Sure her offence
Must be of such unnatural degree,
That monsters it: or your fore-vouch'd affection
Fall into taint]
The common books read,
--or your fore-vouch'd affection
Fall'n into taint:--
This line has no clear or strong sense, nor is this reading authorized
by any copy, though it has crept into all the late editions. The early
quarto reads,
--or you for vouch'd affections
Fall'n into taint.--
The folio,
--or your fore-vouch'd affection
Fall into taint.--
_Taint_ is used for _corruption_ and for _disgrace_. If therefore we
take the oldest reading it may be reformed thus:
--sure her offence
Must be of such unnatural degree,
That monsters it; or you for vouch'd affection
Fall into taint.
Her offence must be prodigious, or _you_ must _fal1 into reproach_ for
having _vouched affection_ which you did not feel. If the reading of the
folio be preferred, we may with a very slight change produce the same
sense:
--sure her offence
Must be of such unnatural degree,
That monsters it, or your fore-vouch'd affection
_Falls_ into taint.--
That is, _falls into reproach_ or _censure_. But there is another
possible sense. _Or_ signifies _before_, and _or ever_ is _before ever_;
the meaning in the folio may therefore be, _Sure her crime must be
monstrous_ before _your affection can be affected with hatred_. Let the
reader determine.--As I am not much a friend to conjectural emendation,
I should prefer the latter sense, which requires no change of reading.
I.i.243 (325,3) from the intire point] _Intire_, for right, true. WARB.]
Rather, single, unmixed with other considerations.
I.i.264 (326,5) Thou losest here, better where to find] _Here_ and
_where_ have the power of nouns. Thou losest this residence to find a
better residence in another place.
I.i.282 (326,6) And well are worth the want that you have wanted] [This
I take to be the poet's meaning, stript of the jingle which makes it
dark: "You well deserve to meet with that _want_ of love from your
husband, which you have professed to _want_ for our father." THEOBALD.]
[W: have vaunted] I think the common reading very suitable to the manner
of our author, and well enough explained by Theobald.
I.i.283 (327,7) plaited cunning] i.e. _complicated, involved_ cunning.
(1773)
I.ii.3 (328,2) Stand in the plague of custom] The word _plague_ is in
all the copies; I can scarcely think it right, nor can I yet reconcile
myself to the emendation proposed, though I have nothing better to offer
[Warburton had proposed _plage_].
I.ii.21 (330,7) Shall be the legitimate] [Hanmer: toe th'] Hanmer's
emendation will appear very plausible to him that shall consult the
original reading. Butter's quarto reads,
--Edmund the base
Shall _tooth'_ legitimate.--
The folio,
--Edmund the base
Shall _to th'_ legitimate.--
Hanmer, therefore, could hardly be charged with coining a word, though
his explanation may be doubted. To _toe_ him, is perhaps to _kick_ him
_out_, a phrase yet in vulgar use; or, to _toe_, may be literally to
_supplant_. The word _be_ has no authority.
I.ii.24 (331,1) subscrib'd his power!] To subscribe, is, to transfer by
signing or _subscribing_ a writing of testimony. We now use the term, He
_subscribed_ forty pounds to the new building.
I.ii.25 (331,2) Confin'd to exhibition!] Is _allowance_. The term is yet
used in the universities.
I.ii.25 (331,3) All this done/Upon the gad!] So the old copies; the
later editions read,
--All _is gone_
Upon the gad!--
which, besides that it is unauthorized, is less proper. _To_ do upon the
_gad_, is, to act by the sudden stimulation of caprice, as cattle run
madding when they are stung by the gad fly.
I.ii.47 (332,4) taste of my virtue] Though _taste_ may stand in this
place, yet I believe we should read, _assay_ or _test_ of my virtue:
they are both metallurgical terms, and properly joined. So in Hamlet,
Bring me to the _test_.
I.ii.51 (323,6) idle and fond] Weak and foolish.
I.ii.95 (333,7) pretence] _Pretence_ is design, purpose. So afterwards
in this play,
_Pretence_ and purpose of unkindness.
I.ii.106 (333,8) wind me into him] I once thought it should be read,
_you_ into him; but, perhaps, it is a familiar phrase, like _do me
this_.
I.ii.107 (333,9) I would unstate myself to be in a due resolution] [i.e.
I will throw aside all consideration of my relation to him, that I may
act as justice requires. WARBURTON.] Such is this learned man's
explanation. I take the meaning to be rather this, _Do you frame the
business_, who can act with less emotion; _I would unstate myself_; it
would in me be a departure from the paternal character, _to be in a due
resolution_, to be settled and composed on such an occasion. The words
_would_ and _should_ are in old language often confounded.
I.ii.l09 (334,1) convey the business] [_Convey_, for introduce. WARB.]
To _convey_ is rather to _carry through_ than to introduce; in this
place it is to _manage artfully_: we say of a juggler, that he has a
clean _conveyance_.
I.ii.112 (334,2) These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good
to us: tho' the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature
finds itself scourg'd by the frequent effects] That is, though natural
philosophy can give account of eclipses, yet we feel their consequences.
I.ii.156 (338,8) I promise you, the effects he writes of, succeed
unhappily] The folio edition commonly differs from the first quarto, by
augmentations or insertions, but in this place it varies by omission,
and by the omission of something which naturally introduces the
following dialogue. It is easy to remark, that in this speech, which
ought, I think, to be inserted as it now is in the text, Edmund, with
the common craft of fortune-tellers, mingles the past and future, and
tells of the future only what he already foreknows by confederacy, or
can attain by probable conjecture. (see 1765, VI, 27, 6)
I.ii.178 (339,1) that with the mischief of your person it would scarcely
allay] This reading is in both copies; yet I believe the author gave it,
_that_ but _with the mischief_ of your person it would scarce allay.
I.iii.19 (341,2) Old fools are babes again; and must be us'd/ With
checks, as flatteries when they are seen abus'd] These lines hardly
deserve a note, though Mr. Theobald thinks them _very fine_. Whether
_fools_ or _folks_ should be read is not worth enquiry. The controverted
line is yet in the old quarto, not as the editors represent it, but
thus:
With checks as flatteries when they are seen abus'd.
I am in doubt whether there is any error of transcription. The sense
seems to be this: _Old men must be treated with checks_, when as _they
are seen to be deceived with flatteries_: or, _when they are weak enough
to be_ seen abused by flatteries, they are then weak enough to be _used
with checks_. There is a play of the words _used_ and _abused_. To
_abuse_ is, in our author, very frequently the same as to _deceive_.
This construction is harsh and ungrammatical; Shakespeare perhaps
thought it vicious, and chose to throw away the lines rather than
correct them, nor would now thank the officiousness of his editors, who
restore what they do not understand.
I.iv.118 (347,5) Would I had two coxcombs, and two daughters] Two fools
caps, intended, as it seems, to mark double folly in the man that gives
all to his daughters.
I.iv.133 (347,7) Lend less than thou owest] That is, _do not lend all
that thou hast_. To _owe_, in old English, is _to possess_. If _owe_ be
taken for _to be in debt_, the more prudent precept would be, Lend
_more_ than thou owest.
I.iv.153-170 (348,9) This dialogue, from _No, lad; teach me_, down to,
_Give me an egg_, was restored from the first edition by Mr. Theobald.
It is omitted in the folio, perhaps for political reasons, as it seemed
to censure monopolies.
I.iv.181 (349,2) Fools ne'er had less grace in a year] There never was a
time when fools were less in favour; and the reason is, that they were
never so little wanted, for wise men now supply their place. Such I
think is the meaning. The old edition has _wit_ for _grace_.
I.iv.219 (350,5) That's a sheal'd peascod] i.e. Now a mere husk, which
contains nothing. The outside of a king remains, but all the intrinsic
parts of royalty are gone: he has nothing to give. (1773)
I.iv.245 (351,3) Whoop, Jug] There are in the fool's speeches several
passages which seem to be proverbial allusions, perhaps not now to be
understood.
I.iv.256 (352,1) _Fool_. Which they will make an obedient father] [This
line I have restored from the quarto. STEEVENS] This note [Tyrwhitt's,
quoted by Steevens] is written with confidence disproportionate to the
conviction which it can bring. Lear might as well know by the marks and
tokens arising from sovereignty, knowledge, and reason, that he had or
had not daughters, as he could know by any thing else. But, says he, if
I judge by these tokens, I find the persuasion false by which I long
thought myself the father of daughters. (1773)
I.iv.302 (355,7) from her derogate body] [_Derogate_ for _unnatural_.
WARB.] Rather, I think, _degraded; blasted_.