The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-16 00:00:00

PERIODICALS.

The North British Review. W. P. Kennedy—Continental
Economy. C. Layzell— The Train. Groornbridge The
Monthly Review. J. Mitchell—The St. James's Medley.
No. 7. J. Mitchell—Tait's Edinburgh Magazine. Partridge
and Co.— The Churchman's Magazine. Harrison—Royal
Gallery of Art. Colnagbi and Co.—The Art Journal. Virtue
and Co.—Sharpe's London Magazine. Virtue and Co.—
London University Magazine. Hall and Virtue—North
Wales ; or, Venedotia. Hardwicke—Church of England
Monthly Review. Simpkin and Marshall—The Ifreet of
Scotland Magazine. Hall and Virtue—The London
Monthly Review. Partridge—The British Soldier, No. 1.
Orr and Co.--The United Church Journal. Seeley and
Jackson.

787

TEXT OF SHAKESPEARE.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

Sir,—Some of the proposed new readings of
Shakespeare would seem rather desecrations than
improvements. Thus, King John, act iii. sc. 3

If the midnight bell
Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
Sound on, into the drowsy race of night.
i.e., should continue to sound on throughout the
drowsy course of night, which, Warburton and Black-
wood notwithstanding, is not improved by substitu-
ting " one" for " on," and " ear" for " race" or
course of night, which need no emendation.
Nor does the " difficulty " seem so " insuperable "
as Blackwood (Sept. 1854) declares it in the passage
from act iv. sc. 2 :

And more, more strong (when leaser is my fear)
I shall endue you with—
in which King John simply intimates that he has
other and stronger reasons for the " double corona-
tion " which he dare not yet mention, but will after-
wards explain.
Richard 11., act ii. sc. 3 :
Frighting he palefaced villagers with war,
Aod ostentation of despised arms.
Despised seems here equivalent to dreaded, i.e.,
dreaded of the terrified villagers, and not, as sug-
gested, because his arms and forces were " utterly
despicable" in York's "estimation." The expression
" despised arms " is so peculiarly Shakespearian that
it would be little less than an impiety to touch it.
First Part Henry IV., act iii. sc. i. :
which thou pourest down from those
Swelling heavens,
i.e., overflowing heavens, or overflowing eyes, which
scarce needs the proposed emendation of "welling
heavens."

Neither does the editor's proposed substitution of
the word " through " for "though," in the passage
from act i. sc. 2 of Henry V., seem desirable :
For Government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into p arts, doth keep in one consent,

. .
Congruing, &c.,
i.e., that Government, although necessarily divided
into departments of " high, and low, and lower," &c.
It seems strange that a doubt should have arisen
about the simple passage, act v. sc. 2, Henry VIII.—
But we are all men—
In our natures frail ; and capable
Of our flesh ; few are angels—
which obviously means we are all iu our natures
frail, and capable of fleshly de,ires—subj-ct to the
flesh—Malone, Monck Mason, and Blackwood not•
withstanding !
Neither can I agree with Blackwood that the emen-
dation, if such it be, of " thirst complaint" for "first
complaint," in the speech of Menenius (Cortolanus,
act ii. sc. i.), "ought, beyond a doubt, to be promoted
into the text "

Meneniu4. lam known to be a humorous patrician, and
one that loves a cup of hot wine with not a drop of alloying
Tiber in it; said to be something imperfect in favoring
the first complaint.•

The "first complaint" is that he is " a humorous pa-
trician ;" the second that he "loves a cup of hot
wine ;" and, as water is " said to be something im-
perfect in favoring " humour, the "first complaint,"
he wiil have nothing to do with diluting Tiber.
The "difficulty in the admirable verses in which
the whole city is described as turning out " is not
satisfactorily disposed of by Blackwood, in supposing
the nurse to " make Cori ,lanes the subject of her
gabble ":

Your prattling nurse
Into a rapture lets her baby cry
While she chats him.
"Chats " is not " gabble," as the editor implies, but
from the French verb " chasser," to cha'e, or run
after—" Elle le chasse," she chats, or runs after him.
Nor in the couplet (act iii. so. 1), can I agree with
the editor and Mr. Singer in substituting " imp" for
"jump :"

To jump a body with a dangerous physic
That's sure of death without it;
which seems to mean that where death is obviously
inevitable 'tis absurd to cram the patient with physic.
Aud in the passage, act v. sc. 5,
In mine own person, holp to reap the famo

Which he did end all his,
the introduction of " ear " instead of " end " seems
equally objectionable; the obvious meaning of
Autidius being that Coriolanus had in the end appro-
priated to himself alone the fame which ought to
have been divided between them.

It would be mere desecration to adopt either or
any of the emendations suggested the passage
from Romeo and Juliet (act i. sc. 1), which is perfect
as it is—

From Love's weak cbildish bow she lives uncharmed.
44 Unonchanted," not "disenchanted," as suggested
by Blackwood, and which would imply that she had

• " No sense can be extraoted from this," says Blackwood, " by
any procees of distillation."

7gB

been charmed, or enchanted; whereas the passage
distinctly declares " Love's weak childish bow "
powerless to wound, or charm, her.
Act v. sc. I:
If may trust thefiattering truth of sleep,

4‘ ought (as Blackwood suggests) to stand as it is,"
but rather as referring to the doubtful truth of pro-
verbially fallacious dreams, than to the "pleasing
truth promised by them."
Timon, act i. sc. 1:
Of the many emendations of the speech of Ape-
magus,

That I had no angry wit to be a lord,

that of Dr. Johnson approaches nearest the truth ;
but the text is peeect as it stands—viz., that he
would hate himself for the deficiency of angry wit
that made him fit for a lord,—i.e., for bring so stupid
s to give him a just claim to a peerage
Act ii. Sc. 2 :
It assuredly "would not be safe to alter the
text" of

Ire did behave his anger, ere 'twas spent,
As it he did but prove an argument,
which simply implies that he so controlled or shaped
the expressiun of his anger as to give it the tone of
argument.
Macbeth, act i. sc. 4:—

Would thou hadst less deserved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine.
Which Blackwood explains to mean " that the
larger share, both of thanks and payment, might
have come from my side." But the king obviously
intimates that Macbeth's services were beyond pay-
ment ; and flatteringly wishes his merits les', that it
might be in his power adequately to reward them.
Nor does the dialogue, sc. 7, seem " a case of great
doubt and difficulty "

I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do
more, is none.
Lady M. What beast was't then?
Macbeth clearly means that who dares do more than
may become a man, is less than man,—as shown by
Lady Alacbeth's prompt rejoinder, " What beast
was't then, that made you break the enterprise to
me ?" on a former occasion.

Macbeth's meaning, act. iii. sc. 4
Dare me to the desert with thy sword :
It' trembling I enhibit, then protest me
The baby of a girl—
if, trembling, I forbid or reject your challenge, then
protest me, &c., is so obvious, that it is only wonder-
ful how emendations such as " inhabit " and
"exhibit" could ever have been dreamt of.
And the text act iv. so. 3
All the particulars of vice so grafted,
That when they shall be open'd, black Macbeth
Shall seem as pure as snow—
would surely be spoiled by the proposed substitution
of " ripened" for " open'd "—made known, or ex-
posed to view, as the opening bud of the graft.
Ard, lastly, the line, of Othello, act i. sc. 1, which,
according to Blackwood, " has baffled all mankind,"
and "sail stands the opprobrium criticorum,"

A fellow almost damned in a fair wife,

Reems, obviously, to refer to the report of Cassio's
intended marriage with the fair but frail Bianca,—a
fellow almost, or on the point of being, damned, or
of damning himself, by a disreputable marriage !
G. It.
14, St. James's-square, Aug. 7, 1856.