Act III Sc. 1
“Let your Highness’
Command be upon me, to the which my duties,” etc.
This insertion removes all difficulty very simply. Be is omitted constantly.
“Till supper-time alone; while then God be with you.”
This line cannot be as the poet wrote it, for the metric accents fall on ‘be’ and ‘you.’ We might read good bye, but it would be somewhat too familiar. On the whole, I think that mean has been omitted before ‘while.’ By supplying it, the language becomes dignified and king-like. See Index s. v. While.
“To make them kings, the seed[s] of Banquo kings!
Rather than so come Fate into the lists.”
“Now, if you have a station in the file,
Not in the most worst rank of manhood, say it.”
A syllable is wanting; we have “most worst” in Winter’s Tale, iii. 2, and double comparatives and superlatives are common.
Sc. 2
“Whom we to gain our peace have sent to peace.”
The first ‘peace’ was probably suggested, in the usual manner, by the second. We might read seat, or some such word (see Introd. p. 64). The 2nd folio has place.
“Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond.”
We should read band, riming with ‘hand.’
“Light thickness and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood. * * *”
We might add, on earth below. We have, “In all designs begun on earth below” (Tr. and Cr. i. 3).
“Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”
It might be better to read ‘themselves strong.’
Sc. 4
“’Tis better thee without than he within.”
The ‘he’ had better probably be him.
“We’ll hear thee ourselves again.”
“If trembling I inhabit, then protest me
The baby of a girl.”
Neither ‘inhabit’ nor Pope’s ‘inhibit’ makes sense. I would read evitate it. “Since therein she doth evitate and shun” (Mer. Wives, v. 5; Introd. p. 67). The printer might easily make inhab of evitate badly written. We might also read evade or avoid it. ‘Baby’ is doll.
“I hear it by the way; but I will send.”
We should of course read ‘heard.’
Sc. 6
“Who cannot want the thought how monsterous,” etc.
This is evident nonsense; “yet,” says Mr. Dyce, “I believe the text is not corrupt. Shakespeare was sometimes incorrect in these minutiæ.” Shakespeare, however, never wrote nonsense; and if we read We for ‘Who,’ we have the very word he wrote, and most excellent sense.
“Is gone to pray the holy king [up]on his aid.”
“Hath so exasperate their king that he.”
For ‘their’ we must of course read the.