Comedies
Comedy of Errors
Act I Sc. 1
“Yet that the world may witness that my end
Was wrought by Nature, not by vile offence.”
It was surely wrought by Fortune rather than by Nature, and so the poet may have written it. Collier’s folio makes the same correction.
“And by me, had not oür hope been bad.”
The editor of 2nd folio read ‘me too,’ not being aware of the dissyllabic form of ‘our.’
“A poor mean woman was delivered.”
The editor of 2nd folio added poor, which was probably the poet’s word.
“Unwilling I agreed. Alas! too soon
We came aboard * * * * * *
A league from Epidamnum had we sail’d.”
We might supply ‘our ship. Somewhat more than.’
“Which being violently borne upon,
Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst.”
It was the mast, not the ship; but the text is probably as the poet wrote it.
“At length another ship had seiz’d on us.”
We should surely read ‘the other.’
“That by misfortune was my life prolong’d.”
It might be better to read Thus for ‘That.’
“That his attendant—for his case was like.”
For ‘for,’ the judicious correction of 2nd folio, the 1st has so.—See on L. L. L. i. 1; 1 Hen. IV. i. 3.
“To seek thy help by beneficial help.”
See Introd. p. 61. For the first ‘help,’ Pope read life; I read ransom, a word already used by the Duke. If the error should be in the second ‘help,’ we might, with Malone, read means; which, however, is rather feeble.
“And live, if no thou then art doom’d to die.”
For ‘no’ we should surely, with Rowe, read not.
Sc. 2
“Who falling there to find his fellow forth.”
Mr. Barron Field proposed failing, which may be right.
“Methinks your maw, like mine, should be your clock,
And strike you home without a messenger.”
‘Clock’ is Pope’s correction for cook of the folio, which, however, may be right after all; for the cook used to strike on the dresser to give notice that the dinner was ready.