i. e. thou doft make those things to be esteemed impoffible, which are poffible: the very reverse of what the poet meant. In the fame play is this line : "I am appointed him to murder you." Here the editor of the fecond folio, not being converfant with Shakspeare's irregular language, reads "I appointed him to murder you." Again, in Macbeth: "This diamond he greets your wife withal, Not knowing that shut up meant concluded, the editor of the fecond folio reads and fhut it up [i. e. the diamond] "In measureless content." In the fame play the word lated, (" Now fpurs the 'lated traveller-") not being understood, is changed to lateft, and Colmes-Inch to Colmeshill. Again, ibidem: when Macbeth fays, Hang thofe that talk of fear," it is evident that these words are not a wifh or imprecation, but an injunction to hang all the cowards in Scotland. The editor of the fecond folio, however, confidering the paffage in the former light, reads : "Hang them that ftand in fear." From the fame ignorance, "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools is changed to "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools In King Richard II. Bolingbroke fays, "And I must find that title in your tongue," &c. i. e. you must addrefs me by that title. But this not being understood, town is in the fecond folio fubftituted for tongue. The double comparative is common in the plays of Shakspeare. Yet, instead of I'll give my reasons "More worthier than their voices." Coriolanus, A& III. fc. i. First Folio. we have in the fecond copy, "More worthy than their voices." So, in Othello, Act I. fc. v.-" opinion, a fovereign mistress of effects, throws a more fafer voice on you,"-is changed in the fecond folio, to"opinion, &c. throws a more fafe voice on you." Again, in Hamlet, A&t III. fc. ii. inftead of your wisdom fhould fhow itself more richer, to fignify this to the doctor;" we find in the copy of 1632, your wisdom fhould fhow itself more rich," &c. In The Winter's Tale, the word vaft not being understood, they shook hands as over a vast." First Folio. we find in the fecond copy, fea." as over a vaft In King John, Act V. fc. v. first folio, are these lines: The English lords "By his perfuafion are again fallen off." The editor of the fecond folio, thinking, I fuppose, that as these lords had not before deferted the French king, it was improper to say that they had again fallen off, fubftituted "are at last fallen off;" not perceiving that the meaning is, that these lords had gone back again to their own countrymen, whom they had before deferted. In King Henry VIII. A&t II. fc. ii. Norfolk, fpeaking of Wolfey, fays, "I'll venture one have at him." This being misunderstood, is changed in the second copy to-" I'll venture one heave at him.” Julius Cæfar likewife furnishes various specimens of his ignorance of Shakspeare's language. The phrafe, to bear hard, not being understood, inftead of "Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hard." Firft Folio. we find in the second copy, "Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hatred.” and from the fame cause the words dank, bleft, and hurtled, are difmiffed from the text, and more familiar words fubftituted in their room." I "To walk unbraced, and fuck up the humours Firft Folio. Firft Folio. In like manner in the third Act of Coriolanus, fc. ii. the ancient verb to owe, i. e. to poffefs, is difcarded by this editor, and own fubftituted in its place. In Antony and Cleopatra, we find in the original copy thefe lines: " I fay again, thy fpirit Inftead of reftoring the true word away, which was thus corruptly exhibited, the editor of the second folio, without any regard to the context, altered another part of the line, and abfurdly printed"But he alway is noble.' In the fame play, Act I. fc. iii. Cleopatra fays to Charmian-" Quick and return;" for which the editor of the fecond folio, not knowing that quick was either used adverbially, or elliptically for Be quick, fubftitutes-"Quickly, and return." In Timon of Athens, are these lines: "And that unaptnefs made your minifter i. e. and made that unaptnefs your minifter to excuse yourself; or, in other words, availed yourself of that unaptnefs as an excufe for your own conduct. The words being inverted and put out of their natural order, the editor of the fecond folio fuppofed that unaptness, being placed first, must be the nominative cafe, and therefore reads "And that unaptnefs made you minifter, In that play, from the fame ignorance, inftead of Timon's exhortation to the thieves, to kill as well as rob." Take wealth and lives together," we find in the second copy, "Take wealth, and live together." And with equal ignorance and licentioufnefs this editor altered the epitaph on Timon, to render it what he thought metrical, by leaving out various words. In the original edition it appears as it does in Plutarch, and therefore we may be certain that the variations in the fecond copy were here, as in other places, all arbitrary and capricious. Again, in the fame play, we have and "I defil'd land." "O, my good lord, the world is but a word," &c. The editor not understanding either of these paffages, and fuppofing that I in the firft of them was used as a personal pronoun, (whereas it ftands according to the usage of that time for the affirmative particle, ay,) reads in the first line, "I defy land;" and exhibits the other line thus: O, my good lord, the world is but a world," &c. Our author and the contemporary writers generally write wars, not war, &c. The editor of the fecond folio being unapprifed of this, reads in "Cæfar Antony and Cleopatra, Act III. fc. v: having made ufe of him in the war against Pompey,"-instead of wars, the reading of the original copy. The feventh scene of the fourth act of this play VOL. I. Gg |