Act II Sc. 2
“She took the ring of me; I’ll none of it.”
As it is evident from Malvolio’s reply that this was not what Viola said, the negative may have been omitted here, as in so many other places; Malone read ‘no ring.’ Singer retains the reading of the folio, saying that Viola fibs to “avoid betraying the weakness of Olivia to her steward.”
“That methought that her eyes had lost her tongue.”
The 2nd folio read ‘That sure methought.’
“Alas! our frailty is the cause, not we;
For such as we are made, if such we be.”
For ‘if,’ which is undoubtedly wrong, Tyrwhitt, followed by Steevens and others, read of, which would seem to be confirmed by,
“For we are soft, as our complexions are.”
M. for M. ii. 4.
“Such as our atoms were, even such are we.”
Dryden, Wife of Bath’s Tale.
I have printed my own conjecture e’en. Hanmer read ev’n, and yet Tyrrwhitt probably was right, frailty being meant.
“And I, poor monster, fond as much on him;
And she, mistaken, seems to doat on me.”
I quite agree with Mr. Dyce in reading As for ‘And’ in the second line. These words are confounded even at the present day.
Sc. 3
“I had such a leg; and so sweet a breath to sing.”
I suspect ‘leg’; for what has it to do here? and Sir Andrew had already praised his own leg.
Sc. 4
“Go seek him out, and play the tune the while.”
“More longing, wavering, sooner lost and worn.”
In Mer. of Ven. i. 4, the folio reads ‘well-worn thrift’ for the ‘well-won thrift’ of the 4to. Hanmer was therefore right in reading here won, the usual concomitant of ‘lost.’
“Give me now leave to leave thee.”
As it is the Clown that goes away, we should perhaps transpose the pronouns, ‘Give’ being I give. Mr. Dyce, however, says the text is right, it being “a courteous form of dismissal,” to which explanation I see no objection.
“It cannot be so answered.—Sooth, but you must.”
The reply proves that ‘It’ should be I, as Hanmer corrected.
Sc. 5
“Wind up my watch or play with my... some rich jewel.”
This punctuation of Mr. Collier’s is excellent.
“Though our silence be drawn from us with cars.”
For ‘cars we might perhaps read ‘car-' or ‘cart-ropes.’ In iii. 1. we have drawing with “oxen and wain-ropes.” Hanmer read by the ears, S. Walker racks.
“Her Cs, Us, and her Ts, and Ps! Why that?”
“Souter will cry upon it, for all this, though it be as rank as a fox.”
We should probably read ‘be not.’ Hanmer read ben’t.
“I will not give my part of this sport,” etc.
It might appear better to read would; but all is right.
“I will not lose the part I hope to share
In these his fortunes for my patrimony.”
Jonson, Sejanus, v. 10.