Act III Sc. 3
“Save that they say the wars must make examples
Out of her best.”
There is an error either in ‘wars’ or in ‘her,’ and perhaps the simplest correction is to read war. For ‘her’ Rowe, who is usually followed, read their. Singer reads the.
“My lord, for aught I know....—What dost thou think?
Think, my lord?—Think, my lord! By Heaven he echoes me.”
“It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.”
This is the reading of the old copies. Southern and Hanmer read make for ‘mock,’ which appears to me to be indubitable; for this is the very thing which jealousy does—witness Ford and Leontes—while I cannot see how jealousy, which is given to anything rather than mockery, should mock its food. Singer and Dyce, however, retain ‘mock,’ but without giving any explanation.
“I slept the next night well, was free and merry.”
So the 4tos and the editors read; the folio inserts fed well after ‘well,’ which may be right, as six-foot lines abound in this play. With Singer I have therefore retained it.
“If it be that or any that was hers.”
Both 4to and folio read ‘it was hers’; the 2nd folio ‘if it was hers.’ It has been justly observed that the printer took yt (the abbreviation of that) for it.
“Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne’er keeps retiring ebb, but keeps due on.”
The first ‘keeps’ was plainly produced, in the usual way, by the second. Pope read feels, which was afterwards found in 4to 1630, and is now generally received. Southern had read knows, which seems equally good; and the same is the reading of Collier’s folio. I doubt much, however, if the original word was not makes, which I have given, corresponding with ‘keeps’ in not personifying. Feels is evidently a conjecture in 4to 1630, as well as by Pope, as having some resemblance to ‘keeps’; but in these cases no resemblance need be sought. (See Introd. p. 65.) For ‘icy’ Singer reads yesty, most needlessly.
Sc. 4
“A frank one.—You may, indeed, say so.”
I have given it in my Edition ‘A frank one too’; but no addition was necessary. I made an error for the sake of metre, and, I think, weakened the passage.
“Fetch me that handkerchief; my mind misgiving me....”
“For let our finger ache, and it indues
Our other healthful members even to that sense
Of pain.”
Perhaps the word the poet wrote was induces.