Compare The Two Noble Kinsmen, Act i. sc. 1,—

66
"—shrunk thee into

The bound thou wast o'erflowing, at once subduing
Thy force and thy affection."

Somewhat similarly in Edward III. ii. 2, 138,—
"I bind (?) my discontent to my content."

Dyce prints "we bow," after Lettsom. The other compared eds. retain "bound.”

Note (9.) Act V. Scene 3, Line 10,—

"Even such, they say, as stand in narrow lanes,
And beat our watch, and rob our passengers;
Which he, young wanton and effeminate boy,
Takes on the point of honour to support

So dissolute a crew."

The construction is an inversion for-which so dissolute a crew he, young &c.-takes on the point of honour to support. Compare Cymb. v. 5, 464,—

"We were dissuaded by our wicked queen;

Whom heavens, in justice, both on her and hers,
Have laid most heavy hand."

on whom, both her and hers, heavens, &c. Dyce and Singer print "While," after Pope. The other compared eds. retain the old text.

Note (10.) Ib. Line 110,

"Our prayers do out-pray his; then let them have
That mercy which true prayer ought to move."

Compare M. N. D. i. 1, 197,—

"O that my prayers could such affection move!" And for the rhyme, compare Act v. i. 91,— "Twice for one step I'll groan, the way being short, And piece the way out with a heavy heart."

The old eds. have "ought to haue." All the compared eds. retain "have." Compare also J. C. iii. 1, 59,— "If I could pray to move, prayers would move me."

2 Hy. VI. iv. 7, 73,

66

Prayers and tears have mov'd me, gifts could never."

Note (11.)

66

Act V. Scene 5, Line 10,—

"I have been studying how I may compare
This prison where I live unto the world:
And, for because the world is populous,
And here is not a creature but myself,
I cannot do it ;-yet I'll hammer 't out.
My brain I'll prove the female to my soul,
My soul the father and these two beget
A generation of still-breeding thoughts,
And these same thoughts people this little world;
In humours like the people of the world
For no thought is contented.-

Thoughts tending to ambition, they do plot
Unlikely wonders; how these vain weak nails
May tear a passage through the flinty ribs
Of this hard world, my ragged prison walls.-
Thus play I, in one person, many people,
And none contented."

The old eds. have,

"In humors, like the people of this world."

"this" having been caught from just above in the preceding line. All the compared eds. retain the old

text.

Note (12.) Ib. Line 52,—

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;
For now hath time made me his numbering clock:
My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto the outward watch,

Mine eyes;

66

Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,

Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears:
Now, sir, the sound that tells what hour it is

Are clamorous groans, which strike upon my heart,
Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans
Show minutes, hours, and times;—but my time
Runs posting on in Bolingbroke's proud joy,—
While I stand, fooling here, his Jack o' th' clock."

66

they jar Their watches on unto," &c. watches "" = minute-watches; so, in a double sense, in John iv. 1,

46,

"And with my hand at midnight held your head,

And like the watchful minutes to the hour,

Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time,

Saying, 'What lack you?' and 'Where lies your grief?' "jar on" continue to jar, cease not to jar; so 1 Hy. VI. i. 2, 42,

"I think, by some odd gimmors or device,

Their arms are set like clocks, still to strike on ;
Else ne'er could they hold out so as they do."

The old eds. have,—

"Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward Watch,"

The line is redundant, and probably by an error of the transcriber. There has previously occurred a broken line in this soliloquy, line 14,

Against the word:

"and do set the word itself

As thus, Come, little ones;' and then again,"—

"a dial's point"= pointer, hand of the clock; so 1 Hy. IV. v. 2, 84,—

"If life did ride upon a dial's point,
Still ending at the arrival of an hour."

"the sound that tells are clamorous groans

an inversion for, clamorous groans are the sound that tells, &c.

"Show minutes, hours, and times;—but my time," &c.

"times ""

66 seasons. my time" = my season

the season that by right is mine

66

"Runs posting on in Bolingbroke's proud joy,"

i.e. is quickly passed by proud Bolingbroke in joy,—

"While I stand, fooling here, his Jack o' th' clock."

The quartos have "Show

i.e. while I stand his Jack o' th' clock [tell his hours] in my foolish fancies here. minutes, times, and hours". minutes, hours, and times". print as the quartos.

Dyce

The folio has "Show All the compared eds. prints, "Their watches

to mine eyes "the reading of the second folio. Dyce and Singer print "the sounds that tell.”

Note (13.)

Act V. Scene 5, Line 107,

"K. Rich. How now! What! mean'st death in this rude

assault?

Villain, thy own hand yields thy death's instrument :

[Snatching a weapon, and killing a servant.]

The old eds. have,

"How now? what meanes Death in this rude assalt?"

All the compared eds. print (Singer and Staunton have "How now?"),—

"How now! what means death in this rude assault?

But "in this rude assault " is equivalent to by this, &c. The same elliptical expression occurs in Lear ii. 2, 113,

Cornwall. "What mean'st by this?"

The line following bears out the reading adopted; which is proposed in Staunton's note.

FIRST PART OF KING HENRY IV.

Note (1.) Act I. Scene 1, Line 5,—

"No more the thirsty entrance of this soil

Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood."

mouth; the two words are used in

"entrance"
differently. Compare John ii. 1, 450,—

"The mouth of passage shall we fling wide ope,
And give you entrance.”

So "entrance of this sepulchre" (R. and J. v. 3, 141); "the vault to whose foul mouth” (R. and J. iv. 3, 34); "the entrance of his tent" (T. and C. iii. 3, 38); "the mouth o' the cell" (Temp. iv. 1, 216). Compare also Rich. II. i. 1, 104,

"Which blood, like sacrificing Abel's, cries,

Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth."

which, like the present passage, is taken from Genesis iv. 10, 11,

"the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground"-"the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand."

and Numbers xvi. 32,—

"and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up." and so Rich. III. i. 2, 65,

"Or earth, gape open wide and eat him quick,
As thou dost swallow up this good king's blood."