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"His contemplations were above the earth," &c.

Again, in Troilus and Crefsida, Act IV. fc. ii:

"With wings more momentary-fwift than thought."

This compound epithet not being understood, he reads:

"With wings more momentary, Swifter than thought."

In The Taming of the Shrew, A&t I. sc. ii. Hortenfio, defcribing Catharine, fays,

"Her only fault (and that is-faults enough)
"Is, that she is intolerable curst;—”

meaning, that this one was a host of faults. But this not being comprehended by the editor of the fecond folio, with a view, doubtlefs, of rendering the paffage more grammatical, he fubftituted_ "and that is fault enough."

So, in King Lear, we find-" Do you know this noble gentleman?" But this editor fuppofing, it fhould feem, that a gentleman could not be noble, or that a noble could not be a gentleman, instead of the original text, reads-" Do you know this nobleman ?"

In Meafure for Measure, Act II. fc. i. Efcalus, addreffing the Juftice, fays, "I pray you home to dinner with me:" this familiar diction not being understood, we find in the fecond folio, " I pray you go home to dinner with me. And in Othello, not having fagacity enough to fee that apines was printed by a mere tranfpofition of the letters, for paines,

"Though I do hate him, as I do hell apines,"

inftead of correcting the word, he evaded the difficulty by omitting it, and exhibited the line in an imperfect state.

The Duke of York, in the third part of King Henry VI. exclaims,

"That face of his the hungry cannibals

"Would not have touch'd, would not have ftain'd with blood."

These lines being thus carefully arranged in the first folio:

"That face of his

"The hungry cannibals would not have touch'd,
"Would not have ftain'd with blood-"

the editor of the fecond folio, leaving the first line imperfect as he found it, completed the laft line by this abfurd interpolation :

"Would not have ftain'd the roses juft with blood."

These are but a few of the numerous corruptions and interpolations found in that copy, from the editor's ignorance of Shakspeare's phrafeology.

II. Let us now examine how far he was acquainted with the metre of these plays.

In The Winter's Tale, Act III. fc. ii. we find

"What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling? "In leads, or oils ?".

Not knowing that fires was used as a diffyllable, he added the word burning at the end of the line:

"What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling? burning?"

So again, in Julius Cæfar, Act III. fc. ii. from the fame ignorance, the word all has been interpolated by this editor:

"And with the brands fire all the traitors' houses."

instead of the reading of the original and authentick copy,

"And with the brands fire the traitors' houses."

Again, in Macbeth:

"I would, while it was fmiling in my face,
"Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
"And dash'd the brains out, had I fo fworn
"As you have done to this."

Not perceiving that fworn was used as a diffyllable, he reads " had I but fo fworn."

Charms our poet sometimes uses as a word of two fyllables. Thus, in The Tempest, Act I. fc. ii:

"Curs'd be I, that did fo! All the charms," &c.

inftead of which this editor gives us,

"Curs'd be I, that I did fo! All the charms," &c.

Hour is almost always ufed by Shakspeare as a diffyllable, but of this the editor of the fecond folio was ignorant; for inftead of thefe lines in King Richard II:

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So fighs, and tears, and groans,
"Show minutes, times, and hours: but my time
"Runs pofting on," &c.

he gives us

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So fighs, and tears, and groans,

"Show minutes, times, and hours: O but my time,"$ &c.

So again, in The Comedy of Errors :

"I'll meet you in that place, fome hour, fir, hence.”

instead of the original reading,

"I'll meet you in that place fome hour hence."

Again, in The Winter's Tale, Act I. fc. ii:

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"Hours, minutes? the noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c.

instead of the original reading,

"Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes," &c.

Again, in All's well that ends well, Act II. fc. iii :

5 In Meafure for Measure we find these lines:

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"Thou rather, with thy fharp and fulphurous bolt,

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Split'ft the unwedgeable and gnarled oak,

"Than the foft mirtle ;-But man, proud man," &c. There can be no doubt that a word was omitted in the laft line; perhaps fome epithet to mirtle. But the editor of the fecond folio, reforting to his usual expedient, abfurdly reads:

"Than the foft mirtle. O but man, proud man,—.” So, in Titus Andronicus, A&t III. fc. ii: complaynet being corruptly printed inftead of complayner,

"Speechlefs complaynet, I will learn thy thoughts,-" this editor, with equal abfurdity, reads:

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Speechless complaint, O, I will learn thy thoughts." I have again and again had occafion to mention in the notes on these plays, that omiffion is of all the errors of the press that which most frequently happens. On collating the fourth edition of King Richard III. printed in 1612, with the second printed in 1598, I found no less than twenty-fix words omitted.

"Which challenges itself as honours born,

"And is not like the fire. Honours thrive," &c.

This editor, not knowing that fire was used as a diffyllable reads:

"And is not like the fire. Honours beft thrive," &c.

So, in King Henry VI. P. I:

"Refcued is Orleans from the English."

Not knowing that English was used as a trifyllable, he has completed the line, which he fuppofed defective, according to his own fancy, and reads:

"Refcu'd is Orleans from the English wolves."

The fame play furnishes us with various other proofs of his ignorance of our poet's metre. Thus, instead of

"Orleans the baftard, Charles, Burgundy,-"

he has printed (not knowing that Charles was used as a word of two fyllables,)

"Orleans the baftard, Charles, and Burgundy."

So, instead of the original reading,

"Divineft creature, Aftræa's daughter,-"

(Aftræa being used as a word of three fyllables,) he has printed

"Divineft creature, bright Aftræa's daughter."

Again, ibidem:

"Whereas the contrary bringeth blifs."

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