Act IV Sc. 1
“During all question of the gentle truce.”
If ‘question’ be genuine here it must mean intercourse, conversation, a sense of which I have met with no example.
“We’ll not commend what we intend to sell.”
In Son. xxi. we have, “I will not praise that purpose not to sell.” Hence some would add a negative here; but it is not necessary. He means that they would sell Helen dearly.
Sc. 2
“As infants empty of all thought.”
Editors read ‘infants’ in the genitive. In either case I think to has been omitted before it.
“Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays
As tediously as hell.”
No sense has been, or, I think, can be made of ‘venomous wights.’ I think ‘venomous’ must be an error.
“Good, good, my lord; the secrets of Nature have not
More gift in taciturnity than I.”
Sc. 4
“To shame the seal of my petition to thee
In praising her.”
We should read zeal, as is usually done.
Sc. 5
“No trumpet answers.—’Tis but early day[s].”
“That give a coasting welcome ere it comes.”
There can be little doubt, I think, that ‘coasting’ is a noun; and I regard it as the same as ‘costing by aphæresis from accosting.
“I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysses, thou.”—
Tyrwhitt’s conjecture, though for ‘thou,’ is a happy one, and should perhaps be admitted.
“Can scarce entreat you to be odd with him.”
Perhaps ‘odd,’ which is so unusual, should be at odds.