Act V Sc. 1
“Hath Bolingbroke depos’d
Thine intellect? hath he been in thy heart?”
“For why, the senseless brands will sympathize
With the heavy accent of thy moving tongue.”
“And he shall think that thou, which knowest the way.”
“Sent back like Hallowmas, or shortest [of] day.”
As, on account of the rime, we must read ‘day,’ it is evident that ‘of’ is a superfluous addition made by the printers. We have just the same in Meas. for Meas. iv. 4, and elsewhere.
Sc. 2
“If God prevent me not, I purpose so.”
“Yea, lookest thou pale? Let me see the writing, sir.”
Sc. 3
“Thy overflow of good converts to bad.”
What follows might lead us to read ‘the bad.’
“But makes one pardon strong.—With all my heart
I pardon him.—A god on earth thou art.”
This natural—I might almost say inevitable—transposition did not escape Pope; yet many subsequent editors have clung faithfully to the old printers!
“Uncle, farewell, and, cousin mine, adieu.”
This addition of Collier’s folio is better than Theobald’s of too, which makes an unpleasant jingle.
Sc. 5
“My brain I’ll prove the female to my soul.”
It might be better to read will for ‘I’ll.’
“Against the Word, as thus: Come, little ones, and then again.”
The ‘and’ is most probably a printer’s addition.
“My thoughts are minutes, and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch.”
As this is nonsense, and ‘watches’ was evidently suggested by ‘watch,’ I read motions for ‘watches on.’ “To a minute, to a second; thou shalt set thy watch, and the bridegroom shall observe its motions” (Congreve, Love for Love, iii. 9).
“What art thou? and how camest thou in hither?”