Chapter L: Act II

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.'

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"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.

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"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."

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"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!'

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"On his wife's frailty."

Theobald read _fealty_, Collier's folio has _fidelity_. I prefer the last; but I make no change.