NOTES.

NOTE I.

ACT I. SCENE I. The acts and scenes are marked throughout in the Folios, but not in the Quartos.

I. 1. 25-29.

NOTE II.

There is a curious example of careless printing here in

1. 1. 37. 'and tis our fast intent.' 'This,' says Warburton, 'is an interpolation of Mr Lewis Theobald, for want of knowing the meaning of the old reading in the Quarto of 1608, and first folio of 1623; where we find it—and 'tis our FIRST intent, which is as Shakespear wrote it.' Warburton's error was corrected by Johnson.

NOTE IV.

1. 1. 81-85. The reading given in the text is that of the Folios, except as otherwise stated in the foot notes. The first Quarto, which is followed, except in the spelling of a word or two, by the rest, has:

'but now our ioy,

Although the last, not least in our deere loue,

What can you say to win a third, more opulent
Then your sisters.'

Pope reads:

'Now our joy,

Although our last, not least; to whose young love,
The vines of France, and milk of Burgundy,
Strive to be int'rest: what say you to draw
A third, more opulent than your sisters? speak.'

Capell:

'Now, our joy,

Although the last, not least in our dear love,
What can you say, to win a third more opulent

Than your two sisters?'

Malone first gave the passage exactly as it stands in our text.

NOTE V.

I. 1. 115. This and other anonymous conjectures are found in MS. in an imperfect copy of the first Quarto of 1608, now in the British Museum (C. 34. k. 17). Besides those which we have quoted there are many others made by the MS. corrector which agree either with the other Quartos or with the Folios.

NOTE VI.

I. 1. 218. Hanmer, adopting Rowe's alteration, reads the whole passage thus:

'Sure th' offence

Must be of such unnatural degree,

As monsters it; or your fore-voucht affection
Could not fall into taint; which to believe

Of her must be a faith reason without

A miracle should never plant in me.'

The next lines he also alters thus:

Cor. I yet beseech your Majesty, (if so

I want that glib and oily art, to speak

And purpose not, since what I well intend,
I'll do't before I speak) that you make known &c.'

NOTE VII.

1. 4. 230-235. In this passage Rowe followed the Folios. Pope introduced some of the lines of the Quartos, making verse of them thus:

'Lear's shadow? I would learn, for by the marks

Of sovereignty, of knowledge, and of reason,

I should be false persuaded I had daughters.
Your name, fair gentlewoman?—

Theobald and Hanmer followed Pope. So did Warburton, except that in the second line he read 'Of sovereignty of knowledge, &c.' Johnson and Capell followed the Folios. Steevens in his edition of 1773 read as in the text, following Jennens, but in 1778 recurred to the reading of Pope: except that he transferredLear's shadow?' to the end of the previous line, and for 'learn' read 'learn that.' Mr Dyce, in his first edition, arranged lines 230-235 thus:

'Lear. I would learn that; for by the marks of sovereignty, Knowledge, and reason,

I should be false persuaded I had daughters.'

In his second edition, following Sidney Walker, he reads:
'Lear. I would learn that; for, by the marks of sovereignty,
Knowledge, and reason, I should be false-persuaded

I had daughters.'

Mr Staunton reads 'I would... reason' as prose, and the next line as verse. He suggests that "possibly the meaning may be restored by simply omitting the comma after sovereignty, 'by the marks of sovereignty knowledge and reason,' i.e. of supreme or sovereign knowledge, &c.” In this he follows Warburton. But his later conjecture in his Addenda is that for 'Of sovereignty, of knowledge' we should read 'Of sovereignly knowledge.' Mr Keightley, adopting some of the readings of the Quartos, arranges the whole passage as follows:

'Lear. Does any here know me?-Why, this is not Lear.

Does Lear walk thus? speak thus? Where are his eyes?
Either his notion weakens, or his discernings

Are lethargied.-Sleeping or waking?-Ha!
Sure 'tis not so.-Who is it that can tell me
Who I am?

Fool. Lear.

Lear's shadow,

I would learn that; for by

The marks of sovereignty, knowledge, and reason,
I should be false persuaded I had daughters.'

Becket proposes:

'Who is it that can tell me who I am?

Lear's shadow? I would learn that; for by the marks
Of sov'reignty, I should be false persuaded.-

Of knowledge and of reason I had daughters.'

I. 4. 344.

NOTE VIII.

In the imperfect copy of Q, in the British Museum 'attaskt for' was the original reading, but the first two letters of the word have been erased. In II. 1. 123, 'lest,' the original reading, has been altered

to 'best.'

NOTE IX.

II. 1. 76. We take this opportunity of stating that we have not thought it worth while, either in this play or in Hamlet, to notice the few inaccuracies which occur in Steevens's reprints.

NOTE X.

II. 2. 40. stage-direction.

Mr Dyce first suggested that 'Part' was intended as a

II. 2. 136-142. others, reads here:

NOTE XI.

The first Quarto, followed substantially by the

'His fault is much, and the good King his maister
Will check him for 't, your purpost low correction
Is such, as basest and temnest wretches for pilfrings
And most common trespasses are punisht with,

The King must take it ill, that hee's so slightly valued.
In his messenger, should haue him thus restrained.'

The Folios have only the following lines:

'The King his Master, needs must take it ill
That he so slightly valued in his Messenger,

Should haue him thus restrained.'

In the last line the fourth Folio reads 'this' for 'thus.' Rowe followed the Folios. Pope first introduced the lines from the Quartos, and gave the arrangement adopted in our text. In the third and the last lines he introduced readings which we have given in the foot-notes. The passage was first given in Capell's edition as it actually stands in

our text.

NOTE XII.

II. 2. 163. The first Quarto here reads:

'Of my obscured course, and shall find time
From this enormious state, seeking to giue
Losses their remedies, all wearie &c.'

The other Quartos differ only in spelling. The first Folio, followed substantially by the rest, has:

'Of my obscured course. And shall finde time

From this enormous State, seeking to giue
Losses their remedies.

Rowe reads:

'Of my obscured course.

All weary &c.'

I shall find time

For this enormous State, and seek to give

Losses their Remedies. All weary &c.'

Pope followed him, but restored 'From' in the second line, and this reading was silently adopted by Theobald and Warburton, and by Hanmer in his margin. Johnson thinks the passage very obscure if not corrupt. Jennens (1770) prints it as follows:

'Of my obscured course-and shall find time
From this enormous state-seeking to give
Losses their remedies.-All weary &c.'

[Reading parts

of the letter.

Steevens (1773) gives as his own conjecture what Jennens had already published.

Malone suggests that two half lines have been lost between 'state' and 'seeking.'

Singer (ed. 1) read thus:

'Of my obscured course; and shall find time
From this enormous state,-seeking,-to give
Losses their remedies:-
-All weary &c.'

VOL. VIII.

14