That very hour, and in the self-same inn, A poor mean woman was delivered 5 Of such a burden, male twins, both alike. Unwilling I agreed. Alas, too soon we came aboard ® ! Gave any tragic instance of our harm: A doubtful warrant of immediate death; Which, though myself would gladly have embrac'd', 5 A POOR mean woman was DELIVERED] The word "poor was added to complete the metre in the second folio. Malone therefore adopted it, but he himself spoiled the line, by printing deliver'd instead of "delivered." In the same way, near the end of the speech, we meet with this line :— "The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered :" Malone printed discover'd, though the word must be read as four syllables. 6 Unwilling I agreed. Alas, too soon we came aboard!] This is the reading of the folios, whereas Malone would make the sense run on to the next line: the clear meaning is, that they "came aboard too soon," in consequence of the storm that almost immediately followed. 7 would GLADLY have embrac'd,] The corr. fo. 1632 has gently for “gladly.” Although there seems no sufficient reason why Ægeon should “gladly” have embraced death, still we are not warranted in removing that adverb: gently, i. e. submissively, might suit the place better. 8 And THIS it was,] One of the cases in which "this" is made to signify thus: "this" may be said to agree with "means "understood. ? Whilst I had been like heedful of the OTHER.] i. e. Of the other two: if we The children thus dispos'd, my wife and I, But ere they came, — Oh, let me say no more! Duke. Nay, forward, old man: do not break off so, Ege. Oh, had the gods done so, I had not now For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues, Which being violently borne upon ', Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst ; 2 Had not their bark been very slow of sail, And therefore homeward did they bend their course. do not so understand the text, we must print others for "other;" because Ægeon's wife had taken care of two children, and had left the other two to be provided for by her husband. 1 Which being violently borne UPON,] The first folio has up, and the second up upon. The present is, no doubt, the true reading, as fixed by Malone. 2 Gave HEALTHFUL welcome] The second folio reads helpful, which is probably wrong, as we have had that word just before. Malone adopted the change without sufficient reason. 3 Had not their BARK] The first folio has back for "bark," as it is correctly Thus have you heard me sever'd from 4 my bliss, That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd, To tell sad stories of my own mishaps. Duke. And, for the sake of them thou sorrowest for, Do me the favour to dilate at full What hath befall'n of them, and thee, till now ". Ege. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care, After his brother; and importun'd me, Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,) Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece, Duke. Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have mark'd Now, trust me, were it not against our laws, printed in the folio, 1632. The word "bark" forms a remarkable printer's blunder in 66 'The Honest Man's Fortune," A. iii. sc. 2 (Dyce's "Beaumont and Fletcher," iii. p. 396), where Longueville ought to say "And for the understanding of the younger, let him get as much rhetoric as he can, to grace his language, they will see he shall have gloss little enough to set out his book." Here " book," which the word “gloss" (i. e. comment), if nothing else, shows beyond dispute to be the true lection, is misprinted bark in every edition from 1647 to 1853. THAT by misfortunes] "And by misfortunes" in the corr. fo. 1632. 5 What HATH befall'n of them, and THEE, till now.] This is the reading of the second folio: the first gives the line thus: "What have befall'n of them, and they, till now." 6 My YOUNGEST boy,] Monck Mason remarks, that Shakespeare has here been forgetful, and that it was Ægeon's wife who had been fastened on the mast near the youngest boy. Perhaps the two words ought to change places. 7 Whom whilst HE labour'd of ALL love to see,] The line in the folios is "Whom whilst I labour'd of a love to see;" but it was not himself but his son who wished to go in quest of his brother; therefore, there is no doubt of the fitness of that emendation. As to the expression "of a love to see," it is unprecedented: but the phrase, "of all love," indicating strong affection, by all means, or for love's sake, was not uncommon. We have already met with it in "Midsummer Night's Dream," A. ii. sc. 3, Vol. ii. p. 212. It occurs also in." The Merry Wives of Windsor," A. ii. sc. 2, this Vol. p. 199. Against my crown, my oath, my dignity, Jail. I will, my lord. Ege. Hopeless, and helpless, doth Ægeon wend, But to procrastinate his lifeless end. [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Public Place. Enter ANTIPHOLUS1 and DROMIO of Syracuse, and a Merchant. Mer. Therefore, give out you are of Epidamnum, Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. 8 To seek thy HOFE by beneficial help.] This was the conjectural emendation proposed in our former impression, and we find it in every respect confirmed by the corr. fo. 1632: the Duke tells Ægeon to seek what he hoped to obtain, namely, the money for his ransom, by the "beneficial help" of his friends. There is precisely the same play upon the words "hope" and "help" in the second stanza of Spenser's "Fairy Queen," where it is said of the badge of the red-cross worn by Prince Arthur, For sovereign hope which in his help he had." Heath, too, was quite right in recommending that the line in "The Beggar's Bush," A. iii. sc. 4, which stands in the old copies, "Now for myself, which is the least I hope for," should be read thus: "Now for my help, which is the least I hope for." The scribe, or the compositor, misheard “ my help" myself, and so it remains in the Rev. Mr. Dyce's "Beaumont and Fletcher," ix. p. 67. 9 Jailor, Now take him to thy custody.] The line, without "now," which is in the corr. fo. 1632, is a syllable short of the measure, which could hardly have been otherwise than accidental, considering that it is the conclusion of a couplet. 1 Enter ANTIPHOLUS] The old stage-direction is "Enter Antipholis Erotes." This very day a Syracusian merchant And, not being able to buy out his life Ant. S. Go, bear it to the Centaur, where we host, Dro. S. Many a man would take you at your word, Ant. S. A trusty villain, sir; that very oft, Mer. I am invited, sir, to certain merchants, Ant. S. Farewell till then. I will go lose myself", And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. Ant. S. He that commends me to mine own content, Commends me to the thing I cannot get. I to the world am like a drop of water, That in the ocean seeks another drop: [Exit 2. [Exit. 2 Exit.] "Shaking money-bag," adds the corr. fo. 1632. In the speech of Antipholus "Till that" is altered to "Till then," but objectionably, inasmuch as "then occurs just below-" And then return," &c. 3 Soon at five o'clock,] i. e. About five o'clock. A. iii. sc. 2, we have " soon at supper-time," and "soon at night" is a common expression. 4 And afterwards CONSORT you till bed-time:] i. e. Keep you company till bedtime see Vol. iv. p. 290. 5 I will go lose MYSELF,] How easily "self" might be misprinted (see p. 368) we have evidence here, where it is made life in the folio, 1632; but the proper word is restored by the old annotator on that impression. VOL. I. B b |