"Which challenges itself as honours born,
"And is not like the fire. Honours thrive," &c.

This editor, not knowing that fire was used as a diffyllable reads:

"And is not like the fire. Honours best thrive," &c.

So, in King Henry VI. P. I:

"Rescued is Orleans from the English."

Not knowing that English was used as a trifyllable, he has completed the line, which he supposed defective, according to his own fancy, and reads:

"Rescu'd is Orleans from the English wolves."

The same play furnishes us with various other proofs of his ignorance of our poet's metre. Thus,

instead of

"Orleans the bastard, Charles, Burgundy,-"

he has printed (not knowing that Charles was used as a word of two syllables,)

"Orleans the bastard, Charles, and Burgundy."

So, instead of the original reading,

"Divinest creature, Astræa's daughter,-"

(Aftræa being used as a word of three syllables,) he has printed

"Divineft creature, bright Astræa's daughter."

Again, ibidem:

"Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss."

Not knowing that contrary was used as a word of four fyllables, he reads:

"Whereas the contrary bringeth forth blifs."

So fure is used in the same play, as a diffyllable: "Glofter, we'll meet: to thy cost, be sure."

but this editor, not aware of this, reads:

"Glofter, we'll meet; to thy dear cost, be sure."

Again, in King Henry VI. P. II.

" And so to arms, victorious father,-"

arms being used as a diffyllable. But the second folio reads:

"And so to arms, victorious noble father."

Again, in Twelfth-Night, Act I. sc. i. we find

when liver, brain, and heart,

"These sovereign thrones, are all supply'd, and fill'd,

(Her sweet perfections) with one self-king."

for which the editor, not knowing that perfections was used as a quadrifyllable, has substituted

when liver, brain, and heart,

"These sovereign thrones, are all fupply'd, and fill'd, (Her sweet perfections) with one self-fame king."

Again, in King Henry VI. P. II :

"Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king."

for which the editor of the second folio, not knowing Henry to be used as a trifyllable, gives us,

"But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king."

In like manner dazzled is used by Shakspeare as a trifyllable in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II. fc. iv:

"And that hath dazzled my reason's light.",

instead of which, we find in the second folio,

" And that hath dazzled Jo my reason's light."

The words neither, rather, &c. are frequently used by Shakspeare as words of one fyllable. So, in King Henry VI. P. III :

"And neither by treason, nor hoftility,
"To seek to put me down-."

for which the editor of the second folio has given

us,

"Neither by treason, nor hoftility," &c.

In Timon of Athens, Act III. sc. v. Alcibiades afks,

" Is this the balsam, that the usuring fenate
"Pours into captains' wounds? banishment ?"

The editor of the second folio, not knowing that pours was used as a dissyllable, to complete the supposed defect in the metre, reads :

"Is this the balfam, that the usuring senate
"Pours into captains' wounds! ha! banishment?"

Tickled is often used by Shakspeare and the contemporary poets, as a word of three fyllables. So, in King Henry VI. P. II:

"She's tickled now; her fume needs no spurs."

instead of which, in the second folio we have,

"She's tickled now; her fume can need no spurs."

So, in Titus Andronicus, Act II. fc. i:

"Better than he have worn Vulcan's badge." This editor, not knowing that worn was used as a diffyllable, reads :

"Better than he have yet worn Vulcan's badge."

Again, in Cymbeline, Act II. sc. v:

"All faults that name, nay, that hell knows, why hers, " In part, or all; but rather all: for even to vice," &c.

These lines being thus carelessly distributed in the original copy,

"All faults that name, nay, that hell knows,

Why hers, in part, or all; but rather all :" &c.

the editor of the second folio, to fupply the defect of the first line, arbitrarily reads, with equal ignorance of his author's metre and phraseology,

" All faults that may be named, nay, that hell knows, " Why hers," &c.

In King Henry IV. P. II. Act I. fc. iii. is this line :

"And being now trimm'd in thine own defires,-." instead of which the editor of the fecond folio, to remedy a supposed defect in the metre, has given

us

"And being now trimm'd up in thine own defires,-."

Again, in As you like it, Act II. fc. i:

instead of which we find in the second folio, (the editor not knowing that country was used as a trisyllable,)

he pierceth through

"The body of city, the country, court."

In like manner, in The Winter's Tale, Act I. se. i.

he has given us :

"The doctrine of ill-doing, no nor dream'd

"That any did :

instead of

"

« we knew not

"The doctrine of ill-doing, nor dream'd," &c.

doctrine being used as a word of three syllables.

" Pay him fix thousand," &c. says Portia in The Merchant of Venice,

"Before a friend of this description
"Should lose a hair through Bassanio's fault."

the word hair being used as a dissyllable, or Baffanio as a quadrifyllable. Of this the editor of the second folio was wholly ignorant, and therefore

reads:

"Should lose a hair through my Bassanio's fault."

In The Winter's Tale, Act IV. fc. iii. Florizel,

addressing Perdita, says,

"

my defires

"Run not before mine honour; nor my lusts

"Burn hotter than my faith."

To complete the last hemistich, Perdita is made

to reply,..

VOL. I.

Hh