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P. 331. (116)

"Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less ;"

In this passage the folio alone has the words "not an hour more nor less." -Walker (Shakespeare's Versification, &c. p. 156) observes, "They are nonsense, it is true: but are they out of place in the mouth of Lear?"

P. 334. (117)

"With the ancient of war on our proceedings."

"Possibly, 'With th' ancient men of war,' &c." Walker's Crit. Exam. &c. vol. iii. p. 283.

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Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. iii. p. 283) proposes to substitute "suit" for "side." But the old reading is quite right: see Glossary.

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The quartos have "The good shall."-The folio has "The good yeares shall."

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So the second folio.-The first folio has "the walls is thine."-This line is not in the quartos.-" A metaphorical phrase taken from the camp, and signifying to surrender at discretion." WARBURTON.- Hanmer printed "they all are thine."-" Has not the editor of the second folio altered this improperly? and may we not read 'yea, all is thine' ?" W. N. LETTSOM.

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P. 339. (121)

"Yet am I noble as the adversary
I come to cope."

Here most of the modern editors insert, from the quartos, "withal" after cope;" but unnecessarily compare Troilus and Cressida, act ii. sc. 3, "Ajax shall cope the best."

P. 340. (122) "Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,

The quartos have

The folio has

My oath, and my profession: I protest,—"

"Behold it is the priviledge of my tongue,
My oath and profession," &c.

"Behold it is my priuiledge,
The priviledge of mine Honours,
My oath, and my profession," &c.

P. 340. (123)

"Alb. Save him, save him!

Gon.

This is practice, Gloster:"

Theobald (printing "O, save him," &c.) gave these two hemistichs to Goneril, and remarked, "Tis absurd that Albany, who knew Edmund's treasons and his own wife's passion for him, should be solicitous to have his life saved."-According to Johnson, "Albany desires that Edmund's life might be spared at present, only to obtain his confession, and to convict him openly by his own letter."-Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. ii. p. 185) says, “Theobald was right in giving the words 'O, save him, save him' (as he properly read) to Goneril."

P. 340. (124)

"Hold, sir;

Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil :—” Delius says that "Hold, sir," is a command to Edgar to forbear further violence on Edmund, and that the next line is addressed to Edmund, to whom Albany hands Goneril's letter found on Oswald. About "the next line" Delius is no doubt right; but (like Malone and Mr. Collier, as shown by the note of the former and the punctuation of the latter) he is quite mistaken about the "Hold, sir," which is also spoken to Edmund,-"Hold" being formerly a word commonly used when any one presented any thing to another compare our author's Measure for Measure," Hold, therefore, Angelo," &c. act i. sc. 1 (see note 4, vol. i. p. 523); and Julius Cæsar, "Hold, my hand," &c. act i. sc. 3; "But, hold thee, take this garland on thy brow," &c. act v. sc. 3 (see note 106, vol. vi. p. 708).—1865. Mr. Grant White prints [To EDG.] Hold, sir!—" &c.

P. 341. (125) "Gon.

Ask me not what I know.

[Exit."

So the quartos.-"The folio," as Mr. Collier observes, "having erroneously fixed Goneril's exit earlier, transfers 'Ask me not what I know' to Edmund.” And to Edmund both Mr. Knight and Delius assign the words, though they are manifestly those of Goneril in her desperation, and proved by Edmund's next speech not to belong to him.

P. 341. (126)

"That with the pain of death we'd hourly die"

So the quartos, except that, instead of "we'd" (Malone's alteration), they have "would."-The folio has "That we the paine of death would hourely dye."

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The quartos have "me."-This speech and the two next speeches are not in the folio.

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"Possibly 'piersant'." Walker's Crit. Exam, &c. vol. iii. p. 284.

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The old eds. have "stones." (So in King Richard III. act iii. sc. 7, the old eds, make Gloster say "I am not made of stones.”)

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Here Walker (Shakespeare's Versification, &c. p. 80) would alter “This is" to the contracted form "This'" (see note 106); and with the following arrangement;

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:

"The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long."

"This speech from the authority of the old quarto is rightly placed to Albany in the edition by the players it is given to Edgar, by whom, I doubt not, it was of custom spoken. And the case was this: he who played Edgar being a more favourite actor than he who personated Albany, in spite of decorum it was thought proper he should have the last word." THEOBALD. -"Here, however, it seems to me just possible-yet hardly so that the folio may be right." Walker's Crit. Exam. &c. vol. ii. p. 185.-Hanmer altered the last line of this speech (which is certainly obscure in meaning) to "Shall never see so much, live e'er so long."

OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE.

VOL. VII.

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