Part 3 / Act 1 — Act I.
Reading edition
Sc. 1.
"Our bloods No more obey the heavens than our courtiers Still seem as doth the king's."
Tyrwhitt read 'king'; Coleridge countenances for 'courtiers.' It is better to suppose a word effaced at the end of the second line; so I add faces. A few lines lower they are said to 'wear their faces to the bent of the kings looks.'
"Mais ceux qui de la cour ont un plus long usage, Sur les yeux de César composent leur visage."
Racine, Britan. v. 5.
"To his mistress, For whom he now is banish'd ... her own price."
Sc. 2.
"My residence at Rome's at one Philario's."
"And sear up my embracements from a next With bonds of death."
I approve of Singer's seal; there is no agreement between 'sear,' i.e. burn, and 'bonds.'
"Remain thou there While sense can keep it on."
I cannot avoid agreeing with those who read thee for 'it.'
"That should'st repair my youth, thou heapest A year's age on me."
Metre requires a foot in the first line. Capell added instead. I prefer many, which gives sense to 'A year's age.'
"I pray you speak with me. You shall at least."
Sc. 3.
"It went out o' the backside o' the town."
Sc. 4.
"'Twere a paper lost, As offer'd mercy is.... What was the last That he spake to thee?"
It is only thus that I can give sense to the second line.
"O senseless linen, happier therein than I!"
"As he could make me with his eye or ear Distinguish him from others."
I read the, which is so often confounded with 'his.' Warburton, who is generally followed, read this.
Sc. 5.
"A beggar without less quality."
Rowe read more, which alone gives sense.
"Have confounded one the other or have fallen both."
We should apparently read here and for 'or.'
"If I offend not to say it is mended."
All agree in adding not, which is not in the folio.
"I could but believe she excelled many."
The folio has not for 'but'; the correction is Heath's.
"Or if there were wealth enough for the purchase, or merit."
I think the editors right in omitting the first 'or.'
Sc. 6.
"But though slow, deadly.—I wonder, doctor, that."
"Think on my words.—And so shall do."
Sc. 7.
"As my two brothers, happy!" etc.
Mr. Staunton arranges this passage thus, which is most certainly an improvement (See on Tr. and Cr. iii. 3):—
"As my two brothers, happy! Blessed be those, How mean soever, that have their honest wills, Which seasons comfort; but most miserable Is the desire that's glorious," etc.
I regret that I did not recollect this correction when printing my Edition, as I should probably have adopted it.
"Change you, madam; The worthy Leonatus is in safety."
This is the punctuation of the folio, which I have retained, with (;) for (:); the usual punctuation is (?) Imogen is agitated at the announcement, and to reassure her, Iachimo says—subjoining the reason—'Change you,' like look you, hark you, soft you. The interrogation, however, may be right.
"According as you value your trust Leonatus."
Hanmer read truest. We might also read trusty.
"Which can distinguish The fiery orbs above and the twinn'd stones Upon the number'd beach."
Theobald, I think, was right in reading 'unnumber'd.'
"The murmuring surge That on the unnumbered idle pebbles chafes."
Lear, iv. 6.
The joining it with 'beach' seems an instance of the figure called Hypallage. The stones are called 'twinn'd' from their resemblance to each other.
"Beseech you, sir, desire my man's abode Where I did leave him. He is strange and peevish."
I think 'desire' should be enquire.
"Join gripes with hands Made hard with hourly falsehood—with falsehood as With labour—then by peeping in an eye Base and illustrious," etc.
Some critics read 'by-peeping'; but then a verb is wanting. We might for 'by' read be, or, with Johnson, lie; but I rather suspect the poet's word was bide; for 'bide peeping' would be pronounced 'bi peeping,' and the printer went by his ear (see Introd. p. 52). A most unhappy conjecture, though adopted and greatly admired by Mr. Collier, is that of his folio 'bo-peeping'; for there is no such verb. 'Illustrous' may be the right word, but Rowe's 'unlustrous' has been generally adopted.
"With diseased ventures That play with all infirmities for gold Which rottenness can lend nature."
This supposes the diseases to be not in them, but in those who come to them, which seems contrary to the course of Iachimo's reasoning. Perhaps we should read pay for 'play.'
"In this sty, where since I came, Diseases have been sold, dearer than physic."
Per. iv. 6.
We might perhaps also make a transposition in the second line, and read "That play for gold," etc., i.e. stake their diseases against gold.
"Of rich and exquisite form. Their values great."
I should prefer to read 'value's.'