p. 376.

"And lest thou should'st detect him": Rowe corrected the misprint, "detect them," which is found in all the old copies.

p. 377. "Which that sweet tongue hath made":- This line is imperfect in all the old copies, and plainly by accident. Mr. Collier's folio of 1632 completes it in one way by reading, "Which that sweet tongue hath made in minstrelsy; and, as Mr. Dyce remarks, the reader, if the gods have made him poetical, can complete it in another.

p. 378.

p. 379.

p. 380.

ACT THIRD.

SCENE I.

"For these, [these] Tribunes":

The text of the second folio is the first in which these' is repeated. Some word is needed; and Malone read, "good Tribunes."

[Throwing himself on the ground”: The old stage direction is, "Andronicus lieth down, and the Judges pass by him.

these two ancient urns
"ancient ruines," an easy misprint for
rection was left for Hanmer to make.

The old copies, urnes.' The cor

Why, 'tis no matter, man: if they," &c. :- The 4to. of 1600 (for the readings of which I, like other editors, am dependent upon Mr. Collier's collations) gives this text, which is perhaps not uncorrupted. The 4to. of 1611 has Why tis no matter man, if they did heare

They would not marke me; or if they did marke
All bootless unto them

Therefore I tell my sorrows bootless to the stones," &c.
The folio then has, with a new variation of error,

Why tis no matter man, if they did heare
They would not marke me: oh if they did heare
They would not pitty me.

Therefore I tell my sorrowes bootless to the stones," &c.

Titus, prepare thy aged eyes":

The 4to. of 1611 has, "noble eyes," caught from the next line below, which misprint went uncorrected in the folio.

The

"For hands to do Rome service are but vain": folio and the 4to. of 1611 have, is but vaine." Qu. the 4to. of 1600 ?

p. 381.

she knows them innocent": So the 4to. of 1600; that of 1611 and the folio have, "him innocent."

p. 381.

p. 382.

p. 383.

p. 385.

p. 386.

like meadows yet not dry": The error of all the old copies, "in meadows," &c., was corrected by Rowe.

with his true tears all bewet : - 4tos. and folio have, "with her true tears," &c. The undeniable correction was made in the folio of 1685.

“——— on the enemy's castle": Castle,' whether or not it is, as Grose conjectured, (Ancient Armour, p. 12,) a corruption of the French casquetel, signified a close, strong helmet.

her sighs do blow":— The 4tos. and the folio, "do flow," which the second folio corrected.

"For why my bowels," &c. :- i. e., because my bowels, &c.

with this dear sight": - 'Dear' has here, as in many other passages in these plays, some of which have been pointed out, an intensifying, superlative sense which it is not easy to express or explain, but which, though it may be difficult of comprehension to some, is easy of apprehension by all. Its force is entirely of degree, not at all of kind; and it is applied indiscriminately to that which is good and that which is bad, that which is welcome and that which is unwelcome, that which is loved and that which is hated. We still say, "my dearest friend;" but Hamlet (Act I. Sc. 2) says, "my dearest foe." will I control my griefs": — - Theobald, with much plausibility, read, "thy griefs." The old text has, however, a very clear and appropriate meaning.

“Lavinia, thou shalt be employed in these aims The folio has, "And Lavinia thou shalt be employd in these things," from which the 4tos. differ only in reading, "these armes." "It seems clear to me that the reading of the folio is a sophistication of that of the 4tos., and that the latter is a misprint for "these aimes.” 'Aim,' in the sense of plan, design, does not need the support which it receives from its use elsewhere in these plays. 'And' was probably caught from the line above. It was first omitted in the second folio.

"He leaves his pledges
&c., which Rowe corrected.

SCENE II.

The old copies, "He loves,"

"Who, when my heart," &c. : The who' here certainly makes the passage entirely inconsequential. But

p. 388.

p. 389.

p. 390.

p. 391.

p. 392.

p. 393.

Mr. Dyce asks, and, in my opinion, with much reason, if this may not be due to the author's ungrammatical use of the relative. Rowe and subsequent editors change 'who' to 'and,' regardless of the utter dissimilarity of the words in form and sound.

mash'd upon her cheeks": The not very happy allusion is, it need hardly be said, to the mash-tub of the brewing house.

“And buz lamenting doings," &c.: A very unsatisfactory reading. Theobald, with some plausibility, read, “lamenting dolings.”

"Yet I think": — An imperfect line, which the reader can amend by reading, Why, yet I think,' or Yet still I think,' or 'But yet I think,' or 'Yet do I think,' or Yet I do think,' or by almost any other monosyllabic alteration of the line that may occur to him.

ACT FOURTH.

SCENE I.

"Canst thou not guess," &c. :

By the absence of the required prefix, this line is made a part of the preceding speech in the old editions. But the third line of Young Lucius' following speech shows that he is not replying to his "grandsire" Titus.

"What book?" - These words appear only in the folio. Mr. Dyce suggests that "perhaps the transcriber had inadvertently passed on to the line, Lucius, what book, &c., and when he afterwards perceived his mistake, and drew his pen through the misplaced line, he may have left two words of it not fully blotted out." - But it should be remarked that Lavinia is searching among the books; and perhaps the line is mutilated.

how she quotes the leaves": -i. e., observes them; as in Hamlet, Act II. Sc. 2:

"I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted him."

to this shift":
repetition, "to that shift."

The folio has, by accidental

"the woful feere":-Feere,' from the AngloSaxon fera, a companion, was used of old for wife.'

But if you hunt these bear-whelps": So the folio and the 4to. of 1611. (Qu. as to that of 1600 ?) Rowe and many subsequent editors needlessly read, "But if

p. 394.

p. 395.

p. 396.

p. 398.

p. 399.

p. 400.

you hurt," &c. The first line of this speech is probably mutilated.

"And with a gad of steel":-'Gad' is the AngloSaxon for any pointed weapon, or the point of any weapon; and an ox gad or goad was originally a rod tipped with a point. The name has remained, although a lash has taken the place of the point.

SCENE II.

"[That you are both decipher'd," &c. :- This line, found in both 4tos., is omitted in the folio. It is necessary to the speech.

'found

Here's no fond jest": - The old copies, jest." But should there be any doubt that here found' is a misprint for fond' foolish, as Theobald suggested?

=

"And sends them weapons": - The 4to. of 1611 misprinted, “the "the weapons;" and the folio repeated the error.

"At such a bay":— i. e., in such a situation, under such circumstances. So in the Passionate Pilgrim: "Ah, that I had my lady at this bay!'

Zounds!"— So the 4tos. The folio, "Out!" doubtless in consequence of the statute against profanity so often referred to.

"Sweet blowse" : · - If blowsy' mean ruddy and fatfaced, which it seems to do, the substantive would seem not correctly applied to a new-born black-a-moor child. Perhaps it had passed into a familiar term of jocose endearment for a child.

I have done thy mother": As to this use of 'do,' see the Note on "I could not do withal," Merchant of Venice, Act III. Sc. 4, p. 254.

upon this ignomy" : —

Mr. Collier says, "All the copies read, ignomy." The first folio has, "ignominy," erroneously, as the rhythm shows.

another leer": — - i. e., another look, another

complexion.

"" as Aaron storms": - The folio misprints, "at Aaron storms."

"Not far, one Muli lives" The old copies have, "one Muliteus." It seems very clear that Muli liues (perhaps written closely together) was mistaken for Muliteus' by a transcriber or compositor. Mr. Collier's folio of 1632 has, "Not far hence Muli lives."

p. 400.

p. 401.

p. 402.

"Go, pack with him": - i. e., plot with him. So "a pack, a conspiracy against me," Merry Wives of Windsor, Act IV. Sc. 2, and "That goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with her, could witness it," Comedy of Errors, Act V. Sc. 1.

SCENE III.

The second

"Sir boy, let me see your archery": folio mended the rhythm of this line by reading, "Sir boy, now let me," &c.

"Happely you may find her," &c. :- - All the old copies have here a derangement of the verse; and the folio prints, "haply you may find," &c.; the 4to. of 1611, "happily you may find," &c. The word is plainly happely' by happe, it being intended that the superfluous terminal e should be pronounced. See Measure for Measure, Act IV. Sc. 2, p. 128. Several other instances occur in these plays.

=

p. 403. "To Saturn, Caius," &c.:- The old text, "To Saturnine, Caius," which Rowe corrected.

O, well said, Lucius!"— i. e., well done. See "well said, Davy," Second Part of Henry the Fourth, Act V. Sc. 3.

SCENE IV.

p. 406.

"Of egal justice":- This, the French form of 'equal,' was in constant use in Shakespeare's day.

p. 407.

"

p. 408.

- The

you know [as do] the mightful gods": words "as do" were supplied by Rowe. Some equivalent phrase is plainly required; and Mr. Collier's folio of 1632 has, "you know, the mightful gods no less." in his wreaks" :-i. e., his wrathful fits.

My life blood on't":- The old copies have the senseless words, "Thy life blood out" an easy misprint for the text.

"Enter Emilius : - In the old copies, "Enter Nuntius Æmilius," doubtless meaning merely that Æmilius comes as a messenger.

"Arm, my lords":— - Mr. Sidney Walker plausibly reads, "Arm, arm, my lords," for rhythm's sake.

the shadow of his wings The passage is in alternate rhymes, and therefore Mr. Knight reads, "wing," and is followed by Mr. Dyce. But all the old editions read, "wings," much to the advantage of the sense; and