Act II Sc. 1
“What harm can your beesome conspectuities glean out of this character?”
Regarding ‘beesome’ as a corruption, the editors have all adopted Theobald’s reading, bisson, which occurs in Hamlet (ii. 2) in the sense of blinding. Mr. Singer, however, quotes from Huloet’s Dictionary “Blynde or Beasomborne, cæcigenus,” which proves the text to be right.
“For these in honour follows Coriolanus.”
“I have lived
To see inherited my very wishes,
And the buildings of my fancy * * *”
We might supply turn’d to sense.
“Whiles she chats of him. The kitchen malkin pins.”
“At some time when his soaring influence
Shall teach the people.”
There is perhaps an aposiopesis here; otherwise I should incline to read touch, as Mr. Knight and Collier’s folio also read.
“The blind to hear him speak. Matrons flung their gloves.”
Sc. 2
“We met here, both to thank and to remember.”
Editors in general read meet. I read ‘We are met.’
“We shall be blest to do, if he remember.”
Collier’s folio read prest, i.e. ready; but no change is needed. “And then we shall be bless’d To do your pleasure” (King John iii. 1). It is the same as happy of the present day.
“Alone he entered
The mortal gate of the city, which he painted
With shunless destiny.”
I do not see the meaning of ‘painted’ here. Perhaps the right word is parted, i.e. burst open, as it had been closed on him, i. 5. In Rom. and Jul. ii. 5 we have the same change of ar to ain.
Sc. 3
“Some brown, some black, some auburn.”
For ‘auburn’ the folio has abraham.
“The price of it is to ask it kindly.—Kindly?”
“Why in this woolvish tongue should I stand here.”
As, in Othello (i. 1), the folio reads “tongued consuls” for “toged consuls” of the 4to, editors here properly read toge for ‘tongue’; the 2nd folio has gown. As ‘woolvish’ offers very little sense, we should, with Collier’s folio, read woolless; for it has been already (ii. 1) termed “the napless vesture of humility.”
“I have seen and heard of; for your voices I
Have done many things, some less, some more. Your voices.”
“That our best water brought by conduits hither,
And nobly nam’d so, twïce being Censor.”
That a line has been lost here is beyond doubt. Pope, who is generally followed, added, “And Censorinus, darling of the people.” But as the words in North’s Plutarch are “so surnamed because the people had chosen him censor twice,” it might be better to read “And Censorinus, he that was so nam’d.”