P. 271. O thou sweet king-killer, and dear divorce

'Twixt natural son and sire! — The original has "Sunne and fire." Not worth noting, perhaps, but as it shows the condition of the old text. Corrected by Rowe.

P. 272. Long live so, and so die! [Exit APEMANTUS.] - Now I am quit. — The original lacks Now. Capell printed "So, I am quit.”

P. 272. The mere want of gold, and the falling-off of his friends, drove him into this melancholy.- So Pope. The original has "falling from of his Friendes." Collier's second folio reads “falling from him of his friends." ·

P. 272. Your greatest want is, you want much of men. So HanThe original has meat instead of men. I agree with Singer that "Hanmer's reading is surely the true one." See foot-note 52.

mer.

P. 273. Do villainy, do, since you protest to dot,

Like workmen. Theobald changed protest to profess; rightly, I suspect, though Dyce says very unnecessarily."

The original has

P. 274. Break open shops; nought can you steal, but thieves Do lose it: steal not less for this I give you. nothing instead of nought, and omits not, which was inserted by Rowe. Walker proposed nought.

My honest grief to him; and, as my lord,

Still serve him with my life. —The original has "griefe unto him." Pope's correction.

P. 276. It almost turns my dangerous nature mild. — The original has wilde instead of mild. Thirlby's correction.

P. 276.

One honest man,

No more, instead of say

I say, and he's a steward. The old text has pray
Lettsom notes upon the passage thus: "No more, I

pray, can scarcely mean any thing but cease, I pray; which would make nonsense here. Qu., say." Surely he is right.

P. 276. Is not thy kindness subtle-covetous,

A usuring kindness, as rich men deal gifts,

Expecting twenty in return for one?· - In the second of these lines, the old text is, "If not a Usuring kindnesse, and as rich men deale Guifts." I have no doubt that If not crept in by mistake from Is not in the line above. And so Tyrwhitt thought, who remarks that "both the sense and metre would be better without it." The same, I think, is to be said of and. The old text also has "Expecting in return twenty for one."

P. 276. Suspect still comes when an estate is least. So Hanmer and Collier's second folio. The original has where instead of when.

P. 277. For any benefit that points to me,

Either in hope or present, I'd exchange it

For this one wish, &c. So Hanmer. The original lacks it, which seems fairly required by the sense.

ACT V., SCENE 1.

P. 279. When the day serves, before black-curtain'd night, &c. - The original has "blacke-corner'd night.". Various corrections have been made or proposed; but this, suggested by Singer, seems much the best. See foot-note 4.

66

P. 281. Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him, keep

Him in your bosom : &c.—So Heath. The original reads 'Keepe in your bosome."

P. 282. You that way, and you this, not two in company. - So Hanmer. The original has but instead of not. The misprinting of

but and not for each other is very frequent.

P. 282. You have done work for me, there's payment: hence! — The original omits done. Corrected by Malone.

P. 282. It is in vain that you would speak with Timon. So the third folio. The original reads "It is vaine."

P. 282. It is our pact and promise to th' Athenians
To speak with Timon.- So Walker.

instead of pact.

The old text has part

P. 283. Be as a cauterizing to the root o' the tongue. — So Rowe. The original has Cantherizing; the second folio, Catherizing. Lettsom proposes cauter; but would not cautering be better? Perhaps, after all, it should be cancerizing, or cancering.

P. 283. And now the public body, which doth seldom, &c.- So Hanmer. The original has Which instead of And. Probably the transcriber's or the printer's eye caught which in the latter part of the line, and repeated it here by mistake: at all events, Which cannot be right.

P. 283.

Hath sense withal

Of its own fail, restraining aid to Timon.— So Capell. The original has fall instead of fail. I am not sure but it were better to read fault with Hanmer. See foot-note 12. — It may be worth the while to note that the old text has since for sense, and it for its. The use of it possessively occurs repeatedly. See note on "The innocent milk," &c., vol. vii. page 280.

P. 285. There's not a whittle in th' unruly camp,

But I do prize it in my love before

The reverend'st throat in Athens. — The original has “prize it at my love." The correction is Hanmer's. I do not understand the old text.

P. 286. In life's uncertain voyage, that I will

Some kindness do them. The original is without that here. Walker suggests the insertion of say; but the conjunction that is often repeated in such cases.

P. 286. Lips, let your words go by, and language end. — So Walker. The old text has sour instead of your.

ACT V., SCENE 2.

P. 287. I met a courier, one mine ancient friend;
When, though in general part we were opposed,

Yet our old love had a particular force,

And made us speak like friends. — In the second of these lines, the original has Whom instead of When. The correction is Singer's. In the third line, also, the old text reads "made a particular force." Here made probably crept in by mistake from the next line. Corrected by Hanmer. Staunton thinks we should read "Yet our old love took a particular truce"; and remarks, truly, that to take a truce is old language for to make a truce.

ACT V., SCENE 3.

P. 288. Some beast rear'd this; here does not live a man. - The original has reade instead of rear'd, and there instead of here. The corrections were made by Theobald at Warburton's suggestion, and are clearly needful to the sense, though Staunton says no. See foot

note 2.

ACT V., SCENE 4.

P. 289. To wipe out our ingratitudes with loves

Above their quantity.- So Capell and Walker. The old text has ingratitude..

P. 289. By humble message and by promised 'mends. - So Theobald. The original has "promist meanes." Shakespeare elsewhere uses 'mends for amends.

P. 289.

These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands from whom

You have received your griefs. —So Theobald. The original has greefe instead of griefs. But the same speaker has used the plural a little before. Here, as often, griefs is put for grievances.

P. 290.

It is not square to take,

On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,

Are not inherited.

- The original has revenge; but the plural occurs in the preceding speech. Corrected by Steevens.

P. 290. Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile

Than hew't out with thy sword. The original has "hew too't, with thy Sword." The correction is Mr. P. A. Daniel's.

P. 291. But shall be render'd to your public laws

At heaviest answer. - The original has "be remedied to your pulique Lawes"; which is neither English nor sense, The correction is Chedworth's.

P. 291. Interprets for my poorer ignorance. - The old text has "my poore ignorance." Walker's correction. See foot-note 10.

P. 291. Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft :

Seek not my name: a plague consume you wicked caitiffs left! To this epitaph, which is given by Plutarch as the authentic one, the original adds another said to have been made by Callimachus. See the preface, page 191. As this scene was unquestionably written by Shakespeare, and as the two epitaphs flatly contradict each other, it is incredible that he meant them both to stand. Probably he set them down as alternative readings, and then, through some mistake or oversight, the two got printed together.

P. 292.

Yet rich conceit

Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye

On thy low grave o'er faults forgiven.- The original reads "On thy low Grave, on faults forgiven." I substitute o'er on the ground that the old spelling ore might easily be mistaken for on, while the latter seems to yield no fitting sense here. Tyrwhitt and Walker would read "On thy low grave. One fault's forgiven." Tyrwhitt supposes the one fault in question to be the ingratitude of the Athenians towards Timon; and that this is forgiven, that is, exempted from punishment, by the death of the injured person. I cannot bring myself to take this as the meaning of the passage. There have been faults on both sides; and surely the faults of both sides are meant to be included in the pathetic imagery of the passage.

P. 292. And I will use the olive with my sword. Instead of use, Walker thinks we should read twine. Perhaps so.