nation. For, had Hero been guilty, it was very probable that in that hurry and confusion of spirits into which the terrible insult of her lover had thrown her, she would never have observed that the man's name was not mentioned; and so, on this question, have betrayed herself by naming the person she was conscious of an affair with. The friar observed this, and so concluded, that were she guilty, she would probably fall into the trap he laid for her.I only take notice of this, to shew how admirably well Shakspere knew how to sustain his characters. WARBURTON. 196.- -bent of honour ;] Bent is used by our author for the utmost degree of any passion, or mental quality. In this play before, Benedick says of Beatrice, her affection has its full bent. The expression is derived from archery; the bow has its bent, when it is drawn as far as it can be. JOHNSON. 213. Your daughter here the princes left for dead;] In former copies, Your daughter here the princess left for dead; But how comes Hero to start up a princess here? We have no intimation of her father being a prince; and this is the first and only time she is complimented with this dignity. The remotion of a single letter, and of the parenthesis, will bring her to her own rank, and the place to its true meaning: Your daughter here the princes left for dead: i. e. Don Pedro, prince of Arragon; and his bastard brother, who is likewise called a prince. THEOBALD. 216. -ostentation;] Show, appearance. JOHNSON. 231. we rack the value ;- -] i. e. We exaggerate the value. The allusion is to rack-rents. The same kind of thought occurs in Antony and Cleopatra: "What our contempts do often hurl from us, STEEVENS. The following passage in the Widow's Tears, by Chapman, 1612, strengthens Mr. Steevens's interpretation: "One joint of him I lost, was much more worth "Than the rackt value of thy entire body." MALONE. 262. The smallest twine may lead me.] This is one of our author's observations upon life. Men overpowered with distress, eagerly listen to the first offers of relief, close with every scheme, and believe every promise. He that has no longer any confidence in himself, is glad to repose his trust in any other that will undertake to guide him. JOHNSON. 267. Manent Benedick and Beatrice.] The poet, in my opinion, has shewn a great deal of address in this scene. Beatrice here engages her lover to revenge the injury done her cousin Hero: and without this very natural incident, considering the character of Beatrice, and that the story of her passion for Benedick was all a fable, she could never have been easily or naturally brought to confess she loved him, notwithstanding all the foregoing preparation. And yet, on this confession, in this very place, depended the whole success of the plot upon her and Benedick. For had she not owned her love here, they must have soon found out the trick, and then the design of bringing them together had been defeated; and she would never have owned a passion she had been only tricked into, had not her desire of revenging her cousin's wrong made her drop her capricious humour at once. WARBURTON. 304. I am gone, though I am here;—] i. e. I am out of your mind already, though I remain here in person before you. 312. STEEVENS. -in the height a villain,-] So in Hen. VIII. "He's traitor to the height.” 326. and counties!. STEEVENS. -] County was the an cient general term for a nobleman. See a note on the County Paris in Romeo and Juliet. 327. STEEVENS. a goodly, count-comfect;]. i. e. a STEEVENS. specious nobleman made out of sugar, 331. -and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too:] The construction of the sentence is— not only men but trim ones, are turned into tongue, i, e. not only common but clever men, &c. STEEVENS. 348. Scene II.] The persons, throughout this scene, have been strangely confounded in the modern editions. The first error has been the introduction of a Town-Clerk, who is, indeed, mentioned in the stagedirection, prefixed to this scene in the old editions (Enter the Constables, Borachio, and the Town-Clerke in gownes), gownes), but no where else; nor is there a single speech ascribed to him in those editions. The part, which he might reasonably have been expected to take upon this occasion, is performed by the Sexton; who assists at, or rather directs, the examinations; sets them down in writing, and reports them to Leonato. It is probable, therefore, I think, that the Sexton has been styled the Town-Clerk, in the stage-direction above mentioned, from his doing the duty of such an officer. But the editors, having brought both Sexton and Town-Clerk upon the stage, were unwilling, as it seems, that the latter should be a mute personage; and therefore they have put into his mouth almost all the absurdities which the poet certainly intended for his ignorant constable. To rectify this confusion, little more is necessary than to go back to the old editions, remembering that the names of Kempe and Cowley, two celebrated actors of the time, are put in this scene for the names of the persons represented; viz. Kempe for Dogberry, and Cowley for Verges. TYRWHITT. I have followed Mr. Tyrwhitt's regulation, which is undoubtedly just; but have left Mr. Theobald's notes as I found them. STEEVENS. 365. Both. Yea, sir, we hope. To. Cl. Write down-that they hope they serve God :— and write God first; for God defend but God should go before such villains!- -] This short passage, which is truly humorous and in character, I have added from the old quarto. Besides, it supplies a defect: for Fij with. without it, the Town-Clerk asks a question of the prisoners, and goes on without staying for any answer to it. THEOBALD. The omission of this passage, since the edition of 1600, may be accounted for from the stat. 3 Jac. I. c. 21. the sacred name being jestingly used four times in one line. BLACKSTONE. 378. 'Fore God, they are both in a tale:] This is an admirable stroke of humour: Dogberry says of the prisoners that they are false knaves, and from that denial of the charge, which one in his wits could not be supposed to make, he infers a communion of counsels, and records it in the examination as an evidence of their guilt. SIR J. HAWKINS. If the learned annotator will amend his comment by omitting the word guilt, and inserting the word innocency, it will (except as to the supposed inference of a communication of counsels, which should likewise be omitted or corrected) be a just and pertinent remark. REMARKS. 384. To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the easiest way: -Let the watch come forth:] This easiest, is a sophistication of our modern editors, who were at a loss to make out the corrupted reading of the old copies. The quarto in 1600, and the first and second editions in folio, all concur in reading; Yea, marry, that's the eftest way, &c. A letter happened to slip out at press in the first edition; and 'twas too hard a task for the subsequent editors to put it in, or guess at the word under this accidental depravation. There is no doubt but |