October 11.
_Miching Mallecho._--The Writer of the review of _Urquhart's Travels_ in
the _Quart. Rev._ for March 1850, who is, in all probability, identical
with the author of the _Handbook of Spain_, felicitously suggests that
_Miching Mallecho_ is a mere misprint for the Spanish words _Mucho
Malhecho_, _much mischief_: _Hamlet_, iii. 2. Imagining that I had seen
this ingenious conjecture somewhere in print before, I referred to, and was
disappointed when I found it not in Knight's _Shakspeare_ (library ed.).
Recently, in looking over Dr. Maginn's admirable dissections of _Dr.
Farmer's Essay on the Learning of Shakspeare_, I discovered what I was in
search of, and beg to present it to the notice of your readers.
"That the text is corrupt, I am sure; and I think Dr. Farmer's
substitution of _mimicking malhecco_, a most unlucky attempt at
emendation. In the old copies it is _munching malicho_, in which we
find traces of the true reading, _mucho malhecho_, much mischief.
"'Marry, _mucho malhécho_--it means mischief.'"--_Fraser's Magazine_,
Dec. 1839, p. 654.