Chapter LXIX: Act III

SC. 1. "Point to rich ends. This my mean task
Would be as heavy to me, as odious; but."

The first line here is short, which it should not be, as it does not begin or end a paragraph. (See Introd. p. 82.) We should therefore arrange thus:

"Point to rich ends. This my mean task would be
As heavy to me as '_tis_ odious; but."

It is very remarkable that I never noticed this until after my Edition had been printed. However, I rectified it in the corrections.

* * * * *

"But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,
Most busy, lest when I do it...."

This punctuation removes all difficulty. The entrance of Miranda causes him to break off.

* * * * *

"So perfect and so peerless are created."

The folio reads _peetiesse_. It escaped the Camb. editors.

* * * * *

"And would no more endure
This wooden slavery, than to suffer
The flesh-fly blow my mouth."

Though, as Malone has shown, this construction is quite correct, still, as Pope also saw, the metre demands 'than _I would_ suffer.' In the Maid's Tragedy (iv. 2) we have

"'Tis fit an old man and a counsellor
To fight for what he says,"

where we must either read 'fit _for_,' or '_should_ fight,' to make any sense.

* * * * *

"Beyond all limit of what's else in the world."

* * * * *

"Much business appertaining _to my project_."

"Now does _my project_ gather to a head."--v. 1.

* * * * *

SC. 2. "As you like this give me the lie another time."

Perhaps for 'As' we should read _An_.

* * * * *

"_Trin._ Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano."

The first sentence here belongs, I think, to Stephano's last speech. See on As You Like it, ii. 1.

* * * * *

SC. 3. "If I should say I saw such islanders."

The folio has 'islands.' So in the Queen of Corinth (iii. 1), "Our neighbour islands would make of us." In both places sense and metre alike require _islanders_.

* * * * *

"I cannot too much muse ...
Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing--
Although they want the use of tongue--a kind
Of excellent dumb discourse."

* * * * *

"They vanished strangely.--'_Tis_ no matter, since."

* * * * *

"Each putter out of five for one."

We should perhaps read _on_ for 'of'; or, with Thirlby and Malone, transpose 'five' and 'one,' of which both Gifford and Dyce approved. Yet it may be that no change is necessary, for _of_ and _on_ are constantly used interchangeably, and _o_' stands for both. The 'of' of the text may, however, have been caused by the initial letter of the following word.

* * * * *

"I will stand to and feed," etc.

Mason arranged thus:--

"I will stand to and feed, although my last.
No matter, since I feel the best is past.
Brother, my lord the duke, stand to and do as we."

Mr. Dyce properly rejects this arrangement, but on the last line he observes "They cannot with any propriety be reduced to a single line." Was Mr. Dyce unaware of the existence of six-foot lines in these plays? The true reason for rejecting this arrangement is, that in this play Shakespeare does not employ couplets.

* * * * *

"Hath caused to belch you up, and on this island."

The first folio has 'up you'; the necessary and obvious transposition was made in the fourth. Some editors, most unjustifiably, throw out 'you.'

* * * * *

"One dowle that's in my plume."

For 'dowle' I read with confidence _down_, believing it to be a printer's error for _dowlne_, a mode of spelling _down_:

"There lies a _dowlney_ feather, which stirs not.
Did he suspire, that light and weightless _dowlne_
Perforce must move."
2 Hen. IV. iv. 2, _fol._

Singer refers to dictionaries, etc., of the 17th century for the use of _dowle_; but they all probably found it only in this place.