P. 101. We have here another of the many emendations rendered necessary by the mistake of the person who wrote by his ear the manuscript used by the printer. It is the last of any consequence in this play, and it occurs at the very close of the scene between the English and French commanders, when a peace is negotiated. All parties are agreed upon a league of amity, and York, addressing the Dauphin, says,—

"Hang up your ensigns, let your drums be still,

For here we entertain a solemn peace."

The corrector of the folio, 1632, reads the last line thus::"For here we interchange a solemn peace,"

the agreement for a peace being mutual. It cannot be said, however, that the change is imperatively called for, though recommended on strong presumptive evidence.

THE SECOND PART

OF

KING HENRY VI.

ACT I. SCENE I.

P. 112. A question has arisen whether to read,—

"And was his highness in his infancy

Crowned in Paris, in despite of foes?"

or as follows:

"And hath his highness in his infancy

Been crown'd in Paris, in despite of foes?"

Some editors have given the couplet in one way, and some in another; but the old corrector of the folio, 1632, informs us that the last is the true reading, been having probably dropped out at the commencement of the second line.

P. 116. York introduces a simile of pirates sharing pillage in the presence of the owner of it,—

"While as the silly owner of the goods

Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless hands."

A correction in the folio, 1632, instructs us to erase "hapless" in favour of helpless, which certainly seems the fitter epithet; but it is impossible to maintain that "hapless" does not fit the place, and might not be the poet's word. The allusion to Althea's brand, in four lines just below, is for some reason struck out.

SCENE III.

P. 121. Johnson, Steevens, Tollet, and Hawkins have all wasted time and space upon a mere error of the printer, or of the copyist. The first Petitioner says, as has been universally represented,—

"My masters, let's stand close: my lord protector will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver our supplications in the quill." The puzzle has been as to the meaning of " in the quill," and each of the commentators had a different notion upon the point. The several Petitioners were to deliver their supplications to Suffolk in succession, one after another, and "the quill" ought, indisputably, to be sequel, used ignorantly for

"My lord protector will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver our supplications in sequel."

On the next page, the beginning of Peter's second speech is altered to "That my master was," instead of mistress, as it stood, absurdly enough, till Tyrwhitt proposed the change, which is fully warranted by a note in the margin of the folio, 1632.

P. 124. According to the old corrector, Suffolk's speech to the Queen (before the entrance of the King, &c., which is erroneously marked in manuscript as a new scene), ought to end in a rhyme :

'So, one by one, we will weed all the realm,

And you yourself shall steer the happy helm."

This reads easily and naturally enough; but the folios make the first line end with "at last," very lamely and tamely. The writer of the emendations may be thought to shew, now and then, an old-fashioned fondness for rhyme.

P. 127. Pope was quite right in printing fast, for "far" of the old copies, in the following line, where Buckingham is speaking of Eleanor:

"She'll gallop far enough to her destruction."

We find fast in the margin, and "far" struck out. The adherence to "far" was, of course, occasioned by the desire, in all possible cases, to abide by the early editions.

It may be mentioned, that in the corrected folio, 1632,

the Acts and Scenes are noted in manuscript (no such divisions being made in print), and as a new scene (IV.) is made to commence with the entrance of the King, &c., on p. 124, another scene, numbered V., contains the incantations, &c., of Margery Jourdain, Southwell, Bolingbroke, &c., before Eleanor. In all modern editions this is properly represented as

SCENE IV.

P. 130. For "the silent of the night," the corrector has "the silence of the night," which is the very word used in the old drama from which this play was mainly taken. For "break up their graves," he reads, "break ope their graves,” which was also, most likely, right. Among the manuscript stage-directions is one which shows that while Bolingbroke questions the Spirit, raised by the Witch, Southwell writes the answers. When the former dismisses the Spirit, called up to ascertain and declare the truth, he exclaims, "False fiend, avoid," the impropriety of which is evident, and the manuscript-correction is, "Foul fiend, avoid."

ACT II. SCENE I.

P. 133. Gloster, addressing the Cardinal, says,

"Churchmen so hot? good uncle, hide such malice;
With such holiness can you do it."

The second line, as it stands in all the early copies, is imperfect and prosaic; the corrector of the folio, 1632, states that two small words have been omitted, and his emendation is better than either of those offered by Warburton and Johnson: he gives the two lines thus :

"Churchmen so hot? good uncle, hide such malice ;
And with such holiness you well can do it.”

SCENE III.

P. 144. The whole of what passes just before Gloster, who has been required to give up his staff of office, quits the scene, is in rhyme; but there is one line which has nothing to answer to it, and we meet with the corresponding line, as an important addition, in the margin. There are also two

emendations deserving notice in the preceding speech by Queen Margaret, and this part of the play runs as follows in the folio, 1632, the new portions being printed, as usual, in Italic type::

"Q. Mar. I see no reason why a king of years

Should be protected, like a child, by peers.
God and King Henry govern England's helm.
Give up your staff, Sir, and the King his realm.
Glo. My staff?-here, noble Henry, is my staff:
To think I fain would keep it makes me laugh.
As willingly I do the same resign,

As e'er thy father Henry made it mine," &c.

There appears no sufficient reason for disbelieving that these judicious changes and this important addition might be made on some independent authority.

Lower down, a striking misprint occurs, and is set right by the old corrector to the great improvement of the passage: the couplet has always been given,—

"Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs its sprays;
Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days."

Now, as Mason observes, "Eleanor was certainly not a young woman;" and in order to overcome the difficulty, he compelled "her" to refer to "pride," and not to Eleanor ; but the printer was in fault for mistaking the poet's word :

"Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her proudest days,"

is a form of expression peculiarly like Shakespeare, and perfectly consistent with the situation and character of the Duchess of Gloster. We owe it to the emendator.

ACT III. SCENE I.

P. 155. Malone, who was generally reluctant to vary from the ancient editions, could not refuse to adopt an emendation proposed by Steevens in the following passage, as it stands in the folios:

:

"My lord of Gloster, 'tis my special hope,

That you will clear yourself from all suspense."

Steevens printed suspects for "suspense," and the corrector of the second folio writes suspect (not suspects) in the margin.