, to "the crowing of your nation's cock," but there is no neces→ sity for change. Mr. Collier misrepresents my friend Mr. Douce's note, which is "your nation's crow," i. e. at the crowing of a cock; gallus meaning both a cock and a Frenchman." Ib. For SCENE IV. Unthread the rude eye of rebellion the corrector would substitute Untread the road-way of rebellion Mr. Collier says, "To misprint untread the road-way, 'unthread the rude eye,' seems an excess of carelessness, which we cannot in any way explain." I should wonder if it could be explained; for never was a more improbable conjecture, though Theobald had stumbled on it, and perhaps the corrector derived it from him? To unthread the rude eye of rebellion, is merely a metaphor for to undo what you have done, and return to your allegiance to the king. It is impossible to consider it a typographical error, and of this Mr. Collier seems to be conscious. |