APPENDIX. ON CERTAIN POINTS TO BE OBSERVED IN I.—Instances of Trimeter Couplets in the foregoing Plays. "This form of six-footed verse is frequent in Shakspeare; but it is confined, or very nearly so, to his later plays. The play of K. Henry 8 is perhaps an exception to this rule."-WALKER, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 101. Comp. Abb., 500 and 501. In Coriolanus the metrical irregularities of all kinds are very frequent. For instance, of trimeter couplets I have reckoned up not less than forty-seven, and ten of them with redundant middle 1 syllables. It does not seem necessary to quote all these at length (eight of them having been already produced in Pref. to vol. ii. p. viii, sq.), but only cases in which, from diversity of text, or other cause, there may be some doubt whether they properly come under this head. On the redundant syllables, printed in italics, see below, sect. iii. Cor., i. 1. 284. Had borne the businèss. | Besides, if things go well. See Pref. to vol. ii. p. viii. Also ibid., on i. 7. 2, and ii. 3. 119 and 265. Ibid., 4. 70. Were feverous and did tremble. | Look, sir, O, 'tis Marcius. The "O" appears to be an interpolation, and to require to be omitted. 1 I use the term "middle" for "in the body of the line," to distinguish these redundancies from those at the end of lines. See sect. iv. Ibid., 10. 20. Shall fly out of itself: | nor sleep, nor sanctuary. See Walker, referred to in margin, who makes this a ten-syllable line, by reducing "sanctuary" to a dissyllable. ii. 3. 278. The vantage of his anger. | To the Capitol, come. But I suspect "come" is an interpolation, and the line without it, may be scanned as belonging either to sect. ii. or sect. iv. iii. 1. 288. Leave us to cure this cause; | for 'tis a sore upon us. See Pref. to vol. ii. p. ix. I am still inclined to suspect " upon us"; but considering the large number of trimeter couplets in this play, perhaps it is over-bold to omit the words. In Julius Cæsar the number of trimeter couplets is, I think, twenty-seven, and three of them have a redundant middle syllable. Eight have been quoted in Pref. to vol. ii. pp. viii and ix; and to those instances the following may be added here, as calling for some remark : i. 2. 23. A soothsayer bids you | beware the ides of March. In the margin I have suggested the omission of "you," reading "soothsayer" as a dissyllable; but if the line be scanned as a trimeter couplet, this becomes unnecessary. ii. 2. 84. And these does she apply for warnings and portents. So the folio, rightly followed by the Variorum, Globe, and Leopold. But Dyce printed, "And these " as a separate line, for no object that I can see, except to get rid of the trimeter couplet. Unwilling to follow his arrangement, and yet misled by his example to aim at a line of ten syllables, I printed "And these she plies," &c. But though I still think that the use of the auxiliary in "does apply" is weak, and not well suited to the mouth of Cæsar, I believe it will be better to return to the original reading, the number of undoubted trimeter lines in this play being so large as I have found it is. Compare my remarks, above referred to, on ii. 4. 36, iii. 1. 1, and 2. 217 of this Play, in Pref. to vol. ii. iv. 3. 174. And died so? Even so. | O ye immortal gods! I am inclined to arrange and scan these words as a trimeter couplet, and with this view would suggest the slight transposition of " And so died?" as more harmonious; unless "died" is to be scanned as dissyllable, and "even as monosyllable. Ibid., 252. We will along ourselves | and meet them at Philippi. The folio makes here two unmetrical lines, printing "we'll along" at the end of the former. The Variorum, Dyce, Globe, and Leopold, all agree in correcting it by transferring "we'll along" to the beginning of the latter; scanning the words, I suppose, as an anapæst, and so making a ten-syllable line. I followed Dyce, as usual; but I confess I think it would be better to print "we'll" dissolutè, and so to obtain a trimeter couplet. Ibid., 315. Speak to me what thou art. | Thy evil spirit, Brutus. Again, by adopting a trimeter couplet, I think we arrive at a better arrangement of the words than that which I gave, as following Dyce and other editions, from the folio downwards. In Antony and Cleopatra trimeter couplets are scarcely less frequent than in Coriolanus. A few examples were quoted in the Pref. to vol. ii., of which the following may be noticed again :— Ant., iv. 14. 147. Lock'd in her monument. | She'd a prophetic fear. The common reading, derived from the folio, of the latter part of this line is "She had a prophesying fear." On the scansion see Abb., 505. Neither alternative which he offers appearing satisfactory, I altered it as above. I also notice here as requiring remark ii. 7. 86. And not have spoke on't! In me 'tis villany. So the folio, followed by Dyce, Globe, Leopold, &c.; but surely it would be better to print dissolutè, "spoke on it," and so include the line among trimeter couplets. iii. 11. 44. Go to him, madam; speak; he is unqualitied. This is another instance in which I think it would be better to retain the trimeter couplet rather than make "madam" a monosyllable (see my margin, and Walker, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 173), and scan "he is" with elision. Of the English Historical Plays, trimeter couplets occur most frequently in the Second and Third Parts of K. Henry 6, in K. Richard 3, and in K. Henry 8 ; in each of the other plays they are rarely found. The following examples require notice :— K. Rich. 2, ii. 4. 6. The king reposeth all his confidence in thee. It is difficult to account for "reposeth" (a word used nowhere else in Shakspeare in a transitive sense), when "puts" (a word at least equally good, and of frequent occurrence) would make an ordinary ten-syllable line; but such being the reading of all the editions, it ought to stand,—although in this play there are only, I think, two other instances of trimeter couplets. A similar remark may be made on K. Rich. 3, iii. 7. 113, in regard to the two words reprehend" and "chide;" but in that play, as I have said, trimeter couplets are much more frequent. K. Henr. 5, iv. 3. 35. For the best hope I have. | O! do not wish one more. I was tempted to alter this into "wish not one more;" but it would be better to recall the received reading,-though in this play also, I think, the trimeter couplets do not exceed three. K. Henr. 8, ii. 3. 15. She never had known pomp; though it be temporal. The folio makes this a ten-syllable line She ne'er had known pomp; though't be temporal. And so the Globe; but the Leopold gives only the contraction "ne'er," not "though't." Trimeter couplets are by no means so rare in this play as Walker appears to have supposed (see above, p. 457): I have noted upwards of twenty. Upon the whole, it will be seen from the foregoing statement that trimeter couplets are far too numerous not to be recognised as a legitimate element in Shakspeare's versification. Nevertheless, Steevens has condemned and altered them in several instances, as he says, metri causâ. Dyce has now and then shown an inclination to concur with him (see, e.g., K. Rich. 3, iii. 1. 39), especially by placing the first two syllables in a line by themselves, as if extra metrum (see, e.g., ibid., i. 3. 168); and Walker also, at least in regard to J. Cæs., ii. 1. 297, which he peremptorily orders to be writtenAnd talk t'you sometimes? Dwell I but i' th' suburbs. SeeCrit. Exam.,' i. 221. II. Apparent Alexandrines, not Trimeter Couplets. "An extra foot is scarcely ever admitted, except when it follows immediately after a pause on the latter syllable of the third foot," —that is, except in the case of trimeter couplets.-WALKER, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 101. But this is greatly over-stated. Compare Abb., 498, 499. And what has been said of trimeter couplets must be repeated respecting Alexandrines which are not such-viz., that they are far too numerous to justify any attempt to get rid of them as incon sistent with Shakspeare's scheme of versification. The following are examples:- iii. 2. 161. Cor., i. 1. 220. Shouting their emulation: What is granted them? J. Cæs., i. 2. 59. Ant., iii. 13. 231. K. Rich., 2, ii. 2. 25. iv. 1. 1. Call Bagot forth. Now, Bagot, freely speak your mind. 131. v. 4. 2. 3 K. Henr. 6, v. 2. 49. And he himself not present. O! forfend it, God! K. Rich. 3, iii. 7. 113. And that you come to reprehend my ignorance. In K. Henr. 8 I have noted not less than fifteen such Alexandrines, and not less than seventeen in Coriolanus. In the other plays of this series they are far less frequent. III.-Redundant Syllables in the body of the line. "An extra syllable is not admitted in the body of the line, except where it comes immediately after [qu. before?—see Abb., 454] a pause namely, a short extra-syllable after the fourth or sixth syllable of the line."-WALKER, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 101. See a list of such lines given in Pref. to vol. ii. p. xi, sq. This redundancy sometimes extends to two light and easily contracted syllables. See Walker, ibid., p. 274; Abb., 408. IV. "The trisyllabic termination of a line, which is so frequent. in the dramatists of a later age, occurs very seldom in Shakspeare. Most of the apparent instances are easily explained away."WALKER, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 272. Compare Abb., 458. V. "An exclamation, a form of address, or other word or short phrase, detached in point of construction from the sentence which it introduces, is frequently placed by itself, apart from the following line. I know not whether the collocation of elev, or peû, &c. &c., extra metrum, in the Greek tragedians, may be considered as an analogous case."-WALKER, 'Sh. Vers.,' p. 268. Compare Abb., 512, where they are called "interjectional lines." See my Pref. to vol. i. p. xxvii. Dyce has sometimes allowed of this licence (very questionably, as I must think) in cases where the words are not "detached |