Act 2 — Act II.
Reading edition
Sc. 1.
"What! have I scaped love-letters in the holiday-time of my beauty?"
I is the insertion of the 2nd folio; and is perhaps not absolutely necessary, as we might put a (!) after 'beauty.'
"For though Love use Reason as his precision."
For 'precision,' which gives but poor sense, we should adopt, as I have done, Johnson's conjecture, physician:
"My reason the physician to my love." Son. cxlvii.
"I'll exhibit a bill in Parliament for the putting down of men."
Theobald's reading, 'fat men' has been generally and properly adopted. There is a similar omission of fat in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 2. In the 4to she says, "Well, I shall trust fat men the worse while I live for his sake."
"Will you go, An-heires?"
This is mere nonsense. Boaden's conjecture, Cavalieres, adopted by Singer and myself, seems to be very good; it might easily, with a little effacement, have been mistaken by the printer. We might also, and still better I think, read on heróes, as this last word was thus pronounced at times by Spenser, Chapman, and others; and we have, "Noble heróes, my sword and yours are kin" (All's Well, ii. 1). The metre excludes héroes. Theobald, followed by Dyce, read mynheers, not a Shakespearian term; Steevens on hearts; Malone and hear us. The reading of the 4tos is 'Bully Hector!'
"On his wife's frailty."
Theobald read fealty, Collier's folio has fidelity. I prefer the last; but I make no change.