OLI. Let the garden door be shut, and leave me to my hearing. [Exeunt SIR TOBY, SIR ANDREW, and MARIA. Give me your hand, fir. V10. My duty, madam, and moft humble fervice. V10. Cefario is your fervant's name, fair princess. V10. And he is yours, and his must needs be yours; Your fervant's fervant is your fervant, madam. OLI. For him, I think not on him: for his thoughts, 'Would they were blanks, rather than fill'd with me! V10. Madam, I come to whet your gentle thoughts On his behalf: OLI. Dear lady, V10. The editor of the third folio reformed the paffage by reading only-ready. But omiffions ought always to be avoided if poffible. The repetition of the word all is not improper in the mouth of Sir Andrew. MALONE. Præferatur lectio brevior, is a well known rule of criticifm; and in the prefent inftance I most willingly follow it, omitting the ufelefs repetition-all. STEEVENS. 7 — I beseech you:] The firft folio reads " 'beseech you." STEEVENS. This ellipfis occurs fo frequently in our author's plays, that I do not fufpect any omiffion here. The editor of the third folio readsI befeech you; which fupplies the fyllable wanting, but hurts the metre. MALONE. After the laft enchantment you did here," I read with the third folio; not perceiving how the metre is injured by the infertion of the vowel-1. STEEVENS. 8 you did here,] The old copy reads-beare. STEEVENS. Nonfenfe. Read and point it thus: After the laft enchantment you did here, i. e. after the enchantment your presence worked in my affections. WARBURTON. The prefent reading is no more nonfenfe than the emendation. JOHNSON. Warburton's amendment, the reading, "you did here," though it may not perhaps be abfolutely neceffary to make fenfe of the paffage, is evidently right. Olivia could not speak of her fending him a ring, as a matter he did not know except by hearfay; for the ring was abfolutely delivered to him. It would, befides, be impoffible to know what Olivia meant by the laft enchantment, if fhe had not explained it herself, by faying-" the laft enchantment you did here." There is not, perhaps, a paffage in Shakspeare, where fo great an improvement of the fenfe is gained by changing a fingle letter. M. MASON. The two words are very frequently confounded in the old editions of our author's plays, and the other books of that age. See the last line of K. Richard III. quarto, 1613: "That the may long live heare, God fay amen." Again, in The Tempest, folio, 1623, p. 3, l. 10: "Heare, ceafe more queftions.' Again, in Love's Labour's Loft, 1623, p. 139: Let us complain to them what fools were heare." to my utmost knowledge, heare is fimple truth and verity." I could add twenty other inftances, were they neceffary. Throughout the first edition of our author's Rape of Lucrece, 1594, which was probably printed under his own infpection, the word we now fpell here, is conftantly written heare. Let me add, that Viola had not fimply heard that a ring had been fent (if even fuch an expreffion as After the last enchantment, you did heare," were admiffible;) fhe had feen and talked with the bearer of it. MALONE. Under your hard construction must I fit, To force that on you, in a shameful cunning, Which you knew none of yours: What might you think? Have you not fet mine honour at the stake, Enough is fhewn; a cyprus, not a bofom, OLI. That's a degree to love. V10. No, not a grife; for 'tis a vulgar proof,' That very oft we pity enemies. OLI. Why, then, methinks, 'tis time to smile again: O world, how apt the poor are to be proud! 9 To one of your receiving-] i. e. to one of your ready apprehenfion. She confiders him as an arch page. WARBURTON. 2 →→ a cyprus,] is a transparent stuff. JOHNSON. 3 Hides my poor heart: So let me hear you speak.] The word hear is ufed in this line, like tear, dear, fwear, &c. as a diffyllable. The editor of the fecond folio, to fupply what he imagined to be a defect in the metre, reads-Hides my poor heart; and all the fubfequent editors have adopted his interpolation. MALONE. I have retained the pathetic and neceffary epithet-poor. The line would be barbarously diffonant without it. STEEVENS. 4a grife;] is a fep, fometimes written greefe from degres, French. JOHNSON. So, in Othello: " Which, as a grife or ftep, may help these lovers." STEEVENS. 5 -'tis a vulgar proof,] That is, it is a common proof. The experience of every day fhews that, &c. MALONE. And yet, when wit and youth is come to harvest, Your wife is like to reap a proper man: There lies your way, due west. V10. Then weftward-hoe:" Grace, and good difpofition 'tend your ladyship! You'll nothing, madam, to my lord by me? OLI. Stay: I pr'ythee, tell me, what thou think'ft of me. OLI. O, what a deal of fcorn looks beautiful A murd'rous guilt fhows not itself more foon By maidhood, honour, truth, and every thing, • Then weftward-hoe:] This is the name of a comedy by T. Decker, 1607. He was affifted in it by Webfter, and it was acted with great fuccefs by the children of Paul's, on whom Shakfpeare has bestowed fuch notice in Hamlet, that we may be fure they were rivals to the company patronized by himself. STEEVENS. 70, what a deal of fcorn looks beautiful In the contempt and anger of his lip!] So, in our author's Venus and Adonis: 8 "Which bred more beauty in his angry eyes." STEEVENS. maugre-] i. e. in fpite of. So, in David and Bethfabe, 1599: "Mangre the fons of Ammon and of Syria." STEEVENS But, rather, reafon thus with reafon fetter: OLI. Yet come again: for thou, perhaps, may'st move That heart, which now abhors, to like his love. [Exeunt, Enter SIR TOBY BELCH, SIR ANDREW AGUE-CHEEK, and FABIAN. SIR AND. No, faith, I'll not stay a jot longer. SIR TO. Thy reason, dear venom, give thy reason. FAB. You must needs yield your reafon, fir Andrew. SIR AND. Marry, I faw your niece do more favours to the count's ferving man, than ever she bestowed upon me; I faw't i'the orchard. SIR TO. Did the fee thee the while,' old boy? tell me that. SIR AND. As plain as I fee you now. FAB. This was a great argument of love in her toward you. 9 And that no woman has;] And that heart and bosom I have never yielded to any woman. JOHNSON. -fave I alone.] Thefe three words Sir Thomas Hanmer gives to Olivia probably enough. JOHNSON. 3 Did fhe fee thee the while,] Thee is wanting in the old copy. It was fupplied by Mr. Rowe. MALONE. |