Chapter XXIII: Act IV

SC. 1. "And buy me another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me
into these perils."

Warburton read _mute_ for 'mule,' and I think he was right. We have "Turkish _mute_" (Hen. V. i. 2).

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"Inform _them_ on that.--So I will, sir.--
Till then I'll keep him dark and safely locked _up_."

In the first line Rowe read _'em_ for 'on.'

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SC. 2. "As you are now, for you are cold and stern."

Collier's folio reads _as stone_ for 'and stern,' which is very plausible.

"Who, moving others, are themselves _as stone_
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow."--Son. xciv.

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"To swear by him whom I profess to love,
That I will work against him."

I read _to_ for 'by,' in which I had been anticipated by Johnson, who was followed by Malone. 'Swear' naturally suggested 'by' to the printer's mind. (See on Macb. i. 5, R. and J. i. 1.)

"For what's more monstrous, more a prodigy,
Than to hear me protest truth of affection
Unto a person that I would dishonour?"
Jonson, New Inn, iii. 2.

The same sentiment is expressed in "Yes, as I love the woman that wrong'd him" (Meas. for Meas. ii. 3). In this speech of Diana's, Mr. Staunton would give 'Then pray you ... love you ill' to Bertram; but without any great advantage.

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"I see that men make ropes in such a scarre,
That we'll forsake ourselves."

This is evident nonsense. Rowe read _hopes_ and _affairs_ for 'ropes' and 'scarre'; and to this emendation, or Mitford's of _case_ for 'scarre,' I see no very serious objection. We have "make envy" (Hen. VIII. v. 2), "make doubt" (_Ib._), "make comfort" (Cymb. i. 2), "making practice" (Meas. for Meas. iii. 2). Why then object to "make hopes?" even though it is to be found nowhere else in Shakespeare. 'Scarre,' however, is probably right; in Lingua (i. 6) we have, "Poets will write whole volumes of this _scar_." It must be remembered that _scare_ was written _scarre_, and so as a substantive 'scarre' may be fright, alarm, flutter, perturbation. Finally, it is even possible that 'ropes' may be right, a line being lost; something of this sort: "_Of oaths and vows to scale our fort, in hope._"

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"Have the like oaths. He had sworn to marry me."

Here, as elsewhere, we have _has_ and _had_ confounded.

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SC. 3. "Merely our traitors, and, as in the common course of all
treasons, we still see them reveal themselves, till they
attain to their abhorred ends."

I think it would be better to read, as I have done, _is_ for 'in' (see on King John, iv. 2), and _conceal_ for 'reveal,' unless for the latter we should prefer reading _veil_. Perhaps also we might retain 'reveal,' and read _when_ for 'till.'

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"Is it not meant damnable in us to be trumpeters of our unlawful
intents?"

Malone's first thought was _most_ for 'meant.' Mr. Dyce proposes _mean and_; I think he is right, and have followed him. (See on Rom. and Jul. i. 3.)

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"If I were to live this present hour."

The context seems to require _die_, not 'live'; so here, as elsewhere, we may happen to have a substitution of the contrary term. (See Introd. p. 66.)

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"Or whether he thinks it were not possible."

This would seem to be one of the places where 'or' is for _and_.

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SC. 4. "Dear almost as his life; _for_ which gratitude."

Both sense and metre require this addition.

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"Our wagon is prepared, and time revives us."

As 'revives' seems to make no sense, we might read _reproves_, or rather _invites_. "The _time invites you_. Go." (Ham. i. 3.)

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SC. 5. "But sure he is the prince of the world."

For 'sure' we should, I think, read _since_.