P. 119. “What, think you, then, the King shall be deposed?”

So Pope. The old copies lack then.

P. 120. “Old Adam's likeness, set to dress this garden, How dares thy harsh-rude tongue sound this un. pleasing news?"

The old copies read “Thou old Adams likenesse." Pope struck out old as he did also harsh-rude in the next line. But harsh-rude only makes that line an Alexandrine, just as many others are in this play; whereas Thou old makes the line neither an Alexandrine nor a pentameter; in fact, defeats the metre of it altogether. The Poet probably first wrote Thou, and then substituted Old, and both words got printed together.

ACT IV., SCENE I.

P. 124. "I task thee to the like, forsworn Aumerle.”

So Capell and Walker. The old copies read “I taske the earth to the like," and "I take the earth to the like"; both of which are at odds alike with sense and with metre. Much ingenuity has been exercised to make sense out of "task the earth," but it is all a mere waste of labour.

P. 124.

"And spur thee on with full as many lies

As may be holla'd in thy treacherous ear
From sun to sun."

The old copies read “As it may be holla'd,” and “From sinne to sinne." Hardly worth noting, perhaps. Corrected by Capell.

P. 126. 'Sweet peace conduct his sweet soul to the bosom Of good old Abraham!- My lords appellants."

So Capell. The old copies lack My.

P. 128. Prevent, resist it, let it not be so,

Lest children's children cry against you Woe!"

The old copies read "Prevent it, resist it," and also "Least Child. Childs Children." Corrected by Pope.

P. 129.

"Give me the crown. [The crown is brought to him, and he seizes it.] - Here, cousin,

On this side my hand, and on that side yours."

The quarto of 1608, where this speech first appeared, reads thus:—

"Seize the crown.

Here, cousin, on this side my hand, and on that side yours."

In the folio this is altered so as to read thus:

"Give me the Crown. Here, Cousin, seize the Crown.

Here, Cousin, on this side my Hand, and on that side thine."

The word; seize the crown were no doubt intended as a stage-direction, and got printed as part of the text, ‚—a thing that often happened. The correction is Singer's.

P. 130.

"With mine own breath release all duty's rites."

66

So the quartos. The folio has "all dutious oathes," which I am apt to think the better reading, although the learned Editors of the "Clarendon Press Series" observe that it seems like the substitution of a commonplace for a difficult reading." I do not quite take it that a reading is any the better for being difficult. See, however, foot-note 22.

134.

"And these external manners of lament

Are merely shadows to the unseen grief," &c.

The old copies have "manners of laments." Of course lament is for lamentation, as the Poet has dispose for disposition; and it is clear that the plural has no business there. But the misprinting of singulars and plurals for each other is one of the commonest. Corrected by Capell.

Here, again, my is wanting in the old copies. Supplied by Hanmer.

P. 139.

ACT V., SCENE 1.

"Thou shalt think,

Though he divide the realm, and give thee half,
It is too little, helping him to all;

And he shall think that thou, which know'st the

way

To plant unrightful kings," &c.

The old copies are without And at the beginning of the fourth line. Supplied by Rowe.

ACT V., SCENE II.

P. 141. "Where rude misgovern'd hands from window-tops Threw dust and rubbish on King Richard's head.” The old editions have "windowes tops." Corrected by Pope.

P. 142.

"But Heaven hath a hand in these events,

To whose high will we bow our calm contents."

So Lettsom. Instead of bow, the old copies have bound, which was changed by Capell to bind. Lettsom is probably right in thinking bound a misprint for bowe, as the confounding of d and e final is very frequent. - Milton has a like use of bow in Paradise Regained, i. 498: "And Satan, bowing low his gray dissimulation."

P. 143.

"If God prevent it not, I purpose so."

Here it, needful to the metre, is wanting in the old copies. Supplied by Capell.

P. 143. "Yea, look'st thou pale, sir? let me see the writing."

So Capell. The old copies are without sir. Hanmer, to fill up the verse, printed, "come, let me see the writing."

"Beseech you, pardon me; I may not show it."

P. 144. The old copies read "I do beseech you." Yet so many lines in this play overrun, that I am doubtful whether this line ought to be thus reduced to a pentameter.

P. 144.

"Ho! who's within there? ho!"

The last ho! is wanting in the old copies. The addition is Dyce's, who says, "I prefer making this addition, instead of printing in the next portion of the line, 'Saddle me my horse,' which was given by Hanmer, and is recommended by Walker."

ACT V., SCENE III.

P. 146. "While he, young wanton and effeminate boy,
Takes on the point of honour to support

So dissolute a crew."

The old editions have Which instead of While. Corrected by Pope.

P. 147.

"For ever may my knees grow to the earth,

My tongue cleave to the roof within my mouth."

The old copies read "cleave to my roof," my being no doubt accidentally repeated in advance. Corrected by Lettsom.

P. 147.

"Intended or committed was this fault?
If but the first, how heinous e'er it be,
To win thy after-love, I pardon thee."

So Pope. The old copies read "If on the first."

His eyes do drop no tears, his prayers are jest."

So Capell. The old text reads "his prayers are in jest.”

So Pope. The old text has Bolingbroke's speech inverted, "I pardon him with all my heart." But heart and art were evidently meant as the endings of a couplet.

P. 152. "Uncle, farewell;

and, cousin too, adieu."

So the fifth quarto. The other old copies omit too. Collier's second folio fills the gap in the verse with mine.

ACT V., SCENE V.

P. 154.

"For no thought is content.

The better sort

As thoughts of things divine - are intermix'd
With scruples," &c.

So Hanmer and Walker. The old copies have contented.

P. 154. "To thread the postern of a small neeld's eye.”

The old copies have "needle's eye." The folio salves the metre by omitting small. Neeld was a common form of needle, especially in

poetry.

P. 155. "My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches to mine eyes, the outward watch,

Whereto my finger, like the dial's point," &c.

So the second folio. The earlier editions have "Their watches on unto mine eyes." The meaning is the same either way, the difference being merely in the metre. Keightley would substitute motions for watches; and rightly, I suspect.